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Get Up Erica
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White House, Congress Near Deal On Auto Bailout
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A government “car czar” with the power to force U.S. automakers into bankruptcy would dole out $15 billion in emergency loans to the failing industry under an emerging deal between the White House and congressional Democrats.
Officials struck an agreement in principle on the measure Tuesday and hoped to finalize it and schedule swift House and Senate votes as early as Wednesday. Money could be disbursed within days to cash-starved General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, while Ford Motor Co. — which has said it has enough liquidity to stay afloat — would be eligible for federal aid.
All three would have to negotiate with labor unions, creditors and others and submit blueprints by March 31 to an industry czar named by President George W. Bush showing how they would restructure to ensure their survival. If not, the emergency loans would be revoked, the companies cut off from further federal help, and the government overseer could order his own overhaul, including forcing them into bankruptcy.
After days of marathon negotiations over the plan, congressional aides and White House officials were still fine-tuning legislative details of the agreement. It could face substantial obstacles from Republican lawmakers, who remained skeptical of the White House-negotiated plan.
A group of conservatives led by Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., who has threatened to block the measure, planned a midday news conference Wednesday.
As the measure took shape Tuesday, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he was concerned that Democrats were proposing a package that “fails to require the kind of serious reform that will ensure long-term viability for struggling automobile companies.”
With their approach, “we open the door to unlimited federal subsidies in the future,” McConnell said.
Sen. Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, said Wednesday that “I don’t know if this is going to pass.”
He said on CBS’s “The Early Show” he believes the Bush administration “snatched defeat from the jaws of victory” by consenting to the outline of legislation that fails to give taxpayers sufficient assurances that the money would be well-spent.
Corker also said he believes bankruptcy might ultimately be the right path, saying that might be “the only way” for the industry to proceed.
Getting 60 votes for an agreement, with many senators expected to be absent for the emergency, postelection debate, could be tricky.
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., an ally of the auto industry, said, “This gets us to the 20-yard line, but getting over the goal line will take a major effort, particularly in the Senate.”
He called for Bush and President-elect Barack Obama to lobby personally for the auto bailout.
A breakthrough on the measure came when negotiators reached a compromise to require the czar to revoke the loans and deny any further federal aid to automakers that don’t strike restructuring deals by next spring. Democrats had proposed giving the overseer that option but not requiring it.
“A great deal of progress has been made on auto legislation that will protect the taxpayer and ensure that short-term financing is available only to companies prepared to undertake the dramatic restructuring necessary to become viable and competitive,” Dana Perino, the White House press secretary, said late Tuesday.
One potential stumbling block remained. Democrats’ were still refusing to scrap language, vehemently opposed by the White House, that would force the carmakers to drop lawsuits challenging tough emissions limits in California and other states.
That measure “kills the deal,” said Dan Meyer, Bush’s top lobbyist.
Senior Democratic aides acknowledged as much Tuesday and said they expected the provision to be dropped.
Environmentalists, who count House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., among their closest allies, already were irate that the bailout uses money set aside for a program to help the automakers finance the retooling of their factories so they could produce greener vehicles.
Another remaining hang-up was over ensuring that Cerberus, the private equity firm that owns Chrysler LLC, would reimburse the government if the auto company defaulted on its loan, said a congressional negotiator who spoke only on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose details of the emerging deal.
The measure would attach an array of conditions to the bailout money, including some of the same restrictions imposed on banks as part of the $700 billion Wall Street rescue. Among them are limits on executive compensation, a prohibition on paying dividends and requirements that the government share in future profits and taxpayers be repaid before any other shareholders.
Also included in the plan is a requirement that the carmakers taking federal aid get rid of their corporate jets — which became a potent symbol when the Big Three CEOs used them for their initial trips to Washington to plead before Congress for government assistance.
auto industry , Congress , economy , financial crisis , Nancy Pelosi , White House
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Home » Blog » 13 Warning Signs You’re in a Codependent Relationship
13 Warning Signs You’re in a Codependent Relationship
By Melody Wilding, LMSW
Have you ever found yourself in a one-sided relationship where you felt as if you were the one doing all the giving, all the caring, while receiving nothing in return?
If this dynamic sounds familiar, it’s likely you’re trapped in the web of codependency, a pattern of behavior where your self-worth and identity hinges on another’s approval.
Codependency was first defined nearly 50 years ago to describe unhealthy relationships characterized by excessive control or compliance, often with one partner lacking self-sufficiency and autonomy.
The concept was originally conceived in the context of addiction. It helped to explain “enabling” patterns used to ease relationship tension caused by drug and alcohol abuse. We now understand that enabling behaviors (such as rescuing a partner, bailing them out, making and accepting excuses for their behavior, and constantly trying to fix problems) also are common in non-addiction-related codependent relationships.
Through constantly sacrificing for others and ignoring their own needs, codependents find self-esteem by winning a partner’s approval. Because they lack self-worth, codependent people have great difficulty accepting from others.
Codependent personalities tend to attract partners who are emotionally unstable. They may find themselves in relationship after relationship with needy, unreliable, or emotionally unavailable counterparts.
How can you tell if your relationship is unhealthy? Here’s a list of common feelings and symptoms associated with codependency. You may be in a codependent relationship if you identify with any of the following statements:
You feel as if your life revolves around your partner.
You cancel plans to accommodate your partner’s whims.
No matter how hard you try, nothing you do is ever good enough.
You’re a classic peacekeeper and people-pleaser.
You’ve found yourself in relationships with addicts, drug users, or have been verbally or physically abused.
You’re always smiling and try to appear cheery, even when you’re feeling mad or sad.
You play the role of caregiver in your family or with your partner.
You feel ashamed about what’s really going on inside your relationship, but keep that secret to yourself.
You feel trapped in the relationship, but feel that if you did leave, you’d be a horrible person for abandoning your partner
Your mood is dictated by your partner’s mood and behavior.
You feel devalued or disrespected in your relationship.
Anxiety is the emotion you feel most often in your relationship.
You spend a lot of time trying to conform or balance your partner’s wishes and preferences.
If you see any of these signs of codependency within yourself or your relationship, you’ve taken an important first step in rewiring dysfunctional patterns. Continue to educate yourself about the consequences of remaining in an unhealthy dynamic. By learning to identify and label codependent behaviors, you can begin to deconstruct the entanglement in your relationship.
Remember, healthy love is about creating partnerships that are inter-dependent and characterized by mutual respect and honesty. Recovery is possible through emotional healing and redefining the way you value yourself.
Melody Wilding, LMSW
Melody Wilding, LMSW is a performance coach, licensed social worker, and has a Masters from Columbia. She helps established and rising managers and executives advance in their careers. Her clients work at companies like Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, HP, and Deloitte. She also helps entrepreneurs take bold steps to grow their businesses. Melody has helped over 10,000 smart, self-aware people like you. Her coaching gives you actionable strategies to reach your goals. You get concrete steps to overcome the complex struggles of success. Melody loves arming ambitious people with tools and tactics to boost their confidence. She can teach you skills for assertiveness and influence. Her specialties include better managing your emotions at work. Melody also teaches Human Behavior at CUNY Hunter College in NYC. She writes about psychology and careers for Inc., Forbes, Fast Company, and more. Click here and grab the FREE COURSE to go from insecure to unstoppable confidence 5 DAYS TO FREEDOM FROM SELF-DOUBT..
Wilding, M. (2018). 13 Warning Signs You’re in a Codependent Relationship. Psych Central. Retrieved on January 20, 2020, from https://psychcentral.com/blog/13-warning-signs-youre-in-a-codependent-relationship/
Last updated: 8 Jul 2018 (Originally: 24 Apr 2015)
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Is the tone of religious criticism important?
Filed under: Atheism,belief,Catholic Church,child abuse,Dawkins,Faith,God,Greta Christina,New Atheists,Pope Benedict XVI,Truth,Vatican — tildeb @ 9:57 am
Richard Dawkins has written a short article answering the question, “Should the pope resign?”
As an atheist, Dawkins is often vilified as too strident, too aggressive, too unqualified about sophisticated theology to speak to the nuances of religious belief. His tone, in other words, is all wrong to be effective, we hear from so many ‘I’m an atheist, but…’ apologists. Clearly, Dawkins has no respect for beliefs that are not concerned with what is true, and that central tenet of Dawkins’ philosophy must be kept in mind if one is to appreciate what the man brings to the discussion table regarding religious belief and its effects in the world. You may not appreciate the messenger, but the message is clear and truthful.
So when he Dawkins is asked to give his opinion, religious moderates and apologetic atheists need to gird their loins for what is to follow because they are about to hear the truth without the sugarcoating niceties so favoured by the apologetic faint of heart set.
“Should the pope resign?”
No. As the College of Cardinals must have recognized when they elected him, he is perfectly – ideally – qualified to lead the Roman Catholic Church. A leering old villain in a frock, who spent decades conspiring behind closed doors for the position he now holds; a man who believes he is infallible and acts the part; a man whose preaching of scientific falsehood is responsible for the deaths of countless AIDS victims in Africa; a man whose first instinct when his priests are caught with their pants down is to cover up the scandal and damn the young victims to silence: in short, exactly the right man for the job. He should not resign, moreover, because he is perfectly positioned to accelerate the downfall of the evil, corrupt organization whose character he fits like a glove, and of which he is the absolute and historically appropriate monarch.
No, Pope Ratzinger should not resign. He should remain in charge of the whole rotten edifice – the whole profiteering, woman-fearing, guilt-gorging, truth-hating, child-raping institution – while it tumbles, amid a stench of incense and a rain of tourist-kitsch sacred hearts and preposterously crowned virgins, about his ears.
The tone? Short, to the point, in your face, here’s the truth, now deal with it, kind of tone.
Shocking? So what? Is it true?
Now let’s look at what criticizing the tone really means.
Greta Christina has written a lovely response to those people who troll their concern about this very issue: tone.
Dear Believer:
Thank you for your concern about the well-being of the atheist movement, and for your advice on how to run it. I appreciate your concern for the image of the atheist movement, and I appreciate you taking the time to give us advice on how to get our message across more effectively.
In particular, I have received your observation that attempts to persuade people out of their religious beliefs are often seen as rude or offensive — along with your suggestion that we therefore should stop making our case altogether. I have also received your suggestion that, if we do feel it necessary to point out the flaws in religion, we do so gently and diplomatically, making the avoidance of any possible offense or hurt feelings our absolute top priority. I have received your observation that attempts to persuade people out of religious beliefs can be divisive, possibly alienating the progressive ecumenical religious community — and I have received your suggestion that we should therefore concentrate entirely on anti-discrimination and separation of church and state issues that we have in common with progressive believers, and abandon any focus on pointing out the flaws in religion or the harm done by it. And I have received your suggestion that we avoid any use of anger, humor, mockery, passion, and other traditional methods of drawing attention to controversial ideas, and that in the future we make our case soberly, moderately, and with little fanfare. These suggestions are certainly interesting, and I will give them all due consideration.
However, while your concern for the well-being of the atheist movement is certainly appreciated, I can assure you that it is unwarranted. rates of religious non-belief are going up at a substantial rate — a rate that even surprises many of us — all over the United States and all over the world. This trend is especially true among young people… arguably the most important demographic for any social change movement. What’s more, I personally have been told by several people that they left their religion and became atheists, in part, because of things I’ve written. And I know that I left my own religious beliefs, in large part, because of things that were written by people in the atheist movement. Clearly, we are doing something right.
It is difficult to avoid the observation that, whenever believers give advice to atheists on how to run our movement, it is always in the direction of telling us to be more quiet, to tone it down, to be less confrontational and less visible. I have yet to see a believer advise the atheist movement to speak up more loudly and more passionately; to make our arguments more compelling and more unanswerable; to get in people’s faces more about delicate and thorny issues that they don’t want to think about; to not be afraid of offending people if we think we’re right. I have received a great deal of advice from believers on how atheists should run our movement… and it is always, always, always in the direction of politely suggesting that we shut up.
You’ll have to forgive me if I think your suggestions on making our movement more effective would, in fact, have the exact opposite effect. What’s more, you’ll have to forgive me for suspecting that this, however unconsciously, is the true intention behind your very kind and no doubt sincerely- meant advice.
And you’ll have to forgive me if I am less than enthusiastic about taking advice on how to run the atheist movement from the very people our movement is trying to change.
And that’s the key point: the New Atheist movement recognizes the global danger unjustified religious beliefs that is organized and political brings to the world and is trying to do something about it not by violence or imposition but by discourse. The various styles and tones by which this is done are not the issue and never shall be; the issue is whether or not religious belief is justified to have say about anything. If we are concerned about what’s true, then we need to be very concerned with popular beliefs that are not.
And at the top of that list is religion. It is the criticism of unjustified beliefs that is important if one thinks that what’s true actually matters more the tone by which it occurs. Those whose opinions are more concerned with tone than what’s true are simply an impediment to meaningful discourse.
What is wrong with liberal apologists?
Filed under: Enlightenment,Faith,Fatwa,fear,God,Government,Human Rights,hypocrisy,Intolerance,Islam,Law,Morality,Politics,Religion,religiously inspired violence,Secularism,theism,totalitarianism — tildeb @ 8:35 am
Nick Cohen brings us an answer from Standpoint magazine about how the far left has joined the far right:
The Conservatives’ main complaint about the borderless Left used to be that it allowed huge double standards. Polite society embraced ex- or actual communists and Trotskyists and treated them with a consideration they would have never extended to ex- or actual Nazis. The refusal of 21st-century left-wing and liberal opinion to separate itself from radical Islam is, however, a living disgrace with disastrous consequences for Europe.
You can see them everywhere if you are willing to look. In January, for instance, Harriet Harman and Ed Miliband attended a “Progressive London” conference packed with the supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, which believes in the establishment of a totalitarian theocracy. George Galloway, who saluted the courage of Saddam Hussein, was there too, inevitably, as was Tariq Ramadan, the shifty academic who thinks there should only be a “moratorium” on the stoning to death of adulterous women rather than an outright ban. Imagine the fuss if, say, William Hague and Michael Gove had gone to a conference on the future of right-wing politics in London and joined members of the BNP, a far-right politician who had saluted the courage of Augusto Pinochet and an academic who argued for a “moratorium” on black immigration to Britain. The BBC would have exploded. It, along with everyone else, kept quiet, of course, about Harman and Miliband because they were from the Left and therefore could never be beyond the pale.
Nominally left-wing politicians’ appeasement of religious reactionaries is so routine that it takes a convulsive event to reveal the extent of liberal perfidy. The reaction of University College London to the news that its alumnus Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had tried to blow up a plane over Detroit on Christmas Day should have provided the shock therapy. The connection between British-bred extremism and mass murder was there for all to see, except that the authorities did not want to look.
I can see no more important task at present than working out how European liberalism has gone so badly wrong. Why does a culture that prides itself on its opposition to bigotry become so feeble when it confronts bigots dressed in the black robes of clerical reaction? Until we understand, we cannot cure, and there is an emerging understanding among those who worry about the dark turn liberals have taken that Western guilt lies at the root of their moral failure.
Ever since the Rushdie affair, the fear of religious violence has buzzed in the heads of liberal Europeans. The Islamists bombed London and Madrid, murdered Theo van Gogh, drove Ayaan Hirsi Ali into exile and forced politicians, most notably Muslim women politicians, to accept armed guards. On the scale of suffering in the world, Islamist violence in Europe is nothing remarkable. But a little fear goes a long way in rich and comfortable societies and sometimes the trouble with the liberals is not their guilt but that they do not begin to feel guilty enough about their cowardice and complicity.
Creeping religious accommodation: why should we enforce respect?
Filed under: belief,Bigotry,blasphemy,Catholic Church,Children,Christianity,civil rights,Culture,Enlightenment,Faith,Fatwa,fear,God,Government,Heresy,Human Rights,Humour,Intolerance,Islam,Morality,Pope Benedict XVI,Religion,Scandal,Scrutiny,Vatican — tildeb @ 8:20 am
We shouldn’t.
Excerpts from John Hari’s article in The Independent:
In 2005, 12 men in a small secular European democracy decided to draw a quasi-mythical figure who has been dead for 1400 years. They were trying to make a point. They knew that in many Muslim cultures, it is considered offensive to draw Mohamed. But they have a culture too – a European culture that believes it is important to be allowed to mock and tease and ridicule religion. Some of the cartoons were witty. Some were stupid. One seemed to suggest Muslims are inherently violent – an obnoxious and false idea. If you disagree with the drawings, you should write a letter, or draw a better cartoon, this time mocking the cartoonists. But some people did not react this way. Instead, Islamist plots to hunt the artists down and slaughter them began. Earlier this year, a man with an axe smashed into one of their houses, and very nearly killed the cartoonist in front of his small grand-daughter.
This week, another plot to murder the cartoonists who drew caricatures of Mohammad seems to have been exposed, this time allegedly spanning Ireland and the United States, and many people who consider themselves humanitarians or liberals have rushed forward to offer condemnation – of the cartoonists. One otherwise liberal newspaper ran an article saying that since the cartoonists had engaged in an “aggressive act” and shown “prejudice… against religion per se”, so it stated menacingly that no doubt “someone else is out there waiting for an opportunity to strike again”.
Let’s state some principles that – if religion wasn’t involved – would be so obvious it would seem ludicrous to have to say them out loud. Drawing a cartoon is not an act of aggression. Trying to kill somebody with an axe is. There is no moral equivalence between peacefully expressing your disagreement with an idea – any idea – and trying to kill somebody for it. Yet we have to say this because we have allowed religious people to claim their ideas belong to a different, exalted category, and it is abusive or violent merely to verbally question them. Nobody says I should “respect” conservatism or communism and keep my opposition to them to myself – but that’s exactly what is routinely said about Islam or Christianity or Buddhism. What’s the difference?
This enforced “respect” is a creeping vine. It soon extends beyond religious ideas to religious institutions – even when they commit the worst crimes imaginable. It is now an indisputable fact that the Catholic Church systematically covered up the rape of children across the globe, and knowingly, consciously put paedophiles in charge of more kids. Joseph Ratzinger – who claims to be “infallible” – was at the heart of this policy for decades.
And the ever perceptive Jesus and Mo:
What is the key to accepting unjustified beliefs as true?
Filed under: belief,Biology,commentary,creationism,Education,Evolution,Faith,God,Home-schooling,Ignorance,Intelligent Design,Jerry Coyne,Religion,Superstition — tildeb @ 10:49 am
Several posts ago we looked at the issue of homeschooling biology textbooks out of Bob Jones University that endorsed creationism as a legitimate alternative to evolution. Jerry Coyne, evolutionary biologist and author of the excellent book Why Evolution Is True was asked to respond to a homeschooling parent who was concerned about this issue. He was then quoted in the New York times saying that these science textbooks lied to children by misrepresenting the science of biology and how irresponsible it was for parents to support this kind of lie for the maintenance of religious sensibilities over and above what is true.
I think to better understand how people can wholeheartedly believe unjustified notions (like creationism, for example) as if they were just as likely to be true as some notion informed by evidence and supported by a very high probability of the notion being true (like evolution, for example) lies not in the facts as we find them but in the way we approach those facts.
Michael McHugh is head of a young-earth creationist organization, CLASS, that sells home-school materials on biology to parents. He states (on audio clip 100316 here) that the biology textbooks in question can select whatever ‘facts’ best supports the creationist worldview, that there are “no neutral facts.” That is, every fact militates either for or against a certain worldview. His suggestion for how to educate your kids involves choosing which worldview the parent believes suits them best, and then selecting the “facts” that fit this worldview.
That assertion is jaw-dropping stupid. It is so stupid, it burns. It is unconscionable in an educator, but it does explain an extraordinary phenomena we come across time and again of how people can remain fixated on some belief being true regardless of overwhelming contrary evidence. How can this be possible?
The mindset described by Michael McHugh explains exactly how so many otherwise rational people can become so selective in the ‘facts’ they already believe are representative of and meaningful to their worldview, while able to so callously disregard other ‘facts’ that are in direct conflict with the worldview. What this essentially means is that anyone who says “…there are ‘no neutral facts’…that is, every fact militates either for or against a certain worldview…” holds a worldview which cannot be changed by facts and will ignore or refute any evidence counter to their absolute premise. (Tip to #7 Oldfuzz commenting on WEIT about this subject.)
The facts don’t matter to someone who subscribes to this approach that no facts are neutral, that all facts militate for or against a worldview. But this approach means that all evidence does not count but only selected evidence, and this is exactly what we find with people who hold unjustified beliefs. They are only unjustified when all the evidence is considered, but appear highly justified when only carefully selected evidence is considered. In other words, to such people truth dos not matter. Inquiry is not needed. Intellectual integrity is disregarded. Knowledge is subordinate to and dependent on belief in that worldview.
And that’s exactly how ignorance becomes champion and can be promoted by so many well-intentioned homeschooling parents.
What are Mark Twain’s thoughts about god?
Filed under: commentary,creationism,Criticism,Faith,God,Humour,Intelligent Design,Mark Twain,Religion — tildeb @ 3:49 pm
From Intelligent Design to the problem of suffering, Mark Twain cook up an answer to this question in this article with his usual humor and aplomb.
First the dash of humor:
How often we are moved to admit the intelligence exhibited in both the designing and the execution of some of His works. Take the fly, for instance. The planning of the fly was an application of pure intelligence, morals not being concerned. Not one of us could have planned the fly, not one of us could have constructed him; and no one would have considered it wise to try, except under an assumed name. It is believed by some that the fly was introduced to meet a long-felt want.
and then a bit of the aplomb:
We hear much about His patience and forbearance and long-suffering; we hear nothing about our own, which much exceeds it. We hear much about His mercy and kindness and goodness—in words—the words of His Book and of His pulpit—and the meek multitude is content with this evidence, such as it is, seeking no further; but whoso searcheth after a concreted sample of it will in time acquire fatigue. There being no instances of it.
Read the entire reproduced article here from Project Reason.
Why not contrast the teaching of evolution with a little creationist “cdesign proponentsists” in biology class?
Filed under: belief,Biology,Children,creationism,Criticism,Education,Evolution,Faith,God,Home-schooling,Intelligent Design,Natural Selection,Religion,Science,Superstition — tildeb @ 2:58 pm
Excerpts indented from this article at the New Scientist:
One of creationists’ favourite claims is that an organ as intricate as the eye could never have simply evolved. Fresh evidence to the contrary has now arrived, courtesy of a creature related to jellyfish.
The tiny freshwater hydra has no eyes but it will contract into a ball when exposed to sudden bright light. David Plachetzki and colleagues at the University of California, Santa Barbara, have found that hydras “see” light using two proteins closely related to those in our own eyes.
“If you look at something as complex as an eye, you might be at a loss to explain how the whole structure evolved at once,” says Plachetzki, now at the University of California, Davis. “But if you look at its components you can start to piece together how it happened.” That’s especially feasible now that genes from the earliest animals, such as the hydra, are being sequenced.
Rod and cone cells in the human retina contain proteins called opsins that change shape when light strikes them. This causes another type of protein, an ion channel, to generate an electrical signal along nerves connecting the eye to the brain – a process called phototransduction.
Hydras have the same types of opsins and ion channels as we do.
Why? Why does a critter with no eyes have the same opsins and ion channels as we do? According to creationists, the ‘explanation’ is that god made the freshwater hydra this way, an explanation empty of meaning because it is empty of evidence to inform it. “God made it this way” is an unverifiable assertion, an assumption that the hypothesis is true without any means to test that truth claim. “god made it this way” is not a meaningful explanation because it provides no meaningful answer. Its explanatory power is zero, the equivalent of a null set. Many people think that this null set approach is legitimate ”science’ (creationists call it by another name in the world of scientific education: Intelligent Design, a term substituted into newer texts from older creationist tracts to present a different more modern face to this very old theological belief). Proponents of ID pretend that some ‘force’ must have produced the complexity we find in nature, making it, they claim, a legitimate alternative scientific theory to evolution without also proving us an explanatory framework within which we can find various ways and means to produce testable, verifiable, falsifiable, and predictable causal and correlational answers informed by evidence rather than meaningless assertions of supernatural intervention and divine design based on an assumed belief that such an assertion is true. On this scientific scale, ID is theological creationism repackaged and re-branded.
The theory of evolution offers an explanatory framework in which we can deduce that because both humans and freshwater hydras possess the same opsins and ion channels, we therefore should share a common ancestor. Critters who have different opsins and ion channels should not.
If biologists accepted this assertion and assumed that the word should means the same thing as the word does, without any further investigation to inform the assertion, then they would be open to the legitimate charge of merely holding a different belief than creationists. But real scientists don’t stop their investigations with assertions and simply assume them to be true. Real scientists must inform their hypothesis with something more than assertions and assumptions… a little thing called evidence. In the case of the freshwater hydra, real biologists ask the important question How might we determine, even indirectly, if we do share a common ancestor? and then attempt to account for any evidence that supports or refutes the hypothesis.
One avenue of investigation: as already mentioned, gene sequencing.
Plachetzki’s team then built a family tree of opsin gene sequences from 22 highly diverse creatures, and found that opsins in hydras and humans evolved from those in a common ancestor. Another line of descendants from the same ancestor gave rise to somewhat different opsins and ion channels in insect and mollusc eyes. This supports other indirect evidence, says Nilsson, that the hydras’ light-sensing equipment was the original model, and the insects’ came later.
The hydra is the most primitive animal with functioning opsins, so the team concludes that it represents “the very origin of animal phototransduction”, which was incorporated into more complex eyes as they evolved.
This finding is more evidence of the power of explanation that the theory of evolution offers us. That god made insect eyes to rely on a mutated version of the opsins and ion channels common to the freshwater hydra and humans is no explanation whatsoever answering the related question of why they are different so-called ‘designs’; using the theory of evolution, we do find an explanation that accounts for the evidence. The theory works. Again.
To those who promote creationism as an alternative explanation so beautifully explained by evolution’s overwhelming multi-branched mutually supporting natural evidence as just a different way to ‘know’, who wish to teach the next generation of citizens that a belief that offers no meaningful explanation is as good as one informed by one that consistently does, I say Shame. Shame on you for choosing to promote your supernatural beliefs as if they were equal methods to the harder but more rewarding obtainment of real knowledge through informed biological science. Shame on you for equating that the two explanatory approaches are equal in the quality their respective inquiries. They’re not, you know it, and you as the responsible adult and parent and citizen should know better than to lie to children to soothe your conscience in maintaining your superstitious beliefs as a legitimate but different kind of attainable knowledge about the natural world when it is no such thing: creationism in all its disguises that answers questions with “Because god made it so” is an unjustified belief in the legitimacy of supernatural causation. The explanation contains no evidence in which to inform it. Foisting that unjustified belief on the next generation masked as an equally valid scientific theory, implying without cause that there actually exists some imaginary scientific controversy, is an exercise in promoting and teaching willful ignorance.
What is the matter with atheists?
Filed under: Atheism,belief,civil rights,Critical Reasoning,Criticism,Culture,Education,Enlightenment,Faith,God,Government,Human Rights,Intolerance,Law,Politics,Religion,Secularism,Society,Superstition,theism,Truth — tildeb @ 4:53 am
Other than causing unnecessary conflict and division by failing to support and daring to criticize those who wish to create a theocracy, probably everything. This Just In:
Monash University Professor Gary Bouma says people without a specific faith are fuelling sectarian conflict and cause division in society.
“Conflict comes up when groups vilify, deny the right to build the mosques,” he told the Studies of Religion in Focus conference in Sydney today.
“Or when the ‘nones’ – those who are anti-theist – [say] ‘You’re stupid’, that religious voices should be driven out of the public policy area, that religion shouldn’t be in schools, etc.
“That is conflict, and that is highly divisive in this society.”
Professor Bouma says a growth in religious diversity in recent years has created problems for Australian schools.
He says schools have to work out to how to encourage respectful engagement between students and teachers of various religions.
“Schools have a whole variety of competing loyalties within the teachers and within the students,” he said.
“It can sometimes go to conflict if there’s a viewpoint that some don’t want expressed.
“But how is it that you accommodate the diversity? How is it that you develop respectful engagement between diverse groups?”
Yup, those atheists sure are trouble. First they take away your rights by supporting your rights above the religious beliefs of the supernaturally informed righteous believers and then they dare stand by their convictions. How pathetic.
Don’t atheists know that “respectful engagement” means keeping one’s mouth closed and remaining silent when secular rights are undermined and religious folk implement their beliefs in the public domain using public funds? Can’t they see that by respecting what’s true over respecting unjustified supernatural claims, daring to suggest that the rights of all need to be respected equally, these poor misguided non believers are solely responsible for creating the ensuing conflict and division? I mean, really; what’s wrong with atheists?
Identity politics: Does pandering to superstitious beliefs help or harm the public good?
Filed under: belief,Christianity,Critical Reasoning,Education,Enlightenment,Faith,God,Government,Islam,Law,Liberty,Morality,Mormons,Odin,Politics,Religion,Secularism,Superstition — tildeb @ 3:11 pm
Excerpts from Muriel Gray’s article in the online HeraldScotland:
I believe in the Norse Gods. Everyone from our own dear First Minister, to the current UK Labour Government and the likely incoming Conservative administration firmly holds the view that a belief in the supernatural, and the indoctrination of supernatural beliefs in our children by state-funded schools, is a good thing. This is marvellous news. When we finally get our state-funded school, Odin’s will and the family values that he laid down for all mankind will finally be taught as fact. About time too.
For too long our children have suffered under the bigoted education system that teaches them lightning storms are a result of charged electrical particles in the atmosphere, when the faithful know it is our lord Thor beating his mighty anvil with his Divine hammer. And our truths, we believe, are particularly important in sex education. Our school will teach no nonsense about homosexuality being natural and contraception being important because we know that the jotuun Ymir’s son, from whom Odin descended, bred a man and a woman from his armpits. So we will be insisting that armpit reproductive health will trump all other considerations. We will teach young boys and girls to cover their armpits modestly, and how to avoid unwanted pregnancies from the oxters. Happily, Ed Balls has made provision for this in law, so our children can grow up with these all-important values in place.
Meanwhile, the astonishing decision by Ed Balls to allow faith schools to tailor sex education towards teaching their “values”, such as making gay children feel they are abominations and declaring that the only contraception for the unmarried is abstinence, is just another nightmarish example of this insane trend to appease the superstitious, despite the damage it will do to the innocent. It is the ultimate journey into identity politics, imagining the faithful as one-dimensional beings who do as they’re told and that the ballot box is an extension of the pulpit.
But the beam of hope amid this idiocy is that it doesn’t work. Catholic voters have rarely voted as sheep instructed by a priest. If it were otherwise then legislation in this country would look very different. In fact, they vote like any other citizen on matters of the economy, education and health, and while their beliefs may guide aspects of their personal life it would seem it is not the only factor in their choices. Similarly, Muslim voters still largely vote Labour despite the Iraq war, because the majority of UK Muslims currently remain working class and vote on pragmatic issues of unemployment and housing rather than obeying fatwas.
So it would seem that all this genuflecting to the pedlars of mythology is a waste of politicians’ time. Still, it’s been useful. Mr Murphy’s strong implication in his speech was that people who don’t believe in a god know less about “family values” than those who do. It’s good to know where you stand in your Government’s affections. I’ll certainly be keeping that in mind come the election. I imagine many of you faithless heretics who sneer at Odin’s power will think likewise. .
Does suffering improve us?
Filed under: belief,Christianity,God,Religion,Suffering — tildeb @ 3:01 pm
One of the old canards about explaining suffering in a world with a omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and benevolent god is that suffering is somehow good for us, a necessary condition if we are to come to god with free will. It’s a very silly explanation about a very serious and all too real condition. Ophelia Benson takes a crack at answering the question here. I’ve included a few excerpts for your consideration:
Whether or not suffering improves us depends first of all on how we define “suffering”. Real suffering – pain, disease, thirst, starvation – don’t improve us; they don’t leave us room to improve. “Improvement” is an activity for healthy people in tolerable circumstances; when things are desperate improvement becomes a luxury.
The idea that hardship improves us looks like a rationalisation of an old superstitious fear that too much prosperity will trigger the opposite. The gods are jealous, and if we don’t have any suffering, they’ll see that we get some – and they always overdo it, the bastards, so it’s much better if we do it to ourselves first so that they don’t come along and wallop us. It’s a good bargain if it works: I give up chocolate for a month and the gods don’t drop an asteroid on my head.
There are some sick views on all this in Christianity, doubtless thanks to its preoccupation with torture as atonement. (Before you swell with outrage, remember that it’s Christianity that has an implement for execution by torture as its central symbol, worn as a necklace and decorating the covers of hymnals.) There is “Mother Teresa” for example. Dr Robin Fox, editor of The Lancet, visited her hospice in Calcutta in 1994 and reported, “I could not judge the power of their spiritual approach, but I was disturbed to learn that the formulary includes no strong analgesics.” This was not for want of money, it was policy. It is notorious that she once said in a filmed interview that she told a patient suffering the agonies of the final stages of cancer, “You are suffering like Christ on the cross.”
Ultimately this has to do with the obvious fact that the world is full of suffering, so people who want to believe in a benevolent God have to reconcile the two in some way. Claiming that suffering improves us is one such attempt.
But it’s still silly.
Human genome: is there evidence for Intelligent Design?
Filed under: Genetics,God,human genome,Intelligent Design,Science — tildeb @ 12:25 pm
Um, no.
From the Culture Lab over at New Scientist:
Lesch-Nyhan syndrome causes compulsive self-mutilation. Children eat their lips or fingers, and stab their faces with sharp objects. They feel the pain, but they cannot stop themselves. Why would a loving, all-powerful creator allow anyone to be born with such an awful disease?
Lesch-Nyhan is just one of the tens of thousands of genetic disorders discovered so far. At least a tenth of people have some kind of debilitating genetic disease, and most of us will become sick at some point during our lifetime as a result of mutations that cause diseases such as cancer.
The reason? Our genome is an unmitigated mess. The replication and repair mechanisms are inadequate, making mutations commonplace. The genome is infested with parasitic DNA that often wreaks havoc. The convoluted control mechanisms are prone to error. The huge amount of junk, not just between genes but within them, wastes resources. And some crucial bits of DNA are kept in the power factories – mitochondria – where they are exposed to mutagenic byproducts. “It is downright ludicrous!” declares John Avise, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of California, Irvine.
The human genome, Avise concludes, offers no shred of comfort for those seeking evidence of a loving, all-powerful creator who had a direct hand in designing us, as not just creationists but many believers who accept evolution think was the case. If some entity did meddle with life on Earth, it either did not know what it was doing or did not care, or both.
So what effect might this assumption have on religious belief in an intervening creator? Does it emasculate religious belief? Not according to Avise:
“Evolution by natural selection emancipates religion,” Avise writes. “No longer need we agonize about why a Creator God is the world’s leading abortionist and mass murderer. No longer need we query a Creator God’s motives for debilitating countless innocents with horrific genetic conditions. From this refreshing perspective, evolution can and should be viewed as a form of philosophical salvation of theology and religion.”
Our ethics, writes editor Mike LePage, have been so hideously distorted by superstitious nonsense that we cannot see the clear moral imperative: we need to start sorting out the mess of a genome evolution has left us as soon as we can.
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#GANDHIFORCOMEDOWN
Academics want “racist” Gandhi’s statue removed from Ghana’s oldest university
By Yomi Kazeem September 23, 2016
During a trip to Ghana in June, Indian president Pranab Mukherjee unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Accra campus of the University of Ghana. But the gift quickly became a source of contention, with some Ghanaians calling for it to be taken down due to Gandhi’s contemptuous views on blacks.
Using #GandhiMustFall and #GandhiForComeDown on social media, Ghanaians began calling for the statue’s removal soon after its unveiling.
https://twitter.com/Accradotalt/status/775631067025989632
https://twitter.com/TheKenDarko/status/779057189067583488
The statue was installed while the university was not in session, so protests have been largely constrained to social media. But when school started again in August, protests picked up pace. An online petition backed by academics at the university garnered over 1,300 signatures at the time of writing. Listing Gandhi’s “racist identity” as a reason for the statue’s removal, the petition cites a number of quotes by Gandhi that describe black people as inferior.
It’s not the first Gandhi statue to be protested against in Africa. Last year, a South African man was arrested and charged with vandalizing a Gandhi statue in Johannesburg. Ghana’s #GandhiForComeDown protests are also inspired by similar events in Cape Town, where the statue of British colonialist Cecil Rhodes was removed from the University of Cape Town campus last year. Protesters there argued that the Rhodes statue celebrated someone “who exploited black labour and stole land from indigenous people“.
Just as they are critical of Gandhi’s racist views, the petitioners in Ghana decry the lack of statues honoring prominent Africans on local university campuses. ”If there should be statues on our campus, then, first and foremost, they should be of African heroes and heroines who can serve as examples of who we are and what we have achieved as a people,” the petition read.
“Why should we uplift other people’s ‘heroes’ at an African university when we haven’t lifted up our own?”
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racism, Mahatma Gandhi, racial inequality, University of Cape Town, Cecil Rhodes
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ABC and CBS Top Friday; ‘Shark Tank’ Featured on ’20/20′
FRIDAY FAST AFFILIATE RESULTS
by Marc Berman February 25, 2017, 11:32 am 3 Comments
What follows are the fast affiliate results for Friday, February 24, 2017 broken out by network and by each half-hour.
-Total Viewers:
CBS: 7.79 million, ABC: 5.45, NBC: 3.42, Fox: 2.23, CW: 837,000
-Adults 18-49:
ABC: 1.1 rating/5 share, CBS: 1.0/ 4, NBC: 0.7/ 3, Fox: 0.5/ 2, CW: 0.3/ 1
ABC – Last Man Standing
Viewers: 6.60 million (#2), A18-49: 1.1/ 5 (#1t)
CBS – MacGyver
NBC – Grimm
Viewers: 4.16 million (#3), A18-49: 0.8/ 4 (#3)
Fox – Rosewood
CW – The Vampire Diaries
ABC – Dr. Ken
ABC – Shark Tank
CBS – Hawaii Five-O
NBC – Emerald City
Fox – Sleepy Hollow
CW – Reign
Viewers: 657,000 (#5), A18-49: 0.2/ 1 (#5)
ABC – 20/0 (featuring Shark Tank personalities)
CBS – Blue Bloods (R)
NBC – Dateline
Source: Nielsen Media Research
Tagged with: 20/20, Blue Bloods, Dateline NBC, Dr. Ken, Emerald City, Grimm, Hawaii Five-0, Last Man Standing, MacGyver, Reign, Rosewood, Shark Tank, Sleepy Hollow, The Vampire Diaries
Previous article Wednesday Final Nationals: NBC Wins Tight Prime Time Race in Total Viewers
Next article ABC and CBS Share Low-Rated Saturday Leadership
Friday Final Nationals: CBS and ABC Share the Prime Time Lead
by Douglas Pucci February 28, 2017 3 Comments
Friday Final Nationals: NBA All-Star Celebrity Game Sinks to 9-Year Low on ESPN, Rising Stars at All-Time Low on TNT
FROM NBC
“GRIMM” MATCHES ITS 18-49 HIGH SINCE THE SHOW’S SEASON PREMIERE
“DATELINE” GROWS +19% WEEK TO WEEK IN TOTAL VIEWERS TO ITS MOST-WATCHED FRIDAY EDITION SINCE DECEMBER
“EMERALD CITY” MAINTAINS 100% WEEK TO WEEK
L+7: “GRIMM” & “EMERALD CITY” ARE EACH GROWING BY AN AVERAGE OF +75% THIS SEASON GOING FROM L+SD TO L+7
Friday Primetime Ratings:
“Grimm” (0.8/3 in 18-49, 4.0 million viewers overall from 8-9 p.m. ET):
· Equals the show’s highest 18-49 rating since its season premiere (0.9 on Jan. 6).
· Maintains 100% week to week in 18-49 (0.8 vs. 0.8) and grows +2% in total viewers (3.979 million vs. 3.918 million).
· Will add substantial viewership via time-shifting – so far this season, “Grimm” has been increasing by +75% in 18-49 rating going from L+SD to L+7 (from a 0.83 to a 1.45) and +2.0 million viewers overall (4.2 million to 6.2 million).
“Emerald City” (0.6/2 in 18-49, 2.3 million viewers overall from 9-10 p.m. ET):
· Retains 100% week to week in 18-49 (0.6 vs. 0.6).
· Maintains a 0.6 in adults 18-49 for a fifth straight telecast.
· Will increase substantially via time-shifting – “Emerald City” has grown by +75% in 18-49 rating so far this season going from L+SD to L+7 (0.75 to a 1.31) and more than +1.7 million viewers overall (3.2 million to 5.0 million).
“Dateline NBC” (0.8/3 in 18-49, 1.2 in adults 25-54, 4.0 million viewers overall from 10-11 p.m. ET):
· Delivers its most-watched Friday telecast since Dec. 30 (4.4 million) and top rating in 25-54 since Jan. 27 (1.3), while equaling its 18-49 high since Jan. 27 (1.0).
· Maintains 100% week to week in adults 18-49 (0.8 vs. 0.8),
· Grows +9% versus last week in adults 25-54 (1.2 vs. 1.1) and +19% in total viewers (3.970 million vs. 3.331 million).
· Ties for #2 in the time period among ABC, CBS and NBC in adults 18-49.
· Despite the 10 p.m. hour, increases by +29% half-hour to half-hour in adults 18-49 (0.7 to 0.9), +18% in adults 25-54 (1.1 to 1.3) and +23% in women 25-54 (1.3 to 1.6).
· Will add substantial viewership via time-shifting – “Dateline” is growing by +32% this season in 18-49 rating (from a 0.96 to a 1.27) and +1.2 million viewers overall (4.7 million to 5.9 million) going from L+SD to L+7.
In Late-Night Metered Markets Friday Night:
· In Nielsen’s 56 metered markets, household results were: “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” 2.2/6; “Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” 2.4/6; and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” 1.7/4 with an encore.
· In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” 0.7/4; “Late Show,” 0.5/3; and “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” 0.5/3 with an encore.
· From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET, ABC’s “Nightline” averaged a 1.3/4 in metered-market households and a 0.4/3 in 18-49 in the Local People Meters.
· From 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET, ratings were: “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” 1.2/4 in metered-market households with an encore; CBS’s “Late Late Show,” 1.1/4 with an encore. In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, averages were: “Late Night,” 0.4/3 in 18-49 with an encore; “Late Late Show,” 0.2/2 with an encore.
· At 1:35 a.m., “Last Call with Carson Daly” averaged a 0.7/3 in metered-market households with an encore and a 0.2/2 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.
NOTE: Primetime results are based on “fast affiliate time period” data from Nielsen Media Research. All ratings are “live plus same day” unless otherwise indicated.
FROM CBS
CBS Friday Live + Same Day Highlights
“HAWAII FIVE-0” TOPS FRIDAY IN VIEWERS
“MacGyver” Jumps +22% in A18-49 From a Week Ago,
Places First in Time Period
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” Wins Every Night
in the Metered Markets for the Second Consecutive Week
· At 8:00 PM, MACGYVER was first in viewers (7.03m), A18-49 (1.1, +22% from 0.9 last week) and A25-54 (1.5, tie, +7% from 1.4).
· At 9:00 PM, HAWAII FIVE -0 was first in viewers (9.02m) and second in A18-49 (1.1) and A25-54 (1.2).
· At 10:00 PM, a rebroadcast of BLUE BLOODS was first in viewers (7.33m).
· For the night, CBS was first in viewers (7.79m) and second in A18-49 (1.0) and A25-54 (1.5).
· From 11:35 PM-12:35 AM, THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT was first in the 56 overnight metered markets (2.4), +26% over a repeat broadcast the same night last year. THE LATE SHOW won every night in the metered markets for the second consecutive week
Garebelman says:
Compared to how Shark Tank did last season in live viewing apparently people have gotten turned off.
I have enjoyed this season of Grimm thus far. I love how it doesn’t seem rushed in the least for the final season.
LMS and Dr. Ken still keeping me laughing on the Friday night comedy block
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS: 3 NFL Superstars Discuss Playing Against the Raiders in Las Vegas
By Danielle McCartan (@CoachMcCartan and Facebook.com/CoachMcCartan) BERGEN COUNTY, N.J.- Welcome to the Fabulous Las Vegas, Raiders! As of Monday, March 27, 2017, Vegas is officially a professional sports town: the National Football League has joined the National Hockey League in choosing it as a host city. “Who doesn’t want to play in Vegas?!” exclaimed Jason McCourty. He…
Chapter 2: QB Edition-What is the New York Jets’ Flight Plan?
By Danielle McCartan (@CoachMcCartan / Facebook.com/CoachMcCartan) Last month, the New York Jets bid farewell to journeyman veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick after two seasons of work. New York Jets general manager signed Cleveland Browns former quarterback of two years, Josh McCown on March 21, 2017. It is a one-year deal worth $6 million dollars. Let’s follow Maccagnan’s…
Chapter 1: CB Edition-What is the New York Jets’ Flight Plan?
By Danielle McCartan (@CoachMcCartan and Facebook.com/CoachMcCartan) BERGEN COUNTY, N.J.- Entering every off-season, free agency period, and draft, each National Football League Team is ready and willing to address its needs, with the end-game being a Super Bowl championship. After releasing a slew of veterans (Brandon Marhsall, Nick Folk, Ryan Clady, Nick Mangold, Breno Giacomini, Erin Henderson,…
Dear Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ QB
By Danielle McCartan (@CoachMcCartan and Facebook.com/CoachMcCartan) Dear Mr. Winston, In a climate where not all professional football players are cast in the best light, I applaud you taking the initiative to visit a classroom full of third, fourth, and fifth graders in St. Petersburg, Florida. The impact that you, an NFL superstar, had on that…
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3 entries found
26 Aug 2016 description
Communicable Disease Threats Report, 21 - 27 August 2016 (Week 34)
report — European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
Download PDF (1.2 MB)
The ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) is a weekly bulletin for epidemiologists and health professionals on active public health threats. This issue covers the period 21-27 August 2016 and includes updates on Zika virus, yellow fever, West Nile fever and malaria in Greece.
Communicable Disease Threats Report, 7 - 13 August 2016 (Week 32)
The ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) is a weekly bulletin for epidemiolgists and health professionals on active public health threats. This issue covers the period 7-13 August 2016 and includes updates on Zika virus, yellow fever in Angola, polio, MERS CoV and West Nile virus.
Communicable Disease Threats Report, 31 July - 6 August 2016 (Week 31)
The Communicable Disease Threat Report (CDTR) is a weekly bulletin for epidemiologists and health professionals on active public health threats. This issues covers the period 31 July - 6 August 2016 and includes updates on Zika virus, yellow fever in Angola, chikungunya, dengue, West Nile virus and polio.
Czechia3
French Guiana (France)3
Guadeloupe (France)3
Isle of Man (The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)3
Martinique (France)3
Saint Barthélemy (France)3
Saint Martin (France)3
United States of America (USA)1
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
International Organization3
Situation Report3
Refugees3
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Chinese Immigrants in Cuba: Documents from the James and Ana Melikian Collection
The Chinese Immigrants in Cuba collection includes hundreds of original documents, manuscripts and photos covering the migration of 125,000 Chinese who signed up to be cheap labor in Cuba from 1847 until the later 1890s. The archive continues until the 1970s and records the Chinese community in Cuba and is rich with photos. This massive collection, from the archive of James and Ana Melikian Collection, is probably the largest one in private hands concerning Chinese in Cuba. At present the collection contains over 1341 records and about 8,000-9,000 pages.
1 Chinese Immigrants in Cuba Labor Series
Swatow
1 A. R. Ferran
1 First Contract
1 Rafael R. Torices
Wu (Eng) family - Family documents
Huang (Wong) family - Family documents
A Noble Family 富貴人家; a short story
Shark Fin 鲨魚翅; a short story
Weep 哭泣; a short story
A contract between Mauricio, a Chinese settler, and A. R. Ferran and Rafael R. Torices. The contract was to last for an undisclosed amount of time and lists the legal requirements for both the employee and the employer. Mauricio signed in Chinese. Also features contract in Chinese.
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Infrastructure »
Cidco
Navi Mumbai airport project
6 months on, govt yet to OK Navi Mumbai airport contract
When the GVK-led Mumbai international airport limited (MIAL) won the bid for the project on February 13, Cidco had said the state government’s approval was merely a formality that would happen soonTNN | August 10, 2017, 14:30 IST
NAVI MUMBAI: Almost six months after Cidco, nodal authority for the Navi Mumbai airport project, closed the finance deal with GVK-led Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), the state government is yet to approve and finalise it. Once the government give its nod, a letter of award will be given to the contractor, only after which can a special purpose vehicle (SPV) be formed to execute the project, sources say.
When the GVK-led Mumbai international airport limited (MIAL) won the bid for the project on February 13, Cidco had said the state government’s approval was merely a formality that would happen soon.
“We have no idea what could be the reason,” a Cidco official said on Wednesday, adding, “We communicated to the government a fortnight ago about the approval of the project.’’ Cidco has asked for a meeting of the chief secretary-led Project Management and Implementation Committee so that the terms and conditions, rates of revenue-sharing with GVK-led MIAL and other aspects of the deal can be approved and forwarded to the state cabinet.
Cidco MD Bhushan Gagrani had tried to speed up the approval in March. Government sources had then attributed the delay to a change of chief secretary and the model code of conduct for the zilla parishad election.
Though MIAL did not want to comment, it shared its concern about the delay in ratification of the project by the government to initiate the setting up a new office, team besides other related works.
“The deal has 9 months time for financial closure from the date the work order,” a Cidco official said.” There is time for financial negotiation... The groundwork of pre-development of airport of hill cutting has started and the airport work will start only after land levelling,” the official said. Financial closure closure takes place when tie-ups with financial institutions for funds are made and all conditions are fulfilled for debt inflow to start the project.
Tags : Infrastructure, navi mumbai, finance, Cidco, state government, special purpose vehicle, Navi Mumbai airport project
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North Corporation
NDMC to redevelop staff flats at 5 prime locations
“This project will not only fund the cash strapped civic body but would also provide affordable high-end housing units to Delhiites,” said Praveen Gupta, commissioner of the civic body.Paras Singh | TNN | September 21, 2016, 17:30 IST
NEW DELHI: North Corporation has rolled out a plan to redevelop old staff quarters and underutilized spaces at five prime locations under its jurisdiction into multi-storied townships and commercial complexes.
“This project will not only fund the cash strapped civic body but would also provide affordable high-end housing units to Delhiites,” said Praveen Gupta, commissioner of the civic body.
Under the plan, the municipal corporation will demolish and re-develop more than nine hundred staff quarters located at Azadpur, Model Town, Minto Road and Bungalow Road. “The housing complexes will be at least 22 stories high, as facilities with 4-5 stories often face the problem of unauthorised constructions,” said a senior official.
According to corporation officials, priority would be given to government agencies and while allocating these housing units.
“Some of these quarters were built in the 1960’s and currently lie in shambles. The residents would be relocated during redevelopment work,” said an official.
The project is estimated to be completed in 36 months.
Tags : Residential, North Corporation, Model Town, Delhi-NCR
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Congressional Representatives to FCC: Third Way? No Way!
Peter Suderman | 5.25.2010 12:46 PM
When FCC Chairman and wannabe Internet cop Julius Genachowski announced his latest Net neutrality scheme, he attempted to frame it as a "third way" compromise between onerous, utility-style regulation of broadband providers and a wholesale abandonment of Net neutrality. The idea was to change the way broadband providers are classified but decline (at least for now) to enforce some of the tougher regulations associated with the new classification. But Genachowski's attempt at a compromise doesn't seem to have worked too well. Legislators on both sides of the aisle are warning the agency that they aren't pleased—and implying strongly that the proposed classification change could be illegal. From CNET's Declan McCullagh:
A bipartisan group of politicians on Monday told FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, in no uncertain terms, to abandon his plans to impose controversial new rules on broadband providers until the U.S. Congress changes the law.
Seventy-four House Democrats sent Genachowski, an Obama appointee and fellow Democrat, a letter saying his ideas will "jeopardize jobs" and "should not be done without additional direction from Congress."
A separate letter from 37 Senate Republicans, also sent Monday, was more pointed. It accused Genachowski of pushing "heavy-handed 19th century regulations" that are "inconceivable" as well as illegal.
As with so much of what happens in Washington, this is as much a power struggle as a policy debate. The FCC wants to move forward with new regulations, but these legislators want the agency to ask for Congressional permission first. Which probably explains why the letters were sent just as a number of Congressional committee chairmen hinted that they might be ready to update the Communications Act (which provides the FCC with regulatory authority over information and telecom services).
Given that most Democrats support Net neutrality, one might think an updated Act would be a win for neutrality advocates. But McCullagh argues that updating the Act may make the regulatory timeline unworkable:
The last time there was a major rewrite of telecommunications laws, it took something like five years for Congress' internal mechanisms to spit out the Telecommunications Act of 1996. A push for national cable franchising legislation went on for years but died without a vote.
Which leaves pro-Net neutrality groups in an uncomfortable quandary. If they can't prod the FCC to grease the rails and slide some kind of regulation through soon, even if the legal underpinnings are anything but firm, Congress may not act until the iPhone 8G hits the streets in 2015. And by then, today's high water mark of Democratic political power may be just a memory.
More on Net neutrality and Title I/Title II here and here.
Peter Suderman is features editor at Reason.
Internet Telecommunications Policy
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Home Atheism 9 Reasons Why New Atheism Seems So Unattractive
9 Reasons Why New Atheism Seems So Unattractive
James Bishop
By James Bishop| Despite the number of book sales and media attention of New Atheism and its front-runners, atheism still remains a vast minority in the world. While this is true for a variety of reasons, one can hardly ignore the nasty stench atheism (and especially militant atheism) gives off to the public.
At times, it leaves Christians and other religious people with a very bad taste in their mouths. This is not because the arguments are so overwhelming and strong, but because of the lack of conversational decency that has a pattern of reemergence. What is the cause of this?
Here are 9 reasons why New Atheism seems so unattractive.
1. It seeks to mock the religious
Richard Dawkins, in a Reason Rally, urges his followers to “Mock them, ridicule them”. The small crowd attending cheers and claps thus affirming his MO to mock the religious. In an interview Dawkins even admits that he is “a fairly militant atheist, with a fair degree of active hostility toward religion.
I certainly was hostile toward it at school, from the age of about sixteen onwards. I mellowed a bit in my twenties and thirties. But I’m getting more militant again now”.
People can see this for themselves. And what one might see is that a leading figure of New Atheist incites hate and prejudice against those who have religious convictions. One would be correct to point out that this is full blown intolerance. The New Atheist evidently doesn’t want to share the world with those who do not hold the same views about reality.
This surely wouldn’t go far for making atheism an attractive prospect as most people do not want to be associated with bigots. The irony is that no-one will win converts by mocking those they are trying to convert, which is essentially what the New Atheists are doing.
2. It enjoys ridiculing as much as actually arguing
A quick visit to an atheist fundamentalist’s website, or any YouTube video concerning atheists for that matter, will present one with a host of nasty, derogatory statements dished out against the religious and their religions.
Again, one will find it hard to convert those of whom they mock, but surely these atheists who think of themselves as rational freethinkers should be aware of this?
3. It is intolerant
New Atheist’s clearly do not wish to coexist with any religions and worldviews that isn’t their own narrow, dogmatic one. This view remains no matter how much benefit a given worldview has provided humanity. It is this sort of intolerance that led the atheists Stalin & Mao to butcher millions of their countrymen.
In our Western culture, however, there is a huge shift of mind that attempts to avoid coming across as intolerant, and often it is viewed to be intolerant to possess a monopoly on truth. And if this is the case, the New Atheists aren’t going to make many friends.
4. It is vindictive
The atheist Richard Rorty is known to have said that “we are going to go right on to discredit you in the eyes of your children, trying to strip your fundamentalist religious community of dignity, trying to make your views seem silly rather than discussible”.
This kind of logic parallels the likes of Dawkins, Harris and Dennett. It also clear to everyone that there is no respect for those who hold to other beliefs. It comes across as vindictive; it wishes pain and misery. One only wonders the consequences if Rorty directed such a claim at Islam instead of Christianity.
5. It is arrogant.
One new atheist urges those who do not agree with his opinions “to pick a number, get in line and kiss my ass.”
This may come over as humorous, and would probably explain why atheist debaters get the loudest laughs from audiences. But it remains bigotry. It reeks of arrogance. And because the atheist who made this claim was a prominent leader within their community it only causes one to question the followership.
Individuals, masquerading as leaders, who say things like this are not the kind who make quality leaders. It also wouldn’t serve the purposes of the New Atheists since people, more often than not, orientate themselves away from those they deem to be arrogant.
6. Adherents think that their thoughts are golden.
An annoying feature for any onlooker is that the New Atheists think that their thoughts are golden simply for being atheists (this would tie in with point 5 above). One doesn’t have to look very far to see atheists regularly referring to themselves as “freethinkers,” “brights,” “reasonable” and so on as if no other worldview has any right to these traits.
The point being is that people calling themselves things (probably to make themselves feel better & stronger than they really are) doesn’t actually make them any of those things. This intellectual cockiness seems to be adopted for no other reason than that they are atheist and try to think skeptically.
7. It is ignorant and uneducated about religion
People have the right to believe what they want but at least respect the people of other worldviews. When critiquing the logic of other worldviews, religious or not, at least show that you have slightest clue what the other person actually believes. One needn’t respect the beliefs but at least respect those who hold those beliefs.
A great many atheists I’ve interacted with over the last few years show huge concern for their comrades. Atheist historian Tim O’Neill, for example, claims that his atheist brethren are “historically illiterate… they tend to be about as historically illiterate as most people.”
O’Neill concedes that these atheists “try to use history in debates about religion, they are usually doing so with a grasp of the subject that is stunted at about high school level… all too often many atheists can be polemicists when dealing with the past, only crediting information or analysis that fits an argument against religion they are trying to make while downplaying, dismissing or ignoring evidence or analysis that does not fit their agenda” (1).
Another atheist historian has noted that far too often atheists
“eagerly embrace a position which contradicts an almost universal consensus among those who have devoted their lives to the academic discipline which concerns itself with these matters. We of all people should know better” (2).
Lets not mention some scathing reviews of Richard Dawkins by the likes of atheist philosopher Michael Ruse. Here is an article going through what scholars and professional philosophers have to say about New Atheism.
8. Popular Atheists contradict themselves
Leaders that contradict themselves far too often give the impression that they lack intellectual consistency. Richard Dawkins has done this frequently. In one book he pens that “The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference” (3).
But in a subsequent book he calls religious indoctrination evil, and also argues that “Faith is an evil precisely because it requires no justification and brooks no argument” (4). So, what is it then. Does evil exist or doesn’t it? Dawkins can’t answer you.
Elsewhere Dawkins praises the “why” question, saying that he “wanted to know why we’re all here. What is the meaning of life? Why does the universe exist? Why does life exist? That’s what drew me to science” (5). Then in one of his public debates he declares that the “The why question is just a silly question” (6). So what is it? Is the “why” question an important one or not?
But what can really rub the onlooker the wrong way are the large doses of arrogance and conceit that Dawkins and co. possess when making these inconsistent statements.
9. It solely accuses religion of violence
No one can deny that religion has had (and still does have) a hand in violence. Crusades, witch hunts, Jihad, they’re all there in the history books. However, the New Atheists will use all their effort to convince you that all religion is cut from the same cloth. They don’t draw boundaries; they simply haul religions into the same boat as if they all promote the same ethical systems and values.
They will, however, promote their secularism as the idyllic utopia hoping that onlookers overlook barbaric acts on behalf of governments possessing atheistic ideologies. Soviet Russia, Mao, Pol Pot? Revolutionary France? What links them all? Simply that they were all atheists and they massacred millions of people to promote their godless agendas.
Of course the New Atheists will overlook all the good done in the name of religions. Universities, human rights, relief efforts, orphanages, medical care all done in the name of religion appears not to ever count for anything. But what gives? Surely evil is part of the human condition.
Some have used religion to justify it, others atheism. People have used sports, politics, relationships, poverty etc. to justify all kinds of evil acts. Evil is part of the human condition, and not intrinsic to religions though religions can, and do, promote immoral laws. When these obvious reflections are willfully missed by the New Atheists, they only seem to lack intellectual responsibility.
If that is so then what else can we doubt? If so, then how can we trust their diagnosis of reality and the purposes of human life?
1. Tim O’Neill quoted by Jorge Schulz in Rampant Historical Illiteracy (2015). Available.
2. Carter, N. 2014. An Atheist’s Defense of the Historicity of Jesus. Available.
3. Dawkins, R. 1995. River out of Eden. p. 131–32.
4. Dawkins, R. 2006. The God Delusion. p. 360.
5. Richard Dawkins quoted by Adam Mabry in Life and Doctrine (2014). p. 30.
6. Richard Dawkins Vs. William Lane Craig Debate. Available.
This article was originally published on the website of James Bishop and was republished with permission from the author.
Previous articleEvil, Suffering, And The Evidence For God
Next articleEckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth”: Ancient Deception
https://jamesbishopblog.wordpress.com/
James is a graduate from Vega School of Brand Leadership specialising in Multimedia Design and Brand Communications. He is currently enrolled at Cornerstone Institute studying Theology and majoring in Psychology. His theological interests encompass comparative religion and the links between science and religion.
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If God Created The Universe, Who Created God?
Is Belief In God Like Belief In Santa Claus?
Is Belief In God Irrational? Bertrand Russell’s Teapot Analogy Debunked
Why Science Doesn’t Equal Atheism
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7 Movies Like "The Duff"
Craig McCallaway
7 Movies Like The Duff
The DUFF is an American comedy film based on the novel “The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend” written by Kody Keplinger. Directed by Ari Sandel, the movie was released on February 20, 2015 with Mae Whitman, Bella Thorne and Robbie Amell as the main cast. It tells the story of Bianca, a high school senior who initiates an order rebellion after learning that she is being dubbed as the ‘DUFF’ or Designated Ugly Fat Friend by her prettier, more popular classmates.
The following are movies like “The DUFF” that will definitely tour you down high school memory lane, including the thrilling adventures in it.
1. Mean Girls
Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Jonathan Bennett, Rachel McAdams
Growing up with zoologists as parents, Cady Heron lived her 15 years in a jungle somewhere in Africa. Home-schooled, with only her parents and the animals to communicate with, she knows about all the survival rules, but never about high school. When her family moved, however, she has to know the rules of high school, especially around the three pretty, popular and mean girls Regina, Gretchen and Karen, collectively known as the Plastics. They let the reluctant Cady join their group. All Cady wants is to discover Plastics’ darks secrets, but things become complicated when Cady falls for Aaron, Regina’s ex-boyfriend.
2. 10 Things I Hate About You
Director: Gil Junger
Cast: Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Based on the play "The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare, the movie tells about Cameron, a new student at Padua High School who, at first glance, gets a crush on Bianca Stratford, a pretty sophomore but is not allowed to date. The same goes with her ‘shrew’ sister Katarina, a senior student who’s into indie rock and feminist style, and dislikes traditionalism. Until one day, Kat and Bianca's father changes one house rule: Bianca can date… but only when Kat has a date as well. In order to date Bianca, Cameron gets mysterious bad-boy Patrick to date Kat. Will Cameron and Patrick win Bianca’s and Kat’s heart?
3. Easy A
Director: Will Gluck
Cast: Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgley
Clean high school girl Olive Penderghast wakes up one morning and finds out that a ‘rumor mill’ in her school is all over her. This is after she tells a white lie to her best friend Rhiannon about a weekend affair with a college freshman who took her virginity away. As word quickly spreads out, Olive embraces the attention, much to her surprise. She uses her new reputation to elevate her social and financial standing, as well as to help her sexually-bothered classmates. But to keep her lies from intensifying, and before the school’s religious devotee Marianne gets her kicked out, Olive must find a way to save herself.
4. If I Stay
Director: R.J. Cutler
Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Mireille Enos, Jamie Blackley
Adapted from Gayle Forman’s young adult novel of the same title, If I Stay revolves around Mia Hall, who always thinks that the toughest decision she would ever have is to choose between pursuing her dreams of entering Juilliard to become a great musician, or taking a different path to be with Adam, the one she loves the most. But an incident that is supposed to be a cheerful family drive suddenly changes everything. Now, Mia’s own life hangs in the air. One revealing day comes and she finds herself being caught between life and death, and Mia is left with only one choice, which will both direct her future and define her final fate.
5. She's All That
Director: Robert Iscove
Cast: Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook, Matthew Lillard
After being publicly dumped by his popular, prom-queen girlfriend, high school jock, Zack Siler is out to prove to his all make-up and push-up-bra ex that he can turn an unattractive, ordinary girl into a pretty prom queen. Zack and his friend Dean Sampson, enters into a bet and chooses Laney Boggs, an ugly, geeky girl for Zack to transform. But days pass by and Zack starts to find Laney attractive and begins to feel something for her. And seeing how much Laney has changed, it seems Zack could really be on a triumphant run.
6. Can't Hardly Wait
Directors: Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan
Cast: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry, Charlie Korsmo
Since it is high school graduation, 500 high school seniors are expecting a wild graduation party. While everyone else wants a big bash, all Preston wants since freshman year is to be with Amanda, the girl he's fallen deeply in love with since day one. It looks like Preston’s having the best luck of his life, because Amanda just broke up with her athlete boyfriend Dexter. As the party happens, things become exciting. Folks dance, drink and have sex. In the middle of all these happenings, Amanda receives a letter. She asks herself, ‘Who is Preston, anyway?’
7. Clueless
Director: Amy Heckerling
Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy
Rich, gorgeous and popular Cher is an expert when it comes to talking anyone into doing almost anything, except one of her teachers. When the teacher disagreed to give her a good grade, Cher and her friend Dion sets him up into a date with another teacher so he could be more joyful than his usual state. Then a girl who goes by the name Tai moves to Cher's school. She and Dion give her a makeover and offer to get her a boyfriend. Quite soon, it occurs to Cher that she likes to have a boyfriend herself, but it looks like no one fits. She takes spiritual transformation and finds out that life isn’t all about wealth and popularity. One day, she eventually bumps into the man of her dreams.
Which movie will you watch next after The Duff?
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by Poppy14
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Death Parade – 09
Posted by Cherrie on March 7, 2015 March 7, 2015 Death Parade / First Impressions
Home Death Parade Death Parade – 09
Log Horizon 2 – 22
ALDNOAH.ZERO – 21
「デス・カウンター」 (Desu Kauntaa)
“Death Counter”
Seriously. I’m convinced that there’s nothing this anime can’t do. It combines everything that I love about great storytelling and characterization with a spectacular animation company backing it all up. Death Parade is the epitome of not only what I love about anime but also what I love about crime dramas and television. It takes a lot of guts to step outside the box to produce a show that may or may not get the right appreciation but Death Parade does nothing wrong that I can’t help but praise it. Not only was it complex and unpredictable, but it had a lot more Decim and Nameless Girl involvement that develops its underlying story. Initially I thought that Shimada might have MPD or was in denial of injuring his own sister… then I thought Tatsumi was probably guilty of injuring Shimada’s sister and also murdering his wife’s killer… but it turns out that none of those theories are true. In fact, Tatsumi is actually a serial killer who reminds me a lot of Dexter.
I’m going to break up my analysis of both these men since I think they suffer from different issues. Let’s start with Shimada because to me, he was the individual that was most likely going to redeem himself. He wanted to seek revenge for his sister for good reason (although I wouldn’t say murder is the best answer) and then live happily ever after. He was doing it all for the benefit of his sister and I definitely saw an internal struggle in his character. He knew what he was doing was wrong and even vomited after he committed murder. This shows how his body was rejecting his own thoughts and actions and I think it reinforces that he does not have a murderous soul. He simply had a strong motive and the only solution he had to stop this stalker from attacking his sister, was to kill him (which I still think is wrong, by the way). However, it’s because of his “good” intent that I thought Shimada had a better chance of redeeming himself. And Decim gave him a way out; if only he had taken it. Personally, I was urging for Shimada to prove that he was better and that he was the bigger man. Move on and forgive Tatsumi. In the end, they’re both dead anyway and Nameless Girl pointed out to him that “stabbing” Tatsumi was never going to benefit him except for his own self-gratification right now. I was so hopeful… but of course, Death Parade never seizes to prove me wrong. Instead, I’m left with this excruciating pain of knowing that Shimada is just like Tatsumi. Enraged and someone that succumbs to his desires of revenge and hatred. By the way, did anyone catch how Shimada died? I don’t recall that part…
Now for Tatsumi… his story is a little different because I always thought he deserved what he got. I felt no remorse for him and where he ended up. Unlike Shimada whom I felt had a higher chance of being reincarnated, Tatsumi was a lost cause. He was too corrupted and his ideals of justice were so twisted that there was no way this kind of man should be walking the Earth again. Although I can understand his philosophy on life and why he does what he does, I don’t believe that two wrongs make a right. I believe one wrong is already bad enough and as a detective, Shimada is right – Tatsumi should be stopping the crime AS it happens rather than after the fact. If anyone’s seen Dexter, Dexter almost does the same thing where he has to be certain someone is going to attack again before he kills that person himself (and he usually targets serial killers that can’t be caught by the law). Tatsumi is somewhat like that, but instead he has to witness someone committing a crime AND he does nothing to stop them! Why not? Why does he have this hunger to try and judge people outside the law? That’s one question that I felt wasn’t answered; aside from this “voice” of approval that he heard from his wife. He could almost be considered insane in my opinion because he was no longer thinking about his duties as a detective but his own selfish motives. Definitely a quick judgment in my mind; Tatsumi did not deserve to be reincarnated. He had no redeeming features and in fact, he corrupted Shimada even further which was hard to stomach.
As for what happened between Decim and Nameless Girl this episode, I wasn’t too pleased with how that played out. Not that I didn’t agree with Nameless Girl’s arguments about Decim but I thought her character was too over exaggerated and involved. I understand that she wants to help these men… she WANTS Shimada to walk away alive and live to see his sister again but at the same time, you can’t throw yourself in the midst of this game. And on top of that, you can’t blame Decim for “doing his job”. I’m not going to get into the argument of whether or not judging people is right or wrong because that’d be defeating the whole purpose of this anime, but I don’t think Decim is wrong for trying to evoke emotions and actions out of these men. He’s trying to determine if these men’s souls deserve a second chance at life and even though Nameless Girl tried to stop it, Shimada and Tatsumi both ended up destroying themselves. So yes, I think they both went into the void… but could things have turned out differently? I don’t think so. I think Nameless Girl was a little naïve to believe that there could’ve been a different ending and she’s beating Decim up for it because he gives them too much credit or as she puts it, “humans are not that complex”. In some ways, Nameless Girl was a little harsh on Decim because he’s not human anyway and to assume that he can think like one and put himself in their shoes is a little unfair. However, as the audience we do know he has human emotions in him so that’s probably why he was so stung by Nameless Girl’s words. This is probably where the episode is going to head next week on as we hear more about Nameless Girl’s life on Earth or her connection to the Chavvot story.
So my final verdict is… they both definitely went into the void. There’s no way that Shimada would be spared after that smile and those shattering pucks. Of course, I already mentioned that Tatsumi was obviously going to the void for his mistakes as well. In the end, I still think it’s a sad loss for Shimada not to be reincarnated because he had the chance if he wasn’t so influenced by Tatsumi’s words. Nameless Girl did her best to help but it was inevitable that they would both be lost causes. Quite an interesting development and terribly upsetting at the same time because I really wanted to believe that they could be saved. I was hopeful but I should have known better because Death Parade is not such a predictable show.
Bottom Line – @RCCherrie: That wicked smile says it all. Just how tainted can your soul be to smile like that. The best ep of #DeathParade yet! The human psyche can be so dark yet fragile. One wrong step can lead you down the rabbit hole.
MAL - http://myanimelist.net/profile/-Cherrie
View all posts by Cherrie →
It’s very clear that getting their memories did a number to Onna, and is why she acted like that. This was the first time she ever experienced it.
TheVoid
I agree that this was the best episode of the series. It even surpassed the first episode in my opinion.
Tatsumi is not a true detective and he deserves the void. However, I feel sorry for Shimada. His only real sin is caring for his sister. I have younger siblings so I understand where he is coming from and I can imagine myself doing the same thing in his position. I think sending him to the Void is a little unfair. He was provoked and his anger was justified.
https://randomc.net/image/Death%20Parade/Death%20Parade%20-%2009%20-%20Large%2030.jpg
esdesu
March 9, 2015 at 8:33 am 5 years ago
I thought the 4th was better than the 1st imo
Noragami!
March 9, 2015 at 12:08 pm 5 years ago
He got stabbed in the back or something by the rapist, didn’t he? The rapist grabbed a knife anyhow so the kid probably bled out.
I feel like we should all commend the voice actors. They’ve all done a great job in making us care about characters in just twenty minutes. This episode with Tatsumi, who was such a convincing felon, and the teenager who truly conveyed his grief so well.
Of course this is what I’ve been thinking — everyone has a dark side and it’s foolish to think forcing it out of them is fair judgment. This brings up a question about why arbiters even exist, and what’s necessary of them? It’s a very broad idea and I’m hopeful that they can satisfactorily end it wih the little time they have left as this show as been very consistent so far. Looking forward to the next episode!
Also I don’t think Onna was out of line at all. She knows that she is human at this point, doesn’t she? She’s seeing someone completely take advantage over human nature, so of course she’ll act up. She knows what emotion is and feels it — the grief she felt through this must have been so intense. Even if she knows it’s futile to explain it to Decim (although it’s kinda not with what we know) she as a human wants to help Shimada, doesn’t she? I don’t even think it’s shock. Just her knowledge of everything makes her realize that this system is completely unfair. We haven’t seen too much of that previously, as the results all ended by themselves. However, we see it when Onna tells Decim to stop the sabotage in the arcade game episode. She’s reaching a breaking point, topped with the extremity of the case.
So give Onna some leverage here 🙂
My thoughts exactly, Onna said everything I had been thinking for a while now and I was very glad she tried to stop them from destroying each other.
If people have to be judged, why set this whole elaborate game up, where you drag out the worst in them? Why not do the opposite and make a game where you judge on the brighter and more deserving side of human emotion. Why not judge on how high people can reach, but on how far they can fall?
ilion4o
What you’re saying is interesting, but I think there are two problems with it:
1) how would you set up a game testing how nice people can be, that isn’t similar to what is currently in place? (Look at Brown-haired girl and idol, the two actually worked out pretty well.)
2) I think it’s a bit like a team: “the team is only as strong as its weakest link.” If society is filled with souls that work out to be overall good even during the bad times, then the overall society can range from (very good to harmless). Whereas if all you’re measuring is how good they can be, you still have no gauge for how BAD they can be. So the overall society would still range from (Very good to very bad)
Just had a thought that might make my view a little clearer.
One could argue that the tests DO check for how good people are. Because it’s easy to be nice, when the situation is good. It’s much harder to be nice when the situation is bad.
If all you were to do was provide people a happy game with no conflict, I imagine everyone would get chosen for reincarnation. (I’m inclined to think that anyone who would be mean, even when things are good, are the kind of people who would have been judged for the void without the need for the game)
Now don’t get me wrong, I love how the game is set up – it makes for a thrilling experience! But I find it terribly unfair and flawed. I feel that everyone has the potential to do deplorable things to his fellow humans, as well as extraordinary deeds of kindness, given the right circumstances.
But does one deed negate the other?
As Nona states, the the most primitive human emotion is fear, and that’s what the games are based on. Do you think that’s a reasonable way to judge whether someone has the right to another chance at life?
Quite possibly, yes. One could say that measuring a person’s ability to resist fear (and thus not lash out killing people when you have a bad day) is part of that whole “you are only as strong as your weakest link” thing I was saying earlier.
When there is no pressure in a test, people are free to lie and deceive. Not necessarily because they’re evil, but because they know what answer society is looking for. This is a problem social scientists often face, because they have to try and disguise what they’re looking for when testing people. (It’s illegal to conduct death games after all)
Once they’re under pressure, their answers are honest. (It may only be for an instant, and they may regret it later, but they genuinely wanted to take those actions at the time).
Shimada was stabbed by the rapist and died, I assume, of blood loss.
dang hella people getting the two mixed up. shimshim is the younger man. tatters is the detective. and no, we don’t know how shimshim died. I was curious too.
hwighting
We don’t know how he died, though blood loss is most likely, but he most definitely was stabbed. When Shimada first stabbed the rapist and followed him into his apartment the rapist picked up a knife from his sink and stabs Shimada in the back when he lunges for him to finish the job.
He then proceeds to vomit in the bathroom without doing anything about his wound. Tatsumi wanders in. Shimada stabs him in the back and lays on top of him. He then likely bled out there.
If he was stabbed in the Lungs, he began to suffocate on his own Blood.it was only a matter of Time
WorldwideDepp
All I can say about this episode is Intense!
Is the next episode for Black-Haired Woman’s judgment!?
https://randomc.net/image/Death%20Parade/Death%20Parade%20-%2009%20-%20Large%20Preview%2003.jpg
Thank you, Cherrie!
I don’t think next episode is Onna’s judgement. It seems too early with 3 episodes left and all the episodes which have had a judgement game in it have the word “death” in it. With a title like “The Story Teller”, I’d expect it to potentially flesh out the Chavvot story.
Acerbus
According to the preview for ep10 on the official website, yeah the black hair girl is getting judged.
Also since 22/3 is the last episode already, they probably only have 11 episode for Death Parade.
22/3 shouldn’t be the last episode? Since episodes are every friday so even if it was only 11 it’d end on the 22th. Also, I’ve seen 12 episodes listed on other places.
Anyway, good to know about the preview. I’ve also seen that Decim apparently wants to quit being an Arbiter? If so, it wouldn’t surprise me if something goes amiss during the judgement game like in episode 5. I think it is possible we’ll see Onna be judged and sent off next week but it’d also feels strange since she’s been one of the main cast and there’s still 3 episodes left. I could be proven wrong, though, and she’s gone and then the last two delve more into Decim and things about her are more the aftermath.
GAAAH. Sorry, should only be 20/21 not 22 ><.
I see 12 episodes listed on Syoboi although episode 12 doesn’t have a title yet. I’m assuming it will end on the 27th of March. You can check here: http://cal.syoboi.jp/tid/3633/time
best part of the ep was the intercut ED sequence, no sound (save music) just images of their lives intercut with the violence and depravity of their current situation
Yeah, I feel like that this was the first time that the ending song actually fitted the scenes it was being played with.
Aki-Chan
I really enjoyed this episode, draining as it was; however, there was a key point to this that I feel that reveals how Decim doesn’t appreciate how people think. It made sense, offering Shimada the knife and the pucks; while Decim knew how deep Tatsumi was, and how unforgivable he was, offering Shimada the pucks and knife was a sign of how readily he would go into his darkness. Tatsumi was prone, already dead, and Shimada couldn’t kill the man again. Instead, Shimada hesitated.
The problem came from how Decim didn’t shut Tatsumi up.
It may sound like a small thing, but a moment like this was something that should have been a lone observation. Even if it was just Decim and Onna there, Shimada was alone to his thoughts and his rage. If he took the knife, he was no better than Tatsumi, but if he wasn’t, then he was possibly able to be reincarnated. However, Tatsumi knew how to get under Shimada’s skin, and that’s where the problem occurs. Shimada’s test wasn’t a sound one because of outside interference, polluting the results by goading him into taking one option over the other. Onna interfering was simply fair play, trying to have one voice balance out the other (it’s a bit like the Id and Superego, with the Ego balancing between the two). However, she wasn’t as effective as reaching Shimada as Tatsumi was, and thus the balance was tipped over. And it was deliberate.
Could Shimada have been saved? I honestly think so, had Tatsumi been shut up. He made no attempts to grab the knife until Tatsumi purposely goaded him into it, putting ideas into Shimada’s head. As I said before, what was supposed to be just a test was polluted and corrupted the results, like deliberately adding bits to a scale. The game couldn’t be reset, and the end result was a broken soul. That Decim allowed Tatsumi to speak was a huge mistake on his part, and it makes sense as to why Onna would be so angry – not only had Decim put out that kind of test, he didn’t even carry it out properly.
I dunno, I could be wrong with this. The games are meant to look into how characters act to show the darkness within them, but normally they don’t actively try to break the other person after knowing they’re dead. This was a freak case, and it shows a pretty big weakness in the judgements.
My personal assessment – BOTH OF THEM TO THE VOID!
You would be a bad arbiter lol. Shimada didn’t deserve getting sent to the Void…
Gsutave154
What can I say? He fail the test…
Its Shimada’s fault for falling into his trap. For example, even if you’re being threatened to murder someone, you’re still a murderer, it doesn’t change the fact.
tsukiyo
Tatsumi really went mental by the end of the episode specially with all that bullshit about needing a victim to validate punishment (as if catching someone red-handed during the act isn’t the most condemnation he could achieve, he clearly totally lost it), we almost felt like the Joker with his “i want to see the world burn” mentality and trying to wreck Shimada’s mind, and that smile .. that damn smile .. his insanity was really over 9000 XD
Hunter-wolf
(copy-paste of reply to you from elsewhere)
Other than the “vengeance/judgement needs a victim to avenge for” (bullshit!) reasoning, Tatsumi also said that in order to judge how horrible a person the rapist was, he wanted to know if the rapist would use the knife to stab/murder Sae. To, you know, judge the rapist appropriately. Of course, this is also bullshit because the verdict is death either way…
Monimonika
They both deserved the void in my opinion. Tatsumi for his crazy personal view of justice, its obvious he simply enjoyed killing criminals, nothing more. And Shimada for his affinity of stabbing people.
Was anyone else amused with the twist about Tatsumi, given his VA’s work on Psycho Pass 2? As for how Shimada died, its downplayed but you can see the wound if you’re watching for it. The rapist stabbed him on the side/back during the struggle right before Shimada finished it and that area is stained in the shots of it in the toilet and when he collapses after killing Tatsumi.
As for Onna’s rant, I don’t think she was wrong in what she highlighted. Part of the problem with that situation is it was very much one of “some people fall, others are pushed”. I don’t think it was inevitable that Shimada would have failed but I do think Shimada had enough going for him Decim could have chosen to void him or reincarnate him so giving him a final test makes sense. However, what Decim misses is that you can ALWAYS push a person further and you can ALWAYS draw out more darkness from someone. Push them far enough and of course they’ll break. That’s part of why Onna/the narrative chose to draw the parallel between Decim and Tatsumi in that situation. It stops becoming about “judging” someone and becomes more about pushing them until they snap, which is extremely easy to do with the right “simple” triggers.
Hell, part of me is wondering if Nona PLANNED on Decim needing to learn what Onna was trying to drill into his head this episode. We’ll probably find out next episode how Nona feels about Decim’s latest “test” but I can see it being a case where either a) she’s disappointed because he failed again b) she figured he’d fail but was relying on Onna’s presence to finally teach Decim to doubt the system/to force him to start thinking of a different way/to kick start his emotions. She DID have that smirk on her face as she told Decim to treat this situation like any other and that people are people, so it felt clear she’d wanted SOMETHING out of him from this. Either way, I’m almost positive next episode is going to deal with the fall out of Decim’s decision and his kickstarted feelings on the matter. There’s even a part of me starting to wonder if another reason she keeps Onna around is to teach Decim about “grief”, since atm (I’d personally say 50-50 it sticks) Onna’s going to judged and disappear from his life, especially since Onna brings up the idea of how Arbiters don’t understand things like that. It might end up being a Last Unicorn situation where Decim’s the one person in the Arbiters who knows what it feels like to lose someone you care about.
Based on the preview for the next episode, I’m guessing that the “three months” Nona told Decim about refers to how much time Onna has left. We know that the humans (and Artbiters) are dolls and in the fifth episode the doll turned into the same dust that was in the preview. Most likely, Onna’s body wasn’t built to last and it’s part of why the deadline for her judgement is coming up. However, I don’t think her judgement is next episode, despite what some people have guessed. First, we still have three more episodes. Second, this is a BIG event. It’d be difficult to cover judging Onna along with the fallout of this episode. Third, all the episodes with a judgement game in them have the word “death” in them. With a title like “The Storyteller”, I think we’re more likely to find out the full Chavvot story. Since this arc took two episodes, it wouldn’t surprise me if Onna’s judgement takes up the last two episodes (her partner may be Mayu? Since we need to deal with her too).
For Shimada’s fate, like I said above, I don’t think it was inevitable he’d be doomed or that he was a lost cause. However, he got pushed right off the deep end and fell to Tatsumi’s level, as evidenced by that matching grin. There’s no way he didn’t go to the Void after that.
Shimada bled out, looks like he took the wound from the assaulter in his kidney, so that wouldn’t give him long before things started shutting down after the adrenalin wore off.
What interested me most this episode though was how Decim is going about invoking the memory return for those on trial (if you would have it); been thinking it for the past few episodes, but it really shines through here. Decim appears to be using pain as the trigger, a method that quite nicely fits with his ignorance towards the emotional intricacies of his guests (compare this to Ginti who simply invokes fear in his guests). It could even be said that Decim’s usage of pain is what pushed Shimada over the edge, without the possibility of vendetta he likely would not have succumbed to the temptation.
If anything it does show the main flaw with the current arbitration setup: the unilateral reliance upon memory and revelation. Decim brings out the darkness as he is fond of mentioning, but his method could be argued as simultaneously producing said darkness. This is likely why Nona is testing Decim, seeing if he can find a way to work around the underlying concern succinctly illuminated this episode. Nameless girl’s reaction may have been hyperbolic in this instance, but it does provide the foil necessary for Decim to adapt and grow; he needs to see emotions directed towards him as much as others to begin to understand how they function.
It will be interesting to see if Decim learns how to make use of emotional logic to better his arbitration. If his reaction was anything to go by this episode, he likely will sooner than later.
I wouldn’t say that Shimada ultimately was destined to turn out so emotionally devoid and warped, that was just legitimate verbal torture and Decim only facilitated the urge.
The moment Tatsumi was revealed to be twisted you could tell how that was going to end, not because Shimada is weak in his entirety, that scenario was just evil. The things Tatsumi said, almost bragging and berating to Shimada? Making the dude feel so awful? Is that honestly right? Decim flat out gave him these materials while watching him writhe around in agony of his anger and sadness. Wouldn’t it be fair to say that Decim, to some degree, sets his sets up for failure even to begin with?
Poor guy had to essentially raise and protect his younger sister by himself, not the easiest.
Kabble
Am I the only one here who wouldn’t let anyone (so far) send to the void? I wouldn’t call them good humans, but it’s not like they are serial rapist, that enjoy what they do. All of them have good qualities, that imo outweigth their bad ones. And I think most of the candidates could live a happy second life, if things like the murder of his wife didn’t happen. If your sent to the void because you cheated once, that’s very harsh isn’t it. Your soul gets erased forever for such a minor thing. Again it’s that they were evil or so.
Truth be told I can understand you. In fact, the death of criminals is something I quite support – the law be damn. What bugs me is that when they got it wrong.
Shimada killed the rapist? I’m all for it. Him killing Tatsumi – not so. At the time, he was all stabbing mode and didn’t kill with the correct motivation.
Tatsumi killing those criminals? I’m cool with that assuming that they are wrong. Him letting Sae to be raped – not cool. And then there was the fact that he didn’t kill these people for justice – he did to it get high. What an asshole!
Both of them get sent to hell and Shimada successfully went to the dark side but damn it man, you were so close…
This episode highlights the notion of “justice” very well.
Although, at first, the circumstances of both gentlemen seemed similar, if one really thinks about it, they are polar opposites. One wielded the knife in retribution, while the other for the sake of his “justice”. One did it for another person while another did it for his ideals. One believed in acting while another believed in reacting. For the good of one or for the good of many? Though, having said so many opposing ideas, does that mean one is right and one is wrong?
This episode powerfully displayed how “justice” or “righteousness” are notions of relative fluidity and is thus only “cut and dry” when given form or structure. But as or white-highlighted girl succinctly puts it, “humans aren’t that complex”. Everyone’s justice is just and everyone’s righteousness is righteous, since each and every one is brought about by our personal experiences in life.
And in the words of William Shakespeare, “If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?” If then, these notions are merely results of the human condition, what can be said to be injustice or evil? Who has the right to judge? Certainly, this question is the crux that moved Death Billiard’sParade’s plot moving forward in revealing Decim’s not so “doll-like” self. I, for one, believe that evil is actually imposing your own ideals on others, thus robbing them of the very thing that makes us humans unique: having a choice.
It remains to be seen on how this plays out as we haven’t even seen what has happened to groupie girl :3 at the 20th Floor or a lot of other things. BUT, I sure love how things have played out so far and am eagerly awaiting the next episodes!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Everybody, put your hands up~~!!
Ddadain
Your comments were my exact sentiments.
Righteousness is a notion of relative fluidity.
It’s hard to condemn Tatsumi since we can see how he may have turned out that way. And it’s even easier to empathize with Shimada.
However, a question that arose in my mind after watching the episode and reading through all this discussion about justice, righteousness and the characters, is about the rapist.
Everyone openly condemns the rapist. Of course, I think rape is abominable, even abhorrent. I can fully feel Shimada’s pain.
But taking the view of this episode, or of Death Parade perhaps, that justice is hard to define, and we shouldn’t impose our ideals on others, then what about the rapist?
“Everyone’s justice is just and everyone’s righteousness is righteous, since each and every one is brought about by our personal experiences in life.” I think so too. But it’s just hard for me to accept the fact that the rapist’s justice is just, and his righteousness of his self-serving actions is righteous.
Well Tatsumi actually is acting pretty much according to law – at least in my country, people are never judged BEFORE they commit the crime. If you have a stalker, if you have someone threatening you, there isnt much you can do. I think that this is a giant flaw in the system, but appearantly there are enough people in this country who dont. And thats not much different from waiting for the crime to happen – you might as well look at the scene happening. In that sense, Tatsumi didnt seem to me to be that crazy…
But definitely more deserving of the void than Shimada, just because of his lack of empathy. I think the anime really wanted to make the point that even murder is not easily judged. shimada was one of the few people (were there even any others?) that didnt continue the game – even when he could have easily won – out of concern for a complete stranger. as terrible as it sounds, sometimes I think two wrongs DO make a right, if you dont expect for “devine” judgement to ever come. and shimada was kind of right in doing what he did. it was not the murder that made him go to the void, it was him giving up in the end.
Attempted rape is also a crime. He was there in the middle of it. He could’ve stopped him and he wouldn’t have been wrong to do so. There was no reason to let him do it, other than to get a chance to kill the guy without any witnesses around.
Hanabira.Kage
Well, yes, you’re right with attempted rape. but here you often get 6 months and thats it. the law does differentiate between attempted and “accomplished” (sorry I dont know the English word for that).
and that doesnt change the fact that our laws often require the crime to happen before they start to protect the (not yet) victim. Like I said – I really dont want to defend that guy all too much, its just that he didnt appear to me to be completely crazy, considering how many crimes could be prevented, but our judiciary just doesnt/cant do anything…
There was a reason given for letting the rape occur anyway. Tatsumi claims that there was a chance that the rapist would use the knife to stab/kill Sae, thus Tatsumi had to allow the crime to happen in order to appropriately judge how despicable the rapist is/would become.
Does the above sound like terrible reasoning? Well, it’s the same type of reasoning the judgements in the show are based off of.
Cherrie:
“I’m not going to get into the argument of whether or not judging people is right or wrong because that’d be defeating the whole purpose of this anime, but I don’t think Decim is wrong for trying to evoke emotions and actions out of these men. He’s trying to determine if these men’s souls deserve a second chance…”
I think that at least a major point of this episode was to argue just that very thing. Just like Ginti and the other arbiters, Cherrie seems to be unquestioning of the system.
@Monimoni
Great analysis!
Though he should’ve probably mentioned reporting the crime to emergency services (and there’s no indication he did not report it in)
Rushing in would’ve been a bad idea as well. The rapist was armed with a deadly weapon, capable of killing his victum at any moment. Keeping her alive is more important than stopping the rape.
Drasca
@Drasca
“(and there’s no indication he did not report it in)”
If Tatsumi had reported the crime to emergency services, why would Shimada have found his sister back home, alone, and without any sign of having been treated for her wounds?
Except that the whole reason Tatsumi was doing what he was doing (judging criminals) was because he was frustrated that the law couldn’t judge all these crimnials and they got away with the,shit they do, so saying his logic makes sense or is like the law seems like a self-contridicting excuse.
Also, he seems to just kill criminals as he never said he did anything else to them, so how differently would he have judged the rapist if he killed his victim… Wasn’t Tatsumi going to kill him anyway.. So why let Shimada’s sister get raped if he was going to kill the crimnials anyway… There is really no defending Tatsumi’s broken logic here, he could have saved Shimada’s sister and killed the rapist avoiding all this misery but his broken logic resulted in Shimada’s sister getting raped, Shimada’s death death and Tatsumi’s own death as well.
The fact we’re all so riled up only reinforces what Onna said – we’re only human. Arbiters, having never experienced life nor death, can never fully step into this perspective. In fact, what gives them the right to judge and what are they really judging in the first place? The human soul is more in depth than just light and dark (eg. telling a white lie, lying in general is frowned upon, but lying for a good cause?).
If you read psychology profiles etc, you can further read into what makes people succumb and how they eventually end up being numb to their misguided actions. This is exactly how serial killers can do the unthinkable many times. Ironically, this also brings us back to the arbiter perspective, how can they systematically judge the dead over and over again with the instructed process.
As people who have never gone through what Tatsumi and Shimada have with their loved ones (and I hope we never have to), it’s a little hard to empathize what they’re going through and what they gone through. The emotion that should have been placed the highest emphasis here is Love, it’s honestly what make humans unique in a sense.
Well, we had two people being reincarnated previously, it’s definitely safe to assume Tatsumi and Shimada both went to the void. And I gotta say, the ED coming on when Shimada smashes the pucks? Absolutely spine-chilling and golden. Overall, this episode gets to me, even more than Psycho Pass when at it’s peak.
Azsurance
“Ironically, this also brings us back to the arbiter perspective, how can they systematically judge the dead over and over again with the instructed process.”
It was explained in episode 7 that after a set period of time the arbiters lose their memories of the people they have judged in the past. So, the arbiters can supposedly judge with a relatively clean slate over and over without becoming biased. Supposedly.
Except it is an obvious plot hole because they are indeed affected afterward, and can gain experience from it. Maybe an intended one to stir the pot, but definitely not the central point. Probably a red herring.
@ Drasca
*poises fingers to start typing a rebuttal*…
*thinks a bit more about connections between gaining arbiter experience and memories*
Damnit. >:-(
The only things I can think of are:
1) The typical (non-Decim) arbiter doesn’t really try too hard to learn from past experiences. Therefore they typically just do the same thing over and over again without suffering doubt and/or crushing boredom.
2) Different ways of observing are learned from recent judgements, and what is learned is not forgotten by the memory wipe. What the memory wipe does is just make the arbiter forget when/why that lesson/skill was learned.
The above two things are contradictory, I know. They’re not meant to be both right.
I certainly agree Moni!
I think one of the central points is that our main blue haired manipulator is trying to break the mold with Decim learning more than he’s supposed to within that society. There’s stuff he’s not supposed to learn of course.
I believe the memory wipes are incomplete. If they were complete, they’d never learn anything. Though that perfectly blank slate is a possible desired stated outcome, I don’t think that is the case, because they’re introducing Decim as a trainee before letting him go off on his own.
Clearly they learn and grow, even if they forget the details of the persons involved.
At this point, I am wondering if the blue haired girl is grooming Decim for the seat of God. . . or the top manager wants to pluck that early (as opposed to stopping Decim, which is probably what blue haired girl expects).
I just had a thought about this, so here goes:
Regarding “what right do the arbiters have to judge,” I think it’s clear that the right was given to them by whoever created the system in the first place, and created them for this specific purpose. As this system involves someone called “the closest man to God,” it’s not a stretch to guess that a God gave them the right.
Now as for WHY to use arbiters to judge, who have never been human, it might be to create as impartial a system as possible (rather than a compassionate or empathetic one). We do something similar in the American court system: when a person is being tried for a crime, the judge asks jurists if there is any reason they can’t approach the issue fairly. Though we say “tried by a jury of your peers,” they are not actually peers. Burglars do not get judged by a jury full of other burglars, and the same can be said of murderers. Even though I’m sure that both burglars and murderers might have a understandable reason for committing their crime.
This creates a predictable system where “if you follow the rules, this is the outcome you get” as opposed to “Even if you violate the rules, if I can sympathize/understand your pain the outcome may change.”
March 10, 2015 at 11:47 am 5 years ago
Perhaps our Onna (if she is not a Mysterious Death Parade member) could be a Judge in her Human Days
One word–intense! Actually, two words–intense! Brilliant! This episode kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.
When Tatsumi walked into the stalker’s house, I was like, “Oh no, Shimada mistakenly killed Tatsumi thinking he was the stalker’s friend?!”. And when it turned out Tatsumi was indeed the friend, I was speechless with my jaw dropped. I could not believe how Death Parade brought us back into a full circle, and with such brilliant writing as well!
Like everyone, I agree Tatsumi was beyond redemption. The fact that he just stood by and watched sealed his fate in my opinion, regardless of his sense of justice, or rather, his twisted sense of justice. I really feel sorry for Shimada though. After all, the trigger point for him finding and killing the stalker and his “friend” was his sister’s words “I want them dead”. The agony of knowing he couldn’t protect his sister must have been excruciating. Knowing the truth about Tatsumi would understandably send him over the edge, as it’s so much worse that someone who all the more should have stopped the crime just merely stood by and watched, resulting in not one, but two damaged souls. Man, even I would’ve wanted him to get a really, really hard lesson (though not necessarily murdered of course). It’s totally understandable why Shimada ended up killing Tatsumi again, but this time not mistakenly, but with full intent of avenging his sister…
Another tear-jerking episode. When Shimada said those words at the end, I thought, how would he be able to fulfill them, as he will no doubt be sent to the void?
The animation and voices were just superb in this episode. My favourite anime last season was Mushi-shi, and Death Parade easily has become my favourite this season. Can’t say thank you enough to Cherrie for bringing it into RC and continuing with it, otherwise I would’ve totally missed this great anime!!!
xClueless
Thank you for reading! I’m glad you enjoy the show that much =) And don’t worry, I’m sure if I didn’t blog about it, someone else would haha!
Yeah, Cherrie, thank you!
sivilyslare
I can see Decim reacting to Onna passionately lecturing him, but there was something in the way this was executed that felt really off. I mean Decim is standing there with his typical emotionless expression, then Onna gives her speech, and only after the speech has wound down, Decim suddenly reacts quite intensely. It seemed like a directorial mishap, because it would have made more sense for there to be some cuts back and forth between Onna talking and Decim reacting while he was getting admonished. YMMV.
Tatsumi also in the end raised to be an Shinigami, too. Killing (in his Eyes) Bad People, until he fail into the Dark Side. Reeks like Darth Vader, thinking he is do a right thing for Humanity. He put himself as Executer and Shinigami, like a Street Judges from the Movie Judge Dread (Silvester Stalon)
Shimada (strange name.. schimata = Shit?), lost it, when her Sister wanted them Dead. He Sister is also wounded in Body and Soul. She is also indirectly and unknowingly culprit of his Brothers Action. But in his rage Mode, his Adrenalin put his brain in a Dark deep Could. So that he would killed all Person that enter this Apartment. Even if it would be a Police Officer, he had just the “KILL!” Sighs big on his Eyes
And Yes, Death Parade Anime life from the Top Notch “Voice Actors”. They give these 2D Chars a Soul
So both ending in the Void is the right conclusion. Someone raised as Judge about Life and Death of others, and someone that fall into Despair that he turned out as a Killer
Even if you could follow their motivations, both long lost themselves to their Dark Sides with Blood on their Hands
Am I the only one concerned about Shimada’s living little sister? It’s obviously hellish situation for her after getting attacked, his supporting brother died too.
cryarc
I was thinking about that, too. I think she would definitely feel guilty about her brother’s death because she would be informed that he died after killing her attacker. Her brother’s life is definitely not worth having her wish granted. Not sure she would find out about Tatsumi’s identity as co-conspirator in her rape, though.
My English is horrible (both in performance and in meaning) today:
“Her brother’s life is definitely not worth having her wish granted.”
“Having her wish granted is definitely not worth sacrificing her brother’s life for.”
*ashamed*
Yeah, I wondered about that too. She’s practically all alone now.
IMO, it is stupid to judge these two people. They should be sent to void immediately. Why do you even need to judge them? We gotta be consistent here. We are talking about FINAL judgment here. We are talking about the void vs reincarnation system here. When we talk about “void vs reincarnation” there is one consistent rule: killing someone is sin. Good reason behind killing is just another way to sugarcoat the sin itself (go watch fate/zero). In the end, killing is killing, no matter how justified it is. There is no other way around it.
Misserable
*patiently waits for Miserable to start backpedaling once the concept of self-defense is brought up*
Or, if Miserable truly thinks that defending his/her own life against a human-killer is a sin as well, I wonder what he/she thinks of all the non-human organisms he/she kills every single day just to stay alive.
Moni, I could not upvote your comments quite enough! If I could, I would a hundred times over.
I don’t see the world as black and white as you do. I think killing someone is always circumstantial and that’s why people go to court and get trials (at least in my country). Like people mentioned, there’s self-defense and there’s always the plea for insanity (which I find a lot of serial killers exercise because they are in fact, mentally ill). That’s why we also differentiate between first and second degree murder; it matters HOW and WHY things happened, not just WHAT happened.
Also, by saying these two should automatically get sent to the void, means that you don’t believe in second chances. That’s pretty harsh because I think everyone is subject to change if given the right environment for growth and development. These men clearly weren’t given ideal situations and became this way as a product of their surroundings. You can say that Tatsumi probably didn’t deserve to be reincarnated because his soul was at its core – dark and twisted… but Shimada is just someone who wanted to protect his sister. I’d like to think that there’s always hope for people to feel remorse for their mistakes and want to change if they did something wrong. If not, then, lacking empathy may be a sign of being a psychopath o_o
I’m probably going to be the only Tatsumi sympathizer here. Did he deserve what he got? Not talking about just the void or reincarnation here, because he certainly doesn’t care about that, but he definitely didn’t deserve his wife being killed, or being killed himself by Shimada.
I see a hard boiled detective dealing with the hard realities of life & death effectively. Is life nice? Is he nice? No. He was able to do what was within his power to make his society a better place. If your society is pampered and your expectations are fairly care-bear because your society can support being nice all the time, you might hate his actions because they stem from a place and society where the rules and perceptions are different.
He’s eliminating criminals ‘Dexter’ style. There’s no indication he’s not reporting the crimes he’s witnessing to local law enforcement, though being remorseless about what he’s doing is certainly abhorrent to some people. If you do a job, or are in a certain job however, you need to get over emotional shock and remain calm, or you cannot do the job. The same is true for medical professionals and dealing with the wounded, and how they’ll crack jokes on just how dirty the human body can get. Marines can be squirmy about the needles their Medics play with all day long, but have no qualms about guns, knives and fights.
I don’t hate what Tatsumi does, or the fact that he’s remorseless for it. I admire his calm about pain. He may have provoked Shimada, but the game is (literally) rigged, and Tatsumi knows it. Tatsumi’s no saint. He’s the anti-hero type, but he’s not the villain, and he certainly did more good by cleaning out the trash of society.
I can’t say the same of Shimada, who was just utterly reckless. He made the decision to go on a vengeance spree without confirming the facts, and leaving his sister without support. Just as it was more important for Tatsumi to keep the girl alive than to rush in against a rapist that could kill her at any moment, it would’ve been more important for Shimada to support his sister’s recovery by remaining alive, crimanal free, and being there for her rather than going off to try to kill the rapist. Tatsumi only gets a pass because his family was killed, and he had nothing left to lose.
There is no defending him because his logic is self-defeating, watching as Shimada’s sister got raped didn’t make any sense, if he intervened and saved her killing the rapist non of these tragedies would have happened… Shimada’s sister wouldn’t have gotten raped, he and Shimada would have been still alive and maybe even working together to hunt rapists and criminals, but the moment Tatsumi explained to Shimada why he watched his sister get raped and did nothing to stop it he lost me… At that moment he clearly became deserving of the Void.
If he intervened, the most likely scenario is that the rapist would’ve turned murderer, and the sister would’ve been killed. The best case scenario is saving her, but it is very unlikely and not worth risking her dead.
Tatsumi is clearly working within the limits of his society’s rules, just as Decim is. They do not judge & execute until after action has been taken. There are flaws to those rules of course, but Tatsumi’s competent and acting within the societal boundries while Shimada is not– and was irresponsible. Should you judge a man for obeying the rules of his society? or should you judge that society? I blame the latter.
The irresponsibilty part I cannot forgive at all. Shimada was irresponsible. I can respect Tatsumi because he was responsible, but Shimada neglected his sister’s care on a quest for vengeance, and worse was incompetent at it. He got himself killed when he was supposed to be taking care of his sister. Pathetic.
“There’s no indication he’s not reporting the crimes he’s witnessing to local law enforcement”
You mentioned this before in a reply to me upthread, so I will also reply here with the same question:
Lots of possible reasons, the most likely of which being that she didn’t want to face the police for questioning & evidence gathering. It is unfortunate, but it is very unpleasant to actually go through with rape reporting and the subsequent body invasive tests required to gather evidence and take testimony. Most women opt out, wanting to just get out of the bad situation rather than subject themselves to being probed for evidence, having their wounds photographed and documented, etc. It feels shameful and humiliating, and that’s often the last thing they want when they’ve just had a violent experience. . . that’s for the US. Japan may be better or worse, though likely the latter.
I don’t know why exactly Shimada’s sister didn’t immediately go to a hospital immediately afterwards, since it isn’t stated (other than plot demands it). I can only speculate she had chosen not to and/or decided to go home first since people tend to seek comfort. That’s what most people do.
People don’t automatically go to the hospital when wounded. You’d think that might be the first logical thing, but other underlying motivations & instincts are usually what dictates their behaviour.
As I understand it, Japan’s social structure is really bad when it comes to public shame too, so I can only imagine it is much worse, and they definitely do not want brave coming public about their issues, for fear of being labeled social outcast. That would be especially the case in a smaller town / village.
I’m also not certain how Japan’s healthcare system works. I know if you’re in the wrong income bracket in the US, you could be in debt for life for one treatment at the Hospital. Some countries are gratis and take care of you for such emergency services. Some folk don’t want to go unless they absolutely have to, because it’ll ruin them financially.
I wasn’t asking why Sae would decide to go back home rather than go to the hospital/police (that part is an understandable reaction). I was asking why she would be allowed to go home untreated (and alone!) if emergency services had indeed been called.
I just do not see why you are assuming that Tatsumi is contacting the authorities (which he also is one…) after witnessing crimes. His screwed up reasoning about victims of crime being required in order for him to justify his killing of criminals does not lend any credence that he feels obligated to help those victims out after the crime (other than with his self-assigned “vengeance” missions).
After re-watching the episode a bit, I can see how the “could have stabbed/killed with knife” comment could generously be interpreted as not being able to interfere with the crime due to worry for the victim’s life. But right before that Tatsumi said that he needed to witness the entire crime unfold so as to determine the extent of the criminal’s activities in order make a judgement. It’s obvious where Tatsumi’s priorities lie, and the well-being of the current victim is just not that high up on the list.
Also, wouldn’t contacting the other authorities just make it harder for him to kill the criminals? Why would Tatsumi purposely get other police involved and possibly have the criminals apprehended by others before he can get to them?
March 10, 2015 at 5:14 am 5 years ago
why she would be allowed to go home untreated (and alone!)
Allowed to? I don’t know what society you’re in, you can always decline health services here. You have to verbally, and sometimes make a signature declaring you declined services for paperwork processes.
You’re also assuming she didn’t leave before anyone else arrived. Fight or Flight reaction… I am assuming she flew home (or declined if services did arrive to meet her).
I am declaring we don’t have enough evidence to judge Tatsumi either way, because his history is not shown (beyond these few incidents). We’re never shown the before and after consequences of his actions, other than we’re told he’s killed the criminals of society.
Priorities aren’t as important as action, especially in the case of legal matters. Character is only as important as what he does with it. Does Tatsumi have an abrasive personality? Yes. Does that make him evil? No. What’re the results? Sister alive, rapist identified and soon to be dead. Other criminals dead.
It isn’t your job to be a hero, and in most brutally violent situations trying to be a hero when you’re untrained (with no backup!) will make it worse. Your job is to report what’s going on. Emergency services have people who dedicate their lives to handling the situation appropriately, and with back-up from other service people. If you’re there, and rush in, you’re just as likely to get yourself, or shimada’s sister hurt, as to do any good. Criminals run from or surrender to Police, because there’s an entire nation of them trained how to handle the situation.
Would you prefer a person that jeopardizes Shimada’s sister’s life? That person is Shimada, and most people here prefer him because his ‘character’ is redeemable. I don’t, because he’s clearly made bad decisions repeatedly. I do not fancy the ‘fixable’ person fallacy.
Would you honestly tell me you’d prefer Shimada that jeopardized his sister’s life & livelihood repeatedly (attacking the guy not once, but returning twice). After planning to meet the rapist in his own home, what if he failed to kill the rapist? Even if he survived, he’ll be known for murder and crush his sister’s social future, let alone being unable to emotionally & financially support her anymore (from prison, or the grave).
The greatness of this show is that they’ve portrayed both ends of the spectrum, the innocent and naive turned berserk, and the calm and experienced side turned cold. Between the two, I would prefer the latter, because I prefer competency.
Tatsumi’s rarely been innocent. He’s long lost that growing up into the hard boiled detective he’s been.
Also, wouldn’t contacting the other authorities just make it harder for him to kill the criminals?
Maybe, maybe not. You have an entire 8 season tv series devoted to this concept, Dexter. Again, we don’t know since we’re not shown.
March 10, 2015 at 2:39 pm 5 years ago
The comments section on death parade has the most insightful and interesting comments i have seen from an anime yet.
Why is this anime sooo good??
I don’t know but I’m seriously considering donating to the animators. It’s that good!
Simply import the original BD. That way, you support them, the industry (people won’t afraid to try to create good things) and you also get the good stuffs in BD.
zeroyuki92
At the end of each episode, I try to analyze Death Parade with an “inhuman lens”–that of an arbiter or a/the God, I guess (speaks volumes of how I think of myself…just kidding). From that, it’s clear that what they’re doing in this after-death place is not any human’s business. I think that using “darkness of the soul” (generally I define this as the will to inflict pain on others) is a clear criterion. A “pure” soul will, under ANY circumstance, not succumb to darkness. Reincarnating those with the pure soul then makes the world a “better” place. Human intervention in this process crumbles the credibility, as then the process of judgement becomes swayed by human standards and emotions (as shown in this episode), and the process becomes random (I guess that’s what Onna is testing?). Like in many cases, the lesser of two evils is still evil. It is very cruel for humans, but that’s just how it is. One assumption of this perspective, though, is that the one who oversees these judgements is also the one who/that “created” the DP universe, and that “creator” wants to make the world full of “pure” souls.
But I guess one pitfall of this perspective is that why then did this “creator” make a world with “impure” souls? Is it the limit of his/her/its ability? If so, then I guess the judgement process could have its flaws too? Or is it like a self-correcting measure? Or is the “creator” a separate entity from the “judge”? ….
(Gah, I have to stop.)
This show really allows me to exercise my brain for things I would never think of (or things I don’t actually have to make a fuss about). But I guess it makes us reflect the way we tend to judge others. Coupled with the amazing art and animation, editing, and story– I really love it.
Wow, the underlying case here would have worked nicely in pretty much any crime series out there. Trying to figure out the bloody details of who killed who and what happened to the rapist wasn’t easy. I was certain it was the same person who did both the wife and the sister, but that proved to be wrong. With the reveal that two people were present for poor Sae’s rape, I thought the guy Tatsumi was shown killing was the other culprit, but no.
Did not see Tatsumi being all lunatic serial killing avenger coming. He’s like straight out of Criminal Minds.
Erimaki
Its pretty insane to see how two of them were so ordinary and nice without those revenge, vengeance, hatred memories. This also shows how much can one single tragedy change a person completely, human mind are just so fragile.
Ep 10:
If you search for an Headline
Looks like Ep 11, we get finally the background of the Nameless Girl, and ep 10 revealed her True name. She remembered it
and even Decim come into the Focus and the Persons behind him… Ep 11 can be intense and the “true” Finale episode, you should watch it
Since this has been discussed to death anyway, catching up on this. Here’s what I think they deserved.
Detective guy: Void
Other guy: Resurrection
Other guy wasn’t evil, he was consumed by despair over what happened to his sister and made a terrible choice. And knowing that Detective Guy watched it happen, he snapped.
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Closed for repairs: These 6 world-famous monuments are undergoing some major renovations
Expensive things cost “an arm and a leg” — but why do we say that?
Marc August, Beth Sawicki, August 22, 2017 10:07 am
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World War II veteran Robert Harris, 90, of Fort Valley, Ga., places his hand on his chest during the singing of the National Anthem at a ceremony where Harris and nine fellow WWII veterans were awarded the French Legion of Honor by the Consul General of France, Thursday, June 4, 2015, in Atlanta. The Legion of Honor is the highest distinction France can award to a citizen or foreigner. The veterans honored fought on French territory as part of the liberation of the country from Nazi Germany and were nominated by President Francois Hollande. Harris was a squad leader and rifleman in the infantry and participated in campaigns in the Ardennes, the Rhineland and Central Europe. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
“I couldn’t believe the price! It cost an arm and a leg!”
We’ve all uttered that phrase at one time or another. But how did we determine that unit of measurement?
According to (a false) legend, “an arm and a leg” has an artistic origin. Back in the day, artists charged more money to paint full-body portraits. Hence, it cost more to have “an arm and a leg” in the painting.
In reality, the phrase started after World War II and has grim roots. Many servicemen paid a high price while fighting for our country — they lost limbs.
The French have a similar phrase that translates to “it costs the eyes from the head.” A Bulgarian equivalent translates to “it costs one’s mother and father.”
More origins of phrases
About the author: Marc August, Rare Staff
Marc August is a producer with over 10 years experience. He attended the Savannah College of Art and Design. We’ve heard that he plans on capturing either the legendary Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. He’s not picky. A Yeti would also be cool.
About the author: Beth Sawicki, Rare Staff
Beth Sawicki is a content editor at Rare. Email her at Beth@Rare.us.
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Here are NASA’s wild plans to explore time and space for the next 10 years
NASA’s 10-year plan involves billions of dollars and spans millions of miles. And much like the universe, it’s only expanding.
Last year, the agency announced that it’s planning to send astronauts back to the Moon and eventually build a base there, with a Mars-bound mission to follow in the years after that.
In June, the agency introduced a mission that aims to fly a nuclear-powered helicopter over the surface of Titan, an icy Moon of Saturn’s, to scan for alien life. NASA wants to looking for life in other places too, like the ocean below the icy surface of Jupiter’s Moon Europa.
Other future missions will try to photograph our entire cosmic history and map the dark matter and dark energy that govern our Universe.
Here are some of NASA’s biggest and most ambitious plans for the coming decade.
1. Several ground-breaking NASA missions are already in progress, including the Parker Solar Probe, which will will rocket past the Sun a total of 24 times.
Launched: August 12, 2018
Arrived: November 5, 2018
The probe is travelling closer to the Sun than anything from Earth before it. The mission aims to investigate the forces behind solar wind, which could inform efforts to protect technology on Earth from the Sun’s flare-ups.
Parker slingshots around the Sun at record speeds of up to 213,200 mph (343,000 km/h); it’s currently approaching its third close encounter. A powerful heat shield keeps the spacecraft’s equipment cool.
The Parker Solar Probe will get closer to the Sun than any other probe before it. (NASA Goddard/Youtube)
2. Far from the Sun, New Horizons is exploring the Kuiper Belt, a region of millions of chunks of ice left over from the Solar System’s birth.
Launched: January 19, 2006
Arrived at Ultima Thule: January 1, 2019
The New Horizons spacecraft visited Pluto and the ice dwarfs surrounding it in 2015. In January, the spacecraft reached the farthest object anything human-made has ever visited: a snowman-shaped space rock called 2014 MU69 (or Ultima Thule).
It sent back the following video of Ultima Thule, though it will likely take until late 2020 for scientists to receive and download all the data from New Horizons’ flyby.
So far, we’ve learned that the primordial object contains methanol, water ice, and organic molecules.
New Horizons’ improving view of MU69. (NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI)
3. On the surface of Mars, the InSight lander is listening for quakes.
Launched: May 5, 2018
Arrived: November 26, 2018
Since the InSight lander touched down on the surface of the red planet, it has detected dozens of Mars quakes. The early data is giving scientists new insight into the planet’s internal structure.
Illustration of the InSight lander on Mars. (NASA/JPL-CaltechAn)
4. A new Mars rover will join InSight next year. NASA is currently building the vehicle in its Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
Planned launch: July 2020
Anticipated arrival: February 2021
The Mars 2020 rover will search for signs of ancient microbial alien life on the red planet, collect and stash rock samples, and test out technology that could pave the way for humans to walk the Martian surface one day.
You can tune in to NASA’s live broadcast of the Mars 2020 rover’s construction anytime to watch the US$2.1 billion mission take shape.
Members of NASA’s Mars 2020 project after attaching the rover’s mast. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)
5. Researchers hope a future mission to Mars could return the Martian rock samples that the Mars 2020 rover collects back to Earth.
Planned launch: Unknown
Anticipated arrival: Unknown
Until NASA sends another robot to Mars that could launch the stored samples to Earth, the 2020 rover will store the samples in its belly and search for a place on Mars where it can stash them for pickup.
Proposed Mars Sample Return mission launching samples towards Earth. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)
6. NASA eventually hopes to send a crewed mission to Mars. But before that, the agency plans to return astronauts to the Moon and built a lunar base there.
Anticipated arrival: 2024
NASA wants to send humans to the Moon again by 2024. Those would be the first boots on the lunar surface since the Apollo program ended over 45 years ago. This time, however, NASA wants to build a Moon-orbiting space station with a reusable lunar-landing system.
The idea is that the lunar base could allow for more in-depth scientific research of the Moon, and potentially even enable us to mine resources there that could be converted to fuel for further space travel.
7. From the lunar surface, astronauts may springboard to Mars.
Planned launch: 2030s
Anticipated arrival: 2030s
The next Moon mission will test deep-space exploration systems that NASA hopes will carry humans on to Mars.
Astronauts travelling to Mars would have to spend about three years away from Earth. In order to explore of the red planet, human travellers would have to be able to use the materials available on the lunar and Martian surfaces.
NASA is already designing future astronauts’ gear. They’re sending spacesuit material on the Mars 2020 rover to test how it holds up in the planet’s harsh atmosphere. A deep-space habitat competition this year yielded a 3D-printable pod that could be constructed using materials found on Mars.
Concept illustration of Martian habitats. (JPL/NASA)
8. NASA also plans to investigate our Solar System’s past by launching a mission to an asteroid belt surrounding Jupiter.
Planned launch: October 2021
A mysterious swarm of Trojan asteroids – the term for space rocks that follow planets – trail Jupiter’s orbit around the Sun. NASA’s Lucy mission plans to visit six of them.
“We know very little about these objects,” Jim Green, the leader of NASA’s planetary science program, said in a NASA video. “They may be captured asteroids, comets, or even Kuiper Belt objects.”
What we do know is that the objects are as old as the Sun, so they can serve as a kind of fossil record of the Solar System.
9. Relatively nearby, a spacecraft will scan for alien life in the saltwater ocean on Jupiter’s Moon Europa.
When Galileo Galilei first looked at Jupiter through his homemade telescope in 1610, he spotted four Moons circling the planet. Nearly 400 years later, NASA’s Galileo mission found evidence that one of those Moons, Europa, conceals a vast ocean of liquid water beneath its icy crust.
NASA is planning to visit that ocean with the Europa Clipper, a spacecraft that will fly by the Moon 45 times, getting as close at 16 miles above the Moon’s surface.
Clipper will fly through water vapour plumes that shoot out from Europa’s surface (as seen in the NASA visual above) to analyse what might be in the ocean. Radar tools will also measure the thickness of the ice and scan for subsurface water.
NASA’s Lucy mission visiting asteroids near Jupiter. (Southwest Research Institute)
10. That investigation could help scientists prepare to land a future spacecraft on Europa’s surface and punch through the ice.
Anticipated launch and arrival: Unknown
The future lander would search for signs of life in the ocean, digging 4 inches below the surface to extract samples for analysis in a mini, on-the-go laboratory.
Potential future mission to land a robotic probe on Europa. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)
11. A nuclear-powered helicopter called Dragonfly will take the search for alien life one planet further, to Saturn’s largest Moon, Titan.
Planned launch: 2026
Titan is a world with ice, liquid methane pools, and a thick nitrogen atmosphere. It somewhat resembles early Earth, since it has carbon-rich organic materials like methane and ethane. Scientists suspect that an ocean of liquid water might lurk 60 miles below the ice.
All that makes Titan a contender for alien life.
But getting to the distant, cold Moon is not easy – Saturn only gets about 1 percent of the sunlight that bathes Earth, so a spacecraft can’t rely on solar energy. Instead, Dragonfly will propel itself using the heat of decaying plutonium.
Dragonfly visiting sampling location on Titan. (NASA)
12. Another NASA team is developing a spacecraft to probe the metal core of a dead planet called Psyche.
Most of the asteroids in our Solar System are made of rock or ice, but Psyche is composed of iron and nickel. That’s similar to the makeup of Earth’s core, so scientists think Psyche could be a remnant of an early planet that was decimated by violent collisions billions of years ago.
NASA is sending a probe to find out.
“This is an opportunity to explore a new type of world – not one of rock or ice, but of metal,” Linda Elkins-Tanton, who’s leading the mission, said in a press release. “This is the only way humans will ever visit a core.”
If Psyche really is the exposed core of a dead planet, it could reveal clues about the Solar System’s early years.
The probe NASA plans to send to Psyche would be the first spacecraft to use light, rather than radio waves, to transmit information back to Earth. The agency gave the team the green light to start the final design and early assembly process in June.
13. NASA also has 176 missions in the works that use CubeSats: 4-by-4-inch cube-shaped nanotechnology satellites.
NASA is partnering with 93 organisations across the US on these CubeSat projects. Such satellites have already been built and sent to space by an elementary school, a high school, and the Salish Kootenai College of the Flathead Reservation in Montana.
The first CubeSats sent to deep space trailed behind the InSight Mars lander last year. They successfully sent data from the InSight lander back to Earth as it landed on the Martian surface.
One planned mission using the nanotechnology will use lasers to search for ice on the Moon’s shadowy south pole. It’s expected to launch in November 2020.
Another CubeSat mission, also set to launch in 2020, will fly past an asteroid near Earth and send back data. It will be the first exploration of an asteroid less than 100 meters in diameter.
That data will help scientists plan for future human missions to asteroids, where astronauts might mine resources as they explore deep space.
Three CubeSats ejected from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory. (NASA)
14. Closer to home, the European Space Agency’s Euclid telescope will study dark matter and dark energy.
Planned launch and arrival: 2022
Dark matter makes up 85 percent of the universe, but nobody is sure what it is. Part of the problem is that we can’t see it because it doesn’t interact with light.
Dark matter’s gravity holds the entire universe together, while an unknown force called dark energy pushes everything apart. Dark energy is winning, and that’s why the universe is expanding.
As Euclid orbits Earth, the space telescope will measure the universe’s expansion and attempt to map the mysterious geometry of dark matter and energy.
NASA is working with the ESA on imaging and infrared equipment for the telescope.
15. The James Webb Space Telescope, which has a massive, 18-panel mirror, will scan the universe for life-hosting planets and attempt to look back in time to photograph the Big Bang.
It’s been almost 30 years since the Hubble Space Telescope launched. The James Webb Space Telescope is its planned replacement, and it packs new infrared technology to detect light beyond what the human eye can see.
The telescope’s goal is to study every phase of the universe’s history in order to learn about how the first stars and galaxies formed, how planets are born, and where there might be life in the universe.
A 21-foot-wide folding beryllium mirror will help the telescope observe faraway galaxies in detail. A five-layer, tennis court-size shield protects it from the Sun’s heat and blocks sunlight that could interfere with the images.
16. The James Webb Space Telescope will be capable of capturing extremely faint signals. The farther it looks out into space, the more it will look back in time, so the telescope could even detect the first glows of the Big Bang.
The telescope will also observe distant, young galaxies in detail we’ve never seen before.
The expanding universe. (NASA)
17. The Wide Field InfraRed Survey Telescope (WFIRST) is expected to detect thousands of new planets and test theories of general relativity and dark energy.
Planned launch and arrival: mid-2020s
WFIRST’s field of view will be 100 times greater than Hubble’s. Over its five-year lifetime, the space telescope will measure light from a billion galaxies and survey the inner Milky Way with the hope of finding about 2,600 exoplanets.
This article was originally published by Business Insider.
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Why Tammy Hembrow Was Stretchered Out From Kylie Jenner’s Party and More Facts .-RumourJuice.
Tammy Hembrow, the Australian instagram star has explained in a manner riddled with emotion, why she was carried out of Kylie Jenner’s birthday party on a stretcher. The model happened to collapse at Kylie’s 21st birthday party which she was attending. This happened over the weekend until yesterday when the model broke her silence on the issue.
Tammy in Bondi.-gotceleb.com
Photographed!
The 24 year-old model was unfortunately photographed as she was being carried out of the party lying face down on a stretcher.
Explained to Her fans
The mother-of-two was on YouTube explaining to her fans what happened at the party which by the way attended by the three Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, Kendall and their mum Kris Jenner.
Tammy Hembrow said, “So yeah I pretty much collapsed, Honestly, I’m like super embarrassed about it.”
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International Gramsci Journal
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Home > lha > GRAMSCI > Vol. 2 (2016) > Iss. 3
Gramsci in antropologia politica. Connessioni sentimentali, monografie integrali e senso comune delle lotte subalterne
Riccardo Ciavolella
The current article starts from the hypothesis that, despite their different intentionalities, political anthropology and Gramsci’s thought converge in the attempt to understand the political subjectivity of the subaltern groups and popular masses. The article then goes on to present the way in which Gramsci confronted the question in order to then discuss, in a chronological perspective, from the origin of the discipline to the present day, the contributions of political anthropology – sometimes under the direct influence of Gramsci – in the light of his considerations regarding the political dimension to the cultural expressions of the subaltern classes and also as regards the dilemmas that anthropology faces between the quest for a “connection of feeling” and the risk of a “populist representation.
Abstract Format
Ciavolella, Riccardo, Gramsci in antropologia politica. Connessioni sentimentali, monografie integrali e senso comune delle lotte subalterne, International Gramsci Journal, 2(3), 2017, 174-207.
Available at:https://ro.uow.edu.au/gramsci/vol2/iss3/11
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All Issues Vol. 3, Iss. 2 Vol. 3, Iss. 1 Vol. 2, Iss. 4 Vol. 2, Iss. 3 Vol. 2, Iss. 2 Vol. 2, Iss. 1 Vol. 1, Iss. 4 Vol. 1, Iss. 3 Vol. 1, Iss. 2 Vol. 1, Iss. 1
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Road Transport Hall of Fame
Kenworth Museum
Old Ghan
Yesterday's Workhorses
RAGGATT, Don & Margaret
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2012.
Don and Margaret Raggatt recently retired from their trucking business, Far Northern Contractors, after being involved in the industry for 40 years. Their first truck was an Austin which was purchased in 1950 for £4000 and used to transport road base on remote area road construction sites in Outback Australia. While Don drove Margaret usually lived with him on remote work camps working as bookkeeper, camp cook and co-driver as required.
Over the years the Raggatts operated six trucks, carting grain and metal, and two Bedford school buses. For three seasons Don carted grain for Roger Day (also a Shell Rimula Wall of Fame Inductee) with a group of six other trucks from Gawler in an Atkinson. At this time Margaret kept herself busy manning the radio and cooking for the drivers.
Don and Margaret remember their greatest challenge was the time they spent on construction of the Stuart Highway when Don worked with the Oodnadatta gang on the section from Coober Pedy to the Northern Territory border. The dirt dusty corrugated road between Adelaide and Alice Springs was known as simply as “the south road”. Funding for the upgrade of the road, part of Australia’s national highway, was part of the Federal Governments 1988 Bicentennial program to celebrate the 200 year anniversary of settlement in Australia following Captain Arthur Phillips arrival with the first fleet in 1788. Road construction gangs worked the length of the Stuart Highway from Adelaide to Darwin for ten years to bring it to the standard it is today.
During their stint Don and Margaret lived in their tri-axle caravan in mobile camps wherever they were working. Some of the camps were among the trees and others were out in the open. The conditions were either very cold or very hot but the road was always full of potholes and bulldust. Sometimes, it was an adventure just to get through to the camps. Creeks often flooded and could not be crossed for hours and there would be quite a convoy of trucks held up. The drivers made the most of their time to share a barbecue and chat around a fire.
Margaret occasionally drove the truck and remembers that the Bulls bus gave her a wide berth. She recalls one time when a Bulls bus was washed off the road by a flash flood and slammed into a huge gum tree. Margaret and Don and some others waded in to help and found the driver perched on top of his bus. Not at all perturbed he informed them that he had some beer on board if it could be retrieved. Don dived down and rescued the beer which they then enjoyed atop the bus. During the course of the day, as the beer ran out, several others swam out to retrieve a carton and a great time was had by all.
In 2012 the Raggatts are enjoying their retirement travelling around the country in a caravan. The couple volunteers whenever they can on their travels and like to chat about the old days when road conditions meant high maintenance and hard work but especially remember the good times shared with mates.
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As with animal welfare in general, community cat programs (CCPs) usually rely heavily on volunteers to achieve their goals. There are many opportunities for volunteers to contribute, whether it’s distributing door hangers in target neighborhoods, transporting cats to and from clinic appointments, or actually trapping cats.
A well-run volunteer program can dramatically increase a CCP’s effectiveness, and provide volunteers with a real sense of satisfaction. And a dedicated team of volunteers can also become the pool from which future CCP staff members are recruited. This is especially true of lead volunteers, one or two individuals who take on some of the work typically done by staff, as well as manage the team of volunteers. (See “Staffing Considerations” for additional information about this topic.)
The following guidelines are intended to help organizations recruit and retain talented CCP volunteers, and to provide their volunteers with a meaningful experience.
Preparation and recruiting
It’s easy to think of volunteers as supplemental to a CCP’s staff. And this is accurate in the sense that staff are employees, so the organization has somewhat different expectations of them. On the other hand, volunteers are responsible for much of the work associated with a CCP’s operation, and are therefore essential to its success. In this sense, then, volunteers aren’t so different from CCP staff.
Typical CCP volunteer positions
Again, there are many opportunities for volunteers to contribute to a CCP. Typical volunteer positions include the following:
Function: These volunteers work closely with CCP staff to trap cats in target areas. They often work with veterinary clinics, too, transporting cats to and from clinic appointments.
Core responsibilities: Trapping community cats. Often, the same volunteers who trap the cats will transport them to and from clinic appointments, house them before and after surgery, and, finally, return the cats to their trapping location(s).
Return-to-field transporter
Function: These volunteers work closely with CCP staff (or appropriate shelter staff) to pick up community cats from the shelter and return them to their trapping location.
Core responsibilities: Transport community cats as necessary, and identify additional community cats in the vicinity of the return site (documenting and sharing information with CCP staff).
Community educator and mediator
Function: These volunteers garner support for, and address opposition to, the CCP at a community, neighborhood and resident level.
Core responsibilities: Inform residents about the CCP, trap-neuter-return (TNR), local laws relevant to community cats and the use of humane deterrents. Also, resolve cat-related complaints among neighbors, whether on the phone, by email or in person.
Community cats ambassador and neighborhood canvasser
Function: These volunteers garner support for the CCP (and spay/neuter in general) at a community, neighborhood and resident level.
Core responsibilities: Distribute educational materials door-to-door, speak to residents about the importance of spaying or neutering community cats (and residents’ pets), provide referrals for low- and no-cost spay/neuter resources available for pet cats, and compile a detailed list of caregivers and complainants in the neighborhoods visited (to share with CCP staff).
Kitten and long-term foster parent
Function: These volunteers provide proper care for kittens and/or adult community cats until positive outcomes can be arranged.
Core responsibilities: Very young kittens need intensive basic care — bottle-feeding every few hours along with frequent socialization sessions. (See “Kitten Nurseries” for additional information about this topic.) Once the kittens are independent, the foster parent generally turns them over to the shelter for adoption (after they have been spayed or neutered). For adult community cats requiring long-term foster care before being returned to their trapping location (e.g., while an injury heals), the care generally involves basic feeding, cleaning and administering any prescribed medicines.
In addition, several “behind the scenes” jobs are generally done by volunteers, including:
Answering phones and returning calls
Doing data entry and filing paperwork
Cleaning (traps, transport vans, office space, etc.)
Again, volunteers are responsible for much of the work associated with a CCP’s operation, and therefore are essential to its success. As a result, managers may set expectations and evaluate performance in a manner similar to what’s done for CCP staff. There are, however, key differences between volunteers and staff that must be recognized on the job.
For example, volunteers are typically required to sign an agreement and release form, outlining their duties and the legal framework underlying their work with the CCP. An additional release may be required for volunteer work in a shelter. Volunteers are also generally required to identify themselves as such, by way of name tags or clothing. (Best Friends volunteers typically wear brightly colored T-shirts with “Volunteer” printed on them in large letters.)
Several examples of documents important for managing volunteers (volunteer release, safety protocols, etc.) are included in the appendix. (See “Staff and Volunteer Safety Protocols” for additional information about this topic.)
“Thoughtful and planned engagement of volunteers in a community cat program helps to achieve the goals that are set, and allows an organization to do more work towards achieving its mission. Meaningful volunteer engagement fosters a shared sense of ownership so that all are invested in the program and its result.”
—Pat Guerrero, national volunteer manager, Best Friends Animal Society
Retaining volunteers
Just as an organization strives to retain its most talented, most passionate staff, a CCP must strive to retain its most talented, most passionate volunteers. This means putting at least as much effort into training and retaining these remarkable individuals as is put into recruiting them.
Best Friends’ community cats page
FAQs About Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)
Best Friends Volunteer Handbook
Example: Community cats volunteer sign in/out sheet
Example: Agreement and general release for adult volunteers and non-employee interns
Community cats: Volunteer safety protocols
Community cats: Volunteer trapping safety protocols
Community cats: Volunteer door hanger/neighborhood canvassing guidelines
Community cats: Conflict management and resolution tips
Working with Enforcement and Dispatch Staff
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Why is using SQL injection to extract passwords or password hashes from a login database (that should never legitimately disclose them) even possible?
(Okay, so I'll confess upfront that while I'm trying to educate myself the current state of my knowledge on web applications security is still pretty shallow. So I appreciate your patience if the way I ask this is a little clumsy.)
I was catching up on out some infosec news a few days ago when I came across this item about a gray hat security researcher/hacker who was arrested earlier this month on charges related to breaking into the web site of a county elections body in Florida. From a technical standpoint, it appears that compromise occurred when this fellow used an SQL injection attack against a login database and managed to steal the plaintext (!) password of a county elections supervisor from it. He then used those credentials to login to the content management system of the website, and that was that.
After reading about this something odd struck me. I realized that there was a pretty fundamental point about the nature of these ultra-common SQL injection thefts from password databases that I really didn't/don't understand at all. That being: Why is it even possible to manipulate a login database to disclose password hashes (and/or usernames, salts, or any other authentication-related info) in the first place?
I can understand why SQL injection can work against databases in general; the archetypal common job of a database is to return user-readable information stored in it in response to a user query. But the job of a login credential database is very different. It does not actually require sending stored authentication information outside the database, but instead just providing an answer to the web server passing along the user-supplied credentials about whether they are valid or not. (Right?)
So why do we even use full-power database software and SQL queries to handle the pretty limited needs of username & password authentication at all?. Why aren't there limited-purpose database applications specifically aimed at just doing what a password database needs to do, vs. using general-purpose applications that leave lots of room for SQL injection to occur? What am I missing?
authentication passwords web-application sql-injection databases
SilverlightFox
mostlyinformedmostlyinformed
BTW, obviously the password database should have only contained password hashes created by a robust and "slow" cryptographic hashing algorithm and using unique-per-user salts. And certainly NOT,under any circumstances, plaintext passwords But in the interests of defense-in-depth let's set that aside here and focus on why password databases are even capable of divulging passwords or password hashes to begin with. – mostlyinformed May 20 '16 at 8:23
It's possible because the developer was obviously lazy, and/or incompetent. – user1751825 May 20 '16 at 10:50
No modern system should allow SQL injection. It's easy to avoid simply by using only parameterized queries. – user1751825 May 20 '16 at 10:51
There's a big gap between "does not require" and "implemented by the lowest bidder".
why do we even use full-power database software and SQL queries
Because if you're already running a SQL database for your transactional data, implementing a second technology stack with appropriately trained development and support staff for a very specific function is very expensive.
Given they can't get one appliction stack right, how are they going to cope with two?
Admittedly the problem of SQL injection arises from APIs which don't separate code (SQL) from data (parameters) while there are other database systems (and SQL APIs) which do enforce this separation. But relational databases and SQL databases in particular, provide a huge amount of functionality which is simply not available in the other types of databases. It would be very difficult to write a shopping cart which uses LDAP for persistence.
IMHO the people responsible for developing this system are just as culpable as the hacker.
symcbeansymcbean
I have some addition: the people who developed a shit-code are semi-culpable, the main guilt here is at the person who signed an implementaion "done" and in production. The responsibility of checking what you're actually doing exists everywhere, IMHO – Alexey Vesnin May 20 '16 at 8:45
"Given they can't get one appliction stack right, how are they going to cope with two?" A very fair point. I suppose one could try to design a solution that was (relative to most types of server software) more "idiot-proof" than maintaining a standard database. Or put more technically, "secure by default" rather than "insecure by default" like the current way. But I take your point. – mostlyinformed May 26 '16 at 6:51
Another angle to symcbean's answer.
The whole situation seems rather simplified. Who should take care of what can be queried and what can't? The underliyng DB (using special tables for user storage), the backend of the web application server or even a WAF? What about queries including LIKE statements (i.e. PasswordHash like 'a%', you can see where this is going)? If we go further, SQL injection isn't just about stealing login credentials. There might be a ton of more sensitive information that can be extracted. Even worse, it can lead to RCE on the DB server. And so on and on.
Seems easier to just implement measures to prevent SQL injection (by this I of course talk not just about parametrizing SQL statements, but about the whole defense-in-depth approach to prevent SQL injection).
bayobayo
usually a user table provides the relational association to content in the actual database.
eg user:jon_smith posted this blog post
The user table is also the logical place to store login credentials. The problem/question is not 'why is a database storing login credentials', but rather 'why arent people storing hashed values of passwords and comparing the hashed value to authenticate.
The simple answer is bad/lazy developers and cheap product managers who rather pay £500 for a student or freelancer to build a database for an election compared to a professional software developer
James KirkbyJames Kirkby
What you're missing is that databases are general tools designed for widespread use cases. What you're describing is a very specific tool, designed for a very specific use case.
The question comes down to one of maintenance and cost. It's generally cheaper and easier to use common tools than rely on something more specific like you're describing.
Properly used, a database is perfectly fine to store data in and query it directly from the program. I don't personally know of any solutions like you're describing in widespread use. That doesn't mean they don't exist, but it'd imply they aren't terribly common.
Also, it comes down to security design. What you're describing is a secure design. If the website in question wasn't designed with security in mind, it's not going to include secure features like you describe.
The point being, security doesn't (generally) just come out of the box. The default is normally no security. If it's not actively designed in and thought about, you're not going to get it. That's one of the biggest problems we face that security must be thought of from the start, not as an afterthought.
Steve SetherSteve Sether
"What you're missing is that databases are general tools designed for widespread use cases. What you're describing is a very specific tool, designed for a very specific use case." Well, that's true, certainly. But don't we already have very purpose-specific security tech in common use for key things? The example that comes immediately to mind is a TPM, which is basically a low-capability SoC that is designed to do one or a few security-critical things with high assurance. (Still, definitely food for thought.) – mostlyinformed May 26 '16 at 7:03
@halfinformed purpose specific solutions are just that. Purpose specific. TPM is limited to protecting hardware. It doesn't really help you for much of anything else. Getting more specfic however, I'd say that adding a piece of technology involves making a decision whether you want to support that or not and if it's worth the cost. Some kind of component with "compare only" access is certainly more secure, but is it worth the added maintenance costs? Also, the people who store passwords in the clear clearly don't care about security. They won't even do the standard solution. – Steve Sether May 26 '16 at 20:19
I would certainly agree that any limited purpose solution has to bring more benefits to a system than costs, including on-going maintenance costs, in order to be appropriate. On the other hand, in my view a limited purpose solution that is designed to be more "secure by default" can--sometimes--have lower upfront setup & configuration costs, as well as lower ongoing configuration management & vulnerability management costs. (Because there are many fewer capabilities to setup/monitor, and less attack surface to maintain.) But certainly it's always a cost/benefit judgment call. – mostlyinformed May 28 '16 at 18:45
@halfinformed I'd completely agree. At the moment, I don't know of any solutions as you described that are cheap, well maintained, and time tested. But if there were, it'd be an attractive solution. – Steve Sether May 28 '16 at 20:18
Adding more tech to the stack isn't a very efficient of cost effective way to handle this, and generally, storing authentication data in the database isn't an issue. It's more of how you store it and how it can be accessed.
This moves us on to your other question about SQL injections. They're easy to prevent, and I venture that most sites that haven't are a result of lazy programming and/or lazy database design (don't store passwords in plain text!). I don't mean that to sound insulting to anyone, but it really boils down to the language or method being used to get to the database and how it's implemented.
For instance, PHP used to have mysql commands, that then became mysqli and now it's encouraged to use PDO for situations to address this problem. The reason that progression occurred is to ensure that whatever input is provided to the server is presented in a valid format.
One other thing that caught my eye here is that you mentioned databases are meant to return user-readable information. That's one of many uses, but is not exclusive to a database's purpose. The problem isn't the database, it's how you get to it. There are many cases where you'll want/need to be able to send commands to a database for very valid reasons.
SQL injections work on input and whether or not that input is validated prior to requesting information from the server. So, the problem isn't the database, it's the process of requesting information from it. You can, of course, store credentials in other formats and some do, but these tend to have limited flexibility.
Also, keep in mind that a SQL injection is but one of many attack vectors to be concerned with. It just gets a lot of press because it's about the easiest way to get into an improperly configured system.
psiclonepsiclone
A database is not an authentication tool. If you already used an authentication tool (the website login shared credentials with computer or application login elsewhere, for instance a web version of your company finance app) then by all means use Active Directory, PAM or RADIUS or whatever for both.
Running a second, isolated, database just for your web app's user login alongside the massive database that holds the rest of their details, plus maintaining the authentication intermediary, creates more problems, and ultimately that database still exists and may be breached in many other ways. If they made a mistake to allow SQL injection, they'd probably make enough other mistakes that would expose the 'special' database directly or through their homebrew authentication processor.
the hatterthe hatter
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged authentication passwords web-application sql-injection databases or ask your own question.
SQL injection — why isn't escape quotes safe anymore?
How to exploit this SQL injection vulnerability?
Why are triggers not often used to secure a database?
Protecting Password Hashes with Stored Procedures?
Would Insecure Direct References and SQL Injection be solved by using Row-Level Security and Per-User Connection Strings?
What makes an Android application vulnerable to SQL Injection?
Bypassing login with SQL Injection
How can releasing the text of an SQL query compromise security?
How to address application database compromise
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Whittier College’s Newest Members
May 14, 2015 Induction Ceremonies0 comments
On May 5, 2015 Whittier College inducted 15 new Sigma Beta Delta members. These following names were added to the roles of Sigma Beta Delta in... Read More
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Juvenile squid from plankton
Cuvier, 1797
Subclass Nautiloidea
Subclass †Ammonoidea
Subclass Coleoidea
The Cephalopods (Greek meaning "head-foot") are an important class of molluscs. They have bilateral symmetry, a head, and arms or tentacles.[1] Teuthology, a branch of malacology, is the study of cephalopods.
The class has two living subclasses. In the Coleoidea, the mollusc shell has become smaller, or is not there at all; this subclass has the octopus, squid, and cuttlefish. The Nautiloidea have a shell; Nautilus is its only living genus.
There are at least 800 different living species of Cephalopods. Two important extinct taxa are the Ammonites, and the Belemnites (order Belemnoidea, of class Coleoidea). Cephalopods are found in all the oceans of the world and at all pelagic levels. None of them can live in freshwater (water with no salt in it), but a few species live in brackish (partly salty) water.
1 Cephalopod groups
2 Number of species
3 Nervous system and behaviour
3.1 Colour and light
3.1.1 Colouration
3.2 Moving around
3.3 Ink
4 Blood
5 Reproduction and life cycle
8 Other sources
Cephalopod groups[change | change source]
Nautiloids: Nautilus
Ammonoids: Ammonites (extinct)
Coleoids
Belemnites (extinct)
Squid (4 different groups)
Cuttlefish (Sepia)
Number of species[change | change source]
There are still discoveries of new species of cephalopods:
1998: 703 recent species [2]
2004: estimate: from 1000 to 1200 species [4]
There are many more fossil species. It is thought there are around 11,000 extinct taxa.[5]
Nervous system and behaviour[change | change source]
Cephalopods are the most intelligent invertebrates and have good senses and large brains. The nervous system of cephalopods is the most complex of the invertebrates, and their brain to body mass ratio falls between that of warm and cold blooded vertebrates.[6] The giant nerve fibers of the cephalopod mantle have been a favourite experimental material for many years; their large diameter makes them easier to study.
Colour and light[change | change source]
This Broadclub Cuttlefish (Sepia latimanus) can go from blending tans and browns (top) to yellow with dark bits (bottom) in less than a second.
Most cephalopods have chromatophores – that is, cells with different colours – which they can use in a number of surprising ways.[6] As well as blending with their background, some cephalopods bioluminesce, shining light downwards to hide their shadows from any attackers.[6] The bioluminescence is made by bacterial symbionts; the host cephalopod is able to find the light made by these animals.[7] Bioluminescence may also be used to attract prey, and some species use colourful shows to get mates, amaze predators, or even signal to one another.[6]
Colouration[change | change source]
Colouration can be changed in milliseconds as they adjust to their environment,[6] and the pigment cells can expand or contract.[8] Rapid colour change is usually more common in near-shore species than those living in the open ocean. Those in open ocean mostly use camouflage to make their body outline less easy to see.[6]
Evidence of original colouration has been found in cephalopod fossils as far back as the Silurian; certain straight-shelled species had lines round their shell, which are thought to have used as camouflage of their body outline.[9] Devonian cephalopods bear more complex colour patterns, whose function may be more complex.[10]
Moving around[change | change source]
Cephalopods usually move by jet propulsion (squirting water). This uses a lot of energy to travel compared to the tail propulsion used by fish. They use jet propulsion because they do not have fins or flippers. The efficiency of jet propulsion goes down with larger animals. This is probably the reason why many species use their fins or arms for moving if possible.
Oxygenated water is taken into the mantle cavity to the gills. By contracting the mantle's muscles, the water is pushed out through the siphon, made by a fold in the mantle. Motion of the cephalopods is usually backward as water is forced out forwards, but the siphon can be pointed in different directions. Some cephalopods can adjust their body shape to move through the water more easily.
Some octopus species are also able to walk along the sea bed. Squids and cuttlefish can move short distances in any direction by moving a flap of muscle around the mantle.
Ink[change | change source]
With the exception of the Nautilidae and the species of octopus of the suborder Cirrina,[11] all known cephalopods have an ink sac, which can be used to push out a cloud of dark ink to confuse predators.[12]
Blood[change | change source]
Like most molluscs, cephalopods use haemocyanin, a copper-containing protein, rather than haemoglobin to transport oxygen. As a result, their blood is colourless when deoxygenated and turns blue when placed in air.[13]
Reproduction and life cycle[change | change source]
With a few exceptions, Coleoideans live short lives with fast growth. Most of the energy from their food is used for growing. The penis in most male Coleoidea is a long and muscular end of the vas deferens (tube for sperms) used to transfer spermatophores (sperm packages) to a modified arm called a hectocotylus.[14] That in turn is used to transport the spermatophores to the female. In species where the hectocotylus is missing, the penis is long and able to extend beyond the mantle cavity and transfers the spermatophores directly to the female. The females lay many small eggs in one batch, and die afterwards. The Nautiloidea, on the other hand make a few large eggs in each batch, and live for a long time.
Evolution[change | change source]
The class developed during the late Cambrian and were the most common and varied marine life forms during the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic eras. Tommotia, an early cephalopod, had squid-like tentacles but also a snail-like foot it used to move across the sea floor. Early cephalopods were at the top of the food chain.
The old (cohort Belemnoidea) and modern (cohort Neocoleoidea) coleoids, as well as the ammonoids, all diverged (evolved away from) from the external shelled nautiloids during the middle Paleozoic Era, between 450 and 300 million years ago. Most ancient varieties had protective shells. These shells at first were conical but later developed into the curved shapes seen in modern nautilus species. Shells inside the body still exist in many living cephalopod groups, such as cuttlefish. The most famous group with external shells, the ammonites, became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period.
↑ These are adaptations of the basic mollusc foot.
↑ [updated 28-Nov-2000] [cit. 12-Dec-2003] http://www.cephbase.dal.ca/spdb/allsp.cfm
↑ [updated 13-Jun-2003] [cit. 27-Feb-2005] http://www.cephbase.utmb.edu/spdb/allsp.cfm
↑ Brune R.H. 2004. Encyklopedie ulit a lastur. Rebo Productions, Dobřejovice. p16 (in Czech)
↑ Ivanov M., Hrdličková S. & Gregorová R. 2001. Encyklopedie zkamenělin. Rebo Productions, Dobřejovice. p139. (in Czech)
↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Marion Nixon & J.Z. Young 2003. The brains and lives of cephalopods. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-852761-6.
↑ Tong D. Rozas S.; Oakley H.; Mitchell J.; Colley J.; Mcfall-Ngai J. 2009. Evidence for light perception in a bioluminescent organ. PNAS 106: 9836–9841.
↑ Encyclopædia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD
↑ Štěpán Manda and Vojtěch Turek 2009. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 54: 503-512. Minute Silurian oncocerid nautiloids with unusual colour patterns. http://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app20080062.html.
↑ Colour patterns in Early Devonian cephalopods from the Barrandian Area: Taphonomy and taxonomy. Vojtěch Turek 2009. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 54: 491-502. http://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app20070064.html.
↑ Hanlon, Roger T. & Messenger John B. 1999. Cephalopod behaviour. Cambridge. ISBN 0521645832
↑ Boyle, Peter; Rodhouse, Paul (2004). Cephalopods: ecology and fisheries. Ames, Iowa: Blackwell. doi:10.1002/9780470995310.ch2. ISBN 0632060484.
↑ Ghiretti-Magaldi A. & Ghiretti F. 1992. The pre-history of hemocyanin: the discovery of copper in the blood of molluscs. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences (Birkhäuser Basel) 48 (10). http://www.springerlink.com/content/ph8v3ln7560v68pp/.
↑ Gilbert L. Voss (27 September 2013 [last update]). "cephalopod". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Check date values in: |date= (help)
Other sources[change | change source]
Berthold, Thomas, & Engeser, Theo. 1987. Phylogenetic analysis and systematization of the Cephalopoda (Mollusca). Verhandlungen Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins in Hamburg. (NF) 29: 187-220.
Engeser, Theo. 1997. Fossil Nautiloidea page. <http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~palaeont/fossilnautiloidea/fossnautcontent.htm>
Felley J. Vecchione M. Roper C.F.E. Sweeney M. & Christensen T. 2001-2003: Current classification of Recent Cephalopoda. internet: National Museum of Natural History: Department of Systematic Biology: Invertebrate Zoology: http://www.mnh.si.edu/cephs/
Shevyrev A.A. 2005. The Cephalopod macrosystem: a historical review, the present state of knowledge, and unsolved problems: 1. Major features and overall classification of cephalopod molluscs. Paleontological Journal. 39: 606-614. Translated from Paleontologicheskii Zhurnal #6, 2005, 33-42.
Wikispecies has information on: Cephalopoda.
Wikibooks Dichotomous Key has more about this subject:
CephBase - cephalopod database
TONMO.COM - The Octopus News Magazine Online - cephalopod articles and discussion
Tree of Life Web Project - Cephalopoda
Mikko's Phylogeny Tree
Articles on various fossil cephalopod topics for non-specialists
Fish vs. Cephalopods
Will Fast Growing Squid Replace Slow Growing Fish?
Bipedal Octopuses with links to video and original paper
Palcephalopoda/Neocephalopoda Hypothesis
Biomineralisation in modern and fossil cephalopods
Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cephalopod&oldid=6173118"
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Returning Fire
Interventions in Video Game Culture
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Video games like Modern Warfare, America's Army, Medal of Honor, and Battlefield are part of an exploding market of war games whose revenues now far outpace even the biggest Hollywood blockbusters. The sophistication of these games is undeniable, offering users a stunningly realistic experience of ground combat and a glimpse into the increasingly virtual world of long-distance, push-button warfare. Far less clear, though, is what these games are doing to users, our political culture, and our capacity to empathize with people directly affected by the actual trauma of war. For the culture-jamming activists featured in this film, these uncertainties were a call to action. In three separate vignettes, we see how Anne-Marie Schleiner, Wafaa Bilal, and Joseph Delappe moved dissent from the streets to our screens, infiltrating war games in an attempt to break the hypnotic spell of "militainment." Their work forces all of us -- gamers and non-gamers alike -- to think critically about what it means when the clinical tools of real-world killing become forms of consumer play.
Sections: Introduction (4:18) | Dead in Iraq (13:08) | Velvet-Strike (7:42) | Domestic Tension (18:20) | Conclusion (1:00)
The DVD contains both an edited and an unedited version.
Date Produced: 2011
Filmmaker Info
Written, Directed & Edited by Roger Stahl
Additional Editing & Motion Graphics: Andrew Killoy
Supervising Producer: Jeremy Earp
Audio Engineering: Pinehurst Pictures & Sound
Original Music by Roger Stahl & Andrew Killoy
About Roger Stahl
Roger Stahl is Associate Professor of Speech Communication at the University of Georgia. His work has appeared in publications such as Rhetoric and Public Affairs, Encyclopedia of Political Communication, and Critical Studies in Media Communication. His latest book, Militainment, Inc.: War, Media, and Popular Culture, was released by Routledge Press.
Conference Screenings
International Communication Association conference | May 2012
"Whether you are a gamer or not, this documentary will surely surprise you by its exploration of the unpredictable ways politics of resistance infiltrates our media today through art, online games, and internet communications. Highly intriguing, intelligent, and entertaining, Returning Fire is a must-see for anyone interested in war, digital culture and computer games."
- Rikke Schubart | Associate Professor of Media Studies at the University of Southern Denmark | Co-editor of War Isn't Hell, It's Entertainment: Essays on Visual Media and the Representation of Conflict
"Violent video games are just a game - or are they? And real war is not a game -- or is it? Returning Fire is an intriguing and thought-provoking documentary about the striking ambivalence of contemporary first-person shooters and virtual warfare."
- Tilo Hartmann | Assistant Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
"Returning Fire is a must see for any anti-war activist. I think it should also be viewed by any parent considering buying their children a video game about war."
- Neil Kiernan | V-Radio
"Returning Fire documents not only how closely war games are able to approximate news footage of war, but also the work of activists who work to remind players of the differences being elided. Fast-moving and to the point, Returning Fire succinctly sums up the issues and attitudes surrounding state-of-the-art wargames, and what's at stake in the debates about them. Highly recommended for classroom use, whether for video game studies, or discussions about war and activists' reaction against it."
- Mark J. P. Wolf | Assistant Professor of Communications at Concordia University, Wisconsin | Editor of The Video Game Theory Reader
"Returning Fire shows just how far our society will go to blur the lines between war and entertainment. Concerned that our culture has lost sight of the human toll of war, Stahl builds his case on a number of startling facts about the ever-popular war video game industry. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries, Returning Fire is also an excellent teaching tool for courses in media, sociology, and psychology. The film's study guide includes outlines of key points, discussion questions, and assignment ideas."
- Margaret M. Reed | Ouachita Baptist University | Educational Media Reviews Online
"Returning Fire is a noteworthy experiment and commentary on contemporary social attitudes about war as well as on the nature of interactive technologies and their capacity to resist as well as reinforce dominant discourses. The troubling contradictory message in the end is that we really like our war-game realism... but that we don't like it when real reality breaks in. Suitable for high school classes and college courses in cultural anthropology, anthropology of technology, anthropology of war, anthropology of protest/resistance, and American studies, as well as general audiences."
- Jack David Eller | Anthropology Review Database
"This video documentary makes an important contribution to tackling an increasingly urgent question today: how to find new ways to ask the big questions about society, our society, its goals, values and future. While bloggers have had some impact on the political process, and tweets can light fires that require some spin doctoring to bring under control, in general the digital transition has made public space disappear and morph into online virtual networks, including those of video game play. The artists featured in this documentary challenge the inhabitants of these spaces to consider them in this way, often provoking violent and hostile reactions. They show the high stakes of interrupting or restaging the routines of combat-based entertainment for long enough to provoke the realization that the players' screens open onto a virtual zone of militainment at the cost of closing off other encounters with the enemy other, the 'battlezone', the mission, and the historical reality that has informed the game design."
- Patrick Crogan | Senior Lecturer in Film and Media and Cultural Studies at University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
"While Professor Stahl's own hand in this larger project can be detected in the well-thought out narration and tightly-produced visual display, there is no pre-emptive framing, and certainly none of that 'preachy-ness,' which can attend so many popular media critiques of late. Unlike, say, Michael Moore's more recent films (indeed, more like Moore's earlier work) Stahl, and his activist gamers, let the emerging culture and social spaces that have been enabled by the media environments they transgress do most of the talking. For sure, life is stranger than fiction. You just can't make this stuff up. If some of the acts (and speech acts) of resident players in these games are certainly terrifying, and while it was disquieting for some of my students to ponder the motivations of these seasoned cyber-soldiers, the final message of Roger Stahl's Returning Fire, is hardly depressing. Indeed, we find other gamers -- apparently complete strangers to the protagonists -- taking up the cause of questioning the taken-for-granted realities spawned in these virtual spaces. The notion of blowing away a small village with a daisy-cutter or even a single avatar with a semi-automatic pistol gathers renewed poignance."
- Robert MacDougall | Professor of Communication & Media Studies at Curry College
"This film demonstrates the power that art and artists have to make a difference in the world."
- Douglas A. Gentile | Associate Professor of Psychology at Iowa State University
"An excellent, thought-provoking piece of work. Will inspire people to consider how some games might be contributing to a developing war culture."
- Craig Anderson | Distinguished Professor & Director of the Center for the Study of Violence at Iowa State University
Hijacking Catastrophe
Joystick Warriors
Militainment, Inc.
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Dave Hansford on Biodiversity: Do non-native species count?
Stephen Thorpe on Minister right to be wary of gene editing – Part 2
Grant Jacobs on Minister right to be wary of gene editing – Part 2
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From Restoration to Reconciliation: Belief 9 – We have to do it
By Jamie Steer • 22/12/2018 • 6
This is this idea that we either do this or something that we love dies – what might be referred to as ‘conservation at the barrel of a gun’.
Here’s another collection of quotes from the feedback to Kim Hill again – the last one most notably being from one of New Zealand’s foremost conservation biologists:
‘By accepting many introduced species we also have to accept the loss of many of our unique native species’
‘…if we accept the presence of introduced predators like rats, stoats, and possums, then we must say goodbye to NZ native birds, bats, lizards’
‘The choice is simple – we save our most distinctive and valued species, OR we feed them to rats, stoats, etc’
But is all this hyperbole really true? I don’t think so. No, we can actually preserve most of our more iconic species in much smaller areas than they used to inhabit as we have very successful shown in many offshore and mainland island settings already.
I do also recognise the retort to that, however, which is that we’re not going to be able to keep all our native biodiversity as it was 800 years ago. And this is a point where I’d have to agree actually.
Sure, we probably aren’t going to be able to keep everything as it was in the past and, yes, this is going to involve extinctions. But I think we also need to be talking more about the notion of extinction itself and what it actually means today, because, while ‘extinction’ is a really dirty word in conservation, it’s also an important part of evolution.
Is change permissible?
Palaeontologists, of course, remind us that most of the species that have ever lived are now extinct, so extinction is in many ways just a fact of life. But people don’t take issue with extinction I’m told, just with human-induced extinction; with faster rates than the background ‘natural’ rate (whatever that is). So it’s fundamentally about our unease with causing it rather than the notion of extinction itself.
Maybe that’s understandable, but in order for ecosystems to adapt to changed conditions there needs to be a degree of extinction on many levels – whether it be genes, varieties, species or ecosystems.
The idea that humanity could change and expand on such unprecedented levels but that a human-exclusive nature itself could, concurrently, remain static, or even relatively static, reflects a potential naiveté in restoration thinking. Further, the notion that the rate of change in nature can be agreeably manipulated, where necessary, by humans also hints at a kind of arrogance.
Maybe our ecosystems are going to need to change now and, yes, maybe that change is going to involve some extinctions. Maybe as we come to realise how little of our ecosystems are completely within our control we may have to become clearer about which species we’re saving and why those species. Most of our conservation work in New Zealand involves saving birds and yet they are probably one of the more minor components of our biodiversity.
At present we’re often just blinding pushing on under the understanding that we need to save everything and keep everything as it was in the past. It’s like we have this big sign up all the time that reads ‘No Extinctions Allowed’. Change? Sure, we’ll allow change. But extinction? No, unacceptable.
I think there seems to be too little self-reflection there both on our enormous technical limitations and on the fact that some degree of extinction is in many ways now necessary for our ecosystems to adapt to the changed conditions we have brought about.
Read the next instalment here. Or begin at the start of this series.
Featured image: Invasives must go! © Cartoon Movement. Used with permission.
6 Responses to “From Restoration to Reconciliation: Belief 9 – We have to do it”
Simon Glass says:
One thing that I have wondered about for a long while, Jamie, is what you think of people who actually want endemic species that are currently rare to eventually occupy most of the range that they occupied in the past? Like people who want stitchbirds, blue-wattled crows, and North Island saddlebacks to be a common sight in forests and large gardens of all kinds throughout the North Island, for example? I currently imagine that if you were approached by someone with this question in person, your answer would be; ‘Oh, well. Just learn to love dunnocks, magpies, and starlings, I guess?’.
New Zealand has already had plenty of human-induced species extinctions. How many more will need to occur until New Zealand’s ecosystems have the species composition that you dream of?
-SG
Recently it was reported that there are no warblers, fantails or waxeyes in Zelandia, the abundance of tui and tieke have driven them out. No warblers means no shining cuckoo no shinning cuckoo means what??
That’s just one unknown equation.
Apparently it’s not about biodiversity now it’s about “winners and losers”.
The more you interfere the more unforeseen the consequences.
Where I live in a rural landscape with farmland, a pond and a small patch of bush, there are 38 bird species and all the other wild animals: rabbits, possums, wallabies, hedgehogs, rats and wild cats. It doesn’t have kokako etc because there’s no habitat.
I wouldn’t want to see anything killed off to make way for them. That would be illogical thinking. Unfortunately “illogics” rules the roost in NZ science thinking. Arrogance and ignorance are a dangerous combination we must grow out of.
Everything in nature gives, only humans think they can take: lives and resources with impunity.
Extinction is not a bad thing it’s the ultimate gift to the life that follows.
Keep writing Jamie, than you.
I don’t know where you heard that about Zealandia, Andy, but it’s rubbish. I have seen both fantails and grey warblers there this year. I have not seen any silvereyes there, but surely there are some present, and they aren’t an endemic species in any case (some even think that they may have only colonised New Zealand by hitching rides on boats, which would make them an introduced species).
Subfossil evidence shows that the blue-wattled crow was actually primarily a species of coastal habitats in the past. People just assume that they can only survive in large forests because most of them exist in that habitat now. There’s no telling how abundant they could become if there weren’t any rats, mustelids, or possums around.
How is getting rid of pests to make way for rare endemic species ‘illogical’, exactly? Do you think it would make more sense to release rare endemic species into pest-infested habitats and just hope that they hang in there?
It was reported in the media and was a statement issued by Zelandia itself. I couldn’t make it up. The main message was there’s “winners and losers” now. The Sands have shifted. The wind suddenly gusts from a new direction. Not everything can be “saved” equally it seems.
It’s all such a nonsense. Zoolandia where supplementary feeding determines species content.
The one lesson to take from it is;if you want birds to increase, be it kaka or tui, give them food. Something that is often lacking in the nutrient low ecosystems of NZ.
MikeM says:
For the record, we spotted a fantail at Zealandia last Sunday 23rd December. I couldn’t comment on whether it was fewer or more than would have previously been expected, but I’ll accept the word of the Zealandia experts.
I presume Andy is referring to this report or others at about the same time. https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/09/fantail-population-plummeting-at-predator-free-zealandia-in-wellington.html
“Changes in the forest bird community of an urban sanctuary in response to pest mammal eradications and endemic bird reintroductions”. Miskelly, CM, Notornis 65:3 p132. I can’t read the article (no public access till next year) but AFAIK it doesn’t say fantails have disappeared, just decreased in number. https://www.notornis.osnz.org.nz/node/4420
About So Shoot Me
So Shoot Me is the blog of Dr Jamie Steer who is interested in exploring and challenging current attitudes to biodiversity and conservation in New Zealand.
Tom Saunders on Minister right to be wary of gene editing – Part 2
That Moz Guy on Minister right to be wary of gene editing – Part 2
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It’s Official! Warner Bros. Found Their Wonder Woman in Gal Gadot
Posted December 4th, 2013 by Janice Kay
Photo credit: Featureflash / Shutterstock.com
After much hemming and hawing over whether the Amazon princess would appear in Zack Snyder’s ‘Man of Steel’ sequel, tentatively titled ‘Batman vs. Superman’, Warner Bros. has released a statement that not only will she indeed appear, but she will be played by Isreali actress Gal Gadot.
Gadot is best known for her role as Gisele in the ‘Fast and Furious’ film franchise. She has also appeared in the films ‘Date Night’ as Natanya and in the Tom Cruise film ‘Knight and Day’ as Naomi.
In the press statement announcing Gadot’s casting, Snyder stated:
“Wonder Woman is arguably one of the most powerful female characters of all time and a fan favorite in the DC Universe. Not only is Gal an amazing actress, but she also has that magical quality that makes her perfect for the role. We look forward to audiences discovering Gal in the first feature film incarnation of this beloved character.”
Gadot beat out numerous actresses for this coveted role including Jaime Alexander (‘Thor: The Dark World’) who seemed to be the front runner for fans. ‘Oblivion’ actress Olga Kurylenko and Eloide Yung (who played Jinx on ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’) were also rumored to be up for the role.
The casting of Wonder Woman is exciting news for DC fans as this will be the first cinematic interpretation of the character and one that many have been clamoring for. With the additional rumors of The Flash and Nightwing to also appear in this film, it clearly looks like Warner Bros is establishing DC characters to bring together to lead into the much talked about ‘Justice League’ film.
This is definitely news that is developing and more information will be released soon, so make sure you come back to ScienceFiction.com for all the latest!
While we’re waiting, what do you think of Gadot’s casting as Wonder Woman?
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You are here: Home / Advancement / New Eagle Rank Requirements
New Eagle Rank Requirements
This is seventh in a series of posts about the new rank requirements that take effect on January 1, 2016.
Scout | Tenderfoot | Second Class | First Class | Star | Life | Eagle
Exactly how the new requirements are phased in is explained in this PDF document – Notes on Transitioning to the New Requirements.
I found the new requirements in this PDF – 2016 Boy Scout requirements—parallel comparison.
There are three major components of advancing from Star to Eagle – merit badges, service, and positions of responsibility.
I want to reflect on each of these components and suggest some changes. In my review of Star I’ll look at merit badges, in my review of Life I’ll look at positions of responsibility, and in my review of Eagle I’ll look at the service component.
Eagle Rank Requirement Changes
1. Be active in your troop for at least six months as a Life Scout.
A slight rewording in the new requirement, the “notes” section included in the new requirements (see below) indicate substituted terms for Varsity Scouts, Ventures, and Sea Scouts. Previously: “Be active in your troop, team, crew, or ship for a period of at least six months after you have achieved the rank of Life Scout”
2. As a Life Scout, demonstrate Scout Spirit by living the Scout Oath and Scout Law. Tell how you have done your duty to God, how you have lived the Scout Oath and Scout Law in your everyday life, and how your understanding of the Scout Oath and Scout Law will guide your life in the future. List on your Eagle Scout Rank Application the names of individuals who know you personally and would be willing to provide a recommendation on your behalf, including parents/guardians, religious (if not affiliated with an organized religion, then the parent or guardian provides this reference), educational, employer (if employed), and two other references.
Changed wording of the previous requirement clarifying a couple of aspects of the recommendations. Previously: “Demonstrate that you live by the principles of the Scout Oath and Law in your daily life. List on your Eagle Scout Rank Application the names of individuals who know you personally and would be willing to provide a recommendation on your behalf, including parents/guardians, religious, educational, and employer references.”
3. Earn a total of 21 merit badges (10 more than required for the Life rank), including these 13 merit badges: (a) First Aid, (b) Citizenship in the Community, (c) Citizenship in the Nation, (d) Citizenship in the World, (e) Communication, (f) Personal Fitness, (g) Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving, (h) Environmental Science OR Sustainability, (i) Personal Management, (j) Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling (k) Camping (l) Family Life, and (m) Cooking. You must choose only one of the merit badges listed in categories g, h, and j. Any additional merit badge(s) earned in those categories may be counted as one of your eight optional merit badges used to make your total of 21.
Changed wording that clarifies some common misunderstandings, previously: “Earn a total of 21 merit badges (10 more than you already have), including the following:” I offer my reflections on merit badges in my review of Star requirements.
4. While a Life Scout, serve actively in your troop for six months in one or more of the following troop positions of responsibility:9
Boy Scout troop. Patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, senior patrol leader, troop guide, Order of the Arrow troop representative, den chief, scribe, librarian, historian, quartermaster, bugler, junior assistant Scoutmaster, chaplain aide, instructor, webmaster, or outdoor ethics guide.4
Varsity Scout team. Captain, co-captain, program manager, squad leader, team secretary, Order of the Arrow team representative, librarian, historian, quartermaster, chaplain aide, instructor, den chief, webmaster, or outdoor ethics guide.
Venturing crew/Sea Scout ship. President, vice president, secretary, treasurer, den chief, quartermaster, historian, guide, boatswain, boatswain’s mate, yeoman, purser, storekeeper, webmaster, or outdoor ethics guide.
Lone Scout. Leadership responsibility in your school, religious organization, club, or elsewhere in your community.
Two changes: Venture patrol leader is removed from the list and the addition of an option for lone Scouts.
Previously: “While a Life Scout, serve actively in your unit for a period of six months in your unit in one or more of the following positions of responsibility. List only those position served after your Life board of review date.“
Boy Scout troop. Patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, senior patrol leader, Venture patrol leader, troop guide, Order of the Arrow troop representative, den chief, scribe, librarian, historian, quartermaster, bugler, junior assistant Scoutmaster, chaplain aide, instructor, troop Webmaster, or Leave No Trace trainer.
Varsity Scout team. Captain, co-captain, program manager, squad leader, team secretary, Order of the Arrow troop representative, librarian, historian, quartermaster, chaplain aide, instructor, den chief, team Webmaster, or Leave No Trace trainer.
Venturing crew/ship. President, vice president, secretary, treasurer, den chief, quartermaster, historian, guide, boatswain, boatswain’s mate, yeoman, purser, storekeeper, crew/ship Webmaster, or Leave No Trace trainer.
5. While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community. (The project must benefit an organization other than the Boy Scouts of America.) A project proposal must be approved by the organization benefiting from the effort, your Scoutmaster and unit committee, and the council or district before you start. You must use the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook, BSA publication No. 512-927, in meeting this requirement. (To learn more about the Eagle Scout service project, see the Guide to Advancement, topics 9.0.2.0 through 9.0.2.16.)
Only change here is using ‘Scoutmaster’ instead of ‘unit leader’. Previously: While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community. (The project must benefit an organization other than Boy Scouting.) A project proposal must be approved by the organization benefiting from the effort, your unit leader and unit committee, and the council or district before you start. You must use the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook, BSA publication No. 512- 927, in meeting this requirement. (To learn more about the Eagle Scout service project, see the Guide to Advancement, topics 9.0.2.0 through 9.0.2.15.)
6. While a Life Scout, participate in a Scoutmaster conference.
Slight rewording of the previous – “Take part in a Scoutmaster conference.”
7. Successfully complete your board of review for the Eagle Scout rank. In preparation for your board of review, prepare and attach to your Eagle Scout Rank Application a statement of your ambitions and life purpose and a listing of positions held in your religious institution, school, camp, community, or other organizations, during which you demonstrated leadership skills. Include honors and awards received during this service. (This requirement may be met after age 18, in accordance with Guide to Advancement topic 8.0.3.1.)10
Slight rewording of the previous – “Successfully complete an Eagle Scout board of review. In preparation for your board of review, prepare and attach to your Eagle Scout Rank Application a statement of your ambitions and life purpose and a listing of positions held in your religious institution, school, camp, community, or other organizations, during which you demonstrated leadership skills. Include honors and awards received during this service. (This requirement may be met after age 18; see below.)”
The following notes append the revised list of requirements;
NOTE: For Varsity Scouts working on Boy Scout requirements, replace “troop” with “team” and “Scoutmaster” with “Varsity Scout Coach.” For Venturers working on Boy Scout requirements, replace “troop” with “crew” and “Scoutmaster” with “Crew Advisor.” For Sea Scouts working on Boy Scout requirements, replace “troop” with “ship” and “Scoutmaster” with “Skipper.”
9 Assistant patrol leader and bugler are not approved positions of responsibility for the Eagle Scout rank. Also, a Scoutmaster-approved leadership project cannot be used in lieu of serving in a position of responsibility.
10 APPEALS AND EXTENSIONS
If a Scout believes he has completed all requirements for the Eagle Scout rank but is denied a board of review, he may request a board of review under disputed circumstances in accordance
with Guide to Advancement topic 8.0.3.2.
If the board of review does not approve the Scout’s advancement, the decision may be appealed in accordance with Guide to Advancement topic 8.0.4.0.
If a Scout foresees that, due to no fault or choice of his own, he will be unable to complete the Eagle Scout rank requirements before age 18, he may apply for a limited time extension in accordance with Guide to Advancement topic 9.0.4.0. Time extensions are rarely granted.
AGE REQUIREMENT ELIGIBILITY
Merit badges, badges of rank, and Eagle Palms may be earned by a registered Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, or a qualified Venturer or Sea Scout. He may earn these awards until his 18th birthday. Any Venturer or Sea Scout who achieved the First Class rank as a Boy Scout in a troop or Varsity Scout in a team may continue working toward the Star, Life, and Eagle Scout ranks and Eagle Palms.
An Eagle Scout board of review may occur, without special approval, within three months after the 18th birthday. Local councils must preapprove those held three to six months afterward. To initiate approval, the candidate, his parent or guardian, the unit leader, or a unit committee member attaches to the application a statement explaining the delay. Consult the Guide to
Advancement, topic 8.0.3.1, in the case where a board of review is to be conducted more than six months after a candidate’s 18th birthday. If you have a permanent physical or mental disability, or a disability expected to last more than two years or beyond age 18, you may become an Eagle Scout by qualifying for as many required merit badges as you can and qualifying for alternative merit badges for the rest. If you seek to become an Eagle Scout under this procedure, you must submit a special application to your local council service center. Your application must be approved by your council advancement committee before you can work on alternative merit badges.
A Scout or Venturer with a disability may also qualify to work toward rank advancement after he is 18 years of age if he meets the guidelines outlined in section 10 of the Guide to Advancement.
Thoughts on Eagle Service Projects
There are three major components of advancing from Star to Eagle – merit badges, service, and positions of responsibility. I want to reflect on each of these components and suggest some changes. In my review of Star I’ll look at merit badges, in my review of Life I’ll look at positions of responsibility, and in my review of Eagle I’ll look at the service component.
The first Eagle was awarded in 1911, and the requirements for the badge did not include a service project the next 54 years.
In 1965 the Eagle service project was introduced as a requirement “While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and carry out a service project helpful to your church or synagogue, school, or community.”
This requirement remained basically the same for 13 years until the phrase “give leadership to others” was added in 1978.
The next significant addition came 31 years later in 2009 when the requirement was re-worded-
“While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community. (The project should benefit an organization other than Boy Scouting.) The project plan must be approved by the organization benefiting from the effort, your Scoutmaster and troop committee, and the council or district before you start. You must use the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook, No. 512-927, in meeting this requirement.”
The complexities of the paper chase involved with a present-day Eagle project are legend, as are the various interventions of the various adults involved. I have had the pleasure of talking to many Eagle Scout candidates in the last 30+ years. One question I ask them is what they truly enjoyed about the process, and what they would rather not repeat. It comes as no surprise that most, if not all, would rather not repeat the paper chase involved in the project.
I don’t think that this reflection is based solely on a dislike of paper work, but on the messages implied in the process. Before my critique goes any further, I should state very clearly, that I think the element of service in the requirements is a vital part of earning Eagle, and that Eagle projects are important.
As I noted above service involved in earning Eagle began as a very open-ended idea, with an open-ended standard of evaluation. Over time I have observed a growing trend to compartmentalize, and institutionalize the lively idea of service to others. This trend is not limited to Scouting, most high School students are also required to complete some sort of formal community service as a requirement for graduation.
I sometimes wonder if we are turning service projects into products, and if this transformation risks losing the understanding of service as an enduring aspect of character.
As the controls on and definitions of projects have ratcheted down over the past two or three decades what Scouters kvetch about has remained constant. Around thousands of campfires, or in yet another group of Scouters, in yet another parking lot, after yet another meeting; if the discussion turns to Eagle projects this is usually what’s discussed:
Concerns about the interference of parents and various other adults in the process.
Concerns over a lack of adult involvement and oversight.
Concerns about candidates doing the ‘bare minimum’.
Concerns about candidates taking on too much.
Concerns over Scouts who are too young and immature.
Concerns over Scouts who are too old and mature ( i.e. too close to their eighteenth birthday, and distracted with other oursuits).
Concerns that Scouts are earning Eagle just to put it on a college application.
Concerns that Scouts who are not earning Eagle don’t understand how important it is on a college application.
We seem to be in search of the non-existent “Goldilocks” Eagle, not to cold, not too hot, but just right.
Creating standards of measurement or procedure for anything inherently human is a two-edged sword. On the one hand standards lessen aberrations from the mean, and procedure organizes complexity. On the other hand an external standard imposed on a couple of million Scouts nation-wide is going to be either inadequate or over-reaching, and will require a book full of possible caveats in response to the variety of individuals involved. Procedures based on these standards are useful, but seldom universally adaptable.
Then there’s human nature. Presented with rules and regulations few of us (myself included) are going to decide that we will surpass them. In fact the contrary is more often the case, we will do as little as possible to meet them- that is the definition of a standard, isn’t it?
Given all the standards and procedures that have grown around the Eagle project the final evaluation at a board of review remains subjective rather than objective. Eagle Scouts are individuals in their developmental years, not a consistent product rolling off an assembly line.
If the outcome of an Eagle project is just hours to quantify we are doing a great job. If the point is developing the kind of character leading to a life of service to others, we are kind of hit or miss.
Yes, I am caught in a bit of a pickle here – the subjective nature of what I am asking makes an objective answer impossible.
What’s my solution? Would I throw out the whole process with its many rules, regulations and procedures? To tell you the truth I don’t know how I’d replace the current process, or if it needs replacing. What I can do is encourage us all to constantly remind ourselves that Scouting has a scale, and that scale is the individual. When we attempt to commodify or define an individual aim or think we can standardize it for millions we step away from that scale.
If, like me, you feel uncomfortable about the Eagle Scout project the likely reason is that it there’s basic incongruence in attempting to define, standardize, and measure objectively something that can only be measured individually. Benchmarks and measurements are very handy for evaluating uniform products on an assembly line, but they fall flat in measuring the character of an individual.
My concern is that our current approach to the Eagle project tends to obscure something simple, we are aimed at developing the character of individuals. We have to look beyond a sheaf of papers to find evidence we’ve achieved the aim of developing a sense of service to others. We’ll have to sit down and ask an individual Scout some questions, and listen carefully to how they respond, we’ll have to have a conversation. We’ll need to get them to tell us whether or not, when they look into their own heart and mind, we’ve achieved our aim.
That’s one thing that hasn’t changed, and never will.
Tags: Eagle Advancement
Scout Advancement and Character Building
Podcast 367- Developing Youth Leadership
Podcast 366 – Scout Advancement
First Class Rank Requirement 1a
Transitioning to the New Rank Requirements
Scout Requirements and “Double Dipping”
Filed Under: Advancement Tagged With: Eagle Advancement
A. Nonymous says
We just had an Eagle candidate in our area whose project was denied by the committee because it didn’t meet the (mythical) 120-hour limit for a blood drive for a local blood bank. The council rep then attempted to require him to get 60 first-time donors, twice as many as the blood bank requested (and a number that the blood bank told him had NEVER been achieved and was probably unattainable).
Why do people do this to our young men?
Walter Underwood says
The project process does seem bureaucratic, but it might not be as bad as we think.
After counseling one Scout on his project (I do that for the district), his mom thanked me for how helpful and prompt all the adults had been. His twin sister was working on her GSUSA Gold Award and that was a nightmare, with deadlines and adults getting required feedback after the girl’s deadline, people who were unavailable, and so on.
Jim Stevenson says
I have mixed feelings about the paper chase of the Service Project requirement for Eagle. I do believe it takes away from the actual ‘service’ element, but it is valuable for what I have come to think the Service Project is today: an exercise in Project Management. If you look at it that way it all makes sense as a tremendous part of the PM process is organization, documentation and metrics. If you look at it in that regard, it is a pretty good exercise in preparing a Scout for the professional world.
I agree, Jim, the whole paper chase is actually very informative, it’s a good process. I question, though, if it’s really focused on the core aims in Scouting (thus my ambivalence) – there are lots of great things we could do, but I am happier when we are more focused on the core.
James Chaplin says
Here is my first catch, does “Be active in your troop for at least six months as a Life Scout”, that a scout can no longer earn the rank of Eagle unless he is a registered member of a Boy Scout troop. So a youth registered only in a Venturing Crew cannot meet this requirement after Jan. 1st, am I reading that correctly?
This cannot be correct, in LDS units, this would have a major impact on youth advancement (if the “other” issue does not precede this) where youth move from Troop to Varsity Team at age 13, then Venturing Crew at age 15. I am sending an email to advancement.team@scouting.org… lol.
You’ve missed a big piece there, James. All of the applicable requirements mentioning types of units and unit leaders is modified by this note –
Chris York says
I sat with a scout last night and reviewed his proposed eagle project. It’s hard to review these because they all look the same. It’s a fill in the blank form and encourages minimum effort. The first box says “briefly describe your project” and leaves space for just a few sentences. A one sentence description is not uncommon, “Build three wardrobe boxes for the school choir.” I would like to see more, but the requirement is “a brief description”.
For example the safety section typically says, “Hold daily safety briefing, wear gloves, wear safety glasses, and adults use power tools.” That would check the box for almost any project, but there’s been no thought or learning about safety.
Logistics is another example, “Mr Smith will transport needed supplies to the work site in his truck.” This works for almost any project and there’s not thought required about logistics.
The issue is comparable to the problem you describe with merit badge worksheets and the way merit badge requirements are defined. It’s like school work, creativity is stifled, and the focus becomes filling in the blanks – check the box – earn the rank.
Eagle Scout Projects are fantastic and the actual execution of the project is generally good and a legitimate learning experience for the scouts, but the project planning and documentation does not seem to be accomplishing the goal as currently defined.
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Difference between revisions of "SDIY books"
m>Tim Stinchcombe
Typical Babani pocket-book. About half this book is about recording on tape, and splicing etc. to manipulate the sound, but there are also lots of very simple circuits of a VCO, VCA (MC3340), and other effects like fuzz etc. One of the more complicated circuits seems quite out of place, a diode ladder filter - this book is the source of the circuit found in several places on the net: [http://www.syntiac.com/ext/modulus5.pdf Modulus newsletter] and [http://www.freeinfosociety.com/electronics/schemview.php?id=329 The Free Information Society]
=== Electronic Music Circuit Guidebook, Brice Ward ===
TAB Books, 1975, ISBN 0830657436, 222 pages.
In the preface the author states he wrote the book because at the time he couldn't find other books with details of synth circuits in them. There are quite a lot of circuits in here, covering a variety of oscillators, filters, a 'function generator', VCAs, etc., and there are also circuits less often covered, like a spring reverb, ring modulator, envelope follower etc.
=== Electronic Music Circuits, Barry Klein ===
1.1 49 Easy Electronic Projects for Transconductance and Norton Op Amps, Delton T. Horn
1.2 Advanced Projects for the Electric Guitar, J. Chatwin
1.3 An Analog Synthesizer for the 21st Century, Thomas Henry
1.4 Build a Better Music Synthesizer, Thomas Henry
1.5 Electronic Drum Cookbook, Thomas Henry
1.6 Electronic Musical Instruments, Norman Crowhurst
1.7 Electronic Music and Creative Tape Recording, M.K. Berry
1.8 Electronic Music Circuit Guidebook, Brice Ward
1.9 Electronic Music Circuits, Barry Klein
1.10 Electronic Music Circuits: The Reprints Vol 1, Thomas Henry
1.11 Electronic Music IC Databook, Barry Klein
1.12 The Electronic Musical Instrument Manual, A. Douglas
1.13 Electronic Music Learning Projects, R. Bebbington
1.14 Electronic Music Projects, R.A. Penfold
1.15 Electronic Projects in Music, A.J. Flind
1.16 Electronic Synthesiser Construction, R.A. Penfold
1.17 Electronic Synthesiser Projects, M.K. Berry
1.18 Electronotes, ed. Bernie Hutchins
1.19 IC LM3900 Projects, H. Kybett
1.20 IC Op-Amp Cookbook, Walter G. Jung
1.21 Making Music with the 3080 OTA, Thomas Henry
1.22 Making Music with the 566, Thomas Henry
1.23 Making Music with the NE570 Compander, Thomas Henry
1.24 More Advanced Electronic Music Projects, R.A. Penfold
1.25 Musical Applications of Microprocessors, Hal Chamberlin
1.26 Noise Generator Cookbook, Thomas Henry
1.27 Practical Electronic Music Projects
1.28 Small Signal Audio Design, Douglas Self
1.29 Sound Synthesis: Analog and Digital Techniques, Terence Thomas
1.30 Troubleshooting and Repairing Electronic Music Synthesizers, Delton T. Horn
1.31 VCO Chip Cookbook
2 Magazines
49 Easy Electronic Projects for Transconductance and Norton Op Amps, Delton T. Horn
TAB, 1990, ISBN 0830674551, 216 pages
This book is spoilt by one thing - mistakes, and there are lots of them, some of which are glaringly obvious, others are likely to be less so. This is a shame, as decent quantities of material on transconductance and Norton amps is hard to come by. Slightly more than the first half of the book covers OTAs, with practical circuits couched around the CA3080 and the LM13600. There are many standard circuits of potential interest to the DIY synthesist: VCAs, sample-and-holds, ring mods, VCOs and VCFs. The latter part of the book covers Norton amps, and is based around the LM3900 - there are probably slightly fewer circuits of interest here though. Those less-well equipped to spot the errors (i.e. beginners) probably ought to steer clear of this one.
Advanced Projects for the Electric Guitar, J. Chatwin
Bernard Babani, 1996, ISBN 0859343804, 'BP380', 87 pages.
Typical Babani pocket-book. Whilst primarily aimed at the guitarist (wah wah, distortion, tremelo etc.), there are comprehensive treatments of two delay cicuits in here: an analogue BBD one (MN3102/MN3207); and a digital one (HT8955).
An Analog Synthesizer for the 21st Century, Thomas Henry
Magic Smoke Electronics, 2006, v+32 pages
Another small booklet by Thomas Henry. This is a collection of schematics to build a complete simple synthesizer, containing two VCOs, a VCF and VCA, LFO etc. Be warned however it is literally the schematics and parts lists - there are no descriptions of the circuits, nor how to set them up etc., and hence should be considered only suitable for the seasoned synth DIYer, and so is clearly NOT aimed at beginners!
Build a Better Music Synthesizer, Thomas Henry
Tab Books, 1987, ISBN 0830602550, vii+167 pages
A proper hardbound book by Thomas Henry. Perhaps understandably there is some commonality with the information in this book and many other of Thomas Henry's smaller booklets. The book explains how to put together a complete snythesizer, including things like the PSU and the case. It contains circuits for most usual synth components, VCO, VCA, VCF etc., but unfortunately is a little dated in that many of them are based around hard-to-get chips, like the CEM3330, CEM3340, SSM2056, SN76477 etc. There is also an introductory chapter on what a synthesizer is and what the major components of one are.
Electronic Drum Cookbook, Thomas Henry
Originally Midwest Analog Products, 2002, v+50 pages; now available from Magic Smoke Electronics
This booklet from Thomas Henry is about twice the size of the smaller ones. It contains a lot of basic information about how to synthesize drums, and as well as several filters/tone generation circuits, it also includes a simple VCA, PSU, white noise generator, percussive-type envelope generator, and even how to build a simple drum pad using conductive foam.
Electronic Musical Instruments, Norman Crowhurst
Foulsham-Tab, 1975, ISBN 0704201445, viii+188 pages.
This book explains in fairly general terms what electronic musical instruments are and do, but does cover some technical aspects of how traditional instruments make their sound, and how synthesizers replicate these. Most of the circuits given are more 'representative' rather than practical, and only a few have sufficient component values given so that they might actually work if constructed.
Electronic Music and Creative Tape Recording, M.K. Berry
Bernard Babani, 1978, ISBN 0900162724, 'BP51', 87 pages.
Typical Babani pocket-book. About half this book is about recording on tape, and splicing etc. to manipulate the sound, but there are also lots of very simple circuits of a VCO, VCA (MC3340), and other effects like fuzz etc. One of the more complicated circuits seems quite out of place, a diode ladder filter - this book is the source of the circuit found in several places on the net: Modulus newsletter and The Free Information Society
Electronic Music Circuit Guidebook, Brice Ward
Electronic Music Circuits, Barry Klein
Originally published by Howard Sams, 1982, 302 pages. Now available direct from the author, Electronic Music Circuits in a comb-bound form, updated in 1996.
This is probably one of the better books explaining synthesizer circuits in some detail, covering not only oscillators, filters, envelope generators, voltage-controlled amplifiers etc., but also things like the PSU and keyboard controllers. Though some of the circuits are based around now-obsolete CEM and SSM synthesizer chips, there is much to be learned from this book. It also contains quite a lot of circuits taken from Electronotes, q.v. (And if you intend to get serious about all this stuff and are contemplating buying a copy of this book, getting a copy of the Electronic Music IC Databook at the same time is thoroughly recommended!)
Electronic Music Circuits: The Reprints Vol 1, Thomas Henry
Midwest Analog Products, 2002, 162 pages.
This is a larger comb-bound book from Thomas Henry, and consists of reprints of 38 articles from old newsletters of the 70s and 80s, such as Electronotes, Polyphony and Electronic Musician. It has circuits of many components familiar in synths, e.g. VCOs, VCAs, VCFs, envelope generators, and also less usual ones like BBD delays, drum circuits etc. (It is not believed that a 'Volume 2' has ever been produced.)
Electronic Music IC Databook, Barry Klein
Published by the author, Barry Klein, along with Electronic Music Circuits (if you are serious about this stuff and are buying that book, buy this one too!).
This is a large (more than 300 pages) compendium of datasheets of old (generally) synthesizer-dedicated ICs. Some of the information is available online, most notably Synthesis Technology's CEM chip page, but for many of the chips, this is likely to be the only place you will find the data.
Chips covered are: CEM: 3310, 3312, 3320, 3328, 3330/3335, 3340/3345, 3350, 3360, 3371, 3372, 3374, 3378/3379, 3387, 3389, 3391, 3394, 3396, PA381/382 (CEM3381/2), PD508, SAM8905. SSM: 2000, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2030, 2033, 2038, 2040, 2044, 2045, 2047, 2050, 2055, 2056, 2100, 2110, 2120/22, 2125, 2134, 2200, 2210, 2220, 2300, 2402/12
The Electronic Musical Instrument Manual, A. Douglas
Tab Books, 1976, ISBN 0830658327, 205 pages
The preface warns that 'this is not a constructional book', and indeed it is not; it is also subtitled 'A comprehensive guidebook on the theory and design of electronic musical instruments, with special emphasis on the organ'. Thus it is not about synthesizers per se, but there are many circuits of oscillators, tone controls, noise generators and vibrato circuits etc., and seemingly a large number from actual commercial organs, and many of these employ all manner of electro-mechanical devices (motors driving toothed wheels), photo-electric devices (slotted discs etc.), and other such curiosities (with many older circuits using valves as well as more 'modern' ones using transistors!). Potentially useful if you are trying to find out how some old organ achieved some particular effect or other.
Electronic Music Learning Projects, R. Bebbington
Bernard Babani, 1993, ISBN 0859343294, 'BP329', 114 pages.
Typical Babani pocket-book. The circuits in here are at a very introductory (e.g. schoolboy) level. They include several oscillator circuits (including a very Stylophone-like one), and others like a metronome etc. It is clearly not intended as a book of serious synthesizer circuits, though doubtless one or two could be adapted for such.
Electronic Music Projects, R.A. Penfold
Bernard Babani, 1980, ISBN 0900162945, 'BP74', 106 pages
Typical Babani pocket-book. The circuits in this book are mostly fairly simple, and many are aimed at the guitarist: wah wah, fuzz, sustain etc.; there is actually a circuit for a spring reverb unit (though there doesn't appear to be anything like a specification for the spring tank itself); a Stylophone-like 'Stylus Organ'; the most synth-like circuit is a 555-based oscillator, but it isn't voltage-controlled.
Electronic Projects in Music, A.J. Flind
Newnes, 1979, ISBN 040800391X, 81 pages.
(Similar in size and type to the Babani books, but better print quality.) Contains details for building quite a few simple circuits, such as waa-waa, fuzz, a couple of pre-amps etc. Probably the most complex circuit is for a Stylophone-type mini-organ.
Electronic Synthesiser Construction, R.A. Penfold
Typical Babani pocket-book (note the non-conventional spelling in the title). It contains details for making a basic synthesizer with the usual VCO-VCA-VCF voice, including an ADSR envelope generator, and several simple sequencer circuits. There is also a pseudo-stereo circuit using a simple phase-shift circuit.
Electronic Synthesiser Projects, M.K. Berry
Typical Babani pocket-book (note the non-conventional spelling in the title). It contains details for a basic synth, but again uses some now hard-to-get chips, namely the SN76477 'single chip synth' and a TDA1022 BBD delay. Other circuits include a 4017-based sequencer, 8038 and 555 VCOs, and a logic-based ADSR.
Electronotes, ed. Bernie Hutchins
Electronotes is a newsletter-like publication produced by Bernie Hutchins, covering technical details of music synthesis and sound processing: back-issues up to the very first issue in 1972 are available, and the complete set is a rich repository of circuits, techniques and ideas. The 'everything' package is a huge amount of information - it comb-binds into about 30 useful-sized volumes, and occupies over 18 inches of shelf space! For those not wanting to go to the expense of getting everything, the Musical Engineer's Handbook and the Builder's Guide and Preferred Circuits Collection is a good compromise. There is a fairly simple index of Electronotes here, which may give an indication of the totality of subjects covered. (The index covers up to August 2003.)
IC LM3900 Projects, H. Kybett
Bernard Babani, 1978, ISBN 0900162732, 'BP50', 119 pages.
Typical Babani pocket-book. Many older synthesizer circuits made use of the LM3900 chip, which is slightly harder to figure than an op amp. Finding books that even mention this chip is hard, never mind one dedicated to it. This is a nice, tractable introduction to the chip, what it is and what it does, and contains dozens of simple utilitarian circuits.
IC Op-Amp Cookbook, Walter G. Jung
3rd edn: Prentice Hall, 1997, ISBN 0138896011, xviii+581 pages.
1st edn: Sams, 1977, ISBN 0672209691, 591 pages.
This book is frequently recommended as a good reference for op amps. Part 1 starts with the basic principles of ideal op amps, and then goes on to catalogue many of the non-idealities of real op amps, how they affect a circuit's operation, and how to deal with them. Part 2 is a large selection of application circuits, covering many of the standard op amp circuits seen in practice, both linear and non-linear. (Notably there is nothing about active filters in the book though.)
The first edition of the book is also worth checking out, as there is some material which is not present in later editions which may be of interest for synth DIY readers: chapter 6 (approx. 90 pages) covers op amp use in audio circuits (mainly amplifiers and pre-amplifiers etc., but also a small section on active filters); chapter 8 (approx. 100 pages) covers progammable op amps, including operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs) such as the CA3080, and also current differencing amplifiers, such as the LM3900, both of which find wide application within synthesizer circuits.
(The Prentice Hall third edition appears to be little more than a photocopy of the Sams book, and some readers have noted that the print quality is not so good in some places in the book.)
Making Music with the 3080 OTA, Thomas Henry
Originally Midwest Analog Products, 2003, vi+26 pages; now available from Magic Smoke Electronics
Another small booklet by Thomas Henry. This one contains an easily-digestable introduction to the CA3080 Operational Transconductance Amplifier, including circuits for a simple VCA, VCO and a ring modulator.
Making Music with the 566, Thomas Henry
Another small booklet by Thomas Henry. This one has lots of circuits and detail around the 566, a 'function generator'-type chip (which unfortunately was made obsolete ages ago I suspect). The booklet shows how to hook one up as a VCO which gives all the major waveforms, sine, tri, ramp, square etc., and also others like a noise circuit.
Making Music with the NE570 Compander, Thomas Henry
Originally Midwest Analog Products, 1998, viii+19 pages; now available from Magic Smoke Electronics
Another small booklet by Thomas Henry. This one shows how to use the NE570 chip not only as a compressor/expander, but includes other circuits such as an envelope follower and a VCA.
More Advanced Electronic Music Projects, R.A. Penfold
Typical Babani pocket-book. This contains slightly more advanced/complex circuits than its predecessor, Electronic Music Projects, BP74 (q.v). Amongst the circuits here: a simple phase shifter; BBD-based flanger/chorus/vibrato unit; a ring modulator; and the latter part of the book details a 'percussion synthesizer', though this doesn't appear to use the more traditional method of 'pinging' a resonant filter, so heaven knows what it would actually sound like... Many of the circuits make use of the now obsolete LM13600 OTA, and so presumably would need some small adjustments to use the LM13700 instead.
Musical Applications of Microprocessors, Hal Chamberlin
Hayden, 1985 ISBN 0810457687, 802 pages (2nd edn)
Although primarily concerned with microprocessors and their use within sound and music synthesis, early chapters have introductory material on synthesis in general, including methods using tape, voltage control etc. There is also a nice chapter giving typical examples of basic analogue circuits such as VCOs, VCFs, VCAs etc., with good explanations of how they work.
Noise Generator Cookbook, Thomas Henry
Original probably Midwest Analog Products, 2003; now available from Magic Smoke Electronics, 2009, vi+27 pages
Another small booklet by Thomas Henry. This one contains circuits for most of the basic ways to generate and filter noise, including : reverse-biased p-n junction; pseudo-random shift register sequence; multi-oscillator bank, pink noise filter, etc.
Practical Electronic Music Projects
Bernard Babani, 1994, ISBN 0859343634, 'BP363', 122 pages
Typical Babani pocket-book. There are many circuits to interest the guitarist: distortion units; a guitar tuner; pseudo echo etc. More general circuits include: a metronome; a pseudo stereo unit; mixers etc. There are also some interesting MIDI circuits, including: a MIDI comparator, which looks for a specific bit pattern; a simple MIDI tester; a MIDI controller pedal; a MIDI lead tester etc.
Small Signal Audio Design, Douglas Self
Sound Synthesis: Analog and Digital Techniques, Terence Thomas
TAB Books, ISBN 083063276X, x+166 pages.
Contains circuits and details for building a complete synthesizer, from the PSU, through VCO, VCA, VCF etc., and including a simple sequencer, though some of the circuits are perhaps a little unorthodox. There's also a strange circuit that produces trigger pulses from MIDI data, with scant regard for what the data actually is.
Troubleshooting and Repairing Electronic Music Synthesizers, Delton T. Horn
TAB, 1992, ISBN 0830639217, x+206 pages.
This is a very odd kind of book, which probably has a very narrow readership. There are very few schematics in here, yet it is trying to help people to troubleshoot synthesizer-based circuits. After a basic introductory chapter on what a synthesizer is, there is a chapter of general troubleshooting techniques, which mostly looks like good, sound advice. Then there are five chapters entitled 'Problems with XXX', where 'XXX' = VCOs, VCAs, VCFs, etc. There are also chapters on digital synths, software and hardware problems, and MIDI. At the back are three schematics: an SCR-based VCO; a FET-controlled multi-feedback single op amp VCF; and a VCA circuit using three transistors and an op amp, and running off 9V and 18V supplies (which looks like it might owe something to a Korg circuit) - none of these look anything like 'standard' synth circuits!
VCO Chip Cookbook
SMS Electronics, 2007, vi+118 pages. According to this electro-music.com thread (pay attention to the dates!), it looks as though Magic Smoke/Lulu will make this book available again at sometime in the future.
A larger-than-usual offering from Thomas Henry. It includes detail on how to use three VCO chips: the 566, 8038 and XR-2206. Some of the information is taken from Making Music with the 566 (q.v.), but there is much more here besides, including exponential conversion, triangle-to-sine waveshaping etc.
Synapse Articles
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Growing tomatillos
You say tomato, I say tomatillo
If there’s one vegetable that defines Mexican cooking, it has to be the tomatillo. Sometimes called ‘Mexican green tomatoes’, this warm season vegetable produces crisp, tart fruit that are surrounded by a distinctive papery husk similar to that of its close relative, the ornamental Chinese lantern. The fruit are deliciously versatile and can be chopped and used raw in salsas or cooked into a sauce for chicken or beef. Despite its exotic origins, tomatillos are an easy-to-grow crop that can yield abundant harvests even in the challenging British climate.
Tomatillos are handled in much the same way as tomatoes. Start them off as transplants by sowing seeds with artificial heat early in the year (see below). When the young plants are ready, transplant them into their permanent place where they will be cultivated and cropped. This could be inside an unheated greenhouse or tunnel, or in the warmer parts of the country, outdoors in a sheltered spot.
The plants grow perfectly well either in the ground, growbags, or large pots at least 7.5 liters in volume. If grown in the ground, pelleted chicken manure can be worked into the soil to provide enough nutrients for the entire season. For plants grown in growbags or containers, give a liquid feed once or twice a week to keep them going.
As they grow and develop, treat tomatillos like determinate bush tomatoes and do not remove the side shoots. Because they are large and sprawling, space the plants at least 60 to 90cm apart. The delicate branches are easily broken, and outside plants must be protected from strong winds. So far, tomatillos seem to be free from pests and diseases, making them an ideal vegetable for gardeners who want to avoid using sprays.
Tomatillos growing outdoors; tomatillo plants are large and sprawling
Tomatillos are afflicted by a condition called self-incompatibility, which means that a single plant cannot pollinate itself and produce fruit. To get around the problem, you need to grow at least two plants close together so that insects can move pollen from one plant to another and kick start fruit set.
Though tomatillos can be eaten when they are ripe, take a lesson from the Mexicans and use them when they are still green. The best time to harvest is when the fruit are plump and the husks have begun to split.
Tomatillos are harvested green when they have filled their outer husk
Using and Storing
To store tomatillos, refrigerate the fruit in a covered container, leaving the husks still attached – they should keep in good condition for about two or three weeks. Just before using, remove the husks and give the fruit a good wash – the outside is sticky, and dirt tends to collect there. The fruit can also be blanched and frozen in either plastic bags or boxes for off-season cooking.
Dehusked tomatillos ready for cooking.
Starting tomatillo transplants from seed
• Dates:
– Undercover crops: sow from the end of February to the middle of March.
– Outdoor crops: sow at the beginning of April.
• Method:
Scatter seed into trays filled with a fine-textured compost and cover to a depth of 6mm. Maintain the compost at a temperature between 22 and 27ºC.
• When seedlings have three or four leaves, prick out into pots 8 to 9cm in diameter. Maintain an air temperature of 20 to 21ºC during the day, dropping it to 15 to 16ºC at night and during overcast days. After about a month, give the pots a feed of liquid fertiliser.
• Transplant the young plants when their roots fill the pots – this takes about 6 to 7 weeks after sowing:
– Undercover crops: transplant from the middle of April to the beginning of May.
– Outdoor crops: transplanted from end of May to the beginning of June.
The skeleton husk of a tomatillo
© Michael Michaud
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Home / Products tagged “Ebook available”
The Traumatised Society
How to Outlaw Cheating and Save our Civilisation
Fred Harrison
Finalist in 2012-13 PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE for Non-Fiction
ISBN: 9780856832871 - Paperback
"[This] is a staggering work that presents nothing less than a new paradigm – yet it is based in an historical narrative and overview of political, economic and cultural history that is ancient. Simply stated the premise is this: the theft of the nation’s economic surplus is the root cause of all the world’s major problems." Wayne Sturgeon, Fourth World Review
Eradicating Ecocide – 2nd Edition
Laws and Governance to Stop the Destruction of the Planet
Polly Higgins
Winner of THE PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE for Non-Fiction, 2010-11
This is the updated version of Polly Higgins' Prize-winning book which explains the crime of Ecocide, how it will apply and who can stop the ecocide, for present and for future generations.
"… lays the framework for us to lobby our leaders for real environmental laws and contains tips on taking action [and] outlines the steps you can take towards becoming an Erin Brockovich in your own right."
Observer Magazine
No Debt, High Growth, Low Tax
Hong Kong’s Economic Miracle Explained
Andrew Purves
"This is an excellent book. It brings a highly informed, exterior perspective to the debate on the particulars of the remarkable Hong Kong Revenue Regime." Richard Cullen, University of Hong Kong
Saviour of the Nation
An epic poem of Winston Churchill’s finest hour
Brian Hodgkinson
Chosen for Summer 2015-16 PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE COLLECTION
Winston Churchill led the British people from the brink of utter disaster to the expectation of victory in the Second World War. This engaging poem depicts him as a hero, in traditional epic poetry style, echoing the works of Homer and Virgil.
From Here to Prosperity
An Agenda for Progressive Prosperity based on an inequality–busting strategy of income for me, wealth for we
Thomas J. Burgess
The author proposes creating a society where the wealth produced goes to the wealth producers so that the vast inequalities and the high level of poverty can be reduced significantly within a generation.
The Devil’s Dance
John Symons
“John Symons has done it again. This is a complex and deeply rewarding work. But don’t let that put you off! I loved the menace of the book and its tranquil resolution. I think it is a really great book. Like A Tear in the Curtain, it is about children, could be enjoyed by older children and is an absorbing read for adults. It also raises several important issues.”
William Wood, www.williamwoodswords.co.uk
John Adago
Chosen for Spring 2014 PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE COLLECTION for Non-Fiction
"In East Meets West John Adago engagingly describes some of the most significant figures in this subtle and profound history. It is a welcome addition to the global conversation." Philip Goldberg, author of American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation, How Indian Spirituality Changed the West
The Science of Economics
The Economic Teaching of Leon MacLaren
Raymond Makewell (ed.)
This book is based on a three-year course prepared by Leon MacLaren for the School of Economic Science in London in the late 1960s. The editor, Raymond Makewell, presents the original subject matter revised with more recent examples and statistics from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK and USA.
On the Nature of Poetry
Kenneth Verity
Chosen for June 2009 PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE COLLECTION for Non-Fiction
Almost a library in one volume, this unusual book, written by an accomplished poet, examines the 4000 years old phenomenon of poetry. It explains the underlying power of this art form and how its effect is exerted over human hearts and understanding.
Sketches Sartorial, Tonsorial and the Like
A Collection of Light Humorous Verse
St Claire Bullock - Pen and Ink Drawings by Barrington Barber
In rhyming couplets these wry and witty poems ponder the foibles and vanities of mortals.
Shakespeare and Platonic Beauty
John Vyvyan
'Original and stimulating ... Mr Vyvyan's thesis is important and serious: serious in the sense that his reading of the plays and his supporting reading into Shakespeare's climate of ideas is deep, connected and wide.' Times Literary Supplement
The Dialogues
Alan Stedall
Chosen for August 2009 PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE COLLECTION for Non-Fiction
The Dialogues afford Marcus and his guests the opportunity to express their views on such topics as the brevity of life and the need to seek meaning; the pursuit of purpose; the supreme good and the pursuit of a virtuous life.
Wonders of Spiritual Unfoldment
Wonders of Spiritual Unfoldment is based on notes of the author's unfolding spiritual experience, which taught him that the wholeness he sought is actually the Spirit.
The Diamond and the Star
An Exploration of their Symbolic Meaning in an Insecure Age
John Warden
With the world and the human race facing serious problems ranging from global warming, environmental despoliation, terrorism, war and a major economic downturn, many writers are trying to goad mankind into action. The author's aim is to "open some eyes" so that responsible action may follow.
When Philosophers Rule
Ficino on Plato's Republic, Laws and Epinomis (3rd volume in the Commentaries by Ficino on Plato's Writings series)
"This is a good, readable translation of Ficino's Latin commentary." Faith and Freedom
Gardens of Philosophy
Gardens of Philosophy provides the first English translation of the 25 short commentaries by Ficino on the dialogues and the 12 letters traditionally ascribed to Plato.
Evermore Shall Be So
Ficino on Plato's Parmenides
Ficino's crucial influence upon the unfolding of the Renaissance and his presentation of Plato's understanding of the One and the so-called Platonic Ideas or Forms make Evermore Shall Be So an important work in the history of thought.
Advaita Agricultural economics Art Britain and Soviet Union Chinese Business Christianity Churchill Conspiracy theories Ebook available Economic Theory Environmental Law Fair society Ficino Letters Fiction Global Economy Henry George Humour Huntington's Disease Land enclosure Land value taxation Land value taxation Law Literary Criticism Marsilio Ficino Meditation Monarchy Music Philosophy Plato Politics Real Estate Renaissance Royalty Russia Scotland Tax Reform Verse Who's Who in British History Women
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Dancing To Death with Talking Heads: An Interview with Sokio
By Russ Slater | 18 November, 2014
@whatslater
We are extremely happy here at Sounds and Colours this week to be previewing Sin Mucho Sentido, the new Latin takeover of Talking Heads’ landmark live album Stop Making Sense. The album was put together by Ponk Records, a Brooklyn-based record label interested in promoting Latin American artists to the wider world, and will be officially released on Friday 21st November. Here, we chat to Ponk Records’ main-man Sokio (who’s also one of the artists on the compilation) about the record and why he thinks that Latin artists have such love for Talking Heads.
Click here to listen to our exclusive stream of Sin Mucho Sentido
Why did you decide to put this album together?
As a label we identified language as a barrier for Latin indie artists to reach an international audience, and we realized we needed to offer a compilation in English to promote our artists and the others that we like. With Amanda, Francisca and Catalina, the core of Ponk Records, we started thinking last October about ways to break through this barrier and we came up with the idea of making a tribute to an iconic band that sings in English. We cast around for an album and stumbled upon Stop Making Sense, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. It was such a clear and obvious choice! One of the most important bands from the 80s from NYC, who brought so much soul to the US scene, embracing styles and rhythms from all over the world, not to mention that every song’s a hit… it was simply the perfect match for connecting the artists with a potential larger audience.
What’s your own personal take on this album? When did you first hear or see Stop Making Sense? What impact did it have on you?
I was attracted to the Talking Heads from the very first time I heard them. It was an uncle who introduced me to their music, specifically the Stop Making Sense album, and I was very, very excited. The whole idea of the first song and that boom box was transformative. What is the true essence of a song? What tools does one need to express one’s deepest fears? Then during my teenage years, we used to put that record on at every party, and dance to death, probably imagining we were part of the crowd during those recordings. The big suit also made a big impression, and I ended up buying huge ones in different colours trying to imitate the style.
Some of the tracks have taken quite a different approach to the original music, offering an introspective electronica or dream pop interpretation. Were you surprised by how different everyone’s approach has been to the originals?
Absolutely. What is most interesting is the general feeling around this tribute. I think most Anglo listeners will be surprised with the lack of salsa, sabor caliente and happiness which Latin American music is often associated. This is a record with a contemporary sense of melancholy, but we never asked the artists to take that approach, it simply happened. Torreblanca’s “Psycho Killer” and Miss Garrison’s “Girlfriend is Better” are really impressive. They took the originals, then they forgot about them, and started all over. They are the same songs, but not really. The introspective aspect you ask about is something I’ve given a lot of thought. It’s pretty clear to me that every artist involved in the project went down a rabbit hole to find themselves within the songs they cover, which is what makes the whole album feel organic and sometimes a little bit dense.
Was it easy to assign tracks to artists or did everyone want to do “Psycho Killer” or “Once In A Lifetime”? Did any fights break out in the selection process?
Yes and no. From the beginning we decided which songs to assign each artist based on our knowledge of them. We had these “audible visions” where we imagined how each of them would transform the song into their own language. Some of them were reluctant, saying “I really don’t like this song” or “I prefer ‘Psycho Killer’, can I do it”? But in the end, once everybody worked with their songs, their opinions changed, and they ended up really loving the result. One thing was absolutely clear for us from the beginning: Sonido San Francisco needed to cover “Burning Down The House” but we chewed on the other pairings quite a bit. The songs you mentioned are so ubiquitous that it was difficult for the artists to think of a different choice, but that was part of our job as a curators.
You decided to cover “This Must Be The Place” for this album (although it wasn’t actually part of the original 1984 release!). Why did you choose this song?
After inviting all of these artists to collaborate, I realize there wasn’t a song left for me! It was a tricky decision to add that song in there, but let’s consider it “a bonus track”, and I gave myself a special curatorial license. It is one of my favourite songs (and probably for a lot of other people too) and I wanted to tweak it, and take it to “another place”. Most of my own songs, especially after “Atlántico” carry some disenchantment and a dreamy sound. This is how the 80s sounds to me, even the most danceable songs. I think my soul can’t think in different terms today.
Do you think that Talking Heads have had a big influence on modern Latin music? If so, why do you think this is?
Oh yes they absolutely do! Most of the artists involved in Sin Mucho Sentido were so grateful to be called because of their connection to that record specifically. I’m sure most Latin American artists knew about Talking Heads thanks to the huge promotion of that album at the time. In my particular case, I remember my dad buying me Stop Making Sense on cassette. He was in the US for a job, and he brought me that album on the week of the release. I was super impressed with its cross-cultural nature, the sophistication of the and arrangements. It sounded to me like they worked intensely mixing in these African and Latin influences, so much rhythm and soul combined with a dark vision of the world.
Do you have any plans to perform this album in a live environment wearing a large suit and running round the stage for the whole performance?
There was an idea of having the artists perform in their own countries, but I don’t know if that will happen any time soon. It’s a lovely idea, but to put all schedules together is a little bit complicated, and probably beyond our abilities at the moment. Maybe in Chile we will be able to do something in January. Some of the artists are making videos, and they will release them soon. I would love if one of them uses as a reference any aspect of the mise en scène from the movie. And of course, I would love to use a large suit in my video!
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Brazil / REVIEW Marcos Valle – Braziliance!
Chile / Four Artists Lead Charged Urban Fest in the Chilean Capital
Brazil / The Various Paths of Itamar Assumpção – A Review of PRETOPERITAMAR
Colombia / PREMIÈRE: The Whole Body Moves on ‘Manos’, Latest Video from Colombia’s Mente Orgánica
Brazil / Alta Fidelidade: Chance Encounters of the Random Kind
Venezuela / Up-Close Encounter with Angel Rada
Caribbean / REVIEW Various Artists – Cadence Revolution: Disques Debs International Vol. 2
Colombia / Vinyl Lovers: Henry Manyoma Gil – Radio Host, Cultural Investigator, Collector
Prezident Markon’s New Year’s Honours List
Categories: Chile, Music
Tags: Miss Garrison, Ponk Records, Sin Mucho Sentido, Sokio, Sonido San Francisco, Stop Making Sense, Talking Heads, Torreblanca
Sounds and Colours is a website and print publication focused on South American music and culture
About Sounds and Colours
Sounds and Colours began its life in 2010. Back then it was a simple blog looking at underground culture in South America. Since then it has become one of the world's #1 sources for information on the topic, printing specialist books as well as maintaining this website, with collaborators based around the world. Find out more about Sounds and Colours here.
Book 4: Argentina
Book and CD offering an alternative guide to Argentine culture, focusing on marginalised movements and underground scenes.
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Southington LibraryTeen Space
CHECK THE LIBRARY'S CATALOG FOR AVAILABILITY OF THESE TITLES.
Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book
by Jennifer Donnelly
An original addition to the beloved Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, Lost in a Book follows the lonely, bookish Belle as she finds an enchanted book in the Beast's library called Nevermore that carries her into a glittering new world. There, Belle is befriended by a mysterious countess who offers her the life she's always dreamed of.
But Nevermore is not what it seems, and the more time Belle spends there, the harder it is to leave. Good stories take hold of us and never let us go, and once Belle becomes lost in this book, she may never find her way out again.
Caraval
Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.
But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.
Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.
City of Saints and Thieves
by Natalie C. Anderson
In the shadows of Sangui City, there lives a girl who doesn't exist. After fleeing the Congo as refugees, Tina and her mother arrived in Kenya looking for the chance to build a new life and home. Her mother quickly found work as a maid for a prominent family, headed by Roland Greyhill, one of the city’s most respected business leaders. But Tina soon learns that the Greyhill fortune was made from a life of corruption and crime. So when her mother is found shot to death in Mr. Greyhill's personal study, she knows exactly who’s behind it.
With revenge always on her mind, Tina spends the next four years surviving on the streets alone, working as a master thief for the Goondas, Sangui City’s local gang. It’s a job for the Goondas that finally brings Tina back to the Greyhill estate, giving her the chance for vengeance she’s been waiting for. But as soon as she steps inside the lavish home, she’s overtaken by the pain of old wounds and the pull of past friendships, setting into motion a dangerous cascade of events that could, at any moment, cost Tina her life. But finally uncovering the incredible truth about who killed her mother—and why—keeps her holding on in this fast-paced nail-biting thriller.
Frostblood
by Elly Blake
Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a Fireblood who has concealed her powers of heat and flame from the cruel Frostblood ruling class her entire life. But when her mother is killed trying to protect her, and rebel Frostbloods demand her help to overthrow their bloodthirsty king, she agrees to come out of hiding, desperate to have her revenge.
Despite her unpredictable abilities, Ruby trains with the rebels and the infuriating--yet irresistible--Arcus, who seems to think of her as nothing more than a weapon. But before they can take action, Ruby is captured and forced to compete in the king's tournaments that pit Fireblood prisoners against Frostblood champions. Now she has only one chance to destroy the maniacal ruler who has taken everything from her--and from the icy young man she has come to love.
Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World
by Kelly Jensen
Forty-four writers, dancers, actors, and artists contribute essays, lists, poems, comics, and illustrations about everything from body positivity to romance to gender identity to intersectionality to the greatest girl friendships in fiction. Together, they share diverse perspectives on and insights into what feminism means and what it looks like. Come on in, turn the pages, and be inspired to find your own path to feminism by the awesome individuals in Here We Are.
When Griffin’s first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he’s been imagining for himself has gone far off course.
To make things worse, the only person who truly understands his heartache is Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin’s downward spiral continues. He’s losing himself in his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices, and the secrets he’s been keeping are tearing him apart.
If Griffin is ever to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, every last heartbreaking piece in the puzzle of his life.
King's Cage (book three in the Red Queen trilogy)
by Victoria Aveyard
Mare Barrow is a prisoner, powerless without her lightning, tormented by her lethal mistakes. She lives at the mercy of a boy she once loved, a boy made of lies and betrayal. Now a king, Maven Calore continues weaving his dead mother's web in an attempt to maintain control over his country—and his prisoner.
As Mare bears the weight of Silent Stone in the palace, her once-ragtag band of newbloods and Reds continue organizing, training, and expanding. They prepare for war, no longer able to linger in the shadows. And Cal, the exiled prince with his own claim on Mare's heart, will stop at nothing to bring her back.
When blood turns on blood, and ability on ability, there may be no one left to put out the fire—leaving Norta as Mare knows it to burn all the way down.
The Last Harvest
by Kim Liggett
"I plead the blood."
Those were the last words seventeen-year-old golden boy quarterback Clay Tate heard rattling from his dad's throat when he discovered him dying on the barn floor of the Neely cattle ranch, clutching a crucifix to his chest.
Now, on the first anniversary of the Midland, Oklahoma, slaughter, the whole town's looking at Clay like he might be next to go over the edge. Clay wants to forget the past, but the sons and daughters of the Preservation Society―a group of prominent farmers his dad accused of devil worship―won't leave him alone. Including Ali, his longtime crush, who suddenly wants to reignite their romance after a year of silence, and hated rival Tyler Neely, who's behaving like they're old friends.
Even as Clay tries to reassure himself, creepy glances turn to sinister stares and strange coincidences build to gruesome rituals―but when he can never prove that any of it happened, Clay worries he might be following his dad down the path to insanity...or that something far more terrifying lies in wait around the corner.
by Maria Turtschaninoff
Only women and girls are allowed in the Red Abbey, a haven from abuse and oppression. Maresi, a thirteen-year-old novice there, arrived in the hunger winter and now lives a happy life in the Abbey, protected by the Mother and reveling in the vast library in the House of Knowledge, her favorite place. Into this idyllic existence comes Jai, a girl with a dark past. She has escaped her home after witnessing the killing of her beloved sister. Soon the dangers of the outside world follow Jai into the sacred space of the Abbey, and Maresi can no longer hide in books and words but must become one who acts.
The Midnight Star (A Young Elites Novel)
by Marie Lu
Adelina Amouteru is done suffering. She’s turned her back on those who have betrayed her and achieved the ultimate revenge: victory. Her reign as the White Wolf has been a triumphant one, but with each conquest her cruelty only grows. The darkness within her has begun to spiral out of control, threatening to destroy all she's gained.
When a new danger appears, Adelina’s forced to revisit old wounds, putting not only herself at risk, but every Elite. In order to preserve her empire, Adelina and her Roses must join the Daggers on a perilous quest—though this uneasy alliance may prove to be the real danger.
Ninja Plants
by Wiley Blevins
What can communicate but has no mouth, and can attack but has no hands? A plant! You might love the beauty and fragrance of flowers, but plants are far more complex than meets the eye. Some plants have ways of luring insects for pollination. Others mimic the look of the female insects whose male counterparts they want to attract. The Venus flytrap eats insects and other small animals for extra nourishment. You might see some of these ninja plants with their sneaky and deceitful ways in your own backyard. These plants might even be sitting on a windowsill in your home. This fascinating world of ninja plants is waiting to be discovered.
Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy
Simon Lewis has been a human and a vampire, and now he is becoming a Shadowhunter. The events of City of Heavenly Fire left him stripped of his memories, and Simon isn’t sure who he is anymore. So when the Shadowhunter Academy reopens, Simon throws himself into this new world of demon-hunting, determined to find himself again. Whomever this new Simon might be.
But the Academy is a Shadowhunter institution, which means it has some problems. Like the fact that non-Shadowhunter students have to live in the basement. At least Simon’s trained in weaponry—even if it’s only from hours of playing D&D.
Join Simon on his journey to become a Shadowhunter, and learn about the Academy’s illustrious history along the way, through guest lecturers such as Jace Herondale, Tessa Gray, and Magnus Bane.
Wealthy cannibals who dine on the discarded limbs of peculiars. A fork-tongued princess. These are but a few of the truly brilliant stories in Tales of the Peculiar—the collection of fairy tales known to hide information about the peculiar world, including clues to the locations of time loops—first introduced by Ransom Riggs in his #1 bestselling Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series.
by Jonathan Friesen
Jonah wishes he could get the girl, but he’s an outcast and she’s the most perfect girl he knows.
And their futures seemed destined to fork apart: Jonah’s physical condition is debilitating, and epileptic seizures fill his life with frustration. Whereas Stormi is seemingly carefree, and navigates life by sensing things before they happen. And her most recent premonition is urging her to leave town.
When Stormi begs Jonah for help, he finds himself swept into a dark mystery his small town has been keeping for years. And the answers Stormi needs about her own past could possibly destroy everything Jonah has ever known—including his growing relationship with Stormi herself.
Wires and Nerve
by Marissa Meyer
In her first graphic novel, bestselling author Marissa Meyer extends the world of the Lunar Chronicles with a brand-new,action-packed story about Iko, the android with a heart of (mechanized) gold.When rogue packs of wolf-hybrid soldiers threaten the tenuous peace alliance between Earth and Luna, Iko takes it upon herself to hunt down the soldiers' leader. She is soon working with a handsome royal guard who forces her to question everything she knows about love, loyalty, and her own humanity. With appearances by Cinder, Cress, Scarlet, Winter, and the rest of the Rampion crew, this is a must-have for fans of the bestselling series.
You Don't Know My Name
by Kristen Orlando
Seventeen-year-old Reagan Elizabeth Hillis is used to changing identities overnight, lying to every friend she’s ever had, and pushing away anyone who gets too close. Trained in mortal combat and weaponry her entire life, Reagan is expected to follow in her parents’ footsteps and join the ranks of the most powerful top-secret agency in the world, the Black Angels. Falling in love with the boy next door was never part of the plan.
Now Reagan must decide: Will she use her incredible talents and lead the dangerous life she was born into, or throw it all away to follow her heart and embrace the normal life she's always wanted? And does she even have a choice?
The You I've Never Known
by Ellen Hopkins
For as long as she can remember, it’s been just Ariel and Dad. Ariel’s mom disappeared when she was a baby. Dad says home is wherever the two of them are, but Ariel is now seventeen and after years of new apartments, new schools, and new faces, all she wants is to put down some roots. Complicating things are Monica and Gabe, both of whom have stirred a different kind of desire.
Maya’s a teenager who’s run from an abusive mother right into the arms of an older man she thinks she can trust. But now she’s isolated with a baby on the way, and life’s getting more complicated than Maya ever could have imagined.
Ariel and Maya’s lives collide unexpectedly when Ariel’s mother shows up out of the blue with wild accusations: Ariel wasn’t abandoned. Her father kidnapped her fourteen years ago.
What is Ariel supposed to believe? Is it possible Dad’s woven her entire history into a tapestry of lies? How can she choose between the mother she’s been taught to mistrust and the father who has taken care of her all these years?
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Trending: Small Business Travel Dreamforce Email Marketing Salesforce
Constellation Energy’s “Dimes to Dollars” Webinar Provides Energy Conservation Tips for SMB’s
Published: Sep 20, 2017 Last Updated: Dec 24, 2018 by Shawn Hessinger In Announcements 0
From changing the light bulbs you use to choosing tools to help you win the thermostat wars in the office and more, there’s a wide range of options when trying to keep energy costs low for your business.
That’s why Constellation Energy and Small Business Trends have teamed up to bring you this webinar, “Dimes to Dollars: Use Apps, Conserve Energy and Recycle to Control Your Budget.”
The webinar, scheduled for Thursday, October 5, at 2 p.m. ET, is hosted by Small Business Trends CEO Anita Campbell, with panelists Michael Cammon, Director of Digital Marketing and Development at Constellation Energy, and Ivana Taylor, founder of DIY Marketers.
If you’re looking for ways to improve your small business’s bottom line beyond the obvious boosting of revenue, don’t miss this webinar!
Did you know businesses in the U.S. spend a combined $60 billion on energy a year? Imagine if you could break off even a fraction of this in energy savings for your business in the coming year.
The webinar will cover plenty of ground. Besides replacing your existing incandescent bulbs and getting control of the thermostat in your office, how about:
Performing an energy audit,
Installing landscaping outside your business to make cooling cheaper in the summer months and heating cheaper in the winter,
Learning to better manage energy usage and costs,
Taking advantage of tax incentives for conserving energy,
And, yes, looking at the possibility of switching your energy provider!
In this webinar, you’ll also learn some incredible stats — like the percentage of your energy budget that actually goes to lighting. (It’s lower than you think!)
How much money could you save simply by turning off your computer when it’s not in use? Find out by listening in.
And that’s not all!
Small businesses can also cut costs and build employee morale by through recycling. This includes things like recycling ink and toner cartridges and going paperless in your office — or as near to paperless as possible. Using apps and other software for note taking and other written communication is an excellent start.
Webinar Details
What: Webinar: “Dimes to Dollars: Use Apps, Conserve Energy and Recycle to Control Your Budget”
Sponsor: Constellation Energy
Small Business Trends CEO, Anita Campbell
Director of Digital Marketing and Development at Constellation Energy, Michael Cammon
Ivana Taylor, Founder of DIY Marketers
When: Thursday, October 5, at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT)
Light Bulbs Photo via Shutterstock
More in: Sponsored Comment ▼
The Really Big List of National Small Business Week 2018 Events, Promotions and Deals
Small Business Trends Celebrates Sweet 16 - See How We Looked in the Past
Small Business Trends Enters Second Year as a Certified Woman Owned Business
Shawn Hessinger
Shawn Hessinger is the Executive Editor for Small Business Trends. A professional journalist with more than a decade of experience in the traditional newspaper business, he has another 10 years of experience in digital media for trade publications and news sites. Shawn has served as a beat reporter, columnist, editorial writer, bureau chief and eventually managing editor with responsibility for nine weekly newspapers, the Berks Mont Newspapers. He is also a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
How Did Your Business Perform Last Year?
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Reaction center models in liquid crystals: Identification of paramagnetic intermediates
Marilena Di Valentin, Arianna Bisol, Giovanni Giacometti, Donatella Carbonera, Giancarlo Agostini, Paul A. Liddell, Ana L Moore, Thomas A Moore, John Devens Gust
Photoinduced charge separation and recombination to the triplet state in a carotene (C) porphyrin (P) fullerene (C 60) triad have been followed by time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The electron transfer process has been studied at different temperatures in both a glassy isotropic matrix (2-methyltetrahydrofuran) and uniaxial liquid crystal (E-7). In both media, the triad undergoes two-step photoinduced electron transfer, with the generation of a long-lived charge separated state (C* +-P-C 60* -), and charge recombination to the triplet state, localized in the carotene moiety. The carotenoid triplet state is initially polarized according to the mechanism of recombination of a radical pair with singlet precursor. Both the photoinduced spin-correlated radical pair and the carotene triplet are observed in E-7 starting from the glass to the liquid crystal phase. The exchange interaction between the electrons in the radical pair (J = 1.2 Gauss) has been evaluated by simulation of the EPR spectrum in the isotropic glass and comparison with the corresponding spectrum in the oriented medium.
Identification (control systems)
electron transfer
polarization (charge separation)
porphyrins
Di Valentin, M., Bisol, A., Giacometti, G., Carbonera, D., Agostini, G., Liddell, P. A., ... Gust, J. D. (2003). Reaction center models in liquid crystals: Identification of paramagnetic intermediates. Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals, 394, 19-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/15421400390193648
Reaction center models in liquid crystals : Identification of paramagnetic intermediates. / Di Valentin, Marilena; Bisol, Arianna; Giacometti, Giovanni; Carbonera, Donatella; Agostini, Giancarlo; Liddell, Paul A.; Moore, Ana L; Moore, Thomas A; Gust, John Devens.
In: Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals, Vol. 394, 2003, p. 19-30.
Di Valentin, M, Bisol, A, Giacometti, G, Carbonera, D, Agostini, G, Liddell, PA, Moore, AL, Moore, TA & Gust, JD 2003, 'Reaction center models in liquid crystals: Identification of paramagnetic intermediates', Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals, vol. 394, pp. 19-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/15421400390193648
Di Valentin M, Bisol A, Giacometti G, Carbonera D, Agostini G, Liddell PA et al. Reaction center models in liquid crystals: Identification of paramagnetic intermediates. Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals. 2003;394:19-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/15421400390193648
Di Valentin, Marilena ; Bisol, Arianna ; Giacometti, Giovanni ; Carbonera, Donatella ; Agostini, Giancarlo ; Liddell, Paul A. ; Moore, Ana L ; Moore, Thomas A ; Gust, John Devens. / Reaction center models in liquid crystals : Identification of paramagnetic intermediates. In: Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals. 2003 ; Vol. 394. pp. 19-30.
@article{6b066efd5c8740f99d7dd9bdad6e66cf,
title = "Reaction center models in liquid crystals: Identification of paramagnetic intermediates",
abstract = "Photoinduced charge separation and recombination to the triplet state in a carotene (C) porphyrin (P) fullerene (C 60) triad have been followed by time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The electron transfer process has been studied at different temperatures in both a glassy isotropic matrix (2-methyltetrahydrofuran) and uniaxial liquid crystal (E-7). In both media, the triad undergoes two-step photoinduced electron transfer, with the generation of a long-lived charge separated state (C* +-P-C 60* -), and charge recombination to the triplet state, localized in the carotene moiety. The carotenoid triplet state is initially polarized according to the mechanism of recombination of a radical pair with singlet precursor. Both the photoinduced spin-correlated radical pair and the carotene triplet are observed in E-7 starting from the glass to the liquid crystal phase. The exchange interaction between the electrons in the radical pair (J = 1.2 Gauss) has been evaluated by simulation of the EPR spectrum in the isotropic glass and comparison with the corresponding spectrum in the oriented medium.",
author = "{Di Valentin}, Marilena and Arianna Bisol and Giovanni Giacometti and Donatella Carbonera and Giancarlo Agostini and Liddell, {Paul A.} and Moore, {Ana L} and Moore, {Thomas A} and Gust, {John Devens}",
doi = "10.1080/15421400390193648",
journal = "Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals",
T1 - Reaction center models in liquid crystals
T2 - Identification of paramagnetic intermediates
AU - Di Valentin, Marilena
AU - Bisol, Arianna
AU - Giacometti, Giovanni
AU - Carbonera, Donatella
AU - Agostini, Giancarlo
AU - Liddell, Paul A.
AU - Moore, Ana L
AU - Moore, Thomas A
AU - Gust, John Devens
N2 - Photoinduced charge separation and recombination to the triplet state in a carotene (C) porphyrin (P) fullerene (C 60) triad have been followed by time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The electron transfer process has been studied at different temperatures in both a glassy isotropic matrix (2-methyltetrahydrofuran) and uniaxial liquid crystal (E-7). In both media, the triad undergoes two-step photoinduced electron transfer, with the generation of a long-lived charge separated state (C* +-P-C 60* -), and charge recombination to the triplet state, localized in the carotene moiety. The carotenoid triplet state is initially polarized according to the mechanism of recombination of a radical pair with singlet precursor. Both the photoinduced spin-correlated radical pair and the carotene triplet are observed in E-7 starting from the glass to the liquid crystal phase. The exchange interaction between the electrons in the radical pair (J = 1.2 Gauss) has been evaluated by simulation of the EPR spectrum in the isotropic glass and comparison with the corresponding spectrum in the oriented medium.
AB - Photoinduced charge separation and recombination to the triplet state in a carotene (C) porphyrin (P) fullerene (C 60) triad have been followed by time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The electron transfer process has been studied at different temperatures in both a glassy isotropic matrix (2-methyltetrahydrofuran) and uniaxial liquid crystal (E-7). In both media, the triad undergoes two-step photoinduced electron transfer, with the generation of a long-lived charge separated state (C* +-P-C 60* -), and charge recombination to the triplet state, localized in the carotene moiety. The carotenoid triplet state is initially polarized according to the mechanism of recombination of a radical pair with singlet precursor. Both the photoinduced spin-correlated radical pair and the carotene triplet are observed in E-7 starting from the glass to the liquid crystal phase. The exchange interaction between the electrons in the radical pair (J = 1.2 Gauss) has been evaluated by simulation of the EPR spectrum in the isotropic glass and comparison with the corresponding spectrum in the oriented medium.
U2 - 10.1080/15421400390193648
DO - 10.1080/15421400390193648
JO - Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals
JF - Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals
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Arms of the Soviet Union | DP-28 Light Machine Gun
by SOFREP Aug 20, 2017
Shortly after the Communists were victorious in their revolution and ousting of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, they set to strengthen their armed forces. The problems with Imperial Russian military thinking became obvious to the Soviets after they suffered more than 5 million casualties in World War One. The Russian’s only machine gun available at that time was the Maxim machine gun. The Maxim, while revolutionary in design, was problematic for several reasons. Chiefly, it wasn’t very portable and water-cooled, meaning the outside jacket of the weapon had to be refilled with clean water in order to prevent malfunctions.
That all changed in 1927 when Soviet weapons engineer Vasily Alekseyevich Degtyaryov submitted his prototype for what is commonly refer to as the DP-28 Light Machine Gun. His new design was exactly what the Red Army was looking for – a highly portable machine gun to serve in support of Infantry attacks. The new machine gun was made by the thousands at the V.A. Degtyarev Weapons Plant located in Kovrov, Russia. The city of Kovrov is located 166 miles East of Moscow, a location far enough behind Russian defenses that it allowed the plant to safely continue production of these guns even at the height of Operation Barbarossa – the Nazi invasion of Russia
Soviet Army in defensive position Summer 1942 (Image courtesy: guidearms.blogspot.com)
The apparent trademark of Soviet engineering is: if something is worth being built, it’s worth being overbuilt with as few parts as possible, and it must be able to function in terrible conditions. This thought process is evident in almost every Russian/Soviet design that I can think of, and it’s particularly prevalent in the DP-28. Comprised of less than 80 total parts, the machine gun was renowned for being able to function effectively in dirt, sand, and snow. The new machine gun, as well as being rugged and dependable, fired the same 7.62x54R cartridge as the standard issue Soviet rifle, the Mosin Nagant. In my opinion, this was an idea the Soviets borrowed from their World War One allies. The British and American forces both had light machine guns that fired the same cartridge as their main battle rifle.
Since it’s only available as a fully automatic weapon, the DP-28 isn’t a weapon that most readers will see at the range on the weekends. In the United States, thanks to laws such as the National Firearms Act and the Firearms Owners Protection Act of 1986, civilian ownership of machine guns is increasingly rare, and very expensive. That doesn’t mean they can’t be owned it’s just a matter of doing paperwork and procedure. If you are a firearms manufacturer with a BATFE Class 02/07 license, you can apply and build your own machine guns. OR you can be lucky enough to have a friend with one. I am fortunate to be friends with James Foley of Arctic Arms, and he was kind enough to let us put some rounds down range with a 1944 produced DP-28. This trip to the range also afforded me the opportunity to ask him questions about its strengths and weaknesses.
DP-28 Specifications:
Year Built: 1944 (Production run 1928-1967)
Caliber: 7.62mm X 54R
Weight: 20.12 lbs (9.12 Kg)
Barrel Length: 23.4” (604mm)
Overall Length: 50.0” (1270 mm)
Magazine Capacity: 47 round pan style
Application: suppression fire
47 round top mounted pan magazine
Bottom ejection of spent rounds
Grip safety
Large well protected rear sight.
Ability to reduce felt recoil of large-caliber rifle
Slower cyclic rate allowing operator to keep rounds on target easier
Poor bi-pod design often noted as a weak point
Odd loading of smaller than expected capacity magazine.
Shooting Impressions:
The DP-28 is a large and imposing piece of military hardware. It is purposely built to destroy targets no matter if it’s paper, a piece of scrap steel, a car, or a German bunker. That fact becomes obvious the first time a person inspects and handles the weapon. When I first got to the range with James, we went over the history of his particular DP-28. He shared his on and off again issues with the recoil springs, which I learned was one area on a DP-28 that can be problematic. The recoil spring is located under the barrel and can lose its temper and ability to compress fully due to overheating.
After defeating the steel Soviet tuna can shaped ammunition container, with the help of a can opener, I began to load the 47 round drum. I quickly found out that it’s an awkward pain in the ass procedure. The magazine pan has a ring on the outside to rotate one half of the magazine while you feed rounds into it from the other side. It all sounds easy until you are trying to hold the steel pizza pan against your torso, turning the coil spring via the ring, and simultaneously loading rounds into the opposite side of the drum. Luckily, James is well versed in this procedure and we got everything squared away in short order.
James took the lead to demonstrate the manual of arms for the DP-28, then ran through the first forty-seven rounds of the day. While watching the first rounds pour downrange, I thought it was odd to see the ejection of spent shells from the bottom, since most machine guns I have fired feature side ejection ports. You can also notice the top of the magazine pan turning as it unloads rounds. This makes sense when you stop and think about how the gun is operating, but it’s interesting to see a magazine uncoil. This was my first experience with pan-fed machine guns.
When it was my turn to fire the DP-28, I readied myself behind the twenty pound Bolshevik blaster, loaded a fresh drum into the feed lips, and secured it. Racking the bolt, I gripped the machine gun, and placed my support hand in the proper position. I squeezed the trigger, and expecting a loud BOOM, heard only a deafening SILENCE. Nothing. Just silence. I thought “I must have the safety on”, it was then that James said “Oh yeah, it has a grip safety”.
Grip safety located right behind trigger guard
Someone once told me: “If in doubt at all, ask questions” . Well this was one time I didn’t ask enough questions. There I was, one second feeling like a bad ass, the next second feeling like a stupid crayon eater. Once I solved the enigma of the grip safety, I tried to squeeze off short 3-5 round bursts at the target down range. To my surprise the recoil wasn’t as terrible as I had expected, and, with a much slower cyclic rate than other machine guns, it was easier to keep the bursts short and conserve rounds. I have fired other weapons that use the 7.62 x 54R cartridge and they seemed to have a more pronounced recoil than the DP-28. The concussion from firing short bursts was also less than I had anticipated.
That afternoon we went through six pans of ammo, firing it in alternating short and long bursts, with very few stoppages. The fact we used old Soviet corrosive ammo straight from the can with few problems, speaks volumes about this 71-year-old machine gun and the Soviets method of sealing the ammunition cans. Due to the bottom ejection of spent rounds I found it refreshing to not have hot brass raining down on my head. At my local range, when shooting guns that eject spent rounds from the top or side, they tend to bounce off the ceiling and rafters of the covered shooting lanes.
The DP-28 served the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies for nearly 40 years as their main infantry light machine gun. It’s ability to perform well under extreme conditions and ease of maintenance extended its lifespan in spite of the bi-pod being its weakest point. Starting in 1961 the DP-28 slowly was replaced by the PK-M, medium machine gun. Although removed from front line service, the DP-28 has been captured in the hands of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan as late as 2012, and was often seen in the hands of revolutionaries in both the Libyan and Syrian Civil Wars.
DP-28 in Libya 2011 (Image courtesy: ww2aa.proboards.com)
Thanks for stopping by The Loadout Room. Keep checking back for new updates on gear, guns and adventure. You can contact us any time on the Comms Check, through Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. Also feel free to comment in the section below. We have an exciting summer lined up for our readers.
— Rick
This article was originally published on The Loadout Room and written by Rick Dembroski
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Impeachment Show - Season 2 · 1 minute ago
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Opening image: the KcsA K+ channel. Four identical protein subunits surround two potassium ions in the "selectivity pore."
In previous tutorials we considered only interactions between uncharged atoms and nonpolar molecules. These van der Waals interactions are short-range and diminish with distance r as 1/r6. Thus, van der Waals attractions are felt only when two atoms are so close to each that they nearly contact. Charge interactions are very different; they are long-range and diminish with distance as 1/r (Coulomb's law). Proteins and nucleic acids carry numerous ionizable groups. Hence charge-charge interactions, both intra- and intermolecular, are very important to stability and function of these macromolecules. Next are the weaker -- but directional -- ion-dipole interactions. If the ions and dipoles are mobile, then the dipole stabilizes the ion by aligning itself with the strong electrostatic field of the ion. A good example is the hydration of ions in aqueous solutions, a topic we'll consider in some detail. Finally, we'll explore the fascinating topic of K+ diffusion through an ion channel and learn how inner shell exchange reactions are decisive to selectivity of biological ion channels.
Charge-charge Interactions in Ionic Compounds
Gases, most common liquids, and many solids consist of molecules in which the atoms are held together by covalent bonds. However, not all substances are made up of molecules. For example, sodium chloride consists of sodium ions and chloride ions so arranged that each sodium ion is surrounded by six equidistant chloride ions and each chloride ion is surrounded by six equidistant sodium ions. Ionic bonds hold the salt crystals together. Hence, no distinct group is identifiable as a molecule of sodium chloride.
NaCl crystal. The centers of electron densities lie on regularly spaced lattice points with a mean Na–Cl center-to-center distance of 2.81 Å. The ions vibrate about these mean positions. The ionic radii are 0.95 Å for Na+ and 1.81 Å for Cl-.
The charge-charge interactions in the crystal are so strong that NaCl melts at 850°C. However, when a crystal of NaCl is placed in water, water molecules are so strongly attracted to the charge centers that the salt dissociates into free ionic particles in solution. The underlying interactions are called hydration.
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WELCOME TO THE EYEWEAR BLACK SPRING PUBLISHING GROUP
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Home › The Terrible News
The Terrible News
Collected and translated by Grigori Gerenstein
Russian stories from the years following the revolution
This ground-breaking collection illuminates the extraordinary explosion of literary activity which occurred in Russia in the years immediately following the Revolution. It testifies to the achievements of a number of writers – many of whom have never before appeared in English - as they tried to come to terms with one of the most far-reaching social upheavals of the century. By turns ironic, bemused, savage and absurd, the collection includes work by major figures such as Bulgakov, Zamyatin and Isaak Babel. It also presents a host of exciting writers, such as Lev Lunts, Aktor Ardov and Daniil Kharms, who will be new to most Western readers.
Over and above the historical significance of these stories, however, is the sheer pleasure they provide for the modern reader. The Terrible News is rich with memorable examples of humorous whimsicality, uproarious comedy, poignant depictions of peasant life and excoriating satire at the expense of metropolitan bureaucracy.
Harsh and earthy and often crazily funny, this collection captures the mood of an epoch.- Irish Times
The ghost of Gogol drifts through every page. - Times
Copyright © 2020, Eyewear Publishing. Powered by Shopify
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Schools >>
The ongoing Schools Education programme has been set up in memory of John Jacob, a founder member and chairman of the Suffolk Craft Society. The program is intended to give young people the opportunity to be introduced to crafts under the guidance of professional makers.
Here are some of our past projects:
To Know Our World Through a Plot of Land - 2011
For this project the Suffolk Craft Society partnered up with EastFeast to deliver the schools education program. EastFeast are experienced at working in schools and by linking up with Suffolk Coast & Heaths and Dedham Vale & Stour Valley AONBs (area of outstanding natural beauty) it enabled us to take the project outside. Schools were selected that had links to the AONB areas and this offered the stimulus for the varied work done with the artists.
Yoxford Primary School
Jacky Linney, a textile artist, worked with all the pupils from Yoxford Primary School. They drew images of birds and other animals and plants that might be found in the AONB area, and then cut these out in preparation for screen printing. Pupils had never experienced screen-printing before, and were enthralled by the process. They have made two large banners with vibrant colours and striking images.
Kelsale CEVC Primary School
Jenny Nutbeem worked with pupils from Kelsale using two different artforms. Firstly they made their own paper, and embedded leaves and grasses found within the school grounds into it, creating beautiful and highly original pieces. These have been made into beautiful books. Jenny later worked with pupils on a textile project. They made sketches of trees, and then transferred these on to fabric, which they then turned into unique and individual cushion covers.
Nacton CEVC Primary School
Pupils from Nacton worked with two Suffolk Craft Society artists, Jonathan Keep and Jenny Nutbeem. This work has dovetailed with another project at the school, developing a wildlife area in preparation for the school’s centenary celebrations later in the summer term. Jonathan worked with younger pupils making insects found in the AONB out of clay, and finishing them with a vibrant blue glaze. Jenny has used a range of recycled materials to make large dragonflies with pupils; these will eventually be displayed in the wildlife garden.
Stoke by Nayland CEVC Primary School
Pupils from Year 3 and 4 enjoyed printing and collage workshops with Val Armstrong. They visited a nearby wood and made sketches of the trees, leaves and other natural objects in the area, and then translated these into prints, using a range of different printing techniques. The children enjoyed using ‘professional’ printing inks with much more vibrant colours than ink usually used in schools. They later worked into their prints using a collage technique, each making their own finished piece.
East Bergholt CEVC Primary School
Jonathan Keep has worked with pupils at East Bergholt Primary School, making ceramic tiles for their outdoor classroom that will be part of their new wildlife garden. Pupils at East Bergholt are very aware of the varied flora and fauna found within the Dedham Vale AONB, and also made impressive stag beetles with Jonathan, from high-fired terracotta clay.
Tudor CEVC Primary School
Karen Risby, a local ceramicist from East Bergholt, worked with pupils from Tudor Primary, making animals, birds and trees that they might see in the AONB area. Some were real and some imaginary!
Dedham CEVC Primary School
Pupils worked with local artist, Katie Walker from Sudbury, who works with felt. The starting point was a section of woodland close to the school and within the heart of the Dedham Vale AONB. Pupils and staff took many photographs of the trees, and then used one as inspiration for their felt work. The tree landscape photo was divided into sections, and then having learned felting techniques pupils made a representation of their own part of the photo. Katie later joined sections together to make one large piece.
The pupils’ work was shown at three exhibitions over the summer months, in Sudbury, Ipswich and Leiston. The exhibition at Leiston Long Shop Museum was very successful with a high number of visitors and an enthusiastic response to the work. Holding the exhibition at the Museum enabled parents from Yoxford and Kelsale in particular to visit the exhibition and see their children’s work. The Museum also laid on activities for children related to the exhibition.
Quotes from exhibition comments book, Leiston Long Shop
• A very beautiful and uplifting exhibition – well done to all those involved.
• Fantastic exhibition, very imaginative children, keep up the good work.
• What a lovely colourful and imaginative display! Congratulations to the children, the makers and the organisers.
• It was wonderful to see the childrens’ work and to see their enjoyment and pride when they saw the exhibition. A valuable enterprise.
• Beautiful bright and colourful – a lovely uplifting exhibition. Thank you.
• What an exciting project to get involved in and how wonderful for the children to work alongside artists and together to create some beautiful pieces. I’m sure they will remember this with pride for a long time – deservedly so.
• Very good to inspire children to make something and teach practical skills instead of TV.
• Wow – fantastic, the variety and quality of the work is a real joy – I hope this becomes a regular event!
• It is lovely to see the work of young and inspired school children creating. I hope that some will see their life can be magical without the modern day plastics.
• Inspiring artwork. Lucky children to be exposed to this.
We would like to thank the following for their help with this project:
EastFeast
Britten Pears Foundation
Creative Partnerships
Dedham Vale & Stour Valley AONB SDF
Leiston Long Shop Museum
Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB SDF
Suffolk Coastal District Council
Suffolk Craft Society
‘Ebb and Flow’ schools print making - 2008
Six schools from rural and urban areas along the Rivers Alde, Ore, Gipping and Orwell in Suffolk took part in this series of print based workshops. Working with members of the Suffolk Craft Society this was part of a larger Ebb and Flow project initiated by Suffolk Coastal District Council to celebrate and explore regional heritage and the natural landscape.
The ‘Ebb and Flow’ project focused attention on the river environment and the changing natural habitat as it runs through town and country. The school children, aged from 4 to 18 years old, explored and learnt about their local environments, the history and the effect that they may have on it’s future.
An exhibition of the project and final artworks toured Suffolk, with a celebratory ‘Ebb and Flow’ day at Snape Maltings, the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich and rural museums during the summer.
The project was part of the ongoing Suffolk Craft Society John Jacob Young Marker’s Programme. It was a partnership between the Suffolk Craft Society, The Poetry Trust, Ipswich and Colchester Museum Service and Suffolk Coastal District Council. Artists and schools involved were Jackie Linney at Aldeburgh Primary and Saxmundham Primary, Sue Bruce at Clifford Road Primary and Hillside Community Primary Ipswich, Val Almstrong at Thomas Mills High School and Jenny Nutbeem at Springfield Junior Ipswich.
Rags to Riches - 2007
Part of the ongoing Suffolk Craft Society John Jacob Young Makers’ Programme RAGS TO RICHES took place in the summer term of 2007 culminating in exhibitions at Leiston Long Shop Museum and Gallery 2, The Town Hall Galleries in Ipswich. Professional textile makers from the Society worked with teachers in Suffolk schools helping over 300 young people to experience the joy of craftwork and to develop their creative skills in the visual arts.
One class learned how to knit impressive wallhangings using rags, sea shells and broom sticks. Another made 5m long wall hangings, while others made tabards, bowls and hats. The focus was on how to recycle otherwise discarded materials such as scraps of fabric, wool, plastic, buttons, tinfoil, even rope from Felixstowe beach, all gathered by children and their families.
Over the course of the summer term these seemingly unpromising “rags” were transformed into an exciting variety of “riches”, including baskets and bowls, wall-hangings, tabards, hats and rugs. During the process, children practised a variety of skills, including screen printing, rope-making, even knitting on broom handles!
Four makers, Jacky Linney, Jenny Nutbeem, Jo Rolfe and Anu Baldwin led the workshops working in textiles with the emphasis on recycled materials. The schools involved were Springfield Junior in Ipswich, Langer Primary in Felixstowe, Holton St Peter Community Primary, All Saints CEVA Primary in Laxfield and Beccles Middle School. The project was supported by the John Jacob Young Makers’ Programme, Friends of the Suffolk Craft Society and the Society.
Schools Jewellery Workshops - 2006
2006 was the first year of an educational programme aimed at providing an opportunity for young people to experience the joy of craftwork, to develop their creative skills in the visual arts and to provide "hands-on" workshop experience with professional makers. A further aim was to encourage parents and other members of rural communities to develop their and their children's interest in craft and design. It is hoped that the 2006 programme will help to establish Suffolk Craft Society as an effective agency for providing creative craft programmes in schools and communities in Suffolk.
In 2006 the theme of jewellery was chosen to complement Suffolk Craft Society's summer jewellery festival in which international jewellers exhibited alongside the Society's jewellers. There were two central ideas governing the focus of the young people's programme - first, that in creating beautiful, wearable objects out of otherwise discarded materials, children would learn more about the importance of recycling, and second, that the rich heritage of the locality could show children something of the continuity of the jeweller's craft and be an inspiration for artistic endeavour.
Six of the Society's craftspeople were involved in residencies in schools and in adult workshops to create jewellery and relief panels. The armoury and jewels from the Sutton Hoo Anglo- Saxon burial ship and the industrial artefacts of the Long Shop engineering museum in Leiston were used as stimuli. The work culminated in a highly successful summer exhibition at the Long Shop Museum and at the prestigious venue of the Red House, Aldeburgh.
Year 8 pupils from Leiston Middle School worked over a period of five weeks in the Long Shop Museum with resistant materials to create silver and semi-precious stone jewellery. The artefacts of the museum and the processes used in their creation were an integral part of the children's learning process. The young people responded well to being given expensive materials to work on and the results were exceedingly professional-looking. Parents joined in during after-school sessions.
Years 5 and 6 children from Coldfair Green, Middleton and Peasenhall primary schools worked with recycled materials to make beautiful and imaginative jewellery and body adornment. The importance of minimising waste was emphasised throughout the five week residencies. Parents and grandparents joined in the activity during extended afternoon sessions.
Years 5 and 6 children from Earl Soham and Charsfield Primary Schools visited the National Trust property at Sutton Hoo. Over a period of five weeks they learned to use various materials and techniques to create six large relief panels of Anglo-Saxon warriors and their wives adorned with jewelled armour and weapons. The results are so impressive that Sutton Hoo has asked to exhibit them.
A Family Craft Day for children aged 5 to 10 and their parents was held in Framlingham, during which the theme of recycling was further developed. A two-day workshop for adults took place at Leiston Long Shop Museum in which paper jewellery was made and another two-day workshop in enamel jewellery was held at Framlingham Castle.
The craftspeople involved were Jenny Nutbeem, Sarah Tait, Michel Cereso, Valerie Armstrong, Sheila McDonald and Alison Dane. The exhibition was designed by Jenny Nutbeem.
Funding for the programme amounted to £12,500.00. This consisted of £5,000.00 from an Awards for All lottery grant, £2,000.00 from Suffolk Extended Schools Development fund, £2,000.00 from Suffolk Leading Edge fund, £1,000.00 from Suffolk Craft Society, £1,000.00 from the Friends of Suffolk Craft Society, £1,000.00 from the John Jacob bequest (given to the Society) and £500.00 from Suffolk Coastal District Council, which also paid for the publicity costs. Several local jewellers donated materials.
Download these resources for schools:
Teacher Case Study >
Schools Workshop Agreement >
Safeguarding Policy >
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JPL Small-Body Mission-Design Tool Search: [ help ]
Design Interface
The interactive interface of the JPL Small-Body Mission-Design Tool includes three sections:
Mission Options: contains an interactive data table presenting different mission options to the specified small body. Initially, the table is populated with a set of pre-computed trajectories. Details on the selection process and the back-end algorithms can be found in the Introduction. Missions selected by the user using the interactive tools will appear in this same table, with increasing "Id" numbers.
Mission Selection: its main component is an interactive pork-chop plot. Solid markers represent the solutions listed in the table of mission options. Select new missions by clicking on the figure, or simply hover the mouse over it to explore different transfer opportunities.
Launch Vehicle Selection: the plot shows the capabilities of different launch vehicles, considering both flyby and rendezvous missions. Click on the plot to add missions to the data table.
A tutorial is available for first-time users with detailed information about each component of the interface. This tool can be used in combination with the Small-Body Search Engine, designed to find potential candidates for future missions.
Orbit Data
Classification: -
SPK-ID: -
Orbit Id: -
Condition code: -
Data arc span (days): -
Low Thrust
Estimate of the ΔV required to reach the target orbit, disregarding the phasing within the orbits and the transfer time, and assuming constant acceleration. Phase-free transfers are only valid for closed orbits.
ΔV estimate: - km/s
Mission Options:
The following table lists relevant mission options. Each mission is assigned a unique "Id" to distinguish it from the rest. Initially, it contains the set of pre-computed solutions which includes the optimal launch opportunities (minimizing the departure C3). The pre-computed trajectories also include the cases of minimum time of flight and minimum arrival V-infinity. Switch to Mass mode to assess the capabilities of several launch vehicles. Order by decreasing "Id" (default) to see the user-added records on top.
Use the interactive tools Mission Selection and Launch Vehicle Selection to add missions to the table by simply clicking on the plots. Selected trajectories can be plotted in the ICRF system, using the Ecliptic Earth's equator at J2000 as the reference plane.
(km2/s2)
V∞
(km/s)
ΔV
(deg)
(au)
Atlas V (401) (kg)
Falcon 9 (kg)
Falcon Heavy (kg)
Delta IV-H (kg)
SLS 1B (kg)
SLS 2 (kg)
(cal)
(MJD)
Flyby
Rdzs
Mission Selection - Pork-Chop Plot:
Click on the pork-chop plot to select a mission and to add it to the Mission Options table. Each blue marker represents one of the pre-computed missions, whereas orange markers represent the missions selected by the user. Use the controllers to customize the contours and the axes of the figure. The pork-chop plot is recomputed on the fly everytime you request a different launch period using the drop-down menu in the "Axis Setup" section. There are two selection modes available:
Add new points: the tooltip and the table under the pork-chop plot will display information about any point, and clicking on feasible missions will add them to the Mission Options table.
Explore selected: use this mode to see detailed information about the solid markers, which correspond to the missions listed in the Mission Options table.
For rendezvous missions, we assumed a specific impulse of 320 s to compute the arrival impulsive maneuver. Check the HOVER INFO to understand why certain missions cannot be selected. Keep in mind that each launch vehicle has a particular C3 limit; when operating in Rendezvous mode, you will only be able to select missions with C3 values within the capabilities of the selected launch vehicle.
Update figure
Reset contours
Reset axes
Selection Mode
Add new points
Explore selected
Contour Setup
Choose the variables to be displayed in the interactive contour plot. Use the input fields to define the ranges of the corresponding color bars, and the drop-down menu to specify the preferred number of contour levels in the plot.
Primary: C3 (dep) V-infty (dep) V-infty (arr) Total ΔV Phase ang. (arr) Range (arr) Approach angle SEP angle Launch declin. Rendezvous - km/s Levels: 5 10 15 20
Secondary: None C3 (dep) V-infty (dep) V-infty (arr) Total ΔV Phase ang. (arr) Range (arr) Approach angle SEP angle Launch declin. Rendezvous - km/s Levels: 5 10 15 20
Select launcher for rendezvous mode: Atlas V (401) Atlas V (421) Atlas V (531) Atlas V (551) Falcon 9 (FT, ASDS) Falcon Heavy Delta IV Heavy SLS Block 1B SLS Block 2
Axis Setup
The launch period starts in 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 2037 2038 2039 2040 2041 2042 2043 2044 2045 2046 2047 2048 2049 2050 2051 2052 2053 2054 2055 and spans 5 years. Use the controls below to focus on a specific range of dates within the selected 5-year time span.
Dates Displayed: - yyyy-mm-dd MJD
Specify the range of flight times to be displayed.
Time of flight: - days years
HOVER INFO: Hover the mouse over the figures
declin.
Rdzvs
Launch-Vehicle Selection:
The figure below shows the maximum mass of the spacecraft that will reach the target body when launched on a certain date. Note that the times of flight might vary across the plot. Use the control panels to select the mission type (flyby or rendezvous), and to update the list of launch vehicles. Click on the plot to add missions to the Mission Options table. Zoom in using the slider under the figure or by clicking and dragging on the chart. In Rdzvs mode, you cannot select missions if more than one launch vehicle is active.
Select Mission Type
Select Launch Vehicle
Atlas V (401)
Falcon 9 (FT, ASDS)
Delta IV Heavy
SLS Block 1B
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Posts Tagged 'Romans 6:12-23'
For June 29, 2014: Proper 8, Year A, St Alban’s Day
Published July 6, 2014 Etymology , Jeremiah , Language , Matthew , Propers , Psalms , Romans , Sunday lections Leave a Comment
Tags: Canon to the Ordinary, eternal love of the Lord for David and Israel, grace, Hananiah, Jeremiah 28:5-9, lectionary, Matthew 10:40-42, ordinarius, ordinary time, ordo, Pentecost 3, Proper 8, Psalm 89:1-4, Psalm 89:15-18, Revised Common Lectionary, Romans 6:12-23, tempus per annum, Third Sunday after Pentecost, welcoming God's agents, year a
The Reading Jeremiah 28:5-9
As this reading opens, most Jews are captive in Babylon, just as Jeremiah prophesied. The prophet Hananiah gladdens the king by predicting an early end to Babylonian rule and restoration of Israel to Jerusalem. Jeremiah responds to Hananiah skeptically: only if a prophet’s words come true is that prophet sent by the Lord.
From verse 37 onward, Psalm 89 laments Israel’s subjugation, for which there is no end in sight. The beginning of the psalm, however, celebrates the eternal love of the Lord for David and Israel. The speaker in verses 3-4 and 19b-26 is the Lord.
The Epistle Romans 6:12-23
The reading from the letter to the Romans continues the argument against persisting in sin because God keeps giving grace. Putting oneself in service to God for righteousness is the slavery that leads away from death and to both sanctification and eternal life.
In the reading from Matthew, Jesus finishes his instructions to the disciples as he sends them out. His words are also for us: whoever welcomes anyone—especially as God’s agents, but not exclusively so—welcomes us and Jesus and the Father; moreover, even the humblest of good deeds by or to the humblest looms large to God.
Ponderables
June 29, 2014 is the third Sunday after Pentecost or the thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, which covers the two parts of the church year that fall outside the major seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. On this Sunday we also celebrate the feast of St Alban, our patron saint—a week later than usual, partly because the Rev. Allisyn Thomas is here to celebrate the Eucharist with us in her capacity as Canon to the Ordinary.
Wait: Everyday time? Canon to the commonplace? How can we make sense of these two uses?
The term ordinary time originated in the Roman Catholic Church in the 1970s, as part of the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Instead of counting Sundays after Epiphany and then Sundays after Pentecost, Catholics started counting all 33 to 34 Sundays as a unit, starting with the four to nine Sundays after Epiphany and resuming after Pentecost; if Ash Wednesday fell early in the year, readings that were skipped in the shorter Epiphany would shift to the end of Pentecost to round out the church year. In English and most modern European languages, that unit is called ordinary time. In the everyday sense of ordinary, the phrase sounds odd—Eucharists that are boring?—so some sources in English assert that ordinary is a corruption of ordinal, as in ordinal numbers: first Sunday, sixteenth Sunday…) That sounds plausible, except that the original 1970s Latin phrase should be tempus ordinalis, and it isn’t: it’s tempus per annum ‘time through the year’.
Let’s shift for a moment to the other ordinary. Its roots go back much farther, to nearly the beginning of the church. While the source of our English word bishop is the Greek episcopos (literally ‘overseer’), Latin also used a term derived from Latin ordo ‘order or rule’: the ordinarius is ‘the one who keeps order’. In English, that would be ordinary, and the word remains in the vocabulary of church law and common law: a judge ordinary has jurisdiction over a case in his own right, as is to be expected, whereas a judge extraordinary has been specially appointed outside her normal sphere. So the Canon to the Ordinary is the clergyperson who assists in carrying out the customary duties of the bishop, such as visiting St Alban’s for its patronal feast day. We can argue, then, that ordinary time is a matter neither of time that is nothing special nor of weeks in sequence but rather of Sundays that are celebrated not for a special feast or fast but because they are Sundays and therefore worthy in their own right.
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Danger's Dream
This is actually a roleplay, but I think it's got an awesome plot and good characters. So, Imma post it up here.
This roleplay is NOT mine. All rights to the plot and idea go to Aoife.
Not all of the characters belong to me either. All rights go to their owners.
WARNING: Contains violence and mild swearing.
Day Five of the Roleplay Continued
by: ForsakenLight
..."Cuts don't hurt in dreams," Myra pointed out, referring to her earlier question ro Ren. "And I bet if I punched you in the face," she pointed at Kayden and stuck her tongue out. "It'd hurt."
Kayden was taken aback. "Hey!" He laughed. Reaching over, he pinched Myra’s arm.
Ren resisted the urge to laugh. "Well... Maybe it's a special kind of dream?" she suggested unhelpfully.
Myra shoved at Kayden's shoulder. "I don't think that matters. One way or another, it's obvious we aren't in the prison. And Ren's soaking. So we need to find a sheltered place and get her dried off."
Kayden laughed quietly. "Okay." He agreed.
Jem turned to Myra. "Okay, so where exactly do we go now?"
"I suggest away from that pond, lake, whatever, that Ren fell into," Myra said in a bluntly teasing tone.
Jem rolled his eyes and said, "Wow, brilliant idea kid, I thought we should probably all go for a quick swim and dry off in there." He laughed quietly, more to himself than anyone else.
"Well, you're the idiot who got yourself landed in jail," Myra pointed out, probably a bit harsher than needed.
That shut Jem up. He crossed his arms and looked into the water, stony-faced.
Ren shakily stood up. "Can we get somewhere that at least has light..." she said, shivering at the thought of being alone in the dark again.
Myra immedatly felt sorry. She watched Jem quietly. "Sure, Ren. I guess that means away from the forest then."
Ren looked around her. She shivered. “I think it's more of a jungle....you know, like from the lion king...."
Myra snorted quietly. "Way to kill the mood." She gently took Ren's wrist and began leading her away from the jungle-foresty-thing. Myra couldn't help but hum "The Circle of Life".
Jem walked behind. He knew Myra was probably right, it HAD been his fault he was in jail. And, in a round-a-bout sort of way, maybe he HAD been the one who killed Chaz... He sighed. Dammit, it was his fault after all. His eyes grew darker. Stupid little boy, he thought to himself. You stupid, stupid little boy.
Myra froze. Wait, does that mean everyone from the jail is out here? ...Ethan?
Ren put a hand on Myra's shoulder when she froze. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.
"Yeah," Myra said slowly. "I'm fine. Sorry."
Ren tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear. She remembered the anger on her Social Worker's face a week ago when she first died the three red streaks in. It seemed so long ago… "If you're sure..." she said, still wary of Myra's expression.
Myra shrugged. "Yeah." She stared at the ground and continued walking. Her eyes had adjusted slightly and she was able to make out the ground farther ahead.
Ren walked with Myra to the edge of the jungle. "Oh my god," she breathed, horrified at the sight before them.
"That's lovely," Myra choked out. There was a boy lying on the ground in front of them. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes that were opened wide in shock. All down the boy's chest were splashes of dark, blood. A vine from some plant was wrapped tightly around his neck, which would explain the blue shading of his face. The tip of the vine twitched faintly, as if mocking the dead body.
Jem looked appalled. "How about we don't go in there..." he said slowly, backing away from the vine.
Ren put her hand over her mouth in shock. "How...."
Myra shook her head, fighting the urge to vomit. She grabbed Ren and pulled her back, away from the jungle.
Ren stumbled as Myra pulled her. "What's wrong?" she asked. "I mean, despite the gruesome image over the hill..."
"What do you mean what's wrong?!" Myra's voice rose. She quickly brought it back down. "There's a guy over there, dead, strangled from some vine!!!"
Ren stood silent for a moment. "I know," she said quietly. "But maybe it is a dream. Maybe it's some weird hallucination. Maybe...." she ran out of excuses and sat down on the grass, staring at her feet.
Myra sighed and sat down beside her. "Maybe." She glanced at Jem, trying to figure out what he thought of all this.
Jem just stood there, glaring into the trees. Obviously, the vine couldn't have stabbed the boy. That would be impossible. So either somebody else was running around doing it, or this was DEFINITELY a dream.
"Jem?" Myra asked, watching his far-away look.
Jem blinked. He turned to face Myra. "What?" he asked, still not really listening.
"You're not a murderer, right?" Myra tried not to sound rude, or like she suspected him of anything.
Jem's face went cold again. "Figuratively, yes. Honestly, maybe. Apparently it may have been my fault after all." Jem glared at the ground. "It's a tricky question."
"Sorry..." Myra said quietly, staring at the ground in embarrassment. "I meant more of if you know some sort of self defense stuff..."
"Myra, I was a thief. Of course I know some self defense stuff," Jem said, as if she had pointed out the blindingly obvious.
"Well I'm very sorry for not keeping up with all criminal activity necessities," Myra spat. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead on them.
~^~
Skip to Chapter
Day Five of the Roleplay
by ForsakenLight
Created by ForsakenLight
ForsakenLight
- A Twisted Life: A Draco Malfoy Love St ...
A dream in reality. [old one. Serveus Sn ...
I'm Afraid of 5 out of 74 common fears!
What in the..... Draco? Harry? A Draco M ...
30 Things That Make My Day
The Weirdest Kid on Earth
Twisted Hearts[Draco Malfoy Love Story]
My Truths
100 Truths
Rude Tags
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Flash Collector Showcase: Mike Welch *Warning Graphic Intensive*
Speed Force is proud to present our second edition of Flash Collector Showcase. We are showcasing Flash memorabilia collectors and their collections from all over the world; whether it be comics, toys, t-shirts, collectibles or art. If it’s a collection and it’s main focus or a large part of it relates to The Flash or his Rogues, this is the place to find it.
To that end all collectors interested in having their collection possibly featured in a future Flash Collector Showcase please send your name, geographic location, a short biography, some background on your collection, and about 3 to 6 pictures to
Devintheflashjohnson@yahoo.com. Please include “Flash Collector Showcase” in the subject line. Also be sure to mention if your collection has received special mentions or any other accolades as well, although this is not a requirement.
Last time we featured Filipino Collector, Glen Antonio. Glen had been on local Filipino TV shows and in several articles before being showcased on Speed Force and we were glad to have him. He has also shared his collections with many Comic and Toy Conventions. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter to see what he is up to currently.
Now on to our latest collector to be featured, Mike Welch.
This entry was posted in Collectibles, Fandom, Fun and tagged Flash Cast Jacket, Flash Collection, Flash Collector Showcase, Flash Tiger Video Game, Gameboy, Mike Welch, Sega Master System on June 30, 2010 by Devin.
Francis Manapul Talks Flash
Ain’t It Cool News interviews Francis Manapul about the Flash.
What have been some of the challenges having to draw a character who is basically constantly in motion?
FM: I think the challenge comes in thinking of new ways to portray his speed. I’ve been incorporating a lot of his environment to show motion aside from the Flash himself. From Barry catching Chinese food thrown in the air to putting money in the meter as he evades the villains. Geoff has also been upping his game by having Barry do different things with his speed from dissecting a car apart in mid air to learning and building an apartment in less than minute.
He talks about working with Geoff Johns, adapting his art style to the Flash, working for DC Comics, and more in the full interview.
The artist has also posted several pages of art from today’s Flash #3.
This entry was posted in Creators and tagged Francis Manapul on June 30, 2010 by Kelson.
Thoughts on JMS’ New Wonder Woman Direction
Today, DC released some major Wonder Woman news: a new costume designed by Jim Lee and a new direction for the series as J. Michael Straczynski takes over.
To sum up: Persons unknown have altered Wonder Woman’s history so that Paradise Island was wiped out 20 years ago. Diana has no memory of the original timeline, doesn’t have her full powers yet, and needs to survive, help other refugee Amazons, find out who destroyed Paradise Island and find out whether the timeline can be restored.
All-New, All-Different!
I’m always apprehensive when a new writer picks up an established character and the first thing he does is to remove some key element of the character. Like the Flash’s speed (Geoff Johns’ first Flash story, “Wonderland”). Or Superman’s flight (JMS’ first Superman arc, “Grounded”). I understand it might help the writer get inside the character’s head: what is he or she like without the powers? But it always feels like shoehorning some other idea onto the character. Why did you want to write the Flash if you didn’t want to write about a guy who runs fast?
That said, for all that DC is pushing this as a “new direction,” to me this description reads more like a major story arc. I mean, there’s an end point right there in the description: find out who did it and see if it’s possible to change things back. Given the timing of the comics themselves and the time-travel elements to the story, I suspect this is going to be linked to Flashpoint. [Update: Comics Alliance asked JMS about this and he said it’s not related.]
Retcon Fever
It’s worth comparing to Flash: Rebirth, actually. In both cases, someone within the fictional universe has gone back in time and altered the main character’s history. With Diana, we know before the first issue is out. With Barry Allen, only long-term readers knew anything had been changed to begin with. It wasn’t clear that there was an in-story explanation for it until the miniseries was almost over. Even then, the prospect of undoing the changes was only floated long enough to be dismissed as impossible.
Most importantly: changing Diana’s history drastically alters who she is today. That’s a story. Once you get past the doom-and-gloom Barry of Flash: Rebirth #1-3, the changes to his history don’t seem to have made much difference in the present.
This entry was posted in Other Comics and tagged Barry Allen, Flash: Rebirth, Flashpoint, Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, JMS, Wonder Woman on June 29, 2010 by Kelson.
This Week (June 30): Flash #3, Velocity #1, JLA #46 & More
Part Three of “The Dastardly Deaths of the Rogues” arrives in stores tomorrow.
It may be BRIGHTEST DAY, but when a mysterious group of so-called heroes turns up, another Rogue ends up dead. Plus, the mystery deepens as The Flash witnesses another murder — his own!
Written by GEOFF JOHNS · Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL · 1:10 variant cover by GREG HORN.
On sale JUNE 30 (rescheduled) · 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
DC has a 5-page preview online.
Other Speedy Books
Justice League of America #46 – Start of a JLA/JSA crossover, featuring both Jay Garrick and Jesse Quick…plus a variant cover focusing on Jesse Quick by The Flash artist Francis Manapul.
Justice Society of America #40 featuring Jay Garrick and Liberty Belle.
Teen Titans #84 featuring Kid Flash (Bart Allen)
Velocity #1 – DC isn’t the only publisher with speedster heroes. Velocity from Top Cow’s Cyberforce gets her own solo miniseries. Newsarama has a preview, and I’ve written a review of the issue.
This entry was posted in Out This Week on June 29, 2010 by Kelson.
Flash Jam Sketch
Jesse sent in this photo of an amazing piece of Flash artwork he recently bought:
Here’s how he describes it:
It’s a single board of paper with drawings of the Flash from some of his most notable artists. You’ve got the two main Flash artists from the ’90s: Greg LaRocque (my favorite Flash artist) drew the large picture of Wally on the left, and Mike Wieringo drew one, too! There are also drawings by Pop Mhan and Craig Rousseau. To top it off, Carmine Infantino did the sketch at the top. (I like to think that the 4 drawings are of Wally, with the spirit of Barry looking over, since it’s in a lighter ink.) Oh, and Mark Waid signed the bottom as well. I don’t own a lot of comic art, but even though this was expensive, I jumped at the chance to get it.
It really makes me wonder what the story is behind the fan who originally went around collecting these sketches.
Update: Check out the comments below, where artist Greg LaRocque reveals the secret origin of the sketch!
This entry was posted in General and tagged Art, Barry Allen, Carmine Infantino, Craig Rousseau, Greg LaRocque, Mark Waid, Mike Wieringo, Pop Mhan, Wally West on June 29, 2010 by Kelson.
Speed Reading: Art
Some more weekend linkblogging…
Philip Tan posts an image of Flash and Batman, saying, “What’s This? What’s THIS?! All will be made known soon… Very soon…” (via @SpeedsterSite).
Animation Designer Phillip Bourassa describes JL: Crisis on Two Earths models (via @SpeedsterSite)
That F’ing Monkey shows off a custom Captain Cold Munny figure.
Comics Cosplay Brasil: So that’s where the Flash gets his energy!
The Nerdy Bird shows us some super-hero watercolors.
This entry was posted in Fandom, Round-Ups and tagged Art, Batman, Captain Cold, Cosplay, Crisis on Two Earths, Fan Art, Linkblogging, Philip Tan, Phillip Bourassa on June 27, 2010 by Kelson.
Reddit: /r/theflash
The Fastest Forum Alive
The Brogues
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Making the harder stuff easy
The latest from Seahorse magazine.
The ability to collect data and produce detailed analytical reports used to be for the experts, yet today quantifying every part of our lives and drawing meaningful conclusions is commonplace. From how fast and far we ran, or the calories burned during a cycle ride, to the number of steps we have climbed and even the amount and type of sleep that we are gaining are typical examples.
In recent years, the sailing world has also benefited from the data revolution as modern technology has filtered through to the sport. But now, an innovative new device from Spinlock has not only provided a new stream of data, but takes the logging process onto a new level and looks set to change fundamentally the way in which we will be able to quantify the life cycle of one of the most important parts of the boat, the sails.
Their new product, Sail-Sense, measures the amount of use that a sail has been subjected to. The matchbox sized, solid state, sealed unit is attached to the clew of a sail and records both UV exposure and accelerations to determine how long the sail has been used for, along with how much it has been flogged. In addition, the unit can also determine which tack the sail has been on and for how long, and can therefore log how many tacks were performed over a period of time.
The unit even knows the difference between the kind of flog that results from the leech line going slack against the type of motion that follows when the sheet is let off, all of which helps to create an accurate picture of what is going on and how the sail has been used and abused.
Main picture: the latest product from Spinlock is Sail-Sense, essentially a fitbit for your sails. When attached near to the clew, it is steadily accumulating data about the type and amount of use that that sail is subjected to. It can even distinguish between different types of sail flogging...
The unit also has a thermometer inside and has a battery that will ensure it can record this data for more than five years. The system even displays the sail’s last location making it easier to identify where it is in a jam packed sail locker. The recorded data stays on within the Sail-Sense unit and is transferred to a dedicated app via Bluetooth when connected via a phone or tablet.
But in keeping with so much modern data collection, the benefits go way beyond simple curiosity.
At the most basic level, the hours that a sail has been used will be of benefit to sailing teams in assessing whether a drop in performance can be attributed to a decline in the performance of the sail. But, when combined with other onboard data streams the information could also be used to assess the performance of the crew as well as the boat during, say, a long upwind leg against the tide where hugging the shoreline is the required strategy. How many times did the boat tack? How quick was each tack and how efficient was the speed build out of the tacks?
Until now, such a detailed assessment of a team’s racing performance remained largely a seat of the pants affair for all but well-funded, professional grand prix campaigns. Now this simple and cost effective device brings useful sailing data to a much wider audience.
It’s not just the sailing teams that can benefit from the data. Registering the unit with your sailmaker could enable them to keep tabs on the life cycle of the sail and allow them to suggest alterations or replacements.
‘As the Sail-Sense project has developed, the potential for this device has grown beyond the racing market,’ said Spinlock’s CEO Chris Hill. ‘For charter companies the device helps with asset management, while for the superyacht scene, being able to assess the state of sails that are not easily moved and may be elsewhere in the world could be a big advantage. Given the value of some sail wardrobes, insurance companies have also shown interest.’
The move to data collection is not a new one for Spinlock. The company’s load sensors and tension gauges popularised data recording and management. The Spinlock Rig-Sense tension gauge provided evidence, if any were needed, that older, conventional tension measurement tools were not consistent and that competitive sailors could improve their performance by recording, logging and developing their tuning guides with accurate equipment.
‘Sail-Sense is a starting product, already we are looking how it may integrate into other data systems and other ways the basic functions of the sensor can record other information,’ said James Hall, Spinlock’s sales and marketing manager.
So, as data becomes an increasing part of our lives ashore as the “Fitbit” makes its way into modern parlance, so Sail-Sense could become a ubiquitous term for gathering sail data afloat.
Click here for more information on Spinlock’s Sail-Sense.
From Seahorse: https://seahorsemagazine.com/current-issue/144-content/june-2019/756-making-the-harder-stuff-easy
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Messi renewal? I don't know, says Enrique
Reports in Spain on Friday have said that initial talks have opened between the club and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner over the prospect of extending his deal at Camp Nou.
Barcelona 10 December, 2016 13:08 IST
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique claims he does not dare to predict if Lionel Messi will sign a new contract.
Messi's father, Jorge, is believed to have flown to Barcelona to take part in discussions as he looks to broker a deal that will keep the 29-year-old at the club until 2022 on a wage that will make him the world's best-paid player.
Luis Enrique says any confirmation of an agreement would be a cause for celebration but was reluctant to speculate on whether the talks will be successful.
"It's good news, of course," he told a media conference ahead of Barca's LaLiga game with Osasuna on Saturday.
"I'm quite relaxed about his dad being here. The day that Messi's renewal is announced will be a day to celebrate. At the moment, I don't dare predict if he will renew or not."
Messi's contract is due to expire in 2018 and rumours of a potential transfer elsewhere in Europe have refused to die down in recent months, with Manchester United and Manchester City among the clubs tentatively linked with a bid.
Barca is expected to announce a new contract for Luis Suarez in the coming weeks, having already tied down Sergio Busquets, Javier Mascherano and Neymar.
ICC ODI rankings: Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah consolidate top spots
PBL: Chennai Superstarz makes winning start with 5-2 thumping of Hyderabad Hunters
Australian Open 2020: ’Old school work ethic’ pays off for immaculate Federer
Keshav Maharaj
Russell Domingo
South Africa's Maharaj equals record for most runs scored in one over in Test cricket
Tiripano strikes early to give Zimbabwe edge over Sri Lanka
Ranji Trophy: Manipur folds for 27 as Meghalaya secures innings win
Bangladesh can do well in Pakistan despite security fears: Domingo
Iran clubs to boycott Asian Champions League over hosting row
Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool fans are allowed to dream
Mikel Arteta: Arsenal may not make a January signing
Mark Sampson's racism charge dismissed
ISL 2019-20: ATK 2-0 FC Goa - Talking points
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Thomas Mueller shrugs off the ‘negative surprise’ of national team exclusion
The star says he is putting the disappointment behind him as he prepares for life after Joachim Loew.
Berlin 20 March, 2019 17:21 IST
Thomas Mueller: “It’s important to look forwards, not just in sport, but in life in general.” - AFP
Former Germany star Thomas Mueller has said that he is looking to the future after his exclusion from the national team under coach Joachim Loew. Mueller and his Bayern Munich team-mates Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels were all ruled out of Loew’s future plans in a shock announcement earlier this month.
The coach’s decision to get rid of the three World Cup winners has attracted widespread criticism, but Mueller says he is putting the disappointment behind him as he prepares for life after Loew. “It obviously came as a negative surprise,” Mueller told Sport Bild on Wednesday.
“But it’s important to look forwards, not just in sport, but in life in general,” he admitted.
Germany is set to face Serbia in a friendly on Wednesday before opening its Euro 2020 qualifying campaign against old rival the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Sunday. Last weekend, Mueller admitted that it would be a strange feeling to watch the national team from the sofa.
'More time for wives and families'
“It feels like the first time in my life that I have had an international break,” said Mueller on Sunday after Bayern’s 6-0 rout of Mainz in the Bundesliga. “The three of us now have more time for our wives and families,” he added.
Yet he also insisted that he had not given up hope of playing for Germany again in the future. “What happens in one or two years or at some point down the line will depend on the performances of individual players,” he said.
joachim_loew
Thomas Mueller
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JULIA SANAROVA
SP Director and coach
Julia Sanarova is a former Ukrainian professional gymnast. She spent 17 years in Rhythmic gymnastics studying, competing and training. During this period Julia has showcased her high skill level by achieving “Master of Sport” title for various regional and national awards. In 2003 she won silver of the International Oviedo Cup (Spain). In 2006 Julia became the bronze medalist of the Senior National Championship in the group team category. She also performed as a cheerleader for Ukrainian Super League Basketball Team. Julia currently has three years of college in Sports Management Since moving to the US in 2008 Julia has participated in a number of shows organized and managed by renowned choreographer Jimmy Locust. And at his show “Focus” in April 2012 she has performed a self-choreographed solo.
Member of USA Gymnastics. Member #996645.
U100: Fundamentals of Gymnastics Instruction
U101: Safety & Risk Management Courses.
MARINA DUBROVINA
SP ballet teacher and choreographer
Marina Dubrovina started ballet when she was 5 years old. At 14 yo she used to take classes with professional ballet dancers at Theater of Opera and Ballet in Ufa. After the high school she entered to The Academy of Arts and Culture in Samara. Marina graduated for the Academy with honors earning a degree in choreography and dance teaching. Marina worked in professional theater ‘’Kamernaya scena” and in a show group as a dancer while she was studying at school. She quickly found a job in Center of children’s Arts in Ufa right after the graduation. Marina has a huge experience in working with the kids of different age groups.
Marina also used to create a show for professional dancers, singers, sportsmen, showcase pieces for competitive ballroom dancers. She was a starring choreographer for professional Drama Theater in Ufa, worked as a choreographer-consultant for circus artists and podium models; created a beauty contests. My shows won several awards and my students became successful artists, dancers and models all over the world.
ANNA RYZNER
SP choreographer and coach
Anna Ryzner is a dancer originally from Poland where she grew up training in various styles of dance. Once started her dance journey, for over 15 years she trained in ballet, jazz dance and acrobatics, later developing a strong technical base in show dance.
She has won several solo and team titles and medals for her performances in Poland and Germany. Championship of Poland:1st place and gold medal (category “small formation”) in 2003, 2nd place and silver medal (category “large formation”) in 2001, 3rd place and bronze (individual) in 2002, 3rd place (category “large formation”) in 2004 and 4th place at the Championship of Europe in Germany (category “duo”) in 2003. Before Anna came to US, for four years she was an successful dance studio owner and personal acrobatics trainer.
Anna is a former member of the International Dance Organization (IDO).
Rhythmic Gymnastics became one of her passions since she’ve been involved into junior RG development program. She feels excited to be a part of SP team and share her various experience.
Copyright © 2020 Sporty Princess,
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Introducing...the All Access Pass!
The Town of Strathmore is excited to finally share details surrounding the All Access Pass! For an annual fee, enjoy unlimited access to ALL Town Facilities, including:
Strathmore Motor Products Sports Centre
Family Centre (Arena)
Passes are available for purchase at any Town recreational facility.
Child (3-6) $ 210.00
Youth (7-17) $ 315.00
Adult (18-64) $ 450.00
Senior (65+) $ 315.00
Family (2 Adult, 2 Youth/Child) $ 900.00
Special Needs $ 315.00
Q: What are the benefits to having an All Access Pass?
A: Having an All Access Pass provides unlimited access to ALL Town Recreational Facilities at an single, annual cost, instead of paying per use. Plus, free upgrades for Aquatic and Sports Centre Annual Memberships that have been purchased in 2019, excluding Family Centre Memberships.
Q: Where can I purchase an All Access Pass?
A: All Access Passes are available for purchase at any Town Facility.
Q: What is the cost of an All Access Pass?
A: Costs may vary depending on age. See Chart below:
Please note that the All Access Pass is not inclusive of any Facility or Equipment rentals.
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MacLeod, Alexander and Noble, Adam and Jaroszynski, Dino (2019) Cherenkov radiation from the quantum vacuum. Physical Review Letters, 122 (16). 161601. ISSN 0031-9007
Yoffe, Samuel R. and Ersfeld, Bernhard and Tooley, Matthew P. and Noble, Adam and Fraser, Ross and Jaroszynski, Dino A. (2019) Controlled generation of ultra-short electron bunches using density modulation. In: Relativistic Plasma Waves and Particle Beams as Coherent and Incoherent Radiation Sources III - Proceedings. SPIE, CZE. ISBN 9781510627383
Kornaszewski, Andrzej and Spesyvtsev, Roman and Shahzad, Mohammed and Brunetti, Enrico and Wachulak, Przemysław W. and Fok, Tomasz and Węgrzyński, Łukasz and Battaglia, Giorgio and Ersfeld, Bernhard and Feehan, James and Inigo Gamiz, Lucas Ivan and Kokurewicz, Karolina and Li, Wentao and Maitrallain, Antoine and Noble, Adam and Reid, Lewis and Tooley, Matthew and Vieux, Gregory and Wiggins, Samuel and Yoffe, Samuel and Fiedorowicz, Henryk and Jaroszynski, Dino (2019) Plasma density shaping for attosecond electron bunch generation. In: Relativistic Plasma Waves and Particle Beams as Coherent and Incoherent Radiation Sources III - Proceedings. SPIE, CZE. ISBN 9781510627383
Hur, M. S. and Song, H. S. and Kwon, K. B. and Kang, T. and Ersfeld, B. and Noble, A. and Jaroszynski, D. A. (2019) Radiation emission from plasma oscillation. Proceedings of SPIE, 11036. ISSN 0277-786X
Jaroszynski, D.A. and Anania, M. P. and Aniculaesei, C. and Battaglia, G. and Brunetti, E. and Chen, S. and Cipiccia, S. and Ersfeld, B. and Reboredo Gil, D. and Grant, D.W. and Grant, P. and Hur, M.S. and Inigo Gamiz, L.I. and Kang, T. and Kokurewicz, K. and Kornaszewski, A. and Li, W. and Maitrallain, A. and Manahan, G.G. and Noble, A. and Reid, L.R. and Shahzad, M. and Spesyvtsev, R. and Subiel, A. and Tooley, M.P. and Vieux, G. and Wiggins, S.M. and Welsh, G.H. and Yoffe, S.R. and Yang, X. (2019) Compact radiation sources based on laser-driven plasma waves. In: XXII International Symposium on High Power Laser Systems and Applications. SPIE, Bellingham, WA. ISBN 9781510627512
Burton, David A and Noble, Adam (2018) Plasma-based wakefield accelerators as sources of axion-like particles. New Journal of Physics, 20. 033022. ISSN 1367-2630
MacLeod, Alexander and Noble, Adam (2017) Non-linear electrodynamics : a classical view of the quantum vacuum. In: 2017 Christmas Meeting of the High Power Laser Community, 2017-12-18 - 2017-12-20.
MacLeod, Alexander J. and Noble, Adam (2017) On the energy-momentum of light : an all optical view of the Abraham-Minkowski controversy. In: 2nd Conference on Extremely High Intensity Laser Physics, 2017-09-05 - 2017-09-08, Instituto Superior Tecnico.
Tooley, M. P. and Ersfeld, B. and Yoffe, S. R. and Noble, A. and Brunetti, E. and Sheng, Z. M. and Islam, M. R. and Jaroszynski, D. A. (2017) Towards attosecond high-energy electron bunches : controlling self-injection in laser wakefield accelerators through plasma density modulation. Phys. Rev. Lett., 119. 044801. ISSN 0031-9007
Yoffe, Samuel and Noble, Adam and MacLeod, Alexander J. and Jaroszynski, Dino A. (2017) Electron beam cooling in intense focussed laser pulses. In: Relativistic Plasma Waves and Particle Beams as Coherent and Incoherent Radiation Sources II. Proceedings of SPIE . Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), CZE. ISBN 9781510609693
Burton, D. A. and Cairns, R. A. and Ersfeld, B. and Noble, A. and Yoffe, S. and Jaroszynski, D. A. (2017) Observations on the ponderomotive force. In: Relativistic Plasma Waves and Particle Beams as Coherent and Incoherent Radiation Sources II. Proceedings of SPIE . Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), CZE. ISBN 9781510609693
MacLeod, Alexander J. and Noble, Adam and Jaroszynski, Dino A. (2017) On the energy-momentum tensor of light in strong fields : an all optical view of the Abraham-Minkowski controversy. In: Relativistic Plasma Waves and Particle Beams as Coherent and Incoherent Radiation Sources II. Proceedings of SPIE . Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), CZE. ISBN 9781510609693
Hur, M. S. and Ersfeld, B. and Noble, A. and Suk, H. and Jaroszynski, D. A. (2017) Increased impedance near cut-off in plasma-like media leading to emission of high-power, narrow-bandwidth radiation. Scientific Reports, 7. pp. 1-9. 40034. ISSN 2045-2322
Burton, D A and Noble, A and Walton, T J (2016) Axionic suppression of plasma wakefield acceleration. Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical, 49 (38). 385501. ISSN 1751-8113
Capdessus, Rémi and Noble, Adam and McKenna, Paul and Jaroszynski, Dino A. (2016) Erratum : Role of momentum and velocity for radiating electrons (Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology (2016) 93 (045034)). Physical Review D, 93 (8). 089908. ISSN 1550-2368
Capdessus, Remi and Noble, Adam and Mckenna, Paul and Jaroszynski, Dino (2016) Role of momentum and velocity for radiating electrons. Physical Review D, 93. 045034. ISSN 1550-2368
Yoffe, S. R. and Noble, A. and Macleod, A. J. and Jaroszynski, D. A. (2016) Cooling of relativistic electron beams in intense laser pulses : chirps and radiation. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment. ISSN 0168-9002
Islam, M R and Brunetti, E and Shanks, R P and Ersfeld, B and Issac, R C and Cipiccia, S and Anania, M P and Welsh, G H and Wiggins, S M and Noble, A and Cairns, R A and Raj, G and Jaroszynski, D A (2015) Near-threshold electron injection in the laser-plasma wakefield accelerator leading to femtosecond bunches. New Journal of Physics, 17. 093033. ISSN 1367-2630
Jaroszynski, D.A. and Ersfeld, B. and Islam, M.R. and Brunetti, E. and Shanks, R.P. and Grant, P.A. and Tooley, M.P. and Grant, D.W. and Reboredo Gil, D. and Lepipas, P. and McKendrick, G. and Cipiccia, S. and Wiggins, S.M. and Welsh, G.H. and Vieux, G. and Chen, S. and Aniculaesei, C. and Manahan, G.G. and Anania, M-P and Noble, A. and Yoffe, S.R. and Raj, G. and Subiel, A. and Yang, X. and Sheng, Z.M. and Hidding, B. and Issac, R.C. and Cho, M-H. and Hur, M.S. (2015) Coherent radiation sources based on laser driven plasma waves. In: 2015 40th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz waves (IRMMW-THz). IEEE, pp. 1-4. ISBN 978-1-4799-8272-1
Yoffe, Samuel R and Kravets, Yevgen and Noble, Adam and Jaroszynski, Dino A (2015) Longitudinal and transverse cooling of relativistic electron beams in intense laser pulses. New Journal of Physics, 17 (5). pp. 1-13. 053025. ISSN 1367-2630
Yoffe, Samuel R. and Noble, Adam and Kravets, Yevgen and Jaroszynski, Dino A. (2015) Cooling of relativistic electron beams in chirped laser pulses. In: SPIE Optics + Optoelectronics: Relativistic Plasma Waves and Particle Beams as Coherent and Incoherent Radiation Sources, 2015-04-13 - 2015-04-16.
Yoffe, S. R. and Noble, A. and Kravets, Y. and MacLeod, Alexander and Jaroszynski, D. A. (2014) Cooling of relativistic electron beams in intense laser pulses. In: Christmas HPL Science Community Meeting 2014, 2014-12-15 - 2014-12-17, The Guild Hall.
Burton, David and Noble, Adam (2014) On the entropy of radiation reaction. Physics Letters A, 378 (14-15). pp. 1031-1035. ISSN 0375-9601
Burton, David A. and Noble, Adam (2014) Aspects of electromagnetic radiation reaction in strong fields. Contemporary Physics, 55 (2). pp. 110-121. ISSN 0010-7514
Kravets, Yevgen and Noble, Adam and Jaroszynski, Dino (2013) Radiation reaction effects on the interaction of an electron with an intense laser pulse. Physical Review E, 88 (1). 011201(R). ISSN 1539-3755
Kravets, Yevgen and Noble, Adam and Jaroszynski, Dino (2013) Energy losses due to radiation reaction in an intense laser pulse. Proceedings of SPIE, 8779. ISSN 0277-786X
Burton, David and Carr, Anthony and Gratus, Jonathan and Noble, Adam (2013) The radiative self-force and charged fluids. Proceedings of SPIE, 8779. ISSN 0277-786X
Noble, Adam and Burton, David and Gratus, Jonathan and Jaroszynski, Dino (2013) A kinetic model of radiating electrons. Journal of Mathematical Physics, 54 (4). 043101. ISSN 0022-2488
Noble, Adam and Burton, David (2011) A linear collision operator for relativistic plasmas. Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical, 44 (14). 145502. ISSN 0305-4470
Noble, Adam and Jaroszynski, Dino and Gratus, Jonathan and Burton, David (2011) Kinetic theory of radiation reaction. In: Central Laser Facility Annual Report 2010-2011. Central Laser Facility, p. 28. ISBN 978-0-9556616-7-9
Burton, David and Noble, Adam (2010) Longitudinal wave-breaking limits in a unified geometric model of relativistic warm plasmas. Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical, 43 (7). 075502. ISSN 0305-4470
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How Studio Science Helps High Alpha Dream Big, Expect More and Move Fast
High Alpha turns to Studio Science to graft design into their business strategy and product development process.
Insight Generation
Innovation Consulting
High Alpha is a venture studio that conceives, launches and scales next-generation enterprise cloud companies. The founding partners, including three former Salesforce executives and Studio Science founder, Kristian Andersen, bring decades of startup, scale-up and enterprise experience to the art and science of company building.
Bringing a deep appreciation for the role of design in creating successful businesses, High Alpha engaged Studio Science to serve as their design agency of record.
Great design, which used to be a unique differentiator, is now a non-negotiable hallmark of any successful product company.
However, many young companies struggle with fully integrating design into their processes, particularly at the early stages in their maturation. Often times, the value of design as a methodology is understood, but difficult to practically implement, due to staffing, financial and resourcing constraints.
High Alpha’s desire was to move beyond the traditional agency / client relationship, and to embed a team of dedicated Studio Science designers directly into High Alpha, as well as into their rapidly growing list of portfolio companies.
High Alpha’s core values are: Dream Big, Expect More and Move Fast. Partnering with Studio Science allows us to live into these values, by providing an experienced and committed team of world-class design talent quickly and at scale. It’s been a key element of our early success and we are eager to continue to lean into our design-driven philosophy.
Kristian Andersen, Partner High Alpha at High Alpha
Studio Science team members have deep experience across a range of disciplines, including User Experience design, User Interface design, web design / development, and brand and identity design. This range of experience allows the Studio Science designers embedded within High Alpha to directly influence the development of new businesses across a variety of industries and growth stages.
From developing customer personas, brand identity, pitch and sales materials and minimally viable product prototypes, to partnering with product engineers to design and develop the fully functional product—our designers are an essential part of High Alpha’s business creation process.
Studio Science has worked with High Alpha since its inception in the Spring of 2015. We’ve played a pivotal role in the launch 8 net new businesses that have gone on to raise tens of millions of dollars in funding and create hundred of new jobs in downtown Indianapolis.
We are thrilled to partner with High Alpha and look forward to continuing to support the launch of the next generation of enterprise software companies.
Uncovering product differentiation and vision
Connecting and Empowering Employees To Do Their Best Work
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Neanderthal Center, 2010
The transition from cave dwelling to the primitive cabin, during the Mousterian period more than 40,000 years ago, marked the historic origin of Architecture. Taking this event as its reference point, the Neanderthal Center of Piloña aims to be the constructed expression or the architectural representation of that very transcendent moment for Humanity, and not merely a container for contents.
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Neanderthal Center
Piloña. Spain | 2010
Government of the Principality of Asturias
The transition from cave dwelling to the primitive cabin, during the Mousterian period more than 40,000 years ago, marked the historic origin of Architecture. Taking this event as its reference point, the Neanderthal Center of Piloña aims to be the constructed expression or the architectural representation of that very transcendent moment for Humanity, and not merely a container for contents. The proposed architecture presents itself, therefore, as the synthesis of two ways of understanding construction: a tectonic shell, as if it were a textile cover –a hut–; but materialized with concrete in an effort to achieve a stereotomic or telluric appearance –a cave–. Therefore, the Neanderthal Center aspires to be the very recreation of the inhabited underground space and the primitive hut.
The geometry of the site and the natural surroundings give form to the previous idea. The morphological outcome is a building whose program is primarily below ground level and manifests itself to the exterior as a large rock formed by slanted triangular planes. Multiple imaginative resonances appear: the building not only reflects the concept of cave beneath the mountain, but also a large stone tool made of flint, or the distant but present outline of the Cantabrian Mountains, visible from the place and surroundings.
The programmatic arrangement is versatile and qualifies the cave’s spaces for the uses required by the museum project and complementary necessities. Following a descending entrance, one crosses the threshold of the Center to enter the welcome area. This lobby separates the building into two clearly defined areas. The exhibition area is on the right beneath a multifaceted vault, divided into two rooms for permanent and temporary collections. While both rooms operate independently, at any given time they can join to better accommodate staging or additional exhibits. The remaining utility rooms are located to the left of the lobby.
2019201820172016 Creación
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Where to?General Business Literacy Arts Health Protection Athletic Government Judicial Press Release
Home » General » Four breaches of cessation of hostilities observed, “ISIS” and “Free Army” have contacts
Four breaches of cessation of hostilities observed, “ISIS” and “Free Army” have contacts
General June 4, 2016 Four breaches of cessation of hostilities observed, “ISIS” and “Free Army” have contacts2016-06-09T07:55:52+00:00
Lattakia,– Terrorist groups breached the cessation of hostilities agreement in Syria four times in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of breaches to 616 since the agreement came into effect on 27 February, the Russian Coordination Center said.
The center, based in Hmeimim airbase, added in a statement on Friday that terrorists of the so-called Jaish al-Islam targeted Syrian army positions with mortar shells in the towns of Harasta and Erbeen as well as the neighborhood of Jobar in Damascus countryside.
The center said that the cessation of hostilities agreement is holding in most Syrian areas where the towns which have joined the cessation of hostilities agreement reached 132.
It pointed out that Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists continue attempts to foil the agreement, as they targeted the neighborhoods of al-Muhafaza, al-Zahraa and Sheikh Maqsoud in Aleppo city with mortar rounds and rocket launchers, in addition to a number of towns in the provinces of Idleb, Lattakia, Hama, Homs, and Damascus.
The Russian center stated that some 200 terrorists of Al-Nusra crossed the border into Syria from Turkey via Bison crossing center indicating the continuous build up of Al-Nusra terrorists at the vicinity of Binesh town in Idleb province where about a thousand terrorists are gathered equipped with heavy machineguns and around 35 rocket launchers.
Locals reported that terrorists confiscate food supplies from Binesh residents and take them to Khan Touman town in Aleppo province.
Locals of Maraya town in the countryside of Aleppo report that what is called “Free Army” individuals move freely among ISIS positioned towns and check points, the Russian center said, adding that such information affirm that ISIS and Free Army affiliated groups are in contact.
The Center pointed out that the Russian air forces destroyed during the past 24 hours four facilities for illegal oil exploration in the vicinity of Al-Raqqa city.
https://syrianewsgazette.com/four-breaches-of-cessation-of-hostilities-observed-isis-and-free-army-have-contacts/ 2016-06-09T07:55:52+00:00 syadminGeneral
Lattakia,– Terrorist groups breached the cessation of hostilities agreement in Syria four times in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of breaches to 616 since the agreement came into effect on 27 February, the Russian Coordination Center said. The center, based in Hmeimim airbase, added in a statement...
rasheedhassan@asianetpakistan.netAdministratorSyria News Gazette
Pompeo Promises More Action to Boost Venezuela’s Guaido
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the Untied States will start doing more to support Venezuela's opposition leader and self-proclaimed president, Juan and Guaido met with reporters Monday...
Aleppo/Idleb, For the eighth day in a row, terrorist organizations in Idleb countryside and Aleppo southern countryside prevented civilians from exiting to safe areas through humanitarian corridors in Abu...
Prague, Head of the Czech Parliamentary Committee for Friendship with Syria Stanislav Grospic called for lifting unilateral coercive economic measures imposed on a statement to SANA reporter in...
World Leaders Agree to Back Away From Interfering in Libya
World leaders agreed Sunday to respect an arms embargo and back off from interfering in Libya, where forces from two rival governments are fighting for world leaders along...
Despite Cease-Fire, Clashes Continue in Syria’s Idlib
WASHINGTON - Fierce clashes continued Sunday between Syrian government forces and rebel fighters in the northwestern province of Idlib, despite a cease-fire brokered last week by Russia and ...
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UN: Humanitarian Situation in Syria Continues to Deteriorate
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In this competitive news industry where dominating the industry is not an easy task for any news website, the “Syria News Gazette” has succeeded in it as it has always ....
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Last updated: Jan 8th, 2019
This is the Privacy Policy of VHX Corporation (for the purposes hereof, “Vimeo,” “we” or “us”), a subsidiary of Vimeo, Inc. Vimeo provides an online video service (the “Vimeo OTT” or “our service”) that allows video content owners and licensors (each a “Producer”) to offer their video programs (each a “Program”) for sale to consumers via Producer websites and applications (each a “Producer Site” or “Producer App,” respectively) that Vimeo powers.
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Through A Strained Fence
Talking Through Faith, Life, Theology & Culture in Rural Australia
Simply Awe-Full
February 24, 2017 February 24, 2017 / simonhansford / Leave a comment
When I moved from one of my earlier Congregations, one of the young men gave me a wooden box he had made. It is beautiful and sits in my study, holding letters, cards and photos which are particularly significant. Both the gift from Boothy and its contents are precious, holding memories which are valuable beyond the material.
For me, when difficult days arise, there are strength and comfort in those stories, many of which hold value only to a few, and some, only to me.
I was thinking about the moments in my life when I have experienced wonder, which is more than excitement. There is a tinge – for me – bordering on fear, as well as the awe accompanying the moment.
I remember the two spans of staircase, into the dark, at my grandparents’ home in Sydney. For a five year old it was an unnerving climb past a tall, translucent window, arriving at a hall which I remember being impossibly long and equally dark.
I have stood at Uluru, as rain cascaded down its impervious face, and been whipped by wintry rain at Kata Tjuta, feeling fearful and awe-full altogether.
It was similar to our pilgrimage to, then arrival above, Machu Picchu at sunrise. We tried in vain to comprehend the scope of beauty, crafted by mortal and immortal hands.
I recall lying in the Pattinsons’ front paddock, just shy of midnight, and being drawn, almost hypnotically, into “the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars”.
Despite these scanty sentences, these frail attempts, words are insufficient for the feelings they invoke in me; and Boothy’s wooden box, despite its value, cannot hold them.
What wonder then, in our encounter with the living God? Matthew, Mark and Luke have tried to shape words to articulate the disciples’ wonder, of beholding Jesus’ glory, with characters of old, words from the clouds and light beyond measure.
What wonders have we beheld and find hard to frame, to contain? What blessing of peace, or word of forgiveness, or moment of grace, or anointing of hope have we received? What touch of healing? What voice in our heart, or in our hearing, where God has said yes to us, offering life?
Each of us knows that moment, however distant, even discounted, where we met with the wonder of God. It may simply have been the prayer, or the song, where we knew ourselves loved, more than any verse, sermon or companion could hold.
Each of these is a story worth remembering, and worth the telling. God with us, providing direction for our lives and companionship for the road, even to its ending. And beyond.
Get up, and do not be afraid.
Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Perhaps that is how Jesus might have phrased part of his Sermon on the Mount, if he was an African American in the sixties in the United States of America.
“An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind”, is a phrase attributed to Ghandi and certainly seems to comply with his understanding, both of violence and of the world.
Both these men acted within communities and circumstances of violence, as Ghandi sought to establish freedom from the yoke of foreign empire and Dr King sought freedom from the injustice of the empire into which he was born.
When they speak, much of what they say resonates with the words of Jesus, as he implores and challenges his followers to lives which are more. The resonance is not simply the radical wisdom they each offer, but the context in which they offer it. The violence of empire taints the lives of King and Ghandi, and colours the context for every word and action of Jesus.
Retaliation is one thing when you are talking to your children about how to play together, but another when a soldier beats your child for being in their path. The marks of a broken community under the empire’s fist are everywhere: corrupt tax officials taking the jacket off your back and Roman soldiers conscripting your back to carry their goods. Beggars abound, forced by poverty into brazenness and despair.
Jesus calls them, and now us, to more. Walk further with the pack; offer your shirt; be generous, even when it’s hard.
And, by the way, love your enemies and pray for them. Jesus calls us to be extraordinary, because being ordinary means that we end up blind and toothless. Jesus asks us to be perfect, in love and in service, but that is simply too much to ask, is it not?
This is, however, our call. We know the consequences of walking the accepted path – darkness awaits. So we will choose light, the light found in Jesus, who turned his cheek to the violence and lost his clothes to the soldiers and carried his cross as far as he could and loved his enemies at every step – priests and Pilate and Herod and executioners.
Jesus (and King and Ghandi) hasn’t crafted some maxims with which to inspire contemplation and mindfulness. This is about living an alternative life, as citizens in a God’s empire of justice and hope. We will travel this journey together, with Jesus’ light, with the Spirit’s song within us, and with each other for company and grace.
The Second Coming | W.B. Yeats
February 11, 2017 December 3, 2018 / simonhansford / Leave a comment
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
February 9, 2017 February 9, 2017 / simonhansford / Leave a comment
I had a rugby coach at school who was fond of saying, “Practice doesn’t make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect.”
He was the kind of coach who asked more of us, in training and on the paddock. It was not sufficient to say we had done passing drills, or tackling practice; had we done it correctly? Were we better as a result? When we played on the weekend, would we be able to replicate what we had trained?
Perhaps the key to his coaching – for all of us schoolkids – was that he had played for the Wallabies, so it was more than theory. He had seen this stuff work.
Many of us remember the teacher, the parent, the mentor, who asked (even demanded) more of us, whether it was at Girl Guides, or in our home, or learning the clarinet. It was often difficult, sometimes unpleasant, but when we found our courage and our way, we saw where we were being encouraged to go.
Our coach required more of us because he saw more in us.
The wonder of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount begins to fade when Jesus moves from blessing to rigour. Almost everyone we know remembers one, or more, of the blessings, but how many of us willingly remember – and recite – about calling people fools, or the self-imposed discipline of a promise made?
I can honestly say that I have never murdered anyone, and I would expect most of my friends can say the same. But anger and insult? More than that, how often have I deliberately put aside the things which “needed to be done” and found my way back to someone to ask their forgiveness and be reconciled?
My bible’s editors placed a series of headings in this part of Jesus’ sermon, “concerning anger”, “concerning adultery”, “concerning divorce”, as if this is about a series of structured laws, rather than the integrity of our character and the promises we make. Most relationships are wonderful, difficult, fulfilling, awkward and occasionally, boring. How we live together as friends, family, partners and spouses is more than a series of behaviours; it’s our ability to care, serve and forgive – and ask forgiveness – which is the measure of who we are together.
Jesus invites all of his disciples, throughout history, to more. It’s not simply about the power (failure) of a man to cast aside his wife when his gaze is drawn elsewhere, it’s about remembering the coven ant made of love and commitment – and reconciliation. Much of Jesus’ language in this small section is focused upon men, but we can draw a wider net in which to gather all of us.
It is insufficient to say blandly, “According to the Law, I have not sinned”. Jesus’ fulfilment of that Law calls us to more; to living creatively, to honouring our covenants, to restoring and renewing relationships, to a perfect practice.
This is hard, it requires discipline. We need each other. And we need the hope of God’s promise, the grace of Jesus’ example and the Spirit’s company for each step.
Adding Flavour
It seems like he’s everywhere. When the radio – any station – comes on, or when you flick past any number of websites, or when you don’t move fast enough to change the channel as the news commentary appears on the television.
Donald Trump is ubiquitous.
I have a confident suspicion that he loves it like that, even when the commentary is critical, or the images are poor. “There is only one thing worse than being talked about and that is not being talked about,” Oscar Wilde archly reminds us.
I’m already tired, because it isn’t only since the inauguration, it was the eighteen months beforehand of campaign and criticism and commentary and cheer squads. Mr Trump is on our news more than our news is.
In case you missed it (ironic smile), Christians across the full spectrum of the church have been offering opinions about all aspects of the new President, arguing to and fro, creating a lot of heat and not a lot of light.
As disciples, it’s appropriate to have our judgments informed by our faith in Jesus and to act accordingly. We are, however, called to more than commentary.
After blessings of last week, for the broken and the heralds in the kingdom of God, Jesus’ calls each of us to more. I have an opinion about many issues in the world, and it’s possible a few of them are even worth considering, but my discipleship asks me how I will act to bring the flavour of God into people’s lives and the light of God’s hope into people’s darkness.
What does the salt and light taste and look like? Jesus spells it out, so that we are without excuse. What can I do, or say, that will help people look towards the God who loves and forgives?
What might I offer someone when they are spewing hatred on the internet, or in the street, which casts hope into the violence in their heart?
What can I say in a conservation which makes peace – creating justice, finding hope, discovering a way forward? When I consider Jesus, I find creative responses to the issues of our lives: live rightly; be reconciled to those around you; value people as more than objects; consider the integrity of the promises you make; r estore, endure, embrace. Love.
It’s much easier to type a (clever/witty/acerbic/destructive) response on a Facebook thread than to love your enemy, or to have integrity in your own life. We can be clever and cynical at a barbecue about how badly the world is going.
We are not called to commentary, we’re called to follow Jesus. To whom can you offer forgiveness, or from whom can you seek it? Which enemy might you endure, or even welcome? What stranger might you embrace?
In the face of our fearful, violent age, what hope might we offer in the way we live? We live this way, not despite the world, but because of Jesus.
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Graham Perry | Presbytery Minister
Creativity and Spirituality with Joel McKerrow
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N3TWORK Partners with The Tetris Company to Exclusively Develop and Publish Innovative New Tetris Games for Mobile Devices
Posted June 28, 2019 8:00 AM , Official Press Release
In News Press
Tetris Royale, the Debut Title in the Multi-year Agreement, Introduces a New Era in Mobile Gaming for the Globally Beloved Franchise
JUNE 28 - SAN FRANCISCO - N3TWORK, a premier games, media, and technology company, has partnered with The Tetris Company, Inc., to exclusively develop and publish new Tetris® games built from the ground up for mobile devices worldwide, excluding China. The multi-year agreement will leverage N3TWORK’s expertise in game design and publishing to create fresh Tetris experiences that harness the global popularity of the iconic franchise. Tetris® Royale, N3TWORK’s debut title in the partnership, is a fast and fun Tetris game with large-scale friendly competition at its core.
“Tetris is a timeless pop culture icon that has shaped the history of videogames and is truly loved around the world,” said Neil Young, founder and CEO of N3TWORK. “Our team at N3TWORK is inspired to partner with this incredible brand and create new ways for millions of mobile game players around the world to play, compete and enjoy Tetris at an unprecedented scale.”
The foundation of Tetris Royale is built on the core gameplay experience of Tetris, rotating and moving a procession of Tetriminos down the Matrix to clear lines by completing horizontal rows. Tetris Royale will feature a variety of game modes, from the hallmark 100-player Tetris Royale mode to massive daily competitions of thousands of players to solo Marathon mode where players can hone their Tetris skills.
“Fans across the globe love playing Tetris on their mobile devices, which is why we’re pleased to join forces with N3TWORK to introduce new games that will push the Tetris gameplay experience to whole new levels of competitive fun,” said Maya Rogers, President and CEO of Blue Planet Software, the sole agent for the Tetris brand. “Tetris Royale is just the start, and one that we think players will really enjoy. We look forward to letting the battles begin.”
The Tetris Royale mode is a 100-player competitive mode where players will battle their way to the top of the leaderboards every season. Players will have the ability to complete daily challenges while competing in the Tetris Royale mode to earn rewards including customization options as well as power-ups and boosters that can be used in battle.
Tetris Royale is currently in development for iPhone and iPad and Android devices and will be available in select territories for beta testing in 2019. For more information on Tetris Royale please follow N3TWORK on Twitter and Medium or visit https://n3twork.com/
About N3TWORK
N3TWORK is a new type of games, media, and technology company at the intersection of entertainment, games and community. N3TWORK has raised strategic investments from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Floodgate, Eniac Ventures and Table Management. The company’s flagship title Legendary: Game of Heroes, an innovative mobile fantasy puzzle RPG, has established new standards in live service and community engagement. In addition, N3TWORK’s Scale Platform was announced in 2019 and will provide mobile app developers an opportunity to scale their businesses by providing user acquisition technology, expertise and capital. For more information on N3TWORK visit: https://n3twork.com/
About the Tetris® Brand
The Tetris® brand is one of the leading and most distinctive video game brands and franchises in the world. Now celebrating its 35th anniversary year, the brand continues to be loved globally by people of all ages and all cultures. Billions of Tetris games are played online every year, and over 500 million Tetris mobile games have been downloaded to date. The Tetris brand’s global licensee network includes major video game publishers, including Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and Sega, as well as many partners in electronics, toys, apparel, lifestyle goods, entertainment and more. Tetris Holding, LLC, is the owner of Tetris rights worldwide, and The Tetris Company, Inc. is its exclusive licensee. For the latest information about the Tetris brand and Tetris products, please visit www.tetris.com
Become a fan of Tetris on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Tetris) and follow Tetris on Twitter (@Tetris_Official) and Instagram (@Tetris_Official).
All copyrights, trademarks, logos and brands are property of their respective owners.
Sibel Sunar
fortyseven communications (for N3TWORK)
Carol Rogalski
Zebra Partners (for the Tetris brand)
Fun Facts By the Numbers History of Tetris Bios Brand Assets
For all press related inquiries, please contact:
Zebra Partners
Andrea Piotraszewski
December 11, 2019 6:00 AM , Official Press Release
November 18, 2019 8:30 AM , Official Press Release
October 20, 2019 9:45 PM , Official Press Release
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March 20, 2014 March 20, 2014 wawaneyLeave a Comment on Mai Ziadeh: Contoh Kasus “Cantik Itu Luka”
Mai Ziadeh: Contoh Kasus “Cantik Itu Luka”
Disclaimer: Sebenarnya tulisan singkat ini adalah salah satu tugas bikin lema ensiklopedia tentang penulis perempuan Arab. Tapi, mengingat ketenaran Khalil Gibran (atau Kahlil Gibran) di Indonesia, dan pernah diterjemahkannya buku surat cinta Gibran kepada Mai Ziadeh, maka saya pikir perlu juga dishare di sini, meskipun belum sempat saya terjemahkan. Semoga yang saya pelajari juga bisa jadi bahan belajar orang lain:
Mai Ziadeh (1886 – 1941). Mai Ziadeh was born in Palestine to a Lebanese teacher and a well-educated Palestinian mother. As a young girl, she went to a Roman Catholic convent in Lebanon where she learned to speak French. With her family, teenage Ziadeh moved to Egypt where her father eventually acquired a newspaper company called Al-Mahrousa. Her love for poetry was accommodated by her father’s newspaper company and the intellectual circle that came with it. In 1913, this same newspaper published Ziadeh’s first article in Arabic, in which she espouses her concerns for the emancipation of women. Around this time, Ziadeh published her poems in French under the pseudonym “Isis Copia.” While Ziadeh had the competence to speak and write in several languages, including French and Italian, her later intellectual career saw her increased used of mostly Arabic in her literary works.
Turn of the century Egypt gave her the much-needed intellectual atmosphere thanks the presence of writers, journalists and men-of-letters from throughout the Arab World who migrated to Egypt. The dynamic intellectual and literary zeitgeist is now known as Al-Nahda or the cultural renaissance. Ziadeh started a literary salon that hosted discussions which included the likes of Taha Husayn, Abbas el-Akkad, as well as a number of scholars from the Azhar University. This wide range of audience suggests the tolerant atmosphere of this circle, which Antje Ziegler ascribes to Ziadeh’s being “a woman and Syrian-Christian immigrant in Egyptian-Muslim society [who] … was strongly dependent on integration and throughout her life and throughout her life advocated the reconciliation of conflicting views” (Ziegler 115). Her active role among the literati is complemented with the articles that she published in various newspapers and magazines in, among others, Egypt, Lebanon, and Italy.
While she was a prominent figure among the Nahda generation of Arab authors, albeit as “the lady” of the cultural scene, her popularity in the West was mostly due to her association with the immigrant Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran. According to Khalil Gibran’s biography Khalil Gibran, the Man and His World, Ziadeh’s relationship with the poet started sometime in 1913 after the publication of the poet’s book The Broken Wings in 1913. Khalil Gibran admired Ziadeh’s intellectual prowess when she sent him a thorough critique of Gibran’s later work. While they never physically met, Ziadeh’s and Gibran’s relationship was undoubtedly special; Gibran describes this relationship as “stronger than blood and racial bond … [that] can exist between two people who have never been together in the past and in the present and whom the future will not bring together” (Gibran and Gibran 368). Indeed they never really met in person throughout their 19 years correspondence. The letters from Gibran were later published through the translation of editing work of Suheil Bushrui and Salma Haffar al-Kuzbari in Love Letters: The Love Letter of Khalil Gibran and Mai Ziadah. When later in life Mai Ziadeh was sent to a mental hospital by her cousin, it was rumored that “she lost control when her love letters to Gibran were stolen” (Samman).
Ghada Samman, in “The Victim of Beauty: Reviving the Literary Legacy of Mai Ziadeh,” highlights Ziadeh’s suffering from the harmful admiration and lack of appreciation from male literary figures who were members of her literary circle. Citing Abbas el-Akkad as a “typical example” of how Ziadeh’s male contemporaries saw her, Samman puts an emphasis on how “[el-Akkad] wrote of her elegance and beauty, yet overlooked her significance in the literary movement.” Samman sees this as an instance of “a renunciation … of all women writers capable of rising to the standard of men.” Another instance of this attitude, as Samman finds, is lines from a poem by Ismail Sabri, himself also a member of Ziadeh’s literary salon: “If I do not delight my eyes by Mai, I will deny your morning, O Tuesday.” This ironic lack of appreciation from what was supposed to be Ziadeh’s audience tells a lot about her attachment to Gibran. Instead of receiving her due respect as a writer and thinker, she was dubbed the “Bride of Feminine Literature.”
It was only later that Ziyadeh’s works saw the light of day and enjoyed appreciation. Antje Ziegler narrates the re-discovery of Ziadeh’s works which started half a century after the tragic end of Ziyadeh’s life. Kuzbari collected her scattered works in a “Complete Works of May Ziyadeh.” Kuzbari was also credited for dispelling “the tale of [May Ziadeh’s] insanity” through her perusal of documents and facts such as reports from Ziadeh’s doctor and the fact that she still published during her stay in the mental hospital. Joseph Zeydan of Ohio State University edited Ziadeh’s works. Zeigler points out that “with the late rediscovery of Mayy Ziyada’s works, creative power seems to finally triumph over the power of myths” and she relates this rediscovery to the tendency among the Arab intellectual the “recall the liberal-secular concepts of the nahda in the face of the spreading Islamist ideology” in the 1980s (15).
Google search engine, in its frequently modified logo in commemoration of holidays and events (popularly known as Google Doodle), displayed a Mai Ziadeh edition in February 2012 to commemorate her 126th birthday. Interestingly, the logo was tagged “thinking, birthday, literature, writer.” Her popularity in the English-speaking world was mostly associated with her intellectually erotic relationship with Khalil Gibran. None of Mai Ziadeh’s full collections of works have been translated into English.
____, “The Mirror of Mai.” Al-Ahram Weekly. No. 451. 14 – 20 October 1999. Web. 14 Mar 2014.
Ghada al-Samman, “The Victim of Beauty: Reviving the Literary Legacy of Mai Ziadeh.” Al Jadid. 5. 28 (Summer 1999). Web. 12 Mar 2014.
Gibran, Jean and Kahlil Gibran. Kahlil Gibran, His Life and World. United States: Interlink Publishing: 1981, 1991, 1998. Print.
Safenah Kazem, “Introducing Miss Mai,” Al-Ahram Weekly. No. 451. 14 – 20 October 1999. Web. 14 Mar 2014.
Ziegler, Antje. “Al-Haraka Baraka! The Late Rediscovery of Mayy Ziyada’s Works.” Die Welt des Islams, New Ser. 39. 1 (March 1999): 103-115. JSTOR. Web. 12 Mar 2014.
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Iran targeted 4 US embassies: Trump
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Jamshed Mahmood Raza
AP | Jan 11, 2020, 8:52 IST
WASHINGTON: Confronted by persistent questions about his military action in the Middle East, President Donald Trump and his top officials offered a string of fresh explanations Friday, with Trump now contending Iranian militants had planned major attacks on four US embassies.
Just hours earlier, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said the US didn't know when or where attacks might occur. Trump and other officials insisted anew that Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani had posed an imminent threat to the US, but they rebuffed repeated attempts to explain what they meant by "imminent."
Trump, meanwhile, announced additional sanctions against Iran, which he had promised after a barrage of missiles fired by the Islamic State against American bases in Iraq earlier this week.
Those Iranian missiles, which caused no casualties, were prompted in turn by the US drone strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week in Baghdad. That US assault set off a chain of events that may have included the downing of a Ukrainian jetliner, possibly by an Iranian missile, and calls by the Iraqi government to expel US troops from their country.
At the White House, Trump issued an executive order adding additional US sanctions to the already long list his administration had imposed in an effort to force Iran to accept a new agreement that would curb its nuclear program and to halt support for militant groups throughout the Middle East.
Trump declared the US was holding Iran responsible for attacks against the United States as well as a threat to US service members, diplomats and civilians — an apparent reference to the justification for killing Soleimani.
"The United States will continue to counter the Iranian regime's destructive and destabilizing behavior," he said.
But Trump and others faced continuing questions over their claims of an "imminent" threat. Members of Congress said Pompeo and other officials did not provide sufficient detail or justification in briefings this week.
Define what you mean by imminent, Pompeo was asked Friday at a White House news conference.
"I don't know exactly which minute," Pompeo said. "We don't know exactly which day it would have been executed, but it was very clear. Qassem Soleimani himself was plotting a broad, large-scale attack against American interests and those attacks were imminent."
Both Pompeo and Trump had said US embassies were threatened. The secretary of state broadened it to include "American facilities," including military bases throughout the region. "This was going to happen, and American lives were at risk," he said.
Trump was gave a more worrisome number but still no specifics in a later comment.
"I can reveal that I believe it probably would've been four embassies," he told Fox News in an interview taped Friday and scheduled to air later that night.
He spoke amid revelations by US officials that the American military had tried, but failed, to kill another senior Iranian commander on the same day that Soleimani was killed. The targeting of Abdul Reza Shahlai was apparently part of an effort to cripple the leadership of Iran's Quds force, which the US has designated a terror organization along with the larger Islamic Revolutionary Guard Force.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the killing of Soleimani "provocative and disproportionate," a nd other members said they were unconvinced after a closed-door briefing on the intelligence.
"President Trump recklessly assassinated Qasem Soleimani," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington state Democrat. "He had no evidence of an imminent threat or attack."
The new sanctions were in immediate response to Iran's firing of a barrage of missiles at American bases in neighboring Iraq this week after to the killing of Soleimani. No one was injured. The larger US goal is to force Iran to negotiate a new agreement on limiting its nuclear program.
In 2018, Trump withdrew from the nuclear agreement signed under President Barack Obama that traded curbs on the program for the easing of sanctions. Since then, the administration has added additional economic measures that have created hardship in Iran and brought its oil revenue to historic lows but have failed to bring the Iranian government to the negotiating table.
The sanctions added Friday include measures aimed at eight senior Iranian officials involved in what Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin called "destabilizing" activities throughout the Middle East as well as Tuesday's missile barrage.
Those measures, which would freeze any assets the officials have in US jurisdiction and prohibit financial transactions with them, are largely symbolic since such senior figures are unlikely to have assets under American control after decades of hostility between the two nations.
But other measures announced Friday could have a significant effect on strategically important sectors of the Iranian economy, said Ben Davis, chief research officer at research and data analytics firm Kharon.
The executive order grants the administration power to place anyone involved, even indirectly, in the construction, manufacturing, textile or mining sector on a global financial blacklist. It also targets 17 of the largest steel and iron manufacturers — one of the few growth spots in the hobbled Iranian economy — along with three foreign companies, including two based in China, under secondary sanctions.
"It sends a signal to other foreign firms that continue to do business with Iranian steel producers that this is off limits," said Davis, a former Treasury Department official.
Adnan Mazarei, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said the sanctions will hurt an Iranian economy that was forced to cut fuel subsidies earlier this year, triggering nationwide protests, but they also will make it harder for government to negotiate with the US
"This will be seen as another sign that the US government cannot be taken at its word when it says it wants to negotiate," Mazarei said.
Mnuchin insisted the sanctions are working and have deprived Iran of tens of billions of dollars. "They would be using that for terrorist activities throughout the region and to enable them to do more bad things," he said. "And there's no question, by cutting off the economics to the region, we are having an impact."
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A blog on strategic communication issues
About Timothy Blotz
Tag Archives: 2016 presidential campaign
The Archetype Branding of Trump and Clinton—The Rebel vs. The Ruler
Since the rise of modern consumerism, political campaigns have tried to market their candidates like soap. The positioning and branding of a candidate, especially a presidential candidate, in many cases is now performed with the discipline of commercial product launch. They are the ultimate consumer packaged goods.
Joel McGinniss in his ground breaking book “The Selling of the President 1968” exposed the marketing strategy of Richard Nixon and how this advisors strategically used advertising and staged television town halls to craft an image of Nixon as a knowledgeable and caring candidate. Even Nixon lamented, “It’s a shame a man has to use such gimmicks as this to get elected.”
In 2016, the presidential campaigns have become increasing more strategic in how they market themselves. Among the most effective of the strategies is the grounding of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in brand archetypes. Trump is the Outlaw or Rebel, Clinton is the Ruler.
Archetypes are essentially powerful symbols of meaning that our minds easily recognize. They originated with the Greeks and Romans who created their Gods based upon powerful myths. Marketers today still attach many of these metaphorical myths and archetypes to a brand or a product in order to make a psychological connection with the consumer. They act as heuristics, or shortcuts for the consumer to build an emotional attachment with the brand. For example, Nike is the Hero archetype, Hallmark is the Lover. Johnson & Johnson is the Caregiver. Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson in their book “The Hero and the Outlaw” establish the case for twelve brand archetypes based upon a quadrant of opposing psychological needs. (Figure 1)
It’s hard to know if the Rebel archetype was made for Donald Trump, or if Trump was made for the Rebel. Either way, it fits. The “rules were meant to be broken” motto of the Rebel is exemplified by one of Trump’s recent Twitter posts.
It is so nice that the shackles have been taken off me and I can now fight for America the way I want to.
For most of Trump’s career he’s been the Magician. He’s the man who somehow overcomes all odds to create great deals and build great real estate properties. In the process he has built for himself power and wealth. For a while Trump re-branded himself as the Sage. As the star of the NBC television show “The Apprentice,” Trump dispensed his business knowledge to would-be students and potential employees. But with his presidential campaign, he morphed again into the Rebel. So far he’s effectively and brilliantly used his take-no-prisoners and break-all-the-rules branding strategy to overcome every opponent that’s crossed his path—including the Republican establishment.
Trump’s entire career has shown how he has mastered the art of self-promotion. And in this latest incarnation he’s created a powerful brand of an irreverent leader who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. (Figure 2) With his core value of putting America first, he’s crafted the brand promise of de-rigging this system—his way. The Rebel or Outlaw archetype is a strong attractor for people who feel left out and left behind by society. Following or identifying with the Rebel gives a feeling of liberation. Our culture is filled with Rebel personalities such as Madonna, Niki Minaj, Sean Hannity, and Bill O’Reilly. The archetype is also the core identity of many successful brands such as Harley Davidson, MTV, and Fox Television.
In many respects Trump has become a California car chase—you know the outcome, but you can’t stop watching. His unpredictability is a key part of his Rebel brand. He doesn’t just attack and disrupt Hillary Clinton, but he shocks his audience and the media. It’s a strategy he deployed in the third presidential debates when he promised to jail Clinton.
For her part, Hillary Clinton with her experience as First Lady, U.S. Senator and Secretary of State brings to her brand expertise, power and control. She is clearly the Ruler.
Rulers are motivated by their desire to lead and consolidate power. This is the archetype of CEO’s, kings, and yes, presidents. Ronald Reagan, former New York Mayor Rudy Guilliani, and former Ford leader Alan Mulally were all rulers. Ruler brands include Goldman Sachs, Cadillac, IBM and The White House.
Clinton’s Ruler archetype mediates directly into her brand promise of experience to lead. (Figure 3) Her core value may be competence and moral authority, but make no mistake, she also needs control. That control is also the Ruler’s chief weakness, especially their fear of chaos and preoccupation with their enemies. In nearly every instance those traits of the Ruler have become Clinton’s chief liabilities in the 2016 presidential campaign.
So far, her campaign has tried to use the archetype to their electoral advantage. Even with appealing to voters to “Stand with Hilary” they are inviting them to be the rulers of their own destiny. By pitting the Ruler against the Rebel, Clinton’s campaign is betting experience will trump recklessness and unpredictability. The strategy is clearly evident in this recent campaign video.
The use of branding archetypes is all about strategically positioning an easily identifiable image in the mind of the consumer–in this case the voter. But with both Trump and Clinton the archetypes also magnify critical flaws with each candidate. Trump’s unleashed and undisciplined style expose him as a bully and sexist. Clinton’s Nixon-like desire for command and control, especially in how she’s handled her State Department emails and the Benghazi attacks aftermath have made her simply untrustworthy to a significant portion of the electorate. Come Election Day we’ll find out whether the dominant brand of each candidate is able to overcome their equally exposed flaws.
Tags: 2016 presidential campaign, 2016 presidential campaign branding, brand archytypes, Clinton branding, Clinton Ruler, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, presidentcial archytypes, presidential branding, presidential campaign advertising, presidential campaign marketing, Trump branding, Trump Outlaw, Trump Rebel, Trump rules were meant to be broken
Categories Branding, Politics
Marco Rubio’s Words That Don’t Work
The gloves have come off. Except this isn’t a fistfight, it’s more like a middle school food fight. Welcome to the 2016 GOP presidential race.
It’s an election cycle where virtually every known rule about political campaigns has been run through the shredder—several times. But the sudden shift by Senator Marco Rubio to complete with Donald Trump in his own sandbox defies established strategic positioning and communication logic.
The shift in Senator Rubio’s tactics that began with the debates on February 25th, saw him sharply attack Donald Trump by trading personal insults before a CNN audience of millions. The attacks have continued on the campaign trail with the Rubio campaign even posting videos on its YouTube feed.
What’s puzzling is why Senator Rubio would go there. Yes, he is trailing in both the polls and delegate count to both Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz. And yes, he has to do something to spark his campaign and differentiate himself. But competing with Trump in the rhetoric of personal assaults only lowers himself to Trump’s level in an arena where he can’t win. It simply defies strategic thinking.
Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter argues that effective strategy is not competing in the same race, but running a different race.
“Competitive strategy is about being different,” says Porter. “It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value.”
What applies to business strategy, also applies to strategic communication. For the moment, Sen. Rubio has a strategic communication problem that is in part creating his electoral problem. The perceptual map below shows how the remaining four republican candidates are positioned on axis of personal attacks verses conservative values and voter empathy. (Figure 1) By occupying with Trump a similar position on the perceptual branding map, Rubio cannot differentiate himself. He somehow has to figure out how to re-position himself in the sweet spot in the mind of the voters—that is, outside of the blue curve on the map.
Effective strategy is more than positioning. Porter argues that it is also equal parts operational efficiencies and competencies. For example, Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008 not just because of where he positioned himself in the mind of the voter, but also because his campaign had a core competency in social media engagement. In 2012, the Obama campaign won again in part with its strategic superiority in using big data to mine the voter rolls.
Time is clearly running out for Sen. Rubio and it may be already too late to for strategic changes to have any immediate impact. If anyone is running a different race, it’s clearly Trump. Where the race is going, we don’t yet know. Buckle up.
Tags: 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump, GOP Debates, GOP presidential campaign, Marco Rubio, presidential race, Rubio mud slinging
Categories Politics
Presidential Campaign Ads – What Bernie, Hillary, Cruz and Trump are Really Trying to Say to US
Don’t touch that dial. Despite the more sophisticated uses of social media, big data, and earned media, the political TV ad is far from dead.
All of the major presidential candidates have so far deployed a limited air campaign in hopes of attracting money and votes. But as a means of communication, are they effective or even persuasive to their intended audiences?
There are clear strategies behind the first ads from Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. At least two of these ads are very similar to product introduction campaigns we would see in the consumer-packaged goods category. In many respects, the candidates are consumer-packaged products. But each one takes a different strategy in attracting support through their campaign commercials heading into the voting in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
Perhaps the most surprising ad so far comes from one of the most surprising candidates—Bernie Sanders. In a field where every candidate is in some way shouting at the voters, Sanders found a powerful way connect without saying a word.
Screen frame from Bernie Sanders’ “America” campaign ad
Sanders’ use of the Simon & Garfunkel song “America” underneath the imagery of everyday Americans and people packing into Sanders’ campaign rallies give the illusion of a country longing to re-discover itself. This is an aspirational ad that plays to our emotions and hopes through the use of a beloved folk song from the late 1960’s.
For Millennials, the ad appeals to their need of belonging and their search to build a future in their own image. For their baby boomer parents, the Simon and Garfunkel song is a powerful priming cue—a time machine that takes them back to their own idealistic youth when they too wanted to “look for America.”
Keep in mind, when “America” was recorded in 1968, the country was at a pivotal political and social crossroad. That year witnessed the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., Bobby Kennedy, the Tet Offensive in Vietnam, and the upheaval at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The song that so much appealed to a new generation of Americans at that time has now been re-branded by Sanders as anthem for another new generation.
All good advertising should create an emotional bond between the product and the viewer—this one makes a powerful attempt.
Where Sanders effectively uses nostalgia as an ad strategy, Trump just as effectively uses fear.
By playing up to voters’ fear of terrorism Trump is effectively using Prospect Theory to mine for votes. The behavioral economic theory holds that people are more fearful of potential loss than they are assured of a potential gain. By tying terrorism to immigration, Trump uses those fears to make an argument that he is the candidate who will keep them safe.
Hillary Clinton doesn’t outright use fear as her strategy, but she certainly is trying to appeal to voters’ anxieties about their economic and social struggles.
In her latest ad, Clinton is not necessarily competing against Sanders, but instead republicans to whom she believes are not looking out for all Americans.
Her message argument is that she’s fighting for all people who think they don’t have a chance.
Finally, Ted Cruz trumpets his competence and authenticity.
In many respects he’s re-introducing himself to voters in his latest TV ad as they prepare to head to the polls. This ad is a clear appeal to rural voters reminding them of his Christian faith, commitment to freedom, and his political accomplishments. While the ad doesn’t mention any specific opponent, it clearly attempts to differentiate himself from Donald Trump and Marco Rubio as the accomplished conservative in the race.
When you break down all of the ads, there is a distinct strategy to each of them. (Figure 1) They all have individual targeted audiences and a fairly clear message argument.
Arguably, Sanders may have the most powerfully aspirational ad of them all. Trump effectively uses fear to motivate us to pay attention to his message. Clinton plays to our desire to get ahead, and Cruz appeals to his competence help restore America.
These are just four ads from four of the top candidates. The race is young. Stand by… and don’t touch that dial.
Tags: 2016 presidential campaign, Bernie Sanders America Ad, Donald Trump campaign ad, Hillary Clinton fighting for you ad, presidential ad strategies, Presidential Campaign Ads, presidential race, Prospect Theory, Ted Cruz best to come
Categories Advertising, Politics
GOP Presidential Buzz — Who’s Got it, Who Doesn’t
It was reality TV at its best. There was shouting, insults, bombastic rhetoric, and… Rosie O’Donnell. Welcome to the first 2016 GOP presidential debates. As one political scientist noted, it was Jerry Springer without Jerry. No, this is not your father’s Republican Party anymore. But television viewers ate it up. They didn’t just watch, they tweeted, liked, searched, posted, and searched some more.
This modern day media consumption phenomena creates real-time winners and losers. Marketers call it “buzz.” Google calls it “search.” Whatever you call it, Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina owned it during the debates and it will likely deliver a short term boost to their campaigns.
The data from Google Trends shows that during the prime time debates, Donald Trump dominated web searches of people looking for more information on him and his presidential campaign. (Figure 1) It doesn’t hurt that Trump has transformed himself into what political scientist David Schultz would call a politainer. None of his nine competitors on the stage came close to the internet interaction he drove throughout the evening debates.
During the early undercard event called the “happy hour” debates, former Hewlett Packard executive Carly Fiorina also dominated internet buzz. (Figure 2) Arguably, she commanded the attention in a more credible way. Fiorina’s presence and responses were articulate, commanding, and authoritative. She wasn’t just a candidate, she was a one-person c-suite—who just happens to be a woman. She clearly connected with the audience in ways her early evening cohort did not.
What both Trump and Fiorina accomplished is part of the modern day political calculus. In reality, it’s not much different from consumer product campaigns. Buzz is one of the seven essential marketing drivers that brands from Proctor & Gamble to Beyonce use to grow their business.
Four years ago, I conducted a similar analysis of how buzz predicted the top finishers in the Iowa Caucuses where Rick Santorum won by a handful of votes. The key is to stay consistent in the messaging and deliver enough strategic product news (campaign stances/messaging) to lead the followers on a journey toward activation—that is, contributing money and voting. Santorum wasn’t able to sustain that early momentum and later dropped out of the race. The jury is still out on whether Trump can also sustain the momentum, especially given his public statements about women and his not-so-wise fight with Fox’s Megyn Kelly.
Most-Tweeted #GOPDebate moment for @realDonaldTrump: mentioning @Rosie in answer on treatment of women.
— Twitter Government (@gov) August 7, 2015
Social media is also part of the new calculus and contributes significantly to buzz and search. On Twitter alone, interactions with the GOP debate topped major sporting events.
Tweets about last night's two GOP debates were viewed over 1.1 billion times on Twitter and across the web.
— Twitter Data (@TwitterData) August 7, 2015
It’s also no coincidence that Facebook co-sponsored the GOP debates with Fox News. Facebook reports that 7.5 million people had more than 20 million interactions on the broadcast—that includes posts, likes and shares. This is the new modern-day political engagement. The candidates answered questions from Facebook during the debates through the channel’s own engagement campaign that drew 5 million views and 40,000 responses. On the day of the event, Trump’s staff used the new “live” on Facebook feature to stream his arrival in Cleveland. As of this writing it has earned more than two million views and 10,000 shares.
Welcome to the 2016 presidential campaign. As the first GOP debates showed, it will be a different kind of series of events with online engagement becoming increasing important drivers for securing funds and votes.
Tags: 2016 GOP candidates, 2016 presidential campaign, Carly Fiorina debates, Donald Trump buzz, Google trends GOP debates, GOP debate winners, GOP Debates, presidential buzz, Twitter GOP debates
Categories Politics, Social Media Trends, Topical News
Timothy Blotz, M.A.
Communication insights and analysis from a multiple Emmy and Edward R. Murrow Award winning journalist and former communications advisor with a master's degree in strategic communication from the University of Minnesota.
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Super Bowl Ads 2019 – The Most Popular May Not Be the Most Strategic
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Features-Human Interest
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Disney Dream Treats – new app tours theme park eateries in game form
by Corey Robertson
Last week Disney Interactive launched a new mobile game called Disney Dream Treats – Match Sweets (iTunes). This game resembles other puzzle matching games from Disney like Frozen Free Fall (itunes) and Maleficent Free Fall. Players of this game will be taken on a dream… Read More »Disney Dream Treats – new app tours theme park eateries in game form
Magic Kingdom Minecraft Walk-Through
We finally succumbed and bought my son a Minecraft license this week. He’s already hard at work building his first virtual theme park with his friend. If that’s what he wants to do, he could do a lot worse than studying this virtual Magic Kingdom… Read More »Magic Kingdom Minecraft Walk-Through
8-Bit Frozen
Are you a fan of the retro? How about an 8-bit chiptune version of Disney’s Frozen. It’s like playing a video game without the need for quarters. Just like the movie, right?
SDCC’14 Coverage: Marvel Announces Guardians of the Galaxy Animated Series and Video Game
by Michelle Snow
During Marvel’s animation panel at SDCC’14, creative director Eric Radomski was discussing the inclusion of the Guardians of the Galaxy characters in upcoming episodes of all of Marvel’s animated series, when it was revealed the Guardians would soon be getting their own animated series.
This was followed by a 1-minute teaser of the show, featuring a scene with Rocket and Starlord.
No date was released for the series start, but it will air on the Disney XD channel, with other Marvel series like “Ultimate Spider-Man,” “Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.,” and “Avengers Assemble.”
You can watch the full Marvel animation panel online here:
Read More »SDCC’14 Coverage: Marvel Announces Guardians of the Galaxy Animated Series and Video Game
Disney Interactive to Shutter Three Virtual Worlds
In less than a month Disney Interactive will pull the plug on three of its MMORPG online virtual worlds. Pixie Hollow, Pirates of the Caribbean Online, and Toontown Online will all close for good on September 19, 2013. If you have an account you can… Read More »Disney Interactive to Shutter Three Virtual Worlds
Disney Infinity is Now Available, Here’s What you Need
Editor: Please welcome a new guest author Jeff H. who will be covering the Disney gaming beat for us.
Disney is betting big on Disney Infinity. The game/collector’s set came out this past Sunday along with rave reviews from the web’s top video game sites. I received my copy Monday and have had a few hours to mess around with it. Here are my impressions as well as a few tips for those who want to get into the magic and a warning for those who are overwhelmed by your options.
The first thing I noticed when booting up Infinity was just how slick of a production the opening tutorial is. It feels like something straight out of Epcot, taking the player on a journey from idea to fantasy, while teaching you how to play the game. The tutorial is slow paced, and will prepare you for anything you will come across in adventure mode.
Read More »Disney Infinity is Now Available, Here’s What you Need
Phineas & Ferb Waffle-inator Challenge At Disneyland Resort this Weekend
Did Doofenshmirtz keep you from experiencing the Waffle-inator Challenge at the D23 Expo this past weekend, don’t worry. The larger than life interactive game will appear at Disneyland’s Downtown Disney this weekend, Friday through Sunday, August 16 through 18. As you might have guessed, the… Read More »Phineas & Ferb Waffle-inator Challenge At Disneyland Resort this Weekend
Disney and EA to Roll Out Star Wars Battlefront, First Game in New Partnership
Last month Disney Interactive announced that they would be joining forces with EA to produce Star Wars video games for core gamers. The first title to emerge from that partnership is Star Wars Battlefront. The game is expected to combine stunning visuals, incisive gameplay, and… Read More »Disney and EA to Roll Out Star Wars Battlefront, First Game in New Partnership
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Muslim refugees, Christian cake bakers have more in common than you think
By Tim Schultz, opinion contributor - 08/07/17 11:23 AM EDT
What do Muslim refugees and a cake for a same-sex wedding have in common? They are both cultural flashpoints that are at the center of what will likely be the most-watched cases of the United States Supreme Court’s next term: Trump v. International Refugee Assistance Project and Masterpiece Cakes v. Colorado Human Rights Commission. These two cases follow on the heels the court’s landmark decision in Trinity Lutheran v. Comer, in which seven justices decisively ruled that a church couldn’t be prevented from equal access to a government program just because it is religious.
The two cases in the court’s next term will be equally impactful, and have more in common than you might think.
Both cases rest on arguments that the government has imposed an unconstitutional religious litmus test. Both involve groups who have fierce support in influential segments of our society but are unpopular with the broader public. Both have failed to have their claims endorsed by the political branches of our government. Both will challenge our commitment to the First Amendment and our willingness to support its protections for those with whom we deeply disagree.
Trump v. International Refugee Assistance Project should remind progressives why the First Amendment’s protections for religious freedom should not be abandoned just because they sometimes yield “conservative” results.
The controversy arises from a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s executive order placing restrictions on travel to the United States from nations said to be sources of violent extremism. The refugees’ formidable legal team charges that the order was designed to keep Muslims out of the country, and that statements to that effect by Trump and the policy’s legal architects like Rudy Giuliani render the policy unconstitutional. It is black letter constitutional law that government may not intentionally disfavor a particular religion, even if the policy itself is set forth in neutral policy language.
The executive order challenge will turn on how far courts are willing to look into the rhetoric surrounding a policy to tease out unconstitutional motivations. Would an anti-Muslim statement a Trump campaign official during the 2016 Iowa caucuses suffice? What if Trump himself made troubling statements about Muslims, but did not do so once he began formulating the policy? Given that our political rhetoric is now spit out in 140 character tweets, the court will have to decide where to draw the line in determining when (if ever) fiery campaign rhetoric creates irreversible smoke damage to future policies.
Remarkably, in Masterpiece Cakes, Denver-based cake artist Jack Phillips relies on an argument similar to that employed by travelers from Muslim-majority nations. Phillips was fined by the Colorado Human Rights Commission for his refusal to create what he calls an “edible monument” to a gay marriage that he morally opposes.
When other Colorado artists refused to create cakes inscribed with Bible verses opposing homosexuality, the Commission did not punish them. Phillips contends that the government is choosing to accept the refusal to create art with one religious message while punishing a refusal to create art based on a competing religious viewpoint. And if you doubt whether high-end cake bakers are “artists,” just ask the millions of viewers who tune in to Cake Boss and Cupcake Wars.
When considering cases that carry so much culture war baggage, it’s helpful to test our tribal rooting interests against an altered factual scenario: Would Republicans who think that the travel ban is constitutional think the same if a President Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonDemocratic debates are magnet for lobbyists NYT editorial board endorses Warren, Klobuchar for Democratic nomination for president Sanders v. Warren is just for insiders MORE placed new restrictions on pro-life crisis pregnancy centers after referring to people like them as “deplorables?” Similarly, would progressives who despise the moral decision behind Jack Phillips’ legal claim feel the same way if a gay baker refused to customize a cake celebrating a gay man’s completion of a religious course in “sexual orientation conversion therapy?”
We should expect both cases to be blanketed with heavy news coverage and have dueling rallies outside the Supreme Court. Amidst the culture clash, the legal nuances that will decide these cases can get lost. That Jack Phillips and Muslim refugees can both come before the Supreme Court with weighty constitutional claims shows that the First Amendment works. We would do well to ignore the atmospherics and think more deeply about the First Amendment values that they teach.
Tim Schultz is the president of the 1st Amendment Partnership, an organization dedicated to protecting the religious freedom of Americans of all faiths, primarily through advocacy in state legislatures.
The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.
Tags Hillary Clinton Donald Trump litigation First Amendment to the United States Constitution Business first amendment religious liberty SCOTUS
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Ocasio-Cortez eyeing Jeffries as 2020 target: report
By Tal Axelrod - 12/18/18 08:42 AM EST
Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Alexandria Ocasio-CortezJayapal: 'We will end up with another Trump' if the US doesn't elect progressive NYT editorial board endorses Warren, Klobuchar for Democratic nomination for president Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair Jayapal endorses Sanders MORE (D-N.Y.) is thinking of taking on Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Hakeem Sekou JeffriesWhite House appoints GOP House members to advise Trump's impeachment team Schiff huddles in Capitol with impeachment managers Sunday shows - All eyes on Senate impeachment trial MORE (D-N.Y.) by recruiting a primary challenger to run against him in 2020, according to a new report from Politico.
Two people close to Ocasio-Cortez and Justice Democrats, a liberal group that has promised to back anti-incumbent challengers, told Politico that the incoming representative is eyeing a primary challenge for Jeffries, who was just elected to replace Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.), whom Ocasio-Cortez defeated in a primary earlier this year, as caucus chairman.
Jeffries is seen by many as a rising star in the Democratic Party and possibly a future Speaker of the House.
But he's drawn the ire of progressive groups for accepting campaign donations from corporate interests.
Politico reports that Ocasio-Cortez also has a personal beef with Jeffries because of his race for caucus chairman against Rep. Barbara Lee Barbara Jean LeeHouse revives agenda after impeachment storm Steyer calls for cuts to defense spending House to vote on Iran war powers bills sought by progressives MORE (D-Calif.), a progressive. Ocasio-Cortez is reportedly displeased that a campaign donation to Lee was allegedly used in a whisper campaign in the race for caucus chair.
“It’s personal for Ocasio,” a person familiar with the matter told Politico. "And she’s going to go all out to take him out.”
A spokesman for Ocasio-Cortez told Politico that while they are “disappointed” with Jeffries, they are not currently seeking to unseat the fellow New Yorker.
“We’re not looking at recruiting people to run campaigns, we’re looking at building a congressional staff," Ocasio-Cortez spokesman Corbin Trent told Politico.
At the same time, Trent acknowledged the congresswoman-elect and her allies were disappointed with Jeffries over the Lee race.
Ocasio-Cortez’s and Jeffries’s offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Hill.
Jeffries, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus who came to office in 2012 by unseating a Democrat in a primary challenge, told Politico, “It’s a free country and democracy is a beautiful thing.”
“Spread love; it’s the Brooklyn way,” he added, quoting the famed East Coast rapper Notorious B.I.G.
Jeffries, who has about $1.3 million on hand after his 2018 campaign, will be in a good position to defend his seat in two years during what is expected to be a high-turnout presidential cycle.
Tags Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Hakeem Jeffries Barbara Lee
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Chef Courses
World Class Chef Course
6 Month Cooking Course
Hurst Campus
Chefs & Staff
The Future is Bright for Hurst Graduates
They Achieve Great Success
In South Africa and Internationally
Rutger Eysvogel
Michelin Starred JAN Restaurant in Nice, France.
Tal Smith
Sababa Deli in Sea Point & renowned cook-book author
Carolize Coetzee
Tokara Restaurant in Stellenbosch
Etienne Truter
Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul
Chris Erasmus
Foliage in Franschoek
Lentswe Bhengu
SA Great British Bake Off
Lebo Ndala
With Love from the Twins
Tebo Ndala
Create Meaningful Relationships
Rebecca Odendaal
My Journey at the Hurst Campus and One Year Later.
So as you know it all started in “2016”. Rebecca I want to start off by saying thank you once again! Thank you for what? For everything! Let me just highlight some things for you.
Let’s start from the beginning, thank you for giving me the opportunity to come and study at The Hurst Campus. How that came about I don’t even know myself, maybe it was out of frustration from sitting on the farm for 3 months that made me go online and start to do some research on the internet, I started searching for art schools in the UK. Then The Hurst Campus advertisement kept appearing on every page that I was researching. I became intrigued, so I decided to open it and see what it was all about and to my surprise it was a Chef school. I started to become very interested and the more I read the more I became convinced. I thought to myself, “should I apply?” I mean I had nothing to lose I was sitting on a farm in the middle of nowhere in Zimbabwe!
So I applied and to my surprise I got an answer back and I had been accepted! I couldn’t believe it, now at this point I thought okay I’m going to a Chef School to become a Chef! What? I was very excited to be going to the Cape to study, just to be in a new environment and to see what will come of it. Let’s fast-forward to when I arrived in Cape Town, I was extremely nervous and I felt so uncomfortable “like you say when you’re feeling uncomfortable, you are growing”. This is it no turning back now. I still remember the letters you made us write to ourselves in 2016 and 2017. I will be quoting a few sentences from them throughout this letter.
Rebecca I had a lot of fun over the two years at The Hurst Campus. I learnt so much, like you said on graduation day, “I even learnt how to drink.” There were difficult times at The Hurst Campus and you knew about that. I quote from the letter 27/01/2016: “Although you haven’t had the easiest life in Zimbabwe just always know you have been very privileged to go to The Hurst Campus.” which I was. I quote again from letter 27/01/2016: “Be strong and determined to go forward and always finish what you have started.” I needed to perceiver through the difficult times.
Rebecca thank you for choosing me to represent The Hurst Campus in “2017” reaching for young stars, the One and Only. Thank you for giving me that opportunity, trusting and believing in me. From that day you exposed me and opened my doors. But I had to work for it. I quote from letter 20/02/2017: “you are prepared to work and sacrifice, life is about sacrifices.” Which it was, everything I put in, I got back. What a beautiful way to end my 2 year journey at The Hurst Campus having accomplished winning the competition with Nicola and now having the opportunity to go to America. You and I both know how much trouble I had just to get to America. Eventually I got there, I was beyond excited when I arrived in America, and it was my first time in a first world country.
Winslow’s Tavern was challenging, six doubles a week, long hours, 400+ people a day or service. I ended up working the grill, to me it was the hardest and hottest section of the kitchen. I even mastered your favourite “swordfish”. I learnt so much working at Winslow’s Tavern for Phillip, the knowledge and experience I gained is priceless.
Thank you for your support once again, coming to America to visit Nicola and myself and for spending that amazing day with me in Province Town. I really appreciated that. I visited Province Town many times after that for various things like Whale watching, cranberry picking, sight-seeing and a drink or two. America wasn’t all fun, it was work! I quote and repeat from letter 27/01/2016: “Be strong and determined to go forward and always finish what you have started.” I pushed through the busy summer season. Then Phillip offered me to continue for the winter, I said yes, I grabbed the opportunity again. I quote and repeat from letter 20/02/2017: “you are prepared to work and sacrifice, life is about sacrifices.” Yes I made sacrifices, but the reward in the end was worth it. I got a fantastic letter of recommendation and I went on a road trip across America.
I set off on the 5th of January across America, I started in Cape Cod travelled through New York to Washington DC. Due to the government shut down museums were closed and no one was working in the National Parks. Next stop was Tennessee then Memphis, Dallas, Huston, San Antonio, El Paso, New Mexico, Arizona, California-San Diego, Hollywood, Sequoia National Forest, Yosemite National Park, Nevada, Las Vegas, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Virginia, Philadelphia and 19,495 miles later I ended in New York, Brooklyn. The road trip was absolutely breath taking, the places I got to see was phenomenal, and seeing how the terrain changed throughout the different states was incredible. Although the weather wasn’t the greatest towards the end because of the snow which hindered some of the sight-seeing plans and road routes, I still got to see my fair share of America.
Everything I did was so worthwhile and I can thank you for that Rebecca. It all started with acceptance and faith.
Love Rebecca Odendaal.
Evelyn Salies
Dear Rebecca and Team.
My utmost thanks and appreciation to everyone at the Hurst Campus for making Danielle’s journey an experience she will always remember and be grateful for.
You did not just skill her theoretic principles, but she is now skilled to go out there and be a proud individual, not on her own accord, but to recognize that life is also about your fellow man’s assistance and walking your path with pride and joy.
Thank you for assisting on setting her on route on her journey and may you as the Hurst Campus go from strength to strength.
Michael Broughton
We have been the recipient of student chefs from The Hurst Campus for the past five years… We have enjoyed the benefit of having their competent students in our kitchen (who have become) …part of the brigade. I look forward to many more years of relationship with Rebecca and her students.
Thandolwethu Rebe
I successfully completed a 2-year diploma in Food preparation and wine course in 2016. Hurst campus opens you to an exciting culinary experience that not only amazes you at every turn but also shows you the in depth behind the scenes hard work and dedication that goes into food preparation and wine pairing. Throughout my course we undertook various modules that are practical to the culinary and hospitality industry. The teaching methods are fun and educational and I can truly say that the Hurst campus will have you more than prepared for the exciting world of fine dining. All lecturer’s s are well seasoned members of the industry therefore we get vital first-hand knowledge, tricks and tips of the trade.
Not only did Rebecca the director of the school help me build a good foundation for my career but she also helped me personally when i was going through the hardest time in my life and also assisted me financially, she has compassion and she truly wants us to succeed. Anyone thinking of pursuing a culinary career can rest assured that Hurst Campus will prepare you with the highest levels of skills needed to succeed in the industry and the lecturers will always be there with unlimited knowledge and friendly teaching methods to ensure a candidate reaches their highest possible potential. Hurst campus prepared me well and helped me secure employment after graduation. My journey has just begun, are you ready to begin yours? In the meantime, I’ll be cooking delicious dishes somewhere across the globe. Till you join the Hurst campus, bon appetite…!!!
Brenda Wilkinson
I was in awe of Rebecca after our first meeting! She is a lady in every sense of the word but added to that is her integrity, loyalty , discipline and drive , not only allowing her staff and pupils to give of their best at all times, but to give all of herself to them at all times!
A true leader who not only promises but produced the best in the business!
BRENDA WILKINSON | RIO LARGO OLIVE OIL
Christiaan Campbell
The Hurst Campus has invested in facilities and staff that not only bring out the Chef in each of their students but develop the young students into responsible citizens… This has ensured that the success rate of the students has been well above average
Jenny Morris
The Hurst Campus students exhibit passion that goes with a love of food and people, and the quality of their training comes through in every aspect. I consider The Hurst Campus to be the best training school in the industry.
Andrew Barnard
What is your definition of success?
For many people it might entail fame, fortune and being a person of influence. For me success has always been a by-product of hard work and dedication: a life permeated with excellence – the direct result of surrounding yourself with the right kind of people.
At the Hurst Campus you’ll find those kinds of people: People who are passionate about blossoming their students and unlocking their hidden potential. The Hurst Campus provides a comprehensive programme that not only helps students hone their culinary skills, but also strives towards developing character and imparting a sound work ethic.
Surround yourself with the right kinds of people. Enrol at The Hurst Campus today and become part of a success story.
Afrikaans farm-style food that I have taken around the world, and which attracted La Motte to me in the first place… I recently returned from a 3-week stage at world’s top restaurant Noma in Copenhagen where I broadened my knowledge of local cuisine and how it is applied in different top restaurants.
Stephanie de Wet
Dear Rebecca – I am very excited and proud of myself and Carolize of what we have accomplished in our careers. I know that without the whole team at the campus we would not have had such good foundations to work from to build our careers. Today we have heard very good news, that as of December Carolize will be the Head Chef at Cuvee Restaurant on the Simonsig Wine Estate and I will be accompaning her as the Sous Chef. I knew it would be nice for you and the school to hear from previous students and to also to still be in touch with them and that you would also be very proud of us.
Tony Romer-Lee
They like to have fun, are in touch with today’s trends and are prepared to guarantee any successful graduate employment on the completion of their courses…
Tanaka Mujuru
If I am to share the feeling of being at the Hurst Campus, the perfect word would be ‘AMAZING’. Being here has made me feel like I am part of something extraordinary. As from day 1 I have felt so welcome and everyone is treated like family
Rory Aldendorf
It was the BEST culinary institution in South Africa – and today I know why… at this campus our hearts beat as one…
Christalle La Grange
To future students I would say if this is your dream, and you are serious about your future The Hurst Campus is definitely the place for you…
Join the Hurst Family
Become the Chef you Were Born to Be
Enough reading and pondering. The time has come for you to make the choice that will change your life and make you into the great chef you were born to be.
Do you have what it takes to be a Hurst Chef? Find out now.
Chef Course
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Copyright 2019 Hurst Campus | Visual Click Studio
info@thehurstcampus.co.za
132 Main Road, Paarl,
© 2019 Monudox (Pty) Ltd T/A The Hurst Campus | Visual Click Studio
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Every Brilliant Thing at Theatre on King
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Happening from Jan 16th to 25th with the exception of Jan 20th
Every Brilliant Thing is a life-affirming story of how hope can be maintained by focusing on the things in life that are profound in their simplicity. The play avoids the familiar way plays and films depict depression and self-destruction by writing the story with humour that includes stand-up comedy and audience participation that keeps the play entertaining and fun yet moving and relatable.
Stratford actor Steve Ross plays an adult man whose family history of mental illness has affected him more deeply than he realizes. Breaking the 4th wall, the audience plays an important role in assisting the actor in telling the story in a way that is gentle. This audience participation will not be a confrontation to those who prefer to sit in anonymity at the theatre. It is an empowering form of audience participation that leads audience members to feel a mutual bond in providing the character in front of them with comfort and joy.
Every Brilliant Thing is about the realities each of us face and reminds us to appreciate the joys of being alive and what it means to be human. And that is what the best of theatre does.
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Harry Styles In Talks to Play Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid Remake
Posted By: Nathan Franklinon: July 17, 2019 In: Movies, NewsTags: HarryStyles, TheLittleMermaidNo Comments
With the actress for the titular character of Disney’s The Little Mermaid remake confirmed, that leaves a gaping question. Who will play the handsome and kind Prince Eric?
Well, if you ask Disney, OneDirection’s Harry Styles could very well be. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 25-year-old singer and actor is in “early negotiations” to play Ariel’s charming love interest. If the talks are successful, this makes him the second musician to be cast in a role.
The first artist to be cast was Halle Bailey, who will play The Little Mermaid herself, Ariel. Unlike Harry Styles and his former pop group, OneDirection, Bailey is perhaps lesser-known internationally. Alongside her sister, Chloe, Bailey sang in the duo Chloe x Halle, becoming a YouTube sensation at age 11. Her sister wasn’t much older, at only 13. After they went viral for singing a cover of Beyonce’s ‘Pretty Hurts’, Beyonce signed the duo to her label Parkwood Entertainment. Their debut album The Kids Are Alright reached 139 in the Billboard 200. Only time will tell how that experience will help her in The Little Mermaid.
While many know Styles for his pop career, he has recently made the transfer to acting. His only, but very notable, role thus far has been in 2017’s Dunkirk as Alex. The film was widely lauded by critics and Styles was praised for his performance. Daily Telegraph critic Robbie Collin praised the singer for a “bright, convicted, and unexpectedly not-at-all-jarring performance”. It will be interesting to see what Styles brings to The Little Mermaid.
Notably, the fact that both actors have singing careers dominating their resumes may work in the film’s favor. Like many Disney films from the ‘Disney Renaissance‘, The Little Mermaid is musical in nature with many iconic songs gracing its 83-minute runtime.
In other casting news for The Little Mermaid, Melissa McCarthy is also in talks to play the movie’s villainess, Ursula
What do you think of Harry Styles as Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid? Good or bad? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Nathan Franklin
A writer who loves sci-fi, great TV shows, videogames and more!
Tags: HarryStylesTheLittleMermaid
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Dead Space 4 Would Have Been Open World
Rabbids Coding Brings Coding Fun to Classrooms
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Book > Major Work > Educational Research
The SAGE Handbook of E-learning Research
Caroline Haythornthwaite - Syracuse University, USA
Richard Andrews - University of East Anglia, UK
Jude Fransman - The Open University
Eric M. Meyers - University of British Columbia, Canada
Educational Research Methods | Teaching Methods & Learning Styles | Technology
May 2016 | 606 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
The new edition of The SAGE Handbook of E-Learning Research retains the original effort of the first edition by focusing on research while capturing the leading edge of e-learning development and practice. Chapters focus on areas of development in e-learning technology, theory, practice, pedagogy and method of analysis.
Covering the full extent of e-learning can be a challenge as developments and new features appear daily. The editors of this book meet this challenge by including contributions from leading researchers in areas that have gained a sufficient critical mass to provide reliable results and practices.
The 25 chapters are organised into six key areas:
2. LITERACY & LEARNING
3. METHODS & PERSPECTIVES
4. PEDAGOGY & PRACTICE
5. BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
6. FUTURES
Caroline Haythornthwaite, Richard Andrews, Jude Fransman & Eric Meyers
Part 1 THEORY
Christopher Hoadley
2. Online pedagogy from the learning sciences perspective
Chris Jones & Maarten de Laat
3. Networked learning
Mike Sharples, Josie Taylor & Giasemi Vavoula
4. A theory of learning for the mobile age
Sian Bayne
5. Posthumanism and research in digital education
PART 2 LITERACY & LEARNING
Terry Locke
6. Reshaping rhetorical space: elearning through online asynchronous discussion
Andrew Burn
7. Liber ludens: games, play and learning
Myrrh Domingo
8. Multimodality in virtual learning environments: exploring traces of the page in designs of screens
Carol A. Chapelle
9. Second language learning online
Janina Brutt-Griffler and Namsook Kim
10. Multilingualism and e-learning
PART 3 METHODS & PERSPECTIVES
Rebecca Eynon, Ralph Schroeder & Jenny Fry
11. The ethics of learning and technology research
Tim Rogers, Shane Dawson & Dragan Gasevic
12. Learning analytics and the imperative for theory driven research
Caroline Haythornthwaite, Maarten de Laat & Bieke Schreurs
13. Social network analytic perspective on e-learning
Alyssa Wise & Trena Paulus
14. Analyzing learning in online discussions
Lesley Jane Gourlay & Martin Oliver
15. Multimodal longitudinal journaling
PART 4 PEDAGOGY & PRACTICE
Drew Whitworth
16. Information literacy and information practice
Lori Lockyer, Shirley Agostinho & Sue Bennett
17. Design for e-learning
Drew Paulin & Sarah Gilbert
18. Social media and learning
Richard Halverson & Constance Steinkuehler
19. Games and learning
Maggi Savin-Baden & Gemma Tombs
20. Pedagogies in virtual worlds
PART 5 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
Robin Goodfellow & Mary R. Lea
21. Literacy and the digital university
Grainne C. Conole, Giles Pepler, Paul Bacsich, Brenda Padilla & Terese Bird
22. Promoting policy uptake for open educational resources and open practices
Nazlin Bhimani
23. E-learning and libraries
Rhiannon Looseley & Juno Rae
24. E-learning in museums
25. Designing for lifelong learning
PART 6 FUTURES
Jon Dron & Terry Anderson
26. The future of e-learning
The second edition of The SAGE Handbook of E-learning Research continues and expands the success of the first edition. The editors have convened a remarkably strong and diverse set of authors who manage to include established areas such as CSCL and Networked Learning, as well as emerging areas and trends within e-learning such as learning analytics, social media and posthumanist perspectives. It covers an impressive breadth without compromising the depth and I am certain that it will be an indispensable resource to researchers, students and practitioners in the years to come.
Professor Thomas Ryberg
Amidst the noise and fury surrounding learning technologies, this Handbook is an invaluable compass to help readers map the territory of E-Learning, and figure out which way may be true north for them. The editors have recruited undisputed leaders in their fields, who combine historical context, theoretical depth and real world experience to comment on the tech trends that swirl around us. Highly recommended for reflective practitioners and researchers looking for the bigger picture, and the defining contours of the future landscape.
Simon Buckingham Shum
Professor of Learning Informatics, University of Technology Sydney
In today's dynamic education environment in which fundamental changes are being driving by technology the second edition of the SAGE Handbook of E-learning Research provides institutional leaders, instructors and researchers with an invaluable reference to the latest e-learning research on how technology is impacting on and furthering our understanding of the learning process.
Josh Baron
Assistant Vice President, Marist College, USA
This second edition of the handbook of e-learning research edited by Caroline Haythornthwaite, Richard Andrews, Jude Fransman and Eric M. Meyers is an intellectually stimulating examination of the field and, at the same time, an invaluable resource. While the first edition gave us excellent coverage of the e-learning field at the time (2007) this 2nd edition offers a fascinating and challenging set of new chapters. The 26 chapters each introduce the reader to important new ideas and research thinking that reflect superbly how the field has developed and matured as its significance and importance has grown.
The first chapter covers concisely and well some of the key issues and debates in what has become a major area of interest and research – foregrounding both the role of the human in digital education as well as the socio-materiality and the role of artefacts alongside and together with the human; it covers the importance of the role of the learners and other significant issues around ethics and assessment and many other important concepts and ideas for digitally mediated and supported learning practices.
The remaining chapters go on to deal in more depth with these wide ranging issues and ideas. Including posthumanism’s critique of essentialism in educational research that questions and challenges the existence of an autonomous human subject whose voice is both authentic and uniquely expressive of experience. Through to the increasing important area and interest in big and, more specifically, learning analytics as well as the ethical issues and concerns associated with this and e-learning research more generally.
There is arguably not a current e-learning issue and challenge that is not touched on in the handbook. The different authors recognise and address a wide range of important issues that each relate to the socio-material nature of digital learning processes and the role of the digital in the cultural shaping of new institutional and pedagogical practices. Which are themselves being changed and shaped by the digital practices we now nearly all engage in on a daily basis. This book is not just for specialist e-learning researchers it is for anyone involved or interested in learning and teaching whether as formal educators, learners or as learning practitioners within any aspect of formal and informal enterprise or organisation. All will find chapters relevant and of interest to them, I recommend they take the time to read and consider the many interesting and current ideas in this latest edition.
Vivien Hodgson
Professor of Networked Management Learning, Lancaster University Management School
"The SAGE Handbook of E-Learning Research is a useful tool for the student and researcher alike, and provides an up-to-date, flexible, and accessible resource for a science that is still evolving and is subject to changes both large and small. This book is recommended for public and academic libraries."
S. Mofford
The Sage Handbook of E-learning Research, Second Edition, is a comprehensive collection of chapters that explores the essential areas in the field of e-learning. The handbook, which is comprised of twenty-six articles from a cadre of about fifty different international writers, is well worth the time it will take to read cover to cover; indeed, the editors have done a thorough job gathering content from noted experts in the field and organizing the material into six themed sections: theory; literacy and learning; methods and perspectives; pedagogy and practice; beyond the classroom; and futures. The collection provides an excellent representation of the best research in the field and thus serves as a foundation for the research that will follow. In a field that changes as quickly as the technology, The Sage Handbook of E-Learning Research does an excellent job covering the breadth of the research, looking at the past, considering the present, and imagining the future.
?Kurtis Clements
Research in Online Literacy Education
Chapter 1 - Introduction to the SAGE Handbook of E-learning
HardcoverElectronic Version
SAGE Knowledge is the ultimate social sciences digital library for students, researchers, and faculty. Hosting more than 4,400 titles, it includes an expansive range of SAGE eBook and eReference content, including scholarly monographs, reference works, handbooks, series, professional development titles, and more.
The platform allows researchers to cross-search and seamlessly access a wide breadth of must-have SAGE book and reference content from one source.
SAGE Knowledge brings together high-quality content from across our imprints, including CQ Press and Corwin titles.
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High prevalence of mutation in the Plasmodium falciparum dhfr and dhps genes in field isolates from Sabah, Northern Borneo
Noor Rain Abdullah, Nor Azrina Norahmad, Jenarun Jelip, Lokman Hakim Sulaiman, Hasidah Mohd. Sidek, Zakiah Ismail, Harald Noedl
School of Biosciences and Biotechnology
Background: Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) has been in use for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in Malaysia since the 1970s and is still widely employed in spite of widespread clinical resistance. Resistance to SP is known to be mediated by mutations in the pfdhfr and pfdhps genes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the distribution of pfdhfr and pfdhps gene polymorphism in Plasmodium falciparum field isolates from Kalabakan, Sabah, in northern Borneo. Methods. A total number of 619 individuals were screened from 23 study sites of which 31 were positive for P. falciparum. Analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) was used to identify polymorphism in the pfdhfr and pfdhps genes at positions 16, 51, 59, 108, 164 and 437, 540, 581, respectively. Results: All samples had at least one mutation in each of the genes associated with drug resistance. The prevalence of pfdhfr 59arg, 164leu and 108asn were 100%, 80.65% and 58.06%, respectively. Pfdhps mutants 437gly and 581gly accounted for 100% and 74.19% respectively. In pfdhfr, the most common mutant genotypes were combination 59arg + 164leu (22.58%) and 59arg + 108asn + 164leu (51.61%). In pfdhps the most common genotype was 437gly + 581gly (74.19%). One individual (3.22%) harboured parasites with four pfdhfr (16 val + 59arg + 108asn + 164leu) and two pfdhps (437gly + 581gly) mutations. The highest quintuple pfdhfr/pfdhps (41.94%) was three pfdhfr (59arg + 108asn + 164gly) and two pfdhps (437gly + 581gly). Conclusion: The data suggest a high prevalence of genetic variations conferring resistance to SP which can predict treatment failure before becoming clinically evident. In areas like this, the use of SP may no longer be indicated.
https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-12-198
Gene Order
Falciparum Malaria
Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms
pyrimethamine drug combination fanasil
Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine
Abdullah, N. R., Norahmad, N. A., Jelip, J., Sulaiman, L. H., Mohd. Sidek, H., Ismail, Z., & Noedl, H. (2013). High prevalence of mutation in the Plasmodium falciparum dhfr and dhps genes in field isolates from Sabah, Northern Borneo. Malaria Journal, 12(1), [198]. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-12-198
High prevalence of mutation in the Plasmodium falciparum dhfr and dhps genes in field isolates from Sabah, Northern Borneo. / Abdullah, Noor Rain; Norahmad, Nor Azrina; Jelip, Jenarun; Sulaiman, Lokman Hakim; Mohd. Sidek, Hasidah; Ismail, Zakiah; Noedl, Harald.
In: Malaria Journal, Vol. 12, No. 1, 198, 2013.
Abdullah, NR, Norahmad, NA, Jelip, J, Sulaiman, LH, Mohd. Sidek, H, Ismail, Z & Noedl, H 2013, 'High prevalence of mutation in the Plasmodium falciparum dhfr and dhps genes in field isolates from Sabah, Northern Borneo', Malaria Journal, vol. 12, no. 1, 198. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-12-198
Abdullah NR, Norahmad NA, Jelip J, Sulaiman LH, Mohd. Sidek H, Ismail Z et al. High prevalence of mutation in the Plasmodium falciparum dhfr and dhps genes in field isolates from Sabah, Northern Borneo. Malaria Journal. 2013;12(1). 198. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-12-198
Abdullah, Noor Rain ; Norahmad, Nor Azrina ; Jelip, Jenarun ; Sulaiman, Lokman Hakim ; Mohd. Sidek, Hasidah ; Ismail, Zakiah ; Noedl, Harald. / High prevalence of mutation in the Plasmodium falciparum dhfr and dhps genes in field isolates from Sabah, Northern Borneo. In: Malaria Journal. 2013 ; Vol. 12, No. 1.
@article{ca0711f4f47342e2b0b3f94d0e56e8f2,
title = "High prevalence of mutation in the Plasmodium falciparum dhfr and dhps genes in field isolates from Sabah, Northern Borneo",
abstract = "Background: Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) has been in use for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in Malaysia since the 1970s and is still widely employed in spite of widespread clinical resistance. Resistance to SP is known to be mediated by mutations in the pfdhfr and pfdhps genes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the distribution of pfdhfr and pfdhps gene polymorphism in Plasmodium falciparum field isolates from Kalabakan, Sabah, in northern Borneo. Methods. A total number of 619 individuals were screened from 23 study sites of which 31 were positive for P. falciparum. Analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) was used to identify polymorphism in the pfdhfr and pfdhps genes at positions 16, 51, 59, 108, 164 and 437, 540, 581, respectively. Results: All samples had at least one mutation in each of the genes associated with drug resistance. The prevalence of pfdhfr 59arg, 164leu and 108asn were 100{\%}, 80.65{\%} and 58.06{\%}, respectively. Pfdhps mutants 437gly and 581gly accounted for 100{\%} and 74.19{\%} respectively. In pfdhfr, the most common mutant genotypes were combination 59arg + 164leu (22.58{\%}) and 59arg + 108asn + 164leu (51.61{\%}). In pfdhps the most common genotype was 437gly + 581gly (74.19{\%}). One individual (3.22{\%}) harboured parasites with four pfdhfr (16 val + 59arg + 108asn + 164leu) and two pfdhps (437gly + 581gly) mutations. The highest quintuple pfdhfr/pfdhps (41.94{\%}) was three pfdhfr (59arg + 108asn + 164gly) and two pfdhps (437gly + 581gly). Conclusion: The data suggest a high prevalence of genetic variations conferring resistance to SP which can predict treatment failure before becoming clinically evident. In areas like this, the use of SP may no longer be indicated.",
keywords = "Molecular markers, Plasmodium falciparum, Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine",
author = "Abdullah, {Noor Rain} and Norahmad, {Nor Azrina} and Jenarun Jelip and Sulaiman, {Lokman Hakim} and {Mohd. Sidek}, Hasidah and Zakiah Ismail and Harald Noedl",
doi = "10.1186/1475-2875-12-198",
journal = "Malaria Journal",
T1 - High prevalence of mutation in the Plasmodium falciparum dhfr and dhps genes in field isolates from Sabah, Northern Borneo
AU - Abdullah, Noor Rain
AU - Norahmad, Nor Azrina
AU - Jelip, Jenarun
AU - Sulaiman, Lokman Hakim
AU - Mohd. Sidek, Hasidah
AU - Ismail, Zakiah
AU - Noedl, Harald
N2 - Background: Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) has been in use for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in Malaysia since the 1970s and is still widely employed in spite of widespread clinical resistance. Resistance to SP is known to be mediated by mutations in the pfdhfr and pfdhps genes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the distribution of pfdhfr and pfdhps gene polymorphism in Plasmodium falciparum field isolates from Kalabakan, Sabah, in northern Borneo. Methods. A total number of 619 individuals were screened from 23 study sites of which 31 were positive for P. falciparum. Analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) was used to identify polymorphism in the pfdhfr and pfdhps genes at positions 16, 51, 59, 108, 164 and 437, 540, 581, respectively. Results: All samples had at least one mutation in each of the genes associated with drug resistance. The prevalence of pfdhfr 59arg, 164leu and 108asn were 100%, 80.65% and 58.06%, respectively. Pfdhps mutants 437gly and 581gly accounted for 100% and 74.19% respectively. In pfdhfr, the most common mutant genotypes were combination 59arg + 164leu (22.58%) and 59arg + 108asn + 164leu (51.61%). In pfdhps the most common genotype was 437gly + 581gly (74.19%). One individual (3.22%) harboured parasites with four pfdhfr (16 val + 59arg + 108asn + 164leu) and two pfdhps (437gly + 581gly) mutations. The highest quintuple pfdhfr/pfdhps (41.94%) was three pfdhfr (59arg + 108asn + 164gly) and two pfdhps (437gly + 581gly). Conclusion: The data suggest a high prevalence of genetic variations conferring resistance to SP which can predict treatment failure before becoming clinically evident. In areas like this, the use of SP may no longer be indicated.
AB - Background: Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) has been in use for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in Malaysia since the 1970s and is still widely employed in spite of widespread clinical resistance. Resistance to SP is known to be mediated by mutations in the pfdhfr and pfdhps genes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the distribution of pfdhfr and pfdhps gene polymorphism in Plasmodium falciparum field isolates from Kalabakan, Sabah, in northern Borneo. Methods. A total number of 619 individuals were screened from 23 study sites of which 31 were positive for P. falciparum. Analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) was used to identify polymorphism in the pfdhfr and pfdhps genes at positions 16, 51, 59, 108, 164 and 437, 540, 581, respectively. Results: All samples had at least one mutation in each of the genes associated with drug resistance. The prevalence of pfdhfr 59arg, 164leu and 108asn were 100%, 80.65% and 58.06%, respectively. Pfdhps mutants 437gly and 581gly accounted for 100% and 74.19% respectively. In pfdhfr, the most common mutant genotypes were combination 59arg + 164leu (22.58%) and 59arg + 108asn + 164leu (51.61%). In pfdhps the most common genotype was 437gly + 581gly (74.19%). One individual (3.22%) harboured parasites with four pfdhfr (16 val + 59arg + 108asn + 164leu) and two pfdhps (437gly + 581gly) mutations. The highest quintuple pfdhfr/pfdhps (41.94%) was three pfdhfr (59arg + 108asn + 164gly) and two pfdhps (437gly + 581gly). Conclusion: The data suggest a high prevalence of genetic variations conferring resistance to SP which can predict treatment failure before becoming clinically evident. In areas like this, the use of SP may no longer be indicated.
KW - Molecular markers
KW - Plasmodium falciparum
KW - Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine
U2 - 10.1186/1475-2875-12-198
DO - 10.1186/1475-2875-12-198
JO - Malaria Journal
JF - Malaria Journal
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Patent Grant Multi-Page PDF Images (1790 - Present)
Contains the images of each patent grant issued weekly (Tuesdays) from July 31, 1790 to present in Portable Document Format (PDF) created from the Patent Grant Single-Page TIFF Images. Also included are older grants that have new Certificates-of-Correction (C-of-C) and rescanned images of older patent grants.
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Contains recorded maintenance fee events for patents granted from September 1, 1981 to present. Each new weekly file is cumulative.
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Contains the images of each patent grant issued weekly (Tuesdays) from July 31, 1790 to present in Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) Revision 6.0 with CCITT Group 4 Compression (single-page TIFFs). Includes a separate weekly Certificates-of-Correction (C-of-C) file and a daily Certificates file.
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PUBLIC Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) Extracts (2001 - Present)
Under the current Public Dissemination of Data (PDD) no-cost contract (expires April 13, 2020), Reed Tech crawls the USPTO Public PAIR (Patent Application Information Retrieval) website for patent documents, including Content Management System (CMS) PDF images (formerly the Image File Wrappers (IFW) PDF images). This daily crawl is for five hours each night and retrieves both already-submitted documents and new documents as the USPTO makes them publicly available.
Except for repackaging into zip files, these documents are hosted by Reed Tech unchanged. A single zip file is created for each patent application. There is detailed documentation about the format as well as the overview below.
How to access PAIR data:
To access a particular zipfile, replace APP_NUM in the following URL with an application number of interest:
http://patents.reedtech.com/downloads/pair/APP_NUM.zip
For example: http://patents.reedtech.com/downloads/pair/12102391.zip
Over 7,624,417 applications are available. Additional applications will be added regularly as the crawl progresses.
Overview of zipfile contents:
Each zipfile contains the following:
•A README.txt file which indicates when the data was obtained.
•Data files (*.tsv), in tab-delimited text format, compatible with many spreadsheet programs. Each data file represents one tab from the PAIR interface: Address and Attorney/Agent, Application Data, Continuity Data, Foreign Priority, Image File Wrapper, Patent Term Adjustments / Extension History, Transaction History.
◦Data tables from the PAIR interface are organized in one of two ways:
1. Labels in the first column. (Example: Application Data tab.) The second column contains the corresponding value (example: Application number and 12/102,391).
2. Labels in the first row. (Example: Transaction History tab, with labels such as Date and Transaction Description.) Each subsequent row contains the corresponding values for one data item. (In the example, each row represents a single transaction.)
◦Some *.tsv files contain more than one table, separated by a blank line.
◦The Image File Wrapper data file is put in a separate directory along with the additional content that it links to. An extra Filename column is added to the *.tsv file to indicate the appropriate file for each item.
•Image files (*.pdf), in Adobe PDF format. This data is only available for patent applications which have an Image File Wrapper tab on the USPTO PAIR site.
No guarantees are made with respect to the completeness or accuracy of this data. In particular, the crawl may discover and retrieve additional documents over time, even for applications submitted long ago. Please visit the USPTO PAIR site for official, current, and complete information: https://portal.uspto.gov/pair/PublicPair (uses reCAPTCHA)
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Patent Grant Full Text (1976 - Present)
Contains the full text of each patent grant issued weekly (Tuesdays) from January 6, 1976 to present (excludes images/drawings). Subset of the Patent Grant Full Text Data with Embedded TIFF Images.
Patent Grant Full Text Data with Embedded TIFF Images (2001 - Present)
Contains the full text, images/drawings, and complex work units (tables, mathematical expressions, chemical structures, and genetic sequence data) of each patent grant issued weekly (Tuesdays) from January 2, 2001 to present.
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SRSLY? SMS Celebrates Its 25th Birthday
by Matt Brian — in Mobile
According to a press release from Sherri Wells, ‘one of the leading SMS messaging experts in the world’, SMS is celebrating 25 years of existence today, making its way from a R&D lab at Vodafone to become a technology that is now present on every single mobile phone currently in existence.
Although SMS was developed twenty-five years ago in a collaboration between France and Germany, the first text message was actually sent seven years later on December 3rd, 1992, reading “Happy Christmas”.
Since then SMS evolved through various stages, starting as a free service where teens helped popularise the service, before carriers then charged for the service, causing a decline of up to 40% in the process. Back in 2000, the average monthly texts sent per user was a paltry 35, today it’s as high as 357 with 1.5 trillion messages sent annually in the US.
You can’t go far without noticing a SMS short-code, those numbers you text to get more information on adverts or sign up for ringtones, showing the real power of the text message. Even though internet-based services like Twitter exist (and also offer SMS codes for status updates), people still choose to text their friends instead of trusting a third-party with their messages.
Happy Birthday SMS, your days might be limited but for now we will continue to abuse your availability.
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The Swellesley Report
More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.
Wellesley Square
Charities/Community
Here’s everything you need to know about the Wellesley Special Town Meeting warrant
November 6, 2019 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment
The Board of Selectmen will convene a Special Town Meeting (STM) on Monday, December 9 and Tuesday, December 10, 2019 to discuss possibly choosing a Moderator, the Hunnewell School building project and the Council on Aging governance.
Constable Phil Juliani posts the warrant for STM on the bulletin board in front of Town Clerk K.C. Kato’s office in Town Hall. Photo: Town of Wellesley
The Special Town Meeting will be held in the Wellesley Middle School Auditorium, 50 Kingsbury St., at 7pm.
The list of issues (called articles) to be discussed by Town Meeting representatives is known as the Warrant.
Article 1 — Moderator, yes or no
Article 1 states: “To see if the Town will vote to choose a Moderator to preside over said meeting and to receive reports of town officers, boards and committees, including the Report of the Advisory Committee; or to take any other action in relation thereto.”
Article 2 — Money for Hunnewell School reconstruction or replacement
Article 2 states: “To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, transfer from available funds, or borrow a sum of money, to be expended under the direction of the Permanent Building Committee, for architectural and engineering designs, plans and other specifications, bid documents, permitting, and any associated costs related to the reconstruction or replacement of the Hunnewell School located at 28 Cameron Street, and for any other services in connection therewith and, for the purpose of meeting such appropriation, to authorize the Town Treasurer, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, to borrow said sum in accordance with Chapter 44, Section 7(7) of the Massachusetts General Laws, or any other enabling authority and ti issue bonds or note of the Town therefor, and that any premium received by the Town upon the sale of any bonds or notes approved by this vote, less any such premium applied to the payment of the costs of the issuance of such bonds or notes, may be applied to the payment of costs approved by this vote in accordance with Chapter 44, Section 20 of the Massachusetts General Laws, thereby reducing the amount to be borrowed to pay such costs by a like amount, or to take any other action in relation thereto.
Article 3 — Citizen Petition, Council on Aging
Article 3 states: Town Meeting is being petitioned to authorize the Moderator to appoint and facilitate a Committee to evaluate the governance at the COA, including the treatment of the COA employees by the COA Board, and to report back to Town Meeting with the Committee’s recommendations for governance of the COS going forward. The COA Director will report to the Executive Director of General Government Services until the Committee makes its recommendations and further action is taken by Town Meeting.
My wander in search of the warrant
When the Town serves a warrant, by law a physical copy of the warrant must be displayed in at least two conspicuous places in town at least 14 days before the meeting is held. My go-to spot to check out the document has always been the bulletin board in Wellesley Square near the post office.
Here’s the spot where warrants have been posted for many years, with Town Hall in the background. But where’s the bulletin board? Where’s the warrant?
I asked Communications and Project Manager Stephanie Hawkinson for the lowdown. She told me, “At STM in May, Town Meeting members voted to change the posting location from the bulletin board to the bulletin board in front of the Clerk’s office and at the Wellesley Police Dept. As the bulletin board had been damaged and defaced after so many years outside, I think DPW took it down.”
So there we go. The STM warrant has been posted according to the process. Copies of the warrant are also available in the Selectmen’s Office.
Learn more about the STM articles:
A public hearing on the Special Town Meeting articles is planned for Wednesday, November 6 at 6:30pm during the Advisory Committee meeting. Residents are invited to attend to ask questions and share their thoughts.
Whatever happened to the idea of Indigenous Peoples Day?
Wellesley Board of Selectmen in April 2019 held a public forum to begin consideration of a request from the World of Wellesley (WOW) organization to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day in town. At the meeting, the public had the opportunity to speak about the WOW request. BOS Chairman Jack Morgan at that time said that the role of the BOS at the meeting would be as listeners, and that no immediate decision would be made as a direct result of this one meeting.
At this time, the BOS says that the question of whether to abolish Columbus Day and instead observe Indigenous Peoples Day should not be decided by an elected Board of five, but should be put to the largest elected body in Wellesley, Town Meeting.
Stay tuned for further upcoming public discussions. The next annual Town Meeting is scheduled for March 30, 2020.
Filed Under: Government, Politics, Town Meeting
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Home › Celebrity News
Odd Future No Longer Welcome In New Zealand
By Jonathan Hailey
Rambunctious rap crew Odd Future is never too far away from some sort of controversy. For their latest action that landed them in hot water, the European country of New Zealand has banned the rap collective from setting foot in the country due to the fact they “incite violence.”
As the story goes, Odd Future was set to open up for Eminem at a show this past weekend. Issues rose once New Zealand immigration authorities found out about an incident involving Odd Future in Boston back in 2011 where Tyler, the Creator was allegedly inciting fans to attack police officers. Due to that three-year-old incident, Odd Future was deemed to “pose a threat to public order.”
Follow @JaySpeakEasy_ Follow @TheUrbanDaily
New Zealand immigration authorities issued a statement that read in part, “Odd Future has been deemed to be a potential threat to public order and the public interest for several reasons, including incidents at past performances in which they have incited violence.”
Odd Future frontman Tyler, the Creator commented on the issue via his Twitter, “OF IS BANNED FROM NEW ZEALAND, AGAIN. THEY SAID WE WERE ‘TERRORIST THREATS AND BAD FOR THE SOCIETY’ OR WHATEVER. SICK. THEY ARE ANTI GOLF. I LOVE NZ THO.”
https://twitter.com/fucktyler/status/433798469312974849
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Tag Archives: Helen Rolfe
#Review – The Summer of New Beginnings by Helen Rolfe (@HJRolfe) @RNATweets #tuesnews
Posted in book blogger, Book Review, contemporary fiction, real life by thewritinggarnet
They say trouble comes in threes…
Headstrong and organised, Mia is a single mum who wants to fix the world – but the one thing she can’t fix is her family. Responsible older brother Will has fled Primrose Bay, unable to forgive and forget after the ultimate betrayal. And Jasmine, no longer the wayward baby sister, is determined to prove to her brother and sister that she’s just as capable as they are.
Together in the bay after years apart and a separation spanning three continents, it doesn’t take long for the siblings to clash when Mia calls everyone together in a family crisis. And with jealousy and resentment simmering between them, as well as faces from the past and new loves, the family ties could end up being severed forever.
Sometimes we need to lose ourselves in order to find each other again…
I would like to start by saying a MASSIVE congratulations to Helen Rolfe as today is the publication day for her seventh novel, The Summer of New Beginnings! It feels like yesterday that I was helping Helen reveal the cover of her new book, and now it’s available for all of you to buy! Luckily for me, I got to read this a week or so ago, although I now wish I could read it for the first time again..
If anyone can turn around and say that they get on with EVERY single member of their family, then my name is Snow White. Seriously though, we all have skeletons in our closets when it comes to the relationships we have with members of our families, but no matter what, there are just some family members that we would always bend over backwards to help. Regardless of how much they have annoyed us. Am I right? Obviously a lot of circumstances are excluded! If you’ve cut ties with a family member due to something more serious than them pinching a bag of your cheese and onion crisps, then what I just said is completely irrelevant, you catch my drift though, right?
Will, Mia and Jasmine are what I call ‘typical siblings’, however their feuds and frosty relationships seemed to have lasted a lot longer than anticipated. Especially seeing as they can’t be in the same room together without re-creating their own version of Jeremy Kyle. Yes, their rows are THAT bad according to each other. The thing is, one sibling thinks one thing, another one thinks something completely different, and the third one is a mini Tasmanian devil. Lets just say that Will, Mia and Jasmine have led completely different lives over the years, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the lack of communication. By communication I mean talking at a level that doesn’t require protective ear equipment.
Mia is the worrier of the family; as a single mum who had her daughter at a young age, Mia has spent so many years putting other people’s needs before her own and that has left her feeling lost. How can Mia calm down and be a bit selfish for once?
Will is the manly man. Having moved away when unsightly things hit the fan, Will has been living in his own bubble for more years than he cares to remember. What he doesn’t seem to realise though, is how his actions and bubble are hurting those around him. After all, he wouldn’t know that would he? Seeing as he refuses to acknowledge anything else but THAT….
Ahhhh Jasmine. No, not Princess Jasmine (although if she had half the chance, a flying carpet would be top of her ‘to buy’ list). Often as the youngest of the family, it is incredibly easy to get side lined and for family members to assume that, seeing as you’re young, you need siblings (well, one in particular), as a bodyguard. Assumptions…hmmm. I’ve always been told that if you assume, it makes an ass out of you and me. Who’d have thought it?
I think I pay WAYYY more attention to the individual characters than I should. It’s as though I dissect their personalities as the storyline unfolds. It’s a habit I’ll admit, but it’s one that won’t be changing any time soon! All three siblings had traits that annoyed the muffins out of me, I just wanted to shake them and help them see sense. Easy for an outsider to say that though, isn’t it? When Mia called her family back to the bay due to an out of character family crisis, I wasn’t prepared for the family war that had appeared. So many years had passed with each of them holding onto pent-up anger, misunderstandings and sheer stubbornness, that when they were all together in a confined space, everything came spilling out at lightening speed. Will and Jasmine were able to up sticks and move away from the Bay, but not Mia. Could she have gone if she really wanted to? I did wonder that, but as a single mum myself, waking up one morning and deciding that you’re going to start a life somewhere else, is severely outlandish.
I absolutely adored ‘The Summer of New Beginnings’ as it was incredibly realistic and relatable. Many of us will read the storyline and nod our heads to circumstances that unfold within the book, due to the similarity of our own lives. I have read many of Helen Rolfe’s novels and whilst she always manages to leave me pleasantly satisfied upon completion of every novel, ‘The Summer of New Beginnings’ hit home in a way that none of her previous novels have done before. Tackling a storyline which involves copious amounts of secrets, overlapping situations and bucketful’s of emotion, requires a lot of talent to be able to pull the storyline off, without losing any of the poignancy and overall concept. Helen Rolfe has that talent and she has pulled the storyline off with such ease and power; I truly am amazed at what she has managed to achieve with her new novel.
‘The Summer of New Beginnings’ is an outstanding portrayal of family life, as well as laying bare the secretive truths which often remain unknown behind close doors. This book is by far Helen Rolfe’s best book to date due to her refreshing, powerful and fantastically written storyline. It wasn’t all ‘he said, she said’ and arguments don’t get me wrong! No, it was also a book full of hope, trust and being aware of your own true feelings. When things get too much we often lash out at those who know us best, and that often includes us lashing out at ourselves. Thanks to the authors black and white tale of an imperfect lifestyle, ‘The Summer of New Beginnings’ highlights the importance of taking a step back and….breathing.
A truly outstanding novel, ‘The Summer of New Beginnings’ is my favourite book of Helen Rolfe’s so far. Fantastic! A well deserved 5*; if I could give it more stars I would!
Thanks so much Helen.
You too can get your hands on a copy of Helen Rolfe’s new novel right now from Amazon UK
Book Review, family life, Helen Rolfe, relatable, RNA Leave a comment
#Review of Christmas at The Little Knitting Box by @HJRolfe @RNATweets #tuesnews #RNA
Posted in book blogger, Book Review by thewritinggarnet
Christmas is coming and New York is in full swing for the snowy season. But at The Little Knitting Box in the West Village, things are about to change …
The Little Knitting Box has been in Cleo’s family for nearly four decades, and since she arrived fresh off the plane from the Cotswolds four years ago, Cleo has been doing a stellar job of running the store. But instead of an early Christmas card in the mail this year, she gets a letter that tips her world on its axis.
Dylan has had a tumultuous few years. His marriage broke down, his mother passed away and he’s been trying to pick up the pieces as a stay-at-home dad. All he wants this Christmas is to give his kids the home and stability they need. But when he meets Cleo at a party one night, he begins to see it’s not always so easy to move on and pick up the pieces, especially when his ex seems determined to win him back.
When the snow starts to fall in New York City, both Cleo and Dylan realise life is rarely so black and white and both of them have choices to make. Will Dylan follow his heart or his head? And will Cleo ever allow herself to be a part of another family when her own fell apart at the seams?
Have you ever fallen so in love with book that you feel a loss when it ends? Have you ever fallen so in love with a book that the entire thing just felt…right? I have. I was really excited to read Helen’s new book even before it was released (I will explain why shortly), so when I had the added bonus of falling in love with the storyline and the characters, I just knew I had to shout loud and proud about this one.
To Cleo, The Little Knitting Box is everything. It’s her safety net, her lifeline and the place where she can fill her heart with memories of her family as she works. Just as Cleo feels settled, something is about to threaten The Little Knitting Box’s livelihood..
One of the reasons why I was bouncing around like a lunatic before the book was released, was because Helen had created a character…with MY name! Oh yes folks, The Little Knitting Box has a character in it called Kaisha! Even though I knew my name would crop up, I still felt quite emotional seeing it in black and white. Absolutely surreal. I was already beginning to feel involved in Cleo’s life myself, then my character doppelgänger turned up and was also involved in Cleo’s life! Yes, the character has my name, but despite that, the way that she was written into the storyline with such feistiness and bolshiness, Kaisha quickly became one of my favourites.
As Helen was describing The Knitting Box interior with such attention to detail, I felt like I was walking around the shop myself. Every feature she described, I could see it. Every smell she described, I began to smell it. Everything. That may sound daft but it is true. Such beautiful descriptions of such memorable features; if this was an actual shop in my town, I would be living in it, mark my words!
The storyline goes between Cleo’s life, and Dylan’s life. Unfortunately, we meet Dylan at a very sad time in his life, and people around him seem to be using that to his advantage. His naivety was a little questionable at times, but it was a joy to see Dylan grow as a character throughout the book. By the end of the story, my opinion had changed as I had gotten to see a different side of him and get to know him much better. The only way that I can describe Dylan would be; ‘teddy bear’, you’ll see why in the story!
It’s not often I say this but I really would love to see this storyline carry on into another book. Whilst the ending wasn’t left unfinished, it still has been left with room to expand due to where the characters are in their lives at the end of the book. For me, the book just stopped. I wanted to know more and I am really hoping that Helen does make it into a series because it is such a beautiful book. Every single thing was…perfect. I felt like I was opening a present as I turned each page and read the magically words in front of me.
Christmas at The Little Knitting Box has gotten under my skin in ways I never thought were possible. I feel like have lost something due to finishing the book, crazy huh?
Helen Rolfe has written such a warm and cosy read, which will fill your heart with sheer joy from first page to the last. I ended the book feeling as though I had gained a lot of new friends, and there is no doubt in my mind that you will feel that too.
Beautiful, magical and incredibly moving; Christmas at The Little Knitting Box is a book that keeps on giving. Easily one of my favourite books, ever.
You too can buy a piece of Christmas magic from Amazon UK, enjoy!
book blogger, Book Review, Christmas at The Little Knitting Box, family, Helen Rolfe, Kaisha, love 2 Comments
TWG’s Don’t-Snooze-You’ll-Lose Deal Day With…. (@HJRolfe)
Posted in book blogger, TWG's Deal Day by thewritinggarnet
It feels like ages ago that I had a ‘TWG don’t snooze’ blog post! For that I apologise, but, for those that follow my blog regularly, you will notice that TWG has been a busy bee. But, today, I come bearing gifts…well, the gift of a gorgeous book cover and the details for you to purchase for under £1? That’s a gift, right?
Why do good girls fall for bad boys?
Tamara leaves London and puts ten thousand miles between her and her ex. But as she vows to start over, she meets Jake – and life gets more complicated than she could ever have imagined.
Jake is the direct competitor for the family business, and a man with a dark secret, and Tamara struggles to fight her attraction to him as she deals with secrets of her own and an ex who refuses to give up.
Tamara is soon drawn in to the small community of Brewer Creek where she becomes the coordinator for an old fashioned Friendship Tree – a chart telling people who they can call on in times of trouble. And before long, she realises the Friendship Tree does a lot more than organise fundraising events and working bees; it has the power to unite an entire town.
Should you ever try to run from your past?
-swoons at the book cover-. It’s B-E-A-uuuuutiful!!!! The book has just had a make-over and to celebrate that, Helen Rolfe has knocked the price down to a mere 99p! What better timing for a book deal, than….oh wait…can you keep a secret? Are you sure? Helen has a new book out soon, but shhhhhhh!!!!
If you wish to secretly, ahem, nosey at Helen’s upcoming book, or maybe even be tempted by a couple of her other books, you can do so HERE!
If ‘The Friendship Tree’ makes you want to plant your own tree, or read a few, then all you have to do is head onto Amazon UK, and you’ll have your own friendship tree in a matter of seconds!
‘The Friendship Tree’ is on offer at 99p for A LIMITED TIME ONLY! By limited time, I really do mean that. It is looking likely that the deal will be no more as of early next week, so you literally have a few days to make use of the book deal before you lose, from snoozing!
As always, if you have read any of Helen’s other novels, please do leave a review over on Amazon and Goodreads. It doesn’t have to be the length of War and Peace, as long as it is constructive, I can’t imagine the author docking marks on the length! Reviews are vital for authors as it helps their books be seen and supported. After all, reviews to authors are like the GBBO to BBC One; necessary.
Helen’s Social Links:
https://www.facebook.com/helenjrolfewriter
https://twitter.com/HJRolfe
www.helenjrolfe.com
99p books, Helen Rolfe, RNA, The Friendship Tree, TWG Deal Day Leave a comment
Review – ‘Handle Me With Care’ by Helen J Rolfe (@HJRolfe) @FabrianBooks @RNAtweets #RNA
Maddie Kershaw doesn’t think so. She lost the love of her life in the 9/11 attacks, and since then has hopped from one casual fling to the next. But when she delivers an erotic cake to a one-hundredth birthday party by mistake, she meets Evan and starts to believe in second chances … until she realises there’s a risk of getting hurt all over again.
Evan Quinn is serially single, yet when he meets Maddie he feels an instant connection, so much so that he confesses on their first date that he may have testicular cancer. Was it a mistake to be so honest? He wants Maddie more than he has ever wanted any other woman. But he doesn’t want her pity.
With the odds stacked against them both, finding love won’t be easy. But beneath the Australian sun, a Happy Ever After could be worth fighting for.
Ahhh, such a heart-warming example of ‘lust at first sight’; locking eyes with a handsome fellow as you’re making a delivery to your clients, feeling THE connection to a complete stranger. -swoons-. The feeling of lust continues as all you can think about is the man you just met whilst delivering a cake, an erotic cake, to a 100th birthday party (accidentally). Now THAT is a story to tell the grandkids when they’re older. Not you obviously, Maddie. The thing is, Maddie’s heart has been under lock and key for many years and she is afraid to let another man have the key. Will Maddie ever let herself be loved by another man, again? Will the erotic cake be the key to her happiness? Or will Maddie’s fear of getting hurt, happen all over again?
-hangs head in shame- Helen, please forgive me! You were the very first author to follow me on Twitter, yet this book has been sitting on my Kindle for a couple of months, un-read. Sniff. But, it most certainly was worth the wait!
The erotic cake saga had me in hysterics! I could just imagine seeing all of the 100-year-old ladies (or thereabouts) with huge smiles on their faces. The whole saga was such a refreshing way to start a chick flick, completely different to anything that I have read before. It just worked, plus for me, it set the bar high for the rest of the book.
Maddie has definitely had her fair share of heartbreak and due to a lack of communication, the heartbreak is still as raw now, as it was back then. Her confidence is knocked and she believes that she isn’t worth loving again. But is that because she won’t let herself be loved? Maddie’s future was ‘mapped’ out, she was excited and looking forward to it. Then one day, the rug got pulled from under her, and many others. Lives would never be the same again…
My heart went out to Maddie, it was such a shame to see the burden that she was carrying on her shoulders, still present after all those years. I just wanted to give her a big hug. As soon as Evan came into the picture, his character brought a whole new dimension to the book. Not only was he Australian and rather dashing, (thanks to Helen’s description), he was also such an intense character to get to know.
After reading the first few chapters, the storyline went up a few notches in terms of emotion and intensity, and I wasn’t quite prepared for my reaction to it. By this point in the story, I had gelled with both main characters and felt really involved in their lives as well as the main storyline, so when either of them received news of any sort, I reacted. I was in shock with Evan’s news and I must say, I did get rather miffed with Maddie’s reaction to it (see, I do get involved!!).
I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Handle Me With Care’. Whilst the storyline was full of raw emotions and the fear of the unknown, it was also full of hilarious one liners, dry humour and underlined the fact that laughter is the best medicine for some people.
Helen Rolfe has written such an emotional rollercoaster of a story which highlights the importance of self-awareness and self discovery. ‘Handle Me With Care’ is a refreshingly different take on a chick flick that will also have you becoming best buds with Andrex tissue.
Unless you’re made of stone and allergic to Andrex tissue, there is a high chance that you will cry whilst reading ‘Handle Me With Care’. Not only that, you will probably google erotic cakes and become proud of the person that YOU are; purely for being you. Please do remember ‘if in doubt, check it out’.
‘Handle Me With Care’ by Helen J Rolfe, published by Fabrian Books, is available to buy now from Amazon UK.
Book Review, grief, Handle Me With Care, Helen Rolfe, RNA, testicular cancer Leave a comment
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America ReFramed
Detroit 48202: Conversations Along a Postal Route
Season 7 Episode 3 | 1h 24m 57s
DETROIT 48202: CONVERSATIONS ALONG A POSTAL ROUTE explores the rise, demise and contested resurgence of the "motor city" through a multi-generational choir of voices who reside in mail carrier Wendell Watkins’s work route. Blamed for the devastation - disinvestment to bankruptcy - but determined to survive, the community offers creative solutions to re-imagine a more inclusive and equitable city.
Major funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Additional funding provided by the Wyncote Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Reva & David Logan Foundation and the Park Foundation.
Season 7 Season 6 Season 5 Season 4
Surviving Home
Millions of veterans have put their lives on the line. Surviving war is just the beginning
S7 Ep14 | 1h 27m 5s
Perfectly Normal For Me
Four youth, ages 5 to 15, reveal what it’s like to live with physical disabilities.
Struggle & Hope
The stories, and fight, of the residents of the last remaining all-Black towns in the U.S.
Exploring the rise, demise and contested resurgence of Detroit, America's "motor city."
S7 Ep3 | 1h 24m 57s
Pyne Poynt
A Camden, NJ resident leads a charge to reclaim Pyne Poynt Park for the community's youth.
Detroit 48202: Conversations Along a Postal Route | Trailer
Preview: S7 Ep3 | 1m 15s
Detroit 48202: Conversations Along a Postal Route | Promo
Preview: S7 Ep3 | 30s
More Indie Films ShowsRight
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Hannah Hurley
I am passionate about reaching unchurched kids with the gospel and seeing kids that have experienced salvation become disciples. I am over the weekly children’s church at Solid Rock Worship Center. We reach out to new kids through Friday night community kids services, vacation bible school, and van ministry. A typical kids service will be held with a competitive touch between boys and girls. I work through crazy characters, games, action songs, and skits.
Jeremy Joyce
In 1996, the call to Children’s Ministry became a reality for Jeremy. Since that time, God has allowed him to speak all over North America, Central America and Africa. Speaking in venues such as camps, crusades, VBS and Children’s Ministry training events for the last 20+ years, Jeremy has seen Jesus fill many souls with the Holy Ghost! With high energy worship, interactive games and out-of-the-box storytelling, the services seize the attention and reach for the soul of every child, regardless of their age.
Jeremy married his best friend, Sharisa, in 2001 and together, with their three kids, live in Apopka, FL. They continue to serve their district as Section 7 Children’s Ministry Coordinators and their home church, the Pentecostals of Apopka.
Dan & Sarah Mack
The Mack’s have served in a multitude of children’s ministry rolls since 2001, including Sunday School Teachers, Children’s Worship Director, Children’s Outreach Coordinator, Vacation Bible School Director, Jr. Youth Camp Speaker, Children’s Ministry Conference Speaker as well as having evangelized children throughout the US and Mexico. Brother Mack has also served as MS Section 9 Sunday School Director and MS District Children’s Ministries Secretary, a position he holds to this day. In late 2010 the Mack’s were called to establish a Spanish language congregation in Biloxi MS; Iglesia Pentecostal Agua Viva (Living Water Pentecostal Church.) This new ministry adventure has now equipped the Mack’s with the ability to minister to adults and children in Spanish and English.
Nature of Ministry: The Mack’s utilize Live Music, Illusions, Physical Comedy and Character Skits in English or Spanish.
Children’s Ministry Workshops:
Reaching Pre-Teens
Reaching Hispanic Kids
Street Preaching – Developing a Community Children’s Outreach Program
Using Technology for Highly Impactful Children’s Ministry.
Building an Altar – Kids Church for All Ages
Leading in Children’s Ministry
Making Sunday School Great Again – Applying Performance Improvement to Children’s Ministry
Larry E McCarthy
Local Church Childrens’ Pastor
Ministering to Children using many fun methods:
with costumes, hats, tricks, drama, puppets, sound effects, action songs, etc.
Known in the Ontario District as “Larry Boy”.
Brent Regnart
Brent’s main focus is Teacher Training, and has succesfully taught in workshops, seminars and conferences across the country as well as internationally.
His seminars have been described as fresh and relevant while also highly entertaining, energetic, and filled with great tips for teachers.
Brent has also spoken to kids at countless children’s rallies and services.
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The Office of Human Resources
The Wagner College Office of Human Resources partners with all members of the College community to cultivate a work environment that values equal opportunity, diversity, professional development and individual excellence. Through sound policies and practices, we will balance the needs of the employees and the needs of the college while ensuring compliance with federal and state laws. We support the College’s mission of education and service by serving as resources and advisors to faculty, administration, staff and students in all aspects of employment.
The Office of Human Resources is also committed to promoting an environment that retains the full trust and confidence of the faculty, staff, students and College community. HR staff pledge to promote a respectful workplace and honor the rights of faculty and staff of the College.
In our daily work we are in the unique and responsible position of having access to and being aware of an array of highly sensitive personal, medical and workplace information. This information comes to us directly from individuals or third parties associated with them and their work. Information we have received of a personal nature will be disclosed to other parties or colleagues only when it is legally required or essential to the operation of the College, and then on a strict need-to-know basis.
HR endorses the following statements and principles of confidentiality:
Conduct of HR staff shall be guided by integrity, discretion and dignity, and they shall expect and encourage such conduct by others.
Personal information or information which an individual requests be kept confidential and private will not be released unless there is compelling legal or operational reasons for its release.
When individuals ask for assistance with given matters, we will first inform them before sharing their name or information about them with others.
Personal information about staff, faculty or any member of the University community including information in databases and hard copy files shall be kept secured and shall not be readily accessible to others.
Discussion of a faculty or staff member’s personal information will be conducted only when necessary and appropriate with other staff, and only on a strict need-to-know basis, and in utmost privacy.
Employees of HR are required to agree to and abide by these guidelines as a condition of employment.
The Office of Human Resources, located on the second floor of the Union Building Room 221 above the Dining Hall, is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm. Our main telephone number is (718)390-3187 and our fax number is (718)420-4146. Our Map & Directions page provides driving and public transportation directions to our campus.
Jazzmine Clarke-Glover
Chief Human Resources Officer, Human Resources
718-390-3280 j.clarke-glover@wagner.edu
Linda Cosentino
Deputy Director of Human Resources, Human Resources
718-390-3116 lcosenti@wagner.edu
Antonietta Woodman
Human Resources Associate, Human Resources
718-390-3187 antonietta.woodman@wagner.edu
Policies and Procedures (Employee Handbook)
American with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Discrimination & Title IX
General Employment
Misconduct and Discipline
Salary Advance Policy
Recruitment and Employment Policy for Administrative and Staff Positions
Wage and Salary Administration
Human Resources Data Update
Employee Resources & Benefits
Workplace Safety Program
College Organizational Charts
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Read Next: #GoldOpen Launches Advisory Council, 'Golden Rider' to Promote Multicultural Films
November 9, 2011 6:40PM PT
Schwimmer’s a killer in ‘The Iceman’
'Friends' star in talks to play mob hitman
By Jeff Sneider
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“Friends” star David Schwimmer is looking to make some enemies, as he’s in negotiations to join the cast of Nu Image/Millennium Films and Bleiberg Entertainment’s mob-centric indie “The Iceman.”
Ariel Vromen is directing the film, which stars Michael Shannon as Richard Kuklinski, a family man by day and contract killer by night.
Schwimmer is in talks to play Josh Rosenthal, a killer who works for mob boss Roy Demeo (Ray Liotta). Rosenthal looks at Demeo as a father figure and will do almost anything to impress him.
Maggie Gyllenhaal is attached to play Kuklinski’s unknowing wife, while Ryan O’Nan is set to co-star as a young hustler who gets caught up in the protag’s web of murder and deception.
Vromen and Morgan Land co-wrote the script based on Anthony Bruno’s book “The Iceman: The True Story of a Cold-Blooded Killer,” as well as interview footage. Production is skedded to start in January in Louisiana.
While Schwimmer will reprise the voice of Melman in DreamWorks Animation’s “Madagascar 3,” thesp has spent the past several years focusing on his blossoming directing career. He made his helming debut with 2007’s Simon Pegg starrer “Run, Fatboy, Run” and recently directed the Clive Owen-Catherine Keener thriller “Trust.” Schwimmer’s last live-action feature role was as Kate Beckinsale’s husband in Rod Lurie’s 2008 pic “Nothing but the Truth”
Schwimmer is repped by Gersh, Management 360 and attorney Michael Gendler.
David Schwimmer Trust
Richard Kuklinski
Second Season of RAI/HBO Elena Ferrante Series 'My Brilliant Friend' Unveiled
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Easily embarrassed? Study finds people will trust you more
By: Yasmin Anwar, Media Relations
If tripping in public or mistaking an overweight woman for a mother-to-be leaves you red-faced, don’t feel bad. A new study from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that people who are easily embarrassed are also more trustworthy, and more generous.
In short, embarrassment can be a good thing.
Psychologist Dacher Keltner, a coauthor of the study, demonstrates a typical gesture of embarrassment
“Embarrassment is one emotional signature of a person to whom you can entrust valuable resources. It’s part of the social glue that fosters trust and cooperation in everyday life,” said UC Berkeley social psychologist Robb Willer, a coauthor of the study published in this month’s online issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Not only are the UC Berkeley findings useful for people seeking cooperative and reliable team members and business partners, but they also make for helpful dating advice. Subjects who were more easily embarrassed reported higher levels of monogamy, according to the study.
“Moderate levels of embarrassment are signs of virtue,” said Matthew Feinberg, a doctoral student in psychology at UC Berkeley and lead author of the paper. “Our data suggests embarrassment is a good thing, not something you should fight.” The paper’s third author is UC Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner, an expert on pro-social emotions.
Researchers point out that the moderate type of embarrassment they examined should not be confused with debilitating social anxiety or with “shame,” which is associated in the psychology literature with such moral transgressions as being caught cheating.
While the most typical gesture of embarrassment is a downward gaze to one side while partially covering the face and either smirking or grimacing, a person who feels shame, as distinguished from embarrassment, will typically cover the whole face, Feinberg said.
The results were gleaned from a series of experiments that used video testimonials, economic trust games and surveys to gauge the relationship between embarrassment and pro-sociality.
In the first experiment, 60 college students were videotaped recounting embarrassing moments such as public flatulence or making incorrect assumptions based on appearances. Typical sources of embarrassment included mistaking an overweight woman for being pregnant or a disheveled person for being a panhandler. Research assistants coded each video testimonial based on the level of embarrassment the subjects showed.
The college students also participated in the “Dictator Game,” which is used in economics research to measure altruism. For example, each was given 10 raffle tickets and asked to keep a share of the tickets and give the remainder to a partner. Results showed that those who showed greater levels of embarrassment tended to give away more of their raffle tickets, indicating greater generosity.
Researchers also surveyed 38 Americans whom they recruited through Craigslist. Survey participants were asked how often they feel embarrassed. They were also gauged for their general cooperativeness and generosity through such exercises as the aforementioned dictator game.
In another experiment, participants watched a trained actor being told he received a perfect score on a test. The actor responded with either embarrassment or pride. They then played games with the actor that measured their trust in him based on whether he had shown pride or embarrassment.
Time and again, the results showed that embarrassment signals people’s tendency to be pro-social, Feinberg said. “You want to affiliate with them more,” he said, “you feel comfortable trusting them.”
So, can one infer from the results that overly confident people aren’t trustworthy? While the study didn’t delve into that question, researchers say they may look into that in the future.
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Understanding You
Your Path To Retirement
Huntsville Inner City Learning Center
Huntsville Inner City Learning Center was awarded $5,000 from the Vector Wealth Strategies Community Impact Fund in October 2018. Recently, we followed up with Susan Callaway, program director, to see how the grant was used.
“We’re looking to hire two employees, a teacher to work with our students academically while our volunteer coordinator would supervise more than 100 volunteers who assist in day-to-day operations,” Callaway said. “We’re in the process of interviewing candidates who would be able to work 32 hours a week.” HICLC has three people on staff and hires college students as interns while older students from the program serve as junior interns.
Huntsville Inner City Learning Center serves 70 students from first through eighth grades.
“Our students learn a strong work ethic while remaining focused on academics,” Callaway said. “We also offer a summer camp for kindergarten through fifth grade and a reading camp for kindergarten through third grade. Students experience sports, in-depth Bible study, nutritious meals, tutoring, mentoring and transportation to and from the center.”
The mission of Huntsville Inner City Learning Center is to offer an after-school program that builds strong spiritual, educational, and moral foundation for students in Huntsville’s inner city.
To learn more about Huntsville Inner City Learning Center or to make a donation, visit hiclc.org
Ready to Retire?
Vector Wealth Strategies’ Team named Philanthropists of the Year
Retired Rock Climber Continues to Discover New Heights.
Community Scholars Fund
Walk MS Huntsville
Community Impact Fund Recipients
Future Leader Development
Vector Stories
© Copyright 2014 - 2020 Vector Wealth Strategies, LLC | Privacy Policy
This communication strictly intended for individuals residing in the states of AL, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MS, NC, NM, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA. No offers may be made or accepted from any resident outside these states due to various state regulations and registration requirements regarding investment products and services. Investments are not FDIC- or NCUA-insured, are not guaranteed by a bank/financial institution, and are subject to risks, including possible loss of the principal invested.
Securities and advisory services offered through Commonwealth Financial Network, Member www.finra.org www.sipc.org, a Registered Investment Adviser. Fixed insurance products and services offered through CES Insurance Agency.
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Knife approaches back: Google considering walking away from Yahoo search ad deal
MG Siegler May 7, 2008 9:21 PM
In confirming earlier reports of Microsoft approaching Facebook about a potential sale following the Yahoo fall out, The Wall Street Journal has a very interesting tidbit: Google is now divided over whether or not to go forward with the search advertising deal it is trying out with Yahoo. Ouch, that knife in Yahoo’s back must hurt.
While it was trying to convince everyone that it was a viable company without selling to Microsoft, Yahoo made no secret that its trial search advertising deal with Google could bring in significant money to the company. Some had pegged this number to be as high as an additional billion dollars plus in cash flow. Under the agreement, Google was in charge of placing some advertisements on Yahoo search result pages.
The promise of this deal was also thought to be one of the reasons why the bottom didn’t completely fall out of Yahoo’s stock after Microsoft pulled its bid, and in fact, why it may have rallied a little bit after hitting a low of around $22-a-share (the stock is right now in the mid $25-a-share region).
Google and Yahoo were previously discussing extending the trial while Microsoft was still in hot pursuit of Yahoo. We called it a “charade” at the time, as it seemed clear what Google was doing: anything it could to stop Microsoft from acquiring Yahoo. That certainly rings true today if Google does in fact now walk away from the deal with the Microsoft threat gone (at least for now).
One question that will undoubtedly come up if Google walks away is if this will hasten Microsoft’s return with another bid? A decision by Google not to help Yahoo with its search advertising will leave Yahoo looking very vulnerable once again, even if such a deal was probably not in Yahoo’s best interest in the long term.
The Wall Street Journal report also says that talks between Yahoo and Time Warner continue about a possible AOL/Yahoo merger. However, these talks also have less urgency now that Microsoft has back away.
[photo: flickr/yashima]
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Ex-intelligence chief – Trump’s access to nuclear codes is ‘pretty damn scary’
Editor Blog No Comments
August 23, 2017 Editor
James Clapper questioned the US president’s ‘fitness to be in this office’ after his speech in Phoenix, joining a growing chorus of alarm over his erratic behavior
Julian Borger in Washington
Wednesday 23 August 2017 16.17 BST
Donald Trump’s access to the nuclear codes is “pretty damn scary”, a former US intelligence chief has said, calling Trump’s rally in Arizona on Tuesday night “disturbing”.
James Clapper, director of national intelligence (DNI) for seven years under Barack Obama, questioned the US president’s “fitness to be in this office” after his demagogic performance in Phoenix, and expressed anxiety about Trump’s power to launch nuclear weapons without consulting Congress or any other official.
Once a president has verified his identity with a code kept constantly on his person or nearby, the military chain of command has no power to block his launch orders.
James Clapper: democratic institutions are ‘under assault’ by Trump
“Having some understanding of the levers that a president can exercise, I worry about, frankly, the access to the nuclear codes,” Clapper told CNN, pointing to the current stand-off with North Korea.
If “in a fit of pique he decides to do something about Kim Jong-un, there’s actually very little to stop him. The whole system is built to ensure rapid response if necessary. So there’s very little in the way of controls over exercising a nuclear option, which is pretty damn scary.”
Bruce Blair, a former missile launch officer, warned last week about the president’s untrammeled power to start a nuclear war. He voiced concern over Trump’s threats against North Korea, vowing the country would never be allowed to field a missile capable of striking the US mainland and declaring that “fire and fury like the world has never seen” would befall Pyongyang if it continued to threaten the US.
James Clapper says Watergate ‘pales’ in comparison with Trump Russia scandal
“Nuking another country just because it seeks to acquire nuclear weapons enjoys virtually zero support from US nuclear troops,” Blair wrote in a Washington Post commentary. “Yet Trump indulges in issuing such threats, and he has unchecked authority to order a preventive nuclear strike against any nation he wants with a single verbal direction to the Pentagon war room.”
Blair is now a research scholar in Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security and a founder of Global Zero, a movement calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons.
“ Under the current nuclear strike protocol, [Trump] can consult any and all – or none – of his national security advisers, and no one can legally countermand his order,” he wrote.
“If he gave the green light using his nuclear codes, a launch order the length of a tweet would be transmitted and carried out within a few minutes. I could fire my missiles 60 seconds after receiving an order. There would be no recalling missiles fired from silos and submarines.”
Please click on: Trump: ‘Pretty Damn Scary’
North Korea Nuclear Testing Tunnel Collapse, Fears…
Trump's anti-press conference would be funny – if it…
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Ex-intelligence chief: Trump's access to nuclear codes is 'pretty damn scary'
Always appreciate constructive feedback! Thanks. Cancel reply
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Dash vs Daniels; RIP 2 Papa Joe; The Braxtons Walk
posted by Patty Jackson - Jun 28, 2018
Entertainment Entrepreneur and Management Legend Joe Jackson has passed away after a battle with cancer. Best known as the patriarch of show business’ legendary Jackson family, the success of the family as well as its individual members all trace back to Joe. While known to be tough on his children, he was just as tough on the board room. Among Joe’s classic deals were transitioning his sons from Motown to Philadelphia International Records to an almost 30-year self producing deal on Epic Records. Then Joe pulled off The Victory Tour with Michael fresh off his Thriller success reuniting with his brothers. The solo careers of Jermaine, Rebbie, Janet, even LaToya and of course, Michael Jackson got developed and first run by Joe. Later child abuse and mismanagement allegations and even a love child floated into the picture, but Joe always remained an up to date on the times impresario. Janet Jackson is taking care of the arrangements because the family was arguing with the Michael Jackson estate. MJ’s estate wasn’t interested in contributing to a large funeral, so Janet stepped up and the funeral will be next week. This leaves family matriarch, 88-year old Katherine Jackson, as the head of the family. Joe Jackson was 89 years old.
Actor Terry Crews feels he’s being retaliated against after he went public with his assault allegations against a former agent. This week, Crews testified before Congress. He was asked why he didn’t fight the agent on the spot. Crews explained as an African American man, it’s not a given that he can just fight back. Race even complicates self-defense. 50 Cent took to social media and took a couple of shots at Crews because he didn’t fight back. Russell Simmons, who has been accused of rape and/or sexual misconduct by multiple women himself, even liked 50’s post. Both men were blasted over their insensitivity. Crews is the highest profile male face of the #metoo movement. Crews took the high road when asked about 50’s post. Crews also says an another agent told him if he wanted to be in Expendables 4, the successful movie series, he needed to drop his allegations and legal proceedings against Agent Adam Venit, the alleged perpetrator.
The Braxton sisters walk out on their reality show to negotiate more money. The hit reality show, Braxton Family Values, has gone on hiatus indefinitely. When a recent shoot only saw sister Traci show up, We-TV made the call to pull the plug. The sisters want their wardrobe and travel stipends raised a long with a hefty talent raise.
Dame Dash versus Lee Daniels!!! Dash had a big public confrontation with Philly native and filmmaker Daniels over a million dollar loan. Now Dash has gone public feeling super disrespected. Are they going to court? Will Dash sue over some of the assets Daniels owns like his stake in the movies Precious and The Butler or TV shows Empire and Star? Hmmmmmmmm!
Cardi B and Offset are already married and have been for 9 months already! Cardi is scheduled to be in Philly September 19th and 20th with Bruno Mars, but her baby is due in less than a month. Now, the cat’s out of the bag about her marriage. Cardi’s been married for almost 10 months. Folks started digging after Offset thanked HIS WIFE at The BET Awards. Congrats to the couple.
The ESPN Body issue is out. Among this year’s most notable models 54-year old NFL Legend Jerry Rice, who says he has more muscle now than when he was playing. Soccer Player Crystal Dunn, Sprinter and three-time Olympic Medalist Tori Bowie, NY Giants Saquon Barkley, Minnesota Timberwolves Karl-Anthony Towns and the L.A. Dodgers Yasiel Puig are all featured.
The BET Awards highlights were the Anita Baker tribute and Meek Mill and Miguel. Meek and Miguel teamed up with Stay Woke, which reflected Meek’s life being incarcerated. Unfortunately, Meek Mill returned to Philadelphia only to have his request for a new trial denied. Mill has been on probation stemming from original weapons charges. He’s now appealed his case to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Captain Kirk battling an alleged love child?!!! Captain’s Log: 87-year old William Shatner won a lawsuit brought by Florida DJ Peter Sloan. The DJ claimed Shatner was his biological father, which the Star Trek Star denied. A Florida court says because Shatner is a Canadian citizen who resides in Los Angeles, the court in Florida has no jurisdiction. Plus, Shatner’s denials couldn’t be slander since it was never established Sloan was Shatner’s son.
Speaking of William Shatner, his former T.J. Hooker co-star Actress Heather Locklear is now seeking treatment after a second police assault arrest. Police were called when Locklear was allegedly observed under the influence and of possible harm to herself or someone else. A few months back, she was arrested for biting a cop. Two weeks ago, she was detained for threatening to harm herself. In the 80’s and 90’s, Locklear was the queen of primetime with the Aaron Spelling shows T.J. Hooker, Dynasty and, of course, Melrose Place. What’s going on with Locklear? Her ex-boyfriend and former Melrose co-star Jack Wagner publicly wished her well. Multiple reports are calling Locklear’s problems the result of addiction. Her career has stalled and all we hear at this point are these arrests. We wish the 56-year old actress well. Locklear was one of TV’s favorite vixens/villains and she brought a lot of fun to the small screen.
Creed II starring Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone will be in theaters this Thanksgiving.
At the movies this week, its Basketball All-Stars Kyrie Irving, Shaquille O’Neal, Reggie Miller, Chris Weber, Lisa Leslie with Erica Ash and Tiffany Haddish in Uncle Drew, based on Irving’s Pepsi commercial character. Then Haddish co-stars with fellow Comedian Kevin Hart in Night School coming to theaters September 28th. After that, Haddish joins Tika Sumpter (The Haves & The Have Nots), Amber Riley (Glee), Omari Hardwick (Power) and Whoopi Goldberg for Nobody’s Fool, written and directed by Tyler Perry hitting theaters November 2nd.
Professional Race Car Driver Danica Patrick will be the first female host of The ESPY’s. The long running awards show has long spotlighted excellence in the world of sports. This year’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award will be shared by Olympic Gold Medal Gymnast Aly Raisman and the dozens of victims of the sexual abuse of U.S. Olympic Doctor Larry Nassar, who essentially received a life sentence for the extreme amount of criminal sexual assault accounts against him. Raisman is among the women leading the charge for reform in the sports world and protection against pedophiles and other sexual abusers. The 26th Annual ESPY Awards will air on Wednesday, July 18th at 8pm on ABC.
The Whitney Houston documentary entitled Whitney and approved by the late singer’s estate opens in theaters July 6th.
The stars return to the Dell Music Center, 33rd and Ridge Avenue, this summer. Tickets are going on sale this Saturday and check out the line up so far:
Thurs., July 5th – Kem / Tamar Braxton / Damien Escobar
Thurs., July 12th - Kool & The Gang / En Vogue
Thurs., July 19th - Tamela Mann
Sun., July 22nd – Ne-Yo / Lyfe Jennings
Thurs., July 26th – Charlie Wilson / Avery Sunshine
Thurs., Aug 2nd – Erykah Badu & Talib Kweli
Thurs., Aug 9th – Monica/After 7/ Tony!Toni! Tone!
Thurs., Aug 16th - Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill & Ralph Tresvant with special guest Major
Sun., August 19th – The Basement Party starring Rakim, MC Lyte, Kurtis Blow, Stetsasonic, Tracey Lee, the Alumni featuring Chubb Rock, Special Ed, Dana Dane, Monie Love and Kwame
Thurs., Aug. 23rd - Patti LaBelle & Gregory Porter
Sunday September 2nd - Patty Jackson’s Annual Party in the Park Celebrating her 35th anniversary starring Maze featuring Frankie Beverly & The Whispers and Blue Magic
For more information log onto mydelleast.org.
Spike Lee and Oscar Winner Jordan Peele have teamed up for the feature film BlacKkKlansman. The movie is based on the life experiences of African American Detective Ron Stallworth, who so successfully infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado that he became the head of the chapter. Fresh off his Oscar winning box office hit, Get Out Writer and Director Jordan Peele teams up with Spike Lee with Lee and Peele both serve as producers and Lee taking on directing and co-writing duties. The film stars John David Washington (son of Denzel and Pauletta Washington), Topher Grace (That 70’s Show), Adam Driver and the legendary Harry Belafonte. BlacKkKlansman opens in theaters August 10th.
Speaking of Acting Icon Denzel Washington, he is set to reprise his role as “Robert McCall” in The Equalizer II coming to the big screen July 20th.
Janet Jackson is on the cover of Essence magazine’s Sizzling Summer Styles issue for the July/August edition.
Omari Hardwick, the Star of Power, is on the cover of Ebony magazine’s July/August issue. Hardwick, Joseph Sikora, Naturi Naughton, Lela Loren and, co-star & co-executive producer, Curtis 50 Cent Jackson return for the sixth season of Power this Sunday at 9pm on Starz. And Hardwick’s new Tyler Perry movie, Nobody’s Fool with Tiffany Haddish, opens November 2nd.
Kevin Hart returns to TV to knock you out….with his new show. TKO: Total Knock Out, hosted by the Philly-born comedian, is an obstacle course challenge reality show. Produced by Hart and The Apprentice Producer Mark Burnett, TKO: Total Knock Out premieres on Wednesday, July 11th at 8pm on CBS.
Actress/Writer/Producer Issa Rae’s hit show Insecure returns to HBO Sunday, August 12th at 10:30pm right after the season premiere of Ballers with Dwayne The Rock Johnson at 10pm.
Essence magazine released the Essence Music Festival schedule and lineup for 2018. The festivities return to New Orleans July 5th through the 8th. Performers include Janet Jackson, Jilly from Philly Jill Scott, Philly’s own The Roots, Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu, Teddy Riley’s New Jack Swing Experience (Wreckx-N-Effect, Blackstreet and Guy), Idris Elba, Fantasia, Miguel and Mary J. Blige with more acts to be announced. All the details are on Essence.com
This Saturday, June 30th – WDAS Summer Block Party starring Jill Scott / Boyz II Men / DJ Jazzy Jeff in concert at the Mann Center For The Performing Arts, 52nd Street & Parkside Avenue. For more information log on to manncenter.org
Friday, July 13th – Lauryn Hill and the 20th anniversary of The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill tour at Penns Landing’s Festival Pier. Log on to ticketmaster.com for more information
Saturday, July 21st - Cedric The Entertainer comedy show at The Sugar House Casino. For tickets and information log onto sugarhouseentertainment.com
Monday, July 30th – Jay-Z & Beyoncé: 2018 On The Run 2 Tour at Lincoln Financial Field in South Philadelphia. For tickets and information log onto ticketmaster.com.
Sunday, August 12th – Gladys Knight and The O’Jays in concert at the Mann Center For The Performing Arts, 52nd Street & Parkside Avenue. For more information log on to manncenter.org
Saturday, August 25th – Smokey Robinson in concert at the Mann Center For The Performing Arts, 52nd Street & Parkside Avenue. For more information log on to manncenter.org
Saturday, August 25th & Sunday, August 26th – Stevie Wonder in concert at the Borgata Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. For more information log on to theborgata.com
Sunday, September 2nd – Earth, Wind & Fire in concert at the Borgata Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. For more information log on to theborgata.com
Saturday, September 15th – The Aubrey and The Three Amigos Tour starring Drake and Migos at the Wells Fargo Center. Log onto wellsfargocenterphilly.com for ticket information.
Wednesday & Thursday, September 19th and 20th – Bruno Mars and Cardi B on Thee 24K Magic North American Concert Tour at the Wells Fargo Center. For tickets and information log onto wellsfargocenterphilly.com.
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Tag Archives: Things to do in Italy for New Year’s Eve
The Annual Umbria Winter Jazz Festival in Orvieto Italy
Orvieto Le Dôme-Façade-Ombrie-Italy- (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Apse: stained-glass quadrifore; frescoes with scenes from the life of Mary by Ugolino di Prete Ilario (1370); polychrome wooden crucifix by Maitani; Cathedral of Orvieto, Italy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The nave of Orvieto Cathedral, Italy, has two stages: arcade and simple clerestory windows separated by a cornice. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Coronation of the Virgin; mosaic on the top gable of the cathedral; Orvieto, Italy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Genesis : Adam and Eve, the original sin; marble relief on the left pier of the façade of the cathedral; Orvieto, Italy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The delightful town of Orvieto is perched halfway between heaven and earth on a plateau over 900 feet above sea level. Take a funicular to the top of the cliff to visit the medieval historic center.
Did you get a chance to attend the Umbria Jazz Winter Festival in Orvieto
The 15th Umbria Jazz Winter Festival is held annually in Orvieto for 5 days starting at the end of December.
Lot of locals and tourists fill the city so there is a high demand for tickets and hotel rooms.
So check hotel rates and book rooms well in advance.
There are plenty of enchanting venues in this town including: Teatro Mancinelli, Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo, Palazzo dei Sette, Museo Emilio Greco or the Palazzo del Gusto in the medieval district.
English: Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo, Orvieto, Italy Began in the 12th century in Roman-Gothic style (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: A glass of Orvieto wine, with the Duomo as the backdrop. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Orvieto has one of the most spectacular cathedrals in Italy! The town’s crowning jewel; the Romanesque-Gothic Duomo was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio. I love Lorenzo Maitani‘s bas-reliefs. The marble reliefs on the facade depict scenes from the Old and New Testament at the base of the pilasters on the front of the church. The fourth pier on the right of the Duomo shows the damned and the Ressurection of the Flesh. These scenes are similar to Michelangelo’s Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel.
Orvieto (Photo credit: HerryLawford)
The Cathedral was started in 1290 when Pope Nicholas IV blessed the first stone. The inside and the outside of the Duomo are covered with basalt and travertine stripes. The façade has glistening mosaics including “The Coronation of the Virgin” in the central gable. A 14th century rose-shaped stained glass window by Orcagna is surrounded by carved statues of saints.
English: Genesis : Creation of Eve; marble relief on the left pier of the façade of the cathedral; Orvieto, Italy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Every year, this charming town hosts the annual Umbria Winter Jazz Festival between December 29th and January 2nd.
Chick Corea, photo taken at live performance in 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Attend the outdoor Jazz Concert on New Year’s Eve. Stay for the Gospel Performance in front of the Cathedral on New Year’s Day.
English: Palazzo Soliano and Museo Emilio Greco, next to the cathedral; Orvieto, Italy Italiano: Palazzo Soliano e Museo Emilio Greco, affianco al Duomo; Orvieto, Italia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Visit the Museum next door to the Duomo in the former Papal Palace to see sculptures by Andrea Pisano and Luca Signorelli’s beautiful “Mary Magdalene.” Orvieto’s shops are loaded with painted pottery. One of the local artists makes beautiful bowls and furniture carved from olive wood. There are plenty of cafes, wine bars and restaurants. Visit the Piazza del Popolo and try Orvieto’s famous D.O.C. wine.
To learn more about Italy read www.vino-con-vista.com Travel Guides and
70+ Incredible Photographs of Italy
Filed under ebooks, Italy, Italy Travel Guides, Travel and Tourism, Umbria, Umbrian WInter Jazz Festival in Orvieto, UNESCO, vino con vista, World Heritage Sites
Tagged as Chick Corea, Duomo, Italian Pottery, Italian wine, Italy, italy travel, Italy Travel Guide, Orvieto, Orvieto Jazz Festival 2013, Renaissance Florence, Stefano Bollani, Things to do in Italy for New Year's Eve, Travel and Tourism, Umbria, Umbria Jazz Festival, Umbria Winter Jazz Festival in Orvieto, unesco, Winter Jazz Festival in Italy, World Heritage Site
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Falkland Islands News
Lord Carrington, 99, Former British Foreign Secretary, Dies
He held senior posts under Conservative prime ministers from Churchill to Thatcher, and led NATO in the last years of the Cold War.
Argentina’s Falklands War Dead, Once ‘Known Only to God,’ Are Named
Argentina has identified the remains of 90 service members killed in the 1982 war, enabling relatives to visit the labeled graves for the first time.
1916: Shackleton Safe, but Ship Lost
From the archives of the International Herald Tribune: In June 1916, Sir Ernest Shackleton reports the loss of his ship, the Endurance.
Bill O’Reilly and Fox News: They’re in It Together
The profiles of the channel and its star talk show host rose together, making it unlikely that he will be punished because of the Falklands controversy.
Bill O’Reilly’s Falklands Defense
The Fox News host Bill O’Reilly aggressively defended his Falklands coverage earlier in his career after reports surfaced that he had embellished stories about his war reporting.
On Monday’s show, Mr. O’Reilly played CBS News footage from 1982 that showed violent protests and quoted correspondents describing the scene, but former colleagues said his account was still flawed. (With video.)
Bill O’Reilly, Fox News Host, Fights Back at Claims of Exaggerated Stories
After Mother Jones published an article that said Mr. O’Reilly had misrepresented stories about his war reporting, he called the claims against him “a political hit job.”
Why We Fight Wars
Conquest doesn’t pay, but political leaders don’t seem to care.
John Woodward, Leader of British Navy in Falkland Islands War, Dies at 81
Admiral Woodward, as commander of a Royal Navy battle group in 1982, gave the order to sink the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano.
Documents Show Thatcher-Reagan Rift Over U.S. Decision to Invade Grenada
Documents released by the British government said that Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was angered by a lack of warning from President Ronald Reagan.
Falkland Islands at Wikipedia
Falkland Islands at CIA FactBook
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IT, not BYOD users, must control mobile device encryption
Originally posted on TechTarget, “IT, not BYOD users, must control mobile device encryption” by Craig Mathias
As freeing as BYOD can be for employees, it can mean more headaches for IT. Organizations need a BYOD policy and EMM strategy to help IT mitigate BYOD security risks. IT administrators are the gatekeepers of mobile security, but BYOD users threaten to usurp that power.
The BYOD movement rose to prominence based on the notion that employees would likely be more productive with devices they actually want to own and use, along with a demonstrable operating expense cost savings and enhanced convenience — because who wants to carry two devices, different or otherwise?
But the movement comes with its own set of issues. IT must counter BYOD security risks with measures such as encryption of sensitive information, authentication to make sure only authorized individuals can access that information and management of these functions. Thankfully, these security measures aren’t that hard to implement today, with the availability of cost-effective enterprise mobility management (EMM) tools. EMM includes the configuration-centric mobile device management, mobile content management (MCM) and mobile application management (MAM). From a security perspective, MCM gets right to the heart of the matter. The most common and effective technique is the implementation of secure containers that enable encryption and control of sensitive information. MAM prevents unauthorized applications from accessing or distributing this data. There is no such thing as absolute security, but the combination of MCM and MAM can be very effective, removing end users from the policy decision making and implementation that’s best left to IT. But making EMM-based mobile security work effectively and efficiently has its challenges. Here are some best practices IT should add to its mobile security checklist when supporting BYOD users.
Have a cross-platform EMM strategy
There’s no need to support every, or even a majority, of the possible mobile device and OS pairs employees might use in the workplace. But whatever IT’s chosen EMM tool is, it must fully support any and all supported platforms. Admins should avoid multiple EMM products and never make end users responsible for encryption, because employees do not own or control organizational data. IT must carefully test each OS release for compliance with local policies.
Make sure required policies, agreements and regular reinforcement are in place
Every organization should have a security policy defining what information is sensitive, who can access data and under what circumstances, and what to do in the event of a breach. A BYOD policy detailing supported platforms, cost reimbursement mechanisms and end-user responsibilities should be a requirement, along with an agreement to that effect. An acceptable use policy is also highly desirable, but admins should check with legal counsel for the specifics. Loose lips do indeed sink ships — security holes can lead to data leaks or breaches — so IT should give employees polite but firm reminders on the importance of security on a regular basis.
Stay up to date on new products, services and threats
No one should assume EMM is a mature market; there’s still a great deal of evolution in products, technologies and services, including wholesale obsolescence and forced upgrades from time to time. IT should plan to check in with EMM vendors regularly. Smaller firms may be able to rely on vendors to identify new threats and other security issues, but larger firms should have ongoing access to specialized knowledge to avoid embarrassing — not to mention harmful — security failures. Having the best EMM tools at their fingertips will help admins fully support BYOD.
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Honorary Board of Elders
VBCIC Videos
Walking in Balance Training
Visioning B.E.A.R. Singers
Walking in Balance Curriculum
Talking Stick
Visioning B.E.A.R. offers opportunities to members of the community to volunteer to help further our work and contribute to our mission. If you would like to volunteer with us, please fill out the form below and click Submit. If you’d prefer, you may also contact Strong Oak at visioningb.e.a.r@gmail.com.
Volunteering with Visioning B.E.A.R.
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Building Leaders to Keep Children Safe in Communities of Color using Indigenous Circle Process
Walking in Balance graduates help lead discussion on leadership and children's safety in communities of color
See more VBCIC videos here.
VBCIC in the News
Visioning B.E.A.R. receives grant from Raliance to pursue its work in Building Leaders to Keep Children Safe in Communities of Color Using Indigenous Circle process (2019)
Read: "Visioning B.E.A.R. heads west with its message"
Visioning B.E.A.R. awarded grant by Just Beginnings Collaborative.
Enroll in a Walking in Balance Training
To enroll in our of our trainings, please visit our trainings page.
Please donate to support our work. All contributions to VBCIC, a registered 501(c)3, are 100% tax deductible.
Statue of Chief Standing Bear donated by State of Nebraska to National Statuary Hall Collection in Washington, D.C.
In Turners Falls, Pocumtuck Homelands Festival connects younger generations with ancient traditions, ethics
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© 2019 Visioning B.E.A.R. Circle Intertribal Coalition
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to do in Mauritius
to see in Mauritius
Parks & Sites
Cities / Archi
Clubs / Bars
Canyoning / Trekking / Climbing
Diving / Sailing / Kite / Surf
Motorbike / Bike / Quad
Sports & Golf
Delivery + Budget
Intl. Restaurants
Villa / Appt renting
Clinics / Hospitals
Transport Rentals
Mystic Celebrations
FREE GOODIE
L'Instant Gourmet
Activate your location to know the distance from you
L'instant Gourmet in Grand Baie offers healthy, tasty French and Italian cuisine combined with low-temperature vacuum cooking techniques. Open from breakfast and for your lunch in a chic and relaxed atmosphere.
GBBQ Chemin 20 Pieds 30513 - Grand Baie
More info Locate on map
Le Morne Brabant
Black River District
Le Morne Brabant is a peninsula at the extreme southwestern tip of the island of Mauritius on the windward side of the island. The mountain, covered with vegetation, is highlighted by an eponymous basaltic monolith with a summit 556 metres above sea level.
Black River Gorges National Park
This large rainforest park is Mauritius' biggest and best national park is a wild expanse of rolling hills and thick forest covering roughly 2% of the island's surface. It's the last stand for Mauritian forests and many native species. It's also the most spectacular corner of the island, so if you make only one day trip from the coast, make it here.
B103 - Plaine Champagne Rd Black River
The Mont Choisy beach is located on the north western coast of Mauritius. This is a very long beach that stretches from the south of Pointe aux Canonniers, which is a rocky beach, to the north of Trou aux Biches.
North of Mauritius
Île Plate, also known as Flat Island, is a small island off the north coast of Mauritius. It is located 11 kilometres north of Cap Malheureux, the mainland's northernmost point. The small nature reserve of Coin de Mire lies between the two islands. Next to the Flat Island lies the small Gabriel island.
Gunner’s Quoin
Offshore of Cap Malheureux
Gunner’s Quoin (or Coin de Mire) is situated approximately 4.5 km offshore from the nearest village of Cap Malheureux in the north tip of the Mauritius mainland. There are remnants of a sugar plantation set up by Dutch settlers. Gunner’s Quoin is the most western and southern islet of a group of islets situated to the north of Mauritius, known as the Northern Islets.
Crystal Coral Rock
Ile aux Benitiers
Wow !! Imagine yourself walking through turqouise water 300 meters away from shore, looking over Mauritius. Ile aux Benitiers gives you a sight you will never forget and will make you do forget that you swum with wild dolphins an hour earlier.
Vallée de Ferney
La Vallée de Ferney is a forest and wildlife reserve situated in the Bambou mountains north of Mahébourg in Grand Port District. It shelters one of the very last nature sanctuaries in the island and provides an unhoped-for safe haven to a great variety of indigenous species, many of which are rare or threatened.
Ebene Skies Ebene
Demeure Saint Antoine
Nestled in the middle of an enchanting atmosphere, La Demeure Saint Antoine in Goodlands invites you to live a journey through time. This old colonial house is the perfect place to enjoy a meal in good company, whether for lunch or dinner.
Route Royale Goodlands
Pieter Both Mountain
Pieter Both is the most iconic mountain in Mauritius and the second highest after Piton de la Petite Riviere Noire. This mythical mountain gives a breathtaking view. When climded !
B34 Creve Coeur
Vallee Des Couleurs Nature Park
Chamouny
The Vallée des 23 Couleurs Park offers you the opportunity of discovering its magnificent landscapes that will make your journey memorable: mountains, waterfalls, ponds, indigenous fauna and flora, multi-coloured earth and a panoramic view of the South Coast of Mauritius. A zip-line, also known as a flying fox, a Nepalese Bridge, Quad biking tours, you name it, we have it.
Chamouny Road Chamouny
Pereybere Public Beach
Pereybere, Grand Baie
Pereybere is a small beach located in the north of Mauritius; you will find it easily along the coast road between Grand Bay and Cap Malheureux. Pereybere is one of the most popular beaches of Grand Bay where you will find a variety of water sports, a translucent turquoise sea and white sandy beach.
Ile aux Aigrettes
Pointe d'Esny area
The Eco Tour to Ile aux Aigrettes island is a must. You’ll discover Mauritius before the arrival of man! The islet is a treasure trove of endemic animals and plants saved from the brink of extinction by the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. Ecotourism at its best in this nature reserve. You’ll be mesmerized.
The Central Market
Port Louis' rightly famous Central Market, the centre of the local economy since Victorian times, was cleaned up considerably in a 2004 renovation. Many comment that it's lost much of its dirty charm (you're far less likely to see rats, although it is possible), but it's still a good place to get a feel for local life, watch the hawkers at work and buy some souvenirs. Most authentic are the fruit and vegetable sections.
Corderie Street Port Louis
Amber Island
In the northeastern lagoon of Mauritius, not far from the villages of St Antoine and Poudre d'Or, stands the island of Ambre. This beautiful 140-hectare island is part of the national parks protected by the Mauritian government. This wild island is surrounded by mangroves, rocks and crystal clear water. The beaches will not miss you so much the ride is rewarding.
Tamarin Bay
Rivière Noire District
Tamarin Bay is situated in Tamarin, next to Black River, on the west coast of Mauritius. This beach is well-known for its excellent surfing conditions. Dolphins are often found close to Tamarin Bay too.
Maison Blanche Restaurant
A unique place to relax, Maison Blanche is a restaurant open onto a large terrace bordering a swimming pool. A chic and relaxed atmosphere opened non-stop. Gourmet home-made cuisine prepared by a team that highlights French culture.
Royal Road Pointe Aux Canonniers
The 7 Coloured Earths
in Chamarel
The seven colored earth is a natural phenomenon and a prominent tourist attraction. The colors evolved through conversion of basaltic lava to clay minerals. The Seven Coloured Earths are a geological formation and prominent tourist attraction found in the Chamarel plain of the Rivière Noire District in south-western Mauritius.
Ile Aux Cerfs is famous for its sandy beaches, beautiful lagoon and big selection of activities and facilities. In Ile Aux Cerfs you are sure to have a day of relaxation and fun on one of the picture-postcard beaches, and to enjoy a swim and snorkeling in the lagoon.
Bazaar Grand Baie
Just off the Royal Road is the main bazaar (also known as Grand Bay Market), offering many traditional Mauritian products and local crafts. "Made in Mauritius", a label that your family and friends will certainly appreciate !
Off Royal Road Grand Baie
Central Beach
Flic-en-Flac
Flic en Flac Central Beach is located in the town of Flic en Flac, in the west part of Mauritius. This is one of the many beaches of Mauritius situated in the Black River district.
The Secrets of Jade
The Secrets of Jade is a super-friendly "Made In Mauritius" concept-store that offers a wide variety of fashion items for young and the not-so-young but also a place where you can dress up your home with original decorative items.
Coastal Road 30530 - Grand Baie
Rooftop Appartments
Rooftop Appartments in Pereybere. An amazing Penthouse with see view and private rooftop with bar and barbecue. Available for short term renting. Worth the visit !
Coastal Road Pereybere
Sunset Diving
Sunset Diving is a diving centre in Mauritius, located in Grand Bay, in the North of the island. Our friendly professional team welcomes you to make you enjoy a safe diving experience.
Sunset Boulevard, Royal Road Grand Baie
La Cuvette Public Beach
The charming beach of La Cuvette in northern Mauritius unfolds year-round its coquettish sandy robe and crystal clear waters in a paradise setting. Located in Grand Bay, it mainly hosts a local population, which makes it particularly pleasant.
Coastal Road Grand Baie
Moustache Bistro
Moustache Bistro is a french inspired bistro and tapas bar open evenings only. The originality of this restaurant rests among other things on the fact that it is directly open on the Eastern Trading store which offers a wide range of French and South African wines, at extremely attractive prices.
Royal Road Tamarin
La Cabane du Pecheur is this welcoming restaurant just outside the entrance to the Grand Bay Bazaar. The restaurant offers daily fresh fish from the market and chicken menu Creole / Cajun Style deliciously prepared. Serviced with a Smile
B38 rue du Bazar Grand Baie
The Divino Wine Bar & Italian Restaurant at La Croisette in Grand Baie welcomes you on its covered terrace or near its outdoor bar. A fine cuisine consisting of exquisite meats and salads. A very good address and good value for money.
La Croisette Grand Baie
The ACT Osteopathic Clinic
Grouping physiotherapists and osteopaths, The Albert Camus Osteopathic Clinic aka "The Act" has settled in new permises in Forbach in June 2019.
Circle Square Forbach
The Aravalli Spa
Cap Malheureux
The Aravalli Spa in Cap Malheureux is an opulent experience, from start to finish. This beautiful spa offers face, hands & feet massages as well as the whole body... & soul treatment. Be ready to sink into a new dimension of being.
Avenue Beau Manguier Cap Malheureux
Île Aux Benitiers
South-West coast of Mauritius
Ile aux benitiers. The Bénitiers Island is found a little off the west coast of Mauritius. Benitiers Island can be seen from Le Morne mountain. To reach it you will need some kind of boat transportation. It is easily reached from Tamarin/Black River, Case Noyale or Le Morne.
Bel Ombre Hiking Trail
Riviere Noire District
This long and relatively desolate trail will take you through some of the most pristine and beautiful forest on the island with exceptional wildlife viewing opportunities.
B103 - Plaine Champagne Road Riviere Noire District
Le Pouce Mountain
Moka District
Experience an adventurous hiking experience to Le Pouce Mountain from from St. Pierre early in the morning to admire breathtaking island views. Enjoy a supervised climb to the summit of this beautiful mountain and marvel at its stunning peak, lush green surroundings and panoramic island views.
Rhumerie of Chamarel
In the south-west of Mauritius, 300m above sea level in the heart of the Chamarel valley, is The Rhumerie de Chamarel. Overlooking the road leading to the land of seven colors lined with fields of pineapple, sugar cane and tropical fruit, The Rhumerie offers guided tours, tastings of farm rums distilled on site, a boutique and a fine restaurant, The Alchemist.
Route Royale Chamarel
L'Aventure du Sucre
The former Beau Plan sugar factory houses one of the best museums in Mauritius. It not only tells the story of sugar in great detail but also covers the history of Mauritius, slavery, the rum trade and much, much more. Allow a couple of hours to do it justice.
Beau Plan B18 Pamplemousses
Bois Cheri Tea Factory and Tea Museum
Bois Cheri
If you love nature and tea, you don’t want to miss the tea tasting at the Bois Cheri chalet. Located just a short drive from the tea factory and museum, the chalet is nestled in a pristine natural setting, surrounded by lush greenery. It offers a panoramic view of the South coast on one side, and overlooks a beautiful volcanic crater lake on the other.
Bois Cheri Road Bois Cheri
Heritage Golf Club is a multi-award winning championship golf course. Set on the idyllic Domaine de Bel Ombre between rolling mountains and a turquoise lagoon, every green and tees offers beautiful vistas. Recognised as one of the Top 10 golf courses in Africa and claiming the title of “Best golf course in the Indian Ocean”.
Coastal Road 61002 - Bel Ombre
All Over Mauritius
You can add your favorite place on our map. Whether this is your business or a location that you recommend, you can contribute to this site dedicated to Mauritius by adding an address that is important to you or that you find simply essential to communicate.
Chamarel Waterfall
The highest waterfall on Mauritius plunges more than 100 meters down against a scenic backdrop of forests and mountains. The Chamarel falls are definitely the most famous and recognized waterfalls in Mauritius and as such has always been a main attraction for tourists and if you are one, you simply cannot afford to miss the magnificent and “best waterfalls in Mauritius” !
Wellnessenses
Mapou
Situated in the Labourdonnais Domain in Mapou, Wellnessenses is dedicated to your health and wellbeing. A unique concept in Mauritius, gathering a full range of health and wellness services under the same roof.
Domaine De Labourdonnais 31803 - Mapou
Champ de Mars Racecourse
This racecourse was a military training ground until the Mauritius Turf Club was founded in 1812, making it the second-oldest racecourse in the world. The racing season lasts from around April to early December, with meetings usually held on a Saturday or Sunday. The biggest race of all is the Maiden Cup in September.
9 Dauphine Street Port Louis
Terminal 1 Restaurant
Trou-aux-Biches
The Terminal 1 restaurant in Trou aux Biches immediately immerses you in the passion of traveling and flying. With its 7 meter long A340 hanging from the ceiling, the Terminal 1 restaurant offers subtle and refined cuisine as well as a meeting room for 20 people for conferences or corporate events.
Trou Aux Biches Rd Trou-aux-Biches
Pamplemousses Botanical Garden
The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden, commonly known as the Pamplemousses Botanical Garden, is the oldest botanical garden in the Southern Hemisphere. Famous for its long pond of giant water lilies the garden covers an area of around 37 hectares. The garden, for a long time, was ranked third among all the gardens that could be admired over the surface of the globe.
Royal Road Pamplemousses
Chazal Ecotourism
Tucked away in the middle of the green valley in the South of Mauritius you will find a real heaven of peace and nature, a marvellous place called CHAZAL. Over there, it is all beauty and harmony… You'll have the choice of differents activities : the ziplines trekking, and the trekking in the Hunting reserve of Saint Felix Sugar Estate. Or just walk around, and enjoy the birds songs...
Impasse de La Foret 61301 - Chamouny
Cotons des iles shop
The Coton des Iles store in Grand Baie is the specialist in ready-to-wear white cotton made in Mauritius, holder of the label "Made in Moris".
Route de la Salette 30551 - Grand Baie
Small & Chic
S'mall & Chic is the place to shop in Curepipe. It is a mini shopping center with an antique shop, a small bookstore, a jewelry store, a fashion address, a decor store, a bakery and a restaurant-tea room. A good spot for cool gifts.
angle de rue Emile Sauzier et Sir Virgile Naz 74536 - Curepipe
The Westin Turtle Bay Resort
Balaclava, Turtle Bay
The splendid Westin resort is nestled in a tranquil spot in the historic Balaclava area, facing the idyllic Turtle Bay, a protected marine park on the north-west coast of Mauritius.
Domes Of Albion
Les Domes d’Albion is a new exclusive concept in Mauritius. It consists of secured Dome villas and a Wellness centre built over 2 Hectares of land. Les Domes d’Albion, a concept inspired by nature, earth, moon and sun where nothing is straight, nothing is flat and yet where everything is in harmony with its environment.
M5 Albion Branch Road Albion
Mont Choisy's Golf
The only 18-hole golf course in the North of Mauritius is located within close proximity to the seaside resorts of Grand Bay and Trou aux Biches. It is an invitation for golf lovers to experience the charm of a typical family estate.
Allée des Flamboyants 30525 - Mont Choisy
Le Gite du bonheur
Morc Blackrock, Tamarin
Gite du bonheur au Tamarin offers a year-round outdoor pool, barbecue and sun terrace. Guests can enjoy the on-site spa and restaurant.
8 Ave de la montagne Morc Blackrock, Tamarin
Cascavelle Shopping Village
Cascavelle Shopping Village is the shopping mall of the West coast of Mauritius. Open seven days a week, the mall is a lively and vibrant meeting place for many families.
Flic En Flac Corner Road Cascavelle Bambous
Belle Mare Beach
Miles of powder-white beaches hug the coast at Belle Mare, where championship golf courses, posh resorts, a family-friendly water park and abundant aquatic sports ensure activity-filled days. Deep-sea fishing for tuna, marlin and mako shark is especially popular in this eastern Mauritius enclave.
La Maison d’Été
Hidden away on the unspoilt coastline of the East, La Maison d'Eté is nestled between volcanic rocks and coves, on an exceptional site. This little hotel combines the intimacy of a family home with the personalized service of a boutique hotel. The beautiful, tranquil setting on the "wild' coast makes this little gem of a hotel a wonderful retreat for those who are looking for tranquility and pure relaxation.
Poste Lafayette Belle Mare
Trou Aux Cerfs Volcano
One of the famous natural tourist attractions in Mauritius is the Trou aux Cerfs dormant volcano located about 1 kilometer from the town of Curepipe.
Trou-Aux-Cerfs Road Curepipe
Rendez-vous Shop
Grand-Baie La Croisette
The Rendez-Vous is a concept-store that highlights local designers and proudly wears the colors of Mauritius. Situated the Grand Bay La Croisette, you will find the productions of creators, artisans, artists 100% Made In Mauritius.
Fashion Galleria Grand-Baie La Croisette
Strike City
Strike City in Bagatelle, is a family fun center offering the best bowling on the island, a lively bar, private lounges and karaoke. Come with family and friends to discover our eight-lane bowling alley built in the United States, a friendly and family atmosphere, delicious food, our cocktail bar (with and without alcohol) and burst into singing!
Bagatelle Moka
Mahébourg Market
Don't miss the central foire de Mahébourg, near the waterfront. The initial focus was silks and other textiles, but these days you'll find a busy produce section, tacky bric-a-brac and steaming food stalls. The market is open every day but doubles in size on Monday.
Rue de la Colonie Mahébourg
ECPC Shop
Footwear, clothing and accessories store located in the Super U shopping center and the Mont Choisy Mall in Grand Baie, Northern Mauritius
Centre commercial Super U Grand Baie
Bureau Vallée in Grand Baie, Mauritius, the largest furniture and office supplies store. You will find in La Croisette all you need for your office : printers and ink cartridges, office chairs, paper, storage, school supplies, etc. As well as printing services, bindings and copies at very affordable prices.
Block D-D1-D12 La Croisette Grand Baie
Pointe d'Esny
Grand Port District
Escape the Blue Bay beach frenzy and visit this hidden pearl on the outskirts of south Mahébourg. Pointe d’esny beach is one of the best kept secrets of the East coast beaches in Mauritius.
Sockalingum Meenatchee Ammen Kovil
The Sockalingum Meenatchee Amman Kovil is a Tamil temple that stands as a testament to their deep rooted faith. The ornate interiors, bold colors and intricately carved statues add to the intrigue of this wonderful landmark.
Nicolay Road Port Louis
GRAND BAIE TAXI
Make your life easier and get around by taxi: from Grand Baie, for a short or a long journey to the airport or for the whole day, Nen, the friendly taximan is there to transport you. An independent taxi driver who bends over backwards to offer you a quality service and to meet all your expectations.
Grand Bay area Grand Baie
Big Willy's
Big Willy's is a nice and friendly restaurant-bar located in Tamarin (Black River) which is very popular among expats, not only for its varied menus but also for its large TV screens on which sports events (football and rugby among others) are broadcast. Every week-end a DJ will make you dance until dawn.
Le Barachois 99999 - Tamarin
Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort
Nestled in the Bel Ombre Nature Reserve, in the south of the island, Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort offers upscale facilities in a unique environment, evoking the charm of an early 18th century sugar plantation. Relax by one of our four pools, unwind in Navasana Spa set in a lush garden, or explore the Bel Ombre Nature Reserve.
Allee des Cocotiers Bel Ombre
Heritage Awali Golf and Spa Resort
The magic of the place lies within the perfect balance of affordable luxury, simplicity and friendliness ... for a stress-free holiday! Ideal for families, Heritage Awali stands out for its exceptional range of activities (incl. an 18-hole championship golf course) and facilities tailored for the enjoyment of young and less young.
Coastal Road Bel Ombre
Big Foot Adventure
Big Foot Adventure is a leisure company which proposes Quad Biking and Team Building activities in Mauritius to enhance outdoor experience in the southern part of the island.
Call us Locate on map
L'Exil Lodges
More than a just a break from the routine life, let you be tempted by a unique experience awakening something deep in your heart and feeding your soul. Our 10 lodges are all nested in the heart of the indigenous Combo forest, we provide a different style of accommodation rather than the usual sun, sand and sea.
Rivière des Anguilles Souillac
Villa Sentosa
Pointe aux Cannoniers
A holiday in the water is a luxury that must be afforded... And North of Mauritius, the beautiful Villa Sentosa is a real beach villa comfort. A few minutes from Grand Baie on the Pointe aux Canonniers, it offers an incredible luxury refuge with benefits of excellence facing the sea.
Coastal Road Pointe aux Cannoniers
The Curious Corner
This eclectic place is utterly unlike anywhere else on the island. Essentially an interactive gallery of illusions and art, it has a 200-mirror maze, a laser room and plenty of other attractions that play on your curiosity and wreak havoc with your sense of perspective !
B104 Baie du Cap Road Chamarel
You will find here all the emergency numbers in Mauritius. Numbers of medical emergencies, police but also the companies of water, electricity, telephone, etc.
Smile Excellence
Smile Excellence is located in the North at Grand Bay (Pereybere). The team consists of graduate dentists in Europe and the United States. Our implant surgeries are subject to traceability standards. All our services in terms of care and hygiene, are in line with European standards.
Chemin du vieux Moulin Casse 30536 - Pereybere
Mauritius Metro Express
Mauritius Metro Express is a 26 km light rail system under development in Mauritius. The line extends since October 2019 from Curepipe to Immigration Square in Port Louis and already includes 19 stations.
Caudan Waterfront
At Le Caudan Waterfront, one can meet friends for a drink, take a walk along the harbour, watch the latest movie, listen to music, enjoy a meal, try one’s luck at the casino and admire artists’ work while enjoying shopping. Its ability to offer such a dynamic and heterogeneous environment confers a strong sociological dimension to Le Caudan.
Marina Quay Caudan - Port Louis
Notre Dame Auxiliatrice
Famous for its bright red roof this Roman Catholic Church has made this village of Cap Malheureux a very popular tourist destination. Cap Malheureux is a fishing village located at the Northern tip of Mauritius.
B13 Rd Cap Malheureux
Camille Snack
Camille's snack is very nice and cool place, in the shade of trees, for a lunch. You eat there for very little money and always with a very warm welcome. La Cuvette beach is just a few meters away.
La Cuvette Beach Grand Baie
Holiscoot
With Holiscoot, make the road trip of a lifetime on the mythical Royal Enfield. Stroll the green roads and full of stories of the Mauritius island according to your desires. Holiscoot is a new travel philosophy that endorses authentic experience and the magic of simple moments.
ROYAL ROAD (Next to Business Park) GRAND BAIE
Grand Baie Karate Dojo
The primary objective of our Karate Teaching is to develop the mind and spirit of all students from beginners to black belts of all ages whilst putting the emphasis on the karate core values. Vince Van der Verter is the Sensei (master / teacher) of the Grand Bay Dojo.
Coastal Road, Pointe aux Cannoniers 30546 - Grand Baie
Seakart Renting
On holidays in Paradise island, searching for something exciting to do? Don't miss one of the best activities in Mauritius, the Sea Kart ! Ride your own Speed boat.
136 B Sir Celicourt Antelme Avenue Riviere Noire
Flacq Market
Centre de Flacq
The Flacq Market is the largest outdoor market in Mauritius. This extremely colorful market attracts a large number of people. Some of the markets stalls open here every day, with that, the best days to visit the market are on Wednesday and Sunday when all the stalls are opened.
The Quatre Bornes market is an experience if you want to explore Mauritius and how local people trade. Moreover you can do some souvenir shopping and find all types of clothing and household linens at an affordable price for all budgets.
St Jean Road 72253 - Quatre Bornes
Jacque's Guest House
In the heart of Tamarin a few steps from the beach, the guest house was built by Edward Lagane in 1967. It was the first in Mauritius. At the beginning it was a meeting point for all the surfers and hippies who came to Tamarin Bay to spend the winter season. The guest house was well known as Lagane's Place. If you are looking for a relaxing place with fine cuisine this is the right place.
Public beach ave Tamarin
Solana Beach Hotel
Enjoy an unparalled experience in a stunning resort on the east coast of Mauritius. The Solana Beach offers a place of peace and tranquility nestled amongst coconut and palm trees.
Coastal Road Belle Mare
This festival of colors and shades erases all differences between people and religions. It helps to bring the society together. The festival of colours is known for the exuberant throwing of coloured powder and water. The festival symbolises the victory of divine power over demonic strength. On the night before Holi, bonfires are built to symbolise the destruction of the evil demon Holika.
Mon 10th March & Thesday 11th March 2020 Everywhere
The maha Shivaratree is celebrated every year in honor of the Lord Shiva. The Maha Shivatree is a three-day Hindu festival, during which thousands of Hindus pilgrimage to Grand Bassin to sanctify themselves in the water of the lake. Grand Bassin is a holy lake for Mauritians of Hindu faith.
February 21st 2020 Grand Bassin
Diwali is celebrated to welcome a new start and dispel negativity, this festival embodies the annihilation of Narakasura by Lord Rama, who personify good and evil. Above all it's a celebration of the goddess Lakshmi.
Sunday, 27 October 2019 Everywhere
SkyFleet
Skyfleet is one of the largest car rental companies in Mauritius. Headquartered in Flic en Flac, Mauritius, Skyfleet caters to cost-conscious business and leisure travellers.
av. des Marlins Flic en Flac
Open during the day only, the Deer Hunter Bar offers a magnificent view across the 18th hole of the Legend Golf Course. A popular meeting place for golfers, golf- themed events are also available in the early evenings.
Constance Belle Mare hotel 41518 - Belle Mare
The Labourdonnais Domain
Riviere Du Rempart
Enjoy a visit of “a château in a natural setting” where the history is beautifully merged with architecture, flora, orchards, cuisine and Mauritian expertise. Situated in the North part of Mauritius, in the heart of a fertile orchard and splendid garden lies The Château de Labourdonnais, where endemic plants and large varieties of exotic trees grow in harmony.
Beau Plateau Rd Route Royale Mapou - Riviere Du Rempart
This mall offers an unparalleled retail mix combined with world-class fashion, dining, entertainment and leisure attractions. Along, being the biggest mall in the North, Grand Baie La Croisette also offers the only multiplex cinema for all movie lovers. With over 110 retail and food outlets, La Croisette is Mauritius’s largest shopping and entertainment destination for all Mauritians and tourists in the North.
B45 Chemin Vingt Pieds, Grand Baie Grand Baie
Andrea Lodges
Riviere des Anguilles
Indulge yourself and enjoy the variety of sports and leisure proposed by Andrea Lodges. Make the most of this easy and leisurely walk through the protected Deer Park situated on the spectacular black cliffs of the South Coast or enjoy a rejuvenating swim in the pool or sunbathe poolside. The Andrea Lodges are the perfect spot for your Mauritius eco-tourism adventure.
14 Union Ducray, Riviere des Anguilles Riviere des Anguilles
Maheswarnath Mandir Temple
The largest Hindu temple on Mauritius is located at the northern end of the village of Triolet. The construction of the Maheswarnath Temple, the main temple of the complex, was started in 1891, then the little buildings were added.
Shivala Rd Triolet
7 Cascades
Literally meaning 'Seven Waterfalls'. With its 11 waterfalls and 13 abseils, deep ponds, cliff jumps and surrounding lush green vegetation, the Tamarind Falls, 7 cascades, without no doubt, represent one of the most spectacular natural sites of Mauritius.
73120 - Riviere Noire
Ganga Talao
Ganga Talao (commonly known as Grand Bassin) is a crater lake situated in a secluded mountain area in the district of Savanne, deep in the heart of Mauritius. It is about 1800 feet above sea level. One of the most sacred place for Hindu’s is considered to be Grand Bassin or Ganga Talao in Mauritius.
Holistic Massage Treatment
Central Flacq
Holistic Massage Treatment provides relief from pain, toxins and muscular tensions.
B24 Gandhi Rd Lallmatie 42601 - Central Flacq
Banana Beach Club
The Banana Club is without a doubt the best known bar in Mauritius and “the place” on the island for live music and just chilling out. Since 1994 the Banana has grown from a small boutique bar to a popular meeting place for tourists and locals alike. Live music is played on week-ends.
Route Royale Grand Baie
Blue Penny Museum
The Blue Penny Museum is a charming museum with stamp, coin & art exhibits devoted to the cultural heritage of Mauritius. It houses some prestigious collections, which are true testimony of the historical and cultural wealth and diversity of Mauritius, in a stunning layout.
Block A Caudan Waterfront Port Louis
Preskil Beach Resort
Preskil Beach Resort is the only hotel in Mauritius to be on a private peninsula, with approximately 750 meters of beach, boasts of its exclusive location, its breathtaking turquoise coloured lagoon and its luxurious and fascinating natural surroundings.
Pointe Jerome Mahebourg
Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel
The Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel is the premier 5 star business hotel in Mauritius, Port-Louis. The Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel is acknowledged as the foremost address for luxurious comfort, high profile conferences and world-class cosmopolitan cuisine.
BP 91 Le Caudan Waterfront Port Louis
Notre Dame des Anges
The Notre Dame des Anges Church has been the religious core of the village for more than a century. It has apparently welcomed the vicinity’s first Christian missionaries. Since its erection in 1849, it has undergone significant restorations with the last one still ongoing. A cornucopia of all things spiritual and artistic, the village’s most towering church stands at 50m tall.
Rue Souffleur Mahebourg
Porlwi by Light
Festival of Contemporary Culture, Porlwi by Light is one of the most awaited event of December, bringing together the majority of Mauritians. Also brought together, distinguished, critically acclaimed artists to drive a forward-looking debate on the position of contemporary culture and urban regeneration in the Indian Ocean.
29 November > 3 December 2019 Port Louis
Mauritius celebrates Independence Day Every year on the 12th March, Mauritians enjoy a public holiday to celebrate the anniversary of independence from Britain. This year, the country marks 50 years from the day independence was proclaimed in 1968.
March 12th All Over Mauritius
Spicy Jeff & Coco
Beau Bassin-Rose Hill
Spicy Jeff & Coco is a catering service specializing in the preparation of dishes for special events such as baptisms, weddings and birthdays. But it's above all the comfort of having a chef at home because Spicy Jeff & Coco offers menus designed for lunch and dinner every week.
Reverend Lebrun St Beau Bassin-Rose Hill
Maritim Resort & Spa
Sparkling sandy beach, tropical gardens and the crystal-clear turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean… Immerse yourself in this luxurious five-star beach and spa resort, part of Maritim Hotels, gently nestled within a picturesque private estate along the protected marine park of Turtle Bay.
Turtle Bay Balaclava
Miramar Villas
For some exquisite holidays on Mauritius Island, we offer you 3 luxurious villas, with all the facilities needed. These holiday renting in Pereybere will please you in many ways. Book your stay with family or friends for an incredible holiday in front of the blue sea.
Allée du Corail Blanc Grand Baie - Grand Baie
Club Med La Pointe
aux Canonniers
La Pointe aux Canonniers
The 4-Trident Club Med La Pointe aux Canonniers is a postcard-perfect Resort - a vibrant, colorful getaway among lush palm trees and tropical gardens. Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find it among the multitude of choices within! Like the long, fine sand beach along the impossibly-turquoise lagoon, or the four amazing pools.
742CU001 - La Pointe aux Canonniers
Beau Manguier Villas
Petit Raffray
Beau Manguier Villas Ltd is a holiday rental agency of villas and apartments of charm and prestige in Mauritius. Most of our houses are located in the water on the beach, or they have a pool and a private garden.
Lot 68 Forêt Daruty Charmoses - Petit Raffray
Square Beaute
Located between Grand Bay and Pereybere, you'll have a haircut or massages in a zen and natural setting. The Square Beauty team is at your service 7 days a week for your well-being.
B13 Route Royale Grand Baie
Cocoloko
Located in a tropical garden in the heart of Grand Baie, the Cocoloko restaurant invites you to discover its world cuisine, as well as its famous cocktails in an exotic, relaxed setting, in the shade of coconut trees. We are waiting for you all weekends with live music from 9pm to 11pm.
Cine Star Croisette
Cine Star – La Croisette is one of the most popular cinema halls located in the north of Mauritius, at Grand Baie La Croisette. More than nice modern setting with comfy seats, a big HD screen and a great sound system, it is the ambiance of this cinema hall that enhances the movie-going experience. Before the movie you can enjoy the cinema lounge with the view overlooking the big La Croisette walking area.
La Croisette Shopping Mall Grand Baie
La Casanita Villa Rentals
Ebene Cybercity, Quatre Bornes
You do not know which accommodation to choose... No worries we are here to guide you. We will answer you by email by telling you our availability and rates, and how to proceed with your booking.
33 Ebene Heights Ebene Cybercity, Quatre Bornes
The Address
Port Chambly
Nestling serenely between a sleepy blue lagoon and a river in the heart of the charming residential village of Port Chambly, The Address is totally regenerated into a venue that is both cosy and quiet, cosmopolitan and convivial. Make the Address your new address in Mauritius.
Terre Rouge Port Chambly
Bagatelle - Mall of Mauritius
Reduit, Moka
Bagatelle Mall hosts the widest selection of specialty stores in Mauritius - there are 155 shops - thus offering the most comprehensive and compelling lifestyle shopping experience on the island. The spacious Food Court also gives hungry shoppers plenty of mouthwatering options.
Reduit 80832 Bagatelle - Reduit, Moka
The Chinese Spring festival is usually celebrated by the Mauritian Chinese of Mauritius. The exact date of for the celebrations is determined according to the Chinese calendar.
25 January 2020 Everywhere
Vieux Moulin Shopping Mall
Rose Belle
Set right in the middle of very lively village of Rose Belle, the Centre Commercial du Vieux Moulin is one of the most distinguished shopping centre in this region. This mall is known for offering its client an exceptional shopping experience in its various shops and boutiques, offering an array of products – both local and international – that stretches from clothes, jewelries & accessories, home appliances, handicraft, among others...
B8 Rose Belle
Blue Bamboo Restaurant
Best restaurant by far in Blue Bay/Pointe d'Esny! We really loved this Place. Great Food. We had several dishes but our favourites was their Beef tartar and their fantastic pizzas (they have a real wooden fire pizza owen). Great wine, great house rum, great and very friendly !
Coastal Road Blue Bay
Eldorade Resto & Bar
Creole food, Fish and Seafood, Vegetarian
B103 Plaine Champagne Road 60915 - Surinam
Club Med La Plantation D'Albion
The 5-Trident Club Med La Plantation d’Albion is an exercise in extremes, where abundant untamed nature meets supreme refinement and exceptional service. You’ll fall for the vast 21-hectare resort with lush and fragrant vegetation, the coral sands of the wild beach, and the kind and attentive Mauritian service.
Avenue Du Club Med Albion
Skydive Mauritius
Belle Vue Maurel
ENJOY AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE! Add to your Mauritian trip an unforgettable Skydive Tandem Jump. Discover why Skydive Mauritius is the experience everyone is talking about. Choose the best, your Mauritius Skydive. No need for any past skydive experience, our professional instructors will take care of you.
SkyDive Road Belle Vue Maurel
Dr. Rose Dental Clinic
Montagne Blanche
At the heart of Rose Dental philosophy is a commitment to excellence in dental care and in service. We continue to provide beautiful and natural smile in a caring and comfortable environment for all of our patients without exception.
Sans souci Rd Montagne Blanche
Riambel
The vortex is found in Riambel, a small village in the south of the island of Mauritius. Energy with intense vibratory levels flow there. Borbered by filaos, this place is a bit isolated and in a precise area one can feel this wonderful and porwerful energy vibrate.
Surinam Riambel
Casela World of Adventures
Casela is a huge outdoor amusement park with safari tours, camel rides & zip-lining, plus restaurants & shops. The casela world of adventures, described as the leading attraction in mauritius, is a scenic nature park situated besides the rempart mountain on the island's distinctive southwest region.
Royal Road 90203 - Cascavelle
Mauritius Glass Gallery
The Mauritius Glass Gallery is not only a shop where you can buy various hand-made glass items, but also a very nice visit that you can enjoy if you have a little time to spare while you are in the area. The Glass Galery. Very central and accessible, it is found in Phoenix, close to the 'Jumbo' shopping center.
Pres de Beer F Pont Fer Vacoas-Phoenix
Trekking in Mauritius
Mauritius, this little paradise, is known for its beaches, lagoon, tropical climate, diving and also honeymooners. But did you know that Mauritius also has a lot to offer in terms of hiking and nature walks? In particular thanks to its natural reserves and its national parks.
Long Beach Golf and Spa Resort
Poste de Flacq
Fringing the famed beach at Belle Mare along the untamed East Coast of Mauritius, lies the island chic Long Beach Mauritius. This magnificent five-star resort, encompassed by dense tropical gardens, is uniquely modern and provides the ultimate escape for discerning guests seeking a blissful haven with equal measures of relaxation and activity.
Coastal Road 41601 - Poste de Flacq
Jummah Mosque
The Jummah Mosque is an elegant Moorish & Mughal-style mosque from the 1850s with a tomb containing the remains of Jamal Shah.
A1 Royal Road Queen St - Port Louis
Kiosque Magique
Chez Hans at Mont Choisy beach is an amazing beach shack with nice meal service and excellent food. Kiosque Magique is highly recommended by road guides, this family kiosque offers wonderful food on a wonderful beach!
Mont Choisy beach Grand Baie
Rodrigues Distric
Rodrigues is a delightful remote little holiday island 650 km east of Mauritius in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Measuring only 18 km in length and 8 km at its widest point Rodrigues is entirely surrounded by coral reefs offering world-class diving and snorkeling.
3A Gallery The Excellence of Art
3A The Excellence of Art’ is a contemporary art gallery, providing local and international fine art for private collectors and organisations. We are also proud to have the largest collection of Joseph Klibanky’s work in the world.
Kwan Tee Street 11306 - Port Louis
Experience a unique Exclusive Helicopter Sightseeing Tour, departing from your hotel's helipad or from any of the many helipads located in all regions of Mauritius.
Expats Infos
Expat.com is the largest expat help and support network. Whether you are about to relocate or already living in your host country, expat.com helps you throughout your project.
17 Vishnu Kchethra street, Port Louis
Cine Star Bagatelle
Cine Star – Bagatelle, as its name suggests, is situated in Bagatelle Mall of Mauritius. With its strategic location within the shopping complex, which has been drawing huge crowds since in its opening in 2011, the cinema hall never fails to attract film lovers.
Bagatelle Mall of Mauritius Bagatelle
Eureka House
Eureka House is a unique Creole house built in 1830 located by the river of Moka. It is an elegant Créole residence originally owned by British and French aristocrats in the 19th century. It is reputed to be one of the largest houses on the island, with 109 doors and windows.
Pres de la Gare Osman Avenue Moka
Maritim Crystals Diving Centre
The Maritim Crystals Diving Centre is ideally based in the Maritim Crystals Beach Hotel Mauritius, Belle Mare on the east coast of Mauritius. Our dive center is a member of the Mauritian Scuba Diving Association (MSDA) signifying our commitment to professionalism and excellence.
B23 Coastal Road Belle Mare
Catamaran Cruises
Our catamarans offer comfort, space and a large shaded open deck area with seating for a number of guests. The catamarans also feature two large comfortable trampolines for sunbathing and relaxing, two bathrooms, two queen size cabins, hot and cold transom showers and a ladder at each stern for easy access into the lagoon.
Pointe d’Esny Mahebourg
LUX* Grand Gaube
This is what a holiday beach hotel should look like – the soft sand, the endless blue horizons and the wonderful tranquillity. The Lux Grand Gaube Hotel in Mauritius is the perfect island get-away. It's beautifully designed; you'll spot the local influences at once (the thatched roofs), the harmony with nature and the relaxing, laidback atmosphere.
Coastal Road 30617 - Grand Gaube
Les Jardins de Beau Vallon
Located in Beau Vallon, the Jardin de Beau Vallon offers many services and facilities, such as pool, internet, restaurant, sports and transport.
Beau Vallon 00230 - Mahebourg
Restaurant Château Mon Désir
Set in an enchanting colonial-style mansion house, the Château Mon Désir is renowned as the gastronomic address by excellence of Mauritius. Overlooking the ‘Historical Ruins of Balaclava’ and the Citron river, the Château Mon Désir is nestled within the 25 hectares estate of the 5-star Maritim Resort & Spa Mauritius. This ‘à la carte’ fine dining restaurant is THE place to enjoy international fine dining.
Saint Aubin Turtle Bay Maritim Resort & Spa 20108 - Balaclava
Shiv Shakti Mandir
Sagar Shiv Mandir is an opulent, recently constructed temple on Ile aux Goyaviers off the coast of Poste de Flacq. As both a tourist attraction and a place of worship for local Hindus, the temple offers a peaceful watery landscape for prayer and contemplation, watched over by a 108 foot high bronze coloured statue of Shiva.
Ile au Goyave de Chine Poste De Flacq
Royal Palm Beachcomber
When you choose Royal Palm Beachcomber Luxury for your holiday in Mauritius, you can expect perfection from start to finish; it is undeniably the finest hotel in Mauritius. Located on the sheltered north-west coast, stretching along a pure white sandy beach, Royal Palm Beachcomber is a tranquil tropical haven with an uncompromising commitment to excellence.
B13 Royal Road Grand Baie
Fortis Clinique Darné
Fortis Clinique Darné is one of the oldest and most modern hospitals in Mauritius. Our hospital continues to uphold the tradition of providing personal and dedicated care coupled with state-of-the-art medical technology, in a caring and friendly environment.
Georges Guibert Street Floréal
Cine Star Caudan
Cine Star – Caudan, located in Le Caudan Waterfront is the movie theatre that takes the movie-watching experience to new a level of luxury. The cinema was renovated in 2015 and it re-opened with a classy and more comfortable setting. Renovated with a concept of “Premium”, this cinema hall is the first of its kind in Mauritius.
Le Caudan Waterfront Port Louis
Villa Viras
This comfortable 5-bedroom beach villa is situated right on the beach of Blue Bay, famous for its Marine Reserve Beach, on the South-East coast of Mauritius.
Blue Bay Link Road 51520 - Blue Bay
Un décor rustique, des peintures, une ambiance cosy, une mise en place précise. Le Bistro Carpe Diem, situé au cœur de Curepipe, à la rue Commerford, invite à la découverte des plats d'une cuisine fusion européenne et mauricienne.
9 Commerford Stree 74430 - Curepipe
Wellkin Hospital
Wellkin Hospital is the first private healthcare facility in Mauritius offering a wide range of medical specialities all under one roof.
Royal Road Moka
Malenga View Point Camping Area
Ripailles, Moka District
The Camping area of Malenga is next to Mont Deux Mamelles and is located in Moka District, Mauritius
B34 Ripailles, Moka District
Nouvelle Clinique Ferrière
Nouvelle Clinique Ferriere (NCF) is a small, yet modern private clinic which offers a wide range of general and specialised medical services. We provide medical emergency services round the clock.
College Lane Curepipe
The photographic museum offers us the privilege of discovering, the being of this humble object, that is, the camera, together with an enormous display of the first ever photographs taken with the ancestor of the cameras.
Old Council Road Churchill - Port Louis
AUTOCHECK Motor Vehicle Test Centre
Autocheck invites you to be part of a new and exciting phase of road safety in Mauritius, and to participate in the government’s plan to ensure that lives are saved on our roads through safer vehicles.
88 Intendance Street Port Louis
MCB BANK
At MCB we believe in simplicity. That’s why we want to understand your banking needs and make sure that you'll have the right products and services to suit your lifestyle. Let’s find your perfect match today.
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Street Port Louis
Ramgoolam International Airport
Plaine Magnien
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport is the main international airport in Mauritius. The airport was previously known as the Plaisance Airport and has direct flights to several destinations in Africa, Asia, Europe and is home to the country's national airline Air Mauritius.
A10 Royal Road 51520 - Plaine Magnien
Municipal Council Of Curepipe
Overlooking a small park in the centre of Curepipe, the Hôtel de Ville is one of Mauritius' best surviving structures from its colonial era. Notice the gable windows, veranda and decorative wooden friezes known as dentelles – all are signature traits of the island's early plantation architecture. The building was moved here from Moka in 1903.
Queen Elizabeth II Ave. Curepipe
The National Library
The National Library is the Nation's leading documentary resource pertaining to the Republic of Mauritius, and as the apex library serving the needs of the Mauritian people at large in research, scholarship and creativity.
59 Rue Mere Bar Edith Cavell Street Port Louis
Mauritius Ports Authority
As the principal gateway of the country, Port Louis Harbour plays a vital role in the national economy by handling about 99% of the total volume of the external trade. All strategic imports such as food and petroleum products, raw materials for the textile industry, and major exports such as sugar and textile, transit through the harbour.
H.Ramnarain Building, Mer Rouge, Port Louis Mer Rouge - Port Louis
Economic Development Board Mauritius
The Economic Development Board (EDB) marks a new beginning in the economic landscape of Mauritius. It heralds a new chapter in economic planning, investment, trade promotion and facilitation. The EDB commenced its operations as a statutory body following the merger between the Board of Investment, Enterprise Mauritius and the Financial Services Promotion Agency.
16 Jules Koenig Street 11328 - Port Louis
As one of the first and most important international car rental companies in the world - with over 100 years in the business - Sixt rent a car has earned a trusted reputation as a global leading car rental provider. Always at the forefront of the industry, we were the first car rental company with a website and the first to accept mobile reservations. Today we are present in Mauritius.
5 Ave. Bernardin de Saint Pierre 742CU001 - Quatre Bornes
Tourism is one of the three pillars of the economy of Mauritius and hence the Leal Group has worked to obtain the first Europcar franchise outside Europe in 1974. With a large fleet of vehicles ranging from the small Kia Picanto to the luxurious BMW X3, Europcar is a leading rental car in Mauritius.
Pailles Ave Micheal Leal Port Louis
United Bus Service
If you're looking for a fun, cheap way to explore Mauritius, then bus transportation is the answer for you. The bus routes criss-cross the entire island and you'll also have the chance to meet the chatty local people.
Royal Road, Les Cassis Port Louis
National Transport Authority
The National Transport Authority (NTA) is a department operating under the aegis of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and Land Transport. Its main responsibility is the registration of motor vehicles and their licensing, the regulation and control of road transport in Mauritius including Rodrigues and other islands failing under its jurisdiction.
A1 Royal Road Port Louis
SERVICES Port Louis
Intendance Street
Autocheck Ltd is a company that formed with the specific objective of operating motor vehicle test centres in Mauritius. It has been selected by the government to operate the centre in Plaine Lauzun. The promoters of Autocheck are experienced businessmen in Mauritius with vast experience in the transport and automobile sectors, and interested in the improvement of road safety in Mauritius.
On our website, you will find all the information you need to make a booking and find out all the requirements for a vehicle examination.
VEHICLE EXAMINATION
Currently, the examination of vehicles is a visual process, where no equipment is used and the failure rate is not reflective of the condition of vehicles. The government has embarked on a course where proper vehicle examination will be done, using appropriate and approved equipment with competent and trained personnel. The consequences of this to owners of vehicles is that a visit to the examination centres may result in a vehicle failing the test, and the owner taking responsibility for the repairs to maintain the vehicle in a safe condition, and returning for a re-examination. To ensure minimum inconvenience, it is recommended that vehicles are prepared for a vehicle examination.
Appointments for vehicle examinations are booked with the appropriate vehicle examination centre well in advance. On the specified date, the vehicle will be presented at the vehicle examination centre, and the following documents are required before the examination can commence:
Registration book
Carrier’s Licence (applicable to goods vehicle)
Public Service Vehicle Licence (applicable to taxi and stage carriage / contract bus)
Receipt showing payment of examination fees.
a. Bookings can be made on-line or per telephone or at the Autocheck Bookings counter.
b. Booking changes or cancellations must be made 24 hours before the time.
c. Autocheck reserves the right to decline bookings when all the allocated time slots are full.
Documentation required on the day of the test
a. NIC (National Identification Card)
b. Registration book of the vehicle / Horsepower
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Getting permission for photography from Yamuna river coast
How to get a permission to take a photo from Taj Mahal's back side? I would like to be able to get to the other side of the river and take a snap from the beach there. I asked an officer there how I can go to the beach and he told me to get a permission. He didn't speak English that well so he couldn't explain what exactly I needed.
I know that I can take photos from Mehtab Bagh and from beyond the fence there (I can only get a photo at an angle) but I need one from a place on the beach that is exactly perpendicular to Taj's back walls.
Here's what the paper says (the one on which the officer wrote down who I need permission from): DM - DISTRICT MAJHHAL or maybe MAJTHAL or something. If you want, I can upload a photo of the paper. :D
legal india photography
rlesko
rleskorlesko
Saying that you "need permission" is a common thing for Indian officials to say even though technically may or may not need it. It's public monument after all, although I don't quite understand where you're trying to take the picture from. Is it from the bank across the Yamuna? I don't remember whether it's fenced off. If it is, then yes you'll need to ask whoever is the owner of that (probably the Archaelogical Survey of India) and it's not going to be easy if you aren't a professional journalist (there's a different visa procedure for journalists to get a visa too). There's no defined procedure as such to apply for permission to take photography anywhere.
As an alternative, I would suggest paying a boatsman to take you down the Yamuna and take a picture from the boat. You will be able to get a similar angle.
Ankur Banerjee♦Ankur Banerjee
The officer said some abbreviation but he didn't know how to pronounce the letters in English so I couldn't understand him and asked him to write it down but the letters he wrote were incomprehensible and I also lost that piece of paper. I've heard of going down the river but where exactly am I suppose to find a boatsman upriver who I could ask? Where do they usually hang out? – rlesko Mar 10 '12 at 17:26
Try to see if there's any at Dussehra Ghat (hoo boy, you're going to have a tough time pronouncing this and making anyone understand you). Just ask for a ghat (pronounced gh-aaaat) - that's the Hindi word for 'dock' (roughly) and you'd then need to negotiate with a boatsman from there. – Ankur Banerjee♦ Mar 10 '12 at 17:33
It has been a few years but when I visited the Taj Mahal I can remember that I just walked on a path to the right of the taj mahal complex to the river. From there I took a picture. I didn't ask for permission, so I don't know it is legal...
If I remember correctly there is also a a boat there that can take you to the other bank for a small amount. I didn't try it.
Dani van der MeerDani van der Meer
I know, I've been there and it's allowed as guards pointed out that I can get behind the Taj by going that way but I need a river in the photo as well. But it's worth a visit a couple of times so maybe I'll find a fisherman at least once. Thanks for the suggestion. BTW, I updated the question since I found the missing paper. – rlesko Mar 12 '12 at 11:56
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged legal india photography or ask your own question.
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What’s wrong with U.S. airlines’ economy class?
Typical Thai Airways economy cabin. (Image: Thai)
The annual World Airline Awards conferred by the U.K.’s Skytrax – based on input this year from almost 20 million participating global travelers – have something notably missing from their list of the world’s best economy class.
The list of the Top 20 economy class airlines doesn’t include a single U.S. carrier.
The reasons why are probably obvious to frequent travelers. Unlike many foreign carriers, U.S. airlines in recent years have focused on upgrading their front cabins, often at the expense of their rear cabins. (Full disclosure: The SkyTrax rankings only consider regular economy seating, not the premium economy or extra-legroom sections some U.S. carriers have added.)
We’ve run several articles in recent months about how the refitting of U.S. airlines’ economy cabins generally involves installing less-bulky “slim-line” seats (which many readers say are also less comfortable), stuffing in extra seat rows to increase revenue (often at the expense of legroom and seat width), and most recently deploying a “basic economy” pricing model that takes away most of the in-cabin amenities that economy travelers had come to expect as their right (like the right to put a carry-on bag in the overhead bin).
So maybe it should come as no surprise that travelers find more to like in the coach cabins of non-U.S. airlines.
Lufthansa’s economy class seating. (Image: Lufthansa)
For that matter, European airlines don’t fare very well in the listing either. The Top 20 list of economy classes includes only a single European winner – Lufthansa at number 10 (unless you count Turkish Airlines, since Turkey is in between Europe and Asia; Turkish ranked 11th).
All the other Top 20 winners are airlines from Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific.
Economy class on a Qatar Airways widebody. (Image: Qatar)
“The Award for the world’s “Best Economy Class Airline” is a coveted quality distinction representing passenger satisfaction assessment of the front-line Economy Class product and staff service standards that airlines provide across both the cabin and airport environments,” Skytrax said.
First place in the Economy Class rankings went to Thai Airways, followed by Qatar Airways, Asiana, Garuda Indonesian and Singapore Airlines.
Thai notes on its website that its Economy Class product includes the following:
Choice of main meal with beverages, snacks and second meal service offered on international flights; snacks or light meals on domestic flights
Audio/Video On Demand available on A380s, 787s, 777-300s, 777-200ERs, A330-300s and 747s; shared cabin screens on other flights; WiFi available for a fee on the A380 and some A330s
Seat pitch of 31 to 34 inch with 122 to 133-degree recline
Blankets and pillows provided on international flights; eye shades and ear plugs available on request
Baggage allowance of no less than 20kg
Here’s a full list of the Top 20 Economy Class airlines:
Source: Skytrax
Looking only at specific Economy Class qualities, the survey’s listing of best seats went to Japan Airlines, followed in order by Asiana, Thai, Korean and Singapore. Tops in Economy Class catering was Thai, followed by Turkish Airlines, Asiana, Qatar and Japan Airlines.
Which airline offers the best economy class to you? Please share your answers below.
ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here
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Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: airlines, awards, economy class, Japan Airlines, lufthansa, Qatar, rankings, Skytrax, survey, Thai, Turkish, World Airline Awards
New facial scans of air travelers trigger controversy
Here’s a look at Delta’s facial recognition scanners at gates (Image: Delta)
As the Department of Homeland Security continues to expand the use of facial recognition cameras at U.S. airports, and as more airlines test the technology at boarding gates, a new report has cast doubt on the effectiveness and legitimacy of the entire project.
DHS is already using biometric facial scanning of some travelers departing the U.S. at several airports, including Boston, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Miami, New York JFK, Washington Dulles, Chicago O’Hare, and Houston’s two airports. The agency has been planning to expand it to all major U.S. international gateway airports this year. The scans verify the identity of departing travelers by comparing facial images to a DHS biometric database.
But a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators has asked DHS to stop expanding the program after a new report from the Georgetown University Law School questions the accuracy of the scans, and notes that Congress has never authorized the collection of facial scans from U.S. citizens by DHS.
The Georgetown University Law School’s Center on Privacy and Technology issued the report, which says that the so-called “biometric exit” project could end up costing taxpayers $1 billion. “Yet, curiously, neither Congress nor DHS has ever justified the need for the program,” the report said.
Tech vendors like NEC specialize in facial recognition systems. (Image: NEC)
It also charged that the facial scanning program “stands on shaky legal ground.” Although Congress has given DHS a green light to collect biometric data from foreign nationals at U.S. entry and exit points, it has “never clearly authorized the border collection of biometrics from American citizens using face recognition technology,” the report said. “Without explicit authorization, DHS should not be scanning the faces of Americans as they depart on international flights – but DHS is doing it anyway.”
The Georgetown study also charged that the DHS facial recognition program has a relatively high error rate, misidentifying as many as one out of every 25 travelers. “At this high rate, DHS’ error-prone face scanning system could cause 1,632 passengers to be wrongfully delayed or denied boarding every day at New York’s JFK International Airport alone,” the study said. You can see the full report here.
British Airways self-service boarding gates include facial scans. (Image: British Airways)
After the report came out, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators wrote to DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen asking the agency to stop expanding the program at U.S. airports, “and provide Congress with its explicit statutory authority to use and expand a biometric exit program on U.S. citizens.” They also cited the Georgetown Law report’s figures about the program’s error rate in verifying identities.
Last month, Delta started working with DHS to begin facial scans of passengers departing Atlanta as they board flights to Paris out of Gates E10 and E12 at ATL, allowing travelers to decide whether or not they want to participate. And British Airways recently announced it is incorporating facial scanning technology into tests of “self-service biometric boarding gates” at Los Angeles International, similar to technology the airline already uses at London Heathrow’s Terminal 5.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports, Technology, TSA/security Tagged With: airports, biometric, boarding, cameras, Department of Homeland Security, DHS, expansion, facial recognition, Georgetown Univerity Law School, opposition, problems, report, scanning, senators, technology
Popular: Delta sweet spots + River cruise review + United legroom squeeze + TSA Drivers license mess + more
Can you guess which city subway system I’m riding? Hint: It’s on the Danube river- see Viking post below for the answer (Photo: Barkley Dean)
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
1 5 Delta SkyMiles sweet spots
2 Trip Report: Viking River Cruise through Europe
3 United cramming more seats into its 757s
4 TSA extends deadline for driver’s license ID demand
5 Routes: End of Delta West Coast shuttles + Another carrier to Hawaii + Alaska, United, American
6 Airport news: Tasty upgrades at SFO, LAX + LaGuardia SkyClub + Newark rebuild + more
7 Hyatt tightens its cancellation policy
8 Japan Airlines eyes 5-1/2 hour San Francisco-Tokyo flights
9 Planespotting 101: Boeing 737 vs Airbus A320
10 Routes: Hong Kong Airlines to LAX + Delta, Cathay Pacific, United, LATAM & more
Leavin on a jet plane! ✈️ #SFO #ATL #sanfrancisco #travel #united
A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on Dec 20, 2017 at 10:38pm PST
Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:
Airlines will try to squeeze passengers for every dollar in 2018
New lounge for business travelers at Toronto Pearson
New: Escape Lounge opens at Reno airport
How luggage manufacturers are reacting to ban on batteries in new “smart bags”
Oversupply in NYC resulting in slightly cheaper hotel rates
USA Today’s roundup of 2017 airport innovations
New federal report slams FAA’s oversight of U.S. regional airlines
Turkey resumes issuing visas for U.S. travelers and vice-versa
British Airways parent expected to take over Austrian carrier NIKI
Delta’s in-flight food ranks number one in annual study
Filed Under: Airlines, Weekend Edition Tagged With: cruise, Delta, Hyatt, River, SkyMiles, TSA, United, Viking
United cramming more seats into its 757s
United plans to put more economy seats in its 757-300s. (Image: BriYYZ/Wikimedia Commons)
A few months ago, we reported on United’s plans to refit its international 777-200 fleet by adding about two dozen seats per aircraft, as it installs its new Polaris front cabin and reconfigures economy seating from nine-across to 10-across. And now it is cramming more seats to another aircraft model.
According to a report this week in FlightGlobal.com, United will turn to new “slim-line” economy seats to boost the overall seat count in its workhorse 757-300s from 213 to 234.
Because the slim-line seats are less bulky than traditional economy seats, airlines can fit more of them into the main cabin, generating more revenue and reducing unit costs. United has been replacing the economy seats on its smaller single-aisle planes with the slim-line version for several years.
United’s new slim line seats. (United)
The economy cabins on United’s 757-300s will have 210 seats after the refit, FlightGlobal said, while first class will remain unchanged at 24 seats. There was no immediate word on how much, or whether the 757 refit would affect seat pitch.
United has 21 757-300s, which it uses mostly on high-volume routes out of its hubs at Chicago O’Hare, San Francisco and Denver.
Thoughts, please on those slimline seats!
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: 757-300s, economy, replace, seats, slim-line, United
Routes: End of Delta West Coast shuttles + Another carrier to Hawaii + Alaska, United, American
Flying the Delta California Shuttle from SFO to LAX on an Embraer jet (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
In domestic route news, Delta puts an end to the Shuttle brand for key West Coast routes; Alaska adds a pair of new San Diego markets; United expands Hawaii service from its Denver hub; American is adding regional/seasonal service next summer from O’Hare, DFW and elsewhere; Sun Country comes to Hawaii; JetBlue adds a New England route – and a new fee; OneJet takes on an intrastate market in New York; and Spirit grows at Ft. Lauderdale.
Starting next week, Delta plans to phase out its specially-branded West Coast Shuttle service, which operates on the San Francisco-Seattle, SFO-Los Angeles and Seattle-Los Angeles routes. It’s not taking the flights away – although it might trim some frequencies – just folding them into its regular schedules, and and starting next summer, switching from its Delta Connection fleet of Embraer aircraft to Delta mainline jets. It will likely end some of the little perks that the Shuttle branding promised, like free drinks in the main cabin, gates close to the security checkpoint, special check-in counters, local craft beers and free Luvo snacks. Why is Delta making the change? A spokesperson said this was “based on several factors, including a review of the competitive landscape, customer survey data and ongoing facility improvements at LAX and Sea-Tac, these changes will allow Delta to offer a more consistent experience, which is highly valued by our customers.” The change will not affect Delta’s East Coast Shuttle operation out of New York LaGuardia to Boston, Washington D.C. and Chicago – although those flights recently moved from LGA’s Marine Air Terminal to Terminal C.
In the latest phase of its growth plan at San Diego, Alaska Airlines this month launched new daily flights from SAN to both Kansas City and St. Louis. In the past four months, the airline has boosted its San Diego presence with new daily flights to Omaha, Austin, Albuquerque, and Minneapolis-St. Paul. In mid-February, Alaska will add daily service from SAN to Dallas Love Field.
United is boosting Hawaii service from Denver International. (Image: Jim Glab)
United is boosting schedules to Hawaii from its Denver hub. It already offered daily flights from DEN to Honolulu, but in the New Year it will expand frequencies to other islands as well, offering daily non-stops year-round from DEN to Kahului, Maui; to Kona on the Big Island; and to Lihue, Kauai. Previously, United’s schedules offered daily or almost-daily service on those routes during some winter and summer months, but frequencies varied at other times of the year, ranging from six flights a week to one a week to none at all.
The latest schedule filings from American Airlines show new service coming on several domestic routes next summer, all using regional jets operated by partners Envoy Air, ExpressJet, Republic and PSA. The new service includes six daily roundtrips between Philadelphia and New York JFK starting April 3; seasonal daily service from Miami and Chicago O’Hare to Savannah, Ga., starting June 7; twice-daily O’Hare-Burlington, Vt. Service from June 7-Septeber 4; daily service from O’Hare to Charleston, S.C., starting May 4; daily O’Hare-Missoula, Mont. flights from June 7-September 4; twice-daily service from O’Hare to Portland, Me., from June 7-October 3; and a daily flight from O’Hare to Wilmington, N.C., from June 7-September 4. Also on the schedule is new daily service from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Missoula starting June 8.
A Sun Country Airlines 737. (Image: Sun Country)
Just after its acquisition this month by a New York-based investment group, Minnesota’s Sun Country Airlines announced plans to begin service to Honolulu, although on a limited basis. The carrier will offer service from its Minneapolis-St. Paul home base to Honolulu via a stop in Los Angeles, but only four days a week, and only from May 19 through August 19. Sun Country will also introduce new service from MSP to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, operating twice a week from April 6-June 4.
Although Worcester, Mass., isn’t all that far from Boston, it does have its own airport, which is served by only one carrier – JetBlue. In addition to its existing flights from Worcester Regional Airport to Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando, JetBlue said it will add daily Embraer 190 flights between Worcester and New York JFK on May 3. In other news, JetBlue has added a new $75 fee for travelers who want to stand by for a seat on a flight earlier or later in the day than their schedule departure.
For the past seven years, it hasn’t been possible to fly non-stop across New York State from Buffalo to Albany. But that possibility will return on February 1 when public charter operator OneJet plans to begin twice-daily service on the route with ERJ-135 regional jets – larger aircraft than the seven- or eight-seat Hawker 400XP business jets that OneJet usually uses.
Spirit Airlines has announced plans for an expansion at Ft. Lauderdale, beginning new daily service to Columbus, Ohio, on February 15, followed by daily flights from FLL to Richmond, Va., starting March 15, and seasonal daily service from FLL to Seattle beginning April 12.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: Alaska Airlines, Albany, American Airlines, Buffalo, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Delta, Denver, Ft. Lauderdale, Hawaii, Honolulu, JetBlue, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York JFK, OneJet, Philadelphia, San Diego, San francisco, Seattle, shuttle, Spirit airlines, Sun Country, United, West Coast, Worcester
5 Delta SkyMiles sweet spots
Here are a few bright spots when it comes to redeeming your Delta SkyMiles (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
The Delta SkyMiles program is known for being stingy, tricky to maximize and hard to understand since the airline doesn’t publish award charts and uses variable, revenue-based pricing. Nevertheless, the it does offer some solid redemption options—especially in domestic markets where it competes with Alaska Airlines. It also offers some nice bargains on intra-Latin-America and intra-Asia flights.
Here are five Delta SkyMiles redemption sweet spots to consider:
Continental US to Alaska
SkyMiles can be a great deal on flights to Alaska depending on where you’re flying from. Standard pricing on flights from anywhere in the Continental US to anywhere in Alaska starts at 25,000 miles round trip. If you’re flying from a city where Delta competes with Alaska Airlines, it might be even less – flights from California to Alaska start at just 19,000 miles. If you’re starting from the Pacific Northwest, flights could be as little as 15,000 miles round trip. For comparison, American Airlines charges 30,000 miles round trip and United charges 35,000 miles round trip, even though both have significantly less service than Delta. Delta is a clear winner here.
Delta Connection flights up and down the west coast go for as little as 10,000 SkyMiles (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Short-haul Domestic Flights
Delta’s revenue-based award pricing algorithms offer some very compelling deals for economy flights within the US. There’s no transparency, but depending on the route, short-haul flights (for example, up and down the West Coast) can be available for as little as 10,000-15,000 miles round trip. Like flights to Alaska, you’re particularly likely to find great deals on routes where Delta competes with its rival Alaska Airlines.
Intra-South America
Flights between countries in South America can be notoriously expensive, especially if you need a one way ticket – for example, Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina for a random weekday next August costs over $500 one way, and Santiago to Sao Paulo, Brazil costs over $700! Delta miles can offer a better solution than even booking a round trip ticket – their partners Aerolineas Argentinas and Gol Linhas Aereas tend to have excellent award availability, and a one-way flight is only 12,500 SkyMiles in economy (or 25,000 in business class) plus a nominal amount of taxes and fees (around $30 one-way for the cities mentioned).
Delta partner China Eastern offers some decent intra-Asia redemption options (Image: Airbus)
Intra-Asia
Delta has a lot of partners in East Asia – China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Garuda Indonesia, Korean Air, Vietnam Airlines, and Xiamen Air – and even operates a handful of its own flights between Tokyo and other major cities. This means that SkyMiles give you a lot of flexibility for flights within Asia, and some of the options available can actually be pretty solid. A one-way flight from Tokyo to Seoul only costs 7,500 SkyMiles in economy or 15,000 in business class, plus $26 in fees; longer trips like Tokyo to Bali will run you 22,500 in economy or 40,000 in business. These flights can be a great deal – especially if you’re able to snag a seat in business class on Garuda Indonesia.
US to Europe
Between Delta, Air France, Alitalia, KLM, and Virgin Atlantic, SkyMiles give you a good number of options for getting across the pond. Delta flights start at 60,000 miles roundtrip in economy; Air France, KLM, and Virgin Atlantic flights start at 75,000 miles roundtrip. Comfort Plus adds another 20,000 miles if you want slightly more legroom (yes, please!), and business class goes for 140,000. While these prices are slightly higher than most of the competition, availability tends to be pretty good and it still makes for a great use of SkyMiles. If you book a one way flight, try to book US>Europe because one-ways originating in Europe have extra fees.
No matter where you decide to go, the sweetest spot with SkyMiles is having a low balance – Delta has a long history of raising prices with zero notice, so holding onto SkyMiles for a long time is almost guaranteed to make them lose value.
Where will your SkyMiles take you in 2018? Or…what was the best SkyMiles redemption to took recently? Please leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines, Travel Tips Tagged With: Delta, redemption, SkyMiles, TravelSkills
Routes: Hong Kong Airlines to LAX + Delta, Cathay Pacific, United, LATAM & more
Business class on a Hong Kong Airlines A350-900. (Image: Hong Kong Airlines)
In international route developments, there’s a new entrant in the U.S.-Hong Kong market; Delta will put a new aircraft on a China route and will beef up transpaciifc code-sharing; Cathay Pacific will add another U.S. gateway next year; United is eliminating first class on many routes and cuts back China service; a Lufthansa affiliate is adding a new business class; LATAM is coming to Las Vegas; San Jose gets more service to Mexico; Copa begins Denver service; an Italian airline plans new U.S. routes; Alaska ends its relationship with two European partners; and Norwegian revamps its U.S. schedules next summer, adding frequencies from the West Coast.
Hong Kong Airlines, a Hong Kong-based sister company of China’s Hainan Airlines, this week started service to the U.S. for the first time. The carrier is using a new Airbus A350-900 on the Los Angeles-Hong Kong route, configured with 33 lie-flat business class seats, 109 premium economy seats with 34-inch pitch, and 193 regular economy seats with 31-32 inch pitch. The new LAX-Hong Kong flights operate four times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday), with a 10:45 a.m. departure from LAX. Hong Kong Airlines plans to add San Francisco service in late March, and New York flights later next year.
So far, all of Delta’s Airbus A350-900s have been scheduled for routes out of Detroit or Atlanta, but now the airline is planning to operate one of the new planes out of Los Angeles. According to Routesonline.com, Delta plans to start flying the new plane from LAX to Shanghai Pudong on July 2, alternating days with a 777-200LR until July 18, when the A350 will go onto a daily schedule. Delta’s A350s – which feature the airline’s new Delta One suites and new international premium economy section – are already used on flights from Detroit to Tokyo Narita and Seoul Incheon, and are slated to start Detroit-Beijing service January 17; Detroit-Amsterdam and Atlanta-Seoul March 24; and Detroit-Shanghai April 19.
Meanwhile, Delta will expand code-sharing with its transpacific partner Korean Air on January 10, putting the DL code onto Korean’s flights to Seoul Incheon from Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Cathay Pacific will fly a new A350-1000 to Washington Dulles. (Image: Airbus)
In other transpacific news, Cathay Pacific has unveiled plans to add another East Coast gateway in mid-September 2018, when it will start flying from Hong Kong to Washington Dulles. The carrier already serves Boston, New York JFK and Newark. Cathay reportedly plans to fly the route – which will be the longest in its system – four days a week with a brand-new Airbus A350-1000.
A couple of months ago, we reported on United’s plans to reconfigure its international long-haul 777-200s, putting in new lie-flat Polaris business class seats, taking out first class, and going from nine-across to 10-across seating in economy. A recent entry in Routesonline.com about United’s 2018 schedules shows where the reconfigured 777s will be deployed, based on the elimination of first class from seating availability. It shows the elimination of 777 first class in late April from San Francisco to London, and from Washington Dulles to Brussels, Frankfurt and Tokyo Narita; and at the end of August from Chicago O’Hare to Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo Narita, Shanghai, Sao Paulo, Frankfurt and Munich. Meanwhile, United’s seasonal summer route from San Francisco to Xi’An, China, which had previously been scheduled for three 787 flights a week from May 6 through September 4, has been eliminated for 2018.
Las Vegas is due to get its first non-stop service to South America next summer. LATAM Airlines Brasil has filed plans to operate a 767 three times a week between Las Vegas and Sao Paulo from June 21 through August 31.
We recently reported that Lufthansa’s lower-cost leisure affiliate Eurowings plans to launch new transatlantic routes in 2018, including JFK-Dusseldorf starting April 28, Dusseldorf-Miami as of May 4, and Dusseldorf-Ft. Myers beginning May 3. Now it appears that the airline will try to entice business travelers onto those flights by adding a new business class cabin. According to reports from Europe, the new Eurowings cabin, simply called Bizclass, will feature seats that recline fully and will include upgraded meals and other special amenities. Details of Eurowings’ new Bizclass are expected to be introduced in March at the big ITB Travel Fair in Berlin.
Mexico’s Volaris added two new routes out of San Jose. (Image: Volaris)
Mexican low-cost carrier Volaris, which already had service out of San Jose to Guadalajara, has now added two more routes. Volaris has started twice-weekly flights from SJC to Morelia on Fridays and Sundays, as well as twice-weekly service from SJC to Zacatecas on Mondays and Thursdays. Next summer, Aeromexico is due to begin SJC-Mexico City flights.
Panama’s Copa Airlines, a member of United’s Star Alliance family, has added Denver as its 13th U.S. gateway. The carrier has kicked off new non-stop service four days a week from Denver to Panama City, with Denver departures on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 10:16 p.m. Copa offers onward connections in Panama to 55 Latin American destinations.
Italian carrier Meridiana plans to add two U.S. routes next summer. On June 1, it will begin daily service from Milan Malpensa to New York JFK, followed up on June 8 by four flights a week from Malpensa to Miami. The airline will use a 247-passenger, two-class Airbus A330 on both routes.
On April 30, 2018, Alaska Airlines will end its Mileage Plan partnership with Air France-KLM – not really a surprise considering that the European duo has a joint venture partnership with Alaska’s arch-rival Delta. Alaska and Delta ended their own mileage partnership last spring. The Alaskan carrier notes that it still has partnership agreements to Europe in place with British Airways, Finnair, Icelandair and Condor.
The latest schedule updates from Norwegian show the low-cost carrier plans to boost service on several U.S. routes in late March, increasing its weekly Barcelona frequencies from three to four out of Los Angeles, from three to five out of Oakland, and from four to six out of Newark. The carrier will also boost LAX-Copenhagen service from three flights a week to four. At Boston, Norwegian plans to increase London Gatwick service from four flights a week to seven starting June 12, but it will discontinue its seasonal Boston-Oslo and Boston-Copenhagen flights.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: 777-200s, A350, A350-1000, Air France KLM, Alaska, Barcelona, Boston, business class, Cathay Pacific, code-sharing, Copa, Delta, Denver, Eurowings, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Airlines, international, Korean Air, Las Vegas, LATAM, Los Angeles, Meridiana, Miami, Milan, Mileage Plan, New York JFK, Norwegian, Oakland, Panama City, routes, San francisco, San Jose, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, United, Volaris, Washington Dulles, Xi'an
Final Delta 747 flies into history
Iconic Delta 747 made its last commercial flights this week. (Image: Delta)
It was a day late due to an unforeseen cancellation, but Delta’s final commercial 747 flight from the U.S. took off on Monday, December 18 from Detroit to Seoul Incheon.
Delta said the Sunday departure had to be scrubbed “due to an inability to fully staff the flight with its required four pilots.” Unhappy passengers who had booked the Sunday flight were provided with meals and hotel rooms, and rebooked on the extra Monday departure if they still wanted to go.
“While there was disappointment in (Sunday’s) cancellation, dozens of Delta customers and employees stopped by a 747 historical display near the McNamara Terminal’s signature fountain to share stories and remembrances of the 747,” the airline said.
The Seoul flight took off from DTW on Monday and returned from Seoul to Detroit on Tuesday – and that was the final commercial 747 flight for any U.S. carrier.
All of Delta’s 747s first belonged to Northwest, which merged with Delta. These are vintage Northwest uniforms from 70s on display at the Delta Museum in Atlanta– the red one designed by Yves St Laurent (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Meanwhile, another Delta 747 was taking a domestic “farewell tour”, flying on Monday from Detroit to Boeing’s Paine Field in Everett, Washington – the home of the Boeing factory where it was manufactured. Passengers on that flight were mostly Delta employees and retired, along with some SkyMiles elites who had successfully bid to take part.
From Paine Field, the aircraft went on an eight-minute flight to Seattle-Tacoma International – “one of the shortest 747 flights ever,” according to passenger Enrique Perrella, publisher of Airways Magazine.
Perrella was one of several posters on Twitter who have been tracking the farewell tour, which was due to continue on from SEA this week to make stops in Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Los Angeles for final viewings by employees. A Delta 747 is still due to fly a few NFL charters in December before its final retirement by the end of the month.
Don’t miss: An emotional journey onboard United’s final 747 flight
Delta has a 747 on exhibit at its museum near ATL. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
If you still want to see a Delta 747, you can always visit the Delta 747 Experience, a walk-through exhibit of a retired Delta aircraft. It’s located near Atlanta Hartfield Jackson Airport at the Delta Museum. Here’s Chris’s report from his trip to the Delta 747 Experience earlier this year.
What are your thoughts and feeling about the retirement of the 747? What do you think of it’s replacements, such as the A350, B787, B777 and A380? Favorite or least favorite?
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: 747, Boeing, Delta, final, flight
6 things frequent travelers must check by Dec 31
Here’s another list to tick so you don’t miss out on important benefits (Photo United B777 at LAX: Chris McGinnis)
With the end of the year rapidly approaching, here are some tips to help you feel like you’re going into the holiday season with your house in order.
1- Make sure you’ve used up all of your credit cards’ annual travel credits. Many premium travel cards, such as the Citi Prestige, American Express Platinum, and Chase Sapphire Reserve have annual travel credits that have to be used before the end of the year. Review your account history to make sure you’ve redeemed those credits – otherwise you’re leaving money on the table. Those travel credits help reduce the pain of those cards’ high annual fees.
2 – Double check your elite status qualification for airline and hotel programs. Now’s a good time to review your elite qualifying trackers and make sure you’re where you expect to be – if you have a flight or hotel stay missing from your account history, file a missing credit request to make sure it gets resolved before the end of the year. And if you’re close to qualifying for the next tier with a program, it’s not too late to get in a quick mileage run or mattress run, or rack up some spend if you have a credit card that offers elite qualifying miles or dollars at certain spending thresholds.
Going home for the holidays? Get a room! You’ll earn points and your family will love you for it…even if they don’t say so (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
3 – Review credit card spend towards annual bonuses. Many credit cards offer special perks for large amounts of spend – for example, the American Airlines Aviator Red MasterCard from Barclaycard has a $100 voucher if you spend $30,000 in a calendar year. Also, the Ritz-Carlton Visa Infinite card from Chase offers Marriott Platinum status if you spend $75,000 during your “account anniversary year” which means the year beginning with your account open date through the anniversary of your account open date, and each 12 months after that. If you had large purchases on one or more cards this year, it’s worth checking to see if you’re close to a spending threshold where it might make sense to spend a bit more on that card before the end of the year.
4- Check your (and your family member’s) passport and Global Entry/TSA PreCheck expiration dates, especially if you have international travel planned soon. Many countries require that your passport have at least six months of validity beyond the dates of your trip. If you find that you or someone in your family has an expiring or expired passport, reach out to your nearest passport agency to see about getting it renewed – depending on your travel dates, next-day or even same-day service may be available for a fee. For Global Entry and TSA PreCheck, you can start the renewal process up to a year before your card expires, so now may be a good time to get an appointment on the calendar if you need an interview – some enrollment centers get booked up weeks or months in advance!
(But remember, if you’ve been conditionally approved, you can take care of your interview when re-entering the country after your next overseas trip (Details here).
Carving out some time for Thanksgiving travel this year in 2018? Make those reservations soon (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
5 – Start planning 2018 holiday travel. Most airlines allow award bookings around 330 days in advance, so you’ll soon be able to make reservations for Thanksgiving 2018 travel, and you can already book for other major holidays and travel periods earlier in the year. If you know when you and/or your family will be free next year, planning ahead and getting some reservations confirmed can save you some serious miles or cash.– plus it will get you better seating choice and the flight times that you really want.
6 – Watch for end-of-year sales and promotions. Many websites will offer special deals in the next few weeks, like 12 days of discounted gift cards with the Swych app, TopCashBack’s Xmas Treats giveaway, and the Starbucks for Life contest. Taking advantage of these promotions can be an easy way to rack up some extra miles or savings.
And remember this, too: Relax, be kind to people, and enjoy the company of family and friends. Whether you’re spending the holidays at home or on the other side of the world, take some time to enjoy the company of whomever you’re with and extend some grace and kindness to those around you. The holidays can be a stressful time of year for retail workers, airline and hotel employees, TSA screeners, infrequent travelers, and everyone else, so a smile and a bit of patience can go a long way.
Is there anything else you’re going to make sure to do before December 31 rolls around? Let us know in the comments.
Filed Under: Airlines, Credit Cards, Travel Tips Tagged With: credit card, elite status, Global Entry, holidays, mileage run, PreCheck, TravelSkills
Even Singapore Airlines joins unbundled fare bandwagon
A Singapore Airlines Airbus A350 at SFO (Image: Singapore Air)
Singapore Airlines is the latest carrier to overhaul its fare structure, offering new pricing tied to the level of service and amenities included.
The Asian carrier’s announcement comes after Delta, American and a couple of other carriers decided to roll out basic economy-type pricing for international travel on some transatlantic and Latin American routes. Airlines are adding these new fares to beat back competition from the new generation of ultra-low-cost international carriers such as Wow and Norwegian in Europe, and Air Asia, Tiger and Peach in Asia.
Effective January 20, Singapore and its SilkAir affiliate will introduce the new pricing on all tickets sold worldwide. The biggest changes are for those flying economy class.
The change will bring a selection of three fare types for economy class travelers, called Lite, Standard and Flex. Those buying the cheapest fares – Lite – will incur a US $5 charge for advance seat selection (i.e., more than 48 hours before departure) — except for families traveling with children. Standard and Flexi fare buyers won’t see a seat selection fee, but Standard purchasers will face an unspecified new fee if they select “forward zone” seats “which are in higher demand,” the airline said.
Economy class on Singapore Air’s new A350. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Buyers of Flexi fares in economy class will get an increased checked bag allowance of 35 kg. (77 lbs.); it will remain at 30 kg. (66 lbs.) for the other two fare types (except on U.S. routes, where the piece concept is unchanged). Reservations booked with Lite fares can’t be canceled, and changes will incur a fee. Cancellation and change fees will apply for Standard fares; Flexi fare buyers will get free changes but will be charged for cancellations. The level of the fees may vary and is subject to change, the airline said.
For members of the airline’s KrisFlyer loyalty program, only Flexi fare purchasers in economy class will get 100 percent credit for mileage flown. It will be 75 percent for standard fares and 50 percent for Lite fares.
The three tiers of Singapore Air’s economy class tickets (Image: SIA)
Premium economy seating will have two fare classes – Standard and Flexi. The only difference is in the level of miles earned – 125 percent for Flexi fares and 100 percent for Standard.
Business class will also have Lite, Standard and Flexi fares, with KrisFlyer mileage accrual set at 125 percent for Lite and Flexi, and 150 percent for Flexi. Advance seat selection remains free and baggage allowance (40 kg./88 lbs.) is unchanged.
The airline didn’t indicate what the pricing differential would be between the new fare types. You can see Singapore’s announcement here, with details and FAQs on its website.
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: baggage allowance, cancellations, changes, fares, Flexi, KrisFlyer, Lite, mileage, restrictions, Singapore Airlines, Standard, unbundled
Popular: United to South Seas + Delta cancels final 747 + New Australia nonstop + Merge PreCheck, Global Entry?
San Francisco International all lit up for the holidays! Pretty! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
BREAKING NEWS: Atlanta airport shut down until at least 7 pm Sunday Dec 17 due to power outage. Follow news here.
1 United adds new nonstops to Tahiti
2 Will TSA PreCheck and Global Entry be merged?
3 Airport news: SFO car share, LGA terminal shuffle + Oakland, O’Hare, Toronto
4 So long, Bob Hope. Hello Hollywood Burbank!
5 Hotel rewards: Not all chains are created equal
Last week Chris flew Turkish Air through Istanbul and snagged this gorgeous photo of the Bosporous on the way in… but he also got trapped in the airport. Stay tuned for an interesting Trip Report!
Istanbul out the window #travel #windowseat #avgeek #turkishairlines #myvikingstory
A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on Dec 10, 2017 at 5:53am PST
6 New twists coming for credit card transactions
7 Delta’s next narrowbody
8 Which airline has the best inflight wi-fi?
9 Qantas to fly San Francisco-Melbourne nonstop
10 Routes: United high-density 777s, Delta, Qantas, Air China, Air Canada, Aeromexico
Breaking: As we press the publish button, it appears that Delta has cancelled its “final” Boeing 747 flight between Detroit and Seoul. That’s kinda awkward for all the aviation and 747 geeks who bought tickets for the final flight. Hmmm. Appears flight is rescheduled for Monday. We’ll monitor, but here’s the Flight Aware status report. Reporter Zach Honig is in Detroit hoping to board the flight and its tweeting about the mishap.
I did it. For years I’ve reported on the boom on Europe’s river boat cruising biz….last week I finally took one! I’ll tell you all about it in an upcoming Trip Report! Have you been on one? Check out my Instagram to see more photos from the trip, but here’s the Viking Gullveig.
Now I know why Viking calls these “long ships” #myvikingstory #travel #cruise #austria
A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on Dec 5, 2017 at 3:06am PST
Inside the airport lounge business
Delta’s last 747 being “pressed into service” for two more days Delta shifts final 747 flight
Singapore will start charging economy flyers for advance seat reservations
Popularity of Uber and Lyft is costing airports money
Thirty airports worldwide are now included in Apple Maps
Silvercar plans to double all-Audi rental locations in 2018
More Silvercars coming for you (Silvercar/Facebook)
Hotels test use of Amazon Echo as in-room virtual concierge
Lufthansa Group carriers switch to spending-based rewards
New York investment group buys Minnesota’s Sun Country Airlines
Check out the world’s most-Instagrammed hotels
Two Parker Meridien hotels leaving Starwood
DOT drops rule requiring airline transparency on bag fees
American is installing larger overhead bins on Airbus A321
Business travel is bad for your health
Chilling Soviet-era maps of US cities
Delta passenger mistaken for human trafficking victim speaks out
Marriott’s weird innovation: Writing your ideas down on the shower door
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports, SFO, Weekend Edition Tagged With: Australia, Christmas, Delta, Melbourne, QANTAS, SFO, Tahiti, United
Is Norwegian Air growing too fast?
Norwegian Air will use 787-9s on four new U.S. routes next year. (Image: Norwegian)
Fast-growing, low-cost European carrier Norwegian just announced four more new U.S. routes coming in 2018, leading some to wonder if the ambitious airline is growing too fast for its own good.
The company’s latest plans include new service from Los Angeles to Milan Malpensa starting June 16; and from LAX to Madrid beginning July 15. It will operate four flights a week on both routes. From New York JFK, Norwegian will operate new service to Amsterdam starting May 7, with four weekly flights; and to Madrid July 18, with three flights a week. All the new routes will be served with 787-9s.
No-frills fare, high fee fares from LAX will start at $229 one-way, while New York fares will begin at $199 to Amsterdam and $229 to Madrid. Premium cabin fares start at $729 and $739 from LAX to Madrid and Milan respectively, and at $619/$649 to Amsterdam and Madrid from JFK.
These four routes are just a part of new Norwegian service already announced for 2018. Other new routes and starting dates include Oakland to Rome (February 6); Newark to Paris (February 28); Chicago to London (March 25); Austin to London (March 27); Denver to Paris (April 9); Oakland to Paris (April 10), and Boston to Paris (May 2);
Norwegian’s current and upcoming U.S. routes. (Image: Norwegian)
All that is on top of 25 U.S. routes that the carrier inaugurated in 2017. And look for more new service in the months ahead: Norwegian said it has just acquired another 28 weekly takeoff and landing slots at London Gatwick, available starting next summer. “Planning work is now underway to allocate the newly acquired slots, and will be announced at a later stage,” the company said.
This explosive growth is leading some investors in the company to worry that the airline might be overextending itself, considering its financial performance. A recent analysis in the Financial Times noted that Norwegian’s fleet is adding 32 aircraft in 2017, for a total of 145; and will keep growing to 193 planes by the end of 2019. The report said Norwegian had a second-quarter operating loss of $104 million, while its unit costs rose by 6 percent in the third quarter. The company’s share price has plunged 40 percent this year, the report said, while its European competitors’ stock has been rising sharply.
One analyst quoted in the article said Norwegian has new aircraft coming online so fast that it can’t absorb them all, so it has started leasing some to other companies and selling older ones. It also quoted a senior banker in Norway as saying that Norwegian is “in trouble. They are over-extended and it’s clear that they have to do something.”
Have you flown Norwegian…or benefitted from its impact on transatlantic fares this year? Please discuss.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: 787-9s, Amsterdam, financial, fleet, growth, Los Angeles, Madrid, Milan, New York JFK, Norwegian, performance, routes, transatlantic, U.S.
Qantas to fly San Francisco-Melbourne nonstop
The Qantas kangaroo gets a modernized redesign on the tail of its new 787-9s. (Image: Qantas)
Qantas this week introduces a brand-new 787-9 Dreamliner on its Los Angeles-Melbourne route, and now the Australian airline says it will bring the Dreamliner to San Francisco as well.
The airline doesn’t have a firm start-up date yet, but said it expects to begin new San Francisco-Melbourne flights with the 787-9 Dreamliner in “late 2018.” Seats should go on sale early in the New Year. There is currently no non-stop service in the SFO-MEL market.
Initially operating six days a week on the LAX-Melbourne route, the 14-hour 787-9 flights will complement Qantas’ existing daily A380 service, a spokesperson said– which means it will fly SFO Melbourne a few days a week, and LAX-Melbourne a few days a week.
Why split the route up like that? My best guess is that the LAX-Melbourne flights have not been selling as well as hoped, so Qantas will try and beef up revenues by adding SFO legs.
New 787-9 business suites are an update of the business cabins on Qantas’ A330s. (Image: Qantas)
Here’s our preview of the new Qantas aircraft, which will have 42 business class seats configured 1-2-1; 28 in premium economy, with a 2-3-2 layout; and 166 in economy, configured 3-3-3 and offering 32-inch pitch.
The San Francisco schedule is still undetermined. “Capacity between the U.S. and Melbourne will be rebalanced to match demand from the two California cities, meaning that the Dreamliner will fly from Los Angeles some days of the week and San Francisco other days,” the spokesperson said.
Qantas CEO Alison Webster said in Melbourne this week that the company is seeing “strong demand” for San Francisco-Melbourne service, “both from a tourism perspective and because of the business links between Silicon Valley and Melbourne. As well, a significant number of our Melbourne passengers flying to Los Angeles already connect on to San Francisco.”
Qantas unveiled its new Premium Economy seats, which will go on its new 787-9s. (Image: Qantas)
Qantas’ only current San Francisco service is a 747-400 non-stop to Sydney, a route also flown by United.
The LAX-Melbourne route is being operated with the airline’s first newly delivered 787-9. The second will go into service in March, providing the first non-stop flights between Australia and Europe on a Melbourne-Perth-London routing. The airline expects to take delivery of eight 787-9s by the end of 2018, with four based in Melbourne and four in Brisbane.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: 2018, 787-9, Dreamliner, Los Angeles, Melbourne, QANTAS, San francisco
Delta’s next narrowbody
An A321neo in Delta livery. (Image: Delta)
Delta started taking delivery of single-aisle Airbus A321s early last year, and it must like them, because it just placed a big order for a bunch of the newest version of that plane.
The company said it has come to terms with Airbus to place firm orders for 100 A321neos, with options for another 100 beyond that. Deliveries are due to start in 2020.
According to Delta’s website, it now has 26 A321-200s in its fleet. Those planes carry 192 passengers – 20 in first class, 29 in Comfort+ and 143 in economy, or about the same number as the 757s they are replacing.
The A321neos will have 197 seats, Delta said, including 20 in first, 30 in Comfort+ and 147 in economy. The A321s will replace “smaller, less technically advanced aircraft,” Delta noted. According to FlightGlobal.com, the new jets will replace Delta’s aging A320s, B757s and MD80s.
The higher-tech A321neos will feature high-speed, satellite-based Wi-Fi and on-demand entertainment, with power ports and streaming video content available at each seat through Delta Studio, the airline said. Cabins’ overhead bins will be 25 percent larger, and cabin lighting will be full-spectrum LED.
Delta reportedly chose the Airbus narrow-bodies over Boeing’s 737MAX-10s. Currently, Delta’s single-aisle fleet includes 148 aircraft from Airbus (A319s, 320s and 321s) and 171 from Boeing’s 737 group (-700s, -800s and -900ERs).
Take a deep dive into a new Delta A321 here.
The interior of Delta’s current Airbus A321. (Image; Delta)
The A321neo (the “neo” stands for “new engine option”) is also popular at other U.S. airlines. For instance, Alaska’s Virgin America unit is currently deploying them on several Hawaii and mainland routes; Hawaiian Airlines is about to start flying them from mainland cities to the islands; and Frontier Airlines recently placed an order for 134 A320neos and A321neos.
According to Airbus, the single-aisle planes in its “neo” group are about 20 percent more fuel-efficient than regular A319/20/21s. Airbus said “typical” seating for an A321neo would be 206 in a two-class layout – although the aircraft could have as many as 240 seats. The A321neo has a range of 7,400 km. (about 4,600 miles or 4,000 nautical miles) vs. 5,900 km. for a regular A321 – or about 25 percent more.
Have you flown on an A321 yet? How’d you like it? How does it compare to your favorite Boeing plane?
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: A321neos, Airbus, aircraft, Delta, fleet, narrow-bodies, order, single-aisle
Deadline looms for Virgin America flyers
Alaska Airlines is bringing an end to Virgin America’s Elevate loyalty program. (Image: Alaska Airlines)
A reminder for members of Virgin America’s Elevate loyalty program: You only have a limited time left to transfer your points.
Alaska Airlines is telling Elevate participants to transfer any remaining points they have in the program over to Alaska’s Mileage Plan by January 31, “or we’ll convert them for you by February 8.” Either way, the airline added, you’ll get 30 percent bonus miles.
The airline noted that if it converts your Elevate points for you, they will be unavailable from February 1-7 as it consolidates member accounts.
In the past we’ve recommended that Elevate members hold on to their Virgin points. Here’s what we said earlier this year:
As long as Virgin America and Alaska Airlines operate separate airlines, and separate loyalty programs, smart flyers should hold on to BOTH currencies.
Why? Because in some cases you’ll get better value redeeming your Virgin America points, and in other cases, it makes more sense to convert and redeem Mileage Plan miles. In other words, it depends…
My suggestion for Virgin America Elevate members: Go ahead and link your accounts, but hold on to your points until you have a specific flight to redeem them on. At that point, you can determine if you get better value by redeeming your points, or by converting them to miles.
So if you are sitting on a big stash of Elevate points and it makes more sense to redeem them now for trips next year, go ahead and make those redemptions.
If not, then go ahead and move those points to Alaska and enjoy the 30 percent bonus. If you don’t, the only real downside is that you won’t have access to them for a week in February. (You get the 30 percent bonus either way.)
The last vestiges of Richard’s Branson’s Virgin America are fading fast (Image: Virgin America)
January 1 is the effective date when the two loyalty plans will be combined, so December 31 marks the official end of the Elevate, and is the final date when Elevate members can earn points in that program.
If you still have Elevate points to convert, you can do it here.
Last month, American Express Rewards terminated the ability of participants to transfer points to Elevate. And effective April 25, all flights operated by Virgin America’s aircraft will be listed as Alaska Airlines flights. In mid-January, Alaska and Virgin are expected to come together under a single operating certificate.
Have you moved your Virgin points over to Alaska yet? Why or why not? Thoughts or feelings as we watch Virgin slowly disappear?
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: Alaska Airlines, Elevate, loyalty, Mileage Plan, points, transfer, Virgin America
Which airline has the best inflight wi-fi?
A new study ranks JetBlue’s inflight wi-fi as the best in the industry. (Image: JetBlue)
How do the major U.S. airlines compare in their in-flight Internet service? That’s what the folks at HighSpeedInternet.com were wondering, so they studied Wi-Fi availability, speed and cost for the seven largest carriers to find out.
Capturing first place in their overall rankings was JetBlue, partly for its speed, but mainly for its cost: There is none.
“JetBlue is the only airline in America that offers free in-flight Wi-Fi,” HighSpeedInternet.com said. “Along with being the most affordable, JetBlue’s in-flight Wi-Fi is also among the fastest; it’s tied with Delta and Virgin America at 15 Mbps.”
Ranking second overall was Southwest, with a cost of just $8 a day for in-flight Internet and a speed of 10 Mbps. (Cheap, yes, but I hear that you get what you pay for with Southwest inflight wi-fi. I don’t fly SWA enough to know…do you? Comment below, please.)
Source: HighSpeedInternet.com
As for availability, Virgin America was tops, with Wi-Fi offered on 100 percent of its available seat-miles. Delta was second at 98 percent availability, followed by Southwest at 90 percent. Virgin America also had a speed of 15 Mbps, but its superior Wi-Fi comes at a high price — $25 a day, the most expensive in the industry, the study noted.
Keep in mind that the cheapest way to buy Gogo is to purchase hourly ($7) or day ($19) passes ahead of time. When you purchase on the plane, the cost can soar to as high as $50.
Virgin’s owner, Alaska Airlines, didn’t fare as well, with Wi-Fi available on just 75 percent of its capacity – the lowest of the seven airlines – and speed well behind Virgin America at 9.8 Mbps.
(We should note that as Alaska continues to integrate its operations with Virgin’s, it recently decided to overhaul their Wi-Fi products. Alaska said a few months ago that it plans to install Gogo’s 2Ku satellite-based broadband Wi-Fi in both its Boeing aircraft and its Airbus fleet — i.e., Virgin’s planes. Installations will start next year on Alaska 737s, and the whole job should be finished by 2020. Alaska also recently extended its free in-flight texting to Virgin’s aircraft as well.)
At the bottom of the company’s overall rankings was United, with availability of 85 percent, speed of 9.8 Mbps, and a cost of $20. United was just below American, which had similar numbers. HighSpeedInternet.com noted that Hawaiian, Spirit and Frontier Airlines don’t have in-flight Wi-Fi. As a frequent United flier, this finding surprised me— When the system is actually working, United’s inflight wi-fi is relatively fast and stable. But the problem is reliability– over the last year, I would estimate that United’s inflight wi-fi system was down on about 40% of my flights.
Also, with Gogo-equipped planes, speed varies based on the type of system installed on the plane. For example, 3,000 planes now have Gogo wi-fi, but only 500 of them have the speediest satellite-based product. (More on that here.)
The rankings changed significantly in looking at the best Wi-Fi service for business travelers, with the assumption that the cost is irrelevant because the traveler’s employer will cover it. If that’s the case, HighSpeedInternet.com gives top honors to Virgin America for its top speed and 100 percent availability, followed by Delta and JetBlue.
In conducting their research, HighSpeedInternet.com staffers discovered that some of this information wasn’t as easy to find as they had thought.
“Some airlines don’t publish their in-flight Wi-Fi information. So, to get it, our team spent days contacting various departments at some of these airlines—hounding them via email, phone, and social media,” the company said. “We think airlines could go a long way to reduce consumer frustration by making this information more readily available.”
Any report on airline Wi-Fi quality and cost should also note that this is all subject to change in the months and years ahead as carriers continue to upgrade their products due to consumer demand. For instance, we just reported on how Gogo is shifting much of its in-flight Wi-Fi service from ground-based to satellite-based links, which will greatly increase speed and data capacity. And we also reported that Air Canada will soon make inflight wi-fi free for its elite level members.
Do you use inflight wi-fi much? How is the service on the airline you fly most? Does it align with these findings?
Filed Under: Airlines, Technology Tagged With: airlines, Alaska, American, availability, cost, Delta, HighSpeedWifi.com, in-fight, JetBlue, southwest, speed, study, United, Virgin America, wi-fi
United adds new nonstops to Tahiti
Tahiti’s overwater bungalows will soon be accessible via nonstops from SFO (Image: Pixabay)
Today United announced that it will fly between San Francisco International Airport and Papeete, the capital of Tahiti, in 2018.
United will operate nonstop service, three times weekly with Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft between SFO and Fa’a’ā International Airport (PPT), beginning Oct. 30, 2018, through March 28, 2019, subject to government approval.
United’s announcement comes on the heels of French Blue, a new Paris based airline, announcing its intentions to fly between San Francisco and Tahiti starting in May 2018. (However, our contacts at SFO say that they have not heard officially from the airline yet.)
Currently, the only non-stop service to Tahiti from the U.S. mainland is out of Los Angeles on Air Tahiti Nui and Air France with economy fares in the $1,300 roundtrip range. Hawaiian Airlines also flies once a week between Honolulu and Papeete.
Paris-based low-cost carrier French Blue says it will begin San Francisco-Papeete flights in 2018 using a new Airbus A350. (Image: French Blue)
Until now, one stop fares from SFO via LAX have been in the $1,500. A quick search on United’s site today showed SFO-PPT fares of $1,467 roundtrip in the first week of Oct 2018. Searching for mileage redemptions, the cheapest we could find for October flights was 160,000 round trip.
Before this announcement, United Mileage Plus members did not have an easy way to fly to Tahiti using their miles.
Here’s the San Francisco – Papeete schedule, which still requires government approval.
Flight City Frequency Depart* Arrive*
UA 115 SFO – PPT Tues/Thurs/Sun 2:45 p.m. 9:25 p.m.
UA 114 PPT – SFO Tues/Thurs/Sun 11:45 p.m. 9:50 a.m. next day
Flight time between SFO and PPT is about nine hours. It is about 4,200 miles from SFO to PPT each way.
Tahiti is part of French Polynesia (see map), which is located on the eastern side of the International Date Line, so flights arrive on the same day they depart, not two days later as they do when flying to Asia.
“This route has been on a white board in my office for at least the last seven months,” United’s Patrick Quayle, VP International Network, told TravelSkills. “It’s a honeymoon, bucket list type destination…a unique life experience that we can offer to our customers.”
Tahiti lies just east of the international date line in the middle of the Pacific Ocean about 9 hours from SFO (Image: Google)
United says Tahiti is the “South Pacific’s gateway to more than 118 islands in French Polynesia including Bora Bora, Moorea, the Marquesas and Raiatea.”
Have you been to Tahiti or French Polynesia before? Do you dream of going there? Is there room for TWO airlines to fly nonstop from SFO to PPT? Please leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports, SFO Tagged With: Papeete, San francisco, Tahiti, United
San Jose gets another NYC non-stop
Headed to NYC? San Jose flyers will get new JFK non-stops from Delta. (Image: Jim Glab)
A year and a half ago, only one airline offered Silicon Valley travelers daily non-stop service from Mineta San Jose International to New York City. By next summer, there will be four.
Delta just announced it will begin daily service from SJC to its New York JFK hub on June 8, operating one daily roundtrip with a 737-800.
That means San Jose travelers will be able to fly non-stop to Newark on United or Alaska Airlines, and soon on either JetBlue or Delta to JFK. JetBlue started its SJC-JFK service in 2004, while Alaska and United both launched SJC-Newark flights last March.
Delta will use a 737-800 on its new SJC-JFK non-stop. (Chris McGinnis)
The new Delta flight will operate as a red-eye from San Jose, with a 10:35 p.m. departure time and a 7:15 a.m. JFK arrival. The return flight leaves JFK at 8:15 a.m. and gets to SJC at 11:45 a.m. JetBlue’s service is also an eastbound red-eye, while the eastbound United and Alaska flights depart SJC at 6:20 a.m. and 9:14 a.m. respectively.
“We’re hopeful that as they (i.e. Delta) experience success with the red-eye, they will then ultimately feel confident about the revenue potential of adding more daytime service,” an SJC spokesman told Travelskills. “That’s exactly what Delta did in the case of Atlanta service, where 18 months ago we had only a red-eye non-stop to Atlanta, but that was so successful that they now have added two additional daytime non-stops to ATL.”
Still, he added, “In Delta’s case, we’re very pleased that the westbound JFK flight operates in the morning, allowing business travelers to arrive in time for lunch in Silicon Valley. JetBlue’s westbound flight is in the evening, so Delta’s new flight does increase the menu of options available through the day.”
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: Alaska, Delta, JetBlue, JFK, New York City, Newark, non-stop, red-eye, San Jose, United
Gogo accelerates shift to higher-speed Wi-Fi
The external antennas for Gogo’s 2Ku satellite Wi-Fi should reduce drag on the aircraft. (Image: Gogo)
As passengers demand more broadband capacity and faster in-fight Internet service, Gogo is moving as fast as it can to change its airline Wi-Fi service from ground-based to satellite-based links.
The company said this week that the number of commercial aircraft equipped with its 2Ku broadband satellite technology has just passed the 500 mark, up from 100 at the beginning of this year. That’s out of a total of 3,000 Gogo-equipped planes. Orders for 2Ku installations now exceed 2,000 aircraft, the company said.
Where is 2Ku being installed, and how do you know if your aircraft has it?
“In the US, most of these are with Delta, and they inform passengers before boarding through their app and email notifications,” a spokesman tells Travelskills. “They also have ‘high speed Internet’ signs at the boarding door, as well as branding on their portal. With other airline partners like GOL, 2Ku is the only technology offered.”
On Delta jets, you’ll know you have a satellite based connection when you see this sign by the boarding door (Photo: Gogo)
Gogo said it takes about 30 hours to install the satellite-based technology on an aircraft – less than half the time it normally takes to install a broadband link.
In recent months, the company installed 2Ku on Delta’s first new Airbus A350; won regulatory approval to install 2Ku technology on Boeing 777s; signed a deal with Alaska Airlines to put 2Ku on all of the airline’s Airbus and Boeing aircraft; won a contract from LATAM Airlines Brazil to put satellite connections on 100 of its A320s; finished installing satellite Wi-Fi links on all of Virgin Atlantic’s A330s, A340s and 747s; and finalized an agreement with Cathay Pacific Group to put the technology on Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon wide-bodies, including A330s and 777s.
The dome atop this Delta A350 means it has 2Ku satellite Wi-Fi. (Image: Jujug Spotting/Gogo)
By the way, there’s one other way to tell if your aircraft has Gogo 2Ku Wi-Fi: There’s a distinctive little dome on top of the plane.
“2Ku is the best performing connectivity solution in the market and that performance has resulted in the technology becoming the most rapidly adopted broadband satellite connectivity solution in the history of commercial aviation,” said Michael Small, Gogo’s president and CEO. “While we continue to grow our backlog of 2Ku aircraft, we are also focused operationally on making sure 2Ku also becomes the most rapidly deployed technology in commercial aviation history.”
Has your inflight wi-fi experience improved in recent months? Please leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines, Technology Tagged With: 2Ku, Alaska, Cathay Pacific, Delta, Gogo, satellite, technology, Virgin Atlantic, wi-fi
Routes: United high-density 777s, Delta, Qantas, Air China, Air Canada, Aeromexico
A United 777-200. (Image: Aero Icarus/Wikimedia Commons)
In international route developments, United will start using high-density 777s on some Europe routes; Delta aims to make things smoother for transborder flyers with a new partnership; Qantas kicks off its 787-9 service to LAX next week; Air China begins a new LAX route; Air Canada adds another Australian destination; and Aeromexico tacks on an Atlanta route.
Travel to Europe for some United Airlines passengers is going to get more crowded next year as the airline starts to deploy high-density 777-200s on a few routes out of its Newark hub. The aircraft in question are normally used on domestic routes. According to Airlineroutes.com, United will put the 777s into service between Newark and Barcelona April 23, Newark-Dublin March 10 and Newark-Madrid May 23. (Low-fare Norwegian started EWR-Barcelona flights last summer, and British Airways/Iberia sister company Level plans to begin cheap flights from Boston to Barcelona next spring.)
United has four configurations for its 777-200s, according to Seatguru.com. The three versions previously designated for international routes have 266 to 269 total seats, while the high-density aircraft have 364 (234 economy, 102 Economy Plus and 50 Polaris business class). They manage this difference thanks in part to 10-across seating in economy and Economy Plus instead of the nine-across in the other versions.
A WestJet 737 in special Walt Disney World livery. (Image: WestJet)
As if Delta didn’t have enough joint venture partnerships already (Virgin Atlantic, Air France-KLM, Aeromexico, and a new one recently approved with Korean Air), it’s now planning yet another. The carrier said it has entered into a preliminary memorandum of understanding with Canada’s WestJet to form a new joint venture for transborder service. Joint ventures also imply antitrust immunity, meaning the two carriers would be able to cooperate on pricing and scheduling.
Delta says the JV with WestJet will mean “coordinated flight schedules for new nonstop flights to new destinations, expanded codesharing, and seamless and convenient connections on the airlines’ extensive networks in the U.S. and Canada,” along with “enhanced frequent flyer benefits including reciprocal benefits for top-tier members of both airlines.”
Qantas’ first 787-9 will enter service to LAX next week. (Image: Qantas)
December 15 is the scheduled starting date for Qantas to put a brand new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner into service on its Melbourne-Los Angeles route. It’s the first route for the new Qantas aircraft, and it will replace an Airbus A380. Next March, Qantas will use a new 787-9 to begin the first non-stops between Australia and Europe, on a London-Perth routing. The Qantas 787-9s will have 42 business class seats configured 1-2-1; 28 in premium economy, with a 2-3-2 layout; and 166 in economy, configured 3-3-3 and offering 32-inch pitch.
Speaking of Australia, Air Canada just added its third route to that country, beginning service this week between Vancouver and Melbourne. The carrier uses a 787-9 for the 16-hour flight. Air Canada already flies from Vancouver to Sydney with a 777-200LR, and last summer it began Vancouver-Brisbane service with a 787.
Another new transpacific route that just started this week is Air China’s service between Los Angeles and Shenzhen, a tech-heavy city in China’s Guangdong Province. Air China will use a three-class 787-9 to fly the route three times a week (Monday, Thursday, Saturday), with a 10:50 p.m. departure from LAX. Air China also has three daily flights from LAX to Beijing.
Delta’s joint venture partner Aeromexico has started flying a new route from Delta’s Atlanta hub. The carrier kicked off daily service between ATL and Merida, using a 99-passenger Embraer 190 with business class and regular economy seating.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: 777-200s, 787-9, Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air China, Atlanta, Canada, Delta, Europe, high-density, international, joint venture, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Merida, Newark, QANTAS, routes, Shenzhen, United, Vancouver, WestJet
Basic Economy fares go global
Delta is introducing Basic Economy pricing on transatlantic routes. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Now that the Big Three U.S. airlines have rolled out bare-bones Basic Economy fares in their domestic networks, they’re starting to take aim at international markets.
Both Delta and American are bringing the controversial lowball pricing option to some international flights, and some foreign carriers – specifically, Aer Lingus and Scandinavian Airlines – are doing the same as the transatlantic competition from carriers like Norwegian starts to bite.
Six weeks ago, Delta broadened its transatlantic fare lineup when it started selling Comfort+ seating on transatlantic flights for travel starting January 22. And this week Delta announced that Basic Economy fares are now available on more than half of its flights to Europe for travel starting April 10.
And it’s not just Delta. The airline said that on the same date, its partners Air France-KLM and Alitalia will each introduce “a similar basic fare product across the Atlantic.”
“As part of its Basic Economy expansion, Delta is introducing a Basic Economy first checked bag fee for trans-Atlantic routes only,” the company said. “The fee will be standard for Air France-KLM and Alitalia, along with no seat assignments and tickets not being changeable.”
Forbes is reporting that Delta’s new fee on a first checked bag for international Basic Economy travelers will be a stiff $60, and a second checked bag will cost $100.
Basic economy purchasers won’t get a seat assignment until they check in, and they will board last, Delta said. Tickets can’t be changed or refunded, and purchasers can’t get paid or complimentary upgrades, even with Medallion status (although they will still earn Medallion-qualifying miles and dollars).
Delta said it would closely align its international Basic Economy fare restrictions with its domestic rules, which allow purchasers to carry on a bag that can be stowed in the overhead bin. American’s and United’s domestic Basic Economy prices only allow buyers to carry on an item that fits under the seat.
United’s website warns customers about the shortcomings of Basic Economy. (Image: UNited)
Reports out of Dallas this week said that American Airlines is now offering its own similar no-frills Basic Economy pricing on select international routes – specifically, to most of its destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean. There are a few exceptions, including service to Cuba, to San Juan, and to a couple of Mexican destinations. American apparently hasn’t yet put the Basic Economy option on transatlantic flights.
While the big U.S. airlines introduced Basic Economy fares in domestic markets ostensibly to offer pricing levels competitive with fast-growing ultra-low-cost carriers like Spirit and Frontier, critics allege that the airlines’ real intention is to lure customers in with a low fare but then up-sell them to a regular economy seat with a few more frills. In fact, some allege that airlines have simply re-labeled their previous lowest economy fares as Basic Economy.
SAS is adding new ‘Go Light’ low-frills fares in U.S. markets this month. (Image: SAS)
Delta isn’t the first to bring new low- or no-frills fares to the transatlantic market. A few months ago, Aer Lingus rolled out a new pricing category called Saver fares on flights between Dublin and the U.S. The only things included in that fare are a seat, an in-flight meal and a 10 kg. (22 lbs.) hand luggage allowance.
And effective December 14, SAS will start offering discounted “Go Light” fares on its routes between Scandinavia and the U.S., designed for customers who only have carry-on bags. The new category was introduced on the airline’s intra-European routes in 2015. Except for a checked bag, Go Light fare buyers get the same treatment and service as purchasers of the airline’s regular economy pricing, called Go fares.
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: Aer Lingus, Air France, airlines, Alitalia, American, basic economy, Caribbean, Delta, fares, international, KLM, Mexico, no-frills, pricing, SAS, transatlantic
Here comes the travel crunch for the holidays – and beyond
Ah, the holidays –long lines and overcrowded airports. (Image: Jim Glab)
Are you flying somewhere over the holidays? You’ll have plenty of company: The U.S. airline industry is predicting a substantial increase in passenger traffic for the year-end holiday period. And the airlines’ global trade organization sees continuing growth and prosperity into the New Year for its members – while passengers can look forward to more crowded planes and higher fares.
Airlines for America (A4A), the trade group for U.S, carriers, says it expects the number of passengers over the year-end holiday period to increase by 1.7 million over the same period a year ago, or 3.5 percent. That means a total of 51 million air travelers during the holidays, which A4A defines as the 21 days from December 15 to January 4.
The biggest airport crowds will be seen on the Thursday and Friday before Christmas (December 21 and 22), A4A said, with a passenger volume of 2.7 million each day. That compares with a typical daily passenger count of 2.25 million in 2016. The organization noted that U.S. airlines are scheduling thousands of extra seats over the holiday period by adding more departures and using larger aircraft on their busiest routes.
The least busy travel days will be December 16, December 24, December 25, and January 31, A4A said. The organization noted that more people are traveling this season than last year due to “an improving economy and sub-inflation air fares.”
All this adds up to increased prosperity for the airlines, a trend that will accelerate in 2018, according to the International Air Transport Association, the airlines’ global trade group.
Don’t miss: How to be a Holiday Travel Pro!
Allow plenty of time for TSA screening. (Image: Jim Glab)
In a new report, IATA said North American airlines are expected to see net profits of $16.4 billion in 2018, up from $15.6 billion this year. North American carriers are expected to increase capacity by 3.4 percent next year, IATA said, while traffic is expected to grow by 3.5 percent.
And what happens when passenger demand increases faster than passenger capacity? Fares go up. IATA said that North American airlines lead the world in financial performance, accounting for almost half the total profits of the global airline industry.
The same trend will be seen globally, IATA said, with 2018 passenger numbers expected to grow 6 percent to 4.3 billion. That’s on top of a 7.5 percent increase this year. But worldwide airline capacity is expected to increase only 5.7 percent next year. “This will push up the average load factor to a record 81.4 percent, helping to drive a 3 percent improvement in yields,” IATA said. Worldwide, the group expects airlines’ average net profit per passenger to increase from $8.45 this year to $8.90 in 2018. Translation: Fewer empty seats and higher fares in the New Year.
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: 2018, airlines, Airlines for America, capacity, Christmas, growth, holidays, IATA, New Years, passengers, traffic
Routes: Hawaiian, Alaska to Hawaii + American, JetBlue, Spirit
First class cabin on Hawaiian’s A321neo, coming to a new San Diego-Maui route in 2018. (Image: Hawaiian)
In domestic route news, Hawaiian Airlines will increase service to the islands from the West Coast next year; Alaska Airlines is about to begin a new Hawaii route from San Francisco; American adds Oakland as a spoke from a major hub, and plans several other new routes; JetBlue adds more transcontinental Mint service this month; and Spirit unveils 10 new domestic route starting next spring.
Hawaiian Airlines, which is on the verge of beginning commercial service with its new Airbus A321neos, said it will use the planes to expand service from the West Coast next year. The airline will add a new route on May 1 between San Diego and Kahului Airport on Maui using an A321neo, and will begin extra seasonal summer flights with the aircraft (in addition to its regular schedule) between San Francisco and Honolulu from May 26 through July 31, and between Oakland and Kona from May 26 through September 2. The carrier has also scheduled an extra seasonal flight between Los Angeles and Kahului, Maui from June 1-August 31, using an A330.
According to FlightGlobal.com, Hawaiian will actually start flying the new A221neos on December 19, deploying them on inter-island routes to familiarize its flight crews with the aircraft. The carrier is due to put the planes into mainland service starting January 8 from Oakland to Maui, and on January 18 from Portland to Maui.
Speaking of Hawaii, Alaska Airlines next week will start flying the last of several new Bay Area routes that it announced earlier this year. On December 14, the carrier will inaugurate daily service between San Francisco and Kona, on the Big Island, using a Virgin America aircraft. The SFO departure time is scheduled for 11 a.m.
American will use an A320 on its new Oakland-DFW route. (Image: Jim Glab)
American Airlines will kick off new Bay Area service next spring. The carrier plans to start daily flights on April 3 between Oakland and its Dallas/Ft. Worth hub, with an 11:50 a.m. departure from OAK and a 9:10 a.m. departure from DFW, using an A320. American also announced some new domestic routes out of its Chicago O’Hare hub starting next spring, including twice-daily ORD-Charleston, S.C. flights beginning May 4; and weekend-only service from ORD to Bangor, Maine and Myrtle Beach, S.C., starting June 7, using American Eagle/Envoy Air CRJ700s. At Phoenix, American will kick off daily flights to Amarillo, Tex. and Oklahoma City on April 3, using Mesa Airlines CRJ900s. On the same date, it will add twice-daily LaGuardia-Portland, Maine service with Enviy Air ERJ140s.
Elsewhere, American’s 2018 schedule includes some new Saturday-only seasonal routes, all flown with regional jets, including DFW-Asheville, N.C., DFW-Myrtle Beach, DFW-Wilmington and Los Angeles-Bozeman, Mont., all operating June 9-August 18; LAX-Flagstaff, Ariz., May 5-September 1; and New York LaGuardia-Traverse City, Mich., June 23-September 2. Finally, on February 14, the company will terminate its American Eagle/SkyWest service from Phoenix to Bullhead City, Ariz./Laughlin, Nevada, due to a lack of passenger demand.
JetBlue’s lie flat Mint class comes to San Diego-Boston this month. (Image: Chris McGinnis)
The next step in JetBlue’s ongoing expansion of its premium-cabin Mint service, with lie-flat seats, comes on December 10, when the carrier is slated to introduce a Mint-equipped aircraft on one of its daily San Diego-Boston flights, adding a second daily Mint flight on the route starting December 20. It already offers Mint cabins on two daily San Diego-New York JFK flights. Last month, JetBlue added Mint service on two daily New York JFK-Las Vegas flights.
Spirit Airlines unveiled a bunch of new domestic routes that will kick off next spring, including daily year-round service from Baltimore/Washington to Denver beginning March 22; daily year-round flights between Tampa-Los Angeles, Tampa-Las Vegas and Orlando-Las Vegas starting April 12; daily seasonal service from Seattle to Ft. Lauderdale, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Minneapolis-St. Paul beginning April 12; and daily seasonal flights from Detroit to San Diego and Portland kicking off April 23.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: A321neos, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Boston, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Ft. Worth, domestic, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, Kona, Maui, Mint, New York LaGuardia, Oakland, Phoenix, routes, San Diego, San francisco, Spirit airlines
Japan Airlines eyes 5-1/2 hour San Francisco-Tokyo flights
Boom’s SST design would be smaller than Concorde. (Image: Boom)
We’ve reported before about a Colorado-based aircraft manufacturer called Boom, which is developing a next-generation supersonic passenger plane. In 2016, it got a big boost from Sir Richard Branson, and now Japan Airlines is officially joining the supersonic party.
Branson’s involvement with Boom included an option to purchase the first 10 airframes it produces, followed late last year by the creation of a technical partnership between Boom and Branson’s Virgin Galactic spaceflight company, committing the two firms to work together on engineering, manufacturing and flight tests.
Now Japan Airlines says it has made a strategic $10 million investment in Boom, and has taken a pre-order option to buy up to 20 supersonic aircraft from the manufacturer. JAL added that it will be working with Boom “to refine the aircraft design and help define the passenger experience for supersonic travel.” In fact, Boom CEO Blake Scholl said his company has been working “behind the scenes” with JAL for more than a year.
Rendering of a passenger seat on the planned SST. (Image: Boom)
Boom’s initial design specs envision an aircraft with 45-55 business class-type seats (about half the size of the late Concorde), a cruising speed of Mach 2.2 (2.2 times the speed of sound, or 1,415 mph – a little faster than Concorde’s Mach 2), a cruising altitude of 60,000 feet, and the beginning of commercial service by the “mid-2020s,” assuming all goes well.
Scholl said last year that the plane could operate profitably on as many as 500 international routes with sufficient demand for a supersonic product, like Tokyo-San Francisco, New York-London and Los Angeles-Sydney.
JAL currently uses a 777-300 on the SFO-Tokyo route. (Image: Japan Airlines)
Sir Richard Branson has estimated that the new SST could make the New York-London trip in three and a half hours, and operate profitably at fares of about $5,000 roundtrip. The aircraft would have a range of 8,334 kilometers, or 4,500 nautical miles, enough to fly non-stop from Beijing to London — or from San Francisco to Tokyo in five and a half hours.
Bloomberg News said Boom now has commitments for 75 aircraft from five airlines, with some customers already paying significant deposits, and it reported that Boom just hired a former Airbus executive as its new vice president of production.
Readers: How much of a premium over business class fares would you be willing to pay for a supersonic flight that cuts your travel time in half or better?
Filed Under: Airlines, Technology Tagged With: aircraft, Boom, Branson, Japan Airlines, San francisco, supersonic, Tokyo
Airlines’ new safety target: Passengers’ ‘smart bags’
Smart bags are the latest generation of high-tech luggage. (Image: Bluesmart Luggage)
Savvy business travelers always try to carry on everything they’ll need on their trips. But if there are occasions when you go on a longer trip and need to check a bag, watch out for brand-new airline rules banning a specific kind of checked luggage: smart bags.
The latest generation of products from luggage manufacturers is incorporating various new technologies into an item that was previously very low-tech. So modern smart bags can provide things like tracking technology, built-in scales, and power ports to juice up your electronic devices on the go. But those functions all require a power source, and that source is generally a lithium-ion battery in the luggage.
The problem with lithium-ion batteries is that they sometimes spontaneously combust – and that means airlines don’t want to take the chance of having them in a baggage hold.
In the past few days, Delta, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines have all issued advisories warning customers that effective January 15, smart bags powered with a lithium-ion battery that cannot be removed will no longer be accepted as checked luggage. If the passenger can take the battery out of the luggage and carry it on, no problem. Otherwise, he has a real problem if he shows up at the airport with one of the now-banned bags.
Airlines don’t want lithium-ion batteries in their luggage holds. (Image: Jim Glab)
“If the customer is able to take the bag into the cabin with them, the customer will be able to leave the battery installed,” American’s advisory said. But Delta said that smart bags with non-removable batteries will not be accepted as a checked or carry-on bag. Likewise at Alaska, “Smart bags will be allowed as carry-on baggage, if they meet carry-on size limits and if it’s possible to remove the battery from the bag if needed,” the company said.
Other airlines are likely to follow suit. So if any of your loved ones are planning to buy a new smart bag as a holiday gift for their favorite frequent traveler, make sure they get one with a removable battery.
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: airlines, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, ban, battery, checked luggage, Delta, hold, lithium-ion, Luggage, smart bag, technology
Routes: Air Canada to SFO/Sacramento, AA, Aer Lingus, Norwegian, WOW, Copa + more
Air Canada Express will add new U.S. routes with regional jets. (Image: Air Canada/Skyregional)
In international route news, Air Canada and American have both announced plans to expand service between the U.S. and Canada; Aer Lingus comes to Seattle next year; low-cost carriers Norwegian and WOW will increase capacity to the U.S. in 2018; Copa boosts West Coast frequencies; Lufthansa’s Eurowings subsidiary sets more U.S. routes; and Thomas Cook Airlines comes to New York JFK.
Air Canada has unveiled plans to add new service to six U.S. cities next spring, including San Francisco and Sacramento. All the routes will be operated as Air Canada Express, with 76-seat or 50-seat regional jets. On May 1, the airline will kick off daily flights between San Francisco and Edmonton with a 76-seat aircraft, as well as daily Omaha-Toronto service, using a 50-seat plane. May 17 is the launch date for 76-seat regional jet service between Sacramento and Vancouver as well as daily roundtrips between Baltimore/Washington-Montreal and Pittsburgh-Montreal, both served by 50-passenger aircraft. All those routes will operate year-round. Air Canada will also begin seasonal service on May 17 between Providence and Toronto.
American Airlines is also increasing its transborder service to Canada. It will boost its Phoenix-Edmonton schedule from one flight a day to two effective December 15 to April 2. Next spring, American will launch new daily year-round 737 service from its Chicago O’Hare hub to Vancouver starting May 4, and seasonal daily flights from O’Hare to Calgary June 7-September 4, with an American Eagle/Envoy Air E175. On February 15, American will increase frequencies between New York LaGuardia-Toronto from four a day to five, and on May 4 it will boost its Washington Reagan National-Toronto schedule from two flights a day a day to three. Also on May 4, the airline will lay on a third daily roundtrip between Philadelphia and Ottawa.
Ireland’s Aer Lingus, now a part of International Airlines Group along with British Airways and Iberia, will add a new U.S. West Coast gateway next year when it starts Dublin-Seattle service. The carrier plans a May 18 start for the new route, using a 265-passenger, two-class Airbus A330-200 to operate four flights a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday). Passengers flying back to Seattle will be able to pre-clear U.S. Customs at Dublin. Aer Lingus previously announced plans to start Dublin-Philadelphia service four days a week next March.
Norwegian will put larger 787-9s on U.S.-Barcelona routes next year. (Image: Norwegian)
Faced with new and growing competition from British Airways/Iberia’s Level affiliate, Norwegian plans to increase capacity between the U.S. and Barcelona next year by switching to larger aircraft – specifically, from the current 291-passenger 787-8 to the 344-seat 787-9. The changeover will take place in late March, affecting Norwegian’s two weekly flights from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale, three flights a week to Los Angeles and Oakland, and four a week to Newark.
Another low-cost carrier – Iceland’s WOW – will also add more U.S. seats next year, increasing frequencies on its route between Newark Liberty International and Reykjavik from seven flights a week to 13, effective May 29 through September 16. That’s in addition to the airline’s new daily flights out of New York JFK starting April 28.
Panama’s Copa Airlines plans to increase its West Coast capacity this winter. The airline will boost its Panama City-San Francisco schedule from twice-daily service to 18 flights a week starting March 1, and its Panama City-Los Angeles frequencies from three a day to 25 a week effective January 2.
Lufthansa’s Eurowings unit will add U.S. routes in 2018. (Image: Eurowings)
When Lufthansa announced its recently-launched New York JFK-Berlin service (taking over for the defunct Airberlin), it said the route would be turned over next summer to Eurowings, its fast-growing, leisure-oriented subsidiary. Now it has even more transatlantic plans for Eurowings. The carrier will start a new route between JFK and Dusseldorf starting April 28, using a Brussels Airlines A340-300 to operate six flights a week. Lufthansa said Eurowings will also begin Dusseldorf-Miami service three times a week as of May 4, and Dusseldorf-Ft. Myers flights three times a week starting May 3.
Thomas Cook Airlines has launched new service between New York JFK and Manchester, operating three flights a week with an Airbus A330 and fares starting as low as $209 one-way – including a checked bag and in-flight meals. And JetBlue will kick off its fourth Caribbean route from Newark next spring, beginning daily service to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on May 3.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: 787-9, Aer Lingus, Air Canada, American Airlines, capacity, Chicago, Copa..Panama City, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Eurowings, Ft. Myers, increase, international, JetBlue, Los Angeles, Manchester, Miami, New York JFK, Newark, Norwegian, Oakland, Rdmonton, Reykjavik, routes, Sacramento, San DFrancisco, Santo Domingo, Seattle, Thomas Cook Airlines, Vancouver, WOW
American Airlines glitch: “Never mind”
Don’t worry about your American Airlines flight this December (Image: American)
I guess we should not be surprised by yesterday’s breathless, widespread reporting about how an airline glitch (or shall I say grinch!) was going to ruin everyone’s Christmas. A negative airline story always plays well during peak holiday season when air travel is top of mind.
My pat answer when the media called for an opinion about the American Airlines scheduling mess? “I’m sure this will be worked out. Too much money is at stake during peak holiday season. And money talks!”
And sure enough, American’s debacle was worked out. And quickly. This morning the carrier released the following statement.
Out of the 200,000 flights American will operate in December, only a few hundred are currently unassigned to pilots. That number of open flights continues to decrease thanks to our pilots who are stepping up to the plate and picking up trips to ensure customers are taken care of. It’s another example of why we are thankful to have such an incredible team. In addition, we have more reserve pilots on hand in December than normal months and they provide us with the ability to fly many of the trips that are currently uncovered. We have not canceled any scheduled flights in December and will continue to work to ensure both our pilots and our customers are cared for.
Glitches happen. Companies fix them. As SNL’s Emily Litella says in this video, “Never mind.”
Airlines and travelers now have the holiday travel drill down. There were few if any horror stories over Thanksgiving– as a matter of fact, this week airlines are boasting about their best Thanksgiving performance ever!
About the only grinch that could steal holiday joy this year is a bad storm that hits a big hub airport, or New York City. We’ll be watching out for that!
Update: American Airlines pilots are now disputing the carrier’s claims that only a few hundred flights are unassigned. Their union says that the number is still in the thousands. However, American Airlines says that it does not expect any cancellations in December due to the mix up. This is starting to sound more like a public airing of grievances between the airline and its pilots union than an operational issue travelers need to worry about.
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: American Airlines, Holiday travel, holidays, pilots
A middle seat to love on Lufthansa
Lufthansa’s new business class design includes some extra-wide single middle seats. Calling Captain Kirk! (Image: Lufthansa)
Lufthansa won’t start flying new Boeing 777-9s for another three years, but it just revealed some details of its new business class for those aircraft, and the cabin has some unique innovations.
For one thing, the new design gives future business class customers a choice. “Depending on their personal needs, customers can choose between seats with more desk space or a higher degree of privacy,” Lufthansa said.
Window seats also have a choice of configurations. (Image: Lufthansa)
The seats in the new design are laid out on alternate rows of 1-2-1 and 1-1-1. The single middle seats have about twice as much desk space as other seats. Some observers are referring to them as “throne seats” but we’ve called them “Captain Kirk” seats, too.
The cabin also provides what Lufthansa claims will be “the best possible sleep up above the clouds.” Seat-beds are 86.6 inches long, and “the construction of the back rest makes it possible for the shoulder to sink in when you are lying on your side,” the company said. “This keeps the spine straight and makes it possible for side sleepers to also benefit from ideally healthy and relaxing sleep.”
Lufthansa said the new seat and cabin designs were created after conducting in-depth research with more than 500 of its regular customers.
Even before the new business class seating is introduced in 2020, Lufthansa said, it will deploy new business class mattresses, duvets and pajamas starting early next year.
Rendering of a Lufthansa 777-9. (Image: Boeing)
The next-generation 777-9, which has also been referred to as the 777X, will be the largest-ever twin-engine jetliner. Lufthansa is a launch customer for the new Boeing plane.
Bloomberg News is reporting that Lufthansa has ordered 34 of the 777-9s, and that they will eventually replace its 747-400s and A340-600s – although unlike those two aircraft, the new 777-9s will not have a first class cabin. The 777-9s will reportedly have 45 to 60 business class seats, but the final seating configuration of the new planes hasn’t yet been finalized.
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: 777-9, 777X, Boeing, business class, design, lufthansa
Some elite flyers to get free wi-fi
Air Canada is adding free Wi-Fi as a perk for its elites. (Image: Air Canada)
Is this becoming a trend? Another big North American carrier said it will offer free in-flight Wi-Fi service as a perk for its most frequent customers.
Air Canada and Gogo announced that free Internet is being added as one of the privileges that can be selected by the airline’s Altitude Elite 75K and Super Elite 100K elite members – the top two levels of the airline’s five-tier elite structure.
The Elite 75Ks can get six-month unlimited use passes for Wi-Fi, and the Super Elite 100Ks can select a 12-month free pass. The passes are good on mainline Air Canada flights in North America as well as Air Canada Express and Air Canada Rouge.
And soon, the benefit is coming to international flights as well.
“Air Canada’s new Altitude WiFi select privilege is available for use on all Air Canada equipped flights, all over the world, regardless of systems provider. This also includes Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Express operated flights,” Mark Nasr, Vice President Loyalty & eCommerce for Air Canada told TravelSkills.
He added, “Currently all of our Airbus 320 family, Embraer E175/E190, and Boeing 737MAX aircraft offer connectivity, using a mix of GoGo and Thales solutions—that’s about 160 planes. We began installations of the latest generation high-speed connectivity on our wide-body fleet this quarter; we’ll start rolling-out those planes by January at the rate of one aircraft everyone one to two weeks, until the fleet is complete. We expect to have a 10 long-haul aircraft complete before year’s end; this time next year, we expect to offer connectivity on around 248 aircraft, including 80 (or most of) the long-haul fleet.”
For now, Air Canada charges US$16 for a Gogo one-way pass if purchased online before flying. A monthly pass is US$52.
Qualifying members will be able to pick the free Wi-Fi as a Select Privilege benefit for 2018. Other selectable privileges include things like mileage bonuses, upgrade credits, airport club membership discounts and guest passes, elite status for a friend, and so on.
Air Canada is not the first North American airline to offer free Wi-Fi. Southwest Airlines offers it as a perk for top-level A-List Preferred members of its Rapid Rewards program. JetBlue has long been offering free Wi-Fi (which it calls Fly-Fi) to all passengers.
But Air Canada may be the first to offer free Gogo Wi-Fi. JetBlue developed its proprietary satellite-based Wi-Fi technology with Viasat, and Southwest’s Internet provider is Global Eagle Entertainment – although it is using Panasonic Avionics to install Wi-Fi on newly delivered aircraft, including its new 737MAX planes.
Here’s hoping that other North American carriers consider a similar move. Will they? Leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines, Technology Tagged With: Air Canada, Altitude, ellites, free, Gogo, JetBlue, Southwest A-List Preferred, wi-fi
Big United MileagePlus sale on Hawaii seats
The astonishing view from the St Regis Princeville on Kauai, Hawaii (Photo: Barkley Dean)
United has a special for MileagePlus members: A limited-time sale on award travel to Hawaii this winter.
This comes on the heels of an excellent fare sale with fares diving to around $350 round trip from many western cities.
The airline has cut the price of roundtrip economy class Saver award tickets to the islands from the usual 45,000 miles to 36,000 miles – a 20 percent reduction.
The offer is good for travel from January 7 through March 10 – but the booking deadline is the end of the day December 8.
The MileagePlus sale is available for travel on United from the mainland to all the island destinations it serves, including Honolulu, Maui, Lihue (Kauai), and the Big Island airports of Kona and Hilo.
To see all the terms and conditions, click here. Saver award tickets are capacity-controlled, so once they’re gone, they’re gone. In which case you ought to consider buying a cheap seat – as of today they are still on sale.
We checked to see if it was possible to book our well-flown path between SFO and Lihue for 36,000 in February. Found plenty of seats for 18,000 on the way down, but few if any on the return. Or, only available on one-stop flights vs nonstops. January shows more availability than February. How’d you fare?
In this case, what would you do: Redeem 36,000 miles or buy a ticket for around $350? Leave you answer below.
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: award, Hawaii, MileagePlus, sale, Saver, tickets, United, winter
Even more cheap flights to Europe coming in 2018
Level operates two-class A330s to Europe. (Image: IAG)
Europe just keeps getting cheaper. British Airways/Iberia’s low-cost Level affiliate will expand transatlantic service in 2018, adding flights from Paris, but a sister company already on that route will cease operations.
Citing the “incredible success” of the Barcelona flights started earlier this year by its low-cost Level subsidiary, International Airlines Group (the parent of British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus) said it will begin Level service out of Paris Orly next summer, including two routes to North America. The carrier will also add another U.S. route to Barcelona.
Plans call for Level to base two A330-200s at Paris Orly, starting service July 2 to Montreal three times a week, and adding Newark-Orly service four times a week beginning September 4. The company said it will also begin new Boston-Barcelona flights on March 28, operating up to three times a week through the summer, starting at $149 each way.
IAG said the Newark-Paris flights will also start at $149 one-way. Level already flies to Barcelona from Oakland, and from Los Angeles in the summer. But the decision to open a base for Level at Paris Orly comes with a cost: IAG said it plans to discontinue operations of its OpenSkies airline at the end of next summer.
Don’t miss: Iberia adds new nonstops between SFO and Madrid
An OpenSkies business class seat-bed.(Image: OpenSkies)
OpenSkies, which calls itself a “luxury boutique” airline, flies from both Newark and New York JFK to Paris Orly, targeting business travelers with specially-configured, 100-passenger 757s that have three seating classes. The carrier started flying in 2008 as a subsidiary of British Airways, taking advantage of then-new Open Skies rules allowing European airlines to fly routes between the U.S. and Europe that didn’t require a stop in their home country.
Level’s A330s have two seating classes – economy and premium economy. The airline has five pricing levels with varying services and amenities included, ranging from the most basic fare – which provides only one cabin bag – to its Premium Flex level, which provides a seat in the front cabin, two checked bags and one cabin bag, meal service, seat selection, and the ability to change travel dates or obtain refunds.
Economy seating in a Level A330-200. (Image: Level)
IAG created Level in part as a response to new low-cost competition from airlines like Norwegian and Iceland’s WOW. IAG’s British Airways unit is also striking back at Norwegian by adding higher-capacity aircraft on transatlantic routes to London Gatwick from some U.S. cities served by Norwegian.
In addition to the new Paris-Newark and Paris-Montreal service, Level will also add flights from Orly to the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique starting on July and September respectively.
Don’t miss: Fare war to Paris?
Even if you don’t plan to fly Level, the move will put pricing pressure on all carriers flying between Europe and the U.S. So maybe getting to Europe will be cheaper next year than it was this year… and this year was pretty cheap!
Have you flown Level yet? Would you? Why or why not? Please leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: Barcelona, Boston, British Airways, Level, Montreal, Newark, OpenSkies, Orly, Paris
Mexico or Hawaii this winter? Both super-cheap right now
The European style Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City is dotted with several elegant roundabouts (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
It looks like this winter’s going to be hot for those eyeing tropical vacations. Today we’re seeing deep discounts for January-March trips from several US cities to Mexican beach towns as well as to Mexico City.
Over the weekend, we uncovered deep discounting to Hawaii, and those $337 roundtrips are still available.
How low to Mexico? We are looking at $225-$250 round trip to Mexico City from New York, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, or San Francisco. The cheapest roundtrips are on Mexican discounters Volaris and InterJet, but Alaska, Aeromexico and United are pretty close.
How about New York to Cancun for $280 round trip on Delta or Aeromexico in mid-January? Si, viajero! New York to Cabo is just $300 round trip.
Baltimore/Washington to Puerto Vallarta (with a stop in Houston) is just $252 on United. Nonstop to Cancun from Dulles is just $234 on United.
Don’t miss our post on our recent trip to Mexico City here.
Off the coast of Cabo San Lucas in Mexico (Photo: Pixabay)
Los Angeles or SF Bay Area to Puerto Vallarta is in the $250 roundtrip range. (Volaris has roundtrips as low as $219)
Los Angeles to Cabo is just $199 roundtrip on Interjet, $222 on Delta and Alaska.
San Francisco or San Jose (SJC) to Cabo roundtrip is running around $242 roundtrip on United, Virgin America and Alaska Air. We note that Southwest’s fares to Cabo and Puerto Vallarta from Oakland are in the $300 range.
We used Google Flights and Kayak Explore to find these fares. Note that they are subject to change.
If you think you’ll have a hankering to head south this winter, now’s the time to book these flights… if you wait until it gets cold, wet and snowy, you’ll pay more.
Filed Under: Airlines, Deals, SFO Tagged With: deals, Hawaii, Kayak, Mexico, Mexico City, Virgin America, Volaris
Popular: Hawaii sale + More United + Real ID + Delta first class + Cathay A350 + SFO-Tahiti
Fares to Honolulu take a dive on Virgin America & other airlines (Photo: Chris McGinnis
Flying to/from SFO today? Sorry about that. Rain starting now, already 2.5 hour delays 🙁 https://t.co/c8Z9nDSZik
— Chris McGinnis (@cjmcginnis) November 26, 2017
1 Fares still available Sunday 9 am PT> Fare sale to Hawaii – $337 roundtrip from 7 cities
2 Routes: United beefs up + Alaska adds PIT + American in DC + Spirit’s newest city
3 Relax> Frequent flyers may need a new driver’s license – but when?
4 Another player in the wings> More competition landing in the California Corridor?
5 Delta upgrades first class on some domestic routes
Remember: If you are conditionally approved for Global Entry, you can do your interview upon arrival! No long waits or extra trips to the airport. Easy! Pictured: SFO arrivals hall (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
6 C’mon along for a nice ride> Trip Report: Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 SFO-Hong Kong
TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis offering up some travel tips for the holidays on ABC 7 – KGO in San Francisco
8 4 cheap-but-indispensable things to pack in your “go-bag”
9 Confirmed: Southwest to fly to Hawaii. Unconfirmed: Lower fares
10 Routes: SFO-Tahiti + Lufthansa, AA, WOW, Aeromexico, Volaris
On the way to #LAX #roadtorewards #lufthansa #A380 #travel #uber #avgeek
A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on Nov 19, 2017 at 12:52pm PST
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports, Deals, SFO, Weekend Edition Tagged With: Cathay Pacific, deals, fare sale, Global Entry, Hawaii, sale, Virgin America
Fare sale to Hawaii – $337 roundtrip from 7 cities
Fares for winter trips to Hawaii dip below $350 roundtrip…again (Photo of Hanalei Pier, Chris McGinnis)
If you are thinking about a dive down to the islands this winter, it might be time to pounce on the current round of cheap fares from many west coast cities.
UPDATE: Monday, November 27, 8:45 amPT – fares still available!
Over the last year or so, fares to Hawaii have remained stubbornly over $400 round trip– most of the time inching closer to $500.
But ever since last month when Southwest signaled that it would be jumping in the Hawaii market, fares have taken a tumble. They’ve gone up and down since then, but this weekend they are back down.
Roundtrip fares from the Bay Area to Hawaii as low as $337 (Image: Google)
How low? Well, as of today you can fly nonstop from San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Portland (mostly 1-stop) and Seattle in early December, January February and March for about $340-$380 round trip. That’s quite a deal for winter flights. And the deals are good to Honolulu, Maui, Kona, and Kauai.
From Chicago, roundtrips are about $525.
From Denver, mid winter weekend round trips are as low as $442. (we also found one for $362!)
SFO-HNL fares dipping to new lows according to this fare history chart from Fare Detective
Plus it appears that all airlines serving Hawaii are in on the deal, with Hawaiian and Virgin America as the most aggressive discounters.
To get the deals, you have to be a bit flexible with travel dates— for example, most of the cheapest fares require mid-week (vs weekend) flights. However, we even found deals on long weekend flights departing Thursday, returning Monday so shop around.
A sampling of cheap fares from the SF Bay Area on Google flights in early February
According to Google Flights, these fares are available for roundtrip in early December, January, February and early March. (Bookable Saturday, Nov 25 and subject to change).
Aloha! Will you go this year?
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Filed Under: Airlines, Deals, SFO Tagged With: deal alert, deals, Denver, fare sale, fare war, Hawaii, Hawaiian, Honolulu, Kona, LAX, San francisco
Routes: United beefs up + Alaska adds PIT + American in DC + Spirit’s newest city
United is adding several regional routes in 2018 using Embraer aircraft like this . (Image: United)
In domestic route developments, United announced plans to serve a bevy of new regional markets next year; Alaska will add a big spoke from its Seattle hub; American will expand at Washington Reagan National in 2018; and Spirit grows at Columbus and New Orleans.
United plans to launch new service in 2018 from five major airports to several smaller ones. At its Chicago O’Hare hub, United will begin year-round twice-daily service starting April 9 to El Paso, Tex., and to Wilmington, N.C. (By the way, United said that starting next February, it will implement an “enhanced bank structure” at O’Hare that will mean “shorter connection times and better access to more destinations” for connecting passengers.)
Also beginning April 9 for United will be a daily Denver-Jacksonville flight, and twice-daily service from Los Angeles to both Redmond and Medford, Oregon; from Newark to Elmira, N.Y.; and from Washington Dulles to Wilmington, N.C.
New seasonal service from United, beginning June 7, includes daily flights from O’Hare to Fresno, California; and from LAX to Kalispell and Missoula, Montana (all located near major national parks). All the above flights will use regional jets operated by United Express partners.
Routesonline.com turned up some additional smaller new markets for United Express next year. It said United will launch service on January 30 from Denver to Scottsbluff, Nebraska, twice a day; on February 1 from Denver to North Platte, Nebraska, twice a day; and on February 6 from Denver to Pueblo, Colorado and Liberal, Kansas six times a week. United had previously announced new service from Denver to Moab, Utah starting May 1 and to Vernal, Utah beginning June 1.
Alaska Airlines is coming to Pittsburgh next year. (Image: Alaska Air)
Alaska Airlines will begin service in September 2018 to the 90th destination from its Seattle hub when it adds a daily 737 flight to Pittsburgh, with an 8:25 a.m. eastbound departure and a return flight leaving Pittsburgh at 5:20 p.m. Currently, there is no non-stop service in the Seattle-Pittsburgh market.
American Airlines plans to add service in various domestic markets next year, including three new routes from Washington Reagan National. New DCA service for American will include a daily CRJ900 flight to Tallahassee starting February 15, and six CRJ200 flights a week to Montgomery, Alabama, as of June 7, both operated by PSA Airlines; and a daily E175 flight from DCA to Little Rock, operated by Republic Airlines. American will also expand its weekend-only service to daily between DCA and Destin/Ft. Walton Beach, Florida starting May 4; and between DCA and Myrtle Beach, S.C. as of April 3.
Elsewhere, American will begin twice-daily flights in April between New York LaGuardia and Portland, Maine, with 50-seat regional jets. And on February 15, American will begin mainline A320 service between its Charlotte hub and Tucson, Arizona, with a very-late-night (12:30 a.m.) eastbound departure time.
Spirit Airlines will add Columbus, Ohio to its system. (Image: Spirit Airlines)
Spirit Airlines announced plans to add Columbus, Ohio to its network on February 15, offering daily, year-round service to Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale and Las Vegas, as well as seasonal daily flights to Tampa and Ft. Myers that will end April 11 and resume November 8. On March 22, Spirit will add seasonal service three times a week from Columbus to New Orleans and Myrtle Beach, continuing through November 7. On March 15, Spirit will also begin daily flights from Richmond, Virginia to Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale. Earlier this month, Spirit launched new daily service from New Orleans to Boston, Newark, Tampa and Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Charlotte, Chicago, Columbus, Denver, LaGuardia, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Newark, Pittsburgh, regional, routes, Seattle, Spirit airlines, United, Washington Dulles, Washington Reagan National
Delta upgrades first class on some domestic routes
Delta One cabin on an international Delta A330. (Image: Delta)
Delta said it plans to extend its Delta One service—the premium front-cabin experience on its international routes – to additional domestic markets next year, and to make more free upgrades available.
The perks and amenities of service include a fully-flat seat-bed with Westin Heavenly Bedding; upgraded dining and wine options; in-seat power and USB ports; free in-flight entertainment; noise-cancelling headsets; a Tumi amenity kit; free Sky Club lounge access on the day of travel; and priority check-in, boarding, security access and baggage handling.
The airline already offers the upgrades first class service on a few select transcontinental routes, including New York JFK-San Francisco/Los Angeles; Boston-San Francisco; and Washington Reagan National-Los Angeles.
Rendering of Delta’s new lie flat seating on transcon 757s. Been on one yet?
On April 1, the carrier will introduce Delta One service on two of its three daily BOS-LAX flights; two of its four daily JFK-Seattle flights; one of its three daily JFK-San Diego flights; and on its daily service from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Honolulu and Atlanta-Honolulu. On May 1, Delta One will be introduced on one of its four daily JFK-Las Vegas flights.
“Delta One will be offered during strategic flight times on select routes as the airline works to customize the service offering to align with times when customers are seeking the Delta One experience,” a spokesman said. “First Class service may be available on alternate flights on the route.”
Also on April 1, SkyMiles Medallion members will be eligible for unlimited day-of-departure free upgrades on all domestic routes where it is offered, including Hawaii, the airline said. And perhaps that April 1 launch date is appropriate because you’d be a fool to think that you’ll actually snag one of those upgrades!
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: Delta, Delta One, domestic, expansion, first class, flat bed, free, front cabin, Medallions, premium, Skyiles, transcontinental, upgrades
More competition landing in the California Corridor?
California Pacific Airlines plans to fly regional jets on intra-California routes. (Image: California Pacific Airlines)
A new airline could start operating in the busy California Corridor as soon as next spring, flying regional jets flying from the San Diego area to the Bay Area, and also to a few vacation destinations.
The carrier is called California Pacific Airlines (CPA). It’s been stumbling along in the planning stages for several years as the brainchild of a 96-year-old multi-millionaire named Ted Vallas, but it just took a big leap toward reality.
Vallas and his team told stockholders last week that CPA has acquired an existing small airline called SkyValue Airways, giving it the FAA certification it needs to start commercial service. SkyValue currently flies a lot of sports charters as well as a few scheduled routes from Denver to small Midwestern towns.
The new plan calls for California Pacific Airlines to base a fleet of five Embraer E145s at Carlsbad, California’s McClellan-Palomar Airport, probably starting next April, offering scheduled flights to Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Cabo San Lucas in Mexico.
The upstart airline has a rudimentary website at www.flyCPAir.com.
Carlsbad’s airport is in between Oceanside and Encinitas (Image: Google Maps)
The company sees big potential from population and business growth in the region around Carlsbad, which is about halfway between Orange County and metro San Diego. It reportedly plans to reconfigure the E145s it has acquired from 50 seats to 44, and has options to buy a pair of larger E170s as well.
CPA has tried unsuccessfully for several years to get its own FAA certification, and has announced start-up plans in the past that never came to fruition. But officials seem confident that this time they can get the airline off the ground with a pre-existing certification from their acquisition of SkyValue Airways.
Does the California corridor need another airline to join the majors along with niche carriers like Blackbird, JetSuiteX and SurfAir? Do you think California Pacific is going to get off the ground this time around? Please leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: California corridor, California Pacific Airlines, Carslbad, E145s, Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose, SkyValue Airways
Popular: A350 Review + Cheap bag essentials + New first class + Delta final 747 + Perfect timing
Chris spoke in Chicago last week- and was at O’Hare for its first snow (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
1 Trip Report: Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 SFO-Hong Kong
3 Emirates new first class is nice, but what about the rest of the plane?
4 Delta reveals details for final 747 flight
Don’t miss our latest Trip Report! SFO-HKG> A beautiful sunrise as we approach Hong Kong International via the A350 tail cam! (Chris McGinnis)
5 Frequent flyers say free flights are not enough
6 Routes: SFO-Tahiti + Lufthansa, AA, WOW, Aeromexico, Volaris
7 Perfect timing for the cheapest trips
8 Alaska Airlines flies away from Havana, Cuba in January
9 Trip Report: A sentimental journey aboard United’s final 747 flight
10 Coming to Washington, DC & SF: An anti-Trump hotel
Don’t miss: NEW hotels in New York, Dallas, Charlotte, Las Vegas and Cincy!
Wow! A big show up here today on #ORD > #LAX #travel #windowseat #avgeek #arizona #united
A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on Nov 18, 2017 at 3:24pm PST
Do you love NEW HOTELS as much as we do? Then don’t miss our NEW HOTELS archive tab at the top of this page. CLICK OR HOVER for a good look!
United’s next stop could be Tahiti
TripAdvisor to flag hotels with reported sexual assaults
Denver could be United’s #2 hub in two years, beating Newark & Houston
Should airline employees wear cameras to capture passenger disputes?
Why being near water makes you happier
Is this the end of the Airbus A380?
The new Qantas hangar at LAX offers a snug fit for an Airbus A380 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Lyft moves into Toronto- first city outside US
More Lyft Uber headaches at ATL
Google develops a new interface for its Google Flights searches
Updated American Airlines app can handle same-day flight changes
AirFrance-KLM’s loyalty program will change to spending-based in April
IHG Rewards members can earn points for using OpenTable and GrubHub
Surprised by light traffic at LAX for Sunday before thanksgiving rush. 1 p.m. #holidaytravel pic.twitter.com/cWmGWiayAq
Thanksgiving travel volume will hit highest level in 12 years
Marriott’s ‘room of the future’ will rely on the ‘Internet of Things’
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports, SFO, Weekend Edition Tagged With: A350, Airbus, Boeing 747, Cathay Pacific, Chicago, Delta, Emirates, O'Hare, United
Passenger bumping plummets after dragging incident
Passenger bumpings at U.S. airlines are down dramatically. (Image: Jim Glab)
Remember all that horribly negative publicity that the airline industry went through earlier this year after a United passenger, Dr. David Dao, was forcibly pulled from his seat and dragged off the aircraft, sustaining serious injuries?
Apparently the ensuing public debate and the reforms adopted by major carriers after that incident are having a big impact: New government figures show that the number of passengers subjected to “involuntary denied boarding” on U.S. carriers has nosedived to record lows.
In its latest Air Travel Consumer Report, just released this week, the Transportation Department said that the bumping rate for U.S. carriers in the third quarter of this year was 0.15 per 10,000 passengers – “the lowest quarterly rate based on historical data dating back to 1995.”
That’s a drop of 66 percent from the second quarter of this year, and a decline of 78 percent from the third quarter of 2016.
Looking at individual airlines, the biggest drop in the bumping rate for the third quarter of 2017 vs. a year earlier was at JetBlue, down from 1.47 per 10,000 passengers to just 0.02. United’s rate went from 0.46 last year to 0.04 in this year’s third quarter, while American’s fell from 0.64 to 0.09.
Source: DOT
For the first nine months of 2017, DOT said, the bumping rate was 0.39 per 10,000 passengers, down from 0.65 for the same period a year earlier, and also a record low. The previous record low for January-September was 0.64 in 2002.
In the wake of that April dragging incident, major airlines vowed to offer significantly more compensation to entice passengers to give up their seats on overbooked flights.
And for some icing on the cake, DOT also said that in September of this year, the number of mishandled baggage reports was 1.99 incidents per 1,000 passengers. That’s down from 2.45 in August of this year, and is “the lowest monthly rate since DOT started collecting mishandled baggage report data in September 1987,” the agency said.
Filed Under: Airlines, Trends Tagged With: airlines, baggage, bumping, involuntary denied boardings, low, record, third quarter, Transportation Department
Frontier’s big challenge to Basic Economy fares
Frontier Airlines is planning a massive fleet expansion. (Image: Jim Glab)
Now that United, Delta and American have all rolled out no-frills Basic Economy fares on domestic flights to compete with the prices charged by ultra-low-cost carriers, are those carriers running scared?
Frontier Airlines isn’t. Quite the opposite: Frontier this week announced plans for a massive purchase of new aircraft. Combined with its earlier aircraft orders that haven’t yet been delivered, the deal would triple the size of Frontier’s fleet in 10 years, from 70 planes today to more than 200.
The company said it intends to purchase 100 new A320neos and 34 A321neos from Airbus, for delivery from 2021 to 2026. That’s in addition to 67 A320neos already in the purchase pipeline, and an existing order for 18 A319neos that Frontier is converting to A320s.
“By 2026, we will be in a position to deliver ‘Low Fares Done Right’ to more than 50 million passengers a year,” said Frontier CEO Barry Biffle in announcing the fleet expansion. In 2016, the airline carried 15 million passengers.
Frontier plans to acquire 134 new A320neos and A321neos. (Image: Airbus)
Frontier’s route network is constantly shifting as it adds and drops markets. But a few months ago, the airline announced plans to add 21 cities to its system by next spring, and to add more frequencies on other routes that it already serves. That includes a larger presence at its Denver base and at San Jose, among other cities.
Frontier’s fortunes have been rising in recent years. The Denver Post said that in filings related to an impending public stock offering, Frontier reported that its net income increased from $140 million in 2014 to $200 million last year as its fuel costs have been dropping and its ancillary revenues have been increasing.
Frontier’s ultra-low-cost carrier business model relies on ancillary fees from all kinds of amenities and services to supplement its low fares. A July 2017 report from Ideaworks said that in 2016, more than 42 percent of Frontier’s revenues came from ancillary fees – compared with just 7.7 percent in 2011, before it changed its business model.
The airline’s ambitious growth plan will initially focus on its Denver hub, where it will add most of the new routes announced last summer. That could mean a big battle for market share at DEN, since United Airlines also has plans to enlarge its hub there, and Southwest has grown rapidly at Denver in recent years as well.
Denver International will get 39 more gates in the next few years. (Image: Jim Glab)
According to FlightGlobal.com, United’s chief pilot in Denver said in a letter to other pilots last week that United plans to increase its Denver operations from the current 363 daily departures to 400 in 2019, and that DEN could eventually become United’s second-largest hub (after Chicago O’Hare).
Fortunately, Denver should be able to accommodate plenty of growth. Airport officials recently said that their plans to expand the passenger concourses have been revised: Instead of building 26 new aircraft gates in the next four years, they now plan to build 39.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: A320neos, Airbus, airport, ancillary fees, basic economy, Denver, expansion, fleet, Frontier Airlines, ultra low cost, United Airlines
Routes: SFO-Tahiti + Lufthansa, AA, WOW, Aeromexico, Volaris
Paris-based low-cost carrier French Blue will begin San Francisco-Tahiti flights in 2018. (Image: French Blue)
In international route developments, a low-cost French airline plans to fly from San Francisco to Tahiti next year; Lufthansa starts a new non-hub route from New York; American targets Iceland in the face of new competition; Iceland’s WOW will add a new U.S. gateway and expand at another; Aeromexico sets a new seasonal Denver route; and Mexico’s Volaris plans more service to California.
A one-year-old French low-cost airline called French Blue – which currently flies from Paris Orly to the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean – plans to add another long-haul route next year: Paris to Papeete, Tahiti via a stop in San Francisco. The carrier plans to use an Airbus A350-900 on the route, which will begin in May with two flights a week, eventually increasing to three. Currently, the only non-stop service to Tahiti from the U.S. mainland is out of Los Angeles on Air Tahiti Nui, Air France and Qantas. The airline has a website at www.frenchblue.com, although currently it is only in French.
Lufthansa is using an A330 on its new JFK-Berlin Tegel route. (Image: Lufthansa)
Lufthansa last week started its promised new non-stop service from New York JFK to Berlin’s Tegel Airport – bypassing its Frankfurt and Munich hubs — following the recent demise of Airberlin. Lufthansa is using a three-class Airbus A330-300 to fly the route five days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday). It’s the first time in 16 years that the German carrier has operated a long-haul aircraft out of Berlin. Next summer, Lufthansa plans to transfer the JFK-Berlin route to its Eurowings subsidiary.
In recent weeks, new 2018 service from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Reykjavik, Iceland, was announced by both Icelandair and low-cost competitor WOW. And now DFW’s hometown airline is jumping on the Iceland bandwagon as well. American Airlines announced it will operate seasonal daily flights from DFW to Reykjavik from June 7 through October 26, using a 176-seat 757-200.
Wow Air will use an A321 on its new JFK-Iceland route. (Image: Wow Air)
Speaking of WOW, the low-cost Icelandic airline plans to add another U.S. gateway next year, kicking off daily flights to Reykjavik from New York JFK as of April 26. WOW will operate an Airbus A321 on the route. The carrier already offers daily flights out of Newark Liberty International, which will continue. Elsewhere, WOW plans a significant increase in capacity from Baltimore/Washington International next summer, boosting its BWI-Reykjavik schedule from daily departures to 11 flights a week from May 18 through September 16,
Aeromexico, now a joint venture partner of Delta, has been adding more U.S. service as the two coordinate their schedules, and now the Mexican carrier has unveiled plans to revive another U.S. route – but only for a limited time. The carrier said it will offer seasonal service between Denver and Monterrey, but only twice a week (Saturdays and Sundays), and only from December 16 through January 14, using a 76-seat E175. Aeromexico already offers DEN-Mexico City service year-round.
Another Mexican carrier, Volaris, plans to add three California routes next month, but only offering two flights a week on each of them with Airbus single-aisle aircraft. Volaris will start San Jose-Zacatecas flights on December 18, San Jose-Morelia service on December 15, and Fresno-Morelia on December 16.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: Aeromexico, American Airlines, Baltimore/Washington, Berlin, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Eurowings, French Blue, Fresno, international, lufthansa, MOnterrey, Morelia, New York JFK, Paris, Reykjavik, routes, San francisco, San Jose, Tahiti, Volaris, WOW, Zacatecas
Trip Report: Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 SFO-Hong Kong
This beautiful new bird sails west across the Pacific overnight, departing SFO in the wee hours, arriving HKG in the morning (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
My body feels like it’s time to wind down and get ready for bed, but my brain is saying, “Perk up, buster! You need to get to the airport and catch a 13-hour ride on a shiny new plane to Hong Kong.”
That’s how I’m counting down the hours approaching the 12:55 am departure of Cathay Pacific flight 893 to Hong Kong. This new Airbus A350 takes off in the wee hours of Friday night/Saturday morning and arrives in Hong Kong at 8 am on Sunday.
My flight is one of three daily SFO-HKG flights Cathay now offers, but it’s the only one that’s an A350. The others, which depart at 11:45 am and 11:00 pm, use Boeing 777s.
You can spot an A350 by its blacked out cockpit window and curly wingtip (Photo: Cathay Pacific)
Cathay added the new Airbus A350 to its fleet in June 2016 but did not deploy any in the US until October 30, 2017, when one landed at San Francisco International and another at Newark Liberty International on the same day. The carrier now has 19 A350s in the fleet with 29 more on order.
To celebrate the arrival of the A350-900 to US shores, Cathay invited a group of media to fly from San Francisco to Hong Kong and back, including a two-day stay at the Peninsula hotel in Kowloon. (Check out my pushy post about the Peninsula here.)
Current fares on Cathay’s SFO-HKG nonstops for January trips are about $700 round trip in economy, $2,000 in premium economy and $5,900 in business class. First class fares (only available on B777 flights) are about $15,000 roundtrip.
Trip highlights:
Mishap at security
Noodles!
Planespotting the A350
Flecks of bright red
Photos of knee-room in all three classes
Charting an unusual course across the Pacific
How many hours of sleep did I get? My secret stash of sleep aids.
A posh pick up at HKG
Friday, 10 pm: Since I know that Cathay has such a stellar lounge at SFO, I decided get to the airport early and spend an hour or two soaking it up. I also had a hankering for a bowl of noodles made on-the-spot, and wanted to snap some photos of the lounge and the A350 as it arrived in the darkness.
Check-in for the flight was quick and easy due to my early arrival, and the airport was remarkably busy at 10:30 pm. The only holdup was at security. Cathay Pacific is a recent inductee into the PreCheck club, but unfortunately I did not get it this time. No probs, I thought; this is one of those times I’ll take advantage of my CLEAR membership. Regrettably I discovered that CLEAR lanes at SFO’s international terminal close at 10 pm, which makes little sense because so many flights depart around midnight and early morning.
At SFO’s international terminal, CLEAR lanes close at 10 pm– just before the midnight rush (Photo: Chris McGinnis
Once I cleared security, I took a nice long walk through the entire Boarding Area A, and then watched the the A350 roll in from Hong Kong. It looks smaller than some of the giant B777s nearby, but holds about the same number of seats: A Cathay A350-900 holds 280 passengers (38-business, 28-premium, 214-economy) while the larger B777 holds 275 (6-first, 53-business, 34-premium, 182-economy).
Cathay’s lounge at SFO is one of my favorites for its design (rich Carrara marble, Solus chairs) and nice tarmac views. Now that there are two Cathay flights departing around midnight (11 pm and 1 am), the lounge is busy, but I had no problem finding empty seats. There’s a full bar, and a hot and cold buffet, but the most popular stop is the steamy noodle bar. A bowl of noodles at 11 pm sure is a nice way to slip into an overnight transpacific journey.
A comforting bowl of dan dan noodles is the perfect sendoff for a transpac flight (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Foster & Partners designed these cool Solus chairs for Cathay lounges around the world (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
When invited on trips like this, I always try to arrange an early boarding so I can get some good shots of the interior of the plane before passengers board. I get on with the wheelchairs, which gives me about five minutes to shoot all three cabins on this big bird. Phew!
First impression when you walk on board is the cool, calm and collected green, cream and beige color scheme, with flecks of bright red. For example, some (but not all) flight attendants wear bright red blazers or skirts. In business class seats, the interiors of in-seat storage bins are also bright red (a color that symbolizes good luck and happiness in Chinese culture). The green and red combo is almost Christmas-like to me.
Rows 11-19 in the fore business class cabin on Cathay Pacific’s A350 — this is a reverse herringbone layout and every seat has aisle access. (Chris McGinnis)
Row 18 in business class on a Cathay Pacific A350-900–note the red storage bins (Chris McGinnis)
A window seat in business class on Cathay Pacific’s A350 (Chris McGinnis)
Plenty of room for the lower extremities on Cathay Pacific’s A350 in business class (Chris McGinnis)
Premium economy on Cathay Pacific A350 is configured 2-4-2 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Plenty of legroom in premium economy on Cathay Pacific’s A350
Big screens and plenty of space in Cathay Pacific’s premium economy, especially for seats on the window side (Chris McGinnis)
Economy class on Cathay Pacific’s A350 is configured 3-3-3 with 32 inches of pitch (Chris McGinnis)
Economy class passengers on the A350 get nice big screens (Chris McGinnis)
This is what 32 inches of pitch looks like to your knees on the A350 (Chris McGinnis)
There’s no first class section on Cathay’s A350s, but business class is almost as good an many first class seats I’ve seen. All seats in this reverse herringbone layout have aisle access. High side walls and blinders make the in-seat experience very private. If you are traveling with a companion it might be smarter (and easier to communicate) sitting across the aisle from each other due to the barriers between the middle seats.
Business class seat configuration is 1-2-1. Premium economy is 2-4-2. Economy is 3-3-3.
In business class, the seats to avoid are the first two center seats (oddly, the first row is Row 11, seats D&G). Noise and traffic from the galley is a factor, and when the curtains are pulled, it appears nearly impossible to get out of your seat without ruffling them.
At the back of the business class section, rows 20 and 21 are separated from the main business class cabin by a galley and lavatory area. This is where I sat, in seat 21D–the last row just in front of premium economy. I really liked the cozy feel and quiet of that small aft cabin. The bulkhead seats are not as exposed to the galley area as they are on row 11.
Check Seatguru for maps & seat tips: Cathay Airbus A350-900 | Cathay Boeing 777-300ER
At this hour of the night, passengers are boarding quickly with yawns and stretches. The flight is 100% sold out. Once we are all seated, I notice how eerily quiet everyone is. It’s late. You can tell that nearly everyone just wants the lights to dim so they can nod off.
All passengers are yawning except for me, of course. I’m someone who gets energized about being on a new plane no matter what the hour!
In my seat, I quickly I unload the contents of my briefcase into the two roomy in-seat storage bins. The lower one is big enough for my Macbook. Nice!
As we taxi and take off (in my aisle seat I can’t look out the window), I’m completely absorbed by the robust inflight entertainment system and the big bright touch screen. It can be controlled by touching the screen or via the corded tablet mounted on the wall next to my seat. There are way too many movies and TV shows to scroll through, so I just go to the inflight moving map, which is hypnotic to a geek like me.
This modern bird also has exterior cams– one on the tail and the other on the front, and you can toggle between views from your seatback. At night it’s not much of a show, but I look forward to seeing more when we get to HK in the morning!
At first our course was set northwest, but the pilot later switched to due west across the Pacific (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Over my right shoulder is the control panel for the seat recline, reading light and a handheld tablet that mirrors the big screen (Chris McGinnis)
I appreciated the easily accessed tray table (Chris McGinnis)
At about 1:35 am we are climbing up and straight out over the Pacific. Most flights to HKG take a northerly route toward the Aleutian Islands and then down over Japan. Tonight it’s a direct shot over the middle of the ocean, over the top of Taiwan and straight into Chek Lap Kok. The map says it will be 13 hours, 5 minutes. I jump up and go to the lavatory to change into a long sleeve t-shirt to lounge and sleep in. (Pajamas are not provided.) Flight attendants hang my shirt so I’ll be fresh as a daisy Sunday morning in Hong Kong.
Since this flight is so late, flight attendants offer a quick light meal shortly after takeoff. Since I’ve had my noodles in the lounge, I pick at the smoked duck salad, but polish off the hearty butternut squash soup served in a mug. Nice touch. (Main course selections included stir fry pork or beef tenderloin.) I watch “Rough Night” on the big screen for a few chuckles. (See current movie selections here.)
There is wi-fi on Cathay’s A350 (but not on its B777s or A330- but it’s coming soon via Gogo) but I only used it on the return flight. It was very fast and very cheap–just $13 for the whole flight.
Mmmm. Butternut squash soup served in a mug (Chris McGinnis)
A smoked duck salad and soup, plus a bowl of fresh berries comprised the light choice meal served quickly after take off (Chris McGinnis)
A nice nook for the noise cancelling headsets and my personal items like glasses, phone, charger, wallet located by my shoulder (Chris McGinnis)
Shortly thereafter the lights dim. The plane gets very quiet. I look at my watch and it’s 3:30 am in San Francisco and about 6:30 pm in Hong Kong. Everyone except me is snuggled in for the night in my mini-business class section. I take a melatonin and a big chug of water. My 6 foot body fits just fine in this lie-flat seat. I put in my Mack’s earplugs, wrap my puffy Dream Essentials mask around my head, flatten the seat. Like a light, I’m out. Gone. Deep in dreamland. Zzzzz.
Later, deep in my sleep cocoon I wake up and wonder, “Hmmm I wonder what time it is?” I feel like I’ve slept well, had some good dreams and feel rested. But should I look at my watch? What if I’ve only slept hard for about two hours and there are seven more to go? I pull my mask up and drink the entire bottle of water a flight attendant has kindly left by my seat. It’s still dark and quiet in business class.
Okay. Time to look at the watch. I have not yet re-set it to HK time. I look and it says 1:00 pm. I shake my head and do a double take and look again. Yes, 1 pm in San Francisco. I fell asleep at about 4 am PT. That means I just slept on a plane for NINE hours. Wow. That must be a record for me. My combination of a lie-flat seat, ear plugs and eye mask has done the trick. I will conquer my first day in Hong Kong with gusto!
I went to sleep back of the coast of California and woke up over the South China Sea! (Chris McGinnis)
Juicy fruit, coffee and croissant first course for breakfast (Chris McGinnis)
Tasty dim sum and e-fu noodles with chilli sauce for breakfast (Chris McGinnis)
Ni how! How about some breakfast? (Chris McGinnis)
We still have about two hours to go, so I get up, stretch and go to the lavatory to freshen up, splash some water on my sleepy face, brush my teeth. Back at my seat flight attendants see me stirring and scurry over with more water and a hot towel.
I look at the inflight map and see that we are flying over the southernmost island of Japan (and wonder if those are the ones that China claims and is building a military base there). Then we fly right over the top of Taipei.
Other passengers begin to stir. The lights come up. God, I wish they’d open the windows so we could see the sunrise but they stay shut. Luckily the tail cam is working so I can see the morning sunrise over the South China Sea. It’s gorgeous out there.
Breakfast comes in three courses: first coffee or tea, and next a delicious fresh fruit plate and a selection of bread or pastries. Then cereal or yogurt. Then the hot meal. I always go native and chose the breakfast dim sum. But I could have had a shitake mushroom omelet or seafood congee.
A beautiful sunrise as we approach Hong Kong International via the A350 tail cam! (Chris McGinnis)
This is how you get to The Peninsula Hotel from HKG- check out those suicide doors on this deep green Rolls! Dios mio! (Chris McGinnis)
Wow! What a way to fly to Hong Kong. And once we land, there are two dark green Roll-Royce limos waiting to pick up our group and whisk us to the Peninsula. Cars are stocked with water and wi-fi and lined in plush caramel leather.
Hello Hong Kong! Stay tuned for more about my stay and return flight.
How do you fly to Hong Kong? Have your flown Cathay? Please leave your comments below.
Disclosure: I was a guest of Cathay Pacific Airways and the Peninsula Hotel for this trip.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports, Airports, SFO, Trip Reports Tagged With: A350, A350-900, Airbus, business class, Cathay Pacific, HKG, Hong Kong, review, Rolls-Royce, San Francisco International Airport
Frequent flyers say free flights are not enough
A restaurant component can be an important part of an airline loyalty program. (Image of InterContinental LA Downtown: Chris McGinnis)
The more ways that members can earn and spend points/miles, the happier they are, says the latest J.D. Power and Associates survey on frequent flyer programs.
It also ranked JetBlue’s program in the top spot, Delta’s in the middle of the pack, and American’s & United’s nearly tied at the bottom of satisfaction levels.
This is somewhat surprising to be because Delta usually takes so much heat for its parsimonious SkyMiles program. Most frequent travelers agree that Delta is probably the best airline, but it has the worst loyalty program due to its stinginess. Maybe this survey shows that that’s changing. On the other hand, United is usually cited as not such a great airline, but that can be overlooked by its relatively generous Mileage Plus program. What do you think? Comments below, please!
Anyway, based on the J.D. Power 1,000-point satisfaction scale, the 2017 survey determined that the satisfaction level among frequent flyer program members rises most significantly when they can earn rewards in restaurants. They also favor earning points for merchandise for car rentals.
According to Michael Taylor, head of J.D. Power’s travel surveys, “Flexibility in how miles are redeemed is valued by members. After all, if you win a pie-eating contest, you may want to be rewarded with something besides another pie.”
Source: J.D. Power and Associates
Programs that give their members a “lowest price guarantee” earn a big premium in customer satisfaction levels, the company said, while waiver of same-day change fees adds slightly fewer satisfaction points.
One of the more obvious findings of the survey is that elite-level loyalty members are more satisfied (814 points) with their programs than general members (744). Elite members are also more likely than general members to be “promoters” of their preferred airline brand (59 percent vs. 49 percent).
JetBlue’s TrueBlue program took top honors in the 2017 survey. (Image: JetBlue)
Likewise, members who are offered bonus points/miles show a gain of 52 points in satisfaction levels, but those who have had some problem with their mileage program show a 99-point drop. And the study found that mileage programs can be complicated, with just 52 percent of respondents saying they completely understand the redemption process for their points/miles.
The 2017 survey, conducted in September, was based on responses from 3,387 airline loyalty program members.
Filed Under: Airlines, Polls Tagged With: airlkines, Alaska Airlines, car rentals, frequent flyer, J.D. Power, JetBlue, loyalty, miles, points, programs, purchases, restaurants, Rewards, survey, United
Alaska Airlines flies away from Havana, Cuba in January
Sun is setting on Alaska Airlines nonstop flights to Cuba (Photo at Havana’s Jose Marti International: Chris McGinnis)
Today Alaska Airlines announced that it will scuttle its daily nonstop flights between Los Angeles International Airport and Havana, Cuba on January 22, 2018. That’s slightly over a year since the carrier launched flights on January 5, 2017.
Alaska’s John Kirby told TravelSkills that demand for LAX-HAV had declined precipitously in recent months after a relatively strong spring and summer. “We think pent up demand for travel to Cuba has been satisfied,” he said. In spring and early summer Kirby said Alaska’s load factor was in the 70-80 percent range, but after that it declined to under 50 percent.
Then last week, the Trump administration reversed Obama’s more relaxed rules for travel to the island, making it more unwieldy and difficult for Americans to get there. That seems to have been the nail in the coffin for the service.
Don’t miss: TravelSkills Trip Report from the inaugural LAX-HAV flight on Alaska Air
Despite recent changes in regulations, cruise ships from US ports will still sail to Cuba (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
For those still interested in making the trip, LAX-HAV fares are currently running at about $323 round trip— not bad for a 4-5-hour, 2,300 mile flight in each direction. Kirby said that Mileage Plan program redemptions (starting at 35,000 miles round trip) for flights to Havana were insignificant over the last year.
The Boeing 737 used on the Havana flights will be re-deployed on a West Coast run (likely Seattle-Orange County) where the carrier is experiencing strong demand.
In a statement, Alaska Air said, “About 80 percent of Alaska’s flyers to Havana visited under a U.S. allowance for individual ‘people-to-people’ educational travel. Changes to U.S. policy last week eliminated that allowance. Given the changes in Cuba travel policies, the airline will redeploy these resources to other markets the airline serves where demand continues to be strong.”
It remains to be seen how or if the Trump administration will enforce the new rules. Some think that the move to tighten rules might only be window dressing to placate the mostly pro-Trump Cuban American community in South Florida. Stay tuned– “don’t ask, don’t tell” could be the new reality for American’s hoping to travel to Cuba.
As the slow winter months approach, I expect we’ll see even more reductions on nonstop flights between the US and Cuba.
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: Alaska Airlines, Cuba, embargo, flights, Havana, LAX, Los Angeles, Trump
Delta reveals details for final 747 flight
If you miss Delta’s low key send off to the 747, you can always see this 747 Experience at the Delta Museum near Atlanta Airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
We’ve been getting emails nearly every day asking what we know about Delta’s final Boeing 747 flight in December. These of course came to a head during United’s big send off when the questions naturally turned to, “That’s great for United but what is Delta going to do for its final 747 flight?”
The short answer is that it sounds like it will not be as big a production as United’s send off which included a special flight to Hawaii, a big social media campaign, parties in both San Francisco and Honolulu. And a lot of sentimentality for the exiting Queen.
Up inside the bubble at the 747 Experience in Atlanta, check out the rear galley wall with glass so you can look down into the main deck. So cool! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
The final final international commercial flight will be Sunday Dec 17 from Seoul to Detroit, and according to Google Flights and Delta.com, seats are still available. We found DTW-ICN-DTW round trips in economy in the $1,500 range. Looking at the seat map for the final flight on Delta.com shows about 50 seats in economy and 4 in business class- although the biz class seats don’t show up for booking. Wanna go?
We found one-way flights in economy for about $1070, round trips for about $1500. We were unable to book business class seats even though 4 appear available in the seat map
Here’s what the airline has revealed on its blog about its final flights:
There will soon be more chances to see and perhaps take part in some of the last Delta 747 flights – the last to be flown by any U.S. passenger airline. Here are seven things to know about Delta’s big goodbye to the 747:
Delta is operating the Boeing 747-400 on daily scheduled service between its Detroit hub and its partner hub at Seoul-Incheon.
Here are the final regularly scheduled flights of the Delta 747:
Final U.S. departure: Flight 159 at Detroit to Seoul-Incheon at 12:31 p.m. on Dec. 15
Final Asia Pacific arrival: Flight 159 at Seoul-Incheon from Detroit at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 16
Final Asia Pacific departure: Flight 158 at Seoul-Incheon to Detroit at 11:15 a.m. on Dec. 17
Final U.S. arrival: Flight 158 at Detroit from Seoul-Incheon at 10:14 a.m. on Dec. 17
Delta will take the 747 on an employee farewell tour from Detroit to Seattle on Dec. 18, Seattle to Atlanta on Dec. 19 and Atlanta to Minneapolis-St. Paul on Dec. 20.
Customers can bid for a spot on these farewell flights via SkyMiles Experiences using their SkyMiles. The Farewell Tour begins after the final commercial flight touches down in Detroit from Seoul. The Tour includes three flights and after-party celebrations in Detroit, Seattle, Atlanta and Minneapolis.
Employees and retirees can purchase a seat on these flights on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning at noon ET Nov. 20 at a discounted rate, with all proceeds going to the Airloom Project, the organization behind the 747 Experience exhibit at the Delta Flight Museum.
The 747 will fly a handful of sports team and ad-hoc charter flights through Dec. 31.
Delta will fly its final 747 to its retirement place in Arizona in early January. This ferry flight will not be open to passengers.
From Delta’s farewell tour bidding page
Delta will be celebrating the iconic and revolutionary 747 throughout December in all of its channels and encourages customers, enthusiasts and employees to share their own tributes and remembrances using the #DL747Farewell hashtag.
Don’t miss: First look inside Delta’s 747 Experience
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: #DL747farewell, 747, Atlanta, Boeing, Delta, Detroit, final flights, Seoul
Perfect timing for the cheapest trips
This Friday Nov 17 will be the busiest day of the Thanksgiving holiday- use good timing to find the best deals (Image of Cathay Pacific A350 at SFO, Chris McGinnis)
Want a great travel deal? Then you need to focus on your timing.
While everyone is moaning about high holiday fares, I’m going to let you in on a secret: Smack in the middle of what’s typically the most expensive time of year to travel lies the CHEAPEST time of year to travel.
How’s that? Well, let’s take a walk thru the calendar and I’ll show you when to pounce on deals—and when you should be prepared for sticker shock. It’s a bumpy ride of highs and lows, so stick with me and you’ll eventually find a perfectly timed deal that works for you.
Viking River Cruises are about 45 percent less expensive in winter months (Photo: Viking)
Travel prices are relatively cheap in the early part of November but spike around Thanksgiving. However, travel patterns have been changing lately. Traditionally, the one of the busiest days of Thanksgiving holiday is the Wednesday before. But in recent years, the FRIDAY before Thanksgiving has emerged as one of the two busiest days at most major airports. The other busiest day is of course the Sunday after.
While it’s likely too late to find many deals during Thanksgiving week, keep an eye out for some last-minute deals on Thursday, Friday and Saturday– the slowest days. You’ll also find good downtown hotel rates in many cities this week since business travelers are home- your relatives will thank you 😉
Another silver lining for bargain hunters? An early Thanksgiving (Nov 23) means that the so-called “dead weeks” will begin earlier. These typically begin during the first week of December, but this year they’ll start around Tuesday, November 28. This holds true nearly everywhere except in NYC when prices begin to soar in December due to holiday shopping frenzy that grips Manhattan- airfares rise slightly, but hotel rates, especially on weekends in December, spike. (Good luck finding anything decent for less than $500.)
This is also a great time to consider one of those super-popular European river cruises which frequently sell out months or even years in advance. For example, a November week-long sailing on the Danube in Viking River Cruises starts at $1,999 per person – which is approximately 45 percent less than a peak summer, which starts at $3,649 per person. (I’ll be sailing the Danube on Viking this December so stay tuned for a Trip Report!)
January-February:
New York’s Central Park puts on a spectacular show in the fall – but rate hotel rates don’t fall til January (Chris McGinnis)
When everyone goes home after New Years, travel demand plummets and we fall into another short period of “Dead weeks” — the slowest (and cheapest) time of year for bargain hunters.
Early January through the early March is a great time to find excellent last-minute deals. Exceptions to this would be long weekends like Martin Luther King (Jan 13-15, 2018) Valentines/Presidents Day (Feb 14-19, 2018).
If you are between jobs, retired with no kids in school and have the flexibility to travel during these weeks, you’ll see jaw dropping low prices….and also lots of good last-minute deals on sites like Hotwire.com or LastMinuteTravel.com or apps like Hotel Tonight.
New York and San Francisco hotels have become freakishly expensive this year, but you’ll find some good deals if you go during January. (See New York Hotel Week for some good ideas.) If you’ve been priced out of these cities, January would be a great time for cost-conscious business travelers to set up meeting with prospects and clients.
Winter is also a very nice time to visit California Wine Country, especially if the sun is out. And the region could definitely use your help this winter- you’ll find a broad welcome mat and cheaper hotel rates, too. See The 29 Napa for ideas. I’ll be there in March to watch the beautiful mustard bloom yellow across the valleys!
This is what springtime looked like last year near my sister-in-law’s house near Lake Tahoe (Photo: N Dean)
This is spring break and you need to be on alert for high prices and surprise crowds at airports, especially if you live in or near a college town OR if you are headed to a warm weather destination like Florida, Mexico or the Caribbean. Find out when the university nearest you has spring break (see calendar by school here) and stay home that weekend!
Late March is usually the busiest time of year for collegiate Spring break, and April is more popular with families traveling around Easter. But in 2018, Easter is early (April 1) so the last week in March will be crazy with both family and collegiate spring breakers hitting the roads and skies and bumping up airfares, hotels and rental car rates.
If you feel priced out of skiing this winter, consider taking a trip in early April (after Easter) when you’ll find cheaper fares, deals on lift tickets, and lots of end-of-season fun and festivities. (One day lift tickets at Vail this year are $164. At Squaw Valley: $158. Ouch) And if it’s like last year was in the West, you’ll find some of the best ski conditions of the year (but don’t count on it!).
April-June
There’s a silver lining to an early Easter, though, which is a much longer “shoulder season” when demand dips along with prices. Shoulder season in 2018 will run almost 10 weeks from early April until mid-June when peak summer pricing and crowds kick in. (Except of course Memorial Day weekend, May 26-28, 2018).
Shoulder season is not as cheap as the dead weeks, but it’s not anywhere near the peak of what you’ll pay during July or August. This is probably the very best time of year to travel to Europe because the weather is getting warmer and summer crowds have not arrived. This is when new low fare carriers like Norwegian and WOW Air offer super low fares which are frequent matched by the majors. Hotels are cheaper, too. And there are flowers blooming!
It’s also a very nice time to see Mexico– especially Mexico City- here’s my take on the magnificent Mexican megalopolis!
June-August
Paris is sure pretty, but very pricey during peak summer months. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
The peak of the peak summer season does not start until mid-June, so you’ll find significantly lower prices in early June compared to later in the month. Prices soar after that, especially on and around July the 4th and stay high mid August when kids go back to school. The also spike for Labor Day.
Keep in mind that late August is still technically summer so if you can time your vacation then, you’ll save a bundle. Keep an eye out for summer fare sales that roll out in the spring that offer the best deals to those willing to travel before about June 15 and after about August 15.
September-November
Fathom ship Adonia entering the harbor at Santiago de Cuba- cruise ships can still call on Cuban ports and the cheapest time to go is autumn (Photo: Fathom)
What’s best about shoulder season is that there are TWO of them! The second one starts in September and lasts all the way to Thanksgiving.
Fall is a slow (and very cheap) time for cruising because kids are back in school and people are fearful of hurricanes. But the reality is that modern cruise ships are fast enough to navigate around storms.
Leisure travelers should keep in mind that this is convention season in many major US cities, so mid-week rates at big city hotels can soar to freakish levels, and then crash on weekends when conventioneers leave town.
Last year Marriott created a helpful infographic with some great ideas for taking advantage of the off-season.
When do you find the best travel deals? Do you have the flexibility to travel during the slower shoulder season or dead weeks? Please leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines, Deals, infographic, SFO, Trends Tagged With: Christmas, dead weeks, deals, fares, Holiday travel, Marriott, Spring Break, Thanksgiving, TravelSkills
Emirates new first class is nice, but what about the rest of the plane?
Emirates’ new 777 first class suites have 40 square feet of space. (Image: Emirates)
First class cabins are on their way out at many international airlines, but the few carriers that keep them are constantly upgrading them, in order to differentiate the product from increasingly spacious business class seating. The latest entrant in the first class competition is Emirates’ 777 fleet. And this comes on the heels of Singapore Air’s big launch of its luxury first class suites last week.
At the Dubai Air Show this week, the carrier rolled out new cabin designs for its 777s, turning to Mercedes-Benz and its S-Class cars for inspiration. The renovations will cover all three classes on the planes, and will include upgraded entertainment systems as well. Emirates’ first new-look 777s are due to start flying between Dubai-Geneva and Dubai-Brussels next month, but it will take a long time to refit the existing fleet: The carrier noted that it currently has 165 777s, and 164 more on order from Boeing. (On most US routes, Emirates flies its big Airbus A380, so US-based travelers will likely only see this on beyond-Dubai flights.)
The new first class cabin has six individual suites in a 1-1-1 layout, dropping a suite from the current 1-2-1 configuration. Suites offer 40 square feet of space, with privacy provided by a sliding door. The fully-reclining seat is 78 inches long and up to 30 inches wide. The seat and its components are fully adjustable, and the middle suites come with “virtual windows,” giving occupants real-time views from outside the aircraft. (Nice touch!) Suites also have 32-inch HD video screens, adjustable mood lighting, temperature controls, minibar, a full-length wardrobe and “chandelier-style lights.”
No word yet on fares, but for comparison purposes, SFO-Dubai round trip in first class currently runs about $15,000. In business class, it’s about $8,000. Economy class is about $900.
First class suite made up for bedtime. (Image: Emirates)
Emirates’ new 777 business class cabin has fully-flat seats that offer 72 inches of pitch in a 2-3-2 layout- nice but it means that some unlucky passengers may still get stuck in a middle seat. This seems odd for the likes of Emirates since most of the newer business class sections from other global carriers have done away with middle seats in favor of all-aisle access.
My experience flying in a middle seat on Emirates in business class was actually not all that bad. Why? Because it was an overnight flight and I felt quietly isolated there in the middle with no bumps from other passengers or service carts. I enjoyed looking up at the ceiling and seeing stars 🙂
Anyway, business class seat controls and inflight entertainment systems have touchscreen controls, and seats provide individual lighting controls, privacy panels between seats, an area to stow shoes, a footrest and a minibar (yes, seriously).
Emirates new economy class has the despised, shoulder-rubbing 10-across seating in a 3-4-3 configuration— something that United has taken a lot of heat for installing on its new B777-300s that include its new Polaris business class seats, and more recently on its B777-200s. On the bright side, Emirates says that its economy seats will have “up to 33 inches of pitch” which is more generous than average, but not all seats will get that much.
Here are more photos of Emirates new cabin designs:
Also, check out the cool and immersive interactive experience including 360 views here.
First class suites have sliding doors. (Image: Emirates)
First class suite with seat upright for dining. (Image: Emirates)
The new business class cabin for Emirates’ 777s- note the middle seats. (Image: Emirates)
Business class has 2-3-2 seating- note the middle seats. (Image: Emirates)
Economy seating is 10-across on redesigned 777s. (Image: Emirates)
Have you flown Emirates lately? What did you think? Please leave your comments below.
Reassessing your card strategy? See our “Credit Card Deals” tab up top to shop around! It helps us help you!
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: 777s, business class, economy class, Emirates, first class, redesign, suites
Popular: 747 goodbye + New low-cost carrier + Hawaii flights + Hong Kong + more
Chris took a two-day trip to Hong Kong last week- check out his post about The Peninsula and stay tuned for his Cathay Pacific A350 Trip Report (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
1 Emotional goodbye to United’s Boeing 747
2 A new US-based low-cost carrier in the wings?
3 Singapore Changi’s amazing new terminal (photos)
4 Trip Report: A sentimental journey onboard United’s final 747 flight
The final final UA 747 flight HNL to SFO & then likely to a warm desert retirement in Victorville boneyard #UA747Farewell https://t.co/9yg83vE752 pic.twitter.com/9yArkFZGy3
— Chris McGinnis (@cjmcginnis) November 8, 2017
5 Routes: Etihad at DFW, El Al, Southwest, and lots of Mexico news
6 Pushing the Peninsula’s buttons
7 A Lyft bump and Uber slump – especially in San Francisco
8 A look inside Delta partner China Eastern Airlines
9 Travel restrictions are back for Cuba-bound Americans; 80 hotels off limits
10 Southwest Airlines eyeing Hawaii inter-island flights
Here’s something you may not know about Hong Kong:
Surprise: in a bustling modern city like Hong Kong taxis and MTR Metro don’t accept credit cards 🤨 pic.twitter.com/As0UAheQvV
How travel has changed in the age of Trump (Mic)
Hotels donating used furniture to Hurricane Harvey victims (AJC)
Is basic economy worth it? (LA Times)
Subtle but important distinctions between US carriers (Air Transport World)
New roadside canopies taking shape at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Why it’s such a pain to use Uber and Lyft at Atlanta Hartsfield- and it’s getting worse (AJC)
Boeing might resume production of 767s (Reuters)
Qatar Airways buys 10 percent stake in Cathay Pacific (Bloomberg)
Thrillist picks the top airport restaurants nationwide
Hong Kong famous egg tart from Hoover’s #china #hk #china #lifewelltravelled #travel #foodporn #penmoments
A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on Nov 6, 2017 at 12:46am PST
Tests show TSA screeners are still missing most weapons (NBC)
Uber hopes to have flying taxis in Los Angeles by 2020 (The Verge)
BA/Iberia’s Avios program will adopt ‘dynamic pricing’ for award travel (Business Traveller)
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports, ATL, SFO, Weekend Edition Tagged With: 747, Changi, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Peninsula, Singapore, United
Southwest eyes Hawaii inter-island service
Will Southwest take on Hawaiian Airlines on inter-island routes? (Image: Jim Glab)
Now that Southwest Airlines has confirmed its intentions to start flying to Hawaii, probably in 2018, there are new reports that the carrier might initiate inter-island service there as well.
Southwest plans to use its new Boeing 737MAX aircraft — which have a longer range than earlier versions of the single-aisle plane — to begin flights from the West Coast. But the company also reportedly sees considerable market potential for flights between the islands. That would give new competition to Hawaiian Airlines (which is due to begin its own narrow-body service from the West Coast in January, using new Airbus A321neos to replace twin-aisle A330s and 767s).
A Hawaiian Airlines inter-island 717 (Image: Hawaiian Airlines)
There’s certainly room for some competition on inter-island routes. A quick look at an airline schedule guide shows that Hawaiian is the only listed jet operator on routes from Honolulu to Hilo and Kona on the Big Island, to Kahului on Maui, to Lihue on Kauai, and to Lanai. Hawaiian uses 123-passenger 717s on inter-island routes.
There has been a little competition from Island Air, which has just three turboprops, but that company filed for bankruptcy last month. And Kona-based Mokulele Airlines has a number of flights, but with nine-passenger single-engine Cessnas.
Hawaii is the only state where travel between major cities requires an airplane (boats take too long, and there are no bridges). And a lot of people take those trips.
Source: Google Maps
Only about 30 percent of passengers on inter-island flights are connecting from long-haul service to Hawaii, and the traffic on those intrastate routes is considerable: e.g., more than a million passengers a year between Honolulu and Maui – or 40 percent more than on the crowded Boston Logan-New York LaGuardia route.
One deterrent for Southwest could be the size of its 737s and whether there is sufficient demand to keep them operating full enough and frequently enough to turn a profit. SFGate.com has a good analysis of Southwest’s potential inter-island incursion.
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: 717s, 737MAX, competition, Hawaii, Hawaiian Airlines, inter-island, southwest
Trip Report: A sentimental journey aboard United’s final 747 flight
A giant lei welcomes United’s final 747 flight to Honolulu (Photo: Nancy Branka)
A few of us gathered at the airport gate window, looking out at the Boeing 747 being readied for its final passenger flight and snapping some photos. I admit to being a little choked up.
This week United Airlines retired the Queen of the Skies with a special commemorative flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Honolulu (HNL), the carrier’s very first route using the bubble-topped bird. The aircraft has had a long and storied history with United since the summer of 1970. At the time she was an engineering marvel and a cultural sensation—the very first wide-bodied aircraft. But today’s more fuel-efficient aircraft have made her history.
I felt a weird déjà vu at the window. This flight was personal. Late that summer of 1970, I stood at another window at SFO, looking out at what was then a brand new airplane: the 747 that would take me, my parents and brothers to Honolulu. My brothers and I sized it up, and we all wondered out loud whether it could actually take off with that girth.
Note: This Trip Report is written by TravelSkills contributor Nancy Branka. United covered the cost of air transport, Nancy covered all other expenses related to the trip.
Business travelers onboard a United 747 in the 1970s (Photo: United)
This was an extravagant trip for our family of six, and my parents played it up, requiring each kid (I was the oldest at 14) to earn money to contribute to the plane tickets. (Now, as a parent, I suspect it was more of a life lesson requirement than financial necessity.) The trip made an impression: At least a couple times a year it comes up in family conversation—yes because it was an exotic destination for us, but also because we had to work for it, and then of course, there was that plane. So when TravelSkills’ Chris McGinnis was going to be out of the country and miss this November 7 flight, I jumped at the chance to sub in. Even better, I was assigned a rear-facing business class seat- something else that will soon disappear on United.
A post-departure champagne toast on United’s final 747 flight to Honolulu (Photo: United)
I was not the only one feeling nostalgic today. The festivities at SFO’s Gate 86 were crazy–shoulder to shoulder people, many dressed in their ’70s finest. From plaid jackets to Pucci dresses to faux fur vests, it was That 70s Show on steroids. Kitschy United memorabilia abounded: plastic carry-on bags, a mechanics uniform, old timetables. My own bellbottoms and ’70s era top were subtle in this crowd.
Passengers were promised gate festivities at both SFO and HNL, flight attendants in retro uniforms, and retro meals. All that indeed happened. But what surprised me were the unexpected moments of sentimentality.
They came before we even left San Francisco. When we finally pulled back from the gate, a cheer went up. That was when my seatmate and I turned to the window and saw that our baggage handlers were lingering and all had their cameras out. Perched on a nearby gate’s Jetway stairs, a crew of flight attendants were taking selfies with our plane behind. Then, as we slowly taxied to the runway, ground crews all along our path stopped what they were doing to watch us pass—cameras in hand, of course. At one point, a group of about 50 took a group selfie, with the 747 in the background. The plane was like a beloved dignitary, on parade. This was incredibly moving.
United flight attendants onboard wore flowers in their hair…and leis around their necks (Photo: Nancy Branka)
A similar scene unfolded as we landed and pulled up to our gate in Honolulu. A large crew stood by waving the “hang loose” shaka sign. Then, after disembarking we watched from the gate windows as ground crew members operated a crane to lower a 120-foot orange lei on the Queen. Perhaps because the 747’s shape brings to mind a face more than other planes, the lei seemed a totally natural honor. Again, that choked up feeling.
Meanwhile, passengers from other arriving flights also stopped to watch the spectacle, alerted to the historic moment by their pilots, and we chatted about the revered 747.
#ua747farewell #goldengate #united pic.twitter.com/syKGVBqkj9
— United Airlines ALPA (@UnitedPilots) November 8, 2017
Perhaps coolest was the unexpected gesture to the Golden Gate Bridge, an icon in its own right. As we lifted off over San Francisco Bay, a takeoff I’ve experienced countless times, something seemed different. Suddenly, a gasp ran through the cabin as we swept lower than I’ve ever flown over the bridge—it was breathtaking. At which point the pilot gently tipped the aircraft’s wings, in a final wave goodbye to the Golden Gate. You don’t get many moments like that in air travel.
United certainly brought on lots of fun touches with the inflight service. United CEO Oscar Munoz walked through the plane and clinked Mai Tai glasses with each passenger. (He did not take the flight.) Once airborne, the entire plane raised champagne glasses to toast the Queen. When appetizers were served, our purser brought by a bottle of Trader Vic’s salad dressing, which she said was the very dressing served when she began her FA career more than 40 years ago. After dinner a cart of Grasshoppers was served with all the steamy drama of dried ice (after similar service with ice cream sundaes).
Grasshoppers all around to finish a vintage meal onboard United’s final 747 flight (Photo: Nancy Branka)
Gate celebration in Honolulu included ukulele music and hula dancers (Photo: Nancy Branka)
More than the retro accoutrement, the stories people brought on board made the flight distinctive. My seatmate, who flies hundreds of thousands of miles each year on United (and as many or more on other airlines), called the 747 his favorite aircraft, having flown it a hundred-plus times over the years. He loves its quiet feel and roomy first class seats. He reminisced about the upper deck when it was a lounge, and then when it later was converted to first class seating. He even once slept on the floor at the rear of the upper deck, a pilot having left a blanket and pillow behind there.
Many shared memories. Our gate emcee reported that she’d just met a woman who was on the very first United 747 flight. Her father was a United mechanic and she herself worked for United. Her son was born at 7:47, and they named him Boeing. No kidding.
As one flight attendant passed us hot towels, she said she had flown the 747 on the SFO-HNL route since her first day on the job. And she just couldn’t bear that it would be flying back empty to San Francisco the next day, then delivered to Victorville, CA on Thursday to be checked into the giant plane boneyard there. “So much fun happened on this plane,” she said. “Crazy stuff. Like right in your seats, right there,” she said pointing to my seatmate and me. Unfortunately, she turned and left before I could get details.
Up in the bubble a young couple agreed to get married! (Photo: United)
One couple even became engaged on the flight today! I’m not sure if United was in on the surprise, but the flight attendant announced that United would be picking up their honeymoon air travel costs. Several others celebrated birthdays. One gentleman had been on the very first 747 commercial flight—on Pan Am—and he had the framed documentation to prove it.
If I hoped the flight would reinforce the nostalgia of my family’s trip to Hawaii in 1970 and bring me back to what it felt like to be 14, it surpassed my expectations. But perhaps the biggest surprise was that sharing this nostalgia with 373 other passengers who had similar affection and memories would be so moving. United, which has had a challenging year in some respects, deserves full credit for sensing the zeitgeist and tapping into the deep feelings passengers have towards this plane.
See United’s excellent 4-minute compilation video from the final flight.
The big bird’s lonely, empty flight back to California and retirement in the Victorville boneyard:
Do you have a special 747 memory on United or any other airline? What do you think of United’s big send-off? Please leave your comments below.
Disclosure: United covered the cost of air transport, Nancy covered all other expenses related to this trip.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports, Nancy Branka, Readers Report, Trip Reports Tagged With: #UA747farewell, 747, Boeing, final flight, Honolulu, Trip Report, United
Travel restrictions are back for Cuba-bound Americans; 80 hotels off limits
Americans can’t stay at the the gorgeous new $500/night Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski recently opened on Havana’s Parque Central (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
It was only in last year that U.S. airlines got the right to operate scheduled flights to Cuba. But now the future of that service might be in doubt due to new travel restrictions imposed by the Trump Administration that take effect this week.
The new rules do not ban or restrict U.S. airlines or cruise lines from operating in Cuba. But they do impose strict new limits on the kind of trips Americans can take to the island – and that could dampen demand to the point where airlines reduce or eliminate flight schedules there. (Even before the new rules, some U.S. carriers had already cut back their schedules to Cuba because they had overestimated demand.)
The new regulations also bar Americans from staying at dozens of hotels or shopping in stores that the U.S. says are owned by commercial entities controlled by the Cuban military. The Dept of State amassed a list of nearly 80 hotels now off-limits to Americans, including the newest, nicest hotel in town, the gorgeous sugar-white Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski in central Havana which goes for about $500 per night. (In a country where citizens earn about $1 per day.) Instead, the Washington Post reports, “the new regulations encourage Americans to stay in rooms rented by private citizens and to eat in private restaurants that have been allowed for a number of years as part of a growing Cuban private sector.” Which means stays at private casas particulares (via Airbnb) and meals at family-run paladares are still okay. Also, none of the new Marriott/Starwood hotels appear on the banned list.
TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis gets a warm welcome in Havana in 2016 in a rare window of opportunity for American travel to Cuba (Photo: TravelSkills)
The biggest impact is likely to come from the Administration’s decision to put a halt to individual “people-to-people” travel that was allowed up until this week, along with other non-academic individual trips.
Instead, Americans who want to go to Cuba will now have to travel as part of a group for a purpose approved by the Treasury Department; each group must be accompanied by someone from the tour operator or organization sponsoring the trip– similar to how the few American visited Cuba prior to Obama’s reestablishment of diplomatic relations and “don’t ask don’t tell” rules for Americans traveling there.
Even under the previous rules, individual vacation trips were not officially allowed, since a U.S. trade embargo remained in place. But U.S. travelers could self-identify their trips as falling into one of many approved categories, but enforcement was lax to non-existent. Most Americans traveled to Cuba just like they traveled to any other country in the world.
During a trip to Cuba in January, I wondered if we were there in a rare window of opportunity- CLICK PHOTO to read that post (Chris McGinnis)
Thankfully, those who already booked an upcoming flight or hotel stay in Cuba before the new rules took effect this week are exempted for the purposes of that trip. More details about the new restrictions are now on the Treasury Department website.
What’s important to know is that even after Obama normalized diplomatic relations with Cuba, the trade embargo remained in effect. Only at act of Congress can get rid of that, so don’t expect travel to Cuba to get easier any time soon.
What do you think about restrictions on American travel to Cuba? Step in the right direction or step back in time? Please leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: airlines, Cuba, Havana, individual, Kempinski, Manzana, Marriott, restrictions, Starwood, travel, Trump, U.S. government
A new US-based low-cost carrier in the wings?
World Airways: Making a comeback as an ultra-low-cost carrier using Boeing 787 Dreamliners? (Image: World Airways)
Remember World Airways? It was around for more than 60 years, mostly operating as a charter and cargo carrier – with brief forays into scheduled passenger transportation — before it folded in 2014. And now it may be coming back as a U.S.-based low-cost international airline- possibly along the lines of European ultra-low-cost discounters such as Norwegian Air, Wow Air or Level.
An investment firm called 777 Partners said this week it has purchased the “intellectual property” of World Airways and plans to re-launch it as a Miami-based scheduled passenger airline flying 787 Dreamliners on routes to Asia and Latin America from hubs at Los Angeles and Miami.
It will operate on a low-cost carrier model, perhaps inspired by the rapid growth of European international low-cost airlines.
“Initial funding for certification and aircraft acquisitions is being provided by 777 Partners. Discussions are underway with Boeing for an initial order for up to ten 787 aircraft,” a spokesman said. World Airways said it plans to form partnerships with low-cost carriers in the U.S. and at its destinations to feed traffic to its long-haul flights.
And get this: World’s chief marketing officer is Freddie Laker – the son of Sir Freddie Laker, the British entrepreneur who pioneered low-cost transatlantic air travel in the 1970s and died in 2006. Laker is listed as a “serial entrepreneur” on LinkedIn.
Freddie Laker’s profile on Linked In (Image: LinkedIn)
The founding CEO of the “new” World Airways is Ed Wegel, a longtime airline executive who most recently ran the “new” Eastern Airlines until October 2016. The current incarnation of Eastern started up in 2015 as a charter carrier, mainly operating flights to Cuba, but its business was disrupted by the revival of scheduled service from the U.S. to the island nation.
World has a website at www.worldairways.com as well as a Twitter presence (@worldairways).
The company gave no timetable for starting service on its website, but did say it plans to unveil a “new brand look and feel” for the new World Airways within the next few weeks.
So what do you think are the chances of World Airways getting back off the ground? Please leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: 787, airline, Dreamliners, international, Los Angeles, low-cost, Miami, revival, World Airways
Emotional goodbye to United’s Boeing 747
Today’s flight is United’s final journey for the Boeing 747 pictured here loading up for the trip SFO to Honolulu (Image: United)
Not everyone could be on United’s final Boeing 747 flight today, including me. But I’ve been watching the event unfold on social media while flying across the Pacific on a brand new wi-fi equipped Cathay Pacific A350 by following #UA747Farewell on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. (Click on the links to see the stream).
And we’re off! #UA747Farewell #QueenOfTheSkies pic.twitter.com/iYFWWEBnmj
— Robbi Hamida (@pilotual) November 7, 2017
It looks like a fun trip, which included toasts by United CEO Oscar Munoz and a cast of lucky passengers and flight attendants (mostly) dressed up in 70’s garb.
United flight attendants lining up for a pre-flight photo opp at the airport (Image: United)
The trip got off to a rocky start with a maintenance delay (not unexpected for a plane destined for a desert retirement!), but then took off and made a dramatic exit right over the top of San Francisco, and then a low run over the Golden Gate Bridge before turning out over the Pacific for the final 2,500-mile flight to Honolulu. Check out the flight path here.
UA747 #ua747farewell #sfo #planespotting
A post shared by Simon Leong (@_simon_leong_) on Nov 7, 2017 at 4:19pm PST
While I was unable to make this trip, our writer Nancy Branka is onboard and will have a full report on her experience later this week.
The flight included a special meal catered by Trader Vic’s…and plenty of mai-tais!
A special Hawaiian style menu for United’s final 747 flight to HNL (Image: United)
United says, “From a 1970s-inspired menu to retro uniforms for flight attendants to inflight entertainment befitting of that first flight, the ‘Queen of the Skies’ is being sent off in style. Seats for this flight sold out in less than 90 minutes when this farewell celebration was announced in September.”
Delta will retire its Boeing 747s in December while other international carriers such as British Airways and Qantas (as well as many cargo carriers) will be flying them for many more years. Also, the newer Boeing 747-8 flown by Lufthansa, Korean Air and Air China should be around for decades.
There was also a very nice goodbye to the graceful Queen of the Skies on CBS This Morning on Sunday. Here’s the 5-minute clip in case you missed it.
What will you miss most about the Boeing 747? What do you think about the new generation of planes taking over long distance flying, such as the Boeing 777-300 or 787 Dreamliner…or the Airbus A350 and A380? Please leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports, Nancy Branka, SFO Tagged With: #UA747farewell, 747, Boeing, final flight, Honolulu, SFO, United
Routes: Etihad at DFW, El Al, Southwest, and lots of Mexico news
Etihad ended its 777 flights from San Francisco to Abu Dhabi last month- now another city gets dropped (Photo: Peter Biaggi / SFO)
In international route developments, Etihad drops another U.S. gateway and blames American; El Al comes back to Miami; Southwest adds three Latin America/Caribbean destinations from Ft. Lauderdale; and there’s new service to Mexico from Delta/Aeromexico, Alaska, Volaris, Interjet and Viva Aerobus.
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways continues to struggle in the U.S. market. Late last month, it ended its San Francisco route, and it recently announced plans to trim its Los Angeles schedule from seven flights a week to four from mid-January through April. And now the carrier said it will suspend its daily flights from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Abu Dhabi, effective March 25. The airline said the Texas route “will become commercially unsustainable following American Airlines’ unilateral decision to terminate its codeshare agreement ” with Etihad. Company officials said almost half the passengers on its DFW flights were connecting from AA domestic code-shares. Etihad said that depending on how its summer bookings go, “further changes” are possible in its U.S. route network.
El Al uses a 777-200 on new Miami flights. (Image: El Al)
Nine years ago, Israel’s El Al ended its Tel Aviv-Miami service — but now it’s back. Last week, El Al started flying the route once again, operating three flights a week with a 777-200. The Israeli carrier also flies from Tel Aviv to New York JFK, Newark, Los Angeles, Boston and Toronto.
Southwest continues to expand its international schedule from Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport, where earlier this year it opened an expansion of Terminal 1 to accommodate those flights. This week, Southwest started daily service to three new destinations from FLL –Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos; San Jose, Costa Rica; and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. At Houston Hobby, meanwhile, Southwest just announced plans to start service next June to Grand Cayman.
There’s lots of activity in the U.S.-Mexico market these days. Alaska Airlines, which started flying to Mexico City from San Francisco and Los Angeles in August, has now kicked off San Diego-MEX flights. Alaska partner SkyWest operates the daily flights with an E175.
Aeromexico just started Seattle-Mexico City 737 flights. (Image: San Jose Airport).
Meanwhile, Delta and Aeromexico continue to develop their joint venture partnership. They just opened up new daily service between Delta’s Atlanta hub and Queretaro, Mexico, flying the route with a two-class Aeromexico E190. And last week, Aeromexico launched service from Delta’s growing Seattle hub to Mexico City, using a 737-800 for the daily year-round flights.
Mexican carriers are also adding new service. Low-cost carrier InterJet is adding three routes out of Los Angeles International this month. On November 23, it will begin daily flights to Leon/Guanajuato (close to popular San Miguel de Allende) and three flights a week to Los Cabos, followed on November 24 by four weekly roundtrips from LAX to Puerto Vallarta. On December 19, Volaris will inaugurate weekly service from LAX to Acapulco. And on December 16, vivaAerobus plans to launch daily A320 flights between Mexico City and Las Vegas.
Finally, Southwest Airlines said it will expand service to Cancun on June 9 of next year by adding seasonal Saturday flights from Pittsburgh and Raleigh-Durham. That means that on Saturdays next summer, Southwest will be operating 27 flights to Cancun from 16 U.S. cities.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: Abu Dhabi, Aeromexico, Alaska Airlines, Atlanta, Cancun, Costa Rica, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Delta, El Al, Etihad, Ft. Lauderdale, Interjet, international, Mexico, Mexico City, Miami, Pittsburgh, Punta Cana, Queretaro, Raleigh-Durham, routes, San Diego, San Jose, Seattle, southwest, Tel Aviv, Turks & Caicos, VivaAerobus, Volaris
Southwest adds more Oakland routes in 2018
Image: Southwest
Southwest Airlines’ 2018 schedule will give East Bay business travelers new daily flights to five domestic destinations that currently have no regular non-stop service from Oakland International – including two transcon routes.
In its 2018 summer schedule announcement, the airline said it will introduce daily non-stops on July 8 from Oakland to San Antonio, and on July 15 from OAK to Orlando, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Indianapolis. (Saturday-only non-stops from OAK to Orlando begin April 8.)
Earlier this year, Southwest started offering non-stop seasonal service from Oakland to Newark Liberty International, but based on the success of those flights, the airline now plans to convert that into year-round service, with daily flights due to start April 8, 2018. (The only other non-stop service from Oakland to the New York City area is on JetBlue, which goes to JFK Airport.)
The new service will give Southwest 33 non-stop destinations out of Oakland.
Southwest Airlines jets at Oakland International Airport (Photo: Port of Oakland)
Southwest has been steadily ramping up its California operations in recent months, and it has a new promotion for Rapid Rewards members who live in the state. Called California Millions, it will give away millions of Rapid Rewards points to winners. It remains in effect through November 30. Here’s a link to participate.
The airline’s summer schedule for next year also includes new daily non-stops between San Antonio and Ft. Lauderdale starting July 8. On June 6, Southwest will end its daily service between Flint, Michigan and Chicago Midway.
On June 7, Southwest will resume daily seasonal service between Denver-Charleston, S.C., Chicago-San Juan and Omaha-Orlando. And on June 9, it will start new Saturday-only seasonal flights between Boise-Dallas, Denver-Panama City, Fla., and Tulsa-Orlando.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: 2018, California Millions, Indianapolis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Newark, Oakland, Orlando, routes, San Antonio, Southwest Airlines
Popular: Mexico City surprise + 747 love + Hawaii deal + Singapore suites + United app
Chris expected the worst when this behemoth pulled in next to his plane in Mexico City. Didn’t happen! (Photo: Chris McGinnis
1 Excellent, helpful reader comments. Gracias. Vamos! Trip Report: Mexico City, North America’s best-kept travel secret
2 Lots of nostalgia this week “Fond farewell to our 747”- a tearjerker video from United
3 Reader Report: Final 747 flight from London
4 Routes: United’s longest + Delta Comfort+ American to China + more
5 Fares now back up to around $400- -nice while it lasted! Sneak sale: Hawaii $325 roundtrip from 5 west coast cities
A lot of folks got a great deal to Hawaii this winter and they’ll likely be seeing this: Hilton Hawaiian Village (Chris McGinnis)
6 Swish suites! Singapore Airlines unveils an awesome A380 makeover (photos)
7 New MileagePlus award travel pricing starts today
8 United app gets an upgrade
9 Remember Upside Travel? They’ve found a big partner Trying out the new Wall Street Journal travel service
10 Some pretty pix! 10 most Instagrammable airports, airlines
A beautiful fall day for flying from Munich to Paris! #travel #germany #travelskills #lufthansatravels #airbus
A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on Oct 5, 2017 at 12:28am PDT
Easy! National Car Rental beefed up its popular “One Two Free” promotion with a Twitter sweepstakes- it offers a chance to earn bonus points toward a free rental day. All you have to do is tweet about how you plan to use the free rental day using the hashtag #OTFSweepstakes– five winners will be randomly selected to get 600 points– enough for a free day. Registration required.
Don’t miss! United’s new interactive website for the big 747 farewell
United’s interactive page for the big United 747 farewell this week (Image: United)
New Terminal 4 for Korean & Cathay at Singapore Changi
Cost to ride Uber/Lyft from Sea-Tac airport increases
Get ready: An army of Chinese millennials is going to change the face of travel
AirlineRatings.com names world’s top 10 carriers in various categories
Here’s how airlines decide who gets an upgrade
Oak Tree Inns’ 44 hotels will convert to various Wyndham brands
Ontario Airport TSA ads warn against traveling with pot after Jan. 1 legalization
Forbes lists the world’s 10 longest non-stop flights
Finnair will weigh passengers at Helsinki Airport
Best Western adds a new brand
New Air France app provides publications, videos, music
Innovative concept for new Virgin cruise ship venture: No kids allowed
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports, Travel Tips, Weekend Edition Tagged With: 747, Hawaii, Mexico, Mexico City, United
Singapore Airlines unveils an awesome A380 makeover (photos)
Redesigned first class suite on Singapore Airlines’ A380s. (Image: Singapore Airlines)
Four years ago, Singapore Airlines’ design team started working on new interiors for its fleet of Airbus A380s, and their updated products have just been revealed, bringing additional elements of comfort to bolster the carrier’s reputation as one of the world’s best for passengers.
While many global airlines are eliminating first class from their long-haul aircraft, Singapore is sticking with the traditional premium cabin – but it is cutting the number of first class suites on the A380s from 12 to six, and moving them to the front of the upper deck. The rest of the upper deck will be occupied by 78 new business class seats, while the lower deck accommodates 44 premium economy seats and 343 regular economy.
The spacious first class suites will have more than just a big seat-bed – they’ll have an actual bed with adjustable recline and a comfortable leather chair, along with lots of storage space. What’s more, passengers in two adjoining suites can remove the wall in between them so the separate beds become a double bed. (When not in use, the first class beds can be stowed, freeing up even more space.) The chairs can swivel and recline. Suites also come with a swiveling 32-inch HDTV monitor, full-sized wardrobe, and mood lighting. And the first class cabin has a pair of redesigned lavatories that may be the most spacious in the sky.
Window seat in the new A380 business class. (Image: Singapore Airlines)
Business class seats, configured 1-2-1 and forward-facing, are 25 inches wide and recline into a 78-inch bed. They come with an 18-inch high-def touch-screen monitor, USB and power ports, adjustable reading lights, mood lighting and a larger dining table. The seats’ larger back shell “creates a cocoon-like feel,” Singapore said, and the privacy divider between the two middle seats can be lowered to form double beds – “an ideal choice for customers such as families traveling together,” the airline said (although these are not enclosed suites like in first class, so the beds aren’t private).
Premium economy seats (configured 2-4-2) are 19.5 inches wide, recline eight inches, and offer 38-inch pitch, calf and foot rests, power ports and a pair of USB ports. Monitors are 13.3 inches, and passengers get noise-cancelling headphones. Regular economy seats (with a 3-4-3 layout) have 32-inch pitch, 18.5-inch width, and six-inch recline. Video monitors measure 11.1 inches.
The airline has five new A380s on order; they’ll come with all the enhancements, and will start to enter service in December. Singapore’s existing fleet of 14 A380s will also get the refit, with work starting in 2018 and continuing into 2020. Singapore’s New York flight (via Frankfurt) is its only U.S. route currently served with an A380.
Below are more photos of the interiors. You can also check out Singapore’s website about the A380 redesign here, and read details of the new products here.
First class suites can be combined into a double-bedded unit. (Image: Singapore Airlines)
A middle seat in business class. (Image: Singapore Airlines)
Middle seat-beds in business class can also be combined. (Image: Singapore Airlines)
First class lavatories are bright and spacious. (Image: Singapore Airlines)
Premium economy seating is 2-4-2. (Image: Singapore Airlines)
Main cabin seating is configured 3-4-3. (Image: Singapore Airlines)
Entertainment system monitors have touch-screens. (Image: Singapore Airlines)
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: A380s, Airbus, business class, first class, Premium Economy, redesign, Singapore Airlines, suites
Trip Report: Mexico City, North America’s best-kept travel secret
Mexico City’s bustle is back along the Paseo de la Reforma and the St Regis Hotel (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Back in early September I took a quick trip to Mexico City and came away as impressed as I was when I visited five years ago to write this story for BBC. I know it may sound crazy coming from someone who has traveled to a LOT of cities, but Mexico City is one of my favorite places in the world. Seriously. Go there, or talk to someone who has recently visited and you’ll find out why.
I was all set to sit down and write this Trip Report when the earthquake struck Mexico City on September 19. According to my sources there, in the six weeks since the tragic 7.1 temblor, the city has quickly recovered and there is very little visible evidence of the disaster.
Officials report that nearly all the big 3- to 5-star hotels used by business travelers are open and unscathed by the quake. And demand for hotel rooms has been remarkably resilient. Mexico City hotelier Michael Chiche told me, “It’s fair to say that the city is back to business as usual.” He said that most of the severe damage was in residential areas, but that the central touristic areas, including popular Polanco where his Las Alcobas hotel is located, are fine.
The bustle is back at the slick St Regis Mexico City (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
As a matter of fact, hotel occupancy in the city dipped only 4.4% in the the third quarter of this year. Mexico City Tourism authorities report that the hotel occupancy rate is running at 86.4 percent, which is actually higher than this time last year. A crowd of 300,000 turned out for the Day of the Dead parade last Saturday. And the city just hosted the huge Formula 1 Grand Prix, which drew close to a million spectators. The NFL’s Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots will play in Mexico City on November 19th. The airport has been open and operational since the day after the quake.
The big, bustling, diverse and fast-paced metropolis is moving on.
Here’s my story, advice and photos:
Our best Mexico City meal was lunch at the big, bright, noisy and delicious Contramar in the Condesa neighborhood (Photo: Barkley Dean)
In early September, I flew Alaska Airlines from San Francisco to Mexico City for Labor Day weekend. It had been about five years since my last visit, and once again, I came away impressed.
CDMX, as the city now refers to itself, has an incredibly diverse and sophisticated food scene. While there are few brand new hotels, the existing stock is impressive, continually updating and inexpensive— a quick scan of rates shows five-star hotels going for as little as $220 per night this fall and winter. It’s insanely busy and frenetic– since CDMX is the country’s capital city, financial center, technological & industrial heart, and its “Hollywood,” the city feels like a combination of New York, Washington and Los Angeles with a little chili pepper tossed in.
Ahi tuna tostada with dried onion, lemon mayo, sea salt and lime juice. OMG good at Contramar in Mexico City (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
In Mexico City, locals drink Palomas, rarely margaritas (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Getting around town is an inexpensive cinch now that Uber is there. And the downtown core is cleaner, and feels safer, than most U.S. cities I’ve visited recently. From the ride from airport to city, to my walks along the Paseo de la Reforma and the hip neighborhoods of Condesa, Roma, and Polanco, I saw almost no litter and few homeless, and I felt as safe or safer than walking around Union Square in San Francisco, Midtown Atlanta or Manhattan. To me, Mexico City felt like Europe without the jet lag, high prices and tourist throngs.
Most of the business travel scene takes place on the western side of the central core, where the action is in and around Polanco and the broad, tree-filled, European-style Paseo de La Reforma and Chapultepec Park. Take a stroll through this clean, green well-tended park and you’ll find yourself catching your breath since Mexico City lies at 7,200 feet above sea level. If you have time, see Chapultepec Castle where Maximiliano lived (I regrettably missed this due to a late start).
New nonstops between San Francisco and Mexico City on Alaska Airlines (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
AIR: Nonstop flights between the US and Mexico City are proliferating, which means more flight choices and lower fares. San Francisco is a perfect example of that. As of last summer, there are four airlines serving SFO-MEX nonstop: Aeromexico, Alaska Air, United and Volaris. (San Jose recently announced new nonstops, too. Seattle did, too.) As a result of all that competition, round trip fares between the two cities have dipped as low as $225 round trip this fall and winter-– which makes a trip to Mexico City even more of a bargain than it already was. Checking today, I found roundtrip fares on Volaris, a Mexican discounter, at $224; other carriers are in the $300 range. I flew Alaska Airlines over Labor Day weekend when fares were about $350 round trip. First class fares are a relative bargain, too, at about $600 round trip (for a four-hour flight). Arrival, customs and immigration in Mexico City were easy and uneventful. Even with an Air France A380 from Paris unloading at the same time, we only spent about 20 minutes in the immigration line (there are no fast track lanes).
Uber is super cheap, super easy and super clean. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
GROUND: Uber is cheap, easy, safe and plentiful in Mexico City. We never waited more than three minutes for a car. While Mexico City’s cheap-but-efficient Metro trains now run to the airport, it would be a challenge to take a comfortable ride with baggage since the trains are so jam packed. For airport runs, I recommend a car or taxi– just be aware of roadway rush hours– 8-10 am, 6:30 – 8:30 pm. UberX costs only about $12 for the ride from the airport to the city center; Uber Black is about $30. (Uber’s new tipping function does not work in Mexico.) Lyft does not operate in Mexico City. Since Uber was so easy, I did not use taxis at all. Most of our center-city rides cost less than $5. But I spent most of my time on foot– my Fitbit recorded a whopping 20,000 steps per day for the three days I was there.
The St Regis Mexico City is part of a dramatic glass and steel residential tower on the Paseo de la Reforma (Chris McGinnis)
Exquisite rooms with lots of local color and a fantastic location at Las Alcobas in Polanco (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
HOTELS: We stayed at the St Regis Mexico City on Paseo de la Reforma, where rates ran $290 per night. (Disclosure: I accepted a 50% off media rate.) The hotel is part of a gorgeous glass and steel residential tower with commanding views of the environs. Inside, it is swathed in rich marble and wood, spritzed with aromatherapy, decorated with fresh flowers and manned by a pleasant, professional staff. A brand new veranda overlooking a busy roundabout offers lots of fun, talented mixologists, and a see-and-be-scene among hotel guests and wealthy “Chilangos,” as Mexico City residents call themselves. Rates start at around $250 per night—quite a deal for a property that regularly vies for the top spot among luxury hotels with Las Alcobas, an SPG-affiliated 35-room, 5-star gem located in the posh Polanco district on Avenida Masaryk—“the Rodeo Drive” of Mexico City.
Note that since Mexico City is a huge business travel destination, upscale hotel rates are higher (sometimes much higher) on weekdays than on weekends.
Most American business travelers stay nearby among the four giant hotels on the edge of Polanco overlooking Chapultepec Park–there you’ll find the InterContinental, W, Hyatt and JW Marriott. More adventurous travelers may choose to stay in the non-brand hotels in the hip neighborhoods of Roma or Condesa. (Regrettably, these older districts were saw more earthquake damage than newer areas like Polanco.) On one of my long walks, I ducked into the popular Condesa DF and the unusually beautiful El Parque Mexico (no in-room TV or A/C). Other popular smaller hotels: La Valise, Habita or the mod, colorful, mid-century modern El Camino Real Polanco.
The unusual Parque Mexico is sure cool to look at both inside and out but it gets trashed on TripAdvisor (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
WEATHER: The “wet” season in Mexico runs from May to September, with a little rain expected every day. The dry season runs November to May with the warmest months of the year being April and May. Overall, due to the high altitude, the climate is cooler than you might expect. Also, with all those clouds scrubbing the air during rainy season, air pollution is not that bad during wet months (and in general, the air is much better than it use to be). It’s worse during the colder, drier winter months when there’s an inversion in the valley where the city lies.
PHONE: My Verizon phone worked just fine– $5 per day for unlimited calls and data using Verizon TravelPass. Other major carriers offer similarly cheap and easy plans — just be sure to set them up before you depart the US. (See all options here)
Pujol is one of the most sought after reservations in Mexico City- just be prepared to pay up and eat weird. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
EATING AND DRINKING: Mexico City is one of the hottest foodie cities in the world now. The breadth and sophistication of the scene surprised me. The best meal I had in Mexico City was lunch at Contramar. Note: Lunch in Mexico starts late at 2 pm. When I arrived at 1 pm, the place was deserted. By the time I left Contramar at 3 pm it was packed. Reservations are required. At my table we enjoyed a whole grilled red snapper with green and red salsa, but the best thing I ate on the entire trip was the tuna tostada with dried onions, lemony mayonnaise and a slice of avocado (See photo up top). After lunch I followed the lead of locals asked for a carajillo—a shot of coffee with Licor 43 and cream. If you miss out on Contramar, try Entremar, its sister restaurant on Polanco.
Tamarindo margarita with worm salt, a pickled carrot sprinkled with dried, crushed ants, and an ant larvae tarte on the menu at Pujol. Yes, I ate it all and liked it! (Photo: Chris McGinnis
We also dined at the Omikase bar at the super hot and super expensive Pujol (see above). We ducked into the very upscale and modern Biko (in Polanco) where the focus is on the food– the small bites are plated to perfection, and the visual show on the table is magnified due to the cool gray drab interior.
Small bite with big flavors plated to perfection at Mexico City’s Biko restaurant (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
One of the most memorable meals was Sunday brunch on the big bright new veranda of the Restaurant Diana at the St Regis. The diverse spread is outstanding with multiple stations, lots of locals, big views off the new veranda and only about $45 per person without wine or champagne ($75 with). Dinner in the same space is an excellent choice for entertaining… a young talented chef turns out a diverse menu that blends local food and spices with European classics.
Sunday Brunch at the St Regis Mexico City on a veranda overlooking the Paseo de la Reforma (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Something I learned from a bartender at the St Regis: Chilangos don’t drink margaritas— they are considered a beach drink. The most popular drink in town is the paloma, a combination of tequila and lime juice topped off with a grapefruit soda like Squirt or Fresca.
Check out my video of a Mexico City taco-making master as he shows off his talents.
A word about street food: Having had my bouts with Montezuma’s Revenge in previous trips to Mexico, I admit I was at first hesitant to try street food in Mexico City, but I ended up giving in with no ill effects. Best advice: Ask locals where THEY eat off the street and go there. Or look for long lines and lots of steam at the many taco stands. Ask around and you’ll find out where to go.
Mexico City’s Metro system is clean and cheap–and very crowded at peak times with cars reserved for women and children. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
MONEY: Mexico City is always a nice bargain for Americans, and it’s recently become even more of one as the dollar has strengthened against the peso, reaching nearly 20 pesos per US dollar in recent weeks. Combine that with inexpensive 4-5 star hotels, reasonably priced dining and cheap airfare.
LAY OF THE LAND: See a map of Mexico City here.
The city is laid out east-west along the Paseo de la Reforma as its spine. On the western edge of the city is the new Santa Fe enclave of office towers, luxury hotels and shopping malls. A lot of US companies have set up shop in Santa Fe. Its distance from the central city and traffic issues (it can take over a hour to get there by Uber in bad traffic) make it a nice upscale island, but does not feel much like Mexico.
Moving east, you’ll find the trendy Polanco district, “the Beverly Hills” of Mexico City. This is where the city’s corporate, governmental and diplomatic elite hang out and/or reside. It’s also where you’ll find the trendiest restaurants, late night bars, and exuberant youth. It’s also an excellent place for a stroll with several stops at the many outdoor cafes.
The European style Paseo de la Reforma is dotted with several elegant roundabouts (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Next up along “el Paseo” is Chapultepec Park and a series of European style roundabouts adorned with fountains and gleaming gold statues. It’s where you’ll find the newest, tallest skyscrapers and nicest hotels like the St. Regis, the Four Seasons and a new Ritz-Carlton coming in 2019. On the southern side of the Paseo are the hip neighborhoods of Roma and Condesa where you’ll find the best bars, outdoor cafes and younger, hipper set.
Looking out from the Sears department store veranda coffee shop at Mexico City’s gorgeous Centro de Bellas Artes (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Continue on to the east and you’ll find the Centro Historico—the old center of town. Here you’ll find the statues, cathedrals, plazas and monuments of a 500-year-old capital city. It’s definitely worth seeing, but there’s not a lot of business taking place there. If you have time, be sure to saunter into the Sears Department store across the street from the spectacular Bellas Artes, go up to the 8th floor for a cup of coffee and a view that will blow you away (See above). And about 20-30 minutes east of that is Benito Juarez International. And beyond that is the massive NEW Mexico City airport that has already broken ground. The first phase is expected to open around 2020.
There you have it! Four days well spent in what I think is the biggest sleeper destination in the western hemisphere. Among the other Americans I spoke with on this trip, there was a conspiratorial smile and wink that said something like, “Let everyone back home think this place is dangerous and squalid. It’s too bad that’s the perception, but we’ll keep coming back until the secret is out!”
Don’t miss plenty more excellent photos from this trip that I could not fit here. See my Google photo album: Mexico City Sept 2017
Have you been to Mexico City lately? Would you consider a trip there? Please leave your comments below.
Disclosure: I covered all expenses for this trip except for a special 50% off media rate from the St Regis Mexico City. CDMX Travel paid for my airfare on Alaska Airlines.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports, Featured, SFO, Travel Tips, Trip Reports Tagged With: Contramar, Las Alcobas, Mexico, Mexico City, Pujol, St. Regis
Most Instagram -able airports, airlines
United and SFO both rank third in popularity among Instagram users- click to go to my Instagram!
Are you a big Instagram user? Plenty of travelers are these days (especially younger or younger-at-heart ones like me), and they often post pictures before, during and after their trips. But which airports and airlines are most popular among them?
That’s what TravelBank – an automated expense reporting specialist – wondered, so it reviewed Instagram data to find out, basically by looking at the number of followers each airport and airline have on their accounts.
Nothing quite like flying off into a Los Angeles sunset! Tag the person you would like to experience a sunset with. #tuesdaytakeoff [PIC] 📷: @windlandphotography #flylax #lax #travel #wanderlust #ig #instagood #losangeles #sunset #airplanes #avgeek
A post shared by LAX airport (@flylaxairport) on Oct 24, 2017 at 2:44pm PDT
Los Angeles International grabbed the number one spot in airport popularity, perhaps because a paparazzi mindset permeates the passenger terminals. (Ever try to grab a selfie with a passing celebrity?) TravelBank writes: “Currently in the middle of a $1.6 billion renovation, LAX will not only continue to be the place where people snap pics with the rich and famous, but it’s bound to keep flyers happy with its endless amenities and its Instaworthy locale.”
Ranking second was Chicago O’Hare (maybe just by virtue of its size). In addition to its colorful underground passageways, TravelBank says O’Hare’s public art collection and multiple restaurants that overlook the runways make for shareable moments on Instagram.
Terminal 3, Hall of Flags. (📷: @ashleythepetite ) #chooseohare
A post shared by O’Hare International Airport (@flyohare) on Sep 27, 2017 at 9:42am PDT
Coming in third place was my very own San Francisco International. TravelBank says “SFO is a major travel hub for the app-loving millennials of tech-savvy San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Add in a selection of Instagrammable dining options serving local favorites (we’re looking at you Napa Farms Market) and a $2.6 billion expansion, and it’s easy to see why SFO comes in at #3.” My favorite spot for plane spotting and then post pics on Instagram is out at gate 66 in United’s new(ish) T3E terminal. Plus the airport regularly posts some great archival photography from its outstanding SFO Museum.
#tbt (1962) @united Douglas DC -8 jets
A post shared by SFO International Airport (@flysfo) on Aug 17, 2017 at 4:32pm PDT
While flying through Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International which ranks #9, I snagged this Instagrammable moment on the stairs to Delta’s new Sky Club in Concourse B.
Remember when bag tags were pretty? #travel #delta #skyclub #atl #avgeek
A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on Mar 29, 2017 at 12:03pm PDT
Here’s a look at the top 10 most popular U.S. airports on Instagram:
Source: TravelBank
As for airlines, there were no big surprises, with American, Delta and United ranking first through third, and the number of their Instagram followers reflecting their total passenger numbers:
At the top of the heap with nearly 650,000 followers is American Airlines— as the largest US carrier, sheer size is in its favor here. TravelBank adds: AA has raised the bar and reaffirmed its commitment to passenger satisfaction with its investment in new aircraft, improvements to its business class product, the overhaul of its hub airport lounges and much more. It’s no wonder that American passengers have been eager to follow along with the company’s Instagram journey more than any other airline on our list!
Because First Class starts on the ground. Enjoy our new Flagship First Dining: elevated, unique and full-service, now open at JFK. Learn more at: www.aa.com/flagshipfirstdining . . . . #FFDining #NYC #JFK #Travel #AdmiralsClub #FlagshipFirst #AmericanAirlines #AmericanAir #InstaTravel #ElevatedEscape #NewYorkCity #TravelTip
A post shared by American Airlines (@americanair) on Jul 5, 2017 at 10:00am PDT
Here’s a nice Instagrammable moment with #2 Delta showing off it’s popular outdoor deck at JFK. TravelBank adds: Delta’s onboard product is regarded as the best among the big 3 airlines, and upgrades to its fleet — like serving award-winning food options and craft beer — along with tech-friendly improvements like in app luggage tracking and auto check in make Delta a favorite among the Instagram crowd.
Grab a window seat and enjoy the view at your favorite airport retreat. #JFK #DeltaSkyClub 📷: @_theresatang_
A post shared by Delta Air Lines (@delta) on Aug 28, 2017 at 6:37am PDT
Last year #3 ranked United had some fun with with rainbow colors to celebrate National Coming Out Day in October and Gay Pride Month in June.
Today and every day, show your true colors. #NationalComingOutDay
A post shared by United (@united) on Oct 11, 2016 at 1:58pm PDT
Last Spring Delta invited me to Atlanta for the launch of its new 747 Experience at the Delta Museum by the airport. I scrambled all over the vintage 747 and snagged a bunch of snaps like this which I posted on Instagram. Are you following me? Why not! Get cracking!
Northwest Airlines flight attendant hat by Yves St Laurent circa 1973 #travel #avgeek #delta #747 #atl
A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on Mar 28, 2017 at 8:50am PDT
I saw this spooky sight out my window flying over Dallas, Texas at night– it’s been one of my post popular window seat posts.
Dallas thru winter clouds #dfw #dallas #windowseat #clouds @united #ATL > #SFO #travel #avgeek #texas
See TravelBank’s full report on this here
Are you on Instagram? Why or why not? Leave your comments below. I find it fun and a nice way to pass time when stuck in a line, riding in an Uber and at other slow moments in my crazy busy life.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports, SFO, Technology Tagged With: airlines, airports, followers, Instagram, popularity
New MileagePlus award travel pricing starts today
United’s new MileagePlus pricing scheme starts today. (Image: Jim Glab)
United announced it early last summer, but in case you forgot, some big changes in MileagePlus award travel start today (November 1).
The biggest change: The program’s Standard Awards, with fixed mileage costs for unrestricted award trips, have been eliminated. Instead, the program now has what it calls Everyday Awards – and their costs are variable, not fixed. The mileage cost for a specific trip will be tied to the dollar cost of that trip.
“Since flight prices fluctuate based on a variety of factors, we’ve decided to take those same factors into consideration for award travel pricing,” United said on its website. United will continue to offer MileagePlus domestic Saver awards (which are subject to capacity controls) at levels of 10,000 or 12,500 miles one-way for economy class seats, depending on distance.
When Delta adopted variable pricing for SkyMiles reward travel, it stopped publishing a mileage price chart. United still has a chart for its new MileagePlus Everyday Awards, but it only lists the maximum cost in miles for a reward trip. You can see the new award chart here.
The chart shows the maximum one-way cost of a domestic Everyday Award in economy class as 32,500 miles, vs. the old fixed rate of 25,000 miles. But since this is a maximum cost, the fluctuating price at the time of booking could still be 25,000, or less, or more—but not more than 32,500. MileagePlus members are more likely to encounter the maximum mileage price on popular longer-distance routes, like transcontinental flights.
MileagePlus award travel could cost more on transcon routes starting now. (Image: United Airlines)
Besides keeping fixed prices in place for domestic Saver awards, United said it will also make more seats available at those prices. But there will be some changes to Saver awards starting this month, like lower mileage prices on many short-haul, intra-regional economy seats for flights outside the U.S., like within Europe; increased Saver award prices in “select international markets;” and higher prices for United Business Saver Awards on premium transcontinental routes and some Hawaii routes.
The company also said that effective for award travel booked on or after November 1, all members (even elites) who fail to show up for their flights and want to redeposit their miles will face a $125 redeposit fee.
The coming changes will not affect Mileage Upgrade Awards, United said.
Thoughts on the changes? How does United program compare to others? Please leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: award travel, Everyday Awards, flexible pricing, MileagePlus, Saver Awards, Standard Awards, United
United app gets an upgrade
United’s app can now add electronic boarding passes from partner airlines. (Image: United)
With travelers becoming more reliant on their smartphones for all kinds of chores, the United app got several enhancements this week to increase its functionality.
For one thing, the airline now allows users to receive boarding passes via the app for onward connecting flights on 19 partner airlines. In talking with users, “we found that simply allowing our customers to access boarding passes for their entire itinerary within the same app made a big difference,” said Kate Gebo, chief customer officer at United. Participating carriers range from big ones like Lufthansa to small ones like Aegean Airlines. You can see a full list here.
Users can also turn to their United app now to make changes in their reservations, or to cancel them. Users will see these new options under Reservations Details, where they can follow the indicated steps to get a confirmation of their action. “As this new feature debuts, certain reservations, such as reservations purchased through third parties, will continue to United.com to allow customers to make changes,” the company said.
Don’t miss! United squeezes more seats into its long-haul 777-200s
United’s app has added several new features. (Image: United)
For iOS users, customers’ United Club and MileagePlus cards can now be stored in the Apple Wallet for easy access, United said. Users should log into their MileagePlus account in the app, select United Clubs and/or MileagePlus, and then hit the “add to Apple Wallet” icon under the digital card. “United Club members will still scan their boarding passes to access United Club locations before their flight,” United said. “Members who do not have their MileagePlus number tied to their boarding pass will be able to show their electronic card, along with a same-day boarding pass for United Club access.”
Another recent enhancement to the app is the addition of a beta “Track my bags” function, which will give users real-time updates of when their bag goes onto the aircraft, when it is unloaded, and when it reaches baggage claim. (Delta added a baggage tracker to its app in 2016.) United said it is also adding a 3D touch capability for Apple iPhone users whose devices support that feature. They can use it “to instantly navigate from their iPhone’s home screen to book a flight, check in, and view their flight status in the app,” United said.
Readers: What other features or capabilities would you like to see on United’s app? How does it compare to other airline apps?
Filed Under: Airlines, Technology Tagged With: 3D touch, App, Apple, Apple Wallet, baggage, boarding passes, cancellatikons, cards, changes, enhancements, improvements, MileagePlus, partner airlines, reservations, tracking, United Airlines, United Clubs
Hate crowds? Here’s when to avoid business trips
Business travel surges the week before Thanksgiving. (Photo: Mineta San Jose Airport)
You’d think that as the Thanksgiving holidays approach, business travel would slow down. And during Thanksgiving week it does. But the week before Thanksgiving, you’ll see the year’s biggest crowds of business travelers, according to a new report.
Concur, a company that specializes in tracking business travelers’ expenses, did a day-by-day analysis of business travel volume over the course of a full year, and found that the Wednesday and Thursday of the week before Thanksgiving were the busiest days of the year for business travelers. (This year, that’s November 15 and 16.)
Of course, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after are some the busiest days overall, but most of that traffic is from leisure travelers.
But there’s significant surge among business travelers that week before: The company said the number of business travelers on the road during those days is 58 percent higher than on the average weekday. Also, the bulk of travelers during those two busiest days are infrequent business travelers, Concur said, who take only one to three business trips a year.
Weekly levels of business travel; the red line is average. (Image: Concur)
The level of business trips drops below average during Thanksgiving week and the following week, the study found, and the lowest volumes of the entire year came during the last two weeks of December and the first week of January. (The number of business trips during the week between Christmas and New Year’s was 86 percent below the average week.)
By contrast, the weeks with the highest above-average levels of business trips came from early September through early November. Looking at full months rather than weeks, July was the slowest month for company trips, while October and November were the busiest.
July is the slowest month. (Image: Concur)
And where are road warriors going during their busy season? During the busiest travel dates, Concur said, the busiest domestic air travel routes, in order, are Chicago-New York, New York-Los Angeles, Dallas-Chicago, New York-San Francisco and Boston-New York. The busiest international routes are New York-London, San Francisco-London, Toronto-New York, Toronto-Chicago and Boston-London.
Concur offers these additional tips for business travel:
The earlier in November you travel, the better. So start planning your pre-holiday travel now.
If meetings and clients allow, shift your travel days to Mondays, Tuesdays or Fridays.
Consider alternate local airports beyond the traditional major hubs.
Avoid costly last-minute fares by booking between eight to 14 days in advance. After that, prices tend to jump 44%.
Where will YOU be this Thanksgiving? Which days will you avoid? Please leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines, Biz Trip, Travel Tips, Trends Tagged With: busiest, business travel, chart, Concur, dates, study, volume, weeks
Routes: United’s longest + Delta Comfort+ American to China + more
United will use a 787-9 Dreamliner on its new Los Angeles-Singapore non-stops. (Image: United)
In international route developments, United has inaugurated the longest U.S. non-stop service and has revived Auckland flights; Delta starts selling its Comfort+ seats on transatlantic flights and launches its first A350 flights; American begins a new China route; Air France replaces Delta on a Paris route; Air Canada adds capacity to India from the West Coast; and Pakistan’s national carrier drops a U.S. route;
New non-stop service launched last week by United between Los Angeles and Singapore takes the number one spot as the longest flight from the U.S. at 8,700 miles. That surpasses the 8,446-mile route that United started up last year from San Francisco to Singapore, and tops Qantas’ 8,576-mile Dallas/Ft. Worth Sydney route. As with its San Francisco route, United is using a 250-passenger 787-9 for the LAX-Singapore flights. The new flight departs LAX at 9:25 and takes almost 18 hours. Don’t miss: Chris’ Trip Report on SFO-SIN from last year 17 moments in 17 hours on Singapore Airlines
In other news, United just revived its seasonal service between San Francisco and Auckland, New Zealand, which is also served by Star Alliance partner Air New Zealand. United will fly the route six days a week from now through December 17, boosting the schedule to daily service through March 22. The carrier’s Auckland flights are using a 777-300ER fitted out with United’s new Polaris business cabin, featuring lie-flat seats that all have aisle access. United and Air New Zealand have created a new website at www.united.com/airnz that provides information on both carriers and destination tips about New Zealand.
Delta’s Comfort+ seating is now on sale for transatlantic flights. (Image: Delta)
Delta has just started selling its Comfort+ product – extra-legroom main cabin seating – on transatlantic flights effective for travel January 22 and beyond. That includes all its flights from North America to Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Delta started selling Comfort+ seating two years ago for travel within North America, and by earlier this year had expanded it to Asia/Pacific and Latin America/Caribbean flights. (Nice for those who buy it, but less nice for those hoping to get comp upgrades.)
Meanwhile, Delta this week put its first new Airbus A350 into commercial service on its Detroit-Tokyo Narita route. The new plane features a new Delta One front cabin with lie-flat seats in private suites, as well as the airline’s new international premium economy cabin called Premium Select, which is being installed in Delta’s A350s instead of Comfort+ seating. As of this week, Delta is now using the 747 on a single route, Seoul-Detroit and that is only through December 17 when it will be replaced by a shiny new Airbus A350.
American will use a 787-8 on its new LAX-Beijing route. (Image: American)
After months of negotiations with Chinese officials to secure commercially viable slot times, American Airlines is finally due to kick off its newest route to China in a few days. November 5 is the launch date for American’s daily flights from Los Angeles to Beijing, which it will initially operate with a 787-8, switching to a 787-9 next spring. Delta had also filed for the route, but lost out when the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the rights to American in December of last year.
Air France said it will step in and replace joint venture and Skyteam partner Delta this winter on the Chicago O’Hare-Paris CDG route. Air France will use an Airbus A330 to fly the route up to five times a week.
Air Canada has foiled plans for a schedule increase this winter on its Vancouver-Delhi route. The carrier will increase frequencies on the route from five a week to daily service effective December 9 through at least December 23. Air Canada uses a 787-9 on the route.
Over the past weekend, Pakistan International Airlines ended its service between Karachi/Lahore and New York JFK, which it had been serving with a 777-200LR via a westbound stop in Manchester, U.K. PIA had been flying to New York since 1961.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: Air Canada, Air France, American Airlines, Auckland, Beijing, Chicago, comfort, Delhi, Delta, Detroit, Europe. A350, Karachi, Los Angeles, New York JFK, Pakistan International, Paris, San francisco, Singapore, Tokyo Narita, transatlantic, United Airlines, Vancouver
How to earn airline miles riding Ford GoBikes
Bikers in the Bay Area can earn Alaska Mileage Plan miles. (Image: Ford GoBike)
Whether you are visiting the Bay Area, or live there, you can now earn airline miles while pedaling around.
How? Well, Ford GoBike, the new Bay Area bike-sharing program, has teamed up with Alaska Airlines. Mileage Plan members earn 10 miles for each ride anywhere in the Bay Area. It’s not a huge bonus, but hey, you are getting outside, getting healthy and seeing the city in a new way, right? Plus, if you are a heavy user, it can add up, right?
Those who use the Ford GoBike program can pick up a bicycle at any station and return it to any other station. The program’s app, available at Apple’s App Store or Google Play, provides real-time bike availability information for any station.
Participants can simply link the app to their Mileage Plan account to start earning the miles. Alaska is a founding partner in the Ford GoBike program.
Image: Ford GoBike
In addition to its 240 bike-sharing stations in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville, Ford GoBike recently made its debut in San Jose with 34 bike stations. Another nine will be installed in San Jose soon, and 21 more have been proposed pending community review.
Ford GoBike offers different membership and usage options, including $3 for a single trip, $9.95 for a day pass, and $149 for an annual membership.
When completed in 2018, the 7,000-bike, 546-station Ford GoBike network will be the second-largest bike share system in North America after Mexico City’s Ecobici program.
Have you given a bike sharing program anywhere in the world a try yet? Where? How was it? Please leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines, Ground Tagged With: Alaska Airlines, Bay Area, bike sharing, Ford GoBike, Mileage Plan, miles, San francisco, San Jose
Popular: Hawaii now $305 roundtrip + New deck for SFO + Slow exit for 747 + “Real” premium economy
View from the recently refurbed Ali’i Tower at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu. (Photo Chris McGinnis)
Before we get to this week’s top 10 (below), we need to let you know about a fare sale happening right now. How about Hawaii for just $305? It’s in there!
United’s been on a tear this week with tons of low fares for winter trips from the Bay Area- we can barely keep up! First it was Hawaii at $325, then South Florida for $251, then SFO-Boston for just $197 or in basic economy, $228 regular (even during peak summer) and now SFO-HNL or Maui (OGG) are back and even lower at $299-$305- and these fares are good November thru May and then again in August and September. (UPDATE: The cheap Hawaii fares appear to have flown away on Monday morning Oct 30)
The there’s SFO-Chicago ORD on United, America and Virgin for $165 (basic)-$205 now thru end of Feb. And there’s even more: SFO-LAX for just $73 roundtrip in basic economy (doable on such a short route), $110 in regular. Yep, and it’s good for trips late November through end of February. Grab ’em while they are hot! All fares found on Google Flights & United.com and subject to change.
We found roundtrips between SFO and Maui or Honolulu in January for just $305 (Image: United website)
1 Sneak sale: Hawaii $325 roundtrip from 5 west coast cities
2 “Fond farewell to our 747”- a tearjerker video from United
3 More great outdoors! Another outdoor observation deck for San Francisco International
4 Yuck United squeezes more seats into long-haul 777-200s
5 Great comments! Thanks, folks! Are TSA’s new “automated” security checkpoints really better?
6 American adds more premium economy seats- will United follow?
Chris’s head nicks the slick ceilings inside JetSuite’s Embraer jets where overhead bins are removed – seats configured 1-2 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
7 Routes: JetSuiteX in California + JetBlue cuts + New Sun Country model + more
8 Prepare for more security scrutiny at overseas airports
9 Deal! Bay Area to Miami, Ft Lauderdale, Orlando just $251 for winter trips
10 No more Starwood credits for Uber rides
Don’t miss! Winter vacation in a warm place? IHG Rewards PointBreaks for award stays now through end of January at IHG properties around the world.
Chris checked out San Francisco’s newest hotel last week- and was very impressed. The Proper Hotel is one of many new hotels opening (or soon to be opening) in the “urban pioneering” strip of Market Street near City Hall. Definitely worth a look! Follow Chris on Instagram for more photos.
Super swank bunk rooms at brand new (and nice!) Proper Hotel in SF $250/night #hotels #sf #travel #dreamforce
A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on Oct 28, 2017 at 8:36am PDT
The New York Times is looking for someone with good TravelSkills. Could that be you?
United award price hike starts November 1
Oracle’s Larry Ellison buying Lake Tahoe resort
United’s final international 747 flight arrives in San Francisco on Sunday, Oct 29.
#UA892, @united’s final regularly scheduled 747 service is about an hour from touchdown at @flySFO. #UA747Farewell
📡 https://t.co/VuEJoC1erg pic.twitter.com/MWuWndexyM
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) October 29, 2017
United chopped up an old 747 and is selling off the pieces to the highest bidders
Singapore Air adds more Dreamliner 787s and B777s for $14 billion
Good: Stockton Airport can’t call itself San Francisco-Stockton after all
Who is Luc Bondar, United’s New VP of Loyalty?
United app now issuing partner airline boarding passes
Branson’s Virgin Hotels plans a Washington D.C. location
China expected to surpass U.S. in five years as world’s largest air travel market
Would you use a hammock headrest?
Delta will add a thousand new flight attendants next year
British Airways offers double Avios points through year’s end
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports, Deals, SFO, Weekend Edition Tagged With: Chris McGinnis, deals, fare sale, Hawaii, Honolulu, United
Reader Report: Final 747 flight from London
Looking out at a graceful 747 wing & Greenland from the cozy bubble of a United 747 (Chris McGinnis)
As United’s 747s sail off into the sunset of a well-deserved retirement, stories of final flights are starting to pour in from readers. Here’s a heartfelt report from TravelSkills reader J.K. who was on the final 747 flight from London to San Francisco this week:
I was on the last United 747 out of London yesterday up on top in the bubble. Wonderful flight- I will especially miss the nimble handling of the plane when in flight.
United final LHR-SFO flew over the northern end of Greenland (Image: JK)
We took an unusual path across Greenland about halfway up the island from the south. As you probably know, the typical route is across the southern tip of Greenland. At any rate, on this trip, the clouds parted for a bit so we could peer down at the east coast of Greenland– the flight attendant woke me up to see the sight. There was much more snow and ice than I’ve seen flying over the southern tip.
The clouds parted for a nice clear look at Greenland on United’s final London-SFO 747 flight (Photo: JK)
As we descended into the Bay Area, the path was from the north and directly over the Peninsula. The plane had to take a tight right turn towards the ocean to line up for the typical flight path along the shore of the San Francisco Bay on the east side of the Peninsula. It felt like a small regional jet when it made its turn. It was beautiful.
You could tell that the crew was very excited to be part of this flight. It was a SFO based crew and they mentioned the passing of an era on the PA a few times. United prepared special commemorative amenity kits with “747” embroidered on the socks and printed on the eye shades.
Commemorative 747 socks on final United 747 flight LHR-SFO (Photo: JK)
At the end of the flight, the flight attendant mentioned that one of the passengers on the bubble deck had proposed to his wife there many years ago– the lucky guy got a cockpit tour as everyone else was disembarking.
Special 747 amenity kits on this final flight from London (Photo: JK)
All in all, a low key but memorable flight. I will miss the 747. There is nothing like climbing a flight of steps inside the plane to know that you are on a special ship.
The 👑 of the skies received the royal celebration today @HeathrowAirport as she made her final journey over the pond #UA747Farewell pic.twitter.com/MjQQpEsuyt
— United (@united) October 28, 2017
Tell us about your final 747 flight! We might post it as a reader report! What will you miss most about this beautiful bird?
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports, Readers Report, SFO, Trip Reports Tagged With: #UA747farewell, 747, Greenland, London, San francisco, United
Deal! Bay Area to Miami, Ft Lauderdale, Orlando just $251 for winter trips
South Florida is one of the most popular fall & winter travel destinations- and fares are CHEAP (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Fares are tumbling to warm weather destinations this winter from California! If you could not take advantage of the rare fare sale to Hawaii this week, then you may want to consider a flight in the other direction– to Miami, Ft Lauderdale or Orlando. Or perhaps Floridians are looking for a nice escape to the West Coast?
American, Virgin America, JetBlue and United are all offering some remarkably low fares between the Bay Area and South Florida– as low as $251-$267 round trip! That’s an especially good deal considering you’ll be flying during the the Bay Area’s cold, wet months of January and February. These super low fares are also available in November and early December, but do not include peak holiday weeks. Sacramento is included in this sale, with one stop flights to FL. San Jose is in there, too, at $234 round trip to Orlando.
Even better, most of these ultra-low fares are not those irritating “Basic Economy” fares– they fare regular economy fares with all the benefits that come with that. Frontier is also in this sale, with insanely low fares, too, with fares as low as $152 round trip, but with lots of extra fees. See fee menu
It’s very rare to see fares under $300 for transcon flights— and this one is a whopper at about 2,500 miles in each direction.
Click here to see an example of Google Flights search for a mid January trip between SFO and Miami and Ft Lauderdale.
Check out these great deals on fall winter flights to Fort Lauderdale or Miami from SFO (Image: Google Flights)
As always during the slower fall and winter months, it’s important to act fast on these un-publicized sales. If you see a fare that works for you, grab it because it likely will not last.
NOTE: These fares were available on Thursday Oct 26 and subject to change. We found them on Google Flights, but they are also available on airline websites.
What’s a “good” deal to you when it comes to Florida-California flights? What’s the least you’ve ever paid to fly between the two coasts? Please leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines, Deals, SFO Tagged With: deal, deals, fare war, Florida, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, Sacramento, San Jose, SFO, SJC, SMF, winter
Routes: JetSuiteX in California + JetBlue cuts + New Sun Country model + more
JetSuiteX will add another California Corridor route next month. (Image: JetSuite)
In domestic route news, JetSuiteX adds service in another California Corridor market; JetBlue grows at Boston but cuts back flights to a key Caribbean destination; Alaska Airlines adds service at Albuquerque but reduces it at Portland; Sun Country unveils details of its new low-cost business model; and United will add a spoke at its Denver hub.
Niche carrier JetSuiteX plans to jump into another intra-California market in mid-November when it starts flying between Oakland and Burbank, using private terminals at both airports. The company – which operates public charter flights using 30-passenger E135 jets – said that it will offer three roundtrips every day except Saturday, with one-way fares starting at $129 (including up to two pieces of baggage). Last month, JetSuiteX kicked off new service between Burbank and San Jose with 12 flights a week. The company said its flights offer free drinks and snacks, wi-fi, business class-equivalent legroom, and minimal waiting time at the airport because it uses private terminals. JetSuiteX’s Oakland terminal is located at 9351 Earhart Road, Oakland, CA 94621
Did you know that JetSuite is partially owned by JetBlue? Read our post about that here.
Flying over San Juan’s Condado neighborhood; JetBlue is slashing service to SJU. (Chris McGinnis)
JetBlue will add its 65th non-stop destination from Boston Logan next spring when it begins service to Minneapolis-St. Paul. It will operate three daily roundtrips in the market starting May 3, and is currently offering fares starting at $89 each way. It noted that MSP is the biggest domestic market not currently served by JetBlue. (It’s also the second big Delta hub JetBlue has infiltrated this year.) In other news, JetBlue is planning a big reduction in service to Puerto Rico due to damage on the island from two major hurricanes. San Juan is a big piece of JetBlue’s network, accounting for about 6 percent of its total capacity. But the carrier said it expects to cut capacity to San Juan by 33 percent, a reduction that will likely last through the end of 2018. The extensive hurricane damage and the resulting publicity mean that leisure travel to Puerto Rico is unlikely to recover for many months. By this year’s December holidays, JetBlue plans to shift a lot of that capacity to other Caribbean islands, but it hasn’t yet said which ones.
Alaska Airlines has launched new daily service from San Diego to Albuquerque as part of its continuing West Coast expansion. The carrier is using three-class, 76-seat E175s operated by its Horizon Air unit. At the same time, Alaska has added a second daily Albuquerque-Seattle non-stop. At Portland, meanwhile, Alaska is converting two routes from year-round service to seasonal: it will suspend Portland-Kansas City flights from December 1 to March 10, and will eliminate Portland-St. Louis service from November 28 through March 10.
As it converts its business model to that of an ultra-low-cost carrier, Twin Cities-based Sun Country Airlines has come out with details of new fares and fees, which are effective now for travel beginning January 19. The airline’s new product is called Bundle & Go pricing; the lowest fare level, called Grab & Go, allows travelers to carry on one personal item to stow under the seat, but no carry-ons (stowed in the overhead bin) or checked bags. The next level up, Check & Go for an extra $20, provides for one personal item and one checked bag, but no carry-ons. Store & Go fares, for an extra $30, include one personal item and your choice of one checked bag or one carry-on. Only first class fares are all-inclusive, providing for a personal item, a carry-on and two checked bags.
Got business in Scottsbluff, Nebraska? You can’t fly to its Western Nebraska Regional Airport right now, but the facility will regain airline service on February 1 when SkyWest is due to start flying there from Denver with 12 flights a week. SkyWest, which will operate under the United Express banner, recently won a federal Essential Air Services contract for the route.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: Alaska Airlines, Albuquerque, Boston, Burbank, carry-ons, Denver, fees, JetBlue, JetSuiteX, Kansas City, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Oakland, Portland, pricing, San Diego, San Jose, San Juan, Scottsbluff, Seattle, SkyWest, St. Louis, Sun Country Airlines, United Express
Are TSA’s new “automated” security checkpoints really better?
Screening lane like this one have rolled out in airports across the country. Are they better? (Image: United)
We’ve been getting a lot of pitches from airlines and the TSA bragging about the new “automated” security checkpoints popping up at airports across the country since last year. You know, the ones with the conveyor belts that deliver bins underneath a steel counter. Some refer to them as “smart lanes.”
In theory they should work well, but in practice, it sounds like it might be another story. We’ve heard from many readers (and friends) who question whether or not the automated lanes are an actual improvement.
Here’s one email from TravelSkills reader FF:
Chris, do you have any opinion on the new Delta initiated TSA “automated” checkpoints in ATL? In my experience (I go thru 2x / week), they are an unmitigated disaster. Even the TSA agents are disgusted with it.
I was told by an agent a few weeks ago, it was a UK-devised system (RED FLAG!!) that was being pushed by Delta. He also said that it required two extra agents per line to facilitate getting the passengers through due to the confusion/awkwardness created by the system. I heard another agent on Monday night saying that it takes so much longer than the old way.
In the past, I would ask an agent when the TSA was going to phase out the boondoggle, but I noticed a couple of weeks ago that the system is now being installed at MSP. I told an agent there to get ready, because it was a real cluster**** and she said she’d heard the same from several passengers. I wonder if Delta even beta tested it before rolling out?
Here’s a video United created to help roll out the new lanes at Newark Liberty airport.
The idea for the new lanes is that the TSA can process multiple people at one time. It’s designed so that experienced, streamlined passengers can easily get around slower passengers by just walking up to another slot. But it does not always work that way. From what I’ve seen, people feel like they are “breaking” in line if they choose a slot closer to the screening machine. So they wait. And then the TSA agent overseeing the operation shouts at them to go ahead and take the empty lane.
The lanes most recently went into operation at Minneapolis St Paul airport, and the TSA sent out a press release extolling the following virtues:
The automated screening lanes offer several new features designed to improve the screening process for travelers going through the security checkpoint including:
Stainless steel countertops designed specifically to enable several passengers to place their items in bins simultaneously;
Automated conveyor belts that move bins into the X-ray machine tunnel and return the bins to the front of the security checkpoint;
Automatic diversion of any carry-on bag that may contain a prohibited item; this diversion to a separate location allows other bins containing other travelers’ belongings to continue through the screening process uninterrupted;
Bins that are 25 percent larger than a typical bin and are able to hold a roll-aboard bag;
Unique Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags that are attached to each bin, allowing for additional accountability of a traveler’s carry-on property as they move throughout the security screening process;
Cameras that capture photographic images of the contents of each bin and are linked side-by-side to the X-ray image of a carry-on bag’s contents.
It sounds good in theory, but in practice, we are not so sure.
So the question is…is this just a learning curve thing, or a failure in design? What do you think? Please leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports, Technology, TSA/security Tagged With: airports, automated, checkpoints, PreCheck, security, TSA
Prepare for more security scrutiny at overseas airports
U.S.-bound travelers from international airports like Munich are facing new security hassles. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Remember back in June how the U.S. Department of Homeland Security abandoned its plan to ban laptops from aircraft cabins and instead agreed to settle for more thorough passenger screening? DHS gave foreign governments and airlines 120 days to implement stricter procedures, and that time is now up (thankfully after the peak summer season is over).
So starting this week, travelers bound for the U.S. from foreign countries can expect to see ramped-up security checks at the airport – changes that could mean longer lines, delayed departures and the need to get to the airport earlier than before.
Based on various reports that checked with a number of airlines, it looks like the tougher methods will generally involve personal interviews at check-in or filling out a new form prior to boarding.
Cathay Pacific travelers to the U.S. can no longer check in luggage downtown when taking the train to airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reports that Cathay Pacific will no longer allow U.S.-bound passengers to check in their luggage at downtown locations in Hong Kong and Kowloon; instead, they must do so at the airport. And it said that all airlines with flights from Hong Kong to the U.S. are telling passengers to get to the airport three hours before their scheduled departure to go through new security measures. The newspaper also said Singapore Airlines is warning travelers to expect a new security interview and possible inspection of their electronic devices.
In addition to Cathay Pacific, the Associated Press reports that Lufthansa, Air France, Emirates and Egypt Air all said they will implement security interviews of passengers on flights to the U.S., or require them to fill out new forms before departure. Emirates said that even transit and connecting passengers passing through Dubai’s airport would face new screening interviews at their boarding gates. And Egyptair told AP that passengers will also face more thorough searches of themselves and their carry-ons during security screening.
Every day, the tougher rules will affect about 325,000 travelers coming to the U.S. on 2,000 flights from 105 countries, according to Reuters . It quoted Alexandre de Juniac, head of the International Air Transport Association, as saying that the U.S. decision to impose “unilateral measures…without any prior consultation” was something IATA found to be “very concerning and disturbing.”
New TSA screening rules have also started in U.S. airports. (Chris McGinnis)
In the U.S., meanwhile, TSA in recent weeks has expanded to many more airports the new carry-on bag screening procedures that it announced a while back. “The new procedures require travelers to place all electronics larger than a cell phone in bins for X-ray screening when going through the security checkpoint,” TSA said. “The electronics should be placed in a bin with nothing on top or below, similar to how laptops have been screened for several years.” Thankfully the rules don’t apply to those passengers in PreCheck lines…yet.
In an unrelated development, TSA this week added five more airlines as participants in its PreCheck program, allowing passengers on those carriers to use the expedited PreCheck screening lanes. They include Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, All Nippon Airways, Finnair, and Contour Aviation, a Tennessee-based charter company. Here’s an updated list of all participating carriers.
Filed Under: Airlines, TSA/security Tagged With: airlines, airports, delays, Department of Homeland Security, foreign, forms, interviews, Lines, PreCheck, screening, security, TSA
American adds more premium economy seats- will United follow?
American’s premium economy cabin on its 787-9s has 2-3-2 seating. (Image: American)
As American Airlines brings more new 787-9s to its long-haul fleet, it is making its international premium economy cabin available on additional routes – starting with Australia and New Zealand.
American’s new 787-9s are being delivered with premium economy seating already installed. The airline is also busy at work putting the new middle cabin into its 47 777-200s, a job that should be finished by next March; and its A330-200s, expected to be finished by this December. AA’s 20 777-300ERs should have the extra cabin by June of 2018, and its 787-8s will also get the refit next year.
It’s too early to say when those other wide-body models with new premium economy seating will start flying in specific markets (with a few exceptions – see below), but when a 787-9 is scheduled to start on a route, the new middle cabin automatically comes with it. American’s 787-9s also feature a business class with 30 new lie-flat seats, all with direct aisle access.
On November 8, American is due to introduce the premium economy option on its Los Angeles-Sydney flights when it replaces the 777-300ER on that route with a 787-9.
And this month—after a two-month hiatus on the route – American started flying a 787-9 on its daily Los Angeles-Auckland service, replacing a 787-8. (American has decided to convert LAX-Auckland into a seasonal route, operating only from October through March.)
Amenities that come with an AA premium economy seat. (Image: American)
American introduced the premium economy-equipped 787-9s out of its Dallas/Ft. Worth hub last fall and winter, putting it on routes to Sao Paulo, Madrid, Paris and Seoul.
On November 5, American is due to inaugurate its long-awaited Los Angeles-Beijing daily service with a 787-8. But according to Routesonline.com, American has plans to replace that aircraft on March 25 of next year with a 787-9, offering premium economy seating in the market.
American is expected to put the 787-9 into service early next year on a pair of Japan routes — Los Angeles-Tokyo Haneda and LAX-Tokyo Narita — both beginning January 8. They will replace 777-200ERs on those routes.
Looking at American’s recent schedule filings, we can see 787-9s scheduled to begin flying between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Shanghai Pudong on March 4, replacing a 787-8; and LAX-Shanghai Pudong starting March 25, also replacing a 787-8.
The schedule filings also show AA taking the 787-9 off its DFW-Paris and DFW-Madrid routes starting March 25, replacing them with 777-200ERs. However, those 777s are listed as three-class aircraft, so they presumably have the premium economy option. The schedule also shows a three-class 777-200ER replacing a 777-300ER on AA’s DFW-London Heathrow route starting March 25.
Although it is reconfiguring its wide-bodies with premium economy seating, American is planning to keep offering a Main Cabin Extra option as well – i.e., its extra-legroom seating in the economy cabin. While Main Cabin Extra provides up to six inches of extra seat pitch, AA’s premium economy product will offer slightly more – 38 inches, along with extendable foot, leg and head rests; larger touch-screens; and additional services and amenities including one checked bag free. Seating is in a 2-3-2 layout on the 787-9s.
Delta’s premium economy cabin will debut on its A350s. (Image: Delta)
Delta is also introducing a new international premium economy seating option, called Premium Select, as it puts its new Airbus A350s into service. The first one starts flying next week (October 30) on Delta’s Detroit-Tokyo Narita route. Last week, we detailed other Delta routes that will have new A350 service coming in the weeks and months ahead.
All this of course leads us to the question of when or if United is going to follow American and Delta down the path to real premium economy. Right now it sounds like they are not ruling it out– when we asked directly about this, a spokesperson said, “At this time we do not have details to share regarding Premium Economy. We’re always looking at ways to improve the customer experience and the choices we offer our customers for their travels with United.”
Have you or will you try the new American versions of Premium economy? Will United add one, too? Leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: 777-200, 787-9, American Airlines, Auckland, Beijing, Delta, Los Angeles, Premium Economy, Premium Select, Shanghai, Sydney, Tokyo
Sneak sale: Hawaii $325 roundtrip from 5 west coast cities
Fares to Hawaii take a dip. Need to act fast, though. Kauai pictured here. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
UPDATE! United’s been on a tear this week with tons of low fares for winter trips from the Bay Area- we can barely keep up! First it was Hawaii at $325, then South Florida for $251, then SFO-Boston for just $197 in basic economy, $228 regular (even during peak summer) and now SFO-HNL or Maui (OGG) are back and even lower at $299-$305- and these fares are good November thru May and then again in August and September. And there’s even more: How about SFO-LAX for just $73 roundtrip in basic economy, $110 in regular. Yep, and it’s good for trips late November through end of February. Grab ’em while they are hot! All fares found on Google Flights & United.com and subject to change.
>>Here’s the original post from last week.
Whenever we see fares to Hawaii from the west coast dip below $400, we jump. Over the last year it has been rare to see anything below $399. That changed this week when roundtrip fares dipped quietly closer to $300.
The airlines are not making a big deal about this, but we are!
Today we are seeing some very nice deals for winter travel to the islands– most at around $325 round trip between the Bay Area, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, Seattle and Honolulu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii. (This applies to both nonstop and one stop flights.) Interestingly, this does not apply (yet) to flights from LAX where fares remain above the $400 mark, but not by much, at around $410.
UPDATE #2: As of 3 pm on Oct 24, these fares are already drifting higher– most $325 fares are now closer to $350.
UPDATE #3: We are now finding flights available for deep peak summer for just $325-$345, mostly SFO-HNL in late August and early September
UPDATE #4: Weds Oct 25 7 am– the lowest roundtrip fares are now in the $375 range- not $325 any more, but still a good deal for winter trips to Hawaii. Most remaining discounts appear to be on flights to Maui (OGG).
Update #5: Weds 5 pm This sale appears to be slowing down however we are still finding SFO-Honolulu or Maui on Virgin America for $345 Nov-May and also in late August. That’s a very good deal.
Fares for mid-Late November between SFO and Hawaiian Islands (Google Flights)
What’s even better about this is a nice big window for travel– it starts in November and goes all the way to May. Of course this does not include the Christmas/New Year’s holiday period, but it does include spring break months of March and April (excluding the week before Easter). First class fares from the west coast are at about $1,000 roundtrip.
As of today, its mostly United and Hawaiian that are offering the low fares, but keep an eye out for matches from Alaska Air and Virgin America.
As of this morning (Tues Oct 24) we have found the following deals on Google Flights and as always clicked thru to airline sites to confirm:
San Francisco or San Jose to Maui: $325
San Francisco to Honolulu or Kauai: $333
San Diego to Honolulu, Maui or Kauai $338
Sacramento to Honolulu or Maui: $366 (one stop in SFO)
Seattle-Honolulu $348 (one stop in LAX)
Portland to Honolulu $333 (one stop)
San Francisco to Maui nonstop for just $325 in February is a great deal. Go grab it! (Google Flights)
Right now it appears that United is leading this sale with the most sale fares. Keep in mind that this could change rapidly– the airlines might just be “testing the waters” to see how low they must go to stimulate demand.
What’s a “good” deal to you when it comes to Hawaii? What’s the least you’ve ever paid to fly there? Please leave your comments below.
Get that $325 roundtrip fare nearly every day in cold dark Jan and Feb and get to paradise! (Google Flights)
Filed Under: Airlines, Deals Tagged With: airlines, California, deals, Denver, fare deal, fare war, Hawaii, San Diego, San francisco, Seattle
United squeezes more seats into long-haul 777-200s
10-abreast on United’s new B777-300ER — coming next to 777-200s. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
As United continues to retrofit its existing long-haul fleet with the carrier’s new lie-flat Polaris business class seating, its first overhauled 777-200 is due to start flying sometime this winter. And while front-cabin flyers might appreciate the Polaris refit, with direct aisle access at every seat, main cabin travelers will find a change they might not like: 10-across seating instead of nine.
News reports in Flightglobal.com and in the Los Angeles Times say that United plans to configure its long-haul 777-200s with 50 Polaris seats and 242 economy seats – about two dozen more economy seats than the aircraft currently have, depending on the specific model.
A window seat in United’s new Polaris cabin on B777-300ER (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
By going from nine seats to 10-across in coach, United will be bringing its 777-200s to the same standard as its new 777-300ERs, in which it introduced its new Polaris cabin earlier this year. While United now refers to all its business class cabins as Polaris, as of last month only 15 planes had the new lie-flat, angled seats in the front cabin – 14 new 777-300ERs and one retrofitted 767-300.
United’s total long-haul fleet includes some 200 aircraft. The first retrofitted 767-300 recently went into service on the Newark-London Heathrow route, and United expects to have 14 overhauled 767s in service by the end of next year. Most of the new 777-300ERs in service are on transpacific routes.
Unlike the larger 777s, the refitted 767-300s will still have seven-across economy seating after the retrofit. Some 90 United 777-200s are due to get the 10-across seating overhaul in the next few years, and on the plus side, they will reportedly preserve their existing seat pitch in the main cabin – 31 inches for regular economy seats and 34 for Economy Plus.
Economy Plus on United’s B777-300ER has 34 inches of pitch (Chris McGinnis)
United already has 10-across seating in some 777s that are used mainly on domestic routes (those planes are not getting the new Polaris front cabin). In recent years, many of the world’s airlines have been shifting their 777 configurations from nine-across to 10 across.
There was no immediate word on how the new layout would affect seat width on the United 777-200s. According to Seatguru.com, United’s higher-density domestic 777-200s have 10-across coach seats that are 17.1 inches wide, vs. 18 or 18.3 inches on its nine-across international 777-200s. Its new 777-300ERs have 10-across seats that are 17 inches wide, so it’s probably a safe bet that the economy seats on the reconfigured 777-200s will also be 17 inches wide.
Filed Under: Airlines Tagged With: 10-across, 767-300s, 777-200s, 777-300ERs, business class, economy, pitch, Polaris, refitted, seating, United, width
Popular: 747 Tears + Delta’s new jet + United burger + Dreamliner + Madrid nonstop
Nostalgia for the 747 is booming as the Queen’s retirement nears. United flight attendant wearing a maxi-skirt in the 747 upper deck lounge (Image: United)
2 Delta unveils new seats on new Airbus A350 & sets routes
3 Passport needed for domestic travel? Come on!
4 United bags a new cheeseburger for $10
United’s new smoked gouda cheeseburger from seat 7A (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
5 Routes: Aeromexico at SJC, Southwest, Air New Zealand, BA, United, AA, Etihad + more
6 Qantas unwraps its Dreamliner, coming to LAX soon (photos)
7 Iberia adds San Francisco – Madrid nonstops
As we boarded this sleek Embraer plane, you could look east and see the San Jose International terminal across the runways (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
8 New Hotels: Hilton LAX, Nikko SF, Mondrian NYC, Marriott Denver, Ritz Chicago, Hilton DC
9 Shocking bomb simulation at Singapore Changi Airport [VIDEO]
10 The newest Embraer jet you may never fly on
Don’t miss: Kimpton Karma and IHG Rewards finally hook up
Rooftop pool deck at Kimpton’s Hotel Wilshire in Los Angeles (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Former United CEO selling his Trump Tower condo
United Clubs doing away with paper passes
Did you hear about this attempt to bomb Asheville Airport?
Apple iOS 11 adding more indoor airport maps
Here’s a first look a Beijing’s gorgeous, largest airport in the world
Will rising jet fuel costs lead to higher fares? Not for a while
More debate on how “Southwest effect” will change Hawaii market
Moving photos from behind the scenes at Virgin America
As with the 747, nostalgia for Virgin America is building as the airline approaches extinction (Photo: Virgin America)
Baller! Former GE CEO Immelt reportedly used TWO corporate jets on some trips
JetBlue revises boarding procedure
FAA wants airlines worldwide to ban electronic devices from checked luggage
Singapore Airlines expected to order 39 Boeing wide-bodies for $13 billion
JetBlue stops selling tickets through several online travel agencies
Delta offers meal pre-selection for international Delta One passengers
After Brexit, EU passenger protection rules will no longer apply for U.K. flights
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports, Hotels, SFO, Weekend Edition Tagged With: 747, A350, Delta, Embraer, IHG, Kimpton, QANTAS, SFO, United
Airport news: United lounges, LaGuardia, Boston, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, DFW
United is testing food upgrades at its lounges, like a lobster roll at Boston. (Image: United)
In airport news, United is testing enhanced food service at four of its airport lounges; Delta, American and JetBlue are moving operations at New York LaGuardia; shared-use lounges expand at Boston Logan and move at Pittsburgh; Cleveland makes bag checking easier; and automated TSA lanes come to Dallas/Ft. Worth.
Forbes reports that United Airlines has started market-testing a big upgrade to the food service at a handful of its United Club airport lounges. The testing is going on in United Clubs at Boston, Orlando, Las Vegas and Houston Bush Intercontinental, Forbes said. Besides introducing regional favorites like New England lobster rolls and Boston cream pies at Logan, the airline is adding new hot breakfast items, soups, salads and a “Mediterranean board,” the article reported.
LaGuardia’s Marine Air Terminal is a short ride from the Central Terminal. (Image: LaGuardia Airport)
With all that construction going on during the massive rehabilitation of New York LaGuardia’s passenger terminals, Delta, American and JetBlue are shifting their operations there. Delta said that as of December 9, it is taking its Delta Shuttle flights to Chicago and Washington out of the Marine Air Terminal and moving them to Terminal C, where its LGA-Boston shuttles already operate. American said that by December 9, it will consolidate its LGA operations in Terminal B (the Central Terminal). “Since December 2013, (American’s) flights have been split between Terminals B and C. This consolidated operation means all customers will check in at Terminal B and American will operate flights from each of the terminal’s four concourses,” a spokesman said.
JetBlue, meanwhile, has decided to pull up stakes and move from the Central Terminal to the airport’s historic Marine Air Terminal. The art deco terminal opened in 1940, and during its history it has served as a seaplane terminal, a base for Northeast Corridor shuttle flights, and a facility for private jets. JetBlue has several flights a day between LGA and Boston, as well as non-stop service from LGA to Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, Fla. The airline said it should be in place at the new facility before the holidays in December, occupying four gates there. Most of JetBlue’s New York flights are at JFK Airport.
Airport Lounge Development, which operates lounges open to any passenger on a fee basis, has some news at Boston Logan and at Pittsburgh. The company said its Boston Club in Terminal E has just finished an extensive expansion, and now occupies more than 3,500 square feet with seating for 82. It also added new restrooms and shower facilities, new furniture and an enhanced food menu. (Besides The Club in Terminal E, the company also operates The Lounge in Boston’s Terminal C.) At Pittsburgh, meanwhile, The Club has shifted from a temporary location on Concourse C to a permanent one, also on Concourse C just off the Center Core. The temporary site started accepting guests in June. Day passes at both clubs cost $40.
Airport Lounge Development now has 17 locations open to all on a day pass basis. (Image: Airport Lounge Development)
The struggle may soon end for many passengers at Cleveland Hopkins, who have been required to lug their checked luggage after check-in to a separate TSA bag screening drop-off location. The airport this week started live testing of a new in-line baggage screening system on the south end of the ticketing lobby that will eliminate that step for passengers of United, JetBlue, Southwest and Air Canada. Previously, only United had an in-line baggage system at CLE. “If all system testing is successfully completed by mid-November, the free-standing bag security screening machines on the south end of the ticketing level will be removed by the busy Thanksgiving holiday weekend,” the airport said.
The latest major airport to get some of those new automated TSA screening lanes is Dallas/Ft. Worth, which has added four of them at checkpoints in Terminals A and D (checkpoints A21 and D22). Up to five travelers at a time can load their belongings into bins; items needing extra screening are shunted off to a separate conveyor belt so they won’t slow things down, and empty bins are sent back to the start via a separate automated belt to free up TSA officers from carrying them. Bins are 25 percent larger than before, and RFID tags are on each bin, “matching travelers to their property as they move throughout the security screening process,” DFW said. Over time, DFW expects to install 10 of the automated checkpoint lanes throughout the airport.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: Airport Loounge Development, automated, baggage, Boston, Cleveland, clubs, Dallas/Ft. Worth, JetBlue, LaGuardia, lanes, Marine Air Terminal, menus, Pittsburgh, scanning, screening, TSA, United
The newest Embraer jet you may never fly
Chris McGinnis checking out the new Embraer Legacy 500 business jet at San Jose Airport
You probably know Embraer by its line of smaller so-called “regional” jets that typically fly short distances and feed into major airline hubs. These are the popular E175s and E195s that have displaced the cramped CRJs in the regional jet space.
But did you know Embraer is also in the business of building private or “business” jets for companies or high net worth individuals?
In October, the Brazilian aerospace company jetted its executives into Mineta San Jose Airport to show off its new private jet, the Legacy 500, which seats 8-12 passengers, and costs around $20 million. It’s considered a “midsize” private jet, falling between the smaller Phenom (which it also makes) and the better known larger models like Gulfstreams and Learjets. (Scroll down for slide show)
Built in Melbourne, Florida, the Legacy 500 is considered a “stand up” jet, which means it has a flat floor and passengers can stand up in the aisle- I could do that when onboard, but at 6 feet, my hair grazed the ceiling. The jet’s flight range is about 3,000 miles, which means it can make nonstop cross-country and Hawaii trips, but can’t cross oceans.
In addition to showing the Legacy 500 off to Silicon Valley tech companies (or their billionaire owners or investors) Embraer invited a few media types down for a look and a quick spin out over the Pacific Ocean at sunset.
Come along with me and take a peek at how the other half of business travelers live!
At SJC, business and private jets are handled on the west side of the runways. In this case, Embraer used Atlantic Aviation.
When flying private, the airport concourse looks like this- your car drops you off and you walk to your plane- no security, no hassles, muss or fuss. This is smooth as silk! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Inside the Atlantic Aviation Terminal on the west side of San Jose International, passengers and pilots walk through this well-appointed terminal, check in and then walk out to the tarmac. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
As we boarded the plane, you could look east and see the Mineta San Jose International terminals across the runways (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
This brand new $20 million plane’s curves and shine are hard to resist. I want one! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
There are plenty of luxury touches on this bird, like gorgeous wood veneer, leather and even lightweight marble floors in the galley area which I noticed as soon as we boarded (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Embraer design executive Jay Beever was onboard to show us around and explain how his masterpiece works (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Passengers can control cabin temperature, music and dim lights from an iPad (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
I walked to the back of the plane for a look at the semi-private lavatory, which includes this nice sink area on one side, and the loo on the other (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
The lavatory is separated from the cabin by a sliding door. A nice leather cover hides the toilet- if you did not lift it up, you’d think it was just another seat (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Here’s the toilet with the cover down. Note that it has a seatbelt, so it could serve as a passenger seat if needed (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Once we boarded and doors closed, we taxied for about two minutes and took off into the sunset over the Pacific Ocean. The G-force of the plane taking off felt exhilarating- and so quiet. Flying on this smooth and quiet jet felt “like buttah!” I could so easily get used to this!
Monitors at the front and rear of the cabin had a fantastic, frequently updated image of the plane’s position. It’s a spectacularly crisp and colorful show, almost as good as what you can see out the window! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Gorgeous view of the Pacific coastline of central California out the window during our 45 minute ride (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Editor Chris McGinnis enjoying his 45 minutes of feeling like a billionaire- Embraer served passengers Veuve Clicquot during the ride
Looking out Embraer’s trademark square windows reminded me of my many rides on its E175 or E195 regional jets (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
As we made our way back to SJC, I took a walk up to the cockpit for a chat with pilots– who clearly love flying this plane. On the Embraer, like the Airbus, there is no “yoke” or steering wheel. Pilots use small sticks– almost like video games– to guide the plane when autopilot is off.
Another benefit of flying private- the cockpit door is wide open and passengers can go take in the view. The Embraer 500 glass cockpit is gorgeous (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Looking out at the California Coast from the cockpit (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Note the small stick on the right which pilots used to guide the Embraer 500 versus the “yoke” you’ll find on Boeing jets (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Wow! What a ride. It was tough to leave this beautiful jet behind (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Once we deboarded our sleek little bird, we walked across the ramp to the Atlantic Aviation terminal, jumped in an Uber, and went home. What a way to fly! (Photo: Chris McGinnis
Have you ever been lucky enough to fly on a private or business jet? What do you think about the Embraer planes you’ve flown on? Please leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports, Technology, Trip Reports Tagged With: aviation, business jet, Embraer, Legacy, private jet, San Jose
Routes: Aeromexico at SJC, Southwest, Air New Zealand, BA, United, AA, Etihad + more
San Jose International welcomes a new 737 nonstop from Mexico City next summer. (Photo: SJC)
In recent international route developments, Aeromexico will add seasonal service at San Jose; Southwest drops plans for two Mexico markets; Air New Zealand brings a new aircraft to Houston; British Airways adds high-density 777 flights to Gatwick; United and Delta drop Europe flights while KLM adds one; American plans new code-shares to and within China; Etihad trims its Los Angeles schedule and terminates San Francisco service; and LATAM adds a Boston route.
Aeromexico, now a joint venture partner with Delta, plans to expand its presence at Mineta San Jose International next summer by offering seasonal flights to Mexico City. The carrier will use a 737-800 on the route, offering daily flights from June 1 through August 31. The southbound flight will depart SJC at 1:40 p.m. In July of this year, Aeromexico started service from San Jose to Guadalajara.
Speaking of Mexico City, Southwest Airlines has scaled back its plans to expand service to the Mexican capital. The Dallas Morning News reports that Southwest has changed its mind about adding new service to MEX from Los Angeles and Ft. Lauderdale next summer. The carrier has given up the slots at Mexico City that it had acquired for those routes, and DOT assigned them instead to VivaAerobus, a Mexican low-cost carrier. When Delta and Aeromexico won approval for their joint venture, they had to give up some slots at MEX, and Southwest picked up enough for four flights a day there, which it initially used to add two flights a day from Houston Hobby.
Premium economy seats on the new version of Air New Zealand’s 787-9.(Image: Air New Zealand)
The new Qantas 787-9 that starts flying from Melbourne to LAX in December won’t be the only new Dreamliner service from Down Under. Air New Zealand plans to deploy the newest version of its 787-9 on its two-year-old Auckland-Houston route in December. The Kiwi carrier also plans to boost frequencies on that route next year, from the current five weekly flights to six or seven from March 25 through October 27. The new Air New Zealand 787-9 increases capacity in the front of the plane, from 18 business class seats to 27 and from 21 premium economy seats to 33. The airline currently flies a 777-200 to Houston.
British Airways has been planning to introduce “high density” 777-200ERs on long-haul flights out of London Gatwick Airport, partly in response to low-cost interlopers like Norwegian, and its plans for those planes are starting to emerge. Unlike its existing 275-seat 777-200ERs, the new version will cram 336 seats into the planes, according to Routesonline.com – 32 in business class, 52 in premium economy and 252 in regular economy. BA plans to put the new version of the plane into service for one weekly flight between Orlando and Gatwick as of May 11, 2018, increasing to daily by October 6; one flight a week between Ft. Lauderdale and Gatwick starting September 13 of next year, increasing to three a week October 8; and daily service between New York JFK and Gatwick effective July 8 of next year.
Looking ahead to other transatlantic markets for 2018, United had been planning to offer seasonal service from Chicago O’Hare to Shannon, Ireland from late May through early September, but now it has canceled those plans. And Delta is giving up on its Newark-Amsterdam service – which operates four days a week this winter – as of March 23. However, Delta partner KLM will expand service between New York JFK and Amsterdam next year, adding a third flight six days a week effective March 26. In another development, Delta will code-share on daily A330-200 Alitalia flights from Rome to Delhi, India, effective October 29.
American’s customers will get access to new destinations on China Southern. (Image: China Southern)
American Airlines, which acquired a small equity stake in China Southern Airlines this year, is planning a substantial code-sharing program with that carrier, according to Air Transport World. It said AA has filed plans with the Transportation Department to put its AA code onto China Southern flights from San Francisco to Wuhan and to Guangzhou, as well as its New York JFK-Guangzhou service. The AA code would also go onto 14 China Southern routes from Beijing to other destinations in China. It didn’t say when the code-sharing is expected to begin. Last month, American moved its operations at Beijing’s airport from Terminal 3 to China Southern’s base at Terminal 2.
Etihad Airways plans to reduce its schedule between Los Angeles and Abu Dhabi this winter. From January 15 through April 30, it will trim frequencies from daily to four a week, switching aircraft on the route from a 777-200LR to a 777-300ER. (And don’t forget, as we reported last summer, Etihad will discontinue its San Francisco-Abu Dhabi service on October 29 after cutting it back earlier this year from daily frequencies to just three flights a week.)
To Latin America, LATAM has filed for regulatory approval to begin the first non-stop service between Boston and Sao Paulo, Brazil next summer, although a schedule and starting date haven’t yet been determined.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: 777-200ERs, 787-9, Abu Dhabi, Aeromexico, Air New Zealand, Alitalia, American Airlines, Amsterdam, Auckland, Boston, British Airways, Chicago, Choica Southern, code share, Delhi, Delta, Etihad, Ft. Lauderdale, Houston, KLM, LATAM, London Gatwick, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Neewark, New York JFK, Orlando, Rome, San francisco, San Jose, Sao Paulo, Shannon, southwest, United
United bags a new cheeseburger for $10
United’s new smoked gouda cheeseburger on a square bun should appeal to the hipster palate! (Image: United)
Remember when United rolled out its inflight cheeseburger for $12 last year? It quickly became an in-flight favorite with more than 2,000 served every day. Back then we reported that first class passengers were passing up their plated lunches and instead asking for the cheeseburger served in a brown paper bag from the back of the plane.
Based on that success, United food scientists went back to the drawing board to create a new cheeseburger that it will roll out starting November 1.
Here’s how United is describing the new square-bunned, smoky-tasting cheeseburger it will serve on domestic flights of more than 3.5 hours:
“It started with the great burger you like and we found a great, new bread by, Brooklyn-based Company, “Brooklyn Bred” (you’ll recognize some of their breads if you frequent Starbucks …) and we are partnering with Sir Kensington’s – on new condiments too. The new burger patty comes from the same place as the current one – it’s all beef! The cheese is Smoked Gouda, with condiments and Sir Kensington mustard, ketchup and mayo.
We tested 25-30 variations of the cheeseburger on flights and asked customers and flight attendants for feedback. Swiss and Smoked Gouda were the final two cheese choices and Smoked Gouda won unanimously in the feedback. Research was conducted inflight over the course of one month.”
Here’s another look at the burger from United’s fall bistro-on-board menu (Image: United)
United’s new Smoked Gouda Cheeseburger is $10 and with chips, it’s $12.00 (Image: United)
Were any TravelSkills readers on those taste-testing flights? If so, we’d like to hear from you. What did you think?
And if you are in downtown San Francisco today, THURSDAY (Oct 19), you can give the new Gouda burger a try yourself. Sir Kensington will have a food truck parked at 400 California Street (at Sansome) dishing out free burgers, fries and swag to celebrate its #BurgerOnBoard partnership with United. The truck will be downtown for 10:30 am and 1 pm, then it will head to SFO so passengers and United employees can bite into the burgers– and try out those fancy new condiments.
If you go, please take photos and sent them to us! We’ll post them here and on our social media stream.
Here’s the ingredient list for United’s new burger.
Fancy condiments? Ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard? Well, yes, according to this video from Sir Kensington’s, it’s almost artisanal. Mayonnaise is made from “certified humane free range eggs.” Ketchup comes from “fresh tomatoes, not concentrate. ”
Don’t miss our in-depth look at United’s original cheeseburger
Starting November 1, the new smoked gouda cheeseburger will replace the original one on US flights. However, the original, served on a pretzel bun, will remain on Canada-originating flights through next March.
Note that the new burger is almost 2 oz. smaller than old one — 5.95 oz. vs. 7.45– which appears to be a downgrade to those with healthy appetites. However, a spokesperson tells TravelSkills the the reduction in weight is due to the switch away from the dense pretzel roll to the lighter, thinner Brooklyn Bred bun. The weight of the meat and cheese remains the same, he said.
So give the burger a try and let us know what you think in the comments. And also let us know what you think about United’s current cheeseburger offering.
Filed Under: Airlines, SFO, Uncategorized Tagged With: #BurgerOnBoard, burger, cheeseburger, San francisco, Sir Kensington, United
Delta unveils new seats on new Airbus A350 & sets routes
Delta’s newest baby: The Airbus A350- easy to spot with those mod black framed cockpit windows (Photo: Airbus)
We’re getting close to the commercial launch of Delta’s first Airbus A350 wide-body, and the carrier has unveiled more of its route plans for the new aircraft – including its first Europe route. It has also introduced a brand new “real” premium economy seat.
As previously reported, the first Delta A350 route will be from Detroit to Tokyo Narita, starting October 30. The airline is focusing on its Detroit hub for the A350 rollout, with plans to begin flying the plane from DTW to Seoul Incheon on November 16, followed by DTW-Beijing flights as of January 17. (DTW is also the airport that will see the end of Delta’s Boeing 747 service later this year.)
Now Delta has announced two more routes for the A350. It will use the plane for one of its four daily Detroit-Amsterdam flights beginning March 31 of next year, followed by its introduction on Detroit-Shanghai service starting April 19. Atlanta-Seoul will get the A350 treatment starting March 24.
See the Seat Map for Delta’s new A350 here.
Delta’s A350s will debut its new Delta One business cabin. (Image:” Delta)
In addition to Delta’s new Delta One front cabin, which features innovative passenger “suites,” the aircraft will also debut the Delta Premium Select seating category – the airline’s new international premium economy product.
The new Premium Select (true premium economy) seats will be up to 19 inches wide, with pitch of up to 38 inches, up to seven inches of recline, and adjustable leg and head rests. Premium Select travelers will get noise-cancelling headphones, pre-departure drink service, upgraded meal service, free in-flight entertainment selections on a 13.3-inch screen, in-seat power ports, and Delta’s Sky Priority treatment (expedited check-in, baggage and security screening, and premium boarding).
Delta’s B777s are also slated to get the new Premium Select seats next year.
Delta’s new international premium economy seats will debut on the A350. (Image: delta)
As Delta’s long-haul aircraft get the new Premium Select seating, they will no longer offer Comfort+ extra-legroom economy seating. Only “preferred” economy seats will be available. This means it could be tougher for elites to get “good” economy seats on long haul flights.
In its Premium Select FAQs Delta offers these options for upgrading to the new Premium Select seats:
There will be three ways to upgrade into Delta Premium Select:
1. Purchase an upgrade with cash through delta.com or Reservations
2. Purchase an upgrade with miles through Reservations
3. Use a Global Upgrade Certificate, and if not cleared prior to check-in, monitor the airport standby list to see if your certificate clears. Global Upgrade Certificates are only available to Diamonds as a Choice Benefit option.
With customer anticipation running high for the new A350s, especially among SkyMiles elites, Delta posted a message on Flyertalk to ”clear up any confusion” about upgrades to the aircraft’s Delta One (business class) suites. “Diamond Medallion Members can use one Global Upgrade Certificate to upgrade directly to a Delta One suite from any cabin of service offered on the flight – including Main Cabin (excluding Basic Economy),” a Delta rep said.
Delta celebrated the A350 with a “media day” this week– check out the busy social media stream the event produced— plenty of great photos.
What do you think about Delta’s new plane? And new seats? Please leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: A350, Airbus, Amsterdam, Beijing, Delta, Delta One, Detroit, Premium Economy, Seoul Incheon, Shanghai, suites, Tokyo, wide body
Qantas unwraps its Dreamliner, coming to LAX soon (photos)
Qantas’ Dreamliners feature an updated kangaroo logo. (Image: Qantas)
It’s a little late to the Dreamliner game, but Qantas has just unveiled the interiors of the new Boeing 787-9s that are coming to its international fleet soon – including to the U.S.
In fact, the very first route for Qantas’ newest wide-body will be Melbourne to Los Angeles, beginning in December. The second will be a very long haul from Perth to London – the first non-stop service linking Australia with Europe — starting next March. (Currently fares on the LAX-Melbourne route are just $787 round trip— quite a good deal!)
Will the Qantas Dreamliner find its way to San Francisco next year? Qantas hasn’t said; it is currently flying a 747-400 on the SFO-Sydney route, while United already uses a 787-9 in that market. Qantas said it will have eight Dreamliners in its long-haul fleet by the end of next year, allowing it to retire five of its 747s. (Qantas currently uses A380s on its Los Angeles flights from Melbourne and Sydney.) Read what Qantas CEO told TravelSkills about SFO-SYD flights in an interview here.
Qantas plans to use the Dreamliner for its longest nonstop flight, Perth to London, starting next March.
The new Qantas 787-9. (Image: Qantas)
In any case, the Qantas 787-9s will offer “more space and a lower passenger count than most of its competitors,” the airline said. They will have large windows, improved cabin air quality, and “ride dampening technology to minimize the effects of turbulence,” Qantas said.
The Qantas 787-9s will have 42 business class seats configured 1-2-1; 28 in premium economy, with a 2-3-2 layout; and 166 in economy, configured 3-3-3 and offering 32-inch pitch.
That’s a total of 236 seats. A year ago, when Qantas first revealed its 787-9 seating plans, the publication Australian Business Traveler compared that to Qantas’ competitors, noting that Air New Zealand’s three-class 787-9s have 302 seats, while Air Canada’s have 298 and United’s have 252.
The 787-9s also come with Qantas’ new livery, which includes the fifth update of its traditional Flying Kangaroo logo.
Here’s a first look at the Qantas 787-9 interior:
The plane has 1-2-1 business class seating. (Image: Qantas)
Here’s business class from another angle. (Image: Qantas)
Premium economy is configured 2-3-2. (Image: Qantas)
Don’t miss: TravelSkills Trip Report: Qantas 747-400 business class SFO-Sydney
Regular economy has 32-inch pitch and 3-3-3 seating. (Image: Qantas)
Have you flown Qantas to Australia before? What did you think? Please leave your comments below.
Check out how Boeing turned over this beautiful ship to Qantas at a ceremony this week in Seattle:
We are proud to announce that the name of our new @Boeing #QantasDreamliner is “Great Southern Land” pic.twitter.com/qPLcBVqgrM
— Qantas (@Qantas) October 17, 2017
Filed Under: Airlines, Airports Tagged With: 787-9, Boeing, Dreamliner, interiors, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Perth, QANTAS, San francisco, Sydney
Iberia adds San Francisco – Madrid nonstops
New nonstops between California and Madrid coming next spring on Iberia (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
In May 2018, Spain’s Iberia will launch regular non-stop service between Madrid and San Francisco, the first ever nonstop flight between the two cities.
Oakland was the first Bay Area airport to snag nonstops to Spain last year when two airlines, Level and Norwegian kicked off nonstops to Barcelona. Both Level and Iberia are owned by IAG, the airline conglomerate that also owns British Airways.
The Iberia flights will operate only three days per week (Mon, Weds, Fri). It will use an Airbus A330-200 on the route, with business (19 seats) and economy class (269 seats) only, no premium economy or first class. Iberia says that initially, the service will only be seasonal, running May-September.
Fares for midweek trips in mid May seem high right now
While it’s now possible to buy tickets on these flights, Iberia is not offering any introductory deals as of today— fares for May trips are in the $1,400 round trip range. Typically, May is a slow month for US to Europe travel and I expect we’ll soon see sale fares dip below $1,000 for SFO-MAD roundtrips. Business class is running about $4,400 round trip.
By comparison, Oakland-Barcelona fares for next May are currently running about $531 roundtrip on Norwegian Air, plus baggage and other fees.
Check out the seat map of Iberia’s A330-200 on Seatguru.com
Iberia is part of the Oneworld Alliance, which includes American Airlines and British Airways. Tickets are onsale now at www.iberia.com.
Have you or would you fly Iberia to Spain? And which is your favorite Spanish city: Madrid or Barcelona? Why? Please leave your comments below.
Filed Under: Airlines, SFO Tagged With: A330, Barcelona, Iberia, Level, Madrid, Norwegian Air, Oakland, San francisco
Popular: Cheaper Hawaii? + Sleeper hotel program + Paris find + Delta app + 747 tears
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Sindh's water, sanitation issue: Judicial commission seeks timeline to commence work on master plan
Timeline to be submitted by November 11
By Our Correspondent
Judicial commission is investigating poor water and sanitation conditions in Sindh. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI: The judicial commission sought on Saturday a definite timeline from the federal and provincial authorities concerned regarding the commencement of work on the master plan to save the province’s water bodies from being polluted.
Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro of the Sindh High Court (SHC) sought the timeline by November 11, as he headed a Supreme Court-appointed judicial commission to probe the authorities’ failure to provide clean drinking water and sanitation in the province.
On Saturday, Mustafa Jamal, the chairperson of the task force, filed a report on the implementation of the master plan. The public health engineering department’s (PHED) secretary, Tameezuddin Khero, said he had already gone through the report and intended to move a PC-I within a month in light of its recommendations.
Our water and sanitation deficit
The commission asked government officials to apprise on the next date a definite timeline for starting work to implement the master plan.
Khero said the Hyderabad and Sukkur electric power companies were on board and helping satisfactorily in energising the connections on water supply and drainage schemes. According to him, applications were moved for providing electricity connections to 239 schemes, of which 214 had been energised so far.
The secretary said the sewerage treatment plant (STP) in Shaheed Benazirabad was made functional and its biological activation was in process, adding that the plant will start delivering once the work was complete.
Khero also filed a report on the Urban Water Supply Scheme Umerkot (Ultra Filtration Plant Umerkot) along with a report of the executive engineer, disclosing that the said plant was put into operation on October 15 but it had developed some snags, hence was closed. However, it was made functional after necessary rectification.
Complying with SC orders, Sindh doubles water, sanitation budget
The commission directed the task force’s chairperson to visit the plant along with Dr Ghulam Murtaza, a member of the task force, to verify and check the water quality and submit a report.
Local Government Secretary Muhammad Ramzan Awan also filed a report regarding compliance of directions issued on October 7.
According to his report, the Golarchi water filtration plant in Badin district will be made functional within a few days as earlier issues of payment to the contractor had been resolved. Regarding the filtration plants in Umerkot and Jati, he said that due to some technical faults, those plants were still not moving and will be made functional within a short time.
Khero said that the urban water supply scheme Jati, Sujawal district had been energnised and after due testing it will be put into operation within a week.
Water, sanitation given due attention in budget
About draft regulations for operating the water hydrants, the commission was informed that the same were presented to the law department, but it raised some objections over it and had called representatives of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board for discussion.
The KWSB managing-director assured that he will look into the draft regulations in detail and ensure that every issue relating to running the water hydrants was addressed.
Additional Advocate-General Sarwar Khan also volunteered to put in his experience and efforts in preparing an all-encompassing draft on the matter.
Industries Secretary Abdul Raheem Soomro filed a progress report about five proposed combined effluent treatment plants to be built in Karachi. According to the report, the matter was discussed in a meeting, chaired by the planning and development ministry’s deputy chairperson, held on October 19. In the meeting, this project had been recommended and it was now to be placed in next meeting of the executive community of the National Economic Council for final approval.
We are in a fix to improve Faisalabad’s water supply system, admits WASA MD
Researcher Murtaza said that in pursuance of the commission’s directives for checking the water quality at hospitals, he had provided a list of 31 secondary and tertiary hospitals for this purpose and sent a proposal to the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources for approval and work will start from November 1.
Health Secretary Fazlullah Pechuho filed a report disclosing that three incinerators had been supplied to health director-general in Hyderabad for installation in district hospitals Shikarpur, Naushero Feroz and Badin. The secretary said he was personally looking into the issue and intended to enter an agreement with the supplier to not only install incinerators but also operate them for at least two to three years. He was directed to do the needful and submit a report showing tangible progress in this regard.
The task force’s chairperson filed a report identifying the causes of failure of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) in dealing with the environmental issues according to its mandate. He suggested remedial measures.
Judicial commission orders testing of water supplied to citizens in Sindh
The Sepa director-general was provided the report’s copy for his perusal and preparation to discuss the matter on the next date.
The managing-director of the Water and Sanitation Authority (Wasa), Hyderabad also filed a report to the effect that the quality of water being supplied from the water filtration plant in Jamshoro had been improved, adding all the chlorinators were made functional, thus water after due chlorination and with added alum dose was being supplied to the people of Hyderabad.
Larkana Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy Director Siraj Ahmed Abbas filed a report, showing that the incinerator had been installed in the hospital and water filters were made clean and now clean water was being provided to the people and patients.
Form committee to resolve water scarcity, sanitation issues, SC tells Sindh govt
He vowed to improve water and sanitation conditions in the hospital and was ready to implement any recommendation or suggestion proposed by Dr Murtaza in this regard. The commission directed them to do the needful and submit a report.
Read more: Latest , Sanitation , Sindh
PBC accuses judicial commission of nepotism
Says JCP has proved to be a consortium of judges acting in favour of their near and dear ones
No water in Bahadurabad
For the past one month, there has been no water supply in our area
Depleting water resources
Construction of dams for water storage remains politically disputed
‘We have been jobless for a year’
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A Glimpse Of Digital Marketing Glossary – 2019
by roopana | May 17, 2019 | Digital marketing key terms, SEO Glossary | 0 comments
Welcome all to my blog, Today we are diving into the outstanding trendy concept in the digital marketing world is known as SEO glossary. Do you know why I prefer this topic?
In the digital marketing world, the key term or SEO glossary is a simple route map to find out all country in digital marketing like SEO, SEM, etc…
This blog mainly and highly useful for the newbie who enters into the world “digital marketing” platform. I think you may get aware of the famous quotes ” Practice Makes A Man Perfect”. These quotes express lots to us to improvise on our field, to make everything simple, easy, and perfect. As same as in the digital marketing “Key Team” is like a pillar to build your SEO field.
The basic of digital marketing, the HTTP status code is one of pivot important for the Beginners. Why this is important? Because of we people surf with lots of websites and search, reach, do some tactics on any website, at that time we should get aware of all term in the status code.
What is the HTTP status code?
The HTTP Status-Code is an element in a server-side response, which is represented in the 3- digit integer where the first digit of the status-code defines the class of response the last two digits do not have any categorization role. There are 5 values for the first digit
1** – Informational:- The meaning of the Informational, if you(you are the client) sending any request(HTTP request has been sending by the client to the server sides) to the server. That may be received process and the process is continuing.
2xx: Success:- If you’re doing some action on the server-side, that was successfully received, understood, and accepted.
3xx: Redirection:- If you are doing further action(searching a website)must be taken in order to complete the request.
4xx: Client Error:- It means the request contains incorrect syntax or cannot be fulfilled.
5xx: Server Error:- It means the server failed to fulfill an apparently valid request.
Above the Fold: The content that appears on a website before the user scrolls. Google created the Page Layout Algorithm in 2012 to lower the rankings of websites featuring too many ads in this space.
Google Ads: The Google-owned program is called Google Ads words. Which is used for the advertisers to place ads on Google search results pages, on Youtube, and on Google ad network sites. Adwords is the primary platform for PPC advertising.
Ad extensions:- The information you will see on the google when google Adwords ads are incorporated by the reviews, address, pricing, callouts, app downloads, site links, and click-to-call. These Ad extensions help the advertisers to build the ads with more pieces of information, that may take up the on-page marketing which generally leads to higher Click Through Rates.
Ad Manager Account:- If you want to run ads, the advertising account on Facebook ad manager allows you to run ads on the Facebook Ad Network.
Ad Networks: The different aggregate of digital channels properties where Ads can be published, such as Search Ad Network and Display Ad Network of Google.
AdSense (Google AdSense):- It is one types of earning money on websites. In the Google platform that lets website owners publish ads(Google network ads) on their website and earn money. Once AdSense is added on your site, you will earn from the relevant Ads that are published on your site.
Alexa (Amazon Alexa):- It is the one types of voice commanding devices from Amazon’s home assistant. It plays more roll like play music, answer questions, give weather updates, and more. Voice search is becoming more interesting to the SEO industry as more people use devices like Alexa in place of computers for searches.
AJAX:- Asynchronous JavaScript and XML is a type of programming that allows a webpage to send and receive information from a server to change that page dynamically without reloading.
Alt Attribute:- It is the HTML code that provides information used by search engines and screen readers (for blind and visually-impaired people) to understand the contents of an image. Alt text also lets search engines crawl the images and hence helps in SEO ranking. Also known as:- Alt Text
Algorithm:- The set of programmed rules to manage the computers, operating system, Search Engines, Social Platforms, etc. perform a specific task. Google uses its algorithms for deciding the ranking of websites. A complex computer program used by search engines to retrieve data and deliver results for a query. Search engines use a combination of algorithms to deliver ranked webpages via a results page based on a number of ranking factors and signals.
Algorithm Change:- Some of the algorithmic changes made to update the search engine for the user-experiences, But it may go completely unnoticed. However, the impact of a major algorithmic change can usually be seen quite quickly, though the change sometimes takes a few weeks to completely roll out. Algorithmic changes come in three forms:
Algorithm Update: The search engine changes certain signals of an existing algorithm.
Algorithm Refresh: The search engine re-runs an existing algorithm using the exact same signals as last time.
New Algorithm: The search engine adds a new algorithm to improve search quality. For example: Google Panda, Google Penguin.
Analytics:- In general analysis means collecting, analyzing, and interpreting of some information to process for the future action based on what has (or hasn’t) worked historically.
As same as in the google analytics, monitoring the performance of a website or marketing campaign as generating the information. As discussed in the image, web analytics helps marketers in deciding the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
Anchor Text:- The clickable words that were hyperlinked to act on the ranking on the search engine. This text is intended to provide contextual information to people and search engines about what the webpage or website being linked to is about destination site and plays an important role in SEO.
Application:- Campaign your ads on mobile devices, smartphones, and tablets. From the application such as Android to iPhone, to run these ads on smart devices.
Artificial Intelligence (AI):- The science of making computers perform tasks that require human intelligence. Rather than following a set of programmed rules (like an algorithm), an AI computer system is basically a digital brain that learns. AI can also make and carry out decisions without human intervention.
Authority:- The combination of signals search engines uses to assess websites and webpages for the purposes of ranking.
Automation:- Using computer programs to automate repetitive Digital Marketing Tasks via some of the Digital Marketing tools is called Automation
Average Position:- A Google AdWords metric that let advertisers understand where their ads are showing in Google’s SERPs on an average basis.
Backlink:- The backlink having major factor used by Google, to determining organic rankings. Comes into play when one website hyperlinks to any other website via an HTML href code. In simple, if you are having a website, a link to your webpage that is founded from an external website.
Canonical tag:- This tag inform the search engine that a specific URL represents the master copy of a page. Using the canonical tag prevents problems caused by identical or “duplicate” content appearing on multiple URLs. That duplicate content will not rank on the organic result, that tag simple redirect to the original webpage.
Cloaking (page cloaking):- Its refer to the practice of presenting different content or URLs to human users and search engines. Cloaking is considered a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines because it provides our users with different results than they expected.
Deep linking:- On the World Wide Web, deep linking is making a hyperlink that points to a specific page or image on a website, instead of that website’s main or home page. Such links are called deep links. Deep links are particularly valuable for SEO. Linking to specific pages within your site with a good anchor text improves the rankings of these pages. Essentially, building deep links is where SEO game is won or lost.
Do-follow link:- It’s a standard HTML link that doesn’t have the rel=” no follow” attribute. Do-follow links are the most valuable ones from an SEO perspective.
Link accessibility: The ease with which a link can be found by human visitors or crawlers.
Link equity:- The value or authority a link can pass to its destination.
Link volume:- The number of links on a page.
Return on investment (ROI):- ROI (Return on Investment) measures the gain or loss generated on an investment relative to the amount of money invested. ROI is usually expressed as a percentage and is typically used for personal financial decisions, to compare a company’s profitability or to compare the efficiency of different investments.
It used to calculate the ratio between the net profit and cost of investment = (net profit/cost of investment)*100
Page Speed:- Page speed is a measurement of how fast the content on your page loads. Which is a little bit confused with “site speed,” which is actually the page speed for a sample of page views on a site. Page speed can be described in either “page load time” (the time it takes to fully display the content on a specific page) or “time to first byte” (how long it takes for your browser to receive the first byte of information from the web server).
You can evaluate your page speed with Google’s PageSpeed Insights. PageSpeed Insights Speed Score incorporates data from CrUX (Chrome User Experience Report) and reports on two important speed metrics: First Contentful Paint (FCP) and DOMContentLoaded (DCL). The speed of the page should be 2 seconds or 200ms to need to have a User experience
Key performance indicator:- A Key Performance Indicator is a measurable value that demonstrates how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives. Organizations use KPIs at multiple levels to evaluate their success at reaching targets. High-level KPIs may focus on the overall performance of the business, while low-level KPIs may focus on processes in departments such as sales, marketing, HR, support and others. It plays a vital role in the business.
CPA (Cost Per Acquisition):- This is a metric used to determine how much it costs to acquire one customer. You can calculate this by dividing the total cost of your campaign by the number of conversions. This metric is important because it actually shows you how much you are spending per conversion. If this cost is too high, you should consider reworking your marketing campaign.
Conversion:- A conversion is the general term for a visitor completing a site goal. Goals come in many shapes and sizes. If you use your website to sell products, the primary goal (known as the macro-conversion) is for the user to make a purchase. There are smaller conversions that can happen before a user completes a macro-conversion, such as signing up to receive emails. These are called micro-conversions.
Cost per action (CPA):- A form of advertising where payment is dependent upon an action that a user performs as a result of the ad. The action could be making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or asking for a follow-up call. An advertiser pays a set fee to the publisher based on the number of visitors who take action. Many affiliate programs use the CPA model.
Cost per click (CPC):- Also called Pay per Click (PPC). A performance-based advertising model where the advertiser pays a set fee for every click on an ad. The majority of text ads sold by search engines are billed under the CPC model.
Cost per thousand (CPM):- An ad model that charges advertisers every time an ad is displayed to a user, whether the user clicks on the ad or not. The fee is based on every 1,000 ad impressions (M is the Roman numeral for 1,000). Most display ads, such as banner ads, are sold by CPM.
Conclusion:- If your interested to know about the digital marketing world just tap on https://trioangle.com/blog/basics-of-the-digital-marketing-part-i/ or Types of digital marketing https://trioangle.com/blog/types-of-digital-marketing-2019/
I think this blog may give some useful information about the key term for digital marketing. Make use these terms on your digital marketing platform to become expert on it.
Thanks for spending your time with us. Catch you again with different topics. Bye ! have a great time.
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REMEMBERING DICK HARRIS
JUDY'S TRIBUTE TO TERRY
MOON LANDING TRIVIA QUIZ
CAROL NORTON SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Remembering Dick Harris.
We remain saddened by the death of Richard “Dick” Harris. Dick died June 21 at the Highgate care facility in Wenatchee. He had been there since late winter and had recently been having respiratory issues.
Dick was a past president (1979-1980) and a past District 5060 Governor (1995-1996). He joined the club in 1972. He was a multiple Paul Harris and Paul Scea fellow. His memorial service will be held July 24 at FUMC in Wenatchee, 2 PM. View Dick's obituary in the Wenatchee World.
Remembering Terry Sorom. See front-page story in Wenatchee World, July 8.
It is with more sadness that we wish farewell to Dr. Terry Sorom who passed away July 6, 2019. Terry was a past-president (1993-94), and left a deep footprint in the Wenatchee Valley through his work as an ophthalmologist, as a philanthropist, through his intellect and wit. Terry's obituary was published in the Wenatchee World of Saturday, July 13 (not online as yet). A memorial service is planned for September 14. Read Judy Conner's touching tribute below.
In the photo, he is receiving the club's Friendship and Fellowship Award, in May 2017.
Read Terry's Wenatchee World obituary here.
ROTARY AMBASSADORS - THIS WEEK
Tom Len Bob Michelle
7/25 St. Jean C. Smith J. Smith Stach
8/01 Sparks Sparks Speidel Spies
8/8 Sturgeon Stipe Stuller Thornock
Colonial Vista
Retirement &
601 Okanogan Ave.
Wenatchee 866-567-1335
Menu and meeting room : Columbia River Room; Chicken Teriyaki, White Rice, Broccoli in Garlic Ginger sauce, Chopped Asian Slaw w/mandarin oranges, Chef’s Choice Dessert & Coffee Service.
JULY 18 - ANNUAL VISIT BY DISTRICT GOVERNOR
DR. PETER SCHULTZ
DG Peter Schultz (Kelowna) will be here in person for a townhall-style Q & A session. With Peter’s visit, we’ll talk about goals and particularly our efforts to increase membership. A special appearance by the Wenatchee Apollo Club will start us off. Two new Rotarians will also be inducted. Before the meeting, DG Peter will meet with our board of directors at 10:30 AM in the Cadman Room.
Later, at the 4:30 board meeting, we’ll go through our on-going business. From there, we’ll need to talk about committee participation- especially on Membership and Fellowship Committees.
Also...who is the mystery Rotarian of the Day? Be the quarterly points leader- and win $50 in Pybus Bucks. Gotta be at the club meeting for your chance to win. Watch for clues on the screen.
This week's clue : "Husband's name is Don"
JULY 25 - OPIOID CRISIS & ADDICTION IN WENATCHEE
WITH BILL MURRAY & LORETTA STOVER
Summary: Every day, more than 130 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids. The misuse of and addiction to opioids—including prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl—is a serious national crisis that affects public health as well as social and economic welfare. More next week.
WEEK IN REVIEW - JULY 11, 2019
BEGINNING A NEW ROTARY YEAR
with President Mike Kintner
President Mike opened his first meeting as president by making reference to the recent passing of Past President Terry Sorom, and recognized PP Don Myers who read a touching tribute to Terry written by PP Judy Conner. It was titled "I have a hole in my heart today" and was followed by a moment of silence. You can read it below.
On a lighter note, Mike then explained a fun initiative he is instituting for his year called "Guess the Mystery Rotarian". Clues to his (or her) identity were displayed on the screen and were hinted in the music playing before the meeting. Multiple-choice lists were placed on the tables for submitting a guess. This first week was a "freebie" since Mike made it easy. To narrow our choices, each quarter, the person will be included in a classification group with a theme related to bankers, attorneys, CPAs and other financial people. All of this group will be immune from fines for the quarter.
The main program was an excellent 35-minute video produced by new District Governor Peter Schultz in advance of his visit next week.
Titled "The District Governor's Message for 2019-20", it gave the members a chance to get to know him a little, and get a glimpse of his vision for the coming Rotary year, as well as that of the new RI president Mark Daniel Maloney. The video covered a range of topics, including:
Why did you join, why do you stay?
What is our passion, or belief (remember the Wright brothers)?
Look what Rotary has accomplished through our "belief" in eradicating polio.
Options for his club visits.
His hopes for younger Rotarians to get into leadership.
Resources for leadership, e.g. a new Policy Manual, District Directory, & video channel.
The need for building Rotary membership.
The RI president's theme, "Rotary Connects the World".
New more effective district training opportunities.
Other news and announcements are shown below.
Guests included PDG Pete Erickson.
I have a hole in my heart today
Written by Judy Conner
We have lost a great Rotarian, Terry Sorom, this week. He was a member of this club for over 32 years. One of the things of which he was very proud – his lack of perfect attendance. He served as one of our most memorable presidents. His unusual sense of humor entertained us all.
I have a hole in my heart today. He loved the holy land – that would be – Norway. He married his high school sweetheart, Suzanne. He was an accomplished photographer and his photographs are displayed in several public venues. Oh yeah, he practiced a little medicine along the way.
I have a hole in my heart today. Terry was a community leader serving as president of the Wenatchee Valley College Foundation, as past president and a founding member of the Community Foundation of NCW. He was proud to be an Eagle Scout and received the Good Scout award. He received the AZWells award for community service from the Hospital Foundation and recently the Outstanding Friend of the College from the WVCollege Foundation. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the Chelan Douglas Land Trust. He was a Veteran of the US Air Force.
I have a hole in my heart today. He had not a vain bone in his body. If you have not had an opportunity to experience him as an MC; if you have not met one of his puppets; if you have not laughed at one of his notorious Christmas letters; if you have not seen him perform in the Follies in a ballet tutu and army boots – you have missed a real treat.
I have a hole in my heart today. Take a moment to refresh your memories of this man. And in you own way honor the life of Dr. Terry Sorom.
Presented to the Wenatchee Rotary Club on 7/11/19 by Don Myers
The recent passing of PP, PDG Dick Harris and PP Terry Sorom was noted. PP Don Myers read a touching tribute to Terry, written by his dear friend Judy Conner. She titled it, "There is hole in my heart today". Read it below.
There will be two board meetings next Thursday: 10:30 AM with the DG, 4:30 PM, for regular business.
Gorge Amphitheatre volunteering is a great service and social activity. Signups have been slow, to the point that we may have to abandon the plan for 2019. The first of 9 concerts was to be July 13, but Rotary involvement was cancelled due to lack of volunteers. The next concert is in August, and our trained servers will be contacted with the latest plan. Rob Tidd will attend next week for a final appeal. Click on the GORGE tab on the home page.
PP Bill Murray announced there will be important meetings and announcements coming very soon regarding our Miot, Hati water project, and provided info flyers.
Russ Speidel bragged about being chair of the Link Transit expansion campaign. Read about it here.
Our Alfonzo Lopez was named Washington State Elementary Principal of the Year!!! Click link to read the amazing story. He will also travel to Washington D.C. for an awards reception. Imagine his fine for this!
Mike plans to close each meeting this year with a bit of useless trivia, such as the fact that the King of Hearts is the only king in the deck without a mustache (aka the suicide king). Read about all the kings here.
I believe we are the Neil Armstrong of Rotary clubs.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of America's moon landing of July 20, 1969, test you knowledge of this historic event. It's just for fun. The 10 multiple-choice questions are based on the recent cover story in the Wenatchee World WAPO insert. CLICK HERE. You will get instant results. Also, CLICK HERE to see a Youtube musical tribute to Neil Armstrong, "Flight of Fancy" written by son Mark, performed by granddaughter, Kali, along with many other archival story links on this milestone of humanity. Photo from Wikipedia.
--- Secretary Frank
District Governor Visit
(Peter Schultz, Kelowna)
2 Board meetings, 10:30, 4:30
July 24, FUMC 2 PM
PP/PDG Dick Harris
Our 25th club president :
Lee B. Fuller,1945 - 46
Finished paying for the piano, costing $2295.
CAROL NORTON - Loved, respected servant of this club and Rotary for 42 plus years. She served as Executive Secretary 42 years beginning in in 1967, and honorary member until her passing on March 26, 2019.
Thanks very much to those of you that have given toward the new Carol Norton WSU Scholarship fund. So far we are near halfway to the initial goal of $10,000. Gifts are tax deductible and there are many ways to give:
One time cash or check
Pledge and budget over two or three years
Bequest - Include an amount in your will
Help in reaching out to Legacy Members or PR in the community
Keep up to date with Karen Russell on her personal Caring Bridge page.
PP Jim (2016-17) is an Honorary member.
End Polio Now/Club 60: As we begin our new Rotary year, we are coming off a fantastic year, raising about $10K. Thanks to Judy Conner for that huge finishing touch!. On July 11, d onations by club members to the Club-60 cups were $36.64 bringing our total to $36.64 or $110 with the Gates match! This equates to 183 lives potentially saved! No goal has been set for this year.
Carmen returns again!
Volunteers needed to pick her up at 11 AM weekly in the near future.
District Governer--Peter Schultz
District 5060 in 2019-2020
Loretta Stover
Opiod Crisis
Misty Viebrock, Ex. Director
RiverCom911
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NewsTeam 10 Investigates
Calls for CBP to change detention polices
By: Adam Racusin
San Diego Congressman Scott Peters is calling for changes to Customs and Border Protection policies when it comes to detention policies.
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A San Diego Congressman is responding to a Team 10 investigation that uncovered claims the government is not providing sufficient medical care to people in its custody.
Court documents uncovered by Team 10 claim a man was arrested at the border then held for nearly three days in a potentially dangerous medical state.
According to court documents, "Mr. Centeno was kept in a small cell where the lights were on the entire time. Mr. Centeno was not given a change of clothes during the nearly three days while he was at the Port of Entry. The cell where Mr. Centeno was held did not have a bed, and Mr. Centeno was given a thin foil blanket and a torn yoga mat to lie on. There was no soap, no toothbrush, and no hygiene products."
RELATED: Members of Congress respond to Team 10 Border Detox Investigation
In a statement to 10News Congressman Scott Peters wrote, "CBP's continued violation of DHS policy is unacceptable. Part of the supplemental funding I voted to support this summer included crucial funding for medical care for migrants. The funding was intended to remedy these instances of deficient care and we will hold the Department accountable if it's not being used correctly. In the coming weeks, my staff will meet with the head of CBP's San Diego Field Office to demand a stop to this behavior. No person should have to endure this level of pain and suffering at the hands of federal law enforcement officials, so we will continue to press the Department until appropriate changes are made."
The ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties is also calling for changes to the way CBP provides medical care.
A letter from the organization to the Executive Assistant Commissioner CBP Office of Field Operations stated, "Over the past few months, multiple reported instances indicate that U.S. Customs and Border Protection ("CBP") is knowingly denying access to medical care to persons in CBP custody at the San Ysidro port of entry while these individuals detoxify from a variety of controlled substances, including prescribed medications. CBP's failure to provide detained individuals with medical supervision during this process puts these individuals at risk of serious injury or death."
RELATED: Claim: Government is not providing adequate medical care to people in its custody
The letter pointed out that when CBP deprives detainees of emergency and other necessary medical care, the agency violates its policies.
The ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties requested CBP revise and strengthen its policies surrounding: reasonable accommodations, medical staff, and facilities at the Port of Entry, intake and medical screening procedures, length of detention, and written policies.
"It's not rocket science, there should be trained medical staff to ensure that people who are undergoing any kind of medical emergency, including detoxification but not limited to detoxification, have access to a trained medical official as opposed to a law enforcement officer," said staff attorney Mitra Ebadolahi.
The letter stated, "These individuals' experiences are not outliers, but part of a long list of recent cases that show that many similarly situated individuals detained at the San Ysidro POE face similar risks. The ACLU and undersigned organizations urge CBP to reform their deficient practices and adopt the following improved policies to safeguard detainees."
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By Crystal Brindle| 2019-11-20T17:35:10+13:00 November 19th, 2019
An Advocate for Kea
View Larger Image Laura takes measurements of an adult kea after banding. Credit: Mat Goodman
Many of our articles focus on particular trips, events or opinions, but the team at Wilderlife, thought we’d occasionally cast a spotlight on a few outdoor good sorts, to dig deeper into the wonderful individuals who make up our vibrant outdoor community. This article is another in the series.
Dr. Laura Young is a talented botanist, ultra-runner, mum, and kea enthusiast who chose to dive deep into the study of New Zealand’s most iconic mountain parrots. Read on to learn why she’s so fascinated by kea, what she’s doing for the species, and why we all should pay more attention to the quintessential cheeky tramper’s companion in the hills.
Laura places bands on a feisty juvenile female kea while volunteer Ed Stainsby holds her still.
Laura can trace her keen interest in the natural world back to her days growing up on a small farm in a rural part of the North Island. She became, “fascinated by how things worked in nature, how they fit together and our place in the world as humans.” Exploring the bush as a child and observing insects, mushrooms, and birds led Laura into the study of ecology later in life. Ecology encompasses “almost everything” and is a great fit for Laura who is, “equally as curious about discovering as much as [she] can about individual species as [she is] about [unearthing] their connections with each other and their role in the ecological community and environment [as a whole].” It seems ecology is a good path of study for the passionate and curious naturalists among us.
Laura certainly fits this description. Currently working as a Community Engagement Coordinator for the Kea Conservation Trust, she has previously been involved in research across species conservation, understanding the intricacies of alpine plants, studying lizards, invertebrates, plant-animal mutualisms, threatened plants and general biodiversity work. Despite this breadth of past experience, Laura says that kea work may just be the most rewarding. As anyone spending time in the mountains of the South Island can tell you, kea display personalities rife with charm, humour, and intelligence. Having the privilege of working up close with these “incredible characters” keeps Laura coming back.
A kea in hand for banding. Credit: Mat Goodman
So, what does it mean to work closely with kea? What does the day-to-day look like for Laura? Like anything, it varies greatly. One day can see Laura traveling along the Milford Road with carloads full of interested community volunteers stopping to catch, band, and check the health of kea she encounters. The next day she might be tirelessly inputting data on the computer and writing reports and proposals or planning events. And the next may involve a flight into the mountains to track kea with transmitters followed by an unexpected ground search to urgently check on a mortality signal. It’s all in scope for Laura who researches lead poisoning in kea and how to reverse it, contributes to strategies to reduce human-kea conflict and human impacts on kea, and studies kea movements, behaviour, survival and more.
Laura uses radio telemetry to track kea with transmitters in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park.
Laura tests a kea blood sample for lead poisoning.
Laura’s connection with one species in particular, kea, highlights the path that she’s on toward a greater appreciation of nature in general. In Laura’s opinion, “people should care as much as about the nematodes, fungi and bacteria in our soils as they do about charismatic megafauna such as kea (and pandas). Everything has a place, a function and a purpose, a lot of the time serving human needs too.” Connecting with a species might be the way forward for more people to “let the empathy return, care more and do [their] bit to protect biodiversity and our planet.”
Laura with NZ Forest Owners Association at a forestry site near Nelson.
Laura encourages us to get in touch with the natural world and to remember that we can band together and contribute to science and the understanding of longer-term patterns that are taking place in nature. What if you paid more attention to the kea that’s edging up to your pack during a tramping lunch stop instead of just shooing it away?
Our motivations to go into the hills might include challenging ourselves both physically and mentally and either enjoying the rewards of solitude or growing closer to family and friends. Somewhere within these motivations lies also the desire to get close to our natural surroundings. Where we live is unique and interacting with a kea is an experience that can be had nowhere else on earth.
Laura gets up close and personal with a banded juvenile kea.
Next time you see a kea, take a quick look to see if it has plastic identification bands around its legs. If it does and if you can see what’s on them, you can record a sighting of the particular bird on the Kea Database – https://keadatabase.nz – a new citizen science power tool for building a better picture of how many kea there are, where they are distributed, what the population trends are doing over time and how we can best help them. Using the database turns all the “nature nerds” and casual observers tramping in the mountains into scientists with a purpose.
Meridian power station workers with Laura and a kea on a banding trip to the West Arm of Lake Manapouri.
That’s pretty cool and brings us one step closer to understanding the issues that kea face and what can be done about them. Tapping into our natural curiosity for the world around us can do a lot of good – both for those who are currently out there experiencing the NZ outdoors and those that will come after us. As Laura says, to see her daughter’s “primeval fascination with animals, to watch her moved by mountains, feel peace in the forest, play among the snow tussocks, and to be able to watch her keep that with her throughout her life [is] what I live for.”
Kea work is a family affair!
Dr. Laura Young is the Community Engagement Coordinator for the Kea Conservation Trust and will be speaking and leading events at the Trust’s Summit held in Te Anau this year on the 30th of November and 1st of December. If you’re interested in learning more about Laura and the work of the Trust or to register for the Summit, visit www.keaconservation.co.nz.
# citizen science # community # kea # Spotlight
Karst around the Four Mile River West Coast
Meet the Athletes of the Air
Ambles and Rambles – two kiwi lasses ask the big questions on a two month adventure
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Best of our wild blogs: 6 Apr 14
27 Apr (Sat) morning: Free guided walk at Chek Jawa
from Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs
Night Walk At Venus Drive (04 Apr 2014)
from Beetles@SG BLOG
Life History of the Common Rose
Community-grown vegetables for sale at Woodlands
Channel NewsAsia 5 Apr 14;
SINGAPORE: Residents in Sembawang GRC will be able to buy community-grown vegetables at a farmers' market on Sunday.
National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said there will be some 250 kilogrammes of vegetables for sale at the market, which will be held at the Republic Polytechnic in Woodlands at 9am.
Proceeds will go to the Man Fut Tong Nursing Home.
The vegetables are harvested from community gardens in Woodlands, which were upgraded into "model vegetable gardens" with the help of the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA).
The community gardens are tended to by residents.
Writing in his blog "Housing Matters", Mr Khaw said those vegetable gardens have been showing astonishing results since he roped in AVA .
"Every 4 to 6 weeks, there is so much harvest that the residents have been able to share them with needy families," he wrote.
Mr Khaw said the little ones in his constituency are not left out.
Aspiring green thumbs from the PCF Kindergarten at Woodlands have also been growing their own vegetables and will hawk their harvests, which include Xiao Bai Cai, Nai Bai, Kang Kong and Bayam, on Sunday.
With the help from AVA officers, the pre-schoolers learn how to sow seeds in plastic cups, watch them grow into seedlings, before putting them out for outdoor planting.
Mr Khaw said this has allowed PCF teachers to conduct outdoor lessons on seedling transplant, fertilising, weeding and harvesting.
"We have successfully extended community gardening to the young to nurture a new generation of "green thumbs". Over the last two months, the children have been tending to their own 'Kinder-Garden'," he wrote.
labels food, singapore, singaporeans-and-nature
Expect short, thundery showers: NEA
SINGAPORE: Singapore can expect six to eight days of short, thundery showers in the afternoon in the first two weeks of April, says the National Environment Agency (NEA).
NEA says the showers may be heavy at times, especially when there is a convergence of winds coupled with strong solar heating.
NEA also says in its fortnightly weather outlook that inter-monsoon conditions will prevail over the region in the first two weeks of April.
However, rainfall for the month of April is expected to be below average.
The prevailing winds are forecast to be mostly light and variable in direction, which could bring a few warm days with temperatures reaching 34 degrees Celsius in the afternoon.
In addition, slightly hazy conditions can be expected on a few days, in particular in the early morning, due to an accumulation of particulate matter under light wind conditions.
- CNA/ir
labels extreme-nature, singapore
Malaysia: Clouded Leopards seen at Mount Santubong
Borneo Post 6 Apr 14;
KUCHING: Malaysian Nature Society has called for an immediate evaluation study of Mount Santubong as a home for Sarawak’s largest cat, the Bornean Clouded Leopard.
In February, there was a reported sighting of three Clouded Leopards on Mount Santubong.
The Bornean Clouded Leopard or ‘Neofelis diardi’ is an endemic medium-sized cat found only in Borneo, known locally as Entulu.
It is the smallest of the “large cats”, which is the general term used for the large members of the Felidae, like the tiger, lion and leopard. At over 2 metres in length, and weighing up to 25kg, this highly endangered cat in Sarawak is severely threatened by hunting and loss of its forest habitat.
In a press release issued yesterday, the Malaysia Nature Society Kuching Branch (MNSKB) chairman Anthony Sebastian said the sightings of three clouded leopards on Santubong, Sarawak’s newest gazetted National Park, is of great significance.
“MNSKB has been highlighting the biodiversity and historical importance of Gunung Santubong for many years. With more and more attention paid to Kuching’s iconic mountain, new discoveries are being made,” he said.
“Previously thought to have no hornbills, Santubong is now known to have four species of hornbills. Previously thought to have one otter species, we now know there are possibly three species of otters on Santubong,” he added.
This discovery of Clouded Leopards on Santubong, Sebastian pointed out, was yet another addition to Santubong’s increasingly rich wildlife, and not just another wild cat.
“This is Borneo’s top predator, and largest cat,” he emphasised.
The sightings of these Clouded Leopards were made by surveyors up on the mountain, doing preliminary work for the cable car project, revealed Sebastian.
Unlike hornbills, which are flying birds, and will only be affected by the disturbance caused by infrastructure development on the higher parts of the mountain, he said Clouded Leopards will be adversely affected by such projects.
Before any further plans to be made on Santubong, Sebastian stressed that it would be only prudent that a comprehensive study was commissioned to determine the requirements for Clouded Leopards on this isolated mountain, and what measures need to be put in place to ensure their continued, and permanent survival.
“Sarawak cannot afford to lose a population of a highly endangered large endemic cat living so close to Kuching. As arguably the most beautiful of the world’s wild cats, because of its exquisite bold markings, the opportunities are enormous for Sarawak’s, and Kuching’s tourism industry.”
He hopes that surveyors who sighted the big cats may withhold information on the animals’ exact location for their safety and survival.
The MNS, in its continuing efforts to highlight Santubong cultural, archaeological and biological richness, organised the first ever Santubong Nature Festival in 2013.
This year, the second edition of the Festival will be held in November.
Contact MNS atmnskuching@gmail.com for more information.
Malaysia: Recent rainfall does not mean water rationing will end, says Syabas
christine cheah The Star 6 Apr 14;
PETALING JAYA: Recent rainfall over some parts in Klang Valley does not mean that water rationing may end any time soon, according to Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas).
Syabas’ corporate communications assistant general manager Priscilla Alfred said the water distribution company had yet to receive any instruction from the state government or the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) to cease rationing.
“Having just a week of rain doesn’t mean that water levels in the dams have increased to a level the state government and SPAN deem satisfactory,” Alfred said.
Rain in various parts of the city does not mean that it also rained in water catchment areas, which for Sungai Selangor dam, would be the area upstream of Kuala Kubu Baru.,
As of yesterday, the Sungai Selangor dam, which caters to 60% of Klang Valley’s demand, has only seen a minimal storage increase from 36.67% to 37.09%, according to the Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas) website. Other dams such as Klang Gates, Langat and Sungai Tinggi stood at 52.91%, 49.35% and 60.97% respectively.
Alfred said that phase four of water rationing would continue until April 30.
To address the lack of rain in water catchment areas, cloud seeding will be carried out in these areas.
“Cloud-seeding operations will be based on data on the movement of the clouds – in terms of how fast they move and in which direction,” said the department’s central forecasting office director Muhammad Helmi Abdullah.
USJ4 resident Jason Ong, who is preparing for phase four which will affect his area today, has bought two 151-litre water containers, costing RM80 each, to cater for the needs of his household.
“We are all prepared and will use water sparingly. The water in containers are just for use when we really need it,” said Ong, a businessman.
Indonesia: State of Emergency Lifted in Riau as Haze Clears
Farouk Arnaz Jakarta Globe 5 Apr 14;
Jakarta. Police said on Saturday that a state-of-emergency in Riau had been lifted, after fires and hotspots burned through forest and peatlands for weeks, sending air-quality in parts of the Sumatran province into the most hazardous levels, grounding flights and closing schools.
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Ronny F. Sompie said the emergency status had been withdrawn based on an assessment by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG)’s report that, as of Wednesday, there were only two hotspots left in Meranti and Indragiri Hilir.
“Yesterday’s weather was cloudy and the visibility in the airport was seven kilometers,” Ronny said on Saturday. “Flights are all back to normal.”
Police have named 110 individuals and one company suspects for starting the fires. Officers would remain in the province to attempt to prevent smallholders and other Riau citizens from starting fires. police said, the lighting of which has been a longstanding practice used in Riau to clear land for plantations.
Ronny added that two planes, four helicopters and Bambi buckets would be kept on standby as a precautionary measure. The announcement does not mean Riau residents have seen the back of the haze for another year — last year the issue received greater international attention because the prevailing wind direction in June sent the air pollution drifting over the Malacca Strait into Singapore, which suffered hazardous air-quality levels for several days.
The situation for the residents of Pekanabaru, Dumai and other parts of Riau has been dangerous for weeks, and the seriousness of the fires was worse at its nadir in 2014 than last year, but the issue has not received as much international press because the wind direction ensured the haze stayed over Riau and parts of West Sumatra.
The Indonesian Military (TNI) said earlier this week that it planned to recall some 1,000 personnel who had been seconded to Riau to help manage the crisis.
The state of emergency was announced as forest fires re-emerged after a brief reprieve, surging to 777 hotspots. The fires, and the ensuing haze, have cost the province some Rp 10 trillion ($890 million), according to the state-run Antara News Agency.
Riau remains vigilant against haze
Rizal Harahap, The Jakarta Post 5 Apr 14;
The haze emergency in Riau officially ended on Friday and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has handed over recovery and control operations to the Riau provincial administration. The administration, however, remains on the alert as it has been forecast that the province will have an extreme dry season in coming months.
BNPB head and commander of the Riau Haze Disaster Mitigation Integrated Task Force, Syamsul Ma’arif, said the task of stopping haze from forest and peatland fires had been completed through aerial and land operations as well as law enforcement.
“I have reported to President [Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono] on the achievement of the haze mitigation operation, which was badly needed by the community. The President deemed the military operation to overcome the haze in Riau a success,” Syamsul said during a rollcall at Roesmin Nurjadin Airbase in Pekanbaru before sending task force troops back to their units.
Since an emergency was first declared, BNPB deployed 1,000 personnel from the Army, Air Force and Navy from various units in Java to assist the Disaster Mitigation Quick Reaction (PRCPB) team in Riau.
The Riau haze mitigation operation cost Rp 164 billion (US$14.49 million) in state funds, most of which was used to lease aircraft, including helicopters, and to cover the cost of water bombing and weather modification technology (WMT). The amount was higher than the Rp 103 billion spent on similar operations last year.
“In the next couple of days, PRCPB personnel, who have been on duty in Riau, will return to their respective units, but the helicopters for water bombing operations and aircraft for WMT will remain here to assist the recovery operation,” said Syamsul.
“The weather in Riau will soon be drier than last year, so the potential for forest and peatland fires will be higher. Anticipatory measures have to be intensified in order to prevent [forest and peatland fires] and haze. Despite no longer having full control, the BNPB will remain to assist the Riau provincial administration, including in providing funds and logistics,” he added.
He said the BNPB was ready to hold a second operation by deploying a bigger force, involving 2,500 personnel from the military and police in the third week of May should the condition worsen and the provincial administration was unable to handle it alone.
“So as to prevent haze from recurring, plus we won’t have to expend more energy. We already have the experience to mitigate the problem,” added Syamsul.
Meanwhile, Riau Haze Disaster Mitigation Integrated Task Force deputy chief Maj. Gen. Iskandar MS said the President had instructed all those concerned, be they civilian or military, at the lowest level, to take responsibility for the smallest fire in their respective areas.
“The district military commanders, district police chiefs, district administrative chiefs and other officials must accept sanctions, such as being dismissed, if they fail to report a fire in their areas before it becomes bigger and difficult to control,” said Iskandar.
“On the other hand, areas kept free of fire will receive awards, the form of which will be decided later.”
Separately, Riau Deputy Governor Arsyadjuliandi Rachman said the Riau administration was drafting a gubernatorial regulation as a legal tool to allocate 2 percent of the provincial budget and 50 percent from corporate social responsibility funds for the prevention and mitigation of forest and peatland fires.
“In the next four days, discussions on the regulation will be completed. We will consider all input and suggestions,” he said.
▼ 06 Apr (6)
Malaysia: Clouded Leopards seen at Mount Santubong...
Malaysia: Recent rainfall does not mean water rati...
Indonesia: State of Emergency Lifted in Riau as Ha...
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Beer Tastings
Food & Stalls
Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2020
Our very own beer experts will be running beer tastings during the festival to help you learn more about the craft which goes into making Britain’s best beers. Tickets are on sale now!
CAMRA's New Beer Styles with Christine Cryne
Tuesday 4 February, 6pm
£9 CAMRA members, £11 non-members
CAMRA is only too aware that beer styles in the UK aren’t static. You only have to look at the growth of American Pale Ales, Golden Ales and foreign beer styles such as Sours to be aware of what a great time it is to be a beer drinker. To reflect these changes, but also to continue to campaign for endangered traditional beers, CAMRA has reviewed the styles and categories they will be using for judging the prestigious Champion Beer of Britain from next year.
This session will help you to understand the new styles so that you can decide which style category a beer should be put in.
Why we have beer styles
The new beer styles and the reason for the changes
Taste 5 beers and allocate them to the new styles
Milds with Roger Protz
£12 CAMRA members, £14 non-members
Mild Ale was the most popular beer style of the 19th and early 20th centuries, It had a major following in the West Midlands with such breweries as Ansells, Banks’s, Mitchells & Butlers, Highgate, Bathams and Holdens brewing more mild than bitter. Mild was overtaken after World War Two by bitter and pale ale but many brewers still produce it. The tasting by Roger Protz will include some fine examples of the style by brewers from the region.
IPAs with Roger Protz
Wednesday 5 February, 1pm
IPA was the revolutionary beer style of the 19th century and it turned the small Midlands town of Burton-on-Trent into the world’s leading brewing town. IPA was first brewed for the British in India but, with its lower strength version, Pale Ale, it went on to become a popular domestic style as well. IPA went into decline in the 20th century when heavy taxes on beer penalised strong ales such as IPA. But it has been rediscovered by artisan brewers in both the United States and Britain and is once again enormously popular. The tasting by Roger Protz will include some fine examples of both British and American-style modern IPAs.
Beer Judging Training - New Beer Styles with Christine Cryne
**Please note this session is 4.5 hours long**
£35, no discount for CAMRA members
A great opportunity to judge some of the beers shortlisted for CAMRA’s Winter Champion Beer of Britain but using CAMRA’s new beer styles.
This training is aimed at people who are involved currently with judging or organising CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain (or other judging) as well as people who simply want to see how it is done! This session covers how we judge and what impacts on judging, some of the more usual off flavours, CAMRA’s new beer styles and three round of judging.
Christine Cryne
Christine loves educating people about beer, whether through tutored beer tastings or training, which covers both enthusiasts and the trade.
She is a Master Trainer and an accredited European Beer Consumers Union beer judge. Christine regularly judges at events and competitions such as for Wetherspoons and SIBA as well as chairing judging panels at CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain Awards and the International Beer Challenge. She has also judged for the Free From Awards and judged for the Beer Marketing Awards.
Christine has served as a CAMRA Director and was the first woman to organise CAMRA’s Great British Beer Festival. Christine regularly writes on beer and breweries and is a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers.
Roger Protz
Roger Protz is a leading beer writer with an international following. As well as regular appearances at the Great British Beer Festival, regional festivals and the BBC Food Show, he has given talks and tastings as the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC and Beer Expo in Melbourne, Australia.
He has written more than 20 books on beer, including the best-selling 300 Beers To Try Before You Die. He has been given Lifetime Achievement Awards by the British Guild of Beer Writers and the Society of Independent Brewers and has twice been named Glenfiddich Drink Writer of the Year. He writes for What’s Brewing and BEER magazine and his website is protzonbeer.co.uk.
CAMRA Member discount
To get your CAMRA discount on your tickets you will need to enter your promotional code at the top of the first page when purchasing. The discount code can be found on the events page of CAMRA’s website: https://www.camra.org.uk/beer-festivals-events/our-events (you must be logged in to view).
If you’re having trouble logging in, please contact events@camra.org.uk with your membership number. The discount code is not the same as your membership number.
Please check your tickets carefully before purchasing!
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer refunds if the CAMRA member discount code was not entered before purchase.
4-8 February 2020
The New Bingley Hall, Birmingham, B18 5PP
CAMRA - The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd.
events@camra.org.uk
camra.org.uk
© CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE LTD
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Why Do We Admire Pretend Superheroes instead of Real Men?
By Joel Ryan, Crosswalk.com
Captain America. Superman. Black Panther. Ironman. Spider-Man. The Flash.
You don’t have to be an avid comic book reader or die-hard movie fan to know these names. Their faces are all over billboards and movie posters. You’ve probably even handed out candy to mini versions of them wandering your neighborhood or church parking lot every Halloween.
With their iconic powers and colorful costumes, they are the superheroes of pop culture and the heroes our young men and young men at heart often admire.
The creation of fictional heroes and our admiration of pretend superheroes is not a new phenomenon by any means.
Even before the Avengers took over movie screens, many of us grew up pretending to be Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, and Transformers, just as generations before pretended to be Han Solo, Indiana Jones, Captain Kirk, and the Lone Ranger.
And before that…
The Greeks aspired to be as heroic as Achilles, Odysseus, and Hercules.
The Vikings told of the adventures of Thor, Loki, and Odin.
The British turned King Arthur, Robin Hood, and Beowulf into legends.
And even into the 19th and 20th centuries, North Americans wrote about Hopalong Cassidy, Pecos Bill, and Zorro.
According to Joseph Campbell, American Professor of Literature and author of The Power of Myth, “Shakespeare said that art is a mirror held up to nature. And that’s what it is. The nature is your nature, and all of these wonderful poetic images of mythology are referring to something in you.”
If anything, our modern superheroes have become our modern mythology, as the stories we tell and the heroes we admire often reflect what we value and aspire to be as a society and even as men.
But what is it about superheroes we actually admire, and why do we tend to admire pretend superheroes more than real men?
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/omwang112
1. Superheroes Exceed Human Limitations
Whether Hercules or the Hulk, there is the obvious ‘wow factor’ created by the physical attributes of our pretend superheroes. They can be super-strong, super-fast, or super-smart. They can fly, leap tall buildings in a single bound, see through walls, and shoot webs. We admire them because they defy human limitations and do things most of us can only dream of. And who wouldn’t want the ability to teleport, stretch, or smash through walls?
On a more grounded level, this is also why we tend to admire professional athletes. They may not run faster than a speeding bullet, but Jesse Owens and Usain Bolt can still run like lightning. They may not be as strong as the Hulk, but Marshawn Lynch, Emmitt Smith, and Jerome Bettis aka “The Bus” could smash through a brick wall to get to the endzone. And while he didn’t have a cape or x-ray vision, Michael Jordan could defy gravity with his legendary dunks. Growing up, it’s why we all wanted to be “like Mike.”
When it comes to superheroes, however, as much as we want to fly like Superman, swim like Aquaman, or run like the Flash, it’s much harder to imitate the superhuman attributes of the Man of Steel, Human Torch, or friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. We’ve always admired strength, speed, endurance, agility, and intelligence in others, but there is more to our admiration of supermen and even real men than just being strong or fast.
Excellence encourages admiration, which often leads to aspiration and eventually imitation. This is true of superheroes and athletes but also artists, leaders, and even men of God.
Physical abilities and special powers may make a fictional character super; but it’s their character and actions that make them heroic.
2. A Superhero’s Character is Worth More than Their Power
In Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002), Uncle Ben tells Peter that, “with great power comes great responsibility.” These words would become Peter’s guiding light for the rest of his life. They also remind us what makes a real man heroic. They’re also echoed in Luke 12:48.
We would not connect with Captain America if he was a merciless killer. We would not cheer for Spider-Man if he used his webslingers to torment or steal from his classmates.
Superpowers don’t make someone a hero if that person misuses or abuses them. Talented jerks are just that, talented jerks. We see this all the time in sports stars and celebrities.
We admire talent and often treat it like a superpower because it’s the highest version of what we aspire to achieve and be ourselves. However, we will likely always admire character more. And beyond their physical superpowers, superheroes are seen as heroes because they model many of the traits we value and promote in real men already: respect, hard-work, courage, sacrifice, persistence, empathy, and responsibility.
Superheroes represent the character attributes we’ve already identified as admirable. They just represent the more extreme versions of those traits.
As Paul wrote to the Philippians, “finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8).
True, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy? How many of these qualities can be used to describe our favorite superheroes?
If boys and young men are encouraged and inspired to become more selfless, kind, courageous, and considerate from watching their favorite superheroes, those characters are probably doing something right in our world.
But these qualities aren’t just found in superheroes. They are found in real men too. So what’s the difference?
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages
3. We Do Admire Real Men, We Just See More of Their Flaws
Conflict is the bread and butter of stories, comic books, and blockbuster movies. These are places we go to be entertained by extreme spectacle we don’t often experience in real life.
But true character is forged and revealed under extreme pressure, and this isn’t exclusive to pretend superheroes. Throughout history, men like George Washington, William Wallace, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King Jr. also became folk heroes and legends because the world stage had been set and they had the courage to rise to the occasion.
Unfortunately (or fortunately), most real men aren’t thrust into the spotlight of a cosmic showdown and don’t carry the fate of the galaxy on their shoulders.
Most real men will never step onto the stage of a nationally televised championship game or become the hero of a global conflict either.
This doesn’t make the average man any less heroic, less admirable, or less of a man. Their goodness, courage, responsibility, and leadership are just revealed in the everyday moments of life, the ones we often overlook because they aren’t as flashy, superpowered, or televised.
After all nothing is more extreme, eye-catching, or spectacular than a showdown between our favorite superpowered hero and a cosmic villain, hellbent on destroying the world.
If given the chance, however, many of the real men in our lives would rise to the occasion. Many already do. With superheroes, we only get a focused snapshot of their biggest and best moments of life. On the flip side, we tend to see real men at their best and worst, their strongest and weakest, and sometimes even their most human and mundane.
Their actions are just as heroic, but not always as spectacular.
4. Superheroes Impress; Real Men Impact
In the end, while pretend superheroes model the character traits we admire and aspire to, it’s real men who teach us how to put them into practice.
In our faith, Jesus Christ set the ultimate example (John 13:15). He puts godly men in our lives for the same reason. As the apostle Paul wrote, “join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us” (Philippians 3:17). The author of Hebrews also wrote, “remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7)
Superheroes may impress and inspire us from afar, but it’s the real men in our lives who impact us up close. Real men are the ones who teach, disciple, invest in, and equip us to become better men of God through their example, guidance, and prayer.
No superhero, no matter how powerful they are, can do what real men can do.
Real men may not wear uniforms, though some do. They may not save the world, though some will. But whether superpowered or Christ-empowered, they are just as heroic, courageous, responsible, and admirable as any pretend superhero because they teach us how to do the right thing when no one is watching, when the stage is big, and especially when it is small.
You don’t need superpowers to do the right thing. And we learn that from the men in our lives, not just the Avengers or members of The Justice League.
Joel Ryan is an LA-based children’s and young adult author who teaches writing at Life Pacific University. To him, teens and young adults are the most incredible people on the planet, and he is passionate about fueling their passion for the Lord through story and the arts. In his blog, Perspectives Off the Page, Joel discusses all things writing, the creative process, and what makes movies, comic books and great stories so impactful.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Choreograph
This content first appeared on Crosswalk.com and is used here with permission. To view the original visit: https://www.crosswalk.com/11818528/
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How OfS will regulate access and participation
by Louis Coiffait
Image: louiscrusoe
Louis Coiffait Wonkhe Headshots-27
Louis Coiffait
Former Associate Editor, Wonkhe
Louis was an Associate Editor at Wonkhe.
Rankings & League tables
Today, the Office for Students (OfS) publishes its 38-page response to the consultation on access and participation that ran from 7 September to 12 October. It will implement the proposals with some minor amendments, retaining the three levers of oversight, funding, and transparency.
There were 189 responses and about 400 people attended five events held around the country. An independent 92-page analysis of responses by CFE Research – also published today – concludes there’s “broad support” for the proposals and that they should help the sector take a “more strategic, long-term view”. Responses also point out there are major inequalities across the whole student lifecycle. There are calls for OfS assessments of risk to be clear and rigorous, and not to discourage innovation. NUS and students’ unions raised the lack of student input. Also, among high-tariff providers particularly, there were fears that comparisons with other providers aren’t helpful (be careful what you wish for, see below).
Mind the gaps
OfS admits this is an area where it will be more hands-on with individual institutions, rather than leaving things to “market forces alone”. Approved (fee cap) providers that seek government-backed loans (via the Student Loan Company) for fees above the “basic” amount of £6,250 must have an approved access and participation plan, as a condition (A1) of their registration. Approved (not fee cap) providers can charge above that amount but without the accompanying loans. Universities must convince OfS they’re monitoring their own performance and taking “reasonable steps” to deliver on their plan. Six of the 250 providers on the Register so far have conditions of registration, with three relating to access and participation, and two to student outcomes.
From the 2020-21 academic year, institutions must publish and submit an annual impact report (outcomes achieved, lessons learned and commentary from students, but format and content still TBC), accompanied by an “action plan” detailing any smaller changes to their original access and participation plan. If there are bigger strategic changes a provider can resubmit their plan for approval in any year.
OfS promises these requirements will be “proportionate”, with a lower burden for those perceived to be less likely to breach a condition (i.e. A1) in the future, and considering the context and size of a provider. Exactly how those two types of proportionality are judged by OfS will be of keen interest to small, specialist and new providers.
OfS now expects providers to set out their own individual plans with a “small number of outcomes-focused” targets to capture the impact of their work. These can be set collaboratively among groups of providers. Some of these targets will be recommended by OfS and, “as appropriate”, align with four sector-wide targets (and OfS’s own key performance measures published in September). These aim to eliminate four equality gaps completely over time:
Eliminate the gap in entry rates (at universities with higher-tariff entry requirements only) between the most and least represented groups, by 2038-39. This is split into two age groups.
For 18- and 19-year-olds, the target is a phased reduction in the ratio in entry rates between POLAR4 quintile 5 (the most advantaged students) to quintile 1 (most disadvantaged), from 5.1:1 (10.2 per cent) in 2016-17, to 2.8:1 (8.9 per cent) by 2024-25.
A target for older learners will be published in spring, apparently because this is a smaller group and the data is more complex.
Eliminate the unexplained gap in non-continuation between the most and least represented groups by 2024-25, and eliminate the absolute gap (both structural and unexplained differences) entirely by 2030-31.
Eliminate the unexplained gap in degree outcomes (1sts or 2:1s) between white and Black students by 2024-25, and eliminate the absolute gap (both structural and unexplained differences) entirely by 2030-31.
Eliminate the gap in degree outcomes (1sts or 2:1s) between disabled and non-disabled students by 2024-25.
Although Chris Millward told me this is a “generational vision”, he said there will be “real pressure” in the next five years. It’s odd then that OfS is deferring setting a fifth sector-wide target, its own “key performance measure 1: the gap in participation between most and least represented groups [at all universities]”, until after the post-18 review. Also, given the consultation didn’t explicitly mention tariff, target #1 above is interesting, suggesting OfS believes the biggest gaps correlate with higher tariffs (so some providers should do more than others and sooner, regardless of the review). Some might also argue there is evidence about what constitutes the “unexplained” differences.
According to DfE’s own 2016-17 data analysis the 51 (of 163) most selective institutions had an estimated mean UCAS tariff score (from the top three A-level grades) of 262.2 or more.
OfS also states the non-continuation and degree attainment targets are “particularly ambitious” as providers should have more direct control over them, whereas access can be influenced by what happens elsewhere in the education system as well as the alternative options available (read apprenticeships). OfS defines “structural differences” as student entry qualifications and age, as well as subject and provider of study.
Pulling the strings
OfS will challenge providers by focusing on three things; their level of ambition, the credibility of their plans (including self-assessment of performance and the planned investment), and the outcomes they achieve – rather than on their levels of spending or activity.
Respondents wanted more guidance, which OfS will provide in a new regulatory notice in February 2019. This gives those first affected – courses with early application deadlines (e.g. Oxbridge and medical schools) – twelve weeks to develop their plans and targets for a May submission, with OfS committed to making decisions about them by the end of August next year. Those submitting by the end of June will receive decisions in October, and those sent by mid-September will hear by mid-December 2019. This new approach will apply to plans covering the academic years 2020-21 to 2024-25. In general, OfS aims to give providers a minimum of twelve weeks’ notice to develop and submit a new plan, depending on complexity and negotiation.
From the 2020-21 academic year, the frequency of written submissions (i.e. plan duration) will also be “more strategic” than the current annual cycle. Instead, the frequency will be based on how likely a provider is to make sufficient progress in improving equality of opportunity, with less scrutiny of those seen as low risk (e.g. submitting plans every five years) and greater scrutiny for providers considered at risk of lagging behind (e.g. every three years or more frequently). It’s more that risk-based regulation, though obviously, the devils are in the often subjective details.
Regulation of access interacts with other parts of the regulatory framework, such as governance, outcomes and finances. Expenditure relevant to access will be submitted elsewhere by providers as part of ongoing financial conditions (D). Some respondents fear transparently publishing data on per-institution access spend will create an “unofficial league table”.
Access and participation plans will include predicted access spending split three ways; pre-16 activity, post-16, and adults and communities. OfS teaching grant (i.e. anything OfS funds) can also be used to support the progression of students from underrepresented groups e.g. for collaboration between universities. OfS will continue to collect information about the financial support that institutions provide to students and expects such support to be properly evaluated and communicated. Providers won’t need to report spending on student success and progression, though OfS promises challenge on that via the regulation of access and participation, of quality and student outcomes, and through the National Student Survey (NSS) and TEF. Those providers deemed at risk can expect to provide more information through “enhanced monitoring”, and each year a small sample will enjoy “deeper investigation”.
OfS will also publish a new “access and participation dataset” to show the make-up of student bodies across the sector as a whole and across the student lifecycle, as well as at each individual provider on the Register. This will include free school meals as well as POLAR4, ethnicity, age and disability data, and be available to providers in late February in time to inform the next set of access and participation plans. It will go public later in the year accompanied by interactive dashboards and a user guide. After that, an intersectional measure of disadvantage will be developed and added to the dataset. It’ll be interesting to see how the press deals with that.
Efficacy and support
Those providers charging higher tuition fees are also required (F1 – the “transparency duty” as it’s called) to submit data about admissions and student outcomes, split by student characteristics such as gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic background. OfS says it will explore extending this to include age and disability, as neither was in HERA. Evaluation will also be “tougher”, with providers having to use a new self-assessment tool to demonstrate their evaluation practice and improvement plans, although, in light of concerns about the burden, this is now only when submitting an access and participation plan, rather than as part of annual monitoring as originally proposed.
OfS also commits to working with others in improving the provision of tracking services (such as HEAT and STROBE), as it sees these playing a “central role”. OfS will review the whole data landscape including a value-for-money assessment, and the potential for building sector-wide capabilities.
There will be support for providers from the evidence and impact exchange, a national “what works centre” which will be outlined early next year. Evaluation tools, training, events, online tools and guidance will also be provided, such as a new development tool for providers’ outreach work with under 16-year-olds, published today too.
The OfS board has agreed in principle to continue funding the National Collaborative Outreach Programme until the end of the 2020-21 academic year. This is to try and ensure access and participation plans work with schools in a way that is embedded, joined-up and targeted to local needs. Support beyond that is dependent on the 2019 Comprehensive Spending Review. However, OfS also states it will review its entire funding approach towards access and participation, including the student premium, after the post-18 review concludes.
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icon-comments 3
Universities need to be ready for a tougher access challenge
by Les Ebdon
The Sunday Times, 31st January 2016
les-ebdon-wonkhe
Les Ebdon
Les Ebdon is a consultant with Applied Inspiration. He was the Director for Fair Access and before that vice chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire.
Record numbers – and rates – of young full-time students from disadvantaged backgrounds entered higher education in 2015. This is part of a long-term, sustained trend which has seen the entry rate for young people from disadvantaged background increase by 65 per cent since 2006.
But, despite this progress, it shouldn’t come as a shock that I’m impatient for further improvements. My latest guidance to universities and colleges as they draw up their access agreements – which I published on Friday – makes clear that now is the time to accelerate change.
The Prime Minister has set a goal to double the proportion of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds entering higher education by 2020, compared to 2009. Meeting this goal will be tough – it’s clear to me that progress in recent years is not good enough. If we’re to meet the Prime Minister’s ambitions we need a further step-change in progress. That’s exactly what this access agreement guidance aims to facilitate.
So, what’s new in this year’s access agreement guidance? A change that’s made the news is a request to institutions to consider how they can best support white men from disadvantaged backgrounds. This follows from the guidance I’ve received from Ministers, which highlights the especially low participation rates of this group. Efforts are already being made in this area. Many universities and colleges already have activities in place designed to attract men into higher education, and a number specifically target white men from disadvantaged backgrounds.
I want to see more of this sort of smarter targeting in this year’s access agreements. UCAS have advanced the quality and transparency of the analysis in this area and their latest End of Cycle report starkly illustrates how easy it is for disadvantaged students to get missed when single indicators of disadvantage are used. As the chart below illustrates, when UCAS examines sub-sets of state school students from POLAR3 Quintile 3, we see huge differences in participation. The entry rate of a white male in receipt of free school meals from a Quintile 3 area is just 9 per cent – lower than the overall average entry rate for Quintile 1 (the most disadvantaged areas). Conversely, 44 per cent of Quintile 3 Asian female 18-year-olds not in receipt of free school meals enter higher education – higher than the overall average entry rate for Quintile 5.
Entry rates for English 18-year-old state school pupils in POLAR3 quintile 3 by ethnic group sex and FSM status at age 15 (2011-2015)
Source: UCAS End of Cycle Report 2015
What this all means, of course, is that universities and colleges need to be more conscious of multiple indicators of disadvantage when they’re drawing up their access agreements. This will help them find people with the ability to excel who might otherwise have been missed by too blunt an approach to targeting. Intelligent, evidence-led work to target particular clusters of disadvantage is key to further progress.
My main focus remains on improving outcomes and ensuring that the work delivered through access agreements delivers real and demonstrable change on the ground. So, to further understand the ambitions of universities I’ve got new expectations on targets this year. Universities and colleges will, of course, set their own targets – and I’ve strongly argued that they should continue to do so. But I do want to understand more about the impact of work across the whole student lifecycle. That means I’m expecting institutions to submit targets which cover not only access to higher education, but also to have targets in place for the work they do to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds through their studies and as they prepare for life after graduation. For those institutions carrying out collaborative work, I also expect to see a target on the impact of this work.
Institutions should expect tougher challenge from me this year. Where universities are not making progress, I want to see a clear plan explaining how they’re going to turn things around. They should scrutinise their own targeting to make sure they’re reaching talented people who would otherwise be left behind. And the targets they set themselves should be stretching.
The changes we are proposing are not revolutionary, but an important evolutionary step, recognising the increasing maturity and sophistication of widening participation practice and research. My message to vice chancellors and principals is simple. I will support you to make further progress towards your own fair access goals. I’ll continue to be reasonable – respecting institutional autonomy and recognising individual context. But in return I expect access agreements to be ambitious, evidence-led and strategic. Those that aren’t will be sent back – and I’m ready for tough negotiations to ensure that every institution is making a contribution towards the Prime Minister’s rightly ambitious fair access goals. By pulling together, we can help ensure that where you come from doesn’t determine where you’ll end up in life.
3 responses to “Universities need to be ready for a tougher access challenge”
Feb 15 2016 at 8:40 am
The big flaw in the Government’s and the HE sector’s chosen metric of disadvantage – living in a low participation area – is that it’s not at all closely related to individual-level disadvantage.
According to HEFCE, over two thirds of children eligible for FSM don’t live in low participation areas and so are completely ignored by the target. Over half of HE entrants from from low participation areas with a know social background are middle-class (defined as having parents in NS-SEC 1-3). 96% of children who live in London don’t live in low participation areas. Over 70 out of 324 local authority districts have no low participation areas and so would be completely ignored by a strategy to meet this target.
Targets based on POLAR – especially for highly selective universities – are just begging to be gamed (and already are according to UWE research): simply target rich kids in low participation areas and ignore a) kids in deprived areas with lots of ethnic minorities b) poor kids in rich areas.
It’s extremely concerning that the head of OFFA equates “living in a low participation area” and “being from a disadvantaged background” as it suggests a lack of understanding of the perverse incentives being set for institutions by the new target and so a lack of action to guard against it.
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/media/hefce/content/pubs/2014/201401/HEFCE2014_01.pdf
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/analysis/yp/POLAR/Map,of,young,participation,areas/
Mike Picken says:
Feb 15 2016 at 11:34 am
The problem is that POLAR is set at ward level.
This may be helpful towards local and national politicians, for whom the electoral ward is the building block of political representation and of the allocation of funding for much local authority-based activity targeting deprivation. It’s also relevant in terms of looking at national statistics.
However as a measure of the social science of the local relationships of geography to deprivation, particularly in relation to full time participation in HE, it is is utterly useless and it’s about time people started arguing it.
In particular in both London and in some very rural areas it completely breaks down as it is perfectly possible (indeed extremely common) for very poor and very wealthy people to be co-located in the same local authority ward, ie there is extreme heterogeneity at ward level.
HE participation statistics based on much smaller neighbourhoods, such as Output Areas used by the census, would be much better. The Datashine project (funded by ESRC) is doing a lot of good work to provide visualisation of census and other data within these much smaller and more useful geographies. See: datashine.org.uk
As an example, I selected Datashine’s OAC (Output Area Classification) Variable 38 – % of population with highest qualification at Level 3 (A Level) – and zoomed in on the London Boroughs of Camden, Islington and Hammersmith and Chelsea. Result: Loads of small areas with red or pink (showing major pockets of low educational achievement in the population). Choose instead HEFCE’s Polar map of young participation (link above) and zoom in on the same area and you get a high concentrations of purples (highest quintiles) and hardly any reds.
It’s the same thing if you look at rural Cumbria – masses of high participation purple colours from POLAR, while Datashine shows major pockets of red coloured low educational achievement, eg on the outskirts of towns like Keswick.
Now, okay these data visualisations are derived from two different sources and methodologies – OAC is based on 2011 census of the whole population (all ages), while POLAR is derived from UCAS statistics for young people’s application to HE. So I’m not strictly comparing like with like. However my point is that you would expect a strong correlation between these things. In fact I believe that the high level geography used in the POLAR calculations distorts it highly and renders it at least questionable for use as a drive or HE policy.
Kerry Harman says:
The limitations of the POLAR measure are certainly worth noting but what is also of concern to those working in the field of Widening Participation in HE is the the framing of the entire discussion in terms of ‘young people’. What about the mature widening participation students that no longer come to HE?
http://www.scutrea.ac.uk/p/scutrea-blog.html
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The Ascetic Sensualists
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Junius Ponds Film, Reviews + Opinions annoying characters, quotes, Rick Moranis, romanticism, Walter Hill Leave a comment
Elizabeth Daily, Diane Lane and Rick Moranis
In 2011, a 45-year-old director completed a long-gestating project which was viewed with confusion as a vanity project, an inchoate mash-up of his childhood obsessions, his adult obsessions, and his lust for micromanaging every aesthetic detail. Suckerpunch will be a fascinating time capsule in 20 years, but will never inspire romantic reveries, and in its own time it was a failure, bringing to life the latent fantasy landscape of very few people other than Zack Snyder.
27 years earlier, another maker of populist masculine films, slightly younger than 45, was met with similar public indifference for his own labor of love. Writer/director/producer Walter Hill used the power he had assembled from The Driver, The Getaway, The Warriors, Alien, 48 Hrs. et al. to expand his world beyond “tough little stories” into a whole fantasy landscape, a seamless intermingling of greaser/sock-hop and New Wave fashions, a world of young-forever romance and nighttime and rainstorms and neon and highway underpasses but no highways. A world where you’re never more than a block from someone who owes you a favor, or vice versa. I’m not going off on creative-writing flights of fancy here, this is exactly how Hill describes his inspiration.
“Streets Of Fire, is, by design, comic book in orientation, mock-epic in structure, movie-heroic in acting style, operatic in visual style and cowboy-cliche in dialogue. I tried to make what I would have thought was a perfect movie when I was in my teens – I put in all the things I thought were great then and which I still have great affection for, custom cars, kissing in the rain, neon, trains in the night, high-speed pursuit, rumbles, rock stars, motorcycles, jokes in tough situations, leather jackets and questions of honor.”
No protestations here of intricate allegories tackling tough issues, like we got from Snyder when he was challenged by accusations of masturbatoriousness.
Streets of Fire features a hero with two qualities: tough-guyness, and honesty, played by Michael Paré [evoking a young Peter Weller, or a Travolta unable to smile]. A dream girl who talks tough but is fated to be kidnapped and fought over [Diane Lane as Ellen Aim, rock singer whose onstage apparel looks like something Sarah Vaughan would wear, except made out of spandex]. A variety of non-dream girls who actually are tough [Amy Madigan as a soldier, in a brave performance written for a man much taller than her; Elizabeth Daily as a plucky superfan; Deborah van Valkenburgh, the tough girl from The Warriors, here as your typical soulful waitress and Paré’s sister]. A bad guy who wears by far the most outlandish outfit in the movie. Gang wars in which what matters is ritualized combat between leader and leader, in which the loser doesn’t necessarily even get hurt, he just… loses, and leaves town, in a form of fairy-tale logic which would soon be labeled video-game logic. A world where people pay for everything in coins.
Amy Madigan and Michael Paré
The plot of Streets of Fire: Gang leader Raven [Willem Dafoe] kidnaps Ellen Aim, not to make any particular point, just because he wants her. Her lover/manager Billy Fish [Rick Moranis] recruits her ex-lover Tom Cody [Paré] to assemble a small posse to get her back. Billy Fish himself is enlisted to tag along for the ordeal because he knows the territory. Cops [1950s-style, but racially diverse] get in their way. Gangsters get in their way. She is returned to safety, and then Raven challenges Tom to ritualized combat. That’s about it.
Did you notice the phrase “tag along”? That’s a red flag. The movie moves fast and is full of memorable images and moments. But Billy Fish is the most annoying character in any movie of the 1980s.
One of the most notoriously annoying characters of the decade is Willie Scott [Kate Capshaw], who tags along in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, who whines steadily, diminishes the adventure by giving persuasive arguments for turning around and avoiding all risks, and seemingly doesn’t need to be tagging along anyway. Billy Fish combines all these attributes with the other annoying aspects of Rick Moranis characters, being a socially awkward nerd who is also an impulsive loudmouth who gets others in trouble by never shutting up. And not only that, he’s also the rich guy who bosses everyone around, calls people “pal” or “sweetheart”, and lauds himself for being smart enough to escape his childhood neighborhood and eclipse the losers he grew up with. And he’s constantly asking what’s going on, because there can’t be a moment of peace.
The following, unless I missed something [surely did], comprises all of Billy Fish’s lines from Streets of Fire. I watched it after reading that Moranis left acting because his strengths were in improvising and writing, and he had no interest in the roles that fit his persona in if there was no room for creativity in the dialogue. Nothing is unplanned about Streets of Fire. Some actors are comfortable playing a one-note role. Moranis got bored early when filming this one.
How we doing here, we all set?
Yeah, not one of them’s got a pot to piss in. I never should’ve let myself get talked into this dumb benefit, I could’ve been making some real money tonight. All right, let’s get this thing started.
Yeah. So what gives? And make it fast, my time is valuable.
You and what army?
Easy. All you gotta do is earn it.
I started out there. It’s the shits. I wouldn’t go back to that dump if you paid me.
I don’t think so. It’s not my scene.
Look, Cody, you sound pretty dumb. But nobody’s that dumb. I’m the one paying you. That means you go get her, I wait here, and you bring her back to me.
Can you really get her back?
Alright, I’ll go. She’s real important to me.
That’s right, Cody.
Hey, what’s your problem? We’re not takin’ no skirt along.
Listen, skirt, lemme make it simple for ya. Take a hike.
Hey, what is this? Get serious. I’m not paying you any extra to take some sweetie pie along for company.
Look, I’ll take you through the Battery and where the Bombers hang out, but I’m not taking any risks. I’m not paying you to add any thrills to my life, that’s not how it works.
Look, Butch, I buy and sell people more valuable than you every day.
Let me tell you something. These clothes are worth more than you make in a year.
If they got her anywhere, they got her at Torchie’s. It’s a real knockdown joint, no class. I used to book bands in there. It’s right in the middle of a big factory, it’s the shits. You’ll love it, McCoy, it’s just your style. Okay, Cody, what’s the plan? How do you figure on handling all these guys and their motorcycles? You start killing Bombers, we’re gonna be in worse shape than we’re already in.
Just keep going straight ahead, then make a left under the bridge.
Look, I know my way around. That’s why you brought me along, remember?
Walk? I’m not gonna walk around here, I’d get killed!
What are we talking to this creep for? Let’s get out of here.
Just trying to get away from you. We’ve got some business here.
I’m not gonna pay this jerk!
Don’t call me shithead.
Go buy some soap.
I don’t need this guy to tell me she’s at Torchie’s, I said they have her at Torchie’s.
Are you crazy? They’ll notice me in a second down there!
What about her? I thought she’s supposed to do the driving.
Jesus, Ellen, am I glad to see ya! I thought you were gone forever!
You’re not going with him, you stay in the car!
McCoy, can’t you drive this car any faster? I don’t want any Bombers sneaking up on us. Let’s get our asses outta here real quick. And where’s this Grant Street anyway, I never heard of it before, are you sure you know where you’re going?
Listen, I say we give it a couple minutes, then get outta here, okay?
I’m talking about saving our ass. We’ve got a lot to live for, Ellen!
Don’t worry about him, he’s getting paid a lot of money to look after Raven.
What, do you think he’s doing this for love? You think he’s doing this ’cause he’s your biggest fan? He’s getting paid, dear. He takes his chances.
What’s this old flame stuff?
What, is she kidding?
Well, Cody, we’ve had our differences, but it looks like we’ve got it made now, huh? We just zoom along here for a couple hours, then we’re home and dry.
Bury the car? What are you talking about, bury the car?
Gonna get rid of the car? What’s wrong with the car? Is this what I’m paying you all this money for, to come up with these brilliant ideas? Why don’t we just hand ourselves back over to Raven and ask him to shoot us?
What are you talking about? What are you going with him for? Hey, I don’t like the way this looks, Ellen. I’m paying the bills around here, how about some respect?
Wonder what they’re talking about.
How big a thing do you think they had, anyway?
Yeah, well, she’s with me now.
I hope you two got everything straightened out.
What’s he mean, he hurt your feelings? What’d he say? Did he say anything about me? What’d he say?
We’re nobody. We’re going nowhere.
Look, knock it off. We’re not interested in conversation, okay, moron?
Great. We just got rid of the old wheels. Wonderful leadership, Cody.
This is great. Just great.
Changing flat tires isn’t exactly my line of work, dear.
The famous Sorels sure put a lot of money into that bus, huh?
Listen, Cody, I didn’t know you had a thing with Ellen in the old days. You better get some smarts. Learn to adjust to the fact that you’re out of the picture now. See, Cody, I do things for her. Things that a guy like you could never do. Things that matter in the real world.
Keep your hands off the suit, buddy.
Come on, hurry the hell up with that flat tire! It’s time to go.
Way ahead of you, Cody. Whaddya think, I gotta be a genius to know what you’re going for?
I’ll handle this. I’ll talk us through.
Aw, knock off the crap, will ya? As far as I’m concerned anybody that goes into the Battery and does some damage deserves a medal.
Look, cut the shit, okay? You guys got a big job to do, we’re trying to get where we’re going, now let us through. Or do you want to come to some kind of financial arrangement?
You guys talk my language.
Glad to see there’s some integrity left in the force.
First he dumps the car, and now he’s dumping the bus!
Don’t worry, babe. Everything’s gonna be okay from now on.
It’ll be great.
No, she’s not. She’s tired. She’s been roughed up. I’m gonna take her back to the hotel so she can get some rest. This whole thing started ’cause I had to do a gig in this shithole. I shoulda stayed the hell away from this dump.
Now you’re talking, kiddo. C’mon, let’s get out of here.
I’ve been expecting you. I know what you want. Ten grand. As good as my word. I pay on time.
You know, you play rough, Cody, but you do a good job. You should do a little more work for me when you get a taste of what that money’ll bring you. Then you’ll realize I’m the one with the brains around here and you’ll start treating me a bit nicer.
Where do you get off talking to her like that? She’s way out of your league, musclehead.
You know what’s wrong with that guy? He’s stupid.
What’re you sorry about? Where are you going? Where are you going?
What is this? You can’t get away with this! You think you can ride into any town and kidnap anybody you want? Now get the hell out of town and leave these people alone.
You know something, Waldo? We’re gonna be rich.
Great, huh? New discovery. I’ll take them right up the ladder.
But don’t worry, Cody, I’m not going to stand in your way with Ellen. I know how it is between you two.
She needs me, but she loves you.
Is that what I’m supposed to tell her?
Take it easy, Cody. Thanks.
Despite the presence of Billy Fish, and the fact that the kids of 1984 were more in tune with musicals starring Prince or Kevin Bacon, Streets of Fire has inspired love from many hard-bitten romantic teenagers in the following decades, particularly apparent in the form of fan art.
Read a more fair assessment of Streets of Fire here, from Robert C. Cumbow.
Tonight is what it means to be young.
18 Titles That Might Introduce Fresh New Ideas Into The DIE HARD Franchise
Junius Ponds Film, Listicles Bruce Willis, dying hard, hard death, sequels 1 Comment
18. A Kiss Before Dying Hard
17. To Die Hard, To Sleep Hard, Perchance To Dream Hard
16. Dying Hard, Or Hardly Dying?
15. A Day No Pigs Would Die Hard
14. Whom The Gods Love Die Hard
13. Prop Me Up Beside The Jukebox If I Die Hard
12. Die Hard Stay Pretty
11. Die Hard Stay Pretty II: Die Hard! Die Hard! My Darling!
10. Die Hard Star Pretty III: What Can You Say About A 25-Year-Old Girl Who Died Hard?
9. Get Me Away From Here, I’m Dying Hard
8. (I Just) Died Hard In Your Arms
7. Hope I Die Hard Before I Get Old
6. Dracula: Dead, Hard, And Loving It
5. Skate Or Die Hard
4. Skate Or Die Hard II: Surf Nazis Must Die Hard
3. The Young May Die Hard, But The Old Must
2. Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori Durum
1. He Dies Hard For The Money, So You Better Treat Him Right
MAGFest 11: Arcade game assessment
Junius Ponds Reviews + Opinions, Vidya arcade games, Donkey Kong, Excitebike, Eyes, robots Leave a comment
Classic, of course. Perfectly calibrated. You wonder, should I eliminate the enemies row by row? Clearly I should, because that gives me more time long-term. Or should I go column by column? After I shoot one guy, it’s easiest to shoot the guy right behind him, so this makes sense practically if not in an ideal world. Which of these is best if we are concerned about minimizing the amount of damage to our shields? We need our shields. Like Centipede, this combines mutually unmaximizable objectives with a milieu that rewards patience rather than frantic reflexes.
Like its near-namesake, there’s a colored overlay on the screen which helps define the zones of the game. But the important part of this game is the controller. It’s fantastic! You actually lean forward to push your ship forward, and pull back to pull it back. It’s also a steering wheel and of course you shoot with it. The controller is so heavy, requiring physical effort to manipulate, that it gives a better feeling of being within the space of the game than any other game I’ve played. And the other interesting feature is the lack of enemies. There really aren’t many things to shoot. Which is good because to shoot them you have to get really close, or at least I did since there seems to be no way to aim. The haptic controller and realistic-in-a-way randomness make this a unique experience.
This is a space shooter with a huge map. Your ship stays in the same place, and the background scrolls behind you. This was revolutionary at the time – before Sinistar! There’s a mini-map next to the background, telling you where you are, and where the ships you need to blow up are. It’s quite optional whether you blow up the smaller things – they aren’t that much of a risk, though it helps if there’s fewer of them. In addition to the free scrolling and the mini-map, this game pioneered having a computer voice, and pioneered the continue screen! Players must have been infuriated that a continue screen had been possible all these years. But how is the gameplay? Excellent. The ships you need to blow up have one spot in the middle you need to hit. If you approach from the right angle you can destroy the ship right away – otherwise its 8 projectiles (which you can also destroy, rendering it helpless, if you want to do things gradually) shoot at you. Some need to be approached from above/below, and some from left/right.
Exceeded my high expectations. You’ve got the ordinary mushrooms you have to destroy. Then more appear from the fragments of any unkilled centipedes. Then more are dropped by these snake guys that go sideways, and by these other guys that just fall accompanied by a loud BLOOP. With the interplay of these various sources of trouble you need to be reactive, while still focusing on eliminating the mushrooms at the bottom of the screen first. Then in carrying OUT this challenging combination of tasks, you use a trackball and a fire button. You generally move left to right only, which seems odd for a trackball, but it’s great because you can fine-tune your speed to catch up with or overtake your foes. And whacking the ball to go as fast as possible, unlike in most games where it’s a sign of desperation or a cocky flourish, is actually a strategy when you want to overtake the centipede before it makes a U-turn. Finally, the ball’s 3D capabilities soon become essential, when the creatures reach the bottom of the screen and you need to shift paradigms and go above them. A real game of skill.
Frankly it is amazing that this is where the empire started. The enemies move slowly. Mario moves slower. The enemies follow rules that are frustratingly unclear. It’s unclear whether it’s safe or deadly to be in a certain pixel. There are no surprises except death. The action once you reach the top of the screen is a little different from the action you take to get there, but not different enough. Even among single-screen platformers, which I never spend much time on, this is lacking.
Donkey Kong 3: Where Donkey Kong becomes King Hippo
An improvement over the original. I like how you climb slowly on one vine, but if you grab two vines you climb quickly. That adds a little complexity. The enemies don’t follow clear rules again, which is now more “caution-inducing” than “maddening” despite increased speed and difficulty. And right off the bat, Mario has gone from good guy to bad guy! Maybe there’s a reveal at the end showing Mario was framed or impersonated, as has become so popular in later decades of the franchise?
Where’s Mario? Instead, there’s some Fix-It Felix looking guy. Where’s Donkey Kong? He’s just sitting there taunting me. This isn’t a platformer? I just shoot these bugs? Wasn’t this a Game & Watch game? It was! I call shenanigans on Donkey Kong 3 and deny its existence. The progression of the franchise has a lacuna here.
A “best of” of various shooters. Slick and enjoyable. If it was less predictable or had any mash-up qualities this would be a great one to own at home.
I played this for a while without reading the instructions. All I perceived was a NICE use of inertia. Inertia is satisfying. Upon finally learning the rules it became an exhilarating experience, somehow enhanced by my inability to figure out why I was sometimes zooming super-speedily [horizontally speaking] and sometimes couldn’t build up the slightest head of steam. The basic premise is you crash into the enemies and whoever is higher, vertically speaking, wins, that being the rule of the lance. An epiphany hit after a while: This is almost the same as the paradigm of “jump on your enemies, otherwise any contact with them is fatal.” Nice new perspective. I just wish the look of the enemies or other graphics would change between levels. Maybe it does after a while.
Here’s something I could play for hours. Why aren’t there more classic games where you walk from room to room? The Guardian Legend‘s indoor segments owe a debt to Berzerk. The “walk from room to room” function allows you to ease into difficulty levels. If there are too many robots to shoot, you can bail out, leave the room and come back. If the bouncy smiley face pens you in, run away and leave the room and come back. You can play this game evasively And the robots talk! And they make fun of you! The only problem is, you can’t touch the walls. I think it would be just as hard to shoot the robots if you COULD touch the walls, so dying as a result of wall contact is a constant source of frustration. The robots are challenging enough despite their slow pace. No need for even slower, even deadlier enemies in the form of load-bearing constructional elements.
Berzerk: “Intruder Alert. Stop the Humanoid”
This is the one game that let me get a high score. So right off the bat, it’s recommended. That being said, it would be nice if the stages were somewhat randomized. In theory. It would be nice for me if the game were EXACTLY LIKE IT IS because this is the game I have mastered, relatively speaking. This game was lodged in a Mario Bros. cabinet so I don’t know what the instructions look like, but it’s probably hard to explain what the buttons do. You can push one button to accelerate, but don’t push it for too long or you overheat. You can push the other button to maintain speed, or to accelerate but less effectively but with no risk of overheation. Also, on my 298749823948th play, my little bikey fella suddenly turned yellow and black, and the rules regarding overheating SIMPLY DID NOT APPLY. That was awesome. According to a YouTube comment and no other sources, this happens if you unbrokenly wreck five other guys without wrecking yourself. I couldn’t do it again, but it was awesome. All this game needs is well-known Nintendo characters to be the racers. I would have played 23974239842398742 times instead of merely 298749823948 if I could race as Kirby or A Boy’s Blob or Alex from River City Ransom. Has any chapter of the Mario Party saga EVER included an Excitebike level?
One of my favorite NES games so I can’t quite judge this one except to say the joystick makes a lot more sense than the D-pad for a diagonally oriented game. Much like Excitebike, the gameplay is a few discrete stages and it would be nice if you could start at a later stage instead of wasting time in lower stages again and again. And this is such a good idea for a game that it’s a missed opportunity. Make longer stages. Randomize the geography a bit (for NES at least). Why not have 3-minute-long stages? You get more margin for error and more gameplay.
This game is super hard and the enemies are grotesque and off-putting. Nonetheless, I like the unified color scheme, and the game advances slow enough that you can memorize what to do pretty well.
Zaxxon: Maybe the 8-way joystick that comes with the handheld version works better.
Kind of like R-Type in that you advance slowly and need to memorize what to do. This one has an even steeper learning curve because of its use of 3D space (traversed diagonally) combined with a controller that doesn’t move diagonally. You move it one way for horizontal, another way for vertical [northwest/southeast[, as you advance toward the northeast. It’s quite hard to know where you are vis-a-vis the other things on the screen (missiles mostly). But it looks great, with walls and fences and buildings that almost compare to the original SimCity. I would have hated this one if I had to pay a quarter per turn.
Man, does THIS one look lovely. For a game where each level is a single room it is so nice. So many colors. Each robot enemy is multi-hued. The game has another punishing learning curve and I would detest it if I was paying per death. But it seems like I should be able to figure it out, since you can run in one direction but shoot in another. Two joysticks! The first two levels are simple, and the third lets you get situated, and it’s such a relief to see those brighter-than-bright colors that you don’t need to spend much time in it. On a darker note, there are so many enemies that it sticks with you. It’s a tough world, especially when humans have been enslaved by robots. And in terms of basic logistics, having played Berzerk for so long before this one, it was hard not to wish I could back out of a room and reenter when the robots were proliferating uncontrollably.
So many robots
This is a platformer that is easier to figure out than Donkey Kong and less frustrating because it scrolls a bit. The artwork is pretty bad, but I like the door-based combat, and far prefer trampolines to ladders when it comes to inter-platform travel. The doors look pretty terrible, though. In terms of graphics this is the cartoon mouse game equivalent of The Langoliers. If made one year later it would just look like it was done on a budget instead of looking eye-bleedingly cheap.
Total classic. And it’s all about inertia. Your ship has inertia, and so do your enemies. So you can tell what they’re going to do, you can tell they aren’t going to suddenly switch directions unfairly, the whole thing is perfectly calibrated. The button you just pushed combines with your existing trajectory to make smooth curves. Another good thing about the inertia is you don’t necessarily have to shoot in the same direction you’re moving. It would take a while for this to get old.
For a game generally recognized as the first side-scroller, it’s impressive that it already contains the “rescue your allies” motif as well as the shooting motif, and it’s even more impressive that the rescuing mechanism works and is often more fun than shooting at enemies. Who are these enemies anyway? I have to avoid the terrain, I have to rescue people, violence is a low priority.
Eyes: Look, they’re eyes
This is just a version of Snake / Rattler Race. Being limited to the Pac-Man style map is not ideal for this kind of game, and the cabinet had a joystick that couldn’t make two turns in quick succession.
Another weird game in Pac-Man maps, this one hit a chord with me. Imagine Pac-Man as a shooter. Yep. You have to shoot the pellets to accumulate them – running over them has no effect. You can run right through the enemies, because what matters is whether you shoot them or they shoot you. [Although by the time you run through one, he’s probably had enough time to shoot you.] The requirement to shoot the dots, and the fact that you can’t shoot THROUGH the dots but your enemies can, makes it challenging despite the enemies’ slow pace. As for why it’s called Eyes, you control an eye. Your looking part is at the front, and the back is red. Your enemies are alien eyes [yellow, green]. Yes, all the characters are Eyes. This game [like Nibbler] was made by a company called Rock-Ola that didn’t really have any hits. I want a copy.
I was a fan of Alleyway on the Game Boy, despite the lack of power-ups. I love the circular version called Vortex on the iPod Classic. In the original [so to speak] Arkanoid, there are power-ups, but they barely improve it because they don’t last long. You should be powered up until you slip up and lose a ball — it’s only fair. Also it would be nice if brick color meant something, but all we get is that the gray ones don’t break.
Sixteen bitchy comments from John Simon’s “Movies Into Film: Criticism 1967-1970”
Junius Ponds Film, Listicles criticism, Elizabeth Taylor, John Simon, Paul Simon 6 Comments
“There are several so-called critics—reviewers—who really hate my guts. There is one who slams a door in my face if he happens to pass through it ahead of me. But who cares? It’s wonderful to be hated by idiots.”
Susannah York is unconvincing at everything: lesbianism, childishness, acting…
Paul Simon’s lyrics alternate between nauseating poeticism (“Hello darkness, my old friend … Silence like a cancer grows … The words of the prophet are written on the subway wall … The sound of silence:) and trashy folksiness (“Here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson: Jesus loves you more than you can know”), and are set to his and Garfunkel’s music that is not so much rock as rock bottom. Nichols keeps reprising these decompositions, until the soundtrack resembles the streets of New York during the garbage collectors’ strike.
The kids themselves, with the exception of Cathy Burns (Rhoda), are not particularly good actors, and Barbara Hershey (Sandy, and not a kid anymore) looks, regrettably, much better with her bikini top on than off. Miss Burns, on the other hand, is an extremely accomplished little actress, but also insuperably homely — she looks, in fact, like a pink beach ball with a few limbs and features painted on it. There is no excuse for Rhoda’s being a positive freak, and making us feel she is damned lucky to have been raped at all.
Even more unpleasant, though, is Mimsy Farmer’s breathy Marilyn Monroe-Jackie Kennedy English, in which “charcoal,” for instance, is pronounced “chuhkuh,” the uh’s representing gusts of breath. An altogether dispensable girl, this Mimsy, looking and acting like a cross between Sandy Dennis and a young Lizabeth Scott, with added suggestions of Jean Seberg and a death’s-head.
Paul McCartney, a chubbily handsome young man, appears quite pleasant with, or despite, his generation-shaping look. But the others! Particularly grubby are John Lennon and his worse half, Yoko Ono, who sits, smug and possessive, almost always within touching distance of him. Flouting, it would seem, even minimal sanitary measures, their hair looks like a Disneyland for the insect world, and their complexions appear to be portable bacterial cultures.
God only knows where the notion that Miss Lansbury has class originated; perhaps her vestigial lower-middle-class English accent passes for that in our informed show-biz circles. She is, in fact, common; and her mugging, rattling-off or steam-rollering across her lines, and camping around merely make her into that most degraded thing an outré actress can decline into: a fag hag.
Mlle Deneuve can portray a cool clotheshorse with a schoolgirl emotion or two very nicely, as in La Chamade; beyond that her histrionic pittance will not stretch.
Stéphane Audran (Mme Chabrol — which explains a thing or two, though not everything) combines the vacuous, far-off gaze of a blind explorer with a surly, pinched delivery of lines as if they were shoes several sizes too small.
Joanna is played by Geneviève Waite, a piece of fluff with a thinnish sound piped into it (for all our advances in electronics, automata have not yet acquired fully human voices), and sliding whichever way the ground underneath inclines. As her ebony lover, Calvin Lockhart is like beautiful; as her lordly but moribund mentor, Donald Sutherland is nauseating: Toad of Toad Hall’s conception of Oscar Wilde.
The only absolute liability, in fact, is Irina Demick. When she was Darryl Zanuck’s special protegée, no further question was necessary; now that Zanuck’s attention has moved on, one must emphatically ask why Miss Demick remains.
It is regrettable to have both leading ladies in such a dashing film seemingly vie with each other for this year’s Homeliness Award, just as it is misguided to entrust the gallantly swashbuckling lead to David Hemmings, who, besides being a mediocre actor, looks in long shots like something out of Planet of the Apes.
Huston has directed in a bored and lackluster fashion, and his performing of a minor role is deplorably leprechaunish. The ending of the picture is an absolute botch, and there is a perfectly blank, supremely inept performance by Huston’s daughter, Anjelica, who has the face of an exhausted gnu, the voice of an unstrung tennis racket, and a figure of no describable shape.
Jean-Marie Patte seems miscast as Louis; he would have been much better as the protagonist of The Blob.
Meyer was equipped with a co-scenarist, the aforementioned Mr. Ebert, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and, by all accounts, a rather fey put-on artist.
Miss Hepburn’s quality was and will be that of an offbeat, madcap debutante, and she has now simply entered the emerita division of the same category. Her Aurelia is all huskily doddering sexiness and girlish flutters, senior division. When you think of the great Marguerite Moreno, who created the role, and then look at this performance, exact replicas of which have already earned Miss Hepburn two ill-deserved Oscars, you may wish to forsake the auditorium for the vomitorium.
But just how garish her commonplace accent, squeakily shrill voice, and the childish petulance with which she delivers her lines are, my pen is neither scratchy nor leaky enough to convey. The once pretty face has become coarse, though from a distance it can still look good — but only if it avoids any attempt at expression, as, to be sure, it not infrequently does. Only the bosom keeps implacably marching on — or down, as the case may be — but I do not feel qualified to be the Xenophon of this reverse anabasis.
1 – The Killing of Sister George [Robert Aldrich], December 1968
2 – The Graduate [Mike Nichols], February 1968
3 – Last Summer [Frank Perry], July 1969
4 – More [Barbet Schroeder], September 1969
5 – Let It Be [Michael Lindsay-Hogg], June 1970
6 – Something for Everyone [Hal Prince], August 1970
7 – Mississippi Mermaid [François Truffaut], April 1970
8 – Les Biches [Claude Chabrol], December 1968
9 – Joanna [Michael Sarne], February 1969
10 – The Sicilian Clan [Henri Verneuil], April 1970
11 – The Charge of the Light Brigade [Tony Richardson], November 1968
12 – A Walk With Love and Death [John Huston], October 1969
13 – The Rise of Louis XIV [Roberto Rossellini], October-November 1967
14 – Beyond the Valley of the Dolls [Russ Meyer], July 1970
15 – The Madwoman of Chaillot [Bryan Forbes], November 1969
16 – Elizabeth Taylor in The Taming of the Shrew [Franco Zeffirelli], April 1967
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Two decadent monarchs, two distinct outcomes
Junius Ponds Film, Reviews + Opinions England, France, Gerard Depardieu, history, Miramax, Rupert Everett, Tim Roth, VHS Leave a comment
I had Vatel make it for you, my dear lady.
Vatel [Roland Joffé, 2000] came out at a time of Miramax backlash. One can understand the resistance to another shallow Miramax crowd-pleaser when watching the trailers on the VHS – advertisements for Serendipity, Chocolat, and Behind The Sun, followed by a triumphant montage of all Miramax’s contributions to the new dawning of cinema. Fragments of scenes from their true classics (Life Is Beautiful, My Left Foot, Like Water For Chocolate, Life Is Beautiful, Strictly Ballroom, Clerks, Smoke, Life Is Beautiful, building to a dizzying whirl of title cards ranging from Happy, Texas to Bounce to Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. The home video release followed a ludicrously extragavant Cannes premiere party seemingly designed to create backlash. [Why is the only source I can find for the details of this the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal? It was covered attentively by Travers, Gleiberman et al. at the time.]
The film’s unloved status is understandable, given how prepared everyone was to be annoyed. It is SO lush, opulent, lavish, whichever adjective you prefer, and SO unchallenging. The “bitter/sweet” dual mandate of the indie drama is entirely “sweet”. I enjoyed it tremendously. It just flew by. That is to say, there were no obvious points to stop the tape, because it’s one of those films that resembles a 100-minute montage. Scenes are all about the same length, a minute or shorter, then a cut to another place, then a cut to another place, then a cut back to the first place. Stretches of vibrantly lovely music [Ennio Morricone] carry through scene after scene after scene, which seem to be unified by consistent panning from left to right. Just about every shot has a crowd of people in it, making special the moments of quiet and solitude. I don’t know anything about the technical aspects of filmmaking, but hopefully this makes sense. Directing and editing orchestrated for a smooth ride.
This editing is characteristic of:
1) Movies about drugs and craziness [e.g. Performance]
2) Movies made by Steven Soderbergh and/or Tony Gilroy [not so dependent on music to stitch these together]
3) Movies about the pleasurable preparation for, and anticipation of, some sort of epochal event. These include Big Night, Rachel Getting Married, and Vatel. It may also be the pleasurable development of an unexpected phenomenon [e.g. Be Kind Rewind]. The stakes are nominally high, but throughout the film you realize that life isn’t about whatever is being built up to, it’s about what happens along the way.
Madame, I see these birds are caged. Rather like you, in a way. Do you see, Madame?
Vatel is Gérard Depardieu. He’s the only man without a wig who ever interacts with the men in wigs. His boss is a prince who’s going to go bust unless he successfully sucks up to Louis Quatorze. Vatel is the head steward and comes up with wondrous spectacles on both small and large scale, surprisingly few of which involve cooking. Vatel is in charge of getting the local merchants to keep extending credit because they’ll all get paid back in spades when the prince becomes a royal favorite. The stakes are low, and they aren’t raised by the looming spectre of war with the Dutch, which is brought up in the form of the king making jokes about the Dutch and how silly it would be to go to war with them. Nor are they raised by the emotional turmoil undergone by the king’s mistress [Uma Thurman – this was also part of the post-Avengers Uma Thurman backlash], who occupies many of the quiet and still moments — with her caged bird, looking out the window, talking in the rare privacy of the woods. The only thing we care about is Vatel demonstrating to everyone in the castle, including the foppish Bourbon courtiers who view him with more sneering amusement than Psychlos view man-animals, that he deserves respect.
Depardieu is the ideal actor for an everyman with the magic touch. The odd thing is, though, is he an everyman, or does he have the magic touch? He seems like a man of hard work and hard-won knowledge. Basically a chef. If he can keep cracking the whip, everyone will do their jobs and everything will fall into place [see Big Night]. But the script is fascinated by the idea that Vatel will win the king’s favor with ingenious fripperies and awesome spectacles that frankly seem magical. When Vatel makes this his job, he seems like one of those wise fools who in some realms of life are simple and guileless, but in other realms operate on a level untouchable to the common human.
The viewer resists being told at first that Vatel is an average schmoe, and later being hinted that he’s a sort of savant or oddity, and later being told that the king’s mistress [cynical at first, like all these courtesans], is falling for him. The unknowability of the main character means we are more comfortable experiencing the movie as a simple parade of visual pleasures, and baubles of wit courtesy of Tom Stoppard.
Alas, monsieur. Ten o’clock, I have an even more attractive offer. Her Majesty has asked me to delouse her spaniel.
Another seemed apt, and also contained a great archaic word use.
Demaury: More than half the eggs are addled. We can’t make the custard.
Vatel: Watch. (beating batter) The sugar will come out like beaten egg whites. If they ask you what it is, tell them it’s an old recipe from Chantilly.
A lot of this movie is confused as to its purpose, but it has too many great ingredients to be ignored.
Tim Roth is not impressed.
Tim Roth plays the most human of the sneering fops in Vatel. He’s good in these period pieces. Never one-note. Never seems to be more knowledgeable than the character he’s playing, though he has the advantage of centuries of perspective.
To Kill A King [Mike Barker, 2003] is a more satisfying historical drama, with Roth in the fascinating role of Oliver Cromwell. In British history the Puritans are a sort of weird eruptive anarchic force. In American history they’re our inspirational forebears, seeking freedom, wanting to be left alone. The heart of this movie is its sympathy for four characters. Cromwell, Charles I [Rupert Everett], Thomas Fairfax [Dougray Scott], and Lady Anne Fairfax [Olivia Williams].
Fairfax is the military leader of the parliamentary revolution. The common people love him. The nobility is still okay with him. He has charisma. He’s a swashbuckler. That’s him on the horse in the highly misleading cover art. This is him bringing good news to the masses.
Fairfax is the only man Cromwell trusts who isn’t a Puritan. The other Puritans see him more as a tool than as a leader, a tool that fulfilled its duty when the king surrendered and now should be put back in the box. Will he continue to do what Cromwell wants? He’s not the Puritan leader, he’s the parliamentary leader. He’s not a political leader, he’s a military leader. Where are the other parliamentarians who will put together a post-royalist government? Only Cromwell has the imagination to start something new. Everyone else with nominal power is equivocating. This is obviously a simplification of history — Fairfax and Cromwell’s falling out was not over what to do with King Charles but over what to do with Scotland — but the goal is to show historical dynamics on a human scale.
Rupert Everett takes to the role of a fop like a duck to water. Here he’s the king. In a ridiculous wig. But he doesn’t sneer, he doesn’t act like he’s cleverer or handsomer than anyone else. He acts superior, by divine right. He gives orders, he demonstrates immense dignity, he makes it clear that although he has no claim to great leadership skills, his existence is impossible if he’s not in charge. With his posture, his voice, he conveys that there can be no compromise. Going down with the ship, as it were. Is he playing mind games with the hope that the Roundheads aren’t really convinced life is better with an empty throne? Is he hoping for an eleventh-hour rescue by the Scots? Everett doesn’t seem particularly smart, but he never wavers. He doesn’t seem brave, but doesn’t bargain with his captors. Very interesting performance.
Lame-duck king Rupert Everett ponders his options.
Lady Fairfax is a royalist. The king enlists her to persuade her husband. All her friends are counting on her to preserve them from the mob, she hears. She wants to settle down on her family estate. This may be a stereotypical female role in that she doesn’t care who started the fussing and the fighting, she just doesn’t want to see more damage to life and limb, and certainly not more property damage. It’s all so senseless. One of the film’s inspired elements is that Lady Fairfax comes over to King Charles’s house arrest to brighten his days by playing music together. These sessions let her act as a go-between. Olivia Williams is great in the part. No matter who she’s talking to she’s serious in the same way. She’s preoccupied by the uncertainty and can’t relax.
Tim Roth’s Cromwell is the live wire. He’s basically a villain, which ruins the movie for some people. But it’s the sober, Michael Corleone sort of villain — with every decision he makes, you think “Given that he needs to adhere to basic principles of trust and loyalty, what else can he do?” Only Puritans trust him. He walks into parliament; sees people who look down on him as a simple-minded ideologue; and he resolves not to let them win, even though they have no particular goals. He goes back to his brethren; sees people who have spent their lives putting him in power and are on alert for signs that he’s being corrupted by that power; and he resolves to make them proud. Cromwell’s advisors show signs of group polarization, as every question boils down to “Is it what the King wants?”, which implies “Is it what the King wants, or what God wants?”, which means better be safe than sorry. No consensus will be reached with the parliament. And speaking of Michael Corleone, it helps that Roth is the smallest man in every room.
Lord Protector Tim Roth, flanked by enforcers
Aside from Sight & Sound‘s extensive assessment, most reviews seem to come out of Britain where the production was notoriously laden with semi-comical errors, none of which are evident in the resulting product. Unless you know the budget and compare it to what you see on screen, with a lot of low lighting, dependence on a few sets, a single character [Lord Denzil Holles, played by James Bolam] representing all the multifarious forms of political venality and corruption that required a dozen actors in a more sweeping film like Amazing Grace. To Kill a King starts with a battle scene, which in limited-budget style is really a post-battle scene, characters stepping over corpses, looking exhausted and having discussions in tents. There’s one action set piece later on, critical to the descent of Cromwell’s rationality, involving the pursuit and persecution of simple folk who are selling royal relics. And eventually, back to the historical record — for the scaffold scene.
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Home / April 2009 / What Would Google Government Look Like?
What Would Google Government Look Like?
By Christopher J. Dorobek
A new book could help change the way agencies think.
Imagine your world without Google?
I know it seems like an almost silly question, but go ahead—just try to make it through the day without using the ubiquitous search engine. Or, even try to make it through the day without using it in speech—“Googling something.” My guess is it would be fairly difficult. Google has become the way to find information. But it also is arguably the fastest growing company in the world. Are there lessons that government can learn from the search giant?
That is the premise behind Jeff Jarvis’ new book, What Would Google Do? In the end, the book is not really about Google. At its core, it is a management book—a primer about the ways that management is changing. And, it is about some of the real challenges that organizations—including government—are facing.
These challenges are multifaceted. One has to reach out to the public in multiple ways—the ways that people want information. And Jarvis uses Google as the example of an organization that is, arguably, the fastest growing company ever. But Google also has proved to be agile and innovative. It has completely changed the way people look at information and how they find it.
What Would Google Do? has many principles that speak to the challenges facing government agencies. The book taps into the idea that information is power, but that the real power of information comes in the sharing. Among the principles the book outlines are: give up control; get out of the way; and make mistakes well.
These three principles are useful particularly for government. They are almost directly applicable to government management, and applying them will be particularly challenging.
For giving up control, the book argues that Google does not try to be everything for everyone. To the contrary, it tries to link to everyone. Government agencies tend to want to control information. They become concerned about people misinterpreting the information that is presented. These days, people do not want to be controlled. Agencies still must perform their assessment of data and make it relevant to citizens, but they also must cede control and make data available to people in raw form.
Getting out of the way is related to giving up control, but too often agencies believe that they have to do everything. That is not true. A case in point is the District of Columbia’s remarkable Apps for Democracy program. Under former district Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra, who was named the Obama administration’s chief information officer in March, the program gave up control by making government data available—and then held a contest for applications using that data. The result was more than 40 different applications incorporating everything from crime data to parking rules and regulations. They can be seen at www.AppsForDemocracy.org. Yet another example comes from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Jeremy Ames of EPA’s Indoor Environments Division came up with the idea of holding a contest for radon gas public service announcement videos. Rather than contracting it out to pricey professionals, the agency invited people to submit their own videos, and the results were remarkable. But just as powerful, the video initiative spurred people affected by radon gas to form their own social network outside of EPA. Essentially, the EPA got out of the way—and it all started with a video.
To make mistakes well is one of the most difficult aspects for agencies—and currently the most disconcerting. Government is terrible at making mistakes. Nobody tolerates them—not Congress, not those involved with oversight, not even the media. This approach has created an ultraconservative culture that is intolerant of any change or innovation. What would Google do? Google would beta-test everything. Gmail is still in beta, for goodness’ sake. That is largely because the company still is making changes. Amazon.com Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos recently appeared on PBS’ Charlie Rose Show, where he talked about the ability to make mistakes and how important it is to the culture of that company. Specifically, he pointed to Amazon’s attempt at auctions, which failed. But he noted that Amazon now has a successful business selling with third-party vendors. That business never would have come about without the auction failure. The moral is to make mistakes well.
Government leaders would do well to consider the points raised in What Would Google Do? If nothing else, it might spur them to think differently.
Christopher J. Dorobek is the co-anchor of The Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris on Washington, D.C.’s Federal News Radio 1500 AM.
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