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Exclusive by Design: How Hospitality Experiences Drive Brand Loyalty
B-to-C Events, B-to-B Events
Posted on December 28, 2018 by Kait Shea
Insights from Citi, Grant Thornton, Under Armour and TE Connectivity
Citi relies on close ties to the entertainment industry to help differentiate its brand.
There was a time not so long ago when hospitality experiences were nothing to write home about. The setup, usually part of a sports sponsorship, generally included a few beers and bites under a sad white tent, and when the game ended, so did the brand engagement. Flash forward to today, and the landscape is drastically different. Brands today are producing memorable, once-in-a-lifetime hospitality experiences in an effort to educate attendees on their products and personality, drive long-term loyalty, close business deals and above all, strengthen relationships with key clientele. The stakes are higher, the assets are greater and the competition is fierce. Welcome to hospitality in the FOMO era.
MAKING THE MOST OF ASSETS
More than ever, brands are leveraging what they’ve already got to enhance their hospitality experiences. It’s an opportunity to make the most of their assets and stretch those budget dollars just a bit farther. Under Armour, for example, has begun to take advantage of its relationship with top athletes, like heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua. Last year, the brand hosted top European clients in London at the Anthony Joshua Championship Fight at Wembley Stadium—an event that drew the biggest boxing audience the UK had seen in almost 80 years, and an experience the clients won’t soon forget.
“More and more we’re utilizing the really unique things about our brand to draw in our business partners and clients,” says Kelley Walton, senior director-global events and athlete tours at Under Armour. “Any brand can plan an amazing weekend at a top resort for their top clients, but only Under Armour can offer our business partners and clients the chance to meet Stephan Curry and sit courtside at his event… So, I think we’re really trying to leverage those assets that we have even more than in the past to create these experiences that money can’t buy for our clients.”
The same goes for Grant Thornton, an accounting firm that serves as the official accounting services provider for the Tony Awards. Although it had strictly relied on sports sponsorship-based hospitality experiences in the past, the brand recognized a gap in entertainment-based hospitality events and over the past few years has leveraged its relationship with the esteemed awards program to offer clients an exclusive Tonys experience.
For a 2017 Tony Awards program, Grant Thornton invited a top client and his wife to participate in its VIP experience as a couple, which included a two-night stay at the Plaza Hotel, a salon and shopping experience at Bergdorf Goodman, a pre-cocktail reception and an official red carpet photo op at the awards show. The experience also included entry to the official Tonys after party gala and a takeaway photo of the couple’s red carpet moment, which the brand mailed home.
“I think the different properties within the [hospitality] category are approaching things differently,” says Carol Tarver, director-sports marketing at Grant Thornton. “They’re trying to enhance their assets. It’s not just a basketball game—it’s a family thing, it’s the circus, it’s a concert… Just the sheer volume of facilities that are expanding their rental suites—maybe there’s a message there that companies are not necessarily signing up for five-year leases of the suite. They’re doing things to make their assets more appealing to the marketplace, and at the same time, a lot of them are hedging their bets trying to see if they can broaden the base of who they’re trying to market [to].”
Grant Thornton invites clients to participate in its VIP experience at the Tony Awards.
TE Connectivity leverages its partnership with the Andretti Formula E Team to offer a behind the scenes look at the auto racing space.
Giving attendees the opportunity to learn about the brand, its personality and the products or services it offers is also a key component of hospitality experiences for many companies. Like TE Connectivity, a technology company that designs and manufactures connectivity and sensor products, which takes advantage of its partnership with the Andretti Formula E Team to offer clients a rare look behind the scenes of the auto racing space. Andretti’s Formula E vehicle is equipped with more than 100 TE products, making race days the perfect setting for the brand’s education-based hospitality experiences.
For a b-to-b company like TE, connecting with partners and clients is paramount to the business, so the brand activates hospitality experiences for groups of 50 at every single race. Clients arrive on a Friday afternoon to go under the hood of the Andretti vehicle during an hour-long tech tour in the paddock with TE Connectivity’s resident engineer (a role given to a new employee every six months to keep things fresh). Following the tour, attendees dine with Andretti engineers and drivers, who answer questions in an intimate environment. On Saturday, attendees head to the racetrack where a speaker discusses a topic related to that particular audience. Then it’s time for networking, and of course, to view the race.
“It has that combination of edu-tainment, as opposed to just coming to and watching the race,” says Jared Melzer, director-global partnerships at TE Connectivity. “We always say we want our customers to leave [the experience] smarter, more inspired and better connected to TE. That’s really the essence of how we create this program.”
For Under Armour, hospitality experiences offer the brand a chance to educate key clients and customers on its character and culture. That opportunity arrives each year during the brand’s sponsorship of the Preakness Stakes, an event that takes place in Under Armour’s hometown of Baltimore.
“We love to expose our partners and our clients to all the energy that takes place in Baltimore around Preakness,” says Walton. “We host them for a full weekend of activities including a Preakness Eve Party and then front row seats at our Chalet for the actual Preakness Stakes—all day racing, the opportunity to bet and really everything that happens at the Preakness. While they’re here for the weekend, we offer them the opportunity to explore our unique neighborhoods and the culture and I think it really brings together our business and community partners and showcases the best of Under Armour and Baltimore.”
FACING CHALLENGES
Citi indulges cardmembers in pre-concert perks, like hospitality lounges and meet-and-greets.
Of course, like any aspect of the live event space, hospitality comes with its challenges, especially when it comes to designing one-of-a-kind experiences. In an industry where top clients have seen, heard and done just about everything, brands aiming to differentiate themselves by producing remarkable experiences are often fighting an uphill battle.
To distinguish itself, Citi relies on its close ties to the entertainment industry to produce unparalleled experiences for its cardmembers. Case in point: During Grammy Week in Los Angeles, the brand launched a live music platform, Citi Sound Vault, which featured exclusive meet and greets, backstage tours and the opportunity to see some of the world’s biggest artists, like Metallica and Sting, in intimate venues.
“The biggest challenge is finding ways to differentiate our brand in the intensely competitive environment in which we play,” says Jennifer Breithaupt, global consumer cmo at Citi. “Luckily this competitive environment drives us to push boundaries and consistently come up with new and unique offerings.”
It’s a similar scenario for Grant Thornton, who despite close relationships with properties like the Tony Awards and PGA Championship, sometimes struggles with delivering what attendees expect—the unexpected.
“I’m in the professional services category, and nine out of 10 of my targets have been to many, many, many hospitality experiences,” says Tarver. “So, the challenge for us is not only to get the right person in my seat, but to create an experience that they haven’t already had a thousand times… It’s about creating unique experiences that money can’t buy and that [clients] want to come to.”
Challenges aside, the perks of producing unique hospitality experiences are vast. According to TE Connectivity, 100 percent of sales leaders reported a better relationship with their customers or distributors following a recent Andretti racing event, while 87 percent of surveyed customers reported a more favorable opinion of the brand.
And for Citi, giving cardmembers unprecedented access to some of the year’s biggest shows, including Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Guns N’ Roses and The Chainsmokers, in exchange for brand fidelity is priceless.
“These experiences allow us to differentiate our brand by delivering emotionally impactful experiences for our cardmembers, and drive long-term brand loyalty by deepening and extending relationships with consumers across the globe,” says Breithaupt.
And that’s what this biz is all about.
A lighting projection combined with a polarized TV wall creates a simulated view of a Formula E car during a TE tech tour.
*This story was originally published in 2017 and is updated periodically
This story appeared in the December 2017 issue
Tags:Event Marketer, Event Agency, Event Marketer Magazine, EventMarketer, Experiential Marketing Agency, Event Agencies, Event Marketing Magazine, Experiential Marketing Companies, Event Marketers, hospitality, event marketing
Posted by Kait Shea
... View all articles by Kait Shea →
School Bus Food Truck Sampling Drives Enjoy Life Foods’ Allergy-Free Messaging
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Bombay Sapphire Sponsors the Arts to Court Celebrity Drinkers
American Express Open Banks on BootCamps
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Long-time Large Fleet Owner Korey Walper Relies On Partnership With Fyda Freightliner
Posted by Sean M. Lyden | Sep 9, 2016 | Trucking News | 0 |
What makes a man’s insight meaningful? What makes a man’s insight hold weight? What makes a man’s insight so respectable that you have to stop and consider adopting the same habits yourself? Experience and success. When a man has been honing a craft successfully for many years, it deserves a closer look.
Korey Walper is a Michigan man to his core. He comes from Michigan, he lives in Michigan, and to the dismay of his friends in Columbus, OH, he bleeds maize and blue from the University of Michigan. For over sixteen years, Walper has had his hands in the trucking industry, wearing many different hats and gaining substantial knowledge. He has steadily grown his Tri-State-backed fleet to over thirty trucks in just nine years. His business and his fleet have been models of sustained growth in the expedite market.
Walper began his trucking days working as a dispatcher at Ryder. From there, he took his talents to Air Ride where he served as a dispatcher once again. But in 2004, Walper took the plunge to go out on the road as an expedite driver. As was normal in that era of expediting, Walper bought a Ford E-350 and officially signed onto Panther in 2004 as a driver for the first time. For two years, Walper saw steady success, growing his fleet to five Sprinter and Cargo Vans.
As he paid closer attention to the changing of the times in expedite, Walper began transitioning his purchases away from vans and into straight trucks. Simply put, that’s where the money was. In 2006, Walper purchased his first straight truck and a year later signed on with Tri-State. While he saw the opportunity to grow this fleet, he still had not found that partner that he felt would put him over the top.
“In 2009, I was looking to take advantage of some slightly used trucks for pennies on the dollar.” It was then that Walper first met Bobby Snyder from Fyda Freightliner. “He had a great deal at the time for M2 107 Freightliners.” Walper was blown away by his experience with Fyda. Over the years, Walper has purchased over forty trucks directly from Fyda Freightliner and does not plan to change.
“Fyda is fantastic! They take care of everything we could want from a dealership.” When asked about his experience with Bobby Snyder in particular, Walper boasted, “Bobby has the trucks spec’d perfectly and usually has them delivered to my door within a few days of our need.” After being asked about how Fyda has affected his business, he stated, “The uniform spec and reliability has increased efficiency and profitability.” What else could someone look for?
His closing comments about Bobby Snyder and Fyda Freightliner was simple: “They treat you like family.”
Click Here for more information on Fyda Freightliner, or contact Bobby Snyder at 888-897-0892.
PreviousCargo Van, Straight Truck, Tractor: Which is Best for Your Expedited Trucking Business?
NextLong-time Large Fleet Owner Korey Walper Relies On Partnership With Fyda Freightliner
Sean M. Lyden
Sean Lyden is a staff writer for ExpediteNow Magazine. He has written extensively about a multitude of issues and subjects that drivers, owners, and fleet owners face on a daily basis within the expedited trucking industry.
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Agio CEO Bart McDonough: What you don't know about your cyber attacker (but should)
Today’s cyber attackers are more sophisticated and corporate in their conduct than ever before
By Bart McDonoughFOXBusiness
US has been preparing for Iranian cyber activities: Sen. Mike Rounds
Sen. Mike Rounds, R-N.D. discusses the possibility of an Iranian cyber-attack in response to the killing of top Iranian general Soleimani.
Who is the adversary, our cybersecurity “enemy”? Your mind might flash to the visual of a hooded figure with a mask, hacking away on a computer in the shadows of a darkly lit basement.
Sounds pretty scary — if it were only true. Today’s cyber attackers are more sophisticated and corporate in their conduct than ever before. The reality is, the adversary targeting your money and resources can be anyone or any organization.
YOUTUBE ROLLS OUT CHANGES TO CHILDREN’S CONTENT
To protect ourselves against evolving cyberattacks, let’s review at the different types of cybercriminal out there, their preferred targets, the types of ‘loot’ they seek, and their favorite offensive strategies.
Nation-state attackers, contrary to professional criminal organizations I recently wrote about for FOXBusiness.com, tend to focus on targets of national interest, or individuals and companies with access to highly-sensitive information that can be used for economic benefit. They hack public-sector databases, influence political elections, and leak information taken from high-profile government agencies.
Typically, these attackers are more nuanced, targeting parts of the national defense complex and its extended network of contractors.
The threats that national cyber warfare programs apply range from propaganda dissemination campaigns and defacement of popular web pages, through to espionage for technology development, with a view to creating extensive disruption across critical U.S. infrastructure.
While the threats are serious, most “normal” people are not in the direct line of fire. Nation-state hacking groups, such as Chinese group APT 1 and Russia-based Fancy Bear, are more interested in political disruption and technological advancement through the theft of intellectual property, such as military fighter jet blueprints, than turning a profit. The IP Commission estimates that theft of American IP from China alone costs the U.S. economy up to $600 billion per year.
2 STEPS TO AVOID AMAZON RING HACKERS
Fancy Bear is the group most notably connected with Russian efforts to attack the Democratic National Committee and influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s federal indictment revealed how Russian agents used social engineering attacks such as spear phishing to con Democratic Party workers into sharing their login credentials.
The attackers used authentic-looking email addresses to collect sensitive information, which allowed them to access the Party’s private computer networks.
Once inside, they installed malware and stole sensitive political documents — later altering and releasing them to the public with the intention of spreading misinformation and a lack of trust in domestic government, forcing the DNC to decommission more than 140 servers.
Election offices nationwide are now beginning to roll out two-factor authentication for their employee accounts, in addition to mandatory cybersecurity training.
Nation-state attackers may also exploit a victim’s technical resources to mine for cryptocurrency, a secure and anonymous form of digital money requiring computing power to create and authenticate transactions.
This process is known as "cryptojacking." Unlike traditional viruses, antivirus programs struggle to detect cryptojacking because it doesn’t download any files to your system. Instead, the malware uses legitimate Windows programs to conduct permanent background processes on a victim’s PC.
An example of this is Smominru, a piece of mining malware that has infected more than 526,000 Windows computers since 2017, exploiting their collective computing power to mine up to $3.6 million of Monero cryptocurrency.
A recent report issued by South Korean intelligence officials also claimed that state-sponsored North Koreans are hacking South Korean computers, to mine for Monero that can finance their operations and even sidestep economic sanctions. Cybersecurity firm AlienVault has validated these claims.
By securing digital devices, questioning the legitimacy of inbound communications, and monitoring computers’ central processing units for suspicious activity, we can review and improve, our ‘cyber hygiene’ as individuals, as a society, and as a collective economy.
Bart McDonough is CEO and Founder of Agio, a hybrid managed IT and cybersecurity services provider servicing the financial services, health care and payment industries.
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Enjoy the Work, Love the Antique Tractor Hobby
A Minnesota couple connects their work with their antique tractor hobby.
By Tony Thompson
Ed Williamson’s New Holland No. 46 sickle bar mower.
Photo courtesy Tony Thompson
Ed driving his 1958 Oliver Model 770 tractor with 6-cylinder engine and loader and an Oliver No. 62T Roto-Flo baler. His son, Phil, is shown helping on the bale rack.
Using vintage equipment to put up hay for his miniature ponies allows Ed to put his equipment through the paces, a process he enjoys.
Ed at the wheel of his 1944 Farmall Model H tractor, pulling a New Holland mower.
Raking with an Oliver No. 207 hay rake.
Ed Williamson owns and operates Williamson’s Body Shop in Glenville, Minnesota. Located in southeast Minnesota near the Iowa border, the area contains vast sections of good quality farmland and is rich with agricultural history.
Antique tractors and related farm equipment have long been celebrated here because our resplendent farming heritage was forged with these old workhorses, forming a bond of appreciation between man and machine.
Ed was always a natural with cars in his chosen profession. However, he has an eye for all things old and would often take on jobs restoring or painting varied forms of historic art.
As rural life progresses, sometimes we can turn relations with work into helpers for our hobbies.
Ed and his wife, Linda, enjoy miniature ponies at their picturesque acreage near the edge of town. Ed figured the 1944 Farmall Model H that he purchased years ago to move snow and shuffle trailers could be used to cut and rake hay for the diminutive hobby horses. “All we’d need is a sickle bar mower,” he says, “and a pull-behind hay rake, right?” Well, it’s just never that simple, is it?
Ed dragged home an old No. 46 New Holland sickle bar mower, a Model 207 Oliver hay rake, and, while he was bent over, restoring them to operating condition, the old iron bug sneaked up from behind and bit him squarely on the hind end. Many readers will know how this works. Now we will need a baler, he says. “But the cute little 1946 Allis-Chalmers Model B that ended up here because it needed a home is not big enough to pull a baler,” he admits, “so now we may also need another larger tractor.”
By the time the photographs accompanying this article were taken, Ed had purchased a 1958 Oliver 770 and an Oliver 62T Roto-Flo baler and had reconditioned a couple of used bale wagons. He was not concerned with having pretty cosmetic restorations done on these machines. The plan was to use them, so he enjoyed the time spent bringing these pieces up to good operating condition, but planned on leaving them in their working clothes.
Ed is good at what he does and has the antique machinery working as it did when new. It is certainly a pleasure for those interested in agricultural history to see hay being cut and raked, and to witness tidy bales emerging from the vintage Roto-Flo as it is pulled down the rows of raked hay by the Oliver 770’s smooth-running 6-cylinder engine.
Often the fertile soil and cooperative climate will yield three cuttings per season. A third cutting may not always be real tall with high yields, but the quality is impressive and Linda can treat the couple’s pint-sized ponies to high-grade hay. There is always plenty to go around and extra bales can easily be sold to folks who enjoy obtaining locally grown produce put up just the way it was years ago when grandpa and dad did it.
These days Ed and I visit a good bit. I have been a collector and historian for nearly 30 years now. It still thrills me to see how many wonderful people make satisfying connections and lifelong friends among the rural farming communities that spawn sturdy individuals with good moral values.
Life is pretty good when you enjoy the work you do and you have a hobby you love! FC
Tony Thompson has devoted more than 25 years studying antique tractor development. He collects and restores tractors, cars, trucks and antique agricultural equipment. His favorite antique tractor line is Twin City. View his work at twincitytractors.tripod.com.
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Europop Contest Grand Prix Berliner Perle
Euro Pop Contest Grand Prix Berliner Perle
Euro Pop Contest is organized by Musik, Treffs und Veranstaltungen e.V. and the unique possibility for talented kids and teenagers to come on the first stage to a big world of a popmusic!
The international finale of Euro Pop Contest Grand Prix „Berliner Perle” with more than 50 participants at the age between 10 and 24 years from 14 countries, such as Germany, Russia, UK, Sweden, Philippines, Azerbaizhan, USA, Israel, Malta, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Poland, Bulgaria take place from 22. to 26.11.2018 as usually in Berlin.
The Euro Pop Contest Grand Prix „Berliner Perle” is a brilliant chance for children and youth from different countries to demonstrate their vocal talent and compare against each other. The contest is adressed to young fledgling artists in three different age classes: 10 — 13, 14 — 17, and 18 — 24 years, moreover year after year it becomes increasingly popular in Germany and many other countries, by Berliner and visitors of the city.
Further information about the contest and participation at www.europopcontest.com and www.vk.com/europafestivals
our other festivals in Spain and Czech Republik:
18.06.-25.06.2018 “Aire Nuevo” – www.aire-nuevo.eu and /18.09.-22.09.2018 “Hvezdny dest” – www.hvezdny-dest.com
main website of all our festivals: www.mtvberlin.de
Our Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/europopcontest1
orfeum2018-03-19T14:22:52+00:00
© Copyright | Orfeum | All Rights Reserved
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The Australia-India Skills Partnership
News from the 4th Australia India Skills Conference
Sam Freeman
Last week marked Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Education Minister Simon Birmingham’s first visit to India as they both set out to engage with their Indian counterparts.
This visit was of particular significance due to the growing opportunity for partnerships between Australia and India in Skill Development.
The two countries find themselves in a unique position, both offering the other a commodity of enormous benefit. Australia has an internationally recognised training ecosystem appreciated by Industries the world over and India, with its huge population and need for skills training, is positioned as a supplier of manpower for the world, a vision championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Over the last 4 years Australia has fallen behind countries like the UK and Singapore, which through investment and strong dialogue have forged partnerships with India that have resulted in concrete outcomes for governments and business alike.
Having the Prime Minister and the Minister for Education & Training in India for the 4th annual Australia India Skills Conference signalled Australia’s efforts to re-engage with India in this space.
Representing QSEC, a consortium of public and private Queensland RTO’s operating in India, I was honoured to be part of this conference held in New Delhi.
One significant step forward for the Australia India G2G relationship has been establishing and achieving acceptance of the International Trainer & Assessment Courses (ITAC). The culmination of which was recognition by the Indian National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC) during the skills conference.
Quality trainers are an essential component of an effective training system and the launch of the International Trainer and Assessor programs provide a platform for Australia and India to build a deep partnership in skills development.
To reach its full potential the two countries need to work together and establish recognition of qualifications between India’s National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and Australia’s Qualification Framework (AQF).
Notwithstanding the potential hurdles to achieving this outcome, the benefits to both countries are compelling.
Identifying common domains of interest and strength such as mining, construction and health care will take India a step closer to gaining credibility of its own qualifications, a need for any young system, it will provide greater mobility of the Indian labour force, one of the Modi Government’s key priorities, and this presents Queensland education institutes with an opportunity to deliver high quality internationally recognised training to a market much larger than it has at home.
This Australia India skills Conference, and the dialogue commenced between our two Prime Ministers and Ministers Rudy and Birmingham demonstrated a strengthening commitment between the two countries. Let us now capitalise on this momentum and provide workable solutions for all.
For more insight contact Sam Freeman, Indian Lead, Queensland Skills and Education Consortium (QSEC).
Email: enquiries@arcskills.in
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Honda Motorcycles - FireBlades.org > Other > Off-Topic > Another old tail
post #1 of 11 Old 08-31-2003, 4:08 PM Thread Starter
MacMan
Reputation Power: 0
Re: Another old tail
The History of 'The Finger'
Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the
French, anticipating
over the English, and proposed to cut off the
middle finger of all
English soldiers.
Without the middle finger it would be
impossible to draw the renowned
English longbow. English soldiers, therefore,
would be incapable of
This famous weapon was made of the native
English Yew tree, and the
drawing the longbow was known as 'plucking
the yew' (or 'pluck yew').
to the bewilderment of the French, the
English won a major upset and
mocking the French by waving their middle
fingers at the defeated
saying, 'See, we can still pluck yew! 'PLUCK
YEW!' Since 'pluck yew'
rather difficult to say, the difficult
consonant cluster at the
has gradually changed to a labiodental
fricative 'F', and thus the
often used in conjunction with the
one-finger-s! alute are mistakenly
thought to have something to do with an
intimate encounter.
It is also because of the pheasant feathers
on the arrows used with
longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as
'giving the bird'.. And
thought yew knew everything
MacMan is offline
FireBlades.org
post #2 of 11 Old 08-31-2003, 4:15 PM
Is that for real? If so, pretty cool. If not, quit phuckin' with my head
Bacchus is offline
pczach
Frenchies couldn't fight then either huh?!
pczach is offline
true or not, that is still a good story.
half is offline
Location: Oxford UK
Really tried to keep out but felt I had to respond to this thread. Sorry for disappointing you.
Well it's pretty close to the truth but has been twisted for an American audience.
During the Hundred Years war, the French were in the habit of removing the first two fingers of any captured English bowman. They were unable to pull back the string on the bow and thus out of the game.
So when the armies lined up at Agincourt the Brit bowman got into the habit of sticking their finger up in the air at the French in 'V' sign, back of the hand towards the enemy, to demonstrate that they were up for a fight. Kind of like this emoticon but with attitude
And amazingly it has remained in use to this day. We don't use the 'swivel on it sign' although it is understood as an insult, but 'flick a V' at someone. Pretty insulting, not used in good company. You'd do it to a cager that cuts you up for sure.
Do note though that it is not to be confused with th 'V for victory' sign as favoured by Winston Churchill, which is the same gesture but with the palm of the hand outwards. Get it wrong and you might end up with a samck across the chops.
As far as I know, the 'Pluck Yew' and 'give the bird' bit is nonsense.
I'll be off now.
Proto is offline
OK, we've lured one of them back . Haha, I knew you guys couldn't stay away long - the forum is like crack!
CBRVFR
Good story, and thanks for the historical background Proto ( nice to see we didn't chase you off)
Along the same lines, I heard that a couple hundred years ago, the French and the Brits were going at it, and a wounded, captured British officer was being interrogated by the French. At the end of the interview, the one of the French officers asked him, 'Why do your officers wear Red Coats into battle? It just makes it easier for us to pick you off..'
The Englishman explained that officers in the Brit army always wore red so that when they were wounded, it disguised the blood, and therefore their troops would not be inclined to panic.
And so, from that day on, French officers have always worn brown pants.
CBRVFR is offline
Baketech
Location: Hoosierland, USA
I think I'll have to go with Proto's story on this one.....after all he is probably old enough to have first hand knowledge...
Sith Apprentice
CBR929 - VFR800 - VFR800
"There is a grey blur, and a green blur. I try to stay on the grey one..." - Joey Dunlop
Baketech is offline
ratter
CBRVFR : The Englishman explained that officers in the Brit army always wore red so that when they were wounded, it disguised the blood, and therefore their troops would not be inclined to panic.
Do unto others, before some prick does it to you!
ratter is offline
post #10 of 11 Old 08-31-2003, 6:49 PM
Thought I'd better check my facts and came up with this
V sign: Although the V sign isn't an expression, its apparent origin is so intriguing that I thought that it deserved mention. The sign, using two raised fingers in a gesture of contempt or anger, is widely understood in Britain, but hardly recognised in some other English speaking countries; e.g. USA. The certain origin is unknown, but a highly likely basis takes us back to the Hundred Years' War between England and France in the 14th and 15th centuries. Captured ‘English' archers who, it seems, were actually mainly Welsh, had the first two fingers of their right hand cut off so that they couldn't take part in future battles. As a defiant riposte, after felling a French soldier with an arrow, an archer would raise his two fingers, just to show that he was still in the game. The battle where this first happened was likely to have been Crécy in 1346.
From this site :
Check out some of the origins of expressions. Really intersting stuff.
Baketech, no I wasn't there but my brother The Black Prince (of Darkness?) was, at Crecy anyway, and he told me all about it.
For peaceful folk, you lot sure have had your share of war and killing....
I did not visit Crecy.....but I got a kick out of Bodium....
Honda Motorcycles - FireBlades.org > Other > Off-Topic
Another old tail
Looking for a Black tail for my 954 sNeakYBiGg Honda FireBlade 2 06-10-2003 5:55 PM
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Cattle Valley Box Set 2
By Carol Lynne
£10.99 Buy Now Add to Wishlist Read a Sample Send as a Gift
Special offer inside this Box Set to celebrate the 30th release in the Cattle Valley series
‘Out of the Shadow’
When Shepard Black left the rodeo circuit, he thought his days of lusting after young cowboys were over. Now owner of the Backbreaker Ranch, Shep raises mean spirited bulls like the ones that used to toss him around the arena. It's a challenge, but he never imagined his best friend's son, Jeremy, would prove to be his toughest one yet. Watching Jeremy's long legs wrap around a bucking bull gives Shep too many ideas for comfort. Even worse, Jeremy seems to know exactly the affect he's having on his boss and teacher.
When Jeremy asks Shep to help him train for the upcoming Cattle Valley Rodeo Days, he has two goals in mind. To spend time with the man he's lusted after since he was a teenager and to beat his father. He's been through hell as the son of the reigning National Champion, and he wants his dad to have a taste of his own medicine. He might just get a taste of what he's longed for all this time, too.
‘Bad Boy Cowboy’
When Logan Miller pulls up to the EZ Does-It ranch atop a gleaming black Harley, bearing tattoos and killer green eyes, Jax Brolin knows he's in trouble. How can this be the same skinny kid who used to play with his baby brother? Still recovering from a secret affair gone bad, Jax knows his heart can't take another beating. Distancing himself is his only weapon, and he uses it well.
Until Logan reunited with his best friend's big brother, he'd thought the best thing to have between his legs was a motorcycle, followed closely by a horse. Now, at the age of twenty-six, Logan wants the man he's fantasised about since puberty.
The town may classify Logan as a bad boy, but all he wants is to be is a good man for Jax and he'll do anything to get the man's attention.
‘The Sound of White’
Finally healed after a beating that almost took his life, the last thing Richard Johnson needs is to be attracted to Chad Neal. He's got a bar to open and a heart to mend.
Despite his smaller stature, Tall Pines Lodge Manager, Chad Neal, needs to be in charge, both in the bedroom and out. So why is he attracted to a six-foot-three man who looks like he could rip the limbs from Chad's body?
Electrician, Collin Zeffer, longs for the kind of relationship he sees his friends have, but who would want someone as boring as him? When he meets the reclusive Abe Cross, Collin decides maybe there is someone made especially for him.
Hiding his face from the world, Abe Cross is content to live out his life alone. His cabin in the woods above Cattle Valley seems like the place to do it. The last thing he needs is a sexy as sin electrician showing up to remind him of what he can never have, but when an unexpected blizzard blankets Cattle Valley and the mountains above it, his life, and the lives of the three other men, will change forever.
‘Gone Surfin' ’
Since the age of six, Kai Hachiya's entire life has been centred on surfing. Now, at the age of twenty-six, he's begun to drop in the rankings. Memories of a small-town mayor have him completely off pace, and only one thing can fix it, finding that man.
Winters in Cattle Valley are torture for Mayor Quade Maddison. Standing around singing Christmas Carols with friends only serves to remind him how completely alone he really is. The only thing that gets him through the cold, lonely months is his annual vacation to Hawaii.
When a gorgeous professional surfer washes up at the grand opening of the Tall Pines Lodge, Quade knows his Christmas prayer has been answered.
‘The Last Bouquet’
Tyler Manning hates seeing Hearn Sutherland mourn over a jerk like Mitch Lanham. Every week Hearn comes into Tyler's shop to pick up fresh flowers for his lover's grave, and every minute spent with the good-looking man makes Tyler love him more.
Since Mitch's death, Hearn has become withdrawn and sullen. For months before Mitch's accident, Hearn tried to fight the attraction he felt for his best friend, Tyler. Now nine months later, he learns the truth about his long-term partner, one that will change Hearn's life forever.
When Tyler convinces Hearn to run for mayor against Cattle Valley's own favourite son, Nate Gills, Hearn knows he's in for a bumpy ride.
Nate has his own bumps in the road to overcome. With the threat of a long-time secret being exposed, Nate must finally come to terms with his past. Opening himself to criticism from his partners, Ryan and Rio, isn't going to be easy, but Nate knows the time has come to confess his past sins.
General Release Date: 6th December 2013
Excerpt from Out of the Shadow
“Hey, boss. You want to sign off on this list of stock for the Rodeo Days?”
Shep looked over the top of his tiny reading glasses. He’d been trying to figure out where he’d screwed up the books, and damned if he could find it. “You’ve got a list together already?”
Rance grinned and tilted the white straw hat up higher on his forehead. “It’s the beginning of June. We barely have a month before the rodeo.” Shep looked down at his desk calendar. “Damn. Where the hell has the time gone?” He took the list from Rance and glanced over it. “Looks good. You sure about Tabasco Red?”
“He’ll be ready. Jeremy’s been working with him.”
“Jeremy?” Shep stood and put his hands on his hips. “You trying to get me sued? That boy’ll fall off and break his damn neck.” An image of the lean dark haired boy lying on the ground twisted and broken, caused an ache in his gut.
Rance chuckled and shook his head. “You haven’t been paying enough attention lately. Jeremy is the best bull rider we’ve got.”
Shep narrowed his eyes and gave a mock growl.
“Well, except for you that is.” Rance quickly amended with a cheeky grin. “He’s not a boy anymore either. Why he’s working here instead of out on the circuit I’ll never understand. You’d think with his connections he could write his own ticket on the pro tour.”
Shep sat back down and handed the list to Rance. “He has his reasons I’m sure. The list looks fine.”
Rance nodded and started to walk out of Shep’s home office. “Rance,” he called after the cowboy.
Rance turned. “Good job,” Shep said with a nod of approval.
“Thanks,” Rance said and continued out the door.
After his foreman left, Shep tried to go back to his books, but thoughts of Jeremy kept filtering through his mind. He’d always thought Jeremy chose to live at the Back Breaker because of his sexual orientation. Life must be hard enough being the son of the reigning world champion. To be the gay son of the same man would be intolerable out on the Professional Bull Riders circuit. Shep knew what it was like. He’d lived the life for years, always afraid he’d misstep and out himself.
He took off his glasses and tossed them to the old scarred desk. He was forced into retirement once Devil’s Due had tossed and then trampled him. Building the ranch seemed like the logical thing to do at the time. Shep chuckled to himself. I thought my lonely days were over.
Shaking his head, he reached for his glasses once more. He’d loved to look at the young slim cowboys on the tour. It was his hope that being the boss of his own ranch would make him feel like a kid in a candy store. And he had been that kid, for a couple of years at least. He’d discreetly indulged himself in the bow legged men as they filtered in and out of his employment. Until...
“Boss!” Rance shouted, running back into his office. “I think you should come out here.”
Shep stood and was already on his way out the door before he’d even given Rance a chance to tell him what was wrong. In this business, seconds mattered. A slow response time could mean the difference between life and death. “What’s up?” he asked, opening the front door.
“When I left your office, I noticed Jeremy’s truck parked out back. I went to the bunkhouse to see how his trip up to see his dad went and found him in bed.” Rance reached out and grabbed Shep’s arm, pulling him to a stop.
“He’s been beat up, Boss.” Rance motioned to his face. “He’s holding a bloodied rag over his cheek. I think we might need to get him to town.”
“Shit,” Shep spat out and raced towards the bunkhouse. His chest tightened as he threw open the door to the room Jeremy shared with the new hired hand, Bo.
Luckily, Bo was out in the hayfield. It would’ve been hard for the kind-hearted man not to try and help had he been present.
He stepped into the room and went immediately to one knee beside Jeremy’s bunk. Rance was a little off in his assessment of Jeremy. He hadn’t been beaten, merely hit once it appeared. The left side of Jeremy’s sweet face was bruised and swollen from what he could see under the bloody rag. “Let me see it,” Shep commanded as he reached for the cloth.
“I’m fine,” Jeremy mumbled. “Just opened my mouth when I shouldn’t have.”
“I’ll be the judge as to whether or not you’re fine,” Shep said. He covered Jeremy’s long fingered hand with his own and forcibly lifted the rag from his face. The cut was still open and about an inch and a half long, but because it was on his cheekbone, Shep knew it needed stitches.
Excerpt from Bad Boy Cowboy
Rounding the corner of the barn, Jax stopped in his tracks. Shit. Ten feet away, Logan was bare-chested and showing a good deal of… “Why do you wear those jeans? Every time you bend over, half your ass is on display.”
Logan slowly rose to his full six foot two height and grinned. “Haven’t received any complaints. Until now.”
Flustered, Jax took a step forward. “Who’s gonna complain when you’re givin’ out cheap thrills? It’s not professional. We’ve got buyers and delivery men in and out of here daily.”
One of Logan’s brows rose. “Professional?” He looked around. “This is a damn cattle ranch. I don’t see any professionals here. We’re a bunch of cowboys.”
“I’ve never seen a cowboy wear low-rise jeans that show half their damn groin, have you? Why don’t you concentrate on doing your job instead of trying to go around looking like a piece of man candy.”
Logan took several steps, coming within an inch of pressing himself against Jax. “This is me. It’s who I am, and how I dress. I work damn hard, but if you want to fire me for showing off what God gave me, do it.” Logan ran a hand over the sexy as fuck tattoos on his chest. “Maybe you just don’t want others looking at what you want in your bed.”
Furious, Jax pushed against Logan’s sweaty chest. “Watch yourself. I may’ve hired you as a favour to my little brother, but I’ll fire you in a heartbeat if you overstep your position.”
Flashing that amazing bad boy smile, Logan took a step back and held up his hands. “You’re the boss, Boss.” He walked back to the horse he had been working on and picked up the hoof pick once again.
Jax couldn’t keep his eyes off Logan’s ass as he bent over. Fucking tease. Turning on his heels, he walked back around the corner of the barn and straight to his office. He fell into his chair and looked around the room. He really needed to clean the place. A layer of dust covered everything and he noticed cobwebs hanging in the corners. Not surprising really, since the office was in the front corner of the barn, but he knew he’d been lax in keeping it clean. His mind had been on too many other things to worry about dust and spiders.
Jax dug out the work schedule. At least if someone walked in they’d think he was doing his job. His mind wandered back to the first day Logan Miller had driven up on his black and grey Harley.
“We’ll need to start on the hay next week. Make sure the bailer’s in good condition,” Jax told Neil. “Will do.”
The sound of a motorcycle coming down the ranch road at high speed drew their attention. “What the…?” Jax opened his office door as a Harley pulled up next to the barn. He recognised the face right away, but that body? That sure as hell didn’t belong to the eighteen-year old he’d known back in Montana.
Jax felt his cock harden just looking at Logan.
Getting off his bike, Logan grinned and walked right up to Jax. “Good to see a familiar face,” he said.
Logan caught Jax off guard when he pulled him into a hug. Jax’s arms automatically went around his new hire, surprised by the muscles playing under his hands. He almost swallowed his tongue when Logan’s cock brushed against Jax’s stomach. Was he hard, too?
Jax stepped back and looked up. He’d always thought himself of average height at five-ten, but Logan made him feel like a child. “When the hell did you grow?”
Most people stopped before they turned eighteen, but evidently Logan was a late bloomer. He had to have grown at least three inches since the last time he’d seen him.
Logan flashed that bad boy smile again, as he opened his black leather jacket. With nothing but a thin white muscle shirt under it, the man’s incredible body was on display. “Like it? I’ve matured a bit since you were last home.”
“No shit,” Jax said, before he could stop himself. His eyes wandered down to the sexiest pair of jeans he’d ever seen. Shit. Five minutes and I’m already getting myself into trouble. Jax turned to Neil, who stood staring open mouthed at Logan. “Neil, show Logan his room in the bunkhouse. You’re in luck. We’ve only got four hands including you, so you’ll get your own room.”
Logan nodded and unstrapped the large duffle from the back of his bike. “I shipped some of my tools. They should be here within a couple of days.”
Jax nodded. “In the meantime, we’ve probably got what you need. Come to the office once you get settled in.” Jax pointed to the door at the corner of the barn.
Logan tipped his worn, straw hat. “Will do.”
After Neil and Logan walked off, Jax retreated to his office. He pressed the heel of his hand against the hard ridge in his jeans. He’d let his cock lead him into a disastrous affair in the past, one that had lasted two years too long. Jax had known the asshole was no good, but damn the man fucked like a dream. He was still trying to heal from the shame the affair had brought him. No way would he let his dick dictate his love life. Logan’s an employee and Jakey’s best friend, he reminded himself. He knew he’d have to make that his mantra if he was going to survive living and working on the same ranch with the man.
Excerpt from The Sound of White
“Goddammit!” Richard yelled, running his fingers through his hair. He knew he’d left his tool-belt on the bar before going to his room. Eight hours later, the belt was nowhere to be found.
“Something wrong?” Collin Zeffer asked.
“Yeah. Lots. Have you seen my tool-belt?”
Collin’s eyes scanned the room. “Nope. Haven’t run across it. You losing stuff again?” Collin asked with a chuckle.
“There ain’t no losin’ about it. I put that damn thing right here before going to bed,” Richard roared, slamming his fist on the bar. Collin held up his hands. “Sorry.” The tall slender man turned back to the electrical outlets he had been working on.
Feeling like shit, Richard walked over to stand behind the kneeling man. “I didn’t mean to yell at you. It’s just this seems to be happening a lot lately.”
Collin nodded and looked over his shoulder. “That’s okay. We’re all under the gun to get this place up and running by New Year’s Eve. It’s natural to become forgetful with the stress you’ve been under.”
Richard didn’t correct Collin. Sure he’d been under a lot of stress, but he sure as hell wasn’t going crazy. The phone attached to the holster on his hip began to play “Friends in Low Places.”
Looking at the display, Richard rolled his eyes. “What do you want?”
“Good morning to you, too,” Chad Neal, the lodge manager greeted.
Richard simply gave the little prick a grunt and waited.
“Is there something you’d like to tell me?” Chad finally asked.
Go to hell came to mind. “I don’t have time for this, Chad. What do you want?”
“One of my employees found something of yours in room three-thirteen. Again.”
Richard’s jaw dropped. That was the second time in less than a week something of his wound up in that particular room. “Look,” he said into the phone, “I don’t know who’s fuckin’ with me, but I’ll tell you the same thing I told you the other day. I haven’t been in any of the rooms except for my own suite.”
“I’m not going to argue with you, Dick. I’ve got better things to do with my time. I’m simply calling to say that your property is at the front desk should you actually do something that requires it. The only thing I ask is that you close the windows next time. I’m not about to authorise an insane heating bill because you’re trying to heat the entire outdoors in this god-forsaken wilderness.”
“First of all, Mr. Miami, my name’s Richard, not Dick. I believe we’ve had that discussion before. Secondly, if you don’t like Wyoming, get the hell out.”
Richard grinned as Collin stood and looked at him wide-eyed in surprise. No one talked to the lodge manager that way. Although small at barely five-foot eight, Chad Neal was a force to be reckoned with. He’d already earned the reputation of firing people on the spot for anything from insubordination to being late. Thankfully, Ezra and Wyn owned the Grizzly Bar and not Guy Hoistington. Richard didn’t know if he’d be able to handle someone like Chad being his boss. Hah. I bet it kills the man to know he has no power over me.
“I call ‘em as I see ‘em,” Chad replied. “I’ll be up on the third floor in fifteen minutes. You can pick up your equipment then.”
Richard chuckled. “Avoiding me?”
“Fifteen minutes,” Chad replied, and hung up.
After clipping the phone back into its holster, Richard shook his head. “They found my belt in three-thirteen,” he told Collin.
“Seriously?” Collin asked, his face losing some of its colour.
“Yeah. Are you okay?”
Collin shook his head. “There’s something about that room that creeps me out.”
“Why? It’s just a room like the forty-nine others.”
Collin ran his hand over the back of his neck. “No, it’s not like the others. I’ve redone the wiring in that room four times.”
“What’s happening to it?” Richard asked, curious.
“I don’t know. Things seem fine for a day or two then everything just stops working. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that room had rats in the wall...or ghosts,” Collin added.
Richard laughed. “You’ve been watching too many horror movies.” Looking down at his watch, he motioned to the door. “I’m gonna go pick up my stuff. I want to get all the lights installed before Guy, Ezra and Wyn show up on Thursday.” On his way out, Richard looked around the large open space and smiled. The Grizzly Bar had come a long way since its inception, and he felt proud of the work he’d accomplished. In keeping with the lodge theme, the bar was rustic with the outer log walls left exposed. The copper, lantern-style lights would look absolutely perfect hanging from the overhead beams.
Wyn and Ezra had gone to a great deal of expense to add extra heating to the area in front of the soaring two-story windows. Richard smiled when he remembered that particular discussion. Well, argument was more like it. Wyn insisted they have the extra heat if Ezra was going to go ahead with his plans for the wall of glass. Ezra tried to disagree, saying the large pit fireplace in the centre of the bar was enough extra warmth. Wyn would have none of it. Insisting that if people came inside from skiing, they’d need to get warm. If they couldn’t do it in the bar, they’d find some place else. Of course, like most of their ‘discussions’, Wyn won, and Ezra had put in three times as many heating ducts in the area in front of the windows.
Walking through to the large lobby, Richard headed for the front desk. His beloved belt lay haphazardly on the gleaming wooden surface with a note attached in Chad’s scrolling cursive.
Excerpt from Gone Surfin'
“Just deal with it!” Quade yelled, burying his face in his hands. He heard a shuffling noise before Hurricane Carol hit the room.
“What the heck are you getting paid for again? Because I seem to recall your paycheque being a hell of a lot more than mine.”
“Drop it, Carol. Just type up an email cancelling the damn Christmas Party and send it out.”
“Well, Merry Christmas to you too, Mr. Scrooge.”
Quade glanced up from his hands to stare at the pain in his ass. At five-feet two-inches, Carol was worse than any haemorrhoid on the planet. “I’m busy trying to get the roads cleared in time for Christmas.”
Carol got that look on her face that Quade hated. “Where’s your shovel? I don’t see any shovel. If you don’t have a shovel, then you aren’t doing shit about snow removal. Which means, Mr. Scrooge, that you have time to send out a damn email!”
Quade threw up his hands and shook his head. “Seriously. I know you enjoy this witty banter of yours, but I’m really not in the mood to step into the ring with you. At least not right now. I’ll pencil this discussion in for next Tuesday. How does that sound?”
Carol crossed her arms and slumped into the chair in front of Quade’s desk. “Kai still hasn’t returned your call, has he?”
Despite being his nemesis, Carol was also his best friend. “Yes. As a matter of fact, Kai called a few hours ago. He just finished competing for the season and wanted me to join him in Oahu for the holidays. But I can’t, because Mother Nature decided to fuck with me.”
“Bummer,” Carol echoed Quade’s thoughts.
“Yeah. So forgive me if I’m not in the best of moods.”
With a resigned sigh, Carol stood. “So tell me what I should say in this very important email.”
Quade rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair. “I don’t know. Due to the fact that it’s colder than a witch’s tit in a brass brazier, that the roads are piled with more snow than we’ve seen in a half-century, the annual Christmas in the Park and Party will be cancelled.”
Carol pursed her lips in disapproval. “I think I can come up with something a little more tactful than that.”
“See? You didn’t need my help after all.”
Without another word, Carol turned and strode from his office, slamming the door on her way out. “Good riddance,” Quade fumed.
No sooner had he wiped the episode with his secretary from his mind, than the phone rang. “Crap. What now?” Quade reached across his desk and picked up the handset. “Quade,” he answered.
“Hey,” Sheriff Blackfeather replied. “I was wondering if you’d take a short ride with me.”
“Is this a date?” Quade quipped. “Because I’m not sure if I’m up to defending my life against those two hoodlums you call partners.”
“Not in the mood,” Ryan Blackfeather admonished.
“Fine. So tell me why we’re going for a ride?”
“I need your superb math skills to help me figure out the salt situation at the City Barn.”
“Sure, flattery works every time. Give me time to jump into my Michelin Man suit, and I’ll meet you out front.” Quade hung up and dug his snowsuit out of the small closet in his office. After taking off his house slippers, he climbed into the puffy white suit.
“I’m heading to the City Barn with Ryan,” he told Carol as he exited his office. He went to grab his boots and stopped. “Um, did a burglar break in, or have you done something with my boots?”
Carol glanced at him over the top of her reading glasses. “What? You can’t wear your slippers?”
“Hey. Don’t knock the slippers. Now, where are my boots?”
Carol pointed across the room to the heating vent. “Thought maybe dry footwear would put you in a better mood.”
Quade gave his friend a grunt. “Sorry to disappoint. Unless the sun came out, the temperature rose to eighty-five and palm trees sprouted up through the ground, I’m gonna be grouchy.”
He used the chair in front of Carol’s desk to sit and lace up his boots. He knew he was being a royal ass, but his heart felt like it was breaking. For the first time in years he had someone who actually wanted to spend the holidays with him, but his duty as mayor wouldn’t let him enjoy it.
Excerpt from The Last Bouquet
With Puccini blaring in the background, Tyler Manning stared at the heart in his hands. Unlike most floral shops, Tyler had waited until the first week in February to decorate the front windows of his store for Valentine’s Day.
The homemade decoration wasn’t fancy, red velvet glued front and back to a big piece of cardboard. He’d found the most exquisite lace in Sheridan and had applied it around the perimeter of the four-foot heart.
Feeling the sudden urge to rip the heart down the middle, Tyler set it aside. Maybe decorating with a broken heart wasn’t such a good idea. Visions of Hearn came to mind. Tyler gazed at the refrigerated case holding the weekly bouquet he made for Mitch’s grave.
How had he managed to fall in love with a man who was already taken? “Fuck!” he yelled, kicking the heart at his feet.
Sinking to the floor, Tyler buried his face in his hands. Crying had become a regular habit lately. Since the accident that had killed Hearn’s partner, Mitch, his friend had barely given him the time of day. If it weren’t for the standing order of a bouquet of flowers, Tyler doubted he’d see Hearn at all. Why? It still didn’t make sense to him.
Before the wreck, he and Hearn had become almost inseparable. Then Mitch had been killed and...nothing. At first Tyler worried that Hearn had picked up on his more than friendly feelings, but he no longer thought that was the case. It wasn’t just Tyler that was being given the cold shoulder. Hearn had withdrawn so deep into himself and his charity work in Sheridan that no one ever saw him.
A hand on his shoulder startled Tyler, making him jump. “Easy,” Hearn’s smooth voice soothed.
Tyler gazed up into the same brown eyes he saw in his dreams every night. The concerned expression on Hearn’s face as he knelt beside him melted Tyler right then and there. “Are you okay?” Hearn asked over the loud music.
Feeling like an ass, Tyler nodded and wiped the tears from his face. “Yeah. Sorry.” He stood and walked behind the counter to reduce the volume on La Boheme. Taking a deep breath, he turned to find Hearn standing right behind him.
“What’s wrong?” Hearn asked.
Knowing he couldn’t out and out lie to the man he loved, Tyler gestured around the shop. “Valentine’s Day.” He shrugged. “Depresses me every year.”
The corner of Hearn’s mouth rose slightly. “Kinda in the wrong business then aren’t you?”
Unable to resist that sexy grin he enjoyed so much, Tyler smiled. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”
Hearn put both hands on Tyler’s shoulders and squeezed. “You’ll find someone.”
“I already have,” Tyler admitted.
A look of dark emotions passed momentarily over Hearn’s face before disappearing. “That’s good, Ty, real good.” Hearn released his hold on Tyler. “But if you’re still feeling down enough to cry maybe this guy isn’t the one for you.”
“He is. He just doesn’t know it yet.” Tyler broke eye contact and walked towards the refrigerator. “Your flowers are ready,” he announced, pulling out the large daisy and rose bouquet.
Hearn took the flowers, and just like he did every week, put them to his nose and inhaled. It was the moment Tyler both loved and hated every time. For that brief few seconds, all Hearn’s problems seemed to melt into the background, leaving the gentle peaceful man Tyler had come to love.
“Bill me?” Hearn asked, opening his eyes.
“Of course,” Tyler agreed. Trying to buy himself a few more moments in Hearn’s company, Tyler scrambled for something to say. “Have you heard about Quade?”
Hearn stopped on his way to the door and turned. “No. Did something happen?”
“I’ll say. He quit. It was announced earlier. I guess my cousin George is taking over for him until a special election is held.”
Hearn whistled. “Wow. Why the hell didn’t I see that one coming?”
“No one did. Quade decided to move to Oahu to be with that guy, Kai, he met last year.” Tyler shifted from foot to foot. “I was thinking. Maybe this would be a good opportunity for you.”
“Well, you’re always complaining the city doesn’t have enough activities to keep the kids busy during the summer months. Maybe this is your chance to do something about it?”
“What. Like run for Mayor?” Hearn asked, dark brown eyes going wide.
“I don’t know the first thing about running a town.” Hearn took several steps to stand on the opposite side of the counter from Tyler.
“You do so,” Tyler disagreed. “You have a business degree. You run the entire park system like a well-oiled machine. You can do this,” he implored, reaching out to grab Hearn’s hand.
“I can’t. Scheduling the sports fields and making sure the gazebos are cleaned isn’t the same thing as running an entire town,” Hearn said, shaking his head.
Tyler focused on the dark brown locks of hair as they fell back into place. Hearn had let his hair grow. He didn’t know if it was by choice, or lack of caring, but Hearn’s hair reached just past his shoulders to fall in a shaggy cascade.
“Tyler?”
“It makes me feel good to know you believe in me, but I’m honestly not qualified.” Hearn pulled his hand out of Tyler’s grip and held up the flowers. “I’ll see you in a week.”
Tyler watched Hearn walk out the door and pounded his fist against the counter. “Dammit!” Why couldn’t Hearn see in himself what Tyler saw? The answer came to him with a bitter taste. “Mitch.” The asshole who’d berated Hearn over and over for wasting his college education being a glorified groundskeeper. Why couldn’t Hearn see that he’d been so much more than that to Cattle Valley?
Pushing away from the counter, Tyler turned the music back up and went back to work on his display. He’d figure out a way to undo all the years of damage living with Mitch had done to Hearn.
Book Length: SHORT STORY
Genres: COWBOYS AND WESTERN
Carol Lynne
An avid reader for years, one day Carol Lynne decided to write her own brand of erotic romance. While writing her first novel, Branded by Gold, Carol fell in love with the M/M genre. Carol juggles between being a full-time mother and a full-time writer. With well over one hundred releases, one thing is certain, Carol loves to keep busy writing sexy cowboys, shifters, bodyguards, vampires and everything in between. Although series books are her passion, Carol enjoys penning the occasional stand-alone title.
As founder and President of GRL Retreat, Inc., Carol helps organize the annual GayRomLit Retreat. Now in its sixth year, GayRomLit is an annual retreat that brings together the people who create and celebrate LGBT romance for a one-of-a-kind, must-attend gathering of dynamic, informal, and diverse fun.
Carol loves to hear from her readers. You can take a look at her Website and follow her on Facebook. She also has a Website dedicated to her Cattle Valley Series.
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Other Books by Carol Lynne
Theron's Return
Highland Gaymes
Buy Now: £10.99
Necklace of Shame
Pocket Pair
Garron's Gift
£1.99 Now: £0.99
Cattle Valley Mistletoe
Firehouse Heat
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‘Nashville’ Is Pushing Its Gay Cowboy Out of the Closet, and It’s About Time
By Jillian Mapes
Note: This article contains spoilers for last night’s episode of Nashville.
A few weeks back, ABC’s Nashville — now in its third season — nearly evaded a conversation that seems unavoidable when a young, single character gets pregnant unexpectedly in the year 2014. The country music soap delicately danced around the topic of abortion. Superstar Juliette Barnes (played by Hayden Panettiere) would have the baby and give it up for adoption, and she would hide the pregnancy while filming a Patsy Cline biopic and touring the country, practicality be damned.
It’s understandable that showrunner Callie Khouri and her writers would have Juliette, one of Nashville‘s leads, continue with her pregnancy: Panettiere was newly expecting when the show began production on Season 3. While certainly practical to the situation with Panettiere, the show’s hesitance to really delve into Juliette’s options in more concrete terms (as the Washington Post detailed, the show treated the abortion storyline in an “unusual” way) seemed like a sensible move, given the decidedly Red State world of country music. After all, Nashville, which remained “on the bubble” throughout its second season, can’t push a liberal agenda too far while still drawing in more conservative country fans with its original songs and vaguely obscured inspiration in real-life music stars. But with “gay cowboy” Will Lexington, Nashville throws socially conservative caution to the wind — or after last night’s episode, at least seems to be heading in that direction. Finally.
Played by O.C. alum Chris Carmack, Lexington has been closeted but out to viewers since he first showed up late in Season 1. Since then, Will’s career has blossomed with a major label signing and subsequent No. 1 album, while his sexuality has been buried even deeper, inspiring him to seriously contemplate suicide at one point last season. There are real stakes now, and they’re often addressed in explicit ways. Will’s label head, the villainous Jeff Fordham, not only know Will is gay, but references this fact often as The Ultimate Career-Ruining Secret, something on par with a penchant for cannibalism or child pornography. (Fordham has been portrayed as less than gay-friendly, having fired an openly gay label publicist whom Will claimed was making passes at him; in all actuality, Will and said Edgehill employee were once involved.)
Will’s beard of a wife, fellow country starlet Layla Grant, is currently blackmailing him and Fordham with the secret in order to advance her career. The producer behind Will and Layla’s reality show is also blackmailing him over his homosexuality. Everyone in his inner circle knows, but no one makes a move. It’s either tied up in money, or they’re trying to be a good ally (Deacon joined the latter group in last night’s episode).
“People I’ve spoken to say that at a certain level it’d be career suicide for somebody to come out of the closet,” Carmack told OUT Magazine last year. “That’s a terrible kind of fame. I don’t think executives would give Will the time of day. That’s a damn shame, but in country music there’s a stigma that’s insurmountable.”
Somehow, Will’s situation got worse last night: he asked his fuck buddy (disguised as his traveling trainer) to sign a nondisclosure agreement, and it blew up so badly, it’s like you just know that dude’s gonna try to take Will down as revenge. So what does the cowboy do to cope? He goes cruising in a park after dark for gay sex, mistakes a man’s cues, and gets his ass whooped by two homophobic bros who make off with his wallet (his ID’s in there, you know?). It’s so bad, in fact, that it seems inevitable that Nashville writers are preparing to push Will right out of the closet in the coming episodes, more than a season after he first tried to kiss his straight buddy Gunnar. Country music is in a different place now than it was even then, a year and a half ago. Just last year, Kacey Musgraves proved that being a mainstream country star and a gay ally aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, a liberal bent could help country musicians appeal to a non-country fanbase.
Still, there’s a wide divide between singing a song about following one’s arrow, sexuality-wise, and being an out-and-proud gay man who garners commercial country radio airplay (even ally Musgraves struggles with that). For Nashville to finally tackle these tough questions is crucial.
“What is funny is when I run into people and they recognize me from the show, they’ll go, ‘Oh, you’re the uh …’ [laughs],” Carmack told Taste of Country last fall. “They just pause and go, ‘The new guy!’ Everybody wants to say, ‘Oh, you’re the gay cowboy,’ and not with any derision, but with excitement … but people are scared to say it.”
If there’s one network primed to address these topics in an uncensored way, it’s ABC. Shonda Rhimes’ dramas have broken barriers in the portrayal of gay and lesbian sex on network television in the last decade, starting with shower make-outs between Callie and Arizona on Grey’s Anatomy and continuing now with How to Get Away With Murder and Scandal‘s gay sex scenes. ABC seems to understand this strategy in dramas more than comedies, though it was also the network that allowed Ellen DeGeneres to come out on her self-titled sitcom in 1997. (Cam and Mitchell’s relationship on Modern Family, however, has remained sterile, a decision that has been divisively framed as a way of normalizing gay families.)
While Shondaland may take a progressive view (“There are no GAY scenes. There are scenes with people in them,” Rhimes recently responded to an angry fan on Twitter), Nashville is wise to carefully consider Will Lexington’s coming out. Now, after more than a season of Will having gay sex in the closet, it’s time. Like mainstream hip hop (another heteronormative genre), country music itself may not be ready for an openly gay superstar — but it shouldn’t stand in the way of the show’s progressive fiction.
(Correction: an earlier version of this story referred to a ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ character as Dakota, not Arizona, as well as misread details of Juliette’s pregnancy decision.)
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You Won’t Believe This, But Amy Schumer Playing Barbie is “Controversial”
By Jason Bailey
The recent reports that Amy Schumer will play the leading role in Mattel’s forthcoming Barbie movie are the dictionary definition of a mixed bag. On one hand: hurray for casting a smart, funny actor who proudly doesn’t conform to the comically unreasonable body type standards perpetuated by the doll for decades. On the other: it’s still a fucking Barbie movie, which is depressing both because a) however sly the casting may be, it’s still a celebration of that garbage doll and its evil beauty standards, and b) it’s another big movie based on dolls and brands and bullshit.
Anyway, as if on cue, the trolls have made their noise, and also as if on cue, Schumer has struck back. Why, it’s almost as if this was stunt casting, designed to get a response and free pre-production press or something.
“Is it fat shaming if you know you’re not fat and have zero shame in your game?” Schumer asked in an Instagram post. “Thanks to everyone for the kind words and support and again my deepest sympathy goes out to the trolls who are in more pain than we will ever understand. I want to thank them for making it so evident that I am a great choice. It’s that kind of response that let’s you know something’s wrong with our culture and we all need to work together to change it.”
In other words, it sounds like an uninspired franchise play is hoping it can look less like that by positioning itself as some sort of radical feminist act. Sounds vaguely familiar.
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Edoardo Tresoldi creates Simbiosi site-specific work for the Arte Sella project in the Trentino Dolomites
Author: Edoardo Tresoldi,
Photographer: Roberto Conte,
City: Trento,
Section: Landscape,
TAGS: Installations, Event, Landscaping,
Simbiosi is a new work by Edoardo Tresoldi for the Arte Sella project in the Trentino Dolomites, a site-specific work that enriches the heritage of the park. A place where Nature and Art intertwine and where various artists have left their mark including Michele De Lucchi, Ettore Sottsass, Giuliano Mauri, Eduardo Souto de Moura and Kengo Kuma.
The Arte Sella project, launched in the second half of the 1980s at the Villa Strobele garden in Val di Sella in the Trentino Dolomites, was based on the idea of combining contemporary art and nature. An artistic project that has grown significantly over time. On the southern slope of Mount Armentera a trail that unwinds through the woods was created, which later paved the way for the ArteNatura route. Since 1998, the Malga Costa area, an old building previously used as an animal pasture, has also been included in the project. Thanks to the ArteSella project, Malga Costa first became an exhibition venue and was later converted into a space for hosting meetings, events and concerts.
The development of the Arte Sella project is based on a number of key principles which " Simbiosi”, the site-specific work created by Edoardo Tresoldi and inaugurated on September 15, 2019, has certainly stayed true to. In particular, when designing Arte Sella, the artist agrees to share his or her work with nature, meaning that it will be nature itself to complete the artistic work. The ecological approach is not a classic approach, because even though nature is indeed protected as a window into memory, at the same time, artists are asked to also interpret its absence. Lastly, the works are constructed favouring the use of natural materials and are placed in a “hic et nunc” spatial perception, leaving the landscape but at the same time returning to it and being part of it.
In 2001, the creation of Giuliano Mauri’s Cattedrale Vegetale (or Tree Cathedral), a work that nature is progressively completing, marked an important moment in the evolution of the Arte Sella project. In the years that followed, many prestigious artistic collaborations continued and in 2016 a specific project related to architecture was launched: “Arte Sella Architecture”, with works designed by internationally renowned architects including Atsushi Kitagawara, Kengo Kuma and Michele De Lucchi. In 2019, two new collaborations enriched Arte Sella Architettura. In the spring, the work of an important master of international architecture, Pritzker Prize winner Eduardo Souto de Moura, was inaugurated. The Portuguese architect designed a contemporary dolmen which, placed in the Villa Strobele gardens appears like a door opening towards the forest. Finally, on 15 September, “Simbiosi”, the site-specific work by Edoardo Tresoldi was inaugurated, located in an area on the hills devastated by the disastrous storm that took place in October 2018.
“Simbiosi”, the work created by Edoardo Tresoldi, presents itself as a space for rest and contemplation, completely open to the sky. It is five metres tall and stands as “a ruin suspended between architecture, nature and temporal dimension”.
For the first time the artist presented a work in which the transparency of the “absent material”, expressed through the use of wire mesh, hybridises with the real and tangible materiality of the local stones. This is not a ruin, there is no process of deterioration or destruction. Instead, it is a reconstruction that takes place according to unusual physical rules led by the design and the will of the artist. The work is described by the artist as a living and permeable organism that creates an emotional channel of communication with nature. At the same time, the architectural elements introduced by the artist become the key to understanding the natural landscape. That same nature that will gradually modify them, defining a new architecture that will blend into the park’s landscape.
(Agnese Bifulco)
Images courtesy of Edoardo Tresoldi photo by Roberto Conte
Title: Simbiosi
Artist: Edoardo Tresoldi
Location: Arte Sella: the contemporary Mountain. Borgo Valsugana (TN - Italia)
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Build the Future of Outdoor Navigation
Software Engineer (Remote, Fulltime/Benefits)
Engineering at Gaia GPS means being on 1 of 2 small teams. Each team has cross-platform skills (iOS, Android, web, design) and sets its own roadmap in collaboration with user support and marketing. There is a huge frontier of ideas to explore, from core maptech and search problems, to the quest for an easy and engaging UX.
Gaia GPS has recently grown to 23 people, including 12 engineers, 5 people in support/testing, 2 in marketing, 1 UX designer, and 3 managers. The company has a software culture — marketing, support, and management folks do a lot of coding to improve ops and help with the product.
The company is boot-strapped, profitable, and looking to hire at a rate of 1 person per month. It's an interesting time to work at Gaia GPS because of this growth too, as the company transforms to work at a larger scale.
Lifestyle and Benefits
The company is all remote, currently distributed across North America.
We have the most flexible work environment, which lets all of us balance family and other interests, with work.
We offer 4 weeks of vacation, and another 12 paid holidays that can be shuffled around. We provide 2 months of paid maternity and 1 month of paid paternity.
Non-salary financial benefits include health insurance and 401K matching.
We provide the best computers, monitors, tablets, and other home office equipment. We reimburse home internet and mobile phone bills. We comp expenses for any sort of books or other materials for learning.
We have a retreat every 9 months, alternating with and without families (past ones include Tahoe, Zion, Rocky Mountain NP, Park City, camping, backcountry skiing, etc), to hang-out and mingle the remote team.
Skills and Requirements
We heavily favor candidates who do a lot outdoors.
You must have published complex websites, apps, or other software.
Experience in our stack is a plus. Our front-end include Swift/Objective-C, Android Java, React, and node.js. Our back-end includes Postgres/PostGIS, AWS, Django/Python, and Docker. We have extensive map building infrastructure based on OpenStreetMap and other open data and tools.
You can also apply by email to jobs@gaiagps.com if that's easier, but we prefer you use the application form if you can and don't mind.
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Amanda McCorquodale
Amanda McCorquodale is a writer and editor based in New York with 16 years editorial experience. Formerly, she developed undergraduate biology textbooks, and served as editor and reporter for the Huffington Post, among many other roles. Amanda now freelances for a variety of publications covering food service equipment, food service management, tech solutions in the food industry, and consumer trend reports. Reach her at amandamccorq@gmail.com.
Articles by Amanda McCorquodale
January 16, 2020 • By Amanda McCorquodale
CDC and FDA are investigating a multi-state outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to hard-boiled eggs.
FDA Releases List of Records Required Under Foreign Supplier Verification Program
October 25, 2019 • By Amanda McCorquodale
Prompted by a series of deadly foodborne illness outbreaks, many tied to imported foods, in 2011 the U.S. Congress signed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) into law. The goal was to develop food safety regulations focused on prevention across the entire supply chain. Although the FDA has used its discretion on what to… [Read More]
FDA Responds to Food Tampering Trend
September 12, 2019 • By Amanda McCorquodale
Consumers may view them as stomach-churning social media memes but recent instances of people licking ice cream or spitting in bottled beverages at supermarkets before putting the products back on shelves are categorized as intentional food contamination events. The culprits may face prison sentences of up to 20 years to reflect the severity of danger… [Read More]
Food Safety Auditing: An Industry in Transition
August 18, 2019 • By Amanda McCorquodale
Attempting to efficiently integrate FSMA requirements into existing food safety management systems with a shortage of qualified auditors.
FDA to Publish a List of ‘High-Risk’ Foods
June 24, 2019 • By Amanda McCorquodale
FDA agrees to identify high-risk foods and associated recordkeeping by 2022 after settlement with CFS.
What’s New in Retail Tech
May 11, 2019 • By Amanda McCorquodale
Highlights on emerging food safety trends for the retail industry.
Genetic Sequencing Sheds Light on Overlooked Pathogen
March 17, 2019 • By Amanda McCorquodale
Researchers implement advanced genetic-tracing technique to B. cereus, allowing the variations between and within species to be identified.
Google’s Role in Food Poisoning Detection
New Harvard and Google tool leverages user data to make health inspections more precise.
July 3, 2018 • By Amanda McCorquodale
Without that FDA designation and the associated recordkeeping requirements, contaminated produce cannot be swiftly recalled.
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Poland tries to tackle Salmonella in poultry problem
By Joe Whitworth on January 2, 2020
Poland is trying to tackle the high and increasing number of alerts linked to Salmonella in poultry products made in the country.
DG Sante, the European Commission’s unit for policy on food safety and health, looked to see if production and placing on the market of poultry was in compliance with EU legislation and reported mostly positive findings.
The audit in Poland in March and April 2019 included visits to a regional veterinary laboratory, six slaughterhouses and seven cutting plants. Low-risk establishments are subject to controls once every 12 months; medium-risk sites have them once every six months and high-risk plants once every three months.
Official sampling detects Salmonella more often
Between January 2016 and March 2019, 181 Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) notifications (44 in 2016; 50 in 2017; 65 in 2018 and 22 until March) concerned Poland and Salmonella in poultry meat products.
A staggering 170 RASFF notices involved Salmonella and poultry meat from Poland in 2019 with serovars including Enteritidis, Typhimurium, Infantis, Newport, Kentucky and Bredeney.
Based on information provided by authorities for the first half of 2018, if Salmonella is present, the probability to detect it in company sampling is three times smaller than during official sampling. These data indicate for the second half of 2018 a 2.5 times smaller probability.
Authorities have put in place special official sampling procedures at slaughterhouse level to verify the reliability of businesses own-check sampling, which gives much lower rates of Salmonella detection. They have also revised approved private labs to find the root-cause for the increase in RASFF notifications.
The National Veterinary Research Institute (PIWet Puławy) inspected seven private labs doing tests for poultry slaughterhouses. After these checks, five had approvals for testing for Salmonella spp. withdrawn.
Although actions for following up RASFF notifications and food incidents were prompt and comprehensive they were mostly not effective in preventing reintroduction of Salmonella in the poultry meat processing chain, according to the audit report.
A previous audit highlighted deficiencies in application of national measures in low volume production establishments; sanitary shortcomings at site level not detected during authority inspections; insufficient supervision and control in use of food additives and labelling of mechanically separated meat; and to actions taken by authorities in cases of positive results in official Salmonella testing.
In the latest visit, at one slaughterhouse for water fowl and broilers with a cutting plant and a meat products establishment, the audit team noted approved capacities did not permit adequate cleaning and disinfection or provide the required working space for hygienic performance of operations.
Also, the last amendment of an approval decision in March 2018 allowed the company to increase slaughter and processing capacity despite several RASFF notifications due to Salmonella and one due to Campylobacter in 2017 and 2018.
Authorized veterinarians pay problems
According to official sampling data from 2017, 1,119 batches of fresh poultry meat including carcasses were analyzed for Salmonella spp. of which 118 were non-compliant as 55 tested positive for Salmonella Enteritidis or Typhimurium.
The regional official lab analyzed 780 official poultry meat product samples for microbiological parameters in 2018 and 107 were non-compliant.
In two poultry meat product plants visited there were serious structural and hygiene requirements which had not been detected or corrected by any level of authority controls.
Decreasing numbers of official staff, their low salaries, and production related remuneration for authorized veterinarian’s impact on enforcement of EU legislation, according to the audit report.
The audit team were told the number of authorized veterinarians involved in official controls of meat establishments was 3,318 in 2018 and remained constant between 2016 and 2018. However, in the same period the number of permanent official veterinarians decreased by 141, most of them (90) in the districts, from 2,172 in 2016 to 2,031 in 2018.
One food safety official had to supervise 45 approved establishments with minimum frequency of controls from one to four times a year and one approved for export to the U.S. requiring one monthly audit/two days and 262 food entities. The official also has to participate in regional level audits of two days every three months and to supervise 30 AVs assigned in the district.
Authorized veterinarians are paid based on the number of animals inspected or the amount of meat introduced to the cutting plant they supervise. If the establishment is stopped for any reason, they are not paid for this period. This payment system undermines their independence in situations where the required enforcement measures to be taken on the spot would include stopping slaughter operations.
Tags: audit, chicken poultry, dg sante, official controls, official veterinarian, Poland, rasff, Salmonella, slaughterhouse
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By Brandon Cline
For The Sentinel
Primary sets up key district vote
Primary election night came and went last Tuesday evening, with a mixed bag of results for both Republicans and Democrats as the two parties set their sights to November’s general election.
In the 3rd Congressional District, Republican incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler looks to be facing her toughest re-election campaign since she first won her seat to the House of Representatives in 2010. As of Aug. 10, Herrera Beutler has won 42.1 percent of the vote in the top-two primary, where the top two vote-getting candidates regardless of political party affiliation advance to the general election.
Washington State University-Vancouver professor and political newcomer Carolyn Long will join the...
Restaurant changes ownership January 1
GOLDENDALE BOMBED!
Harassment request denied
Woman seeks info on her newfound father
Drive that idle RV over to SMR
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Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 – The all in one attempt continues
By Russell Holly 05.20.2014 :: 12:05PM EST 05.20.2014
While their foray into portable computers hasn’t yet taken the world by storm, Microsoft has put quite a bit of work into making the Surface brand something people remember. To address the need for more devices representing Windows 8.1 in the best light possible, Microsoft has invited us to NYC to show off their latest and greatest hardware.
Microsoft is continuing their “Mobile First, Cloud First” strategy moving forward as Satya Nadella and Panos Panay took to the stage to introduce the Surface Pro 3, a device Microsoft swears isn’t competing with their OEM partners.
Panos Panay pointed out that 96% of iPad owners also have laptops, and explained that this was not only intentional but a matter of design intent. The whole purpose of the Surface line so far has been to try and make one door that serves the design needs of laptops and tablets, and it’s clear that they are still trying to remove the conflict between these two needs. The quest for an actual all in one device has lead to the Surface Pro 3. It promises to be lighter, thinner, and more powerful than its predecessors, and Panos swears this can replace your laptop and tablet.
A 9.1mm casing contains a 12-inch display wit a 3:2 aspect ratio at 2160×1440 with the Windows logo curiously on the right hand edge instead of the bottom. Front facing speakers now rest on the device as well, instead of back or side mounted speakers. The increase in size is countered by a drop to 800g in weight, with the same magnetic ports on the bottom for the keyboard and docks. The Core i7 processor under the hood is combined with a unique build that includes a fan that is more efficient and smaller to do a better job cooling and make it so you can’t feel the air coming out of the chassis. Don’t worry, just because it’s thinner and lighter does not mean it is less durable. At least, that’s what we’re meant to believe as Panos drops it on stage.
Microsoft invited Adobe on stage to show off Photoshop for Surface, which is a touch and pen input friendly version of their software that seemed to work quite well on stage. Coupled with the Surface Pro 3 dock it looks like Microsoft has nailed the Desktop class implementations in tablet interface, and there’s plenty of apps on stage to show off just how much Microsoft believes they have bridged the tablet/laptop gap. The hinge for the Surface is a big part of this belief, as it now stretches from the original stand mode from the first Surface to a back breaking lap friendly form factor thanks to a new friction hinge.
The updated Type Cover for the Surface Pro 3 is noticeably thinner with a much larger trackpad that is designed with less friction and generally improved ease of use. The larger screen means a larger keyboard, with more options available to the user. It still comes in the same crazy colors, and it still naps on to the bottom of the Surface. It has a new magnetic connector that acts as a secondary attachment to the Surface so it sets the keyboard at an angle and makes it more comfortable to use in the lap.
The new Surface Pen in larger and bright silver, with apps that do a much better job taking natural handwriting and converting it to text on the screen. This is a huge plus over the previous implementation where you had to write in the keyboard section, and the pen is large enough that it feels comfortable holding it like you would a regular pen. When writing on the screen you can rest your palm on the Surface with no delay or interference. The lack of parallax gaps between the pen and the display means writing feels more accurate as the “ink” comes out of the pen. The pen also acts as a remote wake for the Surface, so you can just click the back of the pen and your Surface comes to life.
Microsoft has made the Surface Pro 3 available starting tomorrow, with prices starting at $799. There will be three different hardware configurations, in Core i3, i5, and i7 designs. There’s very little here that isn’t incredibly impressive, and it looks like Microsoft has clearly been paying attention over the last two years.
More in Microsoft
01.12.2017 :: 1:30PM EST :: Lee Mathews
Microsoft Puts Improved Windows 10 Privacy Settings Front And Center
Microsoft Is Ticked At Google For Publicizing A Windows Security Flaw
09.05.2016 :: 9:32AM EST :: Matthew Humphries
It’s Microsoft’s fault cheap Windows laptops don’t use better hardware
08.14.2016 :: 10:31AM EST :: Lee Mathews
Guy tricks Windows tech support scammers into installing ransomware
08.10.2016 :: 12:46PM EST :: Lee Mathews
27,000 London police computers still run Windows XP
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You are here: Home > Barbican ArtWorks Fellowship
Tag Archives | Barbican ArtWorks Fellowship
Sunset Reports: Juliana Capes
By Louise Warmington on February 17, 2019 in
Exhibition: 13–17 Feb, 11am–6pm. Free.
Preview: Wed 13 Feb, 6.30–7.30pm. All welcome.
Working across media including installation, film and visual description, Capes debuts a new body of work created in the context of a 2018 Barbican ArtWorks Fellowship in which she sought to bring her work as an artist together with her engagement work describing art for people with visual impairments. This new work is part of her ongoing research into the emotional resonance of natural phenomena.
It considers the brokering of colour through language and looks for a new emotional vocabulary. The exhibition will feature Capes’ collaboration with artist Catherine Street and participants of our In The Frame programme for audiences with visual impairments.
Juliana will also be running an In The Frame Tour with Catherine Street
14 Feb, 1–3pm.
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CHALK CREEK TRAILHEAD
<p>Trailhead with turn around parking area for trucks and trailers, with atv loading and unloading ramps.<!--StartFragment--><!--EndFragment--></p>
Channel Marker Campsite on Grand Island
<p>Grand Island, a Congressionally designated National Recreation Area (NRA), boasts massive 300-foot wave-cut sandstone cliffs; 13,500 acres of lush forest; beaches of fine sand; winter ice caves; and historic buildings and artifacts dating back as far as 2,000 BC, to name just a few of its highlights! The island's scenic natural beauty and interesting history make it an attractive place for camping and other outdoor activities.</p><p>This site is hike in, bike in or boat in only. Public vehicles are not allowed on the Island. This campsite is located on the southwest tip of Grand Island near Merchandise Beach. The site is in close proximity (1/2 mile) to William's Landing (ferry service arrival point, water, and visitor information center). The site can accommodate up to 6 people. A primitive latrine, food storage pole, fire ring and benches are provided in/near the campsite. Channel Marker can be accessed either by the island's trail system or by water. Kayakers can access this site via the unnamed beach approximately 0.5 mile west of William's Landing. Leave your kayak on the beach, and walk approximately 100 ft. inland to the campsite.</p><p>Drinking water is available at Williams Landing, Juniper Flats, Farrell Cottage and Murray Bay Day Use Area. If traveling elsewhere on the island, bring water with you or filter/boil/treat surface water. Keep soaps and detergents out of lakes and streams. Wash dishes and clothes in a pot and dispose of the waste water in a hole at least 100 feet from the nearest water supply. Bathe in a similar manner.</p><p>There are no supplies available on the Island. There are also no trash cans on the Island. Be prepared to pack in and pack out everything you need.</p><p>Black bears live on this island. Information is available at the Ranger District on how to prevent and survive bear encounters. Be prepared to store your food and all consumable and scented items, including trash, on the bear pole at the site. Never leave food unattended in campsite.</p><p>The mosquitoes and black flies can be very bad from Mid-May to mid-July. Be sure to bring plenty of insect repellant and even a head net during those months. Avoid climbing on or standing along the sandstone cliffs. The sandstone is very fragile and may not support your weight.</p>
Charles E. Bessey Tree Nursery
<p>The Charles E. Bessey Nursery, adjacent to the Bessey Recreation Complex, was established in 1902 as part of the Dismal River Forest Reserve. It is the oldest seedling nursery managed by the USDA Forest Service. The Nursery was established to produce the tree seedlings used to create the "World's Largest Man-Made Forest", the adjacent Bessey Ranger District.</p><p>The Nursery and Ranger District were named in honor of Charles E. Bessey, a professor of botany at the University of Nebraska who envisioned a forest growing on the wide-open Sandhills of Nebraska. The Nursery is located about one mile west of Halsey, Nebraska near the geographic center of the state. The area is characterized by rolling sand dunes covered with grasses. The primary agricultural commodities in the area are cattle and hay. Water is plentiful. The sandy soil and plentiful water supply provide the Nursery with an ideal medium for growing seedlings.</p><p>Please call the nursery to learn how to schedule a tour.</p>
Cheoah River Area
<p>The Cheoah River, located near Robbinsville, NC, is a nine-mile section of waterway between the Santeetlah Dam and Lake Calderwood. Typical water flows average 250 cubic feet per second (cfs), but approximately 20 times per year Brookfield Renewable Resources, Inc. releases water from the dam to mimic natural flood events to benefit a variety of endangered and threatened species that live in the river ecosystem. A secondary benefit of these releases is the recreational opportunity created by the release of approximately 1000 cfs of water, resulting in a Class IV-V whitewater run while water is being released. The US Forest Service currently permits three authorized outfitters to provide rafting opportunities during river releases, and many private boaters also use the river during these releases. </p><p>There is one primary put-in access site, two secondary access sites, and a river takeout site located at Magazine Branch on Calderwood Lake. The Cheoah River is unusual for rivers of its volume in the Southeast in that its gradient is relatively constant. This means that it is unusually continuous, more so than anything else with a similar volume of water in the Southeast. It is a whitewater run that should only be attempted by advanced to expert paddlers with the proper safety equipment and watercraft with a minimum of four internal air chambers or hard bottom canoes or kayaks, and only after careful consideration of all river hazards. The Cheoah River is one of the most difficult, technical rivers in the Southeast during high flow events. The rapids are large and continuous, with numerous hydraulics, rock ledges, vegetation, and other river features that can make self-rescue and extraction difficult. Do not attempt to float the Cheoah River during high flow release events unless you possess expert boating skills, are experienced in self-rescue in Class IV-V whitewater and using the proper gear and safety equipment, and only after a careful analysis of the river features and your own personal skill level.</p><p>Fishing on the Cheoah River is considered excellent for smallmouth bass by either fly-fishing or spinning reel with light tackle. The Cheoah River also offers brook trout, rainbow trout, and largemouth bass. Hiking trails in the vicinity include the Appalachian Trail, Benton MacKaye Trail, and numerous hiking trails in the nearby Joyce Kilmer Slickrock Wilderness. The Tapoco Lodge, built in 1930 by the Aluminum Company of America as part of hydroelectric efforts in Graham and Swain counties of North Carolina, is located on the banks of Cheoah River. </p><p>Additional information regarding Cheoah River high flow events can be found on the <a href="https://renewableops.brookfield.com/en/presence/north-america/recreatio… Renewable Resources, Inc. website</a>. </p>
Cherohala Skyway Area
<p>.</p>
Chetco River
<p><a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/photogallery/rogue-siskiyou/?cid=3110"><img alt="Chetco River" src="http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MEDIA/stelprdb5297174" style="margin: 5px 10px 5px 5px; float: left;" width="190" /></a>The <strong>Omnibus Oregon Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1988</strong> <strong>designated 44.5 miles of the Chetco River as Wild & Scenic</strong>, from its headwaters in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness down to the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest boundary just above <a href="http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_72.php">Loeb State Park</a>. The designated segment of the Chetco is located within Curry County in southwest Oregon on the Gold Beach Ranger District. <strong>The Chetco Wild & Scenic River is divided into three segments: </strong></p><p> </p><ul><li>The <strong>27.5-mile Wild segment </strong>from the headwaters down to Mislatnah Creek;</li><li>The<strong> 8.0-mile Scenic segment </strong>from Mislatnah Creek down to Eagle Creek; and</li><li>The <strong>11.0-mile Recreational segment</strong> from Eagle Creek down to the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest boundary.</li></ul><p>The head of the Chetco River is in the steep, deeply dissected, sparsely vegetated, mountainous terrain of the <strong><a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue-siskiyou/recreation/wilderness/kalmiopsis… Wilderness</a>.</strong> Over its 55.5 mile length, the Chetco River drops from 3700 feet to sea-level as it empties into the Pacific Ocean between the towns of Brookings and Harbor, about 5 miles north of the California border. In the upper section, the river floor is fairly narrow and boulder-strewn with numerous falls and rapids. As the river leaves the wilderness, its character gradually changes. The terrain gradually tempers its rugged steepness, the river gradient gradually lessens, the river bottom widens, and the surrounding hills become more densely forested. The river narrows in several areas, crossing through rock outcrops and leaving enormous boulders in the riverbed. The Chetco River Gorge, just below Steel Bridge, contains steep sides and unusual rock formations. Below this, the Chetco River continues to widen, the water slows dramatically, and sand and gravel bars and raised river terraces become more common.</p><p>The Chetco River receives healthy runs of winter steelhead exceeding 20 pounds and fall Chinook salmon exceeding 50 pounds. <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/rogue-siskiyou/?cid=FSEPRD581462"><strong… fishing and rafting guides </strong></a>and <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd597241.pdf"><strong… services</strong></a> are available to float this section on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. <strong>The river fishes well when flows are between 2,000 and 4,000 cubic feet/second (cfs) and the <a href="http://waterdata.usgs.gov/or/nwis/uv?site_no=14400000">levels are receding</a>.</strong> Side-drifting for winter steelhead and back-bouncing for Chinook salmon are preferred methods of fishing this stream, although other tactics will catch fish.</p><h2>Water Quality</h2><p> <strong>The Chetco River has three Outstandingly Remarkable Values: Recreation, Fisheries, and Water Quality. </strong> Th e Water Quality, in particular, is a spectacular quality of this river, and was selected as an Outstandingly Remarkable Value based on its striking color and clarity, its ability to clear quickly following storm events, its contribution to both recreation and fisheries, and its contribution of exceptionally pure and clean water for the domestic water supplies of both Brookings and Harbor.</p>
Chimney Rock National Monument
On Sept. 21, 2012, President Barack Obama designated the Chimney Rock Archaeological Area as America’s 103rd national monument—the seventh to be managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Covering 4,726 acres of the San Juan National Forest between Pagosa Springs and Durango, Colo., the Chimney Rock National Monument is a significant archaeological, cultural, geological and biological site.
Home to Ancient Pueblo Indians
Surrounded by the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, the site holds great significance for the Native American tribes of southwestern Colorado and neighboring states. The site was once home to the ancestors of the modern Pueblo Indians, who built more than 200 homes and ceremonial buildings high above the valley floor more than 1,000 years ago. Archaeologists believe that the site marks a connection to the Chacoan society who inhabited Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico.
The area has 118 known archaeological sites, including the dramatic Great House Pueblo which likely was used as an observatory for the annual summer solstice. Other features include the Great Kiva, which was likely used for religious ceremonies and community activities; storage rooms; and residential pit houses.
Contrasting Geology
The dramatic geology of the monument stands in stark contrast to the majestic Ponderosa Pine forest and rolling savannah-like plains along the valley floor. The Piedra River cuts along the edge of Peterson Mesa in the northern portion of the monument. Steep cliffs and expanses of exposed sandstone and shale are evidence of the geologic era.
Clear Lake Butte Lookout
Of the nine peaks in Oregon’s Cascade Range, Mount Hood stands the tallest at 11,239 feet, thickly forested and capped with glaciers and snow. Clear Lake Lookout, perched on the mountain’s side near the northwest corner of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, offers winter sports enthusiasts a tranquil, remote spot to spend the night amongst the tall timbers. It is ideally situated between Mount Hood to the north and Mount Jefferson to the south.
It is one of several Forest Service watchtowers on Mt. Hood and it is still used to spot fires during summertime each year. Read more information about fire lookout tower rentals in Oregon and Washington.
The original lookout was built by the Forest Service in 1932, and was on a 100 foot tower. In 1962 it was replaced with the present lookout. The lookout is an "R-6 Flat Top" style cabin, a design introduced in 1953 as the last generation of fire lookouts in the region. The design, which includes a flat, tarred roof, originated in the Pacific Northwest and was designed to alleviate costs and hazards associated with re shingling the roofs typical of earlier style lookouts. Window shutters, a feature of earlier lookouts, were eliminated in this new design, and an extra foot of dimension added over previous lookouts (15 x 15 ft.). These newer lookouts used plywood as a construction element, another new feature.
<p><img alt="Continental Divide landscape" src="http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MEDIA/fseprd499861.jpg" style="width: 520px; height: 321px;" /></p><div style="clear: all"> </div><p>This geographic area is the scenic backdrop and primary recreational resource for Montana’s capital city, Helena. It also includes the smaller communities of Austin, Rimini, and Unionville. Portions of the geographic area are in the political geographies of Lewis and Clark, Powell, and Jefferson counties. The spine of the divide is higher, cooler, wetter, and more exposed, imbuing it with a unique microclimate. The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail follows the crest of the divide.</p><p>More information on the <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/helena/home/?cid=fseprd499904">Continent… Divide landscape</a></p>
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PensionBee launches additional plans
By Maria Espadinha
Consolidator PensionBee is introducing three new plans for its customers, including a fund designed to manage volatility, an active plan and a Shariah-compliant fund.
The plans are looking for ways to invest clients' money more sustainably and with less exposure to risk, PensionBee stated.
Managed by State Street Global Advisors, the PensionBee Preserve Plan has the goal to protect pensions from stock market volatility.
Instead of investing in the markets, it makes short-term investments into creditworthy companies.
Romi Savova (pictured), chief executive at PensionBee, said it had been a volatile year in the markets and pension funds tied up in stocks were feeling the impact.
She said: "Over the long-term, investments tend to weather these storms, but if you’re close to retirement and intend to drawdown on your pension in the short-term, it’s unlikely you’ll want to take that risk."
The second fund, called PensionBee 4Plus Plan, aims to achieve long-term growth of 4 per cent per year over a five-year period by actively managing customers’ money across a range of global investments.
Ms Savova said: "Just like the PensionBee Preserve Plan, our 4Plus Plan is built for retirees.
"It’s cautious, but not to the extent that customers won’t see any growth in their money, as a large proportion of savings will remain actively invested in the markets.
"The long-term growth target of 4 per cent, over a five-year period, can indicate what they can expect to receive, so they can start planning their retirement to a degree of certainty."
The consolidator is also launching the PensionBee Shariah Plan, which is managed by State Street Global Advisors and HSBC, and only invests in Shariah-compliant funds - a branch of socially responsible investing shaped by the Islamic faith.
All investments are approved by an independent Shariah committee which works closely with the fund managers.
Investments in the fund exclude alcohol, gambling, tobacco, military equipment or weapons, pornography and any products containing pork.
Ms Savova said: "When it comes to pensions the needs of the Islamic community have historically been overlooked, with many Muslims finding it difficult to build retirement savings that are in line with their faith.
"PensionBee believes pension should be simple for everyone, which is why we offer a range of options which allow customers to regain control of their savings no matter what their faith or values."
maria.espadinha@ft.com
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Pensions Investments HSBC Drawdown Consolidator Active
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OnePlus 7T Review: A Refreshing Reset of Expectations
By Sam Rutherford on at
From its humble start making “flagship killers” in 2014, OnePlus has become one of the fastest-growing smartphone makers, ranking in the top five globally and overtaking brands like Sony, HTC, and even LG – the same companies OnePlus once sought to take down. However, as OnePlus has grown, so too has the price of its phones, from £230 for the original OnePlus One to £800 for the top-spec OnePlus 7 Pro. With the new OnePlus 7T, OnePlus is using its latest handset as a chance to reset expectations when it comes to how we judge good performance and value.
Starting at $600 (UK pricing TBC), the OnePlus 7T is actually cheaper than the OnePlus 7 Pro we got earlier this spring. Despite its more affordable price tag, the OP7T still has the most important feature from its predecessor: a screen with a wonderfully smooth 90Hz refresh rate. After using phones like the Razer Phone 2, Asus ROG Phone, and both the OP7 Pro and OP7T, while the overall effect can be subtle, having a higher than normal refresh rate really does add a sense of fluidity that makes using the phone feel more polished and stable. And when you combine that with the OP7T’s vibrant OLED panel, you get an entrancing viewing experience that’s hard to give up when switching back to handsets with standard 60Hz screens.
Meanwhile, on the inside, the OP7T features a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chip that offers 10 to 15 percent better performance for both CPU and GPU. That might not sound like much – to the point you may not notice if you’re just browsing the web or checking in on social media – but in gaming, that extra performance does help you avoid some extra jank or lag than you might have encountered otherwise. And considering Samsung’s latest $1,000 flagship – the Galaxy Note 10 – only comes with a vanilla Snapdragon 855 chip, the OP7T’s ample performance is a welcome bonus.
However, because of the 7T’s slightly lower price, OnePlus did have to make a few adjustments for some of the phone’s other features. Though for a lot of people, many of OnePlus’ changes could be viewed less as trade-offs, and more like sidegrades that function as a refreshing throwback to a time when phones were just a bit simpler. So instead of the 6.67-inch 3120 x 1440 screen One Plus gave the 7 Pro, the 7T has a 6.55-inch display with a 2400 x 1080 resolution, which is a bit easier to handle for people with smaller hands. The OP7T also has a flat display instead of the curvy 3D glass panel used on the OP7 Pro, which should be a boon to the slice of people that believe phones with sloping displays are harder to use.
The OP7T also has a notch for its selfie cam instead of a motorised pop-up, which admittedly isn’t quite as exciting, but does make you feel better about the phone’s lifetime durability. Sadly, after axing the headphone jack on its phones earlier this spring, it seems the days of getting 3.5mm jacks on OnePlus phones are gone for good, as the 7T’s only port is a USB-C connection on the bottom. That’s kind of a shame because if the OP7T had a headphone jack and a removable plastic back, the OP7T would almost be a perfect phone for Android diehards who still reminisce about the glory days of phones like the Galaxy S5.
The OP7T’s rear cams are even aligned in a T-shape. Neat, right?
The OP7T’s other major upgrade is the addition of a 16-MP 117-degree ultra-wide camera alongside its 48-MP main cam and 12-MP 2x telephoto cam, which is OnePlus’ first-ever triple cam setup. With triple rear cameras modules becoming standard equipment for practically every high-end phone this year, it’s nice to see a phone that cost almost half as much hop on that trend as well. OnePlus even added a Super Stabilisation mode to the new ultra-wide camera that combines optical and electronic image stabilisation to capture smoother, more shake-free videos.
While I’m partial to the OP7 Pro’s richer Nebula Blue color (right), the OP7T’s light hue ain’t bad either. And if blue isn’t your thing, the OP7T also comes in gray.
That said, while the OP7T image quality is pretty good and more than competent for anyone’s whose main portal for photography is Instagram, in a head-to-head photo comparison between the 7T and true flagship phones like the Note 10, OnePlus still sits a tier behind Samsung, Google, and Apple.
In typical situations like taking pictures of apples at a grocery store or of what I had for dinner, the OP7T’s photos consistently lacked sharpness compared to its more expensive competition, while also going overboard on colour saturation. Meanwhile, when I took a picture of a nearby street mural, the OP7T fell just short on things like details and white balance. And with its Nightscape mode turned on, the OP7T had trouble topping Google’s Night Sight on the Pixel 3, producing a darker, yellower final image.
For some reason, the OP7T has a tendency to go overboard on colour saturation
Here’s another example of the OP7T going a bit too hard on colour saturation.
While the OP7T’s ultra-wide camera isn’t quite as wide was what you get from the Note 10, it does have less barrel distortion.
Thankfully, the OP7T’s battery is strong, lasting 14 hours and 30 minutes on our video rundown test. That’s almost an hour longer than the OP7 Pro (13:36) and the standard Note 10 (13:46), but still half an hour shy of the Note 10+’s time of 15:05. OnePlus has even upgraded the OP7T’s charging speeds, so that from a completely dead battery, I was able to get a 39 percent charge after 15 minutes, and 73 percent after just half an hour.
As for the rest of the phone, OnePlus has kept important features like its handy alert slider, in-display fingerprint reader (which is actually a touch faster than before) and Oxygen OS, which remains super clean and easy to use, and is also one of, if not the first Android skins to get the update to Android 10.
While the OnePlus 7T may not be as flashy as some of its competitors or even some of OnePlus’ other handsets, it nails almost all of a phone’s most important features while still packing in a few big-ticket items like its 90Hz screen, in-display fingerprint reader, and triple rear cameras. It’s a simple phone with an almost nostalgic approach. Sure, $600 is double what the original OnePlus cost at launch, but even after all these years, OnePlus is still delivering on its guiding mission of offering big specs at half the price (or close enough) of today’s flagship devices.
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Fin O’ My Teeth Trey Xavier’s MosaiAxe Jaws guitar
By Chris Gill 2013-10-08T17:49:30Z
Countless guitarists have cited Guitar World as an influence. But when Trey Xavier of the progressive metal band In Virtue explained that the Jaws graphic on his Ibanez RG5EX1 was made from “thousands of tiny pieces of paper cut from the pages of Guitar World,” we didn’t know whether to feel flattered or creeped out. After all, the act reminded us of a Seinfeld episode where Elaine left a TV Guide on the subway, and a nerdy stalker cut it up into a flower bouquet for her.
Fortunately, we discovered that Xavier is a dedicated fan of the magazine and not a disgruntled reader who wanted to slice up the editors and feed us to sharks. “I’ve been reading Guitar World since I was 12,” Xavier explained. “I’ve always had issues lying around my house. It’s a well-printed magazine with vibrant colors and good-quality paper. I cut the pieces from 12 to 15 different issues, but I had to get multiple copies of certain issues to have enough pieces of colors I liked.”
Xavier says that he decided to replicate the iconic Jaws movie poster graphic because “it conveys a scene of conceptual horror very quickly to the viewer. The fact that the girl has no idea that she’s totally screwed is very scary to me. You get that feeling of imminent disaster, like seeing a glass teetering on the edge of a table, too far away for you to catch.”
The Jaws guitar was Xavier’s first decoupage guitar project, and he estimates that it took him about nine months of on-and-off-again work to complete it. “The biggest challenge is the sheer amount of time and patience it takes,” he says. “I’d watch an entire season of a TV show in the time it took to cover five square inches. But it’s entirely worth the effort. The texture it creates can’t be replicated by any other means. I had the artwork finished by a local luthier to protect it.”
Xavier started work on a second guitar with decoupage graphics, and he has plans to do many more. “I’m accepting commissions,” he says. “You can send me your guitar to get the MosaiAxe treatment, and I’ll also decoupage other things, like phone cases, jewelry boxes or anything else I can stick paper to.”
For more details, visit mosaiaxe.com
Photo credit: Paul Robinson, rthreephotography.com
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NAMM 2020: Jackson's 100% shreddable mega-launch sees signature models for Gus G and Rob Caggiano
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← Home | David McInnis (데이비드 맥기니스)'s News, Updates
| Pictures (51)
Mr. Sunshine OST (2CD + DVD) (Taiwan Limited Edition)
Descendants of the Sun 14DVD (Digipack + Postcard Director's Cut Compacted Version)
Mr. Sunshine OST 2CD + DVD (Ae-sin Version) (Limited Edition)
Mr. Sunshine OST 2CD + DVD (Ae-sin Version) (Limited Edition) + Poster in Tube
David McInnis is from the USA
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[Photo] New Lee Sung-min Still Added for the Upcoming Korean Movie "Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP"
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[Video] Teaser Released for the Upcoming Korean Movie "Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP"
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[Photo] Teaser Poster Released for the Upcoming Korean Movie "Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP"
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[Orion's Daily Ramblings] "Kill It" Introduces Foreign Characters
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"Mr. Sunshine" Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi Behind-the-scenes
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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Argon" Episode 4
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DramaFever Award Winners: Korean Stars Gong Yoo, Lee Dong-wook, Ahn Jae-hyun, Jung Il-woo and more!
Votes are in! Drum Roll please The Fifth Annual DramaFever Awards winners are Korean hotties Song Hye-kyo ("Descendants of the Sun") for Best Actress and Gong Yoo ("Goblin") for Best Actor. Presented by H Mart and supported by Korea Tourism Organization, this year's awards concluded with over 3 million votes from DF lovers around the world. Please see a full list of winners, their acceptance speeches and highlights of their best performances of 2016 below. Congratulations to all of the winners!,...More
Today's Photo: March 7, 2017 [3]
Actress Kim Min-jung poses at a party for the finale of her recent TV series "Man to Man" in Seoul on Monday,...More
Today's Photo: February 17, 2017 [4]
Hyoyeon of Girls' Generation attends the launch of a digital magazine in Seoul on Thursday,...More
[HanCinema Awards] Best Foreign Actor - And the Winner Is...
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[HanCinema Awards] Best Foreign Actor - Cast Your Vote!
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Today's Photo: September 9, 2016 [3]
Shin Min-ah poses on the red carpet at the Seoul International Drama Awards in the capital on Thursday,...More
[Photos] The 11th Seoul International Drama Awards Red Carpet Event
Song Joong-ki The Seoul International Drama Awards was held at KBS Hall in Yeouido on September 8th. The winners' list has just been announced. Here are some photos from the Red Carpet event on this day,...More
[Photos] Korean celebrities attending the VIP premiere for the Korean movie "Train to Busan"
Kim Soo-hyun Korean celebrities attending the VIP premiere for the Korean movie "Train to Busan",...More
Gu-Won couple, Jin Goo and Kim Ji-won spotted together on the filming set of Running Man
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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Descendants of the Sun" Episode 11
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"Descendants of the Sun" Fatima, "Song Joong-ki is such a gentleman"
A foreign actress in the role of Fatima in "Descendants of the Sun" mentioned Song Joong-ki. Song Joong-ki's foreign fan (Instagram @songjoongkidaily) revealed a conversation she had with Zyon Barreto in the role of Fatima, the girl in the red dress who tries to run away,...More
[Video Preview] "Descendants of the Sun" Song Joong-ki, "Let's ruin some lipstick"
On the preview of the ninth episode of the KBS 2TV drama "Descendants of the Sun", Yoo Si-jin (Song Joong-ki) and Kang Mo-yeon (Song Hye-kyo) become closer thanks to Mo-yeon's unexpected recording of confession. Yoo Si-jin grabs Kang Mo-yeon by the arm and expresses his feelings. He asks her to stay for a pot of noodles,...More
[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Descendants of the Sun" Episode 3
After a long week of waiting, "Descendants of the Sun" has graced us with another episode that came in at an unheard of 23.4%. Again, I can't iterate enough how slick and gorgeous it is or how fantastic the actors are in their roles. Song Joong-ki, despite his pretty face, is 100% masculine and in charge of his character while Song Hye-gyo owns the drastic change in hers. Not to mention that we finally get to see the beauty of Greece that plays the role of the country Uruk where the drama takes place. Please be sure to stick around for some home grown insight about Greece from Orion, HanCinema's own Greek goddess.,...More
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Greeley West’s Shaha dips into his life in swimming
Sports | April 21, 2019
adelaney@greeleytribune.com
Greeley West boy's swimming coach Colin Shaha watches his swimmers during practice at the Greeley Rec Center Thursday afternoon April 18, 2019, while being interviewed by local media. (Michael Brian/mbrian@greeleytribune.com)
GreeleyWestSwimming-GDT-041819-1
Greeley Central boys swimming coach Colin Shaha is the reigning Class 5A coach of the year as named by the Colorado High School Swim Coaches Association in 2018.
This season, Shaha, 50 and a former scholastic swimmer at Valley High School in Gilcrest, has his Class 4A Spartans at the top of the April 18 state polls.
Shaha teaches at Greeley West, he’s has coached the boys and girls swimming teams for 19 years, and he doesn’t consider that a long time.
Greeley West boy’s swimming coach Colin Shaha talks with senior Nathan Kenigsberg before practice on April 18, 2019 at the Greeley Recreation Center Pool. Shaha, 50 and a former Valley High School swimmer, has coached Greeley West swimming for 19 years.
(Michael Brian/mbrian@greeleytribune.com)
In this week’s Preps Weekly Q&A, Shaha talks about his love of swimming – (it’s how he met his wife, Cindy, a former UNC swimmer), the No. 1 ranking and a little about his health since a recent heart attack.
WHY DOES SWIMMING MEAN SO MUCH TO YOU?
“I didn’t swim in college. I just swam in high school. But I had very passionate, kind of iconic coaches. Lynn Painter. I say Lynn Painter and everyone kind of goes ‘oh, you swam for Lynn.’ Lynn was tough, he was old school.
Swimming is one of those odd sports, where a lot of people…..they’re in it and they understand it or they’re outside of it and it doesn’t make a lot of sense other than when the Olympics come around. But it’s absolutely an awesome sport. You can do it for the rest of your life. I’ve worked with some adults before. And in many ways, swimming is what I hoped teaching would be, because we have students who come, they show up willingly to this, right? It’s not mandator for them to come here and they work super hard.
I think a lot of people get jazzed up about the game or the performance. The thing I get jazzed up with is practice, right? Because practice is where all these things happen. Practice is where you see a lot of the character, a lot of the toughness and a meet is just kind of the result of practice. That’s what I enjoy most about it, is the practice and getting here to work with these students at this time.”
WHAT DOES THE NO. 1 RANKING MEAN TO YOU?
NOTE: On Saturday, Greeley West won the Weld County Invitational over defending Class 4A state champion Windsor, ranked fourth in the April 18 poll, and Valley.
“I’m not quite sure what the rankings mean. Because a guy cannot swim three relays and two individuals (events). They can only swim two individuals and two relays. The way we talk about it is, I’m running two relays strong and I’m sloughing off one relay. Or they’ll say the 200 free relay is my weak relay because they have their medley (relay) loaded and the 400 free (relay) loaded. On those rankings, they say (for example) Broomfield is top on two and then they’re fifth in the medley relay, or something like that.
I don’t think Broomfield could actually run those relays that they have in the standings at a real meet because they can’t load every single relay. It’s (the rankings) not a true representation of the relays.”
HOW ARE YOU FEELING SINCE YOUR HEART ATTACK?
“Good. I feel great. When I had that stent put in in, I was like ‘oh, awesome.’ I wasn’t really sick when I was in the hospital, it was a low aching, out of breathe kind of thing so I finished a couple of books. Once they put the stent in it was like ‘yeah, OK.’ But they wouldn’t let me go for another day. Yeah, I feel good.”
— Anne Delaney covers high school and recreational sports for The Greeley Tribune. Contact Anne at adelaney@greeleytribune.com, (970) 392-5647 or on Twitter @AnneGDelaney.
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One of the biggest barriers in gardening is knowing what you've got. If you don't know the plant name, you can't look it up to find out what it needs. And if you use a common name, which may be shared by quite different plants, it's possible you'll buy or look up the wrong plant altogether.
This is why GreenPlantSwap and most nurseries prefer to use proper botanical names, which are unique identifiers for each plant and indicate the parentage, or group of plants, to which it belongs.
This international system of plant naming was developed by Carl Linnaeus (above), a Swedish botanist, in the 18th century. Today it is enshrined as the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and maintained by botanists around the world.
So plants can be better described and understood, the Plant Kingdom is divided into divisions, then classes, then orders of plants. Within each order are similar families of plants. Within each family are similar plant genera. And within each genus are similar species. The botanical name of each plant is a binomial (two-part) name that refers to the genus and the species.
All the plants on GreenPlantSwap are indexed from the family level. You will not normally see family names on plant labels, but may see them referred to in plant descriptions. They have names that end in -eae, such as Araceae or Pelliaceae. We index 330+ of these plant families from around the world and show which genera are within each. However, these plant family names are just for reference. You do not need to use them when listing or trading plants on GreenPlantSwap.
Plant genera
Plant genus names ('genera' is the plural) are the key building block for understanding plants. Each plant genus is a name given to a group of plants with similar structural characteristics (e.g. Hebe, Hosta or Acer).
The genus name may come from literature, mythology, a place, a person, or what the plant resembles. Many plant names are based on original Greek or Latin words.
Importantly, the genus name is always the first word in any botanical plant name. So, if you know the genus, you can almost always find the individual plant, either in our Plant Finder or through Google Images. If you get to know, or at least have a sense for, the features of each genus you're well on your way to identifying individual plants. We have 2,300+ plant genera in the GreenPlantSwap Plant Finder.
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Species, varieties and cultivars
Individual plants within a genus are identified by the second part of the overall plant name.
Sometimes the plant is a species e.g. Acer palmatum (Acer = the genus; palmatum = the species). In others it might be a variety, or subdivision, of a species e.g. Acer palmatum var. dissectum (var. dissectum = the variety).
Species and variety names are usually Latin (though English names are now allowed) and italic, where italics are used. They often refer to where the plant is native, who discovered it or its physical appearance.
Varieties are determined by naturally occurring distinctions or mutations that give the plant different physical attributes, such as the colour of the flowers or leaves, or differences in how it grows.
Cultivars are plants that once created require asexual, vegetative reproduction, such as stem cuttings, to keep their form e.g. Hosta 'Dinner Jacket' ('Dinner Jacket' = the cultivar). These plants can only be reproduced by human intervention and the name often refers to their physical appearance or the person who created them. The cultivar name always appears in Roman text within single quotes.
Lastly hybrids are created by cross-pollinating different types of plant and and are indicated by the use of an 'x'. In hybrids of plants from different genera the 'x' is put before the two names e.g. x Heucherella (cross between Heuchera and Tiarella).
In hybrids of plants within the same genus, the 'x' appears between the two names e.g. Platanus x acerifolia (the London plane).
We have 19,500+ individual plants in the GreenPlantSwap Plant Finder and this is being continuously expanded. If you would like us to create a new plant record, you may make a request through the List my plant page.
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Global Silicon Valley
GSV Capital
TO THE GLOBAL SILICON VALLEY
Enterprise Innovation
About GSVlabs
Digitalizing Dollars & Cents: How Unbundling & Re-bundling is Transforming Financial Services
Written by Clay Watson, Enterprise Innovation for GSVlabs.
Rapid innovations in computing power and a shift in consumer attitude are transforming the relationship between account holders and financial institutions. In 2018, overall investments in FinTech surged to $55 billion worldwide, with 20 of these FinTech startups now valued at $1 billion or more. Incumbent financial institutions manage an increasingly competitive landscape, in which digital natives of the Class of 2020 are drawn to new technology and are often skeptical of large corporations. With no recollection of the Dotcom Bubble, what’s etched into the class of 2020’s memory forever is their family, friends, and loved ones, losing a home to foreclosure during the financial crisis of 2007.
In these changing financial times, banks can take one of two approaches: 1.) They can resist the gravitational forces of changing consumer attitudes and technological innovation, and risk slowly losing market shares and disruption from the margins, or 2.) They can embrace this technological and cultural shift, leveraging intangibles (brand, customer base, balance sheet, and regulatory knowledge), to become leaders in these new digital financial services.
Unbundling
For decades, the modern banking system was characterized by aggressive consolidation and “too-big-to-fail” institutions that bundled together diverse portfolios of financial services. The strategy was to entice consumers and gain loyalty through geographic proximity, offerings like free checking accounts, and the perception of establishment players as trustworthy. With low barriers of entry, over 12,000 FinTech startups worldwide have engaged with new innovative solutions for every major product or service offered by legacy financial institutions. Most financial service providers now face dozens of competitors that are pushing innovation forward and gaining market shares while continually evolving customer expectations.
From big data, to artificial intelligence, to crypto-currencies to blockchain, FinTech innovation has captured the imagination of investors, incumbents, and consumers. It is no longer just the bank and the consumer — new technologies and business models in the finance world have gained traction through competitive advantages.
Companies like Acorn ($870M) that specialize in micro-investing and robo-advisory have profited from daily touch points with consumers and greater transparency. The brilliance of a company like Acorn, is in their ability to allow anyone to take control of their finances through investing. This ability to invest was formerly only accessible to the wealthiest consumers at legacy banks. By democratizing investing, Acorn has gained 4 million users since 2014.
Companies like SoFi ($4.8B) have disrupted lending verticals by offering low interest loans for top student applicants. With incredibly low acquisition costs and an ability to curate the top one percent of borrowers, SoFi’s business model will likely yield high returns on investments from their 7.5 million registered users.
Companies like Lemonade ($2B) have taken the burdensome process of getting insurance from a bank and made the task as easy as making a purchase on Amazon. They have raised the standards of user experience and increased consumer expectations of financial efficiency. Lemonade has profited from a more democratized infrastructure, becoming the first choice among first time insurance buyers.
Using technology to budget and manage savings over the long-term has gained popularity, and Millennials, GenX’ers, and Baby Boomers alike are also looking to technology for smaller, immediate savings on purchases. Now, startups like Honey (Valuation Undisclosed; $37.67M Raised) and Guru (Acquired) are aggregating discounts and rewarding loyalty to help users save both online and in-store. Overall, we are seeing a newly engaged consumer class thinking differently about financial services, focused on capturing every savings possible and, slowly but surely, building their wealth.
With these third party startups in the FinTech industry gaining traction and disrupting legacy banks, the stakes for incumbent financial institutions have been raised, pushing the financial services industry in a competitive direction that is now embedded into the lifestyle of the consumer and oriented around their demands.
(All valuation and funding information sourced from Pitchbook.)
Re-bundling
As we just discussed, this exciting emergence of FinTech startups has sparked significant changes in the financial services industry. An industry that now offers specialized products, in turn, has increased the digital expectations of consumers. This positive feedback loop oriented around greater efficiency, user experience, and financial inclusion has culminated in a multitude of competitors focused on specific aspects of an individual’s finances — unbundling.
Currently, 75% of American account holders have relationships with four or more financial institutions. However, this fragmentation of money management naturally creates inconvenience and friction. The initial products, or unbundling, act as just the “hook” to acquire customers with a focused value. As the startups themselves have begun to build trust and brand name recognition, many are looking more like institutions, offering more and more services — re-bundling.
SoFi primarily acquired their 7.5 million registered users through a student loan product, but have now moved beyond just student lending. Now the company offers mortgages, wealth management, and life insurance. Robinhood ($7.5B), a company that formerly only allowed its customers to invest in the stock market from their mobile device, has taken its 4 million users and extended their platform to include cryptocurrency. Acorn, initially just a micro-investing and robo-advisory platform, has taken their similarly sized pool of 4 million users and diversified their services to now offer a debit card product.
It is clear: a Financial Renaissance is here. However, in the interim, the consumer’s desire for a “supermarket” of financial services and the friction implicated in maintaining multiple relationships with financial startups means that many still rely on incumbent banks, only experimenting with certain innovative products.
Looking at Amazon as an analogy, the multi-billion dollar corporation began serving only a niche consumer need — initially just an online book store. Rapidly, Amazon diversified its offerings and became one of the most dominant companies in the world. In the financial industry, the thousands of FinTech startups that address unrelated and specific financial needs will look to become competitive in a race against each other to have their own Amazon moment — to become the dominant digital bank of the future. This re-bundling of financial services will disrupt traditional banks at increasing rates and further squeeze incumbent’s profit margins as they scramble to keep up with the unfolding financial Renaissance.
Want to Hear More?
We’re thrilled to be launching our second Breakthrough Innovation Program this September, focused on The Future of Financial Services.
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Rugby Six Nations 2013: Stay Close to the Action
cheap weekend city break, eating & drinking, where to stay
cardiff, Dublin, Edinburgh, London, Paris, Rome, rugby, rugby six nations, sports, sports bar, sports hostels, sports travel, stadiums
Written by Victoria Philpott
Just been checking out the Rugby Six Nations fixtures – it all kicks off very soon! Over six weeks France, Italy, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and England will battle it out for the winning title in the annual RBS Rugby Six Nations league. If you’ve got a ticket for the games you better book your nearby accommodation ASAP, beds are selling out fast.
If you’ve not got a ticket, but want to get caught up in the stadium atmosphere then why not incorporate the Rugby Six Nations into a city break? You could stay in a cheap hotel and enjoy a pint or five at the nearest local pub or bar…
Sun 3 Feb: Italy v France
Sat 23 Feb: Italy v Wales
Sat 16 March: Italy v Ireland
The matches in Rome are at the Stadio Olimpico – the largest sports facility in the city and the home of Italy’s rugby team.
Where to watch the rugby in Rome: The Highlander Pub will be showing all the games in the centre of Rome. It’s actually in the vicinity of the Flamincio Stadium, which is sometimes used for matches, but just a 30-minute walking distance from the Stadio Olimpico, so it’s sure to be popular afterwards. There are HD screens and with every four beers you’ll get a special edition Six Nations Cup 2013 t-shirt.
If you’re willing to admit defeat against the ticket and just want to throw yourself into a fun, pub atmosphere I’d go to The Abbey Theatre Irish Pub. It’s just a short walk from the Piazza Navona and although it looks quaint from the outside it’s huge and fully air-conditioned inside with whiskeys, cocktails and beers on tap. There’s also four TV screens so you won’t miss a second – unless you get a bit carried away in happy hour.
Where to stay: Ottaviano Hostel is a 30-minute straight route walk away. It’s just metres from St.Peter’s Square and you’ll get a clear view of the Dome. Dorm rooms from €8.90pppn.
More hostels in Rome.
Sat 9 Feb: France v Wales
Sat 16 March: France v Scotland
In Paris the Stade de France takes centre stage. The 80,000 seat stadium is the fifth largest in Europe and will be hosting a match on the first day of the tournament.
Where to watch: The Eden Park Pub is renowned for being the best place to watch rugby on screen in Paris. Owned by rugby players, they know what keeps their punters happy — including a 2am licence, huge screens and great drinks offers.
Alternatively you could try the Frog & Rosbif Pub just around the corner from the Rue Montorgueil, the oldest market street in Paris. It’s a traditionally English pub with a great selection of drinks and all the games up on the big screens.
Where to stay: Just ten minutes from the Stade de France you’ll find the Hotel de Bellevue. The two-star hotel has rooms with en suite bathrooms, TV and internet access. Private rooms start from €36pppn.
More hostels in Paris.
Sat 9 Feb: Scotland v Italy
Sun 24 Feb: Scotland v Ireland
Sat 9 March: Scotland v Wales
Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh will host the matches for Scotland. It’s got the largest permanent big screen in the country and more than 67,000 seats.
Where to watch: A 20-minute walk away from the Murrayfield Stadium, you’ll find Bert’s Bar. They’ve got great food and beers on draught, as well as plasma screens throughout ensuring a great atmosphere. An array of framed rugby shirts adorn the walls.
A bit further away from the stadium you’ll find the Three Sisters bar. It’s one of the most popular places to watch rugby in the city and you’ll find huge plasma screens and three large bars inside. You can reserve a booth to enjoy the match from and they have live DJs spinning on the decks well into the early hours.
Where to stay: The Murrayfield Hotel & Lodge is adjacent to the Murrayfield Stadium, just a short distance from the bright lights of the city. Each room has an LCD panel TV and all are ensuite. The hotel bar has live sports coverage within a spacious seating area and food and drink is available, as well as a beer garden. Private rooms start from €31.63pppn.
More hostels in Edinburgh.
Sun 10 Feb: Ireland v England
Sat 9 March: Ireland v France
Sat 10 March: Ireland vs Scotland
The Aviva Stadium on Lansdowne Road, Dublin, was designed to be wave-like to avoid blocking the light to local residences. It was opened in May 2010 on the site of the old venue and can hold 47,000 spectators. There are four tiers: the lower and upper are for general access, the second for premium tickets and the third for corporate boxes.
Where to watch: The Outback on Parnell Street is an Australian themed pub bringing you all the games on the big LCD screens. The laidback pub has live music – when the games aren’t on – and drinks offers throughout the night.
Or try The Old Stand Pub in Dublin city centre. It’s one of the top pubs in Ireland’s capital and is simply decorated with rugby shirts at the windows and they have a strong link with Dublin’s rugby fraternity too. I’d go for this one!
Where to stay: Waterloo House is a great little hotel just five minutes from the Aviva Stadium. There’s a drawing room with a bar and a restaurant downstairs for all your traditional Irish breakfast needs. Private rooms from €45pppn.
More hostels in Dublin.
Sat 2 Feb: England v Scotland
Sat 23 Feb: England vs France
Sun 10 March: England v Italy
In London Twickenham Stadium will be home to the Rugby Six Nations matches.
Where to watch: Head to the Roxy Bar & Screen‘s 4m wide TV, full HD projector and surround sound. The food’s amazing, the drinks even better and with all the supporting screens you won’t miss a minute.
Or if you’re staying at my suggested hotel (see below) you should find your way to The Clapham Grand. They’ve got the biggest sports screen in the UK at 40m² as well as six 50-inch plasmas strategically placed around the pub. They’re also running competitions with some great prices and they have VIP booths – could be handy for a half-time snooze…
Where to stay: Clapham is near enough to Twickenham via the national rail network (Clapham Junction – Twickenham is a 25-minute journey by train), so stay in this exciting area of London at the Euro Lodge Clapham. You’ll be just a few steps from one of London’s biggest green spaces so you can recreate those great moments once the game’s over. Private rooms start at €19.13pppn.
More hostels in London.
Sun 2 Feb: Wales v Ireland
Sat 16 March: Wales v England
The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, is home to the Welsh national team and will be where the Rugby Six Nations games in Wales will be held.
Where to watch: The City Arms is just a five-minute walk from the stadium and is one of the most popular pubs for those times when you just haven’t been able to get a ticket to the match. There’s plenty of delicious food, some tasty beers and a few plasma screens in there to enjoy too.
Where to stay: Riverhouse Backpackers really stands out as the best accommodation for the Rugby Six Nations in Cardiff. It’s just over the bridge from the Millennium Stadium, you’ll get breakfast for free and it’s recently been renovated too. There’s loads more free stuff, including Wi-Fi and it’s close to the train station. Shared rooms start from €20.25pppn and private rooms from €17.57pppn.
More hostels in Cardiff.
Where to Watch the Super Bowl
Where to Watch Wimbledon 2013 in London
Weird World of Sports
Thanks to www.theedinburghblog.co.uk, pterjan, infomatique, abragad for the excellent images from Flickr. Please note, all images were used under the Creative Commons License at the time of posting.
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Wilson Associates designs the public areas of the Lotte Hotel Hanoi
Oct 2, 2014 8:33am
Wilson Associates designed the Lotte Hotel Hanoi in Vietnam.
The 65-story building, designed by CallisonLLC, houses a reception and lobby-lounge on the 38th floor, which also has a Sky Garden. Complete with a wooden boardwalk that meanders through double-height stalks of bamboo, the Sky Garden includes a Zen corridor that separates the hotel from the residences. This space also has water features and a mosaic mural.
In addition to the Sky Garden, the Lotte Hotel Hanoi brings seven dining venues to Vietnam, including Tim Ho Wan, Vietnam's first Michelin-star dim sum restaurant from Hong Kong; Grill 63, serving Western fare; Red River, serving Chinese cuisine; and Pharaoh's Bar & Upper, offering guests a bar-lounge experience.
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According to Dennis Tan, design director of Wilson Associates' Blueplate Studios, each venue has a design narrative tied to the hotel's cuisine.
Located on the 35th floor, Lotte Hotel Hanoi also has Asia's second evian SPA. Inspired by the French Alps, the spa has white granite and light wood veneers. The Fitness Center, located on the 7th floor, hosts a gym, indoor and outdoor pools, yoga studio and a virtual golf range. The Banquet Hall, located on the 6th floor, houses one of Hanoi's largest ballrooms. The space is outfitted in Nero Marquina marble with velvet wall panels and bronze detailing.
The guestrooms and suites are warm, earth-toned enclaves. Each room has an accent wall with hand-painted Violet Myrtles, which are an indigenous wildflower found throughout the hills of Central Vietnam.
Founded in 1971, Wilson Associates employs over 400 design professionals throughout eight global offices in Abu Dhabi, Dallas, Dubai, Kochi, Los Angeles, New York, Shanghai and Singapore.
ALL PHOTOS FROM LOTTE HOTEL HANOI
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Home>Movies> A Mary J. Blige Documentary Is On The Way & Diddy Is An Executive Producer
A Mary J. Blige Documentary Is On The Way & Diddy Is An Executive Producer
By Arielle London
MJB has a story to tell.
Production is under way for a Mary J. Blige documentary at Amazon studios. The doc will delve into some deep issues from Blige's past including poverty, addiction, heartbreak, and abuse and will give us a glimpse into what was taking place behind the scenes throughout her career. Mary is celebrating 25 years since the release of her album My Life and the film will follow her on a special tour performing the album from beginning to end. The "Just Fine" singer has been through so much in her lifetime that the doc promises to be revealing.
Bennett Raglin/Getty Images
Matt Newman, Co-Head of Movies at Amazon Studios said of the documentary, “We all know Mary J. Blige as the two-time Oscar nominee, Grammy Award winning, multi-hyphenate who has sold over 80 million records. But through this documentary, audiences will see a raw and honest side of Mary J. Blige opening up about her personal journey of redemption and healing. We are thrilled to share with our worldwide Prime Video customers this exclusive, never-before-seen, inside look into the global legend, Mary J. Blige.”
MJB's documentary is currently untitled and she will be an executive producer for the film under her Blue Butterfly banner. Tara Long from eOne, Diddy, Mark Ford and Kevin Lopez of Creature Films, as well as Ashaunna Ayars and Nicole Jackson from Blue Butterfly are all executive producing the project.
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MOVIES A Mary J. Blige Documentary Is On The Way & Diddy Is An Executive Producer
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Home>Music> Metro Boomin Announces New Project "Not All Heroes Wear Capes"
Metro Boomin Announces New Project "Not All Heroes Wear Capes"
The return of Metro Boomin.
Metro Boomin has been evidently missing from the rap game this year, but it doesn't come as a shock since he announced his retirement in April. Earlier this month, mysterious billboards began popping up, reading, "Have You Seen This Man?" Now, the multi-platinum producer has announced that he has a new project dropping.
Metro Boomin took to Twitter to announce his new project, Metro Boomin Presents: Not All Heroes Wear Capes. Although he didn't reveal a release date for the project, many speculate that it might be dropping tonight since Halloween marks the one year anniversary of his joint project with 21 Savage and Offset, Without Warning. His tweet also ended with three jack-o-lantern emojis which he tweeted out earlier today.
All three artists have teased a possible sequel to their collaborative effort since this morning, although it could've been merely been a coincidence. 21 Savage tweeted, "1130" which has been interpreted as either the release date for his own project or the time of when something could drop tonight.
While Metro simply tweeted three jack-o-lantern emojis, Offset tweeted, "D O N T T R U S T Y O U," in reference to Young Metro's beat tag. Either way, we hope that this means that Metro drops a new project tonight.
Throughout this year, Metro appeared on a handful of tracks. He landed production on Lil Wayne's Tha Carter V and also "All For Me" off of Belly's new project, Immigrant.
Music News Metro Boomin Metro Boomin Presents: Not All Heroes Wear Capes new project announcement retirement coming out of retirement album announcement surprise release halloween
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MUSIC Metro Boomin Announces New Project "Not All Heroes Wear Capes"
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Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020| Today's Paper | 77°
Buckets of rain, but ‘minimal’ damage
By JOHN BURNETT Hawaii Tribune-Herald | Tuesday, January 14, 2020, 12:05 a.m.
MICHAEL BRESTOVANSKY/Tribune-Herald Water from rain-swollen Wailuku River crashes over Rainbow Falls Sunday in Hilo.
JOHN BURNETT/Tribune-Herald Flood waters behind the Bayside Texaco cover Pauahi Street in Hilo on Monday afternoon.
The torrential rainfall that pounded East Hawaii has eased, but that doesn’t mean the precipitation has stopped completely.
In the four-day period ending at 8 a.m. Monday, Hilo International Airport received 7.28 inches of rain. It was even wetter upslope, with Piihonua, just above Hilo on the Wailuku River, getting 19.26 inches in the same period. Glenwood, in upper Puna, tallied 27.23 inches over those four days. In Hamakua, Honokaa received heavy rains three of those four days, ending up with 12.98 inches. And Kapapala Ranch in Ka‘u received 15.05 inches — 12.86 inches, or 85% of it, in the 24-hour period ending at 8 a.m. Sunday.
It was less rainy during the day Monday than it had been the previous few days, but rain remains in the forecast for the next week.
“It’s not going to be like it was this past weekend, that’s for sure,” said Chevy Chevalier, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, on Monday. “We’re still looking at trade wind showers through the week.
“And this weekend, I think a front may come down and affect our weather.”
A flash flood warning in effect the entire weekend was downgraded to a watch on Monday.
The weather caused numerous road closures around much of the island over the weekend.
Hawaii Belt Road (Route 19), just north of Honokaa near the 47-mile marker, was closed both Saturday and Sunday mornings as trees fell across the highway. The road also was closed Sunday in Laupahoehoe Gulch between the 25- and 26-mile markers because of a landslide.
Fallen trees on Stainback Highway caused Department of Public Safety officials to cancel family visitations with inmates at Kulani Correctional Facility on Sunday.
Daniel K. Inouye Highway also was closed at the 11-mile marker on the Hilo side Saturday night because of flooding and debris on the roadway.
And a 72-year-old woman had to be rescued early Sunday morning when the bus she was driving stalled in floodwaters near the 59-mile marker of Highway 11 at Kawa Flats in Ka‘u.
The only closure remaining as of Monday afternoon was Kamehameha Avenue between Ponahawai Street to the Keaukaha side of Pauahi Street.
The closure of Kamehameha snarled traffic in the downtown Hilo area, especially on crosstown arteries such as Kilauea Avenue and Kinoole Street.
Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno described damage from the flooding as “pretty minimal.”
“There was some up in the Piihonua area,” Magno said. “The flooded area down in Bayfront, some of the restrooms were impacted. We’re not able to get into there. I don’t know what the impact to the flood diversion area is. We need to wait for the water to recede to look at that.”
Magno noted the Bayfront soccer fields are a designated floodplain.
“That area is doing what it’s supposed to do,” he said. “It’s a flood basin due to the tsunami (inundation zone) and the water coming down from the Alenaio Stream system.”
Kent Inouye, owner of Bayside Texaco on the corner of Kamehameha Avenue and Pauahi Street, said his service station, which closed on Friday, remained closed Monday afternoon.
“I can’t do anything about it. I just deal with it,” Inouye said. “The water got into the sumps. I’m pumping that out. I’m waiting, too, for the water to recede; I’ve got four more sumps that I need to pump out. This amount of water, it’s taking a long time.”
Inouye has been following the weather forecasts, and is hoping to reopen today.
“I’m thinking the weather is going to (improve), but I’m worried the weather’s going to be bad at the end of the week, so we might face the same thing,” he said. “But I’ve been doing this a long time, so I have a procedure that I follow.”
A high surf advisory remains in effect for east-facing shores of all islands until 6 a.m. Thursday.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Fire damages HPP home
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MHS Home > News > Articles > Caring for skin goes deeper than applying lotion
Caring for skin goes deeper than applying lotion
Heather Carter, an above-knee amputee, participates in a therapy session at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Caring for skin around amputation sites is one of the most critical roles of a military dermatologist. (U.S. Air Force photo by Sean Kimmons)
2/6/2018 By: Military Health System Communications Office
Extremities Loss | Public Health | Preventive Health
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — As a cold snap takes over, we quickly feel the effects of dry hair and itchy skin. We pay attention if a rash develops or if we lose pigment in our complexion. These are changes we can easily see. Protecting ourselves from harmful sunburn or improving skin’s appearance can be other common skin concerns for us. But in a dermatologist’s world, that’s not all there is to skin.
When Army Colonel Jon Meyerle returned from Kuwait in 2008, a significant number of wounded service members were arriving at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center who had survived the war but lost limbs. The director at Walter Reed’s Military Advanced Training Center, or MATC, sought his input as a dermatologist to successfully outfit amputees with the latest in prosthetics.
Army Colonel Jon Meyerle, sits in front of a total body digital skin imaging system. The system takes standardized, full-body photographs of patients to help track changes in skin conditions over time. Images can be assessed by a patient’s medical provider at a later date. (Courtesy Photo)
“It was my first exposure to amputee care," Meyerle said. “A high percentage of people with lower extremity amputations suffer from skin disease and are unable to wear prosthetics due to skin breakdown at the stump site from bearing weight.”
Meyerle says amputees can have issues with sweating, skin breakdown, ulcers, and allergic reactions to prosthetic socket material. Stump skin may undergo other changes due to a poorly fitting prosthesis. In his research, Meyerle is looking for ways to make the amputee stump skin more like skin on the palms of our hands or soles of our feet.
“The idea is, if you can toughen that skin, you can make the stump more resistant to the friction, heat and other irritants that you're exposed to when you're wearing a prosthesis," said Meyerle, who uses the full arsenal of cosmetic and dermatological tools at his disposal. These include injecting Botox at the stump site to stop sweating, and using laser hair removal to reduce hair growth and help the prosthesis socket fit better.
“Wearing a prosthesis requires the kind of skin care someone in a tropical environment needs when wearing boots all the time,” he said.
When not practicing military dermatology, conducting research, or seeing patients, Meyerle oversees 18 residents from both the Army and Navy as director for the military's largest dermatology residency training program at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland. He also teaches medical students, non-dermatologists, and health care extenders, like nurses.
Meyerle’s specialty is treating autoimmune disorders of the skin that result in blistering, medical dermatology conditions, and skin cancer – these areas are his primary research focus, along with work on amputee skin care, teledermatology, and standardized body scan imaging.
"Dermatologists see men, women, old, young, and every age in between,” said Meyerle. “People come to look younger with Botox, fillers, or other cosmetic procedures, like getting rid of spider veins.”
He identified warts, acne, and eczema as common reasons people pursue treatment, and said children see dermatologists for vascular malformations, like a birth mark. Most often, older people see dermatologists for various skin diseases, skin cancer, and pre-cancer, he said.
According to Meyerle, dermatologists eyeball the skin for moles that “don't fit.” If they see a concerning one, dermatologists often will view it under magnification with a dermatoscope. Meyerle’s research with standardized imaging is a potential diagnostic aid that could help identify high-risk lesions.
"The promise of standardized skin imaging is tracking people over time,” said Meyerle. “If lesions or moles on the skin change, an imaging machine can tell you what is new or different. Comparing images allows you to decide whether to continue monitoring or to do a biopsy. Imaging could mean fewer dermatologists can do the work of many,” he added.
Without skin imaging widely available to patients, we have to visually monitor moles on our skin. Meyerle says patients can do monthly self-skin examinations by following “the ABCDE rule,” which stands for Asymmetry, Border, Color, Diameter, and Evolution. While doing self-scans, Meyerle recommends looking for uneven moles – those with a jagged edge, atypical colors, or multiple colors, or moles larger than a pencil eraser. Meyerle says keeping an eye on moles that change over time is particularly important.
"People can get new moles until their 50s,” he said. “So, just because you get a new mole, that doesn't mean it is concerning.”
Meyerle said moles do change over time. They can lose pigment; become more raised or elevated; and in women, they can change during pregnancy. Recognizing bad moles is a process of pattern recognition. It’s also one of many ways a military dermatologist stands on guard for patient health and well-being.
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MSMR Vol. 26 No. 10 - October 2019
A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Editorial: The Department of Defense/Veterans Affairs Vision Center of Excellence; Absolute and relative morbidity burdens attributable to ocular and vision-related conditions, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2018; Incidence and temporal presentation of visual dysfunction following diagnosis of traumatic brain injury, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2006–2017; Incidence and prevalence of selected refractive errors, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2001–2018; Incident and recurrent cases of central serous chorioretinopathy, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2001–2018
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World shares mixed as traders ready for more US tariffs
World shar...
SINGAPORE (AP) - Global markets were mixed Thursday on worries that the U.S. is on the verge of imposing tariffs on another $200 billion of Chinese goods in a mounting trade dispute. Many developing countries are in financial turmoil as rising interest rates and trade disputes rattled investors.
KEEPING SCORE: In Europe, France's CAC 40 added 0.2 percent to 5,272.12 and Germany's DAX remained almost flat at 12,043.04. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares added 0.1 percent to 7,387.03. Wall Street was set for a lackluster open. Dow futures added less than 0.1 percent to 25,981.00 and the broader S&P 500 futures, at 2,888.80, was almost flat.
ASIA'S DAY: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 0.4 percent to 22,487.94, and the Kospi in South Korea dropped 0.2 percent to 2,287.61. Hong Kong's Hang Seng tumbled 1.0 percent to 26,974.82. The Shanghai Composite index was 0.5 percent lower at 2,691.59. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed 1.1 percent to 6,160.40. Shares were lower in Taiwan and most of Southeast Asia.
US-CHINA TRADE: Traders fear that the Trump administration is on the cusp of imposing tariffs of up to 25 percent on an additional $200 billion in Chinese imports, once a public comment period ends Thursday. These tariffs are the administration's response to its charges that Beijing uses predatory tactics to try to supplant U.S. technological supremacy. Since March, the U.S. has applied new tariffs of up to 25 percent on nearly $85 billion worth of steel and aluminum and various Chinese products, mostly goods used in manufacturing. Separately, the U.S. and Canada have resumed negotiations to try to keep Canada in an updated North American trade pact that also includes Mexico. Canada's trade envoy sounded positive after three hours of talks, and investors are confident Canada will be included in the final deal.
CRISIS IN EMERGING MARKETS: Investors are worried about the impact of rising interest rates and trade disputes on fast-growing - but often fragile - emerging economies. Argentina has seen its currency slide by more than half this year, as families try to cope with 30 percent inflation. Turkey's lira has fallen almost as much. Iran's rial hit a new record low this week and Venezuela's currency has lost almost all its value as the country's deep economic crisis has led to one of the worst cases of hyperinflation ever seen. The worry is that big losses in some developing markets could ripple out into the global financial system, as they have in the past, notably in the late 1990s, when several Asian countries eventually required financial rescue.
ANALYST'S TAKE: "An adverse announcement by the U.S. will invoke retaliatory tariffs from China, and this could rattle already nervy markets amid escalating trade tensions," said Vishnu Varathan, head of economics and strategy at Mizuho Bank.
ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude lost 5 cents to $68.67 a barrel. It fell 1.6 percent to $68.72 a barrel in New York late Wednesday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, added 5 cents to $77.32 a barrel.
CURRENCIES: The dollar fell to 111.34 yen from 111.51 yen. The euro strengthened to $1.1637 from $1.1623.
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A man monitors stock prices with others at a brokerage house in Beijing, Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018. Asian markets are mixed on fears that the U.S. would soon impose tariffs on another $200 billion of Chinese goods, as public consultations draw to a close. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) - The Associated Press
An investor checks stock prices at a brokerage house in Beijing, Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018. Asian markets are mixed on fears that the U.S. would soon impose tariffs on another $200 billion of Chinese goods, as public consultations draw to a close. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) - The Associated Press
A man takes a nap in front of an electronic board displaying stock prices at a brokerage house in Beijing, Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018. Asian markets are mixed on fears that the U.S. would soon impose tariffs on another $200 billion of Chinese goods, as public consultations draw to a close. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) - The Associated Press
A Chinese investor sits in front of an electronic board displaying stock prices at a brokerage house in Beijing, Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018. Asian markets are mixed on fears that the U.S. would soon impose tariffs on another $200 billion of Chinese goods, as public consultations draw to a close. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) - The Associated Press
Investors monitor stock prices at a brokerage house in Beijing, Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018. Asian markets are mixed on fears that the U.S. would soon impose tariffs on another $200 billion of Chinese goods, as public consultations draw to a close. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) - The Associated Press
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Home / Punjab / It’s time Britain apologised for Jallianwala Bagh massacre, says London mayor
It’s time Britain apologised for Jallianwala Bagh massacre, says London mayor
Sadiq Khan also visited the Golden Temple and paid obeisance at Harmandar Sahib.
punjab Updated: Dec 07, 2017 09:34 IST
Hindustan Times, Amritsar
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan paying tribute to martyrs at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on Wednesday.(Twitter)
London mayor Sadiq Khan said on Wednesday that it’s time the British government apologised for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of April 13, 1919.
“It was incredibly moving to visit Jallianwala Bagh. The tragedy in 1919 on Baisakhi is one we must never forget. It is time for the British government to finally apologise. Our thoughts are with all those who died,” he wrote in the visitor book after paying floral tributes at the memorial. Later, he tweeted, “I’m calling on the UK Government to make a full and formal apology for the massacre.”
Khan went around the complex and saw the Shaheedi Khuh or the martyrs’ well besides the bullet marks on the walls surrounding the memorial that bear testimony to the machine gun firing by British Indian Army soldiers under the command of colonel Reginald Dyer into a crowd of peaceful protesters and Baisakhi pilgrims.
They had gathered at the public garden adjoining the Golden Temple to participate in the Baisakhi celebrations and also to condemn the arrest and deportation of freedom fighters Satya Pal and Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew.
The victims had no place to escape as the only narrow entrance was blocked by the soldiers. Colonial era records put the death toll at 379, while other sources, including leaders of the freedom movement, put it at more than 1,000.
Though British monarch, Queen Elizabeth, and her husband, Prince Phillip, visited Jallianwala Bagh in October 1997, no apology for the massacre was offered. Former British prime minister David Cameron also visited the memorial in February 2013 and offered regrets over the killings but stopped short of a formal apology.
DOES ‘SEWA’ AT GOLDEN TEMPLE
Khan also visited the Golden Temple and paid obeisance at Harmandar Sahib, the holiest of Sikh shrines.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee honoured him with a ‘siropa’ (robe of honour). He partook of the langar and also did sewa by cleaning utensils at the largest community kitchen.
London mayor Sadiq Khan helps prepare food in the community kitchen of the Golden Temple in Amritsar. ( AFP )
“The Golden Temple, where millions come daily, is a place of spiritualism and brotherhood,” Khan said, praising the hospitality at the shrine.
The London mayor arrived in Amritsar on Tuesday evening after visiting Mumbai and Delhi. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh hosted the dinner for him.
Khan, who has his roots in Pakistan, later crossed over to the neighbouring country from the Attari-Wagah joint check post, 30 km from here. He will be visiting Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad.
His grandparents migrated from Bombay to Pakistan in 1947, from where his family migrated to London in 1960.
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https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/it-s-time-britain-apologised-for-jallianwala-bagh-massacre-says-london-mayor/story-D1d60fvKzI7zpYIRbCztBM.html
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/gangster-claims-responsibility-for-killing-akali-leader-in-fb-post/story-Plc2JYvTfLI476EMIfvfrI.html
https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/now-panjab-university-employees-can-use-private-airlines-for-official-trips/story-YEvd3yf58PJS99NB7kC8HL.html
https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/no-secretariat-pay-to-panjab-university-employees-from-now-on/story-sCruFURqFbvN7rbcxZzHWL.html
https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/beware-data-of-chandigarh-school-students-being-sold-for-4-to-6-per-child/story-vbDvbvhnqJeVjl69AVl9cL.html
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U.S. energy firm caps severance pay for executives
Payments will be limited to 2.99 times their salary and bonus
(Reuters) — Oilfield services and drilling company Nabors Industries Ltd said it would separate the roles of chairman and chief executive after the tenure of CEO Anthony Petrello ends and limit severance payments for executives.
Nabors said it was putting in place a proxy access policy allowing any shareholder holding five per cent stake for at least three consecutive years following the 2014 annual general meeting to nominate directors.
Nabors shareholders approved a non-binding proxy access resolution in 2012, in the first instance such a proposal had passed at a major company.
Severance payments for executives will be limited to 2.99 times their salary and bonus, Nabors said in a statement on Monday.
Shareholders California State Teachers' Retirement System and Blue Harbour Group welcomed the steps.
Nabors rewrote Petrello's employment contract last year after pressure from the California Public Employees Retirement System and other pension funds to limit annual bonuses, among other things.
Shareholder activists have vigorously lobbied to overhaul executive compensation and raise shareholder returns in energy companies such as Chesapeake Energy Corp, SandRidge Energy Inc and Occidental Petroleum Corp.
Nabors reached an agreement last year with its largest shareholder, Pamplona Capital Management, to name two independent directors to its board after coming under pressure over the underperformance of its shares.
The company, which has been led by Petrello since 2011, has also started paying dividends, declassified the board and restructured executive compensation to drive up investor returns.
"These changes reflect the results of our commitment to strengthening our corporate governance and compensation practices, and open the door to an even more focused commitment to the generation of long-term value for shareholders," Petrello said.
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School Sexting Incident Alarms Principal
A principal at a P.E.I. school says one of her students sent an explicit photo of herself to another student who was caught showing the photo to classmates Tuesday.
A student took a nude photo of herself and sent it to a friend's cellphone, according to Josée Ferron, principal of École François-Buote.
"I think her first reaction was perhaps disbelief, because she said, 'He told me he had deleted the photograph.' He did not," said Ferron.
"At this point, our main concern is, is it elsewhere? Is it already on the internet? If it is, unfortunately, there's nothing we can do."
The principal suspended the two students who received and passed on the photo.
She also called in Charlottetown police.
Deputy Chief Gary McGuigan said they were able to delete the photo from the students' cellphones and police are confident it hasn't made it onto the internet.
But McGuigan said stories like this are becoming more common.
"Students who are sexting are under a mistaken belief that the images they send are going to remain private and confidential. Unfortunately, that's not the case. And once these images hit the internet, there's little or no chance of getting them back."
Police said a lot of young people don't understand is that if they're receiving or sending out an explicit photo of one of their peers, they're actually breaking the law.
Though it's rare, they could be charged with possessing or distributing child pornography
"We would encourage kids to think their actions through," said McGuigan. "We would encourage parents to pay close attention to what their kids are doing on social media."
Ferron said the incident has been a wake-up call for her too.
Up to now, she said the potential dangers of sexting and improper cellphone use hasn't been discussed with students.
"And that's my main concern because if this is part of their lives, how do we adapt? How do we in a school surrounding react? There's education obviously to be done."
Feron said she's already trying to line up a police officer to come in and talk to her students. She's hoping no one else will have to learn the hard way.
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2018 JCI Australia TOYP Honouree – Sally Hetherington!
Congratulations to Sally Hetherington, the President of Human and Hope Association Inc, who was named a 2018 JCI Australia Top Outstanding Young Person Honouree.
Sally was honoured this past weekend for her humanitarian work alongside Weh Yeoh from OIC Cambodia and Andrew Mellody from Co-Ground Coffee. Sally was nominated by Melissa Abu-Gazaleh from the Top Blokes Foundation.
“I first met Sally through a JCI Illawarra Meet and Greet event. Since then, I have come to know how hard working and dedicated she is to her cause. Years on, she has focused and refined her efforts to see a real social impact, she’s one of Australia’s modest social entrepreneurs.” – Melissa Abu-Gazaleh, CEO, Top Blokes Foundation
Sally is a social entrepreneur that embodies the values of service leadership. Firstly, she left a comfortable lifestyle to head overseas to live a minimal but enriching lifestyle, never once with a complaint. Once there, she stood up to unethical NFP practices, that is, voluntourism and empowered a community to not settle for less. From the beginning, she had a very strong goal – to leave HHA and the community once they reach sustainability, and years on, she has not wavered. This is a true testament to a service leader who is not led by ego or profile but instead a commitment to reducing poverty and achieving genuine social impact.
“I have worked with Sally directly and indirectly for more than five years. She is one of a great person who I met in my life who passionate about helping/empowering Cambodians. A former Operations Manager at Human and Hope Association for almost four years, she was professional and highly effective in her role. Human and Hope Association is run entirely by our local staff thanks to her concepts of empowerment and sustainability. Additionally, she inspired us; our staff are empowered and understood their values of helping their community. I am really impressed of her passion of helping Cambodians, because although she left Human and Hope Association in 2016, she still doing a great job and hard work to support us as the President of Human and Hope Association Incorporated, especially doing fundraising and making awareness about Human and Hope Association.” – Thai San, Director, Human and Hope Association
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IPL news: Sony Pictures vs Star India for broadcast rights; BCCI to strike Rs 16,000 crore deal?
BCCI is keen to conduct a transparent and open bidding process for new broadcast rights.
By : Ashim Sunam
Sep 8, 2016 12:48 IST
Pictured: Sunrisers Hyderabad celebrate after winning IPL 2016 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, on May 29, 2016.IANS
The broadcast rights for the IPL, ever since its inception in 2008, has been with Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI). The BCCI is set to have an open bidding process for the next 10 years after SPNI's contract expires in 2017. The new deal could be a fight among top broadcasters, including SPNI and Star India, who have the rights to telecast ICC's global events as well as BCCI's national team and domestic matches.
SPNI has informed the BCCI about the existing first rights clause in their IPL contract. But, the BCCI is no mood to negotiate such deals with Sony.
With the cricket body being under the scanner of the Supreme Court, they want a transparent bidding process to take shape, and for which and the tenders are also expected to be floated soon. The BCCI, reportedly, has given SPNI a time frame to understand the need of holding an open bid for telecast rights.
"A 10-day window to arrive at an understanding that a broadcast rights deal of such high value can't be held inside a closed room and needs to undergo a transparent bidding process," Times of India quoted a source as saying.
As it stands, the SPNI might have no option but to take part in the bidding, if they are to have any chances of wining the telecast rights for the mega T20 carnival in India. If they end up losing the rights to Star or another broadcaster, Sony do have the option of taking BCCI to court, but SPNI may refrain from doing so in order to remain in the good books of the Indian cricket board.
Besides the broadcast deal, which is expected to bring massive revenues, worth around Rs 16,000 crore for a period of 10 years, tenders will be invited for digital rights as well. Along with Hotstar and Sonyliv, giants like Facebook and Google could also show interest in the deal.
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OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition Launched In India
by Sahil KapoorDecember 12, 2018
Browse This Page
Model / Variant
Glass Front
Glass Back
Display Size and Type
19:5:9 aspect ratio
4 x 2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold
4 x 1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver
Memory Expandability
Primary Video
2160p @ 30/60fps
720p @ 30fps
Super Slow Motion:
1080p @ 240fps
720p @480fps
Secondary Camera Video
Warp Charge 30
In-Display Fingerprint Sensor
Water-Drop Notch
The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition smartphone was recently launched in the UK. Now the company has also announced it for the Indian market. It is a limited edition variant of the OnePlus 6T which the company has developed in collaboration with British supercar manufacturer, McLaren. Although the new variant borrows a lot of specifications from the regular variant, the new features make it stand out. The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition not only has a beautiful rear design it also gets Warp Charge 30 and 10 GB of RAM. It is the first global smartphone to offer this high capacity of RAM.
The OnePlus 6T Mclaren Edition, like its regular variant, has a high screen-to-body ratio with a waterdrop notch at the front. The right side of the device makes room for the power button and the sound profile slider while the left side houses the volume rockers. Over at bottom, the device has a USB Type-C port, the loudspeaker grille, and the microphone grille. The rear of the device gets a newly designed back panel which houses the dual camera setup with LED flash. The glass panel has a carbon fiber like design and the signature McLaren Orange Papaya coloured accent runs along its bottom and sides.
The OnePlus 6T Mclaren Edition has a 6.41-inch Optic AMOLED display with a small waterdrop notch. The display panel has a Full HD resolution of 2340 x 1080 px and a pixel density of 402 ppi. The display has a screen to body ratio of 85.6% and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. Additionally, the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition’s display has Corning Gorilla Glass 6 to protect it against scratches and accidental drops.
The McLaren Edition OnePlus 6T runs on the 10 nm, Snapdragon 845 SoC. The Snapdragon 845 consists of an Octa-Core CPU and Adreno 630 GPU. The CPU consists four Kryo 385 Gold cores and four 385 Silver Cores. For high performance, the Kryo 385 Gold cores have a clock frequency of 2.8 GHz and for better battery backup the Kryo 385 Silver cores have a clock frequency of 1.7 GHz.
Memory & Storage:
The new limited McLaren Edition variant of the OnePlus 6T gets 10 GB of LPDDR4X RAM. In terms of internal storage, the device has 256 GB of UFS 2.1 storage. Both, LPDDR4X RAM andUFS 2.1 contribute in making the smartphone extremely fast. Like other OnePlus smartphones, it does not support memory expandability.
The OnePlus 6T Mclaren Edition has a 16 MP (Sony IMX 371), f 2.0 aperture equipped front-facing camera sensor which is housed in the notch. Over at the rear, the device gets dual 16 MP (Sony IMX 519) + 20 MP (Sony IMX 376K) camera sensors. Both the 16 MP and the 20 MP sensor are equipped with a f/1.7 aperture. Most notably, the 16 MP camera has a 1.22-micron size pixel which allows for better light absorption. Therefore, the device can capture well-lit pictures even in low light conditions. The smartphone can also capture 2160p videos at 60fps from the rear cameras and 1080p videos at 30 fps from the front camera.
Like the regular variant, the McLaren Edition OnePlus 6T packs a 3,700 mAh Lithium-Ion battery. However, the new device now supports Warp Charge which charges the device with 30 watts of power. In comparison, the dash charge on the regular variant charges the handset at only 20 watts. Therefore this is a 50% boost from the old technology. According to OnePlus, the limited edition variant can be charged up to 50% in under 20 minutes.
To support this rapid charge, both the phone and the charger now have an integrated circuit chip. OnePlus also ships the device with a Papaya Orange coloured braided cable which is essential to support the Warp charge. Furthermore, the McLaren Edition variant does not thermal throttle. It means that the device will continue to charge at a rapid pace even if the device gets hot or is being used to run CPU intensive tasks.
Connectivity & Other Features:
The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition variant, like the regular variant, also supports dual 4G VoLTE, dual-band 802.11 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy, NFC, and GPS. The device also has a host of sensors which include an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a proximity sensor, and a compass. For securely and safely unlocking the handset, the device gets an in-display fingerprint sensor. Additionally, the device also supports Face Unlock Technology.
The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition smartphone with 10 GB of RAM and 256 GB of ROM is priced in India at Rs 50,999. It will be available via both online and offline channels. The phone will be available from tomorrow at Delhi’s newly launched store and will be available on other channels from 15th December.
You can also watch our unboxing video of the device:
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interactive investor introduces free regular investing
by Jemma Jackson from interactive investor | 8th January 2020 11:15
We’re the first of the big investment platforms to scrap its regular investing fee, from 8 January 2020.
interactive investor, the UK’s second largest direct-to-consumer investment platform, is ringing in the new year by introducing free regular investing from 8 January 2020. It is the first of the big investment platforms to scrap its regular investing fee.
In the spirit of interactive investor’s flat-fee charging model, which does not favour one type of investment over another, customers can invest for free regardless of whether they choose funds, investment trusts, ETFs or individual stocks – or they can mix and match. The minimum amount for regular investing is £25 per month.
Consigned to the past is interactive investor’s 99p fee for regular ‘monthly’ investing, leaving customers with just one easy-to-understand, pounds-and-pence monthly flat fee.
Richard Wilson, Chief Executive, interactive investor says: “The removal of the regular investing fee means one less thing to get confused about and one less platform fee to add up. It’s about building confidence and knowing that’s all there is to it. It’s just free. That’s the value.
“Having permanently scrapped exit fees over a year ago and moved from a quarterly to a far more intuitive monthly flat fee last year, we are constantly exploring ways to simplify and add value. We want to do as much as we can to make investing simple. With no percentage fees, just a flat fee that stays the same as investors’ wealth grows, investors can keep more of their hard-earned cash, and keep control of their financial future.”
Regular investing: A look at the rest
Hargreaves Lansdown charges nothing for regular investing into funds but does charge £1.50 per qualifying investment trusts, ETFs and FTSE 350 shares. Fidelity Personal Investing also charges £1.50 for investment trusts, shares and ETFs. Halifax Share Dealing charges £2 for shares, funds, investment trusts and ETFs, and Barclays charges £1 for “all automated regular investments”. AJ Bell, meanwhile, charges a £1.50 regular investing fee for both shares, funds, investment trusts and ETFs.
Adding complexity, and adding up
Moira O’Neill, Head of Personal Finance, interactive investor, says: “Regular investing charges add complexity and add up – potentially to thousands of pounds over the long term. For those investing £25 per month into just one fund or trust, over 20 years, assuming an annual return of 5%, the removal of the 99p regular investing charge would make investors £400 better off.
“Customers investing into three funds or trusts a month, each at £25 per fund/trust, would be £1,200 better off over 20 years – and more than £3,200 if they had a basket of eight funds that they pay into a month. These figures all assume a 5% annual return, which is not guaranteed and is for illustrative purposes, but does show how costs can eat into returns over time.
“If you have a partner or children and you all have investment accounts, you will save even more. All too often investors look at their investment charges in isolation, but a family of investors may collectively be paying a small fortune in regular investing fees, adding up to thousands of pounds over the long term. There’s more savings to be had, too – while Junior ISAs are not a stand-alone interactive investor product, they come free with our accounts. You can have as many free Junior ISAs as you have children.”
Last year, interactive investor replaced its quarterly flat fee with a monthly flat fee.
The removal of the regular investing charge comes just over a year after interactive investor permanently scrapped exit fees in November 2018, having waived the levy since December 2017.
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Is RigNet Inc (RNET) A Good Stock To Buy?
Published on December 14, 2016 at 12:49 pm by Abror Ahmed in Hedge Funds,News
The Insider Monkey team has completed processing the quarterly 13F filings for the September quarter submitted by the hedge funds and other money managers included in our extensive database. Most hedge funds have been producing disappointing net returns in recent years, however that was partly due to the poor performance of small-cap stocks in general. Well, small-cap stocks finally turned the corner and have been beating the large-cap stocks by more than 10 percentage points over the last 5 months.This means the relevancy of hedge funds’ public filings became inarguable, as they may reveal numerous high-potential stocks. The following article will discuss the smart money sentiment towards RigNet Inc (NASDAQ:RNET).
Hedge fund interest in RigNet Inc (NASDAQ:RNET) shares was flat at the end of last quarter. This is usually a negative indicator. The level and the change in hedge fund popularity aren’t the only variables you need to analyze to decipher hedge funds’ perspectives. A stock may witness a boost in popularity but it may still be less popular than similarly priced stocks. That’s why at the end of this article we will examine companies such as JP Energy Partners LP (NYSE:JPEP), Macatawa Bank Corporation (NASDAQ:MCBC), and TRC Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRR) to gather more data points.
Follow Rignet Inc. (NASDAQ:RNET)Follow Rignet Inc. (NASDAQ:RNET)
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We follow over 700 hedge funds and other institutional investors and by analyzing their quarterly 13F filings, we identify stocks that they are collectively bullish on and develop investment strategies based on this data. One strategy that outperformed the market over the last year involves selecting the 100 best-performing funds and identifying the 30 mid-cap stocks that they are collectively most bullish on. Over the past year, this strategy generated returns of 18%, topping the 8% gain registered by S&P 500 ETFs. We launched this strategy 2.5 years ago and it returned more than 39% since then, vs. 22% gain registered by the S&P 500 ETFs.
PLRANG ART/Shutterstock.com
Keeping this in mind, let’s check out the fresh action regarding RigNet Inc (NASDAQ:RNET).
What does the smart money think about RigNet Inc (NASDAQ:RNET)?
Heading into the fourth quarter of 2016, a total of 7 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were bullish on this stock, unchanged from the second quarter of 2016. On the other hand, there were a total of 7 hedge funds with a bullish position in RNET at the beginning of this year. With the smart money’s capital changing hands, there exists a select group of notable hedge fund managers who were boosting their stakes substantially (or already accumulated large positions).
According to Insider Monkey’s hedge fund database, Renaissance Technologies, one of the largest hedge funds in the world, holds the largest position in RigNet Inc (NASDAQ:RNET). According to regulatory filings, the fund has a $5.5 million position in the stock, comprising less than 0.1% of its 13F portfolio. Sitting at the No. 2 spot is Cannell Capital, led by J. Carlo Cannell, which holds a $4.6 million position; the fund has 1.8% of its 13F portfolio invested in the stock. Some other professional money managers with similar optimism include Gavin Saitowitz and Cisco J. del Valle’s Springbok Capital, Cliff Asness’s AQR Capital Management and John Overdeck and David Siegel’s Two Sigma Advisors. We should note that none of these hedge funds are among our list of the 100 best performing hedge funds which is based on the performance of their 13F long positions in non-microcap stocks.
Walter Investment Management Corp (WAC): Are Hedge Funds Right About This Stock... Is RadNet Inc. (RDNT) Going to Burn These Hedge Funds? Is BNC Bancorp (BNCN) A Good Stock to Buy? Here is What Hedge Funds Think About Pendrell Corporation (PCO) Patriot National Inc (PN): Hedge Funds Are Snapping Up Is United Community Financial Corp (UCFC) A Good Stock to Buy?
Is RNET A Good Investment Right Now? Is RNET A Good Stock To Buy? NASDAQ:RNET Yahoo Finance
Is RigNet Inc (RNET) Going to Burn These Hedge Funds? Insiders Sell Shares Amid Correction: Village Super Market Inc. (VLGEA), Syntel Inc. (SYNT), and RigNet Inc. (RNET) Hedge Funds Are Buying Lumos Networks Corp (LMOS) IDT Corporation (IDT): Hedge Fund and Insider Sentiment Unchanged, What Should You Do? Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM): Hedge Funds Are Bullish and Insiders Are Undecided, What Should You Do? Do Hedge Funds and Insiders Love Premiere Global Services, Inc. (PGI)? Hedge Funds Are Selling Vonage Holdings Corp. (VG) 11 Best Science YouTube Channels To Watch 10 Most Famous Cubist Paintings 5 Countries That Have the Most Drones
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Home » Blog » My SAD Experience
A few weeks ago I self-diagnosed myself as experiencing a mild dose of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). This milder form of SAD is known colloquially as ‘the Winter Blues’ and clinically as Sub-Syndromal SAD.
Starting on the Sunday of that week, I grew increasingly miserable and even became tearful at times. Over most of the next week I was lethargic, missed the gym, couldn’t be bothered with going out and really struggled to put on ‘a happy face’ for my tutees and adult education evening classes.
Sub-Syndromal SAD is estimated to afflict some 21% of the UK population while full-blown SAD reduces a further 8% to a dysfunctional state (Seasonal Affective Disorder Association, 2017)
The influence of the seasons on health was recognised in ancient times – viz Hippocrates writing (c400 BC): “…whoever wishes to pursue properly the science of medicine…[must] consider what effects each season of the year can produce”. Over 2 millennia later Philippe Pinel (1806), one of the founders of modern Psychiatry, reflected Hippocrates when he encouraged medical students to ensure “due attention is paid to the changes in the seasons and the weather”.
One of the earliest and most poignant descriptions of what we now know as SAD comes from the Arctic explorer Fredrick Cook (1900) who observed on an 1898 expedition: “The winter and darkness have slowly but steadily settled over us. It is not difficult to read on the faces of my companions their thoughts and moody dispositions. The curtain of blackness that has fallen over the outer world of icy desolation has also descended upon the inner world of our souls. Around the tables, men are sitting about, sad and dejected, lost in dreams of melancholy from which, now and then, one arouses with an empty attempt at enthusiasm. For brief moments, some try to break the spell by jokes, told perhaps for the fiftieth time. Others grind out a cheerful philosophy, but all efforts to infuse bright hopes fail.”
SAD was first systematically identified and named in the early 1980s by Norman Rosenthal and his associates at the US National Institutes of Mental Health. Rosenthal was initially motivated by his desire to discover the cause of his own experience of Depression during the dark days of the northern US Winter. He theorised that the reduction in available natural light during Winter was the cause. Rosenthal et al (1984) then documented the phenomenon of SAD in a placebo-controlled study utilising light therapy. Although Rosenthal’s ideas were initially greeted with scepticism, SAD has become well recognised and his 2006 book, ‘Winter Blues’, has become the standard introduction to the subject.
The association between lower light levels and the onset of SAD was supported by Michael Terman (1988) who found about 2% of the population in sunny Florida suffered from SAD in the Winter compared to 10% in the more northerly New Hampshire. Similar findings have been reported since – eg: Susan Nolen-Hoeksma (2014) who finds 1.4% in Florida but 9.9% in Alaska.
How does SAD work?
Despite years of research, the mechanisms of SAD are not yet fully understood.
Graphic copyright © 2001 E Bentley/Routledge, courtesy of Psychology Press Ltd
It’s long been established that there is a relationship between increase in the hormone melatonin and decrease in the neurotransmitter serotonin – though precisely how that inverse relationship works is not understood. When lower light levels are registered by the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the master biological ‘clock’, via its connections to the optic nerve, the pineal gland is stimulated to produce melatonin. Melatonin then floods the pons in the brain stem; when it reaches the level of ‘sleepgate’, the descending reticular activating system effectively sends you to sleep.
Melatonin is synthesised from serotonin; so the more melatonin made, the less serotonin is available. Low levels of serotonin have been associated with Depression in many studies – eg: Elizabeth McNeal & Peter Cimbolic, 1986; Pedro Delgado, 2000. Raymond Lam et al (1996) relate SAD specifically to serotonergic mechanisms and find serotonin specific reuptake inhibitor anti-depressants are effective in reducing depressive symptoms for SAD sufferers.
Melatonin secretion occurs later in the night and for longer periods in SAD individuals and keeps on being secreted into the early morning, compared to healthy individuals. This can contribute to difficulties in getting to sleep and feeling sluggish in the morning. SAD sufferers also have a longer duration of nocturnal melatonin secretion in Winter than in summer months.
There appears to be little – and possibly no – published research into sudden onset SAD as I experienced it. There was no obvious trigger – other than the mildest of disagreements with my wife, Caroline. (The kind of thing we would normally shrug off within minutes.)
Although there is some evidence for a genetic potential for SAD – eg: Pamela Madden et al’s 1996 survey of more than 4,600 Australian adult twins – I’m not aware of any incidence of it amongst my close relatives. So…why me…and why now?
As I tried to fight my way through the misery, I remembered that I had felt ‘down’ during last year’s Winter, bemoaning the seemingly endless weeks of thick dark cloud without the slightest hint of sunlight. Not miserable like I was now but definitely ‘down’. But, in the years before, I had never suffered anything approaching clinical level Depression. So what had changed?
It gradually dawned on me that I could have an increased vulnerability to SAD-type symptoms due to altered brain chemistry as a result of undergoing counselling in March 2015 – see The Counsellor gets counselled. Since those sessions with the excellent Michelle Bradley, I had become more relaxed and less driven as I no longer felt I had to prove myself so much. As NLP founders Richard Bandler & John Grinder (1975) put it, “mind and body are one system”, so there are biological correlates to all thoughts and actions. Slightly lowered serotonin levels and also lowered levels of the stress/arousal hormone cortisol – perhaps a form of epigenetic modification?- could be typical of a more relaxed approach to life. It may be that I have a gene that makes me vulnerable but it has been passed down through the generations in a recessive form until my recent experiences led to it being triggered.
Also 2015 was the first year of working purely out of my home office rather than going out to work, resulting in a more sedentary lifestyle. So reduced physical activity may also have been a factor.
Fighting back against SAD
Unsurprisingly Caroline was concerned about my low mood and bought me a light box. Over the past 30 years since Rosenthal had identified SAD as a distinct psychiatric condition and light as a potential therapy for it, a number of other researchers and commentators – eg: David Barlow & Mark Durand (1995) have identified exposure to really bright light (phototherapy) as an effective treatment for many SAD sufferers. (Light boxes for SAD sufferers are now quite a business and there are at least 3 major brands on the market.) I found half an hour next to the light box for 3-4 days lifted my mood quite a bit.
What a difference the light box makes!
Along with that, I made a determined effort to be more physically active. Stephanie Van Goozen et al (2007) is just one research team who have identified that low levels of cortisol are psychologically aversive and that some people deliberately engage in activity to boost cortisol levels. Theoretically being more active should also lead to increased serotonin.
These 2 strategies have enabled me to overcome my slight experience of the ‘Winter blues’ – and I now know how to keep them at bay. When the clouds are thick, dark and oppressive outside, a half-hour with the light box helps keep me balanced. Going to the gym or out for a walk, even when I don’t feel like it, also helps.
Not that I’ve had anything like a severe experience of SAD – but now I’ve got the tools to stop my mild experience recurring. Hopefully.
Tags: Bandler Barlow brain stem Caroline Rice Cimbolic Cook cortisol David Barlow Delgado Depression Durand Elizabeth McNeal Fredrick Cook Grinder Hippocrates hormone John Grinder Lam Madden Mark Durand McNeal melatonin Michael Terman neurotransmitter NLP Nolen-Hoeksma Norman Rosenthal Pamela Madden Pedro Delgado Peter Cimbolic Philippe Pinel pineal gland Pinel Psychiatry puns Raymond Lam reticular activating system Rice Richard Bandler Rosenthal SAD Seasonal Affective Disorder Seasonal Affective Disorder Association serotonin serotonin specific reuptake inhibitor Stephanie Van Goozen suprachiasmatic nucleus Susan Nolen-Hoeksma Terman Van Goozen Winter blues
Putin, Trump and the Endgame for Syria 8 June: Time for a Change!
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Movement is the typeface based on the body of a South African dancer
Josh Baines
Award-winning Swedish/Spanish font foundry NM type’s latest project sees the international duo looking to a rather unlikely source of inspiration: contemporary dance.
Movement is a new, free-to-use variable font which uses the body of South African dancer, Andile Vellem, as the basis for the strokes which make up this inventive and innovative typeface, which debuted last week at the Design Indaba conference in Cape Town.
It was the work that the duo – Noel Pretorius and Maria Ramos – had done for herbal liqueur powerhouses Jagermeister that first attracted the attention of the conference’s founder, Ravi Naidoo. They were invited to speak at the 2019 installment of the long-running event, and then Ravi popped the big question: what’s your dream project?
“We replied that we wanted to create a typeface inspired by the art of dance,” NM recalls. “We made a concept proposal, the team liked it and then started sketching. It was important to create a connection between our work and South Africa. The team at Design Indaba then introduced us to the dancer, Andile Vellem. The project became something bigger with him. Our collaboration with him was an important part of the story behind Movement.”
Inspired by the pioneering work of choreographer/dance-theorist Rudolf Laban – yep, the bloke that the really swanky building by Deptford Creek is named after – Noel and Maria decided to parlay Laban’s understandings of movement as the “inner intention” of the dancer into a typeface. Tracking Andile’s movements from various angles allowed them to trace the paths his body roved through as he recited the alphabet through dance, and those became key points of reference when it came to the creation of Movement.
NM type tells us that, “three main characteristics were considered when studying Andile’s movements; weight, space and time.” The typeface went on to represent direct movement with bound straight strokes, and indirect movement with flexible curved shapes.
The variable font has four design extremes: direct black, direct thin, indirect black and indirect thin. The Certificate of Typographic Excellence by the New York Type Directors Club holders note that the variants in-between represent the changes of movement in time.
“Probably not, the main purpose of most typefaces is to be functional,” is the pair’s response when we ask if they think that Movement could find itself at the vanguard of a dance-based typeface movement. “Type design follows conventions in the structure of the characters so they are easy to read in text. Movement is a display typeface with a free interpretation of shapes. We are always looking for new challenges and want every new project to be different. We expect other type designers to do the same. There is room for exploration in type design. Trends are boring!”
NM type: Movement
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Josh Baines joined It's Nice That from July 2018 to July 2019 as News Editor, covering new high-profile projects, awards announcements, and everything else in between.
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Japan Bullet Latest News From Japan About Auto, Technology, Culture, Travel, Cuisine . All you need to know about Japan !
Updated 10:47 PM EET, Jan 18, 2020
Decade since Japan A: Sunday marks ten years since Japan Airli
Japan to hold meetin: Japan's defense minister has decided to
Japanese Communist P: The Japanese Communist Party, or JCP, ha
Orange juice from fa: A long-running joke that orange juice fl
Toyota Tacoma assemb: Toyota announced Friday it will move pro
Suspect in KyoAni ar: Sources say the suspect in last year's a
SCANDAL add Europe t: SCANDAL have added more shows to their w
College entrance exa: Unified college and university entrance
Japan govt. poll: 81: A Japanese government survey shows about
Toyota Shifts Tacoma: Toyota has been tight-lipped about the n
Square Enix Unveils Their Marvel's Avengers Game
Square Enix has a history of making games with other companies, such as with Disney where several Disney characters have made an appearance in Kingdom Heart. A couple of years ago, the company announced that they would be teaming up with Marvel for a video game, a game that they would be unveiling during E3 2019.
For those who have been eagerly anticipating the game, you’ll be pleased to learn that Square Enix has since taken the wraps off their latest game in the form of Marvel’s Avengers. Hot on the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Avengers: Endgame movie, we couldn’t think of a more appropriate time for the company to launch the game.
According to the description, “Marvel’s Avengers begins at A-Day, where Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Thor are unveiling a hi-tech Avengers Headquarters in San Francisco — including the reveal of their own helicarrier powered by an experimental energy source. The celebration turns deadly when a catastrophic accident results in massive devastation. Blamed for the tragedy, the Avengers disband. Five years later, with all Super Heroes outlawed and the world in peril, the only hope is to reassemble Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.”
As the trailer points out, everything you see above is using in-game footage, and it looks pretty damn amazing. The game is currently set for a release on the 15th of May, 2020 and it will be playable on the PS4, Xbox One, PC, and also streamable via Google Stadia.
Filed in Gaming. Read more about E3, E3 2019, Marvel and Square Enix. Source: press.na.square-enix
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Japan to hold meeting with island defense chiefs
Japan's defense minister has decided to hold a meeting with defense chiefs from Pacific island nations in connection with China's growing maritime presence in the region.The ministry is to invite officials, including the defense ministers of Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Tonga, to the conference in...more
Japanese Communist Party adopts new platform
The Japanese Communist Party, or JCP, has amended its platform for the first time in 16 years. It has also adopted a resolution intended to strengthen its cooperation with opposition parties.The party finished a five-day convention in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Saturday.
Orange juice from faucets becomes reality
A long-running joke that orange juice flows like water in western Japan's Ehime Prefecture has come true.Two faucets serving up the fruit juice have been set up at an orange festival that started in a department store in the city of Matsuyama on Saturday.
Toyota Tacoma assembly moving from Texas to Mexico
Toyota announced Friday it will move production of its mid-size Tacoma pickup from the United States to Mexico as it adjusts production strategies around North America to better consolidate vehicles built on shared architecture. This move will make room for more production of full-size trucks and...more
Suspect in KyoAni arson attack able to converse
Sources say the suspect in last year's arson attack on a Kyoto Animation studio has recovered enough from his burns to speak clearly. Police plan to arrest him when he is well enough to enter detention.The attack in Kyoto on July 18 killed 36 people, all employees of Kyoto Animation. A further 33...more
SCANDAL add Europe to world tour
SCANDAL have added more shows to their world tour 'SCANDAL WORLD TOUR 2020: Kiss from the darkness' that's scheduled to kick off this March. At this time, they have announced dates for the Europe segment of the tour, which will be held in September. Ticket details will be posted on the band's...more
College entrance exams underway in Japan
Unified college and university entrance examinations are underway for high school students and graduates across Japan.The two days of tests began on Saturday. About 550,000 applicants are sitting for this year's exams at 689 sites.
Japan govt. poll: 81% approve death penalty
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Toyota Shifts Tacoma Production From Texas To Mexico, Hints At All-New Sequoia In 2022
Toyota has been tight-lipped about the next-generation Sequoia, but that silence has been broken today as the company announced plans to "align North American production based on platforms and common architectures."
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Undergraduate Admission 2013 - 2014, University of Delhi
11:49:00 AM University of Delhi No comments
University of Delhi
Undergraduate Admission 2013 - 2014
The University of Delhi will commence the admission process to the various new Four Year Undergraduate Courses for the academic year beginning July 2013 from June 5, 2013 as follows:
REGISTRATION will begin from June 5, 2013
ADMISSION FORM - there will be a Common Pre-admission form (OMR) that will be available online as well as offline. All students seeking admission shall have to fill this Common Pre-admission form (OMR). The offline Common Pre-admission form (OMR) shall be available at the following Centers from 9am to 1 pm for purchase and submission
North Delhi/Central Delhi
Miranda House (North Campus)
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Zakir Husain College (Jawaharlal Nehru Marg)
Jt. Dean Students Welfare Office (South Campus)
Deshbandhu College (Kalkaji)
A.R.S.D. College (Dhaula Kuan)
Gargi College (Siri Fort Road)
P.G.D.A.V. College (Nehru Nagar, Ring Road)
College of Vocational Studies (Sheikh Sarai)
B.R.Ambedkar College (Yamuna Vihar)
Shyam Lal College ( Shahadara)
Vivekananda College ( Vivek Vihar)
Maharaja Agrasen College ( Mayur Vihar Phase-I)
Rajdhani College (Raja Garden)
Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College (Punjabi Bagh)
Bhagini Nivedita College (Kair, Najafgarh)
The above schedules may be subject to change.
For more details, visit: www.du.ac.in
Ph.D. Programme in the Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture - University of Calcutta
11:45:00 AM Ph.D, University of Calcutta No comments
Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture
Alipore Campus
1 Reformatory Street, Kolkata- 700027
Advertisement for admission to the Ph.D. Programme 2013
Applications are invited for the admission to the Ph.D. Programme in the Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture from Candidates willing to pursue research work leading subsequently to Ph.D. degree in Ancient Indian History and Culture, University of Calcutta. The relevant information is provided below:
1) No. of seats: 14 (Reservation policy will be followed as per rules)
2) Date of Admission Test : 11th June 2013
3) Last date of receiving application forms : 20th May 2013
4) A Research Proposal (within 1000 words) has to be submitted on or before the
date of Admission Test to the Office of the Department.
5) Time of Admission Test: 2p.m. - 4 p.m.
6) Venue: Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture
7) Publication of results : 15th July 2013
8) Date of Interview: Will be notified in the Departmental Notice Board.
9) Syllabus for Admission Test:
a) Ancient Indian Historiography
b) Approaches to the Study of Early Indian History
c) Issues and Debates in Early Indian History
d) Comprehension of any given textual material.
10) Tentative date of commencement of the Ph.D. Course Work : Nov- Dec 2013 For a format of Application Form for admission to the Ph.D. Programme and other details see University website
Undergraduate Admission 2013 - 2014, University of...
Ph.D. Programme in the Department of Ancient India...
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I Am A Singer Indie Daydream, Part 4: Anna’s Picks
posted in I Am A Singer on January 20, 2012 by Anna
In Part 4 of our “I Am a Singer” Indie Daydream, Indieful ROK and Korean Indie founder, Anna, provides her top five picks for “I Am a Singer”.
Sitting down trying to pick good names for this exercise I realized that most of my favorite artists do not possess the kind of vocal skills that would warrant a chance to compete on “I Am A Singer”, something which is part of the charm that made them my favorites to begin with. As such, much like The Korean’s suggestions, my picks are not intended to reflect the best Korean indie music have to offer, but rather my own expectations as to which artists would be more interesting to see on the show also considering that they should be able to stay on for more than one round.
Pick #1: Cherry Filter (체리 필터)
I learned about Cherry Filter at the very same time I first learned of Jaurim, both being successful enough to at least have been heard of in the mainstream already a decade back. Because of this I’ve always considered the two bands to be at the same level. Perhaps they would not be able to provide the same diversity as Jaurim, but the band can put on a good show and Youjeen has the powerful vocals to boost. The band also has a cover album behind them that seemed to go over fairly well among fans.
Pick #2: Nahm Sang Ah (남상아)
She may primarily be active in 3rd Line Butterfly now, but it was thanks to Huckleberry Finn that I first came to know and respect the deep vocals of Nahm Sang Ah. She’s recorded a few solo songs for various soundtracks and I’d like to hear what more she’s capable of when not constrained by a band.
Pick #3: itta (있다)
Never have I been more amazed by a voice than when itta made a small room in the cellar of Duriban seem like it had the acoustics of a cathedral. Not only does her vocal skills impress, but she’s also got a very diverse reportoir. From beautiful piano compositions to avant-garde experimentation to some of the best hiphop albums Korea has ever seen. A few years back she talked about doing something in the pop realm and I’m confident she’d be able to wow a mainstream audience as well, should she feel like it.
Pick #4: Yeongene (연진)
I don’t think I’ve ever heard Yeongene use the full capacity of her voice, but it’s so sweet and lovely that with her musical abilities she should be able to charm any audience. Before she became known for the cheerful twee pop and light jazz tunes of Linus’ Blanket she crafted plenty of melancholic, somewhat rock oriented songs of great quality. I’d be very curious to see her bring out some of those qualities again and try another few styles while at it.
Pick #5: Kim Ban Jang (김반장)
Both in music and vocal style he could be described as a more extreme version of Bobby Kim. He’s got the reggae, he’s got the soul, and to top it off he’s got some dub. He also knows how to put good energy into a live performance, at least one that doesn’t go on for hours.
Like both Widhi and The Korean I’d be happy to see Nell on the show, if nothing else to force Nell to finally try something new. And like The Korean I would love to see Lee Sangeun on there for pretty much the same reasons. I would absolutely love to see eAeon on “I Am a Singer” considering how much I’ve liked his/Mot’s covers in the past but fear it wouldn’t be varied enough to keep the audience entertained for long. Outside of the indie realm Shin Haechul would be my top choice–he may come off as a bit too full of himself sometimes, but he’s both written and sung so many fantastic songs throughout the years in multiple genres that he can be excused.
Agree with a pick? Feel like we’re missing somebody? Leave a comment on our Reader’s Choice page with your top three indie choices for “I Am a Singer”!
Series Index:
Part 1: Intro, Rules, and Reader’s Choice Suggestions
Part 2: Widhi’s Picks
Part 3: The Korean’s Picks
Part 4: Anna’s Picks
Part 5: refresh_daemon’s Picks
Part 6: Reader’s Choice Vote
Part 7: Reader’s Choice Results and Conclusion
← Gaon Digital Sales Chart week 2, 2012
Hyang Music’s Album Sales Chart, First Week of January 2012 →
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HomeNewsPower Stamp Alliance cuts need for host CPU to monitor PSUs, and adds a reference design
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Power Stamp Alliance cuts need for host CPU to monitor PSUs, and adds a reference design
The Alliance (Artesyn Embedded Technologies, Bel Power Solutions, Flex, and STMicroelectronics) has created a joint specification for several types of 48Vdc-dc converter modules – dubbed ‘power stamps’ (specifications here) and primarily aimed at IT equipment and large data processing installations with 48V rack-level power distribution, locally powering FPGAs and asics, for example.
The new module, the ‘controller stamp‘ will be used with ‘satellite power stamps’, defined earlier. It is intended to provide all of the user-interface, control and supply voltage demands of up to six Satellites, “that enabling the power-conversion to be accomplished without any demands imposed on the host application,” said the organisation. “It is ideal for servers, storage and computing systems where space near the processor is limited. The host system would only need to provide the 48V source rail for the controller and satellite stamps, removing the need for any primary and secondary bias voltages.”
At the same time, the Alliance announced a reference design board for processors based on Intel’s next-generation 10 nm CPU microarchitecture – code-named Ice Lake.
Other reference boards are available for Intel’s VR13 (Skylake) processor, and for asics and FPGAs.
There is also a graphical user interface (GUI) that developers can use with products from any member company, and a new reference design board for high-current ASIC and/or FPGA chipsets.
Members of the Power Stamp Alliance agree to a standard product footprint, and functions provided within, while competing independently through differentiation in topology, circuitry, and performance.
Infinite-Electronic.hk is one of the world's largest and fastest growing electronic components distributor. Our mission is to help our customers quickly find the electronic components they need at competitive prices. We are proud to offer you the most comprehensive range of products including the latest releases from the world’s best manufacturers of ICs, Sensors, Transducers, Switches, Relays, Optoelectronics and Discrete Semiconductors.
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Canada in the Second World War
Canada in the Second World War>Arms & Weapons>Medical Services
Battle Exhaustion
It was recognized early in the war that psychiatric casualties would require treatment as well as soldiers who had been physically wounded. No. 1 Neurological Hospital was established in September 1940 near Basingstoke in Hampshire with 200 beds. Often simply...
Medical Research and New Methods of Treatment
The massive trauma inflicted on the human body by modern artillery and other weapons of war made treatment of shock and the prevention of fatal blood loss obvious priorities for medical researchers. The absence of safe methods of storage and...
Naval Medicine
Medical practitioners in the Royal Canadian Navy were scattered f ar and wide during the war, unlike their counterparts in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps who usually worked together in field hospitals or other units in the evacuation chain....
The Army Medical Organization
In addition to civilian practice and research, doctors and other medical practitioners were needed in the Army. By the end of the European war, 34,786 personnel had served in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC), including 3656 nursing sisters,...
Treating Air Force Burn Victims
The nature of air force casualties was quite different from those in the army or navy. Many pilots and bomber crew casualties suffered debilitating injuries and disfigurement when their planes were shot down or otherwise crashed. The fate of a...
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It’s simple – Hail, Caesar! looks hilarious
It looks like laughter by the bucketload with the new Coen brothers movie HAIL, CAESAR!
Joel and Ethan Coen’s new movie HAIL, CAESAR! looks like another unmissable event. Following the pretty darn funny first trailer a while back and the news that it will be now opening the Berlin film festival in February, a new trailer has arrived that’s quite simply hilarious.
HAIL, CAESAR! sees the Coen’s collaborating again with their old pal George Clooney in what looks like another memorable idiot role, having given his finest previously in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Intolerable Cruelty and Burn After Reading. This time he plays Baird Whitlock, a 1950’s movie star who goes missing from the set of his latest picture, leaving all manner of trouble for the studio’s ‘fixer’ Eddie Mannix, played by Josh Brolin.
A veritable host of stars accompany them, possibly matching Wes Anderson’s glorious cast in The Grand Budapest Hotel in terms of ‘A’ list talent- there’s Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand and Channing Tatum to name a few but in the new trailer that’s just hit the web, it’s Ralph Fiennes as a harassed movie director and up-and-coming young actor Alden Ehrenreich as his somewhat vocally challenged star who completely steals the show.
“Would that it were so simple”.
16th January 2016 /by JSHmoviestuff
Tags: Alden Ehrenreich, George Clooney, Hail Caesar!, Joel and Ethan Coen, Jonah Hill, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, The Coen Brothers
https://www.jshmoviestuff.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Hail-Caesar_Alden-Ehrenreich-and-Ralph-Fiennes.jpg 720 1280 JSHmoviestuff https://jshmoviestuff.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/JSH-master-logo-72dpi1-580x68.jpg JSHmoviestuff2016-01-16 09:55:092018-04-12 11:44:27It's simple - Hail, Caesar! looks hilarious
Enter the mighty world of Avengers: Age of Ultron
The Invisible Woman - haunting and magical
Decisions and discovery for The Descendants
It's all about more for The Wolf of Wall Street
'So fare thee well my own true love' heralds Inside Llewyn Davis
Michael Clayton is your man
Politics is a very dangerous game in The Ides of March
The superheroes reassemble for Avengers: Age of Ultron
Follow JSHmoviestuff on Twitter
Movie images on Instagram
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Apollo 11 is a humbling, moving testament to man’s spirit of discovery13th November 2019 - 12:25
Movies with emotion to the power of three at the 63rd LFF2nd November 2019 - 15:00
Joker – a tragic/comic origin story like you’ve never seen before10th October 2019 - 17:30
Prepare to be enchanted and empowered by Little Women18th August 2019 - 11:00
movies acting Adam Driver Jeremy Renner drama biography comedy Jake Gyllenhaal crime romance thriller sci-fi real-life events action marvel comics fantasy true story adventure writer/director Ryan Gosling
You just can’t miss Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Marion Cotillard – actress extraordinaire
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Dream Series
The New Neighbor
Win For Love
Beau Tyed
About Isabelle Peterson
✨Newzletter
Greg and Tanner Down Under
THE DREAM SERIES CONTINUED...
Chapters 1-5
“Tilt your head there, Skylar. Oooh, yeah. Just like that! Don’t move.” I try to not let my personal knowledge of her neck, her ass, or her incredibly perfect tits get in the way of the task at hand.
I’m shooting a new batch of stock photos of couples today. This is the fourth and last couple on my day’s schedule. Shooting erotic stock photography wasn’t exactly what I thought I would be doing at this stage of my career, but often it pays the bills. Not enough to build a savings, but enough to survive on until I get my big break. These days that’s even more of a challenge with amateur shutterbugs jumping into the field, like all it takes is a half-trained eye and an iPhone X. At least I still have the occasional wedding, christening, and hired studio shoots to make ends meet.
“Now, Scott, slide your hand up Skylar's hip.” Scott follows my instruction and Skylar responds by sliding her long fingers through his inky black hair. The chemistry between the two finally starts to spark and I’m popping off shots as fast as I can get my finger to move.
Ninety minutes and two memory cards later, we wrap and I pay the couple hoping I’ll be able to recoup their modeling fees before long. Before Scott leaves he boldly says, “Nice meeting you. Call me anytime, for modeling… or anything else.” He winks just in case I hadn’t caught his full meaning. Dude. Messaged received. I’d dabbled there, but—Nah.
“Good to know. I'm straight though,” I reply, carding my fingers through my platinum blonde spikes, truly flattered that he'd make a pass at me. It’s a regular occurrence really—guys making subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) remarks to see if I’m game—which I not. I’m never offended, though. In this business, it seems that more than half the men are gay. I’d never get anywhere if I were insulted at such a compliment. And, if I’m honest, the come-ons give my ego a boost. There was a time back in college when I’d ‘experimented’ and while the experiences weren’t unpleasant, life is far simpler as a straight man and there are way more opportunities. If the right opportunity ever comes along, I’d be more than open to it, but there’s only one person I know that could make it the right opportunity and he is completely unavailable.
“Cryin' shame,” he answers, looking me over once again before leaving and shaking his head.
“Does that happen a lot?” Skylar asks as she slings her black leather bag over her shoulder, devouring me with her icy blue eyes. “I can't believe anyone would take you for gay.” She runs a slim finger from my right shoulder down over my chest causing my nipples and other organs stiffen. “I distinctly recall how not gay you are.”
And just like that, I have her pinned against the wall and a hand up her top, cupping her unrestrained tit. God, I love how she never wears a fucking bra! I try to not mix business with pleasure, nor do I usually enjoy the same delight more than once, but with a siren like Skylar, I’m helpless.
“There’s the tiger that's been behind the lens,” she purrs peeling me out of my clothes since I’ve already divested her of her tank top.
Fifteen minutes later we’re both sweaty and out of breath.
“You still got it, York,” she compliments, sliding back into her skin-tight jeans.
“Shower?” I offer.
“I actually make better tips when I stink of sex. But thanks.” She pulls her silky blonde hair on top of her head again and secures the shiny locks into an elastic while showing off her pert D-cup chest. A pity they’re fake.
Across the room, my phone chimes. It’s the tone used for industry people. Someone who’s in my contacts list, not a random caller. Nor a friend or family member, but important nonetheless. Maybe more important than family. While Skylar’s in the bathroom doing… whatever… I head over to grab my phone.
The name HYUN is displayed on the screen. I can’t recall exactly who Hyun is, but I vaguely know it’s another photographer.
“Hey,” I say, answering just before the call is sent to voicemail. Voicemail is the kiss of death in this business. An opportunity gone. If a connection can’t get you right away, they move on to the next and you’re none the wiser.
“Hey, bro!” a man’s voice on the other end says. “I was just about to hang up! How you doin’, playah?”
Ah. Hyun. We’d met about six months ago at a convention in Miami. Dude was more of a ‘player’ than I am and that’s saying something. We partied hard all weekend long. A lot of booze, and a lot of chicks.
“Right on. I'm good. What can I do ya for?”
“So about four months ago I got a staff position at Drape—”
“Awesome, man. Congrats!” Drape Magazine is an up-and-coming high fashion and luxury lifestyle magazine with both a print version as well as a massive online presence. It’s still fairly new in the market place, only three or four years, but has become a staple in the fashion industry.
“Thanks. It’s great, man, lemme tell ya. Regular income, fantastic benefits. But listen. Fashion week is next month. There are a lot of precursor shows this week and next and I'm booked solid. Our other photographer, well, I dunno. Some shit went down with a model—I'm guessing he fucked her and now she's gone batshit crazy. Anyway, as of this morning, Cooper’s gone. We need a lens on a runway tomorrow and I thought of you. You busy?”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Drape magazine? A runway? Hashtag opportunity! Busy? Hell. I could be shooting underwear models on a beach and would cancel to shoot a runway.
Hyun goes on. “It's not a permanent gig. Just freelance for now. You still open to that, yeah? We can pay ya a grand five.”
$1,500? Jackpot! My models’ fees and then some have just been covered! Sometimes I feel like the luckiest fucker on earth.
“Yeah. Totally! Tomorrow. Wow! Thanks for thinking of me!” I blurt before he thinks I'm busy or completely offended by the offer, which I'm absolutely not.
“Awesome. I'll have your credentials done up. Sideline, press box, after party. And, dude?”
“‘If you rock this, Steve might hire ya. Like I said, Coop just got the boot, and it’s a position that needs filling.”
“Sweet. Thanks, man.” I can’t believe the opportunity that has just literally been handed to me.
I confirm the details he needs from me, and I get the address along with the call time for the event tomorrow. He tells me my packet will be waiting at the front of the venue.
“Woooooohooooooo!!!!” I shout to the twelve-foot ceilings of the loft after ending the call, my voice echoing off the brick walls and exposed ducts in the ceiling.
“Good news?” Skylar asks from the bathroom door.
“Oh, baby!” I shout, racing to her then grab her and spin us in circles. I need to share the moment with someone. Anyone. I’m completely delirious. This is the kind of break I've been looking for.
“Yeah, yeah, nutball. Put me down. I gotta go or I'm gonna be late for work.”
“Sure. Yeah. Whatever,” I say setting her back on her feet.
“Thanks for the gig, Ty,” she says, kissing my cheek. “ And good luck with whatever’s got you so riled up.”
I half-wave not really paying attention to her as I'm already sorting through my lenses and selecting the cameras I'm going to bring to my debut on the high fashion circuit. By the time I look up, Skylar’s gone. No worries. Better that way.
A fucking runway show!!
I call out for Holly, my fiancée as I enter our condo on West 57th. The silence tells me that she isn’t home yet. I breathe a sigh of relief that I can enjoy the high I’m still riding from my audition. A callback for a recurring role on a prime-time network show. Five episodes as a lawyer on a cop procedural. Holly tends to harsh my mellow from great auditions.
Holly Pierce and I have been together for three years. We met while I was filming a soda commercial right down the street from her office. We started dating and after two years, I finally popped the question. She’s super smart and successful, a political analyst working for her father, a congressman for New York State. However as much as she tries to be supportive of my acting career, I never get the feeling that she loves me as an actor. I guess because I’ve had yet to be cast in any substantial roles; all commercials or background or walk-on roles.
Because of today’s audition, I’d taken the day off where I waited tables at Ed Scott’s, the best steakhouse in the city. Glancing at the clock, I realize Holly will be home soon, so I start to get dinner ready. I connect my phone’s Bluetooth to the condo’s built-in sound system, set my music library to shuffle, pull out the chicken and veggies and get busy as I imagined how my life will change if I get this role.
No. Not ‘if.’ When.
Truth be told, growing up I never thought I'd become an actor. It had never ever been on my radar. I’d gone away to college on a football scholarship and had my sights set on the NFL. However, a blown-out knee during the homecoming game in my sophomore year put my ass in a wheelchair. When James, the kid that helped me understand calculus and write passable papers in college, suggested that I audition for a play that his friend wrote, I almost didn't. But he pushed the script into my hands and out of respect for the guy that had helped me maintain my grades and keep my scholarship, I read it.
Now, I hadn't been much of a reader back then, but reading a script wasn't like anything I'd ever read before. It was fast-paced and visual. Everything was straight forward. No metaphors to decipher or introspective journeys. I decided to audition for the lead role, a character that was wheelchair-bound for life. I was blown away that I got cast, and after the thunderous applause at that first performance, I was hooked. In some ways, being part of the cast was like football because as a group we were working toward a common goal. The difference I didn't think I'd appreciate was that there wasn't a force working against you and you knew what the outcome would be. A (hopefully) great show.
“Hey,” Holly sings as she enters the apartment. I hear her drop her bag and kick off her shoes, surely leaving them a mess by the door. I'm not proud of it, but I'm kind of a neat-nick. Holly was aptly named by her mother after Holly Golightly of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. “Smells good,” she sighs, inhaling the roasting chicken as she sets foot in the kitchen area. “And look at you! Handsome.” Unlike my normal kicking-around-the-apartment attire of jeans and a t-shirt, I’m still in what I wore to my audition: a pair of dress pants, a button-down shirt, and tie. “So professional,” she coos.
I pour her a glass of white wine, the same as I’m drinking and cooking with, and hand it to her as she kisses me hello using my tie as a leash to pull me to her. She takes the wine and downs a rather large gulp. “Mmm,” she hums. “Just what the doctor ordered. What a shit day,” she huffs, taking a seat at the kitchen’s breakfast bar that separates the kitchen from the rest of the spacious condo.
“That exciting, huh?” I tease, dropping the julienned onions into the sauté pan. Politics bores me to no end, but Holly eats it up. I brace myself to listen to her drone on about her job and check on the chicken.
“It's days like these I wonder why I got a degree in Political Science. Today's political environment thumbs its nose at history altogether. For years, the office only got a couple dozen calls all day. These days the lines don't stop ringing. The emails flood in by the hundreds every hour. Everyone ranting and making demands and infuriated by rumors and The President’s damn tweets. Someone please take away his phone! Then after work there was this networking thing…” She gulps down the rest of her wine without finishing her thought and reaches for the bottle for a refill. Great. It's going to be one of those nights.
“Enough about my craptastic day. How was your day?” she asks turning the tables much to my surprise. However, when I notice that she was also looking at her phone while she asked, I know she doesn’t particularly care, but I’m not going to let her get me down. Besides, it’s better than talking politics.
“Had the audition for that cop drama, NY Beat, today,” I answer while flipping the onions in the pan.
“Oh, right. You even look the part. How'd it go? Do you think you got it?”
Before I can answer her, my phone rings. I turn the heat down on the stove and wipe my hands off on the towel hanging over my shoulder before I pull the device from my pocket. The ring tone tells me it’s Todd, my agent. I can’t decide if I’m looking forward to his call or not.
“Todd!” I say as upbeat as I can muster, doing my best to not let my nerves show.
“How are you, Beau?” he asks. Uh-oh. He’s making conversation. Not a good sign. Todd’s been my agent for the past four years. He’s a good guy and keeps me fairly busy with auditions, unlike my first agent who did virtually nothing for me. I was always chasing her down. Todd and I talk almost every day. That said, I had yet to land anything substantial with the auditions he’s sent me on.
“Have you heard from the director already?” I ask, referring to today’s audition, now half-hoping he’s just calling to tell me about something else coming up.
Todd sighs loudly. Shit. “I did. They’re going with Landry, but,” he injects emphatically before I can express my disappointment. I almost don’t let him speak because, really, the last thing I want is another pep talk. Thankfully, Todd pushes on. “You did get the commercial for the anti-smoking patch.”
“I did?” I feel only slightly better.
Todd rattles off the details for the job and we hang up. After I put all the information into my phone for the shoot, I return to the stove to finish making dinner.
“Who was that?” she asks not even bothering to look up from her device, thumbing a message or an email or something.
“Todd. I got the patch commercial,” I say optimistically, strategically choosing to not mention that I didn't get the lawyer role on the cop show. Focus on the positive, my best friend Ty always says.
“Another commercial? Really? Well, you'd better hope you get this TV show,” she nearly threatens. “I can't keep footing the bill on this place.” She waves her hand in a circular motion to show off our incredibly nice condo. Embarrassingly, she does pay a majority of our expenses since my casting earnings and waiting tables doesn’t bring home enough to even cover the HOA fees on the condo. “What will people say? Besides, Daddy’s allowance ends after the wedding,” she reminds me for the millionth time. I brace myself for what usually comes next: a lecture on how I’m thirty-two and need to get a ‘real job’ and put my acting dreams to pasture. However, she doesn’t go there. Instead, she snaps up another thorn of contention. “Speaking of the wedding. Annette had to reschedule again.”
“Who’s Annette again?”
She looks at me wide-eyed and slack-jawed wrought with incredulity. “Annette Holt. The award-winning pastry chef. She’s crafting our wedding cake.”
“Right. Her. Sorry,” I mutter sheepishly. “Well, she had to reschedule again, but the third time’s the charm, right?” I add, hoping I don’t sound too patronizing.
Holly rolls her eyes at me and shakes her head.
“So it’s the fifteenth. Be sure to ask for that day off, okay?”
“Day off. You got it,” I answer feigning enthusiasm. Truthfully, I’d rather be waiting tables than sampling cake. Hell, I’d bus the tables.
Why does she want me to do any of this wedding crap with her anyway? I really couldn't have cared less what flavor cake we have or what the cake even looks like. I have no doubt that whatever I like, she’ll overrule anyway. Truthfully, I’m not exactly excited for a big wedding. And on New Year’s Eve, nonetheless. Most of the guest list is made up of her friends and her father’s political posse any way. My additions to the list are a total of fifteen people. My dad, sister and brother, my grandparents—my late mother’s mother, and my father’s parents—James, my closest friend from college, Todd, my agent, a few friends from Ed Scott’s, and Ty my life long best friend as well as my best man. The rest of the groomsmen are Holly’s two brothers, and a close friend of hers from college.
But, sure. Involve me with choosing a fucking cake.
I enter the show venue proudly wearing my press badge. I have my batteries all charged, my lenses all cleaned, and plenty of memory cards to capture the couture du jour.
I scan the crowd looking for familiar faces, of which, there are quite a few. I’m also looking for Steve Andrews, the editor in chief of Drape Magazine. I'd done some research on the man so I would have a sense of what he’s like, and perhaps what he would be looking for in a staff photographer.
Across the room, I spot the man who wears his expensive suit like a uniform. I would have been hopelessly uncomfortable in the slim fitted clothing and hope he won’t judge what I’m wearing, although what I’m wearing is pretty much the photographer’s uniform—black cargo pants to hold camera accessories, a black shirt, and black boots. I’m also wearing a black knit cap to cover my bleach blond hair. Blending into the background is the name of the game for photogs at runway shows. It's all about the designers and the models.
I make my way over to my temporary employer. He looks just like the photos I’d seen of him online: head shaved to ‘hide’ his receding hairline, bright blue eyes, and a winning smile. He looks fit under his pristine navy suit. That he’s a leader in an industry that’s all about image is something he clearly takes to heart.
The only surprising thing is Steve Andrews’ height. I’d read online that he’s 5’10”. Now, I have been in this industry for a while. Worked with (and played with) many models that were 5’10”. Andrews ain’t no 5’10”. 5’8” maybe. Either way, I mean, what are a couple of inches? And in the end, Mr. Andrews’ height doesn’t seem to bother him one bit. His confidence gives him the air that he’s the tallest man in the room. Why does he feel the need to lie about his height?
“Mr. Andrews,” I address respectfully when the woman he was talking to departs. He turns to me with a curious lift to his brow. “I'm Ty York. Hyun brought me on for the show today. Thank you so much for the opportunity.”
“Oh, yes. He mentioned you. Glad to have you.” He extends his hand and we shake. When he doesn’t let go right away, I think, Here we go again, but that thought is immediately pushed out of mind when an over the top diva with candy apple red hair pushes her way toward us.
“Steve Andrews! Dahhhling!” The two greet with air kisses and I excuse myself to claim my spot midway of the runway to capture all the glitz and glam, determined to impress the hell out of Steve Andrews.
Two hours later, the designers finally take the stage for their final accolades. The show was amazing and I am exhausted. I continue to shoot as the models start mingling with the press, the designers, and VIP guests.
I’m shooting a model as she speaks to her designer when I hear over my shoulder into my ear, “I admire your work ethic. Not all photographers catch the aftermath.” I turn to see Steve Andrews smiling at me then he shifts his eye to a pair of photographers who are chatting with each other instead of working and another photographer who is shamelessly flirting with a model.
“Thank you, Mr. Andrews. I always feel there’s more to the story than the show.” Okay, I’ve never shot a ‘show’ before, but hey—gotta act the part! “Next time I’m hoping for backstage access. The prep and dress changes must be amazing,” I press.
Mr. Andrews cocks an eyebrow at me, “Next time, huh?” he asks.
“Hyun may have mentioned there’s an opening at Drape,” I explain boldly, hoping I’m not about to get athletes mouth for revealing the insider tip from Hyun.
Mr. Andrews shakes his head and twists his smirk into a smile. “We’ll have to see. May I?” he asks, his hand extended toward my camera.
I carefully hand him my Canon and before I can show him how to navigate through the images, he’s scrolling swiftly. “How many cards did you shoot?”
“Four plus the one you're looking at.”
“Come see me tomorrow in my office.” He produces a card and holds it out for me. “Call my secretary and block some time. I’ll look at your portfolio.”
And Boom! My luck just keeps on!
I had called the Drape offices first thing this morning and blocked time for two o’clock this afternoon. I’d been up half the night pulling some of my best shots from the show, spent the rest of the morning putting together a binder of my other finest and most appropriate work, as well as polishing up my resumé. An opportunity with Drape would provide regular pay and sensational perks. I’m practically giddy.
When I get to the offices on Sixth Ave., I marvel at the space. Ultra-modern yet welcoming. The photographs and awards prominently displayed imbue an air of confidence and superiority. I’m led to Mr. Andrews’ offices—a private suite—and am introduced to his secretary, Logan, who I now know is a he not a she; something indeterminable on the phone. Logan is young, maybe early twenties, and dressed in a crisp teal-colored suit accentuating his lithe figure; his mannerisms are decidedly effeminate. He looks me up and down and smiles. “You sure you’re here as a photographer? You look like you could be a model,” he says flirtatiously.
“I only work behind the camera,” I tell him.
“Very well,” he huffs playfully. “Steve is waiting for you. He tells me you had some amazing shots from yesterday’s show,” Logan says as he picks up his phone and presses a button. “…Yessir, he is… Perfect.” Logan comes around from behind his desk then leads me to the large black double doors just off to the left of his desk. He knocks a couple of quick taps and then opens the door. “Good luck,” he whispers with a cheeky wink.
“Ty. Good to see you again.” Steve walks up to me dressed just as sharply as he had been last night, although less understated in a black two-piece suit accented with a pale blue shirt underneath, and no tie allowing the top two buttons of his shirt to be undone at his neck.
“Thank you for seeing me today, Mr. Andrews.”
We shake hands and he offers me something to drink. Glancing at his full bar along the far right wall, I almost take him up on a shot of something to calm my nerves, but instead, I ask for a bottle of water. He collects me a chilled bottle from a small refrigerator and pours himself some amber liquid, and leads us to a comfortable seating area in his office. He gestures for me to sit on the couch and I take it. I’d expected him to sit either on the couch on the other side of the polished concrete coffee table, or in one of the chairs at the ends of the rectangular arrangement but he sits right next to me.
“Show me what you have,” he says enthusiastically. I relax that he’d sat next to me just to view my portfolio from the same vantage point, and not for any other reason. I hope.
We spend the next fifteen minutes going over my portfolio with him telling me what he likes—and what he doesn’t like—about each photo. Fortunately, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Next, he looks over my resumé and asks me about some of the competitions I’d placed well in.
“How does sixty-eight sound?”
“Sorry?” I ask at the seemingly random question.
“A year,” he clarifies. “Salary with benefits from medical to 401k, vacations—in addition to location shoots. And you can continue to do your stock photography on the side, but not with our models.”
“Oh! Sir. Sixty-eight sounds just about right,” I manage to say without jumping up and down like an idiot. “Thank you so much!”
“Can you start Monday?”
“Monday. Yes, sir. I’ll be here,” I answer feeling like I’m about to burst.
A job! With a salary and benefits.
“One more thing,” he says, growing serious and I feel like the rug is about to be ripped out from under me. “You’re not a womanizer like Cooper was, are ya?” he asks, sitting back and sipping his drink.
“Excuse me, sir?”
“The photographer you'd be replacing,” he explains.
I recall Hyun telling me that the guy who was supposed to be shooting last night’s event was screwing some model and, God help me, I don't know why I say what comes out of my mouth next. “I, uh, I'm gay so your models are safe with me.”
Steve Andrews locks eyes with me and a smile emerges. “I see,” he drawls slowly, looking me over carefully and rubbing a finger along his bottom lip, his mouth curling into a smile like he’s seeing me in a whole new light. And not the ‘employee’ kind of light, either.
What the fuck have I done??
“Well, you’re hired,” he says, standing and walking to his desk. He presses a button on his desk phone and Logan replies immediately.
“Please bring in a new hire packet for Ty. He’ll be our newest Staff Photographer.”
“Right away, sir,” Logan responds gleefully.
“Wow. Thank you so much, Mr. Andrews. I’m really looking forward to this.” I stand and extend my hand to shake his—something to solidify this job offer.
“Please,” he says, his voice and demeanor softening. He takes my hand, we shake and I relax—but only for a moment—because he can’t pull back his job offer now that we shook on it, right? “Call me Steve.” He pauses a moment, still holding my hand, and looks at me a little strangely then asks, “What is Ty short for?”
I fight the urge to roll my eyes. I get this question way too often and it drives me a bit crazy. “Actually nothing. My parents just liked Ty. Not Tyler, Tyrus, Tiberius, Tyrone… Just Ty.” I shrug a matter of factly. Then I share, “And no middle name either. Go figure.”
“Hmm,” is Steves reply, his eyes revealing that he’s a little amused. He shakes my hand again before finally releasing it and walks me to the door. After opening the door to an onlooking Logan, he bids, “Welcome aboard. And bring those memory cards so we can get those images from last night into the next issue.” He shakes my hand (again, that’s two shakes. This job offer is solid!) and adds, “Logan will get you all set up with the paperwork.”
With that, Steve returns to his office, his door closing softly behind him.
“I had a feeling about you,” Logan says with a grin, enthusiastically handing me a folder.
I say goodbye and as I’m leaving the office I just can’t believe my luck and what happened in these past five minutes.
I was just offered a job.
With benefits.
And I'm now… gay?
Well, shit on a shingle! How in the hell am I going to manage the last one?
My phone pings with a message. I glance and see it’s from my best friend, Ty.
U around to celebrate?
Celebrating what? On my way home from work now. B there in 15? I reply.
C U then!
Roughly twenty minutes later, the doorman is buzzing me to tell me that Ty is in the lobby. After I tell the doorman to send Ty up, I crack open the front door and I head to change out of my lunch shift scented clothes.
Ty and I had been friends literally since the day we were born. Okay, well, I was born a few weeks before Ty, but our families were on the same block, and our mothers were great friends. They both went through their pregnancies at the same time and after we were born, we were naturally thrown together. Our formative years is the basis for our lifelong friendship because we couldn’t have been more different from one another. While I grew up playing all the sports, Ty was always on the smaller side and avoided sports. He was a total goofball though and always good for hanging out and getting into trouble with.
“Yo!” Ty calls out stepping into the condo.
“Hey. C’mon in!” I shout back from down the hall where the bedrooms are, ”Just changing out of my work clothes. Make yourself comfortable.”
When I join Ty a minute later, still smelling of steak from the restaurant where I was a waiter but at least in clean clothes, he has already made himself quite at home sipping a beer and sitting in Holly’s prized possession: an authentic Eames Lounge Chair.
I grab the beer from the coffee table he’d gotten for me and collapse on the sofa drinking down a few long, cold gulps.
“How are the auditions?” Ty asks, hiding a smile.
I fill him in, complete with Holly’s repeated threat.
“Shit. I dunno how you put up with her, man,” he mutters, and not for the first time I agreed. “She really has no clue about what you do and how fucking difficult it is to break through.”
“Well, how can she when she got her job as Chief of Communications just because she's the boss’s daughter,” I retort, wincing at my own harsh words. I drain my beer and get up to grab us a couple of fresh ones. “What about you? Wait, you said ‘celebrate’ in your text. What are we celebrating?” I ask returning to the living room.
“I got a bonafide full-time job at a magazine,” he boasts, finally adopting the smile he’d been holding in.
“No shit!? That’s awesome!” I lean forward to clink beer bottles with him. “Where?”
“So, do you know the magazine Drape?”
“Like as in curtains?” I ask, absolutely not knowing the magazine he is referring to.
“No,” he scoffed, laughing. “Drape. Slang for suits and dresses and shit. Fashion. But they also key into luxury lifestyle stuff like yachts and travel.”
“Oh. Right, yeah. How did this happen?”
“Well, I did a freelance gig for them last night and today, I got hired as a staff photographer.”
“Holy shit, dude! That's awesome!” I’m genuinely thrilled for this break for my very best friend. “How are you going to manage being surrounded by all those gorgeous chicks?” I tease. Ty was the biggest player I knew. A different chick every week. Almost all of them models. Never committing to a relationship, just ‘sampling all the delights’ he always said.
“Well, I kinda put myself into a position where I can’t do anything about it.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“Well,” he starts and I see the air in his balloon deflate a bit. “So, uh the guy I replaced… well, he got fired for screwing the models. And I wanted this job so bad that my brain kinda short-circuited and I told the boss that his models would be safe with me because I’m gay.”
Unfortunately, I'd taken the wrong moment to take a pull off my beer because his comment has me doing a spit-take of Corona all over the table, magazines, and area rug that cost a fortune but Holly ‘had to have it.’
“You told him what?” I manage after a moment. “You? Gay? That’s rich! And he bought it?” I can’t help it and start to laugh my ass off like a middle-school kid, but quickly notice that Ty isn’t laughing, but now looking pained.
“Fuck, man,” I blurt and instantly stop laughing. “I’m sorry, dude. Did I miss something? Are you dating a guy and trying to break the news to me?” I feel about two inches tall. I have no qualms about anyone's love interest. Gay. Lesbian. Bi. Pan. Trans. Asexual. Is Ty trying to tell me something? All our lives he’s been screwing chicks. Even got into photography so he could ‘legit photograph the most beautiful women in the world’ he’d said.
“Fuck no!” Ty exclaims, draining his beer and getting up and heading to the kitchen to grab another from the fridge. “I don't know why I said what I did, but I really wanted the job and it just… popped out. This job pays well, has benefits, like amazing benefits. I can still freelance if my schedule allows. Travel and insurance and retirement…”
I know how he feels. The idea of a dependable regular paycheck is all too alluring. Add the health insurance and so on and I’d probably cop to being gay, too.
Over the next hour, Ty and I all but finish the beer supply, talking about Ty’s new job, and me complaining about my lack of acting gigs. I was not going to be a full-time waiter and was half-thinking of giving into Holly and getting some salesman job or something.
“You’d better fuckin’ not,” Ty insists. “You’ll hate yourself, and her, forever if you give in. You were meant to be on screen, dude.”
Just then, Holly comes through the front door. She takes one look at us and shakes her head. “Typical,” is all she says under her breath with a scowl on her face as she marches back to the bedroom.
Her theatrics only cause Ty and me to dissolve into a fit of half-drunken laughter. Moments later, she re-appears, dressed in skinny jeans, a hot pink top, and a white blazer. Stuffing her feet into a pair of black heels she huffs, “I called Rebecca. We’re going to meet down in the Village for dinner. I’ll be back, and hopefully you’ll have sobered up.”
“Good to see you, too, Holly!” Ty calls out, poking the beast.
“Fuck you, Ty,” she sputters and leaves without another word.
She really can be a bitch at times.
I spend the next week getting to know the Drape offices. Who is who, and the intracompany web pages for communications, and where I find my job assignments and so on. The days are fast-paced and long, but I am over the moon with my newfound employment. In my first week, I helped choose the shots from the runway show I’d shot and assist with arranging the layout, I get to do a test shoot for a series on new footwear trends for the high-end designer Angela DeWitt Shoes, as well as an in-studio session with four in-house models for SLDickson’s new T-shirt trends. There are hair and makeup artists. I have crews to call on to manage the lights. When I shared my idea for a mock set for the shoe shoot, a team built it for me. Overnight! I’m like a kid in a candy store.
And if it were even possible, the weekend is more exciting than the studio work. I shoot two more pre-Fashion Week shows and one of the staff reporters books me to go with her to shoot some music act at a night club.
Steve pops in with curious regularity, watching me like a hawk. At first, I worry that I’m over-using the various staff too much or something, but everyone assures me that’s not the case. I almost feel like Steve is going out of his way to make me feel welcome. Although, that’s better than the alternative.
I’m just finishing a session with two banging hot models wearing the most incredible fuck-me pumps. (God I love this job!) Steve—surprise, surprise—shows up. Maybe he’s checking up on me while working with the females—making sure I’m not behaving like the guy who got fired. I’m grateful for my loose cargo pants so he can’t see the semi I have for these chicks and their shapely legs in the shortest of shorts and highest of heels. My gay cover would be blown for sure.
“Okay, ladies. I think I got what the client needs. You were great,” I tell them, being very careful to sound completely professional.
The girls slip off the shoes and I have to stop myself from watching them as they curl their toes and rub their feet after spending the last hour in four-inch-heels.
“Nice work,” Steve says, slapping my shoulder, and leaving his hand in place.
“Thanks. I’m really loving things here,” I answer and move away from Steve to go about packing up my camera and lenses back in their case.
“Good. We like having you here. You all ready for next week?”
“Fashion Week? You’d better believe it!”
“Excellent. Got you that backstage access you wanted.”
“Terrific! Thanks, man!”
“Anything you need,” he answers, stressing the anything, his voice a little lower than before. Steve’s phone chimes and he glances at the screen. “Shit. Duty calls,” he says a little sadly. He grips my shoulder again, gives a good squeeze then drags his hand down my arm before he leaves. Did he just check out my biceps? Is he gay-testing me? Checking to see if I’ll flinch at male contact? He’s not an ugly man. Not by a long shot, but he’s my boss. And I’m not gay. Then again, maybe I’m reading into things.
As soon as Steve is out of the studio and the door closes, Mike, the lighting guy starts laughing.
“Looks like someone has inspired Steve to get back in the game.”
“What the fuck are you talking about, man?” I ask with a nervous little laugh, trying to sound casual about things, not freaked out by what Mike is suggesting.
Mike stops coiling the cord he’s wrapping up. “Looks like Steve’s got it hard for you.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I scoff, doing my best to not sound offended. I mean, I’m not offended, but…
“No disrespect. I mean, you’re gay, right? At least that’s the word going around.”
“Right. I mean, yeah,” I reply as confidently as I can, shrugging my shoulders as though I don’t care. And I don’t. Not really.
“He’s been single for the past, oh maybe eight months now? Bad breakup with his boyfriend of ten years. But he was making the same eyes at you that he used to make with George. Not to mention how he was checking out your ass.”
Nothing like having your suspicions confirmed.
“But he can’t be flirting with me. I’m an employee. No fraternization policy, right?”
“Yeah, whatever. The guy is clearly enamored.”
Fashion Week is starting and I’m beyond stoked to do the shows! I’m so engrossed sifting through the shots I’d gotten from the G&L runway show last night, I don’t hear when Steve comes into the workshop.
“Looks like you got some great shots there,” he says, pulling a chair up close to my right. While we scroll through the photos, he leans over and points at something on the screen with his right hand, resting his left hand on my thigh. Is Steve flirting? I can hear Mike laughing in my head again.
When we get to the end of the card (and a couple of handfuls of ‘testing touches’ later,) Steve sits back and swivels his chair to me.
“So, you seem to be doing great here. Everyone I talk to enjoys working with you.”
“Glad to hear it. I really like it here.”
“Good, good. Hey, you’re coming to the Wrap Party on Saturday, after all the shows, right?”
I shake my head slowly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about?”
“Sorry. My bad. Every year after Fashion Week, I hold a party up at my place in the Hamptons. You didn’t get the invitation?”
“Not that I recall.”
“Well, I’ll make sure Logan sends it to your company email.” Steve sets a hand on my shoulder.
“That’d be great,” I answer hesitantly. Is this really some big soiree? Or is Steve inviting me up for a ‘private party’ at his place? I’ll have to ask around.
“And you’re down in Brooklyn, right?”
“That’s right,” I acknowledge.
“Long drive. You should just pack a bag; spend the night. I have plenty of room. Some of the people that live farther away crash. We often party late into the night and I have stuff arranged for the next day for those who stay.” He stops, regarding me a moment and then asks, his voice lower, “Are you seeing anyone?”
“Who? Me?” I ask, surprised at the question. In years past, I’d always made a joke about me having a girlfriend. I was a confirmed bachelor with no desire to settle down with one person. But after my proclamation of being gay, and then all of Steve’s overt watching me, and his frequent “friendly” touches—I know what my answer has to be. “Actually, I am.” I force what I hope is a ‘hopelessly-in-love-smile.’
“Good,” he responds, clearing his throat and standing. “You should bring him. Lots of people bring their significant others.”
And with that, Steve leaves.
I groan at myself and what I’d just gotten myself into. I have to find a date for some party thing—provided it’s a legit party, of course. Maybe I just don’t go? But that would look bad since I said I already said I would. And I really do enjoy the work I’m doing here. Now I need to find someone to act as my boyfriend.
Fuck. If I only knew an out of work actor…
When Ty called me an hour ago to ask if he could swing by, my answer was yes. I was just getting off the lunch shift, and I told him I’d meet him at my place. When I asked him what it was about, he wouldn’t answer a thing, just said we’d talk when he got here.
By the time he shows up, I’m as nervous as hell. The last time he’d sprung this, ‘I’ll tell ya when I see ya,’ shit on me, it was back in high school and I ended up protecting Ty from a couple of fucking asshole bullies and I got suspended for fighting. Back in high school, Ty wasn’t the biggest of guys and he had a mouth on him that often got him in trouble, saying shit before thinking how others might take his, more times than not, dickwad comments.
I smirk to myself when I recall that he’d told his new boss that he was gay. I wonder if that lie had gotten him into trouble, although I hope that’s not the case.
When I get to my building, I let the doorman know that Ty would be by shortly and to just let him up.
It’s not ten minutes later when Ty walks in. It looks like he has been in a wind tunnel. His typically perfectly styled hair is pointing every which way.
“You look like shit, dude!” I say, not censoring my remarks, but we’d been through enough that censorship isn’t necessary. We have always been brutally honest with each other. Most of the time anyway. I have kept a secret or two from him. Hell, I keep those secrets from everyone.
“Thanks, asshole,” he says, pushing his hand through his hair again before chewing on his thumbnail, as he plops down in his favorite lounger.
Uh-oh. When Ty chews on his thumbnail, I know he’s as nervous as one can get
“Beer?” I offer.
“Tequila?” he counters.
I toss him a beer anyway, saving the tequila until I learn what’s stressing him out.
“So, um, I actually have a job for ya, if you're interested,” he starts, then takes a long pull off his beer.
I’d seen Ty nervous before, but never like this. Like every time in the past, my emotions mirrored his.
“Like modeling or something?” I ask. I'd done several shoots for Ty when he needed something specific. It was no big deal. And now that he had a magazine footing the bills for photoshoots… I might consider more modeling.
“No. This is acting. Like you’d need to pull off the best acting of your lifetime.” Ty starts chewing on his thumbnail again. Shit. This is big. I have a load of questions in mind, but keep quiet and wait for him to continue. I’ve known Ty all my life and I know that he can’t be rushed to say what he needs to say. He studies me with his dark brown eyes and continues. “What do you have going on on the fifteenth?”
I run through my mental calendar quickly and remember it’s the weekend for cake tasting with Holly. “Nothing important,” I answer. “What’s going on?”
“So, apparently, the boss throws a FashionWeek wrap party when it’s all done. It’s at his place in Southampton. Sounds like everyone goes. And…” Ty trails off before he finishes. Why would he be nervous about some party? Ty loves parties. He lives for them.
“It’s kinda like an overnight kind of thing?”
“Okay,” I say when he doesn’t continue, urging him to go on. I’ve known Ty to crash at a number of parties. Why is this one any different? And what does this all have to do with me? And acting?
“Well, I somehow admitted to having a boyfriend and Steve said I should bring him.” He flashes me a tortured smile.
“Lemme get this straight. You’ve got your new work believing you’re gay and now you have a mythical boyfriend? What’s his name? George Glass?” I laugh at my own joke, but Ty doesn’t seem to find humor in it, instead, he looks more pained than ever.
“I was thinking maybe it would be Beau Thompson.”
Well, that sobers me up.
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Zagreb 80’s Museum
Marko Radojević
City of Zagreb
One more museum in Radićeva street, one of the oldest streets in Zagreb. After number 14 and Museum of Torture climb up a bit to the house number 34 (same side of the street) and jump into age of disco music, cassettes and Walkman, LPs, best cartoons, video games, strange hairstyles and colors all around. Welcome (back) to the 80’s. Zagreb 80’s Museum presented all the best from the 80’s in Zagreb, Yugoslavia and Europe.
There is no guide, no fence, no velvet ropes, no glass in our place!
And it’s like that. Experience in Zagreb 80’s Museum is like visiting friend’s house back in the 80’s. As Zagreb was a city in former Yugoslavia, for many people from former Yugoslavian countries this museum is the one that drills nostalgic emotions. In this museum they highly motivate you to touch all the items or even lay on them or enter them like in famous Yugoslavian car fićo or Zastava 750.
To touch history of great things we have today, such as video games, personal computers, mobile phones and other objects which began their rise in the 1980’s
Seat back in comfortable socialistic armchair and skim Burda magazine. Choose your favorite band or singer and play her/his LP. It’s a rare opportunity to have all of this at one place. Most of the people who lived in 80’s will (maybe) appreciate this museum more. On the other hand, this is a perfect place for young generations to meet, for real, how life looked like only 40 years ago. For some of us that sounds like a far, far, history but still modern and unique.What makes this museum authentic and different is that some of the items were part of someone’s home and/or widely used article and that’s why they have huge value with story behind it. Zagreb 80’s Museum still encourages the citizens to donate.
The museum staff is extremely nice and kind (the photos in this article are here thanks to them). They will tell you the stories you didn’t know before. They will tell you the stories hidden behind each piece of the museum – carpet, sofa, TV, radio… To approach this museum is very easy. It’s located in the very center of Zagreb, few minute walk from Ban Josip Jelačić’s square. All the details about the opening hours and tickets you can find on the museum’s website or Facebook page (that I really like and it’s like an extended part of the museum’s permanent exhibition).
Museum stuff will make you feel more than welcome. And when you finish your travel back in time to 80’s don’t miss to play some of the 80’s board games. Beside board games you will be able to read news from the past. All in all, this more than specific place will wake up a nostalgic person inside you or will give you a small hint how life looked like during era of the 80’s. Welcome (back).
Ban Jelačić Square, center of Zagreb downtown
Trg bana Josipa Jelačića, 10000, Zagreb, Croatie
Museum of Torture (Tortureum)
Tkalčićeva 13, 1st floor, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Zagreb 80's Museum
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I am Marko, 28 years old, from Croatia. Travel, languages and nature enthusiast, lover and explorer. I share about my beautiful country.
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Transportation › Zoning, Planning & Land Use › Residential Real Estate
Read need-to-know updates, commentary, and analysis on Transportation issues written by leading professionals.
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Workplace How the workplace can support Diversity and Inclusion
How the workplace can support Diversity and Inclusion
Companies with a diverse workforce are better able to win top talent and improve their customer orientation, employee satisfaction, and decision making
Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) is about celebrating differences among people; respecting the individual no matter who they are; keeping an open mind, and being supportive of different perspectives. Numerous studies have shown that companies with a diverse workforce are better able to win top talent and improve their customer orientation, employee satisfaction, and decision making, and all that leads to a virtuous cycle of increasing return.
In an increasingly globalized and interconnected world, opportunities are multifaceted and come from all parts of the globe. To conduct international business, you require workers from diverse backgrounds and with differing experiences, who speak local languages and who understand foreign norms and cultures; as well as employees who are able to handle different perspectives.
Having a diverse pool of talents will allow you to expand market share in different geographies and even venture into new sectors. This is particularly the case in Asia Pacific, as the region continues to lead global growth.
Notably, in a rapidly changing world, D&I can be a key differentiator because a diverse team allows for differentiated thinking. Companies that promote a culture in which employees feel safe to experiment with different solutions will also help drive innovation, growth in new directions, and breakthroughs to serve clients better.
“As we enter the innovation era, we cannot have homogeneity of people. We need diversity of thought because that pushes us one step further,” says Jordan Kostelac, Senior Associate, Workplace Strategy, JLL Asia Pacific.
So, how do you drive D&I at the workplace?
Recruiting different talents with the right values
According to Kirstie Ellard, JLL’s Chief Human Resource Officer for Asia Pacific, the recruitment process plays a key role in ensuring companies have a mixed pool of talent. “It is important that there is a focus on recruiting outside of the sector; it isn’t just ticking the boxes on skills and experience but ensuring that people with different attributes and the right values are being considered for potential employment,” says Ellard, who oversees a diverse team. Our 95 Asia Pacific offices have as many as 37,000 employees operating in 16 countries.
Raise D&I awareness through activities and events
With a progressively aging workforce, especially in developed economies, it is increasingly common that employees in the office will span five generations, says Ellard. Apart from generational diversity, there is also diversity in geography (cultures, nationalities, language and so on) as well as, of course, gender. “Raising awareness through activities and events will help to deepen understanding of diversity and facilitate a culture of inclusiveness at the workplace,” she says, as JLL prepares for its D&I Week in September.
Foster inclusion with a conducive office environment
While diversity might be achieved through recruitment, inclusion requires the right leadership, work-settings that promote teamwork, as well as policies and processes that foster a sense of connectedness regardless of differences, according to Ellard.
Inclusion will help enrich the workplace experience and lead to higher productivity as staff feel comfortable coming to work. In fact, based on our latest workplace experience survey involving 7,000 workers across the globe, the office of the future is powered by the richness of Human Experience (HX). It is this experience that defines engagement, empowerment, and fulfillment at work; creates happiness and inspires people to do their best work in their career. To quote the Harvard Business Review, inclusion is necessary because without it, “the crucial connections that attract diverse talent, encourage their participation, foster innovation and lead to business growth won’t happen.”
Institutionalize a policy and respect it
Ellard stressed that policies and procedures governing issues such as flexi-work hours, gradual return to work arrangements, and dress code at the office could help to take down barriers but they won’t be effective unless employees are comfortable about adopting them. “These institutionalized policies and procedures could only be used if we permit ourselves to respect them. For people to be comfortable with using them, we work with our leaders around giving that permission and having a mature approach about allowing people to do so, and enabling them to meet both their work and outside of work commitments.”
Enhance the workplace experience
Your organization should also look into its corporate purpose, community building, and human leadership to further support inclusiveness and influence engagement, empowerment and fulfillment at work.
You can have a diverse team, but the benefits of a diverse team can only be brought to life when staff accept each other’s differences, feel supported and work together. Here are some suggestions that you can consider to enhance the workplace experience:
Institute recognition and awards
To create a sense of purpose at work, companies should look into how staff could be united to contribute to something bigger such as the success of a business. These may involve providing recognition and rewards.
Design for collaboration and teamwork
To foster community building, you may want to consider how your workplace is designed for collaboration and the sharing of ideas. Organizations must create physical places that break down barriers, enhance inclusion and co-working, according to Ellard and Kostelac.
These spaces also need to cater to a diverse group of people, ranging from spaces for concentration and collaboration, experimental and creative work areas to health-based and family-dedicated environments. Our HX survey outcome showed that communal space has the strongest impact on quality of life (14.26%) and engagement (13.6%).
Leadership that empowers your employees
The right style of human leadership involves putting people first and one that focuses on providing a genuinely caring and nurturing work environment, where all are treated equally, fairly and respectfully.
“It is about having a nurturing environment that allows people to have transparent conversations and the freedom to be authentic; to be who they are,” adds Kostelac. D&I have become a key focus amid rapid technology developments because innovation doesn’t happen by chance and requires a culture that values input from a diverse crowd. An office environment that empowers team members to feel safe to propose novel ideas and allows the sharing of credit during success will be conducive to innovation, says Kostelac.
According to our survey, the right managerial behaviors that drive employee engagement and commitment at work are trust, kindness and those that allow staff freedom to take initiatives without being judged.
Conclusion: Strive for employee-first approach
Undoubtedly, D&I is fast becoming a key corporate strategy that will help drive a company’s bottom line. This human-centered approach, which puts people first, forms the core building block for the workplace of the future.
To create positive experiences at the workplace, and to drive trust and transparency while boosting performance, thorough consideration must be given to the working environment and how it can be used to achieve the broader company goals.
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Published on 08.11.19 in Vol 21, No 11 (2019): November
Preprints (earlier versions) of this paper are available at http://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/14808, first published May 29, 2019.
Validation of an Independent Web-Based Tool for Measuring Visual Acuity and Refractive Error (the Manifest versus Online Refractive Evaluation Trial): Prospective Open-Label Noninferiority Clinical Trial.
Robert P L Wisse1*, MD, PhD ;
Marc B Muijzer1*, BSc ;
Francesco Cassano2, MSc ;
Daniel A Godefrooij1, MSc, MD, PhD ;
Yves F D M Prevoo2, DVM, MBA ;
Nienke Soeters1, PhD
1Utrecht Cornea Research Group, Ophthalmology Department, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
2Easee BV, Amsterdam, Netherlands
*these authors contributed equally
Robert P L Wisse, MD, PhD
Utrecht Cornea Research Group
Ophthalmology Department
University Medical Center Utrecht
Phone: 31 88 75 51683
Email: r.p.l.wisse@umcutrecht.nl
Background: Digital tools provide a unique opportunity to increase access to eye care. We developed a Web-based test that measures visual acuity and both spherical and cylindrical refractive errors. This test is Conformité Européenne marked and available on the Easee website. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of this Web-based tool with traditional subjective manifest refraction in a prospective open-label noninferiority clinical trial.
Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of a Web-based refraction compared with a manifest refraction (golden standard).
Methods: Healthy volunteers from 18 to 40 years of age, with a refraction error between –6 and +4 diopter (D), were eligible. Each participant performed the Web-based test, and the reference test was performed by an optometrist. An absolute difference in refractive error of <0.5 D was considered noninferior. Reliability was assessed by using an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Both uncorrected and corrected visual acuity were measured.
Results: A total of 200 eyes in 100 healthy volunteers were examined. The Web-based assessment of refractive error had excellent correlation with the reference test (ICC=0.92) and was considered noninferior to the reference test. Uncorrected visual acuity was similar with the Web-based test and the reference test (P=.21). Visual acuity was significantly improved using the prescription obtained by using the Web-based tool (P<.01). The Web-based test provided the best results in participants with mild myopia (ie, <3 D), with a mean difference of 0.02 (SD 0.49) D (P=.48) and yielding a corrected visual acuity of >1.0 in 90% (n=77) of participants.
Conclusions: Our results indicate that Web-based eye testing is a valid and safe method for measuring visual acuity and refractive error in healthy eyes, particularly for mild myopia. This tool can be used for screening purposes, and it is an easily accessible alternative to the subjective manifest refraction test.
Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03313921; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03313921.
J Med Internet Res 2019;21(11):e14808
digital refraction;
easee;
telemedicine;
medical informatics;
refractive error
Globally, approximately 60% of individuals require a visual aid, such as spectacles or contact lenses, for proper visual acuity [1,2]. Moreover, studies have shown that the incidence of myopia (ie, nearsightedness) is increasing steadily because of higher literacy rates and increasing urbanization [3,4]. The World Health Organization has reported that these so-called refractive errors—if not corrected—represent the principal cause of visual impairment [5]. Strikingly, nearly 50% of preventable visual impairment is caused by the use of inappropriate spectacles or lenses, with severe economic implications [3,6]. Even in countries with readily accessible health care services, this rate remains unacceptably high, and calls for a new way of thinking about how visual aids are prescribed [2]. To improve eye health in our global population, we need access to reliable, affordable tools for measuring refractive error. In today’s digital era, the ability to digitize the refractive exam is the logical solution. Indeed, many examples are available, supporting the robust potential of digital medicine, as well as the cultural and operational hurdles that must be overcome to bring medicine into the data-driven age [7,8]. To increase access to refractive testing, the Dutch company Easee BV in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, developed an algorithm-based Web-based tool that measures the refractive state of the eye by using a smartphone and computer screen. This tool is Conformité Européenne (CE) marked, complies with all required International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards, and is currently available on the Web. Notwithstanding the apparent accessibility of this service, its validity and safety need to be studied and reported as a means to keep developers accountable for their health innovations. Traditionally, refractive error is measured by an eye care professional, in which trial lenses of various corrective strength are tested on the basis of the patient’s responses, whereas a letter chart is used to assess the resulting visual acuity. The outcome of this test can include emmetropia (no refractive error), hyperopia (farsightedness), or myopia (nearsightedness), as well as astigmatism (a cylindrical error; see Figure 1). This so-called subjective manifest refraction test is currently considered the gold standard [9,10]. However, the quality of the measurement can depend upon a variety of factors, including the availability of the necessary equipment, a suitable environment for testing, the patient’s ability and willingness to cooperate with the examiner, and the examiner’s experience and training. Alternatively, refraction can be measured by using an automated approach, for example, with an automated refractor [11,12], an aberrometer [13], or adaptive optics [14]. Nevertheless, both the subjective and automated techniques require expensive medical equipment and qualified personnel, which can limit their availability and accessibility. Current developments in new refractive methods are summarized the Research in Context panel (Multimedia Appendix 1).
Figure 1. Optics of the eye. A: With no refractive error, the image is focused properly on the retina, providing perfect uncorrected visual acuity. B and D: In hyperopia (far-sightedness; B) and myopia (nearsightedness; D) the image falls either behind or in front of the retina, respectively. C and E: Lenses can be used to re-focus the image on the retina, restoring visual acuity.
In this paper, we present the results of the Manifest versus Online Refraction Evaluation (MORE) trial, a study designed to validate this Web-based refractive assessment by comparing the outcome between the Web-based test and the subjective manifest refraction test, focusing on corrected visual acuity achieved by using the prescription obtained from the Web-based test.
Study Design and Recruitment
Data were prospectively collected in the open-label single-center noninferiority MORE trial, performed at the University Medical Center Utrecht in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The participants were healthy volunteers, from 18 to 40 years of age, with no history of eye disease or current evidence of eye disease. We excluded subjects whose refractive error was worse than –6 diopter (D; for myopia) or +4 D (for hyperopia) and subjects who had diabetes, were pregnant or lactated, or were unable to perform the Web-based test. All participants provided written informed consent. All subjects underwent 3 consecutive tests designed to determine the refractive state of both eyes in the following order. First, the subject performed the index test using the Web-based refractive assessment tool with the Easee algorithm. Second, the refractive error was measured using autorefraction (Topcon RM 8800). Finally, an optometrist performed the reference test (manifest subjective refraction). The subject was blinded for the outcome of all tests. The subject’s uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) was recorded using a traditional Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study visual acuity chart and the Easee Web-based visual acuity test. Corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) was measured using correction on the basis of the results of the manifest and Web-based refraction tests. Visual acuity was tested in accordance with ISO 8596, with regard to optotypes and room illumination [15]. The projected optotypes were randomized to mitigate any possible test-retest effect. Clinical agreement between manifest subjective refraction and autorefraction is generally considered excellent [10]; therefore, CDVA was not assessed using the results of the autorefraction test. The following data were recorded for each participant/eye: age, gender, laterality, medical history, previous prescription (if known), use of spectacles or contact lenses, UDVA, CDVA, and refractive outcome, including spherical and cylindrical power (in D) and axis (in degrees), which were converted into power vectors, using a Fourier analysis [16,17]. All procedures were performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, local and national laws regarding research (ie, the Act on Scientific Research Involving Humans), European directives with respect to privacy (General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679) and medical devices (Medical Device Regulation 2017/745), and the 2015 Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy Studies [18]. The study protocol was approved by our institution’s Ethics Review Board (METC number: 17-524), and it was registered on the Web at clinicaltrials.gov (number: NCT03313921) and CCMO.nl (number: NL61478.041.17).
Information Regarding the Web-Based Tool
The Web-based tool for measuring refractive error uses a smartphone and a standard computer screen (Figure 2). This commercially available test is available via the website of Easee, and it uses the same algorithm described in this study; an 80-second video tutorial is also available at the website, and a clinical test flow is provided in the supplementary files. In brief, a smartphone functions as a remote control by which the user submits input from a distance of 3 m or 1.5 m to a computer screen that displays the Web-based test. Audio instructions (currently available in Dutch, English, and German) guide the user through the test, during which both eyes are tested consecutively. During the test, the user is presented a sequence of images and optotypes that the user must correctly identify, in addition to various grate sizes and astigmatism dials used to assess the cylindrical error. Any visual acuity below 1.0 (ie, worse than 20/20) is considered to be because of a refractive error. The direction of the refractive error (ie, hyperopia + or myopia –) is based on an adapted red/green duochrome test [19] and a questionnaire designed to discern between nearsightedness and farsightedness. A version of the Easee Web tool was custom built for this clinical trial in which only anonymized data were captured by the tool. The Web tool is classified as a class 1 medical device, which is in accordance with Medical Device Regulation 2017/745, and the software is classified as class A, which is in accordance with IEC 62304:2014.
Figure 2. An impression of the online refraction exam and its comparator the manifest refraction.
The primary study outcome was refractive error, measured using the Web-based tool, and refractive error compared with a subjective manifest refraction and autorefraction. Specifically, we analyzed the sign of the refractive error (+/–), spherical power, cylindrical power, and axis, which were converted into power vectors by using a Fourier analysis [16,17]. An intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) among the various methods was also calculated [20]. Autorefraction measurements were primarily used to provide a context for the level of correlation between a subjective manifest refraction and the Web-based tool. The secondary study outcomes included UDVA and CDVA, measured using the prescriptions obtained using the Web-based tool and a subjective manifest refraction. UDVA and CDVA were converted to logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) values for statistical analysis. Groups were compared by using the 2-tailed paired Student’s t test, or Pearson chi-square test. In addition, a multivariable analysis, using a generalized estimates equation, was used to correct for bilaterality (both eyes of the same patient included), age, and sex. Differences with a P value <.05 were considered statistically significant. A stratification in outcomes was defined in the study protocol for myopic and hyperopic results, as the subjective measurement of these distinct refractive states is prone to particular errors. A difference in spherical equivalent (SEQ) >0.5 D between the 3 refraction methods was considered to reflect a clinically significant difference; thus, this constituted the threshold for noninferiority [21,22]. The power calculation was based on an intraclass correlation for the 3 different refraction methods, using the following formula in R: Sample size(p=0.70,p0=0,k=3,alpha=(0.05/12),tails=2,power=0.80, by=”p”, step=0.025).
Initially, 50 healthy subjects with 100 healthy eyes were scheduled to enter the study. An interim analysis indicated that the algorithm yielded more outlier measurements than anticipated, thereby skewing the results. A second-generation algorithm was therefore developed, using the clinical data acquired to date. An extension was requested for the trial, and it was granted by our institution’s Ethics Review Board. Any incomplete data were imputed, except when it concerned missing data from the primary outcome. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS v25.0 (IBM).
Description of the Study Population
A total of 200 eyes from 100 healthy subjects were included in the study; 1 eye was excluded from analysis because of amblyopia (lazy eye). All subjects were enrolled in the study between December 28, 2017 and January 28, 2019. The clinical characteristics of the participants are summarized in Table 1. Most of the subjects (62%, n=62) were regular users of spectacles or contact lenses. A total of 4 subjects reported receiving previous treatment for an ophthalmic condition; in all 4 cases, the ophthalmic condition resolved without sequelae. A total of 11 subjects reported ocular complaints at the time of the measurements; 8 subjects reported blurred vision, and 3 subjects reported other complaints, such as floaters and dry eyes. The mean test duration was 22 (SD 10) min (range 5-58). No adverse events or complications were recorded during the trial.
Clinical characteristicsa Total (N=100) Web-based test algorithm P valueb
1st generation (N=36) 2nd generation (N=64)
Age (years), mean (SD) 25.4 (4.7) 25.3 (4.2) 25.5 (4.9) .86
Sex (male), n (%) 47 (47) 23 (64) 24 (38) .001
Current use of visual aids, n (%) 62 (62) 21 (58) 42 (6) .58
Spectacles 60 (60) 21 (58) 27 (61) .88
Contact lenses 22 (22) 7 (20) 15 (23) .54
Previous ophthalmic treatment, n (%) 4 (4) 3 (8) 1 (2) .12
Ocular complaints, n (%) 13 (13) 3 (8) 10 (16) .34
Medication use, n (%) 13 (13) 2 (6) 11 (17) .08
Refractive errorc, n (%)
Emmetropia 16 (8) 4 (6) 12 (9) N/Ad
Mild myopia 119 (60) 40 (56) 79 (62) N/A
Severe myopia 32 (16) 13 (18) 19 (15) N/A
Hyperopia 32 (16) 15 (21) 17 (13) N/A
Total 199 72 127 .24
aExcept where indicated otherwise, data are presented as n (%).
bCalculated using an independent samples Student t test or Pearson chi-square test.
cMild myopia was defined as refractive error of –3 D or less; severe myopia was defined as refractive error worse than –3 D. Refractive error was determined on the basis of the spherical equivalent of the manifest refraction value, and it is reported for both eyes separately.
dNot applicable.
Table 1. Clinical characteristics of the study population.
Intraclass Correlation Coefficients
As a first measure of the concordance among the 3 methods for assessing refractive error, we measured the ICC. For this analysis, we included only each participant’s right eye and based our calculations on the SEQ. The overall ICC of all 3 measurements was 0.93 (95% CI 0.90-0.96), and the overall ICC for manifest refraction and Web-based refraction was 0.89 (95% CI 0.84-0.93). When only measurements taken with the second-generation algorithm are considered, the ICC improved to 0.92 (95% CI 0.86-0.95). The latter can be considered an excellent agreement [20]. Analyses based on vectors rather than SEQs did not materially alter these findings.
Reliability of Web-Based Visual Acuity Testing
UDVA was measured by using both the Web-based test and a visual acuity wall chart. UDVA data for the Web-based test were imputed for 6 participants because of a technical recording error. Our analysis revealed that the Web-based test provided UDVA values that were similar to results obtained by using a chart, with mean values of 0.67 (SD 0.33) versus 0.69 (SD 0.37), respectively (LogMAR: 0.33 (SD 0.30) vs 0.39 (SD 0.39); P=.21). In addition, the overall ICC of this measurement (for each participant’s right eye only) was 0.89 (95% CI 0.83-0.92).
Overall Outcome for Measuring Refractive Error With the Web-Based Test Versus the Reference Test
In the entire study group, refractive error between the Web-based refraction test and the reference test differed by –0.18 (SD 0.77) D for participants with myopia and 0.63 (SD 0.89) D for participants with hyperopia. With respect to the participants with myopia, this difference was within our a priori threshold for defining noninferiority (see the Multimedia Appendices 2-4). When we analyzed only the participants who were tested using the second-generation algorithm, the difference in SEQ was –0.13 (SD 0.62) D for patients with myopia and 0.50 (SD 0.81) D for patients with hyperopia, both of which are within our threshold for noninferiority margin (see Table 2). Similar results were obtained when we corrected for the confounding factors bilaterality, age, and sex (data not shown).
Figure 3 shows the difference of the Web-based test compared with the reference test and with respect to the noninferiority limit. As can be observed, a majority of measurements fall within the noninferiority limit, and almost all measurements fall within the 95% CI. In addition, we summarized the distribution of the differences in refractive outcome by using the Web-based test and manifest refraction. Figure 4 shows the individual refractive error data measured for each patient; note that the 6 patients for whom data were missing are not included in these graphs.
Refractive error and visual acuity Manifest refractiona Online refractiona Difference 95% CI P valueb GEE modelc
Beta value P valuec
Emmetropic and myopic eyes (n=104)
Power vector (Diopter)d 1.59 (1.50) 1.47 (1.27) 0.12 0.00-0.24 .04 1.11 <.001
J0 vector (Diopter) 0.09 (0.29) –0.01 (0.22) 0.10 0.04-0.15 N/Ae N/A N/A
J45 vector (Diopter) 0.01 (0.17) –0.01 (0.15) 0.00 –0.04 to 0.03 N/A N/A N/A
Spherical equivalent (Diopter) –1.54 (–1.52) –1.41 (1.31) 0.13 –0.25 to –0.01 N/A N/A N/A
Spherical power (Diopter) –1.31 (1.43) –1.30 (1.31) –0.01 –0.13 to 0.10 N/A N/A N/A
Cylindrical power (Diopter) –0.45 (0.51) –0.23 (0.47) –0.22 –0.34 to –0.11 N/A N/A N/A
Cylindrical axis (degrees) 97 (58) 101 (51) –4 –24 to 16 N/A N/A N/A
CDVAf logarithm of the minimum angle of resolutiong –0.14 (0.06) –0.03 (0.18) –0.11 –0.14 to –0.08 <.001 .08 .13
CDVA Snellenh,i 1.38 (0.20) 1.15 (0.35) 0.25 0.18-0.32 N/A N/A N/A
Hyperopic eyes (n=17)
Power vector (Diopter)d 0.58 (0.45) 0.33 (0.48) 0.25 0.14-0.37 .001 .84 <.001
J0 vector (Diopter) 0.03 (0.21) 0.00 (0.14) 0.02 –0.11 to 0.15 N/A N/A N/A
Spherical equivalent (Diopter) 0.53 (0.44) 0.03 (0.57) 0.50 0.11-0.89 N/A N/A N/A
Spherical power (Diopter) 0.71 (0.57) 0.10 (0.58) 0.61 0.16-1.04 N/A N/A N/A
Cylindrical axis (degrees) 53 (50) 46 (40) 8 –72 to 88 N/A N/A N/A
CDVA logarithm of the minimum angle of resolutionh –0.13 (0.06) –0.10 (0.11) –0.03 –0.08 to 0.02 .20 .25 .54
CDVA Snellenh,i 1.37 (0.19) 1.29 (0.28) 0.08 –0.06 to 0.21 N/A N/A N/A
aUnless otherwise specified, reported as mean (SD).
bPaired-sample Student t test was performed for predefined primary and secondary outcome parameters only.
cGeneralized estimates equation model to statistically correct for the inclusion of 2 eyes of one subject, age, and sex.
dSpherical and cylindrical power and axes were translated into vectors using Fourier analysis.
eNot applicable.
fCDVA: corrected distance visual acuity.
gAssessed with either the manifest or Web-based achieved correction.
hSnellen, decimal visual acuity.
iStatistical tests were performed only on predefined parameters (power vector for refraction and logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution for visual acuity).
Table 2. Refractive error and visual acuity measured in the myopic and hyperopic participants (second-generation algorithm; N=121 eyes).
Figure 3. The difference between the refractive error measurement of the first (red) and second generation (blue) online refraction test compared to the outcome of the manifest refraction with respect to the non-inferiority limit (green area) and 95% confidence interval (dashed lines).
Figure 4. Refractive error measured using the online test was plotted against refractive error measured using manifest refraction; each symbol represents an individual eye measured in a participant who was tested using the first-generation algorithm (red squares) or the second-generation algorithm (blue circles). The 45° dashed line represents an ideal fit. Outliers are identified particularly in the high-myopia group (bottom-left), and these differences are reduced in the second generation cohort. SEQ: spherical equivalent.
Overall Visual Acuity Measured Using the Web-Based Refraction Test and Manifest Refraction
Visual acuity improved significantly using the prescription obtained by using the Web-based refraction test, particularly when using the second-generation algorithm. Specifically, the UDVA was 0.66 (SD 0.41) (LogMAR 0.32 [SD 0.40]), and it improved to a CDVA of 1.17±0.34 (LogMAR –0.04 [SD 0.17]; P<.01). Interestingly, we found that CDVA in the hyperopic participants did not differ significantly between the Web-based refraction test (1.29 [SD 0.28], LogMAR –0.10 [SD 0.11]) and the manifest refraction test (1.37 [SD 0.19], LogMAR –0.13 [SD 0.06]; P=.20). This is likely because of the accommodation reflex that corrects residual hyperopic refractive errors [1]. A multivariable Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) analysis did not reveal any major confounders (Table 2).
For myopic participants, the visual acuity (CDVA) differed significantly between the Web-based refraction test (1.15 [SD 0.35]; LogMAR –0.03 [SD 0.18]) and the manifest refraction test (1.38 [SD 0.19]; LogMAR –0.14 [SD 0.06]; P<.01). Contrary to hyperopia, even a small an uncorrected residual myopic refractive error will negatively influence distance visual acuity [1]. A multivariable GEE analysis revealed that confounding factors influenced this difference, although with a very small effect size, attributable to the second-generation cohort, harboring relatively more myopic females. Analysis of Web-based test meta-data revealed no clues to a difference in performance of male versus female participants.
The Ability of the Web-Based Refraction Test to Correctly Distinguish Myopia Versus Hyperopia
In nearly every case, the Web-based refraction was able to correctly determine the participant’s refractive error as either myopia or hyperopia, with the exception of 4 cases. A total of 1 case fell within the noninferiority margin, with a difference of 0.25 D, and CDVA was similar for this eye when corrected with either prescription. The other 3 cases differed to a clinically relevant level: -1.125 versus + 0.50, +0.125 versus –0.50, and +1.75 versus –1.75 for the Web-based and manifest refraction test, respectively. In 195 of 199 cases (98%) of the Web-based assessments, the signation was correct.
Subgroup Analysis of Participants With Mild Myopia
A majority of eyes in our study were classified as having mild myopia, which is consistent with mild myopia being the most common refractive error in the general population [23]. A subgroup analysis was performed in the eyes, with a refractive error between –3 and 0 D, 91 eyes in total. Using the prescription obtained with the Web-based refraction test, the eyes with mild myopia had a markedly better CDVA compared with the entire group of eyes with myopia (1.22 [SD 0.29]; LogMAR –0.08 [SD 0.11]), with 90% (n=77) of the participants scoring over 1.0. The average difference in refractive error between the 2 tests is now reduced to 0.02 (SD 0.49) D (P=.48), and 80% of the Web-based refraction tests were within SD 0.5 D of the reference test. Notwithstanding, the manifest refraction test yielded a slightly better CDVA (1.39 [SD 0.20]; LogMAR –0.13 [SD 0.06]; P<.01). Outcomes are reported in detail in Table 3. In this subgroup, a GEE multivariable analysis indicated a comparable confounding effect as described earlier regarding the overall outcomes.
Refractive error and visual acuity Manifest refractiona Web-based refractiona Difference 95% CI P valueb GEE modelc
Power vector (Diopter)d 1.04 (0.86) 1.07 (0.96) 0.03 –0.13 to 0.06 .48 .82 <.01
J0 vector (Diopter) 0.05 (0.24) –0.00 (0.23) 0.05 0.00 to 0.10 N/Af N/A N/A
Cylindrical axis (degrees) 101 (59) 105 (50) 4 –27 to 19 N/A N/A N/A
Corrected distance visual acuity logarithm of the minimum angle of resolutione,g –0.14 (0.06) –0.08 (0.10) –0.06 –0.09 to –0.04 <.01 .15 .03
Corrected distance visual acuity Snellene,g,h 1.39 (0.20) 1.22 (0.29) 0.17 0.11 to 0.23 N/A N/A N/A
bPaired-sample t test performed for predefined primary and secondary outcome parameter only.
dSpherical and cylindrical power and axes were translated in vectors by Fourier analysis.
eAssessed with either the manifest or Web-based achieved correction.
fNot applicable.
gSnellen: decimal visual acuity.
hStatistical tests were performed only on predefined parameters (power vector for refraction and logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution for visual acuity).
Table 3. Refractive error and visual acuity measured in the mildly myopic participants (second-generation algorithm; N=86 eyes).
In this noninferiority clinical trial, we compared a Web-based tool for measuring refractive error with the current gold standard, the subjective manifest refraction. Our analysis revealed excellent correlations between the 2 tests (ICC 0.92). Thus, we conclude that the Web-based test can be considered noninferior to manifest refraction. Importantly, the Web-based test provided a reliable measure visual acuity, similar to using a traditional wall chart, and visual acuity improved significantly using the prescription obtained by using the Web-based test, particularly among participants with mild myopia. This study provides the necessary validity and safety data for the Web-based eye test offered by Easee.
The Web-based tool measures the eye’s visual acuity and translates this outcome into refractive error, while assuming that any error is caused solely by an uncorrected refractive error. Thus, patients with a vision-limiting eye condition, such as amblyopia, cataract, or a retinal disease, may not necessarily obtain a reliable measure of refractive error by using the Web-based tool. In practice, this effect is mitigated by including a disclaimer for patients who have such an eye condition, although the patients must be aware of having such a condition to heed this disclaimer. It is also important to note that refractive errors in subjects with a high visual acuity or eye conditions that do not limit vision (eg, glaucoma or mild diabetic retinopathy) will likely not be detected by this Web-based test.
However, some limitations of the study itself should be taken into consideration. No randomization of the test order was performed and could have impacted our results. Subjects may become tired during the assessments. Although because of the fixed test order, this should have impacted all subject similarly. We consider the learning or training effect during the tests as negligible. The 3 methods of refractive assessment are very different, and randomized projected optotypes were used to assess visual acuity. In addition, subjects were blinded for the outcome to prevent testing bias. Notwithstanding, the observer had access to the test outcomes; thus, an observer bias cannot fully be excluded. The Web-based test has been validated for use in healthy individuals. Further studies should be performed to test the feasibility of using this Web-based tool in children and populations with a higher incidence of eye disease. Another consideration is the role of accommodation during the test, which is defined as a semivoluntary reflex, causing the eye to focus on a nearby object; this reflex can increase the eye’s refractive power and can therefore mask a residual hyperopic refractive error. We found that the Web-based test tended to underestimate a hyperopic refractive error by an average of 0.5 D, which suggests that the accommodation reflex may have played a role in these participants. We consider the manifest refraction test a more powerful tool to measure the full hyperopic refractive error. Nevertheless, undercorrecting a hyperopic refractive error may be preferred over issuing the full-strength prescription, and this can sufficiently alleviate the patient’s visual complaints [24]. All measurements were performed in accordance with ISO standards regarding visual acuity testing, revealing that a fully autonomous algorithm is capable of nearly matching the results obtained by an optometrist, at least in a healthy population. In daily practice, not all refraction assessments are performed by an optometrist, and not all assessments are performed under ideal conditions. Depending on local regulations and customs, a technician or a trained optician may perform the exam. Moreover, an authoritative consumer report revealed that prescriptions issued by eye care professionals can have wide variability [25]. Importantly, although our Web-based refraction test depends on the patient’s input, it has zero variability with respect to interpreting the patient’s responses, and it should provide high test-retest reproducibility. Further research is needed to determine whether the Web-based tool has high intrasubject consistency.
Practical Perspective
The recent increase in digitization has increased the availability and accessibility of the Web-based refraction test, as anyone with a laptop and smartphone can complete the test without the need to visit an eye care professional. Moreover, 2.7 billion people are estimated to have a smartphone in 2019 [26], and approximately 97% of our target patient population—users from 18 to 45 years of age—have a smartphone [27]. The availability of a Web-based refraction fits into the current trend of digitalization, and this provides consumers with more flexibility in planning their eye test. In addition, the Web-based refraction benefits patients in areas with limited access to eye care professionals. Basatwrous et al have convincingly shown that creating a comprehensive digital eye care ecosystem can elevate the overall health in a rural community [28]. The Research in Context panel summarizes current initiatives on remote eye testing. A future perspective is the use of the Easee eye test in a clinical environment with automated data entry in the electronic health record, as well as integration in clinical care, for example, cataract, macular degeneration, and glaucoma patients. The measurements provided by the Web-based refraction test were not subjected to post hoc processing, and these were entered directly into the database for analysis. Despite the high rate of concordance between the Web-based refraction test and the manifest refraction test, the Web-based test was not able to detect all outliers and unusual results. Therefore, additional interpretation of previous prescriptions and remote validation of the data by a qualified optometrist may still be warranted. Importantly, the Web-based refraction test is not designed to fully replace a comprehensive eye exam by a trained eye care professional, and users must comply with the test’s terms and conditions; failure to do so will prompt the advice to visit an eye care professional.
Here, we report that the Easee Web-based test for measuring refractive error provides a safe, valid method for obtaining a corrective prescription in individuals with healthy eyes, particularly patients with mild myopia. Using the prescription obtained with the Web-based test significantly improves visual acuity to a degree similar to the prescription obtained using manifest refraction. Therefore, the Web-based refraction test provides a user-friendly, easily accessible alternative to the traditional subjective manifest refraction test, although it should not be considered a replacement for a comprehensive eye examination. The Web-based test is CE marked; therefore, it meets the requirements established by the European Union with respect to safety and health.
The study was initiated by the University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands, and funded by Easee BV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The authors are grateful to Dr Paul Westers of the Julius Center for Health Sciences, Department of Biostatistics and Research Support, University Medical Center Utrecht for providing an independent analysis of the data reported in this manuscript, and to Emma van Hamersveld BSc, for her assistance in composing the regulatory and ethical board review documentation.
YP is founder and shareholder of Easee BV. FC is employed by Easee BV. RW is employed by the UMC Utrecht and medical advisor and shareholder of Easee BV. MBM is employed by the UMC Utrecht and a consultant for Easee BV. NS and DG have no potential conflicts of interest, and they supervised the medical and statistical contents of the manuscript.
Multimedia Appendix 1
Panel - Research in context.
PDF File (Adobe PDF File), 237 KB
Clinical test flow second generation online refraction test.
PDF File (Adobe PDF File), 1932 KB
Supplementary data overall results.
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CDVA: corrected distance visual acuity
CE: Conformité Européenne
D: diopter
GEE: generalized estimating equations
ICC: intraclass correlation coefficient
ISO: International Organization for Standardization
LogMAR: logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution
MORE: Manifest versus Online Refraction Evaluation
SEQ: spherical equivalent
UDVA: uncorrected distance visual acuity
Edited by G Eysenbach; submitted 29.05.19; peer-reviewed by A Lutz de Araujo, H Yang; comments to author 03.07.19; revised version received 15.07.19; accepted 17.08.19; published 08.11.19
©Robert P L Wisse, Marc B Muijzer, Francesco Cassano, Daniel A Godefrooij, Yves F D M Prevoo, Nienke Soeters. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 08.11.2019.
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7 Shocking Things About Social Media that Companies Should Know
Social Media is constantly changing, and at times it may seem challenging to keep up with it all. As a business owner, it may be hard to juggle the social media channels. And if it’s hard to interact with customers on social media there likely isn’t a ton of time to learn more about each channel. That’s why it may be useful to learn about some of the most shocking statistics about social media. Here are seven that might make business owners and entrepreneurs rethink the way they’re approaching social media.
Who would have thought that fake news would be more popular than real news, but with how things are today on the web, it’s not surprising that’s the case. Quertime says that it’s a serious problem that any company should consider. So what can you do to make sure your content isn’t considered “fake”? Well, it’s okay to come up with compelling titles but make sure the content you write is not fake and comes from reputable websites.
Currently, the most popular social media website is Facebook. Almost everyone you know has a Facebook account. You find all sorts of news and info on Facebook but what’s troubling is that there is a large quantity of fake news out there.
Earlier this year, investigations by BuzzFeed revealed that 20-40% of news stories on Facebook could be fake. There are groups of people who create news stories and spread them in the hopes that they become viral and they can profit from ad revenue. The more controversial the news, the more chances it has of going viral.
44% of adults get all their news from social media. It is such a powerful tool that fake news stories have been shown to have influenced the recent US elections. Mike Caulfield, from Washington State University, carried out research that showed that fake news articles gained thousands of more shares than real ones. Safe to say this is a problem now.
Did you know that moms are the biggest supporters of branding on Facebook? If you haven’t been supporting mommy bloggers or made an effort to learn more about their likes and dislikes, this may be something worth doing, according to The Content Factory.
If your brand isn’t tapping into the mommy market, you’re missing out. Keep this crazy statistic in mind: when they aren’t tagging you in embarrassing childhood photos or questioning your relationship status, Facebook-friendly moms are liking brands more than any other group. (Mashable)
Another crazy thing about Facebook is that according to Content Factory, over 130 million Facebook users could be fake. That’s a lot of people who may not be genuine customers, so keep that in mind when looking and monitoring analytics.
The site has 1.23 billion monthly active users (MAUs), which means between 67.65 million and 137.76 million accounts are either duplicates or straight up fake. Something to keep in mind when measuring your social media marketing ROI — focus on engagement and traffic, not just follower counts.
Neil Patel cites Search Engine Journal which says that email marketing has an ROI of 4,300%. Based on what is discussed below, it’s safe to say that spending more time and money on email marketing than on social media marketing is a smart thing to do.
What? A statistic about email? You thought this was about social media, right?
My title is “Five Shocking Facts That Will Change Your Entire Approach to Social Media.” This statistic qualifies as shocking, and it impacts the way we approach on social media.
The basic fact is this: Email marketing has a huge ROI — way better than any social media marketing ROI can ever dream of achieving. Compare 4,300% that with the ROI of social media, which is crawling around on the floor. Is there even a comparison?
Take a look at this chart, released by Custora in 2013. They surveyed the owners of ecommerce sites to find out where these sites got their customers. Here are the top six sources:
via Cutora
Paid and organic search have the highest customer acquisition percentages. The next biggest contender is email. Based on its ROI — higher than paid and organic search — it’s a no brainer. Email marketing is awesome.
According to the chart above, the fascinating thing about email marketing is that its acquisition rates are rising dramatically. It has quadrupled over the past four years. Email marketing’s effectiveness far outranks any social media platform, and its growth outstrips them.
Even the customer lifetime value (CLV) of social media is hardly worth a second glance. Again, email marketing crushes social media by a huge margin:
Simply put, email marketing is way more effective than social media marketing. It has greater effectiveness, better ROI, and higher CLV.
Even though Pinterest has a high bounce rate doesn’t mean you shouldn’t utilize it to advertise and promote your business. Since Neil Patel (who cites Fast Company as a resource) mentions that Pinterest is the second biggest social media site, there’s no doubt that it offers many benefits. However, seeing results on Pinterest takes patience. See why:
First off, a Pinterest disclaimer (or two), and then a Pinterest happy dance.
The first disclaimer is this — Pinterest has high bounce rate (53%) and low engagement. Disclaimer number two: Pinterest doesn’t work for everyone. If you are into food, crafts, photography, weddings, design, fitness, humor, travel, fashion, and inspirational quotes, then Pinterest is killer. It holds promise for some, but not for all.
The happy dance is this — Pinterest is the second biggest social media referral platform. Though it trails Facebook distantly, it still beats out Twitter, YouTube, Google+, and LinkedIn by a sizeable margin.
Now, let’s talk about ROI. Pinterest, as it turns out, does have one. But it’s a delayed reaction. When a pinner curates his or her pinboard, it takes a while for there to be social buildup, let alone revenue. Unlike Twitter, which has a short half-life, Pinterest visits increase as time goes on. It’s like wine. The older, the better.
As it turns out, the revenue doesn’t start happening until more than two months after pinning. Pinners spend more time exploring other people’s pinboards then they do searching for stuff offsite to pin. The average Pinterest pin gets 10 repins, but it takes time for those pinners to start repinning pins. This leads to a corresponding delay in revenue.
Pinterest is money, but it’s slow money. It’s like investing in a CD or a bond. The egg just takes a little while to hatch.
Who knew that YouTube could be so useful for advertising products and engaging with customers?! Well, it turns out YouTube might be worth your time. See why Buffer believes YouTube is worth the time and effort.
Did you think TV was the best way to reach the masses? Well if you’re after 18–34 year olds in the U.S., you’ll have more luck reaching them through YouTube. Of course, one video won’t necessarily reach more viewers than a cable network could, but utilizing a platform with such a wide user base makes a lot of sense.
Rethink it: If you’ve been putting off adding video to your strategy, now’s the time to give it a go. You could start small with simple five minutes videos explaining what your company does or introducing your team.
Buffer also reveals a pretty shocking statistic about Twitter, and it’s likely you had no idea the audience was in this age group! This just goes to show how important it is to know your audience and know who you are marketing to on any social media channel.
The fastest growing demographic on Twitter is the 55–64 year age bracket.
This demographic has grown 79% since 2012.
The 45–54 year age bracket is the fastest growing demographic on both Facebook and Google+.
For Facebook, this group has jumped 46%.
For Google+, 56%.
Those are impressive numbers against the prevailing idea that social media is ‘just for teenagers.’ It certainly points to the importance of having a solid social media strategy if these age brackets fit into your target demographic.
Rethink it: Keep older users in mind when using social media, particularly on these three platforms. Our age makes a difference to our taste and interests, so if you’re focusing on younger users with the content you post, you could be missing an important demographic.
Quertime discusses a few more shocking findings of social media channels. For example, who would have thought that younger people feel Instagram is more important than Facebook and Twitter?! It’s good to know that Instagram users are younger. Also, keep reading to find out whether there are more women than men on social media or if it's an even split.
Young people view Instagram as more important than Facebook and Twitter
This could be because Instagram is viewed as the newer and cooler app compared to the older ones. 90% of Instagram users are younger than 35 and 32% of US teens cited Instagram as their favorite social network.
Most social networks have an even split of male and female users
Facebook is used by 77% of female’svs 66% of males, Instagram is 29% vs 22%, Twitter is 21% vs 24% and LinkedIn is 27% vs 28%. Pinterest is the only outlier with 42% of female’svs 13% of males.
Sources: The Content Factory, Mashable, Quertime, Neil Patel, Search Engine Journal, Fast Company, Buffer Social Blog
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Kidderminster 3°c
Our Facebook feedsKidderminster Shuttle
Our Twitter feeds@ksshuttle
MP's View - Mark Garnier
Wyre Forest MP 'entering 2020 with optimism'
Wyre Forest MP Mark Garnier 'entering 2020 with optimism'
By Mark Garnier
Wyre Forest MP Mark Garnier
New Year is always a time for reflection. As we pass from the teenage years of the 21st Century and into its 20s, reflection on the last decade is quite a task.
I was first elected in 2010, when we were coming out of the financial crises and embarked on the first peace-time coalition government for three quarters of a century.
I took over from an individual here who I still have huge respect for – Dr Richard Taylor, a man who worked tirelessly for our local hospital and who was the man of the moment in 2001, when the then government embarked on far-reaching changes to our local acute provision.
But in 2010, we needed to address new issues and economic repair was on the forefront of everyone’s minds.
Whilst public finances are back on track, no one would ever have predicted the extraordinary outcome a few years later.
A referendum to end the Scottish independence question has resulted in a huge surge in Scottish nationalism.
A further referendum to quieten the growth of Euroscepticism resulted in three years of deadlock, with Parliament – whose primary role is to make decisions – broken by infighting and deadlock.
At least we had a (third) referendum that really did achieve what it set out to do – to quell any desires to change our voting system.
The last few months have been, to say the least, turbulent: our third prime minister since 2015, a supreme court ruling against the government, hideous confrontation between the government and Parliament.
What is astonishing is that we start 2020 with these problems, apparently, resolved. The general election has resulted in a stable government with a clear mandate to deliver Brexit.
We are now moving on with the will of 63 per cent of Wyre Forest voters, who opted to leave the EU. From February 1, we will be in the transition period, seeking a fresh relationship with our closest friends and allies.
But government is about so much more than just a single issue. We now enter a period of a genuine fresh start, where we can address a wide range of issues that have been pushed aside because of Brexit.
So I enter 2020 with optimism. Parliament is back on track, and we can move on, delivering for our country.
A happy, and optimistic New Year to you all.
Mark Garnier looks back at a decade as Wyre Forest MP
Wyre Forest MP Mark Garnier weighs in on US attack on Iran
MP: 'Parliament has emerged from a bleak winter of misery'
MP Mark Garnier: 'Now is the time to bring Wyre Forest together'
MP Mark Garnier: General election cannot just be about Brexit
Wyre Forest MP intends to support PM's Brexit deal
MP Mark Garnier visits West Mercia Police headquarters
MP Mark Garnier: Lib Dems won't be given chance to cancel Brexit
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Brown critiques standardized testing, abundance of education laws
Governor praises teachers in 'State of the State' address
Updated: 6:59 PM PST Jan 24, 2013
Sharokina Shams
KCRA 3 Reporter
(istock image)
In a speech that sounded at times as though it was written by school teachers, Gov. Jerry Brown told California lawmakers Thursday that they have made too many laws regulating how students are taught.“Distant authorities crack the whip, demanding quantitative measures and a stark, single number to encapsulate the precise achievement level of every child," Brown said as he critiqued standardized testing.Were the speech broadcast to classrooms, it may have elicited cheers, as Brown talked of taking some power over classroom decisions away from the bureaucracies of state and federal government."I prefer to trust our teachers, who are in the classroom each day, doing the real work, lighting fires in young minds," Brown said.While it wasn’t clear whether Brown intends to propose formal changes to standardized testing, he has proposed an end to categorical funding, a series of state requirements that tell schools how they can spend various pots of money.School leaders have said categorical funding -- money meant only for special education, or adult education, or career counseling -- often ties their hands, keeping them from spending it on what might be more dire needs at a given time.Jennifer Ellerman, who was named Sacramento County’s Teacher of the Year in August, praised the governor’s statements."I think finally, someone is acknowledging teaching as a profession,” said Ellerman, an eighth-grade teacher at California Middle School. “We are professionals, and when we're given some freedom to practice that professionalism, that's when we start to see really amazing things start to happen in the classroom."
In a speech that sounded at times as though it was written by school teachers, Gov. Jerry Brown told California lawmakers Thursday that they have made too many laws regulating how students are taught.
“Distant authorities crack the whip, demanding quantitative measures and a stark, single number to encapsulate the precise achievement level of every child," Brown said as he critiqued standardized testing.
Listen to governor's talking points in State of the State address
Were the speech broadcast to classrooms, it may have elicited cheers, as Brown talked of taking some power over classroom decisions away from the bureaucracies of state and federal government.
"I prefer to trust our teachers, who are in the classroom each day, doing the real work, lighting fires in young minds," Brown said.
While it wasn’t clear whether Brown intends to propose formal changes to standardized testing, he has proposed an end to categorical funding, a series of state requirements that tell schools how they can spend various pots of money.
School leaders have said categorical funding -- money meant only for special education, or adult education, or career counseling -- often ties their hands, keeping them from spending it on what might be more dire needs at a given time.
Jennifer Ellerman, who was named Sacramento County’s Teacher of the Year in August, praised the governor’s statements.
"I think finally, someone is acknowledging teaching as a profession,” said Ellerman, an eighth-grade teacher at California Middle School. “We are professionals, and when we're given some freedom to practice that professionalism, that's when we start to see really amazing things start to happen in the classroom."
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This Privacy Policy explains how Keesy S.r.l. (hereinafter also Keesy and/or Owner) collects and uses the personal data acquired during the use of the www.keesy.com and www.keesy.it site (hereinafter also Site) or of the "Keesy App." (hereinafter also App.) The EU Regulation on the matter of personal data processing and protection GDPR 679/2016 brought into line with Legislative Decree 196/2003 through Legislative Decree 101/2018, imposes a series of obligations on those who process information concerning other subjects. One of the main obligations is to inform the person to whom the data refers on the use that is made of the information and acquire his consent to carry out the relevant operations. According to the above mentioned decree, the processing of this data by Keesy will be based on the principles of fairness, lawfulness and transparency and protection of confidentiality. Please also read the updated sections: “Conditions of site and app. use” and “General Sales Conditions”.
1. PURPOSES AND METHODS OF PROCESSING DATA
Your personal data is processed for the following purposes:
1.1 to reply to any requests for information and to give full effect to all contractual obligations and to the services offered by Keesy including sending reminders, technical notes, updates, notifications, administrative and support messages. We remind you that the failure to provide such data will make it impossible to make use of the services offered by Keesy.
1.2 to manage supplier/customer relationship (including administration, accounting and fiscal aspects);
1.3 to fulfil obligations required by the law, a regulation, community legislation, including obligations deriving from what is specified at point 2 with the management of services provided/to provide on the request of the “Host” user (subject who rents out the property for tourist use) and the management of the relationship as “Guest” user (subject who rents the property for tourist use).
We inform you that video surveillance systems are in operation at our facilities and at Keesy points. The purposes are those strictly connected to the security, protection and confidentiality of the systems. The plans of the areas/premises indicating the location of the cameras, with relevant operating range, are available to the Data Controller. The images are recorded for a short period of time and then overwritten and/or erased. They are not stored. Only the essential images will be recorded for the purposes set out above avoiding, so far as is possible, details or enlargements. What is collected will not be used for other purposes or disclosed to third parties, except in the case of intervention/request by the Judicial Authority or Public Safety bodies.
During the Check-in procedure at the Keesy point the Guest User must sign the authorization to the use of his personal data as well as the authorization to make recordings and photographs inside the Keesy point for safety reasons. If the Guest User does not give his authorisation to the use of date and image, Keesy cannot proceed with the collecting and sending of data to the Police Headquarters.
With the explicit and distinct consent for each of the following purposes:
1.4 to be sent, via e-mail letter, telephone, mobile /smartphone/tablet (sms, message applications) fax and other distance communication channels, social media, advertising/promotional material and newsletters for products and business offers by Keesy.
1.5 to send promotional material regarding the services offered by Keesy or by its business Partners;
1.6 for market research and economic and statistical analyses;
1.7 for profiling the user for business purposes, to identify consumption/interest categories and propose business or promotional offers relating to the relevant profile;
1.8 Your data will be retained for a period of time not greater than that necessary to satisfy the purposes indicated and, in particular for points 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3, for the entire duration of activation of the account and also, subsequently, for the time strictly required to fulfil the legal obligations and in any case to make use of the services offered by Keesy, even if you have terminated the relationship. For points 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7 up to a maximum of 5 years for the purposes indicated. The data is deleted or made anonymous and used for solely statistical purposes upon expiry of these time periods.
2. TYPE AND CATEGORIES OF DATA
2.1 Keesy processes personal and identification data such as: name, surname, tax code, address, telephone, banking and payment references, login credentials, identity documents, photos/images. In these cases - as better specified in the General Conditions of Sale to which reference should be made in full - the User is asked to provide more data, which is strictly personal, including but not limited to: credentials to access the Lodgers Web portal, land-register data of the non-hotel accommodation facility, personal data of the guests of the accommodation facility. If this data is not provided, it will be impossible to make use of the services offered by Keesy.
2.2 Keesy makes available to the user specific services like the collection/sending of identity documents to the competent police headquarters (pursuant to art. 109 TULPS) and the collection/sending of the tourist tax to the city council. It also digitally acquires and records what is set out in the identity documents that will be requested by the procedure in the steps envisaged, as they are necessary to fulfil legal obligations and requested by the Public Safety Authority pursuant to Art. 109 of TULPS – Consolidated Text on Public Safety Law (Royal Decree 773/1931). Photographic or video images are acquired, always to fulfil current Public Safety Laws. For the operational modes of this procedure please read the General Terms and Conditions of Sale art. 9
2.3 Geo-localisation data may be used (through IP address disclosure software) for the sole purpose of better clarifying the characters and options of the services to make available to you, during your selection of the parameters offered by Keesy.
3. NAVIGATION DATA
3.1 When you visit our Site or our App, our server automatically acquires several of your personal data the transmission of which is implicit in the use of Internet communication protocols. This category includes IP address, browser and operating system you are using. Keesy will process this personal data exclusively to improve the technical operation of its Site or of its App.
4. NATURE OF COLLECTING DATA AND CONSEQUENCES OF ANY REFUSAL
4.1 Data provision at points 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 is compulsory; without the consent to process the data it will be impossible to fulfil the contractual obligations and provide what is requested;
4.2 the consent to processing data set out at points 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7 is optional even if important, to be able to offer an even better experience. You can decide not to give your consent, to give it and/or to refuse it subsequently;
4.3 The User can always request the cancellation of all his data, by contacting Keesy, unless the data itself must be maintained for a longer time in accordance with the law. Upon reaching the purposes mentioned above, instead of being cancelled, the data could be made anonymous using specific procedures, for internal and aggregated statistical purposes.
5. ACCESS, COMMUNICATION AND DISSEMINATION, TRANSFER OF DATA
Your personal data, for the purposes and within the time strictly required and essential to execute the services made available by Keesy as indicated above, can be:
5.1 made accessible for the purposes set out at points 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 to employees of Keesy and/or third party companies or other subjects which Keesy avails of for outsourcing activities (by way of example; companies to manage IT and accounting systems, company to manage assistance services, System Administrator etc.) Your data may be made accessible for the purposes set out at points 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 and 1.7 to employees of the Data Controller and/or specifically authorized subjects/companies.
5.2 be communicated to all natural and legal persons, in cases in which communication is necessary for the purposes explained above and to carry out economic and contractual activities with Keesy, such as legal, economic-financial consultants, I.T. outsourcers;
5.3 to bodies that coordinate, supervise and manage Internet networks, national and foreign, as well as to providers of services hosting servers and I.T. storage;
5.4 to our collaborators and employees specifically assigned to this task and within the scope of the relevant duties, including any external/internal data supervisors;
5.5 to third parties for the use of I.T. services useful for the operation of the website and of the App., such as cookies, also those appointed as Data supervisors;
5.5 for voluntary activities to third parties which may be authorised by Keesy to carry out these promotional/commercial activities, of contact or direct sending of business communications,
5.6 in every case the processing activity will be performed in a way to ensure the security and confidentiality of the data, having adopted specific security measures to prevent the loss of data, its unlawful or incorrect use and unauthorized access; furthermore, the personal data is processed with automated tools for the time strictly required to pursue the purposes for which it has been collected.
5.7 Personal data in e-format is retained on protected servers located in the EU and at the business operating office. For the purposes connected to managing the assistance service and, if necessary, the data can be available to authorised subjects outside the national territory outside the EU in full accordance with the guarantees provided on personal data processing as requested at community level. The personal data shall not be disseminated. The Data Controller assures from now on that, in case of necessity to transfer data and in compliance with the applicable provisions of law, he may perform these operations without major difficulties.
6. NAVIGATION DATA AND USERS REGIESTERED THROUGH COOKIES
6.1 The relevant privacy policy regarding cookies is set out below.
7.1 The user, who requests information or reports inconveniences by email exchange with Keesy, provides contact information and the contents on the message for the sole purpose of obtaining what is requested from Keesy.
8. RIGHTS OF THE INTERESTED PARTY
8.1 In your capacity as interested party, you are entitled to the rights set out at art. 7 of the Privacy Code and art. 15 of the GDPR and precisely the rights to:
- obtain confirmation of the existence or not of personal data relating to you, even if not yet recorded, and its communication in intelligible form;
- obtain the indication: a) of the origin of the personal data; b) of the purposes and methods of processing; c) of the logic applied in case of processing with the aid of electronic tools; d) of the identifying details of the data controller, supervisors and persons in charge of the processing;
- obtain: a) update, rectification or, when you are interested, integration of data; b) erasure, transformation into anonymous form or blockage of data processed in violation of the law, including that which is not necessary to retain in relation to the purposes for which the data is collected or subsequently processed; c) certification that the operations to which letters a) and b) refer have been brought to the knowledge, also regarding their content, of those to which the data has been communicated or diffused, unless this requirement proves impossible or involves a manifestly disproportionate effort compared with the right that is to be protected;
- oppose, fully or in part: a) for legitimate reasons the processing of your personal data, even if pertinent to the purpose of collection; b) the processing of your personal data to send advertising material or direct sale or to conduct market research or business communication;
- where applicable, you also have the right pursuant to art. 16-21 of GDPR (Right of rectification, right to be forgotten, right to restriction of processing, right to data portability, right to oppose), as well as the right to lodge a complaint with the Italian Data Protection Agency.
9.1 Keesy reserves the right, at its own discretion, to modify, extend and remove all or part of this policy, at any moment and without any prior warning. The modifications will become operational at the moment in which they will be posted on the Site or on the App.
10. EXERCISING RIGHTS
1o.1 You may exercise your rights at any time by sending a written communication to: Keesy Srl Viale S.Lavagnini n. 20 50126 Firenze – E-mail: info@keesy.com
11. DATA CONTROLLER
The Data controller is Keesy Srl with registered office in Viale S. Lavagnini no. 20 50126 Florence.
12. INTRODUCTION
12.1 Cookies are small text files installed in the browser of the computer, mobile phone or of another device belonging to the user by the websites which are visited. The cookies are used for the functionality of the websites or of the apps. or to improve user experience, as well as to provide information to the website or App. owners.
13. ACCEPTANCE OR REFUSAL OF THE USE OF COOKIES
13.1 The users have the possibility to set their devices in a way to accept all cookies, receive notifications when a cookie is sent, or not receive cookies at all. By choosing the last option, several personalized services cannot be provided to the user and he might not be able to make full use of all the functions of the www.keesy.com or www.keesy.it and of our “Keesy App.”
If you do not wish to receive cookies in general or if you wish to refuse specific cookies, it is possible to modify the browser settings. Nevertheless, each browser is different, so the “Help" menu of the browser should be used which shows information on how to modify the cookie-related preferences.
14. TYPE AND SCOPE OF COOKIES
14.1 Keesy can install different types of cookies on users' devices. These cookies, for which it is not necessary to acquire the consent of the user, are functional to guaranteeing better navigation and to analysing the use of the site and of the App. by the users.
15. TECHNICAL, FUNCTIONAL AND SESSION COOKIES
15.1 Keesy employs technical cookies on its websites. These are strictly required for the use of the site or of the App. and of some of their functions. In general, they allow the site to function correctly. The use of these session cookies (which are not persistently stored on the device of the interested party and are automatically deleted when the browser is closed) is closely restricted to the transmission of identification data of single sessions, and is used to allow the safe and efficient use of the site. The site uses technical Cookies of CMS WordPress to guarantee the session.
Session cookies could also be employed, to facilitate the use of the sites during the same navigation session. These cookies expire at the end of the user session (for example, when the User closes the browser window. The sites could also use cookies which last longer, to recall user preferences and the choices made on these sites which will last no longer than two years.
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16.1 Keesy could use analytical cookies to improve the performances of the platform through the collection of information on the number of visitors, on the site of origin and on how these use the same platform (for example, which pages are visited more often by the majority of visitors). Analytical tools supplied by providers, for example, Google Analytics, could be used for this purpose.
The Google privacy rules we invite you to read are available at the following address: http://www.google.com/intl/it/privacy/privacy-policy.html
The privacy policy statement relating to the services of Google Analytics, is available at the following address: http://www.google.com/intl/en/analytics/privacyoverview.html
The IT systems and the procedures used to operate the site automatically acquire some personal data during their normal operation. The data relates to the browsing of the interested party, including environmental variables. This category, by way of example, includes:
IP addresses of the computers used by users of the service;
the number of accesses;
the pages viewed;
date and time of access; url in which the browser was before displaying our page;
type of web browser;
operating system used.
The third party cookies used are:
- Youtube videos
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Local landscapers prep for snowfall
Updated: 10:31 PM CST Dec 18, 2012
Local landscapers are doing last-minute prepping for the season’s first big snowfall.Employees with Executive Landscaping and Lawn said they still have been landscaping, which is unusual for this time of year. They said it could mean less work come spring.“That's why you see all this last-minute prepping. We can't keep landscaping too far into December even though we'd probably like to,” said Cody Bartels, general manager.Bartels prepped his machines on Wednesday, but said they are usually on the street by now.“Typically this time of year this is already been done,” Bartels said.CM’s Custom Lawn and Landscaping said it is still working on last-minute details.“Some of the guys are out looking at what their parking lots are like or driveway routes in preparation,” said owner Josh Scearcy.Scearcy said most businesses already have a contactor to plow their parking lots, but not everyone.“There are still some properties out there that are being bid right now,” Scearcy said.Local contractors said they count on being ready for the first heavy snow.“It's so hit-or-miss in Nebraska you have to be ready for it when it shows up, but you really can't count on it as income or work for anybody,” Scearcy said.
Local landscapers are doing last-minute prepping for the season’s first big snowfall.
Employees with Executive Landscaping and Lawn said they still have been landscaping, which is unusual for this time of year. They said it could mean less work come spring.
“That's why you see all this last-minute prepping. We can't keep landscaping too far into December even though we'd probably like to,” said Cody Bartels, general manager.
Bartels prepped his machines on Wednesday, but said they are usually on the street by now.
“Typically this time of year this is already been done,” Bartels said.
CM’s Custom Lawn and Landscaping said it is still working on last-minute details.
“Some of the guys are out looking at what their parking lots are like or driveway routes in preparation,” said owner Josh Scearcy.
Scearcy said most businesses already have a contactor to plow their parking lots, but not everyone.
“There are still some properties out there that are being bid right now,” Scearcy said.
Local contractors said they count on being ready for the first heavy snow.
“It's so hit-or-miss in Nebraska you have to be ready for it when it shows up, but you really can't count on it as income or work for anybody,” Scearcy said.
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The Big CES 2020 Recap
KontrolFreek Aim Trainer: How To Improve Your Aim on Controller
The Highly Anticipated 2020 Game You Should Buy Based on Your Horoscope
Best Of The Decade: How Borderlands DLC Changed The Game Forever
By Brandon Masters
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The Next Generation of Electronics, Gizmos and Gadgets
It’s a tradition unlike any other: As we shake off the rust of the holiday break and prepare to jump-start the New Year with heightened resolve, we also get a glimpse at a possible tech-fueled future thanks to CES.
CES - also known as the Consumer Electronics Show - is the annual Las Vegas-based expo during which some of the biggest technology brands in the world highlight their latest achievements and discuss their roadmaps for a better future. Every January, brands like Sony, Tesla, Samsung, LG, TCL, Impossible Meats and more pull no punches with their announcements and reveals, often informing headlines that are seemingly pulled from Tony Stark’s vault of genius tech inventions.
Given our interest in the evolution of technology (especially gaming) and our formal/informal relationships with some of CES’ participating companies, we pay close attention to everything that is announced. Below are a few things we think you ought to know:
Samsung's Rotating 'Sero' TV
Samsung, the Korea-based technology company, revealed a TV that can flip between landscape and portrait modes with the tap of a button. Literally, the TV will rotate on its axis so consumers can view social content in various formats. Want to watch Instagram Stories on a 43-inch 8K screen sans giant black bars on either side of the screen? Want no more and watch them in portrait mode with Samsung’s Sero TV. (Source: TheVerge.com)
TCL Introduces a Smartphone
A company that KontrolFreek has partnered with throughout the years, TCL is widely known for its premium-yet-affordable line of televisions. But they aren’t stopping at TVs (and movie theaters…we see you TCL Chinese Theater), TCL introduced a line of Android-based phones, including a 5G phone named the TCL 10 5G. Knowing where mobile gaming is currently (and headed in the near future thanks to streaming and 5G), it’s safe to say we’ll be checking these out when available. (Source: TechRadar.com)
Dog Mood Monitoring
Have you ever wondered what your dog was thinking and wish some technology company would be bold enough to address that challenge? Well, Inupathy clearly knows why we love CES and introduced a harness-like device that monitors dogs’ heart rates to create a “predictive index in their mood.” We’re one step closer to knowing what those dogs were talking about in that famous poker painting. (Source: Engadget.com)
A handheld Gaming PC by Alienware
Imagine a handheld PC, the design of which is informed by the latest in handheld gaming ergonomics. Now imagine you can play the latest Microsoft Windows 10 games on that handheld. Finally, imagine that handheld PC was created by Alienware, which is widely known for its premium and powerful hardware. (Source: CNET.com)
PS5 is Officially Coming in 2020
Boy does Sony know how to tease us. We’re finally in 2020, the year the next generation of video game consoles will launch. During CES, Sony formally highlighted the logo for PS5. And while it was definitely a tease of more to come, it was also a good old fashioned “pinch in the arm” to snap us out of the post-holiday haze and remind that “yes, this is going to be a great year for gaming.” (Source: CNET.com)
These were a few of the announcements that caught our eyes. What was your favorite piece of news to come out of CES? Anything missing you wish was announced? We want to know! Hit us @kontrolfreek on Twitter and let us know your thoughts.
Find out about what's going on with our latest news.
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On the Screen
Lake Oconee Scene
2019 Reader's Choice
Milledgeville, GA (31061)
Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 48F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..
Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 48F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Blind bowler Nolan LaValley, a junior at Northeastern Clinton Central High School in Champlain, N.Y., follows through on his roll during a recent match.
Kayla Breen/Plattsburgh, N.Y., Press-Republican
Bowling blind is right up his alley
By Joey LaFranca/Plattsburgh Press-Republican
CHAMPLAIN, N.Y. — Nolan LaValley, blind since birth, does not let his disability keep him from bowling and enjoying a sport he has learned from his high school coach and teammates.
A member of Northeastern Clinton Central High School bowling team, he uses his limited ability to contrast light from dark to locate the lane and the gutters, when to stop and release the ball, directing it toward the tenpins.
“I can see the gutter lines because they are darker,” LaValley said. “I kind of aim myself in the center between the two. There is a black line across the floor before the lane starts so I try and just stay one step behind it.”
“It’s been incredible,” he added. “My teammates have been great. Coach has helped me a lot as well. She has come up with incredible analogies on how to bowl because I can’t see how it’s done. I can’t see the proper technique of how to throw a ball.”
Coach Danielle Menard said LaValley, a high school junior, does not let his blindness discourage him. She said his attitude helps improve team morale.
“He's always joking about himself or joking with everyone,” she said. “He makes it all happy, and he makes me more positive as well. I mean, how can you not feel positive just knowing what Nolan is trying to do?”
Menard’s pleased with how LaValley’s teammates welcome him. For example, she said, before every match or practice, team members assist him on and off the bus that transports the team to the North Bowl Lanes in neighboring Plattsburgh, New York. Champlain, a town of 5,700 people in northeast New York, does not have a bowling alley.
“All of Nolan’s teammates have been amazing,” Menard said. “They never hesitate to be there for him, and our team is closer because of Nolan. He’s a great piece to the team.”
LaValley’s interest in bowling developed when his aunt bought him passes for Christmas 2018 to try the sport. He promptly gave it a shot at the North Bowl Lanes.
“I loved it,” he said. “I didn’t do too well, but I loved it.”
Eventually, he sensed the layout of the alley and the position of the tenpins at the far end. The hardest part, he said, involved controlling the ball and making sure he had his ball.
This Christmas he got an all-white ball, “and I will be able to see that a little bit better.”
As the bowling season progressed, so did LaValley. In a recent match with his school’s “B” team against AuSable Valley High School in Clintonville, New York, he scored his best game (117) and series (277). He accomplished another milestone in early December when he tossed his first strike in a match.
“I want to get better; that’s what drives me,” LaValley said. “It’s frustrating (at times) but I look at it this way: If I can keep the ball out of the gutter and hit at least one pin every time, it’s a win for me.”
Joey LaFranca is a reporter for the Plattsburgh, N.Y., Press-Republican. Reach him at jlafranca@pressrepublican. Com.
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A 6-Day Japan Vacation Tour Package to Give You Moments of Life!
Planning a trip to Japan but wondering which Japan Vacation Tour Package to choose from? Put your worries aside and plan a hassle-free tour with this 6-days itinerary. Visit the best places in Japan and get closer to its historic sides. Read More
Planning a trip to Japan but wondering which Japan Vacation Tour Package to choose from? Put your worries aside and plan a hassle-free tour with this 6-days itinerary. Visit the best places in Japan and get closer to its historic sides.
Trip At A Glance:
Day 1: Arrival in Tokyo
Day 2-3: Spend a full day into Tokyo
Day 4: Visiting Kamakura
Day 5: Visit Nikko and get closer to nature
Day 6: Departure
Stepping in the land of Tokyo city and exploring the surroundings
Exploring the two main sides of Tokyo - the eastern and western sides.
Witnessing the attractions of Kamakura
Getting closer to nature and witness ancient moss, stone lanterns, vermillion gates, and towering cedars in Nikko
Fly into Narita Airport and drive an hour more before getting into the city center via the Narita Express. After traveling for hours and hours, we suggest you not to plan much on the first day. What you can do is just explore the area you’re staying and devour your first Japanese dinner of either ramen or Pork Katsu.
After resting a whole night, you might have said cheerios to the Jetlag, and hence today you are ready to explore Tokyo. Start with the western districts of the city, including Shibuya, Harajuku, and Shinjuku. Go for a walking tour or hire a taxi to save time and efforts. Do not miss to check out the world-famous Shibuya Crossing, where 100’s of people scramble across the street at once. Want to witness the best view above? Head to Starbucks or find the Keio Inokashira Line at Shibuya Station for another perfect view.
When done with the western side, stop exploring and start satisfying your hunger. Enjoy the local Japanese cuisines and return to your lodge. The next day, restart with a new side, another corner of Tokyo- the East side. Eastside has a panoply of attractions which can leave you go Aww and it includes but certainly not limited to, Asakusa and Sensoji Temple, historic Nakamise Dori shopping street, Sumida Park and Tokyo SkyTree, Tokyo SkyTree - the tallest tower in not only Japan, Ueno Park, and Akihabara District.
If the crowded streets of Tokyo made you crave for the tranquility, Kamakura is the next place you must pay a visit. Being located away from the Tokyo city, Kamakura offers a sense of satisfaction coupled with tranquilness to every traveler who visits it. Don’t miss the Great Buddha of Kamakura (at Kotokuin Temple), easily the most popular attraction in the area, and literally hard to miss at 44 feet. After gazing it for minutes, take a 5-mins walk and reach the Hase Dera Temple, which is a beautiful temple located on a hillside overlooking the ocean. You will also find the historic bamboo forest at Hokokuji Temple, similar to that in Kyoto, and it’s possible to see Mt. Fuji on a clear day from Kenchoji Temple. Once you are done with the temple trips, head on over to Komachi-Dori, the busiest commercial street in Kamakura and satisfy your hunger. Could you ask for more from a This Japan Vacation Tour Package? The answer has to be a NO.
If you are getting sick of the city and need to get some nature into your life, visit the nature-loving Nikko city which is full of ancient moss, stone lanterns, vermillion gates, and towering cedars. The antique look of the city makes this place a complete picturesque. After all, there’s a reason why this area is one of Japan’s most visited areas. Located about two hours north of Tokyo, Nikko is the site of the famous Toshogu Shrine, the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu (VIP in Japan), and numerous other temples and shrines. Don’t miss the famous Shinkyo bridge, the beautiful Nikko National Park (on a sunny day), Kanman-ga-Fuchi Abyss, and Kegon Falls.
With lost of memories in your eyes, take a leave from Japan. But do not miss to enjoy your farewell lunch at your hotel.
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Smoking fine for Preston taxi driver
A driver has been fined for smoking in their vehicle
Digital Reporter
A Preston taxi driver has received a £500 fine for smoking in his vehicle.
Azkar Hussain Aziz had been sanctioned for a similar offence in 2011 and paid a fixed penalty fee of £50.
However, earlier this year, he was observed by council officers on Cheapside lighting a cigarette and driving off having just dropped off a passenger.
Aziz, of Woodlands Avenue, failed to attend court earlier this month and the case was proven in his absence, Preston City Council said.
He was fined £200, made to pay the council’s costs of £272 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30.
Coun Peter Moss, Cabinet member for planning and regulation, said: “Taxi drivers have a responsibility to protect the health of their passengers, and the law on not smoking in the workplace applies to their vehicles for this reason.
"We take non-compliance very seriously and prosecute offenders to safeguard people’s health.”
Kitchen fire drama in Preston
Fulwood Academy head quits
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Linklaters supports the bid for Gay Games Hong Kong 2022
Linklaters is acting as pro bono legal counsel to the Hong Kong bid committee bidding to host Gay Games XI in Hong Kong 2022. Linklaters also supported the bid committee’s rally at PMQ.
The Gay Games, organised by the LGBT community every 4 years, is a sporting and cultural festival which promotes diversity, inclusion and tolerance. Inspectors from the Federation of Gay Games visited Hong Kong recently to inspect the proposed sites for each sporting, art and cultural event, evaluate logistics and assess the level of community support to host the games.
On June 21, the bid committee organised a rally for the inspectors at PMQ, affording Hong Kong the chance to show off its solidarity and commitment to equality, love and talent. There were live performances, food and drinks, and representatives from many Hong Kong businesses (including a number of our clients), the LGBT+ community, and sports, arts and cultural organisations.
If you would like to assist with the firm’s pro bono efforts in supporting the bid committee please contact Andrew Cohn.
Press Office Asia
Keeley Sargent
Marketing & Communications Manager - Asia
+85229015246 keeley.sargent@linklaters.com
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There are no words: A man, a dinosaur and a violent world are ‘Primal’
Caveman Spear (grunted by Aaron LaPlante) rides dinosaur Fang (sounds crafted by Joel Valentine) into battle in “Primal: Tales of Savagery.”
(Adult Swim)
By Michael OrdoñaStaff Writer
The Envelope Live screening series continued Dec. 4 at the Montalbán in Hollywood with a presentation of the Oscar-contending animated feature “Primal: Tales of Savagery.” The theatrical release compiles the first four episodes of Genndy Tartakovsky’s current Adult Swim series, “Primal.” The animation hero (“Clone Wars,” “Samurai Jack”) was on hand to chat with The Times’ Michael Ordoña about his 2-D, adult-skewing, dialogue-free story of a caveman and a dinosaur bonded by tragedy in a violent world.
The 2-D animation hero Genndy Tartakovsky created the speechless “Primal: Tales of Savagery”; he stuck around in 3-D to tell the audience how he found his voice.
(Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)
“I started to realize more and more that [the nonverbal sequences in my work] were people’s favorites,” he said. “So that’s when I thought, could I tell a whole story of just those sequences?
“I was in a creative rut and wanted to do something very different — I started working on it as a little short film, and I realized it could be so much more.”
Still, he worried people would have difficulty staying with full-length episodes without talking — until he got the best kind of evidence it would work: the nonverbal kind.
“I tell the story of my boss where we were screening one of the chapters ... everybody had pizza. He took one bite and it started, and then he sat the whole way, just holding his pizza like this, not taking another bite.”
Director Genndy Tartakovsky describes how he came to create a show with no dialogue, ironically using words to do so.
The characters’ lack of verbiage doesn’t mean they lack expression, said Tartakovsky, especially when it comes to sound designer Joel Valentine’s work on the dinosaur, Fang.
“I said, ‘Your job is to be the actor for Fang.’ He started to develop this [vocabulary] — it’s not just ‘Roar, roar, roar,’ there’s so much subtlety ... the sound was so important, because it’s her dialogue.”
Director Genndy Tartakovsky discusses how, in the absence of dialogue, sound design in his show is so crucial.
Tartakovsky has developed a following, in part for his distinctive animation style, which makes use of dynamic character positioning that sometimes resembles splash pages from comic books.
“Posing is everything in animation. From the simplicity of Chuck Jones, the way he would do Bugs Bunny … to Jack Kirby, Frank Miller, a lot of the comic books I grew up with in the ‘70s, ‘80s. I can think back to specific drawings and poses from those comic books.”
He referred to cinematic acting styles that used to be more presentational, more theatrical, and how they would leave you with strong visual memories of the performances. Now, though acting styles have changed, he said, filmmakers are “still trying to get these iconic images burned in your head.”
“There’s nothing I like better than when I walk out of a movie theater and I have a frame that I remember because it was so cool and iconic. So I try to make as many of those moments as I can, and posing is a big part of it.”
Director Genndy Tartakovsky talks about the importance of poses in animation.
Now that he’s such a well-established artist, it’s funny to imagine Tartakovsky initially intimidated by others’ work as a young man, but that’s just how he felt when confronted with his classmates’ skill at CalArts.
“By the time I got to CalArts, I thought I was hot ... I’ve got all this experience, I already did two years of film school. And we put our drawings up, and mine is like kid drawings, compared to all these professional, amazing illustrations. I was embarrassed. I didn’t know how I got into the school. I realized I had to work 10 times as much as anybody else just to get to the level where I could be accepted.”
Director Genndy Tartakovsky reveals how his time at CalArts taught him to discover his point of view as an artist.
In a potentially valuable bit of advice for young artists, he shared what he learned after his mind was blown at an even earlier still-life drawing class. He had crafted a straightforward rendering, then saw what the other students were doing.
“Somebody just draws a quarter of the bowl and one orange. ‘Wait, that’s not right.’ And then I see somebody else, and they do a very different composition. And I start to realize, ‘Oh, right. These people are artists, and they have their own .…’ It’s the simplest thing, but I didn’t understand it. I was very photographic, almost. I started to realize, ‘Right, I need a point of view. How am I approaching this fruit?’ Even as stupid as that sounds, it is everything. And from that point, it informed me completely.”
Genndy Tartakovsky’s “Primal” - LA Times exclusive clip from SDCC 2019
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Michael Ordoña
Michael Ordoña covers film and television for the Los Angeles Times.
‘Zombieland: Double Tap’ is good, goofy fun
New on Blu-ray “Zombieland: Double Tap” (Sony DVD, $19.96; Blu-ray, $34.99; 4K, $45.99; also available on VOD) Ten years after the horror-comedy “Zombieland” became a surprise hit with critics and moviegoers, the cast reunites with director Ruben Fleischer and “Deadpool” screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick for this cheeky sequel, which once again combines over-the-top monster-fighting violence with wacky romantic complications.
A timeline of Oprah Winfrey’s involvement with the Russell Simmons documentary
When Oprah Winfrey signed on to produce a documentary about Russell Simmons’ accusers, no one expected what would transpire. Here’s a timeline of those events.
Oprah Winfrey says Russell Simmons attempted to pressure her about her involvement with a documentary in which several women detail sexual abuse allegations against the rap mogul, but his efforts were not what prompted her to leave the project.
A timeline of Winfrey’s involvement with the Simmons documentary
Multi-hyphenate Tyler Perry makes his Netflix Originals debut with the murder mystery “A Fall From Grace,” featuring Crystal Fox, Cicely Tyson and Phylicia Rashad.
Oprah Winfrey backed out of the Russell Simmons sexual assault documentary. Why the fallout was ‘horrible’
When Oprah Winfrey pulled her support of Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick’s documentary about sexual assault allegations against Russell Simmons, the filmmakers were in total shock.
Review: Do not try to resist the comic charms of Federico Fellini’s ‘The White Sheik.’ You will fail
Federico Fellini’s 1952 comedy “The White Sheik,” starring Alberto Sordi, Leopoldo Trieste and Brunella Bovo, effortlessly charms today
Review: Justin Long gets lost in ‘The Wave,’ a trippy, comic exploration of the universe
Justin Long stars in “The Wave” as a lawyer who undertakes a psychedelic trip after being dosed with a hallucinogen while out on the town with a coworker.
Review: ‘Afterward’ analyzes the legacy of trauma, fascism and anti-Semitism
Jerusalem-born trauma expert Ofra Bloch engages with damaging historic forces and present-day anti-Semitism and fascism in the documentary “Afterward.”
New cinema books on ‘French New Wave’ and ‘Hollywood Chinese’ to brighten your shelves
“French New Wave: A Revolution In Design” and “Hollywood Chinese: The Chinese in American Feature Films” are gorgeously illustrated new books to enhance any cinefile collection.
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Grow Your Legal Practice
LawFirms
Elder Abuse and Criminal Law
Abuse of elders can result not only in civil claims, but criminal charges as well
Bukh Law Firm, P.C.
Other Articles by the Author
Legal Basics: Sexual Harassment Laws in New York
Partition Action: Pros and Cons
Every state has laws on the books making child abuse a crime up through the felony level, but what progress has been made in the area of criminal laws regarding elder abuse.
What actually is elder abuse?
Physical: Direct beatings, lack of medical care or overmedication, sexual exploitation
Abandonment: Desertion by anyone having responsibility for care
Isolation: Preventing an elderly person from receiving mail, telephone calls, visitors
Financial: Theft, misuse of funds or property, extortion, duress, fraud
Neglect: Denial of food, clothing, shelter, health care
Self-neglect: Malnutrition, being unkempt, unmet medical needs, unpaid bills
Mental suffering: Verbal assaults, threats, fear
State Criminal Laws on Elder Abuse
California appears to be the leader in this area of criminalization with Penal Code § 368 enacted in 2008. The first section states that the State is giving crimes against elders the "special consideration and protection" that has previously been given to minor child victims of violent crime. This statute also defines and has penalties against perpetrators of financial crimes against the elderly which are often the most prevalent form of elder abuse.
Other states are fast catching up and many more have laws on their books creating a specific penalty in violent crimes regarding persons over 65 years of age as they have had previously for victims under age 10 or 11. Utah in §76-5-111 of their Criminal Code defines elder abuse and then sets out criminal penalties which can be from a Class A misdemeanor up to a second degree felony.
New York recently used their 2008 amendment to Penal Code §120.05 (12) in the prosecution and subsequent conviction of a woman who punched a Wal-Mart greeter in the face on Christmas Eve 2011 when the greeter asked to look into her shopping bags in Batavia, NY. This addition to the second degree assault statute states that a person is guilty "with intent to cause physical injury to a person who is sixty-five years of age or older, he or she causes such injury to such person and the actor is more than ten younger than such person". In this case the victim was 70 years old and was knocked approximately 10 feet by the punch and suffered facial fractures. The defendant could be looking at a 7 year prison sentence due to the 2008 amendment to the statute. Would the woman charged in NY not have hit the Wal-Mart employee if aware of the extra penalty added by the employee's age? No probably not.
However, these higher penalties and stricter laws may well protect an elderly person from their caregivers at home, in a nursing home/assisted living or from their own families. Sadly, these "trusted" people are statistically the most frequent abusers. An example of a case where a caregiver was charged is that of a 93-year-old veteran of World War II in California, who was found unkempt and suffering from dementia and had to be admitted to a nearby veteran's hospital. His home health aide was charged with four counts of felony elder abuse, theft, forgery and false imprisonment. She had allegedly stolen approximately $9,000 from her patient and apparently was not caring for him. The higher penalties in violent crimes against elderly people can also give prosecutors additional clout when charging and moving on these cases.
On November 2, 2012, a nurse entered a plea of no contest to felony elder abuse in a lengthy case resulting from an incident in a nursing home in Placerville, CA. She has also agreed to help prosecutors with the criminal case against her supervisor. This case which involved the death of a 77-year-old woman due to "shoddy care" has spurred the California's attorney general's office to "ramp up" their investigations into the crime of elder abuse. The patient's husband did win a settlement in civil court against the nursing home, but before his death he stated that he always felt her death was a "criminal matter".
The important fact here is that elder abuse is hopefully getting the attention from legislators and prosecutors that it deserves and finally the abusers are and will be going to prison for this abuse. These cases are so often kept "within the family" in a way that theft and lack of care is not brought to the State's attention until the elderly person is very seriously ill. There have been cases where children of elders have been living on their parent's social security and so therefore did not want to get help for their parent as nursing home care would take away that income and direct it actually to the patient's care. In Rhode Island, attorneys have been appointed as guardians of elderly persons in this situation so that they can receive the care they need.
Sources: California Penal Code, Section 358 New York Penal Code, §120.05(12) Batavia woman indicted under new state law targeting elder abuse, http://www.whec.com/news/stories/s2558072.shtml?cat=565 Elder Abuse Laws in Utah by Mary Jane Ciccarello, www.utahbar.org. Veteran's Caretaker Pleads Not Guilty to Elder Abuse, Los Angeles Times, January 28, 2011. Nurse enters plea in elder abuse case, says 'my heart aches', Sacramento Bee, November 2, 2012. California attorney general's office to ramp up elder-abuse investigations, Sacramento Bee, November 3, 2012
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Technology Discussion
LCVG
LCVG Discord
LCVG Discord Server
Link to Invite
Controller Down
Time To Build A New PC
By dogbert, August 26, 2008 in Technology Discussion
Magness 299
1-Megabit
ITX builds are pretty reasonable these days. You can get low profile/low power/low noise CPU coolers, PSU’s and video cards now for ITX builds so they can be pretty good. You can get up to the 1660 or 1080 on GPU’s I think - I haven’t seen 2k series in low profile but they may be out too. ITX motherboards are usually on current-gen chipsets now too so you shouldn’t be missing too many features; just maybe fewer ports to utilise. I have no idea on costs but, it should cost you less than an iMac would
1 hour ago, secretvampire said:
Everything I've been reading says it's nowhere even close to as dramatic as platters -> SSD, but also if you are buying new, that it's a no-brainer to go that route.
On another note, my Ryzen CPU came in way earlier than expected so all of my parts are now in my hands for the weekend!
Woot - I’m so excited for you! I love the build stage and that first run through testing all the new shit: HD speed and game benchmarks and all of it
Angry the Clown 2,712
Whimsical Nonsense
7 minutes ago, Magness said:
Yeah. If nothing else I'm curious to see what I can price up.
Hopefully there's no fee on my Macbook Pro repair for now though. The battery replacement alert has been there for some time, but the unit has had fewer than 800 cycles and according to Apple's own website under UK/EU law that constitutes as a manufacturer's fault if a Macbook Pro battery goes wrong before it hits 1000 cycles, even out of standard warranty and Apple Care period, so I'll get in touch with them to set up an appointment.
secretvampire 254
Oops, forgot to update last night. Had a pretty painless time putting everything together this weekend, aided by a 7 hour power outage on Saturday which motivated me to just sit down and plow through the rest of it. It took me a little longer than I thought it would, but maybe I'm a lot more deliberate than I was in my younger years. And that's probably why everything just worked with no issues!
Case looks great, it's a little louder than my old one though not by much, understandable with the much more appropriate/substantial fans in this one for the beefy hardware. I would have been fine with no window at all since I really abhor the blinged out builds people do, and yet I kind of like the dark tinted glass. I have it sitting on its side, so if I walk up near it I can see inside on the top and it's cool, just the LED that is inside the AMD cooler/fan on top of the CPU and one on the edge of the video card. It looks really nice and doesn't bleed out into the room!
Knocks on the case are probably the same I would have had with any case this size, due to the amount of drives I crammed into it and they are the old 3.5" size. If I wanted to avoid this, I probably would have needed to go with the "full" ATX tower styles, but I made it work. The back panel (now on the bottom) that covers where most of the cable management takes place as well as covers the (only) two 3.5" drive bays, I had to really give it a good shove to get it back on and screwed in, the ends of the SATA cables on the drives made it hard, too. The other two drives + two SSDs...well, I'm not proud of it, but I basically just stacked them neatly in the main bay on top of unused PCI slots, it works fine and the cables are out of the way, this thing isn't going to get stood up or moved and I have no idea what I'd need to put in those slots.
The upside is that the four 3.5" drives are 6TB enterprise-level Seagates that a friend that works for A Very Big Computer Company gave me a little while back, they have loads of them in their lab they use for testing that they can't then re-sell or re-use. So I have 24TB of traditional storage, the 1TB ultra-fast PCIe M.2 boot drive, and then I filled the last two slots with 250GB and 120GB SSDs pulled over from the old machine that I'll use for more game installs. I think I am set storage-wise for a very long time, hah, though there is one more M.2 slot I could use if I wanted to add another SSD at some point.
Obviously....this thing is fast. I have been re-downloading everything and updating drivers and such, but I gave DOOM a try at 4k at Ultra Detail and it was as smooth as silk. Tried a few older games that are notoriously unoptimized and load times were better and CPU definitely must have been a bottleneck on the old system too, ran much smoother. I hope to give a few newer games a run-through shortly (Wolfenstein: Youngblood was included with the Nvidia, will try that when it releases on Friday) as well as get my Oculus hooked up and messing with super-sampling.
I am a very satisfied customer thus far!
Awesome man - can’t wait to hear how the Oculus works on the new rig with your new video card; that should be a substantial upgrade. Did you get a chance to benchmark any games or anything before the upgrade? Just curious how big a jump up your new PC will be on stuff like GTA 5 or Doom or whatever - not only playing them in 4K now but in 4K on ultra settings, or in VR on ultra with 2.0 SS, etc
foogledricks 485
LCVG King of Porn
I'm going to send you the Premiere files and media for my 40 minute documentary to see how long it takes you to render it on your beast. To which you will respond 3 minutes later with a YouTube link.
JTello 254
1-Segabit
On 7/23/2019 at 9:01 AM, foogledricks said:
Of course we all know is a joke because,... YouTube rendering! 🙃
Rainmaykr 236
On 7/22/2019 at 9:23 PM, secretvampire said:
It’s been a while now - post some updates What games have you tried on it? What VR stuff have you tried so far? Better experience on the new PC with stuff like USB for the Rift sensors or game pads? C’mon....
TIP THE BARTENDER 2019
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Grade: 4th Grade
4.8.A*
infer basic themes supported by text evidence;
4th Grade Reading - Theme Lesson
- view full lesson
A theme of a story is a message, lesson, moral, or meaning that can be drawn from the story. It is not a summary of the story’s characters and events. The theme rises above the story itself. It is what the reader can learn from what happens to the characters in the story.
There can be more than one theme in a story.
The Lazy Lion and the Fox
There once was a Lazy Lion. He decided that he no longer wanted to hunt. Hunting was hard work. However, he did want to eat. He came up with a plan.
The Lazy Lion pretended that he was sick. He stayed in his cave all day long. The animals in the forest felt bad for him. They came, one by one, to visit him. However, whenever one of the animals entered his cave, the Lazy Lion ate him!
One day, the Fox came to visit the Lion. The Fox was very alert. He noticed things that others did not.
“Come into my cave, and sit for a while,” the Lion said, acting weak.
“You should come outside instead,” said the Fox. “The fresh air will be good for you.”
“No, no,” said the Lion. “I am too old and sick to go outside. Come in and keep me company.”
As the Fox walked towards the cave, he noticed the footprints of the other animals who had entered the Lion’s cave. He stopped and sat down.
“You must have a lot of company already,” the Fox said to the Lion.
“What do you mean?” asked the Lion.
“I see that many animals have come into your cave.” He nodded to the footprints on the ground. “But none have come out.”
Now that he was caught, the Lion decided to get up and finish the Fox. But the Fox quickly ran away. The Lion was so fat and out of shape from lying in his cave and eating too much that he could not chase the Fox.
The Fox told all the other animals of the forest what he had learned. No one visited the Lazy Lion again, and so he was very hungry.
THEME: If you are too lazy to work, you will end up hungry and weak.
The Lion was lazy and didn’t want to work to catch his food.
He became too fat and weak to catch his food.
Another theme?
The Lion tricked animals into coming into his den, where he ate them.
In the end, things did not turn out well for the Lion. His trick was found out, and he had no more food and no ability to get it without trickery.
The Fox visited the Lion to be kind, but he noticed that other animals’ footprints only went into, not out of, the Lion’s cave.
Therefore, the Fox cautiously stayed out of the Lion’s reach.
Because he was observant and cautious, the Fox did not get eaten like the other animals did.
When looking for themes of a story, think about —
What ideas are bigger than the story itself?
What can the reader learn from the story?
What message or messages can the reader infer?
What evidence from the passage supports the theme or themes?
❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋
Go to the next page to practice identifying themes.
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Use Penetrating Oil to Loosen a Stuck Nut or Bolt
ATVs & Off Road
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PB Blaster, Liquid Wrench, WD-40, Aero-Kroil and More
Loosen a Stuck or Frozen Bolt. photo by Matt Wright, 2008
by Matthew Wright
Matthew Wright has been a freelance writer and editor for over 10 years and an automotive repair professional for three decades specializing in European vintage vehicles.
The penetrating oil is most useful when you have a corroded or rusted bolt or nut that just won't budge. Pretty much every home garage or workshop needs a can of spray penetrating oil on a shelf. If you don't have one, you probably should. But if you already have a can, there is also a good chance you're using it incorrectly. It's not uncommon for people to use a can of spray penetrating oil as an old-fashioned lubricant, but that's actually not what it's intended for. Spraying a bicycle chain or gear linkage with WD-40 or PB Blaster, won't really offer the lubrication you wanted.
Penetrating Oil Defined
Although manufacturers vary in how they label their products, the spray oil you are looking for will be called "penetrating oil" or "penetrating lubricant"—even though it's really not a typical lubricating oil, such as what is used to keep machinery gears running smoothly.
Penetrating oil is a petroleum-based oil with an especially fine viscosity—so fine that it can be sprayed as a mist, and so fine that it will find the smallest openings between metal parts and penetrate them. Because penetrants have such low surface tension, they can seep into almost invisible crevices and over time loosen metal connection that appeared to be rusted solid.
True penetrating oil is sold under many different brand names, including WD-40, PB Blaster, Liquid Wrench, and AiroKroil. This can be a little confusing, especially since brands like the WD-40 offer not only a true penetrating oil but also sell spray lithium or silicone lubricants. And some may be marketed as "multi-use" lubricants that supposedly can be used both for penetrating and other general-purpose lubrication. However, the best products for loosening nuts and bolts and other parts will specify themselves on the label as "penetrating" oils.
Penetrating Oil Uses
When faced with a rusty bolt or nut or other parts that seem corroded together, the secret is time. After spraying a healthy dose of penetrant on the fused parts, give them several hours—or even overnight—to sit while the penetrating oil seeps in. Then use your wrenches to try and loosen the parts. If they refuse to budge, hit them with another heavy dose of penetrating oil and again let them sit for several hours and try again.
Sometimes, very stubborn parts can be loosened if you apply heat to them. For example, a stuck nut that is warmed up with a heat gun will expand just enough to allow your wrench to turn it. However, don't apply direct flame to parts that are still wet with oil. Penetrating oils will evaporate rather quickly, but remember that these are petroleum-based products, so there is the possibility of igniting them.
Other Types of Spray Lubricants
True penetrating oils aren't the best product for every use and not every spray lubrication product is a penetrating oil.
Here are some of the other spray products available, along with their recommended uses:
Lithium Grease: This is a mixture of lithium hydroxide and petroleum oils. This is a true lubricant, not a penetrating oil, and it works well for lubricating parts where heavy loads or pressure is present, such as the hinges on heavy doors or mechanical cranks.
PTFE: This name stands for polytetrafluoroethylene, but it really is just a Teflon spray. It is very good for lubricating chains and cables. It is a great material for lubricating parts on a bicycle.
Silicone: This is a spray lubricant containing about 1.5 percent silicone suspended in other materials to allow it to be applied as a spray. Silicone lubricants repel water and work well at extremely high or low temperatures. It is also unusual in that it can be used on rubber, wood, and plastic parts without staining them. It is not intended for applications where there will be heavy pressure.
Dry Lubricants: Although in spray form, dry lubricants come out damp, the solvents used to support the tiny, dry particles, usually graphite, quickly evaporate, leaving surfaces entirely dry. Dry lubricants are ideal for locks, indoor hinges, and drawer slides, since there is no oily mess and dirt doesn't stick to them. Dry lubricants to not displace water, though, and they wear away fairly quickly and must be regularly reapplied.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes a ride in a Metro from Botanical Garden Station to Okhla Bird Sanctuary along with Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and other dignitaries on Monday. Photo: PTI
Magenta Line inauguration highlights: Modi flags off metro train, ends Noida visit
13 min read . Updated: 25 Dec 2017, 11:36 PM IST Livemint
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates a section of the Magenta Line of Delhi Metro today that connects Botanical Garden in Noida to Kalkaji Mandir in South Delhi. Here are the latest updates
NEW DELHI : What comes as a Christmas gift to thousands of daily commuters in the Delhi-Noida region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated a section of the Magenta Line of Delhi Metro. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath is also attending the opening ceremony. However, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is not part of the inauguration ceremony. The 12.64km section connects Botanical Garden in Noida to Kalkaji Mandir in South Delhi and vastly improve travel time providing relief to thousands of daily commuters. Here are the latest updates and developments from the inauguration of the Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line:
25 Dec 2017, 08:02:00 PM IST
Samajwadi Party workers protest at Botanical Garden metro station
Samajwadi Party workers today protested at the Botanical Garden metro station, alleging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath were taking credit for the work done by Akhilesh Yadav on the Delhi Metro's Magenta Line. Around 100 Samajwadi Party workers led by party leader Surendra Singh Nagar reached the metro station in the evening to stage the protest. They alleged the work on the project was started by former UP chief minister Yadav and 'the PM and CM were taking credit for it'. 'We will travel by metro train to Kalindi Kunj and return and tell people that the Magenta Line was started by the Samajwadi Party government,' Nagar said. (PTI)
Mahesh Sharma seeks PM’s support for development of Noida botanical garden
Union minister Mahesh Sharma, a member of parliament from Gautam Budh Nagar, today sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s support for development of the botanical garden in Noida into a place of tourist attraction.Speaking at the public rally, Sharma said, “Land for the botanical garden was allotted 20 years ago and still needs development to attract tourists. It needs your (prime minister’s) attention and support for development.”Modi today inaugurated a stretch of Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line with a ride between the Botanical Garden and the Okhla Bird Sanctuary stations. (PTI)
Metro train project in Agra, Kanpur and Jewar airport project expedited: Yogi Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath today announced new Metro projects for Agra and Kanpur in the state and said that the work for setting up an airport at Jewar near Noida also had been expedited. Two major expressways are also being planned in the state, he said. Referring to the inauguration of the metro line, Adityanath said the event was the “foundation stone of the development of Noida and state”. He said that as per Modi’s directions, he was working on the basis of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas (participation of all and development for all) principle. (PTI)
Arvind Kejriwal evades reply on Magenta Line inauguration
AAP leaders and volunteers started tweeting with #TakeCreditButReduceFare. When reporters asked Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for comments on being not invited for the inauguration of a section of the Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line at a Christmas event in the city, the chief minister evaded a reply, saying the occasion was not right to talk about it. However, he retweeted Sisodia’s tweets. The Kejriwal government has been at loggerheads with the Centre and DMRC over the recent hike in the metro fares, despite the AAP’s objections. (PTI)
Not inviting Kejriwal to Magenta Line launch insult of Delhi people: Manish Sisodia
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was not invited to the launch of Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line out of the fear that he might publicly demand a roll-back of the fare hike, his deputy Manish Sisodia said today. He also said that not inviting the chief minister to the inauguration programme at Noida was an “insult” to the people of Delhi. “Not calling the Delhi chief minister in an inauguration of a Delhi Metro project is an insult of the people of Delhi. There’s only one reason behind not inviting Kejriwal, the fear that he may urge the prime minister to roll back the fare hike (sic),” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader tweeted. Of the nine stations on the Magenta Line, seven are within the boundaries of Delhi, while the remaining two are in Noida. Those who had hiked the metro fares were “scared” of the AAP supremo, Sisodia said. (PTI)
Good governance is key to all-round development: Modi
Good governance is the key to all-round development and it is time people shun the attitude of seeking personal gains while drawing up public schemes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today. The NDA-led Centre observes the day as ‘Good Governance Day’ to celebrate the birthday of former premier and BJP veteran Atal Bihari Vajpayee. “Governance cannot happen when the dominant thought process begins at ‘mera kya’ (how will it benefit me) and ends at ‘mujhe kya’ (why should I bother). We have changed this mindset. For us, decisions are about national interest and not political gains,” Modi said at a public meeting after launching a 12-km stretch of Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line in Noida. He said while India is a prosperous country, people have been deprived of its benefits due to poor governance. “But I have taken upon myself to change all this. It is a tough decision (for many) when they have to think whether the policy would benefit them politically,” he said. The prime minister noted that if a policy was in “black and white” and well laid out, it would leave little scope for discretion, thus bringing down corruption. “When I came to power, newspapers used to report in box items that now officers have started coming to office on time...employees have to be more accountable,” he said. (PTI)
PM Modi wraps up his Noida visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today advocated the use of public transport to save on fuel and costs associated with the import of petroleum, saying travelling on a metro train should be a “prestige issue”.
PM @narendramodi being seen off by UP Governor, Ram Naik and Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath on his departure from Botanical Garden, Noida. pic.twitter.com/5GMiA9rp5M
— PIB India (@PIB_India) December 25, 2017
PM Modi flags off Magenta Line metro in Noida
PM @narendramodi flags off Metro Magenta Line from Botanical Garden to Kalkaji Mandir, at Noida, Uttar Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/JmGYlRizo3
Atalji gave us vision for development: PM Modi
In his speech at a public rally in Noida, PM Modi called former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave us the vision to walk on the path of development. “Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji is the ‘Bharat Marg Vidhata.’ He has shown us the way towards development. He focussed on futuristic road infrastructure,” Modi said.The PM also talked about his government’s focus on infrastructure which he said is developing at an unprecedented pace. “Work on railway infrastructure, expanding road network is happening at a historic pace under the tenure of our Government at the Centre. India is making strides in the renewable energy sector. When we came to power, LED bulbs were expensive but now it is affordable,” he added.
PM Modi addresses public meeting at Amity University Ground
PM @narendramodi addressing the public meeting at Amity University Ground in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/34aoJHLjuK
Faith is important but blind faith is not desirable, says PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi says his government’s decisions are guided by the national interest and not political gains. “Governance cannot happen when the dominant thought process begins at ‘Mera Kya’ and ends at ‘Mujhe Kya.’ We have changed these mindsets. For us, decisions are about national interest and not political gains,” said PM Modi in Noida.Modi also pointed that Yogi Adityanath came to Noida defying superstitions and the ‘jinx’ associated with the visit to the city by Uttar Pradesh CMs.“I am very happy. Due to his dress, few people find it fashionable to believe that CM Yogi Adityanath is not ‘modern enough’ but it is Yogi Adityanath Ji who has done what CMs of UP never did-he came to Noida. Faith is important but blind faith is not desirable,” Modi said at the rally.
I dream of an India less dependent on petrol imports: PM Modi
PM Modi at a public rally in Noida: “We live in an era in which connectivity is all important. This Metro, whose line was just inaugurated, is not only for the present but also for future generations. In 2022, when we mark 75 years of freedom, I dream that we live in an India in which our petrol imports reduce. In order to achieve this, state of the art mass transit systems are the need of the hour. 24th December 2002...Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji took a ride on the metro. This was a historic moment. Since then, it has been 15 years & the Metro network in NCR has expanded considerably.”
PM Modi speaks at public rally near Amity University in Noida
PM Narendra Modi is addressing a public rally near Amity University in Noida after inaugurating a stretch on the Magenta Line between Botanical Garden and Kalkaji Mandir. Modi started with extending greetings on the occasion of Christmas and former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee’s birthday.“I convey my greetings on the occasion of Christmas. Today we mark the birthdays of two Bharat Ratnas. One is Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and the second, Atal Ji. It is due to the people of Uttar Pradesh that the nation has got a strong and stable Government. I will always remain grateful to UP for their affection,” says PM Modi in Noida.
Will bring new metro lines in Kanpur, Agra: Yogi Adityanath
UP CM Yogi Adityanath: “This step (inauguration of Metro’s magenta line) will prove to be a milestone towards realizing the dreams of development for Noida & Greater Noida region. Today is Christmas & it is also the birthday of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, I thank PM for giving Uttar Pradesh the offering of this new metro line on this occasion.” (ANI)“We are going to bring new metro lines in Kanpur and Agra,” the Uttar Pradesh CM said.
PM Modi to address public meeting in Noida
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will shortly address a public meeting in Noida. PTI reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels on Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line between Botanical Garden and Okhla Bird Sanctuary stations. Earlier PM Modi was received by UP governor Ram Naik, CM Yogi Adityanath and other dignitaries on his arrival at Botanical Garden in Noida.
Entire stretch of Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line to be operational from April
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched a 12-km stretch of Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line with a ride between the Botanical Garden and the Okhla Bird Sanctuary stations here. Modi was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, Union minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri and DMRC chief Mangu Singh during the ride. The prime minister boarded the metro at Botanical Garden, which is the terminal station of the Magenta Line, at 1.05pm, and alighted at the Okhla Birds Sanctuary following a four- minute ride. Both stations fall in Noida, a suburban town in Uttar Pradesh bordering New Delhi. The other end of the line, for now, will be south Delhi’s Kalkaji Mandir. However, by April, the entire corridor, stretching till Janakpuri West, is scheduled to be functional. From the metro station, Modi proceeded to sector 125 rally ground at Amity University where he will address a public rally. (PTI)
PM Modi, Yogi onboard new Magenta Line metro
PM Narendra Modi is onboard the Delhi Metro after inauguration of a stretch of the new Magenta line. The line connects Botanical Garden in Noida with Kalkaji Mandir in Delhi.
PM Modi flags off new Magenta Line metro stretch
Noida: PM Narendra Modi inaugurates a stretch of the new Magenta line of the #DelhiMetro. The line connects Botanical Garden in Noida with Kalkaji Mandir in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/d1K7l1URmM
25 Dec 2017, 11:48:00 AM IST
Magenta Line stations decorated with cultural, flora, fauna themes
Six of the nine new stations—Botanical Garden, Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Jamia Milia Islamia, Ishwar Nagar, Okhla NSIC and Kalkaji Mandir—have been decorated, reflecting themes of nature, Yoga, and cultural landmarks. At the new Kalkaji Mandir station, ceramic murals of Lotus Temple, ISKCON Temple and nature-themed artworks, and paintings showing birds have been displayed. (PTI)
Botanical Garden is first-ever metro interchange station outside Delhi
The Botanical Garden has been developed as the metro’s first-ever interchange station outside the boundaries of Delhi. With the commissioning of the new line, the travel time between south Delhi and Noida would be significantly reduced. The direct ride on the Magenta Line from Kalkaji Mandir to Botanical Garden takes 19 minutes while travelling through Blue and Violet Lines between the old stations takes 52 minutes, with interchange facility at Mandi House station. The new Kalkaji Mandir station is underground and an elevated walkway connects the new facility with the existing station, to facilitate passengers travelling towards Fardiabad side. (PTI)
10 trains to operate on Kalkaji Mandir-Botanical Garden section
The DMRC authorities said that 10 trains would operate on this new line, while two would be kept on reserve, one each at Kalkaji Mandir and Botanical Garden stations. The coaches running on this line have electronic information display, power charging capacity, including directly through USB ports, and seats in different colour shades. The new trains are also energy-efficient and would save about 20% energy compared to the existing coaches. (PTI)
Magenta Line to use high-tech signalling system
The Magenta Line has many other firsts to its credit. The new line has platform screen doors (PSDs) on all nine stations that will become operational from today, besides a high-tech signalling system that will allow the DMRC to run trains with enhanced frequency. The DMRC authorities said that 10 trains would operate on this new line, while two would be kept on reserve, one each at Kalkaji Mandir and Botanical Garden stations. The coaches running on this line have electronic information display, power charging capacity, including directly through USB ports, and seats in different colour shades. The new trains are also energy-efficient and would save about 20% energy compared to the existing coaches. (PTI)
Broad-sized coaches to ply on standard gauge Magenta Line: DMRC
In a first, broad-sized coaches will ply on the standard gauge track of the Magenta Line of the Delhi Metro, the Kalkaji Mandir-Botanical Garden section. All coaches to be introduced under Phase-III of the Delhi Metro rail network would be broad-sized only. “Coaches measuring 3.2m in width will be in operation on the new Magenta Line. This would also allow 30-40 more passengers than the capacity of coaches running on a standard gauge. The size of a broad gauge line is 5ft 6in (1,676mm) and a standard gauge line is 4ft 8.5in (1,435 mm). These broad-sized coaches (3.2m) can smoothly ply on the newly-laid standard tracks,” PTI quoted a senior DMRC official as saying. At present, carriages, measuring 2.9m in width are in use on existing standard gauge corridors—Violet Line (Kashmiri Gate-Escorts Mujesar) and Green Line (Kirti Nagar-Mundka), another senior official said. Yellow Line (Samyapur Badli-Huda City Centre) and Blue Line (Dwarka-Noida/Vaishali) are among the broad guage lines on which wide coaches ply.
Noida traffic police advisory ahead of Magenta Line inauguration
🚨🚨🚨 *Traffic Advisory* 🚨🚨🚨
दिनांक 25.12.2017 को *माननीय प्रधानमंत्री, भारत सरकार* के जनपद भ्रमण के अवसर पर यातायात व्यवस्था निम्नानुसार रहेगी। pic.twitter.com/FviNFrhCHs
— Noida Traffic Police (@noidatraffic) December 23, 2017
Kalkaji Mandir to Botanical Garden in 19 minutes
The new Magenta Line, 12.64-km section, part of the upcoming Botanical Garden (Noida)-Janakpuri West (Delhi) corridor, has nine stations and is set to be inaugurated by Modi. After the new section of the Delhi Metro is opened, commuters will be able to travel directly to the Kalkaji Mandir Metro Station from Botanical Garden in 19 minutes. The travel time Blue and Violet lines of the metro takes 52 minutes with interchange point at the Mandi House station. Metro’s new generation trains, which can run without drivers, will run on this section aided by the Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling technology. (PTI)
Traffic police issues advisory ahead of PM Modi’s Noida visit
A Noida police traffic advisory has banned the entry of heavy vehicles in some parts of Noida. Vehicular traffic will not be allowed from Sector 38 Botanical Garden bus stand till Atta chowk road, the advisory issued by the Noida Traffic Police said. The road connecting Sector 94, 124, 125 and 126 too will remain blocked for vehicular traffic. Light vehicles can take the turn from below Mahamaya Flyover via Hajipur to reach sector 126, it said. Entry of heavy vehicles through Delhi-Noida-Direct Flyway, Chilla Regulator, Sector 60 elevated road and MP road to FNG (Parthla) crossing will not be allowed from 7am to 9pm, the advisory said. Those coming from Greater Noida to attend the prime minister’s public rally at sector 125 can take Sector 93 cut and via service road to reach the rally site. (PTI)
Arvind Kejriwal not part of Magenta Line inauguration ceremony
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal will not be a part of the inauguration of a section of Delhi Metro’s newly-built Magenta Line to be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 December, PTI reports. The official said that the Delhi government does not have any official intimation for the programme to be held in Uttar Pradesh. The DMRC, however, said it has not sent out invites since the Uttar Pradesh government was organizing the event.
Modi to address a public meeting in Noida after Magenta Line inauguration
Tight security is in place for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to inaugurate Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line. The 12.64-km section connects Botanical Garden in Noida to Kalkaji Mandir in south Delhi. Modi will also address a public meeting in Noida. The elite Special Protection Group, which provides security to the prime minister, has taken control of the premises. Provincial Armed Constabulary and paramilitary forces are part of the security at the venue. The area has been divided into 15 zones and an officer for each has been appointed. Aerial surveillance will be conducted with the help of helicopters, for which three helipads have been made at Botanical Garden. (PTI)
Narendra Modi to inaugurate section of Magenta Line
Great news for friends in the NCR! Tomorrow, a stretch of the Delhi Metro's new Magenta Line will be inaugurated, connecting Botanical Garden in Noida with Kalkaji Mandir in Delhi. Delhi-Noida travelling will become faster and more convenient. https://t.co/Zv785rEM7V
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 24, 2017
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The Picture of Dorian Greyhound (Classic Tails 4) Beautifully illustrated classics, as told by the finest breeds!
Author: Oscar Wilde Garrett Format: Hardback Release Date: 21/09/2017
CLASSIC TAILS - the greatest works of literature, as told by the finest breeds. We all have our favourite classic tales; books that have been beloved to us since childhood, whose wonderful stories and rich tapestry of characters are unsurpassed in modern literature. How, you may ask, could these marvellous works ever be improved upon?Reader, ask no more...for we present The Picture of Dorian Greyhound.
Pugs and Prejudice (Classic Tails 1) Beautifully illustrated classics, as told by the finest breeds!
Author: Jane Austen Garrett Format: Hardback Release Date: 21/09/2017
We all have our favourite classic novels; books that have been beloved to us since childhood, whose wonderful stories and rich tapestry of characters are unsurpassed in modern literature. How, you may ask, could these marvellous works ever be improved upon?Reader, ask no more...for we present Pugs & Prejudice.
Romeow and Juliet (Classic Tails 3) Beautifully illustrated classics, as told by the finest breeds!
Author: William Shakespeare Garrett Format: Hardback Release Date: 21/09/2017
CLASSIC TAILS - the greatest works of literature, as told by the finest breeds. We all have our favourite classic tales; books that have been beloved to us since childhood, whose wonderful stories and rich tapestry of characters are unsurpassed in modern literature. How, you may ask, could these marvellous works ever be improved upon? Reader, ask no more...for we present Romeow and Juliet.
BBC Radio 4 Brain of Britain Ultimate Quiz Book
Author: Russell Davies Format: Hardback Release Date: 07/09/2017
Think you've got what it takes to pit your wits against some of the brightest brains in Britain? Now you can take on the challenge with this ultimate quiz containing 2000 questions from the Brain of Britain archives.
Seriously Funny, and Other Oxymorons
Author: Simon Brett Format: Hardback Release Date: 07/09/2017
A humorous gift book: collection of oxymorons, amusingly illustrated by Paul Thomas. As we all know, the oxymoron is one of the great beauties of the English language. It has been defined as 'a figure of speech that juxtaposes elements that appear to be contradictory'. Famous examples would include 'bitter-sweet', 'open secret' and 'compassionate Conservatism'.
Three Weddings and a Scandal
Author: Wendy Holden Format: Paperback Release Date: 07/09/2017
Hapless would-be journalist Laura Lake goes undercover at wedding season. But she hasn't prepared for disappearing brides, secret royal orgies or a jealous office rival. Will Laura get the scoop of the year? Or will she be out on her ear?
A Guinea Pig Romeo & Juliet
Author: William Shakespeare, Tess Newall, Alex Goodwin Format: Hardback Release Date: 07/09/2017
Born into the litters of two rival families, star-cross'd lovers Romeo and Juliet fall tuft-over-paw for each other before learning that they are sworn enemies. 'O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?' squeaks Juliet from her balcony, before declarations of undying affection are made and a secret wedding is planned. But the path of true love does not run smooth, and Romeo soon finds himself banished from the city of Verona after playing his part in a fatal brawl with Juliet's family. In a desperate attempt to scurry away together, they devise a plan fraught with danger that eventually leads to heart-break...
This Is Going to Hurt
Author: Adam Kay Format: Audiobook Release Date: 07/09/2017
Welcome to 97-hour weeks. Welcome to life and death decisions. Welcome to a constant tsunami of bodily fluids. Welcome to earning less than the hospital parking meter. Wave goodbye to your friends and relationships . . . Welcome to the life of a junior doctor. Scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, comedian and former junior doctor Adam Kay's This Is Going to Hurt provides a no-holds-barred account of his time on the NHS front line. Hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking by turns, these diaries are everything you wanted to know - and more than a few things you didn't - about life on and off the hospital ward. And yes, it may leave a scar. This audiobook contains an exclusive interview with Adam Kay by comedian and author Mark Watson, an afterword and updated bonus diary entries...
The Beautiful Poetry of Donald Trump
Author: Robert Sears Format: Hardback Release Date: 31/08/2017
What if there's a hidden dimension to Donald Trump; a sensitive, poetic side? Driven by this question, Rob Sears began combing Trump's words for signs of poetry.What he found was a revelation. By simply taking the 45th President of the United States' tweets and transcripts, cutting them up and reordering them, Sears unearthed a trove of beautiful verse that was just waiting to be discovered.
Forever After
Author: David Jester Format: Paperback Release Date: 01/08/2017
Michael Holland is a grim reaper working the worst beat in the worst town. Michael’s best friend is a pot-smoking tooth fairy, his boss is the angel of death, his psychiatrist can read his mind, and he counts bogeymen, demons, and clones as his acquaintances. His nine-to-five is a succession of stupidity, clearing up the remains of the latest Darwin Award winner or dealing with the detritus of some apocalyptic clerical error, and it only seems to be getting worse. Michael is as equally disillusioned with death as he was with life, but at least life made more sense. In Forever After, Michael starts to question whether his immortality is really worth having. He sees clueless souls cross over every day, and battling confused succubi, tormented psychopaths, evil henchmen, and even a demon who thinks he’s Santa Claus is getting boring. Is there something more exciting for this grim reaper to do in this sad little town? This darkly humorous novel is set in a fantasy world that exists parallel to ours?a world where anything is possible, very little makes sense, and nothing is as it seems.
Believe Me A Memoir of Love, Death and Jazz Chickens
Author: Eddie Izzard Format: Hardback Release Date: 15/06/2017
I know why I'm doing all this,' I said. 'Everything I do in life is trying to get her back. I think if I do enough things ...that maybe she'll come back.' When Eddie Izzard was six, he and his brother Mark lost their mother. That day, he lost his childhood too. Despite or perhaps because of this, he has always felt he needed to take on things that some people would consider impossible. In Believe Me, Eddie takes us on a journey which begins in Yemen (before the revolution), then takes us to Northern Ireland (before The Troubles), England and Wales, then across the seas to Europe and America. In a story jam-packed with incident he tells of teddy bear shows on boarding school beds, renouncing accountancy for swordfighting on the streets of London and making those first tentative steps towards becoming an Action Transvestite, touring France in French and playing the Hollywood Bowl. Above all, this is a tale about someone who has always done everything his own way (which often didn't work at first) and, sometimes almost by accident but always with grit and determination, achieving what he set out to do.
Dad, You Suck
Author: Tim Dowling Format: Paperback Release Date: 18/05/2017
Tim Dowling’s candid and highly humorous weekly Guardian column charts his life with his wife and three sons… unless they are cross with his exposés when they become ‘Sean his life partner and their three adopted research chimps’. Cherry picking entries from his column Dad, You Suck takes a Dowling family view at modern fatherhood and gives a wonderfully refreshing slap in the face to all the uber perfect, hyper positive parenting so prevalent in the media. As well as giving you lots of giggles, a fair few belly laughs and the odd (don’t be drinking water on public transport when reading) snorts it makes you realise you are not alone! Any parent, especially the father, will instantly relate to so many of Tim’s musing on life and hopefully the luxury of time has turned the cringe into a wry smile.
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Here Comes The Sun, Part 1: The Sun Within You by Cynthia Briscoe
It’s hard to believe that less than five centuries ago, people believed that the earth was the center of the solar system. Copernicus’s heliocentric proposal was published in 1543 shortly before his death. His treatise was then somewhat shelved. It took another 100 years to “come to light” when Galileo attempted to build upon Copernican theory. A sun-centered view of God’s creation was such a radical departure from the accepted earth-centered cosmology that the very idea was considered heresy against the Church and Galileo was promptly placed under house arrest.
Scientific understanding of our solar system is still evolving today as well as our view of our place within the cosmology of newly accepted theories. Regardless of human stellar opinion, the sun shines on.
Aveline Kushi once taught us a children’s song called “Amaterasu” which translates, “the Sun is our Mother”. This concept was something I had never really considered in this way. In fact the sun, in my mind, was just there. It came up in the morning and went down at night. For my whole life, I had taken the sun for granted.
From a child’s simple perspective, I recall a visceral and aesthetic moment in the sun. In one instance, I was laying on my back in the cool green grass, looking up at the swaying rhythm of the tree canopy above. The white sunlight dancing in partnership with limbs and leaves, was brilliantly blinding white in contrast to the cool, soft leaf shadows. It caused me to squint and my eyes to tear. I remember sinking into the delicious lullaby of dancing, green-shaded notes contrasting with the staccato of blinding white light.
Squinting through the narrowest of slits, I was fascinated to see a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of rainbow orbs caught within my lashes. I don’t remember how long I stayed in that moment, but the tiny memory stuck with me all these years. Perhaps that was the moment I became so enthralled with color. If there were no sun, there would be no color.
How is it that we can even see colors? The child within me wonders. Could it be because we internalize sunlight or that our biology evolved dependent upon sunlight?
We Are Solar Powered
If you think about it, our very existence is coalescent to the sun. If the sun was removed from the equation of life, there could be no life as we know it.
We literally “eat” sunshine, perhaps not directly as we think of ingesting a meal, but further down the food chain. Unlike plants, we cannot go outside and wave our arms in the air and collect sunlight to fuel ourselves. Fortunately for us, plants can. Through photosynthesis, plants turn sunlight into various forms of carbohydrate, which is the baseline fuel source for humans and animals. Carbohydrates are converted storehouses of sun energy primarily sourced through the vegetable world.
Even if a person chooses to eat meat, that person is still consuming sunlight via the animal that consumed the plants, that became flesh, which is then eaten. Eating meat inserts an animal between you and your source of energy in the food chain.
After plants do the work of capturing sunlight and converting it into carbohydrate, we humans are able to recover the sunlight through our process of digestion in order to become useable energy. Our bodies are designed to do so as a perfect compliment to the plant world.
The Sun’s Center within Eastern Cosmology and Healing
Ancient Chinese scholars were astute observers of the natural world. They understood the world to be subject to two opposing, yet complementary forces of energy. These two forces comprising the Whole, followed orderly patterns of change. This concept became known as the Unifying Principle, or the governing laws of Yin and Yang. Yin represents upward expanding energy sourced from the earth’s rotation and magnetic forces, and Yang represents downward contracting energy of forces emitted from heavenly movement, mosy closely from the sun. The mingling of these two forces in various proportions gives rise to all phenomena. Yin/Yang Theory further evolved into The Five Transformations Theory, which is the foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Feng Shui and Martial Arts.
Early roots of the Five Transformations Theory depict the Five Elements representing the four cardinal directions, with the Earth Element placed in the center as a fulcrum and stabilizing force through which all energies transform. Fire and Water form a central axis as Full Yang and Full Yin respectively. Wood (rising, expanding change) and Metal (descending, contracting changes) are transitions between the two extremes.
Truly, a miracle occurs when the two primary energies collide, sparking life. This miracle occurs in the mid region or earth plane of manifested energy depicted as the Earth Element n the Five Transformations Theory.
The human body can be viewed as a miniature version of the larger macrocosm of these two main energies at play: the ascending earthly Chi and the descending heavenly Chi. The center of the torso is where these two forces along the main axis are most equally balanced in proportion.
This is the home of the Five Transformations Earth Element, representing the Stomach and Spleen/Pancreas. It is through this center that we digest our food. Digestion is the portal through which we unlock the solar energy within the food we consume and make that energy available as fuel. This process is referred to as “separating the pure from the impure”. The Stomach “cooks” the food, with digestive acids. The Spleen extracts the “pure” energy essence from the food, in contrast to the “impure” or physical food components. The Pancreas is the “brain” that signals the liver to release glycogen (stored carbohydrate) and determines how much glucose is needed to fuel the cells. You can see that Chinese Medicine views these “organs” more as an energy processesing center rather than the anatomical function of these physical organs in Western Medicine.
Further, a parallel can be drawn between the Earth Element and the solar plexus in the chakra system
. The rainbow colors of the 7 chakras depict the various vibrational waves lengths of pure sunlight. This system, too, acknowledges the sun’s significant central position within the body. The solar plexus, or sun center, represents the union of the pure non-manifest vibration of the heavens with the earthly forces of more dense physical vibration that gives us the gift of life within a physical body.
Briefly, the solar plexis rules:
1) turning food matter into energy through digestion.
2) Digesting thoughts and ideas and transforming those ideas into goals, and goals into action.
3) It represents who we are in this life, our intellectual clarity, and also our will power.
As we enter the summer season of longer days and more direct sunlight in the northern hemisphere, let us celebrate the sun both outside and inside of us for the role it plays in giving us life. When we reside in darker days remember that you are made of sunlight. Remember when you eat the food that sustains you, that you are ingesting the sun’s power. May the power of that gift activate your dreams into reality.
In Part 2 of “Here Comes the Sun”: An informative and clarifying interview with Cynthia Vann regarding a healthy relationship with the sun and Vitamin D production.
Whole Salt or Refined Salt: What’s the difference?
by Cynthia Briscoe
Most Americans unknowingly consume a great deal of poor quality, commercial salt in the form of snack foods, prepared foods, fast foods and restaurant fare. The salt used in these products is highly refined. You can think of it as the white sugar of the salt world. Common refined table salt looks like salt and tastes like salt. However, you are getting much more and much less than you bargain for. Let ‘s look at the difference between commercial refined salt and naturally harvested sea salt.
Much Less
Common table salt is mined and stripped of its naturally occurring trace minerals, which are then sold separately for profit as supplements. Magnesium is extracted by processing the original salt with caustic soda or lime, fetching a higher price
Other valuable elements in the sea salt are also lost or extracted. Some folks argue that the trace minerals are of such miniscule proportion that they are insignificant to human health. It’s true that we do not need huge amounts of copper, manganese, selenium, boron, etc., but our human biology is evolved to include this subtle but vast array of trace minerals to support cell metabolism. Natural sea salt contains 60 to 90 trace minerals.
After stripping the salt from its naturally occurring minerals, commercial salt is heated at high temperatures and supplemented with iodine and various agents to make it free flowing. The most common free flowing agent is aluminum silicate. Aluminum concentrations have been found in the nerve dendrites of Alzheimer sufferers. Many people avoid aluminum cookware for this reason, but are not aware that they are consuming aluminum everyday in salt.
Remember this cute little girl dressed in yellow, holding an open umbrella over her head? She adorned the carton of Morton’s Salt with the slogan, “When it rains, it pours”. The addition of aluminum silicate to Morton’s salt eliminated those pesky lumps in the saltshaker making it free flowing. Naturally processed sea salt has a softer texture and is hydroscopic, meaning it attracts some moisture from the air, which can form lumps. I would definitely “take my lumps” over “when it rains it pours.”
Perusing salt cartons in the supermarket, I noticed another agent listed on the back of Morton’s Sea Salt and also on Morton’s Kosher salt: yellow sodium prussiate? Hmm, what is sodium prussiate?
Sodium prussiate or sodium ferrocyanide (YPS or E535) is another free-flowing chemical agent industrially produced from hydrogen cyanide. It is added to road salt to keep it from clumping and a stabilizer for the coating on welding rods. In photography it is used for bleaching toning and fixing.
According to the MSDS (Material Data Safety Sheet), it is a hazardous irritant to the skin, eyes and respiratory system. Advised in case of ingestion: Do not induce vomiting. Loosen tight clothing such as the collar, tie, belt or waistband. If the person is not breathing, perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and seek immediate medical attention.
Obviously, the FDA must have approved a certain proportion of these anti-caking agents in food grade salt, but one must question the subtle long-term effects on human health, especially if an individual’s health is compromised. For me, I prefer the inconvenience of a few clumps in my salt box by the stove.
Salt Choices
I remember Cornellia Aihara advised folks to choose a clean, white naturally harvested sea salt over colored salts such as the gray or pink salt. She said the colored salts were too yang or contracting for humans: that these salts were OK for pickling or for animals. She never fully explained why. I questioned whether this was a “Cornellia-ism” or simply because she exalted Mr. Muramoto and the salt he produced. I know many camps highly promote the gray Celtic Sea Salt.
So I called David Jackson, who processes and provides the brand, SI salt, available through Goldmine Natural Foods and is sold at various natural foods stores. His opinion agreed with Cornellia’s that the colored salts are more yang than the cleaner white salts and that he had observed that consumption of the colored salts over time produced some pretty yang folks. From a macrobiotic perspective (big view) perhaps the more mineral rich impurities in colored salt may benefit those whose condition is more yin or needing more minerals, perhaps for certain lengths of time.
So use your informed judgment and select a quality, naturally harvested salt that appeals to your personal needs and biology. Number 1, choose a salt produced by natural elements of clean water, wind, sun and earth with minimal processing. Number 2, choose a salt free from chemical additives.
Na/K – Dr. Ishizuka Was Onto Something, Part 1 by David Briscoe
Na/K – Dr. Ishizuka Was Onto Something, Part 1
by David Briscoe
Ever since coming across the first mention of Dr. Ishizuka’s sodium and potassium (Na/K from now on) theory over 40 years ago, I have been on a mission to find out more. George Ohsawa based his macrobiotic theory on Ishizuka’s teachings. It was Ishizuka’s books on Na/K applied to food and health that first caught Ohsawa’s attention, and by following these teachings he was able to recover from serious illness. Over time, Ohsawa created his yin-yang interpretation of Ishizuka’s theory, and macrobiotics was born. In the process, unfortunately in my opinion, Ishizuka’s original Na/K theory faded from view.
Regretfully, I don’t read Japanese, so I have never been able to explore any of Ishizuka’s original writings. My search to understand Na/K and its relationship to food and health began, in its early days, by spending endless hours combing through dense scientific tomes and researching medical journals in university libraries. Most of it I couldn’t comprehend as I am not a trained scientist or physiologist, but I persisted. With persistent research discovering new bits of information, the pieces of the puzzle filled in to form a more comprehensive picture. Here’s my interpretation of Dr
I. Ishizuka’s theory in a nutshell:
When the food we eat has an Na/K ratio closest to the Na/K of our body, we maintain good health.
According to current scientific views, the Na/K of the human body is approximately 1:3. (George Ohsawa taught it as being something like 1:7.)
When we regularly consume foods that are way high or way low in their Na/K ratio, their potential for contributing to various health problems increases.
There are physical and mental health conditions which are signs of regularly consuming foods with a low Na high K ratio.
There are physical and mental health conditions that are signs of regularly consuming foods with a high Na low K ratio.
We can adjust the consumption of foods to restore balance to our body, by choosing food that have a more balanced Na/K ratio that is closer to that of our body.
For an example of a food, let’s look at a banana. It’s Na/K ratio is 380:1. From Ishizuka’s viewpoint, banana, though it can certainly be enjoyed as a treat now and then, would not make a good primary and daily food for human consumption because its Na/K is way high in K. An opposite example is bacon. Bacon is extremely high in Na and low in K.
George Ohsawa categorized foods that are high in Na and low in K as “yang.” Foods that were high in K and low in Na he categorized as “yin.” There are other factors that can be used to determine the yang or yin of food, but Na/K ratio was a significant determining factor in Ohsawa’s view. Ishizuka’s theory offers us another tool for determining how to appreciate a food, not just for taste and satisfying hunger, but for healing as well.
Goma Wakame Saved Me From a Dumb Mistake! by Cynthia Briscoe
Goma Wakame Saved Me From a Dumb Mistake!
When Cornellia Aihara taught students how to make miso soup, she always explained the significant protection of wakame in miso soup. Wakame has the ability to chelate or bind with heavy metals and remove them safely from the body. Remembering her lesson helped me recover from an unwitting mistake.
This occurred perhaps 12 years ago. I enjoy repairing things around our home, a lovely solid Craftsman Style house constructed in 1924. The window screens and their original wooden frames sorely needed refurbishing. I bought this great little orbital sander to buzz off the peeling paint from the wood frames rather than messy stripping. I marveled at the many layers of paint. In my imagination I made up a history of the aproned women who chose yellow, apple green, peach or standard white. I pictured how they must have dressed or what color hair they had as I happily buzzed off layers of history back down to the bare wood with many changes of sandpaper.
I completed the project, but then started feeling very weak, so very tired to the point I could barely get out of bed as well as flu-like symptoms such as headache, nausea and abdominal pain. A more seasoned repairman friend brought up the fact that I most likely had inhaled and ingested a great deal of lead paint dust due to the age of the house and the fact that lead based paint was used until 1978.
Who knew? I hadn’t known or I certainly would have worn a mask!
I thought, “How am I going to get myself out of this one?” Then Cornellia’s voice came into my head, “Wakame protects against lead poisoning, radiation exposure and other toxic pollutants we are exposed to every day.”
Thank you Cornellia!
I got busy and poured on the wakame – wakame in miso soup, baked wakame onion casserole, and goma wakame. Goma wakame afforded a concentrated amount of wakame that I could sprinkle on just about anything edible. I used it heavily on my breakfast porridge. It tasted great, so I knew my body needed it. After 5 days, I felt stronger. After 2 weeks I was fully recovered.
That’s the beauty of macrobiotics: the cure often lies in your kitchen. I would like to share with you a recipe for Goma Wakame (see below). It is delicious and rich in minerals. It is suitable for children or people who wish to reduce sodium, as contains less sodium than Gomashio or sesame salt. It builds strong bones and teeth and is highly alkalizing. Best of all, it can save you if you are dumb enough to sand lead paint without proper protection!
Goma Wakame
Powdered Wakame and Toasted Sesame Seed Condiment
12 inches of dried wakame
Place the wakame strips on a cookie sheet and bake at 350? for 12-15 minutes or until the wakame is very dry and crumbles easily.
Grind the roasted wakame in a suribachi until it is ground to a fine powder.
Place sesame seeds in a bowl and cover with water. Pour off the seeds that float to the top into a fine mesh strainer to catch the sesame seeds.
Repeat the above process, covering the sesame with water and pouring the seeds and water through the strainer until just a
small amount of seeds remain in the washing bowl. This method any small stones or sand in the sesame seeds, they will by heavier than the seeds and remain in the bottom of the bowl after the majority of seeds have been strained off. Check these last seeds for stones or pieces of sand. If there are more than two or three pieces of sand or stones, repeat this washing process again.
5. Drain the seeds in the strainer.
6. Dry the sesame seeds before roasting. Place in a skillet over a medium flame. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon, drying until the seeds no longer stick to the wooden spoon.
7. Heat a stainless steel frying pan over a medium flame.
8. Cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of seeds.
9. Place a lid on the pan. Shake the seeds in the pan in a back and forward motion similar to popping corn
. The seeds are done when you can crush a few seeds easily between the thumb and fourth finger.
11. Pour the finished seeds into the suribachi with the powdered wakame. Continue roasting the seeds as described above until all the seeds are roasted.
11. Grind the seeds in the suribachi with the powdered wakame until about 2/3 of the sesame seed are crushed.
12. Serve a sprinkling on grains as a condiment. Goma wakame may be stored in an airtight jar for about two weeks for maximum flavor and freshness or store in the refrigerator to keep the oil in the seeds fresh.
A Cancer Healing Story and Celebration
A PERSONAL HEALING CELEBRATION & INSPIRATION –
We recently received this wonderful letter from our friends, the Cusenzas…
“Hope this finds Cynthia and yourself well and enjoying life. I thought I would write you and let you know how Carol is doing after 10 years of being cancer free, with your help. You may remember she was diagnosed back in June of 2005 with stage 4a cervical cancer, which had spread throughout her body. The doctors gave her 6 months or so to live with no hope of curing it, and said there was nothing medical science could do. Basically the 6 doctors on the diagnostic board (surgeons, oncologists, and radiologist) told her to go away and die. I am so glad they did because you were there to give her hope and empowered her to fight the cancer and cure it. Following your advice and guidance on changes to a macrobiotic diet and lifestyle, based on Carol’s needs, not one size fits all, 6 months later her oncologist told her the tumor was gone, the metastasized sites were clear, and her lymphatic system was back to normal. He also told us “You can’t dissolve tumors!” while looking at the CT scan. That was our greatest Christmas gift ever.
Today, Carol is doing well, active as always and enjoying life. As you often said, “Cancer can heal you,” and it certainly has. Carol and I still follow a somewhat macro diet, every morning it is miso soup, vegetables, and grains, though we do cheat a bit mostly at dinnertime, but since we know when we over step the line we also know how to steer ourselves back to a balanced diet. Knowledge is power. Can’t get our kids to follow it though, but then they have to live their own lives. Someday they may ask for help and we will be there for them. Here is our Christmas photo (see below) from last year and I think you can tell how happy Carol is to be here. I may be even happier than she. Thank you for all your love and support. May God continue to smile on Cynthia and you, and all the good people you help
. You truly are a blessing.”
Dave Cusenza
Outward Impatience & Internal Digestion by David Briscoe
Outward Impatience & Internal Digestion
www.macroamerica.com
“If you have no patience, you’ll become a patient.” – Herman Aihara
You’ve probably noticed: it’s become a very impatient world. Individually and collectively, patience seems to be fading. On the road, in traffic, in stores, in relationships, in politics, international relations, finances, waiting in line, fast food, fast medicine, etc., lack of patience is expressed in many ways. There can be many explanations and opinions as to why this is so.
I’d like to present one that is not commonly considered, if at all: we’ve become impatient at the physiological level; and very specifically we’ve become digestively impatient. The human digestive system has a very natural and gradual way for food to be digested, before it is absorbed into the blood and then assimilated by our cells. Let’s look at carbohydrate, for example. The way the body works is that carbohydrate digestion is supposed to begin in the mouth; that is, when the carbohydrate we are eating is the complex kind, polysaccharide. Complex carbohydrate is meant to be chewed, mixed with saliva, and through the action of the enzyme, salivary amylase, begins to be broken down to disaccharide, a simpler form of carbohydrate.
If you’ve ever chewed brown rice really well, you noticed that it starts to taste sweet. You are tasting the complex carbohydrate in the brown rice being slowly converted to simpler carbohydrate, preparing it for the next stage of digestion. The body is smart. It likes to digest slowly and patiently. Next, the complex carbohydrate that has been chewed is swallowed and goes down to the stomach. No further digestion of the carbohydrate takes place in the stomach due to stomach acid that stops the action of the salivary amylase. The chewed carbohydrate moves from the stomach to the duodenum, the passageway between the stomach and small intestine, where is stimulates the secretion of pancreatic amylase from the pancreas, further breaking down the complex carbohydrate that wasn’t broken down through chewing. This disaccharide now enters the small intestine where the enzymes lactase, sucrase and maltase, break it down into monosaccharide, single sugars, that can then be absorbed through the small intestine and released into the blood.
This is a gradual and natural process, relying on digestive patience. It’s how the body wants to digest carbohydrate, if given the chance to do it right. In today’s world the carbohydrate most widely consumed is not complex carbohydrate.
It is chemically processed simple-sugar carbohydrate such as white sugar, candy, high fructose corn syrup, and dextrose. Even many so-called natural sweeteners like agave syrup, maple syrup, coconut sugar, evaporated cane juice, and others, are highly processed into simpler and concentrated sugars. And honey, long-considered by many to be the favored natural sweetener, is 100% simple sugar, pre-digested by the bees. All simple sugar bypasses the body’s need for natural and gradual complex carbohydrate digestion, since it has already been reduced to its simplest form. It travels quickly through to be released into the bloodstream. This impatient, hurry-up digestion has become the norm, and over decades of modern eating, the body has become habituated to it, though it doesn’t respond well to it. It is well-known that many physical and mental health problems today have their roots in the over-consumption of simple sugar.
One argument to this idea of “patient digestion” is that all sugar eventually ends up in the small intestine as simple sugar prior to absorption into the blood, and therefore it doesn’t matter if it started out as complex carbohydrate or manufactured simple sugar. But it’s the rapidity and the quantity of delivery of simple sugar to the blood that is the difference between consuming complex carbohydrate and processed simple sugar. And I would further clarify this by emphasizing “complex carbohydrate with its natural fiber intact,” such as whole grains, fresh vegetables, and beans, as the healthiest carbohydrate to for digestive patience and overall health. Also, when the simple sugar, fruit sugar or fructose, is consumed I suggest eating the whole fruit, with its fiber, rather than in the form of juices, concentrates, flavorings, syrups and powders. Fiber in food has long been proven to support natural digestive function (digestive patience).
There is a saying, “Biology precedes psychology.” I would adapt it and say, “Physiology precedes psychology.” If we hurry up our digestive physiology, demanding that it work faster through the consumption of simple sugar of various kinds, we will see a reflection of that outward in all kinds of expressions of impatience. Outward behavior is influenced by what’s happening inwardly at the physiological level. The two cannot be separated.
Inevitably, all of the body’s internal organs are made to work harder by the modern diet of excess protein, fat and sugar, ultimately causing over-stimualtion of the metabolism and nervous system, giving further rise to personal and social impatience. Re-estalishing inward physiological and digestive patience, eating in a way that supports the body’s natural stability, we see outward patience being restored over time.
© 2016 David Briscoe
Yin-Yang & Truth
When people first begin to study macrobiotic principles, they often get frustrated trying to pin down yin and yang. There are columns and lists of yin and yang to be memorized, but the lists are shifty as items may change columns relative to what is being compared to. Why? Because yin and yang are not ‘things’. Yin and yang in actuality are more verb-like, describing the active, relative movement of energy. In macrobiotics, we use the terms yin and yang as a relative means to describe states of energy in its movement from an expanded state of vibration to more dense state of materialization with relationship to time.
Movement is the natural state of energy. Life is energy and we are made up of energy. Our lives express the undulation of energy between these two polarities. In our traverse between opposites, we cross that middle point of balance and that fleeting moment is the moment of truth: who we really are when the relative world is stripped away. It’s the eye of the hurricane, the stillness in the midst of the change swirling around us.
So what is truth? I think of it as that center core within us that rings the bell of peace independent of the swirling relativity around us. It’s our core, our home base. Perhaps truth lives in the center of the spiral in our DNA that we share collectively as human beings regardless of race or religion or nationality and individually as a singular unique expression of energy. As we traverse between polarities and cross that sweet spot, we take a snapshot to hold in our soul memory. We hold it up to the light in times of darkness to remind ourselves of who we truly are and what we came to experience in this relative world.
In macrobiotic practice, we try to move the edges of polarity closer to home center
. Then as we oscillate between the poles of vibration, we cross that peaceful point more frequently and perhaps we are able to linger there just a moment longer. Macrobiotics considers the energy nature of everything and how the movement of that energy takes form in our health and conscious awareness.
In the book Food for Thought by Saul Miller, he popularized the simple visual of the yin/yang teeter-totter seen in the version below.
On the yang or contractive end of the food spectrum are condensed energy expressions such as meat, chicken, hard cheese and eggs. It takes about 16 lbs. of plant food to produce a pound of beef and 10 pounds of milk to produce a pound of cheese. On the yin or expansive end of the food spectrum are foods that express concentrations of that energy. For example, it takes 3 feet of sugar cane to make one teaspoon of sugar. When the extremes on both ends are reduced or eliminated, the pendulous swing between opposites becomes less extreme biologically, hormonally, emotionally and mentally. Eliminating the extreme yin and yang foods from the teeter-totter of our diet translates into less extremes of energy expression within our bodies, biologically and emotionally. In our lives, even though there may be the extremes of expressed energy chaotic and swirling around us, we are better able to maintain our stability and peace and to respond with stable and peaceful action.
The Heart Is More Than Just A Symbol of Love by David Briscoe
The Heart Is More Than Just A Symbol of Love
There’s a reason the heart is a symbol for love. It’s not just a Valentine’s Day graphic for commercial purposes. The heart is in fact the physiological base of love
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Cardiology studies for years have shown that those who are most natural in their expression and reception of love have the healthiest hearts. And we use many phrases such as “warm heart, ” “open heart, ” “expansive heart, ” and “deep heart,” for a reason. They are not just figures of speech.
The physical heart is the organ that circulates blood and warmth to all cells, tissue and organs of the body. To be a “warm-hearted” person actually requires that the physical heart and circulation be unobstructed and free-flowing. When we say someone is “cold-hearted” we are expressing an observation of his or her behavior, but if we were to examine such a person, we would most likely also find that they are actually colder on the surface of their body, natural warm circulation to the surface having been blocked by long-standing internal muscular contractions that prevent blood from fully reaching the skin. These contractions are the result of life experience that has required the person to withdraw away from the external life and go inward. This causes a concurrent withdrawal of energy and feeling from the surface of the body toward his or her core, as a means of self-protection. The Latin word for heart is “cor.” To withdraw feeling from the surface of the body back toward the core, requires a physiological withdrawal of energy, including blood circulation.
Many people today experience heart problems, not only because of unhealthy diet, but also because life has brought them trauma, abuse, betrayal, alienation, and isolation. If you would like to read more about the role of the heart in happy living please read, Love, Sex and Your Heart by Alexander Lowen, MD.
On a daily basis there are many ways to open the heart. For example, finding ways to give to others in our local community can be a good place to start. One such way of giving would be to sign up to be a reading or math tutor at your local library. Or give some time to a local school or a local food pantry. Your giving doesn’t have to wait for a global catastrophe far away, there are people who need you right where you live. The world right where you are is waiting for your heart to open to it. Join me in finding ways to let our hearts flow openly to the world around us, and find our heart becoming far healthier than good food alone can make it. This is my wish for us all on this Valentine’s Day weekend 2016.
Food Fiber: Beyond Just Adding Bulk….. It’s Prebiotic! by Cynthia Briscoe
Food Fiber: Beyond Just Adding Bulk…It’s Prebiotic! by Cynthia Briscoe
I remember my first macrobiotic cooking class with Aveline Kushi. We drove from Kansas City to Chicago in our Hornet station wagon purchased for $150. Talk about trust in the Universe! The brakes gave out during rush hour traffic upon entering Chicago. Miraculously, we made it to the hotel ballroom where Aveline Kushi lightly floated behind butane-fueled cook stoves preparing a delicate blanched salad. I recall her words of wisdom as she blanched the whole stems of parsley. She advised us to include the stems because, “They are like little toothbrushes in the intestines.” The image her words invoked stuck with me, especially whenever I mince parsley!
This was in the ‘80’s (post Wonder Bread generation), when fiber was recommended to moisten the stool, cleanse the intestinal villi and add bulk in order to move the stool along, thereby preventing constipation and avoiding diverticulitis. The gamut of IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease), such as Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, gluten intolerance and other subsequent related inflammatory diseases were not yet common medical diagnoses.
Oh, life gets more and more complex! It seems that generationally, diseases progressively compound to mirror our ever-increasingly refined dietary practices. Also, subsequent generations inherit the health conditions arising from the previous generation’s dietary patterns, both at the dinner table and through their genomes.
Here’s the good news, though. Aveline Kushi’s words still ring true, as does the wisdom within a macrobiotic diet centered on whole grains, vegetables and legumes. Current science reveals much more than little fibrous toothbrushes scrubbing the lining of our intestines. While fiber was previously thought of as indigestible to humans, turns out to be an essential food for literally hundreds of commensal bacteria (helpful microbes) in our colon with outstanding implications to our health. Perhaps it is the microbes that are wielding teensy tiny little toothbrushes.
Fiber is found exclusively in whole plant-based foods. You will not find a speck of fiber in flesh foods or dairy foods. Fiber provides a source of energy that plants can utilize, but fiber is virtually unaffected by the digestive enzymes of humans. Fiber travels all the way through the digestive tract intact until it reaches the colon. Most of the excess water and nutrients have already been extracted along the way. At the end of the line, we have colonies of specialized bacteria waiting for the “goodie wagon” to arrive so that they can have dinner. These bacteria thrive on fiber and are able to digest the complex carbohydrate locked within fiber and turn it a myriad of chemical substances and short chain fatty acids
One of the most notable of these by-products of microbial fiber digestion is butyrate. Butyrate repairs the gut mucosal lining so that toxic waste and pathogens do not leak through the intestinal wall and enter the blood stream. It keeps our heart healthy by removing plaque from our arteries. Butyrate acts as an epigenetic switch that serves a healthy immune system by stimulating the production of regulatory T-cells in the gut. By keeping these friendly microbes fed with plant fiber, we can avoid the cascade of autoimmune diseases such as atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, IBD, and diabetes to name just a few.
An interesting experiment conducted by Tim Spector, Professor of epidemiology at King’s College in London illustrates the significance of fiber. He collaborated with his 23-year-old son who was working on his dissertation toward a college degree in genetics. His son ate only a fast food diet consisting of burgers, fries and Coke for ten consecutive days. As a special “treat” he could also break the burger monotony by sometimes substituting chicken nuggets in place of the burger. He was also allowed extra “nutrition” in the evening in the form of beer and chips.
His microbial gut profile was carefully monitored and recorded through 3 different labs to ensure that the results were accurate. The lab results showed that in 10 days, he had lost over 1200 microbial species, a 40% reduction in microbial diversity. Spector stated that this experiment had changed he and his son’s perspective on why junk food is bad for us. Previously, they had thought that junk food is bad for you because of the sugar and high fat content. After the experiment, they concluded that the 10-day diet, lacking dietary fiber had literally starved off these helpful bacteria that need fiber to survive.
So next time you are craving French fries, a burger or a soda, think of your colon friends and have mercy upon them. Cook up a yummy dinner with whole grain, veggies and beans. And when you are mincing parsley, remember Aveline Kushi’s wise words and think twice before tossing those stems into the compost.
Your Own Morning & Evening Self-Health Review
The morning, when we first wake up, and the evening right before we go to sleep, are unique times of our day
In the morning, we are just beginning our day, and in the evening we are coming to the end of our day. Both of these times offer us a special opportunity to do a self-review of our health and well-being, whereas during the day we may become too busy and end up missing valuable messages from the body and the mind.
As soon as we wake up in the morning, we may receive a variety of messages from the body, but these messages often recede from our awareness, or disappear physically, after 20-30 minutes of being up and about. Paying attention to how we are feeling, and to signs and symptoms that may be present as soon as we get up, can give us helpful insight into the current state of our health.
It often happens that a person finds sticky substance coming from around the eyes upon first awakening. Or another person may notice especially swollen bags or puffiness around the eyes upon waking. Really dry mouth or “cotton mouth” is another common symptom noticed in the morning. Someone else gets out of bed, and upon standing feels pain in the bottoms of the feet and/or the ankles. Other kinds of joint stiffness, pain, and swolling are often noticd in the morning. It’s not uncommon for many people to feel stiffness in the neck and shoulders upon first waking up. The most obvious symptom in the morning is fatigue, sometimes coupled with the thought, “I just don’t feel like getting up.”
There can be many different reasons for these morning symptoms. The most common cause is the over-eating of acid-forming foods and drinks, especially late at night before sleeping. If a food is concentrated in protein, fat and/or simple sugar it is acid-forming in the body. This acid builds up in the fluid surrounding cells in the body, causing the cells to weaken, and as a result, organs and glands start to poorly function. Acid can also increase inflammation, pain, and general achiness. Increasing the consumption of plant foods that are alkaline-forming, while decreasing acid-forming foods and drinks can help over time. Most green vegetables are alkaline-forming in the body, as is vegetable soup seasoned with miso. Edible sea vegetables are off-the-chart alkaline supportive in the body. Whole yellow millet is a wonderful whole grain for giving alkaline support in the body. A varied plant-based macrobiotic diet is alkaline supportive overall.
The evening, right as we are lying down for sleep, offers another self-review opportunity. Complementary to the morning time with its opportunity for reflecting on physical symptoms, the evening can offer an opportunity for emotional and personal happiness self-reflection. We often find ourselves thinking, after we turn the lights off, “How did my day go?” or “Did I do what I really wanted to do with my life today?” We may think back for a moment on our behavior, or the behavior of others toward us, and our responses to them during the day. We might anticipate tomorrow. It’s a moment where we can get a sense of how we feel about our life as it is currently going.
I view one day as the concentrated version of one’s whole life. In the morning we are “born” into the day. It’s a brand new day like no other has been or will ever be again. In the evening, we “die” to the day. We must let it go. In between we live our day, and it gradually grows from its morning infancy to it pinnacle of youthfulness at noon, and then begins the natural process of declining into mid-afternoon, late-afternoon, early-evening, and finally nighttime. One day is the reflection of life itself. So, the morning, when we are born to the new day, and the evening when we die to the day, are wonderful opportunities to reflect on our life, physically, emotionally, etc. For example, if we find ourselves thinking every night before sleep, “I didn’t live my life like I really wanted to today,” and if we feel that way night after night, for years, it may be that at the end of our life we look back and think, “I didn’t live my whole life as I really had wanted to.” So, by taking a moment in the evening, before sleep, and reflecting on how we lived the day, may give us insight into changing and finding ways to live our days as we really want. This could have a profound impact on one’s whole life. Same thing if we find ourselves waking up in the morning and thinking, “Oh, no, I don’t really want to get up and go out into my day.” Of course, this might happen once in a while, but if it becomes the common thought morning after morning, something is calling for change. Our first thoughts upon awakening and our last thoughts before sleeping are wonderful messages to us if we listen.
As you reflect upon your waking up time and before sleep time, may you find peace and health!
Cynthia & David Briscoe "We invite you to be healthy and happy, to live your life with passion and adventure, through the simple practice of macrobiotics. Our classes, training courses, and personal services will show you the way." ______________________________ Contact Us 720 Bird St.Oroville, CA 95965(Mailing Address Only) _____________________________ info@macroamerica.com 530-521-0236 or 530-282-3518 _________________ Subscribe to our newsletter
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Firefox 69 for Mac Brings Default Tracking Protection and Performance Improvements
Wednesday September 4, 2019 3:16 AM PDT by Tim Hardwick
Mozilla has launched Firefox 69 for Macs, boasting performance improvements and some notable updates to its security repertoire.
Firefox 69 for desktop now blocks third-party tracking cookies by default for all users. The feature is an existing part of the browser's Enhanced Tracking Protection system that was actually launched in June, but that introduced the default setting only for new users. Now even existing Firefox users are protected as standard.
Firefox's default anti-tracking smarts now also extend to blocking cryptomining, a nefarious practice that aggressively hogs processor cycles and battery life in the background as it mines for cryptocurrency while the unsuspecting user browses the web. Firefox 69 also blocks fingerprinting in the user-selected Strict mode, and Mozilla says it plans to turn this protection on by default in a later release.
Firefox users can tell if they have ETP enabled by looking for a shield icon in the address bar, which indicates tracker blocking is active. Users can also click on the icon to view a Content Blocking menu listing all currently blocked tracking cookies. From here, it's also possible to disable tracking cookie blocking on a per site basis.
Security aside, other new features in this release include the ability to block autoplaying videos, including those that don't play audio. For users in the US or using the en-US browser, there's a new New Tab page experience that connects them to the best of Pocket's content, while macOS users can also look forward to improved battery life and a download manager interface that displays file download progress.
Mozilla's full changelog can be found here. If you're already a Firefox user, you should receive an automatic upgrade after restarting the browser. For everyone else, Firefox 69 is available for macOS as a free download directly from the Mozilla website.
Tags: Mozilla, Firefox
Seeing the number 69 and then looking at the Firefox logo made me chuckle.
I really am immature sometimes...
Gotta say, Mozilla has been quietly upping the game to the point where I’m starting to prefer it over Safari, which has been my default forever. There are times/sites where Safari doesn’t load elements, like Recapcha, which renders them unusable. Google image searches don’t populate to the scroll-down part of the page. Firefox has no such issues for me so far. It might be a Safari bug, or some security setting I haven’t found, but Firefox is now actually a more reliable browser. And I respect their steps towards privacy/security, this one included.
Sasparilla
Some other big news, though, is that version 70 supposedly drops power usage on Mac's by a factor of 3. Finally MacBook users will be able to use the browser without a power cord if they want.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/upcoming-firefox-update-will-decrease-power-usage-on-macos-by-up-to-three-times/
Is it much better than Chrome when using Windows?
If you’re comfortable with a Google product as your window to the Internet, have at it. Not I. Ever.
Jimmy James
Wine me, dine me, Firefox me.
now i see it
the web has grown into such a diseased & nefarious medium that I no longer accept cookies from any sight I'm not buying something from (which get purged immediately after leaving the site) and use ad blockers for everything. Seems like going back to the Stone Age
DennyRoozeboom
ikr nice performance improvements
minivini
The new Firefox 69 will have a special “pairing” mode...
MacBH928
With FireFox and Brave Browser, I just don't understand people who still use Google Chrome.
All I can say is, Thank You open source community
chelsel
Try the Brave Browser ('https://www.brave.com'). It's very heavily privacy focused. It's built on Chromium, so all of your favorite Chrome extensions will work. It's extremely fast. Blocks ads by default, and lets you earn BAT, which is a form of cryptocurrency, if you do decide to see advertisements. Started by Brendan Eich ('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Eich'), the guy who invented JavaScript.
www.brave.com ('https://www.brave.com')
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High-Power Boost Converter Switches Modes Automatically and Maintains Light-Load Efficiency
Keywords: boost converter, step-up DC-DC converter, pulsed frequency modulation, PFM, PWM, proportional feedback voltage, current-sense monitor
Abstract: In this design idea a synchronous boost converter, the MAX1703, uses a high-side current-sense monitor, the MAX4173, to shift automatically between high- and low-power modes. The boost converter maintains high efficiency for light loads and a wide range of load current.
A similar version of this article appeared in the February 18, 2002 issue of EE Times magazine.
The high-power, synchronous boost converter MAX1703 has two operating modes: low-power PFM for low output currents (to 250mA), and full-power low-noise PWM for currents up to 1.5A. (PFM stands for pulsed-frequency modulation; PWM stands for pulse-width modulation.)
Normally, the IC's operating mode is set by digital control of its CLK/SEL input (high for high-power mode; low for low-power mode). For systems without this control capability, the Figure 1 circuit provides a simple and inexpensive method for switching automatically between the low- and high-power modes of operation. As a result, it maintains relatively high efficiency for all load currents (Figure 2).
Figure 1. Using a high-side current monitor (U2) to generate a proportional feedback voltage, this synchronous boost converter (U1) shifts automatically between its high-power and low-power modes of operation.
Figure 2. The Figure 1 circuit's conversion efficiency (C) remains high for a wide range of load current.
U2 is a high-side current-sense monitor whose OUT terminal produces a voltage proportional to the converter's load current (sensed by the 80mΩ resistor RSENSE). Applying this voltage to U1's POKIN terminal completes a feedback loop for controlling its operating mode. POKIN is the inverting input of the "power OK" comparator. Its open-drain output sinks current whenever the POKIN voltage falls below the comparator's reference voltage (1.25V).
Because U1's low-power and high-power efficiencies converge for an output current near 150mA, you should choose component values that cause the mode switchover to occur near 150mA. First, calculate the required sense resistor: RSENSE = VREF/(GAIN × ISWITCH), where VREF is U1's internal reference voltage (1.25V), GAIN is U2's internal gain level (user-selectable as 20V/V, 50V/V, or 100V/V), and ISWITCH is the load current at which mode switchover occurs.
Because U1 can deliver high output currents, GAIN is set at 100V/V to minimize the sense-resistor value and its IR loss. To switch modes at 150mA, RSENSE is calculated at 80mΩ. Measurements indicate that switchovers occur at 158.6mA for increasing currents and at 157.0mA for decreasing currents. The POK comparator's 1% hysteresis prevents "chattering" between modes when the load current is passing slowly through the switchover threshold.
U2 is powered directly from the input to improve the circuit's light-load efficiency. U1 can operate with input voltages below 1V, but U2 requires a minimum VCC of 3V. To allow operation over U1's full input range (with a slight penalty in light-load efficiency), simply power U2 from U1's output voltage.
MAX1703 Free Sample
maxim_web:en/products/power,maxim_web:en/products/power/switching-regulators/step-up-switching-reg
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McGrady & McGrady, L.L.P.
Protecting Your Rights Since 1973
Experienced Local Attorneys Protecting Your Rights Contact Our Firm Today
Ensuring The Rights Of Motorcyclists Are Protected
Motorcyclists are fully aware of the consequences of a collision with a car or truck. As a result, motorcycle accidents tend to reflect the other driver's carelessness or inattention. Our investigation of motorcycle crash scenes and witness interviews usually shows that the car driver failed to yield the right of way or failed to see a biker in an adjacent lane or ahead at a stop.
Advice From Trusted Attorneys
We know what accident victims and their families go through and that they need time to focus on recovering from serious injuries. An accident not only can keep you away from work, but it also upsets the rhythm of your home life. When you can't take care of your household responsibilities, someone else needs to. At McGrady & McGrady, L.L.P., our Carroll County motorcycle accident lawyers do everything possible to support your recovery and minimize the burdens of the lawsuit so you can concentrate on getting better.
For more than 40 years — our firm first opened its doors in 1973 — we have served the needs of injured clients. We understand how to assess the value of a client's claim and know how to assemble and present the evidence necessary to prove it.
Whether your motorcycle injury case involves multiple broken bones, head injuries, spinal cord damage or amputation, you can depend on our attorneys to guide you through the insurance claim process and a personal injury lawsuit if necessary. We also represent the families of motorcycle accident victims in Virginia wrongful death litigation.
To learn more about our approach to client service in motorcycle accident cases in Southwest Virginia, contact the law firm of McGrady & McGrady, L.L.P., at 276-779-4451 for a free consultation. You'll meet with a personal injury lawyer who knows how to prove liability and damages in even the most complex case, and who's committed to helping you make a complete physical, financial and personal recovery from your accident.
Slip-And-Fall Claims
Wrongful Death In Truck Accidents
Car Wreck Wrongful Death
Out-Of-State Accident Victims
Commercial Driver Tickets
Violations By Out-Of-State Drivers
Contact Our Office For A No-Risk Consultation
To arrange a free consultation, contact us online or call 276-779-4451. You will meet directly with one of our attorneys and receive an honest, straightforward assessment of your case.
127 Mill Street
Hillsville, VA 24343
Hillsville Law Office Map
© 2020 by McGrady & McGrady, L.L.P. All rights reserved. Disclaimer | Site Map
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Talk:Brooch
From the Super Mario Wiki
What's the Japanese name of this subject? -- Son of Suns (talk)
Not sure, I only ever found this translation on Wikipedia. YELLOWYOSHI398
For the record...[edit]
To elaborate, Luigi does call it a "visionary gem / illusory jewel" when he sees it for the first time, and the brothers do call the Mushroom Kingdom the "Country/Land of Treasure" at least once during their silly overly excited dance - but the two never come together and it's not the "Visionary Gem from the Country of Treasure". My guess is that if Japan Wiki is using that phrase as its name, someone just looked at the back of the box or a theatrical poster. Peach also calls it her Brooch like she does in Super Mario RPG - which some fan-translations out there seem to have changed to "necklace" or "pendant", even though it's heard pretty directly. LinkTheLefty (talk) 10:55, 2 May 2014 (EDT)
Retrieved from "https://www.mariowiki.com/index.php?title=Talk:Brooch&oldid=1672061"
Special moves
The 'Shroom
Mario Boards
Discord servers
This page was last edited on May 2, 2014, at 09:55.
About the MarioWiki
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Study: 39% of marketers will increase influencer marketing budgets in 2018
Kendra Kamp
By Erica Sweeney
In “The State of Influencer Marketing 2018,” a survey of 181 marketers released today by content marketing platform Linqia and made available to Marketing Dive, 86% of marketers reported using influencer marketing in 2017 — and, of those, 92% said it is an effective strategy.
The survey also found that 39% of marketers will increase influencer marketing budgets in 2018, with the majority planning to spend between $25,000 and $50,000, and most reported plans to leverage a multi-faceted influencer strategy, a press release noted.
Measuring influencer marketing success is one of marketers’ biggest challenges, the survey found. Seventy-six percent cited determining ROI as the No. 1 challenge, and 42% listed changing social network algorithms as second.
Influencer marketing continues to evolve in terms of which channels are most effective and how influencer content is used to drive business.
The big trends for 2018 include creating an integrated strategy where brands partner with influencers to create content along with their in-house creatives, influencers creating their own brands, localizing content, and brands using influencers as a boost for specific campaigns.
The new Linqia report highlights some of these trends: 52% of marketers reported plans to leverage several different types of influencers in 2018, 44% plan to use influencer content to enhance other digital channels’ performance, and 35% report plans to integrate influencer content with e-commerce.
Instagram remains the platform of choice for influencer marketing. Research firm L2 found that 70% of brands across sectors use Instagram partnerships to work with influencers. In the Linqia survey, 92% of marketers listed Instagram as the most important network for influencer marketing in 2018, with Facebook and blogs next in line.
Snapchat, once popular with influencers, has struggled recently as an influencer marketing tool. Many influencers are leaving the platform in favor of Instagram stories, which has a much stronger user base.
Influencer marketing continues to make a cross-channel impact, and marketers are seeing influencer content consistently outperform brand-generated content. To perfect their strategies and ensure the utmost ROI, most marketers are engaging turn-key solutions, agencies or other providers on some level — and, they plan to continue this trend into 2018.
Marketing Dive How to get started in influencer marketing
Marketing Dive [Infographic] 7 major influencer marketing touchstones
Marketing Dive Why influencer marketing has become a moving target
Filed Under: Social Media Mobile
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CT Scanner Market
CT Scanner Market by Type (Stationary, Portable), Architecture (C-arm, O-arm), Technology (High, Mid, Low Slice, CBCT), Application (Human, Veterinary, Research), End User (Hospital, Diagnostic Center, Research, Veterinary Clinic) - Global Forecast to 2022
FREE BROCHURE FREE SAMPLE REPORT
Report Code: MD 5391 Jul, 2017, by marketsandmarkets.com
[175 Pages Report] The global CT scanner market is expected to reach USD 6.20 billion by 2022 from USD 4.76 billion in 2017, at a CAGR of 5.4% during the forecast period. Major factors driving the growth of this market include growing need for effective and early diagnosis, rising global prevalence of targeted diseases coupled with an aging population, increasing preference for minimally invasive diagnostic procedures, increasing benefits of CT scans over other imaging modalities, and technological advancements. However, ssignificant installation and maintenance costs, uncertain reimbursement scenario across developing nations, dearth of well-trained and skilled healthcare professionals may hinder the growth of the CT scanner market during the forecast period.
Growing patient emphasis on effective and early disease diagnosis
Rising prevalence of targeted diseases
Increasing preference for minimally invasive diagnostic procedures
Procedural benefits offered by computed tomography
Significant installation and maintenance costs
Uncertain reimbursement scenario across developing nations
Dearth of well-trained and skilled healthcare professionals
Growing market preference for multimodal Diagnostic Imaging systems
Ongoing market shift towards image-guided interventions
Growing adoption of refurbished CT Scanner
Technological innovation coupled with rising preference for minimally invasive surgeries are the major drivers for the market.
Over the last decade, the diagnostic imaging industry has witnessed significant technological advancements in the field of computed tomography, including the emergence of low-dose and automated CT scanners. These devices offer high image quality with improved spatial resolution and low radiation exposure to the patient as well as surgeons. These advanced CT devices have a simplified console, offer ease of operability, and provide affordable installation with minimal space requirements. These factors are driving the adoption of such products among healthcare professionals and researchers across major healthcare markets worldwide. Moreover, ongoing advancements in the field of semiconductor materials have enabled device miniaturization as well as the development of multi-slice CT scanners that offer 128-, 256-, 320-, or 500- slice CT images. These developments along with expansion in the application horizon of CT technology have resulted in their growing adoption among various end users worldwide. For instance, in 2015, Siemens Healthineers (Germany) received U.S. FDA’s 510(k) clearance for its SOMATOM Force, SOMATOM Definition Flash, SOMATOM Definition Edge, SOMATOM Definition AS/AS+, SOMATOM Perspective, SOMATOM Scope, and the SOMATOM Emotion 16 CT systems; these systems offer low radiation exposure during lung cancer screening. Also, in 2016, Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands) launched the IQon Spectral CT system in Canada; this system offers exclusive spectral imaging capabilities with low radiation exposure.
The following are the major objectives of the study
To define, describe, and forecast the CT scanner market on the basis of product type, device architecture, technology, application, end user, and region
To provide detailed information regarding the major factors influencing growth of the market (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges)
To strategically analyze the micromarkets1 with respect to individual growth trends, prospects, and contributions to the market
To analyze opportunities in the market for key stakeholders and provide details of the competitive landscape for major market leaders
To forecast the size of the market segments with respect to four major regions, namely, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW2
To profile the key players in the market and comprehensively analyze their market shares and core competencies3
To track and analyze competitive developments such as product launches; agreements, partnerships, & collaborations; mergers & acquisitions; and research & development activities in the global CT scanner market
During this research study, major players operating in the CT scanner market in various regions have been identified, and their offerings, regional presence, and distribution channels have been analyzed through in-depth discussions. Top-down and bottom-up approaches have been used to determine the overall market size. Sizes of the other individual markets have been estimated using the percentage splits obtained through secondary sources such as Hoovers, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, and Factiva, along with primary respondents. The entire procedure includes the study of the annual and financial reports of the top market players and extensive interviews with industry experts such as CEOs, VPs, directors, and marketing executives for key insights (both qualitative and quantitative) pertaining to the market. The figure below shows the breakdown of the primaries on the basis of the company type, designation, and region considered during the research study.
To know about the assumptions considered for the study, download the pdf brochure
Major players in the CT scanner market include General Healthcare (US), Siemens (Germany), Philips (Netherlands), Toshiba Corporation (Japan), Hitachi (Japan), Shimadzu (Japan), Samsung (South Korea), Neusoft Medical Systems. (China), Medtronic (Ireland), Shenzhen (Hong Kong), and Accuray (US), among others. Product approvals, launches, and enhancements were the key strategies adopted by players to grow and expand their presence in the CT scanner market.
Major Market Developments:
In 2017, GE Healthcare introduced a dedicated cardiovascular CT system, namely, CardioGraphe which creates 3D images of coronaries, valves, chambers and myocardium in one heartbeat.
In 2017, Toshiba, signed a three-year pricing agreement with Varex Imaging Corporation in order to supply CT tubes for integration into Toshiba’s CT systems
In 2017, Siemens signed an agreement with HeartFlow for the integration of Siemens’s CT scanner systems with HeartFlow’s FFRct Analysis.
In 2017, Hiatchi, signed an agreement with Redlen Technologies for the development of a multi-energy photon-counting Computed tomography (PCCT) semiconductor detector module
CT scanning device manufacturers
Medical device suppliers and distributors
Research laboratories and academic institutes
Research and development (R&D) companies
Government and non-government organizations
Venture capitalists and other private funding organizations
Market research and consulting firms
Healthcare service providers (including hospitals and diagnostic centers)
Veterinary hospitals and clinics
Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies
This report categorizes the Coronary Stent market into the following segments and subsegments.
Global CT scanner market, by type
Stationary CT scanners
Portable CT scanners
Global CT scanner market, by device architecture
C-arm CT Scanners
O-arm CT Scanners
Global CT scanner market, by technology
High-slice CT
Mid-slice CT
Low-slice CT
Cone-beam CT (CBCT)
Global CT scanner market, by application
Human Application
Diagnostic Applications
Cardiology Applications
Oncology Applications
Neurology Applications
Other Diagnostic Applications
Intraoperative Applications
Veterinary Application
Research Application
Global CT scanner market, by region
Rest of the World (RoW)
With the given market data, MarketsandMarkets offers customizations as per the company’s specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:
Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to 15)
The global CT scanners market is expected to reach USD 6.20 billion by 2022 from USD 4.76 billion in 2017, at a CAGR of 5.4% during the forecast period. Technological advancements, growing patient emphasis on early disease diagnosis, rising incidence of targeted diseases, increasing priority for minimally invasive diagnostic procedures, and procedural benefits offered by CT scanners are key factors driving the growth of the market.
The CT scanner market is segmented into type, device architecture, technology, application, and end user. On the basis of type, the market is categorized into stationary and portable CT scanner, in which stationary CT scanners is expected to account for the largest share of the market. This is attributed to the significant adoption of stationary CT scanners for its growing application horizons.
Based on device architecture, the CT scanner market is segmented into C-arm and O-arm CT scanners. The O-arm CT segment is estimated to command the larger share of the global market due to the ongoing commercialization of mobile CT scanners and the procedural benefits offered by the O-arm devices.
On the basis of technology, the CT scanner market is segmented into high-slice, mid-slice, low-slice, and cone beam CT technology. In 2017, the high-slice segment is estimated to command the largest share, majorly due to the rising adoption of CT for diagnostic procedures and the expanded application horizons of CT technology.
Based on applications, the global CT scanners market is segmented into human, veterinary, and research applications. The human applications segment is further sub segmented into diagnostic applications (cardiology, oncology, neurology, and other diagnostic applications) and intraoperative applications. The human application segment is estimated to command the largest share of the global CT scanner market in 2017, due to increasing market demand in intraoperative surgical procedures, increasing demand for effective disease management, and the rising incidence of chronic diseases.
On the basis of the end user, the CT scanners market is segmented into hospitals and diagnostic centers, ambulatory care centers, research laboratories, veterinary clinics, and other end users. Among these veterinary clinics and hospitals segment is poised to grow the fastest during the forecast period mainly due to growing market demand for enhanced virility of poultry & livestock and rising prevalence of major veterinary diseases.
North America is expected to command the largest share of the market in 2017. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to register the highest growth rate during the forecast period, due increasing incidence of target diseases, rising patient awareness on the benefits of CT scanning in early disease diagnosis, ongoing expansion and modernization of healthcare infrastructure in Asian countries.
Cone Beam CT Technology form the fastest growing technology segment.
High-slice CT scanners offer advanced imaging capabilities, with as many as 128, 256, 320, or more slices in a single rotation. These devices offer advanced capabilities for cardiac and Vascular Imaging as well as cancer diagnosis and treatment. Market growth is mainly driven by the ongoing commercialization of advanced products across major markets, increasing public-private investments in the field of high-slice CT, and growing emphasis on effective & early disease diagnosis & treatment. Moreover, advanced CT imaging capabilities offered by high-slice CT devices and their growing adoption for out-patient diagnostic procedures have expanded their application horizons.
Mid-slice CT scanners offer 32- and 64-slice capabilities in a single rotation. As compared to low-slice CT scanners, these acquire images much faster and feature significant diagnostic accuracy and a larger application base (such as detection of coronary stenosis, kidney stones, appendicitis, and spinal stenosis). The growth in the CT scanner market is expected to be propelled by factors such as availability of significant clinical data to validate clinical efficacy of 64-slice CT scanners in cardiology, vascular imaging, and neurology applications; growing adoption of 64- & 32-slice CT devices in oncology, trauma, and critical care; ongoing technological advancements in this field; and modernization of healthcare infrastructure & services across emerging countries.
Low-slice CT scanners offer single-plane CT imaging or multi-slice imaging capabilities with 4, 8, or 16 slices in a single rotation. These include multi-slice CT devices and conventional CT scanners. Market growth for low-slice CT is driven by the significant use of these scanners for major clinical applications (such as pulmonary imaging, urological imaging, intra-operative imaging, and image-guided surgical procedures), large installation base for low-slice CT scanners across major healthcare markets, affordable product pricing (as compared to medium- & high-slice devices), and greater market preference for low-slice devices across emerging countries (due to the optimal imaging capabilities, need of limited operational skills, and product affordability).
CONE BEAM CT (CBCT)
Cone beam CT scanners use a single or multiple X-ray sources that focus on the target area, forming a focused cone beam. These devices are used for specific applications in the fields of dentistry, endodontics, maxillofacial surgeries, and otolaryngology, among others. The growing market demand for CBCT scanners can be attributed to the increasing applications of CBCT technology in human diagnostic applications (such as dental implants, maxillofacial surgeries, and neck surgeries), procedural advantages offered by CBCT (such as limited radiation exposure, affordable product costs, and low scanning time), rising market demand for cosmetic dentistry & aesthetic procedures (coupled with the rising trend of medical tourism across emerging countries), and ongoing product development & commercialization of innovative CBCT devices across major healthcare markets.
Critical questions the report answers:
What would be key clinical areas for CBCT-based procedures during next decade; how its market would grow in coming years?
Emerging countries have immense growth opportunities for CT scanners industry, will this scenario continue?
Which of the application segment will poise the highest/fastest revenue impact during the forecast period?
Portable devices are witnessing significant growth potential in CT scanner market; how market relevant stationary CT scanners would be during coming decade?
To speak to our analyst for a discussion on the above findings, click Speak to Analyst
Physicians largely depend on radiologists for the effective evaluation of CT scan examinations. Therefore, technical skill and on-hand experience of radiologists are critical to ensuring the optimal use of CT devices for effective and accurate disease diagnosis and for image-guided interventions. Poorly captured images may lead to incorrect interpretation or unnecessary repetition of CT scan examinations during a specific disease diagnosis. A well-trained radiologist, on the other hand, is able to interpret the scanned image in order to document the presence of any medical abnormalities as mandated by relevant professional organizations or respective regulatory authorities in the country. There is a significant gap between growth in the number of CT device installations and availability of target workforce capable of accurate data interpretation at a country-level. For instance, the number of CT & MRI scans in U.K. increased by 29% and 26%, respectively during 2012-2015, however, the number of consultant radiologists to interpret the image data increased by ~5% in the country during the same period. The dearth of radiologists with required technical skills and experience for accurate interpretation of CT imaging data is expected to restrain the optimal adoption of CT scanners across respective countries during the forecast period.
Key players in the CT Scanner Market include General Electric Company (US), Siemens (Germany), Philips (Netherlands), Toshiba (Japan), Hitachi (Japan), Shimadzu (Japan), Samsung (South Korea), Neusoft Medical Systems (China), Medtronic (Ireland), and Shenzhen (Hong Kong), among others.
1 Introduction (Page No. - 15)
1.2 CT Scanner Market Definition
1.3 Market Scope
1.3.1 Markets Covered
1.3.2 Geographic Scope
1.4 Years Considered for the Study
1.6 Limitations
1.7 Major Stakeholders
2 Research Methodology (Page No. - 19)
2.1 Research Data
2.1.1 Secondary Data
2.1.1.1 Key Data From Secondary Sources
2.1.2 Primary Data
2.1.2.1 Key Data From Primary Sources
2.1.2.2 Breakdown of Primaries
2.2 Opportunity Indicators
2.2.1.1 Geriatric Population
2.2.1.2 Incidence and Prevalence of Cancer
2.2.1.3 Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDS)
2.2.1.4 Healthcare Expenditure Patterns
2.3 CT Scanner Market Estimation Methodology
2.3.1 Bottom-Up Approach
2.3.2 Top-Down Approach
2.4 Market Breakdown and Data Triangulation
2.5 Research Assumptions
3 Executive Summary (Page No. - 33)
4 Premium Insights (Page No. - 37)
4.1 CT Scanner Market Overview (2017)
4.2 Geographic Analysis: Market, By End User (2017 vs 2022)
4.3 Geographic Analysis: Market, By Application (2017 vs 2022)
4.4 Geographical Analysis: Market, By Technologies (2017)
4.5 Geographic Snapshot: Market (2017-2022)
5 Market Overview (Page No. - 41)
5.2 CT Scanner Market Dynamics
5.2.1.1 Technological Advancements
5.2.1.2 Growing Patient Emphasis on Effective and Early Disease Diagnosis
5.2.1.3 Rising Prevalence of Target Diseases
5.2.1.4 Increasing Patient Preference for Minimally Invasive Diagnostic Procedures
5.2.1.5 Procedural Benefits Offered By Computed Tomography
5.2.2.1 Significant Installation and Maintenance Costs
5.2.2.2 Uncertain Reimbursement Scenario Across Developing Nations
5.2.2.3 Dearth of Well-Trained and Skilled Healthcare Professionals
5.2.3.1 Emerging Markets
5.2.3.2 Growing Market Preference for Multimodal Diagnostic Imaging Systems
5.2.3.3 Ongoing Market Shift Towards Image-Guided Medical Interventions
5.2.4.1 Growing Adoption of Refurbished CT Scanners
6 CT Scanner Market, By Type (Page No. - 50)
6.2 Stationary CT Scanners
6.2.1 Floor vs Ceiling Mounted Stationary CT Scanners
6.3 Portable CT Scanners
7 CT Scanner Market, By Device Architecture (Page No. - 56)
7.2 C-Arm CT Scanners
7.3 O-Arm CT Scanners
8 CT Scanner Market, By Technology (Page No. - 60)
8.2 High-Slice CT
8.3 Mid-Slice CT
8.4 Low-Slice CT
8.5 Cone Beam CT (CBCT)
9 CT Scanner Market, By Application (Page No. - 67)
9.2 Human Applications
9.2.1 Diagnostic Applications
9.2.1.1 Cardiology Applications
9.2.1.2 Oncology Applications
9.2.1.3 Neurology Applications
9.2.1.4 Other Diagnostic Applications
9.2.2 Intraoperative Applications
9.3 Veterinary Applications
9.4 Research Applications
10 CT Scanner Market, By End User (Page No. - 79)
10.2 Hospitals and Diagnostic Centers
10.3 Research Laboratories, Academic Institutes, & Cros
10.4 Ambulatory Care Centers
10.5 Veterinary Clinics and Hospitals
10.6 Other End Users
11 Global CT Scanner Market, By Region (Page No. - 88)
11.2 North America
11.2.1 U.S.
11.4 Asia-Pacific
11.5 Rest of the World
12 Competitive Landscape (Page No. - 108)
12.2 Global CT Scanner Market
12.2.1 CT Scanner Market Ranking (As of 2016)
12.2.2 Competitive Leadership Mapping (2017)
12.2.2.1 Vendor Inclusion Criteria
12.2.2.2 Visionary Leaders
12.2.2.3 Innovators
12.2.2.4 Dynamic Differentiators
12.2.2.5 Emerging Companies
12.2.3 Product Offering Scorecard
12.2.4 Business Strategy Scorecard
*Top 25 Companies Analyzed for This Studies are - Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands), GE Healthcare (Part of General Electric Co., U.S.), Toshiba Corporation (Japan), Siemens AG (Germany), Hitachi Ltd. (Japan), Shimadzu Corporation (Japan), Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (South Korea), Neusoft Medical Systems Co., Ltd. (China), Medtronic PLC (Ireland), Shenzhen Anke High-Tech Co., Ltd. (Hong Kong), Accuray Incorporated (U.S.), Planmed (Finland), Koning Corporation (U.S.), Carestream Health Inc. (U.S.), Pointnix Co. Ltd (South Korea), Epica Medical Innovations (U.S.), Scanco Medical AG (Switzerland), AB-CT - Advanced Breast-CT GmbH (Germany), Brainlab AG (Germany), Curvebeam (U.S.) Imaging Sciences International LLC (U.S.), Genoray Co., Ltd. (Korea), United-Imaging (China), Xoran Technologies, LLC. (U.S.), Trivitron Healthcare Private Limited (India)
13 Company Profiles (Page No. - 113)
(Introduction, Products & Services, Strategy, & Analyst Insights, Developments, MnM View)*
13.1 GE Healthcare (A Subsidiary of General Electric Company)
13.2 Siemens AG
13.3 Koninklijke Philips N.V.
13.4 Toshiba Corporation
13.5 Hitachi Ltd
13.7 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
13.8 Neusoft Corporation
13.9 Medtronic PLC
13.10 Shenzhen Anke High-Tech Co., Ltd.
13.11 Accuray Incorporated
13.12 Planmed Oy
13.13 Koning Corporation
13.14 Carestream Health, Inc.
13.15 Pointnix Co., Ltd.
*Details on Marketsandmarkets View, Introduction, Product & Services, Strategy, & Analyst Insights, New Developments Might Not Be Captured in Case of Unlisted Companies.
14 Appendix (Page No. - 165)
14.2 Knowledge Store: Marketsandmarkets’ Subscription Portal
14.3 Introducing RT: Real-Time Market Intelligence
14.4 Available Customizations
14.5 Related Reports
List of Tables (61 Tables)
Table 1 U.S.: Annual Maintenance Costs of Major CT Scanner Manufacturers (2016)
Table 2 Global CT Scanner Market Size, By Type, 2015–2022 (USD Million)
Table 3 U.S CT Scanner Market Size By Type, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 4 Stationary CT Scanner Market Size, By Region, 2015–2022 (USD Million)
Table 5 Portable CT Scanner Market Size, By Region, 2015–2022 (USD Million)
Table 6 Global CT Scanner Market Size, By Device Architecture, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 7 C-Arm CT Scanner Market Size, By Region, USD Million (2015-2022)
Table 8 O-Arm CT Scanner Market Size, By Region, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 9 Global CT Scanner Market Size, By Technology, 2017–2022 (USD Million)
Table 10 U.S CT Scanner Market Size By Technology, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 11 High-Slice CT Market Size, By Region, 2017–2022 (USD Million)
Table 12 Mid-Slice CT Market Size, By Region, 2017–2022 (USD Million)
Table 13 Low-Slice CT Market Size, By Region, 2017–2022 (USD Million)
Table 14 Cone Beam CT Market Size, By Region, 2017–2022 (USD Million)
Table 15 Global CT Scanner Market Size, By Application, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 16 Global Market Size for Human Applications, By Type, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 17 Market Size for Human Application, By Region, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 18 Global Market Size for Diagnostic Applications, By Type, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 19 Market Size for Diagnostic Applications, By Region, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 20 Market Size for Cardiology Applications, By Region, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 21 Market Size for Oncology Applications, By Region, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 22 Market Size for Neurology Applications, By Region, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 23 CT Scanner Market Size for Other Diagnostic Applications, By Region, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 24 Market Size for Intraoperative Applications, By Region, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 25 Market Size for Veterinary Applications, By Region, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 26 Market Size for Research Applications, By Region, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 27 Global CT Scanner Market Size, By End User, 2017–2022 (USD Million)
Table 28 CT Scanner Market Size for Hospitals and Diagnostic Centers, By Region, 2017–2022 (USD Million)
Table 29 Market Size for Research Laboratories, Academic Institutes, & Cros, By Region, 2015–2022 (USD Million)
Table 30 Market Size for Ambulatory Care Centers, By Region, 2017–2022 (USD Million)
Table 31 Market Size for Veterinary Clinics and Hospitals, By Region, 2017–2022 (USD Million)
Table 32 Market Size for Other End Users, By Region, 2017–2022 (USD Million)
Table 33 CT Scanner Market Size, By Region, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 34 North America: CT Scanner Market Size, By Product Type, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 35 North America: Market Size, By Techology, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 36 North America: Market Size, By Device Architecture, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 37 North America: Market Size, By Application, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 38 North America: Market Size for Human Application, By Type, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 39 North America: CT Scanner Market Size for Human Diagnostic Application, By Type, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 40 North America: CT Scaner Market Size, By End User, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 41 Europe: CT Scanner Market Size, By Product Type, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 42 Europe: Market Size, By Techology, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 43 Europe: Market Size, By Device Architecture, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 44 Europe: CT Scanner Market Size, By Application, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 45 Europe: Market Size for Human Application, By Type, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 46 Europe: Market Size for Human Diagnostic Application, By Type, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 47 Europe: Market Size, By End User, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 48 Asia-Pacific: CT Scanner Market Size, By Product Type, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 49 Asia-Pacific: Market Size, By Techology, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 50 Asia-Pacific: Market Size, By Device Architecture, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 51 Asia-Pacific: Market Size, By Application, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 52 Asia-Pacific: CT Scanner Market Size for Human Application, By Type, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 53 Asia-Pacific: Market Size for Human Diagnostic Application, By Type, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 54 Asia-Pacific By End User, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 55 Rest of the World: CT Scanner Market Size, By Product Type, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 56 Rest of the World: Market Size, By Techology, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 57 Rest of the World: Market Size, By Device Architecture, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 58 Rest of the World: Market Size, By Application, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 59 Rest of the World: CT Scanner Market Size for Human Application, By Type, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 60 Rest of the World: Market Size for Human Diagnostic Application, By Type, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
Table 61 Rest of the World: CT Scanner Market Size, By End User, 2015-2022 (USD Million)
List of Figures (51 Figures)
Figure 1 Research Design
Figure 2 Increase in Aging Population, By Country (2010 vs 2015)
Figure 3 Percentage Increase in Geriatric Population, By Region (1980–2010 vs 2010–2040)
Figure 4 Global Burden of Cancer, By Region (2005–2030)
Figure 5 Number of New Cancer Cases, By Country (2012 vs 2020)
Figure 6 Cardiovascular Diseases Burden: By Region (2005–2030)
Figure 7 Bottom-Up Approach
Figure 8 Top-Down Approach
Figure 9 Data Triangulation
Figure 10 Assumptions of the Research Study
Figure 11 CT Scanner Market Size, By Type, 2017 vs 2022 (USD Million)
Figure 12 Market Size, By Technology, 2017 vs 2022 (USD Million)
Figure 13 CT Scanner Market Size, By Device Architecture, 2017 vs 2022 (USD Million)
Figure 14 Market Size, By Application 2017 vs 2022 (USD Million)
Figure 15 Market Size, By End User, 2017 vs 2022 (USD Million)
Figure 16 Geographical Snapshot of the Global Market
Figure 17 Increasing Global Prevalence of Targeted Diseases to Drive Growth in the CT Scanner Market
Figure 18 Hospitals & Diagnostic Centers to Dominate the Global Market Across All Regions in 2017
Figure 19 Human Diagnostic Applications Segment to Dominate the Global Market Across All Regions in 2017
Figure 20 North America to Dominate All Major CT Scanner Technology Segments in 2017
Figure 21 North America to Dominate the Global Market During the Forecast Period
Figure 22 Technological Innovation Coupled With Rising Preference for Minimally Invasive Surgeries to Drive the Market Growth for CT Scanners
Figure 23 Annual Healthcare Expenditure (% GDP): Developed vs Developing Countries (2010–2015)
Figure 24 Stationary CT Scanner Market to Dominate the Global Market During 2017-2022
Figure 25 O-Arm CT Scanners to Dominate the Global Market During the Forecast Period
Figure 26 High Slice CT Technology to Dominate the Global Market During the Forecast Period
Figure 27 North America to Lead the Market for Cone Beam CT Technology During 2017-2022
Figure 28 Human Application to Dominate the Global Market During 2017-2022
Figure 29 Cardiology to Lead the CT Scanner Market for Diagnostic Application During 2017-2022
Figure 30 North America to Dominate the Market for Veterinary Application During the Forecast Period
Figure 31 Hospitals and Diagnostics to Dominate the End User CT Scanner Market During 2017-2022
Figure 32 North America to Dominate the Market for Ambulatory Care Centers During 2017-2022
Figure 33 North America to Lead the CT Scanner Market for Vetrinary Clinics and Hospitals During the Forecast Period
Figure 34 North America: Market Snapshot (2017-2022)
Figure 35 Europe: CT Scanner Market Snapshot (2017-2022)
Figure 36 Asia-Pacific: Market Snapshot (2017-2022)
Figure 37 Rest of the World: Market Snapshot (2017-2022)
Figure 38 Global CT Scanner Market Ranking (As of 2016)
Figure 39 Competitive Leadership Benchmarking
Figure 40 General Electric Company: Company Snapshot (2016)
Figure 41 Siemens AG: Company Snapshot (2016)
Figure 42 Koninklijke Philips N.V.: Company Snapshot (2016)
Figure 43 Toshiba Corporation: Company Snapshot (2016)
Figure 44 Hitachi Ltd: Company Snapshot (2015)
Figure 45 Shimadzu Corporation: Company Snapshot (2015)
Figure 46 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.: Company Snapshot (2016)
Figure 47 Neusoft Corporation: Company Snapshot (2016)
Figure 48 Medtronic PLC: Company Snapshot (2016)
Figure 49 Fullshare Holdings Ltd.: Company Snapshot (2016)
Figure 50 Accuray Incorporated: Company Snapshot (2016)
Figure 51 ONEX Corporation: Company Snapshot (2016)
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Published Date: Jul 2017 | Report Code: MD 5391
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About Mercatus
F. A. Hayek Program
Trade and Immigration
The FCC Should Modernize Over-the-Air Reception Device Rules
Brent Skorup
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Notice of Request for Comments
Agency: Federal Communications Commission
Comment Period Opens: May 2, 2019
Comment Period Closes: June 17, 2019
Comment Submitted: June 17, 2019
Docket No. WT 19-71; FCC 19-36
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Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this proceeding. The Fourth Branch project of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University is dedicated to advancing knowledge about the effects of regulation on society, commerce, and innovation. As part of its mission, the project conducts independent legal and economic analyses to assess agency rulemakings and proposals from the perspective of consumers and the public. My comments include the following key points:
1. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has authority to regulate small outdoor antenna siting and effect the proposals in the notice of proposed rulemaking.
2. Modernizing the Over-the-Air Reception Devices (OTARD) rules would give regulatory certainty to wireless services that currently fall into a gap in regulatory coverage.
3. The proposed rulemaking would create more siting opportunities for fixed wireless providers, as well as provide some help in 5G deployment.
4. Despite the arguments of some commenters, giving property owners and renters more freedom to install small outdoor antennas on their property would not amount to an unconstitutional per se taking.
5. To allay some commenters’ concerns, the FCC should consider a soft cap on the number of small outdoor antennas permitted per housing unit.
1. Authority for FCC Regulation of Small Outdoor Antenna Siting
The FCC asks,
"The Commission proposes to rely on the legal authority it relied on originally to extending the OTARD rules to apply to antennas used in connection with fixed wireless services. The Commission notes that it assumed all hub sites were “personal wireless service facilities” covered by section 332(c)(7) of the Act—defined by the Act to include only facilities that provide “telecommunications services”—and therefore beyond the scope of its OTARD provisions. However, this assumption does not currently appear to be accurate. The Commission therefore seeks comment on extending relief to those relay antennas and hub sites that are not “personal wireless service facilities”—i.e., those that fall into the gap between the current OTARD provisions and the protections of section 332(c)(7) of the Act, and those that WISPA [Wireless Internet Service Provider Association] claims are needed for modern high-speed broadband wireless networks. Commenters are invited to identify any other legal authorities that may be relevant."
Although the current title of the rules refers to over-the-air reception devices, the scope of the rules and the FCC’s authority cover more than reception devices. The Communications Act gives the FCC authority over “stations,” and the FCC’s OTARD rules currently “apply to antennas that transmit and receive signals, only transmit signals, or only receive signals.” Over-the-Air-Reception-Device rules, then, is a bit of a misnomer. A name change may be in order to better describe the substance of the rules and the extent of FCC authority.
The current OTARD rules for small outdoor antennas like wireless internet service provider (WISP) receivers and satellite TV receivers represent the latest iteration of the FCC’s and Congress’s decades-long attempt to balance federalism with the federal government’s interest in encouraging the deployment of interstate communications services. Senator Barry Goldwater summarized that balancing act in 1985:
[E]ach State possesses broad authority and responsibility on a wide range of subjects. However, the basic question here is not Federal preemption of local powers. It is whether cities and counties can thwart a clear national policy which has been repeatedly enunciated by the Congress and the FCC to encourage the development of new communications technologies and services in the public interest.
The late senator was referring to the FCC’s preemption of unreasonable and discriminatory local restrictions on antennas since at least the 1980s. The FCC took action, for instance, to protect MDS and Satellite Master Antenna (SMATV) systems, then satellite earth stations. The FCC in 1986 preempted the enforcement of “discriminatory, non-justified aesthetic regulation” of satellite transmitting antennas.
The FCC then and now derives its authority to preempt the state and local regulation of antennas here not merely from the “broad mandate” of section 1 of the Communications Act to make communications available to all, but from the “numerous powers” granted by title III of the act, namely, the FCC’s express statutory authority in section 303 to regulate antenna siting. In section 207 of the Communications Act, Congress instructed the FCC to use its section 303 authority specifically to “prohibit restrictions that impair a viewer’s ability to receive” TV programming on satellite TV receivers and other TV reception devices.
Some commenters suggest that the FCC’s authority over small outdoor antennas is limited to section 207, which is focused on TV reception devices. The FCC considered and rejected that interpretation more than a decade ago. As the FCC noted in the Massport order regarding congressional intent and the FCC’s section 303 authority,
"[T]here is no indication that Congress intended to limit the Commission’s discretionary preemptive authority over antenna siting to the strict parameters of Section 207.
Congress directed the Commission to promulgate regulations pursuant to Section 303 without limitation. Although the Commission relied upon both Sections 303(r) and 4(i) of the Act as bases for exercise of its ancillary jurisdiction in the Competitive Networks Report and Order, Section 303(d) provides the Commission with express statutory authority to regulate antenna siting. Specifically, Section 303(d) states that “the Commission from time to time, as public convenience, interest or necessity requires shall . . . [d]etermine the location of classes of stations or individual stations.” The Act defines the terms “radio station” or “station” as “a station equipped to engage in radio communication or radio transmission of energy.” “Radio communication” is in turn defined as “the transmission by radio of writing, signs, signals, pictures, and sounds of all kinds, including all instrumentalities, facilities, apparatus, and services (among other things, the receipt, forwarding, and delivery of communications) incidental to such transmission.” These broad definitions of radio stations and radio communications encompass the antennas subject to the Commission’s OTARD rules, and the Commission’s authority to determine the locations of radio stations pursuant to Section 303(d) includes the authority to preempt restrictions that interfere with that authority.
It has been the FCC’s interpretation since then that it has express statutory authority to regulate antenna siting, aside from the “personal wireless services facilities” that Congress “preserved” for state and local siting regulation in the 1996 Telecommunications Act, discussed later."
If, in the alternative, the FCC agrees with commenters that its preemptive authority is limited to section 207—that is, TV reception devices—that means countless devices that are currently serving wireless services to people outside those devices’ premises are now subject to state, local, and landlord siting restrictions and fees. A finding that FCC authority here is limited to section 207 means that the US Conference of Mayors et al. are correct that the FCC’s distinction between OTARD rules-protected devices that transmit to people outside the premises and unprotected “hubs” is “fictional.”
If section 207 is the FCC’s limit, Massport is no longer valid. In that case, countless Wi-Fi access points in airports are not the only devices exposed to state, local, and landlord restrictions. For years, providers have installed millions of Wi-Fi access points that—like the Wi-Fi in Massport—“offer routing service to additional users” outside of the premises, such as public Wi-Fi systems and the Xfinity Wi-Fi network. It is becoming more common for residents and public venue owners to install outdoor Wi-Fi antennas, and these also would be subject to state and local siting restrictions if the commenters are correct that section 207 is the limit of the FCC’s authority.
2. OTARD Modernization Would Protect “Gap Services” That Are Currently at a Competitive Disadvantage
As the FCC indicated in the notice of proposed rulemaking, new wireless services have been developed since the 1996 law. There are now many wireless technologies that are unprotected by the OTARD rules but also are not “personal wireless service facilities.” As commenters point out, state and local governments have express authority to regulate the siting of personal wireless service facilities. Each of the personal wireless services is a common carrier service or offers interconnected service. The “gap services,” therefore, appear to be data-only wireless services, private mobile services, and wireless internet access services.
These data-only wireless services, including WISP operators, find themselves in a regulatory no-man’s-land when it comes to siting access. If they don’t offer telecommunications or interconnected service, which is common, they generally cannot avail themselves of the section 224 utility pole access regime. Further, as Starry points out regarding its local approvals, “internet-only fixed wireless sites” applications seem to be delayed because “they do not definitionally fit within existing local permitting rules that apply to personal wireless service facilities.”
These “gap services,” such as fixed wireless, are typically low power but require precise placement to cover customers. Permitting delays can be punishing, especially because many WISP operators are small in size. Gaining access to city rights-of-way is a daunting task even for some of the largest companies in the world. As Blair Levin and Larry Downs note, Google Fiber’s plans to deploy fiber on rights-of-way successfully “change[d] the nature of relations between infrastructure providers and local authorities” into one of collaboration in much of the country. However, Google Fiber’s competitive struggles reveal just how difficult it is to bring wireline high-speed service to communities via the public right-of-way, even with an accommodating municipality and subscription commitments from customers. In 2016, Google Fiber refocused to fixed wireless deployment because it’s easier and less expensive to deploy.
When even Google finds right-of-way access and local permitting daunting, the FCC should be looking for all regulatory tools at its disposal to make fixed wireless deployment easier. Extending OTARD-like protections to their hubs and relays would allow faster deployment and would free up local telecommunications permitting resources for large deployments like 5G on city rights-of-way.
3. The Potential of OTARD Rule Modernization
3.1. OTARD Rule Modernization Would Create More Siting Opportunities for Internet Providers
"To what extent would extending the rule create more siting opportunities for fixed wireless service providers?"
There doesn’t seem to be research on how much the current OTARD rules help improve expansion of satellite TV and fixed wireless. At the market level, the OTARD rules coincide with an unprecedented increase in pay-TV competition, as millions of OTARD rules-protected satellite dishes were installed on homes around the country. In 1996, when section 207 was passed, satellite TV companies had around only 5.1 million subscribers. Cable TV was dominant and had about 87 percent of the market. Satellite TV market share shot up quickly to over 20 million subscribers by 2003, eating away at cable’s market share, which fell to around 70 percent.
Once the FCC created the OTARD rules, many landlords, homeowners’ associations, and cities stopped enforcing their restrictions on the installation of small outdoor antennas. That makes it hard to estimate the but-for effect on TV competition. What can’t be denied is that the OTARD rules have been cited by tenants and homeowners to ward off unreasonable fees and restrictions on satellite dish and fixed wireless installations. For instance, a few years ago a woman in the Charlottesville, Virginia, area switched from cable to less expensive satellite TV service in order to save money after being laid off. She had a satellite dish installed in her front yard—the only place the dish could receive an adequate signal. A city zoning official sent her and about 30 neighbors letters informing them that their (OTARD rules-covered) satellite dishes were, per local ordinance, unpermitted accessory structures. Any homeowners who did not remove their dish faced fines of $250 per day.
Fortunately for the homeowners, the woman was familiar with the OTARD rules and informed the local officials of the FCC’s authority. After being informed of the FCC’s OTARD regulations, the city officials declined to enforce the local ordinance and agreed to revisit the ordinance for compliance with FCC rules. There are doubtless many more unreported examples of cities, landlords, and HOAs with knowledge of the FCC rules simply choosing to not to enforce a potentially noncompliant ordinance or restriction against a homeowner or tenant.
The National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors et al. say that “rural communities . . . are particularly welcoming to WISPs.” That’s sometimes the case, but as the record makes clear, many WISPs do not find welcoming city officials and HOAs. Fixed wireless systems require precise placement and special infrastructure. Most WISPs are small operations, and a significant delay in processing a permit or a surprise fee can derail a project.
Most fixed wireless operators are small businesses, serving on average about 1,200 customers. As carriers have recognized about current fixed wireless deployments, fixed wireless connectivity can vary widely even between homes in close proximity. Several small operators commented in this proceeding and stated that the proposed modernization of the rules would give them more siting options and an easier deployment process. Commenter Matthew Jorgensen, a WISP operator offering services in southern Michigan and northern Indiana, notes that local authorities limit cell towers and other vertical infrastructure that “prevents my company from being able to service” prospective customers and leaves them with few or no broadband options. Modernizing the rules to protect hubs and relays, he notes, “could make the difference in allowing me to service these customers.” Commenter New Wave Net, a WISP serving rural households in central Illinois, notes that high tower permit fees often “[exceed] the cost of the small towers.” MJM Telecom, a WISP operator in California, says that it’s “turned down thousands of potential customers” because of the inability to install small hub sites.
3.2 OTARD Rule Modernization Would Help Spur 5G Deployment
"[T]he Commission seeks comment on whether updating the OTARD rule could help facilitate the deployment of other 5G infrastructure, such as small wireless facilities."
The proposed updates would help the deployment of 5G infrastructure. Negotiating with commercial and private landowners is a time-consuming process, and master agreements for deploying on poles and on the public right-of-way will remain the priority for 5G operators. However, modernization could help 5G deployment in a few respects.
First, even if 5G antennas aren’t widely deployed on private property, the rules change would put pricing pressure on cities and pole owners. If negotiations with a city or pole owner are slow or the lease conditions are onerous, a 5G operator can credibly threaten to find alternative sites on an interim basis on property outside of the public right-of-way and on multiple properties throughout a city or suburb.
Second, a rules update would increase the number of 5G sites. This may help particularly in rural areas, because an update would make backhaul easier. Mobile carriers rely on wireless backhaul in rural areas and increasingly for their small cell deployments. Sprint, for instance, estimates that about 85 percent of its outdoor small cells use wireless backhaul.
Urban areas as well would benefit from more 5G siting locations. 5G networks using millimeter wave spectrum require a large number of base stations. Many cities in Japan have seemingly run out of useful 5G sites using rooftop sites. As the Japanese experience shows, the siting opportunities even in urban areas can be limited for short-range 5G transmitters. The proposed reforms would open up a substantial number of possible sites in urban areas.
4. The Proposed Action Is Not a Per Se Taking
The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) et al. claims that “under the Supreme Court’s decision in Loretto v. Manhattan Teleprompter CATV, any attempt to extend the OTARD Rule to grant providers the right to install or operate equipment in premises leased to a third party would constitute a ‘per se’ taking.” Other commenters similarly cite the Loretto case.
These commenters misread the Loretto case, which had very different facts. In Loretto, a New York state law disallowed a new building owner from removing cables and “taps” from the exterior of the owner’s building. The Supreme Court struck down that law as an unconstitutional taking because the law “authorize[d] the permanent occupation of the landlord’s property by a third party.” The current and proposed OTARD rules do not authorize a permanent physical occupation by a third party. The Tenth Circuit explained the difference in BOMA, which upheld the previous amendment to the OTARD rules and rejected petitioners’ arguments that the OTARD rules constitute a per se taking.
NMHC et al. says that protecting hubs means “the Commission will have moved past the boundary set by BOMA v. FCC and stepped into Loretto [per se takings] territory.” Again, this is a misreading of the case law. The BOMA case did not turn on whether the antennas were customer end, as NMHC et al. contends it did. BOMA turned on whether the regulation authorized a permanent physical occupation by a third party. As the court said, “A key factor that places the amended OTARD rule outside the scope of Loretto: consent to the occupation of the property”:
Unlike the building owner in Loretto, whose premises were occupied [by the cable operator] without her consent, the landlord subject to the amended OTARD rule has ceded control of his or her property to a tenant with whom the landlord has a contractual relationship.
Once the landlord has ceded possession of property to a tenant exclusively, the landlord can’t claw back that exclusive possessory interest when the tenant wishes to install, or have installed, a small, outdoor antenna. Nowhere does “customer-end” factor into the BOMA Court’s Fifth Amendment analysis.
CAI cites Florida Power Corp. for the notion that FCC protection of hubs would amount to a per se taking. However, the BOMA court cited Florida Power Corp. for the opposite conclusion—the OTARD rules are not a “forced entry policy” and are clearly distinguishable from the per se taking in Loretto.
5. The FCC Should Consider Limits on the Number of Protected Devices per Housing Unit
Some parties raise the possibility that expanding the OTARD rules protection to small outdoor antennas means “a property owner or tenant could affix an unlimited number of antennas anywhere on the property.” A large number of small outdoor antennas on a property is likely to remain rare because few neighborhoods could provide the economic base to support several wireless broadband operators. Further, most homeowners are likely uninterested in having a transmitter installed on their property. And many of the properties of those who are interested are simply not well placed to provide wireless services to neighbors owing to lack of backhaul or foliage, rooftops, and other obstructions. It’s also difficult to imagine fixed wireless providers being interested in installing hubs on rental properties, which face high turnover of residents.
Nevertheless, to allay concerns that a few homeowners will abuse the purpose of the rules, a per-housing unit cap or numerical safe harbor on small outdoor antennas may be appropriate. Driving around any rural area or urban neighborhood, one is likely to see a few houses with two or three OTARDs attached (often two satellite dishes and a broadcast TV receiver). A safe harbor of four or five small outdoor antennas per housing unit seems reasonable. A soft cap would continue to protect nearly all OTARDs installed today and allow households to have multiple small outdoor antennas providing different functionality—say, the satellite TV receiver for the living room, an outdoor Wi-Fi access point, the broadcast TV receiver for the den, and a WISP hub for neighbors’ internet access.
Technology changes since the 1996 Telecommunications Act have made it so that many internet-only wireless services—including WISP service, outdoor Wi-Fi, mesh networks, and wireless backhaul—fall into a regulatory gap at a time when consumers are demanding more services. The FCC has authority to bring some regulatory certainty to those services so that operators and property owners can install small outdoor antennas. The OTARD rules have helped tens of millions of Americans self-provide and install satellite dishes and fixed wireless receivers on their property. As commenters have pointed out, protecting small outdoor antennas from unreasonable restrictions and fees would help WISP operators bring service to high-cost areas and would help 5G operators find suitable siting during impasses over right-of-way access. If the satellite deployment after the creation of the OTARD rules is any indication, taking the proposed actions would massively expand the number of siting options for small outdoor antennas and help extend broadband options to millions of customers.
Telecommunications and Broadband
State Testimony
Considerations for North Dakota regarding Consumer Data Privacy Policy
Jennifer Huddleston
Wisconsin Occupational Licensing: Easing the Burden for Service Members, Former Service Members, and Military Spouses
Matthew D. Mitchell
West Virginia Occupational Licensing
Matthew D. Mitchell, Emma Blair
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Will a recent paper claiming a breakthrough in high-T superconductivity be published in Nature?
Extraordinary claims, vestiges of a scandal, fake emails… is this a US election? Nope, it’s contemporary science. I confess that I only have a dubious conception of superconductors. Despite my sophomoric understanding, even I can see the monumental implications of such a technology.
In “Evidence for Superconductivity at Ambient Temperature and Pressure in Nanostructures” authors Dev Kumar Thapa and Anshu Pandey from the Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit at the Indian Institute of Science make a stunning claim.
Despite being a low temperature phenomenon till date, superconductivity has found numerous applications in diverse fields of medicine, science and engineering. The great scientific interest in the phenomenon as well as its practical utility has motivated extensive efforts to discover and understand new superconductors. We report the observation of superconductivity at ambient temperature and pressure conditions in films and pellets of a nanostructured material that is composed of silver particles embedded into a gold matrix. Specifically, we observe that upon cooling below 236K at ambient pressures, the resistance of sample films drops below 0-4 Ohm, being limited by instrument sensitivity. Further, below the transition temperature, samples become strongly diamagnetic, with volume susceptibilities as low as -0.056. We further describe methods to tune the transition to temperatures higher than room temperature. (https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1807/1807.…)
This article evoked caution and incredulity from the scientific community. The plot thickens. Brian Skinner, an MIT researcher, ran a analysis of the data in Thapa’s and Pandey’s article.
The graph plots a material’s magnetic susceptibility - the degree at which the material becomes magnetized after a magnetic field is applied - at a given temperature. The jump up in magnetic susceptibility is when the material is approaching its critical temperature to become superconductive. Skinner noticed that the pattern of green and blue data plots are pretty much exact copies of each other only shifted down by a constant amount. He consulted other physicists at MIT and elsewhere to see if they had encountered anything like it in their experiments. But all of them were very baffled by it and could think of no obvious explanation for it.
This reminded many scientists of the Schon scandal, including Pratap Raychaudhuri, a professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in India . So he takes to Facebook to say as much, and then things get downright scandalous. Raychaudhuri gets an email from T. V. Ramakrishnan, a well known theoretical condensed matter physicist, telling him not to publicly rebuke Thapa and Pandley. Raychaudhuri fires off a response to Ramakrishnan, and then he gets a phone call from Ramakrishnan saying that he never sent that email. It was a fake email sent from an account originating in Switzerland. Oh my beloved science, who says you cannot be just as exciting as a typical tabloid magazine?
Back to the question. As of Sept 5, 2018 the article had been submitted to Nature for review. Question resolves as affirmative if the article gets published in Nature by April 1, 2019. Resolves negatively if it is published in another Journal prior to that date, or unpublished as of that date.
Closes retroactively if it the resolution condition is definitively satisfied at on a date earlier than 4/1/19, two days prior to that satisfaction date.
Categories: Physical Sciences – Condensed Matter and Materials Science
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“The Power Threat Meaning Framework”: A New Perspective on Mental Distress
Philip Hickey, PhD
In January, 2018, the clinical psychology division of the British Psychology Society published a very important paper. The document is titled The Power Threat Meaning Framework and is subtitled:
“Towards the identification of patterns in emotional distress, unusual experiences and troubled or troubling behaviour, as an alternative to functional psychiatric diagnosis.”
The term functional psychiatric diagnosis does not imply that the “diagnoses” in question are useful or helpful, but is rather a reflection of the historical division of psychiatric “diagnoses” into those that are organic (i.e., stemming directly from brain damage or disease) and those that are functional (i.e. all the rest). This distinction was formally embedded in DSM-I (1952), but has been largely abandoned in psychiatry’s promotion of the hoax that all their “diagnoses” stem from brain malfunctions.
The authors of the report are:
Lucy Johnstone, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Independent Trainer
Mary Boyle, Professor Emeritus of Clin Psychology, Univ of East London
Contributing authors/project group
John Cromby, Reader in Psychology, ULSB, University of Leicester
Jacqui Dillon, Survivor Activist and Chair, Hearing Voices Network, England
David Harper, Reader in Clinical Psychology, University of East London
Eleanor Longden, Postdoc Service User Research Mgr, Psychosis Research Unit, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Peter Kinderman, Professor of Clinical Psychology, Univ of Liverpool
David Pilgrim, Honorary Prof of Health and Social Policy, Univ of Liverpool
John Read, Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of East London
The Power Threat Meaning document consists of an introduction, eight chapters, an appendix, and 58 pages of references.
THE INTRODUCTION
It is clear from the Introduction that the document has been long in the making:
“In 2013, the British Psychological Society’s Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP) issued a position statement entitled Classification of behaviour and experience in relation to functional psychiatric diagnosis: Time for a paradigm shift. The summary is:
The DCP is of the view that it is timely and appropriate to affirm publicly that the current classification system as outlined in DSM and ICD, in respect of the functional psychiatric diagnoses, has significant conceptual and empirical limitations. Consequently, there is a need for a paradigm shift in relation to the experiences that these diagnoses refer to, towards a conceptual system not based on a ‘disease’ model (DCP, 2013, p.1).”
And, of course, individual members of the BPS have been drawing attention to this need for decades.
The Introduction of the PTM Framework enumerates some of the limitations and inconsistencies of psychiatry’s disease model, and then:
“The philosophical position outlined in this document suggests a more sophisticated view of human beings and human emotional distress, within which we are active agents in our lives at the same time as facing many very real limits and barriers to the changes we can bring about. Those limitations may be material (money, food, transport), biological (physical disability), psychological (fear, anxiety, self-doubt) and/or social (gender expectations, isolation, discrimination). More subtly but perhaps most damagingly, they may take the form of the meanings, beliefs, expectations, norms and values that we absorb, often unconsciously, from wider society.” (p 17)
CHAPTER 1: PROBLEMS OF PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSIS AND THE NEED FOR A DIFFERENT APPROACH
Many of us in the anti-psychiatry movement have drawn attention over the years to the problems and shortcomings of psychiatric “diagnoses.” One of the achievements of the Power Threat Meaning document is that the authors have not only drawn together the various threads in this debate, but have also managed to blend them into a coherent, cogent, and highly readable account.
“…the DSM presents itself as adopting a descriptive or atheoretical approach, as if its contents involved no underlying assumptions but were simply read off from nature. This is far from the case. We will be arguing in this document that what is needed is a completely different way of thinking about emotional distress and various forms of troubling and apparently unintelligible behaviour. Most of the document will be concerned with describing this way of thinking, the evidence which supports it and its implications for practice and service delivery.” (p 20)
“Most importantly, we have argued that it is the adoption of an inappropriate theoretical framework, designed for understanding bodies and not persons, which is largely responsible for the problems which have beset psychiatric diagnosis and the DSM since their beginnings, including a lack of fit between DSM categories and people’s actual problems and a failure to discover biological causes of ‘mental disorders’. Another effect of the DSM’s medicalised framework has been to marginalise the very large amount of research showing close links between social and personal adversity and mental distress. But above all, the DSM removes meaning and intelligibility from an increasingly wide range of human thoughts, feelings and actions, by treating them as ‘symptoms’ often fundamentally explicable in terms of genes and biology, using the theoretical frameworks of medicine. Yet as we have seen, there is no reliable evidence to justify this approach — as the DSM itself admits. Instead, there is abundant evidence — presented later in this document — that actions, thoughts and feelings said to be symptoms of ‘mental disorder’, including those said to be symptoms of ‘schizophrenia’ and other ‘psychoses’, are intelligible in terms of people’s contexts and life experiences. And, if we want to understand people’s problems and offer effective help then it is vital to take account of this relationship.” (p 32)
CHAPTER 2: PHILOSOPHICAL AND CONCEPTUAL PRINCIPLES OF ALTERNATIVES TO PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSIS
Having exposed the inappropriateness of psychiatric diagnoses as a framework for conceptualizing human distress, the authors turn their focus to the question of developing an alternative perspective.
“In developing alternatives to psychiatric diagnosis, in trying to understand and respond constructively to personal distress and troubling behaviour, we therefore need to move away from the assumptions underlying medicalised approaches and address four major questions:
What different assumptions should we make, what different theoretical frameworks can we draw on, in understanding the behaviour and experience of persons within their social and relational environments, rather than the (mal)functioning of bodies?
At the broadest level, what patterns have researchers described that might be helpful in understanding and alleviating emotional distress, unusual experiences and troubled or troubling behaviour from a non-diagnostic perspective?
How might these broad trends and relationships be used to delineate narrower, provisional, general patterns which can inform our understanding of the particular difficulties of an individual, family or other group?
What are the implications — therapeutic, social, ethical, legal — arising from adopting these non-diagnostic approaches and how might we address them?” (p 37)
The authors emphasize the fact that their approach is radically different from that taken by psychiatry.
“First, we question the idea of ‘mental disorders’ which have an independent and universal existence across time and culture. More specifically, we question that the experiences this term refers to are analogous to physical disease processes.
Second, we question the epistemological validity of defining these hypothesized ‘disorders’ by a process of revising and refining editions of diagnostic manuals such as the DSM and ICD, and of directing the majority of research endeavours towards biology.
Third, in relation to the ethics of diagnosis, we note the requirement for the procedures and information offered to patients to have a sound epistemological basis. This ethical scenario is the case in all forms of medical and psychiatric diagnosis, but psychiatry has an additional mandate to operate under conditions which are sometimes involuntary. Ethical considerations also apply to the potential harms caused by the imposition of psychiatric diagnoses (http://psychdiagnosis.weebly.com), and to the misuse or over-use of medical treatments and other interventions that a diagnosis may seem to justify (Whitaker, 2010) as well as its role in obscuring the importance of social factors as causes of distress.” (p 38-39)
The problems of applying a scientific methodology to human problems are discussed in detail, with particular regard to the routine marginalization of clients’ first-hand accounts as subjective, anecdotal, and untrustworthy.
“The implication of all of the above arguments is that human beings are active agents in their lives, both determined and determining beings, rather than objects acted upon by external forces. As human agents we both conform to the reality we encounter and seek to transform it. We do this through our capacity for meaning making, and for reflecting on and learning from our experiences. Social and cultural influences do not simply provide backgrounds and constraints; they are the conditions out of which meaning, agency, feeling and action arise (Cromby et al., 2013, Chapter 6). Alternative frameworks for distress must be built on these foundations.” (p 45)
The fact that psychiatric “diagnoses” are routinely used to obscure and divert attention from deep-rooted social and economic problems is addressed.
“…we have also suggested some principles and assumptions which should inform non-diagnostic approaches. We have shown that we need to go further than selecting a new model from existing alternatives. Instead, we need to re-visit a whole set of often unarticulated and unquestioned philosophical, theoretical, historical and cultural traditions and assumptions, supported by a range of personal, professional, economic, social and political interests. Moving away from what can be referred to in shorthand as the ‘DSM mindset’ is very difficult, since it is inextricably linked to deeply internalised aspects of the basic fabric of our thoughts, feelings, identities and worldviews. Such a move is also likely to reveal many social and ethical dilemmas which have been obscured by the current framework.” (p 74)
CHAPTER 3: MEANING AND NARRATIVE
It is a fairly obvious reality that we humans attach meaning to our experiences, and that these meanings can have a profound effect on how we respond to these experiences. Adversity, for instance, can be interpreted as: punishment for misdeeds; evidence that one is the victim of a conspiracy; evidence that life “sucks”; random events; etc.
It is also clear that the meaning that an individual attaches to his/her life events is an area that is largely neglected by psychiatry.
“Social standards and expectations are obviously not new but in contrast with older, more overt forms of power, modern, less visible forms of power achieve their effects partly by establishing new forms of knowledge — often claiming scientific status — which in turn create new norms. People then engage in self-surveillance across a wide range of behaviours, personal characteristics, desires and achievements, routinely comparing themselves to these implicit norms, and identifying themselves as inadequate, deficient or pathological if they deviate from them. Such self-surveillance has huge consequences for psychological distress (see Chapter 4).” (p 81)
CHAPTER 4: THE SOCIAL CONTEXT
This section addresses the question:
“At the broadest level, what patterns have researchers described that might be helpful in understanding and alleviating emotional distress, unusual experiences and troubled or troubling behaviour from a non-diagnostic perspective?” (p 92)
In its efforts to promote its self-serving and spurious disease model, psychiatry routinely downplays, and even ignores, the role that circumstances and social context play in the development of emotional distress. In contrast, the PTM paper addresses this issue head-on.
“There is a great deal of evidence, which we will discuss in detail in following sections, that the circumstances of people’s lives play a major role in the development and maintenance of psychological, emotional and behavioural problems (further evidence is presented in the Appendix). Among the most important factors are: social class and poverty; income inequalities, unemployment; childhood neglect and sexual, physical and emotional abuse; sexual and domestic violence; belonging to subordinate social groups; war and other life-threatening events; bullying, harassment and discrimination and significant losses such as loss of a parent in childhood.” (p 92)
“Some of the strongest associations between social context and mental distress and troubling behaviour are in relation to factors which loosely describe social inequalities.” (p 94)
“The visibility or invisibility of power is also important in relation to the different experiences of privileged and more marginalised groups.” (p 96)
“Being in an aversive situation from which there seems no escape or possibility of change is a major cause of emotional distress, especially feelings of anxiety, hopelessness and depression (Brown et al., 1995; Kendler et al., 2003).” (p 122)
The negative effects of racism and discrimination are addressed.
“Racism and discrimination take many forms, some more visible than others. They include subtle putdowns, insults and dismissals (‘micro-aggressions’) as well as more overt racist insults, hostility and violence. Discrimination may also be deeply embedded in the procedures, policies, laws and employment practices of organisations and services (institutional racism) in a way which renders it more or less invisible except to those discriminated against. All of this is supported by the ideological context described earlier and there is consistent evidence that these various forms of racism and discrimination can have very negative effects on mental and physical health.” (p 134)
“Research across many countries suggests that feelings of shame and humiliation are integral to living in absolute or relative poverty…” (p 142)
“Bringing together our discussion here of social context, in Chapter 2 of ‘crossing cultures’, and in Chapter 3 of narrative and meaning, we can argue that it is the fundamentally social nature of humans and of the contexts and predicaments which ‘produce’ distress, as well as the social nature of its modes of expression and of judgements and evaluations of them, which also construct similarities and differences in patterns of distress within and across social groups and cultures. There are no ‘mental disorders’ which can be separated from all of this and diagnosed.” (P 150-151)
CHAPTER 5: THE ROLE OF BIOLOGY
Those of us in the anti-psychiatry movement are often falsely accused of neglecting, and even ignoring, the biological underpinnings of human activity. It’s not true, of course, but it makes a nice sound-bite for psychiatry’s adherents. The PTM paper devotes an entire chapter to biological issues.
“We argue, however, that there is a meaningful and important difference between forms of distress and troubling behaviour that are enabled and influenced by our biology — as all human experience is — as opposed to those cases where there is evidence for a primary causal role for biological pathology or impairment in the major aspects of the difficulties. This would include diagnoses such as the dementias, Korsakoff’s syndrome, Huntington’s disease, syphilis, urinary tract infections in older adults, and so on. But, as we noted in Chapter 1, in relation to the great majority of psychiatric diagnoses including those experiences and behaviours labelled as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression or depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, personality disorders and eating disorders, there are no consistent associations with any biological pathology or impairment, and no biomarkers have been identified.
There are nevertheless hundreds of studies claiming to have discovered relationships between these functional diagnoses and one or other aberrant biological feature. For example, and with respect to the diagnosis of ‘schizophrenia’ alone, in recent decades these claims have focused upon anatomical features such as enlarged ventricles, cerebral asymmetry, temporal lobe abnormalities, thickened corpus callosum, thinner corpus callosum, abnormalities of the basal ganglia and cerebellum, and reduced overall brain volume. At the same time, relationships have also been claimed between schizophrenia diagnoses and abnormalities of, or differential functioning within, neurotransmitter systems and pathways for dopamine, glutamate, serotonin, acetylcholine, gamma-butyric acid, prostaglandin and neuropeptides (Cromby et al., 2013). Nevertheless, in all of this research there is no pattern of well-designed studies with large samples and adequate controls, replicated successfully by other groups and not significantly contradicted by other findings, and which consistently demonstrates associations between any of these features and the diverse experiences associated with a ‘schizophrenia’ diagnosis. In any case, even if such a pattern were to emerge we would still need to remain wary of assuming that correlation means causation.” (p 153)
CHAPTER 6: DESCRIBING PATTERNS WITHIN A POWER THREAT MEANING FRAMEWORK
In this chapter, the authors describe how the general principles developed earlier in the paper can be used to help understand the particular difficulties of an individual, family, or other group.
“Humans are fundamentally social beings whose experiences of distress and troubled or troubling behaviour are inseparable from their material, social, environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural contexts. There is no separate ‘disorder’ to be explained, with context as an additional influence.” (p 182-183)
“The evidence cited in this document supports the contention that humans are social beings whose core needs include:
To experience a sense of justice and fairness within their wider community;
To have a sense of security and belonging in a family and social group;
To be safe, valued, accepted and loved in their earliest relationships with caregivers;
To meet basic physical and material needs for themselves and their dependants;
To form intimate relationships and partnerships;
To feel valued and effective within family and social roles;
To experience and manage a range of emotions;
To be able to contribute, achieve and meet goals;
To be able to exercise agency and control in their lives;
To have a sense of hope, belief, meaning and purpose in their lives
…all of which will provide the conditions for them to be able to offer their children…
Secure and loving early relationships as a basis for optimum physical, emotional and social development and the capacity to meet their own core needs.
Anything that prevents these core needs being met may be experienced as a threat to emotional, physical, relational and/or social safety and survival.” (p 189-190)
“The identity of ‘mentally ill’ has mixed consequences. It may represent relief from guilt and uncertainty, and hope for expert guidance and effective intervention. At the same time, the ‘sick role’ identity has been theorised as facilitating passivity and a reduced sense of responsibility for one’s recovery. Diagnosis has been shown, overall, to incline the person diagnosed to have less optimism about recovery, make less effort to recover, and be more likely to use alcohol to cope, as well as to have lower perceived control over their difficulties and undermining the effects of therapy. Conversely, rejecting one’s diagnosis has been linked to better outcomes. However, this may lead to conflict with professionals, and the need to access services and benefits rules out this option for most people.” (p 221)
CHAPTER 7: SERVICE USER CONSULTATION AND FEEDBACK
In developing the PTM paper, the authors consulted with a group of eight service-users/survivors and carers. Most of the consultants had been assigned more than one “diagnosis,” including:
“‘borderline personality disorder’, ‘PTSD’, ‘bipolar disorder’, ‘bipolar disorder-2’, drug induced psychosis, ‘depression’, ‘schizophrenia’, anxiety, and at risk mental state/sub-threshold ‘psychosis’.” (p 255)
The consultants were a heterogeneous group with “a range of perspectives.” In general, their responses to the PTM framework were positive, and sometimes tinged with regret that such a perspective had not been available to them during their contacts with the mental health system.
“Meaning to what was going on was given by medics to my detriment and [any resistance] resulted in being labelled as a troublemaker. As a direct consequence I started to not trust people…” (p 257)
“…absolutely everything I had to say, including that the drugs were making things worse, [staff] made me, and more specifically my brain, the problem, rather than my traumatic experiences…” (p 258)
“…another . . . spoke of the difference a PTM Framework like this could have made to the trajectory their life took, and another . . . of their sense of grief that had a PTM Framework like this been available at the time, they might not have lost so many years of their life to mental health problems.” (p 259)
CHAPTER 8: WAYS FORWARD
The authors are fully aware of the difficulties that lie ahead.
“Such a major shift in policy, practice and thinking will take many years to develop and to embed fully, and we make no claim to be providing a complete answer.” (p 262)
“Regrettably, economic inequality and associated levels of discrimination and disadvantage in the UK show no sign of reducing.” (p 266)
“Some public health reports have made explicit links between distress and inequality, austerity and social injustice, although this message has not always been taken on board in terms of national economic policy.” (p 268)
“Another common feature is the need for action and intervention at a whole community level in order to address these multiple causal factors.” (p 269)
“…calls for better access to MH services fail to acknowledge the extent to which diagnostically-driven practice can reinforce and actively obscure the disconnect between social contexts and distress, downplay the need for care that acknowledges the impact of adversities, and may be disabling and re-traumatising in its own right. There is little detailed consideration of the ways in which inequalities of power and privilege arising from subordinate or devalued identities profoundly influence both the nature of adversities and people’s responses to them.” (p 270-271)
“In conclusion, there is general acceptance within current UK mental health policy that social adversities are both cause and consequence of mental distress, and that intervention needs to take place at a societal as well as individual level, even if the details are sketchy and fall short of challenging the governmental policies that underpin inequality and injustice. At the same time, these progressive ideas are, if these documents are taken as typical, undermined by unquestioned assumptions of medicalisation. Social factors are ‘related’ to mental health problems rather than being at their root. Emotional distress is conceived as ‘illness’ to be ‘treated’ rather than intelligible response to life circumstances. The prevention of adversities is less of a priority than the need to increase access to ‘treatment’. More mental health services are promised, but the appropriateness of the diagnostic model on which they are based is not open to question or dispute.” (p 272)
“However, the issues relating to the development and implementation of alternatives to diagnostic thinking and medicalisation will not be resolved without the driving force of those who have been ascribed a psychiatric diagnosis. This needs to be backed up by a sea-change in messages to the general public about alternatives to the narrative of medicalisation. We hope that our PTM Framework will be a contribution to these aims.” (p 317)
APPENDIX: EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE GENERAL PATTERNS
Evidence for the various positions and perspectives is provided in the general narrative, but is also summarized in this chapter for ease of reference and convenience.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PTM FRAMEWORK
The Power Threat Meaning Framework document constitutes a critically important contribution to the anti-psychiatry debate, and to the development of valid, person-centered and context-focused perspectives. In marked contrast to psychiatry’s simplistic and spurious “diagnostic” system, the PTM paper examines the various questions and issues in a manner commensurate with the inherent complexity of the subject matter. The paper runs to 411 pages, which includes 58 pages of references for readers who wish to examine the evidence or to pursue issues in greater detail.
In a post of this nature it is not possible for me to convey more than the barest flavor of the paper, and I strongly encourage readers to study the document for themselves.
There is a short version (139 pages) of the PTM Framework available, for readers who are pressed for time.
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Behaviorism and Mental Health: Philip Hickey is a retired psychologist. He has worked in prisons (UK and US), addiction units, community mental health centers, nursing homes, and in private practice. He and his wife, Nancy, live in Colorado, and have four grown children. His posts can also be seen on his website, Behaviorism and Mental Health.
Power Threat Meaning Framework and Tapering Strips in Brasil
The Creation of a Conceptual Alternative to the DSM: An Interview with Dr. Lucy Johnstone
Causation Theories
The Power Threat Meaning Framework One Year On
Pat_USA May 1, 2018 at 8:17 am
For me this is a kick in the face after everybody has already left me.
Rachel777 May 7, 2018 at 5:56 pm
Sorry Pat. 🙁
I don’t know why this feels like a kick in the face, but you have your reasons. Being left by everyone would be painful in itself.
You’re not the only one offended by this article judging from the comments below.
binra May 8, 2018 at 6:37 am
That we feel what we feel is our experience – which is our freedom and right to have. But why or what causes us to have the resulting feeling or experience is our interpretation. We all have different versions of ‘separation scripts’ and they also trigger or reinforce each other as a kind of entanglement in grievance.
I support the true in everything I meet – insofar as I have the wits to notice it – and so I join with the true willingness in the Phillip Hickey’s desire to abandon and extricate his profession from the drugging approach to presumed or believed ‘biological’ causes as THE basis of ‘mental illness’. (Noting that it generally DOES cause biological imbalance to take such substances – that are then self-reinforcement to persist in the error – and THIS pattern is common to all defences that DO the very thing they purport to be defence AGAINST. IE: war on cancer, war on terror in larger terms – but no less to our own psychological defences.)
While Szatz may be considered an ‘extremist’, he was very specific as to the prices use of words to mean consciously and clearly defined meanings. THAT makes him an ‘extremist’ in the ambivalence and compromise of a masking persona intent on survival and self-advancement within a mentally ill society.
I tend to see spiritual cause as the basis of all ‘dis-ease’ even though the patterns of that may be ‘physicalized’ to our experience as fixed or set realities within which we have learned to address, mitigate or suppress and mask over. But then my first recourse is not my ‘thinking’ but awareness of existence – which I do not experience EXCEPTING as I give and accept definition of. To talk of this will seem philosophical – but you can only have an experience of ‘something’ through the giving of meaning to it – and while society or personal adaptation learns models and patterns of a world in which we interact and share meaning, nothing comes with built in meanings.
This co-creative interaction is lost under the subjection to a separate physical ‘world’ assigned as ‘Causal’ – such as will posit your thought is only neurons firing, or chemicals bonding or signalling currents within an electrical complex that is devoid of an actual ‘self’. Thus the ‘pinnacle of human achievement’ (sic) is to assert we don’t exist, and replace our self with robot-management systems, pharma or technocracy of inhuman ‘control’ running rules of targets and checkboxes instead of a creative adventure (though of course it remains a created set of rulebound limitations reacted to as ‘real’). Invested identity is played for keeps – unless it opens to new perspective.
Rachel777 May 8, 2018 at 11:27 pm
Ditto! Dehumanizing for all humans; not just those of us unjustly “pathologized.”
Frank Blankenship May 1, 2018 at 9:15 am
As a survivor of service using, I’m kind of partial to liberation from service use myself. If you’re saying why don’t all adult baby sitters take a vacation, and adult babies can take care of themselves. Sure. I can see that. I don’t think that’s what this is all about though.
I have a great many qualms about this service industry that has grown up around the idea of servicing those who are deemed, by a leap of negative judgment and faith, plus corresponding judicial decisions, incapable of serving themselves, however you frame it. For career opportunities, there are more vital jobs to take on out there in the real world I would suspect.
I applaud that they are working to counter the escalating medicalization of everyday life in their own fashion. (They are doing so, aren’t they?) I’m not too sure that the “pattern of distress model” is ever going to be the great advance over the “disease model” of mis”treatment” that people would hope and expect. I’m kind of partial to the “get off my back model” when it comes down to it.
lcjohnstone May 1, 2018 at 10:32 am
Frank – We hope the Framework will indeed support people to get services off their back by offering the alternative perspectives that are rarely available from professionals, along with resources for constructing non-medical narratives about their struggles or difficulties without the need for professional input. I would be interested to hear what you think of it.
Philip Hickey, PhD May 3, 2018 at 11:13 am
Like you, I am also wary of replacing the psychiatric system with another system. Given the fundamental dynamics of our present society, there is always the possibility that a replacement system can be co-opted by commercial forces. Indeed, I imagine that commercial interests have already set their sights on the PTM framework and the “opportunities” that might lie therein. I like the notion of a get-off-my-back non-system, and I think Lucy’s comment above is apt.
I personally favor a mutually supportive non-system along the AA model, but without the dogmatism and religious overtones that put so many people off AA. But we also need a radical transformation of our societal values and institutions.
In my view, the great value of the PTM framework is not that it provides an alternative system, but rather an alternative perspective. Depression is not an illness, but rather an entirely understandable response to truly dreadful circumstances and oppressive discriminative institutions.
oldhead May 4, 2018 at 12:28 am
How about “depression is the end result of living in a world in which all human values have been reduced to monetary values and our souls are slaves to the pursuit of wealth by those who control our very existence”? This still doesn’t offer a solution, it only points out the problem. What “perspective” will help us defeat totalitarianism?
Fiachra May 7, 2018 at 6:30 am
Dear Philip,
“..the people in the AA are self acknowledged crazier than the craziest “schizophrenic”..”
But they ALL make full recovery if they remain on board.
Fiachra May 8, 2018 at 12:21 pm
I believe, the “AA” is ABLE for open and calm “sharing” on potentially the most extreme and “distressing” experiences in life – whereas most professional therapists might not be.
I believe, the “AA” (also) expects people to make full recovery from their life experience no matter how tragic – where as most professional therapists might not be prepared to “acknowledge” full recovery from very tragic life experience.
Whatuser May 9, 2018 at 3:21 am
The recovery rates for fully intensive 12 step programs for substance misuse is very modest actually. Not much better than single figures which you’d probably expect anyway without all the proselytising.
Frank Blankenship May 3, 2018 at 3:13 pm
Responding to lcjohnstone:
“Without the need for professional input”, sounds great, but still I’m wary having encountered a number of non-professional professionals in training of late. Also, I balk at the word “alternative” in “alternative perspectives”. You mean “alternative” to the professional perspective I imagine, but many of the “alternative” treatment programs that have developed over the last few years have become seriously compromised due to organizational considerations, namely funding issues, and a perceived need to work with groups that promote forced treatment. (Business survival matters one might say.)
I wish you success, in so far as it goes, but I wonder about the details, and I’m very apprehensive. Abolish forced treatment, and you don’t need an alternative to forced treatment as forced treatment itself would be kaput.
Whatuser May 8, 2018 at 4:57 pm
Brilliant, powerful stuff Lucy and Co. I wish you well with this project. More and more as the neo-liberal thought collective triumphs the malevolence of power gets written out of the narrative of social affairs. By ignoring the horrors of life institutional care comes to serve just those horrors!
, good luck.
LC, where do you get these “perspectives” and why do you think you have the “alternative” answers to “offer” people? Why do you assume your goals are the same as those to whom you offer “services”?
registeredforthissite May 1, 2018 at 12:17 pm
I LOLed at the “get off my back” model.
phoenix May 1, 2018 at 1:31 pm
Where can I sign up for this ‘get off my back model”? 🙂
Fiachra May 1, 2018 at 7:47 pm
You Can’t!
But the situation does need improving – the life expectancy for the “Schizophrenic” is worse now than it was 100 years ago.
Steve McCrea May 2, 2018 at 12:27 am
I hate the name “Power, threat, meaning” and hereby vote to rename this viewpoint the “get off my back model.” Or perhaps the LMTFA model – “Leave me the f*&k alone!”
I’m not exactly sure what it means.
But the British Psychological Society have stated that:-
“…As far as they are aware; that all problems seen in Psychiatry can be successfully treated through Psychological means ..”
(or words to that effect); and I support this message (from my own experience).
I do support the message – I just think the title is very “erudite” and confusing to the person on the street. There has GOT to be a more intuitive name for it!
That is an ignorant and very very presumptuous statement by these shrinks and discredits them even more.
Someone Else May 1, 2018 at 9:41 am
A paradigm shift is absolutely needed. And there are some elephants in the room that the “mental health professions” do not want to address, but need to address. Number one, the psychiatric drugs create the symptoms of the serious DSM disorders.
Here is medical proof that your “schizophrenia treatments,” the antipsychotics (aka neuroleptics), can create both the negative and positive symptoms of “schizophrenia.” The negative symptoms can be created via neuroleptic induced deficit syndrome, and the positive symptoms (including psychosis) can be created via antidepressant and/or antipsychotic induced anticholinergic toxidrome.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroleptic-induced_deficit_syndrome
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxidrome
And Whitaker pointed out in his 2010 book that the ADHD drugs and antidepressants can create the “bipolar” symptoms.
https://www.alternet.org/story/146659/are_prozac_and_other_psychiatric_drugs_causing_the_astonishing_rise_of_mental_illness_in_america
And your antidepressants result in worse long term outcomes for those you’ve stigmatized as “depressed.”
https://www.madinamerica.com/2018/04/antidepressant-use-leads-worse-long-term-outcomes-study-finds/
Your DSM disorders are NOT real “genetic” illnesses. They are theorized, but incorrect, iatrogenic illnesses that can be created with your psychiatric drugs. Number two, the “mental health professionals” have been misdiagnosing child abuse victims with the billable DSM disorders on a massive scale.
Today, over 80% of those you’ve labeled as “depressed,” “anxious,” “bipolar,” or “schizophrenic” are child abuse victims who have been misdiagnosed with those “psychotic and affective disorders.” Over 90% of those you’ve mislabeled as “borderline” are child abuse victims.
https://www.madinamerica.com/2016/04/heal-for-life/
The psychological and psychiatric industries have been misdiagnosing child abuse victims with the “invalid” but billable DSM disorders on a massive scale for decades, because child abuse is classified in the DSM as a “V Code,” and the “V Codes” are NOT insurance billable DSM disorders.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-child-does-not-have-bipolar-disorder/201402/dsm-5-and-child-neglect-and-abuse-1
Despite the reality that child abuse is a crime, not a brain disease. And distress caused by a crime is not cured with drugs. The primary function of the “mental health” industry today is profiteering off of coving up rape of children, which is illegal. As a matter of fact, covering up child abuse has always been the primary function of the “mental health professionals,” even when the psychologists were in charge.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Freudian_Coverup
We need the “mental health” industry to get out of the business of profiteering off of silencing child abuse victims, by turning them into the seriously “mentally ill” with your psychiatric drugs, on a massive scale. That is pure evil. You are mandatory reporters of child abuse, and you are breaking the law in the US, “mental health professionals.”
By the way, my experience with pedophilia covering up “mental health professionals” was their goal was to prevent and attempt to destroy these core needs:
“To meet basic physical and material needs for themselves and their dependents;
Thank you as always, Philip, for pointing out the fraud of today’s DSM deluded psychiatric and psychological industries.
Thank you for this clear and concise summary, Phil.
This link gives access to both the online versions of project documents, plus slides from the launch, an accessible 2 page summary, and the Guided Discussion for starting to think about these ideas in relation to your own or someone else’s life.
https://www.bps.org.uk/news-and-policy/introducing-power-threat-meaning-framework
This is a link to interviews with the authors and attenders at the launch:
This an interview I did on the project for MIA:
https://www.madinamerica.com/2018/03/dr-lucy-johnstone-power-threat-meaning-framework/
UK residents can order a hard copy of the shorter Overview document from the British Psychological Society – you do not have to be a BPS member. Email [email protected]
The video of the main talks from the day will be out very shortly.
Dr Neil MacFarlane MRCPsych May 1, 2018 at 3:35 pm
Apart from ‘psychiatry’s promotion of the hoax that all their “diagnoses” stem from brain malfunctions’ (second paragraph), Philip Hickey provides a good summary of the PTMF, which itself (as far I have read) avoids the accusation of deliberate deception.
Even if it was qualified by, for example, ‘establishment psychiatry’, such language is likely to alienate many moderate professionals and others. There is now good evidence that extremist statements such as ‘depression pills cannot cure anything’ ( https://www.madinamerica.com/2018/01/antidepressants-effect-depression/ ) cause unnecessary distress: https://drnmblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/18/pillshaming-is-real-heres-a-newish-way-to-reduce-it-and-to-reduce-antidepressant-use/ .
And ‘antidepressant’ prescribing has doubled (in the UK) in the decade since Joanna Moncrieff’s ‘The Myth of the Chemical Cure’ (2007): attention has been sought and attained, but has that message worked? Or been counterproductive?
I plan a further Blog piece on ‘pillshaming’ in 7-10 days, and another on the PTMF in 1-2 months.
registeredforthissite May 2, 2018 at 1:58 am
Have you considered the notion that the hatred of prescription drugs comes, not from simply the unintended negative effects of the drugs themselves, but rather from having individuals who play the role of medical mental health professionals, existing as arbitrators between what is ideally a relationship between the individual and the drug store?
People in distress may want to try out drugs. When they want to, they might want to consult someone knowledgeable about what the drugs do, and also talk to people who have used them. When they want to taper off, they might want to do that with someone’s help as well. Of course, the best help, if possible, is self help. But the consulting is ideally between a few knowledgeable humans who are looking to help one another. Not between a professional backed by the state and a person in the patient role.
However, the law mandates that the only way a person can get prescription-only drugs, is by just that. The prescription of a mental health professional. A person who will label, do record-keeping, can infantilise and coerce individuals, force drugs onto them, and with the best of intentions turn them into a revolving door patient etc. Your very institutions and playing the patient role in those places is nauseating.
Granted that most of you are not evil individuals who are picking random people off the streets and looking to torture them with drugs. I am not trying to push the “mental health professionals are the children of satan” viewpoint. But that does not remove the associated dangers of interacting with people such as yourself.
Get out of the way and stay out is what I’m trying to say. But that is not possible. People are forced to rely on your unwanted, and frankly intrusive, mercy and charity.
Dr Neil MacFarlane MRCPsych May 2, 2018 at 6:15 am
Read my Blog pieces and you won’t find claims to ‘mercy, charity’ etc.
Pharma regulation must include professional prescribers. Its extreme laxity has led in the US to an epidemic (literally) of synthetic opioid dependence and deaths. Any patient with depression, say, is free to read up on information and any reasonable psychiatrist or family doctor will respect choice, within limits. My view is that at least 9/10 people on ‘antidepressants’ shouldn’t be and the same is probably true for bipolar 2.
I appreciate the ‘freedom’ culture is different in the US, but if I had a recurring tendency to psychosis and limited funds I would rather have been born in the UK. See Allan Frances’ tweet today: ‘Providing easy access to care & decent housing for people with severe #mentalillness is simple humanity.
And it’s also smart government policy-reducing cost of other services- eg emergency rooms/cops/jails. UK giving high priority to reform. US is shamefully behind.’
Dr. Neil,
I’m sure you’re not a bad person who wants people to be on his mercy and charity. But the fact is, you are the gatekeeper to the drug-store. You are also the enforcer of paternalisation, however subtle or well intended.
You are a labelling, record-keeping, behavioural observation noting, file transferring creator of revolving door “patients”.
And people like you, irrespective of their good intentions, are still a massive roadblock to the well-being of individuals.
It isn’t merely the drugs which make people resist your profession. Drugs don’t take themselves. It’s the fact that you exist with all the other facets of your profession.
You write: “Any patient with depression, say, is free to read up on information and any reasonable psychiatrist or family doctor will respect choice, within limits”.
Your “limits” and your code of conduct and “professional practices” are dangerous to me.
“Pharma regulation must include professional prescribers”
No. That depends on who is making the rules and for whom. If you ask me, the professional role must become more lax. If you want to act as consultants between voluntary individuals, like a business contract, then fine.
You cite people who are dead due to drugs. On the other hand, there are people who are alive but whose existence is just that; merely existing (or even utter misery), thanks to the mental health profession in between.
phoenix May 2, 2018 at 9:04 am
I am totally with registeredforthissite (also because of that unparalleled nickname) and one of the things my father tought me that helped me a lot was “if somebody tells you, he wants to die, give him a rope”. Highly politically incorrect but he challenged me with such seemingly rude and harsh statements all the time. How can any professional build up himself as the one who decides for an adult being what is best in their interest? I know, suicide is a very difficult topic on many levels, and I do not say that I have already reached a certain viewpoint on it, but I will treasure my father’s statement because by giving me a hard wall to crash against with my teenager mind he enabled my critical thinking because I had to find ways to counter his sometimes quite …. simple and harsh statements… and in retrospect I now even have to understand that he deliberately made me angry and questioned my well-meaning liberal attitudes…
And this comment targets the ‘but if we don’t help people with depression they might kill themselves’.
I agree with Registeredforthissite. My existence is far from idyllic but my “cocktail” and the babysitting/put downs I endured at the hands of the community “mental wellness” center were a torment and made me long to die. Left the system/drugs/label. No more suicidal thoughts. Wow!
registeredforthissite May 9, 2018 at 11:55 am
Neil, you mention that most people on antidepressants shouldn’t be on them, and then you bring up the term “bipolar 2”. Keeping aside the disgust of labelling, you guys regularly label people as “bipolar” due to the iatrogenic effects of the very drugs you prescribe.
Quit inflicting mental illness on us and we can find our own darn housing!
The only employment I have ever found was in spite of my “mental wellness” team. My moods have stabilized and I’m starting a freelance career…despite psychiatry’s best efforts to keep me helpless and dependent.
For decades, psychiatrists (including psychiatric leaders) have avidly promoted the falsehood that depression which crosses arbitrary and vaguely defined thresholds of severity, duration, and frequency is caused by brain pathology; specifically neurotransmitter imbalance. This is a monstrous deception, but is compounded by the even more appalling suggestion that this supposed pathology is corrected by psychiatric drugs (especially SSRIs). This is a hoax: something intended to deceive or defraud. Similar comments can be made concerning other psychiatric “diagnoses”.
I think you might have a point Neil but the massive marketing budgets of big pharmaceutical might have something to do with it! They now have an easy message to sell as do many self help gurus indeed a message often to good to refuse. And why is it that you think many mental health professionals seem so resistant to evidence that their treatments don’t work if not make things worse for people?
They’re resistant to making $200 instead of $800 an hour. Plus losing all the exotic vacations and gold wire fruit baskets Big Pharma heaps on them. That’s why. Poor babies. 🙁
Lol my we are the cynic – where did you find out about the gold wired fruit baskets I thought they where a secret? They probably construct them in OT but couldn’t trust us with the wire sure where I am we hardly see fruit for godsakes☹️
lcjohnstone May 2, 2018 at 5:57 am
And here are the videos of the main talks from the launch of the PTM Framework. It is quite long, but broken up into segments of about 20-25 minutes, and you can get the sense of the Framework from the first 4 talks.
Feel free to circulate.
Auntie Psychiatry May 15, 2018 at 8:32 am
LCJ said: “UK residents can order a hard copy of the shorter Overview document from the British Psychological Society – you do not have to be a BPS member. Email [email protected]”
Thanks for that! I just e-mailed for a copy and am delighted to find out that it is free of charge. Some light summer reading for me…
rasselas.redux May 1, 2018 at 2:00 pm
“In developing the PTM paper, the authors consulted with a group of eight service-users/survivors and carers.”
Gosh. Really as many as 8? That’s impressive, considering it was 5 years in the making.
“Diagnosis has been shown, overall, to incline the person diagnosed to have less optimism about recovery, make less effort to recover, and be more likely to use alcohol to cope, as well as to have lower perceived control over their difficulties and undermining the effects of therapy.”
I like that, “undermining the effects of therapy” given that no therapy has ever been substantively shown to be better than any other, and even then the outcomes of being on a waiting list for 6 months has been shown to be as effective as 6 months of therapy.
What are the assumed effects of therapy? Given that most therapists are, according to the 15 or so people I’ve talked to (that’s nearly twice the number consulted by the PTM team, and is thus, doubly robust) affirm that the therapist themselves were utterly dire. In other words, the therapists were half-arsed and not making enough effort to be a good therapist.
And then this bit: “Diagnosis has been shown… [to make people] make less effort to recover.”
Recover? Beg pardon?
Just one last comment or two.
Therapy is as much (if not more) dependent on the placebo effect as drugs are. And therapy can be at least as toxic as the drugs. The more narcissistic the client, the greater the chance the relationship will be considered a success (at least to begin with…)
Also, this insistence on “distress”. For almost 20 years I’ve been trying to help people understand that mania, for instance (and psychosis) isn’t always a distressing event. In fact, it can be one of the most pleasurable experiences in life. Messy, unpindownable, and with little patience for swell-heads that claim to understand… and like, you know, really feel you… etc and so on… but just about the most tremendous and awe-inspiring event your noggin has the fortune to go through.
What follows mania is often a depression, a soul-saving flight from the unbearable lightness, the unbearable beauty. I understand that is the reverse of what therapists often claim. But what do they know? Hold on a moment… this is not what their carefully selected (from a infinitely informative cache of 3 or 4) ex-/service user colleagues are saying, so dismiss it outright. It doesn’t fit the model.
But we need a model. We must have a model.
And so it goes that the model becomes more real than life itself…
Time to quote Judi Chamberlin’s On Our Own again.
“Many alternatives are “alternative” in name only, repeating us-them dynamics and reinforcing the notion of professionalism and expertise in contrast to incompetenece and inability.
In her own words:
“Becoming a client of any mental health service may result in being subtly degraded. Whether the service is a “traditional” mental hospital or an “alternative”, such as a halfway house, it is likely to view its clients as incompetent people who constantly need looking after. These attitudes prevent professionals from helping their patients to move toward independence and self-sufficiency, even when that is precisely what they claim to be doing.
Alternative services must be designed so that this psychiatric elitism is eliminated. People who are having difficulties in living and who seek help with their problems are not served by a system that maximises their inadequacies and ignores their strengths, nor by one that implies that only incompetent people have problems. Professionalism demands that mental health practitioners project a neutral, impersonal manner. Sometimes this may be concealed by a bland friendliness, such as an insistence on first names, but it is, more likely than not, only a pretence of friendliness.”
Puzzles me why she isn’t quoted more often…
oldhead May 6, 2018 at 8:46 pm
Your mention of “mania” is pertinent in demonstrating that “emotional distress” is sometimes more distressful to others than to the person supposedly “suffering” from “mental illness.” So even the term “mental distress” does not work as a synonym for such.
The term “alternative services” is also problematic, as it implies that psychiatry is the standard and everything else is “alternative.”
rasselas.redux May 7, 2018 at 11:31 am
Thank you for reminding me that I exist.
Bu to paraphrase your closing gambit:
Psychiatry is the standard and everything else is “alternative.” Well, yes psychiatry *is* the standard and everything else *is* the alternative.
I still haven’t read the book and am therefore in default cynical mode. So far so good for people who identify their problems as stemming almost wholly from some form of abuse. It’s long overdue that services readjusted to their experiences and needs. And psychologists are probably best placed to help them. Even if psychologists tend to also shoo away the most challenging of these people. In the UK, the new culture in helping survivors of abuse and neglect is to call in the police and send them off to Accident and Emergency Units. So yes, a well-equipped crisis service, even better, a well-equipped pre-crisis service, would be helpful to them. If that is what people want. And, there is plenty of evidence to suggest, that that is what people want if only it was provided to them.
And, to be honest, for someone like myself, to be given time to spend with a rookie psychologist (someone who was nearly or about to complete their higher studies) would potentially be very helpful to have around during darker times. For instance, they might accompany me to Rome or New Zealnd on a fact-finding mission. Or they might find a way for me to crack jokes and offend people for a living. The sky’s the limit.
Until I absorb the book — that is going to take months, I imagine — then I’ll keep my gob shut. Other than to say, on reflection, that I would have gladly been kidnapped as a child by social services — on the advice of a child psychologist — and taken away from my family and plonked into a more stable middle class home. I understand that this is going on rather more than it should, though.
Due to overzealousness, a weakness which psychology doesn’t often talk about.
oldhead May 9, 2018 at 1:04 am
My position on “alternatives” is that, as psychiatry is by definition of tool of repression, we do not need “alternative” forms of repression any more than African people need alternative forms of slavery.
Like yourselves I was on occasion in the throws of a happy hypomania – the shrinks soon put a stop to that having declared I was chemically imbalanced – how regrettably that was. If they’d asked wharhappened to me which I was trying to tell them rather than deciding erroneously what was wrong with me which I also tried to tell them the power dynamics affecting me might have revealed themselves as more tractable than they became! But I suppose you’d be hard pressed expecting such a conservative enterprise to fight the power, better to recruit ‘customers’ for big pharma for life.
binra May 9, 2018 at 1:24 pm
to oldhead: What is seen as repression by one side is a power of control to the other side. Likewise the cost of ‘health services’ is a revenue stream or profit to those who are paid or make charge.
Psychiatry seems to operate a form of ‘mind’ or ‘reality’ control that embodies the power of the state under the aegis of the power to determine what is deemed ‘sick’ or unacceptable and the power to enforce the suppression of ‘sickness’ for a conformity of behaviours.
Mind-control is the prevalent or pervasive consensual ‘reality’ under a pervasive and largely invisible “power-threat meaning.
In order to not ‘need’ or invoke repressive or suppressive reactions from others in positions of power, we need to integrate at a deeper level than an identity in reaction – that others feel threatened by.
The primary field for healing or wholing (reintegration) is the awakening of compassion. Emotional sympathies can play into ‘self-righteous’ power trips – because they are not rooted in an integrity of being, but are themselves the expression of a repressive and controlling exclusion.
There is need for suppressing behaviours that are harmful to self and other, so as to heal the underlying pattern of thought, feeling and perception-reaction.
The sickness of ‘mind-control’ is of a mind-framing in expression or suppression of natural impulses filtered through unnatural thinking.
You have every right to the power of your being – but not at expense of others.
The Fall – is a symbol for the taking of power in self-image at expense of wholeness and of the recognition of wholeness in others and all. It is told as an actual accomplishment, resulting in guilt and punishment, struggle, war, sickness and death… and yet all arising from a deceit! A deceit wished for and given power, meaning and identity TO – by reacting to its experience as personal attack – and generating a personal ‘identity’ by attack.
The wish to enslave life is the mind of fantasy given power. If you KNOW your wishes are idle fancies, you can play in them and engage in ‘as if’ as a private experience. Two or more may play under rules that are shared or generated by the sharing of the role play. The rules of such a joining in private agenda, rule out wholeness of being – in order to ‘survive’ the game and the identity of the players.
When the engagement in the private personal sense is as if locked into the mask, the sense of separateness is reinforced by all attempts to restore love, power, peace or joy – for they all build from the belief in self lack (of love, power, peace or joy). The capacity to live from a different foundation than self lack is the gift of a shift of perspective.
The gift is never withheld – excepting by our attempts to ‘get for ourself’ or manage all by ourself. Relationship is key – but as a contextual honesty and acceptance of being – not when used to get from. However, the latter is the result of our societal conditioning in large respect – and of the training for any therapy that seeks to change others rather than facilitate a willingness for change as a result of honesty of being and communication.
“Mania” is simply a pseudo-pathological term for partying too hard. Patty Duke and Carry Fisher didn’t need shocks/drugs/labels. Just not getting sloshed multiple times a week and bedding strangers.
Unless you’re referring to a high induced by a Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor. That’s iatrogenic.
I agree on a certain level. The only “manias” I had in the past were drug (SSRI) induced. And it was nothing more or less than a drug high. It’s literally like taking a very strong stimulant. I suppose it’s similar to what snorting coke would be like (which I’ve never done, BTW).
I suppose a large number of manic episodes that people experience in our day and age are drug induced. Either due to legal, illegal, or legal-by-prescription drugs. While I know that “spontaneous” i.e. non-drug caused mania exists, I have never yet personally met someone who experiences it.
I met a man once who would have “spontaneous” manic episodes every now and then, but that’s because he says he had a brain injury when he was a kid. I have no idea about the legitimacy of his words regarding the matter though.
The placebo effect is a positive expectation.
The nocebo effect is more of a voodoo curse.
Diagnosis operates belief induction on the unwary.
However my sense of sanity is of being conscious of the thoughts I accept true – such that – for example a cancer diagnosis would not automatically mean a death threat.
Once shocked into reaction, the mind is in a sense captured to seek in the terms or framework of threat to power or indeed a threat by power.
Because of this simple fact, all attempts to mitigate the power threat STILL operate the equation of power with threat; attack; defence; protection.
It isn’t only psychiatry that assigns false causes by which to generate self-righteous crusades ‘against evils’ that operate a negative economy that feeds upon sickness, and so pharms sickness or indeed war and division.
The mind that ‘gets’ a sense of security, power or protection from fear, war, sickness, operates self-interest.
But the ‘self’ of such interest is defined negatively in terms of escaping, masking or mitigating power-threat or outcomes we fear and don’t want- instead of aligning in purpose of what we DO want.
Under the power-threat meaning, what you do want is denied, blocked or made ‘impossible’ and so a layer of substitution operates as the temporary escape of pain of lack of life as flow and connection. This is the mind adapting to insane premises that reflect an insane world as its only way to survive.
Relationship is not fixed, but where another’s mind is negatively fixated you cannot change it by force – but you can extend the conditions in which whatever willingness there is for relationship and communication to naturally arise – for the blocking of our channel of communication is an unnatural condition – regardless how many align in protecting and reinforcing the block as if separation is salvation.
An extension of positive regard, acknowledgement for being and sense of worth – is the natural disposition of health. We see ourself in others whether we know this or not. Denied fears project as if to disown and get rid of. But that is how to keep them while believing they are ‘outside us’. It would seem MORE fearful to own them because they are negatively charged and seem to be attacking or denying us. But that is the nature of the trick of judging the negative through the filter of its own framing.
The purpose we are embodying (in any moment) is the determiner of our experience.
Power-threat frameworks of ‘meaning’ generate purpose of self-survival at cost of sacrifice to such ‘meanings’. Questioning the reality of such ‘meanings’ rather than reacting in equal and opposite reinforcement of the very thing one is set against.
The mind is like a trickster while it serves the purpose you gave it to keep hidden by always looking away.
The internal bully is the self negating voice believed and reinforced as ‘right and true’ within any outer experience of being bullied. Putting the problem OUT THERE is not facing what lies beneath – and that is a choice that can be revised or changed in willingness and curiosity for both truth and healing – for of course they are the same at heart – but not to the power-threat meanings of the split mind.
Slaying_the_Dragon_of_Psychiatry May 1, 2018 at 6:23 pm
No! No. No. No. No. This is very disappointing. Phil is one of the best writers for MIA, but this is just wrong. I’m very disappointed. Psychiatry must be ABOLISHED, along with all of the pseudo-scientific subsidiaries. Anti-psychiatry has nothing to do with finding replacements or criticizing psychiatry or the so-called medical model. Anti-psychiatry means ABOLISHING psychiatry and everything that reeks of psychiatry. Usually Phil is spot on with his articles, but I’m very concerned about this trend toward critical psychiatry that attempts to usurp the name of anti-psychiatry.
Frank is absolutely right. “Mental distress” will become yet another psychiatric euphemism. For HEAVEN’S SAKE people! Just mind your own business. If you think someone else has “mental distress,” then go look in the mirror and consider the ways in which you might be causing it. Good grief. I’m so sick of psychiatry. Come hell or high water, I will find a way to slay the dragon of psychiatry.
Pauline N May 1, 2018 at 11:35 pm
So what do you suggest for people that are so distressed they seek help? I agree that it is important that “mental distress” doesn’t become an psychiatric euphemism but the fact is there are people who need professional help to deal with the trauma they have been through or the irrational thoughts they have when they led to not being able to function.
This seemingly innocent question belies the underlying notion that people who are distressed need something predictable and/or repeatable, and represent a “category.”
Stephen Gilbert May 4, 2018 at 9:58 am
People seeking help should not be lied to, plain and simple.
The system lies to people. I work in a state “hospital” where people are treated for “chemical imbalances” with the toxic drugs. When I voiced the fact that there aren’t any such chemical imbalances (in a small meeting of administrators) one of the administrators told me that he didn’t think that any of the psychiatrists at the “hospital” believed in “chemical imbalances” anymore. I then asked that, if this was true why was the only treatment for people on the units the psychiatric drugs that are given for supposed “chemical imbalances”? I received no verbal reply but a lot of blank stares. Then the meeting continued as if I’d asked nothing at all.
People seeking help should not be controlled by the system that they seek help from. Even people who sign themselves into the “hospital” voluntarily end up not being able to leave when they become disillusioned with the so-called “help” that they receive. They supposedly had insight when they signed themselves in voluntarily but all of a sudden, when they don’t agree with what is done to them they no longer have any such insight and become a “danger to themselves and others”. At that point they are not going anywhere. And they will be drugged against their will, all for their own good of course!
Yes, they lost their insight when they dared to disagree with the psychiatrists as to what they should or should not ingest!
John Hoggett May 2, 2018 at 5:56 am
I agree and disagree.
We are all distressed from time to time and a bit of help can be wonderful.
On the other hand the state and psychiatry will co-opt anything.
Offering some sort of support like a consultant does is very different from a sort of ‘educational’ approach of supervising or even the need to ‘control’ things and forcing a singular solution strategy on somebody. When being in your subjective distressed and confused state nobody should ever force something on you but merely offer several strategies that have been evaluated by professionals according their successfullness. But every technical approach is constantly upgraded and even changed as new insights are reached and further knowledge and experimental data has been gathered. This approach explained so well and in much detail by Phil who does a fantastic job indeed is of high value, but it still doesn’t address the distorted roots of psychiatry and psychology where it is believed that they have to ‘correct’ a certain behavior or thinking. It’s simply none of their business. When I as a IT technician get a job to fix something for a company, they tell me what they want to acchieve and I tell the of the state of the art and all necessary facts but they decide what they ultimately want and it’s my job to implement their needs and tell them if first I can do that and second decide if I want that to do for or with them.
If they decide to use some strategy that I am not fond of I simply tell them, no, I am not the right consultant for you, I’m sorry. But psychiatry takes away your rights and psychology does the same but in a more subtle and seemingly ‘kind’ way to then force a solution on you. That’s wrong and it stems from psychiatry and psychology never having addressed and processed its very dubious history.
Absolutely! A consultant is what is needed, someone to observe what’s happening and provide perspective and options, not someone who thinks they have the right to tell you what to do, think and feel!
LavenderSage May 2, 2018 at 3:24 pm
I used to have that therapist but she closed her practice.
Phoenix,
Thanks for this interesting perspective.
Paradoxically, although I’m very clear about aims, methods, perspectives, and philosophy of the psychiatric profession, I cannot say the same about the profession of psychology. This is because, almost from its beginning, psychology glommed onto psychiatry as a ready-made portal to the “mental health’ business. And in many (perhaps most) cases, psychologists adopted psychiatry’s spurious philosophy whole-heartedly. At present, psychologists in America are lobbying hard at state level for prescribing “privileges”, and in some states have already achieved this. Psychology was co-opted by psychiatry decades ago.
During my own career (I’m long retired), I always opened my discussions with people who came to me for help with a simple question: “How can I help you?” I then shut up and listened.
And here’s the great heresy: most of what I did that was helpful wasn’t so much a product of specialized training in psychology, as a willingness to listen, an ability to empathize, and some personal experience of life’s vicissitudes and challenges.-
Thank you Mr. Hickey,
the precribing privileges are a problem indeed, one of my therapists also talked about wanting to get the right to prescribe and you know, she merely had that psychotherapy education and no academia background. In my opinion you need to have a profound education in medicine (how the human body works) to dare to do that. Although I also somehow get the idea of registeredforthissite above who wants to have pharmacists handle the thing completely on their own. I think that is fine for a certain kind of people but not everybody is able to handle so much independence and freedom (as to get the right medical and pharmaceutical consultants and come to their own conclusions and so on). Maybe thats where Mr. MacFarlane’s social control comes in… What do you do as a society with people who have a so-called ‘self-destructive’ behaviour (which is of course subject to a certain viewpoint because ‘self-destructive’ is already a judgement) and seemingly have troubles to deal with so much freedom?
Psychology to me is a science, different to medicine (aka psychiatry). Medicine is a more technical thing, they work with and on the body. Therefore, they should stay where they are needed, to understand consciousness and awareness. And finally dare to learn some scientific methods, refrain from isolating themselves by merely philosophizing about things but educate themselves in maths and statistics and physics and biology and IT (artificial intelligence) to get a working model of what consciousness (and subsequently behaviour and so on) is. I really liked Freud’s thinking, allthough he got many things messed up also because of society’s beliefs at that time and limited scientific knowledge, but he had a very natural science and technical viewpoint and I think that is desperately needed in the field of psychology. But psychology in my opinion needs to establish their own reputation as scientists and keep off the territory of medicine and also off social worker. Those social scientists (and yes, I reckon social studies to be a field of their own) need to find ways to deal with society’s issues in cooperation with the law to find solutions and acceptable means for the social control thing…
I so much know without even telling me that you were the kind of psychologist that would listen. Its in the vibe you are giving in everything you do. Its so thoughtful, you know and so gentle.
Best wishes to you!
I got it wrong, psychiatrists are not needed to “understand” consciousness and awareness, that would be the psychologist’s task, well, interestingly, as I just think about it… these professions got the roles confused somehow … the scientist should be the ‘chief’ because he comes up with knowledge, therefore, its very wrong for the psychologist to be sort of an advisor to psychiatrists it feels to me … psychiatrists are medical technicians, who should be very well paid as technicians always are because they do a very complicated job, but hold little power because they are merely technicians, meaning they offer solutions for the body to get back into its respective balancy… so in fact, Mr. Hickey and Mr. MacFarlane, don’t you agree that it is quite funny that its the psychologist who carry the blame, because they are really lousy scientists in modern times having too little hard scientific education (maths, chemistry, physics) and therefore we are still stuck with the old philosophical based concepts of behaviour and therefore psychiatrists get it wrong and society as a whole…
Or am I following the wrong train of thought here?
Thank you for these interesting perspectives, and for your encouraging words.
phoenix May 6, 2018 at 12:49 pm
Mr. Hickey, I totally forgot about Latin, Old Greek and Grammar which is even harder than Maths I reckon. Thank you, for reminding!
Another thought on that concept of seperating the fields, you know, that is the very sound approach of democracy, seperation of powers, and it is a very intelligent concept that is used in nature and the body very well. You have highly specialized departments but you also need a communication system and so on.
I think the problem psychiatrits face is a kind of being overworked. A technicion should never be allowed to have too much power because technicions forget everything when they are testing out some funcionality. I know it from myself, I get lost in programming because I want to find a working solution. Well, I work with machines, thus I have less troubles causing them pain (as long as they do not reach some sort of consciousness, anybody out there watching the series Westworld?). But psychiatrists work with people and in their technical way of thinking they also are doing, are sort of forced to, do experiments and there it goes wrong so often.
They are in need of a working theoretical concept, which should be brought along by a science. Scientists again needs restrictions which should ideally come by laws, as we have experienced with history e. g. the atomic bomb. Because again scientists are prone to loose reality when they are figuring out something new and forget about consequences for society. Can anybody follow what I am sort of on to?
Bruce Levine has made similar claims in his books, Phil. 🙂
And a word to family members supporting a loved one in distress. Like with medical decisions e. g. regarding life support for somebody unconscious, you of course are in the ufortunate position to make decisions like hospitalizing your loved ones. But when the loved one comes out of his or her distressing state and is angry because of what treatment they received you have to step into your responsability and explain yourself without refraining from this by hiding behind ‘there has been no other means,we had no chance’. The latter mentality, when nobody ever stands by his or her deeds, the blame just moves along from person to person and destroys everything. Explain your reasons, try to understand the one accusing you as having been wrong, defend your action if you feel the need to do so, but never give away your autonomy by claiming it on ‘circumstances’. For someone labeled incapable of making decisions for himself but simultaneously being blamed for his behaviour its just unbearable that he is shut up of assessing what happened and that everybody just says, ‘there has been no other option’. Haven’t we learned from WWII that by refusing to take responsability for our individual actions and blaming it on a certain authority leads to unspeakable horrible things happening? If nobody feels to be holding responsability nothing can be changed. Why are we again getting so afraid in the last years to stand by the erroneous decisions we sometimes inevitably make? Who prompted us to forget that being human does not translate to being perfect but to be of failure from that we can learn and grow?
“So what do you suggest for people that are so distressed they seek help?”
I suggest that psychiatry be abolished so that it stops causing people so much distress. For the rest, I suggest that people seek help from God, family, friends, and others who won’t extort you, rob you, drug you, and possibly kill you.
oldhead May 3, 2018 at 12:59 pm
People seem to think that needing “help” is a personal issue, when it’s at least equally a political/social one. The problem with questions such as that quoted is that every person is different and their problems are uniquely individual; there are no categorical answers.
My distress did not originate with psychiatry but being bullied/sexually harassed nonstop through high school. I had emotional problems. Being too scared to leave your dorm room is a real problem!
What if your family, church, and friends want you locked up, shocked, and drugged?
Slaying the Dragon,
Thanks for this. Please see my response to Frank Blankenship above.
You are, in my view, correct in pointing out that psychiatry will try to co-opt the PTM perspective. Watch for statements like: careful and experienced psychiatrists have always been cognizant of these matters, etc.
My own position has always been that psychiatry’s systematic medicalization of all human problems is a destructive, disempowering hoax which has done and continues to do untold damage to people world-wide.
It is also my position that psychiatry is irremediable, for the simple reason that they cannot let go of their spurious illnesses and their destructive “treatments”. Psychiatry must go, and it is to this end that I direct all my writing.
In my view, the PTM document sets out clearly and in great detail the shortcomings of the psychiatric model, particularly the fact that psychiatric “diagnoses” are routinely used to conceal many of the great flaws and injustices in our society.
Well you have made things pretty clear Phil: no concessions to ‘moderation’. Like all such extreme Utopian positions it’s quite comfortable, as there’s little danger of it being tested against reality.
Seems you have little sympathy for those many people who, as I believe, are overmedicated, especially in the US. I guess from your lofty position you think they deserve their fate as they are too stupid, unlike you, to see through the obvious ‘hoax’.
It’s pretty clear that your position is much more prevalent in the US than in the UK, and I think you are probably wrong in predicting the PTMF will change that. I suspect that more moderate views here will continue to be associated with less overmedication. As for ‘great flaws and injustices in society’, yes, ordinary psychiatrists over here are ‘cognizant’ of social factors, but even Joanna Moncrieff recognises that psychiatry should have a medicalised ‘social control role’ on the way to her particular version of post-Capitalism.
Philip Hickey, PhD May 3, 2018 at 4:18 pm
The essence of my response to you (above) was that psychiatry has been actively promoting two enormous deceptions for decades. If you are disputing this, then please send me references to support the illness assertions or the curative assertions concerning the drugs. I would be happy to take a look, and, as I’ve said many times in my posts, if the evidence disproves my position, I will promptly apologize for my errors. In the absence of such proof, or even a convincing argument, however, what kind of “moderation” are you expecting? A destructive, disempowering hoax is a destructive, disempowering hoax.
To the best of my knowledge, there is nothing in my writings that could even remotely be described as Utopian. If you have seen something of that sort, I would be grateful if you could draw it to my attention.
With regards to the assertions that I do, in fact, make, they are eminently testable against reality. For instance, if it were demonstrated that all the individuals whom psychiatry identifies as “having major depression” were found to have a particular neurological pathology in a part of the brain associated with emotions, then my assertion fails, or at the very least is in serious trouble. To date, despite decades of lavishly-funded and highly motivated research, no such findings are to hand.
You assert that I seem to lack sympathy for people who have been damaged by psychiatry. How you can interpret any of my writings in that light is beyond my comprehension. I have enormous sympathy toward the people who have been damaged (some, very severely) by psychiatry. Indeed, my primary motivation in writing these posts, which I’ve been doing for the past nine years, stems precisely from sentiments of that sort.
I assume that your reference to my “lofty” position is sarcasm.
Your leap from my response to the assertion that I believe psychiatrists’ clients deserve their fate because they are too stupid to see through the hoax is groundless. I have never said, or even implied, anything of the sort, and it is difficult to avoid the perception that you are resorting to ad hominem attacks rather than substantive debate.
Dear Phil
Yes, a bit sarcastic, but proportionate I believe, to your ad hominem statement that all psychiatrists deliberately deceive: that’s what ‘hoax’ means in both the UK and the US (I’m pretty sure). I could equally well ask what your evidence is for escalating Szasz’s more ambiguous ‘myth’ to that level.
You foreground drugs, but many psychiatric/developmental diagnoses have little or nothing to do with Pharma: autistic spectrum disorders, addictions (originally, anyway) and ‘personality disorder’, for example. In fact, Szasz’s original concerns were about psychiatry colluding with psychoanalysis, with the aim of social control.
I wish I had time for a longer answer, especially as your entertaining piece on http://behaviorismandmentalhealth.com/2017/11/28/rebranding-psychiatry/ has led me to reading that BJPsych article for the first time.
I you read my recent Blog pieces then you will see that I have been far harder on Pharma (Nemeroff, for example) than the PTMF Psychologists that you praise. They appear to have come to a very British ‘gentleman’s agreement’ (a gender-free equivalent doesn’t come to mind) with their psychiatric opposites to avoid such difficult issues: will be Blogging on that in due course.
Mr MacFarlane, I would like to grasp the point you’d like to make and I think I get the sometimes sarcastic tone of your writing, because I reckon that’s just a British way to communicate. British humour is just such a dark but great ‘in a nutshell’ thing.
The problem I have is that your very eloquent and elaborate use of English language and scientific/philosophic/political concepts makes it quite difficult for me to follow. Could you possibly lower your high standards of communication a little bit for me and specify what you mean with “a medicalised ‘social control role’”?
And wouldn’t you think that there are quite some dangers involved when people mess around with things (i.e. consciousness, awareness, mood) that are not very well understood yet? Especially in a biologic way? Medication does have its merits but as the so very educated thinker you are you can surly grasp the point psychiatric survivors make about forced treatment and coercion. Thus how would you deal with the serious power imbalance issues when some people get the authority to enforce social control?
And which blog do you mean, where can I find that?
phoenix May 4, 2018 at 11:52 am
Mr. MacFarlane, my dearest Thanks for your correction, I do now understand it slightly better. I understand that the UK has very high standards on many matters. May I ask if you have an opinion on the concept which was introduced by registeredforthissite? Because the generation Y would very much like to contribute to further development in society with sharing economy principles that we proudly invented based on the availability of new technology, but that seem to come amiss with well established taxing laws and so on? It could very well clarify some further difficulties that I have regarding your slightly conservative approach, doesn’t it?
Before the Civil War many slave owners accused abolitionists of not understanding or loving the folks who “needed” to be enslaved. MacFarlane’s accusation of you sounds similarly ridiculous, Phil.
I wouldn’t waste my time on this guy Phil.
Dr Neil MacFarlane MRCPsych May 4, 2018 at 11:04 am
Sorry if unclear. I try to avoid jargon etc, but inevitably get drawn into it when responding to a professional (albeit retired) such as Phil Hickey. My Blog is at http://www.DrNMblog.wordpress.com .
Of course there are serious ‘power imbalance’ issues when psychiatry is used as ‘Social Control’, but there are for other law enforcement agencies as well, in any society with inequalities. And there are many problems with both voluntary and forced ‘drugging’, especially the influence of Pharma.
It seems a bit unreal to be even discussing with someone stuck in the ‘abolish psychiatry’ mindset that the UK left behind in the 1980s.
I stand by all my points above, and I question whether Phil Hickey really wants a ‘substantive debate’ or just wants to vent a longstanding grudge. He seems to imply that his own ‘ad hominem’ attacks upon all psychiatrists are fine because they are aimed at a group, not an individual.
None of the PTMF psychologists that I have engaged with over here have supported his ‘hoax’ smear (a regular feature, I now see, in his Blog pieces), and I will be surprised if any do in future.
Anti-psychiatry has nothing to do with finding replacements
Absolutely correct! Did slavery abolitionists ever demand an “alternative” to slavery?
The problem again is with people seeing psychiatry as a branch of medicine rather than of the prison system.
Philip Hickey, PhD May 6, 2018 at 12:20 pm
I don’t think any reasonable person would interpret my contention that psychiatry is a hoax as implying that every single psychiatrist is complicit in that hoax.
This string began when you questioned/challenged my characterization of psychiatry as a hoax. I responded to this by pointing out the twin deceptions that the vast majority of psychiatrists promote: that depression, and a wide array of other human problems, are caused by neuropathology; and that psychiatric drugs remedy this pathology. The onus, I suggest, was on you at that point to come back with some facts, references, or evidence to the contrary, or at least, a cogent argument.
But in your response, you completely ignored the deception/hoax issue, and instead launched several groundless ad hominem attacks at me.
I responded to each of these attacks, and pointed out that you seemed more interested in scoring points than in substantive debate.
Now you’re back asking me what evidence I have for my accusations of deception. But you’re missing the point. The statements concerned are false. So when psychiatrists promote these statements, they either don’t realize that they’re false (in which case, they’re not too bright), or they are being deceptive. As I don’t consider psychiatrists as a group to be particularly obtuse, the deception conclusion is inevitable. If you wish to read more on my position on this matter, please see my post Psychiatry DID Promote the Chemical Imbalance Theory http://behaviorismandmentalhealth.com/2014/06/06/psychiatry-did-promote-the-chemical-imbalance-theory/
You say that I “foreground drugs”, which I assume means emphasize. This is untrue. I respect the rights of each individual to ingest whatever he or she chooses. What I challenge, and emphatically condemn, is the fact that psychiatry uses blatant deception to induce people to take these drugs. They tell people, who present no indications or evidence of neurological illness, that they have such an illness, and that the drugs are necessary to remedy this disorder.
You have throughout this string failed to address the matter of the twin deceptions, and have consistently avoided substantive debate. But in your response to Phoenix, you “question” whether I really want to have a substantive debate or merely want to “vent a longstanding grudge”. The implication being that my critiques of psychiatry stem, not from any objective assessment of its activities or perspectives, but rather from some personal vituperation of my own. Is it possible that you imagine that this kind of petty retorting constitutes substantive debate? Is it possible that you consider these gratuitous, deprecative attacks as having some value?
If you wish to discuss/debate the hoax issue, or indeed any issue on which I have written, then by all means come back. If your comments are pertinent and objective, I will respond. But if you persist in these vacuous and groundless attacks, I will not respond.
Steve McCrea May 6, 2018 at 3:24 pm
I have to agree with Phil, here. The evidence is in that psychiatric diagnoses are almost totally subjective, that the “chemical imbalance” theory was disproven (at least for serotonin and dopamine) back in the 1980s, that psychiatric drugs are not specific to any problem with the brain, but are general agents that impact the brain and body in a wide range of ways, sometimes very unpredictably. There is evidence that psychiatric diagnoses and the chemical imbalance theory cause discrimination against those so diagnosed, there is evidence that long-term “treatment” with these drugs does NOT create better outcomes, and increasing evidence that it actually may WORSEN outcomes overall. There is a ton of evidence that the main thing those who are diagnosed as “mentally ill” have in common is a history of trauma, and that the psychiatric system ignores or minimizes traumatic experiences in favor of biological explanations. There is evidence that being a minority, being an immigrant, or living in an urban environment contribute significantly to the development of “schizophrenia.”
In the face of all of this evidence, what evidence do YOU have that Phil’s line of reasoning is wrong or is biased?
“Schizophrenia” is nonsense.
We see genuine Recovery stories all the time on Mad In America, and the only people that do recover, do this outside of Psychiatry.
Also, a lot of the Recovery stories contain similar traditional approaches that have been available long before Psychiatry came along.
Thanks for putting it so plainly and succinctly.
Sorry, but it is you who have failed to substantiate your ad hominem attack on the overwhelming majority of psychiatrists as complicit in the ‘hoax’. That, I believe, is what a reasonable person would understand from your repeated use of the term on your Blog.
You now state ‘…when psychiatrists promote these statements, they either don’t realize that they’re false (in which case, they’re not too bright), or they are being deceptive. As I don’t consider psychiatrists as a group to be particularly obtuse, the deception conclusion is inevitable.’ To me, that is poor psychology: intelligent people selectively attend all the time.
Some intelligent professional psychologists seem prone to selective versions of history in which mental health and neurodevelopmental diagnoses were solely invented by medical doctors. The version which follows Foucault (as in the PTMF) is useful to distract from other histories which include non-medical psychologists. Stephen J Gould’s ‘Mismeasure of Man’ is one example of the latter.
Another is Szasz’s ‘Myth of Mental Ilness’, which I have already referred to as showing that psychiatry in the early 1960s was not allied to the pharmaceutical industry, but to psychotherapy. Even in the second edition of 1974 I can find only one reference to drugs.
Since the 1980s an alliance between establishment psychiatry and Pharma has led to massive overprescription of medication, especially in the United States. Although, for me, your writings usefully add to the deconstruction of that overprescription and its recent causes, your black-and-white insistence on the ‘hoax’ and your call to abandon all mental health diagnosis undermine those who seek reform now, rather than waiting for Utopia.
Hi, Niel,
So I am a little confused by your comments. You refer to Szaz, who very clearly and articulately took the position that “mental illnesses” are social constructs, not disease states. Yet you use the term “overprescription,” as if there were a “right” level of prescription that has been exceeded. How can there be a “right” level of prescription for a social construct? Unless we had a real diagnostic system that allowed people with actual, physiological problems be sorted from those whose metaphorical “diseases” are a consequence of social and interpersonal stress, or “problems of living,” as I believe Szaz called them, how on earth could we ever arrive at an “appropriate” level of “medicating?”
Or perhaps you are in the Moncriefian camp, and view drugs as simply having effects that we find desirable/undesirable? If so, how does the profession distinguish between effects found desirable by the individual him/herself and effects found desirable by the society around him/her?
To me, this issue of “diagnosis” is central to the whole problem of “overmedication,” as drugs are being used to “medicate” people who are not objectively ill in the physiological sense.
The fact that folks other than Big Pharma-influenced psychiatrists came up with some of the diagnostic categories is neither here nor there – the categories lump together people who have little to nothing in common and presume that they ALL have the same problem and need the same solution. This is not science, it is fiction, and to the extent that it is known to be fiction, can only be regarded as a hoax, as Phil outlines.
Prominent psychiatrists have admitted out loud that the chemical imbalance concept has been known to be false for decades, and research backs them up on this. Yet they have publicly justified telling patients this is true in order to make them feel more comfortable with taking their prescribed drugs. Doesn’t that sound pretty “hoaxy” to you?
Rachel777 May 7, 2018 at 9:37 am
Curious as to what MacFarlane and others mean when it comes to “moderate.” Sounds suspiciously like a code for business as usual.
“Stay with us, be good–not uppity–and we promise not to hit you too hard most of the time. Unless you provoke us.”
I think you’re pretty spot on there. The guy is very defensive, that’s for sure.
How does a ‘moderate’ aim of reducing antidepressants and bipolar prescribing by 90% sound? Maybe within five years. I don’t know enough about other drugs in the US to suggest goals right now.
I will be blogging about what I regard as Dr Moncrieff’s false suggestion that reducing diagnosis will reduce prescribing. I used to work with the learning disabled (mentally retarded in US) and they are overmedicated on a ‘drugs-based model’, mostly to calm behaviour, without diagnoses.
Szasz was an extremist, like Phil Hickey. As I have stated, his ‘just a construct’ view came in before Pharma. When Pharma became dominant he had to patch up his extreme libertarian views by saying the ‘Pharmacracy’ was an exception that had to be regulated.
Have to leave this now…will be blogging on the various aspects…you can subscribe to my posts which won’t average more than one a week. drnmblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/30/the-inflamed-mind-by-ed-bullmore-book-review/
Just when he posts something concise enough to respond to he leaves. Oh well. Anyway,
How does a ‘moderate’ aim of reducing antidepressants and bipolar prescribing by 90% sound?
Positive in the sense that reducing the incidence of murder-for-hire would be an improvement, but it wouldn’t solve the problem. But if that’s your goal go for it, we won’t try to stop you.
Szasz was an extremist, like Phil Hickey.
I’m sure neither would be offended, though some eye-rolling might be in order. In fact both were/are attempting to restore some balance in the face of psychiatry’s attempts to redefine the meaning of language (and “medicine”). If claiming that a metaphor can have physical properties isn’t extreme I don’t know what is.
I will be blogging about what I regard as Dr Moncrieff’s false suggestion that reducing diagnosis will reduce prescribing.
You mean that people will demand consciousness-depressing drugs whether there is a medical pretext or not? This is likely true, largely due to the atmosphere created by Psychopharm. If all drugs were legal I guess people would learn to pick and choose which ones are deadly and which are useful.
Timothy Leary once postulated two additional Commandments: a) “Thou shalt not alter the consciousness of one’s fellow man [sic] without consent”; and b) “Thou shalt not prevent one’s fellow man from altering his consciousness.” (Or something like that.)
Steve McCrea May 8, 2018 at 12:57 pm
So again you use the term “overmedicating.” How can you “overmedicate” when there is no objective means to determine what “appropriate” medicating is? Isn’t giving “medication” for a non-medical condition called “malpractice” rather than “overmedicating?” What is the standard?
Since you’re the doctor, you can reduce your own prescriptions of mind altering drugs by 100% any time you choose and tell patients the TRUTH that there is no known organic cause for insanity. As far as Great Britain as a whole, you’ll need approval from Sir Simon first for your 90% reduction plan. Unduly optimistic…even Utopian….
Btw, Steve, MacFarlane never did answer your question as to whether he tells patients they have “brain chemistry imbalances” when he prescribes them drugs. Most MI professionals are very vocal about this spreading this myth. No prominent psychiatrists (aside from a few mavericks) care to correct this view.
Gerard May 1, 2018 at 6:57 pm
Personally I like the link that has been made between needs and more specifically threats to those needs and how people react, adapt and attempt to change their circumstances as an explanation for their “symptoms”.
This framework is long overdue and well done to the BPS for showing initiative in this regard. The American Psychological Association and the Australian Psychological Society should be ashamed of how they have continued to live in the shadow of big brother psychiatry and how they have endorsed the lies and misinformation from this pseudoscience.
They should be ashamed. I am very proud of the British Psychologists for leading the way.
It’s possible to recover even from “Schizophrenia” (and “Manic Depression”) and Neuroleptic Withdrawal Syndrome and remain well, through Psychological means.
…and save The Country £65,000 per year – (what each Severally Mentally Ill person costs according to The London School of Economics).
Rachel777 May 2, 2018 at 10:37 am
I quit having mood swings associated with “bipolar” by coming off the fists full of uppers and downers the shrinks told me I needed.
If they just gave us the money it costs to treat us life would be so much better.!
Thanks Philip, it’s nice to see some more excellent analysis, on Mad In America.
(In my opinion ) the majority of “Schizophrenics” are misdiagnosed; they are tied into longterm “Illness” by Withdrawal Syndrome. Its the Psychiatric drugs that disable not any underlying “illness”.
(I can substantiate what I’ve said above, from my own “medical history”).
John Hoggett May 2, 2018 at 5:24 pm
Power, Threat, Meaning:
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, ‘tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover’d country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.—Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember’d.
Genius, how true literature inspires where reams of psycho babble, pharmaceutical marketing and other scams disappoint!
Charles Dickens wrote a lot of inspiring literature: https://drnmblog.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/the-charles-dickens-bicentenary/
Whatuser May 9, 2018 at 12:05 pm
It was the best of times,
It was the worst of times…
Any Ole time like now when it’s hard times all the time for some folk!
Whatuser June 11, 2018 at 12:32 pm
Someone must have been telling lies about Josef K., he knew he had done nothing wrong but, one morning, he was arrested.
Maybe The Trial might be more pertinent for some people, especially around here.
Power Threat Meaning
It must mean something or you wouldn’t have such clever people recommending it!
Can’t get behind this at all, sorry Phil. I saw this mentioned before on MIA.
The “alternative” to psychiatric diagnosis is NO psychiatric diagnosis. Etc. And I see no critique of capitalism.
However, as Phil Hickey is the only anti-psychiatry professional or ex-professional who seems to totally respect anti-psychiatry survivors I will read & comment more intelligently when I’m far less tired.
Oldhead,
Thanks for coming in. I agree whole-heartedly that psychiatry needs to go, and I believe that the PTM document will promote that objective.
Good to hear from you no matter what. I’m skeptical per your above statement, but still haven’t read the article as I want to do so when I have time to concentrate.
lcjohnstone May 8, 2018 at 12:20 pm
And so do I, Phil Hickey…not only psychiatric diagnosis but the whole conceptual edifice on which it is built has to go. That is what the Framework argues. It also makes clear links between distress and social injustice in the form of capitalism, neo-liberalism and all the ideological messages that accompany and support them. How successfully it does this is up to others to judge. However, we are encouraged by reports not just from professionals but from service users, peer support groups and so on that people are finding it a helpful way of getting beyond diagnostic assumptions.
If it provides some sort of conceptual epiphany for people trying to make such connections I’m not knocking it.
I don’t see “diagnosing” “mental disorders” as all that different from “identifying patterns of emotional distress”. One difference is that the “mental disorder” label serves an insurance company purpose, “mental health” (“emotional distress”) treatment being very expensive. Getting insurance companies to pay for lessening “patterns of emotional distress”? If only the insurance companies wanted to save money that much.
The difference is whether sovereign will is respected.
A technocratic system of control does not allow for will excepting as quantifiable delusions of conditioned response. It is the insanity when we sacrifice life and lives to it instead of using it (system) only in service to life recognised and professed or witnessed.
The very attempt to ‘officially’ define a fresh perspective can indeed work against healing while seeming to be a new crusade on its behalf.
I do see them as different. Psych labels are external and fixed. “Patterns of distress” are more of a philosophical categorization and are both flexible and applicable by either “clinicians” or the people experiencing the distress. Plus, you can’t arrest someone for a “pattern of distress.”
Distress may result from unwitting beliefs about self and world that guarantee frustration, failure or futility – but I don’t like the use of ‘philosophical’ as a term for what are inducted and acquired unconscious beliefs from preverbal levels of development.
Very few engage philosophical reflection on the beliefs they are aware of holding – and not at all upon those they react from as if true without awareness that the reactions embody beliefs or self-definitions that are neither fixed or true. But for whatever personal reasons they served some purpose or payoff that still runs until recognized and released – even at cost of great distress.
Insofar as philosophy is love of truth, it brings awareness the uncovering of our current beliefs and accepted currencies of belief. This can illuminate poor or insane choices to open new perspectives from no longer choosing them. ‘Medicalising’ human beings in order to disempower and ‘capture’ them is an insane choice with insane consequence.
My feeling about ‘patterns of distress’ is to seek their commonality (within our own heart) whilst recognizing their unique personal expression. I never could feel another’s pain and no one can share mine – but resonance of compassion joins in love’s honesty, where separating while sympathising seems to join while labelling to patronise or take a superior position in ‘forms of caring’.
Separation trauma is a commonality though it can take all kinds of forms according to the personal situation within the family constellation and social context.
Focusing on forms to the exclusion of underlying psychic emotional conflicts is a psychological defence against feeling the conflict. Society can and does assign ‘form-meanings’ of invalidity and exclusion to collectively feared psychic emotional experience. That is how the ‘mind’ operates an exclusive or segregative identity. It is the underlying sickness of thinking from which a world where everything is backwards is given power over true cause and purpose.
The shift to an inclusive reintegrative identity is the recognition of self in another and of other in our self. Everyone you meet offers you a part of your self. Abiding with, rather than recoiling from, is part of the process of welcoming presence instead of identifying in ‘conditional demands’.
Any ‘system’ or tool is serving only the purpose it is actually being used for. A system of control is necessarily manipulation via incentives and penalties.
The paradigm of ‘control of chaos’ calls forth the law of Man – in terms of holding order within what cannot be faced or recognized and reintegrated. As I see it ‘Jesus’ represents the law of love – not wishful masking in niceness – but a true recognition of presence and discernment of will to wholeness. Fear of love (healing) is the association of love with loss of control, sacrifice and loss of self. But this is fear’s assertion and not love’s freedom. Challenging fear formed beliefs is merely opening them to awareness. This is not a mentally framed action, but a willingness to see what is here, or a willingness to be seen and known so as to regain connection, integrate and move through rather than be fixed in.
I am not a recovery from psychic abuse so much as one who chose NOT to engage with ‘helpers’ who – as I intuited – could only help me get back into a fake life, when whatever had opened me – held the quality and presence of being – albeit terrifying, overwhelming and beyond ‘control’. Over time I came to learned that fear was my (thought and intention) responsibility and that presence is a gift that is not my ‘doing’ nor under my ‘control’ – but holds within itself, all that it needs by being itself. So it is that when therapist and patient open awareness in shared purpose, the situation itself will guide them to a helpful step from a willingness rather than under coercion.
Coercive mental frameworks can operate extremely subtly in terms of seeming to be kind. But true kindness is OF a kind, in that at some level we recognize we are of the same life – and that what we give is to ourself.
The practice of giving as we would in truth receive depends upon self-honesty and worthiness of being. Without these foundations, nothing can grow or develop as consciousness of integrated and unified purpose.
Distress is not something to deny, gloss over, protect from – excepting temporarily so as to regroup with a more practical approach. Distress is where the underlying honesty of true need breaks through the emotionally manipulative demand. This rising of perspective is of a different order than problem solving within problem framing.
There is nothing wrong with your being, but your belief that there is can operate the experience of dissonance and discord within self and with other selves and world. One cannot pretend an active belief is powerless just because it operates subconsciously. But that still does not make you ‘wrong’ so much as choosing against your own good under mistaken belief it protects or serves who you think you are. The key is then to identify the habit-reaction so as to bring it to conscious choice, and then support a better choice. Because you’re worth it! Why? Because if you don’t start with where you are you will never uncover and share in the worthy. This is always a current choice – never a rehearsal. A life in rehearsal ‘seems’ safe while making Life seem dangerous!
Relationship is challenging, and ‘chaotic’ when we lose the movement of our own being to fears made real.
Patterns of distress can go away. But, that would mean fewer patients for life.
The conditions that trigger patterns of distress may change, but the pattern remains triggerable until it is brought into the responsibility of choice. The attempt to control ‘conditions’ (which includes the intent and attempt to control others), is a refusal or unconscious evasion to face one’s ‘issue’ – kept unconscious by seeking to change symptoms.
Worshipping the false god of pharma is a variation upon the belief that self must be escaped, purged or denied. This ‘pattern’ of fear and guilt can take many forms. The fearful and the hated can be placed outside, the guilt packaged in complex derivatives – but the result is misery that pays the cost to keep a little back for oneself in which to protect the mind of judgement by which some sense of power is maintained over or against a mad world – a power that yet turns against its maker to condemn them.
Patience (note the shift of meaning) for life could invite a curiosity of re-evaluating what matters and why, and then being consistent in noticing and choosing to value life, rather than be victim to the ‘patterns’ that trick us into valuing ‘escape’ from misidentifications.
Negatively defined self is directed by what one does NOT want – and though this can seem positive – ie protective to our feelings and emotional beliefs – it always works the fear-fulfilling prophecy of persisting in the focus of what we do NOT want – even if as an attempt to avoid or escape it.
Identifying and focussing in what we truly want – can be extremely simple and apparently inconsequential relative to the ‘Big Drama’ – but it is powerful and true. Consider how many moments for happiness you refuse – perhaps because your focus in the ‘drama’ disallows or discards them. Your own part in your imprisonment is hidden by the rules and conditions that filter the meanings you accept as real for you. Curiosity for what is real comes from relaxing and releasing fearful ‘rules’ in true moments of willingness, felt and acted upon. A sick mind is a fixation in worthlessness – regardless if that sense is packaged in compensatory self-inflations. The wonderful event of noticing a sick mind is that your health has stirred you to notice rather than merely persist in it. No blame. let insanity simply point to a meaninglessness that requires no further investment, so as to live your willingness and let yourself into health and wholeness.
Of course old habits persist – but the mistake is in believing in regression and loss and investing in the belief. Noticing the pattern is awakening the choice – the freedom of the choice that is not fear-framed. Living without the fear-framed illusion of protection is very different. It may also feel insulting to our presumed abilities and powers to organise and manage our world – whether we be in the role of therapist or client. The urge to ‘do it all by ourself’ is an easy pattern to notice and a source of self-pride and failure in pain of loss or inadequacy. The ‘all by myself’ is a miser-y. The miser withholds their presence as if to keep it – and but a trickle induces a sense of poverty. When we alight in a joy – we are not merely ‘getting’ from – but giving or extending (the meaning of our presence) to. It is this that we forget in a weird world of strange and shifting ‘meanings’.
A world that seems to define us – without recognizing we ‘made’ these meanings by fears, doubts and pains of conflict – from a time of terror that is passed and yet seems to repeat or re-enact through the generations.
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
What if Humpty’s Fall was a false flag?
And we can’t have that, can we?
Steve, surveys show that viewing “mental illness” as caused by emotional distress lessens bigotry while the alleged biological explanation increases it.
NAMI published an article a few years ago acknowledging that educating people about the “chemical imbalance” does not decrease “stigma.” Many of the bigwigs–such as Pete Earley–know it’s a myth, but continue to use it. Without Big Pharma’s support NAMI really would be a nonprofit. 😛
Indeed Steve diagnostic labels are seen as intrinsic to the individual leaving us dependent on expert cure or management, their biological nature fundamentally disempowering and stigmatising. Whereas the idea of patterns of distress rooted in a response to circumstance leaves us free to explore the means of addressing those circumstances and whatever it is in those circumstances or our responses that trap us here.
Steve McCrea May 11, 2018 at 1:46 pm
It also allows others to empathize with our experience, whereas psych labels, as Rachel points out, are shown to encourage distancing ourselves from the victims of “bad brain chemistry.”
Whatuser May 12, 2018 at 6:30 am
Rachel is quite right there. And empathic relationships with ourselves or others are key to responding to distress. Postulating biological causes renders the need for empathy, a difficult process at the best of times, pointless which serving the interests of power is probably just the point of such reasoning. ‘your loved one is ill, there’s nothing you can do, we’ ll take care of the problem’. Although for people diagnosed they often have few if any potentially empathic relationships in their lives and I suppose that is often why we can overvalue the role of professional help.
Split meanings operate power struggle in which victim/follower and victimiser/leader play out shifting roles.
Meaning – with a capital M – is pre-split or indeed wholeness of being. The ‘broke and fixit’ or ‘Humpty and all the king’s men’ model engages attention under the ‘divide and rule out’ device. Otherwise the pain of the split mind constitutes a breaking of the rules, and is assigned to be ‘fixed’ or walled out (denied voice).
The meaning of a power as threat is generally the trigger to fight or flight, and even at biology level this ‘sympathetic’ nervous response is known to suppress all else to focus in heightened perceptions of associated (past) dangers, involving extreme suppression (hiding or playing dead) and extreme release (fight or flight).
But the subjection of the mind under a power that it is unconscious or unaware of is the nature of the human conditioning or human condition of masked self under split thinking. The persona or ‘masking self’ is necessary to a human experience – but the patterns of defences and strategies that are developed varies greatly – and yet operate a collective entanglement of invested meanings given identity.
Our true responsibility for the accepting and sharing of meaning, is personal cultural significance as coherency of being. But a fear-protective denial of responsibility operates masking in forms of a hidden or private agenda. This split thinking is amplified in Orwell’s doublespeak – but is pervasive to ‘accepted reality under narrative control’ – where people are fear-trained to conform and comply without conscious awareness that what they take to be their freedom is slavery and so freedom is rejected and recoiled from as if it is slavery.
While these reflections on ‘power threat meaning’ may seem off topic, I hold that the true meaning of power is corrupted – and I live towards correcting it. Power does not corrupt and limitless power is incorruptible – but in my usage here is power perfectly shared – and not split into victim and victimiser.
This is a shift in perspective and not a strugge within or under fear.
OK this is the 3rd time I’m typing this out after “glitches” wiped out my comment twice.
Anyway, I did read the piece, and still basically share Frank’s lack of enthusiasm.
The value of this document to anti-psychiatry is questionable, but I suppose it depends on one’s perspective, and on whether one is a survivor, a “professional” or another. In that the “professionals” and academics to which this is primarily addressed are unlikely to ever confront systemic oppression effectively enough to risk jeopardizing their lives or careers, its relevance to the real world is suspect to say the least. It strikes me as more of a philosophical statement than anything; but even then many of the “insights” are platitudes and half-steps to anyone who has a true, developed anti-psychiatry analysis, which is what is necessary to defeat psychiatry.
Psychiatry is a branch of the prison/”justice” system, not of medicine. This is not a “provocative” statement intended for effect; it is a simple fact. As such, any “anti-psychiatry” movement must disabuse itself of the notion that (bless our hearts) we are looking for better or more intelligent ways to “help people.” Maybe some of us are doing that too. But psychiatry is not there to “help” us, but to keep our behavior in check. This is what we must remember when developing strategies to defeat it.
As for “science” — science went out the door when a critical mass of ignorance accepted the premise that metaphors can be the same as concrete reality, and allowed the logically and linguistically absurd concoction of “mental illness” to enjoy public acceptance. ANY “study” of “mental illness” or “mental disorder” is thoroughly UNscientific from its inception, no matter what the conclusion, as it accepts a logical absurdity as one of its premises.
I’m guessing this post is only the beginning, and there’s more I could say. I respect that Phil believes this to be an important contribution to the anti-psych struggle, so I guess we’ll have to see. But don’t put down your banners and spray paint just yet.
Unresolved and denied psychic emotional conflicts are the insanity of humanity – period.
The article above illuminates some of the psychic emotional conflicts of ‘psychiatry’.
“Psychiatry in search of an identity”.
Psychiatry never was science. But nor is much else that might be science allowed to operate AS science under corporate technocracy – in any field. I include pharmaceutical ‘medicine’.
But insofar as science seeks to manipulate or control outcomes rather than uncover them, it operates the subordination of the means to achieve its goal, in reversal of the laws of cause and effect – as a result of seeking identity in effects instead of being naturally identified in shared worth.
Power as threat operates to prevent true shared meaning.
This sense of blocked, denied, deprived or conflicted power in powerlessness operates intra-personally and inter-personally. A coercive social order tends to operate upon naming and blaming as the basis for shaming. This is no less so under ‘scientific jargon’ of a personal ‘diagnosis’, treatment plan, and assigned status of invalidity-dependency – all ‘normalised’ to mask the agenda behind presentations of presumed knowledge of the world, life, its purpose and meaning.
Unhealed healers cannot BUT seek to use others to ‘resolve’ or play out their own psychic emotional conflicts – and the the group-think of self-interest operates a collective reinforcement against the exposure of needs – seen as weakness.
Experiential education is needed to move us (including ‘therapists) out of mental schemes and systems of judgement, to exploration of our own lives – in the uncovering and working through of our own blind spots, fears and false self presumptions – so as to grow in compassionate presence in ourselves and thus with others. The Corporately captured State will not allow such freedom to be developed and grown. The Economy will pull out support from it, and the Law will be interpreted or changed to make it criminal to operate outside ‘standard practice’ as set by power, threat and imposed meaning. However, this is just such a situation in which to expose our ‘power issues’ of fear defined belief and reaction. The threat-meaning framework of society is the carrot and stick of ‘acceptance or rejection’; worth or invalidity, power or powerlessness – as externally defined and assigned – and self-subjected.
A truly compassionate presence is discerning of the felt truth in the qualities and nature of any situation or communication, and remains vigilant against false sympathies that operate destructively in teaching weakness and dependency under the seeming ‘help and protection’ of expertise that may in effect be a blind template of technical specifications.
The honouring of the will of the other or ‘patient’ is not the protection of their ‘feelings’ but of their capacity to make choices and learn, grow and recognize and align in more truly aligned choices for who they are the exploration and uncovering of. Serving the true needs of another is the only way to find our own are met.
The head of thinking is never going to define and control life – nor direct the resolving of life conflicts. But insofar as we try to do this, we consign true causes to the dark by invoking magical appeals to their ‘diagnosis and ‘treatment’. Magical because the problems are not addressed at Cause – but as the manipulation and redistribution of effects.
There are already many facets of wisdom approach to serving the need for healing in those who are no longer able to mask, manage or normalise their suffering and so it becomes more obviously a call for help.
The ability to attend and abide with the apparently chaotic is the non reactivity of preset (subjective) judgements. The attempt to subordinate or indeed sacrifice a relational intimacy of ‘listening’ and response to proscribed technical procedures, is fear-driven control. But of course the tendency to ‘play god’ over others is where such fears originate. But that which is masked over or suppressed is no less active in its underlying distortion of communication – as embodying a framework of power-threat defence-meanings instead of truly meaningful relationship and communication.
Every instance of relationship is a unique event. Running on templates of the past as in ‘auto-pilot’ is holding the quality of being to the past and inducing conflict within presence. Yet it is recognising this that enables its release – in therapist and patient alike. Naming to blame, as an act of power over – is making Presence powerless in our lives. And so our development of power masks a blind powerlessness under guilt-driven threat – BELIEVED and lived as if true.
I think I might agree with some of this but it’s hard to tell. Perhaps something about the “framework” encourages people to express themselves in the most abstract terms possible?
No – I generally sketch out meanings that are universally applicable. But they are consciously felt and shared without strings attached. Agreement may constitute a sense of self-reinforcement , or it may be a recognition of resonance at a deeper level of awareness than ‘thinking’. The latter opens new perspective on ‘old thinking’.
Thinking is the means by which we maintain our personal sense of control, yet it is also the means by which we lose connection or genuine relationship and communication to a dissociated self-sense.
This could be a therapist succumbing to the temptation to ‘play god’ over their patients. This could be the patient seeking magical answers by which to evade self-responsibility.
Power-threat meanings are the pervasive nature of the world we experience and react to as if true – not just in the domain of psychiatry. They can operate in forms of ‘kindness, help and protection, as they can in seeking sympathy or rescue. This is to say that what is presented is not what is actually communicating. Listening to another is also listening within – because if we are not listening within, we are blind to our own reactive judgements as OUR reflective feedback to our OWN issues.
Whether serving the call to help another or of aligning in our true desire, much of our part is to “get out of the way’. While remaining actively present with and within the situation.
Much of my own ‘self-learned’ equilibrium and capacity for intimacy of being has been the noticing of what I am already doing that gets in the way. On one level this is like a tension that – once noticed – can be relaxed and released.
Un noticed – it can seem that the world is sharp, hostile, treacherous, unworthy over the underlying fear that I am in some way inadequate or unable to abide it (and so dissociate).
I could fill pages with examples – but we are all already living them out and a simple self honesty recognizes that ‘getting in our own way’ in our own particular patterns of learned, conditioned or acquired thought and behaviour.
I speak for the ability to notice our active presumptions, beliefs and self-definitions, as the freedom to change them. Our experience of ourself, others and world can only change with a change at such fundamental level.
Nothing is what it seems – in terms of having fixed built in meaning. Power threat can split the mind to conform to meanings associated with evading deeply feared conflicts or patterns of traumatic association. Thus an insane humanity can and does ‘lock itself’ into insane or split ‘meanings’.
All of us are both therapist and patient – in the sense of being helper and helped in the course of our day, and our lives. But in the true of help is no separation – but rather a recognition of self in the other. This is not a thinking thing. Thinking is generally the self-differentiation and justification for withholding of presence – as a masking dissociation of ‘narrative identity’.
I see power-threat meanings as getting in the way of a true appreciation and gratitude for power of truth. This is because the a-tempt to personal power will inherently conflict with the movement of being, and at odds with our being, is dissonant to our self-image – which is then defended against the true relational field of communication, so as to operate a reversal in consciousness in which fear overrides or overlays the mind of split meanings at cost or awareness of the truly sane or meaningful. Once fear is accepted as the power to protect, the fear is protected at expense of the truth. This ‘abstract’ sketch has very wide applicability.
Uncovering the nature of fear necessarily a relational willingness. Fear cannot be forced out of our mind – when it is the result of split thinking of the mind.
The wish to do so invites the denial of our own freedom. However, It remains fact that we do not create ourselves even if we use our creative capacity to generate self-imaged concept of self. life and world. Freedom is our Inherency of being – thus to stop thinking and get out of the way, is to be the receptive to the gifts of being, that are part of the very moment we are the being of – but filtered out by what thinking dictates or keeps hidden.
I agree entirely that we should maintain an actively adversarial stance to psychiatry. Psychiatry is not going to “see the light” and abandon their destructive, disempowering, and stigmatizing activities. Nor will they abandon their spurious concepts, because their very existence as “medical practitioners” depends on these concepts.
We need to maintain and support the critiquing of psychiatry as vigorously, and on as many fronts, as possible.
Many people here, as elsewhere, are ignorant of psychiatry’s true origins, Oldhead. Maybe we need some essays written about that?
“Mental illness” actually is a contradiction in terms unless you mean it as a metaphor–an imaginary illness that exists only in the mind as opposed to the body. People use the term to mean brain disease or physical illness.
Some truly stupid articles have been written. “What Would Happen if We Treated Physical Illnesses Like Mental Illnesses?’
What indeed? Would we have renowned cardiologists warning the public of how heart attack victims were a menace to society on 48 Hours? Would cancer specialists force people to undergo endless rounds of chemo with no proof they had leukemia? Would ear, nose, and throat specialists amputate people’s noses and ears just because they looked “abnormal”? Would endocrinologists sell cocaine to diabetics claiming it was insulin?
But I digress. By the very wording of these articles the writers unwittingly acknowledge that there IS a difference between physical and mental illnesses. This would undermine their point if the American public weren’t so darn gullible!
binra May 10, 2018 at 4:46 am
Ill is a term for evil – which can mean adverse or unwanted outcomes.
Dis-ease is a conflicted dissonance or unrest that persists as if under its own power. As if a think in itself.
The idea that I (or we) is a ‘thing-in-itself’ IS the root of the disease state.
The psychic-emotional distortions of supporting such a narrative identity result in every manner of evil outcome – because the ‘thing-in-itself’ identifies against its relational context while seeking to gain power for itself at expense of others.
The corruption of cardio vascular medical approaches is identical in its profile to the psycho-pharma distortion. The cholesterol fallacy works a destructive lie. Stents have no influence on recurrence of cvd ‘attack’ events or all cause life expectancy – but a huge influence of doctor salaries and hospital profits.
The nocebo of life-denying ‘diagnosis’ works in many fields as a blitzkrieg of terror through which the ‘medical intervention overrides and then frames all else. The psychic-emotional context is THE core health issue – including paramedic assistance – where pause and focus are known to be essential to enable true help where it is truly needed.
The cancer racket is like any ‘War on in that it protects and persists its employ, budget and the power of its ability to generate and protect its revenue stream – and suppresss, shut down or crush any rival to the ‘officially protected chemo-radiation ‘treatments’ – which are treatments that kill.
Physicalised symptoms of psychic emotional conflicts are also ways to seek to hide or escape, mask or protect. Terror induces the employ of anything to avoid, escape, hide, or dump onto others (or even our body) so as to compartmentalise or split off into some degree of mental capacity/managed reality.
The gullibility for false causes is the intensity of the psychic-emotional charge (wishing given power), that is seeking resolution in terms of escape. Hence the willingness of so many to presume that ‘drugs’ have ability to resolve or answer psychic-emotional (which is relational) conflict – in terms of shutting it off, shutting down the mind or shutting out or getting rid of the ‘symptoms”. They CAN serve such a purpose and any suppression of conflict CAN be used to regroup in alignment with a more conscious focus of what truly helps where it is truly needed – and can be accepted.
The other side of this coin is that psychiatry is generally the same disease it seeks to treat in ‘others’ – in terms of evaded and escaped self-conflicts that are ‘medicated’ by roles of power, prestige and privilege that is knitted in with the pharma paradigm that intervenes and overrides and negates or undermines (sickens) to cure – while reserving the term ‘cure’ only for marketing press releases (PR) for pipeline ‘discoveries’. For the management of sickness is founded on worship of sickness, evil and death as the power by which to get energy for ‘thing-in-itself’ from the living in trade for sickness (toxic debt) packaged in falsely contrived instruments under belief they hold promise of protection against future loss.
The worship of evil always frames everything in terms of division, sides and conflict in which someone pays or loses. For all its failings, the framework of this page’s main article holds willingness to open PERSPECTIVE, as a quality of being and relating within being, that opens to embrace and integrate, rather than defines to rule out and reject. The latter is the ‘old mind’ of a segregative movement by power over perceived and believed chaos – deemed ‘other’ – and subjugated as the (false) idea of power or necessity.
The pattern of insanity that characterises human personality construct is insane by virtue of an arrested development. That is to say of becoming ‘stuck’ in a self-reinforcing conditioning loop – instead of unfolding our natural Inherence.
It is easy to philosophise or criticise from the armchair of non-involment, but terror operates the mind of ‘thing-in-itself’ because the inherent meaning of ‘thing-in-itself’ is terror-inducing. Truly seeing this is a meaning-LESS identifiction, releases attempt to ‘survive’ and allows the relational embrace of a ‘field knowing’. Not a control-manipulating. It is an Inherence of being that aligns us as magnetic desire. IE: not as the need or result of ‘self’ efforting. But resisting the ‘tempt’ of the fear-minded thinking, will call for total commitment – because love cannot force itself into an unwillingness to receive. Loving to hate, seems like safety to a split off mind – as does hating to love. The simple truth and safety is in accepting that ‘of our self’ we do not know – and so we listen or feel for the ‘connecting movement’ of a knowing that is NOT wish-manufacture. This is a matter of honest desire and not clever thinking. Releasing the false ‘power’ opens to recognition of true. Hence the ‘arrested development’ within the identity of the fear of loss – and the Call to attend for what is true, beneath the corrupted currencies of appearances (thinking and perception).
lcjohnstone May 5, 2018 at 6:36 pm
No one has to read the Power Threat Meaning Framework or to agree with it if they do. It is certainly not perfect and we welcome feedback. However, several of the comments have fundamentally misunderstood its content and purposes. I will briefly correct some of these assumptions.
1. The Framework is not an ‘alternative’ in the sense of a new or replacement version of diagnostic categories. Its starting point is that we need to completely abandon diagnosis and the whole biomedical model it supports, along with all the subsequent consequences and assumptions, and to develop a new perspective by unpicking the philosophical roots of the current system. These are deeply embedded in rationalism, positivism, and Western worldviews encompassing, but not limited to, the separation of mind from body, individual from social group, and humans from the natural world.
2. The Framework was co-produced with the survivors in the core project team from the very start. In addition we benefited from input from a service user/carer consultancy group. It draws extensively on survivor literature and experience, and values these forms of evidence just as highly as the more traditional kinds.
3. The Framework thoroughly supports oldhead’s suggestion that ‘depression’ (although it avoids this kind of diagnostic language) or any other form of emotional suffering, is one of the end results of damaging socioeconomic systems and social values. One of its main stated purposes is to restore the link between personal distress and social injustice. The Framework attempts to do this by placing a very strong emphasis on the aspects of power usually absent from analyses of distress – particularly ideological power, or power over language and meanings. It thus places its strongest emphasis on the need for social action.
4. The Framework is not fundamentally about psychologists, or any other professional group, coming up with a new system for those said to need their services, for the simple reason that it does not recognise a distinction between ‘mad’ and ‘sane’, ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’, those who are in need of intervention and those who are not. Emotional suffering is universal, and we are all subject to the impact of Similarly it places a very strong emphasis on people’s ability to create their own narratives and sources of healing outside services, once freed from the dominant medical assumptions that are imposed on them. For these reasons, we intend the Framework to be a publicly available knowledge resource, and have thus chosen to make it free online, rather than in book or paywalled journal article form. It is a fairly dense read, but accessible versions are available on the website (eg a 2 page summary and a ‘Guided Discussion’) and more are due to be developed.
5. The Framework is a set of ideas, not a policy document or a plan for services. It is an entirely optional perspective. However, we hope that others may be interested in taking on its ideas and developing it in their own ways, whether in services, peer groups, training, or for personal use. So far the response has been very encouraging.
As I say, we welcome feedback…ideally based on first finding out what we have actually said!
I’m not opposed to the “framework” so much as befuddled about what purpose it is meant to serve. As I said, it reads so abstractly that I tend to back off from taking it too seriously, as we don’t have a lot of time for abstract philosophizing. In addition, it reeks of the language of the mh bureaucracy with references to “service users,” etc. And it lacks the passion of a resistance movement. For example:
One of its main stated purposes is to restore the link between personal distress and social injustice.
This is what I mean by abstract. Detached would be another word. It’s hard to argue with eliminating “social injustice.” But there are many people already taking up this goal who have conflicting theories and analyses regarding how to do it. The devil is in the details, which seem to be ignored almost entirely, as is a delineation of whether this is ultimately a political or philosophical question being pursued, and to what end.
It would be a positive development if the masses could learn to internalize the connection between alienation, economic/class oppression and the general malaise which affects us all in varying ways. But one really has to read through the lines and do some speculative projection to glean such an interpretation from what is presented.
Nonetheless, if this is what the mh professional bureaucracy is arguing about, at least it keeps them preoccupied and out of trouble. Just want to point out that this is not an anti-psychiatry document per se — though it does qualify as anti-“medical model.”
Does the Power Threat Meaning Framework bear any semblance to William Glasser’s Reality Therapy/Choice Theory? I found his books much more readable. If you want this movement to catch on making the language more accessible is a must.
No so called choice theory is a scam although for some a quite attractive one. I did a course in it and found out it was essentially another brand to manipulate and control including tomanipulate folks into ‘accepting’ they are ill and need tablets to deal with workplace stress or even go on disability rather than using the union to challenge the causes of such stress.
Glasser was against drugs or labeling. He encouraged leaving abusive situations and was not against unions. Maybe you have confused him with someone else.
Before I read Bob Whitaker, Glasser’s book Warning: Psychiatry Can Be Hazardous to Your Mental Health helped me realize that the “life saving medications” I had been conned into taking were the same stuff a street dealer sells. I was angry but empowered. Not hopelessly insane after all.
Well good on you so. I’m not familiar with that book, psychiatry certainly can be hazardous to your health! Toxic psychiatry was one of the scariest reads avaikable!
But I did a course in choice theory psychology, read a book of the same name and he struck me as a right creep, maybe it’s a different fella?
And the nun teaching us showed some training video about how this fellas work was used to help beak the air traffic controllers Union under Reagans watch. In it the shrinks where describing stress due to excess workload as a mental illness and encouraged to abandon solidarity with their colleagues accept disability and take the tablets. He was a psychiatrist after all!
Glasser was both a visionary and a very practical problem-solver. “Reality therapy” is about as fully empowering a concept as I have ever read about or seen applied. He does a fantastic job of separating responsibility for external circumstances (which we don’t control) and responsibility for attitude and decisions (which we DO control). He focuses on the intentions of the person asking for help, rather than having some “plan” for the other person that is outside of their control. His goal is higher self-determination for the client, not “compliance” with “treatment.” He is most definitely worth the read.
uprising May 5, 2018 at 7:31 pm
Thank you for the summary, Philip. I think the PTM Framework is a very positive development.
Quote// “Its starting point is that we need to completely abandon diagnosis and the whole biomedical model it supports, along with all the subsequent consequences and assumptions, and to develop a new perspective by unpicking the philosophical roots of the current system. These are deeply embedded in rationalism, positivism, and Western worldviews encompassing, but not limited to, the separation of mind from body, individual from social group, and humans from the natural world.”//
I have written to this in significant measure. But not in terms that readily translate to the philosophical roots of the current biomedical system of assumptions, separations, and rational justifications.
The point is that an identity imaged and maintained by ‘thinking’ is not going to let go of the judging/diagnosing and projection-displacement by which it presumes to be in charge of or in power over relational dissonance within others who seek help – or in social situations that induce or oblige another to accept or submit to help.
What I can see in the quoted statement – beneath the presentation is more like this.
“The presumptions upon which psychiatry is practiced are found to be untrue, unhelpful and to do harm or hinder rather than help”, but the willingness to be truly helpful remains, and seeks renewal by the facing or owning of the habits and choices that constitute the old model as the basis for replacement by a better (more sanely aligned) choices arising from opening and holding value for a truly relational field of being – in which Meaning reveals itself AS new perspective accepted instead of subjugating to or exacting sacrifice of, the meaningful to models or targets of coercive expectation or demand.
The undoing of fears in therapist and patient alike, is a matter of the readiness and willingness to face or own them within a relational support for embracing them – and the power of the mind that made them.
Fear divides to ‘rule out’.
But to the fearfully fragmented or split thinking, fear seems to be the basis of power to defend against, shut down, cover over or evade. The split thinking serves to protect the fear from healing or reintegrating under the guise of displacement in which power is enacted in fantasy of external resolutions as self-inflation, or lost to the limitation in pain loss and failure of such wishing.
The true willing is only restored to the mind of the release of the false. This may come in a moment of recognition from the ‘patient’ or from the ‘therapist’. In either event, both are helped.
rasselas.redux May 23, 2018 at 1:58 pm
Way too pedantically black and white.
Apartheid in South Africa was an alternative to equality in a free democracy. When apartheid was being fought, the alternative proposed was equality in a free democracy. Some rightwingers proposed other alternatives, none of which offered equality, and all of which were finally rejected.
Society by and large has embraced psychiatry. The majority of people enjoy their pills, enjoy their status as having a treatable mental illness. I used to think of these people as nincompoops. Many of them *are* bone fide nincompoops… but all of them? It simply isn’t the reality of the world. Take any cross-section of society and, all in all, many will be nincompoops. But rarely all, and not often most. So nincompoopness simply doesn’t stand up as a valid explanation for psychiatry’s chemical successes.
What is the alternative to a psychiatry that is monomanic about the DSM and chemical imbalances and drug treatments? Can we live in a society in which social control of madness is abandoned completely?
Every proposal to the myriad of questions, all those infinite-seeming what-ifs, are proposals for alternatives.
I agree it is possible to reductively define psychiatry as repressive. Depends very much on the context. Unfortunately for these kind of extremist views they are dismissive of any narrative that betrays the hard line. Doubly unfortunate is the fact that the majority of people not only would not recognise their psychiatric encounters as repressive, it would be quite a feat of histrionics to convince someone that any repression had occurred whatsoever.
Forced psychiatry is repressive. Most customers of psychiatry never get so much as a glimpse of that dark underbelly. Don’t have the slightest inkling about what goes on.
Psychiatry, for most people, is an agreeable encounter, most of the time. Most people don’t lose their human rights, their dignity, their sense of self, and so on, due to trusting psychiatry. If they did, we’d be in a civil war and there would be public lynch-mobs.
We need an alternative, and we need to have conversations about alternatives.
Just to add, the alternative to forced psychiatry is…?
Well, as yet, no-one knows. I think I have this right that you and Frank and Slayer would have the alternative as doing nothing.
The alternative to psychiatry is nothing. To actually have no alternative. Except, say, a society in which people hug each other more often, and maybe send one another positive affirmations in graphic form via social media? But would that really work for people?
The alternative to forced psychiatry is do nothing. Just step in when the smoke begins to clear. O dear, what a sorry mess, we’ll be thinking — but it’s better to do nothing really well than to do something really badly.
The alternative to the DSM is… let’s reconnect with our essential being, wherein the only labels we must endure are those attached to us at birth by well-meaning and not so well-meaning parents and wotnot. There will be no mental patient status. People will tell their stories about what happened to them, and so will have no need for mania, psychosis, or depression or anxiety.
Some of that doesn’t sound too bad. I have to remind myself occasionally, as it happened so long ago, just how devastating it was to be diagnosed with schizophrenia. That now I had a spoiled identity that others were able to exploit. And exploit it they did. Though pretty much all of that happened outside of the mental health system.
I only really have one desire for an alternative, and that is the alternative to forced psychiatric treatment.
It wasn’t so long ago that most town and village places of worship had an anchorite or anchoress locked up in servitude to the Lord, with only little spy holes allowed for the curious to sneak a peek. That was one of the past’s many alternative approaches to extreme states and, arguably, self-harm (or the normalisation of it).
There remains some relics of that culture of ascetism, in that, the self-destructive lifestyle of the average schizophrenic or manic or whatever follows a kind of path of almost evangelical nihlism. I’ve seen so many people destroy themselves, with state assistance. As people watched on, with interest, pity, or more usually, utter repulsion and contempt. And taboos exist to prevent the discourse, to tell of how damaging the drugs are, how social support and the resources to make meaning, are all powerful alternatives to the ascetic sacrifice we put so many of our mad people though, to the very end.
Just like religious revelries, madness must be contained and colonised, and the mad person martyred.
I’d rather have suicide lines that talked shit about chemical imbalances and going to see the doctor and so on than what would seem to be a preferred and respected alternative which is you’d ring in and someone would answer the phone and you’d be hearing, “I absolutely respect your right to die and your right to choose when to die. Good luck and good bye!”
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©2019 by Majestic opals. Proudly created with Wix.com
Quality Opals for over 50 years!
A Family Concern
The Provatidis Opal Collection is exclusively mined by John Provatidis at Coober Pedy in South Australia.
Over his half-century of mining this most precious gemstone with its fiery colors and mysterious lights, John Provatidis has become intimately aware of every variation and characteristic.
Sophia Provatidis has also had a passion to see the family business, which she had helped John build up over so many years, grow further and to make her mark in the industry she adores.
And so Majestic Opals was created.
The concept behind Majestic Opals is to give its customers direct access to the people who actually mine the opals. No high-pressure selling, dubious deals, nor exorbitant markups. Just honest and dedicated service by a family with a genuine desire to offer their treasured opals to their customers from all over the world.
A second generation of the Provatidis family has now joined the company. John and Sophia's daughter, Michelle, a gemologist, brings a new zeal and the enthusiasm of youth.
In 1964, John Provatidis, a migrant from Greece, set off for Coober Pedy in the barren, arid heartland of South Australia. Digging with pick and shovel, he learned the art of mining opal the hard way. But the backbreaking toil also made him appreciate the intricacies of the land he was working. Its ethereal beauty, peacefulness, harshness and, its riches.
Sophia Provatidis supported her husband throughout the years, as he became a respected miner and then wholesaler. Sophia is the driving force that has seen the business expand into cutting and polishing of the raw stones called 'rough' opal by the miners.
The business specializes in opalized fossils such as shells, snails, starfish and leaves that are regarded as collectors' pieces by astute investors. Sophia has incorporated these exquisite gems into designer jewelry, which finds excellent appeal with people from all over the world.
Daughter Michelle is developing a range of corporate gifts such as glass plates and bowls with inlaid opals. Artists and designers are collaborating to produce unique pieces, which can be proudly displayed by their discerning owners. She has mastered the art of cutting and polishing and, is wholesaling opals nationally and internationally.
Chosen by the South Australian Government to research and develop Safety measures in the opal fields. This resulted in the production of a safety book and video in four languages used by all South Australian miners. The project won a Judges Citation Award in 1999 from the South Australian Resources Industry.
Since 1998 - Exporters Club
Since 1996 - Australian American Association
Since 1994 - Asia-Pacific Business Council for Women Inc
Since 1981 - Australian Gem & Opal Industry Association
Our Opals
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Doogee Smart Cube P1 Portable Projector Review
James Bruce May 3, 2016 03-05-2016 6 minutes
The Doogee P1 is an entire big screen portable entertainment system in a compact 62mm cubed package. If that’s not amazing, I don’t know what is any more.
It costs less than $200, available now from GearBest.com.
This is the cutest little projector I’ve ever seen – a playful looking device about the size of a Rubik’s cube and just as colorful. Inside the less than 300 grams package is a 70 lumen LED projector with a native resolution of 854 x 480px. That’s coupled with an Amlogic quad-core CPU, 1GB RAM, 8GB of storage, and a small speaker. It runs a full version of Android 4.4, which is obviously outdated but still fully functional, and remains the choice of many embedded Android systems.
Connectivity is sparse however: a single USB port for connecting accessories, and a micro-USB port for charging the 4800mAh battery, but no HDMI for generic video input. Wireless connectivity comes from Bluetooth and 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi (not AC). The USB OTG port can be used to add storage, or easily connect a mouse and keyboard, and you can even use it to charge your phone.
The projection quality is nothing stunning – 70 lumens and slightly higher than SD resolution won’t win any awards. A small dial on the side manually adjusts focus. The throw ratio is 0.7, so placing the Doogee P1 at 100 inches from the wall will leave you with a 70 inch diagonal projected display, albeit not a very bright one. Clearly, this isn’t designed for use in bright daylight, though you could get away with a small projection. On a cloudy British day, up to about 30 inches diagonal was acceptable; with the curtains drawn, I was limited by the throw distance rather than brightness. Make sure to watch the video for a demonstration of the largest output I could get, which is still incredible considering the size of the thing. There is no brightness adjustment, because I doubt you’d ever be in a situation where it’s too bright.
The speaker is unexpectedly loud and more than adequate for media playback, though the quality is as expected from something so small. There is no external connection for audio, so if you wish to connect something else it’ll need to be done over Bluetooth.
Unlike other Pico projectors iDea Pico Portable Wireless Projector Review and Giveaway iDea Pico Portable Wireless Projector Review and Giveaway I'll be honest: I was skeptical about Pico projectors until getting my hands on this iDea Pico. It's tiny, portable, and makes me want to go camping just so I can use it. Read More we’ve looked at that offer streaming capabilities, it’s worth remembering that the Doogee is running a full Android system, so you can install Kodi or Plex just as you would on your mobile device, and play back media directly from the on-board or USB storage, without the need for another device to act as the streaming client. This makes the Doogee P1 entirely self-contained as a media system, and that’s a pretty amazing feature considering the size.
It’s not a particularly powerful device, but more than enough to run streaming video apps and some basic gaming. Antutu scores it at around 16,000.
Unfortunately, the device is as unreliable as it is cute, at least when you first set it up. Initially it was unable to connect to anything other than a completely unsecured Wi-Fi network. I made a guest network to test with, and managed to update the firmware using the Wireless Update option, but I couldn’t get Google Play to open at all. Finally, after multiple restarts and then a complete factory level reset, Google Play opened and it connected to my legacy secured 802.11G network (not AC). Even then, the connection quality varied dramatically, and I was unable to get a good enough connection for streaming much of anything, in rooms where other devices have no problems – so the antenna is clearly substandard. Installing any app usually resulted in errors, but usually worked after a few retries – this might have been due to the flaky Wi-Fi connection. The experience was overall rather frustrating.
HappyCast is the included app used for AirPlay functionality, and it mostly works. I was able to mirror my phone, but not my Mac desktop. I did have some initial problems with YouTube, but the update sorted that out. MiraCast What Is Miracast? How to Use Miracast for Wireless Media Streaming What Is Miracast? How to Use Miracast for Wireless Media Streaming HDMI may be the standard for connecting media devices, but it has a lot of downsides. Here's how to use Miracast instead. Read More functionality is also there, but Windows 10 refused to connect – you’ll probably have more luck if you’re using an Android client, though the technology is still in it’s infancy with many different implementations, so it’s hit and miss.
Note: I’ve since been contact by Doogee who informed that these were pre-release media units, and that the final models shipping to customers will not have these issues (which I assume means they’ve updated the firmware already). They also said that apps in the Google Play store which are designed for Google TV should work more smoothly.
Stated screen-on time is 3 hours from the 4800mAh battery, but this is an absolute maximum and in practice I found around 90 minutes was more likely when streaming a video over Wi-Fi at full voume. Playing back local content and disabling Wi-Fi would give you longer life.
You can in fact also use the OTG USB port to charge your phone, should you be in an absolutely desperate situation.
Upon powering on the system, a QR code is displayed and an ad-hoc Wi-Fi network created. Scan the QR code and you’ll be taken to a site where you can download the remote control application for iOS or Android. Once you’ve opened the app and connected to the ad-hoc network, you must scan the code again to authenticate, at which point the remote connects to the device and gives you a directional control pad, some buttons, and volume controls. At that point, you can go ahead and stream local content from your mobile device to the Doogee P1, or use the remote to run applications natively on the device. This will be the most common use case when travelling or camping – anything where you don’t have a reliable Wi-Fi connection.
You can also use the Wi-Fi button to select and enter the password for the network you’d like it to connect to; but having done that, you’ll need to scan the QR code yet again to reconnect once it’s switched networks. If that sounds absurdly awkward for use around the home, that’s because it is. However, I’ve yet to find a Pico projector that handles it any better; the Doogee P1 is no different in that respect.
Where is does differ is that with a full size USB port, you can plug in a mouse or other pointing device, which is how I ended up doing the majority of my testing. Unfortunately, it’s been designed with use of the app in mind, so every time you turn the device on, the ad-hoc network is created, instead of connecting to the last known network. It would be nice to have the option to change the default action, perhaps even open a specific application on system start-up. In addition, when trying to connect to network, the ad-hoc network notification keeps being generated every ten seconds – which breaks the process of connecting to your own network if you haven’t managed to type the password in quick enough. Get around this by copy-pasting the password, or just use the app to save your credentials.
Should You Buy The Doogee P1?
The design implies playfulness, yet the experience delivers frustration for the most part. It’s hard to recommend this as is: if the price were to drop by around $50, I might be more forgiving; or if a future update fixes some of these frustrations. The fact that all this functionality can be jammed inside a little cube though is amazing; I’m just struggling to find a genuine use case for it. The same is true for most Pico projectors, however. The Doogee P1 is certainly one of the better designed small projectors I’ve used – but it could still be better.
Our verdict of the Doogee P1 Smart Cube:
A portable big screen media system in a stunningly small package, but coupled with a frustrating setup and user experience. 6 10
Explore more about: Apple Airplay, MakeUseOf Giveaway, Media Player, Miracast, Projector.
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CATHERINE L
hello, Thanks for this lovely giveaway good luck
so very very cool, this mum needs this awesome lil baby!! good luck to all!
thanks for the giveaway. really want to win
Shyam K T
Looks a promising Product
I am also hoping to win!!
Labuzov Maksim
Hoping to win!
ntegr8
HOPE I WIN!! such a killer little device...
PhoenixSkye
Would like to get a projector, especially a really portable one. But not quite ready to buy one until the prices come down a bit. Could care less about how it looks, but functionality and ease of use? Those are musts.
Great Uncle Bulgaria
Looks interesting, be nice to win one
Prabhath K
Hoping to win,
I dunno... free would be OK...
cute gadget
Hoping to win, otherwise I'll wait for the firmware update as suggested in the review.
Going by specifications, it's not bad at all; though we can look forward to improvements.
Thanks for Valuable Info... Excellent.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hank Wolgast
I would be very happy to win the DOOGEE P1 Swmartcube to experiment with. Thank you for the chance to enter.
Chetan Belle
Wow this looks awesome
Mike Donovan
I wouldn't pay that much for one, but I'd happily accept one for free.
Donnie Evans
Can I has?
James Bruce 674 articles
James has a BSc in Artificial Intelligence, and is CompTIA A+ and Network+ certified. He's the lead developer of MakeUseOf, and spends his free time playing VR paintball and boardgames. He's been building PCs since he was a kid.
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Manchester Apollo
WATCH: Ronan Keating surprised fans by turning up unexpectedly at their hotel
The fans' reactions are priceless as they meet their idol - one has a tattoo of his name on her hand
Ronan Keating fans had the surprise of their lives when the heartthrob singer turned up unexpectedly at their hotel.
The Life Is A Rollercoaster singer popped up at the Holiday Inn Express in Oxford Road just hours before he was due on stage to perform at the Manchester Apollo.
To coincide with the launch of the We Know What Matters campaign, the Holiday Inn Express arranged for the ex-Boyzone frontman to surprise the unsuspecting guests in a number of ways, from appearing behind the reception desk at check-in to knocking on their rooms under the guise of being from the housekeeping department.
The fans, who had travelled across the country for Ronan’s Time of My Life concert, were astonished to meet their idol.
Krissy Ramsden from Leeds, who is such a huge fan she named her son Roman, inspired by the name of her idol, almost fainted when Ronan popped out from the reception desk during check in, as did Debbie Brown from Peterborough, who’s such a huge fan she has Ronan’s name tattooed on her hand.
Rona meeting his fans
Ronan said: “The novelty of meeting my fans never wears off.
“When they have travelled around the country to come and see my tour, it’s great to be able to take the time out to meet with them and hear their personal stories – it’s the reason why I love my job.
Ronan prepares to spring a surprise
“So the opportunity to meet fans who were staying at Holiday Inn Express to come and see me in concert ahead of my Manchester gig was amazing.”
Bros reunion: How to buy concert tickets and will there be a Manchester date?
Mike Greenup, vice president of brand Management for Holiday Inn Express, said: “So many of our guests stay with us in Manchester for music concerts so in this instance, we brought the main event to them which was huge thrill for our staff not to mention the Ronan superfans he surprised.”
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Mitacs-UKRI agreement further advances largest Canada-UK graduate research partnership
Two countries building international network and experience
Mitacs is pleased to announce a new agreement with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which has now officially launched as the UK-Canada Globalink Doctoral Exchange. In collaboration with the Mitacs Globalink program as the platform, the integration of Mitacs programs with the research excellence of UKRI ensures that, to date, this will become the largest collaboration of its kind with an international partner.
The Mitacs-UKRI agreement will support approximately 400 doctoral student interns in total — 200 going to the UK from Canada, and 200 coming from the UK to Canada over a two-year period. The researchers will investigate university-based projects, develop global competencies, and support the creation of international research linkages between leading Canadian and UK universities and institutions.
The UK-Canada Globalink Doctoral Exchange partnership will ensure that Mitacs programs actively support the scientific and research objectives that both Canada and the UK share.
“At Mitacs, we view international research collaborations as mutually beneficial to both Canada and our partner countries, and the UKRI agreement is a testament to that firm belief,” says Ridha Ben Mrad, Chief Research Officer, Mitacs.
Andrew Thompson, UKRI International Champion, added “This new agreement with Mitacs is a demonstration of the UK’s dedication to the exchange of knowledge and the pursuit of global innovation. The graduate research partnership is a significant and welcome addition to UK-Canada collaboration. The 400 doctoral students being supported through this agreement demonstrate how, together, we’re empowering the next generation of scientists and researchers to make the impossible, possible.”
About Mitacs:
Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from the best academic institutions at home and around the world.
Working with more than 70 universities, thousands of companies, and both federal and provincial governments, Mitacs builds partnerships that support industrial and social innovation in Canada.
Funded by the Government of Canada, Canadian provinces, and Canadian universities, the Mitacs Globalink program offers two-way research opportunities between Canada and Mitacs partner countries for undergraduate and graduate students.
About UKRI:
UK Research and Innovation works in partnership with universities, research organisations, businesses, charities, and government to create the best possible environment for research and innovation to flourish. We aim to maximise the contribution of each of our component parts, working individually and collectively. We work with our many partners to benefit everyone through knowledge, talent and ideas.
Operating across the whole of the UK with a combined budget of more than £7 billion, UK Research and Innovation brings together the seven research councils, InnovateUK and Research England.
Heather Young
Director, Communications
604-818-0020 | hyoung@mitacs.ca
ErinRose Handy
Manager, Communications
604-822-4476 | ehandy@mitacs.ca
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Oakland Athletics” Jarrod Parker ”emotionally…
SportsMLB
Oakland Athletics” Jarrod Parker ”emotionally numb” over elbow injury
PUBLISHED: May 10, 2015 at 12:00 am | UPDATED: September 13, 2018 at 12:00 am
SEATTLE — Sean Doolittle and Bob Melvin both have spent plenty of time in the past 49 hours on the phone with Jarrod Parker after news broke of his elbow injury which turned out to be a fractured medial epicondyle that may necessitate a third Tommy John surgery for the A”s starting pitcher.
Doolittle considers Parker one of his best friends in the game and Melvin has a long bond with the pitch dating to the time when both were in the Arizona organization.
Talking with the two of them, you get the sense that Parker”s emotions are in a state of ebb and flow. He”d been perhaps 10 days away from returning to the big leagues, and now he is faced with the possibility of starting from scratch, although that is yet to be determined.
Doolittle said his pal is hanging in there.
“He”s all right, as good as you can expect for what”s happened,” Doolittle said. “For him like for the rest of us, it”s still settling in.”
Melvin caught Parker in a different phase of his emotional roller coaster.
“He seems numb,” the manager said. “That what he told me, that he”s ”emotionally numb.” It”s awful. You can”t help but think about him. We”ll see him pretty soon. He”ll probably need his teammates for support for something like this.
“One, to have it happen again, two, to see how it happened and now to get the diagnosis. I don”t know that you can feel worse for a guy.”
The A”s don”t have any idea of when a surgery will be scheduled. According to trainer Nick Paparesta, the surgery will address the fracture, and, since the medial epicondyle is one of the anchors of a Tommy John-style ligament replacement surgery, there is a chance that the Tommy John surgery will have to be done for a third time.
Statistically, pitchers coming back from a first Tommy John do well enough, but the number falls off when the procedure had to be done multiple times. Doolittle and Parker have had that conversation in general terms.
“I can”t speak for him, but he”s only 26,” Doolittle said. “The question is, Do you want look back 20 years from now have to say I wish I”d given it one more shot? He”s a competitor.”
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Home Economy AfDB Gives Morocco $2 Billion in Aid Over Next 2 Years
AfDB Gives Morocco $2 Billion in Aid Over Next 2 Years
Rabat - Morocco will receive USD 2 billion in aid from the African Development Bank (AfDB) over the next two years, said Khaled Sherif, Bank Vice President in charge of Regional Development, Regional Integration and Services, in Rabat on Friday.
Safaa Kasraoui
Safaa Kasraoui is a journalist at Morocco World News.
Rabat – Morocco will receive USD 2 billion in aid from the African Development Bank (AfDB) over the next two years, said Khaled Sherif, Bank Vice President in charge of Regional Development, Regional Integration and Services, in Rabat on Friday.
On an official work visit to Morocco from January 29 to February 2, Sherif said, “We informed the Head of Government [Saad Eddine El Othmani] that AfDB will provide [USD] 2 billion in aid to Morocco over the next two years.”
Sherif’s announcements were voiced after he held talks with El Othmani, according to Maghreb Arab Press (MAP).
The Vice President of the bank also lauded the efforts undertaken by the Moroccan financial sectors and public institutions that contribute “effectively” to the success of the partnership programs.
The competence of the institutions, according to Sherif, is making the Moroccan model an example to be followed by the AfDB at the regional and continental levels.
The talks between El Othmani and Sherif were an opportunity to discuss a possible sharing of Morocco’s experience in several areas of development with Arab and African countries, as part of a Morocco-AfDB partnership.
This is Sherif’s first visit to Morocco since taking office on Nov.1, 2016, and aims to oversee projects underway in Morocco and strengthen cooperation between the African banking firm and the country.
In December 2017, AfDB’s approved a USD 265 million loan to Morocco to support two solar power plants, NOORM I and NOORM II. Together, they are projected to cost EUR 2.048 billion and yield a cumulative capacity of 800 megawatts.
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African Development Bank Invests Euro 300 Million in Morocco’s Water Industry
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Redesigned 2021 GMC Yukon Denali Is Better Than You Imagine
by Thom Tayloron January 15, 2020
Right off the bat, we’re grateful to GMC that it didn’t take on the styling aspects of its sibling Silverado for the all-new Yukon. Without the mish-mosh of zig-zagged styling exhibited by the Silverado the all-new 2021 GMC Yukon looks like a new generation of the short-wheelbase SUVs. Without the distraction of the overly busy bath-salts grilles, air ducts and fog lights of the misdirected design direction we’re left with GMC’s handsome Yukon SUV.
Alrighty, then. The feature you’ll hear most about is the independent rear suspension. The advantages of the ride and packaging batteries for the hybrid versions are front and center. In addition, the wheelbase has increased five-inches and overall length by six inches. So this is a larger but smoother Yukon.
You know the Denali package is top-of-the-line
2021 GMC Yukon AT4
You all know the Denali version of GMC products. It’s the top-of-the-line options and features add both class and cost to whichever model it is added to. For the Yukon, GMC says that 60% of Yukons sold are with the Yukon package. With the Denali option, you get an exclusive interior that includes new instrument panels and seats. You can’t get these in any other Yukon.
Four interior themes are available, each with real wood accents, LED lighting, and daytime running lamps, headlamps, taillamps, and fog lamps. Remember that in NHTSA tests that only the LED headlights have allowed vehicles with these to rate best safety scores. In 2020 you must have LED lights for the best in visibility.
The 2021 Yukon Denali has the latest safety tech
Safety tech includes the Active Response 4WD System with Magnetic Ride Control combined with Air Ride Adaptive Suspension. What all of this does is lower the Yukon at highway speeds for improved fuel economy. It will also lower for passenger and cargo loading, and level the Yukon when towing.
The electronic limited-slip differential automatically transfers power to the wheel with the most grip for electronic torque adjustability. In off-road conditions, it acts as a locker when in low range.
When it comes to electronics there are nine cameras for varied views of surrounding conditions. These are a forward-facing camera, a wide back-up camera, a downward-looking camera focused on the trailer hitch, a split-screen that shows both views of the side-mounted cameras, and an overhead 360-degree view that is a composite of various cameras GMC calls “Surround Vision.”
The trim grades are more defined with the 2021 Yukon
One thing that has always bothered us is that as you go up in trim grades there is very little on the exterior that distinguishes one model from another. The Yukon AT4 has an exclusive fascia. It’s also functional as it offers an approach angle of 32-degrees when combined with the Air Ride Adaptive Suspension.
The Yukon AT4 includes a two-speed transfer case, trick red tow hooks, skid plates, hill descent control, and 20-inch wheels. Those wheels are shod with Goodyear all-terrain tires. The AT4 interiors come with a predominant jet-black concept with brandy accents. The seats are both heat and ventilated.
The AT4 or SLT options give you more interior features
With the AT4 or SLT option, you can get a front-seat center console with a storage bin. Stowage inside of the console is also an option. Second-row passengers can be entertained by 12.6-inch screen entertainment. Third-row passengers get 35-inches of legroom which is an additional 10-inches over the previous Yukon. This is thanks to the independent suspension which affords more room including 30% more cargo room from the previous version.
With updated styling and increased dimensions in every sector, the 2021 Yukon is absolutely an improved version of a popular member of the GMC portfolio. From towing capacity to passenger and cargo room this is a vast improvement of the previous generation of the Yukon.
Tags: GMC
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Home Features Muscle
Best Collector Cars In Video Games
By Steven Symes Oct 23, 2019
Shop Muscle
Sometimes this is as close you’re going to get to driving the real thing.
Whether you’re into classic cars or modern collectibles, there’s plenty of wonderful eye candy in video games. After all, entire franchises have been based off the act of driving, usually in competitive races. And while some game developers just created their own versions of popular cars, others partnered closely with automakers so they could use even the finest details of those vehicles in their games.
The focus here is on the collector cars we can readily identify in games. While in some games you can see some spun versions of vehicles, in other games it’s explicitly stated what car you’re virtually driving. And while it’s not just like driving the real thing, for many enthusiasts it might be the closest they get, thank to steep acquisition costs or the fact a certain model isn’t sold where they live.
Without further delay, here are the best collector cars in video games.
Test Drive (1987 version)
The original Test Drive was put out by Distinctive Software back before the Berlin Wall had fallen and acid wash jeans were first in fashion, at least supposedly. As the player, you got the privilege of taking one of five hot cars for a test drive through a mountain pass with a sheer drop-off on one side and a solid rock wall on the other. What could possibly go wrong?
Those five cars were the Lamborghini Countach, Lotus Esprit Turbo, Chevy C4 Corvette, Porsche 911 Turbo, and Ferrari Testarossa. You were supposed to drive them hard and fast, while of course outrunning the cops. It was obviously a great way to teach kids a love of some fantastic collectible cars and how entertaining speeding on dangerous public roads can be.
There are currently quite a few Forza games between the Motorsport and Horizon titles, and all of them are crammed full of collectible car goodness. Sure, there’s a shortage of Porsches and some other brands in the series, but you get to climb behind the virtual wheel in a whole range of American, European, and Asian classics as well as modern classics.
You could literally spend hours installing upgrades on your cars and tuning them. In addition, you can paint your vehicle a factory color or go with a custom look, plus apply a whole range of graphics for a completely unique appearance. In the Horizon titles there are festivals, if that’s your thing, as well as the quest to uncover barn find cars, a fun nod at a part of classic car culture.
If you don’t have an Xbox, the Forza series is off the menu, but you could indulge in the Gran Turismo series. Like Forza, the game is a racing simulation and has a catalog of real-world vehicles for you to select for races. Among them are all kinds of collectibles, from the Abarth 500 to the Dodge Viper. Some brands are glaringly missing, just like in different Forza titles, but there’s enough to hold most people’s attention for quite some time.
Need For Speed: Porsche Unleashed
If you’re a huge Porsche person and the fact Forza and even Gran Turismo hasn’t given the brand much love really irks you, turn to the Porsche Unleashed installment in the Need For Speed series. It packs in just about every major commercial model ranging from the venerable Porsche 356 all the way to the 996 Turbo. Think of this game as the only time you’d dare drive an air-cooled Porsche 911 like you stole it, crashing into street signs and other cars.
The game has a Test Driver mode where you learn to drive better, including how to execute the perfect J-turn. Then you can take on the career mode and start with Pre-A 356s, working your way up the range of Porsche models as you win different races.
What if you could take some of your favorite cars and not only use them to race, but also to drift on massive open-world maps? That’s what Madalin Stunt Cars 2 is all about. Even better, you can challenge friends online
Among the options you get to choose from is a Lamborghini Huracan, Ferrari LaFerrari, Pagani Zonda, Toyota Supra, Bugatti Veyron, and Mazda RX-7 FD. Some of the maps have tracks similar to what you ran Hot Wheels on back in the day, complete with loop de loops and big jumps. If you haven’t heard of the Madalin Stunt Cars series, they’re playable online, so you don’t even need a console.
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From New Zealand to Hollywood & DC, here's what you missed...
The past few months have been busy at MPAC. From training Muslim writers in Hollywood and being present in critical conversations across the globe to highlighting the intersectionality of our common causes, we are working to ensure that America is enriched by the vital contributions of American Muslims.
SCOTUS Currently Hearing Oral Arguments on DACA
The U.S. Supreme Court is currently hearing oral arguments on the termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. They will decide whether to uphold the program or continue to separate families across the country. This is about people, not politics. Their decision will define our nation.
Our Concerns Over Google’s Recent Hire
Google's decision to hire Miles Taylor, who with Kirstjen Nielsen oversaw the implementation of the Muslim Ban, the Public Charge rule that was ruled unconstitutional in federal court, and family-separation policies, casts serious doubt on their commitment to make good on the responsibility they have to their partners and to all who use their services. Learn more in this week's DC News and Views.
'Rules of Engagement' at Zaytuna College
A compelling panel discussion was held by Zaytuna College about the benefits of engaging with political authorities to effect social change. Our President, Salam Al-Marayati joined this thought-provoking conversation along with Hamza Yusuf, Qamar ul-Huda, and Hala Hijazi, in hopes that it could help all of us think more deeply about how our collective efforts can serve common goals.
White Supremacy to the Muslim Ban
From co-hosting two first-of-their-kind events - a Presidential Forum at ISNA and a Writers Guild Panel on Black Muslim Narratives, to one of our Congressional Leadership Development Program fellows, fresh out of this summer's program, passing legislation in the House of Representatives, see what we've been up to in this September's iMPACt Brief.
Our Fight Against Bigotry Continues
As 2019 began, we established that two of our policy focuses will be to defund the Muslim Ban and to address the root causes of the rise in hate crimes - white supremacy. Nine months later, we've made significant strides. Here's a brief update on what we've accomplished.
Takeaways from 2019 SOTU
Congress’ problematic ideas on global terrorism
Variety Guest Column: Why It’s Time for Hollywood to Recognize the Muslim Community’s Diversity
House’s Anti-Semitism Resolution Only Creates More Problems
We stand with Rep. Ilhan Omar
United Stand on House Anti-Muslim and Anti-Semitic Resolution
Another Bigoted Attack
We call on Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to speak out against injustice
We had Mayor Garcetti clarify his statement about Jerusalem
Netanyahu sacrifices democracy by banning Reps. Omar and Tlaib for political retribution
Bolton's Lingering Legacy
We’ve finally turned the corner in Hollywood
S.1 Passes Senate
A win against white supremacy
Mosque Safety & Security
How We’re Confronting White Supremacy
MPAC Concerned with Inclusion of American Groups on UAE Terror List
Leadership Forum with American Muslim Communities
We're Bringing Hollywood to You
Supreme Court to Hear Holt v. Hobbs Religious Freedom Case
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Genetic Differences Between Hemp and Marijuana
MSI PIs George Weiblen and M. David Marks, both professors in the Department of Plant Biology, have published research that identifies a gene that distinguishes hemp from marijuana. This research could have implications for future industrial uses of hemp. Currently, legal restrictions affect both the growing of hemp and marijuana. Identifying how the two Cannabis varieties differ could result in fewer restrictions for hemp, which has valuable fibers and nutritious seeds.
Professor Weiblen is also curator of plants at the Bell Museum of Natural History. He uses MSI resources for genetic linkage mapping and quantitative trait locus mapping for cannabinoid content as well as phylogenetic analysis of cannabinoid synthase sequences and gene expression patterns. Professor Marks uses MSI for plant genome assembly and annotation.
The paper can be found on the New Phytologist website: G.D. Weiblen, J.P. Wenger, K.J. Craft, M.A. ElSohly, Z. Mehmedic, E.L. Treiber, and M.D. Marks. 2015. Gene duplication and divergence affecting drug content in Cannabis sativa. New Phytologist. DOI: 10.1111/nph.13562
More articles about this research:
College of Biological Sciences Connect Blog
Medical Daily
Minnesota Daily
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Home News Internet, Security & Services Tile Slim, Tile Sticker and Tile Pro Bluetooth Trackers Launched in India,...
Internet, Security & Services
Tile Slim, Tile Sticker and Tile Pro Bluetooth Trackers Launched in India, Prices Start From Rs 2,999
Published On: Nov 18, 2019 | Last Updated: Nov 30, 2019
Tile, one of the world’s leading lost and found communities has recently launched three of its most popular trackers in India – Tile Slim, Tile Sticker, and Tile Pro. All of these provide the users with the ability to find/locate their belongings in their home premises. The new trackers from Tile are currently selling in India via Amazon.in. Let’s have a look at the prices and the features of all the three trackers.
But before that, if in case you are not aware as to how the Tile community works, Tile makes it easier to find missing items by consistently expanding the Bluetooth range and volume level of its devices. If you are a member of the Tile community and you mark your item as lost, the Tile community spots the missing item and the owner is automatically notified of the same. The company claims that more than 90% of the items that have been marked as lost have successfully been recovered so far.
Tile Slim Bluetooth tracker: Price and Features
Starting things off with the Tile Slim, The title “slim” aptly justifies the tracker as it is almost the size of a credit card. The Tile Slim measures at 86mm x 54mm x 2.4mm. Clearly, you can fit the Tile Slim inside your wallet or your passport holder. It comes in only a Black color variant.
Speaking of durability, the Tile Slim tracker is waterproof, so the users don’t have to worry about damaging it if it gets wet. Furthermore, it has a built-in-3-year battery.
The Tile Slim has a range of approximately 61m (200ft).
Moving on to the price of the tracker, the Tile Slim is kept at an asking price of INR 3,999 in India.
Also Read: Tile Mate Bluetooth tracker review: Is it worth buying?
Tile Sticker Bluetooth tracker: Price and Features
Coming to the Tile Sticker, the Tile Sticker is a tiny, adhesive-backed tracker which measures just at 27mm x 7.3mm. The range of the tracker is slightly lesser than the Tile Slim – 46m (150ft). Just like the Tile Slim, the Tile Sticker also comes with a built-in 3-year battery. The Tile Sticker comes in Black color.
Tile has partnered with 3M to design the adhesive for the Tile Sticker. One can stick it to most metallic and plastic materials like remote controls, mobile devices, trackpads, cameras, and outdoor gear.
As far as the price is concerned, the Tile Sticker does not sell as a single unit and you will have to buy at least two of them which would cost you INR 3,999. Opting for the pack of four would fetch INR 7,999 out of your wallet.
Tile Pro Bluetooth tracker: Price and Features
The Tile Pro tracker is the most expensive out of the three trackers as it is priced at INR 3,999 in India. It comes in two color variants – Black and White.
The Tile Pro comes with a pretty good range of 122m (400ft). The tracker measures 42mm x 42mm x 6.5mm. As far as the battery is concerned, we get a 1-Year Replaceable CR2032 battery with The Tile Pro Bluetooth tracker.
Just like the other trackers, the Tile Pro is also water-resistant.
What are your thoughts on the recently launched lineup of trackers by Tile? Do let us know in the comments section below.
Tile Sticker 46m (150ft) INR 3,999 for a pack of 2, INR 7,999 for a pack of 4
Tile Slim 61m (200ft) INR 2,999
Tile Pro 122m (400ft) INR 3,999
SOURCEFoneArena
New Progressive Web Apps land on Microsoft Store, Twitter PWA adds Live Tiles on Windows 10
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Home News Vivo X30 5G to Launch on December 16 with Exynos 980 SoC,...
Vivo X30 5G to Launch on December 16 with Exynos 980 SoC, 64MP Primary Camera, 60x Hybrid Zoom
Abdul Ajmeri
Published On: Dec 7, 2019 | Last Updated: Dec 7, 2019
Vivo already has a number of 5G phones like the NEX 3 5G and iQOO Pro 5G to its name but they only support single-band 5G. That, however, will change with Vivo X30 5G, the company’s first dual-band 5G smartphone with support for SA (standalone) and NSA (non-standalone) networks. This upcoming smartphone by Vivo is slated to launch on December 16 according to a new teaser posted by the brand on social media this morning.
Vivo surprised everyone with a sudden announcement of the Vivo X30 at a joint conference with Samsung held in early November. The company also said the phone will be unveiled in December and will be powered by Samsung’s all-new Exynos 980 SoC that has an integrated 5G modem. Keeping up with its word, Vivo started teasing the X30 a few days back which led to the phone’s launch date reveal today. Coincidentally, the device was also spotted on Geekbench today, double confirming some of the specifications.
According to Geekbench listing and some of the teasers posted by Vivo, the forthcoming Vivo X30 5G will be powered by Samsung Exynos 980 SoC paired with 8GB of RAM. The phone will feature a quad-camera setup with a 64MP primary sensor and a periscope lens boasting 60x hybrid zoom. Also, it will have a 3.5mm headphone jack at the top which is rare in phones these days.
Interestingly, Vivo will ditch its long-time Android skin, FunTouch OS, in favour of a brand new Jovi OS with its first-ever dual-band 5G smartphone. Sadly, the phone might run Android Pie according to the Geekbench listing with model number ‘vivo V1938CT’. The phone scores 3095 single-core points and 7379 multi-core points which is not bad for a mid-range smartphone.
Going by rumours, the Vivo X30 5G will sport a 6.5-inches AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate. The quad-camera setup on the back will include a 64MP sensor(confirmed) coupled with 13MP, 8MP, 2MP unknown sensors. Whereas, the front camera will be of 32 megapixels like most of the Vivo phones for the past one year. Last but not least, the device is expected to feature a 4,500mAh battery with support for either 22.5W or 30W fast charging.
To know more about the Vivo X30, you can head to our previous coverage of the same.
Abdul can be tagged as a true blue Android fanboy. He has been blogging about tech for quite a long and during his professional journey, he has contributed to a number of tech blogs such as Gizchina, 91Mobiles, MrPhone, and others. At MySmartPrice, Abdul is mostly dedicated to covering leaks, but he takes out time to cover news on his favorite smartphones, apps, and softwares.
Amazon Great Indian Sale Smartphone Deals Revealed: Samsung M30s, Redmi Note 8 Pro, OnePlus 7T, More Get Discounts
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Memorial Tributes: National Academy of Engineering, Volume 15
THOMAS R. KUESEL 1926-2010
National Academy of Engineering Memorial Tributes Volume 15
Mr. Thomas R. Kuesel
ReleasedOctober 1, 2011
ISBN0-309-21306-1
This is the Fifteenth volume in the series of Memorial Tributes compiled by the National Academy of Engineering as a personal remembrance of the lives and outstanding achievements of its members and foreign members. These volumes are intended to stand as an enduring record of the many contributions of engineers and engineering to the benefit of humankind. In most cases, the authors of the tributes are contemporaries or colleagues who had personal knowledge of the interests and the engineering accomplishments of the deceased.
WILLIAM D. ALEXANDER 1911-2003
LEW ALLEN, JR. 1925-2010
NEAL R. AMUNDSON 1926-2011
JOHN H. ARGYRIS 1913-2004
HOLT ASHLEY 1923-2006
KERMIT EARL BROWN 1923-2009
PRAVEEN CHAUDHARI 1937-2010
AARON COHEN 1931-2010
CHARLES CONCORDIA 1908-2003
ALFRED JOHN EGGERS, JR. 1922-2006
LEOPOLD B. FELSEN 1924-2005
IAIN FINNIE 1928-2009
JOHN A. FOCHT, JR. 1923-2010
GEORGE A. FOX 1920-2001
FERDINAND FREUDENSTEIN 1926-2006
ROBERT A. FUHRMAN 1925-2009
HAREN S. GANDHI 1941-2010
JOSEPH G. GAVIN, JR. 1920-2010
LESLIE A. GEDDES 1921-2009
PAUL GERMAIN 1920-2009
ROBERT R. GILRUTH 1913-2000
LAWRENCE R. GLOSTEN 1918-2010
WALLACE D. HAYES 1918-2001
IRA GRANT HEDRICK 1913-2008
DAVID R. HEEBNER 1927-2003
ALLAN F. HENRY 1925-2001
GEORGE HERRMANN 1921-2007
WALTER HERRMANN 1930-2000
WALTER R. HIBBARD, JR. 1918-2010
JOHN HILL 19921-2008
DAVID CLARENCE HOGG 1921-2009
GEORGE W. HOUSNER 1910-2008
W.J. "JACK" HOWARD 1922-2010
FREDERICK JELINEK 1932-2010
AMOSE. JOEL, JR. 1918-2008
ROY G. JOHNSTON 1914-2008
JAMES C. KECK 1924-2010
EDWIN E. KINTNER 1920-2010
HERBERT J. C. KOUTS 1919-2008
JOSEPH TALBOT KUMMER 1919-1997
(MICHAEL) JAMES LIGHTHILL 1924-199
HENRY R. LINDEN 1922-2009
A. L. LONDON 1913-2008
JOHN (JACK) P. LONGWELL 1918-2004
FRED E. LUBORSKY 1923-2010
ALAN G. MACDIARMID 1927-2007
JOHN H. MCELROY 1936-2007
HENRY L. MICHEL 1924-2001
WALTER SHEPARD OWEN 1920-2007
WILLIAM H. PHILIPS 1918-2009
THOMAS H. PIGFORD 1922-2010
BRIAN H. ROWE 1931-2007
RUSTUM ROY 1924-2010
GEORGE S. SCHAIRER 1913-2004
MANFRED ROBERT SCHROEDER 1926-2009
GLENN A. SCHURMAN 1922-2010
L. EDWARD SCRIVEN 1931-2007
JOANNE SIMPSON 1923-2010
ROBERT J. SPINRAD 1932-2009
H. GUYFORD STEVER 1916-2010
MARTIN SUMMERFIELD 1916-1996
MILTON D. VAN DYKE 1922-2010
WILLIAM L. WEARLY 1915-2010
JOHN V. WEHAUSEN 1913-2005
MAX T. WEISS 1922-2006
RICHARD T. WHITCOMB 1921-2009
MAURICE V. WILKES 1913-2010
By JAMES L. LAMMIE
THOMAS ROBERT KUESEL, an internationally recognized authority on tunnel and bridge engineering and a former partner and director at Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), died on February 17, 2010, at the age of 83 after a lengthy illness.
During a 43-year career with PB, Tom contributed to the design of more than 130 bridges and more than 140 tunnels in 36 states and on six continents. As one of the great PB engineers of the last half-century, he was often recognized for his unique and innovative solutions to structural and underground challenges.
Tom was born on July 30, 1926. He graduated from Yale University in 1946 with highest honors in civil engineering at the age of 19 and received a master of civil engineering from Yale in 1947 at age 20. He was a member of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society.
In 1947 he joined Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas as a junior engineer and worked his way up to chairman of the board in 1984. He retired in 1990 but continued on as chairman emeritus and consulting engineer.
Tom was very active in his profession and fulfilled his personal obligation to communicate his ideas, experiences, and concerns through more than 60 widely circulated papers and presentations. While listing the detailed citations is not appropriate here, the breadth of topics is illustrated by a few titles: “Whatever Happened to Long-Term Bridge Design?,” “Improving Contracting Methods,” “A Tale of Three Tunnels,” “Alternative Concepts for Undersea Tunnels,” “Earthquake Design for Subways,” and “Underground Structures— Designing for Constructability.” Tom was also coeditor of Tunnel Engineering Handbook, first published in 1982 (Van Nostrand Reinhold Co.), the only comprehensive textbook covering the design and construction of virtually every type of tunnel.
In addition to many publications, his actions to improve the profession of engineering led to his active participation in many professional organizations, including the National Academy of Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Consulting Engineers Council, International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineers, The Moles (fraternal organization of the U.S. heavy underground construction industry), British Tunneling Society, Structural Engineers Association of California, and the American Railway Engineering Association. He was also a registered professional engineer in 21 states.
Tom’s broad background was recognized by his selection to participate in many special committees such as:
• Steering Committee and Charter Member, U.S.
National Committee on Tunneling Technology, for the report Better Contracting for Underground Construction, 1974
• Steering Committee, American Society of Civil
Engineers (ASCE) Conference on Construction Risks and Liability Sharing, Scottsdale, Arizona, 1979
• Senior advisor to the Underground Technology Research Council for its “Guidelines for Tunnel Lining
• International Advisory Committee for the International
Conference on Cable-Stayed Bridges, Bangkok
• American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Advisory Committee for Development of “Guidelines for Vessel Collision Design of Highway Bridges,” 1987–1990
• Geotechnical Board of the National Research Council, Chairman, 1988–1989
• Chairman of the National Research Council Marine Board Committee on Ship-Bridge Collisions, 1982– 1983
In addition to his many committee appointments, Tom was recognized with awards from professional engineering societies. He considered his election to the National Academy of Engineering in 1977 to be the greatest recognition. He was also designated an honorary member of the American Underground Construction Association and received the Golden Beaver Award in 1989 from the Beavers, the West Coast heavy construction honorary association. In 1988 he received the Ernest E. Howard Award for Structural Engineering from the ASCE.
Tom was often referred to as an “engineer’s engineer” because of his vast knowledge and experience and his willingness to mentor others. He was a real believer in the “observational method of design,” which recognized the importance of the continuing interaction of the structural engineer with the construction of underground projects, observing that the most valuable design tool is the project itself. This approach, combined with Tom’s practical knowledge of construction, led to the introduction of many innovations in the industry. He is given credit by his peers for innovations such as:
• Design of 100-foot-diameter structural reinforcement for underground chambers to resist nuclear effects (North American Air Defense Command Center, 1962)
• First use of flexible ring design concept for transit tunnel linings (Bay Area RapidTransit, 1964)
• First design criteria for earthquake-resistant design of subways (Bay Area Rapid Transit, 1965)
• First use of rock reinforcement for permanent support of U.S. transit stations (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, Peachtree Center, 1976)
• First precast concrete segmental liners for U.S. transportation tunnels (Baltimore Lexington Market Tunnels, 1977)
• First use of permanent structural slurry walls for transit construction (Bay Area Rapid Transit, 1965)
• Permanent shot crete lining for tunnel support in weak sandstone (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center/ Positron Electron Project, California, 1977)
• Use of rock reinforcement to reduce the size and cost of tunnel lining (Glenwood Canyon Tunnels, Colorado, 1981; Rogers Pass Tunnel, British Columbia)
• First use of New Austrian Tunneling Method design in U.S. transit tunnel (Mount Lebanon Tunnel, Pittsburgh, 1981)
• Extension of state of the art in earthquake-resistant design; special design to exclude natural gas infiltration (Los Angeles Metro, 1966)
The greatest tribute to a civil engineer is the memorial of his structures that survive him, recognizing that a complex project is never the work of one person. They are all team efforts. But one name usually stands out as the driving force behind the project or the contributor of a critical design or decision that enabled the project to move forward. The list of such projects for Tom is lengthy, but a few deserve special mention.
NORAD (North American Air Defense Command Center)
When NORAD was being mined in Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, an unforeseen and potentially unsafe shear zone was found at the intersection of two rock chambers, creating a construction crisis. Sitting in a café, Tom sketched an alternative design, which he described as a “grapefruit with four tin cans attached,” to support the rock loads. Tom detailed the design to resist nuclear blast effects and construction proceeded.
(Bay Area Rapid Transit, the first modern U.S. transit system)
From 1963 to 1968, on behalf of BART’s general engineering consultant joint venture, Tom directed the design of 20 miles of subways, 25 miles of aerial structures, two rock tunnels, and the 3.6-mile immersed tunnel between San Francisco and Oakland, California. In the course of his work, he developed the design basis for the resistance of underground structures to earthquakes.
Mount Macdonald/Rogers Pass Tunnel
The 9-mile Mount Macdonald/Rogers Pass Tunnel in British Columbia, Canada, the longest rail tunnel in North America, was driven under 5,500 feet of rock in a national park, which greatly constrained geotechnical exploration. Tom developed a series of generic designs that applied to different sections of the tunnel as conditions changed. This allowed work to proceed and eliminated disputes on differing site conditions.
Fort McHenry Tunnel, Maryland
Traffic volume in Baltimore demanded the widest immersed tube tunnel and the largest underwater highway tunnel in the world (at that time). With Tom as principal-in-charge, the project was successfully completed with many value engineering cost savings. The Fort McHenry Tunnel won major awards from the largest U.S. civil engineering societies.
Tom’s many other projects and contributions are too numerous to mention. But as a summary statement, those who worked closely with him described Tom as a leader, a teacher, a mentor, an advisor, a consultant, a problem solver, and, above all, a constant gentleman and a very nice human being.
Tom left behind his beloved wife of 51 years, Lucia Elodia, and two sons, Robert Livingston Kuesel and William Baldwin Kuesel, and five grandchildren.
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Reviews for "Orbox"
1 … 24 … 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 … 67 … 78
BMX007
ohhh that is awesome
i like that puzzle, it's very addictive. i didn't know how to play at first 'cuz i kept losing. but i got it now. it's just blew my mind. it's very good. i KNOW for sure that this will be first page.
GameBalance responds:
How did you gues?
FineAsFaux
ow....
...my brain hurts... this time more than usual when i play puzzle games. ouch. well. i got to lvl 15. im happy. on some certain levels, i bet some people can relate, said out loud: How the fuck......>:O but then i just magically did something which obviously helped me get to lvl 15. oh well. sounds were AWESOME :D. and i dont know why. oh well. and i liked the way that when the little sounds got higher and higher pitched, that meant ur getting closer to solving the puzzle...
...is that what you did?lol oh well. thats what it seemed to me. very clever game overall... and i must give a salute to you making these ingenious puzzles... or perhaps you just set squares randomly over a background and it convienently was possible as a puzzle game. oh well. nice job. (damn this is a long review :D)
Relax your brain before next time of play this.
jeffoo
that was fun... score was 21306 (all levels complete)
StrongBadia
Road Blocks's cybernetic younger brother.
Okay, so I was introduced to this type of game a while back when I first played Road Blocks. So I started playing this already knowing what to do, and ended up finding it a little easier overall than the original. But comparisons aside, this is a pretty tight game by itself!
It's certainly flashy. Beautiful visual effects, backgrounds, tiles, colors, sounds... a lot of work was put into this game's presentation. However, I'd say more effort went into making this game "pretty" than difficult. I'm not saying it's an easy game by any means. It took me a while on some levels, and it's no simple task to get through all 25 or so in one sitting. But a lot of the solutions were pretty straightforward. Quite often, you only have one direction to go, and I found there wasn't as much decision-making involved as there was in the original Road Blocks. Having said that...
Some of the levels are quite intricate and complex. Here's where most of my style points are given. There is an impressive variety of block types with their own really cool effects (angled, slider, warp, sticky, directional, button/switch, rotating, etc.) I also like the bubble trail you leave and the point system based on it. It shows where you've been and helps prevent you from backtracking needlessly. All the different types of blocks and switches make for some pretty interesting levels, and I like the imagination you used. This helps even out the game's difficulty and provides it with a lot of personality. It's very fun to play through. ^_^
I especially like the last stage, the one where you have to turn off the laser beams. A lot of the later stages are very, very creative, and I know I probably couldn't have come up stuff like that. Like with Road Blocks, I am very impressed with the imagination you show in the level designs, especially with all the new types of blocks and having to use their special abilities to get to the exit. Finally, I like the random element you introduce in each level. If you've played through the game once and go through it again later, you'll notice that the stages are the same, but some have changed orientation. This mirror trick is very clever... it throws people who have memorized the solutions a curveball. A nice touch.
Well, I realize I've played this kind of game before, and could dismiss it as just a rehashed Road Blocks with flashier effects, but that would be selling this game quite short. It isn't quite the pure mental challenge that Road Blocks is, but you still have to apply the same strategies and lateral thinking to get through the levels. You still have to work backwards from the exit to solve a lot of the later stages, or at least that's how I do it. And it's got plenty of new tricks as I mentioned to keep it unique and interesting.
The graphics are beautiful, the sounds are perfect, and the concept is sound. This one gets a lot of style points... this is another very fun puzzle game. You know I dig it, since I'm leaving this overly lengthy review. ^_^ Thanks!
Thanks! But don't compare it with roadblocks. I think author of roadblocks take idea form some game with the same conseption. I saw 3 diferent games like looking. But when I thought up my game I didn't know nothing about it. It's my own idea.
Wegra
CAN'T GET PASSED LEVEL 9 AUUUGH!
*Sigh* *Pant* Anyway, I loved this game. The outer space background gave it a nice atmosphere. The levels were addiciting and fun which you could play for hours. I hope we see a sequel some day!
there is sequel - Orbox B
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Tilting air traffic control tower a nod to Wellington winds
Emma Jolliff
Image: Air traffic controller Nathan O'Keeffe Credits: Newshub
Wellington's new $20m 'tilted' air traffic control tower has been officially opened and will be fully operational on Sunday.
The 32-metre high, 8-storey building leans into the northerly, at a 12.5 degree angle, as a nod to the capital's prevailing wind.
Tim Boyle of Airways NZ described it as one of the safest buildings in the country.
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It's been constructed on 13 base isolators and is built to withstand a 10-metre wave in the case of a tsunami.
Staff control 97,000 flights into and out of Wellington Airport each year, or around 260 per day.
"It's a massive leap forward in terms of capability," Mr Boyle said.
Controller Nathan O'Keeffe said it gives controllers a better view of the runway, and it's a much safer building.
"Wellington Airport is in a harsh maritime environment," Mr Boyle said
It's expected to be one of the last 'bricks and mortar' airport control towers built in the country.
"Technology means the view over runways can be replicated by cameras and screens, so we won't need to build structures," Mr Boyle said.
But complexities in designing the building on a lean mean the tower has opened 12 months later than planned.
Mr Boyle hopes the 'leaning tower' will become something of an icon in Wellington.
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The business of growing pot, legally
Staunton is close to getting its own medical cannabis manufacturing and dispensary. So what does a medical cannabis company look like?
The business of growing pot, legally Staunton is close to getting its own medical cannabis manufacturing and dispensary. So what does a medical cannabis company look like? Check out this story on newsleader.com: https://www.newsleader.com/story/news/local/2018/10/18/business-growing-pot-legally/1575880002/
Laura Peters, Staunton News Leader Published 1:32 p.m. ET Oct. 18, 2018 | Updated 4:17 p.m. ET Oct. 18, 2018
Cultivation center for PharmaCann where medical marijuana is grown. The medical cannabis company was set to open a new facility in Staunton until a merger with MedMen Enterprises, Inc. was canceled. As part of a debt settlement package, MedMen received the business license for the Staunton facility.(Photo: PharmaCann/Submitted)
STAUNTON - Staunton is close to getting its own medical cannabis manufacturing and dispensary.
The Illinois-based medical cannabis company PharmaCann will open a facility at Green Hills Industrial Park off Technology Drive and Commerce Avenue.
Staunton will be home to one of five medical cannabis companies licensed to operate marijuana growing facilities in the state, according to a Virginia Board of Pharmacy decision.
PharmaCann has one year to make it all happen. The company needs to build the facility, start growing and selling.
So what does a medical cannabis company look like? How does that business work?
The production side and medical office will be completely separate, but in the same general facility. Patients coming into the medical office will not see any production — no plants, no grow rooms, nothing.
And the company is starting the site from scratch. They bought raw land in the Green Hills Industrial Park and they'll need to design the building to certain specifications, according to Matt Levine, director of new markets for PharmaCann.
"We'll design it so the patient feels like they are not walking into a industrial facility but a medical facility," he said. "There are codes that require that the patient experiences something separate."
The full facility has been proposed to be approximately 25,000 square feet at this time, according to Kate Walden, communications director for PharmaCann. Currently, about 2,500 to 4,000 square feet is earmarked for retail and the rest for production and administrative work.
PharmaCann is able to create a medical facility and a production facility because of proper zoning.
"All cannabis companies in Virginia must be co-located with retail and production together," Walden said. "We're located in an industrial area, under manufacturing."
A local construction company will likely be hired to build the facility, according to Levine.
To operate as a business, they would need between 10 and 15 employees. As the market increases, that would increase to 20 to 30 people.
Cultivation center for PharmaCann where medical marijuana is grown. The Illinois-based medical cannabis company has locations in Illinois, Maryland, New York and Massachusetts. The company is set to open a new facility in Staunton. (Photo: Submitted/PharmaCann)
Patients come into the dispensary and purchase finished, packaged products from the PharmaCann line, according to Jeremy Unruh, director of public and regulatory affairs for PharmaCann. Products come in various forms like capsules, tinctures and vape pens with replacement cartridges.
As for a price, that's still up in the air.
"Consumer pricing is unclear at this time, but patients can expect us to work as hard as we can to lower prices over time," Unruh said. "We have found that cost is a significant patient barrier. When cost is lower, more patients come into our dispensaries. Thus, we want cost to be as low as possible, so that we see more patients.
"We expect pricing to be at or near the black market level, because we want to bring people out of the black market into our legitimate market," he added.
The facility is completely monitored: equipped with cameras inside and outside. Entry to any space of the building requires clearance and a keycard.
"Our security has been compared to a bank," Walden said. "Our security is even a level higher. It’s very highly monitored and maintained."
There is an electronic security system with camera and video surveillance, access control and an intrusion detection system, Unruh said.
"We also have people who are trained in security and first-responder duties," he said. "Our facilities are not manned 24/7, but our cameras record and our other electronic security systems monitor the facility 24/7."
All employees must pass a criminal background check as well as any background checks required by the state.
Growing cycle
The growing cycle for the marijuana crop is between 3 to 4 months. PharmaCann uses state-approved safe solutions on the crop to prevent pests and weeds, Walden said.
In cultivation centers they have in Illinois and New York, plants are grown in a combination of indoor and outdoor settings to allow for natural light.
The crop is protected by controlling humidity and temperature — around 70 to 75 degrees, with light-to-moderate humidity, Unruh said.
"We are still determining the type of growing facility," Walden said.
The Staunton dispensary and production facility is just one of many PharmaCann is building.
Others include:
Michigan: 1 dispensary (more to come in 2019) and 1 production facility
Ohio: 1 dispensary and 1 production facility
Pennsylvania: 3 dispensaries and 1 production facility
Source: PharmaCann.com
PharmaCann will continue to grow thanks to a recent buy-out by another cannabis company.
California-based cannabis company MedMen recently announced it would acquire PharmaCann for $682 million, making it the largest acquisition transaction in U.S. cannabis history, a release said.
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With the combination, MedMen and PharmaCann would be licensed for 66 retail stores and 13 cultivation and production facilities, including pending acquisitions by MedMen, the release said.
“This is a transformative acquisition that will create the largest U.S. cannabis company in the world’s largest cannabis market,” said Adam Bierman, MedMen’s chief executive officer and co-founder, in a release.
This acquisition means the MedMen portfolio of cannabis licenses grows to 12 states that will permit the combined company to operate 79 cannabis facilities, the release said.
The combined company by 2030 have a total estimated addressable market of approximately $40 billion, the release said.
“PharmaCann has built highly-efficient cultivation centers and dispensaries to promote a better quality of life for medical marijuana patients,” said Teddy Scott, Ph. D., PharmaCann chief executive officer in a release. “This acquisition validates the dedication and level of sophistication we have used to provide consistent patient outcomes.”
MedMen will add licenses in Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, Virginia and Michigan, the release said.
Reporter Monique Calello contributed to this report.
More: Medical cannabis dispensary to open in Staunton
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Follow Laura Peters @peterslaura and @peterpants. You can reach her at lpeters@newsleader.com or 213-9125.
Read or Share this story: https://www.newsleader.com/story/news/local/2018/10/18/business-growing-pot-legally/1575880002/
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Teen charged with careless driving in crash that seriously injures 2
A teenager was charged with careless driving in a two-vehicle crash that seriously injured two people Thursday night in Lehigh Acres.
Teen charged with careless driving in crash that seriously injures 2 A teenager was charged with careless driving in a two-vehicle crash that seriously injured two people Thursday night in Lehigh Acres. Check out this story on naplesnews.com: http://nplsne.ws/2jGcYoc
Tim Aten, tim.aten@naplesnews.com; 239-263-4857 Published 6:24 a.m. ET Jan. 20, 2017
Emergency responders rush to the scene of an emergency.(Photo: MattGush, Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Ethan R. Brooks, 17, of Lehigh Acres was driving a BMW sport utility vehicle eastbound in the inside lane on Lee Boulevard when he failed to maintain control of the vehicle, drove left of center over a concrete median, crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with the front of a Hyundai Elantra sedan westbound on Lee Boulevard, the Florida Highway Patrol reports.
The driver of the Hyundai, Zackery A. Sellers, 21, of Lehigh was critically injured in the crash, and his passenger, Kayla N. Hauser, 20, of Lehigh, was seriously injured. Both were taken to Lee Memorial Hospital, FHP reports.
The driver of the BMW was not injured, nor were the two passengers in his vehicle. All occupants of both vehicles were wearing seat belts, FHP reports.
The crash, which occurred at 9:10 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of Lee Boulevard and Williams Avenue, is still under investigation.
Read or Share this story: http://nplsne.ws/2jGcYoc
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Spot Gas Price Summary
Home » Millennium Gets Nod On ConEd Corridor Route
NGI The Weekly Gas Market Report / NGI All News Access
Millennium Gets Nod On ConEd Corridor Route
Corridor’s Shale Development in New Brunswick Stalls on Environmental, Native Opposition
MVP Voluntarily Halts Some Construction as Setbacks Continue
Williams Sees Gulf Coast LNG Exports Driving Atlantic-Gulf Pipeline Expansions
A hotly contested route alternative that calls for the Canada-to-New York Millennium Pipeline to be built within an electric transmission system's right-of-way (ROW) in Westchester County, NY, is a "viable option" provided state regulators and the pipeline can work out the construction details, according to a supplemental draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) issued by FERC staff last week.
FERC staff's suggested route option would move Millennium from a public highway corridor (U.S. Route 9 and State Route 9A) parallel to an existing power line corridor of Consolidated Edison Co. of New York (ConEd) for approximately seven miles in Westchester County, staff said.
Both ConEd and the New York Public Service Commission (NYPSC) objected to the siting of Millennium in the power line corridor, saying that electric service to millions of New York residents could be disrupted during construction and after the natural gas pipeline was in place. This prompted Millennium to propose a change in its route last June to incorporate the Route 9-9A route rather than the ConEd ROW.
But FERC staff said last week they thought routing Millennium within the ConEd ROW was doable. "We believe that pipeline placement on only one side and at a greater distance from the power line may help alleviate many concerns about construction near electric lines and towers," it noted in the supplemental DEIS.
If New York regulators can come to an understanding with Millennium on the construction activities adjacent to portions of the power line corridor, "then this alternative would help minimize impacts on several communities that had opposed the 9/9-A route," staff concluded.
Millennium Chairman David Pentzien said he agreed that FERC staff's suggested alternative was a "viable routing option" for the pipeline project, and would "reach out" to New York regulators immediately to discuss the routing option and other findings of the supplemental DEIS.
As for Millennium's proposed Route 9-9A proposal, the Commission staff said that while it would result in "short-term, locally significant unavoidable adverse environmental impact, it is an appropriate route for the proposed deliveries to [the pipeline's terminus in] Mount Vernon, NY."
The Millennium pipeline, which was proposed in December 1997, would bring about 714 MMcf/d of natural gas from Canada under Lake Erie to the New York metropolitan area. Millennium still must get a final environmental nod and certificate from FERC before it can begin construction of the proposed 442-mile pipeline. Sponsors of the project are Columbia Gas Transmission, TransCanada PipeLines, Westcoast Energy and MCN Energy Group.
Susan Parker
Long Island Pipe Projects Duke It Out
The battle for a new pipeline to serve Long Island, NY, heated up this week as companies announced significant market support for two competing projects. Tennessee Gas Pipeline announced that its Connecticut-Long Island (CT-LI) Lateral Project attracted requests for 1.6 Bcf/d of firm transportation capacity, while Duke Energy Gas Transmission and partner KeySpan said their Islander East pipeline drew 1.2 Bcf/d in shipper requests.
"The open season results reinforce market support for additional capacity to these regions," said Tennessee President Stephen C. Beasley. Tennessee's project, which is expected to add at least 450,000 Dth/d of new firm capacity, would provide access to all interstate natural gas pipelines in the New England region and would serve multiple LDCs and new power plants in Connecticut and New York. The proposed terminus of the lateral is in Suffolk County on eastern Long Island.
Beasley said the CT-LI Lateral received requests from utility companies, marketers and power generation developers. "While the majority of the receipts were from the Dracut, we were also pleased to see a significant interest in Niagara and Gulf Coast points as well," Beasley added.
Pat Whitty, managing director of Islander East, downplayed the open season results. "[N]oms are cheap," he said. "Noms can be got from just about anybody. They are non-binding. I think in the old days pipes used to put out press releases on their nominations, but they really are meaningless until you get people to sign up."
Whitty said Islander East would be built specifically for two or three customers in contrast to the 14 companies that put in requests during its open season. "Some of these other people are just people that you get every time you have an open season," he said. "They don't want to miss out on an opportunity so they put it in because it is nonbinding. The second I send them a firm service agreement or a precedent agreement that will quickly weed them out."
Nevertheless, Whitty said he was pleased that the project drew the interest of so many, including LDCs, power generators and marketers. "But I think the real market as we see it is the LDC load growth, specifically KeySpan there on Long Island, along with probably one or two power generators. I think there's only enough room for that type of project."
The proposed 40-mile Islander East line is expected to carry 250,000 Dth/d from an interconnection with DEGT's Algonquin Gas Transmission system in Connecticut to markets on Long Island.
"We're sized at 250 MMcf/d and that's probably appropriate," said Whitty. "If we see that more than 250 MMcf/d needs to be done out of the 1.2 Bcf/d that we got, we can easily size it at 400 MMcf/d. That's one of the advantages that Islander East has over Tennessee. [Ours] is a much smaller project. It is a 40-mile pipeline to connect Algonquin into the KeySpan facilities on Long Island. If we need to do more than 250 MMcf/d we just add compression. It's easily expandable."
Tennessee's project comes off of its 300 leg, which is farther north than Islander East's tie-in at Algonquin, he noted. "They need more like 400 MMcf/d to 450 MMcf/d to make theirs happen at a market rate equal to Islander East," said Whitty. "That's one big advantage that we have." With a capital cost of $160 million, Islander East plans to charge a max rate of 27 cents/Dth.
Islander East also has KeySpan, the LDC on Long Island, as a part owner. "Right now [we have the advantage]," said Whitty. "The KeySpan load is the primary driver." Nevertheless, Whitty admitted KeySpan still has not signed a contract for any firm space on Islander East. "But I think the fact that they are a partner in the project speaks volumes." He expects KeySpan to take a significant portion of the Islander East capacity. The remainder probably will be taken by power plants.
There are multiple power plants being considered for Long Island. But two may be further along than the others. American National Power is considering building a 500 MW facility at Brookhaven, and AES is planning a plant at Calverton. PPL is planning several peaking plants near Smithtown. Florida Power and Light also is looking into power plant construction, as is Calpine.
"Anybody who is a power player is looking to build a plant on Long Island," said Whitty. Most of the plants are expected to be online in 2004. "The big question is how much new power can the Island support," Whitty noted. "A lot of people think that one 500 MW combined cycle plant would be all it could support. Others think maybe 1,000 MW are doable. An amount that is somewhere in between probably will be built on the Island. I feel very confident we are going to be building this pipe."
Both Islander East and Tennessee's Connecticut-Long Island pipe plan to be in service by November 2003.
Rocco Canonica
©Copyright 2001 Intelligence Press, Inc. All rights reserved. The preceding news report may not be republished or redistributed in whole or in part without prior written consent of Intelligence Press, Inc.
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the isme journal
Predicting the response of the deep-ocean microbiome to geochemical perturbations by hydrothermal vents
Daniel C Reed1,
John A Breier2,
Houshuo Jiang2,
Karthik Anantharaman1,
Christopher A Klausmeier3,
Brandy M Toner4,
Cathrine Hancock5,
Kevin Speer5,6,
Andreas M Thurnherr7 &
Gregory J Dick1
The ISME Journal volume 9, pages1857–1869(2015)Cite this article
Microbial biooceanography
Submarine hydrothermal vents perturb the deep-ocean microbiome by injecting reduced chemical species into the water column that act as an energy source for chemosynthetic organisms. These systems thus provide excellent natural laboratories for studying the response of microbial communities to shifts in marine geochemistry. The present study explores the processes that regulate coupled microbial-geochemical dynamics in hydrothermal plumes by means of a novel mathematical model, which combines thermodynamics, growth and reaction kinetics, and transport processes derived from a fluid dynamics model. Simulations of a plume located in the ABE vent field of the Lau basin were able to reproduce metagenomic observations well and demonstrated that the magnitude of primary production and rate of autotrophic growth are largely regulated by the energetics of metabolisms and the availability of electron donors, as opposed to kinetic parameters. Ambient seawater was the dominant source of microbes to the plume and sulphur oxidisers constituted almost 90% of the modelled community in the neutrally-buoyant plume. Data from drifters deployed in the region allowed the different time scales of metabolisms to be cast in a spatial context, which demonstrated spatial succession in the microbial community. While growth was shown to occur over distances of tens of kilometers, microbes persisted over hundreds of kilometers. Given that high-temperature hydrothermal systems are found less than 100 km apart on average, plumes may act as important vectors between different vent fields and other environments that are hospitable to similar organisms, such as oil spills and oxygen minimum zones.
Microbial life is abundant throughout the oceans and has a key role in modulating global geochemical cycles (Falkowski et al., 2008). The advent of advanced molecular tools has provided an invaluable means of studying spatial and temporal variations in the phylogenetic structure and geochemical function of these marine microbial communities (Gilbert and Dupont, 2011). Such insights are critical for predicting the future of the oceans given that anthropogenic perturbations, like climate change and coastal eutrophication, are causing marine ecosystems to deviate from their natural states with uncertain consequences (Nogales et al., 2013). While mathematical models are often used to make such predictions (for example, IPCC, 2013)—as well as to elucidate underlying mechanisms and to quantify processes—a current challenge is incorporating data from cutting-edge molecular tools into biogeochemical models.
The present communication focuses on predicting the response of microbial communities to geochemical perturbations in the deep ocean, which remains an enigmatic environment despite constituting the largest ecosystem on Earth (Arístegui et al., 2009). In contrast to sunlit surface waters, primary production in the aphotic zone is typically energy limited. Deep-sea autotrophs generate energy by mediating redox reactions and, given that the oceans are largely oxygenated, growth is chiefly regulated by the availability of electron donors (Jannasch and Wirsen, 1979). Hydrothermal systems, located along mid-ocean ridges, are a major source of these electron donors to the deep ocean. In these regions, hot fluids rich in reduced chemical species rise from beneath the seafloor and are injected into the cold, oxic water column (Tivey, 2004), stimulating microbial growth as a result (Winn et al., 1986). These natural geochemical perturbations thus provide an excellent opportunity for studying marine microbial dynamics. Chemosynthetic organisms support extensive biological communities at hydrothermal vents (Grassle, 1986). Nevertheless, their impact is not confined to the vent locale as hydrothermal plumes distribute material throughout the oceans as they rise, spread laterally, and become entrained in deep circulation (Tagliabue et al., 2010). Plumes may thus act as vectors, linking microbial communities in various marine environments (Dick et al., 2013). While recent metagenomic and metatranscriptomic studies have provided much-needed insight into those microbes present in plumes as well as their metabolisms (Baker et al., 2012; Lesniewski et al., 2012; Anantharaman et al., 2013; Baker et al., 2013; Marshall and Morris, 2013; Li et al., 2014; Sheik et al., in press), fundamental questions remain regarding the ecology and dynamics of these communities. Both near-vent and pelagic communities have been invoked as the origin of plume-dwelling microbes (Winn et al., 1986; Lesniewski et al., 2012), but how these potential sources interact with plume physics, vent chemistry and microbial growth to shape plume communities remains unclear.
Given that energy drives deep-sea autotrophy, thermodynamic mixing models have been used extensively over the past 20 years to estimate primary production in chimney walls, plumes and low-temperature diffuse flow regions of submarine hydrothermal systems (for example, Shock et al., 1995; McCollom and Shock, 1997; McCollom, 2000, 2007; Amend et al., 2011; Anantharaman et al., 2013; Boettger et al., 2013; Anantharaman et al., 2014; Nakamura and Takai, 2014). These models calculate the amount of energy that is potentially available through a wide range of pathways, thus predicting the prevalence of these metabolisms. More recently, a reactive-transport model (RTM) of an ideal hydrothermal chimney was developed that not only considers thermodynamics, like previous models, but also explicitly incorporates reaction kinetics, allowing processes that occur within chimney walls to be spatially resolved (LaRowe et al., 2014). These studies have provided great insight into the microbial metabolisms that are potentially active within hydrothermal systems, but are largely theoretical and do not make detailed, site-specific comparisons with microbial data. A recent study has sought to address this issue by developing a metastable equilibrium model that was fit directly to phylum-level microbial data from a hydrothermal spring in Yellowstone National Park (Dick and Shock, 2013). However, while this approach is able to reproduce observations well, it is unable to forge links between the microbial community and geochemical dynamics since metabolic function cannot be assigned based on phyla and the model does not explicitly include biogeochemical processes.
Recently, a modelling framework was advanced that couples marine microbiology and geochemistry by directly linking microbial growth, reaction kinetics and thermodynamics (Reed et al., 2014). The microbial community is divided according to metabolism and these sub-populations are tracked using associated functional genes. Previously, this method has been successfully applied to study the biogeochemistry of oxygen minimum zones using qPCR to quantify absolute functional gene abundance (Reed et al., 2014). In contrast, here we employ the approach in the context of a spatially (and temporally) resolved hydrothermal plume with the model directly driven by and validated with metagenomic data derived from samples taken in the plume and from the surrounding water column. The model integrates physico-biogeochemical processes associated with hydrothermal plumes into a coherent whole and is applied to a site in the Lau basin, a back-arc basin located in the west of the South Pacific Ocean. The overarching goal of the present study is to explain the structure of microbial communities within hydrothermal plumes, while identifying the environmental factors that govern the geochemical potential of these communities. First, we consider the role of physics in shaping the microbial community in a hydrothermal plume. Then, we introduce a subset of seven chemolithoautotrophic functional groups (that is, seven metabolic pathways) and demonstrate biogeochemical processes in action. Next, an additional pathway, hydrogen oxidation, is incorporated to explore a more complex scenario involving metabolic versatility. Finally, we use the results of these simulations to consider the broader impact of plumes on deep-sea biogeochemistry.
Physico-biogeochemical model
A RTM of a hydrothermal plume was developed that considers the distributions and fates of chemical and biological species associated with various chemolithoautotrophic metabolisms. Microbial populations are modelled using a gene-centric approach, whereby organisms that mediate different metabolic pathways are tracked using abundances of associated functional genes (Reed et al., 2014). For example, a state variable for the amoA gene represents the abundance of ammonia oxidising microbes. In addition, there are also state variables for metabolic reactants (for example, oxygen and ammonia) and products (for example, nitrite). Each sub-population is associated with one metabolism with the exception of sulphur oxidation. The dominant sulphur oxidiser in the region, SUP05 (Sheik et al., in press; K Anantharaman, personal communication), possesses all of the genes necessary to completely oxidise various reduced sulphur species to sulphate (Anantharaman et al., 2013). Consequently, these metabolisms are combined into a single group. All metabolisms that are considered by the model are presented in Supplementary Table S1.
Within the RTM, microbial growth is described by means of Michaelis-Menten kinetics for both electron donors and acceptors (see Supplementary Material). Uptake of enzymatic substrates is linked to growth using an empirical relationship that expresses growth yield as a function of energy of the metabolism (Roden and Jin, 2011). Mortality is modelled using a first-order term for gene abundance. These biogeochemical processes—growth, death, consumption and production—are then cast into a physical transport framework. Parameters pertaining to these processes are given in Supplementary Table S2.
While the Roden and Jin empirical model (RJM, hereafter) that relates biomass yield and metabolic energy yield (that is, Roden and Jin, 2011) provides an invaluable first-order estimate of this relationship, there are a number of issues that must be borne in mind when employing this approach. First, the RJM is largely derived from organic metabolisms—with the exception of aerobic hydrogen oxidation—whereas we consider inorganic reactions here. Nevertheless, to our knowledge there is currently no equivalent model exclusively for inorganic metabolisms. Next, the model may overestimate biomass yield, as it derived from experiments performed under optimal conditions. Consequently, the model does not account for transient environmental conditions or other natural pressures. Also, since the studies used to derive the relationship did not typically provide detailed information about the concentrations of the reactants and products—data that are required to calculate metabolic energy yields—these concentrations were estimated from typical culture experiments. Finally, the model does not consider the impact of maintenance energy of biomass production, which could be potentially important in natural settings. Nevertheless, despite these caveats, the model remains a useful tool.
Hot fluid emanating from hydrothermal vents is less dense than seawater and thus ascends as it is injected into the cold water column, forming a plume as a result. Ambient seawater is entrained as the plume rises, reducing its buoyancy and vertical velocity until a neutral buoyancy is ultimately achieved (Helfrich and Speer, 1995; McDuff, 1995). Momentum carries rising plume water beyond this point, before gravity returns it to the depth of neutral buoyancy and spreads laterally (Jiang and Breier, 2014). With this structure in mind, the model’s physical domain is divided into two connected regions: the rising plume and the neutrally-buoyant plume.
The rising plume is spatially resolved along a 1D domain that is oriented vertically, parallel to flow (Figure 1). Rise velocity, turbulent mixing and the geometry of the rising plume are prescribed from an existing 2D axisymmetric fluid dynamics model (FDM; Jiang and Breier, 2014). In the RTM, the 1D rising plume domain is divided vertically into a series of adjacent, non-overlapping volumes. The height of these volumes is set by the node spacing along the centre axis of the plume from the FDM. The radius of each of these volumes—that is, the edge of the rising plume—is determined as the first point in the FDM where the lateral velocity is towards the centre of the plume (that is, where entrainment begins). The efflux of water at the top of each volume is typically greater than the influx at the base of the volume and, therefore, neighbouring seawater is entrained into the rising plume to conserve volume. In the RTM, rise velocities and turbulent mixing coefficients are an average of all FDM nodes that fall within each volume.
A schematic of the model domain showing the shape of the rising plume, entrainment of ambient seawater, and the export of a water parcel to the neutrally-buoyant plume.
Parameters for the rising plume region of the RTM were generated by the FDM during simulation rke7_0 (Jiang and Breier, 2014), which represents a steady-state plume emanating from vent A1 located in the ABE hydrothermal field (20°45.672883’ S 176°11.434418’ W, depth 2140 m). Within the FDM, a k-ɛ model is used to represent turbulence, and mixing coefficients for the RTM are calculated from the turbulent viscosities output from the FDM, assuming a turbulent Schmidt number of 0.7. For simulation rke7_0, ambient seawater temperature was prescribed as 2.2 °C at the base of the FDM domain and 2.3663 °C at the top of the domain (that is, 400 m above the seafloor), while ambient salinity was set as 34.65 resulting in a buoyancy frequency 0.000473 s−1 (Jiang and Breier, 2014). The chimney diameter and height were set at 0.14 m and 2 m, respectively, and hydrothermal fluid was expelled at 0.2 ms−1, with a temperature of 309 °C. The resulting plume achieved a maximum height of 201 m. For thermodynamic calculations, the pressure is assumed to be a constant 210 bar.
Unlike the spatially resolved rising plume, the neutrally-buoyant plume is simulated in the RTM by tracking a unit volume of water exported from the rising plume over time as it spreads laterally. No additional dilution is assumed to occur in the neutrally-buoyant plume, because mixing is substantially lower than in the rising plume (McCollom, 2000), and we assume no feedback to the rising plume.
To run the model, values for the chemical and biological state variables must be prescribed at the vent orifice and in the surrounding seawater. The chemistry of nearby seawater is defined to represent 'typical' deep-sea water. Initial plume chemistry is prescribed using an existing reaction-path model (Breier et al., 2012; Anantharaman et al., 2014), which accounts for the rapid abiotic precipitation of minerals and chemical speciation in the vicinity of the chimney that results from the mixing of vent fluid (Mottl et al., 2011; Flores et al., 2012) and background seawater (Supplementary Table S3); details of this model for the A1 vent are described in Anantharaman et al. (2014).
Output of simulations describes the distribution of state variables over space (in the rising plume) and time (in the neutrally-buoyant plume). The RTM is coded in R (R Development Core Team, 2006) using the tran.volume.1D function of the ReacTran package to calculate transport terms (Soetaert and Meysman, 2012), while thermodynamic calculations are undertaken using the CHNOSZ package (Dick, 2008). Solutions are achieved by running the RTM to steady state in the rising plume using the vode numerical integrator from the deSolve package (Soetaert et al., 2010). The model code is available at www.earth.lsa.umich.edu/geomicrobiology/Lau.html.
Metagenomic data
Microbial data used to drive and validate the model were collected from the ABE hydrothermal vent field, Lau basin, during cruises TN235 and TN236 aboard the R/V Thomas G Thompson in May–July 2009 (Supplementary Table S4; Anantharaman et al., 2014). Sampling was undertaken using a suspended-particle rosette multi-sampler (Breier et al., 2009) with 0.8 μm filters. DNA extracted from ¼ of a filter, as described by Dick and Tebo (2010), was amplified using multiple displacement amplification before undergoing shotgun sequencing (Anantharaman et al., 2014). Sequences can be accessed from the NCBI Sequence Read Archive using accession numbers SRX511269, SRX511304 and SRX511275 (see Supplementary Table S4).
Samples were collected by precision navigation using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Jason in dynamic positioning mode. Jason's position relative to the seafloor and target vent was measured in real time by long baseline acoustic navigation, supplementing the depth (pressure) sensor and altimeter on the vehicle. Using this navigation system, we found the orifice of our target vent, ABE, and sampled directly at the base of the plume, which was identified visually using the ROV. Jason was then directed to rise into the plume following its trajectory, which could be tracked visually using the backscatter from the vehicles laser pointers to 60 m above bottom. From there, the ROV then rose directly to the non-buoyant plume height of 200 m. Synoptic particulate samples were taken and the Al/(Al+Fe+Mn) ratio of these particles determined to confirm that sampling occurred within the plume, as reported by Sheik et al. (in press). The field methodology for this ROV-based plume sampling was described in Breier et al. (2009, 2014). The latter study includes a Supplementary video showing this approach.
Custom databases were created for functional genes associated with the modelled metabolic pathways (Supplementary Table S5). These databases were constructed using a combination of COG/Pfam-based functional annotations, identification of metabolic genes in the Lau metagenome (Anantharaman et al., 2014), and reference genes identified from NCBI GenBank. These databases are available online at the following URL: www.earth.lsa.umich.edu/geomicrobiology/Lau.html. Raw shotgun sequencing reads were trimmed using the adaptive read trimmer, Sickle (https://github.com/najoshi/sickle). Trimming removed 0.14–2.8% of low quality reads. Trimmed forward and reverse reads from a single sample site were concatenated and BLASTX (Altschul et al., 1990) was performed against the custom databases for individual genes using the following parameters: e value <1e−5, alignment length >60 bp, bit score >50, percent identity >60. The resultant data were normalised for variance in data set size and gene length.
Entrainment shapes rising plume communities
In the model, microbial populations and chemical species are tracked over a 1D domain representing the rising plume and then over time within the neutrally-buoyant plume (Figure 1). Figure 2 shows rise velocity and average time within the plume as a function of height above the orifice. Vent fluid initially accelerates after it is injected into the water column, as it is less dense than seawater and, therefore, more buoyant (Jiang and Breier, 2014). Seawater is quickly entrained and mixed with this vent fluid near the chimney, reducing its buoyancy and slowing the ascent of the plume (Converse et al., 1984). As a result, the maximum rise velocity (∼70 cm s−1) is achieved just above the orifice. Maximum average time in the rising plume is less than 40 min, which is quite short relative to the doubling time of low-temperature, deep-sea chemolithoautrophs (for example, Martens-Habbena et al., 2009) suggesting minimal growth in this region. Nevertheless, before considering the role that biological and geochemical factors play in shaping plume ecosystems, the model is used to examine the impact of physics.
(a) Rise velocity (gray solid line) and average time that vent fluid has spent within the rising plume (black dotted line). (b) Distribution within the plume of inert tracers of microbial communities that originate from the chimney region (black solid line), demersal layer (pink dot-dashed line) and pelagic seawater (blue dotted line).
As they rise, hydrothermal plumes entrain large quantities of seawater, which contain ambient microbial communities and chemical species. The initial plume community (comprised of microbes near the vent orifice) is thus diluted with neighbouring waters that bear potentially different microbial communities. To quantify the influence of entrainment on the structure of plume communities, a simulation was undertaken in which marker genes were used to track inert microbial populations (that is, no growth or mortality) from three regions: near chimney and vent fluid, ambient seawater, demersal (that is, near-bottom) layer. Results demonstrate that, in the absence of growth and mortality, microbes living upon or around chimney structures that are drawn into the plume at the vent orifice are rapidly diluted to near zero abundances due to entrainment of seawater (Figure 2). These organisms may be thermophilic and would therefore be unable to grow appreciably in the rising plume, meaning their contribution to the microbial community is likely negligible above the initial ∼10 m of the plume. This suggests that vent or chimney communities cannot be invoked as the source of elevated cell counts in rising plumes (for example, Winn et al., 1986).
Demersal microbial communities, sustained by diffuse flow of reduced chemicals emanating from the broader vent region, are assumed to occupy a 10-m layer overlying the seafloor in the simulation presented in Figure 2 (Huber et al., 2003). These microbes are quickly entrained into the plume and reach a maximum abundance at the upper edge of the layer. Beyond the demersal layer, their numbers decline due to entrainment of seawater, as seen previously for chimney communities, although at a slower rate. Indeed, demersal microbes are still found at appreciable abundances at 50 m height above the vent orifice. If these organisms are able to utilise substrates of vent origin at relatively low temperatures and low concentrations, then entrainment effectively primes the plume with the near-bottom community ready for growth. A potential example of this in nature is the gammaproteobacterium SUP05, which is found in diffuse flow regimes yet also thrives in hydrothermal plumes (Huber et al., 2003; Sunamura et al., 2004; Anderson et al., 2012; Lesniewski et al., 2012; Marshall and Morris, 2013).
At the uppermost point of the modelled rising plume, the ratio of vent fluid to ambient seawater is on the order of 1:104, consistent with observations (for example, Lupton et al., 1985). Thus, when considering physical processes alone, pelagic deep-sea microbes are shown to dominate the microbial community over the majority of the plume due to entrainment of ambient seawater (Figure 2). This is in agreement with previous studies of hydrothermal plumes (for example, Lesniewski et al., 2012). Nevertheless, these communities are also influenced by biogeochemical processes, which depend on numerous factors, such as the availability of enzymatic substrates and nutrients, cell abundances and mortality. These processes are discussed below.
Predicting the functional composition of the microbial community
Incorporating microbial communities into the model requires that the abundances of each functional group are specified at the vent orifice and within the surrounding ambient seawater. These values are determined from observations using metagenomic data, which give the relative abundances of pertinent functional genes, and an assumed total abundance of 106 functional genes L−1, reflecting deep-sea cell abundances on the order of 106–107 cell l−1 (for example, Karner et al., 2001). The abundance of microbes in ambient seawater is assumed to increase by 5.5% over the height of the plume at ABE (Karner et al., 2001). Metagenomic data are also available for the microbial community within the neutrally-buoyant plume, at a height of 200 m above the vent orifice, which is used to validate model results through comparison with the community predicted by the model in this region.
Simulations undertaken with active microbial communities demonstrate that there is negligible growth in the rising plume and, therefore, the structure of the microbial community entering the neutrally-buoyant plume is very close to that of ambient seawater (results not shown). The majority of microbial growth thus occurs in the neutrally-buoyant plume, as shown in Figure 3, which follows the temporal development of the microbial community beyond the rising plume. Simulations show that model predictions and observations are in closest agreement after 132 h when all metabolisms are reproduced accurately (Figure 4). All metabolisms exhibit growth over time, although the rates of gene production depend on the availability of the associated electron donor and the energy yield of the reaction (Figure 3b). As a result of these differing rates, there is a marked shift in the relative abundances of genes over time (Figure 3a).
Relative and absolute abundances of functional genes for modelled microbial communities associated with seven different aerobic metabolisms versus time in the neutrally-buoyant plume. (Note that four pathways are consolidated into the sulphur oxidation pathway.) The solid black line shows the baseline scenario and the grey regions show range achieved from a Monte Carlo experiment using growth parameters selected randomly from within ±25% of baseline values assuming a uniform distribution of parameters. Vertical, black dotted link shows the point of closest agreement between observations and predictions. Pink dotted line shows the observed community within the neutrally-buoyant plume, while the blue dotted line shows the observed community of ambient seawater.
A comparison of observed (pink solid) and predicted (pink cross-hatched) relative abundances of functional genes after 132 h within the neutrally-buoyant plume (i.e., the moment of closest agreement). Also plotted are the relative abundances of functional genes in background seawater (blue) and at 1 m above vent orifice (black).
While sulphur oxidising microbes are abundant close to the vent orifice—as vent fluids are replete in sulphur species—dilution with seawater attenuates this population to background levels before marked growth occurs in the neutrally-buoyant plume (Figure 3). Ammonia oxidising bacteria and archaea are abundant in ambient seawater, comprising ∼70% of the microbes considered (Figure 4). Nevertheless, in spite of substantial entrainment of such seawater, they represent only around 10% of the observed population in the neutrally-buoyant plume due to marked growth of sulphur oxidisers. Most of the modelled populations exhibit an exponential growth phase followed by a quasi-plateau in absolute abundances when enzymatic substrate is exhausted. Ultimately, after reaching maximum abundances, these populations decline slowly over time due to mortality and an absence of growth (Figure 3a). The absolute abundance of nitrite oxidisers shows an upward curvature over time, however, because nitrite is produced within the plume (Figure 3b). As the ammonia oxidising community grows, the rate of nitrite production increases. Simultaneously, the population of nitrite oxidisers grows, which also enhances the rate of nitrite oxidation. Note that abundance of ammonia oxidisers is much higher than that of nitrite oxidisers, consistent with previous observations in the Guaymas Basin hydrothermal plume (Baker et al., 2012). ABE is hosted in andesitic basalts and, therefore, vent fluid is relatively low in methane, in contrast to ultramafic systems (McCollom, 2007). This is reflected in the microbial community with few methanotrophs present (Figure 3b).
A Monte Carlo approach was employed to examine the impact of kinetic parameters on model output. Half-saturation constants and maximal growth rates for all metabolisms were varied randomly within ±25% of their original values over 50 simulations, assuming a uniform distribution across the ±25% interval, and the results were consolidated to determine the range of responses (grey region, Figure 3). A random parameter sampling approach was used, because relative abundances for each functional group depend not only upon their own growth parameters, but also on growth parameters for other metabolic pathways. While varying growth kinetics affects the specific trajectory of each population, the general trends remain the same since metabolic energy yield exerts a greater influence over the community structure (Figure 3).
Results presented here suggest that energy availability shapes microbial communities that inhabit hydrothermal systems, in agreement with previous studies (for example, Shock et al., 1995; McCollom and Shock, 1997; McCollom, 2000, 2007; Amend et al., 2011; Boettger et al., 2013; Nakamura and Takai, 2014). Nevertheless, while this principle may be accurate in a broad sense, observations that do not conform to this paradigm hint at unresolved mechanisms and additional complexities. One such example is encountered when considering aerobic hydrogen oxidation and the abundance of associated hydrogenases. As shown for ammonia oxidation, rapid growth of sulphur oxidising microbes overwhelms metabolisms that do not experience appreciable growth in the plume, even if they are abundant in the entrained background community (Figure 4). Vent fluids at ABE are depleted in hydrogen, as ABE is hosted in basaltic andesites, which precludes significant growth within the plume via hydrogen oxidation. One would therefore expect the relative abundance of hydrogenases to be attenuated below background levels in the plume; however, this is not the case (Figure 5). These observations are explored in detail below.
A comparison of observed (pink solid) and predicted (grey solid and cross-hatched) relative abundances of functional genes after 132 h within the neutrally-buoyant plume (i.e., the moment of closest agreement). The cross-hatched grey bar shows simulation results without metabolic versatility (i.e., no hydrogenase production by sulphur oxidisers), while the solid grey bar shows results from a simulation with metabolic versatility implemented. Also plotted are the relative abundances of functional genes in background seawater (blue) and at 1 m above the vent orifice (black).
Insights from model-data discrepancies
Expanding upon the suite of metabolisms used above, aerobic hydrogen oxidation was added to the model (that is, the 'Knallgas' reaction, H2+½O2→H2O), as this has been identified as a potentially important pathway in other hydrothermal systems (for example, McCollom, 2000, 2007; Anantharaman et al., 2013). Compared with those systems, however, fluid emanating from the ABE vent is somewhat depleted in H2 (54–101 μmol kg−1; Flores et al., 2012) suggesting that the relative abundance of hydrogenases—genes associated with hydrogen oxidation—should also be low. Nevertheless, in spite of low hydrogen concentrations, substantial dilution, and marked growth by sulphur oxidisers, the relative abundance of hydrogenases remains above background levels (Figure 5). Consequently, assuming that hydrogenase genes are primarily produced using energy derived from hydrogen oxidation leads to discrepancies between model predictions and observations. These disagreements suggest that important mechanisms for hydrogenase production have been omitted from the model.
A recent metagenomic analysis of the vent fields in the Lau basin revealed that sulphur oxidisers are the most abundant chemolithoautotrophs and that SUP05 dominates this metabolism (K Anantharaman, personal communication; Sheik et al., in press). Some populations of SUP05 are metabolically versatile, possessing genes for all sulphur oxidation pathways (hydrogen sulphide, thiosulphate, elemental sulphur, sulphite), as well as hydrogenases (Anantharaman et al., 2013). Given the prevalence of both sulphur oxidation and SUP05 in the region, one would expect these organisms to contribute towards the abundance of hydrogenases. Assuming that SUP05 constitutes ∼20% of the plume’s sulphur oxidising community and, therefore, contributes towards hydrogenase production, generates model predictions that are in close agreement with observations (Figure 5). Metagenomic analysis reveals that the sulphur oxidising community in ambient seawater is 10% SUP05 and 27% SUP05 at 1 m above the vent, which presumably reflects the near-vent demersal community (for example, from the diffuse flow region, biofilms on chimney structures) because vent fluids are too hot to host a native microbial community. Given that the plume community is a mixture of demersal and pelagic communities, these data suggest that assuming the sulphur oxidising community is 20% SUP05 is quite reasonable. In this scenario, sulphur oxidation accounts for the production of the majority of hydrogenases. Nevertheless, the model overestimates the abundance of sulphur oxidation genes if the SUP05 sub-population is assumed to grow by means of aerobic hydrogen oxidation (results not shown), which is discussed in detail below.
There are several possible factors that may contribute towards inappreciable growth via the Knallgas pathway. Hydrogen uptake in low concentration environments, such as at vent A1 in the ABE field, progresses at a much slower rate than in environments where H2 is abundant (Petersen et al., 2011). Therefore, spontaneous abiotic oxidation of H2—which occurs gradually over several hours—may deplete hydrogen before appreciable microbial growth via the Knallgas metabolism is able to occur (McCollom, 2000). Furthermore, H2 is also consumed as an electron donor for other metabolisms, such as sulphate reduction, methanogenesis and iron (III) reduction (McCollom, 2000). Indeed, while there are microbes that are able to grow by means of aerobic hydrogen oxidation, these organisms are typically capable of other metabolisms as well (for example, sulphur oxidation, methanotrophy; Petersen et al., 2011; Anantharaman et al., 2013). Metagenomic analysis of the microbial community in the vicinity of the ABE vent field has revealed no organism that subsists exclusively via the Knallgas metabolism (K Anantharaman, personal communication).
These simulations highlight the difficulties in inferring the occurrence of metabolisms from the presence of functional genes alone without corresponding transcriptomic or proteomic data, which could indicate which metabolisms are actually active. Nevertheless, while the Knallgas pathway may not contribute appreciably to microbial growth at vent A1, an abundance of hydrogenases mean that the community has the potential to mediate this metabolism should a hydrogen-rich environment be encountered. Metabolic versatility of this sort is likely a key ecological strategy employed by organisms that rely upon electron donors that occur in low concentrations in the deep ocean. Specifically, the propagation of metabolic genes due to growth via other pathways retains the ability to respond to different energy sources by means of a bet-hedging approach.
Impacts of hydrothermal perturbations beyond the rising plume
Electron donors that are exported from rising plumes and dispersed via physical processes represent a potential source of energy for deep-sea chemolithoautotrophs. Growth of these microbes is not only controlled by the availability of electron donors, however, but also by the energy yield of the reaction that is mediated. Multiplying the electron donor concentration at the top of the rising plume (mol l−1) by the rate of plume water export (l s−1) and energy yield per mole of electron donor (kJ mol−1) gives an estimate of energy export per unit time (kJ s−1), which is subsequently converted into an export of potential biomass via an empirical relationship (Roden and Jin, 2011), assuming these species are aerobically oxidised.
Figure 6 shows this export of potential biomass as a function of metabolic energy yield and electron donor concentration at the apex of the rising plume, assuming that all of the electron donor is used for growth. This represents an upper bound, as in nature a portion of the electron donor will be unavailable when concentrations become low. Moreover, abiotic reactions or other metabolisms not considered here may also consume the electron donor. Nevertheless, this figure allows the potential biomass production for these metabolisms to be compared relative to one another, as well as providing an upper limit on biomass. Highlighted within the plot are the metabolic pathways that are modelled above for vent A1 in the ABE field. Sulphur is shown to dominate since it is found in relatively high concentrations and is energetically profitable. In contrast, while methanotrophy yields a greater amount of energy per mole of electron donor, it is found in low concentrations meaning that it is but a minor player. Aerobic oxidation of hydrogen, ammonia and nitrite are all less energetically favourable and occur at low concentrations resulting in modest potential biomasses. Like potential biomass, the rate of growth is a function of both metabolic energy yield and enzymatic substrate availability. Consequently, metabolisms with a higher energy yield and substrate availability also grow more rapidly, which results in a temporal succession in the microbial community on the scale of weeks, as observed previously in hydrothermal plumes (Sylvan et al., 2012). When combined with transport processes, this translates into a spatial succession with maximum abundances closer to the plume source for metabolisms with higher potential biomasses, as shown below.
Export of potential biomass from the rising plume as a function of electron donor concentration and metabolic energy yield. Aerobic oxidation of ammonia, hydrogen, nitrite, methane and sulphur species for vent A1 of the ABE are plotted explicitly in the figure, assuming all of the electron donor is consumed by the considered reaction.
Data derived from drifter experiments in the Lau basin allow the various time scales of microbial growth to be cast in a spatial context. Eleven autonomous APEX and PROVOR floats were deployed in the region between April 2004 and June 2005 (Speer and Thurnherr, 2012). These autonomous drifters maintained a depth of 1700 m—comparable to the depth of neutrally-buoyant hydrothermal plumes—and surfaced every 3–4 weeks to transmit data before returning to depth again. Tracking the displacement of numerous drifters relative to their point of deployment allows probability density functions to be constructed that quantify the likelihood a water parcel is found a given distance from its source (for example, a hydrothermal plume). When divided by drift times, these distances are translated into average speeds. Finally, multiplying these speeds by a time scale of growth determines how microbial communities in the neutrally-buoyant plume have been redistributed during this period of growth. The time scale used here is doubling time as calculated by the RTM, as it provides an intuitive measure of microbial growth.
Figure 7 illustrates how microbes associated with different metabolisms have been transported away from the hydrothermal vent over their doubling time. Since sulphur oxidation occurs relatively rapidly, little dispersion has occurred by the time the associated community has doubled in size, resulting in high abundances that are concentrated close to the vent. These metabolisms also generate the greatest biomass, which contributes further to dense concentrations of sulphur oxidisers close to the vent. In stark contrast, methanotrophy is relatively slow and, therefore, methane oxidisers undergo marked dispersion while growing. In addition, methane oxidisers produce less biomass than the other metabolisms considered. Thus, while methanotroph abundances increase by an order of magnitude due to hydrothermal stimulation, slow growth rates relative to transport processes and lower biomasses relative to other microbes may mask this somewhat. Furthermore, these microbes are likely to continue grow much farther afield than sulphur oxidisers or other rapidly growing organisms.
Probability density functions showing distance of water parcels from their source (i.e., the plume) as a function of the doubling time of each metabolism.
Spatial succession due to microbial growth on different time scales is demonstrated here by tracking a water parcel along a specific trajectory. Figure 8 plots the paths of two different drifters, which were deployed close to the ABE vent field, over time and shows the predicted compositions of the microbial community at various points. Due to rapid growth and a high potential biomass, sulphur oxidisers quickly dominate the community with ammonia oxidisers accounting for the majority of other organisms present. Nevertheless, as time progresses, microbes that mediate slower metabolisms begin to appear once again, first nitrite oxidisers and then methanotrophs, albeit at modest levels due to an abundance of sulphur oxidisers persisting due to the high vent fluid concentrations and energy yields (Figure 6).
Modelled microbial communities are projected onto the trajectories (dotted lines) of two drifters released in the vicinity of the ABE vent field (denoted by a circle and cross marker). Symbols are plotted on each trajectory showing the location of the drifters at 0, 7, 168, 365 and 730 days. Corresponding to these times, pie charts show the structure of the microbial community. Background colours reflect the bathymetry of the region.
While the spatial scales shown in Figures 7 and 8 correspond to growth, microbes may endure over much larger distances depending on mortality pressures, which are notoriously difficult to estimate. The mortality rate constant used here, 0.001 d−1, was constrained for deep-sea chemolithoautotrophs by a previous study (Reed et al., 2014) and corresponds to a time scale that is much larger than those of growth (that is, 1 to nearly 3 orders of magnitude greater). These simulations point to a paradigm of microbial growth within tens of kilometers of the vent field, followed by marked persistence of microbial communities over hundreds of kilometers. As the average distance between high-temperature hydrothermal systems is <100 km (German et al., 2010), these results suggest that plumes have an important role in linking these systems. Furthermore, given the widespread distribution of hydrothermal vents along mid-ocean ridges, hydrothermal plumes potentially have a broad impact on deep-ocean biogeochemistry and microbial diversity by exchanging material with different marine systems that are hospitable to the similar microorganisms, such as oxygen minimum zones and oil spills (Dick et al., 2013). However, given that plume communities are sourced from ambient seawater and become mixed with these ambient microbial communities over time, it is difficult to delineate these two communities. Indeed, feedback between plume and ambient communities may prove an important driver of dark-ocean microbial ecology.
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This work is funded by Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation grant GBMF2609 and NSF grant OCE 1038006 to GJD, NSF grants OCE-0241785 and OCE-1231803 to KS, NSF grant OCE-1037991 to BMT, and OCE-1038055 to JAB and HJ. We thank the Captain and crew of the R/V Thomas G Thompson as well as the crew of the ROV Jason II. Thanks to Drs AL Reysenbach, M Tivey, C Fisher, P Girguis, G Luther and the Eastern Lau Spreading Center 2009 scientific parties for allowing us to participate in their cruises (NSF grants: OCE-0424953, OCE-02040985, OCE-0728391, OCE-0752469 and OCE-0751839). Also, we thank Drs Sheri White and Jason Sylvan for assistance with sampling. Nucleotide sequences are available in the NCBI Sequence Read Archive, accession numbers SRX511269, SRX511304 and SRX511275 (Supplementary Table S4). These data have been previously published by Anantharaman et al. (2014). The custom databases, blastx results and reads that hit each gene referenced in this study are available at the following URL along with the model code: www.earth.lsa.umich.edu/geomicrobiology/Lau.html
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Daniel C Reed
, Karthik Anantharaman
& Gregory J Dick
Department of Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
John A Breier
& Houshuo Jiang
Department of Plant Biology, Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI, USA
Christopher A Klausmeier
Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, USA
Brandy M Toner
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
Cathrine Hancock
& Kevin Speer
Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
Kevin Speer
Division of Ocean and Climate Physics, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY, USA
Andreas M Thurnherr
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Correspondence to Daniel C Reed.
The authors declare no conflict of interests.
Supplementary Information accompanies this paper on The ISME Journal website
Supplementary Material (PDF 185 kb)
Reed, D., Breier, J., Jiang, H. et al. Predicting the response of the deep-ocean microbiome to geochemical perturbations by hydrothermal vents. ISME J 9, 1857–1869 (2015) doi:10.1038/ismej.2015.4
Revised: 17 December 2014
Issue Date: August 2015
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2015.4
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Genetically Modified Crops Are Safe, Report Says
Worker Javier Alcantar tends to corn crops at the Monsanto Co. test field in Woodland, California, U.S., on Aug. 10, 2012.Noah Berger / Bloomberg via Getty Images
May 17, 2016, 4:47 PM UTC / Updated May 17, 2016, 4:47 PM UTC
By Maggie Fox
National Academies Assert GMO Crops Are Safe, Share Their Evidence
May 17, 201601:56
Genetically modified crops on the market are not only safe, but appear to be good for people and the environment, experts determined in a report released Tuesday.
But the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are not just asking people to take their word for it. They’re putting the evidence up on a website so skeptics — and they know there are plenty of them — can check for themselves.
“You can’t just continue to have an opinion without backing it up with data,” said Fred Gould, distinguished professor of entomology and co-director of the Genetic Engineering and Society Center at North Carolina State University.
“Part of our approach here was to make this not just a report,” added Gould, who chaired the expert committee that released the report. “This is all on a website. We hope that this report will open a conversation, not make some kind of a proclamation.”
It’s aimed not only at regulators, industry and other experts, but at the general public, as well.
“You can’t just continue to have an opinion without backing it up with data."
“They really want somebody to say this is good or this is bad, we came to the conclusion that making any sweeping generalizations about genetically engineered crops is not appropriate,” Gould told NBC News.
Perhaps surprisingly, given the huge debate over GMOs, only two types of genetically engineered crops are in wide use – one engineered to carry genes from a common bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis (or Bt for short) that kills insects that eat it, and one that makes crops resistant to weedkillers.
But more than 90 percent of corn, soybeans and cotton grown in the U.S. is genetically modified.
Get breaking news and insider analysis on the rapidly changing world of media and technology right to your inbox.
Related: FDA Says No Need to Label GM Plants
“The committee delved into the relevant literature, heard from 80 diverse speakers, and read more than 700 comments from members of the public to broaden its understanding of issues surrounding GE crops,” the report reads. Panel members read more than 900 reports.
“It was tiring but worthwhile, because it really brought to our attention a lot of studies we would not have looked at,” said Dominique Brossard, chair of the department of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin.
“Our process was really, really inclusive and attempted to address as much as possible the concerns that were raised by public comments.”
Related: Congress Orders FDA to Label GM Food
A lot of concern centered on health effects. “The committee received a number of comments from people concerned that GE food consumption may lead to higher incidence of specific health problems including cancer, obesity, gastrointestinal tract illnesses, kidney disease, and such disorders as autism spectrum and allergies,” the report reads.
“The committee also examined epidemiological data on incidence of cancers and other human-health problems over time and found no substantiated evidence that foods from GE crops were less safe than foods from non-GE crops.”
Their conclusions:
There is no evidence of large-scale health effects on people from genetically modified foods
There is some evidence that crops genetically engineered to resist bugs have benefited people by reducing cases of insecticide poisoning
Genetically engineered crops to benefit human health, such as those altered to produce more vitamin A, can reduce blindness and deaths die to vitamin A deficiency
Using insect-resistant or herbicide-resistant crops did not damage plant or insect diversity and in some cases increased the diversity of insects.
Sometimes the added genes do leak out to nearby plants – a process called gene flow – but there is no evidence it has caused harm.
In general, farmers who use GM soybean, cotton, and corn make more money but it does depend on how bad pests are and farming practices.
GM crops do reduce losses to pests
If farmers use insect-resistant crops but don’t take enough care, sometimes pest insects develop resistance
Outside experts said the report was thorough.
“I would certainly hope the report will reduce public concern about the safety of GE foods,” said Ruth MacDonald Chair of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State University.
“This is yet another document that adds to the long list of those that have reached the same conclusion that there is no evidence that GE foods are a risk to human health."
“They can look to see if something we reference is funded by industry."
David Stern, president of the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research at Cornell, said the report will not end the debate.
“The report will provide fodder for friends and foes of GE, because each conclusion is accompanied by caveats,” he said.
Related: GMO Salmon Ruled Safe to Eat
Gould said now people can look up the facts to answer their concerns. “Up until now we have been arguing in a content-free environment,” he said.
And the report likely will not end arguments that all the experts are tainted because they work with companies that stand to profit from selling GM foods.
"Unfortunately, we can expect charges of industry bias in the Academy, even though this panel specifically sought input from well-known anti-GE activists,” said Alan McHughen, a geneticist at the University of California, Riverside.
“The academy came under criticism (by academics including me) for engaging such non-experts with little or no scientific expertise, but that criticism now seems misplaced,” McHughen added. He said it was important to listen to and to then rebut arguments.
And Gould said all the vested interests are revealed on the website. “They can look to see if something we reference is funded by industry,” he said
Maggie Fox
Maggie Fox is a senior writer for NBC News and TODAY, covering health policy, science, medical treatments and disease.
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