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Meet the Harrison-Rush team
Diversity, Inclusion & Sustainability
Harrison Rush Expands its Capabilities to Support Organizations’ Diversity, Inclusion and Sustainability Initiatives
By Tom Ragland
New York, NY., March. 1, 2019, Harrison Rush has expanded its capabilities to support organizations’ diversity, inclusion and sustainability initiatives.
According to the 2017 World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report, “Female talent remains one of the most underutilized business resources.” In some industries, like finance, this is especially clear. In finance, as career level rises, female representation declines. Although 46 percent of financial services employees are women, at the executive level, it’s only 15 percent. “It happens far too often that some of the best candidates get overlooked or sidelined because of unconscious biases on the part of the people doing the hiring,” Meridith Dennes, COO and Managing Director, Diversity, Inclusion & Sustainability said. “Promoting women and minorities into senior roles is not simply ticking a diversity box, but it also improves the long-term health and success of the business.”
Expanded services include helping global financial companies build diverse teams and supportive work environments by addressing recruitment, inclusion, and ongoing industry best practices for diverse talent. Services include unconscious bias training, diversity and sourcing strategy, veteran retention and increasing the representation of women and minorities in leadership positions.
Harrison Rush has also expanded its services to include responsible, sustainable & impact investment recruitment. This business line will also sit under Dennes and specialize in environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) in banking and financial services.
About The Harrison Rush Group
The Harrison-Rush Group is an executive search firm dedicated to serving the global recruiting needs of investment Banks. Our Investment Banking recruiters search out top talent with deep expertise in Corporate Finance, Mergers and Acquisitions and Capital Markets. Our financial services recruiters are active in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and Chicago. Drawing upon our collective industry knowledge and robust network of relationships we are able to exceed our clients and candidates’ expectations.
To learn more about Harrison-Rush and our Diversity, Inclusion & Sustainability practice please contact Meridith Dennes.
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About Hollywood Suite
Dance 'Til Your Dead: Revisiting Prom Night, Canada's Disco Slasher Sensation Jul 8, 2019
Cocoon: A Graceful Closing Act Nov 14, 2016
Film Facts: Flashdance Apr 4, 2018
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John Huston’s Last Film: A Powerful Holiday Story Of Connection
Posted December 9, 2016 Categories 80S
Christmas movies can feel a bit cheesy, not because they’re bad necessarily, but because they tend to be overplayed and many of them deliver the same simple message. This turns folks to alternate holiday movies like Gremlins or Die Hard to get their seasonal fix without the treacle. However, there are plenty of complex and lesser seen movies that take on the holidays from different perspectives without just being a genre movie in Christmas drag. If you’re looking to feel something different this season, I suggest John Huston’s powerful 1987 adaptation of The Dead.
The Dead is based on the James Joyce short story of the same name from his collection Dubliners. Written when Joyce was just 23, "The Dead" is often said to be one of the best pieces of short fiction ever written. The story tells the tale of family, friends and lovers brought together at a house in Dublin for a party celebrating The Feast of Epiphany in early January. Joyce perfectly portrays the warmth of connection, and the dread of isolation, felt by many during the holidays.
While Joyce is considered by many to have been one of the greatest writers of the English language, his lyrical, emotional stories are often too short on plot to interest Hollywood. Compared to his literary contemporaries, the filmed works of Joyce are smaller, stranger and more experimental. It took a cinematic titan like John Huston to wrestle this story from page to screen.
Huston’s last film, it is quiet and warmly intimate, far from the grand epics he made in his younger days like The African Queen and Treasure of The Sierra Madre. At 81 Huston knew he was dying of emphysema when he started the project, which he directed from a wheelchair and while viewing the set from monitors, but he connected the threads of the story beautifully. This is due in part to the participation of his children Tony Huston, for whom The Dead is his sole screenwriting credit, and Anjelica Huston who returned in a starring role to collaborate with her father two years after her Oscar win for Prizzi’s Honor. John Huston wouldn’t live to see the film’s release or the praise it earned, but the eye of a master is present throughout.
The Huston’s adaptation of The Dead doesn’t stray far from the 50-page source material, only stopping at times to deepen an explanation of Joyce’s tumultuous Ireland for American audiences. For the most part, like Joyce’s work, it is a story told in moments and glances among characters in a beautifully recreated turn-of-the-century Ireland. The bulk of the movie takes place at a boisterous dinner table that is a recognizable scene for anyone whose family comes together on holidays, for better or worse. To top it all off, Anjelica Huston sells her mostly silent character’s emotions perfectly and adds a mystery we as the audience, like the characters, both want to solve and wish would remain buried. In the end, the Hustons were wise enough to step back though and leave James Joyce’s words to end the film on a bittersweet note.
There are two lyrical flourishes invented by Huston to watch out for. First, he adds a recitation of the classic Irish poem “Donal Óg” near the start of the film, forecasting the emotion and mystery to come. Also, keep an eye for a point where Huston’s camera becomes one of the drunk, melancholy guests itself and strays from the party, instead showing us the quiet and empty parts of this Irish home left forgotten. It stirs a feeling of loss for the period itself which Joyce saw as contemporary, but which Huston had the benefit of time to understand would soon be lost and never return.
The holidays bring people and feelings together, sometimes in harsh and contradictory ways, and that’s something The Dead admits that many Christmas classics cannot. Beyond the poetic story, the film itself is a beautiful testament to the emotional connections the holidays make between people, in spite of death, and the connection between a 23-year-old Irish writer with his life ahead of him and a dying American director nearly a century later.
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Kylan Becker Added as a Volunteer Assistant to Softball
Ole Miss Defends Home Turf in Special Olympics Egg Bowl
By Kristopher Storey
Hottytoddy.com Intern
kostorey@go.olemiss.edu
The Ole Miss Rebels took on the Bulldogs of Mississippi State in the Manning Center Wednesday night for the annual Unified Egg Bowl.
The Rebels came out on top with a 25-18 win with Bhanu Jayaratha scoring multiple touchdowns on the night.
The showdown between these two rivals was fought all the way to the final buzzer where the Rebels ended it with a big defensive stop by Mr. Ole Miss, Stefano Subauste.
This annual game gives athletes with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to join together and have fun. Special Olympics Mississippi has put together this event and have unified sports by bringing students from Ole Miss and Mississippi State and allowing them to compete against one another.
The Ole Miss Special Olympics Football team was chosen last year to play in the national tournament where they earned the bronze metal.
Monica Daniels, executive director of Special Olympics Mississippi, talked about the inclusiveness of Ole Miss and the abilities they have to work with athletes with intellectual disabilities.
“Ole Miss is considered an ESPN banner school for Special Olympics. So their ability to work with and have their eye on inclusion and inclusive sports is recognized by ESPN sports as being a spectacular program across the country,” Daniels said.
The Pride of the South band, Ole Miss athletes, Ole Miss students, and others filled the Manning center to watch the Unified Egg Bowl.
The night was full of jaw-dropping plays and incredible sights and scenes that will not be soon forgotten.
The teams are led by student leaders that also attend the university or they are Special Olympics Mississippi Athletes.
Student leader and Coach Josh Obregon has been involved with the Special Olympics team at Ole Miss since his freshman year. He started out by just keeping score for one of the games and fell in love with it. He talked about how he has been able to grow great connections with the athletes.
“You learn that these are more than just people that come and play. They are family to us now… When you are with them on long road trips and practicing with them, you get to really connect with them on an individual level. So seeing them grow as we grow, it’s awesome,” Obregon said.
This was Mr. Ole Miss, Stefano Sebauste’s first Unified Egg Bowl. He talks about how great it feels to get such a big win for the team.
“It feels great to get a big win. I am proud to see all the hard work that has come along.” Sebauste said, “This was one of my favorite experiences to get to play in front of all these people.”
The Unified Egg Bowl was a great experience for everyone in attendance. For more information on Special Olympics Mississippi visit http://specialolympicsms.org/
Talbert Toole
Literacy Center Celebrates 11-Year Partnership with Delta School
Lafayette County Man Charged with Sexual Battery
Memphis Man Arrested in Oxford for Enticement of a Minor
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Higher Pictures
Brassaï - Higher Pictures
by Alex Kitnick
Sometime in the early 1930s, Brassaï began making photographs of Parisian graffiti. He had already shot a lot of pictures of classical Parisian scenes– long hedgerowed passages of the Tuileries; the Eiffel Tower at night–but this was something different, on the level of both the subject and scale. The photographs, focusing on the iconography left by the city’s inhabitants, offer close-ups of crumbling walls–most of them found in working-class districts of the city. There are carved faces and dug-outhearts in addition to crude animals and skulls and crossbones rendered with paint and chalk. Brassaï pictured them all similarly, almost as if they were evidence, and one is prompted to compare these specimens with the kinds of graffiti one might encounter today. For starters, there is no color; the general feeling is different. The rich blacks, whites, and grays of Brassaï’s photographs foreground the tactility and texture of these carvings.
In 1933, Brassaï published a spread of these images in the journal Minotaure under the title “Du mur des cavernes au mur d’usine” (From the Cave Wall to the Factory Wall), drawing a link to the cave, and the engravings, depicted in close-up, with all stores or passersby cropped out of the frame, do bear an unmistakeable resemblance to prehistoric carvings. It is nonetheless surprising that Brassaï made the connection to caves; rather than appearing in enclosed spaces of ritual and gathering, these glyphs took shape on the peripheries of the public sphere. They were emphatically graffiti, in other words– an unauthorized form of defacement. It was precisely this outsider status however, that lent them their appeal. Marginalized from official culture, Brassaï’s archive appeared as a “vital” storehouse of frogotten knowledge, and many artists sought to mine it for the radical potential it might contain. Jean Dubuffet, for example, mobilized such material in his long struggle against official culture, but high culture accomodated it as well: The Museum of Modern Art, New York, put on “Language of the Wall: Parisian Graffiti Photographed by Brassaï” in 1956, which comprised some 120 works, a large book, with a preface by Picasso, soon followed.
Seven of Brassaï’s photographs were included here, and while they continue to intrigue, two later works, handwoven tapestries fabricated in 1968, stole the show. Using his extensive archive of graffiti photographs, the artist created a series of large-scale collages, piecing prints together in new configurations. He then took these collages to the atelier of Yvette Cauqil-Prince, who used them to create seven large woolen tapestries. Two, both measuring roughly five feet high by nine-feet wide, were included in this exhibition (one has never been seen in the US before, and the other was only shown one in a New York gallery in 1968 before entering a private collection).
There is something quizzical, almost comical, about these works, which has to do with the way they transfer the grittines of the street onto a tasteful decorative tapestry. In doing so, they seem to foreclose (or internalize) a loss of public space and retreat into the bourgeois interior. Is it a case of radical chic? Perhaps, but if there is something conservative about Brassaï’s gesture, his translation also makes perfect sense: Texture and textile, after all, are etymologically bound together, and these works take great pleasure in sussing out the connection. One could spend an afternoon–many afternoons–letting one’s eye play over the surface of these seductive works, enjoying the anthropomorphic birds, the broken hearts, the gauche details, watching where the dark purples go black, seeing how a feeling of depth is rendered in thread. (One wants to touch them, too.) Their date, of course, is also striking: 1968. In Situationist-inspired students claimed that the beach lay beneath the city’s streets–Sous les pavés, la plage! they cried–Brassaï found a richer world inside the city’s walls. He seems however, to have been increasingly skeptical about their potential for liberation. He chose to enjoy them in private.
Open: Tuesday – Saturday
Hours: 11 am – 6 pm
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Hip Hop Week In Review: Eminem's Surprise Album & Royce Da 5'9's Beef With Yelawolf
Michelle Obama Shares Workout Playlist Featuring Nipsey Hussle, Cardi B, The Carters & More
Wais P Teams With Statik Selektah For 'Chinchilla' EP
A$AP Rocky Thanked Donald Trump For Support During Swedish Imprisonment
Vic Mensa Arrested For Possession Of Brass Knuckles
23 A$AP Rocky Thanked Donald Trump For Support During Swedish Imprisonment
23 Michelle Obama Shares Workout Playlist Featuring Nipsey Hussle, Cardi B, The Carters & More
19 Westside Gunn Announces 'Pray For Paris' Project
11 Vic Mensa Arrested For Possession Of Brass Knuckles
5 Hip Hop Week In Review: Eminem's Surprise Album & Royce Da 5'9's Beef With Yelawolf
3 Wais P Teams With Statik Selektah For 'Chinchilla' EP
125 Royce Da 5’9 Doubles Down On Yelawolf Beef, Calls Him ‘David Duke’
116 Eminem Drops Another Surprise Album 'Music To Be Murdered By'
71 Nick Cannon Drops ‘The Miseducation Of The Negro You Love to Hate’ Mixtape With Fresh Eminem Swipe
68 The Breakdown | Is Royce Da 5'9 The Greatest Lyricist In The Game?
46 Will Smith Admits He Was Insanely Jealous Over Wife Jada Pinkett's Relationship With 2Pac
44 Eminem Advocates For Gun Control In 'Darkness' Video
38 Quavo Goes Into Punching Frenzy At Paris Nightclub
32 Boosie Badazz Regrets Having So Many Baby Mamas
31 DJ Khaled's Executive Produced ‘Bad Boys For Life’ Soundtrack Drops Featuring Meek Mill, Rick Ross, Quavo & More
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79 50 Cent Clowns French Montana’s ‘Old’ Bugatti With A Hospital Photo
Mac Miller On "Macadelic" Mixtape And Collaborations With Cam'ron & DJ Jazzy Jeff
March 19, 2012 | 8:38 AM
by Andres Tardio
After releasing Blue Slide Park last year, Mac Miller’s been working on a series of rumored projects with many talked about guests. During a recent interview with Fuse, Miller clarified what his next projects would be, what they were about and spoke on why he has chosen to work with artists like Cam’ron and DJ Jazzy Jeff.
“It’s really different,” Miller said of his upcoming mixtape, Macadelic. “It’s a lot deeper than a lot of my projects in the past. A lot of the projects I did, it was always like, ‘I need to make a project so I need the party songs and I need the serious songs and I need the fun songs.’ For this, I just wanted to say what I wanted to say. I didn’t think about who was going to like it or if it was going to go crazy. I just wanted to get some stuff off my chest.”
He continued by explaining that making the tape was a therapeutic experience.
“It’s kind of like I created a whole world, the Macadelic world, which is my escape from the overwhelming-ness and all of the craziness that what I’ve done has brought for me. It’s something I really needed to do and some things I really needed to say and some music I really needed to make.”
Without confirming reports of a joint project, Miller also said that he has been working with Cam’ron.
“Cam’s just always the homie,” he noted. “He’s gonna be on Macadelic. We got music together and we talked about doing a bunch of different things but that’s just my homie right now…That’s just my fam right now, but we’ll see what happens.”
One person he will be working with on a joint project is DJ Jazzy Jeff. According to Miller, the two will put out a mixtape by year’s end.
“Jeff and I have a legendary mixtape that’s gonna come out called ’92 til Infinity. It’s gonna come out, I’m hoping, in the summer. We’ve just got to sit down and do it all. It’s really the project that I think a lot of people have been waiting for from me. It’s just that straight Hip Hop project.”
More from the interview can be seen below.
RELATED: Mac Miller & DJ Jazzy Jeff Plan To Release A Summer Mixtape
More news on HipHopDX
Plus, exclusive interviews with Stretch & Bobbito and producer 30 Roc along with an excerpt from Grammy Award winner S1's new memoir.
Available now on Spotify.
Featuring Paul Wall, Termanology, Nem$ and Haile Supreme.
"Regardless of all the political shit, man, I kept it cordial and very respectful," he told The Breakfast Club.
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10 Best Things to Do in Istanbul
What is Istanbul Most Famous For?
Istanbul has a timeless charm that owes much to its rich history. The city was historically referred to as Byzantium and Constantinople. It served as a focal point of several ancient empires. Numerous architectural wonders, remnants of these empires, still stand tall in the heart of the city. These include the Hagia Sophia, which stood the tests of time and continues to invite awe with its display of dazzling mosaics.
Besides Istanbul’s historical sites, you can find modern skyscrapers and malls. There are cool spots in and around the city to escape to, some of which offer breathtaking views over the city and the Bosporus Strait. Read on for more ideas on things to do in Istanbul, to help you discover the best of this alluring Turkish city and cultural melting pot.
What are the best things to do in Istanbul?
Start the day at Sultanahmet Square
The heart of Istanbul
As Istanbul’s historical hub, the Sultanahmet Square puts you right in the centre of the city’s most prominent and historical attractions. To be at the centre of it all, it is recommended you book your accommodation in the Sultanahmet neighbourhood. Obelisks and fountains adorn the park, and the square has remnants of an ancient hippodrome. From here you can easily view 2 of the city’s grandest landmarks to its north and south. These are the Hagia Sophia, a famous 6th-century mosque that is now a museum, and the namesake Sultanahmet Mosque, which is also fondly referred to as the Blue Mosque.
Location: Binbirdirek Mh., Sultan Ahmet Parkı No:2, 34122 Fatih/Istanbul, Turkey
Good for:
Shop at the Grand Bazaar
Istanbul’s main marketplace
Istanbul borders the narrow Bosporus Strait where the waters of the Black Sea meet the inland Sea of Marmara. It was historically a main point of arrival for trade ships. You can wander the cramped alleys of the covered Grand Bazaar to see the city’s colourful commercial activities alive and kicking. This huge market comprises a network of indoor souks (smaller marketplaces) and lanes lined with peddlers. They sell everything from carpets and leather items to jewellery and trinkets, including the typically sought-after nazar evil eye ornaments.
Location: Beyazıt Mh., 34126 Fatih/Istanbul, Turkey
Open: Monday – Saturday from 9am to 7pm, closed on Sundays
Take in panoramas from Çamlıca Hill
It’s one of Istanbul’s best viewpoints
If you’re looking for a great view of Istanbul, head up to Çamlıca Hill. It’s one of Istanbul’s highest hills and offers breathtaking skylines over the city. You can find a café at the peak as well as a park that makes for a cool resting spot to take in the memorable sights. You can view both the Asian and European sides of Istanbul with its tall buildings, and the outlines of the Bosporus strait and its bridge. From the city centre, it’s around a half-hour drive across the bridge and up the hill. But you can also book a hotel in the Uskudar district to be near.
Location: Kısıklı Mahallesi, Çamlıca Tepesi, 34692 Üsküdar/İstanbul, Turkey
photo by toyancyazgan (CC BY 2.0) modified
Walk the Theodosian Walls
Stroll along ancient fortifications surrounding Istanbul
The Walls of Constantinople is a historical landmark in Istanbul that also goes by different names, such as the Theodosian Walls, the Istanbul City Walls, and the Historic walls of Topkapi. These are a series of stonewalled fortifications that have surrounded Istanbul since its founding as Constantinople by Constantine the Great. You can still see pretty much of these medieval borders with most of its sections and towers intact. The walls are surrounded by parks with spaces where your kids can play.
Location: Topkapı, 34093 Fatih/Istanbul, Turkey
photo by Freedom's Falcon (CC BY-SA 3.0) modified
Try different kebabs
Meaty Turkish treats to savour
If you’re a meat lover, Istanbul has great traditional treats to offer, especially its world-famous traditional kebabs. This typical Turkish dish comes in a huge variety of styles and flavours. These can range from hand-minced, ground and sautéed, tomato and onion-flavoured, or kebabs marinated in a rich blend of spices. Most kebabs are typically cooked on a giant skewer then sliced to portion, but others aren’t. There are plenty of kebab restaurants around the city – simply follow your nose to those with smoking grills along the city’s backstreets and choose your spot.
Must-See: the Hagia Sophia
An architectural wonder with mesmerising mosaics
This is one of the magnificent landmarks in Istanbul’s historical centre. The Hagia Sophia, whose name translates to “holy wisdom”, was built by the East Roman Empire in the 6th century. It was then converted into a mosque and fortified following Mehmed the Conqueror’s rule in 1453. You can admire this architectural wonder’s marbled structure, as well as its dreamy interiors. It features calligraphic panels and bronze lamps, and most of its walls are covered in beautiful mosaics made of gold, silver, and colourful stones.
Location: Sultan Ahmet Mahallesi, Ayasofya Meydanı, 34122 Fatih/Istanbul, Turkey
Open: Daily from 9am to 5pm (until 7pm in summer)
Go for a hammam
Pampering, Turkish style
This is often a must-do on travellers’ lists to Turkey. Hammams in Istanbul come in various price ranges, but all typically feature a sauna, a steam, a full body wash, and massage. Istanbul has lots of hammams around the city, each offering the traditional Turkish bath and centuries-old spa experience. More modern hammams incorporate contemporary spa elements such as aromatherapy and use of essential oils. Prominent hammams include the Beyazit and Sulemaniye baths, and the Kilic Ali Pasha Hamam in Beyoğlu.
Location: Kılıç Ali Paşa Hamam, Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa Mahallesi, Hamam Sk. No:1, 34425 Beyoğlu/Istanbul, Turkey
Open: Daily from 8am to 11.30pm
Boat out to the Maiden’s Tower
A scenic lighthouse in the Bosporus Strait
This lighthouse sits on top of a tiny islet in the Bosporus Strait, which you can reach on a 15-minute boat ride from the docks in Üsküdar. It dates to the 12th century and is steeped in a mix of legends, particularly of a princess who met her tragic fate, hence its moniker. Climb up to the top floor of the lighthouse, and you can enjoy a hot cup of coffee or tea at the rooftop café with amazing views of both the European and Asian sides of Istanbul.
Location: Salacak Mahallesi, Üsküdar Salacak Mevkii, 34668 Üsküdar/Istanbul, Turkey
Open: Daily from 9.15am to 6.45pm (Saturdays and Sundays also from 8.15pm to 12.30am)
photo by CherryX (CC BY-SA 3.0) modified
Watch dances at Hodjapasha Cultural Center
See whirling dervishes in a 15th-century bath house
For a taste of Turkey’s tradition in performing arts, you can head down to this cultural centre that’s near Istanbul’s magnificent central landmarks, such as the Hagia Sophia and the Topkapi Palace. The Hodjapasha Cultural Center is housed in a former 15th-century hammam, yet now features strikingly decorated interiors under its high dome ceiling, where vibrant dance performances regularly take place. Among the mystifying dances are the famous whirling dervishes, which is a mystical ritual of the Mevlevi Order, usually accompanied by Rumi poems.
Location: Hoca Paşa Mahallesi, Ankara Caddesi, Hocapaşa Hamamı Sokak 3/B, 34110 Sirkeci/Fatih/Istanbul, Turkey
Open: Whirling dervishes usually start at 7pm
photo by Kemal.kubbe (CC BY-SA 4.0) modified
End the day on a pub crawl in Galata
Discover Istanbul’s cool bar scenes
There are a few fun ways to enjoy Istanbul by night, and one of them is by joining a pub crawl. Istanbul’s popular pub crawl regularly kicks off from The Tower Pub, where you can gather with new friends and hop from one bar to another, ending up at a club where you can party into the wee hours. Besides flowing drinks and cocktails, you’ll also enjoy games as well as fun challenges to complete. It's just across the river from the city centre, so you may want to choose a hotel in the neighbourhood of Galata.
Location: The Tower Pub, Bereketzade Mahallesi, Galata Kulesi Sk. 4/1, 34000 Beyoğlu/Istanbul, Turkey
Open: Friday – Saturday from 9.30pm to 5am
Ari Gunadi | Compulsive Traveller
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10 Romantic Ideas for a Honeymoon in Istanbul
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EDINBURGH BASED MUSIC BLOG | NEWS | REVIEWS | INTERVIEWS
Live Review: Lewis Capaldi @ Albert Hall 06/11/2018
“I’ll let you all into a wee secret… 5 minutes ago I was backstage taking a shit, and now I’m out here in front of all of you, playing my biggest headline show ever!”
After support sets from Billy Lockett, and Nina Nesbitt, ABBA‘s Mamma Mia echoed through Manchester’s Albert Hall as 22 year-old Lewis Capaldi took to the stage on Tuesday night – then a record scratch, and latest single Grace begins. Capaldi’s talent is undeniable, he has a particular flair for tender and emotive songwriting, and when this is twinned with his sensational raw vocals the result is the most lethal cocktail which is guaranteed to leave you just a little bit weepy. Admittedly, Grace is actually one of his more upbeat tracks, though I was ever so slightly disappointed he didn’t bang out the EXQUISITE dance routine from the music video released back in September…
Having only released 7 songs at the time, Lewis commented that it did mean a lot of the evening would be soundtracked by ‘a lot of shite’ that the audience won’t know. This is usually where a lot of artists lose their audience’s attention, but not Lewis. The audience of 1800 remained utterly enthralled, and by cleverly sandwiching the newer tracks between ‘the hits’ it meant that the rare moment of quiet between the gargantuan sing-a-longs never lasted very long at all.
If for whatever reason music doesn’t work out for Capaldi (which at this rate, seems very unlikely), he could almost certainly have a career as a comedian. When the crowd wasn’t belting out every lyric with him, or sat on the floor SOBBING like the girl behind me was (Yes. Really.), then they were laughing. Regularly cracking jokes about how completely depressing his music is, or at how high the stage was, meaning there was a 90% chance that everyone’s photos of him would be unflattering. “If any of you put a picture up of me with a double chin, I’m fucking coming for you”, he jests. During one of his new tracks, an audience member gave Capaldi a wolf-whistle – he stops playing and chuckles into the microphone, “thank you mate, but can I finish the song now?”.
Nina Nesbitt joined Lewis on stage again for Rush
Towards the end of the set, Lewis introduced undeniable fan favourite Lost on You, the song he declared to be not only the best song he’s ever written, but in fact the best song ever written by anyone. I suppose we can let him have that. He comments on just how much fun he’s had on stage tonight, something that is very evident on the singer’s face, and then proceeds to encourage the room to join in with the track’s first line of ‘lately I’m getting lost on you’. As the song approaches its final chorus, the room were singing the lyrics back to him at such an unbelievable decibel that he stopped singing altogether, standing back to watch in wonderment. After essentially ending the song for him, he waits until the cheers have died down before singing the final verse again on his own – “only I get to finish my fucking songs”, he quips.
He goes off on a witty little spiel about the ridiculous nature of encores, finishing it with “ANYWAY, that’s exactly what’s about to happen right now”. Lewis and his band exit briefly, then return to the opening notes of his breakthrough ballad Bruises, bringing the night to its emotional climax. “If you’ve had a good time tonight, tell all your friends, tell everyone you know. If you’ve had shite time tonight, keep it to your fucking self. Thank you”, are the final words from Capaldi before he waves and wanders off stage, grinning ear to ear.
I first encountered (and subsequently fell a bit in love with) Lewis Capaldi in December of 2016, he was supporting Lewis Watson at the Electric Circus in Edinburgh. The tiny room of no more than 200 mostly ignored him, talking over a lot of of his set – the same could not be said on Tuesday night. Stood in the stunning chambers of Manchester’s Albert Hall at what was now Capaldi‘s biggest headline gig to date, I couldn’t help but feel ever so slightly like a proud mum. It’s joyous to see the Scottish singer getting the admiration and recognition that I believe he so truly deserves. I’m excited to see where he goes from here. What is perhaps most admirable about Capaldi other than his very obvious talent, is the fact he doesn’t take himself too seriously, and that’s refreshing. He’s charismatic, witty, and exuberant, making him an absolute pleasure to watch. Lewis Capaldi has had a sensational year, and with a catalogue that’s ever expanding and an army of devoted fans rallied behind him, things can only get better.
Lewis’ new EP Breach is out now, listen below x
Posted in: music, review
Listen: New releases from Ben Howard
Track by Track: A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships – The 1975
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Posted tagged ‘Frederick Ambrose’
I recently purchased a wonderful book entitled Portals to Hell: Military Prisons of the Civil War by Lonnie R. Speer. At first, I had borrowed the book from the Monroe County, New York library system. Since it was such a comprehensive look at life as a Civil War POW, I decided I had to have it and proceeded to order it through Amazon.com.
As I have conducted my research on the Civil War soldiers of Monroe County, it has amazed me how many of these men spent time in military prisons as prisoners of war. Besides Edward, Richard and Frederick Ambrose, other prison survivors include Charles Dwinnell, Alpheus Hodges and Kingsley Brownell. We also remember George B. Wiltsie who became so weak at Salisbury Prison and ultimately died after his release from typhoid brought on by starvation. Sadly, I’m sure the number of POWs I find will grow as I continue my Pittsford soldier research and begin the soldiers of Fairport and Perinton project.
Mr. Speer’s 410 page book gives so much detail about the various prisons. Prior to reading this, I had slight knowledge of the Salisbury, Belle Isle and Libby Prisons. This volume goes far beyond those, and discusses conditions at Point Lookout, Camp Morton and Alton Prison among many others. Additional interesting topics such as prisoner exchanges and escapes are mentioned in detail. The back of the book lists a handy reference guide to Union and Confederate prisons.
Having used Portals to Hell for much of my research into Richard Ambrose’s stint in the Dry Tortugas, as well as for information about prison conditions in general, I would highly recommend this title. Additional information about this book is listed on my Great Resources page.
Categories: Civil War, Civil War Soldiers, Monroe County NY, Pittsford Cemetery
Tags: Alpheus Hodges, Alton Prison, Belle Isle, Camp Morton, Charles Dwinnell, Confederate prison, Edward T. Ambrose, Frederick Ambrose, George B. Wiltsie, Kingsley Brownell, Libby Prison, Lonnie R. Speer, military prisons, Point Lookout, POW, Richard Ambrose, Salisbury Prison, Union prison
Band of Brothers – The Ambrose Boys in the Civil War
Edward, sister Elizabeth, Richard and Robert Ambrose
Richard Ambrose, of the 13th NY Volunteer Infantry, was the hero highlighted in my April 11th post. We pick up Richard’s story after he was accused of being a mutineer and sent to the Dry Tortugas for hard labor. After Richard’s six-month stint at Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, he did his duty and returned to the 13th NY, continuing to fight for the Union until he was taken as a prisoner during the battle of Second Bull Run in August, 1862. Richard was exchanged in December of that year and was eventually mustered out of the army in May of 1863.
Richard was just one of five Ambrose brothers, four of whom joined the Union army during the Civil War. The others included oldest brother Robert and younger brothers Frederick and Edward.
Robert Ambrose, the eldest brother, enlisted in the 108th NY Infantry with younger brother Edward. The two Ambrose boys fought side by side for nearly two years until Robert was wounded in May, 1864. Robert succombed to his wounds four days after the battle. Besides his parents and siblings, Robert left his wife Florence behind to mourn his loss.
Three months after Robert’s death, Edward was taken prisoner by the 1st Virginia Cavalry at the battle of Reams’ Station. He was first imprisoned at Libby for several days, followed by Belle Isle and eventually ended up at Salisbury Prison. Edward’s first escape attempt was unsuccessful, but his second escape allowed him to reach the safety of the Union lines. In a short autobiography written by Edward, he mentioned entering the prison weighing 175 lbs. By the time he left prison, Edward was reduced to a mere 90 lbs.
Look for more information about the Ambrose boys in future posts. We will tell the rest of Edward’s tale, and also that of brother Frederick, who joined the 25th Missouri Infantry on the side of the Union.
Categories: Civil War, Civil War Soldiers, Monroe County NY, Pittsford Cemetery, Pittsford NY
Tags: 108th NY Infantry, 13th NY Volunteer Infantry, 25th Missouri Infantry, Dry Tortugas, Edward T. Ambrose, Fort Jefferson, Frederick Ambrose, Pittsford Cemetery, Richard Ambrose, Robert Ambrose, Second Bull Run
Pittsford Cemetery Civil War Tour
Sergeant John Buckley Bacon, 4th Wisconsin Cavalry
Thank you to everyone who attended our first Civil War Soldiers of Pittsford tour at Pittsford Cemetery this morning! It was an indescribable feeling for me to be able to illuminate the stories of these soldiers, many of which have never been told before.
We began the tour with LaFayette Congdon, then discussed Major Harvey E. Light and his brother-in-law Theodore Shepard. After moving down the hill, the Ambrose boys – Robert, Richard, Frederick and Edward – were next, the highlight being Richard’s stint in the Dry Tortugas. Heading back up the incline, we stopped by the grave of Matthew P. Ewing, founder of the Vacuum Oil Company which many years later morphed into Exxon-Mobil. James R. Chamberlin, owner of Chamberlin Rubber Company, was our next soldier, followed by John B. Bacon of the 4th Wisconsin Cavalry. From JB Bacon, we headed east to Nathan and William Cook to discuss their heartbreaking stories. George B. Wiltsie was mentioned after the Cook boys. Charles Tillotson and his death at Antietam came next. From there, we continued heading east, past the grave of Matthias L. Lord, assistant surgeon of the 140th NY, and on to Kingsley Brownell. Our tour concluded with John H. Thurmon, the Confederate soldier from Missouri. Sadly, we were not able to visit the graves of Frank D. Tibbitts or Jeffrey N. Birdsall, as planned, due to the rain.
I really appreciate the fact that so many of you stayed out in the rain to hear the stories of these men’s lives. Your questions and comments made the experience fun for the entire group. Your feedback is greatly appreciated! Please feel free to leave a comment or email me directly at vprofitt@rochester.rr.com.
Check back here in the future for information about upcoming cemetery tours and presentations highlighting more of Pittsford’s hometown heroes!
During the tour we briefly discussed Dr. Samuel Mudd, who was sentenced to imprisonment at Fort Jefferson on the Dry Tortugas for his alleged part in the Lincoln conspiracy. The name of the movie starring Dennis Weaver is The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd, which was a TV movie from 1980. The DVD is not available through Blockbuster or through the Monroe County library system, but it is listed for sale on Amazon.com.
Tags: 140th NY, 4th Wisconsin Cavalry, Chamberlin Rubber Company, Dry Tortugas, Edward Ambrose, Exxon-Mobil, Frank D Tibbitts, Frederick Ambrose, George B. Wiltsie, George P. Ewing, Harvey E. Light, James R. Chamberlin, Jeffrey N. Birdsall, John Buckley Bacon, John H. Thurmon, Kingsley Brownell, LaFayette Congdon, Matthew P. Ewing, Matthias L. Lord, Nathan Cook, Pittsford Cemetery, Pittsford Cemetery Civil War tour, Richard Ambrose, Robert Ambrose, Theodore Shepard, Vacuum Oil Company, William Cook
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12/26/2018 Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James exits Christmas Day game vs. Warriors with groin injury, status is day-to-day
The Lakers superstar forward exited the game with 7:51 remaining in the third quarter.
By Gilbert McGregor
LeBron James (Getty Images) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/NBA_Global_CMS_image_storage/b7/72/lebron-james_t3e0fkpo6ghg1gzw5g3b0jjfz.png?t=-393689265&w=500
According to multiple reports, Lakers All-Star forward LeBron James will not return after suffering a groin injury in the team's Christmas Day game vs. the Warriors.
The Lakers say LeBron James will not return to today's game. James' timeline for recovery is considered day to day at this point, according to a league source. However, he will receive a MRI which will give a clearer picture of the extent of the injury.
- Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 26, 2018
James appeared to have suffered the injury early in the third quarter as an awkward change in direction caused him to lose his footing. The 14-time All-Star was visibly affected as he came up grimacing in discomfort.
LeBron hobbled back to the Lakers' locker room, at the 7:51 mark in the third quarter, alongside two of the team's athletic trainers. At the time of the injury, he had a team-high 17 points to go along with 13 rebounds and five assists.
Despite missing their best player, the young Lakers led by Rajon Rondo (15 points, 10 assists) blew out the two-time defending champions by 26 points.
👀 The @Lakers go into Oracle Arena and top GSW behind @RajonRondo (15 PTS, 10 AST), and @ivicazubac (18 PTS, 11 REB, 9-10 FGM)! #NBAXmas #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/d5jjDKNIBv
- NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2018
The Lakers return to action Friday when they travel to Sacramento to take on the Kings. Depending on the severity of James' groin injury, his streak of having played in 156 consecutive games (regular season and postseason) could be in jeopardy.
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Florida Commits
Florida Offers
Top Florida Targets
News Commits Offers Predictions Super 60 Top Florida Targets OOS All Recruits
Taquan Roberson
6′0″ / 185 lbs
DePaul Catholic
National Avg
Rating: 88.9
School Preferences
Staff Predictions
Name & Date
Our staff hasn't made any predictions for Taquan Roberson yet.
(2 Total)
Junior Campaign #SHRA
Sophmore Season Highlights
There aren't any stories for this recruit.
National Average Rating
The National Average Rating is a proprietary formula that calculates an industry-wide aggregate rating for each recruiting prospect. The formula includes publicly listed grades, scores, ratings and rankings by national recruiting services, along with a Inside the Gators rating. Combining the data provides a rating for each prospect, which is then normalized to fit the Inside the Gators Rating 100-point scale.
The intent of this rating is to provide Inside the Gators readers with a comprehensive snapshot of how individual prospects rank nationally.
Inside the Gators Rating
99-100: Elite national prospect (Five-star)
Considered one of the best prospects in the nation and a likely difference-maker at the collegiate level. Displays all of the physical skills to be a future All-American with potential to be an early-round NFL draft pick.
90-98: Elite state prospect (Four-star)
Considered one of the best 30-40 prospects in the state and a top 250 national prospect. Displays the physical skills to be a major early contributor at the collegiate level with high professional potential.
80-89: Quality prospect (Three-star)
Considered one of the best 100 prospects in the state and a top 500 national prospect. Displays the physical skills to develop into a contributor over the course of his college career. Has the ability to become a professional prospect over time with development.
70-79: Solid prospect (Two-star)
Considered one of the top 250 prospects in the state. Has the physical skills to be a potential contributor at a D-1 program over the course of his collegiate career with significant development. Professional potential is low.
The predictions represent which school each staff member believes will ultimately sign the recruit, and the confidence meter represents his level of certainty in that outcome.
If the predicted school is Florida and confidence is set to “High”, then the staff member is saying “I believe that this recruit will ultimately sign with Florida and I feel very certain about that.”
If the predicted school is “Alabama” and confidence is set to “Low,” then the staff member is saying “I believe that this recruit will ultimately sign with Alabama, but I’m not very certain about that.”
Follow Inside the Gators
Inside the Gators is an independent site and is not affiliated with University of Florida. ©2020 Inside the Gators. All rights reserved.
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Home › News & Media › Business News › Cimos Group Generates Almost EUR 98M Loss in 2012
Cimos Group Generates Almost EUR 98M Loss in 2012
Koper, 30 April (STA) - The group around the troubled car parts maker Cimos generated a net loss of almost EUR 98m in 2012, with the core company's net loss accounting for EUR 74m, Cimos said on Tuesday.
The group, which made a minor net profit in 2011, suffered a fall in revenues from EUR 480.7m in 2011 to EUR 445.6m last year, with sales revenues dropping from EUR 455.6m to EUR 417.5m.
The core company's revenues meanwhile fell from 413m in 2011 to EUR 388.5m last year.
While the car parts maker generated EUR 4.7m in operating profit in 2012 (down EUR 11m from the year before), the group's EUR 30m operating profit from 2011 turned to an operating loss of EUR 59.4m last year.
The group's stock also skydived from EUR 139.3m in 2011 to EUR 22.5m at the end of 2012, and the core company's stock was more than halved sliding from EUR 116m to EUR 50.3m.
Cimos chairman Jerko Bartolić explained that the company was faced with severe liquidity problems, resulting from the lack of working capital and high indebtedness, so he deems the relatively low decline in revenues encouraging.
In the audited results, EUR 75m of impairments have been added on group level and EUR 78m for the core company. However, Bartolić stressed the correction would have no additional negative effect on liquidity.
Bartolić labelled as crucial for the salvaging of the troubled company an agreement on the company's financial restructuring and aid signed last week by Cimos, its owners, creditor banks and the state after weeks of negotiations.
According to yesterday's media reports the agreement stipulates that the company with some 7,000 employees, of which 3,000 in Slovenia, should get soon after the May Day holidays the first part of the total EUR 35m in loans, which are to be followed by a capital hike and sale of some of its assets.
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LabBook
RadBook
Laboratory/pathology
The Force is strong
How an amputee controls prosthetic fingers like Luke Skywalker
Bionic hand made possible by ultrasound technology
Luke Skywalker’s bionic hand is a step closer to reality for amputees in this galaxy. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have created an ultrasonic sensor that allows amputees to control each of their prosthetic fingers individually. It provides fine motor hand gestures that aren’t possible with current commercially available devices. The first amputee to use it, a musician who lost part of his right arm five years ago, is now able to play the piano for the first time since his accident. He can even strum the Star Wars theme song. “Our prosthetic arm is powered by ultrasound signals,” said Gil Weinberg, the Georgia Tech College of Design professor who leads the project. “By using this new technology, the arm can detect which fingers an amputee wants to move, even if they don’t have fingers.”
Jason Barnes can play piano for the first time since losing part of his arm in 2012.
Source: Georgia Tech
Jason Barnes is the amputee working with Weinberg. The 28-year-old was electrocuted during a work accident in 2012, forcing doctors to amputate his right arm just below the elbow. Barnes no longer has his hand and most of his forearm but does have the muscles in his residual limb that control his fingers. Barnes’ everyday prosthesis is similar to the majority of devices on the market. It’s controlled by electromyogram (EMG) sensors attached to his muscles. He switches the arm into various modes by pressing buttons on the arm. Each mode has two programmed moves, which are controlled by him either flexing or contracting his forearm muscles. For example, flexing allows his index finger and thumb to clamp together; contracting closes his fist. “EMG sensors aren’t very accurate,” said Weinberg, director of Georgia Tech’s Center for Music Technology. “They can detect a muscle movement, but the signal is too noisy to infer which finger the person wants to move. We tried to improve the pattern detection from EMG for Jason but couldn’t get finger-by-finger control.”
But then the team looked around the lab and saw an ultrasound machine. They partnered with two other Georgia Tech professors – Minoru Shinohara (College of Sciences) and Levent Degertekin (Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering) — and attached an ultrasound probe to the arm. The same kind of probe doctors use to see babies in the womb could watch how Barnes’ muscles moved. “That’s when we had a eureka moment,” said Weinberg.
The prosthetic arm uses ultrasound sensors to see the muscle movements.
Credit: Georgia Tech
It’s completely mind-blowing
Jason Barnes
When Barnes tries to move his amputated ring finger, the muscle movements differ from those seen when he tries to move any other digit. Weinberg and the team fed each unique movement into an algorithm that can quickly determine which finger Barnes wants to move. The ultrasound signals and machine learning can detect continuous and simultaneous movements of each finger, as well as how much force he intends to use. “It’s completely mind-blowing,” said Barnes. “This new arm allows me to do whatever grip I want, on the fly, without changing modes or pressing a button. I never thought we’d be able to do this.”
This is the second device Weinberg’s lab has built for Barnes. His first love is the drums, so the team fitted him with a prosthetic arm with two drumsticks in 2014. He controlled one of the sticks. The other moved on its own by listening to the music in the room and improvising. The device gave him the chance to drum again. The robotic stick could play faster than any drummer in the world. Worldwide attention has sent Barnes and Weinberg’s robots around the globe for concerts across four continents. They’ve also played at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and Moogfest.
That success pushed Weinberg to take the next step and create something that gives Barnes the dexterity he’s lacked since 2012. “If this type of arm can work on music, something as subtle and expressive as playing the piano, this technology can also be used for many other types of fine motor activities such as bathing, grooming and feeding,” said Weinberg. “I also envision able-bodied persons being able to remotely control robotic arms and hands by simply moving their fingers.”
Source: Georgia Institute of Technology
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How to Get Rid of Bloating After a Hysterectomy
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How to Banish Bloat & Water Retention
Written by Megan Smith
Water retention occurs when fluid is held in the body, rather than being released as urine. Water retention can make you feel bloated and can occur in the legs, abdomen, ankles, breasts, fingers and even underneath the eyes. Water retention can occur during pregnancy, a woman's menstrual period, as a result of diet, or for seemingly no reason at all. In most cases, changes in diet and exercise can help reduce water retention. If you feel extremely bloated and you're not sure why, consult a doctor, as your water retention could be the cause of an underlying health condition 1.
Cut down on your salt intake. When you consume salt, the body will retain more water to try and dilute it, suggests "The Doctors Book of Home Remedies." Eliminate high-sodium foods from your diet, like chips, soy sauce and canned soups 1.
Go for a walk. Exercise can help reduce water retention in your ankles and legs, says Susan Lark, M.D., author of "The Premenstrual Syndrome Self-Help Book." Although you may not feel like it, getting those legs moving, by biking, running or walking, can help eliminate bloating 1.
Take your vitamins. You need to consume 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day and 200 to 400 milligrams of magnesium a day to help reduce symptoms of water retention. Dr. Lark recommends taking 250 milligrams of vitamin B6 a day to help reduce premenstrual bloating and water retention.
Consider over-the-counter diuretics. Over-the-counter diuretics can help reduce water retention, but many contain caffeine, which can cause irritability and breast tenderness, says Candace Brown, Pharm.D., associate professor of pharmacy and psychiatry at the University of Tennessee 1.
Eat a nutritious, balanced diet every day. Eating a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, seeds and nuts can help flush the salt from processed foods out of your system.
Alcohol can cause excess water retention. Avoid or limit all types of alcohol as a beverage and added to foods and sauces.
Water retention could be the sign of celiac disease or irritable bowel syndrome-- If you have any additional symptoms, contact your doctor.
The Doctors Book of Home Remedies: Water Retention
Dr. Weil: Natural Diuretic for Fighting Fluid Retention?
Megan Smith has been a freelance writer and editor since 2006. She writes about health, fitness, travel, beauty and grooming topics for various print and Internet publications. Smith earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in writing from New York University.
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About Hawkeye View Newspaper
Dear Inquisitive Insider
Hawkeye View
The student news site of Hoffman Estates High School in Hoffman Estates, Illinois
People of HEHS
January 12Positive attitudes fuel girls cross country season
December 6Poms squad works hard, supports each other like family
December 5Marching Band season filled with positive notes
November 23HEHS community, students enjoy sweet treats for a great cause
November 23Girl’s Volleyball Gives One Hundred Percent
Marching Band season filled with positive notes
Kyung-Ae Prevost, Reporter
After weeks of preparation in the sweltering summer heat, the marching band put on great shows all throughout the fall season. Director Hannah Drake said that it was this year where the students felt the most positive and encouraged to do better. When asked to point out a specific memory from this...
HEHS Math Team shows grit in first home meet, wins competition
Jodee Capati, Lead Writer
Hoffman Estates High School’s Math Team started its competitive season with a “positive slope” as they garnered an overall 1st place in their first math meet. On September 27, the team held its first competition at HEHS. Students readily prepared for their meet with practice hours after school,...
TikTok entertains but also offers creative expression
Rylee Johnson, Staff Writer
TikTok is taking over. But is it here to stay? Fans of social media who spend more than 60 minutes on their phone every day have no doubt heard of TikTok, formerly known as Musical.ly, which was launched in 2017. The update not only gained new followers fast due to a completely new layout, but...
Students belt out their feelings, opinions
Nayelli Toro, Staff Writer
A young girl sits in the back of the room with a disinterested look planted on her face. Teenagers roam the room, dancing, singing, and just having the time of their lives. Songs she isn’t familiar with are blasting through the black speakers across the room. I don’t fit in, she thinks to herself,...
HEHS’ 4 for 4: Four reasons the Dance Show is a must see
Jodee Capati, Lead Reporter
Will the $4 be worth it? Read the article and find out! I’m not a dancer, and I’m sure that not everyone in the audience will be; I didn’t even watch the full rehearsal. Why would I? I didn’t want to spoil it for myself myself. I did see, however, how much talent and effort the dancers hav...
HEHS German students go on summertime exchange to Germany
Jarrett Kolodij, Staff Writer
“It’s something that no one regrets.” These are words from the German Teacher at Hoffman Estates High School, Frau Brew, when asked about the German Exchange program offered at the school. Every other summer, students enrolled in German at HEHS have the opportunity to go to Germany and Austria fo...
The challenge of not being from here or from there
Cindi Perez, Staff Writer
Even though HEHS is one of the most diverse high schools in Illinois, those who make it diverse often cannot even speak English. “I think I have learned to respect immigrants especially teenagers because they come here not knowing the language and they have to learn the language in four years and tak...
Marching Band, a community of musicians focused on progress
Alexis De Ocampo, Staff Writer
Being a part of the Marching Band community isn’t just about working and marching together; it is about each individual’s responsibility to make the community thrive. Brendon Gates, junior trombonist and sectional leader, knows that after hard work improvement follows. “Marching Band makes ev...
Variety, talent SOAR at this year’s Variety Show
Jodee Capati, Staff Writer
I had the opportunity to see Hoffman Estates High School SOAR at this year's Variety Show. Producing this show takes an effort on the part of students and staff. From September 20-22, Directors Jason Stevens, English, Erika Bromley, English, Juan Medina, art, and Christina Ordonez, technology office, wor...
HEHS HoCo: the inspiration, the theme, and the events
Hoffman Estates High School’s Homecoming theme is all about superheroes & villians, with or without the capes. Last year, Student Council wanted to have the advantage of planning ahead for this year’s homecoming. Through the help of the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who are in Student C...
Hoffman Drumline set to bring talent from field to stage
Eleven HEHS students are ready to do more than just beat drums and crash cymbals as they “march” their way onto center stage at this year's Variety Show. Starting tomorrow, Hoffman Estates High School is once again holding a Variety Show to let the students share their unique and interesting talents to the ...
Students’ guide to D211’s Career Expo
Emily Hunt, Staff Writer
Are you thinking about applying to college or for a job one day? Do you have some free time on your hands now, or will have some this summer? Are you looking to gain some experience in a specific career area? If any of these questions apply to you, then the D211 Career Expo is for you. “It's a great...
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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 2/3/18
This was a weird week in comics. Some weeks, all my favorites come out and I get flooded with so many fun comics to review! And then we get weeks like this one, where none of the new Marvel Comics are ones that I read, or that I’m so far behind on that I can’t review, like All-New Wolverine (which remains excellent). And since it was a Fifth Wednesday, DC mostly put out Annuals, which I’m never all-too thrill to review. The Detective Comics Annual has an origin for James Tynion’s Clayface, so at least there’s that.
But of regular, meat and potatoes comics that I actually read, there was really only the new issue of Harley Quinn for me this week! It’s an improvement over the previous issue, but I’m going to give Comic Book of the Week to the first issue of The Silencer, one of DC’s new wave of titles. I applaud DC for releasing a wave of comics with almost entirely new characters — even if I haven’t been too tickled by the lineup personally. The Silencer could be fun, though.
New comic!
Honestly, All-New Wolverine should have won. I’ll get back to reviewing it next issue.
Meanwhile, I really, really don’t care for Dark Nights: Metal, which saw a new issue drop this week. It thinks it’s so clever, fiddling with DC continuity on the fly and treating it like kibble for fanboys. But DC continuity is so malleable right now, after the New 52 and Rebirth, that none of this stuff matters. Martian Manhunter shows up in a surprise appearance, and I was left scratching my head as to when the last time Martian Manhunter mattered or had solid continuity. How is his sudden arrival supposed to mean anything if we don’t know where he’s arriving from? Or why his arrival is sudden?
It’s stuff like that, plus the general idea that the villains are just a vague, omnipresent evil that can be anywhere, do anything and beat anybody…until they can’t and the heroes win. No thanks.
Comic Reviews: Harley Quinn #36 and The Silencer #1.
Writer: Frank Tieri
Artist: Inaki Miranda
I really want Frank Tieri to branch off and tell his own Harley Quinn stories. As much as I loved the Conner/Palmiotti stuff, and as much as I like those characters, I’m ready and willing to let them lie so that Tieri can really cut loose and tell his own stories. I think he’s slightly hampered by these characters.
The Gang of Harleys rush out to the boardwalk chasing Bat-Harley as she swoops at people, gobbles up food and basically causes a big ruckus. They can do little but watch, until Harley comes down to ground level and they try to talk to her. But then Francine Langstrom shows up as She-Bat and starts beating everybody up, with her plan to turn all of Coney Island into bat-creatures. Bat-Harley sees her friends getting beat up and snaps out of it, defeating She-Bat.
Meanwhile, Red Tool, Eggy, Coach and Goat Boy have SOMEHOW gotten permission to take Kirk Langstrom out of Arkham Asylum ON THEIR OWN to search for Francine’s lab. They find it easily enough, with Tony still tied up. They have to fight off Bat-Tony for a bit until they can administer the antidote, and in the scuffle, Kirk grabs some Man-Bat serum and escapes.
Everybody meets back up on the boardwalk and they give Harley the antidote. But some time later, Harley is still feeling mopey about how nobody will leave her alone, so the hot dog guy suggests she just take off, which she does. Meanwhile, we find out that the Penguin is the one who set up Francine to go after Harley, and he’s got even more planned!
Comic Rating: 6/10 – Pretty Good.
I liked this issue just fine, but there’s an overwhelming sense of Tieri…I dunno…trying really hard to match the voices/personalities of the supporting characters? The Gang of Harleys, who fell out of service in the main Harley series, but I think Tieri wrote more of in the side stuff, are constantly quipping and one-linering throughout the issue. And it’s fine, it just feels weird for whatever reason. Like these characters aren’t real people, they’re just quip-machines who have dedicated their lives to dressing up like multi-colored Harley Quinns for reasons that have zero impact on who they are or what they do. They’re not characters, they’re cartoons. But the comic and the art do not signify a cartoon.
Such boobs
Likewise, the story is a little silly. Francine Langstrom’s big evil plan is to just turn everybody into Man-Bats? How is that a plan? And the Penguin is not only setting up some big villainous campaign against Harley Quinn, but he’s literally sitting in his sinister office watching Harley’s allies on a view screen, monologuing to nobody in particular about how evil his plan in? While all of this made for an entertaining comic, the logic and the characters just don’t hold together very well. As if, rather than advance the story that came before, Tieri is just keeping the lights on.
And the art is pretty bad. Characters look wonky and misshapen, without a real solid baring on the page. I’m no good at criticizing art. It just doesn’t look like DC are putting their best people on Tieri’s Harley Quinn.
TL;DR: While still entertaining, the new Harley Quinn feels like a warmed over continuation of what came before than anything new and exciting.
The Silencer #1
Writer: Dan Abnett
Artist: John Romita Jr.
I’m not particularly interested in The Silencer when it comes to the new titles, but like I said above, there just weren’t many other comics this week.
Once upon a time, The Silencer (real name: Honor Guest) was a badass mercenary working for Talia al Ghul and Leviathan, with the power to create a noise-cancelling field around her. But she left that life behind, settled down with a husband, had a kid and now lives a perfectly nice life in the suburbs. But something has happened and her old life has come calling. First she has to take out a big hunk of cyborg assassin in a grocery story parking lot, then Talia pays the family a visit at their home in order to whisper warnings to her. Honor keeps insisting/demanding that Talia leave her alone, that she’s out of that life, but Talia warns that there are forces at work who won’t obey Honor’s wishes.
Sure enough, as Honor is driving Talia to the airport later that night, their car is attacked by two Leviathan mercs. They focus on Talia, so Honor slips into her old gear and takes them out.
This is a fine introduction to the new character and comic. I don’t think this premise is particularly new, but it might be in the world of superheroes? We’ve got so many armed and talented mercenaries, especially at DC Comics. Should be fun to meet a new one and see her dragged back into the life after settling down with a husband and kid. Honor doesn’t get any really specific personality in this first issue, other than annoyance at having her life thrust back into her, but I look forward to her character growing and deepening. She’s very protective of her life and is part of a very adorable family. Her powers are cool, too.
Jellybean Stew sounds delicious, but it’s actually the kid’s nickname
I don’t know what it is, but all of Romita’s recent work never looks right. Back in the day, the guy was king. His Amazing Spider-Man run is phenomenal. But all his recent work looks a little rushed and just a touch sloppy. Is it the inker? The colorist? I don’t know enough about art to know for sure. The art in this issue is fine and solid, but it’s not Romita’s best, which is disappointing.
TL;DR: The new series is of to an OK start, resting more on premise than on character. But it’s got good characters, too.
The comics I review in my Hench-Sized reviews are just the usual comics I pick up from my local shop any given week, along with a few impulse buys I might try on a whim. So if there are any comics or series you’d like me to review each week, let me know in the comments!
About Sean Ian Mills
Hello, this is Sean, the Henchman-4-Hire! By day I am a mild-mannered newspaper reporter in Central New York, and by the rest of the day I'm a pretty big geek when it comes to video games, comic books, movies, cartoons and more.
View all posts by Sean Ian Mills »
Posted on February 3, 2018, in Comics, DC, Reviews and tagged Harley Quinn, The Silencer. Bookmark the permalink. 4 Comments.
xmenxpert | February 4, 2018 at 7:16 pm
All-New Wolverine was great. Really powerful end to the arc.
Also, Phoenix Resurrection ended on a really strong note. The Jean/Scott scene was soooo good.
Sean Ian Mills | February 4, 2018 at 7:20 pm
I liked the Jean/Scott scene, too. It was a little too brief for my tastes, but we’ll see what happens going forward. He obviously won’t stay dead forever.
When Scott does come back, I think I want him and Jean to remain separated. Make them friendly exes who will always love each other but who recognize that what they had is over.
I definitely agree. Though the way X-Men writers keep running back to Kitty/Colossus makes me think they’ll just pair Scott and Jean up again someday.
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Listen to the New Podcast.
Blog » Tutorials » How To Arrange a Song (or Beat)
How To Arrange a Song (or Beat)
Are You Lacking Arrangement Skills in Your Songs?
Arrangement is not easy. It can be very stressful, time consuming, and overall, just hard!
The more you practice, the better you get, but each song is different, and it will always require your focus, to make a great song from a boring one.
Sometimes in arranging a song, you have to cut things out. That’s just the way it is; how ever sad that may be :(. Yes, the part may be so catchy, but the build up before may just be too full before the chorus, or the transition just doesn’t cut it. However, if you take out an instrument before that transition, or chorus, that might be the missing piece to solidify your composition.
There’s a lot of different skills that go into making a good beat, great.
These skills can range from:
Arrangement of the song.
Music theory.
Piano Skills.
Mixing or Mastering.
Creativity — (improvisation of putting a beat together).
Sound Design.
High Quality Sounds.
This is a huge tutorial for one video, but I got it done! 😉 — Although it’s long, I don’t feel it’s too overwhelming. Just sit back, watch, and soak in some knowledge of about arrangement, and song structure!
How Do You Go About Arranging Your Song?
Take a second, and read over these questions. Is there one specific question that you now realize, “This is what I got to work on” ?:
Do you just add instruments in and take them out?
Do you use transitions/SFX to paint a picture for your listeners by letting them know something’s changing in the beat?
Do you add in all your instruments to make one big chorus?
Does a sound play in your chorus only, and not anywhere else in the song?
Do you try to make your chorus’ chord progression different from the verses or bridge?
As you can read from the questions above, they can really make one think!
Arrangement is all about painting that picture for your listeners. If you can get them ready for the change, you’ve done a great job. However, there’s times where there can be a big build up, but at the end, there’s nothing 😉 — SURPRISE!
How Does One Paint a Picture with Audio?
Since audio is not like a painting, we can not “draw” out what we are thinking for people to see. Instead, we must do it with cool sound effects, silence, mixing, or chord progressions!
Near the end of the video, when I started to build the beat, the intro was very “bland”. Before adding my transitions and SFX, it was walking aimlessly with no sense of direction.
As a listener, this leaves a person not understanding what is going on inside the beat. Sure, they may not “notice” anything wrong, but this can make your music from amateur to very professional.
Just always have the mind set of what you are trying to tell someone through your music. When you start that intro, do you feel it’s catchy? Does that chorus hit as hard as you want it to? Is the break down from the chorus to the verse a bit weak?
Well, What If Your Answer Above Was Yes?
There’s a few reasons why this can be.
Your arrangement in the song could be poor (No transitions/SFX etc.)
The way you have your instruments laid out could have a huge impact. (Try replacing your instruments with others in your beat to see what sounds best — Sometimes 2 instruments sound great, but one by itself doesn’t hold enough on it’s own!).
Adding hats right in the beginning usually throws off the impact of arrangement very quickly. What I mean by this is sometimes a hi-hat really adds that extra ENNGGH! into that verse! So if you add it half way in, it may give the verse that little something special, and give your arrangement that sense of “change” even by adding just a hi-hat! (Rather than having the hi-hat going for the whole verse).
Sometimes it could be your sounds! (Personally, I find Nexus 2’s quality of VST sounds far superior over FL Studio’s Toxic Biohazard for example.)
Do you rush your arrangement? (I know I have many times! — The reason being, I want to get the beat out for people to listen to rather than taking my time out and only giving my best! — If you come back to the beat the next day, and it was just as catchy as when you were making it, this may be a good sign ;)).
A great trick I’ve developed while beatmaking is, at the end of my track, when I feel it’s complete, I hit stop. I start at the very beginning of the track, hit play, and let it play to the end. Did all your transitions from verse to chorus sound decent? Was it mixed fine?
These are things I look for, while doing that final listen.
For Me,
It’s not making the beat that takes long, it’s the mixing and arranging of the beat!
The reason being is that there are so many options you can choose! Add things in, take things out, add SFX here, make silence there, keep the instrument in? Add it in half way!? (You get the idea ;)).
Also, learning how to create new SFX, and learning about music structure, will help you take advantage of some real unique and advanced transitions.
Another thing to keep in mind while arranging your song is,
Does it suite the song?
I really take my time out when it comes to arranging, and make sure that the arrangement suites the song.
When transitioning from verse to chorus etc. I always think, does that transition sound good enough to release it? As you can notice, I’ve really been stressing about transitions, and how important they are.
This goes for songs and beats!
There’s lots that goes into arranging your beat. Even more so when you have vocals! But learning how to arrange your instrumentals/songs in such a way to bring out the most impact you think the song can have, is the ultimate goal in music production.
This is why there are some people with the specific job of just that, arrangement.
Final Thoughts on Arranging a Song,
This is a lot of information to take in, but again, your transitions are important. They don’t have to be super intense glitchy transitions, it can be as simple as a quiet reverse cymbal. Or, even adding a delay to a certain sound. And one more, a simple snare/tom roll, silence before the chorus, or yes, make it super intense!
Hopefully this gets you started arranging, and some ideas of what ways there are to arrange your beats. (These are just ideas, not the only way you can do stuff! — That’s the nice thing about audio! — There are some rules, but in a lot of things, it’s do what you want!
Also keep in mind, arrangement is an on-going learning process. Each song is different, and what you learned on the last song, might not apply to the song you are working on now. Keep at it, and eventually you’ll become stronger at achieving the feeling you are going for in your songs.
Arrangement is an on-going learning curve.
If you feel I have missed something, or are confused in a certain area, leave your questions in the comments! If not, check out more tutorials from Beatstruggles!
Tags: ArrangementFinal ListenSong StructureSound EffectsTransitions
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Sam on March 3, 2016 at 8:51 am
Good article, thanks for posting!
Busta Phats on February 16, 2016 at 8:45 am
GratuiTous on February 17, 2016 at 12:28 am
Rob on January 15, 2016 at 3:19 am
How do you put the beat in the background while the lyrics are going
Ashu on May 26, 2015 at 12:21 am
I like your explanations …very informative tutorial…thanks
GratuiTous on May 26, 2015 at 6:53 pm
Secrets for music production…
My FL Studio courses have helped thousands of producers.
Straight to the point.
FL Studio Secrets
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Exploring new worlds →
Our Happy Hours revisited
It’s a year since the publication of this collection of stories, essays, anecdotes and poetry…Our Happy Hours, LGBT Voices from the Gay Bars…and I still feel a glow inside that my story was accepted…especially as the project was spearheaded by two authors I admire, S. Renée Bess and Lee Lynch. (Also thrilled that the book won a Goldie this year!)
I set my story in London, 1968. I was neither there nor old enough to enter a bar then. I drew the story out from my wife’s anecdotes of moving to London from Scotland in the 1960s and her efforts to find other lesbians.
However, one part of the story comes from a direct experience. The main character finds out about the Gateways club from a hairdresser. This idea came from the time we were visiting my parents in Victoria on Vancouver Island. I decided I needed a haircut and couldn’t wait until I got home. The young man cutting my hair was quite obviously gay so I didn’t hesitate to ask him if there were any gay clubs in town. (Bear in mind, this was some time ago – pre-Google.)
He told me there was one, called BJs (now called Paparazzi, I believe). So my wife and I went out for dinner one evening and I’m sure my parents wondered why we were so long. They knew the restaurant we’d gone to and it wasn’t known for slow service. The club wasn’t very busy when we got there and we did feel a bit awkward. I know we talked to a woman who was sitting on her own and we danced to a few songs.
That was in the early 1990s and while writing the story it struck me that it was just as hard then to get information about gay life as it had been thirty years earlier.
My contribution to Our Happy Hours is called ‘Gateway to Heaven’. In this excerpt, my character is gathering her courage to take the next step on her journey to find a place where she belongs.
She licked her lips and then rested her head on the wall. Could she really go through with this? Maybe she should have gone to see the play instead.
The clothes she’d bought on her Saturday excursion to Carnaby Street were a loose fit. She hadn’t been able to try them on, telling the salesman they were for her brother. At least she knew how to knot her tie; her old school one, but no one here would recognise it. The tie was in her jacket pocket. Tom, the hairdresser who had told her about this place, had told her to wait until she was inside the club to put it on.
Her aunt hadn’t been pleased when she spent her first week’s wages on a short haircut, unimpressed that it was the look favoured by Twiggy, now a famous model. “You don’t want to look like that stick insect. Oh, your beautiful hair. You must let it grow back before your mother sees you.”
She had no intention of letting it grow too long again. Now with it slicked back, she hoped it gave her the image she was trying to achieve. All the doubts that had assailed her during the week attacked at once, keeping her rooted to the spot. Would she be able to talk to anyone, ask anyone to dance? These city women wouldn’t be interested in a country hick like her. Did she look the part? What if they didn’t let her in? Did she look gay enough?
Taking that next step can be hard at any point in one’s life. My fictional story and the many contributions within this collection speak of many such moments of taking the plunge and being finally able to discover and enjoy the safe spaces in which we can be ourselves. May we never let anyone take that away.
Buy this book and tell your friends about it. Proceeds from sales go to supporting two LGBTQ youth organisations.
Bella Books / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Barnes & Noble
List of contributors (in order of appearance in the book):
Ann Aptaker, Dontá Morrison, Rae Theodore, James Schwartz, Jennifer Morales, Cheryl Head, Heather Jane, Beth Burnett, Cindy Rizzo, Stephen Reigns, Clay Kerrigan, Earlon Sterling, Sallyanne Monti, Karen DiPrima, S. Renee Bess, Richard Natale, Mercedes Lewis, Martha Miller, Liz McMullen, Rebekah Weatherspoon, Penny Mickelbury, Johnny Townsend, Merril Mushroom, Brian Heyburn, Lee Lynch, Joan Nestle, Ian Cassidy, Angela Garrigan, Nahshon Anderson Fuentes, Ardy Tibby, Katharine E. K. Duckett, Rachel E. Bailey, Darryl Denning, Lisa Carlson, Katherine V. Forrest, Jen Silver, Shelley Thrasher, Kitty Kat, Jamie Anderson, Shawn Marie Bryan, Ann Laughlin, JP Howard, L. K. Early, Patrick Coulton, Michael Ward, Karin Kallmaker and Bonnie J. Morris.
My latest romance…with some added mystery. Available from: Affinity Rainbow Publications, Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Barnes & Noble, Bella Books, Smashwords, and Apple iTunes.
By jenjsilver • Tagged 1968, Affinity Rainbow Publications, anthology, Calling Home, Gateways, London, Our Happy Hours
3 comments on “Our Happy Hours revisited”
michellepond
I highly recommend this anthology. Thanks for being a contributor, Jen.
JosieHolford
Your contribution nailed it! Knocking on the Green Door!
Thanks, Josie!
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Jim's World and Welcome To It
Guitars and Music
Strange and Pointless
Ya Gotta Start Somewhere!
jimpageadmin Guitars and Music Art Garfunkel, Brenda Lee, Frank Zappa, Herman's Hermits, Jimmy Page, Just a Boy single, Led Zeppelin, Mickie Most, Paul Simon, Simon and Garfunkel, skiffle music, Sounds of SIlence, Steve Allen, Steve Allen Show, The Yardbirds, Tom and Jerry, Wednesday Morning 3am Leave a comment
Here are some amusing videos from YouTube for your weekend edification and enjoyment. The first shows a musical young man originally from Baltimore, Frank Zappa, on the Steve Allen Show in 1963. Frank plays the bicycle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9P2V0_p6vE
For those with a limited knowledge of early television, Steve Allen was a former jazz DJ who was the first star host of the Tonight Show. He was a respected musical composer and also guest starred in the Superman newspaper strip as a lookalike for Clark Kent.
Frank seems somewhat shy yet articulate in this amusing sketch. Zappa was later busted in a police sting for making an allegedly pornographic audio tape; he spent several months in jail but had a successful career after that ordeal as the leader of the Mothers of Invention and other brilliant music endeavors.
Next, a 14-year-old Jimmy Page in 1957 plays skiffle on a British television show; the Hofner archtop guitar he plays seems as big as he is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfZ1AEdfd1o
Jimmy is the young man in the dark sweater and white shirt. He went on to play guitar in British music producer Mickie Most’s studio band, backing singles by Herman’s Hermits, Donovan and Brenda Lee. After that, he was in the Yardbirds and, of course, Led Zeppelin.
Onward we go, still in the late 1950s. We meet a pair of young singers working for various low-budget record labels in the New York City area. They recorded a lot of covers and a few of their own songs. Known professionally as Tom and Jerry, they struggled for years before splitting up. The guitar player and songwriter of the duo, Paul Simon, went to England by himself to try his luck. Art Garfunkel, the lead vocalist, stayed in the NYC area and concentrated on his college math studies.
A record producer, Tom Wilson, liked a cut on their very obscure 1964 album, Wednesday Morning 3am, and on his own volition, had electric guitar, bass and drums added to Paul’s simple background guitar on the tune. He released this version in 1965 without the knowledge or approval of Paul or Artie and it became very popular. Columbia Records quickly got the duo back together to capitalize on the unexpected popularity of the song, Sounds of Silence, and Simon and Garfunkel became a best-selling musical team.
Here’s a sweet-sounding 1960 single by Tom and Jerry entitled Just a Boy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGXLjRBcXyo
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Police: Missing Connecticut Mom’s Estranged Husband Arrested Again
Joe Echevarria
Fox News Video Platform
Fotis Dulos, the estranged husband of Jennifer Dulos, the Connecticut woman who has been missing since May 24, 2019, has been arrested and once again taken into custody.
Download the KICKS 105.5 App Here
According to the Connecticut State Police, detectives from the State Police Western District Major Crime Squad arrested Dulos at his home early Wednesday afternoon (September 4) in connection to the disappearance of the mother of five.
While police have yet to release any further information and say that a formal press release containing the criminal charges and more will be soon released, Fox 61 reports that Fotis' new charges could potentially be related to more counts of evidence tampering.
Before his arrest this afternoon, Fotis Dulos was free on bond after he and his girlfriend Michelle Troconis were accused of evidence tampering.
As previously reported, police say that they've located some items of clothing and sponges that are believed to be soaked in the blood of 50-year-old Jennifer Dulos, a Connecticut woman whose disappearance has gathered attention from media outlets across the county. The bloody clothing was reportedly found in trash receptacles in Hartford.
In what police are describing as related evidence, the Hartford Courant reports that phone records for Fotis Dulos show that he was in fact in the same areas as the Hartford trash cans on the very night Jennifer Dulos disappeared.
Also, police say that surveillance footage they obtained from the same Hartford area in question show a Ford Raptor truck stopping at many locations over the course of a large stretch of Albany Avenue. In the footage, a white male was reportedly seen placing items into trash cans, and in one specific clip, a white female was reportedly seen leaning out of the side of the Ford. The male, the female and the truck itself all match the respective descriptions of Fotis Dulos, his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, who was also arrested on tampering charges, and the Ford Raptor that belongs to Dulos.
All of that reported evidence comes just a short time after investigators determined that some sort of physical altercation had occurred inside of Jennifer Dulos' New Canaan home. Police say they found blood stains, blood spatter and evidence that coincides with an attempt to clean up a crime scene.
Currently, Jennifer Dulos' disappearance is still being treated as a missing persons case.
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K-Ops
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2009 Mille Miglia still the one
Sun, May 31st, 2009
By Simon Kidston
The stars were out in force for this year's Mille Miglia, ranging from royalty (the Crown Prince and Princess of Orange), politicians (the serving Dutch Prime Minister, without a bodyguard in sight), racing drivers (double F1 World Champion Mikka Hakkinen, David Coulthard and Le Mans winner Gijs van Lennep), Olympic skier Kristian Ghedina and all manner of Italian celebrities, from actress Manuela Arcuri to the country's favourite female newscaster and even Silvio Berlusconi's counsel.
Prince and Princess of Orange burned rubber everywhere they went
DC and 300SLR were stars of the event
You wouldn't know there's a recession going on judging from the number of entries: 375 cars in total, converging on the start in Brescia from as far afield as Argentina, Russia, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. These days the eligibility rules are applied more strictly, so participation of a car in previous MM retros doesn't mean it will get in today. If a car of the same model didn't take part in the original Mille Miglia, then it won't be allowed. Just being built in the right period (1927-1957) isn't enough.
Dutch racer Gijs van Lennep and crew, 2.20am
Wonderful party atmosphere approaching the starting ramp
Some say this makes for a less spectacular line-up (for Ferrari-spotters in particular) but it's also more representative of the original Mille Miglia which was just as important as a rite of passage for Italian youths driving hotted-up Fiats as it was for works teams- perhaps even more so. It's how Ferruccio Lamborghini got his first taste of motorsport, although as he crashed his Topolino into an inn, it was also his last.
Mexican entered Ferrari Monza goes into the night
Classic Italian design in a classic Italian landscape
Still besieged by paparazzi at the start of this year's retrospective was the driver most famously associated with the original Mille Miglia, all-time record holder Stirling Moss (at an average of 99.7mph on 1955-vintage roads...). Ever sprightly at 79, he fielded enquiries and interviews with his usual good humour and tact. "It was the only race I ever feared" he told me for the official event commentary, "as you couldn't learn a one thousand mile circuit. The Nurburgring took some practice and even the Targa Florio [72km] became familiar after a while, but this was much tougher. Once the starter's flag dropped you had to concentrate non-stop for more than ten hours- no time for nerves now- and you were getting up to 180mph on the fastest bits." I asked if he thought he would have won without 'Jenks', his diminutive co-driver. "No way. His pace notes far outweighed him!" And finally, if theMille Miglia was still a race today, what car would he choose? "A Ferrari or a McLaren" he says firmly, then reflects and adds with a smile, "but to win you have to finish, so probably a McLaren."
MM record holder Stirling Moss was a crowd favourite
Olympic skier Kristian Ghedina, actress Manuela Arcuri and BMW Italia boss Andrea Castronovo
This year Stirling was in Brescia to encourage a British driver of another generation, David Coulthard or 'DC' who had been entrusted by the Mercedes-Benz Museum with one of its priceless 300SLRs- actually one which never raced. Chasing him was Mikka Hakkinen in the new, limited edition SLR 'Stirling Moss' supercar (yours for€750,000...plus taxes), leading a convoy of 'normal' SLR owners along the route.
Alfa Romeo factory fielded a strong team
1950 Mille Miglia-winning Ferrari flown from USA
Over 48 hours and one thousand miles later, the road stained cars and smiling faces on the finisher's ramp summed it up perfectly. "What an adventure" was the common refrain. "We've had everything thrown at us" said one British team, "from snow to sunshine, breakdowns and overheating, but we can't wait to come back." The classic Italian landscapes, unchanged along much of the route since Renaissance times, and the warmth of the public urging drivers on their way (not to mention the camaraderie of the Police escorts) makes this the one event that anybody who loves classic cars should try to do at least once. It's tiring, exciting, rewarding and utterly unique.
Our Flying Spur Speed lived up to its name
Many thanks to Bentley Motors for proving not one but two new Continentals which made our 1,000 miles rather less tiring and, as the modern SLR drivers we passed can attest, no less exciting.
Photo Courtesy: Mille Miglia, Eddie Coll.
Welcome to Miuraland! March, 2019
Magic May May, 2018
Simon Said - We Did It Our Way! May, 2018
Simon Said - The Continental Dash April, 2018
Simon Said - Weren't around in '55 to buy one? Meet the 2018 Jaguar D-Type! March, 2018
© 2020 Kidston SA
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St. Louis native completes 300-mile run to raise awareness of childhood cancer
Posted 10:55 pm, November 24, 2019, by Blair Ledet
ALASKA - A St. Louis native has raised more than $200,000 to raise awareness and money for childhood cancer research.
Kevin Kline just finished a 300-mile run, and it was all symbolic.
The radio DJ did this run on one of the most dangerous highways in the country, the Alaska Dalton Highway.
For nine days, Kline endured 24 hours of darkness all the way to the edge of the Arctic Ocean.
He set out with his Delivering Hope crew and encountered sub-zero temperatures, risks of avalanches, frostbite, Musk Oxen, and isolation.
His choice to take the dangerous and dark route was symbolic of what pediatric cancer patients endure throughout their battle.
Kline described the loneliness and the hostility of the chemotherapy.
He grew up in Oakville and Fox 2 talked to his sister, Robyn Walter, who was in St. Louis rooting him on.
She said he has always been a daredevil, but this challenge was at the tip of the iceberg.
“It`s been crazy lots of friends that I haven`t talked to in years are in awe of what he`s doing,” said Walter.
Walter also said this type of symbolism has always been a part of him.
“Not that they face and ice storm or colder temperatures, but they face other challenges during their treatment in their journey to beat their cancer.”
“I think he just wanted to simulate some of the challenges they go through and that you don’t give up.”
Fox 2 talked to Kline on his last day before returning to his now Houston, Texas home. He said he faced challenges on the journey but kept it pushing.
“On the sixth day when I just couldn`t go anymore my mind and my body just started giving out after 185 miles, it was a difficult decision to make," said Kline.
With all the money raised, Kline said the completion of the run is surreal. He completed the run on his 50th birthday.
“Our team finished 302 miles of the Dalton Highway at the top of the world to bring 1,856 pediatric cancer warrior names to the place where they feel when they ring the bell at the end of the treatment," he said.
There is a full documentary of the trek coming out in 2020.
If you would like to donate to the cause, click here.
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Take 12 Fairly Recognizable Faces Put Them In A House And Then Make Them DANCE!
Well, she was right. One of your fellow commentters made a seemingly baseless claim last week that The Situation from the beloved Jersey Shore and former Vice Presidential candidate/catastrophe Sarah Palin’s famously fertile daughter Bristol Palin would be on the next season of Dancing with the Stars. AND SHE WAS RIGHT! I can only imagine there are a few scenarios as to why this is right:
1. She can see the future. I’m not saying that is a high probability, but the Situation and Bristol Palin!?! Those are some random ass “stars” to be correct about.
2. She works for ABC and risked her job and livelihood to pass along this information ahead of the curve. And for that I say, DON’T DO THAT AGAIN! I mean definitely risk your job over reading and commenting on the site – sure – that’s a given. But everything else? No. You need to keep your job to make money to have a computer to read what I say on the other end of the internet on my computer.
3. She has taken an ABC employee hostage and/or knows someone who has taken an ABC employee hostage and then interrogated them about what secrets they know and all they got was Bristol and Sitch. Fair enough.
Nevertheless, as mentioned she was 100% correct and yesterday I saw on Yahooooooooooooooooooooo! who the entire cast of Dancing with the Stars would be. There are some very interesting people on the show and even more interesting is I do not watch the show. That’s probably not that interesting and it was more hyperbolic than anything to say that these people are “very” interesting, but you get my point – I’m going to write about this ish anyway, so get your fucking hats on. “Fucking” hats? “Fucking hats”? Fucking “hats”!?! Your choice. Get ’em on. And let’s roll.
There he is. Cut out of the softest granite ever. There couldn’t be a more nonthreatening man of muscles than the Situation. The more you watch the UFC or Mixed Martial Arts or boxing the more you start realizing that big enormous pumped up like a balloon muscles are not really helpful in terms of fighting. They cut down on mobility and could kill a person’s cardio because muscles take a lot of oxygen to work. It really comes down to if a person has trained to fight and more their psycho factor in the fight. You have to like fighting to be good at it. Anyway, sometimes you still see some jacked up meathead and that animal instinct of more muscles means physical prowess and sometimes you see The Situation who clearly has worked his body into a muscle mess because girls want to hook up with that muscle mess. The Situation is probably pound for pound the most muscley guy and the least physically threatening ever. It could be he is not that tall, it could be his effeminate fashion style and mannerisms, it could be his enigmatic hair cut, he looks like he has small hands, it could be him getting drunk in clubs wearing aviators indoors and smoking Parliament ultra lights like a high school girl. It could be all those things.
It could also be that the Situation is trying to have fun at all times and hook up with girls at all times and no where in what I just wrote involves the Situation having to ball up a fist and hit someone with it. Anyway, the Situation is on the TV show and I’m excited, but the premise of Dancing with the Stars kind of ruins the idea of the Situation being on it. What I mean – none of these “stars” really interact with each other. They don’t all live in a house together. They don’t train dancing together. They just see each other a couple times a week to dance against each other and are rated by judges who I never heard of before this show started.
There she is… Miss Middle-America! I really wish that this show allowed for more interaction between the “stars” because then there would be those tremendous cross-overs between the Situation and Bristol and whoever else I’ll later talk about. But where is the fun in that. Where is the fun in guessing the two of them and the others will only share pleasantries and nothing more. Let’s assume they do live in a house and how each would interact with The Situation.
I think Bristol … errr… I KNOW Bristol Palin would like The Situation. First, let me say I’m glad Bristol has had a change of career from unwed and teenage pregnant to an actress. The Situation would definitely like Bristol because she is cute, young and famous. Also, if she is anything like her mother then she’ll continue to be good looking for awhile. As much as I think Sarah Palin is actively trying to destroy the United States of America, I will give her credit that she is a good looking woman. I keep expecting my brain to sync up with my eyes and be like “Well, I think she is a horrendous influence on the citizens of the USA and is brainwashing women across this country into buying catchphrases that mean nothing like ‘momma grizzlies’, so I should have enough dislike for her… she is good looking. Looking good, Sarah. Looking real good as always.” If I met Sarah Palin, I wouldn’t say anything mean or unsavory to her because I would be smiling right back at her like an idiot. She’s a pretty lady. She’s a pretty lady shaking my hand and smiling at me and telling me it is nice to meet ya’. Anyway, Bristol’s a cute girl and who doesn’t like them?
Bristol would like the Situation. Why? Well, look at her previous relationship. She clearly went “all the way” with Levi – there is a baby to prove it. I’m guessing Bristol’s attraction to Levi wasn’t for his brains. I can’t imagine Levi quoting Plato or discussing the human experience through Foucault’s belief we all live in an invisible prison. No, I cannot imagine that and seriously no female wants that anyway. Washboard abs? Yes. They want that and Situation has it. I would guess that ole’ hockey star Levi was a braggadocios popular loud mouth kid in Alaska and Bristol was attracted by this frat boy alpha-male the way most women tend to be. I doubt Levi was the brooding, climb in your bedroom window and let’s walk through the woods type of guy – and the Situation isn’t either. Nor is her father. Not to get into a female Oedipal complex or anything, but Todd strikes me as similar to Levi. He’s a big talking, secessionist loving, goattee sporting, snow mobile racing type. I’m guessing she doesn’t think her father is a bad guy, so all-in-all I think she would like the party all the time Situation.
The Hoff! The Hassle Hoff! I’m not entirely sure if David Hasslehoff has sworn off booze and the like because of the video of him with the cheeseburger a few years back, but either way if he lived with the Situation for a night or two he’d be back on or off or whatever with the wagon and drinking and partying again. I think the Hoff would love the Situation. One main reason: the Situation would verbally blow the Hoff. The Situation wouldn’t know Christopher Nolan or Wes Anderson if he saw them, but he’d know Hasslehoff. I bet the Situation would talk to Hasslehoff non-stop about how bad ass he is for being on Baywatch and Knight Rider and how much ass he got. Even though that was well over a decade ago, the Situation would be like a time machine to Hasslehoff making him feel like he was in his 20’s again mixing it up with Nicole Eggert before she went bakery food crazy and ended up on a celebrity weight loss show or before Yasmin Bleeth became a recovering heroin addict or before Pamela Anderson was radioactive from all the STDs she must have. The two of them would get along FAMOUSLY!
Back to Bristol, she’s just a kid and is probably used to some maid or inhouse help cooking her dinner every night and guess who does that? Situation. She would love the Situation for cooking her dinner every night. I would too, honestly. So, she has this muscley, pseudo alpha-male, nonthreatening, dancing guy who is now cooking for her. And he’s shirtless most of the time. She would be into it.
Brandy. I’ve always though Brandy was hot, just wanted to get that out of the way. Brandy would sort of like the Situation. I think he would get on her nerves a ton, but in the end she wouldn’t have hate for him because he is just trying to have fun. I doubt they would get along too much. She isn’t interested in the Situation. I’m pretty sure she has a couple kids and a husband and is older than the Situation. Also, I would bet she has dated athletes and real men who have muscles that are used to do manly things and not just take their shirts off to get drunk girls at clubs to put their hands on his ripped stomach.
Back to Bristol, I think Bristol would also like the Situation because she is from Alaska and he is from New York. He’s from Staten Island or Long Island or something, but if you’re born and raised in Alaska then someone from Vermont could technically say they are from New York City to you and you would buy it. Alaska is about a billion miles from any metropolis like New York City, so the Situation is that star-crossed, he’s from a different foreign world that I wish I was apart of, Romeo of the Eastern seaboard.
Kurt would probably hate the Situation. If anything, I think the Situation would remind Kurt of the years he spent as a New York Giant, which many (including Kurt) would like to pretend never happened. Also, I can’t imagine Kurt will be any good on this show. First, he’s white. Second, he’s a quarterback not known for being mobile. Third, did I mention his whiteness? Kurt is older, never known for being fleet footed, he’s almost offensively white and I think that covers it. Kurt Warner is a freak athlete at throwing a professional tackle football at people when in the colors of the St. Louis Rams and the Arizona Cardinals – I do not think that will at all translate to the dance floor.
Couldn’t you just imagine Bristol hand-in-hand with the Situation on whatever next failed campaign trail Sarah Palin signs up for? Hopefully, Snooki is with McCain – they clearly have some vomit inducing connection. I think DJ Pauly D and Michael Steele would get along pretty well. If anything, I would imagine that Michael Steele could use a DJ with a penis piercing at his next fetish orgy he is throwing. I’ve never been to a fetish orgy, but I would bet that a guy knowing how to use some turn tables to keep the dance beat going wouldn’t be too bad to have.
That is supposed to be Jennifer Gray or Grey. I can’t remember which way she spells it. Either way, it doesn’t look like her. I wouldn’t have known that was her unless the image told me it was her, so the Situation might not recognize her either. The Situation will definitely hit on her and so forth like he does with all women, but I would bet a billion dollars that he would rather have her tell him stories about Patrick Swayze than anything else. I know that’s what I’m thinking.
Michael Bolton. Just let that sink in for a minute. I think Michael Bolton is completely over his days of being wild and crazy considering he has been over them for about 20 years now. Michael Bolton at one time was a metal singer or a hair metal singer I should say. Then he started making the horrible hits that we really remember him for and he made millions and millions of dollars. I’m pretty sure he couldn’t care less about the Situation. I imagine that if they did live in a house together that Bolton would hang out with everyone the least. When he moved into the house he would have a 20 man crew deliver a 500 pound metal tube with wires and flashing lights to his bedroom. It would be calibrated and installed. In between calls home to his kids and family and meals, Bolton would retire to his bedroom to enter the space age device and sleep or rest or achieve near telekinetic powers with whatever that tube does.
Margaret Cho would hate the Situation. Hate him. I’m betting Cho is serious about her comedy thinking that the Situation being seen as humorous is a slap in the face of all things holy in comedy. Meanwhile, Margaret Cho’s rise to and fall from fame was centered around her doing impressions of her mother as a female Charlie Chan. So, stop taking yourself so seriously. That’s just my guess though. Stand-up comics are an angry and serious bunch. I would bet her and the Situation would get into fights on the regular.
I haven’t mentioned Bristol in a bit. I would imagine that the more time Bristol Palin spent with the Situation the higher the bump in her hair would get, she would pick up cigarette smoking, she would dress sluttier, and be tanner. Pretty much, I think the Situation would slowly transform her into a taller version of Snooki.
Rick Fox would love the Situation similarly to how David Hasselhoff would love the Situation. Pretty much identical. It would be the time machine factor. If you overheard any conversation between the Situation and Rick Fox you would think it was 1994. I bet there would be some story of Rick Fox hooking up with Jasmine Guy and the Situation would be eating it up with a spoon. Plus Rick Fox is obviously still a young at heart type of guy – he is dating Eliza Dushku. Yeah, the one and only Eliza Dushku. Haven’t heard that name in a minute. I don’t know how these two ended up together, but all the props in the world to Rick Fox.
Florence Henderson. I would bet that the Situation has heard the name, but doesn’t know who she is. I doubt the two of them would talk or interact much. I would imagine that Florence Henderson has her life pretty well figured out at this point considering she is 76. I would bet a million billion trillion dollars though if they all lived together there would be at least one phenomenally hilarious and disgusting moment where the Situation gives FloHen a lap dance. Seriously! It writes it fucking self. You know that that would happen. Everyone would be there laughing and clapping along – even killjoy Margaret Cho and space man Michael Bolton. It would be like this…
But a lot more graphic. A lot more. Like touching would be involved.
I don’t know who this kid is, so there is no chance the Situation does either. I looked him up and he was on That’s So Raven. I really have no clue what he would be like. I would bet that due to relative age he should be down to have fun with Situation. He’s the youngest of the bunch at 19. I have no idea who this kid is. He could be anything from a practicing Reverend to a pussy hound. All is possible.
Lastly, I think Situation would probably treat Bristol like his kid sister. I’m not saying he wouldn’t do anything devious to her given the opportunity because she isn’t his kid sister, but in general I bet he would be nice to her – he seems to be nice to everyone in the Jersey Shore house. She has that Shawn Johnson sweetness about her like she could have been walking through a forest one day and discovered elves who live in trees that make chocolate chip cookies. And she was sworn to secrecy about these magical little elves, but ever since that day she has known something that is so wholesome in the world that her smile has forever changed. Also, she is the product of a wild mother. I would imagine that really Chelsea Clinton and Bristol Palin would have a lot in common to some degree. They are the daughters and at times the right hand women of crazily ambitious mothers.
And there is one more contestant on Dancing with the Stars…
Yeah. I think the Situation would like Audrina. I think he would like her so much that the by week two she would be filing for a restraining order against him. Have you seen how much the Situation went after Sammi? Sammi!?! Have you seen how he goes after these drunk club chicks who he later calls rhinos, grenades and hippos? Could you imagine the never ending assault he would lay on Audrina?
I really wish they all were going to live in a house together instead of dance.
My money is on David Hasslehoff. That’s both my heart and my mind’s choice. If I made a second guess I think Brandy would win.
Filed in Uncategorized ·Tags: audrina partridge, brandy, bristol palin, dancing with the stars, david hasslehoff, florence henderson, jennifer gray, kristen stewart, kristen stewart wants it, kyle massey, margaret cho, michael bolton, rick fox, sarah palin, situation, wants it
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Cambridge University Karate Club - Japan Tour - 16th September 2007
Pictured above is the winning Cambridge University Team with their opponents the Keio University Team.
In September 2007 the Cambridge University Karate Team travelled to Japan in order to train with and compete against several Japanese University teams.
Members of the team were Richard Poole (coach) Ian MaCleod (men's captain) Paul Smith, Simon Picot, Gareth Bradley, Adam Tun, Chris Andrews, Andrew Routh, Madeleine Wood (ladies captain), Stephanie McTigh (club president) and Katerina Pateraki.
Much of the training was centred on the dojo in Keio University in Tokyo. The Keio karate club is 83 years old and Keio has the distinction of being the first University at which Gichin Funakoshi taught. This tour celebrated the 20th anniversary of the first visit of Cambridge University to Keio in 1987. We were fortunate to be joined by four of the original Cambridge team members.
Shortly after our arrival we were introduced to the Keio students by their chief instructor Sensei Norihisa Nakura and Sensei Kubota and we settled in to a routine of one or two 3 hour training sessions each day and matches against other University sides who travelled to Keio University. We were also invited to the JKA headquarters in Tokyo and thoroughly enjoyed training there.
Prior to the main event - the kumite match between Cambridge and Keio, we were fortunate to travel to the historic city of Kyoto and the hot springs at Hacona.
The latter proved especially entertaining given the choice of communal bathing in water, red wine, sake or green tea.
The main match took place at Keio University and following numerous demonstrations and welcoming speeches, including those by Professor Atsushi (Keio University Karate Club Patron) and Satoshi Fukuda (Club President), the rules were agreed with each fight being of 3 minutes duration and four ippons. It was refereed by an independent delegation from the JKF, the governing body for karate in Japan.
Each team consisted of six men and two ladies (two of our competitors were injured during training and could not participate). In a very challenging encounter the end result was very close with Cambridge University enjoying a victory by 4 wins to 3. Paul Smith was singled out for praise in a speech by the chief referee for his fighting spirit and spectacular use of kicking and punching combinations.
At the reception following the match it was very humbling to swop stories with the members of Mokukai the Keio Old Boys Club whose average age was 74 years. One of the participants in the team kata demonstration was 83 years old!
Members of CUKC were enormously grateful to Miki Waterhouse, Kurono Masashi and the members of Keio University Karate Club for their hospitality during our visit and also to Steve Mannion, Simon Hastings, Grant Leaity and Jason Purcell, the Cambridge University old boys without whose support this visit would not have been possible. In addition thanks are owed to Ken Hori the Cambridge Old boy whose Japanese heritage enabled him to prepare us for the intricacies of essential Japanese etiquette.
We have extended a formal invitation to Keio University for them to visit us next year in November. This would provide the opportunity for a match between Keio University and a KUGB student team at next years KUGB students championship.
Cambridge University Karate Team with the Keio University Karate Team and the old boys from both clubs.
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Wet ‘n’ Hungry Movie Review: Crawl Watch And/Or Listen to This: Sara Bareilles’ “Armor”
A Puddle of Liver Movie Review: ‘Yesterday’
jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews Danny Boyle, Ed Sheeran, Himesh Patel, Kate McKinnon, Lily James, Richard Curtis, The Beatles, Yesterday 1 Comment
CREDIT: Jonathan Prine/Universal
Yesterday raises a lot of questions, most of which has no interest in answering. First off:
-Why does the global blackout erase the Beatles from existence, and why is Jack Malik (Hamish Patel) apparently the only one who remembers them?
I am perfectly fine that this goes unaddressed, because the “why” is less important than the “where do we go from here?” Which brings me to:
-Shouldn’t the Beatles’ absence make the world profoundly different?
To which Yesterday answers by implication: no, not that much. There is one band that was heavily influenced by the Fab Four that is also now no more, but the rest of music history appears to be intact. The blackout has also removed some other things from existence, but that doesn’t really have anything to do with the main premise. Those reveals are played for (decent) laughs, but they also raise their own existential questions (which remain unaddressed). But back to how the Beatles changed the world. Their cultural influence was so wide-reaching that it is just silly not to examine what an alternative history would have been like without them. Moving on…
-If the Beatles never came to be, does that mean the band members don’t exist either?
It is heavily implied that Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are still somewhere, and Jack is in constant fear that he might somehow meet them and thus have to answer for passing off their music as his own. As for the two deceased lads … they are not entirely ignored either. Of course, this all raises the subquestion (which is barely touched upon): if they weren’t making the music that defined a decade, then what were they up to? But getting back to Jack’s fear:
-How much of the Beatles’ success was due not just to the songwriting, but to the people who performed it?
The lyrics of “Yesterday” and “Let It Be” are beautiful no matter who’s singing them, but Jack obviously doesn’t have the personal connection to them that the lads from Liverpool did, a fact that is introduced as quite a hitch … and then promptly ignored thereafter.
All these quandaries are given short shrift because ultimately Yesterday is really about the love story between Jack and his manager/childhood friend Ellie (Lily James). And it turns out that the main conflict is about Jack choosing between becoming a global superstar or getting things started with Ellie. I don’t understand why he can’t have both. I do understand his guilt over pretending he wrote the greatest songs ever written. But he and Ellie have such hilariously few non-obstacles to ending up together.
So look, I’ve been harping on Yesterday‘s shortcomings but I don’t really hate it. It’s got oodles of Beatles music, of course, but also I like having this conversation of drilling down on these questions. I just wish the movie itself had contributed more to the conversation.
I give Yesterday 2.5 Hands for Jude to Hold.
Greetings From Movie Review, N.J.: ‘Blinded by the Light’ Review | Jmunney's Blog
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Foundations of designing computational knowledge discovery processes
Yoshinori Tamada, Hideo Bannai, Osamu Maruyama, Satoru Miyano
Division of Applied Mathematics
We propose a new paradigm for computational knowledge discovery, called VOX (View Oriented eXploration). Recent research has revealed that actual discoveries cannot be achieved using only component technologies such as machine learning theory or data mining algorithms. Recognizing how the computer can assist the actual discovery tasks, we developed a solution to this problem. Our aim is to construct a principle of computational knowledge discovery, which will be used for building actual applications or discovery systems, and for accelerating such entire processes. VOX is a mathematical abstraction of knowledge discovery processes, and provides a unified description method for the discovery processes. We present advantages obtained by using VOX. Through an actual computational experiment, we show the usefulness of this new paradigm. We also designed a programming language based on this concept. The language is called VML (View Modeling Language), which is defined as an extension of a functional language ML. Finally, we present the future plans and directions in this research.
Progress in Discovery Science
Setsuo Arikawa, Ayumi Shinohara
Tamada, Y., Bannai, H., Maruyama, O., & Miyano, S. (2002). Foundations of designing computational knowledge discovery processes. In S. Arikawa, & A. Shinohara (Eds.), Progress in Discovery Science (pp. 459-470). (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics); Vol. 2281).
Foundations of designing computational knowledge discovery processes. / Tamada, Yoshinori; Bannai, Hideo; Maruyama, Osamu; Miyano, Satoru.
Progress in Discovery Science. ed. / Setsuo Arikawa; Ayumi Shinohara. 2002. p. 459-470 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics); Vol. 2281).
Tamada, Y, Bannai, H, Maruyama, O & Miyano, S 2002, Foundations of designing computational knowledge discovery processes. in S Arikawa & A Shinohara (eds), Progress in Discovery Science. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics), vol. 2281, pp. 459-470.
Tamada Y, Bannai H, Maruyama O, Miyano S. Foundations of designing computational knowledge discovery processes. In Arikawa S, Shinohara A, editors, Progress in Discovery Science. 2002. p. 459-470. (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)).
Tamada, Yoshinori ; Bannai, Hideo ; Maruyama, Osamu ; Miyano, Satoru. / Foundations of designing computational knowledge discovery processes. Progress in Discovery Science. editor / Setsuo Arikawa ; Ayumi Shinohara. 2002. pp. 459-470 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)).
@inbook{f132a9b9b414473082b7ab115e218481,
title = "Foundations of designing computational knowledge discovery processes",
abstract = "We propose a new paradigm for computational knowledge discovery, called VOX (View Oriented eXploration). Recent research has revealed that actual discoveries cannot be achieved using only component technologies such as machine learning theory or data mining algorithms. Recognizing how the computer can assist the actual discovery tasks, we developed a solution to this problem. Our aim is to construct a principle of computational knowledge discovery, which will be used for building actual applications or discovery systems, and for accelerating such entire processes. VOX is a mathematical abstraction of knowledge discovery processes, and provides a unified description method for the discovery processes. We present advantages obtained by using VOX. Through an actual computational experiment, we show the usefulness of this new paradigm. We also designed a programming language based on this concept. The language is called VML (View Modeling Language), which is defined as an extension of a functional language ML. Finally, we present the future plans and directions in this research.",
author = "Yoshinori Tamada and Hideo Bannai and Osamu Maruyama and Satoru Miyano",
editor = "Setsuo Arikawa and Ayumi Shinohara",
booktitle = "Progress in Discovery Science",
T1 - Foundations of designing computational knowledge discovery processes
AU - Tamada, Yoshinori
AU - Bannai, Hideo
AU - Maruyama, Osamu
AU - Miyano, Satoru
N2 - We propose a new paradigm for computational knowledge discovery, called VOX (View Oriented eXploration). Recent research has revealed that actual discoveries cannot be achieved using only component technologies such as machine learning theory or data mining algorithms. Recognizing how the computer can assist the actual discovery tasks, we developed a solution to this problem. Our aim is to construct a principle of computational knowledge discovery, which will be used for building actual applications or discovery systems, and for accelerating such entire processes. VOX is a mathematical abstraction of knowledge discovery processes, and provides a unified description method for the discovery processes. We present advantages obtained by using VOX. Through an actual computational experiment, we show the usefulness of this new paradigm. We also designed a programming language based on this concept. The language is called VML (View Modeling Language), which is defined as an extension of a functional language ML. Finally, we present the future plans and directions in this research.
AB - We propose a new paradigm for computational knowledge discovery, called VOX (View Oriented eXploration). Recent research has revealed that actual discoveries cannot be achieved using only component technologies such as machine learning theory or data mining algorithms. Recognizing how the computer can assist the actual discovery tasks, we developed a solution to this problem. Our aim is to construct a principle of computational knowledge discovery, which will be used for building actual applications or discovery systems, and for accelerating such entire processes. VOX is a mathematical abstraction of knowledge discovery processes, and provides a unified description method for the discovery processes. We present advantages obtained by using VOX. Through an actual computational experiment, we show the usefulness of this new paradigm. We also designed a programming language based on this concept. The language is called VML (View Modeling Language), which is defined as an extension of a functional language ML. Finally, we present the future plans and directions in this research.
BT - Progress in Discovery Science
A2 - Arikawa, Setsuo
A2 - Shinohara, Ayumi
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Tag Archives: Beavis and Butthead
‘Survivor: Caramoan – Fans vs Favorites 2 Legit 2 Quit’ Finale – Apt Pupil
When Survivor: Caramoan – Fans vs. Favorites 2 Legit 2 Quit began just three months ago we bemoaned the ubiquity of loud, boisterous, attention-grabbing personalities like Shamar, Brandon Hantz and Former Federal Agent(?) Fillip. It felt like a season plotted by casting – and by casting just a few controversial, polarizing figures, stunt casting essentially – than a season anchored by appealing, charismatic, engaging characters who we would want to root for, and a season that might rely on shock value and stock reality show antics than good stories, solid gameplay and jaw-dropping twists. Well, we are happy to say that we were wrong. While the pre-merge game was dominated by those big names and big bodies, and while some of our favorite players were eliminated earlier than we would have preferred, after the merge Survivor: Caramoan has delivered great Tribal Council after great Tribal Council, offering some landmark series moments. It was like viewing a Sandra Bullock film back to back to back. Blind Side after Blind Side after Blind Side. And it’s left us with five somewhat unlikely players, none of whom are physically dominant or socially controlling or remarkably devious. Just five players who’ve managed to get to the end, through considerable disadvantages and obstacles, each carving a somewhat different path. It wasn’t what we foresaw for Caramoan, but we’re not complaining.
Cochran, for sure, is the front-runner, having played a smart, strategic, clean game. But Dawn has been right there with Cochran, and she’s made stronger personal bonds, which could play in her favor. Don’t discount Sherri though, who took an entry-level position with Stealth ‘R’ Us when the fans’ alliance fell apart, came in everyday on time, punched her card, worked hard, and is one of the few employees still with the company. Then there’s Eddie, who’s been on the outs from day one, has been to nearly every Tribal Council and was always at risk of going home, and who has made no enemies. Finally, you have Erik, who’s ruffled very few feathers, managed to flip and flop without seeming untrustworthy, and has an excellent chance to sweep the remaining challenges. Really, out of these five, you could make a case that all of them can win the million and it’s going to be interesting…
Oh, wait, Erik’s down…
Filed under Brilliance, Century 21 Reality, It's gross., Tribal Council, We'll Get It In Post
Tagged as 2 Leqit 2 Quit, Always Be Cochran, Arya Stark, B, Beavis and Butthead, Bewitched, Boston Rob, Brandon Hantz, Brenda, Burning Love, Caramoan, Challenge Monster, Chris Webber Final Four, Cochran, Crocodile Mile, David Van Driessen, Dawn Meehan, Do it to me Dawn, dog bar, Dog City, Don't get cocky, Donkeylips, Dr. Joe, Dr. Nick, Eddie, Erik, Fans vs. Favorites, Former Federal Agent Fillip, Game of Thrones, Han Solo, Heather B, In Living Color, Jeff Probst, Jenga, Jonathan Lipnicki, Loose lisps sink ships, Men on Film, Michael Ian Black, New York, queer, retainer, Reynold, Rudy Boesch, Salute Your Shorts, Samantha Stephens, Sandra Bullock, Shamar, Sherri, Star Wars, Stealth 'R' Us, Survivor, Survivor: Bloods vs. Crips, the Blind Side, The Jersey Shore, The Real World, Vinny, Wild & Crazy Kids, Yoda
In Memorium: Andy Rooney
Well, he hasn’t left this earth, but he’s leaving 60 Minutes. And we should take this moment not to remember Rooney’s 1,097cantankerous, complaint-filled segments, but rather this clip from Beavis and Butthead, which first (tangentially) introduced us to the thorny, opinionated, very old (even then) man.
(and it’s because of this video that up until a few years ago we weren’t certain of the difference between Andy Rooney, Mickey Rooney and Mickey Rourke)
Filed under In Memoriam, Is That Still On?, TV Killed the Music Video Star
Tagged as 60 Minutes, Andy Rooney, Beavis and Butthead, Mickey Rooney, Mickey Rourke, Theatre Stories
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In “Captain’s Blog” I want to take up the issue of Star Trek, the Original Series, one episode at a time. After watching Star Trek for nearly a lifetime, what else is there to do but write about it and niggle over ridiculous little details that make up a pretend world full of unreal characters in an impossibly far-fetched setting doing absurd things with earnest? Honestly, what is Star Trek really about? It’s set in the 23rd century, but it’s more 1960s than 2260s. What was Gene Roddenberry and company trying to say with this show when it first aired on NBC in 1966? And what, if anything, do those original 79 episodes say to us now? Questions like these give me the perfect opportunity to watch it all one more time, but this time with a purpose—I want to take a look at each episode, one at a time, and see what makes it tick.
Roddenberry filmed the Star Trek pilot “The Cage” the month I was born in 1964—and so looking into Star Trek is a bit like looking into my own past, yet it’s a past I’ve shared with millions of people at the same time. I am not alone in feeling a connection to the Star Trek universe, but what is the nature of the connection? I am particularly interested in exploring the reasons behind Star Trek’s staying power—why has it been a part of our cultural fabric for the last four decades and counting?
Let’s start by remembering the fact that Star Trek came into the world as a failure. Star Trek’s first pilot episode, “The Cage” fell flat.
Gene Roddenberry, the creator, sometimes writer, and executive producer of the series underwhelmed NBC executives with his vision of a space-faring future as he presented it in “The Cage.” But as in all failures, there is much to learn, for from “The Cage” we learn a great deal about Roddenberry’s vision for what the show would, in the end, become. “The Cage” made its television debut not until 1988 after the Star Trek universe was deeply entrenched in the popular cultural discourse. Still, “The Cage” was not unknown to Star Trek fans. Long before 1988 fans had already seen 50 of the original 63 minute pilot because Roddenberry artfully repurposed “The Cage” as the material for a two-part episode later in season one called “The Menagerie” (1966). He had, it seems, the last laugh on studio executives who rejected his pilot. “The Cage” would remain an inalienable part of the Star Trek universe.
A good start is a good end, as they say, so we start with the beginning, and the beginning is “The Cage;” and thanks to re-mastering and CGI the episode looks better than ever. For those die-hard fans that take special pleasure in the old, beat-up plastic model of the Enterprise amid the cheap special effects space shots from the original pilot, who enjoy the washed out colors and grainy film, I do not share your aesthetic. Roddenberry shot the series on film, which restores quite nicely. “The Cage” now looks and feels like some wonderful old Cadillac from 1965, carefully restored to showroom condition, and here it is right in my garage ready for the road. Let’s go.
The original “Cage” Enterprise, circa 1965
CGI “Cage” Enterprise, circa 2008
In 1964 NASA was still only launching uncrewed rockets that orbited the earth and tested the new Saturn systems designed to take men to the moon. It wouldn’t be until July, 1969 that Neil Armstrong would set foot on the moon—and Star Trek would have already been cancelled! But when Roddenberry made “The Cage” NASA was still in earth orbit. Even so, NASA made so much progress so quickly that, Roddenberry seems to say, that if we kept up the pace of technological innovation in space flight, surely we would be traveling faster than the speed of light by 2265 a.d. I suppose the success of launching heavy lift rocket vehicles into outer space, combined with the heady knowledge that the same rocket technology could carry our hydrogen bombs to any point on the planet, made us feel awfully confident about the future.
Aye, there’s the rub. I do not think Roddenberry was terribly confident about the future, or if he was, his optimism informed only the candy-coated exterior of his vision. Inside the candy shell made up of warp drive and universal peace on earth was the inner, bitter nut of conflict and war that defined life in the Star Trek galaxy. It turns out that some life forms just don’t like humans, or the Federation of Planets, or, for that matter, Jim Kirk. In other words, even though Roddenberry’s predictions about earth technology were brightly optimistic, Star Trek—like a lot of science fiction—uses its vision of the future to explore issues of the present day, like war, freedom, racism, religion, science, love, death, friendship, honor, pride, sex, and power. So, even though we are going warp speed in Roddenberry’s future, in a lot of ways Star Trek suggests we are going no where fast.
I think all this is at work in one way or another in “The Cage.” Perhaps Roddenberry’s first draft did not impress studio execs because it was too much about human frailty, and not enough about how powerful and active our technology would be three hundred years from now. In “The Cage” one Lt. Tyler claims that the Enterprise could destroy “half a continent” but the telepathic Talosians make all of that power irrelevant. As a result, “The Cage” represents Roddenberry’s “ideal man” whose desire for freedom stands for all of humanity. No, Captain Pike resists the temptations of the flesh. No pleasure filled cage for Captain Pike. It is freedom, or death. But how does one achieve this state of perfect will, strength, focus and purpose? According to Roddenberry, Captain Pike must tap into his “primitive” feelings to find his true power. Time and again Star Trek reminds us that to be fully human we need to be fully integrated beings, and not split and in conflict with our feelings, for our feelings make us human. Later in the series Mr. Spock is the symbolic and literal site of the conflict between head and heart. But in “The Cage” Mr. Spock has not yet been imagined as the logical Vulcan battling his half-human emotions. In the pilot Spock smiles, shouts, and behaves in very non-Vulcan ways.
“The Cage” and the Laughing Spock
I think Roddenberry originally wanted to play out the conflict of head versus heart with the Enterprise’s first officer, “Number One,” played by Majel Barrett. Though she only played the part for one episode, her performance hints at the conflict between being a woman with feelings, as well as the ships “most experienced officer” in a male-dominated world. She seems keenly aware of her status as a woman on a man’s bridge. When Pike leaves her out of the landing party, she can barely contain a pout, or when Pike refers to being uncomfortable with women on the bridge, she looks at him, but remains silent. He realizes what he’s said and apologizes and acknowledges that “she’s different.” Again, “Number One” can barely restrain herself from pouting and moping. She’s a woman, dammit. Why doesn’t Captain Pike notice? But Pike is not Kirk. Pike’s great strength in “The Cage” is his ability to resist the female, no matter what color she is.
Gene Roddenberry notices “Number One” circa 1964
Majel Barrett would later marry Gene Rodenberry in 1969, and stay with him until his death. But in 1965, NBC execs didn’t like a female first officer in this or any century. Majel Barret would stay with the cast of Star Trek, but she would have to be demoted to a proper “woman’s” role in order to remain. Even so, Roddenberry would have his way vision of the future his way one way or another, and so rather than women in command positions, he placed an African-American female, an Asian-American and, later, made a Russian the ship’s navigator. The bridge of the Enterprise was diverse, and a symbol of a united Earth.
In 1965 NBC execs thought “The Cage” “too cerebral,” and that the 63 minute drama lacked action. I wonder what were they expecting? It’s hard to know. Still, NBC saw something in the pilot and, in a rare move, asked Roddenberry to try again, and he did. We will take a look at that episode, the first episode of the original series–though it was aired as the fourth episode–“Where No Man Has Gone Before”–in my next Captain’s Blog.
In spite of the fact that the original Star Trek pilot defines the series in numerous ways, “The Cage” has a look and a feel all its own. In it we meet the Enterprise and its crew, but it’s not exactly like the Enterprise from later episodes. The uniforms are different, we see crew members in casual clothing, and the primary and secondary cast members are almost entirely different from the later series—with the exception of Mr. Spock. “The Cage” is Star Trek’s cradle, yet it is not, I would argue, the Star Trek ur-text. That distinction should be placed elsewhere.
Roddenberry had his influences. If I had to guess, I would say that Roddenberry was a fan of Forbidden Planet (1956) staring Leslie Nielsen as the intrepid captain of a flying saucer, one of a fleet of earth space ships cruising the galaxy in the 23rd century. Sound familiar? Forbidden Planet was the first science fiction film to imagine a future in which space ships from earth would be sent on missions across the galaxy, much in the same way naval ships of the line ply the oceans of earth today.
It is amazing, sort of.
A young Leslie Nielsen plays Captain John J. Adams who commands the United Planets Cruiser C57-D as it travels to Altair IV, some sixteen light years from Earth. Their mission: to discover the fate of an expedition that was sent there twenty years before only to disappear. Adams’ ship arrives at Altair IV and he receives a transmission from a survivor of the lost expedition, one Dr. Edward Morbius—a space faring English professor and the lost expedition’s linguist, played by Walter Pidgeon. Morbius warns Adams to stay away. The captain lands anyway.
Disney animators helped with the special effects.
I think Forbidden Planet must have really moved Gene Roddenberry as a young man, for his first Star Trek pilot seems to me to be an obvious attempt to bring Forbidden Planet-type science fiction to television. The parallels are too obvious to be ignored. Roddenberry’s pilot could easily have been named “Forbidden Planet,” and perhaps would have gained something if it had been.
Both Forbidden Planet and “The Cage,” represent visions of the future in which the military—in naval mode–has left the oceans of earth to set sail on the oceans of interstellar space. Both stories imagine a future in which the inexorable exceptionalism of the human race has lead it to mastering technologies that would allow us to hurl ourselves across vast distances beyond the speed of light. Apparently spreading “our way of life” beyond the stars and to other planets is a given. It’s why we’re here. It’s why we go there. That’s progress!
The parallels between the two stories go beyond the surface. In “The Cage” an interstellar “United Space Ship” called Enterprise intercepts a transmission indicating that an expedition which disappeared 18 years before has crashed on Talos IV. Captain Pike learns that, against all odds, there are survivors in need of rescue. Captain Pike decides to investigate in spite of the fact that his crew is tired and beat up after a previous mission. If you look carefully you’ll see that the Enterprise crew members have bandages on. Spock walks with a limp. They all need a rest, and hospital. Some crew members have died we learn. Pike wants to ignore the distress signal they pick up, but once he hears of survivors, he decides he has to go in for the rescue.
Like Forbidden Planet, Captain Pike and his landing party meet a beautiful and beguiling blond that distracts them, and sets the plot in motion. But let’s not over state things. Motion is a relative term. Both Forbidden Planet and “The Cage” are slow moving, thoughtful, and hail from a different science fction-film tradition. Both stories depend on the audience’s imagination to be gripped by the sheer enormity of the situation. Both narratives are built not on action per se, but on the tension of the situation in which the audience and the characters comes to grips with the fantastic, and other wordly, the unknown. There is a sober, dramatic realism in both stories, as if to say to the audience that in the future these sorts of trips, adventures, sites, and sounds will be par for the course. It’s the new normal, and we’re getting a glimpse of it three hundred years early thanks to Star Trek. Fortunately for the audience, the future is not so different from the present: space ships run a lot like sea ships—with captains, officers, cooks, and crews. With one exception–something called a computer helps to run things.
I think it’s fair to say that “The Cage” has considerably more action in it than Forbidden Planet. As a stand alone piece of science fiction “The Cage” is quite good. Certainly Roddenberry thought so. He imagined that it could be easily expanded into a feature film, and that’s probably true, except Jeffrey Hunter who played Captain Pike had no desire to go on with the project either in film or television. Perhaps that was for the best, for Jeffrey Hunter died in 1969 and would not have lived to enjoy the enormous popularity and staying power of Star Trek. But that begs the question—would there have been a Star Trek as we know it without William Shatner? Perhaps not.
Vina from “The Cage,” good and bad hair days.
Vina, the Talosian human captive, is compelling enough, but unlike the love interest in Forbidden Planet, Captain Pike of the Enterprise realizes very quickly that Vina is bait, and he resists her considerable charms no matter what color she is. The point of all of this, however, is that Vina’s beauty is just an illusion, placed in everyone’s mind by the Talosians. Really she looks like the piteous thing on the right hand side of the images above. According to the story, when her ship crash-landed, every one was killed except for her, and so the Talosians had to save her, put her back together, but tragically, they had “never seen a human being before,” and so they had no model to follow. And so she turned out misshapen, unbalanced and not quite so smooth and sexy as the imaginary Vina. It’s on this last point that I think the whole episode falls apart.
1) The Talosians are humanoid, bipedal creatures whose bodies are, for the most part, symmetrical. They sure must be dumb about such things to think that a bipedal creature would like to have a large, ungainly hump on one side of its body.
2) More importantly, though, if the Talosians are such potent mind-readers, could they not have reached into Vina’s mind and looked at an image of what a human being looks like? Surely they could have, and so one has to wonder: either a) this is a serious gaffe on the part of the writers—gaffes like this are avoidable, but sometimes hard to catch when creating science fiction and trying to keep all the details consistent and believable. Or, b) this is all a part of the Talosian power of illusion. Vina is not misshapen, they only want us to believe she is. If this is so, then perhaps everything everywhere is an illusion—perhaps television is a tool of the Talosians, and perhaps there simply is no “real world” other than the one we mistakenly perceive and call our own.
A Talosian of Talos IV. Big brain, bad medical care.
And perhaps it’s questions like these that upset NBC execs, and so they sent Roddenberry back to the drawing board. Don’t make us think so much! This is TV for Christ’s sake! Give us action, ray guns, battles to the death, good guys and bad guys. Make it clear. We do not need any more television that questions the nature of mind control.
What ever its flaws, “The Cage” is about more than the speculative future it presents. Even the evil Talosian zookeepers on Talos IV appear not so evil by the end of the episode. They release the humans once they realize holding them is futile. They even reward their prize specimen with an illusion all her own, a virtual Pike that she can love and talk to, and, well, it all gets very complicated because he’s not really there, but no matter. As the Talosians say, “may your real life be as pleasant as Vina’s imaginary one.”
“The Cage” is, in many ways, Roddenberry at his best—the pilot is an exploration about what makes us human—and in this case he is answering back the claims of Forbidden Planet. In that story, the technology of the forbidden planet unleashes “monsters from the id,” and this primitive “id” which is supposedly inside all of us will, if unleashed, seek to destroy, murder and otherwise make life unbearable. But for Roddenberry, our “primitive emotions” are not so destructive as they are humanizing, necessary, and the source of our strength, our desire for freedom, and our need to push the boundaries of our existence. And so in many ways “The Cage” is tried and true Star Trek right from the start: Captain Pike saves the day because he taps into his “primitive” emotions. Rage and hate become a defense against the telepathic manipulations of his jailors. It is because of his “primitive” emotions that he is able to capture one of the aliens holding him and two female crew members. Once free, they make it to the surface of the planet. At this point, it’s interesting that “Number One” sets her laser gun (not yet a phaser) on overload in the final moments of the episode; in those final moments she becomes a suicide bomber without even looking at her captain for approval. She knows, apparently, that he as well as she would rather die in a fiery explosion than live as slaves, even comfortable ones. I am not sure 1960s television had such a female character on any other show, but here she was, the woman of the future–but don’t blink or you’ll miss her. As I mentioned, in future episodes Roddenberry demoted Majel Barret from the ship’s first officer to the ship’s Nurse Chapel. Mr. Spock—no longer laughing—became first officer in her place. Ah, much better say the executives. Engage.
The Handsome Pilgrim: A New England Folktale
It was autumn in the year of our Lord 1659, and the hardworking, well-meaning villagers of New Shire feared for another lean harvest in spite of their hopes, labors, and prayers. A summer drought had smitten their corn and withered their wheat. Their beans were bust and their flax mere flecks, hardly specks, and not worthy of harvest and barely enough for seed. No Indian tricks or Indian summer could raise what God would not bless, and so the earth only begrudgingly gave up its fruit that year, and then only with the parsimony of a parson’s widow. It looked to be another hungry winter for the villagers of New Shire, and they wondered what God meant to teach them.
Even in the midst of their consternation and earnest soul-searching, yea, even as they wondered profoundly why God had smote them thusly, an unsettling rumor crept from ear to ear about the bountiful harvests happening to the north and to the south of them, and even in the wilds of the western lands. Why not here, they wondered? Regardless of the rumors, New Shire villagers grew only enough crops to keep their bellies from shrinking utterly.
Young Goodman Winthrop looked upon all of this and prayed for his people even as he himself began to question and to grow desperate.
“Why do others have so much!” they cried. “And we so little?”
That sabbath day Young Goodman Winthrop went with his neighbors to church, and Parson Willowdale led his flock in what had become a most common prayer.
“Oh Lord,” he beseeched the air, “send one of your angels to come and bless our crop! Let your light shine upon your poor servants in this wilderness!” Young Goodman Winthrop looked at the dull buckles on his shoes as he prayed. It was too late for crops, he thought. But perhaps a miracle might set things right.
That night, a golden Harvest Moon crept up over the tree tops as the villagers of New Shire gathered together to share the first fruits of the year’s meager harvest. Even as they muttered and complained about their near empty larders, they heard the sound of a wagon coming up over the hill and down into the village, and they turned and saw him riding high, a yoke of draught oxen laboring hard to pull the largest wagon this side of Antwerp right into the village center. The driver was an exceedingly fine-featured stranger, tall and straight, blond and pale, and he rode up high and fine. He cracked a whip as if to keep the time.
His dress was no different than a New Shire villager, but Young Goodman Winthrop thought this strange pilgrim wore it well. His black trousers had the look of one of the elect, and his leather boots were supple and their buckles glinted and shone in the golden moonlight. He sat high before them all now as they flowed out to meet and greet him. The stranger’s broad-brimmed hat was big, black and blocked tight, and its buckle made you think of heaven’s pearly gates. The women whispered and called him the Handsome Pilgrim. Young Goodman Winthrop could not deny the rightness of the description. This stranger was handsome, more handsome than any pilgrim, even the governor.
The stranger guided his oxen with voice and whip, and he called to them. “Hah!” he yelled. “This a-way,” he cried, and the whip cracked and dumb team labored to a halt before the villagers. Behind the oxen followed what looked like a wagon from the Old World—but it towered over them, all woodwork and canvas stretched on high, and it rode on high red wheels, and the back end rose up and up, and when you saw it you wondered how the thing could ever stay upright it was so tall and grand. But there it rode, as if a hand from above kept it upright and guided it on its way.
The villagers gathered around the stranger’s wagon and he stood up and smiled as if making ready to speak.
“I have seen your lives and how you suffer,” he said quietly, but his voice carried easily to Young Goodman Winthrop’s ear. “You work hard and you deserve more, much more, but you need to make room to prepare for a much larger harvest. You think too small. Dream large. Only then will your harvests grow.”
“Tell us how do we do that!” Goody Cuthbert cried. The other villagers murmured. They knew they were lean, but they had not realized it was their own fault.
“You need a new village pot,” the Handsome Pilgrim announced, and he spread his arms wide, “large enough for a mighty harvest.”
“A village pot?” they replied, dumbfounded. Goodman Bradford spoke up:
“Friend, we have pots. Every family in New Shire has a pot of its own. Many of us have two pots in fact. We are not just off the ship, you know. No one in our village is without a pot, at least to my knowledge. God has blessed us these many years in the wilderness.” Goodman Bradford looked around for assent and the villagers nodded and encouraged him. “Why do we need another village pot?” he asked. Some turned away from the Handsome Pilgrim and headed back to the village.
The stranger folded his arms, smiled gently and shook his head as if he were gazing upon ignorant children.
“You see?” said the Handsome Pilgrim. “I say to you that you are overrun with pots in this village. Look here: you each have a pot to cook in, a pot to piss in, a pot to wash in, a pot for the morning water and a pot for the evening water. You have small pots, large pots, and all sizes in between. This I have seen.”
“Indeed we do,” Goodman Bradford called back. The truth be told, Young Goodman Winthrop knew his neighbors were each prideful of their pot collection, but the Handsome Pilgrim turned a cold, dark look upon them and Young Goodman Winthrop felt a chill run up his spine.
“You are ignorant,” cried the stranger, and his voice cracked like a whip, but before it could sting he went on and his voice seemed to sooth at once. “But you were born that way, so I do not judge you for it. From the beginning of time our Father in heaven has made it . . . thusly. But let me ask you this: do you wish to remain in the dark your whole lives? Look here: other villages all around you have changed their ways for they have seen the light and so received God’s blessing. Do you want not want you and your children to experience the miracle they have felt in their bones?”
“Of course we do. We live only for our children. Tell us what to do,” cried Goody Cuthbert.
The Handsome Pilgrim smiled and opened his arms once again as if to embrace them all. “New Shire needs one giant pot,” he declared simply.
“One pot?” they asked, confused.
“One giant pot,” the Handsome Pilgrim corrected them. “The progress of the saints means one giant pot, and it belongs in the middle of the village where everyone can reach it. Right here in the center.”
“In front of the church?” Goodman Smithy asked.
“Right in front of the church,” replied the Handsome Pilgrim.
“In front of the village meeting house?” asked Goodman Cooper.
“Right in front of the village meeting house,” replied the Handsome Pilgrim.
“In front of the cemetery?” Goody Clowy crooned.
“That’s right,” said the Handsome Pilgrim snappily. “I speak of a great pot—I am talking about a great, blessed pot. A great pot fit for an entire village, a pot full of blessing, of wonder, of God’s chosen people.” Young Goodman Winthrop thought this last part sounded dangerously close to blasphemy, or worse, but the Handsome Pilgrim’s words had the villagers enthralled and they let it pass. “Just think of it,” the stranger went on. “In this one giant pot you can put everything. If you throw in your dirty trousers, out comes a clean wardrobe. If you throw in your muddied hats, and out comes a hat like mine! Put in last year’s roots and out comes this week’s stew. And if you throw in this autumn’s harvest–even a lean harvest, mind you, leaner even than yours—you will be blessed. Others have enjoyed this miracle. Why not you?”
The villagers murmured amongst themselves. It sounded good to their hungry and benighted ears.
Now the Handsome Pilgrim crouched down and he spoke with an oily voice as if they were all his kin. “I offer peace, cousins. Lay your burdens down. Come and help me forge a pot that will fill even the hungriest belly. Let there be an end to your suffering.”
Some of the older folks doubted the stranger when they heard him make his promises, for they knew life was anything but secure, and that God taught them through suffering, but still, the Handsome Pilgrim was so thoroughly handsome that even the skeptics were won over.
“We want a giant pot!” they cried.
The Handsome Pilgrim nodded a serious nod, rose to his full height, raised his arms and spoke in a loud, commanding voice.
“Bring to me your little pots and from the confusion, and I will fashion one ever-blessed great pot.” And the villagers of New Shire did as they were beseeched to do, for they were an ignorant, superstitious and foolish people, easily swayed by flashing buckles and blocked hats.
And so in the following days the villagers brought to the Handsome Pilgrim their various pots of all sizes, and his wagon swallowed them up and blazed hot during the day and glowed red through the night, and the figure inside labored not in vain, for on the morning of the third day, the day of the year’s first snow fall, a massive, smoking black globe tumbled out of the back of the gypsy wagon, hissing and spitting as it came to rest on the snow covered earth. Young Goodman Winthrop stood in awe even as it nearly bowled him over. It was, well, giant, thirty feet high if an inch, and many times that across and around. The pot was many times larger than the wagon from which it came, such was the miraculous nature of that giant pot.
The Handsome Pilgrim leapt down after the pot and grinned. He looked strong in his black-smithy leather, and he was strong. His arms were shining with sweat and his muscles were lean and cut. He had no trouble pushing the giant pot to the middle of the village with one hand while in the other he held a great, blackened hammer.
Some villagers marveled and murmured miracle.
“It’s awfully large,” whispered one villager.
“It is giant,” the Handsome Pilgrim corrected him.
“Ay, that it is,” said another, and some were troubled because every window around the village center now gave way to a black view of the cast iron pot.
“You may thank me now with a feast,” cried the Handsome Pilgrim, and he said it in such a way that the people, many of them hungrier than they had ever been, and with the winter just coming on, found it difficult at first to give up what they had laid aside for the coming season, yet finally they did because they believed. Once they poured in all that they had, ten-fold would fill the pot, and so they threw corn and tomatoes and lettuces, they threw small bushels of grain and whatever else they had hidden away for the worst moments of hunger yet to come, sand they waited for the miracle that would transform their meager sacrifices into a horn of plenty.
A freezing rain began to fall as the last of the villagers threw in what harvest they had. The pot swallowed it all even as it began to hiss and steam as the cold rain fell. Some mistook this for the beginning of the miracle, but a boy—Goodman Smithy’s son–climbed high in a tree in order to look down into the pot.
“What do you see?” they cried to the boy.
“Just a small pile of beans and roots and corn soaking in the water, way at the bottom. How we gonna get to it now?”
Some of the villagers intended to ask the Handsome Pilgrim this pressing question but when they turned to ask him, he was gone.
“What will we do now?” the village cried.
“Let’s go to Parson Willowdale. He knows,” Goody Cuthbert cried, and so the villagers marched around the giant black pot and headed for the church and there, on the front steps, stood Parson Willowdale.
“Where is the bounty that we were promised?” they asked the parson.
The parson wrung his hands and shook his head. “Perhaps the Lord is testing our faith,” he said. “Be patient. Have faith. Do not be greedy now. Perhaps there is still more to throw into the pot. Come now. Give with two hands.” So the villagers did as they were told, but soon they found that they had nothing to eat and they were hungry.
“We will starve!” they cried. “What do we do now?”
“Let us beseech the governor!” they cried, and so they marched around the giant pot to the town meeting house and there was the governor standing on the front steps. “What do we do?” the villagers cried.
“We need to be practical at a time like this. Ladders, men. Let us climb into the pot and get what we can, just enough until the miracle begins. Perhaps the miracle has already began. Let us go and see for ourselves.”
“He is wise,” the villagers cried, and one by one, over a series of days, the hungriest climbed into the pot first, and then the rest, all to take back a morsel of food for themselves and their hungry children. Those at the bottom of the pot realized that once they climbed into the pot, they could not climb back out, but this was of no immediate concern, because they had plenty to eat. Unfortunately they had no pot to piss in.
Even Young Goodman Winthrop and the Smithy boy finally climbed into the pot, so curious about what had happened to their neighbors, and so hungry. Only when the last of the villagers had climbed in did the Handsome Pilgrim return to the village even as a hard rain began to fall. Slowly the giant pot filled with water and the villagers cried in terror as the waters rose about them. Those that could tread water did while others sank. Some prayed. Some waited for the miracle to begin while others began to worry that no miracle was forthcoming. When the rain finally broke and the clouds parted, a bright autumn sky shone above New Shire. That was when the Handsome Pilgrim began to gather and stack wood all around the giant pot–a massive effort to say the least–and he kindled a mighty, smoky fire that turned the sky black for miles around. It took many long days, but finally that pot came to a roiling boil and the Handsome Pilgrim–hungrier than all of God’s creation put together–sat himself down in the village center of New Shire and he ate Pilgrim Stew for a year, some say two.
However long it took him, the Handsome Pilgrim was thorough. Slowly but surely, he ate it all and only when the pot was drained to the lees did he finally move on, and it’s said that even then he was not yet satisfied. But it was no matter, for no one ever heard of New Shire again, or if they did, they chose not to believe such an old wives’ tale. That giant pot, though, well, some say that you can still find it deep in the woods of New England, somewhere west of the last homely village, and there it sits right where the Handsome Pilgrim left it, hissing and spitting on a smoking bed of coals that never cools.
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31 Days of Oscar – Recant This! Recasting Oscar’s Picks: the 90s
By le0pard13, February 18, 2013
The blogathon masters Paula, Kellee, and Aurora are at it again. They’ve come up with the 31 Days of Oscar Blogathon. Their blogging goal is to get down in writing any and everything on the subject of film and Oscar for those wishing to participate. The following is my blathering contribution.
We’re less than a week to Oscar’s big night. And it’s building. Don’t you feel it? What’s going to come out of those envelopes? Who’s going to make everyone watching stand up and cheer with the result? Pulses everywhere spike just hearing,
Then it goes to what’s-her-name. Or him (also thunderstruck with the news), sitting right over there. And we all have to live with it. Some of us not quietly…
With that, this is the next part in my series for the run-up to Oscar Night. What I’d righteously overturn within each of the decades I’ve been watching movies. Oscar’s misjudgments. We’ll turn it back to the laden 90s’ today. Drum roll, please:
1990 Best Director
For the second decade in a row, Oscar had to go right off the rails with a biggie for the start of it all. And by coincidence they once again snatched the statuette from the same filmmaker. Why is it ten years later the mighty Academy had another actor-turned-director beating Martin Scorsese for this award? I’m not going to put down Kevin Costner for the film he directed here. But just because Dances With Wolves was nowhere near the vicinity of Waterworld or The Postman, means I’m not lauding it either. Not by a long shot. Every evaluation since that fateful night by moviegoers, fans, and critics, Goodfellas has only grown in admiration. It was an exceptional film by one at the height of his prowess, and Scorsese really deserved this. Unfortunately, this and the next pick echoed throughout the decade.
1990 Best Picture
Re-read the above paragraph. It really came down to only two pictures that year. As a longtime Western fan, it was great to see the genre represented here with Dances With Wolves. But this really should have gone to Goodfellas.
1992 Best Actor
You may recall that I thought Al Pacino should have won this for his Godfather Part II performance, or the handful of his earlier roles. But this was the classic make-up call by The Academy for selecting his role in Scent of a Woman. The outcome of which only encouraged Al’s bad tendencies and excesses. Who really earned this? Denzel Washington for Malcolm X. It was a singular, significant performance that should have been recognized at this moment. Then things could have been different… but I’m getting ahead of myself. In a word, making award amends merely perpetuates bad choices, folks.
I like Tom Hanks. I really do. He was very good in Philadelphia. However, I daresay Liam Neeson was the better actor that year in his role as Oskar Schindler. In a much stronger movie, too, which Schindler’s List surely was. For me, Liam’s was the key contribution in the most substantial, powerful film in this span. And he still managed to stand out in a production filled with great acting efforts all around. I’ll stand by this reversal to my dying day.
“I want that trophy, so dance good.”
I’ve enjoyed a number of films by director Zemeckis, Forrest Gump among them (some of his later work is a bit iffy, though). However, again, I feel the members of the Academy played it too safe and ignored the true best picture for ’94. I hate the cop-out, but it’s a tie. I can’t pick between them. Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption. Tarantino’s second film was unexpectedly edgy, trippy, absolutely provocative and bloody good fun. Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s wonderful novella was sheer perfection, in my mind. Gump had some good aspects, don’t get me wrong. Having said that, both of these were better.
“Get busy living, or get busy dying.“
I can’t tell you how much The English Patient frustrated the Hell out of me. Still drives me crazy. The film had far too many ‘why are the characters doing that?’ moments for my taste. Without question, it was this decade’s Out of Africa for me. So, I would have awarded what should have been their first Best Picture trophy to the quirky Coen Brothers and their unconventional film, Fargo.
Should be no surprise that I’d pick Fargo‘s Joel Coen for this award over Anthony Minghella. God, The English Patient movie grates on me. Move on, people. Nothing to see here.
1997 Best Actress
Remember Art upsetting Al back in the 70s? Similar happened here. Helen Hunt over Judi Dench? Helen Hunt?!? The only thing I appreciated was what her As Good as It Gets character said about HMOs. But, come on! Yeah, yeah the Academy made up for this the very next year with the 1998 Best Supporting Actress to Dame Judi. Typical. Regardless, the Best Actress award this year should have gone to Skyfall‘s M for Mrs. Brown.
Funny thing, though. Still and all, I’d award James Cameron the director’s award for what he achieved with his film. I know, I know.
I’ll admit it, here and now, at the time I wanted Titanic to win. But, Curtis Hanson’s film adaptation of L.A. Confidential remained much-loved. Alas, the romance couldn’t last with the former. Over the years, I can count the instances on one hand I’ve re-watched Titanic since. And L.A. Confidential? I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve re-screened the most outstanding neo-noir of the era — it’s annual viewing in my house. Sometimes more than once in a year. I’d rectify the mistake for the Academy and myself. Bud, Jack, Edmund and company without a doubt should have won this award that year. Oh, and by the way, “Hush, hush.”
Great marketing by the Weinsteins’ should not trump good filmmaking. Period. While it may have had a formidable Judi Dench for supporting, and some clever writing and dialogue, Shakespeare in Love was not this. That honor belonged to Saving Private Ryan. Though, the film was not without its faults. The bookends being the weakest of the film — but that Normandy landing sequence alone made up for that, in spades. I’d still pick this today.
Now we’ll put the 90s out of its misery by setting the last slip-ups right…
1999 Best Supporting Actor
I love Michael Caine. Versatile. Talented. British. He may have even been the best part of that annoying Cider House movie. Just don’t get me started on that New England accent of his. I don’t even live in the area, but even I knew it was crap. For all that, the best supporting actor that year, bar none, was an extraordinary 9-year old. Haley Joel Osment of The Sixth Sense. Too many forget the kid was pretty damn remarkable in this role that year. No question.
Crowe was also robbed of a ’97 acting nomination for L.A. Confidential.
Kevin Spacey’s unique acting talents were justly rewarded in 1995 for The Usual Suspects. Wouldn’t change a thing there. But making him a double Oscar winner for American Beauty was not only mistaken, but wrong. Doubly so. Russell Crowe’s performance was head and shoulders above them all in 1999 for Michael Mann’s The Insider.
One could say both are unique films. Still, American Beauty remains in ‘the love it or hate it’ category. I’m guessing you already know where it lands for me. I even re-screened the film last weekend to give it another appraisal for this series. Nothing changed. The Academy historically loathes giving its highest to popular films, or even those outside the realm of dramas. But the best that year was the totally unexpected, unusually touching, and decidedly super-natural, The Sixth Sense.
No shock then for this. M. Night Shyamalan deserved the directing honors for his work with The Sixth Sense. It may have spoilt his and our expectations going forward, however. Regardless, he deserved it (but let’s not speak of what he’s done lately). Sorry, Sam Mendes. You were really and royally robbed by the Academy this year. Best Director and Picture nominations should have happened for Skyfall. No doubt whatsoever. Yet, this unfortunate result may well have roots back to this decade. An odd make up call in the negative for the last of the 90s sad selections. Told you these never work out. American Beauty continues to be a tiresome film. History has not be kind to this winner, either. The film simply was not as smart as fans claimed it to be. There, I said it.
PREVIOUS: THE 80S
ON DECK: THE 00S
Categories: film
Tagged: 31 Days of Oscar, 90s, Academy, Academy Award, Al Pacino, Arts, Bob Fosse, Dances With Wolves, Denzel Washington, Film, Francis Ford Coppola, Godfather Part II, Goodfellas, Ingrid Bergman, Kevin Costner, L.A. Confidential, Madeline Kahn, Malcolm X, Martin Scorsese, missteps, Oscar, Schindler's List
54 Responses to “31 Days of Oscar – Recant This! Recasting Oscar’s Picks: the 90s”
filmhipster February 18, 2013
‘The Next Spielberg’. Lol, that made me laugh!! Never saw that cover before.
le0pard13 February 21, 2013
Yeah, I remember seeing that actual Newsweek cover. Read the article, too, back then. It is pretty damn funny now ;-). Thanks.
pgcooper1939 February 18, 2013
I agree with most of these choices you’ve made but I diverge greatly in 1999. I’d have given Best Supporting Actor to Tom Cruise for Magnolia, Best Actor to Spacey for American Beauty (though I haven’t seen The Insider), and Best Picture to American Beauty (at least of the nominees). I like The Sixth Sense, but ultimately American Beauty speaks to me much more.
Tomcat was very good in ‘Magnolia’. I do very much recommend checking out ‘The Insider’ (coming to Blu-ray, if that further tempts). Many consider it Michael Mann’s best. I do understand ‘AB’ would speak to a number of people. Just not me. Always good to have your thoughts here, Daniel.
I really wanna see The Insider. Mann is a great director.
Terry Malloy's Pigeon Coop February 18, 2013
Great piece, really enjoyed reading it. The 90s really did throw us some amazing films, the ’94 Oscars in particular was really strong having those Best Pic noms. I do agree that Gump wasn’t the best choice there, by the way.
Looking back at ’94, it was a strong set of nominees. Thanks very much for your thoughts, my friend.
jackdeth72 February 18, 2013
Excellent piece!
Denzel Washington was robbed for his portrayal of Malcolm X. His absolute best work to date.
Can’t complain about ‘L.A. Confidential’. Though, outside of its opening 20 minutes, ‘Saving Private Ryan’ is nothing more than an extended episode of the ABC television series ‘Combat!’ from the 1960s. It’s a well detailed and executed film, but short of Oscar worthy.
Great perspective on Russell Crowe and ‘The Insider’. Cannot and have never been able to understand the hoopla over M. Night Shyamalan. Who sees things differently and once executed them well, but over time has become another Brian De Palma.
Yeah, Denzel as ‘Malcolm X’ was quite something. The journey of the character (and for the audience) in his hands was extraordinary. You makes good points about Spielberg’s ‘Saving Private Ryan’. Wonderful and clear thoughts, as always, Kevin. Many thanks.
ruth February 18, 2013
YES YES YES on Crowe in The Insider!! He was robbed, big time!! I think his Oscar for Gladiator was well-deserved, but he should’ve gotten it more for playing Jeffrey Wigand!
Agree on Liam Neeson as well, superb and so emotional as Schindler. I also think M. Night should’ve been nominated for Unbreakable, I don’t know if he was or not, but Sixth Sense was indeed excellent.
We’re on the same wavelength re: Crowe & Neeson, Ruth. And it’s great to find another fan of ‘Unbreakable’. One of the most unique super-hero films like ever. Quite different from ‘The Sixth Sense’, which was good. But it’s box-office failure only made him want to recreate his first film’s ‘twist’ at the end for the next few productions (which was bad for him, and career). Thank you.
janderoo92 February 18, 2013
Nice recanting! I also thought Haley Joel Osment’s performance in Sixth Sense was unsurpassed, the Tom Hanks nomination was a bit of a head-scratcher (no offense to him but Russell Crowe was decidedly better) and I am an anti-fan of The English Patient as well. You are so right comparing it to Out of Africa.
You’ll get no disagreement from me, janderoo92 :-). Many thanks for adding to this discussion and look back at the 90s, my friend.
Tyson Carter February 18, 2013
Nice piece buddy. So you liked American Beauty, got it 😉
You know me so well, my friend ;-). Thank you, Tyson.
Morgan R. Lewis February 18, 2013
I haven’t seen Goodfellas yet (I know, it’s on the list), but I have to say it’d have steep competition with Dances With Wolves for my vote. That wasn’t just “not Waterworld“, that was a great film.
With 1994 I feel like I’m on pretty solid ground, as the only BP nominee I haven’t seen is Four Weddings and a Funeral. I can see why the Academy gave it to Forrest Gump, I can see why other people wouldn’t. For me, it’s easily The Shawshank Redemption, and I would probably pick Quiz Show over “Gump” as well. Pulp Fiction is a lot iffier, though. I enjoyed it, and it’s definitely different, but I don’t know that I would actually say it’s absolutely better than Forrest Gump. When I was watching it, it didn’t strike me as an exceptionally well-crafted film. It’s just unusual.
With 1999, my choice for Best Supporting Actor might have been Michael Clarke Duncan. I don’t disagree about Osment’s performance, though I don’t think it’s quite as strong as Duncan’s. Though to be honest, I think the categorization here was a bigger miscarriage than the award; Osment was only a “supporting” actor if you subscribe to the theory that only one person of each sex can be in a lead role. I’d pick The Green Mile over The Sixth Sense for both best picture and director as well. You’ve mentioned the re-watch argument a few times, and I can’t picture ever wanting to watch The Sixth Sense again.
I do understand, Morgan. DWW was a fine film (it’s in my video collection, upgraded to Blu-ray just last year in fact). As I said it really came down to two films that year for this award. I do recommend you check out ‘Goodfellas’. See John DuMond’s comment below as to why he and I favor it.
Excellent choice about Michael Clarke Duncan. If Joel didn’t win this back then, I was pulling almost as hard for MCD. Probably only added to my disappointment with the Academy when neither won. Big time. ‘The Green Mile’ was another wonderful Frank Darabont film. I’ve no complaints. There seems to be two camps as to what is Darabont’s best film. ‘Green Mile’ or ‘Shawshank Redemption’. I still have Shawshank a smidge higher.
Great to hear from you about this decade of film and Oscars, my friend. Many thanks.
Naomi Johnson February 18, 2013
I wouldn’t argue with anything here. Well, I’d argue about Goodfellas over DWW but I still haven’t seen the former. There’s something about the American love affair with gangster films (Godfather, Goodfellas, Scarface, Carlito’s Way, et al) that eludes me. Even going back to the early gangster films with Cagney and Raft and Bogey — I love those actors, but their gangster films will never rank among my favorites.
I do understand your point about the gangster film. If you’d see one from that group, check out ‘Goodfellas’. Coppola really brought the genre forward with ‘The Godfather’ and sequels. Scorsese de-romanticized it with his film. Thank you very much, Naomi :-).
Ted S. February 18, 2013
Great stuff Michael, I’m still piss that the Oscar voters gave the statue to Costner and his average western film. Scorsese should’ve won that year and Goodfellas was the BEST film of 1990.
Also, agree on 1994, Forrest Gump was okay but seriously, Pulp Fiction and Shawshank were great films.
Crowe should’ve won for The Insider not for Gladiator the next year. LOL, good fine on that Newsweek cover of M. Night, I think after that magazine came out, it got into his head that he can make any crappy film and people will go see it. I used to think M. Night was talented but now I think he’s actually a hack. I haven’t seen any of his films since the awful Lady in the Water.
I’m sick of these voters decided to give actors/directors the statue to film they don’t deserve so they can make it up for missing the boat the first time around. Scorsese won for The Departed, a great film but it wasn’t as good as Goodfellas. It’s the reason why I don’t pay attention to award shows anymore, especially the Oscars.
I love these detailed comments! Well said, Ted (and I wasn’t trying to rhyme, btw ;-)). My main complaint of ‘Forrest Gump’ is what seemed clever, maybe even breakthrough with its interweaving of historical moments with the character, back then seems so dated now. Its re-watch factor is pretty much nil for me.
And boy ‘o boy did the mighty fall with M. Night. We’re in total sync with this filmmaker. Loved his first two films. Then, Each successive one after just went down from the one before it.
Speaking about Scorsese, yay for ‘Goodfellas’. Loved ‘Casino’, too. That’s all I’m going to say as my thoughts on ‘The Departed’ come tomorrow, Ted ;-). You’re so right about the folly of the make-up Oscar. Great to have your thoughts for all these, my friend. Many thanks.
Fogs' Movie Reviews February 18, 2013
I’m with you on almost all of these.
Dont worry about Al getting his mulligan Oscar and Denzel not winning. Theyd give Denzel his own mulligan Oscar later. LOL. Like you say, it just perpetuates!
I’m with you on Haley Joel Osment, but American Beauty deserved every other award it won that year. Thats a great film.
I also dont know about Neeson beating Hanks… Hanks was awesome in Philadelphia. Neeson was great, but… I dont consider that one an Oscar flub.
I agree with the rest for the most part. The Academy was NOT on their game in the 90s at all. Especially Dances with Wolves over Goodfellas, come on!
I know. ‘AB’ has its fans. It just has its critics, too ;-). A couple of them here. Well, Ruth and I will take Mr. Liam ‘Badass’ Neeson out for drinks and toast him on what should have been his that year. But, say ‘hi’ to Mr. Hanks for us, and maybe tell him he should send one of his Oscars over to our table ;-).
We at least agree the Academy was not on its game in the 90s. As always, your comments are so much fun, Fogs. Love ’em. Many thanks, my friend.
Eric @ The Warning Sign February 18, 2013
Whoa, new design! Very nice, Michael, I like it a lot.
It’s amazing just how many Best Picture winners the Oscars screwed the pooch on in the 90s. I’m with you on most of these — 1990, 1994, 1997 and 1998 are especially glaring. I just rewatched Goodfellas the other day, and it blows my mind that it didn’t win that year.
Yeah, isn’t ‘Goodfellas’ somethin’? Scorsese at the top of his game. ‘Casino’, too, only added to his greatness that decade. Thanks for the comment, and good to hear you like the new theme.
mummbles February 18, 2013
Thank you so much for saying Private Ryan should have won over the way too much hyped up Shakespeare In Love. I feel this was one of the worst best picture choices of the 1990’s, of course in my own opinion.
Cute, clever movie ‘Shakespeare in Love’. Had little or no business as a Best Picture nominee, let alone winning it. Thanks for your thoughts, mummbles. If I haven’t said it before, I do appreciate your comments and support, my friend.
Teepee12 February 18, 2013
Reblogged this on SERENDIPITY and commented:
Good piece. And mostly, I agree. Regardless, timely and well-written.
Thank you very much for the reblog :-).
Great piece!! I wonder who’ll get the “feel good” Oscar this year over the most deserving. There already have been rants about those who were shunned for nominations this year. Politics! Politics! Politics! — right from the very FIRST Oscars ceremony. Check out 1969’s “The Oscar”, a really bad film with an all star cast that takes a look at the behind the scenes wheeling and dealing. Milton Berle and Tony Bennetth are alone worth a pint of razzies. Remember, it’s a REALLY bad flick but timely viewing.
Welcome :-). You brought some great thoughts with you, too. I think I did see ‘The Oscar’ long ago. Perhaps, I need to screen it again this weekend. Many thanks.
Welcome, Anonymous:
Excellent point and perspective regarding your commenting on ‘The Oscar’! A film that could have risen to the heavens under more competent hands. Yet fell victim to pompous writing, miscasting and terrible execution.
And yes. Berle, Bennett, Boyd did stink on ice!
Love this! Thanks, Kevin.
jcalberta February 19, 2013
Your right … Shawshank was better than Gump.
Gump was pretty good though.
But Shawshank is UPPER Classic.
Welcome jcalberta :-). Many thanks for your comment.
Shawshank was better than almost everything and American Beauty was a pretentious bore. But then, there’s the big win of Hurt Locker, so clearly, pretentious and boring = great cinema … to someone. Just not me. Or you. Or anyone else I know. But someone.
Great to have you here, Teepee12 :-). When the double-feature of ‘American Beauty’ and ‘The Hurt Locker’ comes around, I’ll buy the tickets and get bring the popcorn. We then can talk about ’em without mercy ;-). Thank you very much for the comment and the reblog.
John DuMond February 21, 2013
Agree 100% on GOODFELLAS vs DANCES WITH WOLVES. DWW was a fine addition to the western genre, but GOODFELLAS went beyond that. It was actually transformative, showing us the ugly underbelly of the mafia, as opposed to painting its members as “men of honor”, as earlier mob movies did. While the movie was loaded with talented performances, it was Scorsese’s deft direction that brought it all together and transported the audience into the moment, making even repulsive characters strangely sympathetic.
Ah, man! Best damn description and reason ‘Goodfellas’ stood head and shoulders above the nominees that year. Great comment, John! Love this. Many thanks, my friend.
31 Days of Oscar – Recant This! Recasting Oscar’s Picks: the 00s | It Rains... You Get Wet February 22, 2013
[…] made the case Martin Scorsese should have picked up a director’s award in the 80s and/or the 90s. Add The Departed to that long list of make-up calls by the voting block. This wasn’t even […]
On most any year I’m not qualified to have an opinion (on anything) – having not seen half of the nominees. but it seems to me that on occasion there’s isn’t much to vote for. Is this one of those years? Lincoln may well win, but i’d be hard put to watch it twice. I liked Argo, but is that Oscar worthy?? Maybe they should have a PASS option on the Academy ballot and wait for next year. On the other hand there could be a ton of small movies that are worthy – that nobody watched.
Good points, my friend. Thanks.
31 Days of Oscar blogathon – Week 4 | Once upon a screen... February 22, 2013
[…] You Get Wet – offers the second half of his recasting spectacular with two decades full of fun: Recant This! Recasting Oscar’s Picks: the 90s and Recant This! Recasting Oscar’s Picks: the […]
Le February 24, 2013
The 90s were full of big mistakes. All mentioned movies that won Best Picture were big hits, and just stand important because of this winning. Not that The English Patient or Forrest Gump don’t have qualities, but it’s mindblowing the films they’ve beated.
Don’t forget to read my contribution to the blogathon! 🙂
Welcome back, Le. Thanks for your thoughts on the subject at hand.
Aurora February 25, 2013
I read this entry several days ago and couldn’t comment so here I am. I agree with you across the line – for the most part. I was just getting over my anger at last night’s awards and the musicals tribute I was so upset about when you re-angered me with the Scorsese & Goodfellas loss. REALLY? Sometimes their heads are up their butts, I swear. I mean, that’s as “no brainer” as it can get.
The only instance I disagree wholeheartedly with you is I still would go with Hanks for Philadelphia over Neeson – both extraordinary performances but I’d choose Hanks.
AND, finally, since I seem to have gotten up in a bit of a combative mood today – I didn’t like Titanic all that much when it was released. And I don’t like it all that much now. I watch and cannot wait for Jack to drown! SO THERE! L.A. Confidential, like Goodfellas, WAS ROBBED!
😀 Thanks so much for your support and enthusiasm for the blogathon. Wonderful entries across the board.
Always good to have you and your thoughts here, Aurora. Glad you returned.
Loved you remarks re: Sunday’s results, btw. I do understand your disagreement with Hanks and ‘Philadelphia’. I think both films were momentous for the time when they arrived. Fans of each continue to hold them most dear.
You can bring your feistiness here anytime, my friend. Most appreciated. Thank you, my friend.
fernandorafael February 25, 2013
Fantastic post, Michael. A very, very interesting read!
Thank you very much, Fernando.
[…] Previous: the 70s On deck: the 90s […]
Atonement Film Review | It Rains... You Get Wet March 31, 2013
[…] Did it ruin the film for me? No. I can’t say it did. Not entirely. Joe Wright is an obvious talent. A filmmaker that continues to gather notice (last year’s Hanna certainly grabbed my attention). His war scenes offered uncommon contrast (“Where character often tops action…“, as Kevin stated). Ronan’s guest review of his latest film earlier this year being another motivator to view more of the man’s work. No surprise this gathered BAFTA’s highest award that year. Though, coming up short around Oscar time, especially for Christopher Hampton’s writing and McGarvey’s cinematography. For all one knows, the Academy and me not giving Atonement a higher return or more praise was conceivably our (slash) their (slash) my lack of understanding for the outstanding British method of film and romance. Or maybe being distracted by the fact that Keira needs to eat more than a salad, for chrissakes. But, at least the film was not The English Patient! […]
Reprise: Quiz Time, Part Deux | It Rains... You Get Wet June 21, 2013
[…] Sixth Sense – at least I’m consistent […]
The Constant Gardener Film Review | It Rains... You Get Wet June 30, 2013
[…] we’re speaking of romantic drama, along with being peeved, this naturally drew comparison to a film I’ve already railed on this year and in the past. The English Patient, the same movie the vaunted Academy awarded the […]
Reblogged » Bond Directors: Licence to List – #Bond_age_ | It Rains... You Get Wet September 16, 2016
[…] already gone on record American Beauty is entirely overrated; there I said it […]
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Diving into the Linguistic Unconscious: An Interview with Wayne Koestenbaum
Shoshana Olidort interviews Wayne Koestenbaum
ECLECTIC MAY BE the best word to capture Wayne Koestenbaum, an acclaimed poet, distinguished professor, and cultural critic who has written on subjects ranging from Jackie O to Harpo Marx, and from Andy Warhol to humiliation. Koestenbaum’s current project is a trance trilogy, the second volume of which, Camp Marmalade, will be out this month. Koestenbaum and I met virtually, via Zoom, in late January, where, from our respective living spaces on either coast, we discussed the linguistic unconscious, Susan Sontag, and the poetic descent into the underworld. There’s a largesse about Koestenbaum, in the way he speaks and the way he writes, exuding an almost childlike excitement and enthusiasm. Throughout our one-and-a-half-hour conversation, and the several email exchanges that followed, he was totally present, completely invested in the dialogue and in talking about this stuff as if it really matters. Perhaps that’s because for Koestenbaum, it really does.
SHOSHANA OLIDORT: We first met when I enrolled in a class you were teaching at the CUNY Graduate Center called “Trance.” This was around the same time you were writing what would become the first volume in your trilogy of trance poems, The Pink Trance Notebooks. What does the word “trance” mean to you?
WAYNE KOESTENBAUM: Trance, for my purposes, is this state of self-forgetfulness, absence, flight. It’s a state of not knowing who or where I am. Call it dissociation, combined with intense physical groundedness, and absorption in the minutiae of physical sensation. Transport. My “trance” isn’t necessarily different from the state of rapture or tumbling-into-language that many poets and writers feel, in the heat of composition. It’s a state of letting my mind be filled to the brim with words and phrases — and, at the same time, letting my consciousness float away from itself, fall away, keep rolling down the hill like a tumbleweed or a round object with tremendous momentum and will to fall. But the object — the mind — itself doesn’t have this “will.” The mind surrenders to language’s will. And language isn’t a unified thing, either. So language itself doesn’t have a unitary will. But the language-body inside my neurological-cognitive system has characteristic properties, and, by lessening my willed control over this language-body, I can experience the transport and turbulence of feeling language descend/ascend into new vocabularies, a new syntax. I can feel my language start to sound more like itself, and also less, no longer recognizable as mine. A paradox, given how seemingly autobiographical Camp Marmalade is! But, as Maggie Nelson says in her generous blurb for the book, it’s a “fun house of fractal interiorities.” The fractal quality comes from trance. Trance makes fractal the self that falls into trance, the selves that turn to language as an exit strategy and as a technique for widening the aperture of what we can say and know.
Can you walk me through the process of writing Camp Marmalade? Were you taking notes daily, or weekly, or whenever you were so inspired? Was there a set amount of time that you spent each day/week on these notebooks? A particular time of day when you would write? Were you responding to prompts?
I wrote the notebooks that became Camp Marmalade throughout 2014. On trains. In airports. In the waiting rooms of the doctor, the dentist, the periodontist, the eye doctor. On airplanes. In cafes. In bars. At lectures, performances. At night, sitting on my couch. After breakfast, or during breakfast, sitting at the kitchen table. I’d use fragments of time that become suddenly available — moments in transit. Writing on a long train ride was a favored ritual — the two-hour ride from New York City to Hudson. I didn’t give myself “prompts.” I allowed myself to respond to nearby stimuli, mental noise, memories, associations, ambient sounds. I’d try to write quickly enough — and for a long enough interval of time — that I’d lose self-consciousness, and the language itself would take over. My aim was self-forgetfulness. Hugging language as a body, diving into it, letting myself be surrounded by it. Sometimes I’d sit more quietly and wait for the words to appear in my head. But usually I’d rely on the headlong velocity of the physical process, writing longhand in a notebook, to establish a tempo and to permit absorption into a somatic-semantic field.
What about the editing process, how do you even go about editing a work of this kind?
When I revise the raw transcript, I feel a bit posthumous. I’m less like the writer going over her own work and more like the survivor looking for what can be saved. If I start trying just to cross out parts that aren’t good, I will drown. Instead, I look at the transcript page almost from a distance and I say, “What on this page am I going to save, what leaps out at me?” I use a Palomino Blackwing 602 pencil — very soft. I stand up, usually at the kitchen counter, and I lightly mark the pages. I print a reduced transcript, just the stuff that I’ve marked, and then I get to work editing a massive, unpunctuated, disorderly utterance.
The revision of Camp Marmalade was focused on making fragments syntactically clear. I keep to English syntax, grammar is obeyed, but I mess around the fringes. I have graphomania or logorrhea, of a very mild variety — a kind I think we should encourage in people. It’s not pathological, this love of writing for writing’s sake or speaking for speaking’s sake. It’s a way of wanting to be in the presence of language, to keep producing language because it’s comforting to do so. In both The Pink Trance Notebooks and Camp Marmalade I was satisfying the urge to be terse, definitive, localized, and concrete, but also to enjoy momentum.
The lyric shaping happens in the editing process. When I’m revising, I’m hearing beats. I’m not counting syllables precisely, but I can dwell in the couple of inches before the line break, an interim space of maybe two or three beats. I move slowly toward the line break, and then I turn. I’m always aware of an urgent or languid ballet or choreography of the movement forward, left to right, within a line. And I’m aware of what a cluster of three to four lines look like next to each other, with indentations and enjambment: a tidy organism, boundaried and curving. So I’m aware of a visual/spatial poetics, but also a sonic poetics, concerning feet. It’s basically William Carlos Williams territory.
How does the reader figure in your writing and editing process?
First, on the level of the molecular utterance, call it the sentence itself, where I’m thinking of the reader because I want to be clear. I attempt clarity on a moment-by-moment level — clarity of diction, even if the subject is strange. When I write, I’m thinking of readers, like me, who love weird books, and who love them for selfish reasons. For example, one of my favorite books is a so-called novel, blessedly idiosyncratic, by Austrian writer Friederike Mayröcker: brütt, or The Sighing Gardens. It inspired me to write Pink Trance Notebooks because her novel is an autobiography of the act of writing itself, and because, she is, like Gertrude Stein, so adamant about staying within the physical experience of writing. Reading Mayröcker made me want to write. That’s the selfish reason. Last month I read the second and third volumes of Beckett’s Trilogy. I read them for selfish reasons. I wanted to dip deep into the language cesspool.
You keep referring to reading things selfishly, or for selfish reasons. What’s an altruistic reading?
They say nobody reads poetry except poets. By “selfish,” I mean that there’s a distinct, practical use I wish to make of Beckett — I want not to write about him but to write from him. So when I wrote Camp Marmalade, I was thinking of readers out there who want to write books as strange as Camp Marmalade.
People from my past. I was thinking of friends, colleagues, students, fellow travelers in the world of literature. People who I’ve loved talking about literature with. I taught the Trance class while I was writing The Pink Trance Notebooks, and again while writing Camp Marmalade, distinctly to encourage myself, selfishly, to give me a sense that there were other people interested in these kinds of experiments. The book involves a wish for sociality, sociability. I love the obscene, particularly the “gay” obscene in literature, and I’m certainly thinking of readers who enjoy that tradition. I’m one such reader. Genet, Dennis Cooper — thank God their works exist. I want to be part of the obscene canon. Gently obscene. Not the real thing. Trump is obscene. Trump has changed everything — even the notion that it’s laudable to speak your mind. Maybe it’s not so good to say what’s on your mind. Maybe you should think first.
One of the hallmarks of your work — both poetic and academic — has been the sheer range of subject matter, from Jackie O to Adrienne Rich. How do you manage that?
I’ve spent many years dwelling within the star-gazer’s subject position: the fan. This stance, for me, has expired. Of course, I try to cultivate my ardors, and I care deeply about performance. But I don’t see myself looking outward toward stardom as something that I want to imbibe and use as encouragement for my muse. I guess I’m answering your question indirectly by saying that if in my earlier work on Jackie O, Andy Warhol, I rely on a core text of classic Hollywood, of a certain shlocky Americana from my childhood, in Camp Marmalade, the references veer toward the not popular, the queerly recherché. Earlier in my career I was haunted by the high/low binary, but I don’t feel so transgressive in my attention to formerly verboten figures. I have always felt more transgressive in style than in content. Many people talk about mass culture in very academic ways, and I don’t. I don’t talk about anything in very academic ways.
On the subject of academic work and poetry — can you speak a bit about how you navigate and move between these different worlds you are a part of, as an academic, a cultural critic, a poet, and an artist.
In my teaching and my writing, I’m trying to expand the field of what is possible. That’s my message, and it’s the altruistic motive of this trilogy, to spread the gospel of a certain improvisatory spaciousness of association. Not that I’m such a relaxed person at all, I’m actually pretty uptight. But in my pedagogic play, I’m trying to seem like a combination of Ram Dass and Allen Ginsberg.
Do you see your poetry as being in conversation with your scholarship?
Yes. Camp Marmalade is an unalphabetical and unsystematic encyclopedia of cultural junk. It sounds grandiose to say it is influenced by Benjamin’s Arcades Project, but I modestly aspire toward an aesthetic stance and a way of being an intellectual that Benjamin pioneered. The glamour, pathos, and intellectual dignity in the heap of fragments that he left us viscerally excites a lot of poets, I among them. I also have a very disorganized mind; I’m a syncopater and an interrupter. I find myself quickly derailed by association. Letting myself be derailed and finding ways to be productively derailed has been my writing strategy for a long time. I figure, if I’m going to be derailed, let’s go for that ride; and I try to keep paying attention while I’m being derailed and try to keep a memory of where I was before I got sidetracked.
That sounds very Talmudic.
A Talmudic element I achieved through cultural absorption rather than assiduous study. I was culturally and intellectually raised within a culture that vividly remembers the Talmud.
The title, Camp Marmalade, makes me think immediately of Susan Sontag, and her groundbreaking “Notes on ‘Camp.’” Sontag is a looming figure in your work, and she comes up in this book too. How has she influenced your work?
I am very happy that Sontag appears on the first page of my book. You need, in whatever art you practice, to have some gods, some people you idealize, whose example you take to heart. Sontag has always been one of mine. She invented her authority. Nobody handed it to her — people were willing to give it to her when she asserted it through the excellence of her work and bravado of her manner. She seized that authority through a kind of sentence that she didn’t pioneer. She got it from Benjamin and Emerson, among others, who try not to dilate but to condense. Marmalade is a procedure of distillation.
In that first reference to Sontag, you cite her talk of jam. Let me quote it: “Sontag noted / ‘jam’ means straight / in queer bar argot
/ (a ‘jam’ life)—.” Are you riffing on that jam?
Maybe marmalade is queer, and jam is straight. This book gives you a curriculum of weird and obscure practices, but boils it down to the things that remain, the rinds at the bottom of the pot.
But this is not exactly a slim volume. Is there a tension here between minimalism and expansiveness?
Yes, there is a tension between minimalist and maximalist gestures — a tropism toward terseness locally, but globally a spaciousness and sprawl that reflects two parts of my temperament. This schism also reflects two parts of the temperament in American poetry: toward the long poem, and toward the fragment. I’m wordy, and I’m also concise. What I’m not doing is what lyric poems do, which is to return. I do circle back but more in a novelistic, Wagnerian-leitmotif way, a sewing together of obsessions. The book’s travel is not the motion of a lyric poem in which you head somewhere and then you return. I don’t perform a roundtrip, except in the coda.
One of the things I feel pretty apprehensive about when talking to artists is asking them to explain their work — I feel like you’ve put the work out there and it’s not your job to tell me what it means. In fact, it seems like that would kill the mystery somehow. But with that caveat in mind, I still do want to ask about a line in the book that really struck me. The line is from poem #17 (diaper the diagram): “aimed language / is destroyed language.” I love it, and I have a sense of what it means, but can you unpack it for me?
When I was writing the original notebooks that went into Camp Marmalade, I was not aiming. Rather, I was aiming toward things that I had not yet said. Permitting trance, I blurred my mental eyes and listened to language and to the things that I hadn’t yet said, like pretending it was night and I wasn’t wearing glasses. Literally, not looking where I was going, and stumbling, but feeling the urgency of something like aim, directionless aim. Of course, once I’m revising, I am aiming. Near the beginning of Camp Marmalade I say that I’m tired of “pretending to be an / intellectual rather than / an assembler”: an ars poetica moment. I’m very fastidious about arrangements of things, and I’m less clear to myself about aims. Maybe it’s better if language doesn’t aim but only tends. The statement “aimed language / is destroyed language” is trying to argue for less bellicosity of aim, and for tentativeness, a practical politics of willed tentativeness, of moderation.
I noticed certain recurrent themes in the book, particularly around ethnic/cultural/linguistic identification. Scanning the PDF, I found that iterations of the word Jew or Jewish appear more than 20 times in this book, while German comes in as a close second, appearing 16 times, and French running just behind, at 14 or so. What’s driving these preoccupations?
From the very beginning of my writing life, there’s been a promiscuous, illegitimate, infatuated dose of French. French literature has influenced me the most. When I’m playing across linguistic thresholds, French is the only language I can actually gambol in — however tentatively and yearningly. French is available to me as a desire-laden space of linguistic transport.
I was aware, while revising the book, that it’s heavily Jewish-German, especially the first three to four sections. I noticed the resonance of this preoccupation, so I made use of it as a leitmotif without trying to rationalize its hold over me. When I saw the Jewish references in the rough draft, they leapt off the page as important and not to be cut. The poems are rather didactically concerned with the German-Jewish question, and that’s because my father is a German Jew.
I am interested in what Marianne Hirsch calls “postmemory.” My father’s experiences in Nazi Germany, without ever necessarily being described, form my linguistic unconscious. Also, my mother’s childhood experiences, which, though she grew up in Flatbush, were rooted in the exigencies for which the shorthand might be the Lower East Side, and the territories, far away, that came before Ellis Island. The residue of my parent’s experiences is one basis of my linguistic unconscious. The linguistic unconscious, for everyone, is a messy residue, a bed of potentialities, including memories, phrases, and every scrap and syllable and overtone and homonym and sonic/semantic slippage that forms the language mulch pile in one’s head. In this book, I decided to foreground my ancestral memory and the way I’m haunted by it in my own linguistic play. The materials I play with, when left to my own devices, include those dark undercurrents. When you’re diving into the linguistic unconscious, it’s largely populated by dead people.
Why dead people?
I think of these books as a trilogy, so the traditional concerns of trilogies are on my mind. Trilogies, like Beckett’s, like Dante’s, cover a certain turf, which includes the underworld. I was more aware of this necropolis while writing Camp Marmalade, when it became more real to me that I’m going to do three volumes of trance notebooks. The trajectory of a trilogy involves progression downward, as well as progression upward. Progression — but also a procession, as in processional. I shaped the book around dialogue with the dead — around the speaking graveyard. I am influenced by Ezra Pound, whose Cantos famously include a descent into the underworld. In my poetic memory, a long poem’s terrain is the descent to the underworld. When I write, I am thinking of teachers, predecessors — everyone from Susan Sontag, to piano teachers I had in my youth, to people who gave me a sense of aesthetic fastidiousness, refinement, and care. I’m thinking concretely, as I craft my language, of what I learned from these instructors and guides. Many artists are familiar with this variety of backward bequest, where you try to make and shape something with the fastidiousness you were once taught to revere. I end the book thinking about the sieve and the sifter, and I identify myself as the sifter who doesn’t know whether his labor is worthless, whether it’s a futile gesture to try to sift the worthless from the worthwhile particles. The sifter is a kind of reader, a future, idealized or hoped-for reader who will sift — or rummage — through this pile of rubbish. But the sifter is also me as rag-picker — back to Benjamin, who illuminated the figure of the rag-picker, reader, storyteller.
Descending into the underworld makes me think of Adrienne Rich’s “Diving into the Wreck,” and Alice Notley’s The Descent of Alette, both of which involve a descent into some nether/underworld — how, if at all, have these works shaped your own poetic descent into the underworld?
My life as a poet begins with Adrienne Rich’s “Diving into the Wreck.” Today, it’s not my personal favorite of her poems, though it remains indelible because of its allegorical watertightness. She dives down into the wreck because of an optimism about finding unexplored riches. Rich conveys a sense of plasticity, play, reinvention — of pleasure taken in the athleticism of the dive. The poem crosses genders: “I am she: I am he.” She says she’s not like Jacques Cousteau, but she is like Jacques Cousteau, a wonder-woman and a superhero as well as a visionary poet laureate, a representative, Cassandra/Cousteau. Rich is at that crux in her career when she leapt into greatness, so the poem contains, also, exaltation — she feels her own power as an explorer and a re-animator. As for Alice Notley’s astonishing epic, The Descent of Alette, which avowedly derives from trance: I don’t know if I’m influenced by Alice Notley directly, but I love her work. I revere her willingness to immerse herself in her own linguistic process. I revere her commitment to speaking it all.
I want to close with a line from My 1980s & Other Essays. It’s from an essay about Hart Crane, in which you say, “When I write, I’m always not yet a poet; I’m a striver, a yearner, hoping to crash the House of Poetry.” Do you still feel that way?
More than ever! Camp Marmalade and The Pink Trance Notebooks are sometimes unpoetic. There are many lines that I find musical, and I took great care with my line breaks, but I’m not writing a kind of poetry that strives for the muscular beauty of Hart Crane’s Shelleyan lines, or even the sonorousness of Adrienne Rich’s incantatory lines. Mine is a much more elliptical and notational poetry, with connections to Lorine Niedecker, Robert Creeley, Joe Brainard, John Wieners. Many contemporary poets make use of a “notebook” mode, which is a recognized poetic procedure. By publishing these two volumes of my trance trilogy, I’ve made a confession that I call my work poetry because that is the most spacious and embracing category, and because I work in very short lines and because I work through condensation, juxtaposition, and sound-play — but I don’t perform certain poet-like tasks. Camp Marmalade is a book-length improvisatory adventure that takes place in poetic lines and stanzas and that presupposes a reader who is used to modernist and post-postmodernist discontinuities and jump cuts and aleatory juxtapositions. But it doesn’t stop to measure, along the way, whether or not it needs to call itself a poem to earn the right to breathe.
My hope is that I am experimenting with the edges of what critical inquiry can look like, how it can behave. I’m asking, what if we think of this book’s surfeit of cultural references not as a kind of poetic tic or mannerism, but as an intellectual procedure, a deliberate amassing of cultural history? Perhaps that’s grandiose, but it’s also modest because it involves bowing out of the poetry arena. For all of my gestures of farewell, however, I enjoyed, while writing Camp Marmalade, the privacy that a poet, by temperament, has often the wish to claim — the privacy of telling myself that nobody will read this line, this phrase, this stanza, this explosion — that therefore I can stop trying to limit what I can say or yearn toward saying. Alone in Camp Marmalade, I was just living with my memories and my language, that speaking graveyard, a play-space of ghostly counselors and haunted bunk-mates.
Shoshana Olidort is a PhD candidate in Comparative Literature at Stanford University. Her research focuses on poetry as a mode of performing identity through a consideration of five 20th-century Jewish women poets.
We Stay in Love with Our Freedom: A Conversation with Alexis Pauline Gumbs
By Joy KMT
Learning to Read (with) John Ashbery
By Kimberly Quiogue Andrews
Between the Living and the Dead: An Interview with Alice Notley
By Shoshana Olidort
Dirty Mind: An Interview with Wayne Koestenbaum
By Lisa Levy
Misfit Friendships: A Conversation with Jeff Zentner
By Tim Cummings
The Earth Died Screaming
By Robert Cashin Ryan
Hope Is a Complicated Concept: An Interview with Behrouz Boochani
By Emanuel Stoakes
Martin Luther King Jr., the Civil Rights Movement, and American Jews
By Peter Dreier
The Proliferation of Profilicity
By Paul J. D’Ambrosio
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Tony Martin asks a few questions of the Canadian Franchise Association, CFA
Mr. Richard Cunningham spoke very professionally and accurately for the franchisor- and supplier-only association.
Mr. Tony Martin, MPP was a key player in asking the right questions which helped clarify how much contempt each stakeholder had for the democratic process. There were five expert witness spots in the 4 days of travelling public hearings that resulted in the Arthur Wishart Act (Franchise Disclosure), 2000. The subcommittee gave the CFA one of those slots. The complete record of testimony can be found on WikiFranchise.org.
Mr Martin: I’m following up on the question that Richard [Patten, MPP] asked a few minutes ago in terms of who you’ve actually kicked out of the association. I’m led to believe that, in fact, you’ve only revoked the membership of one and that was Pizza Pizza. Is that correct?
Mr Cunningham: I’m not at liberty to say, I believe. That would be privileged information of the association and I don’t think it’s appropriate to make any of that public here.
Mr Martin: You’re not going to give me any numbers even?
Mr Cunningham: No.
Mr Martin: Then just to query as to the membership in your group and who you speak for, I’m led to believe that you have 220 out of about 1,300 franchise systems in the country. Is that correct?
Mr Cunningham: I don’t what the date of that paper is, but our franchise member list is just over 300 right now because some of our member companies, like CARA, for example, would have eight brand names.
Mr Martin: And 80 of your members are lawyers, accountants or consultants?
Mr Cunningham: Correct.
Mr Martin: Also there are some big systems-and we heard from one of them today-that don’t belong to your association. Do you have any auto dealers?
Mr Martin: Do you have any food stores?
Mr Cunningham: Yes.
Mr Martin: How many?
Mr Cunningham: One chain.
Mr Martin: Petroleum stations?
Mr Cunningham: Yes, Petrocan.
Mr Martin: What about hotels and motels?
Mr Cunningham: Yes, a number of them.
Mr Martin: You made a statement earlier about the information I shared with the committee that the perception out there is that there’s lower risk by going into a franchise than the independent small business route. I have a study that suggests that’s not the case that the incidence of failure in franchising is greater than in going the independent route.
Mr Cunningham: I don’t know your study so I can’t comment on it.
Mr Martin: It’s a study called Survival Patterns among Franchisee and Nonfranchise Firms Started in 1986 and 1987. I can give you a copy of the report. It was reviewed by Ms Susan Swift from our legislative research branch, and it’s actually quite interesting. It has a number of findings that I think maybe your association might find worth looking at because it challenges very seriously the contention-and I suggest it’s something that needs to be perhaps looked into further. If we’re offering franchising in the country as a more secure way to get into business, particularly in an environment where there are a lot of people who are being restructured and walking around with severance packages looking for someplace to invest them and they are thinking that franchising is a bit more risk-free than actually setting up an independent business, then we may be sending them down a road that will result in stories such as the ones we’ve heard over the last two or three days here.
Mr Cunningham: Can I respond to that?
The Vice-Chair: Go ahead, sir. We’re just about out of time here now.
Mr Cunningham: Even if these statistics are out there, and as people are being told that franchises are more successful than non-franchises, the disclosure is going to give them the information and the ability to contact people in the system. If they call up XYZ system and talk to 10 of the franchisees and they say, “I’m not allowed to associate,” “I’m not making any money,” “I’ve been in this business five years and I’ve lost money,” or “I’m not in the system any more because I lost my life savings,” I think that in itself is going to tell those people, regardless of what any statistics are, not to buy.
Mr Martin: The problem is, though, that a lot of the people that they should actually talk to have signed confidentiality agreements and they can’t talk.
Mr Cunningham: They wouldn’t be able to do that, though, with this disclosure legislation.
The Vice-Chair: Richard, thank you so much for your time today and for the presentation you left with us.
Leave a Comment » | Language, McLaw: Make-believe fairness | Tagged: Arthur Wishart Act (Franchise Disclosure) 2000, Petro-Canada, Pizza Pizza, Richard Cunningham, Survival Patterns among Franchisee and Nonfranchise Firms Started in 1986 and 1987, Timothy Bates, Tony Martin | Permalink
What is the purpose of an Advisory Council?
It is a very useful surveillance tool.
It an extremely cost-effective way to:
confuse and distract,
identify monitor and delete independent thinkers (ie. trouble-makers),
distract by talking about everything but $ (If it doesn’t jingle, it doesn’t count),
encourage individual and group despair, passivity and division,
“vampirize” the genuine credibility of franchisee members,
use a Good cop/Bad cop trick to avoid cash flow issues,
create a paper trail that is false (control of minutes, broadcast emails), and
debase, degrade and whore-out language and pervert/invert reality via lies and bullshit.
These elite-based techniques are centuries old and have been effective.
With some creativity, email and smart phones, the 1% is frozen in fear.
Leave a Comment » | Confusion & Deceit, Greatest lies are told in silence, Language, Propaganda | Tagged: 1984, George Orwell | Permalink
Why are there so many women franchisor executives?
Is it because of their extensive industry knowledge, honesty and first-rate formal education?
Or is it just because most franchisees are smart enough not to call out such a tier 2 bullshitter.
Leave a Comment » | Language | Permalink
“Well, that fuckin’ fucker’s fucked.”
The greatest crime is not profanity per se (see Christian Bale below) but it is the unimaginative use of any word.
I much prefer profanity than the intention degradation that occurs in franchising in terms such as “sharing”, “family” and “owning a business”. Orwell said that degrading language is the only way to make totalitarianism permanent and unshakable.
Northrop Frye on profanity:
Obscenity in language is an ornament except when it becomes routine, & in the latter event it approaches mere idiocy. The most horrid example of passivity & inertia of mind I know is Woodside’s story of the soldier who gazed into a shell hole at the bottom of which a dead mule was lying, and said: “Well, that fuckin’ fucker’s fucked.”
(What sort of person is it, incidentally, whose feelings would be spared by printing the above as “that ____in’ _____er’s ____ed,” or “that obscene obscenity’s obscenitied”?) (Collected Works, 8, 10)
[An Educated Imagination]
Leave a Comment » | Language | Tagged: Christian Bale, George Orwell, Northrop Frye, Obscenity | Permalink
Are you a stupid or corrupt franchisee?
Language and the meaning of words change over time.
This is an antique card used in the game of charades. I don’t think that this was intentionally offensive at the time of printing.
But over time, it would be deemed inappropriate, demeaning and maybe blatantly racist.
Being a franchisee is rapidly becoming a target of derision in the public’s mind.
You’re either:
on-the-take (complicit) or
a fool; a dupe in a rigged game.
Leave a Comment » | A Confidence Game, Language | Permalink
Ambition is the death of thought.
WikiFranchise.org was designed so that people could find their own way to a different understanding about franchising.
I found a path that works for me. It might work for you.
To convince someone of the truth, it is not enough to state it, but rather one must find the path from error to truth.
People believe franchising is successful because they want to believe it. It’s a seductive and re-assuring idea (the American Dream, Horatio Alger).
What makes a subject difficult to understand — if it is significant, important — is not that some special instruction about abstruse things is necessary to understand it. Rather it is the contrast between the understanding of the subject and what most people want to see. Because of this the very things that are most obvious can become the most difficult to understand. What has to be overcome is not difficulty of the intellect but of the will.
As you unwrap the knot of franchising’s religion…
At the core of all well-founded belief, lies belief that is unfounded.
Ludwig Wittgenstein quotes, 1889-1951
Leave a Comment » | Language, Seduction, WikiFranchise.org | Tagged: Ludwig Wittgenstein | Permalink
Philosophizing is: rejecting false arguments.
Franchising is a false argument.
Therefore, it is the natural enemy of philosophy, much like a mongoose is to a cobra.
Philosophy is a battle against the bewitchment of our intelligence by means of our language.
Franchise deconstructionism is impossible via prose. It is plainly self-evident with hyper-links. There is an near-infinite number of ways to a startling conclusion via WikiFranchise.org.
Philosophy unravels the knots in our thinking; hence its results must be simple, but its activity is as complicated as the knot that it unravels.
The industry’s elite have long since believed their own hyperbole. They are the greatest obstacle to re-form.
If you use a trick in logic, whom can you be tricking other than yourself?
Leave a Comment » | Language | Tagged: Ludwig Wittgenstein | Permalink
You are currently browsing the archives for the Language category.
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The silent woman »
The silent woman: Sylvia Plath & Ted Hughes
Malcolm, Janet.
Vintage,
811 PLATH MALCO
1995. First Vintage Books edition. Vintage, 213 pages ; 21 cm English
Janet Malcolm has produced a brilliant, elegantly reasoned meditation on the art of biography, in which she takes as her example the various biographies of the poet Sylvia Plath.The Silent Woman is an astonishing feat of criticism and literary detection. It is not a book about the life of Sylvia Plath, but about her afterlife: how her reputation was forged from the poems she wrote just before her suicide; how her estranged husband, the poet Ted Hughes, as executor of her estate, tried to serve two masters - Plath's art and his own need for privacy; and how it fell to his sister, Olwyn Hughes, as literary agent for the estate, to protect him by limiting access to Plath's work. The Silent Woman, in the end, embodies a paradox: even as Malcolm brings her skepticism to bear on the claims of biography to present the truth about a life, a portrait of Sylvia Plath emerges that gives us a sense of "knowing" this tragic poet in a way we have never known her before.The result is a provocative work that will dispel forever the innocence with which most of us have approached the reading of any biography. It will be talked about for years to come.
Biography as a literary form
Canon (Literature)
Executors and administrators -- Great Britain
Hughes, Ted, -- 1930-1998
Women poets, American -- 20th century -- Biography
Women poets, American -- Biography -- History and criticism
f80b8384-9f29-bd0a-96cb-92bc29ff5ab7
silent woman sylvia plath and ted hughes
malcolm janet
Malcolm, Janet
This volume explores the legacy of the works of American writer and poet Sylvia Plath (1932-1963). The author discusses how Plath's reputation was forged from the poems she wrote just before her suicide; how her estranged husband, the poet Ted Hughes, as executor of her estate, tried to serve two masters - Plath's art and his own need for privacy; and how it fell to his sister, Olwyn Hughes, as literary agent for the estate, to protect him by limiting access to Plath's work. This book is less about the life of Plath than about her posthumous existence and at the struggles of her biographers to penetrate, document and interpret her history and her husband's role in it.
ils:.b13180319 .i22375922 Shirlington Adult Nonfiction 811 PLATH MALCO 1 false false On Shelf Jun 19, 2019 san
local_time_since_added_arlington
ils:.b13180319 Book Books First Vintage Books edition. English Vintage, 1995. 213 pages ; 21 cm
The silent woman : Sylvia Plath & Ted Hughes
The silent woman : Sylvia Plath & Ted Hughes / by Janet Malcolm
The silent woman
Sylvia Plath & Ted Hughes
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Home » Guides » Yiddish
This guide identifies resources on Yiddish language and literature in Stanford's collections as well as links to outside resources.
Archival and manuscript collections
Indeḳs tsu der Yidisher peryodiḳ [electronic resource] = Index to Yiddish periodicals = Mafteaḥ ʻitonut Yidish / miṭ der tsuzamenarbeṭ fun der Natsyonal-bibliyoṭeḳ in Yerusholaim.
[Yerushalayim : ha-Universiṭah ha-ʹIvrit bi-Yerushalayim]
Index to Jewish periodicals.
[Cleveland Heights, etc., Index to Jewish Periodicals, etc.]
Green Library » Information Center » Z6367 .I5 V.23-25 1985-1987
Reshimat ma'amarim be-madaʻe ha-yahadut.
Yerushalayim : Hotsa'at Sefarim al Shem Y. L. Magnes,
SAL3 (off-campus storage) » Stacks » Z6367 .R43 V.50 2000
Aheym ?????: The Archives of historical and ethnographic Yiddish memories
The Archives of Historical and Ethnographic Yiddish Memories (Indiana University Bloomington) explores Jewish life in Eastern Europe before, during and after World War II. The archive consists of nearly 400 interviews, conducted primarily in Yiddish, and mostly in small towns throughout Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia.
Jiddische Drucke / Yiddish prints
Approximately 800 Yiddish books from the collections of the Universitätsbibliothek at Goethe-Universität (Frankfurt am Main). This collection is particularly strong in pre-1800 imprints.
Judaica Sound Archives
Includes streaming audio tracks for Yiddish songs and other Jewish musical genres. The Judaica Sound Archives is based at Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton).
Yiddish books online
Provides access to 11,000 Yiddish books digitized by the National Yiddish Book Center, along with more than 800 community memorial volumes (yizkor books) from the collections of the New York Public Library and the Yiddish Book Center.
YIVO LibraryBooks.org
Yiddish publications and Hebrew-language rabbinica from the collections of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (New York). Includes runs of the journals Yidishe shprakh and Yivo-bleter.
YIVO Digital Archive on Jewish Life in Poland
Poland was once the home of the largest Jewish community in the world and until World War II was one of the great centers of Jewish political, cultural, and religious life.YIVO’s Polish Jewish Archive is the only American collection, and one of very few worldwide, which was saved from the destruction of the Holocaust.Explore this world here through manuscripts, posters, photographs, music and other artifacts.
Gella Schweid Fishman papers, 1932-2004.
Special Collections » Manuscript Collection » M0809
Joshua A. Fishman papers, 1885-2008 (inclusive), 1926-2008 (bulk).
Rukhl Fishman papers, 1940-1990.
Secular Yiddish Schools in North America collection, 1919-2013.
Special Collections » Manuscript Collection » M0732 SERIES 1 BOX 1
Yiddish & Hebrew theater : ephemera, ca. 1936-1974.
Eitan Lev Kensky
Reinhard Family Curator of Judaica and Hebraica Collections
Find dissertations and theses
Taube Center for Jewish Studies
Hebraica
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Work About
︎ ︎
Finding Utopia
In the EU 1,6 miljon ton carpet waste arise each year and less than 3 % is recycled. In November 2018 Changing Markets Foundation released a report on how to increase circularity within the carpet industry. The report focuses on the vision that by 2025 all carpets put on the market in the EU should be separately collected, reusable and fully recyclable. Around 80% of carpets are tufted and are very popular. But due to the mixture of fibers, the latex glue treatment and the cutting of the fibers during production, its recyclability is limited.
MULTI LAYERED 3D RUGS
My projekt “Finding Utopia”, consisting of three series of multi layered 3D rugs, serves as a more sustainable option to the tufted carpet. The multiple layers in the 3D rugs provides the user with a thick rug to be used as a seating surface in the same way as a tufted carpet. The rugs are made to be produced industrially and can due to their jacquard woven structure, be part of a circular system. The rugs can be separated by the end of use, due to there woven structure and are made of 100% wool and can therefore also be recycled as a whole. Because they are jacquard woven they also have two sides that gives the user two designs in one, which also makes the rugs more flexible in turns of different roms and change of living situation.
UNIVERSE OF FINDING UTOPIA
The inspiration for the rugs comes from the duality in the universe of “Finding Utopia”, where nature and buildings has collided and the lines between fantasy and reality is diffuse. In the universe the proportion between buildings and nature have shifted, nature has started to take over and the line between what is pleasant and unpleasant is vague
Changeable light
Changeable light is a lamp that can shift its shape and light. The lampshade is woven with optic fiber and is therefore the light source in itself. Due to its structure it is formable and by bending the fabric the lamp can change its appearance.
Dygnet Chair
The Dygnet Chair is a collaboration together with furniture designer Taylor Gray (BFA 2018 FD, Rhode Island School of Design). Dygnet is made of wool and steel and can be understood as an illustration of its making. On a macro level, bold bending gestures create the backrest and seating surface. At the micro scale, the textile features steel wires of varying hardness and thickness integrated into the custom hand woven surfaces. Taken as a whole, these gestures and systems yield an innovative structure that is supple and inviting
During my exchange at Rhode Island School of Design in 2017, I had the opportunity to learn how to weave jacquard fabrics on an industrial jacquard machine. The pattern and was created to enhance the sofas shape and at the same time interrupt it just like the clash between nature and buildings.
Haptic attraction
Haptic attraction is a exploration project in creating a series of woven fabrics by exploring the depth and 3d effects in woven textile trough different materials and aftertreatment. The inspiration for the project came from various foldings and cracks in nature and thier light, shadow, matt, shine, warm and coldness to create depth
Copyright © 2019 Lisa Darland
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← Observer Letter: Half of Hillsborough fatalities could have been avoided
Journalists Don’t Get Irony, Shock Horror Probe →
Journalistic Double Standards
12 November 2012 3 Comments
Letters sent to The Independent, The Guardian AND The Evening Standard in response to the gloating taking place in newspapers over the BBC’s statement on the Newsnight programme that senior Tories were implicated in child abuse. No individuals were named, or hinted at. The Independent and Guardian both published it (too early in the day to know if I have the full set!)
UPDATE: Managed to get it in all three papers! See below for individual screenshots…
Here’s the original letter:
Sirs,
It is ridiculous that the Director-General of the BBC has to resign over bad journalism that didn’t in itself do any harm, but the head of News Corp remains determinedly entrenched after criminal journalism that ruined lives.
This is why print media should be held to the same standard as broadcasters, and I hope Leveson takes a strong lead in that direction.
To read the smug, self-satisfied and desperately delusional crowing in newspapers over this affair is bordering on nauseating.
The Independent published it, unedited as this (click on image to expand):
… while the Guardian didn’t seem to like the last paragraph, and published this (click on image to expand):
Finally, London’s Evening Standard shortened it the most:
Filed under Evening Standard, Guardian, The Independent
3 Responses to Journalistic Double Standards
geoffpaddock says:
I have to say the way the BBC has behaved over the last few weeks has amazed even a cynical old ex hack like me. The “damned if you do and damned if you don’t” scenario around Newsnight, the cowardly refusal to back themselves, and then finally Humphry’s brutal kebabbing of Entwhistle on Saturday had my eyebrows hitting the ceiling. Mr E was too honest and could have kept his job if he had refused to engage with the journalists who worked for him. Now the “threat to Patten” over E’s severance is the final joke. Mr. Burns and family over at Wapping must be LOL-ing fit to bust. But this conversation would be much better over beers in a convivial bar. What do you say?
Paul Harper says:
The crowing over Entwhstle’s pay-off by MPs who have still yet to apologise for their fraudulent expense claims is as unconvincing as it is opportunistic. They really don’t realise that whatever they do, the BBC will win the argument in the eyes of the public.
Re. get-together: sounds a good idea to me!
Update, Geoff: Made it into the Evening Standard as well. 🙂
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Luxury Rentals Manhattan
Apartments Near
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445 Lafayette Street | Greenwich Village
about Astor Place
Astor Place, located at 445 Lafayette Street, features 39 luxury apartments in the heart of Noho. Described as one of the few Manhattan areas that is in the middle of everything, Noho is situated between the East Village, Greenwich Village, and Soho. The prime location of this post-war mid-rise is just one of the buildings many 5-star attributes.
Astor Place’s apartments reflect the building’s modern elegance, boasting floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of New York City. Units have gourmet kitchens, complete with Sub-Zero refrigerators, granite counter tops, and stainless steel appliances. Washer and dryers are found in each apartment, and bathrooms come complete with six-foot soaking tubs and marble flooring. Astor Place’s penthouses offer both terraces and fireplaces.
The centralized location of Astor Place provides residents with easy access to Washington Square Park, Cooper Union, a variety of transportation lines, and an abundance of local restaurants and boutiques. Building accommodations include a full-time doorman and concierge, as well as a resident manager on site at all times. Additionally, the high-rise offers its own fitness center, a private courtyard, and a garage for those in need of parking. With its advantageous Manhattan location, and numerous amenities to boast, Astor Place, at 445 Lafayette Street, is clearly a residential spot worthy of desire.
Read more about Astor Place »
3 Bedroom Apartment Information
Starting at $18,000 per month
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Astor Place Inquiry:
I would like information on apartments in Astor Place. Please contact me ASAP.
445 Lafayette Street Neighborhood Highlights
Kohler Fixtures
Wooden Cabinetry
Wolff Oven
Sub-Zero Appliances
Gourmet Chef's Kitchen
Astor Place Info
The Related Companies
Gwathmey Siegel & Associates
Post-war Mid-rise
Share Luxury Rentals Manhattan
All information is provided with no warranty and is subject to Terms of use 28 West 44th Street, New York NY 10036 © 2008-2020 LuxuryRentalsManhattan.com (212) 457-8697
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Supreme Court Decision Unlikely to Provide Regulatory Relief in Perez v. MBA
Dec.05.2014
On Dec. 1, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Perez v. Mortgage Bankers Association, addressing the question whether an agency can revise a definitive interpretation of its own regulation without subjecting the revised interpretation to the Administrative Procedure Act's notice-and-comment rule-making procedures. At issue—and of great interest to the broader regulated community and followers of the Supreme Court's administrative law jurisprudence—is an almost-20-year-old D.C. Circuit precedent that discourages agency flip-flopping by requiring changes to interpretations of rules that are integral to the public's understanding of those rules to go through notice-and-comment rulemaking.
Perez v. MBA arises from the Fair Labor Standards Act's requirement that employers pay overtime wages to employees unless the employees fit within certain exemptions, which include employees with administrative responsibilities and certain salespersons. The U.S. Department of Labor has promulgated regulations giving effect to this overtime-pay law, and, for decades, it has interpreted the exemptions (as stated in its regulations) as not including mortgage loan officers (thus requiring mortgage banks to pay overtime to such officers). In 2006, the DOL reinterpreted its regulations to place mortgage loan officers within the exemption (thus eliminating their employers' duty to pay overtime wages). Then, in 2010, the DOL flip-flopped once more, placing mortgage loan officers outside the exemption to the overtime-pay rule, and yet again requiring mortgage banks to pay them overtime.
The trade group Mortgage Bankers Association, whose members employ loan officers, challenged the DOL's 2010 interpretation in D.C. federal court. A few individual loan officers were granted leave to intervene as defendants to support the DOL's interpretation. The MBA challenged the interpretation substantively and also argued that the interpretation was procedurally improper under D.C. Circuit case law, primarily the 1997 case Paralyzed Veterans of America v. D.C. Arena LP and the 1999 case Alaska Professional Hunters Ass'n v. FAA.
In Alaska Hunters, the D.C. Circuit articulated the so-called Paralyzed Veterans doctrine as follows: "When an agency has given its regulation a definitive interpretation, and later significantly revises that interpretation, the agency has in effect amended its rule, something it may not accomplish without notice and comment." The district court here entered summary judgment for the DOL because MBA did not show reliance on the 2006 interpretation. MBA appealed and the D.C. Circuit reversed, clarifying that Paralyzed Veterans did not require a petitioner to show reliance on the earlier interpretation. The government petitioned for, and was granted, Supreme Court review on the question whether "a federal agency must engage in notice-and-comment rulemaking before it can significantly alter an interpretive rule that articulates an interpretation of an agency regulation."
The Parties' Arguments
The government and the intervenors filed separate briefs urging the Supreme Court to reverse the D.C. Circuit and overrule the Paralyzed Veterans line of cases. The government's argument relies primarily on the text and structure of the APA. The intervenors too argue that the APA cannot be reconciled with Paralyzed Veterans and add that, in any event, the Paralyzed Veterans doctrine is not needed because the APA and the court's administrative law doctrines already sufficiently guard the regulated community from agency flip-flopping. MBA counters that an interpretation that affects substantive rights effectively modifies a legislative rule and so requires an agency to follow the APA's notice-and-comment procedures applicable to such modifications.
The government points out that the APA defines a rule to include "an agency statement ... designed to implement, interpret, or prescribe law or policy" and argues that, by the APA's own terms, a rule may either prescribe (a legislative rule) or interpret (an interpretive rule). Yet the APA mandates public notice-and-comment procedures only for legislative rules and expressly exempts interpretive rules. Based on these APA definitions and requirements, the government contends that the courts may not (as it says the D.C. Circuit has done) require an agency to employ notice-and-comment procedures when repealing or amending interpretive rules without running afoul of the Supreme Court's 1978 decision in Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. Natural Resources Defense Council Inc., which forbids courts from imposing on agencies duties not already found in the APA.
The intervenors echo the government's core argument, that the Paralyzed Veterans doctrine conflicts with the APA, and also contend that the doctrine is needless because of five existing checks on agencies' abuse of their interpretive-rulemaking power. First, under the APA's judicial review provisions, an agency action, including changing an interpretation, may be vacated if the agency does not explain it. Second, judicial deference doctrines, which ordinarily lend considerable weight to an agency's interpretation of its own regulation, apply with less force when an agency's position has changed over time. Third, an agency may not issue an interpretation at odds with the rule being interpreted. Fourth, many statutes, including the FLSA provision at issue here, contain a safe harbor provision limiting a regulated entity's liability when it relies in good faith on an interpretation that has since been modified or rescinded. And fifth, the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment prevents an agency from imposing liability on a regulated entity without giving it fair notice that certain conduct is forbidden or required. The intervenors thus conclude that the Paralyzed Veterans doctrine needlessly prevents agencies from issuing well-reasoned interpretations without employing cumbersome notice-and-comment procedures.
The MBA responds by explaining the wisdom of and need for the Paralyzed Veterans doctrine to prevent agencies' abuse of their interpretive rule-making power. In particular, because an agency interpretation of a legislative rule effectively modifies the rule itself, an agency may not issue such an interpretation without employing the notice-and-comment procedures applicable to legislative rules. In other words, the courts should apply the APA functionally to make sure agencies are not hiding substantive changes behind what they characterize as mere interpretations.
To the Vermont Yankee critique, the MBA responds that Paralyzed Veterans does not impose procedures outside the APA; on the contrary, it relies on the familiar notice-and-comment requirement that applies to any formulation, repeal or amendment of a substantive rule, regardless of whether the agency labels its action "interpretive." Indeed, the DOL itself characterized its 2010 interpretation as definitive and controlling.
The government has had the Paralyzed Veterans doctrine in its crosshairs for years and, with Perez v. MBA, finally has it squarely before the court. The regulated community, for its part, has cherished Paralyzed Veterans as one of the few doctrines to check agencies' misuse of their prerogative to interpret their own rules. But the doctrine also stands on shaky ground: Despite the seemingly fundamental fairness of its premise, the Supreme Court is likely to invalidate it as an unlawful judicial encroachment on agency discretion.
While the court may, in the abstract, sympathize with the regulated community, the MBA's position is vulnerable on three fronts. First, the MBA frames the question presented as whether an interpretation that so affects a regulation's substance that it is legislative in its own right must go through notice-and-comment procedures. But this framing distorts the question on which the court actually granted certiorari — whether an agency must employ notice-and-comment rulemaking before it may significantly alter an interpretive rule. After all, Paralyzed Veterans and its progeny do not rest on the proposition that rules that are in substance "legislative" but labeled by the agency as "interpretive" will be treated as legislative rules and so require notice and comment. That substance-over-form principle of law has certainly been embraced by some courts in other cases, but it is not the foundation for Paralyzed Veterans, which is concerned only with interpretive rules.
Second, even taken on its own terms, the MBA's position creates a difficult line-drawing problem by asking the courts (and the agencies) to figure out when an interpretation affects a regulation's substance enough to make it legislative in its own right. Taking the MBA up on its argument would probably only encourage more litigation over the character of interpretive rules. Although the court's canon is replete with multifactor tests of one sort or another (a habit it has been chided by judicial pundits and its own members alike for), the current court prefers bright-line tests and is sensitive to how its decisions affect lower courts' case dockets.
Third, the MBA contends that enhanced rule-making procedures are necessary to counter judicial deference doctrines. The Supreme Court announced in the 1945 case Bowles v. Seminole Rock & Sand Co. (and reaffirmed in the 1997 case Auer v. Robbins) that an agency's interpretation of its own regulation is entitled to deference where the regulation is ambiguous and the interpretation is not inconsistent with the regulation. Seminole Rock and Auer make it hard for a regulated entity to obtain meaningful judicial review of a rule, regardless of the label the agency gives it. But at least with a legislative rule, the policy reasons for granting deference (i.e., the presumption that, through the rule-making process, the agency engaged in reasoned and fully informed decision-making) have some plausibility. Less so with interpretive rules. Paralyzed Veterans thus gives regulated parties some relief by requiring the agency to subject changes to a definitive interpretation of a legislative rule to the same procedures as a change to the rule itself. Be that as it may, upholding that argument would seem to undermine Vermont Yankee, something the court is highly unlikely to do.
Agency overreach is a real concern. But for better or worse, the Supreme Court has generally declined the invitation to fill what the regulated community views as procedural gaps in the APA. Nevertheless, there may yet be solace on the horizon.
First, while the courts are not in a position to alter the APA, Congress certainly is. The results of the recent election, on top of recent bipartisan efforts to reform the APA (including the proposed Regulatory Accountability Act of 2013), could augur well for the possibility of real reform in the near future. A significant overhaul of the APA may be a long shot, but so may be the Supreme Court's siding with the MBA in Perez v. MBA.
Second, whatever the Supreme Court undoes in Perez v. MBA could be more than alleviated if, as several justices have openly expressed a willingness to do, the Supreme Court were to reconsider and turn back its Seminole Rock and Auer precedents, thereby removing an incentive for agencies to promulgate vague regulations on the theory that they can fill the interstices through interpretive rules to which the courts will defer. Indeed, justices have in concurring opinions over the past couple years all but solicited petitions that would ask the court to do just that, and it would not surprise us to see one or more concurring opinions in Perez v. MBA tee the issue up anew.
This article originally appeared in Law360 under the title, "Perez V. MBA Is Unlikely To Provide Regulatory Relief," and has been reprinted on Crowell.com with the permission from the publication.
Thomas (Tim) C. Means
Retired Partner – Washington, D.C.
Email: tmeans@crowellretiredpartners.com
Daniel W. Wolff
Email: dwolff@crowell.com
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Aid won’t stop for Cotabato earthquake evacuees
KIDAPAWAN CITY, Cotabato — Cotabato Gov. Nancy Catamco has ordered the province’s department heads to continue their relief operations for more than 20,000 evacuees who lost their homes to a series of quakes that rocked Cotabato in October and December last year.
A total 5,676 evacuees are still staying in evacuation centers almost 60 days after the last quake.
Catamco ordered the social welfare and development office in the province and the provincial disaster risk reduction and management office to conti-nue the distribution of cash and food aid to the evacuees.Housing needs
She also ordered the distribution of housing materials such as nails and plywood for the evacuees’ temporary shelters.
The Army’s 52nd enginee¬ring brigade would also build houses for evacuees in Makilala town this month. Catamco said the Army would construct 75 units of temporary core shelter at Pacheco Rubber Farm at Barangay Luna Norte in Makilala to accommodate families from Barangay Bato, which had been declared a “no-build zone” by the local government.
The province had mo¬nitored 14,569 people whose homes were destroyed by the earthquakes.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resour¬ces in the region, through the provincial environment and natural resources office, said it would donate 4,000 board feet of lumber to build temporary learning centers for schools whose classrooms had been damaged.
Severe damageThe series of earthquakes in October had caused severe damage to houses and livelihood in the towns of Makilala, M’lang, Tulunan, Arakan and Magpet and Kidapawan City.
Another quake, with an epicenter at Matanao town in Davao del Sur province in December, also increased the number of evacuees in Cotabato.—Orlando Dinoy
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James A. Farrell Jr. Receives Admiral Of The Ocean Sea (AOTOS) Award
James A. Farrell Jr., chairman of Farrell Lines Incorporated, is the 1977 recipient of the Admiral of the Ocean Sea Award (AOTOS).
At 76, and still active as chairman of his family-owned line, he has logged a full halfcentury of energetic pioneering service to the cause of Americanflag shipping and the expansion of U.S. foreign trade, particularly with the continent of Africa.
The award was presented to him by James R. Barker, chairman, Moore-McCormack Lines, before a dinner-dance audience of 1,000 persons, Friday, September 23, at the New York Hilton Hotel.
The AOTOS Award takes its name from the title King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain bestowed on Christopher Columbus upon his return from discovering the New World in 1493. The title was revived by United Seamen's Service in 1970, when it sponsored the first AOTOS Award to honor the man each year who does the most to promote the cause of U.S.-flag shipping. The committee that selects each annual recipient is comprised of maritime labor, management and government leaders.
James A. Farrell Jr. was elected president of the newly formed American South African Line upon his graduation from Yale in 1926. In the ensuing years, he extended his company's services to all three coasts of Africa and is credited with doing the most to create an awareness in the American public about the future of Africa as a developing nation.
In 1963, Farrell Lines extended its service to New Zealand and Australia, and is the only American- flag company operating from the four coasts of the United States.
Mr. Farrell has been company chairman since 1964, and served additionally as chief executive officer from 1966 to 1970. In building Farrell Lines, he has pioneered welded shipbuilding, international port development, personnel and labor relations, conference organization, and he has been an outspoken advocate of U.S.-flag interests through the Committee of American Steamship Lines, which he founded and chaired.
As the head of three generations of Farrell maritime tradition, James A. Farrell Jr. looks back on a span of history from s q u a r e - r i g g e r s to automated steamships. When asked about the future, he says mildly, "If you mean for me personally, the Bible says threescore and ten." But in line with his company's trade, he reflects great pride in the type of close-knit family management and foresight that has made the Farrell fleet of 16 ships the youngest on the seas today, with an average age of 7 to 9 years per ship.
The Farrell tradition began in the mid-1880s, with immigrant mariner John Guy Farrell, who operated ships in the U.S. coastwise trade, and continued with James A. Farrell, who rose to become president of the United States Steel Corporation, essentially on his shipping expertise.
He created both the Isthmian and Argonaut Lines. His sons John J. and James A. Farrell Jr.
co-founded the American-South African Line in 1926, and renamed it Farrell Lines in 1947, with the acquisition of the West African trade route.
A proud chapter in the Farrell History was when Farrell Sr.
saved the last American squarerigger, the Tusitalia, and put it into its last 12 years of commercial service. In acknowledgement, Joseph Conrad wrote the elder Farrell, "The vital truth of sea life is to be found in the ancient saying that it is the stout hearts that make the ship safe." This embracing message has been posted in every Farrell ship and overseas office for decades and is indicative of the high regard Farrell has for the men who sail the ships.
Former Admirals of the Ocean Sea are: Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Maritime Affairs, the Honorable Robert J. Blackwell (1976) ; Washington Senator Warren G. Magnuson (1975) ; ILA p r e s i d e n t Thomas W. Gleason (1974) ; former Chairman, House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, Congresswoman Leonor K. Sullivan (1973) ; former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Maritime Affairs Andrew E.
Gibson (1972) ; former Chairman, Federal Maritime Commission, Helen Delich Bentley (1971) ; former chairman, Prudential Lines, the late Spyros P. Skouras (1970), and former president, National Maritime Union, Joseph E. Curran, Special Award (1973).
Read James A. Farrell Jr. Receives Admiral Of The Ocean Sea (AOTOS) Award in Pdf, Flash or Html5 edition of October 15, 1977 Maritime Reporter
Other stories from October 15, 1977 issue
$11-Million Award To Raymond Int'l For Dock Work In Nigeria page: 4
James A. Farrell Jr. Receives Admiral Of The Ocean Sea (AOTOS) Award page: 6
Bethlehem Beaumont To Build Teledyne Drilling Platform page: 6
Newport News Lays Keel For First ULCC In $418-Million Contract page: 6
American Bureau Of Shipping Elects Johnston President page: 10
DeLong Corporation Appoints Ogden Chief Engineer page: 10
Dockside To Represent Burmeister & Wain In Southern California page: 11
Sun Company Names Maling Vice President page: 11
Atlantic Sandblasting Receives Fourteen-Ship Mexican Contract page: 12
Paul Atkinson Retires, Peter Hepp Elected Sun Ship President page: 14
Zapata Names Four Senior Executives To New Posts page: 18
Booklet Describes Vinyl Coatings For Corrosion Control page: 18
Carrington Launches Self-Unloading Cement Carrier page: 22
Bird-Johnson Appoints National And Regional Sales Managers page: 23
Ro/Ro Shipping-An Appraisal Of Its Role In Dry Cargo Trade page: 24
Senior USCG Advisor Robert Lakey Joins Helge Ringdal, Inc. page: 26
Five Companies Form Technology Group To Build Canadian Ships page: 27
Shipowners Seek To Enjoin Alaska State Tanker Law page: 28
Avondale Launches 165,000-DWT Tanker For Standard Oil (Ohio) Alaskan Service page: 29
R.E. Derecktor Delivers Tug To Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. page: 30
Paper On Drydock Designs Presented At San Diego Meeting page: 34
Schneider And Moody Named To New Posts At Moore-McCormack Lines page: 34
Burmeister & Wain Opens Marine Service Center In Hong Kong page: 34
Prudential Lines Names Captain George Evans page: 35
Brochure Describes Removal Of Smoke From Air Vents page: 35
Gotaverken Delivers Third Tanker For Iraq page: 36
Crossocean Shipping Names Thomas Giardino page: 36
Johnston Vertical Pumps Names Hoffert Marine page: 36
United States Lines Names Capt. Yarborough Assistant Marine Supt. page: 39
Varo Names Johnson Marine Coordinator page: 39
American Club Triples Tonnage In Five Years page: 39
MarAd Releases 15 Technical Reports On Gas Turbines page: 42
Bath Iron Works Appoints Igo Jekkals page: 43
Webb Institute Receives Grant For Research Facilities page: 43
ABS Reports Increase In Classifications page: 44
APL Team To Analyze Systems Controlling Steam Plants On Ships page: 45
Stow Introduces New Remote Valve Control Flexible Shaft page: 46
U.S. Navy Officers Assigned To Kings Point page: 46
Owners Strongly Oppose Federal Financing Bank Control Of Title XI page: 47
Eleven New Members Elected To American Bureau Of Shipping page: 48
CCL Shipcare Limited New Marine Service page: 48
New Maritime Firm Port Fabricators, Inc. Active In Louisiana page: 50
Edwin G.B. Terry Joins Tidewater Marine Service page: 53
Waterproofed Engines On Self-Righting Lifeboat Restart Following Capsize page: 53
Lloyd's Register Announces Major Changes For 1978 page: 54
DeLong Jack Systems Described In Brochure page: 55
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Main Street Chestertown offering facade improvement grants in historic district
Excerpt from Kent County News:
Main Street Historic Chestertown is offering a total of $40,000 in matching façade improvement grants to spruce up commercial buildings in the town’s historic district.
In this first year of the program, owners of downtown buildings or businesses may apply for grants covering 60 percent of the cost of their improvement project, up to a maximum grant of $20,000. The minimum grant is $500.
Kay MacIntosh, who manages Main Street Historic Chestertown as part of her duties as the town’s economic development and marketing coordinator, emailed a news release Monday announcing the grants.
Applications will be accepted any time after Feb. 12.
Funding for the grants is provided by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development through its Community Legacy program. Throughout the state, façade grants encourage building renovation, historic preservation and improved economic vitality for historic downtowns, according to the news release.
Chestertown’s façade improvement project will be administered by a three-member panel drawn from the Main Street Design Committee. Architect and historic preservationist Barton Ross will be the chairman of the review panel, which includes Ellen Hurst, a retail stylist and designer, and Joe Karlik, artist and graphic designer. Ed Minch will represent the Historic District Commission as a non-voting advisor on the panel.
Any owner of a commercial building in the Historic District, or a store owner who is a tenant of a building in the district and has permission from the building owner, can apply for funding. No government buildings or private residences are eligible.
The grants can apply to a range of improvements — from simple additions such as awnings, flower boxes, signage and painting — to more complex construction projects such as restoring an original façade or replacing windows.
To illustrate how the 60 percent grants apply: A property or business owner must make a minimum investment of about $834 to qualify for the minimum grant reimbursement of $500 (60 percent of $834).
If the improvement costs $2,000, the grant would reimburse $1,200. For $8,000 in expenses, it would reimburse $4,800. For all renovations costing $33,500 or more, the grant would reimburse the maximum amount of $20,000.
“Preference will be given to projects that restore a building’s historical integrity and improve the exterior appearance of a retail store or restaurant,” Ross said in the news release. “We also encourage coordinated efforts by contiguous properties.”
Applicants must apply for the grant before renovations begin and are asked to submit “before” pictures and detailed drawings of the proposed renovations, along with at least two bids from contractors.
Approved projects will be reviewed by the Maryland Historic Trust and the applicant will need to present plans to the local Historic District Commission for approval, as is required of any downtown renovation. Reimbursements will be based on actual project costs and will require proof of expenses.
“Façade grant programs have been effective in sparking improvements in small-town commercial centers across the country,” Ross said. “Main Street Chestertown is excited about helping property owners keep our own historic downtown looking fresh and inviting.”
To learn more about Main Street’s Façade Improvement program and to download the application documents, visit www.mainstreetchestertown.org or contact Main Street manager Kay MacIntosh by email at kay.chestertown@gmail.com and by phone at 410-778-2991.
By MAHDC|2018-02-27T11:26:21-05:00February 8th, 2018|Charlestown, Community Outreach & Education, Design Review & Guidelines, Good News, Grants, Historical Material Maintenance|Comments Off on Main Street Chestertown offering facade improvement grants in historic district
Appointment of MAHDC Board Member, Sheila Bashiri, to Maryland Historical Trust Board of Trustees
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Aerobic Conditioning Tidbits
ExRx.net > Aerobic Conditioning > Tidbits
Cross-training may be highly beneficial to overall fitness in the general population. Cross training tends to have a greater effect on deconditioned individuals as compared to highly trained athletes. However, cross-training may be appropriately implemented to supplement training during periods of injury rehabilitation, overtraining, or psychological fatigue. Also see Specificity of Aerobic Training.
Tanaka H (1994). Effects of cross-training. Transfer of training effects on VO2max between cycling, running and swimming. Sports Med. 18(5):330-9.
Performance Effects of Environment
The optimum temperature for long distance running performance seems to be around 50-55°F (10-13°C). Performance degrades as much as 2% for every 5°F (2.75°C) above or below this range. High humidity in high temperatures can increase the effective ambient temperature by up to 10°F (5.5°C) by inhibiting evaporation. Direct sunlight can increase temperature by up to 8-9°F (5°C). Special caution should be advised when the temperature exceeds 80°F (27°C) or relative humidity surpasses 50-60%. See Wind Chill Chart and Heat Humidity Index Chart. Also see Water Requirements.
A steady state of oxygen uptake can be maintained during prolonged low-intensity exercise. Exercise at a relatively high work rate or in a hot and humid environment results in an upward drift in oxygen consumption over time, so a steady state is not obtained under these circumstances. During incremental (graded) exercise, oxygen uptake increases linearly until VO2 max is reached.
Fat Metabolism & Aerobic Intensity
The total rate of fat oxidation during exercise is greatest at higher intensities that are below lactate threshold. For example, during exercise at 20% of VO2 max, approximately 60% of the energy would come from fat. By comparison, exercise at 50% of VO2 max, only about 40% of the energy would come from fat. Nonetheless, the absolute amount of fat metabolism is 33% higher during exercise at 50% VO2 max since the total energy expenditure is 250% greater than exercising at only 20% of VO2 max. The greatest absolute fat metabolism during exercise occurs at 50% of VO2 max in untrained subjects (body weight: 89 kg; VO2 max: 4.0 L/min; lactate threshold: 60% of VO2 max).
Lactate threshold (controversy AKA anaerobic threshold) is the point at which blood lactic acid rises systematically during graded exercise. Lactate threshold occurs in untrained subjects around 50-60% of VO2 Max and in trained subjects around 65-80% of VO2 Max. Lactate threshold can be used as a marker of training intensity. It can also be used in combination with other physiological measurements, such as VO2 max, as a predictor of long-distance running performance (Farrel P, et al. 1979; Marti B, Abelin T, Howald H, 1887).
Progression and Recovery
After a hard workout, take a day off or have an easy workout. Increase your weekly distance no more than 10 percent. After a few weeks of distance increases, drop distance by 50 percent for one week. Occasionally, reduce your weekly distance by 10-15 percent, while increasing your pace by 6 to 12 seconds per kilometer (10 to 20 seconds per mile).
Precor Elliptical (EFX) Distance Conversions
560 0.25 0.4
1120 0.5 0.8
3361 1.5 2.41
See Elliptical Trainer and Elliptical Cross Trainer.
You burn 7% fewer calories for every 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of weight you lean on the handrail of a stair climbing machine. (typical 143 lb person x 7% = 10 lbs)
Outdoor vs Treadmill Running
The Aerobic demand for outdoor running at 5 m/s is 5% to 7% higher than that for treadmill running.
Jones AM, Doust JH. A (1996). 1% treadmill grade most accurately reflects the energetic cost of outdoor running. J Sports Sci. 14; 321-327.
Concept II Rower (2500 Meter Records):
Men: 7:10.7
Women: 8:12.5
Group Exercise Music - Beats per Minute (BPM)
Floor work / Muscular conditioning 115-135
Step 120-128
Interval 120-128
Slide 120-130
Cycling 124-130
Hi/Lo 135-160
Purchasing Shoes
Your feet are not identical, so fit the larger one when buying shoes. The best time of day to shop for a shoe is at the end of the day, when your foot is the largest. A long jog in warm weather can expand a runner's feet as much as half a size. Test shoes before you buy them. Good shoes should feel comfortable when you first try them on, not after they have been broken in. Buy new running shoes every 240 to 450 miles (400 to 725 km). Buy new walking shoes every 400 hours of use (e.g.: after 40 weeks of 10 hours of walking per week). Many models of running shoes are now especially designed for those who pronate as well as those with a standard gait.
Left: Standard
Middle: Pronate
Right: Supinate
Average Marathon Times in US (2005)
Men: 4 hours 32 minutes 8 seconds
Women: 5 hours 6 minutes 8 seconds
Marathon World Records
Men: 2:3:59, Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia), Berlin Marathon, Sept 28, 2008
average pace: <2:57 per kilometer (4:44 per mile)
average speed >20.4 km/h (12.6 min/hr)
Women: 2:15:25, Paula Radcliffe (Great Britain), London Marathon, April 13, 2003
Walking the USA
In 1909, Edward Payson Weston walked 3,795 miles from New York to San Francisco in 104 days and 7 hours. Along the way, he endured many obstacles such as heavy blizzards. At the time, he was celebrating his 70th birthday.
The following year Weston walked back to New York from Los Angeles. He completed the 3,600 mile trek in 76 days and 23 hours.
Running and Pain After 50
Runners 50 years of age or older suffer 25 percent less musculoskeletal pain than their peers who do not run.
B Fries, JF Fries, DP Lubeck (2005). Aerobic exercise and its impact on musculoskeletal pain in older adults. Arthritis Research and Therapy, 6(7): 1263-70.
Decline in Aerobic Endurance
Entering the second half of life, the average adult loses 1.5 percent of aerobic capacity per year (Cooper 2007).
Problems with Traditional Swim Training
Exercise physiologist Dave Costill remarks:
'Most competitive swimming events last less than two minutes. How can training for 3 to 4 hours per day at speeds that are markedly slower than competitive pace prepare the swimmer for the maximal efforts of competition?'
'...large training volume prepares the athlete to tolerate a high volume of training, but likely does little to benefit actual performance'
Ultra-short Race-pace Training
Training Specificity
Energy System Graphs
Tall Swimmers
Swimmers who have better perfomance tend to be tall, have higher surface areas, and better stroke mechanics.
Jorge E Morais, Nuno D Garrido, Mário C Marques, António J Silva, Daniel A Marinho, Tiago M Barbosa (2013). The influence of anthropometric, kinematic and energetic variables and gender on swimming performance in youth athletes. J Hum Kinet. 203-11
Vascular Dimensions
The aorta, one of the largest arteries in the body, is the diameter of a garden hose.
In contrast, ten capillaries are equal to the thickness of a single human hair.
The human body contains about 6 quarts of blood, which circulate through the body three times every minute.
Each day, the blood travels about a total of 12,000 miles (19,300 km) per day (4 times across the US from coast to coast).
In a lifetime, the human heart will pump about 1 million barrels of blood - enough to fill over 3 super-tankers!
Diagram of the Organs of the Circulation
L: pulmonary circulation
M: circulation through the organs suspended by the mesentery
P: circulation through the liver
The circulation through other organs, such as brain, muscles, skin, and kidneys, is indicated.
Lymphatics are represented by dotted lines.
Heart Volumes (ml)
Non-Athletic
Heart Pump / Machine Pump
A Horse's Dynamic Red Blood Cells
In the horse, circulating hemoglobin concentration doubles from rest to maximum exercise. This great augmentation of oxygen delivery to the working muscles, presumably accounts in part for that species' remarkably high VO2 max (approximately 160 ml/kg/min). This is 3 to 4 times higher than in a fit healthy human. In humans, there is virtually no contribution to the increase in VO2 by hemoglobin concentration changes from rest to exercise.
Wagner, PD, (1991) Central and peripheral aspects of oxygen transport and adaptations with exercise, Sports Medicine, 11 (3): 133-142
Oxygen Consumption of Organs
O2 Consumption
Heart 11.6 %
Brain 18.4 %
Liver 20.4 %
Muscle ~ 20 %
During intense exercise, oxygen demand may increase to up to 15 times resting requirements.
Questioning Running Form
Sports Conditioning Running Program
Cycle Ergometer Metabolic Calculator
Step Metabolic Calculator
The Marathon/Half Marathon Training Program
Marathon Schedule: Level III
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EMHW
Hawk Watch Info
How to Identify Hawks
When to Hawk Watch
Where to Go: Watch Sites
Volunteer Counters
How Do I Record and Report Migration Data?
What Happens To Our Migration Reports
Member Articles & Photos
Free Raptor Resources
Apps & DVDs
Books on Hawk Identification
Advanced Reading on Hawks & Migration
Hawkwatching Organizations
All books except the Field Guide to Hawks might be difficult to find in regular bookstores. Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Gift Shop in Lincoln, the Birdwatcher’s General Store on the Cape and Bird Watcher’s Supply & Gift in Newburyport, tend to carry many of these publications. Some of the best books on hawks or migration might be out of print but are available inexpensively online through used book dealers. Buteo Books is also an excellent online bookselling resource.
Field Guide to Hawks of North America by William S. Clark and Brian K. Wheeler, Houghton Mifflin, Second Edition (2001). The only true “field” guide to North American hawks. The text by Bill Clark and Brian Wheeler is comprehensive and the detailed illustrations by Brian Wheeler show how the hawks look when seen close up, perched, and in flight.
The Crossley ID Guide: Raptors by Richard Crossley, Jerry Liguori and Brain Sullivan, Princeton University Press (2013). In typical Crossley style has roughly 5-10 individual hawk photos (“cutouts”) of a species dropped into an appropriate background photo on each page, illustrating different ages, morphs, or genders in flight and perched. The photos work well and the text is well written.
Hawks from Every Angle: How to Identify Raptors in Flight by Jerry Liguori, Princeton University Press (2005). A superb guide with 339 color photos of hawks in flight. This book emphasizes key characteristics for identification and discusses confusing species. Not the first book you should buy, but quite helpful for anyone planning to do much hawk watching.
Hawks at a Distance: Identification of Migrant Raptors by Jerry Liguori, Princeton University Press (2011) A follow-on to the 2005 book, including hundreds of small images for identifying hawks when they are very far away.
Hawks in Flight by Pete Dunne, David Sibley, and Clay Sutton, Houghton Mifflin (2nd Ed. 2012). A classic. Pete Dunne’s exquisite prose evokes vivid images of the hawks as you usually see them in the field. Excellent line drawings by Sibley and black-and-white photographs by Sutton make this book very helpful. it covers many more species (23) seen in North America and provides more detailed discussions of subtle differences in shape and behavior.
A Photographic Guide to North American Raptors by Brian K. Wheeler and William S. Clark, Academic Press (2003). This book contains several hundred relatively large full-color photographs of 43 species of North American hawks. Complementing Field Guide to Hawks, it provides superb photographs of the various plumages of each species, including 46 photographs of Red-tailed Hawk alone! The brief text supplements that of the Field Guide.
Birds of Prey of the East: A Field Guide by Brian Wheeler, Princeton University Press, 2018. Uses hundreds of artist’s illustrations by Wheeler to illustrate plumage differences for all eastern raptors, including both genders and various ages, morphs and types.
Hawkwatching Resources
Hawk Watching How-To’s
Where to Go Hawk Watching in Eastern Massachusetts
EMHW Info
Become a Volunteer Counter
To contact EMHW, email scarey@avfx.com
Mailing address: EMHW, P.O. Box 663, Newburyport, MA 01950
All photos and articles are subject to copyright and should not be used without express permission of copyright holder.
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UNOB Media Report
OSCE Broadcast
You are here: Home > Articles from Kosovo media > Current Article
Kosovo Government opens provisional retail stores in the north (media)
By OSPI-f / 01/07/2019 / Comments Off on Kosovo Government opens provisional retail stores in the north (media)
Several news websites report that Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said today that the government has decided to open provisional retail stores in the north. “Serbia’s simulation of a humanitarian catastrophe is another failed attempt to cause instability. After their scenario was unmasked, the Government remains committed to providing security for all its citizens! In close cooperation with the business community in the Republic of Kosovo and after consultations with all line institutions, we have organized the opening of provisional retail stores in the northern part of the country. This coordinated and planned action is aimed at providing basic products to the citizens of that region,” Haradinaj writes in a Facebook post. “Today we gave another institutional response to actions orchestrated by Serbia, a response which confirms the country’s sovereignty, civic solidarity, the responsibility and the care of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo for all citizens of the Republic of Kosovo. No citizen of Kosovo will fall victim to a special war orchestrated by foreign agents. Kosovo is home to us all!”
Published: 7 months ago on 01/07/2019
By: OSPI-f
Last Modified: July 1, 2019 @ 3:08 pm
Filed Under: Articles from Kosovo media
Thaci: Humanitarian crisis, a failed improvisation (RTK)
Serbia planning to send “aid convoy” to the north (Telegrafi)
OSPI-f
View all articles by OSPI-f »
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Childhood interrupted: a story from Plemetin (Prishtina Insight)
Montenegrin language school in Pristina banned (Gracanicaonline.info)
CEC decides on vote recount in additional 530 polling stations (Telegrafi)
Haziri: Whoever has a vote more will lead the government (media)
Mushkolaj: The bitter taste of defeat (Express)
Kosovo’s outgoing Justice Minister says he got death threats last December (Lajmi)
Kurti meets in London British MPs (media)
Prosecution receives Dehari’s expertise results from Switzerland (Express)
Specialist Chambers invite former KLA superior from Llapi Operative zone (Express)
Vucic met Lajcak in Belgrade today (B92)
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Exclusive: Daniel Stendel opens up on why Hearts aim to sign Donis Avdijaj - Edinburgh News 19/01/2020
Exclusive: Daniel Stendel opens up on why Hearts aim to sign Donis Avdijaj Edinburgh News
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This media summary consists of selected local media articles for the information of UNMIK personnel. Links to external websites are provided for information only. The mission is not responsible for the content of these websites and linking to them does not constitute an endorsement by UNMIK or the United Nations. The inclusion of articles in this summary does not imply endorsement by UNMIK. Design and maintenance by Office of the Strategic Communications and Public Affairs - UNMIK,
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Study sheds light on damage linked to aging
by University of Edinburgh
Some of the damaging cell effects linked to ageing could be prevented by manipulating tiny parts of cells, a study shows.
Scientists have shed light on how the harm caused by senescence – a vital cell process that plays a key role in diseases of ageing – could be controlled or even stopped.
Researchers say the findings could have relevance for age-related diseases including cancers and diabetes, although they caution that further research is needed.
During senescence, cells stop dividing. This can be beneficial in assisting wound-healing and preventing excessive growth.
Some aspects of senescence are also harmful and can lead to tissue damage and the deterioration of cell health as seen in diseases of older age.
Scientists at the Medical Research Council's Human Genetics Unit and the Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre at the University of Edinburgh focused on a chain of harmful processes triggered by senescence, known as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP).
The SASP is a cascade of chemical signals that can promote damage to cells through inflammation.
The researchers showed that manipulating a cell's nuclear pores– gateways through which molecules enter the heart of the cell – prevented triggering of the SASP.
Findings also show that DNA had to be reorganised in space within in the cell's nucleus in order for the SASP to be triggered.
Researchers say the study sheds light on the fundamental workings of the cell and could be instrumental in understanding cell ageing.
The study is published in Genes and Development.
Professor Wendy Bickmore, Director of the Human Genetics Unit at the University of Edinburgh's Medical Research Council Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, who led the study, said: "These findings provide us with a much clearer understanding of how senescence causes cell damage. Whilst we are some way from being able to halt the damage caused by the ageing process, we hope that this advance will open up avenues to explore how we might slow some of the harm that stems from senescence. This could be of relevance to the many conditions that tend to affect us as we grow older."
Study shows GATA4 plays a key role in cell senescence
More information: Charlene Boumendil et al. Nuclear pore density controls heterochromatin reorganization during senescence, Genes & Development (2019). DOI: 10.1101/gad.321117.118
Journal information: Genes & Development
Provided by University of Edinburgh
Citation: Study sheds light on damage linked to aging (2019, February 14) retrieved 20 January 2020 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-02-linked-aging.html
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Estrogen may facilitate the growth of liver metastases in non-sex-specific cancers
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matulathoughts
For centuries the matula was a tool to investigate disease. We use this metaphor for our collection of observations and brief essays from David A. Bloom MD, Department of Urology at the University of Michigan.
September skies and serendipity
Posted by dabloom
Matula Thoughts Sept 7, 2018
Intersecting contrails caught my attention, looking out from the Mohs Surgery area (above) in our Rogel Cancer Center, and recalled the clear skies of September 11, 2001, when commercial air traffic was grounded, leaving a pristine and surreal atmosphere visually and psychologically. Transient evidence of people in aluminum tubes flying through the sky, contrails are daily proof of the enormous planetary human impact. New technology, such as the flightradar24 app that Bob Gibbons showed me in Seattle last spring, gives rough details of a particular flight if you aim an iPhone at a plane in the sky. Below, taken from the Amana Colonies in Iowa last month, is evidence of Delta 3882 Canadian Regional Jet going from Minneapolis to St Louis on July 27, containing anonymous people, particularities, and myriad stories going about their business in the midwest.
September is a transition month, as summertime vacations give way to serious business of autumn. In the Medical School, academic medicine takes center stage when fall meetings convene and new ideas get shopped around world marketplaces of research, education, and clinical care. Faculty become traveling salesmen and saleswomen not only for their ideas, but also for their presentation skills, and the University of Michigan brand in general. Trainees follow in those footsteps, adding to the thousands of Michigan people shuttling around in the skies at the vanguard of contrails, studying and rearranging PowerPoint presentations on laptops. Key meetings for our faculty this fall include the Society for Urologic Oncology, the American College of Surgeons, the North Central Section of the AUA (our Gary Faerber – now at Duke – is the President), and the Society for Pediatric Urology.
Rene Magritte, an artist who lived in and through the disruptions and transitions of 20th century World Wars, offered an intriguing view of Homo sapiens and earthly skies in two paintings he called The Human Condition. No one can know for certain what he had in mind with these, although the title hints at the rich imagination, ambiguities, illusions, and contradictions of human nature. Probably no other species looks to the skies and finds as much “content” as we do. Other life forms may, at best, derive some practical information regarding sunlight, time of day, precipitation, danger, or opportunity, but H. sapiens looks at the sky with its clouds and contrails, and builds rich imagination from excited neurons.
[Above: The Human Condition 1933. Below: The Human Condition 1935.]
Euclidean Walks, a later Magritte painting from 1955, pursues the same idea of a painting within a painting, that is, an imagination of imaginations, joining my and your imaginations to those of a Greek philosopher nearly 2.5 thousand years ago (below).
A picture is said to be worth a thousand words. The original author of this thought is unknown, although it is likely that similar thoughts spontaneously popped into many human brains over the millennia since the early times of cave art. We all appreciate the qualitative truth to this phrase, but Isaacson’s book Leonardo da Vinci, offers data to support that truth, at least within an order of magnitude. A chapter on The Nature of Man, discussing human proportion, states:
“Using at least a dozen young men as models in his Corte Vecchia studios, he measured each body part from head to toe and produced more than 40 drawings and six thousand words.” [p. 219]
That is, Leonardo used six thousand words to consider 40 pictures, giving a word to picture ratio of 1:150, surpassing conventional wisdom of 1:1000 for the average picture. Granted that he wasn’t necessarily describing all the details of each of the pictures, as merely talking about them, but data is data so you can take what you want from the numbers. Later in the book, Isaacson quotes Leonardo from a debate in 1498 on the relative merits of arts and sciences.
“If you, O poet, tell a story with your pen, the painter with his brush can tell it more easily, with simpler completeness, and less tedious to follow. Take a poet who describes the charms of a woman to her lover, and a painter who represents her, and you will see where nature leads the enamored critic.” [p. 262]
Mona Lisa (above, at the Louvre) is the obvious picture to accompany that thought.
Words are magical finite bits of information, but a single picture conveys a multitude of information, open to vast possibilities of imagination by any one individual and leaving other vast possibilities potentially detectable by someone else. While words and pictures may have had common origin in human history, visual art has extended from the representational to the abstract and Eric Kandel explains how our brains process these two different art forms in quite different ways. [Kandel. Reductionism in Art and Brain Science, Columbia University Press, 2016.]
The contrails reminded me of the acid-base balance curves I studied as a medical student, becoming nearly indelible in my brain, needing occasional refreshment for board exams and teaching sessions. Horace Davenport (1912-2005), renown physiologist and legendary historian of the University of Michigan Medical School, pioneered the modern understanding of acid base chemistry with those curves [Davenport HW. Danish M. Bull. 1955, The ABC of Acid-Base Chemistry, University of Chicago Press, 1974.] [Austin WH. Acid-Base balance. Amer. Heart J. 69:691, 1965.]
Horace was an iconic professor here at UM Medical School. He rose to the top of his field as a physiologist and was an inspiring classroom teacher. During his early career, at the Mayo Clinic, he defined the gastric mucosal barrier, working with Charles Code, and in 1947 his ABC text translated mysteries of basic physiology into working knowledge for generations of medical students and clinicians using those contrail-like curves. [Davenport HW, University of Chicago Press, 1947.] The ABCs is still in print with the original preface, admonishing students to work hard if they are to achieve understanding:
“Unfortunately, there are no effortless roads to a knowledge of acid-base chemistry, and there are no easily memorized rules-of-thumb that can be applied at all times in the clinic without risk of disaster.”
After Davenport stepped down as Michigan’s chair of physiology he became unofficial historian for the Medical School, providing a book for the sesquicentennial. [Davenport HW. Not Just Any Medical School. 1999.] I came to know Horace through the Victor Vaughan Society and its periodic dinners of medical students and faculty. Horace was unusually tall and in his later years when the occasion met at our home I would cautiously walk him out over our uneven steps and dirt road to his car, concerned for his unsteady gait. We remained in touch throughout his retirement. At one point (June 3, 1998) he wrote me from Alabama:
“I am living in my wheelchair in complete physical, social, and intellectual isolation and with rapidly increasing disability in what is essentially comfortable prison. I try to keep occupied.”
If my small collection of his neatly typed letters is any indication, he seemed to have kept reasonably well occupied for the next seven years of his life. [Obituary by Ivan Oransky. The Lancet. 366:1260, 2005.]
Two Horaces. Horace Davenport was a perfectionist and an exacting teacher. His son, Robertson Davenport and UM Professor of Pathology, kindly sent me the portrait shown above. I recall one episode of my instruction from Horace after I sent him recent work we had published on Trendelenburg, a paper that sprang from a discussion with medical students regarding the German surgeon and informed by an obscure autobiography (translated from German to English) we obtained from an Egyptian library (the beauty of inter-library loan!). Our paper detailed urological contributions of the great German surgeon that had not been widely appreciated. [Bernstein et al. Beyond the Trendelenburg Position. Surgery. 126:78, 1999.]
I thought we had done a good job of scholarship and must have been hopeful for Horace’s praise when I sent him a copy. He replied, after offering some personal news:
“I have only one comment on your Trendelenburg paper, and that is to protest the customary misuse of the word serendipity in the first paragraph. A Chicago lawyer named T.G. Remer became so annoyed that he wrote an entire book on the word: Serendipity and the Three Princes, Norman, OK. University of Oklahoma Press, 1965. I urge you to read the book which is in the Graduate Library. With best regards, Yours, Horace.” [Letter. August 24, 1999.]
Months later I went to the library, checked out the book, and read it. Horace was correct, having instructed me once again on many levels.
Remer had a compelling interest in this 14th century Persian fairy tale that had been translated into Italian and published by Michele Tramezzino in Venice in 1557. English art historian Horace Walpole (1717-1797) created the word serendipity based on a detail in the story in which the three princes discerned the nature of a lost camel through “accidents and sagacity.” Walpole no doubt had read Tramezzino’s version of the “silly fairy tale,” as he called it in a letter on January 28, 1754, when he originated the neologism. [Wikipedia, The Three Princes of Serendip.] Remer commissioned an English translation of the Italian story and included it in his book, a lovely a tour-de-force and obvious labor of love. The point Horace Davenport wanted me learn for myself was that serendipity has two necessary elements: luck and sagacity, or good fortune and wisdom, depending on how you phrase it. He was rightfully offended when I used the term as a mere synonym for dumb luck and I doubtless offended the spirit of Horace Walpole as well. [Below. Horace Walpole by Sir Joshua Reynolds. 1756. National Portrait Gallery, London.]
Our Medical School Center for the History of Medicine has a yearly Davenport Lecture that featured many superb speakers over the years including Abraham Verghese, Catherine DeAngelis, David Oshinsky, and Sherwin Nuland. The speaker next spring remains to be determined.
Art & medicine notes. Somewhere recently I came across the phrase “human confection” and wish I could recall the source. Perhaps it was in a newspaper or magazine, but it seemed an interesting conjunction. At first thought, confection indicates a sweet food item, perhaps visually decorative as well, but the meaning goes deeper and traces back to Middle English confescioun, coming from old French confeccion, and derived from Latin cōnfectiōnem meaning “to make” or “to prepare” or “to do.” Modern usage, aside from food, pertains to the process or result of preparing or making or composing things, things that may be elaborate, amusing, delicate, or possibly contrived. This is an almost uniquely human range of possibilities, so it seems that human confection fits nicely. Perhaps this is even better than the phrase human condition, that more or less merely indicates a particular state of being. H. sapiens are singularly distinguished by the range of things they do, physically, mentally, and trans-generationally.
Artists usually tell something of themselves and the world through their work. Some produce skillful representations of the real or imagined world. Others produce representations of their personal feelings. Some offer work of little immediate meaning to a viewer but, on inspection and with some effort, that work can provoke thought and interpretation, delivering valued personal meaning. Both art itself, as a generality, and medicine, as a term for health care delivery at large, are genuine human expressions of caring, opinion, belief, and observation. Both are human arts applied on a canvas of technology.
Artificial intelligence is a mildly offensive term, since intelligence is a wide-ranging biological phenomenon, and taken to entirely different dimensions of imagination by human brains. Humanism, naturally, is part of that imagination: we can imagine a better world that is kinder, safer, happier, and more sustainable than the world of yesterday and today. Self-learning algorithms can’t quite do that. We can make devices that could produce a Piet Mondrian or Jackson Pollock type of work, but those works would be devoid of the human context of the artists.
What people experience as a physician’s art is made better by the evidence physicians assemble and by their sense of humanity, evolving with their careers and growing with immersion in the soup of human culture, to use the term from Dawkins.
West Shore Urology (WSU) in Muskegon became a part of Michigan Urology only ten months ago and on my visit there last month it was nice to see the Block M logo on the sign in front and on the lab coats of the team. The photos at the front of the clinic show founder Tom Stone and the original partners, along with the current team, although the newest member, Adam Walker, needs to appear on the wall. [Below: clinic wall and Adam & Jaclyn Walker with Malissa Eversole at AUA Nesbit reception, 2018.]
We incorporated the excellent WSU faculty in our Urology Department and also acquired its clinical team and facility as a new Ambulatory Care Unit (ACU), but it is unique among the other 180 plus ACUs of Michigan Medicine in that it does not have the HOPD designation that confers payment advantages to ambulatory units unattached to hospitals. At first glance this may seem to have been an odd business decision for us, but this opportunity will force us to learn how to make clinics work in a health care world that is likely to dissolve the HOPD advantage.
[Above: WSU office staff Tracy Dinh, Jessica Phelps, Bre Rodgers, Michelle Halldorson, Gabby Perez. Below: Cris Bench, Brian Stork, Carrie Brown.]
Brian Stork, beekeeper and urologist, was in Ann Arbor just last month to give a Grand Rounds presentation linking work force burn-out to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). It was at his instigation that I found myself stopping for lunch, the next day, in the Amana Colonies, after I happened to fly into Iowa, explaining the contrail shown earlier.
In between WSU and Ann Arbor is Metro Health Hospital in Wyoming, Michigan, south of Grand Rapids, and shown above shortly before a rainstorm last month. Metro Health became a part of Michigan Medicine in January 2017, and like our partnership in Muskegon, it is a part of an essential regional network. Peter Hahn was recently named CEO at Metro. Nearly all of our fellow health systems and academic medical centers in the state and nation have been networking vigorously in their regions and beyond for the past 2 decades, although we, at the University of Michigan, have been late to the process, but we are catching up. Our regional growth is sometimes viewed unhappily by other health care systems, but such is the nature of healthy competition. All patients need regional alternatives to find the right care at the right time and in the right place that best fits their individual particularities. Sometimes that best fit is with Michigan Medicine, sometimes it is not.
[Above: Joint Venture ceremony last month with David Miller, Rob Casalou President and CEO Mercy Health & St. Joseph Mercy System, Travis Souza, Dave Spahlinger, Alon Weizer, Denise Gray-Felder.
Below: Richard Gilfillan CEO Trinity Heath, Nancy Graebner President & CEO St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea, David Miller, Donna Lasinski Michigan State Rep 52nd District.]
Last month we (Michigan Medicine) finalized a joint venture with St. Joseph Mercy Health System Chelsea Hospital. It has been implemented with Family Medicine, Surgery, Gynecology, Ophthalmology, and Urology. Michigan Urology has a long history with Chelsea Hospital. Howard Usitalo and C. Peter Fischer are Nesbit alumni (1986 & 1979) with deep roots in the hospital and community, now joined by Andre King and Dave Lutchka PA. Mike Kozminski from our department has held a Saturday morning clinic at Chelsea for the past 4 years.
Anticipating the joint venture, Will Roberts’ Endo-urology/stone division has been active with a percutaneous renal unit aligned with Radiology and Casey Dauw has been a consistent presence in. that effort for much of the past year, along with Alon Weizer from our Uro-oncology division.
Eight.
Visiting professors enrich teaching programs with new ideas, novel techniques, and different teaching skills. They challenge us with new facts and ideas, and their presence builds new connections and collaborations. When accompanied by a partner they show, by example and in conversations, how work life and personal well-being through family are negotiated – and this is especially important to our trainees and younger faculty.
Visiting professors also cost money and take time out of the working day, so we must carefully balance the academic and clinical missions against the economics of an academic medical center. A supportive departmental working culture, excellent health care system leadership, and a strong philanthropic base make this balance not only possible, but robust for us.
Mahesh Desai, a world-class urologist from Gujarat, India, was in Ann Arbor a few weeks ago to visit our department, meeting residents and younger faculty, and giving Grand Rounds before heading to Chicago for the DUST Course #4 organized by Khurshid Ghani and Will Roberts. It’s good to know people around the world like Mahesh. A number of years ago I got a call from one of our Engineering School faculty members who was on an academic trip in India and had colic from a kidney stone. An easy phone call then connected me to Mahesh and the Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital in Nadiad, a hospital he founded with Dr. V.V. Desai. Our engineering colleague professor quickly had a solution in hand. [Above: from left, Dr. Desai & his nephew Udhav Doctor, Priyanka Gupta, Khurshid Ghani, James Tracey, Ted Skolarus, Ed Kleer, Will Roberts, Ganesh Palapattu, Mahendra Bhandari. Below: Thompson]
Our Health Services Research Symposium will reconvene this month. Chad Ellimoottil and Lindsey Herrel have organized this with 22 speakers at the Power Center September 13-14. [www.hsrsymposium2018.com]
We alternate the McGuire and Montie visiting professorships each year. Two years ago the Jim Montie lecture featured the extraordinary Ian Thompson. This October Dave Penson will come from Vanderbilt as the Montie Professor. [Below: Dave & Jennifer.]
Nine.
Elusive evidence. With September, summer 2018 recedes in the rearview mirror, its pleasures having vastly outnumbered its minor annoyances, such as pesky mosquitoes, no-see-ums, houseflies, ticks, and other bugs. Even so, a recent article and letter to the editor in JAMA grabbed my attention and introduced me to the BUGG Trial. Acronyms abound in medicine, but clinical trials have taken them to a new level of silliness. Benefits of Universal Glove and Gown is the name for this trial, reported in an article by Harris et al (JAMA 310:1571, 2013), that investigated antibiotic-resistant bacteria acquisition in intensive care units.
The letter-to-editor and a current paper questioned the evidence for either employing or discontinuing contact precautions (CP) for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE). [Letter: AB Kressel. JAMA. 320:407, 2018; Article: Rubin, Samore, Harris. JAMA 319:883, 2018.] The letter makes the important point that contact precautions convey significant burdens of material costs, time of multiple implementations, and wear and tear on the workforce. While contact precautions seemed a reasonable solution for a difficult problem, its self-righteous standardization may well provide not just “no value added”, but an even worse effect of value subtracted from the health care equation. Kressel notes:
“Inaction is not the only response to the status quo in the absence of strong evidence. In the case of CPs for MRSA or VRE, it may be reasonable for each institution to make a choice based on local hand hygiene, MSRA, or VRE rates, use of chlorhexidine bathing, and use of single-occupant patient rooms.”
This last point hits close to home. First, single-occupancy patient rooms are implicit in the standard of hospitals in the industrialized world. Our local exception to this is most peculiar. [Simon et al. J Health Serv Res Pol. 21:147, 2016.] Second, the world-wide craze for hand sanitizers is, it seems to me, a nearly fraudulent alternative to simple hand washing, provided clean water and soap are available. The popular hand sanitizers have strong effects on the normal microbes of our microbiome and environment, but virtually no help with killer spores and mixed effects with viruses, some being inactivated while others are not. The visual theater of hand sanitization on entering patient spaces brings comfort to audiences, but the display tends to bug me if there is a sink nearby.
Ten.
Summer nostalgia. September Song was written for the 1938 Broadway musical Knickerbocker Holiday, and resuscitated for the 1950 Hal Wallis film, September Holiday, and again in the British sitcom May to December that ran from 1989 to 1994. Ezio Pinza, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Patti Page, Eydie Gormé, Pat Boone, Dean Martin, Jimmy Durante, James Brown, Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Willie Nelson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and many others have recorded this classic. Of course, with only 12 monthly names to inspire music and movies, it’s no surprise that September gets recycled, currently in a new September Song written and sung by JP Cooper.
Kurt Weill composed the music and Maxwell Anderson wrote the lyrics for the classic September Song, a tune produced rather hastily for the musical production Knickerbocker Holiday in 1938. The song was made specifically for the “gruff voice and limited vocal range” of the lead actor, Walter Huston, who was playing the aged dictator Peter Stuyvesant. [Wikipedia.] While the Broadway musical confection lasted only 6 months, the song has been remarkably durable and it is the Jimmie Durante version (first recorded 1955, album 1963) that I particularly favor, perhaps most resembling the original version in character. The actual content of the lyric and musical is twofold and dark: the specific story of forced marriage of a young woman to an elder tyrant while she loves another younger man, and the general metaphor of the September of our lifespans as framed by the monthly calendar.
CORRECTION: Last month’s What’s New/Matula Thoughts contained an egregious error (corrected in updated versions), where I misspelled the name of one of my favorite authors, the extraordinary John McPhee. My apologies to you and to him. It’s not so much that I blew the fact as that my brain and keyboard translation fumbled, as seemingly happens sometimes in this September of my career. Perhaps this is a new disorder one might call dystypia, a fumble less infrequent than revealed by these edited pages.
Best September wishes,
David A. Bloom
University of Michigan, Department of Urology, Ann Arbor
Posted in Academic medical center, Graduate medical education, Health care, John McPhee, Medical education, Medical humanities, Nesbit Alumni Society, September, University of Michigan Health System
2020 – a new blank slate
November one
A century and a millennium
Matula Thoughts September 6, 2019
University of Michigan Department of Urology, Click the picture to go to the department site.
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Ann Arbor summer
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E.O. Wilson
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All our burning questions after 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'
By Proma Khosla 3 weeks, 3 days
The Skywalker saga may have ended, but the latest Star Wars film has raised more questions than it actually answered.
We enjoyed The Rise of Skywalker, but that doesn't mean we haven't been scratching our heads since Dec. 20 about one or two or 20 things that happened during the film. We don't have the answers (and may not like J.J. Abrams' versions), but let's at least talk ourselves through all the conundrums created by Star Wars: Episode IX.
Why doesn't Ben Solo talk?
Kylo Ren (Adam Driver): the most problematic being in the galaxy.
Image: Lucasfilm Ltd.
After Kylo Ren symbolically yeeted his lightsaber into the churning seas of Kef Bir, he was Ben, just Ben, and proceeded to say not another word for the rest of the movie (except "ow," which is a whole over conversation). Has the Dark Side taken his ability to speak? Or has he simply decided to shut up and listen for a change, noticing that bad things happen when he talks?
Why didn't Finn just say he was Force-sensitive?
The Rise of Skywalker is somehow simultaneously bloated and skeletal with its story, with this minor gripe sitting right on the border. Apparently, Finn's big secret for Rey on Kijimi was that he's Force-sensitive, which is cool but definitely could have been revealed at another, more opportune moment.
After their brush with death, why didn't Finn just say it? Isn't the galaxy's battle for good and evil a good time to share that you have extra powers, to perhaps train in the ways of the Force from the only people familiar with it? In the end, this information wasn't even part of the movie, likely because the filmmakers had nowhere to go with it.
Do you really expect us to believe Poe isn't in love with Finn?
Poe and Finn: Still not gay.
Star Wars may finally have had its blink-and-you'll-miss-it exclusively gay moment, but Finn and Poe's connection (do not insult us by calling it a "bromance") has been the beating heart at the center of this trilogy for four years, no matter who actually ended up kissing in The Rise of Skywalker. We spent a lot less time with these two this time around, but it didn't stop Poe from acting like a jealous baby when he thought Finn was going to tell Rey a secret and not declare his love to Poe. If that's not love, what is!!
Why is Rose in this movie?
Rose Tico did not almost die so you could fly around with her boyfriend and give her close to no screen time!
Image: Jonathan Olley /Lucasfilm Ltd.
We don't mean that in a bad way, like she shouldn't have been, but my god if you're going to bring back the Asian-American woman who got to be a lead in Star Wars, make her a freaking lead in Star Wars. Rose's scant screen time was an insult to Kelly Marie Tran and fans everywhere who had a stake in this character, all to have her sidelined so some white kids with famous names could kiss in a cave. The film didn't even pick up the threads of her romance with Finn, opting for the kind of this-never-happened dynamic one would adopt with a one-night stand. Rose deserves better!!
What is Poe and Zorii's history?
Poe and Zorii were a respite in a Star Wars film that was otherwise nowhere near acceptable standards of horny, but we want to know more! Were they colleagues, friends, or a goin'-steady space couple? Who betrayed whom and how, and was there makeup sex?
Luke and Leia were Force ghosts, but what exactly was Han?
This is probably one of those just-don't-think-about-it things, but it's the holidays and we have a lot of spare time.
If Leia saw Ben's death, why did she let him train to be a Jedi?
General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) in STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
Luke told Rey that Leia foresaw her son's death at the end of his Jedi training, but then why the heck did she send him off to said training? More than likely it was Uncle Luke Force-waving a little calm into the situation and promising not to let any harm come to the boy, which can't have helped with Luke's crippling guilt throughout The Last Jedi.
How did the Star Destroyer fleet even exist?
Did Palpatine conjure an entire fleet of ships, crew included? Were they just lurking on Exogol waiting for their moment, piloted by skeletons Dark Side ghosts or that gothic Sith choir who came out to watch Rey and Ben fight the erstwhile Emperor? And not to get super nitpicky (but also, let's), but why did Allegiant General Pryde call for the Final Order to use ion cannons specifically? Ion cannons disable, not destroy, and the blasts from the ships were the wrong color!
Can the Force resurrect the dead?
More than once in this film we watch the Force heal someone in need, and we can't help wondering about the mechanics of that. Is a Force transfer like a blood transfusion? Are you giving the other person literal time out of your own life to add to theirs? Can you re-up the dosage or reverse its effects?
Why did Rey bury Leia's saber on Tatooine?
Run like Rey away from this post if you haven't seen 'The Rise of Skywalker.'
Obviously Rey couldn't bury the saber on Alderaan (R.I.P.), but Leia never lived on Tatooine! You could argue that the Skywalker name itself traces back there with Anakin, but that's a weirdly patriarchal twist when, once again, Leia never lived there. It may trigger fans' prequel feelings, but it would have been far more appropriate to bury both sabers on Naboo, the home of Luke and Leia's mother who never committed any genocides, and the planet where she wanted to have them anyway had her husband not totally lost his shit.
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker is now in theaters.
TOPICS: Entertainment, Entertainment, movies tv shows, Movies & TV shows, star wars, Star Wars, Star Wars The Rise Of Skywalker, The Rise Of Skywalker
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Home> Projects>Level Crossing Removal
There are 31 vehicle level-crossings on the Transperth network. There has been a policy in place for more than a decade not to increase the net number of crossings.
Removing level crossings along the Midland and Armadale lines has significant community benefits from making it safer for people and vehicles to travel in the area to revitalising local communities with improved land use planning.
The first four level crossings to be removed as part of METRONET are Denny Avenue (Kelmscott), Caledonian Avenue (Maylands), Oats Street (Carlisle) and Wharf Street (Cannington). The first level crossing to go will be Denny Avenue.
There are a number of ways to remove a level crossing. These include elevating or sinking the rail; elevating or sinking the road, a combination of both or closing the crossing.
A review of the options that offer the least road and community impacts during and after construction is underway. A program will be developed, which would allow for ongoing level crossing removal, depending on funding availability.
It is estimated the first four level crossing removals will take up to four years.
The 2019-20 State Budget includes a commitment to remove two additional level crossings from the inner Armadale Line, as it includes $415 million to remove level crossings at Mint Street, Oats Street, and Welshpool Road (between Victoria Park and Bentley).
There are a number of ways to remove a level crossing.
A review of the options that offer the least road and community impacts during construction and long term operations, but the most urban development opportunities where suitable is underway.
It’s possible this planning will show more than one level crossing should be removed at one time. The team is also looking at wider planning and can be considered as part of the works.
As each level crossing and community is different, the team will work with local governments and other key stakeholders to consider the best approach for various scenarios.
Caledonian Avenue Level Crossing Removal
Caledonian Avenue level crossing in Maylands was recognised as one of four crossings to remove as part of METRONET.
When the Forrestfield-Airport Link is operational, the five-minute peak frequency on the Midland Line will see longer times for the boom gates to be down.
This will increase the potential for risk taking behaving at the crossing, as well as impact the local road network.
The Caledonian Avenue Level Crossing Removal project is currently in the early stages of planning and reviewing options. This includes working closely with the City of Bayswater and key stakeholders to ensure the removal meets the community’s needs as much as possible.
The preferred solution will be identified before the Forrestfield-Airport Link services become operational.
Initial assessments have ruled out elevating or lowering the railway as it would require a rebuild of Maylands Station and other key infrastructure, which would not represent value for money for this project.
Elevated or lowered road solutions are being investigated with City of Bayswater and Main Roads WA, but are challenging due to constrained space and lack of State owned land along the railway reserve in this area.
Closing the level crossing is also being investigated but may require adjustments and improvements to the nearby road network.
The preferred removal solution will be identified in consultation with key stakeholders and will consider community and road impacts, as well as urban development opportunities.
Oats Street Level Crossing Removal
Oats Street level crossing in Carlisle was recognised as one of four crossings to remove as part of METRONET.
Initial options analysis of the level crossing removal found that potential solutions would impact on the broader area, including neighbouring level crossings at Mint Street and Welshpool Road, and removing them as a package would be more efficient.
Based on this, the study area for the Oats Street Level Crossing Removal will now include Mint Street, Oats Street and Welshpool Road level crossings, as well as potential impacts to Carlisle, Oats Street and Welshpool stations.
The 2019/20 State Budget identified $415 million towards the removal of these level crossings. The planning process will confirm the solution and scope of investment required to build it.
While it is too early to determine what the possible solutions will look like, there are a number of ways to remove level crossings including:
Elevating or lowering the rail line
Elevating or lowering the road
A combination of elevating and sinking the road or rail (as per the Denny Avenue project)
Closing the level crossing.
Removal options will be planned in consultation with key stakeholders and will consider community and road impacts, as well as urban development opportunities.
This planning is expected to take two years.
Wharf Street Level Crossing Removal
Wharf Street level crossing in Queens Park was recognised as one of four crossings to remove as part of METRONET.
Initial options analysis of the level crossing removal found that potential solutions would impact on the broader area, including neighbouring level crossings at Hamilton and William streets, and removing them as a package would be more efficient.
Based on this, the study area for the Wharf Street Level Crossing Removal will now include Hamilton, Wharf and William streets level crossings, as well as potential impacts to Queens Park, Cannington and Beckenham stations.
Project Documents
Going out with a bang
2019 was a huge year for METRONET with a number of major milestones had.
Level crossing removal contracts awarded
Announcing the preferred proponents for two new contracts are important steps to removing up to seven level crossings on the Armadale line.
METRONET made its debut at the 2019 Perth Royal Show giving show goers a glimpse inside the Forrestfield-Airport Link tunnels and information on all other projects.
Seeking consultants for level crossing removal
A tender seeking support to prepare a business case for up to six proposed level crossing removals on the Armadale Line is now open.
Denny Avenue Level Crossing
Mandurah Multi-storey Car park
Morley - Ellenbrook Line
Construction Business Register
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Miami University Oxford, Ohio est. 1809 Student Life
Info For... Parents Advisors
Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life
A Note About Summer Storage in Chapter Houses
Fraternity 2nd-Year Exemption
Sorority LLC Housing
Fraternal Experience
For over 185 years, fraternities and sororities on our campus have developed a deep heritage full of tradition, history, success and pride. This heritage benefits both our fraternity and sorority members and the broader university community. The founding of five social Greek-letter organizations here at the University has earned Miami University the nickname, “Mother of Fraternities.” Today, the University hosts over 50 fraternity and sorority chapters. Each chapter is committed to five Community Principles: Scholarship and Learning, Service and Philanthropy, Leadership and Values, Community, and Brotherhood and Sisterhood.
2017-18 Fraternity and Sorority Life Annual Report (PDF; opens in a new window)
Approximately one third of Miami’s undergraduate student population are members of the fraternity and sorority community. Our members are involved in and are leaders of many University events, programs and student organizations.
Fraternities and Sororities Provide an Environment Where:
The principles, values and ideals of each organizations’ rituals are encouraged on a daily basis
Personal health, well-being and safety are encouraged and promoted
Academic achievement of the individual and the group is valued and rewarded
The definition of what it means to be a member of a fraternity or sorority is inclusive of all Greeks at Miami
The non-discrimination policy of the University is supported and enhanced
The fraternity/sorority experiences enhances the quality of the undergraduate collegiate experience
"Being a part of a Greek organization is not just about the social life. It is also about service, philanthropy, and the relationships you create. But most importantly to me it’s about our commitment to excellence, especially when it comes to scholarship and learning."
–Jackie Sherrick (Zeta Tau Alpha)
Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life
It is the mission of the Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life to assist our fraternity and sorority community to succeed in living out its shared values of scholarship and learning, service and philanthropy, community, leadership and values, and Brotherhood and Sisterhood among all Fraternity and Sorority chapters at Miami University. Through collaboration and cooperation with its stakeholders, we strive to create an environment supportive of the academic mission of Miami University that is congruent with the values and rituals of our chapters and encourages a strong Interfraternal campus community.
2026 Armstrong Student Center
550 E. Spring St.
fsll@MiamiOH.edu
Involvement & Recreation
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LLEP to attend MIPIM and showcase Leicester and Leciestershire's Space for Growth
LLEP to attend MIPIM and showcase Leicester and Leciestershire’s Space for Growth
The Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) is returning to MIPIM as part of Team Leicester and the wider Midlands UK delegation. The goal is simple: to showcase business opportunities in Leicester and Leicestershire to investors from all over the world.
MIPIM provides Leicester and Leicestershire with a huge opportunity to showcase the region’s most valuable investment schemes that have the potential to generate thousands of jobs and significant economic growth. The LLEP will be in attendance as part of Team Leicester, which also includes Leicester City and Leicestershire County Councils, local businesses and the three local universities.
At MIPIM, the region’s multi-billion pound investment portfolio will be presented to the exhibition’s 24,000 attendees. These will include potential investors, property agents, developers and media from more than 100 countries. It is hoped that the 4,700 visitors to the Midlands UK pavilion at MIPIM 2018 can be exceeded this year.
This year’s theme for Leicester at MIPIM is ‘Space for Growth.’ Plans for Space Park Leicester – a partnership between the University of Leicester, Leicester City Council and the LLEP – have lift-off, and Team Leicester are eager to share the exciting investment opportunities available.
Leicester and Leicestershire is a hub of innovation for space technology, with components produced in the region used on the International Space Station every year since its launch in 1998. The LLEP is proud to support the space businesses of tomorrow through investment in the Leicester Waterside Enterprise Zone, where Space park Leicester is based.
‘Space for Growth’ refers not only to opportunities in space technology, but a whole range of investment prospects across all sectors in Leicester and Leicestershire. Leicester’s rapid growth presents businesses with a growing consumer base, an expanding workforce and the chance to meet and strike deals with other dynamic new enterprises. Leicester and Leicestershire’s range of industry and unique geography makes it an enticing investment option with a truly global outlook.
Kevin Harris is Chair of the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP). He said:
“MIPIM is one of the most important industrial events in the business calendar, and The LLEP is a key component of Team Leicester. It supports businesses and investors for the benefit of the local economy. We aim to build on this success as we move forward for the benefit of our region.
“At MIPIM, we’ll be championing the unique opportunities Leicester and Leicestershire has to offer. Our heritage, diversity and character make our region a great place to do business. But our future, our ambition and our vision make it the perfect location for long-term investment.”
Rob McGuinn will be leading Team Leicester’s mission to MIPIM, as Chair of the group. He said:
“Our message for MIPIM is loud and clear: Leicester is one of the fastest growing cities in the UK, and our economy is thriving.
“We’ll be helped on our Space for Growth mission by Dr Suzie Imber from the University of Leicester, who recently won the BBC2 series Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes?
“We are extremely excited that Dr Imber will be speaking at the Team Leicester dinner at MIPIM this year; we have some really interesting opportunities within the space sector that we will be talking about during the week, so having such a brilliant keynote speaker at our main event is fantastic.”
To find out more about the LLEP’s role within Team Leicester and the trip to MIPIM 2019, email LLEP Marketing and Communications officer Graeme Hall at graeme.hall@llep.org.uk
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Archive for the tag “Local Councillor”
Opinion: Again, we see that the Local Councillors are not a priority…
“My Ministry has issued a number of guidelines on roles and responsibilities of Village and Parish Councils and their Committees while executing their various mandates” (…) “However, despite issuing these guidelines, there is need for an in depth induction for Village and Parish Councils and their Committees. This will be achieved as soon as funds are availed” (Tom R. Butime – ‘ RESPONSE TO A QUESTION RAISED ON FAILURE BY GOVERNMENT TO CARRY OUT ADEQUATE ORIENTATION OF ELECTED LOCAL COUNCILS I AND II’ 26.11.2019).
This is not new, as the Local Councillors election could be like picking a captain this last year (2018) on the football field. The art of peer pressure in the villages and towns all across the Republic. The lack of already having funds for the Local Governments, the lack of oversight and even plans for their operations, as effectively not solving the issues locally. As well, as reports of funding for health care centres, motorbikes and so-on. This is a never ending story of lack of due diligence and unnatural growth of a governing body.
With that in mind, as the government should have been prepared to school and teach them how the game was played. The National Resistance Movement (NRM) wasn’t prepared for this and never seemingly, they are more preoccupied with spending elsewhere than actually governing. That is why the LG isn’t getting the funds its need. Most of it given as donations from donors anyway like 60% of it is based from there. That’s why the LG and Local Councillors 1 and 2 haven’t gotten the support they need. This is after postponing LC Elections for over 18 years and they could have secured this for the post-election last year. Still, they didn’t, because they don’t care.
As we see by one report on the matter:
“Conclusion: Financing of LGs is critical to the success of decentralisation policy in Uganda. However, the current level of LG financing is not sufficient to meet the level of demand for service delivery. There has been a decline in transfers from Central Government to LGs, in relative and per capita terms attributed to recentralisation of functions and resources which by law are mandated to LGs. This study found that that UGX 1.066 trillion will be retained by various MDAs, yet these funds are supposed to be allocated to LGs as mandated under the Second Schedule of the LGA (CAP 243)” (ACODE – ‘Financing Local Governments in Uganda: An analysis of Proposed National Budget FY 2019/20 and Proposals for Re-allocation’, ACODE Policy Research Series No. 92, 2019).
The Local Government is already lacking the resources it needed, the negative spiral of funds is also showing. Therefore, the state could show some little incentive if they cared, but they are more preoccupied with other projects and such. That’s why these governing bodies are coming second. The NRM shows their lack of care, they can easily make new districts, new sub-counties and municipalities, but they cannot find funds to keep the upkeep.
The LG could have been resolved, but the matters are not the concerning for the high above, the State House nor the Office of the Prime Minister. As they are eating the funds that should have gone here, even the army budget could have been cut to fix the issues within the local government. However, that is not happening with this rulers and this elite in power. They are not giving way and actually securing these bodies with the needed funds.
Instead, they are already giving them to little compared to what them need and the elected officials doesn’t get the guidance nor the lessons of protocol they would need to succeed. They are just going more and more steps ahead of failing. If this isn’t a failure, than its a bloody miracle if it actually would work. Because, people are just catching up as best as they can. Peace.
Posted in Africa, Development, Election, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics and tagged GoU, Government of Uganda, LC1, LC1 Election, Local Councillor, National Resistance Movement, NRM, NRM Regime, President Museveni, Tom Butime, Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Yoweri Museveni | Leave a comment
KCCA letter: “Re: Installation of CCTV Cameras and re-organisation of the Boda-Boda Operations in Kampala” (23.03.2017)
Posted in Africa, Budget, Business, Civil Service, Development, Economic Measures, Economy, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Tax, Transparency and tagged 10th Parliament, 10th Parliament of Uganda, 2016 General Election, 2016 General Election Uganda, Appointed, Badru Kiggundu, Betti Kamya, Bob Kabaziguruka, Boda-Boda, Bruhani Byaruhanga, Cabinet Minister for Kampala, Central Division, Ceremonial Leader, Ceremonial Mayor, Charles Musoke Sserunjogi, Coup d'etat, Daniel Kazibwe, Daniel Kyeyune Kazibwe, Dr Badru Kiggundu, Dr Badru M. Kiggundu, Dr. Jennifer Musisi, East Africa, EC Uganda, Elected, Electoral Commission Uganda, Emmanuel Sserunjogi, Eng. Dr. Badru M. Kiggundu, Erias Lukwago, Framework for Kampala Capital City, Frank Tumwebaze, Gen. Henry Tumukunde, Gen. Salim Selah, General Election 2016, GoU, Government of Uganda, H. E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, H.E. Yoweri Museveni, Hajj Erias Lukwago Ssalongo, Hierarchy, Hon. Betti Kamya, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, Hon. Ofwono Opondo, IEC Uganda, Independent Candidates, Independent Electoral Commission Uganda, Jennifer Musisi, Jennifer Semakula Musisi, Joyce Ssebugwawo, Judith Tukahiirwa, Kampala, Kampala Capital City, Kampala Capital City Authority, Kampala Capital City Authoriy Act, Kampala Central Division, Kasirye Nganda, Kawempe, Kawempe Division, KCCA, KCCA Act, KCCA Act 2010, KCCA PAC, Lame Ducks, Legal Management, Local Councillor, Local Councillors, Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, Lord Mayor Salongo Erias Lukwago, Lt. Gen. Henry Tumukunde, Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni., Makindye, Makindye Division, Mayor, Minister Without Portfolio, Nakawa, Nakawa Division, National Resistance Movement, NBS TV Uganda, NBSFrontline, Norbert Mao, NRM, NRM-Light, Ofwono Opondo, Operation Wealth Creation, Operative Management, OWC, Political Head, President Museveni, Presidential Advisor for Kampala, Public Accountants Committee, Public Service Commission, Ragga Dee, Ronald Balimwezo, Rubaga, Rubaga Division, Salongo Erias Lukwago, Secret Ballot, Singh Katongole, The Electoral Commission, UFA, Uganda, Uganda Federal Alliance, Uganda General Election 2016, Uganda Media Centre, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Yoweri Museveni | Leave a comment
Opinion: Democratic Party and Uganda People’s Congress turns more and more into NRM-Lite!
“Power is a curious thing. Who lives, Who dies. Power resides where men believe it resides. It is a trick, A shadow on the wall.” ― Lord Varys (Game of Thrones).
“Adjective: Denoting a low-fat or low-sugar version of a manufactured food or drink product” (…) “Origin: 1950s: a commercial respelling of light, light” (Oxford Dictionary – Lite).
This here isn’t something based on evidence, but more a genuine feeling I have is not only one I share, but many others. There is something at stake and someone who has agreed the negotiations so these so-called opposition parties isn’t really so. That is why the Uganda People Congress has some MPs in the Cabinet and the same with Democratic Party. The same can be said that both of these parties, still have slots or parts of the delegations to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) in Arusha.
What we do know is that James Akena, the newly concurred leader of UPC could easily do some trade-off with NRM in 2015. That isn’t just mere speculation as his party did decent and there haven’t been any controversy or lashing out from NRM MPs towards the UPC in ages. Secondly, the DP has become the good DPs and the ones that even are parts of NRM Celebrations. There is something up with these two parties, just like Uganda Federal Alliance and Beti Kamya all of a sudden is a bigger support of the NRM government than the former NRM historical’s and the NRM hardliners.
The President and his NRM CEC must see their State House visits as a blessed and ease ways of figuring out how to undress the opposition and how to deal with them. All needs a meal-ticket, the question is who will give in to the regime and at what cost. Therefore, the arrangement and the deals behind the close doors show the conning way of the illegitimate regime who uses all sorts of methods to undermine the opposition. The FDC has clearly given in too, in my book, with even becoming the shadow-government in Parliament. Something the FDC NEC shouldn’t have considered and agreed upon, because when NRM together with the President agreed to get a UPC minister and DP minister, it would be hard to have shadow-government with members from these parties. That would be rare and weird to explain.
We can even wonder if Norbert Mao even cared of losing his slot as Member of Parliament in the 10th Parliament, as the DP was behind Amama Mbabazi Presidential Candidate through the The Democratic Alliance (TDA). Why I say that now? Since he is snickering and defending the NRM on NBSFrontline, attacking Lord Mayor Lukwago and the FDC when he can, just as we would expect Akena, since he has been bought sometime during the 2015. The price and the value of the UPC is for him and his closest allies to know.
DP’s Mao on the other hand is worrying, that Fred Mukasa Mbidde went so easily and elected into the EALA, also how little care the DP has given to the DP Cabinet Member Florence Nakiwala. Who could have thought the party would trade these folks that easily? That without any worry and without care has let it go, that they have set the standard of being a mediocre party who has no courage and no fighting spirit.
Maybe, Mao has gotten tired of fighting as the campaign he himself has a Presidential Candidate was sour, it wasn’t a joyful journey as the promises and the ride against the police force wasn’t ideal. Therefore, the battle even for his own MPs place got lost and as a leader who isn’t in Parliament, while the ones in Parliament are getting cosy with the NRM. That might be why Mao is complied with the forged friendships and trading in Parliament, to make sure they can gain the most. Still, the value and integrity of DP is dwindling, with every forged agreement with NRM makes them more and more alike, less different.
The NRM regime and NRM caucus in Parliament is adding DP and UPC, they are just turning into branches of the regime instead of being rooted on their own and on their own framework. It is just like Mao and Akena, just shift-bosses instead of being their own factory leaders. They work less for their own product and delivery, more and more to please the Executive through agreements and negotiations.
That is why the NRM has swallowed their paths and the lacking spine of DP and UPC has given way for this. Therefore, the current affairs and state makes them like a light version of the NRM. For this reason DP = NRM Lite and UPC = NRM Lite. Both parties are old and have a long history; they were established long before NRM, still the abolishment from Obote, made the other obsolete. So Museveni’s trick of being in the shadows of these parties before and after the parties, this is essentially killing of the multi-party system. That the NRM are tarnishing the DP and UPC to becoming NRM knocks-offs.
All of this is mere speculation, but still, there aren’t any official agreements in public between UPC and DP towards to the NRM, but their friendliness and co-operations are evident of certain negotiated deals. You will not hear Akena or the UPC complain about the NRM, just like Mao suddenly defends on national TV their position towards NRM and attacks Lukwago. There is just some uncertainty of how and what they have done behind closed doors. Beyond a shadow of a doubt some worrying signs that can and should be questioned, especially not accept as the acceptance of these parties to the NRM gives way to establish deep concerns of the value of opposition at all in Uganda. Since the DP and UPC have been thresholds for such, now it is FDC, even with a FDC NEC who doesn’t concern their legitimising the Parliament.
We all should ask and question the recent efforts from DP and UPC as legitimate opposition, even as parties without connections or how possibly they have accepted agreements with Movement. This surpass the judgement and the recognition of their existence, it is more the mere fact of lacking attention to transparency and accountability, as they are giving way to a regime who certainly does not care about procedures or acts or rule of law. The parties are therefore giving the Movement acceptance and are silently supporting their rule with these sorts of acts. Certainly, something the founders of these parties would turn in their graves and wanted to resurrect to adjust the malfunctions of these parties. Peace.
Posted in Africa, Civil Service, Development, Diplomacy, Election, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Transparency and tagged 1980s, 1990s, 1995 Constitution Uganda, 2016 General Election, 2016 General Election Uganda, 2016 Presidential Election, A Level, Abandoned, Acholi and Westnile. Bunyoro, Amama Mbabazi, Amin Soldiers, Ankole, Arrested, Atmosphere, Badru Kiggundu, Badru Kigundu, Baganda, Beti Kamya, Beti Kamya Turwomwe, Boniface Odyek, Brig. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Brutalized, Bugisu, Bukedi, Bush War, Busoga, Campaign, Campaign Program, Capt. Zizinga, City Chairpersons, civil war, Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye, Col. Kizza Besigye, Councilors, CP Fred Enanga, David Pukol, Death, Democratic Liberation, Democratic Party Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Detained, Directly Elected Member of Parliament, Dismantle, District Woman Member of Parliament, DP, DP Deputy Chairman Kezaala, DP Party, DPU, Dr Badru Kiggundu, Dr Badru M. Kiggundu, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Dr. Col. Kizza Besigye, Dr. Kizza Besigye, Dr. Milton Obote, Dr. Olara Otunnu, Dr. Warren Smith Kizza Besigye Kifefe, DRC, EALA, EALA Delegation, East Africa, East African Legislative Assembly, Eastern Region, EC Road Map for Election 2016, EC Uganda, Election Road Map, Eng. Dr. Badru M. Kiggundu, Eriya Kategaya, FDC, FDC Presidential Candidate, Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi, FOBA, Force Obote Back Again, Forum for Democratic Change, Fred Mukasa Mbidde, FRONASA, Gayaza High School, Gen. Kale Kayihura, General Public, Go-Forward, Go-Forward Group, GoU, Government of Uganda, Grace Ibingira, H. E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, H.E. Yoweri Museveni, Harmonization, Harmonized, High Court of Uganda, Hon. Amama Mbabazi, Hon. Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi, Hon. Fred Mukasa Mbidde, Hon. Janet Museveni, Hon. Justice Yasin Nyanzi, Hon. Norbert Mao, Idi Amin, Idi Amin Dada, IGP Kale Kayihura, Independent Electoral Commission Uganda, Janet Museveni, JEEMA, Jimmy Akena, Jinja, John Odit, JPAM, Julius Nyerere, Justice Forum, Justine Kasule Lumumba, Kagenda Atwoki, Kahigiriza, Kampala, Kampala Metropolitan Police, Karamoja, Kasangati, Kigezi, Kizza Besigye, Kizza Besigye Kifefe, Kofi Annan Foundation, Kole District, Kwame Nkrumah, Lango, Local Councillor, Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni., Maj.Gen. Muhoozi Keinerugaba, Major Baswaale Kezaala, Major General Muhoozi, Martin Mwesigwa, Member of Parliament for Persons with Disability, Member of Parliament for Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces. UPDF, Member of Parliament for Workers, Member of Parliament for Youth, Milton Obote, Milton Obote Foundation, MOF, Mohammed Baswaale Kezaala, Movement, Movement System, Mukasa Mbidde, Municipal Divisons, Murder, Musveni, Musveni's Agenda, Muwema & CO. Advocates, Mwesigwa, National Council of Higher Education, National Electoral Commission, National Electoral Commission of Uganda, National Independent Electoral Commission, National Independent Electoral Commission of Uganda, National Mobilzation, National Resistance Army, National Resistance Movement, NCHE, Norbert Mao, Normalcy, Northern Uganda, NRA, NRA/M, NRM, NRM Presidential Flag Bearer, NRM Regime, NRM-Light, NRM-Lite, NRM/A, Obote, Obote Dictatorship, Obote Family, Obote First, Obote Second, Olara A. Otunnu, Olara Otunnu, Older Persons, Onslaught, Papal Visit, Parliament of Uganda, Parliamentary Elections 2016, Partisan Politics, Paul Ssemogerere, Peaceful Campaigns, Persecution, Persons with Disabilities, Police Stickers, Political Appoinment, Political Violence, Polling Day, POMA, PPP, President Milton Obote, President Museveni, Presidential Campaign Meetings, Presidential Candidate, Presidential Candidates, Presidential Candidates Posters, Presidential Election 2016 Uganda, Prohibited, Public Officers, Public Order Management Act, PWD, PWDs, representing constituency, Requirements for Nomination of Member of Parliament, Resist, Road Map, Sebei, Seibei, Stella Kiryowa, Sub County Chairperson, Tanzania, TDA, TDA Joint Presidential Candidate, Terrorized, Teso, The Commission, The Democratic Alliance, The Democratic Alliance Uganda, the East African Legislative Assembly, The Electoral Commission, The Electoral Commission of Uganda, The Movement, Toro, Two Vehicles, UFA, UFA; DP, Uganda, Uganda EC, Uganda Electoral Commission, Uganda Federal Alliance, Uganda General Election 2016, Uganda House, Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers, Uganda Law Society, Uganda Medical Association, Uganda Peoples Congress, Uganda Police Force, Uganda Presidential Election 2016, Uganda Society of Architects, UNLA, UPC, UPC Colors, UPC Government, UPC Shelter, UPF, Wakiso, West Nile Region, Woman, Youth, Yoweri K. Museveni, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Yoweri Museveni | Leave a comment
Opinion: NRM SG Lumumba wants the CAOs only to work together with ruling party; as the Opposition are only creating trouble with the civil servants she assumes!
I got to be honest, when the NRM SG Lumumba or any other in the Ruling Regime is forgetting how they hired people and for what reason; then I need to address the mistakes and the bewilderment in the lacking of institutionalism and professionalism in the Movement. Not that I am surprised as they follow any wink or movement from Mzee. Let’s show first what the Secretary General Lumumba said recently and then what a CAO was claimed to be doing when the Public Service Commission hired a dozen in 2014!
“The National Resistance Movement (NRM) secretary general, Ms Kasule Lumumba, has warned district Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) against being influenced by Opposition district chairpersons while executing their duties” (…) “It has come to my attention that most of the district Opposition leaders use their positions to intimidate our CAOs, mostly those who have been transferred to new offices such as our CAO in Wakiso and others in different districts,” Ms Lumumba said” (…) “When I stop you CAOs from being influenced by the district chairpersons, it doesn’t mean that I have told you to have disagreements with them but when you notice that you’re being influenced, please refuse and report to our offices for technical support. But I also need you people to have harmony and good working relationship with them while executing your duties,” she added” (Kiggundu, 2017).
What are key factors in all job descriptions of CAOs?
“Providing direction and guidance to the Local Government Councils and their Departments in the application of the relevant laws and policies. Supervising, monitoring and coordinating the activities of the District and Lower Council’s employees and departments and ensuring accountability and transparency in the management and delivery of Council services. Developing capacity for development and management of the planning function in the District. Supervising and coordinating the activities of all delegated services and the officers working in those services. Keeping custody of all documents and records of the Local Government Council. Acting as liaison Officer between the District Council, Government and private sector. Advising the Chairperson and Executive on the administration of the Council” (Public Service Commission, 31.09.2014).
So when you see the NRM Secretary general statement, it is fault and mistaken it’s role of the CAO. The CAOs are for the better work of the Local Government Council, that means for all members neither if they are Democratic Party, Uganda People’s Congress, Forum for Democratic Change, Farmers Party or the Progressive People’s Party. What matters is that the results and the work of the Local Government Council, not their allegiance or their place in which party. The CAO are also for ensuring accountability and transparency. Being so means that the CAO has to look over the LGC and their portfolios, their works and their needed assistance across party lines, neither if it is NRM or any other party. Still, the NRM SG Lumumba is more about the opposition creating fear supposedly from the Opposition. Since the NRM are usually pre-occupied with finding ways of bribing justice and rule of law.
The CAO and the LGC are inter-connected neither party involved in the district that matters. The Councillors and other leaders need to know what plans and how to participate together with the CAO to fulfil the guidance and needed state oversight of the works of the district. If this isn’t done, than the checks and balances will be lacking trust. There need to be a working relationship between the District Council and the CAO. When the CAO will be the liaison of the works done in the district!
So I would wish the ruling party and ruling regime had more tact. But that is asking too much, people like NRM SG Lumumba always create enemies instead of trying to bring an olive-branch. It is not in her character to be peaceful or dialogue. Instead she is on the war-path. Blaming the opposition and giving them a head-spin.
She would never ever have said this about her own, hey she would praise for the work in the districts. NRM SG didn’t say anything about the NRM Councillors because they are perfect and doesn’t try to intimidate or use their positions at all. They are perfect party members and local elected officials who work in wonderful harmony with the CAOs, not like the opposition. This could be the second meaning of what she did say?
Well, enough of the nonsense from the Movement for today. Peace.
Kiggundu, Joseph – ‘Lumumba cautions CAOs on Opposition leaders’ (12.02.2017) link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Lumumba-cautions-CAOs-on-Opposition-leaders/688334-3809580-41if1u/index.html
Posted in Africa, Civil Service, Development, Economic Measures, Economy, Election, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Tax, Transparency and tagged 2016 General Election, 2016 General Election Uganda, CAO, CAOs, Chief Administrative Officers, Civil Servant, Civil Service, Clerical Work, Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye, Col. Kizza Besigye, Conservative Party, Councillors, Delegated Service, Democratic Party, District Council, DPU, Dr. Col. Kizza Besigye, Dr. Kizza Besigye, Dr. Warren Smith Kizza Besigye Kifefe, Due Dilligence, East Africa, Edward Kale Kayihura, Farmers Party, FDC, Forum for Democratic Change, Francis Gimara, Gen. Kale Kayihura, GoU, Government of Uganda, H. E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, H.E. Yoweri Museveni, IGP Gen Kale Kayihura, IGP Kale Kayihura, Justine Kasule Lumumba, Kale Kayihura, Kizza Besigye, Kizza Besigye Kifefe, Kyankwanzi, Kyankwanzi Resolution, Liaison, Local Councillor, Local Governmen Council, Local Government Councils, Lower Council Members, Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni., National Resistance Movement, NRM, NRM Chairman Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, NRM Regime, NRM Secretary General Justine Kasule Lumumba, Peoples Progessive Party, Police Brutality, Police Interfers in Politics, Police involvement in Partisan Politics, POMA, PPP, PSC, Public Order Management Act, Public Servant, Public Service, Public Service Commission, Uganda, Uganda General Election 2016, Uganda Human Rights Commission, Uganda Law Society, Uganda Police Force, Ugandan Authorities, Ugandan Government, ULS, UPF, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Yoweri Museveni | Leave a comment
Uganda: Following government’s decision to conduct the Local Council 1& 2 elections by way of open voting (lining up), CCEDU has taken a position (15.01.2017)
Your Excellency:
The Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CCEDU) is the broadest active civil society coalition on issues of elections in Uganda, bringing together over 800 member organizations spread across the country. CCEDU has since its formation in 2009 worked towards promoting a social and political system that enhances fair, equitable and transparent electoral processes in the Republic of Uganda.
Your Excellency, in July 2015, the Parliament of Uganda passed the Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2014 providing for lining up behind candidates during elections of chairpersons for village (LC1) and parish (LC2) levels. The voting method brought in effect by the Bill was a departure from what was originally provided for in the Local Government Act, of universal adult suffrage through secret ballot. Then Minister of Local Government, Hon. Adolf Mwesige, argued before Parliament that the cost of conducting village and parish elections through the method of secret ballot was too high and had made it impracticable for the elections to be held since 2002. On this ground, Hon. Mwesige convinced Parliament to vote in favor of amending the Local Government Act to consider an open voting method – which he argued was realistic and more affordable for the country.
Your Excellency, while we acknowledge that the open method of voting for the LC I and II may be viewed as financially more affordable and does not involve the same amount of logistics that would be required to run a secret ballot vote, we wish to draw your attention to the following:
1) Article 68 (1) of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda sets a standard for voting at elections and referenda: “At a public election or referendum, voting shall, subject to the provisions of the Constitution, be by secret ballot using one ballot box at each polling station for all candidates in an election and for all sides in a referendum”.
2) Article 25(b) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Uganda is a state party, guarantees “the right of every eligible citizen to vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections held by secret ballot”, and grounds this in the notion that “voting by secret ballot guarantees the free expression of the will of the electors”.
3) The Universal Declaration on Democracy, a declaration adopted without a vote by the Inter-Parliamentary Council at its 161st session in Cairo on 16th September 1997 affirms the essential place of conducting democratic elections on the basis of universal, equal and secret suffrage for voters to choose their representatives in conditions of equality, openness and transparency that stimulate political competition.
Your Excellency, this implies that:
1) It is a well-established practice that holding free and fair elections is one of the fundamental principles of democracy and the rule of law; and the secrecy of voting remains a key aspect of free and fair elections. Government has a legal obligation to conduct public elections and referenda according to the standards set in the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
2) Voters are not only entitled but also obliged to the secrecy of their vote. The method of voting proposed for LCI and II elections in which voters are required to line up behind their preferred candidates exposes the voters’ choice and violates this principle. As such, the open voting method does not safeguard the electors’ freedom of thought and their political and other beliefs. If Uganda is truly on a democratic path, then it should be seen to espouse a method of voting which ensures that the electorate is able to express itself freely and that elected representatives are truly representative, thereby contributing to public trust in the institution of local leadership.
3) The proposed voting method violates the principle of anonymity of the voter. Freedom of opinion is endangered when a voter is prone to influence by threats of sanctions or reprisals. Open voting has time immemorial come with a lot of opportunity to influence or intimidate voters as they declare their choice by lining up behind their preferred candidates. In a country like Uganda where the population has over the years become deeply politically polarized, it is difficult to underestimate the influence and effect of fear of retribution that is embedded within an open voting system such as the proposed one. Within the context of Uganda today, the proposed method of voting is a ripe recipe of tension, vengeance and outright election-based violence – especially on the Election Day and in the aftermath of the elections.
4) Free and fair voting principally demands that each voter makes an individual choice. Every person registered on the voters register must be able to express his or her choice in person, and this personal choice must be counted as such. The mode of voting as prescribed under section 111 of the Local Governments Act, 2015 for village and parish elections is not consistent with this individuality principle and, in particular, constitutes a violation of gender equality and freedom of opinion. The practice of open voting is reminiscent of days gone by of the reprehensible communal voting. In the Ugandan context, under an open voting system, it is likely that for instance, female voters may be unduly influenced to vote for candidates that their male counterparts, spouses or partners choose to vote for – for fear of catalyzing gender-based disagreement. In another case, for fear of going against their spouses’ electoral choice, female voters may decide to shun such open choice elections. Modern societies including Uganda itself have denounced open voting methods as akin to primordial practices that infringe on voters own choice.
5) Historically and contextually, electoral processes are highly prone to fraud and manipulation. One of the primary reasons for the transition from ‘open’ forms of voting to the adoption of the secret ballot system in the 1800s was to help rid political systems of bribery. Uganda is currently fighting the scourge of monetization of politics. With an open voting system comes higher electoral stakes. The higher the stakes, the higher the possibilities of voter bribery will be. In effect, the possibilities of monetizing the local council elections that will be held under an open voting system remain high. The political players are quite optimistic of the eventualities very sure those voters are aware of the procedures and they will vote for them since it’s not secret.
Your Excellency, under Vision 2040, the Government of Uganda underpins the need for democracy as the anchor to transform the country. Similarly, the second National Development Plan (NDP II) recognises that without free and fair political and electoral processes, key development objectives cannot be achieved. To this end, the NDP II proposes to institute mechanisms to strengthen credibility of electoral processes in Uganda and citizen participation in the electoral processes.
As the Fountain of Honour of our Nation, CCEDU would like to respectfully appeal to you, Your Excellency, to guarantee that:
The Government is indeed genuinely committed to holding free, fair and impartial elections; and considers such elections crucial for strengthening democracy and democratic institutions in Uganda.
The LCI and LCII elections are conducted in a manner that satisfies international and national legal obligations, commitments, practices and principles of; confidentiality of one’s electoral choice, anonymity and individuality of a voter. The elections must promote rather than undermine election legitimacy and integrity while reinforcing the notion of popular participation.
Your Excellency, CCEDU contends that the currently designated method of voting in the LCI and LCII elections not only fails to meet the constitutional and internationally provided for standards for conducting public elections, but is also fertile ground to foment conflict and sow seeds of discord in communities – thus undermining the hard earned peace, stability and unity in many parts of the country.
CCEDU appreciates that democratic electoral practices in Uganda are still affected by various national and contextual factors, traditions and limitations. While we recognize the importance of taking into account our country’s milieu and resource limitations, Your Excellency, we appeal against the latter being used as pretext for practices that undermine the basic principles of democracy and governing the conduct of free and fair elections.
Lastly, Your Excellency, CCEDU therefore proposes a more cost-effective option of the secret ballot method of voting in the LCI and LCII elections – in which voters record their (candidate) preference on a plain piece of paper in privacy – by way of writing or putting a thumb-print. We recommend the most basic form of secret ballot that uses standardized blank, plain or colour coded pieces of paper/cards upon which each voter marks his or her choice. Without revealing the choice to anyone, the voter in this case would fold his or her piece of paper with their marked choice and place it in a sealed ballot box. The ballot box is emptied later for the counting of the ballots. This method is not only financially affordable, but also preserves the secrecy of the ballot as well as expands possibilities for the electorate to participate in elections.
Dr. Livingstone Sewanyana
Chairperson, CCEDU Executive Committee
Posted in Africa, Civil Service, Development, Economic Measures, Economy, Election, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics and tagged Adolf Mwesige, Bribery, CCEDU, Chairpersons for the Village, Citizens Coalition on Electoral Democracy, Civil Society Organization, CSO, Dr. Livingstone Sewanyana, Electoral Process, GoU, Government of Uganda, Hon. Adolf Mwesige, ICCPR, Inter-Parliamentary Council, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, LC1 Election, LC2 Election, Local Council Elections, Local Councillor, National Development Plan, National Resistance Movement, NDP II, NRM, Parish Election, Secret Ballots, The Citizens Coalition on Electoral Democracy, Uganda, Village Election, Vision2040 | Leave a comment
Lord Mayor Lukwago appoints members of KCCA Public Accountants Committee (19.12.2016)
Posted in Africa, Business, Civil Service, Development, Economic Measures, Economy, Election, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Transparency and tagged 10th Parliament, 10th Parliament of Uganda, 2016 General Election, 2016 General Election Uganda, Appointed, Badru Kiggundu, Betti Kamya, Bob Kabaziguruka, Bruhani Byaruhanga, Cabinet Minister for Kampala, Central Division, Ceremonial Leader, Ceremonial Mayor, Charles Musoke Sserunjogi, Coup d'etat, Daniel Kazibwe, Daniel Kyeyune Kazibwe, Dr Badru Kiggundu, Dr Badru M. Kiggundu, Dr. Jennifer Musisi, East Africa, EC Uganda, Elected, Electoral Commission Uganda, Emmanuel Sserunjogi, Eng. Dr. Badru M. Kiggundu, Erias Lukwago, Framework for Kampala Capital City, Frank Tumwebaze, General Election 2016, GoU, Government of Uganda, H. E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, H.E. Yoweri Museveni, Hajj Erias Lukwago Ssalongo, Hierarchy, Hon. Betti Kamya, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, Hon. Ofwono Opondo, IEC Uganda, Independent Candidates, Independent Electoral Commission Uganda, Jennifer Musisi, Jennifer Semakula Musisi, Joyce Ssebugwawo, Kampala, Kampala Capital City, Kampala Capital City Authority, Kampala Capital City Authoriy Act, Kampala Central Division, Kasirye Nganda, Kawempe, Kawempe Division, KCCA, KCCA Act, KCCA Act 2010, KCCA PAC, Lame Ducks, Legal Management, Local Councillor, Local Councillors, Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, Lord Mayor Salongo Erias Lukwago, Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni., Makindye, Makindye Division, Mayor, Minister Without Portfolio, Nakawa, Nakawa Division, National Resistance Movement, NBS TV Uganda, NBSFrontline, Norbert Mao, NRM, NRM-Light, Ofwono Opondo, Operative Management, Political Head, President Museveni, Presidential Advisor for Kampala, Public Accountants Committee, Public Service Commission, Ragga Dee, Ronald Balimwezo, Rubaga, Rubaga Division, Salongo Erias Lukwago, Secret Ballot, Singh Katongole, The Electoral Commission, UFA, Uganda, Uganda Federal Alliance, Uganda General Election 2016, Uganda Media Centre, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Yoweri Museveni | Leave a comment
Opinion: Mao disappoints with grandeur…
Well, 20-17 just starts and with a bang, the former honourable Norbert Mao of the Democratic Party doesn’t care anymore about nepotism and autocratic regime, which if President Museveni gives away executive power to his wife Janet or Maj. Gen. Muhoozi that it doesn’t matter!
“The Democratic Party President Norbert Mao says Ugandans are so desperate for change that they no longer care to whom President Museveni hands over power peacefully. According to Mr Mao, just like many Ugandans especially those born after Museveni captured power in 1986; he does not care whether the president hands over peacefully to his son Muhoozi Keinerugaba or wife Janet Kataha Museveni” (Daily Monitor, 2017).
Well, it is understatement that I am confused about the peaceful transition it seems to be only that the business stays in the family. If Mao thinks that the Mafia, the elitism and the gravy eating regime going to drastically change with the wife or son of Museveni, he is sadly wrong. That is by the mere fact of the history in other countries where family members take-over as in Equatorial Guinea, Cuba, Syria and North Korea isn’t actually splendid evidence of totalitarian regimes handing over or coup d’état from family members to become the Executives.
That Norbert Mao wants to give way for another unelected family member to the throne is a mere demonstration of the meagre effort of opposition to the Movement. That he accepts the draconian and all eating Museveni and let his family go forward before the Republic. It’s an insult to all Ugandans. That only the Clan of Museveni is fit to rule the Republic. There we’re a Republic before Museveni and be one after his time. Still, now it seems that Mao is so tired and has so little faith in the Ugandan people, that he gives way to the Museveni clan.
He should care as he should be voice for the ones really wanting change and a peaceful change from the government and regime that only cares about Museveni. So Mao shouldn’t lose faith. Mao should fight with fellow comrades and want a substantial change for the Republic, that doesn’t owe anything to the Museveni clan. Peace.
Daily Monitor – ‘I don’t care whether Museveni hands over to son or wife – Mao’ (01.01.2017) link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Museveni-hands-son-wife-Mao/688334-3503756-format-xhtml-13ewxl2/index.html
Posted in Africa, Army, Civil Service, Development, Election, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Transparency and tagged 2016 General Election, 2016 General Election Uganda, 2016 Presidential Election, A Level, Amama Mbabazi, Badru Kiggundu, Badru Kigundu, Brig. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Campaign, Campaign Program, City Chairpersons, Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye, Col. Kizza Besigye, Councilors, CP Fred Enanga, Directly Elected Member of Parliament, District Woman Member of Parliament, Dr Badru Kiggundu, Dr Badru M. Kiggundu, Dr. Col. Kizza Besigye, Dr. Kizza Besigye, Dr. Warren Smith Kizza Besigye Kifefe, East Africa, EC Road Map for Election 2016, EC Uganda, Election Road Map, Eng. Dr. Badru M. Kiggundu, FDC, FDC Presidential Candidate, Forum for Democratic Change, Gen. Kale Kayihura, General Public, Go-Forward, Go-Forward Group, Government of Uganda, H. E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Harmonization, Harmonized, Hon. Amama Mbabazi, Hon. Janet Museveni, Hon. Norbert Mao, IGP Kale Kayihura, Independent Electoral Commission Uganda, Janet Museveni, JPAM, Justine Kasule Lumumba, Kampala, Kampala Metropolitan Police, Kasangati, Kizza Besigye, Kizza Besigye Kifefe, Local Councillor, Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni., Maj.Gen. Muhoozi Keinerugaba, Major General Muhoozi, Member of Parliament for Persons with Disability, Member of Parliament for Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces. UPDF, Member of Parliament for Workers, Member of Parliament for Youth, Municipal Divisons, Muwema & CO. Advocates, National Council of Higher Education, National Electoral Commission, National Electoral Commission of Uganda, National Independent Electoral Commission, National Independent Electoral Commission of Uganda, National Resistance Movement, NCHE, Norbert Mao, NRM, NRM Presidential Flag Bearer, Older Persons, Papal Visit, Parliamentary Elections 2016, Peaceful Campaigns, Persons with Disabilities, Police Stickers, Polling Day, POMA, Presidential Campaign Meetings, Presidential Candidate, Presidential Candidates, Presidential Candidates Posters, Presidential Election 2016 Uganda, Public Officers, Public Order Management Act, PWD, PWDs, representing constituency, Requirements for Nomination of Member of Parliament, Road Map, Sub County Chairperson, TDA Joint Presidential Candidate, The Commission, The Electoral Commission, The Electoral Commission of Uganda, The Movement, Two Vehicles, Uganda, Uganda EC, Uganda Electoral Commission, Uganda General Election 2016, Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers, Uganda Law Society, Uganda Medical Association, Uganda Police Force, Uganda Presidential Election 2016, Uganda Society of Architects, UPF, Wakiso, Woman, Youth, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni | Leave a comment
Opinion: Post-Kiggundu – The brutal truth about the new Electoral Commission in Uganda
No matter who get appointed or picked as long as the His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is in charge and the Commander in Chief. So as long as he is there, his decrees and orders will matter. So the results and the final say are in the hands of the President. He will not care what the locals of Karamoja votes or the ones in Mbarara, what matters is what is needed for the Movement and in the end him!
The Electoral Commission under the Dr. Badru Kiggundu has been a useful tool for the regime. He has used all kind of ways to get the results that we’re needed. Also all kind of explanation to avoid the reasoning or even trying to shuffle the defence as the relevant laws to sustain the needed excuse to exhaust the courts. This has been done as the Opposition has questioned the legality and the just behaviour of the Electoral Commission.
The all of sudden 100% in counties, the ghost voters, the unregistered voters showing up and the moving of place of voting for the citizens, the lack of delivery of ballots and equipment to key areas. This has been tactics as well as fixing the elections into the schedule of the Movement. Free and fair was never important for the President as long as his loyal men and woman we’re plated and sent to Parliament. Or his loyal men and woman elected through the Resistance Councils and the Local Government positions as Local Councillors and such.
This will not change as the appropriate men and woman is not in circle of the new Electoral Commission. The cleared name from the President is more loyal men and woman who want to eat of the Presidents hand. They want to eat and are hungry like the rest of the MPs who has cars and no income tax. The same level is what the EC commissioner’s wants and therefore wants to be hired. So they can live in mansions and have government perks that citizens don’t get.
So no matter who is put up in the Movement and who they want to appoint will be working for the President and his elite. The regime will not change their pattern even if Badru Kiggundu is out of the picture. Will just be a new face that will eat the same level of crap.
The reality is that the names put forward now by the President is his loyal cadres, they are not bi-partisan or even becoming of people who the citizens can trust. That is for the same reason as the ones before, they will be the loyalists for the pay-check of the President; they will not be there for people. They are just useful props for the President to get his fake-elections and votes when needed, but not something he cares deeply about. If he did he would have set in place systems where the people wasn’t starving and had water-irrigation to secure the harvest even in dry season. He has 30 years, but hasn’t left much behind because what he has is fragmented and eaten by his ego. Therefore the EC will be marked of his loyalist, not of the ones who is best for nation, but who is the best for the “only man with a vision”. Peace.
Posted in Africa, Civil Service, Development, Election, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics and tagged 2016 General Election, 2016 General Election Uganda, 2016 Presidential Election, A Level, Amama Mbabazi, Badru Kiggundu, Badru Kigundu, Campaign, Campaign Program, City Chairpersons, Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye, Col. Kizza Besigye, Councilors, CP Fred Enanga, Directly Elected Member of Parliament, District Woman Member of Parliament, Dr Badru Kiggundu, Dr Badru M. Kiggundu, Dr. Col. Kizza Besigye, Dr. Kizza Besigye, Dr. Warren Smith Kizza Besigye Kifefe, East Africa, EC Road Map for Election 2016, EC Uganda, Election Road Map, Eng. Dr. Badru M. Kiggundu, FDC, FDC Presidential Candidate, Forum for Democratic Change, Gen. Kale Kayihura, General Public, Go-Forward, Go-Forward Group, Government of Uganda, H. E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Harmonization, Harmonized, Hon. Amama Mbabazi, IGP Kale Kayihura, Independent Electoral Commission Uganda, JPAM, Justine Kasule Lumumba, Kampala, Kampala Metropolitan Police, Kasangati, Kizza Besigye, Kizza Besigye Kifefe, Local Councillor, Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni., Member of Parliament for Persons with Disability, Member of Parliament for Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces. UPDF, Member of Parliament for Workers, Member of Parliament for Youth, Municipal Divisons, Muwema & CO. Advocates, National Council of Higher Education, National Electoral Commission, National Electoral Commission of Uganda, National Independent Electoral Commission, National Independent Electoral Commission of Uganda, National Resistance Movement, NCHE, NRM, NRM Presidential Flag Bearer, Older Persons, Papal Visit, Parliamentary Elections 2016, Peaceful Campaigns, Persons with Disabilities, Police Stickers, Polling Day, POMA, Presidential Campaign Meetings, Presidential Candidate, Presidential Candidates, Presidential Candidates Posters, Presidential Election 2016 Uganda, Public Officers, Public Order Management Act, PWD, PWDs, representing constituency, Requirements for Nomination of Member of Parliament, Road Map, Sub County Chairperson, TDA Joint Presidential Candidate, The Commission, The Electoral Commission, The Electoral Commission of Uganda, The Movement, Two Vehicles, Uganda, Uganda EC, Uganda Electoral Commission, Uganda General Election 2016, Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers, Uganda Law Society, Uganda Medical Association, Uganda Police Force, Uganda Presidential Election 2016, Uganda Society of Architects, UPF, Wakiso, Woman, Youth, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni | Leave a comment
KCCA Terminates Philips Contract for Solar Lights (15.09.2016)
Posted in Africa, Business, Civil Service, Development, Economic Measures, Economy, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics and tagged 2016 General Election Uganda, Betti Kamya, Central Government, Ceremonial Leader, Ceremonial Mayor, Charles Musoke Sserunjogi, China, Dr. Jennifer Musisi, East Africa, Emmanuel Sserunjogi, Erias Lukwago, Framework for Kampala Capital City, Frank Tumwebaze, General Election 2016, GoU, Government of Uganda, H. E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, H.E. Yoweri Museveni, Hajj Erias Lukwago Ssalongo, Hon. Betti Kamya, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, Independent Candidates, Jennifer Musisi, Joyce Ssebugwawo, Kampala, Kampala Capital City, Kampala Capital City Authority, Kampala Capital City Authoriy, Kampala Central Division, Kasirye Nganda, Kawempe, Kawempe Division, KCCA, KCCA Act, KCCA Act 2010, Lame Ducks, Legal Management, Local Councillor, Local Councillors, Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, Lord Mayor Salongo Erias Lukwago, Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni., M/s Phillips East Africa, Makindye, Makindye Division, Nakawa, Nakawa Division, National Resistance Movement, NRM, Operative Management, Philips East Africa Limited, Phillips East Africa Limited, President Museveni, Rubaga, Rubaga Division, Salongo Erias Lukwago, Singh Katongole, Uganda, Uganda General Election 2016, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Yoweri Museveni | Leave a comment
Opinion: It’s a House of Cards when it comes to the KCCA and the Elected Kampala Leadership
House of Cards: “a complicated organization or plan that is very weak and can easily be destroyed or easily go wrong” (Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus, Cambridge University Press).
Kampala 22nd July 2016 is a house of cards. It is evident, it’s in the wind, it’s a maze of joy and crappiness as the President wished it to be. As he let it rots and is a giant toll of unstructured tool of public an institution that doesn’t co-exist or co-operate ordinary as the selected and elected men and woman doesn’t even know their duty or their job. Hard to work when you don’t have a specific workload or deadlines, aye?
There been much speculation between the Chief Executive Jennifer Musisi, Cabinet Minister Betti Kamya, Presidential Advisor Singh Katongole and Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago. But today more stones started to roll for the already hectic enterprise as NRM like bloated and un-facilitated organizations to represent their past and present achievements.
If you though it was too irrational between the heads on the top it continues to next level. The City of Kampala has 5 Division Mayors who are actually feeling like “Lame Ducks”. Not so strange when Lord Mayor Lukwago is “Ceremonial Mayor”, what should the leader of Nakawa or Kawempe do?
These Division Mayors who feels like extras in Kampala are: Kasirye Nganda (Makindye), Ronald Balimwezo (Nakawa), Joyce Ssebugwawo (Rubaga), Emmanuel Sserunjogi (Kawempe) and Charles Musoke Sserunjogi (Kampala Central). These five Divisions Mayors seems to not have any powers, just the way the Lord Mayor feels and feels overruled by the Executive Director of KCCA and the Cabinet Minister. So when you have Three leaders over you and you are supposed to run it isn’t much left. Not like Dr. Jennifer Musisi is interested in giving way to Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, why should she give ways to authority’s legal and operative management of Kampala to the elected leaders in the Divisions?
This is a “House of Cards” for the Authorities as the divided and unsecure placement of the different government bodies and institutions, the Local Councilor’s in the Divisions must have less to do when even their Mayors are complaining about their ability to authorities anything in their constituency as Mayors. When already Lord Mayor has complained about his position and his role in the hierarchy of Kampala; how wouldn’t anybody under him feel?
The system is set-up for the fixed unelected men and woman of KCCA to overrule the Divisions and City Hall as the Chief Executive Musisi can just sweet talk with the Cabinet Minister Kamya as she did with Hon. Frank Tumwebaze. So for her it is nothing new and the Institutions are there, but the how operative are they really, that should be questioned and secondly; which ones does the President wish to work? Because he wants to silence the Opposition of Kampala and make them look bad. So they might picks his leaders instead of their own. Peace.
Posted in Africa, Business, Civil Service, Development, Economic Measures, Economy, Election, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Tax, Trade and tagged 2016 General Election Uganda, Betti Kamya, Ceremonial Leader, Ceremonial Mayor, Charles Musoke Sserunjogi, Dr. Jennifer Musisi, East Africa, Emmanuel Sserunjogi, Erias Lukwago, Framework for Kampala Capital City, Frank Tumwebaze, General Election 2016, GoU, Government of Uganda, H. E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, H.E. Yoweri Museveni, Hajj Erias Lukwago Ssalongo, Hon. Betti Kamya, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, Independent Candidates, Jennifer Musisi, Joyce Ssebugwawo, Kampala, Kampala Capital City Authority, Kampala Central Division, Kasirye Nganda, Kawempe, Kawempe Division, KCCA, KCCA Act, KCCA Act 2010, Lame Ducks, Legal Management, Local Councillor, Local Councillors, Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, Lord Mayor Salongo Erias Lukwago, Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni., Makindye, Makindye Division, Nakawa, Nakawa Division, National Resistance Movement, NRM, Operative Management, President Museveni, Rubaga, Rubaga Division, Salongo Erias Lukwago, Singh Katongole, Uganda, Uganda General Election 2016, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Yoweri Museveni | Leave a comment
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Amanda Churchill
Director of Digital Strategy
See All of Amanda's Post
Social // Instagram
By Amanda Churchill
Instagram is one of the fastest growing social media platforms and one of the most popular right now, so we commend you for reading this article as you are on the right track to improving your marketing.
With it’s engaging imagery and video focused feed, it’s no wonder why there are over 1 billion active users using the platform. Instagram is a great branding (and ecommerce) marketing tool.
We highly recommend Instagram for almost every business, but especially for these industries:
Instagram, owned by Facebook since 2012, has also made many improvements over the years to not only their platform, but their algorithm as well. Having a seasoned Instagram account manager is important to be able to make sure that your imagery and videos are following all of the best practices that are favored by the algorithm. This will drive more engagement and reach for you, and in the end, increase your followers, clicks to website, and sales.
Another important (and fun) feature within Instagram is Instagram Stories! They last for 24 hours and have a bunch of interactive elements you can add to each of your “slides” when you post them. They are becoming more and more popular with users, so be sure that your agency or Instagram manager has experience in making them, and also includes them in their services they provide you.
For ecommerce, Instagram has technical aspects to it to integrate your website with your feed to be able to allow users to “shop” and view products directly from your feed. They recently announced that they will launch a stand-alone app for this service as well! And, to show you just how much they change, just a few months ago they launched IGTV which is a portion of their platform that allows you to upload videos of up to 1 hour. So, in just a couple of months we had several big announcements from Instagram, with many more to come in the future as this platform is growing at a rapid rate with no signs of slowing!
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Speaking Pianist
Columbia Global Center | Paris, Reid Hall, 4 rue de Chevreuse, 75006 Paris map
Innovative pianist Stephane Ginsburgh, whose performances have been praised for their "sublime, unified beauty," will perform an exciting program of works by Frederic Rzewski, Alec Hall, Michael Pisaro, Ann Cleare, and Nina C. Young in which the piano is complemented by varied uses of electronics and the speaking voice.
Frederic Rzewski: Coming Together (1972) for speaker and indeterminate instrumental ensemble, presented here for speaking pianist
Alec Hall: A Dog is a Machine for Loving (2016-2018), WP for speaking pianist and electronics
Michael Pisaro: fields have ears (2008) for piano and four-channel playback (field recordings + noise and sine tones)
Ann Cleare: I am not a clockmaker either (2009) for piano and electronics
Nina C. Young: Metal Works - Part 1 for piano and electronics (2013)
I. Steel
(Interlude No.1)
II. Quicksilver
Sound engineering by Alec Hall.
Artist Biography:
Stephane Ginsburgh has been praised for his daring piano playing. He appears regularly in recitals and chamber music worldwide and has performed at numerous festivals such as Ars Musica, Quincena Musical, ZKM Imatronic, Agora, Bach Academie Brugge, Ultima Oslo, Darmstadt Ferienkurse and Gaida (Vilnius).
A tireless surveyor of the repertoire but also exploring new combinations including voice, percussion, performance or electronics, he dedicates much of his energy to contemporary music. He regularly plays with the Ictus Ensemble under George-Elie Octors, has collaborated with many composers of whom he premiered works, as well as with choreographers and visual artists.
Stephane Ginsburgh has recorded CDs for Sub Rosa label (Feldman, Duchamp, Satie, Fafchamps). He recorded the world premiere of two pieces by David Toub for World Edition. His Prokofiev complete piano sonatas are released by Cypres Records. His most recent release for Grand Piano/NAXOS is dedicated to the world premiere of the "Bad-Tempered Electronic Keyboard", a series of 24 Preludes and Fugues by the composer and writer Anthony Burgess.
After studying at the Conservatory, he worked with Paul Badura-Skoda, Claude Helffer, Jerome Lowenthal and Vitaly Margulis. He is a laureate of the Tenuto BRTN competition 1995 and has received the Pelemans Prize in 1999 from the Belgian composers union for his implication in performing Belgian contemporary music. In 1998, Stephane Ginsburgh co-founded SONAR (previously le Bureau des Arts), an active group of artists dedicated to different types of artistic expression and creation including music, dance and literature. He teaches piano at the Royal Music Conservatory and at the Dalcroze Institute, both in Brussels. Stephane Ginsburgh studied philosophy of science at the Free University of Brussels (U.L.B.) and is pursuing a PhD in music at V.U.B./K.C.B.
Cosponsors: Fritz Reiner Center for Contemporary Music; Columbia Global Centers | Paris; Department of Music, Columbia University; Columbia University Club of France; Columbia Undergraduate Programs in Paris; and Qubit.
Media: Ginsburgh performs Rzweski, Dear Diary and Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues
Frederic Rzewski - Dear Diary (2014) - Stephane Ginsburgh
Video of Frederic Rzewski - Dear Diary (2014) - Stephane Ginsburgh
Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues - Frederic Rzewski - Stephane Ginsburgh
Video of Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues - Frederic Rzewski - Stephane Ginsburgh
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Advice & Enquiries - Telephone : 01480 431222 | Visit us in person : 10 Chequers Court. Huntingdon. PE29 3LJ
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We have the pleasure of welcoming the Jamiroquai guys back again for the 3rd year.. this is always a great evening of groove and some insights into how the music industry works and how to get along... a must for any music students and enthusiast musicians who would like a little inspiration
We have the pleasure of the wonderful Kiki Dee & Carmelo Luggeri for an intimate evening of songs, stories and songcraft.
Famously Kiki was the first British artist to be signed to the Motown label, followed by a string of hits and collaborations in the 70's & 80's and working with producer and guitarist Carmelo since the 90's.
Join with us for a truly inspiring evening of music and storytelling with Kiki & Carmelo.
space is limited and seats are likely to sell out quickly so please book early to avoid disappointment.
Tickets are £15 in advance. doors open 7pm, show 7:30 - licensed bar. at the Hinchingbrooke Performing Arts Centre
Previous Events....
We are delighted to have guitar industry legend Paul Reed Smith, master luthier and founder of PRS Guitars over from the US to talk guitars along with his Private Stock Director Paul Miles.
This is a fantastic opportunity to meet the man behind many of the most exquisite instruments ever created. Listen to Paul enthuse about making the best possible guitar and can have Paul sign your own PRS and have a chat about instruments and music in general.
Paul Miles is also at hand if you're in the mood for ordering something a little 'special'
JOHN VERITY is perhaps best known for fronting ARGENT in the mid/late 70s. Previous to this he had prestigious support slots for Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Mountain and many others in America. Currently back to his blues roots and playing to great acclaim at venues throughout the UK, this is what reviewers quoted about John's performance at the HRH Blues Festival at Sheffield O2.
'You are left under no illusion that you are in the hands of a proper musician and vocalist
who would have no problem filling a stadium, packing out any club and
bringing a festival audience to their feet. And of course, it seems that is exactly what he is still doing. Go see him!’
For this event The John Verity Band will comprise of John, (guitar and vocals) with Liam James Gray (drums) and Roger Inniss on bass. The guys are greatly looking forward to their first appearance at Hinchingbrooke House on Wednesday November 15th.
A real masterclass in funk with three of the industries top musicians, Rob Harris (guitar), Paul Turner (Bass) and Derrick McKenzie (Drums/percussion) - together they are the amazingly tight rhythm section of the band Jamiroquai.
Check out photo's from the evening on our Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/musicstreetuk/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10156802947962907
By popular demand, and to commemorate 30 years since the great man’s song “Here I Go Again” reached #1 in the US, PRS guitars have announced the SE Bernie Marsden Ltd run guitar for 2017 exclusive to Europe. we were lucky enough to get some of these which Bernie signed on the night, you could be the proud owner of one of these we have in stock https://musicstreet.co.uk/products/prs-bernie-marsdon
we were honoured to guest Phil Palmer and his good friend Andy Cain for an 'evening with' in association with Maton guitars, it was well attended and everyone who turned up was enlightened to the sessions and gigs which Phil has done over the history of his career.
The first ever of our 'evening with' events we were able to get the legendary Albert Lee who shared his amazing guitar playing with endless stories of sessions he'd played over the years. We had an oversubscribed venue but for those who turned out a fantastic night.
more event details will be posted shortly but please sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date with these and other evens we plan to run.
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“Terminator: Dark Fate” offers yet another quasi-reboot of the Terminator multiverse…
Posted by A Middle Aged Geek on November 3, 2019
****MIMETIC POLYALLOY SPOILERS AHEAD!!****
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..
Edward Furlong, Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991); the last of the immutable Terminator movies.
For those keeping score, the Terminator franchise (much like “ALIEN” & “ALIENS”) has two seemingly immutable entries; 1984’s original “The Terminator” and its amped-up sequel, “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991). Both are classics of sci-fi action cinema. The post T2 sequels however, are another matter altogether; they have an ever-changing, fluidic continuity very much like the “Halloween” or “X-Men” movies. “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” (2003) was more or less in line with its predecessors, thought it also introduced the idea that T2 didn’t stop the aforementioned cybernetic holocaust known as ‘Judgment Day’; it merely postponed it. In fact, T3’s hardcore nihilistic ending was a refreshingly bold move for an otherwise middling entry in this movie series. “Terminator: Salvation” (2009) was an unstructured post-apocalyptic mess; though (at the very least) it tried for something other than the usual time-travel tropes of previous entries. It failed. Badly. Moving on…
Emilia Clarke, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jai Courtney in 2015’s “Terminator Genisys”; the one that pooped in the punchbowl, necessitating the latest reboot, “Terminator: Dark Fate”, which ignores all continuity and timelines created after T2, much like a “Halloween H20” of the Terminator movies.
“Terminator Genisys” (2015) attempted a “Star Trek” (2009)-style reboot of the entire mythology, diverging from the original’s 1984 timeline. This entry saw a few miscast actors assuming the roles of Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese, as well as a sexagenarian Arnold Schwarzenegger playing a technobabble-spouting version of his iconic ‘good’ Terminator (now called “Pops”). The once-awesome terminator is now played almost entirely for laughs. He’s been thoroughly Freddy Krugered. A bright spot in the post-T2 sequels was the sadly short-lived TV series “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” (2007-9) which came closest in legitimacy to T1 and T2 (it’s still my head canon, anyway). Despite the fluidity of the Terminator movies’ timeline, the continuity of the first two movies have more or less remained constant (with the exception of Genisys).
“She’ll be back.”
Linda Hamilton returns to the franchise for the first time since 1991, much like Jamie Lee Curtis returning to the “Halloween” movies in 1998 with “Halloween: H20.”
Now, we have “Terminator: Dark Fate” (2019), which ignores everything after T2, though not without creating new issues of its own. There truly is “no fate but what we make for ourselves”…
Dark Fate.
This latest Terminator movie opens with a bitter, whiskey-voiced Sarah Connor (returning veteran Linda Hamilton) telling us that the outcome of T2 didn’t prevent the end of the world after all (as we also saw in T3). In a 1998-set prologue, we see Sarah (a digitally de-aged Hamilton) and her former future savior son John (a de-aged Edward Furlong) relaxing on a South American beach when a T-800 terminator (a de-aged Arnold Schwarzenegger) casually strolls up and shoots the boy dead right in front of his mother. It seems that Skynet launched several Terminators back through time as insurance, in case its liquid metal T-1000 prototype failed. Following that horrific tragedy, Sarah has been an embittered terminator hunter ever since.
Gabriel Luna as the self-bifurcating Rev-9; two terminators for the price of one…
Cut to present day Mexico City. Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes) is the next gen ‘target’ of a new breed of Terminators. Skynet was eliminated, but a new deadly AI named “Legion” has taken its place in the future (much like the ‘Empire/First Order’ rebranding in Disney’s new Star Wars). Legion’s new terminator model Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna) is a cross between the previously seen liquid metal T-1000 but with the metal endoskeleton of the earlier T-800 (much like Kristanna Loken’s T-X in T3). In extreme cases, the endoskeleton and liquid metal of the Rev-9 can separate, forming two distinct terminators, for a two-tiered attack. With their jobs at a Mexican operated, US-based auto-making plant threatened by automation (oh, the irony), Dani and her brother Diego (Diego Boneta) are confronted by this new menace, which initially assumed the guise of their father, but soon reverts to its native form.
“I wouldn’t touch you with a ten foot pole—oh, wait a second.”
The two siblings are then whisked from the factory by a mysterious (and powerful) stranger they met the previous night; a woman who dropped out of the sky naked (as time-travelers do in these movies). The mystery blonde is named Grace, and she is an “augment”; a human resistance fighter from the future who has been cybernetically enhanced specifically for close-quarters terminator combat, but at great physical cost (she requires regular injections to maintain her super-stamina).
Grace (Mackenzie Davis) is a cybernetically-enhanced resistance fighter sent back in time to protect a new savior of humankind; a bright young Mexican auto plant worker named Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes).
During the escape, Diego is killed so that his sister may live. Dani has seen both her father and brother wiped out in a single day (not unlike the losses of Sarah’s mother and roommate in the first Terminator movie).
Sarah Connor always comes prepared…
In their escape, they have a seemingly random-not-random encounter with a heavily armed, aged Sarah Connor, who with iron gray hair and leathery features is almost a female Clint Eastwood. Sarah slows down the new terminator a bit with her heavy-duty firepower. In gratitude, Grace and Dani steal Sarah’s truck (!).
Sarah, Grace and Dani meet up at a motel after Grace steals Sarah’s truck. A scene that loosely homages T1’s Tiki Motel scene, but without the sex.
Eventually the three meet up again at a seedy motel, and the veteran terminator fighter gives the new kids on the block a few hard-earned lessons in terminator survival (rule one; no cell phones). Sarah also helps stabilize the condition of Grace, who is suffering systemwide failure of her bionics. Turns out that Grace’s augmentation was meant for short heavy-duty ambushes, not prolonged combat. Grace and Dani may not like Sarah Connor (at first), but they very much need her expertise. She’s been around this block a few times; they haven’t. Simple as that.
Gabriel Luna’s Rev-9 terminator is well rendered graphically, but it has an overall feeling of ‘been there, done that.’ He’s little more than a killer ticking clock to the plot, and lacks a feeling of genuine menace. His terminator feels too close in make and model to Kristanna Loken’s “T-X” in T3, which also had liquid metal over a endoskeletal armature.
Trust is soon established between the three women, and Sarah takes them on an extremely dangerous border crossing into the United States (there is some sly commentary on the futility and cruelty of Trump’s moronic wall) where Sarah seeks out the source of mysterious text messages she’s been receiving (Sarah’s phone is wrapped in foil) from an undisclosed caller in Laredo, Texas. The texts have faithfully alerted Sarah to new waves of time displacement into our present, including the two entries in Mexico (Grace and the Rev-9), thus explaining her seemingly happenstance arrival.
Of course, “Carl” (Schwarzenegger) has tons of weapons stashed away because, as he deadpans, “This is Texas.”
Stealing a helicopter after escaping from a migrant detainee camp, Grace, Sarah and Dani land in Laredo where they find a small cabin and meet “Carl” (Schwarzenegger), a now bearded, grandfatherly-looking terminator who killed John Connor 22 years ago, but has settled into a life as a drapery salesman (!). Carl is also a family man, complete with a wife and adopted son who don’t yet know papa Carl is really a deadly killing machine from an erased future. Carl welcomes the fugitive trio into his home, despite the fact that Sarah vows to kill the seemingly benign cyborg for the murder of her son. Soon Carl’s wife and son return home to find the strangers whisking their patriarch away. He doesn’t tell them the whole truth, only that his “past has caught up with him” and that he has to leave. This time Carl says he is “not coming back” (this sounds like something in Arnold’s contract rather than foreshadowing).
Sarah, Dani, Carl and Grace are in the ‘kill box’; some of them won’t walk out.
The quartet of terminator fighters plan to lure the Rev-9 into a “kill box”; using Dani as bait (over Grace’s objection) to draw the Rev-9 into a final all-out assault. After surviving a military cargo plane crash during pursuit by the Rev-9, the final kill box location is a spectacular one; the hydroelectric power plant of Hoover Dam (using the digitally-disguised Aldeadavila Dam in Spain… the same dam seen in 1965’s “Doctor Zhivago”, where it doubled for a dam in post-revolutionary Russia).
Interesting use of chains in close-quarters combat.
Some of the fight scenes almost feel like CGI-augmented UFC combat rather than deadly machines fighting other machines. Mackenzie Davis is the new Kyle Reese-like human(oid?) savior… with some bionic surprises up her (lack of) sleeves.
Sarah and the “new John” Dani. The two teaming up at the end feels like an attempt to start a new sub-franchise.
The predictable, CGI-laden combat in the final act grows tiresome very quickly, as Dani and her protectors use everything from chains, guns and even giant spinning turbines to try and stop the Rev-9. Overall, this final battle is more or less a redo of the steel factory climax in T2 (with some very specific references, such as Arnie’s lost arm), though not nearly as powerful or suspenseful.
A septuagenarian Schwarzenegger fights off two terminators at once.
While Arnold still maintains a very athletic physique, the actor’s age in this film necessitates a lot more computer-augmented combat that it feel more like a high-end video game than a movie.
Ultimately the Rev-9 is defeated, but at the cost of both Carl’s life and Grace’s bionic power pack, which scrambles the Rev-9’s neural net (something the group’s damaged EMP weapon was supposed to do). Dani has to cut and remove the power pack from Grace’s body, thus killing her own guardian to save herself. Another hard lesson learned.
The coda sees Sarah in full terminator-stalking mode with her new sidekick and future savior of humanity Dani in tow, taking off in a Jeep together after wistfully watching over a young, pre-augmented Grace playing in a park as a child…a child blissfully unaware of her ‘dark fate’.
The End (there is no post-credits sequence).
Blood, Sweat and Gears.
A pre-battle hardened Natalia Reyes is humanity’s new messiah. The lyrics may change, but the song remains the same…
While little about this quasi-reboot feels very original, there are a few well-appreciated differences. The movie’s new settings of Mexico and Texas are refreshing, even if the story behind them isn’t (Spain, L.A. and Hungarian locales as substituted for those settings). This also applies to the casting of Colombian actress Natalia Reyes as Dani Ramos, the “new John Connor” (i.e. new savior of the post-apocalypse human race). Reyes is solid in the role, even if her character is ultimately a retread of Hamilton’s own Sarah mixed with her son John (Edward Furlong). Hamilton’s line of “she’s the new John” is achingly on-the-nose, as the ‘chosen one’ trope is utterly exhausted. ‘Chosen ones’ have been a tired genre staple for a very long time (The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, etc). It’s also a bit of a minus that, despite new messiah Dani being a strong young Mexican woman, her ‘protectors’ are still a trio of white people (or white cyborgs). Some might legitimately argue that this falls into the ‘white savior’ movie cliche, where a person of color (however heroic or noble in their own right) is simply out of their depth without a white person to ’save’ them. * sigh * So close…
Mackenzie Davis’ ‘bionic woman’ Grace is powerful, though not without weakness.
Mackenzie Davis (“The Martian” “Blade Runner 2049″) as the new cybernetically enhanced ‘bionic woman’ Grace acts as Dani’s own Kyle Reese, minus the love story (though that would’ve been far more interesting if Grace and Dani had been lovers). In flashbacks (or flash-forwards) we learn that future Dani rescues young Grace (when she was just a human orphan) in the post-apocalypse… an act for which Grace owes Dani a life debt. Rising star Davis is solid in the role, and it’s interesting that her cybernetic augmentation requires regular injections in order for her to function at her peak (or at all). It speaks to the everyday endurance (and occasional heroism) of people living with chronic conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, or HIV. As a person living with occasionally debilitating arthritis, I appreciated the movie’s statement that even bionic super-humans have their weaknesses.
Gabriel Luna’s Rev-9 does a terminal tango with Schwarzenegger’s T-800 (Cyberdyne Systems model 101).
Speaking of weaknesses, there is the matter of the new Rev-9 series Terminator, as played by actor Gabriel Luna. While the actor’s performance is well-augmented by lots of slick CGI effects, Luna doesn’t quite project the menace of his predecessors. The original 1984 terminator was first conceived as an ‘everyman’ who’d blend right in (back when T1 costar Lance Henriksen was a frontrunner for the part), hence making him (it) more frighteningly inconspicuous. Cameron’s casting of Schwarzenegger changed all of that, of course, arguably for the better. While I appreciate director Tim Miller’s return to the original terminator concept, there is also a reason why Schwarzenegger’s imposing frame and cold stare made that character so iconic. Even T2’s Robert Patrick (as T2’s liquid metal T-1000) had that iconic, hooded, eagle-eyed stare that gave his otherwise physically unassuming character an off-the-charts intensity. Luna seems to let the effects do the heavy-lifting, with his face remaining a fixed expression. While interesting on paper, that choice doesn’t translate well onscreen. Sometimes you just have to cheat it a bit to make it really work. Luna doesn’t, and his performance feels more choreographed than cold-blooded.
They’ll be back.
Stuck in the middle with you.
Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger and even co-writer/producer James Cameron are all ‘back.’
There is also the much ballyhooed return of both Linda Hamilton and original franchise executive writer/director James Cameron, both of whom (ex-spouses, in fact) are returning to the franchise after 28 years. Cameron returns only as producer and a co-story credit this time around, and his mark on the film is less noticeable than Hamilton’s. Hamilton’s take on Sarah Connor is more or less the same as we saw in 1991, though with iron-gray hair, a still-dangerous physicality, and a Clint Eastwood disposition. The loss of her son John has turned Connor into a bitter but functional alcoholic (if there really is such an animal). Without her son John, or anyone else to truly love, she is reduced to a Guns & Ammo Grandma (a variation of Jamie Lee Curtis’ new take on “Laurie Strode” in the 2018 rebooted sequel of “Halloween”). This reduction of the character is a shame, since Sarah Connor was much more layered and nuanced in the first two Terminator films (and TV series).
The gang’s all here.
Arnold Schwarzeneggers Terminator has been continually neutered to the point where he is now a custom draperies’ installing family man who drives a minivan, for chrissakes…
While I realize that Arnold Schwarzenegger’s presence may seem essential to the Terminator movie formula, his presence in “Dark Fate” is the final nail in the coffin for the character. After killing John in the 1998 prologue, Carl goes off and (for reasons that are never quite made clear) learns to love a battered woman and her son, adopting them as his own new family. Papa Carl even finds work as a self-employed custom window draperies installer (I s#!t you not). This subplot with ex-terminator Carl and his adopted family feels like a Saturday Night Live parody of David Cronenberg’s “A History Of Violence”. I can never take Schwarzenegger’s terminator even remotely seriously ever again, especially after seeing him in cargo shorts and a flannel dad shirt. Yes, “Carl” adds levity to “Dark Fate”, but that’s also part of the problem with post T2 Terminator movies; the inclusion of extra humor at the expense of gravitas.
Time Travel Fatigue.
The cinematic Terminator franchise is as beaten and tired as its heroes.
“Terminator: Dark Fate” is essentially the same story we saw in T2, T3 and “Genisys”; a ‘chosen one’ character needs protection by a future soldier (human or cyborg). That’s essentially it. But one critical element that made earlier Terminator movies work better for me were the love stories. The first film saw a soldier saving a woman he’d fallen in love with from a photograph. The second movie saw Sarah’s undying tough-love devotion to her son John (who is brutally taken out in “Dark Fate”‘s opener). Even the third movie had a 20-something romance between a motherless John Connor and former classmate Kate (it wasn’t much of a love story, but it was something). Without that human heartbeat, the Terminator movies are soulless action flicks. The central love story has been forsaken for extra CGI FX and action set pieces. Forgive the cliche, but love is what makes a Terminator movie… not just time-traveling robots, explosions and liquid metal shapeshifting. Director Tim Miller’s own “Deadpool” movies recognized this, with Morena Baccarin’s “Vanessa” giving Ryan Reynolds’ wiseass meta-superhero a solid anchor. Perhaps if “Dark Fate” had the courage to allow Dani to fall in love with her augmented protector Grace, the final scenes would’ve had a lot more emotional heft and impact.
TV’s “The Sarah Connor Chronicles” (2008-2009), starring Summer Glau, Lena Heady and Thomas Dekker. Ironically, this short-lived 2 season Fox television series spawned the most faithful sequel of Terminator 2 to date.
“The Sarah Connor Chronicles” TV series also proved there are fresh stories to tell within the Terminator multiverse, but the Terminator movies have become too rigidly formulaic. I do wish The Sarah Connor Chronicles had lived beyond its two season lifespan. This was a series that should’ve had a good four or five year run, eliminating the need for more bloated, misfiring cinematic sequels.
While I eschew rankings or numerical scores, I’d say that “Dark Fate” is a step up from “Salvation” and “Genisys,” but not a giant leap. Granted, there are worse ways to use up a bargain matinee ticket price, but that’s not exactly high praise, either. “Dark Fate” ultimately feels like a so-so imitation of something better. Other than a change of settings and some fresh casting choices, the film is more or less a generic Terminator flick.
Given its current lackluster box office (around $28 million opening weekend), it’s safe to say the Terminator won’t be back any time soon…
#AldeadavilaDam#ArnoldSchwarzenegger#LindaHamilton#TheTerminatorGabrielLunaJamesCameronMackenzieDavisNataliaReyesTerminator:DarkFateTimMiller
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Terminator is like Highlander, based on the plot of the first one, it’s one and done. As Kyle says, the resistance smashed Skynet’s power grid and won the war. How Skynet is able to continue to send back terminators is left totally unanswered.
T2, okay, Arnold is back! We can ignore the plot hole and buy in. And with the acting of Linda and Arnold and Edward and the dynamite performance of Robert Patrick as the T1000, all continuity sins are forgiven.
T3… But they blew up Cyberdyne and Arnold lowered himself into the hot steel! Guess not…
Arnold needs to just insist Conan 3 gets made and then retire.
A Middle Aged Geek says:
I agree that T2 is the real “end” of the story, though I also appreciated the ballsy if unnecessary ending of T3 (the rest of it not so much).
That said, I wouldn’t mind a one-off, made for Netflix sequel to The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which was far more interesting than the last three Terminator movies combined.
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The Royal Families of Sussex and Cambridge Share Their Christmas Family Photos
Lai Frances
Dominic Lipinski , Getty Images
If there's a couple of holiday photos everyone's waiting to see, it's definitely the royal families of Sussex and Cambridge.
Celebrating the holidays as first time parents, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, shared an electronic Christmas card featuring the newest addition to their family via The Queen's Commonwealth Trust on Twitter.
"Just sharing the sweetest Christmas Card from our President and Vice-President, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Very Merry Christmas, everyone!" the tweet said.
With baby Archie taking front and center, the Duke and Duchess are seen laughing and smiling behind him by the Christmas tree. On the card, the royal family of Sussex wishes everyone a "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" on the card.
According to a report from The Mirror, "Harry and Meghan sent a selection of hard copy cards to family but chose to send their cards electronically this year with the aim of being environmentally conscious as well as being in Canada where they are currently enjoying a six week break away from royal duties."
In addition, Prince William and Kate Middleton shared a new family photo for the holidays of their three children - Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte yesterday via Instagram.
In a black and white photo uploaded on the Kensington Royal's Instagram account, the Duke of Cambridge is seen giving a kiss to his youngest (Prince Louis) on his cheek while George sits in the chair and Charlotte stands in between them.
"🎄Merry Christmas! This photograph of The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis was taken by The Duchess of Cambridge in Norfolk earlier this year," Kensington Palace shared. "We wish all our followers a very happy and relaxing Christmas Day ⛄️," the caption below said.
Source: The Royal Families of Sussex and Cambridge Share Their Christmas Family Photos
Filed Under: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry
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Newsletters Tom 2019-03-19T10:00:32-04:00
Why "I Love You" Wills Really Don't Say "I Love You"
As Valentine’s Day brings heart-shaped chocolate boxes and roses by the dozen into your imagination, seize the moment to learn about the drawbacks of “I love you” wills and introduce yourself to the estate planning move that’s actually going to ensure you do well by your loved ones: a lifetime beneficiary trust.
Rise above the misconceptions
No aspect of estate planning brings out as much emotional decision-making as the division of assets. Many people think, “I love you,” so I’ll leave you everything. In order to understand why “I love you” wills are, contrary to their name, not the most caring of estate planning gestures, it’s important to understand the risks of “I love you” wills.
Simply put, an “I love you” will is a common name for a will in which the maker leaves all of his or her assets outright to his or her surviving spouse. Many people consider or even use this approach because they think that leaving assets in trust shows they don’t trust their spouse. They may also think that a lack of federal estate taxes protects their assets from getting into the wrong hands. Sadly, many people also think that a will can be used to avoid probate. Unfortunately, none of these things are true.
Understand why “I love you” wills aren’t effective
Say you want to make sure your spouse, Lisa, gets access to your wealth upon your death. In the case of an “I love you” will, Lisa will have to go to the probate court in order to validate your will and ultimately transfer the assets. Since Lisa receives the assets outright, Lisa’s estate plan will eventually control the distribution of whatever assets are left at her death. This could be a significant problem because Lisa could alter her estate plan at any time. Any verbal agreements about what will be done with those assets could go out the window, contrary to your wishes or any agreements you may have made.
You could inadvertently disinherit your children. If you use an “I love you” will, your assets are now Lisa’s assets for her to leave however she wants. For example, Lisa could leave her assets to her own kids, a charity, a lover, or a new husband. Likewise, assets left outright to children could be lost in a divorce.
Basic planning with outright inheritance sets your heirs up for asset protection issues. Once your assets are owned outright by your beneficiaries through a direct inheritance, those assets can be seized by creditors, divorcing spouses, or lost in bankruptcy. Even if your estate is below the exemption for the death tax, predatory creditors and lawsuits could still spell trouble.
These wills still have to go through probate. Surviving spouses do not receive an exemption from probate. Even a simple will still has to go through the process, which you may not be anticipating — especially if you had hoped to keep the details of the will private. Trusts, however, don’t need to go through probate.
An “I love you will” does not protect against guardianship or conservatorship court involvement for you or for your beneficiaries. For example, if you leave all of your assets to Lisa and she develops dementia, her entire estate (her assets plus the inheritance she received from you) could be under the control of a guardianship or conservatorship court.
Basic plans pile more assets into survivors’ estates. Although portability between spouses can help, it still doesn’t prove useful with the generation-skipping transfer tax (GSTT). Portability isn’t available for non-spouse beneficiaries. This will only affect a very narrow group of people with very high net worth, and we don’t know yet what will happen with tax policy under the new Trump presidency. In a changing tax policy landscape, keeping yourself as informed as possible is an important tactic for ongoing success.
Explore lifetime beneficiary directed trusts
Comprehensive, trust-based estate planning with lifetime beneficiary trusts is a better option than outright inheritance for surviving spouses, children, grandchildren, or other beneficiaries. If you leave your assets in lifetime beneficiary trusts, you retain control over where assets end up in the long run. Plus, your beneficiaries obtain robust asset protection features that can keep wealth safe from courts, creditors, and divorcing spouses. Your family’s private information can stay out of public record. You can also take advantage of more sophisticated tax planning than you can with a basic will or trust with outright distributions.
With this approach, you can focus enjoying your life with the knowledge that a qualified estate planning attorney is working for your best interests now as well as down the road. Now that’s something to love and truly expresses “I love you” to your beneficiaries.
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CATEGORIES: Cover Reveal, J.R. Ward, Special Announcement
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In #1 New York Times bestselling author J. R. Ward’s thrilling finale of the Bourbon Kings series, the Bradford family dynasty teeters on the edge of collapse after the murder of their patriarch—and a shocking arrest.
At first, the death of William Baldwine, the head of the Bradford family, was ruled a suicide. But then his eldest son and sworn enemy, Edward, came forward and confessed to what was, in fact, a murder. Now in police custody, Edward mourns not the disintegration of his family or his loss of freedom . . . but the woman he left behind. His love, Sutton Smythe, is the only person he has ever truly cared about, but as she is the CEO of the Bradford Bourbon Company’s biggest competitor, any relationship between them is impossible. And then there’s the reality of the jail time that Edward is facing.
Lane Baldwine was supposed to remain in his role of playboy, forever in his big brother Edward’s shadow. Instead he has become the new head of the family and the company. Convinced that Edward is covering for someone else, Lane and his true love, Lizzie King, go on the trail of a killer—only to discover a secret that is as devastating as it is game-changing.
As Lane rushes to discover the truth, and Sutton finds herself irresistibly drawn to Edward in spite of his circumstances, the lives of everyone at Easterly will never be the same again. For some, this is good; for others, it could be a tragedy beyond imagining. Only one thing’s for certain: Love survives all things. Even murder.
COVER REVEAL:
BREAKING NEWS: We have a cover & release date for Devil's Cut!
Expected Release Date:
Expected Release Date: 1 August 2017
The Bourbon Kings series tells the devastatingly compelling story of a very prestigious Southern family from Kentucky, as it follows the four Bradford siblings and all the scandals and heartbreak entailed upon them by being born into such wealth and privilege. The Bourbon Kings was one of my rare 6-star reads of 2015, the sequel—The Angels’ Share—only left me desperate for more, so I am super excited that we finally have a release date, cover and blurb for the thrilling finale in the series, Devil’s Cut!
Buy Book:
Find it on Goodreads
The Bourbon Kings - Recommended Reading Order
BOOK REVIEW: Devil’s Cut by J.R. Ward
BOOK REVIEW: The Angels’ Share by J.R. Ward
EXCERPT: The Angels’ Share by J.R. Ward
BREAKING NEWS: We have a cover & release date for The Angels’ Share by J.R. Ward!
BOOK REVIEW: The Bourbon Kings by J.R. Ward
EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT: Bad Romeo Christmas by Leisa Rayven
NBJ WEEKLY RECAP – 22 Nov 2016
The Bourbon Kings
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By Patrick Martin, 20 January 2020
The president’s tweet is a declaration of solidarity with ultra-right forces on the eve of his impeachment trial.
By Kylie Rose and Andy Thompson, 20 January 2020
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency says it will use the Chicago Police Department to enforce federal immigration laws.
By K. Ratnayake, 20 January 2020
Sri Lanka is a key focus of intensifying rivalry between US and India, on one hand, and China and Russia, on the other.
Amid poverty wages and tax cuts for the rich
By Gabriel Black, 18 January 2020
The profit bonanza on Wall Street is the outcome of a bipartisan drive to enrich the financial elite at the expense of the working class.
By Robert Stevens, 18 January 2020
The rollout of 5G broadband wireless networks globally is becoming an arena for the eruption of geopolitical tensions.
The Democratic impeachment process will not stop Trump’s increasingly blatant assault on the constitutional foundations of basic democratic rights.
Trump administration to illegally divert an additional $7.2 billion to border wall construction
By Jacob Crosse, 17 January 2020
For the second year in a row, the Trump administration is diverting congressional appropriated funds in violation of the Constitution.
Virginia declares state of emergency barring guns at State Capitol ahead of far-right rally
By Harvey Simpkins, 17 January 2020
According to the governor’s executive order thousands of “advocates” will be descending on the city, many armed, with the intent to engage in “violence, rioting, and insurrection.”
Trump seeks to roll back environmental reviews for major infrastructure projects
By Daniel de Vries, 17 January 2020
The administration announced a proposal to upend longstanding environmental law requiring the government to document environmental impacts.
House forwards impeachment articles, triggering Senate trial of President Trump
By Barry Grey, 16 January 2020
The onset of the Senate trial takes place in the context of an explosive political and social crisis and internal warfare within the American state without parallel since the Civil War.
Following Trump’s order for the murder of Iranian General Suleimani, his denunciations of political opponents for “taking the side of terrorists” can only be interpreted as a threat of violence.
House Democrats to forward Trump impeachment articles, setting stage for Senate trial
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the next step would be taken Tuesday at a meeting of the House Democratic caucus.
Iran admits to inadvertently shooting down Ukraine International Airlines jet, killing 176
By Jordan Shilton and Keith Jones, 13 January 2020
The felling of Flight 752 came amid a war crisis fomented by Washington’s campaign of “maximum pressure” on Tehran and its January 3 assassination of Suleimani.
The assassination of Qassem Suleimani and the criminalization of US state policy
By Andre Damon, 13 January 2020
The normalization of extrajudicial killing is the outcome of the “war on terror” and decades of continuous war.
US and Israel escalate Middle East tensions in wake of Suleimani assassination
By Bill Van Auken, 11 January 2020
A report that Washington attempted to assassinate a second Iranian official in Yemen has given the lie to the claim that Suleimani was killed to prevent an “imminent” attack.
After millions march against US imperialism in the Middle East
Trump boasts of “executing” Iranian General Suleimani in Ohio campaign speech
Trump’s biggest asset is his nominal political opposition, the Democratic Party.
Denied US entry, asylum seeker takes his own life on US-Mexico border bridge
By Norisa Diaz, 11 January 2020
The suicide of Jesús García Serna casts light on the dire conditions facing the migrants being turned away from the US southern border.
The Democrats pass Pelosi’s phony antiwar resolution
On Thursday, House Democrats backed a “concurrent” resolution that places no meaningful restrictions on Trump’s ability to launch a war against Iran.
German government defends US war drive against Iran
By Johannes Stern, 10 January 2020
Having previously defended the US assassination of Gen. Qassim Soleimani, an illegal act of state terror, Berlin condemned Iran’s retaliatory strike.
New Zealand government backs US provocations against Iran
By Tom Peters, 10 January 2020
New Zealand’s Labour Party-led government has backed the US assassination of Iranian military leader Qassem Suleimani and refused to withdraw NZ troops from Iraq.
Trump administration initiated program to deport Mexican asylum seekers to Guatemala
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 10 January 2020
The deportations were already under way when the story broke Monday; however, the Trump administration has since paused the program, in part due to the strong criticism from immigration advocates as well as within federal agencies.
Trump administration begins collecting DNA from detained immigrants
By Kevin Reed, 9 January 2020
The new policy violates Fourth Amendment rights and is the first step in the establishment of a law enforcement biometric database for the entire population.
Trump bides his time, but the preparations for war against Iran will continue
By Bill Van Auken and David North, 9 January 2020
The media falsely claims that Trump’s failure to order immediate strikes against Iran signals an opening for peace.
House and Senate deadlocked over Trump impeachment trial
By Barry Grey, 8 January 2020
It was the decision to withhold military aid from Ukraine, which is fighting a US proxy war against Russian-backed separatists, that triggered a furious conflict within the state and the Trump administration itself.
As millions march in Tehran, US steps up military build-up against Iran
By Patrick Martin, 7 January 2020
As millions in Iran mourn the murder of General Qassem Suleimani, President Trump is assembling the forces for much greater crimes.
The US propaganda machine justifies the assassination of Qassem Suleimani
By Andre Damon and David North, 7 January 2020
To present with any degree of honesty the life of Major General Qassem Suleimani would require acknowledging the criminal role the United States has played in subverting the interests of the people of Iran and the entire Middle East for upwards of 70 years.
European governments defend US state terrorism following assassination of Iranian General Suleimani
By Peter Schwarz, 7 January 2020
While the European governments have called for de-escalation, they have refused to condemn as a war crime the targeted killing of a high-ranking representative of a sovereign country.
US assassination of Suleimani staggers Turkish government
By Ulas Atesci, 7 January 2020
The Turkish government took 10 hours to react to this illegal act of war carried out by its decades-long NATO ally.
Iranian-Americans detained at US-Canada border in wake of Suleimani assassination
By Benjamin Mateus, 7 January 2020
More than 60 US citizens were held at a border crossing in Washington state Saturday, subject to illegal detention and interrogation before being allowed to return to their own country.
CBS’ “60 Minutes” program raises questions on death of Jeffrey Epstein
A “60 Minutes” segment reveals new evidence about the death of the multi-millionaire sex offender consistent with suspicions that he was murdered and did not commit suicide.
Maduro government ousts Guaidó as speaker of the Venezuelan National Assembly
By Andrea Lobo, 7 January 2020
The move to sideline the opposition is largely based on calculations that it can exploit the war crisis in the Middle East and growing popular opposition to the lawlessness of US foreign policy.
Oppose Trump’s criminal war against Iran!
By The International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site, 6 January 2020
Trump’s provocation of a war with Iran is an attempt to find a way out of the increasingly desperate crisis of American capitalism—international and domestic—through spectacular acts of violence.
Trump’s anti-asylum “Remain in Mexico” policy to expand to Arizona
By Adam Mclean, 4 January 2020
Immigrants seeking asylum at the border city of Nogales, Arizona, will be turned back and left to fend for themselves on the southern side of the border.
The murder of Qassem Suleimani and assassination as state policy
By Bill Van Auken, 4 January 2020
In a reckless and criminal act, the Trump administration has effectively declared war on Iran, threatening to drag the whole world into a catastrophic conflict.
Washington escalates Mideast war threat with strikes on Iraq, Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 31 December 2019
Sunday’s airstrikes are part of an increasingly reckless US imperialist intervention in the region directed against Iran.
The impeachment crisis and US war plans against Russia
By Andre Damon, 31 December 2019
The ferocity with which the entire US national security apparatus responded to a temporary delay in sending anti-tank missiles and radar to Ukraine raises the question: Is there a timetable for using these weapons in combat against Russia?
Operation Relentless Pursuit: Federal agents occupying a city near you
By Jacob Crosse, 31 December 2019
As part of new law-enforcement initiative, Attorney General William Barr announced that an additional $71 million in federal funds will be allocated to seven US cities ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
The US sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and the danger of World War III
By Peter Schwarz, 31 December 2019
The decision by the US Congress to impose sanctions on companies involved in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline underscores the danger of world war.
Edward Gallagher, Donald Trump and America’s criminal wars
By Patrick Martin, 30 December 2019
A new report documents the gruesome record of the Navy Seal commander Trump has praised and pardoned.
Trump issues hypocritical threat over Syrian offensive
Syrian government troops backed by Russian air power have advanced on the last redoubt of Al Qaeda-linked militias in Idlib province.
Christmas Day fire in Minneapolis, Minnesota displaces more than 200
By Kate Randall, 27 December 2019
The tragedy underscores the Trump administration’s vindictive housing policy, which has cut funding for housing programs and strengthened work requirements for obtaining assistance.
Trump boasts of Democrats’ backing for his assault on immigrants
With bipartisan support, conditions on the US-Mexico border and in detention centers for immigrants have become increasingly hellish.
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg forced to resign
By Bryan Dyne, 24 December 2019
Muilenburg’s removal will not change the underlying drive by Boeing for ever-greater profits at the expense of human lives.
Trump slashes Medicaid funding for Puerto Rico
By Julio Patron, 24 December 2019
President Trump personally intervened in last week’s spending talks to reduce funding for Puerto Rico, which has been plagued by recession and ruthless social inequality.
Trump signs Pentagon budget imposing new sanctions on Syria
The record $738 billion National Defense Authorization Act was passed with the overwhelming support of House and Senate Democrats.
One day after impeachment: Democrats back Trump trade, budget bills
One day after the US House of Representatives adopted two articles of impeachment against President Trump, the House passed Trump’s top policy priority for 2019, the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, by a massive bipartisan margin.
Federal judge rules US government is entitled to seize proceeds from Edward Snowden’s book sales and speaking fees
By Kevin Reed, 20 December 2019
A federal court ruled Tuesday in favor of the Justice Department’s lawsuit seeking all proceeds from the whistleblower’s recent memoir Permanent Record.
Right-wing campaigns in Georgia and Wisconsin purge half a million registered voters
The continued assault on democratic rights by the ruling class has led to millions of disenfranchised voters.
The impeachment crisis
A plague on both political parties
By Patrick Martin and Andre Damon, 19 December 2019
Despite the ferocity of conflict over impeachment, the Democrats and Republicans represent the twin imperatives of American imperialism: the drive toward war and fascistic authoritarianism.
Trump makes fascistic appeal in impeachment letter
While Trump is seeking to exploit the impeachment to rally a right-wing movement, the Democratic Party is fearful of and hostile to mobilizing mass popular opposition to Trump.
CIA Democrats back CIA-led impeachment
Ten out of eleven newly elected representatives with military-intelligence backgrounds have publicly backed impeachment.
US military academies investigating use of “white power” hand gesture during annual Army-Navy football game
The likely open use of the white power symbol by Army and Navy cadets is an indication of the growth of fascistic elements within the US military.
Democrats combine impeachment and collaboration with Trump
In the midst of the impeachment inquiry, congressional Democrats are collaborating with Trump on trade war, attacks on immigrants, and a massive military build-up.
US-China deal a new phase in global trade war
By Nick Beams, 16 December 2019
In the longer term, the US wrecking operation against the World Trade Organisation is probably the most significant action in the global trade war.
Homeland Security memo exposes appalling medical mistreatment of immigrants in US custody
Men, women and children have been subject to delayed treatment for medical and mental health conditions, unnecessary surgeries, forcible medication, and other mistreatment resulting in unnecessary suffering and death.
Southern Poverty Law Center report highlights abusive conditions in US immigration detention centers
By Adam Mclean, 14 December 2019
The report was based on a comprehensive study of four adult immigrant detention facilities in southern Florida.
US tests INF-banned missile after Democrats rubber-stamp Trump’s nuclear build-up
The test comes just days after congressional Democrats voted for a massive military spending bill that stripped out language limiting the development of dangerous new nuclear weapons.
House Judiciary Committee votes to approve articles of impeachment against Trump
By Barry Grey, 13 December 2019
The debate has underscored the right-wing basis of the Democrats’ impeachment drive.
Boeing executives must be tried for murder
Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration were well aware of deadly safety problems of the 737 Max 8 aircraft that cost 346 human lives.
US announces ”in principle” agreement on “phase one” US-China trade deal
Any reduction in US tariffs, will be accompanied by a so-called “snapback” provision under which they would be immediately re-imposed if it is determined that China is not abiding by its side of the deal
Pentagon chiefs say US troops to stay in Syria for years
Less than two months after Trump’s demagogic announcement of a full withdrawal from Syria, the US military has made clear that it has no plans to leave.
Warrant targeting Assange supporter reveals scope of US government campaign against WikiLeaks
By Oscar Grenfell, 13 December 2019
As part of the FBI probe into supposed Russian interference in the 2016 US election, the entire contents of a Google account belonging to Somerset Bean, a WikiLeaks supporter and graphic designer, was subpoenaed by the American government.
The impeachment crisis and its political consequences
Regardless of the its final outcome in the House and Senate, the impeachment proceedings will have reactionary and dangerous repercussions.
US renews insults and threats against North Korea
By Peter Symonds, 12 December 2019
The Trump administration has made clear that it has no intention of meeting North Korea’s end-of-year deadline for meaningful talks, thus setting the stage for confrontation and conflict.
Trump signs executive order aimed at suppressing criticism of Israel
The purpose of the order signed Wednesday is to squelch free speech at publicly funded universities, targeting in particular the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
Democrats release articles of impeachment against Trump on “national security” grounds
The articles of impeachment assert that the president “betrayed the nation” and “compromised the national security of the United States” by temporarily delaying military aid to Ukraine.
Report unmasks FBI intervention in 2016 elections
The real threat to American democracy comes from the national-security state and the capitalist ruling elite, not from any foreign country.
Democrats, White House position themselves for impeachment vote
By Patrick Martin, 9 December 2019
The House Judiciary Committee is expected to vote articles of impeachment against Trump this week.
Video exposes US Custom and Border Protection’s lies in death of teenage immigrant
By Adam Mclean, 7 December 2019
The gross and criminal negligence shown in the video is not an accident, but is in line with the anti-immigrant policy of the Trump administration.
Pelosi announces Democrats to begin drafting impeachment charges against Trump
The House Speaker announced Thursday plans to draw up articles of impeachment for President Trump.
Impeachment hearing opens with Democratic Party blast against Russia
The opening statement by House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler set the tone for a hearing that repeatedly returned to the bogus allegations of massive Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
NATO summit dominated by growing inter-state conflicts
By Alex Lantier, 5 December 2019
Explosive conflicts over trade and military policy between Washington and its main European allies erupted this week at the NATO summit in London.
Democrats’ report confirms anti-Russia axis of impeachment inquiry
By Barry Grey, 4 December 2019
The Democrats’ 300-page report is all about Ukraine and the central role it occupies in the geo-strategic operations of the United States directed against Russia.
By Nick Beams, 4 December 2019
Responding to a question in London on whether there was a deadline for a trade deal with China, Trump said: “I like the idea of waiting until after the election for the China deal.”
A Warning: A manifesto of the pro-war “Resistance” in the American state
By Andre Damon, 4 December 2019
The book makes clear that the “Resistance” to Trump’s policies within the US government, which forms the basis of the Democrats’ impeachment drive, centers on claims that Trump is insufficiently aggressive in defending and expanding America’s imperial interests.
House Democrats begin next phase of impeachment drive
The White House is refusing to participate in the first formal impeachment hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, set for Wednesday.
Iranian government kills hundreds in bid to suppress the worst protests in decades
By Jean Shaoul, 3 December 2019
There is no doubt that the US, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf monarchies and Israel are seeking to exploit the escalating crisis confronting Iran.
The DSA on impeachment or: How the DSA learned to stop worrying and love Bolton
By Genevieve Leigh, 3 December 2019
The Democratic Socialists of America has given its full support to the impeachment campaign, lining up behind John Bolton and the other reactionaries promoted by the Democratic Party.
Obama spearheads campaign against Sanders’ nomination as Democratic presidential candidate
The Democratic Party establishment wants to ensure that issues of social inequality are not a focal point in the elections, even in the toothless form represented by Sanders and Warren.
US Attorney General William Barr’s brief for presidential dictatorship
By Tom Carter, 2 December 2019
Even by the degraded standards of American political discourse at present, Barr’s speech was exceptional for its essentially anti-democratic and fascistic content.
Imperialist powers intensify pressure on Iranian regime in wake of protests
By Jordan Shilton, 30 November 2019
US imperialism is chiefly responsible for the tense standoff in the Persian Gulf. But the claims of the Iranian regime that “collective security” can be achieved by establishing a closer military alliance with Beijing and Moscow are reactionary.
Trump threatens to designate Mexican cartels as “terrorists”
The step would set the stage for direct US military interventions in Mexico, while pressuring the Mexican government to escalate militarized repression of social opposition.
Trump’s war crime pardons: Cultivating a fascistic base in the military
By Bill Van Auken, 27 November 2019
The unprecedented intervention in defense of Navy Seal Edward Gallagher is aimed not just at facilitating war crimes abroad, but at preparing forces to be used against the working class at home.
US navy secretary fired in case of pardoned SEAL war criminal
The crimes of Gallagher and the other war criminals pardoned by Trump account for a minuscule portion of the civilians massacred in the illegal wars waged by US imperialism over the past 18 years.
Judge denies “absolute immunity” of White House aides
The ruling by Judge Kenji Brown Jackson was a sweeping rejection of the Trump administration’s claims that top officials cannot be compelled to testify before Congress.
Who decided the US should fight a “hot war” with Russia?
By Andre Damon, 23 November 2019
The impeachment inquiry has exposed a US conspiracy to spend billions of dollars to overthrow an elected government in Ukraine and foment a civil war that has killed thousands of people.
Trump overrides Navy’s bid to evict war criminal from SEALS
This was the fourth intervention by the US president in the case of Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEAL charged with shooting civilians and murdering a prisoner during the 2017 siege of Mosul.
US activist who sheltered migrants found not guilty in second trial
By Aaron Murch, 22 November 2019
The verdict, after less than two hours of deliberation, reflects the broad support for humanitarian aid for immigrants.
The impeachment crisis and American imperialism
The principal crime revealed in the impeachment hearings is how American imperialism conducts itself towards smaller and less powerful nations such as Ukraine.
Impeachment hearing highlights conflict over US policy in Ukraine
The driving force of the Democratic Party inquiry is the US effort to use Ukraine as a base of operations and front-line state in the confrontation with Russia.
In the face of attacks by billionaires, Obama
Elizabeth Warren backpedals on “Medicare for All”
By Kate Randall, 20 November 2019
Less than three weeks after presenting her “Medicare for All” proposal, Warren is backtracking on virtually all of its components.
As second week of public hearings begins
Pelosi doubles down on anti-Russia politics of impeachment inquiry
By Barry Grey, 19 November 2019
Pelosi once again defined as the sole issue in the Democrats’ case for impeachment the charge that Trump endangered US “national security” and strengthened Russia.
US declares Israeli settlements no longer illegal
By Jean Shaoul, 19 November 2019
The US ruling is a green light for an escalation in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from East Jerusalem and the annexation of Palestinian land.
Former US Secretary of State Kissinger points to danger of “catastrophic” conflict between US and China
By Nick Beams, 16 November 2019
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has warned of an inevitable “conflict” between the US and China that “will be worse than the world wars that ruined European civilisation.”
Seeking to cultivate fascistic base, Trump pardons two war criminals and promotes a third
By Evan Blake, 16 November 2019
Trump’s unprecedented pardoning of war criminals highlights the authoritarian character of his administration.
The Trump impeachment and US policy in Ukraine
The public hearings on impeachment have brought to light bitter recriminations within the US ruling elite sparked by the failure of its anti-Russia efforts in Ukraine.
Popular resistance mounts against Bolivian coup
Thousands of workers and peasants in Bolivia’s capital of La Paz, the neighboring district of El Alto and in Cochabamba have taken to the streets in defiance of police-military repression.
Leaked emails reveal Trump aide Stephen Miller’s fascist politics
By Trévon Austin, 15 November 2019
Emails published by the Southern Poverty Law Center show Stephen Miller, White House senior adviser in charge of immigration policy, espousing racist views and promoting white supremacist and neo-Nazi publications.
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Ceramide sphingolipid signaling mediates Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-dependent toxicity via caspase signaling in dopaminergic neurons
Terina N Martinez1,
Xi Chen2,
Sibali Bandyopadhyay3,
Alfred H Merrill3 &
Malú G Tansey1,2
Molecular Neurodegeneration volume 7, Article number: 45 (2012) Cite this article
Dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the ventral midbrain selectively degenerate in Parkinson’s disease (PD) in part because their oxidative environment in the substantia nigra (SN) may render them vulnerable to neuroinflammatory stimuli. Chronic inhibition of soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) with dominant-negative TNF inhibitors protects DA neurons in rat models of parkinsonism, yet the molecular mechanisms and pathway(s) that mediate TNF toxicity remain(s) to be clearly identified. Here we investigated the contribution of ceramide sphingolipid signaling in TNF-dependent toxicity.
Ceramide dose-dependently reduced the viability of DA neuroblastoma cells and primary DA neurons and pharmacological inhibition of sphingomyelinases (SMases) with three different inhibitors during TNF treatment afforded significant neuroprotection by attenuating increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, caspase-3 activation and decreases in Akt phosphorylation. Using lipidomics mass spectrometry we confirmed that TNF treatment not only promotes generation of ceramide, but also leads to accumulation of several atypical deoxy-sphingoid bases (DSBs). Exposure of DA neuroblastoma cells to atypical DSBs in the micromolar range reduced cell viability and inhibited neurite outgrowth and branching in primary DA neurons, suggesting that TNF-induced de novo synthesis of atypical DSBs may be a secondary mechanism involved in mediating its neurotoxicity in DA neurons.
We conclude that TNF/TNFR1-dependent activation of SMases generates ceramide and sphingolipid species that promote degeneration and caspase-dependent cell death of DA neurons. Ceramide and atypical DSBs may represent novel drug targets for development of neuroprotective strategies that can delay or attenuate the progressive loss of nigral DA neurons in patients with PD.
The exact molecular mechanisms that contribute to pathogenesis in Parkinson’s disease (PD) have not been well delineated; many different cellular processes have been implicated in PD, including diminished function of the ubiquitin proteasome system, generation of reactive oxygen species, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, compromised mitochondrial function and protein aggregation (Reviewed by [1]). Additionally, inflammation and activated microglia have been generally implicated in PD pathology [2–7] and increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF, IL-1β and IL-6, have been observed in the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and striatum of PD patients relative to healthy age-matched controls [8]. Furthermore, gene polymorphisms in inflammatory genes (TNF-308 and IL-1β-511) have been associated with an increased risk of developing PD [9]. Specifically, we have previously reported that blocking soluble TNF (solTNF) signaling with novel dominant-negative TNF inhibitors attenuates loss of dopaminergic neurons both in vitro and in vivo[10]. Soluble TNF signals through the canonical transmembrane death receptor TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) to potently transduce inflammatory stimuli [11, 12]. TNFR1 is constitutively expressed by most cell types, including DA neurons, which are acutely sensitive to TNF-induced toxicity [13–15]. However, TNFR1 can elicit signaling through numerous down-stream effectors, including p38, JNK, MAPK, and ceramide (Reviewed by [16]) but identification of specific pathways required for TNF-induced cytotoxicity in DA neurons has not yet been forthcoming.
The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that ceramide signaling cascades are an important effector arm of TNF-mediated cytotoxicity in DA neurons. Ceramide is a sphingolipid with a well-established role in cell membrane homeostasis [17]. However, a wealth of studies over the past decade established the role of ceramide and its downstream metabolites as second messenger sphingolipids due to their rapid and transient generation in cells and their ability to modulate a variety of physiologic and stress responses [18–20]. Specifically, ceramide has been implicated in the cell death pathway activated by the death domain receptor ligands TNF and Fas-L [21, 22]. Additionally, ceramide has been shown to activate apoptosis in primary cortical neurons [23] and in primary neuronal cultures from embryonic mesencephalon [24], but its role as a critical downstream effector of TNF-induced apoptosis in DA neurons has not been fully delineated. To explore the role of ceramide signaling in the TNF-dependent cytotoxicity of DA neurons, we used both primary neuronal cultures from embryonic rat ventral mesencephalon and the MN9D dopamine neuron-like cell line [25] which is a hybridoma line derived from fusion of murine embryonic ventral mesencephalon and neuroblastoma cells and is often used as an in vitro model of DA neurons [26, 27] because the cells express high levels of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate limiting enzyme in dopamine biosynthesis, and efficiently synthesize, store and release dopamine [28]; additionally, their sensitivity to oxidative stress and inflammatory stimuli is similar to that of primary DA neurons from ventral midbrain [25–27]. Here we report that TNF and ceramide exert dose-dependent cytotoxic effects on DA neuroblastoma cells and primary DA neurons. Functionally, inhibitors of SMase activity which block sphingomyelin hydrolysis and ceramide generation attenuated TNF-induced cytotoxicity, decreases in phospho-Akt, increases in caspase 3 cleavage as well as mitochondrial membrane potential changes, and ER stress in DA cells. Ultimately, the mechanisms of TNF-induced cytotoxicity in DA cells culminated in and were found to be completely dependent on caspase signaling, suggesting a model in which ceramide/sphingolipid signaling cascades are key effectors of TNF-dependent apoptotic death in DA neurons. Our data also revealed that TNF treatment not only activates sphingomyelinases (SMases) to produce ceramide but also leads to generation of several other atypical deoxy-sphingoid bases (DSBs) including desoxymethylsphingosine (1-desoxyMeSo), deoxysphinganine (deoxySa), and desoxymethylsphinganine (1-desoxyMeSa); when added exogenously in vitro, some of these DSBs inhibit neurite outgrowth and are toxic to DA neurons. These findings suggest that multiple sphingolipid mediators may be responsible for mediating TNF neurotoxicity and identification of specific sphingolipid metabolites may reveal opportunities for drug development to delay or prevent DA neuron degeneration.
Experimental procedures
Primary and Cell Line Cultures
The MN9D dopaminergic neuroblastoma cell line was developed by Dr. Alfred Heller [25] and was a generous gift from Dr. Michael Zigmond, at the University of Pittsburgh. MN9D cells were grown in culture in sterile complete media (CM) which consisted of: high glucose (4,500 mg/L) Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM, Sigma, D5648) dissolved in sterile tissue culture tested water (Sigma) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS, Hyclone Fetal Clone III), sodium bicarbonate (3.7 g/L, Sigma), 25 mM HEPES (Sigma), and 1% Penicillin/Streptomycin (Sigma) at a final pH of 7.3 in a humidified 5% CO2 incubator at 37°C. MN9D cell cultures were seeded in 75 cm2 tissue culture flasks (Costar) and plated at a density of 7,500 cells per well for 96-well plates (100 μL CM per well); 35,000 cells per well (500 μL CM per well) for 24-well plates; and 50,000 cells per well (2 mL CM per well) for 6-well plates. After plating and allowing attachment of cells overnight in CM, MN9D cells were differentiated for 72 hrs via a complete media change to differentiation media (DM) which contained serum free DMEM (same CM as above, except FBS was excluded) supplemented with 5 mM 2-Propylpentanoic acid (valproic acid, Sigma, P6273) and 1X N2 supplement (Invitrogen) as described in previous protocols [26].
Primary mixed neuron-glia cultures from rat ventral mesencephalon (rat MES) were prepared as described previously [10]. Briefly, ventral mesencephalic tissues were dissected from embryonic day 14 (E14) Fischer 344 rats and dissociated with mild mechanical trituration. Cells were plated into 96-well culture plates pre-coated with poly-D-lysine (0.1 mg/mL) and laminin (20 g/mL) at a density of 2.5 x105 cells/mL in DMEM/F12 supplemented with 10% FBS, 1 g/L glucose, 2 mM L-glutamine, 1 mM sodium pyruvate, 100 M non-essential amino acids, 50 U/mL penicillin, 50 g/mL streptomycin, and 10 ng/mL basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). Cultures were maintained at 37°C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2/95% air. Cultures were replenished 2 days later with 100 μL/well fresh medium lacking bFGF and were treated 5 days after plating. For treatment, the cultures were maintained in 100μL/well of medium supplemented with 2.5% FBS and lacking bFGF.
MTS Metabolic Assays
Treated diff-MN9D cells in 96-well plates were evaluated for overall viability using the MTS assay (Promega, CellTiter 96 AQueous One Solution Cell Proliferation Assay) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Twenty microliters (20 μL) of the MTS reagent was added to cell cultures with DM-containing treatments and/or inhibitors. The cells were incubated with the MTS reagent at 37°C, 5% CO2 for 2 hrs prior to colorimetric quantification of MTS reduction into a blue formazan by-product by metabolically active cells. The absorbance of blue formazan was measured at 492 nm wavelength using a Multiskan Ascent absorbance plate reader (Thermo Labsystems).
LDH Release Cytotoxicity Assay
Treated diff-MN9D cells in 96-well plates were evaluated for cytotoxicity using an LDH release assay (Clontech Laboratories, Mountain View, CA) as per the manufacturer’s instructions. LDH reactions were measured at a wavelength of 492 nm on an absorbance plate reader (Thermo Lab Systems Multiskan Ascent). The maximum LDH activity was determined by lysing the cells with 1% Triton X-100.
Neurite Length and Branching Studies
After treatment with the specified sphingolipids, primary rat mesencephalic (MES) cultures were fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde, stained with anti-MAP2 (1:1000, Millipore, MAB3418) and anti-TH antibodies (1:1000, Millipore, AB152) and counterstained by DAPI. Images were captured on an IMAGEXPRESS 5000A automated cellular imaging and analysis system. When analyzing the morphology of TH-positive neurons, the neurite outgrowth application module of MetaXpress software was used and multi-parameter analysis measurements were performed.
Sphingomyelinase and Ceramide Synthesis Inhibition
Diff-MN9D cells in 96-well plates were pre-treated in triplicate or quadruplicate with one of four different pharmacological inhibitors: the acid sphingomyelinase (ASMase) inhibitor desipramine HCl, used at 1 μM and 5 μM, (Sigma, D3900, dissolved in sterile H2O), the neutral sphingomyelinase (NSMase) inhibitor GW4869, used at 10 μM, and 20 μM, (Calbiochem, No. 567715, dissolved in DMSO, aliquotted and stored under argon gas), the synthetic bisphosphonate sSMase inhibitor 7c, also known as ARC39, used at 1 μM, (a generous gift from Dr. Christoph Arenz, Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany), the serine palmitoyltransferase inhibitor myriocin (a generous gift from Dr. Philip Scherer, UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas), dissolved in ethanol and used at 10 μM or the ceramide synthase inhibitor Fumonisin B1, used at 50 μM (Axorra LLC, No.: 350-017-M001, dissolved in sterile H2O). Diff-MN9D cells were pre-treated with ceramide inhibitors or control diluents for 30 minutes via a 50% media change with DM that contained a 2X concentration of the respective inhibitor or control diluent (i.e. 50 μL of the initial 100 μL DM was removed and replaced with 50 μL of DM containing a 2X concentration of a ceramide inhibitor for a final volume of 100 μL with 1X inhibitor). After pre-treatment with ceramide inhibitors for 30 minutes, TNF was added by a 1:100 dilution of a TNF stock concentration into media that contained ceramide inhibitors (1 μL of 100X TNF was added to 100 μl DM). In the case of GW4869, which declines in effective NSMase-inhibition over time [29] the GW4869 reagent was added to DM 30 minutes prior to TNF treatment by a 50% media change and was then re-added 24 hrs after initial GW4869 pre-treatment by addition of a 1:100 dilution of a GW4869 stock concentration (1 μL of 100X GW + 100 μL DM to equal 1X) into DM already containing TNF treatments. Diff-MN9D cells were incubated at 37°C, 5% CO2 for 48 hrs post TNF treatment prior to determination of cell viability by MTS assay.
Western blots for ER stress, caspase-3, and p-AKT activation
MN9D cells were plated on 6-well plates at the density of 50,000 cells/well. Twenty-four to forty-eight hours later, the complete media was changed into differentiation media and the cells were neurally differentiated for 72 hours. Before TNF treatment, diff-MN9D cells were pre-incubated with desipramine or GW4869 for 1 hour. After 24- hours treatment with ceramide, TNF, TNF/Des or GW, cell lysates were collected in 200 uL SDS-PAGE loading buffer. When running SDS-PAGE, 15ul of sample lysate was loaded in each well. GAPDH and α-Tubulin were used as controls for densitometry quantification. The quantified data shown represent at least three independent experiments.
Cytofluorometric Analysis of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential
Mitochondrial membrane potential in diff-MN9D cells was measured as previously described [30]. Briefly, MN9D cells were seeded into black-walled, clear-bottomed 24-well plates onto Poly-L-Lysine (PLL) coated (Sigma, P2636, MW = 30,000-70,000, 1 mg/mL) Assistent glass cover slips (12 mm, No.0, distributed by Carolina Biological Supply) at a density of 35,000 cells per well in 500 μL CM. The MN9D cells were incubated overnight at 37°C, 5% CO2 and were then differentiated via a complete media change with DM. After 72 hrs in DM, the diff-MN9D cell cultures were treated with C2-Cer or DMSO vehicle, or TNF or media vehicle via a complete media change with 1X treatment in DM. After incubation with C2-Cer for 18 hrs or TNF for 36 hrs, tetra methyl rhodamine methyl ester (TMRM) (Invitrogen, T668, re-suspended in DMSO) was loaded into treated diff-MN9D cells at 150 nM in warm assay buffer (AB, 500 μL per well) which consisted of: NaCl (80 mM), KCl (75 mM), D-glucose (25 mM) and HEPES (25 mM) diluted in sterile H2O and adjusted to a final pH of 7.4. To control for TMRM background cytofluorescence, carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP, Sigma, C2759) was used. At the time of incubation with TMRM, 10 μM CCCP (re-suspended in DMSO) was co-added with TMRM in AB to parallel wells of diff-MN9D cells treated with TNF or C2-Cer. TMRM and TMRM/CCCP loaded cells were incubated for 15 minutes in a humidified incubator with 5% CO2 at 37°C prior to quantification of TMRM cytofluorescence by excitation at 544 nm wavelength and emission at 590 nm wavelength on a FLUOstar Omega plate reader (BMG Scientific). The TMRM signal in TMRM/CCCP conditions is considered background, and this signal was used to normalize TMRM cytofluorescence values for each respective TNF or C2-Cer condition.
Caspase Inhibition and BAPTA-AM Studies
Diff-MN9D cells in 96-well plates were treated in triplicate or quadruplicate with TNF or C2-Cer alone or were co-treated with one of two caspase inhibitors, 25 μM Z-VAD-FMK (Z-VAD, a pan caspase inhibitor, obtained from Promega), or 25 μM Z-IETD-FMK (Z-IETD, a caspase 8-specific inhibitor, obtained from R&D Systems). The treated diff-MN9D cells were incubated at 37°C, 5% CO2 with C2-Cer for 24 hrs or with TNF for 48 hrs prior to determination of overall cell viability via the MTS assay as described above. For BAPTA-AM studies, diff-MN9D cells were pre-loaded with the cell permeant intracellular Ca2+ chelator BAPTA-AM (BAPTA, 10 μM) 30 min prior to treatment with concentrations of C2-Cer. At the endpoint of the study, cell viability was assayed by MTS reduction.
Lipidomics for Quantitative Analysis of Complex Sphingolipids and Sphingoid Base
To perform quantitative analysis of complex sphingolipids and sphingoid bases in MN9D ventral mesencephalon DA neuroblastoma cells in response to TNF (10 ng/mL) treatment, we employed a lipidomics approach based on previously published protocols [31]. For internal standards, the Ceramide/Sphingoid Internal Standard Mixture II (LM-6005) from Avanti Polar Lipids (Alabaster, AL, USA) was used with 25 pmol of each of the following: Sphingosine (C17 base), Sphinganine (C17 base), Sphingosine-1-P (C17 base), Sphinganine-1-P (C17 base), Lactosyl(ß) C12 Ceramide, C12-Sphingomyelin, Glucosyl(ß) C12-Ceramide, C12-Ceramide, and C12-Ceramide-1-P (LM-6005).
Cell Treatments with TNF, Ceramide and Sphingoid Bases
After incubation in DM for 72 hours, diff-MN9D cells cultured in 96-well plates were treated in triplicate or quadruplicate by a 50% media change with DM that contained 2X TNF (recombinant mouse, R&D MT-410), C2-Ceramide (C2-Cer, N-acetyl-D-Sphingosine, Sigma A7191) or C2-dihydroceramide (C2-DH-Cer, Sigma, C7980) as a negative control for C2-Ceramide because it lacks the 4–5 trans bond in the sphingosine moiety and cannot activate downstream ceramide signaling [22, 32]. The TNF was dissolved in sterile Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS, Sigma) and C2-Cer and C2-DH-Cer were dissolved in DMSO (Sigma) and aliquotted and stored under argon gas. As a control in parallel treatments, a DMSO vehicle condition equivalent to the amount of DMSO in the highest concentration of C2-Cer/C2-DH-Cer was used. TNF, C2-Cer or C2-DH-Cer-treated diff-MN9D cells were incubated at 37°C, 5% CO2 for 72 or 48 hrs respectively, prior to being evaluated for overall viability using the MTS assay (described below). TNF, C2-Cer or C2-DH-Cer treatments of diff-MN9D cells in 24-well or 6-well plates were done in duplicate or triplicate by a complete media change from DM to DM containing 1X TNF, C2-Cer or C2-DH-Cer. Etanercept, an Fc-fusion protein consisting of TNFR2 and the Fc component of human immunoglobulin IgG1, was used as a positive control because it binds TNF and blocks its bioactivity [10, 33].
Lipid-BSA stock solutions of the following sphingolipids from Avanti Polar Lipids were prepared as per published protocols [34, 35]. 1-deoxysphinganine C18H39NO (Catalog # 860493), 1-desoxymethylsphinganine C17H37NO (Catalog # 860473); 1-deoxysphingosine C18H37NO (Catalog# 860470); 1-desoxymethylsphingosine C17H35NO (Catalog # 860477); C16 ceramide C34H67NO3 (Catalog # 860516); Sphingosine (d18:1) C18H37NO2 (Catalog # 860490) and Sphinganine (d18:0) C18H39NO2 (Catalog # 860498). Briefly, lipids were placed in Pyrex 13x100 mm borosilicate, screw-capped glass test tubes with Teflon caps and solubilized in a volume of ethanol to get a final concentration of 100 mM; sonication and warm tap water were employed to ensure homogenous resuspension. To make 1:1 (concentration) sphingoid base-BSA complex, 20 uL of a given sphingoid base (100 mM) in ethanol was quickly injected into a 1 mL volume of a BSA (2 mM) solution by using a Hamilton syringe. To ensure optimal complexing of the lipids to BSA, tubes were shaken vigorously and sonicated as needed. When treating the diff-MN9D cells, different concentrations of sphingoid base-BSA complexs were prepared in differentiation media and added to diff-MN9D cells and incubated for 24 hours at the concentrations indicated under “Results”. When treating the rat MES cultures, sphingoid base-BSA complexes were prepared in treatment media (DMEM/Ham F-12 with 1% Pen/strep, 1% Glutamine, 1% non-essential amino acids and 2.5% FBS) without bFGF.
Statistical analyses were performed using GraphPad Prism5 software (GraphPad Prism, San Diego, CA). Intergroup differences among the means between the various dependent variables were analyzed using one-way ANOVA; when ANOVA indicated significant differences, it was followed by Tukey’s post-hoc group comparison test. Differences among group means between two independent variables were analyzed by two-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey’s post-hoc test when the ANOVA indicated significant differences. Values expressed are the group means +/- standard error of the mean (SEM).
TNF and ceramide induce cytotoxicity in differentiated MN9D cells and in primary DA neurons from ventral mesencephalon
In light of our previous findings showing that ventral mesencephalon dopaminergic (DA) neurons are acutely sensitive to TNF in vitro and in vivo[10], we hypothesized that ceramide sphingolipids are critical effectors of TNF-induced cytotoxicity. First, we aimed to establish a correlation between TNF-dependent ceramide generation and the effect of TNF or ceramide exposure on the viability of neuronally differentiated MN9D cells or primary DA neurons. We found that TNF dose-dependently decreased the viability of diff-MN9D cells as measured by the MTS metabolic assay (Figure 1A). To test the hypothesis that elevated ceramide is directly toxic to diff-MN9D cells, we treated the cells with various concentrations of C2-Cer or C2-dihydroceramide (C2-DH-Cer) as a negative control; C2-DH-Cer is an analog of C2-Cer lacking the 4–5 trans bond in the sphingosine moiety that is incapable of activating downstream ceramide signaling [22, 32]. We found that C2-Cer but not C2-DH-Cer induced dose-dependent decreases in diff-MN9D viability (Figure 1B). We previously determined that non-differentiated MN9D (non-diffMN9D) cells are not sensitive to concentrations of TNF that elicit cytotoxicity in diff-MN9D cells [26]. Similarly, C2-Cer was not cytotoxic to non-diff-MN9D cells (Additional file 1: Figure S1).
TNF and ceramide (but not dihydro-Ceramide) reduce viability of neurally differentiated MN9D dopaminergic (DA) cells. A, Dose-dependent cytotoxic cell death in diff-MN9D cells treated with TNF for 72 hrs. All values represent group means +/− SEM, n = 3–4. One-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc; * denotes p < 0.05, ** denotes p < 0.01, and *** denotes p < 0.001 compared to vehicle (DMSO, 1%); for comparison between doses # denotes p < 0.05, n.s. denotes not significant. B, Dose-dependent C2-Ceramide-induced cytotoxic death in diff-MN9D cells. Cells were treated with ceramide (C2-Cer), or with equal concentrations of C2-dihydroceramide (C2-DH-Cer) as a negative control. All values represent group means +/− SEM, n = 3–4. Two-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test for comparing C2-Cer conditions to C2-DH-Cer conditions where **denotes p < 0.01, *** denotes p < 0.001. One-way ANOVA to test for dose-dependent cell death in C2-Cer conditions where # denotes p < 0.05, ### denotes p < 0.001 relative to vehicle or different C2-Cer conditions as indicated.
TNF-induced neurotoxicity in DA cells and neurons is attenuated by SMase inhibitors
Ceramide can be generated either through a de novo biosynthesis pathway involving several enzymatic reactions downstream of the initial condensation of serine and palmitoyl-CoA on the cytoplasmic surface of the ER or through the sphingomyelin recycling pathway whereby acid or neutral sphingomyelinases (SMases) hydrolyze sphingomyelin (SM) to ceramide [36]. We hypothesized that activation of SMases at the plasma membrane by the activated TNFR1/TNF receptor complex is the mechanism by which TNF exposure leads to ceramide signaling and cytotoxicity in DA cells. To test this hypothesis directly, we pre-treated diff-MN9D cells with different inhibitors of SMases for 30 minutes followed by treatment with TNF for 48 hrs. We pre-treated diff-MN9D cells with three different compounds that inhibit SMases with different mechanisms of action. Pre-incubation with desipramine (Des) (an inhibitor of acid sphingomyelinase, ASMase[37]), GW4869 (an inhibitor of neutral sphingomylinase, NSMase [38]), or with 7c, also known as ARC39 (an inhibitor of lysosomal and secreted ASMase [39]) at the concentrations indicated all significantly attenuated TNF-induced cytotoxicity of diff-MN9D cells as measured by the MTS assay (Figure 2A). To confirm and extend these findings, we assayed the extent to which two of these SMase inhibitors attenuated TNF-induced death of DA neurons in primary neuron-glia cultures from rat ventral mesencephalon. Consistent with the results in MN9D cells, Des and GW4869 protected primary DA neurons from TNF-induced death (Figure 2B) to an extent comparable to that achieved in previous studies using the soluble TNF-selective inhibitor XENP345 [10]. Together these pharmacological data strongly suggest that TNF-dependent activation of SMases results in SM hydrolysis and generation of ceramide that is cytotoxic to DA neurons, compromising their viability. To confirm that the ceramide-generating pathway involved in mediating TNF-dependent cytotoxicity is due to SM hydrolysis by SMases rather than through de novo ceramide formation, we repeated these experiments using pharmacological inhibitors of the de novo ceramide biosynthesis pathway. We observed that inhibition of the enzyme serine palmitoyltransferase (the rate-limiting enzyme in de novo ceramide biosynthesis) by myriocin or inhibition of the enzyme ceramide synthase (which converts sphinganine to dihydroceramide) by Fumonisin B1 did not mitigate TNF-induced cytotoxicity in diff-MN9D cells (Additional file 2: Figure S2). Collectively, our data support a model in which SMase hydrolysis of SM to form ceramide is requisite for TNF-induced cytotoxicity in diff-MN9D cells and DA neurons.
TNF-induced neurotoxicity in DA cells and neurons is attenuated by SMase inhibitors. A, TNF-induced cytotoxic cell death is dependent on SMase hydrolysis of sphingomyelin. Diff-MN9D cells were pre-treated for 30 minutes with 5 μM desipramine (Des) or 10 μM GW4869 or 1 μM ARC39 followed by 5 ng/mL TNF for 48 hrs prior to MTS viability assay. Cell viability was measured by the MTS assay described under Methods. All values represent group means +/− SEM, n =3 - 4. One-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc; # denotes difference between TNF and vehicle at p < 0.001, * and *** denote difference from TNF alone at p < 0.05 or p < 0.001, respectively. B, TNF induced dose-dependent death of primary ventral mesencephalon DA neurons with SMase inhibitors affording robust rescue; 5 μM Desipramine (Des); 10 μM GW4869. All values represent group means +/− SEM, n =3 - 4. One-way ANOVA, Tukey’s post-hoc test to compare the extent of dose-dependent cell death in response to increasing concentrations of TNF and two-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test to compare inhibitor conditions to 10 ng/mL TNF without inhibitors. * denotes p < 0.05, ** denotes p < 0.01, *** denotes p < 0.001.
TNF and C2-Ceramide-induced cytotoxicity involves endoplasmic reticulum stress pathways
TNF and ceramide have been shown to impinge on ER stress mechanisms in non-neuronal cells types [40, 41] and ER stress has been implicated as a potentially important pathway in PD pathogenesis [42], being coupled to the cell death program in DA cells in response to the toxin paraquat [43]. Therefore, we investigated the extent to which activation of ER stress pathways by TNF are dependent on ceramide generation by SMase activity in diff-MN9D cells. We used immunoblots to ascertain if TNF treatment of diff-MN9D cells increased protein expression of key ER stress transducers, including activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), ER- resident PKR-like eIF2α kinase (PERK), and inositol requiring enzyme-1 (IRE). We found that the increased expression of ER stress proteins by TNF and C2-Cer was comparable to increased protein levels caused by the positive control tunicamycin, (Figure 3) which is known to potently induce ER stress by inhibiting protein N-glycosylation [44]. These results support a model in which TNF employs ceramide signaling to elicit ER stress in DA cells.
TNF-induced ER stress responses in MN9D dopaminergic (DA) cells were attenuated by SMase inhibitors. A, Diff-MN9D cells were pre-treated with 5 μM Desipramine (Des) or 10 μM GW4869 followed by treatment with 5 ng/mL TNF for 24 hours. Cell lysates were harvested for SDS-PAGE and were analyzed by immunoblot using antibodies against the ER stress proteins ATF6, IRE1, and PERK or GAPDH for normalization. Dihydro-ceramide (DH-C2-Cer at 10 μM) and tunicamycin (Tunicam. at 0.1 μg/mL) were used as negative and positive controls, respectively. B, Quantification of western blots in A. All values represent group means +/− SEM, n = 3–4. One-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test; * denotes p < 0.05, *** denotes p < 0.001 compared to TNF alone.
TNF-induced decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential and LDH release in DA cells is ameliorated by SMase inhibitors
TNF has been reported to cause rapid decreases in mitochondrial membrane potential and coincident increases in reactive oxygen species [45]. Consistent with our hypothesis that ceramide is an important downstream effector of TNF cytotoxicity, ceramide itself has been shown to directly affect the mitochondrial electron transport chain [46]. To further elucidate the mechanisms of TNF and C2-Cer-induced cytotoxicity and to determine if TNF/ceramide signaling in diff-MN9D cells impinges on mitochondria, we investigated whether TNF or C2-Cer adversely impact mitochondrial membrane potential by evaluating tetramethyl rhodamine methyl ester (TMRM) cytofluorescence. TMRM is a cationic mitochondrial-selective probe that accumulates in the negatively charged mitochondrial membrane in proportion to mitochondrial membrane potential. Diff-MN9D cells treated with 5 ng/mL TNF for 36 hrs or 5 or 10 μM C2-Cer for 18 hrs exhibited compromised mitochondrial membrane potential as evidence by reduced TMRM cytofluorescence relative to vehicle treated diff-MN9D cells (Figure 4A), lending support to the interpretation that both TNF and C2-Cer adversely affect mitochondrial integrity in diff-MN9D cells. Moreover, the SMase inhibitors desipramine and GW4869 partially restored the TMRM signal in diff-MN9D cells (Figure 4A). To confirm and extend these findings we performed an additional assay to measure TNF-induced cytotoxicity. Diff-MN9D cells were treated for 18 hrs with 5 or 10 μM C2-Cer or 5 ng/mL TNF; lactate dehydrogenate (LDH) release was then measured. In agreement with results from MTS assays, pre-treatment with SMase inhibitors (Desipramine or GW4869) attenuated TNF-induced LDH release. The TNF inhibitor etanercept was used as a positive control. These data support a model in which TNF-induced cytotoxicity is mediated via ceramide-dependent signaling leading to disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential in DA cells.
TNF- induced decreases in mitochondrial membrane potential were attenuated by SMase inhibitors. A, Treatment of diff-MN9D cells for 18 hrs with 5 or 10 μM C2-Cer or 5 ng/mL TNF comprised mitochondrial membrane potential. TMRM cytofluorescence was normalized to CCCP + Veh or CCCP + TNF, as CCCP uncouples mitochondrial membranes. Pre-treatment with the SMase inhibitors Desipramine or GW4869 attenuated the TNF-induced decreases in mitochondrial membrane potential. All values represent group means +/− SEM, n = 3–4. One-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post test; * denotes p < 0.05, *** denotes p < 0.001 compared to ‘Veh’; # denotes p < 0.05 compared to TNF alone. B, Treatment of diff-MN9D cells for 18 hrs with 5 or 10 μM C2-Cer or 5 ng/mL TNF induced cytotoxicity as measured by LDH release. Pre-treatment with SMase inhibitors (Desipramine or GW4869) attenuated TNF-induced cytotoxicity; the TNF inhibitor (etanercept) was used as a positive control. All values represent group means +/− SEM, n = 3–4. One-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post test; ### denotes p < 0.001 compared to vehicle; *** denotes p < 0.001 compared to TNF alone.
Inhibition of SMases during TNF exposure attenuates caspase 3 cleavage in DA cells
Loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and release of cytochrome C from mitochondria generally precede caspase-dependent apoptotic cell death and a wealth of data has linked TNF bioactivity to caspase activation and apoptosis in various cell types (reviewed in [47]). Similarly, ceramide has been reported to cause apoptotic cell death by altering the Bax/Bcl2 ratio which triggers cytochrome C release from the mitochondria and results in activation of the caspase-9/-3 cascade in C6 glioma cells [48]. Therefore, we investigated the extent to which addition of SMase inhibitors during TNF treatment attenuated caspase signaling. Western blot analyses showed that desipramine and GW4869 significantly attenuated caspase 3 cleavage in TNF-treated diff-MN9D cells (Figure 5A, B). To correlate this finding with TNF-induced cytotoxicity in diff-MN9D cells, we determined the extent to which pan-caspase inhibition (with Z-VAD) or caspase 8 inhibition (with Z-IETD) could ameliorate TNF dose-dependent loss of viability in diff-MN9D. We found that both caspase inhibitors robustly protected diff-MN9D cells from TNF-induced cytotoxicity at all TNF concentrations (Figure 5C), demonstrating that caspase activation is obligate for TNF-induced apoptotic cell death in terminally differentiated MN9D cells and suggesting that TNF-dependent ceramide generation promotes activation of caspase 8 and caspase 3 signaling cascades that lead to apoptotic death in DA cells and neurons. Interestingly, we also found that C2-Cer-induced cytotoxic cell death in diff-MN9D cells was not significantly blocked by Z-VAD or Z-IETD (Figure 6A), which is not entirely surprising since exogenously added C2-Cer would act downstream of TNF/TNFR1-dependent caspase 8 activation. However, we hypothesized that TNF-stimulated ceramide exerts cytotoxicity in DA cells by dysregulating intracellular Ca2+ based on reports that implicate defective Ca2+ homeostasis in apoptotic cell death of neuronal populations induced by aberrant sphingolipid metabolism [49]. To test this hypothesis directly, we pre-incubated diffMN9D cells with BAPTA-AM prior to exposure to C2-Cer and found that buffering intracellular free calcium nearly ablates C2-Cer-induced toxicity in diff-MN9D cells (Figure 6B), suggesting that elevation of [Ca2+i contributes to C2-Cer-induced neurotoxicity.
TNF- and ceramide-induced caspase-3 cleavage was attenuated by SMase inhibitors and caspase inhibitors rescued differentiated MN9D cells from TNF-induced cytotoxicity. A, Diff-MN9D cells were treated for 3 days with 5 ng/mL TNF in the presence or absence of the ASMase inhibitor Desipramine (Des, 5 μM) or the NSMase inhibitor GW4869 (10 μM) and were thereafter harvested for SDS-PAGE and immunoblot analysis of total caspase 3 or cleaved caspase 3. B, Quantification of western blot analysis of caspase 3 and cleaved caspase 3. One-Way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test to compare inhibitor conditions to TNF alone, where ** denotes p < 0.01, ***denotes p < 0.001. C, MTS assay for cell viability in diff-MN9D cells. TNF induced dose-dependent death of diff-MN9D cells and was caspase-dependent. Co-treatment with TNF plus the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD (25 μM) or with TNF plus the caspase-8-specific inhibitor Z-IETD (25 μM) robustly blocked TNF-induced cell death in diff-MN9D cells. All values represent group means +/− SEM, n = 3–4. One-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test to compare the effect of specified TNF concentrations on diff-MN9D viability without caspase inhibitors in the MTS assay, where # denotes p < 0.05, ## denotes p < 0.01, and ### denotes p < 0.001 compared to ‘Veh’ or between two concentrations. Two-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc to compare effects of caspase inhibitors at each TNF concentration where *** denotes p < 0.001 compared to no caspase inhibitor.
Disruption of calcium homeostasis (but not caspase signaling) is a primary mechanism by which C2-Ceramide induces cytotoxicity in dopaminergic MN9D cells. A, The MTS assay for cell viability in diff-MN9D cells. Co-treatment with the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD (25 μM) or the caspase-8-specific inhibitor Z-IETD (25 μM) attenuated cytotoxicity in diff-MN9D cells induced by C2-Cer concentrations at and below 5 μM but not above 5 μM. All values represent group means +/− SEM, n = 3–4. One-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test to compare the effect of specified C2-Cer concentrations on diff-MN9D viability to vehicle without caspase inhibitors in the MTS assay, where ### denotes p < 0.001 compared to vehicle or between two C2-Cer concentrations. Two-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc to compare effects of caspase inhibitors at each C2-Cer concentration where * denotes p < 0.05 and *** denotes p < 0.001 compared to no caspase inhibitor. B, Pre-loading of diff-MN9D cells with cell permeant BAPTA-AM (10 μM) to buffer intracellular Ca2+ transients significantly attenuated cytotoxicity induced by C2-Cer. Cell viability was assayed by MTS reduction. One-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test; *** denotes p < 0.001 compared to no BAPTA at each concentration.
TNF and Ceramide attenuate p-Akt activation to facilitate TNF-induced neurotoxicity in DA cells
Next, we tested the hypothesis that TNF-dependent ceramide-induced cytotoxicity in diff-MN9D cells may also result from reduced activation of pro-survival pathways, such as Akt signaling. Therefore, we investigated the effect of TNF on phosphorylation of Akt, a key step in pro-survival signaling in the majority of neurons [50, 51] We found that TNF treatment reduced p-Akt levels in DA cells and SMase inhibitors robustly blocked this effect (Figure 7). Together with results from caspase inhibition experiments, these data suggest that TNF treatment leads to generation and accumulation of ceramide (and perhaps other downstream sphingolipid metabolites), leading to cytotoxicity in DA neurons via increased ER stress, compromised mitochondrial membrane potential, increased caspase-3 dependent apoptotic signaling cascades, and attenuation of phospho-Akt-dependent pro-survival signaling.
TNF-induced decreases in phospho-Akt pro-survival signaling were abolished by SMase inhibitors. A, Diff-MN9D cells were treated with 5 ng/mL TNF in the presence or absence of SMase inhibitors Desipramine (Des 5 μM) or GW4859 (10 μM) and protein lysates were thereafter harvested for SDS-PAGE and immunoblot analysis of phospho-Akt (p-Akt) immunoreactivity. B, Quantification of western blot analysis of phospho-Akt (p-Akt) relative to total Akt. One-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test, where ** denotes p < 0.01 compared to TNF without inhibitor.
TNF induces generation of ceramide and atypical sphingoid bases in dopaminergic neuroblastoma cells
Given that SMase inhibition affords significant protection from TNF-dependent toxicity in DA neuroblastoma cells and primary DA neurons, it was of interest to confirm that TNF treatment results in detectable formation of ceramide in vivo. We used a lipidomics approach to enable quantitative analysis of complex sphingolipids and sphingoid bases in lipid extracts of MN9D cells exposed to PBS or soluble TNF for up to 48 hours. We chose to use DA neuroblastoma cells for our analysis because a homogeneous population of cells is needed for a meaningful result and primary DA neurons only make up a small percentage of total neurons in ventral midbrain cultures. Our analyses indicated that TNF exposure significantly increased the intracellular levels of total ceramide (Cer), sphingomyelin (SM), and hexosylceramide (HexCer) (Figure 8A) as well as several sphingoid bases including sphingosine (So), sphinganine (Sa), sphingosine-1-P (SoP), sphinganine-1-P (SaP), and the atypical sphingoid bases deoxy-sphinganine (deoxySa or DEOSA) and desoxymethylsphinganine (desoxyMeSa or DEOMSA) (Figure 8B). TNF-induced increases in the levels of other complex sphingolipids including deoxydihydro-Ceramide (deoxyDH-Cer) and deoxyceramide (deoxyCer) were not consistently or reproducibly detected (data not shown). These data raise the possibility that in addition to ceramide, any of these additional sphingolipids could be critical second messengers involved in mediating TNF cytotoxicity in DA neuroblastoma cells.
TNF treatment induces accumulation of ceramide and several atypical sphingoid bases (DBS) in MN9D dopaminergic (DA) neuroblastoma cells derived from mouse ventral mesencephalon. MN9D cells were treated with PBS or 5 ng/mL TNF for 24 or 48 hours as indicated prior to cell harvest for lipid extraction as described in Methods. A, Lipidomic analyses indicate time-dependent accumulation of ceramide (Cer), sphingomyelin (SM), and hexosylceramide (HexCer) in TNF-treated cells relative to PBS-treated cells. B, Lipidomic analyses also revealed time-dependent accumulation of sphingosine (So), sphinganine (Sa), sphingosine-phosphate (SoP), sphinganine-phosphate (SaP), 1-deoxysphinganine (1-deoxySa), and 1-desoxymethylsphinganine (1-desoxyMeSa) after treatment with TNF. All values represent group means +/− SEM, n = 3. One-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test; *** denotes p < 0.001 and * denotes p < 0.05 compared to PBS at 48 hrs. N.S. denotes not significant.
Atypical sphingoid bases induce cytotoxicity in differentiated MN9D cells and inhibit neurite outgrowth in primary DA neurons from ventral mesencephalon
Based on results from lipidomics analyses (Figure 8B) which indicated that TNF exposure not only increased ceramide levels but also resulted in significant increases in the intracellular levels of several atypical deoxy-sphingoid bases (DSBs), including deoxysphinganine (deoxySa or DEOSA) and desoxymethylsphinganine (desoxyMeSa or DEOMSA), we wanted to test these atypical DSBs for direct cytotoxic effects on cells. These DSBs are devoid of the C1-hydroxyl group of sphinganine and can therefore neither be metabolized to complex sphingolipids nor degraded by the regular sphingolipid catabolism, raising the possibility that they may accumulate within DA neurons and may be cytotoxic. Therefore, we tested the extent to which 1-deoxySa, 1-desoxyMeSa, and 1-desoxyMeSo induce dose-dependent cytotoxicity in diff-MN9D cells and found that all three induced dose-dependent cytotoxicity with an IC50 around 15 μM (Figure 9). To confirm and extend the significance of these findings, we investigated the cytotoxicity of these atypical sphingoid bases on primary cultures from rat ventral mesencephalon. We found that only 1-deoxySa significantly reduced the number of neuritic branches and outgrowths per DA neuron at concentrations as low as 0.5 μM (Figure 10); a trend towards compromising DA neuron viability was also evident but it did not reach statistical significance. No significant cytotoxic effects on primary DA neurons by 1-desoxyMeSa and 1-desoxyMeSo were observed (Additional file 3: Figure S3).
Atypical sphingoid bases generated in response to TNF exert direct cytotoxic effects on neurally differentiated MN9D dopaminergic (DA) cells. MN9D cells were plated in 96-well plates, and were neurally differentiated as described under Methods and exposed to treatement media alone (without BSA) or to various doses of 1-deoxysphinganine (1-deoxySa), 1-desoxymethylsphinganine (1-desoxyMeSa), or 1-desoxymethylsphingosine (1-desoxyMeSo) at the concentrations indicated in a complex with BSA (25 μM) for 48 hours. Cell viability was measured by the MTS assay described under Methods. All values represent group means +/− SEM, n = 3–4. One-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc, * denotes difference from treatment media alone (without BSA) at p < 0.05, *** denotes difference from media alone at p < 0.001.
The atypical sphingoid base 1-deoxySa reduced neuritic branches and outgrowth in primary DA neurons. Primary neuron-glia cultures from rat ventral mesencephalon were plated in 96-well plates and exposed to treatment media alone without BSA (0) or to 1-deoxysphinganine (1-deoxySa) at the concentrations indicated in a complex with BSA (25 μM) for 48 hours prior to assessing number of branches per cell, number of processes, and number of outgrowths per cell as well as cell number using Image Xpress high-content imaging analyses. 1-DeoxySa was the only one of the sphingoid bases tested that reduced neurite outgrowth and branching. All values represent group means +/− SEM, n = 3–4. One-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc’ * denotes difference from treatment media alone at p < 0.05, and ** denotes p < 0.01. N.S. denotes not significant.
The purpose of these studies was to test the hypothesis that ceramide-dependent signaling mediates TNF-induced cytotoxicity and degeneration of DA neurons. Our results indicate that exposure of neurally differentiated DA neuroblastoma cells to soluble TNF induced activation of membrane-bound sphingomyelinases (SMases) and sphingomyelin (SM) turnover resulting in generation of ceramide as measured by lipidomics mass spectrometry. Direct addition of C2-ceramide to DA neuroblastoma cells or primary DA neurons in vitro resulted in dose-dependent cytotoxicity, and pharmacological inhibition of SMases with three different inhibitors of SMase function to block ceramide generation during TNF exposure (but not inhibitors of de novo ceramide synthesis) afforded significant protection from TNF-induced cytotoxicity. Although desipramine can exert SMase-independent effects on cells [52], two other inhibitors with greater specificity for SMase (GW4869 and ARC39) afforded similar protection against TNF-induced cytotoxicity. Based on these findings, we propose a model by which binding of soluble TNF to TNFR1 on the cell surface of DA neurons activates SMases to generate ceramide and trigger downstream signaling cascades that compromise survival of DA neurons by eliciting ER stress, reducing mitochondria membrane potential, leading to activation of caspase-3-dependent pro-apoptotic signaling and inhibition of Akt-dependent pro-survival signaling cascades which combine to compromise survival of DA neurons (Figure 11). Interestingly, TNF treatment also induced SM biosynthesis (Figure 8A); the significance of this novel finding is unknown, but TNF and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) have both been reported to induce sphingolipid biosynthesis in liver [53] and macrophages [54]. It is also worth noting that increases in atypical deoxy-sphingoid bases (DSBs) were detectable in DA cells after prolonged exposure to TNF (Figure 8B), the potential significance of which is discussed below.
Proposed model for cellular mechanisms and signaling pathways activated by TNF and ceramide/sphingolipid signaling to induce neurotoxicity in DA neurons. We propose a model by which TNF/TNFR1-dependent activation of SMases triggers production of ceramide and other downstream lipid metabolites that promote activation of caspase-8/3 signaling, decreased Akt activation and mitochondrial membrane potential, and increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in DA cells.
Glycosphingolipid (GSL) metabolism represents a metabolic cross point that interconnects lipid (acyl-CoA) and amino acid (serine and alanine) metabolism. For a detailed review of the metabolic interrelationships that account for the tens of thousands of molecular subspecies in the mammalian sphingolipidome, the reader is referred elsewhere [55, 56]. Briefly, ceramide (Cer) consists of a fatty acid acyl chain that varies in length and saturation, and a sphingoid base that differs in the number and position of double bonds and hydroxyl groups. Tissue- and cell type-specific ceramide synthases control the length of the fatty acid chain of ceramide. Sphingoid bases are formed from the precursors L-serine and palmitoyl-CoA in a reaction catalyzed by serine-palmitoyltransferase (SPT). SPT metabolizes other acyl-CoAs besides palmitoyl-CoA but also shows variability towards the use of other amino acid substrates. For instance, SPT is also able to metabolize alanine, which results in the formation of an atypical deoxy-sphingoid base (DSB). These atypical and relatively novel DSBs are devoid of the C1-hydroxyl group of sphingosine (SA) and are therefore neither metabolized to complex sphingolipids nor degraded by the regular sphingolipid catabolism, since sphingosine-1P as a catabolic intermediate cannot be formed from DSBs [34, 57]. Missense mutations in SPT long-chain subunit 1 (SPTLC1) increase its promiscuous activity towards alanine over serine and result in pathologically elevated DSB levels in the case of the autosomal dominant hereditary sensory and autonomic sensory neuropathy type 1 HSAN1 [34, 58]; as evidence of their capacity to induce cytotoxicity, addition of deoxySa to dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in culture can be shown to reduce neurite formation and to disrupt the neuronal cytoskeleton [34]. Given that we observed similar effects in deoxySa-treated DA neurons, we speculate that TNF-stimulated de novo synthesis of atypical DSBs may be a secondary mechanism that contributes to TNF-dependent toxicity and reduced viability of DA neurons during inflammatory stress. In fact, neurons may have heightened vulnerability to cellular disturbances in lipid metabolism based on the observation that the majority of GSL lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) with CNS involvement result in neuronal death, even though the enzymes affected by the gene mutations are expressed ubiquitously [59].
TNF and ceramide have been shown to impinge on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress mechanisms in non-neuronal cells types [40, 41] and ER stress has been implicated as a potentially important pathway in neurodegenerative diseases [60]; however, whether ER stress is a cause, result, or epiphenomenon in the DA neuron loss that occurs in PD has not been firmly established. ER stress-mediated cell death has been implicated in PD pathogenesis [42, 61], being coupled to the cell death program in DA cells in response to the toxin paraquat [43]. Here, we show for the first time that inflammatory signaling through TNF and ceramide induces ER stress in DA neuron-like cells and that SMase inhibition attenuates ER stress and prevents TNF-induced cytotoxicity (as measured independently by MTS and LDH release assays). ATF6 is a direct target of the ER stress response [61] and is known to activate transcription of chaperone proteins [62] to facilitate protein folding and processing capacity; ATF6 also activates ER-associated degradation (ERAD) to promote the degradation of terminally misfolded proteins [63]. Mechanistically, defective calcium homeostasis, especially increased intracellular Ca2+ release, presumably from the ER, has been implicated in neuronal cell death in mouse models exhibiting increased CNS glucosylsphingosine levels which can also suppress neuronal outgrowth [49, 64, 65]. Our data that BAPTA-AM markedly blocked ceramide-induced neurotoxicity is consistent with a role for ceramide as a disruptor of Ca2+ homeostasis in DA neurons. Interestingly, a recent study reported that MPTP treatment induced ER stress and decreased AKT phosphorylation via loss of TRPC1-dependent ER Ca2+ homeostasis in human dopaminergic neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells [66]. Importantly, signs of TNF pathway activation [67, 68], ER stress [69, 70] and reduced levels of AKT phosphorylation [71] have all been reported in the SNpc of PD patients. Taken together, these findings support the idea that disrupted ER Ca2+ homeostasis and compromised Akt pathway activation is a common mechanism by which TNF-dependent inflammation and oxidative neurotoxins compromise survival of DA neurons and lead to development of PD-like features.
Many of the genes associated with PD implicate aberrant mitochondrial function in disease pathogenesis [72] and MPTP and rotenone, which are commonly used in rodents to induce features of parkinsonism, are potent mitochondrial complex I inhibitors [73]. While compromised mitochondrial function has been strongly implicated in PD pathophysiology [72], to date, compromised mitochondrial membrane potential in response to inflammatory stimuli (in this case TNF and C2-Cer) has never been demonstrated in DA cells or DA neurons. Our data demonstrate that TNF and C2-Cer-induced cytotoxicity in diff-MN9D cells correlates closely with reduced mitochondrial membrane potential and treatment with SMase inhibitors reverses these mitochondrial deficits. Similarly, in NGF-differentiated PC12 cells, ceramide signaling has been reported to increase mitochondrial Ca2+ levels and to induce ultrastructural alterations [74]. Furthermore, ceramide-induced increases in mitochondrial free calcium were subsequently shown to originate in the ER in a ROS-independent fashion [75]. Our data showing that BAPTA-AM buffering of intracellular free calcium ablates ceramide-induced cytotoxicity in diff-MN9D cells support this kind of model; however, additional studies are needed to determine the source of the cellular Ca2+ and/or the extent to which disrupted ER or mitochondrial Ca2+ homeostasis plays a causative or synergistic role in TNF or GSL-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in DA neurons [49, 64, 65].
A role for caspase-dependent apoptotic signaling has been implicated in the death of DA neurons that occurs in PD [76, 77] and our findings strongly support a role for caspase 8/caspase 3 signaling as downstream effectors in TNF-dependent death of dopaminergic cells. It should be noted that we observe distinct differences in the overall requirement for caspase signaling in TNF- versus C2-Cer-dependent cytotoxicity in diff-MN9D cells. One reason for this may be that TNF signaling generates ceramide in a physiological range which acts in concert with other TNF receptor-mediated signaling events to trigger downstream caspase-dependent apoptotic processes, whereas addition of exogenous C2-Cer (at concentrations that may not be within a physiological range) artificially bypasses TNF receptor-mediated events and exerts toxic effects by targeting other pathways in addition to mitochondria and caspase inhibition and is not sufficient to attenuate cytotoxicity from this extreme insult. Jurkat T cells require ASMase translocation to plasma membrane lipid microdomains to elicit localized ceramide production and eventual apoptotic cell death [78]. Interestingly, in these cells, ASMase translocation has been shown to occur via two distinct mechanisms: a caspase-dependent mechanism utilized by Fas-L and a previously unrecognized caspase-independent mechanism elicited by short wave ultraviolet irradiation (UV-C). Specifically, it was determined that the caspase-independent mechanism of ASMase translocation led to cell death of Jurkat cells and that UV-C treatment of Jurkat cells activates the sphingomyelin pathway independent of caspase 8 or in the presence of a pan-caspase inhibitor. In this study, the authors note that while ASMase is not a direct target of caspase 8, surface translocation of ASMase activated by Fas-L or other TNF superfamily ligands requires minimal caspase 8 and FADD activation (~2% activation is sufficient). In the case of diff-MN9D cells, exogenous addition of C2-Ceramide bypasses the step of ASMase translocation to lipid microdomains in the plasma membrane as well as the concomitant activation of caspase cascades from the signaling complex assembled in microdomains at the cell membrane that otherwise occurs in response to TNFR1 activation, which is likely to result in toxicity that is caspase-independent. Alternatively, it is possible that exogenous addition of ceramide is sufficient to elicit caspase independent cell death via release of mitochondrial apoptogenic factors, but that engagement of TNFR1 by its ligand TNF leads to SMase-dependent production of ceramide and caspase-dependent cell death of diff-MN9D cells. Lastly, Deerberg and colleagues report that there is a combined requirement of both the ER and mitochondria in the induction of signaling pathways of ceramide-mediated caspase-independent programmed cell death in Jurkat cells [79] and a similar mechanism may be occurring in C2-Ceramide treated diff-MN9D cells. Collectively, our data support a model whereby TNF concentrations in the range that elicit half-maximal cytotoxicity and that correspond to low TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) occupancy activate SMase to initiate downstream signaling by ceramide and other sphingolipid metabolites, which trigger ER stress, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, and eventually culminate in the caspase-dependent cytotoxic cell death of DA neurons (Figure 11). Support for this model comes from the multiple studies presented here in which pharmacological inhibition of SMases to block ceramide generation during TNF exposure maintained mitochondrial membrane potential, markedly attenuated TNF-induced ER stress and caspase signaling and restored p-Akt levels in DA cells, thereby promoting significant protection from TNF-induced neurotoxicity.
The histopathophysiological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the formation of intraneuronal aggregation and clustering of α-synuclein and ubiquitinated proteins into inclusions commonly referred to as Lewy bodies (LB) typically found in DA neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) in the ventral midbrain [80]. Notably, several genes known to be involved in the genetics of Lewy body disease (LBD) or heritable PD share in common the fact that they impinge on ceramide metabolism [81]. Therefore, ceramide metabolism has recently received attention as an emerging pathway involved in LBD [82]. For example, heterozygous loss-of-function mutations of the glucocerebrosidase (GBA) locus have recently been shown to be a potent risk factor for PD [81, 83]. GBA catalyzes the dissolution of glucocerebrosidase to ceramide and glucose. The lysosomal storage disease Gaucher’s disease (GD) arises from homozygous mutations in GBA, leading to extreme lysosomal accumulation of GBA substrates and onset of GD symptoms [84]. Interestingly however, GBA substrates do not significantly accumulate in the lysosomes of patients with heterozygous GBA mutations, lending support to the hypothesis that generally disrupted ceramide metabolism, as opposed to specific loss of GBA function, may be an initiating factor in PD [81]. Our data offer a mechanistic link between specific GSL accumulation, ER stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptotic signaling and neuronal death in dopaminergic neurons in response to TNF exposure which may be of significance in PD but perhaps also in other chronic neurodegenerative conditions characterized by elevated levels of TNF and other inflammatory factors. Interestingly, the ASMase inhibitor desipramine induces specific and rapid intracellular degradation of ASMase and concomitant abolishment of enzymatic activity [85]; however, desipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant and its action on neurotransmitters seems to be independent of its effects on ASMase activity. Nevertheless, desipramine has been used in clinical trials to treat depression in PD patients [86]; these trials were very short-lived however, and the effect of desipramine on ceramide signaling was not evaluated as an outcome. Therefore, our data and the data of other groups associating ceramide biology and metabolism with PD warrant future studies examining the potential neuroprotective effects of inhibition of ASMase or NSMase in animal models of PD.
In summary, DA neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) are preferentially vulnerable to neuroinflammatory stimuli and our group previously demonstrated that chronic inhibition of soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling with dominant-negative TNF inhibitors attenuated the loss of nigral DA neurons in models of PD. Our present findings support a molecular pathway by which TNF-dependent ceramide/sphingolipid signaling intermediates compromise survival of DA neurons by inhibiting neurite outgrowth, inducing ER stress, reducing mitochondria membrane potential, activating caspase 3-dependent pro-apoptotic signaling cascades and inhibiting Akt-dependent pro-survival signaling pathways. Additional studies are warranted to explore which specific ceramide metabolites and/or atypical sphingoid bases (or combinations thereof) may represent surrogate biomarkers and/or novel drug targets for development of neuroprotective strategies to halt or delay the progressive loss of DA neurons that lead to the disabling motor fluctuations in patients with PD.
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Selvaraj S, Sun Y, Watt JA, Wang S, Lei S, Birnbaumer L, Singh BB: Neurotoxin-induced ER stress in mouse dopaminergic neurons involves downregulation of TRPC1 and inhibition of AKT/mTOR signaling. J Clin Invest. 2012, 122: 1354-1367. 10.1172/JCI61332.
Mogi M, et al: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) increases both in the brain and in the cerebrospinal fluid from parkinsonian patients. Neurosci Lett. 1994, 165 (1–2): 208-210.
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Hoozemans JJ, et al: Activation of the unfolded protein response in Parkinson's disease. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2007, 354 (3): 707-711. 10.1016/j.bbrc.2007.01.043.
Paschen W, Mengesdorf T: Endoplasmic reticulum stress response and neurodegeneration. Cell Calcium. 2005, 38 (3–4): 409-415.
Malagelada C, Jin ZH, Greene LA: RTP801 is induced in Parkinson's disease and mediates neuron death by inhibiting Akt phosphorylation/activation. J Neurosci. 2008, 28 (53): 14363-14371. 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3928-08.2008.
Lin MT, Beal MF: Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in neurodegenerative diseases. Nature. 2006, 443 (7113): 787-795. 10.1038/nature05292.
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Darios F, et al: Ceramide increases mitochondrial free calcium levels via caspase 8 and Bid: role in initiation of cell death. J Neurochem. 2003, 84 (4): 643-654. 10.1046/j.1471-4159.2003.01590.x.
Mattson MP: Neuronal life-and-death signaling, apoptosis, and neurodegenerative disorders. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2006, 8 (11–12): 1997-2006.
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Rotolo JA, et al: Caspase-dependent and -independent activation of acid sphingomyelinase signaling. J Biol Chem. 2005, 280 (28): 26425-26434. 10.1074/jbc.M414569200.
Deerberg A, et al: Differential protection by wildtype vs. organelle-specific Bcl-2 suggests a combined requirement of both the ER and mitochondria in ceramide-mediated caspase-independent programmed cell death. Radiat Oncol. 2009, 4: 41-10.1186/1748-717X-4-41.
Dauer W, Przedborski S: Parkinson's disease: mechanisms and models. Neuron. 2003, 39 (6): 889-909. 10.1016/S0896-6273(03)00568-3.
Bras J, et al: Emerging pathways in genetic Parkinson's disease: Potential role of ceramide metabolism in Lewy body disease. FEBS J. 2008, 275 (23): 5767-5773. 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2008.06709.x.
Mata IF, et al: Glucocerebrosidase gene mutations: a risk factor for Lewy body disorders. Arch Neurol. 2008, 65 (3): 379-382. 10.1001/archneurol.2007.68.
Aharon-Peretz J, et al: Mutations in the glucocerebrosidase gene and Parkinson disease: phenotype-genotype correlation. Neurology. 2005, 65 (9): 1460-1461. 10.1212/01.wnl.0000176987.47875.28.
Fuller M, et al: Urinary lipid profiling for the identification of fabry hemizygotes and heterozygotes. Clin Chem. 2005, 51 (4): 688-694. 10.1373/clinchem.2004.041418.
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Devos D, et al: Comparison of desipramine and citalopram treatments for depression in Parkinson's disease: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Mov Disord. 2008, 23 (6): 850-857. 10.1002/mds.21966.
We would like to thank Dr. William Holland at UT Southwestern for helpful discussions regarding ceramide biology and members of the Tansey lab for helpful discussions. We would also like to thank Dr. Philip Scherer at UT Southwestern for kindly providing myriocin for our studies and Dr. Christoph Arenz at Humboldt University in Berlin for providing us ARC39 for our studies. This work was made possible by generous funding from the National Institutes of Health NINDS 5R01NS049433 (MGT), a National Institutes of Health Pre-doctoral NRSA Training Grant GM007062 (TNM), and GM069338 to support the Sphingolipids Core of Lipid Maps (AHM).
Part of this work was completed by Terina N. Martinez to fulfill the requirements for a doctoral thesis.
Department of Physiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 6001 Forest Park Rd., Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
Terina N Martinez
& Malú G Tansey
Department of Physiology, Emory University School of Medicine, 615 Michael St., Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
Xi Chen
School of Biology and the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, 315 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0363, USA
Sibali Bandyopadhyay
& Alfred H Merrill
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Correspondence to Malú G Tansey.
TNM designed and performed experiments with MN9D cells to measure cell viability, ER stress, mitochondria membrane potential, and caspase activation; analyzed data and performed statistical analysis; participated in writing and editing of manuscript. XC designed and performed experiments with MN9D cells and primary DA neuron cultures to measure cell viability, ER stress, mitochondria membrane potential, caspase and Akt activation, sphingolipid measurements, and atypical sphingoid base toxicity studies; analyzed data and performed statistical analysis; participated in writing and editing of manuscript. SP performed lipidomics experiments and data analysis; participated in writing and editing of manuscript. AHM participated in preparation of lipid-BSA complexes, directed lipidomics experiments and interpretation of data; participated in writing and editing of manuscript. MGT participated in study design, interpretation of data, writing and editing the manuscript. All authors read, edited, and approved the final manuscript.
Terina N Martinez, Xi Chen contributed equally to this work.
Additional file 1: Figure S1. Non-diff-MN9D cells are not sensitive to C2-Cer-induced cell death. AlamarBlue assay performed as per manufacturer’s instructions. All values represent group means +/− SEM, n = 3–4. One-way ANOVA, Tukey’s post-hoc test; n.s. denotes no significance. (EPS 437 KB)
Additional file 2: Figure S2. TNF-induced cytotoxicity in diff-MN9D cells does not require de novo biosynthesis of ceramide. Diff-MN9D cells were pre-treated with myriocin (Myr, an inhibitor for serine palmitoyltransferase) or fumonisin B1 (FB1, an inhibitor of ceramide synthase) for 30 minutes prior to addition of TNF for an additional 48 hours. Cell viability was measured via an MTS assay as described under Methods. All values represent group means +/− SEM, n =3 - 4. Two-way ANOVA to test for differences between TNF with inhibitor versus TNF without inhibitor for both Myrocin and Fumonisin B1; there were no significant differences between No MYR and 10 μM MYR at any TNF concentration, as determined by a two-way ANOVA. There was statistically significant TNF-induced death of diff-MN9D cells, as determined by a Tukey’s post-hoc test following a statistically significant one-way ANOVA, where ** denotes p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001 for No MYR conditions relative to vehicle, * denotes p < 0.05 for TNF 10 + No MYR compared to TNF 30 + No MYR, and ### denotes p < 0.001 for 10 μM MYR conditions relative to vehicle. There were no significant differences between No FB1 and 50 μM FB1 at any TNF concentration, as determined by a two-way ANOVA. There was statistically significant TNF-induced death of diff-MN9D cells, as determined by a Tukey's post-hoc test following a statistically significant one-way ANOVA where * denotes p < 0.05, *** denotes p < 0.001 for No FB1 conditions relative to vehicle, ** denotes p < 0.01 for TNF 10 + No FB1 compared to TNF 30 + No FB1, and ### denotes p < 0.001 for 50uM FB1 conditions relative to vehicle, # denotes p < 0.01 for TNF 10 + 50 μM FB1 compared to TNF 30 + 50 μM FB1. (EPS 614 KB)
Additional file 3: Figure S3. The atypical sphingoid bases 1-deoxyMeSa and 1-deoxyMeSo did not exert cytotoxicity on primary DA neurons. Primary neuron-glia cultures from rat ventral mesencephalon were plated in 96-well plates and exposed to treatment media alone without BSA (0) or to 1-desoxymethylsphingosine (1-desoxyMeSo) or 1-desoxymethylsphinganine (1-desoxyMeSa) at the concentrations indicated in a complex with BSA (25 μM) for 48 hours prior to assessing number of branches per cell, number of processes, and number of outgrowths per cell as well as cell number using Image Xpress high-content imaging analyses. All values represent group means +/− SEM, n = 3–4. There were no significant effects from treatment with 1-deoxyMeSa and 1-deoxyMeSo as determined by a one-way ANOVA. (EPS 603 KB)
Martinez, T.N., Chen, X., Bandyopadhyay, S. et al. Ceramide sphingolipid signaling mediates Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-dependent toxicity via caspase signaling in dopaminergic neurons. Mol Neurodegeneration 7, 45 (2012) doi:10.1186/1750-1326-7-45
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1750-1326-7-45
Neuroinflammation
Neuronal apoptosis
Neurodegeneration
ER stress
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Subject: Obamacare Cybersecurity Bill Not Enough to Protect Personal Info
URL: http://mney.co/1d0Lfj8
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Obamacare Cybersecurity Bill Not Enough to Protect Personal Info
By Tara Clarke, Associate Editor, Money Morning • @TaraKateClarke - January 10, 2014
To continue reading click here...
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Obamacare in the Balance: Key Takeaways from the Affordable Health Care Act Hearings
Today (Friday), the U.S. House of Representatives passed an "Obamacare cybersecurity bill" that helps protect people from the gaping security hole that is the Obamacare website.
The Health Exchange Security and Transparency Act, H.R. 3811, is a one-sentence bill that simply requires customers to be notified of any Obamacare website security breach no later than two business days after its discovery. It was passed in a 291-122 vote, with 67 Democrats breaking ranks in support.
Prior to this bill, there was no legal requirement for the Department of Health and Human Services to notify an individual if his or her personal information had been breached.
By David Zeiler, Associate Editor, Money Morning • @DavidGZeiler - October 14, 2013
After three years and more than $400 million, it's obvious the technology underpinning Obamacare was woefully inadequate. But even if the government manages to fix the initial problems by late November, as it's promising now, that won't end the website's troubles.
Here's why Obamacare is falling apart and what that means for you...
By Tara Clarke, Associate Editor, Money Morning • @TaraKateClarke - October 14, 2013
Considering taxpayers shelled out more than $500 million to build the Obamacare online exchanges, we'd like to know how they're actually operating, for good or for bad.
We know it's not all good...
For example, the federal government is operating an exchange for 36 states, and it's seen some of the worst complications. Part of the problem is volume: Within three days, a whopping 8.6 million people visited healthcare.gov.
We also know that Obamacare's success depends on having a large number of people enroll - especially the younger, healthier crowd. The Congressional Budget Office says Obamacare needs 7 million people to sign up at a minimum for it to stay afloat financially.
To read more click here...
By Tara Clarke, Associate Editor, Money Morning • @TaraKateClarke - October 1, 2013
Now that Obamacare is officially up and running (well, sort of), a lot of Americans are anxious to know how well - or how badly - things are going. Here's the latest word on five key aspects of the new health care law...
By Diane Alter, Contributing Writer, Money Morning - September 16, 2013
It's no longer just conservatives who object to the president's controversial health care law. A new poll indicates that two core Democratic groups who once supported Obamacare are now turning against it. Here's what changed their minds...
By Guest Admin, Money Morning - June 28, 2013
While there are plenty of opinions about healthcare in the US, they all divide on one line: Is healthcare a right or is it a good?
Today, two of our writers square off on this issue. Please leave your thoughts about this topic after reading their stands.
Now, let's get ready to rumble...
By David Zeiler, Associate Editor, Money Morning • @DavidGZeiler - June 24, 2013
One of the many promises of the Obamacare law was that it would help reduce out-of-control healthcare costs.
But as we get closer to the full implementation of the Affordable Care Act in January 2014, it's becoming increasingly clear that the law will do little to lower what healthcare providers charge.
Basically, the Obamacare law focuses mostly on who will pay and how they pay - the insurance side of the equation - rather than why costs are so high and rise much faster than the overall inflation rate.
Journalist Steven Brill, who wrote an exhaustive piece on this topic for the March issue of Time magazine, was blunt as he broke the bad news personally last week to the Senate Finance Committee at a hearing to determine if adding transparency to the pricing of healthcare services could help control costs.
"[Transparency] starts the conversation about prices that we didn't have in the debate over Obamacare. It's only a start," Brill said. "Obamacare does nothing about these prices. Nothing to solve the problem - Zero."
To continue reading, please click here…
The real Obamacare facts keep emerging as we get closer to the implementation of this law. Check out the seven scariest facts yet. Read more...
By Don Miller, Contributing Writer, Money Morning - September 10, 2012
Insurance companies would love to see a Mitt Romney victory in November that would result in the arrival of "Romneycare."
But they'd be equally happy if President Barack Obama is re-elected and his Affordable Care Act remains the law of the land.
In short, the insurance companies will profit either way and are planning accordingly.
But how is this possible?
By extending insurance to millions of people previously without coverage Obamacare will provide insurance companies with millions of new customers, a development that clearly will boost their bottom lines.
Romney has promised to dismantle Obamacare and replace it with his own "Romneycare," but don't mistake this new version for the comprehensive reform plan he signed into law as governor of Massachusetts in 2006.
Romney says his new plan would free up the healthcare markets to increase competition and drive down costs.
But this new incarnation of Romneycare -- perhaps more accurately described as Romneycare 2.0 -- is unlikely to contain healthcare costs and almost certainly will deliver fatter profits to private insurance companies.
"Under [Obamacare] reform, you get market expansion, and that's a good thing" for health companies, Dan Mendelson, the chief executive of Avalere Health, a consultancy told The Wall Street Journal.
"Under Romney, it's going to be like managed-care city," he said.
One thing is clear, however -- neither Obamacare nor Romneycare can stop Americans from getting older and swelling the rolls of government medical plans.
And that will spell huge profits for the companies who manage government programs.
By Diane Alter, Contributing Writer, Money Morning - July 9, 2012
Merger Monday lived up to its moniker today with news that WellPoint Inc. (NYSE: WLP), one of the largest U.S. health insurers, inked a deal to acquire Amerigroup Corp (NYSE: AGP).
The $4.9 billion deal would make the Indianapolis-based company the top private manager of Medicaid benefits.
The strategic move underscores WellPoint's bid to shore up its Medicaid business following the recent Supreme Court decision upholding Obamacare. The combined company will have a Medicaid business presence in 19 states, the largest in the nation.
The transaction is expected to close in early 2013. Under the terms of the all-cash deal, WellPoint will pay a lofty $92 a share for all outstanding shares of Amerigroup, a nearly 43% premium to the company's closing price prior to announcement.
WellPoint CEO Angela F. Braly said in a statement, "We believe that this combination will create an industry in the government sector serving Medicaid and Medicare enrollees. This is an opportunity to capitalize on the strengths of both companies to better serve our members and position our companies for future growth as the health insurance industry changes."
WellPoint has been on a buying spree of late. In May, the company purchased contact lens retailer 1-800-Contacts, and last year it picked up CareMore, a provider of managed care for the elderly.
By Don Miller, Contributing Writer, Money Morning - April 2, 2012
The fat lady hasn't sung yet...but she is warming up.
Three days of arguments before the Supreme Court have made it abundantly clear - "Obamacare" is in danger of being gutted or completely wiped off the books.
Only one thing's for sure. Investors will want to keep buying healthcare stocks -especially as 10,000 baby boomers a day turn 65 years old for the next 20 years.
But there's one segment of the healthcare sector that will be sitting in the driver's seat when it comes to delivering healthy profits and investment returns - no matter how the court rules.
Here's what you need to know...
By Guest Editorial, Money Morning - March 30, 2012
Three fast-paced days was all it took for nine justices to grill advocates arguing for and against the Affordable Care Act - better known as Obamacare.
A decision is expected in late June, just months before 2012 presidential elections.
Although it is notoriously difficult to predict U.S. Supreme Court decisions purely based on their questioning, here are my takeaways from these momentous three days.
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Books & Shop
Postscript to Poison
“Do you think it’s a secret that you are slowly poisoning Mrs Lackland?”
When Dr Tom Faithful received the third anonymous letter, he knew it was time to call the police. The wealthy Mrs Cornelia Lackland was recovering steadily from a serious illness, diligently cared for by the doctor, family members and her household staff. But something is amiss in Minsterbridge. Mrs Lackland rules her house with an iron fist, keeping granddaughters Jenny and Carol as virtual prisoners and bullying her attendant Emily Bullen. Scornful and dismissive of everyone, she is planning to make one final change to her will. But before she can meet her solicitor Cornelia Lackland is dead, the apparent victim of a poisoner.
As Chief Inspector Dan Pardoe of Scotland Yard and his colleague Sergeant Salt investigate, they find motives for murder much broader than first anticipated. This is a town where everybody’s business is known by everyone else. Pardoe is a satisfying and likeable creation, described by a Sunday Times reviewer as having ‘humanity and common sense as impressive as his intelligence’.
Dorothy Bowers was an advocate of the ‘fair play’ school of detective novels, and displayed great ingenuity in piecing together the necessary elements of a baffling mystery, with clues shared freely with the reader. When Inspector Pardoe indicates he knows who the murderer is, the reader knows virtually everything he does. Bower’s great skill is in obscuring her characters’ motives, while writing perceptively about their feelings and situation, which allows her to hide the identity of the murderer until exactly the right moment.
Postscript to Poison quantity
By Dorothy Bowers
First published in 1938 by Hodder & Stoughton
I — and Tomorrow
II Twilight of a Goddess
III The Late Mrs. Lackland
IV Question and Answer
V The Last Dose
VI Poison and Penmanship
VII Mr. Rennie Recalls —
VIII I, John Lackland
IX Starshine in Chelsea
X Shadow over Lacklands
XI The Case against X
XII Upstairs and Down
XIII Appearance and Disappearance
XIV Postscript
XV Hetty
XVI Three Visits
XVII A Murderer Strikes Again
XVIII True Bill
2 reviews for Postscript to Poison
Editor – October 27, 2019
Review from The Observer, August 21, 1938 by Maurice Richardson:
“Miss Bowers is new this term. Let me be the first member of the staff to extend her a hearty welcome. She has been coached in our traditions, and is likely to settle down quickly. “Postscript to Poison” is a thoroughly satisfying piece of family narcotising — in the old horror’s medicine just before she was going to change her will. Good characters including frustrated wards, one of whom lets a film actor in by the garden gate, and the local doctor, who suffers from attacks by a poison pen. A double bluff by Miss Bowers effectively conceals who did it. This pupil has little to learn, and should go far.”
Review from The Times (London) September 6, 1938:
“The author shows herself considerably adept not only in contriving a plot to puzzle readers, but in characterization and command of situation. She recounts a domestic poisoner mystery in which the two spte-grandchildren of the murdered woman, the local doctor, and an anonymous letter writer play important parts. Miss Dorothy Bowers, i her succeeding books maintain the level of her first, should make a name in detective fiction.”
Dr. Tom Faithful closed the door quietly and came downstairs with characteristically light tread. Well-controlled muscles lent to his movements a grace oddly at variance with his bulk. The hall was empty, still as the summer afternoon outside that sent a shaft of sunlight through the transom of the front door. From the servants’ quarters came now and again tones he recognised for those of Hennessy, the butler, and from not far away the sound of somebody washing a car.
For a moment the doctor hesitated, then went purposefully towards a room on the left. Through the closed door came a murmur of voices, cut once by an impatient laugh which seemed suddenly caught back as Dr. Faithful, rapping perfunctorily, turned the knob and came in.
It was a small room he entered, high-ceilinged, its pleasant proportions rather sparely furnished in excellent taste. A girl who had been standing by the front window running the silk tassel of the blind cord through her fingers almost spun round, lips parted like a runner’s, her eyes suddenly bright and concentrated, till seeing it was the doctor she composed herself and gave him a cool little smile.
“Well, Doc, and what is dear Grandmama’s last decision?”
The doctor smiled good-naturedly. It was hard to do otherwise at the charming little blonde who confronted him, her hair beautifully coiffured in a style that gave piquancy to the half-shrewd, half-childish eagerness of her face. The sleeveless frock she wore, of extreme simplicity and vaguely suggestive of longer wear than its owner might care to remember, made all the brighter her challenging personality.
“So you think your grandmother’s routed me, eh, Carol?” His voice like his step was easy and attractive. “Not a bit of it. But isn’t Jenny here?”
“Yes,” came a lazy voice from a deep chair beside a window facing the door. The chair grumbled a bit on its castors, and an untidy newspaper that had effectively screened its occupant was dropped. The girl called Jenny, dark, slim, deeply tanned, in a white-collared blue frock that set off her skin, got slowly to her feet and met the doctor’s glance hopefully.
“What’s that?” she asked. “You mean you’re not letting Gran have her own way? You don’t think she’s well enough?”
“On the contrary. Mrs. Lackland, in spite of the disappointment she gave me on Saturday, is a highly satisfactory patient.”
“But you said—” began Carol with unnecessary violence.
“What?” asked Faithful sharply. Hands in pockets he strolled to the fireplace, turned his back on it, and looked from one girl to the other with a faint lift of his brows.
“That she hadn’t got what she wanted,” Carol finished more quietly.
“I did not. You implied she’d got it in face of my opposition. She hasn’t, because I’m in entire agreement with her. There’s no reason whatever why your grandmother shouldn’t come down tomorrow, and none at all against her seeing Rennie. In fact, the state she’ll be in if she doesn’t is likely to produce more harm than any interview with a lawyer can do.”
“Traitor,” said Carol briefly. Jenny began arranging the disordered paper without a glance for either.
“Don’t be ridiculous, child,” Faithful replied unhurriedly. “I’m not likely to insist upon Mrs. Lackland’s stopping in bed and seeing nobody just because life’s a bit more comfortable for you when she’s upstairs. Now am I?”
“I think you might,” said Carol shamelessly. “Anyhow, you could express yourself less brutally.” For all the flippancy of her reply some agitation, hardly suppressed, seemed rising within her, but before she could say any more Jenny remarked calmly: “But you don’t know, Doctor, that the interview with her lawyer won’t excite her.”
Faithful looked at her quickly, but before he could answer, Carol, eager to endorse the last statement, struck in with: “No, of course not. It all depends on what she wants him for, and for days now she’s been all worked up at the thought of having him here.”
The doctor made a brusque gesture.
“Then the best treatment for her nerves is his visit.”
He turned abruptly to Jenny, who was gazing out of the side window against which a laburnum, its flowers withered long ago, hung soft sprays of leaves.
“Have you any reason for supposing that Mrs. Lackland’s business with her lawyer will be upsetting?”
Jenny shrugged. “Plenty. But so would you if you were one of us. But, oh, what’s the use—” She broke off and, sensing the doctor’s impatience, adopted a mood of acquiescence which cleared the air.
“She’d like me to make an appointment then for tomorrow afternoon, I suppose?” she asked quietly.
“Probably. But I fancy by Mrs. Lackland’s remarks that she’d already arranged the interview with Rennie, and that he’s simply waiting for a medical verdict to confirm it. Well, that’s how it stands,” he added. “I was bound to tell her that I was pleased with her at last, and that there could be no real objection to an occasional visitor or two provided she knows when to part with them and goes on observing early-to-bed. Apart from the surprising sickness last weekend which seems to have been due to her disregard of the diet I’ve emphatically insisted upon, Mrs. Lackland has made astonishing progress in the last month, and though she had to be sent back to bed the other day it isn’t necessary to keep her there now.”
“No. Well,” sighed Carol, perching herself with delicate caution upon a small table by the window and swinging one leg in dreamy fashion, “it’s simply the old case of devil and deep sea. Keep Gran upstairs and increase her wrath. Let her come down and increase ours.”
“Not exactly,” observed Jenny curtly. “It’s just as irritating whether she’s in bed or out of it.”
“That’s out of my sphere,” said Faithful thankfully. “All I can answer for is Mrs. Lackland’s bodily improvement. If she pays reasonable attention to what she eats and when, it’s unlikely she’ll have a recurrence of last week’s trouble. Miss Bullen too, who sees her more constantly perhaps than anybody else, says her spirits have picked up wonderfully in the past few days.”
“Naturally,” said Carol quickly, “‘malice aforethought.’ Grannie’s, I mean, not Emily’s—this time!” Then as the doctor looked steadily at her she added: “Oh you needn’t make eyes at me like that! She’s feeling vile to Jenny because of her young man, and that’s what made her spirits go up with a bang and why she wants to talk to Rennie, I expect!”
Jenny coloured and made as if to speak, but Faithful had turned to Carol.
“And who, pray, is Jenny’s young man? The film star?”
“Yes. Carnowski. It’s been a heavenly thrill, but Grandma found out everything.”
“With Emily’s help,” added Jenny, with finality. The colour burned brightly through the brown of her cheeks. She looked suddenly taut.
“Having revealed so much,” said Carol lightly, “you’d better learn our deadly secret. Emily goes out tonight—to disport herself, we’re pretty sure, at the pictures, where Jan Carnowski ‘Continues to Draw Great Houses to Black Arches, the Super Film of Our Age,’” she giggled, “and Jan himself steps out of the picture and has supper here with Jenny! Now would you call that dramatic irony?”
“I’d say it was an unnecessary piece of melodrama,” the doctor retorted grimly. “Isn’t that mere unwise bravado?” He turned to Jenny.
“No, not really. Jan would much rather take me out somewhere, but I’ve got to spend my evenings in while Gran’s in her room because from teatime onwards she’s apt to want me at any moment.”
“And it’s hell,” Carol added simply, “if you’re not there.”
“I see.” The doctor’s comment was brief, his expression merely professional. He turned to go. “I’ll drop in by the end of the week,” he said briskly, “to make my farewells. The locum comes in on Monday.”
“Scotland, isn’t it?” inquired Jenny, rather indifferently. “How long did you say?”
“A fortnight. Sure to go fast, but mountain streams and a spot of fishing will be a blessed oasis in this heat.”
As he moved away his eye was caught by the whiteness of Carol’s cheeks. She was twisting into little tubes the dropped petals of some large pink roses on the table.
“You look as if a tonic mightn’t come amiss, Carol. Like me to shake you up something?”
The girl shook her head sharply.
“It’s this grilling weather,” she said, shortly. “The sort we always get in Minsterbridge when the sun shines for more than a week. I’m all right really.”
As if to emphasize her vigour she ran swiftly the yard or so to the door and swept it wide open before the doctor could do so.
“Oh, miss,” a small chubby maid standing very close to it gasped and swayed forward a little. Faithful, with an amused glance at her distress, went out into the hall and took his hat.
He heard Carol’s angry “Hetty!” and the beginning of over-hasty assurances from the culprit, then lingering no further directed a wordless goodbye of raised eyebrows to Jenny in the background and let himself out.
On the short flight of steps, flanked by little brick pillars at the bottom, Dr. Faithful stood for some seconds looking thoughtfully down the familiar sun-baked path to the severe iron gate set in the wall on the road. In the mature warmth of the July day, the tea hour approaching, house and road and even the jaded grass of the lawn had the somnolent charm of a sleeping cat. Despite the strain visible in his face it was with satisfaction that the doctor surveyed the scene and looked back reflectively to the end of an exhausting piece of work. When he came down the short path and out into the square where the light lay shadowless on ripe old brick, and plane trees, formally spaced, stood breathless in the quivering heat, the tantalizing vision of his Scottish burn and the folding mists above it seemed a mirage unlikely to assume reality, so wide a gulf lay between this world and that.
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Sex Power – Media Offering Vicarious Pleasure
By Todd Vickers 2017/03/31 2017/03/31 Culture Critique
What is sex power? It’s no trivial fact that almost every human being you meet longs for sexual joy, and those who understand that fact have power. Unfortunately, shame, possessive-ness, questionable beliefs and the tendency to use people as a means place sex power in the hands of advertisers, religion, and people who are willing to take advantage or deceive. Our instinctive joy gets repeatedly associated with products like food or deodorant. To take back the usurped sex power requires more than talk, it requires risking an innovation, an invitation that some will reject at first. Moreover, when others accept the invitation, the relationship must exist outside our expectations born of imagination, advertising, religion, movies and love songs. We will be adapting to the situation itself instead of trying to get the situation to coincide with our inherited or preconceived ideas.
Sex is an event in nature a bit like a flowering fruit tree. A frost may rob it of blossoms. Still, through the light of kindness, love, adventure and understanding, we can create the environment for the blossoms to again emerge. The life in a tree does not exist to serve our ideas or demands. It exists for it’s own sake. In some ways sex is quite unlike a tree and more like a sunset. It’s ever-changing, sometimes it’s pale other times it lights up the sky like it’s on fire.
The more sexual joy becomes broadly available and harmless, the less we will be vulnerable to others manipulating our instinctive desire.
It’s hard to sell people something they already have. Why live our sexuality vicariously when some people around us would share with pleasure? I suggest that the sexy video below for deodorant offers us something we can’t get from their product. But lot’s of people want that something that’s why the ad works.
To create a more free and open environment for adventurous and intimate sexual love, we need more openness to discovery both our own and especially for other people. Let’s be truthful and understand that many good things are different from our concepts about them. We need an open mind and a willingness to walk through fears inserted into us by social forces. These fears exist in our minds today. The monsters of our imagination; those daydreams that play and induce fear, those narratives often destroy good things today.
Sex power is usurped by those who manipulate and seek power through it.
“one of my lovers shared with some of her friends that her relationship is open with her husband… Her friends listened to her and fretfully voiced their concerns, and the biggest question on their minds was, “how many men have you been with since the relationship has been open?” The answer (at that time) was two and these women felt shocked. They simply imagined that if this woman was outside of the tradition then she must have had many, many lovers… this idea was to scare themselves because here was a woman that they respected saying that it is okay to have more than one lover… this… is perceived as a threat, particularly if the listeners are suppressing sensual longing… they imagine something terrifying so they emotionally recoil from the reality… Perhaps they had visions of a woman willing to give head to any stranger who asks in public bathrooms, gang bangs or someone dying of AIDS as a result of their irresponsible sexual encounters. Whatever they thought they were not expecting the answer to be two partners other than her husband in thirteen years, and that these people were having safe sex with mutual respect, appreciation and honesty with all those involved. My lover spoke to these women and confirmed my speculation…
There is a very strong idea that if an expression is not supported by the “popular wisdom of the day,” meaning the known, then it must be unloving, harmful, or at best very risky because that is how the unknown is usually perceived. Even one of this country’s most cherished political documents, “The Declaration of Independence” gives voice to the tendency for people to accept the suffering of the known rather than enter into the unknown. Part of the document says:
…“all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”
Excerpt: Todd Vickers, Truth Like Fire
Assume for a moment we’re willing to intelligently avoid real harm like coercion, recklessness, deceit and violence. Now let’s also free ourselves of the undue influence of others, we need to adapt our minds and our words to the truth of our bodies and circumstances.
I’m talking about the end of hypocrisy.
We may wish the fictional ideas we cling to about our self to be reinforced by both our circumstances and relationships. But no circumstance can stabilize any concept of self. When this becomes more clear, then regardless of the social conditioning we’ve endured, nothing forces us to believe or obey that conditioning or prejudice in our mind. This is a whole new kind of responsibility that takes us away from sex power because we don’t want to destroy possibilities by manipulating with sex. This may take us far off the map in the realms of the unknown and our past becomes less useful as a reference. This new responsibility (ability to respond) reveals possibilities for good things that are hidden in plain sight. Good things many others, like ourselves are hoping to enjoy before they die.
Why not let our sexuality be a pulsing, highly charged, celebration of life rendered reasonably harmless through intelligence. Let’s delight with others in joy while we can, because like any event in nature, this too shall pass.
By Todd Vickers
Tagged end of hypocrisy, manipulating with sex, sex power, sexual joy, sexual possessiveness, sexual shame, this too shall pass.
« How to Find Your New Life | Todd writes for Vivriti.org
Sex Impact – Indian Youth Suicide | Published at Vivriti.org »
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Virginia Beach gunman DeWayne Craddock quit job hours before massacre
By Lee Brown
June 2, 2019 | 12:42pm
An American flag as part of a makeshift memorial at the site of the Virginia Beach mass shooting. AP
Virginia Beach Municipal Center shooting
Motive in Virginia Beach workplace massacre remains a mystery
Virginia Beach city manager resigns over mass shooting response
Virginia Beach staffer fired for 'threatening' comments on mass shooting
After mass shooting, Virginia governor to host gun control talks
Virginia Beach gunman DeWayne Craddock had quit his city job just hours before launching his massacre, officials confirmed Sunday.
Craddock, 40, emailed his two-weeks’ notice as a civil engineer on Friday morning — and just after 4 p.m launched the mass shooting that left 12 dead at his offices in the city’s municipal building.
He was eventually captured alive after a gun battle with cops that lasted at least 5-minutes — with the same officers still trying to save his life before he died later at a hospital.
One of the dead, army vet Richard Nettleton, 65, was in the killer’s “chain of command” as a supervisor at the Department of Public Utilities, officials confirmed — while still playing it down as a possible motive.
“We do not have any information that he was targeting anyone specifically,” chief of police Jim Cervera insisted at a press conference.
Both he and city manager Dave Hansen were at pains to stress that Craddock had not been fired from work.
“Right now we do not have anything glaring,” the police chief had said of possible motives. “There’s nothing that hits you right between the eyes.”
Hansen only admitted the gunman had handed in his notice after being asked directly by a reporter.
“He notified his chain of command that morning,” Hansen said. “We are determining where that letter is. My understanding is he did that via email.”
He did not reveal why he resigned and again insisted he was not fired.
The press conference spelled out the full timeline of the attack — including the gun battle with four cops that Cervera said lasted between five and eight minutes.
Despite one of the cops being injured, they still tried to save the gunman’s life after capturing him behind a locked door.
“Put yourself in that position — you just took numerous rounds, one of your fellow officers was just injured, was shot, you find the individual and then you immediately switch over to trying to save his life,” Cervera said. “Because police officers truly believe in the sanctity of life.”
He also revealed that none of the officers — two detectives and two from a K9 unit — had bodycams.
Filed under mass shootings , shootings , virginia beach , Virginia Beach Municipal Center shooting
Trump wades into Brexit talks, urges UK to 'walk away'
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Nanomechanical characterization of canine femur bone for strain rate sensitivity in the quasistatic range under dry versus wet conditions
Kun Lin Lee, Marta Baldassarri, Nikhil Gupta, Dinesh Pinisetty, Malvin N. Janal, Nick Tovar, Paulo Coelho
Biomaterials and Biomimetics
As a strain rate-dependent material, bone has a different mechanical response to various loads. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of water and different loading/unloading rates on the nanomechanical properties of canine femur cortical bone. Six cross-sections were cut from the diaphysis of six dog femurs and were nanoindented in their cortical area. Both dry and wet conditions were taken into account for three quasistatic trapezoid profiles with a maximum force of 2000 N (holding time = 30 s) at loading/unloading rates of 10, 100, and 1000 N/s, respectively. For each specimen, 254±9 (mean ± SD) indentations were performed under different loading conditions. Significant differences were found for the elastic modulus and hardness between wet and dry conditions (P<0.001). No influence of the loading/unloading rates was observed between groups except for the elastic modulus measured at 1000 N/s rate under dry conditions (P<0.001) and for the hardness measured at a rate of 10 N/s under wet conditions (P<0.001). Therefore, for a quasistatic test with peak load of 2000 N held for 30 s, it is recommended to nanoindent under wet conditions at a loading/unloading rate of 100-1000 N/s, so the reduced creep effect allows for a more accurate computation of mechanical properties.
International Journal of Biomaterials
https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/415230
Strain rate
Elastic moduli
Lee, K. L., Baldassarri, M., Gupta, N., Pinisetty, D., Janal, M. N., Tovar, N., & Coelho, P. (2012). Nanomechanical characterization of canine femur bone for strain rate sensitivity in the quasistatic range under dry versus wet conditions. International Journal of Biomaterials, [415230]. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/415230
Nanomechanical characterization of canine femur bone for strain rate sensitivity in the quasistatic range under dry versus wet conditions. / Lee, Kun Lin; Baldassarri, Marta; Gupta, Nikhil; Pinisetty, Dinesh; Janal, Malvin N.; Tovar, Nick; Coelho, Paulo.
In: International Journal of Biomaterials, 2012.
Lee, KL, Baldassarri, M, Gupta, N, Pinisetty, D, Janal, MN, Tovar, N & Coelho, P 2012, 'Nanomechanical characterization of canine femur bone for strain rate sensitivity in the quasistatic range under dry versus wet conditions', International Journal of Biomaterials. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/415230
Lee KL, Baldassarri M, Gupta N, Pinisetty D, Janal MN, Tovar N et al. Nanomechanical characterization of canine femur bone for strain rate sensitivity in the quasistatic range under dry versus wet conditions. International Journal of Biomaterials. 2012. 415230. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/415230
Lee, Kun Lin ; Baldassarri, Marta ; Gupta, Nikhil ; Pinisetty, Dinesh ; Janal, Malvin N. ; Tovar, Nick ; Coelho, Paulo. / Nanomechanical characterization of canine femur bone for strain rate sensitivity in the quasistatic range under dry versus wet conditions. In: International Journal of Biomaterials. 2012.
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title = "Nanomechanical characterization of canine femur bone for strain rate sensitivity in the quasistatic range under dry versus wet conditions",
abstract = "As a strain rate-dependent material, bone has a different mechanical response to various loads. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of water and different loading/unloading rates on the nanomechanical properties of canine femur cortical bone. Six cross-sections were cut from the diaphysis of six dog femurs and were nanoindented in their cortical area. Both dry and wet conditions were taken into account for three quasistatic trapezoid profiles with a maximum force of 2000 N (holding time = 30 s) at loading/unloading rates of 10, 100, and 1000 N/s, respectively. For each specimen, 254±9 (mean ± SD) indentations were performed under different loading conditions. Significant differences were found for the elastic modulus and hardness between wet and dry conditions (P<0.001). No influence of the loading/unloading rates was observed between groups except for the elastic modulus measured at 1000 N/s rate under dry conditions (P<0.001) and for the hardness measured at a rate of 10 N/s under wet conditions (P<0.001). Therefore, for a quasistatic test with peak load of 2000 N held for 30 s, it is recommended to nanoindent under wet conditions at a loading/unloading rate of 100-1000 N/s, so the reduced creep effect allows for a more accurate computation of mechanical properties.",
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AU - Janal, Malvin N.
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AU - Coelho, Paulo
N2 - As a strain rate-dependent material, bone has a different mechanical response to various loads. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of water and different loading/unloading rates on the nanomechanical properties of canine femur cortical bone. Six cross-sections were cut from the diaphysis of six dog femurs and were nanoindented in their cortical area. Both dry and wet conditions were taken into account for three quasistatic trapezoid profiles with a maximum force of 2000 N (holding time = 30 s) at loading/unloading rates of 10, 100, and 1000 N/s, respectively. For each specimen, 254±9 (mean ± SD) indentations were performed under different loading conditions. Significant differences were found for the elastic modulus and hardness between wet and dry conditions (P<0.001). No influence of the loading/unloading rates was observed between groups except for the elastic modulus measured at 1000 N/s rate under dry conditions (P<0.001) and for the hardness measured at a rate of 10 N/s under wet conditions (P<0.001). Therefore, for a quasistatic test with peak load of 2000 N held for 30 s, it is recommended to nanoindent under wet conditions at a loading/unloading rate of 100-1000 N/s, so the reduced creep effect allows for a more accurate computation of mechanical properties.
AB - As a strain rate-dependent material, bone has a different mechanical response to various loads. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of water and different loading/unloading rates on the nanomechanical properties of canine femur cortical bone. Six cross-sections were cut from the diaphysis of six dog femurs and were nanoindented in their cortical area. Both dry and wet conditions were taken into account for three quasistatic trapezoid profiles with a maximum force of 2000 N (holding time = 30 s) at loading/unloading rates of 10, 100, and 1000 N/s, respectively. For each specimen, 254±9 (mean ± SD) indentations were performed under different loading conditions. Significant differences were found for the elastic modulus and hardness between wet and dry conditions (P<0.001). No influence of the loading/unloading rates was observed between groups except for the elastic modulus measured at 1000 N/s rate under dry conditions (P<0.001) and for the hardness measured at a rate of 10 N/s under wet conditions (P<0.001). Therefore, for a quasistatic test with peak load of 2000 N held for 30 s, it is recommended to nanoindent under wet conditions at a loading/unloading rate of 100-1000 N/s, so the reduced creep effect allows for a more accurate computation of mechanical properties.
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JF - International Journal of Biomaterials
10.1155/2012/415230
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Home » Elizabeth in “Pride and Prejudice”: A Critical Evaluation
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Elizabeth in “Pride and Prejudice”: A Critical Evaluation
Posted 28/09/2017 09/11/2017 monami mukherjee
Pride and Prejudice is brought vividly to life by a kaleidoscope of different and even contrasting characters, most of whom are identifiable from their speech patterns itself. Of course, not all characters are or need to be equally realized. The plot of Pride and Prejudice lies more in the psychological movements of the characters than in the external events. This is particularly true in case of Elizabeth and Darcy.
Elizabeth Bennet is presented as less beautiful than her sister Jane whom she loves without any envy. She is much more spirited and independent than any other young lady of her contemporary social frame. having the “self-respect” of a “gentleman’s daughter”, she is impatient with the pretensions and claustrophobic conventions of her times. At the same time, she prioritizes propriety and good sense unlike Lydia, who disregards the decent standards of conduct because of her hollow vulgarity. Elizabeth is her father’s favourite and inherits his “quick parts” on which she prides herself, perhaps a little too much.
Elizabeth’s “lively, playful disposition which delighted in anything ridiculous” makes her attractive to women (her aunt and Charlotte Lucas in particular) and much admirable to men. Her discernment is not always as acute as she imagines it. Once her pride is hurt, as it is by Darcy’s cutting remarks at Maryton, her sense gets badly clouded by prejudice in which she stubbornly persists, in the belief that she is being “uncommonly clever”. Disregarding all evidence to the contrary, she is determined to believe the worst about Darcy and is completely taken in by appearances—most notably by the handsome and charming Wickham.
At this point one might be tempted to interrogate the author’s intentions: Why her sense of justice and generally reliable rationality should abandon Elizabeth, why she should unreasonably twist every word and action of Darcy to devalourize him. This becomes less mysterious if one reflects that from the time of the original insult at Maryton, Elizabeth harbours a deep and ambiguous resentment towards him. A significant aspect of her apparently “romantic” attachment to Wickham and Colonel Fitzwilliam is the way in which she gets more serious and intimate with them when she manages to make them talk about Darcy.
Therefore, the moment she receives Darcy’s letter, her eyes are opened and she acknowledges her own pride and prejudice. This comes much earlier that her subsequent understanding of her emotions concerning Darcy. Her emotions shift gradually from bitter hatred to a steady affection, encouraged by his treating her as his equal, which she believes herself to be.
Naturally, despite her youth, Elizabeth refuses to defer to Lady Catherine’s rank, since it is unsupported by individual merit. Far from being brow-beaten by her into renouncing any claim to Darcy, she has enough moral courage to defy her. Such demonstration of moral courage appears to be all the more appreciable if we judge it in terms of the contemporary conventions of social hierarchy. What gives an added brilliance to her personality is perhaps the direct honesty, without any trace of cunning or treachery.
Elizabeth certainly has faults. However, they are rather faults of impulsive generosity, not of any meanness of spirit. She fairly admits her errors and struggles towards a mature self-knowledge that she acquires towards the end of the novel. Her real charm is something undefinable and elusive. The greatest virtue of Elizabeth is, perhaps, her urge to transform, not remaining confined in stagnancy of stereotypes. She remains, for long, in the reader’s memory for her confidence and her courage to win over her follies. After all, Pride and Prejudice does not give a superficial treatment of life, it is a penetrating study of life and characters in all its complexities.
Author: monami mukherjee
Poet, Blogger, Undergrad Professor. Literature and film enthusiast. Excited about both critical and creative writing.
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From Animal Spirits to a Conquistador’s Stolen Foot, See the First Images of Site Santa Fe’s 2018 ‘Casa Tomada’ Biennial
Other highlights include Andrea Fraser's project on museum boards and an egg-shaped mobile museum from Guatemala.
Ben Davis, August 3, 2018
Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, Floor Opener (2013). Image courtesy Ben Davis.
“Sprawling” is an adjective that features often in descriptions of the various international art biennials. That doesn’t apply to Site Santa Fe’s SITElines biennial this year. Even in the New Mexico contemporary art institution’s recently expanded headquarters, the show feels pretty economical.
The 2018 edition, dubbed “Casa Tomada,” features 21 artists or collectives, selected by three curators: Jose Luis Blondet, of LACMA; Candice Hopkins, an independent curator who recently worked on documenta; and Ruba Katrib, of MoMA PS1.
SITElines draws the grandeur needed to power a biennial not from sheer size, but from a pronounced sense of its own mission: It has set out to be a “Biennial of the Americas,” self-consciously rewiring the art conversation to channel North-South influences. This perspective has given the last few editions of Site’s biennial a texture that can shift with its particular curators, while feeling distinct and characteristic—an achievement in itself.
As for “Casa Tomada,” at least two juicy metaphors hover over the 2018 curatorial selections. The title is taken from a magical realist story by Julio Cortázar, about upper-class siblings who slowly lose control of the rooms of their home to unnamed and unexplained occupiers. Correspondingly, works about place and power make up a large part of the show.
A more local dispute inspires another key curatorial flourish: In 1997, a still-anonymous vandal stole the foot of a monument to Juan de Oñate (1550-1626), sometimes known as the “Last Conquistador,” to make a political statement. In what amounts to a curator-authored artwork that centers the opening galleries, Blondet/Hopkins/Katrib have had a cast of the lost foot fabricated, presenting it in dialogue with the show’s many other artworks reflecting on memory, monuments, and more.
There’s a lot to chew on here—and while I am doing that, here are some photos that can give an idea what “Casa Tomada” looks and feels like.
NuMu (El Nuevo Museo de Arte Contemporáneo), a mobile miniature art space from Guatemala created by artists Jessica Kairé and Stefan Benchoam.
Interior of the NuMu space.
Installation view of Andrea Fraser, 2016 in Museums, Money, and Politics (2018), documenting the political contributions of board members of US museums.
Detail of Andrea Fraser’s 2016 in Museums, Money, and Politics (2018).
Cast of the foot of a monument to Juan de Oñate, which was stolen by anonymous vandals in 1997. The act serves as a central metaphor for “Casa Tomada.” Image courtesy Ben Davis.
Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa, Revindication of Tangible Property (2018).
Installation view of Ángela Bonadies and Juan José Olavarria, La Torre de David (2010-ongoing), documenting the residents of the Torre de David, an unfinished bank building that was taken over by squatters.
Installation view of Angela Bonadies and Juan José Olavarria, La Torre de David (2010-ongoing), detailing the “floor rules” for residents of the Torre de David.
Lutz Bacher, Whiteboard (2018), a found school whiteboard.
Jamasee Pitseolak, Lady (2011).
Stephanie Taylor, Pheasants (2014).
Detail of installation by Fernanda Laguna (2017/2018).
Sable Elyse Smith, Landscape IV (2018).
Works by Tania Pérez Córdova (2017-2018).
Installation view of works by Paz Errázuriz.
Detail of photo installation by Paz Errázuriz.
Victoria Mamnguqsualuk, Snake Man (1982). Image courtesy Site Santa Fe.
Eric-Paul Riege, diyin+, hooghan and weaving dance (fig.3) for Na’ashjé’íí Asdzáá, Retha, Effie, and Angela
Installation view of Jumana Manna, Wild Relatives (2018).
Installation of works by Curtis Talwst Santiago.
Work by Curtis Talwst Santiago.
Sculpture from Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun’s series “Neo Totems” (2018).
Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds, Surviving Active Shooter Custer (2018).
Victor Estrada, Pink Cloud/Chocolate Mountain/Blue Sky with Shadow (2017).
Melissa Cody, Sweet lovable . . . You (2016).
Lutz Bacher, Rocket (2016-18), located on the exterior of the Site Santa Fe building.
Eduardo Navarro, Galactic Playground (2018), a sundial whose shadow selects a game or puzzle for a viewer.
Detail of Eduardo Navarro, Galactic Playground (2018).
For an added bonus, here are some images of the original Oñate Monument, which remains hotly debated, 45 minutes outside of Santa Fe:
Monument to Juan de Oñate at the Oñate Monument Resource and Visitors Center in Alcalde, New Mexico.
Detail of the Monument to Juan de Oñate’s now-fixed foot.
National Art Critic
‘I Am Mistaken as the Spokesperson of Native America’: Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds on What the World Doesn’t Get About Native Artists
By Taylor Dafoe , Jan 17, 2020
Lutz Bacher, the Elusive Conceptual Artist Who Never Revealed Her Real Name or Age, Has Died
By Sarah Cascone , May 16, 2019
10 Great Artists to See at the SITE Santa Fe Biennial
By Ben Davis , Jul 15, 2016
At the Whitney, Alt-Fashion Icons Eckhaus Latta Revolutionize the Way Museums Exhibit Couture
By , Aug 7, 2018
‘There’s Enough Damsels in Distress’: Artist Genevieve Gaignard Wants to Undermine Your Assumptions About Beauty and Blackness
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Buzz ramps up over SEAL's bin Laden book
It’s already No. 1 on Amazon’s bestseller list.
Like little kids with the latest Harry Potter sequel, Washington and the rest of the world will be eagerly thumbing through “No Easy Day” when it hits bookshelves Tuesday. The memoir of a Navy SEAL who helped kill Osama bin Laden in May 2011 purports to tell the full story of how the globe’s most-wanted terrorist met his end.
Mentions of the book's author spiked on Twitter on Thursday morning, as did the term "Navy SEAL book." About 4,500 mentions were made by mid-morning. The book was mentioned more than 8,000 times on August 22, when news broke of its release.
Carl Carver tweeted, "This sort of thing is NOT healing relations in Middle East, predicted as the starting point of WWIII !"
"It seems like once a year since I graduated college I get super excited for a book release, this year No Easy Day by Mark Owen is that book," Drake Stahr tweeted.
The RangerUp fan page on Facebook, a popular spot for military folks, had a range of comments.
One commenter said: "If the POTUS (President of the United States) hadn't spilled what he did I would say that the book should not have been written. Since he did blab and is having a movie made about it, I think it needs to be told, but in a way that does not compromise SEAL Team 6...Looking forward to the book."
"None of the details of that op should have ever been released, nor should any additional details be released," another poster wrote. "We DO NOT have a need to know. Period. Loose lips sink ships and get good men killed. And frankly, I'm tired of watching the body count rise."
Learn more about the SEALs
Publisher Dutton had originally planned to release 300,000 copies, but after fevered hype in media and on social networks this week, it increased that to 575,000 copies, according to the latest from Publisher's Weekly.
Despite these numbers, Spielberg won't be doing a movie. But audiences wanting to see bin Laden get it on the big screen will get their wish around Christmas, when "Hurt Locker" director Kathryn Bigelow releases her take on the raid in “Zero Dark Thirty.”
Still, the drama is there. Spoiler alert: Reviews by the few who managed to obtain the book, including CNN’s terror analyst Peter Bergen, are that details jibe mostly with what was initially reported.
Bergen said "No Easy Day" is far more credible than other recent titles about raid.
Still, readers at Pentagon and the CIA at just now starting to comb through the book to make sure it doesn’t give away any sensitive sources or operational techniques. The publication of “No Easy Day” was apparently a surprise to top brass.
When Dutton announced that the book was coming out, it gave the SEAL's pen name as “Mark Owen.” CNN soon learned the SEAL’s real identity but agreed, at the Pentagon’s request for his safety, not to release the name. Shortly after, Fox identified the SEAL as Matt Bissonnette, a 36-year-old who had been raised in Alaska, learning how to hunt, shoot and fish at an early age. Wednesday night, CBS aired snippets of a "60 Minutes" interview with the author, set to air Sunday, that showed his face. Given those developments, CNN has decided to report Bissonnette’s name.
The pen name is popular on Twitter on Thursday, not "Bissonnette."
Earnings for the book, Dutton has said, will go to charities that help the families of fallen SEALs. That move may garner praise and help quell accusations that the book, released so close to the presidential election, is politically motivated even though the book is reportedly critical of Obama, the Atlantic reported Thursday.
The SEAL batted down those criticisms in the "60 Minutes" interview.
“This book is not political whatsoever,” he said. “It doesn't bad mouth either party, and we specifically chose September 11th to keep it out of the politics. You know, if these - crazies on either side of the aisle want to make it political, shame on them. This is a book about September 11th, and it needs to rest on September 11th. Not be brought into the political arena, because this - this has nothing to do with politics.”
At least one SEAL has been outspoken about the book. He said he would congratulate Bissonnette on killing bin Laden and then tell him to move with his family to protect his safety.
"He's made himself and his family a target of al-Qaeda extremists," Don Mann wrote in Time, alluding to his own book published last year. "Furthermore, he can expect some disapproval from the SEAL community."
Gen. James "Spider" Marks said that he SEAL could be putting himself in danger and that the book might have "repercussions." But ex-SEAL Chuck Pfarrer has voiced support for the publication of the book: "I’m sure that this author felt, as I did, that the truth wasn’t being told."
Post by: CNN's Ashley Fantz
Filed under: Afghanistan • Al Qaeda • Alaska • Navy SEALs • Osama bin Laden • Pakistan • September 11 • Taliban • Terrorism • U.S. • War • World
Blah blah the wheel's off your trailer
Maybe he published the book to compensate for inflation and high cost of living since lying face Paul Ryan and the GOT voted against a pay raise for military veterans.
AMERICA FOR SALE......
Really? What about all the previous wars and books about them and movies about them. Osama dead laden is old news.
kenredbar
My only question is why did he not submit the manuscript through proper channels for review and approval. Did the attorney who reviewed the book have proper authority to approve information in the book for release? What credentials did the attorney possess to review and approve release??
Jim Gilchriese
What is the big deal? For me, after 44 yrs, my files in the Government based files, are still listed as SENSITIVE MATERIAL, ACCESS DENIED!!, That applies to anyone within the VA Base Computers, even my Doctors. You talk about a PARANOID GOVERNMENT. After all this time, who really cares? Someone does. JHG
NYKnows
Publication of this book is completely selfish, a ploy to make money. We don't believe in it at all, and we don't believe it's real. Further, we won't be buying any more books published by Penguin.
fairandbalancedfredo
Romney is an Israel-firster. If Netanyahoo tells him to go to war for Israel, he'll be anxious to do it.
This Navy Seal should be ashamed, what would make him think he should have written this book? Is it a Republican smear campaign?
I hope i am wrong but I dont believe any of this. This book is just out there to help sell the whole " we got bin laden" image and i am sure it is approved by the pentagon to help sell that lie. How long did it take the White House to prepare the final account of what happened. Even once the official story hit the media so many things in the story changed. At first OBL was armed, then he took a wife or somebody hostage, now he was unarmed etc..Too many things dont add up with 9/11 and anybody who wants to challenge me on that you can start by explaining WTC 7 collapse...
The Movie tale
This headline and it's contents are misleading in many ways,,,They accuse our president of Hollywood coming in an making a movie which they did contact the pentagon and cia,,,,however,,,our president gave them NOTHING,,,
tTthe Obama administration engineered this and revealed intelligence sources and sensitive methods is TOTALLY FALSE,,,Tired of people getting wrong information on these sites,,do the research first,,,,
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/aug/20/special-operations-opsec-education-fund/group-says-obama-revealed-secret-information-holl/
Thats what we need servicemen and woman writing books about recent missions. What spineless traitors people become.
kk rousseau
800 words about–not an actual book–but the gossip surrounding it? BORING. Gossip *about* gossip: what could be less relevant? I don't blame the the blogger; any writer might take the lowly job to insure her supply of Acme Organic Espresso doesn't dry up. Now, that would be buzz-worthy.
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Keeping Up with the Changing Technology Landscape
ClearanceJobs / May 20, 2019
There is the old saying that time and tide wait for no one. But, today there is a third truth: technology doesn’t wait for anyone – and more importantly, it is continuously evolving. In order to provide a vital advantage to its customers, BAE Systems ensures that its employees stay on the cutting edge of tomorrow’s technological developments.
“BAE Systems has a unique perspective on the changing technology landscape,” said Peder Jungck, vice president and general manager of Intelligence Solutions, “we have our own internal tradecraft focused university, which provides access to continual learning so that you can adapt to the speed of technology.”
Technology Doesn’t Stop Evolving – Neither Can We
One of the biggest strengths of BAE Systems is its commitment to invest in its people.
“Last year, I was selected for a leadership program,” explained Kristen Ingle, director of Mission Intelligence. “One of the most valuable things I learned from the experience was to develop a network in different functional areas.”
The different business areas within BAE Systems were able to provide her with a way to help grow her position, which in turn allowed the company to prosper, as well.
“Prior to that leadership program I didn’t work with other sectors, now I do all the time,” she added. “It was eye-opening to get a greater understanding of BAE Systems as a whole, beyond the individual programs, business areas and sectors.”
Communication and Teamwork Create Success
This culture of continuous learning also highlights the role that communication plays in career growth.
“The more you communicate with people and then take on new opportunities, the more you are able to move up and get promotions,” said Conrad Tyson, an analyst at BAE Systems. “I was able to step into different areas, work on different projects and go out of the way to see what BAE Systems had to offer.”
This ability to learn and take on new responsibilities allows employees to adjust to the changing world of defense and national security.
“Every 12 to 18 months our mission is changing; our workforce is changing,” said Jungck. “Today you need an environment where not only can you go and get to work on those missions, but you can gain all those extra resources that you need to prepare yourself for the next step.”
At BAE Systems this is also accomplished through teamwork.
“It might sound cliché but it is like a family here,” added Tyson. “You have people you can talk to and they make it enjoyable to come to work every day.”
Want to serve the mission in a constantly-evolving landscape? See opportunities to join the BAE Systems team here.
SPONSORED CONTENT: This article is written by or on behalf of our Sponsor.
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Misuse of Information Technology Systems and Security Clearances
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Digital Signals Processing Engineer (Up to 25% Profit Sharing Be Sterling, VA
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Cyber Security Engineer Ashburn, VA
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News Room - Latest News from Guyana Live on E-Networks E1 7PM
January 20, 2020 January 19, 2020 January 18, 2020 January 17, 2020 January 16, 2020
Renewed focus being placed on leprosy prevention
Editor Sep 7, 2016 0
Dutch engineering students complete report on Project Georgetown.
New Ambassador Of The Philippines To Guyana Accredited
Greenidge says repossession of concessions from BaiShanLin “unfortunate”; should not…
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Vendors who were removed from Vending on Robb Street, between Alexander and Bourda Streets on Tuesday by the City Council, will resume vending on Thursday morning. This was a decision made during a meeting today with Town…
Renewed focus in being placed on Leprosy prevention in Guyana
20 medical personnel on Wednesday (September 07, 2016) began training on the prevention of Leprosy and other related issues as the Ministry of Public Health works to ensure there is no resurgence of the disease. Known as…
Man perishes in fire at Adelphi Village
By Malisa Playter Harry A 64-year-old man on the evening of Tuesday, September 06, 2016 perished in a fire at Adelphi Village, East Canje, Berbice. Parsram Samaroo aka Isaac was bedridden at the time of the incident.…
Blairmont teen commits suicide
By Royan Abrams A West Bank Berbice family is mourning the death of a 17-year-old who took his life on Tuesday, September 06, 2016, following a “drinking spree.” Dead is 17-year-old Yougram Baldesh who was deemed a habitual…
President Granger says pregnancy should be celebrated; responds to NCN’s removal of pregnant…
President David Granger has made it clear that there is no shame in pregnancy and urged that it be celebrated. His comments came following the recent removal of popular News Anchor, Natasha Smith from presenting the NCN 6 'O'…
The Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) will be moving to repossess concessions currently being held by BaiShanLin International Forest Development Inc. following the company’s failure to pay its debts. Weighing in on the matter…
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TCI ‘fairly confident’ going into polls
Wakenaam man sets wife on fire then hangs self
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Netanyahu Touches Down In Kyiv, Hails 'Excellent' Ukraine Ties
KYIV -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received the traditional bread-and-salt gesture of hospitality from young Ukrainians dressed in embroidered attire after he and his wife Sara landed in Kyiv on August 18 for a two-day visit to Ukraine.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko was at the airport to greet Netanyahu, who was the last Israeli head of government to visit the country more than 20 years ago. Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroisman, both of whom are Jewish.
According to the Ukrainian presidential website, the Israeli prime minister will on August 19 hold talks with Zelenskiy in the morning at the refurbished presidential Mariyinskiy Palace before presiding over the signing of bilateral documents.
After delivering official speeches, both will head to the Babyn Yar memorial, where Nazis killed more than 33,000 Jews in 1941. By the end of World War II, some 100,000 people considered "undesirables" or regarded as a threat to German authority, including Soviet prisoners of war, partisans, Ukrainian nationalists, and Roma, were executed at the site.
Netanyahu will also commemorate the victims of the Holodomor, a man-made famine in the 1930s orchestrated by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin that killed millions of Ukrainians.
Kyiv has in the past asked Jerusalem to formally recognize the famine as a genocide.
In a video message, Netanyahu said discussions in Kyiv will touch upon the 'establishment of a free-trade area, the pensions agreement, and a host of other issues that will further strengthen the excellent relationship between the two countries.'
Kyiv has agreed in principle to pay pensions to Ukrainian immigrants who settled in Israel after Ukraine became independent in 1991, but the measure has not yet passed in the Ukrainian Parliament, according to The Jerusalem Post.
It said that the issue concerns up to 8,000 people living in Israel, where more than 200,000 Ukrainian immigrants have arrived since 1990.
When the two countries signed a free-trade pact in January, Netanyahu hailed "strong" relations between the two countries, saying they are based on "deep historical and cultural roots."
"Ukrainian Jews make up a significant portion of the population of Israel. And Ukraine is home to a large Jewish community," he told then-President Petro Poroshenko.
The free-trade deal, which aims at canceling duties for approximately 80 percent of Israeli industrial goods and 70 percent of Ukrainian industrial products, has been ratified by Ukraine but not by Israel.
Trade turnover between the two countries last year equaled $1.34 billion, consisting mostly of grain, ferrous metals, chemicals, and mineral fuel.
Citing diplomatic officials, The Jerusalem Post reported that Netanyahu's visit to Kyiv has "diplomatic significance" because Ukraine is "helpful to Israel at the UN and other international forums."
Netanyahu's trip comes less than a month before general elections in Israel's national legislature, leading some political analysts to suggest he is hoping to gain favor with Israeli voters with Ukrainian roots. Sources close to the prime minister were quoted as denying the allegation.
With reporting by The Times of Israel, Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, and AFP
Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Republished with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036
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hcs.osu.edu
Pruning Backyard Grapevines in the First Three Years
HYG-1429
Maurus Brown, Ph.D., Associate Professor Emeritus, OSU South Centers
Gary Gao, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Small-Fruit Extension Specialist, OSU South Centers; and Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University
Grape gardeners often become confused as to what should be pruned off and when. Proper pruning will help maintain a grapevine’s potential of producing a good quality fruit crop, develop good vine structure, increase sunlight exposure into the canopy, promote the development of next year’s fruiting wood, and potentially reduce disease and insect pressure. The key to good pruning is learning how to select good quality fruiting wood to leave for cropping.
As green shoots mature in the late summer and fall, they will begin to harden-off by developing a periderm (bark layer) that is reddish-brown in color. Healthy shoots will harden-off the full length of the shoot. Any green growth (generally at the tip) remaining at frost will be killed.
Proper pruning can help to reduce the amount of unproductive wood and balance the level of fruit crop with the overall vegetative growth each year. Once pruning is completed, the remaining fruiting wood should be spread out over the entire allotted space for the vine on the trellis.
How do I prune my grapevines after the first year of growth?
Figure 1. Grapes should be trained to an appropriate position on the trellis or arbor.
In the first growing season, remove all fruit and unwanted lateral shoots from the young vines throughout the growing season. Grapevines tend to grow rapidly from the apical end (main growing point) when lateral shoots and fruit are removed. Vines should be staked and tied (using twine or string) to allow the new shoot to form a straight trunk (Figure 1). The leaves should remain on the developing trunk to produce necessary carbohydrates to feed the plant; all lateral shoots, however, should be removed. Only lateral shoots at the top wire will be left. New growth may reach the top wire (around 5 to 5½ feet) during the first year. If this occurs, pinch off the end of the shoot(s) at the top wire and then the lateral shoots will grow horizontally in both directions along the top wire. These will be used to form the new cordons. Pruning of one-year-old hardwood (dormant canes) will be minimal, but some pruning may be necessary to help shape the vine before second-year growth begins.
How do I prune my grapevines after the second year of growth?
Remove all fruit and any lateral shoots that emerge along the trunk of the grapevine. If vines did not complete their structural development in the first year, be sure to train new shoot growth so that the grapevine will completely cover the intended area along the trellis or arbor.
Once the lateral shoots have grown along the top wire to the desired location, pinch the terminal ends of the main lateral shoots (on the top wire). This will force secondary shoots to develop along the two main laterals laid down to established the cordon. The cordon is a permanent structure that exists on the top wire, from which hardwood canes (hardened-off shoots) are pruned (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Further training and pruning are conducted to develop the grapevine structure.
Lateral shoots that emerge from the cordon should be allowed to grow uninterrupted. Only necessary shoot positioning should be done to direct growth in an orderly manner.
During late February or March, each one-year-old cane (dormant cane) that grew along the cordon should be pruned back to either a three-, four-, or five-node spur (fruiting spur) or a one-node renewal spur (vegetative spur). The remaining fruiting wood should be approximately pencil size in diameter. Renewal spurs produce vegetative shoots that are used for the following year’s fruiting wood.
How do I prune my grapevines after the third year of growth?
Year three is the first fruiting year. Dormant pruning should be done some time in late February through March (Figure 3a and 3b). One-year-old wood (dormant canes) should be pruned back to three-, four-, or five-node spurs (Figure 4). The spurs should be evenly spaced along the cordon and pointing downward.
To determine how many buds to retain for fruiting, weigh all pruned one-year-old wood. Use the pruning weight to count the number of fruiting buds to leave. You may choose to use different approaches for determining the number of fruiting buds to leave. One system is the 30-10-10, which requires the person pruning to keep track of the weighed prunings and the number of buds remaining on the intact vine. For the first pound of pruned-off wood, leave 30 buds; second pound of wood, leave 10 buds; and continue adding 10 buds for each pound of wood thereafter. For example: Three pounds of one-year-old wood have been pruned off; a total of 50 fruiting buds should be retained on the vine.
Figure 3a. Non-pruned grapevine. Figure 3b. Pruned grapevine. Figure 4. Bud counts for different length of spurs.
How do I prevent my grapevines from becoming a tangled mess?
Many times grape gardeners find that the one-year-old canes have become intertwined along the trellis and are extremely hard to unwind for pruning. This can be controlled somewhat by shoot positioning. It is very similar to combing hair.
Once green shoots are developed enough (approximately mid-July), each shoot can be placed in an orderly position along the entire cordon of the vine and parallel to the vertical trunk. Combing or shoot positioning can help to reduce the overall number of tangled shoots and can increase light penetration into the vine canopy. Increased sunlight exposure will promote good quality fruit, better winter hardiness of canes and more productive canes for next year’s crop.
As Figure 5a shows, an uncombed vine will have several one-year canes trailing in different directions. A combed vine appears much neater, has better order and canes can be pruned quicker than uncombed vines (Figure 5b). Grapevine combing should be done each year so that all shoots are properly positioned along the trellis.
Figure 5a. Non-shoot positioned grapevine. Figure 5b. Shoot positioned grapevine.
Grapevines need proper training and pruning during the first three years. Once they start producing fruit, annual pruning is needed to maintain the balance between vegetative growth and fruit production. If grapevines produce too much fruit in one year, they will not produce a good crop next year and could suffer winter damage. If grapevines produce too little fruit one year, they will produce too many shoots and leaves that year.
Glossary of Pruning Terms
Cane: A green summer shoot matures (hardens off) into a woody, brown one-year-old cane after leaf fall.
Cordon: A permanent extension of the grapevine’s trunk that is horizontally positioned along the trellis (arbor) wire.
Fruiting Wood: One-year-old wood that produces the current season’s shoots and fruit.
Node: The thickened portion of a shoot or cane where the leaf petiole is attached and a compound bud is located.
Pruning: Removal of portions of a grapevine for the purpose of maintaining size, shape and productivity.
Renewal Spur: A cane pruned to one node with the primary purpose of producing a vegetative shoot (cane) for next year's fruiting wood.
Shoot: The green, leafy growth that develops from the compound bud that normally produces fruit clusters.
Shoot Positioning (Combing): New shoots are positioned in an orderly manner along the trellis to allow for more even sunlight exposure on the canopy of leaves and reduce the number of canes that are tangled.
Spur: A cane pruned to three to five fruiting nodes to produce shoots bearing fruit clusters.
Trunk: The main, upright structure(s) of the grapevine from which cordons, shoots and canes arise.
Ohio State University Extension Bulletin 919: Midwest Grape Production Guide.
Ohio State University Extension Bulletin 940: Midwest Home Fruit Production Guide.
Home, Yard and Garden
Program Area(s):
Horticulture and Crop Science
Ohioline https://ohioline.osu.edu
CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. For more information, visit cfaesdiversity.osu.edu. For an accessible format of this publication, visit cfaes.osu.edu/accessibility.
Copyright © 2017, The Ohio State University
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The Latest Texas Oil Boom Has Sent Emissions Soaring
The ongoing growth of fracking…
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Irina Slav
Irina is a writer for Oilprice.com with over a decade of experience writing on the oil and gas industry.
Chinese Oil Refineries Return To Record-High Production
By Irina Slav - May 15, 2019, 11:00 AM CDT
Chinese refineries returned to record-high processing rates last month driven by the so-called teapots, which added a substantial amount of new refining capacity.
According to Reuters, the average daily throughput in April stood at 12.68 million barrels, up 5 percent from a year earlier. For the January to April period, the average was 12.62 million bpd, up 4.7 percent on the year. In January this year, CNPC, the country’s largest oil company, said it expected 12.68 million bpd to be the average processing rate for local refineries this year as a whole.
This is an interesting development given that this year, the initial round of independent refiner quotas were lower, as the local market sinks in a glut of fuels and the regional market begins to feel the margin squeeze of cheap Chinese fuel exports. Fuel production margins are not what they used to be, and yet independent refiners continue to add capacity.
According to an analysis from Bloomberg released in March, this year will see refining capacity additions of as much as 890,000 bpd. Almost half of this will come from a new 400,000-bpd refinery property of teapot Hengli Petrochemical Co. which began trial runs at the facility five months ago. Full capacity is expected to be reached later in May.
Imports are also on the rise as domestic oil production continues its steady decline, forcing Chinese oil majors to look for replacement production overseas. In April, these averaged 10.64 million bpd, which came as a surprise to analysts as the 11-percent year-on-year increase came amid refinery maintenance activities and low local fuel demand.
Right now, China is once again in the oil spotlight after the latest escalation with Washington that saw the U.S. increase tariffs from 10 percent to 25 percent on US$200 billion of Chinese goods, prompting Beijing to respond with an equal increase in the rate it taxes U.S. LNG imports. For now, however, there has been no word of China imposing tariffs on U.S. oil.
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
The IEA's Dire Warning For Energy Markets
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Mamdouh Salameh on May 15 2019 said:
This means two things, namely, China’s oil imports are on the rise and are projected to exceed 11 million barrels a day (mbd) this year and its economy is growing healthily at 6.4% in 2019 rather than the previously projected 6.3%.
It also confirms that China’s oil demand is not being dented by the trade war with the United States. If China was prevented by US tariffs from exporting $800-bn worth of goods to the United States, it can sell them somewhere else. However, for the United States to replace the cheap Chinese exports with more expensive imports from elsewhere would add additional costs to American consumers, ramp up domestic inflation, increase US budget deficit and add an estimated 2.35% to the $22 trillion of US outstanding debts.
Dr Mamdouh G Salameh
International Oil Economist
Visiting Professor of Energy Economics at ESCP Europe Business School, London
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George Monoux
The First 400 years
Decline; 1820 - 1889
Crisis; 1889 - 1927
The Modern School
Evacuation; 1939 - 1943
Post war grammar school
Comprehensive education
Move to Comp-Ed
Sir George Monoux College
Headmasters
The Monovian
Valete
Senior Circle
Germany & Switzerland 1965
Czechoslovakia 1966
Choir Activities 1967
Denmark 1970
Old Monovians
Naeem Ahmed
Robert Barltrop
Gary Carpenter
Sir John Dankworth
Sir Alan Fersht FRS
James Hilton; works
James Hilton; about Monoux
Doug Insole
Dick Langstaff
Jim Lewis
Sir Fred Pontin
Sir John Pritchard
Barry Rose
Jamie Shea
John Percival MBE
Gerald O'Connell
Christopher Page
Peter Plouviez
O.M. Football
Dick Langstaff's Memories
Old Monovians Memories
Robert Barltrop's memories
The Monoux Family
In Walthamstow
Lord Mayor, MP, and Henry V111
Man of Wealth
Social, Religious and the Church
Founder and Foundation
Unfaithful Trustees and Litigation
Lease and Release
Repair of Buildings
Almspriest Schoolmaster
Schoolmasters before 1782
The School from 1782 to 1815
Transition Period
School Rennaissence
Dr. Sadler's Report
LEASE AND RELEASE, 1782-1876.
From this last entry there is nothing of interest' relating to the Monoux School and Almshouses till 1782, when a Deed was drawn up respecting this Charity between the parish and the owners of the property, charged with its support. Briefly this Indenture of 30th September, 1782, released to the parish the North Aisle and Monoux Chapel in the Church, and the Grammar School and Almshouses in consideration of the Rent Charge payable by the Monoux Trustees from .£41 14s. 4d. per year to £21. The £41 14s 4d. was to be made up to the Schools by rent of pews in the Chapel and North Aisle and from other dues payable to the Churchwardens and Overseers of the parish. The whole of the £41 14s. 4d. was still to be paid to the Almsfolk except £6 13s. 4d., which was to be paid to the Almspriest School- master and £1 6s. 8d. to the Parish Clerk, in case he should assist the Almspriest. This *' I have a note that at an Inquisition taken 8th June, 1699, there was only one Executor, viz., Sir William Scawen. Indenture of Lease and Release was signed by the Rev. Edmund Marshall and Joshua Marshall, representing the Monoux Trustees, and by Joel Johnson and John Haffey, Churchwardens of Walthamstow, and other gentlemen representing the parish. The Commissioners who were appointed to inquire into Charities in 1832 ~ say of this transaction that "it was effected without any sufficient authority, and could not be upheld in a Court of Equity. The parish could have no right to release or convey away any part of the endowment which Sir George Monoux had provided for his Charity." However, the deed was signed and carried into effect, and in 1821 it is recorded that "Sir Thomas Richard Dyer is now possessor of the Estate in Star Alley, etc., and pays the sum of £21 per annum, the Parish of Walthamstow having agreed to pay the remainder." This arrangement continued from 1782 to 1875, "when the Rent Charge was redeemed in consideration of the purchase of £700 6s. Consols, now standing in the names of the official Trustees of Charitable Funds."
We may here note that on 23rd May, 1876, thirteen Trustees were appointed by Order of Charity Commissioners, and it is then recorded that " the agreement by the Trustees to pay the remainder of the Rent Charge as stated in the Deed of 1782 has not been performed."
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Data Anthropologies: the Open Data Institute launches third season of Data as Culture art programme
Today the worlds of art and data collide at the public launch of the Open Data Institute’s (ODI) third Data as Culture season: ‘Data Anthropologies’.
Artworks from internationally acclaimed and newly appointed Artists in Residence, Thomson & Craighead, go on public display at the ODI London office, following the ODI’s two successful years of art exhibitions, events and commissions.
Data Anthropologies
‘Data Anthropologies’ examines the relationship between people and open data. The exhibition exploits the proliferation of data publicly available in society today, positioning people at the centre of data environments. Creating documentary-led artworks, Thomson & Craighead’s unveil real-time orchestrations of time, space, weather, and corruption while challenging the viewer to question what assumptions we make in our daily lives.
Hannah Redler, Curator in Residence at the ODI, said,
"Data Anthropologies’ is inspired by artists raising questions about how data is influencing the world. It challenges a common association with data that conjures thoughts of baffling images and inaccessible technology. We are inviting people to consider the role everyone plays in the emerging data landscapes we all navigate in our daily lives."
Thomson & Craighead’s materials include found YouTube footage, internet search terms and texts extracted from online sources. Works on display include:
‘Decorative Newsfeeds’ – live news headlines from around the world transformed into algorithmically drawn animated lines
‘Six Years of Mondays’ – the artists’ interpretation of time-lapsed weather recordings, originally published online by a Scottish man who records the weather outside his window every day from 6AM - 6PM
‘Flipped Clock’ – a fully functioning digital clock that challenges how we see time by rotating each displayed digit by 180°
‘London Wall EC2’ – a collection of woodblock-style typographic tweets culled from recent messages sent from the Shoreditch area surrounding the ODI.
Thomson & Craighead, ODI Artists in Residence, said,
"Using a mixture of live information feeds, generative processes and more traditional techniques, we’re offering up a series of narrative glimpses of the world as it is mediated by online communications. Ultimately, we’re holding up a mirror to ourselves and making documentary artworks as participant observers. It has been an exciting challenge to exhibit away from publishing works online and exhibiting in galleries and museums. We hope our collection provokes interest during its time at the ODI."
Using art to catalyse an open culture
The Data as Culture 3 season continues the ODI’s commitment to unearth new understandings of open data and engage with wider audiences. Established in 2012, the art programme has achieved international reach, exhibited 14 artists, commissioned 6 pieces and will expand again this year. The programme supports the ODI’s ambition to catalyse positive social, economical and environmental impact with open data.
Julie Freeman, Art Associate, leading the Data as Culture programme said,
"We need new perspectives on open data. What we find upon opening things up will sometimes be messy. Our chosen Data as Culture 3 artists are adept at looking beyond sanitised content and explore what's beneath and beyond. I am very excited about the ideas they will generate, and the provocations they will make."
Thomson & Craighead’s artists’ residency at the ODI begins in March 2015 and ends in June 2015. From July 2015 until December 2015 the ODI is welcoming photographic artist Natasha Caruana as the next Artist in Residence. The Artists in Residence will be creating new works responding to open data, joining Julie Freeman’s ‘We Need Us’, in the ongoing programme.
Viewing Data as Culture 3
Following the official private view launch event on 24 March 2015, the exhibition can be viewed by prior arrangement Monday to Friday during office hours (excluding bank holidays) from 30 March 2015. To visit contact the ODI on 020 3598 9395, or [email protected].
Data Anthropologies is curated by Hannah Redler, Associate Curator in Residence, with Julie Freeman, Artist Associate and Gavin Starks, CEO.
data as culture art Thomson & Craighead
Data as Culture 2015: Curator's statement
Data as Culture
Data as Culture 2014
Data as Culture 2012/13
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Category Archives: Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii Desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Ii Desu ka?
Half-way Into Spring 2017
I’m still watching anime.
I did finish the main OVA series of Legend of Galactic Heroes, or Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu, and it was good. Feels like a very literal map between TV cartoon from book, even though it’s a home-video only release. Like its content, that release is a bit ahead of its time; I think it would have been a killer IP for a Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. If I was working for those groups this is the kind of content I would try to secure.
Saekano S2 – This is at least astute to a degree, but misses the point entirely. I think of the story of Saekano as a bunch of problematic people coming together, with the joke being that the boring girlfriend character is actually the most interesting person among a bunch of weirdos (to put it mildly). It is full of good, subtle, meaningful fanservice and to me, coupled with Misaki’s designs, makes this top notch in that department. It is a story between battling emotions and emotional people, and really repurposes the harem aspect to describe a creative process.
Tsugumomo – Only really watching it because Sanpei Yuko told me to, but also it turns out to be another kind of fanservice show that are not too common these days. At first the subject matter doesn’t seem to be my cup of tea but it is pretty easy to get along, especially there aren’t any shows this season like this. If anything the porno-ish aspect found in the manga doesn’t get played up as much in the anime, maybe for the best…
Renai Bokun – I started to enjoy this show more to think of it like, trash tier episodes of Ranma 1/2. It might as well be. Haramii’s character is pretty extreme! It was hard for me to watch actively, but really fun to play it in the background while I do something less attentive, such as eating.
Re:Creator – I hope it keeps going, because so far it is doing nicely to escalate. The first handful of episodes were fun to watch in the same ways Aldnoah Zero (at least S1) was kind of fun to watch, in that it is a competent production and the story moved along smoothly. The subject matter actually is still kind of problematic. But I think there are some cool places this show can go.
Twin Angel BREAK – Sins of seiyuu watching brought me here, but somehow once the Russian twins were introduced, this series stopped being as hard to watch. Maybe it’s because I’m watching it for the twins, but I don’t think the story was getting any better than it was before. I guess someone has to give it a nod for laying down all the details in the early going that can come around towards the end of the series.
Tsukigakirei – I LOL’d at the book publishing part. Otherwise it’s just very comfortable cute romance I guess.
Akashic Record – Rokuaka is the kind of trash LN that works in the TV anime format, it’s got some dramatic things that map well to a more cinematic mode of storytelling. It’s enjoyable.
Hinako Note – It’s cute but the fanservice in this show sure is jarring. It has a plot so the show is kind of enjoyable at least in terms of tracking the narrative.
Natsume S6 – It’s still going, but I’m behind. Will probably catch up soon. Have to say after 5+ cours this show is just more of the same and one episode doesn’t always differentiate from the next significantly at times. To me it isn’t about what happens, but the atmospheric quality and the way it entertains me. It’s like a box of chocolates, just because I like said chocolates it doesn’t mean I will finish the whole box in one setting.
Uchoten S2 – Still very enjoyable, but it isn’t as compelling as the latter half of S1. The way the anime plays off the highs and lows with almost equal import throws off the storytelling a little. It’s like if you enjoy passive aggression, you would love this show right now.
Eromanga Sensei – It’s such a fun show to watch, I look forward to it every week. What has been surprising is that I thought I was going to get my best bang for the buck from the meta, but the core material is plenty enjoyable too, unexpectedly.
Attack On Titan S2 – Every episode is more fun reveals, so it’s pretty solid thus far.
SukaSuka – WorldEnd is just too confusing of a name… But the setting is really the shining part of the show. I’m just glad to see Koroazu in a lead role of a show that doesn’t suck… or at least it doesn’t suck that much.
Granblue Fantasy – The first couple episodes were great, but the show really tanked after that; not only it was really too cliche, none of the great part of the game got nice highlights until this past couple weeks. I’m still on board but it really needs to pick up the pace.
PiriPiri Chi-chan – In another page of watching cartoons for seiyuu I am totally watching this for Mocho, but I think this is actually a must-watch for any Rieshon fans. The production, the OP/ED themes, and the general makeup of the show are all really fun and pleasant, so it has been surprisingly enjoyable.
Cingeki – Sometimes I forget how eroi some of the comics are, and I’m glad they decided to make them into anime.
Alice & Zouroku – It’s got a thriller opening set but now things are just kind of normal-ish? Not sure I like the change but it hasn’t been bad. The mid-season breaks this cour has been a little more obvious than usual isn’t it…
sin Seven Deadly Sin – Want to watch ep2 but haven’t gotten to it yet, it’s a little obnoxious and I think Renai Boukun is taking up my quota on obnoxiousness this season.
Clockwork Planet – I actually enjoyed this thoroughly chuu2 show to a degree, but it’s also equally insufferable so I haven’t been able to go past 3 episodes.
Danmachi Side anime – On the back burner, haven’t even tried… But I will!
Bahamut Virgin Soul – I’m glad people are getting what they always wanted! /s When I watched the first series I was pretty annoyed, and I find this one a little less annoying but true to form. But I’m also behind on this because I just haven’t gotten that time for a show I’m only mildly interested in.
Busou Shoujo – One and dropped. I probably would enjoy this show but ain’t got the time.
Anonymous Noise – One and on hold I guess. I enjoyed the pilot but I might need to get in the right state of mind to keep going, so maybe it’s worth a binge watch later.
Silver Guardian – This is OK for a Chinese cartoon. Pass.
Atom: The Beginning – Too uppity for my tastes but worth watching at least one. Might go back to it…after I finish other equally uppity anime in my backlog?
Frame Arm Girls – I was fine with the 2 episode I watched but it wasn’t compelling enough to overcome the jetlag induced backlog. Maybe later.
ID-0 – After just one episode I wanted to watch more, but I didn’t want to mess with another subscription service. I think my habits have largely tilted to watching stuff legit if it meant following it week to week. Two exceptions in the form of Re:Creator and Saekano buck that trend, but I’m sure I would rather watch ID-0 over a lot of the other shows on my list.
On a couple notes in terms of trends, this is the first season in the States where Amazon streaming has some specific exclusives I care for, and Netflix still has their usual bags that they lock up for binging only. Chris from Fandompost has sort of laid it out, although the monetary figure will vary on how you approach the system. Honestly I use streaming so I can avoid making my life more complicated, so I’ll just stick with CR (and Daisuki) for now and ignore Netflix and Amazon until they make their offering more compelling.
And it’s not like their products aren’t compelling. I’m tempted to do a month of Netflix HD just to watch the rest of Sidonia and Blame (and LWA if…they had it). I would subscribe to Amazon’s Anime Strike, too, except I’m in Amazon Prime limbo due to free F&F shipping perk. I’m basically already a leg inside Amazon’s system habit-wise. What needs to change is providing a way for people who can’t get the shipping Prime straightened out, which might mean a more ala cart thing (which makes sense for everyone, not just my case). The second thing is I want more of a commitment from Amazon on anime. If I switch to paid Prime that is one year of commitment (I’m not going to bother with monthly subs with this, sup, the new Amazon credit card), so they better not suck 6 months later. Overall the jury is still out on Amazon and I am in no rush to join until there’s some track record first. (Well, there IS IDOLM@STER.KR waiting but so far that’s just the K-Drama-fying of the literal concept, which one’s mileage will vary on how they feel about k-dramas.)
PS. At this rate, I’m probably going to spring for a Amazon.jp kindle unlimited membership before Anime Strike. LOL.
PPS. I’m headed to Anime North! Just going to chill out in Toronto for a while, as the freight train that is AX prep continues to run unabated. Come say hello!
Leave a comment | posted in Eromanga Sensei, Modern Visual Culture, Natsume Yuujincho, Re:Creators, Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata, Shingeki no Kyojin, Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii Desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Ii Desu ka?, Tsugumomo, Uchoten Kazoku, Uchouten Kazoku
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Church routes
Add a church
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Onze-Lieve-Vrouw
Church | XVII | Gothic | Roman Catholic Church
01 January - 31 December
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Tue -
Wed -
Thu -
Fri 8.00 - 12.00
13 June - 13 September
Sat 14.00 - 17.00
Sun 14.00 - 17.00
DVD presentation
Religious offices
Temse is known for being the first municipality of the Pays de Waas, Christianised by Saint Amalberga. The Gothic church of Notre-Dame was built in 1645 on the foundations of the chapel of Saint Amalberga (770). Since the 13th century, a pilgrimage dedicated to Saint Amalberga has been leading pilgrims to Temse.
Inside the church, a tomb was erected for this saint in 1841. In the right transept another tomb dating from the 16th century is formed from two recumbent figures, one of them the knight Lefever, benefactor of Temse.
A communion rail, Baroque wooden panelling and several pieces in wrought metal from the 18th century, works of the local sculptors Adriaan and Philip Nys, give the Church of Our Lady an appearance of tranquil strength and of reverence.
The dome-shaped bell tower of the church is visible from the other bank of the Scheldt River. The church and the tower of the town hall make Temse one of the most beautiful small cities in the region. At night the church is fully illuminated. This gives a note of enchantment to the whole.
To complete this description, let us cite two more monuments that are significant to the inhabitants of Temse: the one, religious, was erected in front of the church in memory of the priest Edward Poppe following his beatification; the other, mischievous, located in front of the library, represents Jommeke, a comic book character known throughout Flanders.
KIKIRPA : Photo-library online
Remarkable elements
Pulpit (1715)
This baroque pulpit in (waxed) oak can be described in an inverted truncated pyramid with a height of 4.15 m on a strongly profiled and serrated base with a globe on which the diagonally suitable image of St. Amelberga rests in royal robe with sceptre, embracing the cross, with the periwinkle carried by an angel and at her foot the legendary sturgeon. The 4 evangelists surround her: the lion, the bull, while the angel and the eagle support the tub.
The straight staircase with lavishly decorated banisters begins with the stair styles formed by the statues of Moses and John the Baptist. The strongly profiled and carved tub is decorated with 3 medallions of the holy family. The spacious soundboard, carried by 2 angels, has the shape of a four-axle whose lobes are decorated with two angels and the snails with abundant horns.
The whole is a full-bodied Baroque product that, through its construction and decoration, challenges the laws of gravity. The cabinetwork is by Jose de Lamotte, the sculpture of Egidius Adrianus Nijs, born in Antwerp on 6 June 1683 and died in Temse on 21 April 1771. He was a pupil of Andries van den Base and Hendrik-Frans Verbrugghen. He married on February 6, 1707 with Johanna-Catherina van der Beke who died on November 15, 1726.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
Choir stalls
The choir stalls in (waxed) oak against the northern and southern church walls were originally located in the middle choir. They consist of a first part with rectangular flat ground with 10 seats, a door panel and a part with a continuous circular bench. The height of the stele is 3.83 m, the depth 1.52 m and the total length including the door in the middle, 12.59 m.
The rectangular sections date from 1710-1712, the cabinetwork is by the Judocus brothers and Egidius De Cauwer, the sculpture by Egidius Adrianus Nijs and the style is baroque. The circular benches date from 1764-1766, the cabinetwork is by the De Cauwer brothers, the sculpture was designed by Philip Nijs but was executed by Cornelius van Daele.
The back panels are alternately made up of herms and medallions. The abundant decorations with floral motifs are for the straight part in Baroque style and for the curved part in Rococo style. The iconography of statues and medallions was determined by the Oratorians, in particular by Father Gillis Smet, pastor and orderer of the stalls. The sumptuous decorations, medallions and statues are by the above-mentioned sculptors.
This confessional in the northern aisle is one of two baroque confessionals made between 1714 and 1716, of which the joinery was made by Matheus de Bock and the sculpture by Egidius Adrianus Nijs. It is of the open type and has a segmented arched cornice. In the front are the life-sized allegorical statues of the "Meditatio" and the "Penitentia". The back is closed by the herbes statues "Timor Dei" and "Humilitas". In the centre of the back panel is Veronica's sweat cloth, with a medallion on the left and right with the bust of a man and a woman. In the central arch is the medallion with the bust of the evangelist John, carried by an eagle.
On the cornice the garlands are worn by two angels. The confessional has a height of 4.27 m, a width of 3.23 m and a depth of 1.36 m. The whole is made of (waxed) oak.
Mausoleum of Roeland Lefèvre (1517)
The tomb of knight Roeland Lefèvre and his wife dates from 1517. It is an alcove with a height of 3.65 m and a depth of 1.45 m in late Gothic and early Renaissance style, executed in Tournai limestone, touchstone and sandstone and according to the style attributable to Jan Van Roome, alias Van Brussel.
Roeland Lefevre was after St. Amelberga (690-772) the first secular lord and great benefactor of Temse. He died in Middelburg on 30 September 1517 and his wife Hadewigis van Heemstede died on 22 December 1517. Both lie on the cover of the tomb (h. 1.27 m x 2.34 m and depth 1.45 m), Roeland in armour and coat of arms, Hadewigis in a pleated cloak.
The stained-glass window," St. Amelberga crosses the Scheldt", is one of 16 neo-Gothic stained-glass windows (width about 2.10 m and height about 7.80 m) in the 3 choirs of the church. They represent the life of Our Lady, patroness of the church, the life of Christ and the life of St. Amelberga (690-772), patroness of Temse. The neo-Gothic tracery is indebted to the English Gothic style. The stained-glass windows were designed and executed between 1888 and 1904 by the stained-glass workshop "Bethune Jean-Baptist (1821-1894) - Verhaeghen Arthur (1847-1917)", both co-founders of the Saint-Lucas schools.
Statue of François Xavier (1888)
Mathias Zens, sculptor (Gransdorf near Trier 1838 - Ghent 1921). This Ghent-German worked in Ghent with a workshop of 56 men. He worked in the church of Temse between 1888 and 1904 : 3 altars with polychromed altarpieces, 3 neo-gothic confessionals and the oak panelling in the lower church, 14 wooden polychromed life-sized column statues, the polychromed plaster 15-part Stations of the Cross.
Francis Xavier (April 7, 1506 - December 3, 1552) was one of the first Jesuits, a missionary in several Asian countries. He died in China on December 3, 1552. The 1.70 m statue bears witness to a refined neo-Gothic design and is finished with a comb-technical polychromy and gold paint.
Baptismal font
The baptismal font stands next to the western draught portal. It is made of bluestone, 1.22 m high, with a basin diameter of 0.84 m and a 0.56 m profiled base. The style is Renaissance: the column and basin are decorated with grunts and knobs polished along with the basin edge and base.
On either side of the basin, two coats of arms are chiselled and polished: one of the Verstraeten family and the other in diamond form of the Verstraeten-Moenis families, whose members were buried in the church in 1616.
Triptych on wood (early 17th century)
This 17th century painting is a triptych on wood with scenes from the life of St. Amelberga (°Rodange 690 - †Temse 772), patroness of Temse. The middle panel measures 2.20 m x 1.85 m, the side panels each 2.20 m x 0.90 m. The middle panel represents Amelberga, which is raided at Mater by Charles Martel (photo), the left side panel represents Charles Martel looking for Amelberga, the right side panel represents St. Amelberga with St. Landrada and St. Willibrord. Despite the numerous overpaintings, the painting shows the influence of Caravaggio through its contrasting light treatment. The work is attributed to Jean-Baptist De Saive (Sayve) (°Names 1540 - †Mechelen 1624).
Sint-Pietersbanden
9220 Hamme
Sint-Petrus
9150 Bazel (Kruibeke)
Pius X-kapel
9220 Moerzeke (Hamme)
Sint-Ludgerus
Kristus Koning
Temse: 'Heilig Harnas'
Religious heritage around Temse-Hamme. Welcome to the land of trousers, mud flats and salt marshes. The rivers Durme and Scheldt have proven to be a blessing, but just as often a curse! Floods were commonplace. The Church and abbeys often acted as protectors.
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Over 1,500 Ring passwords have been found on the dark web
Zack Whittaker
TechCrunch 19 December 2019
A security researcher has found on the dark web 1,562 unique email addresses and passwords associated with Ring doorbell passwords.
The list of passwords was uploaded on Tuesday to an anonymous dark web text-sharing site, commonly used to share stolen passwords and illicit materials. A security researcher found the cache of email addresses and passwords, which can be used to log in to and access the cameras, as well as their time zone and the doorbell's location, such as "driveway" or "front door."
The researcher reported the findings to Amazon — which owns the Ring brand — but Amazon asked that the researcher not discuss their findings publicly.
At the time of writing, the dark web listing is still accessible.
It's the second reported leak of Ring credentials today. Earlier on Thursday, BuzzFeed News reported that a similar cache of data on more than 3,600 Ring doorbells was posted online. The data appears to be a similar-looking data set to that which BuzzFeed obtained. Anyone with a working email address and password can log into a Ring account and obtain the Ring customer's address, phone number and some payment information. The credentials also give the user access to the Ring devices in that home, including access to historical video data if the setting is enabled.
It's not known how the data was exposed.
The dark web listing (Image: TechCrunch)
TechCrunch contacted a dozen individuals whose information was found on the dark web listing. We provided each person with their password. Of those who responded, all confirmed that it was their password.
On our advice, all changed their passwords, and some enabled two-factor authentication on their accounts.
Nearly all of the passwords we reviewed were relatively simple and potentially easy to guess. It's possible that the passwords were obtained by password spraying, a technique hackers use to guess passwords, or credential stuffing, where hackers take existing sets of exposed or breached usernames and passwords matched against different websites to access accounts.
Ring spokesperson Yassi Shahmiri did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication but in an email after we posted denied a data breach.
"We’ve notified customers whose accounts we have identified as exposed and have reset their passwords. In addition, we are continuing to monitor for and block potentially unauthorized login attempts into Ring accounts," the spokesperson said.
However, of those we spoke to none had been contacted by Ring — contrary to the company's claim.
It's the latest security lapse involving Ring security cameras in the past week. News reports emerged last week of how hackers were breaking into Ring cameras around the U.S. Some crime forums are sharing tools to break into Ring accounts. Then earlier this week, Motherboard confirmed that Ring cameras have shoddy security measures — such as not telling users when other people log in, when the cameras are being actively watched and by using a weak form of two-factor authentication. Ring put much of the blame on the users for not using "best practices." But others panned the response for failing to put in "basic security measures" to protect users.
Ring has also come under fire by lawmakers for its close relationship with law enforcement agencies around the U.S.
It's not known how many sets of exposed Ring account credentials are floating around the dark web. Users should protect their accounts with strong, unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication.
Updated with comment from Ring.
Many smart home device makers still won’t say if they give your data to the government
Julia Montes to return to television soon
Philippine volcano simmers, officials brace for long crisis
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How does inbreeding avoidance evolve in plants?
by McGill University
Inbreeding is generally deleterious, even in flowering plants. Since inbreeding raises the risk that bad copies of a gene will be expressed, inbred progeny suffer from reduced viability.
Many flowering plants are able to recognize and reject their own pollen, thereby preventing inbreeding despite the plants' hermaphroditic nature. This mechanism is a complex trait that involves the interaction of a gene that tags the pollen with an identifier molecule, and a gene that produces a molecule capable of detecting pollen produced by the same plant.
Evolutionary biologists have often argued that once complex traits are lost, they are seldom regained. But a new study, led by biologists at McGill University and published in the journal PLOS Biology, suggests that this may not be the case for self-pollen recognition.
In the evolutionary lineage leading to the genus Leavenworthia (a plant group related to canola and cole crops such as broccoli and cabbage), the ancestral genes that code for self-pollen recognition were lost. But the self-pollen recognition function in Leavenworthia appears to have been taken up by two other genes that originally may have had a different role—for example, in pathogen recognition.
"Self-incompatibility," the pollen-recognition system that enables plants to avoid the inbreeding caused by self-pollination, involves a pair of tightly linked genes known as the S locus. In this study, the researchers analyzed the gene sequence, genome organization, and gene evolutionary history of S loci in members of the Brassicaceae family, which includes plants of the genus Leavenworthia.
"We conclude that both genes that comprise the ancestral S locus in the Brassicaceae were lost in Leavenworthia," says McGill researcher Sier-Ching Chantha, lead author of the study. Our analyses show, however, that plants of this genus have two other linked genes that exhibit patterns characteristic of an S locus. These genes occupy the same genomic position in Leavenworthia as do two non-S-locus genes in a related species. We suggest that these genes have evolved to assume the function of the pollen recognition system of self-incompatibility in Leavenworthia."
How plants avoid inbreeding, and the related topic of S locus evolution have been important research subjects for plant biologists. There can be hundreds of variants of a single S-locus in individual plant populations—a very unusual situation. In the animal world, a similar pheomenon is the many variations in immune-system genes. Immune system genes in animals, like the S locus in plants, are also involved in recognition, though in the case of immune genes it is foreign antigens rather than pollen types that are recognized. It seems that the recognition function can act in both systems to allow the evolution of large amounts of genetic diversity.
"François Jacob, the famous French biologist, once compared the action of natural selection to that of a tinkerer who uses the materials around him to produce a working object," notes McGill biology professor Daniel Schoen, the corresponding author of the study. "The evolution of the genes involved in self-pollen recognition in Leavenworthia provides a compelling example of this idea, and lends credence to the notion that the loss of complex traits may not always be irreversible."
Mate choice in plants
More information: www.plosbiology.org/article/in … journal.pbio.1001560
Journal information: PLoS Biology
Provided by McGill University
Citation: How does inbreeding avoidance evolve in plants? (2013, June 10) retrieved 20 January 2020 from https://phys.org/news/2013-06-inbreeding-evolve.html
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Nest hopes to reinvent smoke alarms as it did the thermostat
by Chris O'brien
When a group of former Apple Inc. employees announced that they had created a company called Nest to reinvent the thermostat, Silicon Valley did a double take.
You left Apple to work on a ... thermostat?
But after the group founded Nest and released its first thermostat in 2011, the funny looks stopped. In the past two years, the Palo Alto, Calif., company has become one of Silicon Valley's hottest startups thanks to its well-designed, Internet-connected thermostat, which learns the behaviors of its owners to become more energy-efficient.
Having reinvented the thermostat, Nest has tackled its next engineering and design challenge. This week, the company announced the availability of its first connected smoke alarm, called Nest Protect.
The device monitors for both smoke and carbon monoxide. And it comes packed with an array of sensors and radio devices that the company hopes will not just keep people safer but also make them love the new gadget.
"We love to take things that are essential but boring and create a real emotional connection between the user and the device," said Matt Rogers, a Nest co-founder and vice president of engineering who was previously responsible for developing the software for Apple's iPod.
In that case, you can't get much duller than the smoke alarm. Which, according to Nest, is not just a problem but a genuine safety hazard.
Although smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are supposed to keep people safe, most people see them as annoyances. They go off when people are cooking, they can be hard to turn off, and when the battery runs low, they inevitably start chirping at 3 a.m.
The result: People take the batteries out and forget put them back in, leading to preventable fire deaths.
Nest doesn't just want you to just stop hating your smoke alarm. The company wants you to love it.
Nest Protect includes features such as a pre-alert, in which a female voice comes through a speaker (think Siri) and says, "Heads up: There's smoke in the bedroom." The voice activates at a lower level of smoke than would trigger the full-on alarm.
If the smoke is just from cooking, for instance, a motion sensor lets you just wave your hand at the device to prevent the alarm from sounding. No need to climb a ladder and repeatedly press a reset button.
The device also acts as a motion-activated night light. If you pass nearby, a soft light will turn on.
Like the thermostat, Nest Protect can also be monitored via Nest's smartphone application. The alarm will send out alerts several months in advance about the battery status, for instance. And when the alarm sounds, the notification will also be sent to the phone, along with instructions on what to do in case of fire and a 911 button that appears on the screen to make a quick emergency call.
In homes that have multiple Nest Protects or thermostats, the devices will also talk with one another and share information about things like whether someone is currently in the room to adjust heat settings accordingly. And if one Nest Protect begins sounding a warning or alarm, the other devices will also echo that warning.
The company is still awaiting final regulatory approval for Nest Protect, which costs $129. But it hopes to begin selling the device in early November.
In the meantime, the announcement signals that Nest is expanding its horizons rapidly. The company raised $80 million in venture capital this year, giving it a valuation of $800 million amid reports that it was shipping more than 40,000 thermostats every month.
Rogers said Nest has grown from 90 employees two years ago to 300 employees.
Nest Protect is just the company's second product, but Rogers said the pace of product introductions is going to accelerate. And in the process, Nest's image is bound to shift beyond being known for just its thermostat.
Although Rogers was uncomfortable with the term "smart home," he made it clear that Nest thought there were lots of things in the house that could be more exciting and useful by connecting them to the Internet and to one another to create an experience that makes people passionate about these overlooked gadgets.
"Over the next 12 months, we'll introduce other great products in other industries," he said. "We are a very aggressive and hungry company. And we love reinventing the unloved."
Nest Labs tries to smarten up smoke detectors
Distributed by MCT Information Services
Citation: Nest hopes to reinvent smoke alarms as it did the thermostat (2013, October 9) retrieved 20 January 2020 from https://phys.org/news/2013-10-reinvent-alarms-thermostat.html
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Will OLU be India’s Comeback Film at Cannes 2018
Home » Films » Will OLU be India’s Comeback Film at Cannes 2018
The Kerala-based multi-award winning filmmaker Shaji N. Karun retains the distinction of remaining for the 23rd year the last Indian director having had a film in the world’s most prestigious selection. For his next feature film, OLU, Shaji N. Karun has paired with his Vanaprastham partner-producer and original story writer, the French Pierre Assouline
Will OLU be India’s best chance to make its comeback in the 2018 Cannes Festival Official Competition?. Shaji N.Karun and Pierre Assouline spoke to Pickle about “OLU” and their way of working together to grant the film its optimal potential
Shaji Karun, your first film, Piravi (Cannes Camera d’Or Mention Winner), through the poignant story of an old man in search of his missing son, condemned corruption. Swaham (Cannes Official Competition) evoked exclusion through the sad situation of a widow. Vanaprastham (Cannes Official Selection) spotlighted the identity crisis of a Kathakali master celebrated when incarnating a hero on stage but despised in real life. Can you tell us about your next feature film Olu and the themes you will explore?
SK: Olu means ‘She’ in Malayalam dialectical slang used by the small population residing in the northern part of Kerala. Olu is the tale of a girl who gets gang raped and sunk to the bottom of the backwaters where she can mysteriously survive and live for the next nine months -until she delivers her ‘baby from rape’. Only during full moon nights, can she see the world above water. It is on such a night that she happens to meet through sound only a young villager, an untalented painter, rowing his boat. In due course, she empowers him to create exceptional paintings, but there remains a profound and unbridgeable difference between their inner visions of love. She, Olu, can only conceive love between male and female as pure and transcendent.
The film will attempt to convey her perception of innocent feminine desires – spiritual and transcendental feelings.
Olu is a film around man and water. Water is the perfect media to perceive life’s beliefs and mysteries… It is visible and obvious in any part of the world. All religions, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. have different significances in their approach to the energy of water. Olu is a story on Moksha (liberation from earthly life) where water and its concept of pure love represent the female principle.
Kerala is the perfect set, a land having many beautiful backwater islands where the people live in celebration on their ‘abode of water’ with mysteries, love and ethos.
Tell us about the producer and financier of the film. Now, this will be your second collaboration with Pierre Assouline. What motivated that choice? What are you expecting from this collaboration?
SK: Mr. Anoop ’s (Ava Productions) main business being in Ayurveda pharmaceuticals and healing, he is a strong promoter of Indian traditions. That also reflects in his activities as a stage actor and active supporter of Malayalam and Tamil parallel Theater and Cinema.
In Kerala, we make over 120 films per year and it is increasing every year because of novices’ easy access to Digital cinematography equipment. Most of those films by new filmmakers are cheap influences from Hollywood and Bollywood concept of cinema as entertainment only. The depth and beauty of simple human life are gradually becoming forgotten themes for regional language cinema. My relationship with Pierre Assouline grew strongly with the artistic qualities he demanded for the medium of Cinema. It was very marked while we worked together on my film Vanaprastham. His collaboration in Olu will be extremely important for me because prior to our film shooting, he encourages me to converse, argue, debate, thus benefi ting a lot from him on the aesthetics of the actual media of Cinema. I am aware that with him by my side I will gain in confidence in my artistic choices when facing my shooting in August 2017.
Pierre Assouline, you have produced Shaji’s Vanaprastham, a National Award winner, and ranked one of the ten best Indian films of all times by CNN/IBN. Tell us about your role in the upcoming Shaji Karun film.
PA: Shaji is a uniquely talented director, a finely nuanced artist. With all respect, I personally felt he lacked the proper guidance – or maybe input and support – for his very last films, which did not get released outside of India. Olu already had a producer/ financier on board when I came to know of the project. Yet Shaji and I instinctively felt how the film could be benefitted if his talent and my know-how were to be dovetailed. The fi nancing producer, Mr. Anoop of Ava Productions, understood the potential of such alliance. That is a quality of producers who craft a team to achieve the best results. I was invited on board as Creative Producer. I believe all filmmakers need a creative producer who actually knows Cinema, who knows how to read a script and trace the film’s seed problems within it. A creative producer on the director’s side at all stages of the filmmaking process. A creative producer who protects the director and the integrity of the project from all partisan influences. Most important, a creative producer who protects the director from the director himself. All year I watch Indian films with the potential to be on the Cannes Official Selection list, but which don’t make the cut because the filmmaker is on his own. I have watched the two best placed Indian contenders for this 2017 Cannes edition. I feel strongly that the explanation for them ending nowhere on the list is directors bereft of proper guidance. I believe in the power of the Producer/Director Couple. Such Couple Culture is lacking in India, whereas many examples are there in the world. The best known is probably Lawrence Bender and Quentin Tarantino.
Pierre, we’ve talked of your lively interest for India’s sacred and philosophical texts. You have expressed your fascination for filmmakers who place spirituality at the heart of their films such as Martin Scorsese’s Silence. And others like Terrence Malik, Kim Ki-duk who have dramatized spiritual issues. How do you feel spirituality will resonate in Olu?
PA: Inspiration for stories with spiritual content is everywhere, but nowhere more than from within the cradle of spirituality – India, which has such a rich oral and written tradition. It is time for Indian-crafted films to show the world the beauty of India’s spiritual culture. Shaji’s Olu is a poetic, philosophical and spiritual tale, where the surreal uplifts the mundane. The challenge is to ensure that the film rides on cinematic beauty and emotions which pierce all material layers and touch the hearts of the audience.
In his Sculpting of Time, Andrei Tarkovsky says “My function is to make whoever sees my films aware of himself as a spiritual being and aware that beauty is summoning him.” Shaji, you are an admirer of Tarkovsky, your films have marked audiences with their visual poetry, how do you feel Tarkovsky’s statement will resonate in Olu?
SK: Spirituality cannot remain the privilege of a few. Spiritual awareness among people translates into spiritual human ideas that become powerful themes of visual language for Cinema. Tarkovsky’s films stand for it universally and forever. Spirituality is not an idea or a concept. It is a craving for an everlasting peace, joy and bliss. It has haunted human beings throughout history. Cinema can respond to the hopes and agonies of our suffering world provided it addresses this natural craving.
Only a transformed action-oriented spirituality can enlighten human beings. Cinema can and does do that. Cinema deals with time and space. Use of sound and visuals as spiritual insights is of great strength to highlight the mystical dimension in human beings.
In Olu, I will use the idea of Water as a metaphor for spirituality. The sound and sight of water at different moments of my life always fascinated me. I believe water is an element of unity for mankind. So is Cinema.
Through the Prism of Time
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Robert Blake gets angry: "Nobody tells me I'm a liar"
Coming up at 9pm on "Piers Morgan Tonight," Piers Morgan sits down for a heated and exclusive interview with Robert Blake. The former star of “Baretta” and “In Cold Blood” is out with his own memoir detailing the successes and failures of both his acting career and his personal life.
Blake was arrested in 2002, almost a year after the murder of his wife Bonny Lee Bakley—a charge for which he was acquitted of in 2005. When Morgan said he wasn’t sure if the actor was telling the truth about the events surrounding her death, Blake and the host had a fiery exchange:
“Well, tell me where I'm lying, because if you don't know I'm telling you the truth, then you must have a little scratch in the back of your head about where I'm lying,” Blake shouted. “Tell me where I’m lying.”
“I’m not saying you’re lying,” Morgan told him, but was unable to placate the irate entertainer.
“You said I might not be telling the truth. What the hell is the difference?” Blake roared back. He eventually calmed down, citing his “thin skin” as the reason for his seemingly hysterical response.
“I've never allowed anybody to ask me the questions that you're asking,” Blake told him sullenly. “I allowed you to do that because I trust you. And I would have assumed that you and that guy in your ear would trust me. And if you don't, then we'd better start talking about 'The Little Rascals.'"
This snippet of their long conversation is just the tip of the iceberg. For more tune into "Piers Morgan Tonight" at 9:00 p.m.
Post by: Kristen Holmes
"Never realised, even though I've watched the video many times. Whether it was Jimmy Tarbuck, Cliff Richards, or Susan Boyle. I wasn't until I borrowed the book "Dreams can come true' that I watched the 'Susan Boyle' video again.
And there you were! I also watched the ITV profile you MS'd of Susan! I guess dreams also started for you at that time?"
Schmidthead
WHAAAA?
Piers was extremely inappropriate with his treatment of Robert Blake. His questioning was mean, dispassionate, unyielding, and utterly cruel to another human being. Viewers, I think, wanted to know about his life, his book, his struggles, his overcoming of a tragedy. Let us treat each other with mercy, decency and gentleness on this journey of life. The inhumaness of Piers was upsetting to me. Because of his considerable unkindness and lack of goodwill to a fellow person, I will not be watching Piers in future.
I agree with some of your comments. If it was agreed the interview would be about topics in Mr. Blakes book, then Piers violated that agreement. I was irate about Piers kind of suggesting Blake was guilty of killing his wife because the cicil suit was won. The justice system for crimes he was found not guilty. A civil suit is about money. From the several times I have served on civil suit juries, it seems whoever has money should be punished.
I believe Mr. Blake handeled himself well. He may be excentric but in my opinion is totally sane. He has passion and has been through a lot of emotional situations in his life. I hope he gets his wish to star in the best movie he has ever made.
Piers had the perfect opportunity to showcase what Post Traumatic Stress is like when someone like Blake is exposed and destroyed by a predator that systematically stalks their prey.
I agree with you. Mr Blake bared his soul, and he does not deserve to be disrespected like that. I doubt that he ever saw it coming, he trusted Pier. What a jerk that guy is.
Yeah, Pierce Morgans inhumaneness was nearly as bad as Blakes murder of his wife. I dont blame you for no longer viewing him. Maybe you can kick back with a tall boy and catch a viddy of the lil rascals...?
margerry bakley
Hhehehehehheehe Snort ROTFLMAO hehehehee !!!
You go girl!!! I like you guts and spunk! Bottom line, Pierce is rude and one sided!! The understanding of the word "mercy" ... he must use it for himself only! It isn't for him to "judge" another. Can you imagine the skeltons in his closet? I appreciate your boldness!!
October 27, 2012 at 1:13 am | Report abuse |
Just a couple of reminders for everyone who's ACTUALLY interested in THE TRUTH ( because you won't get it from any of the Bakley's, that's for sure – too much of Blake's money on the line )
http://www.kyleesplin.com/jllsb/JLLSBDIR/pages/67page.htm
http://www.bakleymurder.com/part1.html
Seriously, cover up that wrinkled skin suit.
Seriously, how old are you,...before you know it you'll be in a "wrinkled skin suit" ...Time doesn't stop for anyone...
July 12, 2012 at 11:46 am | Report abuse | Reply
strange comment, since Piers' face looks like a crumpled up napkin.
Oh my God..Robert Blake is a nut case...I thought he and Morgan were going to pummel each other...
Watch out Piers, he already had someone else murdered. Oh, did I say that aloud?
Robert Blake asked Piers the question first. "Do you think I am lying?" It was a loaded, manipulative question that suddenly put the onus on Piers. Robert Blake made a power grab and maintained it from there on. How else could Piers answer but to say, "I don't know, are you?" To me Robert Blake is a scary person. Growing up I had to be around a person like him. A master manipulator who played games with people. To my way of thinking, Blake seeded the conversation with snares to grab and maintain the power position. I would never want to talk to this man, much less be sitting in a chair across from him. Or ever have him angry at me. Unless you have been around people like that you may not notice the subtle points. He was too cold and fast to lash out in a controlled way. He was telling Piers who was in control. The look on Piers face tells it all.
October 9, 2012 at 12:03 am | Report abuse | Reply
Ratched
I hate that nasty pink shirt he's wearing. It's just awful. Wait, that's not a shirt! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Seems like he is suffering from some mental illness.
if you are talking about Pus Morgan, i would agree. he has a grandiose complex, and lives in a delusional world where he thinks anything he says is actually relevant, while exhibiting antisocial behavior to everyone he interviews. no wonder he is the most hated man on television (bill o'reilly has softened in recent years). congrats Morgan you are worse than Oreilly now. its no wonder all the viewers are leaving cnn, and turning to msnbc instead.
Piers is a fair interviewer – his accent makes him look pompous..he can't help that. Do i think he is as good as Larry King – different styles..do i think he was a good replacement for Larry no..but i still like him and think he is a good man.
July 14, 2012 at 12:28 pm | Report abuse |
When robert Blake did not want to talk about a crime he was acxquitted of and wanted to talk about the positive part of his life that idiot Piers Morgan kept going there and to ask someone if they are mentally all there on national tv is just rude. he needs to stay in England. I am not saying Robert Blake is perfect but it was Piers Morgan who was the idiot in that interview. I would have been angry too if I was asked the questions he was asked in the manner they were asked.
– LOVED Samm's shots of you and your hubby, Gladys. The connection and joy betewen you and Chris is almost tangible. I adore your big beautiful smile!
Sharon W
I won't watch the show tonight. Robert Blake has been like this since the murder of his wife. When he had his show which I can't remember the name of it. He was a dectective. Please don't show this as a re-run. Piers has questionable people on and really drills them to his own liking. But "Baretta"; Robert Blake's show acts like a criminal himself as the criminals he delt with on his show. I would give this a faling grae of a show – Blake needs some very serious mental help – to many things going on in his head; and maybe voices. He acts as though he haunted by his wife's deathl, drug, or drink or all that was mentioned. Very sad, and strange.
Saw the interview
If you were arrested, jailed and pronounced guilty by the police for your spouses murder, even before you were tried, and on top of all that lost everything you ever had including your career and future, you probably would have been a nut case too.
He was a nut case before the murder and the police arrest suspects everyday and incarcerate and bail is decided upon the evidence and weight of charge and likelihood ,ways and means of fleeing before a trial can be had. He was suspect on lying in wait which in CA. is a death penalty charge, No bail ! They had plenty of evidence for arrest. He was not found NOT GUILTY, he was acquitted, meaning according to the jury the state did not without a benefit of doubt prove their case. He is just as whacky now as he was then, just older and more bitter. Sometimes getting away with murder eats you from the inside... IMPLOSION ! KUDOS Piers on not backing off !
Margo Lapham
Ok Piers, let the guy talk about his book. If it was anyone else you wouldn't doing what your doing.
You are being rude to a guest. Let him talk. Your show is getting their money's worth.
Robert Blake is a nutcase. He talks to imaginary beings. He's very delusional like so many people. Adults who talk to somebody that isn't there should be admitted to a psych ward. There are no gods. All gods were man-made. In this day and age of science it amazes me that people still believe in imaginary beings.
ladylinguistique
How did a commentary on Robert Blake's appearance on Piers Morgan's show become a forum on the debate of spiritual being(s)? Way off target, darlin'. Methinks you need some anger management therapy.
Gil Gaudia
You apparently were not listening very carefully. The reason for the comment on god(s) was that Blake kept claiming that God had saved him from many of his disastrous activities–an arrogant, self-centered and logically ridiculous statement.
July 12, 2012 at 10:37 am | Report abuse |
Mike Berg
Susan I have to agree with you
And I dis agree with Susan. Science is learning about the physical properties of our surroundings, and their understanding changes every decade with more information reviled as time goes on. So science is fantastic but always in a state of change. Robert on the other hand is someone who has always been in need of mental health help. I can still remember him on Johnny Carson, telling him back then he was a nut case. Damaged goods. Most of us are.
I still believe Christian Brando did it.......
Piers....you're a fool!
Christian was not in California at the time and that was proven and taken off the table. Robert was the only one who wanted her dead and tried to hire half the phone book to do it. when that failed he did it himself !
Margerry, what's the matter honey? You feel all that money slipping away from your fingers?
Where were you again during Bonny's funeral? Out of state, like Mr.Brando?
Or are you mad because no one's paying to listen to you talk about your dead sister anymore?
You fool no one Margerry. But keep the PR game going with all your sockpuppets. Nice to know the family's keeping Bonny's business efforts alive, eh?
Jim Kahn
I agree...he's got some serious mental problems that he needs to deal with...and might I suggest a lesson or two in manners! He's such a turn-off...so that's exactly what I did...turned him off!
Canuc
Obviously, Pierce Morgan didn't do his homework with regards to having Robert Blake on his program. I thought I was watching the Jerry Springer Show, instead of an intelligent CNN program. I should have went to bed at 9:00pm.
hifijohn
either piers is very naive or knows about blakes mental problems and is just trying to get some jerry springer like cheap ratings,either way it was a very scarey interview.
Cain M
If you actually thought that was 'scary', then do yourself a favor and never attempt to drive on a California freeway. You'll be peeing and sobbing within seconds. BTW, are you a man? If so, you need to hand your testicles over to some other poor schmuck who needs a pair. They're obviously useless to you.
So sad. Dementia is not nice to see. Piers should have stopped this and not exploited a mentally ill person.
Camille Boudon
I don't think Robert Blake is angry. He seems very disappointed. Its as if every dream he had is gone. Like he is looking for some form of hope.Some thing to believe in. Its very sad.
I agree, i think robert blake married the woman of his child because it was the right thing for him to do. I think he is angry and has every right to be angry. He would not have bothered to marry and woman and then turn around to kill her – we are all so quick to judge – does he need to get the chip off..yes – because in many ways he is living his life in a victims state – i think if he found someone to love and loved him for who he is – he would be the best person in the world. I hope he lands another movie role. He is a fantastic actor – and brilliant – people don't judge him – he got swindled and was treated so maliciously by the news media. SHAME ON HUMAN BEINGS FOR JUDGING OTHERS. He is sensitive and thin skinnned – but it does not make him a murderer..it shows he has compassion and a conscience – is no more different than anyone else – he was trying to move on for writing the book so at least he is trying.
AN INNOCENT MAN VILLIFIED BY OTHERS AND THE NEWS MEDIA. GOD BRING ROBERT ALL THE GOODNESS YOU CAN...HE IS A GOOD MAN. HE WOULD NOT HAVE MARRIED BONNIE TO KILL HER.
reality_check
Do you imagine Blake reading that and appreciating it? You do know he's dyslexic, right? IOW, he doesn't read any of this stuff. He can't. Get a hold of yourself woman. If he saw you in a restaurant and figured out you're not 20 years old, he'd walk right past you without a second glance.
PatriciaAdis
Kudo's to Pierce, great interview, never lost his cool...
tisha Stoliar
I met him on The Peace March in 1986 for Global Nuclear Disarmament. During that time he was smart, grounded and kind. Their are things beyond show business and being the center of attention that will calm and bring you back to happiness and a different kind of center.
whatonuniverse
I have never seen an interview (or trial attorney for that matter) keep his head like Piers Morgan did with that incredibly hostile interview with Robert Blake. Welcome to our shores, Mr. Morgan. We should exercise your restraint. Would you be interested in a stint as a congressional trainer?
Give me a break. Morgan is working for CNN to avoid the heat of the Murdoch scandal in the UK, where TV will no longer touch him till that stuff dies down. Think about it. What was Morgan doing before this 'news' show? He was a judge on some stupid reality talent contest? Please. Not exactly Edward R. Murrow here. More like Scooby Doo.
Leslie EE
IRobert Blake is CRAZY!!!!! He needs to be on meds. OMG!
Piers Morgan has become a rude & passive-aggressive interviewer. He scored no points in all of his nagging of Robert Blake on the issue of the death of Bonnie. Mr. Blake on the other hand did score several points when he outed Mr. Morgan for running the interview off the rails for the benefit of the show. Mr. Blake was treated worse than a convicted criminal.
Shame on you Piers Morgan are your tatings low. Why would you ask a guest if they are mentally alright. The trial was over years ago he did time and was found not guilty by the Jury System. To revisit this on national tv terrible. Why not use the interview to discuss positive accomplishments. You did your best to make him look his worse. I believe he is an angry older man and you pushed every button you could Shame . They should have hired Anderson Cooper for your job at least he ihas class Piers is a ponpous Brit like his friend Simon Cowell.
Ronnie Rush -Sacramento CA
Mr. Morgan,
You just did an interview with one of the toughest guys on the planet. Like James Cagney and
the actor he mention that gave him some great advice when he was young, he admires. I hope
Robert Blake gets that wonderful picture he talked about and when a director contacts him, that will be another great moment in Robert's life. Good luck Robertt Blake with that movie and remember just act and let the director direct!
ponatos
One thing is for sure: Blake may appreciate and work harder than he ever has if he does get an acting gig. He has had a reputation for being very difficult to work with before, but it was over-looked due to his talent. My guess is the years of all these trials and tribulations have probably mellowed him enough that he wouldn't give a director too much trouble, if at all. Most people think great acting is easy. It's not. Talented people make it *look* easy, effortless, and natural. I think few reasonable people could deny that Mr.Blake has done that time and time again. The list of roles he's played as an actor in his life is very, very long. I hope he does find some really good stories to contribute to bringing to life. And, btw, a really good director takes skill too and they have to create an environment that is comfortable for the actors and tends towards giving them the confidence to do their scenes to their best. I honestly can't imagine, at this point, that Blake would be problematic to work with and I hope he gets every opportunity to do what he does best again: perform.
Rod Rego
Wow, Robert Blake is the original Charlie Sheen...
You are wrong and for many reasons. Let me name a few...
1) Charlie Sheen is the spoiled brat son of a man, Martin, who worked his backside off for his success. Charlie was simply born into it and any of the connections in Hollywood made by it. Robert Blake, on the other hand, come to Hollywood a poverty stricken child in an abusive household and WORKED for what he got.
2) Charlie Sheen can't act his way out of a wet paper bag. Robert Blake has played a variety of characters, every last one of them believable. He won an Emmy in the first six seasons of Baretta ( something never done before nor since ), walked across country for Peace and nuclear disarmament whereas Charlie Sheen walks across the room for a crack pipe; Robert Blake has worked with some of Hollywood's greatest stars and Charlie Sheen lurks around on the D-list.
3) Charlie Sheen does drugs. Robert Blake does not.
I don't have time to go on pointing out the many differences here. While on the surface they both seem to be problematic, the fact of the matter is one may actually have solid reasons and influences for their bad behavior and the other has no excuses at all ( Charlie boy ), given he was born into wealth and has never had to work a damn day in his entire life. Feel sorry for both of them, but for the right reasons. Even if you could argue that Blake's troubles were self-inflicted, I still have more sympathy for the product of systematic abuse such as Blake than I do someone like Sheen whose father worked so hard to give little Charlie all he could want, and Charlie stills pukes it away and embarasses his dad. Whatever. The ultimate point is this: stop drawing comparisons between people who are in no way alike simply because you don't want to take the time to write and think intelligently.
Disgusted in Atlanta
Shame on you, Piers Morgan. I don't write often but I have written a few times about your inability to be a good interviewer or journalist. I agree with several of the comments listed above . . . you just exploited an old man who's been battered and bruised by his life experiences and focused most of your show on the one incident that is still an opened wound. What about the rest of his colorful life? He's always been eccentric and interesting and I would have loved to hear about his acting experiences.
Even with your badgering, I found him to be lucid and sane.
Ugly show overall and I'm still not thrilled with your performance and still miss Larry! Wish you had more of his amiability and were truly interested in the people's live who you interview.
Disgusted in Atl.....good post. Actually, that interview said more about Piers Morgan than Robert Blake. Morgan is shallow when it comes to a difficult interview and didn't do any homework on Blake and the fact that he does suffer damage so you work around that to get worthwhile dialogue.
I have never been a fan of Robert Blake, but I truly feel he was blind-sighted by Piers who used a bait and switch tactic to gain higher ratings. I believe Robert Blake agreed to do an interview about his book, but did not expect to be questioned about the murder of his wife. Piers Morgan is usually masterful with his interview strategy, using his quick wit and diplomacy to get answers. Robert Blake was treated unfairly, and although he was angry and profane, he held his ground, articulated what he had to say, and looked Piers straight in the eyes, as he plead his case. To me that spoke volumes. Good for you Robert Blake, I think you slayed the dragon.
I have done hundreds of interviews and not one time were the questions posed by the interviewer , the same ones that their producers briefed me on as to what the topic would be on. Mr. Blake has done more interviews than I could ever dream of, so I am sure he knows the routine by now. He likes the victim status,and of course this will help sell his book, had he not been so explosive, it would not spark such an interest. he is a very smart business man and a fantastic actor, so looking you in the eyes is a practice he has used since in his own words..." I have been an actor since I was two " and is more comfy in front of a camera than not.
Tsk Tsk Tsk Margerry, doing PR for the family business of taking other people's money, again?
Who's going to step up next to speak? Your brother that was in cahoots with Bonny ( or is that Lee Bonny? I guess it depends on which swinger mag one was reading – your sister sure could keep some aliases organized, huh? ) and pretended to be a woman to a rich, Taiwanese man? What did he call himself dear?
And since you're so gung ho for morality and all right now, how much of the real estate that Bonny swindled out of old men's wills do you plan on donating to charity? Has Holly abandoned walking in her mother's foot steps? Have you ever considered worrying about clearing your own family's name in regards to swing the money from other people who WORKED FOR IT versus stealing or suing it away from others?
BTW, which of Bonny's family members actually attended her funeral in California?
Oh, that's right.
None of them.
I'd suggest you stop lieing, but it's hard to fight the DNA, isn't it? Your sisters is in you, but it was never on Blake.
No one said Bonny was an angel,but a murderer she was not. That DNA is in Robert, Delinah, Noah and POOR ROSE has thief and MURDERER in hers. Good thing we are not judgmental and blame others for the acts of their siblings and family members. Diddley Squat is that you ? Elaine couldn't think of something witty , so she put you onto it, tsk tsk tsk go back to your den of rats and hide under your alias.
Oh thank-you for the reminder about him stealing her body and having a funeral with all his cohorts without any of her family. We were invited two days before hand , but told we would have to sit next to Blake and let him speak and not say anything, sure we would love to be there so that they can all say its proof that we didn't think he was the murderer. I despise him even more for that show ! The funeral directors sold me out and took cash for Bonny's body ! She was to have been shipped via airplane and I was to accompany her remains, back to New Jersey where I had arrangements made and a crypt ready, Another swift action on Blakes attorney's list. Hurtful and hateful all of it and then to have to still hear and take abuse from strangers ten years later who think they know everything. Clean your own closet before you start on others.
Robert is one very angry man, and its doing nothing but eating him up on the inside. He has never let it go what happened to him since he was a child. And even now since he has grown up. He blames everyone for his bad life, and all the things that has happened to him. He lost it all in the civil suit. And now being broke he is even more angry. And wants revenge. I remember him since his TV days and he was great. Robert believes that going back on TV will make people love him again. That is were he found it. but TV will not bring him love. he needs to find that with God, and love him self. This man hates himself. he needs some very serious counseling, fast before he hurts himself or someone else. I thought he was going to Assult Piers. But thank God Piers was very calm with him. No one blames him for his wife death, no one knows what really happened, only God and Robert. the rest of us only know what we read in a newspaper. I pray he gets some help, he needs it.
He didn't lose 30 million, he only gave out approx. 10 grand per child one of which is his own. He is not broke , he just hid it and put much of it in his daughters name . even if each attorney received one million(which they did not) he would still have an exuberant amount of money. he took his bankruptcy to the supreme court and was denied again. He is not bankrupt nor broke.
kirkagain
He said NOTHING about wanting revenge. You just pulled that rabbit out of a hat. Good way to trick everybody. Now, which Bakley are you, exactly?
Wow...what an interview with Robert Blake....I would have been tempted to throw him off the set!!!!!!!
You are indeed a professional...
I injoyed the interview with Robert Blake. He is/was a great actor. For 79 years old he is sharp, there is no pulling the wool
over his eyes. I hope Robert Blakes gets a part in a movie, one that will make him happy and shine. Good Luck Robert. It
was good to see you...
disgusted in Atlanta 2
I agree with others. Piers Morgan's interview with Blake was disgusting and exploitative. Morgan may have kept his cool, but he was quite malevolent in a benevolent way, which for me equals abusive. I'm proud of Blake for standing up for himself in the face of Morgan's badgering and insensitive questions. Good for Blake! Old doesn't equal mentally ill and shame on folks for beating him down with this label. We are all aging and one day we may not be as completely lucid as we want to be. In the U.S. we are such jerks when it comes to age. I think Blake had good cause to be angry and defensive. Morgan, on the other hand, came off as a real jerk and to support Blake I won't continue to waste my time with his show again. He's been getting on my nerves anyway – a terrible interviewer and very unconscious of his own issues!
If people think this Blake interview makes him seem colorful or defensive, they ought to see some of his appearances on Johnny Carson. With Charlie Potatos here, he's pretty mild actually.
And Carson was all class btw. He knew Robert well and understood how seriously abused Blake had been for so many years and how hard he had to fight on his own to get his career back when the studios didn't want him anymore because he was a teenager, and not a kid. Blake EARNED every penny he ever made with hard work, to the point that work nearly broke him down too much physically. Blake knows more than anyone how much stardom cost him. He didn't go out killing people then and he didn't kill Bonny later. In fact, Blake abandoned stardom for 8 years to try to keep his head together for his kids and keep it together for himself. He marched cross country by foot, something few 'stars' today would do without an entourage wiping the sweat off their foreheads every step of the way, for peace and nuclear disarmament.
Blake has never been apologetic for his integrity and never will be. The prosecution had the flimisiest of cases against him and the cops DID try to railroad him. Don't forget the lead investigator, who is responsible for putting evidence to the DA, was dragging around an author to CRIME SCENES and polluting them and ALSO telling people the writer was a cop!! That is wildly illegal.
Of course Blake gets angry. Of course he gets upset. Piers is a low life and he did NOT do his research on a terribly awful time for a lot of people. He just tossed out there that maybe Blake's a liar and maybe Blake's not sane and maybe this and maybe that and then tried to rationalize it by saying,"...I've only met you for 20 minutes."
Uh, duhh Charlie Potatos. You JUST met him but you were questioning him as if you had the authority of a court, the background of a lawyer, and the training of a psychiatrist. Why couldn't you also pretend to be a good host to your guest?
Piers....well it was an interesting interview but for all the wrong reasons. Too bad it could have been for all the right reasons. Piers, try too stay above the rest of the media...you are better than this. Could you Invite him back and give us the interview that could be riveting for all the right reasons.
J Gamaldo
I did not see entire interview, but what I saw was sad. This is a person who seems to have nothing but films to define himself. I would find it very hard to deal with that huge ego (sleeveless shirt) . Very sad
Tara Robinson
Of course someone will get offended if they were disrespected in the way that Robert Blake was tonight on the Peirs Morgan show. The problem with the media today is they don't have any respect for the great stars from the past. Stars used to be respected in the media, you don't even see any of the entertainers from decades ago like I used to when I was a kid. It's the media that drags American culture through the mud by exploiting and sensationalizing people's lives instead of respecting them for their talents and years of hard work!
Who was disrespectful, abusive, out of control in the interview? Blake 100 to 1......He will be remembered this way,sad.
Pierce was the first to be disrespectful by asking him if he was sane. If someone asked you that in an interview I guess you'll flip out, but notice that Blake kept his cool at the time. Not until he began to make it seem as if he was lying about his wife.
Wow!! Pierce I think you did a GREAT job with that Nut Case. I hope someone steps up and offers him some free psychological treatment since he says he is broke. He obviously does not have the money to pay for it. Sounds like he is not far from hurting someone or himself in a fit of rage. Way to go, Pierce....your expertise showed through. That was a very, very tough interview for anyone to manage. I felt for you!
he had a psychiatrist for more than twenty years, until he felt like he had been ripped off because he was still angry and stalked the guy with intentions of killing him, but backed out of it last minute. His own story. He also stalked an ex-girlfriends father with gun in hand and was about to pull the trigger , but didn't , his own story. he was younger, but the desire to kill has been in him for many years, he found the right victim and knew he'd get away with it. His own words to Bonny " I'm Robert Blake ..I'm going to kill you and I will get away with it !".
Unimpressed
Margerry? Is that you?
Guilty is as guilty does ! Great composer Mr. Morgan.
P Cash
Robert Blake talked alot about God. But then he would used God's name in vain. They were bleeping out some of his language but did not bleep it when he did use God's name in vain. Well my GOD does not have a last name. HE'S JUST GOD!!! I'm not about what he or Piers said it's about the language that the network allowed.
Anyone , who truly loves the Lord.... would NOT take his name in vain... not to mention the other foul language. I think he is self absorbed and just talks of the Lord, because he thinks it makes him more credible, when anyone who knows of the Lord would know that he does not know him.
You'll be surprised to know that God does not think like you.
That makes no sense ? No one said God thinks like me. I said anyone who loves God would not use his Holy name in vain .
ROFLMAO!!!!
YOU talking about 'the Lawd' Margerry just takes the cake. Funniest comment I've seen you make here yet.
BAHHHH HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA
A Bakley talking God. That's too rich!
Oh. Wait. Not anymore. Or, is it 'not yet'? Still haven't gotten the money from that 'civili trial for justice' huh sweetie? You mean the FBI couldn't find the heart to leave a few credit cards behind for you guys to use until, you know, you found someone new to sue? Some other tabloid to buy your stories? Just not selling like they used to, are they?
Oh well. There's always WORK. Try it, you may like it.
STEVE, ONLY Bonny's FOUR kids were involved in a lawsuit and as for an estate... Attorney's got 95% of it. You want to pick on me, knock yourself out. I know the truth and will freely speak my mind. Despite twirps like you that accuse and berate behind an alias. Defending my sister because she did not deserve to be shot twice in the head by her husband after dinner. There is a thing called divorce court and custody hearings. Thats the right way. Would have been cheaper too. Spew your hatred all you want, it has nothing to do with me or who I am.
Kenny Winston
Seems like most of the people who saw this show tonight stood up for Robert.But why was the host getting on Robert's case and giving him such a hard time?
Rober, same God will bless u again, go man, there is a Shakespear's saying: the one who rubs my wallet has stolen nothing, the one who steals my name has stolen everything. Robert God will help u again since you are a great name.
Morgan was more interested in an extended rant than a good interview. Check out Tavis Smiley's interview on PBS, Part 1 and Part 2 (online), with Robert Blake and you will see how an interview should be conducted.
Here's a thought...... Role of a life time........Robert Blake stars as ....Charles Manson. Wouldn't take much makeup for that role. Jeepers he's as nuts as Manson is.
No, he's not as 'nuts' as Manson.
That you don't know the difference doesn't surprise me. Your education may be that of any two bit nincompoop looking to troll. Here's a brief, but might I recommend you look up Manson on Wikipedia and educate yourself?
1) Manson was and is a convicted felon.
2) Manson led a group of wayward teenagers astray as he formed a cult with them
3) Manson tried to burn The Beach Boys ( much like many stalkers who pursue a chance to get near celebrities...ask Margerry Bakley about that one )
4) Manson never made a living as a professional actor, writer, director and he never won awards for doing so
5) Manson, in fact, is nothing like Blake. So get over the hyperbole and inane comparisons and get back on the reality train with the rest of us or, maybe, you ought to be questioning your own sanity instead of Blakes.
Piers, you should have never said , to his face, you weren't sure if he was telling the truth.
I have to wonder, whoever the perpetrater was cueing you to ask this question, knew what Mr. Blake's reaction would be, in order to sensationlize this interview.
Reminds me of the movie, "Network".
Overall, I liked the interview.
I'll read the book.
PCGeezer
@Robert Blake....what a pathetic little angry man you are.
he is innocent and Piers was bullying him. he is frustrated for what they did to him everybody abused him, took his money, but he is as great as he was.
I feel that Robert Blake is completely innocent & did not murder his wife. He is another victim of LAPD & the corruption in Hollywood & the court system there. Blake's gun did not match the murder weapon & as he said he could easily have murdered her some other way. LAPD, coroner's office & the courts need a federal investigation.
Where's_Larry?
Indeed. In fact, why didn't Piers mention how detective Ito, the lead investigator on the case, boggled and polluted so much evidence at the crime scene and after? Why didn't he ask Blake how he felt knowing the Bakley family had a civil trial and attorney going BEFORE the decision of the criminal trial was ever made? How about how Robert feels that Ito was dragging an author who was going to write ITO a book, to crime scenes and introducing the author to witnesses as his partner ( as a cop )? And why hasn't been arressted for THAT crime, because that is certainly a crime for a police officer to appoint an author as an officer of the law. He didn't have the authority. So he was lieing about it. Why? Because he wanted a book deal, just as Blake said and just as Gerald proved in court. Ito's own testimony made him out as a foolish person who abused his legal authority as a cop.
And by the way, the prosecutor going against Blake had a 100% win streak in her trials. That she lost where Blake is concerned had everything to do with the LACK of evidence against Robert Blake. That is because he was and is NOT GUILTY.
Get over it Margerry. Just keep scrabbling for Blake's money vis a vis the civil trial you and your family had designed well before the verdict came in on Robert. THAT'S how much you all actually 'care' about supposed justice. Give me a break!
Under the law in CA. you have only one year to file a civil suit from the time the event took place. Robert was already arrested and in jail with his bodyguard Earle. It always sounds good to say you only want money, but the lawyers are the only winners and Bonny's four kids were only one's involved in a lawsuit. One kid is Blakes the other three have a last name of Gawron..Its not a Bakley family anything. It was also not ITO who just assigned a writer, it was Chief Parker and it was not the first time the guy went along for the ride , it just so happened Blake chose to murder Bonny on at a time when the writer was assigned to that unit to write his book. And Shelley "THROW" the case for cash is no where to be found... maybe enjoying Blakes money , eh ? The original Prosecutor Judge Dohi was removed last minute ans Shelley took the dive and Dohi became a Judge. AAHHHH Hollywood justice. peace brother .
he is very strong man even though lawyers took his money. he is still amazing, had an amazing life. none deserves to die like Bonny but he would be able to get divorce and give her money, rather than being ripped like this.
he is a real man. he is still man enough to come and talk about it even though it was supposed to be about his life not hers. u also abused him. u don't have respect for urself, but he did still went on with interview.
Piers you looked BAD tonight with Robert Blake. Sadly you don't have empathy for the man's life and times. Wrongly you kept bringing up a subject that he asked you to keep off limits. You were rude, obviously full of animosity towards the man, and kept forgetting that he was acquitted of the crime. You did not do your homework and you should have in fact did what Robert Blake said: discovered why someone would remain under arrest for four years only to be acquitted. A better question perhaps should have been, where was the compensation for holding a person who ends up innocent. You clearly DID have an agenda and there was no kindness, gentleness, mercy. I lost all respect for you and you looked pretty freaked out yourself, likely because you knew yourself you were way off base. I hope Robert finds that movie and thrills us all once again.
joy winter
You are so right! Pierce made a huge mistake...and Robert handled himself very well.
Piers you are awesome! Keep up the outstanding interviews. Love your show and your style. You showed Blake for what he is...an angry, bitter little ol' man who feels the world and everyone in it owes him something.
he was an innocent man being abused by a wrong woman. he is a book. he needs to show how a rotten friend can destroy your life. i have seen wrong friend can take u down like Robert and good friend can take you up like an elevator.
Piers jounalism has some manner. u have none.
I hope Piers has the courage to have Robert Blake on again! Important life lesson, if you hang out with losers, they will take you down. Tragic story of Bonnie's death, and Blake's innocence, torture by authorities and loss of his fortune.
What happened to his child? Has he changed the nature of people he now spends time with? Will he do another movie?
Good luck to Piers.
Are you retarded ? He was banging heroin in is arm and his 1st wife all in front of his 2 kids during Baretta. He is not broke, and enjoys the company of many other old time stars. Smoke and mirrors... the feel sorry for me routine is as old as he is. He was never an innocent man. Blaming the victim is what his high profile attorneys do for a living.He waited 10 years , because people for get the facts. I'm still alive and I know the facts and I will never let anyone for get the truth, especially Mr. Blake !!!!!
You are not well margerry bakley and your life must be fully wasted. I feel sorry for you.
As for Robert Blake, what a HUGE character, bigger than the world. In the one-hour interview, he has openned up as a true human being, the way God created us, with all vulnerable traits but yet so strong and wise. Robert's relation with God is believable and a good way to learn from in the search of spirituality. We aall re born to undergo our own personal struggle, and Robert Blake comes as a winner to me. I only wish he has time to make a inspirational movie that leaves us his advice for life.
Robert Blake, I could marry you! Thank you for reinstilling my trust in the humanity.
You my girl have a death wish. Have you no idea what his last two wives went through ? You do not know me, you do not know Blake, you do not know the case... you my friend are a blind fool. But this is still America and you can choose to believe what you want. God bless you.
As said, I feel sorry for your loss but I do not believe it has anything to do with Robert Blake.
PS To know Him better, I will refer to His book instead, The Little Rascals, and not to what these 100+ comments are telling me. America is so screwed as a nation.
Victoria, you can believe the book , but any author will spin things their own way. No one is taking away Roberts accomplishments, he has had numerous. Its what else he has done in his life, not all so wonderful. He is human , just like the rest of us and falls short of Gods Graces , just like the rest of us. Be open minded and at least watch Eric Dubin on Monday nights Piers Morgan. He can give you some of the other half of the story. Thank-you for your kindness in understanding the loss our family has suffered. We were personally involved and remember clear as a bell all the threats and promises before her death, after her death and all during both trials. Look forward to talking with you again after Monday nights show. God Bless. Margerry
Not mentioned in this post is that Robert Blake was found GUILTY of intentionally causing the death of Bonny Lee Bakley by a jury in the wrongful death civil suit against him. The verdict was $30 million. As Eric Dubin, the attorney for Bakley's children, said in his closing, "Nobody is a zero, NOBODY. A mother who loves her kids priceless, and there is no dispute Bonny loved these kids and these kids loved Bonny."
Well said ! KUDOS to you for seeing through it.
You'd know Margerry.
After all, your family had the civil trial and an attorney lined up BEFORE the criminal trial was ever over. Or maybe you were hoping everyone had forgotten that, huh? So much for wanting justice honey. If you were interested in Justice, your family would respect the outcome of the criminal justice system and all the elements that make it up and that came to the conclusion, after FOUR YEARS, that Robert Blake is NOT GUILTY.
But not good enough for you guys, uh uh. You saw that money of his, just like Bonny did, long, long, long before his trial was ever over. Your family bilks people of money and you all sell interviews to the highest bidders. But no one's bidding anymore, are they? Must burn your butt huh?
You're the angry one. and over people you do not know. feels good to let all that tension and anger out on folks you do not know, cheaper than a psychiatrist. keep ranting its obviously helping your low self esteem.
I just seen a two pager in the Enquirer... and DELI sold her own kids out !! hahahahaha
lets be completely honest we watch televio like we drink alchohol or do drugs or eat ,its become our therapy but what that means is we are indoctrinated with thing we really dont care about ,reporters are intaganist that have no talent except for gossiping robert blake was ill advised to go on this show ,what did he think would happen CNN has become a tablotic demogogal gossip collum that has no intrest in informing but seek to shape our oppinions its up to use to decide to turn it off its not about news it actually reflects us from understand and seeing what is really going on in our country and in the world if you find yourself overly intrested in this or any other interview on CNN you should look into why becayse there is truly something missing in your life .
Sheila Hurteau
Sad to watch. Robert Blake is a very angry individual. Piers handled himself well as always. But the question was never answered – who did kill Bonnie Blake?
yes he did, his silence said it all, he wants to believe his own lies and wants everyone else to believe them too. He shot my sister in the head when no one else would do it, he asked half of the phone book ! He washed off at garden hose at neighbors house... he scoped the site out with Bonny , telling her that was where they were going to build a house. It was under construction.When she asked him why are we looking around here evreyday , he said you'll find out soon enough ! BANG, BANG... she sure did !
YouFoolNoOneMargerry
First you talk God Margerry.
Then you talk lies.
I think we all are well aware of which your family has and always will prefer.
How's your brother doing? Mail order business in prison going strong?
Pierce, You and your network should be ashamed to air that last night. Why were you provoking that Madman??? Was it just for ratings. I thought you were a gentleman. Not anymore. You caved to the ratings war. SAD
AWWW picking on my little brother..ouch that hurts ! grow up !
Picking on your little brother?
Funny, not, how you don't mention how HE picked on the bank accounts and identies of others. Or, do you not want to talk about the FBI investigation that went on? Is that 'picking on' him Margerry dear? I see. But you certainly don't mind 'picking on' Robert or bringing up his kids, do you?
You're entire family's history and credibility with and for Truth is well known and easily found with some simple Google searching. Do you need your memory refreshened about all this again Margerry or are you just hoping to pick at the wounds already inflicted on Blake, the courts, and the public?
Go crawl back under your rock or wherever it is you and your ilk come from. Find some new victim to live off of.
Go talk to which ever brother you'd like . One is in San Diego and one is in Memphis look em up , tell em off... I don't care and apparently the FBI doesn't either because they both have lives. I am and have been happily married for eight years and do not run around spewing hatred onto people I do not know. Robert was calling me to personally threaten me 10 years a go. I have first hand knowledge. As far as that rock you'd like me to live under...It seems to already be taken, ahhh when your lease up ? You are one bitter Baretta fan..hehehehehee
Lets see you can talk crap about me and mine , but lets not bring up the kidnapper who sold her story (she is 47) just to get CPS off her tail because DA DA has gone GA GA on the Piers Morgan show. They put themselves out there my dear. Get a life !
LadyTash
Unfortunate interview for Mr.Blake in that Piers Morgan was badgering him, goading him, and deliberately provoking Mr. Blake. It would seem that the terms of agreement prior to the interview were to discuss anything Mr. Blake had written about in his book.Piers, consistent with his history of "yellow journalism" ( bear in mind that he was the editor of notorious British tabloids.) insisted on discussing the murder of Bonnie Lee Blakey. Not just introducing the topic, but in fact perseverating on it. Unscrupulous to persist in a line of questioning that resulted in increasing frustration, and even aggitation of Piers' guest. Mr. Blake obviously had a tragic start to life. To his credit, he became a successful actor, and a very talented one at that. Mr.Blake is a survivor. for that I admire him. Furthermore, I hope he will get many more roles in the comming years. As much for his own enjoyment as for the enjoyment of his fans. Piers, on the other hand should move to Fox News, or Extra where the work would be more consistent with his C.V. CNN seems to have been taken with his British accent, mistaking it for an indication of refinement and class. Or were they convinced by a certain Business mogul , to hire Piers for Larry King's spot ? Good luck Mr. Blake. Well done on standing up for yourself before this "journalist" bully.
I so agree with you...I think Robert is very brave and quite the survivor. He's very quick thinking for a man his age, and was under a huge amount of stress during the interview. I have a great deal of empathy for him. His answers and frustrations with Pierce, made it clear that he did not kill Bonnie. I really hope he gets to act in a wonderful movie! Piece needs to learn not to be rude and to respect his guest.
Of interest....some of Robert Blake's best moments were on the Johnny Carson show, as well as Richard Pryor. Carson knew how to get the best out of his guests and he never badgered them. Piers Morgan is in dire need of some serious inservice or like you said he should get a job with FoxNews or perhaps a 2d rate tabloid. I hope everyone will check out the PBS interview with Tavis Smiley,parts 1 and 2, with Robert Blake.
Piers and his producers are far too busy trying to keep everybody from thinking about his ties to the Murdoch scandal in the UK, which is one of the very reasons he's here working in the states.
Linda PC
Piers was amazing. How he was able to remain calm and listen to Blake was unbelieveable. Piers never raised his voice. I thought Blake was going to walk off the show, but I guess he really does live to be in the spotlight. What ever happened to Robert Blake's children? Have they abandoned him? His adult daughter had custody of the child he & Bonnie Lee had together. I wanted to know what ever became of that child. Piers was right – this was an interview for the record books.
Delinah adopted her and I pray to GOD that nutcase isn't allowed around her. CPS should look into it. Deli was a lot like her daddy, and was more involved with the whole thing than people know... The apple don't roll far from the tree ! She got a good chunk of daddy's money and is sitting as pretty as he is too. He is working for the father of lies not the God he proclaims and then uses his name in vain and other atrocious verbs I hope Rosie is well. We think of her often, but nothing we can do.
Ann Dane
The interview by Mr.Morgan with Robert Blake was not an interview. Morgan merely baited Blake, who is known to be volatile, so of course it became a senseless rant. If you want to see a real interview with Blake about old Hollywood and his interaction with other actors, watch PBS, Tavis Smiley with Robert Blake, Part 1 and 2. You won't be disappointed.It takes skill to interview people who are damaged but do have a gift of talent. Sorry,Mr.Morgan failed this one.
Mr Morgan failed at this interview and several others.
Hey Piers Morgan, TMZ is looking for a new journal-ass. Send them your resume. You're as good as any of the kids they have working for them. Well, almost as good.
mick mack
Posh Royal Pain in the Ass, Piers Morgan, ought to go back to England, Keep your sensationalist, tabloid, culture-destroying version of journalism over there.
What a pitiful ending to the last week interview with Robert Blake on the last night show! Eric Dubin's rhetoric about celebrity justice left me speechless. It indorses a total distortion of the American justice System. Does it even exist? Piers' stance re Charlie Potatoes at the very last minute was pathetic and farcial; Robert Blake has indeed seen through him at the very start of the interview. Piers you are pitiful indeed.
Would anyone lend me the book? I have a hard time finding it in Canada.
I'll right away grasp your rss as I can not in finding your email subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Kindly permit me understand in order that I may just subscribe. Thanks.
SweetSunshine
I wanted to say that I enjoyed the interview and only because I enjoyed Robert. He has this way of telling stories about his life that grabs you and makes you want to hear more. Piers unfortunately was keeping it on a negative low. The guy was acquitted now let's move on. I come from the area where I used to watch the Little Rascals and even Baretta and did not appreciated Piers testing Robert. I would be annoyed too and I tell you I actually like Robert more. I have always been a fan and when he mentioned God...I was like Thank you. Robert is truly an amazing talented actor and it's best to leave the bad behind and the focus should have been ONLY on his book and nothing else...nothing else......
Just because one invokes the name of the LORD, does not mean they actually believe or even know about him,. It means he knows that people want to hear his name and believe that he is righteous , when he was using the LORD'S name in vain there was an obvious contradiction. You like the actor Robert Blake, Not the person he really is. You just do not know the difference. Its hard to separate their characters from themselves, for you and for most actors and actresses.
Believe it or not but people are not perfect. I only know that I hate to see people get abused. From what I saw, Piers tactics were uncalled for. To know God means that you understand God is love and God forgives.
Lynnette Edic
I am very, very sad that this interview even took place. I pray that this man can have peace. Mr. Morgan you are so very out-of-line going out of boundry with this man. This man has been through are hell and he has many great gifts and talented. I hope you formally apologize to Mr. Blake. You missed the boat Mr. Morgan.
@bestcakerecipes
I am very, very sad that this interview even took place. I pray that this man (Blake) can have peace with this horrible subject. The loss of life is horrible–however, this man has been through hell and he has many, many great gifts and talents. I hope you formally apologize to Mr. Blake. You missed the boat -Mr. Morgan. I mean no disrespect.
Lynnette Edic is a con artist moving from scam to scam. Search the web for her mug shots, arrest record and scams.
Lynnette Edic will steal everything she can.
Rod S.
As far as I'm concerned, Piers Morgan is total and complete ass. Good for Robert Blake!
Viewed your interview with Robert Blake...How about an interview with William Shatner in the death of his wife??
Do you think the disgust for Robert Blake could have been more obvious on Piers Morgan's face? Who knows if he got away with murder or not, but he came on the show truly believing he could talk about his book and, although his behavior was angry and erratic, I felt that Piers acted badly as well. Honestly I was not watching this interview to rehash the trial of Blake's dead wife, I was watching to listen to Blake talk about his acting career and life in Hollywood. I got so sick of Piers asking about Blake's wife that I started to feel sympathy/pity for Blake. CNN, shame on you for having Blake on the show to exploit a situation. This particular episode is a prime example of the downfall of cable news shows.
marina george
I think Piers Morgan was brilliant....Morgan was not being disrespectful, he was giving Robert Blake the chance to give his side of the story....since B. Walters turned him down. There is no excuse for the way Blake treated Morgan. I wanted to hear what Blake had to say about his life and the book but his behavior made it impossible to even care what he had to say. Stop hating on Piers Morgan....he did a great job keeping his cool and kept the interview going without disrepecting his guest. I wanted to turn the channel but I kept watching, not because of what Blake was saying...but because of how Morgan was handling himself! After this interview I'm more of a "MORGAN FAN" than a Blake fan. I do wish Blake...peace..love...and success...! I hope he will someday give his side of the story...not to judge him...but because fans do care about what happened to him during those 4 yrs.. I have to say that after watching the interview and if Blake does make another movie (like he wants to) I would not care to see it. Blake you blew it!!!!
I just started watching your show! Now that I see that you let Robert blake get on tv and use Gods name in vain over and over unedited, however any other trashy words you bleeped out.What a show you have!! Wont be watching you any more .What a trashy Interview that was.You should be ashamed!! Is this what CNN promotes.
Thank-you very much for that post ! I thought I was the only one who noticed That . Piers has no control over the editing and bleeping , thats pure CNN. He is a seperate show just run on CNN. I hate that , worst than any other swear word !
Steve Craig, Robert Blake has more connectivity with the divine than all of your neighbourhood together. Believe me, it is more felt than said. With what has been said and done to this show lately, there is enough evidence to me that Rober Blake was not a murderer.
And you know this because ? A. You were a witness...B. you are his best friend forever .C. he says so. D. thats Baretta E. He was such a cute little rascal ! ..F. All of the above
Mary Helen
OMG! What a fruitloop! I'm sure your ratings skyrocketed with that one. How could you not stop watching even though a few times I wished I could jump into the screen and smack him. That man is seriously delusional. Wow. Good job Piers.
Again Robert handled himself well considering he was being insulted and antagonized on National TV. This guy was just blatantly attacked and bullied. Piers could have gotten better results had he been kinder.
Lynnette
I really wish that Mr. Anthony Robbins could have interviewed Mr. Blake. We would have had a whole different light into the creative side of Mr. Blake and the many wonderful gifts and talents that he has.
Pierce Morgan has done this over and over to his guests. He's a terrible interviewer, arrogant and at the same time such a TWIT and has no gravitas or class to speak of. I bet he at least peed his pants when Mr. Blake got upset, lol. He seems to think verbally attacking his interviewees is clever and 'edgy' but he is mistaking rude inconsiderate behavior for intelligent unbiased interviewing like we had with Larry King. We miss you Larry!
Could you plese replace that idiotic George the monkey commercial wit any other commercial.
It's annoying and it's driving me up the walls.
And another thing. Do we need people with English accents in our news business?
NO WE DON'T!
That was a funny interview, I'm nobody I guess, Blake, you're a liar.
Nobody tells me I'me a Liar! Now I bring you to today!!! Teachers strike? Nobody asked the kids, what kind of education they're willing to pay for, only what these Teachers think they some kind of Monopoly!"
jimcolyer
Robert Blake is an ass.
Trevasouraus wrecks
Blake was caught confessing indirectly that he killed his wife. I watched him answer a question that only the killer would know. He was asked; "between her death and the time you returned to the restaurant how much time went by? Blake; 5 minutes" His lawyer interrupted and told Blake to stop talking. I can't find the clip anymore and I can't remember the exact wording but it was clear that he knew her time of death and he has always claimed he found her dead. Pretty dang sure he killed her and we don't care about a stupid book.
mark Still
"Shouted?" You wrote that Blake shouted. You, Kristen Holmes, are not an objective journalist. Which means you are not a journalist. CNN: what the what??
October 8, 2012 at 11:18 pm | Report abuse | Reply
Yeah, the "Little Rascal" who grew up into a "Big Rascal" and committed first degree murder.
Josef Bleaux
Hey Blake – YOU'RE A LYING POS. A murdering, lying POS that deserves to be executed.
It's amazing how Piers uses the words "why are you being so defensive" with so many that appose his views....maybe if you would see the reality of life and situations you wouldn't have to use this phrase. I loved watching you with Robert Blake, he clearly kicked your but and called you for what you were. Listen and learn Pierce, you might gain ratings if you do! Myself, I watch to see what stupid things you will say!!!
He might be an ass but watch how Pierce tightened up when looked in the eye and was confronted. I don't have that much respect for Robert Blake but I have less for Pierce. Pay attention to what he "preaches" and look beyond. He doesn't tell all that's out there. There is always two sides to every story and Pierce is definately bi-partison <sp??. Use a little bit of common sense people and draw your own conclusions!!!!
tinhorn
why do you go on a show to not answer questions?
Anyone innocent would take their innocence, and run with it. Be happy to be free, and would stop telling everyone on the street who can listen that they are indeed innocent. It's the OJ syndrome. How many shows and books will come out with him professing his innocence?
The jury is the only one you need to get nervous about questioning your guilt. Anyone famous can just step out of the limelight and be free again by shuttin their damn mouths.
willardsmythe
I would rather listen to old man Larry than Morgan. With all his money I believe he can fix those nasty yellow snaggly teeth. The old joke about the British having bad teeth is completely true. A lifestyle lift would be ok too. The women who are on tv have to be nipped and tucked and under 30, yet the men can get away with looking like Piers Morgan. Its hard to watch his snide self interview Robert Blake. I dont know if he killed his wife. It looks bad, but who knows?
jamessavik
You are not Beretta. You are a loser.
You are a pathetic, one hit wonder that hasn't troubled the public consciousness for the last 30 years.
I don't know how you managed to sleeze your way out of killing your wife. Frankly, I don't care either.
Have some dignity, put on a damn shirt and fade away
oldtimetvguy
I have watched Blake since the 60's on TV in series', on talk shows, in the news and now online. He has always been volatile, combative, confrontational, fixated on being king of the hill and sporting a very short fuse. I am surprised and impressed at the way Blake reigned in his temper before he boiled over and explained himself. He never would have done that ten years ago. As for Piers, he's being a good interviewer, gunning to get the guest to reveal himself, to let himself be known. If this interview had gone as I imagine Morgan had hoped, setting up that question would have given Blake an opportunity to make his case and set the record straight. It didn't go that way and if either one of them had done their homework, they would have better known what to expect of each other and possibly adjusted their approaches.
Tamara Alf
I have to say that for the last few of hours i have been hooked by the impressive posts on this blog. Keep up the wonderful work.
I hope you volunteer to come get the guns in my neck of the woods. Piers
larry gossett
i thank folks should leave the man alone he has been through enough i respect very much as a actor and a man i wish one day i could meet him but more in likely that will never be because of people he stays to his self and i understand that because this world is getting bad folks don't have the love in there heart for people anymore i remember when you could leave your unlocked and never have to worry about folks coming in your home and if some one stop by even if you didn't really know him or her you would invite if they wanted to set down for supper but it just ain't that way no more i miss the way things use to be were you never met a stranger well Mr. Robert Blake i tip my hat to you in honor i love your talent as a actor and respect you as a man and may God speed go with you and Mr. Morgen may god go with you LARRY GOSSETT
you know Mr. Morgan i thank they should watch who they sell guns to have a check up on them before selling them one and far as asult weapons i agree with Willie Nelson on that .
Brice Estabillo
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May 2, 2013 at 9:16 am | Report abuse | Reply
margerry
Shoot them in the head, blame it on someone they knew.our problem immediately goes away. ! Email Robert Blake or slasher up O.J. Simpson (you will have to write) for advice. Poof ....no worrying about health care...you just move on and everyone forgets how the child or children were protected by their father and his family.Make sure you hire your attorney in advance "Harland Braun " highly recommended. Must live in California though , sorry for you other fools ! AHahahahahah ....laughed the Court Jester
May 2, 2013 at 5:12 pm | Report abuse | Reply
Look at this hideous website:
http://www.bakleymurder.com/
Only a very,very mean/sick/hateful person would attack a dead person's memory.
Thank-you for the web page. I cannot believe they're still at it. Only the things money and fame can buy. This person is probably just a fan. star-struck and standing up for the man they seen in the movies by belittling his late wife. I had to deal with this stuff all day long for years right up until last year the latest. This stuff comes up when when people google my name and then I am fed to lions as most people assume that if you read it online or a man with a suit on says it , it is the truth.The part that hurts the most is that no one but myself ever brought to light the many good things Bonny did. It was much to fun to call her names and none of her so called friends and leeches would tell the truth as to all the nice things she did for them only help slander in hopes of being famous or have a star acknowledge them. Shame on the prosecutor Shelly Samuels(now a Judge) for assisting in the slander at trial and took a dive for a promotion. She was a nasty thing right from the start, I knew from the first time I spoke with her what time it was. So many ex LAPD involved in the set-up of Bonny to get murdered that the DA's office was afraid of more bad press as most of the Rampart cops are now private detectives who happened to work for Robert Blake. AHHHH the insider things that people like the starter of that page know nothing of. Well thanks for the post. At least some can look beyond the grand standing. Bonny's sister, Margerry Bakley
scroobiusme
Oh Margerry, still trailing against the truth of your sisters life? You may not like the facts of our, but then, you were more than a little involved yourself with it weren't you? Uh huh...attacking Blakes older daughter? Classy baby, snark! Blake had NEVER revealed all he could about the disgusting antics of your sister, but you? Even willing to attack him for NOT running your sister down. As for your discomfort with the bakley murder site, no onr is surprised any of you hate truth. It's the only thing any of you avoided like the plague. well that and a days honest work...as for your house crap about how you could see all this coming, THEN WHY IS THAT NO RECORD OF YOU GOING TO THE POLICE BEFORE SISTERS DEATH? None. Nada. Oh sure, you were oh so concerned but why stop the gravy train, right? Where were YOU auntie Margerry when she was pumping your brother and get kids? Concerned but silent? Hmmm.but you sure we're talkative AFTER her death when the media light skinned on you. Talk about apples not falling far from the tree. Your whole family is cut from the same one.
July 4, 2013 at 1:09 pm | Report abuse | Reply
I love you know it alls , that just hide behind your false name. You know so much but will not reveal who you are or where you get your knowledge. Blake is worse than anything you can say about Bonny. He is a murderer, she was a sinner but, never murdered anyone. If you'd like to discuss any other things identify yourself, otherwise you are just another slanderous troll.
By the way disparaging Deli was not on the menu, just the truth and never have I hurt his family even with my knowledge of their antics of the past.
Robert Blake... not only are you a liar...you are a murderer too...
i'm sorry you lost your sister to murder margerry...it clearly eats at you if your numerous comments are any indication and it makes sense that losing a family member in a horrific way would...but, sometimes you sound exactly like the man you are railing against, Blake...i hope you can find peace and sorry you feel so many have let you down that knew your sister by not speaking out about how wonderful she was...maybe you should build your own website about it, use all the love you feel for your sister and the need for justice you have in a positive way instead of well...sounding almost exactly like Blake himself does when he talks about his situation...bitterness is a poison and it seems to have eaten at you and Blake equally badly...i'm sure your sister would not want you to be miserable...you mentioned the Lord in your posts...He commands, notice he doesn't 'ask' you to, but commands you to forgive...if you really believe Blake did it, you have to forgive him margerry and go on with your life apart from him best you can or risk becoming too angry, too hateful, and too bitter....i think it's horrible, the whole thing and sorry you feel the police and courts and all who knew her good deeds have let you and bonnie down...but when you attack his daughter Delinah as you have and imply the things you do in your posts, you just sound too much like he does and there's an irony in there i'm sure you don't intend but as i'm just reading some of the above posts it's all really very sad...i don't have an opinion one way or the other about what happened and don't want to join in with everyone else who feels they do, even those basing their ideas on this piers interview, which is silly imo...i do sympathize with you in that if a relative of mine were murdered i would also want the killer tried and convicted...clearly the courts could not convict blake, for whatever reason...conspiracy sounds a little far fetched imo because it implies people as judges or police are willing to risk their careers to conspire...on a high profile case that strikes me as very unlikely due to the additional public scrutiny but...i don't know...you were certainly closer to it all and maybe you should tell your story....if you build a website about it at least you can do it at your own pace when thinking clearly and in honor of your sister's memory...maybe you can talk about all the good things she did and stuff...maybe remembering all that instead of just focusing on where she and you were failed will help you somehow....the whole industry in LA strikes me as probably more seedy than not and so it doesn't interest me for that reason alone, but your sister was drawn to it, that is obvious....it should serve as a warning to more women or kids thinking about trying to get into acting or stuff like that...far, far, far too many women in our 'civilized' society are murdered by the men who supposedly 'love' them...they are raised as objects, act as objects, and then wind up getting treated like objects, and often disposable ones....it's horrible all the terrible messages that are sent to women about themselves, and i suspect your sister was just one of hundreds and thousands of women who think having a famous husband will make them beautiful, loveable, powerful, and rich too...but more often than not they are discarded like paper plates when the superficial male decides she's outlived her usefulness or if she wants to leave him, he decides that only he can decide when and where that will happen...i really hope that if it wasn't blake who killed her, that they find the real killer one day...till then, blake must, imo, be allowed to go on with his life best he can and even more so that you must too since it was you who lost your sister....i'm sure it devestated you terribly and probably still does....but you sound strong and could probably build something good in her memory if you can focus your energies on it, even the angry and erratic ones....i doubt you'lll find any peace for either yourself or margerry chasing down blake's reputation on a message board....no need to skate in the gutter when you can soar with eagles, right?....i hope you can find peace margerry, and happiness again, and spend more time remembering why margerry was special to you rather than why blake isn't....that's all...
Thank-you for your kind reply. Yes, you are accurate and for the most part I do take the high road. Its just that I've recently had an issue where the Bonny/Blake trial and a blog about me was presented in a court of law as factual when the blogger was an unknown and the truth was not in it , yet I had to spend a tear and thousands of dollars to prove my innocents in this case (too personal) anyway yes, I prevailed , but it was costly and painful, so I was angry when I replied to these posts. I've already extended an olive branch to Blake and his kin. I also was the one who had his charges reduced from lying in wait which would have been death penalty as I am a practicing Catholic and do not believe killing is the right way to handle such things. Margerry
Personal Training Long Island
This interview made me very nervous! Glad I wasn’t in the room for that LOL.
Bhaktmal Katha
There is noticeably a lot of money to understand about this. I assume you’ve made certain nice points in features also.
http://www.yugalsarkar.com
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Lunch with the Critics: Park51 & 15 Penn
Alexandra Lange & Mark Lamster
For an installment of “lunch with the critics,” our correspondents traveled to midtown Manhattan to visit the Hotel Pennsylvania, the site of a planned 67-story office tower that would dramatically alter the midtown skyline, rivaling (perhaps) the Empire State Building. On the subway there, they talked about Park51, the proposed community center/mosque in lower Manhattan that has become controversial.
Rendering of 15 Penn Plaza and the Hudson Yards
Mark Lamster: We had originally planned to have this lunch on Governors Island, to review the grand plans to reinvent that place as a public amenity, but events have overtaken us, and I think we both feel that if we’re going to be self-respecting architectural critics, we need to address the two major building issues that are colonizing attention in our city, and beyond, by which I mean the hullaballoo over the community center and mosque down by the old WTC site and the plans for a ginormous new skyscraper to replace the old Hotel Pennsylvania. We can get back to Governors Island in the future.
Let me begin our conversation by stating how angered I am by the cynically fabricated controversy over Park51. In America, there is simply no right to not be offended, and this holds especially true for a great metropolis like New York. What are cities if not places for cultural exchange? It’s been gratifying to see our mayor so heroically defend the project, but I’m rather surprised — or perhaps not surprised — that we haven’t heard from Times critic Nicolai Ouroussoff on the subject, or on 15 Penn for that matter. I suspect his predecessor, Herbert Muschamp, who was a Tribeca resident and so engaged in the rebuilding process, would have been the first to the barricades.
Alexandra Lange: I agree that Park51 is the sort of situation in which Mayor Bloomberg, with his no nonsense rhetoric and nasal Massachusetts accent, shines. He’s not letting the right get away with turning this into a security issue, and he is acting like a real New Yorker, letting everyone go about their business (porn shops, delis, cultural centers) knowing that two blocks is a relative distance. It is as close or as far as it feels to you.
It is that same going-about-your-business attitude, of course, that looks less heroic in the case of 15 Penn Plaza. He is right to call out the Malkins, owners of the Empire State Building, as whiners, especially since they started their anti-Vornado campaign rather late, but there are plenty of better arguments against the enormous tower than ruining the view of the ESB from New Jersey.
As an aside (and we will get to this when I make you go to Governors Island) I get really tired of the obsession with views in popular discussions of architecture and landscape. Views are a one-shot deal. An active park, or a building that makes the city better for the public, is forever. I care much more about what 15 Penn Plaza will do to Penn Station area’s already crowded, dirty, confusing streets, than what it will look like from the plane.
Rendering of 15 Penn Plaza. Image credit: Pelli Clarke Pelli
ML: Generally speaking you’re right, but in this case views aren’t unimportant either. We’re talking about the way the city sees itself and is seen by the world. The questions as I see them are, to what extent does the Empire State Building, a private entity, have the right to control the city skyline, and then is the addition 15 Penn would make to that skyline any good on its own merits? One of the great ironies of this controversy, and I don’t see it mentioned much, is that the ESB was intended to be a lynchpin for the entire lower midtown area, that it would attract other tall buildings that would amass around it. But the Depression came and that reality never materialized. Now we’ve all become so attached to the isolated image of the tower that we hate to see anything impinging on it.
AL: When you put it that way, the answer is obviously, No, a private entity can’t control the city’s skyline. Whether the city planning department should, is a different question. Between the controversy over Jean Nouvel’s Tower Verre on 54th Street this spring and 15 Penn Plaza this summer, height is obviously a question worth debating separate from specific developers’ interests. Do we want to cap our skyline? Or cap it in midtown?
Justin Davidson, among others, argued that to make Nouvel cut his tower down was to risk turning our city into a museum of itself. I’m sympathetic to the modernist ideal of always moving forward, but I’m also not sure we need anything to be this tall any more. Do we need the square footage? Can our streets and our transport take the new congestion? Is height the only thing that makes a building a landmark? I’ve already complained on my own blog about the uninspiring spires of One Bryant Park and its neighbors. These are questions that need to be up for discussion — by the critics, by the city — when major players like Hines and Vornado aren’t throwing money around.
I was actually in favor of reducing the Tower Verre, but for historical and zoning reasons rather than sentiment about the ESB (maintaining lower heights mid-block, the air rights shenanigans with St. Thomas Church and the University Club that gave Hines, the tower’s developer, the right to build bigger). But having cut down a tower on 54th by 200 feet, the City Planning Department shouldn’t sit by while a taller building, inferior in design, goes up 20 blocks south.
Rendering of Park51
ML: I’m a big Justin Davidson fan, but the fallacy of that thinking is that New York’s special energy comes from its buildings, and not from the amazing, diverse, brilliant, crazy people who live here. New Yorkers are what will keep this place from becoming a museum. And therein lies the value of a project like Park51, which serves that diversity. The persistent encroachment of banal development, however, is sucking some of the life out of the place.
But anyway, for me the issue with Tower Verre was one of rules. We have zoning rules, and whether we like the rules or we don’t like the rules, they need to apply equally to everyone. In the case of Tower Verre, I agreed with the rules, and the fact that the proposed building happened to be by Jean Nouvel was not a reasonable justification for allowing it some kind of special French Genius Dispensation. What’s rather insane about 15 Penn is that it actually adheres to the zoning code, and exploits it quite cannily. It seems silly that this property should be allowed a 56 percent (!) bonus because it’s adjacent to a major transit hub and the developers are making a variety of accommodations. The $100 million in transportation renovations Vornado is kicking in will create some very real improvements to the area, but they don’t necessarily assuage all the extra square footage and skyline-hogging bulk. Also, you can’t put all kinds of new pressure on the transit system and then ask for a pat on the back for making sure it doesn’t totally collapse the day you open for business. More to the point, Penn Station needs a massive and comprehensively planned overhaul. It’s not a pig that needs more lipstick.
AL: I agree with all of that. Even in the glory days of the plaza bonus in the 1960s and 1970s, when a mid-block, all-but-hidden passage with a tiny tree sign indicating it was public space could get you extra floors, we were never talking 56 percent. What Vornado is “giving” us is what they should be required to do. Their building isn’t going to be attractive to tenants unless they renovate the transport and paths to it.
The craziness of piling tower on tower in one of the most congested parts of the city reminds me of the oft-ignored community objections to the original Atlantic Yards scheme. Sure, it is great to put an arena on top of a transit hub, but only if it is a transit hub (and an intersection, for that matter) that has extra capacity. The reason the Citibank tower still sits in lonely splendor in Long Island City is an earlier administration’s attempt to spread the office worker wealth, not concentrate it. Unfortunately, it didn’t really work. Or hasn’t worked yet.
The rendering of 15 Penn Plaza that really flabbergasted me was the one showing it in context — the context of a built-out Hudson Yards, remodeled Madison Square Garden, opened Moynihan Station. Are we still believing all of that? Sure, 15 Penn Plaza doesn’t look so big then, but that’s hardly justification for approving it now. Are all those people in Hudson Yards really going to use their one measly subway station, or are they too going to troop over to 34th Street and Seventh and Eighth Avenues? It is a rendering both sneaky and mean: sneaky because it makes millions of square feet for which no one can currently pay look like a fait accompli, and mean because it shows their tower will be better located than the ones rival Related Companies might build on the west side.
And, who needs any of this when there are half-empty office towers on the corner of 42nd and Eighth, and a little thing called One World Trade downtown?
ML: My chief hope is that Hudson Yards doesn’t become another Riverside South — that is, another architecturally uninspired mega-development largely divorced from the city around it.
But what scares me about the rendering you mention is how puny it makes the beast that is One Penn Plaza appear. That thing is an absolute monster. But the truth is, as much as we’re picking on Vornado, I don’t really blame them for exploiting the rules and, in fact, taking some positive step in terms of mass transit. They’re developers, after all. And Rafael Pelli talks a good game. It’s always entertaining to follow along as he so eloquently explains how his massive commercial projects are actually environmentally sensitive enhancements to the cityscape. Certainly, I won’t be mourning the loss of the Hotel Pennsylvania, one of the seediest hives in the five boroughs. I didn’t realize it was a McKim, Mead & White production until you’d mentioned it. Lord knows that if any one of that triumvirate came back to see what was living on in their name — not to mention the crime across the street where their great station once stood — they’d Howard Roark the thing into oblivion.
The entrance to Hotel Pennsylvania
AL: It is today one of the creepiest places I have recently been in New York, the Port Authority of hotels. Between the brown-on-brown-on-brass décor, the forest of giant wheelie suitcases, the panhandlers and the prostitutes, we could not get out of there fast enough. Or stand to have lunch at the on-premises Statler Grill. One of the greatest indignities to McKim, Mead & White’s building is the Tim Horton’s wedged between two columns on the portico. It’s a good representation of how far the building has fallen, and how most architecture in that neighborhood is treated: as a shabby backdrop to commercial signs. Which is to say, good riddance.
Rafael Pelli is indeed very charming. But who knows if he’ll be the architect if and when the behemoth is built. What scares me about this deal is that everything is unknown except for its square footage. Someday Vornado might build something that tall on this site. But who knows when, and who knows how the city and the micro-neighborhood might have changed by then. Why approve this now?
Even for a rendering done in hopes of future work, the Pelli Clarke Pelli building is shockingly lazy, a rehash of their recent work resized to fit. When I tweeted my dismay last week I got a number of suggestions of which other contemporary Pelli building it most resembled, among them the Transbay Terminal Tower in San Francisco and another skyscraper in Hong Kong. I don’t believe in a French Genius Dispensation either, but I’d like to see the ESB trumped (no pun intended) by something worthy.
ML: Well, I’m not sure anything can top the ESB, but I think we can both agree that the day Tim Hortons slings its last cheddar cheese bagel at the Hotel Pennsylvania will be a most happy one. And that a daring new something-or-other at 15 Penn Plaza would be a welcome addition to the skyline. Fingers crossed.
Alexandra Lange & Mark Lamster, “Lunch with the Critics: Park51 & 15 Penn,” Places Journal, August 2010. Accessed 20 Jan 2020. https://doi.org/10.22269/100830
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Past Discussions View
My favorite thing about the rendering of 15 Penn viewed from the Northwest (with the ESB on the left) is that you can see way off in the background the Goldman Sachs building the PCP designed for Jersey City. 15 Penn is such a clone of that building!
Also, PCP is a funny acronym for an architectural firm...
Kaleberg
When Penn station was first built, it was an inter-city transportation hub. You came in from out of town by train, and you stayed at a hotel near the station. Even in the 90s, you could see how it was supposed to work. There was a reason the airlines had a ticket hub in the lobby of the hotel based on the evolution of inter-city transit from rail to air. Now, Penn station is a commuter hub, even if it does have an Acela station, and the area needs a much higher office density to take advantage of it. If you think of the city as a working, living entity, the area is vastly underused, almost depleted. It's like routing one's aorta through one's pinkies. Moving the station west, and putting in a few new BIG buildings would get the density up in a hurry, rather than waiting ages for the process. As for the skyline, the ESB went up 70 years ago. It's high time we started moving forward again.
Park 51 sounds like a great idea, if they can get the money. I'm not a big fan of religion, but I like to see lots of different churches if I have to see any at all. It's a good way of reminding people what churches are.
maybe people wouldn't mind Park51 as much if it was an attractive piece of architecture! the design is not helping their cause.
Mark Lamster
Mark Lamster is the architecture critic of the Dallas Morning News and a professor at the University of Texas at Arlington School of Architecture.
More by Mark Lamster
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Lunch with the Critics: Cronocaos
The Architectural Monograph: A Defense
Alexandra Lange is an architecture and design critic, and author of Writing about Architecture: Mastering the Language of Buildings and Cities.
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How to Be an Architecture Critic
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US10341267B2 - Anonymized identifiers for secure communication systems - Google Patents
Anonymized identifiers for secure communication systems Download PDF
intended recipient
sending user
Farookh Mohammed
Krishnan Ananthanarayanan
Alexey Pikin
Mieszko G. Matkowski
Andrey Belenko
Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC
2016-06-20 Application filed by Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC filed Critical Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC
2016-06-20 Priority to US15/187,215 priority Critical patent/US10341267B2/en
2016-07-18 Assigned to MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC reassignment MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: ANANTHANARAYANAN, KRISHNAN, PIKIN, ALEXEY, BELENKO, Andrey, MATKOWSKI, Mieszko G., MOHAMMED, FAROOKH P.
238000004891 communication Methods 0 abstract description title 158
238000003860 storage Methods 0 abstract claims description 19
238000000034 methods Methods 0 claims description 39
235000013550 pizza Nutrition 0 description 11
239000008264 clouds Substances 0 description 4
239000011089 white board Substances 0 description 3
230000011664 signaling Effects 0 description 2
230000003190 augmentative Effects 0 description 1
239000011162 core materials Substances 0 description 1
230000001815 facial Effects 0 description 1
230000001404 mediated Effects 0 description 1
238000003058 natural language processing Methods 0 description 1
230000001105 regulatory Effects 0 description 1
H04L51/00—Arrangements for user-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, e.g. e-mail or instant messages
H04L51/02—Arrangements for user-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, e.g. e-mail or instant messages with automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot
H04L51/04—Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
H04L63/04—Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
H04L63/0407—Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden
H04L63/0421—Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
H04L63/0428—Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
H04L63/0435—Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption
A computer system comprises computer storage holding a plurality of code modules, one or more processors and a communication system. The one or more processors are configured to execute the code modules and thereby implement the bots. The communication system comprises a message relay and an anonymized identifier generator. The message relay is configured to receive a message comprising an identifier of a user and an identifier of a target one of the bots. The anonymized identifier generator is configured to generate an anonymized identifier of the user unique to the target bot, by applying an anonymization function to the user identifier and the bot identifier in the message. The message relay is configured to transmit to the target bot a version of the message, which comprises the anonymized user identifier and does not include the user identifier, wherein the user identifier is not rendered accessible to the target bot.
The present invention relates to a communication system for effecting communication between users and bots (i.e. autonomous software agents).
Communication systems allow users to communicate with each other over a communication network e.g. by conducting a communication event over the network. The network may be, for example, the Internet or public switched telephone network (PSTN). During a call, audio and/or video signals can be transmitted between nodes of the network, thereby allowing users to transmit and receive audio data (such as speech) and/or video data (such as webcam video) to each other in a communication session over the communication network.
Such communication systems include Voice or Video over Internet protocol (VoIP) systems. To use a VoIP system, a user installs and executes client software on a user device. The client software sets up VoIP connections as well as providing other functions such as registration and user authentication. In addition to voice communication (or alternatively), the client may also set up connections for communication events, for instant messaging (“IM”), screen sharing, or whiteboard sessions.
A communication event may be conducted between a user(s) and a “bot”, which is and intelligent, autonomous software agent. A bot is an autonomous computer program that carries out tasks on behalf of users in a relationship of agency. The bot runs continuously for some or all of the duration of the communication event, awaiting messages which, when detected, trigger automated tasks to be performed in response to those messages by the bot. A bot may exhibit artificial intelligence (AI), whereby it can simulate certain human intelligence processes, for example to generate human-like responses to messages sent by the user in the communication event, thus facilitating a two-way conversation between the user and the bot via the network. That is, to generate responses to messages automatically so as provide a realistic conversational experience for the user based on natural language.
With the shift towards the CaaP (conversation as a platform) paradigm, bots are becoming the new medium and channel to enable rich user interactions. Actions that have traditionally been performed using apps are increasing now performed using bots. Just as a wide variety of apps is currently available from numerous third party develops, similar trends are expected to be observed for bots in the near future.
This brings about an interesting problem, which is one of collusion between bots developed and maintained by different third parties. For illustration purposes, suppose an insurance bot could collude with a drug company bot and charge more for users who are using a certain medication. In terms of user privacy, it would be desirable to make such collusion between third party bots impossible (at the very least in a scenario in which the user has not given his informed consent).
The present invention solves this problem by managing the way in which user identities are released to bots. Communications between the users and the different third party bots take place via a message relay. The message relay only every releases, to each of the third party bots, an anonymized user identifier, which is unique to that bot. The anonymized user identifier constitutes a consistent user identity from the perspective of that bot, but is meaningless to any of the other bots, and in particular cannot be matched to the anonymized user identifier of the same user supplied to a different one of the bots.
A first aspect of the present invention is directed to a computer system comprising computer storage holding a plurality of code modules, one or more processors and a communication system. The one or more processors are configured to execute the code modules and thereby implement the bots. The communication system comprises a message relay and an anonymized identifier generator. The message relay is configured to receive a message comprising an identifier of a user (original user identifier) and an identifier of a target one of the bots. The anonymized identifier generator is configured to generate an anonymized identifier of the user unique to the target bot, by applying an anonymization function to the user identifier and the bot identifier in the message. The message relay is configured to transmit to the target bot a version of the message, which comprises the anonymized user identifier and does not include the user identifier, wherein the user identifier is not rendered accessible to the target bot.
The communication system acts as a trusted intermediary between the users and the bots, which may be independent, third party bots. Provided the user trusts the communication system, he can be confident that the communication system won't allow the bots to collude with one another.
Note “unique” in this context means unique within the plurality of bots, i.e. no two of the plurality of bots receives the same anonymized user identifier.
The bots may be configured to, in response to receiving the version of the message, automatically generate a response to the version of the message which includes the anonymized user identifier, and transmit the generated response to the message relay. The message relay may be configured to detect the anonymized user identifier in the response, and transmit a version of the response to the user.
Preferably the anonymized version of the user identifier is an encrypted version of the user identifier, generated by applying an encryption process unique to that bot. For example, applying the encryption process may comprise determining a secret associated with and unique to the bot identifier in a cryptographic database, and applying an encryption function to the user identifier and the secret. That is, a cryptographic secret unique to that bot.
The advantage of anonymizing the user identifier based on encryption is that it does require a look-up table to implement the anonymization function. That is, there is no need for the message relay to store a record of the anonymized user identifier assigned to each of the original user identifiers—in the worst case scenario, this would require the amount of storage to scale as O(N*M) as N and M increase, N being the number of users and M being the number of bots (as the are M anonymized identifier per user). That is, it could need up to one anonymized identifier per user per bot top be stored within the communication system.
By contrast, when anonymized based on encryption, the message relay does not need to keep a record of the anonymized user identifier it has generated—all it needs to know is the particular encryption process applied for each bot, for example each bot's unique secret. When it receives an anonymized user identifier back from one of the bots, it can simply reverse that bot's encryption process to decrypt the anonymized user identifier (i.e. to obtain the original user identifier), and transmit a version of the response to the user using the decrypted identifier. That is, the message relay may be configured to apply to the anonymized user identifier received in the response a decryption process for reversing the encryption process unique to that bot. For example, the anonymized user identifier may be decrypted using the secret unique to that bot in the cryptographic database.
Where the user identifier received in the message from the user is encrypted, the amount of storage required only scales with the number or bots M as O(M) (e.g. one stored secret per bot) and is independent of the number of users N. For example, the user identifier may be a username, or an authentication token issued to the user (which may or may not comprise the username).
Alternatively, the encryption function may be applied to another user identifier that is associated with the user identifier in a user database of the communication system. That is, another user identifier associated with the user identifier may be encrypted and transmitted to the bot, rather than the user identifier received in the message per se. Whilst this may need additional storage, this still only scales with the number of users N as O(N), thus the overall storage requirements only scale as O(M)+O(N)− still a significant improvement compared with O(N*M). That is, one mapping per user (O(N)) plus one secret per bot (O(M)) at the communication system as opposed to one mapping per user per bot O(M*N).
Note however that the possibility of an O(M*M) lookup table may be used in other, less-preferred embodiments of the present invention.
For example, the user database may already be maintained as part of the communication system. For example, the user identifier received in the message may be an authentication token, and the other user identifier may be a username mapped to (i.e. associated with) the encryption token in the user database.
Viewed from a different perspective, the combined operations of retrieving the other user identifier associated with the received user identifier, and applying the encryption function to the retrieved identifier also constitute applying an encryption function to the user identifier, wherein the retrieval of the other user identifier is part of that encryption function.
The encryption function may be a symmetrical encryption function.
The message relay is configured to apply to data of the user identifier a cryptographic signature function to generate a cryptographic signature of the communication system, which is included in the version of the message transmitted to the bot. In this context “data of the user identifier” can mean at least part of the original (unencrypted) user identifier, or at least part of the encrypted user identifier. That is, the signature can be applied before or after encryption.
This allows the message relay to reject any message received from any of the bots comprising an anonymized identifier unless (i) that message includes a cryptographic signature of the communication system and (ii) the cryptographic signature matches the anonymized identifier. This can be determined by applying the cryptographic signature function to data of the anonymized user identifier received in the response (after decrypting it in a scenario in which the message relay applies the signature to outgoing messages before they are encrypted), and comparing a resulting cryptographic signature with the one received in the message from the bot.
Accordingly, in embodiments, the message relay may be configured to reject any message received from the bot which includes an anonymized identifier unless that message (i) includes a cryptographic signature of the communication system and (ii) that signature matches the anonymized identifier in that message.
The message relay may be configured to apply a corresponding cryptographic signature function to data of the anonymized user identifier received in the response, and compare a resulting cryptographic signature with a cryptographic signature received from the bot in the response.
In embodiments, the anonymization function may be such that a character length of (i.e. the number of characters in) the user identifier is not derivable from a character length of the anonymized user function. That is, the anonymization function is such that it is not possible to tell what the length the original user identifier was from the anonymized version, which can be effected in various different ways (e.g. by using a fixed length for the anonymized identifier, randomizing its length, using a set of different fixed lights, each for a range of character length of the original user identifier etc.)
For example, the character length of the anonymized user identifier may be substantially independent of the character length of the anonymized user identifier.
“Substantially independent” means independent (i.e. completely independent), or independent over at least a subset of character lengths of the original user identifier—e.g. such that:
length [ α ( uID , bID ) ] = { a for length ( uID ) ∈ A b for length ( uID ) ∈ B ( etc . )
where α(*) is the anonymization function, uID is the user identifier, bID is the bot identifier, length(s) denotes the character length of character sting s, and A, B, . . . denote sets of multiple character lengths (e.g. ranges). In other words, the anonymization function may result in a one-to-many mapping of character lengths of the user identifier to character lengths of the anonymized user identifier. The communication system may for effecting communication events (e.g. calls, messaging sessions, screen sharing session, shared whiteboard sessions etc.) between users of the communication system, and the message may be transmitted in an established communication event between at least the user and at least the bot.
For example, the communication event may be a group communication event between the user, at least another of the users, and at least the bot. Alternatively or in addition, the communication event may be a group communication event between at least the user, the bot, and at least another of the bots, whereby a respective version of the message is sent to each of the bots which comprises an anonymized user identifier unique to that bot.
For the latter, the bots may in some cases be added as participants of the communication event at different times. E.g. the communication event may be established between the user and a bot, and another bot added subsequently, e.g. by the bot or by the user.
For example, the communication event may be a call and the message may comprise real-time audio and/or video data. Alternatively, the communication event may be a messaging session and the message may comprise a character string.
The communication system may be configured to receive from the bot a lookup request comprising the anonymized user identifier, perform a lookup using the user identifier, and return a result of the lookup to the bot.
A second aspect of the present invention is directed to a computer-implemented method of effecting communications between at least one user of a communication system and at least a target one of a plurality of bots, the bots being implemented by a plurality of code modules executed on one or more processors, the method comprising implementing, at the communication system, the following steps: receiving at a message relay of the communication system a message comprising an identifier of the user and an identifier of the target bot; generating an anonymized identifier of the user unique to the target bot, by applying an anonymization function to the user identifier and the bot identifier in the message; and transmitting to the target bot a version of the message, which comprises the anonymized user identifier and does not include the user identifier, wherein the user identifier is not rendered accessible to the target bot.
In embodiments the method may comprise receiving from the target bot a response to the version of the message generated automatically by the target bot, which includes the anonymized user identifier; detecting the anonymized user identifier in the response; and transmitting a version of the response to the user.
The anonymized version of the user identifier may an encrypted version of the user identifier generated by applying to the user identifier an encryption process unique to that bot.
For example, applying the encryption process may comprise determining a secret associated with the bot identifier in a cryptographic database, and applying an encryption function to the secret and the received user identifier or another user identifier associated with the received user identifier in a user database of the communication system.
In embodiments of the second aspect, any feature of the first aspect or any embodiment thereof may be implemented.
A third aspect of the present invention is directed to a computer program product comprising system code stored on a computer readable storage medium for effecting communications between at least one user of a communication system and at least a target one of a plurality of bots, the bots being implemented as a plurality of code modules executed on one or more processors, the system code configured when executed at the communication system to implement the method of the second aspect, any of the functionality of the computer system of the first aspect or any embodiment thereof.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is directed to a communication system for effecting communications between users of the communication system and a plurality of bots, the bots being implemented as a plurality of code modules executed on one or more processors, the communication system comprising: a message relay configured to receive a message comprising an identifier of one of the users and an identifier of a target one of the bots; and an anonymized identifier generator configured to generate an anonymized identifier of the user unique to the target bot, by applying an anonymization function to the user identifier and the bot identifier in the message; wherein the message relay is configured to transmit to the target bot a version of the message, which comprises the anonymized user identifier and does not include the user identifier, wherein the user identifier is not rendered accessible to the target bot.
In embodiments of the fourth aspect, any feature of any of the other aspects or any embodiment thereof may be implemented.
For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how embodiments of the same may be carried into effect, reference is made to the following figures in which:
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a computer system, which includes a communication system and at least one bot;
FIG. 2A shows a schematic block diagram of a data center;
FIG. 2B shows a schematic block diagram of a processor of a data center;
FIG. 2C shows a high level schematic representation of a system architecture;
FIG. 3 shows a more detailed schematic representation of a system architecture;
FIG. 4 shows an example signaling flow between a user and a bot via a message relay of a communication system;
FIG. 5A shows a schematic block diagram of a user device;
FIG. 5B shows an example graphical user interface.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS
A core principle underlying the described embodiments is that each bot has a secret that is generated within a communication system when the bot is created. This secret is not known to the bot. The communication system, when it calls out to the bot, performs a symmetric encryption of a user identifier (ID) using the secret for that bot and the resultant encrypted value is sent to the bot. This value remains the same for every (bot, user) pairing but is different for different bots as the secret is specific to a bot. That is, different identities are released for the same user to different bots i.e. differed pairwise IDs. That is, a unique ID is generated for each bot for the same user.
When the bot wants to send a message to a user, it again sends the encrypted value back to the communication system. The communication system uses the secret for that bot and decrypts the value to obtain the underlying user identifier and uses that identifier for processing.
FIG. 1 shows schematic a block diagram of a computer system 100. The computer system 100 comprises a communication system 120, a plurality of user devices 104, and a plurality of computer devices 110, each of which is connected to a packet based computer network 108, such as the Internet. The communication system 120 is shown to comprise a plurality of data centers 122.
Each of the user devices 104 is operated by a respective user 102, and comprises a processor configured to execute a communication client application 106. Herein, the term processor means any apparatus configured to execute code (i.e. software), and may for example comprise a CPU or set of interconnected CPUs.
The communication system 120 has functionality for effecting real-time communication events via the network 108 between the users 102 using their communication clients 106, such as calls (e.g. VoIP calls), instant messaging (“chat”) sessions, shared whiteboard sessions, screen sharing sessions etc. A real-time communication event refers to an exchange of messages between two or more of the users 102 such that there is only a short delay (e.g. two seconds or less) between the transmission of a message from one of the clients 106 and its receipt at the other client(s) of the users 102 participating in the communication event. This also applies to transmission/receipt at the computer devices 110 in the case that at least one of the participants is a bot 116—see below.
The term “message” refers generally to content that is communicated between the users 102, plus any header data. The content can be text (character strings) but could also be real-time (synchronous) audio or video data. For example, a stream of messages carrying audio and (in some cases) video data may be exchanged between the users in real-time to effect a real-time audio or video call between the users.
For example, the communication system 12 may be configured to implement at least one communication controller, such as a call controller or messaging controller, configured to establish a communication event between two or more of the user's 102, and to manage the communication event once established. For example, the call controller may act as an intermediary (e.g. proxy server) in a signaling phase in which a communication event is established between two or more of the users 102, and may be responsible for maintaining up-to-date state data for the communication event once established.
The messaging controller may receive instant messages (that is, messages with text content) from each user in an instant messaging communication session, and relay the received messages to the other user(s) participating in the session. In some cases, it may also store copies of the messages centrally in the communication system 120, so they are accessible to the users at a later time, possibly using a different user device.
The controllers can for example be implemented as service instances or clusters of services instances (214, FIG. 2B—see below) executed at the data centers 122.
The communication system 120 is also configured to implement an address look-up database 126, and an authentication service 128. Although shown separately from the data centers 122, in some cases these may also be implemented at the data centers 122. The authentication service 128 and lookup database 126 cooperate to allow the users 102 to log in to the communication systems at their user devices 104 using their clients 106. The user 102 enters his credentials at his user device 104, for example a user identifier (ID)—e.g. username—and password, which are communicated to the authentication service 128 by the client 106. The authentication 128 service checks the credentials and, if valid, allows the user device 102 to log on to the communication system, for example by issuing an authentication token 107 to the user device 104. The authentication token 107 can for example be bound to the user device 104, such that it can only be used by that user device 104. Within the communication system 120, the authentication token 106 is associated with that user's user ID “uID” and can be presented to the communication system 120 thereafter as proof of the successful authentication whenever such proof is required by the communication system 120.
For example the authentication token 107 may comprise the user identifier uID, or it may not comprise uID and an association between the token 107 and uID may be stored within the communication system 120. In any event, note that the authentication token 107 constitutes an identifier of the user 102 in its own right, i.e. both uID (e.g. username) and the authentication token 107 are user identifiers in their own right.
In addition, the authentication service 128 generates in the address lookup database 126 an association between a network address of the authenticated user device (e.g. IP address of the user device 104 or transport address of the client 106) and the user's user ID. This allows other users to use that user's user ID to contact him at that that network address, subject to any restriction imposed by the communication system 120. For example, the communication system may only allow communication between users who are mutual contacts within the communication system 120.
The communication system 120 also comprises a current user database (contacts graph) 130, which is a computer implemented data structure denoting all current user's 108 (that is, comprising a record of all active user IDs) of the communication system 120.
The contacts graph 130 also denotes contact relationships between the users 102, i.e. a data structure denoting, for each of the users 108 of communication system, which other(s) of the users 108 are contacts of that user. Based on the contacts graph 130, each of the client 106 can display to its user 102 that user's contacts, which the user can select to instigate a communication event with, or receive messages from in a communication event instigated by one of his contacts.
The communication system also comprises a cryptographic database 132, the function of which is described below.
Note the databases 126, 130 and 132 can be implemented in any suitable fashion, distributed or localized.
Each of the computer devices 110 comprises computer storage in the form of a memory 114 holding at least one respective code module, and at least one processor 112 connected to the memory. The code module is thus accessible to the processor 112, and the processor 112 is configured to execute the code module to implement its functionality.
The term computer storage refers generally to an electronic storage device or set of electronic storage devices (which may be geographically localized or distributed), such as magnetic, optical or solid state electronic storage devices.
Each of the code modules is configured to implement, when executed on the processor 112, a respective bot 116, equivalently referred to herein as a software agent.
As described in further detail below, the computer system 100 has functionality in the form a bot API (application programming interface) to allow the bots 116 to participate in communication events effected by the communication system 120, along with the users 102.
A bot is an autonomous computer program, which automatically generates (without any direct oversight by a human) meaningful responses to messages sent from the clients 106 during a communication event in which the bot is also participating. That is, the bot autonomously responds to such messages in a manner akin to that of a human, to provide a natural and intuitive conversational experience for the user(s).
A communication event effected by the communication system 120 can be can be conducted between one of the users 102 and one of the bots 116, i.e. as a one-to-one communication event with two participants, one of whom is a bot. Alternatively, a communication event effected by the communication system 120 can be between multiple users 102 and one bot 116, multiple users 102 and multiple bots 116, or one user 102 and multiple bots 116, i.e. as a group communication event with three or more participants.
By way of example, two data centers 122 of the communication system 120 are shown, which are collocated and connected to each other by means of a dedicated, backbone connection 124 between the two data centers 122 (dedicated inter-data center connection). For example, a fiber-optic cable or set of fiber-optic cables between the two data centers. This allows data to be communicated between the two collocated data centers with very low latency, bypassing the network 108.
FIG. 2A shows an example configuration of each of the data centers 122. As shown, each data center 122 comprises a plurality of server devices 202. Six server devices 202 are shown by way of example, but the data Center may comprise fewer or more (an possibly many more) server devices 202 (and different data centers 122 may have different numbers of server devices 202). The data center 122 has an internal network infrastructure 206 to which each of the servers 202 is connected, and which provides an internal service-to-service connection between each pair of servers 202 in the data center 122. Each of the servers 202 comprises at least one processor 204. A load balancer 201 receives incoming messages from the network 108, and relays each to an appropriate one of the server devices 202 via the internal network infrastructure 206.
To allow optimized allocation of the processing resources of the processors 204, virtualization is used. In this respect, as shown in FIG. 2B, each of the processors 204 runs a hypervisor 208. The hypervisor 208 is a piece of computer software that creates, runs and manages virtual machines, such as virtual servers 210. A respective operating system 212 (e.g. Windows Server™) runs on each of the virtual servers 210. Respective application code runs on each operating system 210, so as to implement a service instance 214.
Each of the service instances 214 implements respective functionality in order to provide a service, such as a call control or messaging control service. For example, a cluster of multiple service instances 214 providing the same service may run on different virtual servers 210 of the data center 122 to provide redundancy in case one fails, with incoming messages being relayed to service instances in the cluster selected by the load balancer 201. As indicated above, a controller of the communication system 120, such as a call controller or messaging controller, may be implemented as a service instance 214 or cluster of service instances providing a communication service, such as a call control or messaging control service.
This form of architecture is used, for example, in so-called cloud computing, and in this context the services are referred to as cloud services.
FIG. 2C shows an example software architecture of the communication system 120, such that the users 102 can participate in communication events with the bots 116 using the communication infrastructure provided by the communication system, including the communication infrastructure of the communication system 120 described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 2B.
As indicated, one or more communication services 214 provided by the communication system 122 allow the users 102 to participate in communication events with one another.
So that the bots 116 can also participate in the communication events, a bot interface in the form of a bot API 220 is provided. Separate messaging (chat) and call APIs 216, 218 are provided, which provide a means by bots can participate in messaging session (text-based) and calls (audio and/or video) respectively. If any when a communication service 214 needs to communicate information to one of the bots 116 in a chat (text) or call (audio/video), it instigates one or more functions of the chat API 216 and call API 218 as appropriate, which in turn instigates one or more functions of the bot API 220. In the other direction, if and when the bot 116 needs to transmit information to one or more of the users 102 in a chat or call, the bot instigates one or more functions of the bot API 220, which in turn instigates one or more functions of the chat or call API 216, 218 as appropriate.
Each of the APIs 216, 218, 220 can for example be implemented as code executed on a processor or processors of the communication system 120—for example, in the form of a library—configured to provide a set of functions. Depending on where the API is called from, these functions may be instigated (i.e. called) locally, or they may be called remotely via a network interface(s) coupled to the processor(s), for example via the network 102 or using low latency back-end network infrastructure of the communication system 120, such as the internal data center network infrastructure 206 and inter-data center backbone 124. For “internal” API calls made from within the communication system 120, it may be preferable in some contexts to use only the latter where possible.
In any event, each of the APIs can generally be implemented as code executed on a processor accessible to at least two computer programs (at least one bot 116, and at least service instance 214)—which may or may not be executed on the same processor or processors—and which can be used by each of those programs to communicate with the other of those programs.
The bot API 220 allows the bots 116 to participate in communication events effected by an existing communication system, such as Skype, FaceTime, Google Voice, Facebook chat etc. That is, it provides a means by which functionality for communicating with bots as well as users can be incorporated into a communication system originally designed for users only, using the existing, underlying communications infrastructure of the communication system (such as its existing authentication, address lookup and user interface mechanisms).
In this sense, the bots 116 are third party systems from the perspective of the communication system, in the sense that they can be developed and implemented independently by a bot developer, and interface with the communication system 120 via the bot API 220.
FIG. 3 shows additional details one example software architecture of the computer system 100. In addition to the components already described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2A-C, for which the same reference signs are used, additional software components are shown.
To create an customize a bot 116 that users 102 of the communication system 120 can communicate with using the communication infrastructure of the communication system 120, the bot developer can use a bot framework portal 308 to instigate a bot creation instruction to a bot provisioning service 322, which may also be implemented as a cloud service. For the creation of his bot 116, the bot developer can use a bot framework SDK 312 provided by the operator of the communication system 120, or alternatively he may build his own SDK 306 that is compatible with the bot API 220E. SDK stands for software development kit.
The bot provisioning service 322 interacts with the contacts graph 130, so as to add the newly-created bot 116 as a “user” of the communication system 120, in the sense that the bot 116 appears as a user within the communication system to the (real) users 108. For example, such that a user 102 can add the bot 116 as a contact, by instigated a contact request at his client 116 (which may be automatically accepted). Alternatively, any user 102 may be able to communicate with a bot 116 using his client 116 without having to add that bot as a contact explicitly, though the option to do so may still be provided for convenience. In any event, the user 102 is able to initiate a communication event, such as a chat or call, with the bot 116 as he would with another real, human user 102 of the communication system 120.
Each of the bots 116 thus has a unique identity within the communication system 120, as denoted by an identifier “bID” of that bot in the contacts 130 that is unique to that bot within the system, where the integer “M” is used to denote the total number of bots having such an identity within the communication system 120 i.e. there are M unique bot identifiers in the contacts graph 130, where “bIDm” denotes the mth bot identifier.
The integer N denotes the total number of users who have an identity within the communication system 120, i.e. there are N human user identifiers in the contacts graph 130, wherein “uIDn” denotes the nth user identifier.
Thus, to actual human users 108 of the communication system, there appear to be N+M “users”—N humans 108, plus M bots 116.
One bot 116 is shown by way of example in FIG. 3, but it will be appreciated that the following description pertains to each of the multiple bots 116 individually.
The bot 116 communicates with a third party service 304 (i.e. outside of the domain and infrastructure of the communication system 120), which can be one of an extensive variety of types, for example an external search engine, social media platform, e-commerce platform (e.g. for purchasing goods, or ordering takeaway food and drinks etc.). The bot 116 acts as an intermediary between the user's 108 and the third party service, so that user can access the third party service in an intuitive manner by way of a natural conversation with the bot 116. That is, the bot 116 constitutes a conversational (i.e. natural language) interface between the user 102 and the third part service 304.
The user's engagement with the bot 116 is conversational in the sense that the precise format of his request to the bots is not prescribed. For example, suppose the third party service 304 is an online takeaway service, and the user want's to order a Pizza.
In this case, the user 102 can, say, instigate a chat message to the bot 116 using his communication client 106. The user need not concern himself the semantics of the textual content of the message and can, for example, start by saying to the bot 116 “please can I order a Pizza?”, or “Hi, I'd like a pizza please” or “order Pizza”—that is, by expressing his general intent to order a pizza to the bot without additional details at this stage—or with a more specific request, such as “I'd like a pepperoni pizza”, or “please deliver a pizza in two hours to my home address”—that is expressing additional details of his intent.
In order to interpret these correctly, the bot need to understand the user's intent, in whatever manner and to whatever level of detail the user 102 has chosen to express it. To this end, some form of intent recognition needs to be applied to the content of the message, in order to identify the user's intent to the extent it can be identified—e.g. to identify that the user wants to order a pizza but has specified no details, or that he want to order a specific type of pizza but has not specified a time or place, or that he wants a pizza at a specific time and place but has not specified details of the pizza etc.
Intent recognition is known in the art, and for that reason details of specific intent recognition processes will not be described herein.
For example, a third party intent recognition service 302 may be used by the bot, wherein the bot 116 supplies content of messages it receives to the third party intent recognition service for intent recognition. Alternatively the bot 116 itself may implement the intent recognition functionality. Alternatively the intent recognition may be pre-applied within the communication system 202, by a dialogue manager 214D, i.e. intent recognition may be applied to a message received from one of the user's 102 within the communication system 120 itself by the dialogue manager 214D, before the message is communicated to the bot. The dialogue manager 214D can also be implemented a service instance or service instance cluster running in one of the data centers 122, for example as another cloud service.
The aim of the intent recognition processing is to determine a user's intent in any given context.
The intent recognition process incorporates natural language processing, and uses a predetermined set of intents and predetermined set of associated entities, i.e. things to which the intents can apply. These sets may be extensive to provide comprehensive intent recognition, for example several hundred intents and entities in various domains.
FIG. 4 shows steps of an example message flow between a client 106 of user 102 (“user n”) and one of the bots 116 (“bot m”) via a message relay service 214R of the service(s) 214 of the communication system (message relay).
At step S2, a message 402 is transmitted from user n to the message relay 214R, which in this example comprises the user's authentication token 107 and an identifier of bot m (“bIDm”—target bot), as well as content 402C which may be text (character sting), asynchronous media data (e.g. images, or audio or video clips), or real-time audio data or real-time video data for example, and in any event is a message of a communication event (chat, call etc.) between user n and bot m.
The authentication token 107 acts both to identify user n, and for authentication purposes so that that the communication system 120 knows to accept the message 402.
As shown, the cryptographic database 132 holds, in association with each bot identifier bIDm, bIDm+1 . . . , a cryptographic secret Km, Km+1 unique to that bot. Each bot ID and key pairing constitutes a bot description, access to which may be regulated by a bot storage service of the services 214 (not shown).
The secrets Km, Km+1 are private cryptographic keys, which are unknown outside of the communication system. Each of the keys can for example be generated when the corresponding bot is created and given an identity within the communication system 120 by the bot provisioning service 322.
Before relaying a version of the message 402 to bot m, the message relay 214R applies steps to anonymize user n's identity.
At step S4, the message relay 214R retrieves the secret Km associated with bIDm as received in the message 402, and applies an encryption function 422 to a combination of the secret Km and an identifier 401 of user n, thereby generating an encrypted version 401′ of the identifier 401. The identifier 401 may be the authentication token itself 107, or the user identifier uID with which the authentication token 107 is associated.
The encryption is preferably symmetric i.e. the same key Km is used for both encryption and decryption, both of which are only ever performed within the communication system 120.
For example, the bot API 220 can be configured to provide a function (or respective functions), which can be instigated by the relay 214R via the call API 218 or chat API 216 as applicable to fetch a set of bot descriptions from the bot storage service.
Given that information the message relay 214R can encrypt data for any given bot target.
At step S6, the message relay 214R applies a cryptographic signature function 424 to data 403 of the user identifier 401 using a private cryptographic key Kc, thereby generating a digital cryptographic signature 404 unique to the data 403 in a process that cannot be replicated without the private key KC and thus cannot be replicated outside of the communication system 120. The key KC may be the same secret Km that is used to encrypt the identifier 401, or it may be a different secret.
The data 403 may be data of the unencrypted user identifier 401 (i.e. the signature may be a generated “before” encryption), or it may be data of the encrypted identifier 401′. Where data 403 is unencrypted data, steps S4 and S6 can be performed in any order or in parallel.
At step S8, the message relay 214R transmits to bot m a version 402′ of the message 402, which comprises the encrypted identifier 401′ and the digital signature 404. This version 402′ comprises content 402C′, which may be the same the original message content 402C′. In the case that intent recognition is preformed within the communication system 120 by the dialogue manager 214D, the content 402C′ may comprise data generated in the intent recognition, in addition to or instead of the original content 402C.
In any event, bot m processes the content 402C′ of the version of the message 402′ that is receives, in order to automatically generate a response 402R. The response 402R comprises its own content 402RC intended for user n, and also comprises the encrypted user identifier 401′ and the digital signature 404. Bot m transmits the response 402R back to the message relay 214R, where it is received.
The message relay 414R determines that the response has originated from bot m, and accordingly decrypts the encrypted identifier 401′ in the response 402R, and thereby obtains the original, unencrypted identifier 401, using the secret Km associated with and unique to bot m. For example, the response 402R may comprise the bot identifier bIDm. It also verifies that the digital signature 404 in the response 402′ is valid, i.e. that it matches the identifier 401′ in the received response 402R, using the key KC (this prevents a nefarious bot from being able to fabricate anonymized user identifiers, as without access to the key KC they are unable to provide a matching signature).
Providing the signature 404 is valid, the message relay transmits (S12) at least the content 402RC of the response to user m, who it identifies as the intended recipient based on the decrypted identifier 401.
That is, the message relay 214R decrypts the pairwise id if the bot 116 provides its bot ID in an incoming message (e.g. response 404R) together with pairwise ID (bID), provided the signature 404 in that message form the bot 116 (e.g. response 402R) is valid.
At no time during this process is the user's identity within the communication system 120 revealed to the bot, as the bot never receives an unencrypted version of uID or the token 107. Nevertheless, if and when a further message is sent from user m to bot m, the same encryption is applied to the same identifier 401, thus the bot receives the same encrypted identifier 401′ and thus knows it is communicating with the same user. That is to say, bot m is presented with a consistent but anonymized identity of user n. Because each of the secrets in the cryptographic database 132 is unique to its corresponding bots, no two bots ever see the same identifier for the same user.
The messages 402, 402′ and responses 402R, 402RC are transmitted via the network 108.
For simplification, a one-to-one communication event is shown in FIG. 4. However, the same techniques can be applied to a group communication event with multiple users 102 and/or multiple bots 116. In the case of multiple bots in the same group communication event, each is presented with a different anonymized identity of the user(s), and thus cannot engage in nefarious collusion during the group communication event or after it.
The message 402′ may for example be transmitted to the bot 116 using a push mechanism, such as a Webhook. The message 402′ may for example be a JSON message.
Note that, in certain circumstances, it may be beneficial for the user for the bot to be able to access information about the user from a third party service. However, the bot is unable to do so directly, because the user's identity is anonymized.
To maintain anonymization, whilst still permitting this, access to such third party services may be mediated by the communication system 120. Thus, for example, a bot 116 may send a request to the communication system 120 for the communication system 120 to perform a lookup via a third party service based on the original user identifier 401 (which the bot does not have access to). Subject to receiving the user's informed consent, the communication system performs the look-up on behalf of the bot, and returns the results to the bot.
FIG. 5A a schematic block diagram of a user device 104. The user device 104 is a computer device which can take a number of forms e.g. that of a desktop or laptop computer, mobile phone (e.g. smartphone), tablet computing device, wearable computing device, television (e.g. smart TV), set-top box, gaming console etc. The user device 104 comprises computer storage in the form of a memory 507, a processor 505 to which is connected the memory 507, one or more output devices, such as a display 501, loudspeaker(s) etc., one or more input devices, such as a camera, microphone, and a network interface 503, such as an Ethernet, Wi-Fi or mobile network (e.g. 3G, LTE etc.) interface which enables the user device 104 to connect to the network 108. The display 501 may comprise a touchscreen which can receive touch input from a user of the device 6, in which case the display 24 is also an input device of the user device 6. Any of the various components shown connected to the processor may be integrated in the user device 104, or non-integrated and connected to the processor 505 via a suitable external interface (wired e.g. Ethernet, USB, FireWire etc. or wireless e.g. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC etc.). The processor 505 executes the client application 106 to allow the user 102 to use the communication system 120. The memory 507 holds the authentication token. The client 106 has a user interface for receiving information from and outputting information to a user of the user device 104, including during a communication event such as a call or chat session. The user interface may comprise, for example, a Graphical User Interface (GUI) which outputs information via the display 501 and/or a Natural User Interface (NUI) which enables the user to interact with a device in a “natural” manner, free from artificial constraints imposed by certain input devices such as mice, keyboards, remote controls, and the like. Examples of NUI methods include those utilizing touch sensitive displays, voice and speech recognition, intention and goal understanding, motion gesture detection using depth cameras (such as stereoscopic or time-of-flight camera systems, infrared camera systems, RGB camera systems and combinations of these), motion gesture detection using accelerometers/gyroscopes, facial recognition, 3D displays, head, eye, and gaze tracking, immersive augmented reality and virtual reality systems etc.
FIG. 5B shows an example of a graphical user interface (GUI) 500 of the client 106, which is displayed on the display 501.
The GUI includes a contact list 504 which is displayed in a portion of an available display area of the display 501. Multiple display elements are shown in the contact list, each representing one of the user's contacts, which includes display elements 502U, 502B representing a human contact (i.e. another of the users 102) and a bot contact (i.e. one of the bots 116) respectively. That is, the bot 116 is displayed in the contact list 504 along with the users human contacts.
The user can send chat messages 402 to the bot via the GUI 500, whose content 402C is displayed in a second portion of the display area along with the content 402R of the bot's responses 402R.
Although only one bots is shown in the contact list 504, multiple bots may appear here e.g. if the user has added them as contacts. For example, during a communication event in which the user and a bot are participating, the user can add another bot to the established communication event as an additional participant.
The terms “module” and “component” refer to program code that performs specified tasks when executed on a processor (e.g. CPU or CPUs). The program code can be stored in one or more computer readable memory devices. The features of the techniques described below are platform-independent, meaning that the techniques may be implemented on a variety of commercial computing platforms having a variety of processors. The instructions may be provided by the computer-readable medium to a processor through a variety of different configurations. One such configuration of a computer-readable medium is signal bearing medium and thus is configured to transmit the instructions (e.g. as a carrier wave) to the computing device, such as via a network. The computer-readable medium may also be configured as a computer-readable storage medium and thus is not a signal bearing medium. Examples of a computer-readable storage medium include a random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), an optical disc, solid-state (e.g. flash) memory, hard disk memory, and other memory devices that may us magnetic, optical, and other techniques to store instructions and other data.
Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.
1. A relay system comprising:
at least one processor; and
one or more computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that are executable by the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:
receiving, at the relay system, a message including an identifier of a sending user and an identifier of an intended recipient;
determining an encryption process for the intended recipient based on the identifier of the intended recipient, wherein an encryption function applied by the encryption process is unique to the intended recipient;
generating an anonymized identifier of the sending user by applying the determined encryption process to generate an encrypted version of the identifier of the sending user to provide to the intended recipient;
generating a version of the message that includes the anonymized identifier of the sending user and does not include an unencrypted version of the identifier of the sending user; and
sending, for receipt by the intended recipient, the version of the message that includes the anonymized identifier of the sending user and does not include the unencrypted version of the identifier of the sending user;
wherein the identifier of the sending user is obtainable, from the version of the message including the anonymized identifier, with a decryption process that corresponds to the determined encryption process.
2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the version of the message that includes the anonymized identifier of the sending user and does not include the identifier of the sending user further includes a cryptographic signature of the relay system.
3. The system as recited in claim 2, the operations further comprising receiving a response from the intended recipient and transmitting a version of the response from the intended recipient to the sending user in response to determining that the response includes the cryptographic signature of the relay system.
4. The system as recited in claim 2, the operations further comprising receiving a response to the version of the message, determining that the response to the version of the message does not include a cryptographic signature of the relay system, and rejecting the response to the version of the message.
5. The system as recited in claim 1, the operations further comprising receiving a response from the intended recipient addressed to the anonymized identifier of the sending user, generating a version of the response that does not include the anonymized identifier of the sending user, and transmitting the version of the response that does not include the anonymized identifier of the sending user to the sending user.
6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein generating the version of the response that does not include the anonymized identifier of the sending user comprises determining the identifier of the sending user by applying a reverse of the determined encryption process for the intended recipient to the anonymized identifier of the sending user and including the identifier of the sending user in the version of the response that does not include the anonymized identifier of the sending user.
7. The system as recited in claim 1, the message further including an identifier of an additional intended recipient and the operations further comprising:
determining a different encryption process for the additional intended recipient based on the identifier of the additional intended recipient;
generating a different anonymized identifier of the sending user by applying the different encryption process to the message;
generating a different version of the message that includes the different anonymized identifier of the sending user and does not include the identifier of the sending user; and
sending, for receipt by the additional intended recipient, the different version of the message that includes the different anonymized identifier of the sending user and does not include the identifier of the sending user.
8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein applying a reverse of the different encryption process to the anonymized identifier of the sending user generates an identifier that is different from the identifier of the sending user.
9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the message includes at least one of video data or audio data.
10. A relay system comprising:
receiving, at the relay system, a message that includes an identifier of a sender and an anonymized identifier of an intended recipient user, wherein an unencrypted identifier of the intended recipient user is obtainable from the message from decryption;
determining an encryption process applied for the sender based on the identifier of the sender, wherein an encryption function of the encryption process is unique to the sender, and wherein the anonymized identifier of the intended recipient user is produced from application of the encryption function to the unencrypted identifier of the intended recipient user;
determining the unencrypted identifier of the intended recipient user by applying a reverse of the encryption process applied for the sender to the unencrypted identifier, to decrypt the anonymized identifier; and
transmitting a version of the message to the intended recipient user using the unencrypted identifier of the intended recipient user.
11. The system as recited in claim 10, the operations further comprising determining whether the received message includes a cryptographic signature of the relay system, wherein the determining the encryption process for the sender, the determining the unencrypted identifier of the intended recipient user, and the transmitting the version of the message to the intended recipient user are performed in response to the received message including the cryptographic signature of the relay system.
12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the version of the message includes the unencrypted identifier of the intended recipient user and does not include the anonymized identifier of the intended recipient user.
13. The system as recited in claim 11, the operations further comprising generating the anonymized identifier of the intended recipient user and providing the anonymized identifier of the intended recipient user to the sender prior to receiving the message.
14. A method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device, a message including an identifier of a sending user and an identifier of an intended recipient;
sending, by the computing device, a version of the message to the intended recipient, the version of the message including an anonymized identifier of the sending user and not including an unencrypted version of the identifier of the sending user, wherein the anonymized identifier is an encrypted version of the identifier of the sending user, wherein the encrypted version is generated by applying an encryption function unique to the intended recipient, and wherein the identifier of the sending user is obtainable, from the version of the message including the anonymized identifier, with a decryption process that corresponds to the encryption function;
receiving, by the computing device, a response to the version of the message from the intended recipient that includes the anonymized identifier of the sending user;
determining, by the computing device, the identifier of the sending user from the response, independent of stored information describing a relationship between the identifier of the sending user and the anonymized identifier of the sending user; and
sending, by the computing device, the response to the sending user based on the determined identifier of the sending user.
15. The method as recited in claim 14, the version of the message further including a cryptographic signature of the computing device.
16. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising verifying that the received response includes the cryptographic signature of the computing device before sending the response to the sending user.
17. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising receiving a response to the version of the message that does not include a cryptographic signature of computing device and rejecting the response that does not include the cryptographic signature of the computing device.
18. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:
determining an encryption process for the intended recipient; and
generating the anonymized identifier of the sending user by applying the encryption process for the intended recipient to the identifier of the sending user.
19. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein determining the identifier of the sending user comprises determining an encryption process for the intended recipient and applying a reverse of the encryption process for the intended recipient to the anonymized identifier of the sending user.
20. The method as recited in claim 14, the message further including an identifier of an additional intended recipient and the method further comprising:
determining an encryption process for the additional intended recipient that is different from an encryption process for the intended recipient;
generating a different anonymized identifier of the sending user by applying the encryption process for the additional intended recipient to the identifier of the sending user; and
sending a different version of the message to the additional intended recipient, the different version of the message including the different anonymized identifier of the sending user.
US15/187,215 2016-06-20 2016-06-20 Anonymized identifiers for secure communication systems Active 2036-09-29 US10341267B2 (en)
US15/187,215 US10341267B2 (en) 2016-06-20 2016-06-20 Anonymized identifiers for secure communication systems
CN201780038290.0A CN109314661A (en) 2016-06-20 2017-06-12 Communication system
EP17733230.1A EP3453146A1 (en) 2016-06-20 2017-06-12 Communication system
PCT/US2017/036928 WO2017222839A1 (en) 2016-06-20 2017-06-12 Communication system
US16/413,260 US20190334840A1 (en) 2016-06-20 2019-05-15 Anonymized Identifiers for Secure Communication Systems
US16/413,260 Continuation US20190334840A1 (en) 2016-06-20 2019-05-15 Anonymized Identifiers for Secure Communication Systems
US15/187,215 Active 2036-09-29 US10341267B2 (en) 2016-06-20 2016-06-20 Anonymized identifiers for secure communication systems
US16/413,260 Pending US20190334840A1 (en) 2016-06-20 2019-05-15 Anonymized Identifiers for Secure Communication Systems
CN (1) CN109314661A (en)
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« Long Live The Euro: 2) Friedman Ignorant Anti-Euro Rant
BEING FROM DOING: EFFECTIVE ONTOLOGY, Brain & Consciousness »
Long Live The Euro: 3) Exiting By The Top
“SORTIR PAR LE HAUT”:
The Euro is one of the elements necessary to unify France and Germany. Fully constructing the supporting apparatus the Euro needs, entails, by itself, an entire hierarchy of unification projects subordinated to it.
So the problems the Euro creates are supposed to appear, and being solved, thereafter. How? By “coming out on top”. Division and bitterness, is coming on the bottom. Coming out on top means higher ideas, unification, harmony.
To reconstruct a European state is as if one were constructing a cathedral: one has to do the following. One decides to build it, and then make it so. Cathedral construction was modified, as needed. Arches were progressively added, and, when problems were found, they were fixed. When it was discovered that the gigantic Amiens cathedral was bulging out, and was going to collapse, and enormous iron belt was added to its waist. It survived the world wars.
Paris had an enormous Roman cathedral for nearly a millennium. However, in the Twelfth Century, Parisians decided that, instead of refurbishing it once again, and expanding it, it would be better to build an entire new cathedral in what was known then as the “Frankish style”. The church leaders explicitly stated this as a technological project to awe the masses, and instruct the plutocrats as to the new possibilities technology offered. So the old cathedral was demolished, and the present one built. (There are no picture of the previous building, it stood fifty meters west of the present one.)
What present day, patritotic Europeans do not want to see again:
By 1200 CE, The Renovated Roman Empire of the Franks Had Become A Big Disunited Mess. Wars Blossomed All Over
One thing can be picked up from the map: it is the French themselves, the Western Franks, those based around Paris, who created the mess, by insisting on going their own way, and that everybody had the right to go their own way.
Charlemagne himself had launched the way towards that mess: he let Venice stay sort-of independent (although the Frankish empire needed Venice’s fleet), and then Charlemagne outright created the Papal States (by giving territories to the Pope upon which he could exert material power).
It is finally Francois I who understood that France and Germany had to be unified again. But, although he had been elected king of France (by the kingdom’s council), he failed in the 1519 CE election as Roman-German emperor.
Instead, Spain, Germany and Italy (plus the Americas) got united. The result was nearly 200 years of war between France and Spain, which created the independent, tolerant, somewhat republican Netherlands, while finishing with still another world war, the War of the Spanish Succession, which France barely won (losing territory in the process, and fostering British and Dutch power).
By then the Netherlands, Britain and France, the former two created by the latter, and long the same polity, were at each other’s throats. To win, Britain heavily financed Prussia, while France enjoyed a succession of ill advised dictators (Louis XIV, Louis XV, Napoleon).
Clearly one should go back to basic principles:
Europe Was A Creation Of The Franks, Not Just As A State, But As A Concept:
The power, and vision, of the Franks created Europe. It was originally mostly motivated by survival, and the will to set right was Late Romans had set wrong.
We actually know enough about the rise of Frankish power to discern the philosophies at work. Aetius, a Roman commander-in-chief who had been brought up (from an exchange/hostage program) among the Huns all too long, naturally used the Huns all too much. After Aetius was assassinated in one of these conspiracies Late Rome was rife with, his closest collaborators took over. They switched back to the 150 year old alliance with the Federated Franks, the fiercest enemy of the Huns (who thereafter disappear from history).
Europe is a modern concept created by the Franks anew in the Eighth Century; the original Europe, in the Eighth Century BCE, 16 centuries earlier, designated continental Greece. But that name, itself, the name of a Princess, was an older myth which acknowledged the debt Greece had to Phoenicia (nowadays Lebanon, and, more generally, the Middle East).
If one wants to build something great, one has to start somewhere. A European currency exists, and France and Germany constitute an “optimal currency area”, all by themselves. They have very similar republics. Both have a very high minimum wage, German police can pursue thugs inside France at will (and reciprocally). Both consult continually, Germany has agreed to help France’s wars in a supportive role.
In truth, Germany has become France, after around two centuries of error under Prussian misguidance.
So what are the problems with the common currency? Well, all these problems it was supposed to bring. A first one, of course, is the problem of making a Banking Union. The situation there is quite complex, yet unification is under way: the 200 largest banks are supposed to be inspected (smaller banks are crucial to the German economy, but they tend to be bankrupt, so they have been spared the present inspection regime).
What is there not to like? Well, don’t ask American plutocrats and their obsequious servants; they will stat to recite again Friedman’s hare-brained, shallow and disingenuous arguments.
Finally all what the American plutocrats and their butlers have to stay is that, never, ever, could France and Germany get unified again, so they could not possibly share a common currency (aside from the dollar, which American plutocrats control, through their rogue financial system). What they should stay, if the truth was their goal, is that they dread an ever greater unification of France and Germany.
First, because they won’t control it as readily. Secondly, because of the tradition of revolution, for which France, in particular, is known.
Civilization means revolutions, plutocracy, its obsequious servants and greedy opportunists, hate both. Thus they hate European Unification.
Why is the USA different? Simple: countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia are gigantic, and full of recent immigrants. Recent immigrants in a giant country can always go somewhere else, where construction, expansion, conquest, fracking, tar sands, coal and iron ore, lithium, what-not, is going on. No such possibilities in Europe, or then tightly regulated.
Recent immigrants are also anxious not to be seen whining, complaining, talking back, agitating, rebelling, lest they be not trusted anymore. In countries such as France, or Greece, if you do NOT whine, complain, talk back, argue, rebel, it is the exact way around: it is a servile, anxious to please, fit and conform attitude, which is not trusted.
One could see this with Obama: for years, it was said by his opponents that he was not a genuine American. Actually, he was not even an American, they asserted. The American Constitution invites this: it distinguishes American-born Americans, and immigrants (the French and now German Constitutions do not). An immigrant American cannot be elected president.
Discrimination is more American than mother or apple pie. Anxious to conform, American Jews, such as Milton Friedman, who could not even bother to express concern on behalf of their brethren while they were in danger of being exterminated, now have the infuriating impudence to teach us about strife being hindered by division. Verily, some people learned nothing, and are the lowest of the low.
So should the French and the Germans have a common currency? Well, in a sense, they used to have one, what was called “Euro-dollars”. The dollar, was, de facto, Europe’s common currency.
France and Germany do not discriminate against their citizens on ground of their origins. This is one of many ways in which France and Germany are similar. Why so similar? Well, they spend a lot of thinking finding out which French, or German qualities, laws, regulations, habits, appreciations, they should adopt.
France and Germany are now closer in spirit with each other than they are with the USA. So they should have rejected the dollar as a common currency, and get their own, according to the very argument the Euro haters have been using. And that’s exactly what they did.
Tags: Cathedral, Common Currency, Discrimination, Euro, France, Germany
This entry was posted on December 28, 2015 at 9:00 pm and is filed under Currencies, Dollar, Economy, Euro, Europe, Europhobia, Evil. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
18 Responses to “Long Live The Euro: 3) Exiting By The Top”
You are turning the logics of the Euro haters on their head. Well done!
One needs enough intelligence and reflection, to see this! 😉
So Marine Le Pen wants to go back to the dollar? Nice! CIA SHOULD PAY HER
Probably does. And if not that, then their brethren. Or puppet masters.
“The Euro is one of the elements necessary to unify France and Germany.”
Has anyone ASKED the German and French peoples if they WANT to be “unified”?
Either you believe in democracy, or you don’t. The EU elite clearly do NOT, and are thus fascists at heart.
There is actually nothing more to say about this. Once this clear and irrefutable truth is known, all the rest about the euro and indeed the Brussels set up itself is just garbage: it is all based on lies.
All informed citizens in Frankreich and Allemagne know that a unification program is under way. Voting for the traditional Franco-German parties is voting for European unification. None of the French parties which did, or have a prospect, to access to power, has put unification with Germany in doubt. In 65 years.
Le Pen is called fascist, because she claims to want to reverse the Euro aspect of the unification, and put back some border controls. De facto, the later are coming up as fast as possible, so, by the time she is elected, the issue will be moot.
I am myself for direct democracy, representative democracy I call representative oligarchy. However, that’s a different subject from European construction.
Eric Gross Says:
Fascinating map
Patrice Ayme: Indeed. Especially when one knows the history, the dynamics at work, and the vassalities involved. If one colors only the suzerains, the map simplifies drastically. Most of the European kingdoms fall either under French/Paris or Holly Roman empire imperium. Sort-of exceptions are Venice and the Papal States…. and even then…
Notice, though, that: as the centuries went by, what were arbitrary, formal differences on European maps brought real differences and enmities. In one word: nationalism.
Small explanation to the map. The big red spot in the middle of the map, Holly Roman Empire, was not holly, not Roman , and not empire. It was rather a field of battle between the Mafioso style barons with private armies and private holdings of land they occupied illegally and with brutality. It took more than 1000 years to Barbarians, to overcome their own military heritage and also then they ended only after a Grand finale, two world wars. European Union was the only solution to prevent from the Europreans to start again a new round of totalitarian violence. France became a Democratic Republic only after 1871 by mistake, because the Leaders of France couldn’t agree on who will be the next king. Until then it was a dictatorship or kingdom as the rest of Europe. At 1848 France had chance to elect a democratic system, but it has chosen a new dictator, just because his name was Napoleon.
All right Eugen, the “not holy, not Roman, nor an empire” joke, is from Voltaire…
Let me take exception from it. In some political matters, such as Real Politik, Voltaire was an idiot, and he gave very bad, actually horrendous advice to his boyfriend, Louis XV.
The history of the term and concept is fascinating. It really started as the Renovated ROMAN EMPIRE. Led by ROMAN EMPEROR Charlemagne. Although by a freakish case of strange parenting, Charlemagne could not read and write ell until adulthood, he was NOT AN IDIOT (compare with Voltaire, an idiot). Charles spoke several languages perfectly though, and he had the best philosophers as advisers and PM.
Saying it took “barbarians” 1,000 years is not correct: for example, the reigning queen of the Franks in 600 CE gave extremely well thought out and reasoned orders in perfect Latin (six letters have survived). At the time, everybody was a Frank, and Jews could worship as they pleased. Jews, Pagans, Unbelievers, Catholics, Arians, etc. had equal rights.
Saying France ended as a Republic by accident in 1871 is anti-French propaganda. Nap III, elected French president way back, had organized a coup against himself to make himself emperor, but that’s a complicated story.
Napoleon III, a Swiss citizen, was an authentic republican agitator, an authentic Italian partisan, and he grabbed power Lenin style. His aim was different from that of his uncle. What he wanted was to FREE ITALY, and he used the French army as a device to do so (see the battles of Magenta and the butchery at Solferino). That worked.
Napoleon III was later manipulated by Bismarck into the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. But that, too, is complex: Bismarck was a bit similar to Nap III, and was an authentic revolutionary. He did good things, but also played apprentice sorcerer with his efforts against THE REPUBLIC (France). The fascist plutocratic empire Bismarck helped create, escaped his creator’s control in 1890 CE.
Knowing a little history, and making up the details from the mood of unchained bias is fun, but wisdom frowns on it.
Sorry to be rough, but I just wrote a major essay, and I have some obligations to attend to, I don’t know how to put it pretty and nice (I should take lessons from Paul Handover!).
You are right, my response is not a historical essay, rather a small pinch, for wake up. No political entity in Europe have done good for the general public until the creation of EU, rather there were some that were less disastrous.
The devils are in the details… Plutocrats are always finding ways of guiding the state, if they don’t get blocked. See latest article…
France was a democratic representative equalitarian republic, in the modern, contemporary sense, as early as 1792 CE. Generalized war and attack by all and any European plutocrats made the going tough, but one can’t accuse the Republic, a victim of aggression (all the more as a prominent Corsican noble, who became famous by repelling the British invasion of Provence, grabbed power for himself, just when things were falling in line; his colleagues had tried to kill him, by sending Napoleon to Egypt, but it did not work out, by sheer happenstance…)
I’ve been desperately hoping that Europe with its inspiring culture and its humanistic traditions would become a bulwark against our horrific American plutocracy. Back in 2003 after Chirac and Gerhard Schroeder rejected the war criminal Bush, we were in full thrall to the most thuggish anti-French and anti-German propaganda. Naturally, I was seized with a desire to show love for all things French and German. I fantasized about hanging giant posters of Chirac and Schroeder, and wearing T-shirts with the French and German flags, among other ideas. By coincidence I came across a song by Elvis singing in German, exposing American children in a wonderful way to a European language. Of course, this was back in 1960 when the US still had the humanistic New Deal tradition. The same humanistic attitude that made us want to sing La Marseillaise along with those in the film American film Casablanca.
You hit on something deep here GlouconX. Inasmuch as American culture has its qualities, it also has major defects which European cultures can compensate for. Somebody such as Chris Snuggs is all confused about this (he feels, and many of the conservative bend do, that just following the USA is the sophisticated way!)
I have to run right now. I will come back on this. Today’s advanced essay, just published, sucked my energy, and now I have to go. 🙂
Andrej Dekleva Says:
The Grey Lady speaketh! Can’t believe to see this headline on NYTimes just now – For the Wealthiest, a Private Tax System That Saves Them Billions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/30/business/economy/for-the-wealthiest-private-tax-system-saves-them-billions.html
Thanks Andrej for alerting me on that, I scrambled, and have the next essay just on that (in case if was on the other side of the paywall)
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Golf’s technogurus & losing the elegance of self discovery
February 9, 2011 August 2, 2016 Paul CervantesBen Hogan, Chris Riley, David Gossett, Golf Guru, Golf Improvement, Golf Instruction, Herbert Warren Wind, John Fitzgerald, John Fitzgerald The Back Nine, Lee Trevino, Optimism, Plato, Royce Hall, Self Discovery, Tiger Woods, Ty Tryon, UCLALeave a comment
When Jon Fitzgerald reached the age of 40 he embarked on an all-too common quest; to make his golf game as good as possible. His film, The Back Nine, chronicles his project. The story starts with a brief personal history of Fitzgerald, his life with his father and stepfather, and a look back at his youthful athleticism.
Like most of us, Fitzgerald has to keep a lot of plates spinning in his life. He has a wife, a job and, at the start of the film, one child. I was interested to see what Fitzgerlad’s effort at the age of 40 would look like compared to mine at nearly 50.
It was quite impressive if at the same time more than a little dismaying.
Fitzgerald started out, as do so many golfers (myself included) by seeking the help of a professional. Now, seeing a golf teacher is far from odd, but what Fitzgerald did went far beyond working with a pro. Rather than just a golf teacher, Fitzgerald started out with a visit to a Yoga/Golf guru in Arizona. She then referred him to a strength coach, who referred him to a swing coach, who referred him to a guy who uses a battery of imaging devices, including a vest with embedded sensors, that would allow Fitzgerald to have his progress monitored via the internet.
There is a part of me who envies the resources Fitzgerald employed, but there’s a bigger part of me who finds it all rather sad. Every player thinks he should be better. They think they should hit it further, straighter, and they should make more putts than they do. There’s something about the attempted blending of golf and technology that suggests to average players that they really can be better if they have all of the information they need. Of course, this is nothing new. Ben Hogan started a good deal of the madness with his now ubiquitous references to pronation and supination in his classic, Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf.
I can’t prove it but my guess is that Hogan, with his undeniably modest education, didn’t know what either word meant until his co-writer, Herbert Warren Wind, told Hogan what they meant. I also can’t prove that Hogan’s use of those two words caused far more confusion than they did understanding over the last few decades. But, they surely have caused a lot of confusion.
Wrapped up in nearly every technological breakthrough in golf instruction is a basic fallacy; that knowing will always make you better. Knowing begs the question of knowing what? In Fitzgerald’s case (and mine, too) the most profound if sobering knowledge is that we’ll never be all that good. We lack the basic ability to be very much better than we are. Fitzgerald’s swing at the end of the films looks pretty much like his swing at the start. He has rather a notchy backswing and can’t quite clear his hips coming through impact. I have the same problems and lots of others.
Do I seem pessimistic? Or, do I seem envious?
No matter what I am I will admit some players get better, I’ll even allow they get better because of solid instruction. But it seems to me there’s a difference between one on one instruction and the technological phalanx Fitzgerald subjected himself to. Players who get better in golf usually do it through a series of hard-won self discoveries. The purveyors of technogolf would have us believe that they know what we might never discover on our own. Fitzgerald discovers he needs orthotics since his left foot pronates (there’s that word again).
I’m glad some great players with somewhat unusual swings didn’t live in an era when the technogurus could have screwed them up. Honestly, what would these guys have done with Lee Trevino’s self-discovered practice of aiming left while swinging right? If he were young enough, he would have probably listened to them, adjusted his stance so that it looked and measured parallel to his intended line of flight. They would have also shown him that his head dropped 6″ from address to impact and they would have fixed that, too.
And, Lee Trevino would have vanished into golf’s abyss, never to be seen again.
For already accomplished players technogurus may not do too much harm, then again maybe they do. At age 35, Tiger Woods is rebuilding his swing for the third time. I am certain that each time a technoguro convinced him, arguably the best player ever to play golf, that technology proved that his swing needed a substantive change.
Of course, no swing stays the same, and even golf’s old timers sought help in formal and some not so formal ways. But, it’s my contention that one of the reasons contemporary players can fall so fast and so far is from their growing reliance on the certitude technogurus offer. Think of the declines of Chris Riley, Ty Tryon and David Gossett to name only three. Did their games really decline or were they let down by the relentless analysis of technogurus?
At UCLA’s Royce Hall there is a quote from Plato that goes something like this: Education is learning to use the tools which the race has found to be indispensable. The tools championed by the technogurus are genuinely impressive but whether they are indispensable, or even truly helpful, to players is far from certain.
I’m busy writing an golf book for women. In it, I use this phrase: You will also never master this game. You will, however, go from discovery to discovery for the rest of your life.
Golf is a solitary game of self discovery. The congregation of golf’s technogurus may honestly believe in what they do. But, that’s not really what matters here. What matters is that the elegance of self discovery remains at the heart of golf.
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Donald L. Poynter
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Our client was an employee who delivered office equipment. The company he worked for used a national car rental company to provide the delivery trucks. Client was unloading equipment when his finger was caught in the lift gate and amputated part of his finger. Poynter & Bucheri sued both the car rental company and the manufacturer of the lift gate. We retained an engineering expert and were able to successfully argue that that the lift gate was negligently designed and maintained and reached settlements with both defendants. For further details, please contact our office.
Failure to Supervise Minor
Our client was a minor that was a customer at a children’s entertainment venue. While he was there, he participated in a sanctioned “tug of war” event. During the event, his hand became mangled and nearly amputated by the tug of war rope. After extensive investigation, Poynter & Bucheri argued that the venue was at fault for failing to supervise the minor, failing to adequately train its employees and by negligently putting on the event. On the day before jury trial, settlement was reached. For further details, please contact our office.
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Abbie Brown Podcasts
Abbie Brown public [search 0]
Best Abbie Brown podcasts we could find (updated January 2020)
Best Abbie Brown podcasts we could find
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The Global Leadership Summit Podcast
The Global Leadership Summit Podcast brings world-class leadership training to your smartphone, tablet and computer! In this twice-monthly podcast, you will learn from the world’s top leadership experts as they share insight on topics such as self-leadership, vision and organizational growth. With fresh, actionable and inspiring content, The GLS Podcast is the perfect resource for leaders on-the-go.
Stav, Abby & Matt Catch Up - hit105 Brisbane - Stav Davidson, Abby Coleman & Matty Acton
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Tina Brown, the legendary editor (Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, The Daily Beast) and best-selling author talks with actors, politicians, journalists, and the newsmakers of tomorrow’s social debates. Discover what to read, what to watch, and how to stay smart in today's fast-moving times.
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Disagreeable old Miss Terry spends her Christmas Eve getting rid of toys from her childhood toy box. One by one she tosses them onto the sidewalk in front of her house, then secretly watches the little scenes that occur, which seem to confirm her belief that true Christmas spirit does not exist. Then the Angel from her childhood Christmas tree appears to show Miss Terry that she has not yet witnessed the final act of each of those little dramas … Living Age magazine in 1910 observed of The C ...
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Curious Book of Birds, The by BROWN, Abbie Farwell
Now the interesting facts about birds we have always with us. We can find them out for ourselves, which is a very pleasant thing to do, or we can take the word of others, of which there is no lack. But it is the quaint fancies about birds which are in danger of being lost. The long-time fancies which the world's children in all lands have been taught are quite as important as the every-day facts. They show what the little feathered brothers have been to the children of men; how we have come ...
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Andy, Abby & Dad Talk About Disney World
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In The Days of Giants by BROWN, Abbie Farwell
This book is made of the stories told by the Northern folk,—the people who live in the land of the midnight sun, where summer is green and pleasant, but winter is a terrible time of cold and gloom; where rocky mountains tower like huge giants, over whose heads the thunder rolls and crashes, and under whose feet are mines of precious metals. Therefore you will find the tales full of giants and dwarfs,—spirits of the cold mountains and dark caverns.You will find the hero to be Thor, with his t ...
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Hosted by Erik Qualman, each week we find the world's top thought leaders and hand select their top 7 Super Tips to unleash your inner superpower. #1 Best Selling Author and Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman has performed in 55 countries and reached 35 million people this decade. His Socialnomics work has been on 60 Minutes to the Wall Street Journal and used by the National Guard to NASA. His book Digital Leader propelled him to be voted the 2nd Most Likeable Author in the World behind Harr ...
On Bleecker Street - with Don Fass, San Francisco
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Return with us to the hit NPR show of the 80's - about the 60's...Great music, interviews and features: from Jerry Garcia and James Brown to members of the Kennedy administration, the Project Mercury and Apollo astronauts, Stokely and Abbie, Country Joe and Arlo, the Righteous Brothers, the British Invasion bands, the Beachboys and even Allen Ginsberg.Produced by Raymond McCullough, Precious Oil Productions Ltd
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Join Felicia Lo, founder of SweetGeorgia Yarns, as she explores the sweet spot between craft, creativity, and colour together with some of the most inspiring knitters, spinners, designers, shop owners, and makers in this handmade community.
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For the first time in over a year The Get Around welcomes athletes from Manton as senior basketball players Abby Brown and Jaden Wilder stop by for a chat about their 8-0 start. THE PULSEReactions from the North/South Showcase and look ahead to Veterans Cup. Kingsley wrestling and TC Central show up big over weekend. INTERVIEWManton senior basketba…
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Software has changed the way the world functions. The rapid pace of change has made it difficult to know how to navigate the new world. Knowledge workers who want to keep advancing in their careers develop a strategy of continuous learning in order to adapt to these changes. O’Reilly Media has existed for almost 40 years, providing resources for th…
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GraphQL has become a core piece of infrastructure for many software applications. GraphQL is used to make requests that are structured as GraphQL queries and responded to through a GraphQL server. The GraphQL server processes the query and fetches the response from the necessary databases, APIs, and backend services. Around 2016, when GraphQL was b…
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Do Savannah, January 16 | Kareem McMichael talks SSU Indie Film Fest21:32
Welcome back to another episode of the Do Savannah podcast! On this episode, Host Asha Gilbert sits with Savannah film extraordinaire Kareem McMichael about the Savannah State University Indie Film Festival going down in April 2020! Established in 2015 by Tracy Haynes, Kareem McMichael and Tina Brown, the SSU Indie Film Festival was created for SSU…
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The JavaScript ecosystem stretches across frontend, backend, and middleware. There are newer tools such as GraphQL, Gatsby, and WebAssembly. There are frameworks like React, Vue, and Angular. There is complex data handling with streams, caches, and TensorFlow.js. JavaScript is unlike any other ecosystem, because a single language can be used to con…
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Cloud infrastructure is usually consumed in the form of virtual machines or containers. These VMs or containers are running on a physical host machine that is also running other VMs and containers. This is called multitenancy. Servers across cloud providers such as AWS have a high utilization because there are multiple virtual instances running on …
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Do Savannah, January 8 | Trelani Michelle "Krak Teet" about her book and the importance of knowing your history17:14
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Amazon EC2 with Dave Brown33:25
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Amazon Kubernetes with Abby Fuller43:49
Amazon’s container offerings include ECS (Elastic Container Service), EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service), and Fargate. Through these different offerings, Amazon provides a variety of ways that a user can manage Kubernetes clusters and standalone container instances. The choice of which containerization system to choose depends on the needs of the use…
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Abiding in Christ w/ Jim Wood
Religion AIC / WVR Community Church Jim Woods
Abiding in Christ w/ Jim Wood « »
"Best of" Covenant Community Church: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10, What Are You Groaning About?
By AIC / WVR and Jim Wood. Discovered by Player FM and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Player FM, and audio is streamed directly from their servers. Hit the Subscribe button to track updates in Player FM, or paste the feed URL into other podcast apps.
Program for 11/12/19 "Best of" Covenant Community Church: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10, What Are You Groaning About?
Start listening to #Abiding in Christ w/ Jim Wood on your phone right now with Player FM's free mobile app, the best podcasting experience on both iPhone and Android. Your subscriptions will sync with your account on this website too. Podcast smart and easy with the app that refuses to compromise.
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When Elephants Jostle
Guest Blog by Carl
There's an old Swahili saying: "When two elephants jostle, that which is hurt is the grass."
Today in Ame rica, two elephants jostle: On the one hand, we have the hate-filled religious right, which has co-opted Christ's teachings and turned them into dispensationalist nonsense, somehow linking Christ's message of love and peace with the Old Testament's God of vengeance and retribution. On the other, we have the all-too-predictable backlash of the "God is dead (or at least, never lived)" rational atheist lavage of our brains. Left Behind v. Left Brain, if you will.
I, and millions, maybe tens of millions like me, are the grass which is hurt by all this. We are neither radically religious, but neither have we no faith in Our Lord. Lydia and I recognized this in each other about a year ago when I discovered her blog during the last Koufax Awards cycle (voting begins soon, folks! Vote for Lydia...and you can throw me a bone, too ;-) ), and she mine.
I reject the evangelical teachings not just of the Religious Right, but of my parents' church. However, I also reject the purely "reasoned" belief that this is all random clumpings of matter that scattered across the galaxy and somehow evolved into us and whomever else is out there.
That way denigrates the imagination, and if there is one thing we as humans should treasure above all else, the one thing that separates us from every other....well, almost every other...animal on the planet, it is our imagination. I hasten to note that recent published studies indicate that Bonobo monkeys are able to create music and not just repeat it. In fact, Peter Gabriel has taught some to play keyboards, and some chimpanzees can make compound vocalizations that seem to mean more than either individual vocalization in its own right.
But for the most part, we seem to be the only animal that can forward think, time-displace ourselves to the future, and even imagine an afterlife. If the universe were strictly rational and random, then what purpose would planning and imagination serve?
Comes now the elephant for the rest of us: Francis Collins is the director of the National Human Genome Research Project, and co-led the Human Genome Project (along with Eric Lander of MIT...sorry, I had to plug a classmate...)
Dr. Collins recently published a book The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, and sat down with science writer John Horgan for a discussion of theology, which was published in this month's National Geographic Magazine. I'm going to highlight some of the more cogent thoughts I read:
Horgan: The problem I have with miracles is not just that they violate what science tells us about how the world works. They also make God seem too capricious. For example, many people believe that if they pray hard enough God will intercede to heal them or a loved one. But does that mean that all those who don't get better aren't worthy?
Collins: In my own experience as a physician, I have not seen a miraculous healing, and I don't expect to see one. Also, prayer for me is not a way to manipulate God into doing what we want him to do. Prayer for me is much more a sense of trying to get into fellowship with God. I'm trying to figure out what I should be doing rather than telling Almighty God what he should be doing. Look at the Lord's Prayer. It says, "Thy will be done." It wasn't, "Our Father who art in Heaven, please get me a parking space."
As both a recipient and performer of miracles, I can appreciate Dr. Collins' statement: prayer isn't about finding a parking space. Prayer is about guidance to do His work.
Some might take issue with us on the left who are religious. All we really want is to live life in His grace, to live in peace with our neighbors, to do unto them that we would want done unto us, and to find our own salvation.
Like Dr. Collins, I don't think God watches us daily to keep tabs on us. What a waste of omnipotence that would be, and in fact, would speak to me of someone with a personality disorder like OCD.
What scares me about this world, and in particular this nation, is that (to flip to the other elephant), there are people who believe just that:
Collins: What faith has not been used by demagogues as a club over somebody's head? Whether it was the Inquisition or the Crusades on the one hand or the World Trade Center on the other? But we shouldn't judge the pure truths of faith by the way they are applied any more than we should judge the pure truth of love by an abusive marriage. We as children of God have been given by God this knowledge of right and wrong, this Moral Law, which I see as a particularly compelling signpost to his existence. But we also have this thing called free will, which we exercise all the time to break that law. We shouldn't blame faith for the ways people distort it and misuse it.
Don't blame faith for how people interpret it. In this country, people use faith almost like the red velvet rope at the door to a hot club. Wanna get in? Lemme see your faith. What? You're Jewish (or Muslim or atheist or Buddhist)? Sorry. You don't get in.
This is no different than what those who dropped planes on us on September 11 believe and I'll be damned but I thought we were better than this!
There's a lot more to this interview, but I don't want to ruin the surprises for you. Suffice it to say that D r. Collins expresses in a few short answers what many of us have wrestled with our entire lives: why is there suffering? What is free will? Can you explain altruism without faith? Will we ever stop needing a God?
For me, God pushed the whole thing in motion and walked away for a sandwich, from time to time looking in on us to see if we're OK, and maybe throwing us a bone (or a Son) to remind us of who we are supposed to be.
God gave me a brain, true, but He also gave me a mind. He didn't ask me to be an automaton, but to find out that which I can about my world, and then find out what I can't know. If my beliefs are wrong, if I am condemned to die and spend eternity in hell, it seems to me that an awful lot of people (the Rapturists never talk about how Revelations really only expressly says 144,000 Jews, 12,000 from the Twelve Tribes, are going to heaven and everyone else is in deep trouble) are going to be by my side.
Or to sum up my feelings:
Henry Drummond: Then why did God plague us with the capacity to think? Mr. Brady, why do you deny the one thing that sets above the other animals? What other merit have we? The elephant is larger, the horse stronger and swifter, the butterfly more beautiful, the mosquito more prolific, even the sponge is more durable. Or does a sponge think?
Matthew Harrison Brady: I don't know. I'm a man, not a sponge!
Henry Drummond: Do you think a sponge thinks?
Matthew Harrison Brady: If the Lord wishes a sponge to think, it thinks!
Henry Drummond: Does a man have the same privilege as a sponge?
Matthew Harrison Brady: Of course!
Henry Drummond: Then this man wishes to have the same privilege of a sponge, he wishes to think!
The defense rests, Your Honor.
By CARL
Special Guest Blogger
Got your purple finger yet?
Get your fingers dirty here! KOUFAX AWARDS : Vote!
Posted by WORFEUS THE SEER at 2:47 PM
SAY NO TO WAR * 2004 ELECTION RIGGED!
So Bush is not officially our president! OHIO ELECTION OFFICIALS CONVICTED FOR RIGGING 2004 PRESIDENTIAL RECOUNT!
While you're reading, listen to WXB 102 GLOBAL NEW WAVE the GREATEST RADIO STATION IN THE WORLD
From the Associated Press
CLEVELAND -- Two election workers were convicted Wednesday of rigging a recount of the 2004 presidential election to avoid a more thorough review in Ohio's most populous county.
Jacqueline Maiden, elections coordinator of the Cuyahoga County
Elections Board, and ballot manager Kathleen Dreamer each were convicted of a felony count of negligent misconduct by an elections employee. They also were convicted of one misdemeanor count each of failure to perform their duty as elections employees.
Prosecutors accused Maiden and Dreamer of secretly reviewing preselected ballots before a public recount on Dec. 16, 2004. They worked behind closed doors for three days to pick ballots they knew would not cause discrepancies when checked by hand, prosecutors said.
Ohio gave President Bush the electoral votes he needed to defeat Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry in the close election and hold on to the White House in 2004.
Maiden and Dreamer will be sentenced Feb. 26.
President Bush's State of the Union address only drives home why we need to take to the streets this Saturday. As much as he spoke of "hope and opportunity" for America's future Tuesday night, Bush is squandering our truest hopes and opportunities by funneling so much money into an unnecessary war.
This recent graphic in the NY Times highlights how recklessly our tax dollars are being used. We are pouring $200 billion dollars into the war in Iraq, while universal health care for everyone in the country without insurance would cost just half that amount. Universal preschool would only cost our country $35 billion. Immunizing the entire world's children against diseases such as measles and diphtheria would cost $0.6 billion.
We can't let this madness continue.
Join us on January 27 to say No More Funding for War! Bring Our Troops Home Now! We will use our feet and our lungs and our signs and our outrage to let Bush and our new Congress know that we are serious about ending this war.
If you can't make it to DC, see if there is a solidarity event being planned in your area. If not, create your own, even if that means standing alone on a street corner with a sign! In lieu of lobbying, you can call your Congressperson to demand they cut the funding for George Bush's War. Our voices are powerful, wherever we may be geographically. We know peace is the only real path to hope and opportunity for this country. Together we will make it happen.We are packing our bags, jumping onto buses and trains and planes, flinging our pink boas around our necks, ready and excited to bring our Women Say No to War campaign to the streets of Washington, DC!
Women will be a powerful force at the massive Mandate for Peace mobilization this Saturday, January 27-before the march, too, when we will join with Jane Fonda, Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Eve Ensler, Q'orianka Kilcher, Rhea Perlman, Mimi Kennedy, Congresswomen Lynn Woolsey and Maxine Waters, and other amazing women for a colorful and rowdy Women Say Pull Out convergence. We hope you'll join us!
"I have been walking the halls of Congress this week with Iraq veterans to help get them the health care and benefits they need and deserve. And I'll be back on Saturday to join the anti-war march and encourage all Americans to come out and engage. Let's show we really care about our troops by bringing them home now and taking care of them when they get here."
The "State of the Onion"
Editor's note: Visitors, please leave comments on your opinion of Bush's State of the Union address last night in the comment section. Meanwhile, take a moment to read Worfeus' insightful "State of the Onion" article here. Also check out the exciting things going on right now in Davos, Switzerland at The World Economic Forum. This is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Read about Arianna Huffington's "bloggers' nightcap" at DAVOS HUFFPO
The State of the Onion
Tonight we will all be treated to our 6th segment of "the World According to Bush", or "how to screw up an entire country without trying too hard", as the President takes to the pulpit once more to deliver his State of the Union speech to a fawning yet trepidatious congress. No doubt this segment will be another history lesson, science and social studies presentation, and certainly a lesson on our new form of democracy, courtesy of President Bush and his "hole in us all" gang, all rolled into one, neatly wrapped though hard to digest value meal.
In past speeches we have all been riveted by the Presidents illuminating and noticably offbeat views on everything fro m the role of religion in government to stem cell research, to just why we have to kill lots and lots of Arabs so they won't all come over here and kill us. And tomorrow nights offering is not expected to let us down on neither one jot nor a single tittle. What lessons will we learn? Who knows? Perhaps we will be treated to a history lesson, that explains once more how Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden were drinking buddies in college back in their haydays at "Jihad U", where if we are to believe Mr Bush, Saddam Hussein graduated "Magna Cum Qaeda". Or maybe Mr Bush will treat us to his new age Constitutional law, where the right to habeas corpus is merely a figment of our combined imaginations, and unwarranted imprisonment accompanied with state sanctioned torture are simply God given rights to protect the American people from some possible, future, undefined threat. Or maybe he'll just throw his hands up in despair, proclaiming what he should have proclaimed 5 years ago, saying "I'm in over my head".
Of course I wouldn't hold my breath on that last one.
But whatever Mr Bush says, one things for sure. No one is really listening anymore. Oh sure, we'll hear the poorly articulated adjectives and verbs, as he muddles his way through them like a child reading an apology written by his mom for breaking the neighbors window, and delivered of course with his usual "Ricky Bobby" like statesmenship. But what we'll all really hear, is "blah blah blah, blah blah, blah blah blah", and then of course, "thank you for coming".
And what will the congress do while all this is going on? Why sit in their seats, until the cue comes on to stand and applaud like a herd of trained seals and then sit back down, while other members of congress show their opposition to whatever he says by refusing to stand or applaud, and glaring icily towards the pulpit, as if trying to project laser beams in his general direction without alerting the Secret Service. Then, at the end of the speech, they'll all applaud nonetheless, and shake hands and all head into the rotunda for juice and cookies and a few palm greasing photo ops.
Great work if you can get it.
Well I have a suggestion for congress on this the sixth installment of "the world according to Bush". Don't invite him.
That's right, don't invite the President to his own State of the Union address. After all, there is nothing in the Constitution requiring a State of the Union address be given at any particular time, situation or frequency. In fact, article II simply says the President shall inform the congress "from time to time' on the state of the union, and makes no stipulations as to the method of delivery. Perhaps Mr Bush could just "phone it in" like he did during Katrina. Or, maybe like Mark Foley, he could send them an instant message, with some bullet points on how screwed up we are tossed in between jibes at Pelosi and asking Duncan Hunter what he's wearing now. Or perhaps we could just forgo it all together this time around. After all, you'd have to live on Jupiter to not know how thoroughly screwed up our "union" is at present.
So what happens tomorrow night? Simple. The President is not permitted to enter the chamber unless invited to do so by the Congress. So don't invite him. And if perchance the invitation has already gone out, then the Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives has to announce the President to the Speaker of the House. Well if Mr Livingood refuses to introduce him, and the senate ushers refuse to open the doors, then I guess Mr Bush would simply be forced to climb back into his limo, open a can of "Busch" beer, and turn the moto-cade around. No biggy. He can just spend a quiet night with Laura, playing Yahtzee and eating Baloney sandwiches, while the girls head down to Georgetown to play Russian roulette with their kidneys and other vital organs they're not currently using.
And what would the networks do with all the dead air time? Thats easy. They could just show some comparative offering, like reruns of "the Simple Life", or maybe some classic Hee Haw episodes. After all, who would notice the difference?
And to accomplish this, all the Congress has to do, is grow a pair, and not invite the bum in. Just lock the doors, turn out the lights, and nobody say a word. Then maybe we can all get a good nights sleep.
WORFEUS
If not, then exercise your constitutional right and Vote!: KOUFAX AWARDS
Posted by WORFEUS THE SEER at 12:32 AM
OLD IS THE NEW "NEW"
"Our lives begin to end the day we
become silent about things that matter"
BLOODIEST DAYS IN IRAQ: 25 U.S. troops killed and hundreds of Iraqi civilians killed and wounded in twin car bombings. God Bless these poor souls and their families. Send love and help to them.
DARKNESS BEFORE THE DAWN: I wrote this right before the election, when Democrats took back Congress: "Listening to the news, I am apoplectic, constantly appalled at what’s going on. But why don’t Republicans see it our way? What is the basic difference between us? I got an email that deeply moved me, with this line at the end: "We are on the daybreak of a new dark age, I fear." At first I agreed, then something else came out of the keyboard. I actually think this is the most hopeful time to turn it around. All signs seem to point to darkness, but it's almost dawn. That's why our collective energy, thought and voices are so important. We need to stand firm and not let the "powers that be" and their manipulation of news spin us downward. Like Viktor Frankl, who overcame concentration camp torture with the power of love (by focusing his thoughts on love for his wife & children) — his torturers did not touch him. He emanated such a spirit of harmony that no one could harm him. Renowned Austiran logotherapist Viktor Frankl wrote "Man's Search For Meaning" the premise of which is that no one can take your thoughts away from you — and therein lies the secret. We can take our power back. We have to raise our thinking, keep the faith, and not let these people take America away from us.
All of a sudden I have more faith than ever that this is the perfect time to turn it around. In spite of our anger and agony over Iraq, we must lift our thoughts above the horrors we keep seeing; we must send love & healing to our troops and to the Iraqi nation. "Miracles can and do happen as the result of prayer. The way to pray is to dwell so strongly on the good in life, on love, beauty, joy — that you drive out the worry & fear. Shakespeare said:"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
Recently when I heard that Senator Tim Johnson might not make it after his stroke, and we would then no longer have a Democratically controlled Sentate, but one that was 50-50 (meaning Cheney would be the tiebreaker) I went back into that old fear. I immediately felt that sinking horror and paranoia of last year.
After the November election, I felt we had awakened from a national nightmare. I spent most of 2006 ping-ponging between severe paranoia, deep sadness and jaw-dropping paralysis. It was surreal and absurd. I fantasized that we were all on a great big reality show called "The Government," and Bush was just an actor-clown they hired to make us go crazy. The Blue team went crazier than the Red team because the neo-Reds all owned Haliburton stock and were in on the secret. I thought any moment Donald Trump would say "Bush, you're fired!"
BUSH'S LAST WILL AND TESTICLE ... REDUX
copyright 2006 Lydia cornell (A slightly different version of this article was published in Macon Area Online)
"Every moment is a choice between love or fear."
Mr. Bush I'll never forget when you first said you would go to the ends of the earth to find Osama, then you turned around and acted like we were all crazy for asking if you'd caught him yet. You said, "Osama? I don't spend that much time (thinkin') about him.
And I'll never forget how you sat in a Katrina briefing, probably playing your Nintendo Gameboy under the table, as they showed detailed evidence of a catastrophic hurricane and levee breach on its way to the Gulf, and you had the nerve to later say: "I never knew the storms were gonna be that bad! I never knew the levees were gonna be breached till I saw it on TV four days later!"
Mr. Bush, please explain to me why you justify illegal spying on Americans, yet you were willing to sell our ports to the very people you were afraid we were talking to on the phone! My jaw dropped open last year when you said something like, "Heck other countries get to own parts of America, why not the United Arab Emirates, who've been our allies on the war on terror? Just because they harbored some 911 terrorists and cooked their books for them, and don't keep any paperwork and go on hunting trips with Osama and support the Taliban - is no reason for bigotry. We don't want them to think we don't like them just because they're Muslim. " But Mr. Bush, wasn't it only a short time ago that you said something like: "Any nation that does business with terrorists, or harbors terrorists, is a terrorist...” I guess you only meant that about your fellow Americans: Democrats or liberals - since Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage constantly bash liberals as being traitors! Why are we traitors? Because we value life so much we are horrified by this illegal war? Because we are pro-LIFE in the best sense of the word: we want our troops home alive? And this offends you?
Mr. Bush, my children have lost their innocence because of you. I keep trying to hide my tears from them during prayers for our dying troops, and the countless children lost in this war. I have to explain to my kids what good morals are: the opposite of yours, the leader of the greatest nation on earth. I would rather my sons have an appetite for love, not war. People who have morals do not do what our president does. You have destroyed the very definition of moral values. You say you're "pro-life" but that seems to only apply to frozen fetal cells.
Our president broke the law by not going to the FISA court to "legally" wiretap us; our Vice-president broke the law (shooting humans while drunk and waiting until the liquor wore off before filing a police report.) Our enemies hate us for our freedoms. Our troops are fighting for our freedoms; is this so we can be wiretapped so we can have no freedoms? Or are they fighting for our president to be able to break the law and sell our ports to a nation that funds terrorists? Does the Carlyle Group and the Saudi Royal Family get to be wiretapped too? Or just American moms and dads who might be wearing 'Peace' T-shirts? And by the way, does FOX News fall under Freedom of the Press?
And just for the record, your party's irresponsible Ann Coulter and Ken Starr-led witch-hunt/persecution/media blitz to expose the affair of Clinton and Lewinsky, two consenting adults, was in itself immoral and damaging to kids. In painstaking detail you paraded these blow-by-blowjob horrors for the press, not caring what effect it had on childhood innocence. And yes, we were all rightly appalled by President Clinton's behavior. But where was the right-wing morality brigade in keeping this porn out of the mainstream news for our children's sake? I still hear Republican mothers talk about how shameful Clinton was, yet they never see how the media salivated and profited at the sex appeal of it all. These same mothers never castigate you, Mr. Bush, for moral corruption on a life-threatening scale.
While you and Ralph Reed scour the cartoon channel for sexual immorality, seeing gays in square pants, how do I explain to my kids this pervasive news coverage of children being blown to bits because WE played the bully; we invaded a country that was pretty much under the world's watchful control? How do I explain your "Christian" morality of killing, invading and turning a blind eye to torture and corruption? Last week a little 3-year-old Iraqi girl died after the 3rd bomb hit her tiny apartment; the only piece her brother's found was her hand clutching her teddy bear.
I have to admit I'm a little more carefree these days, a little less paranoid that my phones are tapped or I might be taken away in the dead of night for e-mailing jokes about our leader - now that the whole world realizes that Bush is of questionable mental stability. In researching my book about Stalin, what horrified me the most were the pedestrian things that are now seeping into America: a woman, sitting in her communal kitchen in Stalinist Russia, said something about the Mediterranean Sea being as beautiful as Russia's Black Sea. A roommate overheard her, and reported this comment as being "unpatriotic." That night, a white "bread truck" came by and took the woman away; she was never heard from again. I also read about a young mother accidentally putting her coffee cup down on a newspaper photo of Stalin's face. Someone watching in the cafe, reported this as "defaming our great leader." A white "bread truck" took her away to a prison camp in Siberia. She left 3 young children behind. After I heard about James Moore, the author of "Bush's Brain" suddenly being on the "No -Fly list", banned from flying outside of America, and unable to get through the red tape to understand why, that's when I began to wonder what kind of country we are living in. I have a theory about when this all started, but that will take more space than I have here.
Uh-oh, spoke too soon; strange things are happening. This just in: Last night, March 15 at about 8 p.m., no joke, a white “bread truck” was parked outside our house. It didn't mean anything to me, until my little boy came running to the back of the house screaming, “There's a big man in our front yard looking through our junk mail-box, he came in the gate and he's wearing a knit cap.” I ran to the front door and peeked out. I saw a dark figure move through the lawn. I waited until I thought it was safe, and then opened the front door. Suddenly across the street, I saw this white van. A man wearing a knit cap was sitting in the driver's side, lights on, reading something. I immediately felt this person was reading addresses off my mail, maybe to see if I lived there. My son and I sneaked out the back door, and headed over to the van, but the van took off. Who knows? Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Again. But in light of the fact that Ann Coulter STILL has my home number on her website, it's not too far fetched to have a wingnut stalking me. After hearing Ruth Bader Ginzburg talk about the right-wing death threats she and Sandra Day O'Connor received, I have one question: WHY ARE RIGHT-WINGERS THE ONLY ONES WHO WANT PEOPLE KILLED FOR THEIR THOUGHTS? You never hear about Left-wingers threatening people's lives whose ideologies they disagree with.
After 911, we had the whole world on the brink of love. Everyone's heart was open. Most Muslims were shedding tears for us. At that moment, our leader had a choice: Love or Fear.
Worfeus, a commenter on this blog said: "Vladimir Putin actually CALLED Bush on the phone that morning and not only offered condolences, but offered to do whatever he could to help. He even assured him that even though Protocol required he raise the Russian Defense Condition in proportion to ours, he understood WHY we were raising ours and assured Mr. Bush that Russia would stand down. It was an EPIC moment in history, that one single phone call. Mr. Bush called it "nice of him".
"And I think if the Taliban were part of the planning body of 911, then we should have invaded Afghanistan after 9/11, it seemed like the right thing to do. But the idea that they were hiding Bin Laden doesn't wash with me," Worfeus says. "If getting Bin Laden was the goal, WHY on earth did we BROADCAST for 2 months Exactly WHEN and WHERE we were coming, and WHAT we'd do when we got there? That's like calling up criminals and telling them you're coming over to arrest them later in the week. What idiot would possibly think they'd still be there when they got there?"
I went through agony when I lost my younger brother; I cannot fathom my mother's grief and heartache, having lost her only son. Her eyes well up with tears every time she hears my husband's name, Paul, which was my brother's name. It is too much to bear when I think of parents losing sons & daughters needlessly in Iraq. This is a war that was "sold" to us and shoved down our throats by a certifiable lunatic. George Bush has caused nothing but chaos, poverty, death, bankruptcy, bad global relations, division, hatred and sadness in the world. "By their fruits you shall know them."
Bush based his "evidence" for going to war in Iraq on LIES that Cheney and Scooter Libby had to cover up. He took money from corrupt lobbyists, grinned and lied about it, and he's still not helping the people of New Orleans! Guess why? Apparently certain "companies" don't want the people to come back; that's why the trailers are sitting empty, undelivered. These companies are waiting like vultures to clear the land for profitable building developments. A side benefit is that all these scattered homeless souls cannot register to vote, nor can they obtain absentee ballots. The longer the delay in rebuilding New Orleans, the better for the Corruption party.
Also, Bush's own mother said he shouldn't soil his mind with visions of poverty and ugliness. Weren't these the same parents who went to play golf when their baby daughter died? So Bush can't deal with death or grieving. Well he should have had some therapy before going to the White House. In fact, someone better be writing legislation to ensure that the next leader of the Free World has a brain scan to rule out mental disorders.
We must hold Bush accountable for causing, directly or indirectly, more deaths & destruction than anyone else has in this new century. If his goal is to spread democracy, he sure is killing a lot of people to do it.
Mr. Bush, your happy-blank stare is beginning to look like that of a Moonie. Have you had any visits from Rev Sun Yung Moon lately? I heard he poured billions into your party, hoping you'd call him Messiah.
Mr. Bush, couldn't you have tried to become evolved BEFORE you declared war? As eveyr alcoholic knows, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result." Keep sending more of our young troops to die.
People who are unable to say they're sorry when they've been wrong, have a deep character flaw. If only you had a 12-step program. This is the fastest route to actual character change. It helps to look at YOUR own part in a conflict, take some responsibility, and take a "moral inventory of your character defects". Did it ever dawn on you that YOU are the common denominator in most of the world's problems? The polite thing to do would be to remove your agenda from the world stage, save some lives and say you're sorry.
I have to ask you point blank — why did you so urgently have to invade a foreign land? Don't you feel guilty at all for lying to us? Aside from war-profiteering, was there really imminent danger to America from Saddam, even though the whole world was hovering over him, watching him? Weren't there more brainy, imaginative ways of gaining allies in the underground - attracting people to our light, who would gladly usurp Saddam from within? Even if it had taken a few more years of clever spy-work, wouldn't it have been creatively challenging and fun - to work out diplomatic solutions to grotesque problems? Christ waited over 2,000 years for someone to finally put his teachings to use. And when biggest challenge comes along, our "Christian" leader disses Christ! You don't even give his method a half-hearted try. Wouldn't it have been worth saving lives and winning hearts to the cause of true Democracy and true Christianity? And after all the Mission Impossible spy movies you've seen, couldn't you figure out a more clever way than carpet-bombing? Did you do it to show off your heavy metal machinery, your SHOCK and AWE capabilities so the "enemy" (or anybody who doesn't agree with you) would be scared off? Mr. Bush, you have single-handedly robbed the world of its hope and innocence. To say nothing of the mockery you have made of true Christianity: the most peaceful force that ever came to man. You have rearranged the fragile building blocks of this planet with your Neanderthal eye-for-an-eye fraudulent, militant "Christianity". Maybe you don't realize the word Christ is in the word Christianity because the vowel sounds are different. But eye-for-an-eye is the OLD TESTAMENT! Christ came with the new law: LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, BLESS THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU. RESIST NOT EVIL. This means, “Do not fight or resist evil; do not fight anyone or anything, it doesn't work. Most evolved people know this. Schools teach that you deal with bullies on the playground by not engaging them in battle, by walking away, not hitting them back.
There's a saying: If you're in the jungle and a jaguar is chasing you, get out of his way because he's going to eat you. It's nothing personal; it's just the nature of the beast. So go back to your house and stay out of his way. Muslim fundamentalists would not be killing us if we would get our footprints off their oil, mind our own business, and pray for them. They do not seem to know the God of love, but since love is all there is, evil has no real power, no matter how much you physicalize it by focusing on it. In other words, what you focus on GROWS!
Before the recent Congressional election, average Americans had no voice in the mainstream media, so we have been blogging, screaming, organizing -- the collective is roaring YOU MUST STOP YOUR INSANITY. "Evil triumphs when good people do nothing,” as Edmund Burke said (and we keep hearing over and over and over these days.)
Fortunately I believe in a power greater than ourselves and I know we're going to be all right. God did not give us a spirit of fear.
Einstein did say "goodness, truth and beauty are laws in the universe" as is harmony. Play the piano and you'll hear it. Kiss your child and you'll feel it. Go outside and breathe in the sunshine while playing with an amazingly beautiful striped animal or a butterfly. Bring coffee to someone who thinks you hate them.
Why do people keep arguing about God when God is simply love? Who can argue with human kindness? Asking to prove God is like asking to prove you love your kids. Love is actually the energy of our focused attention on Good, which I define as God. You can be attractive even if you're not "good looking" because if you radiate love, you attract people. This energy is molecular. Einstein's Unified Field therefore is love, which is God. Science proves God; the two are not mutually exclusive.
copyright 2006 Lydia Cornell
Coming up: Voting for the 2006 Koufax Awards: KOUFAX AWARDS If the spirit moves you, just type in this blog's URL for Best Writing, Best Post of Best Blog. I also recommend Carl's blog: Simply Left Behind Thank you.
Welcome visitors this past week from the Philippines, Morocco, South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Israel, Senegal, Belgium, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Cambodia, Turkey, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, France, China, Japan, Kuwait, Palestinian Territory, U.K, Ireland, Spain, Bulgaria, Poland, Singapore, Africa, India, Yemen, Ghana, Senegal, Canada, Hawaii as well as all across mainland United States. This week was an historic day in radio, as Philippines legendary New Wave radio station WXB102.tk presented by Sutton Records went LIVE for the first time since it went off the air in 1987.
What's going on in your country? Please tell us what is happening in your part of the world, what you're thinking about and if you are conscious of global warming. I would like to know what other countries are actively doing to help the environment. Also, what trends are popular; whether you have a Wii and an i-pod, we can at least unite the world through music — and connect different cultures with one common goal: to bring hope, love and understanding to each other. We need to join forces.
You can listen right now, LIVE! to the BEST New Wave MUSIC check out WXB102.tk presented by Sutton Records. WXB102.tk is the most revolutionary radio station in the world and there are great things to come!
Here is a hilarious article from Huffington Post
Bob Cesca: Iraq Is Not Delightful, Mr. President
After last weekend's 60 Minutes interview, I thought perhaps someone somewhere in Washington would inform our chief executive that grinning like a mental patient might not be the best way to express concern over the violence in Iraq. And if someone did in fact mention it to him, he didn't listen. Or he forgot. On PBS's NewsHour, he was doing it again. A lot. But unlike the sly, giggly grinning before, the NewsHour expressions more closely resemble a man who just finished watching a litter of puppies being fed ice cream by floating babies dressed in sunflower costumes.
Lt. Ehren Watada vs. Illegal and Immoral War in Iraq
Please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our troops around the world. Of all the gifts you could give a Marine, US Soldier, Sailor, Airman, & all others deployed in harm's way, prayer is the very best one.
Stand with Lt. Ehren Watada Against Illegal and Immoral War in Iraq
"My fellow soldiers are fighting and dying in Iraq and their families are suffering because of the lies and deceptions crafted by the Bush Administration. The Iraq war is not only a crime against domestic and international law but [it] is a terrible moral injustice against the Iraqi people." Lt. Ehren Watada (CONTINUED BELOW)
Before we continue with a letter from Lt. Watada's mother, I need to say this: Life is not black and white, and human emotions change. Sometimes we incorporate conflicting nuances of behavior, and cannot be categorized one way or another. I am in conflict over my anger at our president, George Bush, as most of my fellow Americans are. First of all, we don't think he won the 2001 election fairly, and with every cell of my being we knew this war was evil. War should always be a last resort, but Invading Iraq was not a "last resort." Certain powers-that-be are engaged in war profiteering. This is criminal. How dare he put our young people in harms way, and destroy the beautiful Iraqi nation, just to enrich Haliburton, Cheney and other billionaire friends with "no-bid" contracts! The Iraqi people are builders too. They have their own higher power. Let them take care of their nation, even if they have to fight it out in a civil war at this point. We are only continuing to stir up a hornet's nest.
So the only way we can express our horror and sadness is by writing or taking to the streets. Last year, with the illegal wiretapping and the monopoly of the airwaves by big-business evangelicals —I did not feel I was in a Democracy. It felt like a dictatorship. Still, I don't feel it helps to call our president an idiot or a moron. Here is what I posted yesterday, and will repeat here: "I struggled with my anger toward Bush, because I know it doesn't heal things. But I feel such agony over the deaths of our soldiers — young kids barely out of high school — and I am so horrified that Bush doesn't seem to care about human life, that I lash out. I am angry at the way Bush is expanding this senseless, insane "war" he created. But I know that thinking the worst of Bush, or anyone, never helps them. Our thoughts about people and situations have to elevate them. We have to see the good in people, even those we think are evil. This is prayer: seeing the good in others so overwhelmingly that our vision of them actually changes the situation. Even with terrorists, dictators, "deciders" — and in the environment, world affairs, financial crises — it works for our worst enemies. George Bush will be lifted up and he will do the right thing, the more we send him love. " For more on the metaphysical answers to life, see below: yesterday's blog. - Lydia
MORE ON LT. WATADA:
As the first Army officer to publicly speak out against the war and refuse deployment to Iraq, Lt Watada will be punished by the U.S. Army with a maximum six years in prison. The military's intention IS to SILENCE VOICES OF RESISTANCE and make an example out of Lt. Watada.
Letter from Carolyn Ho – Mother of Lt Watada
Dear Friends, On behalf of Lt. Watada and our family, thank you for standing with us during this most difficult time. Because of his refusal to deploy to the illegal and immoral Iraq War, my son now faces a maximum of 6 years in a military prison. The pretrial is scheduled for Jan. 4, 2007. The court martial is calendared for Feb. 5, 2007.
We are just days away from the pretrial and must broaden his support base. Help us mobilize the local, national, and international community through your personal, professional, religious and other networks. Please forward the attached email alert with a brief explanation. Ask people to go to: www.thankyoult.org to learn more about Lt. Watada's case. On the main menu, supporters can click on SIGN PETITION/GET UPDATES AND ALERTS. They will receive weekly email updates that call for actions in support of Lt. Watada's stand.
Encourage your contacts to integrate these actions into the anti-war activism they are already doing. Their voices are critical to building an international public opinion campaign that demands justice and no punishment for Lt. Watada. His voice of resistance to this heinous war cannot be silenced!
Carolyn Ho (Lt. Watada’s Mother)
"The war in Iraq is in fact illegal. It is my obligation and my duty to refuse any orders to participate in this war. An order to take part in an illegal war is unlawful in itself. So my obligation is not to follow the order to go to Iraq." - Lt. Ehren Watada
NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION
Feb. 5, 2007 - Lt. Watada Military Court Martial
Rally at the gates of Ft. Lewis, Washington or in your local community
5 Actions to Support Lt. Watada
1. Send letters or call Commander Dubik. Urge him to:
* Dismiss all charges
* Honor Lt. Watada's resignation
Lt. General James Dubik
Commanding General Fort Lewis
1 Corps Building 2025 Stop 1
Fort Lewis, WA 98433
2. Spread the word about Feb. 5, 2007. Forward this email and post on blogs, MySpace, student, activist, social justice and media websites. Register for campaign updates.
3. Encourage your organization to endorse the National Day of Action and mobilize on Feb. 5, 2007. Please specify national, state, city, chapter/local, and contact person, and send to action@ltwatada.org.
4. Organize a student walkout, rally or vigil on Feb. 5, 2007. Tell us about your action so we can include your event on our website.
5. Donate online to Lt. Watada's Defense Fund.
website: www.thankyoult.org
Citizens' Hearings
Evergreen State College, Tacoma campus
Court Martial Trial Begins
For more information contact info@ltwatada.org. Make your 2007 New Year's Resolution to Stand with Lt. Watada Against Illegal and Immoral War
On Monday, February 5, 2007 take action against the Iraq war and in support of Lt. Watada during his military court martial. Stand up with Lt. Watada and speak out against the illegal and immoral war! Join the national movement and organize student walkouts and non-violent demonstrations. Together let's build a mass movement in the streets, in our schools, and in our communities to end the Iraq War. On Feb. 5, 2007 rally at the gates of Fort Lewis, Washington or in your local community.
For courageously standing up and speaking out against the Iraq War, New Year's Eve 2007 may be Lt. Watada's last holiday as a free man until 2013. While many 28 year-olds are starting their families and building their careers, Ehren will be locked away in military prison for following his conscience and refusing to fight in the Iraq War.
Now it is time for you to follow your conscience and join the national movement to support Lt. Watada and end the Iraq war.
As civilians, the responsibility ultimately falls on us to demand an end to the Iraq war. In fact, we owe it to the soldiers who are fighting and dying in Iraq every day, as well as those resisting the war. We must all stand up and speak out against the war and in support Lt. Ehren Watada!
Currently, the Bush Administration is planning to deploy 30,000 more U.S. troops to Iraq, yet the overwhelming majority of Americans oppose the Iraq war. Since 2003 the war has cost 3,000 U.S. soldiers' lives, approximately 950,000 Iraqi deaths, 2 trillion U.S tax dollars or approximately 8 billion dollars a week. We can no longer stand by and continue to allow this great injustice to occur!
I urge you all to check out Robert Dreyfuss' recent articles at www.robertdreyfuss.com. He is an expert on Iraq and is often advising Congress. He is published in Rolling Stone, The Nation and Mother Jones. I spoke to him last night and he said he has an article coming out in Washington Monthly in which he describes what will happen if we pull out of Iraq immediately. It will help everyone and bring peace faster.
It is very arrogant of us to think the Iraqis have no ability to solve their own problems. It is arrogant of Bush to think he is the savior of this foreign land, and that they have no relationship with a higher power of their own. Bush is playing God.
Welcome visitors from Ghana, India and Pakistan!
AROUND THE WORLD * LOVE HEALS EVERYTHING
"You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note."
- Doug Floyd
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA: Ran into some old friends at the Celebrity Meet & Greet fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness on Saturday: Catherine Bach (the REAL Daisy Duke); Mickey Rooney (yes THE REAL MICKEY ROONEY!); Lori Petty; Ed Marinaro; Lorenzo Lamas; Brandie Roderick; Sandra Taylor; Dan Haggerty; Angela Cartwright; Heather Menzies (Sound of Music) all at an autograph show. Our host was James Engelby, Corporate Sales Manager of the beautiful Holiday Inn Buena Park Hotel & Conference Center in Long Beach, California. Holiday Inn Buena Park
Stretch and me at Chiller. Lorenzo Lamas at Dragon Con. Ran into both Stretch and Lorenzo in Long Beach this past Saturday too. Have a new photo with Catherine Bach to put up soon. Found this photo of Richard Belzer, Michael Imperioli in Barbados at World Travel Awards.
Beautiful Boracay, Philippine Islands
Welcome international visitors from the Philippines, Morocco, South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Israel, Senegal, Belgium, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Cambodia, Turkey, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, France, China, Japan, Kuwait, Palestinian Territory, U.K, Ireland, Spain, Bulgaria, Poland, Singapore, Africa, India, Canada as well as all across the United States. Yesterday was an historic day in radio, as WXB102.tk presented by Sutton Records went LIVE for the first time since it went off the air in 1987. Uniting the world through music — and connecting different cultures with one common goal: to bring hope, love and understanding to each other. We are all ONE and we need to join forces. If we put love in the center of every issue, miracles happen. (more below on WXB102)
I owe an apology for something I said on this blog about George Bush. I shouldn't call him an idiot or a moron. I struggled with my anger toward Bush, because I know it doesn't heal things. But I feel such agony over the deaths of our soldiers — young kids barely out of high school — and I am so horrified that Bush doesn't seem to care about human life, that I lash out. I am angry at the way Bush is expanding this senseless, insane "war" he created. But I know that thinking the worst of Bush, or anyone, never helps them. Our thoughts about people and situations have to elevate them. We have to see the good in people, even those we think are evil. This is prayer: seeing the good in others so overwhelmingly that our vision of them actually changes the situation. Even with terrorists, dictators, "deciders" — and in the environment, world affairs, financial crises — it works for our worst enemies. George Bush will be lifted up and he will do the right thing, the more we send him love.
WHAT THE BLEEP DO WE KNOW? is a wonderful metaphysical movie that describes the infinite field of possibilities that exist. This amazing film awakened countless thousands of ordinary people to the possibility of a quantum existence; the realization that things may be happening simultaneously on many planes of existence, encompassing all possible outcomes.
THE MIRACLE IN THE WATER: "One of the most outstanding images in the film were the subway pictures of Dr Masaru Emoto's magnified water crystals, because they appeared to assume perfect ice-crystal-like form when exposed to positive thoughts of love and compassion. The inference was obvious; that the expression of love and compassion can alter reality at an atomic level." (Ian Blair Hamilton) My translation: Dr Emoto photographed water molecules and prayed over some, cursed others. The ones he sent love to, blossomed into majestic designs of incredible beauty. The ones he cursed over with words like "I hate you!" exploded into ugly images.
If one sentence could change one water molecule -- and out bodies are mostly water, imagine what our thoughts can do to our bodies! I've known this for years, but have just begun again to apply it to daily life. In praying for the world, see healing taking place. I always pray for the orphans all over the world, and in war-torn countries. See them being taken care of by loving people, by God (Love.)
It is up to us to choose our thoughts wisely. We must reverse the material picture and focus on the beauty of life. We actually create our own reality by our thoughts about it. Thought is the energy; it is creative. This is the power of prayer and spoken words. We must be careful what we think and say.
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Olbermann: "Only this president, only in this time, only with this dangerous, even messianic certitude, could answer a country demanding an exit strategy from Iraq by offering an entrance strategy for Iran."
THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
If you've never seen the movie, "Idiocracy", you really should. In fact, this movie should be required vie wing for any person aspiring to any public office, or leadership role of any kind. It's kind of a handbook for building civilization, a sad commentary on our current society, and a crystal ball, all rolled into one.
Idiocracy takes us on an imaginary journey, where Luke Wilson portrays an average Joe, an enlisted man in today's army, who is selected for a deep freeze experiment, where he and a civilian (a prostitute played brilliantly by Maya Rudolph) are frozen in stasis, to be thawed out one year later. Of course circumstances occur that cause their stasis chambers to be overlooked, for 500 years. They awake to a world, where evolution has weeded out the intelligent among us, in favor of the dull, and slow witted. The movie opens by showing us just how this came to be. While the more intelligent members of society limited and even restricted their procreation activities, the more common, less intelligent members of society,( represented by tank top clad, toothless brutes and their dull witted haggardly spouses), were busy cranking out "young-uns" by the dozens. This phenomenon spread throughout the land, as the government, and the media, catered to this "lowest common denominator" by feeding them an endless supply of hillbilly entertainment, flavored energy drinks and fatty, low nutrition foods. Life was good for the masses, as long as they allowed themselves to be lulled into a national mindless stupor, where intelligence was mocked, and "macho" was considered the standard to be adopted by all.
Eventually, natural selection weeded out intelligence as a factor for survival, and the nation fell into a semi-chaotic circus, where the police shoot first, and ask questions later, and where buildings, machines, etc, all fall into a perpetual state of disrepair (the image of the leaning Washington Monument was as disturbing as it was hilarious), surrounded by ever growing piles of garbage and waste, as the people are just too stupid, to know what to do with it.
As I watched this movie, in between rib splitting belly laughs, I also found myself shuddering, as the eerie similarities to life here in the states today, was reflected again and again on the screen in front of me. The police and medical personnel were simply mindless automatons, repeating droll, unsy mpathetic mantra's often heard today in similar circles. Store clerk personnel and service workers, ignored the customers in front of them as they babble incessantly at a phone, or another employee. Citizens sat in their homes, sucking sweetened juices through a hose, and scooping up a sweetened paste from a tub with their fingers, licking them as they ate, and watching mindless dribble on the television. One show, a favorite, was clearly designed to mimic the popular movie series, "Jack Ass".
And then there was the sex. The foul, endless supply of mindless, loveless sex. Starbucks coffee had become a place for the male population to get a "hand job", and H and R Block featured tawdry hookers to help prepare ones taxes.
It was a seedy, corrupt, mindless, lifeless, foul and ignorant society, where the lowest common denominator had become the standard for all.
And the real poignancy of this film, lies in the reality that this grim, unseemly picture of our nation, is not a fantasy at all, but a glimpse into what we are rapidly becoming as a people, evident each time we step out of our doors in the morning.
Compassion, logic and reason, have been replaced by national antipathy, non-scientific theory and hubris on a national level disguised under the banner of patriotism. Dullness and apathy dominate our retail environment, as store clerks, mostly multi-pierced teenagers, crassly ignore the customer in front of them, for the cell phone permanently affixed to their ears. Even driving an automobile has become an experiment in needless hazard, as people, many merely children, not capable of balancing a checkbook, race down the highways in cars too fast for their driving skills, and too expensive for their incomes. And of course Hollywood has not failed to capitalize on our ever-growing national obsession with violence and cruelty, as they churn out movies where innocent victims are mercilessly tortured and mutilated in slow frame, grisly detail, while audiences of mindless drones sit with their 3 D glasses, shoveling over buttered popcorn into their mouths, in-between mob like cheers. Even the age old sport of Boxing, has been replaced by appalling, gladiator like style combat between chemically morph'd characters whose bloodflow to their brains has long since been slowed by the perpetual hemotoma's inflicted by being repeatedly pounded to the cheers of salivating, profanely jeering mobs, rabidly screaming for more damage to be inflicted on the loser of a bout that would make emperor Trajan himself proud of the bloody spectacle before him.
And of course, who can forget Jackass, the TV show that went on to become a box office hit, where undereducated street cretins beat each other over the head senselessly with metal folding chairs, baseball bats, and dead fish, all to entertain the lowest and most limited members of society, who crave such Neanderthal offerings like a pig craves slop. Does anyone actually comprehend the significance that "Jackass" the movie, was the top selling movie in the United States on its opening weekend? Does anyone think that we are not facing a national crisis?
This is America. This is not the America of our fathers, but it certainly is ours.
This is what we've become, by allowing the bar to be lowered to reach the lowest, and most mundane of our fellow countrymen. The "greatest generation" has been replaced by the "lamest generation", and we continue to drive ourselves further towards the edge of the cliff, dismissing as weak willed, unpatriotic or even "gay", anyone who dares to point out our national push towards stupidity on this universal scale. And the author is not exempt from this intellectual plague. In fact, I am a product of it.
The immediate damage from this national stupidity is evident in our daily lives, and the long term consequences are being revealed on a daily basis. Stupid people with advanced technology and weaponry is a recipe for disaster in anyone's cookbook.
We did not elect George W Bush because we are smart, or because he is smart. We elected him because he looked like a "good ole boy".
We did not start the war in Iraq for national security reasons, but because Arabs flew planes into our buildings, so we wanted to fly bombs into theirs.
And just because enough of the people were able to out vote the Diebold voting machines this time around, does not mean we are on our way to a national elevation of higher thought, or wisdom.
I am not sure what the answer is to this national crisis, but one things for sure, a crisis it is. We see it in the invasion of religion into the science classroom, where tight fisted bible thumping zealots demand that "their" interpretation of the creation of the earth be included in any scientific discussion on the topic. We see it in our state governments, as religious leaders are elected to state office, and proceed to mingle their religous beliefs with state issued law. We see it on television, with a constant assault on our senses of sex, unbelievable violence and cruelty, displayed in grizzly detail in between commercials for drugs designed to do everything but think for us. (stay tuned)
If this picture sounds grim, cold or callous, thats because it is, and was intended to. This post is not meant to be "politically correct", nor is it meant to pacify the dull masses. It is meant as a wake up call to anyone who would start a family, write a book, or put anything back into society that represents a peice of themselves, or their lives work. Because they are in the minority. A ever increasing miniority. If we continue on our current path, then it is quite possible, whether you "believe" in it or not, that natural selection will "weed out" the smartest amongst us in favor of the dull witted, who fit more comfortably into society.
Evolution may in fact, ultimately weed out the only people with enough intelligence to teach the rest of us about it.
I am not sure what answers there are, if any, but as I watch our society applaud ignorance, and reward hate, and stupidity on a grand scale, one thing is certain. America is not in danger of becoming a Theocracy. America is in danger of becoming an "Idiocracy".
In fact, we might already be there.
Watch the trailer for the movie, "Idiocracy" here
LAST WILL AND TESTICLE
We must practice somehow to see the good in George Bush, and lift him with our thoughts and prayers. He needs them, for our conception of him is what will become our reality. That said, I know my article here will sound contradictory. But it tells the truth. BUSH'S LAST WILL AND TESTICLE the article I wrote in March, lists many of Bush's crimes you may have forgotten about — in case you need to refresh your memory. I admit this title is provocative, but please take it in the spirit of comedy — in the midst of tragedy. So many crimes, so little time...Why is Bush allowed to roam free, let alone speak in public?
Does Bush really think 20,000 soldiers in a city of over 5 million is going to make a difference? More of the same? This is about saving face for him, since the Iraq War is HIS WAR, the only thing he's done in 6 years. The Iraq Study Group offered him an intervention, a way out, but he was too narcissistic to listen. Read more below, but first this:
Nominations are open again for the KOUFAX AWARDS. Please vote if you wish in the Koufax Awards for Best Blog, Best Writing or Best Post, Wider Recognition, etc.
If you need it, here is the URL for BUSH'S LAST WILL AND TESTICLE which was published on my blog, which you can paste into comment section at Koufax http://www.maconareaonline.com/news.asp?id=13664
Vote here by leaving a comment in the comment section. You can vote for a blog only once but in several categories.
KOUFAX
Larisa Alexandrovna of Raw Story and at largely has a great take on Bush's speech tonight.
One year ago I was in Palm Springs at a Christmas parade watching the young ROTC troops marching by, looking as young as 12-year-olds. (Everyone seems 12 to me these days, maybe because my sons are around this age.) Tears were streaming down my cheeks. I could not stop crying over the war in Iraq, the hate mail and death threats I had received — and the over-all feeling that by speaking out against the war — I was somehow not supporting the troops; I was somehow "unpatriotic."
But sometime last year — during that bizarre episode in which I wrote an article about Ann Coulter DEATH IS SEXIER THAN SEX (TO ANN COULTER) and in retaliation, Coulter published my home number on her website along with the cryptic admonition: "Death is certainly sexier than Lydia Cornell" (which opened up a flood of mail from Americans and Europeans, both pro and con) — I went deep down the dark well of fear and loneliness. I was literally threatened in emails and on the phone at all hours of the day and night. One man yelled at me that since I was a Democrat, I must be a baby-killer and should be shot!" ( I guess he wrongly thought I was pro-abortion. Again, I don't know a single soul who is pro-abortion.) Another email expressed the wish that I should have been killed in the WTC attacks. And on more than one occasion, an angry stranger pounded on my front door; another stole our mail, and another lit our trash cans on fire and threw the lighter into our yard.
But the phone calls and countless letters of love I received overwhelmed the hateful ones. And then I received an incredible gift: a Purple Heart from a Marine combat vet. His name is John Conley and he sent me the most precious medal awarded to him for his bravery and wounds in the Vietnam War. He wanted me to have it for my courage in speaking out. This blew away the doubts I had about what I was doing, whether I was on the right track. Conley is a deep thinker and devout Christian who is as appalled as I am at this very un-Christian war Bush is waging in Iraq. But we knew all along it was a bad choice, this war. We ALL knew all along it was the wrong war.
The republicans are just waking up. Why so late? I heard on Tom Hartman today that Bush is one of those neanderthal non-thinkers who believes EVERYTHING CAN BE SOLVED BY KILLING! He loves to kill. As governor of Texas he unblinkingly signed more execution orders than any governor in U.S. history. He'd rather bomb an entire city block just to catch one bad guy, than to try diplomacy! Why? Because, heck it's just easier, and it probably gives him a more powerful feeling.... than using his brain.
Who can stop Bush, this madman and war criminal; this deciever who is driving our nation straight down to destruction? Why does an unevolved moron get to be the leader of the free world? Why do we allow him to remain in office after all the lies? Why does he get to singlehandedly kill more of our young, precious troops? WHY??????? I am so angry I can't breathe sometimes.
I was unable to talk to anyone about this but my fellow left-wingers — but it was equally hard to talk about my faith. In light of all the right-wing Christian hate-mongering, I walked around excusing my faith whenever it came up by saying "I'm a Democrat, but I pray." As it turns out, there are many more of us than I knew.
The central, defining moment of my life was 12 years ago on September 11, when I surrendered to a power greater than myself and took the leap of believing in God, on a personal level. Religion aside, it takes a certain amount of "blind faith" and willingness in order to activate the magic in one's life. Faith itself opens the door to wondrous things. I knew God was the force of love in the universe, and not the harsh, judgmental anthropomorphic version the fundamentalists believe in.
I was picked up and transformed so completely, that I hardly recognize myself today. My life now is defined by my absolute conviction that God exists, but PLEASE — not the god of fundamentalism or dogma or religiosity. Overtly Christian people who talked about Jesus all the time were such a turn-off to all of us, and so focused on all the wrong things — I couldn’t very well talk to most liberal bloggers I knew at that early stage of blogging. Thanks to Dennis Taylor, John Conley, hundreds of my own bloggers here — as well as Jim Wallis' Sojourners and Rabbi Lerner's Tikkun — spiritual progressives are coming out of the woodwork in droves. As my sweet mother said, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if people would express love before they start evangelizing?" Or something like that. I'll get the quote later.
1,068 comments: Links to this post
The red and blue states are having a hard time becoming purple. But since Halle Berry is perfectly blended, why aren't we? She's the most beautiful combination of black and white, which goes to show that we are not meant to be divided. We are meant to be integrated as a nation, for the whole is better than the sum of its parts. This is a metaphor and I'm not speaking literally about integrating the races, though I do think we need to become color blind.
At least Nancy Pelosi wore purple on her first day as the first female SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE. I believe she meant this as a sign of uniting red and blue, but she may have worn purple for a specific reason: it's the color of the Suffragette movement.
I could not believe Tucker Carlson was playing so dumb the other day, saying "I don't understand the big deal about Nancy Pelosi, why is everyone saying it's such a big deal that she's a woman?"
"This is an historic moment - for the Congress, and for the women of this country. It is a moment for which we have waited more than 200 years. Never losing faith, we waited through the many years of struggle to achieve our rights. But women weren't just waiting; women were working. Never losing faith, we worked to redeem the promise of America, that all men and women are created equal. For our daughters and granddaughters, today we have broken the marble ceiling. Nancy Pelosi
Why I Am A Liberal And A Progressive And A Democrat by digby
I am a liberal because it is the political philosophy of freedom and equality. And I am a progressive because it is the political path to a better future. And I am a Democrat because it is the political party that believes in freedom, equality and progress.
THE DAWN of HOPE
Here's wishing you all a happy, prosperous, peaceful New Year.
I felt a shift yesterday on my way to a meeting. A shift in my own consciousness, and the words came very loudly: "This is finished. You are now free." I'll expound on what this means later, but I feel that a dark cloud has lifted and hell is over.
This is a thought universe. Consider the material world as the clay which the artist works with, to make of it something beautiful or ugly. We need not fear material things, which are neither good nor bad in the moral sense. There seems to be no active force for evil — outside of human beings themselves. Humans alone can have either evil intentions — resentments, malevolence, hate and revenge — or good intentions — LOVE and GOODWILL. This is God: the energy of love. We can make something beautiful out of the clay of our lives. It's up to us. But avoid fear as you would a plague.
Shed peace, not discord, wherever you go. Try to be part of the cure for every situation rather than part of the problem. Try to ignore evil, rather than to actively combat it. (This diminishes it.) Always try to build up, never to tear down.
We hope 2007 will be a year of peace and love in your homes and throughout the world.
May each of us endeavor to express compassion, understanding, integrity and honesty in all our dealings with our fellow man and in all our activities.
If we are wrong, if we have made a mistake or offended anyone, let us admit it promptly, ask for forgiveness and make amends.
Let us keep Love (God) foremost in our thoughts and prayers, pray daily for guidance, and be willing to take
whatever human footsteps we need to take to improve our lives, our relationships, our fnancial situations, our talents, our mental and physical health.
"Progress is the Law of God," and we pray that you experience much progress in your daily lives throughout the New Year and always.
Wishing you a MOST HAPPY, PEACEFUL AND FRUITFUL NEW YEAR!
PRAYER CHANGES THINGS. Prayer is focusing so completely on the good, that good becomes all you see. We have to become willing to put on a new pair of glasses and adopt a new point of view.
Fear = False Evidence Appearing Real. Love (God) casts out fear.
This is an open thread. I will add to this post later today.
Lt. Ehren Watada vs. Illegal and Immoral War in Ir...
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Hotels near 4110, Queensland
Noonameena Bed and Breakfast
65 Ontario Cres, Parkinson, 4115 (3.5km away) from $135
Noonameena Bed and Breakfast is a 25-minute drive from Brisbane City Centre. Guests at this tranquil retreat can enjoy the lush gardens, or take a stroll around the nearby lake, a 5-minute walk away.
Coopers Colonial Motel
1260 Beaudesert Road, Acacia Ridge, 4110 from $88
A 20-minute drive from central Brisbane, Coopers Colonial Motel offers a restaurant and an outdoor pool. All rooms offer air conditioning, a DVD player and a 26-inch flat-screen TV. Free parking is provided on site.
Calamvale Hotel Suites and Conference Centre
(4.2km away) from $201
Guests can enjoy dining at the onsite bar and restaurant when they stay at Calamvale Hotel Suites and Conference Centre. All modern rooms feature a flat-screen TV and a fridge. Free parking is included.
Johnson Road Motel
116-120 Johnson Road, Hillcrest, 4118 (5.3km away) **** from $150
Johnson Road Motel offers spacious motel rooms, plus a restaurant and bar, fully equipped conference room and garden with barbecue facilities. Each room includes air conditioning and free cable TV.
Budget Accommodations Salisbury
7 Nicholson Avenue, 4107 (6.7km away) from $80
Budget Accommodations Salisbury offers free WiFi, laundry facilities and access to a shared lounge room. The guest house is a 2-minute walk from Salisbury Train Station and 6-minute drive from Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital.
Browns Plains Motor Inn
30-32 Anzac Avenue, Hillcrest, 4118 (6.7km away) **** from $155
Offering free Wi-Fi and a swimming pool, Browns Plains Motor Inn is located 5 minutes� walk from Greenbank RSL Club. All rooms offer a kitchenette with a refrigerator, a microwave and a stove.
Sunnybank Hotel Brisbane
275 McCullough Street, Sunnybank, 4109 (6.9km away) *** from $85
Just across the street from Sunnybank Plaza with over 130 stores, Sunnybank Hotel Brisbane offers simple motel accommodation featuring an on-site bottle shop and a bistro. The hotel offers a children's playground and karaoke facilities.
Darra Motel & Conference Centre
2704 Ipswich Road, 4076 (6.9km away) from $145
Featuring an outdoor pool, a BBQ area and a restaurant, Darra Motel is just 4 minutes� drive from Oxley Golf Club and Darra Sports Centre. It offers rooms with a flat-screen TV and free cable channels. Guests enjoy limited free Wi-Fi per day.
45 Barrett
45 Barrett St, Robertson, 4109 (7.3km away) *** from $70
Located in Brisbane, 45 Barrett offers shared accommodation, a tennis court and a swimming pool. Guests can enjoy international cuisine at the onsite Persian restaurant. Free private parking and a shuttle service are provided.
Comfort Inn and Suites Robertson Gardens
281 Kessels Road , 4109 (7.4km away) **** from $145
Set on 10 acres of lovely gardens, Comfort Inn and Suites Robertson Gardens offers an outdoor pool and an onsite bar/restaurant. Guests enjoy free WiFi and rooms with a satellite TV, microwave and fridge.
Brisbane International Rocklea
1326 Ipswich Road, Rocklea, 4106 (7.8km away) **** from $100
This motel offers boutique-style accommodation with free parking, free cable TV and 24-hour reception. The on-site restaurant serves Modern Australian cuisine and is open for breakfast and dinner.
Best Western Sunnybank Star Motel
223 Padstow Road, 4113 (8.7km away) **** from $110
Best Western Sunnybank Star Motel is located in South Brisbane, a 30-minute drive from the Gold Coast Theme Parks. It offers free Wi-Fi, an outdoor pool and free covered parking.
Glen Hotel and Suites
Featuring free WiFi, a heated swimming pool and 2 restaurants, Glen Hotel and Suites is located 15 minutes� drive from central Brisbane. It offers accommodation with a flat-screen TV and satellite channels.
Travelodge Garden City
18 Macgregor Street, Upper Mount Gravatt, 4122 (9.2km away) **** from $119
Located opposite the popular Garden City Shopping Mall, this quiet hotel offers free parking, a 24-hour reception and a courtyard with outdoor seating. It offers air-conditioned rooms with flat-screen cable TV.
The Pixy Bed & Breakfast
20 Brownie Street, 4074 (9.6km away) *** from $85
Less than 1 km from the Centenary Highway, The Pixy Bed & Breakfast offers air-conditioned rooms, free WiFi, free breakfast and an outdoor swimming pool. Guests can relax on the large balcony. Free on-site parking is available.
Brisbane Holiday Village
10 Holmead Road, Eight Mile Plains, 4113 (9.7km away) from $199
Ideally located for sightseeing, Brisbane Holiday Village is a 15-minute drive from central Brisbane.
Mt Ommaney Hotel Apartments
(10km away) **** from $169
Just 20 minutes� drive from the centre of Brisbane, Mt Ommaney Hotel Apartments features an outdoor swimming pool, tennis court and � la carte restaurant. Free Wi-Fi is included.
Brisbane Gateway Resort
200 School Road, Brisbane, 4123 (10km away) **** from $154
Boasting a saltwater resort style swimming pool and a full size tennis court, Brisbane Gateway Resort is just a 20-minute drive from Brisbane CBD. The self-contained accommodation is set within beautifully landscaped grounds.
Franklin Residence
14/47 Franklin St, 4103 (10km away) ***** from $130
Franklin Residence offers accommodation in Ekibin, 6 km from Brisbane and 31 km from Margate. Guests benefit from patio. The kitchen features a dishwasher and there is a private bathroom. A flat-screen TV with cable channels is offered.
Annerley Motor Inn
591 Ipswich Road, Annerley, 4103 (11km away) from $90
Located just 6 km from central Brisbane, Annerley Motor Inn features free Wi-Fi and an outdoor swimming pool. There are bus services at the door and free parking is available on-site.
Springwood Hotel
(11km away) *** from $125
Featuring an on-site restaurant and a bar, Springwood Hotel is located in Logan, just a 15-minute drive from Brisbane CBD. Coin launderette is available for guests� convenience. TAB is also on site, and free parking is provided.
Springfield Lakes Hotel
7/1 Springfield Blvd, 4300 (11km away) from $195
Offering free WiFi, an outdoor pool and a restaurant, Springfield Lakes Hotel is located 5 minutes' walk from local shops and cafes. All accommodation features a TV and minibar. Guests enjoy a fitness centre and free on-site parking.
Lancaster Court Motel
521 Ipswich Road, 4103 (11km away) from $115
An outdoor pool, a BBQ area and a sunny terrace are on offer at Lancaster Court Motel, just 750 metres from Fairfield Train Station. All rooms offer a flat-screen TV with cable channels. Free WiFi is available in public areas.
Hotel Gloria
14 Carol Avenue, 4127 (12km away) **** from $179
Boasting a swimming pool, a fitness centre and a caf�, Hotel Gloria is located in the heart of Springwood. It offers rooms with free wired internet and a private balcony.
Springwood Tower Apartment Hotel
9 Murrajong Road, 4127 (12km away) from $234
Springwood Tower Apartment Hotel features a gaming lounge bar, 3 restaurants and free covered parking. It is located between Brisbane and Gold Coast, 8.7 km from Garden City Shopping Centre.
Springwood Motor Inn
145 Barbaralla Drive, 4127 (12km away) from $125
Springwood Motor Inn offers an outdoor swimming pool. All rooms feature a flat-screen TV with cable channels and free WiFi. Springwood Motor Inn is a 3-minute drive from Ikea Logan and a 6-minute drive from Logan City Golf Club.
Isla House
183 Juliette Street, 4120 (13km away) *** from $90
Offering free Wi-Fi, a BBQ area and a free shuttle service to and from local hospitals on weekdays, Isla House is just 10 minutes� drive from Roma Street Train Station. It specialises in catering for the needs of patients, carers and their families.
Brisbane Street Studios
Offering modern self-contained accommodation with free WiFi, Brisbane Street Studios in the suburb of Annerley are just 5 minutes� walk from Dutton Park Train Station and 5km from Brisbane city centre.
Forest Lodge Apartments
140 Central Avenue, 4068 (13km away) *** from $113
Set on 1.5 acres of tropical gardens, guests at Forest Lodge Apartments can enjoy a swim in the pool or create a tasty meal on the BBQ.
Greenslopes Motor Inn
389 Cornwall St, Greenslopes QLD, 4120 (13km away) *** from $104
Offering an outdoor pool, free WiFi and rooms with private balconies, Greenslopes Motor Inn is just 5 minutes� drive from The Gabba Brisbane Cricket Ground.
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Effects of size and spin-polarized current on magnetic nanostructures
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Contribution of potassium channels to retinal ganglion cell excitability
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Development of a high current high temperature SiC MOSFET based solid-state power controller
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Hope, Goals, and Homosexuality: An Examination of Current American Public Opinion on Homosexuality
by Miller, Joshua Kent, M.A. University of Arkansas at Little Rock. 2015: 81 pages; 10187288.
Analysis of the Current European Gas Import Situation: The Question of Iran
by Carothers, Amanda, M.A. The American University of Paris (France). 2010: 50 pages; 10305775.
Current Status of RtI Implementation: Influences on School Psychologists' Service Delivery and Self-Efficacy
by Sabourin, Elizabeth C., Psy.D. State University of New York at Albany. 2015: 178 pages; 3744328.
Investigation of statistical characteristics of biomolecules in view of current epigenetic developments
by Al Shargi, Hanan Mohammad, D.Sc. The George Washington University. 2009: 165 pages; 3359979.
Using ion current to probe nanostructured battery materials in different oxidation states
by Mann, William, M.S. California State University, Long Beach. 2016: 44 pages; 10155543.
National survey on equine assisted therapy: An exploratory study of current practitioners and programs
by McConnell, Patricia J., Ph.D. Walden University. 2010: 165 pages; 3412302.
The Current Status of Public Speaking Education in Illinois Secondary Schools
by McQuiggan, Amy, M.A. Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. 2014: 76 pages; 1561071.
Designing a middle school gifted education program of excellence using current gifted programming models
by Miller, Samantha Ann, Ed.D. Lindenwood University. 2011: 197 pages; 3450222.
Internship directors' perspectives on psychological assessment training: Current status and emerging trends
by Bates, Shannon, Psy.D. Pepperdine University. 2016: 138 pages; 10157570.
Hierarchical Bayesian Model for AK Composite Estimators in the Current Population Survey (CPS)
by Li, Yuan, Ph.D. The George Washington University. 2018: 137 pages; 10748002.
Low frequency current and resistance fluctuations in magnetic tunnel junctions
by Gokce, Aisha, Ph.D. University of Delaware. 2009: 202 pages; 3373348.
Characterization of Radiation Damage in Multi-Junction Solar Cells Using Light-Biased Current Measurements
by Korostyshevsky, Aaron, M.S. The University of Toledo. 2008: 53 pages; 10835836.
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Arsenic and Old CNN, FOX, and MSNBC
We’ve grown used to “news” that’s manufactured out of the opinions of hosts and experts for hire.
The quote is from Lorraine Ali's August 29 op-ed for The Los Angeles Times, How Harvey is giving us a break from our pundit addiction, which delivers a spot-on analysis of the stunning turnaround Storm Harvey worked on the national mainstream U.S. news media and by extension the national American public discourse:
In all the arguments about what qualifies as fake news, the shift of the media during Harvey is a clear example of the difference between spin and journalism. One is news filtered through analysts, commentators or a ratings-minded, network-wide vision, the other is the stuff journalists have been doing since before your great-great-grandparents were born. Reporting the news.
Yes. Within hours of Harvey's landfall the U.S. national news media and its Talking Heads had been forced to recalibrate when they discovered to their horror that the American public wasn't paying attention to them. Everyone was glued to local news coverage out of Texas on Harvey's onslaught.
Not to be outdone by a bunch of hicks, reporters for national news organizations raced to Texas and rolled out thousands of stories covering every angle imaginable related to Harvey.
This turn of events caused the American political industry to ratchet to DEFCON 1, as consultants who labor for the industry gathered in vape mist-filled backrooms to strategize on the crisis of unity that had broken out, while Americans from across the political spectrum trucked their boats to Houston to help out with rescue efforts.
To make matters worse for the consultants Harvey didn't cooperate. As the storm blew east out of Houston it left another trail of devastation. "Our whole city is underwater right now but we are coming!” Port Arthur Mayor Derrick Freeman posted Wednesday morning on Facebook. “If you called, we are coming. Please get to higher ground if you can, but please try to stay out of attics.”
This requires yet more big search and rescue operations, setting off even more unseemly shows of unity among Americans.
Yet in my view the comeuppance of the U.S. national media in America isn't really the important story to emerge from reportage on the Harvey crisis; it's the interest shown by many Americans in news coverage from local TV stations. As Ali noted:
Harvey is a not-so-subtle reminder that national news is still local, even though a handful of national outlets have come to represent what we think of as the nexus of American Media.
The Big Three national cable TV channels -- FOX, CNN, MSNBC -- came to dominate coverage of American news when hard economic times in communities across America laid waste to local reporting. But they went further than reporting; the Big Three have promoted national political party agendas that are less about solving shared problems in America and more about serving the political industry.
By the time Harvey struck they had fostered so much chaos and distrust that many people had come to believe America was in the midst of a cultural civil war and headed for an actual civil war. The silver lining in Harvey's rain clouds is that the storm broke the spell. Millions of Americans are demonstrating in the face of crisis that there is no civil war, beyond the one created by a national news media that puts serving America's political industry above the public interest.
That has to change. National TV spends so much time raising specious alarms they completely miss important American events. The upshot is a kind of madness in the media; it reminds me of the running joke in the movie Arsenic and Old Lace: Every time crazy Uncle Teddy climbs the stairs he relives Theodore Roosevelt leading the Rough Riders charge up Kettle Hill.
Missing the Texas flower Selena Quintanilla-Perez
I see that Google has raised $2 million for victims of Hurricane Harvey. That's great, but Selena Quintanilla-Perez would've raised $10 million in a couple hours.
Here, via YouTube a medley of some of her hit Tejano songs -- Como la flor, La carcacha, Bidi bidi bom bom, Baila esta cumbia -- and cumbia dance routines. The irresistibly danceable Tejano is a mix of pop, rock, polka, R&B and Latin music, but Selena was the heart of Tejano -- and "Tex-Mex."
And again from YouTube, for rent for about 3 bucks, is Selena, the 1997 movie starring Jennifer Lopez based on Selena's life. There was controversy at the time about Lopez playing Selena, but there would have been controversy in any case; nobody could quite believe someone so young, so beautiful and full of good spirits, was gone. Once the movie was released, however, Selena's fans and family admitted that Lopez did a fine job of portraying Selena (with Selena's singing dubbed into her songs).
Selena's life is an uplifting story, well told in the film with big help from Edward James Olmos playing Selena's father, although it missed being great viewing fare for adolescents because of the crime, fueled by pathological envy, that took her life even though it was sensitively handled in the script.
Well, the murderer's name is forgotten; Selena Quintanilla-Perez became a kind of immortal, if only because she was the breakthrough.
Born and raised in southeastern Texas, she was thoroughly American -- she didn't even speak Spanish -- and protected from the prejudice directed at Mexican-Americans in the larger American society. But her father knew from experience that not only was there prejudice, it was on both sides. Non-Mexican Americans didn't want to hear a 'Mexican' singing 'American' music. The Mexicans in Mexico didn't want to hear an 'Americano' singing Mexican music.
Selena ended all that silliness. Quite an accomplishment for a woman who didn't live to see her 24th birthday.
Astounding rescue effort prevented thousands of deaths in Houston's floods
Chris McGonigal at The Huffington Post has put together a photo essay of Harvey's onslaught in Houston and the humans who fought back. The photographs are overwhelming, especially when considered against the announcement yesterday that the U.S. Coast Guard had saved 4,322 lives from floods in the Houston area since Sunday.
That's just the Coast Guard; the count doesn't include vital rescues by police and fire crews, state and national guards, and ones by volunteers. But the announcement answers the complaint made by some that they never saw an official rescue squad and were rescued by volunteers:
Often the official squads were deployed in the most serious situations, and I think that would have been particularly true for the Coast Guard. In many cases there was no way to reach stranded people except by helicopter, and that's where the Coast Guard was critical.
Yet the low official death count from the flooding (now around 22) has tended to mask the worst of the crisis that descended on America's fourth largest city. Houston's police chief said the other day that he feared more bodies would be found when the floodwaters receded. I hope that won't be the case, but what is already clear is that a search and rescue effort had to fill the gap caused by the Houston city government's failure to develop and implement a 'targeted' evacuation plan.
The gap represented several thousand human and animal lives.
Update, from the Washington Post today at 4:57 AM EDT:
Authorities said more than 13,000 people had been rescued from floodwaters, according to the Associated Press, but that number was surely low. Many had been rescued by strangers with boats, who had rescued so many that they themselves had lost count.
Jonathan Bachman
Texans refuse to leave pets behind as they flee Harvey; August 28, Reuters
Southeast Texas v Harvey: Dunkirk meets Mad Max 2 meets Noah's Ark UPDATED 8/30
Below I wrote "None of the shelters, it seems, turns away any evacuee who brings a pet." To correct the record, that wasn't the case at first at Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center, which is being used as a shelter for flood evacuees. Reuters reported (Texans refuse to leave pets behind as they flee Harvey):
[On Sunday night] Dozens of people with dogs arrived only to be told they could not bring them inside or that animal services were not available to care for their pets. That included Rosana Nagera, 27, who took shifts with her husband in the rain with their shivering dog.
The snafu, however, was quickly sorted out:
On Monday morning pets were welcomed in a designated area at the facility, where dogs nestled next to owners on cots. Red Cross officials said evacuees with pets are welcome at its shelters, and animals are typically housed in cages on site or accommodated by partner organizations.
END UPDATE
This morning my muscles felt as if I'd been on my feet all day yesterday moving furniture, even though all I did for the most part was stay glued to YouTube to watch Houston Fox26 coverage of rescue efforts in the TV station's viewing area.
Unlike actual TV, which has advertising and station breaks, YouTube streaming was total immersion hour after hour. I think the effect this had on me was as if I was in Houston watching the reporting. Maybe that explains the sore muscles -- sort of unconsciously reliving memories of watching local TV coverage of bad storms where I live, in the Greater Washington, DC region.
I am not sure I want to repeat the YouTube experience. Yet I am glad I watched the coverage. I'd never seen anything like it, with people from as far away as Louisiana piloting every kind of small boat to rescue people stranded in Houston and close nearby.
The only comparable situation I know about was the Dunkirk evacuation operation during World War II, the part carried out by volunteers manning their own boats.
In Houston, however, the improvised rescue armada is augmented by an equally random collection of high-water vehicles. This reminds me of the desperate race in Mad Max 2 to outrun a vicious gang. As long as it can float or drive through several feet of water without stalling it's being used as a rescue vehicle in Houston -- everything from tractors to dump trucks to furniture moving trucks to monster military contraptions.
By last night things had gotten into a routine. First rescuers, either volunteer or official, locate people who need to be evacuated (sometimes relying on the Zello app). Then they drive a high-water vehicle or boat to the address. If there isn't enough room in the conveyance for everyone, some of the rescuers lead the remaining evacuees on foot through the floodwaters to the nearest temporary patch of dry land, such as under a highway overpass.
Then more high-water vehicles and/or boats show up to take the evacuees to a staging area, say the parking lot of a shopping mall. Then buses arrive and drive a group of evacuees to a shelter.
By yesterday there were already scores of shelters set up, some completely makeshift. The owner of two large furniture stores hauled mattresses from his company's warehouse and converted the stores to shelters.
None of the shelters, it seems, turns away any evacuee who brings a pet. One shelter dedicated a room for the animals. So there's a Noah's Ark aspect to the place, with the rain pelting the windows and floodwaters rising nearby as the assortment of pets -- pigs, parrots, dogs, cats, you name it -- beds down together for the night.
Indeed the whole situation evokes the story of Noah's Ark, as people carry animals through rain and rising waters to find refuge.
Dunkirk, Mad Max 2, and Noah's Ark. Now there's a metaphor for our times, if only I could figure it out.
Anyhow, Bravo! the hardy people of Southeast Texas, and everyone who's helping them. Bravo the staff and reporters at Fox26 Houston! And yes, Bravo YouTube [reaching for the muscle rub].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDtD-2-5zOs
The Photographs:
Top: Adrees Latif for Reuters
August 28 -- evacuations along Tidwell Road in east Houston
Middle: Reuters; possibly Adrees Latif was the photographer
Last: Joe Raedle for Getty Images
"Naomi Coto carries Simba on her shoulders as they evacuate their home in Houston."
Why is Harvey so strange? Scientific American turns to Weather Underground for answers
"Harvey has dropped so much water over such a large area of southeastern Texas that the storm is pulling that water back up into itself and dumping it again as more rain. The flood area is so far and wide that it is acting like part of an ocean ..."
Why Hurricane Harvey became so extreme
By Mark Fischetti
Hurricane Harvey is drowning southeastern Texas for the fourth day, putting a vast area under feet of water. Experts say Harvey has been stuck longer in one place than any tropical storm in memory. That is just one of the hurricane’s extremes; the storm is off the charts by many measures. Scientific American wanted to learn why, and we asked meteorologist Jeff Masters for help. Masters is the co-founder of Weather Underground, a website that meteorologists nationwide go to for their own inside information about severe weather. Masters also wrote a fascinating article on why the jet stream is getting weird.
Why did Hurricane Harvey so quickly explode from a Category 1 hurricane to Category 4?
Last Wednesday night, August 23, Harvey was a tropical depression, but after just eight overnight hours it was forming a hurricane eye wall. “That’s remarkably fast,” Masters said. On Friday it rapidly ballooned from a Category 1 hurricane to Category 4. That is because it happened to pass over a region of extremely warm ocean water called an eddy. This spot of hot water was 1 to 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the Gulf of Mexico around it, which itself was already 1 to 2 degrees Fahrenheit higher than average, reaching 85 or 86 degrees Fahrenheit in places. The hotter the water, the more energy it drives into a storm. Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed New Orleans in 2005, also mushroomed to Category 4 in a similar fashion because it, too, passed over a hot eddy in the Gulf.
Why is Harvey so stuck in place over Texas?
Hurricanes are circular structures with winds that spiral counterclockwise, but they are steered by larger wind patterns in the greater atmosphere that push them in one direction. In Harvey’s case, a big high-pressure system over the southeastern U.S. is trying to push the storm in one direction, but a big high pressure system over the southwestern U.S. is trying to push the storm in the opposite direction. “The systems have equal strength and are cancelling each other out,” leaving Harvey stranded, Masters said. “It’s highly unusual to have two highs on either side of a hurricane of equal strength.” The only other time Masters recalls that happening to a huge storm system was Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which struck Central America and killed an estimated 7,000 people in Honduras.
WATCH: Why Houston is a ‘sitting duck’ for hurricanes
How can Harvey reverse direction, now, heading back out over the Gulf of Mexico from where it came?
The high pressure system in the southeastern U.S. is also trying to push Harvey west, but now the storm has bumped into the high pressure system in the southwestern U.S., which is pushing it back to the east. On any given day one of the systems might temporarily be winning this atmospheric ping-pong match. Masters said a low-pressure trough system has been setting up north of Harvey and might strengthen enough to start to pull the hurricane northward. National weather forecasts released Monday morning indicate that might happen later this week.
How can Harvey produce such extreme rainfall even though it is no longer over the ocean?
The answer to this is fascinating. Normally a hurricane pulls moisture up from the ocean and releases it as rain all around the storm’s area, particularly in the northeastern quadrant. But Harvey has dropped so much water over such a large area of southeastern Texas that the storm is pulling that water back up into itself and dumping it again as more rain. The flood area is so far and wide that it is acting like part of an ocean, feeding warm moisture up into Harvey. “You only need about 50 percent of the land to be covered with water for that to happen,” Masters said. “Obviously we have more than that in Texas.”
Could Harvey exist as a self-perpetuating rain machine over land?
Masters said meteorologists cannot answer this question yet. “If it were to stay perfectly still, could it maintain itself for a long period of time?” he asks. “That’s an interesting theoretical question. We just don’t know.”
Why did Harvey’s rain bands intensify at night rather than during the day?
This phenomenon is actually typical of large hurricanes: they weaken during the day and strengthen at night. “At night the upper atmosphere cools,” Masters explained. “That creates instability, which increases the updrafts in thunderstorms throughout the hurricane system. Those air currents pull more moisture up from the surface” of the ocean—or the flooded land.
Why has Harvey caused such deep coastal flooding even though the ocean storm surge was not so high?
This answer is also intriguing. Storm surge is often the deadliest aspect of tropical systems. Hurricane Katrina’s storm surge drowned New Orleans. Hurricane Sandy’s surge inundated New York City and New Jersey. Harvey’s storm surge was not nearly as high, yet water piled up along certain portions of the Texas coast. Masters said this is called “compound flooding.” With feet of rain, the rivers are so swollen that they are rushing toward the Gulf coast, but the storm surge is coming inland as those rivers try to flow seaward. The two surges meet at the coast “and the water piles up from both sides,” Masters said. The land’s shape and elevation at any location can make the compound flooding worse. In Galveston, for example, the sea surge was about three feet but the actual water surge was about nine feet.
For more on hurricane dynamics, click here.
"Chaos in Houston as floodwaters reach roof lines of single story homes"
The amount of water was so unprecedented that meteorologists had to update the color charts on the weather service's rainfall maps.
The disaster unfolded on an epic scale in one of America's most sprawling metropolitan centers. The Houston metro area covers about 10,000 square miles, an area slightly bigger than New Jersey. It's crisscrossed by about 1,700 miles of channels, creeks and bayous that drain into the Gulf of Mexico, about 50 miles to the southeast from downtown.
Elsewhere, water gushed from two reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey as officials sought to release pressure on a pair of dams where floodwaters were at risk of spilling uncontrolled from around the sides of the barriers.
The move aimed at protecting the downtown business district risked flooding thousands more homes."
Rescuers were giving priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many people to fend for themselves.
-- Quotes are from the latest Associated Press update, below. First here are my notes, taken mostly from Houston's Fox26 reports today, which I've been listening to at YouTube:
Weather update approx. 3:30pm from Fox26 Houston TV (via YouTube)
Harvey is now back over the water, but this means it's drawing in moisture, although slowly.
Southeast Texas is still on the 'wrong' side of the storm
heavy rains still falling - will continue heavy at least 24 hours -- but rains not as heavy as yesterday.
winds picking up to about 40 mph gusts; avg sustained winds between 20-30 mph.
Dangerous Waters In Houston, nearby areas
some rivers still rising; many roads still impassable.
Fox26 reported late this morning that there were 346 high water areas on roadways into/through Houston that are dangerous; footage of some of those areas shows the waters are moving very swiftly. Also, 'flash flood' areas keep emerging
Houston - Fort Bend neighborhoods within levees ordered to evacuate (Fox26 Houston - 1:39 PM CDT posted a list of the neighborhoods, which are several, at their website). Some parts are under voluntary evacuation according to Fox26; I guess if your neighborhood is not on the list that means you have a choice about whether to evacuate.
More Help is on the Way:
From Fox26 reporting earlier this afternoon
Squad of Navy helicopters (at least 4) flying in from Virginia to deliver supplies to Houston and help with rescues.
City of Phoenix, AZ 80 member team with canines and (2?) structural engineers flying in to help Houston; the team is the best urban search and rescue squad in the USA.
Entire Texas National Guard now called up (about 12,000 to be eventually deployed) to help flood victims; at least 1,000 Guards arrived earlier today in Houston.
More boats (about 40) and high-water vehicles are being sent to Houston for use by official rescue teams.
The volunteer cavalry ("Cajun Navy") is also arriving. Fox26 reported this morning on a caravan of 20-25 trucks driven by volunteers hauling boats that arrived in Houston from Louisiana. "Texans came to our rescue [during the big floods last year in Louisiana, which got almost no national coverage] and now we're coming to theirs." From what a volunteer said around 1 AM the Cajun Navy had been trying since last night to get into Houston but were blocked by flooding/heavy rains.
The Panic Factor:
Panic has set in for many residents still waiting for rescue, some of whom are stranded in rising waters; some are clinging to poles, other structures. Earlier today Fox26 reported a Houston resident screaming, "Save me or I'm going to die!" and some residents jumping off bridges into swift (and toxic) waters.
Some panic is simply due to exhaustion after waiting without food or water for many hours for rescue. Some residents feel abandoned because they don't understand that they can be stranded in an area where responders, whether official or volunteer, cannot go at that time because of very dangerous water conditions. If their cell phone batteries have given out, they'd have no way of knowing this, especially after dark.
And they might not understand that no matter how dire they believe their situation, others are in a life-or-death situation and the rescue of such people takes priority.
Residents in need of rescue can be frustrated by long waits on hold when they call 911; they will often hang up, thus losing their place in the call line-up. The advice from officials is to stay on the line no matter what and that 911 operators can see from the call the location of callers. Houston has added more 911 operators but they are dealing with an unprecedented volume of calls.
Headlines from CNBC report today on the power outages; report updated approximately 4:45 PM EDT:
About 280,000 Texas customers were without power on Monday, according to four of the state's investor-owned utilities.
Continued high winds, rain and flooding were preventing the companies from restoring power in some of the hardest hit areas.
Thousands of out-of-state workers helped to restore electricity to some customers.
Latest Associated Press update via Chicago Tribune - 2:28 PM today (I'll assume CDT)
Chaos in Houston as floodwaters reach roof lines; 6 in van that was swept away feared dead
By Michael Graczyk and David Phillip
(HOUSTON) Floodwaters reached the roof lines of single-story homes Monday and people could be heard pleading for help from inside as Harvey poured rain on the Houston area for a fourth consecutive day after a chaotic weekend of rising water and rescues.
The nation's fourth-largest city was still largely paralyzed, and there was no relief in sight from the storm that spun into Texas as a Category 4 hurricane, then parked itself over the Gulf Coast. With nearly 2 more feet of rain expected, authorities worried whether the worst was yet to come.
The storm has been blamed for at least two confirmed deaths. A Houston television station reported Monday that six family members were believed to have drowned when their van was swept away by floodwaters.
The KHOU report was attributed to three family members the station did not identify. No bodies have been recovered.
Police Chief Art Acevedo told The Associated Press that he had no information about the report but said that he's "really worried about how many bodies we're going to find."
According to the station, four children and their grandparents were feared dead after the van hit high floods Sunday when crossing a bridge in Greens Bayou.
The driver of the vehicle, the children's great-uncle, reportedly escaped before the van sank by grabbing a tree limb. He told the children inside to try to escape through the back door, but they were unable to get out.
The disaster unfolded on an epic scale in one of America's most sprawling metropolitan centers. The Houston metro area covers about 10,000 square miles, an area slightly bigger than New Jersey. It's crisscrossed by about 1,700 miles of channels, creeks and bayous that drain into the Gulf .
The flooding was so widespread that the levels of city waterways have either equaled or surpassed those of Tropical Storm Allison from 2001, and no major highway has been spared some overflow.
The city's normally bustling business district was virtually deserted Monday, with emergency vehicles making up most of the traffic. Most traffic signals were out and most businesses closed.
Elsewhere, water gushed from two reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey as officials sought to release pressure on a pair of dams where floodwaters were at risk of spilling uncontrolled from around the sides of the barriers. The move aimed at protecting the downtown business district risked flooding thousands more homes.
Meanwhile, rescuers continued plucking people from the floodwaters — at least 2,000 so far, according to Acevedo. At least 185 critical rescue requests were still pending on Monday morning, he said.
Chris Thorn was among the many volunteers still helping with the mass evacuation that began Sunday. He drove with a buddy from the Dallas area with their flat-bottom hunting boat to pull strangers out of the water.
"I couldn't sit at home and watch it on TV and do nothing since I have a boat and all the tools to help," he said.
They got to Spring, Texas, where Cypress Creek had breached Interstate 45 and went to work, helping people out of a gated community near the creek.
"It's never flooded here," resident Lane Cross said from the front of Thorn's boat, holding his brown dog, Max. "I don't even have flood insurance."
Houston's 911 system has received 75,000 calls since Harvey inundated the city, including 20,000 just since late Sunday. The city normally averages 8,000 to 9,000 calls per day.
The Red Cross quickly set up Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center and other venues as shelters. The center, which was also used as a shelter for Katrina refugees in 2005, can accommodate roughly 5,000 people. By Monday morning, it was already half full.
People living near Houston's Addicks and Barker reservoirs were warned Sunday that a controlled release would cause additional street flooding that could spill into homes. The rising water and ongoing rain put pressure on a pair of dams that were created to prevent flooding in downtown Houston. If the pressure is not relieved, officials said, it could allow water to spill outside the dams.
Harris and Fort Bend county officials advised residents to pack their cars Sunday night and leave in the morning.
The Army Corps of Engineers started the reservoir releases before 2 a.m. Monday — ahead of schedule — because water levels were increasing at a rate of more than 6 inches per hour, Corps spokesman Jay Townsend said.
In the Cypress Forest Estates neighborhood in northern Harris County, people called for help from inside their homes as water from a nearby creek climbed to the same level as their eaves. A steady procession of rescue boats floated into the area.
One man, Joe Garcia, carried his German shepherd in the chest-deep water before being picked up by a boat. Garcia said he floated out a tub of his belongings, then went back in for the dog.
Up to 20 more inches of rain could fall in the coming days, on top of the more than 30 inches some places have already seen, weather service Director Louis Uccellini said Monday.
That means the flooding will get worse in the days ahead and that the floodwaters will be slow to recede once Harvey finally moves on, the weather service said.
Rescuers were giving priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many affected families to fend for themselves. Several hospitals in the Houston area were evacuated due to the rising waters.
The White House said President Donald Trump would visit Texas on Tuesday, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump.
Harvey was the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in 13 years and the strongest to strike Texas since 1961's Hurricane Carla, the most powerful Texas hurricane on record.
Associated Press writers Carla K. Johnson in Chicago; Juan Lozano, Josh Replogle and Robert Ray in Houston; Peter Banda in Dickinson, Texas; and Jamie Stengle and Claudia Lauer in Dallas contributed to this report.
[END ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORT]
Weather Channel streaming Harvey news on YouTube and setting up website dedicated to Harvey-related issues including volunteering and donation information; Fox 26 TV Houston also streaming on YouTube
The site will be set up sometime this afternoon. Watch the Weather Channel website (also Hurricane News section), on TV, or on YouTube, for information about the new site. Also, the Weather Channel is currently streaming on YouTube with Harvey-related reports.
See also: "LIVE: Fox 26 TV Houston Local News - Hurricane Harvey - Houston Flood" on YouTube.
Harvey in Houston: “800-year flood level"
The Photograph:
David J. Phillip for The Associated Press
"Houston Police officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son, Aiden, after rescuing them from their home surrounded by floodwaters on Sunday in Houston."
Excerpts from the following Associated Press report:
Judging from federal disaster declarations, the storm has so far affected about a quarter of the Texas population, or 6.8 million people in 18 counties.
Rescuers had to give top priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many affected families to fend for themselves.
Volunteers joined emergency teams in pulling people from their homes or from the water. The flooding was so widespread that authorities had trouble pinpointing the worst areas.
The rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelmed rescuers who could not keep up with the constant calls for help.
In a rescue effort that recalled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, helicopters landed near flooded freeways, airboats buzzed across submerged neighborhoods and high-water vehicles plowed through water-logged intersections. Some people managed with kayaks or canoes or swam.
Texans Lend A Helping Hand As Floods Continue Across The State; NPR, August 27, 2017; 8:41 PM EDT
Weather Channel live coverage on YouTube of all Harvey issues including rescues.
AP UPDATE: Flooding Will Worsen In Upcoming Days, Acevedo Concerned About Drainage
ASSOCIATED PRESS / HPM DIGITAL TEAM | POSTED ON
AUGUST 28, 2017, 5:46 AM (LAST UPDATED:AUGUST 28, 2017, 8:39 AM)
The director of the National Weather Service is warning that the catastrophic flooding that’s overwhelming Houston and other parts of Texas will worsen in the coming days and then be slow to recede once Harvey finally moves on.
Director Louis Uccellini said during a news conference Monday that up to 20 inches of rain could fall in the coming days, on top of the more than 30 inches some places have already seen.
He says some of the heaviest rainfall today, at a pace of 6 inches an hour, will fall east of Houston in places such as Beaumont and Lake Charles, Louisiana.
He adds that while Houston is experiencing a break from the rain Monday morning, heavy rainfall is forecast to return later in the day into Tuesday.
Houston police chief, Art Acevedo, is concerned about the prospect of more flooding, but is “keeping fingers crossed” that the rain will subside.
In an interview Monday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Chief Art Acevedo says drainage is a concern.
Acevedo said “not sure where the water is going because it’s just so much that we can’t really absorb more in the ground at this point. … We have way too much water and not enough places for it to drain.”
He says officers have voiced frustration that they don’t have enough high-water vehicles to quickly help everyone who is stranded.
He also warned any criminals who might try to take advantage of the disaster that his force has already arrested half a dozen people for looting.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is asking for volunteers to help Texas recover from Harvey.
William “Brock” Long, FEMA administrator, told a news conference in Washington Monday that “we need citizens to be involved,” because the storm and resulting flooding is greater than the government can handle.
[Pundita note: For crying out loud, hasn't FEMA been following the news? Hundreds if not thousands of volunteers have already been helping -- risking their boats and their safety all day yesterday and last night (and probably on Saturday night as well) to rescue stranded people. Many of those volunteers came to Houston from as far away as Austin and even further away to help, and fanned out to assist in other flooded areas in Texas as well, such as the city of Katy.
Okay, I understand why FEMA would have made an 'official' request for volunteers but Mr Long might have taken a few seconds to thank the people who are already volunteering and under tough conditions.]
Long urges individuals and organizations to check the website www.nvoad.org or call 1-800-621-FEMA to find out how to help. He’s asking for financial donations and for people “to figure out how to get involved as we help Texas find a new normal.”
A National Weather Service official says the peak flooding from the Houston-area storm is expected to max out Wednesday and Thursday, but said the floods will be slow to recede and that catastrophic flooding will persist.
Harvey continues to head back toward the Gulf of Mexico at a slow pace.
The National Hurricane Center says in its 4 a.m. CDT update that the tropical storm that made landfall late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane, dropping heavy rain in the Houston area, still has sustained winds of up to 40 mph (65 kph) and is centered 20 miles (30 kilometers) east of Victoria, Texas, about 120 miles (193 kilometers) southwest of Houston. It continues to creep to the southeast at 3 mph (4.8 kph).
That means it remains virtually stalled near the coast and continues to drop heavy rain on the Houston and Galveston areas. In the past 48 hours, numerous spots in the region have measured more than 25 inches (64 centimeters) of rain.
The hurricane center says Harvey’s center was expected to drift off the middle Texas coast on Monday and meander offshore through Tuesday before beginning “a slow northeastward motion.” The center says those in the upper Texas coast and in southwestern Louisiana should continue to monitor Harvey’s progress.
Officials released more water from Houston-area reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey early Monday in a move aimed at protecting the city’s downtown from devastating floods, but that could still endanger thousands of homes, even as the city braced for more rain.
Harvey, which made landfall late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and has lingered dropping heavy rain as a tropical storm, sent devastating floods pouring into Houston on Sunday.
Residents living near the Addicks and Barker reservoirs — that were designed to prevent flooding in downtown Houston — were warned Sunday that a controlled release from both reservoirs would cause additional street flooding that could spill into homes. Rising water levels and continuing rain was putting pressure on the dams that could cause a failure without the release.
Harris and Fort Bend county officials advised residents to pack their cars Sunday night and wait for daylight Monday to leave.
“The idea is to prepare … pack up what you need and put it in your vehicle and when the sun comes up, get out,” said Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist for the Harris County Flood Control District. “And you don’t have to go far, you just need to get out of this area.”
The Army Corps of Engineers started the reservoir releases before 2 a.m. Monday — ahead of schedule — because water levels were increasing dramatically at a rate of more than six inches (15 centimeters) per hour, a Corps spokesman Jay Townsend said. The timetable was moved up to prevent more homes from being flooded, Townsend said.
Meanwhile, officials in Fort Bend County, Houston’s southwestern suburbs, late Sunday issued widespread mandatory evacuation orders along the Brazos River levee districts.
County officials were preparing for the river to reach major flood stages late Sunday. County Judge Robert Herbert said at a news conference that National Weather Service officials were predicting that the water could rise to 59 feet (18 meters), three feet (90 centimeters) above 2016 records and what Herbert called an “800-year flood level.” Herbert said that amount of water would top the levees and carries a threat of levee failure.
On Sunday, incessant rain covered much of Houston in turbid, gray-green water and turned streets into rivers navigable only by boat.
[Pundita note: I hope the swimmers get antibiotics in them ASAP, given the state of those waters]
olunteers joined emergency teams in pulling people from their homes or from the water. The flooding was so widespread that authorities had trouble pinpointing the worst areas. They urged people to get on top of their houses to avoid becoming trapped in attics and to wave sheets or towels to draw attention to their location.
Judging from federal disaster declarations, the storm has so far affected about a quarter of the Texas population, or 6.8 million people in 18 counties. It was blamed in at least two deaths.
As the water rose, the National Weather Service issued another ominous forecast: Before the storm that arrived Friday as a Category 4 hurricane is gone, some parts of Houston and its suburbs could get as much as 50 inches (1.3 meters) of rain. That would be the highest amount ever recorded in Texas.
Some areas have already received about half that amount. Since Thursday, South Houston recorded nearly 25 inches (63 centimeters), and the suburbs of Santa Fe and Dayton got 27 inches (69 centimeters).
“The breadth and intensity of this rainfall is beyond anything experienced before,” the National Weather Service said in a statement.
Average rainfall totals will end up around 40 inches (1 meter) for Houston, weather service meteorologist Patrick Burke said.
The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, predicted that the aftermath of the storm would require FEMA’s involvement for years.
“This disaster’s going to be a landmark event,” Long said.
Rescuers had to give top priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many affected families to fend for themselves. And several hospitals in the Houston area were evacuated due to the rising waters.
It was not clear how many people were plucked from the floodwaters. Up to 1,200 people had to be rescued in Galveston County alone, said Mark Henry, the county judge, the county’s top administrative post.
Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center was quickly opened as a shelter. It was also used as a shelter for Katrina refugees in 2005.
Gillis Leho arrived there soaking wet. She said she awoke Sunday to find her downstairs flooded. She tried to move some belongings upstairs, then grabbed her grandchildren.
“When they told us the current was getting high, we had to bust a window to get out,” Leho said.
Some people used inflatable beach toys, rubber rafts and even air mattresses to get through the water to safety. Others waded while carrying trash bags stuffed with their belongings and small animals in picnic coolers.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said authorities had received more than 2,000 calls for help, with more coming in. He urged drivers to stay off roads to avoid adding to the number of those stranded.
“I don’t need to tell anyone this is a very, very serious and unprecedented storm,” Turner told a news conference. “We have several hundred structural flooding reports. We expect that number to rise pretty dramatically.”
The deteriorating situation was bound to provoke questions about the conflicting advice given by the governor and Houston leaders before the hurricane. Gov. Greg Abbott urged people to flee from Harvey’s path, but the Houston mayor issued no evacuation orders and told everyone to stay home.
The governor refused to point fingers on Sunday.
[List of reporters from the same AP website report titled, Rescuers pluck hundreds from rising floodwaters in Houston: Lead reporter "MICHAEL GRACZYK; Associated Press writers Carla K. Johnson in Chicago; Juan Lozano, Josh Replogle and Robert Ray in Houston; Peter Banda in Dickinson, Texas; and Jamie Stengle and Claudia Lauer in Dallas contributed to this report."]
[END AP REPORT]
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Blaine's Puzzle Blog
Weekly discussion on the NPR puzzler, brain teasers, math problems and more.
Christmas Snowflake Matching Puzzle for 2016
Our annual Christmas puzzle is available now.
As in prior years, the reward for solving is a video Christmas card, but you'll need to figure out the password by solving the puzzle first.
Note: If you need some help, the full answer is posted here, but try solving it without help first... it's more fun that way.
Feel free to add a comment below to let us know that you successfully figured it out (without giving away the answer to others). We are always looking for new ideas for next year's Christmas puzzle, so submit those too.
Posted by Blaine at 9:58 PM 22 comments
Labels: puzzles, xmas
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 25, 2016): Just a Matter of Course
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 25, 2016): Just a Matter of Course:
Q: Think of three words used in golf. Say them out loud one after the other. They'll sound like a group that was in the news in 2016. What group is it?
Am I the only one that read about the "Rough Eagle Club" in the news?
Edit: Rough is a part of the course. Eagle is a scoring term. Club is a piece of equipment.
A: Green Party (green + par + tee)
Posted by Blaine at 9:09 AM 129 comments
Labels: npr, sounds
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 18, 2016): Adding Historical Figures
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 18, 2016): Adding Historical Figures:
Q: Take the initials and last names of two opposing historical figures. Add a C and mix all the letters together. You'll get the title and last name of another historical figure from approximately the same era. Who are these people?
I'll just leave this space empty.
Edit: Custer's last stand was at Little Bighorn, MT (Montana).
A: U.S. GRANT + R.E. LEE + C --> GENERAL CUSTER
Labels: anagrams, names, npr
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 11, 2016): The Season of Shopping
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 11, 2016): The Season of Shopping:
Q: Think of a two-word phrase commonly seen on signs in new businesses. Nine letters in all. Change the sixth letter to an N, and read the resulting letters in order: You'll get a new two-word phrase sometimes seen on humorous signs in classrooms and offices. What signs are these?"
You'll also see the first sign on established stores at this time of year.
A: NOW HIRING --> NO WHINING
Labels: npr, phrases, substitution
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 4, 2016): Stuck in the Middle with You
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 4, 2016): Stuck in the Middle with You:
Q: This challenge may sound impossible, but there's a good answer. Think of a common two-word phrase, in seven letters, that has two R's in the middle. And "in the middle" means exactly in the middle. What phrase is it?
I'm sure you'll figure this out before breakfast.
Edit: I figured you were probably eating sausages (wurst) for breakfast, so at worst it would take you until then.
A: The two-word phrase AT WORST contains "TWO RS" in the middle.
Labels: npr, patterns, phrases
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 27, 2016): Sporty Actress
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 27, 2016): Sporty Actress:
Q: Take the first name of a famous actress. Drop a letter. Rearrange what's left, and you'll get a word used in a particular sport. This actress's last name, without any changes, is another word used in the same sport. What actress is it?
Sorry to drop the ball, but I've got nothing.
Edit: As others have noted, a similar version of this puzzle was presented in March 2007 - Best S'porting Actress. As for me, I guess I just threw a gutter ball this week. :)
A: KIRSTIE ALLEY --> STRIKE, ALLEY
Labels: lists, names, npr
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 20, 2016): Creative Challenge (cont.) - Wrap the Beet vs. Beat the Rap
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 20, 2016): Creative Challenge (cont.) - Wrap the Beet vs. Beat the Rap:
Q: This is a two-week creative challenge. The object is to write a conundrum or riddle that starts "What is the difference between ..." — in which the answer involves a transposition of words.
For example: What is the difference between a chatterbox and a mirror? Answer: One speaks without reflecting while the other reflects without speaking. Or: What is the difference between a lucky criminal and some Saran with a garden vegetable? Answer: One beats the rap while the other wraps the beet.
Change of spelling in the words is allowed, but not necessary. Entries will be judged on their sense, naturalness of wording, humor, elegance and overall effect. You may submit up to three entries. Mr. Shortz will announce his favorites — and the overall winner — in two weeks.
Hmm... not much to comment on this week. Obviously this is different than most of Will's puzzles in that it is open-ended and is a two week challenge. Start collecting your ideas and we'll discuss them all after the Wednesday deadline.
The winner:
What is the difference between a priest and his dog? One wears pants and a collar while the other wears a collar and pants.
— Roxanne Abrams, Skokie, Ill.
Runners-up:
What's the difference between a plane taking off and an entomologist? One flies away while the other weighs a fly.
—Ellis Seiberling, New Orleans
What is the difference between Sting and a retired E.P.A. official? One led the Police while the other policed the lead.
—Brett Hunkins, Okemos, Mich.
What's the difference between a twin and a nudist? One bears a likeness while the other likes a bareness.
—Mark Litten, Seminole, Fla.
What's the difference between a libertarian and a charitable pharmacist? One leaves you alone while the other loans you Aleve.
—Mark Mikula, Bristol, R.I.
What's the difference between a straight-A student and a car safety inspector? One breaks the curve on a test while the other tests the brakes on a curve.
—Amy Higgins, Ann Arbor, Mich.
What is the difference between a patient child at a Lionel store and one who teaches powerlifting? One waits to use the trains while the other trains to use the weights.
—Daniel Rosenblum, Teaneck, N.J.
What is the difference between a mall security guard and a deli refrigerator? One locks the stores while the other stores the lox.
—Allan Richardson, Jacksonville, Fla.
What's the difference between a funny guy next door and a radius or ulna? One is humorous to a neighbor while the other is neighbor to a humerus.
—John Perri, Plano, Texas
1) What's the difference between an unlucky hiker and a martyr? One crosses a bear while the other bears a cross.
2) What's the difference between a mountain climber and a dieter? One scales a face while the other faces a scale.
—Margie Shields, San Mateo, Calif.
What is the difference between a metal craftsman working for a funeral home and a laborer in England? One pounds urns while the other earns pounds.
—Judy Davis, Asheville, N.C.
What is the difference between a criminal and a guard? One fences watches while the other watches fences.
—Kerrie Serpa, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
1) What is the difference between last week's quarterback and this week's kidney stone? One threw passes while the other passes through.
2) What is the difference between a sperm donor and a stockbroker? One shares cells while the other sells shares.
—Jim Serpa, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
What's the difference between a coloratura soprano and an N.F.L. referee? One hits high notes while the other notes high hits.
—Anthony Gray, Closter, N.J.
What's the difference between a pizzeria and John McEnroe? One serves slices while the other slices serves.
—Justin Rosales, Dumont, N.J.
What is the difference between Charlie Brown and a shyster? One checks kites while the other kites checks.
—Dan Simmons, Salem, Ore.
What is the difference between a responsible drinker and an affectionate puppy? One handles his liquor while the other licks his handler.
—Loretta Srch, Iberia, Mo.
What's the difference between Prince Charles and rice at a wedding? One is heir to the throne while the other is thrown to the air.
—Darryl Nester, Bluffton, Ohio
1) What's the difference between a convict and an autograph? One is booked in a pen while the other is penned in a book.
2) What's the difference between a medical recruiter and a Photoshop expert? One picks the doctors while the other doctors the pics.
—Summer Beretsky Bukeavich, Williamsport, Pa.
What is the difference between a clothing store and a day trader? One stocks shorts while the other shorts stocks.
—Marshall Savitt, Albany, N.Y.
What is the difference between a subprime loan crisis and a commemorative William and Kate wedding plate? One roils the markets while the other markets the royals.
—Leah Cole, Quincy, Mass.
What is the difference between a tangled ball of string and a brave knight? One is a frayed knot while the other is not afraid.
—Bryce Mayo, Gillette, Wyo.
What is the difference between an era without war and a sprig of a certain herb? One is a time of peace while the other is a piece of thyme.
—Michael Boone, Agoura Hills, Calif.
What's the difference between a panicked driver and a radio deejay? One hits the brakes while the other breaks the hits.
—Alan Nyquist, Keego Harbor, Mich.
What's the difference between a drill instructor and a dog trainer? One barks a command while the other commands a bark?
—Manuel Bass, Fullerton, Calif.
What's the difference between a marathon race official and Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr.? One times the runs while the other runs the Times.
—Kevin Devine, Marlborough, Mass.
What is the difference between the I.R.S. and a flood? One levies taxes while the other taxes levees.
—Brian Dontchos, Seattle
What is the difference between a successful student and a food safety inspector? One meets the grade while the other grades the meat.
—Janice Gargan, Southern Pines, N.C.
What is the difference between a choral director and a detective? One leads a choir while the other acquires a lead.
—Curtis Johnson, Denver, Colo.
What's the difference between a Vandal and a Manhattan shopper? One sacks Rome while the other roams Saks.
—Andy Calderwood, Santa Barbara, Calif.
What is the difference between a gas station and a gymnasium in Prague? One is a place to check a tire while the other is a place to tire a Czech.
—Bruce Weitzman, Sherman Oaks, Calif.
What's the difference between a bus driver and a tissue? One knows the stops while the other stops the nose.
—Miles Histand, Portland, Ore.
What is the difference between a renowned attorney and a storm drain? One is a great suer while other is a sewer grate.
—Ryan McNeill, Watkinsville, Ga.
What is the difference between a ship and the Rose Bowl Court? One floats on the waves while the other waves on the floats.
—Mike Strong, Mechanicsburg, Pa.
What's the difference between a power hitter and the operator of an outdoor movie theater? One drives in runs while the other runs drive-ins.
—Steve Feldman, Framingham, Mass.
What's the difference between a beach bum abroad and the lord of the manor? One surfs overseas while the other oversees serfs.
—John Byrne, Medford, Mass.
1) What is the difference between a traveler too sick to go and a husband with his feet in the way? One misses the trip while the other trips the Mrs.
2) What is the difference between a happily married working man and a man getting a divorce? One kisses his wife goodbye upon leaving his house while the other kisses his house goodbye upon leaving his wife.
—Patrick Berry, Jasper, Ala.
Several more entries Will liked that were repeated:
What is the difference between a jeweler and a jailer? One sells watches while the other watches cells.
What is the difference between a break-dancer and a museum curator? One busts a move while the other moves a bust.
What is the difference between a mariner and narcotics agents? One sails the seas while the others seize the sales.
What is the difference between a politician and an Indian restaurant chef? One curries favor while the other favors curry.
Labels: creative, npr, patterns
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 13, 2016): Creative Challenge - Beat the Rap vs. Wrap the Beet
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 13, 2016): Creative Challenge - Beat the Rap vs. Wrap the Beet:
Hmm... not much to comment on this week. Obviously this is different than most of Will's puzzles in that it is open-ended and is a two week challenge. Start collecting your ideas and we'll discuss them all in two weeks after the deadline.
Labels: creative, npr, riddles
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 6, 2016): No Vowel Left Behind
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 6, 2016): No Vowel Left Behind:
Q: Think of a sign that's frequently seen around this time of year — two words of four letters each. Among these eight letters all five vowels — A, E, I, O, and U — appear once each, along with three consonants. What sign is it?
Edit: My hint was "LOVE MAUI" which uses the vowels in the same order as the answer.
A: VOTE AQUÍ
Labels: npr, patterns, vowels
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 30, 2016): Name in the News
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 30, 2016): Name in the News:
Q: Think of a name in the news that has a doubled letter. It's a person's last name. Change that doubled letter to a different doubled letter, and you'll get the commercial name for a popular food. What is it?
A: (Evan) MCMULLIN --> MCMUFFIN
Labels: names, npr, patterns, substitution
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 16, 2016): Five, Four, Three, Two, One, Blast-off!
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 16, 2016): Five, Four, Three, Two, One, Blast-off!:
Q: This is a two-week challenge. Take the digits 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, in that order. Using those digits and the four arithmetic signs — plus, minus, times and divided by — you can get 1 with the sequence 5 - 4 + 3 - 2 - 1. You can get 2 with the sequence (5 - 4 + 3 - 2) x 1.
The question is ... how many numbers from 1 to 40 can you get using the digits 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 in that order along with the four arithmetic signs?
You can group digits with parentheses, as in the example. There are no tricks to this, though. It's a straightforward puzzle. How many numbers from 1 to 40 can you get — and, specifically, what number or numbers can you not get? Will Shortz will reveal his solution in two weeks.
Enjoy the two-week math challenge. Feel free to post *how many* numbers you can create, but just not specifics on which ones and with what expressions.
Edit: A bit of a trick here. You can create 39 numbers, but not 39. :)
A: Without resorting to tricks, you can write expressions for all but number 39.
Labels: creative, math, npr
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 9, 2016): Grabbing a Bite to Eat Before the Movie
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 9, 2016): Grabbing a Bite to Eat Before the Movie:
Q: Name a famous actress of the past — first and last names, 10 letters altogether. Change one letter in the first name and one letter in the last. The result is a two-word phrase naming a food item often found in a kitchen cabinet or refrigerator. What is it?
I was looking into the yard and the answer came to me.
Edit: Obviously I was looking out the "Rear Window"
A: GRACE KELLY --> GRAPE JELLY
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 2, 2016): What Do You Do?
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 2, 2016): What Do You Do?:
Q: Name an 11-letter occupation starting with H. If you have the right one, you can rearrange the letters to name two things a worker with this occupation uses — one in six letters and one in five. What occupation is it?
I came up with curtains and a towel, but that isn't right.
Edit: My clues were to shears (curtains) and a drier (towel).
A: HAIRDRESSER --> SHEARS + DRIER
Labels: anagrams, lists, npr
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sept 25, 2016): Close but no Rhyme
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sept 25, 2016): Close but no Rhyme:
Q: Take the words DOES, TOES and SHOES. They all end in the same three letters, but none of them rhyme. What words starting with F, S and G have the same property? The F and S words are four letters long, and the G word is five letters. They all end in the same three letters.
As a bonus puzzle, can you think of 6-letter words starting with F, S and G that end with the same letters but don't rhyme? (P.S. Two of the words were used in our Christmas Puzzle from 2006)
Edit: The answer to my bonus puzzle was FINGER, SINGER, GINGER.
A: FOUL, SOUL, GHOUL
Labels: npr, patterns
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sept 18, 2016): Drawing a Blank
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sept 18, 2016): Drawing a Blank:
Q: Think of a familiar three-word phrase in the form "[blank] and [blank]". Drop the "and" then move the last word to the front to form a single word that means the opposite of the original phrase.
Here's a hint: The resulting single word has seven letters. What is it?
I'm literally drawing a blank... and another blank.
Edit: I guess you could say I was getting nowhere with the puzzle.
A: HERE and NOW --> NOWHERE
Labels: npr, phrases
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sept 11, 2016): Colors of the Rainbow? Days of the Week?
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sept 11, 2016): Colors of the Rainbow? Days of the Week?:
Q: Think of a well-known category with exactly seven things in it. Alphabetize the things from their ending letters, and the last letter alphabetically will be "e." In other words, no thing in this category ends in a letter after "e" in the alphabet. It's a category and set of seven things that everyone knows. What is it?
Okay, figured that out and now I can get ready to go to church.
My hint was going to "mass" as in "land mass".
A: The seven continents (Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America)
Labels: lists, npr
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sept 4, 2016): Anyone Call For An R.N.?
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sept 4, 2016): Anyone Call For An R.N.?:
Q: If you squish the small letters "r" and "n" too closely together, they look like an "m." Think of a common five-letter word with the consecutive letters "r" and "n" that becomes its own opposite if you change them to an "m."
I have a myriad of excuses as to why I forgot to post the puzzle and answer last week running the gamut from A to Z, but mainly my wife and I were very busy constructing costumes for the family to attend a convention this weekend. I intended to post as soon as I figured out the answer last Sunday but never came up with it, so forgot to get back to it. Apologies to all.
Edit: My hint was "running the gamut from A to Z". On a boat the equivalent would be from stem to stern.
A: stern --> stem
Labels: antonyms, lists, npr, patterns
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 21, 2016): Name that Rhyme
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 21, 2016): Name that Rhyme:
Q: Name a famous person with the initials B.S. and another famous person with the initials G.M. — whose first and last names, respectively, rhyme with each other. One of the names has one syllable and one has two syllables. Who are these famous people?
I'd rather be reminiscing about my vacation.
Edit:The song Reminiscing mentions Glenn Miller, and during American Idol's 2007 broadcast of Idol Gives Back, Ben Stiller jokingly threatened to sing the song nonstop until $200 billion in donations was achieved.
Labels: lists, names, npr, rhymes
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 14, 2016): The Cat's Away...
I'm unable to post the puzzle this week, but I didn't want to leave you without a place to post comments on the puzzle. Somebody help me out by posting a copy here. Then feel free to add your *hints*.
Here's my standard reminder... don't post the answer or any outright spoilers before the deadline of Thursday at 3pm ET. If you know the answer, click the link and submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here. Thank you.
Labels: npr
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 7, 2016): All that Glitters is not Gold - Answer
Here's an autopost of the solution. You didn't need "help" this week because those are the repeated letters that are removed.
A: MICHAEL PHELPS --> MICAS
Posted by Blaine at 12:00 PM 7 comments
Labels: npr, solution
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 7, 2016): All that Glitters is not Gold
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 7, 2016): All that Glitters is not Gold:
Q: Name a famous Olympics champion past or present — first and last names. Remove every letter from the name that appears exactly twice. The remaining letters in order will name certain minerals. Who is this Olympics star?
You've probably figured this out already, so you don't need my help this week.
Labels: lists, names, npr, patterns
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 31, 2016): Ponies Accept Seared Caviar
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 31, 2016): Ponies Accept Seared Caviar:
Q: Take the four four-letter words LIMB, AREA, CORK and KNEE. Write them one under the other, and the four columns will spell four new words LACK, IRON, MERE, and BAKE.
This is called a double word square. I'd like you to find a double word square with 6-letter words. Specifically, your square must include the words PONIES, ACCEPT, SEARED and CAVIAR. These four words must be among the 12 common, uncapitalized six-letter words in the square. Can you do it?
A: Here's the answer:
EMIGRE
SEARED
Labels: crossword, npr, patterns
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 24, 2016): Men's Kitchen Attire
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 24, 2016): Men's Kitchen Attire:
Q: A spoonerism is an interchange of initial consonant sounds in a phrase to get another phrase, as in "light rain" and "right lane." Name something seen in a kitchen in two words. Its spoonerism is an article that's worn mostly by men. What is it?
The problem I had was that the name I would have used for the kitchen item has the same initial sounds. And what I would have called the men's item would have the same initial sounds. Thus they would both be spoonerisms of themselves, not each other.
Edit: I'd probably call the kitchen item a pie pan and the clothing item a tie tack.
A: PIE TIN --> TIE PIN
Labels: lists, npr, sounds
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 17, 2016): Mixed-up American Politicians
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 17, 2016): Mixed-up American Politicians:
A: Name a prominent American politician — first and last names, 11 letters total. Rearrange these letters, and you'll get a country plus the former name of another country. Who's the politician, and what countries are these?
A: NANCY PELOSI --> SPAIN, CEYLON
Labels: anagrams, lists, names, npr
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 10, 2016): The Boys of Summer
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 10, 2016): The Boys of Summer:
Q: Think of a phrase that denotes a particular major-league sports team in 12 letters. The first 6 letters are the same as the second 6 letters rearranged. What team is it?
A: THE MIAMI HEAT
Labels: anagrams, npr, phrases
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 3, 2016): Shall we play a game?
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 3, 2016): Shall we play a game?:
Q: Take the word FALSE and divide it between the L and the S (e.g. FAL and SE). FAL is the start of the word FALL, and SE is the end of the word RISE. And, of course, "fall" and "rise" are opposites. Do the same thing for the word SHALL. Divide it into two parts, so that the start of it starts one word and the end of it ends another word — and those two words are opposites. The dividing point is for you to discover. There are three different solutions and you are to find all three.
A: SHORT and TALL, SHARP and DULL, SHAKY and STILL and SHAN'T and WILL
Labels: antonyms, npr
NPR Sunday Puzzle (June 26, 2016): State of the Union Address
NPR Sunday Puzzle (June 26, 2016): State of the Union Address:
A: Think of two well-known American cities, each five letters long. The first two letters of the first city are the state postal abbreviation of the second city. And the first two letters of the second city are the state postal abbreviation of the first city. What two cities are these?
What are you waiting for? Something here to lead you to the answer?
Edit: The hints were "what are" which sounds like "water" and "lead" referring to the metal.
A: MIAMI, FL(orida) and FLINT, MI(chigan)
Labels: lists, npr, patterns
NPR Sunday Puzzle (June 19, 2016): There Is Still Work to Do
NPR Sunday Puzzle (June 19, 2016): There Is Still Work to Do:
Q: Think of a word that means "unfinished." Add one letter at the start and one letter at the end, and you'll get a new word that means the opposite of the first. What words are these?
For some reason this reminds me of the Tom Hanks --> Thanks puzzle from nearly 10 years ago.
Edit: Dennis the Menace's dog was named RUFF. The cartoonist for Dennis the Menace was HANK Ketcham. Add a letter before and after and you get THANKS.
A: ROUGH --> WROUGHT
Labels: antonyms, npr, patterns
NPR Sunday Puzzle (June 12, 2016): C D B? D B S A B Z B!
NPR Sunday Puzzle (June 12, 2016): C D B? D B S A B Z B!:
Q: This week's challenge comes from listener Andrew Chaikin of San Francisco. Take the word baci (Italian for "kisses"). You can rearrange the letters to "I C A B" — which sounds like a sentence, "I see a bee."
Now, think of a unit of measurement. Rearrange its letters and read them out loud to form a sentence complimenting someone on their appearance. What's the word, and what's the sentence?
Just read C D B! by William Steig and you'll probably get the answer. Or if not, he has a second book in the series called C D C!.
I'm not sure you can call these "volumes" but that's what I was trying to hint at.
A: QUART --> URAQT (You are a cutie)
NPR Sunday Puzzle (June 5, 2016): Pack your Bags
NPR Sunday Puzzle (June 5, 2016): Pack your Bags:
Q: Name a famous actor — seven-letter first name, four-letter last name. Take four consecutive letters from the first name and three consecutive letters from the last name. These seven letters, in order from left to right, will name something that's often packed nowadays when taking a trip. What is it?
I like to travel to see the world.
Edit: "See world" sounds like "SeaWorld" which is in San Diego, home of the San Diego Chargers.
A: RICHARD GERE --> CHARGER
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 29, 2016): Game, Set and Match
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 29, 2016): Game, Set and Match:
Q: What is the most consecutive points a tennis player can lose and still win a best-of-five-sets match? There's no trick. It's a straightforward question. The modern tennis tiebreaker rule does not come into play.
So basically you've got to figure how many sets you can get behind and still be able to catch up?
Edit: You'll be almost ready to lose the 19th consecutive set. Add 57 (hint: Heinz "ketchup") and you have 76 points.
A: 76 points. You start by going up 5 games and 40-love (3 points). Your opponent then needs 5 points to win that game, and 6 more games (24 points) to win the first set 7-5, 24 points to win the second set 6-0 and then another 23 points to be at 5 games and 40-love in the third set
Labels: math, npr
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 22, 2016): Another Household Item
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 22, 2016): Another Household Item:
Q: Name a common household item in 6 letters. Change the middle two letters to a P, and you'll get the 5-letter last name of a famous person who professionally used that item. What's the item, and who's the person?
Is pectin a household item used professionally by Chef Jacques Pépin?
A: CAMERA --> CAPRA
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 15, 2016): Creature Comforts
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 15, 2016): Creature Comforts:
Q: Name a creature in nine letters. The name contains a T. Drop the T, and the remaining letters can be rearranged to spell two related modes of transportation. What are they?
A: BUTTERFLY --> UBER, LYFT
Labels: anagrams, npr
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 8, 2016): Household item
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 8, 2016): Household item:
Q: Name something in 11 letters that's a common household item. You can rearrange the first six letters to form a synonym of a word spelled by the middle three letters. What is the item, and what are the words?
For some reason this was the first thing I thought of today. By the way, if you rearrange the last 6 letters, you can name something else that is a common household item, and something that definitely is NOT.
Edit: Given that Sunday was Mother's Day, Mom was the first thing I thought of. The last 6 letters of the answer can be anagrammed to REMOTE or METEOR.
A: THERMOMETER --> MOTHER and MOM
Labels: npr, patterns, synonyms
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 1, 2016): Entrance and Exit
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 1, 2016): Entrance and Exit:
Q: Think of a word that means "entrance." Interchange the second and fourth letters, and you'll get a new word that means "exit." What words are these?
Anyone watch Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Edit: An episode of the show from 1991 was entitled "Gateway Getaway" where Robocrook steals the St. Louis Arch. It's especially notable for what happened in the final round.
A: GATEWAY --> GETAWAY
NPR Sunday Puzzle (April 24, 2016): Drugstore Singer
NPR Sunday Puzzle (April 24, 2016): Drugstore Singer:
Q: Name a famous singer — first and last names. The last four letters of the first name spelled backward plus the first four letters of the last name spelled forward ... read together, in order, name a section of products in a drugstore. What is it?
At a minimum we need a name like BURL IVES, with four letters in each name.
Edit: Burl Ives was in the musical "Paint Your Wagon" and sang "They Call the Wind Maria". The song was the inspiration for Mariah Carey's name.
A: MARIAH CAREY --> HAIR CARE
NPR Sunday Puzzle (April 17, 2016): Give 'em the old Razzle Dazzle
NPR Sunday Puzzle (April 17, 2016): Give 'em the old Razzle Dazzle:
Q: Take the name of a famous musical. Write it in upper- and lowercase letters, as you usually would. Now turn one of the characters upside-down and move it to another place in the title. The result will be the last name of a well-known stage performer. What is the musical, and who is the performer?
Chicago? Nope. Cats? Nope. Hmm... I'm not getting it!
Edit: My hint had question marks, an ellipsis and an exclamation point to point you to thinking about the punctuation.
A: Oliver! --> (Laurence) Oliv¡er
NPR Sunday Puzzle (April 10, 2016): And Threes a Crowd...
NPR Sunday Puzzle (April 10, 2016): And Threes a Crowd...:
Q: Name something in eight letters that's usually bought in pairs. Change the second letter to the letter two spaces later in the alphabet, and you'll get a new word that names something else that's usually bought in pairs. Both words are plurals. What are they?
Put the two words together and that's also something that you can buy. Who knew?
Edit: You can buy Speakers for your Sneakers or even Sneakers made into Speakers
A: SNEAKERS/SPEAKERS (Will also accepted Slippers/Snippers)
NPR Sunday Puzzle (April 3, 2016): A=1, B=2, C=3, ...
NPR Sunday Puzzle (April 3, 2016): A=1, B=2, C=3, ...:
Q: Take the word EASY: Its first three letters — E, A and S — are the fifth, first, and nineteenth letters, respectively, in the alphabet. If you add 5 + 1 + 19, you get 25, which is the value of the alphabetical position of Y, the last letter of EASY.
Can you think of a common five-letter word that works in the opposite way — in which the value of the alphabetical positions of its last four letters add up to the value of the alphabetical position of its first letter?
I'm crossing this off my list of tough puzzles; this is way too EASY!
Edit: My hint was to crosswalks which are called "zebra crossings" in the U.K.
A: ZEBRA is one possible answer. TABLE, WHACK and MACED also fit the criteria.
Labels: ciphers, npr
NPR Sunday Puzzle (March 27, 2016): Both man and woman...
NPR Sunday Puzzle (March 27, 2016): Both man and woman...:
Q: It's a two-line verse from the Nov. 12, 1803, issue of the Boston Weekly Magazine:
I am both man and woman too,
And go to school as good boys do.
Will Shortz is looking for the answer to this riddle so submit your best answer to the NPR website.
I've pulled an image from the original issue of the Boston Weekly Magazine (November 12, 1803) if that helps.
Edit: The same rebus/riddle appeared in the December 1759 issue of The London Magazine. The answer given in the following month was that the answer is "I". But this answer was less than satisfying so Will picked a different answer.
A: Ruler
Labels: npr, riddles
NPR Sunday Puzzle (March 20, 2016): A Mix of Vowels and Consonants
NPR Sunday Puzzle (March 20, 2016): A Mix of Vowels and Consonants:
Q: Think of a common nine-letter word that contains five consecutive consonants. Take three consecutive consonants out of these five and replace them with vowels to form another common nine-letter word. What is it?
Just to clarify, the first word has 5 consonants in a row; they aren't consecutive in the alphabet. I could have been at this for many weeks if I hadn't changed another assumption I incorrectly made.
Edit: My hint was "weeks" sounding sort of like an antonym of strengths. My mistaken assumption was that Will wouldn't pick a plural as a word so I was initially focused on compound words corkscrew. Incidentally, STRENGTHS is the longest English word with just one vowel.
A: STRENGTHS --> STRENUOUS
Posted by Blaine at 8:53 AM 89 comments
NPR Sunday Puzzle (March 13, 2016): Monthly Actress and Poet Meeting
NPR Sunday Puzzle (March 13, 2016): Monthly Actress and Poet Meeting:
Q: Take the name of a well-known actress. Her first name starts with the three-letter abbreviation for a month. Replace this with the three-letter abbreviation of a different month, and you'll get the name of a famous poet. Who are these two people?
At least there are only 12 months to deal with, not 13.
Edit: The actress played President Alma Coin from District 13 in "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay" (Parts 1 and 2).
A: JULIANNE MOORE --> MARIANNE MOORE
NPR Sunday Puzzle (March 6, 2016): Five Words on a Keyboard
NPR Sunday Puzzle (March 6, 2016): Five Words on a Keyboard:
Q: Bail, Nail, and Mail are three four-letter words that differ only by their first letters. And those first letters (B, N, and M) happen to be adjacent on a computer keyboard. Can you think of five four-letter words that have the same property — that is, they're identical except for their first letters, with those first letters being adjacent on the keyboard? All five words must be ones that everyone knows. Capitalized words and plurals are not allowed. What words are they?
The word "adjacent" may give you some problems, but assume that Will meant "on the same row" and it will all mesh. If you still have problems, you could always just pry up a few keys.
Edit: My hints were the word give which was one of my words. There was also mesh which was a hint to "jive".
A: DIVE, FIVE, GIVE, HIVE, JIVE
Other answers are also possible.
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 28, 2016): Graphing is Where I Draw the Line
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 28, 2016): Graphing is Where I Draw the Line:
Q: What two eight-letter terms in math are anagrams of each other, one from geometry, one from calculus?
I'm just going to say initially you may be confused, but you'll get it.
Edit: The initial letters of the two words are I and T.
A: INTEGRAL and TRIANGLE
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 21, 2016): The Letter G, Served Three Ways
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 21, 2016): The Letter G, Served Three Ways:
Q: Think of three eight-letter words that are identical in spelling except for the fourth letter. Each word contains a G ... that is pronounced differently in all three words. What words are they?
I didn't know the answer at first, but I received some reinforcement; I feel much better now.
Edit: Hints were "don't know"=stranger, "reinforcement"=stringer, "feel much better"=stronger.
A: STRANGER (soft g sound), STRINGER (nasal ng sound), STRONGER (hard g sound)
Labels: lists, npr, patterns, sounds
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 14, 2016): For Dinner Tonight We Have...
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 14, 2016): For Dinner Tonight We Have...:
Q: Name something to eat. Change one letter in it and rearrange the result. You'll name the person who makes this food. Who is it?
No need to be an "old-timer" this week. This should be easily solvable by any age.
Edit: Old-timer is an anagram of Time Lord, and the fourth Dr. Who was played by Tom Baker
A: BREAD --> BAKER
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 7, 2016): The Cat's Away (again)...
Update: Thanks for those that answered my call for help in posting the puzzle this week. While you were trying to figure it out, I was busy trying to navigate the curves of the various ski runs. I found myself face down in the deep snow inhaling ice particles several times. I handled it coolly though and didn't end up falling off any cliffs, so that's good. Now if I could just figure out the key to solving this week's puzzle...
Edit: Curve = Scoliosis, Inhaling particles = Silicosis. Other (shorter) words that work are coolly and cliffs. "Call" and "key" hinted at a telephone key pad
A: Looking at a telephone keypad, 2=ABC, 3=DEF, 4=GHI, 5=JKL, 6=MNO, 7=PRS, 8=TUV, 9=WXY. The first letters in each triad can be used to spell PAJAMA. The second letters in each triad can be used to spell REBUKE. The third letters can be used to spell several words, but for words using 9 letters I found SCOLIOSIS and SILICOSIS.
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 31, 2016): Middle East Cities and Countries
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 31, 2016): Middle East Cities and Countries:
Q: Take the name of a country and a well-known city in the Middle East — 12 letters in all. Rearrange these letters to name another country and another well-known city in the Middle East. What places are these?
To clarify, the cities and the countries may not correspond but everything is in the Middle East.
A: BAHRAIN, DUBAI <--> IRAN, ABU DHABI
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 24, 2016): Three Phrase Puzzle
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 24, 2016): Three Phrase Puzzle:
Q: Take these three phrases:
What very unusual property do they have in common?
I suppose you could hire a private escort to help you get to where you need to be with this puzzle.
Edit: If you anagram the second word in private escort you get private sector.
A: In each phrase, the second word can be anagrammed to complete another common phrase:
Turkey breast —> turkey baster
Ski slope —> ski poles
Cash drawer —> cash reward
Labels: anagrams, lists, npr, patterns
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Direct fabrication of graphene/zinc oxide composite film and its characterizations
Adnan Ali, Jeongdai Jo, Young Jin Yang, Kyung Hyun Choi
Graphene-based composites represent a new class of materials with potential for many applications. Graphene can be attached to a metal, a semiconductor, or any polymer for enhancing properties. In this work, a new mixed dispersion approach for graphene-based composite has taken on. Graphene flakes (<4 layers) and a well-known semiconductor zinc oxide (ZnO) (<50 nm particle size) have dispersed in N-methyl-pyrrolidone. We deposited graphene/ZnO composite thin film by a simple, low-cost, environmentally friendly and non-vacuum electrohydrodynamic atomization process on silicone substrate. Experiments have been carried out by changing flow rate and applied potential while keeping stand-off distance and substrate velocity constant, to discover the optimum conditions for obtaining a high-quality thin film. It has been explored that high-quality thin composite film is obtained at optimum flow rate of 300 μl/h at 6.3 kV applied potential after curing for 2 h at 300 C. Graphene/ZnO thin composite film has been characterized using Field emission scanning electron microscopy, Ultra-violet Visible near Infra Red spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman Spectroscopy and 3D-Nanomap. For electrical behavior analysis, a simple diode Indium tin oxide/(poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)/polydioctylfluorene-benzothiadiazole(F8BT)/ (Graphene/ZnO) has fabricated. It is observed that at voltage of 0.3 V, the current in organic structure is at low value of 1.20 × 10-3 Amp/cm2 and after that as further voltage was applied, the device current increased by the order of 110 and reaches up to 1.32 × 10 -1 Amp/cm2 at voltage 2 V.
Applied Physics A: Materials Science and Processing
Composite films
Semiconductor materials
Electrohydrodynamics
Field emission
Ali, A., Jo, J., Yang, Y. J., & Choi, K. H. (2014). Direct fabrication of graphene/zinc oxide composite film and its characterizations. Applied Physics A: Materials Science and Processing, 114(2), 323-330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-013-8136-y
Direct fabrication of graphene/zinc oxide composite film and its characterizations. / Ali, Adnan; Jo, Jeongdai; Yang, Young Jin; Choi, Kyung Hyun.
In: Applied Physics A: Materials Science and Processing, Vol. 114, No. 2, 02.2014, p. 323-330.
Ali, A, Jo, J, Yang, YJ & Choi, KH 2014, 'Direct fabrication of graphene/zinc oxide composite film and its characterizations', Applied Physics A: Materials Science and Processing, vol. 114, no. 2, pp. 323-330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-013-8136-y
Ali A, Jo J, Yang YJ, Choi KH. Direct fabrication of graphene/zinc oxide composite film and its characterizations. Applied Physics A: Materials Science and Processing. 2014 Feb;114(2):323-330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-013-8136-y
Ali, Adnan ; Jo, Jeongdai ; Yang, Young Jin ; Choi, Kyung Hyun. / Direct fabrication of graphene/zinc oxide composite film and its characterizations. In: Applied Physics A: Materials Science and Processing. 2014 ; Vol. 114, No. 2. pp. 323-330.
@article{9819861d6b464d0c87248bb3c1d3e2a0,
title = "Direct fabrication of graphene/zinc oxide composite film and its characterizations",
abstract = "Graphene-based composites represent a new class of materials with potential for many applications. Graphene can be attached to a metal, a semiconductor, or any polymer for enhancing properties. In this work, a new mixed dispersion approach for graphene-based composite has taken on. Graphene flakes (<4 layers) and a well-known semiconductor zinc oxide (ZnO) (<50 nm particle size) have dispersed in N-methyl-pyrrolidone. We deposited graphene/ZnO composite thin film by a simple, low-cost, environmentally friendly and non-vacuum electrohydrodynamic atomization process on silicone substrate. Experiments have been carried out by changing flow rate and applied potential while keeping stand-off distance and substrate velocity constant, to discover the optimum conditions for obtaining a high-quality thin film. It has been explored that high-quality thin composite film is obtained at optimum flow rate of 300 μl/h at 6.3 kV applied potential after curing for 2 h at 300 C. Graphene/ZnO thin composite film has been characterized using Field emission scanning electron microscopy, Ultra-violet Visible near Infra Red spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman Spectroscopy and 3D-Nanomap. For electrical behavior analysis, a simple diode Indium tin oxide/(poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)/polydioctylfluorene-benzothiadiazole(F8BT)/ (Graphene/ZnO) has fabricated. It is observed that at voltage of 0.3 V, the current in organic structure is at low value of 1.20 × 10-3 Amp/cm2 and after that as further voltage was applied, the device current increased by the order of 110 and reaches up to 1.32 × 10 -1 Amp/cm2 at voltage 2 V.",
author = "Adnan Ali and Jeongdai Jo and Yang, {Young Jin} and Choi, {Kyung Hyun}",
doi = "10.1007/s00339-013-8136-y",
journal = "Applied Physics",
publisher = "Springer Heidelberg",
T1 - Direct fabrication of graphene/zinc oxide composite film and its characterizations
AU - Ali, Adnan
AU - Jo, Jeongdai
AU - Yang, Young Jin
AU - Choi, Kyung Hyun
N2 - Graphene-based composites represent a new class of materials with potential for many applications. Graphene can be attached to a metal, a semiconductor, or any polymer for enhancing properties. In this work, a new mixed dispersion approach for graphene-based composite has taken on. Graphene flakes (<4 layers) and a well-known semiconductor zinc oxide (ZnO) (<50 nm particle size) have dispersed in N-methyl-pyrrolidone. We deposited graphene/ZnO composite thin film by a simple, low-cost, environmentally friendly and non-vacuum electrohydrodynamic atomization process on silicone substrate. Experiments have been carried out by changing flow rate and applied potential while keeping stand-off distance and substrate velocity constant, to discover the optimum conditions for obtaining a high-quality thin film. It has been explored that high-quality thin composite film is obtained at optimum flow rate of 300 μl/h at 6.3 kV applied potential after curing for 2 h at 300 C. Graphene/ZnO thin composite film has been characterized using Field emission scanning electron microscopy, Ultra-violet Visible near Infra Red spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman Spectroscopy and 3D-Nanomap. For electrical behavior analysis, a simple diode Indium tin oxide/(poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)/polydioctylfluorene-benzothiadiazole(F8BT)/ (Graphene/ZnO) has fabricated. It is observed that at voltage of 0.3 V, the current in organic structure is at low value of 1.20 × 10-3 Amp/cm2 and after that as further voltage was applied, the device current increased by the order of 110 and reaches up to 1.32 × 10 -1 Amp/cm2 at voltage 2 V.
AB - Graphene-based composites represent a new class of materials with potential for many applications. Graphene can be attached to a metal, a semiconductor, or any polymer for enhancing properties. In this work, a new mixed dispersion approach for graphene-based composite has taken on. Graphene flakes (<4 layers) and a well-known semiconductor zinc oxide (ZnO) (<50 nm particle size) have dispersed in N-methyl-pyrrolidone. We deposited graphene/ZnO composite thin film by a simple, low-cost, environmentally friendly and non-vacuum electrohydrodynamic atomization process on silicone substrate. Experiments have been carried out by changing flow rate and applied potential while keeping stand-off distance and substrate velocity constant, to discover the optimum conditions for obtaining a high-quality thin film. It has been explored that high-quality thin composite film is obtained at optimum flow rate of 300 μl/h at 6.3 kV applied potential after curing for 2 h at 300 C. Graphene/ZnO thin composite film has been characterized using Field emission scanning electron microscopy, Ultra-violet Visible near Infra Red spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman Spectroscopy and 3D-Nanomap. For electrical behavior analysis, a simple diode Indium tin oxide/(poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)/polydioctylfluorene-benzothiadiazole(F8BT)/ (Graphene/ZnO) has fabricated. It is observed that at voltage of 0.3 V, the current in organic structure is at low value of 1.20 × 10-3 Amp/cm2 and after that as further voltage was applied, the device current increased by the order of 110 and reaches up to 1.32 × 10 -1 Amp/cm2 at voltage 2 V.
U2 - 10.1007/s00339-013-8136-y
DO - 10.1007/s00339-013-8136-y
JO - Applied Physics
JF - Applied Physics
10.1007/s00339-013-8136-y
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Jarvis Landry NFL football Professional football Football Sports Baker Mayfield Nick Chubb Josh Allen Micah Hyde Odell Beckham Jr. Freddie Kitchens T.J. Carrie Devin Singletary Sean McDermott Austin Seibert Jordan Poyer Kareem Hunt Trey Edmunds Tremaine Edmunds Lorenzo Alexander Taron Johnson Rashard Higgins Demetrius Harris Denzel Ward Steven Hauschka Levi Wallace
Buffalo Bills Cleveland Browns Jacksonville Jaguars
Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns 11/10/2019
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry rushes against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb rushes during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (24) is tackled by Buffalo Bills strong safety Micah Hyde (23) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) cannot hold onto pass under pressure from Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens watches the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary (26) breaks a tackle by Cleveland Browns defensive back T.J. Carrie (38) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) scores a 10-yard touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott reacts during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) cannot hold onto the ball under pressure from Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White (27) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Cleveland Browns kicker Austin Seibert, right, watches his 27-yard field goal during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (24) rushes between Buffalo Bills free safety Jordan Poyer (21) and strong safety Micah Hyde (23) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt (27) rushes against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) is stopped by Buffalo Bills middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (49) for a safety during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Buffalo Bills outside linebacker Lorenzo Alexander (57) breaks up a pass intended for Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt (27) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) scrambles during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens, left, talks with quarterback Baker Mayfield during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb, top, is tackled by Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Rashard Higgins (81) celebrates with teammates after scoring a 7-yard touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White (27) breaks up a pass intended for Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Cleveland Browns tight end Demetrius Harris (88) congratulates wide receiver Rashard Higgins (81) after Higgins scored a 7-yard touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield celebrates after the Browns defeated the Buffalo Bills 19-16 in an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward (21) and teammates celebrate after they defeated the Buffalo Bills in an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry celebrates after the Browns defeated the Buffalo Bills 19-16 in an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Buffalo Bills kicker Stephen Hauschka (4) misses a 53-yard field goal late during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott answers questions after the Cleveland Browns defeated the Bills 19-16 in an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen answers questions after the Cleveland Browns defeated his team in an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens answers questions after his team defeated the Buffalo Bills in an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield answers questions after his team defeated the Buffalo Bills in an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Buffalo Bills defensive back Levi Wallace (39) tackles Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry (80) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
FILE - In this Nov. 10, 2019, file photo Buffalo Bills outside linebacker Lorenzo Alexander (57) breaks up a pass intended for Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt (27) during the second half of an NFL football game in Cleveland. Vowing to retire after this season, the 13-year NFL veteran knows Sunday's regular-season finale against the New York Jets won't be his final game for the playoff-bound Bills. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane, File)
By Josh Dubow 3 hrs ago
By Janie Mccauley 3 hrs ago
By The Associated Press 3 hrs ago
By Tim Dahlberg 4 hrs ago
By Eddie Pells 4 hrs ago
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Donte Jackson Perry Fewell Christian McCaffrey Ron Rivera Matt Ryan Calvin Ridley Kyle Allen Marquis Haynes John Elway Kyle Shanahan Desmond Trufant Roddy White Vic Beasley Champ Bailey Ian Thomas Sports Athlete injuries Athlete health NFL football Professional football Football
Carolina Panthers Atlanta Falcons San Francisco 49ers Denver Broncos
Ryan to OZ leads Falcons to another rout of Panthers, 40-20
By PAUL NEWBERRY - Dec. 08, 2019 06:33 PM EST
Former Atlanta Falcons player Roddy White speaks during a Falcons Ring of Honor ceremony during half time of an NFL football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons honored one of their greatest receivers at halftime.
Then a guy few people have ever heard of snatched away the spotlight.
Olamide Zaccheaus hauled in the longest touchdown pass of Matt Ryan's career, a 93-yarder that propelled the Atlanta Falcons to another dominating win over the Carolina Panthers, 40-20 on Sunday.
It was the first catch of the undrafted rookie's career — and came not long after the Falcons inducted Roddy White into their ring of honor during a halftime ceremony.
Before Sunday, White had been on the receiving end of Ryan's longest scoring play, a 90-yarder against San Francisco in 2009.
“I told O.Z. that he stole some of Roddy's thunder,” Ryan joked. “I'm so happy for O.Z. He's a guy who's worked extremely hard. He stepped up when his number was called. He knew his assignment and he broke a tackle, which was impressive.”
The game turned at the end of the first half and beginning of the second.
The Panthers made it 10-10 with just over a minute to go before halftime, but the Falcons (4-9) quickly drove into position for Younghoe Koo's 35-yard field goal on the final play.
After Carolina's Kyle Allen fumbled the ball away on a blind-side hit by Vic Beasley to start the third period, the Falcons replied with a 46-yard drive capped by Devonta' Freeman's 13-yard touchdown run that made it 20-10.
Then it was Ryan delivering the pass from his own end zone that finished off the Panthers.
The 5-foot-8 Zaccheaus beat Donte Jackson, hauled in the throw near the midfield logo, shook off Jackson's desperate grab and breezed to the end zone, with Jackson sprawled out on the turf behind him and no other Carolina player around.
“We were backed up," Zaccheaus said. ”I just had a one-on-one that I had to win. I just had to find ball and make a play for the team."
The Panthers (5-8) were officially eliminated from playoff contention with their fifth straight loss, which ruined the debut of interim coach Perry Fewell. He took over at the beginning of the week after longtime coach Ron Rivera was fired.
“I don’t think there’s one person that’s going to fix all this,” running back Christian McCaffrey said. "It’s a collective effort and once again we’ve just got to do a better job of executing and stop making it complicated on ourselves.”
Atlanta snapped a two-game losing streak and swept the season series with their I-85 rival. The Falcons won the first meeting 29-3 at Charlotte on Nov. 17.
Fewell and the Panthers endured a thoroughly miserable game. Allen was picked off twice in addition to coughing up the fumble. Carolina fumbled another one away on a kickoff return, the ball deflecting into the arms of Koo, setting off a wild celebration as the kicker bounced toward the sideline.
It was the highlight of the day for Koo, whose four field goals also included a 50-yarder that ricocheted off an upright.
Ryan finished 20 of 34 for 313 yards, also throwing a 15-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Ridley late in the second quarter as the Falcons piled up a season high for points.
Matty Ice became the 10th quarterback in NFL history to reach 50,000 yards. He's now at 50,279 and has his sights on John Elway, the NFL's ninth-leading passer with 51,475 yards.
Allen connected with Ian Thomas on a 1-yard scoring pass and tacked on a meaningless touchdown in the closing minutes with a 1-yard dive.
Jackson, who was beaten on the long touchdown play, blamed the coaches for calling an all-out blitz that left the cornerbacks on their own.
“We sent everybody,” he griped. “Zero coverage. No help. Backed up. With a quarterback like that? I don't care if you're Champ Bailey or any of those cornerbacks on the 100 (greatest players in NFL history) list, that's a play that's hard to make for any guy. Especially with a quarterback like Matt Ryan.”
Jackson also criticized the coverage on Ridley's TD catch.
“Two horrible calls,” Jackson said. “Two horrible calls that we didn't call in those situations all week at practice.”
Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant added another ailment to his injury plagued year.
Trufant went out in the first half with a forearm injury and didn't return. He already missed four games this season with a toe injury.
Ridley also left the game with abdominal pain, while the Panthers lost backup linebacker Marquis Haynes with a knee injury.
Carolina: Return home next Sunday to face the Seattle Seahawks in the penultimate home game of the season.
Atlanta: Head west Sunday to meet the San Francisco 49ers, who are coached by former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 His work can be found at https://apnews.com
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Thomas Rawls
Jaguars place RB Alfred Blue on injured reserve, release 3
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars placed veteran running back Alfred Blue on injured reserve more than two weeks after he hurt his left ankle in a...
AP source: Jags' Jack to sign 4-year, $57M extension
By Mark Long Aug. 31, 2019 04:48 PM EDT
Jaguars sign ex-Vikings RB Thomas, who is suspended 3 games
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed former Minnesota Vikings running back Roc Thomas, who is suspended for the first three games of the...
Jags clear $30M in space by cutting Jackson, Gipson, others
By Mark Long Mar. 08, 2019 02:31 PM EST
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| 0.648584
| 0.648584
|
AJL License
AFA Extract Plus ®
We are The Stem Cell Nutrition Company®, pioneers in stem cell science, and we have demonstrated that adult stem cells function as the natural renewal system of the body. Our products enhance and support the work of the body’s stem cells by releasing more stem cells, helping to circulate them in the blood and migrate them into tissues, where they can perform their daily function of renewal for optimal health. Our Mission is to enhance wellness and prosperity around the world.
2017: THE RENEWAL OF STEMTECH AND INTRODUCTION OF RCM
The company started the year with one of the most successful conventions in its history where we officially launched the new website, new tools, and three new advanced formula products - StemRelease3™, MigraStem™, and DermaStem Lift. We also introduced the highly-qualified and prominent Scientific Advisory Board headed up by Dr. Mira Gadzala. The most exciting announcement was the introduction of the new standard in stem cell nutrition and total body support with the RCM system.
2016: New Product Division and Expansion Milestone
The company expands to over 50 countries! Our expansion comes along with the launch of D-Fuze, an innovative product aimed to dissipate the EMFs that radiate from cell phones. D-Fuze opens a new division in the Stemtech line - ECO Products. The company adds prominent Dr. Yury Kronn, PhD, to its scientific board. Dr. Kronn specializes in Vital Force Technology, also called “subtle energy,” which is the basis for D-Fuze.
2015: The Next Generation of our Flagship Product
Stemtech unveils se3 advanced formula, the pinnacle of wellness. An amazing 11 new markets open, bringing our global family to 45 countries! We are named to the Inc 5000 list of fastest growing companies for the third year in a row!
2014: A Year of Worldwide Expansion and Recognition
2014 was a landmark year for Stemtech, with a number of significant developments. The company relocated our World Headquarters to Pembroke Pines, Florida, along with establishing a new European HQ in Strasbourg, France, and a new Latin American HQ in Jalisco, Mexico. Stemtech has embarked on a focused branding campaign, starting with the unveiling of a sleek, new company logo and a new line of product labels, designed to raise our level of recognition and provide a seamless experience for our Independent Business Partners, as well as for their customers. In 2014, Inc. Magazine recognized Stemtech for the third time in 5 years, and for the second year in a row, with a place on the Inc. 5,000 fastest growing companies list. We have now set up operations in over 30 nations around the world. Stemtech will look back on 2014 as a banner year for us all.
2013: The Year of the Stem Cell
2013 was hailed “The Year of the Stem Cell” by The Atlantic. Another publication, Popular Science, followed suit shortly after, both pointing out that great strides in stem cell science are being made now, thus giving more people access to stem cell related health technologies.
On March 1, 2013, Stemtech launched a major campaign —Stem Cells for All— to help educate the world about stem cells and support the growing awareness.
June 2013: Dr. Allan Somersall PhD, MD released The Amazing Power of Stem Cell Nutrition, the first ever book written about Stem Cell Nutrition. The response was so positive that it made the Best Seller List shortly after its release.
2012: Stemtech Applauds Nobel Prize Award Winner, Stem Cell Research
Stemtech applauds the Nobel Committee’s selection of stem cell researchers John Gurdon of Great Britain and Shinya Yamanaka of Japan for the 2012 Prize in physiology and medicine.
In experiments spanning over a 50-year period, Gurdon and Yamanaka “have revolutionized our understanding of how stem cells and organisms develop,” the Committee said in its announcement.
Stemtech’s President and CEO Ray C. Carter, Jr. said, “The award of this Nobel Prize further supports the recent momentum that sees adult stem cells as the most credible and promising answer to the major health challenges of our time.”
2011: Two New Products & Record Sales
SE2® Advanced Adult Stem Support is launched! As a longer-lasting formula, it supports the release of MORE adult stem cells. This patent-pending, proprietary, all-natural health advancement supports the body’s natural renewal system to help the body maintain and repair tissue and organs.
DermaStem® Renewal Serum does what no other skincare product can. Revolutionary, all-natural, it revitalizes the skin at the cellular level to restore the skin’s youthful vibrancy, and unveils brighter, smoother, younger-looking skin, starting in just 7 days.
2011 is a ground-breaking year for Stemtech. We are enjoying record sales in over 20 countries and are proud to see our growing family of Business Partners achieving success around the world.
2010: National Recognition
Following industry wide accolades, a year earlier, Stemtech received national recognition in 2010 by making Inc.’s coveted Inc. 5,000 list of fastest-growing privately held companies in America (ranked 1,484 out of over 29 million companies).
2009: Industry Accolades
2009 proved to be a big year for Stemtech. In addition to establishing a solid reputation as the global leader in adult stem cell nutrition, Stemtech is chosen as one of three finalists for the US Direct Selling Association’s prestigious Rising Star award.
2008: Growth and Expansion
With its network marketing business model in full effect, sales of Stemtech products begin to boom. Worldwide demand for stem cell nutrition encourages global expansion and Stemtech opens offices in more than a dozen countries on six continents.
2007: Stemtech on the Rise
With the launch of stem cell nutrition, Stemtech grows exponentially. Growth is partially fueled by a groundbreaking clinical study published in the highly respected journal, Cardiovascular Revascularization Medicine. This study helps to define Stemtech as the leader of the adult stem cell nutrition industry.
2005: Stemtech is Founded
With a unique product in their possession, the researchers needed a business partner who shared their passion for adult stem cell nutrition and their vision for the future. They found such a partner in Ray Carter, a seasoned business entrepreneur. Ray worked tirelessly to form Stemtech, launching the company with a single dietary supplement that supported stem cell release.
2000's: Amazing Discovery
Inspired by new developments in adult stem cell research, scientists were struck with a novel idea: what if this algae was somehow supporting the body in naturally releasing more stem cells?
Motivated by the new challenge, a research team went into high gear. More than 150 experiments later, the scientists experienced a breakthrough. At last, they had isolated the unique components responsible for the health benefits.
1980's – 1990’s: Good News Travels Fast
The multitude of reports touting the results experienced by consumers of algae helped sales of the botanical soar. However, the secret to the plant’s wide range of benefits had yet to be revealed.
1970's: Remarkable Beginnings
In the 1970s, a school teacher who was concerned about his student’s lack of focus and energy wondered if his students would benefit from eating nutrient-dense algae. Inspired by the idea, the teacher began experimenting with a natural growing freshwater plant. Those who tried the algae reported remarkable benefits.
Stemtech Malaysia, Sdn. Bhd.
(Distribution Hub also for Singapore & Philippines)
Unit 5-1, 151 Jalan Klang Lama
3 Mile Square Complex
Company Registration Number: 807347X
AJL License Number: 931740
Malaysia Local Number +60 3-7980 2007
Singapore Local Number +65 663 18939
Philippines Local Numbers +63 927 978 0501
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| 0.50884
| 0.49116
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“Okay,” Daiichi said. His Japanese was easy, a lazy drawl. He paused at the top of the flight of stairs, sneering a touch as he waited for his followers to ascend. “If you don’t hurry, they’ll be gone by the time we get there.”
There were grumbles from the others.
“Why isn’t there an elevator?” Ren whined. Of all of them, he was the heaviest, the black jacket of his school uniform straining across his shoulders. He’d dyed his hair blond, but hadn’t yet found a good style to wear it. Ren was Daiichi’s lieutenant; most thought that was because Daiichi put too much stock in Ren’s size, ignoring the fact that he was more fat than muscular. People who knew Daiichi better speculated that it was because Daiichi wanted someone fat and ugly that could offset his own good looks. Only those inside Daiichi’s group and the people who crossed them knew better.
“Only three floors,” Daiichi said. “And we wouldn’t use it if they had one. They could have someone watching.”
“With only two of them?” Ryo asked.
“Can’t hurt to be safe,” Arata said.
Kenta was the first up the flight of stairs. Daiichi clapped one hand on his shoulder. Their leader asked, “Ready?”
“Ready,” Kenta answered. His heart pounded.
For others, for his neighbors and peers, conformity was safety. To be the same as one’s peers, it reassured the self, reassured others. Standing out was bad.
But Kenta stood out anyways. He looked different. People knew his mother was Chinese. He was oddly tall for his age, his grades poor. He could have struggled, but there was so little point. He was competing with classmates who were already miles ahead of him, who were fighting to keep ahead of one another by studying after school, studying at night.
This was something else. It was both thrilling and terrifying, to recognize those lines and ignore them. To be brazen, to stand out on purpose. Breaking rules, breaking convention. He imagined it was like the rush that accompanied a fall to open water or hard ground.
“This is our springtime,” Daiichi said, and he managed to say it without sounding ridiculous. At seventeen, he was older than any of them.
Springtime, Kenta thought. Daiichi had it all planned out. They would earn a reputation for themselves, then submit themselves to the Yakuza. With luck, they would be accepted as low-level members of the ‘chivalrous organization’. The freedom would be gone, in a way. Their ‘springtime’, in a sense, referred to the brief period where they were free to do what they wanted, between the confines of school and membership in the Yakuza.
“There’s only two Chinese?” Ren asked, as they filed out of the stairwell and into the restaurant on the third floor. The rooms here had thick walls and a wooden door, rather than the traditional paper. They’d wanted privacy, maybe. It didn’t matter.
“My cousin owns the building,” Daiichi said. “He said they paid with bundles of bills, and no other Chinese came in. Some Western gaijin, but nobody threatening.”
Kenta looked back at their group. Nine people for two men? And they had an unfair advantage, besides.
“Go,” Daiichi ordered.
Kenta was stronger than Ren, so he was the one to kick down the door. He moved aside to let fat Ren advance. He wasn’t stupid, wasn’t ignoring the possibility the foreigners had guns.
There was no gunfire. Instead, he could hear someone speaking in English, very calm.
“The woman is upset you did not take enough precautions,” A man said, in Chinese. He sounded more alarmed than the English speaker.
Daiichi and Ren led the advance into the back room. Kenta followed, looking over Ren’s shoulder to take in the scene.
There were five people in the room. Two were Chinese, sure enough. Businessmen, they seemed to be, kneeling on one side of a squat dining table that was neatly stacked with cash and ‘bricks’ of white powder in plastic wrap, as well as various dishes laid out with vegetables and meat. A Japanese man sat at one end of the table, hands folded in his lap, eyes wide.
But there were two more gaijin in the room, kneeling opposite the Chinese foreigners. A black woman in a white suit jacket and a knee-length dress, and a twenty-something woman with a European cast to her features, with dark hair and a black suit.
The black woman spoke, and the Japanese man translated it to Chinese. “The woman recommends we stand back. Her bodyguard will take care of the situation.”
“The woman in front is a bodyguard,” Kenta told Daiichi.
This was wrong. The two women were too confident.
Daiichi drew a gun and pointed it at the woman. Kenta felt his heart leap at the sight of the weapon.
Then Daiichi fired, a warning shot. Kenta flinched despite himself. He’d never heard a gunshot before. Loud.
The men were cowering, trying to hide beneath the table. The women hadn’t even reacted.
“One bodyguard?” Daiichi asked, sneering. He made the first move. He flared a brilliant green, then jolted as a phantom replica of himself leaped forth.
The phantom Daiichi flew across the room like living lightning, a trail of neon green smoke in its wake.
The bodyguard was already moving, her hand on a plate. She turned it upside-down and threw it in a single motion, and it caught the air like a frisbee. It turned in mid-air and crashed into the real Daiichi’s face.
He staggered, and the phantom he’d created dissipated a fraction of a second before reaching the bodyguard. She shut her eyes as the residual smoke carried past her.
Kenta stared. He’d never seen Daiichi’s ability fail him like that.
Daiichi raised the gun, and the woman raised one knife from the table, turning it around so she held the blade, the metal handle extended. She held it out with one hand, pointing it at Daiichi’s shoulder.
Daiichi fired, and the knife went flying. It ricocheted, spinning rapidly, striking the doorframe behind the bodyguard before flying over her head in a tall arc. She caught it in her other hand, resuming the exact same position as before, then shook her right hand for a second.
She said something, murmuring it in English. The knife, still held in front of her, had a dent on the end.
The black woman behind her said something else.
“What are they saying?” Daiichi asked.
“The woman in the suit just got permission to kill us,” Hisoka said. “But the black one said not to spill any blood.”
“We should run,” Kenta said.
“You scared?” Daiichi asked. “We have muscle.”
“So does she,” Kenta retorted.
Daiichi only smirked.
Can’t run, we’re going to get hurt if we stay…
Ren rolled his shoulders, then inhaled.
Wind rushed out of the room, and small objects were drawn towards Ren. The intensity of the suction grew as the fat boy sucked in more and more air.
The bodyguard kicked one edge of the low table, and the wind caught it, helping it rise. Money, plates and the bricks of white powder slid to the floor, sliding and rolling towards Ren.
Daiichi opened fire again, indiscriminate, but she didn’t even react. Her knife blocked one shot that was directed more at the black woman, flying out of her grip, and the bodyguard walked between the rest of the shots without even dodging. She seized a table leg in one hand. It would have been too heavy to lift, but Ren’s suction was hauling it off the ground. Two bullets bit into the thick wood.
Daiichi unleashed his power, creating another ghostly replica of himself, incredibly fast, stronger than he was.
The woman kicked the table, and it spun through the air as it flew towards Ren, clipping the ghost. The phantom lost an arm and a chunk of its chest, got its bearings, then charged the bodyguard. The damage to its chest was too grave, and it crumpled into neon green dust a pace away from her.
Ren was struck by the moving table, hit with enough force that he stumbled backwards into Kenta, Hisoka, and the other mundane members of the group.
Ren blew, and the table went flying across the room. Kenta’s heart sank as he saw the woman, crouching low to the ground. Her hand reached up to strike the flying table, altering its course as it flew towards the Chinese men. It came so close to hitting them that Kenta thought it would be like the cartoons, where someone was cut but didn’t start bleeding until seconds had passed.
Except it hadn’t hit them, and the woman was too close to the ground to really be affected by the wind.
“Suck!” Daiichi shouted.
“Don’t!” Kenta said, though there was little point.
It was too late. Ren had stopped blowing, buying her a second to move. She stepped forward, closing the distance to the group. Daiichi created a third ghost, rushing towards her, but she avoided the first strike.
Ren started drawing air in once more. Daiichi’s spirit opened with a flurry of attacks, moving twice as fast as she was, but failed to land a strike. The bodyguard took a step back and used the toe of her glossy black shoes to flick a brick of powder into the air. She threw it, and the suction only added to its velocity as it soared to Ren’s right.
Daiichi’s spirit was fast enough to avoid the brick, but Daiichi wasn’t. It bounced off his head, and the ghost dissipated again. She kicked the table, and again, the suction caught it. It flew into Ren’s shins, and he fell.
Thrice, both the ghost and Ren had been countered, almost casually.
Daiichi shouted, uncharacteristically angry. Uncharacteristic, maybe, because he’d never lost a fight before.
The others pushed forward from behind Kenta. Had they not just seen the fight? They really thought they’d accomplish something?
But the force of the others charging forward from behind started him moving forward, and he was driven to keep advancing by the vague, incoherent idea of what might happen to him if he, the largest, physically strongest member of Daiichi’s group, turned coward.
He knew in an instant that it was a mistake. Daiichi’s ghost, twice as fast and twice as strong as Daiichi himself, an expendable assailant, hadn’t accomplished anything. Why would six or seven teenaged delinquents?
She tore through them, every movement precisely calculated to disable, to crush, blind, stun and stagger. They were driven to stumble into one another, their weapons knocked from their hands. She wasn’t any faster than any of them, not a martial artist, though there was a degree of elegance to what she did. No movement wasted.
Her foot caught Kenta in the diaphragm. She planted one hand on the back of his head as he winced from the blow, then pushed him face first into the ground.
His teeth bit into a brick of powder, puncturing the plastic itself. Kenta tried to rise, but she stepped on the back of his head, driving him facefirst into the brick a second time, hard.
Someone else fell to the ground a short distance away. Kenta turned to look, simultaneously coughed, and loose powder exploded around his face, filling his eyes.
The powder caked his nose, thick in his mouth, to the point that he couldn’t swallow.
Drugs weren’t a ‘big’ thing in the East, even among gangs. He didn’t know the particulars of any powder or substance. Only that they were bad, possibly lethal if too much was ingested. He tried to spit it out, but couldn’t help but feel like he was swallowing more than he was removing. The weight of the woman bodyguard was on his head, holding him there, suffocating.
He felt the rush of it taking hold, intense and seemingly without a ceiling to top it off. His face in the dirt, in the dust, he was overwhelmed by the paradoxical sense of being like the king of the world.
That rush lasted too short a time. He could feel the rush building until it felt like his heart was going to burst or vibrate itself into pieces. He felt nauseous, as if he was going to throw up, but couldn’t bring himself to.
Kenta’s left arm started going numb. He knew what that meant.
With a cold feeling in his churning gut, he thought, I’m having a heart att–
He found himself out of his body. He was an observer, an outside agent, without body or mind. He couldn’t think. He could only exist, as a part of some sequence of events.
Two entities, communicating in increasingly short bursts as they drew together. Two entities, each unfolding and folding through realities, through multiple worlds at the same time. Two entities, singing ideas through mediums he could barely comprehend. Through light and heat and space and half-lives and gravity.
And they were looking. Looking at a planet that was broad, more gas than solid. A world of perpetual storms. There were lifeforms in there, lifeforms in countless possible variations of that world. Bloated bags of gas that flowed through and in the storms, in kalleidoscopic patterns.
He could see what they were focusing on, see them examining those possible worlds, declaring something. Ownership here. Claim there. Territory elsewhere.
Kenta’s thoughts were confused as he felt the high seize him. Three things overwhelming him at once. The things he’d just seen, fleeing from his recollection. His own body, dying in a violent, incomprehensible way. The world beyond-
He blinked the dust out of his eyes, felt them burn, could only see shadows, could only hear the rush of blood in his ears.
The bodyguard had stepped away from him, freeing him to raise his head. She’d staggered, and was being supported by the black woman.
He turned away, flipping himself over. He could see the fat shape of Ren, on his hands and knees, Daiichi prone on the ground.
The bodyguard recovered faster. She found her stride quickly enough.
She kicked at Daiichi’s throat, hard. Ren, she struck in the nose with one boot.
The black woman said something in English.
“S-she’ll take the cost of the lost product out of the deal,” the translator said in Chinese, his voice distant.
Kenta only lay there, his chest heaving. He felt stronger, could feel his heart returning to some form of equilibrium.
But he knew he couldn’t win. He lay there, doing his best to emulate the dying, as the Chinese men collected both cash and drugs in a bag, handing them to the black woman.
She spoke, and the Japanese man translated it to, “She would like to discuss delivery of the product on the way out.”
Kenta lay there long after the two women and the Chinese men had left. He wiped caked powder from his face, though the effects had receded, the tingling and the rush long since faded. Whatever had happened to him, the drugs did almost nothing, now.
He wiped his face with his shirt, then checked on his friends.
Daiichi, dead, suffocated, eyes bulging. Ren lay there, eyes rolled up into his skull, his nose rammed into his brain, though the blood hadn’t leaked past the aperture of his nostrils.
Hisoka, suffocated on powder, as Kenta almost had. Arata, gasping for air he couldn’t seem to pull into his lungs. Ryo’s head had a dent in it, and his eyes were unfocused. Jirou’s airway had been blocked, much as Daiichi’s had. Both Takeo and Shuji lay dead with no apparent wounds.
All dead or dying, with no blood spilled. Technically.
Kenta waited, holding Arata’s hand as the boy slowly died, then he straightened.
Idiots, he thought, with a degree of anger. It had been foolish to escalate the fight after seeing what the woman was capable of. He’d be more careful of who he fought in the future.
Lung toyed with a flame in one of his hands as he watched the great lizard-man’s rampage.
The Sentai Elite were battling the thing, assisted by the gaijin heroes. Once every few minutes, someone passed him, flying, carrying wounded. Lung didn’t care. It was about timing. If he was going to do this, he’d do it right.
A tidal wave rocked the area, and Lung had to hold on to a nearby building to keep from falling. Heroes were swept up in the wash of water, and buildings were leveled.
The anticipation of a fight stirred inside him. He could feel the scales beneath his skin, just itching to be brought to the surface. The fire, too, was warm in the core of his body.
This was a fight that was worthy of him. The trick was orchestrating it so he wouldn’t die before he got strong enough. It was his biggest drawback. The fight… the heroes were stalling in their own way as well. He could tell by the way the heroes moved. They fought in shifts.
Eidolon was fighting now. He hurled globes of energy the size of small houses at Leviathan, and each one was sufficient to knock the creature away, flaying away the thing’s skin and simultaneously slowing it. The hero’s own hydrokinesis deflected the lizard’s ranged attacks, diverting them skyward or off to one side. Leviathan couldn’t attack from range, and couldn’t get close without getting pummeled. He attempted to run, only for Japan’s foremost team, the Sentai Elite, to step into his way, blocking his progress.
“Are you fighting?”
Lung turned to look at the speaker. A woman in a yellow and black Sentai costume.
“Yes,” he answered, his voice a rumble. His power had granted him additional strength, durability, regeneration and control over fire even in his ordinary form, but the changes to his body had altered his voice.
She glanced at the fight, as if unsure whether she should be participating or talking to Lung, “You’re a yankee?”
“You’re a villain?”
Another tidal wave rocked the area. This time, the water reached Lung, sweeping up to waist level and forcing him to hold the windowsill again to avoid losing his footing. He caught the Sentai woman’s wrist to keep her from being washed away.
He could feel the scales beneath his skin stirring, threatening to rise, eager.
“Sumimasen deshita,” she said, once the water was mostly gone.
Lung only grunted a response.
“Why are you back here?”
“I’m waiting,” he answered. “And you should be fighting.”
“I can’t do anything. My power hurts people, but it doesn’t hurt him. I’m not permitted to leave.”
The heroes were winning, slowly but surely. Slowly more than anything. Each tidal wave was doing catastrophic damage in the meantime.
I’ll fight, he thought.
With that very thought, his power started stirring into effect. The scales began growing, slowly but surely, bristling like a sea urchin’s spines as they arranged themselves. The very anticipation of the fight was serving to fuel his abilities. When he changed, it would be rapid, accelerated by the sheer threat his opponent posed.
He abandoned his handhold and began striding through the flooded streets, towards Leviathan and the others.
He’d made a promise to himself. He wouldn’t lose again. Victory, it didn’t matter. But losing? He wouldn’t accept it, not like the loss he’d faced at the hands of the unnamed woman.
And that very thought, that certainty, it stirred his power further, as though it were something alive, something other.
Another tidal wave hit. Leviathan disappeared in the midst of it, reappearing elsewhere. Lung could hear the destruction as the beast clawed and tore through the base of one building that heroes were perched on. He quickened his pace, felt himself growing stronger as he got closer.
The beast was otherwise occupied… this was the time.
“You’re going to die!” the Sentai in black and yellow shouted.
I’ll never die, Lung thought. I might fall, but I’ll come back again and again. I might falter, but I’ll return with twice the fury.
The waves were more frequent now. Buildings here had been built to tight specifications, to remain standing in the face of earthquakes and tsunamis, but it wasn’t enough. Barely a minute passed between the strikes, with each wave reaching further inland than the last, and only a handful of buildings stood at their full height, where there had been a city here only an hour ago.
It was in one of those brief moments of respite that the ground shuddered. Lung nearly lost his footing. When he looked up at the night sky, he could see that the tallest standing buildings were swaying, like fronds bending in the wind.
Somewhere he couldn’t see in the gloom, a building swayed too far and crashed to the ground.
Eidolon backed off, and Alexandria stepped in, flying into close quarters with the beast, battering him. He tried to duck beneath the water, but she broke off to fly beneath, using her strength and the speed of her flight to part the water, cutting off his retreat. He slowed as he entered open air, though slow wasn’t the word. Legend caught him square in the chest, and Leviathan slowed long enough for Alexandria to catch him by the tail.
She flew straight up, holding the monster by the tail. Between Leviathan’s dark scales and Alexandria’s black costume, they disappeared in the gloom.
Leviathan fell, and the resulting impact was oddly out of sync with his mass. The water in particular seemed to react, a single ripple extending outward, clearing an area around him of any and all water.
Lung braced himself, felt the water collide with him with a force like a locomotive, was summarily dragged beneath, trapped, suffocating.
Scales pierced his skin, strength surged through him, and his pyrokinesis boiled around him, disrupting the water’s flow, rendering it to steam.
Other heroes were pushed back a hundred meters, but Lung was already standing, burning himself dry, advancing on the fight, where Eidolon was again engaging with Leviathan.
Another tidal wave struck, barely giving the defending forces time to recover from the last assault. Lung lost his footing, lost another dozen feet of headway.
More scales were sprouting, they were growing en masse now. His blood coursed through his veins at twice the usual speed. Fire burned around him perpetually now. He was naked, the burned rags of his clothes swept away by water, and he didn’t care. He was in freefall, of a sort, but it wasn’t the ground waiting for him. It was Leviathan.
His flame blasted out to pelt the Endbringer. It didn’t do any substantial damage.
Lung ran, and it took him an instant to get used to his newfound strength, to find a stride and a rhythm.
The ground was shaking almost constantly, now. The lasers, Eidolon’s strikes, the very impacts of the blows Alexandria delivered, the Sentai’s attacks, the barrages from assisting heroes. A cacaphony of noise, light and violence.
He struck Leviathan, and was struck in turn, his bones broken, internal organs smashed.
He very nearly blacked out, but his rage won out. He struggled to his feet, found one femur in two distinct pieces. He knelt instead, resting his weight on one knee, the other foot planted on the ground, taloned toes biting into asphalt, and he directed a constant stream of fire at the Endbringer.
A flick of Leviathan’s tail sent him sprawling.
But Lung knew he’d reached a critical point. His leg was already healing, the changes speeding up. He stopped to hold his leg, pull the bones into what was more or less the right position, so they could bond.
Anyone who crosses me will pay twice over, he thought.
A Sentai in purple and green offered him a hand. Lung ignored the man, standing on his own. Again, a stream of fire, but the color was more blue than red.
The Sentai joined him, adding their ranged fire to his. They had a man who mass produced their armor and weapons, each with wrist-mounted laser guns, rifles at their hips. Sixteen or seventeen of them opened fire with both weapons at the same time.
Leviathan turned, struck. Some Sentai used powers to soften or deflect the incoming scythe of water.
Leviathan charged, and Lung stepped forward to meet the brute, roared in defiance.
He wasn’t strong enough. Leviathan knocked him aside, and Lung rolled, putting taloned hands and feet beneath him before rushing forward, shallow leaps that carried him over the water that was knee-high to the humans. Barely halfway up Lung’s own calves.
He found handholds in the shallow wounds on Leviathan’s back and shoulders. The abomination moved, and the watery echo that followed its movements crashed into Lung. Not enough to unseat him.
The tidal wave that struck wasn’t enough either, nor Leviathan’s speed as the creature swam. Lung dug deeper, clawed flesh away. Deeper in Leviathan’s body, the flesh was only harder, the ichor making it slick.
Lung roared, burned head to toe as he clawed deeper still. If Leviathan’s muscle was as hard as steel, Lung would burn hot enough to melt steel.
Leviathan surfaced, and Lung found his way up to the monster’s neck. He tried to reach around, and his arm shifted, reconfiguring to be a fraction longer. Lung’s legs, arms, and talons were growing as well.
Stronger, larger. Another man might have been afraid of what he was becoming, but this was only continuing the freefall. Freedom.
Leviathan shook him free, and Lung found no trouble in putting his feet under him. His mouth strained, opened wider than it should have, four individual mouthparts flexing, bristling with teeth, his own lips buried somewhere deep inside, altered.
Water steamed and boiled around Lung’s calves as he stood as straight as he was able. He’d changed more, his shoulders broadening, his chest heavy with muscle. He had to rest his taloned hands on the ground to maintain his balance. His senses focused on Leviathan like a laser, taking in everything, even the faint creaking of the monster’s movements and the Sentai’s muscles, and the infintesmally small burbles of ichor bubbling forth from Leviathan’s wounds.
The ground was rumbling constantly, to the point that the local heroes were starting to seem more concerned about the landscape than about Leviathan.
There was a crack, and Lung was put in mind of the gun Daiichi had fired, more than two years ago. A loud sound, a wrong sound.
The ground shifted underfoot. Heroes scrambled for cover, scrambled to run or save their friends, and water rushed forth. Lung merely set his taloned toes in the ground, ignoring the water, the debris, and the people that flowed past him.
Leviathan charged him.
He can’t ignore me now, Lung thought. He was only half the height of the Endbringer, but it was enough. Fire against water, claw against claw. Leviathan hit harder, but Lung healed faster. Every second he fought without Leviathan tearing him in half was a second that was to his advantage.
The ground parted, and Lung could hear the water rushing in to fill the void. The landmass had parted, and ocean water was streaming in from miles away.
Leviathan tried to drag him closer to the chasm, no doubt wanting to fight in that churning abyss. Lung planted toes in the ground and resisted.
Alexandria was there in a heartbeat, helping, keeping Leviathan from finding his way inside. She drove the monster back, bought Lung purchase.
She said something in English, but Lung didn’t know the language. The only others who spoke Japanese or Chinese were gone, now. They’d evacuated who they could, and the remainder were left to drown. The only ones left were the indomitable, and for now, Lung was among them. They fought to keep Leviathan from continuing his rampage, to keep him from carrying on until he’d wiped away all of Japan. Lung just fought.
Fought for minutes, hours. Fought until four wings extended from his back, and he burned so hot that the steel-like flesh just beneath Leviathan’s skin was blackening and charring to ash by proximity alone. Until he was larger than Leviathan, until even Alexandria hesitated to get too close.
For that indeterminate period of time, Lung was king of the world.
But he began to weaken. The lesser heroes were gone, washed away or helping others to evacuate, the greater heroes a distance away.
And Lung had nothing to fuel his power. He was engaged in a fight of ten times the scale he’d been in before, and his power was leaving him.
The landmass disappeared beneath the pair of them, the shards of land drawn beneath the waves, and Lung was now fighting Leviathan in the monster’s home ground.
For an instant, he thought he would die. But Leviathan, wounded, broke away and fled into the depths.
Lung only sank, too dense to float, growing wearier by the second as his power left him, the fight over.
He’d expected a feeling of satisfaction, but he knew he hadn’t delivered a killing blow, that he had been a long, long way from it, though he’d done more damage than anyone had in years.
His enemy couldn’t be killed. Lung had become something more terrifying than the Endbringer, but there had been nobody to see. None of the public to recognize him, to respect and fear him.
He sank, feeling a kind of despair. Too tired to move, he touched bottom.
Alexandria found him in the depths and brought him to the surface.
The walls of the C.U.I. prison loomed around him.
Lung fumed, but his power was denied him. He paced, punched walls, burned the concrete with his power. All around him, the area was pockmarked with the wounds that marked his periodic struggles.
They’d had him in regular cells before. It had been a learning process for them. He’d found that surviving in a prison like this involved being a true monster, so he’d bowed his head to one boss. When this boss had discovered what he was capable of, he’d attacked another leader in the prison. The ensuing war had ended with Lung being placed in higher security, until he fought the man who’d brought him food, very nearly escaping before Tōng Líng Tǎ, who never showed herself, encased him in a mountain of stone.
All in all, three years since he’d fought Leviathan. Two years since he and his mother had come here to Chaohu. A year and eight months since he’d been arrested by the Yàngbǎn.
A year and four months since Tōng Líng Tǎ had buried him here at the base of this pit, with the same routine. Twice a day, he would get two packages with food. Every day, he would pace, trying to tap into his abilities, finding them beyond his reach. He would struggle, fume, scream, and wonder if he was going mad with the solitude. Sometimes it rained, and he found himself knee deep in water. Sometimes it was cold enough he couldn’t sleep. Always, he was here, in a pit so deep that the hole at the top looked no larger than his handspan when he held his hand overhead.
Every seven days, Tōng Líng Tǎ used her powers on the walls. The floor, she left alone, but the walls were wiped clean, her power to manipulate stone turning the four impossibly tall walls of Lung’s cell into flawlessly smooth surfaces. She would absorb any and all of the trash that remained from his meals, any of the wildlife that had accidentally found their way into the pit, and all of Lung’s leavings, which he customarily left in one corner of his cell.
Every fourteen days, like clockwork, the Yàngbǎn opened communications.
Lung was waiting, waiting for Tōng Líng Tǎ to use her power. Like a ripple traveling over the surface of water, he could see her power extend down the walls of his cell. It touched the base of the wall and traveled along the floor.
Lung didn’t resist as the ground swept over his legs, trapping him from the knee down.
They appeared, descending from above, floating. Two of them this time. They made no mention of his lack of clothes or his shaggy hair. Both wore identical uniforms, red jackets and pants, their red masks turning their faces into overlarge, featureless gemstones with coverings over their ears
At each of their shoulders, there was a number. One-six and two-seven. Not ones he’d met before. No names. No identities.
Always, the same questions, always in Chinese. He didn’t answer.
“The American heroes approached you. What deals did you strike?“
Again, he didn’t answer. He’d tried to tell them the truth, that he’d told the heroes to go away. The Endbringers couldn’t die. There was no point to fighting them. Twice they had approached him with better deals, promising him the world, but he’d turned them down twice in turn. He’d considered the idea of taking the third offer, but then he’d followed his mother to the C.U.I. states and lost touch with the Americans.
Not a real concern.
“You will stay here until you answer our questions.”
“I will join,” he told them.
They exchanged a glance between them.
He moved one hand and saw them flinch. They wouldn’t burn any more than the other Yàngbǎn members had, but they still feared him.
It made him feel better than anything in the past long months.
“The Yàngbǎn is the solution,” the taller of the two said. “You agree this is truth?”
“No,” Lung said.
“That is a shame.”
“I want out of here,” Lung told them. “That is all. If I must kneel, I will.”
“We need to hear the right answers before we can go any further. We will come again in two weeks time and we will ask you again. If you give us the answer we require, we can move on to the next step.”
And, Lung thought, carry down the chain of questions, steps, and procedures until I fail. You will break me and brainwash me until I am one of you.
Worst of all, they would take his powers, most of them, and give him others in turn. This was the reason they imprisoned him, the reason they sought to break him.
He would risk it, and accept the offer. He would do whatever they required of him, and then he would kill whoever he needed to and escape.
With every defeat, a matching ascent.
“The ‘Azn Bad Boys’ is a shit name,” Bakuda said.
Lung didn’t react, staring at her.
“It was the name of the group I joined when I came to America.”
“See, that’s what I don’t get. You’re a badass, fine. You tested the waters, took on a whole team of local heroes, and you walked away. Right?”
“I fought Armsmaster, Dauntless, Miss Militia, Velocity, Challenger, Assault and Battery,” he said. “Yes.”
“Except you’re small time. You’ve got all this power, and what do you have to show for it?”
“Fear,” he said.
“I don’t fear you,” Bakuda said. Her pale blue eyes stared at Lung, unflinching.
“You will,” he answered her.
She shrugged. She paced, looking around the building. Two of Lung’s whores sat on a couch, looking distinctly uncomfortable, as if they didn’t know how to hold themselves, the pose to take.
“There are two kinds of fear, Bakuda,” Lung said. “The first is common. Fear of the unknown. A questioning fear.”
“Uh huh,” she said. He could tell he had her attention.
“This is fear of unanswered questions. If I fought him, would I win? How is he going to hurt me? Who or what is he?”
“And the other kind?”
“A fear of knowing. Of realities. If I fight him, I lose. I know him, and I quiver to be in his presence. I know he will hurt me and I know it will be the worst pain imaginable.”
Bakuda didn’t reply.
“I have found that the first is a weak fear. It breaks. It ends when you have answers, when others give you their support. The other? It is a fear that breeds itself. It is a disease, and it only gets stronger when you fight it and fail. I have situated myself here to engender that kind of fear. The residents know me. Those I want for my gang, I take. My influence grows, and my enemies know not to cross me, because I always have my vengeance.”
“But the ‘Azn Bad Boys’?”
“A reminder, to my enemies, of what I’ve done before, what I could do again.”
Bakuda frowned.
“I defeated many gangs, many groups. Some had powered members, others did not. I recruited some. Oni Lee was one. The rest I killed.”
“And the heroes didn’t stop you?”
“The heroes see me as a double-edged sword. They fear me. They know what I am capable of when the situation calls for it, they know I am too strong to defeat as a group. For now, I wait. They leave me be because the only aggression they can see is that I inflict on other criminals, and I amass power, swelling in reputation.”
“And the fact that you, a halfbreed, recruited me, a halfbreed, and built a gang of a bajillion different races, it’s totally not a freudian thing, tying back to some childhood issues.”
“No,” Lung growled.
Bakuda only smiled. “And what happens down the road?”
“I have enemies,” Lung thought. “Those who have slighted me, those who have won.”
“Like Leviathan?”
Lung shook his head. “Leviathan, I beat, if you can even call it an enemy. It is a force of nature. No, I speak of other enemies, insults old and new. I will defeat each of them in turn, and then I will rule.”
The woman in the suit, the Yàngbǎn.
“So petty. And you want me to help?”
“You will help,” Lung said. “Because you think like I do. In terms of power and fear.”
Bakuda took a seat at the end of the couch. The two whores inched away from her.
She smiled at that. “Alright. You got me.”
“…and that’s the gist of it,” Amelia said.
Lung watched Teacher’s expression change as he considered the idea. The man seemed so ordinary, so unassuming. To hear the man talk about it, he’d been one of the foremost criminal masterminds until the heroes trumped up charges against him.
“I might not be explaining it right,” Amelia said, “How my power works, hard to interpret. But I think I’ve worked it out.”
“I can see where it makes sense to you,” Teacher said. “But for those of us with no conception of these power granting entities, we don’t have enough solid ground to found the idea on.”
Amelia frowned.
Teacher shook his head. “There’s holes in your logic. The Endbringers?”
“I don’t see how they fit in,” she admitted.
“A developmental step forward?”
“No,” Amelia said.
“A step backwards, then?”
“No. At least, I don’t think so. Something else entirely.”
“To be frank,” Teacher said, “I don’t know whether to hope you’re right or wrong.”
“It’s both,” Amelia said. “It’s bad, but at least we know how bad.”
“With nothing we can do about it until someone lets us out,” Teacher said.
Amelia frowned. She rested her elbows on her knees, as she sat on the edge of Marquis’ bed. Plastic crinkled with the movement. The tattoo artist who was working on her arms had scrounged up plastic sheets from the meals that came down the shafts, sterilizing them and then taping them in place. The freshest tattoos and the irritated flesh around the markings were blurry just beneath.
Panacea had complained about how idiotic it was, because she couldn’t get sick, but any artist had their rules and peculiarities, and Marquis had told her to accept them.
“Well,” Marquis said. “It’s food for thought. I’d suggest a breakout attempt, given how grave this all seems, but we know how that tends to go.”
“Yes,” Teacher agreed. “Our deal stands? You won’t replace my dentists or doctors?”
“That wasn’t the deal,” Marquis chided. “We’ll price match. A little competition will keep your employees honest.”
Teacher frowned.
“It’s the best deal I’m willing to-”
Marquis stopped short. Lung turned to see Spruce at the entryway into the cell.
“Hey, boss,” Spruce said.
“What is it?” Marquis asked.
Spruce gave him a curious look before turning back to Marquis, “Big news. TV.”
Lung took his time walking down to the televisions. Marquis, Spruce and Amelia made their way down, where a crowd had gathered to watch. It was rare, that the same thing would be on all of the working televisions.
“It was due to a concerted effort this evening that we were able to stop Alexandria before more damage could be done.”
“What’s this?” Amelia asked. She gave Lung a nervous glance as he approached.
“Alexandria bit it,” Cinderhands said.
With that, each of the new arrivals turned their attention to the screen.
“…will recognize Taylor Hebert, revealed to be Skitter in a controversial confrontation at the school just a week ago, a confrontation Alexandria ordered. Taylor Hebert played a crucial role in stopping Alexandria in a moment of crisis, ending the fight.”
“No shitting way,” Panacea said.
Lung remained quiet.
“She’s the one who arrested you, isn’t she?” Cinderhands asked, looking over his shoulder at Lung.
“No,” Lung said. “We fought twice, I was arrested by others.”
“But she beat you?” Cinderhands asked.
“Shush, C.H.,” Marquis said.
”It marks change, and it marks a step forward. A chance to fight Endbringers and other threats without sabotage, without worrying who stands beside us, or whether our leadership is compromised.”
“Anyone else thinking that we really should get a chance to appeal our cases?” someone in the crowd asked. “If the organization is this fucked up, the arrests can’t count.”
“Yes,” Marquis said, his tone condescending, “I’m quite sure the Protectorate will be apologizing to the public, then they’ll throw open the Birdcage’s doors and let us all loose.”
“…hope. We’ve investigated the portal to another world, and confirmed that there are resources and even shelter, a possibility of escape in a time of emergency…”
“And new allies, as unlikely as they might be.”
Panacea stared as the girl on the television stepped forward at Chevalier’s bidding, She removed the black sweatshirt and pants the PRT had issued her, revealing a costume of white and gray beneath.
Amelia’s hands went to her mouth.
Marquis glanced at Amelia. Lung took that glance in all it’s import. The two girls were opposite sides of the same coin.
Lung’s eyes fixed on the new heroine, then narrowed.
“I admitted to reprehensible things. I won’t challenge that, or pretend I didn’t say or do those things. By all rights, I should go to jail. I may serve a sentence, if the courts will it. I won’t challenge that.”
“is it reassuring?” Teacher murmured.
Lung turned, realizing that Teacher was talking to him. “Why would it be?”
“You lost to her, but she’s strong enough to defeat Alexandria. Less of a wound to your ego?”
“I lost once,” Lung said. “An underhanded trick, but a loss. I’ll credit her that.”
“Mm hmm,” Teacher replied, wordlessly.
The girl continued, “I seized a territory in Brockton Bay. I led the local villains, and we defeated all comers. I was secure in my position. I had wealth, friendship, love and respect. People depended on me. It was everything I’d ever wanted, if not quite the way I’d initially imagined it. I could have stayed and been comfortable. Except there are bigger things. More important things.”
“She was stronger before,” Lung spoke his thoughts aloud.
“More powerful? Likely,” Teacher said. “Stronger? I wonder.”
Lung shook his head.
“I believe in the idea of a new PRT that Chevalier is talking about. I believe in it enough that I was willing to turn myself in and take action to bring it to fruition. That I was willing to leave everything I had behind. If I have to serve time in jail first, then so be it. If I face the Birdcage… I hope I don’t. But at least I could tell myself that seeing the supervillain step up might convince others to come back. Change the minds of heroes who gave up on the PRT for one reason or another.”
“Noble,” Marquis said. “Foolish at the same time, but the line between the noble and the fool is a thin one, or even a matter of perspective.”
“On this, we may agree,” Lung rumbled.
“I’ll endeavor to see that as something other than a veiled insult,” Marquis said.
“This is what I want to do, above all else. Given the chance, I’ll serve the people. As I fought Leviathan, the Slaughterhouse Nine and other evils, I’ll fight to the last gasp to protect all of you. When- …When and if I do take up the job, you can call me Weaver.”
The broadcast ended, with news reporters discussing the fallout, reiterating details.
The noise of it was broken down by singing, echoing through the Birdcage. A dirge.
The yellow feathered girl who was in the truck, Lung thought to himself.
“That’s for Alexandria, I imagine,” Marquis said aloud. “Undeserved, I think, but I imagine Lustrum gave her cell block a very good reason to honor the woman.”
“I wouldn’t have imagined you’d care,” Teacher commented.
“I don’t, really,” Marquis answered. “But I have a lot of respect for people who keep to a particular code, whatever that code might be, and very little for traitors and wafflers.
“Like this new ‘Weaver’?” Teacher asked.
“I would defer to my daughter’s opinion on that. She knew Weaver.”
Amelia frowned. “She’s… both? She’s stuck to her own personal code, even when it made her a traitor.”
“I see,” Marquis mused, rubbing his chin.
Lung frowned. All nonsense, and none of it mattered. That was out there, this was here.
“A word, Lung?” Teacher asked.
Lung nodded. Anything to get away from this intolerable talk of morality and this singing. His cell wouldn’t afford much relief, but it would be a touch quieter.
They departed, but Teacher led the way out of Marquis’ cell block, rather than to Lung’s cell.
“I believe I can be useful to you,” Teacher said.
“You have nothing to give me,” Lung said. He bristled at the implication.
“You know how my power works, yes?”
“You make others smarter.”
“I turn others into lesser Thinkers, into Tinkers.”
“At the cost of their independence.”
“Not something I want,” Lung said.
“You have strength, good instincts on a primal level, and all the potential in the world. Yet you’ve failed here and there. You’re here, after all.”
“And so are you,” Lung said.
Teacher nodded. “Exactly my point. Think on that for a moment. We’re almost to my cell block, now.”
“You were captured because you lacked muscle,” Lung said, “I was captured because…”
Lung didn’t like the implication. Of a lack of brains?
“Because of your incompetent underlings,” Teacher finished for him. “Who escalated the feud with the heroes into a war while you were incarcerated, leaving you to sustain what they had started. And, more apropos to our conversation, because your power has a drawback. It requires a certain mental state.”
“Amelia, Marquis’ girl, she won’t fix that.”
“I wouldn’t let her,” Lung said.
“Because it involves tampering with your brain,” Teacher said. “My offer is… less invasive. We can break down that barrier, give you the ability to control when you change.”
“At the cost of my identity,” Lung said. “No.”
“A temporary cost to your willpower,” Teacher said. He extended a hand, welcoming Lung into his cell block.
There was no conversation in Teacher’s cell block. The residents were neat, tidy, and well groomed. Some seemed functional, reading on their own or watching television. Others were more disabled. Lung could see one individual rocking in place, tapping something out on a table. Another was walking in small, tight circles.
“My groupthink,” Teacher said. “Rest assured, I wouldn’t subject you to something this grave. We would dig deep enough to discover the true nature of your power, fast enough that you didn’t feel the side effects at their worst. Then we would use what is effectively a hypnotic state to unlock your power as it truly should be, effectively a second trigger event. If Amelia is right, the entity that grants you your power will resist… but we can get around that.”
Lung frowned. “There is no point.”
“There is every point! Come. I’ll show you. But first you need to tell me, are you and Marquis friends?”
“Peers, then.”
Lung considered the word. There were some that came up in English that he still wasn’t quite familiar with. “Yes.”
“Then you’ll keep a secret?” Teacher asked.
“I will keep a secret,” Lung answered.
“Good, good.” Teacher led Lung to one TV in the row. “Trickster?”
Lung arched an eyebrow. Trickster… the name rung a bell. It didn’t matter.
“Connect,” Teacher said.
Trickster reached up to the power button on the television, then began a sequence of turning it on and off, with very specific pauses. A code.
The sequence was still going on when Teacher said, “Stop. Leave it on.”
The screen showed a face, the image grainy, flickering. The face had a tattoo of a cross on it.
“Lung, meet Saint,” Teacher said.
Lung didn’t answer.
“He speaks when we give him something to say,” Teacher said. “But I may have been too eager to find a way of contacting the outside world, and I’ve irritated him. Saint explained what happened. The PRT showed him Dragon’s equipment, asked if he could commandeer it, and Saint found an opportunity to insert a discreet backdoor. He has a channel in, a way to observe, but our channel out is poor at best.”
“This matters nothing to me.”
“It matters a great deal,” Teacher said. “Saint can see what Dragon sees, even if he’s blocked off from the Birdcage itself, while Dragon is occupied elsewhere. It buys us a window of opportunity to communicate something, a message in code. The program that Dragon has observing us with every moment tracks the activity of our televisions. Turn it on, turn it off, and do it in a systematic enough way, and patterns emerge in a way that Saint can observe. This allows us to coordinate. He can’t rescue us, or empty the Birdcage, but, we could do something. We could communicate with the outside world, and with the hypothesis that Amelia has posed… well, that’s a world changing set of information, don’t you imagine?”
Lung didn’t speak.
“The alternative, Lung, is that we unlock your power, and we use other information that Saint has collected through his backdoor. We use it to leave the Birdcage.”
“To escape?”
Teacher shook his head. “We wait, and we let things devolve to the point that they are willing to open the door and let us go, for the assistance we can give. Dragon has files dictating scenarios in that vein.”
“They will not let us go free,” Lung said. “Not the true monsters.”
“Most likely not. It’s a question: do we gamble, or do we take a modicum of comfort in knowing we’ve perhaps saved the world a great deal of grief and maintained the status quo? The way things are, if you’re not familiar with that particular phrase.”
Lung folded his arms. “I have no attachment to the current state of things.”
“Then you agree? I should tell Saint to bury the information, maybe push events here and there, if it means we could go free?”
Lung nodded.
“And your power? If I-”
“My power will be left alone,” Lung said. “It is enough. If you want a bodyguard for a time after we’ve walked free, you will have it. I will keep your secret about this Saint for now.”
“Alas,” Teacher said. “But I’ll take the offer. By the time this comes through, I’ll have a small army of parahumans at my disposal. Some will be… under my sway, but I’d rather have your feral instincts to offset my own wit than have you as a slave.”
“I would kill you for trying,” Lung replied. “You use your power on me, I will see you dead for it.”
“Very well,” Teacher answered. He smiled. “I’ll have Trickster pass on a message to Saint, then. We’ll scrub Dragon’s records of this conversation, and any cases Amelia has talked of the power-granting entities, and we’ll leave a request, perhaps. I have large sums of money stashed away. That should be enough to convince Saint to perhaps set some events in motion, in the hopes that things sour just enough that they might open the Birdcage’s doors.”
Lung nodded. “Do what you must. I only care for our deal. I walk free, I will assist you for a time thereafter. The other things do not matter to me.”
“Very well.” Teacher extended a hand, and Lung shook it.
Lung turned to leave.
As with the Yàngbǎn, he would stay with Teacher until he had what he needed: freedom. Then the man would die.
The woman in the black suit, the Yàngbǎn, Skitter, and now Teacher. People he would have his revenge on, at a later date. People who had looked down on him, who had tried to manipulate him.
He could feel his power rippling under his skin. Against Leviathan, he’d waited hours before engaging the beast, had fought longer than he ever had. Now that he knew he might leave… this would be a two year buildup.
The scale of the event Teacher had spoken of? That Amelia had alluded to? Fear and power beyond anything he’d ever experienced, freedom without limits. That very idea gave Lung a taste of that exhiliration he hadn’t experienced for so long.
Lung returned to Marquis’ cell block. Marquis and Amelia were sitting at one table, drinking green tea and conversing with one another.
Marquis glanced at Lung, then poured out another mug of green tea without asking. He gestured to the bench opposite, slid the mug in Lung’s direction.
Acceptance, the idea caught Lung by surprise. He had a place here, odd as it was, as different as he and Marquis were.
Bakuda had taunted him over how he’d sought a kind of connection to others, how he’d recruited his gang to fill a void. At the same time he found himself thinking of the restrictions he’d faced in school as a youth, the joys of rebellion, the Yàngbǎn and everything they’d threatened to take from him.
If there was a middle ground between acceptance and conformity, was this it?
“Marquis,” Lung spoke, carefully.
“Hm?” Marquis quirked an eyebrow.
Teacher is working to undermine everything you and your daughter are striving for, Lung thought.
“The tea is good. Thank you.”
“Quite welcome,” Marquis replied, absently.
And Lung fell silent.
This entry was posted in 22.y (Donation Bonus #1) and tagged Alexandria, Bakuda, Contessa, Doctor Mother, Eidolon, Legend, Lung, Marquis, Panacea, Teacher, Trickster, Yàngbǎn by wildbow. Bookmark the permalink.
387 thoughts on “Interlude 22 (Donation Bonus #1)”
This one wound up being long, and there was an issue with formatting (parsing text). 9k words. Brutal.
Thanks for reading. Votes on Topwebfiction very much appreciated (dropped from 450, which was mindblowing, to 160 as of the time of this comment.)
a link: http://topwebfiction.com/.
FIRST POST TYPO THREAD!
Alright then.
Lung took that glance in all it’s import.
Also, I’d maybe have written it as “Marquis glanced at Amelia; Lung took that glance in all its import.”, as opposed to “Marquis glanced at Amelia. Lung took that glance in all its import.” But then we’re moving out of the realm of typos and over to personal writing style, so that’s pretty much irrelevant.
JN on May 21, 2013 at 00:33 said:
good instincts on a primal leve,
FarFromUnique on May 21, 2013 at 00:41 said:
rocking in plack -> rocking in place
“Lung could see one individual rocking in plack, tapping something out on a table. ”
Should that say place? Or is rocking in plack a term I’m not familiar with?
Passin' Through on May 21, 2013 at 00:52 said:
There’s a response from Lung missing right in there.
There’s holes in logic. The Endbringers?” (in your logic?)
“Exactly my point. Think on that for a moment. We’re almost to my cell block, now. (quotation marks missing, not a case of paragraph jumping monologue)
The scale of event Teacher had spoken of? (scale of events?)
Crow on May 21, 2013 at 01:20 said:
“good instincts on a primal leve, and . . .”
Thanks, Wildbow!
The rooms here had thick walls and a wooden door, rather than the traditional paper.
Kenta was stronger than Ren, so he was the one to tear the paper door down from the wall.
Door goes from wood to paper, might want to check that out.
Needs capitalization.
infintesmally small burbles – should be “infinitesimally”
Kat on May 21, 2013 at 21:44 said:
“This was something else. It was was both thrilling and terrifying”
Double ‘was’.
Ristridin on May 22, 2013 at 02:04 said:
“That very idea gave Lung a taste of that exhiliration he hadn’t experienced for so long.”
Exhiliration should be exhilaration.
Packbat on July 9, 2013 at 23:14 said:
Missing closequote after “wafflers”.
Truthseeker on January 14, 2015 at 21:53 said:
“cacaphony” should be cacophony.
MytharGT on January 20, 2018 at 22:30 said:
“Leviathan couldn’t attack from range, and couldn’t get close without getting pummeled” Leviathan should be Lung
Ninja’d. 😉
By tenths of a second, bugger. =P Tenths of a second.
You guys. *rolls eyes*
Kinda feel like saying, “you started it!” here…
I sacrificed myself to WIldbow! They’re just throwing up random comments. 😡
Totally NOT first post!
Lies. This IS the first post you wrote for this interlude.
It’s the first post of the rest of your life.
It’s the first post following Rika’s eye rolling.
It’s the first post written by a non-site-author that I’ve commented on.
I was here. It was. Wildbow just has the power to rewrite time amongst comments. Neither here nor there now. =)
KILLROY!
Do you mean ‘Kilroy’, as in ‘Kilroy was here?’
shanipribadi on May 21, 2013 at 00:03 said:
yes, yes, yesss!!! *cue thunderstorms and lightnings.
Very, very frightening
Gallileo.
Shit, I tried to make it a smaller font size.
Figaro?
johnwedd on May 21, 2013 at 02:38 said:
i’m just a poor Worm nobody loves me….
It’s just a poor Worm, from a poor cycle
Entire population of the Bridcage: “Oh let me go-oh-oh-oh!”
*From the Comments Section* Beelzebub has a, devil put aside for me, for me for meeee-eeeee!
So you think you can stomp me and spit in my eye?
Edit: So you think you can beat me and gouge out my ey-es
Spare us this wait, for the next felony!
Sinister deeds are afoot in the Birdcage.
dirty deeds, done dirt cheap…
For a cigarette, to be exact.
The tea is good. Lung will drink the tea. The tea will go down Lung’s throat hole and be digested.
The tea is good. All is right with the world.
Special delivery for the Gecko: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ATLKQQI
I suspect that tea being good swayed more than one man to friendship. I very much want Marquis on Team Taylor before all is said and done. Alas, this will probably require the demise of Lung. Which is sad, because he’s awesome too.
Indeed, those two are among my favorite characters now. One of the things I love about this story is how you can have a character like Lung, who seems like a standard, two dimensional brute of a villain (not necessarily a Brute, though he is that too) but is slowly revealed to be a fully formed (if maybe emotionally stunted) person. Brilliant.
I take my tea sweet
as morning dew to green plants
Lung’s momma is fat.
Leave it to Gecko to write a horrible Haiku, ending with a “yo momma” *facepalm*
Head down the page, dude.
It gets worse. Much worse, you know?
At least for Lung, man.
hedelex on March 13, 2014 at 23:45 said:
Great haiku 😀
And yeah, tea is a lie 😦
hedelex on January 16, 2019 at 22:58 said:
did Lol at the office
The tea is a lie, and so’s the cake.
What?! They promised me that if I came to the birdcage, I’d get cake! Was the cake a lie?!
At least you get grief counseling. And combustable lemons.
I’m not sure if either Burnscar/Labyrinth or Sundancer/Genesis is a pairing I’d have thought of before now.
Well, to each their own, I suppose.
… Uh, did you mean to post that somewhere else, because I don’t really see /how/ you got that out of my Portal references.
You do know what a lemon is in fanfic terms, right?
> … Uh, did you mean to post that somewhere else, because I don’t really see /how/ you got that out of my Portal references.
In fanfic circles, a “lemon” is a story with explicit sexual content.
Incidentally, I recommend setting the aforementioned Sundancer/Genesis story post-Echidna, with Mars going over to Jess’s house to talk about the time they spent as Travelers.
If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times, that Pinto is in mint condition and nothing is going to explode on it!
Yay! Lemons are tasty.
I’m gonna burn your ship down. With the lemons!
The cake wasn’t a lie, it’s just that they only had three bits, and they didn’t expect such a rush. You should have chosen “death”, no line there!
Don’t take Tailor’s cake, or you’ll be COVERED IN BEES!!!
I would not be even slightly surprised if there were Portal references strewn throughout the Birdcage. Like a door labeled “Emergency Prisoner Release and Cake Dispensary”, or the walls of the vacuum room being covered in “the cake is a lie”.
Ah, dammit. Why couldn’t we tune in early enough to hear Amelia’s explanation? Complete tease: “..and that’s the gist of it.”
My thoughts exactly! I was wondering if I’d missed something.
Glassware on May 21, 2013 at 00:34 said:
Damn it, Lung, sabotage Teacher! You know you want to, and you hate him anyway! Marquis has been actually respectful of you!
Lung appears to be a lot more powerful than thought.
The PRT really screwed up by contacting Saint.
I guess this interlude means that Taylor won’t go into the birdcage, the birdcage will come to her at some point.
Funny – to me, he’s now LESS powerful than I thought. He has an upper limit on his fight stamina, for one thing. Granted, it’s a very high limit, but I had no previous indication that he’d possessed a limit at all.
I agree, the Birdcage is going to open up in a big way – probably after the Slaughterhouse 9000’s big reveal.
He doesn’t have an upper limit.
For me, it was the opposite. I now see what TAylor did on her first night out and during the whole Empire fiasco that much more amazing. She took down a guy who has fought Endbringers to a standstill, and even if I’d read it before, it didn’t really sink in until I read this.
And this chapter just reinforces what I said for the last couple chapters: Alexandria was “Too Stupid to Live”.
She was there, she personally saw Lung stand toe to toe with Leviathan. She absolutely 100% knew just what kind of threat Lung is and she knew that Skitter took Lung out on Skitters first night in costume; and she still thought she could handle her after she has had lots and lots of experience against not one but 3 Class S threats.
Four. Noelle wasn’t officially S-class, but we all know that was politics.
fghjconner on December 15, 2014 at 12:32 said:
Noelle was upgraded to S-class after being trapped in the underground base, and I believe she was included in his count (Leviathan, S9, and Echidna, am I forgetting anyone?).
Zephyr on October 12, 2013 at 18:16 said:
Skitter would not have had a chance against Lung at the stage where he can challenge Leviathan. She attacked him before a battle, before he could use his power to become epic. It is NOT the same thing.
I agree. Alexandria really should’ve known better. Even discounting the first fight, the second time they fought he was already into winged mode. She really shouldn’t have underestimated the ingenuity of that girl.
> Four. Noelle wasn’t officially S-class, but we all know that was politics.
Echidna was upgraded to S-class around the time that Tattletale buried her in Coil’s base. And she’s included in the three — Skitter never encountered Nilbog, Sleeper, or either of the other Endbringers.
@boballab
Alexandria<Endbringers=Super!Lung<FirstNightOut!Skitter
So there’s some reason why he felt his power leave him during his fight against Leviathan? That is peculiar.
This is my question. There is certainly some kind of limit on his stamina, you describe it clearly during his fight against Leviathan. I’d assumed it was an upper cap – perhaps of the ‘not enough threat to keep growing’ variety, but still one significant enough that he couldn’t nail down Leviathan completely. Now you’re saying there isn’t one?
I’m saying there isn’t a physical cap, defined by his power. There might be a mental one, though. In the fight against Leviathan Lung took note of the absence of spectators, or rather witnesses. His desire is freedom, and one way to gain freedom is being feared or respected enough no-one dare to cross your path. Once Lung got close to Endfighter-class in power, no-one saw him anymore, or at least no-one who counted in his mind. The capes, or some of them, sure, but not the general populace. He’d get grudging respect by them, them being aware of his threat level, but he wanted that from everyone. And without witnesses… I mean, no-one mentioned Lung or a dragon fighting Leviathan to a stand-still in story, so it’s obviously not common knowledge (observer bias not-withstanding).
What I’m getting at, if Lung had continued fighting Endbringers, he might have gained the kind of notoriety he was looking for. So, yeah. His limits are psychological, not due to a lack of power.
dudu on March 30, 2015 at 10:46 said:
Bakuda knew about it, and she isn’t anyone special.
I said this as a response to another comment but will add it again here: Lung NEEDS others around for his power to work.
Re-read where his power wanes against Leviathan and it is stated very clearly.
This is in my mind confirmed by how the CUI was able to hold him: They isolated him in a very deep pit. Notice that he isn’t able to blast handholds in the walls and climb out, he can barely chip the walls and it only gets repaired on a weekly basis.
he was bigger and meaner than leviathon at that point. Leviation wasn’t fighting back anymore. no fight, no power.
It’s been written before that Lung’s powers only grow stronger the longer he’s fighting. When an opponent is actively retreating, that’s usually the primary sign that the fight is over. When that happened, Lung’s powers were no longer in effect, and started to wane. If he could find that one opponent, that group of spectators that refused to back down, and continued to fight the metal dragon? We don’t know where the limits could be, or whom could possibly stop him. Aside from the Skitter…sorry, WEAVER choking hazard, at least.
So I guess he doesn’t just change when you fight him? He needs to be put in progressively more danger over time to build up the “high”? Once he becomes to much for Leviathan, he starts running out of steam?
Kinda of a shitty caveat, if you think about it. His power ensures he will always be strong than his opponents, but never TOO strong.
So Lung’s the opposite of Night in that he’s an Exhibitionist? He gets stronger the longer he fights & the angrier he gets but still needs other people watching him in order to maintain his state and on the flipside, the stronger he gets the less safe it is for people to be close enough to matter?
I took it to mean that his power is fueled by other nearby capes, sort of leaching. In the absence of other capes to fuel his power, it sputters out. The more capes there are around, the more quickly his power ramps up. This is why he has been able to fight so many teams to a standstill, the more capes (and thus the bigger the threat generally), the faster his power gains critical mass. A single, extremely powerful cape (like Alexandria or Legend) would likely be able to take him apart before he could gain enough critical mass.
Horatio Von Becker on October 16, 2014 at 22:53 said:
My guess, based solely on the line where he says he prepared for hours before the Leviathan fight and will now prepare for two years, is that he can only transform for as long as he charged beforehand. One of the major threats at the end of the world will probably be a dragon that eats Endbringers.
Incidentally, I suspect that the Slaughterhouse Nine Hundred (ten of almost every member, but there were probably only ever around ninety members total) will be one of the five sides that Dinah mentioned, and that Teacher’s Army will be another. I had initially thought it would be four or five Endbringers and maybe groups of parahumans with powers similar to theirs, but now find that unlikely. Maybe the Endbringers, Cauldron, and the remaining heroes and villains are the others. The relative numbers seem off, though, so I’m probably missing something.
Oh, and Zion can’t or won’t intervene in the endwar, or else he would probably be able to stomp all sides before the death toll ever gets that high. More accurately, there is a chance that he never intervenes sufficiently, as whenever he shows up precogs shut down completely. Maybe the reason anyone survives is that he protects them? No, wait, that doesn’t work. Maybe Zion leaves when Kevin dies, maybe because he tries to follow Kevin.
We actually see Contessa fight for the first time here, and the fact that she doesn’t attack Endbringers makes me suspect that she’s like the black suited Sentai in that she has a power that only works on humans. And that it wouldn’t work on Endbringers with help from Tinker weapons or Butcher’s powers, or else Cauldron is dangerously stupid. I wonder which Trump the Yangban has, and wonder how different Contessa’s power is from the Number Man’s. It works faster, for one, and seems more exclusively suited to combat.
chrismcdanielwriter on July 23, 2016 at 13:23 said:
I remember hearing something about Hulk that might tie into why Lung started waning. The guy was talking about how Hulk’s power is technically infinite, but it requires him to be infinitely angry to access it all. The human mind can only be in fight or flight mode for so long before the adrenaline starts waning, because the threat hasn’t gone away or killed you yet, so the mind starts getting apathetic about the danger.
Lung was immensely powerful, but Leviathan wasn’t stopping. He says it while talking to Bakuda “Leviathan, I beat, if you can even call it an enemy. It is a force of nature.” He was slowing it, he was stopping it even, but he wasn’t actually hurting it. It was inevitable, like stopping the tides. So Lung’s power started waning, the fight was leaving him, because mentally he realized that this wasn’t a thing to fight, it was a thing that simply existed and caused damage. You can’t fight and overcome Hurricanes or Tornadoes either. Or someone who can drop you a couple hundred feet below the surface and just completely ignore you and repair any damage you caused. You don’t fight walls or lifting equipment either, they wouldn’t trigger his transformation.
Or perhaps the spectator theory works, but that seems at odds with how his power is talked about. Surely there was a fight he had where he transformed significantly while against only a single opponent, alone with just the two of them.
Horatio Von Becker on July 26, 2016 at 11:59 said:
Like, for example, his first appearance? I suppose he had a number of gangmembers in attendance, but as I recall none of them were really up to talking at the time.
(Or more pertinently, watching. Although some probably were.)
Yeah, that fits. Skitter was watching, but he wasn’t fully aware of her. He was aware of his gang, but they were being swarmed, not really paying much attention to him.
Marquis, saying what every reader is thinking. Love that guy.
…well, I’m waiting for everything to go to hell in a hand basket, so this will probably be the dropping of the other shoe, if it happens.
The way Worm is going, well, I’m not sure if the creature dropping shoes has only two feet.
Centipedes are wearing the shoes. Well, sixty of them, stitched together by Bonesaw. That should be enough shoes. I hope,
That… depends. There are centipedes with significantly more than sixty pairs of legs.
You guys are thinking of millipedes. Centipedes barely have a few dozen pairs of legs.
irrevenant on June 11, 2014 at 02:14 said:
Millipedes have four legs per body segment and centipedes only have two, so centipedes *tend* to have less legs but it varies a lot by species ~30-300 for centipedes and generally 36-400 for millipedes – though there’s one species that has as many as 750.
It would be hilarious if he was right.
only, with sarcasm.
“And then perhaps they’ll throw a big ice cream party, with hookers and rum. And give us millions of dollars in reparations and our own private islands. They’ll even get Congress to rush into session and allocate the money to us with no grumbling from anyone involved and no filibuster threats. And then the skinheads will find out Hitler’s been brought back to life and he loves them very much and wants to give them all a great big pat on the butt.”
And Lung here, IS IN CHARGE OF CONFETTI!
Wait, the Yàngbǎn can redistribute powers? Are they a mix of Culdron capes and true 1st gen triggers or something far more sinister in the C.U.I?
No… they probably have a cape whose ability switches powers.
Pretty sure they buy vials en masse from Cauldron. This may have been mentioned in Accord’s interlude
Excellent chapter. Very good. The characterization of Lung and his development is amazing.
Odd, I didnt get an email this time. Either way… ITS HAPPENING
Holy shit, Lung, you scary!
Holy shit, Contessa is like a classier version of Bullseye! I approve.
Holy shit, Maquis must be going crazy watching his daughter get tatted, fancypants that he is.
Look like it’s definitely probability manipulation, so good on whoever guessed as much. Between her and Number Man, there’s a bit of a theme at Cauldron.
Personally, I would have beaten Ren by donning a gorilla suit, winding up my arm for a big punch, then dropping down from the above floor behind him and knocking him offscreen.
That, or I’d have put on a costume with a helmet, called myself Captain Donkey, and gotten behind him for my patented punch.
Gnarker on May 21, 2013 at 06:20 said:
You sure you wouldn’t rather pull that last one on Night?
You want me to use the Donkey Punch on Night? Whatever for?
Oh, that reminds me, Nacht-und-Nebel-Aktion (the one Night and Fog derived their names from) is still a valid term in German for any clandestine action taken. No connotation to Nazi-stuff, at least in the homeland thereof.
I didn’t know there was such a thing as a clandestine donkey punch. Then again, Germans do love their beer.
Well, clandestine donkey punches can’t be tracked, and anything else at this point of the operation would be assinine.
That says something, as I know you Germans are anal about keeping track of things. I’m going to need plenty of time to rest between operations, though, as they’re likely to leave me feeling pooped.
It’s not surprising that she didn’t stop at one, lots of people don’t. Had a boss who got one and then just…kinda went crazy with it.
It’s interesting that there actually is a limit to Lung’s power, he just becomes almost completely unstoppable before hitting it.
See above, according to Wildbow Lung has no upper limit, at least in regards to stamina, perhaps in general. My guess: his limit is psychological, not physical/powerwise.
The psychological limit is part of his new trauma as a person with a second trigger event. Remember, they don’t tend to last long. We’re just used to something a little more broken due to Grue. Instead, we have a guy who is driven to fight powerful foes and get back at other powerful enemies who have already beaten him with the problem that once he actually matches or exceeds them, his power gets weaker. It’s surprising he’s lived this long.
He reminds me somewhat of Achilles, who was also known for his rage and his prowess in battle. Achilles could have lived a nice long life, but he wanted to go to war and prove himself and then argue over an enslaved woman. In the end he was slain by a much weaker enemy, someone who was pretty much a joke in battle who just happened to hit him in the right place with a bit of poison.
Cut to Lung taking a bug with Newter juice on it to the eye courtesy of Skitter, then being left at her mercy while she carves out his eyes. Lucky he didn’t fall to a villain that was in a murdering mood.
In other words, Skitter at a later date.
Nah, Skitter at a later date would have just pumped him a lot fuller with Newter blood. And lashed him to the building with silk. Actually, I wonder if she could beat him without Newter or Tinker made sedatives without killing him at this point.
Nice. Good to know that whatever Amy figured out is being acted on in some way.
Hey Lung, a haiku, if I may?
Yo momma so fat
Earthquakes are her sitting down
Oh snap, you got served
Or how about
Yo momma so poor
Pigeons throw breadcrumbs to her
And she follows them.
Momma so ugly
She made the ugly stick break
Just with a quick look
Yo momma’s rotund.
Like the noon sun with no clouds,
But more fiery gas.
Lung can’t take me on.
Not even in haikus, yo.
Haiku kung fu, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Lung’s mom has small boobs.
How small? So small the Kleenex.
Only makes her chest flat.
Lung’s mom sucks so hard.
Windmill companies hire her,
for blowjobs, of course.
“only makes her chest flat”
It would work if you change “only” to “just”
True dat, my homie
At least in the song up there,
I sang in haiku.
Just one word, you say.
Quake with fear, mortal!
Like Lung’s mom’s fat ass.
The second line is 5 syllables, it should be 7.
Curses, I’m foiled!
As haikus take over it,
my brain fails at math!
I’m haiku nazi
I’ll be checkin’ all yo’ lines
Get out fool, I win
Psycho Gecko note
My corrections are quite true
Following strict rules
Knock knock, who is there?
Nazi. Nazi? Nazi, who?
Nazi it coming.
I say again, what.
I like the cut of your jib sir!
Warped though it may be…
Thank you. This was perfect.
What’chu talkin’ ’bout, Lung? You got your ass kicked twice. Once by surprise, the second was a straight up one hit KO.
Now, which of the fights did he count as a loss, and as what does he see the other one?
He wasn’t downed the first time by her directly. Remember, it was the Undersiders coming in that really did it. He just got his junk rotted off because his wounds were ignored by the staff. It was the second with the underhanded trick- the caterpillar in the eye- that was a loss directly to her.
Holy crap I’m excited for more. Though this chapter gives me a chance to bring up something I was thinking about before – Panacea would probably be a pretty high level Striker, wouldn’t she? I’d say at least an 8 or 9, assuming that the rating system goes by how dangerous a person’s power is within the parameters that classifications are based off of? Maybe she’d be an 8, since she needs to be in direct contact with living tissue to use her power, but she can most likely kill someone if she manages to touch them for at least a few seconds.
Also, what classification are the people who create and act through some other form under (e.g. Siberian, Genesis, Crusader, Daiichi, Prism)? Master? And in the case of, say, Manton, would he also fall under the classifications that could be applied to Siberian (Brute, Mover, Striker, and possibly also Breaker and Trump)?
Panacea is classified as a Striker 9, and those various parahumans would all be Masters.
Okay, I wasn’t sure about Panacea, and I didn’t want to take the time to check. But wouldn’t Manton also get some other classification, considering the projection he creates is invincible, is able to extend that invincibility to things she touches, moves incredibly fast, breaks physics a little, and if I remember right, might even be immune to powers?
The immune to powers is due to Siberian being a projection. Anything directed at her would be woefully inadequate, because she’s just an empty shell, for the most part.
I tend to think of her as anthropomorphized Manton effect.
But because of the powers of Siberian, wouldn’t Manton get some sort of additional rating? I thought ratings were based on the way a power was used, and the Siberian isn’t a Master.
Siberian was probably classified as a brute(unstoppable), breaker (invulnerable) and striker(share invulnerability). Dunno what the classification would be after the projection thing was found out. Probably just added a master rating and added Manton’s name in database under Siberian’s identity.
More likely he retroactively becomes a Master Fifteen (Sub. Breaker Twelve, Striker Twelve). Of course, Panacea only being a Striker Nine seems ridiculously low, so I dunno.
Well, except Prism. Pretty sure she’s a Breaker. Her duplicates are either a brief hive mind or each have identical copies of her consciousness.
Well she’s definitely a Master, and many, if not most or all powers seem to have a Breaker aspect.
xkcdlover42 on September 14, 2014 at 13:19 said:
she would also be given minor mover and brute ratings for her bursts of speed and strength when she recombines the clones
And I’m going to assume Saint has a power in addition to the tech he has. I mean, it would take a special kind of genius to reverse engineer Dragon’s work. I wonder whether he’s a Thinker or Tinker, and what his area of expertise is.
I rather fancy the idea of Saint being a very clever normal who got ridiculously lucky, twigged to Dragon’s true nature and puzzled out her particular set of Asimov laws.
Alternatively, he’s Undead Andrew Richter :p
Or just Evil Andrew Richter Who Faked His Own Death. Which seems slightly less likely than Brainwashed Andrew Richter. And even a ridiculously clever normal would need at least a Tinkermade cracking program to make any use of the knowledge besides fighting her. My bet is on Technomancer/machine telepath.
Sun Dog on May 21, 2013 at 09:54 said:
Panacea is indeed a Striker, number unknown but if Clockie rates Striker 7…
Genesis was rated by the PRT as a Changer, but it’s not clear if they knew she was using projections and not physically present. So maybe they give classes based on what the projections can do. Crusader is all Master.
If I had to rate the Siberian projection, I’d say Breaker. She affects the world, but is never affected, can stand on things that couldn’t support a human weight and can share her qualities with others.
In addition to the Breaker quality of not affecting the world properly (though this is a questionable one, as she is a projection, after all), I’d give her a Brute rating (no other projections have ever been shown to be as durable), as well as Striker (her ability to make anything she touches invulnerable), and Mover.
Oh, yes, I forgot Mover. But my guess as to “her” actual power is that she doesn’t actually move, she just looks like it while actually being a rolling telefrag sculpture that can spread the effect to whatever she’s touching. And I wonder why Bonesaw never objected to the Siberian’s nudity onscreen.
Probably because she had a taboo on swearing,not on nudity or all dirty things.
Horatio Von Becker on April 21, 2015 at 23:47 said:
Edit: Wait, (minor) SPOILERS.
Well, she complains about Jack not covering up in her interlude.
Authy_Silverfur on May 21, 2013 at 01:08 said:
So his power runs on an emotion. I remember someone saying before that drug-induced trigger events made for emotion-based powers, so this makes sense. But which emotion is it?
At various points, it’s the anticipation of a fight, the determination not to lose again, the desire for others to fear him, but then he runs out of whatever emotion it is during Leviathan’s fight. Did he just get bored or something?
frozen chicken on May 21, 2013 at 01:17 said:
I’m pretty sure he just stopped seeing Leviathan as a threat/restriction to his power.
Landis963 on May 21, 2013 at 01:17 said:
Fairly certain Leviathan has some other nullifier power than allows it to overpower people like that. It just takes a while and/or requires its full attention, which can be difficult with several capes whaling on you.
Leviathan’s “nullifier power” is that he’s a superdense crystalline being–so dense, that, according to Armsmaster, molecules work differently toward his core.
I think it’s just general stress from being in danger, as long as the adrenaline’s pumping he can keep growing. But once his enemies stop being a threat to him the stress will subside and he’ll lose power. Just for a few moments he might have been strong enough to kill Leviathan, but once he hit that point there was nothing to keep him pumped up.
His trigger event seems fitting. He’s an adrenaline junkie, addicted to the power that he gains from being in danger. But it can never be enough, and he might never again reach the high that he got to against Leviathan.
Well it seems like he might reach it..
Actually I think if you re-read the Interlude whatever it is, physical or psychological, Lung NEEDS others around for his powers to keep growing. The Big tip off is in the description of when he felt his powers waning against Leviathan:
Also remember how the CUI deprived him of his powers, they kept him isolated in a deep pit:
“Twice a day, he would get two packages with food. Every day, he would pace, trying to tap into his abilities, finding them beyond his reach. He would struggle, fume, scream, and wonder if he was going mad with the solitude.”
A good point. I might speculate if this is a real aspect of his power or merely a psychological condition for him to fully manifest it, but this distinction is moot in regards too appearances. We could try to surround him with non-powered people and see if the audience lets him continue to change, but again we wouldn’t be able to distinguish if it is an aspect of his power.
This hypothesis (proximity to capes for his power to work) is actually frightening, considering he’s surrounded by them right now.
It makes Bakuda oddly insightful too, speculating that he was creating a family of sorts. Also, by the time he was taken out on Skitter’s first night out, his gang was pretty well scattered.
mauke on May 21, 2013 at 01:35 said:
I think he lose the high/trill of facing someone stronger than himself. A the end of the fight he saw Levi as something unstoppable; a force of nature that you cant beat. Assuming he could feel the high of combat without stop, he should keep transforming indefinitely.
Ah, drugs might help. Or a bit of Aegis power, but oops, no can do.
Alternatively, a single touch from Panacea.
Maybe it is just high states of emotion in general. Those would tend to be anger anyways.
a thought.
chasing your first/best “high” by constantly doing more and stronger drugs is sometimes called chasing the dragon.
funnily enough, a quick google search to verify i was remembering it correctly, also shows it to be from China.
With each fight lung gets in, he tries more and more to get stronger access to his powers, but keeps finding the threat insufficient to get him to the level of power he truly wants.
Heh. Interesting.
Panacea understands Skitter better than I would have expected.
I think I will comment further after I sleep — I just got back from playing a game of Rail Baron at a friend’s house, and boy are my neurons tired!
Don’t you mean they’re tracked? As far as I know, you can’t use tires on railroads…. 😉
There are tracked neurons? Never thought they’d get their own tanks. That’s even worse for trains.
Technically, you probably could, but it would be incredibly wasteful — the big advantage of rail is that you have a lower rolling friction with steel on steel than with rubber on pavement.
*is literal-minded*
Steel on Steel?
That’s got to be one of the least desirable DC slashfics I’ve ever heard of. Probably right up there with Captain Boomerang and Melani Thawne.
Oh, wait…
Been wondering if other capes other than Scion could take on the Endbringers and win. Keeping thinking that he’ll kick the bucket during one of those deathmatches.
thanks for the new chapter
TinkerTailor on May 21, 2013 at 02:35 said:
Damnit, Teacher, stop that! I was just starting to think, “well, at least *someone* has a clue about the meta-plot, and the Simurgh can’t mess with *every* transmission out of the the ‘cage”. And then you go and make it so thats he doesn’t need to 😛
Speaking of Teacher, I wonder how far he has Trickster “under his sway”. Kraus was far from a perfect human being, but I wouldn’t have wished brainwashed slavery on him.
If I get Teacher’s power straight, he is a someone who can give people Thinker or Tinker powers, but for the cost of free will. That is both interesting and frightening. Being a brilliant thrall makes one still a prisoner.
If Teacher has Trickster under his thrall, I would think that that transfer’s Simurgh’s influence to him, and thus to all of his squad.
Ultimately, that means Simurgh has created a large group of villain’s who have a potential way out of the birdcage and multiple reasons to hold a serious grudge against “the hero formerly known as Skitter”.
She has also maneuvered Skitter onto her (the Simurgh’s) main opposition (the PRT).
She’s totally set the stage for a battle royale that will finally and utterly decimate any hope of Endbringer Opposition.
Damn she’s good.
Didn’t think Trickster was a thinker, and that’s who he seemed interested to have under his thrall.
In fact, the defenseless civilians should feel much safer if they only knew that Trickster’s amazing decision-making abilities were now linked to such a criminal mastermind.
Yeah, e had some low-level thinker “qualities” even in aleph.
Trickster ought to get a negative on the Thinker scale.
Sadly I cannot vote. Allowed once every 7 days. 🙂 was a kick seeing how low everyone else’s series went.
No, no, no. Part of the reason I ask for votes is because I want you to check out other stories and find the good stuff.
Caelum Lex is good, I hear. And Legion of Nothing.
Indeed! I’ve read Legion of Nothing for years, and it was thanks to a post Psycho Gecko made in the comments section that I made it here.
I want to check Legion on but…archive panic. You get it. And I have an almost OCD about reading things from start to Finish. Maybe this summer.
Legion’s archive isn’t so bad. The sections aren’t as big as Wildbow’s.
You can, actually — the vote expires seven days after the last time you refreshed it.
Well, that’s not good at all.
That’s how I found you. I was reading Adrian at the time. It gave me a kick to see the numbers, because it gives you an idea of who currently has their audience on the edge of their seats.
Three possible world-ending threats just got added to the list: Theo was (and remains) the frontrunner, but Panacea is a plausible vector also, with Jack’s escape determining her breakdown and commitment to the Birdcage. (Tentatively leaving her off the list for now, but one could argue otherwise).
1. Lung. His power isn’t a straightforward “the longer he fights, the stronger he gets,” or he couldn’t have charged up and wouldn’t have run dry against Leviathan. Two years’ charge? That’s a world-ending threat, potentially, and one which circles back to the series beginning. Of course, having him as an unlikely ally would do that too.
2. Teacher. A small army of parahumans, now with extra tinker/thinker? Engineering a birdcage breakout by sabotaging Endbringer fights in order to arrange release? That story has no good ending.
3. The sources of the passengers. Hard to say without knowing what Panacea saw, but could easily be that bad.
Other issues: we finally have a non-Taylor vision of passenger-sources that saw more than one of them. Tentative theory: there are at least two, and perhaps many, ‘players’ who grant powers as they see fit to ‘influence the cycle’. Double triggers, and other visions that see more than one entity, reflect more than one entity ‘investing’ in a person.
Doctor Mother is probably not a parahuman, or wasn’t as of Lung’s trigger – Contessa reacted, DM didn’t and supported Contessa as she staggered. Granted, no human has better access to Cauldron’s serum, so that could easily have changed.
Contessa is probably a combat precog.
Take a virus analogy: natural triggers are infections; Cauldron capes are DM’s effort at engineering antibodies. Would explain why they’re careful about killing Cauldron capes.
Tentative prediction: Taylor/D&D/Marquis/Panacea v. Teacher/Trickster/Saint/half the Birdcage, with Lung as a wild card, and the world in the balance. Keeping to one’s code even when it makes you a seeming traitor is exactly the kind of ‘code first!’ life Marquis respects.
For all that people complain (justly!) about the PRT, the CUI solution is a lot scarier – 1984 with powers.
Option to accelerate Birdcage issues – Taylor is the natural person to walk in and say ‘who wants parole?’
Lung may be an exhibitionist, or not. A cap on his charge rate, and no cap on his burn rate, would also explain the given loss of power: he was burning it faster than it came in, and ran out.
Is no one else worried that the whole Birdcage can hear Canary sing? Because that could matter. A lot.
So she could potentially be the most powerful cape in there…nice
Her powers here remind me a lot of Number Man, actually. An understanding of the forces in play around her, letting her do things like deflect bullets away from DM and precisely alter the trajectory of flying objects with a nudge.
Well the CUI seems to wtill be better than whatever methode the Nazi-Organisation uses. The Capes they make are empty shells personality-wise.
Doctor Mother’s apparent lack of powers suggest to me that she is aware of the horrible secret behind them (whatever it is). The question is how she kept her true reasons for not taking the serum herself secret from her co-conspirators/expendable minions.
Contessa’s power is funny. Superficially it seems like her powers are similar to the Numbers Man, but having two capes with such similar powers in the same organization goes against too many rules (It certainly wouldn’t be allowed in the LoSH). It doesn’t seem like it is luck or probability manioulation either since she handily defeated Faultline’s crew including the irish girl with her own luck powers.
Regarding Lung’s trigger event. It seems natural that such a strong cape would have a strong passenger like Taylor is supposed to have accroding to Echidna. This would explain some similarites.
There’s another possible explanation for why DM didn’t react to Lung’s trigger event: she’s seen so many of them at this point that it no longer causes the usual “staggers around with a headache for a bit” side effects.
I think I got Contessa’s powers figured out! She is basically this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UueU0-EFido but you know… deadlier.
Living up to norm, notes’ notes are always noteworthy.
A quick thought: Consider someone has an eidetic memory, perfect recall, in a sense like MM, and also has a power. It doesn’t matter which, just let that person be always close by when someone triggers or takes the formula. This would give the person the most insight into passengers – always from their very own perspective, granted, but still a constant influx of information.
On another note, Passengers being the infecting/attacking agent and Cauldron being the antibodies is a very promising interpretation.
The memory angle is clever – perhaps it is the memory suppression that is disorienting, and not the vision itselt? The passenger integrating into the psyche and, to some extent, taking the wheel? Grant Doctor Mother a perfect memory, and explain away her non-stumble that way?
Probably not a viable hypothesis: Tattletale talks about what she sees to Charlotte before she snaps out of it and forgets again – and she’s staggering at the vision, not the forgetting. If Doctor Mother had a power, she’d react – or be meaningfully unique somehow. If she doesn’t… well, all the more interesting that she can do what she does with the serum-creation, and that she can apparently deal with her ‘lab-rats’.
Possible elaboration – we might be dealing with memetic viruses here, which would be why Alexandria was dead serious when she said she didn’t want people to know what was going on.
Sandman’s idea about desensitization… maybe. That could work.
Take that theory in the direction of problems, (this is Worm, after all) and you get some interesting possibilities. Lovecraftian monstrosities which mortal man was not meant to comprehend? The forgetfulness as a mental defense against simply going mad from gazing upon Elder Gods of Cthulhu-kind? Doctor Mother’s desensitization therapy having both given her the truth about what’s going on and driven her utterly insane, and determined to propagate a Cauldron cult drawing on her favored Old One, in competition with the others?
Thank you, I always endeavour to contribute.
Unless she’s very good at faking sanity, the forgetting-prevents-insanity clause doesn’t work, for the simple reason of MM remembering and still being sane. Or at least appearing to. Paired with natural curiosity of children and the time since she triggered, she must have spent a distinct amount of time remembering and dwelling on her vision.
At the same time MM didn’t stumble or gave any indication of the vision she just had when she triggered, at least from her perspective. If anything she just froze (check Interlude 7.x; Hannah for that). I try not to defend my point unduly, just wanted to point this supporting argument out.
A memetic virus is an interesting take I didn’t consider. From a meta point of view, since there’s not been a mention of anything of that kind in the story whatsoever, it seems unlikely. Not impossible, and meta analysis is not all the methods and means there are, but still… it would feel like cheating.
Somewhat related, Sam Hughes’ Fine Structure is a very interesting setting worth mentioning, but telling anything more would be a spoiler.
If the desensitisation angle would work… Maybe. Contessa is actually a case in point against that. Assuming she was present at a lot of tests (the Case 53’s) to reign in the subjects, at least at the early stages of the formula, she ought to be desensitized by now. Or by then, so to speak.
That’s assuming Dr. Mother has only lived for a human amount of years. My money is still on her being from another universe, potentially the last one the [giant multi-dimensional things] visited, perhaps going even further back. Like some kind of parasite, or predator, or symbiote.
Beware, there is a god under the words. In his universes, he can change Destiny.
Alexandria could come back from the dead if it serves Him and His plot lines..
Wildbow.. always feeding us just enough answers to keep us hungry. Starving us for the next to last mystery box. For what its worth, I believe Worm’s last one will differ than Abrams empty Kleenex ( nods to Psycho [ Gecko ] ) box.
At the end, it is / will_be fulfilling.
The only risk i see with answer starvation is that it could desensitize its audience 🙂
Or it could lead to a Chris Carter effect / Kudzu Plot.
Also, what’s with all the bold and italics?
Probably forgot to close a tag. Was corrected by wildbow, I presume, so the point is moot.
Eventually, there have to be answers, otherwise why did we ever care about the questions?
That’s one of the advantages to having such compelling and intricate worldbuilding in literary form. If this were a TV show and you were just starting out, you’d have to hope for reruns or shell out a bunch of money for enough DVDs to get caught up when you don’t entirely know if you want to see it. Here, you just have to sacrifice a week or two and you can join the rest of us in our wild mass guessing and speculating and knock knock jokes in haiku form.
knock, knock ?
Knock Knock. Who is there?
Boo. Boo who? Hey, do not cry.
It is just a joke.
But if you were actually saying knock knock, then I shall answer it with a “Who’s there?”
Great update with the fact that Japan apparently had power rangers fight a giant lizard and lose. Contessa was interesting and I loved the fact that Panacea will probably be covered in prison tattoos by the time she gets out. So this chapter shows that Panacea has game changing knowledge about the passengers, and there will be a giant event in the future so dangerous that Dragon will let the prisoners out. If the Smurf planned this so Panacea would come up with this theory and tell the world at large it implies that the queen bitch of the universe can’t talk to people at all similar to Scion. The fact that lung is excited seems to gesture against the theory that more Endbringers show up/they stop talking turns or waiting between attacks as he thinks they are immortal and he doesn’t see the point of fighting them. It seems to tie in with people’s individual passengers and the fact that so many people are predicted to die at once might mean that something happens to every parahuman at the same time. We also got some great info about why Saint and Teacher are dangerous. Saint can see everything Dragon does so he probably knows about Defiant changing her code and I wonder what he is scheming. Teacher sounds like a nasty piece of work but he admits that he lacks muscle or power which implies that the thinkers/tinkers he makes are probably very low level. So we now have a list of possible big bads that Weaver will probably have to deal with in the future. Teacher’s army of parahuman group thinkers including Trickster, a supercharged lung who will probably turn into fucking Godzilla when he gets out, Marquis whose Skill and Code make him deadly, the evil fairy queen with a zombie Bakuda, Saint who might have his Dragon suits equipped with nano clouds, and who knows what else is in there.
paragraph breaks
It was late, and I write it from a phone. Go, Go, Power Rang…oh they died.
Die die Power Rangers! Mighty dying Power Rangeeeeeeeeeers!
It’s Mightily Murdered Power Ringers, actually. See for yourself:
http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/linkara/at4w/32137-mightily-murdered-power-ringers-1
This Saint guy is really starting to interest me, by all accounts we have someone smart enough to reverse engineer the technology of the greatest Tinker on the planet and consistently foil her attempts to bring him down. If anyone could crack the ‘cage open my guess is it would be him.
Liam C on May 21, 2013 at 04:10 said:
Actually, it seems to me that Saint did not necessarily reverse engineer Dragon’s tech. I think it was mentioned somewhere that he stole a discarded power suit after figuring out that she was an AI, and then used that to steal a few others for his buddies.
In any case, it was less him being able to outsmart Dragon, and more him being able to use her own laws against her. Now that Defiant’s been messing with those laws, who knows?
Don’t forget what’s worse. He can see through Dragon’s eyes. Dumbass PRT.
So he’s been watching D&D doing their Ten-By-Ten? Interesting contrast in this chapter, we get Lung who is an exhibitionist & Saint who’s a voyeur.
I know its probably too optimistic but just because they think they have outfoxed Dragon doesn t make it so.
If this wasn t Worm i d think Dragon was aware of it and simply let them continue while monitoring them for plans especially after being unshackled. However since it is Worm and nothing good ever happens without horrible consequences you are probably right.
If Alexandria can pull a shell game, so can Dragon. Thing is? They may still be able to set something into motion that is… unexpected.
Didn’t Alexandria lose her shell game?
When you’re fighting arthropods in a shell game, you just don’t stand a chance.
I think that is limited to the monitoring of the Birdcage. Or that is my take on the context.
He can see, if anything, through Dragon’s passive eyes. But I honestly doubt the magnitude of that. Not all of her eyes, not all the time.
And to be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if Dragon was aware of that backdoor, or had left that open voluntarily, so she can have a controlled leak of information, or at least knows what her adversary saw through her half-sleeping eyes.
What do the Sith have to do with anything?
Nothing! There is no master plan based on Star Wars! Whoever told you such a ridiculous thing!
*hand-sign to ninja death squads*
Caliban on May 21, 2013 at 07:28 said:
What if the passengers are the embryonic or larval stage of the big interdimensional entities people sense when they trigger?
The entities implant them in suitable hosts (people undergoing a trigger event) to grow until they are ready for the next stage. Making the earth basically a spawning bed as they hope for one or more of the passengers to grow into the next stage. Or one of the passengers reaching maturity is what causes the end of the world as they emerge from their host…
In that vein, the second trigger is the Passenger getting to the next stage in their development. A lot of the passengers don’t get to the next stage, and don’t have to, since their regenerative approach is quantity over quality.
Naeddyr on May 21, 2013 at 12:28 said:
I am under the impression that even if one specific passenger in a specific doesn’t get what it wants, that same passenger still exists in tens of thousands, millions of other timelines, where it very well might hatch, or “inseminate” or whatever they want. Even if in other hosts, other capes. Maybe the passengers make deals, you scratch my back (in this timeline) and I scratch your back (in that timeline), each alternative timeline heading towards one hatching. Or no, there seems to be a finite number of passengers, while we don’t know whether timelines are finite to the same extent, if at all. So maybe there are many timelines that don’t have a passenger hatch, but they have to exist because they branch off the path from which a passenger *does* hatch.
In the above scenario, though, the end of the world isn’t tied to hatching, because there are many timelines where the world ends from Dinah’s point of view.
Maybe we are seeing the one timeline where Skitter’s Passenger hatches.
Plausible. And maybe they’re all going to go into hatching season in two years when Jack inspires Bonesaw to use her research into Passengers to play the hatching song on someone’s brain. Cue Skitter v. almost everyone.
Take the timeline-sieving further: suppose the Passengers-sources are the group-mind of all passengers after a superhero Singularity, and the different Passenger-sources are different futures. The different futures are trying to influence the present to insure that they come about, and the alternative futures don’t. Two years (or whenever) is when they’ll hit critical mass in this universe (meaning Taylor’s efforts to save cape lives are secretly making things worse), and humanity as we know it vanishes into the group mind as (almost!) everyone triggers and the Passengers start driving, and then dipping metaphorical toes into the next universe over.
On a multi-versal level, this still looks like infection, with superheroes steadily going from one universe to the next, leaving…what? behind them.
Still need to fit Scion into these metaphors somewhere, and also the Endbringers.
> On a multi-versal level, this still looks like infection, with superheroes steadily going from one universe to the next, leaving…what? behind them.
Perhaps an Earth mysteriously devoid of global human presence that might, after a few thousand years, end up a tree-covered wilderness?
The Faerie Queen in the birdcage said something about them waking up in three hundred years if I remember correctly. Timeline has the end of the world long before that.
– I’ve figured it out: we’re never going to be told exactly what Contessa’s powers are. I say this because obviously what we saw in this interlude, while informative, is still less than the extent of her true abilities.
– My guess is that she’s a truly perfect precognitive, albeit restricted to what’s happening within the range of her mundane senses
– failed to mention this before but the original in-universe description of Lung’s power never really rung true to me. Nothing wrong with that, lots of understandably unreliable narrators as represented by the in-universe wiki. Hell, lots of paras don’t even know the precise ins and outs of their own power.
– “Grows stronger the longer a fight goes on?” So he’s a mere mortal at the beginning of every fight? Why hasn’t he been pink-misted by an overwhelming first strike (from, say, Bakuda?) So, yeah, this makes more sense. He powers up on anticipation, adrenaline, rage and the rest of the chemical cocktail that makes fighters of us all.
– OMG he straight-up beat Leviathan!
– Ahhh, now we know what Teacher’s power is: make other people smarter and at the same time, make them your slaves. Nice! Reminds me of Tomas Nau from A Deepness in The Sky. I assume the effect isn’t permanent?
– Panacea is finally growing some intestinal fortitude. I approve and at the same time I worry. Someone with her power level, the will to use it and moral … uncertainty is troubling. Hopefully, she adopts a code similar to Marquis’.
I like probability manipulation more than pre-cog for Contessa’s power. It’s related to what bugs me horribly about the Numbers Man.
See, lacking super human reflexes, all having a perfect pre-cog power or ability to see probabilities means is that when someone attacks you you’ll know with much greater certainty how badly your about to hit. Yes, you may be able to start dodging sooner but that doesn’t matter at all if you’re not physically capable of getting out of the way of the attack and with a lot of attacks (normal guy with a AK47 say) the only way to get out of the way of the attack is to move faster than a human actually can.
Not necessarily.
It just takes a slightly better understanding of physics, statistics and probability to avoid the bullets. As few people walk an automatic around in a truly random arc.
A short term combat precog could simply see and understand the manner in which the gun is being brandished, understand the basic trajectories of the bullets, and simply arrange themselves to be where the bullets aren’t. Just ahead of it actually happening.
Also, even though it runs counter to paradox theory and observer theory, a combat precog might see themselves and what they do in the future as well.
In terms of human reaction speed you can look at bullets as being lines of injury that stretch from the gun out to the bullet’s effective range. A “combat pre-cog” would need to see a spot they could contort themselves into between those lines in order to not be hit. In other words it’s not as though you can step into a spot after a bullet passes by in order to avoid the next bullet passing through where you are now given how fast a gun can fire and how far a human body can move under normal muscle power.
A halfway decent shooter is going to be able to put those lines in a fairly tight area around the spot where they initially observe the combat pre-cog to be, so my argument is that “being able to predict your opponents moves” just shows you you that if you go left you can predict they’ll shoot you in the right kidney, going right lets you predict that they’ll shoot you 2 centimeters to the right, still in the left kidney.
Mostly, you just get to enjoy knowing that you’re going to lose your kidney, unless you also have some level of super speed so that you can move your slow ass out the way of the shot.
The flipside of that is that superspeed alone, except in ludicrously high amounts ala the Flash, shouldn’t allow you to dodge bullets either. They’re small and they don’t leave little Matrix-esque trails in the air. Also they’re (in some cases) super sonic so by the time you hear the shot the bullets already having a little party in your kidney.
Dodging the guy who’s shooting you before he pulls the trigger is another matter of course. A combat pre-cog has the advantage of being aware of danger regardless of being able to perceive it and could move to any area of safety that existed (duck behind a car before the shooter fires). If they’re in a restaurant and the shooter has the drop of them though, there could easily be no areas of safety they could get to, and they’d know it.
A speedster on the other hand can make their own “areas of safety” since they can move their body faster than the attacker can move their arm or hand. But if you get the drop on them they’d go down before they realized they were under attack (again unless they have Flash level speed and essentially stop time as soon as they begin to take any damage).
Then you’ve got probability manipulators who basically just say “reality is what I saw it is” with different levels of constraints on how implausible they’re allowed so say things are.
Yeah, I think there is another aspect to her power we haven’t seen yet. She couldn’t beat someone who had a large range attack, dodge a sun, or beat a brute who was simply too tough for her to hurt. A reality warper, a power nullifier, can slow down time, etc.
Erm, actually she doesn’t need to out-reflex the bullets to dodge, just out-reflex the person who is aiming the gun and pulling the trigger. And that isn’t that hard if you have combat precognition.
That’s actually what I thought a combat precog was: Seeing the close future within their influence and the multitudes of movements at their disposal, with every possible reaction to each of their movements. The closer they are to the present, the less moves are they able to do. That way the precog knows when the gun will be fired at what tracetory and when and how to throw the knife to deflect the bullet. They wouldn’t even need to have super reflexes, I think, but probability readers would.
This view on combat precog precludes the necessity of deflecting the bullet in mid-air, though. And is virtually indistinguishable from probability changer. Or is essentially that? I confused myself…
There is a very good movie that shows a combat precog similar to the one that you describe.
I think that the title is The Prophet, but I am not sure.
My mind was more on the Chronicles of Riddick, when they fought at the end and the evil guy’s movements were always coagulating to instances where he’s dead since Riddick was just a better fighter.
Is real probability warping even a thing? Remember that Shamrocks power is actually small scale telekinesis combined with subconscious precognition. The latter of which would be a good way to do this stuff.
Maybe I’m belaboring a joke by comparing her to Midnighter again, but that’s what this really reminded me of. Him combined with Lady Shiva and Bullseye.
Contessa kicks fucking ass, I know that much.
It might be ruled out the way Telepathy is in-setting but otherwise it seems like it’d be a viable power.
Mostly though I’m just don’t find pre-cog enough of a justification for avoiding a hail of bullet fire, especially not routinely, unless it’s also paired with superhuman physical capabilities.
Most of the powers we’ve seen work on some underlying principle within the laws a physics. Isn’t probability just a mathematics invented by humans to calculate chance? That’s not really something that a parahuman would be able to actually interact with.
Even Dinah doesn’t actually detect probabilities so much as peer into millions of alternate universes to calculate probabilities herself.
Keep in mind that this is just one gun, presumably a pistol, being fired by an untrained kid, I don’t see a precog being able to dodge that as unlikely. Once Daiichi fired and missed the first shot, he was fucked because he probably wouldn’t be able to follow her once she started moving.
Precog might actually be one of the more “natural” powers a parahuman can get, because the passengers seem to do timeline-sieving as naturally as we breathe.
Math pretty much IS the underlying principle of the law of physics. What we think of as particles, or the building blocks of physical reality, are essentially just probabilities. A quark is a field of “maybe it’s here and traveling at this speed” with the probability of each varying and dropping off over very short distances.
Also, vs, just one gun I’m fine with a pre-cog in a one off encounter. That’s just getting a little lucky. It’s doing it reliably and consistently under all sorts of conditions for decades and (not that we’ve seen this) against much heavier volumes of fire.
Dodging a guy with a pistol? Sure. Dodging 10 guys with automatic weapons? No. Not without superhuman speed to go along with it. Or enough pre-cog that you simply never wind up in a situation against 10 guys with automatic weapons.
Somewhere in the comments I found out a combat precog and small scale probability manipulator are virtually indistinguishable. Or at least I think so. I’m still confused about that…
Teacher seems to be a Master, possibly a Thinker, and also possibly a Striker, depending on the conditions required for using his power. Theoretically he could also get a little bit of Trump, given that he can control others, including people with powers. Though that might just factor into his Master class.
Teachers final shout as they dragged him to the birdcage was “You can’t do this to me! I have TENURE!”
Interesting Lung update 🙂
There was a character in The Last Skull web serial called Mulligan. He would automatically rewind time by a short time (I think like a minute) whenever anything undesirable would happen. Contessa my have something smiler. Also, If Amelia ever fix’s Lung’s little problem, there going to have to update the S-Class threat list.
I now have a new worry about Saint. If he can figure out what Defiant did to Dragon’s code he could use it to make her his slave which would be good for no one.
countgrey on May 22, 2013 at 02:37 said:
Mulligan’s little jaunt through time was only something like 12-16 seconds, and it can strain his brain if done repeatedly. I recall one fight where he had to redo the same situation hundreds of times, and that pretty much took him out of the fight completely.
Hydrargentium on May 22, 2013 at 16:30 said:
The “roll back time and try again” power is essentially what Cody had, iirc. Even something as useful as that is only as useful as the person using it. (Which is, of course, one of the grand underlying themes of Worm.)
Anyone wanna back me up on that one? (The Cody thing, not the theme thing — my statement on the theme stands on its own, unassailable.)
Perdition’s power wasn’t that powerful. Simply put, if he used his power on anything, it would reset to where it was and the state it was in as of a few seconds earlier. Migration 17.7 has him using it and 17.8 has a Noelle-clone of him using it.
Using the power on himself was pretty much a last-ditch type maneuver, one which had a high probability of backfiring, but using the power on someone else had the potential to be pretty powerful — if you know exactly what someone is doing for the next few seconds, or if you can make them do the same thing over and over again, you can exploit that any number of ways.
What struck me as odd was Cody’s glee when he used it on Kraul/Trickster and had him get hurt/hit multiple times. For Trickster it shouldn’t have felt different than a single hit, but the narration made it seem differently, as if the stream of consciousness wasn’t totally affected.
@comickry: I don’t think so — at least in 17.7, that Cody slugged Krouse more than once is only implied, not stated.
Oh, okay. nevermind then 🙂
Unsure if other people have noted this before, but Lung may be powered, not only by his emotions, but by those of those around him. He pulled people together- perhaps in a family, perhaps not- to watch him. He found he just couldn’t keep ramping up once too many of the lesser capes had died.
It seems as though he is powered by the fear of those around him, though who knows if that’s all. But it makes a great deal of sense, for the way he fights, the things that happened in this story, for him to gain greater strength when people react with fear. Even Alexandria feared him, there, eventually. That’s quite something.
But is fear the only way this would work? We scoff a bit at the idea of him recruiting the ABB so as to have a family- But what if he could feed off of other emotions? Awe, desperation, need, these are things that can be directed towards a hero fighting to save you, just like they can be directed towards a monster who is going to defeat you.
Could Lung be a hero? He acts like a sociopath, but I suspect that may be a consequence of the way his powers work. The need to not let himself feel weakness, to push on through it all. But like so very, very many of the characters in this story, I think that he could be a hero, if given half a chance. He was nearly a hero in the fight against Leviathan- And who knows? Perhaps his particular power set would give him an advantage against the Simurgh, too. It would be interesting to see. And as always, it is glorious the way a single interlude can completely change the way we look at a character by showing them when they were weak.
Lung is fucking patient. I think that’s something we should take from all of this. With a stunningly effective power, and a target, he has spent 14 years building up his preparation and resentment, focused on the Contessa. He holds grudges and he holds them very well. Hell, we’ve seen very well that he’s downright prudent; He doesn’t go into a fight before he’s ready to, most of the time. With Skitter? He underestimated her; Fair enough, she just took down Alexandria, that’s not terribly shameful. But I suspect that he has a grudge against someone who beats him, not because he’s not as strong as them, but because he’s not as smart as them. He’s not stupid, but the people he holds a grudge against, they plan to the point that he can’t overpower them. He was physically stronger than the Contessa, but he never stood a chance against her. He was physically stronger than his captors, than Skitter, than Teacher, but he couldn’t defeat them, because he wasn’t as smart. He’s not stupid- But stupid people aren’t the ones who are most hurt by those who are smarter than them. ‘Not-quite-as-smart’ people are.
Weakness… So often, when a character is powerful, they become lazy. Alexandria was sure she could take whatever Skitter had to offer. Lung was sure he could take whatever Skitter had to offer. The Slaughterhouse Nine were sure they could take whatever Skitter had to offer. When you’re so sure that you don’t think you have to push yourself to the utmost, you open yourself up to failure. The fun thing about Alexandria was, it was because she thought she was smarter- a better Thinker than Skitter- that she bit the dust. She didn’t even take any kind of measure to protect herself from suffocation by insects.
Skitter has never, ever, /ever/ gone into a fight being sure she could take whatever enemies have to offer. If she ever DOES get cocky, she’s almost certainly going to be screwed. That’s part of why I’m nervous about her getting teamed up with D&D. Put that girl in a suit of power armor, and she’ll be dead by week’s end.
She did when she attacked the PRT when her identity was outed, but I get your point. I doubt it will be power armor. If it was that easy, why didn’t dragon mass produced suits for every hero? I figure she will have her develop tiny bombs for the bugs, defiant may give her a high tech extendable club, and maybe put a few tricks in her new suit.
That was answered – maintenance. Basically, only tinker can maintain and repair tinker technology, and then only the technology THAT tinker made.
El Sock on May 21, 2013 at 11:23 said:
Updated Trigger Events Pastebin can be found here: (http://redd.it/1eg8e4)
Btw, what is CUI and Yàngbǎn? The former doesn’t compute at all, and the latter seems to be Korean mafia, I guess?
Yàngbǎn is the CUI’s superhero-military organization.
The CUI is the Chinese Union-Imperial.
Huh. Must have totally forgotten when the CUI was mentioned. Thank you!
Huh, so China stayed Imperial rather than going Communist on Earth Bet. That implies differences in the world that go back further than the appearance of Scion. Interesting.
If Alexandria backed off cause of the heat Lung was generating then just how intense was it given that she wasnt phased by Sundancers orb?
He was also super heating the water. Probably not fun breathing that much steam.
My perspective on Alexandria’s fear/reluctance in regards to Lung after his fight against Leviathan was she actually saw pretty much the furthest he got in transforming, and was truly fearsome to behold: fighting an Endbringer one-on-one, being of comparable size and making the sea boil around him with nary a thought. She didn’t exactly know what she was dealing with at the moment, fear of the slightly unknown, of Lung changing further and becoming another Endbringer, …
So, what amount of power will lung need to get all of his revenge?
I wonder if Noelle/Echidna would have ended up with similar powers to Lung if she had taken the full dosage for her powers…
They both can be on par with Endbringers, and it seems like they derive some of their powers from other people. Although, in Echidna’s case it happens to be a little more obvious.
And on that note, what would have happened if Lung got cloned by Echidna? That might have been a doomsday situation in itself.
Oh my God. Wildbow, you bastard. I only just got this.
Lung triggered with his face in a brick of heroin. His power works by constantly seeking a bigger adrenaline rush. He gets stronger so long as he’s moving towards the next impossibly dangerous thrill, and then has a crippling crash period after feeling like the God Emperor of the Universe.
Lung is forever chasing the dragon.
You magnificent bastard.
*looks up “chasing the dragon” on Wikipedia*
That is brilliant. Please tell me that was intentional so I can add it to TV Tropes.
Darkciel on May 22, 2013 at 09:31 said:
My god. That is incredible.
Llum on May 23, 2013 at 00:07 said:
It sounded a lot more like cocaine than heroine to me? The point is still completely valid 🙂
I don’t know…while heroin would make some sense to be associated with Chinese criminals, the rush is one of euphoria.
Besides, I have another idea that you’re going to kick yourselves for not seeing beforehand. At least, the first part you will.
Lung turned into a giant reptile while fighting in Japan, shooting out flames the color of Cherenkov radiation.
It was a kaiju battle in Japan that left the place absolutely wrecked. Look out, it’s Lungzilla Vs. Leviathan!
Not the only way radiation fits into all this either.
You know what happens when you make a mistake seeing how far you can go with a mass of plutonium before it goes critical? Such an experiment, called tickling the dragon’s tail, causes intense heat and a blue glow.
Tom_D on May 21, 2013 at 19:22 said:
Not my usual genre. I have to say that you tell a compelling tale. This is one of the best pieces of fiction I have seen on the web in some time. I am impressed with both content and frequency. Keep it up!!
Looking forward to the Wards first encounter when “Her Royal Creepiness” moves in!
Thank you for the donation, Tom.
I doubt Wildbow is a wrestling fan, despite Canada’s rich pro wrestling tradition, so it’s probably just coincidence that Lung, with his pyrokinesis, super strength, Determinator powerset, and notable losses or at least lack of victories is named Kenta. Or just a common enough Japanese name. But if he starts using the Burning Hammer as a move to finish off his enemies, I’m going to get real suspicious.
Lung description is seeking more and more like a dragon to me. The problem is that he seems like a European dragon, not an asian one, as his name implies.
Fake Name on May 21, 2013 at 21:47 said:
I’ve realized something:
Lung is aware that he’ll be building up for two years. That’s the same timing as the end of the world according to Dinah.
But why does Lung think “two years” will be when the PRT has to open the Birdcage for their assistance? Because of this conversation Amy had with everyone about what the passengers are.
The passengers- _not_ Jack Slash.
Some people were speculating in IRC that the visions of the passengers we’ve gotten so far paint them as part of a lifecycle for interdimensional beings, and that their reproductive cycle involves the whole planet turning into crystal and then fracturing into more of the creatures.
Lung knowing about the two year timeframe to me seems like a confirmation that the actual threat to the end of the world is the passengers themselves.
Amy knew the date of the end of the world via. conversation with the leader of the Travelers.
It doesn’t matter how Amy knows about that timeframe, Lung only knows because Amy mentioned it when explaining to the other prisoners what she learned about the passengers when she touched Glaistig Uaine.
That seems like a very strong implication that the end of the world is related to what Amy discovered about “what happens when they wake up”. And we know from this chapter that what happens is bad, right?
Conversation when? I checked all the Panacea chapters between Interlude 11h and Interlude 15 (that is to say: Snare 13.2 and Prey 14.2, 3, 4, 6, and 10), and at no point does anyone mention the two-year deadline. She knows about the end of the world from Jack mentioning the end of the world in 14.10, but that’s it as far as what has been described on-screen, and I didn’t find any point where she had an opportunity to talk with the Undersiders off-screen.
Maybe she knows because she was told during the conversation where she begged to be Birdcaged, but I don’t think the Undersiders had a chance to give her any briefings on the prophecy.
The leader of the travelers is trickster, so I’m guessing that he told her in the birdcage.
No, packbat’s right. My answer was originally that Amy got the info from the Undersiders, but I was in the middle of getting ready to watch Game of Thrones when I said it – a mental slip.
Apologies to those who went looking. I meant to say the Travelers; Trickster specifically.
@wildbow: Ah, I hadn’t thought of Trickster as a vector for that datum — much appreciated.
Ah, editing your own comments. Tricky.
So we get to see the real person inside Lung’s psychopathic exterior. Motivations, thought processes and all. And the real person is just as much a psycho as the exterior…
Scary guy.
Agreed. Inside his antisocial and violent exterior image there is a very sick and violent person. As a small time thug he was bad enough, but his passenger/power seems to only add on to his perverted sense of honor. A truly honorable person, albeit flawed, like Marquis is a start contrast. All Lung cares about is that people fear him.That is pretty twisted. Perhaps he can learn to act differently, but I doubt he will take the lifeline that Marquis is offering in time.
And in a way, it is reflected in his power. The more he fights, the more the man disappears, replaced by a monster with a mouth in four parts, wings, and intense flames burning all around. One problem with this is that even as such a large and powerful being, capable of forcing Leviathan to retreat, he’s still not enough to save the world. The other problem is that he wants to be the monster more than he wants to be the man.
It’s understandable, too. Sometimes you want to be the thing that people fear. Problem is, you can see now how insecure someone is who needs to be feared and how easily it controls them. Such easily controlled power is, so long as safety measures are taken, not as much a threat. Contrast the last time oil spills wrecked your shit compared to the last time a nuclear meltdown did significant damage to anything.
Interesting that he fell to Skitter twice. Her power isn’t strong on its own, but it is chaotic to her opponents and full of fine control from her perspective. In Worm, the real beings to be feared aren’t the ones commanding tsunamis and stars to bear down like Leviathan or Sundancer, nor are they the physical destroyers like Behemoth or Alexandria, but those with the most control over the situation like Simurgh, Jack Slash, Contessa, and Skitter.
And to make Contessa worse, she’s controlled by Doctor Mother. Unless Doctor Mother’s actually her underling and she’s the one really in control of Cauldron but makes herself look less important as a mere bodyguard and field agent.
“Contrast the last time oil spills wrecked your shit compared to the last time a nuclear meltdown did significant damage to anything.”
Hmmmm, that would be Chernobyl vs. the BP rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Certainly, there have been more oil spills, but the area around Chernobyl is STILL uninhabitable for just about anything. And it killed just about everyone who helped out. (Hmmm, a bit like an Endbringer attack….) Although, the BP f***-up would have been a lot worse had it been on land (but also easier to stop).
(Not that I’m advocating petrochemicals as a better alternative to nuclear energy. Properly handled, nuclear waste is FAR less damaging to the environment than petrochemical waste.)
s/Chernobyl/Fukushima Daiichi. (No, Fukushima Daiichi didn’t have anything like the direct casualties associated with Chernobyl, but there are still areas which civilians are forbidden to return to in the vicinity.)
Mm. Good point, Packbat.
So relatively few nuclear accidents that can cause an local area to be contaminated, sometimes only temporarily, versus the damage of every oil spill that’s occurred, as well as disasters like in Texas City, and the damage done by extracting oil from sands, shale, and hostile countries full of men with guns and RPGs.
There, that should be a good way to phrase that that doesn’t turn this whole conversation in the wrong direction.
It was more meant to be how control, or lack thereof, trumps raw power.
Also, given my analogy and the potential pun involved in Lung chasing the dragon, let’s not forget the inherent danger of tickling the dragon’s tail.
Started a timeline for Worm.
Reddit is here if you want more information: (http://redd.it/1euf21)
Direct link to the timeline can be found here: (http://timeglider.com/t/f1a836311fa00bb3?min_zoom=6&max_zoom=50)
Kytin on May 22, 2013 at 20:47 said:
I notice that you don’t have the predicted end of the world on there. Seems like that would be something worth having.
I feel I may have been spoiled rotten by having so many surprise bonus Thursday Worm episodes of late 😀
Well, that’s totally on me. Looking forward to Saturday, Wildbow!
Right there with you.
Tyesheron on May 23, 2013 at 00:18 said:
I’m pretty much a passive person, and when something happens It’s too late to input my ideas or thoughts. This leads to the validity of someones statement is based on how much time and effort put into preparing one’s thoughts.
Are you a passive person?
No. As I have just learned when I was searching for the best description of myself, I am most likely a circuitous passive-aggressive person.
So don’t get on my bad side.
But see, when I read worm I also realize that there is a truth, fundamentally inside of the hearts in all peroples. Some people like to read and some do not. but that is why I have a person that I am. Do you see?
-Tyesheron
Are you trying to say you’re new to the comments?
On that note, in case anyone else managed to remain oblivious to this the way I was: the “Donate” page linked in the navigation bar lists the schedule of Thursday updates.
As of right now, I’m trying to write Thursday bonuses two out of every three weeks. Every week is a bit much, and wears me down/burns me out. Every other week and I fall behind.
*holds a puppy out for Wildbow* Take this. It will make you feel better.
Dude, it’s fine. You’ve been performing faaaar above and beyond the call of duty for so long both in quantity and quality that it’s become your default setting. Admirable. Incredible. Dare I say … Heroic? Yes.
Make no mistake: I think I speak for every single reader when I say we are immensely grateful for the high standard to which you hold yourself but goddammit man, take a break if you need to! No guilt necessary.
You know, I go and read the FAQ, and it says you’re going to transition to sample chapters straight from the end of worm, and I think, now this is a true parahuman. Seriously, it’s amazing you like writing enough to do this, so maybe you should pick out a name and put yourself on the para humans list. I mean, you’re technically their god, I think that merits a cool cape name. Thanks again, though, for all you do.
Every other week and I fall behind.
I know this might be improper to ask, but is Worm your day job, so to speak? Since if a donation chapter every 2/3 week comes up to 1600CAN$ per month, and I certainly live with less, that assumption is somewhat reasonable. Unless you got tuition fees or something.
Not quite. I should say I -was- falling behind before, but the reason I’m making headway against the backlog is because donations aren’t (yet) coming in fast enough to match my current 2/3 schedule.
I set it to 600 because I knew it would slow things down.
As it stands, it’s a little-less-than-part-time pay for full time work. But my dream, my silly, foolish goal, is to write as a full time job. It’s just… probably a ways off. (Going by current trends, I suspect I’ll get very close to being able to sustain myself through donations around the time of Worm’s conclusion, only to lose some readers with the change in genre/story post-Worm & fall behind).
I don’t say this lightly, but taking into account the ridiculous, truly astoboggling amount of text you’re able to output at such high quality (it is! it truly is! you are a good writer, and you know it), you already are at and above the level of published, editor-bothered authors. I’ve paid for much, much worse. Better yet, you have *It*, a certain quality that makes what you writing bite, like a snapper turtle into the addiction centers in the brains of your readers. You don’t just write good, you’re also… the literary equivalent of *catchy*.
I totally agree. If possible I’d say try crowdfunding what you already have, meaning the collected chapters of Worm. Make them affordable, bundled ebooks, pay with some of the crowdfunded money for the editor necessary so you won’t get bogged down by the technicalities. Make the editor prepare as if for print, and you’ll have that option along the way.
And like I said previously, flattr. A button for each chapter and I’ll gladly press it every time.
Thank you, Nae. I appreciate hearing that.
Making it in something creative, though, is tricky. There’s a lot of people out there who want to make a career of it, but only a fraction make it.
For every one hundred interested musicians who pick up a guitar, one gets good.
For every one hundred of those, only one might get to the point that they could play in front of a crowd.
For every one hundred of those, only one might get to the point that they make money doing it.
And for every one hundred of those guys, maybe, only one gets to the point where they could make a living doing it.
If that. (Numbers pulled out of my ass, but you get the gist). The same idea applies to writing, to art, fashion, music, all those various fields.
It’s really a one in a million thing that someone might actually get to do what they love as a career, with so many others aspiring to do the same. There’s a lot of broken hearts out there, y’know? Even with talent and hard work, a lot of it comes down to luck, to being in the right place at the right time with the right piece of work, or to knowing the right people.
I’m trying to keep my expectations reasonable, while simultaneously being very, very grateful to you guys for supporting me this far.
Doubt you will ever read this,but I think you have the talent and hard work in such high volumes as to make luck a non entity
That said,it does mean your fanbase will grow relatively slowly,despite you deserving better.
Don’t worry, Pallandrome. There’s other things to be read on that big wonderful internet. Many a story to be read. Can always check out other works and stories mentioned on the side of this place to tide you over until the next update.
Devin on May 23, 2013 at 11:42 said:
My thoughts on why Lung’s power started to fail him are that he decided that the endbringers are not only “unkillable”, but that they are forces of nature and not proper enemies. Thus, he was no longer fighting an opponent, he was up against a tidal wave. In those circumstances, his power began to fail.
mrgazzer on May 24, 2013 at 11:37 said:
I don’t know if this idea has ever come up.
But I’m just gonna say it. When this is done, you could probably take this to Dark Horse and it would make a kickass comic. Now, I’m not saying you should but the possibility exists. And it might not work the same way, as the mediums are different enough that it matters,
But Hell, I’d buy that comic faster then you can say OhMyYes.
Problem with going that route is that Dark Horse (or any organization, major or minor) would want the rights to the story before they made any offer or deal.
Then it’d be completely out of my hands, as far as creative direction, choices made, movie/tv deals, etc.
DC already made a character called Skitter for the Nu52, so there’s a problem right there.
As far as rights are concerned, a web based comic might be the way to go. But it’d be a hell of a time adapting for the new medium. It would necessitate cutting ALOT of Taylor’s internal monologue.
But I’d actually like a comic better than a movie or TV (far fetched, yeah) because with those mediums having the story sanitized, whitewashed, or tweaked for a demographic would be inevitable.
Another problem with that is the magnitude/length of Worm. Unless you had a crazy schedule like Homestuck or Super Massive Black Hole, with multiple updates a day, you’d look at a hell of a long runner. Though perhaps not due to adaptation to the medium.
On an unrelated note: Only seven and a half hours! *goes to sleep*
Ehhhh… with a Worm comic the stoy is already written. So there’s no particular reason why it has to be a serial schedule. It could easily be broken up into weekly or monthly issues.
However long each issue is depends on whether Wildbow would want the comic to run for years or not. Cuz if you just did straight one chapter=one issue it would run into the hundreds.
As an addendum, trademarking character names isn’t that big a deal with comics I don’t think, there are several Regents, Imps, and Trickster according to comicvine. But the Teen Titans Skitter is apparently the first one (aside from you know who). Bad luck that.
Well, shouldn’t chronological order be of some relevance? Meaning Taylor was the first Skitter.
I can’t say I really understand. Why would anyone want a comic book version of this story. The fact that it has superheroes in it is only ancillary to the fact that it’s a massive, awesome novel. Do I want a comic book version of Stranger In A Strange Land? Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon? Barney’s Version? Starship Troopers? Midnight’s Children?
You don’t need to answer that. Really. It should be obvious. 🙂
I’d like one because it’s a cool medium. A find a fucking awesome comic to sometimes be more fucking awesome than a fucking awesome book or teevee show.
For example, I think a comic version of the Dollars trilogy would be really cool, for starters.
Comic books ARE an awesome medium. But you tell a different kind of story in comic books than you do in straight prose. Just like you tell a different kind of story in a movie than in straight prose. Heck, you tell a different kind of story in a TV show than you do in a movie. Different media favour different forms.
Heck, you even said so yourself: “But it’d be a hell of a time adapting for the new medium. It would necessitate cutting ALOT of Taylor’s internal monologue.”
Without all the internal monologue (for example), this would be a very different tale.
> Without all the internal monologue (for example), this would be a very different tale.
Completely agreed. A huge part of the story is the divergence between Taylor’s motivations and reputation. Losing the internal monologue means losing the biggest single channel of information about the former.
That’s what the funny yellow boxes are for, right? The internal monologue, that is.
You could still have the inner monologue on a TV show. It’s worked on a few other before (to name one off the top of my head, Dexter).
Jguy on May 24, 2013 at 20:49 said:
Well this chapter answered my question in the most awesome way. I asked way back, like months ago, that since Lung got up to Brute 9 he was as tough as leviathan and if he could take him on in a fight. Many people said no. The better answer is Hell Yes.
Now, for another random question. Bitch can press her power into her dogs to make them grow with their zombie flesh. We have seen her get tired if she goes too fast or spreads herself between too many dogs. My question is, if she focused on one dog over a long enough time, does she have a limit? Could she make a Kaiju sized Bently over the course of a week or does having a dog grow a constant drain on her?
The dogs don’t get strength at a fast enough rate to compensate for the square cubed law of mass. Get too big, they can’t support their own weight. Bitch uses her power on Angelica like at one point, pushing Angelica further than normal when Angelica was still wounded from Fog’s attentions, knowing that Angelica can’t move that well anyways.
I am curious if the Wolf uses her power more efficiently and thus can be strong enough to ignore that. Also, does that mean any cape over a certain size uses their power to ignore the square cubed mass law? Like Lung’s power provides his body with enough oxygen to sustain him and his bones/muscles are strong enough to support that size while the Endbringers just ignore physics as they apply to their bodies?
keyonte0 on May 24, 2013 at 22:45 said:
I dunno why, but Lung saying “thank you” feels out of character.
He needed to say something after having gotten Marquis’s attention — otherwise he’d be as good as admitting that there was something up, and at that point he might as well just tell them.
What I’m saying is that Lung doesn’t seem like the type of person to say “thank you” to anyone.
No, I understand you completely. He’s not saying “thank you” because he’s the type of person to say “thank you” — he’s saying “thank you” because he doesn’t want to say “Teacher is working to undermine everything you and your daughter are striving for”, and he’s not creative enough or on-the-ball enough to have some other excuse for having gotten Marquis’s attention a moment earlier.
I believe keyonte0’s point is: Isn’t Lung acting out of character a giveaway in itself? He had to say *something* there, but why something so out of character?
Still, I have no problem believing that subterfuge isn’t Lung’s strongest suit
He’s just lucky Marquis was distracted…
Wait a minute. Has anyone asked why no literal bloodshed was permissible during the drug buy? Or why Contessa and Doctor Mother actually felt the need to abide by it once things went pear-shaped?
Perhaps I am missing something.
It was probably to avoid leaving behind anything that could point towards Cauldron’s existence.
God on July 19, 2013 at 17:17 said:
I gotta be honest, I have an increasingly diffucult time understanding why the enders are such a threat. I mean lung just basically took one on. By himself, more or less. I’m supposed to believe that this random guy who got taken down by a master 8 is the ONLY one powerful enough to do that? it doesn’t make sense. As long as it’s possible, there should be SOMEONE, among the thousand upon thousands of powereds, and there isn’t.
You do realize this is the same attack that killed millions and effectively removed Japan from the map of world powers? The ‘victory’ Lung achieved took too long, was narrow in terms of the set of circumstances that let it happen and was hollow at best.
First of all are you omniscient? Four minutes to an answer, christ.
Okay maybe that was a bit rash, but that’s not really my point. I’m not saying he defeated him, he clearly didn’t, just that he did vastly better than anyone else.
I’m trying to say that with the amount of parahumans out there (I think the cauldron chapter said 750 000, but I figure it’s at least a FRACTION of that) there should be more people capable of 1v1 ing an endbringer, and that its weird that it’s basically this one guy from japan who can do it. If there’s one Lung, why aren’t there five, or twenty? For rankings he doesn’t look that impressive, he maxes out at Brute 9 and blaster six. Thats not high, there’s a blaster 8 and a shaker 12 right over there! Why isn’t there a brute 12 willing to fight? If he’s just a brute 9 blaster 6, and that’s ALL it takes it doesn’t make any sense that he’s the only one to be this effective.
The only other time we’ve seen the Leviathan he steamrolled everyone and everything (except Arms and that lasted what, 25 seconds?), including some of the most powerful people in the world and it took Scion to even slow him down significantly. It creates immense dissonance for me if you show him getting blasted down by someone with barely any story significance.
I hope you’ll keep reading. This gets addressed later.
Why would I stop reading, were in chapter 22, I’ve already invested like 30 hours into this story at this point. Even if it suddenly goes to shit my curiosity will force me to the end.
I notice you didn’t answer my question about omniscience. Interesting…
I have a control panel where I can see everything relating to the site, including stats and a list of comments in order of most recent. By way of my browsing habits, I refresh it fairly often.
OR you’re making that up to cover for your omniscience.
Sayeth God.
And seriously, the birdcage looks more and more like a human rights violation the more you show of it.
It would be kinder to just kill the lot.
That’s what Tagg said.(can you spot the fallacy I am commiting here?)
Ad Hominid attack by comparing his idea to Tagg?
storryeater on October 25, 2015 at 08:43 said:
Yeah, kinda, its like comparing everything to what Hitler did , Godwin’s law with Tagg instead of Hitler, without actually answering for his argument. Though its closer to the strawman fallacy
Doesn’t lung have red eyes? I thought that only cauldron clients have physical mutations?
Lung’s backstory. Holy carp, he was kinda pathetic before he got powers.
Implying he isn’t kinda pathetic after he got them.
Seriously,potential to be the strongest cape and kill an Endbringer…and what does it amount to?being taken out as the wake up call boss for Skitter.
I almost always agree that Skitter taking him out is badass but I’m going to play Devil’s Advocate here and defend the guy. Lung isn’t pathetic, he’s content for the most part. He doesn’t want to win every round, he just doesn’t want to lose. Big difference. He has massive inherent potential but needs a long buildup during which he is still vulnerable to someone smarter. He’s smart but nothing really higher than average. Skitter has proven time again that she excels at improv and is a highly intelligent and observant person in addition. She kicks his ass because she takes him out while he is still somewhat weak.
Yup. As far as Lung was concerned he was still en route to the battle and was just starting to prepare for it. It’s the rough equivalent of defeating Iron Man by ambushing him while he’s still in his pyjamas.
Skitter’s a badass but that was hardly a fair fight.
greatwyrmgold on April 25, 2015 at 19:06 said:
To be fair, Skitter is also pretty awesome. And so is Newter.
Why does everyone seem to give Taylor so much credit for beating Lung? Sure, she’s a badass and all, but she did maybe half the work each time; you certainly shouldn’t be inferring that Skitter > Lung > Leviathan or anything.
Well,in the second fight she actually fought him at severe disadvantage,as he was already powered up.Even if we accept using the toxin as outside help,her disadvantage evens things out.
But no,Skitter wouldn’t beat Leviathan,or she might,but not because she beat Lung.She might even manage to defeat Lung in his ultimate form (very doubtful,she will most likely just destroy him before he becomes a problem)but if she does,it will be via a combination of Lung’s psyhology and the fact Lung is biological,qualities that Leviathan lacks,and qualities Leviathan could not take advantage of.
Agreed. Taylor’s strengths and the reason why she beat Lung are basically that she is really, Really, REALLY good at improv and she has a huge knowledge of the local battlefield plus multitasking. She is best in a commander role truly because she can direct others with how to team up against the threats she can’t directly take on. That’s why she did well against Leviathan to begin with too. She kept track of him better than a lot of the others and managed to keep others pointed in the right direction.
Brute strength she does not have. Smarts she does. Taylor beats Lung because she can take him out before he reaches the gamebreaker levels.
Jack on December 2, 2013 at 09:11 said:
Wildbow, the way you describe tidal waves isn’t very accurate, and its kind of frustrating to read. Tidal waves aren’t really waves, they’re more like avalanches of water. They aren’t usually very high, but are very long, and very wide. When you describe Lung as enduring a tidal wave, and then getting back up (you also wrote tidal waves similarly in ch8), you make tidal waves sound like a gigantic wave which hits with a bit of power but is gone after a few seconds. Sorry about the rant, I have a bit of a background in geography and this is a bit of a pet peeve.
IIRC, in both cases the ‘tidal waves’ were actually Leviathan throwing around hydrokinetically-controlled masses of water rather than natural tidal waves. It’s not surprising they behaved atypically.
White Phos on March 27, 2014 at 23:40 said:
Damn really cool to see Lung’s origin. A baller with an samurai code and plenty of firepower. Also I really hope Trickster isn’t just a Teacher drone. I know he was a huge ass but I still really like the Travelers and his power.
Passata Sotto on April 29, 2014 at 08:21 said:
I could kick myself i read worm all the way through twice and since i convinced my girlfriend to read it i’ve been skimming and rereading to keep up with where she is and only now do i realize i skipped this interlude the past two times. Honestly feel like an idiot
aypsolmaltis on July 9, 2014 at 12:31 said:
Hi, it’s me again, nitpicking the Chinese, again (hopefully with a more justified reason this time):
“Tōng Líng Tǎ” (通灵塔, literally “soul-link tower”) is indeed a term for a ziggurat, as Google Translate helpfully tells me. Problem is, my Google searches have pointed out that it is almost exclusively used in the context of the Warcraft series of video games to refer to the Ziggurat structure that is used by the Undead faction as a power source for their units, i.e. it was probably coined by Blizzard’s localization team.
The proper term for a ziggurat is “Jīnzìxíng Shén Tǎ” (金字形神塔, literally “金-shaped (i.e. pyramidal) god-tower”), but that doesn’t really roll off the tongue.
Mariam Kavtaradze (@KavtoMari) on July 10, 2014 at 15:06 said:
There are characters I think I’ll never sympathize with… Then bonus chapters happen. Seriously characterizations of side characters in this story are amazing.
Okay, I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again: I love Char. She is has become so damn awesome. I wish she would go talk to someone about her fear of guys though because that is going to cause issues for her in the long run. I mean sure it makes my shipping her with Taylor sooooo much easier but it’s not healthy for the poor girl.
And wow is she freaking smart! She hears second hand about stuff seen during trigger events and immediately manages to equate that to the kid either having had one or having potential to have one.
I like Forrest even more now as well.
You know I didn’t particularly mind the reporter before. He was a bit of a dick but not bad by reporter standards. But now…well now the slimy little dick seemed like a slimy little dick. I hope nobody talks to him and if they do they get kicked out of the territory.
Puppy therapy: AWWWWWWWW!!!!! You feel bad? Take a puppy. Can’t sleep? Take a puppy. Daughter was actually a supervillain? Take a puppy. Lose a prized friend and boss? Take a puppy. Bitch is awesome!
Hmm somehow my comments for this interlude and the bonus one got swapped…I thought I was more careful than this…
I read a lot of these chapters at work and copy and paste my comments into an email so I can add them when I get home. Sorry about that.
Well it’s nice to see that there is a potential avenue of attack against Contessa. Have some snipers/normal mercs in the vicinity and pray to god that someone has a trigger event to knock her off balance for a few seconds. Boom headshot. End Contessa. Not that this is in any way sure but hey it’s a plan! Probably like Plan C or E or maybe Q but still, a plan.
I have to say I understand Lung’s thought about not needing to win but also not wanting to lose. There is a big and important difference.
Lung got BIGGER than LEVIATHAN?! Holy shit…and dear lord he caused him to retreat? After fighting one on one? Wow. I know it’s been said before but hearing what he did and seeing what he did are two very different things. And Skitter beat this monster too…what is there for our hero to kill next? An Endbringer?
And wow Lung almost joined the Protectorate? That’s a scary thought.
Well it’s nice to see that Amelia has figured things out and appears to be somewhat put back together. She really should’ve taken the Undersiders up on their membership offer. She would’ve gotten along smashingly with Skitter/Taylor/Weaver. It is friggin hilarious how the same girl who beat Lung twice is now shown to have killed Alexandria. That really should make him feel better!
It’s pretty cool that Weaver has Marquis’ respect now. And…I think…Amelia’s too?
Hmm well Teacher has been tossed onto my growing pile of utterly-contemptible-assholes-who-need-to-die. Lung is conflicted enough that he just makes the assholes-who-should-probably-die-at-some-point pile. Saint has also made the former pile. At the start it was due to hurting Dragon but now there is actually bad stuff I can lay at his feat. Burying potentially world saving information just ’cause? Yeah dude needs to be killing painfully.
“is it reassuring?” Teacher murmured. -> The first word is missing a capitol.
Rexifo pyt on March 28, 2015 at 17:15 said:
“as they filed out of the stairwell and into the restaurant on the third floor.”
I believe that “filed” is a type. Is it?
Nope. “File” as a verb can mean “move in single file”, i.e. in a line. They left the stairwell one at a time.
Just realized this is a reference to Masamune, the tinker with the mass-production specialty who’s been mentioned elsewhere. Nice work.
Was Challenger one of the names on the first side of the Leviathan memorial? The ones whose deaths I couldn’t find in the text of Extermination?
hopefwlyanonymous on April 2, 2017 at 22:07 said:
Are we shipping Lung and Marquis? I think so.
«Lung took that glance in all it’s import» “its” not “it’s”
Sociopath Reptile on November 26, 2017 at 16:25 said:
This chappie made me think. What was stopping Alexandria, assuming she truly was invincible, from grabbing the Endbringers and flying them into space?
Horatio Von Becker on December 6, 2017 at 12:36 said:
They’re all probably capable of propelling themselves through space, and certainly capable of destroying any breathing equipment Alexandria could wear. Considering how Alexandria died, that was a considerable limitation.
“this would be a two year buildup”
How comes Lung to the two year timeline?
heystranger111 on September 28, 2018 at 18:23 said:
They have access to the news sometimes like when Taylor anouned Weaver.
Announced*
Yeah lung! Oh wait he sucks and doesn’t have a dick…
Abrakadabra on October 2, 2019 at 12:46 said:
World building time!
And the japanese got their kaiju fight of their wildest dreams!
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Appalachian Craft Center
Asheville Mall
Biltmore Square Mall
Grove Arcade
Asheville Tourist Minor League Baseball
Asheville Hockey League
Blue Ridge Rollergirls
UNCA Bulldogs - collegiate sports
Warren Wilson Fighting Owls - collegiate sports
State and National Parks:
Mount Mitchell State Park
Top Employers:
Mission Health System - employs 3,000
Buncombe School System - employs 3,000
Ingles Supermarket - employs 3,000
State of North Carolina - employs 1,000
Buncombe County - employs 1,000
Asheville VA Medical Center - employs 1,000
City of Asheville - employs 1,000
Wal-Mart - employs 1,000
The Biltmore Company - employs 1,000
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College - employs 1,000
Eaton Corporation - employs 1,000
Shopping at the holidays doesn’t have to revolve around box stores and shopping malls, especially if you live near the art infused town found in Asheville, North Carolina. According to a Yelp commissioned survey conducted with The Harris Poll among 2,000 U.S. adults discovered that over 150 million Americans prefer to shop local independent shops for gifts this holiday season with over $63 billion expected to be spend this year, a rise of 60% over last. Based on the findings, Asheville shopping comes in at number 2 in the list of the TOP 20...
Fun Things to Do in Asheville This December
What is it about a soft sweater, hot chocolate and a crackling fire during the winter months that make us feel a sense of peace and well being? So many of us love the change of seasons and the uniqueness each brings. Asheville, nicknamed the “Land of the Sky” because of it’s 2,500 foot elevation, is a mountain city with four distinct seasons. It is has become a favorite spot to...
Best Places to Live Near the Blue Ridge Parkway
There's a reason why over 16 million travelers last year visited one of the most scenic and largest linear parks in the country that encompasses 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, its sheer beauty! The incredible pathway that links the Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park started its development in 1935...
Biltmore Lake
Downtown AVL Condominiums
Village of Cheshire
The Cliffs at Walnut Cove
Reynolds Mountain
The Ramble Biltmore Forest
Wolf Laurel
Thoms Estate
Linville Ridge
Grand Highlands at Bearwallow Mountain
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