pred_label
stringclasses 2
values | pred_label_prob
float64 0.5
1
| wiki_prob
float64 0.25
1
| text
stringlengths 112
962k
| source
stringlengths 39
45
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
__label__cc
| 0.660197
| 0.339803
|
Tech Friday: Apple launches new iPod models
Last September 1, Steve Jobs introduced the new line of Apple iPods that will be available on stores this coming September 8, 2010.
These new breed of iPods will surely answer the need of the consumers for a better music experience. Details after the jump
The "budget" iPod that sacrifices a display screen to bring you a cheap music player. The iPod Shuffle is now on its fourth generation includes the return of clickable track and volume controls form the first two generations. The control pad is 18% larger than the second generation of iPod shuffle and the model also features VoiceOver from the third generation in twenty-five languages. It also features Genius and handles multiple playlists. They are currently being sold in 2 Gigabyte models with US pricing for the device announced to start at US$49.
My personal favorite. This iPod is like the standard iPod but suffers dwarfism. The sixth generation iPod nano now comes with a multi touch screen similar to the iPod Touch. Don't expect a large screen though. Some notable changes are as follows: the device now features a smaller lower resolution (higher pixel density) screen which supports multi-touch. The device supports over 24 hours of music playback on a single charge. Also, the device retains the same 30-pin dock connector as previous generations. The new iPod Nano also does not support video playback.Additionally, the device no longer has a camera or voice recorder, as Apple's market research determined that many customers rarely used those features in the previous generation devices. The 6th generation iPod is also at the same price point as the 5th generation device which is $149.
The big daddy of the iPod line. Since it's first release last September 2007, the iPod Touch (some misname it as iTouch) sold millions already. The fourth generation ipod Touch is bundled with new innovations that will surely make you want to buy it. The front-facing camera for FaceTime, the iPhone's retina display, has support for recording 720p video and 960 x 720 still photos via a back camera, Apple's A4 chip, a built-in microphone and a 3-axis gyroscope are the notable changes that you can get from this next model which you can get for as low as $229.
There you have it folks. Apple will surely make your wallets cry in agony.
Posted by Siopao Master at 9:52 PM
Labels: techfriday
Otaku Expo Reload
Tech Friday: Instant Photography is Back
Fairy Tail Coming to Animax
Otakai Figure Society Hacked
Happy 25th Birthday Mario
Tech Friday: Google Instant
Review: Despicable Me
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346540
|
__label__cc
| 0.574671
| 0.425329
|
Hello Microbit
March 28, 2015 at 07:38 PM | categories: C, microbit, arduino, BBC R&D, blockly, work, BBC, C++, microcontrollers, python, full stack., full stack.D, webdevelopment, mbed, kidscoding | View Comments
So, a fluffy tech-lite blog on this. I've written a more comprehensive one, but I have to save that for another time. Anyway, I can't let this go without posting something on my personal blog. For me, I'll be relatively brief. (Much of this a copy and paste from the official BBC pages, the rest however is personal opinion etc)
Please note though, this is my personal blog. It doesn't represent BBC opinion or anyone else's opinion.
Just over 2 weeks ago, the BBC announced a small device currently nicknamed the BBC Micro Bit. At the launch event, they demonstrated a prototype device:
The official description of it is this:
BBC launches flagship UK-wide initiative to inspire a new generation with digital technology
The Micro Bit
A major BBC project, developed in pioneering partnership with over 25
organisations, will give a personal coding device free to every child in year 7 across the country - 1 million devices in total.
Still in development and nicknamed the Micro Bit,* it aims to give children an exciting and engaging introduction to coding, help them realise their early potential and, ultimately, put a new generation back in control of technology. It will be distributed nationwide from autumn 2015.
... The Micro Bit will be a small, wearable device with an LED display that children can programme in a number of ways. It will be a standalone,
entry-level coding device that allows children to pick it up, plug it into a computer and start creating with it immediately.
the Micro Bit can even connect and communicate with these other devices, including Arduino, Galileo, Kano and Raspberry Pi, as well as other Micro Bits. This helps a child’s natural learning progression and gives them
even more ways of expressing their creativity.
Early feedback from teachers has shown that it encourages independent learning, gives pupils a strong sense of achievement, and can inspire those who are not usually interested in computers to be creative with it.
For me, the key points about the prototype:
Targetted at children, and their support networks (teachers, parents etc). This is reflected throughout the system. It doesn't underestimate them though. (I work with cubs and scouts in my spare time, and I know they're much willing to try than adults - which means they can often achive more IMO. Especially at scout age)
Small programmable fun device, instant feedback, with lots of expansion capability with a gentle gradual curve.
Web based interfaces for coding, as well as offline interfaces
Graphical, python or C++ code running on the device
Designed to work well with other things and hook into larger eco-systems where there's lots of users.
(That's all public information, but for me those are really the key points)
Aside from the obvious -- why did the announcement excite me? Simple: While it wasn't my vision - it was Howard Baker's and Jo Claessen's, I implemented that Microbit prototype and system from scratch. While an earlier iteration had been built and used at events, I was asked to build a prototype we could test in schools and to take to partners to take to scale. (I couldn't work from that earlier iteration, but rather worked from the source - Howard and Jo. It was a harder route, but rewarding)
For those who recognise a similarity between this and Dresscode which I blogged about last summer, the similarities you see are co-incidental. (I was clearly on the same wavelength :-) ) While Microbit was in a early stage pre-prototype phase there, I hadn't seen it.
My thinking behind Dresscode though, was part of the reason I jumped at the chance to help out. It also mean though that some aspects I had a head start on though, and in particular, the IOToy and Guild toolsets I developed previously as part of some IOT work in R&D came in handy in building the prototype.(That and the fact I've used the arduino toolset a fair amount before)
Anyway, as I say, while I can't say much about the project, but it was probably the most intense development project I've worked on. Designing & building the hardware from scratch, through to small scale production manufacture in 3 months, concurrent with building the entire software stack to go with it - compilation toolchains, UIs and so on, AND concurrent with that was the development of detailed documentation and specs for partners to build upon. Intense.
In the last month of core development I was joined by 2 colleagues in R&D (Matt Brooks and Paul Golds) who took my spike implementations of web subsystems and fleshed them out and made them work the way Howard and Jo wanted, and the prototype hardware sanity checked and tweaked slightly by Lawrence Archard. There was still a month of development after that, so it was probably the most intense 4 months of development I've ever done. Well worth it though.
(Regarding names, project names change a lot. While I was building our device in even that short 3 months, it got renamed several times, and since! Don't read too much into names :-) Also, while it does fit anywhere else, it was Fiona Iglesias who was the project manager at the time who asked me if I could do this, and showed a great leap of faith and trust when I said "yes" :-) Balancing the agile process I needed to use against the BBC being very process driven (by necessity) was a thankless task!
Finally some closing things. On the day of the launch I posted a couple of photos in my twitter feed, which I'll repeat here.
The first was my way of going "yay". Note the smiley bit :-)
So, look what I made! http://t.co/OTCn14YN7s Earlier revs were built on my kitchen table :-) pic.twitter.com/2k9a2UBOZh
— Michael (@sparks_rd) March 12, 2015
The second related to an earlier iteration:
Earlier iteration: pic.twitter.com/bmQ2G7KK2t
Anyway, exciting times.
What happens next? Dunno - I'm not one of the 25 partners :-)
The prototype is very careful about what technologies it uses under the hood, but then that's because I've got a long history of talking and writing about about why the BBC uses, improves and originates open source. I've not done so recently because I think that argument was won some time ago. The other reason is because actually leaving the door open to release as open source is part of my job spec.
What comes next depends on partners and BBC vagaries. Teach a child to code though, and they won't ever be constrained by a particular product's license, because they can build their own.
Anyway, the design does allow them to change the implementation to suit practicalities. I think Howard and Jo's vision however is in safe hands.
Once again, for anyone who missed it at the top though, this is a personal blog, from a personal viewpoint, and does not in anyway reflect BBC opinion (unless coincidentally :).
I just had to write something to go "Yay!" :-)
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346541
|
__label__cc
| 0.525724
| 0.474276
|
You are at:Home»Awards»BETT 2016: Clicker 7
BETT 2016: Clicker 7
By Mick Archer on 22nd December 2015 0 Comments
One of the highlights of BETT 2016 for those working with children with special educational needs is certain to be the launch of Clicker 7, the latest version of Crick Software’s flagship program. Special World looks at what it offers
There were brief moments during John Crick’s presentation of Clicker 7 when he seemed unsure of the answers to the detailed questions he was being asked. It wasn’t forgetfulness, however. It was the scale and detail of what he was describing.
John Crick introduces Clicker 7 at a meeting of key partners
We were in the Victorian conservatory of a London hotel and Crick Software had invited some of its closest partners, including Special World, to a preview of the latest iteration of a program launched way back in 1995 and last updated in 2011. In the intervening 21 years Clicker has won seven BETT Awards and built an army of loyal followers. Its use has also extended well beyond children with special educational needs (SEN) and the borders of the UK. Today Clicker can be found in over 90 per cent of UK primary schools and there are localised versions in 10 languages ranging from Arabic to Russian.
For those who have followed the Clicker story each chapter has seen the addition of new features and functionality, exploiting the huge technological changes that have taken place over its lifetime. What may have started out as a humble word processor is now a literacy multitool designed to help tackle a wide range of issues. So what can the visitor to BETT expect?
Building on success
As Crick explained, Clicker 6 was the most successful version of the program ever, so when developing an update care had to be taken to retain features considered key to its success. This includes the quick-start page, which enables students to easily and quickly access Clicker’s writing tools. While this has undergone a redesign, making it less cluttered, more intuitive to use and easier to navigate, it still provides rapid access to Clicker’s word processor and its literacy support tools. These include text-to-speech, with high-quality human sounding voices; an enhanced spell-checker; intelligent word prediction; the facility to integrate pictures or symbols with text; and ready access to the full range of activities known collectively as Clicker Sets.
While all of these features have seen significant improvements, some are more immediately obvious than others. For example, in the case of text-to-speech we now have the welcome addition of Rosie and Harry: two new primary children’s voices to read out text. In time these will also be available as part of Clicker’s apps. Clicker Paint, which is integral to Clicker, has also had a thorough overhaul with improved functionality and ease of use bringing it much closer to a full-blown painting program.
Voice Notes and Clicker Board
What are entirely new, however, are tools that support planning for writing, one of which is Voice Notes. These enable students to record their thoughts before beginning to write them down. A student can record a maximum of six Voice Notes within a document, each one of up to a minute in length. Each Note is colour coded and can consist of a single sentence or more, which the student can play back as an aide-memoire when writing. Voice Notes can also be used in other ways; for example, to insert teacher instructions into a document to guide students through an assigned task.
Key partners listen as Ann Crick describes Clicker Board
Another impressive new planning tool, demonstrated this time by company co-founder Ann Crick, is Clicker Board. This best resembles a workspace where the various elements of a writing project can be assembled before being brought together to produce the finished product. Teachers will undoubtedly find a variety of ways to use this but one example shown on the day is as an in-built mind-mapping tool. Imagine, for example, getting your class to brain storm the vocabulary they might use in writing a story about Christmas. This activity might take the familiar form of starting with a core word from which others are generated at the end of branches or twigs. That done, the question is what next? On a traditional chalk board or whiteboard the final mind-map might be left on view as a reference point for students when writing their stories. In Clicker 7, however, the entire content of the mind-map can be exported with one click to a word bank grid. From here the student can use it within Clicker as they would any other Clicker grid.
Clicker Sets
Clicker Sets, as John Crick explained, have evolved over Clicker’s lifetime from simple standalone sentence-building grids to grids that include pictures and symbols and that are linked to each other in sets. In version 6 of Clicker we also saw the introduction of Quick Wizards designed to further reduce the time spent by teachers on creating a range of standard pages and grids. These Wizards provide short-cuts for the full gamut of Clicker activities including creating sentence-building grids, word banks, picture banks, matching, sequential story telling, book-writing, listen-and-say, and using pictures to stimulate talk. In Clicker 7 this ease of use is taken one step further with the facility to edit existing sets rather than having to create new ones from scratch.
In his presentation John Crick illustrated how this editing is done for different types of set. He started with a simple sentence-building grid. Here you can edit the model sentence and the changes are automatically reflected in the grid, or you can edit the words in the grid and the changes are automatically reflected in the model sentence. This editing facility even extends to changing the manner in which the model sentence is presented, whether you choose speech-only, placing the model sentence on top of the grid or having it appear as a pop-up. These changes can be made to a single grid or applied to a whole set. To make things even easier Clicker 7 only presents the editing tools you need based on the type of set you are editing and, thanks to the addition of colour-coded icons, it is now easier to identify different types of set without having to first open them. This colour-coding is also used in LearningGrids, Clicker’s online library of free resources, which makes it easier for teachers searching for different types of activities.
Clicker Books
Another area that has been revamped is Clicker Books. This is one of four Clicker features that have developed an independent life as apps designed for the iPad; the others are Clicker Sentences, Clicker Connect and Clicker Docs. The link between these apps and Clicker means that upgrading one benefits the other. Earlier in his presentation John Crick had shown how Clickers new editing tools could be used with Clicker Connect files passed between an iPad and a desktop running Clicker. Now similar editing tools are available for Clicker Books, another distinct form of Clicker Sets.
Literacy support tools like intelligent word prediction help build students’ writing skills
Clicker Books is designed to give children the tools they need to create their own talking books. Students can add their own text, paint pictures, insert photographs and record sound, while benefitting from key Clicker features such as text-to-speech and intelligent word prediction. The new editing tools are child friendly as they assume that children themselves will edit Clicker Books. As well as changing text and images students can change page lay-outs, either choosing from existing templates or designing their own, and rearrange the page order as they see fit. It is also now fully switch accessible.
Of course for teachers working with children with special educational needs accessibility is a key consideration when choosing software. Clicker has a well-deserved reputation for putting accessibility at its heart, reflected in part in its bevy of BETT awards. It comes as no surprise therefore to learn that Clicker 7 has taken this to the next level with the integration of both eye gaze technology and Crick’s own SuperKeys assistive keyboard.
Eye gaze technology is something Special World has reported on extensively in the past but if you missed Sandra Thistlethwaite’s comprehensive article you can find it here. You can also download Your Essential Guide to Eye Gaze in the Classroom, Inclusive Technology’s excellent 40-page booklet.
SuperKeys emerged from the realisation that many of the students using Crick’s apps required switch access because of difficulties pointing accurately rather than an inability to point at all. Switch access should, of course, be a last resort as it is slow and conceptually difficult for younger users. The company therefore decided that what was needed was something that made keyboard use easier. The solution they came up with was SuperKeys.
This groups the 30+ keys on a normal keyboard into seven clusters that operate as ‘superkeys’. Tap one of the clusters and the keys in it expand to fill the entire keyboard making it much easier for the student to home in on the correct letter. Once the correct key is tapped the cluster immediately closes. If the student has tapped the cluster by mistake he or she can close it without selecting a letter. Combined with intelligent word prediction it makes keyboard use fast and accurate for students who don’t really need to resort to using switches.
See it for yourself
This is a brief summary of some of the major new features of Clicker 7 but there was copious note-taking at November’s presentation which may mean that some of that tough questioning will inform further changes. I should also mention that for the first time students at schools purchasing the Clicker 7 Site License will also be able to install Clicker on their home computers, giving them access to a consistent level of literacy support wherever they are working. This is in addition to all teachers and teaching assistants within the school being free to use Clicker 7 at home.
Pricing details were still being confirmed in November but we were told that anyone who had bought Clicker 6 from April 2015 would only have to pay the price difference to upgrade to version 7. The current site licence for Clicker 6 is £1995 and for Clicker 7 it will be £2200.
If you would like to know more then Crick Software will be exhibiting at BETT 2016, London, UK (20-23 Jan 2016) on Stand D240 and at ATiA in Orlando, USA (3-6 Feb 2016) on Booth 406. Failing that visit the Crick Software website for details of other opportunities to see Clicker 7 close up.
About Contributors
Mick Archer
Mick Archer is the Editor of Special World.
21st August 2018 0
Damian Hinds calls on tech companies to help transform education
Smart glasses give teachers real-time view of pupil progress
3rd July 2018 0
Writing on the iPad
21st August 2018 0 Damian Hinds calls on tech companies to help transform education
10th August 2018 0 SEN numbers increase for second consecutive year
7th August 2018 0 £1.5 billion annual fund needed to adequately provide for disabled children
3rd August 2018 0 Special needs remains key characteristic of pupils excluded from English schools
26th July 2018 0 Pilot study suggests ADHD drugs do not improve cognition in healthy college students
20th November 2015 9 New BBC drama with autism at its heart
5th April 2016 5 Conductive Education: the unfinished story
28th July 2017 3 Microsoft launches free iOS app for visually impaired
21st September 2015 2 Dyslexia Action renews call for National Literacy Strategy
6th January 2016 2 One in eight US children diagnosed with ADHD
24th December 2014 0 Understanding School Bullying: Its Nature & Prevention Strategies
6th November 2015 0 Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity
18th January 2015 0 Brilliant Ideas for Using ICT in the Inclusive Classroom (2nd edition)
16th May 2017 0 The Power of Different
21st July 2016 0 Creative Successful Dyslexic: 23 High Achievers Share Their Stories
Behaviour, Emotional & Social Difficulties
Dyslexia, Specific Learning Difficulty
Multi-Sensory Impairment
Other Difficulty or Disability
Severe, Complex Learning Difficulty
Speech, Language & Communications Needs
Click here to see a full list of upcoming events and conferences
9th May 2018 0 Birkbeck crowdfunds new ToddlerLab
3rd April 2018 0 Microsoft launches Soundscape in UK
23rd March 2018 0 See Dyslexia Differently
20th March 2018 0 Carpool karaoke video by mums of children with Down’s syndrome becomes online hit
14th March 2018 0 Access, access, access
Special World for special education teachers, therapists & schools everywhere.
Brought to you by Inclusive Technology Ltd.
Copyright © 2017 Special World.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346542
|
__label__cc
| 0.517828
| 0.482172
|
Home Android Messenger Lite is available for new countries
Messenger Lite is available for new countries
Facebook Messenger is a terribly overloaded application. It contains a lot of modules, which for many people are not useful at all. Messenger has long since ceased to be a mere messenger. Unfortunately, this application dreadfully erases older phones. That is why Messenger Lite has come up with only basic functionality, but it uses much less resources.
The Messenger Lite application was released in early October last year, but it was not available to everyone. It is true that everyone could download and install it from the APKMirror site. However, it is a very inconvenient solution because you have to remember to install updates yourself. However, it is not the case that Mark Zuckerberg did not like us. Messenger Lite has been designed for developing countries with low budget and mid-range smartphones, where mobile Internet is a slow and luxury service. This is for example countries like India, where 4G LTE networks are only coming out, and most people still use 2G GSM.
Facebook Messenger Lite is available in 150 new countries.
Did Facebook finally hear the voices of people who complain about Messenger being too messed up? Not everyone like these all Snapchat features. It is true that the announced integration with Spotify looks interesting, but not everyone cares about this. For many people, Messenger is a must-have application because all friends use Facebook. But that is no reason to clutter your phone. The Messenger Lite installer weighs only 4 MB, which is 15 times less than the full version of the application. By contrast, after installation, the communicator will only consume about 15 MB space on our smartphone instead of over 250 MB. Curiously? Of course, this also involves lower RAM and CPU usage. Messenger Lite also consumes a lot less packet data, so it works without a problem via the 2G network. In many countries this is not a problem, but each one of us will be pleased to see lower consumption of the data packet.
Source: David Marcus
Previous articleYouTube allows LGBT content in Restricted Mode
Next articleApple patents charging over Wi-Fi. Does it make sense?
Data saving feature in Facebook Messenger app
End of support: Samsung Galaxy S6 without security updates
SpeedTest - April 23, 2018
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346544
|
__label__wiki
| 0.677537
| 0.677537
|
Dream Catcher 36 Reprinted
stairwellbooks 21st March 2018 No Comments
Dream Catcher 36 has been reprinted after running through the initial print run. Dream Catcher, a literary arts journal edited by John Gilham, has been steadily growing in popularity. Dream Catcher’s circulation dropped dramatically after the failure of Border’s Bookshop and is beginning to recover its position as a premiere collection of eclectic poems, short stories and reviews. Dream Catcher 36 also features the art of Elaine Thomas, CBE. Issue 36 is available from the Dream Catcher bookshop. To ensure your copy subscription is recommended.
The Martyrdoms at Clifford’s Tower 1190 and 1537
Follycon
Stairwell Books advertisement airs on MyTV9 in Connecticut
Stairwell Books first TV advertisement will air on MyTV9 on November 15th. The new campaign is airing to support Stairwell Books arrangement with the Ingram Book Group and features books with strong links to the North American market. The ad focuses om Abernathy, by Claire Patel-Campbell which is set in Wisconsin and Tales from a Prairie Journal by Rita Jerram featuring her great grandmother Edith.
The showing on Nov 15th will be on the 11 am showing of Lauren’s Crazy Pet Show airing on MyTV9, a sister station to WTNH Channel 8.
Also available to US and Canadian Bookshops via the Ingram iBook service will be Tom Dixon’s On Suicide Bridge and Sammy Blue Eyes by Frank Beill, an imagining of an orphan boy being caught up with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show when it reembarks for the USA in Hull.
Further books will be gradually added to the Ingram iBook catalogue and will include the DI Ambrose series, beginning with Close Disharmony; and Alwyn Marriage’s Rapeseed.
To keep up to date with our internationally available catalogue please bookmark this page: http://www.stairwellbooks.co.uk/books/international/.
Gary Allen’s Glass King features amoungst Forward Prize Finalists
Gary Allen’s poem “Technically Speaking” from his book The Glass King, published by Stairwell Books, was highly commended by the panel of judges for the 2019 Forward Prizes for Poetry. This year’s judging panel was chaired by writer and broadcaster Shahidha Bari, alongside poets Tara Bergin, Andrew McMillan, and Carol Rumens, and Jamie Andrews, Head of Culture and Learning at the British Library. The jury read 204 new collections and 183 single poems.
“Technically Speaking” will be incorporated in the 2020 Forward Book of Poetry which will be on sale at the Forward Prizes ceremony at the London South Bank Centre on October 20th.
Stairwell Books would like to congratulate Gary on his success and wishes him well.
Margaret Clitherow launched at new Christian Heritage Centre at Stonyhurst
Margaret Clitherow window at the Stonyhurst Christian Heritage Centre
John and Wendy Rayne-Davis introduced a wrapt audience to their new biography of Margaret Clitherow at the new Stonyhurst Christian Heritage Centre. Wendy gave a historical overview of the politics in England during the reins of Henry VIII, Mary and Elizabeth providing the context for Margaret Clitherow’s martyrdom. John then explored Margaret’s life and how she got into the predicament that led to her arrest and subsequent execution.
John explained why the historical chroniclers accounts of Margaret’s family life differed from the reality of a loving and supportive husband: these chronicles led to Margaret’s husband John’s role in her life being completely misconstrued and unfairly misrepresented.
The evening was hosted by the Director, Stefan Kaminski, and supported by the Lord David Alton who provided a preface to John and Wendy’s book reinforcing the importance of Margaret Clitherow as British Catholic Saint.
The Christian Heritage Centre is located in the grounds of Stonyhurst College in a newly restored old building. The centre has accommodation available as well as a large meeting and seminar space.
2020 Femme Vision
2020 Vision: All-Femme Authors for 2020.
Over the years, Rose has wearied of receiving manuscript after manuscript, the protagonist almost always a male. When she protests, the writer is likely to exclaim, “But his best friend is a woman! She’s the smart one!” Yeh, and the world you’ve created is seen from the male POV. If the female side characters are so crucial, so integral to the story, why not tell the tale from their point of view?
And so we shall.
Stairwell already publishes books from LGBTQ writers, from male, female and we have some non-binary writers in the pipeline, but this is our first foray into focusing on the work of female and female-identifying authors for a whole year. Due to previous commitments 2020 was the first year this scheme could most easily come together.
2020 is also an anniversary year: the centennial of American women achieving suffrage. 1920 was the year that enough (not all!) US States finally ratified the 19th Amendment, allowing women the vote. The Amendment guarantees “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” It was signed by President Teddy Roosevelt on the 19th of May, 1919.
It would take 15 months to convince the final necessary state, Tennessee, to ratify the Amendment, thus surpassing the required hurdle of being approved by “the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States.” Fortunately, Alan was more readily convinced we needed a femme-only year.
We have: a poetry collection co-authored by the amazing Izzy Jones, Alice Tomlinson and Becca Miles; a scary new novel (with that all-important dash of hope) on climate change, by Eliza Mood; a Young Adult novel by Yvonne Hendrie set in Scotland, where fae folk and humans interact; and the second part of The Blood Gift Trilogy by Susie Williamson. Susie’s first instalment, The Return of the Mantra, has received praise, reviews and orders from the US as well as across the UK. We have poetry from Rosemary Palmeira, and others. Plus of course, we can cheekily include Dream Catcher in this mission since the editor is the brilliant Wendy Pratt.
More later! Stay tuned!
Rose Drew, Alan Gillott, Declan Minskip, Emily Drew, and editorial assistant Grace Cooper
Image of the 19 Amendment
“This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.”
Stairwell makes it to the Guardian
Well, almost. In his review of the National Theatre’s production of Rutherford and Son Michael Billington includes fulsome praise for Pat Riley’s Looking for Githa. This is a production YOU must see and while you are there pick up a copy of Looking for Githa at the NT bookshop: beware, this is a very dangerous shop as it generates a strong desire to buy every book in it.
The Guardian review is here and if you want to know more about Githa Sowerby click here to get a copy of her biography by Pat Riley.
Northern Lights tops Newcastle Libraries Lending List
The January Non-fiction list of borrowed books list our very own Harry Gallagher and his Northern Lights collection right there as Number One. Northern Lights continues its success and is popular with those who care about the economic and social deprivation in the Tyne Tees area.
Yorkshire Times’ review of Looking for Githa
On the 22nd of January the Yorkshire Times’ Literary correspondent, Steve Whittaker, wrote:
“A ‘go-to’ source for theatre directors and historians alike, Looking for Githa, is as much an invaluable piece of historical research into the industrial north east at the turn of the last century, as an examination of an embryonic feminist whose life was a self-imposed enigma.
Riley’s forensic investigation has unearthed many fascinating familial connections. Alongside Githa, the Sowerby line has produced children’s author and landscape painter John George Sowerby, Antarctic explorer Murray Levick, award-winning sculptor Ruby Levick, children’s book illustrator Millicent Sowerby, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Leo Sowerby.”
You can access the full text of the review from the Yorkshire Post website – Looking For Githa: A Book And A Play At The Crucible Theatre
Steve also points out that “Sowerby’s dissection of social structures through observation has been compared to that of Ibsen. And the power of so-called Realist dramas to point up, and thereby help to redress, social iniquity, is still pressing, which is why Rutherford & Son remains cutting edge in any era”
And reminds us…
In conjunction with the play’s opening at the Crucible, publisher Stairwell Books will be launching Looking for Githa in a pre-performance event at the theatre on Saturday 9th February. Introductions by Stairwell’s Rose Drew and Alan Gillott will be followed by a presentation by the author, Patricia Riley.
Pat Riley at the National Theatre
Stairwell author Pat Riley joined by Sowerby scholar-editor J. Ellen Gainor have been invited to talk at the National Theatre in London about the social and family background of Githa Sowerby and that of women in general during the early 20th century.
The talk will take place in the Clore Learning Centre’s Cottesloe Room at 6pm on Friday 24th May, 2019. It will last for an hour and copies of Looking for Githa will be available after the talk. Further details of this talk can be found on this link, and of the Rutherford and Son performance at the Lyttleton
Tickets for this talk are £7 (Concessions £5) and may be purchased from the National Theatre web site.
Secure a discount for Rutherford and Son at the Crucible Theatre for the 9th February performance
In association with The Crucible Theatre and Stairwell Books, on the afternoon of Saturday, 9 February, Patricia Riley launches LOOKING FOR GITHA (expanded and updated). To help us celebrate Githa’s life and her work, The Crucible is offering all launch attendees £5 off of a theatre ticket for that evening’s performance of RUTHERFORD & SON. This is Githa’s most famous play, designated one of the 100 best plays of the Twentieth century by the National Theatre.
To secure your £5 per ticket discount, pre-order LOOKING FOR GITHA directly from Stairwell Books at a special price of £10, and receive the Crucible discount code. Then, join us at 4.30pm for a 5pm start, and pick up your book at that time.
Or, just take a chance and show up for the launch on the 9th: but this play has sold out audiences in runs in York and Newcastle, so that might backfire! If you do just show up and hope for the best, the Crucible will honour the £5 discount until the night is sold out.
Doors for Patricia Riley’s launch open at 4.30pm for a 5.00pm start, and the launch event ends at 6.30pm. That evening’s show of Rutherford & Son begins at 7.30pm. The Crucible bar will be open for this event.
5 Star Review for Return of the Mantra
Dan Stubbings placed The Return of the Mantra as number thirteen of his top 20 fantasy reads on his blog The Dimension Between Worlds.
“This book has everything I look for within fantasy. Strong protagonists and antagonists, an equal split of genders, diversity, and story-lines that at times reflected a modern day Africa. This is a highly satisfying read with a well developed world, and magic system. I cannot wait to see how it continues. Well done Susie 5 Stars.”
Stairwell Authors nominated to the 2018 York Culture Awards
Pauline Kirk, who with her daughter Jo Summers wrote the successful DI Ambrose series of mysteries, and is the author of Border 7 and The Keepers, along with Oz Hardwick who edited New Crops from Old Fields have both been nominated for the 2018 York Culture Awards #YorkCA18 Excellence in Writing categories. By an amazing coincidence the third finalist, Robert Powell, is also a regular contributor to Dream Catcher, our Literary Arts Journal. All three of these nominations are well deserved and Stairwell Books wishes them well.
The winners will be announced on November 19th at the York Theatre Royal.
Fantasy Con 2018
Stairwell Books is attending fantasycon, the essential annual destination for readers, writers, artists, editors, and publishers of all things Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction.
Here we will be introducing Susie Williamson, the author of the recently published Return of the Mantra, who will be joining Pauline Kirk (Border 7, The Keepers) and Clint Wastling (Tyrants Rex) at our bookstall in the dealers room.
Stairwell Books and our authors will be playing a full role in the events programme throughout the con. We will have copies of other Stairwell novels to hand, especially those by our featured authors.
We will also have copies of Something I Need to Tell You by the up and coming short story writer William Thirsk-Gaskill who is featured in the Best British Short Stories 2018 anthology.
A L Michaels’ Wine Dark, Sea Blue reviewed in the Yorkshire Times
Steve Whitaker, the Literary Correspondent of the Yorkshire Times has reviewed Andrea Michael’s book, Wine Dark Sea Blue in September 5th issue of the newspaper. The review begins “This bitterly sardonic, but ironically warm, interior examination of a fractured life in a bonded but mutually destructive family yields a compelling microcosmic picture of a dysfunctional metropolitan landscape.”
Whitaker notices that although the book is cantered around a Greek London family the message about growing up in an expatriate family is more generally applicable:
“The first-person narration gives the novel impetus – we experience the details of a katabatic descent as though just lived. That Ellie’s family are of Greek origin adds flesh to a sense of cultural dislocation which hardens, further, her cynicism as to the coloratura dynamics of family relationships. The Greek perspective is significant, here, and Michael appears to be talking from first-hand experience: kicking against the easy adoption of stereotypical roles – at least one of Ellie’s ongoing bêtes noire is an insidious, controlling paternalism – Michael finds a platform for making a wider point about the tenacity of diasporic culture, even at generational distance.”
Steve later says:
“Michael returns to the amorphous sea instinctively, and it is in the dark waters of Greek myth that one of this finely-observed novel’s defining moments is situated. The capricious figure of Persephone, who occasions a lacerating and destructive sense of loss in the mother she leaves behind as she marries Hades and becomes a goddess of the Underworld, is thereafter obliged to wander a liminal space between earth and the realm of Death, as an emollient to both husband and mother, Demeter. The chiaroscuro interplay of worlds of life and death, of relentless seasonal changes, becomes a metaphor for the ache of Ellie’s unease, for her wandering purposelessness.”
See the full review here…
Wine Dark Sea Blue is available for the month of September for £10.00 free of postage and packaging. See here to purchase.
New York City Poetry Festival, Governor’s Island, July 28-29
Stairwell Books’ Author David Lee Morgan and Fighting Cock Press’ Rose Drew are featured at the Now York City Poetry Festival on Governor’s Island on July 28th and 29th. David, author, Edinburgh Fringe performer and BBC Slam champion will be featuring The River was a God as part of the show. US buyers can purchase it from our US distributor by following this link. Stairwell US Bookshop
Rose will be showcasing her earlier book, Temporary Safety, and featuring poems scheduled to appear in her next book due early next year.
They will be on ‘Chumley’s’ stage at 6.30 on Saturday. Look out for them on Sunday too.
Stairwell books is at Follycon, the 69th British National Science Fiction Convention held at The Majestic Hotel in Harrogate, from 30 March – 2 April 2018. We will be announcing the Advance Order list for our New Science fiction fantasy novel, Return of the Mantra, by Susie Williamson and the Audio Book version of Pauline Kirk‘s Border 7, presciently accurate science fiction book predicting Brexit and the inevitable consequences of Corporate rule. Pauline’s earlier novel, the very well received The Keepers is available as a Kindle eBook.
Also present will be Clint Wastling with Tyrants Rex, another prophetic fantasy novel but with a further stretch in time.
Other books by our featured authors will be available at the table as well as a small selection of Stairwell’s other publications.
Clint will be talking about putting science into science fiction on Saturday at 10am.
21st March 2018 / Previous News
This important book by John Rayne-Davis linking Jewish and Catholic martyrdoms in York was launched at The Bar Convent on Wed March 14th at 7.30 pm, on the eve of the annual Clifford’s Tower Commemoration. The event was supported by the Lord Mayor of York, the CEO of the Liberal Jews in the UK and a representative of the Catholic Bishop of Middlesbrough. John Rayne-Davis gave a short talk outlining the background of both Martyrdoms which was followed by a broad discussion off bigotry and its growth in the 21st Centaury. The Martyrdoms at Clifford’s Tower 1190 and 1537 is available from the website and from The Bar Convent gift shop.
The Go-to Guy comes from Kardomah
Crime Noir was the order of the day at Hull’s Kardomah94 as Neal Hardin, a lifelong resident of Hull, introduced his novel, The Go-to Guy. In spite of it being Mother’s Day Neal was well supported as friends and colleagues read portions of the novel, each imparting their own characterisations to the work. Unlike the hired killer’s victim, the show was not at all dead, and a police raid was not required to enliven the proceedings.
Abernathy brings Wisconsin to York
York writer Claire Patel-Campbell brought to life her novel Abernathy at the New Schoolhouse Gallery in Peasholme Green. Abernathy explores how a single, albeit violent, event can have a devastating event through a whole community. Claire, accompanied by mulled wine to keep out the chill and supported by her writers group, read extracts, bringing to life the isolation of rural Wisconsin.
Noteworthy Launches for The River Was a God
David Lee Morgan’s remarkable trilogy of plays published in one volume as The River Was a God has been well received at events in London at the Horse Hospital, his 70th Birthday extravaganza; and in Leeds, at the Moortown Methodist Church. These plays, developed over time on the London Poetry circuit and performed at the Edinburgh Fringe have attracted major critical acclaim and are now available from Stairwell Books. David can be booked to perform any of these plays.
29th December 2017 / Previous News
Thing of Beauty
This amazing man is still creating brilliant new poetry. A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever is the musings of a brilliant poet and humanitarian at the end of his life. It is Don’s last gift, filled with snippets of the wonderful, the strange, the heartbreaking parts of being human. Buy it now from our bookshop. All royalties go to the St. Leonard’s Hospice.
Tweets by StairwellBooks
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346545
|
__label__cc
| 0.721152
| 0.278848
|
St Pancras International tours of the station
You can now enjoy a tour of the new St Pancras International Station either as a pre-booked group, or as an individual on a scheduled ‘turn-up and go’ tour. The tours are run by City Highlights who are the only guiding company officially endorsed by High Speed 1 Limited, the operators of the station complex.
City Highlights are a long established partnership of expert guides providing informed tours of the station’s principal features set in an historical context, with up-to-date knowledge of current works and future plans.
How long does a tour last?
Tours normally last about ninety minutes. Tours for groups can be arranged for any day that the station is open, and may start as early as eight o’clock in the morning or as late as eight in the evening. Fixed dates and times for ‘turn-up and go’ tours open to individuals are listed below.
Are the tours wheel-chair friendly?
Yes, they can be made accessible for wheel-chair users but please let us know in advance.
Where do we meet our guide?
When you make a group booking we will discuss all your requirements and confirm where best to meet and provide you with the name of your guide and their contact details. Use this form to book your tour. The meeting place for ‘turn-up and go’ tours is given below.
How much does a group tour cost?
The fee for a group tour is £190. Each group is restricted to a maximum of 20 persons – larger groups will require additional guides each charged at the same rate. Use the booking enquiry form here.
How do we pay?
For group bookings we normally request that payment be made – by cheque or bank transfer – seven days before the tour date. For late bookings please contact us to discuss arrangements for payment. If you are joining one of the ‘turn-up and go’ tours, you just pay on the day.
Can you arrange catering for us?
We do not arrange catering ourselves but can supply you with a list of some of the many restaurants and bars located within the station complex so that you can contact them directly to make your own arrangements.
Can we join a tour as individuals?
City Highlights provide ‘turn-up and go’ tours on the first weekend of each month. These tours are designed for individuals and small groups who do not wish to a make a separate booking. There is no need to book places in advance, but these tours are also restricted to a maximum of just 20 persons so if you have a group of five or more we recommend you contact us in advance – otherwise the twenty places available on the day will be allocated on a strictly ‘first come, first served’ basis.
The meeting place for these tours is outside National Rail Ticket Office on the ground floor of the station concourse. The cost for the tour is £9 per person.
Forthcomings dates and times for the ‘turn-up and go’ tours are as follows:
2020 Sunday 5 January 2pm
2020 Saturday 2 May 11am
2020 Sunday 7 June 2pm
2020 Sunday 5 July 2pm
2020 Saturday 1 August 11am
What other walks can we enjoy?
City Highlights also provide railway related tours around the old Kings Cross Goods Yards (just behind St Pancras Station) and have a wide selection of more than fifty other historical walks throughout the wider London area. For further details please contact us or visit our main website at: www.cityhighlights.co.uk.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346552
|
__label__wiki
| 0.703219
| 0.703219
|
The High Water Line: The New Yorker
December 11, 2012 ecoartscotland15m, Antibodies, Bill Mckibben, Bloodstream, Bodle, Carelessness, Climate Change, Curato, Curators, Elevation Above Sea Level, Football Baseball, Heavy Hitter, High Water, Losing Ground, Mosher, New Yorker Caption, New Yorker Magazine, Street Photo, Theoretical Texts, Water Line, Water Lines, West Side Highway
This post comes to you from EcoArtScotland
Eve completes the Manhattan portion of the line near the West Side Highway & West 14th Street. Photo: Hose Cedeno (Permission Eve Mosher)
In 2007 the artist Eve Mosher, interested in climate change, followed the 10ft elevation above sea level around Brooklyn and then Manhattan. She called the work High Water Line. She used one of those push along carts that are used to mark football, baseball, rugby and other pitches with chalk (in the US called a heavy hitter, believe it or not). The New Yorker magazine carried the story post-Sandy.
Greenhouse Britain: Losing Ground, Gaining Wisdom started from the question, “The waters are rising. How can we retreat gracefully?” and the first works that the artists produced were the re-drawing of the UK coastline at the 5m, 10m and 15m marks.
Artist Chris Bodle did a similar exercise in Bristol – you can see documentation here.
Bill McKibben recently said that where artists cluster around issues you know something important is happening.
He’s been quoted as describing artists as ‘the antibodies of the cultural bloodstream”.
“Artists”, he says “sense trouble early, and rally to isolate and expose and defeat it, to bring to bear the human power for love and beauty and meaning against the worst results of carelessness and greed and stupidity. So when art both of great worth, and in great quantities, begins to cluster around an issue, it means that civilization has identified it finally as a threat.” (thanks to Roanne Dods/Clare Cooper for this quote)
Please comment with other examples of artists marking high water lines.
ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.
It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
Go to EcoArtScotland
Bill McKibben on the “torrent of art” about climate change
September 7, 2009 news, RSA Arts & EcologyAntibodies, Bill Mckibben, Bloodstream, Campaigner, Carelessness, Civilization, Climate Change, Earth, Ecology, Glaciers, Greed, Grist, Guggenheim, Immune System, James Balog, Lagging Indicator, Optimism, Performance Work, Privileged Role, Quantities, Romantic Idea, Time Lapse Photography, Torrent
Bill McKibben wrote recently on Grist.org about how, over the last few years, art has been shouting increasingly stridently about climate:
That torrent of art has been, often, deeply disturbing—it should be deeply disturbing, given what we’re doing to the earth. (And none of it has quite matched the performance work that nature itself is providing. Check out, for instance, James Balog’s time-lapse photography of glaciers crashing into the sea—if we could somehow crowd that thrashing sheet of ice into the Guggenheim for a week, people would truly get it.) But for me, it’s been more comforting than disturbing, because it means that the immune system of the planet is finally kicking in.
Artists, in a sense, are the antibodies of the cultural bloodstream. They sense trouble early, and rally to isolate and expose and defeat it, to bring to bear the human power for love and beauty and meaning against the worst results of carelessness and greed and stupidity. So when art both of great worth, and in great quantities, begins to cluster around an issue, it means that civilization has identified it finally as a threat. Artists and scientists perform this function most reliably; politicians are a lagging indicator.
I wonder, how true is this? Is identifying artists as the “antibodies of the cultural bloodstream” a hopelessly romantic idea, part of McKibben’s relentless optimism, an optimism that has sustained him for twenty years and more as a campaigner? Or will the next few years prove him right in his faith that, not only are artists making work of “great worth, and in great quantities” about the issue , but that art still has a privileged role in how society concieves of itself.
It’s certainly a role that many established artists would feel extremely uncomfortable with; but maybe this isn’t the time for such niceities.
Read Bill McKibben’s article in Grist.org
Bill McKibben’s 350.org campaign
Bill McKibben talks to RSA Arts & Ecology about his call for artists to lead on 350.org
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346554
|
__label__cc
| 0.529198
| 0.470802
|
Colchester (North) Station
Written by Steven Hughes - 28 Sep 2004
This station is on the Great Eastern Mainline between Chelmsford and Ipswich. It is usually the first stop of the Intercity services from London Liverpool Street to Norwich/Great Yarmouth. The nearest town is Colchester, about 5 minutes by bus or car.
Please note you may need a Platform Ticket or Ticket to travel to gain access to this station depending on which member of staff is on and how busy the station is. The station staff are used to enthusiasts but as always please be polite and move if requested to.
Normal traffic through this mainline station are 321/360 Electric Multiple Units. There are also have a regular 170 Working from Liverpool Street Station to Great Yarmouth during Peak times.
There is also a frequent service to Norwich using either Class 86s or more regularly Class 90s. Occasionally the Class 86/90 will be replaced by 170 units especially during peak times. The Class 86s are being phased out now and will only be in service during October.
The line also has a number of Freightliner and DB Schenker services, as well as the odd DRS Nuclear Flask service.
Colchester (North) Station is a relatively quiet mainline station during off peak times, although there is always plenty of activity. The station has full CCTV. There is plenty of shelter if it rains and you can still see what is happening from the canopies.
For those train enthusiasts who are wheelchair bound the station is very much accessible, although the staff are not too keen on helping you between platforms. The lifts are not open for public use and so you will require staff assistance to get between platforms 1/2 and platforms 3-6 (please note that platforms 3-6 are all accessible from the lift)
To find Colchester (North) Station simply follow the Signs for the Hospital (A+E). On the route to the hospital you will go past that station.
Colchester (North) Station map co-ordinates
To find parking can be a bit more tricky unless you intend to pay to park at the station. Probably the best bet is in the Industrial Estate very near to the station next to 'Wickes'.
The easiest way to get to this location by public transport is obviously by train. If you are coming in from Sudbury by bus then you just need to hop off at the Station Stop just under the bridge. If you are coming in by bus you will need to get a 5,8,8A,65,66,67,67A,78,78A or 753.
The usual rail station facilities are available including Toilets, Coffee Shop, Café and W H Smith's. Just across the road from the Station is the ASDA store with the usual supermarket facilities. There is also usually a Tea Van in the Wickes car park during the week which can be used. Both are just a couple of minutes walk from the station entrance.
Colchester (North) Station general view map
Colchester (North) Station close up map
Railway Gen Group
Anglia Gen
Photography at the station is normally very good almost all day. The only problems that may prohibit photography is first thing in the morning on a bright day when the sun is rising on the east of the line. The sun rises directly over the track. By about 8 in the morning the sun is at the side of the station and stays in a pretty good spot for getting the movements on platforms 1-4. Platform 5 and 6 can be a little more difficult during periods of intense sunlight. The best places to stand are at the most easterly of platform 4 or westerly end of platform 3. All trains that come into Colchester during the course of a normal day use platforms 1-5, with 5 being at the easterly end. Platform five holds the terminating Walton trains which arrive once an hour. Platform 6 just holds the early morning London services with the siding next to platform 6 holding the rescue thunderbirds when they are in attendance.
The intercity services usually use platforms 2 and 3, although occasionally the Norwich bound services may use platform 1 to either allow a passing service to go through, or to load any wheelchair passengers which may be travelling.
General views - All photographs © Steven Hughes unless otherwise stated
Fig 1 - Looking east
Fig 2 - Looking west
Fig 5 - The sidings
Fig 6 - Sheds
Shaws Farm Bridge
East Anglian Railway Museum, Chappel Station
Kelvedon Station
Kelvedon, Church Street crossing
Manningtree, Cattawade
Marks Tey - Long Green Footbridge
Baylham
Belstead Bank, GEML
Bentley Foot Crossing, Ipswich
Derby Road Station
Derby Road, Suffolk
Felixstowe Beach Station
Felixstowe Central Docks
Felixstowe, Clickett Hill
Felixstowe, Grimston Lane, Trimley St. Martin
Hatfield Peveral
Ipswich Station
Keepers Crossing, Gaymers Lane, Trimley
Levington, Felixstowe Branch
Nacton, Piggeries Crossing
Playford, East Suffolk Line
Stowmarket, A1120 over bridge
Westerfield, Suffolk
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346556
|
__label__wiki
| 0.614323
| 0.614323
|
India Internet TV
Watch India
With 6 different channels, Watch India brings you the best of Indian TV: 24-hour news from Times Now, with non-stop updates on current events, social, political and economic developments; the latest shows and specials from Zee TV including: Saath Phere, Kasamh Se, Banoo Main Teri Dulhan and many other drama, comedy and talk shows; Zoom TV with the finest and latest celebrity entertainment news; Aastha, India's No. 1 Socio-Spiritual-Cultural Network, with programming in Hindi, Gujarati and English; IOL Movie Channel with the biggest and hottest Bollywood hits, action, romance, drama, and comedy films along with the all-time classics; and Zee Sports covering the world’s sports news and happenings, in particular cricket and football.
Tags - Amitabh Bachchan, Sunny Deol, Aamir Khan, John Abraham, Aishwarya Rai, Karishma Kapoor
Categories - News, Entertainment, Sports, Movies & TV Shows
Stream - Live, Video Clips
Atom Entertainment
Atom Entertainment aggregates and distributes the best casual games, short films, and animations on the web. Atom Entertainment works with creative independent content developers to find and publish the very best casual games, short films, video and more to meet the new consumer demand for fun, short, accessible and unusual digital entertainment.
Tags - MTV Networks, MTVN, Comedy Central, Sci-Fi & Horror Hilarity, Sketch Groups, Love Sucks, Cinematic Comedy, Extreme Humor, Reality, Action Comedy, Spoofs, Cartoons, Atom Originals
Categories - Entertainment, Music, Movies & TV Shows, Comedy, Cartoons
EMOL has a library of over 100 movies and videos from the categories: Cartoon, Comedy, Adventure/Action, Crime/Mystery, Drama, Family, Horror, International, Musicals, Newsreels, Romance, Tsunami Videos, Westerns.
Tags - music, news, cartoons, animation, films
Categories - News, Entertainment, Music, Movies & TV Shows, Information, Comedy, Travel
GUBA offers thousands of videos from the categories: Action, Cartoons, Classics, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Educational, Family, Foreign, Independent, Miscellaneous, Music Videos, Romance, Sports, TV Shows.
Categories - Viral Videos
Ripe TV
Ripe TV is hot new Internet TV channel featuring action sports, music, comedy, and fashion. Fashion you ask? Well, trust us when we say you need to see for yourself. What sets Ripe TV apart from the rest is that a large portion of the shows are hosted by hot bikini or lingerie-wearing women. Ripe TV features shows such as Bikini World, Late Night, Viral Videos, Supermodel TV, Planet Reef, Gonzo Girls, Trashy Lingerie, The New Music, and Kung Faux.
Tags - RipeTV
Categories - Entertainment, Movies & TV Shows
SMIDGITS provide viral-video and podcast series, including action series The Cold Farewell, comedy spy series Poking the Eye of the Storm, Neighborhood News Knie-Las Vegas.
Categories - Entertainment, Comedy
Studentfilms.com
Studentfilms.com, the on-line filmmaking resource for film students and aspiring filmmakers everywhere. It is a massive database of over 400 films from the categories action, animation, comedy, documentary, drama, experimental, horror, music, commercial, Sci-Fi, thriller, trailer. Showcase your student short film on the site and receive valuable feedback from your peers.
Categories - News, Entertainment, Music, Movies & TV Shows, Information, Science & Technology, Comedy
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346562
|
__label__wiki
| 0.665422
| 0.665422
|
U R B A N C O N C E P T Z T H E A T R E
- HOME - ABOUT US - PRODUCTIONS - NEWS - CONTACT -
- D I R E C T E D B Y R Y A N D A V I D H A R S T O N -
A B O U T U S . . .
WELCOME TO URBAN CONCEPTZ THEATRE.
URBAN conceptz theatre is a visual and physical Theatre company set up by multi award winning* artist Ryan David Harston.
His work as a theatre director consists of original storytelling, poetry and spoken word that is lifted onto stage in a series of original productions crafted through the art forms of abstract physicality, dance and object manipulation. His main aim as a director and performer is to make work based around contemporary stories and situations that are real, raw and reputable. Stories that can resonate with audiences on a universal and unique level, whilst maintaining integrity and heart.
Ryan's style of work could be described as high paced, raw and extremely physical. He fuses original poetic writing with vivid visual elements such as mask work, object manipulation and nuanced digital media. Creating a unique physical and visual language that has become known as his signature style .
With a fusion of skills and attributes including; Parkour, Gymnastics, Breakdance, Contemporary and physical theatre UCT are setting out to establish themselves as the leading URBAN movement theatre company known today.
Ryan Harston visualises UCT as "A company that represents me, represents the individuals involved and speaks only through its artistic context".
*Arts Achiever Of The Year 2009
*Innovation In The Arts 2010
"An outstanding central performance from Ryan Harston." - British Theatre Guide
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346564
|
__label__wiki
| 0.61649
| 0.61649
|
Section Top - Reviews List - Game News - Submitting News
Hints for Nancy Drew: Stay Tuned for Danger
Nancy Drew: Stay Tuned for Danger Review
A good effort by Her Interactive, but not quite up to adventure gaming standards. Timed sequences could frustrate some players. May be a decent introduction to adventure games.
DreamCatcher Interactive
Her Interactive
Windows 95/98; 166 MHz Pentium Processor; 16 MB Ram; 8X CD-ROM drive
Click on any image for a larger view.
"Go undercover as super-sleuth Nancy Drew to save daytime TV's biggest star from danger lurking in the wings. You, as Nancy Drew, have just joined the set of a daytime drama on the hunt for a would-be killer." Rick Arlen, the handsome actor from daytime soap's "Light of Our Love," has been receiving death threats from an unknown stalker. Not only has he been receiving hate mail, but someone has also sent him poisoned candy and a broken watch with a note which read "Your time is running out!". Travelling to New York City, Nancy will search for clues in the TV studio, offices, and locked rooms. "Clues are everywhere you look, but so is treachery."
Her Interactive released their first Nancy Drew adventure game, Secrets Can Kill in 1999 and made many improvements in Stay Tuned for Danger, their second game. However, this second game still does not measure up to the caliber of other adventure games that have graced the store shelves.
The game does have its good points. The interface is easy to use and straightforward. There are no problems whatsoever with installation or saving and loading games. The music is pleasant, even though not overly imaginative. Character voices are done very well and their mouths move in sync with their words. Hot spots are large and easy to find.
The box advertises that the graphics are "rich, interactive, 360-degree, 3-D." Graphic scenery is pleasant on the eyes and realistic, but the player does not have free movement in all directions, as the description implies. In fact, in one or two spots the player cannot get the direction cursor at all, even though you should be able to turn there.
There are three "Challenge" levels to chose from when beginning a new game: Junior Detective, Senior Detective and Master Detective. Unfortunately, the only "challenge" happens during several timed sequences in the game. (Are experienced adventurers supposed to be faster than inexperienced ones?) More difficult puzzles for higher experience levels would have been a better choice. And speaking of puzzles, there are very few. The game is literally riddled with crytographic puzzles, but the majority of those puzzles provide no rewards and no real clues to the case.
I'm not a particularly virtuous person myself, but if this game is truly intended for children, there is one part that bothers me. Do we really want our kids to know that they can use a plastic card to unlock doors? A much better solution would have been to find a master key to unlock those doors. Breaking into buildings and private areas is against the law, isn't it? Certainly the creators of the game could have figured out a more lawful way for Nancy to get into those rooms.
The "20+" hours advertised on the box is pushing the truth a bit. The game is much shorter than that. I played as a Junior Detective and then as a Master Detective. It look me one day (about 8 hours) to get through it the first time -- and only 3 hours to finish it the second.
Billed "For Adventurous Girls 10 and Up", this is indeed a game for beginners. Her Interactive has created an interesting game for pre-teens and younger (boys as well as girls), but as a whole it will disappoint veteran adventure gamers. Let us hope that their next game, Message in a Haunted Mansion will be an improvement.
-- Jeanne Muse
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346565
|
__label__wiki
| 0.642221
| 0.642221
|
Strangers In A Tangled Wilderness
Producers of Radical Culture
Hurrah for Anarchy: Mayday as Celebrated by the Anarchists
La Vida Sin La Ley
Trump’s First Hundred Days and the Fascist Agenda
The Days After the Election and the Days Before the Revolution
The Criminal Legal System for Radicals
Baba Yaga Burns Paris to the Ground
A Mountain River Has Many Bends
Grin and Bare It All
Propaganda of the Dead
Life Without Law
Anarchy in the Age of Dinosaurs
Being the Explorations #5
Occupied London #5
The Super-Happy Anarcho Fun Book
These Burning Streets
Space Pirates With Mohawks And Shit
Jessup the Goblin
After Petroleum
All Our Zines
Infoshops
A list of all known collectively- and/or volunteer-run anarchist bookstores in the US and Canada
Radical Writing Markets
A list of radical-friendly markets for fiction, non-fiction, and poetry
by Alexander Reid Ross
First, the future
Fascists in the US today can agree on little more than the desire for a white ethnostate. Despite conjecture on Trump’s deep interests and desires, few indicators suggest that he would effect such a drastic transformation as that. However, it is the question of process that matters most.
There is truth to journalist Arun Gupta’s insistence that Trump’s program would lead to ethnic cleansing, which is why fascists have taken such a shine to him and why the ACLU has declared that they will “see him in court.” Trump has announced his plan to immediately deport as many as three million migrants from the US, and alt-right founder Richard Spencer, who has already associated Trump’s platform with “peaceful ethnic cleansing,” has called Trump’s presidency a “first step” toward a white ethnostate.
If one reviews the plans that Trump hopes to implement on his first hundred days in office, the glaring omissions may be the most important. First among these is the rights of women to their bodies — both in terms of reproductive rights and protection from sexual assault and harassment in the workplace, on city streets, and in relationships.
What stands out here is the cultural factor — the process through which the behaviors and attitudes of the ruling elite send signals to the public regarding what is acceptable — as well as the political factors tacit within legal rights to abortion and to protection from harassment and assault in the workplace. Reproductive control over women is seen by “race realists” as one of the primary ways of ensuring “racial purity,” but under a Trump/Pence agenda this would take place implicitly.
Among the members of Trump’s team who will have a say in the structuring of social dynamics is Peter Thiel, the top financier of the so-called neo-reaction, which mixes the elitism of fascists like Julius Evola and conservatives like Robert Carlyle with a kind of futurist, techno-fetishism assembled around the notion of right wing transhumanism. Thiel has shelled out for neo-reactionary Curtis Yarvin, who insists on a “neo-cameral” governmental system that would set up a CEO of the US, as well as Michael Anissimov, who once twitter harassed a female journalist, saying, among other things, “I just want to cut someone’s face and see their blood running down it and their crying in the meanwhile, LOL.”
Twitter harassment has been a mainstay of the neo-reaction, including GamerGate and the Sad Puppies movement that accompanied the SciFi Hugo Awards. Other neo-reactionaries, whose sadistic, dystopian elitism is deeply intertwined with white nationalism, include the video blogger RamZPaul, who appears regularly at “race realist” conference American Renaissance. This link with Trump should come as no surprise, given his attachment to Breitbart, which serves as a mainstream haven for white nationalism and neo-reaction.
Trumpism: Linking futurism to regression
Given this foundation in white nationalist futurism, there should be no surprise that Trump seeks to shred any small climate progress undertaken by previous administrations. Just as Trump once insisted he would turn the Republican Party into a workers’ party, workers are identified as the primary stakeholders in a new, aggressive economic drive to deregulate the energy industry. “I will lift the restrictions on the production of $50 trillion dollars’ worth of job-producing American energy reserves, including shale, oil, natural gas and clean coal,” he insists, adding that he will “cancel billions in payments to U.N. climate change programs and use the money to fix America’s water and environmental infrastructure.”
Interestingly, Trump claims to fix environmental infrastructure while insisting on defunding UN climate research and programs wrought from the global Conference of Parties (COP) process that has accumulated more than twenty years of arduous negotiations. This fantastical notion that the environment can be delinked from the climate and “fixed” without regulating industry forms a clever ideological fulcrum to convince people who want to balance the economy with ecology. However, without formulating any visionary economic policies, simply ceding the environment to the corporations takes the US back to the so-called “Reagan revolution,” which fully embraced the reactionary gaggle of ranchers, loggers, and miners who fomented the “Sagebrush rebellion” of the late 70s and early 80s.
It is of consequence that the same far right elements have accrued around Trump’s candidacy. The implications are that Trump’s environmental agenda will reset the Republican agenda of “drill baby drill” and return to the early Reagan Administration’s Department of the Interior under James Watts, noted for stating, “If the troubles from environmentalists cannot be solved in the jury box or at the ballot box, perhaps the cartridge box should be used.” In this way, like Reagan, Trump has fused futurist white nationalism with the atavistic illusion of traditional Americanism — ranchers on the old West, patriots, pioneersmen, and frontiersmen guided from the New York penthouse.
This kind of vast expansion of the extractive industries would only be possible through a sweeping transfer of public lands to private ownership — a demand that has just found its way to the Republican Party platform along with anti-GLBTQI language that GLAAD says makes it “the most hateful Republican Party platform in history.” Aside from giving the green light to the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipeline, Trump’s Republican Party that now holds the majority in Congress and the Senate hope to oversee one of the largest land grabs in US history — the effective elimination of the national forest system, wilderness areas, national monuments, wildlife refuges, and national parks. Obama was not an environmental president by any means; in fact, 2015 topped records for oil production in the US. However, Trump will only deepen the movement toward resource extraction and the devastation of what makes this place on Earth great.
Much of this direction hews to the Christian Reconstructionist philosophy that Mike Pence brings to the table. An incredibly powerful religious movement, Christian Reconstructionism asserts the divine mission of spreading Christianity over all corners of the world — and not just any Christianity. Theirs is an anti-GLBTQIA agenda that rejects women’s rights in favor of white, patriarchal rule over property and independent from virtually all regulation. Without the support of this movement, Trump’s own dissolute and atrocious behavior toward women and families would have ruled him out of the running.
It is this alliance, however, between neo-reaction and Christian Reconstructionism that marks arguably one of the weakest links in Trump’s populist alignment, and renders it a complex, radical right formation as opposed to an outright, hardline fascist movement. This is not to say that Reconstructionism is not friendly to fascists, or downright white nationalist — for instance, Trump’s domestic policy advisor for his transition team is a fellow at the anti-LGBQTIA hate group Family Research Council, whose Reconstructionist president Tony Perkins paid neo-Nazi David Duke $82,000 for a list of supporters to make robocalls on behalf of Woody Jenkins’s failed senatorial bid, and, about a decade later in 2002, provided the keynote speech for a white nationalist Council of Conservative Citizens fundraiser. However, it is difficult to see what kind of macabre chimera this coalition will form between the gay futurist, Peter Thiel, and the anti-gay Reconstructionists.
Steps toward fascist states
Deepening the populist rhetoric that marks his climate policy, Trump declares that he will immediately deport millions of undocumented migrants from the US, although the number he provides for the first push is a fraction of the 11 million he has presented overall. If he deploys civilian militias to help engage in this work, he is still not too far from Bush, Jr., or even Obama, who deported more immigrants than any other president in US history. Neither of those two worked to suppress the powerful border militias in the late 2000s, some of which were rather openly fascist in ideological disposition. However, what stands out in the numbers is that, while Obama deported more than 2.5 million migrants between 2009 and 2016, Trump states that he will deport as many “immediately.” His campaign used the number 11 million, which comes right out of the white nationalist movement.
From there, he plans to reform “visa rules to enhance penalties for overstaying and to ensure open jobs are offered to American workers first.” The opening part about enhanced penalties would obviously mean a life preserver for the prison industry, which faces challenges from abolitionists, the decriminalization of marijuana, the recognition of its social failures, and an institutional rejection of private prisons. Undocumented people caught re-entering the US will face a stiff prison term, entering a spiral of criminality that broadens as attempts build up. Furthermore, Muslims will be subjected to “extreme vetting,” a chilling phrase for all its lack of specificity.
The “Americans First” line and its references to a pro-Nazi anti-interventionist group in the inter-war period should not be overlooked. To help implement his plan for controlling migration, Trump has brought the architect of SB 1070, Kris Kolbach, onto his transition team. A veteran of anti-immigration network set up by white nationalist John Tanton, Kolbach helped create SB 1070 with the help of the American Legislate Exchange Council (ALEC). SB 1070 was then sponsored by the President of the Arizona State Senate, Russell Pearce, who once sent his supporters an article by the neo-Nazi group National Vanguard and endorsed neo-Nazi border militia leader JT Ready for public office.
By declaring that Mexico will pay for an incredibly expensive, large wall across the US-Mexico border, Trump provokes anger that he can use later as an excuse to deploy military or police operations across the border — perhaps something like an invasion. Although it would appear that an invasion would not be likely, this again would not be completely unprecedented, given the history of “Rough Riders” and the Roosevelt corollary to the Monroe Doctrine establishing intervention in Central and South America in the event of debt default, as well as more recent Drug War-related interventions into the politics of Central America — particularly, the invasion of Panama under Bush, Sr.
Given Trump’s trade agenda, such an open form of imperialism would act as a kind of foreign policy replacement for neoliberalism. His promise to reign in corporations by drawing factories back into the US and to lower the business tax for everyday Americans speak to the values of “the little people,” the middle class or petite-bourgeoisie. Trump’s further scapegoating of China as a “currency manipulator” will exacerbate the ongoing tensions in the South China Sea, and likely increase the militarization of Japan, while also increasing racist persecution of Asians in the US.
The aggression toward China is accompanied by the favoring of Putin, an alliance that would marginalize other global powers — not least of which being the European Union and perhaps even NATO — and challenge the US’s pretensions to unilateral global superiority. Instead, Trump would play into deeply-rooted fantasies of what Russian fascist Alexandr Dugin calls “a multipolar world” of apartheid-style ethnostates from Portugal to Berlin to Moscow and down to the Indian Ocean. It also exploits long-standing racist attitudes toward Asians in general in the United States, which are shared across the Atlantic in Europe by populist radical right Eurosceptic parties linked by Moscow’s support and a Duginist network that will surely feel a boost as the Trump wave’s demonstration effect washes ashore.
Trump has already begun reaching out to radical right populist parties in Europe — even before reaching out to their respective heads of state. The Islamophobic sentiment that Trump rode into power could easily give itself to a rising wave of anti-Semitism, as represented by the alt-right — particularly if the populist radical right sweeps away the left and center in the next round of elections. That Trump has indicated that he will continue the mass rallies while in office suggests the ominous potential for collective, mass violence and an ongoing personality cult.
Thwarting the ethnostate
What carries over most of all in Trump’s populism is his determination to “drain the swamp” of Washington, DC. Imposing term limits on Congress and diminishing the federal payroll through attrition speak to longstanding populist complaints with federal corruption and over-spending. We can likely rule term limits out, since the Senate and House will both be controlled by politicians who enjoy term limits very much. However, the “draining of the swamp” can be tied to slashing progressive budget initiatives supported by Democrats, while the attrition of the federal workforce gives people with the ability to fire their subordinates the ability to create a controlled, tradition atmosphere that rapidly shunters into obsolescence.
As the data shows, the cross-class mobilization of interests that Trump galvanized was not particularly impressive, falling behind Romney and McCain in votes gained. Just over a quarter of eligible US citizens voted for Trump. However, the radical rejection of the “DC establishment” pulled the Democrats under water, as Hillary’s constituency bailed on her at the ballot box. The press’s rejection of Bernie Sanders in favor of Clinton during the primaries rendered her most valuable media partners moot in those northern states still fuming over the suppression of their favorite blue-collar candidate. “We just saw massive shifts in the industrial midwest from ’12 to ’16, and those are the same voters,” said David Wasserman of the Cook Political Report. Now that Democrats like Elizabeth Warren and AFL-CIO are singing the tune of reconciliation, the press seems subdued as Trump ushers futurist white nationalists and regressive Christian Reconstructionists into the White House.
The question of fascism that has lingered for so long amid this election becomes more important in the long run. More than one-third of Trump’s supporters follow open white nationalists on Twitter, who are among the most outspoken advocates of Trump’s policies; meanwhile, his past relations with Roy Cohn, Roger Stone, and other grey eminences point to a creeping fascism under the populist generalism. His team would involve other white nationalists like Kobach, assuring that the deportations would lead closer to a white ethnostate, the rejection of a woman’s right to make decisions that immediately effect her own body and physical wellbeing would fall under patriarchal control, and this is to say nothing of what he will do to labor organizing — just remember what the AFL-CIO was saying a few months ago.
In August 25, 2015, I wrote an article called “Trump the Fascist,” in which I stated that Trump’s trajectory “lands quite clearly in the tradition of ultra-nationalism known as ‘Americanism.’” With his palingenetic overtures to the rebirth of an old, dying America, Trump has certainly activated the mythical core of the fascist imaginary, which is being enacted throughout the US in the form of a spate of recent hate crimes that may carry on through the weekend. Although Trump’s agenda is a mixed bag between what one can precisely describe as fascist or white nationalist and the populist radical right, it is this trajectory that truly matters, which is why his policies and the white nationalism that he encourages must be directly confronted and opposed. People of conscience with any faith in liberty and justice must openly resist the decline into racist hatred and violence, effectively halting the momentum of the Trump wave by making our cities and towns safe for all people.
Alexander Reid Ross is a lecturer at Portland State University. His latest book, Against the Fascist Creep (AK Press), is forthcoming.
Posted on November 21, 2016 December 29, 2016 Author adminCategories Texts
Previous Previous post: Instead of a safety pin
Next Next post: Our Work Has Begun; the Future is Coming
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346570
|
__label__cc
| 0.71737
| 0.28263
|
Utherwald Press
Frozen Skies Session Two: Flying Murder Hobos
Continuing on from the last session, our intrepid band of layabouts find themselves lurching from one spot of trouble to another. Along the way they make contact with Alyeska's criminal underworld, get blacklisted from drinking establishments, add a town to their 'never visit again' list and end up in the sky pirate haven of Broken Spires.
Oh, and a possible date with the law in the immediate future.
Job Done...Or Is It?
After completing their supply run to the logging camp at Taran's Bluffs, the crew of the airship Waylander head back to Bowerstead Post to collect their payment of 20 sovereigns (the main currency in Frozen Skies) each. Bowerstead's foreman, Hardwick, says he's heard about the Windryder attacks at Taran's Bluffs and that his superiors are going to be breathing down his neck about operations being forced to cease at Taran's Bluffs. So Hardwick orders the characters to head back to Taran's Bluffs and deal with the problem, offering to pay 25 sovereigns to each character.
Tag and Alex went and tracked down Ardan Gowan in order to speak to him about selling the weapons they'd salvaged from the sky pirate planes. Ardan offered to pay half-price for the guns, round 75 sovereigns, but needed a day to get the money together. Tag and Alex agreed to meet up with Ardan the following evening at Ardan's warehouse. Ardan also mentioned if they wanted some extra work, strictly off the books, then he might have something for them. They also spoke to Hardwick about getting an extra crewman for the Waylander, Hardwick managed to rustle up a guy called Mick who would act as a gunner on the airship.
The following day the crew stayed at Bowerstead, Tag spent the time up-armouring the Waylander to add a little extra protection. Evening time rolled around and Tag got the rest of the crew to drag the weapons to Ardan's warehouse where the exchange went without a hitch. About the job offer Ardan had, he said seek him out in a couple of days. Tag then went to one of the saloons in Bowerstead and hired himself five extra hands and equipped them with rifles and ammo, effectively starting his own merc company.
Back To The Bluffs
Another night was spent in Bowerstead before the crew headed back out to Taran's Bluffs, though Tag brought them to the site of the third crashed plane. Though somebody had gotten there before them; the pilot had been buried, anything of value removed and the wreck put to the torch. Tag just shrugged his shoulders and got back in the airship to continue their journey, though they ended up being forced to detour due to a storm/blizzard (Random Encounter). At the Bluffs they checked in with Mosley, who stated that the Windryders had become wary since the machine gun the crew left had been setup. But they still haven't been able to resume operations and so Mosley would be happy if things got resolved as quickly as possible.
The characters asked about the men who came through the camp just before the attacks sorted, they received description of the men and their plane. It was concluded that the men were probably poachers who'd stolen some dragonhawk eggs, thus angering the Windryders. The characters also learn that some of the workers overheard the men talking about going to the town of Aran Crag to the west. After detailing a couple of their hired guns to stay at Taran's Bluffs, the crew set off once more into the wild blue yonder.
Go West!
Heading west they came across a merchant airship with a fighter escort (Random Encounter again), who exchanged greetings and news. A while later, the salt mining town of Aran Crag came into sight. Leaving Mick and the other three hired guns on the Waylander, the rest of the crew split up to see what information they could find in town about the poachers.
George visited various stores in the town to see what he could find out about dragonhawk eggs. He managed to learn how big they usually are and that 'rich toffs' generally paid alot of money for them. None of the shopkeepers knew whether there were anyone in town with that sort of money, but the only guy came close was a director of the mining company who lived in town in his mansion.
Herbert and Sebastian visited the least rough looking bar they could find. Herbert has the Big Mouth hindrance and soon as they had walked in, Herbert called out "Hi, we're looking for poachers! Is there any poachers here? Does anyone know of any poachers?"
Then the scraping of a heavy wooden chair as it gets pushed back and the bar's doorman got to his feet before stomping his way over to the new arrivals. He made it clear in no uncertain terms that Herbert and Sebastian ought to leave. Sebastian did so, dragging Herbert alone with him.
Tag and Alex had better luck at the airfield where, through a generous donation to the widows and orphans fund, they discovered that the poachers did stopover in the town to refuel their aircraft. However, the poachers filed a questionable flightplan but one of the airfield guys did get a glimpse at the plane's cargo and confirmed that it was wooden crates and nets. Heading back to the airship to wait for the others, Tag and Alex spotted a guy hanging around and spoke to him. The guy identified himself as a trader of a sorts called Harold and suggested that they needed to speak to certain members of the crew about keeping their mouths shut. Another sizeable donation to the widows and orphans later, they had learnt where the poachers were most likely heading and took Harold up on is offer of a 'small errand'.
Words were had when the rest of the crew arrived back at the airship and together they set off to a nearby small town to do Harold's errand.
Smalltown Sojourn
Harold's errand involved meeting a guy in a nearby town and picking up some goods that Harold wanted, basically ran the 'Things Never Go Smooth' adventure from the Frozen Skies book. Rolled on both tables so that there were complications both with the guy the characters had to meet and with the goods they were to collect.They rocked up at the town, went into the sole saloon and asked about the guy they had to meet.
They got told he was dead.
He'd been filled with lead a couple of days previously after he got caught cheating at a game of cards, though he owned a small warehouse. With no better option, the crew went and checked out the warehouse but found it locked. Alex had a go at a bit of Lockpicking and the roll he got meant he literally just had to turn the handle. Inside they found some crates, George found one containing what looked like a highly advance but ancient looking technological device (Ancient Terran Artefact). Alex meanwhile rummaged through the officer, looking for shipping records and also emptied the safe whilst he was at it. Sebastian kept watch outside and saw a group of men emerge from the saloon and heading in the direction of the warehouse.
Realizing that they were now on the clock, Tag ordered everyone to check the crates and load anything of value on a motor-truck. Of particular interest was a bunch of rifles, couple of SMGs and a 9mm pistol. Being the only one with the Driving skill (even then a d4), George jumped in the driver's seat and attempted to smash his way through the doors. Two bennies later he managed to avoid absolutely failing and put his foot down, by this time the group of men were right outside the doors as the truck came smashing through them. One managed to jump out of the way, but the others weren't so lucky as the truck drove over the top of them. The survivor ended up being shot by Sebastion (potentially resulting in a very interesting conversation with the law at a later date).
They loaded the crates onto the airship in double-quick time and hurried back to Aran Crag. They handed the artefact over to Harold, who gave them their money back and some advice on getting to Broken Spires. Before leaving, they made another donation to the widows and orphans fund and all records of their visit to Aran Crag mysteriously vanished....
To The Spires!
The route to Broken Spires is long and difficult, involving flying through mist shrounded twisting canyons. Tag rolled three Piloting rolls, though had to spend a benny on the third one to avoid a mishap. Their first glimpse of Broken Spires was described as a town that would give health and safety a heart attack.
On approach to the town, they spied numerous airships that belong to various different sky pirate gangs. They also spotted a skyship which, unsurprisingly, Tag wanted to avoid angering the owners of. After finding some place to dock their airship, they were greeted by a clerk. Tag gave a false name, a small donation and the clerk responded. "Welcome to Broken Spires Mr Smith."
This time they decided to stick together, mainly so that they could ensure that Herbert kept his mouth shut. It was decided to head into one of the better looking taverns they could find, hopefully to reduce their chances of getting into trouble. Inside where a couple of sky pirate gangs; one all-female and the other looking like viking pilots with a white wolf's head logo on their jackets. Tag quickly directed them to the bar, ordered drinks for the crew and spoke to the bartender. The bartender confirmed that there was a gang of poachers in town and they were led by a guy called Travis Perkins.
With the information they needed, Tag directed the crew to leave the tavern. However, Alex had already asked the bartender to take a round of drinks over to the viking pilots and say that the drinks were from the all-female sky pirates. Fearing a bar brawl, Tag got the crew outside where they waited to see what would unfold. The viking pilots let out a cheer at unexpected free drinks, couple of them think to try their luck and wonder over to the all-female sky pirates. Female sky pirates object to the unwanted attention and introduced their feet to somewhere personal before leaving, the rest of the viking pilots started howling with laughter.
Outside, Tag nods at the female sky pirates and their leader returns the nod before her gang walked off down the street. We then finished things there with the characters preparing to visit the poacher's compound.
Think I'm starting to get a feel for what the group is going to do, though they now have a few options to explore.
The incident with the motor truck could cause them trouble later on, but I understand that the characters will be taking steps towards 'damage control' (ie, they're planning on repainting the airship). Herbert's Big Mouth is probably going to get them in trouble again and again, especially if they have a run-in with the law.
Tag starting his own merc army is something that I am going to need to deal with at some point, though the characters' actions so far have given me a couple of ideas there.
Going forwards, airships are probably going to have two different Toughness stats for the gasbag and control cabin/gondola respectively (like in the Pulp Gear Toolkit). Hopefully we'll get some more aerial combat soon, so it'll be interesting to see how that works with the rules ideas I've had.
Posted by Stephen 'Stormwell' Hughes at 06:30
Labels: Campaign, Frozen Skies
Utherwald Press is a small indie role-playing games company based in Norwich, UK.
Email: utherwald@gmail.com
Asperger Writer SciFi & Fantasy
Exilian
Frozen Skies Session Three: Beneath The Spires
Frozen Skies...Now Airborne!
Rogue's Gallery: Marauders
Update June 2018
Adevnture (FS) (1)
Adventure (CWS) (1)
Adventure (FS) (1)
Aircraft (CWS) (1)
Aircraft (FS) (9)
Alyeska (16)
Artian (4)
Campaign (27)
Cold War Skirmishes (14)
Commonwealth (27)
Creature Feature (6)
Darkwatch (5)
Darmonica (19)
Forsaken Space (3)
Frozen Skies (93)
Gazetteer (12)
Genchi (4)
Gwentshire Chronicles (10)
Iron Collective (6)
Keep The Home Fires Burning (4)
Mist-Bound (1)
Pamdinia (1)
Rogue's Gallery (13)
Setting Idea (6)
Sodkan (6)
SWADE (29)
Taramate (2)
Tyland (3)
Update (CWS) (1)
Utherwald (4)
Weapons (CWS) (3)
Windryder (4)
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346579
|
__label__cc
| 0.624583
| 0.375417
|
Citadines Cebu City opens its doors, elevates Cebu hospitality scene
If you’re Cebu-bound and looking for comfortable, stylish accommodation to serve as your home away from home, you’ll be delighted to know that Citadines Cebu City is now opened.
The first Citadines Apart'hotel in Cebu City promises to bring travelers’ experience several notches higher with its warm, personalized services and its well thought-out serviced residences that combine the best of home and hotel living.
Citadines Cebu City is The Ascott Limited’s first property in the queen city of the south and was undertaken in collaboration with Cebu Landmasters, Inc., the recently recognized best developer in the Philippines by the Philippine Property Awards. Situated within Base Line Center, which houses several lifestyle conveniences in the best possible location in the heart of Midtown Cebu’s serene surroundings.
“Ascott Limited is thrilled to welcome guests into the newly-opened Citadines Cebu City to elevate the Cebu experience. This is Ascott Limited’s first property amongst the four with Cebu Landmasters Inc. The strategic alliance will focus on properties in key cities in the Mindanao and Visayas regions – such as Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Dumaguete and Iloilo,” said Mr. Daniel Wee, The Ascott Limited’s Country General Manager for the Philippines.
Showcasing the significance of the event, Citadines Cebu City’s soft opening turned out to be a veritable who’s who of the hospitality industry. In attendance were The Ascott Limited Philippines Country General Manager Daniel Wee, Deputy Country General Manager Philip Barnes, City Manager Susan Salcedo, Residence Manager Nanette Moreno, along with CLI’s Chairman, President and CEO Jose Soberano III and Director, EVP, COO Jose Franco Soberano, and Director of Assets Mathias Bergundthal. Also present was Abaca Baking Company’s Head Jason Hyatt.
The Citadines staff accommodated everyone with their famous Cebuano hospitality, as evidenced by their warm smiles and welcoming grazing table set by their partner food and beverage partner, the Abaca Baking Company.
Guests marveled at the art pieces in Citadines Cebu City’s lobby area, an architectural gem that creates a homey atmosphere and makes guests immediately feel right at home. Done in vibrant colors, it showcases works and accent pieces by local craftsmen and renowned Cebuano artists such as Kenneth Cobonpue, Bobby Lagdameo, and Inky Livie.
Envisioned to be functional yet cozy at the same time, Citadines Cebu City offers 180 serviced residences that marry the conveniences of a modern home and the services of a hotel. Travelers have a choice of studio queen, studio twin and one-bedroom suite.
Citadines Cebu City’s rooms are a study in functionality and efficiency. Each serviced residence comes with its own kitchen, wireless internet access, home entertainment system, individual air conditioning, and even a built-in a washer and dryer in each unit. At the same time, it offers concierge and housekeeping services, a 24-hour reception and guest service team to ensure safety and security, and a gym to help tenants stay fit and healthy. The property also features The Abaca Group for its food and beverage services as the partnership includes running the serviced residences’ daily breakfast, banquet facilities and in-room dining.
Citadines Cebu City is close to famous tourist spots such as Magellan’s Cross, Basilica del Santo Nino, Fort San Pedro, Casa Gorordo Museum, Fuente Osmena circle, the Taoist temple, and the Provincial Capitol. Several restaurants offering Cebu delicacies, including its world-famous lechon, are close by. Moreover, Ascott’s hosts are on hand to guide guests in planning their trips, whether it is to visit the whale sharks of Oslob or to check out the danggit at Carbon Market.
Next time you head over to Cebu, make sure to check out www.citadines.com for a pleasant and enjoyable stay.
About The Ascott Limited
The Ascott Limited is a Singapore company that has grown to be one of the leading international lodging owner-operators. Ascott's portfolio spans more than 170 cities across over 30 countries in Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the USA.
Ascott has more than 59,000 operating units and over 42,000 units under development, making a total of more than 101,000 units in 680 properties.
The company’s serviced residence and hotel brands include Ascott, Citadines, Citadines Connect, Somerset, Quest, The Crest Collection, lyf, Préférence, Vertu, Harris, Fox, Yello and POP!.
Ascott, a wholly owned subsidiary of CapitaLand Limited, pioneered Asia Pacific’s first international-class serviced residence with the opening of The Ascott Singapore in 1984. Today, the company boasts over 30 years of industry track record and award-winning brands that enjoy recognition worldwide.
Ascott’s achievements have been recognised internationally. Recent awards include World Travel Awards 2019 for ‘Leading Serviced Apartment Brand’ in Europe and the Middle East; DestinAsian Readers’ Choice Awards 2019 for ‘Best Serviced Residence Brand’; TTG China Travel Awards 2019 for ‘Best Serviced Residence Operator in China’; World Travel Awards 2018 for ‘Leading Serviced Apartment Brand’ in Asia, Europe and the Middle East; Business
The Ascott Limited (Regn No: 197900881N)
Glorietta 4 Ayala Center Makati City 1224 Philippines t(63-2) 729 9888 f(63-2) 728 0000
www.the-ascott.com
Traveller Asia-Pacific Awards 2018 for ‘Best Serviced Residence Brand’; Business Traveller UK Awards 2018 for ‘Best Serviced Apartment Company’ and Business Traveller China Awards 2018 for ‘Best Luxury Serviced Residence Brand’. For a full list of awards, please visit https://www.the-ascott.com/ascottlimited/awards.html.
Labels: Ascott Limited , Citadines , Citadines Cebu City
Milk Tea Alert: McDonald’s Milk Tea McFloat now wi...
“foodpanda highlights food scene through foodtogra...
Citadines Cebu City opens its doors, elevates Cebu...
A Taste of Thailand at The Cafe at Hyatt Regency, ...
Heed the Siren’s call with the mystical Starbucks ...
Cucina celebrates Marco Polo’s birthday!
Save the Day with Jollibee’s Justice League Kiddie...
Chicken N' Mojos, Perfect Together Wherever, Whene...
Paradise Dynasty's Chef Recommendations at The Pod...
“Pizzaiolo Extraordinaire” on showcase for La Vida...
Make merienda extra special with Kuya J Merienda E...
Introducing the Jollibee Bacon Cheesy Yumburger an...
Popeyes fried chicken lover wins trip to Louisiana...
BAVI launches new Chooks-to-Go flavor to celebrate...
Jose Mari Chan teams up with McDonald's PH Chairma...
Sip delicious smoothness with Starbucks’ autumn-in...
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346582
|
__label__wiki
| 0.774078
| 0.774078
|
Saturday, January 18 2020
Home/ Technology/Upcoming Windows 10 Update Focuses On Microsoft Edge Development
Upcoming Windows 10 Update Focuses On Microsoft Edge Development
Microsoft has been lagging behind the rivals in web browser segment for quite some time. Despite its repeated efforts to revamp the aging Internet Explorer browser and introducing its successor named Edge, rival browsers like Firefox and Chrome have captured the majority of market share in the last decade. While Edge browser offers faster performance and enhanced features compared to IE, it has not been much successful in wooing the majority of web users, including those using Windows 10. It seems the upcoming Windows 10 update will focus majorly on Microsoft edge development along with unveiling other software updates.
The new insider preview focusing on Edge
Microsoft recently unveiled a new Insider Preview build which adds lots of security features and enhancements to the Edge web browser. The primary text editor Notepad, which ships with all versions of Windows, also gets some nifty new features. The Insider Preview Build 17713 is being deemed as an essential update to Windows 10 by the tech experts. Windows Insider is Microsoft’s open software testing programme enables users with valid Windows 10 license to test pre-release builds which were earlier given only to the developers. This preview release also brings a few new sign-in methods.
Notepad receives a much-needed boost
While Microsoft focused on upgrading its popular commercial Office productivity suite MS Office over the years, the Windows integrated text editor Notepad was left mainly ignored. With the ‘Build 17713’ the change is going to be significant. The Company’s blog post mentions Notepad getting a useful “wrap around” option to enhance find feature. Besides, Notepad will let the users zoom-in into text using standard keyboard shortcuts.
Edge to get more functionality
The much-touted browser, which is bundled in with users, Windows 10 will get several enhancements in the coming days, as per the updates.
The users can choose to let media autoplay work on every website or sites of their choice.
The browser now comes with a built-in dictionary which is handy for use in Reading view. It can be launched easily too.
The in-browser PDF viewer also gets some enhancements including a new toolbar.
The browser can be set to show or hide the favorite bar on every page. It now replicates the working mechanism used in the Google Chrome browser.
The browser can display a custom URL when home button is pressed. It can be set as the home page of a search engine too.
What it all leads to?
The Preview Build 17713 looks quite exciting, but it is not a stable release. So, the users opting for it may run into some stability and usability issues. The real glitches, if any, will be ironed out in the final stable release update. The final release may contain a few more updates for Microsoft edge development but the exact time of publication is unknown. It remains to be seen if the upcoming updates can help Edge in coping better with its famous rivals and increasing its market share.
edge browser insider preview Insider preview build 17713 Microsoft edge windows 10 insider preview windows 10 update
Vivek is a Content Executive & Outreach specialist for Blogs. He is also a writing enthusiast fond of healthy and happy living. He believes Knowledge gets better when shared. So he founded The Mindful Bytes as a platform for people who love to read and write anything that has to do with Health, Tech, Business, Finance, and Lifestyle.
Artificial Intelligence and Humor: The Mighty Collaboration that Rules Our Future
Method of Testing Performance of Laboratory Pass-Through Desiccators
Amazing New Android P Features That You Should Know!
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346591
|
__label__wiki
| 0.631651
| 0.631651
|
Home Other Editorial Andreas Kappes
Andreas Kappes
It’s with much sadness that we report the death of former Six Day and road star, Germany’s Andreas Kappes at just 52 years of age.
He was stung by a bee whilst on cycling team management duties and died from ‘allergic shock’ on 31st July.
Kappes was one of the all-time great Six Day men, rated 18th in the last edition of the Six Day results ‘bible’ – ‘Statistieken.’
Andreas Kappes. Photo©Christof Koepsel/Getty
Off 122 starts he recorded only two DNF and scored 24 wins, 24 second places and 26 third places.
Of those 24 wins, 13 came with Belgium’s Etienne De Wilde off 30 starts, making them the 11th most successful team in history – the Swiss duo of Bruno Risi and Kurt Betschart are the most successful with 37 wins off 130 starts.
His career was also noteworthy for it’s longevity, from 1987 to 2008 – Danny Clark had the longest career, from 1974 until 2000.
He is ‘recordman’ on rides at Bremen – his home city – with 22 starts but despite his six wins there he’s not ‘recordman’ on victories with that honour going to Dutch Six Day great, Rene Pijnen on seven wins.
And whilst Kappes’ first big success came on the track, winning the World Junior Points Race title in 1983 he was also a gifted road rider with the season-opening Omloop Het Volk and multiple stages – including one in the Giro – to his credit.
He was an Olympian at Los Angeles in 1984 with his pro career beginning with the West German, Buss team in 1987; but he was snapped up by Toshiba and finished the year with stage wins in the Ruta del Sol and Red Zinger (USA) stage races.
Still with the French team for 1988 he scored stage wins in the Midi Libere, Paris-Nice and Giro.
He won his first Bremen Six Day in 1989, again with Toshiba, as well as the Sixes in Dortmund and Munich.
On the road he won Paris-Camembert, the Ronde de L’Oise and two stages in the Tour of Switzerland – and managed a top 12 placing in the Tour of Lombardy.
Toshiba again in 1990 with winning the Cologne Six as the hi-lite.
Andreas rode for Histor in 1991. Photo©republica
He transferred to Belgian team Histor for 1991, took the prestigious one day Spanish race the Trophy Luis Puig, Omloop Het Volk, a stage in Paris-Nice and was second in the tough GP Plouay. On the track there were Six Day wins in Cologne, Bremen, Munich and Stuttgart.
He won Bremen again in the colours of Telekom in 1992; and was with Mecair-Ballan for 1993 with a win in the Stuttgart Six and an impressive 13th spot in the World Road Race Championship in rain sodden Oslo behind Lance Armstrong.
In 1994 with Trident he was back on the podium at Het Volk and won stages in the Dunkirk Four Day and Tour of Switzerland – and there was another win in Bremen.
In 1995 he was in the colours of Italian team Refin, winning the Gent Six Day and the hotly contested and lucrative Coca Cola criterium series in Germany.
He remained with Refin into 1996 and won in Cologne again as well as taking a stage in the GP Tell in Switzerland.
With Mediapark Koln for 1997 he won the Bremen and Stuttgart Six Days.
German squad Gerolsteiner in 1998 and wins in the Cologne and Leipzig Six Days with only points race master Juan LLaneras able to best him in the Worlds.
Agro Adler was the name on the jersey for the next three seasons and in 1999 there were wins in the Six Days of Berlin, Munich and Stuttgart – and a stage win in the Deutschland Tour.
The Bremen Six Day fell to him in 2000, as did Stuttgart.
Photo©Christof Koepsel/Getty
There were no wins in 2001 but he made the podium in Berlin, Bremen, Dortmund, Gent and Stuttgart.
In 2002 he followed the route of many Six Day men of the era and rode for ‘personal’ sponsors, recording his penultimate Six victory in Dortmund.
The following year, 2003, saw him win the European Madison Championship with Andreas Beikrich and still be able to burn up the German criterium scene.
It was 2004 when he won his last Six Day, Stuttgart with Beikirch and Gerd Dorich [three man teams] with podiums too in Bremen, Berlin, Dortmund, Munich and Gent.
In 2005 he was still active on the German criterium circuit and was second in the Stuttgart Six Day.
A year later, in 2006 he won the German Derny title to add to the stayer title he took in 1999.
It was 2008 when he finally called time after winning a Derny paced race in Rhede.
His career was winding down just at the time I started working at the Six Days but remember being excited about being in the presence of one of my track idols. With that tan and thick black hair he always looked a million dollars.
Photo©Joachim Frey / Actionpress
The last time I saw him he was working as a mechanic at the London Six Day; I meant to get an interview but never did. A big mistake on my part, that opportunity has now gone forever.
Andreas Kappes, bona fide Six Day vedette, Het Volk winner, Giro stage winner and cool guy, rest in peace sir.
Berlin Six Day
Six Day Racing
Previous articleCallum Johnston – Inside the Baby Giro
Next articleIn the Event of a Bee Sting when Riding Your Bike
Ed's been involved in cycling for over 45 years. In that time he's been a successful time triallist, team manager, and sponsor of several teams and clubs. He's also a respected and successful coach, and during the winter months can often be found working in the cabins at the Six Days. Ed remains a massive fan of the sport and couples his extensive contacts with an inexhaustable enthusiasm for the minutiae and the history of our sport.
Alfie George – On Winning the u23 Gent Six Day!
Editorial November 15, 2019
Sadly, on 13th November at the age of 83 – he was born on April 15th 1936 – Raymond Poulidor, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur left us. Rest in peace, Monsieur Raymond Poulidor – second in le Tour but winner in the hearts of the French public.
Editorial October 5, 2019
Tony Hoar, Britain’s second Tour de France finisher and famously, ‘lanterne rouge’ in the 1955 Tour de France has died in his adopted home of Canada, aged 87 years.
Felice Gimondi
Editorial August 17, 2019
Felice Gimondi, Grand Tour conqueror, Classics winner, ‘chronoman’ of quality, stylist, gentleman and all-time great, rest in peace sir.
Derek Harrison
Editorial July 16, 2019
British Tour de France winners are now commonplace but back in my youth, we could only dream of such things; however we had warriors out there, battling Johnny Foreigner in his back yard – Barry Hoban, Mike Wright and a chap called Derek Harrison. Harrison died in Pernes-les-Fontaines, Provence, France on May 12th last year at 74 years-of-age.
Editorial April 19, 2019
After a long illness, former Olympic Champion Patrick Sercu, holder of 58 other titles at World, European and National level, undisputed Six Day king with 88 wins and Tour de France green jersey, passed away today, 19th April in Belgium.
Editorial January 22, 2019
Not long after the loss of Andreas Kappes and Dieter Kemper the world of Six Days mourns the loss of another of the greats with the news that Denmark’s all time number two Six Day man, Gert Frank passed away on January 19th at the age of 62.
Editorial December 3, 2018
‘Well Phil,’ the words that we all remember so well, used by Paul Sherwen when he was about to put co-commentator Phil Liggett right about something during one of the hundreds of Tour de France stages the pair covered for TV networks from England to Australia via the USA. Sadly, we’ll hear that catch phrase no more, the 62 year-old Briton having passed away in his sleep at his home in Kampala in his adopted nation of Uganda on Sunday.
Lewis Oliphant
Editorial November 5, 2018
This is the least favourite part of having our own wee website; writing the obituaries of bright young men with most of their lives still ahead of them. This past week we lost Lewis Oliphant, perhaps best known for his exploits on the grass track. At VeloVeritas we knew Lewis but couldn't claim to know him well; what we've done then is to ask for people who were close to let us have their tributes.
Norman Sheil
Editorial October 26, 2018
Just days after we penned our tribute to departed six day Great, Germany’s Dieter Kemper, we find ourselves having to write another tribute to a track star. This time, one of Britain’s own, twice World Amateur Pursuit and twice British & Commonwealth Games Pursuit Champion, Norman Sheil.
Dieter Kemper
It was British former motor pace rider, Six Day and road man Norman Hill who informed us of the passing of one of the Six Day Greats, at the age of 81 years; a true ‘all-rounder’ and one of the all-time Six Day Greats, ‘Rest in Peace' Dieter Kemper.
Armand de las Cuevas
Editorial August 3, 2018
It hasn’t been a good week for the sport of cycling’s past champions; but not just men who won races, colourful men with personality. First we lost six day star Andreas Kappes to a bee sting, of all things. And we heard today that Armand de las Cuevas had taken his own life on the Island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean, which was his home in recent years.
It’s with much sadness that we report the death of former Six Day and road star, Germany’s Andreas Kappes at just 52 years of age. He was stung by a bee whilst on cycling team management duties and died from ‘allergic shock’ on 31st July. Kappes was one of the all-time great Six Day men, rated 18th in the last edition of the Six Day results ‘bible’ – ‘Statistieken.’
Ivor Reid
Editorial June 19, 2018
On Tuesday morning we awoke to the sad news that North of Scotland stalwart, Ivor Reid had died at just 57 years-of-age. Tragic. I wasn’t privileged to call Ivor a close personal friend but I knew the man for a long time; from the early 80’s and when we met there was always a warm hand shake and some good chat. When I saw pictures of him racing as a ‘Master’ on the track I always had to smile; the gear was always the best and right up to the minute - be it aero helmets, ‘keirin’ gloves, wheels, shoes, his enthusiasm and love for all things track cycling shone from those images.
Graham Webb
Editorial May 29, 2017
The sad news came through from Belgium on Sunday morning that Graham Webb, British World road champion in 1967, had passed away. Our condolences go to his family and the many friends and fans he had in the cycling community. A great champion and a wonderful guy. Ed interviewed Graham back in 2009, and we thought that reproducing the interview now would be a good tribute to the man. In memory of Graham; his views on the sport back in 2009. 'Former World Road Race Champion,' yes, that would be nice to have that after your name!
The Scottish Road Race Championship 2010 – Endura Whitewash!
Scottish Cyclo-Cross Championship 2008
Gent Six Day 2012 – Sunday Finale
Tour of Britain 2006 – Day 4: Stage 4, Wolverhampton to...
Dave Sanders – Racing with Wiggo’s dad in the 70’s Archer RC
Interviews March 16, 2014
One of the men who has helped a lot of top Aussie riders progress is a certain Dave Sanders – but Mr. Sanders isn’t just a man who has read a lot of books and can work a laptop. He was a hard riding man in his day – back in the 70’s he raced in the UK in the Archer Road Club’s famous ‘Aussie Squad’ with Bradley’s dad, Gary Wiggins and recent VeloVeritas interview subject Murray Hall. Here’s his tale...
Copenhagen Six Day 2013 – Day Two
Diaries February 1, 2013
There’s a boxing ring in the track centre here at the Copenhagen Six Day, apparently there are matches taking place on Saturday evening – and they present the riders up there.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346603
|
__label__cc
| 0.570476
| 0.429524
|
Videos Kick
Tag Archives: #Door to Hell Derweze Turkmenistan
Adventure, Interesting Facts, News, Unique Places
Door to Hell,Derweze, Turkmenistan|Nayab khan
August 21, 2015 Videoskick
The Door to Hell is a natural gas field in Derweze, Turkmenistan that has been burning continuously since it was discovered in 1971.
Panorama of the gas site burning, 2011
Region: Derweze, Ahal Province
Offshore/onshore: Onshore
Coordinates: 40°15′9.4″N 58°26′21.8″ECoordinates: 40°15′9.4″N 58°26′21.8″
Field history
Discovery: 1971
Abandonment: 1971
The field is situated near the Derweze village. It is in the middle of the Karakum Desert, about 260 kilometres (160 mi) north of Ashgabat. The gas reserve found here is one of the largest in the world. The name “Door to Hell” was given to the field by the locals, referring to the fire, boiling mud, and orange flames in the large crater, which has a diameter of 70 metres (230 ft).The hot spots range over an area with a width of 60 metres (200 ft) and to a depth of about 20 metres (66 ft).
The site was identified by Soviet engineers in 1971.It was originally thought to be a substantial oil field site.The engineers set up a drilling rig and camp nearby, and started drilling operations to assess the quantity of oil available at the site. When they instead found gas, the ground beneath the drilling rig and camp collapsed into a wide crater and disappeared.
Expecting dangerous releases of poisonous gases from the cavern into the nearby towns, the engineers saw it as best to burn the gas off.The gas was estimated to burn out within a few weeks, but it has instead continued to burn for more than four decades after it was set on fire.Reportedly, local spiders are attracted to the heat and often throw themselves into the pit.
The crater was featured in a Die Trying episode titled “Crater of Fire”. Explorer George Kourounis became the first person to ever set foot at the bottom, gathering samples of extremophile microorganisms. The episode was broadcast on the National Geographic Channel on July 16, 2014.
Effects on future development of gas:
The deposit as seen at night, 2010
In April 2009, the president of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, visited the site and ordered that the hole should be closed, or measures be taken to limit its influence on the development of other natural gas fields in the area. Turkmenistan plans to increase its production of natural gas, intending to increase its export of gas to many countries for example Pakistan, China, India, Iran, Russia, and Western Europe from its present level to 75 million cubic metres (2.6×109 cu ft) in the next 20 years
Collected And Prepared By Nayab Khan
#burning#burning continuously#Door to Hell#Door to Hell Derweze Turkmenistan#drilling rig#engineers#flames in the large crater#Karakum Desert#north of Ashgabat#Panorama of the gas site burning#Soviet#Soviet engineers#substantial oil fieldDerwezeTurkmenistan
#5 Things That Could Happen In ‘Game Of Thrones’ Season 6 #burning #coffee #drink #drinks #food #limestone #pakistan animals beverages body Central Intelligence Agency city covered day diet earth Eminem friends heart holiday ingredients inspired karachi located location Mars mysterious NASA nature people placed places popular Professor public sophisticated special The Winner Takes It All tom cruise United States warm water winter world
We kick your videos!
Categories Select Category 7 Wonders Of The World (5) Adventure (41) Aliens (3) Artistic (5) Astronomical (5) Bollywood (4) cartoons (5) Counter Strike (1) facebook (2) Funny (44) Independence Day (1) Interesting Facts (60) Islamic Republic of Pakistan (5) Legendary Artifacts (6) movies (15) Fantasy (4) Hollywood (12) News (43) Quotes (2) Restaurants (5) social networking (2) Sports (4) Technology (13) Trailers (1) Turkish Jewelleries (2) Uncategorized (77) Underwater (8) Unique Places (19) wild life animals (5)
Subscribe To Videoskick
Subscribe and get all the updates right on your email address!
Is Titanic was a S.S Titan? It sank or they Sinked - coincidence or Planned?
Princess of Hope & Sphinx Like Structure 740 Year Old Mountain Near Gwadar, Makuran Coastal Highway!
13 Muslim Inventions & Discoveries To Modern The World In Islamic Age
M[...]
Eat 2 Banana's In A Day That Give Change In Your Body
Fresh Mint, Valued For Its Medicinal & Fresh-Smelling Fragrance.
F[...]
The Mystery of "Unknown Man E". Is Murderous Son of Ramesses III?
Follow Us On Dailymotion:
VideosKick on
We Are On Twitter Too:
Follow @videoskick
Categories Select Category 7 Wonders Of The World Adventure Aliens Artistic Astronomical Bollywood cartoons Counter Strike facebook Fantasy Funny Hollywood Independence Day Interesting Facts Islamic Republic of Pakistan Legendary Artifacts movies News Quotes Restaurants social networking Sports Technology Trailers Turkish Jewelleries Uncategorized Underwater Unique Places wild life animals
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346604
|
__label__wiki
| 0.794577
| 0.794577
|
Iranian president calls for implementation of law blacklisting Pentagon
TEHRAN, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Monday issued an order to implement a law blacklisting the U.S. Department of Defense as "terrorist organization," Tasnim news agency reported.
In a statement, Rouhani called on relevant Iranian organizations to implement the law which was passed by Iran's parliament.
According to Iran's parliament vote on Jan. 7, "all members of the Pentagon, the affiliated institutions and companies, and the U.S. commanders who planned and perpetrated assassination" of Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), were blacklisted.
The law has been endorsed by the Guardian Council of Constitution as the high legislative body of Iran.
In April 2019, Iran's Supreme National Security Council also announced U.S. Central Command forces in West Asia as "terrorist group" in retaliation for U.S. designation of the IRGC as "a foreign terrorist organization."
Roundup: Int'l community calls for de-escalation of U.S.-Iran tensions
U.S. slaps fresh sanctions on Iran despite international call for restraint
News Analysis: Growing Iran-U.S. conflict on Iraqi soil threatens to spill over to entire Mideast
Whooper swans spend winter at nature reserve in Rongcheng City, E China's Shandong
Dallas' Japanese community celebrates Year of Rat in Texas, U.S.
People take part in annual No Pants Subway Ride event in New York
Black-necked cranes seen in river valleys of Lhasa, China's Tibet
Ice trekking event held in NE China's Liaoning
Xi stresses strengthening checks, oversight over exercise of power
Xi extends Spring Festival greetings to military veterans
Xinhua Headlines: Devastating Australia bushfires overshadow people's lives amid slow government response
/ 01. Interview: Lausanne 2020 chief keen to transfer expertise to Beijing 2022
/ 02. Spotlight: Smart health devices boom at CES 2020
/ 03. Beijing quests for smarter, greener, coordinated development
/ 04. Annual Spring Festival gala staged in U.S. Houston
/ 05. Spotlight: U.S. tech companies eye closer cooperation with China
Winter scenery of Wufeng international ski park in China's Hubei
World's largest radio telescope starts formal operation
In pics: ice sculptures at Harbin Ice and Snow World
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346616
|
__label__wiki
| 0.695153
| 0.695153
|
Osth
"Pretending a Name Is Still Secret–in the Name of the Cult of Secrecy"
"CIA Officer Craig Peters Osth" (also from the same source some internationally wanted fugitives from the 'Milan job', Peter Chung-Sik Baek and Thomas James Sullivan; you'll remember that Robert Seldon Lady - who you are supposed to feel sorry for - escaped only by the skin of his teeth and some CIA bribes paid to officials in Panama)
"Information Monopoly Defines the Deep State" Update of Max Weber's monopoly-of-force definition of 'state'.
This obsession of the !% and its minions in collecting secrets has a very fin-de-siècle air about it. They have a lot more wealth tied up in secrecy than the 99% do, and a lot of people working for the 1% know these secrets and could reveal them. We're seeing more and more wealth tied up in secrets as the truth would be too embarrassing or too revealing of illegality and general sociopathic behavior.
Any country that is a victim of the United States could start revealing the names of CIA station chiefs and other employees. There is a kind of 'gentleman's agreement' not to do this, but the Americans are behaving so abominably that nobody considers them to be gentlemen.
Jordanian lawmakers vote to prohibit natural gas imports from Israel - Press TV – January 19, 2020 Jordan’s parliament has voted in favor of a motion to ban natural gas imports from the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the ...
Girls just want to have shekels
Like turning a battleship
Totalitarianism to save income inequality
Jesus isn't Polish
"I was absolutely shocked by what I read"
Fake-ileaks
Robert Levinson
Foreseen by many
Sudden collapse of Israeli diplomacy
Elliot Higgins and Matthew Van Dyke
Work backwards
The unintended consequence of too much success
Not fooling anybody
The conspiracies to discredit
The Canadian slides
Can we be proud of who we are and still be good pe...
Stealing secrets
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346618
|
__label__wiki
| 0.535572
| 0.535572
|
101Homedesign -
What Does Traditional Style Furniture Look Like?
Traditional style furniture is different from western style furniture as classic style furniture posses completely different features. Further, it has warm, vibrant colours that grab one’s attention instantly. Moreover, this type of furniture has exotic embroidery and is plush, soft. Also, it is considered a symbol of wealth and luxury for centuries.
Modern Architecture House: Some Interesting Characteristics
What Is Modern Architecture Called?
However, significant types of Traditional Furniture are
Jacobean (1600-1800)
Now, this style emerged from the English Early Renaissance. Further, it features straight lines, ornate carvings and the most crucial dark finish.
William And Mary Style Traditional Furniture (1690-1735)
Now, this style of furniture was famous in the late 17th and early 18 century. Also, it’s essential characteristics are it’s Dutch and Chinese Influence. Also, there are features of the ball feet of Spanish and Oriental lacquer work.
Queen Anne (1700-1755)
Now, this emerged in the early 18 and mid 18th century during the reign of Willian III of England. Further, it’s essential characteristics are cabriole legs, fiddle- backed chairs and drawer pulls in the shape of a bat.
Pennsylvania Dutch Traditional Style Furniture (1720-1830)
Now, it is furniture based on American style in combination with a few influences from Germany. Also, it’s chief characteristics are utilitarian simplicity and cases painted in colourful designs of folk painting.
The style designed exclusively during the French Revolution for Marie Antionette. Further, this style drew inspiration from neoclassical design. Moreover, Louis XVI furniture features Greco-Roman influence and Straight lines. Also, from classical motifs and carved details.
Chippendale (1750-1790)
This style created in London by a small Cabinet maker. Further, there are images of Gothic, French and Chinese influences in the furniture. Also, Queen Anne style is visible in furniture. Additionally, Chippendale furniture’s characteristics are cabriole legs, ball, and claw feet.
Hepplewhite(1765-1800)
It is named after the famous London designer George Hepplewhite. Further, it was much recognized in the early United States. Also, it’s characteristics are delicate appearance, legs which become narrow at ends and contrasting veneers and inlay.
Sheraton Traditional Style Furniture (1780-1820)
It is named after the famous English designer George Sheraton, whose work resembles Hepplewhite but overlaps it.
Moreover, it’s features are straight lines, contrasting veneers, and simplicity.
Federal Style Furniture(1780-1820)
Federal furniture is a mixture of the Hepplewhite and Sheraton styles. Also, it is famous for its contrasting veneers, ornamentation, and gracefully straight lines.
Arts And Craft Style Furniture (1880-1910)
They resemble the ideas of famous artist Willian Morris. Also, arts and craft furniture resemble the Arts and craft movement. Further, it’s primary characteristic is a simple utilitarian design.
Scandinavian Contemporary (1930-1950)
It originates from the European countries. Also, this design was famous in the early 20th century. Moreover, it features three tenets which are:
Firstly, tenets of functionality
Secondly, tenets of minimalism
Thirdly, tenets of Simplicity
Further, it incorporates a practical design made with natural, high-quality wood.
These were some types of traditional furniture. Thus, we hope that you liked these designs as much as we do.
different traditional furniturefeatures of traditional furnituretraditional style furniture
Valance Curtain Royal Luxury Design
Kitchen Mats: Colorful And Water Absorbent
How Can I Make My House Look Luxurious?
Apps Home Designs: Find The Best
Living Room Decor Ideas From Scratch
The House Design That Will Rule In 2019
Self-Adhesive Wallpaper Border Sticker Roll
Raul Wallenberg 4, Tel Aviv,
+972 37484000-3
Metal Figurines Home Decoration
What Is Home Decorating? Home Decor
Is It Better To Have Home Gym Ideas Or One Should Go Out For…
Brilliant Ideas About How To Keep Your Room Warm And Cozy
Decorating Trends
Elegant Valance Curtain Royal Luxury Design
Home Solid Perfume Lasting Fragrance
Single Floor House Design
Space Saving Interior Design
Space-Saving Items
© 2020 - 101homedesign.com. This website was built by | Nr. 1162. All Rights Reserved.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346620
|
__label__cc
| 0.611072
| 0.388928
|
The Great Sea
Truth is relative to personal bias
SECTION 1: Derivative Images by the Author
SECTION 2: Images From Other Authors
SECTION 3: Original Images of the Author
Tag Archives: zarah
Fight Club Kabbalah And The Matrix: Predictive Programming; Sept 11th 2001; Deutsche Bank; Mecca Clock Tower Attack
11 Sept, 11 September, 11 september 2001, 11/9, 2001, 2016, 6 electrons, 6 neutrons, 6 protons, 666, 9/11, abraj al bait, Abraj_Al_Bait, akhet, Aleister Crowley, aleph, aleph-111, ancient egypt, antichrist, apollyon, Architect, atom, attack, babalon, babylon, bail out, bailout, banker, banking, Baphomet, Beast, binladen, black swan, Boaz, Brad Pitt, breaking the jubilee, building 7, carbon, Carrie-Anne Moss, christ, clock, clock tower, conspiracy, coptic new year, Crowley, crown, David Fincher, deutsche bank, double aleph, dual aleph, Edward Norton, Eyes Wide Shut, falling crown, false flag, Fight Club, financial crisis, flood, freemason, freemasonry, Giza, gnostic, Great Pyramid, hajj, hajj sacrifice, Hegelian dialectic, human sacrifice, illuminati, illuminati card game, inside job, inundation, IS, Isaac, Ishmael, ISIL, ISIS, Islamic State, Jachin, jericho, jesus, Jesus Christ, Johnny Depp, Judah, kaaba, Kabbalah, Keanu Reeves, khnum, Khufu, Laurence Fishburne, lehman brothers, lucifer, luciferian, Makkah, Marla Singer, Masjid al-Haram, Mason, masonry, Matrix Reloaded, Matrix Revolutions, Mecca, mecca clock, Merovingian, mosque, Muhammad, Neo, New World Order, new york, New York City, Ninth Gate, nowruz, NYC, occult, odile, Oracle, pharaoh, pharez, potters field, Predictive Programming, prostitute, Pyramid, rahab, Rockefeller, roman polanski, Rosemary’s Baby, rothschild, sacrifice, samantha geimer, Satan, Satanic, scarlet cord, scarlet thread, Scarlet Woman, september 11, sharon tate, Solomon, synchrocynicon, synchromysticism, Tabernacle, tamar, TBTF, Temple, terrorism, terrorist, The Matrix, The Walk, Thelema, thelemic, Thelemite, to big to fail, too big to fail, towers, Trinity, twin towers, Tyler Durden, V for Vendetta, Valley of the Dolls, vesica piscis, virgin, Wachowski, Whore of Babylon, Wicca, widow, witch, witchcraft, World Trade Center, wtc, WTC 1, WTC 2, WTC 7, zarah, Zion
The 1999 movies Fight Club and The Matrix both incorporated symbolic and/or informational ‘predictive programming’, which in a general sense simply means they included deliberate public displays of content which predictively communicated major future events; albeit retaining a cloak of plausible deniability through deliberate obfuscation, and/or non-specificity. Fight Club is a movie which contains an abundance of predictive esoteric information, which was custom designed to be complimentary with the September 11th 2001 Twin Towers false-flag terror attack, which occurred exactly two years after its first screening on September 10th 1999 at the Venice Film Festival. The Matrix contained a much more subtle informational insert; however, this single instance was contextually important enough to similarly link the actual event of September 11th 2001, to the overall themes of initiatory enlightenment and human control systems expressed in the trilogy.
This series of posts are designed to be an in-depth esoteric and psychological examination of these connections – especially in the case of Fight Club and The Matrix franchise – but in doing so I will also make mention of Valley of the Dolls, Eye of the Devil, Rosemary’s Baby, V for Vendetta, Eyes Wide Shut, Ninth Gate, Black Swan, The Walk, the prescient and ever relevant insights in George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, and unexpectedly the Back To The Future movies. The esoteric systems of Hermetic Kabbalah, Freemasonry, Neotantra, and Thelema, will be exposed as being central to the programming in these movies, as well as the September 11th 2001 World Trade Center false-flag attack, and a possible sister event involving the Mecca Clock Tower and Kaaba.
[SPOILER ALERT: If you have not seen Fight Club yet, this post will spoil the plot]
The above twelve minute video by Apophenia Productions needs to be viewed in order for this post to be fully understood. This video came to my attention about a year ago, and reinforces my two year suspicion that the Sept 11th 2001 Twin Tower attacks are only one half of a New World Order ritual, and that the Mecca Clock Tower is a long planned sister event. The movie Back To The Future (1985) directed by Robert Zemeckis, and its sequel Back To The Future Part II (1989), contain unmistakable evidence of foreknowledge for a double-event ritual, over fifteen years before the first event occurred. As the above video reveals, the maker of this well produced expose has not realized that he has discovered evidence of a double-event, and instead believes that this blatant predictive programming is a synchromystical reference to the single Twin Towers attack, which in turn was a ‘synchromystical portal’ to awaken people in some kind of evolutionary initiation. In this post I will give another interpretation of the purpose of these esoteric symbolic inserts, because I favor a more conspiratorial interpretation of the motives behind predictive programming, though the concept of a world wide initiation ceremony is quite apropos (intentionally for malevolent luciferian and gnostic purposes, not benevolent ones).
“But Marty has foreknowledge of two events”
The above video is very well produced, and should be commended for the quality of its content and communications clarity. However, an earlier video by the same producer is shown below, because it illustrates something very important about the BTTF movies which is not explained so clearly in the newer version above. I have time-stamped the video viewer below to begin at the 9:20 mark. Make sure you watch the below video for two minutes until the 11:20 mark to see my point about the significance of two events, and how the newer video above did not so clearly develop this important aspect. The narrator in the older video aptly states: “But Marty has foreknowledge of two events“; referring to the Twin Pines Mall attack, and the Clock Tower being struck by lightning. The first BTTF movie does indeed revolve around Marty’s knowledge of exactly two central plot events: A Clock Tower lightning strike in 1955, and an Islamic terror attack on Doctor Emmett Brown in 1985 at the Twin Pines Mall.
ABOVE: EERILY PREDICTIVE GAMING CARDS
RELEASED IN THE 1994 STEVE JACKSON
GAMES, “ILLUMINATI: NEW WORLD ORDER”
As I have been exposing on this blog for nearly two years, the Sept 11th 2001 attack by ‘Binladen box-cutters’ (yeah, right), on the 7-towers of the Rockefeller initiated World Trade Center, was a geopolitical catalyst designed to unleash a worldwide Hegelian dialectic (Ordo Ab Chao), which is only completed once the reciprocal attack occurs involving the Saudi Binladen Group built 7-tower Abraj al-Bait complex (Mecca Clock Tower). This obvious worldwide ritual initiation into a New World Order initially using the Twin Temple Pillars, requires TWO EVENTS; one in the western world, and the other in the eastern world. I came to this conclusion early in 2014 whilst in deep thought over the ritual aspects of the Twin Towers, because from a geo-political point of view the Twin Towers and ‘Islam vs the West’ narrative, was extremely lacking in coherence. If the western oligarchy are to solidify their power with the Gulf Cooperation Council puppets they sponsor politically and militarily (Saudi, Qatar, Kuwait, U.A.E., Oman), in the key Middle East crude oil and natural gas fiefdoms, then a kind of MENA Caliphate needs to be catalyzed on the same scale as the European Union. This would obviously be an event that would require a pan-Islamic catastrophe. So I started looking for such a catalyst, obviously starting in Mecca with the Kaaba; the literal sacred center of Islam. It didn’t take me too long to notice the BIG Clock Tower, and also the fact that it was built by the Saudi Binladen Group. As the Illuminati Card Game cards (shown to the right) which were produced within a decade of the BTTF movies suggest, a COMBINED DISASTER is maybe on the cards (pardon the pun).
Shown above is the clock tower prop flyer used in the BTTF movie [LARGER FLYER IMAGE HERE]. Notice the picture which features the top of two pillars on a town hall facade, and also the clock dial sitting atop them in the tympanum: symbolically Twin Pillars + a Clock in a Pyramid. I extrapolated on the significance of this pillars and pyramid arrangement, and why the concept of TIME and SPACE are related to Twin Pillars and the star Sirius – on pages 8-14 of my original 77-page PDF document BREAKING THE JUBILEE 77, 2014 (released Oct 2014). Further down in this current post I expand on this esoteric concept greatly, so I hope the reader will take the time to consume the importance of this symbolism. The ‘filler text’ used in the actual movie prop flyer is not related to the Clock Tower in the movie, but is instead a frequently utilized generic text used in Hollywood movie props – including Fight Club. This text was detectably used as early as Rocky II (1979) in mock newspaper pages. The text importantly includes the following excerpt:
“Thus at this conference all our governments found themselves in unanimous agreement regarding this undertaking. Arrangements for dealing with questions and disputes between the republics were further improved. Of no less importance was the common recognition shown of the fact that any menace from without to the peace of our continents concerns all of us and therefore properly is a subject for consultation and cooperation”
This text is not relevant to the movie, but is relevant to the New World Order motives I have been outlining on this blog. After much research, I have found that these words are taken from an international address by Cordell Hull, the longest ever serving U.S. Secretary of State (11 year term). They are contained within a widely circulated press release 77 years ago, dated December 13th 1938, regarding the 8th Pan-American Conference; which was held at Lima, in Peru. As one of the worlds leading WWII era internationalists, Cordell Hull would go on to become the main architect of the United Nations, which as my readers will be aware, is a globalist order posing as a ‘peace’ organization, conceived during, and birthed after, the chaos that was WWII; which to its architects was the necessary chaos to conceive an embryonic World Government, which is what the United Nations strives to become after high levels of engineered global chaos allow one to be formed. The Imperialistic technocrats who secretly steer the United Nations, will not stop contriving major chaos until they get what they desire; the whole world! Cordell Hull is known as the ‘father of the United Nations’; a moniker that U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt showered on him, and for this reason, Hull is one of the historical darlings of self proclaimed ‘progressives’ worldwide, who beg for an un-elected global technocracy to rule over them.
As a ‘progressive’ Democratic Party apparatchik from Dixie frat land, Hull is remembered as one of the movers who placed President-for-life F.D.R. into the White House, and the point-man for the U.S. Income Tax (Internal Revenue Service), which is the enforcement arm of the usurious Wall Street dominated Federal Reserve System. The ‘Fed’ is a ‘legal’ fiat money cartel, technically referred to as a private/public hybrid; a super-quango with a monetary monopoly. This cartel, however, is actually totally private when we consider that T.B.T.F Fed Member Banks donate the largest amounts to the election campaigns of American politicians, or provide them with personal loans to fund their own campaigns; as in the recent, very cozy case of Senator Ted Cruz, and Goldman Sachs, which coincidentally is where wife Heidi also works as an executive. Cordell Hull, it needs to be known, was a complete racist (read his memoirs), and a globalist who attacked import tariffs and embraced ‘free trade’; which is code-speak for support of off-shore multi-national monopoly capital cartels, who are shacked up with the T.B.T.F. members of the Fed and BoE money cartel, all ruling over a commercial empire enforced at the expense of entrepreneurial domestic businesses – which get regulated and taxed out of existence.
It should come as no surprise, therefore, that while in the halls of power, Cordell Hull was a very active Anglo-American Commercial Imperialist – posing as a “progressive” – who stated repeatedly that only ethnic European’s had the right to rule over other cultures (in an act of benevolence), and last, but not least, that the U.N. should be an agency to “prosecute war”, not to enforce peace; though the public relations people at the U.N., after its foundation, seemingly had a more pragmatic approach to branding. Presciently: “WAR IS PEACE”; as George Orwell aptly popularized. Winston Churchill had a similar view regarding a “world army” to “enforce peace”; so, dear reader, take a look at NATO, study Operation Gladio, and ask the question: “Who are the REAL global terrorists? … and who are their ‘useful idiot’ patsies?”. The Twin Towers and the Mecca Clock Tower attacks are the required worldwide ritual to consolidate the United Nations into a functional World Government – call it a christening – thus the appearance of the words of the author of the U.N. Charter on this flyer are important; especially the phrase “any menace from without to the peace”; which is the Hegelian modus operandi of the Imperial technocrats who run the United Nations from behind the vail of secrecy. This is the true reason for the Twin Towers & Mecca Clock Tower sister events: The deliberately nurtured enemy is ‘global terrorism’; the only victim is human freedom from an Imperial technocratic tyranny.
This series will analyze and develop the meaning of the Back To The Future predictive programming explained in the above videos, by broadening the scope to include deep analysis of two other predictive programming projects; The Matrix Trilogy and Fight Club. I will also attempt to place these movies into their similar framework which revolves around elite psychology, and to develop a theory of this psychology using an aspect I label the Emmanuel Golstein Complex; derived from George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. This novel will also be analyzed from the standpoint of elite psychology. I will also further develop some esoteric aspects of the symbolic architecture of the Twin Towers and Mecca Clock Tower, and explain how they will, and have been used, to create an initiatory liminal A∴A∴ ritual to manifest Aleister Crowley’s satanic Aeon of Horus.
“In a time of universal deceit,
telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
― Anonymous; sometimes attributed to George Orwell without citation.
By aamichael666 • Posted in 666 - Carbon, 666 - Number, Geopolitics, Movie Analysis, Movie: Fight Club, Predictive Programming • Tagged 11 Sept, 11 September, 11 september 2001, 11/9, 2001, 2016, 6 electrons, 6 neutrons, 6 protons, 666, 9/11, abraj al bait, Abraj_Al_Bait, akhet, Aleister Crowley, aleph, aleph-111, ancient egypt, antichrist, apollyon, Architect, atom, attack, babalon, babylon, Back To The Future, bail out, bailout, banker, banking, Baphomet, Beast, binladen, black swan, Boaz, Brad Pitt, breaking the jubilee, BTTF, building 7, carbon, Carrie-Anne Moss, christ, clock, clock tower, conspiracy, coptic new year, Crowley, crown, Darren Aronofsky, David Fincher, deutsche bank, deutsche boerse, double aleph, dual aleph, Edward Norton, Eyes Wide Shut, failure to deliver, falling crown, false flag, Fight Club, financial crisis, flood, freemason, freemasonry, Giza, gnostic, gold, Great Pyramid, hajj, hajj sacrifice, Hegelian dialectic, human sacrifice, illuminati, illuminati card game, inside job, inundation, IS, Isaac, Ishmael, ISIL, ISIS, Islamic State, Jachin, jericho, jesus, Jesus Christ, Johnny Depp, Judah, kaaba, Kabbalah, Keanu Reeves, khnum, Khufu, Laurence Fishburne, lehman brothers, lucifer, luciferian, Makkah, Marla Singer, Marty Mcfly, Masjid al-Haram, Mason, masonry, Matrix Reloaded, Matrix Revolutions, Mecca, mecca clock, Merovingian, Michael J Fox, mosque, Muhammad, Neo, New World Order, new york, New York City, Ninth Gate, nowruz, NYC, occult, odile, Oracle, pharaoh, pharez, physical gold, Polanski, potters field, Predictive Programming, prostitute, Pyramid, rahab, Robert Zemeckis, Rockefeller, roman polanski, Rosemary's Baby, rothschild, sacrifice, samantha geimer, Satan, Satanic, scarlet cord, scarlet thread, Scarlet Woman, september 11, sharon tate, Solomon, synchrocynicon, synchromysticism, Tabernacle, tamar, TBTF, Temple, terrorism, terrorist, The Matrix, The Walk, Thelema, thelemic, Thelemite, to big to fail, too big to fail, towers, Trinity, twin towers, Tyler, Tyler Durden, V for Vendetta, Valley of the Dolls, vesica piscis, virgin, Wachowski, Whore of Babylon, Wicca, widow, witch, witchcraft, World Trade Center, wtc, WTC 1, WTC 2, WTC 7, zarah, Zion
Mecca Clock Tower and Kaaba False-Flag Attack For Sept 11th 2018? 17th Anniversary of WTC Attack, Happy New Year Israel?
On Notice: Qatar Given 10 Days To Comply With Newly Re-Arranged NATO-GCC-Egypt Sunni Axis To Hold Back ‘Kings Of The East’
June 15th 2017: Vestalia PHOENIX-44 Ritual Double Sacrifice For Ariana Grande Concert Dangerous Woman Tour In Rome, Italy?
June 9th 2017: Vestalia PHOENIX-44 Ritual; New World Order Double Sacrifice For Lyon At Ariana Grande Dangerous Woman Tour?
June 7th 2017: 2nd Ariana Grande Concert NWO Terror Attack Phoenix Ritual In Paris? 44th City/Venue Of Dangerous Woman Tour!
May 25th 2017: 2nd Ariana Grande NWO Terror Attack Phoenix Ritual At O2 London? 44th City/Venue Of Dangerous Woman Tour!
What Is The Owl/Minerva Rule? Wikileaks; Trump; Clinton; Libyan Civil War; Anti-US EU-Centric #Pizzagate New World Order!
#ProjectVeritas: One Small Iceberg In The Rigged Political Ocean [Sewer] Exposed! #FOVAL #CREAMER #CLINTON Criminals!
12 Oct 2016: Yom Kippur; Day of Ashura; Augustalia; Crowleymas; Fall of Babylon To Cyrus; Possible Mecca Clock Tower Attack?
Babylon The Great: 1666 London Burning; Burning Man; Mecca Clock Tower Burning; September 11th; 2001-2016; Ritual Altars!
Mecca Clock Tower New World Order Attack For The Hajj On September 11th 2016?
MSM WHORE’S OF WAR: The Truth About the #Syrianboy Viral Photo. Its really a story of two boys. #OmranDaqneesh
April 22, 2016: U.N.Holy International Mother Earth Day 666 Carbon Control Signing Ceremony In N.Y.C, & The Mecca Clock Tower Passover False-Flag Sacrifice!
WWIII: The Loosing Of The Four Angels Bound Up In The Great River Euphrates!
34 Sunni Led Islamic Countries Create ‘Coalition Against Extremism’ with Saudi-Turk Leadership! Vestigial Caliphate?
Black Friday Paris Terror Attacks Update: COP21/PARIS 2015 – How Convenient!
The Theory And Practice Of Oligarchical Collectivism
77 SHEMITAH: The Fall Empire EQUINOX And The Mecca Clock Tower Attack!
Thoughts On Mecca September 11th 2015 Crane Tragedy: The BIG One Comes!
Aug 11th 2015: Possible date for Mecca Clock Tower Attack (& St Clare Bloodline)
7/7/2015: Mecca Clock Tower False-Flag Attack and NATO Pipedreams
9/6/2015: Vestalia, Spirit of the Flame, Mecca Clock Tower . . . Addendum
9/6/2015: Vestalia, Spirit of the Flame, Mecca Clock Tower, The Roman Phoenix
8/5/2015: White Lotus Day and the Mecca Clock of 1000 Point’s of Light?
23/4/2015: Saint George, the Clock Tower, the Mecca Cube, and the Chaos Dragon
18/3/2015: Phoenix Rising On Jerusalem, But The Mecca Clock Tower Is First
3/3/2015: Haman’s Curse And The Destruction Of The Mecca Clock Tower
666: Her Name Was . . . Removed
Saturday 31st Jan 2015 at 5:55PM Mecca Time: Clock Tower and Kaaba Attack?
77:Inverse Pentagram, Thelemic Calendar, Gematria, Guidestones, AA-77
24th Jan 2015: Possible date for Mecca Clock Tower Attack
14th Jan 2015: 111 Days After Georgia Guidestones Kaaba Substitute Smashed
11th Jan 2015? Mecca Clock Tower Attack & New World DisOrder Timeline
MH17 Falling Star: ‘Flood’ Announced Using Sirius Symbolism
22 Nov 2014: Georgia Guidestones 666 Time-Cube, Smashed To Represent Future Mecca Kaaba & Clock Tower Attack!
22 Nov 2014: Mecca and the Sirius Pyramid Double Transit
Mecca Clock Tower Attack a COMBINED DISASTER with 11th Sept 2001 World Trade Centre Attack!!!
Breaking the Jubilee 77, 2014: A WARNING!
666 – Carbon
666 – Number
77 – Number
Movie: Fight Club
New World Order Timelines
PPP-Pyramid
Scandals and Leaks
Written Works
Republic Standard: Choroin O Ceallaigh
Republic Standard: Front Page
South Front: Real Syrian and Mid-East News
Sandy Hook Justice Report
The Gospel Coalition (YouTube)
Y-JESUS
Consensus 9/11 (Best Evidence Panel)
Technocracy dot News
WTC Molten Steel (Debunkers Debunked)
Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth
Desiring God (YouTube)
Ancient Hebrew – Youtube – Jeff A. Benner
Ancient Hebrew – Website – Jeff A. Benner
Project Veritas (Website)
Project Veritas (Action: Youtube)
Project Veritas (Visuals: Youtube)
Science and Public Policy Institute
operation-gladio.net
Guenter Albrecht-Buehler: Cell Intelligence
Adullam Films (AAA+ Documentaries!)
Age Of Grace (Christian Music)
Noise of Thunder Radio (Chris Pinto)
WolfStreet (News on financial chaos)
FTMDaily (Follow The Money Daily)
FTMDaily (Petro-Dollar Collapse PDF)
LifeOnChildrenInTheMix.com (Belgium)
Dr James Maxlow (Expansion Tectonics)
Expansion Tectonics dot com
Neal Adams (Expansion Tectonics)
Climate Etc. (Prof. Judith Curry)
Two Spies Report
War Crime 911
Gulf2000 (Mid-East Demographic Maps)
CFR: Foreign Ownership of US Assets
CFR: Global Governance Program (2008)
W.T.Stead: "Government by Journalism"
Syrian Girl
Carbon Sense
Bureau d'Etudes
EXPLOSIVE REVELATION$
INVICTUS – AntiChristian Poetry
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346625
|
__label__wiki
| 0.850327
| 0.850327
|
Wild chase through quiet neighborhood picked up on doorbell cam
By T.J. Parker
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A doorbell camera captured a police chase through a quiet Briargrove Park neighborhood in west Houston.
"Surprised for it to even happen in this neighborhood," said Scott Miller, who witnessed the chase.
A suspect led police on chase through neighborhood, but they got him in the end.
It happened on Lynbrook Hollow Street around 10 a.m. Wednesday. Miller was working on renovating a home when he saw the chase go through the front yard.
"He (the driver) came up on the driveway, peeled out on my lawn, went all the way across the neighbor's yard to escape the police and then they continued the chase on out the neighborhood, and we were just like, 'What happened?'" Miller said.
Houston police officers got involved and even had to use their helicopter to follow the car.
"I heard a loud boom noise, so I came out to see what was going on, and I saw a helicopter going over my head," said Melinda Allen, whose truck was hit during the chase.
"This was just out of ordinary, just crazy," Allen said.
While Allen's truck was struck, the fleeing driver missed Miller's truck. He said it's lucky no one else was out here when it happened.
"There's neighbors walking their dogs, kids going for a stroll, and I'm just glad that nobody got hurt," Miller said.
Police caught up with the driver and arrested him. They haven't said yet why the chase started.
Follow TJ Parker on Facebook and Twitter.
houstonpolice chasecar chasecaught on camera
LIVE: Chevron Houston Marathon leaders
LIVE: Aramco Half Marathon finish line
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346627
|
__label__cc
| 0.74698
| 0.25302
|
2020 Porsche 911 Carrera Price, Redesign, & Release Date
2020 Porsche 911 Carrera Price, Redesign, & Release Date – On the eve of the Los Angeles Auto Show, the new 911 recognized its world premiere at the Porsche Practical experience Middle Los Angeles. With the exterior that unmistakably mirrors the Porsche design DNA, a far more muscle seem, and a completely new interior structure, the new 911 is each incredible and modern. The next generation of flat-six turbocharged engines has become more produced to be powerful than before, supplying 443 horsepower in the S models. Utilizing an increased shot procedure, as properly as a new design for the turbochargers and intercoolers, the efficiency of the engine is furthermore designed. Power is provided by a new eight-speed, dual-clutch transmission. New help techniques this sort of as the standard Porsche Damp Mode for greater driver consciousness on moist roads, and the non-obligatory Night Vision Assist with an energy imaging camera, are part of the broadened range of available active driver assistance features. The new Porsche Connection Control (PCM) with a larger 10.9-inch touchscreen display (up from 7. inches in the earlier car) and thorough connectivity, recommended Adaptive 18-way Sport Seats Plus with better lateral help, re-tuned PASM dampers, and extended digital features all guarantee greater comfort and daily functionality.
2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S
Engine & Performance
The turbocharged flat-six engine of the 911 Carrera S and 911 Carrera 4S now creates 443 horsepower. This corresponds to a boost of 23 horsepower compared with the earlier model. Equipped with the 8-speed PDK dual clutch transmission as standard, the rear-wheel-drive 911 Carrera S Coupe demands just 3.5 seconds to get to 60 miles per hour or so from a standstill, and the 911 Carrera 4S Coupe with all-wheel drive will take only 3.4 seconds. As a result equally cars .4 seconds faster than the past model in each case. This advantage is improved by a further more .2 seconds with the recommended Sport Chrono Package, to 3.3 seconds for the Carrera S and 3.2 seconds for the Carrera 4S. The top track speeds are now 191 miles per 60 minutes (911 Carrera S) and 190 miles per 60 minutes for the all-wheel-drive version. A manual transmission will likely be presented at an in the future date.
The exterior design has become revamped and underlines the step in the performance of the new Porsche 911. Drastically bigger wheel housings arch over large 20-inch front wheels and 21-inch rear wheels. At the front, the body width has grown by 45 millimeters (1.77 inches), creating room for a bigger front track. Correspondingly, the rear body width for both 911 Carrera S and 911 Carrera 4S has grown to 1,852 mm (72.91 in), the width of the past 911 Carrera 4 and 911 GTS models. Flush incorporation of the electric door deals with that expand outward if needed focuses on the tapered and sleek side curve. In between the new LED headlights, the front travel luggage pocket lid with apparent curves evokes the design of the first 911 decades. The rear is taken over by the considerably broader, variable-place rear spoiler and the easy, stylish light bar which is now a feature for both two- and four-wheel drive variations. With the exclusion of the front and rear fasciae, the overall external skin area is now created of aluminum.
2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S Review
The completely new interior is recognized by the very clear and straight collections of the dashboard with recessed devices. Porsche 911 models from the 70s offered the creativity right here. Still left and proper of the centrally placed tachometer, which is quality for Porsche, two lean, frameless, free-develop displays offer the driver with information and facts. The PCM may be run swiftly and intuitively thanks to the new architecture. Situated under the screen, a compact move panel with five buttons gives direct gain access to to key vehicle capabilities. *The access of Porsche Connect professional services is influenced by the access of wireless network insurance which may not available in all regions and may be subject matter to ultimate technology sun-set or deactivation, therefore nullifying solutions. The vehicle equipment needed to use Porsche Connect is only available factory-setup, and cannot be retrofitted. Similarly, the vehicle equipment may not work with future mobile networking sites but to be used. Some features may need individual subscribers, or data charges may implement.
2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S Interior
As a world first, Porsche has continued to evolve the Damp Mode, which is incorporated as standard equipment on the new Porsche 911. This function finds normal water on the road, preconditions the stability control and anti-lock brake solutions appropriately, and alerts the driver. A camera-based forewarning and brake assist system, also fitted as standard, register the danger of collision with many other vehicles, people on the streets and bicyclists. It initiates urgent braking when needed. Night Vision Assist with an energy imaging camera is optionally available for the 911 for the first time. The Adaptive Cruise Control alternative consists of automatic length control, quit-and-go features, and a revolutionary Unexpected emergency Assist function.
2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S Price
2020 Porsche 911 Carrera Price & Release Date
The 2020 911 Carrera S has a base MSRP of $113,200, although the 2020 911 Carrera 4S will likely be presented starting at $120,600, each excluding the $1,050 delivery, finalizing and coping with charge. The models might be bought now and are expected to get to U.S. retailers in summer time 2019.
porsche carrera cup gb 2020 dates, porsche caerra cup france 2020, porsche carerra cup 2020tickets, porsche carrera cup 2020 calendar uk, porsche carrera cup de 2020 dates, specs and prices of the 2020 porsche carrera s,
2020 Porsche 911 GT2 RS Rendering Redesign, Specs, Price, & Release Date
2021 Porsche 911 Targa GTS Price, Specs, & Release Date
2020 Porsche 911 GT2 RS At Road Atlanta Performance, Price, & Redesign
2020 Porsche 911 GT3 Touring Boxster Release Date & Price
2020 Porsche 911 Turbo 1,200-HP On Sand Redesign, Specs, & Release Date
2021 PORSCHE 911 SPEEDSTER DEBUTS IN NEW YORK RUMORS, PRICE, & RELEASE DATE
porsche carrera cup gb 2020 dates
2020 porsche gt3 rs new colors
porsche cayman v6 2020
porsche gt2 rs
2020 porsche gt3 rs msrp
Porsche 935 (2019) for sale
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346632
|
__label__wiki
| 0.795046
| 0.795046
|
Oil prices rise back above $50
But worries about falling demand for oil because of the broadening recession kept a lid on prices.
By midday in Europe, light, sweet crude for January delivery was up 91 cents to $50.84 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange by midday in Europe, trading in a range between $48.80 and $51.34. On Friday, the contract gained 51 cents to settle at $49.93.
In London, December Brent crude rose 90 cents to $50.09 on the ICE Futures exchange.
News that Obama plans to name New York Federal Reserve Bank President Timothy Geithner as treasury secretary, Lawrence Summers as director of the National Economic Council and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as commerce secretary helped boost U.S. stocks.
"The lack of clarity as to who exactly is in charge of steering the U.S. economy is really hurting the equity markets," said Victor Shum, an energy analyst with Purvin & Gertz in Singapore. "So putting together the new team gives a bit of a reassurance to the market, even if Obama isn't president yet."
Obama will be sworn in on January 20.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 6.5 percent Friday and European markets were up sharply Monday even though Asian markets were lower.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 1.6 percent and South Korea's Kospi was down 3.5 percent, but the FTSE 100 in London was up 4 percent, the CAC-40 in Paris gained 3.7 percent and Germany's DAX was 3 percent higher.
News overnight that the U.S. government will take a $20 billion stake in Citigroup and guarantee hundreds of billions of dollars in risky assets has also reduced speculation over another major banking failure, pushing stock markets higher in European trading.
Oil futures have followed stock markets recently, using equities as a proxy for economic outlook and investor sentiment.
"There's likely to be more bad economic news," Shum said. "There isn't enough clarity in the global economic picture. Oil prices are still looking for a bottom."
The future of Ford Motor Co., Chrysler LLC, and General Motors Corp. is also uncertain after Congress postponed debates on aid to the automakers.
Investors are looking for signs the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which accounts for 40 percent of global supply, may reduce output quotas. Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said Sunday that OPEC should cut oil production by 1 million barrels per day at an informal meeting Nov. 29 meeting in Cairo.
The group, which cut output by 1.5 million barrels a day last month, will hold its next official meeting on Dec. 17.
"It's still a big question mark whether OPEC will make an additional cut at the Cairo meeting," Shum said. "Chances are better for a cut at the December meeting. Talk of a cut is providing some support for prices."
Analyst Olivier Jakob of Petromatrix in Switzerland agreed, saying that only the timing of the new OPEC output reduction was uncertain, not the cut itself.
"We have the feeling that OPEC is keeping all its options not really as to whether they will cut further but as to when they will announce it," Jakob said in a market report.
In other Nymex trading, gasoline futures fell 0.41 cent to $1.0602 a gallon. Heating oil was down $1.31 to $1.6865 a gallon while natural gas for December delivery jumped 17.5 cents to $6.655 per 1,000 cubic feet.
Associated Press writer Alex Kennedy in Singapore contributed to this report.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346633
|
__label__cc
| 0.716355
| 0.283645
|
Shore Excursion from Livorno Port: Tour of Pisa and Florence
Enjoy a fantastic private shore excursion from Livorno Port, and spend 10 hours exploring Pisa and Florence. See some of the greatest art treasures and historic sites of Tuscany, such as the Leaning Tower, Ponte Vecchio, and Michelangelo's David.
Visit the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa
See the highlights of Florence with your own private guide
Your expert and knowledgeable guide will meet you at Livorno Port, and from there you will leave for Pisa. Upon arrival in Pisa, your first visit will be to the cathedral complex. The basilica is one of the largest churches in Italy, and until the modern era its dome was the largest in the world. It remains the largest brick dome ever constructed.
Your first visit upon arriving in Florence will be at Piazzale Michelangelo, which portrays the glorious panorama of the city. The Galleria dell' Academia is one of the top museums in Florence, and home to Michelangelo's David. The statue of David ranks amongst the top masterpieces of Italian Art. Reservations for your viewing of this statue will be booked in advance (you must however, book the tour at least 30 days prior to gaurantee reservation).
After visiting the Academy, you will stroll to the famous Duomo of St. Maria del Fiore. Its arched roof is one of the world's largest unsupported structures. You will see Giotto's Bell Tower, the Baptistery and the Piazza della Signoria, before continuing to the enormous Piazza di Santa Croce. At the eastern boundary of the square is the famous Chiesa di Santa Croce, where frescoes painted by Giotto decorate the interiors. Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Rossini and Galileo are all interred in this church.
Finally, enjoy the relaxing drive across the Tuscan region on your return to Livorno.
Reservations for a viewing of Michelangelo's David (museum tickets not included — reservations must be made 30 days in advance)
Transport in a Mercedes
Services of an English-speaking driver/guide
Entrance fees to sites and attractions
Livorno Port
• Please dress respectfully for visiting religious monuments; local custom requires covering knees and shoulder. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
• All tours can be personalized and/or combined on request. In order to provide clients with first-class service, the English speaking driver guide will give running commentaries of what you are seeing and he will allow you enough time to visit each site — thus avoiding the expensive charges of hiring a private guide.
Florence & Pisa Private Shore Excursion from Livorno Port
Livorno Port, Pisa, Florence: Full-Day Shore Excursion
From US$ 625.59 per group
Pisa and Florence Private Shore Excursions from Livorno
Private Shore Excursion to San Gimignano & Volterra
See all reviews Family Group of friends
bestlimosinrome
Paris Hop-on Hop-off Tours
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346644
|
__label__wiki
| 0.989352
| 0.989352
|
Hakuhodo Launches Digital Spin Off, Mullen Promotes Rosch And More
Japanese agency Hakuhodo has launched SIX, a new spin-off focused around digital creatives. Six will be staffed by: Takeshi Nozoe (creative director/ CEO), Tsubasa Oyagi, Keiichi Motoyama, Taku Tsuboi, Jin Saito and Takayuki Hino, as well as a business producer. Each is the recipient of multiple digital awards from domestic and international advertising festivals.
Droga5 New York has hired Robert Valdes as head of interactive production, a newly created role for the agency. Previously, he spent four years at TBWA/Chiat/Day New York as head of integrated production. Valdes began his career in advertising at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, where he was the executive producer on Burger King, Domino’s Pizza and Coke Zero.Reporting to head of integrated production Sally-Ann Dale, he will work closely with Cliff Lewis, recently promoted to head of art production, and Ben Davies, head of broadcast production.
Arnold Amsterdam has appointed Gregg Clampffer as creative director, reporting to executive creative director Paul Stechschulte. Clampffer most recently served as associate creative director at TBWA/Chiat/Day LA. Prior that he was a writer at Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam where he created global and regional work for Coca-Cola, Electronic Arts, Honda, ESPN and Old Spice.
Mullen has promoted Peter Rosch to executive creative director on its Acura account based at its L.A. office. Rosch first joined Mullen’s Boston headquarters last September as group creative director and was a key contributor to the Acura account win in March of this year. Rosch has been an art director, copywriter, creative director, director, author (“My Dead Friend Sarah: A Novel”), musician and blogger during his career. Prior to Mullen, he was a copywriter at BBH in New York on the "Susan Glenn" campaign from AXE.
Saatchi & Saatchi NY has appointed Vladislav Ivangorodsky and James Maravetz as creative directors. Prior to Saatchi & Saatchi NY, Ivangorodsky was a creative director at Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Miami and worked on campaigns for Coke Zero, Arby’s, and Under Armour. Maravetz was also most recently with Crispin Porter + Bugosky in Miami. His work includes Under Armour, Arby’s, Vitaminwater, and MetLife’s Super Bowl rebranding campaign.
Austin-based agency GSD&;M has appointed Tom Hamling as creative director, Hamling will help steward creative on the Goodyear account while also pitching in on Southwest Airlines, L.L.Bean and new business. Hamling comes to GSD&;M from RPA/Los Angeles, where he guided the work for Farmers Insurance account. Prior to that, he was a freelance writer for 72andSunny and spent over two years at 180LA creating global work for adidas, Sony, Boost Mobile and Bombay Sapphire. The agency has also appointed Lee Sunga as senior strategist, joining from Wieden + Kennedy NY.
Minneapolis-based agency Mono has hired Meg Farquhar, Joanne Torres and Jeremy Claud as creatives. Prior to mono, Farquhar worked at Ogilvy & Mather in Brazil and then Singapore, as well as at Ogilvy-offshoot David in Sao Paulo. Torres comes to mono from agency Eleven in San Francisco, where she spent the last five years working on accounts like Apple and Virgin America. Claud joins afte after spending time at AKQA, San Francisco and Leo Burnett, Chicago.
All the latest creatives moves from around the industry
Copyright © 1992-2019 Crain Communications | Privacy Statement | Contact Us
Source URL: https://adage.com/article/creative-movers/hakuhodo-s-digital-spin-mullen-promotes-rosch/242007
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346645
|
__label__cc
| 0.674619
| 0.325381
|
Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy ~ Sarah A’s Review
Beautiful. Perfect. Dead.
In the peaceful seaside town of Cape Bonita, wicked secrets and lies are hidden just beneath the surface. But all it takes is one tragedy for them to be exposed.
The most popular girls in school are turning up dead, and Penelope Malone is terrified she’s next. All the victims so far have been linked to Penelope—and to a boy from her physics class. The one she’s never really noticed before, with the rumored dark past and a brooding stare that cuts right through her.
There’s something he isn’t telling her. But there’s something she’s
not telling him, either.
Everyone has secrets, and theirs might get them killed.
Amazon US | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | GooglePlay
I’m leaving this book unrated because I’m not sure how I actually feel about it. (For Amazon review purposes I’m leaving a three-star rating because it seems like the fairest rating for a book I am so unsure about.) My initial reaction was that it was interesting and fun to read, but when I truly think about the entire experience, I’m left feeling a bit empty. Unlike most thrillers I’ve read, it seemed to be lacking in substance when all was said and done.
Pretty Dead Girls is a standalone YA thriller. It’s primarily told in first person POV by Penelope Malone, with a few chapters thrown in from the viewpoint of the killer. Initially, it threw me off, since there is little delineation between the two POVs, only a change in font.
I did not care for the characters, for the most part, they were completely unlikeable, but I’m pretty sure that was intentional. Cass was the only character I felt had any sympathetic qualities or had a dynamic personality. Penelope and her group of frenemies were completely awful – to each other and everyone around them. They also all seemed to have the personality of a paper bag, there just wasn’t anything to them beyond the façade of being popular.
The plot of this book moved quickly enough to keep me interested, but in the end, it was trite and lacking in any real character growth. I hoped that the tragic events Penelope experienced throughout the novel would change her, but she always seemed to revert back to the vapid, uncaring person she was at the beginning. Maybe it was a defense mechanism, but it felt like that was really all she was. Cass’ affection and care for her was the only thing redeeming about her if he hadn’t been an important part of her story I’m not sure I would have stuck it out. I likely would have flipped to the final chapters and discovered the killer without reading the rest of the novel.
I wish the ending would have been more impactful. From the time they figure out the killer until the end there is just not enough there to feel like the story had a strong conclusion. Had there been a few more chapters where everyone begins recovery from all they lost, had they dealt with their grief, had the remaining girls reflected on the reasons they ended up in the killer’s crosshairs, I think I would have been far more satisfied with Pretty Dead Girls. Unfortunately, there is just too little there for my gratification.
I had read a Monica Murphy book ages ago, one of her early romances, and I had remembered enjoying it. So, when I saw she’d written a thriller, I thought it a good time to reacquaint myself with her writing. Alas, I was disappointed with the writing in this book. At times the writing seemed amateurish and awkward, while other portions felt like they’d been written with a practiced hand. It was this strange combination that I found lacking in coherent style. There were also a few bizarre moments when Penelope broke the fourth wall and was talking directly to the reader, I didn’t care for that at all; had it all been written that way – like the killer’s POV – it would have been different but since there were so few instances it just didn’t work.
After all of that, I will say, I did enjoy Penelope and Cass together. I loved watching them try to figure out whodunnit and explore the dynamics of their precarious relationship. Cass, his grandmother, and his history were of far more interest to me than the rest of this book. I would have loved to read the book from his POV, to find out more about him. In fact, at one point I thought the killer was going to be closely tied to him, even if he had no idea who they were to him. GAH! With a few tweaks, especially to the ending, this could have been such a great book. However, since there is so little growth for the narrator, it just left me unfulfilled.
Monica Murphy is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of the One Week Girlfriend series, the Billionaire Bachelors and The Rules series. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and has sold over one million copies worldwide. She is both self-published and published by Random House/Bantam and Harper Collins/Avon. She writes new adult, young adult and contemporary romance.
She is a wife and a mother of three who lives in central California on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere along with their one dog and too many cats. A self-confessed workaholic, when she’s not writing, she’s reading or hanging out with her husband and kids. She’s a firm believer in happy endings, though she will admit to putting her characters through angst-filled moments before they finally get that hard won HEA.
Facebook | Website | Twitter | Newsletter | Goodreads | Amazon
Posted in Blog Tour Posts, Monica Murphy, NetGalley, New Release, Sarah A.
Tagged Monica Murphy, Netgalley, New Release, Pretty Dead Girls, Sarah A Review
NOW AVAILABLE!! Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy
Posted in Monica Murphy, NetGalley, New Release, Release Day Blitz, YA Genre
Tagged Monica Murphy, Netgalley, New Release, Pretty Dead Girls, Release Blitz
ARC Review – Jane’s Harmony by Ryan Winfield
Posted by Patricia
Atria Books | 352 pages | ISBN 9781476771250 | August 2014
RELEASE DATE: August 5th
Starting over is hard to do.
That’s what forty-year-old Jane McKinney learns when she quits her job, sells her home, and leaves Seattle behind to start a new life and pursue the man she loves in Austin. After the death of her daughter, Melody, Jane never thought she would find happiness again — until she met Caleb Cummings. Sensitive, loving, and mature beyond his years, Caleb is a handsome young musician struggling to make ends meet. But when his fortunes take an unexpected and drastic turn for the better, Jane is left wondering where exactly she fits in.
Can you ever leave the past behind? Jane must now decide if she really is willing to commit to a new beginning with Caleb — or if some wounds are just too deep to ever truly mend.
UK Pre-Order Links:
iTunes UK
Australia Pre-Order Links:
Amazon AUS
iTunes AUS
BookWorld AUS
Patricia’s Review
Jane’s Harmony picks up where Jane’s Melody left off with Caleb and Jane adjusting to the Austin life together. While Caleb was content having Jane back in his life, Jane struggled with the cramped space of the tiny apartment, thin walls, and the constant lights and music of Austin nightlife. But Caleb was determined not to let anything get in the way of his and Jane’s happiness. When an unexpected opportunity with the power to change everything for Caleb and Jane presents itself, the newly rediscovered happiness hits a bump in the road. Their relationship will be tested by time constraints, distance, some unwanted attention and an overwhelming surprise. When push comes to shove, each must decide whether they are strong enough to face whatever may come their way together.
I was so thrilled to spend more time with Caleb and Jane. At the end of Jane’s Harmony, I felt like there was more to their story and I am grateful Ryan felt the same way. It was good to see these two reunite and overcome some of the normal obstacles of a new/budding relationship. I enjoyed watching their story unfold taking twists and turns that had me laughing at one moment and holding my breath the next.
Caleb seemed more content with his life since he moved to Austin. He worked hard at his day job and even harder on his music. But he never made Jane feel second to any of those things and I fell even more in love with him and his thoughtful gestures and tender ways. He never missed an opportunity to observe others and find the next inspiration for his music. But he remained humbled and grounded, always mindful of where he had come from, where he wanted to be and the woman who owned his heart.
Jane seemed to come alive in her new surroundings. She grappled with her insecurities about where she was in her life, but I suppose those kind of drastic life changes make you vulnerable to doubt. I loved seeing her personality take flight and I laughed out loud on more than one occasion thanks to Jane. The uniform blunder was priceless, never mind the coffee grounds. I admired how supportive she was of Caleb and never wavered in showing him with her actions just how much she believed in him.
The dual POV added depth to the characters and allowed for a well-rounded reading experience. The angst was minimal save one very intense section that had me holding my breath. There was just the right mix of sweet, sexy, funny and drama to keep me engaged throughout the story. I love the realistic ending…a humble ending that seemed fitting for Caleb. My only hitch is that I felt there was unresolved family matters. Otherwise, I loved this story and am sad to say good-bye.
Overall Rating: 4.5 -5 Stars
I was provided a complimentary copy from the published in exchange for an honest review.
Jane’s Melody – Book #1
Atria Books | 336 pages | ebook ISBN 9781476771243 | October 2013
What boundaries would you cross for true love?
That’s the question a grieving mother must answer when she takes in a young street musician she believes can shed light on her daughter’s death—only to find herself falling for him. A sexy but touching love story that will leave you both tantalized and in tears, Jane’s Melody follows a forty-year-old woman on a romantic journey of rediscovery after years of struggling alone.
Sometimes our greatest gifts come from our greatest pain. And now Jane must decide if it’s too late for her to start over, or if true love really knows no limits
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Google Play
Ryan Winfield is the New York Times bestselling author of Jane’s Melody, South of Bixby Bridge, and The Park Service trilogy. He lives in Seattle.
Connect with Ryan: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram
Posted in Spotlight Review
Tagged Atria Books, Jane's Harmony, Netgalley, Ryan Winfield
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346655
|
__label__cc
| 0.636225
| 0.363775
|
Why Care About Rwanda?
Posted on January 21, 2019 by a living text
Why should American Anglicans care about what is happening in Rwanda or the Democratic Republic of the Congo? Why should we care about Rwandan President Paul Kagame or a rebel movement called M23? I have written endlessly about the subject on my blog, to little avail, and why do I do so? Ultimately, the reasons we should care are (a) theological, and (b) relational. Theologically, we must care because:
1 We are not to participate in the sin of others:
2 Those who give approval to murderers are guilty of great wickedness.
3 It is always wrong to kill innocent human beings.
4 It is always wrong to rape.
5 PEARUSA is directly part of Rwanda.
6 ACNA is fraternally related to PEAR via PEARUSA and the FCA (GAFCON).
7 Even the AMiA is connected
8 The Reconciliation Narrative is False.
9 The Rwandan Government Commits Heinous Evil.
10 The Anglican Church has been Co-opted by the Government.
We are not to participate in the sin of others:
by command
by counsel
by consent
by flattery
by receiving
by participation
by silence
by not preventing
by not denouncing
If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. – Ezekiel 3.18
William Ames in his The Marrow of Theology says that “Consent or communion with others in their sins is opposed to admonition, Eph. 5:7, 11.”
Those who give approval to murderers are guilty of great wickedness.
St. Paul in Romans 1 says:
They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Rwandan Anglican bishops give approval to Paul Kagame, who practices murder. We give our approval to these bishops. Further basic axioms of Christian theology include:
It is always wrong to kill innocent human beings.
a. Wars must be just.
b. In a time of war, killing innocents must be avoided whenever possible.
It is always wrong to rape.
This is not very complicated, and I would think it would be agreed to by all Christians of good faith.
Next, consider our relational ties to Rwanda:
PEARUSA is directly part of Rwanda.
Our clergy are technically Rwandan clergy. Our bishops are part of the Rwandan House of Bishops. That connection could not be clearer.
ACNA is fraternally related to PEAR via PEARUSA and the FCA (GAFCON).
ACNA may be at a remove from the direct connection that PEARUSA has to Rwanda, but Archbishop Duncan is frequently seen with Rwandan bishops and Rwanda is central to the FCA movement.
Even the AMiA is connected
Even the shattered remnants of AMiA are connected to Rwanda via Archbishop Kolini being on the absurd “College of Consultors.” Thus, American Anglicans bear a direct witness to what goes on in Rwanda, for good or ill. So what is wrong with Rwanda and Rwandan Anglicans? I will briefly summarize here, but the information is so voluminous that I can only scratch the surface in a post like this.
The Reconciliation Narrative is False.
Perhaps the most prominent story that Rwandans have told American Christians over the past nineteen years is that of reconciliation between the primarily Hutu killers and their Tutsi victims. PEARUSA constantly uses the word ‘reconciliation’ about Rwanda and the example that it is supposed to serve for American Anglicans. There is one simple problem with this, it is not true!
Theogene Rudasingwa, former Kagame insider, puts it this way:
The issue of ethnic identity is very very strong…and so…the RPF in public could say ‘we have overcome’, I recently heard a bishop who said, “Oh, we’ve achieved reconciliation up to a tune of about 80%, the other remaining 20% we shall achieve in the shortest possible time.” Thats a lie! The fact of the matter is that even when I was part of the establishment, when Kagame called a kitchen cabinet and all of us were military guys, we were all Tutsi and we had a preoccupation of thinking how we could survive in a sea that is populated by Hutu. So during the day Kagame and us would be talking about all these things but the fact of the matter was that this is a regime where you have a tiny minority within an ethnic minority and that kind of minority tends to rely on force, on coercion, on brutality in order to survive.
Rather than reconciliation, the government is run by a Tutsi elite who are loyal to Paul Kagame. The US government said this in 2008:
An analysis of the ethnic breakdown of the current Rwandan government shows Tutsis hold a preponderant percentage of senior positions. Hutus in very senior positions often hold relatively little real authority, and are commonly “twinned” with senior Tutsis who exercise real power. The military and security agencies are controlled by Tutsis, generally English speakers who grew up as refugees with President Kagame in Uganda.
Susan Thomson has extensive documentation on what life is like in Rwanda today, and she includes this quote in one of her papers:
Because of the hardships, I lost my whole family. What is the point of forgiveness anyway? The Hutu who killed, they know who they are but are they able to tell their truth? No, and I understand why not. If they say anything, they go straight to prison. I understand their problems; I blame this government for its lack of fairness. If we could all just get along, I know we could find some way to co-exist. Reconciliation is never going to happen. At least not for me, I am alone because of genocide. It is better to remain distant than to get mixed up with the ideas and plans of this [post-genocide] government (interview with Vianney, a 25-year-old umukene Tutsi man, 2006).
Personal stories of reconciliation have probably happened in Rwanda, that is what the Gospel does in any culture. But this is not because of a culture of reconciliation promoted by government institutions or church slogans. It is in spite of it.
The Rwandan Government Commits Heinous Evil.
Rwanda tortures its citizens, it kills, imprisons and bans dissidents. It is a one party state with a few other sham parties that are puppets of Paul Kagame. It is a totalitarian nation that has spies everywhere and micro-manages its citizens down to the local level. It requires young people to attend mandatory indoctrination camps in order to hold jobs or go to college. It launched two wars in the DRC that killed 5.4 million people and involved many other African nations. It wiped out Hutu men, women and children who had fled Rwanda after the genocide, with no regard for their guilt or innocence, all the while denying that anything happened.
Rwanda recently sponsored a Tutsi rebellion in the Eastern Provinces of the DRC called M23. This group commited acts of intrinsic evil. These acts included man-stealing, rape and the murder of those young boys who attempt to flee from M23 after they have been kidnapped into service. For example:
Two former combatants told the Group that sanctioned individual Colonel Innocent Zimurinda ordered the torture and killing of deserters. One of the soldiers from Zimurinda’s position observed how two deserters were executed, while four other deserters were buried alive. Another former M23 soldier witnessed the severe beating of one deserter who was thrown in front of the others as a dissuasive example. M23 commanders starved two other deserters to death. The RDF caught one former M23 soldier of Rwandan nationality, who attempted to flee to Rwanda at Kinigi, and brought him back to the rebels and then forced him to rape a girl in front of the others.
Bishops Rucyahana and Kolini supported M23 by fundraising and the recruitment of politicians. Rucyahana also wrote an editorial calling for these provinces of the DRC to vote for who they should belong to. This is in accordance with Rwanda’s lebensraum theory whereby Rwanda wants to annex the Eastern DRC to itself.
The Anglican Church has been Co-opted by the Government.
Anglican bishops fundraise for M23 as part of what Paul Kagame called a “Tutsi self protection campaign.” Anglican bishops shut down a Rwandan dissident who was to speak at an AMiA parish in Chicago because Paul Kagame wanted them to. Anglican bishops authored a letter that protested a UN report about M23, accusing it of lies and inaccuracies, totally in line with their government’s policy of vicious attacks on truth tellers. Anglican bishops function in government roles such as the President and Vice President of NURC, the head of the HIV/AIDS Commission, and the Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development (RISD) – an NGO tightly aligned with the government. Theogene Rudasingwa told me that Bishop Kolini was “very pro Tutsi” and that we (meaning Kagame’s inner circle) considered him to be “one of us.” An Anglican bishop wrote in Christianity Today defending the murderous invasions of the Congo which we know included pogroms against Hutus. He said, “The peace we enjoy today in our country is mainly a consequence of that action.”
The Rwandan Anglican Church is seen as a tool of the state. Minister of Justice and Attorney General Gerald Gahima said of Anglicans in Rwanda:
The Anglican Church in Rwanda, one cannot even say it has been compromised by the State, it has basically made itself an arm of the State. It has…you remember what the, the role that the Catholic Church had during the Colonial period and the time of the monarchy? How the Catholic Church was very close to the State and how this continued even during the post-independence period? The Anglican Church has basically taken the role of the Catholic Church as being the chief apologist of the RPF and that has taken away a lot of the credibility that the Church should have and because of this the …I don’t think the Anglican Church would be a viable, a useful contributor to the process of reconciliation in Rwanda because it has taken sides.
Has the Anglican Church produced any martyrs against Paul Kagame? When Rwandan Anglicans visit the United States, do they tell us about how oppressed they are and ask for our prayers and assistance, or do they rather praise Rwanda as a model of excellence with visionary leadership and tout reconciliation? The later of course. Have Rwandan Anglican criticized their government in any way, at any time, over any issue? Not that I am aware of. Instead, they have quietly acquiesced to it or enthusiastically supported it.
I could go on about how the Rwandan economy is supported by aid money, minerals stolen from the occupied Eastern DRC and UN funded peacekeeping missions, but I won’t. The bottom line here is that once again, the Church in the West is silent in the face of a dictator. No rigor of any kind has been put into examining the true nature of the regime and the relationship of Anglicans to it. Instead we are treated to peans to an imagined reconciliation. Short term tourist missionaries see what their hosts want them to see at Sonrise school, genocide memorials and in Kigali. Mountains of reports, books and evidence are ignored by naive Americans who think they know something because they are friends with a bishop. If we are to obey what God has commanded us, as reflected in 2,000 years of theological history, we must speak up about these things.
Previous Post A Selected Bibliography on Rwanda
Next Post Rucyahana Joins the Inquisition
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346656
|
__label__wiki
| 0.625753
| 0.625753
|
Kenya: President Uhuru Kenyatta's Full Speech Jamhuri Day 2019
Photo: The Presidency/Capital FM
The event features military parades by the three divisions of the Kenya Defence Forces – the army, navy and air force
The Nation (Nairobi)
My fellow Kenyans
Happy Jamhuri Day.
We gather here today to celebrate 56 years, since that glorious day when the flag of our republic was hoisted for the very first time.
Today, we are honoured to have with us the Prime Minister of Barbados, the Rt. Hon. Mia Mottley, please join me in welcoming her to Nairobi.
Rt Hon. Prime Minister, your acceptance to join us to celebrate our Jamhuri is a clear indication of your commitment to the promotion of Pan-Africanism and the Bridges that unite the Caribbean and the continent of Africa in friendship, solidarity and fraternity.
Fellow Kenyans,
On the 12th day of December 1963; the people of Kenya witnessed the birth of an Independent State; a culmination of decades of the struggle for independence.
That, indeed, was an astounding feat, achieved through a shared quest to liberate our homeland; we fought hard for it; we wrestled it out of the unwilling hands of a mighty world power; we stood against what seemed insurmountable odds but nevertheless prevailed.
And so today, as we celebrate our sovereignty, we honour those who gave their lives so that we could be free; those who fought in the forests, valleys, mountain-tops and plains; those who stood their ground in the LEGCO and refused to be compromised with the promises of a half-baked and empty Independence; those who guarded the young Kenya against adversaries; and those in modern times, who stand at borders, in our streets, in public offices, at home and abroad; defending and advancing our sovereignty and national interests.
As a nation, we shall remain grateful to our independence-era heroes for delivering a free Kenya and restoring our ability to govern ourselves and determine our own destiny.
Today, we are called upon to honour their commitment and sacrifice by being true to the ideals that they lived and died for, most especially the ideal of "One Kenya, United, Strong and Prosperous; with Freedom and Justice for All".
AFRICA'S MODEL
At independence, Kenya was a nation of hope and potential. Today, we are the gatekeepers of our liberty, our nation is a Beacon of freedom, a lighthouse that continues to shine the way for other African nations.
The ideals of freedom, democracy and prosperity that we have built over these Fifty-Six Years, are helping in shaping our region and beyond.
My Fellow Kenyans,
At the dawn of the Republic, we stood at about 8.9 million Kenyans; today we are a Nation of 47 million strong. We, the People, remain Kenya's greatest strength and resource.
Our unity amid diversity, our national and social values, our status as a regional hub, cultural melting pot, our heritage and splendor, our unmatched reputation for being a country that provides shelter and safe-harbour for those fleeing turmoil in their home countries; these ideals of our founding fathers, are alive and well in today's Kenya.
The Kenya of today is the River that flows from the source of greatness. This greatness is embodied in the spirit of those who went before us. That Kenya would become a country devoid of poverty, ignorance and disease.
Inspired by the ideals of the independence generation and empowered by the resolve to always be better, just and progressive, we are making every endeavour to return the River to its course.
We are returning the river to its course by turning every hurdle into a stepping stone, every challenge into an opportunity and every obstacle into a bridge for a better future for all.
In the 56 years since we attained Independence, Kenya continues to grow by leaps and bounds, growing from strength to strength, buoyed by a devolved structure of governance that has accelerated development across the republic.
From Shimoni to Moyale, Embu to Bungoma, Siaya to Kiambu, Eldoret to Voi, Mandera to Kisii, Wajir to Narok; we have found shared destiny in our diversity.
Brick-by-brick, generation-by-generation and administration-by-administration, we are building on years of steady progress, to achieve national renewal and rebuild the bonds of brotherhood among our peoples, by weaving a new and stronger fabric of patriotism and nationhood.
With this national endeavour, the wealth, security, democracy and vitality of our republic, will set us head-and-shoulders above our peers.
We are returning the river to its course by fostering national unity and inclusiveness, through building bridges of unity towards a better Kenya for all.
Make no mistake, in 2019, Kenya has chosen to consign to the dustbin of history partisan divides and politics that is centred on individual interest at the expense of common good.
In 2019, we have anchored our dreams and aspirations on a unity that resonates with that, which existed in the independence-era generation.
Kenyans must now unite to drive the remnants of poverty, disease, illiteracy, inequality, division and conflict from our nation. This monumental task towards sustainable development, can only be achieved if we remain united, focused and driven by the desire to always put our country-first. Kenya kwanza.
At independence, Kenyans inherited a country stripped bare by a colonizing-power whose only intention was to extract. We inherited a country beset by poverty, illiteracy, poor health and chronic under-investment in infrastructure and social amenities. We were divided along ethnic and religious differences.
We were a colonial relic, whose identifying marks were inequality, injustice, poverty, exploitation and oppression. Fifty six years later, we can look back with pride at the important milestones we have achieved and the tremendous steps we have taken and are taking to right the course of the river.
By way of returning the river to its course, my administration is vigorously implementing the Kenya Economic Blue Print - Vision 2030, whose current phase - the Third Medium Term Plan, is prioritised as the Big Four Agenda.
This agenda focuses on: "a decent roof over many more heads at affordable cost; affordable healthcare for all; food and nutrition security for all Kenyans, job creation and economic growth through manufacturing.
The Big Four Agenda is crafted to accelerate the realization of the overriding objective of the Vision 2030, which is: to transform Kenya into a newly industrializing, middle-income country providing a higher quality of life to all its citizens by 2030 - in a clean and secure environment."
Our most valuable asset is our human resource. But for this resource to contribute effectively to our development agenda, its health is paramount.
It goes without saying, a sickly society cannot expect to realize its development potential to the full. This is what informed my Administration in identifying "Universal Healthcare" as one of the pillars of the "Big Four" Agenda.
I am pleased to report that we have successfully rolled out the pilot phase of this programme in the counties of Nyeri, Kisumu, Isiolo and Machakos. To-date, the programme has witnessed enhanced access to essential health services, with an average of 39 per cent reported in the pilot counties.
Lessons from the pilot affirm that robust primary healthcare system is the right vehicle to secure sustainable Universal Health Coverage.
In this regard, we have invested quality time to prepare for the full rollout of this programme by the beginning of 2020, to cover the remaining 43 counties. To this end, I urge county governments and the Ministry of Health to conclude and sign the Intergovernmental Partnership Agreement by the end of January 2020.
HOUSING LEVY
We have begun the journey to fulfill our pledge to you on the Affordable Housing Programme. Just last week, I commissioned the first phase of the project by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) that will deliver 100,000 units across the country.
The Affordable Housing Programme will continue to deepen and accelerate access to housing far beyond our immediate target date of 2022, of building 500,000 housing units, and set Kenya on an extraordinary path as Africa's first country, to substantively address housing and social amenities challenges.
The Housing Fund is one of the entities through which the delivery of the "Affordable Housing Programme", shall be supported.
The creation of the Housing Fund was informed by the need to bridge the gap between the have and the have nots, by creating a framework through which, the traditionally unbanked can access financing towards home-ownership.
You all know, the implementation of the Housing Fund Levy as a mandatory contribution, for both employees and employers, has at every turn, been fraught with an avalanche of legal hurdles and obstacles. But we need to soldier the nobility of this programme.
In this regard, and to ensure that the implementation of the programme is not derailed any further, I hereby direct and order that The National Treasury, the Ministry responsible for Housing moves to Parliament, a revision to the legal requirement in respect to the Housing Fund Levy, to make the contribution voluntary, with immediate effect.
'BUILD KENYA'
A nation that feeds itself, - just like a family that feeds itself, - stays healthy, secure, united and indeed, stable. We are on course to weed out the fragments of hunger in society and guarantee food and nutrition security for all. This is supported by increased agricultural production of our major staple foods.
To enhance earnings of our farmers, we are promoting agriculture through structured trading by negotiating market access for our produce in international markets, and restructuring the Kenya National Trading Corporation to better receive and manage farm produce. We continue to promote our produce abroad to deepen markets and further explore marine and aquaculture resources, in consideration of the new global blue economy model.
With respect to our cash crops, we are making every effort to revitalize and restore their contribution to our national life; and assure the future of coffee and tea in Kenya.
My administration will continue to support tea farmers to enhance diversification of tea varieties; whilst also restructuring the coffee value chain to stimulate productivity and value addition. We recognize tea and coffee have been prime export products for Kenya since independence.
The increase in cotton production is another key development within the agricultural sector. The revival of Rivatex and other textile factories, is providing a ready local market for our cotton produce.
The Manufacturing pillar of the Big Four continues to gain momentum as we undertake bold steps, in answer to my pledge to you.
We have begun the journey to lay an additional brick to the realization of our commitment to create more opportunities for our people. Foreign direct investments in industry are soaring and the number of Kenyans gainfully engaged in the sector continues to grow. In this context, I am happy to report we will be, in the coming week launching the ground-breaking in the Naivasha Industrial Park, a major investment by a foreign investor in partnership with a local investor.
I note with satisfaction that the safeguards we have put in place to protect local industry and guard against dumping, are bearing fruits. In that regard and to further cement these gains, I urge Kenyans to buy locally made products in support of the "Buy Kenya, Build Kenya Initiative", as it creates employment and incomes to fellow Kenyans.
BUSINESSCONDITIONS
We are returning the river to its course by making Kenya secure and an attractive destination for investments. I am pleased to acknowledge that Kenya's ranking in the World Bank's Ease-of-Doing-Business Index, improved once again this year, to position 56 among 190 economies.
Since I assumed office, we have improved by 80 positions globally and remain on course towards becoming the top 50 countries next year, as we build upon that momentum to achieve top 25-Status by the middle of the next decade.
We should be proud of our achievements. Evidently, no other country has seen such a sustained and large improvement in ease of doing business over the same period.
This positive change has been most felt by our Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises; who have benefited from our culture of being an open and listening Government that is attuned to the needs of enterprises.
The remarkable progress in the ease of doing business has been due to our reforms in the processes of establishing businesses, issuing construction permits, acquiring electricity, as well as the ease in accessing credit, paying taxes and trading across borders.
We have also increased investment in the energy sector, embraced ICT, and the sustained war against corruption. The institutionalization of these reforms will continue to cement and secure Nairobi's place as a diplomatic hub and Kenya as a steadfast economic powerhouse in Eastern and Central Africa.
TAX BURDEN
There is no doubt the pace at which the economy is growing is not fast enough, to keep pace and to absorb all the graduates released to the job market every year.
To accelerate economic transformation, my Administration is focused on other salient factors that are holding back the potential of our enterprises; particularly with regard to taxes and tax administration, reduction or where possible elimination of fees or charges levied by government agencies as well as the private sector, reduction of bureaucracy and the simplification of processes in trade, access to credit and streamlining consumer protection assurance.
In order to address some of these challenges, I order and direct as follows:
That The National Treasury and the Kenya Revenue Authority, review our tax structures, especially in relation to small businesses, so as to reduce the tax burden while fostering tax-compliance; and
As a way of reducing the compliance burden on employers, all employer contributions/deductions of NSSF, NHIF, PAYE and NITA be made through a unified payroll return submitted to the Kenya Revenue Authority.
In recognition of the fact that up to 40 per cent of the value of commercial disputes for claims under Sh1 million are taken up by court fees and advocates charges, thereby making the cost of recovery prohibitively high;
I therefore direct The National Treasury and the Office of the Attorney-General to engage with the Judiciary and formulate a framework that will anchor the waiver of court fees for commercial disputes of less than one million shillings, effective 1st March, 2020, and cause amendments to the Advocates Remuneration Order to make advocates charges in such court cases, more accessible to Kenyans.
The repeal of the law capping bank lending interest rates, introduction of ground-breaking financial products such as STAWI Programme, which is geared towards providing affordable credit to SMEs, has already positively impacted hundreds of business by availing low-cost financing, despite only having been launched recently.
In the coming months, my Administration will introduce other products such as Stawisha SME Mashinani and other administrative measures geared towards SMEs to enable them to play their rightful role in our economic transformation agenda.
Millions of Kenyans woke up this morning in a nation that has one of the highest rates of electricity connection in the developing world.
The Last-Mile Connectivity Initiative has turned electricity connection from a luxurious dream unattainable in most Kenyan homes to an ordinary facet of life, now enjoyed by over 75% of all Kenyan homesteads.
Our children no longer strain their eyes reading under the light of candles nor do they choke with fumes from paraffin lamps.
The Vision of Fathers and Mothers in villages across Kenya, is now powered as those in our towns and cities; affording them equal opportunity to actively participate in national development. Indeed, the River is well on its course.
We are returning the River to its course through sustained investments in education. Where once education was the preserve of the elite, we now pride ourselves as a nation with one of the highest levels of literacy among our peer-nations. In Africa, Kenya boasts the highest rate of Primary-to-Secondary School Transition, now at 100%. When our learners sit down to acquire knowledge and discover their full potential, they do so guided by a new world-class Competence-Based-Curriculum that extensively utilizes digital learning platforms fit for the learning practices and demands of the 21st Century.
Our education system has also witnessed a rapid expansion of tertiary education; both in terms of access and scope. Our universities, polytechnics and vocational training institutions ensure that every Kenyan has an opportunity to further their knowledge and expertise; fuelling livelihoods and enabling passions and dreams. In the medical field, a Kenyan doctor, Peter Mwethera, who, after extensive research, has come up with a gel, that once applied will prevent contact of HIV/AIDS virus and other venereal diseases.
The bounty of Kenya's superlative human capital, not only drives our own society and economy, but also those of other nations.
Our highly-educated citizens are much sought after all over the globe. To signify the changing fortunes of our homeland, diaspora remittances grew by 10.9 per cent from Sh266.19 billion to Sh295.32 billion between June 2018 and June 2019, overtaking earnings from export of tea and coffee as the country's largest source of foreign exchange.
When we leave our homes every morning to travel to our schools, workplaces or social centres; we now do so on a network of high-standard roads, expressways, highways and dual carriages.
From Kibwezi - Kitui Road, Lokichar-Lodwar-Loichangamantak-Nakodok, Mombasa - Kwa Jomvu, Isebania-Kisii-Ahero; our network of roads drive our economy.
Where once bitumen standard roads were few and far between, now almost every corner of Kenya features extensive kilometers of top-grade roads, with others actively under construction. Plans are already underway for even greater expansion, key among them East Africa's first overpass from JKIA. to Westlands, recently inaugurated and presently under construction.
This unprecedented enhancement in infrastructure has not been limited to our road network.
We have expanded our airports, sea and lake ports and laid the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR); ensuring a diversity in transportation that is unrivalled on the continent.
Coupled with an extensive telecommunication network infrastructure that features some of the highest internet speeds anywhere in the world, a Kenyan in even the most remote parts of our country can travel quickly and conveniently and can receive goods and services wherever they are, whenever they wish.
This enabling infrastructure has made Kenya a global leader in the arena of mobile technology. We have revolutionized mobile banking, FinTech and the integration of cutting-edge technologies with the traditional economy.
Thanks to technology, transactions are now majorly conducted remotely from the palm of our hands and Government Services (Huduma) are requested and received on mobile devices across every last centimetre of our country.
As a result, the world has come calling and Kenya has hosted numerous global conferences and international exhibitions, which have enhanced Kenya's visibility globally. In this week alone, we have had over 10 Heads of State and Government attend the Summit of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of Countries.
All across the country, transformation is taking place and the country is intensely under construction.
From the largest wind power in Africa that places Kenya as the world leader in green energy; petroleum exploration in Turkana, that in August propelled Kenya to the list of oil exporting countries of the world, to a new port in Lamu, that is, in addition to the expansion of the Port of Kilindini in Mombasa, to the Isiolo International Airport and the numerous upgraded airstrips in numerous counties, to the rehabilitation of the Port of Kisumu on the shores of Lake Victoria.
As an affirmation of the progress we have made; in honour of our solemn and sacred duty, to conserve our environment for current and future generations, in recognition of our credentials in green energy, Kenya was ranked fifth globally and top in Africa in the annual Bloomberg Climate Scope Index for the year 2019.
Our initiatives across the country are complimented by the transformation being undertaken by county governments across the country. I am pleased to note that every county in Kenya has at least one major infrastructure project designed to directly benefit mwananchi. These infrastructure projects are creating jobs and driving primary, secondary and ancillary business.
They are fuelling our economy and giving our growth and development greater impetus, thus creating the Kenya that our forefathers had envisioned. In their honour, we are returning the river to its course.
Our bold and transformative agenda for a better Kenya, initiated in April 2013, has bridged the gap between standards of living in rural Kenya and that in urban Kenya.
The vast inequality and disparity that typified the Kenya of just a decade ago, has been eliminated almost entirely. A farmer in rural Kenya has agricultural support services within easy reach and their produce reaches the market faster through an improved transport network.
Once-sleeping village and town centres, they have roared back to life due to decentralization of Government services as factories spring-up and once mothballed industries, bounce back to life.
We are a Government that cares for all its people. Our senior citizens who have attained the age of 70, orphans and vulnerable children and persons living with severe disability, now receive a monthly stipend from the Government, so that they can continue to live in dignity.
This transformation also means that life in urban Kenya no longer features the rampant crime and insecurity that was prevalent just a decade ago.
My Administration has reformed, modernized and revitalized our police service; equipping it with the resources necessary to prevent, detect and deal with crime effectively and efficiently. We have coupled this with an extensive programme of street lighting, CCTV cameras and enhanced foot and vehicular patrols, in addition to the very successful Nyumba Kumi Initiative. Our towns and cities are safer and businesses can now operate 24 hours a day.
We are returning the River to its course by improving planning and service provision while allowing your taxes to work better for you. Towards this, we conducted a successful National Census this year, soon after the roll out of Huduma Namba unique personal identifier, building up on this success story.
A nation is only as strong as its institutions. Personalities come and go, but institutions endure and outlast us all. It is therefore my intention to ensure that we fully institutionalize our governance and administrative principles and values as laid out in our Constitution and other laws. Our Civil Service is the engine that drives the realization and implementation of our Nation's aspirations and development agenda.
All our State Organs, both tiers of Government and all three arms of Government, are supported by the dedicated and diligent public officers.
Most of our civil servants are hardworking and selfless. They are akin to the freedom fighters who braved the awful conditions of the forests to wage a righteous war for independence against the colonizing power.
At both National and County Level, they are birthing an even better Kenya through pens, paper, computers and a renewed commitment to duty and the fight against corruption.
The Rule of Law, Good Governance, Integrity, Transparency and Accountability are the pillars of our constitutional democracy. They are the golden thread that is woven across the entirety of our Supreme Law.
Their inclusion was a deliberate codification of the shared values of the People of Kenya and their common aspiration for a better, more responsive and participatory Government, at both levels and across all three arms of Government.
Therefore, this golden standard must be applied equally and consistently to all; without fear or favour.
That is not only our sacred moral duty, but also our solemn legal obligation demanded of us by the Constitution and the Statute Laws. On assumption of state office or public office, the officers become the trustees of the people; with a constitutional, statutory and moral duty to administer public affairs and resources in fidelity with the law, and strictly for the benefit of the people.
State and public officers are not above law. Our constitutional order is a jealous one; it demands that state and public officers serve no other master but it. A teacher in the Public Service cannot have one foot in the classroom and the other in Parliament. One cannot serve as a legislator at the National or County Level while at the same time practicing law, whether or not for gain.
Top Headlines Kenya
In the same way, judges and magistrates cease completely any legal practice while in office, similarly doctors, engineers, accountants and other professionals who take up state or public office, should give up private practice and devote their full time, energies and focus on public duties; and without the perception that they are using state or public office as a mere platform to advance other interests.
Is it fair and right for legislators who have control over funds and exercise oversight over the Judiciary to appear in courts as counsel? Is it fair on the judicial officer hearing the case or the other parties that, one party in the case is represented by persons who can literally change the law applicable to the dispute, control the career progression of the judge or magistrate or are able to speak with the voice of an entire arm of government?
The position is simple; you either serve the public in the role you signed up for or you serve the Republic as a private practitioner; it is a profound conflict of interest to do both.
The war on corruption will continue until we weed out from our midst, those who abuse the privileges of their office for personal benefit. No magistrate or judge, or any other state or public officer, who has abused the public trust should be allowed to hide behind the veil of autonomy and independence.
I, therefore, direct the Attorney-General to fast-track the submission to Cabinet for approval and transmittal to Parliament, the Law on Conflict of Interest, which has been subject to stakeholders consultation.
As an affirmation of the steady progress that we are making and as a validation of our historical, tested and proven commitment to Africa's positions and fulfillment of our obligations at the international level, Kenya has been endorsed overwhelmingly as African Union's candidate for the non-permanent seat of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the period 2021-2022. Kenya is ready to serve and we commit to pursue our shared prosperity and advancement of humanity.
Over these 56 years, our democracy has evolved tremendously. Kenya has over the years taken bold and necessary decisions required to better our democracy, legal order and the ability of Government to serve and deliver the Kenyan dream.
As the first elected President under the Constitution of Kenya 2010, I am pleased with how we have implemented that new apex law.
Kenya is undoubtedly better today than we were in 2010; in large part because of the changes we ushered in through the new Constitution of Kenya.
In 2019, we once again find ourselves called upon to consider further bold and necessary actions, to better our democracy, and to enhance the effectiveness and inclusiveness of our governance system. Just as in 1963, we have the opportunity to create a better nation by fostering how we govern ourselves.
We must not succumb to inertia or be afraid to implement change where necessary. We must not elevate partisan positions or short-term interests over the greater good.
We are called upon to build bridges and heal divisions not because it is easy, but because it is who we are as Kenyans. The independence-era heroes refused to be compromised with leadership positions while others in their numbers languished in colonial detention.
They put aside narrow political glory to self, in favour of Kenya's wider and enduring interests. In 2019, we are each called upon once again to put country above self, to put Kenya's enduring interests above our fears and personal aspirations. Let us for once say, "Kenya Kwanza; Leo, Kesho na Milele".
KENYA FIRST
Let us return the river to its course by emulating the independence generation who sought to build a united Kenya.
They had the dream of "One Kenya, One People". Over the years, this fundamental platform was diminished by political balkanization, pandering to narrow divides and succumbing to the false allure of transient political aspirations.
Whereas all Kenyans have a part to play in bringing the Kenyan dream to fruition, Kenya's political leadership must take the lead in this process.
To do this, we must adopt a long term view of what we hope Kenya will become in the future.
In this regard, we must remember that ancient African mantra that "a society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit".
Each of us, you and me; must make daily decisions purely driven by Kenya's wider and enduring interests. This is not an unreasonable ask or an impossible position.
We are gathered here today to celebrate men and women who did precisely that; whether in resisting the invading colonial forces, or confronting them once they established their rule, or building this blessed nation after we expelled the coloniser.
We are their descendants; their greatness flows in our blood and their sacrifice forged our bones. To return the River to its course, we must live and breathe the mantra of "Kenya Kwanza; Leo, Kesho na Milele".
What is this "Kenya Kwanza; Leo, Kesho na Milele" on a day to day basis? It is committing, like the independence-era generation, to doing all that is necessary for Kenya to thrive and achieve all our collective aspirations for a brighter and better tomorrow. In 2019, we are not asked to fight in the forests or to confront a colonial power on the streets.
We are called upon to obey the law, to discharge our civic duty, to conserve our environment, to care for our parents and children, to refuse to be corrupt, to be mindful of our neighbours, to bring blessings to the less fortunate and to resist negative ethnicity, tribalism, religious divides and everything that undermine our unity and cohesion.
We are a nation called upon to be great, to be a beacon of hope for others, to be on this earth the reflection of divine providence, favour and protection. Fifty Six Years on, our democracy is stronger.
Now is the time to recommit ourselves and put "Kenya Kwanza; Leo, Kesho na Milele". In so doing, we shall have honoured the enduring legacy of the independence-generation to whom we are greatly indebted.
May God bless you and may God bless Kenya.
Read the original article on Nation.
Copyright © 2019 The Nation. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
Top Headlines: Kenya
Kenya: Weekly Roundup - Our Very Own Villager Reaping Big From Mitumba Business
Kenya: Nation FC Bow Out of FKF Cup
Kenya: Harambee Starlets Striker Set for Swedish Trials
Kenya: Tear Gas As Demos Over Bad Roads Rock Embakasi South
Kenya: Kenyan International Shines On Aik Debut
Kenya: Ikpeba to Grace 2019 Soya Gala
Kenya: Ulinzi Youth Down Jysa
Kenya: 'The Handshake' Has Won International Acclaim - Odinga
Kenya: Munya Upbeat About Locust Elimination Despite Setbacks
Kenya: Kenyatta Mourns Death of Retired Judge Aganyanya
Al-Shabaab Report On Kenya Manda Bay Attack Exaggerated - U.S.
Kenyan Woman Giving Dignity to Cancer Patients
Kenyan Govt Steps Up War Against Graft, Terrorism and Cartels
Bad Kenyan Roads Stop Tullow From Trucking Crude Oil From Turkana
Kenya's Kipchoge to Battle Messi, Hamilton in Prestigious Award
Kenyatta Moves and Fires Some Ministers in New Cabinet Reshuffle
Fight Against Aids, TB in Kenya Gets a Financial Boost
Kenya Plans Iran Tea Mission as U.S. Row Rages
Kenyans Worried as Locust Invasion Spreads
Attack on Kenyan Base - Americans & Attackers Reported Dead
Slain Iranian General Planned to Attack Kenya - U.S. Official
Veteran Kenyan Politician Charles Rubia Dies Aged 96
Nairobi Water Cuts Continue Despite Full Dams
Kenya Hails 'Exemplary Performance' in Senior Certificate Exams
Kenyan Rapper King Kaka Summoned By Police Over Song
Kenyan County Governor Impeached After Fraud Indictment
Exiled Burundi Opposition Alliance to Participate in 2020 Poll
Just Get Married, Fans Tell Lupita Nyong'o and Trevor Noah
Kenya Loses Money Like Water in Advance Dam Payment
Kenyatta Gives Team More Time to Bridge Kenya's Troubled Waters
Reprieve For Nairobi Governor Sonko as He's Freed on Bail
Parliament, Analysts Blame Treasury For Kenya's Ballooning Debt
Nairobi Governor Sonko Described as "Fugitive" By State
U.S. Explains Why It Cut HIV Funding to Kenya
Scores Feared Trapped After Nairobi Building Collapses
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko Arrested
East Africans Face Water Shortages, Damage After Floods
Chicken, Pizza, Burger Most Ordered in Kenya Amid Health Concerns
Think Bike as Kenya's Parking Fees Soar
Floods Have Killed More Than 100 Kenyans - Govt
About 50% of Nairobi Govt Employees Nearing Retirement - Report
Key Factors That Collapsed Kenya’s Hague Court Case
How Kenyatta, Odinga's 'Handshake' Taskforce Wants to Change Govt
Online Therapy Important in Preventing Postpartum Depression
Premier League's Gor Mahia Will Not Lose Captain Muguna
Death Toll in Kenya's West Pokot Landslides Rises
Kenya's Embattled Sonko Wants Probe But on His Terms?
Kenya Women's National Soccer Team, Coach Nominated for CAF Award
Kenya's Kipchoge Named World Male Athlete of Year
Delivering Sexual and Reproductive Rights for All Has a Price Tag
More From: Nation
Kenya: Lobby Asks CS Munya to Speed Up Reforms in Tea Sector
Kenya: Taifa Open Karate Tourney Starts in Mombasa
Kenya: Falling Waters Sink Karima Queens in Nanyuki
Kenya: Kipchoge Discusses Track Races as Mo Farah Lands in Iten
Kenya: Clash Looms as Ruto Allies Vow to Hold Parallel Rally
Kenya: Kenya Cuts Oil Export Target to 400,000 Barrels Per Year
Kenya: Kenyatta Signals Anti-Terror Sting Operations
Kenya: As Business Thrives, Mombasa Declares War on Muguka
Kenya: North Rift Politicians Cry Foul After Cabinet Changes
Kenya: Locust Invasion - Another Swarm in Wajir Despite Spraying
Kenya: Young Women Turning to Egg Donation for Quick Cash
Kenya: World Braces for Kipchoge Versus Bekele Battle in London
Kenya: Court Quashes Mary Wambui Appointment to Employment Authority
Kenya: Babu Owino Arrested for Shooting Club DJ
Kenya: Patricia Kombo - the Tree Planter On a Mission
Kenya: Schools to Get Sh8 Billion Facelift
Kenya: Employee Sues Mombasa Hotel Over Gun Drama
Kenya: Official Wants Locust Invasion Declared a National Disaster
Kenya: Inside Kenyatta, Odinga Plan to Woo Grassroots
Kenya: Woman Giving Dignity to Cancer Patients in Slums
Kenya: Harambee Starlets Player Excited By Cyprus Move
Kenya: MP Babu Owino Arrested for Shooting a DJ at B-Club
Kenya: Lender Gets Nod to Acquire 100% Stake in Moi-Linked Transnational Bank
Kenya: Kipchoge to Battle Messi for Top Sports Award
Tanzania: Money Laundering Trap - Why You Are Not Necessarily Safe
Tanzania: Govt to Build 43 Technical Colleges
Liberia: GOL Declares Costa a 'Fugitive'(New Dawn)
Namibia: Judgement in Election Challenge Set for February(Namibian)
Nigeria: Imo Police Warns Pro-Ihedioha Over Planned Protest(Vanguard)
Nigeria: Fake Revenue Agents Infiltrate Warri, Council Boss Raises Alarm(Vanguard)
South Africa: Kidnapper Flees With Baby Boy From Taxi in Cape Town(News24Wire)
Nigeria: Ruling Party Plotting to Seize Power in Sokoto, Bauchi, Others - Opposition(Daily Trust)
Nigeria: Halt Payment of Life Pensions to Council Chairs, Speakers-Serap Asks Abuja Court(Vanguard)
Nigeria: Dangote Appoints New Company Secretary(Daily Trust)
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346657
|
__label__wiki
| 0.559554
| 0.559554
|
ArapahoeTina
View all cards in Literature & Writing
View all cards in Summer Reading
New Year’s History
High Altitude Baking
Quiz: The Simpsons
Happy Birthday, Emily Dickinson!
Gifts from the Library
Favorite Quotes from Books
by ArapahoeTina June 14, 2019
Need help choosing a book for Summer Reading? There are many ways you can narrow down your choices, and one is to look at quotes from the book. Here are some lines that will stay with you long after you've finished the last page.
"Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt."
Slaughterhouse-five, Or, The Children's Crusade
Slaughterhouse-five, Or, The Children's Crusadeopens a new window
"...I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once."
The Fault in Our Starsopens a new window
"Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever."
All the Light We Cannot Seeopens a new window
"Get busy living, or get busy dying."
Different Seasons
Different Seasonsopens a new window
"The measure of a man is what he does when he has power."
Red Risingopens a new window
"I can’t go on. I’ll go on."
When Breath Becomes Air
When Breath Becomes Airopens a new window
"In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart."
The Diary of A Young Girlopens a new window
"I don't want to die without any scars."
Fight Clubopens a new window
"What fresh hell is this?"
Jane Eyreopens a new window
“Oh, monsters are scared," said Lettie. "That's why they're monsters.”
The Ocean at the End of the Laneopens a new window
"...if love has no boundaries, no limits, no conditions, why should anyone try to do the right thing ever? If I know I am loved no matter what, where is the challenge?"
Gone Girlopens a new window
“I would not have you descend into your own dream. I would have you be a conscious citizen of this terrible and beautiful world.”
Between the World and Me
Between the World and Meopens a new window
“I haven't the slightest idea how to change people, but still I keep a long list of prospective candidates just in case I should ever figure it out.”
Nakedopens a new window
Circeopens a new window
“Better never means better for everyone... It always means worse, for some.”
The Handmaid's Taleopens a new window
“The wicked flee when none pursueth.”
True Gritopens a new window
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346667
|
__label__cc
| 0.73946
| 0.26054
|
Records of the Office of the Chief Economist, 110 résultats 110
Records of the Office of the President, 82 résultats 82
Records of Individual Staff Members, 79 résultats 79
Records of the Office of Operations Evaluation, 26 résultats 26
Records of the Office of the Historian, 16 résultats 16
Personal papers of Gloria Davis, 16 résultats 16
Records of the Office of External Relations, 10 résultats 10
Personal Papers of Frank K. Vita, 9 résultats 9
Records of the Development Committee, 9 résultats 9
Records of the Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Network, 6 résultats 6
Bienvenue Série organique
Dépôt World Bank Group Archives
Niveau de description collection Collection Dossier Partiellement Pièce Série organique Sous-fonds Sous-série organique Subsubfonds
Group of Twenty Four files
WB IBRD/IDA 10-03
Série organique
Records of Individual Staff Members
Ernest Stern files
This series contains Stern's records relating to the meetings of the Intergovernmental Group of Twenty Four on International Monetary Affairs, also known as the G-24. Set up in 1971 on the model of the Group of Ten, the G-24 was a permanent b...
Vice President of South Asia Region chronological files
The series consists of outgoing memoranda written by Stern while he served as Vice President of the Bank's South Asia Region (SAR). Some memos are addressed to the World Bank President McNamara and others to senior managers and managers in SA...
ESSD Vice President's conference attendance and participation
WB IBRD/IDA 92 WB_IBRD/IDA_92-03
Records of the Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Network
Series consists of records related to ESSD Vice President Ian Johnson's attendance and participation at various conferences, seminars, and workshops organized by governments, agencies, and institutions external to the Bank. Records include: c...
Briefing reports for World Bank President and related materials
Series consists of briefing reports prepared by the ESSDVP and its sector departments for World Bank President James Wolfensohn. Records also include research materials used in the creation of the briefs (including reports, biographical informatio...
ESSDVP correspondence files
Series consists of correspondence files created by the ESSDVP. All of the correspondence in this series was authored by, addressed to, or forwarded to ESSD Vice Presidents Ismail Serageldin and Ian Johnson. There are, however, different forms of c...
Trust Fund management and oversight
Series consists of records related to ESSD's role in providing management, oversight, and resource allocation for those trust funds that involve ESSD sectors. Records relating to trust funds provided by Denmark (TF024153), Norway (TF0231295),...
Management and oversight
Series consists of records related to management and oversight activities of ESSDVP. Records primarily relate to high-level meetings attended by ESSD Vice President Ian Johnson within ESSD as well as other units and committees of the World Bank. T...
Policy and guidelines development and supporting materials
1994 - 2003 (predominant 1998 - 2003)
Series consists of records related to ESSD and Bank-wide policy and guidelines development. In some cases, ESSDVP and Vice President Ian Johnson played active roles in the development of policy and guidelines while in others reports and correspond...
WB IBRD/IDA AGR-01
1978 - 1987, 1992 - 1995
The series consists of records created by the Agriculture and Rural Development Department (AGR) and its subordinate divisions and units for the years 1978 to 1987. The series also includes records for AGR's successor, the Agriculture, Techno...
UNDP project administration
Series consists of records related to UNDP projects for which the Agriculture and Rural Development Department (AGR) was the executing agency. Projects date from between 1977 and 1992. Records relate to project planning, project budgeting and revi...
Series consists of records related to the Sub-Saharan Africa Hydrological Assessment (SSAHA) project. The SSAHA was a United Nations Development Programme project (UNDP, Project # RAF/87/030). However, the World Bank served as the primary implemen...
WB IBRD/IDA AGR-4445S
This series consists of the alphabetical subject files, A C, of the Economics and Policy Division. The records include memoranda, letters, reports, policy papers, numbered research proposals, and speeches, but primarily consist of drafts (some ann...
WB IBRD/IDA AGR-556S
This series consists of a set of reference materials on forestry, probably assembled to support the development of the forest policy paper published in 1991.
Conference and seminar files of irrigation engineering advisor
The series has two parts: records of the annual water seminars 1985 - 1994 and records of the water study tours 1976, 1987, 1991, and 1993. The records are the files of Herve L. Plusquellec, the irrigation engineering adviser in the Agriculture an...
Subject Files of the Forestry Program
1988 - 1992 (predominant)
This series consists of the alphabetical subject files of the forestry program. The records include memoranda, correspondence, reports, policy papers, and drafts of papers and book chapters. The principal focus of the files is the development of t...
This small series consists of the subject files of the fishery program. The records include memoranda, correspondence, mission reports and reports of meetings, policy papers, and drafts of papers. The files seem to have been created during the per...
WB IBRD/IDA CGIAR-02
The annual meeting of the CGIAR sponsors and centers is routinely videotaped. Normally these tapes are destroyed once the verbatim transcript of the meeting is produced. For especially significant meetings, however, the videotapes are preserved; t...
Third System Review
The series consists of records related to CGIAR's Third System Review conducted in 1996-1998. The Review's purpose was to assess the role, relevance and future directions of the CGIAR System and make recommendations for improving its ove...
Center Directors Committee (CDC) meeting and informational files
The series consists of records that evidence the relationship between the CGIAR Secretariat and the International Agricultural Research Centers' (IARC) Directors and the Center Directors Committee (CDC). The majority of the records in the ser...
Committee of Center Board Chairpersons (CBC) meeting files
The series primarily consists of CBC meeting agendas, minutes, and supporting materials for meetings held between 1987 and 1991. Included with the materials for the CBC meeting held on October 25 and 26, 1990, is an attachment entitled CBC Corpora...
CGIAR's International Agricultural Research Centers (IARC) general files
The series consists of records created and received by the CGIAR Secretariat as a result of its ongoing relationship with the International Agricultural Research Centers (IARC). The series contains records relating to three of the IARCs: the Inter...
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) CGIAR files
The series consists of records created and collected by the Associate Director (Research), Office of Agriculture, Technical Advisory Bureau, of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The majority of the records relate to the first fi...
Chairman's chronological correspondence files
WB IBRD/IDA CGIAR-3139S
Series consists of chronological correspondence files of CGIAR Chairman Ismail Serageldin. Records provide evidence of fund-raising, communications, and public relations activities as well as activities related to CGIAR organizational and committe...
Publications of international agricultural research centers
This series contains publications acquired from international agricultural research centers for the CGIAR CD-ROM publication project Compact International Agricultural Research Library - Basic Retrospective Set (CIARL - BRS). A few publications fr...
Compact International Agricultural Research Library project files
In the late 1980s the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research became interested in finding a means to distribute current agricultural research information more effectively. The Group contracted for a study of the issue and then c...
This series is the key record of the first fifteen years of the history of CGIAR. All of the efforts to create the organization are documented, as are the general meetings held once or twice a year, the CGIAR staff liaison with the members and don...
International Agricultural Research Centers (IARC) reports
Series consists of records created by the CGIAR's International Agricultural Research Centers (IARC) and which relate to their financial, operational, and reporting responsibilities. The series includes records from two IARCs: the Internation...
Task Force Chairman's Records
WB IBRD/IDA COM-01-01
March 1987 - January 1991
Records of Temporary Committees, Commissions, and Boards
Records of the Task Force on Local Cost Financing under Adjustment Operations
This series consists of the records related to the Task Force on Local Financing under Adjustment Operations. The records were created and collected by Salah El Serafy, Economic Adviser in Economic Advisory Staff (EAS), who served as chairman of t...
EDI Task Force Secretary's records
Records of the Economic Development Institute Task Force
This series consists of records related to the research and consultation undertaken by the task force. This includes the reports on consultations; some items relating to EDI and its programs that pre-date the task force (includinga copy of the Ban...
Dissertation and data collection sheets
WB IBRD/IDA DAVIS-01
Gloria Davis completed her Ph.D. in anthropology at Stanford University in 1976 with a dissertation titled, Parigi: A Social History of the Balinese Movement to Central Sulawesi, 1907-1974. The series consists of a copy of the dissertation and the...
Personal file
The series appears to have been established by Davis when she began work at the World Bank, although it incorporates two papers that she wrote before coming to the Bank. Each file is titled with her name, the subject of the document it contains an...
Edited conference volume
A Conference on Indonesian Culture was held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, July 3 through August 3, 1976. Gloria Davis edited the papers from the conference for publication in 1979 as :What Is Modern Indonesia Culture? in Ohio University&...
Correspondence file
The series appears to have been established by Davis when she began work at the World Bank. It contains incoming letters and memoranda, almost all relating to Indonesia, some mission reports, notes, and drafts of working papers by Davis and others...
Indonesia transmigration program subject file
The first Indonesian transmigration program that the World Bank financed (Transmigration I) involved the areas of Baturaja and Way Abung. Transmigration II involved the areas of Rimbo Bujang, Alai Hilir, and Singkut along the trans-Sumtra highway ...
Indonesia transmigration notebooks
This series consists of notebooks that Davis kept or obtained during surveys of villages in Indonesia involved in transmigration. The first five notebooks relate to villages that she studied for her Ph.D. dissertation, of which the first four are ...
Indonesia transmigration program - data and statistics
This series consists of the original data sheets, coded tabulations, and computer analyses from surveys in the areas involved in the first two transmigration projects funded by the World Bank, including Way Abung, Rimbo Bujang, Singkut, Sitiung, U...
Fiji economic mission
Gloria Davis was a member of the June 1984 World Bank economic survey mission to Fiji, and this series is the set of subject files she compiled before and during the mission. The files contain correspondence, notes she took while in Fiji and while...
Indonesia projects file
In addition to the large program review of the Indonesia transmigration projects and the later review of the entire transmigration sector, Gloria Davis was involved with or closely followed other projects in Indonesia. This series consists of file...
Indonesia transmigration sector review files
In September 1984 the Bank began preparing for a review of the entire Indonesian transmigration sector. Gloria Davis led the sector review, and she and two colleagues went to Indonesia in November 1984 on the initiating mission. The final report o...
Indonesia project and research reports (English)
Each project, whether funded by the World Bank or by other donors, requires formal reports. In addition, research reports on Indonesia published by various institutions were obtained by Gloria Davis as background to her work on Indonesia, includin...
Indonesia project and research reports (Bahasa)
This series contains project and research reports on Indonesia that were prepared by or for the Government of Indonesia or as part of the regular work of an Indonesian institution. A few are pre-publication versions. They were obtained by Gloria D...
Writings not by Gloria Davis
This series contains writings, primarily on Indonesian topics, that were given to Gloria Davis by their authors. Both published and unpublished items are included. Some are papers that were presented at conferences; others are student papers, thes...
Indonesia maps and charts
This series principally contains maps, but it also includes some oversize organization charts and schematic drawings. Approximately half are commercial maps of Indonesia, the remainder are maps created for projects funded by the Bank. Some project...
In 1993 Gloria Davis became the chief of the World Bank's Social Policy and Resettlement Division and in 1997 she became the director of the Department of Social Policy. In these positions she directed studies, authored papers, and participat...
Files regarding revision of the International Finance Corporation's safeguard policy
In 2004 Gloria Davis assisted the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in its review of its environmental and social safeguard policies. This review was triggered by the findings of the 2003 report by the IFC's Compliance Advisor and Ombud...
Verbatim records of Committee meetings
WB IBRD/IDA DC-01
Records of the Development Committee
Transcripts of the proceedings of Development Committee meetings 1 through 45.
Master file of numbered Committee documents
This series contains a complete set of official numbered documents of the Committee which include but are not limited to topical papers distributed to members of the Committee prior to meetings, reports of working groups and task forces, records o...
Meeting files
This series consists of the administrative records of each session of the Development Committee. Included are agendas, lists of speakers, attendance, travel and seating arrangements, drafts of statements, records of discussions, and internal and e...
Meeting and Numbered Committee Document File
This series consists of both the administrative files on each meeting and the numbered Committee documents of the meeting; that is, it is a combination of the records found in (WB IBRD/IDA DC-02) and Meeting files (WB IBRD/IDA DC-03).
Records of meetings of deputies (senior officials)
In 1977 the Development Committee decided, as an experiment, to hold meetings of the deputies to the Committee members in advance of the Committee meetings, in order to prepare for the discussions in the full Committee. After four meetings the exp...
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346669
|
__label__cc
| 0.588125
| 0.411875
|
Join ARMACAD Today
Join over 100,000 researchers, students and professionals.
Subscribe and get new opportunities every day.
Book Presentation - The Caucasian Archaeology of the Holy Land: Armenian, Georgian and Albanian Communities Between the Fourth Eleventh Centuries CE (Brill, 2018), 19 December 2018, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
December 19, 2018, 17:45 - December 19, 2018, 19:10
The Faculty of Humanities
The Institute of Archeaology
The Institute of Asian and African Studies
The Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
The Program of Armenian Studies
Invite the public to a festive gathering to celebrate the publication of the book
The Caucasian Archaeology of the Holy Land:
Armenian, Georgian and Albanian Communities
between the Fourth Eleventh Centuries CE
(Brill, 2018)
Dr. Yana Tchekhanovets
At the Library of the Institute of Archaeology, Mt. Scopus Campus
17:45 Reception with Light Refreshments
Chair: Prof. Reuven Amitai
Prof. Michael Stone
Prof. Joseph Patrich
18:30 “Local or Foreign? On the Identification of the Archaeology of Immigrant Populations in the Land of Israel at the End of the Classical Period” – Prof. Gideon Avni
18:50 “Jerusalem – City of Minorities” – Prof. Ronni Ellenblum
19:10 Responses and Summing-up
The evening will be conducted in Hebrew
Presentation of this invitation along with proper I.D. will permit entrance to the Mt. Scopus Campus
For further details: 02-5882415
Eligible Countries
and receive information about international academic and professional opportunities
scholarships, summer schools, conferences, grants, fellowships, trainings
Login to add this opportunity to your account or create new account by few clicks!
Login to navigate to original announcement!
Sign in to never miss an opportunity!
Sign in to continue!
Sign in to fill in your application!
Sign in to write a comment!
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346672
|
__label__wiki
| 0.714585
| 0.714585
|
AppleTalk
Open Widgets
by Benny Ling
WWDC 2014 Wrap Up, Sherlock All The Things Edition
The keynote from this year’s WWDC has just wrapped, and Viticci is right when he says this isn’t just Apple skating to where the puck is, this is Apple creating an entirely new ball game. Apple kicked things off by saying it was an even with three main focuses — OS X, iOS, and developers — and then they went on to deliver one of the biggest Apple events in recent history. Let’s dance.
Apple’s first cab off the rank was OS X, and just like the rumours predicted, the new OS X has a fresh coat of paint, along with improvements to apps across the board. After a few quick quips about the name, OS X Yosemite was announced with a brand new look, one that brings the translucency of iOS and brings it to the desktop. The entire OS now looks fresher, typography has been tightened up, and yes, the icons are now flat (check out that new Finder icon!). But it’s still, more or less, the OS X you know and love — oh, except for that dark mode.
Spotlight gets revamped in Yosemite, sherlocking Alfred by putting Spotlight searches front and centre instead of relegating them to a far off corner of your display. Spotlight can still do all the same things as it did before, but now draws from more data sources: it’ll search content from the iTunes Store or from the web, and you can even get movie showtimes and do unit conversions. With Yosemite, Spotlight becomes more useful than ever before.
Notification Centre now has widgets, presumably inheriting them from Dashboard. Mail gets a few new features: MailDrop is where attachments too large for the recipient get sent via iCloud servers, where they’re linked to the original email at the other end, and Markup is kind of like Skitch-like annotations for images sent via Mail.
ICloud on OS X was also a major focus point, making Dropbox all but irrelevant with the introduction of iCloud Drive. It makes all your documents accessible from the Finder, bringing that iCloud-Finder integration you’ve been waiting for — of course, it still lets you store your files however you want, and it’ll sync across Macs and even Windows machines.
Safari’s revamp is less of a revamp and more of a UI overhaul, hiding away lots of the UI chrome and focusing on the content. The bookmarks bar was either hidden away or totally gone in Apple’s demos during the keynote, but both the new tab view (where tabs can be grouped by website) and the ability to scroll all open tabs are welcome changes. Safari also has the performance and energy advantages over other web browsers, according to graphs shown off on stage.
Continuity was another big one for OS X, addressing the need for the transition between iOS and OS X devices to be smooth as possible. AirDrop now works between iOS and Mac, and Handoff lets you continue your work right where you left off. Start composing an email message on your iOS device, and Mail on your Mac will be able to pick it up. Ditto, productivity apps. Discourse, the software that powers our forums, already has a very similar feature, except limited to the web. If you start composing a new post on the web, you’ll be able to see your drafted reply on any other device signed into your account.
Then things got weird in OS X land: iPhone hotspots can be created from OS X, which then automatically connect when your phone is in range. You can now send SMS messages from your desktop with your phone acting as a relay, and the OS X-iOS integration wouldn’t be complete without the ability to make and receive calls from your Mac. The really cool thing is, you can do all this regardless of where your iPhone actually is; I’m not sure if this is some Bluetooth trickery or something more, but it’s impressive nonetheless. It’s the kind of phone-computer integration we’ve been wanting for years, and now, with Yosemite, Apple has given us exactly what we’ve asked for.
There’s a Yosemite developer preview up today, with public availability sometime in Spring for us Australians. However, it will also be available beforehand to members of Apple’s public beta program, which you can sign up for today if you feel like living on the edge. Like Mavericks was before it, Yosemite will be free.
The numbers from iOS remain as impressive as ever: over 800 million iOS devices sold, with 100 million iPod touch units, 200 million iPads, and 500 million iPhones. Tim said there were more than 130 million devices sold to first-time Apple users, and iOS devices had the highest customer satisfaction scores around, but all we really wanted to hear was about iOS 8.
For the most part, the look and feel hasn’t changed; Apple did enough of that in iOS 7. What Apple have done with iOS 8, though, is refine everything. You can now action notifications from wherever they appear, including replying to SMS messages and liking Facebook statuses right from Notification Centre and the lock screen. The fast-app switcher, if we’re still calling it that, now has your most-contacted, uh, contacts up the top for easy access, so you’re never more than a few taps away from calling or texting them. Spotlight in iOS gets much of the same improvements to Spotlight in Yosemite; more data sources, searching content from the iTunes Store and on the web, and even the ability to look up points of interest.
Safari on iPad gets a similar tab overview to the one on Safari for Yosemite, and also inherits the same sidebar featuring bookmarks and shared links. Mail on iPad goes gestural, with gestures for marking email as unread, as well as a swipe-to-delete gesture. And if you’ve ever wanted to see another email message in your inbox while composing a new message, you can now do that with a quick swipe down on the compose screen.
Apple have been thinking about what to do with the iOS keyboard, and their innovations are two-fold. First, there’s QuickType: it’s kind of like the predictive text that we saw all the way back in iOS 5, only much improved (very keyboard, wow). QuickType predicts what you’re going to type next on a per-contact basis, so it can tell what kind of language you use to communicate with which people. The meeting can either be “awesome” or “rescheduled”, depending on who you’re talking to. Plus, Apple cares about your privacy, so all of this learning happens on-device. QuickType will support a bunch of languages on launch, including Canada, who apparently has a language of their own now that’s separate from the US. Sure, OK.
The second part of Apple’s keyboard was introduced a little later in the keynote, but I’ll talk about it here: third party keyboards. IOS 8 brings the ability to install a third party keyboard that replaces the standard iOS one, meaning that yes, you can now have the Swype keyboard you’ve always wanted. Keyboards don’t have network access by default, but Apple does give you that option in case it opens up extra features for any given keyboard. But still, replaceable keyboards in iOS? I never thought we’d see the day.
Messaging, being the most-used app on iOS, also gets a big update in iOS 8. You can now name group threads, add and remove people from group messages, as well as set Do Not Disturb on a per-thread basis. Oh, and if things get too noisy you can always leave the thread — it’ll mean no more iMessage holiday shenanigans, but maybe that’s for the best.
You can share your location with others via Messages now. Tap to talk turns your iPhone into a glorified walkie-talkie, letting you send quick audio messages to anyone — the “lift to listen” feature is particularly slick. IOS has the same iCloud Drive that OS X now has; it appears as a panel in supported apps, meaning you don’t get duplicated files copied between apps. While apps are still sandboxed, iCloud Drive acts as the centralised storage for all your files. Like Apple always wanted, perhaps?
Enterprise features for iOS got a bit of a bump (per-message S/MIME, support for Exchange out of office and auto-reply, etc), but health was where it was at. HealthKit gives app developers access to health and fitness-related metrics, accessible by end users via the Health app. In the future, HealthKit will also let healthcare practitioners read and write data from checkups. We’re really only scratching the tip of the iceberg here with what’s possible in the health space, but already Apple has some great ideas coming into play.
Family sharing was next on the list, and with it, Apple now acknowledges the existence of family units. Up to six family members can now share purchases, as well as all the other stuff: photos, calendars, reminders, and Find my Friends. If your kids have an iOS device of their own, they can use your credit card for purchasing apps or in-app purchases, and the great thing is, you’ll be asked for authorisation every time they want to buy something. It’s a remarkably clever solution to a problem that previously landed Apple in hot water.
Speaking of photos, we more or less got the iCloud photos revamp we wanted. It appears as if Apple are killing limits on photo storage, with more photos than you can store locally being stored in the cloud, along with their edits. To combat a million photos going back years, Apple has upped the ante on search features for iCloud photo storage, and some really great editing tools make an appearance in Photos. Sliders that automatically analyse the image give you control over the kind of edits you make, and if you want, the finer-grained controls are but a tap away. Extending Apple’s continuity theme, edits are updated across devices in near real-time, which brings us back to the Mac.
A cloud-based photo solution needs a new Mac app to go with it, and Apple’s new Photos app for the desktop was revealed in a sneak peek. I’m not really sure if it was an iPhoto replacement or just something to browse and edit photos, but it looked really slick: a clean interface, “buttery scrolling”, and the same photo editing UI with intelligent sliders we saw on the iOS side of the fence. It’ll be available next year, which was just about the only unfortunate news from the keynote.
With iCloud photos, all your photos and videos are stored in full resolution. You still get 5GB free, but Apple has updated the storage tiers; 20GB is now US$0.99 a month, 200GB for US$3.99 a month, with Australian pricing to be advised.
Siri improvements in iOS include an always-listening feature similar to Google’s “OK, Google”, letting you activate Siri without touching the phone. Siri can now recognise songs ala Shazam, purchase iTunes content for you, and something called streaming voice recognition which is real-time feedback for what you dictate. OK, Siri.
As for availability, iOS 8 is now available as developer preview, available for everyone else in Spring. Interestingly, iOS 8 will still support the iPad 2 and iPad mini, the only non-Retina devices in the lineup.
But if you thought that was it, Apple weren’t done. No, all that came before was merely the customer-facing parts of iOS and OS X, and the parts for developers were yet to come.
I find it interesting App Store search was one of the first things mentioned. Apple are looking to improve the App Store in big ways, adding trending searches and scrolling results for search results — goodbye, cards interface, we hardly knew ye. Developers can now create app bundles, and short video previews of apps. Apple’s TestFlight acquisition rears its head in the form of free TestFlight beta integration.
And then came the part where us mere mortals were reminded this was, after all, a developer’s conference. Apple’s iOS 8 SDK has over 4000 new APIs for developers. Extensibility was shown straight up as one of the biggest features, letting developers do more than just do inter-app communications. The examples shown included actions, where a Bing app you have installed might let you translate a web page via the standard share sheet in iOS. Or where you can use third-party apps to extend system functionality, like in the case of editing photos from Apple’s Photos app with VSCO cam or your image editor of choice. Apps can now define their own widgets, which live in the Notification Centre. To say that Apple ticked boxes in this event would be an understatement — along with Sherlocking all of the things, they ticked all of the boxes.
Touch ID can now be used by developers. Previously limited to just Apple’s own apps and usage, Touch ID can now unlock keychain items in apps, or to protect the apps themselves. Camera APIs now expose — if you’ll pardon the pun — settings such as exposure, shutter speed, that kind of thing.
Yes, the rumours were true: Apple’s home automation push is real, and it’s called HomeKit. It’s a home automation certification program, with APIs of its own. It’s designed to unify the currently fragmented connected home market, where manufacturers all have their own separate ways of interacting with devices. “Imagine, if you will, a house controlled via Siri, so that when you tell your phone to get ready for bed, it automatically closes the garage door, turn off the lights, lock the front door, and turn down the thermostat.”
CloudKit is, from what I gather, devops for developers. Instead of devs having to learn the ins-and-outs of deploying MongoDB or Ruby onto a barebones server, CloudKit can handle that for them. It sounds like a hosted app platform similar to Heroku or AppEngine, and it’s free with limits.
Continuing the developer-centric focus, Apple announced Metal, a new set of graphics libraries that are designed to reduce the overhead of OpenGL. It’s an extremely powerful way to leverage the compute power of current mobile GPUs, even bringing desktop-class game engines like Frostbite to the iOS platform. The Zen Garden demo from Epic Games looked particularly impressive, and thank goodness it wasn’t another Infinity Blade.
Introduced last year, SpriteKit gets light sources, field forces, per-pixel physics and inverse kinematics. It also gets a new sibling, SceneKit — if SpriteKit is designed for 2D casual games (think Angry Birds, Candy Crush Saga), then SceneKit is the 3D equivalent.
But the biggest news for developers was the introduction of a new programming language, Swift. Craig described it as Objective C without the baggage of C. It’s fast, modern, safe, and interactive. It has a number of great features developers will care about (closures, generics, multiple return types, namespaces, operator overloading), gives access to all of Cocoa and Cocoa Touch, and uses the same runtime as Objective C.
Xcode’s been redesigned to take advantage of the interactivity of Swift; interactive development via Playgrounds is going to be big for education, as it will move programming away from a conceptual, “this is how things fit together” model to one where results can be seen in real time, lowering the barrier for entry — or at least, that’s what I think. Swift can work alongside C and Objective C, and the new Xcode already supports it out of the box.
That pretty much wrapped up one of the more feature-packed Apple events in recent memory. Apple seemed more lively at the event — some of the skits on stage were a little cringeworthy at times, but overall Craig, Tim, and Greg all had an air, a vibe, that I’ve never seen before at any Apple event. I’m not exactly sure why that is, but I kind of like this Apple.
As for our Sherlock tally, the final victims:
Alfred — Spotlight, effectively making it Sherlocked *by* Sherlock (thanks, Anthony)
Dropbox — iCloud Drive
Skitch — Markup in Mail
Shazam — Siri
SnapChat — Messages in iOS
Objective-C/OpenGL — Swift/Metal
I’m not sure about the last one, but let me know in the comments or on Twitter if I missed anything else that was Sherlocked by Apple this morning.
Apple has posted up heaps of information on everything I’ve covered on their website, so go check out the OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 previews. And if you missed the event itself, you can now watch the keynote on Apple’s website too. If you want to talk about anything Apple announced (or Sherlocked) this morning, the forums are right over here.
Photos via The Verge.
Tagged: wwdc
Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google+
Start the discussion at talk.appletalk.com.au
Good Reads for November, 2019
Good Reads for October, 2019
Good Reads for September, 2019
Tuesday Morning News
Monday Morning News
Thursday Morning News
AppleTalk © 2020
Built by MeanThemes
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346682
|
__label__wiki
| 0.58399
| 0.58399
|
Tag: #Bristol
Anne Bonny #BlogTour #BookReview A Sinner’s Prayer by @EllingtonWright M.P Wright 5*Genius #NewRelease #CrimeFiction #Series #JTEllington @bwpublishing #Bristol #ASinnersPrayer
A Sinner’s Prayer by M.P. Wright
Synopsis ~
Saying farewell to the dark side doesn’t mean the dark side wants rid of you. And I was about to be reminded of that fact.
1970, St Pauls, Bristol. A new decade, and JT Ellington is determined it will be a quiet one. He’s stepped away from the private-eye game to scratch a living, respectable at last, as a school caretaker.
Still his nights are full of torment – guilt and ghosts that no prayers will banish but it’s not until the past comes calling in the unwelcome form of Superintendent Fletcher that JT’s resolve is truly tested.
Fletcher has a job for JT – and the hard-nosed cop can’t be refused. A young man, Nikhil Suresh, has disappeared hours before his wedding; rumours abound and his family is distraught. JT is to investigate.
With what feels like blood money in his pocket, JT is plunged deep into a demi-monde of vice, violence and forbidden passion. An extraordinary, malevolent enemy is intent on destroying him. Now – seeking survival and redemption – JT must play as dirty and dangerous as those who want him dead.
My Review ~
‘Sooner or later, everyone round you dies JT. They are in hell, everyone you ever loved, all either burnt up or here rotting with me’
The title opens with JT confronted by the ghostly apparition of Carnell Harris. We become quickly aware of the past characters that have featured in the series. Their links to other returning characters and the toll their pain and losses takes on JT’s psyche. JT Ellington is a haunted man, haunted by his past, haunted by the present and haunted by the future!
‘Carnell Harris was dead because of me’
The title opens on Friday 13th August 1971 in Bristol. JT is now 48yrs old and we learn that 1970’s Britain is no more kinder to JT than the previous swinging 1960’s. JT faces an avalanche of daily racism, discrimination and prejudice. A fictionalised version of the windrush experience. JT is currently a caretaker at a local primary school, having abandoned the life of a PI for a secure lifestyle for his 6yr old niece Chloe.
But as usual… Trouble lurks closely behind every corner of Jt’s life…
JT is accosted by Detective Inspector Fletcher again, (now Superintendent) He encourages or more likely coerces JT into dealing with the case of a missing shopkeepers son Nikhil Suresh. However, to unravel the mystery of Nikhil’s disappearing act, JT must navigate the world of arranged marriage.
‘I decided to take the Superintendent’s thirty pieces of silver’
We are reintroduced to a wide-range or reoccurring characters such as Aunt Pearl, Uncle Gabe and my favourite Loretta Harris.
But JT’s main focus remains the case of the missing bridegroom. The case becomes even more entangled when we learn of the men living in secret due to their sexuality. Can JT uncover the most precious secrets of those close to Nikhil? Or will Nikhil’s death remain unsolved?
‘The man you search for is with the Jinn’
The LGBT theme in 1970’s England, enables the reader to explore the underground gay scene, drag queens and others society has rejected. The era is one of oppression and it is shocking to think this is not that long ago. Needlessly, the author deals with such matters with tact, delicacy and lets the emotion lead the narrative.
‘The dead man had been associating with monsters, and he’d clearly gone on to pay a very high price for it’
When a local white child’s body is discovered at a local golf course. JT begins to question a link. But why would anyone strangle and beat an 11yr old boy? Is there a definitive link to Nikhil’s disappearance?
One thing is for certain, if the murder of a local white boy is reported in connection with Nikhil, it could unleash all manner of racial tensions, violence and possible riots on the streets. JT must act fast!
When the case is potentially linked to organised crime and gangsters of The Firm. JT calls in the big guns and by big guns, he means Vic!
‘Vic was proof that a black man could live by his own rules in Britain’
Vic is without a shadow of a doubt, one of my favourite male characters in the series (aside from JT). I would love to see the series developed into a TV series and think Idris Elba would make an exceptional Vic we would all fall in love with!
‘White folk were as happy here to let a black man or woman take the fall for them as they were back on Bim, whether they had committed the damn crime or not’
The novel deals with not only tough issues, but complex issues. The racial tensions of the decade are fully explored, as are the potential various motivations. Fear, ignorance and lack of self awareness all play a part in the up rise of white British racism. The plague it holds over its victims is fully explored….
‘I was perhaps descending down into hell and the devil himself would be waiting for me’
There are passages of beautiful prose from M.P. Wright and he has excelled himself once again with A Sinner’s Prayer.
‘I imagined prehistoric wolves making the same gesture before they howled at men, women and children sat shivering in their caves’…
‘A trio of deadly executioners, who lived in the knowledge that certain death always followed in their wake’
Dark crime fiction to mix with your dark rum on the sunny summer evenings!
*Raises glass to JT Ellington*
A series finale and a character that will live on in the hearts of his readers.
5* Genius
M.P. Wright
My Q&A with M.P. Wright
My Review of, The Restless Coffins
July 18, 2019 July 18, 2019 #ASinnersPrayer, #Bristol, 5*, 5* Genius, 5* Genius Reads, @bwpublishing, @EllingtonWright, A Sinner's Prayer, Black And White Publishing, Blog tour, Book Review, Crime fiction, JT Ellington, M.P Wright, new release, SeriesLeave a comment
#Part2 #JT #TakeOver @EllingtonWright #Exclusive #SneakPeak at #Prologue #TheRestlessCoffins
This is an extremely early, sneak peak at the third in the JT Ellington series. Which is scheduled for release in Spring 2018. I have been lucky enough to have a read through and I can promise you it is insanely good! We get to see JT as we have never seen him before. There is booky, globe-trotting across the USA and ultimately Barbados and of course a dark and painful crime that will strike right at the heart of JT.
I was sold halfway through the synopsis! 🙂
The Restless Coffins
1969, Bristol. Bajan ex- cop and reluctant private detective, Joseph ‘JT’ Tremaine Ellington is still trading in cash and favours, lending a helping hand to those too scared to go to the police or anyone trying to stay one step ahead of them.
Life is tough for JT, and it’s about to get a lot tougher when he receives a telegram informing him of a tragedy that has unfolded thousands of miles away. Ellington’s sister, Bernice has been murdered. Ellington wants to make the long journey back to his home on the island of Barbados to pay his final respects and to settle his late sister’s affairs. To do so, he must accept a ticket from his shady cousin, Vic, on condition he travels to New York first, where Vic is building himself a criminal empire in Harlem.
Vic appoints the beguiling, Evagelina Laveau to mind his cousin, along with his henchmen, Clefus Horton and a hot-headed Bajun, Pigfoot, a man always quick with his knife. JT soon discovers that Vic is the American end of an operation that stretches back to Barbados, and that Vic’s business partner is Conrad Monroe, the man responsible for the death of JT’s wife and daughter. JT finds himself embroiled in the world of drugs, bent law, voodoo and the bitter legacy of slavery. He must return to the island of his birth and face the demons of his past.
Extract – Prologue:
Ginger Bay, St Philip Parish, Barbados August 9th 1934.
The boy and girl walked slowly without speaking to each other, each carrying thin bamboo cane fishing rods across their slender shoulders, languidly kicking at the pale, dusty ground with their toes as they travelled from their chattel home out along the edge of the dirt track road, north towards the sea. The midday sun was hung high in a cloudless, turquoise sky behind them, its heavy rays already stinging the backs of their heads and necks. The sticky humidity clung to the insides of their tee-shirts, the steamy air around their faces, fuggy and still. As they walked they could hear, lost in the thick hedgerows, the hypnotic sound of cicadas chirping. Above their heads, hanging from the branches of the grizzled gum trees that lined either side of the road, fell long strands of rotting moss. The fecund earthy scent of decay seeped from the flowing green- tinged boughs, its fusty odour drifting downwards towards the sticky haze that skirted out in front of them.
The children’s daily journey down to the cove where they played was a familiar one and the young boy always set the pace, his barefoot strides quicker than those of his younger sibling. Unable to match her brother’s whirlwind gait she abruptly stopped on the roadside, defiantly rested her tiny hands onto her hips then yelled out to him. “Will yuh slow down, Joseph!” The boy accustomed to his sister’s daily request took no notice of her whine and immediately quickened up, deliberately taking another half dozen lengthy strides, only stopping and turning around after the girl had bellowed out again for him to wait for her. The boy stroked his chin with the tips of his fingers and began to tap the ball of his right foot impatiently on the ground. He stared back down the road then wiped his thin forearm aggressively across his sweating brow whilst he waited for his dawdling sister to finally catch up.
The little girl smiled to herself then ran the remaining few yards to reach her disgruntled brother. She came to a weary halt in front of him and stood panting like an over-heated puppy. When she’d finally caught her breath the little girl raised her makeshift fishing rod in the air and defiantly shook it over her head.
“Joseph, I’m gonna catch me a big bonefish today.”
The boy looked down at his sister, shaking his head. “Girl, don’t be talkin’ doh’tish. Yuh ain’t catching nuthin’ wid dat tatty rod’ at all.”
The little girl shot her brother a pained stare. “Yeah… well jus’ yuh wait, I’m’ gonna show yuh.” Joseph sneered back at her, spat a thick wad of saliva at his feet then prodded a damnatory finger into his sister’s face.
“Bernice, quit lick moutin’. Yuh ain’t showing me nuthin’. Pickney, I bin dropping a line in de water since befo’ yuh bin suckin’ on Mama’s titties!”
Bernice cursed at her brother under her breath then sucked in a stream of warm air through the thin gap in her front teeth. She looked back up at her brother, her eyes squinting into severe slits from the glare of the sun, her face crinkled with child-like anger. “Well yuh look like Mama’s titties!” Joseph stared back blankly at Bernice then raised his right hand out in front of his sister’s face, his middle digit fully extended, giving her the bird then turned sharply on his heels and continued walking briskly along the road.
The vexed little girl gave a deep sigh then slung the cane rod back over her shoulder and chased after her testy brother, the pair not stopping again for another half mile until they reached the junction of a crossroads. Joseph took hold of Bernice’s wrist, drawing her close to his side and scanned his eyes diligently along either side of the desolate highway for the remote possibility of an approaching passing car, bike or truck. With no approaching vehicles in sight Joseph dropped his hold on his sister’s arm and the two of them quickly crossed over the scorching tarmac and made their way along the unpaved sidewalk until they reached a steep, parched soil embankment which fell down away from the road. Without turning around to her, Joseph again reached out behind him with his left arm and held out the palm of his hand and waited for his sister’s slender fingers to grasp hold of it.
The two children climbed down the heavy earth mound into a dense undergrowth of hanging tamarind branches, bright crimson Caesalpinia bushes and sweet ing magnolia shrub and began to walk through the dense canopy of green foliage until they came to a thin sand-blown track between the shaded arch of a row of bowed silk cotton trees. Above their heads they could hear the loud, discordant cries of flock shearwaters and storm petrels as they flew out to sea. Joseph stopped for a moment and looked up at the swooping birds then let go of his sister’s hand and broke out into a sprint along the remainder of the path and down to a thin row of grassy dunes. He climbed up on to the sandy knoll and stood motionless looking out to sea waiting for Bernice to arrive at his side. When she finally joined him on top of the dune the two children gazed down on to the white powdery sand and shady swaying palms and smiled at each other content in an unspoken mutual reverie. They had returned again; back to their secret, hidden world.
The sheltered bay with its tranquil shoreline was nestled between two imposing limestone coral rock structures which towered up either side of the secluded basin. Joseph and Bernice ran off the dunes on to the beach across the baking hot sand down to the sea, dropping their fishing rods at the cooling waters edge. Even at low tide the impressive looking small, white- tipped waves had a menacing presence about them. The crystal clear water gracefully ebbed and flowed around the tops of their legs. They both waded excitedly out into the alluring azure-tainted ocean until the sea reached their stomachs then started to swim along a short stretch of the bay, neither forgetting the dangers that lurked beneath them nor the strong currents and dangerous swells and undertows that swept undetected through the cove. The unseen deadly tides were a constant reminder to the two children of their mother’s sombre caution to them each time they left to visit the deserted beach. “Child yuh mind dem waters… De sea it e’n got nuh back door. It tek yuh; yuh gon fo’ever, you ‘ear me?”
They swam and dived in the shallow waters for the next hour, finally returning to the shore after Bernice had begun to complain that she was cold and tired. The little girl followed her brother out of the sea, trooping back up on to the beach then dropping down with a heavy thud at Joseph’s side. The little girl threw her gangly legs out in front of her, accidently kicking sand over Joseph as she shook droplets of water and grit from her feet. Joseph shot her a dirty look. Unruffled by her brother’s irritation, Bernice stuck out her tongue then hitched herself a few inches away from him, pulling her knees up towards her chest, tucking her arms around her shins then resting her chin on top of them. She huffed indignantly to herself then stared solemnly out to sea.
The two children sat in silence letting the afternoon sun dry the saltwater from their bodies. Joseph was the first to break the stillness with a question.
“Yuh ready to go fish, then?”
Bernice kept looking out at the ocean and slowly nodded her head then quickly got to her feet, collecting her fishing rod as she did and began to walk slowly through the surf towards the blue hole caves further down the beach. Joseph shot up off the sand and ran to Bernice’s side, noticing the inch long crimson scar on his sister’s lower calf as he inched in front of her to take the lead once again. The claret-coloured lesion had been caused by the toxic sap from a Manchineel tree which Bernice had foolishly climb the previous summer. The fiery plant juice had grazed her skin, burning the flesh and leaving an ugly welt mark; a painful reminder that she should never attempt such a fool-hardy pursuit again. Joseph looked at his sister and smiled to himself quietly registering in his mind that it wouldn’t be the last time Bernice did something foolish.
They stood on the jagged rocks above the caves, on a low promontory that jutted out between a series of deep pools casting their fishing lines out into the sea. By late afternoon they had caught and thrown back over a dozen barjacks and mahogany snapper. The sky had begun to turn a darker blue and at the furthest edges of Joseph’s vision he could just make out the portentous darkening heavens of an approaching storm. The gulf waters below were still lime green but had become streaked with threatening whitecaps, darker patches of deep water, like clouds of ink had begun to drift across the coral reef; another sign to the young boy that bad weather was brewing. Joseph and Bernice collected up their rods and lines and trudged down the steep cliff path back on to Harrismith beach then headed south towards the coast road.
They walked quickly over the soggy sand, the sea water washing away their foot prints before heading back away from the beach, climbing over rocks which were scattered across a series of inter-connecting lagoons. In the distance Joseph could see the multi-coloured fishing boats moored up on tow lines in the harbor at Deborah Bay. A thick, fetid odour suddenly blew in off of the gathering tailwind, it wafted across the children’s faces making Bernice grimace.
“What’s dat ?”
“Probably yuh breath,” snapped Joseph.
“Yuh shut yo’ mout!”
Joseph cackled loudly, pleased with his cruel jibe and his sister’s tetchy response to it. Bernice quickly retaliated by splashing water at her brother’s back. The two children continued to taunt and sneer at each other as they pushed on, out across the lagoon away from the blackening clouds in the bay behind them. Joseph continued to walk a few feet in front of his sister, the sour becoming more intense as they crossed over into an ankle-deep inlet which stood between them and the path across to the next cove. They trod carefully in the shallows, both navigating their footsteps away from the sharp coral and the spines of semi-hidden sea urchins. A floating island of kelp bobbed in the water in front of them as they climbed over a sandbar into a another rock pool. That’s when the putrid hum hit and Joseph, out of the corner of his eye, saw a few yards in front of him just what was making all the stink.
Underneath the over-hanging branches of a palm nestled in a stagnating salt water-filled depression, was the body of a man. The corpse crawling with ghost crabs, lay face up and was partially dressed in a tattered blue uniform. The head was snatched back, the eyes sunk deep in to his skull and covered in a thin milky film. A thin web of dried algae and sea weed was interwoven through the damp, matted blood-stained grey hair. The skin was as thin as parchment and the colour and texture of tanned, wrinkled damp leather. The arms and hands were liver-spotted and etched with dull, sunken blue veins.
Joseph held out his arm behind him, the palm of his hand flat as Bernice approached.
“Yuh stay there!”
“Why, what yuh seen, Joseph?”
“Nuthin! Jus do as I say.” Joseph swallowed hard then took a couple more steps through the water towards the body. He stared down at the man’s bloated face which was burnished with heavy, dark bruising, the mouth yanked wide open, a silent scream emanating from ruptured lips, tarnished a deep purple; the colour of rotting hog plums. The throat stretched taut, revealed a gaping slit which had been carved deep into the flesh above the Adam’s apple. Further down the body barely covering the torso, a buttonless shirt with silver insignia decorated on each lapel was torn open at the midriff exposing a beaten and bloated stomach which hung down towards the man’s thighs like a water-filled balloon.
“Lemme see what it is, Joseph…”
Joseph, his mouth dry, hesitated before faltering back to his sister. “No, I said stay there.”
“But I wanna see.”
Joseph without taking his eyes off of the distended cadaver stabbed his finger back at his sister. “No pickney should be seein’ dis.” Bernice took no notice of her brother’s warning and rushed through the water clambering over Joseph’s shoulder, looking down to where the man’s decomposing remains lay. Joseph immediately felt Bernice’s body stiffen then shudder next to his, her voice was muted and crackled with fear when she finally spoke.
“That fella a redleg, Joseph?”
Joseph shook his head and took a step backwards. “He ain’t no crook… Dis fella, he a po’lice man.”
Another flurried gust lifted the unmistakable musk of death up from the water–soaked ground at their feet and draped itself over the children faces like the cursed cloak of a dark angel. Joseph felt a wave of panic shoot through every fibre of his being, the inside of his head felt woolly and began to spin as he heard his sister repeating the words he’d just spoken. He quickly turned back to look at the foreboding, low grey canopy in the darkening sky, the burgeoning storm was now anchored a few miles out in the bay behind them. The palm fronds whipped in the wind above their heads and the sea had begun to turn choppy, the aggressive tide slowing starting to inch its way further in towards them. The approaching waters carried on its spiky edge a thin, white line of surf, its spray spitting violently up into the air. Lightening suddenly forked out in the distance like a shard of fine glass followed by the faint rumble of thunder which trembled inside the gathering clouds.
The two children stood over the dead man’s body, a fine sea spray blowing in their faces, the ebony tinged sky above them growling. The clouds sparked inside, their mantle imbued with a blood red stain. Joseph dropped his fishing rod into the water and reached down for his sister’s hand. They began to run, never once looking back. They heard the racked screams of the Obeah unleashed from the floor of the rock pool behind them, its tormented howl swiftly gathered up in the squall which blew in across the cove. The cruel wind clawed at their backs like the hands of the grasping undead and screeched across their path as they bolted back across the dunes; the hot sand underneath their feet stung at their soles like crushed diamonds.
M.P Wright
Web: http://www.marjacq.com/m-p-wright.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/M-P-Wright-1430454697199972/
Twitter: @EllingtonWright
JT Ellington series:
#1 Heartman
#2 All Through The Night
#3 The Restless Coffins
July 7, 2017 #Barbados, #Bristol, #Exclusive, #Prologue, @EllingtonWright, @TheAgentPhil, All Time Fave Authors, Extract, JT Ellington, M.P Wright, Spring 2019 Release, The Restless CoffinsLeave a comment
#Author #Faves Q&A with @EllingtonWright M.P Wright #JT #DiverseNovels @bolindaaudio
M.P Wright is one of my all time favourite writers. As a voracious reader, I knew from only 50 pages in, of the authors debut novel Heartman, that JT as a series, was pure 5* genius! I have since been extremely lucky to have sneak peaks into the authors future releases The Restless Coffins and Holy Bones Blues. I was super excited when the author agreed to feature in a Q&A with my blog and also offer exclusive content!
Welcome to part one of the JT Ellington blog posts!
Heartman
Longlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2015
Bristol, 1965. In the dead of winter, a young deaf and dumb woman goes missing without a trace. But the police just don’t care about a West Indian immigrant who is nowhere to be found.
Enter Joseph Tremaine ‘JT’ Ellington: a Barbadian ex-cop not long off the boat, a man with a tragic past and a broken heart. When local mogul Earl Linney hires him to track down the missing girl, JT soon finds himself adrift in a murky world of prostitution and kidnapping where each clue reveals yet more mysteries. What is Linney’s connection to the girl? Have more women gone missing? And what exactly is the Erotica Negro Club.
Facing hostility and prejudice as well as the demons he left home to escape, JT must unravel a deadly conspiracy in a dangerous and unfamiliar world.
“It’s quite simple Mr Ellington. When you find Fowler, just ask where we can find the truth.”
With these words, private detective JT Ellington embarks on a seemingly simple case of tracking down a local GP with a dubious reputation and retrieving a set of stolen documents from him.
For Ellington, however, things are rarely straightforward. Dr Fowler is hiding a terrible secret and when he is gunned down outside a Bristol pub, his dying words send JT in pursuit of a truth more disturbing and deadly than he could possibly have imagined.
Q) I am a huge fan of the JT Ellington series & have shouted loud about it on social media a fair few times. Can you explain to the readers the JT Ellington series, from their roots to publication?
A) Heartman is set in Bristol in 1965. Joseph Tremaine Ellington is a former Barbadian police sergeant who has left the island under a very dark cloud and made his home in the UK. Ellington falls into the mould of the loner detective, created by my crime fiction literary heroes, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and Ross MacDonald. It’s very much at the ‘Noir’ end of the crime fiction scale. Dark and labyrinthian in tone. It’s fair to say that the book is influence greatly by the works of the above writers. I’m greatly indebted to those who have gone before me, they led the way for Ellington to become a fully-fledge character in my head. By the time I came to write the story, I had every facet of the man’s life written in a ’Bible’ I’d created for him, family history, Police service record, the whole nine yards.
Heartman was a joy to write, but a devil to get into print. My literary agent, Phil Patterson of the Marjacq agency in London got the Noir feel of the book from the off, and offered me representation a good 12 months before we got a publisher to bite. In fact, we sold the option rights to Heartman to television and World Productions at least six months before we got a publishing deal with Edinburgh based, Black and White Publishing. Like Phil, my publisher, Campbell Brown enjoyed the Noir aspects of the novel, and noted that there was nothing quite like it in UK crime fiction.
Heartman was originally called Rock a Bye Baby Blues and the novel was always intended to be the first of three. By the time it came to editing the book with my wonderful editor, Karyn Millar we had a new title and I was a quarter of the way through writing the sequel, All Through The Night.
Q) One thing I absolutely love about the JT Ellington series, is the characterisation, the whole cast is so unique and so descriptively written, you really grow to love them. What is the process of creating each character & what is their inspiration?
A) First off, and perhaps rather controversially I have to admit that I become angered easily at modern crime fiction writing that lacks character depth.
It’s all well and good creating a ‘Time-worn, loner detective’, but a writer has to put flesh on the bones for that to be believable on the page. The old masters I’ve already mention could get away with being ‘slight’ in their characterisations, modern crime writers, in my opinion shouldn’t fall into that trap. I believe readers like to have as much detail as possible in regards the characters they are reading about. This belief has been borne out by the great response I’ve had from fans of Heartman and the subsequent follow up, you have commented on how much they enjoy becoming part of the characters’ lives. For me it’s a golden rule to impart as much background information about my characters as possible. That includes the villains.
In regards inspiration for the creation of the characters; there’s a great deal of research that goes into every character. I interview a lot. There’s nothing better than for a writer to hear facts and details straight from the ‘Horse’s Mouth’ as it were. Heartman would not have been possible without the generosity of many. I owe a great debt to the Caribbean communities here in Leicester and Bristol. The experiences of many first-generation immigrants from the West Indies was invaluable in my creating rounded and real characters.
Q) In Heartman you reference the Bristol bus boycott, the UK’s version of Rosa Parks. Where one man Paul Stephenson stood up for the rights of black workers, which ultimately led to the race relations act 1965 which made it unlawful to racially discriminate in a public place. What was the inspiration behind featuring this in the backdrop of the novel? Did you always intend to weave facts with fiction?
A) In a word, yes. A book like Heartman would never have worked unless it was strongly factually based. Yes, its crime fiction, but the subject matter, racism, segregation, bigotry are ones that I could not sweep under the proverbial carpet. I wanted to address attitudes to race and racism in the UK in the 1960’s head on. It’s a large part of the book, but it’s not it’s the sum of the novel. At its heart (pardon the pun), Heartman is about family, and the lies and secrets many of us perhaps tell and keep.
Q) JT develops a huge amount between books 1-3. Having read The Restless Coffins, myself, I know what a huge treat is in store for fans of the series. Fans will see changes in JT & learn more about his background. Is it the intention with a character like JT that there will be revelations in each novel?
A) I like to unfurl another layer of the ‘character onion’ in each of the books. As I said, I created a ‘Bible’ for the character and knew the complex world he came from and the importance of passing on that background information to the reader gradually. I wanted the reader to fall in love with the characters as much as I did, to do that successfully you have to offer up personal tit-bits, incrementally. That way it offers a great impact and resonance on the reader.
Q) One thing I really love is the elements of Voodoo, in each novel. Voodoo is something that fascinates most people & I have seen many Fb status regarding the mild hints of Voodoo in the TV series Taboo. Is this something that will remain in every novel? What made you include it in the debut Heartman?
A) The ‘Supernatural’ elements, for want of a better term, are the most enjoyable sections of the books for me when I am writing them. Personally, I’m not a believer in the dark arts, but I am very aware that religions, such as Voodoo have massive followings in the West Indies, and not to have reflected that fact in the books would have been very remiss. I look upon the inclusion of folklore and the ‘spiritual’ elements in all three stories to be vital, and should be considered as respectful nods towards other’s belief systems and the religions that many people embrace across the Caribbean.
I can say that The Restless Coffins see’s Ellington returning home to the island of Barbados, there he encounters superstition and the shadows of the voodoo religion. The title of the book is taken from an incident that occurred in a crypt on the island back in the 1940’s and even earlier, which saw coffins that were kept locked underground in a mausoleum which seemed to move across the ground and change positions. All very odd, and a just a little creepy.
The fourth Ellington novel, The Rivers Of Blood, which I start writing in late August sees J T Ellington back on Bristol turf and will include a splash of the superstition elements that readers found so popular in Heartman.
Q) Can you tell the readers a little bit about yourself & your background?
A) The writer’s nightmare, talking about oneself …
I’d written for twenty years. Told no one. Not parents, Friends, Nobody.
I had previously worked in mental health, the probation service, youth offending and with young people at risk, and for over 20 years. During that time, I wrote. Screenplays, poetry, song lyrics, prose; you name it … I scribbled it down. It wasn’t until I took early retirement and started a creative writing course at the Demontfort university here in Leicester that I started to take my writing seriously.
A wonderful chap, and my former tutor, Damien G Walter, a Guardian columnist and writer himself read a portion of the original Heartman/Rock A Bye Blues draft and advised that I make it into a novel form (It was a TV script), he also advised that I let a literary agent see it upon completion and get myself seen at Crime Fiction Literary Festivals. That’s what I did …
From there a fantastic writer called Emlyn Rees picked up the book and ran with it. He in turn raved about Heartman and should it to my agent, Phil. The rest, as they say, is history.
Q) Within the Heartman series, Racism is a central theme, yet I know that you live in the very multicultural city of Leicester. Do you think there are changes in public opinion? Do novels like yours raise awareness of Britain’s past history of racism, for the younger readers?
A) It would be nice to think so. It was never my intention to get on a soap box and rant about the injustices I saw in the world, but in truth that’s what happened. Heartman is riddled with my own anger, a rage I cannot contain when I see any kind of intolerance and bigotry to my fellow human.
I wanted to impart that sense of anger into the book without it sounding as if I had a personal axe to grind. I wanted the characters to voice my fears and my concerns without it seeming forced and to highlight a time in our history in which we should rightly, not be proud.
I’m very proud to live in Leicester. Proud of its multi-culturalism, I’m also very much in love with the city of Bristol and its people. It’s such a fantastic place to write about.
Q) Do you have any ideas for new series? I know you can’t give too much away, but will you possibly feature other cultures? Will you always write Historical crime novels?
A) I’ve never considered myself to me an historical crime writer. A Reader yes.
I’m a history nut, always have been and I devour historical works and biographies. I ought to come clean and admit I very rarely read modern crime fiction. It’s just not my thing. Working with real criminals for such a long time took the edge of any personal interest I had in reading about serial killers and the likes. I find those kinds of books far-fetched and can never get into the vibe of the narrative.
The exceptions to that rule of thumb are the genius American writers, James Lee Burke and Walter Mosely, who write about crime as a secondary
Whilst concentrating almost on the realities of the world and what’s going on around them. I find that kind of writing has a massive impact on me in the same way that a writer like, William Faulkner did when I was younger.
As for what comes next; I am half way through writing a contemporary novel set here in Leicester. The Holy Bones Blues is my love letter to the city as it is in 2017. It’s a crime novel that reflects on the city’s diverse multi-culturalism. I’m not aware that a modern crime novel has depicted the city in such a way and I’m excited to see the reaction from readers.
I also have a fourth, Ellington novel, The Rivers of Blood to complete by the end of next January. Then there is a collection of short stories featuring my Bajan detective which I hope will be out for Christmas this year. More news to follow on that shortly.
Heartman & All Through The Night are available in paperback & are currently on #Kindle #Ebook for just £1.89.
Heartman has been released in hardback on 28th June 2017 &
All through The Night is set for hardback release on 28th July 2017 from Ulverscroft
@UlverscroftUK
The novels will also be available in audio format from Bolinda Audio @Bolindaaudio on the following dates: Heatman 30th June and All Through The Night 28th August.
Vocals by Narrator
Ben Onwukwe
Ben Onwukwe is a British film, radio, television, theatre and voice actor. He is perhaps best known for appearing as Stuart ‘Recall’ MacKenzie in London’s Burning, a dramatic television series first aired on the British television network ITV.
You can listen to an excerpt here:http://www.bolinda.co.uk/
*Huge thanks to the author for agreeing to be on my blog and stay tuned for part two of the #JTEllington blog posts planned today, for an exclusive look at The Restless Coffins 🙂
July 7, 2017 July 7, 2017 #BajanCop, #Barbados, #Bristol, #DiverseNovels, #Q&A, 5* Genius Reads, @Bolindaaudio, @bwpublishing, @EllingtonWright, @TheAgentPhil, @UlverscroftUK, @worldprods, All Through The Night, All Time Fave Authors, AudionBooks, authortalks, Favourite Authors, Hardback, Heartman, JT Ellington, kindle, M.P Wright, Paperback, World Productions1 Comment
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346695
|
__label__cc
| 0.711438
| 0.288562
|
Back to metaphor
I recently read James Geary’s entertaining book I Is an Other–The Secret Life of Metaphor and How It Shapes the Way We See the World. Geary takes his title from one of Rimbaud‘s letters, calling this phrase metaphor’s “principal equation”:
Metaphor systematically disorganizes the common sense of things–jumbling together the abstract with the concrete, the physical with the psychological, the like with the unlike–and reorganizes it into uncommon combinations.
I like this definition because it feels more complete than the typical definition of metaphor as a comparison without the use of the adverbial comparative (i.e., no “like” or “as”). Indeed, metaphor probably forms the basis of language itself; while that conclusion’s much debated in semiotics, linguistics, and other scholarly disciplines, common sense and common usage strongly suggest that even thought itself–in terms of how we think internally about the world–employs metaphor as an underpinning.
Maybe I believe so because I’m a poet. Geary, as it turns out, has written some poetry, though he’s best known for his books about words, word origins, wordplay, aphorisms, witticisms, and the like. (He’s also got a TED talk…everybody’s got a TED talk…)
As to poetry, and how metaphor behaves in the poem’s context, I like what Geary says here (although in this excerpt it’s not actually poetry he’s discussing, but rhetoric):
Readers actively retrieve a metaphor’s meaning, just as a punch line requires listeners to resolve a joke’s incongruities for themselves…though the speaker may make the metaphor, the hearer makes its meaning. Hearer and speaker are accomplices; the one unpacks what the other presents. In terms of creativity, producing a metaphor and penetrating one are almost the same act.
I think the above lines go far to explaining why I love to read poetry and also provide implications as to why poems can be so damned difficult to compose. The poet endeavors to create a context and container for an often-unknown audience who will nonetheless need to invest, one hopes willingly, in the process of reorganizing the surprising (metaphor) into the recognizable.
And what a fine task that is!
This entry was posted in Books, Poetry, Words and tagged Arthur Rimbaud, Books, James Geary, language, linguistics, metaphor, poems, Poetry, semiotics, words.
← Berrying
Language acquisition & its opposite →
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346696
|
__label__wiki
| 0.854854
| 0.854854
|
Jane Sillars on premiere of Bird documentary
May 15, 2016 kemps70 Leave a comment
Jane Sillars, programme director of Film, Exhibition & Curation (Job-share with Susan Kemp) blogs about the NFT screening of Antonia Bird: From EastEnders to Hollywood on May 12, 2016
http://www.ed.ac.uk/literatures-languages-cultures/film/staff/jane-sillars
So, just back from London Town to see the Antonia Bird documentary premiere at the National Film Theatre.
The culmination of two year’s intensive research and filming, the documentary charts the development of Bird’s career; her moves from theatre to television and to film in the UK and in Hollywood; her politically motivated approach to film-making and to storytelling; her gifts in working with performers; and her particular blend of highly emotive and engaged social critique. The documentary represents an astonishing achievement not least as, at the time of Bird’s death three years ago, there was almost nothing about her work in the public domain, and what little there was incomplete and often wrong.
Director, Susan Kemp’s film forms part of a broader project she’s been involved in with film maker Mark Cousins (a close friend and collaborator of Bird’s) and producers Mary Bell and Adam Dawtrey, aiming to document Bird’s legacy and find the space her work deserves with audiences and within our understanding of British film and of the contribution of often neglected women authors. The screening launched a season of Bird’s films ‘The Woman Who Kicked Down Doors’ curated by the BFI which recognises her as a trailblazing artist. The BBC who funded much of Bird’s work will also screen Susan’s film on May 22nd.
Given how little material there has been available on Bird and her work, one of the most notable elements of the film is its success in uncovering, analysing and opening up her motivations, her aesthetics, and her career trajectory – a career path that, as the film, shows was diverse, divergent and seldom straightforward.
In the panel discussion afterwards Susan talked about the importance of the flexibility brought as a solo film-maker. This enabled her to spend an extended research and development period tracking down sources and potential interviewees as well as immersing herself in Bird’s work and archive. Light weight film equipment and Susan’s skills in self-shooting meant that she was able to record material across the duration of this process. (I say light-weight but I well remember the many Wednesday afternoons where Susan would shoulder a massive rucksack, pick up her tripod, and stride womanfully off to Waverley for her second shift.) In an audience at the South Bank largely made of film-makers there was both appreciation and awe of the scale of this endeavour. (Appreciation is very much due too to Lauren Clarke, FEC graduate who worked across the project with Susan. It was great to see Lauren and family at the screening – enjoying the first onscreen credit for Lauren but I suspect very much not the last.)
The benefits of this openness of approach can be seen on screen. Susan’s interviews captures both spontaneity and immediacy from her respondents, rather than replicating the sometimes slightly laboured feel we’ve all picked up from reminiscences shared first with researchers and producers, then reproduced on cue for camera. It also powerfully catches at the sense of loss felt by the many people who worked with Antonia; the loss of an individual loved by many and also the loss of a distinctive and penetrating voice.
The admiration Bird evoked in her collaborators is clear in the documentary and was also much in evidence in the attendance on Thursday. In the green room beforehand the warmth and affection felt for Antonia was palpable. As well as enjoying earwigging in to the stories and memories exchanged between actors, composers, producers and writers there, for the first time I had a proper sense of the various kinds of responsibility attaching to a film like this. Throughout the project Susan has been determined to do proper justice to Antonia Bird’s life and work as well as facing head on some of the really complex questions as to why in her career Bird did not always manage to make the work she wanted to, and why the work she did make has been so neglected. With so many key players crammed into a small, hot space (the NFT green room has a freaky mirrored ceiling like something out of dodgy 70s ‘arthouse’ erotica) I got a real feel for what a tough audience this might prove to be. Susan says that when, early on in the documentary, cheers and applause greeted the cleverly sourced archive of a young and bushy brown bearded Jeremy Corbyn she knew she was going to be alright.
And she and her film were a lot more than alright. One highlight for me was Anita Dobson (the legendary Angie in EastEnders) commenting from the platform “I don’t think I’ve been so moved by a documentary about someone’s work ever”. This was followed by responses from the floor hailing the film as ‘profound’, ‘necessary’ and ‘important’. The look of the film was much admired with one or two smarty pants picking up the way its form draws on Bird’s preference for the big close up and the drama of the human face in action.
Speakers were especially taken with how effectively the film addresses the thorny question of the under-representation of women directors, a debate coming to boiling point in Hollywood and in relation to UK film just last week with the Directors UK report
https://directors.uk.com/news/cut-out-of-the-picture
There were also moving stories from the floor of the unrecorded contributions Bird made to the work of many others, actors turned directors, and younger women directors, reinforcing two key strands within Susan’s film – film authorship as something that is always collaborative, often provisional, and made up of visible and invisible elements; and also demonstrating how Bird’s politics of engagement and solidarity found many expressions. All in all it was a very uplifting evening, celebrating an extraordinary woman and her body of work, and showing the capacity of documentary film at its best to work as archive, as analyst, and as catalyst.
And we can all get a chance to see it soon – TX BBC Four Sunday 22nd May 2100.
This is an additional placeholder post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post. If you like, use this post to tell readers why you started this blog and what you plan to do with it.
KATE HARDIE
Image: Susan Kemp
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346697
|
__label__wiki
| 0.665018
| 0.665018
|
HomeAmitabh BachchanAmitabh Bachchan takes up another cause, launches eye care campaign in UP to fight blindness
Amitabh Bachchan takes up another cause, launches eye care campaign in UP to fight blindness
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has launched a ‘See Now’ campaign, centred in Uttar Pradesh, to help end avoidable blindness.
The campaign will deploy creative content across five key districts – Unnao, Lucknow, Raebareli, Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur – via radio, television, print, social media, Whatsapp and SMS to provide information on eye health, local services and how to access them.Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has launched a ‘See Now’ campaign, centred in Uttar Pradesh, to help end avoidable blindness.
The campaign will deploy creative content across five key districts – Unnao, Lucknow, Raebareli, Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur – via radio, television, print, social media, Whatsapp and SMS to provide information on eye health, local services and how to access them.
The actor, himself a proud wearer of glasses, hopes this will encourage others to wear glasses without any stigma.
T 3196 – A cause most important ; a campaign I endorse .. #seenow @weareseenow .. get your eyes checked before its too late .. @weareseenow
message particular to – Raebareili, Sitapur, Lucknow, Lakhimpur Kheri & Unnao ..🙏🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/hLdfjAMsF4
— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) June 15, 2019
“Vision problems are extremely common in India. The basic lack of understanding and awareness of how eye health works, leads to stigma around simple and easy treatments. People are often not aware of availability in their area of quality eye care services. It really is simple to avoid a lot of different sorts of blindness by preventative care,” Amitabh said in a statement.
The campaign, funded by The Fred Hollows Foundation and in part by Essilor Vision Foundation, is working in partnership with Sightsavers India and Vision2020 India among others.
The government has roped in Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan to promote Goods and Services Tax (GST), ahead of the sweeping tax reforms implementation scheduled from July 1. The megastar has been roped in just as the roll out of the biggest tax overhaul since independence entered its final phase. Ace badminton star PV Sindhu was previously the GST ambassador. This is not the first time that Big G has promoted a social campaign. Earlier, he was named the UNICEF brand ambassador for polio eradication. He has also been associated with ‘Incredible India’ campaign and Tiger conservation, since 2016.
eye care campaign
Amitabh Bachchan tweets on sewer deaths, his gifts to BMC
Ayushmann Khurrana opens up about working with Amitabh Bachchan
Badla the movie
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Badla is an upcoming Hindi film directed by Sujoy Ghosh and starring Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu in the lead roles. The film is the remake of the 2016 Spanish thriller […]
Ayan Mukerji Delays Brahmastra to Summer 2020, Shares News on Social Media
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr In a lengthy Instagram post, director Ayan Mukerji announced that his much-anticipated film ‘Brahmastra’ will now release in Summer 2020, as opposed to December 20. Writer-director Ayan Mukerji has announced on […]
Amitabh Bachchan admitted to Mumbai hospital for a regular check up, likely to be discharged soon
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Actor Amitabh Bachchan was admitted to Nanavati hospital in Mumbai on Tuesday for a regular check up. The veteran actor is likely to be discharged soon. Updated: Oct 18, 2019 10:15:53 Actor […]
Amitabh Bachchan on birthday: What is there to celebrate? It’s like any other day
‘Brahmastra’: Amitabh Bachchan shares a picture with Ranbir Kapoor; fans request him to ‘take care of his health’
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346705
|
__label__cc
| 0.737221
| 0.262779
|
Metformin Repurposed: Boosts Survival in TKI-Treated Lung Cancer
But trial used older EGFR inhibitors
by Diana Swift, Contributing Writer September 06, 2019
Adding metformin to standard inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) significantly improved both progression-free and overall survival in advanced lung adenocarcinoma – with no significant increase in adverse events, a randomized phase II study found.
A research team led by Oscar Arrieta, MD, MSc, of the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología in Mexico City, found a significantly longer median progression-free survival with EGFR-TKIs plus metformin: 13.1 months (95% CI 9.8-16.3) compared with 9.9 months (95% CI 7.5-12.2) for standard EGFR-TKIs (hazard ratio 0.60, 95% CI 0.40-0.94, P=0.03).
The median overall survival was also significantly longer for patients receiving combination therapy: 31.7 months (95% CI 20.5-42.8) vs 17.5 months (95% CI 11.4-23.7, P=0.02).
Results of this open-label trial warrant a blinded and placebo-controlled phase III study, Arrieta and colleagues wrote in JAMA Oncology.
Since 2005, evidence of the antineoplastic effectiveness of metformin has been accumulating, with data showing that metformin reduces the risk of pancreatic, prostate, and lung cancer -- even with adjustment for age, smoking status, and glycated hemoglobin level, the authors noted.
Nicholas C. Rohs, of the Blavatnik Family–Chelsea Medical Center at Mount Sinai in New York City, who was not involved in the study, commented to MedPage Today that, "in addition to changing the expression of proteins tied to cell proliferation, which slows down progression, adding another drug may help overcome cancer cells' resistance to treatment. And cancer cells need energy to grow, so reducing the availability of glucose may inhibit their ability to feed themselves."
Rohs called the study very interesting and supportive of other accumulating data on the benefits of adding metformin. "We love the concept of repurposing old drugs," he said. He pointed out, however, that in the U.S. the older EGFR-TKIs used in the Mexican study have been supplanted by more effective third-generation agents such as osimertinib (Tagrisso), and adding metformin to osimertinib might not yield as much obvious benefit. Rohs is exploring the possibility of a phase III study next year to test the osimertinib-metformin combination.
Arrieta and associates acknowledged that their study's combination therapy saw less benefit compared with recent trials of first-line osimertinib.
The FLAURA study, for example, reported 18.9 months' median progression-free survival with first-line osimertinib versus 10.2 months with first-line older EGFR-TKI in non-small-cell lung cancer patients. According to Arrieta and colleagues, the weaker performance seen in their study could have been due to the high incidence of central nervous system metastases at baseline or the tumor mutation burden of their patients.
Study details
During March 2016 to December 2017, Arrieta and colleagues randomly assigned 139 patients to receive standard EGFR-TKIs (n=70) or EGFR-TKIs plus metformin 500 mg twice daily (n=69).
Mean patient age was 59.4 (SD 12.0) and 65.5% were female. All had histologically confirmed stage IIIb/IV lung adenocarcinoma with an activating EGFR mutation and measurable lesions. All were naïve to EGFR-TKIs, had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 2 or less, and a life expectancy of at least 12 weeks. Median follow-up was 16.9 months.
Patients allocated to receive added metformin were more likely to respond to EGFR-TKI therapy: 71.0% vs 54.3% (P=0.04). The combination lowered the risk of non-response, achieving an objective response rate of 0.48 (95% CI 0.24-0.97, P=0.04).
In multivariable analysis, the addition of metformin was the only factor independently associated with a better overall survival, decreasing risk of death by half (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.30-0.90; P=0.04).
Grade 3/4 adverse events in both arms were similar in frequency in both arms and included diarrhea, rash, nausea, and mucositis.
Although its precise mechanism of action is unknown, metformin is thought to activate the LKB1-AMPK signaling pathway, increasing the ratio of AMP to ATP and to AMPK activation, the authors explained. That in turn suppresses the mammalian target of the rapamycin- signaling pathway, thereby inhibiting tumor cell proliferation.
Study limitations included lack of patient stratification by smoking status, EGFR mutation profile, and EGFR-TKIs used.
In addition, since the study's design was not double-blind, several biases might have been present. There was also the possibility of immortal time bias since patients entering the trial had already received previous non-TKI treatments.
This study was funded by the National Council for Science and Technology, Mexico. Arrieta reported receiving grants and personal fees from the Council and from Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Lilly, Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Roche. Several coauthors reported financial ties to industry.
Rohs reported consulting for AstraZeneca but disclosed no conflicts of interest in relation to his comments on the study.
JAMA Oncology
Source Reference: Arrieta A, et al "Effect of metformin plus tyrosine kinase inhibitors compared with tyrosine kinase inhibitors alone in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor–mutated lung adenocarcinoma: A phase 2 randomized clinical trial" JAMA Oncol 2019; DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.2553.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346707
|
__label__wiki
| 0.779914
| 0.779914
|
Category / 2017 films
2017 films, film reviews, German films, Israeli Films, Uncategorized
2017 films, film review, film reviews, German films, Israeli Films, Samuel moaz
Foxtrot ((פוֹקְסטְרוֹט) Samuel Maoz, 2017)
This film pissed off the Israeli Minister of Culture because it depicted the Israeli armed forces being less than perfect. There have been any number of incidents over the years which are claimed to be misreported or someone else’s fault. But by the law of averages, all armies screw up. Or act inappropriately.
Shelf Indulgence
2017 films, adaptations, film, film reviews, Uncategorized
2017 films, adaptations, Film, film review, film reviews, films, Isabel Coixet
The Bookshop (Isabel Coixet, 2017)
Sometimes the gun over the fireplace in Act One is a paraffin heater.
This film works really hard not to be liked. It’s set in and around a bookshop in a small Suffolk village set up by widowed Emily Mortimer, and everybody loves a bookshop. Well, not everybody, because Patricia Clarkson, channelling Glen Close as Cruella de Vil, would rather have an arts centre, for reasons which need not detain us and clearly don’t detain the film. Meanwhile, Bill Nighy, who increasingly leads me to poor viewing choices, is a misanthropic widower who likes books and likes Emily Mortimer. In particular, in turns out he likes Ray Bradbury.
Beauty and the
2017 films, British films, film, film reviews, horror films, Horror films, Uncategorized
2017 films, British films, Film, film review, film reviews, michael pearce
Beast (Michael Pearce, 2017)
Among the trailers before my screening – which included a trailer for Beast — was an advert featuring villages walking along a twilight rural-ish road toward a beach at the bottom of a set of cliffs and then a series of black horses running toward them. I was reminding of an equivalent community parade in Broadchurch, and the disappearance and murder at the heart of that. (Lloyds claim we are not alone and that they are by our side, which is less convincing if they’ve closed your branch.)
The Antepenultimate Jedi
2017 films, American films, film reviews, Science fiction films, sf films, Sf films, Uncategorized
2017 films, american films, film review, film reviews, films, lord of the rings, Philip Pullman, rian johnson, science fiction film, sf films, star wars
Have you seen it? Read on. If not, and spoilers bother you, stop.
The Last Jedi (Rian Johnson, 2017)
There’s a moment in Reign of Fire where a story is being acted out for a group of rapt children — and we in the audience should recognise the story, since it’s a version of the original Star Wars trilogy. Those first three films — episodes IV to VI — have the quality of the fairy tale, the orphan who battles monsters, who reaches the happily ever after moment and then is heard from no more, until he has to give half his kingdom and his daughter to whomever will slay the dragon. There is always another child — and it should have been more interesting than it was that Anakin was that child and grew up to be evil Darth Vader. Think reading The Magician’s Nephew after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. And then there was Rey, in The Force Awakens, of mysterious birth, a wild untutored phoenix in the ways of the Force who this time was a girl (and there was a great perturbance in the Force….)
Hard Stares
2017 films, British films, comedy films, film reviews, Uncategorized
2017 films, adaptations, British films, Film, film reviews, films, paddington, Paul king
Paddington 2 (Paul King, 2017)
And inevitably — for reasons that need not detain us — I was looking back to all those long drives to holiday destinations and family in the north east, and the five tapes that passed the time: two Winnie the Pooh, two Paddingtons and a Beatrix Potter. The first two (four) were the loved ones, sharing Bernard Cribbins as a reader. And I’m pretty sure that the first theatre I saw, aside from panto, were adaptations. I’m not sure why I missed the first movie — feeling some trepidation — but I could see Ben Wishaw would be perfect for the voice.
As far as I can recall, with the exception of Paddington Abroad, the books were all short stories: Paddington would attempt to do something (sell Mr Curry a vacuum cleaner) and it would go wrong (Mr Curry had no mains electricity), but everything would turn out ok. There would be a visit to Mr Gruber and sticky buns and there’d be a hard stare. I think I have about ten books, Armada Lions, battered and fading orange.
But here we need a feature length narrative: Paddington saving up money to buy a rare pop up book of London for his Aunt Lucy’s hundredth birthday. Only someone else is after the book and will stop at nothing to get it.
In a prologue, we learn that Paddington’s Aunt Lucy was about to go on holiday to London when she found Paddington — revealing in the process that Paddington was adopted before the Browns took him on. I am shocked that Aunt Lucy is not a blood relative — is this canon? Mind you, it took me a long time to realise that Pike’s Uncle Arthur wasn’t a blood relative.
And so we are in Notting Hill, which presumably has come up in the world since the original stories, but here at least is infinitely more multiracial than the last time co-star Hugh Grant appeared in a film set there. There is a neighbourhood of lovable eccentrics, almost all charmed by Britain’s favourite illegal immigrant, and each played by the gentry of television comedy. Occasionally, this can be distracting. Mr Curry, who I’d always assumed to be Scottish, is played by Peter Capaldi, better known for Local Hero and the Oscar-winning Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life. Gruber, meanwhile, is Jim Broadbent, slightly confusingly as Hugh Bonneville (Mr Brown, Paddington’s reluctant adopter) has played a younger version of Broadbent in Iris.
The build is slow, as Paddington begins cleaning windows, in a borrow from the books (surely) and from a Hoffnung monologue where it was a barrel of bricks. But as the birthday approaches, Paddington finds himself behind bars with a choky full of dodgy characters. Paddington weaves his magic, setting the scene for a geographically dodgy train chase.
I assume writer-director King is a Wallace and Gromit fan, as it borrows from Nick Parks’s heterotopia and his style of piling up sight gags. I think this is a film to rewatch on DVD, pause button to hand, to unpick the notices and headlines. It’s a long film, but it doesn’t feel long. Paddington is utterly convincing, although perhaps at times he’s not sufficiently in the landscape, and I could have done without quite so many fantasy sequences. The pop up book perhaps allows homage to the Ivor Wood animated series, that never quite sold me. Meanwhile, even though I’d avoid Hugh Grant movies like the plague, he steals this film gloriously and effortlessly.
And, spoilers, it’s pretty obviously worth watching the closing credits, for one more set piece.
Perhaps it’s an air of exhaustion, but this might be my film of the year, watched through teared up eyes, eucatastrophically or for those endless drives on the A1 or the M1 all those years ago.
No Deer Were Harmed in the Making of this Picture
2017 films, American films, American photographers, American women photographers, film reviews, Uncategorized
2017 films, american films, film review, film reviews, yorgos lanthimos
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2017)
A couple of years ago there was a film called The Falling in which a group of girls suffered from a kind of hysteria that involved, er, them falling. A similar apparently psychosomatic, possibly supernatural, condition afflicts two children here — first Bob Murphy (Sunny Suljic) and then his older sister Kim Murphy (Raffey Cassidy) are paralysed from the waist down and then they stop eating, and it is threatened that they will start bleeding and then die.
Moustache on the Orient Express
2017 films, adaptations, film reviews, Uncategorized
2017 films, adaptations, agatha Christie, British films, crime films, film review, film reviews, kenneth branagh
Murder on the Orient Express (Kenneth Branagh, 2017)
So this comes with a weight of expectations and spoilers — is this the one where the detective did it or was it the fourth victim, who faked his death? Branagh had started his film career trying to out Sir Larry Sir Larry with worthy Shakespearean adaptations, but with the odd psychological thriller to show versatility. And the truly dreadful and misnamed Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. And now a crowd pleaser: an always redundant adaption of the hoary Agatha Christie novel. I think it’s a lose-lose situation: either he’s faithful to the original and we know what’s gonna happen or he’s not and we feel cheated.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346708
|
__label__wiki
| 0.675345
| 0.675345
|
Home Online
12:39 PM, November 19, 2019 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:46 PM, November 19, 2019
US-China tech rivalry gravest threat to globalisation: Expert
Geopolitical expert Ian Bremmer said at the G-Zero summit in Tokyo yesterday that what the world should want is for both the US and China to succeed economically and play constructive roles globally. Photo: The Straits Times/ Eurasia Group
The Straits Times, Tokyo
The days of a global order led by the United States are over, regardless of whether President Donald Trump is re-elected next year, geopolitical expert Ian Bremmer said at a forum in Tokyo yesterday.
This comes as traditional institutions are losing their relevance amid a rise in transnational threats like climate change and cyber conflict, resulting in what he terms a "geopolitical recession".
"It's a time when alliances, institutions and the values that bind them all together are all coming apart," he told the G-Zero summit.
The Straits Times is a media partner for the conference.
Dr Bremmer said that the rise of China in this climate is not necessarily a bad thing, even if its economic model distorts the traditional market-driven economy.
"Both free market and state capitalist systems still enable goods and capital to move around the world."
In this regard, what the world should want is for both the US and China to succeed economically and play constructive roles internationally, however limited, to address urgent global issues like poverty, conflict and public health risks.
"The threat China poses to the US is smaller than many in Washington believe. China has even less interest in going to war with the US than the US has in going to war with China," Dr Bremmer said, of what has been termed by some scholars as a "clash of civilisations".
But what is more dangerous - the "gravest threat to globalisation" even - is how the two superpowers are building two distinct, competing online ecosystems in myriad areas, including big data, artificial intelligence, 5G and cyber security.
"Beijing is building a separate system of Chinese technology - using its own standards, infrastructure, and supply chains - to compete with the West," he said. "Where exactly will the new Berlin Wall stand? Where will we find the boundary between one technological system and the other?"
And in this regard, the US has an interest in seeing China fail, he said.
"China's technological development poses a foundational challenge to the values on which global stability and prosperity depend," he said, noting that this is a point on which both Democrats and Republicans see eye to eye.
"The idea of a Splinternet, the creation of parallel technology ecosystems, isn't just a threat to globalisation. It's also a competition that those of us who believe in political freedoms might lose," he added.
To stave off this threat, he proposed the creation of a global body that can establish ground rules for the digital age, and a watchdog akin to a digital version of the World Trade Organisation that can unite governments that believe in online openness and transparency.
Amid the uncertainty, he urged Japan to take the lead, given that it is "today the world's healthiest advanced industrial democracy" despite its perennial issues like gender equality and mounting debt.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will become the longest-serving leader in its history tomorrow.
Dr Bremmer said that the world's third-largest economy can play a part to boost cooperation and limit conflict between China and the US.
"Japan stands in a unique position to give each side greater incentive to coordinate in areas where their interests coincide and to avoid worst-case confrontations in those where they compete."
Copyright: The Straits Times/ Asia News Network
Cyber conflict
Around 4cr people might be displaced due to climate change: PM
Climate Change tops list of global worries for young people: Amnesty
Perils of climate change: Time for action
Nobel science laureates stress urgency of addressing climate
Floods predicted to uproot 50m yearly as climate heats up
More from Online
Star day at a Glance, Sunday, January 19, 2020
Midday Brief, Sunday, January 19, 2020
Computer viruses cause US$902m in damage to Vietnamese users
Facebook apologizes for vulgar translation of Chinese leader's name
Star day at a Glance, Saturday, January 18, 2020
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346710
|
__label__cc
| 0.640345
| 0.359655
|
← Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: “Adrift”!
TrailerWatch: “The Predator” hints at a change →
Nutshell: SIGH. I really wanted to love this movie. Yet I just can’t. Jokes that fall flat and/or are drawn out for way too long. A story that doesn’t really seem to know where it’s going or what it’s trying to accomplish. I could go on and on but you get the point. A few good laughs, but not enough to save this disappointment. Grade: D [Update from August, 2018: dammit, I should have given this an F. Apparently I was feeling generous.]
“Please be quiet and stop talking.” (My thoughts exactly, movie. My thoughts exactly.)
Story: 40-ish mom Deanna (Melissa McCarthy) dropped out of college in her senior year so she could get married (and give her bun-in-the-oven a mom and dad.) But now that her husband wants a divorce, what’s Deanna to do? Why finish her degree, of course! At the same university her daughter Maddie attends! They’ll both be seniors! Cue the college shenanigans! Oh god just make it all stop.
Genre I’d put it in: Tired “College Life, WOO!!!11!” Comedies
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Before I saw it, I figured it was a ripoff reboot of Back to School. But this film doesn’t know what it’s doing, so I’ll go with original.
Gotta say: I suck at math. It is known. But I know enough math to know that if Deanna dropped out of college at 20, and her daughter is a senior in college? That’d make Deanna 40, 41 tops. And here in 2018, that’d mean that Deanna dropped out of college at around 1998. (I’m a mathalete y’all!) So why is Deanna such a clueless fuddy-duddy? Seriously; I know eighty-year-olds that know more about life, the universe, and social media than this gal does. And another thing; if this gal was in school in the late 90s, she was born in the mid to late 70s. So how does she know so much about early 80s style and music? She was just a kid back then.
Yeah, to say I was underwhelmed with Life of the Party would be an understatement. In fact, I was face-palming through pretty much all of it, when I wasn’t talking to the screen like a crazy person, bemoaning the weirdness of many “jokes”. When a classmate tells Deanna that she’d been in a coma and that’s why she seems older than the rest of the girls, the dialogue after that is supposed to be funny, but was uncomfortable and tone-deaf. And don’t get me started on all the things in this film that would never happen in real life. A woman in her 40s getting dorm housing? And a college-age roommate? Plus, things like “old age” aches and pains only show up when they can be played for laughs. Think her sciatica is gonna keep her from doing The Worm? Nossir – jam on it!
Then there’s the “romance”. Deanna’s dalliance with college guy Jack (Luke Benward) is weird. No, not because of the age difference – they’re both of legal age so who cares – but because of they way Jack acts after the two hook up. It’s like nobody had ever touched his penis before. Party could have done more with their May/September romance, but instead decided to play it as a strange obsession on Jack’s part. Though I do have to admit there’s a scene later in the film that makes the romance worth it…but still? Overall it’s just a strange, wasted subplot that ultimately goes nowhere.
So why am I so mad at this film, when I absolutely adore iffy stuff like The Wedding Date, She’s All That, and The Holiday? Because this film feels tired. Phoned in. Patched together with crappy tape that’s starting to peel. Here and there I’d get a hint of the great movie it could have been, but then a joke gets run into the ground, or yet another completely implausible bit of bullshit hits the storyline. I like my completely implausible bullshit in my horror movies and chick flicks, thank you very much. Not in a comedy with such a stellar cast. When a bunch of killer comedic talent gets together, I expect more than this messy hodgepodge.
And the cast is stellar. Of course McCarthy is amazing, but Party has Julie Bowen, Stephen Root, Maya Rudolph, Chris Parnell…yeah, it’s a great cast doing the grownups thing. But pity poor Molly Gordon (Animal Kingdom); as Deanna’s college age daughter Maddie, she’s got little to do but act exasperated. I’m not sure if Gordon decided at the jump that this film wasn’t gonna be great so she phoned it in, or if her table-reading level performance means she’s really that bad of an actress. I hope for the former, as every now and again I’d see a light in her eyes that promised more than what she was currently serving up.
Think I can’t say anything good? Well now. I gotcha. And I’ve got two things that made me happy. First, Gillian Jacobs (Community) as Maddie’s sorority sister (and “Coma Girl”), Helen. Jacobs goes for broke in this role, giving Helen a mix of savvy and snark that’s absolutely refreshing in-between bits of scenes ripped off from better films. Heck, make a drinking game of all the film “homages” you see in Party. You’ll be blotto less than halfway through.
Oh sorry. The good. Second, Heidi Gardner (SNL) as Deanna’s goth-to-11 dorm-mate Leonore. Gardner could have played this bed-and-black-clothes loving gal as a cookie cutter cliche, but there’s a touch of fragility and longing in Leonore. Gardner and McCarthy have a great onscreen chemistry too, which is lovely but only serves to highlight the average connection McCarthy and Gordon have onscreen.
A waste of good talent, and two hours. Goddammit, I feel cheated.
Professional nerd. Lover of licorice.
This entry was posted in 7 Pieces Of, Movie Reviews and tagged Comedies, Melissa McCarthy, Movie Reviews, Movies So Bad Creators Should Be Ashamed Of Themselves. Bookmark the permalink.
2 Responses to Lackluster “Life of the Party”
DIANA CHETELAT says:
I was waiting for an ending. The whole audience was waiting for the ending amongst the credits. Nobody left..just waiting for the punchline than never came.
And I was RIGHT THERE with y’all. I figured the credits would have… Something? But nup. Sad trombone is sad.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346713
|
__label__cc
| 0.675422
| 0.324578
|
Attorney Group for Colorado / Blog / Lawsuits Allege Drug Makers Concealed Serious Risks of Xarelto
Lawsuits Allege Drug Makers Concealed Serious Risks of Xarelto
Bad Drugs, Featured • September 15, 2016
ThinkstockPhotos
A Colorado Xarelto lawyer notes that more than 3,000 plaintiffs have filed suit against the drug’s makers after suffering serious medical complications. A series of upcoming bellwether trials set to begin next year allege that the drug makers concealed information about risks associated with Xarelto. Affected patients and their families may be eligible to file a lawsuit and recover compensation for their injuries with the assistance of a Colorado Xarelto lawsuit attorney.
For more information, contact Attorney Group for Colorado. We offer free, confidential, no obligation consultations. We can help answer your questions, and if you choose to pursue a case we can connect you with an affiliated Colorado Xarelto lawyer who can assist you throughout the legal process.
Uncontrollable Bleeding Among Serious Risks Associated with Xarelto
Roughly 3,350 plaintiffs have filed suit against the makers of the blood-thinning prescription medication Xarelto, alleging the defendants intentionally concealed information about the drug’s link to health concerns, and in particular, uncontrollable bleeding. According to the Inquisitr, the lawsuits have been consolidated in two federal courts, one in Pennsylvania and one in Louisiana, with the first four bellwether trials set to begin early next year.
The defendants in the case, Bayer/Johnson & Johnson and Jannsen Pharmaceutical Research, are accused of concealing information about Xarelto’s link to serious side effects including stomach bleeding, eye bleeding and death. The risks, particularly for older populations, were severe enough to warrant the U.S. Food and Drug Administration adding a black box warning to the drug’s labeling, which is the strongest warning the agency can issue. Defendants in the lawsuits argue that the drug was pushed hard through television and print ads, so many patients were unaware of these risks and therefore unable to make educated decisions about whether to use the drug.
How a Colorado Xarelto Lawyer Can Help
Drug makers have a duty to provide safe products. If there are risks of harm associated with their products, they also must provide adequate warnings. If a drug maker fails to fulfill this duty, it could be held liable in lawsuits for injuries that may result.
People injured by bad drugs may be eligible to recover money for:
The Time You Have to Pursue a Claim is Limited. Contact Us Today.
For more information, contact Attorney Group for Colorado. You can fill out the form on this page or contact us by phone or email.
After you contact us, an attorney will follow up to answer questions that you might have. There is no cost or obligation to speak with us, and any information you provide will be kept confidential.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346715
|
__label__wiki
| 0.824186
| 0.824186
|
Dhaka seeks DFQF market access to GCC countries
Bangladesh has sought duty-free, quota-free (DFQF) market access to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
Updated on : 13-02-2018
Bangladesh has sought duty-free, quota-free (DFQF) market access to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The request was made during the 4th Bangladesh-UAE Joint Commission meeting held in Abu Dhabi February 5-6. State Minister for Finance and Planning MA Mannan and UAE State Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Gargash led their respective sides in the meet.
"Bangladesh made the request to UAE as it has been enjoying the duty free and quota free facility in over 38 countries including in EU and Australia," an official at the Economic Relations Division (ERD) told BSS.
In response, the official said, the UAE told Bangladesh to send a proposal to the GCC secretariat through diplomatic channels while seeking UAE support in this regard.
During the meeting, both sides agreed to activate the MoU and establish a Joint Business Council in order to facilitate exchange of business delegations between the two countries and increase the volume of trade.
Asked about the outcome of the Joint Commission meet, State Minister for Finance and Planning MA Mannan told BSS that both the countries have agreed to further boost the two-way trade volume through addressing any barrier if arises.
He also expressed his optimism that UAE would extend support to Bangladesh for getting duty and quota free access of Bangladeshi products into UAE market.
Both sides recognized ICT as a priority sector where opportunities need to be explored and agreed to explore the opportunities of investing in tourism industry.
The ERD official said both sides agreed to increase the volume of trade through diversification and expansion of trade cooperation between the two countries through the exchange of information on trade and investment related topics on a constant basis, organizing exhibition in both countries to promote exports and investment programmes.
The Bangladesh side proposed to update the trade agreement signed in 1984 and explore the areas for further cooperation in the field of trade and commerce. In response, UAE requested Bangladesh to send an amended protocol on the agreement for consideration through diplomatic channels.
UAE also welcomed the pharmaceuticals products of Bangladesh into its market since Bangladesh is exporting quality medicine to more than 120 countries at a very competitive price.
The Bangladesh government will send a delegation to the UAE for consulting the Ministry of Health and to explore ways of facilitating access of Bangladeshi pharmaceutical products.
Besides, both the countries agreed to establish effective liaison between the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and the equivalent Authority of the UAE to share investment related information, furnish names and addresses of the UAE companies with their areas interest, exchange investment delegation.
The two-way trade between Bangladesh and UAE has increased over the years as Bangladesh exported goods worth $293.04 million to UAE in FY15 against the imports of $838.14 million. In FY06, Bangladesh exported goods worth $39.30 million to UAE against the imports of $400.08 million.
The 3rd Joint Commission meeting between the two countries was held in 2009 in Abu Dhabi after a gap of long 18 years when the 2nd Joint Commission meeting was held in Dhaka in 1991. The maiden Joint Commission meeting was held in 1981 in Abu Dhabi.
(Courtesy: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha )
Bangladesh among top four countries in digital economy growth Import/Export 2019-11-25 00:44:38
Discussion on to sign FTAs with Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Indonesia Import/Export 2019-11-25 00:35:40
FTA being prioritized for trade expansion: Commerce Minister Import/Export 2019-10-20 00:40:46
Export target $54bn for FY20 Import/Export 2019-08-07 13:28:42
Govt will provide cash incentive to new products Import/Export 2019-08-07 13:23:58
Category FTAs General Import/Export Investment SPS TBT Trade
Issuing Date
বাংলাদেশে ইকনোমিক করিডোর স্থাপনের উদ্যোগ General
ডুইং বিজনেস সূচকে উন্নতি আগামী বছর: বিডা Investment
জাতীয় রফতানি ট্রফি পাচ্ছে ৫৬ প্রতিষ্ঠান Import/Export
চট্টগ্রাম বন্দর ২৪ ঘন্টা পরিচালিত হচ্ছে General
Website launched for investors General
WB gives $150m to help upgrade 4 land ports Trade
Up to $25m loans for RMG exporters from Export Diversification Fund (EDF) Import/Export
Unlock potentials of jute, jute products: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Import/Export
US$ 41bn export income earned in FY 2017-18 Import/Export
US Trade Show to promote economic ties with Bangladesh Import/Export
Search Trade Information
Measures & Standards
Export Resources
Commercial Exports
Incentives on Export
Exporters’ Database
Export Guide & Fair Calendar
Import Resources
Commercial Imports
Import Policy Order
Importers’ Database
Feature Information for Entrepreneur
Economy of Bangladesh
Business Startup Process
Market Access Information
TBT/SPS Enquiry Points
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346719
|
__label__cc
| 0.531006
| 0.468994
|
Lord of Harrenhal
House Harroway
House Targaryen
Rivermen
In 44 AC[1][2], at King's Landing
Alys Harroway
Jeyne Harroway
Hanna Harroway
Multiple sons
Fire & Blood (mentioned)
The Sons of the Dragon (mentioned)
Lucas Harroway was the Lord of Harrenhal and head of House Harroway during the reigns of kings Aenys I Targaryen and Maegor I Targaryen. He served as Hand of the King for Maegor I, his son-by-marriage.[3]
Lucas became the Lord of Harrenhal after the death of Lord Gargon Qoherys in 37 AC.[4] In 39 AC, he saw his daughter Lady Alys wed to Prince Maegor Targaryen in a Valyrian wedding ceremony on Dragonstone.[5][2]
In 43 AC, he was named Hand of the King by Maegor, who had claimed the Iron Throne the year before. Later that year, Lucas fought on Maegor's side in the Battle Beneath the Gods Eye.[4] He governed the realm for a while when Maegor focused on the completion of the construction of the Red Keep.[3]
In 44 AC House Harroway was wiped out by Maegor after Alys had a stillborn monstrously-deformed baby. Maegor's third wife, Queen Tyanna of the Tower, had convinced him that the boy had not been of his seed, but the result of one of Alys's many affairs, and that Lord Lucas himself had helped his daughter conceive a son for the king by sending men of proven fertility to her chambers. Tyanna provided the names of the men she had supposedly been sleeping with. This resulted in the execution of every Harroway Maegor could find, in King's Landing, Harrenhal, and Lord Harroway's Town. Lucas himself was thrown from the roof of the Tower of the Hand by knights of the Kingsguard, while he was inspecting the tower's construction.[N 1][5][2][3]
Maegor I
Alys
Jeyne
↑ Earlier prints of The World of Ice & Fire erroneously state that Lucas died in 48 AC, which has been corrected in later prints to 44 AC.
↑ A Forum of Ice and Fire: Inconsistency or Intentional?
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Sons of the Dragon.
↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Maegor I.
↑ 4.0 4.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Riverlands: House Tully.
↑ 5.0 5.1 Fire & Blood, The Sons of the Dragon.
Retrieved from "https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?title=Lucas_Harroway&oldid=246314"
Characters from the Riverlands
Characters killed by Maegor I Targaryen
Lords of Harrenhal
Members of Maegor I Targaryen's court
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346724
|
__label__wiki
| 0.81112
| 0.81112
|
Refined Properties of the HD 130322 Planetary System
Hinkel, Natalie R. and Kane, Stephen R. and Henry, Gregory W. and Feng, Y. Katherina and Boyajian, Tabetha and Wright, Jason and Fischer, Debra A. and Howard, Andrew W. (2015) Refined Properties of the HD 130322 Planetary System. Astrophysical Journal, 803 (1). Art. No. 8. ISSN 1538-4357. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20170620-131913480
PDF - Submitted Version
Use this Persistent URL to link to this item: https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20170620-131913480
Exoplanetary systems closest to the Sun, with the brightest host stars, provide the most favorable opportunities for characterization studies of the host star and their planet(s). The Transit Ephemeris Refinement and Monitoring Survey uses both new radial velocity (RV) measurements and photometry in order to greatly improve planetary orbit uncertainties and the fundamental properties of the star, in this case HD 130322. The only companion, HD 130322b, orbits in a relatively circular orbit, e = 0.029 every ~10.7 days. We have compiled RV measurements from multiple sources, including 12 unpublished from the Keck I telescope, over the course of ~14 yr and have reduced the uncertainty in the transit midpoint to ~2 hr. The transit probability for the b-companion is 4.7%, where M_p sin i = 1.15 M_J and a = 0.0925 AU. In this paper, we compile photometric data from the T11 0.8 m Automated Photoelectric Telescope at Fairborn Observatory taken over ~14 yr, including the constrained transit window, which results in a dispositive null result for both full transit exclusion of HD 130322b to a depth of 0.017 mag and grazing transit exclusion to a depth of ~0.001 mag. Our analysis of the starspot activity via the photometric data reveals a highly accurate stellar rotation period: 26.53 ± 0.70 days. In addition, the brightness of the host with respect to the comparison stars is anti-correlated with the Ca ii H and K indices, typical for a young solar-type star.
https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/803/1/8 DOI Article
http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-637X/803/1/8 Publisher Article
https://arxiv.org/abs/1502.03441 arXiv Discussion Paper
Kane, Stephen R. 0000-0002-7084-0529
Boyajian, Tabetha 0000-0001-9879-9313
Wright, Jason 0000-0001-6160-5888
Howard, Andrew W. 0000-0001-8638-0320
© 2015 American Astronomical Society. Received 2014 November 21. Accepted 2015 February 7. Published 2015 April 6. The authors would like to thank Howard Isaacson and Geoff Marcy in recognition of their time spent observing the S-indices. N.R.H. would like to acknowledge financial support from the National Science Foundation through grant AST-1109662. The Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds is supported by the Pennsylvania State University, the Eberly College of Science, and the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium. G.W.H. acknowledges long-term support from NASA, NSF, Tennessee State University, and the State of Tennessee through its Centers of Excellence program. T.S.B. acknowledges support provided through NASA grant ADAP12-0172. J.T.W. and Y.K.F. acknowledge support from the National Science Foundation through grant AST-1211441. A.W.H would like thank the many observers who contributed to the measurements reported here and gratefully acknowledge the efforts and dedication of the Keck Observatory staff. Finally, we extend special thanks to those of Hawai'ian ancestry on whose sacred mountain of Maunakea we are privileged to be guests. Without their generous hospitality, the Keck observations presented herein would not have been possible.
Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC)
Grant Number
NSF AST-1109662
Pennsylvania State University UNSPECIFIED
Eberly College of Science UNSPECIFIED
Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium UNSPECIFIED
Tennessee State University UNSPECIFIED
State of Tennessee Centers of Excellence program UNSPECIFIED
NASA ADAP12-0172
planetary systems; stars: individual (HD 130322) ; techniques: photometric; techniques: radial velocities
CaltechAUTHORS:20170620-131913480
https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20170620-131913480
Natalie R. Hinkel et al 2015 ApJ 803 8
Ruth Sustaita
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346726
|
__label__cc
| 0.68048
| 0.31952
|
a classroom of my own
self ?
Avi Sato
Teacher, Writer, Poet
Afterlives’ Leaves
Generation of Unrest
Millennial Ephemera
Mornings of Virgin Snow
Walking on the Rock
Yesterday’s Dawns
A Philosophy of Learning
Poetry Composition 1
Write Me Away
open search form open sidebar
scroll to discover more back to top
Blog 2020.1.11 2020.1.12
The planet is dying. Quickly. And many of us want to save Mother Earth before she slips into a terminal coma — many but nowhere near enough. Yet our voices are loud and we demand change — and change doesn’t come. At least, not the real, sweeping change that would solve the problem. We have no fundamental plan to eradicate fossil electricity generation, even in highly-developed countries where this should have been a no-brainer decades ago. We have no mandated plan to replace gas-burning vehicles with electric ones in a specific future and continue to allow manufacturers to decide what to build rather than assigning them a goal of 100% non-oil-consuming vehicles in a decade. We don’t have even the loosest plan to shift from single-use plastics as the norm in manufacturing to a requirement for plastic recyclability. We are facing a global food crisis yet we still have no plan to impose a non-animal, sustainable food system in even one country. And we allow our schools to teach our children outdated curriculums that don’t focus on real current problems, leaving them apathetic and disconnected from possible solutions.
Yelling and screaming about a problem never fixed anything. Don’t believe me? Ask Ghandi what gets things done. A show of force is just a play without a stage. Protesting doesn’t work. It never has. It could, though. People are looking at demonstrations as the solution to the problem, though, not as the precursor. If you ask for something people don’t want to give you, not only will they say no, they’ll encourage you to continue to waste your time asking, knowing they’ll never have to give it to you unless you take it — and if you keep asking, you’ll never think to take it.
If you want change, you can’t ask for change. You can’t demand change. You have to live change. The more someone yells at you to change, the more defensive you’ll become and the more you’ll argue and fight back. And the louder and more frightening things get, the more most people will seek comfort in the normal, the status quo. There’s a reason that in periods of the most severe trauma the world has ever seen, tradition trumps ethics every time. World War 2 saw the bright beacon of liberal peace that was the United States sentence untold numbers of people of Japanese descent to camps in the name of traditional values. The Cold War saw the repression of academic liberals seeking equality and peaceful existence because tradition demanded fighting rather than accepting that both sides had it wrong, that neither capitalist greed nor state-driven Marxism-Leninism were the answer.
Democracy doesn’t work. The majority never wants real change. And the majority will never willingly give up their privilege of oppression. It’s silly to imagine there could ever be a society that’s not hopelessly divided with factions fighting and people being sentenced to lives of misery if you let people choose a collective destiny like that.
So what’s the value of demonstration? What’s the purpose of protest? It’s a wake up call and a warmup act on the stage of government. But it’s only useful if we make it very clear that we’re not asking government to act or change. We’re not asking people to get out there and vote. We’re asking people to get out there and force change. For protest to be useful to make sweeping, permanent social changes like the ones that could actually save our species from untold suffering and likely extinction in the face of global disaster, it must not remain in the streets, a simple demand in raised voices and waved signs. It must in no uncertain terms shift from popular action to popular revolution. Revolution has been in America a sacred ideal — the birth of the nation and the freedom it promised but has more and more failed to deliver was premised on eliminating a government that didn’t have the people’s happiness and safety in mind. Do we have a government that is working for what the people want or for what the people need, because these two things are almost never the same thing.
The answer may begin with demonstrations and protests. Peaceful civil disobedience can stop a pipeline and turn a waterfront industrial complex into a park. It can free a political prisoner and save the lives of children being overrun by a violent government. But we’re not just aiming to fix the desperate problems that occur today, are we? Please ask yourself if the government will ever be prepared to enact the sweeping societal changes, in other words, to make people angry and unhappy in the short term, truly and extremely angry and unhappy in many cases, to shift to renewable energy, eliminate fossil fuels, mandate animal-free food supplies and recyclable-only plastics? Revolution doesn’t have to be violent. It doesn’t have to be bloody. And it doesn’t have to be the result of grasping and emotion. We could truly have a mindful revolution. But we can’t keep asking for change.
We must take it.
(This article was originally posted to the Spring Waters Community, here.)
(Photograph by Sarah Trummer)
Share this page with your friends...
Pure White?
A thought for a new year…
Eris Lite developed by Themes Kingdom
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346731
|
__label__wiki
| 0.855183
| 0.855183
|
Ticketmaster Running Its Own Scalping Scheme
Bennett Raglin, Getty Images
Ticketmaster is secretly running its own scalping scheme, allowing it to profit from both the original and secondary sales of tickets, according to an investigative report.
CBC News and the Toronto Star claimed that the invite-only platform TradeDesk is being operated by Ticketmaster and allowed to bypass its own “buyer abuse” rules.
Undercover journalists attended a Las Vegas sales convention during the summer, at which they said they were introduced to the TradeDesk “professional reseller program” while carrying hidden recording devices. “Company representatives told them Ticketmaster’s resale division turns a blind eye to scalpers who use ticket-buying bots and fake identities to snatch up tickets and then resell them on the side for inflated prices,” the report stated. “Those pricey resale tickets include extra fees for Ticketmaster.”
The report cited the example of a $209.50 ticket, which would net Ticketmaster $25.75 on its first sale. If then uploaded to TradeDesk for resale at $400, Ticketmaster would receive a further $76. Investigators added that TradeDesk “allows scalpers to upload large quantities of tickets purchased from Ticketmaster's site and quickly list them again for resale. … Neither TradeDesk nor the professional reseller program are mentioned anywhere on Ticketmaster's website or in its corporate reports.”
A source told the journalists that TradeDesk shared no information with the core Ticketmaster service.
“I have brokers that have literally a couple of hundred accounts," one representative is said to have commented. "It’s not something that we look at or report.” Another is reported to have said Ticketmaster wasn’t concerned about people using bots and fake ID to bypass buying limits, telling a prospective reseller, “If you want to get a good show and the ticket limit is six or eight … you’re not going to make a living on six or eight tickets.”
“It does seem a bit stinky, doesn't it?" Canadian music journalist Alan Cross said. "On one hand, they say, 'We don't like bots,' but on the other hand, 'We have all these clients who may use bots.'"
Asked to comment, Ticketmaster told CBC, “As the world’s leading ticketing platform, representing thousands of teams, artists and venues, we believe it is our job to offer a marketplace that provides a safe and fair place for fans to shop, buy and sell tickets in both the primary and secondary markets.”
Next: Rock's Nastiest Lawsuits
Source: Ticketmaster Running Its Own Scalping Scheme
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346732
|
__label__wiki
| 0.603389
| 0.603389
|
Home > Articles > Successful allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for an aggressive variant of T-cell large granular-lymphocyte leukemia: A case report
Volume 2 (2019) Issue 1 No.2 Pages 5-8
Successful allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for an aggressive variant of T-cell large granular-lymphocyte leukemia: A case report
Kazuhito Suzuki1,2, Kaichi Nishiwaki1,2, Jiro Minami2, Hidekazu Masuoka1,2, Mitsuji Katori1,2, Hiroki Yokoyama1,2, Hideki Uryu1,2, Shingo Yano2
1Division of Clinical Oncology/Hematology, The Jikei University Kashiwa Hospital
2Division of Clinical Oncology/Hematology, The Jikei University School of Medicine
large granular-lymphocyte leukemia, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, graft-versus-lymphoma effect
Submitted:May 20, 2018
Accepted:September 5, 2018
DOI:https://doi.org/10.31547/bct-2018-006
The aggressive variant of large granular lymphocyte (LGL) leukemia is very rare and the prognosis of this disease is poor. A 47-year-old woman with progressive pancytopenia and severe liver damage visited our institute. Upon hospitalization, about 30% LGL was detected in her peripheral blood and bone marrow samples. Flow cytometry was conducted to analyze lymphocytes in the bone marrow, which revealed the presence of CD3 and T-cell receptor (TCR) α/β and absence of CD4, CD8, CD16, CD56, CD22, CD79a, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT). Southern blotting was performed, which revealed the presence of rearrangement of TCR-Cβ1 and Jγ. We made a diagnosis of the aggressive variant of T-LGL leukemia, and performed myeloablative allogeneic peripheral stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) from an HLA-matched sibling for primary refractory disease of CHOP and hyper CVAD therapy. She is alive in remission with donor-derived T-LGL lymphocytosis in peripheral blood for 7 years after allo-HSCT. Overall, Allo-HSCT could be active against the aggressive variant of LGL leukemia and induce graft-versus-leukemia effect.
Full view PDF COI disclosure
Large granular lymphocyte (LGL) leukemia is a rare indolent hematological disorder derived from CD3+ cytotoxic T cells or CD3- NK cells. Although standard treatment has not been established, immunosuppressive drugs, such as cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, or cyclosporine, are administered for indolent LGL leukemia. However, a type of this disease is highly aggressive and accompanied by B symptoms, lymphocytosis, hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, and severe cytopenia, and is known to be the aggressive variant1,2. Treatment for the aggressive variant of LGL leukemia, which includes allogeneic hematological stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), is similar to that for acute lymphoblastic leukemia1. In this study, we report a rare case of allo-HSCT for a patient with primary refractory aggressive variant of T-LGL leukemia, resulting in long-term survival.
A 47-year-old woman visited our institute because pancytopenia and severe liver damage were detected in November 200X. A morphological examination of her peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow revealed large proportions of abnormal lymphocytes, that is, 30% and 35%, respectively (Figure 1).
Figure 1. May-Giemsa staining of the peripheral blood and bone marrow aspiration specimen (1000×)
Atypical lymphocytes were medium to large cells with eccentric nuclei, some nucleolus, and basophilic cytoplasm with coarse azurophilic granules. The counts of these atypical lymphocytes were 30% in peripheral blood and 35% in bone marrow (Figure 1a: peripheral blood, Figure 1b: bone marrow).
Hematological examination revealed a leukocyte count of 1100 cells/μL, including a neutrophil count of 260 cells/μL. The lymphocyte count was 820 cells/μL, including an LGL count of 420 cells/μL. Biochemical tests revealed levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transferase, and lactate dehydrogenase to be 1010 IU/l, 666 IU/l, and 5330 IU/l, respectively.
Flow cytometry was conducted to analyze lymphocytes in the bone marrow, which revealed the presence of CD3 and T-cell receptor (TCR) α/β as well as absence of CD4, CD8, CD16, CD56, CD22, CD79a, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT). Southern blotting was then performed, which revealed the presence of TCR-Cβ1 and Jγ rearrangements. A CT scan of the abdomen revealed that the spleen was 11 cm in size, and lymph nodes were not swollen. Pancytopenia and liver damage developed progressively within a week. Therefore, the patient was diagnosed with an aggressive variant of T-LGL leukemia.
CHOP therapy was initiated, and LGLs were not detected in the PB sample and liver function improved. Since CHOP was a low intensive regimen for the aggressive variant of T-LGL leukemia, we changed the chemotherapy to a hyper-CVAD/MA regimen. However, after hyper-MA therapy, the LGL count increased to 600 cells/μL in the PB sample, and pancytopenia progressed. We then planned to conduct allo-HSCT for the primary refractory aggressive variant of T-LGL leukemia. Etoposide monotherapy (etoposide, 500 mg/m2, day 1-4) and Ara-C monotherapy (cytarabine, 1 g/body, day 1) were performed to reduce the tumor burden prior to the allo-HSCT.
We performed allo-HSCT from an HLA-matched male sibling. The conditioning regimen included total body irradiation (total 10 Gy) and administration of etoposide (15 mg/kg for two days) and cyclophosphamide (60 mg/kg, for two days). We infused 4.20×106/kg of CD34+ cells. Short-term administration of methotrexate and cyclosporine was used as prophylaxis for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).
On day 14, neutrophil engraftment was observed; however, LGLs were detected in the PB sample simultaneously. On day 15, chimerism analysis of the PB sample revealed XY of count was 98.4% by fluorescence in situ hybridization. After engraftment, the LGL count changed from 240 cells/μL to 2300 cells/μL in the PB sample. However, their phenotype was different from that of the malignant LGLs; CD3, CD45RA, CD57, CD62, and TCR-αβ were detected using flow cytometry. Either CD4 or CD8 was present, and CD56 was absent. TCR-β rearrangement was not detected. We repeated the CD3 chimerism analysis of the PB sample, which revealed complete chimerism at all times. Thus, those LGLs had different characteristics from the native malignant LGLs, and were donor-derived LGLs without the clonality. The patient was discharged on day 50, and she discontinued cyclosporine on day 210. LGLs have been detected in the PB sample since then. She is alive with LGLs in the PB sample for 7 years after allo-HSCT. The clinical course, focusing on he count of LGLs, is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Clinical course
CHOP: cyclophosphamide, 750 mg/m2, day 1; doxorubicin, 50 mg/m2, day 1; vincristine, 1.4 mg/m2, day 1; prednisone, 100 mg/body, days 1-5; hyper-CVAD: cyclophosphamide, 600 mg/m2, days 1-3; vincristine, 2 mg/body, day 4, 11; doxorubicin, 50 mg/m2, days 1-3; dexamethasone, 40 mg/body, days 1-4 and 11-14. Hyper-MA: methotrexate, 1000 mg/m2, day 1; cytarabine, 6000 mg/m2, days 2-3. ETP: etoposide, 500 mg/m2, days 1-4. HD-Ara-C: cytarabine, 1 g/body, day 1. ETP/CY/TBI: total body irradiation, 10 Gy; ETP: etoposide, 30 mg/ kg; cyclophosphamide, 120 mg/kg. PBSCT, peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.
We reported that allo-HSCT was effective in a patient with a primary refractory aggressive variant of T-LGL leukemia. Donor-derived LGLs were detected, which induced graft versus leukemia (GVL) effects.
Marchand et al. (2016) reported the outcome of LGL leukemia patients as performed with HSCT using European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) registry3. The authors demonstrated that the 2-year progression-free survival and overall survival rates were 50% each in 10 patients treated with allo-HSCT; four patients died from severe infection and one of progressive disease. Furthermore, the authors suggested that autologous-HSCT and allo-HSCT were suitable for patients with chemo-sensitive disease and chemo-refractory disease, respectively.
The GVL effect is an immunological activity via donor cytotoxic T cells and NK cells after allogeneic HSCT. The GVL effect is induced by activation of donor T-cell and NK cell via mismatch of HLA and KIR4.
Several studies have demonstrated that LGLs, which are benign cytotoxic T-cells or NK cells, mediate a cytotoxic activity in malignant cells after allo-HSCT5,6. Gill et al. demonstrated that the frequency of T-LGL leukemia was 0.5% among patients treated with allo-HSCT7. Dhodapkar et al. (1994) proposed T-cell clonopathy of undetermined significance, which was shown as asymptomatic neoplastic T-LGL proliferation8. However, the diagnostic criteria of T-cell clonopathy of undetermined significance has not been defined. In addition, asymptomatic T-LGL lymphocytosis was reported in patients treated with renal and cardiac transplantation9,10. In this case, LGLs in the PB sample after allo-HSCT did not include malignant clones because the phenotype of the LGLs was different from those of the T-LGL cells at diagnosis, TCR rearrangement was not detected, and the results of chimerism analysis in CD3+T cells revealed complete chimerism at all times after allo-HSCT. We identified the LGLs after engraftment as benign T-cells, which contributed to the GVL effects.
In conclusion, we report a case with the aggressive variant of T-LGL leukemia that was managed by allo-HSCT. We suggest that allo-HSCT is necessary to improve the outcome in patients with the aggressive variant of T-LGL leukemia. LGLs in the PB sample after allo-HSCT were benign mature T cells, which might be a contributing factor in the long relapse-free survival as a GVL effect.
The authors thank Koji Sano for his assistance in the care of this patient,
KS, KN, and JM cared for the patient and provided clinical data and materials. KS, KN, JM, HM, MK and HY analyzed and interpreted routine diagnostic results. KS, KN, and SY wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
The authors have no conflict of interests to declare.
1. Lamy T, Loughran TP. Large granular lymphocyte leukemia. Cancer Control. 1998; 5: 25-33.
2. Ruskova A, Thula R, Chan G. Aggressive natural killer-cell leukemia: report of five cases and review of the literature. Leuk Lymphoma. 2004; 45: 2427-38.
3. Marchand T, Lamy T, Finel H, Arcese W, Choquet S, Finke J, et al. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for T-cell large granular lymphocyte leukemia: a retrospective study of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Leukemia. 2016; 30: 1201-4.
4. Bleakley M, Riddell SR. Molecules and mechanisms of the graft-versus-leukemia effect. Nat Rev Cancer. 2004; 4: 371-80.
5. Mohty M, Faucher C, Vey N, Chabannon C, Sainty D, Arnoulet C, et al. Features of large granular lymphocytes (LGL) expansion following allogeneic stem cell transplantation: a long-term analysis. Leukemia. 2002; 16: 2129-33.
6. Au WY, Lam CC, Lie AK, Pang A, Kwong YL. T-cell large granular lymphocytes leukemia of donor origin after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Am J Clin Pathol. 2003; 120: 626-30.
7. Gill H, Ip AH, Leung R, So JC, Pang AW, Tse E. Indolent T-cell large granular lymphocyte leukemia after haematopoietic SCT: a clinicopathologic and molecular analysis. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2012; 47: 952-6.
8. Dhodapkar MV, Li CY, Lust JA, Tefferi A, Phyliky RL. Clinical spectrum of clonal proliferations of T-large granular lymphocytes: a T-cell clonopathy of undetermined significance? Blood. 1994; 84: 1620-7.
9. Gentile TC, Hadlock KG, Uner AH, Delal B, Squiers E, Crowley S, et al. Large granular lymphocyte leukemia occurring after renal transplantation. Br J Haematol. 1998; 101: 507-12.
10. Sabnani I, Zucker MJ, Tsang P, Palekar S. Clonal T-large granular lymphocyte proliferation in solid organ transplantation recipients. Transplant Proc. 2006; 38: 3437-40.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346734
|
__label__wiki
| 0.844043
| 0.844043
|
Arizona Republican Party Announces Independent Audit of Maricopa County Elections
Richard Moorhead
The Arizona Republican Party announced it would be conducting an independent and private audit of the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office performance in the 2018 election, after the performance of the Democrat County Recorder was widely criticized on numerous procedural and legal grounds.
In a press release, the State Party Chairman, Jonathan Lines, announced that he had asked Stephen Richer, a Phoenix attorney with substantial history in public and private audits and investigations of major organizations, to oversee the project.
This comes after the Maricopa County Recorder’s office- the county’s election division led by Democratic donor Adrian Fontes- has become a target of suspicion and criticism among election integrity hawks for numerous reasons, including taking a whopping six days to release enough ballot returns for the outcome of the competitive Arizona Senate election to be decided in favor of Democratic candidate Kyrsten Sinema. As of today- November 15th- a total of nine days since election night- ballot returns are still being released by the County Recorder.
Trending: Liberty President Jerry Falwell Jr. Says he May Call for Civil Disobedience as a Response to Virginia Democrat Gun-Grabbing
That’s enough time to make Maricopa County hands down the slowest and most inefficient county in accurately counting ballot returns in the United States, lagging behind other large counties with similar populations.
Should Democrats be charged with TREASON for the impeachment scam?
Should Democrats be charged with TREASON for the impeachment scam?*
Yes, Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff should be held responsible.
No, it's ok with me.
Completing this poll grants you access to Big League Politics updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to this site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
If the Democrats who run Maricopa County’s election system are at all concerned with combatting “election interference,” maybe they should look into the mirror before being so quick to blame “conspiracy theorists” for the confusion and uncertainty they’ve inspired amongst many people for their long record of incompetence and poor conduct.
Virginia: City Councilman Totes AR-15 to Sanctuary Vote
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346747
|
__label__cc
| 0.604353
| 0.395647
|
LOTRO: Finishing up Minas Morgul
December 31, 2019 December 15, 2019 SypLeave a comment
Out of the four major game projects that I wanted to accomplish this month, wrapping up Lord of the Rings Online’s latest expansion ended up taking the longest. It wasn’t a bad thing, just a long journey, as it took quite some time to slowly ascend the tiers of Minas Morgul and do the approximately billion quests that were on each one.
But slow and steady Syp wins the race, and eventually I was not only level 130, but I had moved all the way to the epilogue of the Black Book of Mordor and finished pretty much all of the non-daily, non-fellowship quests in the expansion zones.
Honestly? It was probably the most satisfying LOTRO expansion I’ve done since maybe Rohan. I wouldn’t say that any of it was OH WOWZERS GUYS THIS IS INCREDIBLE, but it hit all the sweet spots of being interesting, keeping me moving forward, being accessible, and not being frustrating. I thought that going into Morgul Vale would be a nonstop haunted house, but in truth it was more like a sad and corrupted place where you could still see the outlines of what used to be beautiful about it.
The city itself was eerily reminiscent of Minas Tirith (for obvious reasons), although a little smaller and obviously far more evil. Right about the time I had finished going up and down and up and down the place, SSG added an interior stablemaster of sorts to let you ascend and descend quicker. Nice for those who come after me, I guess, but a little late in my case.
The stories? Some were pretty gripping and some lost me completely. I think LOTRO has saturated my mind with long-named characters to the point where I forget who most of these people are unless it is explicitly stated to me, and even then, I am often asking “why should I care about this one?”
I think the biggest disappointment was the Black Book of Mordor itself — the new epic quest line that wraps up in this expansion. The studio was really trying to tell a different kind of tale here, a sort of extended flashback and a mystery, but boy did it lose me constantly. I got the main gist — that there was a king of Gondor that got goaded into trying to assault Minas Morgul, got trapped there, and was slowly corrupted while his friends tried to help him get home — but so much of the epic was “dead people talking to other dead people” and I’m thinking, why does this matter to my character now? Why is this mystery important to the matter at hand? I guess it has to be because Gandalf said it was, but I never understood the urgency.
What were far better, usually, were the smaller stories. There was a really creepy quest that you’re getting decaying things for this small family living in a shack, only to be treated to an unnerving twist at the end. Minas Morgul is a sad place, but the saddest tale of all was the discovery of a bathhouse where the residents of that tier were drowned one by one in its waters.
There were heroes — Faramir and Eowyn return, huzzah — and comedic characters to help break the tension. I love the weird goblin Vaznik or whatever his name is and how he thinks he’s a king but he really functions as the Rangers’ sidekick. I could be up for more of him in the future.
In any case, I’m done. At least, until SSG adds more content to this expansion, which will obviously happen because there’s a big section down southeast that hasn’t been filled in with missions yet. For the time being, it’s a good feeling to have this expansion conquered so that I can turn my attention elsewhere in the new year.
FFXIV: Heavensward finished, as is my tale… for now
December 30, 2019 December 13, 2019 Syp1 Comment
After a two-month stint back in Final Fantasy XIV, I’m stepping away from the game for other worlds. It isn’t an acrimonious split, but one that I feel needs to happen to make some time to explore other titles. I got my fill on FFXIV for now, so it’s time to let it rest and let interest in it recharge.
I actually feel really good about stopping now, as I just finished up Heavensward. Not all of the patch content, mind you, but the core expansion itself. Back when I restarted in late October, I hadn’t even finished ARR, and in the intervening two months, I got through all of 3.0. That feels like a good accomplishment. I’d really wanted to see what the Heavensward fuss was about and to give FFXIV another chance to impress.
So did it? Impress? Well, yes and no. I’ll start with the negatives, because it’s not as if this MMO really changed from the last several times I played it. There’s still too much trope-worthy head nodding and fists-under-chins and other overused emotes. The combat is plodding and dull. Every guild I find seems to talk a lot the first night and then never thereafter (was it something I said?). And the vaunted Main Story Quests themselves are an exercise in walking places, watching wayyyy too many cutscenes of non-importance, and sometimes fighting a carefully groomed coterie of three bad guys. Then a dungeon every dozen missions or so.
But I was able to see more positive this time around, and I want to be fair. There are some *great* story moments. The story as a whole is like a 3.5-star fantasy book, too many dragons and self-pity for my liking. But every once in a while, FFXIV managed to surprise me, or make me laugh, or give me some really excellent eye candy. I did want to know what happened both to the story and its ever-expanding cast of characters, but my patience started to wear thin on how long it took for anything to happen at all.
What else did I like? Let’s see. It’s pretty. Heavensward is really good-looking and wasn’t a non-stop snow zone as I had originally assumed. There are some terrific fantasy locales that the artists did a bang-up job on. I got my healing fix over the past two months and made peace with the terrible things that they did to the Scholar. I rather enjoyed the Mechinist class tales. And flying was a hoot.
The end credit sequence of Heavensward was about 15 minutes or so, delivering a whole mixture of interesting beats. There was exaltation, sadness, and not just a few cliffhangers and new threats to keep the story ball rolling. Maybe in a few months I’ll come back just to find out what happens next. At least I’ll be in a good spot to pick up on the Dragonsong War series and then into Stormblood.
But for now, yes, I need a break. I had to push myself through the last 20 or so quests, trying to get across that finish line before apathy overtook me. I’m glad I did, but I’m also glad I’m able to look to a different challenge come January.
So farewell, FFXIV. I don’t regret coming back, even after my snit fit last spring. Heavensward might not have been this life-changing amazing experience, but you know what? It was pretty good even so.
Bio Break 2019 Wrap-up: Massively Overpowered
For my final post of this “look back at gaming, blogging, and podcasting in 2019” week here at Bio Break, I wanted to share what I’ve been up to over at Massively Overpowered. Counting both the old and new sites, I’ve been writing for Massively for a full decade now. This was the first full year where I scaled back on news writing due to my main job taking up more time, although I was still pretty active in special projects elsewhere.
I did write the occasional news post as well as the weekly MOP Up column, which gathered up smaller news stories that we either didn’t have time to write or weren’t worth a full post on their own.
I also clocked another full year of doing the Massively OP Podcast with my co-host and editor Bree, which means that I’ve done something like 500 to 600 of these shows to date. Which is so very weird if I think about it for too long. Probably the highlight of the podcasting year was when we did a special City of Heroes secret server exposé show that helped get the game revived for real. In a very small way, I played a part in reviving an MMORPG, and that does make me happy.
So let’s talk columns now. I traded duties on two columns with MOP’s Eliot: Perfect Ten (a top 10 list) and Into the Super-verse (a superhero MMO column). On my own I handled Jukebox Heroes (MMO music reviewed), One Shots (community game screenshots), LOTRO Legendarium (the Lord of the Rings Online column), and Global Chat (curated MMO blogger quotes).
Pieces I’m particularly satisfied with from 2019 include the following:
Jukebox Heroes: The 10 greatest MMO soundtracks of all time (as voted by you)
Remembering the life and work of legendary MMO designer Brad ‘Aradune’ McQuaid
The Game Archaeologist: Sierra’s Fates of Twinion and Ruins of Cawdor
The Game Archaeologist: The day Dungeons and Dragons Online dropped the free-to-play bomb
Into the Super-verse: Ship of Heroes’ character creator is bare-bones yet still engaging
Into the Super-verse: A possible glimpse into City of Heroes 2
Into the Super-verse: Why didn’t Champions Online do better?
Into the Super-verse: Getting to know City of Heroes all over again
LOTRO Legendarium: Lord of the Rings Online’s prettiest and ugliest places
LOTRO Legendarium: A timeline of Lord of the Rings Online from 1994 to 2019
LOTRO Legendarium: How LOTRO does Lord of the Rings justice
LOTRO Legendarium: Is Moria amazing – or agonizing?
Special shout-out to my excellent colleagues at Massively OP, who genuinely care about these games and the effort to get our readers the best and most entertaining information. Our staff got a lot bigger this year and I’m proud to be a part of this team.
Bio Break 2019 Wrap-up: Battle Bards
Battle Bards — the world’s first, only, and best MMO music podcast — had another tremendous year in 2019. Steff, Syl, and I produced 23 brand-new episodes for our listeners to enjoy, along with a handful of new Retro Reprise shows as well. If you missed any, now’s your chance to catch up!
Episode 135: Battle for Azeroth (show page, direct download)
Episode 136: Overlooked MMO soundtracks (show page, direct download)
Episode 137: League of Legends’ hero themes (show page, direct download)
Episode 138: Wild wild westerns (show page, direct download)
Episode 139: Return to LOTRO (show page, direct download)
Episode 140: Piano piano! (show page, direct download)
Episode 141: Riders of Icarus (show page, direct download)
Episode 142: Sunrise, sunset (show page, direct download)
Episode 143: Rappelz (show page, direct download)
Episode 144: Colors of the rainbow (show page, direct download)
Episode 145: Dark Age of Camelot (show page, direct download)
Episode 146: More vocals (show page, direct download)
Episode 147: Continent of the Ninth Seal (show page, direct download)
Episode 148: Composer spotlight on Inon Zur (show page, direct download)
Episode 149: Istaria/Horizons (show page, direct download)
Episode 150: The great plains (show page, direct download)
Episode 151: Minions of Mirth (show page, direct download)
Episode 152: Main themes 3 (show page, direct download)
Episode 153: Elder Scrolls Online Summerset (show page, direct download)
Episode 154: Death and decay (show page, direct download)
Episode 155: Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers (show page, direct download)
Episode 156: Feeling blue (show page, direct download)
Episode 157: Chronicles of Spellborn (show page, direct download)
Episode 158: Winter returns (show page, direct download)
As for Retro Reprise:
Episode 16: Amazing Amiga (episode download, episode page)
Episode 17: The shareware show (episode download, episode page)
Episode 18: Obscure Genesis games (show page, direct download)
Episode 19: The music of Halloweens past (direct download, show page)
Music, Podcast
Bio Break 2019 Wrap-up: Solo gaming
December 25, 2019 December 11, 2019 Syp2 Comments
Merry Christmas everyone! And since I’m posting this on the one day of the year that virtually no one is going to be reading it, I could just cut and paste entire paragraphs from Jane Austen here. I won’t, but I could.
Instead, I wanted to share the 10 solo (non-MMO) games that I genuinely enjoyed this year. Looking back at 2019, I think I played more solo titles than I have in a very long time. I’m finding a nice balance between MMOs and these, and it’s great to have a change in the gameplay type when I’m in the mood for it.
Here’s what I liked the best out of what I played:
The Outer Worlds — Easily my “game of the year” pick for 2019, if I had awards and they carried weight with anyone. I loved this Firefly-Fallout homage, from its corporatism-run-amok-in-the-stars to its black humor to its diverse ways of solving each quest. Really looking forward to any DLC or expansions Obsidian wants to make for it.
Pillars of Eternity — Speaking of Obsidian, I finished up a long playthrough of this title back in January and was generally happy with it. I was planning on doing the expansion or the sequel, but somehow that still hasn’t materialized.
Return of the Obra Dinn — This got so many awards in 2018 that I had to play it last January, and I am truly glad I did. There’s nothing quite like this detective story at sea, even if it used graphics straight out of the 1980s.
The Avowed — I got this based on some strong word of mouth and was generally happy with it. The Avowed is a retro-styled adventure game that came out not too long ago about demon hunters in NYC. There are some choices, some good tales, and a few tricky puzzles.
The Long Dark — I absolutely loved the setting for this quiet, snowy post-apocalyptic game. Its survival aspects felt a little too brutal for me, but I’ve been told that there’s an easier mode I should go check out and play.
Subnautica — Along the lines of survival games, I didn’t expect Subnautica to win me over, but win me it did. And not just me, but my kids as well. My eldest son in particular loves exploring the sea and creating different vehicles and structures. It’s so pretty and definitely a nice change of pace than the usuals in this genre.
The Last Door — A modern horror adventure game with REALLY retro graphics that manages to actually be scary? It does just that, even though I ultimately was unsatisfied with the story.
Outer Wilds — Not to be confused with The Outer Worlds, this is a very odd Groundhog Day-in-space story of a doomed solar system and an intrepid band of alien explorers. I’d love to actually finish this game if it wasn’t for the wonky controls.
A Plague Tale — Took me a while to finish, but I really did like this alternate history take on the Black Plague. I think it lost its punch about midway through and was a little more gory than I would have liked, but there’s some great imagination with this one.
Shop Titans — As bashful as it was to admit it, this freemium game grabbed me and hasn’t let go since. Its simple premise of operating a fantasy store for heroes is one that appeals strongly, and I’ve found it’s a relaxing game for a minute or two here and there.
CRPG, CRPGs, iPhone
Bio Break 2019 Wrap-up: MMO gaming
One of the nice things about doing the gaming goals post at the start of each month is that it makes it easy to look back over an entire year and see the journey I’ve taken in various games. MMORPGs remained a constant in my gaming diet — and looking over 2019, I played quite a few of them! Some got only a session or two, while others remained constant for many months.
I feel like I got a lot accomplished in them as well. I had fun, for starters, and had great experiences with other people. But I also chewed through some big updates and expansions, leveled up characters, and hit satisfying milestones.
So let’s look at the games, going from most played to least. The one MMO I played from January through December was Lord of the Rings Online, which makes sense because (a) I really like the game and (b) I cover it in my column. Leveling through the progression server and bringing my main through the Vales of Anduin and Minas Morgul gave me a lot to do.
Second to LOTRO in frequency was Dungeons and Dragons Online, although I may have played this less if we look at total time in-game. Most of this was group runs with some side solo adventures. I ended up taking a break from DDO this fall as I wasn’t feeling it as strong and didn’t want to make playing a chore rather than a joy.
Elder Scrolls Online popped up a couple of times this year: first at the start, when I finished up Morrowind, and then in June, when I went through part of Elsweyr. Final Fantasy XIV was even more spotty than that, but I am surprised to see that I logged four months in that game during the last 12. I’m taking another break from it, but at least I beat the core of Heavensward.
City of Heroes is another game I should talk about, seeing as how it came back from the dead and all. This was a summer renaissance for me, giving me several sessions of grouping fun and nostalgia-fueled memories. I also wrapped up Fallen Empire in SWTOR but couldn’t make much headway in Eternal Throne before losing interest.
World of Warcraft was mostly absent from my gaming calendar until this past summer, when I returned mostly thanks to the excitement around WoW Classic. Classic only proved engrossing for a month or so, but I got four months in the regular game before the whole #BoycottBlizzard convinced me that I didn’t want to be supporting this title for now.
Those were the big ones, but I had a lot of smaller experiences and sessions. Fallout 76 was engrossing for a couple of months, Torchlight Frontiers’ alpha this past spring made me anticipate the release more than ever, and Chronicles of Spellborn’s emulator gave me a weird chance to go back and experience this title. I dipped into the MUD Starborn, very niche fantasy title Eldevin, DC Universe Online, the pre-alpha Fractured, and a few sessions in ArcheAge Unchained.
Finally, I made sure to log back in to Fallen Earth to say farewell to one of my most favorite MMORPGs before it went offline in October.
I’d say, all in all, it was a really good year of gaming. There are a few of my “old faithful” titles that I didn’t see this year, namely Star Trek Online, Neverwinter, and Guild Wars 2, so those might be due for a personal revival.
Bio Break 2019 Wrap-up: Retro gaming
We’re just over a week away from the end of 2019 — and this decade — and I thought I’d devote an entire week of Bio Break to looking back at the year and what I’ve done in gaming, podcasting, and writing.
For the first day, I want to share my retro gaming adventures., of which I had quite a few this year. To date, I’ve examined somewhere around 58 titles for this series, some of which were just one-shot looks while most others were extensive playthroughs. This year I explored nine games, which seems pretty respectable, especially considering that two of them were large CRPGs.
My retro gaming series is one that I squeeze into my lunch breaks (the days that I have them). I’ve been trying to go through my GOG (and, to a much lesser extent, Steam) library and justify all of the titles I’ve purchased over the years. 58 games might seem like a lot, but it’s just a fraction of the 257 titles that are residing there. I should pick up the pace!
I wrote up a trio of posts on RTS favorites of past years that I wanted to revisit, which was both delightful and disturbing. Warcraft II, Age of Empires II, and Majesty all got a one-post treatment from me here. I meant to get to Rise of Nations but didn’t find the time.
Other than those, I did three straight-up adventure games (Monkey Island 1 and 2 as well as The Dagger of Amon Ra), two CRPGs (Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines and Fallout New Vegas) and one adventure/RPG hybrid (Quest for Glory IV). Monkey Island was a hoot to play, especially as both games had a ton of humor and offered the option to flip between the original and remake versions. Vampire held up surprisingly well over the years since my last playthrough, although I do agree with critics that say that the latter part of the game feels rushed (and don’t get me started on that sewer level!).
But I was most excited to play Fallout New Vegas for the very first time, especially considering how it’s developed this cult status over the past nine years. It was strange to be playing it while also playing Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds, which is kind of considered to be the spiritual successor to New Vegas.
In any case, I put a lot of effort in these playthroughs, and I hope you enjoyed the write-ups on them. You can read or revisit them by clicking on these links:
Part 1: Waking up with a splitting headache
Part 2: From Goodsprings to Primm
Part 3: Bug phobias
Part 4: The long road to Novac
Part 5: Giant dinos, space suits, and rocket ships
Part 6: Side questing
Part 7: Judge, jury, and tourist
Part 8: All hail the King!
Part 9: Bombers and mafia fantasies
Part 10: The Mr. House always wins
The Dagger of Amon Ra
Act 1: A Nose for News
Act 2: Suspects on Parade
Act 3: On the Cutting Edge
Act 4: Museum of the Dead
Acts 5 and 6
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines
Part 1: I’ve gone batty in the head
Part 2: Blood dolls and bounty hunters
Part 3: Grim grinning ghosts
Part 4: Boom goes the dynamite
Part 5: You can always go downtown
Part 6: Fire and vamps don’t mix
Part 7: Hello Hollywood!
Part 8: A surprise in the bathroom
Part 9: Forget it, Syp, it’s Chinatown
Part 10: Smile, the game is over
LeChuck’s Revenge
Part 1: The Largo Embargo
Part 2: The practicalities of revenge-oriented voodoo
Part 3: Jailbreak!
Part 4: Spittake
Past 5: What a Big Whoop!
Part 1: A noob walks into a pirate bar
Part 2: Swordplay and treasure
Part 3: Piranha poodles
Part 4: Guybrush overboard
Part 5: Cruising around the Caribbean
Part 6: Assignment: Monkey Beach
Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness
Part 1: Down the throat of H.R. Giger
Part 2: Slumming it in Mordavia
Part 3: Edgy adventurers hang out in cemeteries
Part 4: Werewolves love hunchbacks
Part 5: Jaunty hats on grinning skulls
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346750
|
__label__cc
| 0.520022
| 0.479978
|
Blast Radius is a collaboration between Mike Plant, Founder and President of MPA Event Graphics, and Phil & Domenic Arcidiacono, who own and operate Caffe Arcidiacono, a roaster/distributor of high quality Italian-style coffee and espresso blends.
As it happens, Mike wanted to do a coffee promotion for a conference. A lifelong athlete himself, he is, like many athletes, a coffee drinker, and coffee seemed a nice way to make an authentic connection with an important segment of his client base: race directors in the endurance industry.
“This just kind of fell into our laps,” said Mike. “I’m a coffee lover, and I wanted to do a giveaway at a conference that had real value -- something that related to the lives of the race directors. I spoke to Phil, whom I’d only met once, briefly, about the possibility of developing a high-caffeine-content coffee for athletes.
“I figured he’d say what the other companies I’d talked to had said: ‘Sure, we’ll sell you our coffee, but…’”
That‘s not at all what Phil said. An accomplished athlete himself, he was enthusiastic right off the bat.
“I told Mike I’d been thinking about the very same idea,” Phil said. “I’d even mentioned it a couple of times to my brother. The timing was perfect. I jumped right in.”
Before you could say “interval training”, the coffee had a name, a website, a logo, a label, the whole deal.
What took a little more time was the coffee itself. Turns out, Phil's and Domenic's family has been roasting and blending fine coffee in Italy for 140 years. Blast Radius was not about to be some strong-ass, bitter, nasty-tasting brown crap you gulp down in the morning like medicine. No, no. First came the recipe (four beans, selected for character and caffeine content); then the roast (each bean variety is separately roasted); then the final blend for taste and drinkability.
The result is a coffee with a blow-your-socks-off level of caffeine, but one that is also superbly drinkable.
“You can see it when people try Blast Radius for the first time,” Phil said. “Their eyes get a little wide: “’Wow, this is good!’
Which is the point of course: Blast Radius is not just highly-caffeinated kick-your-ass-out-the-door coffee, but a great tasting, highly-caffeinated kick-your-ass-out-the-door coffee. The great taste bit? Makes all the difference.
Get info on giveaways and upcoming deals.
{{{name}}} {{#if variation}} {{variation}} {{/if}} {{#properties}} {{#each this}} {{#if this}} {{@key}}: {{this}} {{/if}} {{/each}} {{/properties}} {{{ recurring }}}
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346753
|
__label__wiki
| 0.669981
| 0.669981
|
Home Bikes Bajaj
Bajaj’s iconic Chetak scooter set for re-entry in a modern, gearless avatar
by Rahul R
in Bajaj, Bikes, General
Hamara Bajaj to make comeback this year
The good old Bajaj Chetak scooter that was not so long ago considered the BMW of the Indian middle class is now set to make a comeback after nearly a decade of being phased-out by Bajaj.
According to a new Track report, Bajaj will be introducing its Chetak in a revamped avatar, in a bid to offset apparent failures that the company faces in the Indian two-wheeler market.
An Economic Times report also throws light on Bajaj’s intention of making a comeback to the scooter market that it not so long ago dominated. The ET report states that Bajaj has once again registered its iconic Chetak scooter range in India, which suggests at an impending launch of the popular “Hamara Bajaj”.
With Bajaj seemingly in favour of relaunching its iconic scooter brand in a much more changed scheme of things, there are speculations that this vehicle will be a gearless offering similar to the Vespa scooter range and even the TVS Scooty range of vehicles.
Rumours are even hinting at a possible launch of the all new “Hamara Bajaj”, during the annual Auto Expo next year.
Bajaj Auto’s shares have also said to have picked up as soon as speculations about the Chetak’s comeback began circulating.
Bajaj’s Chetak scooters gained immense popularity in the late 1980’s, and prospective buyers had to face a long waiting list even to purchase the scooter. This scenario led to people dishing out extra money to buy the vehicle.
Bajaj Chetak, a pure Indian motor offering, is considered as a trend-setter as far as the Indian two-wheeler segment is considered.
However, in changed times, we expect Bajaj’s new Chetak (after release) to pick up a comparatively high price-tag as the vehicle is said to compete with the likes of Vespa and Honda’s Activa ; both of which cost a fortune as far as the Indian middle-class and lower middle-class automobile buyer is concerned.
Chevrolet Captiva 2015 launched, costs Rs 29.5 lakhs only
New Suzuki Gixxer SF to be launched on April 7 in India
Rahul R
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346760
|
__label__wiki
| 0.630766
| 0.630766
|
Aw, Bless!
In Their Own Tweets
Category Archives: pro Obama
Katty Kay Answers Your Questions With Pure Partisan Bias
By David Preiser (USA) | January 29, 2014 - 4:35 pm | January 29, 2014 Bias 24/7, Bias in in their genes, Katty Kay, left wing hacks, left wing values, pro Obama, PRO OBAMA AT ALL COSTS., US News, US politics
The BBC’s highest-profile talent in the US, Katty Kay, held an audience Q&A session on Twitter this morning. Once the BBC publishes the transcript on their website, I’ll update this post with a link. She didn’t say anything that would get her in trouble like last time, but she did answer at least one question with pure, unadulterated, partisan bias:
From an FB user: How exactly does #Obama intend to bridge rich/poor gap in USA? #SOTU #AskBBCKatty
— Katty Kay (@KattyKayBBC) January 29, 2014
This is one of Katty’s pet issues. She’s on record already advocating for it. Her reply:
He really can’t do much as Republicans won’t agree to legislation on taxes and spending. He can do a bit on minimum wage. #askkattybbc — Katty Kay (@KattyKayBBC) January 29, 2014
And there you have it. The President’s policies are correct, and the only thing preventing Him from saving us is Republican intransigence. Notice also Katty’s belief that taxes and government spending will be at least part of the solution. This is pure Left-wing ideology, and the anchor of a BBC News broadcast produced in the US and aimed directly at the US audience is espousing it without reservation or qualification. Whether or not you or I agree with her politics is irrelevant. The fact is that she is biased and displays it here. Here’s another one on essentially the same issue:
From @gidget_smart: Do people (including #Obama) not realize raising min wage will only cause cost of living increase? #askbbckatty
Katty’s reply:
Historically, increases in minimum wage haven’t caused increases in either cost of living or unemployment. #askkattybbc
Is she correct? The Wall Street Journal said no in 2009.
Yesterday’s September labor market report was lousy by any measure, with 263,000 lost jobs and the jobless rate climbing to 9.8%. But for one group of Americans it was especially awful: the least skilled, especially young workers. Washington will deny the reality, and the media won’t make the connection, but one reason for these job losses is the rising minimum wage.
Earlier this year, economist David Neumark of the University of California, Irvine, wrote on these pages that the 70-cent-an-hour increase in the minimum wage would cost some 300,000 jobs. Sure enough, the mandated increase to $7.25 took effect in July, and right on cue the August and September jobless numbers confirm the rapid disappearance of jobs for teenagers.
But wait, there’s more:
As the minimum wage has risen, the gap between the overall unemployment rate and the teen rate has widened, as it did again last month. (See nearby chart.) The current Congress has spent billions of dollars—including $1.5 billion in the stimulus bill—on summer youth employment programs and job training. Yet the jobless numbers suggest that the minimum wage destroyed far more jobs than the government programs helped to create.
Congress and the Obama Administration simply ignore the economic consensus that has long linked higher minimum wages with higher unemployment.
Katty Kay is an opponent of the consensus.
We can debate this issue of the effects of minimum wage laws until the cows come home, but the point here is that she stated this uncategorically as fact. The WSJ, on the other hand has a different opinion. If the WSJ is nominally right of center, then the opposite position must be on the Left. Katty Kay’s ideology is Left-wing. Her tweets (see her listing on the “In Their Own Tweets” page) and pundit appearances on MSNBC reveal her personal Left-wing ideology, and the same bias in on display when she acts in her official capacity as a BBC journalist. There is no question here about personal ideology directly affecting and being evident in her BBC journalism. This is just the latest example. Many more can be seen here, here, here, here, here, and here. And that just for starters.
Fixing the management structure and adding layers of accountability on internal spending will not fix this problem.
A Toxic Tale Of….Economic Growth?
By David Preiser (USA) | August 29, 2013 - 9:49 pm | August 30, 2013 BBC bias, bbc bias by omission, Biased against GOP, Mark Mardell, pro Big Government, pro Obama, PRO OBAMA AT ALL COSTS., US economy, US News, US politics
Remember back in February of this year, when the US government was facing an across-the-board 5% budget cut, known colloquially as the “sequester”, because nasty old Republicans wouldn’t bow down to the Presidents spending desires? At the time, the BBC’s US President editor couldn’t have been more cross, calling it a “toxic tale of cruel dismemberment and government by crisis”. Oh, how we were fed doom and gloom. The emotive language, the hand-wringing, the tales of woe just kept coming. Remember, titled BBC editors somehow don’t have to be impartial at all times. They give “expert analysis”, which is opinion when its at home. Is it bias when all the opinions come from the Left?
In any case, the President wasn’t getting His way, and it looked as if the nasty white Republicans wanted to prevent Him from saving us all. BBC went into full White House propaganda mode. As I wrote in that post, the BBC also lied about how the sequester came to be. It was such a bad idea, they felt, that it couldn’t possibly have come from the President. Yet, it had. And so the BBC pretended it wasn’t true. Mark Mardell repeated the falsehood:
Many Republicans say the idea for the “sequester” budget cuts was President Obama’s in the first place. The White House rejects that.
Whoever came up with the idea, the 2011 law meant failure to agree would cut both cherished Democratic programmes that helped the poor and defence spending beloved of Republicans.
We know who came up with it, and so did Mardell when he pretended to be unsure. The President did, because He believed it would be a threat so great that the Republicans would cave. Of course, only a fool would think that the Republican leadership, under pressure from Tea Partiers and other fiscal conservatives, would see cutting government spending as something to be avoided at all costs. So Rep. Boehner didn’t blink, and we got the cuts.
Either Mardell or a sub editor gave his post the headline: ‘Sequester budget cuts: America’s grim fairy tale ‘. It was a very dark day for the country, apparently.
And how’s that “cruel dismemberment” working out now? Here’s how:
US economic growth revised upwards to 2.5%
Now that is cruel….to anyone who believed that the sequester was going to destroy the recovery. What was the actual fairy tale, then: the real story of the budget negotiations, or the BBC’s tale of “cruel dismemberment”?
The US economy grew at an annualised pace of 2.5% in the second quarter of the year, the Commerce Department said in revised figures.
That was more than double the pace recorded in the previous three months, and above estimates of 2.2%.
The rise, helped by an increase in exports, is a further sign that the economy may be getting back on track.
The government had originally estimated that GDP grew at a 1.7% rate in the second quarter.
Others have noticed that maybe the sequester wasn’t the horror show Mardell and the BBC believed it would be. Sure, the usual water-carriers at the WaPo and HuffPo have said it’s been restricting growth, but who here thinks that growth would be rocketing past 5% or something now if there had been no spending cuts? If the sequester was really killing the economy for two quarters, the BBC would be all over it.
And the BBC analysis about how the sequester wasn’t such a catastrophe after all, and that the President was wrong?
What’s funny is that the Beeboids probably see this latest report as a sign that The Obamessiah is saving us, that His Economic Plan For Us is starting to bear fruit, in spite of Republican intransigence and enemies wanting to destroy Him. So bringing the sequester into the picture isn’t going to help that at all, as they sure can’t make a case that we’d be going like gangbusters without it. The BBC links to other articles they’ve run recently trumpeting signs of economic growth and recovery, and no mention of the sequester anywhere. If it was as bad as the BBC’s top experts warned us it was, how can this be?
I think we can safely ignore any BBC expert analysis on the US economy, budget, or politics.
BBC Censorship: The List Just Keeps Growing Edition
By David Preiser (USA) | May 11, 2013 - 7:33 pm | May 13, 2013 BBC bias 24/7, bbc bias and balance., bbc bias by omission, BBC censorship, BBC double standards, Benghazi, Mark Mardell, pro Obama, PRO OBAMA AT ALL COSTS., US News, US politics, USA politics
Everyone knows by now how the BBC got it wrong on Benghazi. I made a post about how the BBC was censoring news of what really happened on Sept. 13, 2012, two days after the attack. Plenty of people here from then on posted links to stories about it, and we all wondered why the BBC kept ignoring it or simply followed the White House talking points and dismissed those complaining. Now we know why they did this. As Mark Mardell has admitted (h/t DB), he thought it was all just partisan attack nonsense to which he needn’t pay attention.
In the interests of full disclosure I have to say I have not in the past been persuaded that allegations of a cover-up were a big deal. It seemed to me a partisan attack based on very little.
His very next sentence suggests that he was more convinced by a different spin on the incident, because it came from sources he was more likely to trust.
I remember listening to reports from the BBC and others at the time that did suggest the attack in Benghazi was a spontaneous reaction to a rather puerile anti-Islamic video.
Even though I’m not a journalist, I’ve heard enough from actual Beeboids who used to comment here, as well as from self-proclaimed journalists who’ve made attempts to explain it, not to mention the statements made by Mardell himself and the head of the BBC bureau in the US about how they decide what gets published/broadcast, to know that, no matter how hard everyone tries to be impartial, personal opinion is going to inform decisions on some level, at some point in time. The BBC’s top man in the US has now admitted that his personal opinion of both the sources of the complaints and what he understood of their merits prevented him from taking it seriously. It can’t be much of a stretch to conclude that the BBC in general took the same position. After all, they do tend to follow the lead of their fellow Left-wing journalists in the US.
One has to wonder just how much he knew about the complaints of mistakes regarding embassy security and the cover-up of what the Administration knew and the consequential lies to the victims’ families and the public about it, including lies told by someone at least one Beeboid sees as a global inspiration. Did Mardell simply dismiss it all because it was coming from Republicans, people he’s described on more than one occasion as “enemies” of the President? Not to mention the fact that everyone knew this was going to be a major issue in the campaign to re-elect Him. The BBC doesn’t like to report things which make Him look bad, and are more interested in demonizing opponents than investigating what’s going on. Mardell certainly has form on dismissing any criticism of Him as partisan attacks with little merit.
The day after the attacks, people were posting other news items on the open thread here about what actually happened, and showing what the BBC kept leaving out. It was clear even then that the President and His Administration was not being truthful, pushing the phony story about that video causing it. At the time, Mardell bought it hook, line, and sinker, and even seized on it to take a swipe at Mitt Romney (then the Republican nominee contesting His re-election). The BBC wasn’t interested in reality then, and continued to cover their eyes and ears for months. Defenders of the indefensible love to dismiss things because of the source (Fox News! Fox News!), refusing to even go into the merits of any of it. Yet who’s getting the last laugh now? One has to wonder if Mardell and the BBC similarly dismissed the merits of the stories simply because they didn’t like the source.
The fact that the BBC is only now getting around to admitting all of this and reporting it is revealing of how they prioritize news stories. It was only after the latest round of hearings started and the revelations were spread across the front pages of their preferred news outlets for more than a day that they decided is was newsworthy. The revelations had been out for days before that, and in some cases, weeks and months. Yet the BBC couldn’t be bothered. A simple news aggregator would have kept you better informed, and you could all decide for yourself what had merit and what didn’t. The gatekeepers failed you here.
The BBC has form on censoring deciding stories simply aren’t worth your time, only to be forced by reality to report it much later on, long after everyone here knows all about it. For example:
“Fast & Furious”, where the Administration oversaw guns being sold illegally to people who they knew would sell to Mexican drug cartels, without tracking them, in the hopes of creating a body count on which they could exploit to push for stricter gun laws, and then tried to cover it up.
The President’s mishandling of the Gulf oil spill cleanup.
They censored all kinds of stuff from the Trayvon Martin coverage.
They censored almost all news about the billions sent down the Green Toilet to failed green energy businesses run mostly by Democrat money-bundlers.
They’ve also censored news of all but two gaffes by the President, as it conflicts with the “He’s so suave and cool and far more intelligent than the inarticulate Bush” groupthink. Bush got no such protection, as even the slightest misstep was ridiculed for your benefit.
The BBC even censored a bit out of a speech by the President so it wouldn’t conflict with their Narrative about the budget and one round of debt negotiations.
There’s plenty of other stuff the BBC thought you didn’t need to know. Have a look at this list and judge for yourselves if any of it was newsworthy or not.
The latest major story the BBC has so far kept from you is the admission by the IRS that they’ve been illegally targeting and harassing Tea Party groups and other non-Left organizations. This has apparently been going on for some times, as a top Administration official (at the time) inadvertently mentioned over two years ago that the President’s inner circle had illegal access to tax information of their political opponents. It’s a big deal, but in the interests of keeping this from being yet another of my tediously lengthy posts, I’ll just link to an op-ed from the national newspaper perhaps respected most by the BBC: the Washington Post. Not Fox News, not Breitbart, not Jihadwatch, not Glen Beck. It’s simply not possible for defenders of the indefensible to dismiss this because of the source.
Playing politics with tax records
A BEDROCK principle of U.S. democracy is that the coercive powers of government are never used for partisan purpose. The law is blind to political viewpoint, and so are its enforcers, most especially the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service. Any violation of this principle threatens the trust and the voluntary cooperation of citizens upon which this democracy depends.
So it was appalling to learn Friday that the IRS had improperly targeted conservative groups for scrutiny. It was almost as disturbing that President Obama and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew have not personally apologized to the American people and promised a full investigation.
BBC: ZZZZzzzzzzz
With all this in mind, I say again that the BBC has given up being as serious news organization when it comes to US issues. They may have a titled editor on the scene, and at least 100 employees beavering away at the website and producing those “bespoke” video magazine pieces, but it’s little more than a lightweight content producer these days, with an eye to attracting the MOR and low-information crowd, along with the ad and subscription revenue that comes with their eyeballs. Your license fee hard at work. Sure, most of this is technically paid for by the commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, but there’s plenty of sharing of resources and funding. And after all, this is your official state broadcaster expanding far beyond its original remit.
UPDATE, 5/13: The BBC has now reported it. Because the President spoke out about it, it’s new. He has condemned the actions and promised to deal with it, so all is well.
“I’ve got no patience with it, I will not tolerate it and I will make sure that we find out exactly what happened.”
Like He has with Benghazi, right, BBC?
Kim Ghattas Book Reveals Personal Misgivings About US Power
By David Preiser (USA) | March 10, 2013 - 7:38 pm | March 10, 2013 anti-us, biased reporting, Biased to the core, Hillary Clinton, Kim Ghattas, pro Obama, PRO OBAMA AT ALL COSTS., pro Obama BBC agenda, unprofessionalism, US News
The BBC’s State Department correspondent, Kim Ghattas, has a new book out about Hillary Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State. A review of it is in the Murdoch-owned (but not tarnished by it) Wall Street Journal, written by their assistant books editor, Sohrab Ahmari. Ahmari came to the WSJ with a legal background, and has co-edited a book of essays from Middle Eastern dissidents entitled “Arab Spring Dreams”. So, much like Ms. Ghattas, he’s sympathetic to the plight of Arabs living under lousy rulers, although he clearly comes from a different direction than Ghattas.
Nowhere Left to Fly To
Hillary Clinton circled the globe 40 times in four years as secretary of state. But what did all this on-the-go diplomacy accomplish?
Clearly Ahmari comes with a not-very-positive perspective on Clinton’s accomplishments as Sec. of State, and was looking for something in Ghattas’ book. But my concern here is what his review says about Ghattas, and what she says about herself.
The material has world-historical heft, yet the treatment rarely carries weight.
Not a good start.
Ghattas clearly enjoys the access that her job entails and deems no detail of life in the State Department press corps too insignificant to share. There are seemingly endless anecdotes about the “chewy chocolate chip cookies” at the air bases that service the secretary of state’s plane; the chicken-salad dinners aboard the plane; the press packets handed out by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing; the “Bulgari hand fresheners” inside the Saudi king’s tent. Did you know that one time Mrs. Clinton’s plane almost took off without “Arshad Mohammed from Reuters, who had overslept”?
Unfortunately rather shallow, it seems, and more about Ghattas’ job than about Clinton’s. But this comes as no surprise at all to those who have been watching her output for the BBC since 2008. Ghattas never hesitated to gush over Michelle Obama’s dresses or fawn over other superficial things. But that’s not the important bit. It begins here:
Ms. Ghattas adds to this banal reportage her reflections on the meaning and purpose of America’s superpower status.
As a globetrotting, experienced professional journalist, her insights here might be of value, no? Well….
The author, who is of Dutch-Lebanese origin and who grew up in Beirut in the 1980s during Lebanon’s civil war, says that she wrote the book in part to “come to terms with my personal misgivings about American power.”
Personal misgivings?
Her pro-Western family was dismayed when, in 1984, the Reagan administration, having resolved to stop Lebanon’s sectarian bloodletting, withdrew American forces in the wake of Hezbollah’s terror campaign against peacekeepers. Her own political awakening came as a teenager in 1990, when President George H.W. Bush greenlighted Syrian domination of Lebanon in return for Hafez al-Assad’s participation in the first Gulf War against Iraq.
In other words, the BBC chose somebody with a personal grudge against the very country she’s supposed to report on impartially. Just like they keep Jeremy Bowen, who has a personal grudge against Israel, as their Middle East editor, and sent someone full of hope and enthusiasm and the starry-eyed wonder of a small child to become the North America editor – Mark Mardell – to report on their beloved Obamessiah (even the jaded pros at DigitalSpy saw his worship for what it was early on). Or just like how they hired an Obamessiah campaigner to produce digital media material and other reports on the US, based in part on the strength of the video he made about his cross-country trip to get the vote out for Him (Matt Danzico, who continued to run a website for a while to “keep tabs” on the President from a Left-wing perspective, while working for the BBC). Or how they have an extreme Left-wing ideologue as the economics editor for Newsnight. Or, well, you get the idea.
Is Ghattas entitled to her opinion? Of course. Are her concerns about how the US uses its power valid? Irrelevant, even if these are issues genuinely worth examining and debating, because it clearly affects how she approaches her job either way. Is it right to have someone who is wrestling with what is really a personal animosity towards a country as the reporter for that country’s foreign policy activities? No.
Before any defenders of the indefensible get itchy fingers and start telling me I just want somebody who is partisan the other way, and will report only things I want to hear, let me just say that I actually want someone who does not come in with a connection or visceral bias one way or the other. Surely there must be someone the BBC could have brought in that doesn’t have such a deep personal issue like this.
The WSJ review also wonders about Ghattas’ usefulness, but from a different angle.
The lesson of these experiences—that America’s friends pay a steep price when the indispensable nation fails to engage morally—isn’t lost on Ms. Ghattas.
I bet it isn’t. All the more reason why somebody with such an intimate issue shouldn’t be given the job.
Yet it rarely impels her to question Mrs. Clinton’s lukewarm, often cynical, responses to the plight of dissidents and democrats from Iran to Russia to East Asia.
Yes, Ahmari is not a fan of Hillary, and was hoping for at least some criticism of her performance from a supposedly impartial, highly-experienced professional journalist.
Ms. Ghattas takes it for granted that “the world had become allergic to U.S. leadership by the end of the Bush administration” and that, therefore, Mrs. Clinton’s job was to “restore America’s lost face in the world.” Such assumptions lead her to frame age-old wisdom as the revolutionary innovations of the Obama administration. “In the twenty-first century America could no longer walk into a room and make demands; it had to build connections first,” she writes at one point—as if the notion would have shocked, say, Dean Acheson or Thomas Jefferson.
And there you have it. Ghattas came to the job with negative opinions. So even somebody on Ghattas’ side about how the US had negatively affected her fellow Arabs sees the blind worship of The Obamessiah for what it is.
Yet Ghattas has been the voice the BBC expects you to trust most about US foreign policy. Your license fee hard at work, paying people with personal grudges and emotion-based opinions to tell you what’s going on in the world.
Mardell Tells A White House Lie
By David Preiser (USA) | February 28, 2013 - 5:00 pm | February 28, 2013 anti public sector cuts., BBC bias 24/7, Bias all the time, Biased against GOP, Mark Mardell, Mark Mardell - Obam shill, pro Obama, PRO OBAMA AT ALL COSTS., US economy, US News, US politics
Yes, I say “lie”. Mark Mardell is lying. I say he’s lying and not merely reporting something when he’s misinformed, or making a claim based on false information for which he’s not responsible. I’m saying Mardell is lying because he knows what he’s saying is not true.
The BBC’s US President editor continues pushing the White House talking points about the “Sequester” budget cuts on Today, and here’s a link to the printed version.
Sequester budget cuts: America’s grim fairy tale
It’s more or less the same biased stuff he produced the other day, which I wrote about here. This time, though, instead of avoiding telling you who really came up with the Sequester plan, Mardell just openly lies about it.
There’s even a bit of bias in the last line there, which I’ll get to in a moment. First, to expose the lie.
It’s not just Republicans saying it. By phrasing it that way, Mardell leads you to believe that it’s a matter of opinion. In fact, as I showed in my previous post on Mardell’s spin, the White House has admitted that it was the President’s offer. I’ll just reprint the quote from CNBC (not Fox News, not Breitbart) about it, to save defenders of the indefensible the pain of having to read another post of mine:
Woodward documents in his 2012 book The Price of Politics that team Obama first proposed the idea of the sequester. Expanding on his work in a Sunday Washington Post op-ed, he noted—as he has before—that both President Obama and his would-be Treasury Secretary Jack Lew lied on the campaign trail by saying the sequester originated with House Republicans. The White House has now ceded that fact.
“Fact”. Not good enough for you? Forbes says it was His idea. The Washington Post, which Mardell reads regularly, gives His claim Four Pinocchios, and provides evidence to back up the fact that it was His idea. Even Politifact rates the President’s claim that the cuts was Congress’s idea as “mostly false”. Politico, which Mardell reads regularly, almost admitted it, but they couldn’t quite bring themselves to hurt Him and so framed it in an amusingly contorted bit of spin that would make Helen Boaden proud:
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) agreed to give Obama the authority…
Then there’s this bit from a different Washington Post article (not Fox News, not Breitbart):
Last year, the House passed two bills that would have stopped the sequester and replaced some of the spending cuts with others. But the White House said the magnitude of the cuts was unacceptable and would imperil critical government programs.
Anyone who gets their information on US issues from the BBC will be very aware of which Party runs the House. The President could have prevented this, but chose not to. Curiously, Mardell chose not to tell you about it.
If none of this is good enough for you, here’s White House spokesman Jay Carney, personal friend of BBC Washington correspondent and anchor of BBC World News America Katty Kay, saying, “the sequester was one of the ideas yes put forward, yes, by the president’s team.”
In other words, Mardell knows exactly who started this, exactly whose idea the sequestered cuts are, and exactly what he’s doing when he misleads you. Blame must always be shifted from The Obamessiah. Trapped in a world He never made, it’s not His fault, you see.
Almost forgot about the bias in that sentence about which cuts supposedly hurt whom. Consider the pantomime caricatures Mardell uses: the Democrats want to help the poor, while it’s the war machine that’s so beloved by the Republicans. Can you tell where you’re meant to boo and hiss, and where you’re meant to cheer? I guess that makes Mardell the pantomime dame, although that’s probably an insult to the integrity of pantomime dames everywhere.
In case you didn’t come away from all this “journalism” with the idea that the cuts supposedly forced on Him by evil Republicans would be a catastrophe for the country (another White House talking point which is going to turn out not so true) and, by extension, the UK and the world (which is why it gets promoted on Today), the BBC’s US President editor ends with this bit of dramatic prose:
There is seemingly no end to this toxic tale of cruel dismemberment and government by crisis.
Emotive terms, value judgment, full stop. Notice whom he’s criticizing, and who gets a free pass. This is an editorial, an opinion piece, not journalism. Don’t trust him or the BBC on US issues.This is your license fee hard at work.
PS: I realize most people here don’t really care much about the US or much foreign stuff at all, and are mostly – and quite rightly – concerned with the BBC’s bias on domestic issues. All I can say is that you should be concerned that the BBC spreads poison elsewhere at your expense, and that they’ve clearly gone far beyond their remit of providing public service broadcasting and are actually dedicated to expanding the BBC’s tentacles across the globe purely because they can. The BBC exists now for itself, and not for you. It’s also a relentless drive for more revenue, something else that’s not supposed to be part of the BBC’s reason for existence. The BBC does this stuff in your name, and the BBC bias is everywhere, across the spectrum of broadcasting, all over the world.
FISCAL CLIFF DIVING
By David Vance | January 1, 2013 - 12:30 pm | January 1, 2013 pro Obama
I’m not sure if Mark Mardell and Jonny Dymond spotted the four horsemen of the apocalypse over Washington but the tone and content of their Fiscal Cliff has certainly been full of doom and gloom and worst of all, in my opinion, wilful exaggeration.
Mardell in particular has been to the fore in alleging that IF a deal was not to be done by Jan 1st then massive tax hikes will descend upon the American people. Not so. US Tax returns do not even have to be until end of February, as I recall, and it would take some time for the necessary tax adjustments to be made assuming nothing was to happen politically in the intervening months. It could well be seen that Mardell was simply hyping the whole issue and painting Obama and the Dems as voices of calm responsibility seeking to do a deal whilst the bad recalcitrant GOP refuse to pay ball. No mention from Mardell of the $16 TRILLION debt bomb that Obama has racked up, or the $87 TRILLION in unfunded liabilities. Instead plenty of hype about the £1.2trn cut in Goverenment spending OVER ten years. Shouldn’t the BBC provide the FULL fiscal picture rather than a skewed version seen through an Obama prism?
Evil Republicans Want To Harm The Elderly And The Poor
By David Preiser (USA) | December 5, 2012 - 11:14 pm | December 5, 2012 anti-GOP, Mark Mardell, Mark Mardell - Obam shill, pro Obama, PRO OBAMA AT ALL COSTS., Uncategorized, US economy, US News
Or so says the BBC’s US President editor (the title “North America editor” bears no resemblance to the job he actually does: at best, his job title should be something like “political editor”, which he was for Newsnight a few years ago) when giving you White House propaganda disguised as analysis.
Fiscal cliff: What would Mrs Lincoln say to John Boehner?
You can already guess where this is going, no?
The Republicans’ rather huffy letter to US President Barack Obama made me think of a glorious moment in Stephen Spielberg’s Lincoln.
The letter, signed by House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, among others, says there has been a “status quo” election “in which both you and the Republican majority in the House were re-elected”.
They are claiming that this means the American people expect both the victors of the recent election to “come together on a fair middle ground”.
What a curious concept, eh? The House of Representatives and representational voting actually mean something? LOL.
It is reasonable to assume the White House see things rather more like Mrs Lincoln.
Her moment occurs at a White House reception when the president’s wife holds up a long reception line to give Thaddeus Stephens, a Republican leader in the House of Representatives, an almighty ear-bashing.
I cannot remember the exact words, but the gist of it is: “My husband is loved by the people, known to the people, he’s just been re-elected, and you are nobody – now just back off.”
Yes, just like our defenders of the indefensible implied after the election, l’état, c’est Lui. Votes for anyone but the President are worthless, and anyone who voted for their Representative to Congress should simply ignore the meaning of the term “representative”. In other words, screw you if you did not vote for Him and still think you voted for anything that matters. This is no longer a Constitutional Republic but is now a kingdom. I make no comment on how Mardell’s behavior resembles that of a wife defending her husband.
Mr Obama is betting that most Americans will feel the re-election of the president carries more moral weight than the re-election of the House.
Most, or just the small majority He won? Semantics mavens can parse this to the end of time, but the fact remains that the President won with less votes than in 2008.
He has been on Twitter repeating his demand for tax rises for the rich, opposition to deep cuts in education budgets, and so on.
Everything he has done has been about political positioning, not serious negotiating.
I’m glad Mardell has admitted this. The question is, why doesn’t He have to negotiate? Bill Clinton had to reach across the aisle after winning his second term. Why is this President exempt? What happened to all that desire for bi-partisanship and working together he’s been telling us for the last two years that the country really wants? I know, I know: we should work together so He gets His way. That’s why Mardell views the first two years of The Obamessiah Administration with its Democrat super-majority where they rammed legislation through without a single Republican vote as “a golden age”.
That has further outraged the prickly Republicans, who write of their shock that when Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner went to see them he proposed a plan that was in their view “neither balanced nor realistic”.
“Huffy”. “Prickly”. The Republicans earn Mardell’s scorn, but the equally stubborn and angry President doesn’t get labeled. Even though Mardell knows exactly what He’s doing, as he will reveal later on.
So, they have countered by backing a plan – already passed by the House – to cut healthcare for the future elderly and food stamps for the poor.
Oh, no! Hurting grannies and the sainted poor! Is that it, though? Is that really all there is to the evil Republicans’ plans? Mardell seems to think that’s a fair summation. Of course, it’s pure spin and not fair at all, but that’s irrelevant to the foreign bureau of the White House press office.
Here’s some reality. By the way, the President’s Plan For Us also cuts $400 billion in Medicare – “healthcare for the future elderly” – over 10 years, and the President’s refusal to address trimming entitlements of any kind – Social Security, “food stamps for the poor”, etc. – is really just kicking the can down the road. Again. The Republicans plan (an earlier incarnation of which Mardell described as “hardline”) is not so far off from proposals from the Simpson-Bowles Commission, which was ordered by the President Himself. Which He then blew off because He really had no intention of doing anything other than continue to spend. The Republicans’ plan, on the other hand, intends to cut $600 billion from Medicare, but partly by raising the age at which people enroll. Not exactly how Mardell portrays it. Cutting other entitlements will actually amount to linking it to a metric which will keep costs from rising so much. Once again, the BBC defines a freeze or a lower increase as a “cut”. It’s dishonest, partisan language, but that’s the BBC’s US President editor for you.
There’s a lot more to it than simply cutting support for the poorest and most vulnerable Yet that’s all Mardell sees, all he wants you to know.
And never mind the $700+ billion that ObamaCare is going to take from Medicare and Medicaid to pay for all the new bureaucracy, exchanges, new anti-depression programs, and the like. Forbes has analyzed it as having a 15 -1 cuts to new benefits ratio, which shows just how dishonest Mardell is being here. That’s already a done deal, so we can actually say that the President Himself is going to take $1.1 billion and more away from the poorest and most vulnerable, whereas if Romney had won, thus assuming ObamaCare gets repealed (or watered way down), and the Republicans’ budget more or less gets passed, the damage done to the poorest and most vulnerable would be reduced by two thirds. But never mind all that, as you’re meant to think that only nasty Republicans want to harm the poorest and most vulnerable for the ideological reason that the government shouldn’t do anything for anyone (see here and here).
I’m not here to debate which side is right or wrong. I’m illustrating how dishonest and partisan Mardell is being.
They demand a response and serious negotiation. Mr Obama, a more aggressive president than in his first term, is manoeuvring them where he wants them, by getting under their skin.
This is nothing short of an outright lie. In fact, the President Himself said He would not release a plan until the Republicans did first. Which is rather bizarre considering that they passed a budget in the House twice in the last two years, whereas He’s never gotten one out of the gate (the Stimulus spending spree doesn’t count). Now that they’ve done so, it’s the height of dishonesty to claim that they “demand a response”. They’re only asking for what He promised. Mardell is simply presenting a false representation of the facts. It’s also very curious that the man the BBC expects you to trust most on US issues doesn’t see anything odd in the President refusing to offer a budget when we’ve all know for two years what the Republicans want.
He is claiming the public label of the man who wants tax cuts for everybody, forcing them to champion deep spending cuts. This is not yet about doing a deal – it is about defining how a deal is seen, when it is done.
In other words, the President’s true goal is not to fix the economy but to destroy the Republican Party. And Mardell has no criticism to offer, not even the slightest frown in His direction. All his scorn is reserved for his beloved Obamessiah’s enemies.
Don’t trust the BBC on US issues.
Mardell’s Mandate Muddle
By David Preiser (USA) | November 14, 2012 - 6:30 pm | November 14, 2012 anti-GOP, Mark Mardell, Mark Mardell - Obam shill, pro Obama, Uncategorized, US economy, US News, US politics
As the US Congress and the President head into negotiations over the looming never-ending budget crisis to figure out how to avert hitting the debt ceiling again, the BBC’s US President editor (a more accurate description than his actual job title) is on the case to give you his muddled view of how US government should work.
America’s fiscal suicide pact
He starts right in with the violent imagery, just to set the proper tone in which you should understand the scene.
America might be forgiven for thinking they suffered a concussion, instead of holding an election, on Tuesday night. The country now has double vision.
The violent imagery is supported by the now-obiligatory context of a deeply divided country, most-polarized-ever-ever-omg. And you’ll never guess whose fault that is.
Republicans in Congress have other ideas. House Speaker John Boehner is insisting tax rises for the wealthy can’t be allowed to happen.
Typical dishonest, class-war rhetoric, straight out of the White House propaganda machine. Actually, this comes naturally to Mardell, no prompting necessary. Boehner is insisting that no tax rises for anyone should be allowed. But since that includes the evil rich, it’s “accurate” to say that he doesn’t want tax increases for them. It’s not a particularly honest description of the proceedings, but I suppose it fits the BBC requirement for “accuracy”. Impartial it is not. Here’s what Boehner actually said:
Boehner today maintained that Republicans want to avert the fiscal cliff without raising any taxes and “in a manner that ensures that 2013 is finally the year that our government comes to grips with the major problems that are facing us.” Next year, he said, “should be the year we begin to solve our debt through tax reform and entitlement reform.”
The speaker added that he had a “cordial,” short conversation with Mr. Obama earlier this week and is hopeful that “productive conversations” can begin soon on the fiscal cliff. As he has for more than a year, Boehner said that he’s open to creating more tax revenue, by closing tax loopholes and eliminating some deductions, just not raising tax rates.
That last line sure looks to me like someone talking about increasing tax payments for the wealthy. Only a highly partisan, disingenuous person would describe Boehner’s position as refusing tax rises for the wealthy. Unless we’re playing semantic games about an increase in income tax rates as opposed to just increasing the taxes actually paid. Mardell cleverly left all that out and quoted this instead:
Speaking before the president did so this afternoon, he said: “Everyone wants to get our economy moving again. Everyone wants to get more Americans back to work again. Raising tax rates will slow down our ability to create the jobs that everyone says they want.”
He called on the president to lead.
So you really aren’t told at all the reality of what Boehner is thinking. Mardell continues:
Mr Obama did, but not in a direction that will delight Republicans. He is using the moral authority of his re-election to push his case. There is nothing new in his call for Congress to extend “middle-class tax cuts” at once. He’s said it repeatedly before the election.
But it’s different now. He has a renewed mandate and his demand has a fresh moral weight behind it. He pointed out even people who didn’t vote for him told opinion pollsters that taxes should go up for the richest.
And here’s where Mardell really starts to get it wrong. The President got fewer votes this time than in 2008. Almost 10 million fewer. Sure, Romney didn’t get as many as McCain did, but the difference wasn’t as great. So who actually did worse? Remember, we’re not talking about simply winning or losing: Mardell said “renewed mandate”, which requires much more than simply winning. Voter turnout was also substantially lower (except for places Philadelphia, which had a turnout that even Sadaam Hussein would have envied) The President may have dominated the Electoral College, but won the popular vote by only 2.5%. Boris Johnson won his race for mayor of London by a slightly larger amount – 3% – but the BBC described that as a “tight margin”. Go figure. Anyone here expect Mardell to declare that Boris has a renewed mandate? Some projected counts (they’re still counting actual votes in places like Ohio and Florida) expect the President to crack that 3% mark, but that’s it. Still no mandate when it’s a non-Left politician.
When journalists make value judgments like this, it leaves the door wide open to personal opinions influencing their reporting. This is a classic example. In 2004, George Bush defeated John Kerry by just over 3 million votes. The President’s popular vote victory over Romney was – you guessed it – just over 3 million votes. You will not find a BBC report saying that Bush had a renewed mandate in 2004. You’ll find analyses stating that Bush supporters and Christians were saying that, but you will not find a BBC editor or reporter stating it.
Now that he’s established that the President is supposed to get His way, Mardell lays out the doom and gloom if Republicans don’t let Him.
There has to be an agreement. If the two sides can’t get behind a plan to cut the deficit there will be pretty horrible consequences.
The ugly phrase “fiscal cliff” has stuck, but it is more like a ticking economic timebomb. The two sides agreed to a suicide pact if they couldn’t reach agreement – tax rises and defence spending cuts the Republicans loathe – as well as other spending cuts that are offensive to Democrats.
The trouble is if the bomb goes off, it is not just the politicians who will be hurt. It is American economy that would explode, probably taking what’s left of the world economy with it.
This is more or less true, and nobody’s denying that we’re looking at trouble here. We then get a bit of “balance”, where the President says this, and the Republicans say that. He even allows that some Republicans might think they, too, have a mandate.
President Obama said that people had voted for action but he would refuse to accept any approach that wasn’t balanced and made the middle class suffer alone. He said there shouldn’t be a long, drawn-out drama.
The Republicans won’t play along, and he will presumably portray them as churlish bad losers who won’t accept the people’s verdict. They will doubtless point out they too (or some of them) also have a fresh mandate.
Note the qualifier. You’re meant to understand that they really don’t have one. So Mardell wraps up with this:
While both Mr Obama and Mr Boehner sounded consensual they were in fact restating their mutually exclusive positions.
They are heading for confrontation, but this is only the first act – they are both stating a hard line, before the give and take of negotiations. They do have to get a move on. The drama can’t run for long before it turns into tragedy for all of us.
Except we already know whom to blame, don’t we? Mardell has already told us: Republicans who want to protect the wealthy. (I remember back when this budget agreement was passed. The US President editor was singing a slightly different tune then.)
But spot the missing upper house of Congress. This happens over and over again with both Mardell’s “reporting” and other BBC coverage: they leave out the Democrat-controlled Senate. Again and again we hear about how it’s all Republicans blocking Him. What about the Senate? And you’re expected to ignore Democrats who side with Republicans on certain issues.
While actual spending is really allocated by the House of Representatives, the Senate also has to pass an agreed version of the budget for the country to actually have one. Yet, unbeknownst to BBC audiences because you were never told, the Democrat-controlled Senate never passed one. In fact, even the Democrat-controlled Senate (it’s worth repeating) unanimously voted against the joke budget proposed by the President Himself. Oh, and let’s not forget either – no matter how much biased Beeboids like Daniel Nasaw would like you to – that the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress for His first two years in office. No budget then, either. And Mardell once actually referred to that as a Golden Age, because the President was able to ram some things through without a single Republican vote. Who’s really to blame here?
But that’s just the bias part. Now here’s where Mardell really gets muddled. The real problem with Mardell declaring the President has a mandate is that he’s presenting the whole thing as if the President is king. He does not appear to understand – or perhaps just doesn’t approve – of the way the US government is set up.
There are two issues here. First, is the way the government is split into three separate branches: the Executive (the President and Administration), the Legislative (Congress – both Houses), and the Judicial (the Supreme Court and the lower Federal system). This is what’s known as “Checks and Balances”, the idea being that no one branch has too much power. Never mind that one of the Democrat operatives the BBC had on the panel of their election night coverage didn’t understand that, and thought it meant Republicans weren’t allowed to vote for what they wanted, and the Beeboids were too ignorant to correct her. Mardell certainly doesn’t understand it, and thinks if the President wins – even by a “tight” Boris Johnson-style margin – He has a “mandate”, and the Republicans should bow to it.
The House of Representatives is what is says on the tin: a group of legislators who are there to represent their individual constituencies. They’re not State-wide representatives, like Senators are: they represent a single collection of 500,000 voters in their State. Same as the Electoral College. Representatives are not elected to do the President’s bidding: they’re there to represent their own constituency. If a Republican gets elected on whatever issues, that’s his or her mandate, not a directive to obey the President. Because different States have dramatically different population totals, some have a much greater presence in the House than others. When a State loses population, they lose representation in the House. If more people move there, they get more Reps. The total number of Reps. in the House can change with each election if the national population does. If it seems a bit unfair, it’s meant to be. Sort of.
But New York and California do not run the country, even if the popular vote makes it appear that they might. Nor should they. The House of Representatives is not a mirror of the Electoral College vote, even though their numbers are the same. The House – ideally – represents the wishes of their individual constituencies. Representatives are not meant to be a reflection of some national conscience. This is all connected to another US concept the BBC neither likes nor fully understands: States’ rights. I use the upper case “S” here and always to emphasize the point that most Founding Fathers considered their State to be their country, and wanted that independence preserved. Some of us still understand that. The individuality inherent in the House of Representatives is part and parcel of that concept.
This is also why the Senate, the upper house, exists. Each State gets two Senators, and that’s it. In this way, each State has equal representation. But that’s also why real spending is decided in the House. The Senate is much more than a rubber stamp, though, as they have their own agenda and powers. But that’s all for another time.
What I’m talking about here is the idea that – contrary to how Mardell presents it – an election victory for a President does not actually translate into carte blanche. To really be successful, a President must also bring his political party along for the ride to victory as well. Failing that, he must compromise, triangulate, as, for example, Bill Clinton did. Funny how you don’t see much comparison of The Obamessiah to Clinton these days. That would make Him look petty and partisan and incompetent, though, so the astute BBC analysts tend to refrain from doing it.
The Republicans in the House are there to do the job they were sent to do, not merely the President’s bidding. If they were voted in to avoid taxing us all into oblivion, that’s what they need to focus on. They’re also not required to bend over backwards to compromise if it means doing something they believe will damage the country. Politicians get voted out when they do too much their constituents don’t like. Just ask all the Dems and Big-Government Republicans who got kicked out in 2010 for voting for ObamaCare.
The other party must try to compromise as well. But you never hear the BBC complaining about President “I won”, or that the President is the one drawing a line in the sand with His tax rises for the wealthy. Mardell may write a sentence saying both sides must work together – and he even admits that the President only sounds like He wants to compromise, but doesn’t appear to be just yet – but only after he’s already set you up to assign blame for who won’t. And again: what about the Senate? And why has neither Mardell nor anyone else at the BBC examined why the President never got a budget passed while He had both houses under Democrat control? Could it be because that might force them to learn that Congress isn’t simply a vehicle for a President’s policies? Or perhaps because they might be forced to admit that the President’s own fiscal policies are so ludicrously extreme that even the Democrats won’t vote for it?
Mardell either doesn’t understand how the US government is meant to work, or simply doesn’t care. He pays lip service to the notion that both sides must compromise, but he’s already framed it in the context of Republicans being in the wrong. Yet he’s the man the BBC wants you to trust most on US issues. Don’t.
Six Impossible Things
By David Preiser (USA) | November 6, 2012 - 3:13 pm | November 6, 2012 BBC - sickeningly biased at all times., BBC agenda, pro Obama, PRO OBAMA AT ALL COSTS., pro Obama BBC agenda, US Elections 2012, US presidential elections, USA politics
As the US at last gets to vote on the most important election in human history (it must be, to judge from the legion of BBC staff running around over here to cover it), the BBC’s coverage of the whole scene has been making me think of the following from Through the Looking Glass:
‘I can’t believe that!’ said Alice.
‘Can’t you?’ the Queen said in a pitying tone. ‘Try again: draw a long breath, and shut your eyes.’
Alice laughed. ‘There’s no use trying,’ she said ‘one can’t believe impossible things.’
‘I daresay you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen. ‘When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’
The BBC definitely wants you to believe some impossible things when it comes to the President and the current situation in the US. You’ll most likely hear some of these at some point today during the BBC’s wall-to-wall coverage.
(NOW UPDATED TO INCLUDE LINKS, because defenders of the indefensible have decided to be intellectually dishonest today and pretend they’ve never read anything on this blog. I’ll add more later today and this evening when I have more time. Everyone is welcome to post examples in the comments.)
1. Tea Party-led Republican intransigence has blocked His every move for the last two years, but the President has saved the economy, and we’re on the road to recovery.
2. The country is more divided and polarized than it has ever been before due to Tea Party and Right-wing media rhetoric, while at the same time you’re expected to believe that the President did not begin His term in office by sitting down to the negotiating table and telling Republicans, “I won”, and that He has not said or done anything divisive, ever.
3. The Democrat super-majority in Congress – absolute control of both houses – for His first two years which let Him do whatever He liked (except pass a budget, which even the Dems in the Senate weren’t stupid enough to vote for) without bothering to get a single Republican vote, was a Golden Age of Congress getting things done.
4. The only real reason people are voting against the President is racism, or crypto-racism, even though nobody complained when George Bush had a black man and then a black woman as the second-most powerful person in his Administration, and the Tea Party movement was ready to support Herman Cain. All those people who voted for The Obamessiah in 2008 and are not voting for Him today have suddenly reverted to being racist.
5. It’s perfectly natural for Hispanics to vote for their own kind, and want more of their own kind to come to the US. Any laws which impede that are immoral, and the only reason to oppose this kind of racialist thinking is racism.
6. Romney, like George Bush, is a walking gaffe machine, and the President has made only two minor missteps in five years (including the 2008 campaign).
No, thank you. I’m off to vote as soon as I finish my breakfast.
Don’t Blame Him
By David Preiser (USA) | November 5, 2012 - 4:33 pm | November 5, 2012 2012 US election, pro Obama, PRO OBAMA AT ALL COSTS., pro Obama BBC agenda, US economy, US Elections 2012, US politics, US presidential elections
As if all the other BBC reporting isn’t enough, they got their (freelance) World Service economics correspondent to ask, in the usual manner of journalists posing a question to which they’ve already decided the answer, if the poor US economy is the President’s fault.
US economy: Who to blame for poor economic performance?
Long answer: The economy really isn’t that bad if you consider it in historical context, and no, only some people say it’s His fault for not doing enough to fix it.
The opening section is devoted to telling you how the economy really isn’t as all that bad from an historical perspective. Moreover, the US doesn’t look so bad at all compared to the current European situation, as well as Japan. In fact, the latest quarterly figures show the US has made up all lost ground, and is now doing better than before the recession! Never mind the massive debt, or the continuously rising deficit, or the fact that the latest GDP bump is mostly due to the Fed printing more money we don’t have. So before we even get to assigning blame, we’ve softened the blow considerably, and in fact might even cause some people to wonder what’s the point of assigning blame at all.
This follows on Walker’s report from the other day defending the President on unemployment, where he dutifully regurgitated the latest jobs report without mentioning that previous jobs figures keep getting revised down. So when he then tells you that Romney will be lying if he now claims that the President has presided over a net jobs loss, you don’t actually know the whole truth. Interestingly, the last two lines of that piece are actually a set-up for this one.
In any case, now that Walker has established his premise that the economy really isn’t so bad if you think about it, he sets about pretending to ask if the President is to blame.
For the “It’s not His fault, you see” side, he links to a Bloomberg opinion piece by two economic academics explaining the historical context, and declaring that the current doldrums are nothing unusual. In fact, they say, history tells us this was always going to be the case after such a bad financial crisis. It’s not His fault, you see.
For the racist side blaming the President’s policies, Walker mentions two other economic academics, but links only to a PDF file of the “Romney Plan” on the Romney campaign website. It’s written by the people he mentions, but this is obviously going to raise a red flag with readers. It’s a partisan campaign manifesto, so not to be taken as seriously as the view Walker offers from the other side. Even though he allows as how the other economics experts are sympathetic to the President, an independently researched and published book and opinion piece isn’t even remotely the same thing as an actual party platform. It’s rather disingenuous to present these as apples-to-apples.
I suppose it would be churlish to compare word counts here, like they did for the debates. This is just one more piece to support the BBC’s overall Narrative that there is no legitimate opposition to the President’s policies, and that those who express the desire to vote against Him are motivated by something else.
For a hint at Walker’s personal political views, see this old piece where he sanitizes the political views and writings of that well-known eugenics fan and Stalinist, Bernard Shaw.
Mardell Stares Into The Abyss
By David Preiser (USA) | November 4, 2012 - 10:36 pm | November 4, 2012 anti-Romney, BBC - sickeningly biased at all times., Mark Mardell, Mark Mardell - Obam shill, pro Obama, PRO OBAMA AT ALL COSTS., US Elections 2012, US politics, US presidential elections, USA politics
Mark Mardell seems to be preparing himself for a Romney win. Of course, it won’t be the President’s fault. From the BBC’s in-house magazine:
Mark Mardell… Our man in Washington
Millions more will turn out for the general election, but Mardell senses a great disillusionment in America and believes that this could be crucial to President Obama’s chances for reelection. Asked for a prediction, he replies that it will come down to turnout. ‘I think if he’s defeated he will be defeated by people who quite like him, don’t like Romney that much, but decide to stay at home [on election day].’
“Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! (John XIII:38)
What’s this disillusionment about? Why would these people who like Him decline to vote for Him? They’re not racist all of a sudden, are they?
He admits that problems with the economy perhaps stem from American policies rather than presidential decisions….
What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. (Romans IX:30-32)
It’s not His fault, you see. Congress failed Him. The people failed Him. Nothing to do with His policies. However, by blaming the faithful for failing Him, the awkward question of why all those people are voting against Him can be avoided.
Plus a nice delusional dig at Romney:
…but believes that foreign policy will certainly take a different ‘tone’ under a Romney term, with ‘implications’ for the UK.
It’s hard to imagine Romney racking up a bigger body count than the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate-in-Chief. How many new countries has the President taken war into again?
Actually, Mardell has always been firmly against the UK helping the US in Iraq and Afghanistan (he mentions them specifically), and for some reason thinks Romney will be George Bush all over again and drag you into new wars. Hasn’t the President been very clear, for example, that He won’t allow Iran to have nuclear weapons, and that there were “no options off the table”? This is a White House talking point, nothing more. Of course, it could also be a tacit admission that in a second term, the President will let Iran, China, and Russia do whatever they like. Which makes Mardell’s focus on Bush’s wars and the (economic) “It all started in America” meme all the more curious. After all, the President did tell Medvedev to sit tight on the European missile situation for now because He’ll have more flexibility then. But Mardell’s worried about what Romney will do.
Read the rest of it for laughs. His continued bewilderment by us United Statesians would be amusing if it wasn’t so sad and a little tiresome. My favorite line, though, is this:
While Mardell is cautious with his language at times, worried about how it might be interpreted, there are hints that he is a passionate man with strong beliefs.
Understatement of the year. They know it, and Mardell knows it. They just don’t care. But by all means, they expect you to continue to trust them on US issues.
Like A Warrior, He Will Stir Up His Zeal
By David Preiser (USA) | October 16, 2012 - 5:51 pm | October 16, 2012 biased reporting, Mark Mardell, Mark Mardell - Obam shill, Obamalove, pro Obama, PRO OBAMA AT ALL COSTS., pro Obama BBC agenda, US News, US politics, US presidential elections, US2012, USA politics
That line from Isaiah, 42:13, just about sums up the BBC’s breathless anticipation of tonight’s debate rematch between the President and His enemy political opponent. Jude Sheerin in Washington (another one? how many Beeboids are there in the US now? -ed) is here to reassure the faithful that the President will come out fighting.
Obama team raises expectations for debate with Romney
We get assurances from both the President’s mouthpiece as well as from Romney’s camp that the President will do better. Not a single word is given to the viewpoint that the President’s previous failure was due to a lack of substance, not just a problem with style. Tonight’s debate is supposed to focus on foreign policy, the President’s number one Achilles heel at the moment, but since it’s town-hall style with audience questions, I’m not sure how much anyone can guarantee that this will be the case.
Oh, wait, yes there is a way to guarantee how the audience will behave: let CNN pick them and put in a few Democrat operatives like they did last time. The moderator has already said that she’s looking to break some rules and take control of the agenda anyway. It fills one with such confidence…..
Sheerin’s piece is full of bits about what the President will do better tonight, and nothing about Romney. Is there another article about his side of things that I’ve missed somewhere?
The most recent poll figures the BBC has on offer shows the President up by two points, but it’s from October 7. Missing is an entire week of Romney improvement, to the point where he’s now virtually tied with or leading the President in some areas. But the BBC doesn’t want you to know that, so they leave things as they are.
Amazingly, one big, massive, ginormous issue gets tacked on at the very end of this: Hillary Clinton falls on her sword over Benghazi. This is buck-passing at it’s finest. I guess she’s just decided that her presidential aspirations are dead now. She’ll never be able to run with this on her record. Of course we’re meant to understand here that it’s not His fault, and so any accusations about it coming from Romney will be “fact-checked” under the bus along with her.
Meanwhile, the BBC’s US President editor has had to swallow hard and admit that Romney’s performance last time really did help a lot, and polls do show him in the lead. It only took Mardell two weeks to get with reality. So why does that key information have to stay relegated to a blog post and isn’t updated on the official election page?
But Mardell still can’t quite accept it.
On the surface it is just odd that a single debate would have produced such a big shift.
No, it isn’t odd at all, if one has been paying attention to reality. The BBC, on the other hand, has kept it from you. I don’t think there’s a single person here who is surprised by this at all, yet the BBC’s top man in the US just doesn’t get it.
Mardell is also stuck on the superficial, still providing excuses for his Obamessiah.
But perhaps it was simply that he wanted to appear presidential and above petty argument, but missed the mark by enough to seem disengaged and aloof.
This is idiotic. What does he mean by “petty”? Engaging with Romney is beneath Him? Such a statement actually makes the President look even worse, but to Mardell this is acceptable. “The Emperor didn’t want to soil his new clothes, so stayed back from the field. A wise move, but made him look hesitant to some.”
This next bit is interesting to me.
…but I’ve heard an intriguing explanation from Republican strategists. They argue that people who voted for Mr Obama last time in a spirit of hope are looking for permission not to do so again.
His lack of engagement, lack of answers, and lack of enthusiasm in the debate was so different from the mood he inspired in 2008, that it allows them to justify a switch without suggesting they made a mistake.
In other words, nothing He’s done in the last four years has any bearing at all on whether or not someone might be disappointed and not vote for Him this time. Unbelievable.
Amusingly, Mardell is also pre-emptively criticizing Romney about Benghazi. He says that Romney will have to be more clear, do a better job explaining what lessons we need to learn from it. Wrong. Romney needs to show that the Administration is a shambles more than how he’d do it differently next time.
They just don’t get it, can’t accept it. Everything they’ve been investing their emotions and energy in for the last five years is all coming crashing down around them, and they simply don’t know how to deal with it. Maybe the President can turn things around and His team has come up with some real substance to lay out tonight. Maybe there will be some smart audience questions that will put Romney on the back foot. I don’t know, but I have my doubts.
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
I Corinthians: 58-60
“I’m Not Very Impartial When It Comes To US Politics! x” said the BBC journalist.
By David Preiser (USA) | October 9, 2012 - 3:20 am | October 13, 2012 bbc biased to the core, BBC Lefties, IMPARTIALITY IN THEIR GENES, Obama 2012, Obama worship, Obamalove, pro Obama, PRO OBAMA AT ALL COSTS., Uncategorized, US Elections 2012, US politics, US presidential elections
(UPDATED, see below the fold) On Wednesday’s open thread, DB posted a tweet from BBC journalist, Jude Machin, expressing her hope to wake up in the middle of the night to watch her beloved Obamessiah debate His enemy for the first time. The point DB was making is best expressed visually, so I’ll reproduce it here:
I’m going to set my alarm for 2am to watch the Presidential #debate on BBC News. I am. Honestly.
— Jude Machin (@judemachin) October 3, 2012
UPDATE: As you can see above, someone has forced a little impartiality on Jude after all. Awww. I’m currently having difficulty uploading the screenshot I took at the time, but fortunately DB took one and posted it in the comments below.
(UPDATE to above UPDATE: The above update was written after Machin changed the pic to one of herself holding what appeared to be an Olympic torch, but before the entire Twitter account was killed. I was referring here to the new profile avatar.)
Jude has gone all out in her devotion, it seems. So much for not doing anything stupid, eh, Ms. Boaden? Naturally, a fellow worshiper chimed in with an “Amen, sister!”
@judemachin Love your profile pic Jude!
— Leah Gooding (@LeahGooding) October 6, 2012
…prompting a response from the erstwhile “Obamamama”:
@leahgooding I am not very impartial when it comes to US politics! x
The sister worshiper is Leah Gooding, BBC Newsround presenter.
They’re all at it, and they don’t care about showing it in public. Ms. Gooding doesn’t have the requisite “views my own” get-out-of-bias free card that most of them do, but neither does she have the BBC logo. So she’s probably beyond the reach of the BBC guidelines.
Are these tweets proof of biased reporting/presenting on their own? No. But added all up, they create a profile of the very kind of echo chamber fellow Left-leaning BBC journalist, Kate Dailey, was warning against only yesterday. It has to affect BBC reporting on some level. If they all share the same approved thoughts anyway, it will happen naturally, without conspiracy or awareness.
Time for some more social media training courses, I think. Somebody should ask Helen Boaden if this is the kind of thing she was talking about when she asked staff to engage the brain before “rushing to communicate“.
UPDATE AGAIN: Below are the screenshots. I’ve left the above embeds as is, in order to show that Machin’s Twitter account has been sent down the memory hole. That’s why there’s no more profile pic. It’s possible she killed it once I told them I had screenshots. Another round of training is in order, I should think. At your expense.
Tagged Jude Machin, Leah Gooding
Mardell Tells A Little White Lie For The White House
By David Preiser (USA) | October 3, 2012 - 5:49 pm | October 3, 2012 anti-Romney, Mark Mardell, Mark Mardell - Obam shill, Obama 2012, pro Obama, US News, US politics, US presidential elections, USA politics
I chose the word “lie” with great care, after long consideration. But I can come to no other conclusion. If one has wrong information and then makes a statement based on that faulty info, it’s not telling a lie. If one has the correct information but knowingly makes a statement contradicting that, it’s a lie. I think that’s what Mardell is doing here.
US election: Is foreign policy Romney’s best chance?
The short blog post is mainly about trying to push the idea that Romney’s campaign is in disarray, and that triangulating on a perceived foreign policy stumble regarding the Benghazi fiasco might help his chances. The BBC’s US President editor – a lifelong political junkie who should know better – actually wants you to believe that taking advantage of a new opportunity is the same thing as completely overhauling a campaign because the other ideas aren’t working.
Naturally, Mardell’s conclusion is the one you probably guessed: no, it won’t help Romney in the end anyway, because the people actually care more about the economy than anything else. Why this brilliant bit of obviousness took him 434 words to say instead of two short paragraphs, I have no idea. Since this is Mardell, though, there’s usually a gem amongst the paste. He sets up the notion that Romney’s campaign is desperately spinning wheels trying to find some traction by saying this:
Some in Mitt Romney’s camp are tempted to switch focus to foreign affairs.
As if they never had any plans to mention it, and as if events, dear boy, didn’t provide an opportunity. To back it up, he then says this:
No-one doubts now that the opinion polls show Mr Romney in a whole heap of trouble.
He didn’t say, “most” or “the conventional wisdom” or “expert analysts” or even “no-one with half a brain”. He said “no-one”. This is a lie, because by October 1 Mardell knew all about the following, but chooses to tell you they don’t exist:
Obama and Romney are basically tied in Virginia
What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls
The presidential race remains competitive even though voters still trust Mitt Romney slightly more than President Obama when it comes to handling economic matters. Will Wednesday night’s first presidential debate make a difference?
With a race this close, possibly but not likely, Scott Rasmussen argues in his latest weekly syndicated column. “Events in the real world matter more than debates,” Scott writes. “Only in the absence of other news could a slight change in the race coming out of the debates be decisive.”
(More on the debate issue in a moment)
Gallup on Romney’s terrible month
Also, this is registered voters. Likely voters probably favors Romney.
Morning Jay: Are the Polls Tilted Toward Obama?
One important “tell” in my opinion, is this president’s continued weak position with independent voters, who remain the true swing vote.
But wait, there’s more.
The Election Isn’t Over
Only fools and partisans think Obama has it locked up.
Obama and Romney Neck in Neck in OH Poll… WITH D+10 SAMPLE!
What to Make of Declining Democratic Registration?
Basically, there’s a big discussion going on right now about the polls being skewed or otherwise unrepresentative of reality. And Mardell knew it. He just decided none of this was worth a damn and that you should think “no-one” doubts that Romney is in desperate straits.
Before any itchy fingers start trying to tell me that Mardell is right that Romney is in trouble, let me remind you that it’s irrelevant. I’m talking specifically about the fact that he said “no-one doubts”, which is patently false. A lie. At best, dismissing Rasmussen and Gallup and the Wall Street Journal as well as the local stuff, and saying that none of what I’ve linked to is worthy of respect, which just means he’s as biased as we say he is. Only fools and partisans, indeed.
Do I think a lot of this noise can be put down to sour grapes? Sure. Every time I hear someone complaining about skewed polls, that’s what I’m wondering. But that’s not the point. The point is that a lot of otherwise reasonable, respectable people think things are a lot closer than they really are. Also, let’s remember that in 2008 when Candidate Obamessiah had a similar lead over Sen. McCain, the Beeboids were fretting that the polls were skewed due to lying racists and the Bradley Effect. Ah, good times….good times. Funny how we’re not so racist now. Any bets that we will be racists again if Romney wins?
Now about tonight’s debate. The new Narrative in the US mainstream media (whom Mardell has admitted are mostly liberal) is that the debates don’t mean anything. It’s a clever pre-emptive strike at the bounce Romney will most likely get. There’s also been an attempt to revive the myth surrounding that Nixon-JFK debate where supposedly people who watched it on TV thought Kennedy won, while those who listened on the radio thought Nixon did. In other words, since most everyone is going to be watching it, don’t believe your lying eyes if you think Romney won.
Mardell dutifully follows suit. A draw will be a successful result for the President. He also throws in an appeal to authority and has some academic say that the debates don’t usually change anyone’s mind, but at least leave the voters better informed. I’d like some maple syrup on that waffle, please.
At least Adam Blenford’s full-length piece on the debate issues and candidates is pretty well balanced and not obviously biased. I even think that the weaknesses listed for both men can be considered different versions of the same thing. He didn’t mention the President’s whining about having to rehearse and study for it, but never mind.
Mardell will be tweeting during the debate and then blogging his pearls of wisdom afterwards. Joy.
The BBC Continues To Be A White House Lackey
By David Preiser (USA) | August 23, 2012 - 4:44 pm | August 23, 2012 2012 US election, BBC bias, bbc bias and balance., bbc bias by omission, Mark Mardell, Mark Mardell - Obam shill, Obama 2012, obama bias, pro Obama, PRO OBAMA AT ALL COSTS., pro Obama BBC agenda, Uncategorized, US Elections 2012, US News, US politics, US presidential elections, USA politics
The BBC has been busy this week trying to carry the President’s water over various incidents. US President editor Mark Mardell has been especially active defending the President and attacking His enemies. And the youngsters at BBC News Online Recdep have been equally busy making sure some things are reported at length, while other things are censored entirely.
Before I continue, though, let me state first that this is not, contrary to what defenders of the indefensible love to claim, about me simply wanting the BBC to say only what I want to hear, or report from a Right-wing slant. This is about the failure of the BBC – specifically its top people in the US – to report not only accurately, but honestly, and give you some semblance of the whole picture. It’s also about how the biased reporting makes the BBC appear to support the President of the US, rather than being an impartial, honest broker of news.
The latest example is the foolish remark by Rep. Akin about rape and pregnancy. Naturally, since it’s been a big deal in the US mainstream media, the BBC is all over it, with no fewer than five features about it. currently at the top of the US & Canada (Who?) page:
Romney calls for Akin to drop out
Mardell: Obama’s opportunity
Missouri residents on row
Todd Akin: “I was medically wrong”
Akin’s apology ad
(There have probably been at least two more news briefs going up since I’ve been trying to put this together while the site goes up and down). Contrast this with the amount of BBC coverage of two other big recent election stories. The President’s “You didn’t build that” statement (I hesitate to call it a gaffe, because He meant it) was censored entirely by the BBC, except for a single brief mention of it in one Mardell blogpost. Yes, Mardell was defending the remark, trying to explain the context. The other big story, one which has been all over the news was even brought up in the recent surprise Presidential press conference (more on this later), was the falsehood put out by a Democrat Super-PAC that Romney was directly responsible for a woman dying of cancer. The BBC has censored that completely.
These issues harm the President, make Him look bad. So the BBC isn’t interested in covering any of it. Yet this story about one Republican candidate for Senate – not even about Romney, not even connected to his campaign, mind – is a top priority for them. Even Katty Kay got into the game by tweeting that Missouri was an important State for Romney. It continues to be the biggest target for the Democrats this week, but that ought not make it a top news priority. Or do political targets dictate newsgathering now?
Back in January, Mardell managed to defend, sort of, Romney for his quip about how he loved to fire people. Actually, he didn’t defend Romney at all. Rather, he said that it was wrong to call the statement a “gaffe”, because it was really just clumsy and wrong for Romney to say it. Actually, it’s not really a defense at all, just the pretense of one.
A couple of days ago, VP Biden told an audience of African-Americans – descendants of slaves – that Romney and Ryan wanted “to put y’all back in chains”. Mardell defended him. In fact, he starts out by seeming to call any criticism of Biden over this remark “mud-slinging”. He curiously said that the mainstream media played down why the remark caused an uproar – the slavery reference – which is a joke. Everyone knows why it was a bad thing to say, which is why the media went into overdrive to protect Biden from the backlash. What’s much worse, though, is that Mardell had the nerve to suggest that Biden said it “perhaps inadvertently”. No, that’s simply not credible. Of course Biden knew exactly what he was saying, hence the pandering “y’all” thrown into the mix. Otherwise, Mardell is suggesting that Biden is as dim and unqualified to be VP as he thinks Sarah Palin is. I don’t believe that for a moment. Mardell here is basically telling himself – and you – a little white lie.
The defense continues. Suddenly people who saw this as race-baiting and wrong are, according to Mardell, “too sensitive”. Apparently the BBC’s top man in the US is unconcerned that people like Artur Davis (the co-chair of the President’s 2008 election campaign) and Doug Wilder (Democrat former Governor of Virginia) found Biden’s remarks to be deliberate, and offensive. The BBC wouldn’t dare suggest that the Black Coalition of Georgia Republicans are too sensitive to racial issues, would they? What Mardell really means is that white Republicans are making a mountain out of a molehill. He’s thus dismissing the objections of black people out of hand. And it’s not like he has no idea these people exist.
Actually, Biden’s dopey utterings have gotten worse. He opened his remarks in Virginia by saying that the Dems can “win in North Carolina”, and last week asked at a campaign stop, “’Folks, where’s it written we cannot lead the world in the 20th Century in making automobiles?’ Imagine if Sarah Palin had said such a thing. The BBC would have been all over it: Beeboids tweeting ecstatically, two separate online articles, plus a Mardell blogpost. But when Biden does it….nada.
It’s actually worse than you think. Biden’s idiocy has gotten so bad that his staff is actively trying to censor press pool reports and keep reporters from getting too close. This is from Politico, ladies and gentlemen, a favorite read and retweet source for both Katty Kay and Mark Mardell. They know all about this, but don’t want you to know. No, it’s much more important to whip up hysteria over Rep. Akin’s terrible remark about rape and pregnancy.
Let me repeat: I don’t want the BBC to report negatively about Biden, while supporting or sweeping Akin under the rug. I want them to report both accurately and honestly, without trying to defend one or the other. Explaining the potential damage or why one or the other is controversial is fine, but that’s not what you’re getting from the BBC, is it?
Speaking of difficulties with the press, people here may remember three weeks ago when Mardell was grumbling about how Romney wasn’t so friendly with the press during his visit to Poland. Apparently there wasn’t enough access granted, and his press man lost his temper with the pool reporters. Mardell was all over that. In fact, it was so important to him that he whipped up a second negative piece about it. His friends getting censored by Biden’s staff? Radio silence. You don’t need to know about that.
Worse, the President Himself actually didn’t give a press conference at all for eight weeks. No questions taken at all. Instead, He’s been hitting the local media, morning radio DJs, and the like. He’s been doing that instead because they bow to instructions in advance about what He wants to talk about. Where’s Mardell on this? He knows about it, but doesn’t want you to know. Again, I don’t merely want Mardell to attack the President: I just want him for once to report the whole picture, both sides, and not only negatives about one side, while providing the defense for the other.
And this is where the water-carrying becomes really obvious. Remember all those times Mardell was moaning about how things have gotten so negative, so nasty, and blamed the Tea Party or Republicans for it? There was another attack from Team Obamessiah last month, this time accusing Romney of committing a felony while at Bain. They even held a conference call with reporters to push it.
The other day, the President finally did grant an audience give a press conference where He took questions from reporters. It didn’t go so well for Him because one of them had the audacity to ask Him about the negative, ugly tone of His campaign. This was about both that bogus ad and the felony charge. The President tried to dodge responsibility for it. Previously, His campaign denied knowledge of it. Then they had to admit they knew. At the presser, the President showed that He knew all about it, while trying to claim that He didn’t, and that it was no big deal. Did the BBC report that? No, of course not, because that would mean you’d know about the ugly ad itself, or the bogus felony charge, which makes Him look bad. So they’ve censored this as well, in order to maintain radio silence about the ugliness coming out of the White House.
How’s that hopey-changey stuff workin’ out for ya now, BBC? Will you ever be an honest broker of news about US issues? Or is it going to be Pro Obama At All Costs until November 6? (Not Nov. 2, like Michelle Obama just said, at which the Beeboids will not be giggling on air.) It’s not bias to report about the two attack ads. No need to judge them, just report that they exist, and that they’ve caused an outcry. But the BBC can’t even do that anymore. It’s not just Mardell, either. There are other BBC journalists tasked with proper newsgathering in the US. They’re all responsible for this failure.
Search Biased BBC
Fedup2 January 19, 2020 at 3:59 pm on Weekend Thread 18 January 2020As the BBC continues to cover the unemployed couple moving from UK to Canada - there has been little or...
Guest Who January 19, 2020 at 3:56 pm on Weekend Thread 18 January 2020The BBC constantly invite on OJ, and hired O’bsworth, who seem unaware that Mr. Fox has had actual death threats...
Emmanuel Goldstein January 19, 2020 at 3:56 pm on Weekend Thread 18 January 2020Fed up. Don’t forget the far right sausage related terrorist offences. How do they count and compare. Blowing up teenies...
Fedup2 January 19, 2020 at 3:20 pm on Weekend Thread 18 January 2020Digg Some might say that those expressing ‘far right views ‘ are just expressing views which liberals don’t like ....
Old Goat January 19, 2020 at 2:53 pm on Weekend Thread 18 January 2020Ta!
digg January 19, 2020 at 2:49 pm on Weekend Thread 18 January 2020The independent report on the failure to deal with "Far-Right Groups" and go on to say... The report found that...
Dover Sentry January 19, 2020 at 2:39 pm on Weekend Thread 18 January 2020BBC Online News: "Harry Dunn: Boris Johnson to raise 'driving habits' with US" https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-511688...
Fedup2 January 19, 2020 at 2:24 pm on Weekend Thread 18 January 2020Goat - I’ve cleared a few down - I think you are right about the server today .
StewGreen January 19, 2020 at 2:11 pm on Weekend Thread 18 January 2020'Captain Cook he bad man, on Australia Day the aborigines will be demonstrating against him' but the man who protected...
Biased-BBC Twitter
Tweets by @BiasedBBCblog
agw anti-American anti-conservative anti-Israel anti Israel. pro Palestinian Antisemitism BBC agenda BBC bias bbc bias and balance. bbc bias by omission BBC censorship BBC Question Time BBC selectivity bias Biased BBC climate change dhimmis general thread immigration Islam israel Mark Mardell obama obama bias Obamalove open thread pro-labour pro-palestinian pro EU pro Hamas pro Islam pro Labour bias pro Obama PRO OBAMA AT ALL COSTS. pro Obama BBC agenda question time question time live Richard Black save gordon. Uncategorized USA politics US economy US News US politics US presidential elections
Biased BBC | Powered by Mantra & WordPress.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346778
|
__label__wiki
| 0.65256
| 0.65256
|
The impact of varus angulation on proximal fractures of the ulna
Xuchao Shi1,
Tianlong Pan1,
Dengying Wu1,
Rong Chen1,
Zeng Lin1 &
Jun Pan1
We studied anteromedial varus angulation (VA) in the proximal third of the ulna. The importance of restoration of the anatomical orientation of the ulnar after a proximal fracture is unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of minimal proximal ulna malunion on elbow function after a proximal ulna fracture.
We reviewed the follow-up of 60 patients who had undergone open reduction with internal fixation (ORIF) of a proximal fracture of the ulna. Patients were divided into two groups, defined as either more or less than 5° of the difference between the VA of the fractured and contralateral ulna. The range of motion(ROM)of elbow flexion, extension and forearm rotation on both sides, Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were measured.
The average postoperative time was 3.1 years (1–5 years). Mean VA of the fractured arm was different from the normal side (7.8 ± 3.0 vs 12.7 ± 3.0). Compared to the unfractured arm there was a loss in mean elbow flexion (14.2 ± 4.9 vs 18.0 ± 5.9), extension ROM (7.1 ± 2.5 vs 9.3 ± 1.9, p < 0.05) and forearm rotation ROM (15.6 ± 8.6 vs 21.8 ± 9.5) that were statistically significant (p < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the MEPS and VAS score results between the two groups (p > 0.05).
The function of the elbow and forearm was restricted after VA malunion in the proximal ulna, but the quality of life of these patients had not been significantly affected. We suggest that orthopedic surgeons should assess whether the specialized structures of the proximal ulna are damaged or not before surgery. If the anatomy of the fractured bone cannot be restored through manipulation of the connected end directly, it is better to image the anatomical structure of the healthy side from using an elbow X-ray before surgery, and then reset using a pre-shaped plate to prevent malunion.
Fracture of the proximal ulnar is quite common because the elbow does not have much protection from muscle and soft tissue. If the fracture is displaced, it can be fixed using dorsal plates, tension band wiring or intramedullary screws [1,2,3,4]. For comminuted fractures, it is difficult to restore the original anatomy through splicing the fracture, so the shape of the plate largely determines the shape of the ulna after reduction. Plates for the proximal ulna are usually “anatomically pre-shaped”, but the individual anatomy of the proximal ulna can vary considerably, and so it is difficult to achieve a true anatomical reduction in every case. It is important to understand the anatomical structure of the proximal ulna and its relationship with the elbow joint after injury. Proximal ulnar morphology can influence the ROM of the elbow [5] and also fracture fixation [6, 7]. Elbow function and ROM are greater after restoration of the original anatomy of the elbow. The unique bone structures in the proximal ulna present special difficulties in the reduction of an elbow joint, fracture fixation and arthroplasty. In the existing literature, the anatomy of the adult and adolescent ulna have been defined [8,9,10,11,12,13], however, there are few reports regarding the motion of the elbow and quality of life of the patient when these particular bone structures have been disrupted or deformed.
The purpose of this retrospective study is to compare the recovery of forearm function following surgery by measuring postoperative ROM, function, pain and reoperation rates. Thus, by increasing the importance of VA to the surgeon, it may be considered more carefully following proximal ulnar fracture and so avoid malunion.
After approval by the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, we identified all patients that were over 18 years of age that had unstable proximal ulnar fractures and had undergone fracture reduction with internal fixation between 2012 and 2016. The exclusion criteria were nonoperative treatment of fractures or dislocations associated with other parts (such as ulna and radius fractures, dislocation of the capitulum radii, etc.). Eighty patients were initially enrolled, seven of whom were unable to be contacted and 13 patients who refused to participate in the follow-up for personal reasons. Therefore, the 60 remaining patients that were contacted agreed to participate in the study. The study cohort consisted of 32 males and 28 females with a mean and standard deviation age of 46.6 and 12.7 years, respectively. For volunteers who received an invitation and gave informed consent, their personal data such as age, body mass index (BMI), if ulnar fracture occurred in dominant side(OIDS), smoking and drinking history and secondary surgery were collected.
All volunteers were individually examined. Firstly, we undertook an X-ray measurement of the anteroposterior position of the bilateral elbow joint. All X-rays were stored using Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS). Two trauma orthopedic surgeons independently measured each radiograph to determine interobserver reliability. All radiographs were randomly arranged to reduce observer recall bias. All patients underwent bilateral VA measurements because studies have shown that there is no significant difference in bilateral VA in the same individual [14]. The difference in VA before and after fracture could be inferred by comparing the difference in VA between the two sides, so as to determine whether the fractured forearm exhibited deformity or not. At the same time, we measured the ROM of elbow flexion and extension and forearm rotation on both sides, to compare the effect of postoperative VA healing on forearm function. These measurements were performed by the same person so as to reduce measurement error. All volunteers were invited to complete the MEPS [15] and VAS questionnaires [16]. MEPS is widely used in the evaluation of elbow fractures. The total score is 100 points, including 45 points of pain, 20 points of exercise function, 10 points of stability and 25 points of daily activities. These assessments were collated and analyzed to determine the effect of malunion on the limb of the patient. Patients were separated into two groups according to whether they exhibited VA malreduction or not, defined as more than a 5° difference between the ulna of the fractured and contralateral side.
SPSS 22.0 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA) was used for statistical analysis. In addition to descriptive statistics, unpaired student’s t-test and Fisher’s exact test were used to compare the demographic characteristics of both groups. The loss of ROM of elbow flexion, extension and forearm rotation, and MEPS and VAS score results were compared using a student’s t test. Patients were included in a Pearson correlation analysis. P values of 0.05 or less were considered significant.
Interobserver and intraobserver reliability were quantified using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Reliability was scored based on the criteria defined by Altman (Very good: 0.81 to 1.00; Good: 0.61 to 0.80; Moderate: 0.41 to 0.60; Fair: 0.21 to 0.40; and Poor: ≤0.20).
Baseline characteristics for the patients
Baseline characteristics for the patients are shown in Table 1. A total of 60 volunteers participated in the study, of which 32 were males and 28 females, with a mean age of 46.6 ± 12.7. Of these, 46 patients had a dominant right hand and 14 were left hand dominant. Patients had undergone their first ORIF on average 3.1 years previously. All patients had been fixed with an ulna plate. Fifty one patients had undergone surgery a second time, all of whom had had the internal fixation surgically removed. No postoperative infection occurred and debridement was performed on 2 occasions.
Table 1 Demographics
The difference in bilateral VAs
The difference in bilateral VAs can be seen in Fig. 1, where the healthy proximal ulna VA of the volunteers was 12.7 ± 3.0° as measured from X-rays, while the mean contralateral VA was 7.8 ± 3.0°, a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). This indicates that the difference in preoperative and postoperative VA in volunteers was statistically significant. As we can see from Table 2, interobserver reliability was “very good” for VA.
Comparison of VA measurements on both sides of the same patient
Table 2 ICCs for Interobserver and Intraobserver Reliability
Comparison of function of elbow joint
Data in Table 3 indicates that injury resulted in loss of maximal flexion (14.2 ± 4.9° vs 18.0 ± 5.9°), maximal extension (7.1 ± 2.5° vs 9.3 ± 1.9°) and total elbow flexion and extension (21.3 ± 6.4° vs 27.3 ± 6.0°). All three measurements were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Rotational ROM in the repaired compared to uninjured forearm was 15.6 ± 8.6° vs 21.8 ± 9.5°, also a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05).
Table 3 Outcomes of the elbow joint
Correlation between deformity degree and outcomes of the elbow joint
As we can see from Table 4, there was no statistically significant difference in MEPS and pain scale. Loss of elbow flexion, extension and forearm rotation exhibited a strong positive correlation with VA.
Table 4 Correlation between deformity degree and outcomes of the elbow joint
Displaced comminuted fractures involving the proximal third of the ulna are mainly treated using a dorsal plate. When the anatomical contour of the dorsal plate is considered, individual differences in the proximal ulna must be taken into account. Its anatomy, especially the posterior margin, has clinical significance in this surgical procedure. However, the ulna is generally considered straight rather than curved, even when analyzed using three-dimensional geometry [14, 17].
The many specialized structures and curves in the proximal ulna describe VA in many studies [8, 10, 12,13,14, 18]. Grechenig et al. [10] defined VA as the "anterior medial angle of one third of the proximal ulna". They measured the anatomical structure of the ulna so as to assess the effect of the plate on fixation of the proximal ulnar fracture, in which mean VA was 17.5° (11–23°). Windisch et al. [12] measured the elbow joints of 74 cadavers, finding a mean VA of 17.7° (11–28°). Totlis et al. [14] measured 200 ulna, Puchwein et al. [18] studied 40 and Beser et al. [8] measured 50 ulna, finding a mean VA of 8.48° (2.1–15.7°), 14.3 ± 3.6° and 9.3 ± 2.2° (4.0–15.0°), respectively. There are two reasons for the large differences in the reported measurements. Firstly, different researchers chose different reference points: Beser et al. [8] and Totlis et al. chose the intermediate bone shaft (ulnar midshaft axis), while three other studies chose the posterior margin of the ulna. Secondly, variability in VA was quite large, VA of different sexes in the same study were also statistically different [14].
Because there is a great difference in VA within the population, restoration of proximal ulna fractures requires attention to individual differences, in order to correctly design the internal fixation plate. Since the lateral angle of the VA varies considerably, it may not be possible to achieve a true anatomical reduction if the fracture is adjusted to fit the shape of an "anatomically prefabricated plate". If it eventually leads to malunion, it may affect the function of the forearm. Therefore, understanding the effect of non-anatomical reduction of VA on the function of the affected limb requires further confirmation.
In our study, we could not measure the posterior border of the ulna because of the use of X-ray film instead of dissecting cadaveric bone, so the ulna midshaft axis was measured instead. The subjective basis for these measurements is large, that is, they require the examiner to subjectively create 2 straight lines in 2 different bony segments. The reliability between observers was very high in our study. The VA decreased by more than 5 degrees in 38 patients. We measured elbow flexion, stretching, total ROM and forearm rotation ROM reduction in these patients, and demonstrated that restoration of VA anatomy is critical for the recovery of ROM in the forearm. The anatomical plates were not in accordance with the specific structure of the proximal ulna, because of individual differences. Therefore, we suggest that X-rays of the two proximal ulna should be performed at the same time after ORIF of the fracture. Pre-shaped anatomical plates of the proximal ulna matching the VA on the healthy side, especially for comminuted fractures which cannot be reset by fracture block splicing, are particularly important, as preoperative preparation often determines the quality of life of the patients after surgery.
However, there was no statistical difference between the MEPS of the two groups so that while it can be seen that the ROM of the forearm was limited, it presented no obvious obstacle to everyday activities. The level of pain between the two groups was not statistically significant, as a long time had elapsed since the surgery. Most patients had had the internal fixation removed and their scar had stabilized. Loss of elbow flexion, extension and forearm rotation had a strong positive correlation with VA, meaning that as the deformity angle of the VA increased the ROM of the elbow and forearm decreased. Thus, we recommend that orthopedic surgeons consider the series of specialized anatomical structures of the proximal region of the ulna at the time of surgery to prevent malunion of the fracture, thereby affecting function of the patient’s forearm.
However, our research has some limitations. First of all, measurement of VA and answering the questionnaire is subjective, which may impact the results of the study. Secondly, the sample size of our study was not large enough to reach firm conclusions. Finally, the retrospective nature of the present study makes it impossible to evaluate the impact of soft tissue damage, rehabilitation programs or immobilization time on the final outcome of function.
Elbow and forearm function can become limited following malunion in a proximal fracture of the ulna, but quality of life of the patients was not significantly affected. In view of this result, we suggest that orthopedic surgeons assess if the specialized structures of proximal ulna have been damaged prior to surgery. If the anatomy of the fractured bone cannot be directly restored, it is better to measure the anatomical structures of the healthy side using X-rays before the operation, then reset using a pre-shaped plate to prevent malunion.
ICC:
Intraclass correlation coefficient
MEPS:
Mayo Elbow Performance Score
OIDS:
Ulnar fracture occurred in dominant side
ORIF:
Open reduction with internal fixation
PACS:
Picture archiving and communication system
Varus angulation
VAS:
Visual Analogue Scale
Chalidis BE, Sachinis NC, Samoladas EP, Dimitriou CG, Pournaras JD. Ist ension band wiring technique the "gold standard" for the treatment of olecranon fractures? A long term functional outcome study. J Orthop Surg Res. 2008 Feb 22;3:9.
Hak DJ, Golladay GJ. Olecranon fractures: treatment options. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2000 Jul-Aug;8(4):266–75.
Newman SD, Mauffrey C, Krikler S. Olecranon fractures. Injury. 2009 Jun;40(6):575–81.
Sahajpal D, Wright TW. Proximal ulna fractures. J Hand Surg Am. 2009 Feb;34(2):357–62.
Rouleau DM, Faber KJ, Athwal GS. The proximal ulna dorsal angulation: a radiographic study. J Shoulder Elb Surg. 2010 Jan;19(1):26–30.
Anderson ML, Larson AN, Merten SM, Steinmann SP. Congruent elbow plate fixation of olecranon fractures. J Orthop Trauma. 2007 Jul;21(6):386–93.
Wang AA, Mara M, Hutchinson DT. The proximal ulna: an anatomic study with relevance to olecranon osteotomy and fracture fixation. J Shoulder Elb Surg. 2003 May-Jun;12(3):293–6.
Beser CG, Demiryurek D, Ozsoy H, Ercakmak B, Hayran M, Kizilay O, Ozsoy A. Surg Radiol Anat. 2014 Dec;36(10):1023–31.
Chapleau J, Balg F, Harvey EJ, Menard J, Vauclair F, Laflamme GY, Hebert-Davies J, Rouleau DM. Impact of olecranon fracture malunion: study on the importance of PUDA (proximal ulna dorsal angulation). Injury. 2016 Nov;47(11):2520–4.
Grechenig W, Clement H, Pichler W, Tesch NP, Windisch G. The influence of lateral and anterior angulation of the proximal ulna on the treatment of a Monteggia fracture: an anatomical cadaver study. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2007 Jun;89(6):836–8.
Windisch G, Clement H, Grechenig W, Tesch NP, Pichler W. A morphometrical study of the medullary cavity of the ulna referred to intramedullary nailing. Surg Radiol Anat. 2007 Feb;29(1):47–53.
Windisch G, Clement H, Grechenig W, Tesch NP, Pichler W. The anatomy of the proximal ulna. J Shoulder Elb Surg. 2007 Sep-Oct;16(5):661–6.
Yong WJ, Tan J, Adikrishna A, Lee HJ, Jung JW, Cho DW, Jeon IH. Morphometric analysis of the proximal ulna using three-dimensional computed tomography and computer-aided design: varus, dorsal, and torsion angulation. Surg Radiol Anat. 2014 Oct;36(8):763–8.
Totlis T, Anastasopoulos N, Apostolidis S, Paraskevas G, Terzidis I, Natsis K. Proximal ulna morphometry: which are the "true" anatomical preshaped olecranon plates? Surg Radiol Anat. 2014;36(10):1015–22.
David R, Jupiter Jesse B, Jeffrey Z. Posterior dislocation of the elbow with fractures of the radial head and coronoid. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2002;84-A(4):547–51.
Solarino G, Vicenti G, Abate A, Carrozzo M, Picca G, Moretti B. Mason type II and III radial head fracture in patients older than 65: is there still a place for radial head resection? Aging Clin Exp Res. 2015 Oct;27(Suppl 1):S77–83.
Brownhill JR, Mozzon JB, Ferreira LM, Johnson JA, King GJ. Morphologic analysis of the proximal ulna with special interest in elbow implant sizing and alignment. J Shoulder Elb Surg. 2009 Jan-Feb;18(1):27–32.
Puchwein P, Schildhauer TA, Schöffmann S, Heidari N, Windisch G, Pichler W. Three-dimensional morphometry of the proximal ulna: a comparison to currently used anatomically preshaped ulna plates. J Shoulder Elb Surg. 2012;21:1018–23.
The authors would like to thank Dr. Xiaolong Shui for his help with this study. This research was performed at Department of Orthopaedics Surgery of Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, No. 109, Xue Yuan West Road, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
No funding was obtained for this study.
Department of Orthopaedics Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, NO.109, Xue Yuan West Road, Wenzhou, 325027, Zhejiang Province, China
Xuchao Shi
, Tianlong Pan
, Dengying Wu
, Rong Chen
, Zeng Lin
& Jun Pan
Search for Xuchao Shi in:
Search for Tianlong Pan in:
Search for Dengying Wu in:
Search for Rong Chen in:
Search for Zeng Lin in:
Search for Jun Pan in:
XCS, JP and RC designed the study. JP, DYW and XCS obtained the funding. RC, ZL and TLP collected the data. TLP, JP and DYW analyzed the data. JP, XCS and RC interpreted the data. TLP, DYW and RZ composed the article. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Correspondence to Jun Pan.
The study was approved by the Ethical Board Review of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University (Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China),the participant consent was written, the reference number was 2,356,543 and was performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki of 1964.
Shi, X., Pan, T., Wu, D. et al. The impact of varus angulation on proximal fractures of the ulna. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 19, 103 (2018) doi:10.1186/s12891-018-2012-z
Proximal fractures of the ulna
Malunion
Clinical diagnostics and imaging
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346780
|
__label__cc
| 0.618524
| 0.381476
|
Figure 1 Publishing Complete Catalogue Oct 2016
Distributor: Raincoast Book Distribution Limited Supplies to: CA Availability: Available Expected Ship Date: Jan 15, 2020 On Sale Date: Sep 22, 2015 Carton Quantity: 32 $21.00 CAD
Seasonal: Figure 1 Publishing Complete Catalogue Oct 2016
Figure 1 Publishing Fall 2015
Unlock the Secrets of Your Telomeres for a Longer, Healthier Life
By (author): Elaine Chin
9781927958407 Paperback, Trade English HEALTH & FITNESS / General Sep 22, 2015 Print Run: 4000
Forthcoming 5.5 x 8.5 x 0 in 288 pages Figure 1 Publishing
Unlock the secrets of your telomeres for a longer, healthier life. They?re like the plastic tips of your shoelaces that keep them from fraying. But they?re at the ends of your DNA and they keep you from disease and dying too young. The discovery of telomeres was one of the true miracle breakthroughs in contemporary medicine. Nobel-winning scientist Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn?s research has opened a world of promise when it comes to living longer and healthier. Today, we have the know-how to slow the disintegration process to beat our biological clock and prevent disease. Noted personalized medicine physician, Dr. Elaine Chin, tells you how to use these new lifelines to extend your own by partnering with healthcare professionals to create a road map for maximizing your peak health. In this first-ever handbook containing comprehensive information on diet, the potential of supplements, hormone-replacement therapy, sleep patterns and mental health, Lifelines will show you how to use our knowledge of telomere science to change your life for the better. Dr. Chin offers practical and realistic ways to optimize the length of your telomere to give you an advantage in what really counts most in life ? how long and how well you will live.
Elaine Chin, MD, MBA is a North American trailblazer of personalized medicine. Using leading edge diagnostic tools to support her goal, she has discovered the power of telomere science to support her claim that everyone can help themselves live longer, perform better ? and feel younger too. She is the founder of Executive Health Centre, a premiere executive health practice in Toronto, Canada focusing on peak performance through an integrative science based approach to maintaining optimal health. She works with senior executives and corporations to ensure peak health will lead to peak performance in the workplace. Her clinic?s work with telomeres has been highlighted in the Globe & Mail, Macleans and CTV National News. Her writing has appeared in Maclean?s and Canadian Business. She is also a consultant for TELUS Communications, in the role of Chief Wellness Officer. Dr. Chin received her medical degree from the University of Toronto, Canada and her MBA from the same university?s Rotman School of Management.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346781
|
__label__cc
| 0.62479
| 0.37521
|
USCHO.com Fan Forum | board.uscho.com > College Hockey > Men's Division I > Minnesota Golden Gophers 2009-2010 the last year of the old WCHA
View Full Version : Minnesota Golden Gophers 2009-2010 the last year of the old WCHA
Pages : 1 2 [3] 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51
Kangas 36 games 17-11-6 2.79 GAA SV % .901
Eidsness 41 games 24-12-4 2.56 GAA SV % .906
Quite marginal difference considering the defense in front of either last season, but you get on with your Halo self.
I didn't realize Eidsness had Orr and Borque in front of him while Kangas had a couple of paraplegic midgets.
If I am not mistaken Eidsness finished right behind Chevy from DU for top tender in the WCHA. I am willing to bet that Eidsness will have better numbers Kangas by the end of the year. I am game.
If Kangas puts up his Freshman numbers I am willing to bet the Gophers win the WCHA if not a top 6 finish.
Your own set is convinced the Gophers D was worthless last season and I'm pretty dang sure you're smart enough to have picked that up.
So now the Halos speak the Gospel. I see.
MinnesotaNorthStar
Your own set is convinced the Gophers D was worthless last season and I'm pretty dang sure you're smart enough to have picked that up.You saw who you quoted right? You should know how his mind works by now...:D
HarleyMC
Eidsness > Kangas
Another brilliant synopsis from Goonville.:rolleyes: So your argument is head to head on SV%, Eidsness is far superior to Kangas by .005?:eek::D And you're serious? Just to show you how ridiculous your argument is, the difference in SV% is a colossal 5 saves. Add to that the fact that Eidsness played 5 more games and it's clear to me that, even with the down season, Kangas is the better goalie.
No one expected the numbers to be down for both Kangas and Bachman last season. But that is often the case with collegiate goalies following a good year (i.e. JPL :p ). Of course, if you compare the Kangas and Eidsness freshman numbers there's very little doubt who the better goalie is. I suspect the numbers for Eidsness will also be down this season. We shall soon see, my friend.....;)
Alex Kangas Fr, 31 Gm, 12-10-9, 1.9830 GAA, SV% .930
Can you narrow that down for us a bit?;)
So the Gopher defense absolutely blows, until we start talking about the goaltenders. Got it.
Right. Makes sense don't it?
brianvf
Add to that the fact that Eidsness played 5 more games and it's clear to me that, even with the down season, Kangas is the better goalie.
At least Goon had numbers to back up his claim, you just have your opinion. ;)
So, I'll give my opinion. Who's the better goalie? After watching just one season from Eidsness and two from Kangas, I would give the slight nod to Kangas at this point. Kangas had a dominant freshman season and then I think his confidence and "swagger" really took a hit last year, and that can be a killer for a goalie, where so much is mental. Eidsness did great for us last year as a young freshman goalie, but did tend to wander at inopportune times and had issues with rebounds. I didn't expect anything more from him though, he gave us a chance to win each night and that's all I wanted of him, especially with his age. Kangas, on the other hand, had unrealistic expectations placed on his shoulders (remember last year at this time when some fans were saying that his numbers would improve from his freshman year?), and I think the pressure got to him as the season went along. I'm excited to see how both will do this year. Eidsness with another year of experience under his belt...and then seeing which Kangas shows up. If I had to guess, I would think Kangas' numbers for this year will fall somewhere in the middle of his frosh/soph seasons.
I suspect the numbers for Eidsness will also be down this season.
I would take this bet though. It's not like his numbers were outstanding last year, he just got the job done on most occasions. I would imagine his GAA stays similar to the 2.56 from last year, but the save % will go up from .906 IMO.
Considering the source that's the usual logic.
Goon's World (http://mvn.com/goonsworld/2009/09/gandalf-the-red-hammers-college-hockey-news-poll.html)
New recruits are NOT seasoned veterans. That's deep.:D
Ah, but in goons world, und's unproven freshmen will propel them to number 4, but on every other team freshmen are a complete liability.
with first round draft pick senior Finley gone, his number will nosedive.
wasmania
Someone must have put glue from your Dad's airplane in the used gopher jock you're breathing through, you just said something accurate! :confused: :eek:
Greyeagle
It's the halos!
I would take this bet though.
Minus your lucky sig?;)
ajoyce02
The wonder of this years frosh class is that all (4) of them bring something that is going to be exciting to watch.
Leddy's offense and skill carrying the puck.
Helgeson's size, grit, and toughness.
Budish's power forwardness.......boy, is that going to be fun to see for a change. A power forward that likes to play in front of the net.
Birkholz's speeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed.
There's no fluff or fold in this years recruits.
I guess I've been tuned out a bit during the off-season, I take it Nathan Condon won't be joining the program?
I think he's scheduled for the 2010-11 season.
The Gophers lose almost 50 points from their line up with Ryan Stoa (24g-22a-46pts)signing a professional contract and apparently that has no bearing what so ever on the pre-season rankings? Give me a break. - Goon's World
75.6% of scoring returns:
F Jordon Schroeder (So), 13-32-45
F Jay Barriball (Sr), 11-23-34
D Cade Fairchild (Jr), 9-24-33
F Mike Hoeffel (Jr), 12-8-20
F Ryan Flynn (Sr), 6-13-19
All of the above look to improve and with the addition of recruits like Budish and Birkholz, the loss of Stoa's numbers will not be as significant as some naysayers may think.
Correct. If they had had more defections my guess is Condon and perhaps Youso would have been on the short list to bring up to fill in. Condon's going to be in Fargo again this year AFAIK.
Under the NCAA bylaw “Time Limits for Athletically Related Activities,” sports programs cannot hold mandatory practices with coaches during the summer off season. Workouts can, however, be turned over to strength and conditioning coaches and team captains provided they are considered voluntary. Gopher hockey players have been meeting all summer and working hard in preparation for this coming season.
"For the most part everyone is there almost every day because guys want to get better and improve for next season,” men’s hockey captain Tony Lucia said. “If you're not in there getting better, then somebody's going to pass you, but so far we're very excited about the guys’ work ethic.”
“It’s all business right now", said Josh Birkholz. "We’re here at 7:30 every morning. All of us are working really hard. It’s a day-by-day thing to get stronger and improve as a team collectively, but everyone knows in the back of their mind that we have potential to win a national championship this year and every single year. It’s a matter of doing the little things right before that to get that big goal.”
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346782
|
__label__cc
| 0.667248
| 0.332752
|
Nemo Rathwald @nemorathwald@boardgames.social
GaiaVora
https://gaiavora.com
http://overworldboardgame.com
Board game designer of "Overworld" and "GaiaVora". Frontend web dev. Helps run Penguicon science fiction & open source convention, & i3Detroit hacker space.
"Don't mind me, I made some errata," he said
And websites of FAQs danced in my head.
"My recharge pack fixed all my typos with care
But check out my website before you get there."
"On, meeples! On, gameboards! On, dice, and on, secrets!
"On, cubes, tiles, and stickers! I rhyme with no ree-grets!"
Twas six hours before Charterstone, and all through the Arnolds
Not a creature could rhyme "Arnold", so poems are nulled.
Components are nestled in their tuckboxes with care
In hopes that the recharge pack soon would be there.
When inside the box there arose such a clatter
I opened the box to see what was the matter.
When what to my wondering eyes should be called
But Jamey Stegmaier, three inches tall.
Nemo Rathwald boosted
Matt Arnold @matt@penguicon.social
One year ago today, I played my #boardgame "Overworld" with Amy and Kevin, and we were photobombed by Dana.
376bb4e888928633.jpg
Who here has Table Top Simulator on Steam? Do you like it?
Sep 20, 2019, 23:14
Two years ago I finally bought Unearth, after having greatly enjoyed playing it several times. It still hits the table these days.
f713fa8c61436b67.jpg
with had to pull up stakes, but here we are, still living in The D, still creating side by side, still living together, just in a different form.
More soon. I look forward to your questions in the comments.
N E M O T. R A T H W A L D
--------- end ---------
Facebook ads are going to be the core of our business. I think it's just going to solve a short term problem of cash flow. The core of our business, in my opinion, is you, our Kickstarter backers. As important as Ian, Trish, Michael, and Katie are to me, you are important to me. Without your belief in us, there would not be a future for the organization, but you have shown me that there definitely is. We will just take a slightly different form. Just like the artists and technologists I live
ups of gameplay and facial reactions. That's what captures attention as people are scrolling by on Facebook. I'm going to try A/B testing to see which videos work best, and which keywords to target.
You probably want to know if that means we are no longer focusing on you. No, we just need to do that long enough to clear out inventory where we're paying a lot for ads, then go back to focus on Kickstarter campaigns. And then we will have a better idea of how much money to raise. So I don't think
with the house are mostly cosmetic. And frankly kind of charming, if you like The Addams Family.
Anyway, enough about my personal life. What was I saying. We're mounting the soundproofing back up to recreate the podcasting studio in The Creators Commons 2.0. Part of that is setting it up as a video studio too. So, my roommate and I are going to make lots of short videos of Magic Meeple board games, full of quick-cuts for short attention spans, using a lot of saturated color, and a lot of close-
it the Haunted Mansion because our new home was not fit for human habitation a month ago. You have no idea how big a construction project this was for me over the spring and summer (especially in the middle of changing jobs). I finished the deliverables for Incoming Transmission and I dove right in to moving all of us to this house, for months. It still has cracked plaster and exposed lath and peeling paint all over the interior, but that just gives it "artist colony cred", LOL. The problems
possible. It's called The Creators Commons. It's kind of like the nonprofit hacker space that I help to run, i3Detroit, where I laser cut my games (except nobody lives in my hacker space). We just got done moving all of us into a huge new house near Detroit's midtown, Creators Commons 2.0. It's big enough to build my giant parade puppets, my podcast, large-format printing of game boards, and M&M candies with the Linux penguin stamped on them, and all the other weird stuff we do. I lovingly call
just turn this inventory into money. I imagine that will severely cut into my royalties; well, too bad, because I love what we've got going on, and I want to put Magic Meeple on a firmer footing for the future.
I live with somebody who is pretty good at advertising on Facebook with videos that he creates himself. He wants to teach me how.
This guy is one of the residents of the house in Detroit that I live in. It's for creatives and technologists to live, and helped make my game Overworld
of our games, and use that to drive sales. I'm a full stack web developer for my day job. That has been a long-term life goal of mine. A free web-playable game is, frankly, a great marketing vehicle-- if you enjoy it and you want to play it with your friends in person, you buy the physical copy. So. Look for that to start happening. It will mean Kickstarters happen less often, because it's a lot of work.
Now to talk about marketing. We will stop holding out for distribution deals, and we will
understand what didn't work.
We are done with that. I proposed a strategy to the company, that in our future products, we will make the whole product a Kickstarter exclusive, with barely any additional inventory. On future Kickstarters, we would make enough to fulfill all pledges, and if there is more demand for a second printing of a game, just do another Kickstarter in the future for the second printing.
My proposed strategy also includes the idea that I can create free web-playable versions
previous publishers, who just wanted me to sell them the finished rules and they shut me off from the rest of the process.
Going back to the point that selling board games retail is something almost no-one is good at. Do you know what Magic Meeple is great at? Selling board games through Kickstarter. We have you. What got us into trouble, was over-producing in the hopes of selling more copies later through retail distribution. I hope it will give you confidence that we see that and we
Michael, and Katie are communicative, emotionally mature, productive, constantly learning and teaching. When I experiment with the cost-effectiveness of using the plastic injection molders at my hacker space, and other out of the box ideas, they really listen and consider it. Even though we live in far flung time zones, they have become dear friends. It's more than I hoped for or expected, when I first started looking for publishers all those years ago. And it's certainly more than I got from my
and cardboard die-cuts. I design the rulebook. I create all deliverable files. I make the website. Everything. When I first started looking for a publisher, I thought I only needed a publisher for one main thing: marketing and distribution.
But when I got involved with Magic Meeple, that all changed. I have learned that I am not an island. All of those skills are amplified and accentuated by a talented and hard-working team. I would be nowhere so far along, if it were not for them. Ian, Trish,
that nature. I created a page on our website for retailerswhich gives them all kinds of downloadable PDFs like shelf talkers and fliers, and we thought that would help a lot. I'm not sure it did.
The reason I got a publisher was in order to put my games in the hands of players. I don't need much else-- I'm a jack of all trades, with a decade of print production experience, and I even illustrate my games myself. I laser cut prototypes for fit and finish. I produce vector paths for meeples and
publisher. I hope it doesn't come to that, because I work really well with them.
The problem here is trying to sell games outside of Kickstarter. All the publishers, designers, and friendly local game stores that I know, will tell you that attempting to sell board games retail, is like expecting to roll a 100 on a 100-sided die. Nobody knows how to sell games and make it financially viable, unless you have the Asmodee marketing juggernaut, or you have a license like Star Wars, or something of
raised the costs of producing Incoming Transmission. It was a double whammy.
One of the consequences for me and Michael was the indefinite hiatus on further Kickstarters of our board game designs. The estimated plan was, by now we would have Incoming Transmission in your hands, and we would have started the Kickstarter for my next game, GaiaVora. Instead, at this point Magic Meeple would not be offended if their contract on GaiaVora was canceled, and I accepted a contract on it from another
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346783
|
__label__wiki
| 0.758522
| 0.758522
|
“The music of Agneepath had to be full of grandeur and larger than life.” Music Directors Ajay-Atul
Features, Interviews, Music, News, People, Slider | January 9, 2012 | | by Stacey Yount
They are the new kids on the block in the Hindi film music industry, but brothers Ajay and Atul Gogvale have been creating award winning soundtracks and background scores for Marathi films since 2004. Their first foray into the Hindi film industry was the Ajay Devgn starrer Singham. Audiences fell in love with their range and depth of sound in the songs ‘Maula Maula’, ‘Singham’ and ‘Saathiya’ and could not wait to hear more. Karan Johar and Karan Malhotra apparently agreed and hired them to create the sound for their version of Agneepath. Using their Marathi flavor as a basis and taking into consideration the new telling of this classic, the brothers say as soon as they heard the script of Agneepath they knew they had to create music that was full of grandeur and that it needed to be larger than life. We got the chance to chat with the composers and we talked of course of the hit ‘Chikni Chameli’, but also many other things music.
Tell us how the music of Agneepath came about.
We were busy with our Marathi films and our very good friend, Mr. Riteish Deshmukh, got to know that Karan Johar was remaking Agneepath and said to him: ‘You should listen to Ajay-Atul’s music’. Karan Johar and our director Karan Malhotra both listened to music from two of our Marathi films (Jogwa and Natarang) and the earthiness and the grandeur in the films and our music, I think that is what made them call us and offer us this film.
What sort of brief did Karan Johar and Karan Malhotra give in terms of the kind of music they wanted for the film?
That exact grandeur and an exact larger-than-life sound, even in the songs, even in background scores. This Agneepath is totally earthy. If you’ve watched the original Agneepath that is totally different – the hero and the villain are very glamorous, but here the villain and hero are very much earthy. The story is very heavy. When we heard the whole script and the whole storyboard we knew what we wanted and what we had to do. Immediately we got the whole picture and the whole idea about what sound and what kind of grandeur we have to create. It was very simple sort of actually, yet challenging too. We love the original Agneepath and have seen that film so many times, we know who these characters are; what their mannerisms are. When we work we follow the character’s mannerism, what is their storyline, what is their thinking process to make our music.
It must be amazing to see your music come to life on screen.
Yes, yes. Even now we are doing the background score for the film and it is looking awesome on screen. I am basically overwhelmed because the people are appreciating all the songs. The first song we composed was ‘Deva Shree Ganesha’. ‘Chikni Chameli’, the item song in Agneepath is so huge and popular. People are appreciating the other 5 songs also and it’s looking awesome on screen.
Let’s talk ‘Chikni Chameli’: the song is actually your hit song ‘Kombdi Palali’ from the Marathi film Jatra translated for this film. How did that all come about?
This thought totally came from our producer Karan Johar and Karan Malhotra. We were composing another song for Agneepath, but the pace and tempo of this song is so high and the point at which this song comes in the movie is after interval and the story needs that fast pace. This song perfectly matches with the screenplay and storyboard at that point. So they came up with the idea that we’ll use one of your already super duper hit songs. We were very happy that our original song was going on an international platform. It’s a next step for our Marathi film industry.
When you first saw Katrina in the song, what were your first thoughts?
We were like ohhhfff…(Laughs) The energy that she has given for this song. I know the back-story of this song: she was rehearsing for eight days and the shooting went on for nine days and she was dancing continually. If you listen to that song, any artist and even if I was dancing to it, would get tired in just two minutes, but it’s a 5-6 minute song. She has taken it to another level. She’s awesome. She’s fabulous.
The reaction from fans has been amazing…
We are really happy. The reaction from our Bollywood celebrities has also been really good. They like the songs too. And I think it’s really good and we are really happy with whatever ‘Chikni Chameli’ is creating.
One of my favorites is ‘O Saiyyan’…
Well, that song was very tricky actually. Tricky in the sense that song is a romantic song and it’s from a heroine’s point of view, but the singer is a male here. And it’s the style of our Sufi music where a male singer sings or can sing from female point of view. The main thing we wanted someone with a true Sufi voice. So we got our very good friend Roop Kumar Rathod. We were already searching for a chance to use his voice and this song was perfect. He has come up with very beautiful vocals.
How do you decide which singer is best for which song?
Well it’s all our imagination. When we compose a song, at that time, the tune itself asks us, ‘I need this voice’. So it’s not like it’s the producer call or it’s not like we want to promote anyone. Not at all. The second we compose the song immediately we hear that song in that singer’s voice.
What is your process of composing songs?
We both sit and compose our songs and then we call our director to listen. I’m happy that till date no tune has ever been rejected. Whatever we came up with first it was approved and everyone liked it.
What do you think of Hindi film music today?
It’s doing good, but one thing I miss and I think everyone is missing, because I’m getting the feedback from overseas and some of our fans are also talking about it, is that in the 90s and before that Hindi film music has got its own sound. You know the cinematic sound, even in background score, even in a song, you know, the grandeur was there. I’m really missing the live instrumental and the typical Indian percussions – tabla, dholak, duff, dhol. Those percussions are missing. I am missing the orchestral part. I’m missing the choir section. I’m missing the strings arrangement. I’m missing brass. Because everything now is created on keyboard, software and plug-ins and everyone is using that. I think that has to be changed. It is not like there are no artists who can create or compose these kinds of sounds. But we are missing the 90s sound, we are missing that grandeur. Like in the master John Williams’ work, the way his background scores sound and even in Bollywood Laxmikant-Pyarelal, R.D. Burman they created the background score. I think we are missing that.
What do you think you guys bring to the music of films?
It is not like we want to bring or we want to do any special thing. The thing is, and I don’t know if it is a drawback or a plus-point, is that whenever we imagine any song or any background score it always comes as larger-than-life. We can never imagine or we can’t compose anything with just few instruments. Yes, we have done it in some of our films using less instruments, but melody has to be there in any case. People have been talking about that melody is missing; melody is missing and being a music director I think that should not happen. The basic need of any song or any tune is melody. We should not talk about that melody is missing, because if melody is strong you don’t need any kind of other things. Any tune, any superb tune or any melody can sound awesome even on just a piano. So melody is something we should not forget about.
We cannot wait to hear what these talented composers will bring us next but for now we will eagerly await to see their deep layered compositions on screen when Agneepath hits theaters. Starring Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Sanjay Dutt and Rishi Kapoor, this new take on the classic opens worldwide on January 26th.
Stacey Yount
View all posts by Stacey Yount →
“Jai Mummy Di Is A Far Smarter Romcom Than It Seems” – A Subhash K Jha Review
“Chhapaak Is A Sensitive Stunning Masterpiece” – A Subhash K Jha Review
“Saif, Sharad Kelkar Steal The Show In Tanhaji 3D” – A Subhash K Jha Review
Pagalpanti Music Review
Dabangg 3 Music Review
Bala Music Review
Copyright © 2004-2020 BollySpice.com - All Rights Reserved
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346785
|
__label__wiki
| 0.707695
| 0.707695
|
Review: Acre, Farm-to-Table in San Jose del Cabo
Fat drips from a fifty-pound hog, splashing onto the fire. Sparks flicker into the hot Mexican air. The pig has been roasting over the mesquite embers since sunrise. The temperature outside is already sweltering, made even hotter by the blistering rotisserie, which is cranked by hand, inch-by-inch, throughout the day.
By 5 p.m., as the high-tide breeze begins to roll in gently from the ocean, the hog’s skin is dark and crispy and fragrant. The band, Aristo Cats, is several songs into their first set on a patio stage beneath the shade of the palm trees. Margaritas are flowing. Sangria, too.
It’s Sunday afternoon at Acre in San José del Cabo, where the end of the weekend — or start of the week; however you want to look at it — always culminates with a pig roast.
Acre is a fantastic new restaurant that opened in January just outside the city limits on a 25-acre farm.
This isn’t the first farm-to-table restaurant in Los Cabos to open on an actual farm surrounded by crops destined for the kitchen, but it is easily the sexiest. Guests arrive via dirt road through a winding valley gorge to the farm’s parking lot at the edge of a lush palm grove. From there, follow the modular cement path through trees. The restaurant will shortly come into view, the entrance of which is flanked by a giant cactus that must be at least 75 years old.
The dining room is outdoors on the shaded patio, which overlooks the gardens, which will soon include a swimming pool for its guests.
Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Aristo Cats perform at Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Hibiscus cured amberjack and beet blini at Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Gazpacho at Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Wahoo crudo with fried chicken skin and kaffir lime ice at Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Beef heart at Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Fried chicken at Acre Baja, Los Cabos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Acre aims to be as farm-to-table as possible, but a closer look at the surrounding fields suggests that agriculture isn’t the staff’s strong suit. “It was a short growing season for us this year,” one of the chefs tells me. We’re still getting the hang of it.”
Fortunately, there are other farmers nearby who are more experienced. A farmer down the road raises the hogs. The restaurant gets its chickens from another neighbor just over the hill. Those chickens are harvested at exactly 32 days, which makes for some very small birds, but I promise you this is also some of the most extraordinary fried chicken you will ever eat.
The chickens are part of the weekly family-style Sunday night menu, along with that fire-roasted pig. The rest of the week brings an à la carte menu of beef-heart tartare, charred local octopus, and locally-caught wahoo that is turned into truly extraordinary aguachile.
The young chefs in charge are Kevin Luzande and Oscar Torres, both of whom came of age in the kitchens of some of the finest chefs in Los Angeles, including Joachim Splichal, John Rivera Sedlar, Tony Esnault, Christophe Eme and Octavio Becerra.
Their work is cut out for them. Most people who vacation in Los Cabos never leave their hotels. The nicer the resort, the truer this is. That’s the whole point of a beach resort like this.
But this place aims to change that. This one of the few restaurants in Cabo that is genuinely good enough to lure people away from the gourmet comforts of the likes of Las Ventanas, Mar Adentro or Esperanza. Not just once, but again and again. They have captured an incredible sense of place that is uniquely Mexico and distinctly Cabo.
Hire a reputable private taxi. They’ll know how to get there and, for an extra few dollars, will most likely offer to sit and wait in the parking lot as long as it takes until you are ready to go back to your hotel.
More from Los Cabos
Photo of the Week: San Jose del Cabo
Sunrise of the Week: Grand Velas Los Cabos
72 Hours at Grand Velas Los Cabos, 29 photos
Photo of the Week: Langostine at Grand Velas Los Cabos
Quick Look: Mar Adentro (now Viceroy), San Jose del Cabo, Mexico
Travel: Adventure
Photo of the Week: San Jose del Cabo, Mexico
Challenge the Chef: Tortilla Soup at Las Ventanas al Paraiso, Los Cabos (recipe included)
Trout Fishing (and Yearning for Peace) in Kashmir
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346788
|
__label__wiki
| 0.673796
| 0.673796
|
pcgaming
GlobalOffensive
leagueoflegends
PUBATTLEGROUNDS
Category GameSpot – Game News
GameSpot - Game News
You Can Play A Lot Of Games That Aren’t Basketball In The Basketball Game NBA 2K20
NBA 2K20, which is a basketball game, will allow you to play many games that are not basketball. 2K Sports today released a new trailer for NBA 2K20 that highlights what’s new in The Neighborhood, the franchise’s social space where…
marlowarlus
Monster Hunter World Iceborne: Pre-Order Bonuses, Master Edition, And More
Capcom is about to kick off the Iceborne expansion beta for Monster Hunter World, and if you’re looking to pre-order the game before its launch, then we’ve gathered all of the information you need to know before making your decision.…
Control Luck & Probability Puzzle Guide: How To Solve One Of The Game’s Trickiest Puzzles
Control has a few perplexing puzzles, but one of its trickiest has to be the one found in the Luck & Probability Department. Heck, you might not even know it exists seeing as it doesn’t make itself abundantly clear upon…
Why 2019 Is The Year Of Cyborg
Once envisioned as a vital part of the DC Extended Universe, Cyborg was introduced on the big screen during a brief cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice before actor Ray Fisher reprised the role in Zack Snyder’s Justice…
Xbox Live Is Down Right Now
If you’re having trouble logging into Xbox Live, you’re not alone. Microsoft’s online service is currently experiencing issues, which means you may not be able to sign in and access certain games and apps on Xbox One. The Xbox Live…
Control’s Luck And Probability Room Guide
Control is an action game first and foremost, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have any tricky puzzles. Here’s how to solve one of the game’s most challenging riddles. Original content
Top 3 Dark Rey Theories | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
The new trailer for Star Wars Episode 9 surprised fans with a dark side version of Rey, but has she really fallen to the dark side? Here are our top three theories on what could be going on in this…
Joker Trailer Breakdown: A Movie That Doesn’t Need Batman
The final trailer for Warner Bros. Joker movie has arrived, and director Todd Phillips has a very different vision for the clown prince of crime. This is an origin story of DC’s most infamous villain, but one that isn’t tethered…
Shovel Knight Dig Announced, Has Strong SteamWorld Dig Vibes
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, the series of free updates for the original Shovel Knight game, is almost completed. But Yacht Club has now announced the character’s next game: Shovel Knight Dig, a vertical scrolling action game being made in partnership…
The TSA Has Banned Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Coke Bottles
Those who visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge should not plan on taking home one particular collectible, at least if their trip home involves a flight in the United States. Galaxy’s Edge recently opened in both Anaheim’s Disneyland and Orlando’s Disney…
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346798
|
__label__wiki
| 0.810353
| 0.810353
|
History of the Union of the Kingdoms of Great-Britain and Ireland: With an Introductory Survey of Hibernian Affairs, Traced from the Times of Celtic Colonisation
Charles Coote
author, 1802 - Ireland - 522 pages
The former, insusceptive of refinement, fondly adhered to ancient customs,
however absurd; while the minds of the latter were more pervious to improvement
, and more ready to comply with reasonable changes, though they were less
civilised ...
... respects, though the deliberations of occasional councils or parliaments aided
the efforts of the successive governors of the colony. In the reign of Edward II., the
calamities of foreign invasion were added to the former miseries of the country.
The submissions of the chiefs, at this time, were almost universal; and they
agreed to the nomination of commissioners, who should decide their suits at law
instead of their former judges, but not in general according to the English code.
Their clergy were enraged at the restrictions upon the catholic worship, and at
their exclusion from the ecclesiastical preferments; and the former animosity
entertained by the nation in general against the colonists, was heightened by
religious ...
... kingdom ought to follow that of the former, and that it was their consequent duty
to wait the determination of those branches of the British legislature which were
constitutionally authorised to supply the deficiency in the executive government.
History of the union of the kingdoms of Great-Britain and Ireland: with an ...
Charles Coote, Sir
acknowleged adjustment adopted advantages affirmed anti-unionists appeared argument assertion benefit Britain British parliament catholics claim commercial competency connexion consideration considered constitution constitution of Ireland coun crown danger declared deemed discussion duty earl earl Fitzwilliam effect enemies England English established evils executive government existence expedient expences export faction favor former gentlemen Great-Britain and Ireland Hibernian honorable house of commons imperial parliament important incorporation independence influence interests Irish parliament jealousy king legislative union legislature liament liberty lord lord Castlereagh majesty manufacture measure ment minister ministry nation necessary nexion object opinion opposed parlia parliament of Ireland parliamentary peace peerage peers Pitt political present principle promote proportion proposed proposition prosperity protestant question realm rebellion reform remedy representatives resolutions respect scheme Scotland separate settlement sir Laurence Parsons speaker speech spirit tain taxes tended thought tion trade united kingdom voted wish
Page 124 - That in order to promote and secure the essential interests of Great Britain and Ireland, and to consolidate the strength, power, and resources, of the British empire, it will be advisable to concur in such measures as may best tend to unite the two kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland...
Page 521 - That for the like purpose it would be fit to propose, that all laws in force at the time of the union, and that all the courts of civil or ecclesiastical jurisdiction within the respective kingdoms, shall remain as now by law established within the same, subject only to such alterations or regulations, from time to time, as circumstances may appear to the parliament of the United Kingdom to require.
Page 516 - Britain may hereafter enjoy the same except the Right and Privilege of sitting in the House of Lords and the Privileges depending thereon and particularly the Right of sitting upon the Trials of Peers.
Page 512 - One, for ever after be united into One Kingdom, by the name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and that the Royal Style and Titles appertaining to the Imperial Crown of the said United Kingdom and its Dependencies...
Page 518 - ... may be composed, or of any abatement of duty on the same, and that when any such new or additional countervailing duty shall be so imposed on the import of any article into either country from the other, a...
Page 515 - Parliament by law, and, until so defined, shall be those of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and of its members and committees, at the commencement of this Constitution.
Page 514 - commoners (two for each county of Ireland, two for the city of Dublin, two for the city of Cork, one for the University of Trinity College, and one for each of the thirty-one most considerable cities, towns, and boroughs), be the number to sit and vote on the part of Ireland in the House of Commons of the parliament of the united kingdom...
Page 330 - Parliamentary constitution, and in a great measure by that Parliamentary constitution, have nearly doubled. Commercially it has worked well. Your concord with England since the Emancipation, as far as it relates to Parliament, on the subject of war, has been not only approved, but has been productive.
Page 327 - ... judicature, where he is to increase your taxes, where he is to get an Irish tribute, there he is a plain, direct, matter-of-fact man; but where he is to pay you for all this, there he is poetic and prophetic; no longer a financier, but an inspired accountant.
Page 125 - ... the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and that such a number of lords spiritual and temporal, and such a number of members of the house of commons as shall be hereafter agreed upon by acts of the respective parliaments as aforesaid, shall sit and vote in. the said parliament on the part of Ireland, and shall be summoned, chosen, and returned, in such manner as shall be fixed by an act of the parliament of Ireland previous to the...
Title History of the Union of the Kingdoms of Great-Britain and Ireland: With an Introductory Survey of Hibernian Affairs, Traced from the Times of Celtic Colonisation
Author Charles Coote
Publisher author, 1802
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346800
|
__label__wiki
| 0.632323
| 0.632323
|
Review: Songs For The New Depression (January 6, 1977)
BetteBack Music Reviews
Santa Ana Orange County Register
Review: Songs For The New Depression
By JIMM INOOLO
Bette Midler Is a miracle worker of sorts, the kind of singer who can evoke a mood given a few notes. What surprises most about her style is the breathy passion with which she wraps each phrase without distorting the continuity of the melody.
Her latest album “Songs for t h e N ew Depression” (Atlantic SD-18155) is an interim into the world of disappointment and disillusion, particularly evident in “Mr. Rockefeller,” “Buckets of Rain” and “Tragedy.” The greatest amount of pathos is derived not from the lyrics but the texture and emotional disclosure of her voice.
This record features a constellation of talent like Bob Dylan, Rick Derringer and Todd Rundgren‘s Utopia. A smooth back-up choir, a relaxing string section and meticulous arranging by John Lissauer provide ‘strong support for this emotionally articulate chanteuse.
This Day In History: Songs For The New Depression by…
Audio: The Bette Midler & Bob Dylan 27 Minute…
Who Sampled Bette Midler?
On This Day In History: The Fabulous Bette Midler…
Tags: Bette Midler, BetteMidler, Bob Dylan, Buckets Of Rain, Rick Derringer, Rockefeller, Songs for the New Depression, Todd Rundgren, Tragedy
Photo: Bette In Beverly Hills ~ January 4, 2013
Audio: “Strangers In The Night” By Bette Midler
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346803
|
__label__cc
| 0.613096
| 0.386904
|
GREAT FISHING, GREAT FAMILY in England’s Midlands
Here’s FoldCat fisherman, Wayne Grewcock, with one big British pike!
One Big Pike
“This fish is a pike I caught with my FoldCat on the River Trent this summer. It weighed 13 lbs which is big for where we caught it. British pike can grow up to 40 lbs but it is very rare. My son has caught one at 25 lbs.
It was a bright and sunny evening with no wind which is not very good for catching pike. But on this occasion this fish took my lure right next to the FoldCat and made me jump when it hit because I wasn’t expecting it. This fish pulled me and my son almost 20 yards upstream before we could land it.”
Wayne Grewcock is a licensed skipper, a dedicated fisherman, and a Sea Eagle FoldCat owner who lives in Ashby de la Zouch (prounounced “Zoosh”) in Liecestershire, England.
“I’ve boated for 20 years, mostly sea fishing,” says Wayne. “I have a skipper’s license but now I boat for pleasure.” And pleasure means three things for Wayne: fishing; fishing with his three sons, Wayne Jr., Keeran, and Michael; and taking his beautiful granddaughters, Elizabeth and Olivia, out for boat rides.
Wayne’s youngest son, Michael, takes a spin in Dad’s FoldCat. His loyal but furry companion is named Jack. Wayne says, “Jack will sit on that seat all day long. I’ll go out in the FoldCat if Jack will let me have a seat.”
“The only boating I do these days is with my Sea Eagle FoldCat,” Wayne told us. “I fish mainly in rivers and canals in England’s Midlands.” You’ll frequently find Wayne on the River Trent, one of England’s major waterways. “The Trent is very fast and challenging,” says Wayne. It’s also unusual in that it flows north in the latter part of its course. Closer to home, Wayne boats and fishes nearby canals and the River Soar that’s “a lot slower but very deep – up to 16 feet deep,” says Wayne.
Big fish in England’s rivers & canals
Legend has it that King Richard III of England was “buried at sea” in the Soar. But Wayne’s not searching for the old king. “I’ve caught many fish including perch, chub, pike, and zander up to about 20 lbs,” Wayne tells us. Zander is a popular game fish in Europe, occasionally tipping the scales at over 40 lbs.
“Fishing is a way of life for me and my three sons.”
“I have 3 sons,” says Wayne, “all fishermen, so this little boat is out on the water five days a week for seven months of the year. Fishing is a way of life for me and my three sons. It’s a lovely way to spend personal time with each son. The challenge and sport of fishing – the desire to catch a bigger fish than last time — is addictive. I find boating and fishing so peaceful. I feel I’m part of the nature and wildlife around me, not an intruder.”
“The young man is Michael again with my grandchildren Elizabeth 8 and her sister Olivia 6, We were taking them for some pop and crisps at the pub down the canal for a treat.
We asked Wayne to tell us more about his experiences with the FoldCat. “My Sea Eagle FoldCat 375 has done many miles over the four years I’ve owned it. I use it mainly for fishing and occasionally take my grandchildren for a ride. I take it out whenever I can if my son’s dog, Jack, lets me have my seat. The FoldCat is a fantastic boat — so quick, simple, and reliable. And most of all it’s very robust.
I chose Sea Eagle because the price. I did some research on the internet and found some good reviews. The material you use for the tubes persuaded me to buy. And I chose the FoldCat because it’s easy to carry around and to transport, and for the quickness for getting in and out the water — inflating and deflating. The swivel seats are comfortable and make it easy to turn around. And it’s stable in the water.
Fishing in canals – no waiting at locks
A lot of fishing in Britain is on canals where there are locks to go through. One of my sons can carry the FoldCat around so we don’t have to wait to go through the locks. The electric motor makes this boat so quiet, it helps you sneak up on fish which is a big bonus. The only thing my little boat lacks is an attachment for the seat for a cup holder and a small compartment for car keys and mobile phones etc.
The only FoldCat in England?
I have never seen another FoldCat in England but the interest we get when we’re on the water is unbelievable. People are fascinated. We get stopped so many times asking where it’s from and how much it costs. I would highly recommend it to my friends, relatives, and anybody else.”
— Do YOU have a Sea Eagle story & photos to share? E-mail us today — our blog readers want to know what you’re up to!
One thought on “GREAT FISHING, GREAT FAMILY in England’s Midlands”
Rex Nofziger says:
I am 100% Disabled Vet. from the Army. I have seizures and I will be using my boat when I get my new service dog. He will be trained to pull me out of the water or tow the boat to safety. So I can’t wait to try it out. I got my 440 about Dec. 2010 I am going crazy waiting.
I hope you will having a lot of fun with your 375
Previous Previous post: “WE LEFT THE CORPORATE WORLD and LIVE ON A BOAT FULL TIME”
Next Next post: BOATING SAFETY FIRST — safe boating for great fishing
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346811
|
__label__cc
| 0.717691
| 0.282309
|
January 6, 2010 · Fr. Stephen Freeman
Today marks one of the greatest feasts of the Orthodox year (New Calendar), the Feast of Theophany, Christ’s Baptism in the Jordan river. Across the world Orthodox Christians will gather after the Liturgy to bless the waters: the ocean, a river, a spring, etc.
Every feast day in Orthodoxy is connected to the Feast of Pascha, because Pascha is God’s great act of salvation. However, some feasts show this connection more clearly than others. Three feasts in the year share the same pattern of services: Pascha, Nativity, and Theophany. Each has a Vesperal Liturgy on its Eve and a Vigil the night before (with occasional variances).
The icons of the three feasts are strikingly similar, with Christ descending into a background that is usually rendered with darkness. At Pascha the darkness is the darkness of death and Hell where Christ has gone to raise the dead. At Nativity the darkness is the cave in which he is born. This darkness is the darkness of the world that is caught in sin and death – but it is the same darkness as Hell. At Theophany the icon depicts Christ standing on the waters of the Jordan – but the waters themselves are depicted as dark, or at least highlighted with a dark background. The darkness at this feast is precisely the same darkness as that pictured in the icon of Pascha. For Theophany is the feast of Christ’s baptism – and baptism, St. Paul tells us is a baptism into the death of Christ. His Baptism is a prefigurement of His death.
Thus the waters of the Jordan are revealed as Hades. Christ’s descent into the waters becomes his descent into Hades where he “leads captivity captive” (Ephesians 4:8) and sets free those who have been held in bondage to death. The vigil of Theophany, like the vigil of Pascha, includes the reading of the book of the prophet Jonah – the reluctant messenger of God who was thrown overboard by his companions and swallowed by a great fish. This book is read because it contains the same image as the icons – the descent into the depths of Hades.
Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.
At the Vespers of Theophany we hear this phrase:
Thou hast bowed Thine head before the Forerunner and hast crushed the heads of the dragons. Thou hast descended into the waters and hast given light to all things, that they may glorify Thee, O Savior, the Enlightenment of our souls.
The phrase, “crushed the heads of the dragons,” comes from Psalm 74:
Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. Thou didst divide the sea by thy might; thou didst break the heads of the dragons on the waters. Thou didst crush the heads of Leviathan, thou didst give him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
In this Psalm, God is recalled both as Creator, but also as the one who has brought order into the chaos of the world. He not only creates the waters, but crushes the heads of the dragons that dwell there. The “dragons” in the Psalm are an old English translation of the Hebrew word for whales. But the word “dragon” is an apt description of the demonic forces that are defeated in Christ’s death and its prefigurement in Baptism.
In the prayer over the waters, the priest says:
Thou didst sanctify the streams of Jordan, sending down from heaven Thy Holy Spirit, and didst crush the heads of the dragons that lurked therein.
This same prayer is prayed over the waters blessed on the day of Theophany. The service for the blessing of the waters usually takes place by a local body of water.. At the very heart of the blessing a hand cross is thrown out into the water three times and retrieved with the singing of the festal troparion:
When Thou O Christ wast baptized in the Jordan,
the worship ofthe Trinity was made manifest.
For the voice of the Father bear witness to Thee,
and called Thee His beloved Son.
And the Spirit in the form of a dove,
confirmed the truthfulness of His word.
O Christ, our God who hast revealed Thyself,
and hast enlightened the world glory to Thee!
The same troparion is sung throughout the homes of the faithful during the season after Theophany as the priest carries the same blessing into our homes. Theophany is a proclamation to nature itself of Christ’s salvation. Our lives have plenty of “dragons,” in all shapes and sizes. But Christ is victorious over everything that would destroy his creation – particularly the people who are His own.
About Fr. Stephen Freeman
Fr. Stephen is a priest of the Orthodox Church in America, serving as Rector of St. Anne Orthodox Church in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He is also author of Everywhere Present and the Glory to God podcast series.
Orthodox ChristianityOrthodox ChristianityTheophany
Crushing the Dragons of Theophany
Crushing Dragons in the Waters Across the World
What's Beneath the Water? Crushed Dragons.
Do Not Resent, Do Not React, Keep Inner Stillness
Let No Anger Arise
fatherstephen says:
Photo: The service of the blessing of the waters includes placing a cross in the waters – often times “tossing” a cross into the water. In many lands, the faithful retrieve the cross by diving in after it. It is considered a great blessing. In this photo it would appear to be a near miracle that anyone could find a cross in such murky depths and doubtless a great deal of faith to hurl oneself into such waters. Sometimes, there’s more than dragons to be found there…
Anam Cara says:
At least the water there doesn’t support one’s body weight. The green leaves at the edges of the photo invite the thought that it isn’t as cold there as it is here in Washington, DC
Collator says:
Father Stephen,
Thanks for these thoughts. I was pondering what the mythological implications of “water” might be, as studied by anthropologists, in reflecting on the spiritual meaning of the Feast. Your entry for today touched a bit on that.
One question: I don’t see any reading from the prophecy of Jonah in the lectionary for Theophany from the Orthodox Study Bible, or in the Greek menaion. Is this an OCA custom?
Collator,
I’d have to go back and look at my service notes. I do not think that Jonah is read at the Theophany (it is, however, at Pascha). Though Jonah would certainly make sense as a reading.
handmaid leah says:
In Colorado we all – parishes from up north of the state to the far west of the state – you get my meaning -EVERYBODY gathers atop the Continental divide and we bless the waters there – on a snow altar, with ice crosses made from the water blessed. This is done on top of Monarch Pass – quite fitting and is cold, beautiful and glorious. I can’t wait!
gailbhyatt says:
For those reading this who are not Orthodox – Pascha, Passover, is the Feast of the Resurrection, the same as Easter.
yeamlak fitur says:
Thank you Father for this. I sometimes confuse Theophany with Epiphany. I don’t know why.
Theophany is a great celebration I remember growing up. All churches will be out (priests, deacons, faithful) and stay out in temporary tents built by a water body or a small spring. This is maybe 4 or 5 churches together. Others might just have one church. Then in the morning, there will be the services done and the water Blessed. Great Celebration.
Steven C says:
“The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare” (Ps. 18:4) is apt description of Theophany — and it is an epiphany. A Blessed Feast to all!
As one who is in transition between the Anglican/Episcopal and Orthodox Church and at this point in time living on a tropical island in the Caribbean which celebrates Three Kings day, when kids go around ‘demanding’ their ‘reyes,’ and having celebrated La Epifania yesterday in church, can some one please clue me in on what has happened to this tradition in Orthodoxy.
In the West, the feast of the Epiphany (January 6th) is seen as Twelfth Night and commemorates the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. The visit of the Magi, in Orthodox Tradition, is contained within the celebration of the feast of Christ’s Nativity itself and does not have a separate celebration. Instead, Epiphany (or more commonly called “Theophany” in Orthodox languages) marks Christ’s Baptism by John in the Jordan. In honor of that feast it is common to bless the waters, either ocean, river, spring, or whatever. It has a very different meaning within Orthodoxy that is not truly echoed or the West (though the Sunday after the 6th is today commemorated as Christ’s Baptism on the Catholic and Anglican calendars – I believe). But it is not a feast that is well-integrated in the liturgical life of the Church (it’s really a modern insertion in an effort to echo Orthodox practice and be more friendly towards the East).
There is a tradition of the “King’s coin” in Orthodoxy, associated with January 1. This coin is baked in a dish (usually a cake in Greek known as Vasilopita) and the person finding it is considered blessed or “lucky.” But the “King’s coin” is actually a mistaken way of translating the meaning of the feast. January 1 is the feast of St. Basil the Great. It is not actually the “king’s coin” but St. Basil’s coin. In Greek, the name Basileus, means “king.” Hence the confusion. The king’s coin appears in some Western Christmas customs as well, having come from the East (at least as I understand it).
As I read through your article I was reminded of the reflections of a priest I knew who was born in Estonia and grew up in China. On the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, people would go out to the local river, chop a hole in the ice and jump in. Nobody ever got sick. He would always end by saying, Look how we have watered down baptism!
This would have been close to 100 years ago.
Christ is Baptized!
I’m still filled with joy from yesterday’s Feast Day. Theophany is so wonderful, wonder filled! I’m glad to have your teaching to add to my memories of those I heard yesterday.
-A Byzantine Catholic
Mrs. Mutton says:
In Greek, Basileus is pronounced “Vasilios,” accent on the second syllable. “B” is almost always rendered as a “V” in pronunciation. One of those seemingly minor points that Greeks will jump all over you for.
d.burns says:
Fr. Bless,
At our parish (Antiochian archdiocese) there were 2 blessings of the water. One on the fore-feast (using St. Basil’s liturgy) and then a 2nd on the actual feast (using St. Crostosoym’s liturgy). Other than the different liturgies used I couldn’t tell the difference between the two services. Do you know why the 2 blessings? I’d ask our priest, but he’s out of town for several days.
Dear Father, bless!
Speaking of dragons in the water, I ask for prayers for a friend of mine and her husband (both Christians). He is dying of cancer, has declined very quickly, and is not expected to live much longer. Besides his wife, there are siblings, children and young grandchildren who are being impacted.
May God have mercy on him and preserve them!
The blessing of the waters is appointed for both days. Often, the service on the Eve of the feast blesses the water kept in the Church for use as holy water, while the blessing on the day of the feast is the blessing of the public waters (such as river, etc.).
Mrs. Mutton,
Ah, but I was trained as a Classics scholar (in which we used the classical pronunciation – whose spellings come across into English). I work hard when I am in a Greek setting to use the modern pronunciation – but my classical training frequently sneaks in an appearance.
Fr. Vasile Tudora says:
Another thing that is important at Theophany is the changing of the course of river Jordan.
Through the baptism of the Lord the waters received God’s blessing, being transformed in waters of sanctification. The Jordan is no more a water in which the demons lurk, as we see sometimes in the icons of Theophany, but it is now water of salvation; water that liberates man from the ties of sin, giving Him birth again from water and Spirit. Man is remodeled by God, as a pot maker models his vessels, using water and fire: water from the River Jordan and fire from the Holy Spirit.
On this day the River Jordan changes its course, and starts flowing backwards, underlying exactly this concept. The river Jordan, with its two traditional streams Jor and Dan represents also our lives, lives that flow from our ancient parents, Adam and Eve. From them the life of mankind started flowing toward the Dead Sea of sin and perdition, as Jordan River does. But when the Master entered the river, the Jordan started flowing backwards, in the same way as our lives turn toward our true godly origins when Christ enters into our lives.
frontierorthodoxy says:
Awesome picture!
Alice C. Linsley says:
Someone asked about the anthropology of water. In the ancient Afro-Asiatic Dominion shrines were build at bodies of water – rivers, wells and springs. Serpents inhabited these places and were both venerated and feared.
In Sanskrit serpent is “naaga”, in Hebrew “nahash”, and in most African languages the serpent is “naja”. The serpent is often portrayed as a dragon.
Such shrines exist today in Africa and Asia. It is not uncommon for the serpent to speak through a woman who goes into a trace. This is regarded as prophecy. Christians regard this as spiritual oppression and false prophecy.
Mark 16:17-18 should be considered in this cultural context: “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues, they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly they will recover; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
You may read more on this here:
http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2008/06/cosmic-serpent-exposed.html
Really sorry to hear about your friend’s husband Karen.
Video of the Jordan changing course:
http://sites.google.com/site/orthodoxy1054/holy-land-s-miracle-the-river-jordan-reversed-its-flow-
Dymphna says:
Very moving picture. Thank you for the explanation of this feast day, Father.
There is actually a slight confusion here regarding the name of St. Basil in Greek. His name is Basileios, which comes from the adjectival form of the word for “king” and so means “royal.” The word for “king” is Basileus. There is another saint with this name, a hieromartyr I think, but I can’t remember when his commemoration day is. In modern Greek, Basileios is, as Mrs. Mutton notes, pronounced “Vasilios.”
Mildred,
Thank you for the video of the river Jordan.
The eschatological parallels of “flow reversal” that always accompanies baptism in the Holy Spirit are indeed profound.
I am reminded too of Luke 12:2 in that “there is nothing concealed will not be disclosed, nor hidden that will not be made known.”
Thank you for the video of the river Jordan. It’s past 2am here and I omitted to proof read my last comment.
There is an eschatological parallel in the “flow reversal” of the Jordan as the living icon of the Theophany and our Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
I am reminded too of Luke 12:2 in that “there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, nor hidden that will not be made known.”
NW Neil says:
Father bless,
We, my household and I are newly illumined, (on Jan. 9th here in Washington state) Glory to God! May I present us as Nikolai (Velimirovic), Juliana (of Lazarevskaya), Silouan (the Anthonite), Helen, Markella, Matthew, Nina (Enlightener of Georgia), Isaac (the Syrian), and Andrew (the First Called). We have hungered and thirsted for Truth and we are being filled, by God’s grace.
NW,
What a gloriously large family! May God bless you and prosper your journey in the faith. And may the newly-illumined pray for this sinful priest!
Ioannis Freeman says:
From the poem of St. Sophronios [read by a presbyter on Theophany]:
“The waters saw You, O God, the waters saw You and were afraid. The Jordan reversed its flow when it saw the fire of divinity descending bodily and entering it.”
Patty Joanna says:
Indeed the baptism of the ersatz NW-Neil family was beautiful. You’ve never seen so many baptismal robes in so many sizes…so much kindness to a visiting stranger…so much joy in shining faces. Two priests, and countless shouts of “SEAL!” A beautiful temple. Smiling joyful forgiveness for a loud clacking camera I couldn’t make quiet. The blessing of the marriage–Mom and Dad looked like two teens coming to the table. The real-time creation of wedding crowns from the fauna outside. The journey of a lifetime. Joy.
What a lovely day! Glory to God!
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346816
|
__label__wiki
| 0.632372
| 0.632372
|
Historical Feature
Wallace Emerson Society
Westmont Fund
Historical Stories
Alumni Profiles Archive:
A Jack of All Music
Published: Spring 2018
Bob Hartry ’89 dreamed of a career in music and took lessons, studied music theory and played in the jazz combo at Westmont. But he majored in economics and business, which has helped him establish and run Catbeach Music,... Read More
The Life of a Farmer’s Wife
“Women in agriculture either inherited the life or married into it,” says Sherry Strebe Saylor ’72. In 1973, she wed a third-generation farmer in Arizona and ended up falling in love with farming. She connected with the American Farm... Read More
Helping Kids Get to College
Published: Fall 2016
Terri Furton ’93 grew up with an alcoholic mother and found refuge at school. Three of her siblings dropped out as teenagers but she made it to Westmont despite struggling academically. She worked hard to earn a degree in... Read More
A Brilliant Mind and Humble Heart
Westmont honored the late Bill Klug ’98 as Alumnus of the Year at Homecoming in October. He died tragically on June 1, 2016, at 39. Westmont Professor Ken Kihlstrom remembers Bill as a gentle, kind person without a trace... Read More
A Musical, Multimedia Ministry
Dave LeMieux ’93 describes himself as a musicianary: a missionary who ministers through music. The executive director of More than Music, he takes musical groups into places closed to Christian witness. He has toured with a gospel jazz and... Read More
Growing Trees, Growing the Economy
After a long career in banking that took her to Chicago, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai, Teresa Law ’79 and her husband, Daniel Spitzer, established Mountain Hazelnuts (MH) in Bhutan in 2008. For the first five years, they... Read More
An Exotic Career for a Vet
Judilee Marrow ’02 cares for patients of all sizes, shapes and species. As the only vet at Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek, Mich.—and one of two board-certified zoological veterinarians in the state for five years—she treated exotic animals... Read More
Building Character on the Court
Steve Baik ’00 coached a dream team. His 35-0 Chino Hills boys basketball players captured the 2015 California State Championship and a No. 1 national ranking. As a result, Steve received the Naismith Coach of the Year award from... Read More
A Lifelong Pull Toward Mission
Sharon Koh ’00 arrived at Westmont intending to go to medical school. She graduated with a call to professional ministry. The double major in biology and religious studies (with a minor in chemistry) says, “I was a good enough... Read More
Singer Finds Success in Cyber Security
David Britton ’94 puts on his hacker hat to think like cyber criminals and learn how they might defraud companies and customers. An expert in online security, he works to prevent digital pirates from stealing money and data. “The... Read More
Westmont College © 2020 - All rights reserved
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346819
|
__label__wiki
| 0.822337
| 0.822337
|
Buy Your Tickets Today!
Eagles Host Saguenéens In Afternoon Tilt
The five home game stand for the Cape Breton Eagles continues this afternoon at Centre 200 with a visit from another East Division opponent- the division leading Chicoutimi Saguenéens.
It’s the only visit the Sags will make to Centre 200 this year. The Eagles will look for the season sweep, having defeated Chicoutimi 6-3 on October 5th. The victory came at the conclusion of a three game trip through Quebec for the Eagles, while today’s game marks the end of a three game Maritime swing for Chicoutimi.
Chicoutimi opened the trip with a 4-0 loss in Moncton on Thursday, before bouncing back with a 5-4 victory in Saint John on Friday. They did not play last night while the Eagles topped Baie-Comeau 2-1 in a shootout.
Coming into today’s game the Eagles are in fifth in the conference at 15-8-1 (8-4 on home ice). The Saguenéens are second in the conference at 17-5-2 (9-3-1 on the road). With a win the Sags could jump into a tie with Moncton for first in the conference, while the Eagles could pass Charlottetown (who plays in Quebec City today) for fourth place in the conference.
The Eagles will hope for another strong showing from William Grimard, who will likely be starting his ninth straight game due to an injury to Kevin Mandolese. Last night against Baie-Comeau Grimard was sensational, stopping 46 of 47 shots
It’ll be a special day at the Nest for Shawn Boudrias, as the Eagles forward plays in his 250th regular season game in the QMJHL. Thus far 48 of those games have been played with Cape Breton, and he’s notched 42 points during his tenure as an Eagle.
A star-studded Chicoutimi club contains four NHL drafted players: forwards Rafaël
Harvey-Pinard (Montreal), Samuel Houde (Montreal), Vladislav Kotkov (San Jose) along with defensemen Artemi Kniazev (San Jose). All three forwards are producing at over a point per game clip thus far this season. Another scoring threat, overage Justin Ducharme (7 goals in 16 games), may have a familiar last name to Eagles fans as his brother Xavier is an Eagles prospect (drafted in the seventh round this past June). Unfortunately Chicoutimi will be missing forward Hendrix Lapierre, who suffered a concussion in Moncton on Thursday.
This afternoon’s game goes at 4 PM. Tickets can be purchased at the Centre 200 box office, by phone at 902-564-2200 or online at https://tickets.capebreton.ca/Online/default.asp Go Eagles Go!
Eagles Rout Islanders 8-2 To Sweep Weekend Set
Eagles Ready For Rematch With Islanders
Eagles Top Islanders 5-2 In First Half Of Back To Back
Eagles And Islanders To Tangle In First Of Two Game Set On PEI
Eagles Win Streak Snapped At Seven In Moncton
Eagles Set For Key Divisional Showdown With Wildcats
Chuck-A-Puck Fundraiser
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346825
|
__label__cc
| 0.58547
| 0.41453
|
Football Connect & CP Football come-and-try
Registrations are now open for the 2018 Football Connect All-Ability League in Canberra.
The All Ability League runs in conjunction with the mainstream Junior League from May through to September yearly. Local football clubs have partnered with Football Connect to ensure all players are linked with and play for a Canberra football club.
2018 PRE-SEASON
The objective of the preseason program is to allow new and existing players to be introduced to football, participate in fun training sessions with our specialist coaches and meet new friends. It is run over four Saturdays usually between April-May.
Saturday 5th May will also be a come-and-try day for the ACT CP Football team. The team will represent the ACT at the 2018 National CP Football Championships in October, with regular training sessions held in the lead up to the tournament.
Saturday May 5, 12, 19, 26
The league will consist of eleven rounds from May through to September with a break for the school holidays and Kanga Cup. Football Connect will be entering teams in the Kanga Cup during the holidays, so players will have the chance to represent the ACT and compete in Australia’s largest international youth football tournament in the southern hemisphere. Matches will be played at the Hawker Football Centre and local football club home grounds on Saturdays between 9-10:30am.
Season (Rounds 1-5): June: 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30
Break for School Holidays and Kanga Cup
Season (Rounds 6-11): July 28, Aug: 4, 11, 18, 25 & Sept 1
Presentation: Sept 8
PROGRAM INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION
Dates: Saturdays May through to September
Times: 9.00am-10.30am
Location: Hawker Football Centre, Walhallow St Hawker
Ages: 6-Open
Cost: $40 Pre-Season only (four weeks), $70 All Ability League only (12 weeks) or $90 All Ability League and Pre-Season (16 weeks plus club presentation day). Registrations are done online through MyFootballClub
How To Register Guide
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346826
|
__label__wiki
| 0.607958
| 0.607958
|
Fluid Visual Interfaces of the Future: Shapes, Video Scratching
Peter Kirn - May 27, 2008
Generative visuals like these could take massive leaps forward in the near future, as enabling technologies clear the way for new techniques. Photo: Emi Maeda on harp and electronics, Lia on live generative visuals, (CC) by watz.
The VJ and live visualist of the future isn’t just about DJ metaphors and what happens in clubs. It’s about a convergence of new interface technologies for dealing with visual material in a more fluid, flexible way. It’ll change not only visual performance, but how we express ourselves in digital visuals, as well — something we’ve already seen happen with non-linear video editing and vector and bitmap graphics software, but taken further.
Vade points us to a couple of glimpses of technologies being researched now that will help enable these changes.
Manipulating Shapes
Takeo Igarashi, Tomer Moscovich, John F. Hughes, “As-Rigid-As-Possible Shape Manipulation”.
The description from the creators:
We present an interactive system that lets a user move and deform a two-dimensional shape without manually establishing a skeleton or freeform deformation (FFD) domain beforehand. The shape is represented by a triangle mesh and the user moves several vertices of the mesh as constrained handles. The system then computes the positions of the remaining free vertices by minimizing the distortion of each triangle. While physically based simulation or iterative refinement can also be used for this purpose, they tend to be slow. We present a two-step closed-form algorithm that achieves real-time interaction. The first step finds an appropriate rotation for each triangle and the second step adjusts its scale. The key idea is to use quadratic error metrics so that each minimization problem becomes a system of linear equations. After solving the simultaneous equations at the beginning of interaction, we can quickly find the positions of free vertices during interactive manipulation. Our approach successfully conveys a sense of rigidity of the shape, which is difficult in space-warp approaches. With a multiple-point input device, even beginners can easily move, rotate, and deform shapes at will.
Pretty cool stuff. There are already a limited number of VJs who work live with Flash animations and such, directly manipulating vectors, though they’re a minority and the results tend to be fairly restricted. But imagine if you could mess with vector shapes as easily as you can video. “Illustration” could become a live performance medium, and not just something people do over long hours in Illustrator and print on paper.
No offense to Adobe, but I think part of what has stunted this evolution is the reliance on big, traditional tools. The established conventions for how you work with elements like curves (including the wildly counterintuitive bezier curve) remain in place because artists are so universally reliant on a single tool from a single vendor. It’s so complicated to learn, in fact, that you spend all your time learning what’s there rather than building workflows around what you actually need to do. Start working with vectors in a tool like Processing, in which artists (not necessarily people who would call themselves “programmers”) have to build their own tools, and all of those conventions are up for grabs.
But change is likely to hit video, as well, not just vectors.
New Video Scratching: “Direct Manipulation”
Dynamic Graphics Project
Better-known research houses like Microsoft’s may be grabbing the headlines, but this Tokyo-based group is doing sophisticated research in all kinds of graphics manipulations. The key is integrating computer vision — the ability of the computer to “see” and analysis imagery and motion more in the way we’d expect — with other techniques. We take video with a simple timeline below for scrubbing for granted. But this metaphor is itself an invention — in fact, Joy Mountford, with whom I presented at South by Southwest in the spring, was on the team at Apple that refined a lot of these concepts.
The problem is, a timeline is pretty far abstracted from the way we see motion. Human perception can separate moving elements from a background, and sees the motion of objects, not just linear motion of a frame over time. The ingenious leap taken by the “direct manipulation” approach is to use computer vision techniques to allow us to “directly” move the objects within the frame, instead of just the whole frame via an independent metaphor. The impact on editing and viewing is already nice — but performance and VJing gets even more interesting.
Great ideas can come from fantasy — for an imaginary version of this, see a couple of old posts from Create Digital Music in which we saw giant DJs empowered with God-like control over the universe:
Giant DJs Continue to Play God with Universe; Scratching Reality Itself
Spin: Short Movie Makes a Turntablist God
What do you fantasize about as far as the future of visualism? Seen other technological research — or done some of your own — that could bring us into that future? Let us know in comments.
Tags: computer-vision, CV, emerging, opinion, performance, processing.org, Scratch, technology, trends, vectors, video, vision, visualist, VJ
B&H Interviews Steadicam Inventor: Shooting is Like Dancing
Blame Apple, Not Your Driver Maker, But Leopard Fix May Be Close
KORG starts a new instrument division in Berlin, focusing on sustainable “things that matter”
Hello, piano: Roland just added Alexa to their digital keyboard
Watch KORG Gadget on Nintendo Switch prove music can be multiplayer fun, too
Free: get some groovy black-and-white pattern animations for VJ apps
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346834
|
__label__cc
| 0.631772
| 0.368228
|
CDMG Case Study: VectorVest
by DMU | Feb 19, 2015 | Advertising & Marketing, Successful Marketing Campaigns | 0 comments
How to double your subscription base—even though all your competitors’ are shrinking by 50% or more!
The Marketing Challenge:
In 2002 the investment newsletter industry was suffering one of its worst years in history. The market was way down for the third straight year. Most newsletters lost 50% or more of their subscriber base during this time.
Realizing that the key to survival is marketing, VectorVest President Bart DiLiddo challenged his company to double its subscriber base.
Compounding the challenge, the VectorVest newsletter includes a computer-based program, while newsletter subscribers are generally used to only hard copy issues. Thus, the ultimate challenge was to get a computer-skeptical target to subscribe to a computer-based investment newsletter during one of the worst markets in history for investment newsletters.
The Creative Solution:
VectorVest turned to Craig Huey, knowing his reputation for building small subscriber base newsletters. Craig confirmed that yes, this would be a daunting challenge, but not impossible. Craig recommended creating a direct mail package that would highlight two important messages: 1) that VectorVest users had enjoyed big profits even through the market downturn, and 2) that VectorVest was easy to use.
The creative strategy was to focus on a third-party study from an undisputed authority showing VectorVest’s top results. This, Craig assured VectorVest, would address the skepticism readers would have about the ability to get any significant returns in such a poor market. The direct mail piece itself was a 20-page, tabloid-sized, 4-color self-mailer. The size allowed Craig’s team to highlight much of “the big story” on the cover and tell readers more of what they’d find inside.
Inside, readers found graphs of VectorVest’s gains and photos showing its ease of use. The piece also relied on testimonials from typical readers and articles about all the ways a reader could benefit from using VectorVest. A dramatic difference from other newsletter promotions was the strong use of “how to” articles and charts that would give the reader a real comfort level with the newsletter.
While other newsletters have lost 50% or more of their subscribers, VectorVest grew by more than 100%, turning a small, unknown service into one of the top 20 circulated newsletters in the world today.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346835
|
__label__cc
| 0.602731
| 0.397269
|
Cadoc's Contract The Weaver's Boy
The theatricality of war and diplomacy
As Iran and America appear on the brink of war, I wonder if this brinkmanship is merely theatrics for domestic audiences. I certainly hope that's the case.
Wed 08 January 2020 | Journal | 3 min read
29 years ago my parents sat me down and explained why war is terrible, certainly not a glamorous Hollywood game show. I remember it well to this day. There were other people on the end of those televised Tomahawk Cruise Missiles, complete with the live feeds, so mesmerisingly televised on the BBC and CNN. It was the first time war entered in my living room, packaged up as a public spectacle to be consumed at dinner time while people suffered and died.
Last night I had to do the same to my 8 year-old son. It's a far more painful subject than when you first tell your child about sex. As my wife and I explained the awful realities of war, I quietly hoped that someone would show restraint. Any idiot can lash out in anger, but turning the other cheek, as Christians often preach, takes a lot more guts. Alas, the Persians struck back at the Greeks, and now the world holds its breath to see that Trump does next. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
War has been played out on our screens since Vietnam -- with domestic consumption in mind. Now with Twitter and the 24/7 News cycle, war streams to my pocket in 240 character chunks and high-resolution footage.
As news unfolds today of Iran's retaliation against the United States, I'm reminded again that war is a deeply theatrical endeavour. Nothing galvanises political support and power better than a war. Yet, unity is an illusion. Twitter is predictably erupting with tribal factionalism and flag waving, howls of self righteousness on both sides, each pinning the blame on the other -- and most are largely ignorant of how this mess started in the first place. Playing out is the worst form of fandom, patriotism -- that virtue of the vicious as Oscar Wilde so elegantly stated.
To those of you who think this is a game, sitting back in comfort while clamouring for blood to be spilt, I have one thing to say: grow up.
I for one hope it doesn't come to that, and I suspect it won't.
Instead, what I think will unfold is an example of diplomacy by other means. Iran's launched a dozen missiles, and early reports suggest causalities are limited. Perhaps the United States' alert readiness was at play, or perhaps they were forewarned through back channels by their opposite numbers in Iran. With a bit of luck the next phase, American's inevitable strike back, will be similarly impotent. Perhaps an Iranian base or two will be bombed, its occupants already evacuated. Both sides will claim victory -- crowing about causalities and moral and strategic justifications to their audiences back home while the status quo returns.
With a little more luck, it will end there. So, it's with uncharacteristic optimism, that I hope cooler heads will prevail, and the two sides will return to talks, either openly or covertly. I guess it depends on the guys at the top. Will Trump wag the ultimate dog to defect from Impeachment? Will the Ayatollah finally have a crack at the Great Satan to justify his regime?
Will Trump wag the ultimate dog to defect from Impeachment?
I really hope this doesn't escalate further. I really hope I don't have to explain to my children why a lot of innocent people died because two hotheads of questionable sanity can't control their fragile egos.
Tomorrow will tell, I suppose.
Cover Photo by Thomas Ashlock on Unsplash
Read Cadoc's Contract
Copyright © Chris Rosser 2007-2020
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346842
|
__label__cc
| 0.662439
| 0.337561
|
About Onkar House
In Onkar House CHT provide a 24 hour, medium support living-learning experience for people with a history of complex mental health and related psycho-social problems in a shared house for up to 6 residents.
Within the house Thinkcare Housing provide the housing management and CHT provide the psychosocial support and therapeutic components of the programme.
Residents have their own private rooms and access to shared facilities, including a large kitchen and dining room, a communal garden and a garden room.
All Residents have a named key worker who works with them to manage their tenancy, and identify and address their, daily-living and psychosocial needs as they work towards a more satisfying interdependence through active engagement with domestic, vocational, educational and social activities in the house and in the community. Our basic requirement is that those referred will benefit from a structured, yet individualised programme which is both practical and therapeutic.
The length of stay for each resident varies each individual’s treatment plan. The aim is to encourage residents to share responsibilities, make decisions for themselves and to regain their independence as far as possible. Residents are encouraged to set realistic goals with staff and establish a range of activities in the service and the local community.
Referrals to Onkar House usually come via NHS or Local Authorities. Initially we request the completion of an application form with background information (recent risk assessment, care plan, social circumstances report etc); this is reviewed by the clinical team prior to the offer of an assessment. An assessment interview is then arranged where a staff member visits the person being referred and completes an assessment. Following this, recommendations on the CHT service that would meet the individuals’ needs is made. A visit to the most appropriate service is then arranged and a transition plan discussed with the person being referred and with their care team.
Treatment programme
For further information about CHT’s Model, please click here
CHT uses a model derived from Therapeutic Communities and Psychologically Informed Environments (PIEs), incorporating the latest perspectives from developmental psychology and relational neurobiology to create a participative and democratic recovery approach to enable people to achieve more of their potential and to fulfil more of their aspirations in life. Each resident is allocated an individual key-worker and also has access to individual psychotherapy with the services registered psychologist / psychotherapist.
CHT’s programmes focus on encouraging engagement in three distinct, but overlapping areas:-
Community Housing Therapy
• Insights from developmental psychology and relational neurobiology are used to create formulations that underpin the therapeutic work within CHT’s residential and supported living services, and to help create an emotionally safe space in which developmental processes can flourish.
• Residents are supported to gradually increase participation and decision-making within the community and through this, CHT offers residents the opportunities to take increasing control of their own lives
• Central to recovery are positive relationships, and relationships are the main tool that residents, staff and psychotherapists have to enable development and recovery.
• The treatment plan of each resident is implemented through an individual recovery plan which is reviewed at least every three to six months. Reviews are multi-disciplinary and the resident is supported to set goals and review their progress along with CHT Psychotherapists and Recovery Practitioners, as well as their care teams. These goals focus on key areas in the life of each service user, for example, accommodation needs, relationships, and meaningful occupation.
Many residents have experienced significant trauma in their lives before coming to CHT, so formal psychotherapy provides a safe space with a fully-qualified professional to work through some of the issues and relationships that trouble them. We aim to create a space in which people feel safe emotionally and physically, a space which facilitates positive social interactions and ‘groupishness’, and also allows individuality and privacy; CHT’s services aim to provide a range of therapeutic relationships within a therapeutic space.
Recovery Pathway
Each resident has an individual recovery plan and therapy plan that sets out their recovery pathway
Co-production is at the centre of CHT’s approach. Central to the CHT model is the concept of learning through the experience of living together. We run a programme of Community Groups which residents are expected to increasingly participate in. The act of working with other people in a group to achieve a particular purpose, and the social and emotional regulation skills required to do so, are deeply therapeutic and developmental; they also support reparative processes in attachment behaviours, and the development of clear care-seeking and care-giving capacities.
As in all CHT’s projects in Onkar House residents are involved in four keys areas.
• Residents are at the centre of drawing up and reviewing their recovery and therapy plans. They are involved in discussions about their placement, they help to organise and chair their own reviews at which progress is discussed and recovery and therapy plans revised.
• Residents are responsible for some of the administrative running of the household. Together with staff, residents are responsible for decisions concerning the total running of the household including maintenance and cleaning the house, social activities, health and safety, and any community rules that may need to be revised or established.
• Residents are involved in monitoring and reviewing the service. The therapeutic programme is co-produced with residents. Residents attend regular resident forums with CHT’s senior team, where there is an opportunity to provide feedback. Regular feedback is collected and reviewed as part of CHT’s quality assurance process. Residents also produce a resident led newsletter and have the opportunity to be part of CHT’s resident activity fund and resident fundraising committees.
• Residents are involved in an ongoing dialogue with staff. Staff listen to the experiences of service users in groups, in individual sessions, and informally. Particular attention is paid to the residents subjective perspective. Emphasis is placed on forming authentic relationships with residents. Time is spent informally with residents within the household and this helps to flatten the hierarchy between residents and staff and provides a culture where real contact can be made between people.
CHT employs staff committed to recovery, and encourages applications from those with lived experience. Onkar House’s staff team is made up of Support Workers, Supported Living Facilitators, a Supported Living Service Lead and has an integrated fully qualified Psychologist or Psychotherapist, supported by a Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy in the Senior Team. Onkar House offers 24 hour support (sleep in nights).
Our dedicated staff are crucial to the successful delivery of recovery and therapeutic services, so CHT is committed to providing high quality staff training, including Skills for Care training for staff and managers, and a 20-module tailored programme of training in psychosocial theory and practice.
Staff also have regular supervision, weekly reflective practice facilitated by the service psychologist, and access to an employee assistance programme.
Onkar House,14 Waxlow Crescent, Southall, Ealing, UB1 2ST
Email: supportedliving@cht.org.uk
Yaprak Olmez
Service Psychotherapist
Jenna Bartlett
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346846
|
__label__cc
| 0.745251
| 0.254749
|
Cindy Goes Beyond
Living Life Beyond the Edges
Seeing Through Enchantment
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my Disclosure Policy for details.
Recently I watched a couple of episodes of the Netflix series, Grace and Frankie. Frankie, played by Lily Tomlin, makes me laugh, partly because she reminds me…of me! She dresses in a distinctly boho style, meditates, smudges her home with sage, and most of the time she chooses to see the best in people and situations. Frankie, like me, practices seeing through enchantment.
Correcting My Vision
Frankie’s friend and housemate, Grace, portrayed by Jane Fonda, is both charmed and exasperated by Frankie and her optimistic, eccentric views of the world.
I get that often too! My positive outlook baffles some. Others are inspired or encouraged by the way I choose to experience life. And some…well some find it all annoying.
That’s okay. I live the way I want to live, and I am well past the point of worrying about what others think.
This wasn’t always true, however. I spent most of my life living in fear…of the world, of what others think, of what the future held. As a result the world appeared dark and ominous, full of unpredictable events and fearful occurrences.
I needed to correct my vision.
As a child I received a diagnosis of nearsightedness, with astigmatism. Bringing my eyesight back to 20/20 required corrective lenses. As an adult, approaching my middle years, I realized I need to correct my vision yet again. This correction required an inner adjustment.
As my inner work banished fear and brought light and joy into my heart and soul, an amazing thing happened. My outer world shifted to match my inner one. Figuratively, energetically, I put on spectacles shaded not just with a rosy tint, but with enchantment.
Enchantment allows me to see life with greater clarity and in brilliant details that color everything within sight. It invites me into a world of unknown mysteries, free from shrouds of fear and darkness.
Seeing through enchantment reveals the presence of the Divine and a way of life that is ruled by trust and playfulness rather than reason. I see through enchantment most clearly, most brilliantly, when I am in nature, or listening to music, spending time alone or in the company of children.
Enchanted Forest Coloring Book, by Johanna Basford. Click photo to order.
Thinking about writing this post, I considered options for graphics. As usually happens, I received a mental image of what I wanted for the title meme: a pair of glasses, through which the world appears bright, colorful and magical. I knew I could Google and find an image that would work. Or…I could create my own graphic.
I chose to create my own work of art, using one of my coloring books and various colored pencils. The first coloring book I saw, as I walked into my creative studio, was Johanna Basford’s Enchanted Forest.
How perfect is that?
I drew a pair of Harry Potter style glasses in the middle of a page depicting an enchanted castle. For most of the picture, I kept the colors soft and muted, symbolizing life as I once knew it. Within the lenses of the glasses, the colors are bright, vivid and layered, symbolizing seeing through enchantment.
That’s an accurate portrayal of how I see life, with my vision corrected. The world is beautifully brilliant and alive with color and textures and layers of meaning. I’m quite pleased with the finished page, colored with a mix of Crayola and Prismacolor pencils.
Enchantment’s Invitation
Enchantment has much more to teach me about life and my journey. Hence, the invitation this year to remain wide open and explore the deeper mysteries of the world, leaving the rational part of my brain behind. There are different perceptions to discover and unexplored paths to trek down, new sights to see and fresh insights to gather.
French poet Paul Eluad wrote:
“There is another world, but it is in this one.”
Oh yes, it is there, this other world, hidden in plain sight. One only needs the eyes to see it. Let me just put on my enchanted glasses.
Cindy Goes Beyond is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, all at no extra costs to you.
Why We Love to Make Lists: 10 Reasons
I admit it. I love to make lists, and have done so most of my life. Perhaps because I’m focusing on organization and decluttering, thanks to Marie Kondo, creating lists has increased the last few days.
Not everyone loves to make lists, however, there are very good reasons to adopt the practice, and not just for bringing order to chaos or boosting the memory.
I’ve jotted down…made a list…of 10 reasons why we love to make lists.
Helps us Remember Things
From making a grocery list to writing down what we need to pack for a trip, creating lists helps us to remember what we need to do. And while that’s important enough, list making then frees up the brain to focus on other things. Don’t you hate lying awake at night, thinking about you need to do, or worrying that you will forget something? That’s part of the brain’s job…to keep bringing our attention to what needs to be one. When a list is made, the brain can move on to something else, freeing up energy and reducing fretfulness.
Helps Us to Be Better Prepared
Connected to helping us remember, making a list prepares us for what comes next. It organizes thoughts and allows us to see what we need to do, to prepare for an event. So we might make a list called “Things I need when I bring my puppy home” or “How to create an herb garden”. This is part of creating order out of chaos. A simple list gives us a step by step plan, so nothing important is left out.
We Join the Ranks of Highly Successful People
We love to make lists because ultimately, we know doing so boosts our success rate. A study at Dominican University, in California, found that we are 33% more likely to achieve our goals and tasks if we write them down. And further, we join historical list makers such as Alfred Einstein, Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison and Ronald Reagan. They all relied on their lists and notes. Take a peek at one of Thomas Edison’s lists, from 1888.
Allows a Larger Task to Be Broken into Smaller Tasks
Making a big, vague goal, such as “Travel”, can be overwhelming. Instead, making a list breaks it down into manageable tasks. Travel becomes:
Set date for trip to Scotland
Meet with travel agent
Buy new carryon luggage
Buy a new raincoat
Step by step, a list takes us to the big goal of travel.
Keeps Us Focused and on Task
One of the things I love most about a list is that it helps me to focus. Without a written out lists of tasks, we are too easily distracted. Productivity takes a dive as well. With a list, even if an unforeseen distraction pulls us away, we can quickly and easily get back on task.
Crossing Off Tasks Creates a Sense of Satisfaction
Have you ever added a task to your to do list, right before or even right after you do it, just so you can cross it off? I have! We do that because crossing items off the list gives us an instant sense of satisfaction and gratification. I love being rewarded with that tiny thrill…and it motivates me to keep moving down the list.
A word of caution: don’t add too many tasks to a list. We only include what we have the time and resources to accomplish in a day. Otherwise, we create dissatisfaction for ourselves, unnecessarily so.
Is it bad if we don’t finish everything on the list? No. We just add it to another list…or determine if it wasn’t really a priority.
Helps Us Make Decisions
We can use pro/con lists when we have a tough decision to make. Making two columns and writing in the pros for the situation and the cons allows us to see the bigger picture and aids in the decision making process.
We also use lists when trying to decide on things like baby names, homes to buy, and things we really want to do while we are journeying through life. I prefer the term “Life List” over “Bucket List”, however they are the same thing, and having one helps us to realize what is important to accomplish with the time we have here.
Expands Our Thinking
Writing down an idea or a goal can be a launching pad that leads to bigger ideas and goals.
Paula Rizzo, author of Listful Thinking: Using Lists to be More Productive, Highly Succesful and Less Stressed, says,
“Start with only one goal and work it out on paper. Sketch out how you could actually achieve it, if money and time were not important factors.”
For example, if the goal is to meet better people to do business with this year, brainstorm ideas of places to meet them or people who could serve as a connection. Writing down a list sets things in motion. What we put out there, in the universe, comes back to us, often in unexpected and amazing ways.
Promotes Creativity
Creative thinking is improved when we make lists. Energy seems to flow from our brains to paper or computer screen, through our fingers, unleashing ideas. I use lists for creating blog posts and coming up with fresh ideas and new experiences to try. When I did my Year of Firsts, I spent the month of December jotting down a massive list of things I had never done, that I could experience for the first time. That list became a great resource when I felt stuck or out of ideas. Writing out a list of 10 Recipes to Try or 10 Poetry Ideas always generates more creativity.
Below is a photo of my list, for creating this blog post!
Encourages Gratitude
Among lists to make, a gratitude list is my favorite. The simple yet profound practice of writing down daily gratitudes allows me to see the good in my day and feel again a sense of thankfulness. This list can be created at the end of the day, or in the morning, as a record of the day before. Use a gratitude journal, one that sparks joy or brings a smile, and list five or more things from the day that you are grateful for. In my experience, expressing gratitude raises awareness and brings more into life to be grateful for.
The Power of Making Lists
Psychologist and author, Dr. David Cohen, gives these reasons for our love of to do lists:
they reduce anxiety about the chaos of life
lists provide structure and a plan that we can stick to
they are proof that we have achieved something that day, that week or that month
I agree. My love of making lists stems from a desire for order in my life and from the satisfaction I get when I cross tasks off the list. That feels wonderful to me. And lists are versatile, limited only by our imaginations and desires. Several years ago, I began adding Ta Das to my lists as well, creative expressions of what I accomplished in a day.
Do you create lists? What is your favorite type of list to make?
Cindy Goes Beyond is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, all at no extra cost to you.
Tidying Up & Sparking Joy
Tidying up to spark joy makes perfect sense, to anyone who is familiar with Marie Kondo. She authored the best selling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up. Marie helps people declutter their homes and their lives, through the simple yet profound art of tidying up.
Netflix showcases the KonMari techniques in their new exclusive series, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.
I binge watched season one over the weekend.
Tidying Up with Marie Kondo
Netflix summarizes the show with these words:
“In a series of inspiring home makeovers, world renowned tidying expert Marie Kondo helps clients clear out the clutter…and choose joy.”
Marie loves a mess! This petite woman, who possesses an enchanting child-like sense of joy and wonder, enjoys helping people let go of the stuff that clutters up their homes. Show her a room piled with shoes, books, papers and knickknacks, and she claps her hands with delight.
In each of the eight episodes, Marie guides clients through the exact same process that results in less stuff…and happier people. She begins with sorting through clothes, touching every single sock, shirt or pair of jeans, then moves through books, papers, miscellaneous items and finally, sentimental pieces.
As they sort through belongings, the key to releasing the excess requires holding each item, to see if it sparks joy. To make the process easier, Marie starts with an item that the owner feels strong happiness and joy for. If the person does not feel joy, the item is thanked, sincerely, and then placed into a give away or a throw away pile. The pieces that spark joy remain, and a specific place is created for it, enforcing the proverbial saying,
“A place for everything, and everything in its place.”
Marie understands something that I’ve come to understand as well. Everything is energy. And different items vibrate at different frequencies. Love and joy vibrate at the high end, frequency wise, while fear and hate dwell at the lower range. She also recognizes that clutter clogs up energy, while clearing space frees that energy to flow.
Most people are affected by that heavy, stagnant energy that clutter fosters, whether they realize it or not. An untidy room, clogged with stuff, doesn’t feel good. In episode after episode, that truth uncovers people living under stress, or feeling defeated and irritable, because of the excess in their homes. That clutter affects their lives, so much so that they consider Marie a blessing when she shows up with her boxes and cheerful advice.
It makes sense, then, that choosing to surround themselves with items that spark joy creates happier people who feel less stress. They also feel like they’ve taken back control over their own lives. Many struggled as they sorted through piles…and piles…and piles…of possessions. Some cried. Couples argued. Ultimately, they found their way through all the emotions connected with the stuff that cluttered and weighed down their lives…and let go.
The show is a fascinating peek into hearts and emotions, not an “oh my what a mess” judgment party. Tidying Up with Marie Kondo inspired me.
Tidying Up and Sparking Joy in My Sock Drawer
I read Marie’s book several years ago, and sorted through items in my home at that time. The thing is, tidying is an ongoing process. Once a year, typically around Christmas, I sort through clothes and books and papers and miscellaneous items, and declutter. I can now see the many benefits of keeping my home tidy on a daily basis.
Inspired, desiring to spark joy, I pulled out my sock drawer, pictured above.
Marie suggests folding the clothes that are kept in drawers or on shelves. Smooth them, then fold to make a square or rectangle shape that can stand up in drawers or in boxes on shelves. Marie loves sorting items into small boxes. Note to self: pick up more boxes and bins.
My socks are a jumbled mess in the drawer, which is so full I can barely close it. I know better than to wad socks up like that, into a ball. And yet, there they are.
Folding Socks the KonMari Way
I dumped the socks onto the bed and separated all of them. Single socks without a match, holey socks and those that did not spark joy, went into the trash bin. The rest I smoothed and paired together, and then folded over, once or twice, depending on the length of the sock.
The folded socks went back into the drawer, standing up in neat rows. It only takes a few moments to fold socks this way. And what a difference, in the drawer.
Did my socks spark joy? Yes. I appreciate the comfy ankle socks that I wear in the summer, with sneakers. The fun plaid socks and the Harry Potter socks, purchased in London, England, spark great joy and a sense of playfulness. I even felt joy over the grungy heavier socks that I wear when I garden. These are destined for the trash bin soon, however they are perfect for wearing while I work outside. With them, it doesn’t matter that my gardening shoes get full of dirt!
Tidying Up My Home
Satisfied with a neatly organized sock drawer, my intention is to continue tidying, until I’ve moved through all five categories, and through all the rooms of my house. While I’m not clapping my hands, like Marie, over messy drawers and closets, I feel excited about keeping the high level energy flowing through my home.
I get it. I really do. I’m sensitive to energy and a cluttered room, a cluttered home, doesn’t feel good to me and doesn’t create a supportive environment. Rather than waiting until I can’t stand the “ugh” feeling any longer, I’m motivated to tidy up now, and experience that magic. Tidying up and sparking joy? Oh yes. I’m in.
Pick up a copy of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up or read my brief book review.
And, check out these storage boxes and cubes, to help with organizing small items.
How to Choose a Song for the Year
I choose a song for each new year, just as I do a word and symbol. Together the three create a theme for the upcoming months that guides and inspires my journey. There’s plenty of info online about selecting a word or a symbol and not much about choosing a song. I’m remedying that!
For years I’ve jumped into January with enthusiasm, a fresh theme and a word, symbol and song to accompany me. This year my word is Enchantment while the symbol for 2019 is the queen chess piece. Putting them together, I am moving through this year as the Queen of Enchantment, using my voice, my words, my heart to create the reality around me.
I’ve not shared my song yet, because I had not received it. That changed a few days ago.
Finding Your Song
Why choose a song for the year? Music resonates with us deeply, at a soul level, whether it’s classical, rock, jazz or techno. We can let go and move to music, surrendering to its enchantment.
“Where words fail, music speaks.” Hans Christian Andersen
Music stirs us and it does have the power to speak, oft times burrowing beneath the chatter and clatter of life. Have you ever been focused on something else…and suddenly a song begins to play that pierces through your awareness? Tears come to your eyes, or a smile to your mouth, and joy floods your heart. That’s being moved by music.
Choosing a song, along with a word and a symbol, gives us a connection with the mystery and the magic of the universe, with the Divine. It serves as another reminder of who we are and who we are becoming as we journey.
How to Choose a Song
There are several ways to choose a song that inspires for the year.
Make a list of favorite songs. Personally, I feel it’s best to stay open to something fresh and new. However, looking at your list of favorite songs, what draws you to them? Do they have a common theme? Common artist? Is there a particular style that impacts you?
With that info, use Spotify, YouTube or Pandora to look for similar music. Often these sites will recommend music based on what you listen to and like, by hitting a heart button. Your new song just might appear on a recommended list. Listen to recommendations…and see how you respond.
This is my favorite way to select a song for the year. I let it come to me. Stay open, stay aware, and ASK for a song. Ask out loud, write the words in your journal, during prayer or meditation, ask. Then release the request and listen. One of my songs came to me during the movie Frozen. Remember “Let it Go”? I had never heard the song before seeing the film. I left the theater knowing Let it Go was my song for the year. It fit in perfectly with the word and symbol I’d been given.
And that is how you know you’ve found the right song…or it has found you. It resonates with your soul. It feels right. You can’t stop thinking about the song or humming the tune.
My Song for 2019
I found my song unexpectedly several days ago, as I drove to an appointment. When I’m alone in the car, I have music playing. One of my favorite things to do is to hit the shuffle button on my iPhone music app…and let songs pop up at random.
A song began to play, from the soundtrack Enchanted. The 2007 film Enchanted is a favorite of mine, an interesting twist on the traditional fairytale. Princess Giselle begins the movie as an animated character who becomes real when she is banished to New York City. The playful movie pokes a bit of fun at the classic fairytale, however it has deeper messages throughout the story that resonate with me.
Suddenly I realized what I was listening to….Enchanted…ENCHANTED! That was an aha moment that drew my attention. Surely my song for the year, with Enchantment as my word, was on the Enchanted Soundtrack.
I listened later to the entire soundtrack, and found my song.
Ever, Ever After
The song Ever, Ever After, performed by Carrie Underwood, snagged me as I listened. I replayed the song, over and over, listening with my heart wide open. The whole song is wonderful, with lyrics that made me smile repeatedly. The words that resonated with me were these:
“Start a new fashion, wear your heart on your sleeve/Sometimes you reach what’s real just by making believe/Unafraid, unashamed, there is joy to be claimed in this world/You even might wind up being glad to be you.”
I knew this was my song for 2019. My heartrate sped up, tears filled my eyes, and energy near my heart shifted. I felt it, my amazing heart that I can wear on my sleeve without fear, without trying to protect it. This song is about believing in an ever after and not getting in my own way. It’s about being who I am and letting myself “be enchanted”. How perfect. The song meshes beautifully with my word and symbol. I’ve already played Ever, Ever After many times.
I’d love to hear from you. Choose a song, a word, and a symbol for 2019, and share them with me. I’ll be enchanted, I’m sure.
Movie Review: The Wife
It’s award season, for the film industry, a fact that brings me great joy. And the movie The Wife is definitely a contender in the Best Actress category for the upcoming Oscars. In what could be foreshadowing, Glenn Close recently won a Golden Globe for the meaty role.
After listening to her moving acceptance speech during the Globes, I jotted the film down on my “must watch” list. Just a few days later, I noticed The Wife posted on Bookhouse Cinema’s Facebook page, as an upcoming release. I so love this indie theater in Joplin! My mother and I caught an evening showing last night, after a delicious vegan dinner served in the Bookhouse Cinema pub.
The Wife Cast
This drama stars Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, Max Irons, Annie Starke, Christian Slater, Harry Lloyd and Alix Wilton Regan. Directed by Bjorn Runge, The Wife is based on the novel of the same name, by Meg Wolitzer. The film carries an R rating, for language and some sexual content, and has a run time of 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Glenn Close and her daughter, Annie Starke, who plays the younger Joan in the film.
Behind Every Great Man there is a Greater Woman
The movie’s tagline captures the essence of this intriguing and very watchable movie. Joan Castleman (Close) and Joe Castleman (Pryce) have been married for 40 years. Their grown children, David (Irons) and Susannah (Regan) live nearby. Susannah is pregnant with the first grandchild in the family, while David is finding his voice as a writer.
The Castlemans seem to complement each other well. Joe is outgoing and social, while Joan lives more privately, calling herself shy. A brilliant writer, with a long list of best selling and well received novels, Joe shines, while Joan, the steadfast and quiet presence in his life, encourages him.
Joe receives the prestigious Nobel Prize for literature, necessitating a trip to Stockholm to receive the honor. Joan and David accompany Joe. David appears to be struggling in life, as he seeks his father’s approval for the short story he labors over.
On board the international flight, the Castlemans are boldly approached by Nathaniel Bone (Slater), who desperately wants to write Joe’s biography. Annoyed Joe rebuffs him and refuses to give permission for such a project. The soother, as always, Joan sends Nathaniel back to his seat on the plane, and chides Joe for being rude.
In Stockholm, a whirlwind schedule keeps Joe busy with photographers, interviewers and rehearsals for the ceremony. Joan is free to attend events with her husband, or strike out on her own. She meets Nathaniel for a drink, and quickly learns that the would be biographer questions aspects of Joe’s life. Joan quells the young writer with a look, and a strong verbal warning.
As the movie progresses, the story unfolds in a series of current time events and the past, captured in flashbacks. Young Joan (Starke) is a student at Smith College, in 1958. She grows increasingly enamored with her college professor, Joe Castleman (Lloyd). Joan is a talented writer and the professor pushes her to go deeper with her characters. He sees great potential in Joan’s stories.
And yet, back in the present time, in Stockholm, Joe introduces his wife as a non-writer. He basks in the attention well wishers bestow on him, and flirts with the beautiful photographer assigned to him. Joan grows increasingly silent and constrained, with occasional flashes of compassion for the people around her.
In the 1960s Joan continues to improve her writing skills. She is discouraged, however, when she meets a female author, who tells Joan not to become a writer. When Joan questions her, the older woman explains that men rule the publishing world, and no one reads books written by women.
Looking at the present time, through the lenses of the past, Joan appears less serene and more repressed, less content and more resigned. As Joe prepares to receive his award, and recognition for his achievements, Joan seems to near a breaking point, where her carefully ordered world might spin out of her control.
Young Castlemans
Older Castlemans
My Thoughts About The Wife
This is a brilliant movie that captivated me right away. I don’t want to give out spoilers. However, I can discuss themes, and The Wife has many.
Major themes include family roles, and the dynamics of a relationship where one person appears to overshadow the other. Often there can be an element present, of taking the supporting partner for granted. Another theme explored is the relationship between father and son, and mother and son. David longs for his father’s approval and wants the early writing success that Joe garnered. Joan encourages her son. Joe pushes him, much as he did Joan when she was younger.
Other themes include finding a voice, and losing one…repression of true desires…and living not out of one’s gifts but in a state of holding space, which begins to fracture the soul. Joe and Joan made decisions early in their lives that affected their mature years. They responded very differently to the growing strain between them and in their own hearts. Joe sought distractions and Joan….well Joan deeply repressed what she most wanted.
Oscar Contender
Glenn Close delivers a phenomenal performance in the complex role of Joan Castleman. I literally held my breath often, watching her. As a woman who learned to bury her emotions, and step back so her husband could occupy the limelight, she is riveting. The carefully composed, blank face, devoid of emotion, belies the turmoil roiling just beneath the surface. Several times I thought she’d crack, allowing repressed feelings to spew and devastate all in her path. And yet, back under iron control she’d go. Ultimately…who she really is can no longer be contained.
It is a scene worth watching. And, this is a role worth rewarding. Watch for Glenn Close to pick up a Best Actress Academy Award nomination next week, for her work in The Wife. I fully expect her to take the Oscar home.
Giving Away 3 Small Gifts
I saved an Instagram post, around Christmas time, that strongly appealed to me. From my IG friend Transformation by Design, the post talked about how healing the act of giving can be, for both the recipient and the giver. These instructions were offered:
“Bring to mind 3 small gifts you are willing to give away. They may be material, symbolic or acts of kindness. Wrap them gently with your breath. Bring them with you into your day. Give them away by day’s end.”
I was enchanted by those words. And today, I accepted the give away challenge.
Choosing 3 Small Gifts
I do some of my best thinking in the shower. As I considered what gifts to carry into my day this morning, the three gifts that came to mind were these: Gratitude, Kindness and Joy.
My desire was to offer these gifts to three people, during the course of my day. The number 3 is considered the number of perfection or completion. Think of “beginning, middle, end” or “heaven, earth, water” or “body, soul, spirit”. There is a sense of completion in those terms. Three seemed like the perfect number of small gifts to give away.
While in the shower, this is what I did. I talked to the Divine, first asking what gifts to give. Having that question answered…gratitude, kindness and joy…I simply asked for guidance in giving to the people that I was supposed to. Breathing in deeply and then slowly releasing my breath, which is symbolic of life and spirit, I “wrapped” each gift.
Cupping my hands, I held them beneath the spray of water in the shower. There is power associated with moving water, whether it flows from a shower head or roars in a mighty waterfall. I imagined that force, that energy, moving through the gifts cupped in my hands, and asked that what I offered would be blessed. For me moving water also symbolizes being in the flow, of life and of Divine guidance. This is how I choose to live. I trusted the flow would take me precisely where I needed to go.
And then I released it all…and got ready for the day, confident I’d know what to offer, to whom.
Gift 1: Gratitude
I had an event to attend at noon. My granddaughter Aubrey is in fourth grade. At her school they host a “Lunch with a Loved One” event and she invited me to attend.
I frequently eat lunch with my grandchildren, at their respective schools. It allows for one-on-one time. Whenever I visit Aubrey’s school, I take along a treat for the principal. This man is wonderful with the kids, engaging with each grade throughout lunchtime every day. He encourages discussion, plays interactive games with the kids and leads them in sing-a-longs. I appreciate Dr. Barlow and I show that by taking him a chocolate chip cookie when I visit.
Because Aubrey is my third grandchild to attend this school, I’ve taken Dr. Barlow quite a few cookies. He recently laughed, patted his tummy, and said his doctor was going to take issue with my gifts. Actually, having eliminated sugar from my diet, I’ve considered whether cookies were a good offering.
As I prepared to leave the house, an idea nudged my consciousness. Instead of cookies, what if I gave Dr. Barlow Cara Cara oranges? These sweet oranges are my favorite. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. Not only would I be presenting this gracious man with a gift of gratitude, I’d be offering a gift of health as well.
As always, the principal was in the cafeteria with the kids and their family members, wearing a headset and directing the event. I loved the look on his face when I handed him three Cara Cara oranges and thanked him for all he does, for my granddaughter as a student in his school, and for all the children. We had a short but meaningful chat.
I am grateful for Dr. Barlow.
Gift 2: Kindness
While waiting for Aubrey to arrive in the cafeteria, I spied Mrs. Mayfield, a counselor at the school. She caught my attention because my granddaughter speaks so highly of her.
Aubrey’s observation of this woman is that Mrs. Mayfield possesses a great deal of kindness, a quality that is very important to my 10 year old granddaughter. I have wanted to speak to the counselor and today I was given that opportunity.
What do you give a kind person? Kindness in return. When I shared Aubrey’s words with Mrs. Mayfield, she was deeply touched. She said she appreciated knowing that she is considered kind. This was another brief conversation but it too was meaningful. I got to offer kindness and appreciation to this sweet woman and encourage her. Mostly I wanted her to know that her actions and words are seen and that what she offers makes a difference in the lives of children.
I am grateful for Mrs. Mayfield and her acts of kindness.
Gift 3: Joy
I didn’t know, when I left the house, that I’d offer all three gifts at the same event. My son and daughter-in-law worked today. However, my son, who is a police sergeant, hoped to be able to stop by and join us for lunch. As I entered the drive through at Chick-Fil-A, to pick up Aubrey’s selected lunch, I texted my son to see if I could pick up a meal for him as well. To my delight, he agreed to lunch from Chick-Fil-A, sure that he would be able to attend. I was happy to treat my son and granddaughter.
This was an amazing event. Fourth graders joined 168 family members, breaking a record for number of attendees for the Lunch with a Loved One event. What a cheerful chatter filled the cafeteria as kids, parents and grandparents sat together in groups, sharing lunches from a variety of local restaurants.
It was a joy to attend, and be there for Aubrey, and it was a joy to provide the meals. Aubrey didn’t eat her dessert and passed on the joy, giving the cookie to her teacher. I loved that 30 minute lunch, chatting with Nate and Aubrey and getting to know some of the people sitting around us. It was a festive time.
I am grateful for the Lunch with a Loved One and for the time spent with my son and granddaughter.
What I discovered, giving away three small, simple gifts, was that I received as well.
Giving gratitude, gratitude was expressed back to me.
When I gave kindness, kindness was offered in return.
And joy came back to me multiplied, when I offered joy to others.
On the original Instagram post Transformation by Design wrote,
“We trust the magic of giving to do the healing where it is needed.”
I felt guided today, in offering exactly where I most needed to offer. Giving is a transformative action that has immediate returns, energetically. I benefitted and I look forward to another opportunity to bring into my day, three small gifts to give away.
Cindy Goes Beyond is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, at no extra cost to you.
Welcome to Marwen: The True Story Behind the Film
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my Disclosure Policy for details.
The film Welcome to Marwen caught my attention, with the first preview that I saw. It looked artsy and creative. However, the clincher for me was the fact that the movie is based on a true story. These movies, grounded in reality, always intrigue me.
Because of its based-on-a-true-story status, this post is more than a movie review. Join me in exploring the truth behind the film, Welcome to Marwen.
Welcome to Marwen Cast
This biographical drama/fantasy stars Steve Carell, Leslie Zemeckis, Merritt Weaver, Gwendoline Christie, Stefanie von Pfetten, Janelle Monae, Eiza Gonzalez and Leslie Mann. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, Welcome to Marwen carries a PG-13 rating, for language, violence and adult situations, and has a run time of 1 hour and 56 minutes.
Welcome to Marwen Film Summary
Viciously beaten because he is different, and left for dead, Mark Hogancamp (Carell) miraculously survives and slowly recovers. He discovers that the attack left him with no memories of his previous life. Back at home, he creates a world in 1:6 scale, populated with 12 inch dolls. In the made up village of Marwen, Mark works through his trauma with the help of an alter-ego action figure, Captain Hoagie, and the dolls of Marwen, all based on kind women he knows in the real world.
Having lost his ability to draw, due to his injuries, Mark learns to capture Marwen through photography. As the court date approaches, when he will have to face his five attackers, Mark needs Marwen and its inhabitants to help him find courage and strength.
The True Story Behind Marwen
Mark Hogancamp, a former Navy man, was attacked on April 8, 2000, by five young men who waited for him outside a bar. Witnesses reported that Mark had too much to drink, and while chatting with the men, revealed a secret. He occasionally enjoyed wearing women’s shoes. Mark appreciated women, and felt attracted to them. He found that wearing high heels made him feel connected to that amazing feminine energy.
The men taunted him and called him a wide range of derogatory names. And then waited for him to emerge from the bar. Their horrendous actions were determined to be a hate crime and they were arrested. As recounted in the film, Mark nearly died, having been kicked repeatedly in the head by all five men. He was in a coma for nine days, and suffered brain damage that robbed him of his memories when he awoke.
After 40 days in the hospital, and a year in physical therapy, Mark learned to walk, talk and feed himself again. A man with artistic abilities before the attack, afterward he could not sketch. However, he owned an old Pentax camera and discovered he possessed an eye for photography. Completely adrift, in a hostile world, Mark created a tiny alternate reality of his own, crafted from scraps of plywood and repurposed materials. Marwencol emerged, named after himself and two women he had crushes on, Wendy and Collette. Wendy is portrayed in the movie, both as the woman and a doll in Marwen. Collette becomes Nicol in the film, his new neighbor who moves in across the street. By the end of the movie, the name of the village changes to Marwencol, just like the actual tiny town.
Women Rule the World
Mark populates Marwencol with 12 inch Barbie and Glamour dolls, and WWII action figures. He creates elaborate stories involving an American fighter pilot, Captain Hoagie, who is rescued and cared for by the all female population in Marwencol. The village is frequently attacked by fictional Nazis. In the movie, these “tormentors” will not stay dead. Representing his attackers, they return again and again, to terrorize him. Mark shares that he built an army of women to protect him because they have never attacked him. He says,
“Women rule the world. We’re just here to keep them company.”
The women in his life, after the attack, expressed kindness to him, helped him, kept him sane. In his village of Marwencol, he captured scenes and vignettes with his camera daily, and slowly worked his way through the trauma. Mark admits that in Marwencol, those five men have been killed over and over. In reality, the five were convicted of their crime. Only three did any jail time.
Healing in Marwencol
Although Mark created Marwencol as a way to heal, and never intended to share it, people began to notice the growing small scale village in the yard. Three years after its creation, a neighbor named David Naugle saw him walking along the road, pulling a scale model military jeep and photographing it. Naugle, who was a photographer himself, asked if Mark had any photos to share. When he saw Mark’s work, he was amazed and sent the photos to a New York art magazine, Esopus. The publication ran a spread, and art shows followed. A 2011 documentary called Marwencol captured Mark’s life and his unique art therapy. That documentary became the spark that led to the current film. In 2015, a book was released, titled Welcome to Marwencol, containing 600 of Mark’s photos.
In the movie, David isn’t portrayed. However, Mark’s work does get noticed locally and a gallery show opens, featuring his work. Part of Mark’s healing process includes feeling safe enough to leave his home, and Marwen, and appear in person at the gallery shows.
My Thoughts on Welcome to Marwen
I deeply appreciate this film. While Mark sets up scenes with his figures, and captures them with a camera, we get to see the dolls “come to life” in the movie. The CGI is great, turning Steve Carell and the ladies into dolls that resemble them and yet, look like, move like Barbies and action figures.
It is heart breaking to me, the intolerance people have for those who are different. Who gets to say who is different, anyway? Why are we so quick to judge another and then take matters further and punish him or her, for being unique? The film and the true story are about a man’s search for healing, on so many levels. His memories may have disappeared, as a protective measure. However, his art surfaced when he needed a way to work through trauma. I love that. I love that he found his way back into life, through his creativity.
How is Mark doing today? He’s been positively impacted by people who have cared enough to tell his story, through the documentary, book and now the film. He gets out more, attends gallery shows, sometimes wearing heels. He says,
“Things have gotten better, they have gotten as good as they’re going to get. Except my imagination. That keeps expanding.”
Beautiful, Mark. I think you are amazing.
The real Mark Hogancamp. Photo by Tim Knox
Small Enchantments
Small enchantments are those things that bring us joy or make us smile or inspire a surge of creativity. As a small child, my attention was constantly caught by small enchantments. The puddle of water called to me. Crawling beneath the bush in the backyard, into the hollow space between the trunk and the canopy of leaves, encouraged me to daydream. Ladybugs, crickets and spiders all enchanted me with their intricate designs.
The world was magical to me, and as a result, ever full of mysteries and wonders to explore. I’ve never outgrown that sense of enchantment.
Recently I came across a marvelous quote by author and marketing specialist, Guy Kawasaki. His words reminded me that the greatest enchantments are often found in the smallest and simplest of treasures.
“Let yourself be enchanted in small ways.” Guy Kawasaki
Let Yourself Be Enchanted
Enchantment is a feeling of pleasure or delight, the state of being under a magical spell. To be enchanted by someone, or something, is to be charmed. There are big events, places and encounters that definitely qualify as enchanting. Those impact us in unmistakable ways. Seeing the Sistine Chapel, in the Vatican wowed me, as did walking along the Grand Canal in Venice. I won’t forget those experiences.
Equally enchanting to me, however, were the simple plant based meals that I enjoyed while in Italy and exploring the narrow winding streets through the villages. Allowing myself to be enchanted in small ways reconnects me to my childhood and deepens the mysterious wonder found in life’s tiniest treasures.
Allowing ourselves to be enchanted means opening to possibilities, slowing down and seeing with child-like eyes. I took my children for walks in the neighborhood, when they were toddlers. We never made it very far from home. Every twig, rock, leaf or squirrel fascinated them, requiring frequent stops to check out each amazing find. That’s the kind of enchantment that awaits us, if we have the eyes to see.
The small, simple things from my childhood still attract me. My backyard garden exists because colorful flowers, sprawling plants, tasseled grasses and fragrant herbs enchant me. Water, whether it is bubbling in a fountain or still within a small container, ignites my imagination.
I appreciate small, intimate spaces and candlelight, crackling fires and cups of hot tea. Wholesome, simply prepared food enchants me as does the beauty of a leaf lying in the snow or a double rainbow arching across the sky. Nature abounds with enchantments from butterflies flitting from flower to flower to the solitary tree that stands tall in a meadow. The spider weaves her magic, ensnaring me, and the narrow opening into a cave fires my curiosity about what lives within.
The Key to Wonder
Enchantment is a key. Being enchanted, as Guy suggests, in small ways, is taking that key in hand and opening doors to bigger vistas and larger enchantments. When we connect with the wonder found everywhere in the world, and our sense of “Oh Wow…”, we notice more things to be enchanted by. We can’t help it.
Have you ever noticed that when you buy a new car, you suddenly see that make of vehicle everywhere? Before purchasing a silver Toyota Camry, I never spotted them. Now, I see them everywhere. They didn’t suddenly appear. My awareness of them shifted.
When I notice the little enchanting things in my life, and feel joy because of them, I begin to see more and more small enchantments. I feel wonder. I’m inspired. My creativity ramps up. I sense how beautiful and mysterious life is. The connection I have with the Divine deepens.
This is where I dwell currently. I live in enchantment. The small amazements open my eyes and my heart so that I can receive even more enchanting wonders. I love that openness and the delight I find in life and in the world.
What small enchantments are right there, in your life, waiting for you to notice them? Trust me, they are there and they will continue to show up. What tiny treasures make you smile and bring you joy? And even more importantly, what shifts and breaks apart in the heart and what opens up in the soul? That’s where enchantment works its greatest magic.
Enchanted Birthday
Today is my birthday, the 61st anniversary of my birth. Perhaps because it occurs so close to the beginning of the year, my birthday is always an opportunity to reflect. I think on personal accomplishments and areas of growth, and also evaluate how far I traveled on the journey since my last birthday. I’m prone to casting forward as well, dreaming of what may become reality and setting wild intentions free to go before me.
Join me in the highlights of an enchanted birthday.
This day has been full of greetings, texts, messages and social media posts…and included a cup of hot tea with a friend. I’m grateful for each message and I’m thankful for the senders. I know how busy the days are, for everyone. For people to take a few moments to send a Happy Birthday wish warms my heart. It is my custom to take a few moments in return, and personally thank each person. I send out waves of joyful energy, with the thank yous.
This clever birthday greeting, from my friend Grace, incorporated my symbol for 2019, the Queen chess piece.
The perfect shirt for today, made by MiliLou Styles, features the Queen chess piece and the words, “Queen of My Kingdom”.
In keeping with my theme for the year, Enchantment, I was very mindful today of the magical qualities in life. Singer Mark Donnelly says,
“The enchanted day is only enchanted if we ourselves believe that anything is possible.”
I believe! Anything IS possible, especially on birthdays, right? I appreciate my friend, Garen, who met me for a birthday tea this morning. He is an amazing listener who encouraged me to dream out loud during our time together, and weave magic. Possibilities are what we talked about and that chat fueled my energy this afternoon as I worked on writing and upgrading my blogs. Momentum is building in that area of my life and I am enjoying the surge of activity and the foundation I am building for future projects.
Greg surprised me with birthday candles in a Veggie Roll from Han, the Sushi Man!
Aging Versus Growing Older
While I’ve been re-reading The Re-enchantment of Everyday Life, by Thomas Moore, Greg has been reading through another of his books, Ageless Soul. This book is next on my reading list.
A quote that Greg shared recently seems appropriate for today:
“Aging is an activity. It is something you do, not something that happens. When you age…active verb…you are proactive. If you really age, you become a better person. If you simply grow old, passively, you get worse. Chances are, you will be unhappy as you continue the fruitless fight against time.”
Moore goes on to say that aging makes us more of a person, more who we are supposed to be. The soul gets to peek out more and more, as life unfolds and we journey along. if we allow experiences to make us richer, more interesting.
I love the idea of aging, as proactive, rather than resisting the process and becoming old. Aging is beautiful. It is the soul growing and expanding and gathering wisdom. Young people can have aged souls. And adults may not have aged much at all, appearing to be stuck in immaturity. The difference is allowing life lessons to teach us and move us to a higher plane.
I am aging. My soul continues to expand and gather wisdom. On this day, my Enchanted Birthday, my desire is to keep learning and growing and keep trying new experiences. Another birthday, another milestone in aging, helps me to decide what’s important to focus on right now…and what can be let go. There are so many good things in my life to focus on and enjoy.
Happy Enchanted Birthday, Happy Aging, to me.
You can find Ageless Soul and The Re-enchantment of Everyday Life in my Amazon Storefront.
I am an Amazon Affiliate and may make a commission on items purchases, through my links, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for considering a purchase through my links.
Enchanted Gold – 76th Golden Globe Awards
It’s enchanted gold time this evening, as the 76th Golden Globe Awards are presented. While some are excited about football playoffs and super bowls, for me January launches the award season for films and television. The Golden Globes foreshadow what’s to come during the Academy Awards, presented next month. However, the Globes are more than a preview. They are unique in that they honor television as well as movies, and they expand the number of categories, which means more winners tonight.
Join me for a recap of an enchanted evening indeed.
Golden Globe Hosts
Tonight’s hosts of this three hour party are Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg. Oh currently stars in the BBC America drama series, “Killing Eve”. And Samberg is the star of NBC’s comedy “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”.
For a full list of nominees and winners, check out Golden Globes. As I have the last couple of years, I’m watching the Globes with my laptop perched, literally, on my lap, blogging as the show unfolds. I feel official. Best of all, I will be ready to post, shortly after the program finishes. Read on for my favorite highlights from the show.
This was the first hosting stint for Oh and Samberg. The snappy duo set the tone for a fun-filled evening by opening with humor and some light roasting of audience members such as Spike Lee, Bradley Cooper and Amy Adams, and hilarious intros to nominated films and television shows.
On a serious note, Oh and Samberg pointed out how diverse the nominations were this year and how powerfully change is rippling through the film and television industry. Sandra Oh teared up as she spoke…and so did I.
Golden Globe Highlights
Animated Film – Spiderman Into the Spiderverse
TV Series, Drama – The Americans
TV Series, Comedy – The Kaminsky Method
Carol Burnett Award – “Funny, gracious and kind…the incomparable Carol Burnett.” She’s ruled comedy for 60 years, creating an amazing legacy. Her first love, as a child, was film. Later, she appreciated how the stars in movies and on television could make people laugh…or cry. What a bright and inspirational light Carol has cast into the world in her lifetime and mine.
Cecil B. DeMille Award – “Brings passion and brilliance to every moment…Jeff Bridges.” Such an impressive body of work this actor has, from appearing in Sea Hunt, as a young boy, with his father Lloyd, to recent films such as Hell or High Water. He looks at life through the filter of movies, and he desires to make a difference. Jeff is, truly, The Dude.
Original Score – First Man
Foreign Language Film – Roma, from Mexico
Original Song – Shallow, from A Star is Born
Screenplay – Green Book
Actor, Musical/Comedy – Christian Bale, Vice
Actress, Musical/Comedy – Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Actor, Drama – Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Actress, Drama – Glenn Close, The Wife
Director – Alfonso Cuaron, Roma
Movie, Musical/Comedy – Green Book
Movie, Drama – Bohemian Rhapsody
My Closing Thoughts About the Golden Globes
I love watching this award show. There were surprise wins, as there always are. I was beyond thrilled to see Rami Malek pick up the Best Actor Golden Globe for Bohemian Rhapsody… really for Freddie Mercury…and ecstatic that the film won Best Drama.
And there were touching, moving moments. Dick Van Dyke introduced the film Mary Poppins Returns. Glenn Close gave a tearful acceptance speech after winning for her role in The Wife.
By the end of the Golden Globes I had a list of “must watch” movies and tv series. Tonight I wrote down titles such as:
The main reason I watch, however, is to cheer on and enjoy seeing people who love what they do, and do what they love. Whatever one chooses to do in life, inspiration and encouragement can be soaked up, watching these men and women shine. I know many people do not like acceptance speeches. For me their emotional stories are testaments, of how they got from where they were…to where they are.
I am inspired to be who I am and pursue that which brings me joy, as I observe others following their passions. It’s equivalent to being handed a huge permission slip. I’m grateful. And I’m mindful of offering the same to others, as I do what I love, and love what I do.
Congratulations to tonight’s Golden Globe winners!
Sign up for Cindy Goes Beyond
News and updates from Cindy Goes Beyond!
I am a woman on a journey, sharing about life as it unfolds. This year is about Curiosity and seeing where it leads me.
You can check out my previous journeys by clicking on the archives.
2014 - Year of Firsts
2015 - Year of Journeys
2016 - Year of Surrender
2017 - Year of Inspiration
2018 - Year of Stories
2019 - Year of Enchantment
This is my Year of Curiosity. Check in often to discover where curiosity leads me this year and what doors it opens.
Visit my other blog!
Journey With Healthy Me
Amazon Music Free Trial
Create a FREE Amazon Business Account
CBS All Access Free 1 Week Trial
CBS All Access: Watch CBS Shows Online. Full seasons. Next-day new episodes. Live TV. CBS Classics + much more. Free trial!
Siteground Web Hosting
Blogging Blastoff Course
This 30 Day Course has it all, from setting up a blog to monetizing it. I highly recommend the Blogging Blastoff Course.
Member Weave Made Media
Member of Blog Meets Brand Network
Sharing Inspiring Promoting Bloggers
Sharing, Inspiring, Promoting Bloggers Facebook Group
Practicing the Norwegian Custom of Friluftsliv
Knives Out Movie Review
End of the Birthday Celebrations
Home Stretch
Year of Curiosity
Growing Clematis Babies
Movie Review: Rampage
The Scotland Connection
62 Outrageous Things to Do for My 62nd Birthday
Heavy Metals Detox Smoothie
Ecological Garden Hacks
Supraliminal Messaging
5 Daily Gratitudes
Art a Little More Robust
Family Birthdays
Gratitude Stories
Healing Journey
Hygge Lifestyle
Life a Little More Robust
Life a Little More Tender
Plant Based Lifestyle
Year of Enchantment
year of firsts
Year of Inspiration
Year of Journeys
Year of Stories
Year of Surrender
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346847
|
__label__cc
| 0.731804
| 0.268196
|
Ravencoin — Gem Hunter
Thant11
• Categories:
Ravencoin (RVN)
Thant11 is currently ranked #21 on the Coin Savage Leaderboard
Explore Thant11's Portfolio Get Thant11's Trade Alerts @ $1.99/month What are trade alerts?
For today’s article were taking a look at a currency that just barely scrapes by as being eligible for even being in this series. We will of course be talking today about Ravencoin. This project is truly inspired by the idea of decentralization and reflects that idea in every facet. Were going to be looking at how the project is decentralized, its algorithm to prevent ASIC mining, what an ASIC is, and the future of the coin.
To introduce the project a bit, let’s cover some basic details about Ravencoin. The coin was announced on October 31st, 2017 and released its mining binaries January 3rd, 2018. The team chose that launch date for mining as it was the birthday of Bitcoin which is fitting for the project since Ravencoin is a fork of Bitcoin. The platform is designed to be used the transfer of assets. That description is deceptively simple and we will dive into that later and show just how important asset transfer is and what problems Ravencoin is tackling.
Ravencoin aims to be a true open source, fair, and decentralized project. Ravencoin had no ICO, does not have a premine, and has no other “gimmicky features” such as master nodes. Furthermore, Ravencoin is concerned with ASIC resistance, and equity in mining. Ravencoin may be mined with an Nvidia or AMD GPU. The Ravencoin team has stated that they will be changing their algorithm if an ASIC is developed for their X16R algorithm.
Lastly, the project is fully open source and anyone may contribute code to the project. Ravencoin has no official “leader” in the spirit of its decentralization. Some view that stance as an error by those who started the coin has it has already caused an issue with the coin being listed on an exchange. Other see this decentralization and stance as a true representation for what crypto stands.
That is a general picture of the Ravencoin project, let’s dive into some specifics now. Ravencoin is a proof-of-work (PoW) coin with a block time of one minute and a block reward of 5000 RVN. Halving of the block reward is scheduled to occur around every 4 years and the block size is currently 1 MB but it may increase in the future.
Ravencoin makes use of its own X16R mining algorithm. X16R is designed to be ASIC resistant and comes from the same vein of other “X” mining algorithm like X11 or X17. These algorithms are a sequence of hashing algorithms chained together. X11 uses 11 algorithms and X17 uses 17 and so on.
The ordering of the algorithms used does not change in these strings. That circumstance has led to the production of ASICs for X11 through X17. Now, X16 of course uses 16 of these hashing algorithms, so ASICs should be able to be made for them? Well no, thats where the “R” comes in.
The 16 algorithms are randomized based on the last 8 bytes or 16 nibbles of the hash of the last block produced for the blockchain, so the algorithm is changing the order of the algorithms every minute. The 16 algorithms are assigned to an output on the hash as follows.
Here is an example given in the X16R whitepaper (separate from the Ravencoin whitepaper).
Raven hopes that its coin will be able to remain ASIC free with this algorithm, however, the team has stated it would add an algorithm such as Equihash (currently no ASICs) to its algorithm if an ASIC were to be produced for X16R.
“Ravencoin is designed to efficiently handle one specific function well: the transfer of assets from one party to another.”
The above quote is the theme for this portion of the paper and in my opinion the best part of the project. Ravencoin describes itself as a “use-case focused blockchain” and will be accomplishing that goal through the issuing of “tokens” on its blockchain. These tokens will be able to be issued by any Ravencoin user and will not need to be mined. Furthermore, the creator of the tokens will be able to decide the rules of the tokens independent of the Ravencoin protocol. Sounds pretty cool right?
This concept is based on the idea of adding tokens to the Bitcoin blockchain. These tokens have been around for a bit and the protocols that are used to create them are none as “Colored Coins.” Bitcoin was an obvious choice for the creation of these assets due to Bitcoin’s high level of security stemming from its incredibly large network, but the inclusion of these Colored Coins is not without issue. Since these protocols are layered on top of the Bitcoin blockchain all of the tokens need to obey the rules of Bitcoin.
Additionally, the Bitcoin network is not really “aware” of these assets. They are added into a special field in a Bitcoin transaction to let people know they are there, but the network itself just sees another Bitcoin transaction. The important part here is that someone can lose their token assets by sending them to an exchange or wallet that is not built to recognize those assets.
ERC20 tokens are a big deal and are built on top of the Ethereum network. This standard has allowed for the creation of many projects and a big way for money to enter into these projects with the ICO. The issue once again is that the Ethereum blockchain does not inherently recognize the smart contract tokens. Many tokens exist with the same name but no distinguishing factor on the Ethereum blockchain besides their contract addresses.
Ravencoin looked at those issues and came to the conclusion that its blockchain needed to be able to natively recognize any created assets so that those created assets may be sent and exchanged between users without the fear of loss from a misplaced transaction or confusion due to a misunderstanding of name.
The tokens or assets that are created on the blockchain will also be as transferable as any other cryptocurrency naturally is. In their whitepaper, the team outlines some categories of use cases for this system in Ravencoin. Assets could represent a real-world physical object such as gold, silver, or a land deed or a virtual good such as tickets to an event, an access token for a service, or an in-game item.
These tokens could also act as a security representing the stock of a company or lastly they may represent a credit like reward points, airline miles, or gift card. The possibilities are endless. Ravencoin gives users the ability to finally “tokenize the world.”
Ravencoin released their roadmap back on April 2nd along with their whitepaper. The project is currently in its 2nd phase of development which is categorized as “assets.” The team predicts that asset support will be “seven months after the release of Raven” putting the release of assets at July 3rd 2018. The project will hard fork and will allow for the issuance and transfer of assets on the Raven blockchain. To create these tokens an individual will have to provide a unique token name as well as burn RVN to create the assets. The creator will have to determine “quantity issued, the number of decimal places, and whether they will be allowed to issue more of the same token in the future” at the time of creation.
The next phase revolves around rewards and will create systems where users may be payed rewards in Raven (RVN). Rewards will be able to be sent out with a single command to holders of an asset. The reward is sent out in Raven and will be even split among all of the asset holders. Ravencoin provides a detailed example of how that functionality would work in their white paper.
The last phases are Unique tokens, Messaging of Stakeholders, and Voting. With the completion of those phases, an issuer of an asset on the Ravencoin blockchain could essentially act as a company, allowing holders to vote, receive dividends, and receive holder newsletters from the asset issuer. I am of course hammering the company and stock analogy here but the use cases extend to much more than a security. The roadmap may be found on the Ravencoin Github here.
Ravencoin is currently being traded at a price of $0.048241 or 526 Sats. The maximum supply of the coin is 21 billion and the current supply of the coin is just over 1 billion coins. With those numbers the market cap of the token is at $49 million (just under our limit of 50 million to be in this series). The 24 hour trading volume on the coin is $581k.
Ravencoin is traded on both the CryptoBridge and Nanex exchanges under the ticker symbol RVN. CryptoBridge takes the overwhelming lead in volume though with 97% daily volume. Raven is traded against BTC on CryptoBridge and NANO on Nanex. Links to both below.
CryptoBridge — https://crypto-bridge.org/
Nanex — https://nanex.co/
If you are interested in learning more about the Ravencoin project please see the following links.
Website — https://ravencoin.org/
CMC — https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/ravencoin/
ANN — https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=3238497.0
Github — https://github.com/RavenProject/Ravencoin
Whitepaper — https://ravencoin.org/Ravencoin.pdf
X16R white paper — https://ravencoin.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/X16R-Whitepaper.pdf
Twitter — https://twitter.com/Ravencoin
To be honest Ravencoin was a project I really didn’t “get” at first. After hearing about hte coin on Twitter I had done some light reading and all I would see are the common one liners “its ASIC resistant” “its decentralized” “its for ‘Asset Transfer’”. After reading more about the coin (mainly the whitepaper, seriously you should read it) I am extremely excited to see how this project will proceed and develop from here. The coin has a very interesting governance model and is focused on real world application and use.
I am not currently a holder of RVN, but that will most likely be changing in the near future. Thank you for reading today’s article. Friday’s article will be covering the coin Masari. Follow me on here or on Twitter @thant1194 or on InvestFeed @thant11 in order to remain up to date on all the content I release and hear my thoughts on crypto. Thank you again! I have to return some video tapes.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346855
|
__label__cc
| 0.587374
| 0.412626
|
Coldplay Live
2011: World festivals
[16-Sept-2011] Coldplay @ Austin City Limits Festival, Zilker Park, Austin, Texas
Thread starter jenflor
Sleep Satisfy
I'm confused. So will this ever be released as a pro shot along with the other songs?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLwFvcA8eS4
LFDianne
Biggest Will Fan
Some pictures from Friday night.
More pictures from Friday. If anyone has a better upload site that works, rather than photobucket, please let me know. The quality isn't very good on their site But it's easy to use...
Chris's jump down from the stage to run the aisle...
I really wish this had turned out better - love this picture of Guy and Jonny Both smiley.
Last of the "good" ones...
the_escapist
Just a flock of birds
does anybody has a link of a good quality video of Fix You to see Chris jumping into the crowd?
jenflor
Give me love over this...
Dianne, FANTASTIC pictures! Mine are crap, but I'll see if I can find some good ones to post. Also, a review, at some point! SO fun meeting you and getting to hang out with you this weekend!
busybeeburns
mr coldplaying himself
ACL Fest review: Coldplay
A few years ago in an article about sign language interpreters at music festivals, Austin resident and touring interpreter Barbie Parker talked about the relative difficulty of preparing to interpret for different kinds of artists. A legacy artist like Bob Dylan was a nightmare because of the deep canon and unpredictable setlist, while rappers presented a two-pronged problem because of speed of delivery and the multitude of plays on words and other lyrical devices that don’t translate gracefully to sign language.
You could learn something by watching the interpreters from Austin’s Lotusign do their work Saturday night while British rock band Coldplay banged out a grandiose, hit-after-hit-filled and consummately professional 90 minutes at Austin City Limits Festival. Mainly that the band is a gang of literal and lyrical generalists to the extreme, pretty much absent of metaphor, verbal trickery or allusion, with enough symbolism and personification (keys are held, clocks are watched, people are lost, etc.) to keep every set of lyrics from being “I used to be in love, and now I’m not” ad infinitum.
This insight about the band is hardly a revelation and as our great recent “defense” of the curiously maligned band points out, a big key to Coldplay’s success is the incredible accessibility of their lyrics, almost to the point of being musical comfort food for the loved, loveless and pretty much everyone who’s somewhere in between. But watching singer Chris Martin’s lyrics presented in a physical form with sweeping, easy motions - versus the near gymnastics demanded by a combo like Nas and Damian Marley earlier in the evening, or the arcane literary references of a band like The Decemberists - drove the point home in a new way; these are wide-open ideas populated by stock characters (God, devils, angels, children and “you” make up the bulk) in service of incredibly basic motivations. Inanimate object + verb + direct object + a U2- or Cure-sized melody = pretty much every Coldplay song ever written.
So it’s no wonder to find Coldplay on a headliner stage on a big festival like ACL and others all over the world. You pretty much can’t fit a song like “Viva La Vida” into a place with less than a five-figure capacity (though they tried pretty successfully Thursday night at an Austin City Limits television taping), “Yellow” soars high enough to scrape the heavens… everything the band does is big. Like book them for halftime of Super Bowl LX big. And clearly they’re comfortable projecting these songs in massive fashion. From the opening pulses of the new “Hurts Like Heaven” through to the end Martin bounded around the stage when he wasn’t behind a piano or guitar, reaching out the crowd (no one makes yearning as palatable as these guys) and delivered what is really a startling collection of hits for a band that’s been banging around for just over a decade.
Saturday found the foursome in a comfort zone, doing what they’ve done scores of times at this point and checking all the boxes you’d need them to fill as the night’s co-headliner. There were tastes of the upcoming album “Mylo Xyloto,” familiar songs given new colors (the closing of “God Put A Smile Upon Your Face was massive) and humorous asides like in “Everything’s Not Lost” about all the women in the audience wanting to see Coldplay while all the boys they were with really wanted to see Kanye West across the park. In all, enough new flourishes and surprises to keep it from feeling like a paying-the-bills hit parade.
It wasn’t a set that caused audience members to re-examine how they think about music as a whole as they filtered out of the park, but that’s never this band’s intent to begin with. Faces smiling, hands red from clapping and throats strained thanks to choruses so ingrained that singing to them is almost autonomic behavior, they left happy from seeing exactly what they had expected would be put before them, served up big and gulped down whole.
http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/music/entries/2011/09/17/acl_fest_review_coldplay.html?cxntfid=blogs_austin_music_source
romi_chris
Chris´Wife, Guy´s Lover
awesome pics!!!!!! thanks for sharing!!!!
jenflor said:
I'm so glad we met! The whole weekend was just surreal and so much fun. Can't wait to relive the taping on NYE, too! I have maybe 50 pictures that are ok from Friday - out of almost 200 I took. Didn't seem like I took that many, but most of them suck. So hard with the lighting and then that darn Chris just doesn't stand still for very long. Even Jonny and Guy were very dancey. But the camera man was in front of Guy most of the time, so my camera focused on him and not on Guy.
RAMINI99
Does anyone have ACL Artwork that could be used for the Paradise live single?
MartinFan
One I Love
DIANNE WONDERFUL pictures!!! The Will pics are fab, and the Jonny ones are, well he's looking mighty fine.....Guy "sigh"....... You know how I feel about the Martin ones
l0wxo2
I Saw Sparks
ACL Taping/ACL festival review
I literally just got home from Austin a few hours ago but couldn't wait to post my reviews, pics, and videos from the ACL taping/ACL festival!
ACL taping:
Dianne already mentioned how we got in.. but the whole experience of the taping felt so surreal to me. When we found out we got in, our tickets were scanned and we were immediately rushed upstairs to the balcony level because the taping was about to start. All of us were crying tears of joy and we could not believe what was happening. We were walking to our seats just as the back to the future theme came on. When I heard the opening of Hurts Like Heaven and saw the boys on the stage.. I knew it was really happening but I still felt like I had to pinch myself. The venue was really small and although we were in the balcony, we could see everything perfectly. In fact, nobody stood up in front of us until they did Viva later in the show. I stood up, danced, and sang the entire time! The set list was great and the boys were so happy and full of energy. When they played "Up In Flames" I burst into tears, the song is so beautiful and reminds me of why I fell in love with them in the first place. The new years countdown was so fun and I laughed when Chris said "Wait, I don't know how they do the countdown in America..." lol. When Every Teardrop was played at the end, I didn't want it to be over but felt so blessed to be apart of this magical evening.
I only got a few decent pictures because all I had was my iPhone:
Video of Up In Flames:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH9eJecF3tI"]Coldplay performing Up in Flames at the Acl taping - YouTube[/ame]
ACL Festival:
Me, Dianne, and my friend all met up at the entrance to the festival a little after 10 and the gates did not open until 11. We heard Coldplay do their soundcheck, which was awesome. Once the gates opened, we ran like hell to the AMD stage and let me tell you, that was not an easy jog. It paid off though because we got front row center! The day dragged at some points but once "99 Problems" came on and we knew Coldplay were about to come on, all the waiting was worth it. The boys looked so happy, I was slightly bummed when they didn't play Up In Flames again but Paradise is just lovely live... really really amazing. The crowd wasn't as great as I had hoped it would be but we still had a blast. During Fix you, Phil came and sat directly in front of us, Dianne pointed it out but I was too nervous to talk to him(He wouldn't have been able to hear me anyway lol) and when Chris jumped off the stage, I freaked out and Phil turned around and smiled at me when Chris came back, Phil left and we didn't get a chance to meet him but that was still awesome because I have never seen him up close before. So surreal seeing Coldplay that up close and it was one of the greatest moments of my life. I loved meeting all the coldplayers(Dianne, Jen, and Amanda) and hanging out with them all day. Truly a magical night
Video of Paradise:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9dTepYA7Pk"]Coldplay - Paradise at ACL - YouTube[/ame]
Afeather
l0wxo2 said:
Just got back to my hotel room about an hour ago... The show was fantastic and there is nothing like seeing a Coldplay show from the front row. The boys were so happy and full of energy and crazy how Phil was sitting in front of us at one point!loved hanging out with Dianne, Jen, and Amanda all day! Will post pics and video when I get back home to Vegas on Monday!
***** This is my first chance to really write & even now, it won't be that much since I'm mentally & physically spent from my week in Texas. Jimmy, Jen, Lauren, Jessica, Dianne and Mitch, Dianne's incredibly genius husband/concession extraordinaire -- thank you for the amazingly fun time at ACL. It was such a pleasure to meet you, and I sincerely thank you for allowing me to share in the collective experience. My only regrets are not starting out sooner with my walk to Zilker (a mistake I did not repeat Saturday & Sunday) and not taking the time to thoroughly research a digital camera before up & buying one at a Best Buy kiosk. Better yet, find out how all three of those girls directly behind us Friday managed to sneak their DLSR cameras into the festival!
I have yet to look through my photos and small video snippets because it's been go, go, go since last Friday. I plan to knock it out sometime later on today after a nap. Here's to hoping some little gem can be gleaned from a photo or two, though 100% sure nothing of mine will top Dianne's photos!
Texasluvsjonny said:
He was totally soaked in sweat so I'm sure he was slippery as hell. Mike said "his calves are wet. How does some one even sweat on their calves?" :lol:
Rather easily if your Chris Martin, Grand Poobah of fidgeting.
lfdianne said:
Have you tried Google's Picasa? Very user friendly.
Texasluvsjonny
Jonny's personal fluffer
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFyzLMQR3ok"]Chris.3GP - YouTube[/ame]
ANGIE! That's awesome you got that video! The cameras didn't follow him back, so we had no idea what he was doing! I seem to recall him climbing some scaffolding at the 2005 performance, too.... crazy man!
Yeah he climbed and hung upside down last time. The heat makes him loco :lol:
I was laughing so hard I couldn't get my phone out to shoot it fast enough. He ran back and was looking for something to do, then decided on the climb. Mike got some good pics. I'll ask him to post them here.
There was NO security. None. Zero. Zip! We could have easily went through the opening in the barrier for the roadies and grabbed him. Ha Kelly would have swooped and beat the shit out of us, but we would have captured Chrissy for a bit.
^ OMG, he's freaking crazy! LOL.
Hahaha...that's funny. We couldn't see what was going on back there. Crazy Chris.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346856
|
__label__cc
| 0.683111
| 0.316889
|
Browse up a level:News Navigation menu for the following sub-section:
Learners’ Spouses, Significant Others Find Community in Mayo Families’ Connection
Members gather for the group's signature event, the Welcome Brunch. Photo by Sonya G Photography.
By Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science staff
The Mayo Families’ Connection (MFC) is an organization of spouses and significant others of Mayo Clinic residents, fellows, research fellows, and learners.
The MFC helps spouses and significant others find a community at Mayo Clinic. The group functions as a support system and provides a way for families to get plugged in through programs and social functions with a variety of special interest groups.
Some of the special interest groups include an art group, a book club, intramural sports, a Bible study, playdates for toddlers and babies, and outreach groups.
MFC member, Amber Dowling, wife to a five-year surgical resident, said she found a group of friends through the special interest groups, specifically the book club and art club. She went on to explain, "Following a spouse or significant other to a new city for training has a number of challenges, but the members of MFC are all navigating these life changes together. Through MFC I've been fortunate enough to make friendships that will undoubtedly last long after our time in Rochester is up."
MFC Vice President Cheyenne Labott is one of many spouses who found a tribe in MFC. Labott’s husband Josh is a medical student and they relocated to Rochester from Milwaukee. “When I moved here, I knew no one,” she explained. “It wasn’t until I went to my first MFC event that I met a dozen of friendly faces going through exactly what I am going through. This community helps me to remember that I am important and valued; this is sometimes hard to remember when your life choices and decisions center around your spouse. I highly recommend any spouse or significant other to get involved in MFC. It makes the transition much easier.”
Currently, the MFC is solely held on the Rochester campus, but Katie Cushwa, MFC president, said, “If there are folks on the ground in Arizona and Florida who are interested in getting it going we would love to support them.”
One of the signature events, the Welcome Brunch, takes place in July and coincides with the start of the academic year as new learners step on campus. The Welcome Brunch gives those new to Rochester an opportunity to make new friends, learn about the Rochester community, and the special interest groups that MFC offers.
In closing, Labott said, “MFC is itself a community here in Rochester full of so many faces in all stages of life and from all over the country and the world. MFC is really unique and I am proud to be a part of it.”
The photos in this article are provided by Sonya G Photography.
About ▸ News ▸ 2019 News Archive ▸ Learners’ Spouses, Significant Others Find Community in Mayo Families’ Connection
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346858
|
__label__wiki
| 0.627243
| 0.627243
|
Drum and Bass Invades The OC
December 4, 2018 by Brian Grimmett
COSTA MESA SOUND CLASH Dec. 19 at The Wayfarer
As the OC Drum and Bass scene only continues to grow, another show is coming Dec 19 at the Wayfarer. The Costa Mesa Soundclash features a diverse lineup of local DnB talent: Rankin, What??, Ron 2 3, McNutt, and 2Much on the turntables with support from MC’s New Gent, Onemic, Slim, Werd, and Woes.
“That’s what all those old Reggae and Dub shows were, all those dancehall shows,” explains Ron 2 3 of the show’s name. “All those turntable and huge speakers…People would just come up and put on whatever the newest things were. You know, the MC and whole dancehall vibe of drum and bass originates from this or was inspired by it at least. They would use the term ‘soundclash’ cuz it was like a clash, a battle of sounds.”
The night is sure to be full of surprises for newcomers and old school fans alike. “I try my best to try and take the listener on a journey throughout drum and bass,” says McNutt. “I love the highs and lows that drum and bass can offer. I try and give the listener a rollercoaster type experience.
“There’s really so much to love about it but my favorite thing is the energy you get from a good blend/double. DnB gives you the freedom to create something new by combining two songs. Every now and then a good double can make you feel like you just drank a cup of coffee!”
Drum and bass has been thriving in Orange County for some time now. Shows such as this do occur on a regular basis; a major reason for that is due to the support provided by the organization Upgrade DNB, who has remained steadfast in delivering this music to our local area for many years now. There is also a revival of interest in the genre taking place.
“I’m excited to come out of a long DnB hibernation!” declares Rankin, who has been a DJ for over a decade now.
Each DJ and MC on this bill brings their own unique flow to the table and intertwine those styles together to create a vibe that can’t be experienced anywhere else. The desire for this particular lineup has been percolating for a long time amongst the DJ’s as well. It’s this kind of heart and passion, along with the endless stylistic variations of the music that attracts so many to this form of electronic music.
Get it on the fun and excitement when it hits The Wayfarer Wednesday the 19th!
Filed Under: For The Love Of Bass
BBB And CAMP TRIP Pave The Way Forward
November 16, 2018 by Brian Grimmett
photo: Regal D
“Big Booty Bass (BBB) has always been a unique bass music movement, and now with the record label side of things we strive to push the limits of quality music, from experimental to straight ‘for the dance floor’ music,” states BBB co-founder Rene Moreno of Kronology/Wires.
Established in 2010 with a well-known reputation for throwing some of the best parties around, BBB did just that with their BBB X CAMP TRIP take over event. Along with BBB, CAMP TRIP is a bass music events group who have established themselves through their yearly camp trip event, as well as a unique approach to curating artist lineups.
“Our attitudes towards music reflects other aspects of our lives,” describes CAMP TRIP co-founder Devan Mardyks. “It’s an insight into how we view our personal worlds. In today’s echo chamber of tribalism, music suffers from the same downfall as politics. We try to bring different musical styles when we come out and play. That’s what BBB and CAMP TRIP are all about. We want to unite the tribes.”
Upon arriving at the event, my ears were instantly filled with the deep sub bass and fragmented sounds pouring from the speakers. Everything was well balanced despite the challenges of the environment, and from the get-go people were dancing like there was no tomorrow. There were two rooms: an outside room filled with the bpm’s of house, breaks, and techno while the beats of Drum and Bass were housed inside.
show flyer
Opening the night in the inside room was Reft; using a choice selection of heavy driving tunes, he whipped the dancefloor into a frenzy. In the outside room, Zelduh delivered steady pounding basslines that got people pulsating instantaneously. Following Zelduh came the deep breaks of Chrome Mami. Her builds climbed slowly and methodically, releasing the peaks with deep drops that had a serious thrill factor. Bouncing back inside, I was greeted by the debut set of Wires. A BBB collab between Kronology and Famburglar, the experimental sound explorations coupled with subterranean beat warping’s riled up the crowd and kickstarted the vibe of the party into high gear.
Midnight hit, and Keekz was on deck. Delivering addictive dancefloor beats that morphed into soulful soundscapes, it became obvious the party had hit its stride. A feeling came over me that everyone was united by the music and anything had become possible. Trekking back outside, I arrived just in time to catch Hardknocker dominating the dance floor. The throbbing bass of the beats was the sound of pure fun, with nearly every head and/or body grooving along.
There was no time to rest as Shleebs took over and started his set with C.R.E.A.M. by the Wu Tang Clan (in honor of the anniversary of the album it hails from). A sure sign we were in store for some eclectic selections, I soon found myself in a sort of “dance trance,” with one single thought roaming through my head: “This vibe I could dance for days to.” Ripping myself out of the trance however, it was time to race inside to catch the rolling basslines of DIP Vertigo. The audience was getting more and more wild as his set continued, with massive cheers as he dropped tracks with sheer precision.
L.A. legend R.A.W./6Blocc continued fueling the energy; demonstrating his prowess in laying down the jungle stylings which make him a crowd favorite, he also sneaked in plenty of surprises for even longtime fans. Continuing the pinball game, I jetted outside for the finely crafted beats of Origin. Expect the unexpected defined this set. There was a moment of pure magic when Origin found a hypnotic angular rhythm that perfectly suited the vocal stylings of Pookie P and MC Dell. As Origin’s set ended, Ekin swooped in with his stylings. Evoking a grimy dubby feel at one point in his set, it was the perfect reminder this party was still in full swing.
Amazed by the true diversity of talent present, it begs the question how did this event happen in the first place?
“In regard to us working with CAMP TRIP on the takeover, they’ve always supported our artists and team with their events; and we felt the timing was finally right to give back and do the same for them,” explains BBB co-founder Gabriel Barrere, better known to most as Gabriel Habit. “We love what Keekz and the gang have built, and their ethos is very similar to our own,” “Keekz helped choose a few key performers from their team, and we booked the rest of the lineup with the overall flow of the night in mind.”
Back inside, APX1 came hard and heavy. The dancefloor was a sea of pulsing bodies, moving in unison to the growling vibrations and crackling energy pouring from this seminal DJ. After this heated set came the twisting sounds of Johnny V. His uncanny ability for flowing from staggered halftime beats into heavy rollers created explosions in the body and mind, inspiring a new wave of ecstatic dancing. Yet again moving outdoors, Emotional Noise brought their tech house swagger replete with deep melodic grooves.
Mark Lizaola closed out the outside room. Delivering steady hypnotic vibrations of techno for all to enjoy, the patrons kept the momentum even after the music stopped. Meanwhile, Junglist Platoon legend Arkho used classic jungle breaks to satisfy the lust for dance everyone still had inside. Those remaining even got a surprise: a short mix from Gabriel Habit, who threw down heavy hitting tracks for all those not ready for the party to end.
An epic night featuring a diverse cast of DJs. It possessed all the elements of a massive warehouse party while bringing the inclusive communal vibe of an outdoor rave to the mix. Parties such as these are rare, and there was a sensation of something unique occurring.
“For the past decade of my life in Los Angeles, I’ve gone to a lot of great events, lots of big acts, UK headliners, etc.…and those shows were awesome,” notes CAMP TRIP co-founder Keekz. “But last night, we had a full lineup of nothing but local talent, and we were able to pack the venue from start to finish.
“There’s something special happening right now in Los Angeles…crews are coming together, walls are being knocked down, and gaps are getting bridges. It won’t be long until our community creates a launchpad, to propel our local artists into global recognition, and finally bring our scene to a respectable level, on par with our reflections across the pond.”
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346869
|
__label__wiki
| 0.568426
| 0.568426
|
50 Movies We Can’t Wait to See in 2020
Wonder Woman’s in the ’80s, Spike Lee’s in Vietnam, and the Ghostbusters are in Oklahoma? Wild times.
by CoS Staff
on January 08, 2020, 11:30am
Cats estimated to lose up to $100 million
Universal’s ill-fated adaptation is a cat-astrophe at the box office.
by Robin Bacior
on December 30, 2019, 12:49am
Even Universal Studios admits Cats sucks
The studio removed the film from their “For Your Consideration” page.
by Nina Corcoran
The 25 Greatest Christmas Movies of All Time
These movies remind us just how wonderful, or at least interesting, this time of year can be.
by Michael Roffman,Matt Melis,Dominick Suzanne-Mayer and Cap Blackard
on December 24, 2019, 6:40am
Cats bombs at the box office with $6.5 million opening
Tom Hooper’s adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Broadway musical debut at No. 4 in its opening weekend.
Universal is trying to fix Cats by sending new visual effects to theaters
Even though the movie is already in theaters.
on December 22, 2019, 11:25pm
Film Review: Cats Is a Declawed Disaster
Tom Hooper turns the beloved show into a future punchline.
on December 18, 2019, 7:00pm
Michael Jackson musical blames sexual abuse allegations on alien glove
For the Love of Glove opens in January in Los Angeles.
Johnny Depp producing musical starring Michael Jackson’s glove
The play will see the King of Pop’s iconic sequin glove as “an alien from outer space [and] feeds on virgin boy blood.”
Mrs. Doubtfire musical saying helloooo to Broadway next spring
Previews will begin on March 9th.
on October 16, 2019, 1:34pm
A Grease TV spinoff series is in the works for HBO Max
Rydell High will feature the returning of familiar characters.
Billy Joel’s catalog to become musical TV anthology series
The series Scenes from an Italian Restaurant will focus on characters from Joel’s songs.
on September 25, 2019, 12:08pm
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346871
|
__label__cc
| 0.73329
| 0.26671
|
Local News Coverage of Anti-Abortion Ballot Initiative Promotes Misinformation
Will Republicans Join the Fight to Save Journalism in Colorado?
Oil & Gas Association Isn’t Supporting the Recalls, but Recall Organizers Still Say Democrats Should be Ousted for Supporting New Oil & Gas Law
Republican “Sabotage” Is Largely to Blame for Expected Increase in Health Insurance Rates, Say Progressive Analysts
Colorado just made it easier to access contraception
Madeleine Schmidt
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a bill Monday that will make it easier for women to access birth control.
The new law will allow women to stock up on a year’s supply of birth control medication in a single trip to their pharmacy. Until now, insurers have only allowed women to pick up a one to three month supply of birth control at a time.
This change may seem relatively minor compared to the many hurdles women face when it comes to accessing reproductive care and planning their lives, but advocates say having to pick up a prescription every one to three months can pose significant challenges, especially for women who travel frequently, attend school, or live in rural areas. And sometimes, women run into unexpected obstacles, like changes to insurance, that can prevent them from taking their birth control on time, which raises the risk of an unintended pregnancy.
A 2011 study from the National Institutes of Health found that unintended pregnancies were cut by nearly a third when women were provided with a one-year supply of contraceptives compared to one or three months worth of medication at a time.
Advocates say the law will particularly benefit lower- and middle-income women who may lack reliable access to transportation or have unpredictable work hours.
Jolene Cardenas of the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR) said in a statement that the change is a major win for Latinx communities, where “systemic barriers like poverty, language, lack of transportation and immigration status make getting care more difficult, resulting in ongoing health disparities.”
Low-income Latinas are twice as likely to experience unintended pregnancies as low-income white women.
Similar laws are in place in seven other states, including California, Oregon, and Vermont.
birth controlCOLORColorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive RightscontraceptivesHealth CareJohn Hickenlooper
Madeleine is a progressive journalist and blogger covering Colorado politics and policy with a focus on reproductive health, rights, and justice. She recently graduated from Colorado College, where she studied Comparative Literature and Journalism. In Colorado Springs, she worked in the newsroom at KRCC, southern Colorado’s NPR affiliate, before moving to Denver to pursue a career in journalism and advocacy. In addition to the Colorado Times Recorder and KRCC, her work has appeared in Rewire.News, Jezebel, BigMedia.org, The Colorado Springs Independent, and ColoradoPols.com. Reach her by email at [email protected]
Home › Forums › Colorado just made it easier to access contraception
This topic has 0 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 2 years, 7 months ago by
Madeleine Schmidt.
June 7, 2017 at 12:07 pm #4586
Posted a new article: Colorado just made it easier to access contraception
Log in to reply to this topic
Gardner Erases His Opposition to Obamacare From His Campaign Website
Denver Womxn’s March 2020
GOP Lawmakers Push Bill to Make Health Care for Transgender Youth a Felony in Colo
Big Media Blog
© 2020 Colorado Times Recorder
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346875
|
__label__wiki
| 0.521211
| 0.521211
|
Technical/Modifications
Chief Bonehead on the AK6 K Horn
By Wirrunna, April 12, 2019 in Technical/Modifications
ClaudeJ1 1944
3 hours ago, Edgar said:
There's all kinds of pedantic but unimportant analysis that could be performed, concerning the difference between driver offset and horn length, but I'm not going there. Really, the only important thing is that the path length is not 8 feet.
It is an EFFECTIVE 8 foot horn if you include 4 foot false corners (or natural ones) and the front face of the horn at low frequencies.
Edgar 434
17 minutes ago, ClaudeJ1 said:
It is with 4 foot false corners or natural ones.
Both physical measurements and time delay measurements fail to support that. You could argue that the room corner forms the final portion of the horn, but then there is a huge discontinuity in the contour somewhere between the five and six foot marks.
Arkytype 36
Location: NW Arkansas
Keep in mind that the Klipsch La Scala, Belle, Jubilee and Klipschorn bass cabinet acoustic paths are bifurcated. I don't think you can arbitrarily add the two internal path lengths together or double the length of the external wall extensions to gain a longer "effective" path. As Edgar states, the measurements don't support that.
You can, however, supposedly take either of the "single" mouth areas and multiply that by a factor of 8 (assuming corner loading) to arrive at the total "effective" mouth area.
Curiously, in the July 1, 1980 U.S. Patent 4,210,223, co-inventors PWK & Gary Gillum used not only a factor of 12 (instead of 😎 for a Pi/2 loading to determine the necessary mouth size, but they added both of the bifurcated mouth areas together! I'm still scratching my head over that one.
US4210223.pdf
What the......?
Previous post should read, in part, "...co-inventors PWK & Gary Gillum used not only a factor of 12 (instead of eight) for a Pi/2 loading..."
Panelhead 93
My limited experience is that horns are forgiving. I once made a pair and installed an internal panel off at one end by over 1 1/2”. Should have ruined the expansion rate.
The two cabinets sounded and measured the same. Never tried to fix this issue. Used them happily for several years.
Schu 4361
Klipsch Forum Lifer
The LS isn't bifurcated...
moray james 1500
Klipsch Fanatic
14 minutes ago, Schu said:
I think you have gotten confused, the path of a LaScala splits left and right exactly after the throat opening into two distinct horns each with a path of its own they join back together as one at the mouth of the horn. That is bifurcated.
There was an audible gasp from my Rosewood Belle when she heard she might not be bifurcated. I had to play soothing music to assuage her fears. At least she's not an orphan!
/ˈbīfərˌkāt/
divide into two branches or forks.
"just below Cairo the river bifurcates"
/bīˈfərkāt,bīˈfərkət/
forked; branched.
"a bifurcate tree"
TasDom 2044
Location: Albuquerque, N.M.
Probably explains the "knee" at 50 Hz., also on the Jubilee without Roy's 32 Hz. Boost.
Tony Martin and his team of "industrial designers" (or who ever is responsible) should be horsewhipped for turning the Klipschorn's classic appearance into a bad joke. By removing the "B-style" collar separating the bass horn from the upper housing, the balance and beauty of PWK's visionary styling has been lost in favor of .......what exactly? According to Klipsch ad copy, they "....removed the inset collar or spacer...for a cleaner aesthetic appearance."
Oh, to have been a fly on the wall at that fateful design meeting in Indy! Fade up to a conference room where Tony Martin and his design team wizards are reclining in their Aeron office chairs sipping kale smoothies from the Klipsch vending service. "Hey Tony," says one of the minions wiping off his green mustache. "I know how we can save $39.45 in manufacturing costs on the K-Horn----let's eliminate that tacky collar and re-invent the Style C model! I can get us a deal on rubber feet to separate the bass horn from the top section. And, say, while we're making improvements to the K-Horn's looks, let's make it even taller by adding a four-inch ----no, make that a two-inch riser. That'll add to the WAF fer sure. Now, if you've got a minute, I've got some ideas for the Cornwall............" Fade to black.
No, what they did was revive the old Style C Klipschorn which did not have the collar. Then, rather than attaching the upper assembly flush with the bass cabinet, they are using what looks to be round rubber equipment feet as spacers. Next, they'll want to enclose the back so you can use the Klipschorn away from the corner. Oh yeah, they already did that.
Hey Rogelio, er Chief bonehead; how about showing us some curves of an enclosed Klipschorn cabinet several feet away from a corner compared to the proper corner location?
I have to comment here;
Roy deserves complete respect. He is more committed than all of us.
This is still a corner horn. If you want a speaker desired to operate in free space, get a La Scala and give up the last 20 Hz.
The support (isolation) looks a lot like the rubber pucks used between the bass cabinet and top hat of my LS ii. May not be fancy, looks fine to me, and isolation may be a goal.
Location: Rossville, GA just South of Chattanooga TN
13 hours ago, moray james said:
All true, but the paths join back together in a single exit. The LS doesn't have the lobing that takes place with the Khorn, Jube, MWM and Belle.
Kevin S 90
Location: Woodstock, Md.
1 hour ago, Arkytype said:
Could you be any more disrespectful? I hope everyone at Klipsch ignores you, as they should.
Is it possible that the 8ft. length refers to what the length of a straight horn would have to be to reproduce the lowest Khorn frequency, and not the actual length of the Khorn’s path?
Islander 696
Location: Vancouver Island, BC, Canada
5 hours ago, Panelhead said:
Exactly. We’re on a company website, installed and supported by Klipsch, so it should be common courtesy to be respectful to any Klipsch employees who comment or participate in any way on the forum.
in addition, having the participation of the top engineer, who developed or co-developed many of the speakers that we enjoy every day, is very, very, rare. It’s important to appreciate this, because Roy really is an invaluable source of advice and knowledge. Without him, there would be no JubScala, and the Jubilee would not be as good as it is.
As for the reasons for the 2-piece construction of the AK-6 Klipschorn, isolation could be one reason, and an important one, but ease of moving the speaker is also very likely. Having the La Scala II in 2 sections is a big help, and in the case of the even taller K-horn, it would be even more of a benefit.
Another, possibly less important, reason to go 2-piece is that it allows the toe-in of the HF section to be different from that of the LF section, just like with the La Scala Industrial split model. I just started experimenting with that with my JubScala IIs, and it was super simple to just turn the big 402 horns to the direction I wanted to try, and when I find the ideal direction, only then do I need to deal with shifting the heavy bass sections into the matching directions. That really simplifies the job, which is great! It’s even possible to leave the tops and bottoms in positions of slight disagreement, since our ears are less sensitive to the directions and points of origin of bass tones.
So that’s 3 reasons for the 2-piece cabinets of Klipschorns and La Scala IIs. Oh, yeah, there’s a 4th. When putting the Jubilee tweeter assembly on an LS2, you can choose to put it directly on the bass cabinet, or leave the two cabinets together and put it on top of the HF cabinet. You get a choice of heights, for looks and convenience, or to choose the apparent stage height of the performer(s) you’re listening to. It’s a really ideal arrangement.
The answer is kind of Yes and No. The LS bass horn is bifurcated for most of its length, but the two sides join at the mouth to become one big horn mouth, and that’s how the mouth size would be measured or calculated. Its in-room performance is like that of a single large horn, with no lobing issues. Therefore, the way it’s a single, non-bifurcated, horn at both its throat and mouth would make it, in effect, a single horn in every way that matters.
boom3 122
Could this extra "mystery length" be the width of the front panel where the two paths join?
WMcD 667
Maybe they were thinking of a Patrician IV. Smile.
WMcD
One nuance of the design video deserves some comment. The Klipschorns, when tucked into corners, look smaller than they appear straight out of the box. Emphasizing the "stance" by the riser (which protects that nice veneer from vacuum cleaners and feet) and pulling out from the corner (not my notion of proper operation, enclosed back not withstanding) makes them look bigger, more in-you-face.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346879
|
__label__wiki
| 0.903053
| 0.903053
|
jjc@uw.edu
M 262F Denny Hall
MW 2:30-3:20 and by appointment
Bible StudiesClassicsFilm/CinemaFolklore and MythologyHellenistic PoetryHistoriographyLatin LiteraturePopular CultureRoman Archeology and TopographyRoman History and Culture
Ph.D., UC Berkeley, 1983
M.A., Fordham University, 1976
B.A., University of Scranton (summa cum laude), 1974
CV (223.82 KB)
Selected Research
James J. Clauss, "The Near Eastern Background of Aetiological Wordplay in Callimachus," in J.J.H. Klooster, M.A. Harder, R.F. Regtuit, G.C. Wakker (edd.) Callimachus Revisited: New Perspectives in Callimachean Scholarship (= Hellenistica Groningana 24) (2019) pp. 65-96.
James J Clauss, "Teaching the Old and New Testaments to Students of Greek and Latin Simultaneously with Numerous and Fascinating Learning Outcomes," Teaching Classical Languages 10 (2019) pp. 99-125
James J. Clauss, "Nicander of Colophon: Theriaca," in D. Sider (ed.), Hellenistic Poetry: A Selection (University of Michigan Press) pp. 440-462.
James J. Clauss, "The Hercules and Cacus Episode in Augustan Literature: Engaging the Homeric Hymn to Hermes in Light of Callimachus' and Apollonius' Reception," in A. Faulkner, A. Vergados, A. Schwab (edd.) The Reception of the Homeric Hymns (Oxford University Press 2016) pp. 55-78.
"Heldendämmerung Anticipated: The Gods in Apollonius' Argonautica," in The Gods of Greek Hexameter Poetry. From the Archaic Age to Late Antiquity and Beyond. Edited by James J. Clauss, Martine Cuypers and Ahuvia Kahane. Franz Steiner Verlag. 2016. pp. 135-151
James J. Clauss, Martine Cuypers, Ahuvia Kahane (eds.), The Gods of Greek Hexameter Poetry. From the Archaic Age to Late Antiquity and Beyond. Franz Steiner Verlag 2016 Download PDF (70.39 KB)
“Myth and Mythopoesis in Valerius Flaccus’ Argonautica,” in M. Heerink and G. Manuwald (edd.) Brill’s Companion to Valerius Flaccus (Leiden/Boston 2014) pp. 99-114
James J. Clauss, Martine Cuypers, Companion to Hellenistic Literature, (Blackwell, 2010; paperback edition 2014)
James J. Clauss, Daniel P. Harmon (translators). Filippo Coarelli, Rome and Environs: An Archeological Guide. University of California Press: 2007; updated edition 2014.
James J. Clauss. "Callimachus" (1.221-222), "Capitoline Hill" (1.230-231) "Carinae" (1.232), "Forum" (2.498), "Forum Augustum" (2.498-499) "Forum Boarium" (2.499), "Forum Romanum" (2.2.500), "Medea" (2.797) in R. F. Thomas and J. M. Ziolkowski (edd.) The Virgil Encyclopedia (Wiley-Blackwell 2014)
James J. Clauss. "Nicander of Colophon," The Encyclopedia of Ancient History (Wiley-Blackwell 2013) 9.4784-86
James J. Clauss. "The Argonautic Anabasis: Myth and Hellenic Identity in Apollonius' Argonautica, Mythe et pouvoir a' l'époque hellénistique (Peeters 2012) 417-437
James J. Clauss. "The Benefits of Honors Education for All College Students." Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council. 2011. 95-100.
James J. Clauss, Sarah Iles Johnston. Medea: Essays on Medea in Myth, Literature, Philosophy and Art. Princeton University Press: 1997.
James J. Clauss. The Best of the Argonauts: The Redefinition of the Epic Hero in Book One of Apollonius' Argonautica. University of California Press: 1993.
Research Advised: Undergraduate Senior Essays
Richard Russell. "The Glenn Hughes Lectures." Senior Essay, 2016.
Jennifer Bull. "It's not so easy to fool little girls nowadays: the transformation of Little Red Riding Hood from ingenue to self-possessed woman." Senior Essay, 2013.
Research Advised: Graduate Dissertations
Rachel Carlson. The Honey Bee and Apian Imagery in Classical Literature (2015)
Robin Greene. Muse without Measure: Callimachus and the Greek Prose Traditions. Diss., 2011.
Molly Herbert. "Almost Knowing How to Read:" Scribes as Creative Partners in Homeric Transmission. Diss., 2009.
Marilyn Likosky. Representations of Women in Theocritus. Diss., 2007.
Jackie Murray. Polyphonic Argo. Diss., 2005.
Research Advised: Undergraduate Honors Theses
Benjamin Winslow. Lost in Translation: The Issues of Trans-cultural Communication of Sacrificial Terminology in the Septuagintal Leviticus (Honors Thesis, in progress)
GREEK 463 A: Hellenistic Greek Literature
CLAS 496 A: Special Topics
GREEK 520 A: Seminar
CLAS 430 A: Greek and Roman Mythology
CLAS 432 A: Classical Mythology in Film
GREEK 102 A: Introductory Greek
CLAS 424 A: The Epic Tradition
CLAS 405 A: Undergraduate Seminar in Classics
GREEK 405 A: Undergraduate Seminar in Classics
LATIN 405 A: Undergraduate Seminar in Classics
LATIN 461 A: Latin Literature Of The Republic
CLAS 520 A: Seminar
CLAS 399 A: Study Abroad: Classics
CLAS 540 A: Topics In Greek And Latin Literary History
GREEK 304 A: Introductory Readings In Greek Literature
GREEK 404 A: Advanced Readings In Greek Literature
LATIN 422 A: Livy
GREEK 428 A: Imperial Greek Literature
Resources & Related Links
Professor Clauss's Website
Affiliated Departments:
Cinema & Media Studies
Near Eastern Languages & Civilization
Classics OMA&D Program in its 24th Year - June 12, 2019
Professor Clauss featured in 'Faculty Friday' - April 19, 2019
Classics Undergraduates present their research at Annual Symposium - May 13, 2016
Jim Clauss on how the Greeks put the world in order: Ancient Greek perspectives in Physics and Astronomy's Cosmologies and Cultures course - March 23, 2016
A testimony from a former participant in Professor Clauss' OMAD Rome Academic Enrichment Program - April 22, 2015
UC Press publishes updated version of Rome and Environs: An Archaeological Guide - May 21, 2014
Professor Clauss heads to Europe with the UW volleyball team - June 19, 2013
UW Honors Program named 'Best in the West' - June 18, 2012
Professor Clauss accompanies UW women's basketball team on mythic tour of Scandinavia. - May 7, 2012
Miscellanea Classica: Beginnings, Endings and In-between (Undergraduate Research Symposium) - May 20, 2016 - 3:30pm to 5:15pm
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346890
|
__label__cc
| 0.611179
| 0.388821
|
Charlie Day Talks About His Vision for ‘Pac-Rim 2′
There are still some high hopes that Pacific Rim will get a sequel, not many, but there are some. One of the hopers is Charlie Day, who played one of the scientists studying the monstrous kaiju in the film, and recently he talked to CraveOnline.com about would could happen, and what he’d like to see happen, in a potential Pac-Rim 2. You can read the full and complete interview by clicking on the link, but the pertinent gold nugget can be read below:
“I remember when I first met with him (Del Toro) that he liked the idea of Newt becoming a bit of a villain in the second film. But, I think over the course of making the film, and the way the character resonated with the audience, I don’t think he would want to turn him into a villain now, but I really have no idea….Guillermo is one of these guys that his mind is so active that he might have an idea about something and then it’s a completely different idea five minutes later. I’m hopeful that we get to drive a big punching robot. I think traditionally in those comics, sometimes the science guys put together a cheap, dorky version of one of the robots so maybe we’ll get to do something like that.”
Sounds like Day wants a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em robot version of a jaeger. There seems to be a lot of fun speculation about what a Pacific Rim sequel might entail, but it’s worth pointing out that as of this past weekend, after a full month of release, Pacific Rim 1 has yet to cross $100 million domestically. Money might still roll in overseas, but that low of a box office number for North America might be a turn off for the studio when considering any sequel talk. Maybe Day should but his ideas in a comic book of his own. Alas.
What do you Bastards have to say? Still want a Pac-Rim sequel?
Source: Comic Book Movie
Categories: pacific rim 2 | Tags: charlie day, cosplay, film, pacific rim, pacific rim 2, robots, sequel | Leave a comment
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346899
|
__label__wiki
| 0.967928
| 0.967928
|
Open Menu Open Menu Open Menu
Close Menu Close Menu Close Menu
Creative Ireland
Cruinniú
Workshop on growth potential of Irish film & TV sector takes place today
Taking place today at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, a Media Production Workshop with representatives from the film, broadcast and animation industry will be hosted by Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD.
Part of the Creative Ireland Programme, over 150 representatives from across the film and media production sector, including the Irish Film Board, RTÉ, Animation Ireland, Screen Producers Ireland, TG4, as well as award-winning independent production companies, gather in Dublin today to focus on building Ireland’s potential as a global leader in film production, TV and radio drama, and documentary and animation.
The outcomes of today’s event will form the basis of a major strategic Government-led initiative to promote and develop Ireland as a Centre of Excellence in Media Production, a core objective of the Creative Ireland Programme.
Speaking at the workshop in Kilmainham today Minister Humphreys noted:
“Ireland is a nation of storytellers; I want us to maximise these skills to drive significant growth in the film, TV and animation production sectors in the years ahead.
Today’s workshop is about bringing all of the key figures involved in the audiovisual sector together to maximise the potential of the industry as a whole. For example, I believe there are greater opportunities for the State broadcaster to work with independent film production companies. If you consider just the last number of years, Irish filmmakers and animators have had incredible success on the global stage.”
Last year, Minister Humphreys commissioned an economic analysis of Ireland’s screen-based creative industries, which is examining the economic impact and potential of the our film, TV and animation sector. Preliminary findings from the study, which is being conducted by Olsberg SPI Ltd in association with Nordicity, reveal that:
The audiovisual sector supported nearly 15,000 full-time jobs last year (including direct and spin-off jobs)
6,700 Irish residents work as cast or crew in live action film and TV
Over 800 Irish residents work in the post-production and VFX sectors and more than 1,000 Irish residents work in the animation sector
Ireland’s audiovisual sector attracted over €150 million in inward investment in 2016
The international market for Irish produced content has increased substantially with a growing capacity for significant further growth
James Hickey, Chief Executive of the Irish Film Board also added:
“Creative Ireland is a very welcome initiative placing creativity at the centre of Government policy in Ireland. Irish storytelling on film and animation is as important to the lifeblood of Ireland as any of Ireland’s other cultural and economic endeavours. The IFB is working with the Department of Arts on the Olsberg/SPI economic report which will present a detailed and robust analysis of the film and screen content production sector, together with policy initiatives, which we believe is an important step in terms of achieving the potential growth for the film and animation sector.
There are huge opportunities for Irish creative talent working in film and screen content and we look forward to this enormous potential being fully realised making Ireland a centre of excellence for media production in the years to come.”
Kilkenny Arts Festival: Talk of the Town
Cultural Investment
Cruinniú na nÓg: What’s on in Ulster?
Power Talk: GIAF’s Talks Programme
Culture Ireland brings Irish arts to British audiences
Footer Navigation Part 2
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346905
|
__label__wiki
| 0.676043
| 0.676043
|
CPR+
Coffee & Conversations
Texas Pulse
Crosswind Media & Public Relations to support MIT Hacking Medicine program at South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin
Leading healthcare PR firm based in Austin, TX will publicize MIT’s unique effort to incubate global digital healthcare startups, accelerate medical technology solutions
AUSTIN, TEXAS (PRWEB) MARCH 11, 2016
Crosswind Media & Public Relations, a nationally ranked public relations firm with an award-winning healthcare practice, today announced its collaboration with HCB Health, AbelsonTaylor, JUICE Pharma Worldwide and Otsuka Pharmaceutical to promote MIT Hacking Medicine’s “HackMed Health House,” a three-day workshop focused on chronic illness solutions and technology. The event will take place in Austin during the 23rd Annual SXSW Interactive Festival, which connects thousands of business leaders, artists, filmmakers and startups from around the world.
“All eyes turn to Austin during SXSW,” said Crosswind President & CEO Thomas Graham. “More and more influentials are taking notice of Austin’s energy and growth as a tech and innovation hub, and this hackathon is an example of putting the best minds on the biggest problems facing society,” Graham added, who is a longstanding member of the National Investor Relations Institute.
The three-day event will kick off on the first weekend of the SXSW Festival at the JW Marriot Brazos Room March 12 – 14. During the three-day workshop series, industry experts and entrepreneurs will engage in conversations with patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals to identify “pain points” and develop solutions for making daily living easier for those with chronic health conditions. On the final day, participants will have the opportunity to pitch their health start-up to venture capitalists and investors.
Crosswind has worked specifically with HCB Health, who is co-sponsoring HackMed Health House, for over two years, developing a reputation as a prominent healthcare PR firm. Last year, J.R. O’Dwyer Company named Crosswind the top PR agency in Texas for healthcare clients.
“MIT Hacking Medicine is already responsible for more than 15 startups, and its core team of students are graduating and beginning to move into major pharma and med tech companies,” said Crosswind Executive Vice President Angela Dejene. “We applaud MIT for its dedication to improving the face of healthcare and can’t wait to see what they do at SXSW this weekend.”
Since it was founded in 2008, Crosswind has organized multiple SXSW events for a wide variety of clients in tech, healthcare, music and entertainment and has recently expanded its event planning business, launching its sister company “Crosswind Events & Experiences.” The company is planning multiple large-scale events throughout 2016 and 2017.
About Crosswind
Crosswind Media & Public Relations is one of the leading firms in the U.S., ranking in the top 100 nationally. Headquartered in Austin, TX, the agency has offices in Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Boston and New York. While Crosswind’s roots are in Texas, it has a global reach, serving corporate clients, public agencies and national governments across five continents. Crosswind provides expert counsel in public engagement; crisis and reputation management; executive positioning and media training; digital, print and broadcast media relations; text, video, photography, audio and event production; website creation, tracking and maintenance; and social media engagement. For more information, go tohttp://www.crosswindpr.com, or email info(at)crosswindpr(dot)com.
About MIT Hacking Medicine
The mission of MIT Hacking Medicine (MIT HackMed) is to energize the health ecosystem to solve some of health care’s biggest challenges by connecting the best and most diverse minds. Since holding the first ever health hack-a-thon in 2010, the MIT student group has organized 37 health hack-a-thons with more than 30 national and international organizations. Shwen Gee of Biogen, Molly Binder of CVS Health, Alex Revelos, MIT teaching assistant, Aartik Sarma, medical resident at Massachusetts General, Chris Lee, Ph.D. Candidate at MIT/Harvard and Hari Iyer, MIT design mentor at MIT will be the core team in Austin at HackMed Health House 2016. For more information,http://hackingmedicine.mit.edu/grandhack_2015/faq/.
Originally published by PRWeb.
Crosswind Media & PR2018-07-27T09:44:07-05:00
Texas poll shows Beto O’Rourke gaining ground as Ted Cruz hangs on to a slim 3% lead
Crosswind Acquires Carmichael Communications & Consulting, names Carmichael VP
Kam Franklin of The Suffers and Texas “Red Dirt” music star Gary P. Nunn will perform October 24 invitation-only concert for tourism media at Two Times Square in New York City
Crosswind Poll Shows Trump Leading Clinton by 7 percentage points in Texas
Capital Factory’s CF Studios to Host Crosswind Media & PR CEO Thomas Graham at “Intro to the Austin Media Scene” Series
The Storytellers
What we can learn from the Kavanaugh hearings: A lesson in authentic communication
Commentary: Trump’s projects plan is the closest thing to a ‘road fairy’
Civil lesson learned: The service of Donna Bahorich
Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’
© Copyright | Crosswind Media & Public Relations
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346908
|
__label__wiki
| 0.954042
| 0.954042
|
Ypres tour
Choir pays WW1 tribute in Ypres
JUNE 1: The Croydon choir has paid its tribute to the fallen of World War One during an affecting and fulfilling visit to Ypres in Belgium, the location of some of the bloodiest fighting of the entire war.
The choir sings during wreath-laying ceremony at Menin Gate (photo JWT)
On Friday May 27, the choir took part in the regular Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate, built in 1927 to commemorate the 55,000 Allied soldiers who went missing in successive battles at Ypres. While wreaths were laid, the choir sang the moving valedictory Mansions of the Lord, followed by the equally poignant last verse of Keep the Home Fires Burning. Around 600 people witnessed the ceremony and a number told choir members afterwards how moved they were by our singing.
Choir members peruse the names of the 55,000 missing at the Menin Gate
The following evening, May 28, the choir sang at St George’s Memorial Church in Ypres, constructed in 1928-29 as another monument to the fallen at Ypres. A rapt audience heard the choir perform eight songs with commemorative or sacred themes, including a setting of Wilfred Owen’s poem Futility, composed by choir music director Richard Hoyle under the title Move Him Into the Sun. After an interval the choir sang a further nine pieces in a lighter or more celebratory mood.
Alex and George at Menin Gate
There were solo spots by choir tenors Nick Hewitt and John Aitkenhead, whose choice included a setting of In Flanders Fields. Afterwards the St George’s chaplain, Rev Brian Llewellyn, thanked the choir for a “wonderful and memorable” performance.
St George’s officials were especially interested in the five choir members whose families’ WW1 stories were published in the choir’s printed programme, saying that they would include them in a report on the concert for the parish newsletter.
Choir members among the 12,000 graves at Tyne Cot (photo Trevor Watkins)
The St George’s performance came as the culmination of an intense and emotional day, when the choir members and their family and friends, totalling just over 100, took a guided tour of WW1 cemeteries, including Tyne Cot with 12,000 British and Commonwealth graves, and the cemetery of Langemark, where 44,000 German soldiers are buried. They also visited a memorial to the Canadian field doctor John McCrae, who wrote In Flanders Fields.
Some choir members spent time in the In Flanders Field museum in Ypres. They included Richard Hoyle, whose grandfather fought in the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917, and bass Peter Gillman, whose father fought in the Fifth (and final) Battle of Ypres in 1918.
The choir returned to Croydon on May 29, agreeing that it was one of the most poignant and successful tours it has ever undertaken.
Richard Hoyle commented that it was “one of the most memorable” of the choir’s thirteen tours to date. The choir made “an impressive sound” at the Menin Gate and gave “a heartfelt first performance” of Move Him Into the Sun. Richard added: “Like everyone else, I was deeply moved by our Saturday morning tour, especially at Tyne Cot.”
The choir at St George's Memorial church, Ypres (photo JWT)
More photos of the tour can be seen in the Picture Galleries section under History and Heritage - once there, click on the Choir Tour link. The pictures are by John Ward Turner, Charles Joy, Michael Pardon, Trevor Watkins and Peter Gillman.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346909
|
__label__wiki
| 0.64899
| 0.64899
|
Tag: Ashford
‘The Expanse: The Fallen World’ Is Just A Show About People In Rooms, Talking
June 22, 2018 February 12, 2019 Posted in Crude ReviewsTagged Ashford, David Strathairn, Drummer, Gravity, Melba, Star Trek: Discovery, The Expanse, TillyLeave a comment
A little while ago, I wrote an article about how ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ is just a show about people in rooms, talking. Needless to say, even people who hated the show were not convinced by my arguments. But I stand by them, and the latest episode of ‘The Expanse’ is the reason why.
Spoilers for Season 3 of ‘The Expanse’ from here on out, along with gratuitous comparisons to ‘Discovery’. You Have Been Warned.
Last week’s episode, ‘Dandelion Sky’, was pretty explosive from a narrative perspective. We got a pretty huge, if vague, infodump on the origins of the Protomolecule; Holden made it to the centre of the mysterious station; we got to see Gunny again; we had a lot of backstory for Melba, the tacky rich bitch who needs to get some respect for herself; every ship in the region got frozen in place; and in general the whole storyline advanced significantly.
This episode, ‘The Fallen World’, is nearly the exact opposite. We learn virtually nothing new, most side plots stand still, and very little of the story develops in a significant way.
And it was my favourite episode so far.
Of the entire run.
To explain why, we need to look at the story that takes up the bulk of this episode: Drummer and Ashford, the captain and first officer, respectively, of the Belta battleship Behemoth.
First off, you’ve got great performances by Cara Gee and David Strathairn. Strathairn is almost unrecognisable with his sheriff’s moustache, burn scars and thin, scruffy hair – roughly 22 astronomical units from his appearance in ‘Good Night and Good Luck’. Strathairn is also typically brilliant, and as much as I love Gee’s tough, uncompromising performance as Drummer, the august Strathairn steals most of the scenes in which they appear together.
Immediately following their confrontation at the end of last episode and then the sudden deceleration of all ships in the area, in this episode Drummer and Ashford are pinned at opposite ends of a farming… machine… thing, and are both suffering from painful and potentially lethal injuries. The machine is mag-locked in place, so even though there’s no gravity they can’t move it to free themselves.
Cue some wonderful hateful cooperation between the two as they work together to save themselves. It’s almost entirely just the two of them talking (and occasionally singing), and this is where the first comparison to ‘Discovery’ comes in.
Because Ashford and Drummer aren’t just talking – there’s a mountain of context to what’s going on between them. For the last half of the series, since Ashford’s introduction he and Drummer have been circling and snapping at each other like dogs competing to be the Alpha of the pack. And that tension shapes every exchange between them as they’re stuck here, slowly dying, attempting to escape a painful death. The physical peril is more of a framework from which the real drama between the characters is hung.
In contrast, most of the scenes in ‘Discovery’ lack that tension, and the drama usually comes from the situation rather than from the characters. And I hate to say it, but that is a Star Trek trend that started way, way back in the days of ‘The Next Generation’ and, later, ‘Voyager’. It’s unfortunate that so much of the plot progression occurred in those shows, around a conference room table, where a group of people who are all friends discuss some made-up problem, and what drama there is is squeezed out of the imaginary peril in which our crew finds themselves.
Here, aboard the Behemoth, not much even happens, but we learn so much about these two characters as nothing happens. They tell us about their pasts, their motivations, hell, they spend five minutes just talking about clothes, and we still discover more about them than we did about Beverly Crusher by the end of ‘All Good Things’. We also get to see how resourceful these two Belta leaders really are, as they try a whole variety of jury-rigged and desperate solutions to their situation, and that leads me onto the next comparison to ‘Discovery’.
Do you remember in the first season of ‘Discovery’, when the crew are faced with a really, really difficult task that they’ve never done before, and they spend a few minutes talking about how dangerous it is beforehand, and then they try it and it works first time with no problems? You should, because it happens on at least six separate occasions.
Early on, Lorca has a plan to jump into combat with the Klingon ships bombing the dilithium planet, bait them into attacking Discovery and then jump away, leaving a load of bombs which completely destroy every Klingon ship. They try it once and it works flawlessly without them taking any damage or casualties.
Shortly after, Burnham is given the task to save the Tardigrade, so as her first resort she launches it out of the airlock. This works flawlessly and the tardigrade immediately rejuvenates itself before fucking off.
Later, the crew needs to get the cloaking calibrations off of the Klingon Ship of the Dead, which they do without getting hit or damaged.
Then, they need to fly a perfectly-timed manoeuvre through the middle of the Mirror Universe’s Emperor’s flagship, which they manage flawlessly without getting hit or damaged.
Then, they need to instantly terraform a planet into a spore-plant farm, something never done before, and they manage it flawlessly with a five-minute special effect.
And finally, they need to end the war with the Klingons by having an low-ranked Klingon torturer threaten Qo’Nos with a super-bomb, and this plan works flawlessly and with no resistance from anyone, resulting in an immediate end to the war.
This is absolutely Not a Trek trope, where the usual scenario involves the first solution failing horribly and resulting in LaForge shouting excitedly with his head tilted up by thirty degrees ; Riker putting his foot up on the side of Data’s console to get maximum camera coverage of his crotch; Picard denying Worf’s request to fire the torpedoes and Troi gasping a few times for good measure.
The point is, it’s more exciting when something doesn’t work than when it does. In ‘The Expanse’, everything is on the European Extreme difficulty setting. Need to move a space farm tractor thing? Someone’s going to have to die. Forget to lock your toolbox properly? You’re going to end up with a power drill as a permanent part of your anatomy. Want to bone some rich racer chick that you’ve never met? Well I hope you like Venus, my friend, as well as crashing into Venus at relativistic speeds.
And that’s what I love about this show – the writers are not afraid to draw from the enormous pile of deadly situations that can occur at literally any moment in space. In point of fact, every single problem encountered by our heroes in this episode is a result of a very simple, very basic principle of physics – that things in motion like to stay in motion, and making them stop means applying a force. A very large force, if the things are moving very fast.
A few episodes ago I wrote this article, covering how well ‘The Expanse’ nails its storytelling, and in it I predicted that the events in that episode were setting up a dramatic event for a character later in the series. Well, I was nearly right – I just didn’t anticipate it being a setup for large chunks of the Earth, Mars and Belt navies getting their crews pancaked to death all at once.
But it’s true that thanks to the second episode of this season setting up momentum and Newtonian physics as major antagonists early on, we now get to see what happens when alien magic-tech gets involved. The alien station brought every fast-moving object to a halt at the end of last episode, and the results are not pretty. Not only do we see scenes of first-law carnage in the corridors of the U.N.N. Thomas Price, but we learn that the M.C.R.N. Xuesen lost a third of its crew instantly due to the near-instant deceleration, with another third badly injured. Alex is left napping in a cloud of his own lasagne, and Amos is finally revealed to be a mere mortal when Naomi finds him with a gorgeous shiner and a concussion in the Rocinante‘s engine room.
What’s worse is that now that none of these ships can use their engines to accelerate, the clean-up has just become that much harder. A U.N.N. doctor tells Anna that without gravity, artificial or otherwise, blood can’t drain from wounds and all sorts of things that usually happen when a body heals stop happening, and whilst I’m not a space doctor, I assume that this is a realistic medical concern in zero-g. This kind of attention to detail is charming and grisly, and again emphasises just how horrific space travel can be.
We get a tragic example of just what weightlessness means when Anna attends the wounded Tilly. As Tilly cries in pain and anguish, the tears cling to her eyes instead of falling. It’s a beautiful, very subtle visual effect, and a mark of the real love that goes into even the smallest detail when making this series.
Unrelated ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ still. Look, all I’m saying is, ‘The Expanse’ pays attention to the tear ducts of a minor character, where other shows don’t even use a spellchecker.
(I also feel the need to bring up the character Tilly, here, and the fact that the same name is used in ‘Discovery’. It seems like the sort of thing that might just be a coincidence, but it’s such an unusual name, and she first appeared in the book ‘Abaddon’s Gate’, which was released in 2013, which leaves me thinking this is just another example of the latest Trek series “paying homage to” and definitely NOT “plagiarising” ‘The Expanse’.)
And speaking of Anna, we again get more scenes of her just wandering around being a generally decent person. And this feeds back into my earlier point, because a lot of what Anna does is be in a room, talking with someone, and yet there’s always more to it than that. She offers her assistance as a nurse to the above-mentioned U.N.N. doctor, who promptly tells her to bog off before explaining the gruesome fate awaiting casualties in zero-g. It’s an expository conversation wrapped in a grim and hopeless medley of suffering.
We then follow Anna on her pursuit of Melba, the manifest avatar of wealthy privelege. Melba murders people just so she can murder other people, and whilst her ultimate target is James Holden, that doesn’t allow me to forgive her for going on a violent crusade of sabotage just to impress her war-criminal father. She’s a goddamn uptight sack of tasteless trash and whilst I’ve greatly enjoyed her story so far, if I met her at a barbecue at a mutual friends’ house I’d secretly wipe every burger bun on my smelly arse just in the hope that she might eat one of them.
Anyway, Melba “Shithead” Mao (that entire family is a train wreck, by the way) EVAs her way to the Roci just so’s she can ruin more things for everybody, thinking that Holden might actually be there, and she runs into Naomi (the real hero of the show when Gunny isn’t on-screen) and we get the one action scene for this episode, and it’s very quick and it’s very brutal.
Melba attacks Naomi with her ‘Aliens’-esque powerloader spacesuit, and it’s a very one-sided fight between a walking crane and an unarmed Belta. Naomi barely manages to evade Melba’s attacks, using the lack of gravity to attempt an escape, but Melba catches her and begins choking her to death. She gets interrupted by Electric Anna, but this whole scene is another great example of the superior action sequences of ‘The Expanse’.
First off, it’s dynamic. Every action changes the nature of the fight. Melba launches herself at Naomi. Naomi dodges, and uses a mag-lock to pin Melba in place. Melba rips herself free as Naomi deactivates her mag-shoes to leap across the room and up to the exit hatch. Melba grabs her, and drags her back down to the floor, and that’s it, the fight is now over, and Naomi’s nearly killed. Now compare that to this trash:
In the above, Lorca, Burnham and Georgiou all fight in what is a very technically impressive bit of choreography, except that they spend nearly three full minutes beating, punching and stabbing each other and at the end, they’re all still just standing there, seemingly on full hitpoints, and nothing about their situation is radically different from when they started. Lorca even gets a knife thrown in his back at one point – he takes a moment to pull it out, then goes right back to fighting at full effectiveness. There are explosions, swinging swords, knives, phasers, and the scene is ultimately resolved by Lorca getting stabbed in the back whilst standing still.
Then we look back to ‘The Expanse’, and the fact that Holden has a bloodied nose for, like, three episodes after getting in one brief fistfight. Every action in ‘The Expanse’ has consequences, and as such every action in ‘The Expanse’ has weight.
In ‘Discovery’, if you scroll back up to that bullet list I made of the impossible tasks that they achieve flawlessly, you’ll notice something odd – not one of those tasks is relevant in any subsequent episode. The dilithium planet is saved and never seen again; the tardigrade is healed and vanishes for the rest of the season; the crew get the cloaking calibrations, then return at a point where the data is irrelevant anyway; the Emperor’s ship is destroyed, and we never revisit the Mirror Universe; a planet is terraformed, and then never mentioned; a new dictator is installed in the Klingon Empire, and that’s at the end of the season, so we’ll have to wait and see if that one gets any further look-in.
And if you think it’s petty of me to keep bringing up ‘Discovery’ in my reviews of ‘The Expanse’, then I need to explain that first, ‘Discovery’ invites the comparison through all the “homages” it pays to ‘The Expanse’. And secondly, the two shows are like mirrors of one another. They’re both futuristic, serialised sci-fi adventures following small crews in larger universes, both to the background of cosmic war with unknown technologies.
But every stumble ‘Discovery’ makes highlights every triumph that ‘The Expanse’ achieves. The crew of the Rocinante follow a richly compelling narrative that is propelled not by numerous secret identities and shocking plot twists, but by simple character-driven decisions and interactions, and by the unflinching application of long-term consequences to short-term actions.
My fascination with ‘Discovery’ was driven by how succinctly it captures so many pitfalls and shortcomings of modern storytelling – a microcosm of “narrative by hashtag”. My fascination with ‘The Expanse’ is driven by how expertly it tells a story without resorting to cheap tricks and flashy effects – in fact, it’s very, very difficult to highlight any small part of ‘The Expanse’ because so much of it is layered and built off of what has come before.
My absolutely favourite single moment of this entire season was shortly after Amos spaced the reporter and her creepy camera guy, and he says to Holden quite casually “I’m sorry I put them out the airlock, I should have told you first,” and Holden responds with a very off-hand “That’s alright.” That exchange had me in stitches, just because of all the disagreements Amos and Holden have had in the past, and all the weird shit they’ve been through now means that Amos apologising for spacing two people is handled as though he’s apologising for leaving the kitchen light on all night. And I absolutely cannot explain to anyone how much joy those two lines of dialogue brought me because NOBODY WOULD UNDERSTAND.
There’s a load more I could talk about in episode, and the season so far, such as Gunny remaining the best character, or the continued beautiful visuals, or the fact that this episode is nearly entirely female-led, or just the fact that Alex listens to country music because OF COURSE Alex listens to country music. But I’ve gone on enough. Now I just want to wait patiently for the next episode, which I have no doubt will somehow be even better than this one.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346910
|
__label__cc
| 0.74592
| 0.25408
|
Tag Archives: lights
LIVE REVIEW OF LIGHTS FROM LEEDS
With a string of sold out shows on Lights’ UK tour, tonight sees her return to Leeds as she graces the intimate crowd at The Cockpit. After being away from us for over a year and half she is back and with a new album to boot as The Siberia Tour is unleashed. read more
By Shiona • Posted in Live Reviews • Tagged lights, lights poxleitner
LIGHTS INTERVIEW FROM LEEDS
After a lengthy departure from the UK, Lights is back and better than ever before with a new album under her belt and an edgier sound to her songs. We caught up with the Canadian beauty before her Leeds show to talk about how the sold out tour is going. read more
By Shiona • Posted in Interviews • Tagged lights, lights poxleitner
LIGHTS IN GLASGOW
The incredible Lights returned to Glasgow to play a sold-out show at the legendary King Tuts Wah Wah Hut last night. Photos are here!
By Shiona • Posted in Live Photos • Tagged lights
So here we are, another year has crept upon us, and what a year it’s going to be. With no time to even contemplate what’s in store this year, venues are jammed pack full of tours across the UK, with some of the biggest tours we’ve seen in a long time. It’s not just our home grown talent that’s making stops around the country, in fact, quite the opposite with a huge list of pop punk and alternative bands flying from across the pond to grace us with a visit.
First to arrive are loveable Americans, Four Year Strong, who come to the UK with the first plays of new album, In some way, shape or form which was released last November in the UK. The band will only be here for a week but are still making sure no fan is left playing from Leeds to Portsmouth. Support comes from rising British talent, Don Broco and pop punkers, A Loss for Words. They were meant to be joined by American newcomers, This Time Next Year, however due to financial issues the bands announced before Christmas they would have to pull out and apologise to any UK fan that was going to see them. Expect a whole host of crowd sing-alongs when the Four Year Strong takes to the stage. A tour not to be missed.
Next to come from across the pond are the fan girls favourite, All Time Low, no stranger to the UK, the band are followed by a great support that can rival the All Time Low themselves. We Are The In Crowd are a male and female dual vocal led group, but don’t let that put you off. If anything, they’ve started a new trend for the music scene and front lady, Tay Jardine is waving goodbye to the Paramore stereotype that every female fronted band automatically gains nowadays. The Maine are also flying over to join the tour, a band, who managed to break their way in the UK scene after a successful headline tour early last year. Although All Time Low have shot to fame on this side of the Atlantic, the band have actually been around for quite a few years – so don’t let the cheesy pop punk put you off. I assure you, between songs the guys will provide you with some laughs as, unlike many other ‘we’re good looking and we know it’ bands that seem to be ever increasing in the music world, All Time Low do not release it and if anything would rather be vulgar on stage than make the crowd of adoring fans love them anymore.
Its not just our American friends going on tour this month, Watford boys Lower Than Atlantis are touring all over the UK. Still breaking through the UK scene 2012 will no doubt be the year for these boys. After getting back from the US at the end of last year, they have took a short break before getting back on the road on the 20th. They’ve already managed to sell out the Southampton and London dates so make sure you get yourself a ticket whilst you can.
Coming back to the UK are Brand New, this is a rare opportunity so if you’re a fan, grab a ticket whilst you can because Brand New don’t stick around for long. Frontman Jesse Lacey and the boys come back to our shores this February and there’s no doubt each show will be totally unique. The bands lyrics are enough to send shivers down anybody’s spine so expect something special, and for less than £20 it’s more than worth it.
Finally, this year see’s the return of the annual Kerrang! Tour Sponsored by Relentless Energy Drink, which always has some amazing headliners with rising acts that are sure to impress with past years hosting it to the likes of Good Charlotte, Four Year Strong and Alexisonfire. True to its word, this year has a cracking line-up, with pop punk veterans New Found Glory co-headling with Sum 41, a band who rarely come over to the UK, up and coming screamers, Letlive and British band, While She Sleeps. With such a varied line up you’d be mad to miss it, and the best thing about it? It’s only £20. Tickets are selling fast so be sure to yours before the tour kicks off at the beginning of February.
There you have it, just some of the tours that the UK has to offer in the coming weeks. Make sure you have yours planned out as the majority all fall over the same weeks so you don’t want to be clashing your tours!
Additional UK tours coming your way over the next month:
Panic! At The Disco | Never Shout Never | Young Guns | Canterbury | Lights
By Shiona • Posted in Upcoming tours • Tagged a loss for words, all time low, brand new, canterbury, don bronco, four year strong, kerrang tour sponsored by relentless energy drink, letlive, lights, lower than atlantis, never shout never, new found glory, panic! at the disco, sum41, the maine, we are the in crowd, while she sleeps, young guns
LIGHTS TO RETURN TO UK IN FEB 2012
Following the release of her latest album ‘Siberia’, the award winning electro-rock sensation Lights has announced a headline UK tour for February 2012.
12.02 – Speakeasy, Belfast
13.02 – Academy 2, Dublin
15.02 – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
16.02 – New Slang Club Night, Kingston
17.02 – Haunt, Brighton
19.02 – Academy 3, Birmingham
20.02 – King Tuts, Glasgow
21.02 – Cockpit, Leeds
23.02 – Sound Control, Manchester
24.02 – Cargo, London
Tickets are on sale now, available from the usual outlets.
By Shiona • Posted in Announcements, Tour Dates • Tagged lights
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346912
|
__label__wiki
| 0.774448
| 0.774448
|
Culture Fusion Reviews Where high and low cultures meet!
in Mr. B's Legendary Band Reviews
“Street Songs” by Rick James
Nice boots. I’m sure they got you laid more in a week than I have been in my whole life. And I’m sincere in saying that: it was the 80’s, after all.
What the…is this guy really reviewing Rick James? The Super Freak Guy? The Crack Pipe Prostitute Burning Fellow? The Dave Chapelle Lunatic Who Was Merciless Mocked for Years and Probably Rightfully So?
Sure am! Why? Because this is a good album. A great album actually and very influential to hard rock freaks after its released (hell, it influenced James so much he tried to remake it for the rest of his career).
I don’t feel like flying off the handle into the history of Rick James, partially because I don’t know it that well. James is a bass player (multi-instrumentalist, really but bass is his main thing) who had been kicking around the scene for decades. He was friends and roommates with Neil Young. He played in a lot of go nowhere bands. And then he started his solo career with a few solid but not high selling albums until “Street Songs” hit it big based off the success of the two hit singles “Give It To Me” and “Super Freak,” which was infamously sampled by MC Hammer for his biggest hit “You Can’t Touch This.”
These songs tell you a lot about the album and are indeed the two high points, musically: “Give It To Me” boasts an energy and drive that throws it nearly into a rock and roll camp. The intricate arrangements are quite clever with instruments seemingly answering each other and the chorus is unforgettable once you’ve heard it even a single time.
It’s also about doing it, a thematic concern quite dear to Mr. James throughout this album.
“Super Freak” has exactly the same ingredients as “Give It To Me”: a rock and roll drive, intricate arrangements centered around the unforgettable, immortal bass riff and another tale of wanting to do it. In this case, with a “super freak” who is so damn kinky you wouldn’t even want to take her home for a visit.
The songs may seem like cliches (and have kind of become jokes through the years due to James failures as a human being later in life) but they were something really new in funk. Early funk, such as that practiced by James Brown and the George Clinton gang was a jam heavy medium that often found songs stretching out past all realms of reasonableness to the average listener.
Of course, to the true funk believer (like yours truly) the repetition of those grooves is part of the appeal to funk: it sets up a mantra, meditative feel that feels truly liberating.
There was also an occasional looseness to early funk that was relaxing and fun but which often became meandering in the wrong circumstance (too many drugs, for instance).
James’ songs aren’t short but they aren’t set up for “jam” mode either: they’re wound up lean, mean and tight and rarely burst over the five minute range. They’re also highly composed: they aren’t simple “vamps” repeated ad nauseum while the singer improvises gibberish: these are composed songs with verses and choruses that are so efficient it’s hard to forget them even years later.
Basically, it is a form of “pop funk and R&B” that still maintains all of the positives of “real” funk while minimizing the negatives and compensating for a lack of “instrumental fireworks” with arrangement tightness that makes the mind boggle: these instrumentalists may not be soloing like maniacs but holding down these grooves in such a tight interplay was probably even harder than soloing.
What makes the album stand out even further, for me, is its focus on the dark and dirty side of life. After all, it’s not called “Street Songs” for nothing: James was very serious about documenting the rough, seedy side of the city and especially but not exclusively the African American experience. It’s not always successful (especially on the ballads, which are usually pretty dull as James doesn’t quite have the pipes to pull them off) but the faster paced songs are thrilling.
Yes, James Brown explored the grittier sides of reality at his artistic peak but he seemed more concerned with having a good time and celebrating the African American experience. He would occasionally delve into the crimes perpetuated against African Americans but generally his message was “Say it out…I’m black and I’m proud!”
And while Brown did indeed wax poetic about sexuality (“Sex Machine” after all) he wasn’t quite as lewd or…specific as James. Neither approach is superior but both are different.
Furthermore, James stands out from the George Clinton crew as he generally didn’t sing about science fiction and fantasy themes. Yes, Clinton often set up apocalyptic funk grooves and sang about end times but it seemed more literary minded (i.e. stuff he was making up) rather than based in the actual reality of the African American.
James stripped back all those pretenses and false poetics to explore his personal experiences and beliefs in simple yet evocative ways.
For example, “Mr. Policeman.” James sets up another tight funk grooves and preaches out against the institution of police brutality which he felt was holding he and his friends, neighbors and family firmly in place. It may feel like he is overreacting (and blaming the entire institution of law enforcement probably is overreacting a little) but his sincerity and dedication to the message helps it feel more “real” than it has any right to feel.
There are faults with the album, of course: James funk arrangements often become much too similar to tell songs apart even though they have distinctive melodies and riffs. Plus, his ballads are truly unengaging and don’t really hit any of the emotional areas for which they strive with so much strain.
But “Street Songs” is a serious statement made by a serious artist and it deserves consideration and respect, as silly as “Super Freak” may sound on the umpteenth listen.
Note: I don’t mean to insult either James Brown or George Clinton’s music in my comparisons to Rick James. I love both of those men and their music and find them to be more important than Rick James in general. I only compare to illustrate that he was truly a new voice in funk and is undeservedly ignored.
Songs to YouTube:
Anything but the ballads qualifies.
Tags: 80's funk, Can't Touch This, funk reviews, I'm Rick James bitch, MC Hammer, Rick James, Rick James bitch, Rick James funk, Rick James reviews, Rick James Street Songs, Rick James Street Songs reviews, Street Song review, Street Songs
About Culture Fusion Reviews
A multi-effort web review periodical of varied cultural landmarks curated by Eric Benac: freelance writer, journalist, artist, musician, comedian, and 30-ish fellow caught in and trying to make sense of the slipstream of reality.
View all posts by Culture Fusion Reviews »
Immersion In 24 Hours Of Throbbing Gristle: A Post-Industrial “Soul Train”
H. Jon Benjamin’s “Well I Should Have” Review
Kool Keith’s Sex Style – Get Ready to Take a Shower
Holding a Dance Party with MC Cartney!
Inexplicable Albums: The Grateful Dead’s “Infrared Roses”
Artsy Fartsy Crap
Attention Deficit Diaries
Dispatches from Chaos
Dr. Louis Fairbanks Music Essays
Inexplicable Albums
Mr. B's Legendary Band Reviews
Objective Favoritism
Savage Hippie
Silly Crap
Stuff That Doesn't Suck
The Gospel According To…
The Red Telephone
Tinseltown Thursday
Culture Fusion Reviews
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346913
|
__label__cc
| 0.708972
| 0.291028
|
Code GCI.1STPILLAR.XQ
Indicator Name 1st pillar: Institutions
Short definition This indicator is a derived from the following indicators: (a) Property rights (b) Intellectual property protection (c) Diversion of public funds (d) Public trust of politicians (e) Irregular payments and bribes (f) Judicial independence (g) Favoritism in decisions of government officials (h) Wastefulness of government officials (i) Burden of government regulation (j) Efficiency of legal framework in settling disputes (k) Efficiency of legal framework in challenging regulations (l) Transparency of government policymaking (m) Business costs of terrorism (n) Business costs of crime and violence (o) Organized crime (p) Reliability of police services (q) Ethical behavior of firms (r) Strength of auditing and reporting standards (s) Efficacy of corporate boards (t) Protection of minority shareholders interests and (u) Strength of investor protection.
Long definition This indicator is a derived from the following indicators: (a) Property rights (b) Intellectual property protection (c) Diversion of public funds (d) Public trust of politicians (e) Irregular payments and bribes (f) Judicial independence (g) Favoritism in decisions of government officials (h) Wastefulness of government officials (i) Burden of government regulation (j) Efficiency of legal framework in settling disputes (k) Efficiency of legal framework in challenging regulations (l) Transparency of government policymaking (m) Business costs of terrorism (n) Business costs of crime and violence (o) Organized crime (p) Reliability of police services (q) Ethical behavior of firms (r) Strength of auditing and reporting standards (s) Efficacy of corporate boards (t) Protection of minority shareholders interests and (u) Strength of investor protection.
Source The Global Competitiveness Report: various issues (http://gcr.weforum.org/).
Topic Public Sector: Policy & institutions
General comments Two types of data are used in the GCI: (a) Survey data:These data are the results drawn from the World Economic Forum’s Executive Opinion Survey. (b) Hard data: These data come from indicators obtained from a variety of sources.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346918
|
__label__wiki
| 0.885015
| 0.885015
|
Tag Archives: Queen purred
New Sneers Honours
IT’S been a year when the people of Britain have stuck a collective two fingers up to MPs.
Voters have used the ballot box to take their revenge on politicians of all varieties, whom many see as out of touch.
But some MPs and peers haven’t learned a thing as they hurl insults, throw tantrums and sneer at ordinary people.
So in an irreverent, but light-hearted, look back at the past year in Parliament, here are my New Sneer’s Honours.
Sneer of the Realm: Labour’s Emily Thornberry who scoffed at a house with three England flags and a white van outside. She resigned as shadow attorney general hours after tweeting a picture of them hours before the Rochester by-election result.
Life sneerage: Fouled-mouthed Tory Andrew Mitchell fought a £3 million, two-year legal after denying he called cops “plebs” when they refused to let him ride his bike through the Downing Street main gates. A High Court judge sided with the cops and told the snobbish ex-Chief Whip: “On yer bike.”
Cabbie-net Minister of the Year: David Mellor berated a taxi driver who suggested a quicker route, calling him a “a smart-arsed little b*****d” and telling him: “Shut up you sweaty little git.” The Tory ex-minister added: “I’ve been in the Cabinet, I’m an award-winning broadcaster, I’m a Queen’s counsel.” He was forced to apologise after cabbies threatened to ban him. I’d like to see how long he waits next time he wants to hail a taxi.
Sneer of the Year: Tory MP Mark Garnier for telling his party not to bother with “dog-end voters” who live in “outlying regions”. Suspect he’ll soon be at the dog-end of his political career.
Emily Thornberry and the twitpic that cost her her job.
Yes, Yes, Yes Minister: Deputy PM’s wife Miriam Clegg wins the honesty award for saying “women have been faking it for years”. But has she told husband Nick?
Snooze-Night TV Award: David Cameron, who admitted he often dozes off on the sofa when he has a night in front of the telly with wife Sam. The PM said: “Half an hour of Silent witness and we’re both asleep.” At least Sam doesn’t have to fake it.
The “Three minutes is a long time in politics” Award: Tory chief whip Michael Gove was nominated by his gossipy wife Sarah Vine. When told that men burn 4.2 calories a minute during sex, she quipped: “Wow! That’s 12.6 calories a session.”
Big Benn Clanger of the Year: Diane Abbott for live tweeting from inside church at Tony Benn’s funeral. An angry admirer of the Labour legend (that’s Benn, not Abbott) raged: “Why not go the whole hog and do a selfie with the coffin?”
The Prat that got the Queen: The royal claws were out for David Cameron after he claimed Her Majesty “purred” with pleasure when he phoned her the No vote in the Scottish independence referendum.
OBE – ‘Orrible Butty Eater: Ed Miliband, who bit off more than he could chew when he tried to battle his way through a bacon sandwich. The sarnie won.
The Gillette Award for Sharpest Political Putdown: Louise Mensch after MP’s wife Karen Danczuk posted saucy cleavage selfies on Twitter: “Put them away, love. Frankly, I’d rather see Ed Miliband eating a bacon sandwich.”
Karen Danczuk gives yours truly a lesson in how to take a selfie.
Gold Medal for Selfie-Exposure: Charities Minister Brooks Newmark resigned after sending explicit photographs of himself to an undercover reporter. The nation was appalled at his bad taste. Surely, no self-respecting MP would be seen dead hanging out of paisley pyjamas.
Class Warrior of the Year: Singer Myleene Klass for ripping Ed Miliband to shreds on TV over his planned mansion tax. “You can’t just point at something and say let’s tax it,” she stormed. “You might as well tax this glass of water.”
Worst political U-turn: Ed Balls, who was investigated by cops after hitting a parked car while doing a seven-point turn in a narrow street then driving off. It’s not the first time the shadow chancellor has found himself in a tight spot.
The Jack Horner Award for Women’s Rights: Nigel Farage, who infuriated mums by telling them to breastfeed in the corner of cafes and restaurants where nobody could see them.
Exposed: My story about Brooks Newmark.
Feminist of the Year: Sports Minister Helen Grant for her efforts to get more women involved in physical activity with these fine words of advice: “There are some wonderful sports you can do and look absolutely radiant and very feminine. Ballet, gymnastics, cheerleading and even roller-skating.”
Overseas Aid Champion: Harriet Harman who wore a T-shirt with the slogan “This is what a feminist looks like”. Her selfless act helped to boost employment in Mauritius, where women were paid 62p an hour to work in a sweatshop making the garments.
House of Lards Pin-up of the Year: Communities Secretary Eric Pickles, who has been bombarded with demands for signed photographs from young girls in Russia. A puzzled aide admitted: “I’ve no idea why Eric is so big over there.”
Cockup of the Year: Communities Minister Penny Mordaunt for using the word “cock” six times and “lay” or “laid” five times during a Commons speech on poultry welfare. But she later let slip it was part of a smutty dare from Royal Navy officer friends.
Twerking twerp of the year: David Cameron for twerking at an Ibiza-style rave he hosted at Chequers to celebrate his wife Samantha’s 40th birthday – after branding top twerker Miley Cyrus a bad role model for kids.
Pint of Order: George “We’re all in this together” Osborne, for keeping a padlock on his office fridge to stop staff raiding his milk. Well, at least he’s miserly with the rest of us, too.
Rocky Belt for Parliamentary Punch-ups: SNP chief Alex Salmond and Labour’s Alistair Darling who squared up in live TV debates over Scots independence. Two Scottish men shouting at each other and they didn’t have the decency to do it in a Glasgow pub.
Resignation of the Year: Home Office minister Norman Baker quits, saying that working there was like “walking through mud”. Think how your boss, Theresa May copes, Norman. She does it wearing kitten heels.
Leave a comment Posted in Conservative people, Labour people, Lib Dem people Tagged Alex Salmond punch-up, Alistair Darling, Andrew Mitchell, bacon sandwich, bacon sarnie, Big Ben, Brooks Newmark, cleavage selfie, Conservative, David Cameron, David Mellor, Diane Abbott, Dog-end voters, Ed Balls, Ed Balls driving, Ed Miliband, Ed Miliband eating bacon sandwich, Emily Thornberry, Eric Pickles, Eric Pickles pin up in Russia, faking it, George Osborne, George Osborne locks his milk up, Harriet Harman, Helen Grant, Home Office, indyref, Karen Danczuk, Labour, locked fridge, Louise Mensch, Mark Garnier, Michael Gove, Miley Cyrus, Miriam Clegg, New Sneers Honours, New Year's Honours, Nick Clegg, Norman Baker, OBE, out-lying regions, paisley pyjamas, Penny Mordaunt, plebgate, Prime Minister, purring, Queen, Queen purred, referendum, Sam Cameron, Samantha Cameron, Sarah Vine, Scottish independence, selfie, selfie with a coffin, Silent Witness, Simon Danczuk, Sneer, SNP, sweatshop, taxi, Theresa May, This is what a feminist looks like, Tony Benn, Tony Benn funeral, Treasury fridge, Tweeting, twerking, U-turn
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346922
|
__label__cc
| 0.563773
| 0.436227
|
Archive by Category "Creek or Brooks"
Bear Creek Trail at Lair o' the Bear Park
Lair o' the Bear is, in our family's opinion, the best family hike near Denver. First, the drive into the canyon on Bear Creek road is beautiful. Once at the park you'll find great hiking trail options, the cool water of bear creek, great parking, and some good picnic spots. There are open areas as well as shade. Our one big suggestion is to keep your kiddos close to you on the busier trail segments as this is also a mountain biking mecca. Explore the details below in our profile of this Jefferson County, Colorado park.
Trail Snapshot: Bear Creek Trail at Lair O' the Bear
Click for a Trail Map
Bear Creek, Meadows, Wildlife: Beaver, American Dippers aka Water Ouzel
Hiking, Birdwatching, Mountain Biking, Fly Fishing, Picnics
Lair O'the Bear is fantastic for families because this hike has lot of shade, a mostly level path, the sounds and sights of water, and a few great areas for picnics in this Colorado park. On top of all of that, it's one of the most accessible Denver trails just out of town in the foothills. Within Lair O the Bear park, the Bear Creek Trail follows the creek for 1.6 miles of trail. Approximately 1 mile of the trail runs West from the parking area, and .6 of a mile to the East. But that is just within the park boundaries; the actual trail continues following the creek in both directions, so you can explore even more of this beautiful canyon and riparian landscape. You can also fish Bear Creek in Lair O the Bear. I've not had any luck yet, so I'd appreciate any tips in the comment section below.
Tips & Resources for Hiking at Lair o' the Bear :
Bikes: There are some hiker only trail segments, but most are open to mountain bikes - and there are A LOT of them, especially on the weekends. So, just hike aware and let your kids know that bikes may be zipping by.
Picnic: Take a picnic lunch or dinner. There are some great picnic areas along the river at Lair o' the Bear.
Birding: This is a great place to teach your kids (or yourself) some tree and bird identification. The riparian ecosystem is pretty diverse at Lair o' the Bear.
Lair o’ the Bear Park Trail Map: Trail Map Link
After the Hike: Ice Cream @ The Blue Cow
by Aaron Johnson
Emerald Lake Hike Rocky Mountain National Park
Emerald Lake is one of the most accessible hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park. If you are visiting RMNP, and have limited time to visit, the trail to Emerald Lake is an excellent option. You'll pass both Dream Lake and Nymph lake before you end your hike at Emerald Lake and it's stunning views of Hallet Peak. For more information on this hike, explore the trail profile which includes trail map, driving directions, and helpful tips and resources to enjoy this Colorado hike in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Trail Snapshot:Emerald Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
Approx 2-3hr Round Trip
Approx. +605'
Not Allowed in RMNP
Lakes, Cascade Waterfalls, Wildlife: Abert's Squirrel, Birds, Bears, Elk
Hiking, Snowshoeing, Fishing
Park Pass Required
A Colorado Hike with a lot of bang for the buck. What we mean is that there is a lot to see on this 1.8 miles stretch of trail. Starting at Bear Lake, you'll take in a total of four Colorado lakes, and pass a small waterfall near the top of the trail. If you are looking for a handicap accessible hike, the trail around Bear Lake Loop hike may be the most beautiful, handicap accessible trail in Colorado. In the winter, the hike up to Emerald makes for a perfect snowshoe hike.
At Nymph Lake on the way up to Emerald Lake
Emerald Lake Trail Directions & Trailhead Information
The trail to Emerald Lake begins at the Bear Lake Trailhead (driving directions). In the event that parking at Bear Lake is full, you'll then need to park at the Park & Ride near the Bierstadt Trailhead and take the bus into the trailhead. This service runs 7am to 7PM and more information on the RMNP shuttle bus routes can be found at this link. The trail to Emerald Lake is located on your way to Bear Lake, off to the left, just before reaching the shore viewing area of Bear Lake.
For conditions at Emerald Lake, see the Rocky Mountain National Park Trail Conditions page.
List and Links of Destinations From Bear Lake to Emerald Lake
Nymph Lake - @ .5 miles
Dream Lake - @ 1.1 miles
Emerald Lake -@ 1.8 miles
Tips & Resources for Hiking to Emerald Lake :
Get to the Bear Lake trailhead early: We say this for almost every hike near Denver, but the Bear Lake Parking area is probably the busiest in the park. If you can't get there early, just take the shuttle from the lower parking area.
The Wildlife: We have seen a beautiful black bear in this area on one occasion. It just saw us and ambled away. As with any hike where there are a lot of wildlife, keep small children within sight at all times. On your way out, be sure to stop around Moraine Park and watch the Elk.
Snowshoeing to Emerald Lake In the winter, this is a Colorado wonderland and a very accessible trail to snowshoe. You can rent snowshoes for a great price at The Colorado Mountain Shop in Estes Park.
PhotoS: We would like to express our gratitude to Tim Lumley and Daniel for sharing their photos of Emerald Lake in RMNP.
Trail Map for Bear Lake Corridor: Trail Map Link
After the Hike: Kind Coffee
Castlewood Canyon State Park Trails
Because Castlewood Canyon State Park is hidden in the plains--and not the mountains--near Denver, it's often an overlooked State park of Colorado. But, whether you're hiking or rock climbing it's a beautiful and geologically unusual place to explore. It boasts a waterfall, homestead ruins, a stream, caves and clefts, and a lot of fairly easy hikes. Below you'll find more information on how to get to the park, trail map links, and links to several hiking options in Castlewood Canyon.
Trail Snapshot: Castlewood Canyon State Park Trails
Less than 1/4 mile to 4 Miles
15 Minutes to 2.5 hours
Out and Back and Loop
Allowed On Leash but not on East Canyon Trail
Click for a Map of Castlewood Canyon State Park Trails
Driving Directions to Castlewood Canyon State Park
Meadows, creek, waterfall, interesting geology, canyon views, ruins
Rock climbing, hiking, picnic areas, visitors center
Visit Colorado State Parks Site
Not just a canyon, this Colorado State Park features ruins, a waterfall, and unusual geological formations. The park is riddled with 15 trails, ranging from 1/4 mile to 4 miles, so you have a lot of options. The Canyon View Nature Trail (1.2 miles) is a great example of a handicap accessible trail in Colorado. The East Parking (see map below) offers the most hiking options, while the West Parking area leads to shorter hikes to the Castlewood Canyon climbing areas and the longest (4 mile) East Canyon Trail.
Some Trails In Castlewood Canyon
Waterfall Hike at Castlewood Canyon State Park
- This may be the most accessible waterfall near Denver. A short .17 mile hike from the trailhead. Click on the red link above to go to the waterfall hike trail profile page.
Cliff & Climbers Trail at Castlewood Canyon State Park
- A short but more demanding hike in Castlewood Canyon where you can explore the crags along the cliffs of the park.
Homestead Trail at Castlewood Canyon State Park
- an easy to medium hike at the west park entrance. Check out the hiking profile to see how to turn this .7 mile trail into a 2 or 4 mile loop hike.
Cave Trail at Castlewood Canyon State Park
- only a quarter mile round trip up to a small cave in the west side of Castlewood Canyon State park.
Canyon View Nature Trail at Castlewood Canyon State Park
- 2.4 mile round trip hike with interpretive signs that takes you along the rim of Castlewood Canyon. One of the best handicap accessible trails near Denver.
Tips & Resources for Hiking Castlewood Canyon State Park Trails:
TIP: Castlewood Canyon offers some shade, but you are often in the sun. So, bring your sunscreen and apply it liberally.
TIP: We would also suggest an early morning or sunset hike as these are the best times to observe wildlife.
TIP: Though it's not the largest of Colorado waterfalls, you'll still hear it before you see it. The waterfall is accessed from Creek Bottom Trail on the West Side of the park.
TIP: Pets are allowed on a leash but there are some specific trail restrictions, so make sure to read the signs. Enjoy this wonderful hike in the grasslands of Douglas County, Colorado.
Trail Map: Castlewood Canyon State Park Trails
After the Hike: Crowfoot Valley Coffee
O Fallon Park Trails
hese hiking trails near Evergreen, Colorado weave through the Bear Creek area in O'Fallon Park. It's a great place to launch into the Bear Creek Canyon area. Because there are a lot of options, be sure to download the trail map and look over the five different trail options listed below in the hike profile. Scroll down for the full O'Fallon Park Trails profile and to find driving directions, pdf map, and full trail details.
Trail Snapshot: O'Fallon Park Trails
1.3 to 7 miles
Approx 1 to 5 hrs
3 Loop Trails and Out & Back
Click for a Map of O'Fallon Park Trails
Driving Directions to O'Fallon Park Trails
Mountain peak views, Bear Creek & brooks, wildflowers, & butterflies
Picnic areas, horseback riding, mountain biking
O'Fallon Park is part of a series of Jefferson County and Denver Mountain Parks that are connected by Bear Creek and the Bear Creek Trail. Quartz riddles the trails and butterflies alight on flowers along the five trails that weave through the park. The O'Fallon Park picnic area is right beside Bear Creek and plenty of shade provided by the Ponderosa Pines that cover it.
Fishing at O'Fallon Park may get you some rainbow and brown trout!
Trails at O'Fallon Park
1- Meadow View Loop (2.5 miles): We actually hiked this as an out-and-back from the lot up to the vista. Great views up there, but be ready for a steady gain in elevation. It's some work, but it's worth it.
2- Panorama Point - (1.3 miles out-and-back)
3-West Ridge Loop - (3 miles)
4- Picnic Loop (1.3 miles): Stays closer to the picnic areas and makes for a nice easy walk with the family before or after lunch.
5-Bear Creek Trail - This trail runs 7 miles from Pence Park parking lot to the Lair o' the Bear Park lot. Medium in difficulty and a mountain biking mecca.
Tips & Resources for Hiking O'Fallon Park Trails :
TIP: This is another park that can fill quickly on the weekends, but it's mainly the picnic areas. It's not necessary to go early, but it's not a bad idea.
TIP: Keep alert for mountain bikers, especially on the Bear Creek Trail. Most of the other trails are hiker only.
TIP: Bring a picnic breakfast or lunch.
O'Fallon Park Trail Map: Trail Map Link
After the Hike: Beau Jo’s Pizza
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346928
|
__label__wiki
| 0.856667
| 0.856667
|
Steven Pasquale To Star In USA Network's Pilot 'Over/Under'
By Nellie Andreeva
Nellie Andreeva
Co-Editor-in-Chief, TV
@DeadlineNellie
More Stories By Nellie
‘A Column Of Fire’ Adaptation, Projects From Jackson Browne, Edward Burns, Blumhouse & Bad Wolf On Epix’s Development Slate – TCA
Gersh Agency Signs Deal With The WGA; New Franchise Agreement Extends Sunset Date – Update
HBO Max Orders Cooking Competition Pilot ‘Fantasy Food Fight’
EXCLUSIVE: Meet USA Network’s new leading man. Rescue Me co-star Steven Pasquale has been tapped as the lead of USA Network’s hourlong pilot Over/Under. The project, from Fox TV Studios and Universal Cable Prods., centers on Paul (Pasquale), a day trader with a massive gambling problem who is fired from his job six months after a bad trade costs his firm millions. Shut out of the job market, he and his wife move to Brooklyn. There, Paul finds an unlikely partner, expectant father Marino (Anthony Carrigan), to start a high-end bookie business. Bronwen Hughes is set to direct the pilot from a script by Sheila Callaghan. Pasquale, repped by ICM and Emily Gerson-Saines, is best known for his role as young firefighter Sean Garrity on the FX drama Rescue Me, which is wrapping its seven-season this summer. On stage, he co-starred in Neil LaBute’s reasons to be pretty on Broadway and is about to open in Tony Kushner’s new play The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures at New York’s Public Theater.
Steven Pasquale
TV Casting
USA Network Pilot
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346931
|
__label__cc
| 0.535092
| 0.464908
|
My Caravaggio Style
“My finest, ferocious Caravaggio style”—that was his own phrase for his later manner; and that was the style I was aiming at, an interplay of light and shadow that would rivet the attention and, ultimately, draw the eye to darkness.
At the beginning of Doris Langley Moore’s deliriously entertaining final novel, bookseller and author Quentin Williams has just received the royalties (just over £4) from his two published biographies. In his resulting doldrums he perversely tries to impress a smug American manuscript dealer, hinting that he may have unearthed a copy of Lord Byron’s lost memoirs, famously burned by his friends just after his death. Buying time with elaborate tales about the manuscript’s location, he sets about an audacious forgery, focusing on the scandalous style of Byron’s later writings.
Quentin is also trying to impress his girlfriend, a smart, beautiful model who may very well be out of his league and whose savvy intellect, when Quentin piques her interest in Byron, becomes his biggest obstacle. The unforeseen complications of his deception culminate at a gathering of elite Byron scholars—including none other than Doris Langley Moore herself! This new edition features an introduction by Sir Roy Strong.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346933
|
__label__cc
| 0.652151
| 0.347849
|
Home Deckbuilder Forum Decks Top Decks Deck Search Sets
deckstats Discord
@deckstats
deckstats.net
whiplashz
Karma: 0 | Posts: 0
Liked Decks
whiplashz's Decks
The Graveyard Beckons (Standard)
Last updated 7.1 years ago
Deck order: Last updated Created, new-old Created, old-new Price, $-$$$ Price, $$$-$ Name, A-Z Name, Z-A Colors
Members | About Us | Privacy Policy
deckstats.net © 2020. All rights reserved. Wizards of the Coast, Magic: The Gathering, and their logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the United States and other countries. © 2009 Wizards. All Rights Reserved. more...
This web site is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC. This web site may use the trademarks and other intellectual property of Wizards of the Coast LLC, which is permitted under Wizards' Fan Site Policy. For example, MAGIC: THE GATHERING(r) is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast. For more information about Wizards of the Coast or any of Wizards' trademarks or other intellectual property, please visit their website at (www.wizards.com). All information is subject to change without prior notice. Although we try to present current and accurate information, we cannot make any guarantees of any kind. Responsibility for comments, forum posts, messages and any other user-generated content lies with their respective authors. We do not monitor or necessarily agree with any personal opinions or other expressions published in any such content. (0.03 sec)
An error with your login session occured:
You can do this in a different tab to avoid losing the data you entered here. Once you are done, click the Refresh Session button and then try again.
If the problem persists, please contact us.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346934
|
__label__cc
| 0.631557
| 0.368443
|
DIGHUMLAB
Research examples
Get inspired by examples of research performed by using the DIGHUMLAB infrastructure.
DIGITAL JOURNEYS: Helle’s case from the Digital Literacy course
Read the case about Helle Strandgaard Jensen, Associate Professor at History, Aarhus University, and her project in the Digital Literacy course….
Mapping the Danish web and Danish digital history
Through the supercomputer at The Royal Danish Library, Professor Niels Brügger dives into the Danish part of the World Wide Web to map our digital history….
DIGITAL JOURNEYS: Vladimir’s case from the Digital Literacy course
Read more about Vladimir’s Digital Literacy project at Aarhus University on using topic modelling for literature reviews and identifying cross-referencing….
DIGITAL JOURNEYS: Kirstine and Anne’s case from the Digital Literacy course
Read more about Kirstine and Anne’s Digital Literacy project on unveiling the character gallery of 11,955 contemporary Danish sermons….
DIGITAL JOURNEYS: Janne’s case from the Digital Literacy course
Read more about Janne’s Digital Literacy project on investigating the historical development of tracking and e-commerce technologies on the Danish Web….
DIGITAL JOURNEYS: Anne’s case from the Digital Literacy course
Anne Sørensen, history researcher at the School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, has embarked on a journey to expand her digital horizon….
Experiments with Big Video
New technologies give enhanced methods for video ethnography The DIGHUMLAB community VILA supports research into embodied human interaction in a wide range of environments and with a focus on social…
Gesta Danorum
Language technology, a shortcut to scientific evidence. This case is an example of how language technology can be exploited in research within the humanities….
This case from LARM.fm explains how to locate missing metadata for radio programmes by using the programme schedules. Be inspired to use LARM.fm….
Sign up for DIGHUMLAB’s newsletter to get news, events, digital inspiration and updates from the field of digital humanities.
DIGHUMLAB will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates on our services, events, publications, news and digital inspiration. You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email from us or by contacting us at info@dighumlab.org.
Find examples of relevant publications from the DIGHUMLAB community.
Language-based Materials and Tools
Martinez Alonso, Hector; Plank, Barbara; Johannsen, Barbara, Trærup, Anders; Søgaard, Anders: Active Learning for Sense Annotation. In: Proceedings of the 20th Nordic Conference of Computational Linguistics NODALIDA 2015. Linköping University…
Andersen, J. S., Thøgersen, J., Larsen, B.: Larm Audio Research Archive – en infrastruktur til forskning og undervisning i radio og lyd 2010-2014 Granly, E., Stougaard, B. og Have, I….
Brügger, N., Schroeder, R (editors): The Web as History. UCL Press. 2017 Brügger, N.: Digital Humanities in the 21st Century: Digital Material as a Driving Force. Digital Humanities Quarterly, 10(3), 2016….
Experimental labs
Davidsen, J. & Kjær, M. (ed.): Introduktion til videoanalyse, Samfundslitteratur, 2018. p. 13-35 Davidsen, J., & McIlvenny, P (2017). Research on Language and Social interaction – Blog Davidsen, J. &…
User impressions
Online course in Web Archives and Web Archiving by NetLab – Barbara Ana Revuelta-Eugercios
“I think that a course like this should be taken by all historians and humanists.”…
Online course in Web Archives and Web Archiving by NetLab – Ally McCrow
“Thanks for an interesting and practical course. It has certainly given me a lot to think about”…
Workshop by NetLab – Marie Louise Tørring
“This ought to be a mandatory methodology course for all Master’s programs in the Humanities department.”…
Word2Vec by KB Labs – Katrine Frøkjær Baunvig
“KB Lab’s Word2Vec tool is well suited for workshops in proto discourse analysis and conceptual history in university teaching at undergrad levels.”…
MeLOAR by KB Labs – Jens-Bjørn Riis Andresen
“With this resource [MeLOAR] being easily accessible, we can expect future research to a much greater extent to be based on newest evidence.”…
SMURF by KB Labs – Mads Rosendahl Thomsen
“SMURF is an excellent tool for accessing more than two hundred years of language use in Danish newspapers. It’s easy to use, and it provides robust results”…
CLARIN – Anne Sofie Jakobsen
“I would reccomend it [CLARIN] to researchers who are creating their own corpora and need a fast and easy way of preparing the texts.”…
ELAN supported by VILA – Thilde Emilie Møller
“I have used ELAN for transcribing verbal and embodied interactions. In ELAN I used different modes, e.g. segmentation and transcription.”…
LARM.fm – Mette Simonsen Abildgaard
“I highly recommend LARM.fm for students and researchers from any field, who are interested in drawing on auditory material for their work.”…
LARM.fm – Morten Michelsen
“In order to find out what music DR did actually play in the early years, the LARM search function has been extremely helpful.”…
LARM.fm – Jacob Kreutzfeldt
“It was central in gaining access to historical radio material. Without LARM.fm it would not have been possible for me to do the research.”…
New Paths, Old Sources: Cityscapes in the Danish Press, 1905-2005
Helle Strandgaard Jensen and Mikkel Thelle, both Associate Professors at Department of History and Classical Studies, Aarhus University, have studied the changing representation of cities in historical newspapers. By studying cityscapes in the Danish press, 1905-2005 they created a workflow which enables historians to do distant readings of newspapers. Participating in the Digital Literacy course has taught Helle more about the possibilities and limitations of digital methods.
Helle’s motivation for participating in the Digital Literacy course was twofold. She had previously worked with digital literacy from a historical perspective, looking at how concepts of ‘media literacy’ had changed in the second half of the twentieth century and now wanted to explore the phenomenon in relation to her own discipline. Secondly, Helle and her colleague Mikkel Thelle wanted to provide fellow historians with an approach to digital methods they could adapt to their own subfield:
“We wanted to show other historians some of the advantages of using digital methods. We wanted to prove how explorative approaches can complement the research methods we traditionally use in our field.”
In History, digital methods can be used for overcoming several challenges. One is to provide an explorative approach to large data sets. Using distant reading methods, researchers can explore connections in large amounts of data without committing to specific research questions from the beginning. These connections can generate new types of questions for later close reading:
“Historians have always worked with a lot of different types of data which can be combined in different ways. Historians have used statistics, big data and computers in their work since the 1950s. But to have an explorative approach is important. Being able to examine connections in a large set of data generates questions that can complement other types of data.”
Helle Strandgaard Jensen is an Associate Professor of Contemporary Cultural History. Her research focuses on two areas: Media history and historians’ use of digital and analogue archives. The Digital Literacy project is made in collaboration with her colleague Mikkel Thelle and aims to show other historians how digital methods can be used:
“The question was if we were able to produce a workflow that could be adopted by historians fairly easily, provide them with an understanding of what digital methods can do, and finally allow them to work with the research questions they are used to working with.”
An IT supporter from the Digital Literacy course, Ross Deans Kristensen-McLachlan, developed a script that automatically aggregates the data Helle and Mikkel wanted to collect for their project. The script allowed the researchers to ask many kinds of questions about the representation of Danish cities in three big newspapers from 1905 to 2005. The results, in the form of changing cityscapes, can then be visualised on a heat map.
Query results from SMURF which collects data from Mediestream, the media collections of the Royal Danish Library.
New personal competences
Experience with digital methods
Knowing the limits and possibilities of digital methods.
Working with large data sets
Better understanding of which research questions can be asked with a large set of data.
Communication and teaching
Communicating and teaching digital methods to students and colleagues.
There is a growing interest in digital methods at the Department of History and Classical Studies. A BA course has been established in which students are introduced to basic digital approaches. Having participated in the Digital Literacy course has also been helpful in this regard:
“I’ve gained more confidence when I now go back and teach my students in digital methods. What entry level do we need to have, and how do we make the challenges smaller for novices?”
The workflow that Helle and Mikkel created in the Digital Literacy project will be incorporated in teaching and will also be used for asking other types of research questions.
With her colleague Adela Sobotkova, Helle is the leader of Center for Digital History (CEDHAR). In this role, she will continue to work with digital methods in research and teaching.
Behind the researcher
Helle Strandgaard Jensen is an Associate Professor of Scandinavian cultural history at the Department of History and Classical Studies, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University.
She is also co-director of Center for Digital History Aarhus (CEDHAR).
Her research interests include e.g. contemporary media history in Scandinavia, Western Europe and the US after 1945.
Behind the Digital Literacy course
The Digital Literacy project is a competence development project organised by the Digital Arts Initiative at Aarhus University. It is a unique opportunity for researchers to qualify themselves in the digital area – with their own research questions as a point of departure.
How the mapping of the Danish web happens
Through the supercomputer at The Royal Danish Library and newly developed algorithms, Professor Niels Brügger dives into the Danish part of the World Wide Web to map our digital history. Here he tells how.
Powering large-scale reviews of energy security vs. social impact literature with topic modelling to locate cross-referencing between them
Vladimir Douglas Pacheco Cueva, Associate Professor of International Studies at Aarhus University, has embarked on a digital quest to expand his data sets to test if his analyses and hypotheses hold once scaled up. This case gives an insight into his digital journey through (and beyond) his participation in the Digital Literacy course at Arts, Aarhus University.
Unveiling the character gallery of sermons: Labelling and social network analysis of 11,955 contemporary Danish sermons
Kirstine Helboe Johansen, Associate Professor in Practical Theology, and Anne Agersnap, PhD student in The Study of Religion, both Aarhus University, are interested in questions of how religion is actualised in contemporary society – and how such questions can be addressed digitally. This case gives an insight into their digital journey through (and beyond) their participation in the Digital Literacy course.
Investigating the historical development of tracking and e-commerce technologies on the Danish Web
Janne Nielsen, assistant professor at the Department of Media and Journalism Studies at Aarhus University, is widening her digital horizon to face the concrete challenges of her everyday research. Her participation in the Digital Literacy course has whetted her digital appetite, and this case provides an insight into her digital journey through (and beyond) the course.
Tracing Cold War perceptions of nuclear weapons in Denmark through distant (and close) reading
Anne Sørensen, history researcher at the School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, has embarked on a journey to expand her digital horizon – most recently by participating in the Digital Literacy course. This case gives insight into her digital journey through (and beyond) the course.
New technologies give enhanced methods for video ethnography
Researchers at Aalborg University have been experimenting with new technologies and enhanced methods for EMCA and video ethnography. One key focus has been to collect richer video and sound recordings in a variety of settings.
Language technology, a shortcut to scientific evidence
This case is an example of how language technology can be exploited in research within the humanities. The resource that this case is based on is Gesta Danorum written about 1200 by the Danish historian, Saxo.
Locating missing metadata for radio programmes by using the programme schedules
Programmes that are part of a series often have the name of the series as their title. In this case, a search for the series title results in a list of programmes with the same title.
Martinez Alonso, Hector; Plank, Barbara; Johannsen, Barbara, Trærup, Anders; Søgaard, Anders: Active Learning for Sense Annotation. In: Proceedings of the 20th Nordic Conference of Computational Linguistics NODALIDA 2015. Linköping University Electronic Press, 2015.
Martinez Alonso, Hector; Johannsen, Anders Trærup; Olsen, Sussi; Nimb, Sanni; Sørensen, Nicolai; Braasch, Anna; Søgaard, Anders; Pedersen, Bolette Sandford: Supersense tagging for Danish. In: Proceedings of the 20th Nordic Conference of Computational Linguistics NODALIDA 2015. Linköping University Electronic Press, 2015.
Andersen, J. S., Thøgersen, J., Larsen, B.: Larm Audio Research Archive – en infrastruktur til forskning og undervisning i radio og lyd 2010-2014
Granly, E., Stougaard, B. og Have, I. (red.), Sound Archives, særnummer for tidsskriftet SoundEffects Vol 5, No 2.
Kreutzfeldt, Jacob: ”State Controled Avantgarde?: Emil Bønnelyckes radiophonic city portrait of Copenhagen”. A Cultural History of the Avant-Garde in the Nordic Countries. ed. / Tania Ørum; Per Stounbjerg et al. Vol. 2 Edition Rodopi B.V, 2015.
Brügger, N., Schroeder, R (editors): The Web as History. UCL Press. 2017
Brügger, N.: Digital Humanities in the 21st Century: Digital Material as a Driving Force. Digital Humanities Quarterly, 10(3), 2016.
Brügger, N.: Humanities, Digital Humanities, Media studies, Internet studies : An inaugural lecture.
Center for Internetforskning, Aarhus Universitet, 2015. 16 s. (Skrifter fra Center for Internetforskning)
Davidsen, J. & Kjær, M. (ed.): Introduktion til videoanalyse, Samfundslitteratur, 2018. p. 13-35
Davidsen, J., & McIlvenny, P (2017). Research on Language and Social interaction – Blog
Davidsen, J. & Ryberg, T. (2017): “This is the size of one meter”: Children’s bodily-material collaboration”. Intern. J. Comput.-Support. Collab. Learn (2017) 12: 65. doi:10.1007/s11412-017-9248-8
Digital Humanities Lab Denmark
Helsingforsgade 14
info@dighumlab.org
Envelope Linkedin-in
© DIGHUMLAB
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346937
|
__label__wiki
| 0.544878
| 0.544878
|
Beautiphi
Cosmetic surgery in New Zealand
Tika St, 1
New Zealand Show map
Address: Tika St, 1, Auckland, 1052, New Zealand Get directions
New Zealand's Specialists in Appearance Medicine & Non-surgical treatments - With the use of Botox, Dermal fillers and Platelet-rich plasma to enhance our clients' appearances & confidence.
At Beautiphi we are dedicated at providing the latest results-driven facial and body treatments to enhance our clients' appearances and instill confidence. Our nurses and appearance specialists are professionally trained in the complete range of beauty and appearance medicine treatments.
Dysport, Botox & Xeomin Treatments
Needling Treatments
Appearance Medicine
Skin Care Treatment for men
Vital Injection
Rejuvenation of faces, necks, and the treatment of hair loss.
PrintReport
Send a message to Beautiphi
Afghanistan (+93) Albania (+355) Algeria (+213) Andorra (+376) Angola (+244) Argentina (+54) Armenia (+374) Aruba (+297) Australia (+61) Austria (+43) Azerbaijan (+994) Bahamas (+242) Bahrain (+973) Bangladesh (+880) Barbados (+246) Belarus (+375) Belgium (+32) Belize (+501) Benin (+229) Bermuda (+809) Bhutan (+975) Bolivia (+591) Bosnia and Herzegovina (+387) Botswana (+267) Brazil (+55) British Virgin Islands (+284) Brunei (+673) Bulgaria (+359) Burkina Faso (+226) Burundi (+257) Cambodia (+855) Cameroon (+237) Canada (+1) Cape Verde (+238) Cayman Islands (+345) Central African Republic (+236) Chad (+235) Chile (+56) China (+86) Colombia (+57) Congo-Brazzaville (+242) Congo-Kinshasa (+243) Costa Rica (+506) Cote D'Ivoire (+225) Croatia (+385) Cuba (+53) Cyprus (+357) Czech Republic (+420) Denmark (+45) Dominican Republic (+809) Ecuador (+593) Egypt (+20) El Salvador (+503) Equatorial Guinea (+240) Eritrea (+291) Estonia (+372) Ethiopia (+251) Faroe Islands (+298) Fiji (+679) Finland (+358) France (+33) Gabon (+241) Gambia (+220) Georgia (+995) Germany (+49) Ghana (+233) Gibraltar (+350) Greece (+30) Greenland (+299) Guam (+671) Guatemala (+502) Guernsey (+44) Guinea (+224) Guinea-Bissau (+245) Guyana (+592) Haiti (+509) Honduras (+504) Hong Kong (+852) Hungary (+36) Iceland (+354) India (+91) Indonesia (+62) Iran (+98) Iraq (+964) Ireland (+353) Israel (+972) Italy (+39) Jamaica (+876) Japan (+81) Jersey (+44) Jordan (+962) Kazakhstan (+7) Kenya (+254) Kuwait (+965) Kyrgyzstan (+996) Laos (+856) Latvia (+371) Lebanon (+961) Lesotho (+266) Liberia (+231) Libya (+218) Liechtenstein (+423) Lithuania (+370) Luxembourg (+352) Macao (+853) Macedonia (+389) Madagascar (+261) Malawi (+265) Malaysia (+60) Maldives (+960) Mali (+223) Malta (+356) Mauritania (+222) Mauritius (+230) Mexico (+52) Moldova (+373) Monaco (+33) Mongolia (+976) Montenegro (+382) Morocco (+212) Mozambique (+258) Myanmar (+95) Namibia (+264) Nepal (+977) Netherlands (+31) Netherlands Antilles (+599) New Zealand (+64) Nicaragua (+505) Niger (+227) Nigeria (+234) North Korea (+850) Norway (+47) Oman (+968) Pakistan (+92) Palestine (+970) Panama (+507) Papua New Guinea (+675) Paraguay (+595) Peru (+51) Philippines (+63) Poland (+48) Portugal (+351) Puerto Rico (+1) Qatar (+974) Reunion (+262) Romania (+40) Russia (+7) Rwanda (+250) Saudi Arabia (+966) Senegal (+221) Serbia (+381) Seychelles (+248) Sierra Leone (+232) Singapore (+65) Slovakia (+421) Slovenia (+386) Somalia (+252) South Africa (+27) South Korea (+82) South Sudan (+211) Spain (+34) Sri Lanka (+94) Sudan (+249) Suriname (+597) Swaziland (+268) Sweden (+46) Switzerland (+41) Syria (+963) Taiwan (+886) Tajikistan (+7) Tanzania (+255) Thailand (+66) Togo (+228) Trinidad and Tobago (+1) Tunisia (+216) Turkey (+90) Turkmenistan (+993) Uganda (+256) Ukraine (+380) United Arab Emirates (+971) United Kingdom (+44) United States (+1) Uruguay (+598) Uzbekistan (+7) Venezuela (+58) Vietnam (+84) Virgin Islands (+1) Yemen (+967) Zambia (+260) Zimbabwe (+263)
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346943
|
__label__wiki
| 0.858632
| 0.858632
|
Years in Disney history
Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin opens at Disneyland.
The Return of Jafar begins the Aladdin television series.
The Legend of the Chaos God story arc runs in Disney Adventures.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror opens at the Disney-MGM Studios.
The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck begins its first American printing in Uncle Scrooge #285.
Beauty and the Beast: The Musical
Mickey Mania
Cabin Boy (Touchstone Pictures)
The Air Up There (Hollywood Pictures)
January 14 - Iron Will
February 4 - My Father the Hero (Touchstone Pictures)
February 11 - Blank Check is released to negative reviews.
March 25 - D2: The Mighty Ducks is released to negative reviews, but was a financial success.
April 8 - Holy Matrimony (Hollywood Pictures)
April 15 - White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf
June 12 - The Lion King premiered in New York City, New York
June 15 - The Lion King (Los Angeles, California)
June 24 - The Lion King is released to universal acclaim amongst many critics and audiences and becomes a major box office success.
July 12 - Angels in the Outfield premiered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (with Caravan Pictures)
July 15 - Angels in the Outfield (with Caravan Pictures)
August 12 - In the Army Now (Hollywood Pictures)
August 19 - Color of Night (Hollywood Pictures)
It's Pat (Touchstone Pictures)
Camp Nowhere (Hollywood Pictures)
September 2 - A Simple Twist of Fate (Touchstone Pictures)
Quiz Show (Hollywood Pictures)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (re-issue)
September 23 - Ed Wood (Touchstone Pictures) (New York Festival)
September 27 - Ed Wood premiered in Los Angeles, California (Touchstone Pictures)
September 28 - Ed Wood (Touchstone Pictures; limited)
October 7 - Ed Wood (Touchstone Pictures)
October 28 - Squanto: A Warrior's Tale
November 11 - The Santa Clause is released to positive reviews. (with Hollywood Pictures)
November 23 - A Low Down Dirty Shame (Hollywood Pictures with Caravan Pictures)
December 25 - Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book
December 29 - Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (New York City, New York)
After 10 years, The Fox and the Hound is the last video in the Walt Disney Classics VHS series.
Disney begins releasing direct-to-video titles.
Walt Disney Computer Software is shut down and renamed Disney Interactive.
Donald Duck's 60th anniversary is celebrated.
Character debuts
February 6 - Mechanicles
March 26 - The U-tensils, The Peach Boys, The Refrigerator Police, Pita Gabriel, Fud Wrapper, The Sole of Rock n' Roll, Richard, Neil Moussaka, Chubby Cheddar, The Get-the-Point Sisters
May 20 - Abis Mal
June - Solego
June 24 - Simba, Scar, Mufasa, Sarabi, Nala, Zazu, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki, Sarafina, Hyena Clan, Wildebeests, Pridelanders, Gopher
July 15 - George Knox, Mel Clark, Maggie Nelson, Roger Bowman, J.P., Ranch Wilder, David Montagnue, Hank Murphy
August 12 - Claire Poulet, Gilbert London, Dewey Todd, Sally Shine, Emeline Partridge
November 11 - Scott Calvin, Charlie Calvin, Laura Miller, Neil Miller, Bernard, Det. Nunzio, Miss Daniels, Judy, Mr. Whittle, Susan Perry, Bobby, Principal Compton, Dr. Pete Novos, Judge G. Whelan, Officer Malone, Fireman O'Hara, Comet
January 26 - Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin opens at Disneyland.
March 26 - Food Rocks replaces Kitchen Kabaret at Epcot.
June - Disney World's 20th Anniversary Celebration Parade at the Magic Kingdom ends. The Mickey Mania Parade debuts in the same month and same place.
July 6 - Captain EO closes at Epcot.
July 8 - The Legend of the Lion King opens at the Magic Kingdom.
July 22 - Sunset Boulevard opens at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
August 12 - The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror opens at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
September 5 - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage closes at the Magic Kingdom.
September 29 - Innoventions opens at Epcot.
October 14 - Snow White's Adventures closes down at Magic Kingdom.
November 9 - Skyway closes at Disneyland.
February 6 - Aladdin premieres as a "preview" on the Disney Channel; it began airing in syndication as part of The Disney Afternoon and on CBS' Saturday morning line-up on September 5th.
October 24 - Gargoyles premieres on The Disney Afternoon.
July - Marvel Comics begins publishing comic books with modern Disney characters, starting with the first issues of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.
August - Marvel Comics publishes the first issue of their Aladdin comic book.
October - Marvel Comics publishes the first issue of their Disney Afternoon comic book.
December - Marvel Comics publishes the first issue of their Gargoyles comic book.
January - Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers 2 for NES
February - Mickey's Ultimate Challenge for Super NES, Genesis, Game Boy, and Game Gear
April - The Jungle Book for NES
July - The Jungle Book for Super NES, Genesis, and Game Boy
July: The Lion King Print Studio (Windows)
August or earlier: Math Antics with Disney's 101 Dalmatians (Sega Pico)
November Beauty and the Beast for NES and Super NES
November: Bonkers (Sega Genesis)
November 18 - Aladdin: Activity Center and Animated StoryBook: The Lion King
December - Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse for Super NES, Genesis, and Sega CD
Mickey's Adventures in Numberland (NES)
Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Daibōken (Super Famicom)
Mickey's Blast into the Past (Sega Pico)
The Great Circus Mystery starring Mickey and Minnie (SNES and Sega Genesis)
A Year at Pooh Corner (Sega Pico)
Aladdin the Series: The Tower of Gold Adventure (Tiger Handheld LCD)
Disney's Aladdin (Sega Game Gear and Sega Master System)
The Lion King (Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, SNES, DOS, Windows, NES, Game Boy, Amiga, Game Gear, Master System)
The Lion King (Tiger Handheld LCD)
Bonkers (SNES)
Beauty and the Beast: The Broadway Musical opens
VHS releases
January 28 - Disney Favorite Stories (4 VHS)
February 18- Winnie the Pooh Storybook Classics (4 VHS), Winnie the Pooh Playtime (3 VHS)
Bonkers (3 VHS)
March 17 - The Brave Little Toaster (re-issue)
April 20 - Another Stakeout
Mickey's Fun Songs: Let's Go to the Circus and Campout at Walt Disney World
Disney Sing Along Songs: Heigh-Ho, You Can Fly, The Bare Necessities, Under the Sea, Disneyland Fun, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Be Our Guest, and Friend Like Me (re-issues)
May 6- Winnie the Pooh Learning (3 VHS)
May 20 - The Return of Jafar (first direct-to-video full-length feature from Disney)
June 29 - Iron Will
July 13 - Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
July 27 - Blank Check
August 24 - D2: The Mighty Ducks
September 9 - Hocus Pocus
September 30 - The Nightmare Before Christmas
October 12 - Holy Matrimony
October 28 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs becomes the first video in the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection line of videotapes, along with new releases of Mary Poppins, Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, Robin Hood, The Sword in the Stone, Pete's Dragon, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Three Caballeros, So Dear to My Heart, Old Yeller, The Parent Trap, Swiss Family Robinson, Pollyanna, Escape to Witch Mountain, Davy Crockett and the River Pirates, 20,000 Leauges Under the Sea, The Shaggy Dog, That Darn Cat!, The Love Bug, Herbie Rides Again, The Apple Dumpling Gang, and The Three Lives of Thomasina
November 18 - Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too
Ernest Goes to School
Disney Sing Along Songs: Very Merry Christmas Songs and The Twelve Days of Christmas (re-issues)
December 16 - Disney Sing Along Songs: Circle of Life
Laserdisc releases
October 28 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
January 21 - Booboo Stewart (actor)
February 14 - Paul Butcher (actor, voice actor, and singer)
February 21 - Hayley Orrantia (actress, singer, and songwriter)
February 23 - Dakota Fanning (actress, voice actress, and model)
March 12 - Tyler Patrick Jones (actor)
April 12 - Saoirse Ronan (actress)
April 14 - Skyler Samuels (actress)
April 16 - Liliana Mumy (actress and voice actress)
April 18 - Moisés Arias (actor)
April 24 - Jordan Fisher (actor, singer, and dancer)
May 4 - Alexander Gould (actor and voice actor)
June 16 - Caitlyn Taylor Love (actress, voice actress, and singer)
June 24 - Erin Moriarty (actress)
June 27 - Mitchell Hope (actor)
August 18 - Jessie Flower (actress and voice actress)
August 25 - Josh Flitter (actor and voice actor)
September 17 - Denyse Tontz (actress and singer)
October 26 - Alexandria Deberry (actress)
December 3 - Jake T. Austin (actor and voice actor)
December 26 - Samantha Boscarino (actress and singer)
January 1 - Cesar Romero (actor)
January 8 - Pat Buttram (actor)
January 22 - Telly Savalas (film and television actor and singer)
January 28 - Hal Smith (actor and voice actor)
February 6 - Jack Kirby (comics writer, editor, and designer)
March 4 - John Candy (actor, voice actor, and comedian)
April 3 - Frank Wells (businessman)
May 15 - Royal Dano (actor)
June 11 - Jack Hannah (animator, writer, and director)
June 14 - Henry Mancini (composer, conductor, and music arranger)
September 11 - Jessica Tandy (actress)
September 17 - Iris Adrian (actress and dancer)
October 20 - Burt Lancaster (actor, director, and producer)
November 1 - Noah Beery, Jr. (actor)
December 5 - Gunter Meisner (actor)
≪ 1993 Timeline 1995 ≫
Retrieved from "https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/1994?oldid=3866798"
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346944
|
__label__wiki
| 0.840485
| 0.840485
|
Snakes, Monsters, Hybrids,
Deceased characters
The Krylock Demon
The Krylock Demon is a fictional creature from the animated series American Dragon: Jake Long. It was a beast of pure evil which feeds off of magical creatures, such as Unicorns[1]. It had the head of a cobra and the body of a scorpion. It was also inter-dimensional, meaning that it lived in another dimension. The only way it could come to Earth is if it passed through a dimensional door, which could pop out anywhere at anytime. Because of this, it was impossible to track.
Its home was a wasteland of lava and rocks, possibly the interior of a volcano or a place similar to the Underworld.
The Krylock's scorpion-like tail was where the demon stored its venom. When extracted, it would come out green in color and have a slight glow.
This kind of venom was, according to Fu Dog, a key element to making a successful portal spell, and indeed, if the poison was omitted or replaced with another substance (such as vanilla), the spell would only create a useless, dead-ended dimensional door.
An example of the venom's effects
If consumed by humans and Dragons, the venom would infect those who ingested it by giving them Krylock properties. In most cases, victims would grow fangs, a slithering tongue, pincers, a scorpion tail, sometimes even scorpion legs, and their eyes would become reptilian like those of a snake. They would also gain super strength and start a rampage out of savagery.
Because they are under a magical influence, those who consumed some of the Krylock venom could be defeated the conventional way. Since the poison's power came from the beast itself, it was necessary to first slay the Krylock to avoid harm upon the victims. Once the Krylock was defeated, its venom's effects would disappear, turning everyone who was affected by it instantly back to normal. The victims would also have no recollection of ever being under its influence.
Ironically, the Krylock's demise was its own venom, driven through its heart from its scorpion tail by Jake.
The Krylock Demon was one of the Top 13 Threats to the Magical Community.
The Krylock was apparently so evil that even its hologram would try to attack people (like Spud). It was even shown eating a harmless Leprechaun in a single bite;
Victims of the Krylock poison would still have the ability to talk, though most would just hiss and roar.
When infected by the Krylock's poison, Haley was seen spitting some green and glowing goo that burns through a picture frame like acid. It was unclear if this was a Krylock ability or just an effect of its venom.
One victim of the Krylock venom developed a tongue with a secondary mouth, a reference to the creatures showcased in the "Alien" movies that have this same property.
Although the Krylock lived in a world of lava, it was vulnerable to fire.
According to Spud, the Krylock was a male.
Unlike most magical creatures, the Krylock was a made up creature in the show, like the Avemetrus, the Shade Demons, the Moss Monster, etc. The other magical creatures like Unicorns, Pixies, Trolls, and Leprechauns are actual creatures that are legendary in the show and real-world.
↑ "Half Baked"
Retrieved from "https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/The_Krylock_Demon?oldid=3832936"
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346945
|
__label__cc
| 0.565831
| 0.434169
|
Sharon Teller was tough as nails.
Hard as granite.
Meaner than a snake.
Didn’t take crap from anybody.
And on and on.
She was a writer who had never met a cliché she didn’t like.
But one cliché summed her up the best:Sharon Teller was a survivor.
She had been poor once, but clawed her way to the top with no help from anybody. And now she was working on another guaranteed blockbuster.
She was probably the only best-selling author who still used an address book – not on a laptop or iPhone or Blackberry, none of which she possessed, but a real old-fashioned address book with a leather cover and pages made out of actual paper. Technology would have made her life easier, but it would also have allowed people to find out where she lived, although that was an ill-kept secret; it was hard not to notice all the security for her penthouse on the 66th floor of Lakeshore Towers in Chicago.
And on this morning, very early, she picked up her phone. This was always her favorite part of the day. The light was pink outside her floor-to-ceiling window as the sun poked its head over Lake Michigan. Coffee-stained pages flew by under her fingers as she looked up a number. She loved to call sources very early to make sure she woke them up; they were much more likely to spill some dirt that way. She push-buttoned the number on the phone, an actual landline with caller ID blocked.
“Good morning!” she shouted into the phone in a voice like a raven fighting over some trash. “This is Sharon Teller. Oh, did I wake you up? I’m terribly sorry. I just plain forgot that you’re two hours behind. But I just had to ask you one more thing about that Justin Bieber quote you gave me last week. You remember that? I thought you would…”
Five minutes later she had another one of her famous little tidbits, always from ‘an anonymous source.’ She jotted down some notes and filed them in a folder (once again, a real manila folder) marked Chapter 21. She was almost done with her research, but she still had to sit down and actually write the damned book. Most authors of her caliber had a staff of people to do this kind of research, but that would require her to trust somebody.
She got up and shuffled wearily into the bathroom and took the first of her angina pills for the day. She looked in the mirror and examined the crow’s feet around her eyes. It might be time for a facelift, although she’d seen the nasty results of too many of those in the some of the people she’d written about. And how many people was that? A lot. She counted up the years in her head:
Four years on the Clinton book.
Three years on Michael Jackson.
Two years on the Queen of England.
One year on John Wesley Macon.
And, in between, all the quickie books about fifteen-minutes-of-fame types like the Balloon Boy, Tiger Woods’ mistresses, and Nancy Grace’s housekeeper.
Yes, it had all been a real grind. It had made her a household name, which wasn’t easy. She resented all the invasions of her privacy that fame entailed but she did get some benefits, like a twenty million dollar portfolio for instance. She smiled at that and flopped down on the bed.
The sound of the door chime woke her. She sat up with a start. “Must’ve dozed off for a sec,” she muttered as she headed into the living room. Not many people rang her bell. It was probably Mort, her agent.
She opened the door and saw that it wasn’t Mort after all. Looking very out of place in the elegant, penthouse hallway was a tall, lean man in a brown, soft leather vest. His gray hair was unkempt and there were lots of holes in his blue jeans. It was the hat, however, that gave him away. He was wearing a train engineer’s hat, crumpled and oil-stained. It wasn’t hard for Sharon to recognize John Wesley Macon, although he looked much older and definitely more weathered than when she’d written her book about him.
“Mornin’ ma’am.” His famous drawl was soft and smooth, just like on his records. “I was just passing through and I was wondering if I might have a word with you. I hope it’s not too early.” He bent down to pick up the morning paper on the hallway floor and handed it to her politely.
Needless to say, this was unexpected. How had he gotten by security? Never mind that. Sharon’s brain was immediately kicking into gear. This was going to make a great story. No one had interviewed Macon since he had dropped out of sight three years ago, shortly after her book had come out.
Sharon mustered the disarming smile that had made her famous on Oprah and The View. She tossed the newspaper on the coffee table and took Macon’s hat. “Would you like some coffee?” she asked politely, motioning toward the kitchen table.
“No, ma’am, I reckon that John Wesley Macon only has bourbon for breakfast. I read that in a book somewhere.”
Sharon’s face flushed for a moment. So that’s how it was going to be. Well, she was ready. She was always ready.
“Well, Mr. Macon, why don’t you just sit on the couch and tell me why you’re here.”
“I prefer to stand, ma’am.”
“Do you mind if I get my notebook?” she asked, already backing toward the kitchen.
“Suit yourself.” Macon shifted back and forth on his two big feet, a giant among the Ming Dynasty vases on shelves and the Andy Warhol originals on the walls.
When she returned with her notebook, he was thumbing through a paperback copy of her book, Shooting Star – The Life and Times of John Wesley Macon.
“So, Mr. Macon, how can I help you today?” she said, smiling. Only this smile was not her, Gosh-I’m–just-an-old-fashioned-girl smile, but more like an I’m-a-crocodile-and-I’m-hungry smile.
“Well, ma’am, I just kinda wanted to know why you wrote some of these things about me. Like this here…”
He fumbled with the pages until he found what he was looking for and began to read aloud,
“So, young John Wesley spent the last few weeks by her bedside. When she finally slipped away, friends say it tore the heart out of the fledgling young songwriter. Losing his beautiful young sister to such tragic circumstances led to his later fixation with the underage girls who flocked like geese backstage at his concerts.”
Sharon couldn’t help beaming. She loved hearing her own, excellent prose read out loud.
Macon was not beaming. He looked up and stared directly at Sharon Teller. His green eyes flashed. “Now, what do you figure my wife thought when she read that?”
Sharon wasn’t cowed in the least. Of course she wasn’t. “Do you deny this story Mr. Macon? Did you not have a sister that died when she was fifteen? Did you not stay by her sickbed for two weeks, playing your guitar? Facts, Mr. Macon. I have hundreds of sources and I deal only in facts.”
“Now, I may be just a simple country boy from Georgia but I know what people like you can do with facts. They can twist ’em and—”
“Spare me the little old country boy routine, Mr. Macon. You’re a millionaire and everybody knows it.”
They glared at each other for a few seconds. Actually, Macon glared and Sharon continued to smile like a whitewashed wall.
Macon thumbed more pages. He resumed reading in his soft Georgia drawl.
“It’s a well-known fact in the music business that John Wesley Macon ‘borrowed’ freely from other songwriters. In fact, his biggest hit, ‘Love Like A River,’ was probably penned by a soundman named Joe Fouts, who was never given credit.”
Macon looked up and his voice dropped a notch, taking on a low, raspy sound. “I wrote every damn bit of that song. It was my finest piece of work and if you believe that disgruntled little prick wrote it, you ought to get your head examined.”
“I have my sources, Mr. Macon. Hundreds of sources. Are you denying that you stole that song from Joe Fouts?”
“What good would it do if I did? Are you going to write another book with the real story?”
“Of course not, Mr. Macon. A book like that would never sell. Perhaps you could sue me for libel.”
“Oh, you’d love that, wouldn’t you? Then your damned books would really fly off the shelves. No, I’ve got better ways to handle this little problem.”
Teller felt a fluttering in her stomach. This was going to be a marvelous story. “Are you threatening me, Mr. Macon?” The button to call security was right behind her on the floor. She didn’t think she would need it though. She had had guys like this for breakfast.
Macon’s eyes narrowed into slits. “Where I grew up, we don’t threaten ladies, ma’am. Although I think the term lady is a little misplaced here.”
He opened the paperback and continued reading.
“Back stage in Houston, John Wesley was strumming some chords when he came up with the first verse to his hit ‘Bright Eyes.’ He had been secretly seeing a fifteen year old groupie with the improbable name Anita Needa, so it was general knowledge at the time that the song was about her, although it could have been about any number of sweet young things. There were so many after all.”
Macon raised the book high and threw it to the floor with a loud thwack. It startled Sharon so much that she dropped down onto the couch in surprise. She felt a small inkling of fear as Macon hovered over her, trembling.
“That song was about my daughter. My precious little girl,” he said, his voice breaking. “We had some rough times over the years. I wasn’t a perfect father, not by a long shot. But I was finally getting things straightened out with her. And then your filthy little book came out. My daughter accused me of lying to her about her song. She was so proud of that tune. She had told all her friends it was hers and now she looked like a fool in front of God and everybody. She hasn’t talked to me since. You ruined the last chance I had with her, Miss Teller. You destroyed what family I had left.”
Sharon was a little nonplussed for the first time since she could remember. But she didn’t get where she was by being a pushover. She took a deep breath and tried to stand up. Macon pushed her back down.
“I got an idea, Miss Teller. I think I ought to read this whole book out loud right now. Kinda like in school. Let’s enjoy it together, right from page one.”
Macon grabbed the book off the floor and put one hand in the air like a Shakespearian actor. “Chapter One,” he said expansively. “A young boy in a small Georgia town sits on his porch on a summer night, strumming his guitar…”
Teller felt her face grow hot. This was getting out of hand. She looked toward the security button and noticed his foot was right next to it, blocking her. She glanced toward the kitchen table where a red telephone sat like a beacon. She would have to be quick. She took a deep breath and, staying low, darted catlike away from the couch. She would only have a second or two to dial up the lobby.
She made it to the phone and hit 0, turning to look behind her at the same time. Macon was still in the living room, still reading out loud, oblivious. Suddenly she noticed that Macon’s voice was coming out of the receiver in her hand. It was a few seconds behind the voice from the living room, sounding like a talk radio show where the caller doesn’t know there’s a time delay. She didn’t know how Macon had pulled off that little trick but she would soon find out. And there would be hell to pay.
She ran into the bedroom and picked up the phone there. Macon’s voice was coming from that one too. He was already on chapter two—Sharon had never believed in long chapters because of the short attention span of most of her readers.
She dropped the phone on the nightstand in a momentary panic. She took a deep breath. It was a trick, that was all. Then she noticed the clock above her dresser. It read 7:25, the same time as when she had laid down for a nap. She felt disoriented and maybe a little dizzy. From the living room, she heard Macon say, “Chapter Three California Bound. Like all rock star wannabes, John Wesley Macon packed up his meager belongings and headed west in a rusty Volkswagen Rabbit…”
She shook her head. Chapter three already? Yes, her chapters were short but not that short. The passage of time seemed to be skewed. Either that or she was blacking out occasionally. She put her hand on her chest and felt her heartbeat. It was racing a bit but otherwise it was steady. She made her way back into the living room. Macon stopped reading as she came in.
“Glad you’re back,” he said. “We’re just getting to some of the really juicy parts.” He smiled and his teeth seemed to be loose in his mouth.
“How did you do that with the phones?” she asked.
Macon didn’t answer but instead resumed reading. “In LA, with a sweet young starlet on every corner, John Wesley Macon was like a kid in the candy store.”
Macon was standing between Sharon and the doorway. But there was still the security button, the one that she’d never had to use. Well, she’d use it now because this had gone far enough. Macon’s foot was farther away than before so she moved quickly and stepped on the button hard, just as Macon’s foot shot back and covered hers, holding it in place, forcefully and painfully.
“That’s right,” he said. “Push it hard, little darlin’.” He was grinning at her now and his breath smelled like rotting leaves.
He began reading again and this time his voice seemed to come from the walls themselves and from the floor, especially from the floor. It was just a trick. It had to be. A damn, stupid publicity stunt, probably from somebody at Random House.
She pulled back her foot and twisted away. She was angry now. Security would be here in a second and she had had just about enough of this little game. Part of her brain knew that this was going to be a really great story. But she wanted it to be over. “Okay, that’s enough!” she shouted.
Macon stopped and lowered the book. His eyes were black orbs. “But Miss Teller,” he said, “it will never be enough.”
He reached behind her for the newspaper on the coffee table. He turned it face up. It was the Chicago Tribune. There on the front page was the photo of Sharon they’d used on the back of the dust jacket of the Macon book. She read the headline:
Celebrity Author Dies
Macon opened the book again, only now his hands were noticeably thinner, and his skin peeled away in chunks.
Sharon ran for the front door and flung it open. There was another living room on the other side, exactly like hers, with another John Wesley Macon standing by the couch and another Sharon Teller looking out the front door. She ran back into her bedroom. The clock still read 7:25. She stood there with her hands over her ears, trying to block out Macon’s voice but it didn’t work. He was near the end of the book already. How could that be? She heard him say, “The End,” in a triumphant voice, and then it was deathly quiet. Sharon held her breath. Was he gone?
She felt her heart beating steady in her chest. That in itself was a surprise because it had been jumping around for years. And everything that had just happened, Macon’s voice coming from everywhere and her living room stretching on forever like a repeating mirror, was clearly impossible. No one could have done all of this as part of a trick, not with all the special effects in the world.
She had to admit to herself that all of this meant only one thing.
She peeked around the corner into the living room, hoping Macon was gone. He was waiting for her there, just on the other side of the wall. He smiled a toothless smile and she nearly jumped out of her skin. A horrible, putrid smell now filled up the whole apartment.
Macon opened the book. “Chapter One,” he said in a voice that now sounded like a lion’s growl. He resumed his eternal reading, freezing her in place.
Raw, helpless terror gripped her for a while. This was a situation she could not control, something that had rarely happened to her. But eventually, during Macon’s second reading of Chapter Four, her mind unlocked.
Because Sharon Teller was a survivor.
“I don’t care,” she said as loudly and with as much cold malice as she could muster.
Macon stopped reading and looked up. By now, the skin of his face was mostly peeled away and his skull was showing through. “What did you say?” he asked.
“I don’t care,” she repeated. “Keep reading. I kind of like it. I thought my book about you was one of my better efforts. If I really am dead, then hearing my own words for eternity isn’t so bad, now is it?”
Macon frowned, or at least as much of a frown as anyone with a face like rotting meat can muster. Meanwhile, Sharon’s face was creasing into one of her famous smiles. Gotcha.
There was a long, long pause. Finally, Macon put the paperback down onto the coffee table next to the newspaper. He looked down at the floor. He shrugged his bony shoulders and sighed. His breath sounded like air bubbling up through swamp water. He turned his decaying head to the side as if listening to something below the floor. “Okay,” he finally muttered.
The image of a decaying John Wesley Macon shimmered for a moment and then began to morph into something else. The skin on his hands and face smoothed until it was no longer rotten. The threads of his tattered clothes solidified and crawled like growing vines, eventually settling into the form of an elegant tuxedo, black and white with a scarlet bow tie. Glittering rings appeared on hands that looked like they could have belonged to a concert pianist. Teeth grew back and turned pure white like teeth in a toothpaste commercial. Cheekbones flowed like molten lava, eventually becoming part of a face that was much different than John Wesley Macon’s, but still incredibly handsome. Eyes turned the deepest, purest blue, but they bore a look of disappointment.
“I really hate to admit this,” the now elegant figure said, “but you beat me. That doesn’t happen often.”
Sharon felt a rush of adrenaline. She was still confused about what all of this meant but she knew she’d won whatever game they were playing. “Good,” she said, matter-of-factly. “Maybe now you can tell me what’s going on?”
“Of course,” answered the man. “Ask me any question you want.”
“Okay, how about the big one. Am I dead?”
“Yes, you are,” he answered. “You had a heart attack. Pretty mundane for a celebrity like you, but that’s the way it is.”
“Oh,” answered Teller, hiding her disappointment. “And what about Macon?”
“He died of an overdose yesterday. He’ll be in tomorrow’s paper. Kind of ironic, don’t you think?”
“Was that him that was just here?”
“No, that was me. I’m good at impressions. Channeling, actually. I said what Macon would have said if he was really here.”
“Then where is he?”
The elegant man just shrugged and looked up at the ceiling.
Teller pursed her lips. “If he’s up there, then I’m…”
“Yes you are. But as I said, you beat me. I thought I could torment you with what should have been your worst nightmare. But you evidently don’t scare, so you’ll have a much different kind of eternity than the others down here. In fact, I might even have a position for you on the Management Team.”
“Management?” asked Teller. She supposed there would be millions of souls in…well, you know. Maybe billions. It would take a huge team to keep them all in line. She’d always been a lone wolf but why not be a joiner for a change?
“Where do I sign?” asked Sharon.
“Oh, there’s no need for that,” answered the man smoothly. He put a fatherly arm around her shoulder. “My office is just this way.”
He led her toward the big picture window which overlooked the deep blue expanse of Lake Michigan. But as they got closer the view began to change. As Sharon watched in surprise, the window morphed into a huge set of double doors, swinging open to reveal a vast, fiery pit far below. She dug her toes into the plush carpet, trying to stop her forward momentum. She was pretty sure that the flaming pit was not this man’s office.
The man let out a maniacal laugh. With amazing strength he pushed Sharon forward. She tumbled over the edge of the pit and her shriek mingled with the screams of billions of tormented souls below.
The tuxedoed man straightened up and turned to face a group of shadowy, sniveling forms that had just materialized behind him in the room. He waved his hands in the air. “You try to be creative,” he shouted. “You try to mix it up after all of these millennia. But no! She makes you do it the old way.” He wiped his hands as if trying to remove something distasteful. But it wasn’t yet over.
Sharon’s voice came from behind him. “Read to me!” she shouted. “I promise to be scared!” Incredibly, she had caught herself and was still hanging on to the edge of the pit with one hand.
The man rolled his eyes and turned back around. “Story time’s over,” he growled. He stomped on her hand and she let go.
The last thing Sharon Teller said before she pinwheeled into the flames was, “But I’m a survivor!”
The elegant man grinned like a wolf as he stared down into the pit.
“Oh, don’t worry,” he said. “You’ll survive.”
Wayne Faust has had over 35 stories published in various magazine and anthologies, including stories in Norway, Australia, and England. He has also made a full time living as a music and comedy performer for over 35 years (www.waynefaust.com). Since he has been writing songs for all that time, where you have to say everything you want to say in 3 verses or less, his prose tends to be tightly-written and fast-moving. Ten of his stories have been performed aloud on stage for One Night Stand Theater in Denver. (http://www.onenightstandtheater.org/7nightstanders.html)
Previous Issue Seventeen Next
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346955
|
__label__cc
| 0.543123
| 0.456877
|
Shop 3, Green Gables Arcade - 378 Beach Road, Mairangi Bay 0630 Auckland
Tuesday to Friday: 10am - 4pm
Closed Sunday-Monday
We are often in the store for longer than these hours, so please give us a call to check...
You are welcome to make an appointment outside of these hours - call Mark on 09 2168492 or 0212118545.
Trained in South Africa in the early 80's, Mark Peddie was awarded an Emma Smith Scholarship in 1981 and 1982, and won the prestigious South African Jewellers Association Prize for the Top Jewellery Design Student in 1983.
He went into business in Durban - setting up a design studio in Florida Road, one of the premier shopping precincts in the city - and was later named as Official Supplier of Precious Memorabilia to Rugby World Cup 1995. This highly successful business remained in operation until he emigrated to New Zealand in 1998, and he is now the principle jeweller and owner of Diamond Studio, Auckland - Mairangi Bay, North Shore Auckland.
Fine Diamonds and Precious Gems
Gold and Platinum Custom Designs
Repair and Replacement Services
Valuations and After Loss Estimates
Jeweller's Trade Service:
Please note: We are no longer taking on Trade work - Thank you.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346958
|
__label__cc
| 0.646127
| 0.353873
|
Close Circle Icon
translation missing: en.general.icons.close_alt Icon
Welcome To Our New Website! WELCOME TO OUR WEBSITE!
Menu Icon Search Icon Search
Search Icon Close Circle Icon
Art & Collectibles Down Arrow Icon
Shop All Art & Collectibles
About Us Down Arrow Icon
Art & Collectibles Plus Icon Minus Icon
About Us Plus Icon Minus Icon
Home / Collections / Charlie Favour
Charlie Favour
Charlie Favour of Camp Verde, Arizona makes some of the finest leather bracelets.Charlie Favour was born in 1950 in Prescott, Arizona. While growing up around ranches and rodeos, he began braiding when he was 11 years old. In 1970, Charlie started doing leatherwork professionally by opening a leather and Native American art store in Aspen, Colorado.
In 1980 he settled in Northern New Mexico where he engaged in the fly fishing business and continued his leather craft. Throughout his career, Charlie has been a serious student of all aspects of Native American crafts as well as leatherwork of the old time cowboys. He has achieved a high degree of expertise in many areas of work including Native American footwear, beadwork, hand-tanning hides, traditional western tooling and braiding.
Charlie’s work can be found in fine custom cowboy galleries throughout the country. His bracelets are worn by both men and women. The leather is engraved or set with turquoise stones and spiney oyster shell. They can easily be adjusted to fit your wrist.These bracelets are not only handsome but durable for everyday wear.I have always loved Charlie’s work and I am very pleased to be offering it. Although he is not Native American, his pieces compliment the Native American style.
Check back soon to see pieces by this artist.
Dragonfly Native American Jewelry
It is important to us that Native American art forms are honestly promoted. As a long time member of the Indian Arts and Crafts Association (I.A.C.A.), you can be assured that what we sell is genuinely made by Native Americans. We continue to follow the I.A.C.A.’s Mission “to promote, preserve and protect authentic American Indian arts and crafts.”
Dragonfly Native American Jewelry, © 2020
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0087.json.gz/line1346962
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.