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« CMIC Promotes Michelle M. Ursini to Vice President of Business Development & Marketing and Garrett P. Cronin to Vice President of Member Services & Underwriting at CMIC Group
Coverys European Holdings Launched with Senior Appointments
January 13, 2020 by matray
Coverys, a provider of medical professional liability insurance, announced the formal launch of Coverys European Holdings Limited (CEH), an agency platform and network that will invest in and collaborate with managing general agencies in Continental Europe and the United Kingdom (UK), specializing in the professional lines sector.
CEH will be led by a management team headed by Steven Spano as CEO and Doug Robare, who has been appointed as chief underwriting officer, supported by the resources available within Coverys UK, and with the full engagement of Coverys.
The new business will target non-competing MGAs across Europe with complementary portfolios in the professional lines sector. CEH is developing infrastructure and technology across the business to help improve MGA performance and reduce operating costs.
Spano, who worked as UK country manager at Generali Group, also served as chief financial officer for Generali UK and as chief financial officer of Travelers Managing agency at Lloyd’s. Robare, who previously served as global head of financial lines at Generali Group and as head of financial lines and professional liability at Aviva, began his career at AIG Europe.
“Coverys European Holdings marks another key milestone in the Coverys international growth strategy,” said Philippe Sloan, director of underwriting for the Coverys Managing Agency and a director of CEH. “Steven and Doug are the ideal candidates to launch a business which will set itself apart through its focus on exceptional underwriting. We will empower MGA’s across Europe and the UK by providing them with the pricing and infrastructure capabilities and support to grow as we enter a hardening market. This is an exciting time for Coverys and we are certain CEH will make an immediate and clear impact in our target markets.”
“There is a clear gap in the market for a new approach to bring together MGA businesses with a common interest,” said Steven Spano, chief executive officer of Coverys European Holdings. “The Coverys philosophy is based on investing in specialist underwriting expertise. Through this new venture, CEH will enable skilled underwriters to participate in a network that allows them to leverage new avenues for distribution and to offer a broader suite of products, with the immediate focus being in the professional lines space.”
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Invacare Launches Web Site, Social Media for Consumers with SCI
Invacare Corp. has launched a new program of social media and education for consumers with spinal cord injuries (SCI).
In an Invacare news announcement, Roll Revolution (www.rollrev.com) is described as “a hub for resources, tips and tricks to thriving and connecting after a SCI and encompasses SCI patients’ first-hand advice and tips as well as clinical, product and lifestyle tips.”
Maegan Hurtado, Invacare’s digital marketing manager, said of the new community, “There are over 12,000 new spinal cord injuries each year. By providing resources and education to let patients know they are not alone and that yes, they can be as active as they want, we hope to shorten the knowledge acquisition phase during a SCI.”
The www.rollrev.com site includes blogs on topics ranging from preparing for success at school to traveling with wheelchairs on airplanes. The site is supported on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Visitors can sign up for e-mail updates from Roll Revolution as well.
“Now more than ever, people are turning to social media to share stories, get advice and interact with others who understand them,” Hurtado said. “Roll Revolution is meant to help SCI patients get social about their SCI early on and learn about all the opportunities available to them.”
Cure SMA Plans 2020 Summit of Strength Events
What Consumers Want
The Power of Practicing Palliative CRT
Model Ci
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T5 chooses ammonia chillers from York
Ammonia chillers with a capacity of 6.6 MW are to be supplied for the Terminal 5 development at Heathrow airport by York International. The four chillers will be delivered to site in December and form the first phase of the installation. They were chosen because ammonia has no global-warming effect and also will not contribute to ozone depletion. York was appointed to the design team, alongside M&E contractor AMEC and engineering consultant PBX Power. The chillers will be located in T5’s energy centre. Ian Lilley, director of strategic initiatives,says, ‘Our integrated tender strategy brought together wide-ranging skills from our UK organisation and our specialist ammonia factory in Denmark. This significant development demonstrates York’s total design, manufacturing, service and maintenance capability to the European market.’
www.york.com
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Category Archives: Anita Ekberg
Valerie (1957)
The opportunity to see La Ekberg act opposite then husband Anthony Steel is irresistible. This post-Civil War western noir, directed by Gerd Oswald, is an interesting proposition, maritally speaking: she’s a real femme fatale, a settler who’s interested in money and sex, keen to pursue an affair, first with her brother in law (Peter Walker) and then a local priest (Steel) who intervenes to save her marriage, above and beyond any concern for her Union soldier husband turned cattle farmer Sterling Hayden. When she becomes pregnant it’s obvious it isn’t her husband’s and she initially refuses to give evidence in the case against him for the tragic death of her parents. Mostly taking place in flashbacks and then bringing the story up to date in the courtroom (and hospital bed) with their conflicting accounts of a marriage gone very badly wrong. There are three accounts of the murders: whose is right? Written by Emmet Murphy and Laurence Heath aka Leonard Heiderman, this is a dramatically fascinating if not totally satisfying piece of work (like a lot of Oswald’s films) with a chance to see two quite antithetical performers – Hayden and Ekberg – demonstrating their very different acting styles in this morally involving story a la Rashomon. Ekberg would reunite with Oswald for Screaming Mimi a couple of years later.
filed under 1950s, Adultery, Anita Ekberg, B&W, Cattle, Courtroom, Cowboys, Daughter, Death, Deception, Desire, Drama, Farming, Father, Femininity, Femme fatale, Film Noir, Flashback, Guns, Horses, Marital, Morality tale, Mother, Murder, Pregnancy, Religion, Revenge, Romance, Screenwriters, Violent, Wedding, Western
La Dolce Vita (1960)
In the summer of 1958 several layers of Roman society collided in the flashing lightbulbs of celebrity, with Hollywood actors, aristocrats, drug dealers, designers, artists, writers, prostitutes, journalists and street photographers engaging in salacious conflicts that kept several scandal rags going with outrageous tales of a demimonde that seemed to congregate around the Via Veneto. Federico Fellini was taking note. A photograph of Anita Ekberg frolicking in the Trevi Fountain seemed to encapsulate the scene and a story took root in his brain. Along with Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, Brunello Rondi and some uncredited assistance from Pier Paolo Pasolin, he came up with the script that would define the time and the place like no other. Marcello Rubini (Marcello Mastroianni) is the urbane gossip journalist who secretly hankers after the life of his intellectual friend Steiner (Alain Cuny, playing a character loosely based on Cesare Pavese) but cannot cease his lifestyle of instant gratification. The opening shot is stunning: a helicopter is taking a statue of Christ across a football field surrounded by ancient ruins, and chased by another helicopter. All at once the image shows us Rome ancient, imperial and modern, and God is leaving the city, opening up a world of self-indulgence. Marcello is in the second chopper and dallies with some beauties sunbathing on a roof. Right there we have some very economical socio-cultural analysis about contemporary values. 38 minutes in, the film’s raison d’etre occurs: Fellini re-stages the Ekberg image, starring Ekberg herself. Surely this is the ultimate post-modern shot in cinema. This is a very glamorous film about incredible people in a state of pure decadence. It was much criticised at local level but Fellini had tapped into fascism’s true expression – the cultivation of image above meaning, the use of culture to promote an antithetical belief system, the failure of humanity, mob rule. Popular culture was the vehicle through which fascism was transmitted. Fellini was working as a caricaturist during Mussolini’s alliance with the Nazis, he was involved with several of the neorealist classics made right after the war and he had already made a couple of classic films: his concept of reality did not mean the subtraction of meaning. Christening the scattini (street photographers) Paparazzo was only the start of it. He understood the power of voyeurism. Marcello’s disenchantment as he pursues his personal satyricon is groundbreaking and inimitable. The role changed Mastroianni, as he admitted. You cannot walk through Rome and not see it as it is here – ironically, Fellini recreated most of it at Cinecitta (a Mussolini factory that lured so many American filmmakers to free up their frozen profits and enjoy the sweet life): that’s how I discovered the real Via Veneto is very hilly. Rome is Fellini, Fellini is Rome. And as for Nino Rota’s score! As Jonathan Jones said some years ago, Fellini thought of everything first. We are still catching up. Simply great.
My review of Shawn Levy’s book Dolce Vita Confidential which excavates in scrupulous detail the circumstances leading up to the film’s production is here: http://offscreen.com/view/dolce-vita-swinging-rome.
filed under 1960s, Actors, Alienation, Animals, Anita Ekberg, Anouk Aimee, Architecture & Interiors, Aristocracy, Art, Artists, Atmospheric, Auteur, B&W, Bars, Beach, Cars, Castles, Cat, Children, Church, Cinematography, Comedy, Costume, Dance, Death, Deception, Desire, Drama, Drinks, Drugs, Editing, Fashion, Father, Favourites, Fellini, Femininity, Filmmakers, Fish, Fishing, Flowers, Food, Friendship, Helicopter, Hospital, Hotels, Identity, Illness, Irony, Italian, Italy, Journalism, Marital, Masculinity, Medical, Models, Murder, Musicians, Newspapers, Nico, Nightclubs, Nudity, Parade, Party, Performers, Philosophy, Photographers, Photos, Poetry, Political, Post-war, PR, Priests, Production design, Psychological, Publicity, Radio, Realism, Religion, Restaurant, Romance, Rome, Satire, Scooters, Screenwriters, Sex, Singers, Society, Songs, Sons, Soundtrack, Staircase, Striptease, Suicide, Taxi, Telephone, Television, Titles, Voyeurism, Vroom!, Woman in jeopardy
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953)
In which our bumbling twosome don’t actually go to Mars but accidentally blast off and stop in N’Orleans at the Mardi Gras where a couple of gangsters hitch a ride. Then they all fetch up on Venus (stop the John Gray jokes there in the back) where Mari Blanchard, Martha Hyer and their exclusively lady friends have seen it all before. If you look fast you can spot Anita Ekberg as a guard. Sci fi was a hot topic so the duo was bound to have a go and indeed this might have been inspired by Robert Heinlein’s 1950 film treatment in which they go to the moon … Some good sight gags (moon boots, the Statue of Liberty) and wisecracks about Miss Universe (Ekberg – or Ekborg?! was Miss Sweden!) but nothing to get hung about.
filed under 1950s, Anita Ekberg, Comedy, Double act, Mars, New Orleans, Parody, Rocket, Science Fiction, Sexism, Venus
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Airbus to Expand in UK After Brexit
Jan 13 -edited
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury announced expansion of Airbus production in the UK. Trump won't be pleased.
The Brexit doom and gloomers have been proven wrong already as Airbus Pledges Expansion in the U.K. After Brexit.
Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury said Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, which will see Britain leave the European Union on Jan. 31, means the split from the bloc “is at least now for certain,” though the nature of future ties still needs to be worked out.
The European aerospace giant, which employs more than 13,500 people at 25 U.K. sites and supports 100,000 supplier jobs, warned under previous CEO Tom Enders that future production might be in doubt as the prospect of a no-deal Brexit threatened to create border delays and inflate costs.
“Airbus is committed to the U.K. and to working with the new government on an ambitious industrial strategy,” Faury said late Wednesday at a company event in London. “We see great potential to improve and expand our operations in the U.K. this year.”
Wings for all Airbus models are made in Britain, chiefly at sites near Chester and Bristol, as well as in Belfast at a plant previously owned by Bombardier Inc. and now operated by Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc. The U.K. will also play a vital role in helping Airbus transition to low- and zero-carbon technology, Faury said, while also praising its increased funding for the European Space Agency.
Trump Will Suck Airbus Into the Crisis at Boeing
A few days ago I wrote Trump Will Suck Airbus Into the Crisis at Boeing
This is an election year and Donald Trump is running for reelection. Upping the ante in the European trade wars will make him look tough to his base. Never mind that the Federal Reserve concluded the trade wars are hurting the US economy, businesses and workers.
Airbus is almost certain to become a target for higher tariffs. I won’t rule out adding the Mobile (AL) final assembly line to sanctions despite Alabama being the No. 1 supporter of Trump. There is no way Alabama will vote for a Democratic challenger to Trump; it’s a completely safe state.
Those two paragraphs are according to widely respected Leeham News and Analysis. They predate this UK Airbus expansion announcement.
Three Leeham Points
The Trump Administration is thinking about increasing the tariffs on Airbus aircraft from 10% to 25%. It has WTO authority to boost tariffs to 100% of the value of the airplanes.
The Administration is said to be unhappy with EASA, the European certification regulator, taking the stance it has, insisting it wants to independently review and recertify the MAX.
And, unrelated to the MAX, the Administration is said to be unhappy that the EU is dragging its feet in approving the Boeing-Embraer joint venture.
Trump Caught
If Trump does what he says, even more Airbus production will move elsewhere. If he doesn't, he gets to simmer.
Regarding Brexit, please consider Brexit Collusion Between France and UK? What Really Happened?
Orders are secured years in advance. I suspect airlines will lobby hard to see Airbus tariffs not happen. As both Boeing and Airbus are both crony capitalist business models that benefit form protectionism I doubt any one has the upper hand. And Boeing can't increase production easily and is still dealing with 737-MAX issues. Another Trump tariff that doesn't seem well thought out. This would wind up being a huge tax on airlines in an industry that never seems to do well long term
I suspect what Airbus is doing is increasing production around the world and not make any single country or region's please of origin account for too much of the total in effect hedging their bets. When Trump placed tariffs on China U.S. companies responded by shifting some production to Vietnam and other Asian nations.
This was from an Airbus press release just a few days ago.
Mobile, AL, USA – Airbus announced today that, as part of its plan to produce 63 A320 Family aircraft per month in 2021, the company will expand its industrial footprint in the U.S. by increasing the production rate of A320 family aircraft at its Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile to seven per month by the beginning of next year. This increase, and continued recruiting for the A220 manufacturing team, will result in a further 275 jobs added at the Alabama-based facility over the next year. The company will also invest another $40 million through construction of an additional support hangar on the site, bringing its total investment to more than $1 billion in the Gulf Coast city.
Airbus's announcement hinges on a Brexit deal however. The aerospace giant had warned it could move wing-building out of the UK in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Advancingtime
Trump and Boeing should be more worried about China's C-919. The C919, being built by Chinese state-owned aviation manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), is a perfect example of Chinese intentions and is a kick in the teeth of those endorsing free trade.
COMAC has spent 11 years and $6.5 billion developing the C919, which is seen as China's answer to the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320. Deliveries of the C-919 should start next year.
The C-919 hits right at the core market of its competitors. It does not take a rocket scientist to calculate how rapidly China can ramp up production. The article below gives the details behind this threat to Boeing's dominance.
China's C919 Poses Major threat To Boeing's Dominance
Now Airborne China's C919 Will Be A Major Player Recently Boeing's reported earnings that smashed expectations and its guidance…
brucewilds.blogspot.com
JustASimpleMan
No surprise at all. Boeing are bleeding to death, Airbus getting record orders and the UK makes all of the wings (except for the diminutive A220, which is actually a Bombadier aircraft).
I'm sure that Macron would love to see them made in Toulon but the bottom line is that without the UK, there is no Airbus. Don't forget that Rolls Royce make a significant slice of the engines too. The Chinese, the Japanese, anyone can knock up a fuselage but it ain't no good without wings and engines.
Just another (potential) tariff that DJT can walk back at his leisure (as in whenever he wants to boost stock market to record high(er) in quest to win re-election).
Boeing and Airbus are both state sponsored companies, just like the ones the EU and US like to criticize in China.
Replace Trump and Macron, and the stand-off won't change one bit
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Trump and China to Sign Trade War Ceasefire on Wednesday
On Wednesday, the US and China will sign a compromise deal that will calm but not end a two-year trade war.
Hooray, we have a deal at last, assuming nothing happens between now and Wednesday. But serious issues linger.
The Wall Street Journal comments on How the U.S. and China Settled on a Trade Deal Neither Wanted.
The accord promises increased purchases of U.S. goods and services, greater access for American firms to China’s banking, insurance and other financial sectors, an end to tariff threats—and a chance to reset relations between the world’s largest economies. The two sides also have agreed to bi-annual meetings to discuss trade and economic issues.
Even so, the deal isn’t what either side said it had wanted. The U.S. doesn’t get the fundamental reforms in Chinese economic policy it sought to help American businesses. And levies remain on about $370 billion of China’s exports.
Mr. Trump had long claimed China was paying the cost of tariffs. Executives from Best Buy Co. were among those pointing out the burden falls on U.S. businesses and customers.
The U.S. is counting on remaining tariffs to compel Beijing to continue negotiating and agree to economic-policy changes. Failing that, Washington could use other pressure points, such as limiting the ability of Chinese firms to list shares in U.S. markets.
Still, Chinese officials feel they have little to gain from a phase-two deal forcing Beijing to ease state control of the economy, and Mr. Trump recently said that a phase-two agreement probably wouldn’t conclude until after the Nov. 3 election. The Chinese government continues to plan for a future where the two economies would be less intertwined and China would develop technology rather than rely on American imports.
When Mr. Xi met with a group of foreign luminaries including former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson in a November forum in Beijing, say attendees, he told them: “We did not start the trade war, but we won’t flinch from confrontation…Why should we change policies that are working?”
Deal or Ceasefire?
The WSJ calls this a deal.
Given US tariffs remain and there is no action by China on the intellectual property aspects, I call it a ceasefire.
Ceasefire, What We Know
China to Resume Buying US Agricultural Exports
No Economic Policy Reforms in China
Tariffs Remain
Hooray, Bi-Annual Meetings
Phase 2 In Doubt
China Says it Won't Flinch from Confrontations
Most Details Remain a Top Secret
Trump Ends Currency Manipulation Charge
That's All?
Yes. After two years of brutal escalations, a trade war ceasefire is all we get from alleged super-duper wheeler dealer Trump. This is a ceasefire that Trump could have had at any point in the last two years.
Moreover, we are worse off then when we started and tariffs still remain.
In a nutshell, both sides were finally tired of the increasing damages, but neither side would walk back from core positions.
Currency Manipulation Charges Off
Ahead of the ceasefire, U.S. to Drop China’s Currency Manipulator Label
The U.S. Treasury Department will drop its designation of China as a “currency manipulator” just two days before negotiators from Beijing and Washington are set to sign the first phase of the trade deal between the two countries, according to a senior U.S. official.
U.S. lawmakers, economists and industry representatives have long expressed concern that China undervalues its currency to make its exports more competitive.
On August 6, I noted US Treasury Declares China a Currency Manipulator Under Orders From Trump
Three Currency Manipulation Criteria
Significant bilateral trade surplus with the United States
Material current account surplus
Country engaged in persistent one-sided intervention in the foreign exchange market.
Those were Trump's criteria, not
China failed test two. China has a huge trade surplus with the US but China does not have a "material current-account surplus".
China also failed test 3. China frequently intervened with capital controls to prop up the value of the yuan.
Trump does not care about rules, even his own.
But now that we have a "deal", the currency manipulator charge is off.
Manufacturing Damage
Meanwhile, please note Manufacturing ISM Down 5th Month to Lowest Since June 2009
Also note, Manufacturing One Hit Wonder is Over, Jobs Up a Modest 145,000.
For added measure, Nine States Projected to Contract in 2020: More on the Way.
Hooray for the Ceasefire
Even if there was a substantial deal, it would have taken time for the economic impacts to ripple through. But at least the escalation stopped.
And it's the best ceasefire the world has ever seen.
And China is no longer a currency manipulator. Were they ever? Were we? What a waste of energy given we accomplished NOTHING
Never heard of a trade deal where the terms are secret before. How will we know if China is honoring it, if we are honoring it. If it was a good deal?
Greenmountain
Note the real beneficiaries of this deal - American farmers and I guess a coincidence that they are also Trump supporters. So what really happened is that Trump needs to get is base reenergized before the election. Prepare for lots of rallys in the farm belt.
The U.S. Treasury Department will drop its designation of China as a “currency manipulator”
Of course, China a manipulator ... never mind that their measures are to make it STRONGER than otherwise be. Like to see DJT's reaction if China allowed currency to truly float ... ie: crash ... and hence big boost to $US.
The only issues I see that need to be resolved is forced technology transfers, mandatory partnership with the Chinese govt and IP theft. The other issues like soes are peripheral noise. We subsidize our industries also, and currency manipulation is a joke also. I don't know why the above main issues are so diffuclut to resolve. They will never stop subsidizing industries as long as they think it will benefit them and if they dump goods we should accept the gift.
It’s so much easier to lie about when the agreement has no substance. Dear Leader was victorious! Sieg MAGA! Sieg MAGA!
Carl_R
OK, so as I read it, Trump gave up the currency manipulator charge (which wasn't going to stick, anyway), and agreed to stop levying more tariffs. In return the Chinese agreed to buy US ag products again, and not to add more tariffs, and agreed to pay the already levied tariffs. From the chart above, when he started, China's tariff on US products was 3x as high as US tariffs on Chinese products. Now they are about even, though both are considerably higher than before. IF, and that's a big if, China resumes buying he same number of Ag products as before, the only changes from all this will be that the tariffs are now equal.
BaronAsh
So the billions collected in tariffs are irrelevant? Slowdown in China has nothing to do with that? The whole thing has just been a big waste of time.
I wonder if it's really that 'Orange Man Bad' a process.
Like things leaking out now about what happened in Iran are very different from what is being trumpeted in the Press (lots of back channel work to cut State Dept out of loop - JF Kennedyesque).
RonJ
"Mr. Trump had long claimed China was paying the cost of tariffs. Executives from Best Buy Co. were among those pointing out the burden falls on U.S. businesses and customers."
Where did the burden fall for those 10's of thousands of American factories that closed and moved to China? There has been a hollowing out of middle America. The laid off factory worker or the cast off IT worker, replaced by an H1B, isn't going to be running out to Best Buy to purchase their products.
Plus the entire Chinese delegation will receive a free copy of Trump's new book "The Art of the Pretend Deal",now in paperback.
thimk
The winner is the federal government .
US tariff revenues are way up, but China isn’t paying for them
Economists estimate that the cost to consumers is bigger than the extra money collected by the government.
qz.com
Hi thimk. American consumers and businesses are paying the price of tariffs. Tariff revenues are indeed up. Yet the federal deficit keeps going up to over a trillion dollars a year. Trump was going to lower taxes, grow the economy, and eliminate the deficit. I guess that didn’t work out so well. I wonder what the deficit will grow to as the economy continues to slow?
He was also going to re-negotiate all the “worst-in-history” trade deals. He re-negotiated NAFTA, changed about 1% of it and called it the “best-in-history” trade deal. What a joke.
It appears as though he is following the same pattern with China. All talk, no action.
Both the Chinese and the US governments want to control the Pacific and the international trade routes on it... and at least one of them is going to be disappointed. No amount of negotiating will change this.
Meanwhile, China essentially insulted Trump - at least using Chinese standards.
Their Vice-Premier was sent to negotiate with Trump. The US's #1 guy shaking hands and posing for photos with China's #2 guy. Xi didn't go.
In Chinese culture, sending a subordinate to an "important" meeting instead of the boss is a subtle way of saying the meeting is not important at all.
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Subject: Tesla Stock Price Drop Today Is Just a Short-Term Blip
URL: http://mney.co/23dUPfF
× 1 = five Required Please enter the correct value.
Tesla Stock Price Drop Today Is Just a Short-Term Blip
By Diane Alter, Contributing Writer, Money Morning - April 5, 2016
The Tesla stock price drop today should not be a long-term concern for worried shareholders.
In fact, after a more than a 2% decline to $240 shortly after Tuesday's open, shares had recouped losses and were trading up at $247.49.
Here's why we're so bullish on TSLA and the new $488 billion market the company is targeting...
The Tesla Stock Price Today Climbs from New $11.6 Billion Revenue Source
Tesla Stock Price Today Soars – What's Next for TSLA
TSLA Stock Is a Strong Buy for This Type of Investor in 2016
Should I Buy Tesla Stock Ahead of the Model 3 Event?
What to Expect from Tesla Motors Stock After Model 3 Event
What's Next for the TSLA Stock Price After This Week's 8% Rally
TSLA Stock Will Climb on New $488 Billion Opportunity
By Jack Delaney, Associate Editor, Money Morning - April 4, 2016
The Tesla stock price today climbed over 4% after an impressive amount of people pre-ordered the Model 3.
The Model 3 has a price tag of $35,000, and there are already 276,000 people who have reserved the vehicle.
The Model 3 won't be delivered until 2017, but we believe this affordable electric vehicle is going to make the TSLA stock price continue to skyrocket...
The Tesla stock price today soared 7% to $247.90 after the company debuted its new car for the masses.
While the event is a huge bullish catalyst for Tesla stock, we see the stock price climbing even higher in the long term.
Here's the $488 billion catalyst that we've pinpointed...
By Jack Delaney, Associate Editor, Money Morning - March 30, 2016
The TSLA stock price is up 22% in the last 12 months, and there is a lot of excitement around the company's Model 3 vehicle unveiling.
We think this is going to be a huge catalyst for revenue growth, and CEO Elon Musk is ushering in a game-changing vehicle that will disrupt the auto industry as we know it.
But just because we're bullish on Tesla stock doesn't mean it will fit your individual investing goals. Here's exactly the type of investor who should grab TSLA stock now...
By Diane Alter, Contributing Writer, Money Morning - March 28, 2016
The Tesla stock price is up 21% in the last month, and the company is now preparing for its most highly anticipated event of 2016 this week.
On Thursday, March 31, Tesla Motors Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) will unveil its most affordable electric car to date, the Model 3. The mystery around the new Tesla Model 3 has only added to the anticipation.
And that anticipation has many investors asking us whether they should buy Tesla stock ahead of the event...
Tesla Motors stock is in focus this week as investors await one of the car industry's biggest events in years.
On Thursday, March 31, Tesla Motors Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) will unveil its new Model 3 vehicle, which has the potential to send the Tesla Motors stock price soaring.
Before we get to the impact the new vehicle will have on TSLA stock, here's why the Model 3 is so revolutionary...
By Diane Alter, Contributing Writer, Money Morning - March 8, 2016
The TSLA stock price is up 8% this week and has now climbed more than 26% in the last month. And Money Morning experts see the TSLA stock price climbing much higher in the long term.
Before we get to why we're so bullish, here's what has driven the Tesla stock price higher in March...
By Jack Delaney, Associate Editor, Money Morning - February 16, 2016
The TSLA stock price has been volatile over the last month heading into the company's Q4 2015 earnings report.
Tesla missed on expectations, but CEO Elon Musk provided a very favorable outlook for 2016.
The TSLA stock price is known for having wild swings, but there's one big reason why we think it's strong addition to portfolios for long-term investors.
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Zakah on stocks: some unsettled issues
Islahi, Abdul Azim and Obaidullah, Mohammed (2002): Zakah on stocks: some unsettled issues. Published in: Journal of King Abdulaziz University -Islamic Economics , Vol. 17, No. 2 (2004): pp. 3-17.
Issues relating to zakah on equity shares are far from being settled if one considers the available fatawa and observed practices in many Muslim countries. The most basic questions pertain to the correct method of valuation of equity shares for the purpose of estimation of zakah liability. This paper reviews alternative methods of valuation and argues in favour of marketbased valuation. It also raises serious questions on the permissibility of exemption of fixed assets from zakah liability in the accounting based framework, notwithstanding its actual use in some Muslim countries. A market-based valuation framework is rooted in the notion of market efficiency, which dominates modern finance theories for over a century. The paper seeks to push forward the concept of "average price" as the basis of valuation as also of estimating zakah liability. It argues that the concept not only follows logically from the efficient market theory, but also is backed by sound Shari'ah evidence.
Zakah tax; stock evaluatio; application of average price; Islamic economic
M - Business Administration and Business Economics ; Marketing ; Accounting ; Personnel Economics > M4 - Accounting and Auditing > M41 - Accounting
B - History of Economic Thought, Methodology, and Heterodox Approaches > B5 - Current Heterodox Approaches > B52 - Institutional ; Evolutionary
H - Public Economics > H2 - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
D - Microeconomics > D4 - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design > D40 - General
Abdul Azim Islahi
Algari, Mohamed Ali (1993), “Towards an Islamic Stock Market”. Islamic Economic Studies. Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 21-30.
al-Amin, Hasan Abdullah (1993), Zakah al-Ashum fi’l-Sharikat: Munaqashah Ba’ d Ara al- Hadithah. Jeddah, IRTI/IDB.
Bayt al-Zakah (n.d.), Abhath wa A`mal al-Nadwah al-Hadiat `Ashrah wa’l Nadwah al-Thaniat `Ashrah li Qadayah al-Zakat al-Mu`asirah (held in Kuwait in 2001 and at Cairo in 2002 respectively. Kuwait. Bayt al-Zakah, part one.
Fama, E. (1965) “The Behavior of Stock Market Prices”, Journal of Business, 38, pp. 34-105.
IDB/IFA (2000), Resolutions and Recommendation of the Council of the Islamic Fiqh Academy, 1985-2000, Jeddah, Islamic Development Bank / IRTI.
Imtiazi, I. A. et al. (eds.) (1989), Management of Zakah in Modern Muslim Society. Jeddah, IRTI/ IDB.
Mawdudi, S. Abu’l A`la (1981), Ma’ashiyat-e-Islam (Economics of Islam) Delhi, Markazi Maktabah Islami.
Metwally, M. M. (1984) “The Role of Stock Exchange in an Islamic Economy”, Journal of Research in Islamic Economics, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 1-20.
Kahf, Monzer, (1991), “Zakat: Unresolved Issues in the Contemporary Fiqh", in Sadeq, A.M., et al. (1991), Development and Finance in Islam, Selangor, Malaysia, International Islamic University Press, pp. 173-190.
al-Qaradawi, Yusuf (1984), Fiqh al-Zakah, Beirut, Mu’assash al-Risalah.
al-Qurtubi, Abu Abdullah (n.d.), al-Jami’ Li Ahkam al-Qur’an, n.p., vol. 6.
Schiller, Robert J. (2000) The Irrational Exuberance, Princeton University Press.
Tirmidhi, Abu Isa (n.d.), Sunan, Delhi, Rashidiyah, p. 80 Bab ma ja’ fi karahiyat akhdh khiyar al mal fi’l Sadaqah.
Usmani, Muhammad Taqi (n.d.), Islam aur Jadid Ma'ishat wa Tijarat (Islam and the Modern Economy and Commerce), Delhi, Dar al-Isha`at.
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A New Model for Token Distribution
November 09, 2018 | 9 Minute Read
Crypto networks are supposed to be decentralized. As Balaji Srinivasan, CTO of Coinbase, has written, decentralization can be measured in a number of dimensions.
One of the most important but least discussed measures of decentralization is the distribution of tokens, or in other words the concentration of wealth within an ecosystem. The concentration of wealth in a given ecosystem can be quantified using the Gini coefficient. The higher the Gini coefficient, the more concentrated the wealth.
Because the crypto ecosystem is new, the asset holder base is relatively small, and there’s a small group of early adopters who hoard, the Gini coefficients of most crypto assets are significantly higher than the Gini coefficients of most fiat currencies.
Data source: Etherscan.io and bitinfocharts.
Disclaimer: Gini coefficient calculations include exchange addresses.
Of the major cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin has the lowest Gini coefficient. This is at least partially due to age, because early holders slowly sell over time. However, a more important consideration driving concentration of wealth is that Bitcoin is mined using proof-of-work (PoW). In PoW, miners incur fiat-denominated costs, and so they must sell at least some of their mining rewards to keep the lights on.
Proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchains, on the other hand, don’t impose substantial, explicit, fiat-denominated costs on validators* relative to PoW mining.
Relative to blockchains that launch using PoS consensus, PoW chains ultimately produce economies with a lower Gini coefficient because miners are forced to sell at least some of their coins. This critique is true not only of PoS chains, but of all layer-2 tokens built on top of smart contract platforms.
This problem is more pervasive and long-term detrimental to the health of each ecosystem than the crypto community recognizes. The vast majority of new tokens being created are layer-2 assets that live on top of smart contract platforms, and as such do not need to be mined in the same way that Bitcoin is mined. And most new blockchains are built using PoS consensus, and not PoW.
Moreover, the types of investors who’re investing in pre-launch tokens so that they can receive part of the genesis state have long holding periods and do not intend to sell their tokens upon network launch (and in many cases, early investors are locked up for years). In a PoS system, if early holders don’t sell, then wealth will remain extremely concentrated.
Given a scenario in which founders are vesting, early investors are locked up, and validators don’t incur significant fiat-denominated costs, how can teams building layer-2 tokens and PoS systems create the right conditions to foster more decentralized token ownership?
Previous Attempts At Token Distribution
Entrepreneurs building these systems aren’t oblivious to this problem. In the last few years, teams have experimented with a few different methods to get their tokens in the hands of more people. However, these efforts have been, for the most part, wasteful.
Of course, the most well known distribution mechanism is the ICO. And while ICOs can help with the token distribution, they aren’t actually that effective. To the best of my knowledge, the ICO with the largest number of contributors was Tezos with about 30,000 participants. Ethereum had 6,000. 0x had 11,000. Moreover, these distributions were extremely concentrated. They didn’t do much to actually spread the wealth around because the rich got just got richer.
Since the ICO insanity of 2017, the volume of public ICOs has ground to a halt over regulatory concerns. Token teams have been trying to figure out ways to distribute their tokens to more people, but have struggled. And since the SEC announced that networks that become sufficiently decentralized can morph in status from (unregistered) security into pure utility, decentralizing token ownership has become even more important.
So what have token teams done to distribute token ownership?
Dozens of teams, starting with OmiseGo in late 2017, airdropped their tokens on thousands or even millions of users using extremely light criteria such as all wallets with > .1 ETH. The theory was that when users see a new token in their wallet, they’ll want to learn more about it, buy more, and maybe even use the service. This has overwhelmingly failed in practice. The most common outcome of massive airdrops has been that consumers sell the tokens because “free money!”
Similarly, Stellar tried giving away 1.5% of their token supply via a Facebook giveaway in 2015. It’s general consensus that insiders spammed the system and took most of the tokens for themselves. Then they tried again in 2017 with 16% of the token supply, albeit with some different mechanics. And now they’re trying again with about .5% of the token supply, this time by offering up $125M of XLM to 30 million blockchain.com users. Given the lack of positive response the first two times, we find it unlikely that this approach will result in anything more than people selling the token because “free money!”
Others like Quantstamp, Numerai, and Handshake tried a more targeted and centralized approach. Quantstamp used with a unique algorithm called proof of HODL to determine the best users. However, they have since deleted the original blog post, which tells you all you need to know about the success of their model. Interestingly, Numerai and Handshake, which used far more centralized and ultimately targeted approaches for their airdrops, were probably the most effective to date (both were basically permissioned airdrops).
While a handful of approaches have produced good results, none of them are fully generalizable, decentralized, permissionless, global, and censorship resistant.
Except one that’s gone largely under the radar.
Livepeer Merkle Mining
Livepeer was announced in March of 2017. At the time, token teams were haphazardly airdropping tokens left and right and hosting insane ICOs. Doug and Eric, the cofounders of Livepeer, recognized that this was unlikely to produce an engaged, thriving community of users and transcoders.
Livepeer (LPT) is an open protocol that facilitates permissionless, decentralized video transcoding. The Livepeer network went live in May of 2018, and the team has continued to iterate since then. As part of the network launch, the Livepeer team devised a clever scheme called merkle mining that simulates PoW mining on top of the Ethereum blockchain. A complete description of merkle mining is available here. Here’s a brief summary:
As of some block height, the Livepeer team took a snapshot of the Ethereum chain. Every account with more than 0.1 ETH in it had the right to claim up to 2.44 LPT each. There was minimal cost associated with doing so; Ethereum account holders just had to submit a single transaction to the chain, and pay the required amount of gas. Account owners had 86 days to claim their LPT. After the end of 3 months, all unclaimed tokens were then pooled together and made available for anyone to merkle mine.
Merkle mining is similar to mining, but instead of running hashes to find a hash value that’s below some threshold, merkle mining requires merkle miners to generate merkle proofs demonstrating that a specific Ethereum address was in the set of accounts that had at least X ETH at some block height. The Livepeer team provided an open source library that made it easy for anyone to produce these proofs. The computations for each merkle proof are deterministic, can be computed ahead of time, and aren’t that computationally intensive (relative to PoW mining).
Merkle mining forces merkle miners to incur ETH-denominated costs because the merkle miners must pay for gas on the Ethereum network to store the proofs. Storage is by far the most expensive resource in Ethereum, such that merkle miners incur material costs in the form of ETH paid to Ethereum miners.
After a 68-day merkle mining period, the Livepeer merkle mine concluded on October 2, 2018. Livepeer merkle miners spent a total of 2,048 ETH, which as of October 2 was worth about $470,000 at $230 / ETH. All of that ETH was paid to Ethereum miners in the form of gas. The top merkle miners were:
Although the token distribution didn’t end up as distributed as I would have liked, this can be at least partially explained by how under the radar it was. My hope is that as a result of publishing this post, more teams adopt similar mechanics and draw more merkle miners, which will help distribute tokens more widely in future iterations. It’s very easy for merkle miners to mine to many addresses, so it’s hard to know how many unique miners this represents. One miner could own addresses 2-10 listed above, or separate miners could own each address. Unfortunately, we have no way to tell.
I cannot overstate the benefits of this approach. It doesn’t have the regulatory risk of an ICO, was entirely permissionless, global, and can be executed on any computer (no special hardware or large capex required).
This is entirely unprecedented for layer-thn2 tokens. For the first time ever, people who cared about the Livepeer vision could mine LPT using free software provided by the Livepeer team, on commodity hardware at home, without revealing their identities to anyone or asking for permission. It truly fulfills the original ethos of Bitcoin’s POW mining – that anyone can mine at at home – to reality.
Who Should Adopt Merkle Mining?
LPT is a work token. This means LPT is not money used to pay for services in the Livepeer network. Rather, people who want to perform transcoding services for the Livepeer network stake LPT for the right to perform work for that network, and are paid in ETH. Given that the target LPT users are people who want to transcode videos, the merkle mine is the perfect way to encourage self-selection and get financial speculators out of the market.
Moving forward, I expect many teams building work tokens to adopt similar mechanics for part of their token distribution. Fundamentally, all work token holders can self-select into a merkle mine process.
The other category of target users are teams that are launching POS networks. Stakers are people who would naturally self-select into managing some hardware, so there’s a strong overlap.
During the last few weeks of the Livepeer merkle mine, merkle miners were consuming upwards of 30% of all gas on the Ethereum network. Many people complained because gas prices increased across the network. While this is a drawback, we consider it a small one. The Ethereum network is a permissionless, censorship-resistant world computer that relies on free-market economics. Arguing against this is akin to arguing for censorship, and violates the ethos of Ethereum. Also, arguing against this is an argument against using Ethereum.
We encourage every team that’s building a layer-2 token or a PoS blockchain to consider some permissionless way for passionate community members to participate that’s not an ICO. This merkle mine is beautiful in its simplicity and elegance. It’s truly permissionless not only in theory, but also in practice, unlike PoW mining, which requires custom hardware.
To the best of our knowledge, the Livepeer team was the first team to do something like this. We’re looking forward to seeing other teams use the system as well, and to iterate on the mechanics that the Livepeer team pioneered.
If you’re considering adopting the merkle mine or have ideas on how to improve upon it, please reach out! We’d love to hear from you, and learn what variables you’re thinking about with regards to token distribution. Token distribution is of paramount importance, and we’d like to see everyone in the crypto ecosystem adopt best practices.
Thanks to Doug Petkanics for providing feedback on this post, and special thanks to the entire Livepeer team for figuring this out.
Disclosure: Multicoin Capital was an early LPT investor, participated in the merkle mine, and owns LPT tokens.
*One of the most common misconceptions is that validators in PoS system don’t incur hard costs, unlike PoW miners, who clearly do. This is incorrect because PoS validators incur opportunity costs of capital. However, in practice we’ve seen that validators who stake are often staking thinly traded coins that they expect to increase in value substantially over time. Because they aren’t incurring meaningful, ongoing fiat-denominated expenses, we’ve seen that validators who stake overwhelmingly choose to hold their coins rather than selling their tokens.
Read NextOur Investment in Starkware
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Tag Archives: Coast Modern
Coast Modern Tour Dates
Photo Credit: Faye Webster
Off the back of single releases totaling over 30 Million streams, Coast Modern – comprised of Coleman Trapp and Luke Atlas – recently announced that their highly anticipated self-titled debut album will be released on July 28th, 2017, via 300 Entertainment / +1 Records. The band is pleased to announce their headlining Fall tour, kicking off this September.
Like a trip to Disneyland; with each song like a stop in another world, Coast Modern’s debut album is a rollercoaster ride through a musical spectrum that spans from introspective acoustic streams of consciousness to psychedelic jams to relaxed dancehall vibes. Coast Modern are capable of covering a large swath of musical territory, yet a strong, self-aware voice and a sense of groove tie them all together.
After releasing their debut single, “Hollow Life”, the duo have gone on to release a handful of tracks in their short tenure as a band – the anthemic “Animals,” summer-tinged “Guru” and jungle cruise jam, “The Way It Was” (all four of which sat at the top of the HypeMachine charts), and followed up with “Comb My Hair”, “Pockets Full of No” and “Dive” – tracks to kick you out of the most serious of funks.
Garnering attention from every tastemaker under the sun, including Pigeons and Planes, Entertainment Weekly, Vanity Fair and more, their tracks would creep their way to the airwaves, generating heavy rotation from the likes of SiriusXM Alt Nation and KCRW.
Coast Modern made their live debut at SXSW, playing their first shows ever as a band, and just a few weeks later were playing one of New York City’s most coveted venues, Terminal 5, kicking off their support slot touring with BORNS. The duo has since toured with the likes of The Wombats, The Temper Trap and just wrapped up the Alt Nation Advanced Placement Tour.
Kicking off in San Francisco and hitting major markets including New York, Chicago and a hometown show in LA, be sure to catch the band on the road this Fall.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
Sep-6 – San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop
Sep-7 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
Sep-8 – Seattle, WA – Tractor
Sep-9 – Spokane, WI- Tinnabulation Music Festival
Sep-11 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
Sep-12 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall
Sep-14 – Kansas City, MO – Record Bar
Sep-16 – St. Louis, MO – Firebird
Sep-18 – Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge
Sep-19 – Detroit, MI – Shelter
Sep-20 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern
Sep-22 – Washington, DC – U Street Music Hall
Sep-23 – Albany, NY – The Hollow
Sep-25 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
Sep-26 – Boston, MA – Great Scott
Sep-27 – Philadelphia, PA – Boot & Saddle
Sep-29 – Nashville, TN – The High Watt
Sep-30 – Atlanta, GA – Vinyl
Oct-2 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
Oct-3 – Austin, TX – Stubbs JR
Oct-4 – Dallas, TX – HOB – Cambridge Room
Oct-7 – Phoenix, AZ – Rebel
Oct-8 – Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room
Oct-9 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
Oct-10 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
Filed under new albums, Shows
Tagged as alt nation, Animals, Coast Modern, Coleman Trapp, Comb My Hair, Dive, Guru, Hollow Life, Hype Machine, Luke Atlas, Pockets Full of No, The Temper Trap, The Way It Was, The Wombats, tour dates
New Track From Coast Modern – “Dive”
credit: Cina Nguyen
The LA duo Coast Modern – comprised of Coleman Trapp and Luke Atlas – release their newest song, “Dive” – a certified summer jam that has all the elements that make for a perfect night, with lyrics that talk about sunrises, love, and of course – in the bands own words, the “pool of life.” Speaking of the track, the duo added; “The moment right before a first kiss, a sticky night by the beach bonfire, the endless summers of youth… we bottled some of these feelings and cast them into the churning waves for the world to receive. ‘Dive’ is a song about making the whole of existence your ocean to explore.”
The song comes from the duos debut record, which is set for release later this year via 300 Entertainment / +1 Records. Like a trip to Disneyland; with each song like a stop in another world, Coast Modern’s debut album is a rollercoaster ride through a musical spectrum that spans from introspective acoustic streams of consciousness to psychedelic jams to relaxed dancehall vibes. Coast Modern are capable of covering a large swath of musical territory, yet a strong, self-aware voice and a sense of groove tie them all together.
After releasing their debut single, “Hollow Life”, the duo have gone on to release a handful of tracks in their short tenure as a band – the anthemic “Animals,” summer-tinged “Guru” and jungle cruise jam; “The Way It Was” (all four of which sat at the top of the HypeMachine charts), and followed up with “Comb My Hair” and “Pockets Full of No” – tracks to kick you out of the most serious of funks. The band would later receive praise from across the blogosphere and fashion press. Their tracks would creep their way to the airwaves, garnering heavy rotation from the likes of SiriusXM Alt Nation and KCRW. Coast Modern made their live debut at SXSW, playing their first shows together as a band, and were subsequently scooped up to tour with BORNS, The Wombats and The Temper Trap respectively. The duo just wrapped up the Alt Nation Advanced Placement Tour which saw them hit the road with Missio, 888 and Sundara Karma.
Filed under listen
Tagged as Advanced Placement Tour, alt nation, alt-rock, Animals, Coast Modern, Coleman Trapp, Comb My Hair, Dive, Guru, Hollow Life, Luke Atlas, Pockets Full of No, summer jams, The Temper Trap, The Way It Was, The Wombats
Listen to Coast Modern’s Newest Track “Pockets Full of No”
credit: Maeghan Donohue
Sometimes the only way to get ahead is to stop following the leader and start running your own race. Coast Modern flies out of the pack with a refreshingly uninhibited sound for disenchanted dreamers everywhere. Building on an admiration for the spirit of misfit alternative bands and the fearless ethos of modern hip hop, the duo creates alternative pop with a wink that aims to push the genre into the future.
The LA duo – comprised of Coleman Trapp and Luke Atlas – today release their new song, “Pockets Full of No” – a kicked back and mellowed out track that seeks to have you looking on the lighter side of life. Speaking of the track, the duo noted; ‘Pockets’ is a song about having fun with no money. When you got pockets full of no u can still have a life full of YESSSS.
The song comes from the band’s debut record, which is set for release later this year via 300 Entertainment / +1 Records. Like a trip to Disneyland with each song like a stop in another world, Coast Modern’s debut album is a rollercoaster ride through a musical spectrum that spans from introspective acoustic streams of consciousness to psychedelic jams to relaxed dancehall vibes. Coast Modern are capable of covering a large swath of musical territory, yet a strong, self-aware voice and a sense of groove tie them all together.
After releasing their debut single, “Hollow Life” in late 2015, the band has had a whirlwind of a year. Releasing a handful of tracks over the next twelve months – the anthemic “Animals,” summer-tinged “Guru” and jungle cruise jam, “The Way It Was” (all four of which sat at the top of the HypeMachine charts), the band would later receive praise from across the blogosphere and fashion press. Their tracks would creep their way to the airwaves, garnering heavy rotation from the likes of SiriusXM Alt Nation and KCRW. The band made their live debut at SXSW, playing their first shows together as a band, and were subsequently scooped up to tour with BØRNS, The Wombats and The Temper Trap respectively.
The band will be playing the Alt Nation Advanced Placement Tour this Spring with Missio, 888 and Sundara Karma, which kicks off next week in New Orleans.
Sirius XM Alt Nation’s Advanced Placement Tour:
4/4 New Orleans LA – Parish Room @ House of Blues *
4/5 Atlanta GA – Masquerade *
4/6 Nashville TN – Mercy Lounge *
4/8 Charlotte NC – Underground *
4/10 New York NY – Gramercy *
4/12 Boston MA – Brighton Music Hall *
4/13 Philadelphia PA – Foundry @ The Fillmore **
4/14 Washington DC @ Songbyrd **
4/15 Cleveland OH – Cambridge Room @ House of Blues **
4/17 Detroit MI – The Shelter *
4/18 Chicago IL – SubT **
4/19 Milwaukee WI – The Rave Bar *
4/21 Denver CO – Marquis Theatre ***
4/22 Salt Lake City UT – Urban Lounge *
4/24 San Francisco CA – Slim’s **
4/25 Sacramento CA – Goldfield Trading Post *
4/27 Los Angeles CA – Troubador **
4/29 San Diego CA – Voodoo Room @ House of Blues *
4/30 Phoenix AZ – Crescent Ballroom *
5/3 Austin TX – The Parish *
5/4 Dallas TX – Cambridge Room @ House of Blues *
5/5 Houston TX – Bronze Peacock @ House of Blues *
* with Missio and 888
** with 888 and Sundara Karma
*** with Missio and Sundara Karma
Filed under Awesome, listen, Shows
Tagged as 888, Advanced Placement Tour, alt nation, Animals, BØRNS, Coast Modern, debut album, Guru, Hollow Life, KCRW, Missio, New Orleans, Pockets Full of No, Sirius XM, Sundara Karma, SXSW, The Temper Trap, The Way It Was, The Wombats, YESSSS
Must Listen: Coast Modern – “The Way It Was”
“Coast Modern debuted with “Hollow Life” and followed it up with “Animals” both jaunty, summery songs with lyrics that go deeper than you might think on first listen. (Check out my post from back in May.)
The Los Angeles duo’s new single is “The Way It Was,” and this time they introduce a surprising electronic element towards the end alongside their usual pop/rock blend.
“With so many songs about ‘better times,’ we thought there’d be no better time to write a song about the wetter times—the lush rainforest of the present. In such a turbulent era, it’s easy to get stuck in the quicksand of nostalgia or tangled in vines of worry. Come on this jungle cruise with us as we explore the wonders of now…because we all know it’s never gonna go back to the way it was.”
Coast Modern Tour Dates:
September 2 – Bumbershoot – Seattle, WA
September 19 – Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR***
September 21 – Commodore – Vancouver, BC***
September 23 – Life is Beautiful – Las Vegas, NV
September 25 – Gothic – Denver, Colorado***
September 27 – Varsity – Minneapolis, MN***
September 28 – Metro – Chicago, IL***
September 29 – Majestic Theatre – Detroit, MI
September 30 – Phoenix – Toronto, ON***
October 1 – The Meadows – Flushing, NY
October 4 – Royale – Boston, MA***
October 5 – TLA – Philadelphia, PA***
October 6 – 930 Club – Washington, DC***
October 8 – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA***
October 9 – 3rd and Lindsley – Nashville, TN***
October 11 – Granada – Dallas, TX***
October 12 – White Oak – Houston, TX***
October 13 – Emo’s – Austin TX***
October 16 – Observatory North Park – San Diego, CA***
October 17 – Observatory – Orange County, CA***
October 18 – Belasco Theatre – Los Angeles, CA***
October 19 – Warfield – San Francisco, CA***
*** supporting The Temper Trap
Filed under Awesome, listen, Newest Love, Shows
Tagged as Animals, Coast Modern, Guru, Hollow Life, pop rock, The Way It Was, tour dates
New Song from Coast Modern: “Guru”
Coast Modern has been on a roll lately after their debut single, “Hollow Life” hit number 2 and “Animals” hit number 3 on HypeM. Now they’ve released their newest track, “Guru”. They’ve got an extensive tour starting in just a few days….this month they’re with BØRNS; over the summer they’ll be with The Wombats and then The Temper Trap in the fall. Check out all the stops below.
Catch Coast Modern on Tour:
May 22– The Orange Peel-Asheville, NC*
May 23– The National – Richmond, VA*
May 24– 9:30 Club – Washington, DC*
May 25– Terminal 5 – New York City , NY*
May 27– Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA*
June 10– Popscene – San Francisco, CA
June 14– Upstate Concert Hall – Clifton Park, NY**
June 15– College Street Music Hall – New Haven, CT**
June 16– Rough Trade, Brooklyn, NY
June 18– Amos’ South End – Charlotte, NC**
June 20– The Music Farm – Charleston, SC**
June 21– Center Stage – Atlanta, GA**
July 8– Summerfest – Milwaukee, WI
July 9– Power & Light District – Kansas City, MO**
July 11– Deluxe @ Old National Center – Indianapolis, IN**
July 12– First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN**
July 13– Metro – Chicago, IL**
July 15– PromoWest Fest – Columbus, OH
July 18– The Ready Room – St. Louis, MO**
July 19– Cannery Ballroom – Nashville, TN**
July 23– Mo Pop Festival – Detroit, MI
August 1– The Crescent Ballroom – Phoenix, AZ**
August 3– The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA**
August 5– The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA**
September 19 – Wonder – Portland, OR***
* supporting BØRNS
** supporting The Wombats
+ more festivals to be announced
Filed under Check 'em Out!, listen, Shows
Tagged as Animals, BØRNS, Coast Modern, Guru, Hollow Life, The Temper Trap, The Wombats, tour dates
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Parades, Cultural Fests Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s LegacySeveral South Florida cities will celebrate the life and legacy of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Police To Canvass NW Dade Apartment Complex Where Teen Was Shot In The HeadA northwest Miami-Dade teen remains on life support at Jackson Memorial Hospital after he was shot at an apartment complex late Friday night.
Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Held For New Pedestrian Bridges, Tunnels At Hard Rock StadiumMiami-Dade County officials dedicated two new pedestrian bridges and tunnels at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday.
09:00 AMHot Bench
Meet The Big Brother Houseguests
Filed Under: Entertainment, Only CBS, Photo Galleries
BIG BROTHER, Natalie Negrotti, a 26-year-old event coordinator currently residing in Franklin Park, N.J.Natalie Negrotti of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
BIG BROTHER, Michelle Meyer, a 23-year-old nutritionist from Washington Township, Mich.Michelle Meyer of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
BIG BROTHER, Tiffany Rousso, a 32-year-old high school teacher currently living in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.Tiffany Rousso of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
BIG BROTHER, Jozea Flores, a 25-year-old makeup artist currently living in Los Angeles, CA.Jozea Flores of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
BIG BROTHER, Victor Arroyo, a 25-year-old gym manager from Slidell, La.Victor Arroyo of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
BIG BROTHER, Glenn Garcia, a 50-year-old dog groomer and former police detective from the Bronx, NY.Glenn Garcia of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
BIG BROTHER, Zakiyah Everette, a 24-year-old preschool teacher from Charlotte, N.C.Zakiyah Everette of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
BIG BROTHER, Bronte D'Acquisto, a 26-year-old student currently residing in Denver, CO.Bronte D'Acquisto of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
BIG BROTHER, Paul Abrahamian, a 23-year-old clothing designer from Tarzana, Calif.Paul Abrahamian of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
BIG BROTHER, Bridgette Dunning, a 24-year-old traveling nurse currently residing in Ventura, Calif.Bridgette Dunning of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
BIG BROTHER, Corey Brooks, a 25-year-old baseball coach from Dallas, TX.Corey Brooks of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
BIG BROTHER, Paulie Calafiore, a 27-year-old DJ from Howell, N.J.Paulie Calafiore of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
2020 New Year’s Celebrations Around The WorldMany countries have already kicked into the new year. Take a look at some of the celebrations around the world.
2019 Key West Dachshund WalkThe southernmost island in the continental U.S. began its New Year’s Eve festivities Tuesday with a wacky parade of pooches.
PIX: Juvenile Caribbean Flamingo Slowly Joins The Flock At Zoo Miami
Behind The Scenes Of The CBS4 Nat Moore 🏆 Trophy
RENDERINGS: SB Architects’ Concept Designs To Restore Notre Dame CathedralCooper Copetas, a Parisian and designer at SB Architects’ Miami office, was the visionary behind the 11 renderings.
PIX: ‘Sia’ The Siamang Undergoes Surgery At Zoo Miami"Sia," a 29-year-old siamang at Zoo Miami, had to be operated on because of a buildup of foreign matter in her gastrointestinal tract.
PIX: Flamingo Chick Hatches At Zoo MiamiOn Wednesday, September 25th, a Caribbean flamingo hatched at Zoo Miami! This is the first hatching of this iconic species since 2011 and is the first time that a chick has hatched since the flock was moved to their new exhibit in the zoo’s entry plaza.
Famous Breast Cancer SurvivorsOctober is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. To help put a face to the importance of early detection, here is a look at some famous breast cancer survivors.
Keeping An Eye On Hurricane DorianAfter devastating the Bahamas, Hurricane Dorian next heads toward Florida and the East Coast.
Friday SunriseCBS4 viewers captured a beautiful sunrise Friday morning.
PIX: 144-Pound Jaguar Undergoes Medical, Dental Exam At Zoo Miami
PIX: Baby Giraffe Makes Public Debut At Zoo MiamiVisitors to Zoo Miami were in for a real treat Friday with the exhibit debut of the zoo's newest baby giraffe.
PIX: Baby Boom At Zoo Miami
PIX: Gas Explosion Rocks Plantation Shopping Plaza
U.S. Soccer Women’s National Team Advances To 3rd Straight World Cup Final Following Victory Over England
Apollo 11: 'The Eagle Has Landed'
U.S. Soccer Women's National Team Defeats France, Advances To World Cup SemifinalsThe United States Soccer Women's National Team advanced to the 2019 World Cup Semifinals with a 2-1 victory over France on Friday. Led by the heroic effort of midfielder Megan Rapinoe, who scored both goals for the team, and head coach Jill Ellis, who lives in Palmetto Bay, Florida, the team is now just a game away from reaching their 2nd straight World Cup Final, but to get there they'll have to defeat England on Tuesday, July 2 at 3 p.m.
PIX: Baby Rhino At Zoo Miami
PIX: President Trump Meets The Queen
Disneyland Unveils Preview Of New 'Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge' Theme Park
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Are Robo-Taxis the only way to get transportation off oil fast?
Shared, autonomous, electric vehicles could decarbonize transportation in Cascadia in as little as a decade.
This article was originally published by Sightline Institute here.
Climate hawks know the best way to decarbonize our economy is to electrify everything, fast. But we’ve made little progress electrifying transportation, the source of over half of the carbon emissions in Oregon and Washington. Shared fleets of autonomous electric vehicles—robo-taxis—could drive us to a low-carbon future much faster than the current plodding accretion of electric vehicles among individual owners.
How slow is it? Despite all the buzz about Tesla, electric vehicles (EVs) have barely made a dent in Cascadia’s vehicle fleet. Only 20,000 out of the 4.6 million registered passenger vehicles in Washington were electric, less than half a percent. Unless something dramatic happens, the state’s existing polluting cars and trucks will remain on the roads for decades. I dug into Washington’s Department of Licensing database to estimate just how long the polluters will persist, and the data on durability is seen below.
Almost all cars stay on the road for at least a decade; then they start to slowly exit the fleet. At two decades, about half of vehicles are still on the road. Three decades in, the cohort finally dips below 10 percent of its original size. Even with increasingly bullish predictions on future EV sales, the durability of existing and future vehicles with internal combustion engines will retard the electrification of transportation.
Electric cars look certain to grow as a share of new car sales. The steady fall in lithium-ion battery prices and the related decreases in vehicle costs have convinced analysts that EVs will move into the mainstream. Bloomberg, for example, now predicts EVs will represent 54 percent of new car sales in 2040, up from its prior estimate of 35 percent and nearly five times other estimates of future EV penetration. If we assume a straight line increase in EV sales that hits the optimistic Bloomberg forecast, the electrification of the passenger vehicle fleet in Washington over the next 23 years will look slow as molasses, as seen below.
Note that 2 million cars (37 percent) that will be driving in 2030 are already on the road today. In 2030, EVs (the palest wedge atop the figure) will comprise 11 percent of the fleet and by 2040 will be less than 30 percent. And this scenario assumes one of the most optimistic forecasts of future EV sales. The transition will be slow because even with all the aforementioned decreases in the cost of privately owned electric vehicles, EVs will not be cheap enough to convince us to abandon still-operable gas cars. We’ll keep driving our gas cars until they won’t go anymore.
But if we shift our transportation consumption from individual vehicle ownership to buying transportation services from fleet providers, electrification could happen fast. Electric robo-taxis would allow people to share a fleet of vehicles and only pay for what they use, rather than the whole cost of a vehicle that sits idle and depreciating 23 hours a day.
Robo-taxi providers will choose electric vehicles for this service, not out of concern for greenhouse gas emissions necessarily, but because electric fleet vehicles will cost less than half as much to own and operate as gasoline-powered vehicles. With high utilization inside a fleet, electric cars will likely have much lower maintenance, depreciation, and energy costs than vehicles powered by gasoline.
The cost per mile of autonomous electric transportation service when delivered in fleets with thousands of vehicles could be less than one third the current costs for auto owners who drive their own cars. The savings for consumers who shed a car and use robo-taxis instead promise to be many thousands of dollars per year—many thousands for each private car they set free. Already, Lyft and Uber are pushing up the car-free populations of Cascadia’s urban centers. When their vehicles and those of new competitors are reliably and safely self-driving, the costs will plummet and allow car ownership to go into free fall.
Tony Seba and James Arbib at ReThinkX make the case that this change could happen fast. They foresee a conversion from individual ownership to robo-taxis or what they call Transportation as a Service (TaaS) over a single decade. They have estimated the resulting reduction in petroleum consumption in the US light-vehicle fleet between 2020 and 2030. I converted their petroleum consumption forecast to millions of metric tons of carbon equivalents and then compared the resulting TaaS forecast with a base case forecast prepared by the US Energy Information Agency as part of the 2018 Annual Energy Outlook.
This shows that by 2030, with rapid deployment of TaaS, carbon emissions from transportation could be one tenth of the EIA’s baseline forecast. People may not embrace TaaS as fast as Arbib and Seba think, but whatever the adoption rate, the shift to electric robo-taxis will reduce emissions far below the current trend line.
With smart public policy, we can mitigate the downsides and help accelerate deployment to realize the benefits as soon as possible.
Getting the public policy right does not have to be a heavy lift politically. Climate hawks don’t need to ask for big tax increases or massive public investment; our existing road and highway networks and electric grid have enough capacity. Those concerned about greenhouse gases from transportation don’t need to advocate for regulations requiring people to sacrifice comfort or convenience. People will choose zero emission service from robo-taxi providers because it is cheaper and better than driving their old car and because it is good for the environment.
Climate hawks could offer an important voice in support of efforts to establish clear rules for existing ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft and their future competitors. These companies now confront inconsistent regulations across local jurisdictions that raise costs and create uncertainty. For example, Senate Bill 6043 in the Washington legislature would have taken an important step towards establishing a sensible framework that clarifies the respective roles of state and local governments in regulating Uber and Lyft.
Climate hawks have built coalitions with labor and social justice groups to support carbon pollution pricing. Those same constituencies will care deeply about the potential job losses associated with self-driving vehicles. Their voices need to be heard on how best to mitigate those disruptions and create pathways to new employment so the benefits of this clean, new low-cost transportation mode accrue to everyone.
Claims from auto companies about self-driving capabilities deserve some skepticism. After all, the same companies lied repeatedly about the consequences of safety and environmental regulations in the past. Volkswagen perpetrated a massive international fraud to hide the actual emissions of their diesel cars. After battling the auto industry and eventually winning on the Oregon and Washington Clean Car Laws in 2005, Cascadia’s climate hawks will want to take a careful look before making common cause with a former foe. But climate solutions can show up in surprising places, including the back seat of an autonomous electric car built and operated by General Motors.
Our best, and perhaps only, hope to slash greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks in the next one to two decades is to adopt a sensible regulatory framework that enables rapid deployment of electric robo-taxis when the technology is ready.
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Eels in Myth and Solar cycles
Looking forward to roads like this soooonnnnn...
From Eels and Humans, Tsukamoto and Kuroki (Eds.)
Freshwater eels (Anguilla spp.) are an important food resource and support large-scale aquaculture in some oriental countries. Taiwan’s climate is ideal for eel stocks living in the wild and for aquaculture. Indeed, the country’s aquaculture industry, which was initiated in the 1960s and peaked in the early 1990s, contributed greatly to Taiwan’s economic development at the time, though much of that production has since been transferred to mainland China. Despite their economic importance to humans, however, many people are not that familiar with eels, so this chapter supplements material presented elsewhere in this book by documenting aspects of eel distribution and biology, mythology, cuisine, etc, in Taiwan.
The recent decline in the population of wild Japanese eels has resulted in there being an insufficient supply of glass eels for aquaculture in Taiwan and elsewhere. The reason for the decline is not absolutely clear, but as speculated elsewhere in this book and for other species of eel too, it may be related inter alia to overfi shing, habitat degradation and/or global climate change (see below). Whatever the cause of the decline, though, and in an attempt to stimulate recovery of Japanese eels in the wild and concomitantly to increase glass eel production for aquaculture, the Taiwanese government ordered the release of hormone-induced mature eels (silver eels) into the open ocean from 1976 to 2002. Since the millennium, however, that programme has shifted its focus to releasing young eels into rivers.
In addition to the five species of eel found naturally in Taiwan, some exotic species of anguillid eel have also been found in the wild. Succinctly, faced with a reducing inflow of Japanese glass eels and a heavy demand for glass eels generally for aquaculture in the country, glass eels of non-endemic species such as the American eel A. rostrata were introduced from North America; some escaped from the aquaculture ponds into the wild and have since been caught occasionally during their spawning migration as adults (Han et al. 2002; Tzeng et al. 2009). Additionally, the Australian speckled longfin eel A. reinhardtii has been caught in Sun-Moon Lake in central Taiwan, having originally been imported from Australia for cuisine purposes because of its similarity to the A. marmorata eaten preferentially by Taiwanese (Chang et al. 2008).
Long-term catch data (1972–2011) have indicated a significant decadal change in peak catches of Japanese glass eels coinciding with solar activity reflected in an 11.2 year periodic change in sunspot number (Fig. 9.3a; Tzeng et al. 2012a). The catch of glass eels seems to increase with a concomitant increase in the number of sunspots, and although the cause−effect relationship between glass eel numbers and sunspots is not a direct one, the climate change index WPO (Western Pacific Oscillation) that influences the two currents (NEC and Kuroshio) that transport eel larvae from the spawning grounds to the coasts and subsequently affects the Taiwanese glass eel catch is clearly a link (Tzeng et al. 2012a). After peaking in 1979, the Taiwanese glass eel catch gradually declined to a lower peak in 2001, since when it declined further until the most recent lower peak in 2011, mirroring similar decreases in the population size of the Japanese, American and European eels (Fig. 9.3b ). All this is taken as evidence that fluctuations in the catches of glass eels in Taiwan refl ect not only the overall population size of A. japonica but also ocean–atmosphere interactions exemplified by the climate change indices of sunspots and WPO.
The eel is an important religious icon in Taiwanese folklore. The Japanese eel and the giant mottled eel are regarded, respectively, as river and sea gods, and this can be seen in the design and paintings of gate god statues commonly placed at the entrance to traditional Taiwanese village dwellings. Many villagers believe that the gate gods protect them against the devil and evil spirits, and protect the security of their family (Fig. 9.13a ). Additionally, eels appear in the design of “ong-bao” (Fig. 9.13b ), the red bags containing money that parents give children to seek good fortune during the Chinese Lunar New Year. Eels are important also for Taiwanese native (aboriginal) peoples, but those people do not kill and eat the eels because they believe that they are the embodiment of celestial beings.
The Curious Case of Taiwan's Ties to PNG
Dan Blumenthal recommends how the US should unwind Taiwan's Cold War Legacy
New Bloom: can Hung save the KMT? Probably not.
Decapitation crime: Killer held "incommunicado" but Apple Daily reported that he was beaten in his cell. A longtime observer noted that of course the police knew which cell he was going into. The White Rose Movement, a women's organization dedicated to tough on crime stances, promised to agitate for an end to calls for abolishing the death penalty.
3 Comments Labels: aquaculture, eels, environment, exports, folk beliefs
Xi's visit to Czech Republic: protests and positives
The First Foundation is thataway.
Czech Taiwan and China security expert Michal Thim just posted this to Facebook
Toward the end of the video (on Youtube), a Chinese woman (I will leave her possible affiliations to everyone's own considerations) tells a Czech citizen that he is not "welcome here". Here means Prague, and she is a part of large group of Chinese "volunteers" who moved around in a buses, ostensibly to welcome Chinese President in Prague, and confronted protesters, especially those who were holding Tibetan flags. In some places they obstructed view with huge PRC flags they carried, or using the buses they rented.
On related note, one of online news sites reported that the Chinese embassy instructed (although it was careful enough not to be direct coordinator, some shady Czech-Chinese Commerce Association was) "volunteers" to tear down undesirable flags, make noise, not to openly provoke, but not to be afraid to confront either. Source is one of the Chinese students who spoke on condition of anonymity. The "volunteers" consisted of people who work in the Czech Republic for Chinese companies like Huawei, students, and also "tourists".
Of course, there was no need to mobilize Chinese citizens who reside in the Czech Republic, Chinese Embassy could just let the protesters protest and deal with the official business. But none of this is exactly new. We have seen it prior to 2008 Olympics in places like Paris or in London last year. I actually have hard times to understand it because in the end of the day, it is counter-productive. I can see in online discussions that many people who otherwise would not care are outraged with the spectacle, by apparent disinterest of Czech police to protect constitutional rights of Czech citizens, and by the kowtow approach the Czech President demonstrates.
On a positive note, the treaty on partnership that was signed yesterday is a standard text that other EU countries signed with China, which means it does not contain any concessions on Taiwan or Tibet. Chinese side tried, the Czech government did not concede.
6 Comments Labels: China, Czech, Taiwan
Party of the Death Penalty
The Ruiguang Industry road, one of the prettiest in Taiwan.
The horrific murder of a four year old girl in front of her mother two days ago has once again brought the death penalty to the fore. The poor child was beheaded in a senseless, entirely random act of violence by a mentally ill man. This was followed by two more apparently random attacks (FocusTw). The media sadly jumped on the attack of the little girl, sensationalizing it as clickbait and a ratings driver, a feeding frenzy that probably helped create the atmosphere for the two other random attacks. A vigilante mob beat up the killer, as well (Apple in Chinese).
In Taiwan the death penalty has wide and deeply visceral support. Taiwanese seem to feel that only a life can expiate a life, and it is difficult to move them off that position. As Ben Goren observed on Twitter after the deputy mayor of Taipei idiotically blamed the parents of the killer and called for an apology from them, events like this bring out Taiwan's feudalistic culture of collective guilt and punishment. J Michael Cole meditates on the issue here, pointing out that the death penalty has no deterrent effect, but more importantly noting that Taiwan's judicial system cannot be trusted, and that its mental health system is lacking.
The mother of the murdered child has asked that the case not be used by death penalty advocates in a moving Facebook post, and said that the killer was irrational and the case should be treated as a mental health issue.
Too late, not merely death penalty advocates, but the KMT itself is exploiting the case. FocusTaiwan reported:
The newly elected chairwoman of the KMT, Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), questioned those opposed to capital punishment, asking "Are you still in favor of abolishing the death penalty?" while expressing her support for the bill proposed by Wang.
"those opposed to capital punishment" of course means many politicians on the pro-Taiwan side. In the recent election many KMTers made a campaign issue out of it...
I wrote on the CPI blog in December about this picture:
This KMT candidate, Shen Jih-hui, was the only one in Taichung to have a poster of herself with former KMT Presidential Candidate Hung Hsiu-chu (sorely missed by this blogger). This sign boldly states that the DPP will scrap the death penalty, thus “not supporting a life for a life” which is a principle with deep roots in the local culture. The death penalty is popular in Taiwan, and she proudly proclaims her support for this ancient principle.
Some of her other signs called for the death penalty for drug dealers.
The KMT is attempting to make this an issue that it owns, one of the few in which it is aligned with the public, which it can bash the DPP with. The Taiwan Law blog commented on KMT legislators arguing for a referendum to make abolition of the death penalty illegal...
Taiwan Law Blog @TaiwanLawBlog o
Taiwan Law Blog Retweeted 中時電子報
KMT legislators mull referendum against abolition of death penalty. Do they realize death penalty is still the law?
....never mind that the referendum law is badly in need of revision. NPP Legislator Freddy Lim (the lead singer for Chthonic), who spoke out against the death penalty, saw his Facebook page flooded with angry comments from netizens demanding that the killer be put to death. I am proud to say that my legislator, the NPP's Hung Tz-yung, also spoke out against the death penalty. Other legislators from the NPP with a history of opposition to the death penalty were also publicly abused. The Chairman weakly temporized, saying that his party has never advocated against the death penalty.
This debate is merely the latest example of the KMT exploiting the death penalty discussion for political gain. In 2010, readers may recall, the Justice Minister was forced to resign after giving a newspaper interview which stirred up a public debate on the topic. The result was that a few weeks executions, which had quietly been on hold since 2005, were resumed and four more humans were killed, while KMT politicians called for more executions.
The KMT looks like it will be the party of the death penalty. Nothing new there...
1 Comments Labels: death penalty, KMT
Hung Hsiu-chu ascends to the KMT Throne
Collage (which appears to consist of pictures of herself) Hung sent around after her victory.
As was easily predictable, reactionary mainlander former presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu was elected to the KMT Chairmanship with 56% of the vote, defeating her Taiwanese rival from Chiayi, Huang Min-hui, who had the backing of party elites. The election was a by-election held to fill the seat left vacant when former Chairman Eric Chu stepped down after the KMT's devastating defeat in the 2016 Presidential election.
Hung won because she had the support of the "iron votes", the Deep Blue old KMT voters, even though party elites had all arrayed themselves against her. One longtime observer pointed out that the Deep Blue voters felt Hung was owed something since she had supported the party even after it betrayed her. J Michael Cole described:
More significantly, her political resurrection also completes the process of New Party-ization of the KMT, signs of which had first appeared when Hung was selected as presidential candidate in mid-2015. Hung tends to attract ultraconservative “deep blue” (and generally older) KMT members, as well as pro-unification types from the marginal New Party and even more insignificant China Unification Promotion Party headed by ex-gangster and Beijing agent Chang An-le (張安樂). Those groups rallied around Hung last year and protested outside KMT headquarters when it looked like she was about to be replaced.
What this development means is that at a time when the KMT should have taken note of the factors that contributed to its demise in the January elections and opted for rejuvenation (in other words, to become more moderate or “mainstream”), it has instead regressed to an ideology that has very little appeal among the majority of voters in Taiwan.
Cole observes, very rightly, that Hung has considerable assets at her disposal to resist progressive forces in Taiwan politics, and that she might be more willing to cooperate with Beijing than a more progressive leader. He also says her election is very bad for Taiwanese democracy, and warns that she might not do as much damage as some of us had hoped for, since people within the KMT will be reluctant to leave.
My own view is that KMT hardening was inevitable irrespective of whoever sits in the chair. The party is composed of authoritarians at all levels desperate to protect their fading power, influence, and assets, and Hung is perfect for them...
On the one hand, she represents the old ideology, which she fiercely subscribes to, rallying the troops against the onslaught of Taiwanese identity and democracy. On the other, she makes a perfect foil for when the KMT takes hits on assets and transitional justice. If she succeeds in stopping the DPP, all good, if not, she's a good fall guy: "If only we had picked someone more moderate." They will then pick another "moderate" who will adopt the exact same policies, and just express them in a nicer way.
There are likely several areas where Hung's reactionary politics may well cause immediate hurt outside of the highly public ones of KMT assets and transitional justice. One is energy, where she continues to push for nuclear power even though more moderate figures such as Eric Chu and Hau Long-bin have questioned the idea, at least publicly. Today the horrible news broke that a man had randomly beheaded a little girl in the street, right in front of her mother. Pointedly abusing the DPP's anti-death penalty stance, Hung essentially called for the poor sick killer's execution (Taiwanese are overwhelmingly in favor of the death penalty). Hung also responded to congratulations from Chinese dictator Xi Jin-ping by reiterating the 1992 Consensus.
In China netizens love her; which is probably good since they will imagine all sorts of impossible things about her, and perhaps stop pushing impatiently for Xi to invade Taiwan, at least for a while. We need a KMT so that Beijing continues to hope and need not formally confront the failure of its policies...
The KMT is set for a slow fade, not a collapse, death throes that will last for years and continue to spew out harm like a dying scorpion stinging everything within reach. The only way it could collapse is if there is a large revolt of its disgruntled Taiwanese followers. Wang Jin-pyng, long the unofficial head of the Taiwanese KMT, who might have led such a revolt, is out of power and this week even had to deny that Tsai Ing-wen had offered him a position as head of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF). He was always a broker, never a leader. Huang Min-hui, who might have taken his place, has aligned herself with the Party leadership (as Wang once did) and isn't going to lead a revolt. There might be isolated instances of people leaving, but the Taiwanese factions won't bolt because they are too weak and fearful. They will remain, and simply not be replaced as locals look for other parties for power and influence.
Key point: there's another election next summer. If she can win that, she gets another four years. That means that the KMT will likely never Taiwanize as so many had hoped, and never be a Taiwanese party. Instead it will shrink to a rump of Deep Blue Han Chauvinists and authoritarians.* That will be very good thing for Taiwan, if a truly democratic party rises to fill the space it leaves behind.
*See the work of Li-li Huang: “M Shape vs. Bell Shape: The Ideology of National Identity and Its Psychological Basis in Taiwan.” (in Chinese) Chinese Journal of Psychology 49(4): 451-470 (2007) and “Taiwanese consciousness vs. Chinese consciousness: The national identity and the dilemma of polarizing society in Taiwan.” Societal and Political Psychology International Studies 1(1). (2010)
0 Comments Labels: KMT
Catching up: Huadu + links =UPDATED=
The Cross-Strait restaurant outside Changbin, where Taiwan is served on a platter daily.
Last week spokesman extraordinaire J Michael Cole wrote a rather odd piece for the China Policy Institute claiming that Beijing now faces 2 independence camps in Taiwan. The piece blew up a dismissive term used by some Taiwan independence types (=Taidu) for independence types who are willing to accept independence under the ROC label (=Huadu) into a full blown political camp. Ben Goren and I pointed out Cole's error in a follow on piece at CPI.
Although the piece is creative, it posits a false dichotomy based on a misunderstanding of the etymology of the term ‘Huadu’. Although the term has become more popular in recent years, it originated as a dismissive phrase coined by Taidu supporters to refer to other Taiwanese who they see as weak-willed appeasers of the ongoing ROC colonial occupation of Taiwan. Outside of this tiny subset of active citizens who are politically engaged on the issue of Taiwan’s independence, the term Huadu remains largely unknown.
Persual of BBS systems where people discuss such things shows that the term remains a mystery even to those might use it; outside of a few young people engaging in discussions on the internet, there is no camp, no ideology, no political demands, no philosophy for the "huadu". It exists as no more than a feeling that it might be ok to be independent under the ROC label, though it is obvious that people who think that way have never thought much about what the means. Some random remarks from users on a BBS:
華獨派除了憲法跟國名外，跟台獨根本一樣啊XD
Huadu faction [note: not "camp"], except for the Constitution and the nation's name, are Taidu
華獨是希望隨著時間對岸可以逐漸的變成正常國家
Huadu hopes that over time the opposite side will gradually become a normal country
國號根本不重要 某些台獨派太狹隘
What we call the nation is not important. Some Taidu people are too narrow-minded
Taidu and Huadu are just labels that are used to divvy up the independence movement into purist and moderate factions, largely for discussion purposes among a few aficionados. Outside of this discussion among Taidu types about other Taidu types, there is no Huadu camp. As Ben and I note in the piece at CPI, if China ever permitted Taiwan to be independent, this "difference" would vanish in a heartbeat.
Brian Hoie at New Bloom riffed on Cole's piece to speculate on how the DPP might treat ROC independence. He also observes of Cole's error:
If terms such as “ROC independence” or “Taiwanese independence” are terms commonly used in Taiwanese discourse about unification/independence politics to frame specific political positions, such terms are not used in English. Discussion of political positions about independence/unification politics are framed in different terms in English.
In writing about the use of such terms in Taiwanese discourse about unification/independence politics, one hopes to bridge the sometimes vast gap between Taiwanese political discourse within Taiwan and Anglophone discourse about Taiwan—even if others may arrive at different political conclusions than one’s own. But that leaves open the possibility that individual seeks to appropriate a term from its original meaning in Taiwanese discourse to create a different meaning for it in English, which creates misleading perceptions about political discourse within Taiwan.
This does not mean that at some point in time this discourse might spill outside its current existence on the BBS and become a full blown camp with advocates, a program, an ideological system, and so on. Perhaps Cole was just trying to get the jump on such a process as a couple of people observed: "I saw it first!". But at present, there is nothing like that in the offing, and Beijing contends with the Taiwanese and their democracy, as Cole rightly noted in his piece.
ADDED: Jenna responds to Ben and I
Where, however, it seems to me - again in my totally non-scientific observation - that they are wrong is in dismissing it as existing at all simply because it is not an organized or semi-organized political force or a self-identifying label
...except, we never denied that such people existed. *sigh* What we denied was that they represented a "camp" that Beijing had to contend with, or that the terms used in a tiny subset of the political discourse could be blown up that way. To wit:
The only evidence of Huadu’s existence surfaces intermittently in polls that ask whether Taiwanese want independence, the status-quo, or annexation. Those polls provide too little information on the identity of respondents to conclude that those who favour the status-quo have a unique and consciously shared political identity
Taidu is a real political identity conscious of itself, with an ideology and program. "Huadu" is a term used by Taidu people to describe other Taidu types who are less purist. It's really that simple. Everything else is just blowing the whole discussion out of proportion.
China Post: Should Tsai Ing-wen go to Panama?
Bunch of papers on Jon Sullivan's site, including a good working paper on the 2016 election.
What? DPP legislator introduces bill to eliminate elections for township and city mayors outside designated aboriginal areas. Such positions would become appointments of the county chief. Less democracy might be nice if your goal is to solidify a single party's grip on local politics, and reduce the power of factions not cooperating with your party. But it's hugely undemocratic, and definitely regressive.
Indonesian military harassing Taiwan fishing boats
Tsai Ing-wen's inner circle
The Diplomat: Taiwan's elections: not about China
Taipower falling behind in renewable energy purchase goals. Coming soon in this script: "Taipower rep says company debt is too great to continue renewable energy purchases". Recall that prices were just slashed 9.5%, largest cut ever.
In Q1 the economy may contract despite central bank rate cut.
14 Comments Labels: J Michael Cole, Taiwan independence
Drone Footage of Oil Spilling Wreck off N Taiwan
Excellent work, whoever did this.
China does the Gambia Gambit
The Abbot's house at the old Shinto Temple in Tunghsiao.
First, from the Nelson Report, the Washington Insider Report:
THE TAIWAN FACTOR...In recent years, there has been something of a "working understanding" that so long as Taipei didn't make too much trouble about joining international institutions requiring national state status, Beijing would not resume its campaign to take-away the couple of dozen foreign countries which still extend official, formal diplomatic recognition to the Republic of China.
So if for various reasons this implicit deal collapses, but especially to try and force incoming DPP president Tsai Ing-wen to officially embrace the "1992 Consensus", that would signal heightened tensions across the Strait this year, most folks agree.
Why would that be in anyone's interest, we innocently ask? Our question is prompted by Loyal Reader Robert Blohm, who caught this in today's NY Times, then adds perspective:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/19/world/asia/china-gambia-taiwan-diplomatic-relations.html?emc=eta1
The Gambia first recognized Taiwan when it represented China at the UN, then switched to Mainland China when the UN switched. In 1995 a coup installed the current president who switched to Taiwan. When Taiwan refused to increase aid to The Gambia, it broke off relations with Taiwan in 2013 (and also left the British Commonwealth) but the Mainland didn't step into the breach out of deference to the friendly Taiwan KMT government of Ma.
Last December The Gambia declared itself the newest Islamic state. Following Feb. 1st installation in the legislature of Taiwan's newly elected DPP government, prior to Ms. Tsai's inauguration on May 20th, and immediately on closure of the Twin Meetings of the Mainland legislature, the Mainland has now elected to oblige The Gambia and re-establish diplomatic relations, reducing to 22 the number of countries recognizing Taiwan.
Is this is the Mainland's first action signaling disapproval of Taiwan's new government?
BOB MANNING, Atlantic Council:
If this proxy diplomatic battle is renewed, no way Taiwans can win that one. Taipei should focus on TPP, trade deals and UN special organizations like WHO, and try to cut deal w/ Beijing for that as their "international space".
Xi would be smart to agree, it would strengthen Tsai's hand politically in Taiwan, and make it easier for her to do what he wants...accept '92 consensus. But that all makes way too much sense...
Your Editor: good "trade" suggestions, so we've been asking around, and are assured that the re-installed DPP will indeed focus on what needs to be done to get Taiwan "into the game" re TPP.
Harken back to last July's Brookings' conference where AIT chairman Ray Burghardt spoke about a shift under the Obama Administration which has transformed the US-Taiwan relationship so it's no longer an appendage of the US-China relationship...
An involved observer comments:
"Ray's 'shift' might well be in play if the DPP can get their ducks in line re pork and beef, plus the protectionist/regulation/SOE etc issues that need to be addressed to get Taiwan at least up to the KORUS level. If so, and if China uses Malaysia, for example, to block Taiwan's accession to the TPP, might the US be willing to move on TIFA and, maybe even an FTA with Taiwan? That's a long jump, but..."
Bearing in mind that DAS/State Thornton has called Taiwan a "vital partner", observers predict a set of more proactive moves ahead as Tsai gets into office this May. For now, there's another Obama initiative which should provide Taiwan with reassurance, a recently signed "MOU" with the State Department on something called the "Global Cooperative Training Framework."
An informed source:
"This is anavenue to explore greater US-Taiwan activity that gives options for joint action on a variety of issues, e.g. women's empowerment, humanitarian relief and disaster assistance,etc. Former Rep. Marjorie Margolies (Chelsea Clinton's mother-in-law and who was a victim of voting for the Clinton 1993 budget deal) was recently in Taiwan hoping to establish Taiwan as an Asia hub for her Women's Campaign Initiative. State was very supportive of her visit and hopes to see the DPP government provide some serious attention to this.
Also Kurt Tong, PDAS at State, two weeks ago sat publicly at a GW event with Bruce Linghu, Dep MOFA, at a program discussing this GCTF. It certainly appears that the Ma Administration has been "slow walking" implementation. You can bet a Tsai Administration will be fast walking these opportunities!
So you should expect to see more in this area - moving Taiwan into position with those organizations that don't require "statehood" but give Taiwan a place at the table where it can be a "responsible stakeholder." Beijing might not like this, but since "statehood" is not in play..."
At Thinking-Taiwan, a well thought out and measured article by Timothy Rich observes....
A knee-jerk reaction by Taiwan would be to try to find a replacement for the loss of The Gambia, similar to a Major League Baseball team trying to replace their former star player with a flashy free agent. However, such a strategy does little for Taiwan. The Gambia after all was not a major trading partner, served no security interests, and remains one of Africa’s more brutal authoritarian regimes. President Yaya Jammeh’s rule has included restrictions on expression, life sentences for those of the LGBT community, and President Jammeh’s own claim to have an herbal cure for AIDS.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of course does not wish to be viewed as weak on cross-strait relations, emphasizing their commitment to strengthening ties with their remaining twenty-two diplomatic allies. It is also easy to view The Gambia within the lens of Taiwan’s historic January elections and assume broader Chinese strategic intent to restart a diplomatic competition that favors Beijing, rather than cautiously view this as an isolated case in which Taiwan tangibly has lost little. Unofficial relations with stable and powerful democracies provide far more in regards to Taiwan’s national interests, while myopically focusing on the potential return of diplomatic battles serves only to constrain Taiwan’s options.
Reuters has been gleefully presenting this as a "shot across the bow" of Tsai Ing-wen, which is how everyone is seeing it. Interestingly, it happened on Ma's watch -- why didn't the PRC simply wait two months and have Gambia flip the day Tsai is sworn in?
In any case, Shannon Tiezzi observes at The Diplomat that in 2013 at least five of the ROC's allies approached the PRC about switching, but Beijing turned them down, just to be nice to Ma.
The existence of the ROC depends on four things: its existence on Taiwan, its control of islands off China's coast, its territorial claims, and its diplomatic allies. Beijing will likely pick off a few because it can, and to put pressure on Tsai. But if Beijing scoops them all up, then the ROC will effectively equal Taiwan, which Beijing does not want, since that encourages Taiwan independence. For that reason, some independence advocates argue that Beijing should be encouraged to do that. Moreover, Beijing needs the ROC alive and well, because it is counting on the ROC to annex Taiwan to China without a war. That is also why it has never taken back Kinmen and Matsu, though it easily could.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's truly important links are with Japan and the US, and neither of those are ROC-driven. So relax, and brace for comforting your Taiwan friends when more countries switch. There isn't a thing anyone here can do about it, and in the long run, it might even be a good thing.
1 Comments Labels: Africa, China, diplomacy, ROC
AmCham Three Parter on the Defense Industry
Tea farms on Alishan.
AmCham's Taiwan Business Topics has published a series of articles on Taiwan's defense industry by Tim Ferry, who is competent and knowledgeable (and a great person to have a chat with). Giving them some good blog love today... go thou and read.
The Future of Taiwan’s Defense Industry Part 1: Politics, Aircraft, and Missiles
The Future of Taiwan’s Defense Industry Part 2: Submarines and Drones
The Future of Taiwan’s Defense Industry Part 3: Cyber Warfare & Security
0 Comments Labels: military and defense
Crackling like electricity prices and other meandering discussions
The strange, bullet shaped monument to the 1935 earthquake at Tai-an station.
FocusTaiwan reports that electricity rates are going to receive the largest cut ever: 9.5%.
It was decided at the meeting that electricity rates will be cut by 9.56 percent, the biggest cut in the country's history, with every kilowatt hour cut to NT$2.5488 from NT$2.8181 on average.
Shen noted that the rate reduction mainly reflects a marked drop in international fuel prices.
Electricity rates after the cut will be even lower than the NT$2.6001 per kWh in 2011, one year before double hikes of fuel and electricity rates that pushed up commodity prices and invited complaints from the general public.
The awesome Kharis Templeman, always policy-oriented, immediately pointed out that this will create demand for nukes, which Taipower loves, since cheaper electricity will drive up demand. Taiwan needs a new energy policy, he observed. I should add that by driving up demand, lower prices will also drive down demand for conservation and renewables, which Taipower hates. It will also create profits for large KMT-connected firms in energy-intensive industries like steel and aluminum whose bottom line rests heavily on electricity prices.
But to my mind this move is political. It's the biggest cut ever, and it comes right before Tsai Ing-wen assumes power. This means that at some point the DPP Administration will have to raise electricity prices, having the effects noted in the third paragraph there -- creating public discontent with the government. That was one of the factors which drove Ma's drop-off between 2008 and 2012.
Note also that Taipower has large debt problems. Not eight months ago the China Post reported:
Taiwan Power Company (Taipower, 台灣電力公司) said yesterday that if the scheduled price hike does not occur in October, the company will lose an additional NT$13.7 billion, totaling a NT$70 billion loss for the year, said Taipower spokesman Roger Lee (李鴻洲),.
If the price hike is not implemented in October, Taipower will accumulate a total deficit of NT$263.2 billion, which is more than two thirds of its NT$330 billion equity, according to Taipower.
In an effort to rationalize electricity prices, the government rolled out a three-phase price hike plan in 2012. The second-phase price hike was set to start in October in 2012, but was then postponed and scheduled to resume in October, 2013. Given lower-than-expected first quarter GDP growth, some have suggested the price hike may be postponed.
Taipower incurred a loss of NT$62.1 billion in 2012, and accumulated a total loss of 193.6 billion. Taipower incurred a loss of NT$20.3 billion from January to April, and has accumulated a total deficit of NT$213.9 billion.
Nevertheless, when October came, the government actually cut prices. Anyone think all those massive debts have been cleared up? Eventually, even if fuel prices stay low, the DPP Administration may feel the pressure to raise electricity prices to service that debt. Certainly, if it does not, it may open itself to accusations of mismanagement... which is, I submit, the whole purpose of this price lowering charade. This suggests that the first thing the DPP Administration should do when it comes to power is reverse this decision so that the impact isn't felt so strongly in subsequent elections, and start getting money into Taipower to put in all the renewable systems that Taiwan needs.
Ketagalan Media is constantly adding new writers. Today another sharp pen premiered: Calin Brown, on racism in Taiwan. The nice thing about this was that it focused not on the experiences of westerners, but on the Han-Aborigine relationship.
Chinese expansion made aborigines subject to heavy-handed, sometimes brutal, assimilation practices. In the 1940s, the Chinese Nationalist Party took away centuries-old aboriginal ancestral lands – the aborigine communities’ main source of income. Now, they’re still more likely to be unemployed, more likely to hold lower-paid or riskier jobs, and less likely to graduate from college. According to the Council of Aboriginal Affairs at the Executive Yuan, the average wage of aboriginal workers in 2014 was 75 percent of the average wage earned by a Han-Chinese counterpart.
It reminded me of Martin William's classic 1999 article on the Pingquanhui, a KKK-like organization of Han to suppress and expel aborigines. Do not miss that article. It is hosted on the useful First Nations website. Vice.com hosts a nice piece on Taiwan's changing relationship with its aborigines.
President-elect Tsai Ing-wen, the first woman to serve in the post, has already vowed to apologize for the past suffering of Taiwan's natives, and to press for reforms in policies towards the island's roughly 500,000 indigenous people.
"Why apologize? Well, looking back through history, Aborigines gradually lost their lands while under the rule of different governments and foreign powers," Tsai said last year. "Even today, they continue to be at a disadvantage in areas including economy, education and health."
Speaking of Tsai, the new administration formally announced that its premier will be finance and econ expert Lin Chuan.
Lin, born in Kaohsiung on Dec. 13, 1951, was chief of the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics of the Executive Yuan between 2000 and 2002, and minister of finance between late 2002 and early 2006 under then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). He has no party affiliation.
Lin is now the chief executive officer of the New Frontier Foundation, a think tank chaired by Tsai. He played a major role in her presidential campaign.
Although Lin worked exclusively on financial matters when in government, Tsai said: “I promise everyone that Lin Chuan’s Cabinet will not be one focused on economics and finance,” but one of reform, and one that is good at communicating and getting things done.
This is a neat signal to local and foreign markets, and also to China, since Lin is hardly a firebrand on independence. But the Tsai Administration, at least based on the media speculation, is recycling lots of Chen Administration people (on the other hand, who else is there?), as the Taiwan Law Blog opined the other day (if you're not following him on the blog and twitter, you should be). Hey, don't miss his discussion of Mongoia and the ROC Constitution.
The Hong Kong Economic Journal has a discussion of the fantasy proposal of a rail link under the Taiwan Strait between Fujian and Hsinchu. It's a non-starter, but fun to think about, like Harry Harrison's classic SF novel of the tunnel under the Atlantic Ocean between the UK and its North American colonies. Some people regard it as a threat, but it's fanciful to imagine that the PRC could rush troops through it to take Taiwan.
Some new polls out this week. TISR, the staid establishment poll group, found that people are rejecting One China in all its forms:
Asked about their opinions on the statement that “one China” refers to the PRC, an overwhelming majority, or 81.6 percent, of respondents opposed the concept, with only 9.2 percent accepting the notion.
Even if “one China” refers to the ROC, 60 percent of those polled still disliked the idea that both sides belong to “one China,” but the percentage of people willing to embrace the notion rose to 28.8 percent.
The poll observes that the fake 1992 Consensus, invented in 2000 to cage a future non-KMT president, is not strongly supported:
About 38 percent of respondents believed Tsai should not acknowledge the “1992 consensus” under such a condition, while 33.4 percent urged the incoming president to do so, the poll showed. Nearly 29 percent declined to express their opinions.
Respondents aged between 20 and 39 tended to aspire to see Tsai shrug off the “1992 consensus,” while those in the 40 to 59 age group generally believed she should welcome the consensus, the survey indicated.
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Former Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Su Chi (蘇起) has admitted that he made up the term in 2000.
Tsai's position of evading acknowledgement of the 1992 Consensus has strong support from the young. Several other polls show that support for kowtowing to China on this is under 35%. A UDN poll noted that over 70% identify as Taiwanese, and like a couple of other polls, found that a stubborn minority would declare independence even if it meant war.
Thus, Tsai can point to considerable domestic support for her position, and further, Beijing currently does not consider her to be a "radical". J Michael Cole today points out in SCMP that Beijing will likely not turn the screws on Tsai:
If we believed many of the article headlines that have appeared in international media since the January 16 election of Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party, we would think the roof was about to come crashing down on the Taiwan Strait. Time and again, articles and editorials have warned that if Tsai refuses to recognise “one China” or the 1992 consensus, Beijing could – or should – punish Taiwan by, among other things, severing all official and unofficial contact. Such alarmism, however, doesn’t pass the reality check.
Indeed. The total failure of China to take any concrete action against Taiwan during the Chen Administration never seems to make the media and commentariat pause for thought in its predictions that the sky is imminently falling in the Taiwan Strait. I am sure that one day when China finally goes to war, this crowd will blithely pat each other on the back for being so right. And blame Taiwan, of course. The claim that "Taiwan provokes tension!" serves the PRC, not peace. It's the PRC that creates and determines the level of tension in the Taiwan Strait, which it uses to influence US policy and US commentators. Very successfully, I might add.
VISITING SCHOOLERS: The local media is in a tizzy as longtime US government Taiwan expert Richard Bush III, Denny Roy, and Bonnie Glaser are coming to Taiwan, allegedly to convey the US position on Taiwan and how it should behave to Tsai Ing-wen, who apparently is not aware of it, although it has been in the news since roughly 1990 or so. That is, they are supposed to be telling Tsai to be a good girl and not rock the boat, according to media reports, by announcing independence or behaving like the awful Chen Shui-bian, who riled relations with China so much that Taiwanese investment in China reached around $200 billion, tens of thousands of Taiwanese went to work there, and the Hong Kong-Taipei air route was the busiest in the world. As you can see, China totally punished Taiwan by cutting off relations. O wait...
Anyway, hopefully they will convey sympathy and support, and not dial back the clock to 2005. With Chinese expansionism on the rise, the US should be seeking ways to bring Taiwan and Japan together under the US umbrella. Taiwan can be a powerful asset, if only they US has the imagination to use it. Hopefully also they will help Tsai find ways to delink ROC claims in the South China Sea from China's, and deprecate them, so that Taiwan can build much-neglected relationships with the nations bordering that region. Need US help there!
Let's also recall that the bit of theater may not even by aimed at Tsai, but at Beijing, to show it that the US is doing everything it can to keep the lid on the DPP. Though, as a someone noted in a conversation about this today, PRC analysts don't see Tsai as very willing to rock the boat.
MEDIA: Shout out to Reuters for its excellent background on Taiwan's historical relationship with China and its various rulers...
China considers self-ruled Taiwan a wayward province, to be brought under its control by force if necessary. Defeated Nationalist forces fled to Taiwan in 1949 after the Chinese civil war.
Japan ruled Taiwan as a colony for about five decades until the end of World War Two. China’s last dynasty, the Qing, had ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895 after losing the first Sino-Japanese war.
How many times have you seen a reference to 1895? That's great. Now if could just get them to start writing that it is problematic whether the Qing were Chinese...
Once again, note the way the tone of the reporting has changed since Tsai won the election.
FOR AMUSEMENT PURPOSES ONLY: Ted Galen Carpenter continues to party like its 2005, with (yet) another recommendation that Taiwan be sold out to China, this time in the guise of Finlandization, complete with PRC bases on Taiwan, just to make China feel safe. Poor, put upon China! As is typical with Carpenter, he simply ignores the effect of such an agreement on neighboring states -- Japan is mentioned only twice and not at all in the context of Chinese expansionism, for example. And what about the islands in the South China Sea, and the Senkakus, claimed by the Republic of China? Rather like a dumb but enthusiastic golden retriever who always wants to play ball with you, Carpenter, bless his heart, never ceases to entertain.
PS: If you haven't bought A Pail of Oysters, Vern Sneider's searing novel of Taiwan in the early 1950s, read the reviews below and get it for Kindle or epub. It's a steal at $2.99.
0 Comments Labels: energy, energy policy
A Pail of Oysters: Camphor Press, you rock
A Pail of Oysters
Vern Sneider
Kindle and epub formats available
The latest offering from Camphor Press is Vern Sneider's A Pail of Oysters, an incredibly moving novel of Taiwan in the White Terror years. Camphor's own description is spot-on:
Vern Sneider’s A Pail of Oysters is the most important English-language novel ever written about Taiwan. Yet despite critical acclaim, this exciting and controversial book has long been unavailable to readers. Unlike Sneider’s previous novel, the humorous bestseller The Teahouse of the August Moon, this 1953 publication has a dark, menacing tone. Set against the political repression and poverty of the White Terror era, A Pail of Oysters tells the moving story of nineteen-year-old villager Li Liu and his quest to recover his family’s stolen kitchen god. Li Liu’s fate becomes entwined with that of American journalist Ralph Barton, who, in trying to report honestly about KMT rule of the island, investigates the situation beyond the propaganda, learns of a massacre, and is drawn into the world of the Formosan underground.
The book opens with Li Liu, who identifies as an aborigine, struggling desperately to avoid having his pail of oysters being looted by soldiers as he hurries home with his treasure, which can purchase much-needed high quality rice and medicine. The reader is drawn immediately into the story: the marauding KMT soldiers stripping the countryside of everything they can carry, the lack of the basic necessities of life, the brutal family obligations of younger sons, the rampant selling of young women into sex slavery, and the savagery of the KMT regime, are all brought to life in spare, accessible prose. His characters are human beings who never become the stock characters so common in fiction, and his understanding of Taiwan is deep.
As good as the book itself is Jonathan Benda's outstanding and informative introduction (well worth the price of admission, Benda has a longer piece here), which discusses the history of the work and its subsequent suppression, including McCarthyite attacks on Sneider himself by US government officials. One noted:
"Published last fall, this thoroughly dishonest book received rave reviews. In the Saturday Review of Literature it was reviewed by one Pat Frank, who stated that the book cast "a bright light thrust into the infect peritoneum of Formosa...it is a true light."*
Yes, indeed, it casts a true light. Camphor has also cleaned up many of the small typos and other errors from the first edition. This edition shines.
At $2.99, this story of early post-war history in Taiwan should not be missed. I cried my eyes out at the beautiful ending of this sad, chilling, and revealing account of the horrors of the KMT regime. You will too.
*The Pat Frank review is in the post below
Pat Frank's Review of A Pail of Oysters
The text of the review of A Pail of Oysters cited above. Many of you will know Pat Frank for his novel Alas, Babylon, the tale of a nuclear war between the USSR and the US, and its aftermath.
Light on Formosa "A Pail of Oysters," by Vern Sneider (G. P. Putnam. 311 pp. $3.50), records the lije and aspirations of a simple Formosan peasant. Pal Frank, who reviews it here, is the author of "Hold Back the Night," a novel of the Korean War, and "The Long Way Round," the memoirs of a Far Eastern correspondent.
By Pat Frank
IT is not often that one is privileged to read a novel like the new one by the author of "The Teahouse of the August Moon." Vern Sneider's "A Pail of Oysters" combines beauty of expression, originality of thought, and contemporary historical importance; it is a bright light thrust into the infected peritonium of Formosa, into a region murky with propaganda. It is a true light, which shows nothing as sheer black or white, but in many shades of gray.
It is a novel that will infuriate some, and delight others. It may be denounced by the China Lobby's kept journalists and legislators, yet it may also be vilified by the Communists. Its theme is quite simple. The people of Formosa are Formosans, not Chinese Communists or Chinese Nationalists. Since about the last person a visiting American is likely to meet in Formosa is a true Formosan, Mr. Sneider presents an entirely new picture of the strategically and politically important island. Formosa is more than a pawn in the world struggle. It is at least a Castle, but within the Castle its rightful owners (if you believe in Woodrow Wilson's selfdetermination of peoples) are at best servants and at worst slaves. The Castle is presently the property of Chiang Kai-shek. If Chiang were not in occupancy, and protected by the American Navy, it would be subject to Mao Tse-tung. Mr. Sneider carefully points out the similarities between the two, as dictators, and operators of police states. Strangely, their methods stem from the same source—the Kremlin.
Among all Formosans Li Liu is the poorest and most humble. He is of a family of oyster growers who work in the tidal flats. In the beginning he saves a pail of oysters from scavenging Save-the-Country soldiers who guard the flats against invasion by the People's Liberation Army.
To understand this book it must be understood that this pail of oysters is as important to the family of Li Liu as a bank account, insurance, and credit, all combined, is to an American family. This pail of oysters can be traded for rice, millet, a new needle to replace the one that broke, and quinine to keep the father alive.
Li Liu is trusted with some of the oysters to trade for rice in the farmland that lies back of the tideland. So begins an adventure that takes him to the capital, Taipei, and companionship with two people his own age, a brother and sister owned by an entrepreneur of the city. In his skilful presentation of Formosans, the characters make statements shocking until examined, evaluated, and finally judged true. Like the Japanese occupation of Formosa. "The Japanese took," says a landowner, "yet they gave, too. They gave us electric lights; and the great irrigation ditches which bring water so we can grow rice . . . and the improved rice. They took, but they always left plenty for us . . . not like these swine."
Two Americans rise as strong characters. Both are correspondents. One is "an old China hand" who accepts corruption and prefers to look the other way while murder is done. The other is "a good man." We have "bad men" and "good men" in our ubiquitous Westerns, and so we might as well have them in our Easterns.
Mr. Sneider was a platoon commander in the Pacific, and a commander of regimental scouts during World War IL As a member of U. S. military government he bossed a city of 5,000 refugees on Okinawa. He went to Korea in 1945, and had charge of sheltering and feeding a million refugees fleeing from the Communists north of Parallel 38. His novel, I feel, should be especially recommended to Congressmen and statesmen who "made" Formosa for forty-eight hours on Far Eastern junkets, and who were most unlikely to meet, or talk to, anyone like Li Liu, or his friends, Precious Jade and Didi. If they read it they will comprehend why all our money and all our men can't put Chiang Kai-shek together again.
1 Comments Labels: 1950s, history, literature
BBC: Ok to whack dissidents if they are commies? + forwarding the propaganda under the guise of "balance" *sigh*
Study carefully all the things in this picture. Then: don't.
BBC writes on the White Terror -- no kidding, BBC feels it needs to publish "the other side" of a government program of mass murder, torture, intimidation, censorship, and colonial control of food, energy, education, the economy, and finance. Sick:
While victims' families label Chiang "the murderer", others, especially those whose families fled with him from communist China, credit him with liberating Taiwan from Japanese colonial rule.
They argue he had to consolidate control over the island and keep it from descending into chaos and falling under communist rule.
But most agree his methods were excessive.
Some of those arrested did support communism but only because they were repulsed by Chiang's harsh suppression of dissent.
"liberating Taiwan from colonial rule". That was the US, BBC, that liberated Taiwan, by defeating Japan. It's irrelevant what Chiang's supporters think because what they think is bullshit on every level, and shouldn't be reported as if it were balancing" information. Instead, BBC should have identified it as propaganda. BBC even identifies Chiang Kai-shek as "who [the victims' families] see as the biggest culprit" as if it were possible for someone else to be the culprit, thus softening his role.
The chaos and colonialism were the direction result of Chiang's murderous, loot-driven, income-reducing rule. Chiang could have "consolidated control" in any number of non-murderous ways, for example, by erecting something like a functioning democracy, as the US more or less did in Japan. BBC gives no hint of the actual history, nor does it provide any disclaimer warning that such claims are nonsense.
Never has there been a better illustration of the way false "balance" functions as a way to forward anti-democracy, anti-Taiwan, pro-China propaganda. Shame on you, BBC.
As I have often noted, in the western media, eastern European states resisting Russian expansion are portrayed as plucky little democracies and the history is correctly represented, while Taiwanese resisting Chinese expansionism and colonialism are treated as provocative children who get what they deserve. Articles illustrating this double standard are not difficult to find. Consider this BBC report of a statue being pulled down in Estonia:
Russia, and many ethnic Russians in Estonia, consider the monument commemorates those who died to liberate Estonia from the Nazis.
However, the Soviet Union had occupied Estonia before the Second World War, and annexed it again in 1945, and so many Estonians regard the statue as a symbol of the country's occupation.
Note that the first paragraph gives the Russian propaganda line. But, BBC then correctly and ethically signals that this is propaganda by giving the actual history. Taiwan never gets this kind of service. Imagine if BBC had written of Estonia:
While Estonian families label Russians "the murderers", ethnic Russians, especially those whose families came in with the Russian occupation, credit Russia with liberating Estonia from German colonial rule.
They argue the Russians had to consolidate control over the Baltic state and keep it from descending into chaos and falling under Fascist rule.
But most agree Russian methods were excessive.
Everyone would say "those weren't excesses, they were deliberate policy." Ditto for Taiwan.
But if those two vile paragraphs weren't enough, BBC then contends that "some who were arrested did support Communism" as if that made it ok to arrest and kill them. Hey, it's excusable to tie them up with wires, drag them down to the race course, put a bullet through their heads, and toss them in the river, because, well, some really were Communists. The "but only" excuses the Communists from believing in Communism, while the fact that they "did support Communism" appears to excuse the KMT from killing them. What if BBC had written:
The KMT murdered thousands of people, many by falsely accusing them of supporting Communism. Others were arrested and executed for the "crime" of being without ID cards, or because someone wanted revenge, or coveted their property.
That would be history. BBC gets within shouting distance by noting that some were killed for wanting a more democratic society, or for being in the wrong place at the wrong time (what does that mean? "Oops, sorry we made a mistake"). But then, BBC only does concrete history if you're a plucky Baltic democracy resisting Russian expansion. If you're a Taiwanese being executed by the Chiangs, some of you probably deserved it somehow.
11 Comments Labels: BBC, media
Hung for Chair of The Rational Party
Was in Miaoli scootering on Tuesday and came to the famous Longteng Broken Railroad Viaduct. The previous Miaoli tourism planner once explained to me that he set up the system so that vendors were kept away from the historical and tourist sites. That is one reason Miaoli was so enjoyable. Now that he is gone, vendors are swarming into public spaces where they were not allowed before...
Deep Blue reactionary Hung Hsiu-chu, the former presidential candidate, now running for Party Chairman, this week implied that the KMT helped the government financially....
However, Hung also said that the problem of the KMT’s party assets has its “historical background” and should not be treated as a crime, adding that “returning party assets to zero” is a “pseudo-issue.”
She said that the KMT had also contributed a lot to the government, citing the amount of gold and national treasures now housed in the National Palace Museum that the party had brought from China in 1949 and asked the public to rationally examine whether it was the government that had helped the party or the party that had helped the government.
"Rationally" and "objectively" are favorite rhetorical moments in the world KMTers -- such words contend that the other side is irrational. Former KMT spokesperson Yang Wei-chung, who has been in the news attacking her absurdities, pointed out in the article that the KMT had historically always drawn on the government to pay its bills.
Everyone in Taiwan knows that the KMT-Party state was financed by taxpayer coffers, but that's not the point. Hung is running for KMT Chair and is doing so by appealing to Deep Blue rank and file, where she has strong support. This week I had dinner with a longtime friend inside the Hung campaign who said that (1) President Ma and all other high level KMTers support Huang Min-hui, a faction politician and Hung's Taiwanese rival for the Chairmanship (2) "if you work for Hung, everyone distances themselves from you" (3) Hung is busy running activities appealing to the rank and file, where she is strongly supported (4) the DPP does a much better job at everything right now -- "when we sit down with DPP party officials, they always know how to do things better than we do and we learn from them" (5) the KMT youth organization is run by a crony of King Pu-tsun, who is Ma's hatchet man. As a result, it produces propaganda singing the praises of the great Ma Ying-jeou and is hopeless at attracting the young (6) what we all know: the KMT has no appeal for youth (7) Wang Jin-pyng has little influence or power (in case you had any doubts).
This election is a replay of the 2005 election between mainlander ideologue Ma Ying-jeou and Taiwanese faction politician Wang Jin-pyng, in which Party elites supported Wang, and the rank and file voted for Ma. The rank and file are more conservative and ideological than the core elites of the party, and prefer candidates who share their KMT religious identity.
Taiwan at risk for Zika
Hung Hsiu-chu, campaigning for KMT Chair, implies the KMT party helped the government.
Taiwan hot springs and waterfalls map
China poaching Taiwan tech talent. As I have been saying...
Willy Lam explores a question that is has been on many lips: does the personality cult around Xi mean he won't step down?
Great post from Great Blog on history of the Beimen area in Taipei, lovely pics.
What Xi gains by threatening Taiwan: Gordon Chang at The National Interest
The KMT is a freak of a political party
Kharis Templeman on the great voter swing in the 2016 elections
J Michael Cole's review of a novel about the White Terror days
China and the inevitability of war
The Diplomat: How Chinese analysts understand the geostrategic position of Taiwan
DON'T MISS: Richard Kagan with fascinating insights into the election of Tsai Ing-wen
DON'T MISS: Great discussion by Brian H at New Bloom on Taiwan independence.
1 Comments Labels: Hung Hsiu-chu, KMT
Thursday Short Shorts
Experiencing colonization by Chinese, Hong Kong is increasingly sympathetic to Taiwan, with rising support for Taiwan independence:
Hong Kong people’s support for Taiwanese independence stands at 35 percent, the highest level since June 1995, a Hong Kong University POP survey shows. It also found that younger people were more likely to favour Taiwanese independence. Among 18-29-year olds, support for Taiwan nationhood stands at 67 percent.
Overall, 52 percent of those surveyed oppose independence for the island. The notion of Taiwan rejoining the United Nations received considerably more support, with 47 percent in favour and 30 percent opposed.
As a friend on Twitter pointed out, this should be read as proxy support for Hong Kong independence. Remember that this destruction of the local and different is happening all over China as Beijing forces Mandarin, simplified characters, and faux Chineseness on its disparate peoples. Hong Kongers and Taiwanese are just lucky enough to have the international media reporting on this process. Moreover, as they interact more with China and Chinese, support for Taiwan (and HKK) independence will only grow.
Passed around this week was this longer piece from Australia on whether it is time to worry about Taiwan again. It observes:
However, we would also caution against too much optimism and the notion that cross-strait conflict is now all but unlikely. Under President Xi Jinping, China has demonstrated a rather uncompromising approach to territorial disputes and the status of Taiwan is a declared ‘core interest’ of Beijing. As well, China continues to change the cross-strait military balance in its favour, potentially inviting miscalculations and instability. Moreover, Taiwan is also likely to become more important in the context of emerging East Asian power shifts and Sino-US strategic competition
As many of us have noted, since the Tsai election, commentators are less and less willing to identify Taiwan as the source of the problem, and more likely to note China's intransigence and aggressiveness, as well as locating Taiwan in the context of the hegemonic struggle between Beijing and Washington. This shift in the discourse, also caused by China's expansion in the South China Sea, is a welcome development, and may help garner support for Taiwan in Washington.
Another excellent paragraph is the one discussing how the DPP Administration can be used to de-legitimize Beijing's expansionist claims:
Finally, both allies should consider Taiwan’s potential to play an important and constructive role in SCS territorial disputes. Often overlooked, the ROC is also a claimant and, at least on paper, shares the infamous ‘nine dashed line’ with China. Under President Ma, Taiwan had made small but important steps towards a more conciliatory approach based on shelving disputes and the promotion of joint exploration. However, one of outgoing President Ma’s ‘presents’ to the Tsai government was a recent visit to Itu Aba (Taiping Island in Taiwanese) to reaffirm Taiwanese sovereignty. The visit drew an angry response from two other claimants (Vietnam and the Philippines), while the US criticised it as ‘extremely unhelpful’.35 Yet, the DPP has so far adopted a nuanced approach to the SCS, calling for all parties to assert their claims and positions in accordance with UNCLOS, maintain freedom of navigation and overflight, and work towards peaceful conflict resolution. Therefore, the Tsai government could play a critical role in delegitimising Beijing’s extensive SCS claims.36 Thus, rather than seeing Taiwan only as a security problem, Australia should also consider its potential role as a contributor to regional security and the preservation of the rules-based order.
This rationality and geographic knowledge is a welcome change from the irrational, uninformed Hugh White school of ZOMG INDEPENDENCE COULD DESTROY THE WORLD!
Against that, China is busy laying the groundwork for blaming Taiwan when Beijing finally cuts off relations. First a few days ago Xi himself was saying that independence is a no-no, then today SCMP reported on the Dean of Beijing University's Taiwan Studies Institute...
“If Taiwan’s leader [Tsai] fails to make a clear position on the 1992 consensus in her inauguration speech on May 20, it will have a great impact on the cross-strait relationship and future development,” Li Yihu, dean of Peking University’s Taiwan Studies Institute, said at a press briefing organised by the State Council Information Office.
Li said the impact would include the suspension of all official and semi-official exchanges, including talks between Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office, Taipei’s Mainland Affairs Council and both the non-governmental intermediaries, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait and the Straits Exchange Foundation.
One of the things I constantly complain about is the way the international media portrays "tensions" as not something created by China, but as arising mysteriously by mysterious processes which the writer never identifies. Note first that Li carefully positions Tsai as the one to take the blame. Then "suspension" occurs -- not "Beijing suspending." These small reductions in Beijing's agency help conceal and smear over its actual role in creating tension and deploying it to manage the international media and foreign governments.
This should not be read as "pressure on Tsai". Instead, it should be read as preparing the ground for a break/downgrade in relations.
This article also contains a new and ominous excuse for China's behavior...
“Beijing is now facing very strong internal pressure on opposition to Taiwan independence, especially from netizens who say they will punish Tsai and other political parties with strong anti-mainland sentiment,” Liu said.
This is also preparing the ground by offering the recursive Hey, our hands are tied (by the Chinese nationalism we ourselves have whipped up) as an excuse. Scary...
Speaking of the response to Tsai Ing-wen, it looks like the tourism decline is indeed at Beijing's behest (China Post):
Repeated attempts by Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (海基會) to confirm the cut have received no official response.
Wu Pi-lian (吳碧蓮), a committee member in the Travel Quality Assurance Association and president of Cheng An Travel Service Co. (正安旅行社), said that available information indicates that the cut will take place.
Wu said yesterday that mainland Chinese travel firms had not been given formal directives, but had been guided to infer the implicit orders of government travel authorities.
"According to what we know, their superiors would, after completing half a thought, say, 'Do you understand what I mean?' And the listeners would say, 'Yes, we do,'" Wu said.
One of the most difficult aspects of Chinese society for foreigners is that people are supposed to understand things without being told. Indeed, I have heard of academics arguing that there is no secret KMT-CCP collusion -- at least, no evidence of it. Of course, anyone who understands how things work in Chinese society... doesn't need that sentence completed.
It's indicative that the Taiwan SEF can't get a confirmation/denial despite repeated attempts. Silence is telling... UDN went into greater detail, giving several examples... (via the KMT news organ):
...Yesterday, a Mainland netizen stated that his application for exit permit (the Taiwan Travel Permit for Mainland Residents 大通證) in Zhengzhou (鄭州), the capital of Henan Province (河南), was denied by Mainland authorities on the pretext that they “lacked blank permits.” The netizen said he had no other choice but to cancel his plan to visit Taiwan.
An official notice posted yesterday on the reception hall of Zhengzhou’s Exit and Entry Office read, “The Ministry of Public Security and departments of relevant ministries and agencies are proactively coordinating with each other to deal with the lack of blank exit permits for Mainland residents. Therefore, those who do not plan to travel to Taiwan in the near future, please defer your permit applications. Applications for travel permits to places other than Taiwan will not be affected.”
A state-owned travel agency in Henan said that they had received the notification from relevant authorities at 11 a.m. yesterday. According to the notification, those who had not received exit permits for Mainland residents would not be allowed to join any Taiwan package tours from March 20 to June 20; those who could not join Taiwan tours were advised to travel to places other than Taiwan.
Happy to see this. I hope they punish us harder and refuse to send even more tourists; Taiwan can quickly replace those low-value China tourists with higher value tourists from Korea and Japan. Beijing really has few options -- it can't cut off industry and trade relations since those are components of its plan to stripmine Taiwan's economic and technological prowess. It can't expel all the Taiwanese factories without seriously harming its trade not only with Taiwan, but with other nations. Beijing knows that the profits from tourism go to Chinese firms, and a tourism cut is largely symbolic and won't hurt any of its other long-term plans.
Great pics: Reframing Taiwan, 10 great pieces of architecture
Drew with great pics and discourse on our ride with the amazing Andrew and Alison
Camphor Press is looking for your book on East Asia
Taiwan's brutal, buccaneer fishing industry denounces international fishing rules
Nelson Report: responses to Xi's comments on Independence
On the Nantou 6, a great little way to avoid a section of the odious 14
Several people respond to Xi's comments on Taiwan independence....
CHINA/TAIWAN/US...we noted last week what Loyal Reader Richard Bush characterized as the "ritual salt throwing and foot stomping" period of a sumo match...senior players in Beijing and Taipei laying down rhetorical markers in preparation for how they will attempt to deal with each other once Tsai Ing-wen is sworn-in as president, this Spring.
More, of course, will be forthcoming, and the latest (see following some LR comments) caught our eye, so we again pulsed our advisors on whether this continues to be pro-forma, from Beijing, or something more, and thus to worry about.
A highly experienced USG who must be "anon" remains cautiously optimistic:
Chris, this can be seen as a step in the right direction. It is less hysterical than the earth will shake (or whatever it was) statement last year, and there are snippets of language like the reference to the 1992 consensus as a political foundation and historical fact that reflect Tsai language. No question this remains tough and neuralgic, but the warning also provides the basis and structure for feeling our way to a stable modus vivendi, too.
Another "ANON" is similarly careful:
"The best one could say is that it could have been worse. I agree with Randy [Schriver, below] Beijing is very good at placing the blame for the failures of its own policies on others. Washington will have to keep its game face on and resist Chinese propaganda. Taipei will have to do a superior job in explaining why BJ is to blame for whatever difficulties occur. Setting preconditions is never the basis for good policy."
Bob Manning, The Atlantic Council:
I don't see anything new here. I would expect in the interim until Tsai takes office in May that Beijing will keep underscoring Chinese concerns about the DPP veering from the 1992 consensus. One could argue that the good news here is that Xi's body language suggests he's not pushing for more than the status quo - which is the best he can expect from a DPP government.
For the "yes do worry" side of the group, Armitage Associates' Randy Schriver:
SCHRIVER:
We need to understand the Chinese playbook here. They want to portray Dr. Tsai as the trouble maker, pressure Washington to pressure her, and ultimately recreate a type of "co-management" of the Taiwan issue between the PRC and the U.S. These markers are not being placed for the purpose of keeping things stable - rather, Beijing is laying the ground work to set her up for "failure" (failure in the sense of not meeting Beijing's unreasonable/unrealistic benchmarks).
The Chinese will then seek to place the blame squarely on Taiwan for the renewed tension in the Strait. Chinese leaders will then parade through Washington and proclaim that this is a "shared problem" and Washington must do its part to keep Taiwan in the box.
I think too many people misunderstand CCP objectives and think that leaders in Beijing want stability and that they hope for steady progress in Cross-Strait relations. That's false. Xi and others want unification, not stable development of ties between Beijing and Taipei. More pressure is coming and Washington better be prepared.
Dr. Tsai can be a great partner to the U.S. based on what she has laid out in the campaign and based on her track record. In order to harvest those opportunities, this Administration and the next are going to have to be vigilant in withstanding Beijing's coming assertiveness/aggressiveness on Taiwan, as well as in charting a course for stronger U.S.-Taiwan ties in such an environment.
ANON USG: also worried:
I am sure the DC commentariat will say it is pro forma, except that there has been a tremendous uptick in anti-Taiwan and anti-Tsai sentiment coming from PRC state media organs. I have seen similar stories in PLA Daily, Global Times, Xinhua, and People's Daily. This seems to be an organized campaign, and the language seems sharper than usual and from more senior officials. My gut tells me this is not just standard fare for domestic consumption but perhaps laying down a marker for more concerted action of some kind in the coming months. I am not saying the very worst case will come true. I am suggesting that Beijing is preparing the messaging battlefield for some serious saber-rattling as Tsai's inauguration approaches.
Here's what the Loyal Readers were reacting to, at our request:
President Xi Warns Against "Taiwan Independence" In Any Form. Zhang Tao, PLA Daily (China). "Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday warned against "Taiwan independence," saying the historical tragedy of national secession will not be allowed to repeat. "We will resolutely contain the 'Taiwan independence' secessionist activities in any form," said Xi when joining the group deliberation of lawmakers from Shanghai on the first day of the national legislature's annual session. "We will safeguard the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and never allow the historical tragedy of national secession to happen again," Xi said. "It is the common wish and firm will of all Chinese people, and it is also our solemn commitment and responsibility to the history and the people," he said. "Our policy toward Taiwan is clear and consistent, which will not change along with the change in Taiwan's political situation," Xi told the lawmakers. "Compatriots from the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are expecting the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and we should not make them disappointed," he said. "We will adhere to the '1992 Consensus' as a political foundation, and continuously advance the peaceful development of cross-Strait ties," said the president. Only by accepting the historical facts about the "1992 Consensus" and recognizing its core implications can the two sides have a common political foundation and maintain good interactions, Xi said." http://english.chinamil.com.cn/news-channels/today-headlines/2016-03/05/content_6943990.htm
No question, Schriver has the right of it. As I have said many times, the function of "tension" for Beijing is to transfer tension from the US-China relationship to the US-Taiwan relationship, a strategic victory for Beijing. Every hack on Taiwan by the Bush and Obama Administrations has been service to Beijing.
In this case the few conciliatory remarks and apparent restraint Xi is showing are there to set up later complaints about Taipei: look what restraint we've shown! And look how they are behaving with that democracy and everything! We've been trying so hard!. Eventually Beijing will start more serious complaining, which the international media will duly forward in its best stenographic fashion. And the pressure on the US President will begin.
Xi's visit to Czech Republic: protests and positiv...
Crackling like electricity prices and other meande...
BBC: Ok to whack dissidents if they are commies? +...
Nelson Report: responses to Xi's comments on Indep...
Military Police seize documents without proper sea...
Two Amazing People
Nelson Report on Taiwan
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https://michiganlcv.org:443/news/scientists-highlight-the-need-for-enforceable-pfas-standards/
What is a Conservation Voter?
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https://michiganlcv.org
Scientists highlight the need for enforceable PFAS standards
Article Type: The Latest News
Issue: Safe Drinking Water
« Back to all Latest News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Contact: Katie Parrish, Communications Director, (239) 537-9507
LANSING – Today the Michigan League of Conservation Voters joined with scientific experts to call on state lawmakers to take action on PFAS and protect public health by enacting a drinking water standard based on leading science. Michigan has no drinking water standard to protect families from exposure to PFAS. Other states have adopted standards as low as 13 and 14 ppt, and a recent federal report suggests standards as low as 7 ppt and 11 ppt. A study by Harvard University suggests a PFAS drinking water standard closer to 1 ppt.
“The existing research on PFOS and PFOA clearly shows that, with time, these chemicals are much more toxic than we originally thought. Our research shows that the EPA’s unenforceable recommendation of 70 parts per trillion is about 100-fold too high to protect us from adverse health impacts,” said Dr. Philippe Grandjean, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Health at Harvard University. “PFAS are not essential chemicals, and we can make do without using them. We must protect communities from the dangers of PFAS exposure by phasing out the use of PFAS chemicals and by establishing a strong drinking water standard that is based on science.”
“PFAS chemicals pose a unique hazard to human and environmental health because of their mobility, potential for bioaccumulation, and resistance to degradation. In humans, they bind to proteins in our blood, remain in circulation, and are reabsorbed by the kidney,” said Dr. Rick Rediske, Professor at Grand Valley State and the Annis Water Resources Institute. “When it comes to PFAS in Michigan, we are dealing with historical releases involving decades of human exposure over multiple generations and life stages. We clearly need to manage this group of chemicals as hazardous substances, restrict their discharge to the environment, and implement regulations for drinking and surface water that protect both human and environmental health.”
The State is currently using the EPA’s recommended 70 parts per trillion limit to determine whether drinking water is safe for consumption, but the EPA’s recommendation is advisory-only and unenforceable, only covering PFOA and PFOS, just two out of approximately 4,000 PFAS chemicals.
“We know enough about PFAS chemicals to know they are hazardous to our health, but PFAS-contaminated water continues to be delivered to homes across the state. Michigan is using outdated science and has not done enough to mitigate the threat of PFAS exposure once its discovered,” said Dr. Alan Ducatman, Professor Emeritus and author of many peer review papers concerning PFAS. “Michigan should follow the lead of other states who have successfully implemented PFAS standards and, given the scale of the problem in Michigan, the state Legislature should act quickly.”
“We should use precaution with PFAS chemicals and work to minimize Michiganders’ exposure given what’s currently known about the toxicity of PFOA and PFOS, the unknowns regarding many of other forms of PFAS chemicals, and the health risks linked PFAS exposure during pregnancy and early life,” said Dr. Courtney Carignan, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University.
← Michigan LCV urges Gov. Snyder to veto “no stricter than federal” bill
Gov. Snyder’s Line 5 tunnel continues threat of disastrous oil spill →
© 2017 Michigan League of Conservation Voters
Contact us by email at info@michiganlcv.org and by phone at 734-222-9650
Crafted by Cornershop Creative
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Battle Mania Daiginjou / Trouble Shooter Vintage Translation Patch
Battle Mania, which was originally released in the West as Trouble Shooter, was developed by Studio Uchuu Tetsujin (Space Ironmen) for the Sega Genesis/MegaDrive and published by Vic Tokai. Its sequel, Battle Mania Daiginjou, was never released outside of Japan, which is unfortunate as it is one of the best shooters on that system. It combines somewhat novel gameplay with quirky humor and some decent action.
This was initially released as a bonus in the King Colossus archive. Now, it has been formally released as a stand-alone translation patch, along with a few trivial changes from the version included with the King Colossus patch.
In what has become a MIJET trademark, this is a "dual-language" patch, meaning that it supports both Japanese and English. However, it goes far beyond simply supporting both English and the original Japanese; it contains two different English translations and a selection of three English fonts.
This patch is contained within two different IPS files, but the only differences between the two are the default script and font to use if none are selected by the user. That's correct; it is possible to select the desired script and font by holding down certain combinations of buttons prior to the Sega logo appearing. See the included documentation for more details.
Battle Mania Daiginjou - Trouble Shooter Vintage.zip (includes IPS file and the readme)
MIJETpatch.zip (you can use this to apply all MIJET patches, but make sure that you download the IPS file(s) too!)
Here are some "before and after" screen shots demonstrating some of the changes.
Actual gameplay pictures are towards the bottom.
The original Japanese version had an off-center logo Fixed. (Do you think this was a waste of time?)
Battle Mania Daiginjou Trouble Shooter Vintage
The giant logo Translated
This one was annoying... ...because it uses animated sprites, not text.
Credits The font is dynamically rotated.
This illustrates the differences between the three modes
Battle Mania Daiginjou (literal translation) Trouble Shooter Vintage (the joke is from the instructions)
New font Original font Original bold font
Trouble Shooters...
Lonesome Hunters at Heart...
For nobody knows who they are...
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Ross: Why should Trump have a Ukraine policy?
King, Snohomish County nurses reverse course, announce intent to strike
Ross: Impeachment about more than what Trump deserves
By Dave Ross
President Donald Trump pretends to check his watch after Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) mentioned upcoming Senate votes during an event about judicial confirmations in the East Room of the White House on November 6, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
So far, all but one of the witnesses deposed in the impeachment process have said the president was deliberately holding up U.S. military aid to Ukraine in order to get dirt on the Bidens.
But it may not matter, because there is a new defense that blows all those depositions out of the water.
It comes from Senator Lindsey Graham, who stood before a group of reporters to say it’s simply impossible for this president to be held responsible for anything involving Ukraine.
“What I can tell you about the Trump policy toward Ukraine is it was incoherent,” Graham said. “It depends on who you talk to. They seem to be incapable of forming a quid pro quo.”
See, I hadn’t considered that — Graham saying that Democrats have made a fundamental mistake here. They’re trying to argue the president was using his Ukraine policy as a bargaining chip. But that implies he actually had a Ukraine policy – and as Lindsey Graham says it’s clear he doesn’t. What he’s got is Rudy Giuliani and those two guys who were trying to leave the country.
Why should he have a policy? Voters didn’t elect Trump to deal with Ukraine. They elected him to appoint conservative judges and build a wall. Why should he know anything about Ukraine?
He might know who Miss Ukraine is, but that, of course, would be irrelevant. Unless she’s the one hiding Hillary’s server. But that is strictly speculation on my part.
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Self-driving spacecraft tech to be road-tested as part of planetary defense mission
Self-driving spacecraft tech t...
Hera is set to become the first autonomous spacecraft
ESA - ScienceOffice.org
A timeline of Hera's mission to Didymos
If you're going to spend millions of dollars on a spacecraft, you might as well try to cram in as much as possible. With that in mind, ESA has now detailed the side mission it's planning for the asteroid-visiting spacecraft Hera. After the main work is complete, the probe will test out some new autonomous navigation systems, which should help future spacecraft get around without relying on ground control all the way back on Earth.
Hera is part of a planetary defense test known as the Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA), which as the name suggests is designed to figure out how we might go about nudging a potential Earth-bound space rock off-course. The target is a binary asteroid called Didymos, which consists of a tiny 160-meter-wide (525-ft) rock orbiting a larger, 780-m (2,560-ft) asteroid.
The mission itself is also kind of a binary system, involving two spacecraft. The NASA-designed DART probe is made to smash into the smaller rock, with the aim of ever-so-slightly altering its orbit. But of course, the problem there is that DART won't be around to watch what happens next.
And that's where Hera comes in. Currently being designed by ESA, the craft will enter orbit around Didymos and look out for changes in the smaller rock's orbit, as well as investigate the crater left behind on its surface.
But that's not all. ESA has previously alluded to the craft's self-driving abilities, and now the space agency has revealed just how that will work. Hera will function using three different autonomous modes, depending on its distance of Didymos.
"If you think self-driving cars are the future on Earth, then Hera is the pioneer of autonomy in deep space," says Paolo Martino, Hera's lead systems engineer. "While the mission is designed to be fully operated manually from [the] ground, the new technology will be tested once the core mission objectives are achieved and higher risks can be taken."
The first mode will be tested on approach, when the asteroid just looks like any other star. To identify it, Hera will take multiple images of the rock to register its motion against the background starfield. That said, at this stage the craft won't be entirely autonomous – since it's too valuable to risk before its main mission is complete, this will be more of a secondary test.
The second mode will be used for the bulk of the mission, when Hera is within 30 to 8 km (18.6 to 5 mi) of the surface of Didymos. At this stage, the craft's camera will use the hard-to-miss reference point of the larger asteroid to figure out where it is.
"This mode depends on having the big asteroid smaller than our overall camera field of view, and detecting the contrast of its edges giving way to the space beyond," says Massimo Casasco, a guidance, navigation and control (GNC) engineer at ESA. "We take advantage of its roughly-spherical shape to fit it within a circle and estimate the line-of-sight distance between the spacecraft and the asteroid 'centroid'."
The third mode is the toughest one to pull off. Kicking in when the craft is too close to see the whole asteroid, the camera will instead look for surface features to try to navigate.
"This will be a matter of imaging the same features – such as boulders and craters – in different pictures to gain a sense of how we're moving with respect to the surface, combined in turn with other information including onboard accelerometers for dead reckoning and the thermal infrared camera for overflying the asteroid's night side," says Jesus Gil Fernandez, another ESA GNC engineer.
If the mission is successful, similar self-driving tech could eventually find its way into future spacecraft. Ideally, it would eventually free up ground teams from having to oversee every minor step of a spacecraft's movement.
Hera is currently in the detailed design work phase, and is due to be presented to Europe's space ministers in November. If all goes to plan, it should launch in 2023. A test can be seen in the video below.
Source: ESA
Hera self-driving navigation test
SpaceNASAESASpacecraftAsteroidAutonomousAutonomySelf-DrivingNew Atlas Audio
paul314 April 9, 2019 10:46 AM
This seems pretty basic. Until you remember the kind of processing power space probes typically have.
Prototype plant shows how astronauts could pull oxygen out of moondust
SpaceX destroys rocket in successful Crew Dragon inflight abort test
ESA solves the riddle of why the Huygens probe spun the wrong way
NASA noodles with Moon bases grown from fungi
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Home>Highlight>Toms River Democrats pick Jon Petro for mayor
Toms River Democratic mayoral candidate Jonathan Z. Petro
Toms River Democrats pick Jon Petro for mayor
Republicans split on candidate to replace 86-year-old incumbent
By David Wildstein, March 21 2019 12:10 pm
Toms River Democrats have endorsed Jonathan Z. Petro as their candidate for mayor, setting up a potentially competitive race in New Jersey’s 8th largest municipality against a sharply divided Republican Party.
The incumbent, 86-year-old Thomas Kelaher, is not seeking re-election to a fourth term.
Petro, the managing partner at a large Toms River law firm, is the chairman of the Greater Toms River Chamber of Commerce and the Ocean County Library foundation.
The Toms River Republican screening committee voted 10-9 on Saturday to endorse former Ocean County prosecutor Joseph Coronato for mayor.
Councilman Maurice (Mo) Hill has asked for a full vote of the Toms River Republican Club tonight.
Dan Rodrick, who was elected as a Democrat to the council in 2017 and switched parties last year, announced this week that he would challenge Coronato in the Republican primary.
Democrats are also playing for control of the township council, where all three incumbent Republicans are not seeking re-election.
The endorsed council candidates are: Board of Education member and retired elementary school principal Michele Williams; Karin Sage, a partner at the Wilentz law firm; and Drew Boyle, a teacher in the Brick public school system.
“I’ve always been proud to call Toms River home, but I know this township has the potential to once again be a beacon for folks and families to put down their roots,” Petro said. “We can do more, not just on escalating taxes and development missteps, but on improving the quality of life and increasing community engagement. I’m running to make the improvements that haven’t been made, to develop the ideas that have stagnated on the shelf, and to make this town a better place for all of us.”
Tagged Dan Rodrick, Drew Boyle, Jonathan Petro, Joseph Coronato, Karin Sage, Michele Williams, Mo Hill, Thomas Kelaher
Highlight Local Ocean Governor
Toms River mayor faces fight for GOP nomination
Councilman says he will screen against 86-year-old incumbent
Toms River passes school referendum
Voters approve $147 bond issue
Piper Perabo headed to Trenton to push for Toms River school funding
Statehouse rally to push for $4.4 million in funding for Toms River public schools
Sayreville mayor won’t seek re-election
Murphy names new NJ Transit board
One thought on “Toms River Democrats pick Jon Petro for mayor”
salvatore dimattei says:
Please do not support s-2425/a-3851….This would be a disaster for all adult communities…
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Amazon to nosh on another season of Bosch
William Hughes
Knowing how peckish we all are for hard-bitten detectives, vile murderers, and Titus Welliver’s all-star eyebrows, Amazon has announced that it’s ordering another round of Bosch for the table. The third-season order—which, now that we think about it, would really go well with a nice red and a little plate of cheese, so if we could get that started it’d be great—comes less than a month after the online retailer released the second-season of the critically well-regarded cop show onto its Prime streaming service.
Based off of Michael Connelly’s long-running, oft-copied series of novels, the show stars Welliver as jazz-loving, rule-breaking LAPD detective Hieronymous “Harry” Bosch, whose cold exterior belies a passion for justice as deep as our own love of that spinach-artichoke dip you guys do, so maybe let’s get that started, too? The series also co-stars Jeri Ryan, Jamie Hector, Amy Aquino, and Lance Reddick, because you can’t have a nice, mid-priced lunch—sorry, a TV cop drama, is what we mean—without Lance Reddick there to glower at people and remind them of The Wire.
Hey, could we get a refill on water, along with this 10-episode order that will presumably arrive some time early next year? Thanks, you guys are the best.
[via Deadline]
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Cleaning Modern Oil Paints Project
April 25, 2018 National Heritage Science ForumLeave a comment
Tate is the newest recipient of the NHSF Gold Open Access grant for the publication of heritage science research. The grant enabled the publication of the research paper ‘Scientific investigation into the water sensitivity of twentieth century oil paints’, available for free in Microchemical Journal. In this guest post, the paper’s authors tell us more about the Cleaning Modern Oil Paints project.
The Cleaning Modern Oil Paints project (CMOP) is a collaborative European research project, funded through the JPI Heritage Plus programme, which runs from June 2015 – May 2018. The project aims to investigate conservation challenges associated with twentieth and twenty-first century oil paintings in order to ensure that modern oil paintings continue to be fit for display for future generations.
Many unvarnished twentieth and twenty-first century oil paintings are exhibiting unusual water sensitivity. Water sensitivity can be defined as the unwanted removal of pigment and/or original material when a discrete cleaning test is carried out using a dampened cotton swab on the surface of a painting. Water sensitivity is not restricted to a particular oil-paint brand, or artist, and affects a broad range of paintings.
Winsor & Newton Artist Oil Colour swatches that were studied as part of the microchemical journal paper. Copyright Tate.
Water sensitivity is problematic for conservators, since many of the well-established methods for removing surface dirt (which naturally gathers over time) involves the skilled application of water based cleaning systems. Since dry-cleaning methods, for example using dry brushes or specialist sponges, are not always particularly effective at removing soiling, water sensitivity can complicate or even prevent effective treatment. This is problematic as accumulated surface dirt can change the appearance of paintings e.g. through altering the saturation, intensity and gloss of paint passages, and can, over the longer term, contribute to other unwanted side-effects relating to ageing and deterioration.
The interdisciplinary CMOP team have been investigating the underlying causes of water sensitivity in modern oil paints. This information has been used to inform the systematic testing and evaluation of selected cleaning systems for use on water sensitive modern oil paintings, with the aim of informing conservators about the risks involved and how to minimise them.
Part of the CMOP research has involved the chemical analysis of a series of naturally aged modern oil paint micro-samples, taken from case study oil paintings and from historic Winsor & Newton (W&N) artists’ oil paint swatches. The W&N paint swatches were originally produced by the manufacturer for quality control testing, and were subsequently donated to Tate by ColArt UK for research purposes.
W&W Artist Oil Colour swatches studied for the paper, shown in tungsten light (left) and UV light (right). Copyright Tate.
We are pleased to announce that the National Heritage Science Forum has kindly sponsored the Gold Open Access publication of a key CMOP research paper, entitled Scientific investigation into the water sensitivity of twentieth century oil paints, now published in the peer-reviewed Microchemical Journal. This describes an in-depth investigation into the chemical characteristics of water sensitive paint passages, and likely causal factors.
The research at Tate is led by Principal Conservation Scientist Dr Bronwyn Ormsby, with Post-doctoral Researcher Judith Lee, and with the support of Tate’s Collection Care Research. More information on the project and details of the key CMOP project dissemination event; Conference on Modern Oil Paints taking place on 23-25 May 2018, are available on Tate’s website.
Detail of a case study oil painting analysed as part of the project. Copyright Tate.
The paper Scientific investigation into the water sensitivity of twentieth century oil paints is co-authored by Judith Lee and Bronwyn Ormsby of the Tate Conservation Department, Ilaria Bonaduce, Francesca Modugno, Jacopo La Nasa and Klaas Jan van den Berg.
The National Heritage Science Forum provides Gold Open Access grants to help to open up access to heritage science research. This funding is available to employees, students and members of our member organisations – find out more.
heritage scienceart, conservation, Open Access, painting, science, Tate
A day in the life of heritage science students at Hellens Manor
March 17, 2018 March 19, 2018 National Heritage Science ForumLeave a comment
Our final guest post for British Science Week 2018, #BSW18, comes from Gavin Leong, a student on the SEAHA MRes course. In this post Gavin reflects on the SEAHA cohort’s visit to Hellens Manor, which took place earlier in British Science Week, to analyse paintings using hyperspectral imaging techniques and carry out environmental monitoring and risk assessments that will inform future approaches to collection care.
Every year, a new roster of Masters students from EAHA visit a lovely old country house sat in scenic Herefordshire. But, far from a holiday or a retreat, these students are here to carry out research. And this isn’t any old house, it’s one of the few surviving 12th century English abodes, Hellens Manor.
Today is Tuesday 13th March 2018, it’s 9.25 AM and the sun is just peeking out of the clouds over Hellens. The imaging group are about to head out to Bloody Mary’s room, a place said to be haunted. But instead of looking for paranormal activity, for the past two days they’ve been painstakingly taking images of paintings using multispectral imaging and infrared reflectography. The former was used as a rapid survey of the ultraviolet, infrared and visible spectrum, while the latter can reveal underdrawings.
With the camera equipment, lighting and cables strewn across the floor they resemble a film crew on the set of a period drama. The stars in this production are two paintings, on canvas and panel. Today, however, they will be using hyperspectral imaging to analyse areas of the paintings with similar composition and pigmentation, which can highlight more modern modifications to the paintings.
It’s now 11.35 AM. The environmental monitoring group are taking advantage of the abundant sunlight, a welcome respite after the recent bout of heavy snow and rain. They’re in the stone hall, where you can find an impressive fireplace that bears the crest of Edward, the Black Prince. But their eyes are drawn to the two equally compelling tapestries. One half of the team are thermal imaging, and measuring the UV and intensity of light falling on the woven fabric, while the other half are assessing its condition using a handheld microscope.
Thermal imaging at Hellens Manor by SEAHA students
Assessing the condition of a tapestry at Hellens Manor using a handheld microscope.
Later, they’ll be setting up a camera for digital image correlation to observe any deformation or small changes in strain of the tapestries. By correlating these changes with measurements of fluctuation in humidity, temperature and light in the room, it could contribute to recommendations on best practice for conserving the tapestries in the stone hall.
On any other day it would be difficult for any passing observer to spot the risk assessment group. But not today. It’s 3.17 PM and they’ve donned bright yellow disposable overalls and face masks for the sake of heritage science. Dubbed ‘Minions’ by one of their group members, they have the unenviable task of crawling under the Munthe ‘Cinderella-style’ dress carriage built in the 1860s to get to the back wall of the coach shed. But it was not in vain: there they find the elusive mould, predicted by the humidity and moisture assessment, on the red silk.
Looking for mould at Hellens Manor
The carriages had not been assessed prior to the work by the team. With the fibre and pest identification, moisture content survey of the wood and corrosion assessment of the metal, the risk assessment group can present a strong case for the future management of the carriages.
Pest identification (carpet wool larvae)
To find out more about studying Heritage Science at the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Science and Engineering in Arts, Heritage and Archaeology, visit the SEAHA website. The Centre is currently advertising several studentships with mid-April application deadlines.
british science week, heritage scienceBSW18, heritage, heritage science, imaging, painting, paintings
Advanced imaging technologies uncover hidden details on Rubens paintings
Next in our British Science Week 2018 series, Historic Royal Palaces’ Senior Conservation Scientist Dr Constantina Vlachou-Mogire tells us about investigating the Rubens ceiling paintings at Banqueting House…
Historic Royal Palaces is preparing for the 400th anniversary of the Banqueting House, which will take place in 2022. During this major project we have a rare opportunity to access and study in detail the Rubens ceiling paintings, their fabrication technique and current condition.
The Banqueting House is the last surviving building of Whitehall Palace which was destroyed by fire in 1698 (Figure 1). Set within a decorative coffered ceiling designed by the building’s architect, Inigo Jones are nine paintings by Rubens, the artist’s largest and most accomplished works to remain in the context for which they were designed. The paintings were commissioned in about 1629 by Charles I as a testament to the glory of the Stuart monarchy through the depiction of his father James I’s life and achievements.
The Main Hall at Banqueting House
These internationally significant paintings are an integral component of the architecture of the hall. Originally the Banqueting House Rubens ceiling paintings were oil-on-canvas stretched on strainers, but since 1907, they were attached to plywood boards. During their long history the paintings have been restored nine times—including in 1940 when they were cut up to evacuate the gigantic panels from the building.
High-resolution multi-spectral imaging
Figure 2: Details of the multispectral gigapixel images of The Apotheosis of King James I panel (a. visible light, b. infrared reflected, c. ultraviolet-induced luminescence)
The first phase of our project involved capturing the condition of the paintings in high resolution images (Figure 2). The scale of the paintings, covering a total surface of 243 m2, and their position 17 m from the ground, made this task particularly challenging; however, recent advancements in digital photography helped us to overcome these difficulties. Collaboration with imaging specialists developed the application of GigaPan technology to document all nine paintings from the ground in visible light and infrared light as panoramic ‘Gigapixel’ images. Ultraviolet-induced luminescence images were taken at close-range from a scaffold, by illuminating small sections of the painting and later stitching the images together to full-painting size. Superimposing the visible, infrared and ultraviolet images allows analysis and detailed classification of the current condition of the paintings as a standing record. This will underpin further investigations and inform the programme of conservation of these important paintings.
We would like to thank the following external collaborators for their expert insights and contributions to the successful progress of this cross disciplinary project: UV/IR imaging Dr Giovanni Verri (Courtauld Institute of Art) and Steven Paine (Paine & Stewart), 3D laser scanning, visible ‘Giga’ imaging John Hallett Jones (Glanville Consultants).
british science week, heritage scienceart, Banqueting House, british science week, BSW18, conservation, heritage, heritage science, imaging, painting, paintings, Palaces
Five minutes with…Dr Lora Angelova, Newton International Fellow, University College London
April 6, 2015 National Heritage Science ForumLeave a comment
What’s your background in heritage science?
I obtained a PhD in chemistry from Georgetown University, but focused my research on heritage science by having joint supervisors – professor of chemistry Richard Weiss at the university, and heritage scientist Barbara Berrie at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. The focus of my work is to develop and study gel cleaning systems used in conservation treatments. Gels are sometimes used during the surface cleaning of a myriad of heritage objects (paintings, frames, sculptures, even paper). The idea is that by holding the cleaning liquid in a thick gel, the cleaning action can be more ‘controlled’, i.e. the liquid is less likely to penetrate into the artwork, or spread and drip on the surface (if the artwork is vertical). Gels can also be used to reduce the risks posed by rubbing a sensitive surface with a cottons swab during cleaning (for example, on gold leaf decorated frames), and to clean hard to reach places, like crevices beneath paint impasto.
What’s your role at the Materials Studies Laboratory at UCL?
I am in the second year of my Newton Fellowship (a postdoctoral fellowship awarded by the Royal Society to external researchers who would like to work in the UK). I work with Emma Richardson in a laboratory on the top floor of the History of Art Department – we are the only scientists in the department! It’s a very different environment from working in a chemistry lab, and I really love it.
There are a few instruments here, but the one I am primarily using in my research is called an NMR MOUSE (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Mobile Universal Surface Explorer). The instrument allows me to look into paint films, and trace how liquids from different types of gel cleaning systems move into the paint. I am studying several gels which are used by conservators and hoping to clarify how much ‘control’ of the cleaning liquid they actually present, relative to just using a cotton swab wetted with the cleaning liquid.
The NMR MoUSE (the tiny black box on the blue platform), in the process of scanning a paint-out which has just been treated with a gel.
Last year I worked with a conservator who was treating a painting which had been largely overpainted centuries after its production. The overpaint film was very stiff and had extensive craquelure – when he tried to soften the overpaint with a wetted cotton swab, the cleaning liquid would be drawn through the cracks into the original, sensitive paint layer beneath. We were hoping that by using a gel, we could slow this process, and soften and remove just the tough, top layer of overpaint. Although the gel did allow some control and prolonged exposure of the overpaint to the cleaning liquid, it was not sufficient to soften it without having some of the liquid penetrate through the cracks to the original paint beneath! The treatment was incredibly challenging, and the conservator opted to use a gel on some areas and cotton swabs on others.
Applying a fluorescent gel to a test-panel during my PhD – the fluorescent solvent can help us trace its penetration into the paint.
I really admire competitive and determined people who are passionate about what they do, both in their professional work and in their hobbies, especially if they’re women.
I get to combine the two things I was always most interested in as a child – science and art. I can make paint-outs in the morning and study their chemistry in the afternoon. I can look at the topography of a painting through a microscope – which feels almost like looking at the surface of the moon to me. Being a scientist can be demanding, of course, but as an academic, I get to choose what research I pursue, at what time I come in and leave work, and what the radio is playing in the lab. To top it off, I get to work with a very diverse group of people – conservators, art historians, artists, and scientists from a very wide range of disciplines.
There is an inexhaustible supply of fascinating questions and problems to explore, and there is always a clear application which makes my work feel really worthwhile.
heritage scientistgel, NMR, painting
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Vice President of development Department of Sony products will include Hall of fame Academy of interactive arts and Sciences
14 January 2020 2 Mins Read
Non-profit organization the Academy of interactive arts and Sciences (AIIN) has announced that in February this year as part of the awards DICE Awards in the Hall of fame will be introduced Connie Booth – a perennial Vice-President of development Department of Sony products.
Booth works at Sony since 1989. In Japan, she performed a variety of functions, including producing. In this role she was able to work closely with Naughty Dog to work on the creation of the platformer Crash Bandicoot. In 1998 she took the position of Director of product development, and has since participated in the production of many large Japanese platformtarget franchises, including Syphon Filter, Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, Ratchet & Clank, Infamous, Uncharted, The Last of Us, Days Gone and Spider-Man.
Currently, Booth is working on two most anticipated games Sony this year: Ghost of Tsushima from Sucker Punch and The Last of Us Part 2 by Naughty Dog.
“We are deeply honoured to accept Connie as the winner of our Hall of fame. For over two decades, she was the main mouthpiece and supporter of countless franchises PlayStation. In addition, she was engaged in the development of new talent in the industry. Her tireless work and passion had a lasting impression on game developers, allowing them to flourish their creative vision,” said the President of the AIAS Meggan Scavio.
Informed resident of the Hall of fame was Bonnie Ross (in 2019), Todd Howard, mark CERN, Michael Morhaime, Tim Sweeney, Hideo kojima, the founders of BioWare Greg Zeschuk and ray Muzyka, the head of Valve Gabe Newell and trio of leaders of Rockstar Games (Benzis Leslie, Dan and Sam Hauser). First entered Hall of fame AIIN the developer is Shigeru Miyamoto from Nintendo
Awards DICE Awards will be held on February 13 of this year at the event, DICE Summit, which will open its doors in Las Vegas.
See also: screenwriter of the movie “Rogue-one: Star wars. History” is not averse to write a story for animated pictures of Star Fox
In our Telegram channel for the link or search for it manually in the search by name gmradost. There we publish including things that does not belong in the news. Also follow us on Yandex.Zen, Twitter and VK. And don’t forget we have a dark theme and ribbon instead of tiles.
Giulia A
Video Game critic @Nerd4LifeX. From 🇮🇹🕹50% cosplay 🖥the other 50%. Pizza 🍕and Sushi 🍣❤️
Apex Legends: the last patch contains clues about the weapon coming with Season 4?
Billy Iles wrote and sang the title song for the new film about James bond “No time to die”
What will be the appearance of PS5? A fan imagines the new console with a futuristic design
The Package Legends Frozen Fortnite will soon come back on sale
© 2019 Nerd4.life. All registered.
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Author: Olivia Cunning
“When she starts crying and begging, you’l probably want to gag her so you don’t give in to her pleas.”
Brian wasn’t going to gag her. “Crying and begging?”
“She’l break eventual y and be submissive to you forever.”
He glanced at Myrna, who was staring up at the chain and chewing a fingernail. “I like her not submissive.”
“Your loss.” Jace pul ed a candle out of the case and lit it. He set it on the dresser and pul ed a second candle from the case.
“Make sure you blow it out and let the melted wax cool a little before you pour it on her. You don’t want to burn her skin. You should probably avoid the flails. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you’l draw blood, but there are some paddles in here somewhere.” He rummaged around in the case. There were al kinds of things in there that Brian didn’t recognize.
“I’m starting to think there’s more to this than I realized.”
“Don’t be afraid to experiment, but be careful not to damage her trust. If she starts freaking out, you should stop what you’re doing and do something you know she likes for a while. Push her, but not too hard. You guys haven’t been together very long.”
Brian took a deep breath and nodded.
“Once you get her bound, blindfolded, and unable to hear anything but the music in her ears…” He pul ed an MP3 player out of his pocket and pressed it into Brian’s free hand. “…cal for me and I’l show you some techniques. She’l never know I’m there.”
“I’l cal you if I need you.”
Jace winked at him and cal ed to Myrna, “Have fun.”
Brian showed Jace to the door, closing it behind him, and then headed for the bed, hoping Myrna was as open-minded as he thought she was.
Wary, Myrna watched Brian approach the bed. Her eyes moved to the camel-colored leather restraints in his hand and then to the chain suspended from the ceiling above her. She’d never been restrained before. She was pretty sure she wasn’t going to like it. She was, however, open to new experiences and wil ing to experiment with Brian.
“Before you start,” she said, “I want you to promise me you’l stop if I ask you to.”
“Jace said I should gag you when that happens.”
Her eyes widened and her heart began to race.
“But I’m not Jace,” Brian continued. “I’l stop if you ask me to stop. Do you trust me?”
She hesitated, her eyes dropping to the restraints again. “I think so.”
He walked around the edge of the bed and placed the restraints and an MP3 player on the nightstand. Empty handed, he crawled onto the bed with her. They knelt in the center of the mattress, facing each other. He took her hands in his and stared into her eyes. He stil had his stage makeup on, which reminded her how sexy he’d looked wailing on his guitar earlier. He seemed to realize she needed a moment to col ect herself. Her heart rate slowly returned to normal as they stared at each other silently. She leaned forward to kiss him. He took it as a signal to begin his latest assault on her senses and turned her chaste kiss into something deep and passionate. Her heart rate picked up again, but not from anxiety. He unbuttoned her suit jacket and pushed the garment from her shoulders. His fingers worked at the buttons of her blouse, unfastening the first two before he lost patience and ripped it apart at the chest. He squeezed her breasts in his palms and then unfastened her bra’s front clasp. His mouth moved to her jaw, her throat, her ear. The fact that he was stil so worked up surprised her. He jerked her blouse and bra from her body and tossed the garments aside.
Brian removed her skirt next, fol owed by her garter belt and stockings. When he had her entirely naked, he reached for the restraints. Her apprehension returned. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea. He could do anything to her and she wouldn’t be able to fight back.
“Are you okay?” After much fumbling, he got the first cuff fastened. “Is it too tight?”
She shook her head. “Brian, I’m not sure about this.”
The fastening of the second cuff didn’t take him as long. “About what?”
“Being restrained.”
“I thought you trusted me.”
“And I thought you liked to try new things.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
She took a deep breath and released it slowly. “No problem.”
“Good.” He pecked her on the lips, then stood and pul ed her arms up over her head. He hooked the chain between her wrists to the chain Jace had suspended from the ceiling. Her knees touched the bed, but she couldn’t rest her buttocks on her heels. Brian jumped off the bed and stared at her.
“You look real y sexy.” He reached behind her head and released the clip holding her hair in a loose knot. The long strands were stil damp from her earlier shower and felt chil y against her bare shoulders and back. Brian careful y arranged a strand over her shoulder to encircle her breast. When his fingers brushed against her nipple, her hands, suspended far above her head, clenched. Brian retrieved something from Jace’s open case and returned to her side to slide a thick, black mask over her eyes. She twisted her head to the side trying to avoid being blindfolded. “Don’t.”
“Everything wil be okay.” His face disappeared from view as he slid the blindfold in place. “God, that looks sexy, too. I’m starting to think I’m going to enjoy this as much as you wil .”
Myrna wasn’t sure she was going to enjoy this at al . She didn’t like to feel helpless and that’s exactly how being restrained and blindfolded made her feel.
Next, he put something in her ears. The sound of Sinners music fil ed her head. He pul ed one of the ear buds out of her ear. “Is that too loud?”
“No. I like it loud.”
He kissed her lovingly. “I won’t hurt you.” He slapped her bare ass and she flinched. “Much.”
He put the ear bud back into her ear. She waited, her heart thudding with apprehension. What did he plan to do to her? She couldn’t see him or hear him or touch him. And she had glimpsed some of the instruments of torture in Jace’s case. Something warm and damp draped across her shoulders and around her neck under her chin. The scent of Brian’s body assailed her. She groaned and burrowed her nose in his sweat-damp T-shirt. His fingers brushed against her lower back and her body jerked. Deprived of sight, her other senses were heightened. His guitar playing had never sounded so exciting, his scent drove her to distraction, and the gentle brush of his fingers fired a hundred pleasure sensors in her skin. Knowing she couldn’t touch him made her want to touch him that much more. Maybe she was going to like this game after al . Something brushed across the underside of her breast. Soft. Light. A feather? She concentrated on sensation, trying to understand what she felt. The feather brushed along her rib cage, down her bel y and then up the other side. She shuddered, a soft groan erupting from between her lips. Something clamped down hard on her nipple, bordering on pain, but definitely pleasurable. Now the other nipple. Her body trembled as the gentle brush of the feather contrasted with the pinching pain centered at both nipples. Clothespins?
The pinching device on her left nipple was removed, leaving it tender and aroused. Brian soothed the ache with his lips and tongue. She groaned and tugged on the restraints above her head. “Please, the other now.”
He moved away and clamped her left nipple again. She gasped in frustration. Something cool and smooth moved across her back between her shoulder blades. A piece of fabric? Satin maybe. The smooth material moved down her spine and over her buttock. A sharp sting assaulted her other ass cheek. She cried out in surprise. He spanked her again. Not with his hand. She decided he had a paddle. She wondered how he was able to remove objects from the case so fast. She started to suspect they weren’t alone. But who?
“Jace?” she whispered suspiciously.
Brian moved behind her, the length of his body pressing against hers. She could feel his naked chest against her back and the rough fabric of his jeans against her buttocks. He pul ed an ear bud out of her ear. “It’s just me. Are you stil okay?”
“Yeah. This is exciting. Don’t stop yet.”
“I won’t until you tel me to.”
He replaced her ear bud and released her nipples from their harsh pinching. A few seconds later, something cold and wet brushed against both nipples. Water dripped down the underside of her breasts as the ice melted between his fingers and her skin. He rubbed a frigid trail down her body, circling her navel and then moving further down. When he brushed the hot swol en flesh between her legs, she shuddered against him. He stimulated her clit only briefly before sliding the ice cube inside her vagina with his fingers. Her thighs clamped over his hand, holding it in place.
A moment later he spanked her with the paddle and, surprised, she released his hand. He left the ice inside her and backed away. Cool water dripped down her inner thigh as the ice melted. Something hot burned a trail over her lower back.
“Ah!” she gasped, twisting away from the heat. It was very hot but didn’t burn for long. The smel of paraffin alerted her to his current antics. A second splash of hot wax dripped over her thigh.
The bus rocked forward. They were on the road again. She wondered fleetingly if anyone had found her car, but lost the thought as another piece of ice trailed over her skin, beside the hardening wax on her thigh. Brian’s thumb touched her chin. When she opened her mouth, he put something on her tongue. A sweet square of chocolate melted in her mouth. She turned her head to inhale Brian’s scent on the T-shirt stil draped over her shoulders. One of Brian’s best solos now played in her ear. She protested when he tugged the ear bud out of her ear again. She enjoyed being completely immersed in the man’s musical genius.
“Are your arms getting tired?” he asked, his low voice next to her ear. His breath stirred the fine hairs resting against her neck and she shuddered.
Actual y, she couldn’t feel her fingers, but she didn’t much care. “If I say yes, wil you stop?”
“Do you want me to stop?”
She shook her head vigorously. “Not at al .”
His soft chuckle caused goose bumps to rise on her skin. She was so aware of him that everything he did was a turn on.
“I was just going to take your arms down for a few minutes so you can rest them. I don’t plan on stopping until the sun comes up.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist and helped her to rise off her knees. The chain suspending her hands above her head came free.
“Lie on your bel y.”
Disoriented, she felt the mattress in front of her with her hands so she didn’t do a face plant off the end of the bed. When she was lying face down, he pul ed her right arm out to the side and fastened it down by the restraint cuff.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said.
He secured her other arm, and then clamped something around her ankle. She tried to lift her leg, but could scarcely move it. He secured her other leg, so she lay spread eagle on her stomach without an inch of play in any of her restraints.
“Uh, Brian,” she said, her heart drumming with a mixture of excitement and fear. “I can’t move.”
“That’s the idea.” He returned the ear bud to her ear.
He left her like that for what seemed like an eon, her nerves suspended on a knife’s edge. She turned her face into his sweaty shirt, stil tangled around her neck. She breathed in his scent and wriggled her hips, squirming to try to al eviate the throbbing between her thighs. There was a sharp sting on her buttocks and she went stil , panting for no good reason. The mattress sagged beside her. She could sense him near her left side even though he wasn’t touching her. Something wet trickled down the center of her back.
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Wide Boys and V-Girls: A Glossary of Historical Teen Personas
Posted on March 7, 2016 by Ken Dowell
Les Apaches
Pioneers of juvenile delinquency. In Paris, no less. Urban, working class and young, they were known for their flamboyant dress, black jackets over bright colored shirts, with a silk scarf, and “tummy-ache” pants. The name was attributed to a French journalist, reflecting the European perception of the savagery of the Native American tribe. French historian Michelle Perot described the Apache as “an intellectual anarchist, he considers theft to be fair restitution and practices ‘individual recovery’ on the bourgeois.”
Biff boys
Britain’s men in black of the 1930’s. They were the militia of Oswald Mosley’s New Party of the early 1930’s. Originally founded by former Labour Party members as an answer to the Depression, Mosley eventually gravitated toward fascism. Dressed from head to toe in black, the biff boys, recruited mostly from among the disaffected young in London, were charged with “maintaining discipline” at Mosley’s fascist gatherings. This often involved clashes with protesters.
Bobby soxers
Teenage girls who were fans of swing and big band music in the 1940’s. These girls were regulars at dances and since many of those dances happened in gyms where you had to take your shoes off they danced in their bobby socks. In addition to the socks these girls likely wore skirts and sweaters and the footwear they discarded were most often saddle shoes. Frank Sinatra could make a bobby soxer swoon.
Boxcar boys (and girls)
The kids who left home during the Depression and started riding the rails. Mostly they were boys and of the girls who joined them, many would dress as boys. They were a product of the Depression. With no job, no food and a family that might have lost their homes and moved into increasingly cramped quarters, these teens hopped freight trains in hope of finding some work picking fruit, harvesting grain or chopping lumber.
The feminine persona of the Roaring 20’s. Flappers listened to jazz. They also drank, smoked, drove cars and wore a lot of makeup. Short skirts and bobbed hair was the signature style of the flappers. Author Jon Savage (Teenage) calls flappers the “first mass female adolescent generation.” They were sexy and flirtatious and as such represented something of a liberation from the traditional perception of the female teenager.
Ickies
The term was part of the jive language for the 1940’s version of hipster. An icky was someone who wasn’t very hip. Someone who just doesn’t get it. Getting it involved being a part of swing culture with its zoot suits and bobby socks and jitterbugging. The icky was perhaps a predecessor of the modern day nerd.
Jitterbugs
One who did the jitterbug, which was the dance you did to swing music. You might wear a zoot suit to jitterbug or you might wear bobby socks. Variations of the jitterbug included the Lindy Hop, the Jive and the East Coast Swing. The term jitterbug was popularized by Cab Calloway. He issued a recording called “Call of the Jitterbug” and later a film titled “Cab Calloway’s Jitterbug Party.”
Neo-Pagans
Today Neo-Pagans are associated with spiritual movements, usually involving some type of magic or witchcraft. In the early 20th century, the neo-Pagans were a group of privileged young British intellectuals whose distinction was in defying Victorian customs. For example, male and female neo-Pagans freely intermingled, although they preached abstinence. They were socialist, some were vegetarian and they espoused a sort of Peter Pan like forever young philosophy. Apparently the movement died before it got old.
Pachucos and Pachucas
Latino zoot suiters of the 40’s. But since they were mostly Mexican-American youth who were the children of poor immigrants, the public perception was of a gang of dangerous delinquents. Boys and girls alike donned zoot suits. The Pachucos added triple sole shoes and sported a long slicked back duck tail. Pachucas went for a heavy dose of dark red lipstick and black mascara. They were also the primary victims of the 1943 zoot suit riots in which servicemen would attack, beat and “depants” pachucos in Los Angeles, Oakland and Venice, Calif.
Sub-debs
Members of Sub-Deb clubs, social groups of teenage girls that were popular in the middle of the decade. You might think of them as a high school version of sorority sisters. They set the standard for high school style and behavior and focused on the achievement of popularity. You would likely find them hanging out at the drugstore. They were generally an upper middle class group that were heavily into consumption.
V-girls
Short for Victory Girls. During World War II with men off to war and women off to the factories these often unattended teenage girls made their contribution to the war effort by entertaining soldiers and sailors. That might not have always involved sex, but usually it did. An organization called the American Social Hygiene Association described V-girls as “sexual delinquents of a non-commercial character.” Countries in Western Europe experienced some of the same resulting increases in venereal disease and out-of-wedlock births as the U.S. did during the war years, but only the Americans tried to frame it in a veil of patriotism.
Wide boys
The Cambridge dictionary defines wide boy by as “a man who is dishonest and decieves people in way he does business.” The British term was first used in a 1930’s novel “Wide Boys Never Work.” That is, of course, because they were crooks of one sort or another. Wide Boys were most likely found in the Soho and Paddington sections of London and they included racetrack gangsters, prostitutes and the gay and Jewish undergrounds.
Zazous
French zoot suiters. Came into being during World War II. Like their American counterparts they had a distinct style of dress including garish and oversized clothes. The women wore short skirts, striped stockings and carried umbrellas. And, like the zoot suiters they danced to swing. The zazous are viewed by historians as a way that young people in France expressed their resistance to the Nazi occupation. As the war years went on they became the targets of attacks by fascist youth organizations.
Zoot suiters
Folks who wore zoot suits. That includes the Pachucos, the Jitterbugs, the Zazous and the bobby soxers’ dates and dance partners. It was the preferred uniform of swing music afficionados. The zoot suit included an oversized jacket called a king coat, and wide legged, pegged pants and it was often topped with a fedora. The style originated in America’s black and Latino communities and went mainstream along with the music it is associated with.
Cab Calloway performing in a zoot suit
This entry was posted in History, History of Teenagers, Uncategorized and tagged bobby soxers, Cab Calloway, flappers, history, jitterbug, Pachucos, teenage history, teenagers, victory girls, Wide boys, zazous, zoot suit. Bookmark the permalink.
20 Responses to Wide Boys and V-Girls: A Glossary of Historical Teen Personas
Phoenicia says:
How interesting. I enjoy learning about the lifestyle and fashion of the 19th century ; 1920’s and 1960’s being my favour decades due to the amazing clothes and hairstyles. It appears back then, young people were trying to find their place in society. Such a difficult phase.
Great pictures and interesting information about how people dressed and danced in various parts of the world. Can’t help wondering how those that are young today will be remembered?:-9
Ken, I have truly enjoyed this entire series about teenagers. It’s interesting how each generation has their own way of showing ‘independence’. Some of the terms you’ve come out with here I’ve never heard of. The biff boys, the zazous, sub-debs are all new to me.
I love getting these mini-educations from you, Ken. I always liked the flappers and probably would have been one back in the day. Anything to set my Mom’s hair on end. When I learned about the Zoot suiters, I was amazed–wouldn’t it be better for our youth to dress that way than with all their undergarments sticking out? Yeech.
This was a fascinating look at teen personas across the years. There was a lot here I’d never heard of. I have heard of zoot suits but didn’t really know what they looked like. It was good to see the photo.
Jeri Walker (@JeriWB) says:
Lots of great new terms here as well as I handful I was already aware of. What comes to mind after reading your post is that we are almost coming into the twenties again. Part of me really hopes a lot of the style comes back into fashion.
So, is that a zoot suit that David Byrne wears in Stop Making Sense?
BTW, Mosley’s first name was Oswald – Elvis Costello mocks him in the song “Less Than Zero”.
I don’t know. David Byrne’s big suit looks like it’s still on a hanger.
Thanks for the correction on Mosley. I made the change.
When I read this what popped in my mind was how they groups were displayed, especially in cartoons (mostly Looney tunes)
Often if a pretty woman walked by a man, he magically turned into a wolf, wearing a zoot suit and then howled at her.
Boxcar girls were often seen as wide eyed, innocent poor, usually portrayed a matchstick girls, selling matches on the street. Bobbysoxers were always seen dancing on a flag pole.
I just think it is unique how these groups were presented to the public, especially to the young.
thanks for sharing such a great informative post.
maxwell ivey says:
Hi Ken; yet another well researched and interesting post. am sure the images are really cool too. is this going to be a series? are you going to cover some similar groups from later generations? thanks max
This is the last of a series of five posts about the history of teenagers. Went up to about 1975. Thanks for reading.
heraldmarty says:
Never ceases to amaze me this need we have to affix labels to things and people. I do like the various clothing styles, especially the “flapper” era. On a completely different and unrelated note, always loved Cab Calloway’s electric smile and energy.
I’m glad we transitioned from the work Icky to the term Nerd. I sometimes call myself a nerd, but I would never want to call myself an Icky. That just sounds horrible. There were quite a few other terms I had never heard of. I know very much about pop culture before Elvis so this was very enlightening.
Haha. I think “nerds” have come into fashion since the 40’s.
Seems like Zoot Suits were very popular to a lot of different groups.
graceyb says:
Thanks for the interesting look back in history through the culture of youth. It will be fascinating to look back and see how today’s youth are characterized
Kire says:
Love me some Cab Calloway and Louis Prima. As a young man in the 90’s, the resurgence of swing music was a gift I still enjoy today. the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra never fail to please.
Not familiar with the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies but I’ve always been a big fan of Brian Setzer.
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HB 3086 Enrolled
House Amendments
Bill Title: Relating to the distribution of excess moneys in the funds of the City of Damascus; and declaring an emergency.
Catchline/Summary: Requires City of Damascus, if city is disincorporated, to notify public of city's obligation to satisfy city's debts and obligations and to encourage creditors to present claims to city to ensure timely payment of valid debts and obligations.
Requires City of Damascus, if city is disincorporated, to notify public of city's obligation to satisfy city's debts and obligations and to encourage creditors to present claims to city to ensure timely payment of valid debts and obligations. Requires city to satisfy city's current and pending debts and obligations, outstanding employment-related obligations and other debts, obligations, liabilities and expenses requiring satisfaction by disincorporating city. Requires City of Damascus to transfer moneys in city road fund to Clackamas County and requires expenditure of moneys by county for road purposes within boundaries of former city. Requires city to transfer up to $3 million to Clackamas County for certain employment-related and other current service expenses in budget of city on date of disincorporation. Requires distribution to ad valorem property taxpayers of former City of Damascus moneys in excess of moneys expended for purposes described above. Requires distribution to Clackamas County, for 10 years, of state shared funds that would otherwise have been distributed to City of Damascus, to compensate county for distribution of excess moneys. Requires that state shared funds be used by county for certain purposes within boundaries of former city. Becomes operative on earlier of date on which House Bill 3085 (2015) disincorporating City of Damascus is approved by majority of people of city voting in next regular general election held throughout state or date on which appellate court issues final decision holding that question of disincorporation of City of Damascus was effectively approved at 2013 election. Provides that, if appellate court issues final decision before next primary election, House Bill 3085 (2015) is repealed and may not be submitted to people of City of Damascus for vote and, if House Bill 3085 (2015) is submitted to people for vote, ballots on question may not be counted. Declares emergency, effective on passage.
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Daebak
KM Korea 2015
An Update On the Tragic Accident Involving Ladies Code
Officially Kmusic
It has been barely 24 hours since news broke about the tragic car accident that claimed the young life of Ladies Code member EunB, and information has been swirling all around the internet. It is important to only share facts, not to share inflammatory information for the sake of ratings. As of now, here is what is available from reputable sources:
As of 8am Korean Standard Time, RiSe had not regained consciousness. Her family has been by her bedside since they arrived at the hospital. She has been in for major surgery to her head a minimum of 3 times. The 11 hours of surgery, massive blood loss and swelling to her brain have led her to be in much worse condition than originally believed, as well as forcing surgeons to stop working on her every time. This has led to her being judged in too bad of condition to risk moving her to Seoul. She remains in the hospital that they all were admitted to as of this report, and will be staying there for several days at minimum.
Sojung is stabilized enough to be moved to a hospital in Seoul. She had an additional surgery today on her arm, but there were no reports of issues surrounding that procedure.
Ashley and Zuni were not as severely injured, and were taken quickly to Seoul. They were treated for their shock and injuries. Very little has been confirmed about their conditions.
A document surfaced earlier in the day that claimed to be an accident report. While this document hasn’t been confirmed to be real, the injuries detailed fit exactly with what has been confirmed. The description of the injuries is fairly graphic. To sum them up, EunB was dead on the scene having received catastrophic injury to her head, RiSe had injury to her head and abdomen, Sojung’s injuries were mostly broken bones, and the other two girls received much more minor injuries. Most of this has been confirmed by various sources including Polaris Entertainment in one of several press releases.
There has been official confirmation of what a look at the crash photos said: the airbags failed to deploy. The belief is that had they deployed, (and/or had EunB been wearing her seatbelt) she would not have been ejected from the car.
EunB’s wake was held at Korea University Anam Hospital, where her death was confirmed and where RiSe is still a patient. Her family released a short statement: “We went to the hospital after being contacted at dawn. She entered the hospital in a deceased state. There was no medical malpractice. We heard that she was on her way to her dorms after attending the recording of KBS‘s ‘Open Concert‘ in Daegu.“
The police are investigating the driver’s role in the accident, including considering a charge of accidental vehicular manslaughter. Reports are saying that the driver swerved to avoid hitting another car just before the accident. The investigation was also upgraded to include charges of negligent homicide, stemming from failure to keep the van in safe operating conditions.
Now, for the speculation portion. There have been questions raised about the loss of the tire that is being blamed for the severity of the accident. The photos of the crash show the missing rear driver’s side tire, and it looks suspicious even to the untrained eye. Though there is nothing to substantiate the idea of sabotage, the word has been tossed around the internet today. There also has been speculation that the driver would be the one charged in negligent homicide, but again there is nothing official to back that up.
At some point today, it was also brought up that the severity of RiSe’s condition and the fact that she’s still not stable enough to move, nor stable enough to have her surgeries completed, is incredibly troubling. There have been whispers that she might never regain consciousness even if she survives the initial injuries. Again, there is nothing official to back up these fears, this is just the talk of people who are worried for their idol. While it is true some of us have experience with triage and emergency services and can speak from experience, (both about her condition and about the physics that would have occurred to cause the damage seen in the photos of the van) most people do not have that kind of experience. I ask that all of you be aware of the source you’re getting your news from. Make sure that what you are reading can be backed up with official statements or reports from reputable news agencies in Korea before you believe it or share it. This is a good practice for everything, not just this unfortunate and tragic accident.
On a personal note, I know that this is a lot to process. This is tragic story that I have been monitoring since late last night, and it has had all of my attention today. Almost every minute of my waking day keeping an eye on the news, keeping a record of what could be verified so that you all would have the most accurate picture of what has been happening. This is the saddest and most unfortunate set of circumstances I have seen since the Sewol Ferry accident, and, very similarly, reports seem to be confirming that it could have been minimized, if not outright prevented by being more attentive to safety regulations. Also, this brings to mind the car crash that involved Super Junior several years ago. It makes me wonder how many more of our idols have to be hurt or even killed before the industry starts enacting some stricter safety measures.
What are your thoughts on this tragedy? Share your opinions as we pay our respects to the families of the Ladies Code members, and we will do our very best to keep you as updated as possible.
Source: OneHallyu
Edited by: Laura Dees
LADIES’ CODE through black and white video announce a surprise comeback!
MONSTA X reveal dramatic music video teaser for ‘Find You’
K-Exclusive: DAY6 and My Days Share the Time of Their Lives
KARA member, Goo Hara passes away
Stray Kids drop ‘The Final Piece 2019’ for their end-of-year comeback!
HEIZE returns sentimental and reminiscing her past in ‘Falling leaves are beautiful’ MV!
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(Nah, it's cool; just take me back.)
MOODTHINGY
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Amy Lee Everlasting Bestfriend
So sad to think this could of happened 🙁 I hope the labels realize that our idols need better strict driving for safety. and that they should always check the conditions of the cars before driving
LeighDarling
I wonder if this will be the start of companies getting dedicated drivers.
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The future of shopping will be by text: Iris Nova CEO
Emily McCormick
Yahoo Finance September 12, 2019
Buying stuff exclusively by text will be the next big thing for consumers, according to Iris Nova CEO Zak Normandin.
Normandin’s venture Iris Nova serves as the parent company of the flagship beverage brand Dirty Lemon, which has sold more than 2 million bottles since inception in 2015, largely to millennial women.
Coca-Cola (KO) has backed the New York-based company, which sells low-calorie, functionally focused lemon-based beverages infused with wellness-intended ingredients like matcha, collagen, ginseng and valerian.
But as Normandin sees it, the crux of his company’s disruption comes not from the beverages themselves, but the technology underpinning their distribution.
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“We think, in the future, that brands are going to have a phone number and a website,” Normandin said during an interview during Yahoo Finance’s monthly Breakouts series. “The phone number is not going to be for picking up the phone and calling a brand. It’s going to be to pull our your phone and text the brand and say, ‘I want more product. I’m checking on my order’ ... It’s all going to happen over messaging.”
‘Conversational commerce’
It all comes down to embracing what Normandin refers to as “conversational commerce,” or a more intimate means of interfacing with customers as they shop for goods used in their daily lives.
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How Bolatito Ibitola won 2018 ‘Art X Prize with Access ’
Posted by News Express | 6 July 2018 | 1,485 times
West Africa’s renowned art fair, Art X Lagos and Access Bank have announced Bolatito Aderemi-Ibitola as the winner of the 2018 edition of Art X Prize with Access, instituted to recognize and support emerging visual artists in Nigeria.
Bolatito was chosen from a pool of several dozen applicants by a jury of 5 renowned artists comprising pioneering artist, Professor Bruce Onobrakpeya; Turner Prize nominee Yinka Shonibare MBE; highly regarded visual artist Wura-Natasha Ogunji, Honorary Fellow of the University of the Arts, London Sokari Douglas-Camp; and gallerist and curator Oliver Enwonwu.
Access Bank’s collaboration with ART X Lagos stems from a mandate to support and contribute to the development of the art sector in Nigeria by investing in Nigerian talent. The sponsorship of the ART X Prize with Access is a partnership that will celebrate, empower and provide vital professional development for a new generation of emerging Nigerian talent.
Founder and Director of ART X Lagos, Tokini Peterside, remarked: “The extraordinarily high quality of work we received speaks volumes of the potential of the art sector in Nigeria. We are delighted to have the privilege to support the prizewinner, Bolatito Aderemi-Ibitola, at this pivotal stage in her career. With certainty that this will propel her forward towards a successful future within the African and global art industry, we look forward to unveiling Bolatito’s ambitious project at ART X Lagos 2018 in November. The project will introduce Bolatito to our international audience of critics, collectors and curators from renowned institutions around the world. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Access Bank for their support for this initiative and to our stellar jury for their tireless commitment and generosity to this effort.”
Herbert Wigwe, CEO and Group Managing Director of Access Bank Plc opines: “At Access Bank, beyond our vast collection of established artists, we believe that we are also responsible for empowering emerging artists. This is why we continue to support the ART X Prize - to celebrate the ingenuity of Nigeria's emerging art talent. I can see the recipient of the ART X Prize with Access being the next great artist of our time, endowing us with the potential and the privilege to shape the most relevant art that will come out of the African continent.”
Bolatito Aderemi-Ibitola emerged as the winner of the Prize, after live presentations to the jury members, alongside a shortlist that also included two other artists – Ayo Akinwande and Williams Chechet as finalists. Bolatito is a trans-disciplinary artist working primarily in time-based art, interactivity and performance. She lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria, and earned her Masters in Performance Studies from Tisch School of the Performing Arts, New York University and holds a Bachelors in Communication Arts with a focus in Television/Film Production and a minor in Political Science from Allegheny College.
On the selection process, Professor Bruce Onobrakpeya comments: “The finalists have demonstrated far-sighted maturity in their presentations, in varied media, with demonstrable projects and feasible proposals. ART X Lagos must be congratulated for its professionalism in organising an international jury to deliberate on the ART X Prize with Access.”
Jury-member Yinka Shonibare MBE also commented: “Aderemi-Ibitola, Chechet and Akinwande have all expressed contemporary cultural concerns in Nigeria through their work. All of the finalists are very strong, so you can imagine what an impossible decision it has been for us! I am very proud to have been part of this exciting process.”
Bolatito Aderemi-Ibitola will receive invaluable opportunities for networking and mentoring to realize, promote, and contextualize her art project. She will also receive a ₦1million grant towards her project which will be exhibited in a solo presentation at ART X Lagos 2018 from 2nd to 4th November.
•L-R: Amaechi Okobi (Access Bank), Bolatito Aderemi-Ibitola (Winner) and Tokini Peterside (Founder & Director Art X Lagos)
Source: News Express
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California considers calling THC in pot a risk to moms-to-be
byAssociated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — More than three years after California voters broadly legalized marijuana, a state panel is considering if its potent, high-inducing chemical — THC — should be declared a risk to pregnant women and require warnings.
Studies have indicated that a rising number of mothers-to-be have turned to marijuana products for relief from morning sickness and headaches, though it's effectiveness has not been backed by science.
Cannabis industry officials say too little sound research is available on THC to support such a move and warn that it could make marijuana companies a target for lawsuits with unverified claims of injuries from pot use during pregnancy.
"That seems like an open-ended checkbook. How do we defend ourselves?" said Los Angeles dispensary owner Jerred Kiloh, who heads the United Cannabis Business Association, an industry group.
Lawyers looking for a quick buck will say "give us $10,000 or we are going to take you into a long court case," he added.
The California Cannabis Industry Association echoed that fear, noting that pot's standing as an illegal drug at the federal level has choked off research by government agencies. Those studies are needed to determine if THC poses health risks for pregnant women.
"Good policy and consumer protections are based on facts and data," spokesman Josh Drayton said.
The meeting Wednesday of the obscure state Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee in Sacramento will focus on whether THC causes "reproductive toxicity." The panel is made up of scientists appointed by the governor.
An affirmative finding would make THC one of hundreds of chemicals judged to cause cancer or birth defects that the state requires to carry warning labels, such as arsenic and lead.
The review is being carried out under the umbrella of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, better known as Proposition 65. It requires warning labels for chemicals judged as dangerous and allows residents, advocacy groups and attorneys to sue on behalf of the state and collect a portion of civil penalties for failure to provide warnings.
The 1986 law has been credited with weeding out cancer-causing chemicals from products but also faulted for setting the stage for legal shakedowns.
Since 2009, the state has listed marijuana smoke as being known to cause cancer, similar to tobacco smoke.
"The expansion of Proposition 65 as it relates to cannabis is premature and lacks both the facts and the data that would justify this move," Drayton said.
The U.S. surgeon general warned in August that smoking marijuana is dangerous for pregnant women and their developing babies. Mainstream medicine advises against pot use in pregnancy because of studies suggesting it might cause premature birth, low birth weight or other health problems, but many of those studies were in animals or had findings that were open to dispute.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse is paying for several studies on marijuana use during pregnancy.
If the California panel declares pot a risk for pregnant women, it's not clear what the immediate impact would be on the state's legal pot industry.
Presumably, packaging would need to be changed over time to carry warning labels for pregnant women. But such requirements would likely take additional steps by agencies that oversee marijuana regulation and packaging.
Even products containing CBD, a trendy ingredient extracted from marijuana or hemp, can contain trace amounts of THC.
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Spider Survey
Backyard Bats
BioSCAN
GeckoWatch
Project Paleo
Southern California Squirrel Survey
SuperProject
In order to conduct a large-scale survey of urban spiders, we need the help of the public. We are asking people to collect spiders in their homes and gardens, fill out a simple data sheet about their collection, and send or bring them to the Natural History Museum.
Once the specimens arrive here, our team of experts will identify the specimens, make a collecting record, and place the spiders in the collection. If requested, we will contact the person submitting the spider with information about its identity. Spiders collected in the survey will be used to create a database about the distribution and abundance of the species. We will report our major results on this website.
Want to help? See the 'How to Participate' section below for instructions.
In spite of their importance and abundance, we do not know much about the spiders in Los Angeles. There are no truly large collections of urban spiders from this area, as most collectors concentrate on studying natural areas. As an important international port, new species of spiders from various parts of the world are always being accidentally introduced into the Los Angeles area, and some of these have established breeding populations. We need to know how widespread these introduced species have become, and how they have interacted with the native spiders. Also, we want to know how urbanization and the loss of natural habitat has affected populations and distributions of naturally occurring spiders.
How Will it Work?
Disclaimer: The museum appreciates your assistance in this scientific project. If you have any concerns about participating, we suggest you do NOT participate. The museum cannot be responsible for the treatment of bites or for any injury or illness resulting from the project.
Why Are We Conducting A Survey?
Spiders are extremely important animals. They exist in vast numbers and are the primary predators of the equally common insects. Because they are so common, they often come into contact with people, and we receive many telephone calls requesting information about spiders. Many people needlessly fear spiders, but most are harmless to humans.
Go on a Spider-Collecting Adventure
Help our scientists find out which spiders are in L.A. Without your help, they can't get the full picture. Although the widows are the only spiders in our area which are considered dangerous, all spiders (except one family) have venom and may bite. Use caution collecting and do not put your hands anywhere you cannot see. If looking under rocks or logs, lift from the far side so that the object is between you and any creature living underneath.
Step 1: Gather Tools
Here's what you might use:
plastic container(s) with lids
gardening trowel
old white pillowcase
small note card
yogurt cups
Step 2: Go Outside
Spiders are everywhere. You just have to look—in bushes and flowers, under rocks, bricks and logs, wrapped in retreats tucked into leaves, in leaf litter, under pots, in crevices, in walls and fences, on window sills. The longer you spend quietly looking, the more you will find. Sometimes you will come across a spider wandering. Since many spiders are nocturnal, look at night too.
Step 3: Collect Spiders
To capture a spider, place a plastic container over the spider. Then slide a notecard beneath the spider to trap it. Quickly put the lid on the container.
To collect spiders from leaf litter, search for piles of leaves, like under bushes or in flowerbeds. With a trowel, scoop some dirt and leaves onto a pillowcase. Use a spoon to stir the material around while looking for spiders. Watch out they can move fast!
To collect nocturnal wandering spiders, try a pitfall trap. Bury a container like a yogurt cup flush with the ground. Smooth the ground around the lip. Add 1 inch of water. Check daily for spiders and place any spiders in a small container of rubbing alcohol to preserve it
Step 4: Send Us Your Spiders
Fill out the data sheet. Make sure to note where you found the spider. Bring your spiders to the Museum's front desk. Or put them in a small container, like a plastic pill vial. If alive, include a small piece of paper towel. If dead, include a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol to preserve it.
Mail them to:
What have we collected so far
Community scientists participating in the Los Angeles Spider Survey have collected over 4000 spiders, representing 217 species and 119 genera in 36 families.
AGELENIDAE
Grass Spiders or Funnel Web-Weavers
Grass Spiders or Funnel Web Spiders spin sheet webs with a funnel shaped retreat at the edge where they rest. When an insect walks across the web, they rush out to capture it and drag it back into the retreat. They are medium to large spiders with a characteristic pattern. The carapace is light with dark longitudinal bands. The abdomen is dark gray, often with a broad orange median band. The long spinnerets are easily seen.
When mature, the males go in search of females. Mating takes place within the retreat or on the sheet web. The male may remain with the female until he dies. The egg sac is placed in the retreat where the female guards it until the young hatch and disperse.
Genus: Hololena
Hololena curta – This native spider is one of the most common spiders in the area and has been found in a wide variety of habitats. Its sheet webs can be found in large numbers in bushes and hedges, often very close to each other. They also spin their webs in the corners of houses and garages and in the corners of windows.
Genus: Agelenopsis
Agelenopsis aperta – This large spider prefers open dry areas where it spins its sheet web in grass or at the base of bushes. The retreat usually extends down into grass or into a crevice. This spider has been collected in local mountains and adjacent areas.
Genus: Tegenaria
Spiders in this genus spin their webs in houses and under bark and rocks. The abdomen is gray with a pair of light streaks.
Tegenaria domestica – This is an introduced species which is found worldwide. It is usually collected in houses and has been found throughout the area.
Tegenaria pagana – Also an introduced species, one spider has been collected in the San Gabriel River wash.
Genus: Calilena
Spiders in this genus spin their webs under rocks and boards and in leaf litter. Three species have been collected in the area.
Calilena angelena – This spider has been collected in Zuma Canyon,
Calilena californica – This spider has been collected in local mountains.
Calilena stylophora – This spider has been collected along the San Gabriel River wash.
AMAUROBIIDAE
Spiders in this family range from large to very small. They are usually brownish gray in color, sometimes with chevrons on the abdomen and are found in leaf litter and under logs and rocks. The survey has collected three species in the genus Amaurobius.
Amaurobius dorothea – These medium sized spiders have a dark orange carapace and gray abdomen with a chevron pattern. Amaurobius latescens – These medium sized spiders have a dark orange carapace and gray abdomen with a chevron pattern. Amaurobius agastus – One specimen has been collected in the Santa Monica Mountains.
AMPHINECTIDAE
One species, Metaltella simoni, has been introduced from South America and has recently spread throughout the Los Angeles area. It spins a tangled web under leaf litter, bark and rocks. It has been found in gardens and houses.
ANAPIDAE
Gertschanapis shantzi – These tiny spiders have been collected in leaf litter in the Santa Monica Mountains.
ANYPHAENIDAE
Ghost Spiders
Spiders in this family are wandering hunters found in leaf litter and under bark and rocks. They are pale yellow or tan, sometimes with dark markings. They rest in silken retreats under leaves and stones. Egg sacs are soft white and round, and may contain from 50 to 150 eggs.
Genus: Anyphaena
Anyphaena pacifica – These spiders are pale orange with a reddish abdomen. Rapid hunters, they are found under rocks and occasionally wandering in houses. In our area, they are more commonly collected in houses.
Anyphaena californica – This spider has a pale abdomen with dark transverse markings. It is more likely to be found outside in gardens, and has been collected from compost piles.
Genus: Hibana incursa – Similar in appearance to the others, this spider has dark chelicerae.
ARANEIDAE
Orb-weavers
Most noticeable in the late summer and autumn in their large orb webs, most of these spiders are native to the Los Angeles area.
Members of this family vary greatly in size. Most have an annual life cycle with one generation per year. Spiders mature and mate in early summer and fall. Males die shortly after mating; females die after making an egg sac. The spiderlings hatch and remain in the egg sac until spring, typically undergoing their first molt before leaving the egg sac.
The orb shaped webs are usually vertical; most spiders have a retreat in which they remain during the day. The spider usually sits in the middle of the web during the night. Some members of the family take the web down at dawn and rebuild it at dusk. Others just repair damage caused by flying insects. Often the spiders will consume the silk and recycle it. Males are less commonly seen than females. They are smaller and once they have undergone their final molt and are mature they no longer spin webs. The remainder of their lives is spent searching for females to mate.
GENUS: Araneus
This genus includes many of the larger orb weavers found in North America, as well as many smaller species. Most are native. They are nocturnal, resting in a silken retreat during the day and hanging in the center of the web during the night. Most have a pair of humps at the anterior margin of the abdomen. The loose fluffy egg sac is left in a sheltered spot.
Araneus gemma – This spider is one of the most commonly seen in gardens in the fall sitting at the center of the web at night. Large (females are 9-19mm.), the abdomen is brownish orange with a median longitudinal white streak. The underside of the abdomen has a black band bracketed by white.
Araneus gemmoides – This spider is very similar to Araneus gemma. The ranges of the two species overlap along the Pacific Coast and it is thought that they are interbreeding. Some spiders in our area appear to be hybrids.
Araneus andrewsi – Also large, this spider is dark with a dorsal folium. They are usually found in trees.
Araneus nordmanni – This large spider varies from light to dark with two white spots on the underside of the abdomen, and is usually found in forested areas.
Smaller Araneus species: Most of these smaller spiders mature earlier than the larger ones, in spring rather than late summer, when their prey is still small enough for them to catch. They have been collected in gardens and local mountains.
Araneus bispinosus
Araneus montereyensis
Araneus monica
Araneus pegnia
GENUS: Argiope
Very large and colorful, spiders in this genus can be seen hanging upside down in the center of their large orb webs, typically with legs stretched out in an X. The webs often have a stabilimentum, a zigzag band of silk, down the middle of the web. The purpose of the stabilimentum is unknown, although scientists have suggested several hypotheses: camouflage and protection for the spider, a diversion for birds, an attraction for insects. The males are minute in comparison to the very large females. They can sometimes be found at the edges of the web. Their small size may be protection from becoming dinner for their mate since they are too small for the female to bother eating.
Three species have been collected in the LA area in the survey although they are less common than other large orb weavers.
Argiope aurantia – The Black and Yellow Argiope is found in gardens, hanging upside down at the center of its large orb web. The egg sac is a brown papery sphere and may contain 400-1000 eggs. The eggs and spiderlings spend the winter inside the egg sac before hatching and dispersing.
Argiope trifasciata – The Banded Argiope has a white, yellow and black striped abdomen and is found in gardens and open areas. It prefers drier areas than the Black and Yellow Argiope. The web is usually close to the ground in bushes and grasses. The egg sac is brown and papery, flat on top and rounded underneath, and may contain 100 eggs.
Argiope argentata – The abdomen of the Silver Garden Spider has several lobes along the sides.
GENUS: Cyclosa
Members of this genus are found worldwide; two are found in our area. They are found hanging in the web during the day. The web has a vertical line of debris down the middle which gives the spider its common name, the trash line spider. When disturbed in the web, the spider will rapidly shake the web then escape by dropping on a line of silk. The abdomen of the females extends into characteristic posterior humps.
Cyclosa conica – The abdomen of the female of this species has a distinctive posterior hump.
Cyclosa turbinata – The females of this species have a pair of humps on the anterior margin of the abdomen in addition to the posterior hump.
GENUS: Eriophora edax – This large spider has a triangular abdomen with a black trapezoidal mark surrounded by white on the ventral abdomen.
GENUS: Eustala – Three species have been collected in our area.
Eustala californiensis
Eustala conchlea
Eustala rosae
GENUS: Larinia – One species Larinia directa, has been collected. It has an elongated and stripe abdomen.
GENUS: Larinioides
Larinioidae patagiatus
GENUS: Mastophora
One species in this genus is found in the L.A. area. The Bolas spider, Mastophora cornigera, is also called the bird turd spider because it resembles a bird dropping as it sits at rest. In the Orb Weaver family, it is the exception; it does not spin a web. The spider emits a pheromone that mimics that of a female moth. When the male moths come looking for the female, the spider catches the moth by swinging a line of silk with a glob of sticky silk at the end.
Although not common, it is widespread in the area.
GENUS: Metazygia – Two introduced species have recently been collected in the Long Beach area.
Metazygia wittfeldae
Metazygia zilloides
GENUS: Metepeira – These small spiders prefer the mountains around the L.A. area and are commonly found on native buckwheat and sage. The orb web has an irregular retreat. All species have an oval abdomen with a folium and a longitudinal white stripe on the underside of the abdomen; some also have a white stripe on the sternum. The egg sacs are brown flattened ovals, hanging in a line below the retreat.
Species collected in the local mountains include:
Metepeira crassipes
Metepeira foxi
Metepeira grandiosa grandiosa
Metepeira ventura
GENUS: Neoscona
These large spiders are one of the most common and abundant of the orb weavers, frequently seen in their vertical webs in late summer. They spend the day in a retreat at the edge of the web and hang in the web at night. Like the Araneus species, they usually live for one year, spinning a flattened egg sac covered with loose silk in foliage in the fall before dying. The egg sac may contain as many as 300 eggs.
Neoscona crucifera – This is the most commonly collected orb weaver in the L.A. area. It is found around houses, in gardens, and in open woods. The spider sits in the center of its web at night. It has an oval abdomen with an indistinct darkish pattern.
Neoscona arabesca – These spiders have an oval abdomen with paired black dorsal lines, and are found in shrubs and meadows. They prefer sunny moist conditions.
Neoscona oaxacensis – Commonly found near houses in shrubs and tall grass, these spiders have a black and white pattern on the abdomen. They can be found throughout the L.A. Basin.
GENUS: One species, Zygiella x-notata , has been collected in the area. Originally from Europe, it is an introduced species. The small spider has an oval abdomen with a black and white folium. The orb web is incomplete; the spider leaves an open sector or wedge.
CLUBIONIDAE
Sac Spiders
These small to medium sized spiders are usually pale brown to yellow. They are nocturnal wandering hunters who spend the day in a silk-lined retreat under a rock or in a rolled-up leaf.
One species, Clubiona pomoa, has been collected in the Agoura area.
CORINNIDAE
Most of the spiders in this genus are ant mimics, often found running rapidly over leaf litter. They are small and often brightly colored. Three species have been collected in the survey.
Castianeira alfa
Castianeira Athena
Castianeira luctifera
Genus: Falconina gracilis, a species native to south America, has been collected in the south eastern part of Los Angeles County. It is found in damp areas, under rocks, logs and trash cans. The pattern on the abdomen is characteristic of the species.
CTENIZIDAE
Trap-door Spiders
Spiders in this family are large mygalomorphs who live in silk lined burrows with a trapdoor. The spider waits at the open trapdoor for an insect to pass by, and then rushes out to grab it. The males are more likely to be seen after winter rains when they leave their burrows to go in search of females. The females may spend their entire lives within their burrows.
Bothriocyrtum californicum is the native trapdoor spider in our area. It has been collected in gardens adjacent to local mountains following winter rains. This spider is declining in number due to habitat loss and increased urbanization.
DESIDAE
The Gray House Spider, Badumna longiqua, has been introduced from Australia. It is a large dark brown spider covered with lighter hair. It is found around buildings along the coast. The spider spins a characteristic messy web with a retreat at the side where it rests.
DICTYNIDAE
Meshweavers
Spiders in this family are mostly small with a round to oval abdomen. Some are found in leaf litter. Others spin small irregular webs in the branch tips of trees and bushes and other foliage. Most have an annual life cycle. Several species are found in the area.
Blabomma californicum
Dictyna abundans
Dictyna calcarata
Dictyna cholla
Mallos mians
Mallos pallidus
Tricholathys montera
Tricholathys rothi
Yorima angelica
DYSDERIDAE
Sow bug Eater
GENUS: Dysderidae
One species in this family is found in the area. Dysdera crocata, is a nocturnal wandering hunter, commonly found in gardens under rocks and leaf litter. Its large chelicerae are adapted to capture its preferred prey, which gives it its common name of Sow Bug Eater. These large spiders have a dark red carapace with a pale abdomen. They use silk to spin retreats and egg sacs which the female guards. They may live two to three years.
EUTICHURIDAE
These are medium to large wandering hunters. Primarily nocturnal, they are found under rocks and leaf litter, spending the day in a retreat under a rock or wrapped in a leaf. Cheiracanthium mildei, the Yellow Sac Spider, is one of the most common spiders found throughout Los Angeles County. It was introduced from Europe. This spider is often found wandering on the walls of houses at night and has a reputation for biting.
FILISTATIDAE
Crevice Weavers
Genus: One species, Filistatinella crassipalpis, was collected in the Santa Monica Mountains. This small spider spins a web in a crevice where it sits and waits for prey.
GNAPHOSIDAE
Ground Spiders
Spiders in this family are mostly nocturnal hunters, commonly found in leaf litter, in crevices of trees and under rocks and logs and sometimes found wandering in houses. They spend the day in silken retreats. Most are mature in late spring and early summer, although some species can be found year-round as adults. Females tend to live a month longer than males in the fall. Egg sacs are attached under stones or wrapped in a leaf. Many are in the shape of a fried egg and may contain as many as 250 eggs. These spiders are small to medium, with oval elongate abdomens, and most are drab colored. Their anterior spinnerets are large and cylindrical. Most of the 15 genera and 25 species of Gnaphosidae in our area are native species, however one of the most common spiders in LA is an introduced species, Scotophaeus blackwalli.
Genus: Cesonia
Members of this genus have been collected in urban areas. These fast running hunters are usually found under leaf litter and in sandy soil. They have white bands against dark on the carapace and abdomen.
Genus: Drassyllus
Members of this genus are small nocturnal hunters. Two species have been collected, Drassyllus insularis and Drassyllus proclesis.
Genus : Gnaphosa
One species, Gnaphosa californica, has been collected. It is usually found under rocks.
Genus: Herpyllus
There are several species in this genus. Two have been collected in the area. They range from small to large and are brownish gray.
Herpyllus propinquus is one of the most common spiders in the area, often found wandering on walls in houses at night.
Herpyllus scholasticus , though less common, is also found in houses and under rocks and bark.
Genus: Nodocion
Two species have been collected in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Nodocion electicus and Nodocion voluntarius
Genus: Scotophaeus
Scotophaeus blackwalli – An introduced species, this is one of the most common spiders in LA, found throughout the area and commonly collected wandering on walls inside houses at night. In appearance, this spider is very similar to Herpyllus propinquus.
Genus: Sergiolus
Members of this genus are black with white transverse bands on the abdomen and carapace. They are commonly found in leaf litter in open areas. Two species have been collected: Sergiolus angustus and Sergiolus montanus.
Genus: Trachyzelotes
One species, Trachyzelotes lyonneti , has been introduced from Europe. It has a cluster of stiff whiskers on the front of the chelicerae. This spider has been collected in gardens and local mountains.
Genus: Urozelotes
One species, Urozelotes rusticus, has been collected. Although widespread, most have been collected in Pasadena and Mount Washington. It is an introduced species found worldwide, usually associated with buildings. It has an elongate and pale abdomen.
Genus: Zelotes
These shiny dark black spiders are found in leaf litter and under rocks. They are usually found in open areas. Three species have been collected: Zelotes gynethus, Zelotes icenoglei and Zelotes pinos.
Heser nilicola, formerly Zelotes nilicola, is an introduced species from the Mediterranean and has been collected in houses and gardens.
HAHNIIDAE
Calmmaria monicae is a small spider which spins a sheet-like web with a cone shaped retreat in cavities or under rocks.
LINYPHIIDAE
The dwarf spiders and sheet web weavers are small to very small spiders which spin horizontal sheet webs in vegetation and leaf litter near the ground and under rocks. The larger spiders in this genus, often both male and female together, sit under the web waiting for an insect to land and then bite it from below and pull it through to wrap and eat. The very smallest spiders are more likely to be found under rocks and in leaf litter where they spin small webs. Larger species often have a pattern on the abdomen; the smallest species are usually gray or black. Males often have weirdly shaped carapaces with eyes grouped on turrets. These spiders are frequently collected in pit fall traps.
Genus: Erigone
Erigone dentosa
Erigone autumnalis
Genus: Ceratinops
Ceratinops palomara
Genus: Neriene
Neriene digna
Neriene litigosa
Genus: Ostearius
Ostearius melanopygius
Genus: Meioneta
Genus: Eperigone
Eperigone eschologica
Genus: Tenuiphantes
Tenuiphantes tenuis is a new record for Los Angeles County.
The arrangement of the eyes is characteristic of the family. Four small eyes form the anterior row; two pair of larger eyes can be seen on the top of the cephalothorax. They hunt by sight, some by day and others at night, and are extremely fast runners. Their eyesight is second only to the Jumping spiders. At night, the eyes of the Wolf Spiders will appear green in the beam of a flashlight. They are somber colored gray or brown, often with whitish stripes on the carapace. Most run along the ground and rest under stones. The female carries her egg sac attached to the spinnerets until the eggs hatch. The spiderlings then ride on their mother’s back for a week or so before dispersing.
When mating, the male approaches the female waving his pedipalps and front legs in a species-specific courtship display.
Genus: Alopecosa kochii has been collected mostly in the local mountains and adjacent areas.
Genus: Arctosa littoralis prefers areas adjacent to streams.
Genus: Pardosa
Five species of this thin-legged wolf spider have been collected. The most common is Pardosa californica.
Pardosa bellona
Pardosa californica
Pardosa ramulosa
Pardosa sternalis
Pardosa steva
Genus: Pirata
One species, Pirata sedentarius, has been collected.
Genus: Geolycosa
Geolycosa gosoga – One spider has been collected in the Thousand Oaks area.
Genus: Schizocosa
Schizocosa mccooki, a large spider, has been collected along the coast from Redondo Beach to Malibu.
MECIOBOTHRIIDAE
These mygalomorphs are among the smaller spiders in the group. They have long flexible spinnerets which they use to spin large horizontal sheet webs over holes and crevices in the banks of ravines. One species, Megahexhura fulva, occurs in the Santa Monica Mountains.
MIMETIDAE
Pirate Spiders
The Pirate Spiders prey on other spiders. They have quick acting venom which is specialized to kill spiders. Web dwelling spiders are their primary prey. They approach the web and bite the resident spider on a leg before enjoying their meal. The first and second legs are armed with a row of short curved spines.
Two species, Reo eutypus and Mimetus eutypus, have been collected on plants and in houses.
OECOBIIDAE
Flatmesh Weavers
One species, Oecobius navus, has been collected in the area. An introduced species, this spider is very small, oval shaped and pale gray. Often found in large numbers on the sides of buildings and along window sills. The spider spins a double sheet web and rests in between the layers. Their main prey are ants. The spider runs around the ant while surrounding it with silk. A large fringe around the anal tubercle is used to comb out the silk.
OONOPIDAE
Goblin Spiders
Escaphiella hespera is a very small spider usually found in leaf litter.
OXYOPIDAE
Lynx Spiders
Lynx spiders are diurnal hunters commonly found in tall grasses and herbaceous vegetation. The elongated abdomen tapers to a point. The legs are long and covered with many erect spines, giving the spider a spiky appearance. They are sit-and-wait predators and often jump on their prey, much like the Jumping spiders. They may also stalk prey like a cat. Females lay egg sacs in the fall and remain close by until they hatch.
Genus: Peucetia
Peucetia viridans is a large green spider collected in gardens and natural areas.
Genus: Oxyopes
Two species, Oxyopes salticus and Oxyopes scalaris, are smaller and less brightly colored spiders also found in gardens and natural areas.
Genus: Hamataliwa grisea is a cryptically colored, small spider, usually found on woody twigs and branches.
PHILODROMIDAE
Running Crab Spiders
These active hunters are found along plant stems and branches. The second leg is the longest. Several species are found in the area. They are more common in natural areas around the Los Angeles basin.
Apollphanes texanus
Ebo pepinensis
Philodromus rufus pacificus
Philodromus spectabilis
Tibellus chamberlini
Tibellus oblongus
PHOCIDAE
Cellar Spiders
Spiders in this family include the common and ubiquitous cellar spiders which are often called daddy long legs spiders. They can be confused with Harvestmen, in the Order Opiliones, which are also called daddy long legs. The Harvestmen have one body part; the Pholcids have the two body parts typical of the spiders. Pholcids have very long, slender and flexible legs attached to a light tan body, often with darker markings. The two most common species are introduced and are found in tangled webs in the corners of houses and garages. Native species are smaller and are found under rocks and in leaf litter and debris on the ground. Females carry their egg sacs with their chelicerae until the spiderlings hatch. Holocnemus pluchei and Pholcus phangioides are very common around houses. Both have been introduced from Europe. Psilochorus utahensis are small spiders which make their webs under rocks and debris. They have been collected in natural areas.
PRODIDOMIDAE
One specimen, Prodidomus rufus, has been collected. This small spider is a nocturnal wandering hunter.
This is the largest spider family and one of the most diverse. Spiders range from very small to large. They have the most acute eyesight of all the spider species with characteristic a pair of large anterior median eyes. They have stocky bodies with comparatively short legs. In many species the male is brightly colored while the female is more cryptically colored.
Active during the day, they stalk their prey, much like a cat. Slowly creeping up on a fly resting on a wall, the spider will approach then jump, leaving a drag line of silk to catch itself.
Many Jumping Spiders in the area are native, but two species collected in the survey are new records: Plexippus paykulli and Mexigonus minutus.
Genus: Phidippus
Members of this genus are the largest of the Jumping Spiders.
Phidippus audax is frequently found in gardens. This large jumper is black with three white spots on the abdomen. The chelicerae are iridescent green.
Phidippus johnsoni has a red abdomen, sometimes with a median black stripe. The abdomen of Phidippus adumbratus is reddish with lighter markings.
Several species of this small gray/brown spider have been collected. Males tend to be more brightly colored than females.
Habronattus californicus
Habronattus conjunctus
Habronattus icenoglei
Habronattus schlingeri
Genus: The male Plexippus paykullli is a medium sized spider with white stripes on a black carapace and abdomen. Females are brownish.
Genus: Colonus
Colonus hesperus is a medium sized light colored spider with large black spots on the carapace.
Genus: Neon
Two species, Neon avalonus and Neon ellamae, have been collected. These tiny spiders are found in leaf litter.
Several other species have been collected in the survey.
Eris militaris
Evarcha hoyi
Marpissa robustus
Menemerus bivittatus
Metacyrba taeniolar
Metaphidippus manni
Mexigonus minutus
Mexigonus morosus
Platycryptus californicus
Pseudicius siticulosis
Sassacus vitis
Sitticus dorsatus
Terralonus californicus
SICARIIDAE
Violin Spiders
This family includes the infamous Brown Recluse, which is a Midwest species not found in the Los Angeles area. A native species, Loxoceles deserta, is found in our local deserts. Four specimens have been submitted to the survey, all from Hesperia. A species introduced from South America, Loxosceles laeta, has established small and localized populations in basements in downtown Los Angeles and Sierra Madre. One specimen has been collected for the survey.
SPARASSIDAE
Giant Crab Spiders
Giant Crab spiders or Huntsman spiders are large brown or tan colored spiders. They are nocturnal hunters who rest in crevices and under bark during the day. They ambush and chase their prey. The front legs are held in a crab-like position, giving the spider its common name.
Genus: Heteropoda One introduced species is occasionally found in the area. Heteropoda venatoria, the Huntsman spider, is a large, dark spider native to the tropics. It may travel with imported fruits, especially bananas. This spider is much appreciated in the tropics where it lives in homes and preys on cockroaches at night. The female carries her egg sac in her chelicerae until the spiderlings hatch and emerge.
Genus: Olios
Olios giganticus is a native species. It is large and pale brown.
Long-jawed Orb Weavers
Genus: Tetragnatha Spiders in this genus have elongate abdomens and enlarged chelicerae. Male chelicerae are greatly enlarged and armed with several large teeth. They also have a spur to hold the fangs of the female while mating. Most are found near water where they construct large orb webs at dusk each night. The orb web can be vertical to horizontal and often has an open hub. The spider can be found hanging in the middle of the web with legs outstretched. They may also rest on nearby plants with legs extended front and back in a straight line. The webs catch many flying insects, especially mosquitoes.
Three species have been collected, mostly from gardens. Tetragnatha guatemalensis Tetragnatha nitens Tetragnatha versicolor
THERAPHOSIDAE
One genus, Aphonopelma.
Although no tarantulas have been collected in the survey, there are several species commonly seen in the natural areas around Los Angeles. They are our largest spiders and are dark and hairy appearing. They are also among the longest lived spiders. Female can live for many years, possibly to 30 years. Males mature at about two years of age and usually die shortly after mating.
These spiders are nocturnal sit and wait predators. They sit at the opening of the burrow and pounce at passing prey. Females may spend their entire life within the burrow. Most tarantulas seen wandering are males searching for females to mate.
Cobweb Weavers
Cobweb weaver is the common name for this family. They spin a sticky tangled web often found in corners of porches and under eaves. They are also called Comb-footed spiders. The last segment of the fourth leg has a comb of serrated spines which the spider uses to comb out silk into sheets to wrap around prey captured in the web. Since these spiders have weak jaws, they use their very sticky web to capture prey and then rapidly wrap the insect in sheets of silk to secure it. Only then does the spider inject its venom. Insect exoskeletons are often found intact in the web after the spider has sucked the liquefied insides. Many of the cobweb weavers have a globular shaped abdomen and are usually found hanging upside down in their webs. The Black and Brown Widows are members of this family.
Genus: Latrodectus
The spiders in this genus are the venomous widows. They are the only dangerous spiders most people will encounter in the Los Angeles area. The largest of the Theridiids, they have the characteristic globular abdomen. They spin tangled webs in which they hang upside down. Several egg sacs may be suspended within the web.
Latrodectus hesperus - The Black Widow is the best known of all the Comb-footed Spiders. Large with a shiny black spherical abdomen and a red hourglass on the underside of the abdomen, the female cannot be confused with any other spider. As juveniles, the spiders are light colored, with white, yellow and black stripes. As the females mature, they gradually lose the coloration and become black. The males retain the juvenile coloration. Much smaller than the female, they are considered harmless. Once mature, they cease to spin a web. The rest of their life is spent searching for females to mate. Although the female Black Widow has a reputation for eating the male following mating, most males manage to escape unharmed. The widows are commonly found in undisturbed areas like garages, attics, and woodpiles. They are also found in local mountains where they commonly spin their webs in holes in trees and under rocky overhangs. The egg sac is a roundish brown papery case which can be seen hanging in the web; often there are several egg sacs in the web. Usually not visible during the day, this nocturnal spider moves out into the center of its web at night. The western Black Widow is a native species.
Latrodectus geometricus – The Brown Widow has been intermittently reported in Southern California since the early 1900s, however, since 2002, it has established a breeding population and has spread throughout the Los Angeles basin. Often found on fences and under patio furniture, it seems to do well in more exposed locations than the Black Widow. The spider’s abdomen has a mottled geometric pattern which ranges from light to dark. The hourglass is more orange than red. The characteristic egg sac is round and cream colored and covered with spikes.
Genus: Steatoda
Spiders in this genus are very similar in appearance to the Black Widow. They are dark brown, often with a white band around the front of the abdomen. The abdomen is globular.
Steatoda grossa - The common name for this large spider is False Black Widow. It is similar to the Black Widows in shape, size and color, and is frequently mistaken for its dangerous relatives. The False Widow is dark purple brown rather than shiny black and usually has a white band around the front of the abdomen. It is considered harmless to people. An introduced species found worldwide, it is one of the most common spiders in the LA area and is usually found around houses. There are reports that the False Widow preys on the Black Widow.
Steatoda nobilis – Native to the Canary Islands, this spider was recently collected in Ventura County and is spreading throughout the Los Angeles area. It is found living in webs in the same habitats as the Brown Widow and False Black Widow. It can inflict a painful bite.
Genus: Parasteatoda
Parasteatoda tepidariorum – The Common House Spider is an introduced species found worldwide and is one of most common and numerous spiders in the area. It can be found under the eaves and window sills of most houses. Several egg sacs are usually suspended in the web with the female hanging upside down near them. The abdomen is variable, but usually light with chevron markings.
Genus: Tidarren
Spiders in this genus are very small, especially the male. The abdomen is higher than long, sometimes with a tubercle above the spinnerets. Females rest inside a curled leaf in their webs. Males amputate one of their palps before their final moult. Two species, Tidarren sisyphoides and Tidarren haemorrhoidale, have been collected in the LA basin.
Genus: Theridion
There are many species of similar appearance in this genus. These small spiders are found hanging upside down in their tangled webs. The webs are frequently found in cracks in walls and rock cliffs. Theridion melanurum, Theridion dilutum, and Theridion submissum have been collected throughout the Los Angeles area and in the local mountains. Theridion californicum, Theridion lawrencei, and Theridion punctipes/leechi have been collected only in local mountains.
There are numerous smaller species found in the area:
Asagena fulva
Cryptachaea blattea
Cryptachaea porter
Euryopis californica
Euryopis formosa
Crab Spiders
The front legs of these distinctive spiders are crab-like in appearance, long and angled forward. These spiders are sit and wait hunters, found in flowers, foliage and leaf litter. Their rapid acting venom is able to quickly subdue pollinating insects like bees, enabling them to safely capture prey without injury.
Two species are commonly found in flowers. Members of both species are able to change color to match the flower they are sitting in. Misumena vatia, the Goldenrod spider, is white to yellow with reddish bands along the sides of the abdomen. Misumenoides formosipes, the Whitebanded crab spider, is similar in appearance to the Goldenrod spider, but has a white ridge along the lower edge of the carapace.
Genus: Mecaphesa
Spiders in this genus are also found sitting in flowers. Small to medium sized, they are variable in appearance.
Mecaphesa aikoae
Mecaphesa californica
Mecaphesa importuna
Mecaphesa lepida
Mecaphesa sierrensis
Other genera of Crab Spiders are commonly found in bushes, along branches and in leaf litter. They are variable in appearance but tend to be cryptically colored.
Bassaniana utahensis
Diaea livens
Ozptyila sp.
Tmarus angulatus
Xysticus californicus
Xysticus gertschi
Xysticus goiutus
Xysticus locuples
Xysticus montanensis
Xysticus pretiosus
Xysticus punctatus
TRACHELIDAE
Until recently these spiders were included in the family Corinnidae. They are active hunters, commonly found on foliage. They are pale yellow, some with darker stripes.
Meriola californica
Meriola decepta
Trachelas pacificus
ULOBORIDAE
Hackled Band Orb-Weavers
These spiders are unique among the spider families in lacking venom glands. They have a cribellum, a sieve-like plate in front of the spinnerets and a comb, the calamistrum, on the fourth leg which they use to pull the silk and wrap their prey.
Genus: One species, Uloborus diversus, has been collected in the area. It has been found throughout the area in gardens. This spider spins a horizontal orb web and rests along the web with the front two legs extended. Small and pale colored, the abdomen is triangular in a lateral view, highest in the front and sloping toward the rear.
ZODARIIDAE
Genus: Zodarion
One specimen, as yet unidentified, has been collected in the Long Beach area.
ZOROPSIDAE
These are large pale tan colored spiders. They are nocturnal hunters often found under rocks and in leaf litter, and frequently collected in pit fall traps. They have been collected in natural areas a round Los Angeles.
Genus: Anachemmis Anachemmis linsdalei Anachemmis sober Genus: Titiotus Titiotus schantzi
Genus: Socalchemmis Socalchemmis cajalco Socalchemmis gertschi Socalchemmis icenoglei
Spider Biology | What is a Spider?
Everyone recognizes a spider on sight, but what are they really seeing? Spiders are classified as arthropods, in the same Phylum as insects.
Phylum: Arthropoda, invertebrates with an exoskeleton and jointed appendages
Order: Arachnida, those with two body parts, and includes scorpions, ticks and mites, as opposed to insects which have three
Class: Araneae, spiders, which have:
8 legs
2 body parts – the cephalothorax and abdomen
Spinnerets capable of producing silk
Fangs capable of injecting venom
Only spiders share this unique set of characteristics.
Most spiders have 8 eyes; a few have 6, 4 or 2, and a small number, mostly cave dwellers, have none.
The defining characteristic of spiders is their ability to spin silk. Although all make silk, only some use that silk for prey capture. Most familiar are the orb webs of the Araneidae or orb weavers and the Tetragnthidae or long jawed orb weavers. Other capture webs include the messy cobwebs of the combfooted spiders in the family Therdiidae, the sheet webs of the funnel web or grass spiders in the family Agelenidae and the Bowl and Doily webs of the Linyphiidae.
All spiders have spinnerets attached to the rear end of the abdomen, and all are capable of spinning silk. The silk is used for many different purposes. Many spiders spin webs to capture food; some also wrap their prey before eating it. Most use silk to wrap egg cases. Many use silk to create retreats under stones or within leaves or to line burrows or tunnels. Silken drag lines are played out to serve as safety nets. Newly hatched spiderlings release silk to act as parachutes allowing them to travel a safe distance from their predatory siblings.
The most obvious use of silk is the construction of webs. Orb weavers spin large vertical orb webs to capture insects. The spider may hide in a silken retreat attached to the web, or may hang in the web. Cobweb weavers weave tangled webs in which they hang upside down When an insect is trapped, the spider rushes to inject venom and subdue it. Some spiders wrap the prey with silk to secure it.
Some spiders, such as orb weavers, cellar spiders, and cobweb weavers, spin webs to capture their prey. Other spiders actively hunt for their food. Wolf spiders, jumping spiders, sac spiders and ground spiders are examples of this group. Still others lie in wait until an insect comes within reach. Crab spiders often hide in flowers until a fly or bee lands, then grab it. Trapdoor spiders hide at the mouth of their burrows until an insect walks past, then rush out to grab it.
Spiders with weak jaws, such as cobweb weavers and cellar spiders, regurgitate digestive fluid onto the insect's body with its fangs, then suck up the liquified tissues, leaving the exoskeleton intact. Those with strong jaws, such as tarantulas, wolf spiders and orb weavers, use their jaws to crush the insect while regurgitating digestive fluid, then suck up the liquified tissues as well.
Reproductive structures are not clearly visible until the spider undergoes its final moult. In the male, the last segment of the pedipalp is enlarged into a complicated structure. When ready to mate, the male spins a sperm web on which he places sperm from an opening near the epigastric furrow. He then sucks up the sperm with his pedipalp to store until mating.
The reproductive organ of the female, the epigynum, is located along the epigastric furrow. The male approaches the female and transfers the sperm by placing his palp into the opening of the epigynum.
Although the Black Widow has a reputation for eating the male during mating, most males survive the procedure by approaching her carefully and leaving quickly. Different families follow specific courtship patterns. Orb web weavers signal their approach by strumming the threads of the web and waiting until the female indicates she is receptive. Jumping spider males perform a dance with their brightly colored front legs.
Following mating, the female will spin an egg case to protect her eggs. Cob web weavers hang the egg cases in their webs and remain close by. Green lynx spiders do the same. Wolf spiders attach the egg case to their spinnerets and carry it until it hatches. The young then spend their first weeks on their mother's back. Others, like ground spiders, leave their eggs in a silken case under a rock.
Many people are concerned about spiders in their homes and gardens and ask about controlling the population. However, spiders are a major factor in controlling insect populations, especially insect pests such as flies, mosquitoes and moths. And the only dangerous spiders in the Los Angeles area are the widows, the Black Widow and the Brown Widow. All others are considered harmless to humans.
Ground running spiders are extremely sensitive to chemicals and web building spiders seldom touch the substrate. Therefore, if an insecticide is used, it must be sprayed directly on the spider. Any insecticide is toxic and presents a potential hazard to beneficial insects, such as bees and butterflies, as well as to humans including children. Complete control is unlikely since spiders from adjacent areas will move in. Young of black widows have been observed to completely reinfest an area within one week. To discourage spiders indoors, webs can be removed with a broom. Webs on shrubs and buildings are best controlled with regular hosing with a water stream, the spiders will usually rebuild their webs elsewhere.
Spider Relatives
Scorpions: Family Scorpionidae
The Los Angeles area has several species of common scorpions. By far the most common in our area is the burrowing scorpion or swollen stinger scorpion Anuroctonus phaiodactylus. Though males may occasionally be found wandering, these scorpions normally remain in their burrows. The burrows are found on sloping hillsides and road cuts and are almond-shaped openings about 1 inch in width and are about 8 to 12 inches deep. The pincers are very heavy and the tail is slender. Males have a distinct swollen base at the point of the stinger.
The California common scorpion Paruoctonus sylvestrii has four dark stripes on its fairly heavy tail. Its pincers are slender and it is brown or tan in color. These scorpions are often found on rocky ground and open road cuts in our hilly areas.
The Arizona bark scorpion Centruroides exilicauda has been established in several very small populations in Orange County where they live under roof shingles and in palm tree leaves. These scorpions are the only truly dangerous scorpion in North America. They are about 3 inches in length, slender, reddish or tan in color with very thin, almost needle-like pincers and a slender tail.
Ticks: Family Acari
Several species of ticks, both hard and soft ticks, are found in the Los Angeles area. All fed on the blood of various vertebrates. Some are capable of transmitting diseases, such as Lyme disease.
Pill and Sow Bugs: Order Isopoda
These animals are actually crustaceans, as can be seen by their gills and antennae. There are few references to them, one key for the terrestrial isopods is Light's Manual: Intertidal Invertebrates of the Central California Coast, U. of C. Press, pp. 301-312.
The pillbug is completely ubiquitous everywhere European man has set foot. This isopod is capable of rolling into a ball when disturbed; only a few other rare local species can do this and these are mostly sea-shore or desert animals. It is commonly preyed on by Steatoda grossa (which may even be a specialist on them).
Porcellio sp. sow bugs: We have three species of these isopods. P. laevis is more common in moist areas and yards and is often numerous near streams. It tends to be smoother with more rounded front plates than P. dilatatum. P. dilatatum is perhaps slightly more common in dryer (but moist) areas and in gardens. It has a more granular, dry appearance with rearward projecting plates on the first segments.
P. scaber is occasionally found in our area near streams and in moist canyons, especially further up the coast. It is slightly more slender than P. laevis but otherwise similar.
Porcallionides pruinosus: These isopods have a powdery appearance and are smaller, more slender than Porcellio. They also tend to be slightly more active. Often seen in gardens alongside Porcellio and Armadillidium, they run rapidly with the body held higher. All of the above isopods (except perhaps P. scaber) tend to be common throughout our area and may all be found together in our area.
Ligia occidentalis is the common rock hopper or rock louse found on rocky shores along the coast. Some specimens can be over an inch in length and can run rapidly.
Ligidium gracilis is a small and very rarely seen isopod that can be found in wet leaf litter and stream-side soil in our mountain streams and in a few locations along the coast. It is much more common further north.
Several species of small isopods are common in marsh and beach debris along the coast; most in the genus Armadilloniscus.
Occasionally isopods are found which are bright blue in color. This is common in A. vulgaire, less so in Porcellio. The color is apparently due to a fungal infection.
Insects of the Los Angeles Basin, LA Co. M.N.H.
Spiders of California and the Pacific Coast States, by R. J. Adams
Common Spiders of North America, by Richard A. Bradley
Spiders and Their Kin, by H. Levi, Golden Press, N.Y.
How To Know The Spiders, by B.J. Kaston, Pictured Key Nature Series, Wm. C. Brown, Dubuque, Iowa. This is a partial list of those spiders which are frequently seen in the urban Los Angeles area and surrounding hills from The common spiders of Los Angeles, by Blaine Hebert (1987). A more complete list has been compiled for all of California by Steve Johnson and Don Boe, and is available from the author.
For a more technical reference see: Spiders of North America by D. Ubick et al. available through the American Arachnological Society.
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Brody & Nick ( Something About him 2) by A.D. Ellis
Title: Brody & Nick Word Count: 403 pgs
Blurb:Army specialist Brody King is a successful and respected soldier. With only a year left in his commitment, he devises a plan to help him save money—a plan that requires him to marry.
Nick Ferguson is working toward college graduation and his community services management career. With his lease about to expire, he’s more than willing to take Brody up on his crazy marriage scheme.
A solution that seems quick and easy turns into more than either of them ever anticipated. When Brody’s fears and insecurities surface, he makes a decision that may push Nick away forever.
Can a fake marriage built upon friendship withstand the obstacles of an uncertain future?
Brody & Nick is a story as old as time. Marriage of convenience, friends-to-lovers, and a guy who needs to pull his head from his ass.
**This is a male/male romance for ages 18+ due to adult language and themes.**
My Review: This has disaster written all over it or does it? Here we have two sexting buddies Brody King & Nick Ferguson who come up with this elaborate plan to get married as a way of saving money. Brody is in the army and he is allowed a housing credit only if he is married. Nick is going to school, working and he shares an apartment with Brody’s ex fuck buddy Dylan. Nick’s lease is almost up and he doesn’t really care to renew with his roommate. They both think a marriage of convenience will be mutually beneficial to them, plus they will avail themselves of the friend’s with benefit clause. Nick suggests that their foundation should be steeped in mutual respect, loyalty and friendship. These are all great premises, but is this really a great foundation for a marriage? I guess we will find out soon enough.
As soon as the ink dries on their marriage certificate, they feel a sense of accomplishment. They are both in high spirits, so they have a celebratory lunch and decide to start moving into their new apartment. Nick’s hopes are soon dashed when he overheard Brody explaining to his best friend Addie that she wasn’t invited because their marriage means nothing. Nick is hurt and so is Addie. They both commiserate by drinking White Russians. Brody sees the error of his ways and apologizes to the two people that means the most to him.
Having a homophobic commanding officer wasn’t too much of an issue for Brody, well up until now that is. Brody soon finds out how much of a problem it will be, when his CO accuses him of committing fraud with his marriage of convenience if he gets proof. His CO lets him know he will be watched. Brody knows he will have to up the ante and ensure that his marriage looks as real as possible to the outside world.
The lines become blurred a bit , because they both realize that it will be hard to be intimate while staying detached and sticking to their agreement and an inevitable separation. Things get shaken up in more ways than one, it brings out the role reversal when power bottom Brody starts thinking about topping Nick. One thing’s for sure, they are phenomenal in bed together, any which way possible. Their first date goes really well and Nick really enjoys himself. On the other hand Brody seems a little detached as he worries about being watched. When Nick calls him out on the emptiness he feels, Brody explains that he just hates that they have to fake things. Nick is slightly hurt at this assumption, but their full disclosure clause pushes him to be honest. Nick lays himself vulnerable, letting Brody know that he is truly enjoying being around him and their friends. Brody is certainly relieved to know that he isn’t the only one feeling the realness of their relationship. Their talk is enlightening as it allows them to freely talk about a future possibly together after their designated year.
A romantic getaway and a chance meeting with another gay couple who’s been together for decades forces Brody to become introspective. He thinks about the sham of a marriage that he’s cooked up and realize that what he really wants and can see in their future is something long term.They both leave their weekend feeling refreshed , while individually they both yearn for something more permanent under the quiet. They get back home to Brody’s mom waiting on the driveway. She demands the whole story as to why her son didn’t let her in on his marriage. She immediately falls in love with Nick as a son in-law. She calls Brody out on the burgeoning love she witness in his eyes. Things continue full speed ahead and each day they fall more and more in love with each other. The fireworks between them is amazing and each man holds each other in their heart as the ideal husband.
Nine months in and they are coasting through their relationship with their routines set in place. They make their differing shifts work and stay in contact through texts when they are away from each other. Truly a ‘couply’ thing to do. It is on a late night when Nick doesn’t check in as he should and Brody becomes worried. Instinct pushes him to check and what he finds leaves him weak, Brody laying in a pool of his own blood with two obvious head injuries. By the time Nick comes around , he tells the cops who were called that it was a homeless man from the shelter he works at who attacked him while looking for drugs. Brody is furious, but moreover he was scared out of his mind. He sees how close he came to losing the man he loves. Brody quietly professed his love for Nick, who returns the sentiment before he drifts off to sleep.
They are just so fixated on the imminent timeline of the end , they haven’t allowed things to progress and flourish as it naturally should. They are both afraid to trap the other. They both tiptoe around their confession of love, both too afraid to bring it up in the light of day. Nick finally brings it up and they both realize that they are on the same page and in it for the long haul. Life is sweet and they are both more confident in their future plans. This all comes crashing down when Brody receives an acceptance letter from Stanford, miles away from where Nick has his future plans set in stone.
It soon becomes clear that Brody has a misguided fear of not being good enough, not being able to measure up. He is his own worst critic. Brody is also a stubborn ass who will never admit he’s made a mistake. He has made a big mistake which he acknowledges deep down in his gut. His parents end up in California ,begging him to go back to his life and love he left behind in Texas. It is clear to his mother that his insecurities have him in it’s grips and he fears rejection most of all. His mother leaves him with words of wisdom and wishes him well. Brody knows what he needs to do before she even leaves.
In the meanwhile on the other side of the country, Nick is still trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered heart a month later. He drowns himself in his work and the many projects he had set up as lifelong goals, but he feels empty inside. He wishes he still had Brody by his side and he just knows that he will wait forever for him since he has imprinted on his soul. With the help of family and friends ,the pair is tearfully reunited. Brody grovels at Nick’s feet swooping in with grand gestures and heartfelt apologies. Nick forgives his wayward husband and welcomes him with open arms. This ends sweetly, years in their future with Nick and Brody welcoming beautiful twin boys through surrogacy carried by their best friend Addie who’s been a part of their love story from its very inception. I give this my ratings of 4- lose the underwear.
March 26, 2018 frutiecity Friends to lovers, gay romance, HEA, marriage of convenience Leave a comment
Bryan & Jase ( Something About Him 1) by A.D. Ellis
Title:Bryan & Jase Word Count:364 pgs
Blurb: Jase Rafferty grew up hiding his sexual curiosities—until he meets Bryan Keating. Bryan’s sexuality is no secret, and being deployed overseas together allows the two men to forge a solid friendship. The sexual attraction is undeniable, but after one lust-filled week, they must go their separate ways.
A year later, a chance meeting gives them one more weekend together, even though they know Jase can’t risk his military career or his family obligations to be with Bryan.
Several years pass before Jase finally accepts the desperate longing in his heart and body. But when fear and hatred threaten to tear them apart, Jase must make a tough decision, one that he isn’t sure he and Bryan can overcome. Together, they must choose to weather the storm or say goodbye forever.
Bryan & Jase is a military, gay-for-you romance with a single daddy doing the best he can.
**This is a male/male romance meant for ages 18+ due to adult language and adult situations.**
My Review: Bryan Keating and Jase Rafferty first met during their stint in the army. Bryan always knew he was gay and had a little bit of a crush on Jase. There is only one problem, Jase is definitely straight and has a wife back home, albeit a skanky cheating one. He is certainly not happy and plans to get a divorce as soon as he gets back on American soil. During their final months, Bryan’s feelings grow deeper and deeper for Jase. Bryan is perplexed at his interactions with Jase, sometimes he is overtly flirtatious yet he maintains that he’s straight.
Drunken confessions lead to Bryan admitting to experimenting with other guys. Jase’ interest is piqued, but Bryan is still waffling with indecision. When they are almost discovered during a make-out session, Jase freaks out and pushes Bryan away. Jase’ s feelings are hurt and he decides to cut his losses and avoid the closet case. It isn’t until their last week in the army that Jase approaches Bryan to apologize. There is just something about Bryan that draws him in, he can no longer resist. The flames between them ignite and turns into a raging inferno. They have a beautiful blissful time together. It is with tearful goodbyes that they go their separate ways, knowing that It is unlikely that they will see each other again.
It isn’t until a year later that these star crossed lovers would meet again. They reconnect at the airport on their way to an army buddy’s wedding. Bryan is pleasantly surprised to see Jase, but slightly shocked to see him still with his wife and a 4 mth old son Gray in tow. Bryan immediately falls in love with the sweet little boy and the picture of fatherhood that Jase presents. It is clear to see Jase’s love for his son, but it is not lost on Bryan that Jase is still not happy with Sierra. They end up staying in the same hotel and the story unfolds. Jase tells Bryan about the hellish life he leads. Sierra is threatening to expose Jase’s secret since she somehow found out he is gay. She is devious and uses his son as a blackmail tool to get Jase’s money. Bryan consoles his lover and they are able to spend some precious moments with Gray. Jase starts to see a future with Bryan, he just doesn’t know how to make it happen. Jase is still in the army and he knows he won’t be able to cut off his son’s support system that he has with his family. Jase’s father is a career minded homophobic army man. For the time being they go their separate ways and continue their long distance relationship through phone calls and text.
Everything comes to a halt and soon the text and phonecalls stop on Jase’s end. Once again Bryan decides to set him free and try to move on with his life without Jase. Bryan tries to date other men. He is a very successful investment banker now and decides he wants something more meaningful than one night stands. He meets a nice guy named Braeton and they hit it off. However, there is still something missing , he is just not Jase. Bryan tells Braeton about Jase and he totally understands. They are able to maintain their friendship.
Fast forward five years, at the gaming convention. A lot has happened in Jase’s life, he is now a single dad and ready to truly embrace life. His unfit ex-wife has signed away her maternal rights to run off with her sugar daddy. Jase decides to move to Bryan’s city to try to find him. This part seems a bit farfetched to me, but hey what’s romance without a bit of whimsy. Bryan has always talked about going to the biggest gaming convention and that’s where Jase is headed. It’s Gray who reunites these two men when he bumps into Bryan. They are both ecstatic to have found each other and right away Bryan offers up his home. They fall into each others’ life without too many problems.
Jase is ready to embrace being a gay man and allows things to happen naturally without confusing Gray. Gray has a few problems with bullies at school, but Bryan falls right into his role as step dad with some positive insights on how to deal with homophobic bullies. Jase and Bryan’s relationship flourishes and becomes stronger day by day. This is soon ripped asunder when Jase’s parents makes a surprise visit and discovers Jase’s secret. Jase’s homophobic dad threatens to take away Gray from him. Both men are torn apart and Jase’s fear of losing his son takes over.
After seeking legal counsel Jase goes back home to Bryan where he belongs, ready to fight to keep his little family together. They had a lot of obstacles in their way but they finally prevailed. I give this my ratings of 3- it was ok give it a try.
January 1, 2018 frutiecity coming of age, family man, Gay for you, gay romance, homophobia, military Leave a comment
Can’t Fight It( The Blueridge Junction Boys 2) by A.D.Ellis
Title: Can’t Fight It Word Count: 334 pgs
Blurb:For small-town tattoo artist Levi Wells his few forays into love have only brought him trouble. When trouble with a capital T came sashaying into town two years ago in the form of flamboyant young dancer Jay Owens, Levi becomes more determined than ever to stay away from anything remotely resembling a relationship. Especially one with someone so young and different than him.
Two years. That’s how long Jay has been trying to wear Levi down. But, Levi only sees Jay as a thorn in his side and balks at their differences every chance he gets. Luckily for them both, Jay isn’t going to let a little thing like Levi’s reluctance stand in the way of getting what he wants.
Levi is as stubborn as Jay is tenacious and they find themselves at an impasse. When Jay inadvertently gets himself into an unnerving situation, Levi’s protective nature surges forth even as he berates his heart for getting involved. Will Levi stay focused on their differences and keep fighting his true feelings? Or will Jay finally burrow through Levi’s self-imposed walls? One thing is for sure, you can’t fight love.
*Can’t Fight It is a male/male romance meant for ages 18+ due to language, themes, and adult scenes.*
My Review: Jay Owens is certainly a force to be reckoned with, every inch of his glorious twinky self. He’s had his heart set on a certain Tattoo God, Levi Wells ever since he’s moved to Blueridge Junction 2 years before. They have a great group of friends surrounding them and it is obvious how close they are when its Jay’s birthday. Jay is always fabulously flamboyant in his everyday life and it is increasingly apparent when he has a ‘pretty in pink’ party theme.
Jay is always flirty, sassy and overtly sexual whenever he is around Levi. His behavior makes Levi want to run for the hills. Levi doesn’t feel like Jay is his type especially given their 10 yr age gap. Jay heckles Levi and calls him ‘daddy’.Levi is constantly rebuffing Jay’s advances, but his walls are slowly tumbling down when he starts having sexy dreams about the sexy little twink. When Jay makes a thank you toast to his friends at his party, he opens up a little about his younger self and what drove him to Blueridge Junction. Jay’s home life was less than perfect with a drug addicted mother, he was left hungry and alone for the most part. Seeing Jay in this vulnerable light makes Levi want to wrap him up in his arms and take care of him.
Levi comes to the decision, albeit kicking and screaming that it’s time to move forward in their relationship slowly. He can’t fight his feelings anymore and he acknowledges that Jay might be the perfect type of guy who can give him his happily ever after.Jay is ecstatic that all his dreams are finally coming through, but he soon understands it won’t be easy. Jay has a very independent spirit and he butts heads with Levi’s ‘take control’ attitude. Levi is left soothing ruffled feathers more than once.
Their first argument stems from a lack of communication and high-handed ways. Jay is extremely pissed when he finds out that Levi has gone behind his back and requested his boss give him time off. To Levi’s credit , he was just being protective of Jay since he has a stalker who keeps calling him. Jay works as an exotic dancer and Levi believes the two things are connected. Their friends provide insight when they explain that both Jay and Levi will definitely have to open the lines of communication for the longevity of their newfound relationship.
Jay and Levi talk things through and make plans for what their roles will be in their relationship. Jay realizes that his past has caused insecurities and he should just accept help when its given. He sees that Levi is more protective rather than controlling. When Jay gets another threat, Levi suggests that he move in with him. Levi has Jay’s best interest at heart and he just wants to love him and protect him now that they’ve ventured on this journey. I really enjoyed watching the sparks fly between these two, their sexual chemistry was amazing. They are opposites who complement each other in every way.
Before they can get their happily ever after, Jay gets a letter saying that his mother died. Levi goes with him to sort things out. This gives Jay closure and a bit of peace on his neglected childhood. It is bittersweet when he finds out that all the money he ever sent his mother was saved for him. She wrote an apology letter saying how much she loved him. For once , she actually did right by Jay. It doesn’t erase all the loneliness and hurt he felt as a child, but it has mended a small part of his heart and given him insight as to what he would like to do as a future career.
They have a couple of blissful days touring the city before they head home. Their friend Kennedy, the cop dealing with the stalker case tells them that the stalker has revealed himself. Jay decides to not press charges as he just wants to move on. Jay has plans to open up a dance studio with the nest egg that his mother saved for him. It will be a place where he can give youths a safe place to be who they want to be. Finally, Jay and Levi’s future is on the right track. I give this my ratings of 4 – lose the underwear.
November 25, 2017 frutiecity Age difference, Androgynous, exotic dancer, gay romance, HEA, opposites attract, twink/ tattooed bad boy Leave a comment
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Host plant finding in the specialised leaf beetle Cassida canaliculata: an analysis of small-scale movement behaviour
Annette Heisswolf, Sandra Ulmann, Elisabeth Obermaier, Oliver Mitesser, Hans J. Poethke
1. Host plant finding in walking herbivorous beetles is still poorly understood. Analysis of small-scale movement patterns under semi-natural conditions can be a useful tool to detect behavioural responses towards host plant cues. 2. In this study, the small-scale movement behaviour of the monophagous leaf beetle Cassida canaliculata Laich. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) was studied in a semi-natural arena (r = 1 m). In three different settings, a host (Salvia pratensis L., Lamiales: Lamiaceae), a non-host (Rumex conglomeratus Murr.,1. Host plant finding in walking herbivorous beetles is still poorly understood. Analysis of small-scale movement patterns under semi-natural conditions can be a useful tool to detect behavioural responses towards host plant cues. 2. In this study, the small-scale movement behaviour of the monophagous leaf beetle Cassida canaliculata Laich. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) was studied in a semi-natural arena (r = 1 m). In three different settings, a host (Salvia pratensis L., Lamiales: Lamiaceae), a non-host (Rumex conglomeratus Murr., Caryophyllales: Polygonaceae), or no plant was presented in the centre of the arena. 3. The beetles showed no differences in the absolute movement variables, straightness and mean walking speed, between the three settings. However, the relative movement variables, mean distance to the centre and mean angular deviation from walking straight to the centre, were significantly smaller when a host plant was offered. Likewise, the angular deviation from walking straight to the centre tended to decline with decreasing distance from the centre. Finally, significantly more beetles were found on the host than on the non-host at the end of all the trials. 4. It is concluded that C. canaliculata is able to recognise its host plant from a distance. Whether olfactory or visual cues (or a combination of both) are used to find the host plant remains to be elucidated by further studies.…
In: Ecological Entomology (2007) 32, 2, 194-200
Käfer; Blattkäfer; Ampfer; Wiesensalbei
Arena experiment; Chrysomelidae; Coleoptera; Rumex; Salvia pratensis; olfaction; vision; walking
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CosmoDNA
The world's biggest English-language archive for Star Blazers and Space Battleship Yamato! We're off to outer space!
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Episode 2 Commentary
Posted on July 3, 2013 by TimEldred
The Opening Gun! Space Cruiser Argo Starts!
By Arthur Painter (with notes from Tim Eldred)
Watch this episode now at these sources: Original version subtitled
Production note: This episode was originally saved in Japan by bad weather. On October 13, 1974, a major baseball game was scheduled to pre-empt the broadcast, but fortunately for Yamato it was rained out and delayed by a day.
Episode 2 originally had a 3-minute World War II flashback sequence depicting the sinking of the Imperial Japanese Navy Battleship Yamato. It was completely excised from Star Blazers and the lost time was filled by replaying the last few minutes of the previous episode, where Wildstar and Venture crash their recon ship and discover the Yamato ruins. This sequence ends with a shot of the ruined superstructure, while the narrator waxes poetic about the ship: “At one time, the Yamato was a great battleship. It fought nobly until the end. While rust and decay have taken away her once-sleek beauty, the legend remains bright, a legend of bravery and sacrifice. Now, just as the ancient ship appears again, the legend will come alive again. A legend and a ship that will save Earth!”
This little bit of background was not a true replacement for the WWII sequence, but was still helpful to young American viewers nonetheless. Unfortunately, this preamble (which opened with a beautiful scene of the sun rising over the burnt Earth) is not found in the Voyager DVDs, most likely due to the repetition of material which would be especially noticeable if the episodes were watched back-to-back.
This episode begins with Captain Avatar walking through EDF HQ where he overhears grim reports from all over the world, places with names like “Pan Am”, “the Afro States”, Asia Minor, “Anglia,” “Euroland,” and the Ukraine (which seems to be the only 21st Century country that kept its name to the end of the 22nd century). All of these places are fading fast. Avatar now seems more determined than ever to reach Iscandar. Something must have happened to him between episodes, since his arm is now in a sling–except for a couple scenes where it isn’t.
If you’re wondering, Space Battleship Yamato used real name places: New York, Paris, Kenya, Moscow, Beijing, and Rio de Janeiro.
We then cut to a scene of Nova treating Wildstar and Venture for the wounds they suffered in the recon ship crash. She mentions rumors about the Yamato retrofit. IQ-9 enters the room, complaining that his work is menial labor, unfit for a “genius robot”.
Production note: According to the storyboard for this episode, Kodai was to be bandaged up by a different nurse before it was decided to give Yuki the job instead.
There are several differences between this scene and the way it was written in Yamato. For one thing, Yuki (Nova) does not mention the ship. Instead, she comments to Kodai (Wildstar) that it’s lucky he survived the crash. Another change is IQ-9’s dialogue. In Yamato, he had none. His Japanese counterpart, Analyzer, is completely silent as he wheels into the room and sets down his tray. Then, in a scene removed from Star Blazers, he proceeds to playfully lift Yuki’s skirt, much to her shock and dismay. Such “panty shots,” usually caused by Analyzer, were numerous in Yamato.
Additional note from Matt Murray: This infirmary scene is somewhat problematic from a timeline point of view, since it places the events of this episode shortly after those of the first. Wildstar and Venture leave the medical bay and within two minutes are inside a completely retrofitted Yamato, complete with Wave-Motion engine. Avatar and the EDF commander were only just viewing the engine plans for the first time when the alert came over the PA about the Gamilon recon plane, which prompted the flight in which Wildstar sustained the injury for which he’s now being treated. It seems as though less than a day has passed in the interim.
Wildstar and Venture are addressed on the loudspeaker and told to report to a waiting aircar. IQ-9 comes along as well. In the aircar, they discover Dr. Sane testing a bottle of his “motion sickness remedy” behind the back seat. Dr. Sane is almost always shown with a bottle of his favorite sake in his hands, which Star Blazers invariably either edits out or changes to something more innocuous, like soybean milk or spring water. In Star Blazers, Dr. Sane was evasive and pseudo-philosophical about his reasons for being in the car, while in Yamato, Dr. Sado (Sane) states that he was summoned, just as the two men were.
They arrive at an underground factory, with a spaceship hull embedded in the cavern roof above. They board an elevator and soon find themselves on the bridge of Yamato, the ruins of which they discovered the other day. While the exterior is just a “rusty hulk,” the interior is completely redesigned for its new use as a space battleship. Nova’s here too, out of her nurse’s uniform and into a yellow jumpsuit. Even with the change of clothes, she still managed to beat them to the bridge. Maybe they stopped somewhere along the way and sampled some of that “motion sickness remedy?”
As with the earlier scene with Nova, the Star Blazers script is much more revealing. It’s stated clearly, both in the underground factory and when they’re on the bridge, that the ship is the Yamato. In the original show, Kodai and Shima (Wildstar and Venture) don’t realize this until they talk to the Captain at the end.
Avatar tells Wildstar and Venture that he’s chosen them for the “Star Force,” a special group of the best and brightest from around the world (places like Euroland, Anglia, and Pan Am, no doubt). The name “Star Force” was invented by the Star Blazers writers to make the crew stand apart from the ship. In the future, whenever you hear the names “Star Force” or Argo, the Japanese script simply said Yamato. Interestingly, Star Force was going to be the English title for the series, but it was probably changed due to its aural similarity to Star Wars.
Before Avatar can finish his recruitment speech, the ship is rocked by an explosion, followed by a report that there’s a high speed carrier heading right for them.
Production note: the wavy video screen images were the result of a common animation technique in which a warped sheet of glass known as a “ripple glass” was dragged, frame by frame, across the artwork to give the image a distorted effect. It was used to varying degrees of success in the early episodes, then later eliminated in favor of less camera work. Either that, or the ship’s video screens all got an upgrade. Look closely in this episode, and you can see a “simulated” ripple effect in a couple of scenes where animators simply drew wavy outlines on the Gamilon carrier.
The carrier unleashes its bombers and they begin to pummel the area around Yamato with missiles. There’s nothing the crew (all engineers at this point) can do. The bombers finish their run and move on to other targets. Advised by Leader Desslok that they’re “not being aggressive enough,” the carrier itself moves in for the kill.
I always wondered why the Gamilon commander’s movements are so shaky and jittery. Too much “space java,” maybe? Or is he nervous because he’s reporting directly to Leader Desslok?
Back on Yamato, they get some of the bridge systems working. Moments later, a low, steady hum is heard, and the engineers report that they finally have the auxiliary engines going. Avatar starts barking out commands as the ship comes to life. With Venture at the helm and Wildstar at the combat station, the ship breaks out of its rusty shell. The titular Space Battleship Yamato is revealed.
Production note: A different crew is shown operating the ship in its initial takeoff at the end of episode 2 whom we never see again. One explanation has emerged to account for their non-appearance afterward: that they spent so much time working on the ship they received an overdose of radiation and had to retire from further duty.
All three heavy shock cannons are locked on target and score a direct hit on the carrier. The carrier commander has time to contact Desslok and tell him that their target wasn’t an underground city, but a space battleship. The carrier commander’s death is up close and personal in the Yamato version. We see him fall to the floor as the explosion claims him.
Meanwhile, out in deep, dark space, Desslok learns that Earth now possesses a “huge space battleship.” He addresses three of his “brightest generals,” none of whom are identifiable in the scene and none of whom will actually appear again. Desslok turns to the camera and gets introduced by a caption, edited out of Star Blazers. I should probably note that these Gamilons, who are probably more familiar to casual fans as blue-skinned, appear with human skin tones. It wasn’t decided to make them blue until 10 episodes in.
Avatar tells his two recruits that the Yamato was “created in a time when great fleets sailed the seas, and there were wars among the nations of Earth.” It was at this point that Space Battleship Yamato showed a beautifully-animated scene of the sinking of the IJN battleship Yamato on April 7th, 1945. It’s easy to see why it was deleted from Star Blazers, as it would have been considered too intense for “children’s programming” in 1979. Not to mention the fact that, even though an American pilot is shown respectfully saluting the ship as it goes down, the Americans are the “bad guys” in this scene. This segment is available as a bonus feature on Volume 2 of the Quest For Iscandar DVD series. The version there is lifted from the Space Battleship Yamato movie, which differs slightly from the TV series.
Production notes: Though the World War II flashback sequence was completely cut from Star Blazers, it provided the first watershed moment among the staff of Space Battleship Yamato because of the use of a military marching anthem in the soundtrack. Leiji Matsumoto thought it would send the wrong message and insisted it be removed. Nishizaki relented after a lot of arguing, but a print of the episode had already gone out to Niigata Prefecture. There was still just enough time to change the music for all other cities, and the original track was only heard again on home video in later years. Read director Noboru Ishiguro’s account of this incident here.
Animation for this episode was by a studio named Tiger Pro, lead by Takeshi Shirato, who would participate in every Yamato production all the way to the end. He was also the director of The New Voyage. The World War II flashback was the handiwork of Kazunori Tomonaga, who would later become Yamato‘s general art director. He is said to have been inspired by the live action film Battle of Britain. The animation style strongly followed that of a unique 1971 TV anime series titled Animentary Decision, a retelling of Pacific theatre events in World War II. (It’s highly probable that some of Yamato‘s animators also worked on that series.)
Long after Yamato wrapped production, deep sea research vehicles investigated the wreckage of the original ship. It was determined that the hull had broken into two large fragments and many small ones, scattered on the ocean floor rather than resting in one piece as shown in the still below left. There is occasionally talk in Japan of raising what is left of the structure, but thus far it hasn’t gone any farther than that. Either way, if Space Battleship Yamato wasn’t a fantasy before, it certainly is now!
Avatar wraps up his recruitment speech by telling the pair “The Star Force needs you, and others like you.” Wildstar replies “I’m proud to go with you, sir, and to serve with the Star Force, as my brother would have been.” We see Avatar wince at that comment, which could be taken as a deliberate reminder that Wildstar holds him accountable for his brother’s death.
Okita’s (Avatar’s) dialogue in Yamato reveals something interesting here: he tells the two men that before the message from Iscandar, the space battleship was being rebuilt as an escape ship, a kind of Noah’s Ark, meant to take a selection of people and animals to find another world to live on.
Somehow, Yamato is able to rest on the Earth, seemingly sitting straight, with the third bridge and ventral hull fins clearly visible.
“There are 364 days left”
Continue to Episode 3
This entry was posted in Commentary (Series 1) by TimEldred. Bookmark the permalink.
2 thoughts on “Episode 2 Commentary”
Timber on February 17, 2014 at 9:05 pm said:
Interesting note: when the series first premiered, both in Japan and the US, the Ukraine was NOT an independent country, but part of the Soviet Union until 1991.
Ed Chang on March 25, 2014 at 2:06 pm said:
The below decks crew on this first battle were the engineers who built the Yamato. They were replaced by the official crew in the next episode. That’s why they are not seen again. I believe there’s some dialogue in Yamato ep 3 that presents this.
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Vol 42-1
A new study of the anthracotheres (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) from pondaung formation, Myanmar: systematics implications
Aung N. Soe
Keywords: Anthracohyus; Anthracokeryx; Anthracotherium; Pondaung Formation; sexual dimorphism; Siamotherium; South East Asia; Taxonomy
doi: 10.18563/pv.36.1-4.89-157
Anthracotheres from the Pondaung Formation, Myanmar, are considered as one of the most primitive artiodactyl groups and they represent the oldest known record in the world. Thus, the understanding of this group has numerous implications for evolutionary biology and biochronological correlations. However, the systematlcs of these mammals has been interpreted in different ways, and the main debate focuses on the number of taxa represented in the Pondaung Formation. The revised taxonomy proposed here is mainly based on the relative development of the upper molar W-shaped ectoloph, system of crests and stylar cusps, and on body size. On the basis of these characters, they are classified into four genera including six different species. Two well-known genera, Anthracotherium and Anthracokeryx, are validated and more precisely diagnosed. Anthracokeryx possesses a better developed W-shaped ectoloph, system of crests and stylar cusps than Anthracotherium, which displays notable differences with the more derived representatives of this genus. Both of these Pondaung genera show evidence for sexual dimorphism. However, the incompleteness of fossil material fueled a debate concerning the status of two additional Pondaung anthracotheres, Siamotherium and Anthracohyus. The latter genus is of uncertain affinities, but it has been considered as a hippopotamid ancestor. Despite new material attributed to these two forms, additional discoveries are still required to establish their taxonomic status. The hypothesis that Southeast Asia was the centre of origin of Anthracotheriidae is supported by the retention of numerous primitive dental characters in these taxa and by the antiquity of the Pondaung Formation, to which an age of 37 My is now generally accepted.
Article infos
Published in Vol. 36, Fasc. 1-4 (2008)
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PAX CHRISTI USA
Lent Booklet
Peacemaking Day by Day
Advent Booklet
Anti-Racism Team
Ambassadors of Peace
Teachers of Peace
The Four Initiatives
Que es Pax Christi
2020 World Gathering
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High School Workshop
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July 30, 2015 paxchristiusa Bread for the Journey, Magliano, Nuclear Disarmament, Reflection, War
REFLECTION: The Catholic priest who blessed atomic bomb crews – and his conversion
by Tony Magliano
Seventy years ago, on August 6, 1945, the single most destructive weapon ever unleashed upon human beings and the environment – the atomic bomb – was dropped by an American B-29 bomber on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, killing approximately 80,000 people.
Three days later a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, killing an estimated 40,000 people.
“Blessing” the crews and its two missions, was the Catholic chaplain to the 509th Composite Group – the atomic bomb group – Father George Zabelka.
In a Sojourners Magazine interview, the late Fr. Zabelka explained, “If a soldier came to me and asked if he could put a bullet through a child’s head, I would have told him absolutely not. That would be mortally sinful.”
But in 1945 on Tinian Island in the South Pacific, where the atomic bomb group was based, planes took off around the clock, said Zabelka. “Many of these planes went to Japan with the express purpose of killing not one child or one civilian but of slaughtering hundreds and thousands of children and civilians – and I said nothing. …
“Yes, I knew civilians were being destroyed … Yet I never preached a single sermon against killing civilians to men who were doing it. …
“I was brainwashed! It never entered my mind to publicly protest the consequences of these massive air raids.
“I was told the raids were necessary; told openly by the military and told implicitly by my Church’s leadership. To the best of my knowledge no American cardinals or bishops were opposing these mass air raids. Silence in such matters, especially by a public body like the American bishops, is a stamp of approval. …
“Christians have been slaughtering each other, as well as non-Christians, for the past 1700 years, in large part because their priests, pastors and bishops have simply not told them that violence and homicide are incompatible with the teachings of Jesus.”
After years of soul-searching, Fr. Zabelka’s complete conversion from being a strong proponent of the “just-war theory” to a total pacifist was announced in a 1975 Christmas letter: “I must do an about face. … I have come to the conclusion that the truth of the Gospel is that Jesus was nonviolent and taught nonviolence as his way.”
Fr. Zabelka dedicated the rest of his life to teaching, preaching and witnessing to Gospel nonviolence.
In 1983 he and a Jesuit priest, Fr. Jack Morris, organized and participated in the “Bethlehem Peace Pilgrimage” starting at the nuclear submarine base in Bangor, Washington and ending on Christmas Eve 1984 in Bethlehem.
When Fr. Zabelka reached Maryland, I had the good fortune of hearing him personally share his inspiring story of conversion.
I strongly recommend reading Fr. Zabelka’s entire Sojourners Magazine interview by going to this link http://bit.ly/1LQtdFX. And consider ordering from the Center for Christian Nonviolence (http://bit.ly/1H37EeF) the excellent DVD “Fr. George Zabelka: The Reluctant Prophet.” Or just simply go to this link (http://bit.ly/1eAT5bC) to view it.
We can either choose to rationalize and condone violence and war, or we can help God build his kingdom of life and love.
In the biblical book of Deuteronomy, the author lays out a divine ultimatum for humanity: “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord, your God, obeying his voice, and holding fast to him.”
May we always choose life!
Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist. Please contact your diocesan newspaper and request that they carry Tony’s column. Tony is available to speak at diocesan or parish gatherings about Catholic social teaching. His keynote address, “Advancing the Kingdom of God in the 21st Century,” has been well received by diocesan gatherings from San Clemente, CA to Baltimore. Tony can be reached at tmag@zoominternet.net.
Tagged George Zabelka, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Tony Magliano
One thought on “REFLECTION: The Catholic priest who blessed atomic bomb crews – and his conversion”
I knew George. He baptized my twin daughters during his retirement in Flint, MI. He was an activist for peace! Great priest!
POPE FRANCIS: Pax Christi USA signs onto letter encouraging Pope Francis’ message in U.S.
REFLECTION: Pope Francis – “Facts are more important than ideas”
Click for Resources
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info@paxchristiusa.org
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Cashing in on Digital Opportunities
Home » Digital » Cashing in on Digital Opportunities
Digitization has opened up new opportunities for content companies. Hiren Gada, Director and CFO, Shemaroo Entertainment, talks about how his company is riding on the digital wave to reach out to its consumers
Can you give a perspective of where is action at this point of time in the industry? And, where is Shemaroo heading?
Shemaroo is a content owner aggregator and distributor. We are an agnostic content aggregator not linked to technology or a platform. Our target is to go where the consumers are. In films, our current focus is on re-issue of films. The second area of focus is television. We syndicate content to channels across categories, genres and platforms. The third place where consumer is headed and which is at a nascent stage is the digital media (Internet or mobile based digitally delivered content). We have created a space for ourselves in this medium. TV and new media are focus for us where the consumer is headed.
How does Shemaroo Entertainment see it ride on the digital now world?
We have been monetizing our content on many digital platforms. Anyone who wants to run a Bollywood service has to work at some level with Shemaroo. We are not exclusively aligned to any one platform. Our business model is to distribute content in as many platforms. It is something similar to home video days — where we used to give DVDs to as many stores who would want to keep our DVD or content. Every new platform that comes in the market is a new shop front. It is something similar to the product available in all e-commerce platforms. At this point of time we do not know where the consumers will go. Working with various platforms will be the way we will look at it.
Tell us about your Miniplex product being offered by Tata Sky and Airtel to DTH subscribers.
Traditionally, after the theatrical window we had the home video window and television window. Now home video has shrunk and it is in the process of migrating to the digital store. But digital has not fully arrived. With Miniplex, we wanted to create a premium window to replace the home video window.
We offer one premiere every week. The consumer has the opportunity to watch four premieres in a month. Every Friday, we have eight shows. In a week we have 14 shows. The monthly subscription is Rs 60 and annual Rs 720. It is ad-free.
We will be adding more platforms. In a way, we are looking at movies which have lost out after the theatrical release and did not get the post theatrical market. It is a win-win for everyone. Film producer is happy as he could see some monetization, while platforms are getting new films. Consumers who missed those movies in theatre can catch them at home. There is value to everyone in the ecosystem. It is not absurdly priced and we have priced it reasonably.
Cable digitization has pushed scale. DTH has created mindset to pay for premium services, the conducive mindset, ecosystem and environment to have these services. We are headed more in that direction.
Will you be looking at reaching Miniplex in global platforms?
At this point of time, it is primarily for India we have started on DTH platforms. We are exploring other international platforms as well.
Is it a conscious decision that you have not started your own platform?
At the end of the day we are a content company. We are not a technology company. We decided to leverage existing technology platforms.
Last year, of the 1,200 films only 600 films got released in theatres. Are you looking at releasing some movies directly on these platforms?
That is not in our thought process. At this point of time for Miniplex we are looking at films which are theatrically released.
Will you be looking at increasing the number of premier’s in Miniplex?
Do you fund films that you release in Miniplex?
We don’t look at anything pre-release. The film is evaluated post release. Since the product has stabilised in both the platforms — Tata Sky and Airtel DTH — we will be looking at award-winning festival circuit regional movies. We are looking at the opportunity to have these films subtitled. But we have not explored this space.
Our immediate focus is to expand the presence of Miniplex and take the service to certain traction.
Jeffrey Katzenberg’s NewTV Bets High on Mobile-Video Segment
Viacom18 / Indiacast Media Distribution
Amit Khanna is a Treasure Trove of Anecdotes
OML Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
Advantage Arunachal Pradesh
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Obama and the Media: The End of the Affair
By Jennifer Rubin 2009-03-23T04:48:20
The honeymoon is over. I'm not even sure marriage counseling can save this one. It seems that the mainstream media and President Obama are breaking up.
The AP's Liz Sidoti goes after the president with hammer and tongs:
Barack Obama's optimistic campaign rhetoric has crashed headlong into the stark reality of governing. In office two months, he has backpedaled on an array of issues, gingerly shifting positions as circumstances dictate while ducking for political cover to avoid undercutting his credibility and authority.
That's happened on the Iraq troop withdrawal timeline, on lobbyists in his administration and on money for lawmakers' pet projects. ...
For now at least, Obama's deviations have served only to invite occasional cries of hypocrisy from some Republicans and infrequent grumbles of disappointment from some Democrats. He has popularity on his side, and it seems people mostly are chalking up his moves to much-needed flexibility at a difficult time.
But the shifts could take a toll over time if they become a persistent pattern and the public grows weary. His overall job-performance marks could suffer and jeopardize his likely re-election campaign in 2012.
People could perceive him as a say-one-thing-do-another politician and the Democratic-controlled Congress could see him as a weak chief executive.
NBC's Chuck Todd says the president has a "credibility problem" on his budget numbers. The White House press corps is roughing up the hapless Robert Gibbs virtually every day on the AIG bonus debacle. The New York Times' Paul Krugman has had it. Indeed, all of the Gray Lady's liberal columnist contingent is in a huff. Steve Kroft on 60 Minutes even went so far as to question the president's jocularity, asking impertinently if the president was "punch-drunk."
Was it something Obama said? Was it snubbing their Gridiron dinner? (Even Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger joked to the assembled press corps, "He's just not that into you.") Certainly we have come a long way since the giddy days on the campaign trail when nary a critical word by the press corps was spoken about The One. How did such a lovestruck couple drift apart?
https://pjmedia.com/blog/obama-and-the-media-the-end-of-the-affair/
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Boat Mattresses
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Category Archives: deindustrialization
Hauntology and the trauma of social change: deindustrialising communities in Mumbai and provincial Russia
This post appears in the City and Society Forum: Haunted Cityscapes: Critical Dialogues, edited by Derek Pardue and published 13 Feb 2018.
When the editors of City and Society asked me to write this piece and gave some examples of previous publications on ‘haunted landscapes’ to engage with, I was immediately taken by a couple of suggested topics: the “eeriness of city spaces after deindustrialization, collective memory about public architecture that is somehow unspeakable”. Both relate closely to my own research on Russian small-town rustbelt communities. Maura Finkelstein’s ‘Landscapes of Invisibility: Anachronistic Subjects and Allochronous Spaces in Mill Land Mumbai’ was an obvious choice as a companion piece to my own work.
Published in 2015 Finkelstein’s article shows how deindustrialization is not an obvious linear process. She explores experience of trauma through the gradual or sudden loss of working-personhood. This relates not only to a “question of mourning and nostalgia, but also one of economic insecurity for most of the global workforce.” Her fieldwork findings and reflections on Indian cotton spinners in Mumbai relate to discussions of precarity well beyond the purview of traditional blue-collar labor. Of particular interest is the literature that critically engages with the meaning of “precarious work” from a less Eurocentric perspective (for example Munck 2013, Paret 2016, and subsequent reflections, for example on China, South Africa and Russia).
The main question posed in Finkelstein’s article expresses what in my view is a chief task of urban ethnographers today: “What might a global history of contemporary labor transformation look like if the remaining workers and remnant spaces of industry are allowed visibility and voice alongside narratives of disappearance and scarcity?” One of the answers for Finkelstein is that a ‘sense of being a worker permeated every conversation’ with informants, even as they lost their jobs or were already primarily engaged in other labor. This leads to her adoption of the term “allochronous space” to describe Mumbai’s mills. They are still working spaces, even as the gentrified and ‘modern’ city of 21st century India encroaches on an industrial setting little changed since the 1960s and predicated on an economy of empire and the global flows of cotton dating from the mid-19th-century.
Finkelstein doesn’t use the term “haunting”, but certainly the idea of the spectre of 20th century urban industrial landscapes can be adopted to further elucidate key ideas about space and people as they appear “out of joint”. The term “hauntology” comes from research in popular cultural studies by Mark Fisher. Fisher used this term to link nostalgia about British 1970s popular culture of his youth to what he saw as the simultaneous pendulum swing towards the neoliberal, post-Fordist consensus. Michael Grasso’s reading of Fisher sees this transformation as leading “to a culture of retrospection and pastiche” typified by a particular form of consumption: “destruction of solidarity and security brought about a compensatory hungering for the well-established and the familiar?” For those growing up in the final stages of the previous period of full employment and widely enjoyed socio-economic rights and privileges, the subsequent period and present are experienced as a “unnatural”, “rigged”, or, in the words of Franco “Bifo” Berardi, a “slow cancellation of the future”. Like for the Mumbai mill workers, this is an example of “allochronically” experienced time, or at least diachronicity. The past expectations of the future are “cancelled”, yet the past, with its hopefulness, naïve beliefs, refuses to die in the present, even as the “majority” (the increasingly gentrified middle-class Mumbaikars) see in the mill workers and their factories, only ghosts of a time past.
How similar this sounds to the experiences of my Russian informants in a small deindustrialising town. I’ve written extensively about the multi-generational experience of workers there living out of joint. I call this an example of a social trauma of the unhomely present – disjoint and time, place and belonging. This is different from the acute trauma experienced by people living in big urban centres like Moscow in the period immediately during and after the extreme capitalist market reforms of the early 1990s, which is amply documented in both urban and rural anthropologies of postsocialism. But, in reality the processes of “restructuring” have stretched into the present, a period of more than 25 years and thus become a multi-generational experience. Hence, informants’ characterization of present time as a seemingly never-ending interval (the future is somehow never expected to arrive and the past socialist period is continually referred to as the time “before”). The sense of traumatically being out of synchrony with the times—that the present is somehow mocking and torturing a person—is experienced as an ongoing and growing process of trauma, rather than a single event. This idea of trauma as process in the postsocialist context really begins in Sergei Ushakin’s work (also spelled Oushakine). It also helps us think of “postsocialism” as an analytic concept of relevance to the present and to global neoliberal processes – see Borelli and Mattioli 2013, and Makovicky 2014.
How does this painful haunting show up in terms of the relationship between workers and the urban landscape? What first appeals about the Finkelstein piece is the physical immediacy of the ethnographic encounter with the industrial city, even in its decline. The mixture of dust and food smells, also unmistakable in the Russian context, is the reminder of the town’s industrial worth even in the present. The fine limestone easily turns to powder under the wheels of trucks on its unsealed roads. Second, the hulks of abandoned buildings are emblematically haunting, but also misleading. The photo of Mumbai in Finkelstein’s piece shows the domination of the shininess of modernity in the form of new housing, but, peering closer, we see the decrepit looking but still functioning mill buildings.
looks are deceiving – a still functioning Russian cement works.
In deindustrialising communities the backdrop of the now-useless “worthless dowry” of disused mill, workshop and smoke-stack structures seems universal, but, in reality, reveals important differences in the degree of haunting, and as Alice Mah has shown, seemingly “ruined”, abandoned industrial sites remain connected with the urban fabric. The term “worthless dowry” comes from research on urban technological networks by Maria Kaika and Eric Swyngedouw via Elena Trubina on the problems of post-Soviet urban regeneration. Most industrial settlements in Russia were purposely built and the land for their “industrial zones” is of little worth for redevelopment – too peripheral, disconnected from urban centres, or simply decrepit. Hence, the abandoned and half-finished buildings are left to rot rather than pulled down or repurposed. They are therefore an ever-present haunting reminder of the comforting and familiar rhythms of the Soviet factory (with guaranteed social housing, multi-generational employment and other benefits), and simultaneously the loss of meaning and status in the present, the cancelled future.
There is one road in and out of my town, Izluchino, 4-hours’ drive from Moscow. While many workers have found new jobs in the multinational corporations that have set up factories closer to Moscow, this means a long commute by car. Every working day a convoy of workers cannot avoid driving past the still standing brick chimneys that dominate the landscape. But there is no smoke except from the newly built German limekiln employing a handful of workers. The Soviets, both anxious and proud of their rapid achievement in building socialism in a backwards country were keen to mark the urban territory at every turn. Thus, the brick chimneys and buildings of Izluchino still bear the date of their construction: “1970”, “1980”, as well as the ubiquitous “Glory to the CPSU” [the USSR Communist Party]. Even beyond the industrial zone, one cannot escape the Soviet periodization of progress. When the USSR began building its nuclear arsenal, the town suddenly boomed with activity as limestone in great quantity was required for the railway to the world’s first grid-connected nuclear reactor in Obninsk. As a result, wooden barracks were built hurriedly in the town. Now they are more like slums, but still each one bears the year of its construction: “1960”, “1961” and the sports hall still bears the proud emblems of the 1980 Moscow Olympics, exhorting all Soviet people to engage in physical “culture” for the sake of the project of building communism. Outside the post office building, now mainly given over to selling Chinese domestic appliances, a forlorn whitewashed bust of Lenin looks on.
Centre of town. photo courtesy of Balázs Gosztonyi
However, despite the seemingly worthless dowry of Soviet industrial modernity, the present-day workers like their Mumbai counterparts “are not relics of the past, their perspectives are relevant to contemporary understanding of deindustrialization” (Finkelstein). Their lived experience of trauma, and of dealing with dislocating social change is indicative and witness to broader issues relating to contemporary precarisation – as the haunting metaphor indicating a loss of future seeks to show. In such spaces, allochronicity means that values of work, dignity, and the sense of betrayal can live on – haunt – so to speak – long after the acute period of deindustrialization seems to have passed. In Mumbai former mill workers still separate out the categories of “work” versus “labor” – enforced cab driving is merely “labor” and not the same as millwork as it is lacking in dignity for the cotton spinners.
This could have been written about many former socialist urban communities, where cab driving, day laboring and informal economic activities provide a form of precarious survival, camaraderie of despair even, but also show up the stark contrast between the work-based certainties and social status of the past. Finkelstein notes “how one’s work comes to craft one’s identity is left unanswered” in much scholarship. Finkelstein is at pains to show how work, even after deindustrialization produces selfhood, but in a context of devalued or declining work, personhood comes to be experienced in a pale haunting quality. Workers are “selectively invisible”, but their erasure is an active social process in postindustrial urban spaces. The state, media and of course redevelopment and gentrification all play a role. In the postsocialist context, after the obligatory propaganda of workers states, a reversal is observed, and in the media, a demonization of workers occurs. Finkelstein refers repeatedly to the incredulity of more sophisticated Mumbai residents on learning that cotton is still being spun in the city – surely these workers have been “dispersed” – or disposed of. Postmodernity has no use of these people.
A longue durée history of people at the sharp end of change and a truly global anthropology (or geography) of work and class must draw upon precisely these processes of making workers, work, and workplaces invisible if it is to capture adequately the ebb and flow of industrial and urban time. Mumbai as fishing village gains global industrial visibility as cotton production moves there after colonialism. Recently there has been fruitful, if polemical, discussion of the comparability of aspects of postsocialism and postcolonialism – see for example Hana Cervinkova, Gruia Badescu, and Radim Hladík. The problems faced in Mumbai appear similar to those in Russia after socialism. They include obviously loss of markets and a dismantling of larger networks for the main product, but also the complex issues of public subsidies, alternative use of the production spaces for work not connected to the original purpose (the parallel informal economies mentioned above), redevelopment and zoning laws, and reneging state and private sector partners that once promised regeneration or simply pensions and basic social benefits.
At the same time, Finkelstein’s Mumbai piece shows how urban anthropology as well as being globally aware, also requires a commitment to people in, and out of place: an approach that tries to capture the embodiment of urban change in personhoods. Buildings as well as ways of city life are abandoned, repurposed, made invisible. But, these processes do not take place without parallel experiences at the level of the person – the socially embedded individual. And, it is the effect on people, as much as place that gives these events their political resonance.
The removal of Lenin busts across postsocialist countries (particularly Ukraine) in the last few years – minus Russia – is often used to symbolise the proper periodisation of ‘postsocialism’ – the end of that term’s usefulness and the beginning of a new era. However, I’d like to end this piece with a more problematizing example of politicizing urban change – the tearing down of 1960s low density housing in the heart of Moscow. More than Lenin heads, this project of urban renewal by urban planners reveals not the end of the postsocialist period, but the continuing haunting of the present by a promised and abandoned future in the socialist past. So-called ‘Khrushchevki’ – small, prefabricated flats in five-story blocks are being pulled down to make way for high-density blocks sold to the urban middle-class (really a small upper-middle class minority) and for shopping malls, in a last gasp of Russia’s dysfunctional oil-based consumption binge. Khrushchevki remain emblematic of the mixed-use public urban space – yards, gardens, distributed social housing throughout the city, also of the meager yet utopian project of socialism – family housing, albeit of low and cramped quality, for all. It is ironic that a totalitarian state had such a “democratic” vision for urban space. No wonder that of all the social protests of the last few years, the response to the Moscow authorities’ residential plans drew the widest response across the political spectrum. However, it was the residents themselves, another category of the invisible (pensioners and the urban poor), who were active in resisting the plans. Their ongoing residence in the heart of one of the world’s largest and most expensive cities was not just a question of the meaning of class, gentrification and modernisation.
People and place together constituted a political haunting of the seemingly neat present of extreme neoliberal capital logic dictating Moscow’s urbanscape. The past as utopian project, as shoddy and uncomfortable, but equitable and available for all, refuses to die quietly. So too do deindustrializing communities, as Finkelstein’s Mumbai research shows. Sherry Lee Linkon, a proponent of renewed working-class studies, makes a strong case for approaching deindustrialized landscapes in concert with their residents as “resources” that feed small, local efforts for renewal particularly in the sphere of memory and narrative. Linkon focuses on the literary, but in anthropology, there is pressing work to be done concerning how communities come to terms with urban and socio-economic traumatic change – whether that change is abrupt or relatively drawn out.
This entry was posted in deindustrialization, postsocialism, Russia, working-class and tagged Alice Mah, Finkelstein, hauntology, Linkon, precarity, ruination, trauma, urban space on 16/02/2018 by Jeremy Morris.
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PS Vita Roundup
Sony and Namco's Research Team Developing Vita Ridge Racer
A while back Sega mentioned that its technology development team had come up with such a good idea for a Vita game that they swung it into full production. Now, Sony's equivalent room of ubergeeks, called Cellius, have been playing with the Vita and tasked to come up with the new Ridge Racer game in partnership with Namco.
According to a widely quoted interview:
“Cellius got its start with the Cell processor architecture; the concept was to be an outfit that researched ways to use this technology to create neat things. So it’s not exactly pure research; it’s more about finding ways to expand the things that can be done with the PlayStation family.”
The experiment should get the maximum out of the Vita's various control methods and processing power, while hopefully bringing something new (but not too new) to the world of Ridge Racer. Check out the concept video here, which made us think it was all going a little bit WipEout.
namco ridge racer sega research sony research sony vita
Strength of the Sword Ultimate still in development on Vita
Way back in 2015, I was rather impressed by Ivent's Strength of the Sword Ultimate, but probably too broke to back it. Which is why I'd assumed it had long since been canned, since the developer has gone quiet on Twitter and the game site for years - only posting updates visible to backers on the KS page.
If you are a backer then you will have seen this new Vita dev WIP video, showing it is still alive. For the rest of us - here you go...
Thanks to LRG for the tip! I'll put the game back on the release list, it looks more like an angry Medievil as opposed to Chair's Infinity Blade, which I'd hoped for originally.
For further reading, SotSU went live on Steam last October and has got some good reviews, hopefully not long until the Vita version emerges. Remember, Kickstarter isn't totally dead for Vita owners, and hopefully a few more devs will see it as a funding option.
Legend of the Skyfish hooks the Vita soon
Having moaned a bit recently about all the very-similar puzzlers hitting the Vita, while being aware that we must take what we're offered, Skyfish looks rather different, with great art and a clever game mechanic.
Update: game out on the 27/28th August.
Legend of the Skyfish from Mgaia, ported to the Vita by Ratalaika, is an adventure puzzle game with a fishing twist. Originally a 2017 Steam and mobile game, it comes to console with the fishing rod as Little Red Hook's key tool to solving puzzles and making progress in her journey with the Moonwhale to defeat the monstrous Skyfish.
Porting work is complete according to Ratalaika, so hopefully we'll be enjoying the charm of this hook and line puzzle before summer ends.
Using her fishing pole as a weapon or a grappling hook, puzzles stretch over several islands, she can also upgrade it for new skills,
Legend of the Skyfish looks gorgeous and is made from beautiful hand-painted art, intricate action puzzles and unique enemies…
Retro gaming on your Vita
I'm getting a Mega Drive Mini today (a birthday treat that I can't open until later), and will be pre-ordering the PC Engine CoreGrafx Mini. But, as I have the world's greatest portable in my hands, what can you retro game on the mighty Vita, or a PSP if you have one to hand?
I love a good retro day, not needing to worry about trophies, performance issues and remembering endless controller options. What I do worry is that so many games are hard to find or play, like the Atari vector Star Wars games, or the Bally games like Tapper, Mikie and Spy Hunter (not the terrible modern version) or Irem's Kung Fu Master and Moon Patrol (without going the emulator route).
But for all the holes in the retro world, there's still plenty to enjoy in short retro-bursts. Note: I'm not going into individual releases like the many Mega Man games or upgrades (Ultimate Ghosts n Goblins), that's another article. And yes, I've probably missed a few collections, while others m…
Feel the power of the light side! All content (c) respective owners, words by me!
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Psychopomp Magazine
Ferrying you away from the familiar
David J. Wingrave
The curious king adjusts his beard, buttons his disguise, and visits the supermarket. In the grocery aisle he grabs several packets of mixed salad and tears them open. Customers stare as the king jumps up and down on scattered crudités.
“Is this how you people eat?” he shrieks. “You do weird stuff to cabbage?”
Two security guards arrive and beat the king with sticks. The king protests. He is their noble sovereign. His assailants glance at one another through dark glasses, then toss the king onto the hard concrete of the parking lot.
The king grumbles back to his palace, climbs the tallest tower, and stands by the window. Then he inspects his many portraits. Then he orders a cup of peppermint tea. Then he sends it back and demands wine. The king is agitated; he feels disconnected and locked-in. He meets the blind gaze of a marble statue and with disgust thinks of his own wet body. His people baffle him and politics no longer excite his interest.
The first minister is at the drawbridge. And he has bad news.
“My liege,” he pants, and steadies himself against a wall. “Your highness, the western provinces are in revolt.”
The first minister thinks it best to send in the army. As it happens, the king agrees. But over the years he has come to despise the first minister, an establishment stooge, a bore, a dimwit, the voice who wheedles and nags.
The king sends everyone in the western provinces five thousand dollars instead. Despite the triumphant announcement and a ticker-tape parade, the newspapers call for free and fair elections. The king wonders if he could do more to encourage beekeeping.
The king has reached sixty-eight years of age and his hands tremble, sometimes, when he combs his hair. He has a nipple ring no one else has ever seen. His heart judders if he exerts himself. His bedchambers overlook the capital in all its hurried colour, and from the eastern balcony the view stretches to the mountains.
The king has watched his city creep toward those mountains year after year, like mold across bread. At a certain point he began to think of it as a contest. The city sped ever greedier toward the mountains; the mountains appeared to grow ever more solid. He anticipates the clash: city vs. mountain, mould vs. bread. Who will surrender when the first white roof meets the cold purple stone?
The morning sun washes through the city streets and up the palace walls. The jeweled gown still lies handsomely across the king’s broad shoulders, and he has only recently begun to avoid photographs of himself. He has heard, somewhere, that local honey cures hay fever.
The royal doctor makes a call.
“Clean bill,” he says, bundling up a stethoscope.
“Well something’s up,” sulks the king. “I can feel it.”
“Your stateliness,” says the doctor. “Even if I were to write you a sick note, the ceremony would simply be postponed until tomorrow.”
The king’s personal food-taster arrives with nine-tenths of a light snack. The doctor snaps shut his bag. The king sighs.
In the Palace of Reception, the walls are decked with heraldic banners and the ballroom strewn with meandering aristocracy. A celebrated explorer has returned from parts afar. Trumpets blare.
After the ceremony, she strides around the rose garden with the king in tired pursuit.
“I have traveled to many distant lands,” begins the explorer, flinging her arm in the direction of a peacock topiary. “And I can tell you one thing, sire, about the great mess of humanity that has spilled across the globe: everyone is nice. Everyone is friendly. Everyone is welcoming and hospitable and keen for contact to progress smoothly and the meal to be shared and the hand shaken; meet the eye, your honor, and you will see that, in the end, everyone just wants to be left alone to grow tomatoes.”
“Alone,” repeats the king.
“And I will tell you one more thing,” says the explorer. “Everywhere is covered in trash.”
The king is no longer listening. He is thinking of the royal doctor—how much his glasses remind him of a certain foreign prince who many years ago visited the kingdom. Maybe he should buy the doctor a house or a diamond, or have him beheaded or something. But the king’s back aches from all the striding and gesticulating, and the thought dissolves.
“It was revolting,” continues the explorer, stamping her foot, “Frankly, I’m glad I was born when I was.”
Partridges quiver in the fields. The explorer’s long hair billows to remember its years at the prow. Over the Palace of Reception, the sky deepens to an imperial blue.
The only other person to see the king’s nipple ring, beloved Prince Alexandr, is dead.
“The Palace of Strategy should be renamed the Palace of Crappy Insulation,” grumbles the first minister. He shivers. Draughts ruffle his paperwork. He is having trouble paying attention to the king.
“If you could… run it past me one more time, sire,” he says.
“I’ve made myself perfectly clear.”
“That’s true,” says the first minister, nodding. “Certainly. It’s just… I’m trying to get a hold of, I mean, to fully grasp… what it is you’re proposing. You want liquor licenses…”
“…ye-es…”
“…for babies?”
The king slumps in his throne.
“Not for babies, man. With babies. A liquor license distributed with your firstborn.”
“I see,” replies the first minister.
“You’re the one who was complaining about the birthrate,” says the king. “This will encourage couples to have a first child and then, later, encourage them to have a second.”
“Yes, I see,” says the first minister. He tugs at a few stubborn nasal hairs.
“Two different kinds of encouragement,” says the king, knitting together his fingers.
A follicle surrenders to the first minister’s probing fingers. His nose begins to bleed. Recently, he has begun to wonder about the future.
The sharpshooting king buttons his disguise and visits the zoo. His custom-built rifle makes light work of three giraffes and a panda. “Too easy!” he screams as he fires off another round into the elephant enclosure. “Is this how you hunt?”
Two guards arrive and beat the king with sticks. The king protests. Don’t they understand? The animals, mounted in his study, will live forever. The guards toss the king out onto the hard concrete of the parking lot, where he sits a minute and feels the throb of his injuries. He sighs. He paws at his torn disguise. Then he clenches his fists and stands up. The king sneaks back into the zoo via the service entrance.
“Where are your bees?” he asks a keeper.
“We have an apiary in the visitor center,” the keeper replies. He leans on his rake. “Yup. If you hurry, you’ll receive a free jar of zoo honey.”
“Really?” says the king.
“No,” says the keeper. “We’re not a farm. You need to go to a farm.”
The king keeps his disguise buttoned tight and visits a farm. He is stung repeatedly by angry bees and then beaten with sticks.
The king has begun to wonder about his disguise.
The first minister receives a midnight visitor. It’s all arranged. He anticipates the knock. He sits at his kitchen table with the lights off. Still, he’s startled by the knocking.
The knocks that suggest a particular knocker.
Shadows: those made by buildings, by foliage, by clouds in their transit across the moon. Next, the quick shadows of a door opened briefly and the deep shadows of a concealed stairway leading to a small, disused room. The shadows retreat from the brightness of an elegant brass lamp. There are nods, strange handshakes, whispers.
The first minister worries about the whispers. To those who listen, the loudest sound is quiet, indistinct speech.
“It has been a long time, first minister.”
“Not so long, Owl.”
“Time passes more quickly when you’re needed. I have had nothing but the sky for company and the purple stones for conversation.”
“Already with the hermit bullshit,” says the first minister, with more venom than he intends. “You’ve had food and freedom. Come spend some time in the capital if you want to understand deprivation.”
The midnight visitor scans the room. “You seem to have done all right for yourself.”
“Baubles,” snaps the first minister, but a second later his shoulders relax and he attempts a smile. The midnight visitor smiles back.
Rummaging around in the bottom of his wardrobe, the king unearths a shoebox full of old Polaroids. He remembers the box. Knows the photographs will mostly depict his inauguration. Knows that, with more behind than ahead, you cannot simply plunge into the past and hope to resurface serene.
The king thumbs the lid.
Crowds on the platform. White lace at the elbow. A big smile, stuffed into one corner of his mouth. Plumed hats. The king feels the air around him thicken, as time’s edge is momentarily forgotten.
“Hello, I am your king.”
“Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust.”
“Prince Alexandr, Alex, from the moment I saw you, the throne was lost.”
The king is just trying on some old phrases, in the darkened wardrobe.
A candle is seen flickering in an abandoned tower. Hooded figures dart behind corners and, when pursued, vanish into the gloom. A certain cross-section of the national guard receives a coded summons. The first minister, nervous in a cowl, paces up and down the beach and studies the horizon. He waits for the tide’s flat rush, for news, and for the dawn of progress.
The king is the only king to secure ninety-eight percent of the vote, one hundred and one percent of the time. The king is committed to electoral reform. The king’s office is hereditary, for security purposes. The king first appeared at the head of an angry mob. The king has worn the uniform. The king has burned the flag. The king has redrawn the map. The king can trace his ancestry back to the First Men. The king’s name appears on mountainsides, in tea leaves, in the wisps of strange clouds. The king is secure. The king has an unparalleled record in community outreach. The king appreciates a challenge. The king can go up as well as down. The king was appointed by a sacred goat—that’s just the way we do things around here. The king respects his elders. The king commits to international treaties. The king demands change. The king has only just arrived, and he has things to be getting on with. The king fell to earth with his wings aflame. The king emerged from the sea, from a sulfurous lake. The king was borne into our arms by the winds of fate, and our love is as boundless and deep as the ballot box.
The king receives a vision. During the night, his ancestors’ pale spirits process through the bed chamber. The kings and queens of old surround him in all their gaseous nobility. They suggest an admin day.
The king wakes up groggy, but in the shower there occurs to him a brilliant wheeze. He’ll have an admin day! If he is to comprehend his people he will need statistics, forecasts, data. From now on, all his proclamations will be based on a thorough familiarity with the demographics. The efficient and perceptive king will shift a tax here, tweak a retirement age there; the clockwork of his realm will be hacked and oiled and grasped and he will no longer have to rely on random visions.
“A splendid idea,” says the first minister.
“Yeah, my idea,” replies the king.
From the crowded shelves in the census room the king selects at random one of the hide-bound tomes. It’s filled with a long list of his subjects’ names. They all begin with F. The king worries what such a lack of creativity might mean for the economy. The king worries all day, and when through Gothic windows the sun begins to set like an egg cracked onto the horizon, he yawns, closes the volume, and tries the door. Locked from the outside. The fretful king sits back down.
Unbelievable Violence
Various locations.
Someone claiming to be the king’s daughter is at the drawbridge.
“Actually,” says the first minister. “She’s already unpacking her things.”
The king sighs. In the guest suite he finds a young woman dressed in grey and black, folding clothes into a chest of drawers and stacking paperbacks on the windowsill.
“So where have you been?” he asks.
“The moon,” she replies.
The king studies her with a confused expression.
“Oh Daddy,” she says, helping him into a chair. “Of course not. Didn’t you get my postcards? I’ve been in the city.”
The king’s expression is unchanged.
“You know, the city. The city! It’s, well… how can I explain? It’s something less to do with how the city actually appeared, but a confluence of how I thought at the time,” she says, “how I thought at the time and how the people I knew thought at the time, and that specific stage of life. But the stage was different for all of us. It was hardly anything to do with the buildings or the monuments or how the districts were laid out, or where the river ran. Or, it did, it had a lot to do with all those things, and also the furniture I collected from the curb and the weirdo ticketing system for the metro, which wasn’t actually called the metro, but something I can’t pronounce. And the color of the taxis! Oh! And how if you removed a few of the routes from the bus map the remaining lines looked like a pineapple. But you had to discover that in one of three or four specific cafes…”
The king has never before seen this woman, but he is having an excellent time, learning about pineapples.
We are going to kill you.
Where now is beloved Prince Alexandr?
The king buttons his disguise and visits an isolated monastery whose residents practice lives of non-violence. At least, tries to visit. He doesn’t make it out of the palace. On the spiral staircase he bumps into the first minister.
“Who are you?” asks the confused politician.
“Why, your noble sovereign,” replies the king.
The first minister laughs. “That’s a good impression,” he says, then gestures at the stairs leading to the king’s chambers: “Better keep it down. Drink?”
In the first ministerial office, the first minister uncorks a bottle of whisky the color of wood varnish.
“I presume you’re with the international observation team,” he says. “Don’t let me influence you, ha-ha.” The first minister holds up his hands in mock defense. “No, no. Look. I’m kidding. We love our king. I think I can say without hyperbole that he is the greatest individual to have ever existed in the entire history of the known world.” He suppresses a burp. “Excuse me, I mean, multiverse.”
The king is touched; the king is moved. Cradling his whiskey, he reaches for a small picture frame set on the first minister’s desk.
“You have a son,” he says.
“And a daughter,” says the first minister. “They’re amazing kids. When you take a job like this… well, they’re amazing, that’s all. They seem to know that, for you, by which I mean me, they represent this conflict, represent a selfishness. I want to spend all my time with them, but when you take a job like this… look, I know that power corrupts. I’ve seen the movies. But when you take a job like this you must believe, at least in the beginning, that you will be the exception, that you won’t be a disappointment to so many, who have literally staked their lives on—what? Essentially luck and your administrative skills and whatever sacrifice you are ultimately willing to make. Amazing kids.”
The king dumps his damn disguise at the damn dump. He will meet his people face-to-face. He cannot deny his position, nor theirs. He orders several villages torched and the survivors brought before him.
“Where did you get those sticks?” asks the king, as the villagers shuffle into court.
The bruised king pays a visit to the doctor’s surgery. Sat in the king’s personal waiting-room throne is the king’s personal food-taster.
“You’re not me,” says the indignant king.
“I…” says the food-taster.
“I’m me,” says the king.
Constellations overlook the purple mountains. The purple mountains overlook Sunhus, the royal court. Sunhus overlooks the capital, in all its late-night sleepiness. The king is tucked up in bed. The velour curtains are drawn. The door is slightly ajar.
The first minister overlooks the king.
The first minister has had too much to drink. “The problem,” he says, though it’s not clear if he realizes he’s speaking aloud. “The problem is that change happens just gradually enough… such that… people merely believe in the concept. Our people… they would never deny the idea of change, but at the same time, they deny that change is the state of the kingdom. But it’s the only thing that has ever happened. Is this making sense, your majesty?”
The king rolls over and begins to snore.
“Exactly,” says the first minister. “Exactly.”
Since childhood, I have intervened in the lives of snails, worms, caterpillars, and other small, soft things. Slugs being the exception: there is no easy way to pick up a slug that finds itself crossing a wide tarmac plateau, no easy way to carry it to the nearest patch of vegetation. A twig is nearly useless, a leaf inefficient, fingers unthinkable. I have known only one beloved prince for whom this prejudice was reversed, who found snails to be adequately equipped and caterpillars suitably mobile, but, when he encountered a slug, discovered that their naked repulsiveness excited his sympathy. Now that he has gone away, it is not without guilt that I pass a drying slug as it makes its desperate, slow way across a baking patio or up a burning wall, though the threshold for intervention is rarely breached. Forgive me, slugs. There are some legacies that wither at the approach of thought, as your bodies to salt.
The western provinces have spent all their dollars on honey and are in revolt again. The first minister begs to send in the army. The sensible king thinks about it for an afternoon, then has the first minister executed and sends in the air force instead. The explosions can be heard as far away as the capital, where people walk home quickly, staring at the floor. The king wonders if he could do more to encourage beekeeping.
In the rich soil of a martyr’s grave, under the shade of an olive tree somewhere in some other kingdom, as the bees fly cursive from flower to flower and the scent of goats wafts up from the valley, the last marrow in Prince Alexandr’s bones is digested by specialized bacteria.
David J. Wingrave is a graduate of New York University’s creative writing program. His work appears in n+1, Guernica, Carve, and elsewhere. He lives in Brighton, England.
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"Digital horticulture" will push industry ahead, says UQ professor
There is an exciting green tinge on the horizon of innovation.
It's a green glow from horticulture that excites University of Queensland professor Neena Mitter.
"There is much that is happening in horticulture it is really amazing and mind boggling," Professor Mitter said.
Her enthusiasm and research dedication to the sector was acknowledged when she was appointed head of the newly announced Centre for Horticultural Science at UQ.
Covered potential
University of Queensland's Professor Neena Mitter says protected cropping promises big things for both western and developing nations in terms of production and nutrition.
Her presentation, one of the last keynote address of the event, presented some of the future developments for horticulture on both a global and local level, addressing food security issues along the way.
She said horticulture was uniquely positioned to address malnutrition in the world.
"A strengthened horticulture sector can have a positive impact on all the sustainable development goals," Professor Mitter said.
She spoke of "digital horticulture" where advancements like thermal imaging of orchards or irrigation profiles was fast becoming accessible to growers, as were consumer tools like the CSIRO’s new VegEze app.
This app aims to motivate Australians to add extra vegetables to their daily diets and form long-term, healthier habits through a 21-day ‘Do three at dinner’ challenge.
Consumer engagement, regardless of the country, was something that needed industry consideration, according to Professor Mitter.
Her visits back to her country of origin, India, have highlighted the shift in dietary significance of fresh produce.
"When I would go back to India it used to be about cereals and grains. In that past two years though it's all about fruits and vegetables," she said.
"They know the value of produce and they are looking for clean, green credentials."
Even in the western world, there was still a need to reach out to connect with those consuming the food farmers produce.
"For them, food is fashion at the moment," Professor Mitter said.
She said innovation was the thread that went through all her points and is what would drive horticulture.
One area that continues to impress Professor Mitter is protected cropping.
"I believe protected cropping is really driving the change today and will have a big impact on the future as well," she said.
She provided examples of work being done in North Queensland of rockmelons being grown under protected cropping conditions while some cherry growers in Tasmania are also planning to adjust their operations based on the successful trials of retractable roofs done in Canada.
There is research going on into tomatoes growing in seawater on the Galapagos Islands, which could result in more salt-tolerant commercial varieties.
She said there was a need to address pests and diseases in order to cultivate export opportunities, as well as thinking creatively about how produce is supplied.
"We need to be innovative with our supply chain," she said.
Personal insight
Professor Mitter also delved into some of her own research.
She pioneered world-first techniques in developing a stem cell multiplication method to supply up to 500 times more avocado plants to industry than was previously possible, with minimal additional resources.
She also pioneered the non-genetically modified non-toxic BioClay crop pest and disease protection product, reducing the need for pesticides.
Other areas like robotics and genomics would be game changers for the industry into the future, according to Professor Mitter.
But for all the whizz-bang research and developments coming out of labs throughout the world, Professor Mitter said it was important not to forget what is already available to be utilised.
"It's not always that we have these new technologies. Sometimes we need to look at our toolbox and see what is there that can help," she said.
SOURCE: "Digital horticulture" will push industry ahead first appeared on Farm Online.
Call to collaborate goes out across horticulture industry
Qld gets new horticulture science centre
Plant 'editors' need to engage with public
The Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) is a research institute of The University of Queensland (UQ), supported by the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Tropag
Integrated weed management program for pigeonpea preserving yield
TropAg draws global crowd
The Animal Welfare Collaborative launched
MLA fund more Pimelea research to develop rumen inoculum
Billboard star set to ‘avo’ great graduation
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Policy Platform
Party Rules
Contact Labor
QLD Labor Times
State Candidates
State Members
Federal Members
Labor Senators
Brisbane City Council Candidates
Join Labor
Contact Patrick Condren
patrick.condren@queenslandlabor.org
Lord Mayoral Candidate
Patrick Condren is the Labor Candidate for Brisbane Lord Mayor.
Pat Condren is an award winning journalist who spent his entire career fighting to keep politicians honest.
Having seen the best and worst of politics throughout his career, Pat couldn’t sit on the sideline and let the shameless LNP Council continue to rip off ratepayers with their wasteful spending and rorts.
With more than 30 years’ experience as a broadcaster and journalist, Pat’s talents as a communicator saw him win a Walkley award, one of the highest honours in journalism.
For 17 years from 2002 Pat was the state political editor for 7News Brisbane and was a regular contributor to 7’s Sunrise program. He also read the news for 8 years during this time.
In 2014/15 he hosted the current affairs Mornings program on Fairfax radio 4BC.
Between 1997 and 2002, Pat lived and worked in the United Kingdom. During his time there he worked for various BBC programs including the prestigious ‘Today’ Radio 4, morning current affair show.
In the second half of his overseas stint Pat was an on-air reporter for ITN in the northeast of England. During his six years overseas he also filed stories for Australian media outlets including The Australian newspaper and the ABC.
Pat lives in Brisbane with his wife, Margaret, and their two children.
Pat put his hand up to fight for the people of Brisbane. He wants to deliver change at City Hall to elect a Council that starts putting the needs of the people first.
WE FIGHT FOR QUEENSLAND.
FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK FOLLOW ON TWITTER FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM
Authorised by J Campbell, Queensland Labor, 16 Peel St, South Brisbane QLD 4101
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Anglican Church (1)
Arts Centre (1)
Cathedral Square (1)
Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (1)
ChristChurch Cathedral (1)
Farmers car park (1)
Hawke Street (1)
Hotel Grand Chancellor (1)
New Brighton Master Plan (1)
Oram Avenue (1)
Press Building (1)
Red Zone (1)
Regent Theatre (1)
Rowan Williams (1)
St Elmo Courts (1)
Media, Communications and Journalism (x)
Moving Image (x)
video/mp4 (x)
Fairfax Media Videos November 2012 (x)
Fairfax Video, November 2012 (9)
A video examining the New Brighton Master Plan released by the Christchurch City Council. The plan proposes extending Oram Avenue through to the car park on Hawke Street and moving the supermarket to the back of the Hawke Street car park. The slow road through the top part of the mall will also be extended through the pedestrianized section, and a bus exchange will be built on Beresford Street.
Charlie Gates, Daniel Tobin
12:13am 30th November 2012
New Brighton, New Brighton Master Plan, Christchurch City Council, Hawke Street, Oram Avenue, bus exchange, Media, Communications and Journalism
Aerial footage of the Christchurch central city. The video includes footage of the Hotel Grand Chancellor, the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Manchester Street, the former Press Building, Worcester Street, Cathedral Square, St Elmo Courts, Cashel Mall, St John the Baptist Church hall, the Regent Theatre, the Arts Centre, Woolsack Lane, and the Farmers car park.
Daniel Tobin
3:56am 22nd November 2012
aerial, Hotel Grand Chancellor, Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Press Building, Cathedral Square, St Elmo Courts, St John the Baptist Church, Regent Theatre, Arts Centre, Woolsack Lane, Farmers car park, Farmers, Media, Communications and Journalism
A video of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams touring the Christchurch central city Red Zone. Williams visited Christchurch for two days during his New Zealand tour to offer his support to the city. The video includes footage of Williams visiting the ChristChurch Cathedral, and meeting locals. It also includes an interview with Williams about the demolition of the ChristChurch Cathedral.
Marc Greenhill, Daniel Tobin
1:51am 5th November 2012
ChristChurch Cathedral, Archbishop of Canterbury, Anglican Church, Rowan Williams, Red Zone, Media, Communications and Journalism
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NYCHA Can Win This for Queens and the Bronx
For decades corrupt politicians have completely ignored the needs of NYCHA. Everyone – from Rudolph Giuliani to Michael Bloomberg to Andrew Cuomo to Bill de Blasio to Joseph Crowley – has taken NYCHA residents for granted. Periodically, politicians have given a few crumbs to public housing residents, by fixing up a playground or putting in security cameras, and then counted on the votes of public housing residents come election time. Politicians show up to public events for photo-ops with after school programs, pretend to be on the side of working class and low-income families, and then they go and meet with lobbyists to pass legislation for Big Real Estate and Wall Street to exploit public assets for private profit.
THE STATE OF NYCHA
Despite what the Democrats in power say, NYCHA is in a complete crisis. Just yesterday, a settlement was reached demanding that the city pay $2.2 billion dollars after a federal probe into lead paint issues, repairs backlogs, negligence, and more. You can read about it in the recent NY Post article here. This comes after former head of NYCHA, Shola Olatoye, stepped down for lying about her knowledge of false inspection certificates – where the agency knowingly and deliberately sat on information for months while thousands of families were exposed to lead paint. A crime for which probably no one will be held responsible.
Instead of fixing NYCHA, City, State and Federal Governments have been engaging in purposeful negligence by denying NYCHA the funds it needs to give residents a safe and healthy living situation. At the City level, de Blasio has been pushing for more privatized “affordable housing” through his new zoning legislation, MIH/ZQA. Instead of helping with the housing crisis, MIH/ZQA leads to more displacement and gentrification in poor and working class neighborhoods throughout the city. Ritchie Torres, the former chair of the City Council committee on public housing, when confronted with information about lead in drinking water and in paint, encouraged the former NYCHA CEO to keep converting public housing into the Section 8 program, so that the Section 8 buildings could be sold off.
On the State level, we have Andrew Cuomo as governor, who used to run H.U.D., the agency that nominally funds NYCHA, but who embraced an economic agenda of tax cuts for the rich instead of expanding economic safety net programs for people in need. At the national level, funds for public housing have been dwindling for years, long before Trump ever took office.
There’s a lot of blame to go around at every level, and none of those responsible should be let off the hook.
DOES CROWLEY RUN QUEENS?
Against this dysfunctional backdrop, there is Congressman Joseph Crowley. Since 1999, Crowley has “represented” Queens and the Bronx in 14th Congressional district on New York. In reality, he’s been throwing regular people under the bus the entire time. Instead of doing his job, he’s been taking money from wealthy donors and fighting to make a handful of people rich. At this point, Joe Crowley is one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress, and head of the Democratic Party Committee in Queens. He’s also Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and attempting to become Speaker of the House.
In his quest for political power he’s voted to weaken regulations over Wall Street banks, real estate developers, and large pharmaceutical corporations. He does this, because these corporations and their lobbyists are the sources of his large political campaign contributions. While some pay attention to how Crowley votes and where he gets his political money, few people are aware of the source of his political power: being head of the Queens Democratic Party county committee, which is arguable the strongest political machine in New York State.
Because of his political power, he can cast votes, make appointments, clear elections of opponents, redonate campaign contributions, and important steer city jobs to his supporters. Because of what Crowley can hand out, he demands an adherence to his boss system style of politics. This means he can, at his sole discretion, violate the honest public services that voters should receive from Government officials. No Government body or authority exists in Queens that has not had had its democratic functions subverted by Crowley. Accordingly, Joseph Crowley has earned the title Queens Party Boss, and, as the name suggests, acts as if he’s above the law.
NYCHA CAN WIN THIS
This year, however, Queens and Bronx residents have a real choice. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Bronx native, is running on a platform of social and economic justice for those most in need. She is also advocating for a new era of equal human rights. This means that Ocasio-Cortez believes in a single-payer healthcare system for everybody, for free college education, and for job guarantees. She knows first-hand what it means to live in a working class family New York City. She is one of us, unlike Crowley, who is a neoliberal corporate Democratic that could care less about regular people.
On June 26th, NYCHA residents need to turn out for Ocasio-Cortez. Get your friends and family, and take them with you to the polling station. Give Ocasio-Cortez the chance to fight for NYCHA – a fight that Crowley has never honestly made an effort to take up.
NYCHA deserves better, and NYCHA residents can win this for Queens and the Bronx.
#QueensAgainstCrowley #BXAgainstCrowley #FireBossCrowley #VoteForOcassio
If you need more convincing, check out this campaign video that’s been making the rounds:
Tags:Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bronx, NYCHA, Queens
Afraid of Bronx Voters: Joe Crowley’s race problem
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« Stan’s Fans
Clive Alive »
Ink Tune
March 10, 2014 by Krilling for Company
Nick Drake: Dreaming England, Nathan Wiseman-Trowse (Reverb/Reaktion Books 2013)
I picked this book up thinking that it was another biography of Nick Drake. Wrong: it’s a critical study of his music instead. I wasn’t pleased. It’s irritating when interesting topics are slathered in pretentious jargon: terms like “locus”, “hybridization”, “performance of class”, “articulations of authenticity” and “musico-topographical features” do not go well with Drake’s delicate and melancholic music. To use the same jargon: they don’t “resonate”. Or rather, they do: jarringly and crudely. Putting cultural theory to work on Nick Drake is like driving through a bluebell wood in a tank.
A rusty, badly maintained tank. Exhaust fuming, gears grinding, driver drunk, unshaven and unkempt. But this book could have been much worse and if Drake can survive having some of his songs covered by Elton John, he can probably survive cultural theory. The topics remain interesting despite the jargon: Englishness, pastoralism, nostalgia, modernity, the end of empire, the continuing appeal of a singer who died young and a failure. Or so he must have thought. But it was a good career move: Drake died young and became very famous. If he’d lived and got old, he might now be almost unknown. Lots of good musicians never get what they deserve, just as lots of bad musicians get what they don’t.
I’d prefer Nathan Wiseman-Trowse, a “Senior Lecturer in Popular Culture” at the University of Northampton, to have examined that side of Drake’s story in greater detail. His early death, probably by suicide, is central to his cult. And cult is an appropriate word: mythical figures like Adonis and Hyacinth prove the psychological power of handsome youths who go before their time. So do Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain. But those two were thunderous musicians, playing rock and filling arenas. Drake’s music was quiet and introspective: acoustic, not amplified; English, not American; for the countryside, not the town. But he was influenced by American music and “Eastern mysticism” and he lived in a very big city while he tried to make his name. That’s where Wiseman-Trowse comes in, trying to unpick the paradoxes, classify the hybridities and problematicize the construction of Drake as quintessentially English.
As he might have put it somewhere. But he puts other things better, as in the chapter on “Melancholia and Loss”, where he discusses Peter Akroyd’s book Albion and its “exploration of English culture”:
For Akroyd, the melancholic strain is to be found in the earliest Anglo-Saxon poetry, focussing on transience, decay, desolation and dustsceawung, or the “contemplation of dust”. It manifests itself through the elegy, the lament and the dirge. Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur meditates on the passing of all things, while melancholic themes run throughout the work of John Donne, Thomas Browne and Samuel Johnson to the more contemporary poetry of Philip Larkin and Ted Hughes. (ch. 4, “Melancholia and Loss”, pg. 96)
Dustsceawung is a beautiful word and I’m glad to have discovered it here. But words, concepts and speculation are all you’ll get from a book like this: I didn’t need to spot an occasional “in terms of” to be sure that Wiseman-Trowse is a dedicated Guardianista. This means that he will regard biological explanations for English character and culture as unacceptable and appalling. Race doesn’t exist, after all. We’re all the same under the skin. Except that it does exist and we aren’t the same. Those old ideas about the English weather influencing the English mind are not ridiculous. The brain did not stop evolving when human beings left Africa and the new environments found by the migrants re-shaped their psychology and sharpened their intellect. Higher intelligence was useful in colder climates and so was neuroticism: people who didn’t worry about the approach of winter were less likely to survive it.
So Nick Drake will eventually be explained by biology and brain-science, not by cultural theory. Will that unweave the rainbow and empty the gnomèd mine? Perhaps it will, but it will also end the ugly jargon and the pseudo-profundity. And Drake himself is beyond caring. That’s part of his appeal and his appeal can’t be killed by cultural theory. Indeed, it’s an important fact about Drake that his music attracts cultural theorists, even as it evades their apparatus. I’d have preferred less jargon and no “in terms of” in this book, but you could see them as a contrast with the subtlety and beauty of its subject. Either way, Dreaming England contains some good photos and some interesting ideas about the music, the man and the myth. It isn’t a biography but there is a lot about Drake’s life here, with a detailed timeline and a discography. It has a good title and index too.
Posted in Biographies, Biology, History, Music | Tagged acoustic music, Adonis and Hyacinth, Albion, contemplation of dust, cultural theorist, cultural theory, dead musician, dead musicians, depression, dustsceawung, dying young, English character, English music, English psychology, Englishness, failure, folk music, guitar music, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Melancholia and Loss, mental illness, music, Nathan Wiseman-Trowse, neuroticism, Nick Drake cult, Nick Drake: Dreaming England, nostalgia, pastoralism, Peter Akroyd, pop music, popular culture, popular music, pretentious jargon, Reaktion Books, Reverb series, rock music, suicide, the end of empire | Leave a Comment
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Interlude 26a
Theo exhaled slowly. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath. Inhaling again, the smell of shit and blood was so heavy on the air it choked him. His suppressed cough was almost a grunt, almost a gag.
His eyes returned to the two bloodstained spikes that had been stabbed into the wall. It was the space where Nilbog had been crucified, apparently. Something dangled from one of them. A tendon, maybe, a vein, or a strip of meat. The goblin king had been torn down with enough haste and enough force that some part of him had been left behind.
He’d spent some time staring at the metal spike with flesh dangling from it. The others were busy. It made sense to take the time to strategize, to get equipment and gear in order, familiarize himself with every tool and technique this squad of capes had on hand.
Thing was, Theo didn’t want to, even as he knew it was the smart thing. The others seemed to recognize that and weren’t pushing him, weren’t approaching. Maybe they’d brush it off as a kind of meditative thinking, a mental preparation for the fight that was to come. Maybe they’d see it for what it really was. Avoidance.
Staring at the wall and trying not to think about anything was easier than looking down, seeing the dead members of the Slaughterhouse Nine, and maybe seeing Aster in the mess of bodies.
Being silent was easier than having to look the others in the eyes and pretend he was alright, risking that they’d offer some gentle, kind condolences, and he’d have to be stoic in the face of it.
Men weren’t supposed to cry. It would be disastrous, shattering their image of him, creating too much doubt at such a crucial juncture. He could imagine how they’d react. Some of them would be awkward. Defiant, maybe, would avert his eyes. Bitch might say something harsh.
Revel, probably, would be nice about it. Offer a pep talk, a hug, heartfelt words. Tecton would be much the same. Parian and Foil, even, might be kind, if he went by descriptions Weaver and others had offered of them and the little clues he’d seen in interacting with them.
The moment he pulled himself together, if he could pull himself together, Chevalier would be at his side, all business, outlining the situation in clear, defined ways. Framing it all into plans and setups that would put less stress on Theo, no doubt, but not in such a way that anyone could say anything about it.
Hoyden? Hard to say. She lived with this wall that she’d erected around herself. Layers of defenses, in bravado or being snarky or being sarcastic or aggressive or avoiding the situation. In combat situations or real life, Theo suspected there were very few things that really got to the heart of Hoyden. When they did, they hurt. How would she react to someone being vulnerable?
And then there was Weaver.
She was in the periphery of his vision, sitting on a computer case, staring down at the floor. As ever, her mannerisms were peculiar. She was so still. If it weren’t for the bugs, or the fact that her head would periodically move, as if she were looking over the dead, he might have thought she’d stopped, like a machine with the battery removed.
She would be assessing who was dead, who wasn’t, planning and adjusting her expectations for the coming fight, quite possibly. Probably.
In the midst of that, was Weaver thinking about Aster? The fact that she, either by aiming a gun and pulling the trigger or by giving the order to Revel and Foil, had killed a toddler?
Weaver was a hard person to deal with.
Taylor, not so much.
If that was all it was, he wouldn’t have worried so much.
There were other possibilities, ones that troubled him. What if he approached them, and nobody offered condolences at all? What if they accepted it as a cost of doing business, a necessity in dire circumstances?
What if he did show emotion, and none of his allies offered any emotional support at all?
Kayden had been the closest thing he had to a mother. If it hadn’t been for Jack’s game, then Theo suspected he might never have rated. He wasn’t her first priority. That would be Aster. Not her second. That was her mission, nebulous as it had been in recent years. He hesitated to believe that he’d even rated third place.
He struggled to convince himself he placed fourth or fifth, even.
But she’d been there. She’d shown kindness, had stepped between him and Father when the situation demanded it. There had been gentle moments, like the time they’d been watching television one morning and a cape had talked about how tinkers were their least favorite type of opponent to fight, and he and Kayden had laughed, because Kayden and her group had run into Leet just a week before.
Stupid things, in the end. Nonsensical. But stupid, nonsensical things were sometimes the most important.
He’d never had friends, before he got his powers. Even now, he wondered if he’d have really formed the friendships he had if they’d chanced to meet in some universe where powers didn’t exist.
Being alone as often as he had, Theo valued the connections he had made. Even connections with Justin, Dorothy and Geoff. Crusader, Night and Fog.
On the flip side of that same coin, he felt the betrayal of Justin leaving him behind.
Above all, he felt the quiet, perpetual horror of knowing that Crusader was still screaming, his throat never going raw, as Gray Boy’s loop continued without cease.
Kayden would be standing a short distance away, stoic, trying to keep from slowly going insane as Justin’s screams continued without end.
He’d lost people who were important to him, in maybe the most horrible way possible. He’d lost his father, and Kayden, Justin, Geoff and Dorothy, and now Aster. He’d lost them to violence and stupidity and madness, and he could see the allure in how the others seemed to be functioning, bottling it all inside.
He could see the twisted logic of it, even. As if there was a binary to everything, every enemy was somehow a twisted mess of emotion, layered by a seeming calmness, while every ally seemed to be cold inside, with only an act on the surface.
He looked down at his mask. A metal face with lenses over the eyes. Stoic, expression neutral, or a little stern. He’d chosen it at first because his real face was a little too round for a mask, but the PR teams had wanted to get more faces on the team. He’d compromised, and hadn’t given his mask much thought beyond that.
Except time had passed, and he’d found himself wondering if he liked the message it conveyed. By necessity, capes went down a road where they had to become cold and unflinching. They had to become numb, had to inure themselves to hard decisions. It jarred, to wear a mask that seemed to symbolize that transition, that while wanting nothing less than to walk down that road.
Back in Brockton Bay, New Wave had tried to start something, capes without masks. It had been disastrous. The message had been lost in the ensuing celebrity, and that had only intensified after one of the core members of the group was found and killed in her civilian identity.
He wondered if they’d been right to try. If capes really needed to just… drop the mask. To cry and let the feelings out. So many got their powers through trauma, but they bottled themselves up, erected defenses, developed coping mechanisms. If New Wave’s idea had taken off, would things be better?
Didn’t matter. Here they stood.
He could make it through this, save the world. They could find the source of the Endbringers and defeat them, could clean things up, get things in order and stop all of the real monsters… he could go to college, get a career and find a girl and marry her, and at the end of the day, Justin would still be screaming.
Aster would still be dead.
The ugly decisions would have been made.
He stared up at the bloody spikes in the wall, an image that would be burned into his mind’s eye, remembered as the point he stood at the threshold. A mirror to where he’d been in the beginning, when he’d met Jack.
Bitch paced around the edges of the room, impatient. She’d had to shrink her dogs to get them to an appropriate size, and was keeping them small in case the portal wasn’t accommodating enough. Here and there, she barked out orders to get the animals away from the bodies.
It grated.
“None of those invisible fucks,” she said.
“Okay,” Weaver answered. Her voice was quiet.
Theo almost took her voice as a cue to reevaluate how she was reacting to what had just happened, then stopped himself. Losing battle. No point.
Then, for some bizarre reason, Bitch approached him.
A sleek Doberman nudged at his gauntlet with its nose. He looked down and then scratched it behind the ear. It didn’t matter if the dog bit him – he was wearing a gauntlet.
When he looked up, he could see Bitch staring at him. Her face was barely visible behind her hair.
“Can I help you?” he asked. His voice came out harder than he intended.
She didn’t seem to notice or care. “You’re her friend, aren’t you?”
I don’t want to talk about Weaver.
He didn’t venture an answer. He couldn’t say yes, not honestly, but he suspected Weaver had a different answer to the question.
“You’re both acting different. I can see it.”
“Kind of warranted, in this situation,” he said. “In case you didn’t notice, the last few members of my family just got killed. I just need a bit of time alone to think.”
His voice had almost broken. Couldn’t break down. Not like this, here, with her.
She hadn’t taken his hint.
“They were buttholes, weren’t they? Purity and her gang. The nazis.”
The dog nudged his hand again. He gave it a more intense scratch before answering, “White supremacists. They… weren’t the best people ever. But they were still my family.”
She kept looking at him, almost glaring. She didn’t answer or elaborate, leaving the conversation to die.
Go away. I don’t want to hit you.
He kept silent, hoping she would just leave. Willing her to leave.
“Stay, Huntress,” she ordered.
Then she walked away, leaving the dog at his side.
Theo scratched the animal under the collar, and watched it crane its head to one side, enjoying the contact.
It helped, oddly enough. Having contact with another living creature without all of the issues and hassles of dealing with people. No judgement, no worries, just… this. Being alone without being alone.
His father had always preferred cats, and the creatures had never been easy to bond with. This was nice.
Theo sighed. He glanced at Weaver in his peripheral vision, and saw that there was a dog sitting next to her. A mutt, at a glance. The animal was resting its chin on her shoulder.
She saw him looking, glanced at Bitch, who was walking with her husky puppy following behind her, then shrugged.
He lowered his eyes from Weaver… no, from Taylor, then scratched Huntress again.
“We have the coordinates. Waiting for a charge,” Defiant announced. He was already flanked by the Dragon’s Teeth he’d brought with him.
“All gather,” Chevalier ordered.
Bitch snapped her fingers twice, and her dogs returned to her.
Theo raised his hands to his face to rub his eyes, and he felt damp on one cheek. One tear, fresh. He wiped his face, glancing around to check if anyone had seen it. No, not judging by the angle.
He donned his mask.
Golem now, Golem thought.
“We need to decide who goes where,” Defiant said. “The first teleportation marked coordinates on Houston.”
Weaver spoke up, “I noted Shatterbirds and Burnscars leaving, some Damsels, bunch of others I didn’t catch, but they had weapons and I’m thinking Winter or Crimson. There were some I parsed as hostages, but it’s only in retrospect that I’m thinking they were Nice Guys.”
“The second group made their way to New York.”
“Bonesaw and a captive Nilbog that’s apparently rigged to create things on demand,” Weaver said. “Crawlers, Breeds and a handful of others I didn’t identify.”
Chevalier reacted to that, flinching.
His city, Golem thought.
“And the last group headed to Los Angeles.”
“Jack’s group?” Golem asked.
“Yes,” Weaver said. “He brought the Siberian, Hookwolf, Gray Boy, all eight Harbingers, and there are Psychosomas and Nyxes. One or two others I didn’t place.”
“Los Angeles?” Chevalier asked. “What area?”
“That area,” Defiant answered, looking at the computer.
Chevalier nodded slowly.
Golem stared at the screen. He could see the satellite image, the concentric circles that marked the area around the blinking blue dot.
“Charge prepared. We can send one group at a time. They’ve already got a twelve minute headstart. It’ll be another eight minutes before we can send the second group, eight minutes after that before we can send the third.”
“The first group to arrive can call for help and get support to the other locations,” Chevalier said.
“Then why split up?” Weaver asked. “We should all hit Jack’s group, trust others to help in New York and Houston.”
“Everyone else is closer to New York,” Chevalier said. “But Houston…”
“We can call in favors,” Weaver said. “Moord Nag’s apparently on board, though we don’t know why. Cauldron’s on board. If we can get Tattletale in contact with them, that’s handled. But we can’t do that unless we leave.”
“That’s my city,” Hoyden said.
“I get that,” Weaver replied, “But we’re doing nothing constructive if we split up, and we’re definitely doing nothing constructive as long as we sit here.”
“Once we leave,” Defiant said, “We break the configuration cell and everything here breaks down on a Euclidean level. There’s no going back, changing our mind.”
“I get that,” Weaver said, “But two or three of us aren’t going to do anything special. We need big guns.”
Golem closed his eyes.
There she is. Weaver.
“She’s right,” Chevalier said, looking at Hoyden. “We’ll send every set of reinforcements we can, but it’s not worth what it costs us, to break up our group.”
“Shit,” Foil said.
Hoyden had gone stiff, bristling for an argument.
“I’m not saying we should abandon Houston,” Weaver said, before Hoyden could speak. “Defiant, can you postpone the collapse of this area?”
“Yes, but I don’t feel comfortable doing it,” he responded.
“I think you should,” she said. “Toybox left enough stuff behind. Use it. Stay behind, arm yourself, then throw everything but the kitchen sink at them. You remember how the scar formed in Brockton Bay?”
“Mm,” he said. “Tinker technology takes time to understand, to prepare. Too dangerous otherwise.”
“There’s a solution to that. I’ll point the way.”
Defiant hesitated.
Golem looked around the group, saw the expressions on faces, saw how even Hoyden had relaxed a fraction. Even the Dragon’s Tooth officers that accompanied them were a little more at ease. There were no answers in this situation, but there was a possibility. An option, vague as it was.
“Okay,” Defiant said.
Then, without so much as a farewell or a ‘good luck’, he hit the enter key.
Golem appeared a full four feet above the ground. He hit the ground and let his legs sink in, absorbing some of the fall. A second later, he pushed himself out.
Just the use of his power gave him a sense of the area. Touching the pavement gave him a sense of how all of the pavement around him was organized. It had been folded into itself, folded around, thinned, thickened, bent at right angles.
Looking around, he could see how the buildings had been altered. Textures had been removed, similar materials blended into one another, everything fortified, thickened, weaponized.
All around them, the buildings were like tombstones. Windowless, angular, all expression and human touches removed from them. Spikes studded corners and blocked alleyways, criss-crossed in front of doors, and carpeted pathways. Some were metal, others camouflaged.
They’d figured out how to fight Tohu and Bohu during the Los Angeles attack. The trick was responding quickly, stopping them before Tohu had her masks and Bohu managed her influence. They’d won, for lack of a better term, managing the fight without the casualties they’d seen in the prior attack, but they’d still lost a chunk of the city in the time it took them to beat and batter the towering Bohu into submission. Now Santa Fe Springs and all of the neighboring districts were uninhabitable, due to the traps that riddled it, the way the infrastructure had been completely and totally compromised.
Easier to found a new habitable area than to try to fix this, routing new pipes and power, managing traps both subtle and blatant.
Those same traps would be a problem here, but they weren’t entirely incapable. They’d dealt with this before.
Bitch’s dogs grew abruptly, then shook, sending blood and bits of flesh and bone everywhere.
“HQ, come in,” Chevalier murmured. He continued to speak, delivering the information about Jack and the target areas.
“Area’s empty,” Weaver said.
“A trap,” Golem responded. “Has to be.”
“Has to be. Why else come here?” Foil asked.
“Nyx illusions,” Tecton said, “He doesn’t know we’re aware of who he brought, so he’s set them up to stall us.”
Nyx. Her gas is concentrated into solid shapes that move at her will. Break that shape and it becomes a cloud of poisonous gas.
“Not that easy,” Weaver said. “Maybe he knows we know, and it’s a double-bluff.”
“Parian?” Weaver asked.
Parian nodded. She unfurled the bundle of cloth from her back, then quickly shaped it into a roughly humanoid shape.
A moment later, it was stomping ahead, forging the way.
Golem fell in step beside Tecton. Every footfall on a surface concentrated his awareness, informing him of every surface of a matching material in the area. Lightning flashes in his consciousness, showing the landscape around him. He deliberately stepped on other materials to inform himself on concrete, on brick, on steel and glass. His heavy boots made for a rhythmic sound, accompanied by the sounds of Chevalier and Tecton’s own heavy footfalls, and the rougher patter of the mutant dogs.
A girl’s voice, over the comm system. Not Tattletale.
“Golem, tell them to stop. Now.”
“Stop,” he said.
A second later, he wondered if he should mention this phantom voice. A trick on Screamer’s part?
“Thirty one,” she said.
“Thirty one?”
“More uses of my power. I’ve been testing it, straining it, figuring out my limits. I can’t make promises. Might be less. Might be able to squeeze out more. But it’s the best I can give you.“
The numbers clued him in, belatedly.
Dinah Alcott.
“There’s bigger problems,” she said. Her voice was quiet. “In two minutes, everyone but you dies. Seventy-two percent chance.“
He stopped short.
“Golem?” Hoyden asked.
“Solution?” he asked, he raised a hand.
“Can you think in abstracts?”
“Abstracts.”
“You’re… kind of scaring me, Golem my boy,” Hoyden said.
“He’s talking to someone in the comms,” Weaver said. “Tattletale? Not Tattletale.”
“Red means forward, left, attack, team. Blue means back, right, retreat, solo… I can only ask a certain number of questions a day. Ask, I can narrow it down, but it’s less help I can give later.”
One keyword, and he had to figure out what option it led to.
“Blue, Tecton. Retreat.”
“Back up,” he said.
Collectively, they retreated several steps.
A moment later, one small group of the Nine appeared, pushing their way through solid doorways, leaving colored smoke in their wakes.
Each was young. Teenagers. Each had a matching mask, a snarling face, complete with fangs and glowing dots in the dark eye sockets. Their clothing flowed, with hoods peaking above their heads. Each carried a different improvised weapon. A fire axe. A two-handed shovel. A makeshift spear.
“Harbingers,” Weaver said. “Don’t let them get close! Finish them quickly!”
“Color,” Golem whispered.
He went with his instincts more than anything else. “Retreat! Run!”
Parian’s doll reached out, and the Harbingers slipped out of the way of the hands, dodging by virtual hairs as they spun in tight circles, ducked and rolled. It was like the thing was moving in slow motion, but it wasn’t.
A fire axe and two kitchen knives slid through the creature’s body, severing seams. It deflated explosively.
Foil opened fire with her crossbow, aiming so it was on a path to hit two of the enemies, and the Harbingers dodged the shot.
She’s not supposed to miss.
Tecton shattered the ground, but it didn’t make the slightest difference. The Harbingers didn’t slow down.
They turned to run, belatedly.
Hoyden and Chevalier held their ground as others mounted dogs or took flight. Golem ran his fingertips along the panels at his armor, feeling the connections to the various substances around him flare, touched the one for pavement.
He thrust his hand inside. A small hand, emerging as fast as he could shove his hand inside the panel. He reached for the closest Harbinger’s foot.
The young villain pulled his leg up out of the way, virtually spinning as he stepped to the side, planted the same foot on solid ground, then resumed his forward momentum. No luck. It was like Harbinger could see it coming.
Weaver’s bugs were swarming the Harbingers, but they took to spinning, relying on the movement of their hoods and the flowing black clothes to drive the bugs away, batting them aside. Even the threads seemed to fail to do anything substantial, getting caught up in the approaching villains as they moved.
Like whirling dervishes, they closed the distance.
He thrust his hand into the pavement again, and this time, he created a platform like the one he’d fashioned in Ellisburg. Raising them up off the ground, out of reach.
If there was any difficulty getting down and resuming their search for Jack, he’d deal with that when they weren’t all about to be murdered.
The Harbingers scaled the sides of buildings as if they were running across horizontal terrain. Weapons, fingers and boots found traction in the surfaces, and they climbed with an easy, almost eerie ease, as though they were almost floating.
Climbing faster than the hand was rising.
Three reached the top of the building, and as if they’d coordinated, planned this well in advance, they set foot on the edge of the rooftop and kicked off. They ignored the bugs that plagued them as if they weren’t even there, weren’t binding them with silk.
They flipped heel over head, their backs to Golem, Hoyden, Tecton and Chevalier, the two Dragon’s Teeth. Rachel, Parian and Foil were on the dog’s backs, and Weaver was airborne.
The Dragon’s Teeth aimed containment foam at the three Harbingers. The clones pulled off their flowing jackets with sleeves that almost covered their hands, catching the foam, then landed. One swept the bundle of foam to try to knock a D.T. officer off his feet. The officer hopped up, then struck out at the Harbinger clone.
No use, Golem thought. A mistake. Harbinger caught the arm, almost effortlessly turned around, pulling him in the direction of the turn. A little push, and the soldier fell.
“He’s okay,” Dinah said. “Blue!”
Run, retreat. As if there was a place to go.
Two attacks struck in concert, a kitchen knife and a fire axe, and a heavy piece of Tecton’s armor was decimated, one gauntlet ruined.
No use.
One more landed on the heel of the hand.
Revel opened fire with a dozen orbs, but the enemy avoided them with an almost casual ease. She reprogrammed them, altering the orbs’ properties, and this time they homed in on their targets. The Harbingers dodged them, used the changed trajectories to lure them into nearly striking the D.T. officer and Chevalier. She stopped, hanging back.
Chevalier swung his sword, pulled the trigger mid-swing to shoot at one Harbinger that stood on a fingertip of the reaching hand-platform. Both attacks missed.
The Harbinger closest to him stepped close, almost casually, and drove a paring knife through a slit in Chevalier’s visor.
His good eye, Golem realized.
Nobody had figured out Harbinger’s power, before Harbinger disappeared off the face of the planet. It was an ugly reality that such questions weren’t always answered. The best guess suggested a hyperawareness of space and the movements of their own bodies.
But being able to figure out that Chevalier was half-blind, being able to blind his good eye?
One stepped close, holding a ball-peen hammer in each hand. He closed on Golem, invading his personal space, until their noses were touching.
Golem tried to wrap the Harbinger in a bear-hug, felt only the faint drag of cloth against the metal of his gauntlets, empty air. His intended target had ducked low.
He drove a knee forward. Tight, contained movements, give them as little to work with as possible.
No contact. Of course.
He was rewarded with a swat of the hammer against his mask, shattering one lens. He’d thought he was out of reach, but the boy held only the very end of the hammer between index and middle finger. He tossed the hammer in the air, letting it spin head over end.
Golem struck at the flying hammer, but another strike of the hammer caught his arm. His fingertips fell short, and the handle of the weapon rolled over the back of his hand. The Harbinger caught it, then thrust it forward in the same motion, driving the top of the hammer against Golem’s nose.
“Don’t kill him,” another Harbinger said.
“I know,” was the reply.
They didn’t even sound winded.
None of the others were doing demonstrably better. The remaining D.T. officer was holding his own, but the others were being slowly, systematically beaten.
He’s dragging it out. They’re making this into a game.
No use letting this go on.
He retreated, only to find one Harbinger sticking a foot out, planting a foot on the small of his back. He was pushed forward, then promptly struck in the abdomen.
Rather than try to defend himself, he tucked his chin to his collar-bone, let himself fall, and thrust his hands into the armor panels for pavement.
Double-thrust, one hand extending from the other, pushing Chevalier off the hand.
Another motion, simultaneous, to bring a hand of stone out of the wall behind Chevalier. It emerged slower, but it formed a shelf, and Chevalier landed on that ledge.
The Harbingers could dodge, but his teammates were valid targets.
Another thrust, this time for himself.
Selfish, maybe, but he couldn’t save anyone if they were interfering with him.
One struck at his leg as he launched himself off the hand. It altered his trajectory, put him on a course where there wasn’t anything nearby to catch himself with.
Two hands, into brick. One connected to the other. While they were new, he could move them. Trouble with having them against the side of his body was that he couldn’t get a full range of movement like he could get with his arms. No matter. He caught himself by the mask, then pulled himself closer to the building.
Another hand, another shelf.
Hoyden exploded, but the Harbingers didn’t get hurt. They spun, spreading the damage around like a person might roll to absorb a fall, ducking and sidestepping to put themselves at the periphery of the effect.
“Scion’s closing in,” Dinah said. “Blue, Golem. It’s still blue. I can’t use my power too many times today, but your numbers are getting worse and the answer keeps turning up blue. Retreat, go right, go solo or go back.“
“Someone needs to intercept Scion,” Weaver said, over the comm system. “We can’t have him get involved.“
“You go,” Chevalier said.
Golem searched the sky, then spotted Weaver at the fringe of the battle, surrounded by a cloud of bugs.
She took off.
Golem grit his teeth. More immediate things to focus on. He tried to launch Tecton to freedom, but the Harbingers intercepted him, driving Tecton out of the way in the same instant the hand appeared.
The D.T. soldier managed to deliver a glancing blow. Golem couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not, because the hit was followed by the D.T. soldier being caught with a length of cloth wound around one wrist.
Tecton stepped in, drawing attention and striking out with his gauntlets, one damaged and one intact. It bought the D.T. soldier some room.
Golem took the opportunity to launch the soldier to safety.
There were others on the ground, approaching.
One of these bastards could probably take us apart. Eight of them, we can’t hurt them, we’re losing time, burning resources.
Tecton glanced at Hoyden. A communication seemed to pass between them.
They struck the palm of the hand, and the entire thing shattered.
Hoyden, Tecton and five of the Harbingers descended with a shower of rubble.
Hoyden and Tecton broke their fall with uses of their respective powers. Hoyden hit the ground to generate an explosion. Tecton punched the earth with his piledriver in the instant he reached solid ground.
The Harbingers didn’t have that ability. A five-story drop. People had died or been seriously hurt after a three-story drop.
Nobody told them that. In the midst of the thin cloud of dust and the chunks of debris, the Harbingers moved without wincing or giving any sign of pain, their black-clothed forms rising from the ground like spectres.
“Talk to me, Dinah,” Golem said.
“Situation’s getting worse. Numbers are getting worse, across the board. I’m not asking any specific questions, but I can sense it, just… the big picture. It’s not working.“
There’s an answer here, and we can’t see it.
“Blue… Backwards, go right, retreat, solo? What’s that last one?”
“Abstracts. Nothing specific. It’s only as meaningful as it helps you come to the right decision.”
He stared at Hoyden and Tecton, surrounded by the eight Harbingers.
“If I leave… how does that change the numbers?”
“Chances for Tecton and the others?”
“Better than they were.”
This was hell, Golem mused. This was the nightmare that had driven Weaver from her home city, drove her to surrender.
The right path, but god damn, did it look ugly.
He bit his lip, then formed another pair of connected hands to launch himself skyward. He reached the apex of his flight, then created a shelf to land on. He did it again, and this time the shelf he created was just at the edge of the roof. He stepped over onto the rooftop, then broke into a run.
“Saving Tecton, red or blue.”
“Golem, we didn’t get a chance to go over this earlier, but you need to know… I can’t ask that many questions. I’ve been saving my power for the last big confrontation. Tattletale said this is the time to act. I used my power twice to answer big questions earlier today. Another three to figure out who I needed to talk to, and that told me-“
“I’m the best partner for you?”
“Right now, yes. Listen. Twenty-six questions left. We haven’t even found Jack. I can’t figure it out.“
He stood on the rooftop, then extended his arms out to either side.
She couldn’t read his mind, so it was only identifying options. Everything to the left of his nose was blue, everything to the right was red.
“Red or blue. Now.”
“Blue. Twenty-five.“
“Jack’s to my left,” he said. He turned ninety degrees. “Again.”
“Blue. I’m- My power’s getting fuzzier.”
Scion.
He looked up at the sky. Weaver with her swarm was there, forming a great wall across the sky, as if to draw attention to herself. Scion was approaching, a ray of golden light streaking across the overcast sky above.
Scion shut down precog abilities.
He felt something knot in his stomach, an ugly feeling, ominous.
“Let’s get as much use out of it as possible. Saving Tecton and the others… Red or blue!”
“Red. Twenty-three.”
He hesitated. “It’s not me going back?”
“No. I don’t think so. I just asked and it said no.”
Break it down. Attack, left for blue. Group, forward for red. “Again.”
“Golem, we can’t waste questions like this. We-“
Group or forward, he thought, assigning colors to each option. “Again.”
“Blue. Somewhere between eighty and ninety percent chance. I- I’m going blind here, Golem.”
Group.
Group, but not returning to join the others?
He went with his gut.
“Tattletale, are you listening?”
“Reinforcements. Call in the big guns.”
“With Jack close? That’s against the quarantine.”
“Dinah, does it improve our chances, everyone’s chances, as far as this end of the world scenario?”
“Yes. A lot,” she sounded genuinely surprised. “Twenty.”
“Cauldron’s refusing aid,” Tattletale said. “They said it’s because Scion’s presence is blocking their clairvoyant. They’re lying.“
High above, Scion reached a stop, hovering in front of Weaver, who hung in the air in turn, using her flight pack.
Golem tore his eyes away from the scene. He glanced down at the street, where Bitch, Parian and Foil were reinforcing Tecton and Hoyden, backing them up as the Harbingers approached. One Harbinger threw something, and a dog dropped like its heart had stopped.
He shook his head. He could watch forever, but they were better served by having him elsewhere.
The sooner he got Jack, the better.
“Jack is southwest of my location,” he reported. “Heading off solo on precog advisement.”
He bolted, running. His power bridged gaps between buildings. He set his foot down on the corner of one rooftop, then vaulted himself over a trap that he sensed just a foot in front of him. His landing jarred it into motion, provoking a deadfall, a slice of building that toppled and dropped onto the narrow street below.
Another hand broke a row of spikes that lined the edge of another rooftop.
Once, he’d been fat. Once, he’d been out of shape. Two years and a mission had given him the chance to remedy that. He wasn’t conventionally fit, still had a bit of stockiness to him, but the fat was gone. He had muscle. Running with Weaver had made this doable.
Twenty more precog answers.
“Numbers if I stay on the rooftops?”
“Twenty to thirty percent chance of injury or being taken out of action.”
“If I’m on the ground?”
“Fifty-something. Eighteen questions left.”
Her numbers were getting less accurate, the picture of the situation cloudier.
Too many powerful individuals in the area, too many chances of disaster, too many unknowns.
He set foot on one rooftop that had changed less than most, and the lightning flash was a staggered one, as his feet first touched gravel, then the material of the rooftop beneath that gravel.
The next rooftop wasn’t made of either material. It wasn’t made of brick or concrete.
He created two hands, chaining them together, and extended the hand into the building.
It detonated into a massive cloud of smoke.
He launched himself away to avoid it, but it wasn’t enough. The smoke flowed towards him like a wall, too vast to avoid.
Too vast to avoid so long as he remained on the rooftop. He shoved himself off, created more hands to form a series of ledges that might serve as a staircase.
The smoke still loomed.
He got as close to the ground as he could, then launched himself to safety.
Golem was panting as he rested on the ground. Psychosoma’s monsters emerged from the smoke, one using the same ledges he’d created to descend, the other crawling on the outside of the building. Homeless, to look at them, twisted into monstrous shapes. False shapes. He could deal enough damage and break the effect, and they’d be human again, unhurt.
Simpler than it sounded. If he broke the effect for one, the other would tear the freed victim apart.
Golem rose to his feet, backing away as swiftly as he could. He was out of reach of the smoke, but these things, they were a distraction, a speed bump.
He waited, dropping into a fighting stance as they approached. They broke into runs, charging him blindly, two figures so thin they didn’t look real, their fingers and feet twisted into claws as long as his forearm.
They plummeted into a pit in the middle of the road.
Golem rose from the fighting stance, then hurried on. His footsteps continued to mark the surfaces around him, making it clear where there were more of Nyx’s illusions, more traps left over from the Tohu-Bohu attack.
His other enemies wouldn’t be so gullible.
“Left or right?” he asked. He had a mental map of the surroundings.
“Left. Somewhere around a ninety percent chance Jack’s in that direction.”
Each question narrowed down the possibilities. From fifty percent of the area to twenty-five percent, then twelve and a half percent… now six percent. It was a small enough slice that he didn’t need to wonder as much. If he kept on this course, he could find his target.
“Right route,” Dinah said. “It’s… it’s really fuzzy, but I still feel like the bloody, ugly ends aren’t so close.”
“A good feeling,” Theo said.
“In a numbery way.”
A numbery way.
“Status,” he said. “Not a question. Just… I need to know what’s going on.”
“The others are… okay,” Dinah replied. “Defiant just arrived in Houston with a giant robot that only has one arm and one leg, and we’ve got…”
Dinah’s voice continued, but he didn’t hear it.
Golem slowed to a walk as he saw his new surroundings. The tombstones of Bohu’s area were still here, but they were scarred.
A thousand times a thousand cuts.
“Theodore,” Jack said.
Jack emerged, and he wasn’t holding a knife. He held a sword, nearly four feet long. A claymore. His shirt was unbuttoned, showing a body without a trace of fat. His beard had been meticulously trimmed, but that had easily been a day ago. His neck had scruff on it. Strands of dark hair fell across eyes with lines in the corner as he stared at Golem.
Golem had gotten this far.
Jack let the blade’s point swing idly at calf-level, pointed off to one side. Cuts gouged the road’s surface. Theo let his fingers trace the panels on his armor. Steel, iron, aluminum, woods, stone…
His second sense marked various items in the surrounding area that were made of the same substance, even marked the trap off to his left, but it didn’t touch any part of the sword.
“All on your lonesome,” Jack said.
“Yes,” Theo answered, sounding braver than he felt.
His finger touched other panels. Brick, asphalt, concrete, porcelain…
The sword remained out of his power’s reach. He’d put so much stock in being able to disarm Jack.
With each contact, he felt the accompanying flashes, tried to put together a mental picture of his surroundings.
Two false building faces, just a little ahead of him. They had to be Nyx-made. If he advanced, she’d break the illusion, and he’d be surrounded in the noxious smoke. At best, he’d pass out. At worst, he’d pass out and wake up to permanent brain damage and organ failure. Or being in the clutches of the Nine.
Jack let the sword swing, and Golem tensed. The blade didn’t come anywhere close to pointing at him, but Jack’s power cut shallow gouges into the surrounding brick, stone and pavement.
“Alone,” Jack said, again.
Because of you, Golem thought.
He clenched his fist.
Tears were forming in his eyes. Ridiculous. Wasn’t supposed to be what happened in this kind of situation.
Jack, in turn, smiled slowly. “Quiet. I was thinking that after all this time, we could have some witty banter. You can scream your fury at me, curse me for killing your loved ones. Then you do your best to tear me apart.”
“Oh!” Jack smiled wider. “Show mercy, then? Walk away from the fight and show you’re the better man, rather than descending to my level? I’ve been waiting for someone to pull that ever since I saw it happen in a movie.”
“This isn’t a movie.”
“No. It’s very, very real, Theodore,” Jack said. He paced a little, letting the sword drag on the ground. The blade was white, Golem noted. White, exceptionally sharp.
Mannequin-made?
Or was this Jack an illusion? Nyx could imitate voices. She could create the gouges in the walls by way of the illusory smoke.
Golem paced a little too, mirroring Jack’s movements.
“Well, I’m not sure what you expect, then, Theodore. The fat little boy promised me he’d become the kind of hero that would put down monsters like me. I gave you two years, and you’ve made it at least partway. Did you change your mind on the killing part?”
“No. I will kill you.”
“So tough! So brave! All of this from the-”
“Stop talking, Jack. You’re not that clever, not as sharp as you like to think. You talked to me about keystones? Bullshit. You’re a sad, pathetic killer with delusions of grandeur.”
Jack’s smile dropped from his face. He held the Claymore with one hand, the blade’s point touching the ground, and spread his arms. His unbuttoned shirt parted, showing the whole of his bare shirt and stomach. Showing himself to be vulnerable, exposed.
“Then do your worst, Theodore. Because if you don’t, I will.”
“Dinah,” he whispered.
“With you. Gray boy isn’t near. Nyx and Hookwolf are. Fifteen questions. I had to use one to help the others.”
He nodded slowly.
I don’t like the illusory building faces. Too much poisonous smoke was needed to make that sort of thing, it had to be multiple Nyxes working in concert. They’d be close, probably.
Which said nothing of the other threats that loomed behind the fog. Psychosoma’s creations?
Golem reached up to his gloves, then tore off the protectors on his knuckles. They fell to the ground. Beneath were spikes.
“Nice touch,” Jack said.
Golem spread his arms. “What do you-”
Mid-sentence, still talking, he let his arms fall, driving them into panels at his side.
Jack hopped back out of reach of the hands, seizing his sword. He drew it back.
Golem created another hand. Not to catch Jack, but to catch the blade.
It had backfired, if anything. The hand caught the tip of the blade, but the sword slid free of the grip and flew around with more force. Golem leaped back, letting himself fall, and let his feet slide into the pavement. Two boots rose from the ground, shielding him as the slash caught the surface.
Weaver’s lessons. Catching the enemy off guard by any means necessary, rolling with the punches, or rolling with the effects of the enemy’s attack.
Had to use Dinah’s ability, divide everything into two equally viable actions, so he wasn’t caught off guard.
Still prone, still shielded and out of sight, he reached into the ground with both hands.
Two hands, flattened, jabbed for Jack’s leg, stabbing at ankle and calf. Jack backed away again before they made contact, slashed again.
This time, the slash caught a section of Golem’s armor that was sticking out of cover. The cut made a mark nearly a foot deep in the ground, but it served only to split the pauldron in half. A section of metal fell to the ground.
He created two connected hands of pavement, then whipped them to throw the section of pauldron at Jack. The trajectory suggested it would fly a little to Jack’s left.
Golem jabbed one hand into the ground, and a flattened hand stabbed out from the spinning piece of metal, extending as the projectile flew.
Jack ducked, but Golem was already thrusting his other hand into the earth. It jutted from the hand he’d created, doubling the length in short order. More of a crude boomerang in shape than a chunk of metal.
It only clipped Jack, just barely.
“Clever boy,” Jack said. “You-”
“Stop talking, Jack,” Golem responded.
For Aster, for Kayden, even for the others…
He thrust his hands into the ground, repeatedly, and they stabbed at the underside of Jack’s feet. He leaped back out of reach and swung his sword the instant he touched ground.
The action cut through the remainder of the shield Golem had raised, but it also kept Jack in one place. He caught the underside of Jack’s foot. Jack stumbled as he pulled himself free of Golem’s grip.
He reached out to stab out with two interconnected hands, the same technique he used to launch himself.
But Jack evaded it, slid out of the way, almost as if he knew the strike was coming.
Golem moved to get into a position to strike again, and realized in the moment that it would take too long.
He was crouched, still, his hands remained buried, and Jack was already drawing his sword back. He couldn’t mount a defense in time.
He braced himself. With luck, his armor could take it.
The attack didn’t come.
No. Jack laughed, instead. His icy blue eyes were fixed at a point beyond Golem.
Golem chanced a look over his shoulder.
He saw a figure dropping out of the sky, trailed by what looked like a comet’s trail of black shapes. Weaver. Her course changed as she flew away, using the Bohu-warped buildings for cover.
And where she’d been, just moments ago, a dull gray light hung in the sky.
Scion. Trapped in Gray Boy’s time-well.
Jack’s laugh rang through the area.
The figure inside moved, but only barely. The well trapped powers within. Kayden’s lasers wouldn’t exit the area. Crusader’s duplicates wouldn’t be able to wander beyond the well’s limits.
And Scion didn’t appear to be any different.
“I’m sorry, my boy,” Jack said.
Golem whipped his head around. Jack had backed up a short distance.
Jack chuckled, as if he still found something funny about the situation. “Ah well. I’m disappointed. I’m not sensing it, your killer instinct.”
“I’m prepared to finish you,” Golem said.
“You’re prepared? Maybe. But not practiced. No. I don’t see this going anywhere interesting. It’s about the ripples. You remember our conversation?”
Theo nodded slowly. The ripples from a butterfly’s wing. The effects that extend out from any event.
“You? This? It’s nothing. What ripples extend from this? You’re weak. That?” Jack pointed at Scion, trapped in the sky.
Golem chanced another look. Nothing had changed. Scion remained fixed in place.
“That interests me.”
He climbed to his feet, eyes on Jack’s weapon.
Jack reached into his belt, then drew a knife.
Golem tensed. Faster than the sword, if not quite so capable of chewing through his armor.
But Jack didn’t attack him. He struck at the building faces.
The surfaces dissolved into rolling clouds of smoke. Golem vaulted himself back twice in quick succession to escape it, then continued to back away for good measure.
“You’ve failed to amuse me. A shame your sister’s been shot, and there’s nothing interesting to do with the hostages,” Jack called out, his voice ringing along the length of the street. With no details or features on the outsides of the buildings Bohu had altered, the voice carried in an odd way.
A shadow emerged. Jack, riding atop a massive six-legged beast.
As Jack approached, he became more visible, and the nature of the beast became clear. He stood on Hookwolf’s back, between the creature’s shoulders.
Other shadows appeared in the mist, and they, in turn, clarified as they approached. Crawlers. Mannequins. Crimsons. Others.
Done in by my dad’s lieutenant, Golem thought. No way he was walking away from this.
“I suppose we’ll kill you,” Jack said. “And you’ll just have to take me on my word when I say I’ll find something suitably horrific to do as punishment for your failing our little game.”
Theo raised a hand as a shield even before Jack used his power in conjunction with Hookwolf’s. A hand of pavement, struck by a thousand slashes in a matter of a second, whittled to nothing. Then he had only armor, and that, too, started to come apart.
The cuts that followed parted flesh.
This entry was posted in 26.a (Interlude A) and tagged Bastard, Bitch, Chevalier, Gray Boy, Hookwolf, Hoyden, Jack, Revel, Saint, Scion, Taylor, Tecton, Theo by wildbow. Bookmark the permalink.
351 thoughts on “Interlude 26a”
I’ll be frank. Ran out of time/space/words. This wound up being 8k words long, but I didn’t get everything I imagined into the chapter. So I’m cutting the event into pieces.
Interludes Thursday and Saturday.
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned!
And if you’re willing, votes on Topwebfiction would be appreciated – sitting at a relatively low 140 at the time of this comment.
Honestly, the cliffhanger was great. From the looks of it I’m kind of glad it turned out this way, deciding based off limited information. This is a great chapter.
Not sure if it’s a spoiler or not so feel free not to answer, but are the remaining interludes Theo PoV or another point of view?
Agreed — good cliffhanger. Highly cliffhangery — Golem’s in deep trouble.
My god, Jack can use Hookwolf’s blades for his power? That is synergy taken to a truly unfair degree. Especially since it looks like he just has to touch one part of Hookwolf to use all the blades.
Theo can merge with materials but not with Jacks extended Blades… so … Theo gets shreddered.
TapiocaTalks on August 6, 2013 at 09:45 said:
Also, can’t he only merge his arms and legs. Still possible he gets injured but someone (Skitter?) intervenes before he dies.
As for Aster, if I were in the messed up head space of Jack, I’d probably find it funny to replace her with one of the baby clones. It’s possible that’s who Skitter killed. About surviving a gunshot to the head, wasn’t Purity about to jump out the window rather than let Gray Boy take Aster? Possible there was already a protective power we don’t know about.
And lastly, next interlude- I’m guessing/hoping Scion. Now that he’s in a time loop, he should have plenty of time to reminisce… (too early for jokes?)
Wildbow, you’re amazing.
Keno Black on August 6, 2013 at 15:34 said:
Remember, this is Worm we’re speaking of. Who’s to say Jack wouldn’t use Hookwolf AS his weapon, and rip Theo apart?
Characters we love die brutally here.
*still crying over Battery*
Reminds me of this book that doesn’t actually exist: http://100daystyleradamsmith.tumblr.com/post/53339667358/day-67-100-george-r-r-martin-i-will-kill
“Interludes Thursday and Saturday.” That changes up the nature of the cliff hanger even more. I’m impressed.
Hi Frank. I’ll be Earnest.
Arr! This here be the Typo Thread!
Ye be postin’ yer observances of yon Wildbow’s salty mistakes!
Or it’s the locker for ye!
He could see the twisted logic of it, even. As if there was a binary to everything, every enemy
Paragraph is cut off.
Those poor dogs.
Adam on August 6, 2013 at 00:44 said:
“Defiant, maybe, would avert their eyes.”
Should be his eyes.
Torn on August 6, 2013 at 08:31 said:
Funny thing is, prior to Dragon’s… deletion? It WOULD have been “their” eyes. XD
“Hookwolf Gray Boy” Missing comma.
“the second groups,” group.
“be what happed in” Happened.
to try to knock a D.T. officer off his feet. Jack hopped up, then struck out.
Should that be the DT officer?
*Should that be the DT officer hopped up and struck out?
grimGrendel on August 6, 2013 at 10:10 said:
“Easier to found a new habitable”
=> to find
alextfish on February 25, 2014 at 06:20 said:
A handful of typos:
– Need different punctuation before “he raised a hand”
Rachel, Parian and Foil were on the dog’s backs
– Assuming the dog isn’t more mutated than usual, I think this should be “dogs’ backs”. Also it’s odd for Golem to think of Rachel as Rachel not Bitch.
He held the Claymore
– “Claymore” hadn’t been capitalised so far
Gray boy isn’t near
– “Boy” should be capitalised
Being alone as often as he had –> had been? As often as he was?
as far as this end of the world scenario ‘was concerned’?
scipio on August 6, 2013 at 00:09 said:
Shit they got scion. I would have though Scion would have been able to escape. I guess Gray boy is that fucking broken.
Or maybe someone has to tell Scion to break free, because he doesn’t think much for himself.
That…would be hilarious. Not sure I buy it, but still, hilarious.
I wonder what he’s thinking…
youtube.com/watch?v=4e_mWJ3Vv2Y
Insomnia won.
Scion caged is disasterous.
Next up, Ragnarok.
k4rv3r on August 6, 2013 at 00:38 said:
Ragnarok should be the name of the next Endbringer.
If Jack has anything to do with it we’ll have to call the thing Smugnarok.
TOTALLY CAME UP WITH THAT ON MY OWN. TOTALLY DIDN’T STEAK IT.
STEAL IT. FUCK.
Now I’m remembering that bit in that kid’s book Bunnicula when Harold and Chester (the family dog and cat) are trying to kill the rabbit-vampire by driving a steak through his heart.
Just Typo Things on May 15, 2016 at 11:08 said:
veekie on August 6, 2013 at 00:17 said:
Oh. What a cliffhanger this is. Scion incapable of escape, Golem on the verge of death. The bad guys are winning.
On the upside Bitch is really getting the hang of the whole ’empathy’ thing.
On the upside Bitch is really getting the hang of the whole ‘empathy’ thing.
Well, that’s something, at least.
It’s the little things which count.
I like that Bitch said Taylor and Theo were both acting differently. A nice touch, noting that Theo wasn’t the only one feeling it.
I find it hilarious that Rachael of all people has a better read on their emotional ques than the rest of the group.
She’s really good with body language. And she knows Taylor.
Yes. Taylor’s body speaks to her, and she knows its language.
Come on, it’s been years. No way they’re still a ship. It’s probably all about Sveta/Victoria (Garrote/Glory Girl) now.
I actually think Bitch thinks of her as family, maybe something akin to a sister. Taylor outright admits that she has long since stopped thinking of her as anything but Rachel now. Garrote/Glory Girl would be difficult due to Glory Girl being unable to move, though maybe Dragon helped turn them into cyborgs to help them move around. It worked for the Defiant terminator and she mentioned 3d printers when it happened. They could use the firepower, and we have already seen Dragon tech start to me semi-mass produced.
Given that Glory Girl was remade by, well, kind of a sexual predator, she probably has some form of genitals or at least something that would approximate them for sexual use. She’s also invincible so Garrote would be unlikely to harm her accidentally.
Bitch/Rachel is a bit difficult to psychoanalyze given she doesn’t have a fully human psychology or a fully canine psychology. She probably sees her as a family member, but “wife” is a member of your family as well, so the two are not entirely mutually exclusive. Personally I don’t ship her with anyone.
Puppy Therapy continues.
When you’re standing on a pile of dead bodies that includes your four year old baby half sister and staring at a spike where someone was crucified to a wall, sometimes you just need to scratch a puppy.
I don’t think that Racheal lacks empathy. It’s more like she goes to such a basic, primal level of emotion that most people don’t know how to deal with it, without all the normal social cues.
Also in Bitch’s mind Theo would have just lost his whole pack. I think she can relate. Remember when Leviathan killed all her dogs?
She knows who Theo is, knows he needs something and does something. she’s going to save the world with puppy therapy. The Simrugh will end up labrador puppied puppied into surrender
Yeah. I LoLed at the return of puppy therapy. Okay, more sort of snorted… xD
When all you’ve got is puppies, everyone looks like they need puppy therapy.
irrevenant on July 1, 2015 at 18:56 said:
*Everyone* needs puppy therapy.
Except maybe cat people, but screw those guys… 😛
… FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU *breathe* UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-huh-huh-huh-UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
entertheplayers on August 6, 2013 at 13:52 said:
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK-K-K-K-KOMBO BREAKER.
Well… Yes. Quite.
underwhelmingforce on August 6, 2013 at 00:43 said:
Ninja’d me!
Or at least, that’s what I was going to say.
Till you ninja’d yourself
DAMMIT WILDBOW. DDDDAAAAMMMMIIITTT!!!!!!!!
Can’t wait for part 2
rmctagg09 on August 6, 2013 at 00:27 said:
Well fuck.
randomsoul2 on August 6, 2013 at 00:30 said:
I concur with this assessment.
Though on the subject, a minor mechanics question,if it isn’t a spoiler…
What are the rules regarding what Jack can and can’t extend? What defines a blade for purposes of his power, and what does his relationship to it need to be? Clearly it’s not just whatever he’s holding, since he could use his power in tandem with Hookwolf’s. So is it just any blade near him?
If so, I imagine he’d be very dangerous in a literal slaughterhouse.
And to think, he could have been an awesome prostitute or porn star depending on what he can extend.
Come on Packbat, that has GOT to be worth going in the CMOF!
Erratic on August 6, 2013 at 09:45 said:
Nah, it’s just crass.
You know registering a TV Tropes account is free, right? You can edit the pages yourself and we won’t mind.
Will try and sign up when i come home tonight and try to take some weight off you. But damn you’ve done a fine job with tropes. Thanks on that score PB
Much appreciated (and you’re welcome)!
Willy (@Willy591) on August 6, 2013 at 00:28 said:
I had a feeling Scion would be neutralized somehow, but I couldn’t think of how. I wonder what the limits on Gray Boy’s powers are. To affect Scion is impressive indeed, since nothing so far has even touched him. Even Eidolon’s forcefield that contained a nuclear blast was blown apart by Scion’s beam, so Gray Boy’s power is obviously quite conceptual, kinda like Clockblocker’s somehow or Foil’s in that it simply works.
Big question for me going forward are:
1. How did Gray Boy affect Scion?
2. Will Gray Boy’s death or neutralization, if it ever happens, free the people he trapped?
3. Will Scion, independent of Gray Boy ending the loop, escape?
4. What’s Cauldron’s role in this?
5. How will Gray Boy be neutralized, if ever?
Can’t wait for more, this interlude was fun. Everyone did feel a bit Worfed in the fight scene with Harbinger, but there isn’t much you can do against a high level precog other than throw your own against ’em to confuse ’em. I think an attack or two hitting them would have served to distinguish them in terms of skill from Contessa (who stomps completely), since the Number Man’s interlude did have him thinking that the Case53 he tracks down come close to hitting him.
When Gray Boy talked to Kayden he talked about coming back to her centuries later because they had the ability to clone etc and he talked about the power continuing to work until the sun grew cold. This would imply that it goes on even after he is dead.
1. Presumably Gray Boy’s powers are just that hax in some capacity. It indicates that other “perfect” effects may also have the ability to harm him in some capacity. It seems that his powers directly contain parahuman abilities, which explains why Purity didn’t fry Aster’s brain with a laser last chapter when Gray Boy took her.
2. Almost certainly not.
3. I suspect that this is probable but the removal of Zion at this point could be a great way of increasing the stakes.
4. Impossible to say without more information. The weak answer is that Cauldron just doesn’t want to deal with the Harbingers given the circumstances.
5. I suspect he can be killed relatively easily. He has great defensive powers, but he just resets himself as long as he can think.
I don’t quite get Number Man. His own interlude had a fight I didn’t quite get where he won despite a power that seemed to counter his own quite well. I think he has something we’re not quite getting about his Thinker abilities like increased speed or some kind of telekinesis to explain his feats.
I can’t say I have a great memory of his interlude but doesn’t his power basically let him calculate his surroundings and the events which happen within them. His power reduces all given factors to raw data and gives him the ability to comprehend that data. So he is able to calculate the precise angle, force and timing of an opponents swing before they have even begun it proper.
That said he could definitely have another more physical power.
Jim Lee on August 6, 2013 at 00:49 said:
I think the issue with all those Harbingers was how beautifully they complement each other. Their combined combat Thinking means the fuckers form a combat unit which is way, way stronger than the sum of its parts.
Yeah. Basically they were including what the other Harbingers did in their calculations, thus maxing their power’s effectiveness.
Why haven’t they just nuked the city? Sometime I was unsure about as well, what ARE the limits of harbinger’s power? Does it not work if he cannot perceive variables? He obviously can see down to the level of things like air currents at this point, but you can’t derive a result with inaccurate data all the time, and he’s not actually a precog. Wouldn’t his weakness be a cape with only partial control over their powers, and random activation that aren’t predictable?
Yeah, I would have thought Harbinger/Number Man would be an approximation of Contessa’s true perfection seeing as his power only show him the path, he still has to walk it. Contessa’s, on the other hand, guides her every step.
Oh well. An approximation of perfection is still pretty damn powerful. One of them should have died though. Or been hurt at least.
4. This interests me the most currently. Cauldron has the ability to end the clones (established that in the Bonesaw chapter, correct?) but hasn’t intervened much. Are they even trying to stop the end of this world? Do they have a bigger scheme/plan in mind? Perhaps phasing over to a world where everyone is “evolved” (with parahuman abilities) and Cauldron rules? I guess their holding out could be a result of Contessa’s power and strategically planning when to act.
Saint: Oh man, oh man, oh man. Doc, you gotta help. I really fucked up this time.
Doctor Mother: Sorry, can’t. It’s the Shabbos.
Saint: Wait, what? Are you even Jew-
Doctor: I’m shomer fucking Shabbos! *click*
Will you come off it, Doc? You’re not even fucking Jewish, man.
Doctor Mother: What the fuck are you talkin’ about?
Man, you’re fucking Polish Catholic.
Doctor Mother: What the fuck are you talking about? I converted when I got married. Come on, Gecko!
Yeah, and five fucking years ago you were divorced.
Doctor Mother: So what are you saying? When you get divorced you turn in your library card? You get a new license? You stop being Jewish?
If they really do want to establish a new world order, having a strike force of powerful, monstrous parahumans on tap would surely strengthen their hand. The nine are ideal in a way.. they’re already trained to fight, to kill, they like it, and nobody on earth cares how anyone treats them.
Jerden on August 6, 2013 at 18:21 said:
Controlling them is the only problem. I think they may be waiting for Jack to die, as he controlls all the goddamn psychopaths and so could ruin a Slaughterhouse takeover even if Bonesaw betrays him.
visler on August 6, 2013 at 00:33 said:
You have no pity do you Wildbow. 😦
-Squivler
Damali on August 6, 2013 at 00:34 said:
Wow. Wtf
Thank you, Timothy, for the donation. 😀
Ouch, Theo. Hope you make it through. You’ve had a hard row to hoe.
I wonder if freezing Scion was already the trigger. Without him they won’t be able to fight the endbringer effectively and it might spell the end of the world in a way even if everything else goes well.
Dinah apparently has gotten better in using her powers.
How did Defiant end up building this to quickly and why did he build a giant robot when his specialisation is integration and microtizing stuff? How did weaver help with that? Some sort of control that makes the pocket dimension go faster in time compared to the rest of the world?
I can’t wait for part B.
He didn’t build, he borrowed. See the last chapter.
He didn’t build that 🙂
Aaaaand ninja’d by the author.
If he had 4 more giant mecha, they could all form a complete mecha easily capable of defeating the 9. Problem is, if that one TV show tried to sue, he wouldn’t have a leg to stand on.
You forget that the manikin clones probably can already do that. Team! Lets form Slaughtertron!
he didn’t build it, it’s accord’s second trigger event form
He rapid-grew clones of the original tinkers to help him 🙂
Is this it for Scion?
I doubt it, personally. Scion’s power is godlike, and his narrative is still ongoing. There’s been no real build-up to him being taken down. And we still don’t know what his deal is, so…
I predict that either Scion will escape or he’ll do something story-relevant from inside the well. Maybe we’ll see an interlude from a trapped Scion’s perspective.
Regardless, pretty sure we haven’t seen the last of the guy.
There was actually, jack mentioned it as one of his end of the world kick start plans.
I knew about that. But having someone say “let’s do it” one chapter earlier isn’t much in the way of foreshadowing.
Remember Gray Boy said that people eventually work through all their issues? Maybe being stuck in the loop drives Scion SANE? And maybe that won’t be a good thing. Scion is definitly at the world ender level.
Or maybe the well blocks the constant screaming in his ears of all the world’s problems, and he is enjoying a break.
So this chapter answered a question I had after the last one: if someone was locked in a loop by Greyboy while, for example, firing a gun, what would happen? Would they just run out of bullets? Would the bullets return to the magazine and undo any damage done? Or would they return to the magazine but NOT undo any damage they caused?
It looks like I was wrong on all of my guesses, and the bullets would splat against the edge of the time-bubble (or just vanish).
Given how Scion spends a lot of his on-screen time floating in place in midair, it might be premature to assume that he is unable to break free!(Though for the narrative it makes sense.)
Great chapter.
DvorakQ on August 6, 2013 at 01:14 said:
Damn this arc was awesome. Thanks for your hard work Wildbow 🙂
Agreed. Makes me certain that this timeskip was a really great idea.
Oh the arc is awesome it’s just that we’re sad we missed a few other awesome moments. More of Weaver’s war on crime, new Endbringer fights, and the whole war on china.
Nakigara on August 6, 2013 at 01:23 said:
Maybe we’ll get lucky, and, with Jack and Gray Boy on the other side of the country, Riley can make her move.
What the heck is Taylor’s solution that allows Defiant to have more time … or more thinking power in the allotted time (Wildbow you tease – it is becoming clear you enjoy doing this)? Possibilities:
—A fast Dragon reincarnation. Unlikely – Weaver doesn’t know enough about Dragon to work that.
—Compressed time. Unlikely – Dispatch isn’t here; time-loopers aren’t here, e.g. Perdition.
—Super thinking speed. Unlikely – power transfer from a Chuckles?
—Transferred memories (Toybox member Cranial). More likely, but how the heck can he know which memories are which? I would rather chop off a finger than play with mental stuff Bonesaw had access to – safer in the long run.
—Compressed time, part two. Unlikely and an ugly, ugly possibility if at least one of the babies is a Gray Boy with active powers. Step into the kid’s area of affect. As long as he hauls the kid around, he can continue to work. When he wants out of the loop, kill the kid. Rinse and repeat for as many Gray Boy babies exist. However, this doesn’t give him more time, it just resets him regularly, unless Gray Boy’s power is different when used in the area around his body.
—Super thinking speed, part two. Unlikely, and very ugly again. Similar to the above, Chuckles has to be able to take people into his area of effect; otherwise, the acceleration would have killed Cherish and Screamer when Chuckles tried to rescue them in an earlier encounter. Pick a Chuckles baby, abuse him until his power activates, and hope like hell he takes you with him into super speed. If the baby dies, rinse and repeat.
—Neural net (literally). Ridiculously unlikely. There are all these bodies around, too bad someone like Bonesaw isn’t around to get them started again and link the brains.
—(from Loki-L) Altered time in the pocket dimension. Very unlikely – Defiant would know of that before Weaver.
Jesus, if Grey Boy is strong enough to trap Scion with his power then it has to work against Endbringers.
That is an intriguing idea. No bets on what happens if an Endbringer core contacts the power, though. Either effect could arguably collapse the other one.
But an Endbringer’s core is contained within non-core materials. The core might not be impacted but the rest of the body would be. If I’m reading it right.
I agree with FarmerBob. Endbringer cores don’t do much except grow Endbringers. If the thing they grow is time looped there’s not much they can do about it.
Assuming that counts as an endbringer defeat, I’d hate to see what powers the next endbringer has in response, though…
I have a feeling that his power might be limited by physical space. As in I doubt he can interfere with an entire room. I’m guessing the space limit is about the size of a car and doesn’t work if biological matter isn’t fully encapsulated by the loop.
Harbinger was indeed a nasty customer when he was young. Still not sure how they survived a five story drop. Predicting the future is one thing, but he still has a human body. Unless Bonesaw did a few upgrades to make him better.
Kaiser is a cat person. Figures.
Cauldron lied about Contessa being blocked by Scion. The question is why did they lie and what is their plan? My guess is that Scion is an enemy of Cauldron. He won’t attack their public heroes because they help against the Endbringers but he might have reached the same conclusion Dragon did if he showed a disgusted face at Eidolon. So the Number man and Contessa can’t show up in front of him because he will simply kill them. I don’t think this thing with Scion will work or last. Jack is a catalyst for the end of the world, but he himself doesn’t end it. It’s possible Grey boy does it but I don’t buy that. There is still too much we don’t know about Cauldron and there is a reason they still haven’t taken control of the 9 yet. Especially because while stopping Scion pretty much dooms the world, it still won’t end right away. It will still take a few decades before the Endbringers destroy everything and the End of the world is supposed to happen today not later on.
I would have thought Kaiser preferred a German Shepherd.
No, I’m allergic to cats. They have also NEVER liked me. I’ve been scratched/attacked pretty bad when I was little by one for no god damn reason. They’re not all bad, it’s just that I have bad luck with them and they aren’t loyal like a dog is. They also eat your eyes when you die.
They’ve always been fine with me. I think we bond over our mutual love of killing things and licking ourselves.
Well they are vicious. I remember reading somewhere that several species are endangered because they just go around killing, and torturing for no reason. There is a reason that a evil mastermind sits stroking a cat. I am honestly curious, what would you name your evil little furball?
I just found this and figured you’d like it.
youtube.com/watch?v=yogEyYtiRBY
And if you must know, the Siamese-looking one was named Cassandra, the fraidy cat was named Demeter, and the outgoing, curious one was named Tugger.
They were viciously murdered by a dog, except Demeter, which than ran away.
Yep, three kittens, good way to take care of a bunch of rats starting to infest the place, but the asshole with the dog that killed cats didn’t want to chain her up or put her in a fenced in area or anything. The cats were killed by the dog as a result, and the rats then chewed enough wires in his boat to strand him way out in the water with no flares and a wet cellphone he dropped in the water earlier that day.
Said person never learned their lesson. There’s a reason some people should just be killed and done with.
Where the hell can I get the stuff the makers of this video were on when they made this? You made me all depressed with a kitten story. Reminds me of a commenter who worked in a vet’s office and told a horrifying story that even freaked out Wildbow. I think it was around a bitch heavy chapter.
To quote Christopher Titus: “Do what Jesus would do, cowboy up.”
Sometimes you just have to look at your favorite cat’s splayed intestines, dig it a grave, and then go read a story where people are tortured forever and a baby gets shot. Nah, don’t worry, it wasn’t recent when that all happened.
The world can be mean. Sometimes, you can make mean funny, because the mean isn’t going away, and people don’t always deserve to be stomped on by every bit of entertainment out there.
Also, I like throwing videos at people that elicit that response, though. I would suggest Frontier Psychiatrist by The Avalanches and I Fink U Freeky by Die Antwoord.
But don’t worry. I’m not just saying that because people may think that because my stuff is stupid that I lack depth, that I’m not some tortured, brooding soul.
That way, people can walk away going “That guy was really deep.” and “Yeah, I noticed that. Really deep, eh?” “Shit yeah.”
But, hey, I can have a dark side if you want me to. youtube.com/watch?v=3xQmJ_vxHB4
I can have a dark siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide. I can develop my brooding potential if pain’s what you want in an act. Pain I can do. I can have a dark side too. I can have dark siiiide…Yippy!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go imagine Jack Slash in a kilt farting lightning bolts from his arse. You want to know why they call it a kilt? Because they started out as pants, but he got tired of them being so boring and kilt them.
Right Hand. For the Right Hand Cat on TVtropes.
Too bad Skitter never had a giant spider or bug to pet for her “throne” room. There is also a giant crab somewhere that would also have worked out perfectly.
Heh-heh. Cats are the shit. I really connect with cats. Psychotic, narsiccistic… No concept of “not mine,” a love of raw meat, sleep, killing, fighting, attacking everybody… Switching between happy, aggressive… Ah. Love ’em. They’re like mini-me-s!
-Zeta & Khan.
Rika Covenant on August 6, 2013 at 11:47 said:
http://poinsettcounty.kait8.com/news/news/240253-dog-eats-paralyzed-mans-testicle
It seems I’m outnumbered by Cat lovers.
No worries. Cats are good. I prefer mine with either mesquite BBQ or sweet and sour sauce.
You’ll always have PZ Meyers, TheAnt. He prefers squid.
Kaiser liking cats made him far more terrifying then an avarage dog person.
He does not want brainless stormtroopers, he liked selfthinking minions.
I’m more of a cat person myself. Dogs require too much attention and I don’t have the patience to really deal with them. That said, A cat. Maybe two. After that it’s too many to deal with. And yes, cats are horrifyingly efficient killing machines. What do you expect, they don’t gang up on their prey like dogs have to.
As a cat person myself i know we are far more deadly then the doglovers 😉
And to add to that. Bitch would be far more psyco and deadlier as a cat master.
Beware of “Queen” (That is the selfgoogled term for a female cat)
Hmm, and I just imagined tattletale. Independent, knows she’s the smartest one there is, is superior to her canine housemate and I would not be surprised if one day she has a video feed, swing round to face the viewscreen and is stroking a damned Persian Moggy whilst smirking.
Riding into battle on Cringer.
Kytin on August 7, 2013 at 22:54 said:
The ability to herd cats? Now there’s a superpower!
I believe the Harbinger’s survived the falls simply by knowing how to break it, slow it down. Remember, their power isn’t only seeing the future. They see everything in terms of numbers. They know the exact spot and strength to use to split a skull with a pen, they can make the perfect shot by knowing exactly what motion the bullet will make at that precise distance, etc.
I understand that but there is a limit to what the human body is capable of so he might also be a breaker/brute of some kind and just never told anybody. A person can survive dropping out of an airplane and survive apparently but they’ll be in full body cast. That energy has to go somewhere so he should have broken a bone at least.
It’s a much shorter fall than an airplane. They had their cloaks and such, as well as falling rubble, and chances are they know the famous “Way Wrestlers Fall” aka “land with as much surface area as possible and hope you don’t break something”.
Maybe they formed a sort of ring where their heads rested on another’s belly as they landed to prevent a little bit of concussive psychiatry.
With sufficient luck, people have survived falls from airplanes and walked away from it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Alkemade
Harbingers apparently are so in control of their own bodies that they wouldn’t need luck to survive a simple 50 foot drop with no injury.
IIRC cats are more likely to survive a five story fall than a three story one as they have more time to spin and stretch and stuff. Also the S9+ are cheats.
Lobo on August 8, 2013 at 00:36 said:
I’ve seen videos of people survive jumps of several stories without injury by rolling properly. There’s some crazy Russian free runners out there. Imagine doing that with perfect physical control.
It’s Contessa. Obviously, her power told her that helping Scion or stopping the Nine right now wasn’t going to lead to victory.
Tacos, tacos are the path to victory. That and catching reruns of Roseanne.
Sucks to be you guys!
Ally on August 7, 2013 at 22:18 said:
Cauldron didn’t necessarily lie about Contessa being blocked by Scion – I’d expect she is. What they said was that Scion was blocking their precog /and hence they couldn’t help./
Scion is blocking their -clairvoyant-. Not precog.
Well, precog too.
Not a good one as far as the killcount goes, but I figured I’d update a few puns y’all all have problems with:
Cherishes put on a bus: 9
Jacks hammered: 0
Saints had his computer shined up real nice, turned sideways, and shoved straight up his candy ass, stomped a mudhole in and walked dry, tombstone piledriven straight to hell, had a catheter repeatedly stuck in and pulled out, given an orange juice enema, fed high protein cupcakes with laxative cream on top, beaten in the head with a shoe, recircumcised, had his nipples scraped off with sandpaper, dragged through mud, hit with carrots, had a rabid badger tossed in his pants, tarred, feathered, drawn, quartered, had his tongue ripped out, shot, and then had his tongue shot, and trimmed that scraggly beard: 0
Oh god, now I’m imagining Jack Slash as played by Clancy Brown.
The best Kurgan since the Kurgan.
Heeeeeeeere we are! Born to be kings, we’re the princes of the universe. Here we belong! Fighting to survive in a war with the darkest power.
The Endbringers creator shows up and decapitates Jack.”
“There can be only one… Big Bad.”
Heh. I made a comment a few chapters back about Jack killing original Cherish and becoming Butcher XVI. Given that he’s starting to get pushed back and make serious mistakes, he might as well compensate with raw power by going Highlander on her.
Only a Butcher is fit to lead the Slaughterhouse, after all.
I don’t know that he would find Cherish where he left her. I seem to recall something about her new Mannequin provided apartment being snagged by a hook and being drug out to sea. I’m just not sure if that was done in story or if it was someones wishful thinking in the looney bin… errrr… comments section.
Interlude 21 – search for Butcher.
(Wow, this comment doesn’t want to post!)
Ahhh, Thank you.
I knew I wasn’t crazy…crazy…craz*SLAP*
Whew. Well, alright. Looks like he can’t get at it without somebody like Scion having a go at it.
And I’m hope Butcher XVI Scion’s just crazy talk. If it happens, those 15 voices might be able to influence him into pulling a Butcher III. And that’d be pretty much impossible for anything less than an Endbringer to beat.
And in our occasional hobby of scoring the chapters, I have a song for Theo on this one. A bit overused though.
youtube.com/watch?v=P1QUZzeZoPQ
This ain’t no place for no hero.
Don’t always like the complete song, but good both here and in the opening of Borderlands 2
Damnit, now I can weaver with insects attacking Jack from on high to the tune of well this lot but just imagine insects instead of hawkmen:
Indigo on August 6, 2013 at 01:50 said:
Well that just happened. Things are either going to go very bad or very well soon and my money is on it being very,very bad.
Generally a safe bet in the Wormverse.
Oh well, at least it can’t get any worse. (hehehehehe)
Simurgh: Sup, Jack? Want a hand?
And now, brainstorm how Golem gets out of this:
—Second trigger event. That would take down all parahumans, including Jack, in the vicinity. Enough increased power and speed in his main powers might swing the fight.
—Second trigger event, part two. He overcomes the Manton Effect and can affect flesh. Jack needs an extra pair of hands … or three. Actually, what Jack really needs is a foot up the ass.
—Second trigger event, part three. Golem can now affect gasses. When the air in your lungs sprouts a fist, you are in trouble.
—Second trigger event, part four. Golem can now affect forces. He can reach through time loops, freeing Scion.
—Bypass the Manton Effect. Can Golem affect Hookwolf when Hookwolf is all metal? This gets really fun when you realize that Golem’s power is not mass-conserving. He could bulk Hookwolf up to ridiculous levels, maybe beyond what Hookwolf can work with.
—Bypass the Manton Effect, part two. Can Golem affect Jack’s non-organic implants (not my original thought, others have speculated on this).
—Deus ex Weaver. Weaver did come down from attempting to divert Scion. (Looks like Gray Boy can affect things at range.)
—Deus ex Other Allies. Others come to Golem’s aid.
—New use of powers. Can Golem affect Nyx’s gas? It can mimic a solid. Being able to turn it against them would be fun. Unfortunately, several members arrayed against him are immune (Manton, Crawler, Hookwolf (maybe), Jack may have immunity courtesy of Bonesaw).
—New use of powers, part two. Does Golem have something approximating Manton’s armor and can he affect it (another non-original thought)? Jack would just let the affected Mantons die, but it might be a distraction.
Forgot an obvious one, although again it is very unlikely.
—Get Jack talking. Jack really needs to read the evil overlord list about monologing (number 6).
When you have Little Miss Frankestein making you functionally unkillable and an army of monsters at your call, I guess you can ignore the finer points of the list.
No, you should not ….
Well, he fails “40.I will be neither chivalrous nor sporting. If I have an unstoppable superweapon, I will use it as early and as often as possible instead of keeping it in reserve.” because of how little he’s used Gray Boy and his gradual escalation.
He also breaks “47.If I learn that a callow youth has begun a quest to destroy me, I will slay him while he is still a callow youth instead of waiting for him to mature.”
and “92.If I ever talk to the hero on the phone, I will not taunt him. Instead I will say this his dogged perseverance has given me new insight on the futility of my evil ways and that if he leaves me alone for a few months of quiet contemplation I will likely return to the path of righteousness. (Heroes are incredibly gullible in this regard.)” though that one is a bit out of place in the Wormverse.
This is Weaver’s story. I both hope and expect for her to save the day.
Well, she didn’t against the Slaughterhouse Nine in Brockton Bay, Leviathan, Behemoth, Bakuda, the Merchants, Empire 88 outside of maybe the rump of Fenir’s Chosen, Heartbreaker, or…
The only time I can think of her actually saving the day against a really major threat was Echidna. Sure, she contributes, fights, coordinates, and really helps, but the Slaughterhouse Nine survived with few casualties she was responsible for, Scion handled the Endbringers, the Nine handled Empire 88 and the Merchants of Death, Imp beat Heartbreaker…
Well, there’s Coil and Alexandria. That was pretty cool on her part.
I’d say she contributes quite a bit despite the lack of firepower she brings to the table. And despite all of the other shit going on, this is sort of a culmination and I hope she’s at the center of the resolution.
Maybe not saved the day, but she did to damnedest to. Considering who she is and what she was fighting, I think it’s safe to say she kicked ass without actually sending Leviathan and the Nine running from the hills singlehandedly.
And Tagg, can’t forget him.
Now your just making me nostalgic.
Can’t Taylor, I dunno, kill one more reactionary jackboot? Just a little one? There’s got to be someone at the Chicago HQ that no-one would miss.
The Sandman on August 6, 2013 at 02:13 said:
I wonder how nasty the effects of Scion busting out of Gray Boy’s power will be.
Probably have to be some consequences from smashing open a looped section of space-time.
Find it interesting that nobody knows that Harbinger became the Number Man. Although I guess that’s one of the many things that would have gotten Contessa sent out to kill someone for knowing.
I’d wonder if there might be a solution to the “Gray Boy locks people in a never-ending recursion of time thing”, albeit a somewhat unpleasant one (thanks to the necessary mind control), by taking a Hatchet Face next to a victim and turning his effect on.
And I really hope somebody jams a wedge into Jack’s little inferiority complex with respect to Gray Boy and starts prying that sucker wide open. I mean, when all’s said and done Gray Boy was the one who actually accomplished something more momentous than just murdering a lot of people and claiming that the blood spray was art. Jack, at this point, is boring. Passe. He has nothing new.
I suppose I just want to see Jack break, preferably before his self-congratulatory line of bullshit induces Smugnarok.
Heck, did you read my deconstruction of Jack in the last chapters comments?
That’s the one.
Ok, remember when I said that I could think of capes more broken than Gray Boy? Well, I was wrong. Because no other cape we’ve seen have ever manage to use their power on the amazing golden man. Now, despite the tone of this series, I’m somewhat confident that Scion will manage to save himself. Still, even if that’s true, and not just desperate wishing on my part, even temporarily trapping Scion, DOES make your power horribly unfair. I’m sorry for the lack of respect Mr Boy, please don’t trap me in a loop of eternal pain.
Now, I’ve been more lenient, sort of, than other posters in regards to Cauldron, but this chapter really PISSED me. I’m not saying that Number Man has to reveal that he was Harbinger or explain every secret of his power, but a HINT, a fucking hint, just to not let them fight an enemy completely in the dark. I thought you wanted to help with this end of the world thing, huh Cauldron? Must have been wrong. Bravo, truly bravo.
And uhm Jack? I thought you killed King because you couldn’t live up to his expectation of being the next Gray Boy. You do realise your great triumph only happened because of him, yes? Still you did make me laugh about really wanting an enemy to not kill you just to prove he’s the better man (any guess on what movie with that situation Jack would have rally enjoyed?), so I guess you may have a career in comedy acts when this is all over. Still, that Jack+Hookwolf combo wasn’t bad. Who will seep down to save Golem?
*swoop down
Swooping is Bad. Everybody has forgotten about imp again, my guess is that she proceeds to stab Hookwolf in the eye to throw Jack off balance but not before tossing a Bakuda bomb Jack’s way.
Hrm, yes, imp carrying a piece of sheet steel and carefully propping it right behind Jack might do quite nicely. Especially if Golem can detect the presence of the steel even if Imp is carrying it.
In fact, I’m REALLY surprised that we haven’t seen imp carrying around a bunch of other tools besides simple knives. Think of the mischief she could cause with a squirtgun full of hydrochloric acid, or just a couple cans of mace. Or even a laser sniper rifle.
Imp with a knife is pretty nasty. Imp with an imagination would be downright scary.
Oh and just wanted to throw something in. I remember during a reread that one of Yamada’s patient, detained in the same center where Garrotte and Glory Girl are, is called Sadboy but his true name is Nicholas. He’s mentioned but we never see him.
A boy with superpowers called Nicholas. Rings any bells?
Possible son? We know from Jack’s comment he wasn’t a child originally so he might have fathered a child. I wonder what Garrotte and Glory Girl have been up to? Talking about obscure characters, I’m waiting for the hero mentioned in the Number Man Interlude. The dreaded hero, THE COCKATOO!
And his sidekick who wears azure boots, the Booby! There’s nothing like the team of Cockatoo and Booby.
Well we never got an Uber and Leet comedy interlude, so having a Cockatoo interlude might be hilarious depending on his personality.
I suspect he’s an old member of the Slaughterhouse Nine we’ll meet sometime this arc in clone form. Because why not?
And his arch-nemesis, the Cockatoo-blocker? >_>
ReallyNotAJAPH on February 5, 2014 at 16:18 said:
I think you mean the Clockatoo.
Guys, I think Sadboy actually might be the Gray Boy.
Quote from the cast page:
“Gray Boy (Status Unknown) – Once a member of the Nine, one of Jack’s first teammates. Has been referenced in passing several times, with a measure of awe or fear.”
Interlude 21:
Unless I am missing something I am fairly sure I have looked at all the major references including Bonesaw’s in a few interludes. I don’t think they ever actually said he died.
We know that Bonesaw cloned people who didn’t die such as Harbinger.
I think Sadboy is the Gray Boy. He’s locked away in the Asylum having never died and never freed his victims.
So you think Gray Boy is blue?
I think it is quite likely.
A slightly more detailed search for every reference to the Gray Boy does provide absolutely no confirmation of his death. It just seems like too awesome and subtle a move not to come up. The name Nicholas. The very specific lack of any statements about his death. The codename “Sadboy” is quite reasonable for a semi-reformed Gray Boy.
I toyed with the idea that he grew up to be Eidolon before, though that never made a particularly large amount of sense.
Yeah, it does look as some obvious foreshadowing, in retrospect.
My only real problem with this theory is that one would think that the major players would be able to know it if a monochromatic boy was hiding in a psychiatric center. Both Cauldron and the Protectorate would probably like to put their hands on him.
I suspect they do know and like him exactly where he is. Given how the Nine have been treated he almost certainly had a kill order on him. In this theory he probably CAN’T die. They also might be trying to figure out how to reverse his power to prevent the infinite torture loops from lasting forever.
Under this interpretation he would absolutely have to be docile and probably repentant. The whole name of Sadboy indicates that he doesn’t exactly want to hurt people anymore and may be sad about it.
Or perhaps he got all repentant one day and decided to use his power on himself, locking himself into a continuous loop.
Don’t underestimate the capacity for blindness and stupidity in people.
“Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers.”
Well that ends badly for Theo. I ain’t gonna hold out hope for a last second rescue here either.
I suppose it’s too much to hope for that Jack will die sobbing and begging like the little bitch that he is? Or even a give a big no as something goes horribly wrong with his plans?
I think that’s exactly what’s going to happen. That arrogant facade has top crack sooner or later. Actually, i wouldn’t be surprised if Gray Boy turns on him and traps him in a loop of eternal pain.
There’s a chance of Hookwolf turning on Jack. Remember Theo is Kaiser’s son, and Hookwolf was a part of Empire 88 at one point. Theo might call in a family debt of some sort if he knows of any way that his family helped Hookwolf, and Hookwolf might honor it.
I believe Hookwolf mainly joined the S9 because if he didn’t, they would destroy the remnants of Empire 88 which he was trying to rebuild. I would not be surprised if he’s been planning on this moment for a long time, knowing that Jack is going to fight his ex-leader’s son at some point. Now that the fight has started, Jack might be distracted enough to be assassinated so Hookwolf can try to go back to rebuilding the Empire 88.
Of course, Jack might be ready for this, but I think a Hookwolf vs Jack fight would be a lot more even that others might believe if the other S9 members stay off Hookwolf and let Jack prove he deserves to win the fight.
Hookwolf joined the Nine because he’s still under the effect of the agnosia mist and is disoriented. There’s a scene where he sort of objects at Jack’s actions (he sees himself as the honourable warrior), Jack gives an explanation and Hookwolf comments that there are thing that don’t fit but he can’t say what exactly.
And Taylor should still be able to cure him, right?
Don’t be ridiculous. Panacea gave very clear instructions that Taylor should get drunk in a week or two to remove the cure-prions from her system. Are you seriously suggesting that Taylor would ignore such clear instructions?
Seriously, though, that’s a possibility. It wouldn’t be the first time that a plot element comes back many arcs later to dramatic effect.
That would involve kissing him, and I think it’s safe to say that Taylor won’t go for the hair metal skinhead shitkicker look.
It is definitely too much to hope for.
Jack Slash will die painlessly. Emma will kill him, having won the superpower lottery of a dangerous Cauldron dose. He will have just killed Bitch and beaten Taylor soundly. Taylor will then have to work on Emma’s team in the Protectorate.
I am being optimistic.
If Emma triggered back in the cafeteria my money stays on her becoming the cape known as ‘Raid.”
The Orkin Woman
Elias N Vasylenko on August 6, 2013 at 07:57 said:
What does everyone think to the idea that Clockblocker might be able to save people from Gray Boy? Freezing people whilst in the loop might break them free of it? Not sure how the loop interacts with other powers, though.
Worth a shot, I think.
Before this chapter I would have said it would have probably worked.But now Gray Boy has trapped Scion. Even if the effect is temporary and Scion frees himself in the next second, Gray Boy has still showed a power never well above everyone else. Up until now, Scion simply seemed immune to anyone else’s powers: precogs are shut down, Eidolon’s forcefield is shattered, Behemoth’s dynakinesis is no-selled…
Meh, he could take her.
Yea right.
One could almost think that Jack is compensating for something, with that big claymore he’s got here 🙂 .
“Eh, I could take y…”
*Weaver cracks knuckles*
…oouu to lunch. Yeah! There’s a Tex mex place right over there. Why don’t we, y’know, sit down, get some beers, talk thing ou-OH GOD NOT THE FACE!”
Bah, Jack should be a man and take the punch. Sometimes you just have to get your ass beat by a woman, get right back up, and proceed to tear her life apart while destroying a city.
I know that’s what I would do if I hadn’t already done it.
Oh his ass is going to be beating by more than just her. They gonna really give him a pounding, because they know how he likes to be on top, so they’re gonna put him back on the bottom. He’ll take a few thousand hard ones to the face, then Chevalier’s gonna stick him with his cannon and blow his load all over Jack’s insides.
Clearly, he needs to get locked in a time loop by Gray Boy until he works out his issues and starts being effective again.
You know, Scion being trapped… may not be a bad thing. He’s autistic or effectively so due to sensory overload, right? Capable of only simplest action and without any real initiative of his own. And now he’s tapped inside an isolated area, with a constant sensory input, or perhaps with no (relative to what he normally experiences) sensory input at all. Just a thing to reorient himself for the first time after he got his trigger event.
Or I may be completely wrong.
I frankly doubt Scion had a trigger event, if only because I doubt he was ever human to start with. I think he’s connected more with the Endbringers/passengers/both than to the parahumans.
Not the point. The point is, that from all indications, he’s suffering form massive constant sensory overload. Being trapped like this may help him get his bearings / regain his mind.
Or he gets even worse because not only does he get sensory overload but he’s overloaded by the same information again and again and again. For ever.
I would think that the constant signal would be easier to cope with then a changing one.
Grey Boy’s power doesn’t prevent new signals from being heard, it just repeats the physical function and state of the body. Remember how he has conversations with people while they are under the effect of his power?
Scion is probably uninjured in the loop, since Grey Boy hit him in the air, which means he’s not in constant pain.
Which in turn means we might actually see a Scion interlude where people can talk to him, and if he’s not able to run off, maybe he will talk back.
> I frankly doubt Scion had a trigger event, if only because I doubt he was ever human to start with
You mean like AIs cannot have trigger events because they’re not human? 😛
MIght be he’s not trapped, but rather has no incentive to move. Not input -> no output.
But Scion interlude will come, and I doubt it’ll be all him in his cell for 10k words,
It’s an interesting idea, nevertheless. Scion finally displaying his sentience after thousands of years of acclimating to the world.
I wonder what his first real words would be…
“Holy shit, I can fly!”
“Was there something I was just doing? Naaahh, hey what’s that awesome smell?”
“It’s called Lasagne? Maybe I should try some.”
Stevebot-7 on August 6, 2013 at 09:28 said:
Oh, Wildbow…the things you make me think.
Hopefully soon I’ll get my little bit of writing polished up, and then I can post it and we can be best friends until everyone realises you’re a better writer than I.
That was pretty nifty of an interlude! 🙂
Behold the ACCORDBOT! Its rage at being asymmetric fuels his power!
There’s a slight time discrepancy here… it could be explained with time differentials in the pocket dimension.
It might be difficult to bring the giant robot up to speed. If Defiant got enough time, maybe he managed to use, appropriate, or learn about something else. (i.e.: girfriend creation chamber)
He has to check out the stuff anyway to kill the clones anyway. Might as well clone Aster and get Dragon’s memories inside her.
And Scion’s actual power is finally revealed too! He is a superpassenger that can move at will between hosts.
The closest one when the old self was trapped is Taylor.
Epileptic trees, if I’m reading it correctly.
Although, that said, if you were looking for a cape to imbue with Scion’s powers, Butcher-style, it would be hard to find a better one. She has a demonstrated ability to drink a firehose of information in combat situations and use it to good effect — I think Scion-senses would synergize well.
> Epileptic trees, if I’m reading it correctly.
I prefer “I just get those headaches trees”, but yeah, pretty much a flight of fantasy.
And ACCORDBOTS!
Oh, Dragon/Aster is so wrong…and so right. I suppose the question would be if being humanized would impair(no more superspeed thought processing) Dragon or free her(no more AI shackles).
Bonesaw/Riley could definitely do it. If I’m remembering correctly the girl who got kidnapped is one and the old Bonesaw is the other. Can’t quite remember if the kidnapped girl is the new Riley or the new Bonesaw. Can’t wait for Riley to make an appearance. Especially if Scion is still in the greyzone and she has time to ponder him.
I kind of like the idea that Scion is incomplete, like maybe his other half somewhere else.
Veloren on August 6, 2013 at 19:04 said:
Be careful with your use of ‘/’ marks. Please. For the sad remaining shreds of sanity that I still possess.
I remember one day I was on the Worm IRC channel and tried to develop a theory by which I could measure the crackiness of crackships.
I believe I gave up after five or so iterations were invalidated by crackships they couldn’t account for. What made it especially disturbing was that none of the refutations were intentional — no version of my model made it onto the channel that hadn’t already been disproved by people randomly conversing.
How about by how much it makes you think about it?
A crackship like Taylor/Rachel provokes consideration of its evidence.
A crackship like Grue/Atlas is the kind of thing you never want to think about, for a random example plucked from the seething insanity that is my mind’s random pairing generator.
I don’t think that really works — I’m pretty sure I put at least as much thought into Danny/Piggot as I have into Theo/Taylor, and the former is significantly crackier than the latter.
Would be interested to see your formula. Maybe it just needs a fresh pair of eyes?
I don’t even know if I could recreate it, now – I think the last refinement I remember was a two-dimensional system of measurement. Roughly, I hypothesized that a ship is more cracktastic if it either:
1. Involves characters separated by greater canonical distance – from a minimum of “they know each other well in-universe” through “they live in the same universe and never met” to “they do not occupy the same continuity”. (By this metric, the ship between Taylor and Theo dropped measurably in crack when they actually met, and the ship between Regent and Imp got a lot more crack when Regent died.)
2. Involves personalities less well suited to work together – from a minimum of “they get along like a house afire” to “they would almost certainly set each other on fire”. (Thus, Bitch/Skitter is a lot more plausible than Bitch/Tattletale, because Bitch does not like being subjected to the crazy verbal manipulations of people like Tattletale, and Skitter is much more willing to ditch the words and just … be there.)
I suspect this system was flawed in that it did not account for the necessarily paradoxical nature of a good crackship: to be truly excellent, there must be some criteria which justify the ship despite the way it is obviously demented. Danny and Piggot are actually similar in a number of ways – focused, self-controlled in spite of their fiery natures, competent leaders, &c. – but the match is pretty clearly ludicrous in ways that I am too brain-dead right now to enunciate. It’s probably flawed in other, important ways, too, but like I said: brain-dead.
So Scion interlude tomorrow? Or Scion!Weaver … or Scion/Weaver 😀
You’re messin with my miiiind, man!
Staaaaaahp
Augh, holy shit, this chapter was… excellent. In a way I have yet to process. Poor Theo.
In other news, I found a song for Mannequin. Everything You Ever from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog works great from him, although you need to change the implications of some of the lines.
Okay one little thing that bugs me, no pun intended. Is it just me or are there way to many people who can counter or shutdown Taylor’s power? It’s like every member of the Slaughterhouse is made of Kryptonite!
Not every, but I see what you mean — I feel like Wildbow is overestimating the power of combat precognition versus the swarms.
There is also the line from ‘Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot’ I love. “Sure you know it’s coming. You’re psychic. But there’s not a sweet thing you can do about it.’ That is to say there is simply no way to defend with the options avaliable to you, or you opponent is moving so fast that you cannot possibly react in time to utilize your predictions. An example of the latter was the fight between Mr. X, armed with Odin’s battle spear, and Quicksilver armed with a lead pipe. Mr. X has a form of Telepathy that grants him combat claryvoiance. It didn’t help him at all. Quicksilver moved so fast that by the time Mr. X began to move to block the attack at his elbow, Quicksilver was breaking his knee. If Jack could throw out enough attacks that Numbers Man wasn’t sure he could win, Taylor should be able to attack from so many vectors as to make a complete curbstomp out of it.
To be fair, Mr X was always pretty lame. The fight with Quicksilver wan’t the first time his clairvoyance was useless. But, yeah, I don’t really buy the swarm parry. Number Man himself comments that he’s better at long range than melee.
Better at long range doesn’t mean crappy at melee. Also, Harbinger’s combat precog is levels better than Mr. X’s, and he isn’t facing against somebody who easily breaks multi-mach speeds.
True, but Harbinger is afraid of fighting Jack because he can be attack from multiple directions. This fear of multiple attacks it’s what brings him to close the fight with the Cauldron’s escapee with a Break them by Talking speech. YOu’d think that an attack from a massive swarm of bugs is the perfect multiside attack.
Yeah, it’s hard to dodge a giant bug swarm. I still say Contessa said what she said and retreated during the Behemoth fight because that was the only way for her to come out ahead. Her power saw that a direct fight with Weaver would end in a loss, so it showed her what steps to take so she didn’t have to fight her. A human body has limits do what it can do in terms of how fast it can move. It’s an easy fix though. All wildbow has to do is add in a line saying he is a brute, a mover 1 with added flexibility, or that Bonesaw did some work on his bones/muscle fibers.
The difference is how they defend against those attacks. Those clothes would not defend against knives or that one escapee’s multi-directional strike.
Bugs, however, are a different story. Taylor doesn’t have any bugs that can simply pierce right through those clothes. So, the Harbingers have an easier time of things. They just need the optimal way to deflect as many bugs as they can with every movement.
After all, the bugs are not tiny blades. They can’t hurt the clones just by coming into contact, they need to land and start attacking.
That said, the clothes are the key. If they didn’t have that specific gear, the Harbingers wouldn’t be able to enact that particular strategy flawlessly.
It’s not so much that the S9 is full of people with the ability to counter Taylor, as that Taylor’s power is actually pretty weak offensively to begin with. She swarms people with insects. Lots of capes are tough enough to weather that, or make things inhospitable for bugs by producing heat, cold, gas, etc. etc. Even normal humans can weather it for a bit, especially if they keep moving and dodging so it’s hard for the insects to get a solid lock.
A big difference between this fight and the one vs Contessa is that they fought Contessa underground in an enclosed space where Taylor’s swarm would’ve been able to corner her. Harbinger has a lot more room for evasive manoeuvres.
Taylor beat Alexandria because she caught her off guard, in a moment when she thought she had the upper hand and that Taylor was bugless. An on-guard Alexandria wouldnt have stayed still long enough for Taylor’s patented “drown them in bugs” technique to work.
Harbinger’s power gives him the intel he needs on the swarm to avoid the worst of it. I suspect he’s still getting bit, but not enough to incapacitate.
Another interesting thing. Did Jack manage to find and take Theo’s “keystone”? I don’t think so. Despite everything Theo didn’t break mentally. It reminds me of Commisioner Gordon in the Killing Joke. Joker couldn’t give him a bad enough day.
I think most people don’t have keystones, not even in Worm — certainly not in the Purity/Aster or Panacea/Glory Girl sense.
That said, while I’ve never read The Killing Joke, I think the analogy to Commissioner Gordon might be quite apt — personality-wise, Golem is much like the Gordon to Weaver’s Batman.
Classic batman story, and the ending joke was hilariously relevant to both of them. I don’t know about Theo not breaking. It usually doesn’t really hit you until you’re alone and think about things. He has a goal and object of revenge, so I think even he doesn’t realize how badly he is hurt until afterward.
Great story indeed. Everyone should read it. The final panel with Batman and the Joker laughing like madmen under the rain while the police sirens blare always sends shivers down my spine.
Hey, ix-nay on the poilers-say.
But yes, the end is awesome.
I have a copy of it. The spine’s a little damage though.
Really? I have the coffee table edition.
Ah… the Barbara Gordon edtiion.
OH GOSH, that cliffhanger! Y’know, at first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about Theo. But now, I’m super attached, and I really hope he makes it outta this one.
You said it. Theo’s doomed now.
“Don’t get attached.”
Yeah. Like, every time I get attached to a pairing it gets shot down. I try to avoid it, but nooo, I just had to start liking Finn/Flame Princess. Ah sorry, getting back on topic, I’m gonna hafta assume Theo is dead. Unless Jack wanted to leave him all sliced up and in pain to fuck with the others and be a bastard.
” Unless Jack wanted to leave him all sliced up and in pain to fuck with the others and be a bastard.”
You may have just answered yourself.
And yes, I’d say that based on the previous chapter, Aster/Anyone has indeed been shot down.
Ah, I see now. Dinah’s “Cut ties” was actually advice for the comments section. … That actually makes entirely too much sense. Cool parallel.
Ah, now it becomes clear. Dinah’s “Cut ties” was intended for the readers as much as it was for Taylor; maybe more. And we failed, so now we will be hurt.
I think that, beyond the whole “massacre artist” thing they have going on, the greatest wrong Jack (and King) did to their world was depriving it of some of the mightiest anti-Endbringer weapons we could ever have seen. Imagine Jack and Chevalier working together. Imagine Jack and Foil working together. Imagine Panacea extending Siberian’s operational range relay-bug style so ‘she’ can fight the Endbringer safely. Imagine Bonesaw using the bodies of all the dead capes to make necrotech Voltrons.
Well, let’s be fair, Siberian was bugnuts crazy even before Jack found him, and he actually made Bonesaw.
Imagine Grey Boy trapping the Endbringers in a perpetual loop.
So when does Weaver discover that she can control the microbes and bacteria that live inside all humans. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_microbiome
Look at the pretty dancing Harbingers. How about a little stroke?
She specifically can’t do anything too small. It’s what prevents her from doing stuff like sense people based on their microbiology.
Just because she can’t get a response back from them doesn’t necessarily mean she can’t send them instructions. I’d be surprised if she hasn’t sat in front of a few beakers and petri dishes, trying to figure out how to make microbiology move opposite gravity, towards an electrical source. That’s all one would need to do, is just have all the microbiology in the body start moving against gravity, towards the site of greatest electrical activity.
I do not remember her ever trying to deal with microbiology though. I do remember her controlling a crustacean once.
It’s mind control, not telekinetic control. Microbes don’t have a brain for her to influence, they pretty much just run on their DNA and basic responses to their environment. She can’t move them around because they can’t move themselves around anywhere.
Think of it this way – she needs a basic mind to control, like an insects simplistic speck of tissue, but bacteria don’t have any mind at all.
Tapeworms and other parasites, on the other hand… Hmm… That would be disgusting but effective. Maybe.
If nothing else sensing them means she would know exactly where someone is at all times. Making it impossible to get the drop on her. But with Bonesaw that won’t be a possibility for the Slaughterhouse.
Heartworms fall within her penumbra — Buzz 7.2.
I guess that pretty much confirms power over tapeworms.
I’m thinking that Taylor controlling only bugs doesn’t come from a hard coded rule with her passenger, and more of a psychological imprint from the circumstances of her trigger event.
If Sophia had gone off more psycho than usual and filled the locker with rats we’d have gotten Scurry, and if she had been a complete weirdo and used birds we’d get Flutter.
THE BIRDS! THE BIIIIRDS!
Hitchcock saw it coming.
Taylor’s already got THE PAAAAAIIIN! going on.
Kojima saw that coming.
There is serous evidence for that. One of Taylor’s Echidna clones was controlling rats, wasn’t she?
Yeah, it was even called Scurry. Part of me hopes she’s survived, and that Echidna’s psychological imprinting brainwashing thingie she did to her clones wore off after her death.
It’d be interesting if the Protectorate got that kind of second chance, to learn from their handling of Skitter to do better for the clone.
Actually, that’s exactly what it means. Taylor’s power is to sense, understand and command bugs. It’s a package deal. We have had zero indication that there are some types of bugs that she can sense but not control or vice versa.
The fact that she can’t sense them means she can’t communicate with them, means she can’t control them.
She could probably do truly horrific things if a person already had lice or tapeworm or something though…
Hrm another thought. Weaver was trying to distract Scion, or make him stay away, but then he was caught in Grey Boy’s power anyway.
If/when Scion breaks free, does he come after Weaver, thinking she entrapped him? Or does he know where the power came from.
After all of the angst, last chapter, over Taylor’s state of mind, I’m surprised that no one has yet to mention Theo’s views on Taylor / Weaver. As he is staring at the wall that used to hold Nilbog, Theo reflects on the possible reactions of the various capes present. He saves Weaver for last. He notes that she is so still that for the occasional movement of her head, she could be a deactivated robot. He also notes that Weaver is notoriously hard to read. ( I think this is a defense mechanism to foil people trying to ‘cold read’ her. ) Taylor is also the only one there who he seems to separate into two different entities. He recognizes a shrug as being from Taylor, yet when she starts talking with Chevalier and the others about their destination, he thinks to himself “There she is. There’s Weaver.
Does he separate them because he has a closer relationship as a long term teammate than he does with most everyone else there? Is this simply a friend / professional separation here or is Theo seeing enough of a distinction to separate the two in his mind?
Afterthought – The hard to read thing could also just be Taylor losing herself in her bugs. She has been using them to meditate.
That afterthought isn’t speculation, it’s straight-up canon. Armsmaster discovered it, Grue mentioned it, Imp taunted it and Alexandria died from it.
Yeah. I can see the connection. If Taylor is transferring her emotions to her bugs, leaving her body to appear calm, would make her difficult to read like anyone else. Now that you’ve drawn my attention to it, Ms Militia also noticed it during the interview with Dinah while Skitter was in her cell. Looks like Imp may have it figured out and MM has a clue, if you want to ‘read’ Weaver, look at her bugs, NOT her.
I don’t think the Taylor/Weaver split is anything more than the Lily/Flechette split was.
I actually half-thought you were suggesting that Theo might have feelings for Taylor. Mostly because I half-think he might.
I wasn’t trying to ship them. Although, if Theo IS interested in Taylor, he may have a problem. I kinda got the impression that he was perfectly content with ‘Taylor’, but ‘Weaver’, spooked or disturbed him on ‘some’ level
That’s certainly true — and barring all parahumans being depowered and all Endbringers vanishing, Weaver’s not likely to go away.
Taylor/Theo would be a hard sell. Not just because she shot his sister, but why would Weaver settle for beef jerky when she’s had filet mignon?
I know Taylor/Theo is unlikely — honestly, I think Taylor/anyone is unlikely. I was just wondering if there was a bit of an unrequited crush happening.
You want unlikely??
Weaver / Defiant
After Clockies rant a few chapters back, I wonder if when this is all over, Weaver will throw him a bone?
I give both of those a -9.9 on a probability scale.
…I think you mean “plausibility”. Probability is specifically related to the likelihood of an event on a scale from 0 (impossible) to 1 (inevitable). That said, I don’t suggest trying to calculate probabilities of ‘ships anyway, so there you go.
Also, I don’t need unlikely — I can come up with ‘unlikely’ just by taking the cast list and random.org and rolling a few times. Watch, I’ll do it now.
*spends twenty minutes making a list of names from TV Tropes*
Omitting the known(-to-me) dead, the Pure (currently looped), the non-sapients, the extradimensional (i.e. the surviving Travelers), the Blasto-clones, and the insufficienty(-for-me)-characterized, I have 99 names, and random.org says …
– Rune/Imp
– Wanton/Menja
– Parian/Tattletale
– Valefor/Jessica Yamada
– Lung/Emma Barnes
…and I swear that none of these were faked. (Actually, does anyone want my list? It’s actually slightly amusing making these. Dovetail/Saint! Bitch/Foil! Bonesaw/Leet! Actually, are Circus, Uber, and Leet alive?)
Anyway, I don’t need unlikely. Likely is much more compelling. Although, to back off what is beginning to look like an overly strongly worded response to an innocent remark, it is interesting to check a character’s fellows to see if there are any possibilities, so on those grounds I guess you might have just been riffing off my remarks about Theo’s attitude towards Taylor.
Circus, Uber, and Leet all got caught by Echidna. Echidna’s interlude shows Uber getting away, with her remarking he was useless anyway. Don’t know if Weld managed to rescue the other two or if Sundancer killed them along with Echidna. Probability suggests they got away.
Actually, that pairing seems completely plausible. Taylor and Colin have grown to have a lot in common over time. So long as the age difference isn’t an issue (and it shouldn’t be – Taylor’s mature for her age and Colin only just grew up), they’d fit well together. They’re both pragmatic, happy to have/give time apart as well as together, have similar goals. And Colin’s had an AI as a partner – he’s going to be more comfortable than most with a chick whose mind spends it time distributed amongst swarms of bugs.
Honestly, it seems a much likelier pairing to me than some I’ve seen suggested…
For one thing, beef jerky is pretty long. Filet mignon, on the other hand, comes wrapped in bacon and I like my bacon separate from my beef. Also, in my experience it doesn’t take seasoning as well.
Because the filet mignon was two years ago?
I just re-read the first part again. I’m more convinced NOW, that Theo sees a schism between Taylor and Weaver. He deals with them in different manners.
I’m still not sure if that is simply a personal vs professional distinction or if this is hinting at something more. Either way, it does establish one thing.
Weaver is a hardass. Plotting, planning, always focused on the job. But then we already knew that.
Deepbluediver on August 6, 2013 at 22:35 said:
I just want to say, this line:
made me so happy it was practically obscene. You have no idea.
And then the ending, such a downer. Not because of Scion, we’ve basically seen how he’s practically useless when it really matters. But Theo….damn.
Yeah. Jack made his career on two things. Building a reputation so fearsome that people would hesitate, giving him an advantage, and hiding behind his actually tough teammates. Honestly have we ever seen Jack do anything solo? Notice he tries to have a Siberian near himself at all times?
Interlude 11b.
Much as I despise Jack, he *did* take down Oni Lee solo and was perfectly prepared to go toe-to-toe with Purity, enough so that he could bluff her into not starting shit in the first place.
Hmm. I suppose the latter falls under the trading-on-rep rubric.
I think he was bluffing Purity. Granted he’s fast and she’s probably not wearing cut-resistant armor (?? can’t recall; certainly not to the degree that Weaver is), but she totally could have taken him.
He was playing his reputation to the hilt*, I’ll grant you, but given the enhancements he got from Bonesaw, I think he might well have won that fight.
* No pun intended.
Jack reminds me of a cult actor who’s particular schtick makes him popular in a series of niche movies, but the moment he steps out into the mainstream and does something with wider demographic appeal it falls apart and shows just how shallow his typecasted role really is.
Soooo, pretty much Johnny Depp, except nowhere near as successful and a hundred times more full of himself.
I would so pay to watch Worm: The Movie with Johnny Depp as Jack Slash.
That was a pretty good part too, because he cut Jack off before he could really even speak. Would have worked out better had he actually won though.
Even better would have been
“Are those gold teeth?” Theo smiled as he unfolded out the gold panel. He’d have to let the PRT drones who’d complained about the expense know about this.
What about real teeth? Would that hold up against the Manton effect?
Of hair? That’s dead tissue so it might actually work.
I can understand people wanting Jack Slash to get comeuppance, but calling him pathetic kinda misses the point. Word mean things. Jack is not particularly vulnerable or deserving of pity, by all appearances he loves his work, and has proven himself more than adequate in it.
Yes, that’s why I consider him pathetic. He’s like some Jackass who call himself an artist, but is really just serving dog shit on plates in order to shock people. In the wormverse Jack is the worlds most successful Troll. Also I’m applying the armor of contempt for the duration of this fight. Once my emotions settle down, and I can look at the whole picture, I’ll reapraise Jack.
Oh and he losses a lot of points for his constant underestimation of Weaver. Maybe now that all his base belongs to her he’ll stop that.
I don’t consider him pathetic per se. Just doomed. He seems to think that his status as the “man who ends the world” places him on some sort of pedestal, but all he really is is a catalyst, and everything he did will be rendered insignificant by the shitstorm to come. And if the heroes actually manage to save the world, he’ll be even more of a favor.
He may have numbers and raw power on his side, but he’s been put into a situation that he’s never been in before. His enemies are no longer prey but predators, who are coming to tear him limb from limb regardless of what he says or does.
failure, not favor. You’d think I’d be on top of this shit considering my inability to shut up around here.
Hey Hookwolf, remember when you at least had some damn pride? Used to be all code of the Gladiator? I mean you were still an asshole, but now your just Jack’s bitch for when he needs to do a lot of slashing all at once. Pathetic.
Hookwolf never got cured of Bonesaw’s agnosia miasma. Not his fault that he’s totally fucked.
Now I want to see Taylor hover above Hookwolf and spit on him.
I doubt Hookwolf has any say in it. He looked like a disappointment as Nine material goes, so he’s been demoted to Noble Steed.
Misterspokes on August 7, 2013 at 08:46 said:
I still have no idea why the heck jack has a claymore in this scene, he could do the same thing with a weapon as deadly and dangerous as this:http://www.blogcdn.com/www.slashfood.com/media/2008/05/skewer050708.jpg
Which would honestly be more impressive.
I think sharper knives are more effective for him.
A razor-sharp edge on a sword is not normally a good idea, actually. It’s to brittle or to thin to stand up to more than a few good hits without getting dull or chipping. A knife, on the other hand, tends to be honed to a much finer edge.
I’m not exactly certain how Jack’s power functions, but it could be that he keeps the sword around for big, tough opponents, and the knife for the less-well-defended types.
I assumed that his power didn’t actually use the strength of the knife edge to cut people, but if it does, that would certainly explain why he would need a claymore.
It doesn’t, but there’s other factors at play. Recall Jack switching to a cleaver to sever Bonesaw’s hands at the wrist.
(I have theories, but I’ll go ahead and wait to see if they are confirmed or not.)
A razor-sharp edge on a sword is not normally a good idea, actually. It’s to
brittle or to thin to stand up to more than
a few good hits without getting dull or
chipping. A knife, on the other hand,
tends to be honed to a much finer edge.
Bear in mind Jack isn’t using the blade itself but an ‘imaginary’ projection of its cutting ability. Thus, while he can only cut things the real blade would have been able to cut, he can do so without damaging the physical blade.
At least, that’s my understanding. I’m sure I will be Jossed at some point in the near future.
No, you’re on target.
Sweet. Pun intended, Wildbow? 🙂
I bet Jack was dissipointed that Theo didn’t say “I see you brought out the good silverware for me.”
Now, I had a question that’s been bugging me for a bit, and I have asked it in other places but want to get an answer so I am asking it here: Siberian (Manton) was a Simurgh victim right?
He was shown to have two tattoos when Legendary saw him, a “C” from Cauldron on one hand (similar to the case 52’s) and a tattoo of a white swan on his other. One Hero (Eidolon?) mentions that they used to tattoo a white bird on the hands of people who had previously encountered the Simurgh, but stopped due to social stigma attached to those marked.
And on a more relavent note, what if every time we see scion he is actively looping?
This would explain the near unresponsiveness he has…
We don’t know if Manton was a Simurgh victim. It’s not come up. That said, he may have gotten the tattoo voluntarily, as some sort of statement.
(Also, Legend, Prey 14.7.)
That would cast Siberian’s protection of Jack in a scary new light, and bring up the possibility that the Smurf has some cards on Jack’s apocalypse table.
And since Cauldron has been offhandedly shielding the Nine, Manton in particular, it cast doubts on Cauldron’s invisibility to the Simu- Pffthahahahahahaha!
Those poor, dumb bastards.
Well, *yeah*. The S9 are dangerous and bugs are fragile, yo.
Miasma – poison gas
Crawler – duh
Winter – freezing temperatures
Bonesaw – oh let me count the ways
Crimson – invulnerable
Siberian – hah!
Nyx – poison gas
Burnscar – fire
King – outsources his bug bites
Hatchet Face – invulnerable
Mannequin – full of useful devices
Leaving the Nine aside, Cricket had ultrafrequency sound, Stormtiger had wind, Night and Fog have forms she can’t touch, Tinkers all have ways of dealing with bugs … yeah, the fact she’s able to hurt so many parahumans at all is a testament to her versatility and cleverness.
crazybean on August 7, 2013 at 15:28 said:
I grew so excited I had to pause halfaway through.
Fuck Yeah Harbingers are the best villains!
At the very least they sure don’t dissapoint, that was quite the showing. I read up until Chevalier got stabbed in the eye.
They are terrifying with the synchronized attack. That’s how you do combat clairvoyance.
I hope they won’t all be killed off. So much potential for future fights. This is the type of battle scene I like to see. In the same vein I also hope we can keep a Murder Rat as a villain, with the acrobatics she pulled off she made for really cool fights. Love the nimble villains. Maybe a Mannequin , too.
There’s others I’d like to see more of, you make simply too many intriguing characters in such a short time.
Another thing, Jack only made eight harbingers. Does that mean he still considers Number Man a member of the S9 ?
On a final note, I hope Taylor sets one of the spiders on Saint that made Lung’s dick rot off. Without Lung’s regeneration…. After that Defiant can finish him off.
This would be the only point I fully agree with. Saint needs a few Brown Recluse placed on mr johnson and the twins.
As for the rest, yeah, they make for good exciting fights. I want to see them ALL dead. Ten minutes ago.
That’s too nice for Saint.
The Harbringers aren’t clairvoyants. They should have died, or at least been injured by that 5-story drop. They weren’t. I’m guessing they have some kind of narrative control, but that might be too much Warrens of Oric the Awesome…
As others have pointed out, people have fallen out of *aeroplanes* and survived (IIRC, completely understand injured in at least one case). It’s all in how you fall, and if there’s anyone in a position to know the perfect way to fall, it’s Harbinger.
Holy carp. The catalyst never was Jack, it was Gray Boy. Who Jack allowed to exist, but still…
And to think, the Nine-clones would likely have never been made if Jack hadn’t heard he would end the world.
I don’t quite understand how the Harbingers could dodge Chevalier’s swings, using the flat of his blade he’d be swinging too fast with too much volume affected for them to dodge.
anon on October 14, 2013 at 04:12 said:
I think there is a problem here. Dinah’s power works on a model that is some variant of modal realism probably with libertarian free will. But the above quote implies that her numbers are actually measures of subjective uncertainty. That is: Jack is either to the left or to the right. If Dinah can actually see the outcome of each action, then 100% of the time when Golem goes left, he find Jack, as compared to 0% of the time when he goes right.
(There’s a second problem, in that the prior description of Dinah’s power means that each a-or-b question should actually cost two power uses, because she has to ask “in case a, what is the probability of a good outcome”, and compare that against the same question for case b)
As I understand Dinah’s power, she actually does a stocktake of parallel universes ala the many worlds theory (see her interlude for what this looks like). Every time something could happen, the universe splits in two – one universe where it does happen and one universe where it doesn’t.
When she says “90% chance that Jack’s to the right.” she’s actually saying “in 90% of all possible worlds, Jack is right of your current position”.
It does raise questions as to what her baseline is, though. It can’t be 90% of *all* possible worlds – since humanity would never have existed in many of them…
lizzyjean on July 1, 2014 at 22:17 said:
Continuity flaw. Sorry if someone else has already mentioned this, and maybe I’m wrong with everything that’s going on, but . . .
Weaver is flying is this chapter, but one of her wings was shattered in 26.4: “I commanded the flight pack instead, flying it into him with both wings extended. He was brained, and the pack ricocheted off his skull, one wing shattering.” Not sure if/when she had time to fix it.
She can still fly without the wings because of anti-grav; the wings just give her more maneuverability/speed. She switched between wings/no wings several times in the Behemoth fight to reduce the risk of damage.
Awww I love Bitch even more. She kept up her Therapy Puppies program! That’s so awesome!
Loved Theo’s analysis of everyone and how they’d all react. It was interesting to yet again see how Taylor is just weird with her regular mannerisms now. She really is getting a bit altered with her thinking and reactions just like Rachel which is kind of cool.
The reactions of Theo and everyone else in this chapter in addition to Weaver’s actions herself make me much more comfortable with her decision regarding Aster.
Number Man is damn annoying. Yeah sure there are ways to statistically fall and not have any sort of major damage but weaponizing that is just annoying. I mean awesome yeah but to borrow a phrase from Fate/Stay Night, people should die when they’re killed. I guess that applies to Bonesaw and Weaver as well in hindsight though…
Oh damn Dinah has evolved from Little Miss Badass into Lady Badass! Totally awesome creative use of her powers plus massive amount of questions boost equals epicness. I love this girl so much right now. Plus she has go and say “numbery way” which is just too cute!
Theo did massively well all things considered!
Hmm, honestly I have a very hard time believing that Scion in honestly trapped. He’s either too apathetic to want to get out for the moment or we just haven’t given him time to actively try yet.
See, I said Gray Boy was significant. And now he has a tag.
I wonder what the limits are on his power. It looks like he creates localized time loops, which trap people by periodically resetting them- like Perdition but self-sustaining. The resetting affects people’s bodies, but their minds stay continuous across instances- Kayden could hold a conversation; she was processing some input from the main timeline, even if most of her was caught in the looping one. Like a video loop playing on TV while a DVR records the signal- the DVR knows time is passing, so each repeat of the signal gets recorded with a new timestamp.
But the loop isn’t perfect. He said he could hurt Kayden, even after he’d started looping her, and the injury would become part of the loop- it would keep hurting her, over and over.
Perhaps more significantly, he wouldn’t become part of the loop. The results of his action would get recorded, but the action itself wouldn’t- otherwise, he would get looped along with her. That seems like an exploitable limit.
Do the loops lock to people, or to places? If outside influences stick, could you shove someone free of one, by getting them far enough away from the starting point before they reset?
What if you applied Clockblocker’s power? What happens if they’re frozen in place (by time itself, inviolable, sooner rip the universe in half than break it) when the loop wants to reset them?
How does Gray Boy’s power furnish him with clothes? Riley said it did, in her interlude, when she decanted him, but I can’t think how.
If it really is permanent… how did we never hear about the first Gray Boy in detail before? If he was with the first Nine, and his power traps people in these loops forever, he ought to have left horrifying statues all over the world. Did his loops end when he died, like Hatchet Face’s power? Or have those statues been out there, this whole time, just with no one talking about them?
Hmmm…..since Scion has shown no timerelated powers yet hes probably fucked.
Thats what you geht Wien you are an empty shell filled with only power (or maybe More? 😉 )
buggaboo on April 3, 2017 at 17:11 said:
Once again the author has failed the readers. Far to often in this story when something truly important occurs the author idiotically sees fit to switch perspectives. This is supposed to be Skitters story yet here we are at an incredibly important juncture watching what really amounts to a pointless fight as weaver tries to commune with scion, but no, the authors inability to apparently write important events into the story has failed us once again. It really is to bad that we miss every really important event for ones that mean jack all on the end. But its sadly a weak point that can’t be fixed since the story is already completed. Just sad the readers have been let down so so badly
TM on November 18, 2018 at 12:55 said:
Wow, unnecessarily rude.
S. Zimmerle on July 13, 2017 at 01:41 said:
Oh fucking christ I am so sick of Jack.
Oh fuq
Fuqqing Scion, man
This is like the worst timeline
Blub on October 1, 2018 at 18:09 said:
Hmm what happened now with Fog and Night? Were they trapped by Gray too?
I don´t get what´s with the Colors and how Golem came to the conclusions.
btw, doesn´t Scion have power nullification?
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Justia Patents US Patent for Triaxially-braided fabric prosthesis Patent (Patent # 4,610,688)
Triaxially-braided fabric prosthesis
Apr 4, 1983 - Pfizer Hospital Products Group, Inc.
A novel prosthesis for use in repairing or replacing soft tissue is disclosed, which comprises a triaxially-braided fabric element having interwoven first, second and third sets of fibers, with the fibers of the second and third sets being oriented at substantially the same acute braiding angle with respect to the fibers of the first set. An elongated ligament prosthesis exhibiting the desired properties of high strength and high elasticity may be prepared by selecting high elasticity fibers for the first set, orienting said first set of fibers in the longitudinal direction of the prosthesis and selecting fibers having high yield strength and high Young's modulus for the second and third sets. A tubular prosthesis in which high elasticity fibers are oriented in the longitudinal direction is highly suitable for use as a vascular prosthesis. A prosthesis of the invention may also be manufactured in the form of a prosthetic heart valve leaflet.
Latest Pfizer Hospital Products Group, Inc. Patents:
Instrumentation for preparing a distal femur
Body access device
Modular femoral fixation system
The natural ligaments are elongated bundles of collagenous soft tissue that serve, among other things, to hold the component bones of joints together. The surgical treatment of diseased or damaged ligaments, e.g. the anterior cruciate ligament, has been severely hampered by the unavailability of a suitable, generally accepted ligament prosthesis. The desired characteristics for a ligament prosthesis include appropriate size and shape, biological compatibility, capability of being readily attached by the surgeon to the body of the patient, high fatigue resistance and mechanical behavior approximating that of the ligamentous tissue sought to be repaired or replaced.
The latter desired characteristic is particularly important. Natural ligaments are both strong and highly elastic, which qualities are generally not found together in a single material. Thus, for example, the anterior cruciate ligament of normal adult humans exhibits a yield point in tension of about 50 kg. at a reversible elongation of about 28%, and a break point of about 60 kg. (Typical adult human tendons are stronger and less elastic.) A number of ligament and/or tendon prostheses are known in which the load bearing body portion is fabricated essentially of a single synthetic material (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,176,316; 3,613,120; 4,127,902; 4,149,277; 4,209,859; 4,255,820; 4,329,743 and 4,345,339; U.K. Pat. No. 1,602,834 and European Published Patent Appln. 51,954). These monocomponent devices generally possess insufficient longitudinal elasticity and some also exhibit inadequate longitudinal break strength. As a result of their insufficient elasticity, this type of prosthesis must be forced into the region of plastic deformation to achieve the longitudinal elongation desired for normal anatomical function, e.g. flexion of a joint, which of course permanently impairs the mechanical function of the prosthesis.
Recently, ligament prostheses have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,246,660 and 4,301,551 in which the load bearing body portion is a bicomponent structure comprised of one material that imparts strength to the prosthesis and another material that imparts elasticity. The use of these prostheses alleviates the disadvantages described above for the monocomponent type of prosthesis. However, the prostheses disclosed in the '660 and '551 Patents are complex in construction and their methods of attachment to the body of the patient involve rather complicated surgical procedures.
A recent thesis (Elizabeth E. Fitzgerald, "Mechanical Behavior of Bicomponent Braids as Potential Surgical Implants", Master of Science Thesis, Cornell University, August 1979) has disclosed the use of a braided bicomponent tube as a ligament prosthesis. In this prosthesis two interwoven sets of polymeric fibers, one of a strong material and the other of an elastic material, are helically-disposed in the wall of the tube and oriented at a fixed angle with respect to one another. Each set of fibers is oriented at the same acute angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the tube. The prosthesis may additionally comprise a monocomponent polymeric filament core.
The prosthesis disclosed in the Fitzgerald thesis has certain inherent disadvantages. First, since the fibers in the two helically-disposed interwoven sets are not idential, the prosthesis is not balanced and will tend to twist during longitudinal elongation. Second, since the set of helically-disposed elastic fibers is angulated with respect to the longitudinal direction of the prosthesis, only a minor amount of the work performed in elongating the prosthesis longitudinally is converted to elastic energy stored in the extended set of elastic fibers. Undesirably large portions of said work are converted to elastic energy stored in the other set of strong fibers or dissipated as friction in the extending trellis-like bicomponent braided structure.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a ligament prosthesis of simple construction that exhibits a yield strength in tension and a longitudinal elasticity that are at least comparable to that of a human ligament and a resistance to longitudinal elastic deformation in tension that approximates that of a human ligament.
Is is another object of the invention to provide a balanced braided prosthesis of such construction that its longitudinal load-strain behavior can be readily "fine-tuned", while maintaining balance, to suit particular applications by changing component materials and/or braiding variables.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved with a novel prosthesis for use in repairing or replacing soft tissue comprising a triaxially-braided fabric element containing interwoven first, second and third sets of fibers, with the fibers of said first set being oriented in substantially the same direction, the fibers of said second and third sets being oriented at substantially the same acute braiding angle with respect to the fibers of the first set, and the fibers of one of said three sets having greater elasticity than the fibers of one or both of the other two of said three sets. One important embodiment of the novel prosthesis of the invention is a prosthesis adapted for use in repairing or replacing ligament or tendon tissue, in which embodiment the prosthesis has first and second opposed end portions adapted to be attached with the prosthesis in tension to the body of a patient, with said two end portions defining between them the longitudinal direction of the prosthesis, the fibers of the first set are oriented in substantially said longitudinal direction of the prosthesis the fibers of the first set have greater elasticity than the fibers of both of said second and third sets, and the fibers of the second and third sets have greater yield strength and Young's modulus than the fibers of the first set. By increasing (or decreasing) the braiding angle with other variables fixed, the resistance of this ligament or tendon prosthesis to deformation under longitudinal loading may be decreased (or increased). Preferably, the fibers of the second set in the ligament or tendon prosthesis are identical with the fibers of the third set. In a preferred design for a ligament or tendon prosthesis of the invention, the fabric element of said prosthesis has the shape of a cylindrical tube, the fibers of the first set are oriented in the longitudinal direction of said tube and the fibers of the second and third sets are helically-disposed in the wall of said tube.
The broad conception of the present invention comprises numerous other embodiments in addition to the ligament or tendon prosthesis discussed in the preceding paragraph, such as a vascular graft prosthesis in which the woven fabric element has the shape of a cylindrical tube, the fibers of the first set are oriented in the longitudinal direction of said tube, the fibers of the second and third sets are helically-disposed in the wall of said tube, and the fibers of the first set have greater elasticity than the fibers of both of said second and third sets. The present invention also includes a prosthetic heart valve leaflet in the form of a sheet in which the fibers of the first set are oriented in the circumferential direction of the valve and have greater yield strength and Young's modulus than the fibers of the second and third sets, and the fibers of the second and third sets have greater elasticity than the fibers of the first set.
As used herein, the terms "yield strength" and "yield stress" are synonymous and refer to the tensile stress (in units of force per unit cross-sectional area) at which significant (i.e. greater than 0.2% of initial length) plastic deformation of a naturally-occurring or synthetic object occurs. The term "Young's modulus" refers to the ratio of the tensile stress placed on an object in elastic deformation to the resulting longitudinal strain. The term "elasticity" refers to the amount of recoverable elongation of a tensioned article, i.e. the percent elongation (expressed as a percentage of initial length) at the yield stress defined above. Note that as a matter of definition a "highly elastic" material (i.e. a material exhibiting a high elasticity) may be either highly resistant to elastic deformation (high Young's modulus) or not (low Young's modulus).
The invention will be described in detail with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, which is a ligament prosthesis. Reference to this embodiment does not limit the scope of the invention, which is limited only by the scope of the claims.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ligament or vascular prosthesis of the invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the braided structure of the prosthesis of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of the load-strain behavior of the prosthesis of FIG. 1, showing the effect of braiding angle;
FIGS. 4 and 5 depict the load-strain behavior of particular ligament prostheses of the invention, and
FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a heart valve prosthesis of the invention, in which only a portion of the braided structure of each valve leaflet is shown.
A ligament prosthesis 1 of the invention, which consists of a triaxially-braided fabric element 3 having opposed end portions 5 and 7 defining between them the longitudinal direction of the prosthesis, is shown in FIG. 1. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, prosthesis 1 and fabric element 3 are coincident, but (as will be explained below) this is not always necessarily so. Fabric element 3 in FIG. 1 has the form of a seamless cylindrical tube; although only a portion of the braided structure of fabric element 3 is shown in FIG. 1, it is to be understood that said braided structure actually extends along the entire length of element 3 from end portion 5 to end portion 7.
An enlarged view of the braided structure of fabric element 3 is shown in FIG. 2, in which figure the vertical direction is the longitudinal direction of the prosthesis. Fabric element 3 contains interwoven first, second and third sets 9, 11 and 13, respectively, of fibers. The fibers of first set 9 are straight and oriented in substantially the same warp direction, i.e. the longitudinal direction of the prosthesis. The weft fibers of second and third sets 11 and 13 are helically-disposed in the wall of tubular fabric element 3 (see FIG. 1) and are oriented at substantially the same acute braiding angle A (see FIG. 2) with respect to the fibers of first set 9. Each fiber of set 9 is held between the fibers of sets 11 and 13. The weft fibers of sets 11 and 13 are preferably disposed in a two-up and two-down manner with respect to one another and in a one-up and one-down manner with respect to the fibers of set 9. Other braiding patterns may alternatively be employed, such as the disposition of the fibers of sets 11 and 13 with respect to one another in a one-up and one-down or two-up and one-down manner. In FIG. 2, braiding angle A is about 30.degree.. Preferably, all of the fibers in fabric element 3 have circular cross-sections of about the same diameter. If desired, various fibers in one or both of the sets 11 and 13 may be dyed to provide a means to indicate the degree of tension and elongation being experienced by the prosthesis. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, two fibers in each helical set may be dyed. As the prosthesis is tensioned, the spacing between the dyed fibers increases according to a predetermined relationship between tensile load and strain for the prosthesis. Thus, if implantation in a pretensioned state is desirable, the surgeon may be provided with a linear gauge showing the desired dyed fiber spacing at a desired state of pretension for the prosthesis.
Triaxially-braided fabrics such as the one depicted in FIG. 2 and the methods of manufacturing them in different configurations (flat sheets, tubes, patches, strips, etc.) are well known to those skilled in the art of manufacturing braided polymeric articles (see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,191,218; 4,192,020 and 4,297,749). Braiding angles of from about 10.degree. to about 80.degree. are attainable. A significant advantage of using a triaxially-braided fabric element such as element 3 as a ligament prosthesis is that the element can be readily implanted in a tensioned state by attaching its two end portions, e.g. 5 and 7, to the body of a patient (for example to the two bones making up a joint or to the two free ends of a severed natural ligament) by means of simple stapling or suturing techniques. Of course, if desired, a ligament or tendon prosthesis of the invention may include, in addition to a triaxially-braided fabric element, distinct means (for example those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,660) attached to the end portions of the fabric element for securing the prosthesis to the body of the patient.
In the ligament prosthesis 1 depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 the longitudinally-oriented straight inlaid fibers of set 9 have greater elasticity than the fibers of helically-disposed sets 11 and 13, while the fibers of sets 11 and 13 have greater yield strength and Young's modulus than the fibers of set 9. As a result, the set 9 fibers provide the ligament prosthesis with the desired elasticity, while the set 11 and set 13 fibers provide the desired strength and resistance to longitudinal tensile deformation of the composite prosthetic article. The applied axial tensile load--% axial elongation curve for prosthesis 1 (not pretensioned) is shown schematically as curve C in FIG. 3. Initially, the slope of the load vs. elongation curve is quite low as the load is borne primarily by the elastic fibers of set 9. As elongation increases, however, the helically-disposed fibers of sets 11 and 13 become more aligned with the direction of elongation. As a result the slope of the load vs. elongation curve for the prosthesis increases sharply in the vicinity of point P.sub.3. Eventually the yield point of the prosthesis is reached, which is essentially equal to the yield point of the woven assembly of the fibers of sets 11 and 13. An important characteristic of prosthesis 1 is the orientation of the elastic fibers of set 9 in the longitudinal direction of the prosthesis, which permits the storage of a large amount of elastic energy in the elongating fibers of this set. Significant additional elastic energy is stored in the compression of the fibers of set 9 by the fibers of sets 11 and 13 during elongation of the prosthesis. Only a small amount of applied work is dissipated as friction.
The fibers of the interwoven three sets in a prosthesis of the invention are preferably made of synthetic polymeric materials, although naturally-occurring (e.g. silk) and inorganic (e.g. stainless steel) fibers may also be used. If desired, biologically resorbable fibers may be employed. It is usually preferred that the fibers of the second and third sets be identical and equal in number. The elastic fibers of the first set in a ligament and/or tendon prosthesis of the invention such as prosthesis 1 may, for example, be selected from the group consisting of polyurethane polymers, silicone elastomers, polyester/polyether block copolymers, spandex-type polyurethane/polyether block copolymers, spandex-type polyurethane/polyester block copolymers, and hard elastic polypropylene. The strong and stiff fibers of the second and third sets in such a prosthesis may, for example, be selected from the group consisting of polyethyleneterephthalate, nylon, aromatic polyamide polymers such as Kevlar (E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.; Wilmington, Del.), isotactic polypropylene, polyglycolic acid and polylactic acid. Other suitable materials are readily apparent to those skilled in the art of polymer chemistry. As just one specific example, the fibers of first set 9 of prosthesis 1 may be made of a polyester/polyether block copolymer such as Hytrel (DuPont) and the fibers of sets 11 and 13 of polyethyleneterephthalate. Other alternative combinations of fibers are listed (non-exclusively) below:
Set 9 Set 11 Set 13
polyurethane polymer
nylon nylon
aromatic polyamide polymer
isotactic polypropylene
polyglycolic acid
polylactic acid
polyethyleneterephthalate
silicone elastomer
polyester/polyether
block copolymer
spandex-type polyurethane/
polyether block copolymer
hard elastic polypropylene
Aside from the materials selected for the three sets of fibers in a prosthesis of the invention and the overall configuration and dimensions of the prosthesis, the resulting mechanical properties of the prosthesis, e.g. prosthesis 1 in FIGS. 1 and 2, are also materially affected by the various braiding variables, e.g. the fiber diameters, braiding angle, braiding tension, density of windings, number ratio of fibers in the three sets and braiding pattern. Of considerable importance is the braiding angle, illustrated as angle A in FIG. 2. As is shown schematically in FIG. 3, the resistance of prosthesis 1 to deformation under axial loading in tension increases as the braiding angle is decreased (curve A to curve D). Furthermore, the percent elongation of prosthesis 1 (as a percentage of initial length) at which significant plastic deformation or breakage of the prosthesis commences decreases as the braiding angle is decreased. Thus it can be seen that, with all other variables fixed, the load-strain behavior of prosthesis 1 can be adjusted to approximate that of a natural ligament or tendon sought to be repaired or replaced by varying the braiding angle. Additionally, with all other variables fixed and the fibers of the second and third sets identical and equal in number, the load-strain behavior of prosthesis 1 can be substantially adjusted by varying the numerical ratio of fibers in the three sets, e.g. from 1 (longitudinal):1 (helical):1 (helical) to 0.5 (longitudinal):1 (helical):1 (helical), while maintaining a balanced prosthesis. The above-indicated change in number ratio would render the prosthesis more resistant to elongation under axial loading in tension.
In addition to mechanical properties, the wall porosity of a prosthesis of the invention may be varied in a predictable manner by altering the braiding variables, particularly the fiber diameters, braiding tension and density of windings. A relatively high porosity permits, if desired, substantial tissue ingrowth into the wall of the fabric element of the prosthesis, while a relatively low porosity minimizes such ingrowth if it is not desired. Generally, tissue ingrowth is desired in a permanent prosthesis but not in a temporary one.
The triaxially-braided fabric element of a ligament and/or tendon prosthesis of the invention may have other shapes than the cylindrical tube shown in FIG. 1. Thus, the fabric element may have the shape of a flattened cylindrical tube. As another example, the fabric element of a ligament and/or tendon prosthesis may have the shape of a flat elongated strip, in which the straight, longitudinally-oriented elastic fibers of the first set are disposed in essentially a single plane and each of the fibers of the second and third sets traverses said plane in a zig-zag manner (as depicted in FIG. 9 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,218) while maintaining a constant braiding angle.
The present invention is by no means limited to ligament and/or tendon prostheses, but includes prostheses for other soft tissue structures as well (e.g., blood vessels). Thus, for example, a vascular prosthesis of the invention such as an aortic graft prosthesis may have the same shape (but typically a different diameter) as the prosthesis 1 shown in FIG. 1. In such a vascular prosthesis, the fibers of sets 9, 11 and 13 are all elastic, with the straight fibers of longitudinally-oriented set 9 being more or less elastic, preferably more elastic, than the fibers of both of the other two sets. Accordingly, a tubular vascular prosthesis may be provided with high elasticity in the longitudinal direction as well as substantial elasticity in the radial direction to accomodate the pulsing flow of blood in vivo. If desired, such a tubular vascular prosthesis may include an impermeable elastic internal coating or tubular insert.
Additionally, a heart valve prosthesis of the invention (see FIG. 6) may comprise a frame having a generally circular base defining the circumferential direction of the prosthesis and a plurality of spaced, generally parallel legs extending from the base; and a plurality of triaxially-braided fabric elements having the form of sheets and attached by conventional means to the frame in such a manner that they function as heart valve leaflets during the operation of the valve. Preferably, in each of said fabric elements, the fibers of the first set are oriented in the circumferential direction of the valve when the valve is in the open position, the fibers of the second and third sets traverse the first set of fibers in a zig-zag manner (as depicted in FIG. 9 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,218), the fibers of the first set have greater yield strength and Young's modulus than the fibers of the second and third sets, and the fibers of the second and third sets have greater elasticity than the fibers of the first set. Accordingly, an artificial heart valve prosthesis leaflet is provided that is capable of substantial elastic stretching in directions generally orthogonal to the circular base of the frame of the heart valve prosthesis.
The use of prostheses of the invention to repair or replace soft tissue requires only simple surgical procedures. After diseased or damaged soft tissue has been removed, the ends of a prosthesis of the invention may be readily attached to bone (e.g. with conventional bone staples) or to soft tissue (e.g. by suturing). Prostheses of the present invention may be cut to a desired length without unravelling. If desired, two tubular prostheses of the invention may be readily anastomosed in an end-to-end fashion. To prevent fraying of the triaxially-braided fabric element the free ends of the fibers at the edge of the element may be fused together, e.g. by ultrasonic welding or by dipping the edge of the element in a suitable coating material. A ligament and/or tendon prosthesis of the invention may be preconditioned before use by applying and releasing an axial tensile load (e.g. 60 lbs.) a number of times. In the case of an anterior cruciate ligament prosthesis, the prosthesis is preferably implanted in a longitudinally pretensioned state. Then, the observed load-strain behavior of the implanted prosthesis is that relative to an origin such as the origin O' on curve C defined by the dotted abscissa and ordinate in FIG. 3.
Conventional techniques (see for example the article by James, S. L., "Biomechanics of Knee Ligament Reconstruction", Clin. Orthoped. and Related Res., No. 146, pp. 90-101 (Jan.-Feb. 1980)) may be employed in attaching a ligament prosthesis of the invention to the patient's body. Preferably, a short end length of the prosthesis (e.g. prosthesis 1) is folded over once (i.e. lap folded) and the attachment to the body effected at this doubled region. The surgical joining of a severed natural tendon may be facilitated by slipping a tubular prosthesis of the invention over the free end of one portion of the severed tendon, surgically joining the two portions of the tendon and then attaching the prosthesis to the two respective portions of the severed tendon. The prosthesis serves to support the healing tendon and can be removed after the healing has been accomplished.
By appropriate selection of braiding and other variables the mechanical properties of various natural human ligaments and tendons can be closely approximated by a prosthesis of the present invention. Often, in order to make such a match, it is desired that the prosthesis exhibit a tensile break point of at least about 75 kg. and, after initial pretension, an overall load modulus of from about 200 kg./(unit of strain based on pretensioned length) to about 600 kg./(unit of strain based on pretensioned length) over a range of substantially recoverable tensile elongation beginning at the pretensioned state and extending over a strain equal to at least about 25 percent of the initial pretensioned length of the prosthesis. Two examples of prosthesis 1 having these desired properties are set forth below. These examples are not to be construed as limiting the invention.
Set 9--Longitudinal fibers--48 ends--Hytrel Type 5556 polyester/polyether block copolymer monofilament (E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.; Wilmington, Del.)--220 denier
Set 11--Helical fibers--46 ends of 220 denier Dacron Type 52 polyethyleneterephthalate twisted multifilament (Du Pont) and 2 ends of 250 denier Dacron Type 55 polyethyleneterephthalate twisted multifilament (Du Pont) dyed with D & C green dye No. 6
Set 13--Helical fibers--same as set 11 Prosthesis configuration--flattened circular cylindrical tube 1.5 inches in length--21 mm. circumference
Braiding angle--45.degree.
Braiding pattern of sets 11 and 13 with respect to one another--2-up and 2-down
Density of windings of sets 11 and 13 -35 picks per inch
Braiding tension--50 to 55 g. on longitudinal fibers, 3 oz. braider carrier springs on helical fibers
The above-described prosthesis exhibited the load-strain behavior shown in FIG. 4 (the origin is drawn with reference to the untensioned state). The prosthesis exhibits a tensile break point of 250 lbs.=113 kg. If the prosthesis is pretensioned to, for example, 10 lbs. tension (20% strain), it will exhibit an overall load modulus over a range of 37% of the pretensioned length of the prosthesis (equivalent to 44% of untensioned length) of (250-10) lbs./(0.37 unit of strain)=295 kg./(unit of strain). Above 20 lbs. load, the prosthesis will exhibit a substantially constant load modulus of (250-20)lbs./(0.31 unit of strain)=340 kg./(unit of strain). No distinct yield point is observed to breakage.
Set 9--Longitudinal fibers--48 ends--Lycra Type 127 spandex-type polyurethane/polyether block copolymer coalesced multifilament (du Pont) -280 denier
Sets 11 and 13--Helical fibers--same as in Example 1
Prosthesis configuration--same as in Example 1 except that circumference of tube is 19 mm.
The above-described prosthesis exhibited the load-strain behavior shown in FIG. 5 (the origin is drawn with reference to the untensioned state). The prosthesis exhibits a tensile break point of 202 lbs.=92 kg. If the prosthesis is pretensioned to, for example, 7 lbs. tension (40% strain), it will exhibit an overall load modulus over a range of 29% of the pretensioned length of the prosthesis (equivalent to 40% of untensioned length) of (202-7) lbs./(0.29 unit of strain)=305 kg./(unit of strain). Above 20 lbs. load the prosthesis will exhibit a substantially constant load modulus of (202-20) lbs./(0.23 unit of strain)=360 kg./(unit of strain). No distinct yield point is observed prior to breakage.
1. A prosthesis for use in repairing or replacing ligament or tendon tissue, said prosthesis having first and second opposed end portions adapted to be attached with the prosthesis in tension to the body of a patient, with said two end portions defining between them the longitudinal direction of the prosthesis, and said prosthesis comprising a triaxially-braided fabric element containing interwoven first, second and third sets of fibers, with the fibers of said first set being elastic and oriented in substantially said longitudinal direction of the prosthesis, the fibers of said second and third sets being oriented at substantially the same acute braiding angle with respect to the fibers of said first set, the fibers of said first set having greater elasticity than the fibers of both of said second and third sets, the fibers of said second and third sets having greater yield strength and Young's modulus than the fibers of said first set, and said prosthesis exhibiting a tensile break point of at least about 75 kg.
2. A prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said braiding angle is from about 10.degree. to about 80.degree., whereby the resistance of said prosthesis to longitudinal deformation under longitudinal tensile loading decreases as said braiding angle is increased.
3. A prosthesis of claim 2 wherein the fibers of said second set are identical with the fibers of said third set.
4. A prosthesis of claim 3 wherein the fibers of said first set are made of a polyester/polyether block copolymer and the fibers of said second and third sets are made of polyethyleneterephthalate.
5. A prosthesis of claim 3 wherein the fibers of said first set are made of a polyurethane/polyether block copolymer and the fibers of said second and third sets are made of polyethyleneterephthalate.
6. A prosthesis of claim 3 wherein the fibers of said first set are made of a polyurethane/polyester block copolymer and the fibers of said second and third sets are made of polyethyleneterephthalate.
7. A prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said element has the shape of a cylindrical tube, the fibers of said first set are oriented in the longitudinal direction of said tube and the fibers of said second and third sets are helically-disposed in the wall of said tube.
8. A prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said element has the shape of a flat elongated strip, the fibers of said first set are oriented in the longitudinal direction of said strip in essentially a single plane and the fibers of said second and third sets traverse said plane in a zig-zag manner.
9. A prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said fabric element includes means to visually indicate the degree of extension of said prosthesis in tension.
10. A prosthesis of claim 3 wherein said triaxially-braided fabric element contains interwoven first, second and third sets of synthetic polymeric fibers, and said prosthesis exhibits, after initial pretension, an overall load modulus of from about 200 kg./unit of strain) to about 600 kg./(unit of strain) over a range of substantially recoverable tensile elongation amounting to at least about 25 percent of the initial pretensioned length of the prosthesis.
11. A vascular prosthesis comprising a triaxially-braided fabric element containing interwoven first, second and third sets of fibers, with said element having the shape of a cylindrical tube, the fibers of said first set being elastic and oriented in the longitudinal direction of said tube, the fibers of said second and third sets being elastic and helically-disposed in the wall of said tube at substantially the same acute braiding angle with respect to the fibers of said first set, and the fibers of said first set having greater elasticity than the fibers of both of said second and third sets.
12. A prosthesis of claim 11 wherein said braiding angle is from about 10.degree. to about 80.degree..
13. A heart valve prosthesis comprising:
a frame having a generally circular base defining the circumferential direction of the prosthesis and a plurality of spaced, generally parallel legs extending from said base; and
a plurality of triaxially-braided fabric elements having the form of sheets and attached to said frame in such a manner that they function as heart valve leaflets during the operation of the valve, with each of said fabric elements containing interwoven first, second and third sets of fibers, with the fibers of said first set being oriented in substantially the same direction and the fibers of said second and third sets being oriented at substantially the same acute braiding angle with respect to the fibers of said first set, and wherein, in each of said fabric elements, the fibers of said first set are oriented in the circumferential direction of said valve when said valve is in the open position, the fibers of said second and third sets traverse said first set of fibers in a zig-zag manner, the fibers of said first set have greater yield strength and Young's modulus than the fibers of both of said second and third sets, and the fibers of said second and third sets have greater elasticity than the fibers of said first set.
3176316 April 1965 Bodell
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4191218 March 4, 1980 Clark et al.
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4246660 January 27, 1981 Wevers
4255820 March 17, 1981 Rothermel et al.
4297749 November 3, 1981 Davis et al.
4301551 November 24, 1981 Dore et al.
4329743 May 18, 1982 Alexander et al.
4340091 July 20, 1982 Skelton et al.
4345339 August 24, 1982 Muller et al.
4371415 February 1, 1983 Tanaka
4380483 April 19, 1983 Kliger
4384022 May 17, 1983 Fowler
4416028 November 22, 1983 Eriksson et al.
4467478 August 28, 1984 Jurgutis
4469101 September 4, 1984 Coleman et al.
51954 May 1982 EPX
67929 December 1982 EPX
82/01647 May 1982 WOX
New England Butt Co., undated technical brochure. James, S. L.; "Biomechanics of Knee Ligament Reconstruction"; Clin. Ortho. & Rel. Res., No. 146; pp. 90-101 (Jan.-Feb. 1980). "Triaxial Fabrics for Rigid Composites are Seen Advancing State of the Art"; FRL Newsletter; vol. IV; No. 1; p. 3 (Fall 1976). Fitzgerald, E. E.; "Mechanical Behavior of Bicomponent Braids as Potential Surgical Implants"; Master of Science Thesis; Cornell University; Aug. 1979.
Filed: Apr 4, 1983
Date of Patent: Sep 9, 1986
Assignee: Pfizer Hospital Products Group, Inc. (New York, NY)
Inventors: Thomas A. Silvestrini (East Lyme, CT), Joseph E. Laptewicz, Jr. (Groton, CT)
Primary Examiner: Richard J. Apley
Assistant Examiner: David J. Isabella
Attorneys: Charles J. Knuth, Peter C. Richardson, Lawrence C. Akers
Current U.S. Class: 623/1; 623/2; 623/12; 128/92C
International Classification: A61F 206; A61F 224;
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I was wrong about Lord Monckton
Posted on April 4, 2013 | 54 Comments
I must admit I was wrong about Lord Monckton. I thought his speaking tour of New Zealand, which started on April Fools day, would be a huge yawn. Local climate scientists have learned that debating the man may be a huge plus for Monckton’s CV, but it was a negative for their own. So what interest could there be in a speaking tour where the audiences were basically fellow climate change deniers, conspiracy theorists and extreme political libertarians – all singing from the same hymn sheet.
After all, even his own publicity makes clear that his message is political, not scientific. That he is here to tell us all about the international conspiracy of greenies, fascists, communists, capitalists, imperialists and the United Nations to impose a single world government, put us in concentration camps, etc. Those horrible climate scientists are only a small part of Monckton’s international conspiracy.
But I should have learned from Monckton’s Australian tour. His antics there managed to keep his name in the public eye – and give Australians something to laugh at. He threatened climate scientists with court action and called prominent Australians Nazis!
Well, he seems set to do the same for us. He’s only been here a few days and he is threatening (“in the first instance”) a complaint to the New Zealand Press Council (yes he is not happy with the way his beliefs are reported). He expects the press Council to investigate not only a recent Herald article about his tour but also “whether the Herald has given balanced coverage to both sides of the debate on the climate, having regard not only to the present article but to its previous record of publication on the climate “science” issue.” He expects (or demands) a lot, doesn’t he?
Monckton also promises to invite “authorities in the United Kingdom to remove the name of one of [our] universities . . .from the list of academic institutions whose degrees are recognized in Britain.” No, he is not happy with what our climate scientists tell us about their findings (or indeed the findings themselves), or what they think of his scientific credibility. So we are all going to be punished.
It’s enough to make us shiver in our boots – he must be such a powerful man. Our scientist’s degrees won’t be recognised in the UK in future.
I think we are shivering – but out of laughter, not fear.
The man is certainly good for a laugh. I look forward to more of this humour as his speaking tour, and threats against our media, scientists and educational institutes, progresses over the next few weeks.
If you want to read his letters and threats they are recorded at VISCOUNT MONCKTON’S RESPONSE TO DENIGRATORY ARTICLE IN NZ HERALD). Looks like they will also be faithfully repeated at the Climate Conversation Group’s blog (see, for example Herald, APNZ find Monckton no easy target).
This entry was posted in climate, Environment and Ecology, politics, SciBlogs, Science and Society and tagged April Fool's Day, Christopher Monckton 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, climate change, global warming, humour, New Zealand, New Zealand Press Council, SciBlogs. Bookmark the permalink.
54 responses to “I was wrong about Lord Monckton”
John Russell (@JohnRussell40) | April 4, 2013 at 11:09 am |
Monckton is hardly ever seen and rarely mentioned in the UK. Even the climate fake sceptics find him embarrassing. I guess it’s because he’s associated with an oddball, right-wing, anti-Europe party. Just ignore him and he’ll go away. He’s only coming over there to visit you because of the attention you give him.
Ken | April 4, 2013 at 1:33 pm |
Yes, John, I guess Monckton is so discredited in his own homeland he has to spend the Northern winter down here. This produces a silly (for him) situation where he is attempting to mobilise local climate change deniers while we have been suffering a country-wide drought and record summer temperatures. meanwhile ha can’t take advantage of the record cold winters in the UK!
He is actually basically ignored down here too – probably why he is indulging in these sort of tricks to get the publicity he can’t get legitimately.
RossN | April 4, 2013 at 2:05 pm |
Ken, instead of doggedly clinging to your climate denier ways, how about looking for another barrow to push before you become NZ’s ultimate science-groupie embarrassment? (If it isn’t too late already).
Ross, isn’t it a wee bit farcical for a naive self-confessed creationist to lecture me about embarrassment in the science community?
Ross Nixon | April 4, 2013 at 6:57 pm |
Theoretically, yes.
The difference is that climate alarmists are in imminent danger of embarrassment (model failure, shenanigans discovered, global cooling).
In contrast, creationism and other ‘origins’ hypotheses aren’t ultimately scientifically provable – so we can both continue with our chosen ‘faith’ for the foreseeable future.
Ross “scientifically provable” is not logical.
However, you give away the motivation by admitting you rely on your chosen faith. Scientists rely on evidence and reason to draw the best inference. An inference which can change with time and more data.
The key point – it’s no skin off my nose if there is a god, raven, taniwha or whatever designing and making animals. I will happily accept that if the evidence and reason supports it. But the current fact is that it doesn’t. We have an excellent understanding of how life evolves and this explanation just seems to get better with every passing day.
I don’t rely on faith.
As for models failing – that happens all the time to some degree or other. That’s why science is continually improving models, and the computers which run them.
Shenanigans – always a problem but we seem to have far less of them in the science community than the faith community. They usually are found out, and disciplined in the end. In contrast to the faith community we don’t rally around to defend such people in science. We expose and get rid of them.
Global cooling – well if that occurs it will be the scientists who demonstrate it. We currently understand a number of mechanisms, both natural and man made which could do that. We think that in the verylong term it will actually be a problem because of removal of CO2 from the planet’s surface pools.
Cedric Katesby | April 4, 2013 at 9:03 pm |
NASA and every single scientific community cannot be described as “climate alarmists”.
Just how good are NASA climate/weather models?
toby52 | April 4, 2013 at 9:14 pm |
Monckton appeared on a talk show here in Ireland a few years ago in a segment devoted to “fringe” beliefs. The other person interviewed was a 9/11 “truther”.
Even the political party of which he was supposed to be Deputy Leader (the anti-EU anti-immigrant United Kingdom Independence Party) is giving him a wide berth.
It is amusing to watch the adulation he seems to attract in the USA, NZ & Australia. One suspects he is stopping to more and more outrageous tactics as his audiences diminish. In the US he has joined the Tea Party “birther circuit” claiming he has proof of the President’s Kenyan birth. And did you know about his claims of a cure for cancer? And his one-time call for AIDs sufferers to be segregrated from the healthy population?
Monckton is a gift that keeps on giving.
Copie | April 5, 2013 at 9:13 pm |
I am pleased that Moncton has come to NZ to expose the global warming religion cranks for the hoax they are. Even the biased UK Met service have admitted that there has been no warming for the past 16 years
Copie, you need to read my article Climate change is not simple. That will help you understand the issue of so-called “no warming for the past 16 years.”
That is if you can be objective about the issue. You seem to have some extreme interpretations. Which may be why you welcome Mad Monckton because his basic purpose here is to push a very extreme political line.
Cedric Katesby | April 5, 2013 at 11:10 pm |
Hmm, technical difficulties. Pity.
Sorry Ken. Would you mind deleting my previous posts? Must have a bug or something.
Copie | April 6, 2013 at 4:19 am |
Hot weather – Global warming, Cold. Weather- Global warming, wet weather- Global warming, Dry weather – Global warming
It is all a sham, designed to make money for Al Gore and his carbon trading buddies.
Ken | April 6, 2013 at 6:16 am |
Copie, you didn’t read my recommended article, did you? You are just trolling.
cindy baxter (@cindybax) | April 7, 2013 at 2:06 pm |
Here’s something to make you laugh a bit more.
NOT the APNZ “retraction” in response to Monckton’s threats (ugh), but the NZ Herald’s Michele Hewitson interview yesterday.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10875765
Where he walked out on the interview after just a little bit of questioning about his “hitler youth” incidents in Copenhagen. Here’s a quote:
“He had got the huff and walked out of the interview. It is very difficult to walk out on an interview when the only place you have to walk out of is the living room in the house where you are staying and into the kitchen where the person you are walking out on has to follow you to get to the front door.”
Yes, seems Monckton got upset because the reporter asked him a question.
What a fantastic scene for a comedy sketch. So very Mitchell & Webb.
roymustard | April 7, 2013 at 3:25 pm |
Actually, Monckton’s recent tour of Australia was a complete bomb. He seems to be stuck in a self-defeating spiral. The media only give him attention for saying extreme things, and as his profile diminishes it forces his position to be more and more extreme. As the author correctly noted, it’s no longer a scientific presentation. He’s now preaching against “Agenda 21”, a non-binding agreement that’s achieved little in 20 years.
As he becomes more outlandish, the media tune out, forcing him to become more extreme. This is where the toothless and, frankly, pathetic threats against scientists and institutions come into play.
Here in Australia Monckton launched his tour by attacking a Tasmanian scientist, threatening to jail all climate scientists for fraud (with the help of an unnamed policeman friend) and helping launch fringe anti-Muslim nationalist, right-wing parties. Upon his leaving these scientists remained distressingly free to roam the streets, researching with impunity while Rise Up Australia, presided over by a man who claims to raise the dead, has failed to take the nation by storm.
It’ll get to the point during his next visit that he’ll be trying to crash Gillard’s press conferences dressed as Hitler and even his only current Australian supporter Jo Nova will be quietly backing away.
Pingback: Monkcton’s NZ tour of fraud gets off to a mediocre start | Climate Wars
Chris B | April 7, 2013 at 5:58 pm |
He didn’t deal well with questions at the talk either. The audience got to ask two questions, both critical of his talk, after which we were ordered out of the theatre on the grounds that they’d get in trouble if we stayed past 9pm.
Having promised there would be an opportunity to ask questions at the end, I don’t imagine this left a very good impression on people, especially after sitting through a one hour, 45 minute talk which opened with the assertion that Agenda 21 was a UN plot to have their lackeys in local government herd us all into concentration camps and sterilise us with vaccines.
serdeb | April 8, 2013 at 2:47 am |
You know guys, you make me laugh! They are telling us that global warming is real, and we should be scared. well, we are, I was, the drastic measures the government is introducing are progressive. The aim is to drastically reduce forms of energy for the Country and people will be impoverished by that. You won’t be even able to write in your blogs because you will not have the money at the end of the month to pay for your internet connection. It would all be for good if the global scare was real but is it really? Wouldn’t Monckton represent some kind of hope worth checking before criticising him and the dozens of scientists who agree with him? that’s what I did; I went and look for data, I listened to many other climate scientists and I was cheered up by the findings.
how many researches have you done to check out the facts for yourself? Every week there is a segment dedicated to the disasters caused by global warming in tv; have you healed anyone declaring the exact opposite? No debate has ever been allowed pubblicly? If they are so certain about their theories, then why the opposite opinion is not being heard?
unfortunately you are still asleep, the left parties have always been in history against development and the capital and the good things that money can do gor people. Do you hate Australia so much? iand
Cedric Katesby | April 8, 2013 at 6:16 am |
They are telling us that global warming is real, and we should be scared.
Yes. Yes they are.
That’s the “they” you are referring to.
…the drastic measures the government…
Vague, unsubstantiated claims of “drastic” measures by mystery “governments” fail to impress.
Besides, it’s go nothing to do with the science.
Claiming that the cancer treatment is “drastic” does not make the cancer magically go away. You are making an Argument from Consequence.
Reality does not care about your inconvenience.
Reality just is.
It would all be for good if the global scare was real but is it really?
According to NASA and every single scientific community on the planet.
You can ignore them and the decades of work that they have done in reaching their conclusions if you want but it would make you look very foolish.
Wouldn’t Monckton represent some kind of hope worth checking before criticising him and the dozens of scientists who agree with him?
Hope?
Hope all you like. Go with your gut. Let your feelings guide you. If you don’t want something to be real then click you red shoes three times and say “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home”.
Nobody likes bad news. Nobody like to be told they have AIDS or cancer or that their tobacco product that makes them money is actually slowly killing people. Nobody likes to be told that their fishing practices are systematically killing the core fish stock and will cause a catastrophic collapse which will kill the industry and the community that it supports.
People really hate bad news.
So….they always look for someone to tell them that everything will be alright.
“Tell people something they know already and they will thank you for it. Tell them something new and they will hate you for it.”
that’s what I did; I went and look for data, I listened to many other climate scientists and I was cheered up by the findings.
No doubt. Sadly, it happens all the time.
Doubt – Tobacco and the Anti Science Movement
Serdeb, having studied economics myself, I fully agree that we should be weighing up the costs and benefits of different courses of action before making a decision. That means making some calculations of the net present value of action versus inaction, hopefully including some reasonable assessment of the costs and likelihoods of different scenarios (both above and below the three degree mark), and making policy decisions, which may well be subject to modification further down the road as new information comes to light.
So far so good, and this is, in theory, what governments do when making policy decisions. Lobby groups, ideology and public opinion polls notwithstanding.
However. Let me just share some of the maths which Lord Monckton uses to convince us that we’ll all be impoverished by efforts to curtail global warming. This is for the Australian scheme, which is what he seems to be beavering away about on this tour. It contains at least two ridiculously basic errors.
Monckton’s figures are sourced under case study 6 here (helpfully provided with his letter to the Herald): http://nzclimatescience.net/images/PDFs/co2-mitigation.pdf
Note that the paper does contain other case studies, which I probably could (and perhaps should) pick holes in in turn, but the Australian study is the one he provided in his slides on the night. I did not get a chance to challenge him on it, since he cut off questioning. A distinct mark against his ability to defend his work.
“Carbon trading in Australia, as enacted the Clean Energy legislation (Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011), costs $10.1 bn/year, plus $1.6 bn/year for administration (Wong, 2010, p. 5), plus $1.2 bn/year for renewables and other costs, a total of $13 bn/year, rising at 5%/year, or $130 bn by 2020 at 13 n.p.v., to abate 5% of current emissions, which represent 1.2% of world emissions (derived from Boden et al., 2010ab). Thus p = 0.0006. CO2 concentration would fall from a business-as-usual 412 to 411.987 ppmv after ten years. Forcing abated is 0.0002 Wm–2; warming abated is 0.00006K; mitigation cost – effectiveness is $2,000 tr /K; global abatement cost of projected warming to 2020 is $300 trillion, or $45,000 /head, or 59% of global GDP to 2020. Action costs 48 times inaction.”
So, Monckton has taken the Australian plan for reducing emissions by 5% over 8 years and extrapolated it to come up with global abatement costs.
Perhaps the most obvious problem is with these words: “global abatement cost of projected warming to 2020 is $300 trillion.” Now, regardless of how much impact you think CO2 has on global temperature (as long as it’s not zero or negative), the only way to prevent 100% of global warming out to 2020 is to prevent any further CO2 emissions. That’s right, shutting down, overnight, everything on the planet which burns fossil fuels will cost us $300 trillion (in net present value over the next 8 years).
And you know what? I think that figure may actually be too low. Especially if we consider the human suffering and misery which would result from shutting down, say, combine harvesters and the trucks, trains and ships which carry food to markets.
It’s a good thing that Nobody. Whatsoever. Is suggesting that we cut emissions by 100% Right This Minute. Actual policy, from various quarters, aims towards a rather more incremental process, according to which developed nations gradually reduce emissions, by 2050, by 80% of present numbers, while developing nations follow a slower curve. Said policy being aimed at holding temperature rises to two degrees by the end of the century, as opposed to three degrees.
Which leads me on to my second problem. Anybody familiar with net present value calculations will tell you that money now is worth more than money later. The further into the future you receive or spend a given quantity of money, the less valuable it is to you in terms of present value.
By compressing his calculations for the cost of carbon emissions reductions into an 8 year timeframe, Monckton weights the calculations towards ‘money now’, then multiplies the number to get cost of mitigation per degree celsius. In fact, he should be working out the cost of mitigating a one degree temperature rise over the course of 87 years. Which, as you might imagine, gives a bit more weighting to the ‘money later’ side of the NPV calculation.
I did some rough calculations of my own based on the Australian figures Monckton provided, assuming that each $13 billion a year spent ($1.08 trillion globally) gets you a 5% reduction in emissions per 8 year period, with a goal of 80% reductions by 2050. Simplified, of course, but illustrative. I came up with a net present value of $64 trillion. Or $9,300 per person. Ever so slightly lower than Monckton’s figures.
The figures for the UK and US schemes (case studies one and two) are closer to the realms of sanity, since they have a time horizon of 38 years, as opposed to 8, but I’d really want to check Monckton’s assumptions and recalculate the numbers for myself before giving them any credence. If nothing else, it looks as if he’s mixing up nominal and real rates of return.
In fact, given my impression of Monckton in general, I’d really prefer to just start from scratch or check somebody else’s figures.
Copie | April 8, 2013 at 10:21 pm |
You global warming fanatics are amazing, dreaming up new theories everyday to continue your discredited claims. Antarctica has expanded enormously, so the scientists claim that it is”melting from below” or the record cold weather in the Northern Hemisphere is blamed on global warming! Do you people have no shame?
Ken | April 8, 2013 at 10:26 pm |
No Copie, we have science – we follow the evidence.
Cedric Katesby | April 9, 2013 at 12:32 am |
You global warming fanatics are amazing…
NASA cannot be described as “global warming fantatics”.
Plus they really did make it to the moon.
roymustard | April 10, 2013 at 2:43 am |
Listen guys, these “skeptics” don’t actually have to investigate how rising temperatures affect the jet streams and bring cold weather (which climate scientists actually predicted, but the fake skeptics don’t mention that). That’s complicated. Better to go by nice feelings and throw around memes like “no one is allowed to debate” even though it Monckton trying to throw scientists in prison and Delingpole smirkingly insinuating murder.
And finally, “how many researches have you done to check out the facts for yourself?”
I’m guessing many, many, many more than you, since you admitted you stopped when “climate scientists” (they were not) told you what you wanted to hear. Phew! Problem solved!
Copie | April 12, 2013 at 9:56 pm |
Will you global warming fanatics never stop your nonsense and be honest for once? Just say,sorry, we got it wrong, record cold is not global warming! Say, “an expanding Antarctica is not global warming! Perhaps you will gain some credibility?
Perhaps, Copie, you can give us the benefit if your great intellect? Why is Antarctica “expanding?”
Cedric Katesby | April 14, 2013 at 1:35 am |
Volcanoes?
Hidden tectonic fault lines?
Guano deposits from migrating birds?
Andy | April 14, 2013 at 9:58 am |
I presume that Copie is referring to increasing sea ice extent in Antarctica.
Yes, that’s what I understood from the troll’s vague comment. But I was posing the question of how she explained the phenomenon. Why did she think it has nothing to do with climate change? If she is logical her comment implies that she could provide an explanatory mechanism.
What about you doing so, Andy?
Andy | April 14, 2013 at 10:18 am |
I have got no idea why sea ice extent is increasing in Antarctica. It is an observed phenomenon. End of story, from me anyway
So, Andy, unlike our troll, you would not use this fact as an argument against scientific understanding if climate change?
After all, the current scientific assessment involves increased winds moving ice, and exposing more water to freeze, and entry of cold salt-less water from melt under the continental ice which being less dense is at the sea surface and freezes more easily.
These explanations are consistent with current understanding of a warming planet.
I have got no idea why sea ice extent is increasing in Antarctica. It is an observed phenomenon. End of story, from me anyway.
For you? What about the British Antarctic Survey?
(You’ve heard of them, right? Yes, you can look them up on the net.)
Why do you suppose that it’s not the end of the story for them?
Have you even bothered to find out how actual working scientists view it?
No? Didn’t think so.
You are engaged in a logical fallacy known as anomoly hunting.
For moon landing deniers, the “anomoly” could be the flag moving by itself in a vaccuum…therefore the Apollo missons were a hoax.
Or multiple shadows appearing in the photos taken on the moon…therefore it’s a hoax.
For 9/11 Troofers, the “anomoly” could be Building Number 7 collapsing despite not being hit by a plane…therefore 9/11 was an inside job.
That’s not the way to think. You have to be more careful than that. Don’t latch onto some factoid that at first glance seens to support your presuppositions and leave it at that. You may have it all wrong because it’s not your field of expertise. You have to be willing to look at things that don’t necessarily support your suspicions and acknowledge them too. Otherwise you are no better than the Troofers and the moon landing deniers and the ghost hunters out there.
Andy | April 14, 2013 at 5:37 pm |
I haven’t studied sea ice so I don’t have an opinion on it. It is really that simple.
Come on, Andy, it’s not like you to be so reticent. You often comment, in the strongest possible terms, about things which you have not studied.
And I get the impression by “study” you probably mean check out the climate change denial echo chamber.
You appear to be looking for a fight.
I am not interested.
Bit depressed, are we Andy?
Yet there are people that do.
Lots of them.
Step away from the echo-chamber of the denialist blogs for a minute.
There are scientific communities that make it their business to have a scientific opinion on the Antarctic. They are on the web.
You don’t have to just go to a blog and be spoonfed factoids that make you feel good.
It’s ok to think for yourself for a change and independently check out what the experts in the field have to say.
The British Antarctic Survery is a good place to start.
Unless (without knowing anything about them) you are going to pretend that they are…Marxists or something?
That trick gets old. You can’t use it forever. Not for everything and everyone all the time.
Not every scientific community on the planet can be super sekritly controlled by Marxists or whatever. It’s silly.
It would be hard for “them” to sekritly control even one.
You have to have a really solid reason not to listen to the scientific community. Paranoia and conspiracy thinking doesn’t cut it in the real world.
Seriously, did you ever even know that the British Antarctic survery even existed? Did it never occur to you to find out?
Yes, friends of mine were working for it. I am not really that interested in why sea ice is increasing.
Yes, friends of mine were working for it.
Are they “hard left Marxists” too? Would they keep a secret global konspiracy safe?
Don’t you see how insane such an idea is?
A global scientific conspiracy is impossible. There’s no way to make it work.
You are being led by the nose.
Stop it.
The British Antarctic Survey is not lying to you.
It is widely accepted that climate change as a result of human activity, is real, happening now and will have an impact of everyone and everything on the Earth. Antarctica, and the Southern Ocean that surrounds it, affects our whole planet through its influence on the Earth’s climate system. Understanding Antarctica’s role in climate change is not only a huge scientific challenge but also an urgent priority for society
What makes Antarctica so important?
The vast, ice-covered Polar Regions are like a global thermostat that regulates the Earth’s climate system. The whiteness of the ice sheets help cool the atmosphere by reflecting heat from the Sun; the darkness of the polar oceans absorbs heat from the sun. Ice cold, salty water from the surface drops into the deep oceans to drive the ocean currents that carry heat around the globe. The Southern Ocean that surrounds Antarctica is a natural ‘sink’ that absorbs the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Scientists know that the Antarctic ice sheet has grown and shrunk over geological history. Recent analysis of Antarctic ice cores reveal that during the last 800,000 years the Earth experienced eight glacial cycles (each with an ice age and warm period). Understanding this natural rhythm helps scientists get a better picture of what’s happening to the Earth’s climate today and what might happen in the future.
So is Antarctica really melting?
The majority of long-term measurements from Antarctic research stations show no significant warming or cooling trends, and temperatures over most of the continent have been relatively stable over the past few decades. The effects of the ozone hole have shielded much of the Antarctic continent from the impact of ‘global warming’.
Does the Ozone Hole affect Antarctic climate?
We now know that the Antarctic ozone hole has had a profound effect on the Antarctic climate that extends far beyond increasing the levels of ultra-violet radiation. As stratospheric ozone amounts have fallen, temperatures above the continent have also dropped. This creates a bigger temperature difference between the tropics and the Antarctic which affects global weather patterns. For example, since 1980 the strength of winds over the Southern Ocean has increased by about 15%.
What about reports about Antarctica melting?
It is a very different story on the Antarctic Peninsula — the long mountainous landmass that projects from the main continent. Climate records from the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula show that temperatures in this region have risen by nearly 3°C during the last 50 years — about five times the global average, and only matched in Alaska and Siberia. British Antarctic Survey research has shown also that near-surface sea temperatures to the west of the Peninsula have risen by over 1°C over a similar period. It is now accepted that the waters of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current are warming more rapidly than the global ocean as a whole.
Is human activity warming Antarctica?
Experiments with climate models suggest that human activity has contributed to temperature changes observed across Antarctica, including the rapid warming on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula. However, these changes also reflect natural factors, such as variations in volcanic dust in the atmosphere and changes in the energy output of the Sun. But the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula is very sensitive to climate change. Stronger westerly winds in the northern Antarctic Peninsula, driven principally by human-induced climate change, were responsible for the marked regional summer warming that led to the well-publicised retreat and collapse of the northern Larsen Ice Shelf. In October 2006, the first direct evidence linking human activity to the collapse of northern Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves was reported in the Journal of Climate.
What’s the evidence?
The ozone hole and global warming have changed Antarctic weather patterns such that strengthened westerly winds force warm air eastward over the natural barrier created by the Antarctic Peninsula’s 2km-high mountain chain. On summer days when this happens temperatures in the north-east Peninsula warm by around 5°C, creating the conditions that allowed the drainage of melt-water into crevasses on the Larsen Ice Shelf, a key process that led to its break-up in 2002.
It is important that society and political leaders have access to the best scientific evidence and understanding of the likely scale and impact of global climate change. Attributing observed changes to either natural environmental events or to human activity requires reliable observations of past and present climate. A great deal of international effort is focused on using and improving sophisticated climate models that will analyse results of experiments and help determine future change.
Since the start of the Industrial Revolution the amount of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere has increased beyond that caused by these natural events.
There is growing evidence that a large part of the recently observed rapid change is driven by human activity.
The lowest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica was −89°C
The temperature in the Antarctic Peninsula has risen by almost 3°C in the last 50 years causing some of the smaller ice shelves to melt
Around 30 countries operate Antarctica research stations where scientists study global environmental issues like climate change, ozone depletion and sustainable management of marine life.
Science Briefing – Antarctica and climate change (BAS)
What the heck are you on about Cedric?
Andy, do you remember all that wierd shit about the hard left Marxists that you said before? The sockpuppetry and the rest of your bad behaviour?
Can’t you give yourself a little more credit than that and lift your game?
You should.
You see, all the scientific communities on the planet are independent from each other.
The BAS is independent from NASA. NASA is independent from the CSIRO etc.
There is no secret cabal. There is no mass conspiracy.
There’s no good reason to wed yourself to some aged kooks with a blog that are telling you only what you want to hear.
It’s not going to change.
Six month from now, six years from now or sixty years from now. There’s never going to be some wonderous announcement that, gosh darn it, those climate “skeptics” were right all along.
Six months from now, you will be forced to ignore the conclusions of NASA.
Six months from now, the moon landing deniers will also be forced to ignore the conclusions of NASA too.
Six months, six years or whatever.
There’s no moving forward. It’s not going to get “better” somehow.
Whatsupmybutt and Co. are writing endless checks that they can never cash.
You’ve been taken. For years, you have been taken. You’ve allowed yourself to be pursuaded to emotionally invest in some dumb no-name blogs at the expense of turning your back on all the scientific communities on the planet. Every single one on the planet.
It’s unjustifiable.
It’s insane.
Contact their currently working collegues at the BAS. Send them an email.
Ask them if what they are telling you is really real or not.
You have nothing to lose. It won’t cost you a penny.
To request an interview with Dr Nick Barrand please contact Catherine Byerley, International Media Relations Manager at the University of Birmingham.
Email: c.j.byerley@bham.ac.uk
For information on ice2sea contact Paul B. Holland at the British Antarctic Survey Communications Office, Cambridge.
Email: paul.b.holland@bas.ac.uk
Fascinating, thanks for the links Cedric.
By the way, I am just returning from a fantastic weeks holiday in France and Spain, which have had record snowfalls, allowing me to enjoy some great backcountry skiing. Therefore, if I appear more relaxed than usual, this may be the reason.
By the way, I am just returning from a fantastic weeks holiday in France and Spain, which have had record snowfalls…
And someone’s Uncle Vinny smoked three packs a day until he died at the age of 101 when he was run over by a bus therefore there’s no link between cancer and cigarettes.
Somewhere in the world, there’s always going to be a record snowfall.
That’s the nature of statistics.
Climate is not weather. Weather is not climate.
The British Antarctic Survery is still not filled with Marxists.
Climate Denial Crock of the Week- “It’s cold. So there’s no Climate Change”
You global warming religion fanatics are amazing, always thinking up a new theory to justify you discredited stories. Why is Antarctica expanding? Quite simple really, because it is not warming.
Copie, why should that cause the “expansion”? Surely if there is no change in climate we should expect the status quo?
Come, on. You are so sure of yourself. Surely you must be able to explain it..
You don’t seem to have thought it through.
I didn’t say that there is no change in climate. Climate is always changing, sometimes hotter, sometimes colder. However, none of this has anything do do with human activity.
Antactica is expanding because it sometimes does this.
Copie – care to support your claim that climate change has nothing to do with human activity with some evidence?
Have a look at Climate change is complex.
Richard Christie | April 25, 2013 at 10:19 pm |
Meanwhile, Treadgold is seeing Lizardmen everywhere.
The man is a certifiable lunatic.
http://www.climateconversation.wordshine.co.nz/2013/04/ipcc-created-and-controlled-by-activists/#comments
How do you like this comment from Huub Bakker on Treadgold’s post, though Richard:
“It was in ca 1980 that James Hansen gave his famous talk to Congressmen on global warming. He picked the day of the year with the warmest average temperature and snuck into the building the night before to disable the air conditioning. (I don’t think that they had to lock the windows closed as that is the general case in air conditioned buildings.)
This is not the work of a scientist but the work of an activist.”
I can just see these horrible climate scientists “snucking” around and disabling air conditioning everywhere!
These guys are away with the birds.
Cedric Katesby | April 25, 2013 at 10:35 pm |
Here is the first sign (the first I’ve seen, anyway) of the IPCC acknowledging its links to Agenda 21 and the over-arching ambitions of the United Nations to rule the world. For what guidelines for “urban planning” or “policy requirements” could the IPCC adopt but those handily available and vigorously promoted for 21 years by its parent, the UN?
Agenda 21? Again?? Wow.
To the naive, this looks innocent. But to the activist, it’s a golden opportunity to manipulate society and gain control of it. They will grasp the opportunity.
Yes, it’s looks innocent. Rather innocent and boring. Yet the wheels within wheels within wheels continue to turn. Tinfoil hattery.
I don’t use the word conspiracy, nor do I believe it. I simply cite public documents. It’s a fact that the UN wrote Agenda 21. Read it.
Comedy that writes itself. Impossible to parody further.
Kook.
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2012/spring/behind-the-green-mask
Ken, might you please remove the (my) ISP info that appeared at the end of your last reply. I don’t know about assocoiated risks but better safe than sorry.
I heard the Hansen story before, at least the “it was a very hot day” part.
So according to Huub, Hansen can’t have climbed in the windows to disable the air conditioning, that would have forced him to use the secret tunnel.
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Falcon watch: Peregrine activity around PPL's tower building provides optimism for another successful nesting season
PPL Electric Utilities joins with WFMZ-TV and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary to provide streaming video views, bird tracking technology
Baby Peregrine falcons
ALLENTOWN, Pa., March 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Peregrine falcons are once again making their presence known around PPL's 23-story headquarters in downtown Allentown, giving rise to hope they'll once again nest near the top of the iconic building.
The raptors this year find themselves with a new nesting box and the public will be able to see more of them thanks to streaming video from three new cameras installed inside and outside the box. PPL worked with WFMZ-TV to install the cameras and will also be working with Hawk Mountain Sanctuary as a science partner to attach telemetry tracking units to the falcon fledglings at the time the young birds are banded by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
A live video feed of the nesting box area can be viewed at pplelectric.com/falconcam.
"This is what environment and community are all about," said Mike Hasel, PPL Electric Utilities manager of environmental compliance. "PPL has a long-standing involvement with efforts to restore the peregrine falcon population in Pennsylvania that dates to 1995 and the Pennsylvania Peregrine Project. We're excited the birds have returned and hope they successfully nest again this year. We're proud of the viewing and learning opportunities we're able to provide to the public."
According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, an adult peregrine can reach a speed of more than 200 miles per hour in a vertical dive and averages about 60 miles per hour in level flight. Peregrine falcons feed on other birds, usually by striking them in flight. Their prey includes pigeons, blue jays, and other mid-sized song birds. In the wild, falcons nest on high cliffs. In urban settings, tall buildings make a suitable alternative.
Three peregrines hatched last spring at the PPL nesting box outside the 21st floor of the 23-story PPL building and one of them — a female — was spotted this past fall at a wildlife refuge in Virginia.
According to the game commission, the peregrine falcon is endangered and protected under the Game and Wildlife Code. It formerly was listed as endangered, then threatened at the federal level, but was removed from the federal Endangered Species List nearly 20 years ago.
In addition to peregrines, PPL also supports efforts to help ospreys and bald eagles. The company assisted in putting up osprey nesting platforms at various locations in its service territory in the past several years.
Contact: For news media: Joe Nixon, 610-774-5997
jcnixonjr@pplweb.com
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Russia: Low growth and lower interest rates
After a growth bounce in Q4 2018, GDP growth returned to more moderate level in 2019.
Weak growth and declining inflation pave way for the central bank to accommodate monetary policy.
Press release (6973 Characters)Plain text
Economic growth slowed during the first quarter after a temporary spike in Q4 2018. In Q1 2019 real gross domestic product (GDP) increased moderately by 0.5 % compared to Q1 2018 and following 2.7 % GDP growth during the end-quarter 2018 (Figure 1 - see pdf). In seasonally adjusted terms, we calculate a drop by 0.4 % of GDP compared to the previous quarter.
There were no expenditure details released yet by the Russian statistics office (Rosstat). By year-end 2018, national accounts data showed a surprising pick-up compared to previous quarters. A reason which we detected for volatile growth data is construction activity (Figure 2 - see pdf). The volume of completed construction projects increased significantly during 2018, however, it returned to a more normal level in Q1 2019 (104 mln cubic meters or -1.5 % compared to Q1 2018). Major investment projects – including the Yamal natural gas plant – are being developed by the government. In Q4, construction contributed 0.4 %-age points to growth in gross value added (GVA) being the largest growth contribution after mining & quarrying (0.7 %-age points). Major projects with state participation include the construction of North Stream 2 and Power of Siberia gas pipelines in the Tyumen region, the railway section of the Crimea Bridge and the reconstruction of the Baikal-Amur mainline.
Household consumption has recently been a growth driver. Lending underpins consumption but slowing wage growth constrains a further rise in private demand (Figure 3 - see pdf). Lending to households has further accelerated rising by 23.4 % (y/y) in April. Total loans to corporates increased by 10.9 % in the same month. Since 2016, real wages had picked up after public wage hikes and coinciding with slowing inflation. However, in April, real wages enhanced by meagre 1.6 % after average increases by 7.0 % during last year. Slowing consumer demand is also indicated by weak growth in retail sales (averaging plus 1.6 % during the 3 months until April) and a decline in vehicle sales (-2.5 % over the last 3 months).
Technically, low Q1 GDP growth leads to downward revisions for growth expectations for the total of the year. In the absence of exogenous shocks (f. ex. rising oil prices), the pace of economic growth will likely revert to its potential growth rate (~1.5 %), though national investment projects – based on successful implementation – are an upside chance for the economy (Figure 4 - see pdf).
On Friday, the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) lowered the key interest rate from 7.75 to 7.50 %. The decision was well anticipated and prepared as the CBR mentioned the possibility to cut the key rate in the previous meeting.
In its March projection, the CBR forecast GDP growth of 1.2-1.7 % for 2019 and a growth acceleration afterwards (2020: 1.8-2.3 %, 2021: 2.0-3.0 %). The acceleration is expected to come from planned fiscal measures and national projects once successfully implemented. The inflation rate peaked in March (5.3 %) and fell to 5.1 % in May (Figure 5 - see pdf).
The contribution of food & beverage prices to overall inflation has risen to 2.4 % from an average of 0.6 % in 2018. Furthermore, contributions from non-food (1.3 %) and services prices (1.4 %) gradually rose compared to 2018 (1.2 % respectively 1.1 %). The CBR’s inflation forecast was already revised from 5.0-5.5 % to 4.7-5-2 % in March amid lower than expected pass-through from the VAT rate hike and ruble’s strengthening. The quarterly inflation rate will slow to the central banks’ inflation target of 4 % in H2 2019. Weak growth, declining inflation and inflation expectations as well as external stability pave way for the CBR to lower the interest rate. On last Friday, the CBR further lowered its inflation forecast to 4.2-4.7 % for this year. Going forward, the CBR expects the inflation rate to stay close to its inflation target at 4 %. In addition, the central bank decreased its GDP growth projection to 1.0-1.5 % for 2019. If the situation develops in line with the forecast, the CBR admits “the possibility of a further key rate reduction at one of the upcoming board meetings and a transition to neutral monetary policy until mid-2020”.
The anticipated transition to a neutral level of the key interest is in line with our expectation. The key policy rate would reach a level around 7 %. Deducting expected inflation rate (around 4 % for 2020), the CBR gave an indication that it sees the real neutral rate of interest around 3 %. While estimates for real (inflation-adjusted) neutral rates of interest are vast for developed economies, they are scarce and conceptually more demanding for emerging markets like Russia. A recent estimate suggested a real neutral interest of 4 % for Russia.
The Russian economy continues to expand albeit growth of GDP will remain behind recent expectations after a weak first quarter. Our baseline expectation remains that the economy continues to expand around its potential growth rate, however, the completion of national investment projects offers some upside. As the inflation rate as well as inflation expectations have been declining, the central bank cut the key interest rate and anticipates continuing with a key rate cutting cycle until mid of 2020.
Martin Ertl Franz Xaver Zobl
Chief Economist Economist
UNIQA Capital Markets GmbH UNIQA Capital Markets GmbH
This publication is neither a marketing document nor a financial analysis. It merely contains information on general economic data. Despite thorough research and the use of reliable data sources, we cannot be held responsible for the completeness, correctness, currentness or accuracy of the data provided in this publication.
Our analyses are based on public Information, which we consider to be reliable. However, we cannot provide a guarantee that the information is complete or accurate. We reserve the right to change our stated opinion at any time and without prior notice. The provided information in the present publication is not to be understood or used as a recommendation to purchase or sell a financial instrument or alternatively as an invitation to propose an offer. This publication should only be used for information purposes. It cannot replace a bespoke advisory service to an investor based on his / her individual circumstances such as risk appetite, knowledge and experience with financial instruments, investment targets and financial status. The present publication contains short-term market forecasts. Past performance is not a reliable indication for future performance.
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Sun | Neighbors
— Nov 17th, 2004
AIDS auction benefit
Elanden Gardens & Interiors and the Kitsap HIV/AIDS Foundation will sponsor the fifth annual auction benefit for AIDS, "Stockings for a Cause."
Time: 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 4.
Place: Elanden Gardens & Interiors, 3050 Highway 16, Gorst.
Proceeds: Handmade stockings made by creative people and artists will be auctioned off to help raise funds for the Kitsap HIV/AIDS Foundation. The Foundation uses all of the money raised to benefit people living in the county with HIV/AIDS.
More info: Call Elanden Gardens & Interiors at (360) 373-8260 or Joy
Faigh at (360) 479-3748.
Manager needed
South Kitsap Eastern Little League has an opening for a 2005 major manager position. All letters of interest and qualifications must be postmarked by Dec. 4 and sent to: SKELL, P.O. Box 500, Port Orchard, WA 98366.
The Bainbridge Island Quarterly Arts Walk is seeking visual and performing artists for "Through the Looking Glass" on Feb. 6 and "Blowing in the Wind," art in motion on May 1.
More info: Call (206) 842-7901, or visit www.artshum.org.
Field's End will offer two winter writing courses: "Writing Literature for Children" with George Shannon, and "Don't Dream It ... Do It" with Susan Wiggs. Shannon is the author of 22 pictures books for children, a collection of short stories for older children, a novel for young adults, and numerous essays on children's literature. Field's End classes are open to writers of every skill level. Applications will be processed starting Nov. 16
Time: "Writing Literature for Children" is 7:15 to 9:15 p.m. Wednesdays, Jan. 19 to March 2. "Don't Dream It ... Do It" is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 26.
Place: Bainbridge Library, 1270 Madison Ave. N
Cost: "Writing Literature for Children" is $240; "Don't Dream It ... Do It" is $120.
More info: Visit www.fieldsend.org.
Crochet Guild forming
The Crochet Guild of America will meet weekly with interested people who love to crochet and want to share with others to create a Kitsap Chapter of the guild. The group plans to work on its own "Warm Up America" projects such as afghans and blankets for women and children at battered women's shelters and for premature babies at Harrison Hospital.
Place: The Café Barista, Silverdale.
More info: Call (360) 340-8917 or e-mail lavendertalkingmoon@yahoo.com.
THROUGH NOV. 24
Food drive under way
To make Thanksgiving happier for several East Bremerton families, the students at Fairview Junior High School, in cooperation with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, are holding a canned food drive. There will be a competition among the classes and they've set a goal of one and a half tons of food.
Drop off: Nonperishable food donations may be dropped off between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the school, 8107 Central Valley Road.
Adventures in bicycling
Gary, Janice, Kelsey and Tyler McFarland will give a presentation, "Experience Life on the Road," on their adventures bicycling around the world.
Time: 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Place: Harrison Silverdale (West Entrance), Orchid Room, 1780 Myhre Road.
More info: E-mail mcfarlands@cyclingfar-lands.com.
Library group to meet
Port Orchard Friends of the library will meet. It is open to the public.
Time: 10 a.m.
Place: Port Orchard Library meeting room, 87 Sidney Ave.
More info: Call (360) 876-2224.
ROWA hosts fashion show
The Retired Officers Wives Association will hold its annual fashion show presented by Guthrie's. A ham luncheon will be served. It is open to all military officers, spouses and family members whether retired, active or reserves.
Place: Bremerton Elks Club, 4131 Pine Road, Bremerton.
Cost: $10.
More info: Call Mary Mullins at (360) 895-2639 or Myra Lovejoy at (360) 769-2412.
Sub league to meet
The Naval Submarine League will host Rear Adm. Mel Williams, commander Submarine Group Nine, speaking on "The Submarine Force in the Northwest."
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Place: Bangor Plaza, Naval Submarine Base Bangor.
Cost: $11 at the door.
More info: Call Melissa Smith at (360) 377-2814 or e-mail melissa.c.smith@saic.com.
TODAY & BEYOND
Toys for Tots drop-off site opens today
Poulsbo residents may drop off new, unwrapped toys for the annual Marines Toys for Tots campaign.
Time: Regular business hours.
Place: Edward Jones office, 19740 Seventh Ave. NE, Suite F (next door to Mitzel's)
For info: Call Pat McFadden, (360) 779-6450.
Wolfle Elementary students are conducting a food drive with a goal of collecting 1,500 items from student's families and the community by Nov. 22.
Place: David H. Wolfle Elementary School, 27089 Highland Road NE, Kingston.
Proceeds: Kingston Food Bank.
More info: (360) 297-3631.
Meeting site changed
The Pacific Northwest Photographic Society will hold a still life and tabletop photography workshop for its monthly education night. Present are James Martin APSA of the Olympic Peaks Camera Club in Sequim, and Ken Kramer of PNWPS. There will be four stations available to provide everyone experience in photographing glass, flowers and small artifacts. It is open to the public. Bring a camera and tripod.
Place changed: Due to construction at the fairgrounds the meeting location has been changed to the Silverdale Community Center
More info: Call (360) 698-1259 or e-mail pacphoto1@aol.com.
EWU meeting for prospective students
Eastern Washington University will hold an information night for prospective students and their parents. It will provide an opportunity to learn about academic programs, financial aid, clubs and organizations, residential life options, the admissions process and how to visit the campus. Light refreshments will be served.
Place: Red Lion Silverdale Hotel, Canal Room, 3073 NW Bucklin Hill Road, Silverdale.
More info: Call to RSVP at (509) 359-2397 or e-mail admission-evt@mail.ewu.edu.
'Winter Gala' planned
Spartan Vocal Boosters will host its second annual "Winter Gala" featuring the Bainbridge Island High School choirs. There will be a silent auction to raise money for choir equipment and for students to attend the Heritage Festival in Southern California next spring. Refreshments also will be available for purchase.
Place: Large Group Instruction room at Bainbridge High School
More info: Call Karen King at (206) 276-6948.
thursday & beyond
CKSD committee hosts meetings
Central Kitsap School District's instructional materials committee will host meetings during the 2004-2005 school year.
Place: Board room of the Jenne-Wright Administration Building, 9210 Silverdale Way.
Other meetings: Jan. 13, March 10 and May 26.
Kitchen offers free meals
South Kitsap Family Kitchen will offer free family style meals. The program is open to the community, particularly to low-income and elderly persons.
Time: 5 to 5:30 p.m. Nov. 18, 19, 22, 23, 29 and 30. Meals will not be served on Thanksgiving or the following day.
Place: First Lutheran Church, 2483 Mitchell Road SE, Port Orchard.
Genealogical society to show video
The Puget Sound Genealogical Society will show the video "Research Land Records, Military Records and Vital Records." The public is invited.
Place: The Puget Sound Genealogical Society Library, East Port Orchard Center, 2501 SE Mile Hill Drive, Suite A102, Port Orchard
Cost: Free.
More info: Call (360) 874-8813 or (360) 377-7026.
Operation Christmas Child seeks volunteers
Volunteers are needed to fill 200 shoe boxes with presents for Operation Christmas Child. The boxes are shipped to orphans in third world countries. Donations are needed.
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Place: Sound Sewing & Vacuum, 3276 NW Plaza Road, No. 111, Silverdale.
For info: Call Charlene Adams, (360) 698-6069.
Author appearance
Armchair Books will host author Irene Kai who will discuss and sign copies of her book, "The Golden Mountain: Beyond the American Dream."
Time: 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Place: Armchair Books, South Kitsap Mall, 1700 Mile Hill, Suite 304, Port Orchard
Tag offered to kids
Sponge ball tag will be offered for seventh to ninth grade students. They will compete in teams of five players for 15 minute games. It will be accompanied by DJ music. Bring a swimsuit.
Time: 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Place: North Kitsap Community Pool, 1750 Hostmark St., Poulsbo.
Cost: $15 team entry.
Bremerton Business and Professionals Singles Club may attend two dances to the music of "Black River Falls."
Place: Port Orchard Eagles.
Pet bazaar planned
Kitsap Humane Society will hold its Santa's Barn Boutique bazaar. Warm up with a cup of hot cider and browse through the holiday treasures.
Time: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Place: KHS Barn, 9167 Dickey Road NW, Silverdale.
Proceeds: Kitsap Humane Society.
Market sets dates
Winter Market, the short season of the Bainbridge Island Farmer's Market will open.
Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.
Place: Eagle Harbor Congregational Church, 105 Winslow Way W, Bainbridge Island.
Posing Pets to begin
The annual holiday fund-raiser Posing Pets with Santa will begin Saturday and continue the following two weekends. Pet owners are invited by sponsor Kitsap Humane Society to bring their animals to be photographed with Santa Claus and family members.
Times/locations: Saturday's event will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Bethel Feed in South Kitsap, with livestock welcome. On Sunday, Paws & Fins on Bainbridge Island will host it, also from 10 to 4. Central Market in Poulsbo is the site Nov. 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by Dec. 4 and 5 at the Humane Society on Dickey Road in Silverdale, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: Photo packages begin at $20.
For info: (360) 692-6977, ext. 113.
THROUGH DEC. 31. Humane society trees set up for donations Kitsap Humane Society will have "Christmas for the Animals" trees set up for holiday donations. Time: During business hours. Place: Windermere Port Orchard, 1200 Bethel Ave., Port Orchard; Dee Fitzgerald's State Farm Insurance, 4273 SE Mile ... [Read More...]
THROUGH CHRISTMAS Petco animal fund-raiser Petco will be raising money to benefit local animal welfare. The "Tree of Hope" program allows for donations by shoppers and includes a cardstock ornament to sign and post in the store or take home. The Bremerton store's ... [Read More...]
ONGOING Collecting phones The YWCA needs used cell phones for a Cellular Phone Collection Project. The phones will be recycled through the Shelter Alliance for funding which supports YWCA programs including the ALIVE Shelter, ALIVE Legal Advocacy Program, ALIVE Bainbridge Island/North Kitsap ... [Read More...]
THROUGH DEC. 31. Humane society trees set up Kitsap Humane Society will have "Christmas for the Animals" trees set up for holiday donations. Time: During business hours. Place: Windermere Port Orchard, 1200 Bethel Ave., Port Orchard; Dee Fitzgerald's State Farm Insurance, 4273 SE Mile Hill Drive, ... [Read More...]
ONGOING Free screening offered The Bremerton School District Preschool Assessment Team will offer screening, for ages 3 to 5 years and for ages 5 to 21 years, in all areas of development (fine and gross motor, cognitive, self-help, communication and social) for residents of the Bremerton School ... [Read More...]
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Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8 Episode 9 Episode 10 Episode 11 Episode 12 Episode 13 Episode 14 Episode 15 Episode 16 Episode 17 Episode 18 Episode 19 Episode 20 Episode 21 Episode 22
Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8 Episode 9 Episode 10 Episode 11 Episode 12 Episode 13 Episode 14 Episode 15 Episode 16 Episode 17 Episode 18 Episode 19 Episode 20 Episode 21 Episode 22 Episode 23 Episode 24
Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8 Episode 9 Episode 10 Episode 11 Episode 12 Episode 13 Episode 14 Episode 15 Episode 16 Episode 17 Episode 18 Episode 19 Episode 20 Episode 21 Episode 22 Episode 23 Episode 24 Episode 25
Watch Scorpion Online
Based on a true story, Scorpion is a high-octane drama about eccentric genius Walter O’Brien and his team of brilliant misfits who comprise the last line of defense against complex, high-tech threats of the modern age. As Homeland Security’s new think tank, O’Brien’s “Scorpion” team includes Toby Curtis, an expert behaviorist who can read anyone; Happy Quinn, a mechanical prodigy; and Sylvester Dodd, a statistics guru.
Director: Nick Santora
Actors: Ari Stidham, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Elyes Gabel, Jadyn Wong, Katharine McPhee, Riley B. Smith, Robert Patrick
Studio: Blackjack Productions, CBS Television Studios, K/O Paper Products, Perfect Storm Entertainment, SB Films
TV Status: Canceled
Duration: 45,43,44 min
Networks: CBS
Detective Inspector Richard Poole is transferred to Sainte Marie, an island in the Caribbean. Totally unsuited to the Caribbean way of life, Richard hates the sun, sea and sand and…
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery
From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, a team of special agents investigates any crime that has a shred of evidence connected to Navy and Marine Corps personnel,…
Genre: Action & Adventure, Crime, Drama
Jenny Cooper investigates unexplained or sudden deaths in the city of Toronto. Fierce and quick-witted, Jenny is a newly-widowed single mother with secrets of her own to unearth.
In Edwardian England, George and his partner Amy attempt to defy society and start a life together as they face the escalating terror of an alien invasion, fighting for their…
Alaska: The Last Frontier
Centers on the Kilcher family and their community outside Homer, Alaska. Begun by patriarch Yule Kilcher who immigrated from Europe during WWII, and currently led by his sons, Otto and…
Set in a ruined medieval city called Dreamland, Disenchantment follows the grubby adventures of a hard-drinking princess, her feisty elf companion and her personal demon.
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Carnivàle is an American television series set in the United States during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. In tracing the lives of two disparate groups of people, its overarching…
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
A family finds their lives turned upside down when a young, street-smart grifter shows up on their doorstep, claiming to be a distant relative.
When she discovers her fiance is cheating on her hours before their wedding, Manhattan socialite Amanda runs off to join a Renaissance fair as the latest wench-in-training.
Set amidst a wave of violent animal attacks sweeping across the planet, a young renegade scientist is thrust into a race to unlock the mystery behind this pandemic before time…
Aspiring entrepreneurs pitch various business ideas to “The Sharks” — tough, self-made, multi-millionaire and billionaire tycoons — in hopes of landing an investment.
Burned out on life, Miles undergoes a strange procedure at a strip mall spa — and wakes to find he’s been replaced by a better version of himself.
Trailer: Scorpion
Episodes ----- Incorrect episode Broken link Others
Contents ----- Incorrect details Wrong images Others
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Home News & Updates Raspberry PI News Pupil Coding Numbers at Sony UK Technology Centre to Hit Record High
Pupil Coding Numbers at Sony UK Technology Centre to Hit Record High
The number of Welsh schoolchildren taking part in coding workshops at Sony UK Technology Centre has soared in the last year, according to the latest figures from the manufacturing giant.
In July, the Pencoed-based manufacturing facility, which produces thousands of high-specification broadcast cameras for worldwide distribution, celebrated welcoming 4,159 students through its doors. The team in Pencoed have now revealed that so far this year 1,268 pupils have taken part in their coding -specific workshops, with an estimated 1,688 to participate in total by the end of 2019.
Numbers have soared since the programme’s inception in 2017 where just 548 pupils took part.
Thanks to the success of its Digital Competency Programme, Sony UK TEC launched its specialist ‘Learn 2 Code’ Workshops in 2017.
This tailored one day workshop, led by a qualified coding instructor, encourages children to use their creativity across a variety of digital platforms in a bid to boost STEM learning.
The factory, which produces the industry-leading Raspberry Pi computer, has spoken out about the importance of coding to mark National Coding Week last month.
Director of professional services Gerald Kelly said incorporating coding into early education was absolutely vital for enhancing the future employment prospects of tomorrow’s workers, but also for the Welsh economy as a whole.
“With the increasing development of and dependence on technology in all industries, we need the innovators of the future to be equipped with the skills to match. Coding introduces the pupils to various programming languages including Scratch and Python, an invaluable language that is used universally in the technology industry.
READ GIVE YOUR RASPBERRY PI SD CARD A BREAK: LOG TO RAM
“In this digitally driven age it is fundamental that the next generation are able to recognise and utilise coding technology and use this not just for the betterment of their careers, but also to enhance the development of the Welsh economy.
“Part of our commitment to the local community is to inspire the next generation of engineers, entrepreneurs and creative talent and our coding workshops are one way of doing this.”
Steven Lewis, a fully qualified coding instructor who runs the coding workshops at Sony UK TEC said,
“I’ve found the workshops give the children an insight into their own creativity by using a variety of platforms to teach STEM skills outside of the classroom environment.
“It’s fantastic to see the excitement and thrill that the children experience when they go from their first beeps to a complete soundtrack using Sonic Pi in only a few minutes, or when they ask if they can add another component to their circuit ‘to see what happens.
I bumped into a parent whose child attended one of the first Raspberry Pi coding days and found out that her daughter is now studying Computer Science GCSE. This is the kind of impact we want to see.”
Sony UK TEC also partners with regional rugby side Ospreys to deliver a Schools Programme for children from the authorities of Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot and Bridgend.
Thomas Matthews, whose role in the Sony Wales Academy in Pencoed focuses on ensuring the educational programmes run smoothly, has also been learning coding in order to deliver new Ospreys Coding Workshops to schools across the region.
READ Raspberry Pi video doorbell retro style
“The Ospreys coding sessions are such a great way to deliver interactive learning to pupils across the region and I’m really pleased I can be a part of it. Learning to code has been a fantastic experience and enabled to me learn a new skill and it will be extremely beneficial for pupils opening up future career paths that they may not have known existed. I’m really looking forward to seeing the success of this new scheme.”
Source: Pupil Coding Numbers at Sony UK Technology Centre to Hit Record High
Tags: circuitcomputerprogrammes
ALLWINNER H6 “ORANGE PI 3” SBC WITH GBE AND MINI-PCIE
SOLIDRUN HUMMINGBOARD SBC GETS A BOOST OF CAN AND SERIAL PORTS
Home Automation system using Raspberry Pi
Open Source Home Automation Project using Arduino UNO + Ethernet Shield
Shenzhen Xunlong Software has launched an open-spec, Allwinner H6 based “Orange Pi 3” SBC. The $30 to $40 SBC offers GbE, HDMI 2.0, 4x USB...
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Samsung Launches Galaxy A30s and A50s With Improved Cameras
Posted 5 months ago by Mahnoor Nadeem
Better cameras but small downgrades elsewhere.
Samsung has finally taken the wraps off of its performance-driven A-series smartphones, the A50s, and A30s. Featuring a new contemporary look, these smartphones are optimized for generation Z who like to “capture and share their experiences instantaneously”.
Both feature a versatile camera, an Infinity-U display, and long-lasting batteries. As the name suggests, both devices are upgrades over the Galaxy A30 and A50.
Launched with a striking new design and a great camera, the Samsung Galaxy A50s has slightly lower specifications compared to its predecessor.
Design and Display
The new A50s comes with a redesigned rear panel which features a holographic design and a unique geometric pattern.
The smartphone is available in four colors namely: Prism Crush Black, Prism Crush White, Prism Crush Violet, and Prism Crush Green. The triple sensor rear camera is vertically aligned on the top left and the fingerprint sensor is mounted inside the display.
Display-wise, the smartphone borrows almost everything from its predecessor. It features a 6.4-inch FHD+ (1080 x 2340 pixels) resolution Infinity-U Super AMOLED display with 403 ppi pixel density and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Protection.
Internals and Storage
Under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy A50s uses an Octa-core Exynos 9610 (10 nm) chipset in combination with 4 GB or 6 GB RAM and 64 GB or 128 GB built-in storage. The storage is expandable by up to 512 GB via a dedicated SD card slot.
On the software front, the smartphone will run on Android 9.0 Pie topped with One UI.
Samsung has mainly focused on improving the cameras with these phones. The A50s comes with a powerful triple sensor rear camera featuring a 48 MP main sensor, followed by an 8 MP ultra-wide lens with 123-degree FOV and a 5 MP depth sensor same as the previously launched A50.
The selfie camera, on the other hand, has been upgraded from 25 MP to 32 MP.
Battery and Pricing
The A50s features a 4000 mAh battery backed up by 15W fast charging and a USB Type-C port.
As far as the availability and pricing are concerned, Samsung hasn’t said anything yet.
Following the same design pattern as A50s, this smartphone has been slightly downgraded compared to the A30 as far as specifications are concerned.
Just like A50s, the Samsung Galaxy A30s also comes with a futuristic holographic effect and a unique geometric pattern on the back.
It will also come in the same four colors namely: Prism Crush Black, Prism Crush White, Prism Crush Violet, and Prism Crush Green. Moreover, the camera alignment and fingerprint sensor positions are also similar to the Samsung A50s.
Display-wise, the smartphone is home to a 6.4-inch Infinity-V Super AMOLED display with HD+ (720p) resolution, 269 ppi pixel density and 19.5:9 aspect ratio.
Internal and Storage
Internally, the smartphone is powered by a 14nm Exynos 7904 octa-core chipset coupled with 3 GB or 4 GB RAM and 32 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB of built-in storage.
It runs on Samsung Experience 9.5 flavored Android 9.0 Pie.
The A30s, just like the A50s, features improvements on the camera side of things.
At the back, the smartphone comes with a triple sensor rear camera featuring a 25 MP main sensor, an 8 MP ultra-wide shooter and a 5 MP depth sensor. The camera also comes with a few smart camera tools including Intelligent Flaw Detector and Scene Optimizer.
On the front, it has a 16 MP camera for selfies.
Samsung Galaxy A30s packs a 4000 mAh battery with 15W fast charging. Just like A50s, its pricing and availability details are yet to be announced.
Samsung Galaxy A50s and A30s Specifications
Specifications Samsung Galaxy A50s Samsung Galaxy A30s
CPU Octa-core (4 x 2.3 GHz Cortex-A73 + 4 x 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53) Octa-core (2 x 1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Gold + 6 x 1.6 GHz Kryo 260 Silver)
GPU Mali-G72 MP3 Mali-G71 MP2
Chipset Exynos 9610 (10nm) Exynos 7904 Octa (14 nm)
OS Android 9.0 (Pie), One UI Android 9.0 (Pie); Samsung Experience 9.5
Networks 2G, 3G, 4G LTE; 2G, 3G, 4G LTE;
Display Super AMOLED, 6.4 inches, 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution Super AMOLED, 6.4 inches, 720 x 1560 pixels resolution
Memory (4GB, 6GB)/(64GB,128GB) (3GB, 4GB)/(32GB,64GB,128GB)
Camera Primary: 48 MP + 8 MP + 5 MP Primary: 24 MP + 8 MP + 5 MP
Selfie: 32 MP Selfie: 16 MP
Connectivity LTE, USB Type-C, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, LTE, USB Type-C, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0,
Fingerprint scanner In-display In-display
Price N/A N/A
Via Samsung
Mahnoor Nadeem
Abdul WAHAB says:
Improvement in All But Not Decrease the Price :
RIP Samsung
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Artur » List of publications » In planta localization of stilbenes and (+)-catechin within Norway spruce phloem: induced responses after inoculation with blue-stain fungus
In planta localization of stilbenes and (+)-catechin within Norway spruce phloem: induced responses after inoculation with blue-stain fungus
Pranovich, Andrey
List of Authors: Tuula Jyske, Katsushi Kuroda, Andrey Pranovich, Susanna Keriö, Dan Aoki, Kazuhiko Fukushima
Editors: Karl Stich
Place: Gumpoldskirchen
Book title: The XXVIIIth International Conference on Polyphenols, Vienna, July 11th - 15th, 2016
The bark of conifers has anatomically and chemically integrated defense strategies that are either constitutively produced or inducibly expressed, i.e., activated as a response to insect or pathogen attack. Many defense traits exist in both constitutive and inducible form. For example, axial phloem parenchyma cells are critical in conifer bark defense. These cells regularly form in Pinaceae phloem. Earlier research has shown that the axial phloem parenchyma is the main site of phenolic accumulation in spruce bark, including stilbene and (+)-catechin compounds. Earlier studies have also indicated that both stilbenes and catechins play a role in bark defense against pathogens. However, temporal and spatial changes in localization and accumulation patterns of stilbenes and catechins across the tissues and cells of phloem are poorly studied after wounding and fungal attack.
In this study, we artificially induced bark defenses in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) saplings by wounding and fungal inoculation with blue-stain fungus Endoconidiophora polonica. The changes in the distribution and accumulation patterns of stilbenes, (+)-catechins and resin acids were analysed across freeze-fixed Norway spruce phloem, representing the condition of living tissues (i.e. in planta) by using cryo-time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectrometry (cryo-TOF-SIMS). Quantitative patterns of compounds across phloem were analysed by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). TOF-SIMS analysis revealed that at the cellular level, stilbenes and (+)-catechins were localized in the axial phloem parenchyma, and their accumulation significantly increased towards the inoculation site. Also in the bulk tissue of phloem analysed by GC-MS, the (+)-catechin content significantly increased after one week of inoculation, and continued to linearly rise during the course of 23 days of experiment. The catechin content was higher closer to the inoculation site (up to 5 mm) as compared to the further site (from 5 to 10 mm from the inoculation site; p<0.1). Fungal treatment had also a significant effect on stilbene content, namely that of piceid and astringin. In all treatments, stilbene content first decreased but then increased after three weeks from the onset of the experiment. However, the relative change in stilbene content was marginal as compared to that of (+)-catechin content. TOF-SIMS analysis showed that abietic acid (representative of resin acids) was localized at the outer layers of cortex, and its spread across the tissues and cells was highly variably but not overlapping with the location of axial parenchyma.
The results shed new light on the temporal and spatial strategies of defense compound accumulation within spruce phloem as studied at the cellular and tissue level. The findings indicate that stilbenes offer a more constitutively based defense whereas (+)-catechin content merely increases after fungal challenge in the axial phloem parenchyma.
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Resnicow + Associates
News+Culture
R+A Culture
Frieze London Announces Galleries, Curators and a New Section for the 2017 Fair
Download PDF to read the full Press Release >
The 15th edition of Frieze London takes place from 5–8 October, with a Preview Day on Wednesday, 4 October. More than 160 leading galleries from across the world will showcase ambitious presentations by international emerging and established artists, enhanced by a curated non-profit programme of artist commissions, films and talks. New for 2017, curator Ruba Katrib (SculptureCenter, New York) will co-advise on the Focus section dedicated to emerging galleries; and Ralph Rugoff (Hayward Gallery, London) will curate Frieze Talks for the first time, exploring artists’ response to an age of ‘alternative facts’. The 2017 fair will feature a new themed gallery section devoted to the legacy of radical feminist artists, curated by Alison Gingeras (independent curator). Frieze London 2017 once more coincides with Frieze Masters and Frieze Sculpture in The Regent’s Park, together forming the heart of Frieze Week, the most significant week in London’s cultural calendar.
Frieze London is supported by global lead partner Deutsche Bank for the 14th consecutive year, continuing a shared commitment to discovery and artistic excellence.
Continuing Frieze’s enduring relationship with collecting institutions, Frieze London again partners with two acquisition funds for UK public collections, including the Frieze Tate Fund, supported by WME | IMG; and the second edition of the Contemporary Art Society’s Collections Fund at Frieze, this year supporting the Towner Art Gallery (Eastbourne). Allied Editions also returns to the fair, raising vital funds for seven non-profit galleries across London and guest regional partner, Focal Point Gallery (Southend-on-Sea).
Victoria Siddall, Director, Frieze Fairs said: ‘The list of exhibitors for Frieze London is stronger than ever - from the emerging to the world’s most established – signifying that Frieze Week in this city continues to be a vital hub for international galleries. Following the fantastic reception received byThe Nineties last year, I’m looking forward to another innovative, thoughtprovoking curated section, this time celebrating radical women artists as well as the ground-breaking role of their galleries. And for the first time, Frieze Sculpture will open in July, creating a free public exhibition of extraordinary outdoor works that will take us through to Frieze Week in October.’
World-leading GalleriesFrieze London welcomes the return of leading international galleries that will present ambitious solo and group shows across the fair’s main and Focus sections. Highlights in the main section include: Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, Marian Goodman, Hauser & Wirth, Anton Kern, Massimo de Carlo, Gagosian, kurimanzutto, Matthew Marks, kamel mennour, Esther Schipper, Sprüth Magers, Luisa Strina, The Box, David Zwirner, VI, VII, 47 Canal, Antenna Space, Jacquleine Martins, Carlos/Ishikawa, Instituto de Visión and Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler among many others.
Building on Frieze’s long-term commitment to supporting galleries throughout their development, this year four returning exhibitors who first exhibited at Frieze London in the Focus section will join the main section for the first time, including Clearing (New York), Fonti (Naples), Simon Preston (New York) and Société (Berlin).
Artists Featured in International Exhibitions Frieze London will be an opportunity to encounter work by some of the world’s most significant artists, showing in major biennials and museum shows. Highlights include:
Alicja Kwade’s solo with kamel mennour (Paris) coinciding with the Berlin-based artist’s standout installation in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale as well as the artist’s inclusion in Frieze Sculpture;
Mary Reid Kelley with Pilar Corrias (London) – just ahead of her first UK museum show at Tate Liverpool in November 2017;
A group show including The Unfinished Installation, a seminal work by Ilya and Emilia Kabakov on the opening of their major exhibition at Tate Modern (October 2017 to January 2018), with Sprovieri (London);
Frank Bowling and Virginia Jaramillo, two major artists also featuring in Tate Modern’s ‘Soul of A Nation’ exhibition; alongside Carolee Schneemann, recipient of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Biennale in 2017; all with Hales (London);
Thomas Ruff’s solo presentation with Galerie Rudiger Schöttle (Munich), coinciding with the artist’s exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery (September 2017–January 2018)
New section: Sex Work
New for 2017, Sex Work: Feminist Art & Radical Politics is curated by independent curator and scholar Alison Gingeras. Featuring women artists working at the extreme edges of feminist practice since the 1960s, and the galleries who supported them, highlights from the section include:
Galerie Andrea Caratsch with Betty Tompkins;
Blum and Poe with Penny Slinger;
Richard Saltoun with Renate Bertlmann;
Salon 94 with Marilyn Minter;
Hubert Winter with Birgit Jürgenssen
Alison Gingeras said: ‘This special section of Frieze pays homage to artists who transgressed sexual mores, gender norms and the tyranny of political correctness and were frequently the object of censorship in their day. Sex Work will also highlight the seminal role galleries have played in exhibiting the radical women artists who were not easily assimilated into mainstream narratives of feminist art.
These galleries often blazed a trail for museum exhibitions. Many figures in this section such as Renate Bertlmann, Birgit Jürgenssen, Marilyn Minter, Penny Slinger and Betty Tompkins, were too transgressive to be included in anthologizing museum shows which arguably forged a consensual canon for important feminist art. The belated reception of these pioneering women has had a profound impact on many artists working today and resonate more than ever with the new feminisms that are taking shape in response to contemporary political realities.’
Focus section:
Emerging Talents Bringing together 34 galleries from Cairo to Berlin, Focus features galleries aged 12 years or younger. Advised for the first time by Ruba Katrib (SculptureCenter, New York) in collaboration with returning curator Fabian Schoeneich (Portikus, Frankfurt), highlights include:
An installation-performance by Lloyd Corporation at Carlos/Ishikawa in which wholesale-style ‘lots’ of material are auctioned off to fair visitors;
A new installation including a video essay by Hannah Black at Arcadia Missa, coinciding with the artist’s solo show at London’s Chisenhale Gallery;
Various Small Fires recreating a site-specific variation of The Harrisons’ ‘Survival’ series, inspired by research into adapting to climate change - in this case, a proposal for the indoor cultivation of fruit trees
Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler (Berlin) with Anna Uddenberg whose uncanny figurative sculptures were a highlight of the Berlin Biennial 9 (2016)
Galleries join for the first time from Egypt (Gypsum, Cairo), Peru (Revolver Galería, Lima) and South Africa (blank projects, Cape Town), offering a truly global overview of emerging talents. Other galleries making their Frieze London debut in Focus include, among others, Cooper Cole (Toronto), Emalin (London), Institutio de Visión (Bogotá), Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler (Berlin) and Union Pacific (London).
Contemporary Art Society Collections Fund
The Contemporary Art Society Collections Fund at Frieze returns for a second year, following the successful launch at Frieze London 2016, which supported the acquisition of major works by John Akomfrah and Kader Attia for Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA). This year’s chosen beneficiary is the Towner Art Gallery museum (Eastbourne), which is looking to expand its significant collection, with work exploring the theme of landscape in a time of political change. The acquisition will be announced on Wednesday 4 October.
Frieze Tate Fund supported by WME | IMG
Established in 2003 as the first acquisition fund connected to an art fair, the 2017 Frieze Tate Fund will provide £150,000 for Tate to acquire works of art at Frieze London this October. Tate has acquired more than 100 works at Frieze London, with nine artworks by Hüseyin Bahri Alptekin, Leonor Antunes and Phillip Lai added to the collection in 2016. Supported by WME IMG, the artworks acquired by the fund will be announced during the fair.
Frieze Sculpture
Opening in the summer for the first time (5 July to 8 October), Frieze Sculpture – London’s largest showcase of major outdoor art, selected by Clare Lilley of Yorkshire Sculpture Park – will include significant sculptural works by Sir Anthony Caro (Annely Juda Fine Art), John Chamberlain, Urs Fischer (both Gagosian), Takuro Kuwata (Alison Jacques Gallery and Salon 94), Alicja Kwade (kamel mennour), Eduardo Paolozzi (Pangolin), Ugo Rondinone (Sadie Coles HQ) and Sarah Sze (Victoria Miro), among others.
Art Fund returns as programming partner and will produce the Frieze Sculpture Audio Tour App, as well as a programme of educational tours to further encourage public engagement with Frieze Sculpture. In addition, the free London Summer Art Map, featuring Frieze Sculpture, will be available at all Zone 1 London Tube stations from 3 July.
Allied Editions
Allied Editions also returns this year, with its guest regional partner, Focal Point Gallery (Southend-on-Sea). A unique collective organised by Camden Arts Centre, Chisenhale Gallery, Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), South London Gallery, Studio Voltaire, Serpentine Galleries and Whitechapel Gallery, Allied Editions has raised half a million pounds through selling artist editions at Frieze London since its inception.
Frieze Talks
Curated for the first time by Ralph Rugoff (Hayward Gallery, London) Frieze Talks will explore how - in an age of ‘alternative facts’ - art and artists’ capacity to beguile, disorientate and disrupt conventional notions of ‘the real’ takes on new meanings. Featuring today’s most influential artists, writers, curators and thinkers, the full programme will be announced in September.
Frieze Week in London
Coinciding with Frieze Masters, as well as Frieze Sculpture, the two fairs form the heart of Frieze Week – an international cultural event in early October, which includes special programmes mounted by galleries and museums across London. Highlights include:
Thomas Ruff at the Whitechapel Gallery
‘Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power’ at Tate Modern and SUPERFLEX for the Hyundai Commission at the Tate Turbine Hall
Rachel Whiteread at Tate Britain
John Akomfrah and Jean-Michel Basquiat for the Curve Commission at the Barbican
Returning for a third year, the Reading Room offers visitors the opportunity to meet writers, editors and artists in book signings and events, hosted daily by the world’s leading arts and lifestyle publications.
Frieze Projects
Supported by the LUMA Foundation and curated by Raphael Gygax (Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich), the non-profit programme of artist commissions will feature Marc Bauer, Donna Kukama, MOON Kyungwon & JEON Joonho, Lucy + Jorge Orta, SPIT! (Carlos Motta, John Arthur Peetz, Carlos Maria Romero), Georgina Starr and Frieze Artist Award-winner Kiluanji Kia Henda.
Guided Tours & Frieze Bespoke
Guided tours of the fair will include general and group tours as well as Frieze Bespoke – an exclusive opportunity for those interested in collecting art to explore the fair accompanied by an independent art specialist.
Frieze Week magazine
Frieze Week magazine returns offering a companion guide to the wealth of art and activity taking place at the fair and across the city during Frieze London and Masters.
2017 sees the return of favourites including Petersham Nurseries, Gail’s Artisan Bakery, Brunswick House, Yalumba, Pizza Pilgrims, Company Drinks with exciting new additions, Jason Atherton’s Social Wine and Tapas and Ahi Poké.
In addition to global lead partner Deutsche Bank, Frieze London partners with BMW, Art Fund, the Financial Times, Official Champagne Ruinart, Contemporary Art Society and new partner Lavazza. Frieze Projects and the Frieze Artist Award are supported by the LUMA Foundation for the third consecutive year. Hotel Café Royal is the main hotel partner for Frieze London 2017.
Universal Design Studio will again devise the Frieze London 2017 structure, enhancing the quality of visitors’ experience.
More Visual Arts News >
Courtesy Graham Carlow and Frieze.
Other news about Frieze Art Fair
Frieze New York 2020 Will Feature Major Galleries from the City Alongside Exhibitors from Around the World, Presenting Dynamic, Curated Exhibitions
https://resnicow.com/client-news/frieze-new-york-2020-will-feature-major-galleries-city-alongside-exhibitors-around-world
Introducing the 10 Shortlisted Ghetto Film School Fellows for the Inaugural Deutsche Bank Frieze Los Angeles Film Award 2020
https://resnicow.com/client-news/introducing-10-shortlisted-ghetto-film-school-fellows-inaugural-deutsche-bank-frieze-los
Frieze Los Angeles Presents 16 Artist Interventions for Frieze Projects 2020
https://resnicow.com/client-news/frieze-los-angeles-presents-16-artist-interventions-frieze-projects-2020-0
David Horvitz to Present a New Commission for Ruinart at Frieze Los Angeles 2020
https://resnicow.com/client-news/david-horvitz-present-new-commission-ruinart-frieze-los-angeles-2020
Los Angeles Arts Organizations Align Programming for Frieze Week Los Angeles 2020
https://resnicow.com/client-news/los-angeles-arts-organizations-align-programming-frieze-week-los-angeles-2020
Resnicow and Associates
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You are here: Home » MS Surface goes live in AT&T Wireless Stores (a first hand account)
MS Surface goes live in AT&T Wireless Stores (a first hand account)
By Retailgeek
The PR folks at Microsoft have to be feeling pretty good. On March 26th Fortune Magazine and others reported that Microsoft’s often hyped multi-touch user interface product, Surface, would not be ready for consumers until 2011. Less than a week later, AT&T Wireless stores and Microsoft announced that Surface would be going live in select AT&T Wireless stores on April 17th (via Engadget, CNET, and BoyGenius).
The confusion comes from the fact that the 2011 date is an estimate for when a touch screen table top computer might be available as a consumer purchase, versus the (apparently) immediate availability for select business partners.
AT&T has a concept store design which blends it’s traditional wireless offerings with AT&T Broadband services in what AT&T calls its "Experience" stores. On Thursday April 17th, the first five experience stores were retrofitted with the MS Surface to help consumers make wireless phone purchases. I visited the San Bruno, CA store on the go-live day.
The basic layout of the Experience Stores is pretty straight forward. The two long perimeter walls are the primary wireless phone merchandising area. All phones are real samples (not dummy phones) tethered to the wall with a coiled cord. The phones are charged overnight, so most of the phones are functional during the day. The wall features a long backlit lightbox feature as an AT&T branding element, and the long walls are broken up by portrait mounted digital signage, and touch screen kiosks approximately every 12 feet.
A false back-wall features 3 flat panel TV’s and a seating area used to demonstrate broadband products (and doubles as a waiting area / spouse parking area). Behind the false wall is the customer service area, which does a nice job of segregating disgruntled customers with billing disputes from potential new customers. The corners of the store have 42" monitors mounted which serve as a wait-time-management feature (showing customers their spot in line) so they can safely browse while waiting for an associate.
The open floor space in the store features "project" tables which demonstrate specific wireless phone applications, such as digital music, video conferencing, games, and wireless data for laptops.
Of course, AT&T is also the exclusive US providers of the Apple IPhone, so the stores features a 6 foot wall display for that product, as well as a 4 foot freestanding display. Both displays are clearly designed by Apple, and are very much in brand for Apple, but a bit incongruent with the rest of the store.
A concierge desk is placed by the front door with a greeter who helps customers get oriented to the store, and/or puts customers in the virtual queue for a sales associate.
The stores are designed by Callison, and won a VM+SD Award for best new retail channel.
The five existing experience stores that were retrofitted with the MS Surface display include:
381 Madison Ave.
3429 Lenox Road NE
13127 San Pedro Ave.
I visited the San Bruno location on the afternoon of April 17th. This store had six MS Surface units which replaced several of the "Project Tables" as well as a couple of round glass display cases.
The exterior of the store had been dressed for the launch. Vinyl graphics were applied to exterior pillars, a sign hung over the door, and window signs were installed. The store had clearly been hosting press all morning. Video lights were still set up around one of the Surface Tables to facilitate filming. There was quite a bit of extra staff in the store, with one dedicated employee doing demos on each of the six surface tables.
AT&T and Microsoft clearly intended to make a media event out of the launch. It is interesting that AT&T would do such a big event around adding a new infrastructure element to the store, rather than about a product for sale in the store. Granted, it’s much easier to make a splash in five concept stores than in 1000+ mainline stores, but on a per-store basis it feels like AT&T is making more of an effort to promote the arrival of Surface, than they did the arrival of the IPhone. Maybe AT&T just conceded that Apple Stores rather than AT&T stores would receive all of the media attention from the product launch? It’s pretty clear that both Microsoft and AT&T are getting a nice news cycle out of this surprise launch. The big question is if Surface will be compelling enough to convert mobile phone browsers into buyers and get deployed to many stores, or if Surface will remain a gee-wiz element in flagship stores only.
Each surface table has 8 mobile phones (4 on each side), and one accessory (such as a blue-tooth headset). The sales associates say that the selected handsets are the most popular models, but the handsets due seem to vary from table to table. The accessories are not related to the software on the surface at all, and are non-functional. They are simply attached to the Surface fixture via a thin steel cable on a retractor.
Each handset is attached to a plastic puck with a strip of very high bond adhesive, and a set of zip ties. The puck rests in a magnetic cradle on the side of the Surface fixture. The puck is attached to the fixture via a coiled cord which provides an electronic alarm if removed. The pucks on the Surface tables are different than those used in the rest of the store. However, the electronic alarm is the same system used throughout the store (Invue, formerly Alpha). The bottom of the puck has a sticker attached to it with a unique pictograph (a series of dots) printed with IR reflective ink. So when the handset is rested on the surface of the table, the sticker is facing straight down, and makes it easy for the MS Surface to recognize what product is resting on it. While Microsoft has talked about Surface using cameras to recognize common objects placed on the table, that isn’t what’s happening in this implementation. Here, an IR sensitive CCD is being used to detect the customers touch and a handful of stickers on the back of the handset pucks. The Surface doesn’t have the ability to recognize a customers phone if it is placed on the table, for example. Also if the stickers are applied to the wrong handset, the Surface will have no way to know.
All four corners of the screen have a simple user interface control. The entire display can rotate 180 degrees, so that it’s always facing right side up, no mater which side of the table the user is standing on. There is no facility for more than one shopper at a time to use the Surface. The UI lets shoppers see rate plans, accessories, and a coverage map. When a handset is placed on the Surface, the UI makes it easy to see the features, accessories, or rate-plans specific to that handset. When two handsets are placed on the Surface, a cool side-by-side comparison is made of the two handsets. The comparison shows features common to both handsets in bold, and grays out features that one handset has and the other does not. The most visually interesting features is the scrollable and zoomable coverage map that can show potential coverage for voice calls and separately for 3G data service.
Of course, because Apple is exclusively responsible for all the displays in the AT&T store that feature IPhones, the IPhone is not included on any of the Surface tables, which is a shame.
Like any brand new product, not everything is perfect on day one. Several of the sales associates said they met Microsoft programmers who where up late into the night, working on a final build of the software to install for the launch. Several glitches are still evident. While you can scale most of the UI elements, they act like pictures rather than live text, so when you scale them, the fonts get jaggy and illegible. When you put two phones on the surface, the software often gets confused about whither it should show the side by side comparison or the product info for a single phone. Often you have to reposition the phones to make it work. There are no personalization features, so you can’t see anything about your account history or add personalization features to your existing phone or account. Despite the face that these kind of one-to-one experiences where heavily emphasized in earlier Surface demos. There are some elements of the UI that seem to be buttons but do not work. Finally, and perhaps most significantly, not all the coiled cords tethering the handsets are the same length. Some seem too short to easily let you put the phone on the Surface, and many of the cables get tangled with each other after just a bit of use.
These flaws aside, the customers in the store getting demos seemed generally wowed by the MS Surface. I didn’t observe any shoppers go from the Surface directly to the cash register, but today was a lot more about introducing a new gadget than it was about signing up new AT&T customers. Time will tell if sales people will continue to drive customers to the tables, if the tables will be intuitive for self-service when they aren’t permanently staffed by a demonstrator, and if the information presented ultimately drives incremental sales.
My own research does consistently show that side by side comparison is a highly desirable feature amongst consumers shopping for a handset. So if the kinks get worked out of surface, this is a feature that could add real value. I’m not sure the other content is rich enough yet, that it will cause shoppers to purchase more network services than they were otherwise intending. Hopefully, the content will continue to mature and improve.
An interesting sub-plot is why/how AT&T became the first partner to get the MS Surface. Back in May of 2007, Microsoft announced Surface and said that the first three partners would be: Harrah’s Entertainment, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, and T-Mobile USA. Not only was there no mention of AT&T, but T-Mobile is a direct competitor of AT&T’s. Then in November of 2007, Microsoft announced that the first deployments would be delayed until Spring 2008. Now of course, it is Spring 2008 and Microsoft has delivered on it’s promise to go live, but not with any of it’s original partners. It I were T-Mobile and I had made any kind of investment in development of this new technology, I’d certainly be upset. Particularly since the T-Mobile brand had been used in countless demos of a mobile phone application, and now AT&T is seemingly getting the same user interface that used to be branded T-Mobile. That raises another interesting question, who owns that look and feel? Microsoft or AT&T? If AT&T doesn’t own it, will they be upset if down the road Verizon or T-Mobile have an identical experience?
Here’s my flickr set from the store.
Here’s a short YouTube video of the experience (do a search on YouTube to find countless other demos).
Tags: AT&T, Microsoft, Retail, Tour Categories: Customer Experience
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As a player, how do I deal with a spotlight hog?
Asked 1 year, 1 month ago
I’m usually the GM but I’m not this time, and my usual methods of managing spotlight, and hogs thereof, aren’t available to me. I’m at a bit of a loss.
We have a player who is very enthusiastic and impulsive. Not impulsive about what he does: they think and plan fine and it’s not like he’s doing whacky things on impulse. It’s not that kind of problem. But he regularly interrupts quieter players and even the GM, in order to launch into the cool thing he wants to do.
It’s hard to get a word in edgewise, and even if I or another player start doing something first, if it leaves any room for others to get words in edgewise, he often does and then doesn’t leave room himself.
This is exacerbated by the fact that he is an enthusiastic player, and when he gets an opening, he often has a lot to say and layers a lot of character expression into it. He also doesn’t leave room for others to jump in, sometimes even declaring things his character does as if time has passed, when the rest of us aren’t done yet with the current moment in-game.
(That last happened last D&D 5e session: after getting back to the inn after we’d returned from the adventure, I told the GM I looked to see if the innkeep was there, and I barely got to the period in my spoken sentence before he launched into negotiations with an NPC in the inn about a piece of armour, then he asked the GM about who gives bounties for wolf tails, then he launched into what he’s doing the next morning (at which point the GM cut him off diplomatically, saying we’ll leave that to next session). Meanwhile, I literally haven’t a chance to deliver my one small moment of characterisation role play in a quiet interaction with the innkeep, who I am wanted to thank for the loan of some equipment while returning it. This was a small but significant bit of “this is who my PC is and how she treats people” that I wanted to slip in organically into the flow of the game. There was no pause or energy-lull in his roleplaying and GM questions enough to cut in edgewise, without me talking over him or me interrupting the GM to cut [back] in with my stuff. I didn’t want to loudly grab the spotlight for a disproportionately quiet and short moment of characterisation, and I was at a loss for how to deftly and proportionately get that in. Making a big deal about it, or jamming it in so that it technically “happens” but doesn’t have anyone’s real attention as audience, would have made it pointless.)
I don’t want to fight fire with fire. If I start doing unto him as he does unto us, then we’ll just have two people in the party of five who talk over others and interrupt the GM’s replies to others to do our stuff instead.
The GM seems to be struggling with managing the rapid-fire output of this player. That’s not my responsibility though, and I want to figure out what I can do as a player to make the game work better for me in the moment. If the GM improves on the situation, then that’s good, but players have means to influence and manage these situations too and I want to focus on what improvements I can contribute. (If the answer is “nothing, you can do nothing”, that’s cool, but then there’s no need to repeat GM-facing advice we have in other questions.) Assume the GM is already working on her end of the problem, but don’t tell me to just wait for the GM to solve it. I want tools too. (And to be fair, I too struggle with managing this player’s spotlight hogging when I GM.)
He has been talked to multiple times, but it’s not an impulse he has an easy time controlling or even noticing when he’s focused on immersed roleplaying of his PC. Assume these out-of game interventions are ongoing, but aren’t (yet) a working solution.
I want some way to
Not get steamrolled by Mr. Enthusiastic when I’m leaving openings for other players, or how to un-steamroller myself when it starts. We have three other players who range from engaged but polite to super-quiet. I want to interact with them in-game too, and can’t if I adopt his tactics.
Get the GM’s attention back without being rude to Mr. E, or to the GM when he’s been pulled into Mr. E’s vortex of activity.
… all that while:
Still be able to do normal turn-taking behaviour, like leaving openings in what I’m doing for others to jump in, react, interrupt my PC (in-game); asking questions of the GM that might need follow-up questions from me or others, to see the situation unfold organically; be able to announce an action without announcing or immediately playing out an uninterrupted sequence. I want to be able to experience the back-and-forth of roleplaying out situations, and include my fellow players.
Not assuming any leadership authority in the group. Like I mentioned, I’m usually the GM. I really don’t want to have the mantle of authority come back to me even in part during my time off from GMing. And I really don’t want to undercut the GM’s authority or backseat drive. I want strictly player-focused tools. I’m on vacation! ;)
Not rudely interrupt Mr. Enthusiastic or forcibly derail his speeding trains.
Not having to use a shared table. We play spread out in a lounge, not around a table, and changing that isn’t feasible. This makes passing or reaching for small shared tokens, whispered interactions, and such not work without people constantly getting up and crossing the seating area, since we’re not within reach of each other.
(I’d personally prefer playing at a table, but this is how it is.)
I know that’s a narrow needle to thread. That’s why I come to y’all for advice. There are a lot of things I don’t want to do here, and they’re important enough that solutions that don’t account for that are worse than the status quo. I will contentedly put up with this in order to have my vacation from GMing. This isn’t bad gaming, just a fly in otherwise good ointment. I want to improve the situation.
And I’m just too inexperienced as a player to have figured out how to manage this particular kind of non-malicious spotlight hogging on my own by now.
Note on the group: We’re all adult peers and friends. We are playing in person.
problem-players spotlight player-techniques
SevenSidedDieSevenSidedDie
My response to this, in discussions in DND and beyond (even into work and non-gaming social situations), is simple. If Bob has interrupted Alice:
Bob, Alice was speaking.
Or, if Bob has interrupted me:
Bob, I was speaking.
Raise your voice (admittedly, it's easy for me, because I'm a very loud person), and put on your best firm teacher and/or mom voice. When a GM doesn't manage a session enough to stop this, sometimes you have to pipe up and put your foot down. The tone is key, here. You don't want to sound either angry or whiny, because if the attention hog is actually malicious, they will likely turn that on you. A firm voice and a neutral, but accurate, statement normally does the trick for me.
If you are worried about being overly harsh or too authoritative, qualifiers work wonderfully:
Hey, Bob, I think Alice was speaking?
while still getting the point across.
Blue CabooseBlue Caboose
\$\begingroup\$ Someone may also want to inform Bob that Eve has stolen his password. \$\endgroup\$ – user24827 Nov 28 '18 at 14:28
\$\begingroup\$ @Rogem I’m missing the joke. 😅 \$\endgroup\$ – SevenSidedDie Nov 29 '18 at 16:57
\$\begingroup\$ @Rogem Alice started it. \$\endgroup\$ – wizzwizz4 Nov 29 '18 at 16:59
\$\begingroup\$ @SevenSidedDie In InfoSec, Alice and Bob are the default names used for two communicating parties; Eve on the other hand is the default one for the malicious third party. \$\endgroup\$ – user24827 Nov 29 '18 at 17:29
\$\begingroup\$ @Rogem Thanks for the lesson! Truthfully, I picked it up because I see people across Stackexchange using them as default names, and assumed it was just a default. Which it sort of is! \$\endgroup\$ – Blue Caboose Nov 29 '18 at 17:30
I want to push on @L.S. Cooper's answer because this is also how I deal with this type of players. But I want to add some things.
Mr. E hogs the GM and seems to interrupt people. These behaviors are a) making the game less fun b) pretty impolite.
I had a co-player that kept on interrupting to go on his own things at the expense of other players, and telling him to stop interrupting people every time he did it made him stop doing it. It passed pretty well because most of the time he didn't even realize he was interrupting people and he really wanted the game to be fun for everyone. This is probably the case with Mr. E too (I'm assuming good faith on his part as that's the feel I had from your post).
When it comes to "jumping through time" to do his things, you can also kindly remind him (and the GM by the same occasion) that players (not necessarily you) might not be finished with their interactions. Once again, I'm assuming good faith that Mr. E isn't doing this on purpose.
Hey Mr. E, before you go on to next morning, maybe some players still had things to do.
The key is to act every time it happens, kind of like how you train a dog (or a kid lol) to do something. And if you start doing it, it's very possible other players will start doing it too.
I know you don't want the "Leadership authority", but it has to fall on someone in these cases.
Another solution we've tried was to have a "token" to grab when you wanted to speak with the GM and the GM had to give you attention while you had the "token". It worked for a short while, but required discipline which we didn't have!
Last option: Cast Silence on him. :)
IEatBagelsIEatBagels
\$\begingroup\$ I like the speaking token idea; it should probably be left in the middle of the table by default, and anyone including the GM (for narrative purposes, for example) can take it, and then when the person is done, put the token back in the middle. Alternatively, when players are done speaking they give the token to the GM, giving the GM time and attention to respond to a player, then when the GM is done (or if nothing is needed on the GM's part), the GM puts the token back in the middle. \$\endgroup\$ – Doktor J Nov 28 '18 at 19:31
\$\begingroup\$ Since the OP wants to avoid confrontation, having a "speaking token" might not work - players might fight over the token. However you can tokenize time by having every player get say, three cards denoting three time periods (perhaps one hour each). Then to do an activity or play a scene *you spend your card". No one has to interrupt The Hog - he just runs out of time and has to wait for everyone to refresh their cards after they are all spent. \$\endgroup\$ – Kieran Mullen Nov 29 '18 at 6:09
\$\begingroup\$ I didn’t mention it because you’d said it didn’t work due to insufficient discipline (and it wouldn’t work for Mr. E for same), and I think it’s worth leaving in the answer, but the comments approving of the token idea made me realise I hadn’t mentioned in the Q that we don’t play around a table anyway. Leave that part in, please—knowing what doesn’t work is as valuable as what does!—but I wanted to say I’ve updated the question with our physical play situation. \$\endgroup\$ – SevenSidedDie Nov 29 '18 at 16:52
Ritualize going "Around the Horn"
One important tool I've picked up in small group discussions is to go around to each person and directly ask (by name) for their input. If you make this a regular way of getting player input, then everyone has a chance to give their input.
In the example you mention, right after The Hog launched into their negotiation for that piece of armor the GM (or you) can point to the person on their right and say "What are you doing while Hog is spending time in negotiation? What are your plans?" and get a brief answer before moving to the person on their right and asking the same. After getting everyone's plans the GM can choose which action to deal with first, and then move on the next.
If you set up the expectation that everyone "gets an input/interaction" before someone gets two, it can help rein in the more talkative players. And if it's an expectation, then players will start to point out that "hey, Robin hasn't had a chance." Finally, because if it becomes the standard operating procedure, no one is "beating down" on The Hog. It's more of a "Great idea! Hold your next thought until we can get back to you!"
Kieran MullenKieran Mullen
\$\begingroup\$ This works very well with our group, it's essentially informal "rounds" for non-combat times... any time there is downtime we do a round of "what are you doing before [heading to bed]?"... what you're gonna do in the morning doesn't meet that prompt. \$\endgroup\$ – TemporalWolf Nov 27 '18 at 22:08
\$\begingroup\$ I do like this but it’s really more advice for whoever is GMing. I don’t immediately see from this answer how a player like me can interrupt and impose turns on the group without usurping part of the GM’s role. Am I missing part of this technique? \$\endgroup\$ – SevenSidedDie Nov 28 '18 at 0:16
\$\begingroup\$ You're right that the GM has to set the expectations. However, as a player when The Hog launches into their second action you, as a player, can say "But I haven't heard yet what Robin is doing while you did X and I did Y" and so on with all the other players. \$\endgroup\$ – Kieran Mullen Nov 28 '18 at 17:58
\$\begingroup\$ Additionally you can do this for yourself and set the example for others by stating "While Mr. E is negotiating, I'm going to walk over to the barkeep. I have a conversation I'd like to have with him/her". If Mr. E had already moved it along with the timewarp you mention out of game that you had some business to complete first to pull the spotlight back gently. \$\endgroup\$ – VerasVitas Nov 28 '18 at 18:13
\$\begingroup\$ Did this worked when you dealt with your spotlight hog? I’m imagining trying to do this with the scenario I describe andi can’t imagine it working well enough (or at all) with this player, to make up for the goals I state in the question that I’d have to sacrifice. How well did this work with your spotlight hog, and how did you make sure it didn’t shift some group authority to you after? \$\endgroup\$ – SevenSidedDie Nov 28 '18 at 21:50
This sounds to me like it warrants two meta-talks, one with the GM and one with Mr. E. I know that you don't want to tell the GM how to do their job, but you should make sure that they know that:
You are feeling frustrated, that it is taking away from your enjoyment of the game.
You want to help, are open to suggestions, and happy to provide advice if they want it.
Point 1 is very important. It sounds like you are assuming that they already know it's a problem and that hopefully are already working on it. However, it is always possible that they don't know, or don't realize that it's impacting you specifically. I've had GMs who were so preoccupied with other stuff that they didn't notice when players were having a bad time, and I've been the player who doesn't want to say anything because I'm afraid of hurting the GM's feelings or making them feel like it's an attack on their skills.
It doesn't have to come off as combative or a complaint. The goal is to update your GM on your status so that they can better meet their goals (presumably helping everyone have fun). So a "Hey, I wanted to talk to you about Mr. E. I've been having a rough time feeling enthusiastic because I am frequently cut off or talked over. I've been thinking about things that I could do as a player, and I'm thinking about A, B, and C. What do you think? Is there anything else that you can think of that I can do to help?" might be the right tone. It keeps the focus on solutions and brainstorming together while rooting you in your role as a player.
It's possible that your GM will open up and say "You know, I really feel lost. I have no idea what to do and I think it's my responsibility" at which point you can point them at resources and then restate your initial question of what you can do.
I think you should also have a private conversation with Mr. E about how his behavior is affecting you. Specific examples are key here and do best if brought up immediately after a session ends or even during a break. Saying "I feel frustrated because you often cut me off when I try to roleplay" is less helpful than "Today I was in the middle of setting up a roleplay moment with the innkeeper and you interrupted me. It was pretty frustrating, and I wanted to let you know because I know that you didn't mean to do it."
You can also talk with Mr. E about things that you can do to help him directly. Ask him explicitly if there is anything that you can do to help it not happen in the future, and promise to let him know if it does (and then follow through on that).
It's likely that he will say something like "I'm sorry, I get so excited, but please let me know if I interrupt you so that I can back off!" which would make it much less awkward/rude to correct him during game, since he told you that he wants you to do so.
When you're talking to Mr. E, it's important to make sure he knows that you are assuming good intent. However, you don't want to sugarcoat your words to the point of becoming unclear. His behavior is having a negative effect on you, and letting him know that will allow everyone to have a better time. Providing "oreo" criticism (a critique sandwiched between two pieces of praise) is proven to be ineffective, for example. The best way to prove to him that you aren't angry at him is to have a blunt but kind conversation and then to carry on as your normal friendly self.
A Measure of DiplomacyA Measure of Diplomacy
\$\begingroup\$ Oreo example. Nice, might even want to pull that out and highlight it as a technique? \$\endgroup\$ – KorvinStarmast Nov 28 '18 at 1:40
If you have trouble interrupting Mr. E, maybe you could just wind back time when he finally shuts up?
GM: "You enter the tavern."
You: "I..."
Mr. E: "I go chat with X and bargain for Y. Then I do this and then that. The next day I talk with Z again and do these other things and then we leave for the next adventure."
You: "Okay, so back to where we were... I go up to the bartender and return the item I borrowed."
This may seem a bit passive aggressive, but it should be a clear indicator that it's not okay to progress time on your own without letting the other players act. You want Mr. E to know that what he's doing is not okay and if you're too timid to confront him directly then this is basically your only option.
If you want to do something that conflicts with something that Mr. E "has already done" then you retcon the events and the two of you are going to have to roleplay your conflicting actions/interests until everyone has had a chance to do what they wanted. You do this every time Mr. E runs ahead in the story until the message gets through his head.
I'll say this again. This is only an option if you're too timid to confront Mr. E directly. Confronting him directly is the best option! If you do what I suggested then you risk creating an unpleasant atmosphere around the table. Frankly, I'm expecting a lot of downvotes for this answer. This is just a backup plan and should not be your first choice!
Kapten-NKapten-N
\$\begingroup\$ I'll add to this (because it addresses the point of how to possibly handle it, if some of the other turn-taking solutions hasn't worked): If you are trying to keep things low-key (per the OP's original example), then you can say something like "My character finds the bartender and thanks him/her for the item." It would be less of an interruption (and keep it more low-key) than trying to have an interaction with an NPC. \$\endgroup\$ – wakkowarner321 Nov 29 '18 at 17:30
The fun way to deal with this is to just wait until you get an opening to act again (even if the player is already on the next day) and then try something like:
So... have I spotted the barkeeper yet?
Hogging the spotlight is one thing, advancing time (to the next morning!) quite another. This should be a natural point for the GM to step in, but if he doesn't, it truly is time for you to react.
Also it sounds like the GM completely ignored what you were saying. Therefore you need to do something that makes not just the player but also the GM aware of how annoying that was.
Obviously this only works if the GM actually ignored an action you tried to perform. For my taste it would be way too passive. I would cut in as soon as the player starts talking about what he's trying to do the next morning and say something like:
Wait, so you're just gonna go to bed right now and wait for the next morning? Well... good night I guess. [Then to the GM:] So: Do I see the barkeeper?
If you can pull the whole thing off without giving the player a chance to react it will (rightfully) startle him and he might think about what he was just trying to do. Another nice advantage of this is that the other players (it's not just you two after all) will get a chance to act as well now that the spotlight-grabber basically just went to sleep. Of course, technically, he might just realize he was being stupid and act out the rest of the night with the rest of you, but who knows.
The important thing here is not to let him drag you along. As long as your character doesn't act, your character doesn't act. Stay true to what you were trying to do. It gets more difficult in some situations. For example:
Let's say you were trying to buy a piece of armor. The other player then cut in, walked around town and stole a piece of armor from some sleeping guard which he then proudly presents to you so you don't have to buy it. Now don't react to him. Remember, the last time you were acting, he wasn't even out the door yet. Instead, talk to the GM and ask:
"How long did his walking around and getting the armor off take?"
Let's say the answer is: About ten minutes.
"Alright, so in that case I suppose I would have bought the armor already and am now standing with the armor in my arms in front of him, wondering why he couldn't have stopped me earlier."
Make him aware that the other players don't just stop doing stuff just because he's dragging out actions and spending time on them. Get him to understand that it's unrealistic to assume you stood there for 10 minutes talking about the weather while he was out doing stuff.
And one more thing to add: Involve the other players: Once you got your action done, turn to someone else and just ask: `
By the way, what have you been doing this entire time?
As a last note:
Cutting in when other players are doing actions is not always impolite. In fact, if their actions affect you in any way, you should definitely say so immediately. Like let's take your first example again. If you had found an amulet that belonged to the person selling your coplayer the piece of armor and suddenly realize that fact because of something the seller says, all of you will be better off if you cut in with:
'Woah, at this point my character would probably notice that he has the amulet of that guy which would drop your price immensely, but did he even hear that? I mean... I was looking for the barkeeper and I would have gone up and talked to him if I had seen him so it's very possible I didn't even catch this conversation.'
This is important because your alternatives would be to either play along, just going over there and giving the amulet to him (which is cutting in again but sadly completely removes any reasonable chance of you actually getting to follow up on what you were actually trying to do), stay silent and just not mention it (which is kind of mean) or mention it afterwards in which case you all would have to do a lot of retconning or just accept that you missed an opportunity.
Actually, the last bit might serve as a lesson to your friend, BUT is not very nice, which you definitely stated you wanted to be.
So in this case cutting in and asking how your action was resolved would actually not be impolite, but kind of the only thing to do that treats both parties fairly and nicely, because how his action develops DEPENDS on how yours did.
To be clear: What I meant with the last part was that if you do decide to use this method and let him do his stuff and then go back to deal with whatever you did during that time you should only ever do that if it is at least extremely unlikely that his current actions would be affected by yours, because in those cases, you don't get around cutting in.
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged problem-players spotlight player-techniques or ask your own question.
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Have just been searched and interviewed at length by the police (under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act). The office… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Jason Michael (@Jeggit) February 28, 2019
It is important to say, at this point, that the three officers who spoke with me over the course of the two hour “examination” were entirely friendly and courteous. They were keen to impress upon me that I “was not in trouble” and that I was “not,” as far as they were aware, “suspected of a crime or involvement in terrorism.” The Terrorism Act does not require reasonable suspicion, someone can be stopped and interviewed simply because they are interesting. There was no hint of threat or intimidation from the police, and, in fact, the whole interview was good humoured – we had a bit of craic. One of the officers was a former member of the RUC and later the PSNI before coming to work for Police Scotland, and he and I chatted in great depth and at length. He made sure I had all the coffee I wanted and even took me out for a smoke.
As part of the process, my two mobile phones were taken away for inspection and later returned, my luggage was taken into another room and searched, and I was patted-down because “some people can get quite aggressive.” What interested them most was my notebook and the book I was reading. The notebook, my rambling thoughts on the Scottish independence campaign, contained phrases like “educate,” “agitate,” and “organise.” “Revolution” and “take the state” also piqued their interest. Quite unfortunately, I’m reading The Secret Army by J Bowyer Bell – a history of the IRA. Yes, they were rather interested in this – and understandably. What they really wanted to know was my thoughts on Scottish politics, Irish history, and Brexit. I was repeatedly asked about Brexit.
The information provided to me by the police explaining why I had been stopped and questioned under the Terrorism A… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
When the interview was over, of course, the ferry had sailed without me. The officers were most accommodating and made sure I was checked-in for the next sailing at 11.30pm, a bit of a bummer considering there would be no connection at the Belfast terminal into the city and that the next coach to Dublin would be three in the morning. But this wasn’t, as some suggested on social media, “harassment.” Terrorism is real, and the police do have a job to do. We can all understand this, and I assured the police who interviewed me that I did understand. Recently there was a car-bombing by dissident Republicans in Derry, and I am a card-carrying Republican – a member of Sinn Féin; a party with historical links to the Provisional IRA during the Troubles. By pulling me up, the police were doing their job and we do need policing like this.
But, still, the structures around this do cause me some concern. This was not a decision of individual police officers – perfectly decent as they were, this was the result of counter-terrorism intelligence, and that this has identified me as a person of interest is worrying.
Sinn Féin is a legal and democratic political party in both Ireland and the six counties. It has seats in Dáil Éireann, Stormont, and Westminster. The Good Friday Agreement effectively ended the war between physical force Republicanism and the British state in Ireland. In both Britain and Ireland my civil and political rights – my human rights, even – guarantee my freedom to be a member of a legal, peaceful, and democratic political party. Sinn Féin was first to condemn the car-bombing in Derry, saying that there is no place in politics for violence. That my membership of Sinn Féin makes me a person of interest to British Intelligence hints at an attitude, in the British state, towards Sinn Féin and Irish Republicanism that is all about control.
The school of thought reflected in the belief that * if you have done nothing wrong you have nothing to worry about… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Derek Cameron (@DerekCameron5) March 01, 2019
More concerning – because I think we can all get the Sinn Féin thing – is that my involvement, as a Scot, in the Scottish independence movement also made me a person of interest. Over the past month, in the course of my speaking tour of the movement in Scotland, there has been a discernible coordination between the unionist newspapers, the Scottish Conservative Party, and the security apparatus. At the very beginning of the tour, the Daily Mail, the Scotsman, and the Herald newspapers – clearly acting in concert – attempted to smear me, after I had reported on the dangers of the Good Friday Agreement collapsing as a result of Brexit, as an IRA sympathiser. This was immediately weaponised by a number of Tory MPs and MSPs in order to put pressure on the Scottish National Party – of which I am not a member – and to force Yes Invergordon and Yes Eastwood to cancel my visit to them. All of this has been going on amid increasing interest in me from the police. Any reasonable person would suspect coordination.
So, what is this all about? Why am I, a peaceful and democratic political campaigner, being subjected to this – why is everyone involved in Republican politics in Ireland and Independence politics in Scotland being subjected to this? British Intelligence is reading our Twitter and Facebook updates – even the “private” ones, and it has deemed us, quite rightly, a danger to the state. No longer are guns and bombs a danger to the state in Ireland, and the same is true for Scotland – thankfully, but now our democracy and our activism have become a danger to the British state – and so the British state is policing them. In being stopped by the police – who are simply following their orders – I am being reminded of the power of the state. This is bio-power, that exercise of power that reminds us that we are being watched. It is a style of power that forces us to police ourselves. It instils paranoia, the greatest friend of the bureaucratic and security state.
Benjamin Franklin said: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
New Scot for Indyref2 (@Indyref25) March 01, 2019
This style of political policing – all the way down from Whitehall in London to the police officer doing her or his job – has one objective: To subtly and then not-so-subtly intimidate people. The hope is that it will put average, law-abiding people off activism. No one wants to be of interest – no matter how friendly they are – to the police, and less still want to be watched by the intelligence services of the state. But what this is, in reality, is an attempt on the part of the British state to disempower us – the electorate, the demos of the democracy. Being politically active is a duty. In a democracy it is both a right and a duty. But being politically active does not stop at the ballot box. Our vote is power, and every power comes with responsibility. That responsibility is our political activism and our determination to ensure our voices are heard and that those we elect are kept good. Subtly intimidating people out of activism weakens people, and a democracy without political activism is no democracy at all. In reality, it is a type of tyranny.
As we get closer to independence in Scotland and as Ireland draws closer to unification – id est the dismantling of the British state, what we are witnessing is a creeping police state. This is profoundly undemocratic and bears all the hallmarks of fascism and latent despotism and totalitarianism. The moment democracy becomes a real danger to the state – even to the so-called democratic state, democracy becomes an enemy of the state. What I have now experienced is a slip of the veil, the mask of the democratic state was momentarily lifted – exposing a glimpse of what is to come; random checks, interview, caution, arrest, prison, and more – and for what? It is most interesting, to me at least, that Conservative and Unionist activists are never detained by the police. This is the big give-away. What we have is a move – a return – to political policing.
Ruth Coppinger TD Questions Enda Kenny on Political Policing
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Tagged Activism, Brexit, Democracy, Fascism, Freedom, Independence Movement, Ireland, Irish Republicanism, Police Scotland, Police State, Political Campaigns, Political Policing, Republicanism, Scotland, Scottish Independence, Scottish National Party, Sinn Fein, SNP, Totalitarianism, United Ireland
25 thoughts on “Treating Independentistas as Suspected Terrorists”
JSM says:
March 1, 2019 - Friday at 09:58
Reblogged this on Ramblings of a 50+ Female.
Bugger (the Panda) says:
To think that in my youth my greatest aspiration was to be mentioned in Private Eye.
How times have changed.
Just wondering if anyone else of your acquaintance has been pulled aside recently coming from Ireland to Scotland🇮🇪🏴?
Duncan Spence says:
Thank you for this excellent piece. There are many of us who simply blog and write, but do not speak in public who might perhaps be concerned about the extent to which our outpourings are scrutinised by the assorted organs of this hideous assemblage of powers that conveniently goes under the name of the British State. Not so long ago, I experienced this when I was interviewed by an enthusiastic BBC researcher about my attitude to cancer and the languages used to talk about it. She was sympathetic and keen to write a piece about my attitude to the disease, about which I write in great detail at my blog. I sent her the link for greater detail and context. Nothing further happened, but I did notice a substantial increase in traffic at my blog and assumed this was the BBC checking me out. A few days later I received a most apologetic phone-call with lame excuses, to which I responded that I had noticed increased traffic at the blog and said that I suspected I was being checked out. Of course the BBC would never sanction my views nor would it deliberately give me any publicity simply because I do not separate my cancer experiences from my ‘political’ ramblings. Of course I blogged immediately about it:
https://duncanspence.blog/2019/02/01/the-establishment-the-cradle-and-the-grave
Thank you once again for a most informative piece. I thin now we are moving into very ‘interesting’ times indeed.
Reblogged this on It's shite being Scottish and commented:
I do not often reblog. But this piece stands out for me as extremely important. The writer is a not only a blogger, but also speaks in public and so he is a little more prominent. As my recent experience with the BBC has taught me, perhaps too the various organs of the British State are also becoming interested in those of us who only write. If this is the case, then we are entering extremely dangerous times indeed.
Tol says:
At present things may appear friendly. Sure, it will all be fine….until it isn’t. I hope you stay safe.
I agree, you should always be of friendly demeanour and never antagonise the police. However, people never know what comments said in openness can be turned against you…Even when they are truthful and fully innocent. I know this is USA but the logic of this example shook me when I saw it. https://youtu.be/Vi434yXk_qo?t=352
Andy Gaffney says:
There is a world of difference between an interesting person and a person of interest. Maybe we should all become the latter and make the term worthless.
Maxi says:
Check your phones for bugs?
Anne Deery says:
Utterly terrifying!!
Fascism is alive and well in westmonster!
Ron French says:
In the history of tyranny world wide, the poet/orator has always been deemed more dangerous than the sniper, and the first to be subdued.
steelewires says:
Thanks for this, Jason! You have my prayers and best wishes. “Non illegitimi carrburundum!” (Pretend Latin)
Robert T says:
I think it is of considerable credit to yourself that you have and had the decency and morality to remain calm , objective and responsible in your interaction with these officers , who as you said were resiprocal to you .
But that doesn’t escape the feeling of upset and concern that you are being targeted due to your belief and support that your country Scotland deserves to be self determining and making it’s own decisions . As you have recently stated openly on your blog you are a pacifist and despise the use of violence which makes it even more annoying and concerning
Everyone agrees that the safety and security of citizens is paramount and that steps have to be taken to ensure that security , but at what point are you considered to be an innocent citizen with genuine beliefs and aims who expresses their opinions verbally and through the written word , is this some form of macarthyism now being introduced
@Robert T
“….safety and security of citizens…”
Was this really an exercise in safety and security of citizens?
Sure it is the actions done when undertaking safety. However, just like in sausage making – there is the important act of using other parts of the animal in the best way possible….However, using sausage to hide all sorts of detrimental nasty additives is not the same. Just because it looks the same on the outside doesn’t mean it is the same thing. Isn’t this the arguments that led to BSE????
Jason’s safety and security is also important. Targeted political intimidation of legal actions is not conducive to his safety or any of the Scottish population.
It is like we are watching the end of the enlightenment in action.
March 2, 2019 - Saturday at 01:48
Tol just to be clear I wasn’t condoning the actions or reasons taken to interrupt Jason’s journey again , on the contrary I was commending his handling of the situation with patience and courtesy .I would much much rather these officers were engaged in investigating the corruption endemic in wastemonster and the prevalence of dark money available to destroy our supposed democracy . That the senior levels of police forces and the supposed guardians of the people are more concerned and interested by the Scottish people’s determination to become independent fills me with horror
yesindyref2 says:
This is quite an interesting one, but as far as this incident is concerned I think this summarises it nicely: “By pulling me up, the police were doing their job and we do need policing like this.”.
Yes, and if we were sitting in 2020 in Independent Scotland, perhaps after a no-deal Brexit and no Backstop, and let’s just say, some unrest in NI, then I daresay we’d hope the same would happen when someone tweets a certain phrase from the IRA handbook without attributing it or putting it in quotes (yes, I saw the later picture half-explaining it). Put that into the mix with an activist tour, speeches and meetings and if I was Chief Constable of Police Scotland for Independent Scotland, or head of the Scottish Security and Intelligence Service, you’d be red-flagged and become indeed “a person of interest”.
Those of us who go back to the Cold War days will doubtless remember the allegations that half the Labour Party were communist party members, and other allegations that they were investigated and watched by Special Branch. But also that there were some “terrorist” type small groups supposedly i Scotland when Indy reared its “ugly” head in the 70s. Like taking action against pipelines. Well, I daresay they were rightly investigated at the time. Personally I think modern-day Sean is harmless, though perhaps not to the cause of Indy.
Where the line can be drawn between sensible precautions, and political intererence is another matter. But it would seem sensible to be careful to actually say what we mean to say in tweets (I don’t do twitter), or even in posts below the line on forums. It’s too easy to be misunderstood.
Jeggit says:
Don’t quite know where to begin with this one, but reporting on the facts in Ireland is what I do. I have said nothing on Twitter or anywhere else that is not a fact – and a well known fact – in these matters. But sure, thanks for the comment.
No worries and thanks for the reply.
I read this linked by the famous links poster on WOS, and was going to reply just about the ferry thing, but had to go out. When I came back I re-read it as is wise, and saw it quite differently, specially after that line of yours I quoted above.
I like what I call “thought pieces” Jeggit, and these are articles, blogs or posts that you neither have to agree with or disagree with, they stand in their own right. Yours is one such. Particularly during Indy Ref 1 and nearer the start, I used to upvote even unionist postings if they were well put together, without bothering usually to argue the points, Perhaps just with a reply “Good post, even if I don’t agree”. You get a lot less of those these days, the sensible unionists largely seem to have disappeared. I wonder why!
Anyways, good luck, don’t let the security bugs bite.
George Parker says:
Please God , this is not the thin edge of the wedge……
Carolyn Pearce says:
They are using the wrong law to pick on you. It was passed because of IS not the Scots or the Irish. Worrying move towards a country we don’t want to be part of.
Catherine Victor says:
This is exactly what I have been warning people about. They, the British State , are quietly putting things in place so that they can do to us as Spain has done to Catalonia. I am deeply concerned for Scotland and Northern Ireland about the direction the British establishment are taking. However, I would say, they will try this at their pearl, I cannot see the people taking such actions in their stride. I, for one, would be on the streets and fight with everything I have for our freedom regardless of my safety.
Terence Callachan says:
March 3, 2019 - Sunday at 23:03
More of this to come, more people will be treated like this
Philip Fraser-Brenchley says:
March 4, 2019 - Monday at 13:22
Just….Well said! Just by commenting I’ve probably become of more interest to the ‘State’
ArtyHetty says:
In cases such as this, the worry is, the real criminals are getting away with actual crimes. It also means that vital funds, public funds, are being spent on harassing innocent people. The dangerous ones are in positions of power, or at least are supported by those in positions of power. Imagine an innocent person, stopped and questioned, while the criminal walks right past the police, laughing their socks off! It’s not impossible.
It’s all getting Kafkaesque, and it’s scary as hell. What a world humans are fashioning, and for what? Greed, simple, it’s about money, power and greed. I know the police have to ‘follow orders’ but the question is, how far would they go in following those orders? It’s always a mystery how people can be brutal towards others in that context, ( they weren’t in this instance, but I am thinking say, Catalonia) yet go home to their families, and not think, blimey, what if that was my kid, or brother or sister, or anyone I am connected to that I trust and love? What then?
Talking about real criminals walking by and laughing their socks off.
As I have bern saying for at least 12 months. It is impossible to process 12,000 trucks a day at Dover. The port was rebuilt and the Chunnel was designed and built as an open EU one.
Grayling’s traffic jam was media deception.
QUIETLY Dept Transport admit that no port checks will take place for at least a year and all trucks arriving will have a cursery eye taken on their docs and then waved through.
Can you ever imagine how much drugs, guns and trafficed humans will arrive in these trucks?
Margo Haughen says:
April 10, 2019 - Wednesday at 13:29
Most enlightening, thank you. This only makes me feel even more sure that Independence is not only essential, but also imminent. My wee bit of activism will continue x
Sectarianism and Scotland
What Does Independence Mean?
Jason Michael McCann
Scottish journalist and blogger based in Dublin. Writing on politics and society. Columnist for iScot Magazine and author of the Random Public Journal.
Jeggit
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226 DAYS AGO | 1 MINUTE READ
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Jon Chait and Alex Pareene
I have a Jon Chait problem. I generally agree with him on most issues. I find him very provocative. I am very sure that no one cares about my opinion about Chait's latest post. That includes me. I don't want to waste time thinking about the exactly how far I agree with him. But here I am.
I also have a vaguely favorable view of Alex Pareene, but don't read him much. I was very entertained by his mild mannered amused Phillipic on Chait "You Are Jonathan Chait's Enemy".
There is one marginally interesting sub-topic. It appears that Pareene and Chait can't both be right, but I am confident they are.
Pareene wrote "I say “you” because his conception of the left almost certainly includes you. ... He means basically anyone to the left of Bill Clinton in 1996. " Chait wrote " (I allegedly oppose “basically anyone to the left of Bill Clinton in 1996,” which is odd, because I was to the left of Bill Clinton in 1996, and still am.)"
I see no contradiction. I think Chait was to the left of Clinton in 1996 and also that he considers anyone who goes out of her way to note that she is to the left of Clinton's positions as of 1996 to be a dangerous lefty. So the "basically" is a vague hint at "who is to the left of Bill Clinton in 1996 and says so even when not accused of being as far right as Bill Clinton in 1996".
Notably, Chait's point (such as it is) is that he supports Barack Obama and so do the vast majority of Democrats. This is true. It is also true that in "The Audacity of Hope" Obama hinted at some sort of praise for Clinton for the 1996 welfare reform. I am sure Obama would have voted against in 1996. I am fairly sure he would have vetoed 3 GOP welfare reform bills not just 2 as Clinton did. But he was not audacious enough to hint at any such doubts. I am quite sure that Chait would consider some statements dangerously left wing and disqualifying, even if he agrees they are true. This is Pareene's claim.
Now, I agree with Obama's not so audacious choice, and agree with Chait. In any case I wouldn't vote to nominate a candidate who says what I think about immigration (it should be allowed without any restrictions) or foreign aid (the foreign aid budget should be increased at least 10 fold). Where I differ with Chait is that he doesn't just demand moderation from candidates but also from commentators (other than Chait).
I took the one interesting bit off the end of a long boring post, which continues below.
I think I agree with Pareene. In particular, I think Pareene is right that his quotation of Chait is key to understanding Chait "the new breed of left-wing activists who are flexing their muscles within the party. These are exactly the sorts of fanatics who tore the party apart in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They think in simple slogans and refuse to tolerate any ideological dissent."
Chait strongly disapproves of such people and fears them. However, he never names them. This violates Chait's rule of polemic. He asserted that left bloggers were such people. Then when challenged read the lefty blogs & found they weren't far left radicals (yet) and asserted that they would become far left radicals. Then when challenged further read further and found many were wonks, divided the left blogosphere into the wonkosphere (analysts) & the net roots (advocates) then denounced the net roots for being advocates not analysts. His research lead to a tautology, unless he is willing to argue that there should be no advocacy organizations (which would render any discussion of the proper future for the Democratic party moot).
Interestingly Chait seems unable to even understand what Pareene is trying to tell Chait about Chait. He thinks Pareene's point is that the future of the Democratic party is named Bernie Sanders. I didn't detect any such opinion in Pareene's post. Indeed (I admitted above I don't read Pareene much) I have no idea who he supports for 2020 Democratic nominee.
Chait argues that Pareene is wrong to suggest "The other politician supposedly representing my worldview is Lieberman. (In fact, while my editor endorsed Lieberman for president in 2004, I wrote a dissent saying Democrats would be crazy to nominate him.)"
Just above the quote of Chait which I requoted Pareene wrote "The rest of this column is dedicated to listing the many ways in which Joe Lieberman, then engaged in a bitter primary fight, was a terrible Democrat.
Chait's claim about Pareenes alleged claim about Chait's views of Lieberman is plainly obviously 100% false. I can understand that people don't respond calmly to harsh criticism, but his failure of reading comprehension is amazing.
Actually there is an even more striking proof of this. Pareene's preceding sentence is "Here is a very instructive passage from a column he wrote in 2006." Chait conflated 2004 and 2006. How did that happen ? For one thing, he seems to have entirely forgotten what he wrote in 2006 and, in particular, that he wrote it in 2006.
Pareene continued "It is overly simplistic to reduce the fight over the identity of the Democratic Party to Joe Lieberman on the one hand and Bernie Sanders on the other, but if, purely as a thought experiment, those were the only two futures on offer, it’s clear which one Jonathan Chait would pick. He would rather belong to the party of Joe Lieberman. If you wouldn’t, then you’re the sort of person he has spent his career fighting against."
Lieberman responded "It is common to read Sandernistas describing the Democratic electorate as if Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were the only two choices available." But Pareene explicitly said the choice isn't Bernie Sanders or someone else. He was talking about a thought experiment.
His points are that Pareene is a "Berniecrat". This may be true (I will check) but has nothing to do with Pareene's post about Chait. He notes that Barack Obama is very popular and is not Bernie Sanders. This has even less do do with Pareene's post. I am quite sure he is sincere, but I think he can't understand Pareene's criticism, because he doesn't understand himself and how strange his obsession with the late 60s & early 70s seems to people who are younger than he is (and to me -- I don't confidently claim to be younger than he is).
The Wire meets the GOP
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Vuelta a Espana 2015: Tom Dumoulin reclaims race lead on stage 17
Dutchman wins time trial to bag three-second overall lead
Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) stormed back into the Vuelta a Espana red jersey after winning the stage 17 individual time trial in Burgos by more than one minute.
The Dutchman, a time trial bronze medallist behind Sir Bradley Wiggins and Tony Martin at last year’s UCI World Championships, averaged more than 50km/h on the 38.7km to blow his rivals away.
And after doggedly sticking with the GC men in the mountains over the weekend, the 24-year-old’s reward is a return to the top of the general classification and a three-second lead over second-placed Fabio Aru (Astana).
Tom Dumoulin is back in the red jersey at the Vuelta a Espana after winning the stage 17 time trial (pic: Sirotti)
Big splits were always expected on a day in which Dumoulin rolled out among the favourites, but the manner of his victory proved he is a genuine contender for a maiden Grand Tour win.
Early indications were that there could be a big shake-up overall, as the more recognised time triallists within the early starters saw big gaps open up.
Maciej Bodnar (Tinkoff-Saxo) set the benchmark, of 47.05, with Giro d’Italia stage winner Vasil Kiryienka (Team Sky) 27 seconds off that pace.
Kiryienka’s team-mate Geraint Thomas was almost 50 seconds slower than compatriot Steve Cummings (MTN-Qhubeka), meanwhile, the latter’s time proving good enough for a top-ten finish on the day.
The real battle was always going to be between the GC men though, and when the likes of Rafal Majka (Tinkoff-Saxo) and race leader Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) haemorrhaged time leading to the intermediate checks it looked very good for Dumoulin.
Alejandro Valverde’s blistering pace saw him move provisionally second on the day and reignite his slim chances of a top ten spot overall but Dumoulin was already gaining time by the pedal stroke on all of his rivals having coasted past two-minute man Mikel Nieve.
Fabio Aru (Astana) hung in stubbornly having been second before the stage started, keeping his losses to within two minutes, but Rodriguez, Majka and Nieve could see their red jersey hopes being torn apart.
Dumoulin’s time of 46.01 was a full 64 seconds faster than second-placed Bodnar, as all eyes then turned to the time Aru would set – proving in the end, to be good enough for the top ten but three seconds slower than required for the red jersey.
While the summit finishes are over and done with, there is plenty of climbing to come and more than enough opportunity for Aru to overhaul the slender deficit.
But for now the glory belongs to Dumoulin, who leads a Grand Tour with just four stages remaining in this year’s race.
Vuelta a Espana 2015: stage 17 – result
1) Tom Dumoulin (NED) – Giant-Alpecin – 46.01
2) Maciej Bodnar (POL) – Tinkoff-Saxo +1.04
3) Alejandro Valverde (ESP) – Movistar +1.08
4) Vasil Kiryienka (BLR) – Team Sky +1.31
5) Jerome Coppel (FRA) – IAM Cycling +1.32
6) Nairo Quintana (COL) – Movistar +1.33
7) Romain Sicard (FRA) – Team Europcar +1.36
8) Nelson Oliveira (POR) – Lampre-Merida +1.38
9) Steve Cummings (GBR) – MTN-Qhubeka +1.40
10) Fabio Aru (ITA) – Astana +1.53
1) Tom Dumoulin (NED) – Giant-Alpecin – 68.40.36hrs
2) Fabio Aru (ITA) – Astana +3”
3) Joaquim Rodriguez (ESP) – Katusha +1.15
4) Rafal Majka (POL) – Tinkoff-Saxo +2.22
7) Johan Esteban Chaves (COL) – Orica-GreenEDGE +3.30
8) Daniel Moreno (ESP) – Katusha +3.46
9) Mikel Nieve (ESP) – Team Sky +4.10
10) Louis Meintjes (RSA) – MTN-Qhubeka +6.51
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Three time trials and detour to French Alps feature on testing parcours
Marcel Kittel signs for Etixx-QuickStep
Mark Cavendish's sprint rival makes switch after buying out final year of Giant-Alpecin contract
Marcel Kittel replaces Mark Cavendish at Etixx-QuickStep
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Italian wins first Monument with descending masterclass
Vincenzo Nibali solos to Giro di Lombardia 2015 victory
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2010 (MMX) was a common year starting on Friday (dominical letter C) of the Gregorian calendar, the 2010th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 10th year of the 3rd millennium, the 10th year of the 21st century, and the 1st year of the 2010s decade.
2010 was designated as:
International Year of Youth
2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion
International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures
Bombay Bicycle Club-Flaws (2010)
My Rating: 91% (A)
Average Rating: 65% (C)
Rinse Me Down
Many Ways
Ivy & Gold
Leaving Blues
Fairytale Lullaby
Fits the album so perfectly.
So badly.
Bombay Bicycle Club caught me off guard with their second release Flaws. Known for being a alt rock pump up band, this down-tempo acoustic album may come as a shock to those exploring this bands discography, especially the fact that a lot of these songs are actually just striped down versions of tracks from their first album: I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose. Flaws may not be everyone’s cup of tea, especially for those who have been fans from the very beginning, but to those that it caters to (Death Cab and Sufjan fans come to mind) it is a truly wonderful album.
OK Go-Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky (2010)
All Is Not Lost
Needing/Getting
White Knuckles
I Want You So Bad I Can’t Breathe
End Love
Before The Earth Was Round
Back From Kathmandu
While You Were Asleep
In The Glass
Looking for some glitsy fun indie rock.
Love the simplicity.
I first heard of OK Go, like most people, through their song Here It Goes Again, I’ve been an avid fan ever since. Sure their stuff hasn’t been show-stopping, but they manage to pull off one thing a lot of artists have a very hard time doing: consistency. Every OK Go album I’ve listened to after their album Oh No has had at least a few solid tracks on it that I’m happy to have show up on my shuffle. Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky threw me off initially, I was used to the more Indie Rock sound from Oh No, so the pop/synth heavy album took me a bit to warm up to. It’s one of those albums that has became really familiar to me without ever wearing out its welcome. Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky is a solid addition to OK Go’s already impressive discography, any fan will be pleased with what they hear on this release.
Motion Man-Adult Situations (2010)
My Rating: 96% (A+)
Pouring You Mo Champagne
High School Reunion (feat. Lyrical C)
Interoffice Romance
Remodeling Job
You’re The Woman
Porno Mustache (feat. Lyrical C)
Smile (feat. Lyrical C)
Tell Me What You Want (feat. D’Wyze)
Night Stroll
Interoffice Romance (Kutmasta Kurt remix)
Tell Me What You Want (TomC3 remix)
Looking for jazzy, sexy, hip-hop.
It reminds me of like a noir detective film from the 60’s. Super original.
Yes, I doubt I’ll be able to find it though.
I first heard Motion Man through a song called One Time For Your Mind featuring Gift of Gab (one half of Blackalicious) and I was shocked how we could keep up with Gab’s flow. He has a style that is unique and expressive, so I took a chance on his album Pablito’s Way. Years later I’m digging into other albums and I’m glad I did. Adult Situations is a concept album, with lots of what it promises. It’s a goofy, fun album with lots of really amazing beats. Motion Man rhymes along to the beats with ease, having fun while doing it. Motion Man is one of the most underrated emcees around, even among the underground scene he’s not really well known, which is unfortunate because he’s really talented, Adult Situations shows how ridiculous the emcee can get, while still showing his incredible vocal talent.
Ty Segall-Melted (2010)
Caeser
Sad Fuzz
Mike D’s Coke
Imaginary Person
Looking for noise rock to drown away your sad thoughts.
All of his covers terrify me.
Not this one, I like him but not really desiring this one on vinyl.
Ty Segall is one of those artists who has released a lot of albums in a short amount of time, and because of that I don’t know how consistently good he can make them. Melted is a good example of his genius being somewhat flawed (just somewhat, I mean it still received an 86%), true I like a lot of the songs on this record, but the overall flow is really not there. Where Emotional Mugger worked as an entire record, Melted seems disjointed and a little rushed. Some seem to have emotional ties to this record, to me this is one I picked the tracks off of that spoke to me and left the rest behind, I took what I wanted for shuffle but probably wouldn’t revisit this as an album again anytime soon.
Kanye West-My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
Rolling Stone Rating: 100%
Gorgeous Feat. Raekwon, & Kid Cudi
All of the Lights (Interlude)
Monster Feat. Jay-Z, Bon Iver, Rick Ross & Nicki Minaj
So Appalled Feat. RZA, Jay-Z, Prynce Cy Hi, Pusha T & Swizz Beatz
Devil In a New Dress Feat. Rick Ross
Runaway Feat. Pusha T
Hell of a Life
Blame Game Feat. John Legend
Lost In the World Feat. Bon Iver
Who Will Survive In America
See Me Now Feat. Big Sean, Beyoncé & Charlie Wilson
Ready for a mish mash of different genres and proof that Kanye is a genius.
Well it depends on the cover but I like the story behind it more than I actually like the look of it.
Absolutely friggin’ yes.
Kanye and I have an interesting history. I swore to myself I would never like his music in high school, and when it came to Columbia House (my monthly ordered album service) I would never pick his album Graduation (which was popular at the time) because of this oath, even though the album cover was really intriguing. Around comes 2010 and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is dropped and I’ve significantly calmed down from my overly conservative self and I decide to finally give the guy a shot. I couldn’t stop listening. It was one of those albums that changed the way I looked at music. This is one of those times my rating system doesn’t do the album justice, it’s one of my favourite albums of all time, and definitely my favourite Kanye record, but the purest that I am must stick to the formula even when it doesn’t meet my personal draw to the album. The tracks flow well and are diverse, experimental and expertly done. This is an album that will continually impress generations and I’d be surprised if it’s not the album that he is most known for.
Eels-End Times (2010)
Gone Man
Mansions Of Los Feliz
In My Younger Days
A Line In The Dirt
Paradise Blues
High And Lonesome
I Need A Mother
On My Feet
Sad and/or lonely.
It must be from a graphic novelist that I know but I’m too lazy to look it up, it’s aces though.
Yeah it’d be beautiful on vinyl.
Okay, I’m a little pissy at Pitchfork at this moment so let me get that out of the way, we sometimes really disagree with each other, but never has it been so apparent than this album, 3.9? 3.9? Are you high? You can not like the lyrics, but I mean it’s still well made music. 3.9 should be reserved for something extra bad, not a routine album from a reliable artist. Anywhozits. End Times is a really chill album from Eels, it’s a great album to listen to before bed or while winding down. I’ve always enjoyed the way Eels can get at the heart of loneliness and I think this is one of the most lonely sounding albums he’s made yet. There are a few up-beat tracks that I think a wide audience can enjoy (Gone Man, Paradise Blues), but they’ll always be at their best at the really mellow tunes (Line in the Dirt, On My Feet, I Need A Mother).
Beach House-Teen Dream (2010)
Record Review Recommended By: Richard Sandlin
Silver Soul
Love Of Mine
Better Times
10 Mile Stereo
Half asleep under the shade of a palm tree.
It’s neat, but probably my least favourite thing about this album.
Oh hell friggin’ yes.
Damn you Richard Sandlin and your undeniable eclectic consistently good music taste. This album blew my mind, I can’t believe it took me this long to get into these guys. I’m absolutely stoked to have the sleepy beachy pop on my shuffle and can’t wait to delve further into their music. I couldn’t imagine how much more rad I would have been if I was listening to this album back when it actually came out (my grad year), but I guess I’ve got plenty of time to catch up to the bandwagon and be somewhat rad again. It’s a beautiful album that’s perfect for summer. Listen to it now you dinguses!
Aidan Knight-Versicolour (2010)
My Rating: 81% (B+)
Fighting Against Your Lungs
Eyelid Clicks
North East South West
Knitting Something Nice For You
Sorrows
Ready to relax with some solid folk.
It’s simple, not too much to say about it, it’s not keeping me away from trying it, but it’s not drawing me in either.
Yeah I think it’d be a great addition.
Aidan Knight is an absolute gem, almost all the songs on this album have been played in the dozens, they’re beautiful and relaxing and sometimes even a bit angry (see the end of Knitting Something Nice For You).
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Use of vaccination in a large outbreak of primary varicella in a detention setting for African immigrants Academic Article
Primary varicella (PV) presents a public health risk for adults in closed residential settings, especially for immigrants from tropical areas where infection during childhood is less likely. In this study, an outbreak of PV at a detention facility for illegal immigrants from Eritrea and Sudan in southern Israel is described. Basic demographic information and clinical course for all cases were obtained. One hundred and nine cases of PV, all in young adult men aged 18-40 years, were diagnosed over a 7-month period (June to December 2012). Diagnosed patients were placed in quarantine until the resolution of illness without other public health measures being implemented. The Israeli Ministry of Health was notified of the outbreak in early December and recommended two doses of varicella vaccine for all susceptible detainees and staff. Within 2 weeks of completion of the first dose of vaccine, there was only one additional case in a detainee immunized 13 days prior to diagnosis. The effectiveness of vaccination in halting the outbreak was immediate, despite the fact that 15.6% of detainees refused to be immunized. The possible roles of vaccination or natural infection in achieving herd immunity and thereby ending the outbreak in this population are discussed. We recommend considering early vaccination for all when an outbreak or a series of connected cases is detected in a closed-residential setting such as the detention facility described here.
10.1093/inthealth/ihu017
Haas, Eric J
Dukhan, Larissa
Goldstein, Liav
Lyandres, Michael
International Health Journal
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The economic burden of bronchiectasis - Known and unknown: A systematic review
© 2019 The Author(s). Background: The increasing prevalence and recognition of bronchiectasis in clinical practice necessitates a better understanding of the economic disease burden to improve the management and achieve better clinical and economic outcomes. This study aimed to assess the economic burden of bronchiectasis based on a review of published literature. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted using MEDLINE, Embase, EconLit and Cochrane databases to identify publications (1 January 2001 to 31 December 2016) on the economic burden of bronchiectasis in adults. Results: A total of 26 publications were identified that reported resource use and costs associated with management of bronchiectasis. Two US studies reported annual incremental costs of bronchiectasis versus matched controls of US$5681 and US$2319 per patient. Twenty-four studies reported on hospitalization rates or duration of hospitalization for patients with bronchiectasis. Mean annual hospitalization rates per patient, reported in six studies, ranged from 0.3-1.3, while mean annual age-adjusted hospitalization rates, reported in four studies, ranged from 1.8-25.7 per 100,000 population. The average duration of hospitalization, reported in 12 studies, ranged from 2 to 17 days. Eight publications reported management costs of bronchiectasis. Total annual management costs of €3515 and €4672 per patient were reported in two Spanish studies. Two US studies reported total costs of approximately US$26,000 in patients without exacerbations, increasing to US$36,00-37,000 in patients with exacerbations. Similarly, a Spanish study reported higher total annual costs for patients with > 2 exacerbations per year (€7520) compared with those without exacerbations (€3892). P. aeruginosa infection increased management costs by US$31,551 to US$56,499, as reported in two US studies, with hospitalization being the main cost driver. Conclusions: The current literature suggests that the economic burden of bronchiectasis in society is significant. Hospitalization costs are the major driver behind these costs, especially in patients with frequent exacerbations. However, the true economic burden of bronchiectasis is likely to be underestimated because most studies were retrospective, used ICD-9-CM coding to identify patients, and often ignored outpatient burden and cost. We present a conceptual framework to facilitate a more comprehensive assessment of the true burden of bronchiectasis for individuals, healthcare systems and society.
Solomon, George
BMC Pulmonary Medicine Journal
Goeminne PC; Hernandez F; Diel R; Filonenko A; Hughes R; Juelich F; Solomon GM; Upton A; Wichmann K; Xu W
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Why couldn't Harry or anybody else see Peter Pettigrew aka Scabbers on the Marauder's Map when Lupin could?
Fred and George stumbled upon the Marauder's map in their first year. They passed it on to Harry while in their fifth year. Also note that, while talking to Harry on the train, Ron described Scabbers as being "Percy's old rat".
Hence, we can safely assume that the twins had the Marauder's Map for about five years. How could they not see Peter Pettigrew on the map, with Percy for first two years and with Ron for the next three years?
How come Harry didn't see Peter? How was Lupin the only one able to see Peter on the map?
harry-potter hogwarts marauders-map
Skooba
Interesting question, think it's something that was allowed just for the sake of the story, but he shouldve showed up on the map earlier. Extra questions this one brings to my mind: 1. was Percy's rat always Peter, or was there a rat called scabbers before and did Peter take his place along the way. 2. If Peter was Percy's rat, and he was undercover for all these years. Why would he be Percy's rat to begin with? Before Harry's friendship with Ron the Weasleys were of no significant value for Death Eaters. Good thing you asked this question, I always felt this part of the story needed digging. – Hans Wassink Feb 19 '12 at 10:59
@HansWassink Sirius has a theory with respect to this. Remember he tells Harry, Ron and Hermione that Pettigrew just wanted to find a wizards family to keep up with news with the magical world, and that he was so "lucky" that he ended up with a family that would eventually include Harry Potter's best pal at school. – Janoma Feb 19 '12 at 13:36
How do you know Lupin was the only one ABLE to see Peter? What if he was the only one to NOTICE peter? – Möoz Mar 20 '14 at 21:08
Didn't scabbers sleep in Ron's bed every night? That would have looked odd on the map... maybe the brothers didn't want to get into an awkward situation. – Daft Feb 26 '15 at 16:31
I'm confused by the last line of the question. I thought Harry actually noticed Peter Pettigrew. This may be recollecting the movie version of events, but I'm pretty certain Harry comments on the map being "broken" to Lupin because it shows someone he knows to be dead. This triggers Lupin to re-think his positions concerning Peter and Sirius, which eventually leads him to the correct conclusion. – Ellesedil Mar 10 '16 at 8:20
Rowling was asked this question about Fred and George:
http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=65
Why didn't Fred and George notice Peter Pettigrew on the Marauder's Map before ("Prisoner of Azkaban")?
It would not have mattered if they had. Unless somebody was very familiar with the story of Sirius Black (and after all, Sirius was not Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's best friend – indeed, they never knew him until after he escaped from Azkaban), Fred and George would be unlikely to know or remember that Peter Pettigrew was the person Sirius had (supposedly) murdered. Even if Fred and George HAD heard the story at some point, why would they assume that the 'Peter Pettigrew' they occasionally saw moving around the map was, in fact, the man murdered years before?
Fred and George used the map for their own mischief-making, so they concentrated, naturally enough, on those portions of the map where they were planning their next misdeeds. And finally, you must not forget that hundreds of little dots are moving around this map at any given time… Fred and George did not know everyone in school by name, so a single unfamiliar name was unlikely to stand out.
ykombinator
browsingbrowsing
I realize that she gets to make the rules, but this is a pretty poor explanation, honestly. Surely at some point Fred and George would have looked around Gryffindor tower and seen Peter Pettigrew, a boy who didn't belong, just a floor above or below them in the middle of the night (depending on when they looked.) – Jason Patterson Oct 4 '14 at 0:58
@JasonPatterson: True that. I'd go so far as to say that Peter Pettigrew spent a lot of the time on the map right next to Ronald Weasly. Stupid explanation. At least the movie tried to correct it by showing Harry noticing him. – Tushar Raj Apr 8 '15 at 13:08
i.gr-assets.com/images/S/photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/… – max pnj Mar 1 '16 at 17:22
@JasonPatterson Why would they be looking at the Gryffindor dorm? The twins only used the map to plan their wild hijinks, which I imagine mainly involved sneaking into places they weren't allowed, or access secret areas (none of which were in the dormitory). Presumably the novelty of just watching people move about was long exhausted after their first year. – DavidS Jul 27 '17 at 9:00
@BolteAltamont: To be fair though, this isn't a map that tells you where you need to go. F&G aren't looking for directions, so there's less reason to look at your starting point. There's a good argument to be made that they used the map to safely enter places they weren't allowed to be; which would then not apply to their own private quarters as they are allowed to be there. – Flater Jul 28 '17 at 7:29
This is purely conjecture, but it's entirely possible that the Marauders placed some extra protection on the Map in case it were to fall into the wrong hands -- a "hide-the-Marauders" function, if you will. If you think about it, this makes sense -- for, as we know, it did fall into the wrong hands, and they wouldn't want anyone to know about their monthly excursions or any of their other Invisibility Cloak adventures. Moreover, they probably only would have wanted it to be a temporary function, so that they might be able to find each other if necessary.
So let's say that there was this hide-the-Marauders function, and it was enabled when Filch confiscated it. Fast forward to Fred and George discovering it. They don't notice anything wrong with it, of course, because none of the Marauders are supposed to be at Hogwarts...until the year in which Lupin arrives. Still, it's clear they don't use the Map much anymore by this point -- they've outgrown it, and they're even passing it on to Harry. Nobody notices that the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is never on the Map -- and why would they? Both Harry and the Weasley twins probably like Lupin, so he's not somebody they'd be watching out for; plus, it's probably a lot harder to notice someone's absence from the Map than someone's presence on it (especially, regarding the case in point, if that someone shares a common room with you).
Then Lupin confiscates the Map, and what does he do with it? He's smart -- he uses it to watch out for Harry, as we know he did on the day of Buckbeak's execution; he must also want to use it to watch out for Sirius Black, who has already managed to break into Hogwarts once. So he disables the hide-the-Marauders function, but by now Pettigrew (as Scabbers) is hiding out at Hagrid's out of fear, and no longer living in the Gryffindor Common Room. Because Lupin isn't focusing on Hagrid's hut -- why would he? -- he doesn't notice his old school friend until one night, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione sneak out to see Hagrid...
Again, based purely on conjecture and circumstantial evidence, but that's how I've always justified it in my mind.
BolteAltamontBolteAltamont
I love this theory, as you say, conjecture, but the reality is that there are some ticky-tacky issues in any series, I read an interview with George RR Martin where he expresses great concern for the mental well-being of the folks who send him letters about similar tiny issues that Martin himself stated he was not aware of in his books. That said, you've come up with a very creative answer that would fit well in the storyline, well played. – the_SJC Sep 15 '17 at 19:43
This is the only theory that actually could work. Of course the Marauders must have also put in a "Hide the Dark Lord" function -- as the twins never spotted Voldemort/Riddle riding around on Quirrell. ;) – Brock Adams Feb 8 '18 at 7:10
@BrockAdams Or they simply had no interest in tailing teachers..? I mean she points out that it was for mischief making. Okay yes they enchant snowballs to hit Quirrell ironically in the back of the head (iirc) but they hardly needed the map for that. – Pryftan May 27 '18 at 20:05
@the_SJC Well said on that (I get the impression you agree with said George). I would say it's not mental well-being in the sense of illness so much as it's so ridiculous to be concerned about these things that are only a problem because they imagine them to be. The tragedy is they don't enjoy the story as much and that's just a waste....it's their loss however. – Pryftan May 27 '18 at 20:07
@Pryftan, when you are breaking school rules, like the Marauders (and Weasley twins), you pay extra super special attention to where the teachers are and what they're doing. The whole point is not to get caught by said teachers. – Brock Adams May 27 '18 at 20:47
I always thought that Fred and George (and later, Harry), never used the map while Percy (and later, Ron) was holding Scabbers, which probably happened only during bedtime. At any other time, the name of Peter Pettigrew (for example, at the Great Hall), would have been insignificant to those who didn't know him.
Also, remember that the map showed "hundreds of tiny dots with labels", so, for all Fred, George and Harry knew, Pettigrew could have been just another regular student they didn't know, and who happened to be nearby. This is not shown properly in the movies, where the dots and labels in the maps are larger than what's described in the books (for obvious reasons, though).
JanomaJanoma
Considering how everyone knew who Sirius Black was, I doubt that a wizard family like the Weasleys wouldn't know who Peter Pettigrew is.. – Brendan Long Feb 19 '12 at 17:40
Maybe Percy, Charlie and Bill, but not the twins, who were younger. Anyway, it seems like Arthur and Molly don't let their kids know too much, especially stuff that is "too dark". – Janoma Feb 19 '12 at 17:46
Real life analogy: I could name a handful of serial killers, but couldn't tell you any of his victims' names. I bet most people are similar. – dlanod Feb 19 '12 at 20:16
Also, most people would remember that Sirius was convicted for murdering 13 muggles, since they associated this with his alleged support of Voldemort. The death of a wizard could have been considered secondary and forgotten by the masses. – Janoma Mar 18 '12 at 15:23
12 muggles, sorry. – Janoma Mar 19 '12 at 2:24
I think that the answer to this question would be that Fred and George's knowledge of the castle was so complete that they were only using the map intermittently, and only to find out where Filch and the teachers were.
As such, they were unlikely to look in Gryffindor Tower, where Scabbers was most of the time.
The events that took place when Harry was handed the Marauder's map went like:
Fred and George gave Harry the map;
When Scabbers disappeared and hid out at Hagrid's, and;
When Professor Lupin confiscated the map.
I think these events were all close enough together such that it is not unreasonable to think that Harry may not have looked up his dot when he was with Ron and Scabbers in Gryffindor Tower.
Lupin probably did not use the map after he confiscated it, until the time in the book when he suspected Harry Ron and Hermione would attempt to visit Hagrid.
So I think it is believable that Peter went unnoticed until Lupin used the map to track Harry, and saw Peter on the map at Hagrid's.
ykombinatorykombinator
Good point about scabbers hiding. I forgot about that. – Tushar Raj Apr 8 '15 at 13:12
Edited to correct my faulty memory,
In the film Harry did see Peter Pettigrew. When Harry was walking down one of the corridors at night he saw Peter coming towards him on the map but he couldn't see anybody because Peter was in his Scabbers form.
Later when Lupin confiscated the map, Harry told him that it didn't work right because it showed Peter Pettigrew who was supposedly dead.
In the book Harry never uses the map when Ron has Scabbers with him. As to why Fred and George never saw him it may be explained with how the map is built.
This video of the Noble Collection Marauders Map shows separate sections of the map that allow you to essentially zoom in on a specific area. You start with a large view of all of Hogwarts and then fold out other parts of the map depending on need. As Fred and George were more intent on either getting out of Hogwarts or hiding from certain people they may not have bothered with looking for where Percy was.
As to the question of the number of people at Hogwarts which keeps popping up as a reason why they never saw him:
BeyondHogwarts lists JK Rowling saying there are around 1,000 students.
HarryPotterLexicon says the books show about 300 with 5 boys and 5 girls added to each house every year.
Another HPLexicon comment has Rowling saying 600 but admitting she is bad at math.
Legion600Legion600
And how the map was revealed to Severus and Remus was also different in the book. In the book iirc Hermione had to go to the witch statue to get Harry's cloak back as it was too risky now that Harry had been discovered to be interested in that place - by Severus no less. – Pryftan May 27 '18 at 20:15
Peter was not shown because the map knows the viewer's intention and only shows things of significance.
Although JKR has answered the question, perhaps we can postulate something else based on the books, as seemingly we clearly see that at least one time Scabbers did not always appear on the map:
“Ron, I don’t believe it — it’s Scabbers!” Ron gaped at her. “What are you talking about?” Hermione carried the milk jug over to the table and turned it upside down. With a frantic squeak, and much scrambling to get back inside, Scabbers the rat came sliding out onto the table. “Scabbers!” said Ron blankly. “Scabbers, what are you doing here?”
And then here:
“The number of times I saw James disappearing under it…” said Lupin, waving an impatient hand again. “The point is, even if you’re wearing an Invisibility Cloak, you still show up on the Marauder’s Map. I watched you cross the grounds and enter Hagrid’s hut. Twenty minutes later, you left Hagrid, and set off back toward the castle. But you were now accompanied by somebody else.”
Now, if Scabbers was hiding in Hagrid's hut, he should have always been visible! So why did Lupin not see him in Hagrid's hut the whole time? There's simply no way to answer there were too many dots, clearly, the only dots in Hagrid's hut at the time were Hagrid's and Pettigrew's!
We also see that the viewer isn't normally on the map:
What did he have to do? He pulled out the map again and saw to his astonishment, that a new ink figure had appeared upon it, labeled ‘Harry Potter’.
This clearly implies that Harry himself had not been on the map before! (If he was, the book should have said "he watched in astonishment as his dot grew bigger". Not the best proof, but supportive.)
However there are three facts about the map that can answer the question: One, the map was invented for a specific purpose: Mischief:
Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present THE MARAUDER’S MAP.
He took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly, and said, “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”
“I’m getting there, Sirius, I’m getting there… well, highly exciting possibilities were open to us now that we could all transform. Soon we were leaving the Shrieking Shack and roaming the school grounds and the village by night. Sirius and James transformed into such large animals, they were able to keep a werewolf in check. I doubt whether any Hogwarts students ever found out more about the Hogwarts grounds and Hogsmeade than we did… And that’s how we came to write the Marauder’s Map, and sign it with our nicknames. Sirius is Padfoot. Peter is Wormtail. James was Prongs.”
These quotes show us that the map was intended for mischief, and specifically, was invented for James and Co. to be able to sneak around camp grounds.
The second fact that can answer this question is that the map is intelligent.
But even as he stood there, flooded with excitement, something Harry had once heard Mr. Weasley say came floating out of his memory. Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you can’t see where it keeps its brain. This map was one of those dangerous magical objects Mr. Weasley had been warning against… Aids for Magical Mischief Makers…
And by the episode of Snape we see further evidence of the map's intelligence:
“Professor Severus Snape, master of this school, commands you to yield the information you conceal!” Snape said, hitting the map with his wand. As though an invisible hand were writing upon it, words appeared on the smooth surface of the map. “Mooney presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people’s business.”
The third fact is that the map can change its appearance to help with the mischief:
What did he have to do? He pulled out the map again and saw to his astonishment, that a new ink figure had appeared upon it, labeled ‘Harry Potter’. This figure was standing exactly where the real Harry was standing, about halfway down the third-floor corridor. Harry watched carefully. His little Ink self appeared to be tapping the witch with his minute wand. Harry quickly took out his real wand and tapped the statue. Nothing happened. He looked back at the map. The tiniest speech bubble had appeared next to his figure. The word inside said, ‘Dissendium.’
This is incredible! The map not only deviated from its purpose (showing Hogwarts) it realized that Harry did not understand how to open the secret passage, so first it showed him the wand-tap, but Harry still didn't get it, so the second time Harry looked, it showed him the spell! So this map can realize the viewer's intention and difficulties!
So we know 4 facts from the books: 1)Not every dot appears on the map. 2)The map is intended for mischief. 3)The map is intelligent. 4)Using its intelligence, the map can change its appearance to help with the mischief.
From these four facts we can deduce that the map does not show everybody at once, but rather shows only people who the viewer is specifically looking for or that the map feels can interfere with the viewer's intended mischief (or the whatever the viewers intention is) with the map.
This is further proven by the dots shown to Harry the first time he uses it:
A labeled dot in the top left corner showed that Professor Dumbledore was pacing his study; the caretaker’s cat, Mrs. Norris, was prowling the second floor; and Peeves the Poltergeist was currently bouncing around the trophy room.
And also (GOF):
Out in the dark corridor, Harry examined the Marauder’s Map to check that the coast was still clear. Yes, the dots belonging to Filch and his cat, Mrs. Norris, were safely in their office . . . nothing else seemed to be moving apart from Peeves, though he was bouncing around the trophy room on the floor above.
In all those cases, the dots shown to Harry were those that would cause an impediment to Harry's purpose (sneaking around).
Therefore, we can answer all the questions "Why didn't x appear on the Mauraders Map" with a simple answer: It didn't affect whatever they were using the map for at the time. Thus there was no need to show them.
This explains why Lupin didn't see Peter until after he joined with Harry and Ron: because Lupin was keeping an eye out only for Harry, Peter was of no significance and thus the map didn't show him, but after he joined with Harry, it became significant for Lupin's use of the map, and thus the map showed him.
This also explains why nobody saw Moody in Crouch's trunk and Sirius or Rita Skeeter in Animagus form: Because they were insignificant for the map's purpose.
This also why Harry didn't notice impostor Moody as Crouch until he tried looking in Snape's office: Since Snape's office was significant for Harry, the map showed Crouch.
This is further proven by this statement of Fred:
“Right,” said George briskly. “Don’t forget to wipe it after you’ve used it —” “— or anyone can read it,” Fred said warningly. “Just tap it again and say, ‘Mischief managed!’ And it’ll go blank.”
Now, if there are hundreds of dots on the map, who cares if anyone can read it!? But if the map only shows what is necessary for the viewer, if an authority figure would use it, the map becomes quite dangerous indeed.
TheAsh says Reinstate MonicaTheAsh says Reinstate Monica
How can you ignore an author's answer? That makes no sense. – Edlothiad Sep 14 '17 at 13:03
@Edlothiad Same way I ignore her when she says Cursed Child is canon: Because not everything JKR says is canon. If her books imply one thing and she says another, I go with the books. – TheAsh says Reinstate Monica Sep 14 '17 at 13:05
While is an astoundingly well research theory, in the end that is all it is.... – Skooba Sep 14 '17 at 13:06
I upvoted this answer because it is well argued, but I disagree with the conclusion. I don't think the map cared much about Harry's intentions. Sneaking into forbidden places is one of the main goals of the Map, and the seven secret corridors (one of which lead to Hogsmeade) are surely very important information that the Map is supposed to relay. Hard-coding a message about how to open the secret passages seems like a completely reasonable thing to add to a good Map. – b_jonas Sep 14 '17 at 13:58
There's no evidence for your assertions that a) people viewing the map aren't shown on it (the included quote in fact indicates the opposite); b) Lupin should have seen Wormtail in Hagrid's hut (he says himself that he wasn't looking at the map before that evening); c) the map only shows potential trouble-makers (the later books actually describe the hundreds of dots which are moving around; Harry can't locate Malfoy among the masses); d) the Map wouldn't be of any use to anyone if found unwiped (even with hundreds of dots, it's a unique, potentially dangerous and intelligent artifact). – The Dark Lord Sep 14 '17 at 16:55
Hogwarts has hundreds people in it IIRC. People looking at the map would only pay attention to locations/names that were interesting for their purposes or violated expected patterns. NOBODY would be checking the location of the Gryffindor's dormitories where Scabbers was most of the time.
DVK-on-Ahch-ToDVK-on-Ahch-To
All of Britain had 3k, Hogwarts had 1000, according to JKR; and possibly fewer based on later comments and evidence from the book. – Kevin♦ Feb 21 '12 at 3:19
I'm guessing that to see someone on the Marauder's Map the viewer has to know them rather personally (otherwise the map would be loaded with extraneous information)
All of the people who appear on the map have to be a subject of great focus in the viewer's mind (such as people securing the hallways).
Harry never looked at the map for "dad's old friends" or anything of that sort. Lupin was able to see Pettigrew because he knew Pettigrew well and had probably looked for him on the map before.
MojoMojo
Nope. The map showed everyone present at Hogwarts, and didn't take into account the viewer's preferences or interests. – Janoma Feb 19 '12 at 13:46
In the books I've only seen reference to it being capable of revealing everyone present, not that they are all constantly shown. In the movies the map clearly only shows people relevant to the person viewing the map. Considering Hogwarts' numerous floors, rooms and passages it is infeasible that the map displays all of the thousands of dots. If the magic were to be fueled by intent then extraneous information should easily be filtered. – Mojo Feb 19 '12 at 15:49
And the map takes into account the person reading it as evident when Snape attempts to read the map. – Mojo Feb 19 '12 at 15:51
When Snape attempted to read the map, it had been turned off (with "mischief managed"). – Martha May 20 '13 at 23:21
So why did Harry saw the name of Peter Pettigrew on the marauder map while lurking in the school? He wasn't thinking about his father friend, he was only scared of filch or rogue... – max pnj Mar 1 '16 at 18:05
Nobody knew who Peter Pettigrew was. Just like Harry didn't know who Sirius Black was at first. They didn't teach them about Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. People only knew about Sirius because of his escape. So none of the students know who Pettigrew was. And Harry did see him. Remember he went and told Lupin about it?
So... why is this "Peter" in Ron's bed every night? – ike Sep 7 '14 at 4:41
Ron told Harry about the largest bit of Pettigrew found and sent back to his mum being his finger—so ye, not only did people know who Pettigrew was, they were fairly intimately familiar with the story. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Mar 1 '16 at 4:20
Everyone thought Peter was dead. The twins would have assumed he was a homonym, or a distant relation who happened to share his common given name. – Pwassonne Mar 10 '16 at 8:42
As for why he was in bed with Ron, either the twins didn't look at Ron's dormitory, or they noticed and were discreet enough for once not to mention it to Ron or Harry because some things are not joking matters. Most likely they didn't look, because I would have been worried if my older brother's ex boyfriend was sleeping with my 11-12yo younger brother. – Pwassonne Mar 10 '16 at 8:44
There's no way that Scabbers lived with the Weasley family for 12 years and the twins never noticed him sleeping with Ron every night.
I prefer to think that the twins just assumed the map didn't work on animals. Or maybe they thought that scabbers's original name had been Peter and didn't think anything of it. It wouldn't be too strange in the wizarding world for rats to have first and last names.
Maybe they noticed and just didn't care. After all, the name didn't mean anything to them.
christychristy
You wouldn't be able to tell exactly where someone is. You might see Peter in the Gryffindor common room, but not that he is specifically in Ron's bed because that's just a tiny area of the castle. Also, whenever Ron was sleeping in the dorm with Scabbers up to four other people would be sleeping as well. So the dots would just be on top of each other and a mess.
To be honest, at night the Gryffindor common room would probably be just a big black blob of names and dots on the map.
Here, this is a good question, and I have a theory.
Lupin was able to see Peter Pettigrew on the Marauders' map because he was the only possessor who knew that Peter was an Animagus
Fred, George, Harry, and Snape at first did not know that Peter Pettigrew was an Animagus, but professor Lupin, his once-friend, knew it, and hence was able to see him as Peter Pettigrew on the map, and not as Scabbers.
Even if they were able to see the rat as Peter Pettigrew on the map, it wouldn't have made so much of a change to the story. And also, unlike in the book, in the movie, Harry is able to see Peter on the map, which quite of seems disastrous for this theory.
R Kailash ShankarR Kailash Shankar
This is actually a great headcanon. If you would have evidence it would be great. – TheAsh says Reinstate Monica Jan 24 '19 at 17:06
I think it is a combination of perception, awareness, and focus. Even if the map shows the position/direction of anyone in a given area, maybe you have to know or be looking for a certain person for their name to show up?
Honestly, if you were trying to find one particular person on the map and he was in a crowd, everyone's names would be literally on top of each other. Thus making the names unreadable. That would make no sense. So maybe you have to be focusing on that specific person or "dot" to see the name?
DarionDarion
Lupin was one of the original creators of the Marauder's Map so he knew more about it than Harry, the twins or anyone except Peter and Sirius.
dean1957dean1957
Yes but Fred, George and Harry were all perfectly proficient in using the Map. They never have any problems in using it or in locating people on it so it can't be that Lupin was so much better at using the Map. Unless you have some evidence to back up your point? – The Dark Lord Sep 14 '17 at 19:20
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged harry-potter hogwarts marauders-map or ask your own question.
Why didn't Fred and George discover Pettigrew first with the Marauders Map?
How come the Weasley twins didn't realize Wormtail was alive because of the Marauder's Map?
Why do Fred and George Weasley not discover Peter Pettigrew?
Why didn't the Marauder's Map show Mad Eye Moody hidden in the trunk?
Which Harry Potter works are considered canon?
Why didn't Voldemort show up on the Marauders Map?
Why Did Lupin and Snape never spot Sirius in animal form during Prisoner of Azkaban?
How many students attended Hogwarts?
What kind of beings are shown by the Marauder's Map?
In the Harry Potter universe, why aren't there more maps enchanted like the Marauder's Map?
Could the Marauder's map show two sets of Harry and Hermione?
Did Dumbledore approve of Harry using the Marauder's Map?
Doesn't Snape see Peter Pettigrew on the map in Prisoner of Azkaban?
Why did Percy, Fred and George receive their exam results so early?
How much did Peter Pettigrew learn about Harry as Scabbers, and did he ever relay all this personal information to Voldemort?
Why don’t the twins notice things on the marauders map?
Why was Lupin angry that Harry did not hand in the Marauder's Map?
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Attack Campaign Targets Organizations Worldwide With New Qbot Banking Malware Variant
Security researchers spotted a new attack campaign that’s targeting organizations in several countries with a new variant of Qbot banking malware.
In its investigation, Varonis found the campaign consists of phishing emails that come with an attached ZIP file using a .doc.vbs extension. Upon execution, the VBS script extracts information about the target machine’s operating system and attempts to check for strings associated with well-known antivirus software. It then uses the BITSAdmin tool to run a malware loader.
This loader, which has multiple versions signed with different digital certificates, creates a registry value, scheduled task and startup shortcut to establish persistence on the infected machine. It then launches a 32-bit explorer.exe file before injecting the main payload: a new variant of Qbot. This malware is capable of keylogging, stealing credentials/cookies from a web browser and hooking into running processes so it can latch onto users’ banking login information.
Qbot’s Adaptability in Recent Years
Varonis noted that the campaign is mostly targeting corporations located in the U.S., but it also has hit organizations around the world, including companies based in Europe, Asia and South America. Researchers analyzed the threat’s command-and-control (C&C) server and came across evidence suggesting that this Qbot campaign has already claimed thousands of victims.
This isn’t the first time Qbot has gone through some changes. For example, researchers at BAE Systems identified a variant back in April 2016 that incorporated polymorphic code, thereby making itself more difficult to detect. In November 2018, Alibaba Cloud Security uncovered a new version capable of performing brute-force attacks and enlisting infected hosts into a botnet.
How to Defend Against Banking Malware
Security professionals can help defend against banking malware like Qbot by using a unified endpoint management (UEM) platform to set up security policies and compliance rules that automate malware remediation. This step will help streamline the organization’s response capabilities in the event of a malware infection.
Additionally, security professionals should use a sophisticated anti-phishing solution that tracks which brands are under attack and uses machine learning to become proficient in evolving phishing tactics.
Automation | Banking Malware | Command-and-Control (C&C) | Credentials Theft | Keylogging | Malware | Personal Data | Phishing Emails | Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)
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Cyber Security News, Analysis and Opinion for The Internet Of Things Monday, January 20, 2020
Sponsorship & Media Kit
About Security Ledger
Quantifiable Self
Hacks & Hackers
Episode 108: DEF CON’s Car Hacking Village and is the Open Source Model Failing on Security
August 14, 2018 15:28 by Paul Roberts
Subscribe: Android | Email | Google Podcasts | RSS
In this week’s podcast (#108), sponsored by CA Veracode: hacker summer camp wrapped up on Sunday, as the 26th annual DEF CON conference concluded at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Hacks of connected and smart vehicles were a big theme again this year. We sat down with the organizers of DEF CON’s Car Hacking Village to see what was news at this year’s show. Also: open source software has revolutionized the way software gets made, and turbo charged the growth of companies like Facebook and Uber. But is the open source model failing us when it comes to security? We’re joined by OWASP founder Mark Curphey of CA Veracode to discuss it.
Elon who? A visit to DEF CON’s Car Hacking Village
Hacker summer camp wrapped up on Sunday, as the 26th annual DEF CON conference concluded at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, ending a week of security conferences including the annual Black Hat Briefings and B-Sides Las Vegas. Some of the headlines out of the shows were predictable: DEF CON’s voting village yielded all too predictable stories about outdated electronic voting equipment making an easy target for hackers – this year it was an 11 year old girl.
While we always love to see middle schoolers and teens strutting their stuff at DEF CON, we’ve also weighed in on why hacks of aging e-voting systems might not be the best use of the security industry’s time and energies.
What was of interest at this year’s show were hacks of connected vehicles – including a talk and paper (PDF) by Jeep Cherokee hackers Chris Valasek and Charlie Miller, a presentation of a remote hack of a Tesla vehicle by researchers at China’s Keen Security (a division of Tencent) as well as — wait for it — a surprise appearance by Tesla Chief Elon Musk, who left with a promise to release Tesla’s security software as open source, clearing the way for it to be used across the industry.
That’s a great gesture and speaks to Musk’s history and roots as a creator of Internet-powered startups like Paypal. But – as we know, the automobile industry is older and wholly different from Silicon Valley and there’s no indication that the future of connected cars will look anything like that of connected phones, connected homes or anything else.
To get a sense of where things might be heading, Security Ledger stopped by the Car Hacking Village at DEFCON last week to speak to the folks from Grimm, a top vehicle security consultancy that organizes the Car Hacking Village. In our first segment of this week’s podcast, I speak with Bryson Bort, Grimm’s Chairman and Founder and researchers Tomas Tillery and Aaron Cornelius about the differences and similarities between hacking vehicles and other kinds of connected endpoints, and about what the near future and the advent of self driving and autonomous vehicles may hold.
A contestant in the DEF CON Car Hacking Village’s Kidnap Challenge. Photo by Paul Roberts.
We start off by talking about the Car Hacking Village, which this year added a “kidnap challenge,” in which DEF CON attendees were grabbed (with their consent, of course), blindfolded, thrown in the back of a Jeep Cherokee and given a laptop and a connection to the vehicle’s network. Their challenge, manipulate the car to spring the trunk or door locks and free themselves.
With Many Eyes, Open Source Risk is Deep
Open source software has revolutionized the way software applications get made – and how companies get started. The proliferation of open source projects has created an ecosystem of ready-made blocks that can be used to build and expand software applications at lightening speed. Companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter and – yes – even Microsoft now rely heavily on open source software to power their growth and operation.
Mark Curphey is the VP of Strategy at CA Veracode.
But the shift to open source software is not an unallied good. In fact, the widespread use and re-use of open source libraries and code might accelerate software development, but it also spreads around cyber risk in the form of exploitable software vulnerabilities in that code and even back doors, malware and ransomware that might worm their way into open source repositories.
[You might also like: Podcast Episode 94: Black Report takes Hacker View and Securing the Open Source Supply Chain]
The world woke up to this with the Heartbleed vulnerability in OpenSSL, but the problem is much bigger than one open source tool. To get a better understanding of the problem, we caught up with Mark Curphey of the firm CA Veracode on the sidelines of the Black Hat Briefings.
In this conversation Mark talks about the founding of his company SourceClear, which was acquired by Veracode, and about the problem of tracing the impact of open source vulnerabilities in software applications. Unlike other security research problems, however, solving the open source dependency problem requires cutting edge data science to analyze changes across millions of open source libraries and billions of lines of code.
(*) An earlier version of this story misspelled Mr. Bort’s last name. The story has been corrected. PFR 8/14/2018
Tags: Automobile, Black Hat, conferences, Facebook, software
Author: Paul RobertsI'm an experienced writer, reporter and industry analyst with a decade of experience covering IT security, cyber security and hacking, and a fascination with the fast-emerging "Internet of Things."
ROBERT LEALE
Grimm does not organize the village, they sponsor and provide content. But please don’t discount all the others involved.
The Security Ledger
Copyright © 2020 The Security Ledger Designed by WPZOOM
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What is White Label & Private Label: Ultimate Guide
Working with eCommerce, there are two terms that are applied to products people sell on Amazon. These are white and private labels. Both of them determine the items which you sell, but still, one can find some differences between these labels. In this article, you will get to know some significant features which play a great role in selling goods online.
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Private Label Product: Definition and Features
Imagine you are going to sell products of such a famous brand like Adidas, for example. This is considered to be a private label product. So, private label is a group of goods which are delivered directly to you from the producers. These items are marketed under their own brand and must be sold as the exclusive item.
As a rule, it is a bit cheaper to sell such products as national brands and the most important aspect here is that you may earn a lot of money, in case if you trade them correctly.
There is a great variety of private label products which are sold all over the world. For example, such a famous brand as Nike. Only their credible partners deliver the goods. Nike places tags of the brand, conducts quality control, and then trade. Many different clothing, makeup, and food companies work according to the same scheme. As you pay for the output of private-label goods only, this model of business can increase your income in several times.
In fact, private label is used for physical goods mostly. There are plenty of cosmetic products, clothing, and home items, etc., marked with private label. Along with it, the majority of people even do not know about the actual origin of products.
White Label Product: What Is It?
Along with the private label products, there are generic goods that are produced by one single manufacturer, but other retailers can make rebranding and sell these items as their own merch. These are white label products. As the producers have already worked with their goods, it means that you, as a retailer, cannot set some additional options according to your own specifications. The only things you may change are marketing, package, and branding.
If your own company has a popular brand, this means that you can mark your items as your own and let your popular brand work on your new product marketing and advertising. As there is no need to explore the new merch and market, a seller gets a higher profit and lower price for developing a new product. Moreover, you will not need to spend much time on the new product line launch, as everything is ready.
It is rather difficult to list the most successful examples of white label products, as the producers of such goods are anonymous. This kind of label is also used in software as a service (SaaS), but can also be used in real services.
Private Label vs White Label: Main Differences
To determine differences, let’s talk about similarities first. Both, private and white label products are created by some manufacturers.
You, as a seller, are able to control all the marketing and advertising campaigns.
It is possible to rename the products.
The producers of goods do not have any trademarks on the items you buy.
These points seem to be a little bit confusing, right? But in fact, we have some insignia here. Go off focusing on the most significant of them.
1. Customization.
Talking about white label products, in this case, all the items have been already produced before you make a deal with the manufacturer. So, the only thing you may customize is the packing.
As for private label products, where retailers are able to customize goods, it is also possible to sell items which look different to your buyers (even if the manufacturer sells a variation of your product to another retailer).
2. The exclusivity of products.
Retailers who deal with private label products can send all the specifications of goods to their producers, which means that other retailers will no be able to sell similar items.
White label products are not unique and exclusive as the producers offer the same goods to different sellers, but not to you only.
3. Cost and ROI
Selling white label products, you need to advertise them a lot, because of the big amount of competitors. If you complete all the marketing strategies correctly, such a business can increase your income in several times.
Trading private label products, you need to pay much for private trademarks as you get all the necessary info from product research, product development, and up to marketing. But ROI here is expected to be rather high, as you will be a seller of unique and exclusive items.
4. Products themselves.
Private label products are considered to be mostly physical items such as clothing, for example. These goods are produced by manufacturers and resold under retailers.
White label products nowadays considered to be something non-physical like services or software which are distributed to retailers who resell them as their own.
What is Better to Use: White Label or Private Label?
If you have ever wondered about the challenges of creating your own goods and brand, you must understand that working with white label products is much easier. Actually, if it is your first experience in eCommerce and selling goods online, you may spend a lot of money but do not get any income. In this case, dealing with white labeling is the best practice for you. Moreover, this kind of merch will save your time and money.
Whether you should sell white or private label products depends on the goods themselves. But it goes without saying that taking a product that has already been created and rebranding it is far easier than inventing your own from scratch. What to choose white or private label products also depends on the business itself. In some cases, sellers are trying to find something that is less expensive and others desire a dependable and well-recognized brand.
Both private and white labeling give new sellers an opportunity to start their own business without building special warehouses, hire people who will work on different points not to let different challenges appear.
There are pros and cons fo working with both labels, but it is not necessary to choose the best one. You just need to understand and decide what kind of business you have and what products you need for it. Ultimately, the type of product you choose should fit your brand, resources, business goals, and commitment level since any eCommerce business requires hard work.
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Guide to Using GTINs in Google Shopping
Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) are the well-known identifiers we work with while buying on Google. By providing these numbers, you will make your future advertisements more detailed. In such a way, potential customers are more likely to find your products. In this article, we’ll talk in detail about GTIN in Google Shopping and how to use it.
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The Best Free Music Making Software For Mac Guide
By now, you probably know what a powerful creative tool your Mac is. It’s definitely hard to beat when it comes to retouching photos, editing videos, and — naturally — making music.
There are, in fact, so many music making apps for Mac that it’s hard to decide which one to get and what’s the difference between them, especially if you’re just starting out. But don’t worry — below is the ultimate guide to help you pick the best music production software currently on the market.
The Best Free Music Software For Mac
It’s important to note that no single music creation software is best for everyone. Needs, experience levels, and preferences tent do differ a lot, so the final choice should be different as well. Having said that, there are a few options that have been winning in their respective categories over the years again and again. Here they are.
GarageBand: The easiest way to start
You don’t have to go far for an introductory experience to music making programs — the GarageBand app is already pre-installed on your system.
GarageBand for Mac is a versatile free music making software for beginners. You can use its tutorials to make your first steps into playing an instrument, record your own music (including your voice), add special effects, and produce complete tracks to upload to SoundCloud or beyond.
If you don’t have GarageBand in your Applications folder yet, download it from the App Store for free. When you open the app, it’ll prompt you to get all the available sounds and effects. In the latest GarageBand version for macOS Catalina, Apple has included a fantastic virtual drummer that you can customize to fit your patterns exactly, whether you’re playing rock or hip-hop. The layout of all the GarageBand options is quite intuitive, so you can definitely study the app on your own, learning more as you go.
Some downsides to the GarageBand app are essentially reasons why pros don’t use it: at some point you max out its capabilities and need features like advanced crossfades, for example. When you feel that instead of the music making software serving you, you start serving the music making software — it’s probably time to upgrade.
Ableton Live 10: The best music making software ever
At the other end of the music software spectrum is the industry-standard Ableton Live. First released in 2001, Ableton has been honing its music making software for nearly two decades. It’s not only able to record, arrange, mix, and master your music but also be used at live shows to play that music back, right from the same interface.
Bad news: it’s very difficult to learn Ableton on your own if you don’t have any background in music making. Luckily, there’s a large international community of users, so you’ll likely be able to find either a local or online group in your language, which could become instrumental to getting over various hurdles.
Even more bad news: Ableton is not a free music production software at all. While Ableton Live 9 used to have a Lite version that could be downloaded free, Ableton Live 10 starts with an Intro edition at $99 (then Standard at $449, then Suite at $749). The more expensive the version the more effects, instruments, and sounds it contains.
n-Track Studio: A top recording software for Mac
If the gap between GarageBand and Ableton Live is so wide, naturally there would be some music making apps that would try to fill it up. Enter n-Track Studio.
n-Track Studio is a music making software free of Ableton’s complexities but with nearly all of its power. You can record songs from live instruments or create complex EDM tracks using virtual tools as well, with the help of a massive library of sound effects. What’s more, n-Track Studio features a free MIDI software built right in and doesn’t require a too powerful of a processor on your machine, since its audio engine is optimized for minimum latency, even when dozens of tracks are played at once.
Starting with n-Track Studio is very easy:
Click the circled plus icon to create a new track, either blank or armed for recording
Right-click on the new track and choose “Add blank MIDI track”
Select your instrument
Play any progression you like, either using your trackpad or a connected controller
Repeat as many times as needed and enhance with other effects
Overall, exploring n-Track Studio is pure pleasure: more freedom than the standard GarageBand without the difficulty and cost of Ableton. Perfect choice!
Make all music sound better with Boom 3D
While selecting the best free music making software is important, it’s equally important to ensure that whatever tunes you create are going to be played appropriately. As most Macs are simply too quiet for all the intricacies of the music software, you need Boom 3D to make it all work.
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Michigan Sea Grant
Tom Johengen
johengen@umich.edu
Michigan Sea Grant achieved college status in 1982 and is a cooperative program between the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. They fund research, education and outreach programs to promote better understanding, conservation and use of Michigan's coastal resources.
Visit Michigan Sea Grant's website
Michigan Sea Grant by the Numbers
SEA GRANT WORK IN MICHIGAN RESULTED IN*
K-12 STUDENTS REACHED
*Metrics reported in July 2018 for work conducted February 1, 2017 to January 31, 2018. Economic impact = market and non-market value of Sea Grant's work; value of jobs and businesses. "Students supported" includes new and continuing students receiving financial support to pursue an undergraduate or graduate degree. K-12 students reached through Sea Grant education efforts.
Michigan Sea Grant Featured Impacts
Michigan Sea Grant Birding Project Draws Tourists to Lake Huron Shoreline
Michigan’s eastern Upper Peninsula boasts a vibrant natural and cultural history. However, the area has seen a notable loss in jobs, population, and tourism. One of the region’s challenges is to develop new economic opportunities and diversify the local economy. Thanks to the state’s diverse habitats and species, Michigan has many popular birding locations. By identifying and publicizing their own local birding hot spots, eastern Upper Peninsula communities can entice some of those visitors to their area.
Michigan Sea Grant helped create an interactive online birding trail and informational website to encourage winter tourism along the shores of Lake Huron in the Upper Peninsula. The interactive map and website direct birders to local birding hotspots, describe areas unique to the eastern Upper Peninsula, and help people understand the importance of shoreline habitat for bird migration and breeding. The North Huron Birding Trail has generated thousands of unique views since it debuted in 2016. In addition, Michigan Sea Grant held several birding presentations and hosted birding trips that reached 147 people — and brought tourist money to the eastern Upper Peninsula.
Michigan Sea Grant Citizen Science Projects Inform Management Decisions to Keep Fisheries Sustainable
Recreational and commercial fisheries are a vital part of Michigan’s heritage, with Great Lakes fisheries valued at approximately $7 billion annually. Solid management of these resources begins with solid science - which requires solid data. Michigan Sea Grant developed three citizen science programs to engage anglers in learning about their fishery and provide data that could inform decision-making. The Salmon Ambassadors program and Great Lakes Angler Diary app enable anglers to submit observations on harvest of wild and stocked salmon and other species. The Huron-Michigan Diet Study encourages anglers to collect fish stomachs needed for research on the Great Lakes’ changing food web. Michigan Sea Grant’s how-to videos, signs, and demonstrations promote and teach volunteers proper collection procedures.
In 2017, Salmon Ambassadors and Great Lakes Angler Diary users recorded data on 1,305 Chinook salmon to determine the percent of fish that are wild or hatchery raised. App users also submitted complete data for an additional 363 fish of other species and collected 59 stomachs for the fish diet study. Volunteers with both programs collected a combined total of 146 Chinook salmon snouts that contained coded wire tags. Additional volunteers also collected more than 1,000 fish stomachs.
Michigan Sea Grant Sustainable Small Harbors Project Equips Leaders to Address Waterfront Community Needs
Michigan Sea Grant funds the Sustainable Small Harbors project to identify barriers preventing small harbors from becoming economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable, and to equip coastal community leaders with the tools to assess and strengthen their own waterfront assets.
In 2017, Michigan Sea Grant hosted a webinar with state partners to share the Sustainable Small Harbors (SSH) Tools and Tactics Guidebook. More than 75 people from states across the Great Lakes participated in the webinar. Michigan Sea Grant acquired state funding to print and distribute the guidebook to several stakeholder groups. Michigan Sea Grant also expanded partnerships with state agencies and recreational harbormasters to further develop the SSH program and reach additional coastal communities. The Michigan Sea Grant team was recognized with a regional outreach award from the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network in June 2017 for its successful work on this project.
Michigan Stories and News
Monday, September 9, 2019 0 777
Cleanup efforts bring life to local waterfronts
Revitalization breaks through in this photo essay from National Geographic photographer Peter Essick, in collaboration with the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network, demonstrating the renewed majesty of the Great Lakes.
Take a visual tour of the restoration and resurgence of Great Lakes tributaries that were designated as Areas of Concern under the 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. These tributaries were pinpointed due to significant pollution and habitat problems, but with funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Areas of Concern are getting cleaned up and habitat is being restored.
An ecological investment is bringing life back to the aquatic environment. Tourism, recreation, and development are returning to the basin’s rivers, harbors, and lakes.
Sea Grant, EPA, others partner to clean up Great Lakes
Monday, September 24, 2018 0 8756
Sea Grant programs in the Great Lakes and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are teaming up to raise awareness about cost-sharing programs available through the Great Lakes Legacy Act for sediment cleanup efforts. A new video and social media campaign explain.
Sea Grant and partners work together to restore culturally important wild rice
Wednesday, June 13, 2018 0 2836
Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin Sea Grant programs along with NOAA's Office for Coastal Management and many tribal and local partners are working together to increase community awareness about the cultural and ecological importance of native wild rice.
Student video offers solutions to marine debris problems in Great Lakes
Tuesday, May 30, 2017 0 5046
A group of fifth-grade students from Alpena, Michigan created a movie to help everyone understand why marine debris is a problem and to offer ideas about how they can contribute toward solutions.
For Economic Growth, Just Add Water
Wednesday, January 27, 2016 0 3881
Michigan is first in the country for water-dependent economic growth
A recent NOAA report found that water-based industries are outpacing other economic sectors. Michigan, partially assisted by Michigan Sea Grant, shows some of the most significant growth in water-based industries.
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Q&A: Author and Microsoft C# MVP highlights new enhancements and common challenges with Visual Studi
While Microsoft fixed many issues to Visual Studio in version 2010, updates are "evolutionary not revolutionary," says author Alex Mackey. In VS 2010/.NET 4.0, Microsoft updated a number of APIs and has made parallelization much easier. On the down side, some advanced tools are only available in the more expensive versions and updates are becoming more sporadic.
Rob Barry, News Writer
Microsoft has fixed a number of long-standing issues in Visual Studio 2010 and has brought about an evolutionary – not revolutionary – update in .NET 4, said Alex Mackey, author of Introducing .NET With Visual Studio 2010.
Mackey is an ASP.NET/SQL Server consultant who has been working with .NET since version 1.0. Recently Alex has led development on a number of complex health care applications and has worked around the world in the Middle East, America and Ireland. Alex is active in the development community and runs the .NET user group DevEvening.co.uk. He is a Microsoft C# MVP.
As you were working on the book, did you find anything particularly surprising in the updates Microsoft made to Visual Studio or .NET?
I guess some of the dynamic changes were a bit surprising to me at first. However, they make a lot of sense when you consider that developers need an easier way to work with technologies such as COM.
Interoperability with other languages such as IronPython and IronRuby is also pretty cool and opens some interesting possibilities.
Visual Studio 2010 and .NET 4 are very much about evolution rather than revolution, so the changes in this release were not as radical and surprising as say .NET 3. This release contains many fixes to some old issues and refinement of existing API's.
One nice surprise was the pricing and ease of setup of Team Foundation Studio Basic. Do .NET 4.0 and VS2010 make parallelization and threading easier for developers in a significant way?
Absolutely. However, don't think that these are going to take away the complexities of threading and parallelization - these are inherently tricky concepts and guaranteed to increase the complexity of applications and give even the smartest developer a headache.
The good news is that the new Task APIs are much more intuitive to use and give you fine grained control over the scheduling and synchronization of tasks.
Visual Studio 2010 IDE also contains improved support for debugging parallel and multithreaded applications with some nice new visualization windows and tools. Take a look at Daniel Moth's website for a walk through of some of these.
It is worth noting that some applications upgraded to .NET 4 will run quicker with no work from the developer due to enhancements to the thread pool and garbage collection. Do you think Microsoft has given developers enough reasons to start adopting Windows Workflow Foundation in VS2010?
Windows Workflow has undergone a radical re-development in this release. It's quicker, has a better designer, is easier to customize and contains a new type of workflow, the flowchart. It is also more tightly integrated with WCF in terms of activities. I also liked the introduction of variables and arguments that make it much easier to pass data between activities.
Windows Workflow wasn't something that interested me previously, but the new enhancements make this a technology framework that all developers should be aware of. What were the most significant updates to ASP .NET?
Arguably the most significant update is the ability to control the ClientID that is generated for ASP .NET controls. This has only taken 8 or 9 years! You can now even specify the format the id is generated for repeating controls like the grid view. Another important change is the ability to specify how ViewState is inherited by controls.
ASP .NET contains a huge number of tweaks and improvements. I really like the much reduced Web.config file and some of the more subtle changes, such as improved html rendering, new HTML encoding syntax and fixes to paging.
ASP .NET deployment is also much improved with enhancements to the deployment process that make it easy to perform some quite complex deployments and changes.
Will Silverlight developers get everything they need for building applications in VS2010?
I must admit I am not up to date with Silverlight support in the final release. At the time I was researching and writing my book Silverlight and WPF support was much improved; Silverlight design surface being read-only in 2008. However, there were still suffered stability issues in the RC. I suspect Silverlight developers will still be using Blend for some time yet. Finally, is there anything in Visual Studio that you think Microsoft still needs to improve on?
The biggest disappoint for me was that Microsoft moved the ability to analyze code contracts at compile time to the more expensive Premium and Ultimate editions of Visual Studio. This is fantastic technology that could really improve the quality and stability of our applications. Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate Edition has a recommended retail price of over $10,000 that will put this feature out of reach for many developers.
From what I have seen, Silverlight and WPF support still has some way to go, although I accept Visual Studio is never going to offer the same functionality as Blend.
Finally, one thing that can be frustrating is that Microsoft is increasingly releasing updates out of the main cycle. This can be great in that you get product improvements quicker, but it can result in some annoying dependency problems when using new technologies such as Azure and RIA services. I am sure this kind of thing will get sorted out in time through.
However, these are minor criticisms. Visual Studio 2010 and .NET 4 are great releases and I can't wait to see what the teams come up with next.
Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 spotlight
Microsoft Azure adds VS 2010 and .NET 4 support at Tech-Ed
Visual Studio 2010: A Beginner's Guide
Q&A: Visual Studio expert on using Silverlight, ... – SearchWinDevelopment
Microsoft buys Teamprise - gains Eclipse plug-in for ... – SearchAppArchitecture
Microsoft Azure adds VS 2010 and .NET 4 support at ... – SearchAppArchitecture
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1. Israel / Palestine: Illustration from the 13th century Morgan Bible of David bringing the Ark into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6)
Pictures from History
arts, morgan bible, historical images, history pictures, art, historical, jerusalem, bible, ark of the covenant, history images, christianity, israeli, israel, king david, historical pictures, judaism, paintings, palestinian, painting, history, religion, tabot, palestine, and al-quds
At the beginning of his reign, King David removed the Ark from Kirjath-jearim amid great rejoicing. On the way to Zion, Uzzah, one of the drivers of the cart whereon the Ark was carried, put out his hand to steady the Ark, and was smitten by God for touching it. David, in fear, carried the Ark aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite, instead of carrying it on to Zion, and there it stayed three months (2 Samuel 6:1-11; 1 Chronicles 13:1-13).
Find full text or request
2. England: 'The Adoration of the Magi', Ranworth Antiphonal, Norwich, c. 1460-1480 CE
arts, incense, zoroastrianism, arabia, historical images, history pictures, art, historical, myrrh, bible, persia, three kings, persian, history images, arabian, three wise men, christianity, frankincense, incense road, israel, historical pictures, gold, holy land, history, religion, palestine, iran, and magi
The Magi, in royal or aristocratic dress, come to adore Christ child and to bring gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh.
3. Middle East / Iraq: The Suffering of Job. Miniature from the Syriac Bible of Paris (Mesopotamia, 7th-8th centuries)
arts, historical images, history pictures, art, job, historical, antiquity, syria, bible, history images, old testament, prophet, oman, christianity, israel, historical pictures, judaism, paintings, book of job, painting, history, religion, torah, koran, islam, palestine, levant, and qur'an
Job is the central character of the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible. Job is also recognised as a prophet of God in the Qur'an.
4. Middle East / Austria: Job afflicted with sores. Frecso from Parz Castle in Upper Austria, c. 1580
arts, historical images, history pictures, frescoes, art, fresco, job, historical, antiquity, mural, syria, bible, history images, old testament, prophet, murals, oman, christianity, israel, historical pictures, judaism, paintings, book of job, painting, history, religion, torah, koran, islam, palestine, levant, and qur'an
5. Middle East / Austria: Job loses his fortune. Frecso from Parz Castle in Upper Austria, c. 1580
6. Middle East / Netherlands: Job is comforted by the musicians. A copper engraving with the monogram 'BOS', Netherlands, c. 1500-1525
arts, historical images, history pictures, art, job, historical, antiquity, syria, bible, history images, old testament, engravings, prophet, oman, christianity, israel, historical pictures, judaism, book of job, engraving, history, religion, torah, koran, islam, palestine, levant, and qur'an
7. Middle East: Job and his friends in the Kiev Psalter, 1397
8. Middle East: Job and his wife in the Kiev Psalter, 1397
9. Middle East / Netherlands: Job (left, with sores) in a medieval wall painting at Hattem Church, Gelderland, c. 13th century
10. Middle East / France: Job, afflicted with sores as his house burns, is comforted by his wife and friends. Biblia Sacra, Jean Benoit (c. 1484 - 1573)
11. Middle East: An image of the Prophet Ayyub (Job) from an illuminated Arabic manuscript of the 'Stories of the Prophets', 11th century
arts, arabic, historical images, history pictures, art, job, historical, antiquity, syria, bible, history images, old testament, prophet, oman, christianity, israel, scripts, historical pictures, judaism, paintings, book of job, painting, muslim, history, religion, torah, koran, islam, palestine, levant, qur'an, and ayyub
12. Middle East / Russia: Job with a halo in a fresco on the southwest wall of the Kremlin cathedral, 1547-1551
13. Middle East / France: Job on his Dung-hill visited by his Friends and his Wife. Bible of Petrus Comestor (died c. 1178), 1372
14. Middle East: Job Speaks with His Friends (Book of Job 2:1-13). Gustave Dore (1832-1883)
15. Middle East: Job Hears of His Misfortunes (Book of Job 1:1-22). Gustave Dore (1832-1883)
16. Russia / Israel: The Star of David in the oldest surviving complete copy of the Masoretic text, the Leningrad Codex, dated 1008.
hebrew, asia, historical images, history pictures, asian pictures, historical, asia pictures, jew, asian image, asian, russia, bible, history images, star of david, script, asian images, israel, scripts, writing, historical pictures, judaism, russian, jewish, history, religion, and leningrad
The Leningrad Codex (or Codex Leningradensis) is the oldest complete manuscript of the Hebrew Bible in Hebrew, using the masoretic text and Tiberian vocalization. It is dated AD 1008 (or possibly AD 1009) according to its colophon. The Aleppo Codex, against which the Leningrad Codex was corrected, is several decades older, but parts of it have been missing since 1947, making the Leningrad Codex the oldest complete codex of the Tiberian mesorah that has survived intact to this day. In modern times, the Leningrad Codex is most important as the Hebrew text reproduced in Biblia Hebraica (1937) and Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (1977). It also serves scholars as a primary source for the recovery of details in the missing parts of the Aleppo Codex.
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140 J. T. Jang§, H. Kang§, H. R. Yu, E. S. Kim, K. S. Son, S.-H. Cho, D. M. Kim, S.-J. Choi, D. H. Kim* "The Influence of Anion Composition on Subgap Density of States and Electrical Characteristics in ZnON Thin-Film Transistors" IEEE Electron Device Letters, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 40-43, DOI: 10.1109/LED.2018.2883732, 2019-01 PDF
139 B. Choi, J. Lee, J. Yoon, M. Jeon, Y. Lee, J. Han, J. Lee, J. Park, Y. Kim, D. M. Kim, D. H. Kim, S. Chung, C. Lim, S.-J. Choi* "Effect of charge trap layer thickness on the charge spreading behavior within a few seconds in 3-D charge trap flash memory" Semiconductor Science and Technology, vol. 33, no. 10, doi.org/10.1088/1361-6641/aade29, 2018-09 PDF
138 H. R. Yu, J. T. Jang, D. Ko, S. Choi, G. Ahn, S.-J. Choi, D. M. Kim, and D. H. Kim* "Degradation on the Current Saturation of Output Characteristics in Amorphous InGaZnO Thin-Film Transistors" IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, vol. 65, no. 8, 10.DOI: 1109/TED.2018.2844862, 2018-08 PDF
137 S. Kim†, B. Choi†, M. Lim, Y. Kim, H.-D. Kim, S.-J. Choi* (†These authors equally contributed to this work) "Synaptic Device Network Architecture with Feature Extraction for Unsupervised Image Classification" Small, DOI: 10.1002/small. 201800521, 2018-07 PDF
136 Y. Lee, B. Choi, J. Yoon, Y. Kim, J. Park, H-.J. Kim, D. H. Kim, D. M. Kim, S. Kim*, and S.-J. Choi*(*co-corresponding authors) "Highly transparent tactile sensor based on a percolated carbon nanotube network" AIP Advances, Vol. 8, p. 065109, DOI:10.1063/1.5036530, 2018-06 PDF
135 J. Yoon†, J. Han†, B. Choi, Y. Lee, Y. Kim, J. Park, M. Lim, M.-H. Kang, D. H. Kim, D. M. Kim, S. Kim*, S.-J. Choi* "A Three-Dimensional Printed Poly(vinyl alcohol) Substrate with Controlled On-Demand Degradation for Transient Electronics" ACS Nano, DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.8b02244, 2018-05 PDF
134 J. Yoon†, H. Jung†, J. T. Jang, J. Lee, Y. Lee, M. Lim, D. M. Kim, D. H. Kim*, S.-J. Choi* (†These authors equally contributed to this work, *co-corresponding authors) "Hybrid complementary inverter based on carbon nanotube and IGZO thin-film transistors with controlled process conditions" Journal of Alloys and Compounds, DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2018.05.188, 2018-05 PDF
133 Y. Lee†, J. Han†, B. Choi, J. Yoon, J. Park, Y. Kim, J. Lee, D. H. Kim, D. M. Kim, M. Lim, M.-H. Kang, S. Kim*, S.-J. Choi* (†These authors equally contributed to this work) "Three-Dimensionally Printed Micro-electromechanical Switches" ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b01455, 2018-04 PDF
132 J. Kim, H. Yoo, H. Lee, S. K. Kim, S. Choi, S.-J. Choi, D. H. Kim, D. M. Kim "Comprehensive separate extraction of parasitic resistances in MOSFETs considering the gate bias-dependence and the asymmetric overlap length" Microelectronics Reliability, DOI: 10.1016/j.microrel.2018.04.011, 2018-04 PDF
131 S. K. Kim, J.-P. Shim, D.-M. Guem, J. Kim, C. Z. Kim, H.-S. Kim, J. D. Song, S.-J. Choi, D. H. Kim, W. J. Choi, H.-J. Kim, D. M. Kim, S. Kim "Impact of Ground Plane Doping and Bottom-Gate Biasing on Electrical Properties in In0.53Ga0.47As-OI MOSFETs and Donor Wafer Reusability Toward Monolithic 3-D Integration With In0.53Ga0.47As Channel" IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRON DEVICES, vol. 65, no. 5, pp. 1862-1868, DOI: 10.1109/TED.2018.2810304, 2018-03 , 2018-03 PDF
130 J. T. Jang, S.-J. Choi, D. M. Kim, D. H. Kim "The Calculation of Negative Bias Illumination Stress-Induced Instability of Amorphous InGaZnO Thin-Film Transistors for Instability-Aware Design" IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, vol. 65, no. 3, pp. 1002-1008, DOI: 10.1109/TED.2018.2797208, 2018-03 PDF
129 J. Jang†, S. Choi†, J. Kim, T. J. Park, B.-G. Park, D. M. Kim, S.-J. Choi, S. M. Lee, D. H. Kim, H.-S. Mo (†These authors equally contributed to this work) " Effect of liquid gate bias rising time in pH sensors based on Si nanowire ion sensitive field effect transistors" Solid State Electronics, vol. 140, pp. 109-114, DOI: 10.1016/j.sse.2017.10.027, 2018-02 PDF
128 J. T. Jang, D. Ko, G. Ahn, H. R. Yu, H. Jung, Y. S. Kim, C. Yoon S. Lee, B. H. Park, S.-J. Choi, D. M. Kim, D. H. Kim "Effect of oxygen content of the LaAlO3 layer on the synaptic behavior of Pt/LaAlO3/Nb-doped SrTiO3 memristors for neuromorphic applications" Solid State Electronics, vol. 140, pp. 139-143, DOI: 10.1016/j.sse.2017.10.032, 2018-02 PDF
127 J. T. Jang†, D. Ko†, S. Choi, H. Kang, J.-Y. Kim, H. R. Yu, G. Ahn, H. Jung, J. Rhee, S.-J. Choi, D. M. Kim, D. H. Kim(†These authors equally contributed to this work) "Effects of structure and oxygen flow rate on the photo-response of amorphous IGZO-based photodetector devices" Solid State Electronics, vol. 140, pp. 115-121, DOI: 10.1016/j.sse.2017.10.028, 2018-02 PDF
126 S. Kim†, M. Lim†, Y. Kim†, H.-D. Kim, S.-J. Choi* (These authors equally contributed to this work) "Impact of Synaptic Device Variations on Pattern Recognition Accuracy in a Hardware Neural Network" Scientific Reports, vol. 8, p. 2638, DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-21057-x, 2018-02 PDF
125 H. Jung, S. choi, J. T. Jang, J. Yoon, J. Lee, Y. Lee, J. Rhee, G. Ahn, H. R. Yu, D. M. Kim, S.-J. Choi, D. H. Kim* "Universal model of bias-stress-induced instability in inkjet-printed carbon nanotube networks field-effect transistors" Solid State Electronics, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sse.2017.10.022, 2017-10 PDF
124 J. Rhee, S. Choi, H. Kang, J.-Y. Kim, D. Ko, G. Ahn, H. Jung, S.-J. Choi, D. M. Kim, D. H. Kim* "The electron trap parameter extraction-based investigation of the relationship between charge trapping and activation energy in IGZO TFTs under positive bias temperature stress" Solid State Electronics, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sse.2017.10.024, 2017-10 PDF
123 Y. Lee, J. Yoon, B. Choi, H. Lee, J. Park, M. Jeon, J. Han, J. Lee, Y. Kim, D. H. Kim, D. M. Kim, and S.-J. Choi* "Semiconducting carbon nanotube network thin-film transistors with enhanced inkjet-printed source and drain contact interfaces" Applied physics Letters, vol. 111, no. 17, pp. 173108-173111, DOI: 10.1063/1.5009656, 2017-10 PDF
122 J.-H. Ahn, S.-J Choi, M. Im, S. Kim, C.-H. Kim, J.-Y. Kim, T. J. Park, S. Y. Lee, Y.-K. Choi* "Charge and dielectric effects of biomolecules on electrical characteristics of nanowire FET biosensors" Applied physics Letters, vol. 111, no. 11, p. 3701, DOI: 10.1063/1.5003106, 2017-09 PDF
121 S. K. Kim, J.-P. Shim, D.-M. Geum, C. Z. Kim, H.-S. Kim, J. D. Song, S.-J. Choi, D. H. Kim, W. J. Choi, H.-J. Kim, D. M. Kim, and S. Kim "Fabrication of InGaAs-on-insulator Substrates Using Direct Wafer Bonding and Epitaxial Lift-off Techniques" IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, vol. 64, no. 9, pp. 3601–3608, DOI: 10.1109/TED.2017.2722482, 2017-09 PDF
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Western Territory Scores Big Win in Private Sector
188 Bradken Foundry workers in Tacoma, WA, voted on June 26, 2019 to unionize with the IAM. In a landslide election, the workers sent a message that after years of poor treatment, it was time to bring justice to the job.
The win was possible because of the hard work of both the Foundry workers and the organizers. The organizing campaign deployed a multifaceted approach. The organizers used all tactics at their disposal including phone banking, hand billing and house calling. Another brilliant move was to employ the services of Vietnamese speaking member, Thong Trang, from District 751. He was able to communicate with the bilingual workers which helped secure the win.
After the ballots were counted and the victory was announced, some workers were overcome with tears at the prospect of negotiating pay increases. They explained how their purchasing power diminished over the last 15 years partly because of the rising cost of healthcare. Others were relieved that their worry of the cost of sending their kids to college is gone thanks to the IAM’s free college benefit.
“This is a remarkable achievement in the private sector,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary R. Allen, filled with pride “The great benefits that are bestowed to all of us in the IAM are going to help a new group of workers and their families. A magnificent organizing campaign was orchestrated by all involved including District Lodge 160 Business Representative/Organizer Steve Miller, Grand Lodge Representative Joe Solis, Special Representative Ryan Carrillo, Associate Organizers Bob Simoni and Nicole Pugh, and District Lodge 160 Directing Business Representative Paul Miller. The greatest reward attained in the labor movement is to help others; this is the sole reason for our existence. I am very proud of the staff and the Bradken Workers that made this possible.”
The post Western Territory Scores Big Win in Private Sector appeared first on IAMAW.
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Our Parishes & Schools
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▸ SCOUTS BSA -- DENS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
To watch a video on the new "Scout Me In" campaign for Scouts BSA Click here
It is an exciting time to be in Scouting! With the move to serve the entire family — boys and girls alike — we have a chance to reach an entire new generation with our amazing programs. The Catholic Conference of Scouting provides an opportunity for its members to meet together as friends in the Catholic Church. The program consists of three levels grades 1st-5th, 6th-8th, and 9th-12th.
The purpose of the Diocesan Committee is to promote the use of these national youth programs as Youth Ministry, a vehicle for Christian development, and as a service to the local community. The Scout programs provide a unique opportunity for young people to grow in Faith, Life, and Leadership.
The Committee is a lay committee organized within the Diocese of Reno as a regional affiliate of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting for members of the Boy Scouts of America and the Catholic Committee for Girl Scouts and Camp Fire for members of the Girl Scouts of the USA or Camp Fire and American Heritage Girls. The Committee is responsible to locally administer the programs of these national organizations under the auspices of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
We welcome everyone's participation!
Chairman / Interim-Chair:
Russell Fromherz
rfromherz3560@charter.net
Marty Schwedhelm
Fr. Mark Hanifan
Religious Emblem Program
Maureen O’Brien
NAC (BSA) Liaison/Scoutreach
Camping Director
Kelly Carman
The Committee supports the Scouts in the following manner:
-Support Catholic nonprofit 501c3 Chartered units at parishes such as Ponderosa Charities
-Develop new units at parishes and Catholic Schools
-Administer Catholic religious emblem programs for all Catholic scouting youth at all parishes
-Conduct special events to further scouts’ commitment to live their Catholic faith
-Ensure adult training and Youth Protection programs for all participating adults
-Provide for chaplaincy at summer camps
-Encourage annual Scout Sunday participation at parishes (Sunday before February 9th for BSA and before March 12th for GSUSA)
-Coordinate the annual “Bishop’s Youth Rally” recognizing Catholic Scout achievements
Scout Sunday
The Boy Scouts of America annually celebrates its founding on February 8, 1910, based on the program started by Lord Baden Powell in England on August 1, 1907. Scout Sunday was added to the Scout celebration in the middle 1940s. Scout Sunday is always the Sunday preceding February 8th, unless the 8th is a Sunday, in which case the 8th would be Scout Sunday. The Saturday following February 8th is Scout Sabbath.
The Scout Sunday tradition created to make people in houses of worship aware of Scouting, and to allow Scouts to live out their "Duty to God" pledged each week.
The Scout Law says that a "Scout is Reverent" and the Scouts of all ages promise to do their "Duty to God". These values strengthen youth character in their family, community and faith.
The Diocese of Reno celebrates Scout Sunday participation at parishes (Sunday before February 9th for BSA and before March 12th for GSUSA)
BISHOPS RALLY FOR CATHOLIC SCOUTING
The Roman Catholic Church has used the Boy Scout program since the early days of the Boy Scouts of America. It is one of the most extensive users of the BSA program. The Scouting program is recognized as an integral part of the total youth ministry at the diocesan level. As such, Scouting becomes part of the parish youth ministry as units are operated by the parishes and schools. The Knights of Columbus and other church-related organizations also charter and operate units.
During the Bishop’s Rally in March each year, Our Catholic Scouts achievements are recognized.
National Committee on Catholic Scouting ®
Diocesan Leaders Guidebook
BSA Adult Leaders Training
Cub Scouts Den Meeting Resources
Cub Scouts Pack Committee Resources
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For years I have been enamored with the Dutchman’s Pipe family – especially the large showy tropical varieties with their flamboyant flowers. Despite the cool features of these plants they are not palatable to our local Pipevine Swallowtails. Although the plant is in the right family for them to lay their eggs on, the larvae do not feed on it.
Aristolochia gigantea ssp. Brasiliensis
A. gigantea
While I would love to have our native Pipevine in the Ripley Garden, I do not have the space for the east coast native Aristolochia macrophylla which can quickly take up 20-35 feet with each leaf being 12 inches across. It is a big time real estate consumer! Instead, I found that Aristolochia fimbriata is a perfect surrogate host for the wee caterpillars. This plant hails from regions of Brazil and northern Argentina and forms a low mass 6 inches tall by 2 feet wide of heart-shaped foliage with white venation. The flowers of this beauty look like wonderfully small golden pipes with lovely fringed ‘eyebrows’ and are pollinated by fungus gnats. In the D.C. metro area, the plant is deciduous (meaning it sheds its leaves annually), but root hardy and happy in either full sun or dappled shade and is easy to grow from seed or stem cuttings.
Aristolochia fimbriata
Leaves of Aristolochia fimbriata
I tried a couple of times to establish this plant in the Ripley Garden only to have it eaten to the ground by a single caterpillar. This year, seeds were started at the Smithsonian Gardens Greenhouse Facility and the small plants were installed during the spring so that they had time to put on some growth before the butterflies arrived and started laying their eggs.
Swallowtail eggs on the A. fimbriata
Once the plants were established, the female Pipevine swallowtails found them and started laying little masses of bright orange eggs. These then hatched out into caterpillars who started munching away on the foliage. The little ones stuck together at first, and then spread out among the foliage. As the caterpillars go through various instars (phases between periods of molting), their appearance changes until they are about 4 inches long, with velvety dark purple-black coloring and bright orange markings down their back side. They will then stop eating and find a place to create a chrysalis, or protective covering, which looks like dried leaves. At this point they will either metamorphosize into an adult butterfly, or stay in the chrysalis to overwinter. The whole process from egg to butterfly takes about 35 days.
I am delighted to see a profusion of Pipevine swallowtail butterflies flitting about the garden knowing that these beautiful creatures have found a safe home in the Mary Livingston Ripley Garden! You too can enhance your garden with this airborne wildlife, just by planting the food they need to survive.
Caterpillars munch away on the Aristolochia foliage until they reach maturity.
Janet Draper – Smithsonian Gardens Horticulturist
September 26, 2017 at 1:00 pm smithsoniangardens 1 comment
The phrase “back to school” conjures up the crisp scent of falling leaves, the feel of a heavy backpack laden with textbooks . . . and the taste of juicy, late season tomatoes? School gardens have a long history in the United States, from their beginnings in the Progressive era to Victory Gardens during the World Wars, to the raised beds and outdoor classrooms found across schoolyards today. School gardens provide students with access to healthy and fresh food and the space to spend time outside learning about science, history, and everything in between.
School garden show hosted by the Summit Garden Club, New Jersey, circa 1900-1920. Hand-colored glass lantern slide, Archives of American Gardens.
As young people across the country head back to the classroom (if they haven’t already), here are a few school garden stories from our Community of Gardens digital archive to inspire teachers and students alike to find time to dig in the dirt and perhaps plant a seed or two this school year:
The Gardens at Chewonki in Wiscasset, Maine.
The Gardens at Chewonki
High school students, staff, and faculty tend the campus gardens and a saltwater farm with chickens, sheep, and a draft horse at this environmental organization on the coast of Maine. The farm produces 15,000 pounds of organic food each year.
Thomas Jefferson Middle School Garden in Arlington, Virginia.
The Thomas Jefferson Middle School Garden
This Virginia school garden (right in our own backyard in the Washington, D.C. metro area!) was created by a local Girl Scout troop in 2012. Today it is a community resource, playing host to classes and community events, and a portion of the produce supports the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC).
The Spartan Garden at White Station High School in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Spartan Garden at White Station High School
A committed group of high school students in Memphis built their school garden from the ground up, raising money, negotiating with school administrators for space, and building raised beds, an herb garden, and an outdoor seating area.
Teachers, grow your curriculum toolkit with these online resources from Smithsonian Gardens for learning about—and celebrating—gardens this school year:
Grown from the Past: A Short History of Community Gardening in the United States: an online exhibit from Community of Gardens with present-day and historical images.
Cultivating America’s Gardens: the online version of the physical exhibit now on view at the National Museum of American History, a collaboration between Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Smithsonian Gardens, and the Archives of American Gardens.
Smithsonian Gardens Green Ambassador Garden Design Challenge: Build your own school garden or greenspace with our handy guide, and become a Smithsonian Gardens Green Ambassador.
Community of Gardens: Does your school or club already have a school garden? Share your story with the Smithsonian Institution by contributing your story to the Community of Gardens digital archive.
-Kate Fox, Smithsonian Gardens educator
September 5, 2017 at 8:00 am smithsoniangardens Leave a comment
The National Museum of American History has welcomed visitors to its doors since 1964. The landscape at the entrance consists of raised stone planters that hug the building. In the sixties, these beds were ‘green and clean,’ a mass of nondescript groundcovers. Over the years the creative vision of Smithsonian Gardens horticulturists brought a more diverse array of plantings, including a bounty of perennials and cottage garden flowers. Thus, the Heirloom Garden was born.
Opened in 1998, the Heirloom Garden highlighted plants grown in American gardens before 1950. These included old-fashioned, grandmother’s favorites and pass-along perennials like irises and blackberry lily, as well as spring-flowering bulbs like crocus, daffodils, and tulips. The garden featured plants that Thomas Jefferson grew, Dahlias that made the All-America Selection cut, and heritage roses.
Heirloom Garden, 2012
The biggest challenge turned out to be interpreting the garden. As we researched the definition of “heirloom,” we discovered no clear answer. After consulting with experts and a myriad of published resources, we found that roses, bulbs, and annuals each had to meet a different standard to be considered heirloom. Depending on the criteria, plants had to be 50, 75, or 100 years old to make the grade. Sometimes newer varieties were included, as long as they were open-pollinated (pollinated by pollinators, not by the efforts of humans). In vegetable gardening, heirloom plants such as tomatoes must be open-pollinated as opposed to hybridized (two parent plants are crossed to produce a plant with specific traits).
Try putting all that information on a sign or explaining it in a tour! We needed a new approach. How could we best share the stories of plants and their importance to people in this country? While we were reimagining the garden, curators from the National Museum of American History were researching and planning their own exhibition, Many Voices, One Nation, which asks the question, “How did we become US?” As they were nearing the end of their choices of objects and themes, the curators reached out to Smithsonian Gardens. Could we make a garden that echoed the themes of the new exhibition?
Eryngium zabelii ‘Big Blue’
The resounding answer was yes! Smithsonian Gardens staff met with museum staff to collaborate on what would become a companion garden exhibit. Eventually, we chose four themes to capture the essential connections Americans have made with plants. Plants evoke Memory through flavor, fragrance, beauty, or herbal traditional use. Likewise, many cultures in the United States use special Healing or medicinal plants. Ingenuity and Discovery rounded out the themes that define how people throughout America’s history discovered and used plants and how Americans today continue to depend on them in new ways. These themes have been translated into interpretive sign panels for the garden, now called Common Ground: Our American Garden.
New interpretive panel for the garden.
Our gardeners and horticulturists took special care to prepare the new garden, salvaging plants from existing raised beds, scraping and removing soil around existing crape myrtle trees and replacing it with an engineered soil, as well as adding organic fertilizer and a topdressing of fine mulch. We “limbed up” or pruned 24 crapemyrtles and tucked small, shade loving “plugs” of perennials such as golden sedge, columbine, and sweet woodruff between them. We followed with over 500 Mexican feather grass and more than 1500 flowering perennials such as Echinacea (in orange, purple and green), bee balm, catmint, blanketflower, and butterflyweed.
Smithsonian Gardens staff planting for the new garden.
Mexican feather grass and Echinacea
The new garden is a bright stretch of raised beds with native and exotic perennials, revealing gems of useful plants and garden history along the visitor’s path. We worked to create a flowing, cohesive design. One team member brought the idea of color-blocked beds to the table, making each bed a different color. Another brought the idea of a cohesive planting mix of grasses and prairie flowers. The result is a series of orange beds punctuated by beds of blue, green and purple. Each outset bed features the same vibrant hot color while each inset bed shows a receding cool color.
Sketch for the southwest terrace, illustrating the color blocked design.
After 2 years of planning, the garden opened on June 28th in conjunction with the opening of the museum’s new wing, The Nation We Build Together, which showcases the exhibition Many Voices, One Nation. The garden now feels complete, yet it is never finished, as new seasons will continue to bring change.
Completed garden
– Erin Clark, Smithsonian Gardens Horticulturist
July 6, 2017 at 3:10 pm smithsoniangardens Leave a comment
Welcome to Common Ground: Our American Garden
Completed in June 2017, Common Ground: Our American Garden is an outdoor exhibit that looks at historic and contemporary America through a plant lens. Formerly the site of the Smithsonian’s Heirloom Garden, this space features raised planting beds along the National Museum of American History’s south side facing the National Mall. The exhibit was created and installed by Smithsonian Gardens horticulturists, who worked with historians at the museum to embody themes found in the recently opened exhibition, Many Voices, One Nation.
Within the colorful landscape, specific plants are highlighted based on their importance to Americans in the following ways: Memory, Healing, Discovery, and Ingenuity. Interpretive panels invite visitors to connect with their own cultural heritage, discover plants beloved for their fragrance and beauty, and enjoy a handsome vista of color befitting a museum garden in the nation’s capital.
Newly installed interpretive panels highlight the four themes of the garden.
Memory: These plants, originating from America and elsewhere, are grown to remember heritage. They provide flavor or fragrance to remind gardeners of family and home.
Healing: These plants are grown for their traditional or modern medicinal qualities. In America, entire landscapes and gardens have been cultivated to promote the health of people, especially as a respite in urban areas. New medicinal uses for plants and benefits of green spaces continue to be found today.
Discovery: These plants have been discovered, collected or documented by Americans abroad or here at home, often as part of expeditions. New discoveries continue to be made in horticulture and plant science thanks to innovative plant breeding and propagation techniques.
Ingenuity: These plants illustrate efforts by Americans to use plants in unusual ways. Some of these plant uses have grown to industrial proportions. All remain a fascinating thread in the fabric of the American garden story.
Asclepias tuberosa is both a native and a medicinal plant. One of its most interesting uses in America, however, comes from its seeds. Each seed is carried on a billowy sail of cottony fluff. Someone noticed this and utilized the fluff as stuffing for life-jackets.
Starting July 6th, twenty minute tours of Common Ground: Our American Garden will start at 9:30a.m. every Thursday through October at the National Museum of American History’s south entrance. Come and enjoy this new multi-seasonal exhibit!
Do you have memories of a garden in your community or neighborhood? Have you or someone you know grown a Victory or flower garden, or passed along plants, seeds or knowledge to family, friends and neighbors? Smithsonian Gardens invites you to share your own garden story with Community of Gardens, a collection of stories from around the nation. Stories and images can be contributed through the Community of Gardens app or at communityofgardens.si.edu
July 3, 2017 at 10:00 am smithsoniangardens Leave a comment
Gardening for Good—Part I
Many of the stories in our Community of Gardens digital archive highlight the powerful impact gardening is having on urban, suburban, and rural areas around the country. Community gardening first gained popularity in the United States in the 1890s (read up on this fascinating topic in our online exhibit). For over a century community garden organizations have helped citizens learn to grow their own food, beautify their neighborhoods, and use gardens as a springboard for education and creating connections between neighbors. Right here in our own backyard in the nation’s capital, Common Good City Farm is growing fresh produce for their neighbors and teaching urban agriculture skills. And the Neighborhood Farm Initiative is teaching novice gardeners how to start and tend their own community garden plot through their Kitchen Garden Education Program. Gardens are proving to be key to providing access to fresh, healthy food in communities across the nation. Community of Gardens not only celebrates the hard work of gardening communities, but is also preserving the individual stories that make up this larger movement for future generations of gardeners and historians.
The Neighborhood Farm Initiative in Washington, D.C. offers gardening workshops for adults and families, teaching them how to plan, tend, and harvest a garden plot in their community garden.
Further afield, Grow Appalachia at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky partners with communities in six different states in the Appalachian region to provide garden grants, healthy summer meals for children in their community, and education and technical expertise for farmers and gardeners.
We recently received three stories about Grow Appalachia gardeners from Alix Burke, a AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer with the organization. She has spent almost a year collecting stories and images of gardens and gardeners in the program. The stories, ranging from a retired couple perfecting their home gardening skills to a flower farm managed by survivors of domestic abuse, are part of a verdant quilt of gardens doing good growing across the United States.
Married couple Della and Charles pose with the bounty of the harvest from their garden. They grew green beans, sweet potatoes, squash, and more. The couple expanded their home garden through the help of Grow Applaachia workshops.
Asked the importance of her work, Burke stated, “It’s important to collect these stories about Grow Appalachia gardeners and their gardens because it captures the lived realities of the program . . . from families bonding in the garden with healthier eating and exercise habits to people who are out of work turning to market gardening as a way to feed their families, both with the food they grow and with income they generate, the people and their gardens are, and always have been, the heart of Grow Appalachia.”
A flower grown on the Greenhouse 17 flower farm. With support from Grow Appalachia, Greenhouse 17 helps domestic abuse survivors get back on their feet and learn new job skills in horticulture and retail.
Stories about gardens can tell us about where we’ve been, and where we are going. The values and beliefs we hold, scientific innovation, foodways, and even economic trends are reflected back at us in the why and how of our gardens. What has Burke learned from her months in the field speaking to gardeners and learning about their experiences? “No one person’s experience captures what it’s like to be a Grow Appalachia gardener, but everyone’s story, in some way, contributes to the larger narrative of food security and the growing local foods economy in the region, ” she says. “Stories have always been important to the Appalachian region, from oral histories, to bluegrass lyrics, to the memories passed down with shared heirloom bean varieties. These interviews allow folks to continue a longstanding Appalachian tradition of speaking their own truths about their own lives, from the food they grow to the connections they make along the way.”
Are there gardens and gardeners doing good in your area? Encourage them to share their story with Community of Gardens! Get started here or email us at communityofgardens@si.edu.
June 28, 2017 at 3:32 pm smithsoniangardens 1 comment
Smithsonian Gardens Launches New Community of Gardens Mobile App
Community of Gardens is the Smithsonian’s home for sharing garden stories.
Gardening season is here . . . flowers are just starting to peek out in the northernmost climes, and gardeners in other parts of the country are already enjoying spring peas, asparagus, and the colorful sight of tulips and daffodils. Every day, all year long, gardeners across the United States sketch plans, pore over seed catalogs, mix and lay compost, dutifully pull weeds from garden beds, build deer fencing, and tend their plants with love (and sometimes frustration with those finickier ones!). Whether you are gardening for sustenance, relaxation, health, as a creative outlet, or continuing a family or cultural tradition, there is a story behind what you do. Every gardener has a story, and those stories are important to preserve for future generations of historians, scientists, and gardeners!
Smithsonian Gardens is excited to launch its first mobile app to bring stories of gardening in the United States to life. The Community of Gardens app is the mobile companion to the Community of Gardens website, our digital archive featuring stories of everyday gardens contributed by the public.
The Community of Gardens mobile app for Apple.
Gardens past and present, big and small, can be explored from anywhere with a mobile device. From stories of community gardens to memories of grandmother’s garden roses and “putting up” jars of tomatoes, Community of Gardens is the Smithsonian’s digital home for collecting and preserving stories of gardens and the gardeners who make them grow.
Mobile users can locate stories on a map, or learn how to upload their own story about how gardening has shaped their life and community. A rich trove of writing, photographs, video, and audio bring to life the traditions and tales in our own backyards. Help the Smithsonian preserve the complexity and diversity of our garden heritage by sharing your own garden story or memory at www.communityofgardens.si.edu.
The Community of Gardens app is free is currently available for iPhone and iPad devices in the Apple app store. Don’t worry Android device users, we haven’t forgotten you! Community of Gardens will be available in the Google Play store by early summer, just in time to read and share stories of those first delicious crops of vegetables.
May 1, 2017 at 10:36 am smithsoniangardens 2 comments
Changing Roles of Gardens
As a college student many years ago, (ok, decades ago) I was taught about “good garden plants.” These were roughly defined as long blooming, pest- and disease-free, and non-self-sowing. All these qualities sounded great to me. Horticulturists wanted gardens to work for us; and for plants to do what we wanted them to do. A garden’s primary purpose was to provide pleasure. But as time has passed, I’ve realized that a garden can be so much more than just pleasing to ME –and it only takes a few simple changes.
First, let’s take a closer look at those ‘Good Garden Plants.’
Plants ‘that bloom all summer’ are usually either
1) an annual that is naturally programmed to bloom its head off, set seed and die
or 2) a perennial that has been bred for repeated blooms, larger flowers, compact form, and/or more intense color. However, somewhere along the breeding path things like fertility, nectar production, and fragrance have been lost—these may be non-essential elements for people, but fundamental for insects and birds which feed on nectar and nutritious seeds.
Bumble bee feeding on Physostegia virginiana (Obedient plant)
…and what about those ‘pests’ that we try to avoid? Don’t those include caterpillars which pupate into butterflies? And some of those other ‘pests’ – aren’t they essential pollinators or food for birds? A garden made of only “good garden plants” can be very beautiful, but lacking in LIFE which comes from the nature a garden can attract. Without wild areas to nest, feed and breed, many species face an uphill challenge.
Skipper butterfly feeding on Verbena bonariensis
There is a revolution going on in America’s gardens though. Gardeners are recognizing that a garden can be more than just a combination of perfect posies that please humans. Gardeners are starting to realize that their gardens can replace some things that may be lost due to human activities. Gardens can still be beautiful while also providing food, water, and overwintering habitat for creatures large and small.
I find myself adding more and more native plants and their cultivars to both the Mary Livingston Ripley Garden and my home garden because of the additional layer of LIFE certain plants attract. As I mentioned earlier, not all plants offer the same benefits to insects.
So how do you know which plants entice pollinators? One easy way is to slow down and watch. Simple as that! Visit public gardens or garden centers and study which plants are visited by certain insects. Last summer I let the bees decide which Coreopsis I added to the Ripley Garden just by watching which cultivars the bees visited. There were 12 different cultivars of Coreopsis in bloom on the sales bench, but the bees were not attracted to all of them equally. The bees ignored some cultivars completely, while others were abuzz with activity. Those were the plants I added to the gardens I cultivate.
Another thing I am doing more of is RELAXING!! I no longer feel compelled to keep everything staked and pruned perfectly. I allow the gardens I tend to become more rumpled and natural looking. Plus, I am embracing the winter garden and loving the juxtaposition of evergreen and tawny winter browns. Yes, I still tidy up a little in the fall, cutting selective plants back, but I no longer ‘put the garden to bed’ by cutting everything to the ground. Instead, this past winter I enjoyed watching birds take advantage of the cover provided by Panicum grass, and knew that there were insects and other creatures cozily tucked in there for the winter.
Example of leaf and foliage bits left as nesting materials for birds.
When I do cut old stems down in the spring, I leave bits and pieces for the birds as nesting materials as well as small piles of leaves which robins and other birds rummage through looking for insects that munch on the decaying leaves. Along with building bug houses for insects to overwinter in, I also leave piles of twigs and stems in out-of-the-way locations, and old rotting branches to decompose in place – anything to help Nature continue to coexist with our ever-growing population.
These are little changes in the way I garden, but they have a huge impact on providing habitat for wildlife. I encourage you to embrace a little messiness in your own garden–you will likely be rewarded by a whole new dimension of life your garden will support.
April 19, 2017 at 12:59 pm smithsoniangardens 2 comments
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#IRAQ#SYRIA 20.09.2016 - 2,795 views
Deir Ezzor Attack Enables The “Salafist Principality” As Foreseen In The 2012 DIA Analysis 5 out of 5 based on 5 ratings. 5 user reviews.
Deir Ezzor Attack Enables The “Salafist Principality” As Foreseen In The 2012 DIA Analysis
Originally appeared at MoonOfAlabama
Two recent attacks against the Syrian Arab Army in east-Syria point to a U.S. plan to eliminate all Syrian government presence east of Palmyra. This would enable the U.S. and its allies to create “Sunni entity” in east-Syria and west-Iraq which would be a permanent thorn in side of Syria and its allies.
A 2012 analysis by the Defense Intelligence Agency said:
THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A DECLARED OR UNDECLARED SALAFIST PRINCIPALITY IN EASTERN SYRIA (HASAKA AND DER ZOR), AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THE SUPPORTING POWERS TO THE OPPOSITION WANT, IN ORDER TO ISOLATE THE SYRIAN REGIME …
Note that the described plan mentions exactly two cities – Hasakah and Deir Ezzor.
On August 18 Kurdish YPK units suddenly attacked Syrian government positions in the center of Hasakah in the north-east of Syria. Before this incident the relations between the two entities had been decent despite some earlier, small clashes. The attacking Kurds were under advice from U.S. special operators. When the Syrian air force intervened the U.S. threatened to down its planes. The Syrian forces had to eventually retreat from populated areas in Hasakah and are now confined to an airport next to the city. They are cut of from supplies and will eventually have to give up.
(For the Kurds these attacks proved to be a political catastrophe. Not only did they lose all support from the Syrian government and Russian side, but Turkey used these clashes to justify its invasion into Syria. This ended the Kurdish national dream of a continues area from Iraq to the Mediterranean.)
On Saturday U.S. airplanes attacked the most important Syrian government position in Deir Ezzor. Nearly a hundred Syrian soldiers were killed and most of the heavy equipment the Deir Ezzor garrison had left was destroyed. Immediately after the attack fighters of the Islamic State occupied the bombed out government positions. These Islamic States fighters now own the heights above the Deir Ezzor airport. A day later the Islamic State shot down a Syrian government plane near Deir Ezzor.
The city and its 150,000+ inhabitants are surrounded by the Islamic State. They had been supplied from Damascus by nightly flights to the airport. As the Islamic State now has fire-control over the airport as well as anti-air weapons those supply flights are no longer possible. The U.S. air attack practically closed down the Syrian government ability to supply the city. If this situation continues the city will fall to the Islamic State.
The U.S. plan is to eventually take Raqqa by using Turkish or Kurdish proxies. It also plans to let the Iraqi army retake Mosul in Iraq. The only major city in Islamic State territory left between those two is Deir Ezzor. Should IS be able to take it away from the isolated Syrian army garrison it has at least a decent base to survive. (Conveniently there are also rich oil wells nearby.) No one, but the hampered Syrian state, would have an immediate interest to remove it from there.
North of that entity would be a Kurdish area with no ambition to expand south. North-west of the Deir Ezzor entity would be the friendly Turkish controlled “Safe Zone” that Erdogan plans to create.
The two recent moves by U.S. forces in east-Syria are consistent with the plan for a “Sunni entity” or “Salafist principality” described in the 2012 DIA document. Such an entity blocks the land connection of the “Shia crescent” which connects Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. This is the “isolation” of Syria foreseen in the DIA analysis. A “Sunni entity” in east-Syria also provides a path for the gas pipeline from Qatar via Turkey to Europe. The Syrian government had rejected the construction of such a line which goes against the fundamental interests of its ally Russia.
At first glance this U.S. policy seems to be shortsighted, There is no way the envisioned “Sunni entity” would ever become stable. Instead it would continue to be a source of terrorism which would hit far beyond the borders of Syria and the surrounding states. But it is exactly the instability of this construct that will allow for further U.S. presence in the area. A source of insecurity that can be activated, or shut down, whenever convenient.
Tags:Deir Ezzor Attack, iraq, syria
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I hadn’t really looked at the attacks in the interests of a salafist principality but it makes perfect sense. Syria needs to try and get the siege lifted from deir ezzor asap. Even if it means having to pull some resources from elsewhere temporarily.If the us can’t follow through with regime change and neocolonize Syria completely, then the plan this article speaks of is probably the next option for them.
Jens Holm
Well. Normally I dont laugh around dead ones. But I`ll jump up and down if ISIS-Slashing -Daesh takes Der El Zor. Funny some other then You will let russians jump down in minefields and take that top. ISIS has minefiels even in their pockets.
Supreme Allied Condista
On Saturday U.S. airplanes attacked the most important Syrian government position in Deir Ezzor.
Oops. Sorry about that.
Nearly a hundred Syrian soldiers were killed and most of the heavy equipment the Deir Ezzor garrison had left was destroyed. Immediately after the attack fighters of the Islamic State occupied the bombed out government positions. These Islamic States fighters now own the heights above the Deir Ezzor airport. A day later the Islamic State shot down a Syrian government plane near Deir Ezzor.
Might I suggest a Russian airborne assault to retake the heights?
It’s going to be an absolute age, if ever, before Turkish ground forces get to Deir Ezzor, after stopping off en route to take Raqqa, so I suggest a Russia gets a rescue mission together to secure the heights and restore the supply line.
Whether Assad wants to offer Deir Ezzor to the moderate opposition as a swap in peace / partition talks is another matter but meantime no-one in the West wants to see ISIS take another city. So best of luck with that.
I think the best hope of peace is some kind of partition of Iraq and Syria, with one or two “Sunni-friendly” but secular, not Salafist, state(s), along the lines of Turkey, perhaps with Turkish troops with an international mandate to secure or a status of forces agreement with the Syrian moderates to ensure the new state remains democratic and not a thorn for further jihadi trouble-making in the region.
My strategy is to defeat ISIS and to regime-change their Salafist state sponsors.
STRATEGY TO DEFEAT ISIS
http://supremealliedcondista.newsvine.com/_news/2015/08/13/33784668-strategy-to-defeat-isis
1) Overall strategy – the West needs to apply the Bush Doctrine to all state-sponsors of terrorism – Saudi Arabia & other Gulf monarchies, Pakistan, Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, Iran and other dictator states – regime change them all.
2) Use stand off techniques more robustly – such as seizing control over state-sponsor-of-terrorism satellite-TV broadcasting (often supplied to Arab and North African state broadcasters by European satellite TV companies) and turning that propaganda weapon around and using it to promote democratic revolution through-out the region.
3) Impose the West as sole agents for all oil tanker export sales out of the Gulf. Seize all oil tankers exporting oil and sell the oil, depriving regimes of oil profits.
4) Now once you have an overall strategy in place, then you can look at specific military actions. Bombing prestige regime targets or threatening to if Al Baghdadi’s head is not on a spike within 48 hours.
5) Partition Iraq & Syria. Iraq looks like it has to go three ways – Shia, Sunni & Kurds. If the 3 new states all want to join up together in an Iraq confederacy or union of some kind of their own free will, that’s fine too.
6) Establish Western military bases in Iraq & Syria for training up the local armies. Better if we can supply them by sea or air rather than by long land routes which can have supply routes attacked by road side bombs and ambushes.
For implementation I would trust only Condi and myself to oversee this strategy through to victory but I am sure I could find a place for Russia in my strategy if the Kremlin is interested in cooperating with the West to eliminate the jihadi terrorist threat once and for all?
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f9d8355983a3a89bc0f744c12bd9627bc4cababb792e673bfceb50d3bedb1661.jpg
Far out.Kurds are not meat for that.
And who should be leaders of those moreor less ISIS sunnis.
The U.S. plan is to eventually take Raqqa by using Turkish or Kurdish proxies.
Yup that seems to be the way of it right now. I’m certainly arguing for putting Turkish forces under supranational control – either under Operation Inherent Resolve, as with the YPG/SDF, or my preference would be to put the Turkish forces under NATO command, using the elite NATO Rapid Deployable Corps – Turkey.
If my suggestion to use a NATO corps were to be adopted, it wouldn’t be U.S. “proxy” forces.
NATO isn’t a US proxy organisation. It is a democratically run organisation, with the US in the lead role, admittedly.
Anyway, no word on NATO getting involved officially, though the NATO Secretary General went to Ankara recently to offer NATO’s best wishes for the Turks “Operations Euphrates Shield”.
I want to use NATO because they will be able to take ground about 100 times faster than Erdogan commanding anything can.
I want to wrap this war on terrorism up as soon as possible but dithering seems to be the West’s way these days, ever since Condi left power sadly.
TAKE RAQQA BATTLEPLAN 2016
http://supremealliedcondista.newsvine.com/_news/2016/09/08/36062818-take-raqqa-battleplan-2016
Signal to anti-ISIS forces from Supreme Allied Condista.
TAKE AL-BAB
TAKE RAQQA AS PER BATTLEPLAN
Supreme Allied Condista urges –
NATO support for Operation Euphrates Shield, while cautioning President Erdogan to temper his rhetoric against our brave and trusted allies, the Kurdish YPG and Syrian Democratic Forces.
That NATO does now rapidly deploy the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps Turkey (NRDC-T) in support of Operation Euphrates Shield to secure al-Bab for the anti-ISIS coalition, with a view to a NRDC-T armoured ground attack west of the Euphrates to attack and liberate Raqqa from the south, coordinating with our YPG-SDF comrades attacking ISIS forces from Kurdish-held territory east of the Euphrates moving southwards towards Raqqa.
Congratulations to the Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve for the great success of the anti-ISIS air warfare campaign which has broken the back of the enemy ISIS who are consequently very vulnerable to our ground forces.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4d171cccf437e9734d49202bb83bff3753411abea499e34866039904de7ced73.jpg
Syrian Government is NOT a regime, that is, it is NOT an authoritarian government. Time that the media uses the correct terminology.
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Home > Superb development, Istanbul, Turkey
Superb development, Istanbul, Turkey
This superbly designed development consists of just two individual blocks each of 11 floors holding a total of 199 apartments. There is approx. 27,000 meters of construction on a land area of 6,000 square meters. There are 9 or 10 apartments on each floor consisting of; one, two and three bedroom types with an additional choice of duplex roof apartments. Almost all the apartments come with a balcony. The larger apartments all have en-suite bathrooms in the master bedroom and many apartments have a separate kitchen. The apartments are spacious and connected by large expansive corridors. They have the added benefit of either overlooking a newly appointed park soon to be completed and the city or looking inwards to the landscaped gardens making the development extremely attractive for residential living. The 1+1 Bedroom Apartments are starting from 62 000 EUR (87 SQM) (not included furniture & electrical pack: it is an additional 5 700 EUR). The prices vary depending on the sizes and the floors.
Starting from EUR62,000
There is a wide range of facilities including a swimming pool, Steam room, Sauna, Health club, meeting room and a children’s playground. The development is wonderfully located in a quiet residential area. Close by are cafes, restaurants, two universities TUYAP exhibition centre and a number of shopping centres. There will a huge park just behind the project called Abdullah Gul Park. This is a unique development that is completed and ready to move in.
For more details or further information:
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Posts Tagged ‘Rugby League’
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Lebanon Win the Mediterranean Rugby League Cup
04 Jun. 2017- Our Rugby league national team is looking good before the upcoming world cup. After defeating Malta weeks ago, Cedars clinched the Mediterranean Cup by defeating Italy 6-4. ...
Lebanon VS Italy Squads Revealed – Rugby League
01 Jun. 2017- The squads have been announced for Saturday’s Mediterranean Cup clash between Lebanon and Italy in Beirut. The Cedars defeated the visitors 26-22 in the corresponding fixture ...
Lebanon & Malta Take Positives From Phoenician Cup Clash – Rugby League
11 May. 2017- A dominant first half performance saw Lebanon take the next step in preparing for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, as they defeated Malta 24-4 at the ...
Lebanon VS Malta Coming Up this Saturday – Rugby League
04 May. 2017- Lebanon takes the next step in preparing for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, when they face Malta at the New Era Stadium in Cabramatta on Saturday ...
Rugby League: Lebanon to Face Malta in a Warm up Game
10 Mar. 2017- Malta and Lebanon will revise their Mediterranean rivalry on Saturday 6 May, in an important Rugby League World Cup 2017 warm up game for the Cedars. It ...
Lebanon Schools Rugby League Season All Set to Kick Off!
13 Feb. 2017 - The Lebanese rugby league schools season is set to kick off with seven teams competing, with more lined up to join next year and for an ...
Ivan Cleary Appointed Cedars Coach For Rugby League World Cup
21 Jan. 2017 - The Lebanon Rugby League Federation has appointed Ivan Cleary as the new head coach of the national team ahead of the World Cup. The highly respected ...
Lycans Remain Undefeated as Kings Struggle in the Rugby League
11 Dec. 2016 - Lycans remain undefeated as they blew their competition away in a game where they faced the Kings. They thus keep their run still unbeaten. In the ...
Important Victories for Lycans & Immortals in Lebanese Rugby League Round 3
27 Nov. 2016 - The third round of the Lebanese Rugby League Championship was played this weekend, with 4 teams out of 5 in action. First, Lycans managed to defeat ...
Predators & Lycans off to a Strong Start in the Lebanese Rugby League
15 Nov.2016 - On Saturday November 12th, the first two games of the Lebanese Rugby League were played at the UL Stadium. First, Lycans were facing Wolves at 5:...
Lebanese Rugby League Domestic Program Expands!
23 Oct. 2016 - In the lead up to their participation in the 2017 World Cup, the Lebanese Rugby League Federation has announced an expansion to its domestic programme, as ...
Lebanese U21 Rugby League National Team Defeat Serbia!
27 Sep. 2016 - After a draw in the first game, Lebanon's U21 Rugby League National Team managed to beat Serbia in the second confrontation of the two-match series! The ...
Lebanon & Serbia Draw in First Match of Series – Rugby League
24 Sep. 2016 - The Lebanese U21 Rugby League National Team finished its first game in a two-match series against Serbia with a draw. Indeed, the game ended 18-all and ...
Lycans RL – The Newest Team of the Lebanese Rugby League
05 Sep. 2016 - The Lycans RL are the newest team of the Lebanese Rugby League. Here's everything you need to know about them: How they started, how they get ...
Lebanon U21 Rugby NT to Face Serbia in Two-Match Rugby League Series!
01 Sep. 2016 - Serbia U21 rugby team will host two games against their Lebanese counterparts next month as further build-up to their 2017 World Cup European Qualifiers. The matches ...
Lebanese Rugby League NT Retain Mediterranean Cup!
13 June. 2016 - The Lebanese rugby league national team, who was made up of local Lebanese players only, managed to retain the Mediterranean cup by defeating Italy 26-22! Our ...
Let’s Support our Lebanese U18 Rugby League to compete in Serbia!
07 Jun. 2016 - The Lebanese Rugby League Federation is putting all the efforts in developing the sport in Lebanon. They already did a big step forward by introducing the ...
04 Fev. 2016 - The 19th edition of the Lebanese Rugby League championship has resumed, with Immortals crushing Pride 76-0. Moreover, Tripoli was awarded a 30-0 win against Wolves Rugby ...
Lebanon to Participate in 2017 Rugby League World Cup Following Victory Against South Africa!
31 Oct. 2015 - The Lebanese rugby league national team has made us nothing short of proud, as the players fought hard to defeat South Africa for the second time ...
Lebanon Defeat South Africa to Close in on Rugby League World Cup Participation!
25 Oct.2015 - Lebanon are closer than ever to the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, following a 40-12 win against South Africa in the first game of the two-game ...
Lebanon to Face South Africa in MEA Rugby League 2017 World Cup Qualifier
14 Oct. 2015 - On October 20, the Lebanese rugby league national team is going to travel to South Africa in order to face the South African team in a ...
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Blog Columns Football Interviews Kevin Toms – The creator of Football Manager
Kevin Toms – The creator of Football Manager
stuartnoel 10 August, 2010 Football Interviews, Football Manager, Online Football Manager
A couple of months ago we stumbled across a Monday night game across the river at Aveley. The game was in the Championship Manager Cup, a trophy for the Ryman’s League teams. Eidos had kindly sponsored the trophy, which on a good day we see 150 people paying to watch a cup tie.
The cup final, played in March was won by Ryman’s League One side Leatherhead who beat Wealdstone from the league above on penalties. But you may have missed some significance in the whole Championship Manager story. Let me take you back to the beginning. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin.
Once upon a time there was a young man called Kevin Toms. Some of you (probably those over the age of 35) will have known his product very well indeed. To others the name will mean nothing, but I bet if you a) Own a PC, PSP, Playstation, X-Box or Wii, b) love football and c) do not have a demanding wife/partner you will have heard of Championship Manager.
Probably only rivalled by RedTube.com as the most fun you can have on your own with a PC, Championship Manager gives us all an opportunity to be Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho or Gianfranco Zola (unfortunately the “alleged” nocturnal activities of a certain manager cannot be recreated in the current versions of the game), starting with the lowest of the lows and rising to the top.
My record was taking Grays Athletic to the Champions League final in my 27th year on the game. So who is this Kevin, and what relevance does it have to the game? Well, Kevin Toms developed the first ever football manager simulation game for the ZX Spectrum back in the very early 1980’s.
In the game everyone the opportunity to manager a team, and watch the game unfold in pure two dimensional unadulterated by advertising green graphics. Want to see what kept us in our bedrooms for so long at the time without a staple through their naval? Well you can still play a version of the game by clicking here.
And we are very lucky to have tracked Kevin down. In the cyber word it actually wasn’t that hard. A simple Uncle Google search for “Kevin Toms + Football Manager” returned as the top item a blog by the man himself.
So we fired up our old ZX Spectrum with its rubber keys and posed some questions to one of the pioneers of the computer age.
Original Football Manager
Morning Kevin. It’s great to finally meet a man who kept me away from so much of my homework when I was at school. Was Football Manager the best fun a teenage boy could have on their own in the bedroom in the early 80’s?
The best pure fun perhaps! I think maybe it did what it was supposed to do, created a world in people’s imagination that they could take part in.
There was really nothing else like it at the time. Flight Simulator was the only real strategy game at the time so what inspired you to write the game in the first place?
I loved creating all sorts of games as a kid, and for some reason always wanted to crack creating a football management game. It was not easy.
Bill Gates apparently put little “cookies” or deliberate bugs in some of his earlier coding. Did you put in any little bugs so that people could cheat to win the league?
Never, I am too much of a games design purist. I want the game to be a game I can play and enjoy myself, with no significant advantage over other players. That is my ideal.
When did you first realize that you had a hit on your hands?
Quite quickly, the first orders came in quickly, but probably when the big chain stores started stocking thousands was the real point that I knew.
There were some other big games out at the same time. Did you ever think about putting Manic Miner or Jet Set Willy in the game as players?
No, but who do they play for? 🙂
When I was in game earlier this week I counted six different football manager style games available for the PC. Do you look at the current crop of games such as Championship Manager and think “I started this craze?”
Uh yes, it seems to be so.
As I travel a lot I would be lost without my PSP with my record breaking Grays Athletic teams progress. Do you play any of the Championship Manager games yourself?
No, I am too busy writing a game to play much.
What are you up to nowadays? Are you still involved in the computer industry and programming, sorry, software development?
Most of the time I do two main things. I am a Software Architect helping big companies with business systems, and I am writing a Football Manager game of my own for the iPhone.
Was the original game written in Basic? What is the equivalent complexity in comparing languages such as PHP or .net today? (I could go on about Agile technologies as well just to show off)
Yes, it was. A strategy game is not suited to assembler programming like Space Invaders! PHP is similar. .net is not a language in itself, it’s a framework you can target with different languages, including Visual Basic!
At the time the place to get your software was in the high street chains such as Woolworths and WH Smiths. How did you go about marketing your product initially?
By placing quarter page ads in computer games magazines. By writing a good description of the game. By using real letters of players in the advertising, and by attending computer games shows.
The Spectrum was the biggest selling home electronics item of the early 1980’s and was the brain child of inventor Sir Clive Sinclair. Did you ever meet Sir Clive? Did he thank you for increasing the sales of the Spectrum almost single handedly?
Yes, I did but at an event that was nothing to do with computers. I shook his hand and spoke to him, I doubt he had any idea who I was.
Nowadays piracy is a massive issue for software houses as the internet is essentially an un-policed ghetto. How much of a concern was this back in the 1980’s especially when the dual tape deck was brought out enabling “tape to tape” copying of software?
It was depressing at times. The Amiga version had sales pirated out of existence. At the point I first started at the beginning of 1982, piracy was unknown.
You must be a football fan to have gone into so much detail. So what team do you follow?
I follow a number of teams from places I have live. Originally Torquay United and I still watch their progress.
The current range of PC games are pretty comprehensive – in fact perhaps a little too detailed to really enjoy all elements. What do you see the future of online football management games? What other features could be brought in?
It’ll get more like PC and console games. The network will converge with the desktop.
After playing the game for a year or so I felt that I could manage anyone. In fact when Ron Greenwood announced he was stepping down as England manager in 1982 I wrote to Jim’ll Fix It and asked if he could fix it for me to be the next national team manager quoting my Football Manager experience. Did you watch football in a different way after the game came out?
Yes, and ever since. I have a more analytical view, and when I have coached or managed teams it has helped.
It is an inside joke at some clubs how players today play games such as EA and PES as themselves. How did it feel that real life footballers used to play the game to manage themselves?
An honour.
Did any players ever get in contact to convince you to make their online profile better?
These days the likes of EA Sports use some of the world’s best players to advertise their product. In the age before agents, did you ever approach a player to endorse the game?
And as soon as we had started our dial up line dropped out and our connection was dropped. We seriously encourage you to try out Kevin’s original game by clicking here and for those of you with an iPhone, keep an eye out in the Apps store for his new project once it is ready.
Kevin Toms - The original gamefather
O'Neill leaves Villa in disarray
stuartnoel
I am a football writer and blogger who looks at the commercial aspects of the game today both at grass roots and full blown professional aspects. I report on one game per week, taking time to research the club, talk to supporters and key personnel before writing my reports and publishing them on my blog. I recently wrote the book Passport To Football which was published in October 2009 which covers 30 "adventures" around the world watching the game. I am currently working on a new book (my 7th) which will be published in September 2010 about what it is like to follow a non-league team in England.
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Home › Vedanta Sutras of Narayana Guru
Vedanta Sutras of Narayana Guru
Hardbound / English - Sold Out
India’s wisdom, one may say, attained its maturity in the Vedanta — the end or culmination of veda (knowledge). Vedanta may be seen as the finest fruit on the tree of India’s wisdom, for it brings the seeker that ultimate knowledge that ushers in the gift of self-fulfilment (ananda). Over the centuries, brilliant saint-scholars like Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhva have interpreted the Vedanta in different ways. The philosopher-poet Narayana Guru belongs to this class of noted exponents of the Vedanta. And his Vedanta Sutras is a masterpiece in his attempt to restate the original Upanishadic teaching of non-dual Reality — his most succinct expression of that message. This book presents these sutras along with a highly-perceptive commentary that elucidates the Guru’s interpretation of the Vedantic concept in a brilliant style. Narayana Guru’s Vedanta Sutras reveal the essential message of the Vedanta in 24 beautifully-fluent sutras. His simple and direct revaluation and restatement of the Vedanta, in general, has been found to be comprehensive and contemplative in its insight, reconciling the superficial disagreements of the Vedantic schools and restoring the pristine vision of the Upanishadic sages. In this scientific age, his work has often been acclaimed for its relevance. His Vedanta Sutras, compact yet profound in manner, is yet another example of this. The thoroughly-engrossing commentary of Swami Muni Narayana Prasad is a unique effort. Its hallmark is his clear avoidance of exegesis with greater reliance on his personal conviction. Swami Muni Narayana Prasad places Narayana Guru on par with the sutrakaras like Badarayana, Jaimini, Gautama and Kanada with this beautiful elucidation.
Sriyogi Books and Publications are publishers of ground breaking books on all aspects of Indic studies such as history, culture, arts, indology and religious studies.
© 2020 Sriyogi Books and Publications
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Free Agency Roundtable: Quick Takes - Quarterbacks and Running Backs - Footballguys
The Footballguys staff dishes rapid-fire takes on free-agent player movement at the quarterback and running back positions.
by Phil Alexander, March 19
Photo: Mark J. Rebilas, US Presswire
Phil Alexander: Give me a quick fantasy slant on the following players who changed teams during the free agency period:
Jump to Quarterbacks
Jump to Running Backs
Nick Foles - Signed 4-year, $88M deal with JAX
Jason Wood: Viable late-round pick in Superflex and 2QB leagues, but it’s unreasonable to expect Foles to be more than a league average starter over the course of a full season.
Daniel Simpkins: He’s an upgrade over Blake Bortles, but that’s close to a backhanded compliment. There are more problems in Jacksonville than marginally improved quarterback play can solve.
Chad Parsons: At least his contract gives him a long leash as the starter. The Jaguars have a potent ground game (assuming Leonard Fournette is healthy) and a collection of viable receivers. While Foles profiles as a middling QB2, any improvement over Bortles will spell lighter boxes and a higher ceiling for Fournette, who is coming at a discount in early best ball drafts.
Andy Hicks: Foles will be asked to do what Bortles couldn’t -- take care of the ball and sustain drives. If the defense rebounds to anywhere near their 2017 level, Foles won’t be lighting up boxscores, but his competent quarterback play could get Jacksonville back in the playoff discussion.
Justin Howe: He inherits a run-first offense and lacks physical gifts. I don’t see Foles as more than a mid-level QB3. There’s also major crash-and-burn potential. This isn’t the Eagles locker room.
Phil Alexander: I have zero interest in Foles as a member of the Jaguars, but aren’t a handful of huge games practically a given? There has never been a quarterback more capable of catching lightning in a bottle one week and following it up with a complete stinker the next. Foles’ presence is enough to at least make me consider his receivers, especially Dede Westbrook, as best ball values.
Case Keenum - Traded to Washington
Jason Wood: I avoided him last year in Denver, and now he goes to a team with even fewer weapons. Keenum is one of the least compelling starters in the NFL.
Daniel Simpkins: It’s obvious Alex Smith still has a ways to go in his recovery. Keenum and Colt McCoy will be tasked with holding down the fort until Washington’s quarterback of the future is added to the roster.
Phil Alexander: Does he have Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Kyle Rudolph, and a dominant offensive line again? No? Nothing to see here.
Andy Hicks: Washington’s wide receiver depth chart is a mess right now with the underachieving Josh Doctson and oft-injured Paul Richardson Jr the only relevant players. The tight ends aren’t much better with Jordan Reed always hurt and Vernon Davis in his golden years. Keenum isn’t a great quarterback regardless, but this roster will do him no favors.
Justin Howe: Keenum has a place in the NFL, but it’s safe to say 2017 was an outlier. He’s a middling passer without much downfield ability, and his presence is likely bad news for Doctson and Richardson.
Tyrod Taylor - Signed 2-year, $11M deal with LAC
Jason Wood: Smart move for the Chargers but he’ll have zero fantasy value unless Philip Rivers gets hurt. If injuries force him into the lineup, he’ll be worth a pick-up as a spot starter.
Daniel Simpkins: Yup. This was a nice signing by the Chargers to secure an above average backup. Many teams will wish they had made this move if their starter goes down.
Andy Hicks: Philip Rivers has missed one game since 2005. No starter is guaranteed to make it through the season, but Taylor could have signed literally anywhere else and had a better chance of seeing the field.
Phil Alexander: It’s nice to know the Chargers offense won’t be completely sunk if anything happens to Philip Rivers. If nothing else, this move should give you a smidge more confidence in the season-long values of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Hunter Henry, and Melvin Gordon III.
Ryan Fitzpatrick - Signed 2-year, $11M deal with MIA
Andy Hicks: The Dolphins have to be planning to draft, sign, or trade for another quarterback. If Fitzpatrick is the starter, it will be obvious they’re already playing for the 2020 draft. Depending on who else lands on the team, Fitzpatrick will either be asked to mentor or step in while the younger quarterback earns his stripes. At best, he could be a streaming option when the matchup is perfect.
Justin Howe: I’m actually excited to see what Fitzpatrick can do with Kenny Stills on deep balls. Stills is quietly one of the league’s better downfield winners, and he now has a quarterback willing to pull the trigger more than once a game.
Phil Alexander: If Fitzpatrick has one thing going for him as Miami’s starter, it’s the potential for garbage time stats. But unlike last year, he won’t have Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, Chris Godwin, and O.J. Howard to help him capitalize on prevent-defenses and pass-heavy game scripts.
Kareem Hunt - Signed 1-year, $1M deal with CLE
Jason Wood: He'll be suspended for half the season and find himself behind an elite, young workhorse in Nick Chubb when he returns. Hunt is still worth rostering if your league has enough bench spots, only because he’ll be an automatic top-10 running back if Chubb gets injured.
Daniel Simpkins: He’s merely trying to get his career back on track. I can’t see him challenging Chubb for significant work this season.
Andy Hicks: I agree, Daniel. Chubb should be an ironclad starter and Hunt will have to wait for his opportunity when he returns. He shouldn’t be a part of anyone’s draft plans. If you’re rostering him, you’re crossing your fingers Chubb misses time.
Justin Howe: Even if Hunt is worked in over the second half of the season, it’s fair to wonder just how productive he can be in Cleveland. How much of his success did he owe to Kansas City’s outside-zone heavy system? I doubt he’ll have similar success running into the line while splitting carries.
Phil Alexander: In redraft leagues, it doesn’t make sense to clog your roster for 60% of the fantasy regular season while waiting for Hunt to return to a nebulous role. But once the manager who drafts Hunt inevitably drops him to fill out their starting roster during bye weeks, I’ll be ready to pounce. Any running back in an offense as good as Cleveland’s projects as a quality stash for the stretch run. When that running back has Hunt’s pedigree and fresh legs, he becomes all the more intriguing.
Tevin Coleman - Signed 2-year, $10M deal with SF
Jason Wood: If Jerick McKinnon is released, Coleman becomes interesting due to Kyle Shanahan's success with just about every running back he’s coached. But for now, his price tag will likely be too rich for his projected workload.
Daniel Simpkins: Disappointing landing spot, but there is a path to significant touches if everything breaks his way.
Chad Parsons: Coleman is a perfect fit for the 49ers run game and I see him as the clear starter over McKinnon and Matt Breida. McKinnon has an uphill climb to make the roster and Breida --as athletic as he is -- was constantly banged up last season. It might not be a popular opinion, but Coleman now has RB1 upside and a top-20 floor.
Andy Hicks: I’ll back you up, Chad. In contrast to McKinnon and Breida, Coleman has only missed one game over the last two seasons. Shanahan knows his capabilities well from their time together in Atlanta and will put Coleman in position to produce. As it stands now, it’s awfully crowded in the 49ers backfield, but Coleman can easily emerge as the player to own.
Justin Howe: The Shanahan bump is enticing, but this could play out as a full-blown committee. I’m not sure McKinnon gets cut at a manageable salary, and Breida’s willingness to play through pain quickly made him a team favorite last year. Expect a ton of Questionable tags and zero week-to-week certainties.
Mark Ingram II - Signed 3-year, $15M deal with BAL
Jason Wood: A fantastic fantasy option this year in a power-running offense that will rely on ball control and dump off passes, regardless of game script.
Daniel Simpkins: A great fit for what the Ravens want to do on offense. He’ll provide consistency Alex Collins, Javorius Allen, Kenneth Dixon, and others have been lacking in recent seasons.
Andy Hicks: I agree, this signing looks great on paper. But Ingram has been in the same system for eight years and might have trouble adapting elsewhere. He will also turn 30-years-old during the season -- a scary age for running backs. This has the smell of a classic overreaction to a free-agent landing spot by the fantasy football public.
Phil Alexander: For a bunch more reaction to the Ingram signing, check out the Free Agency Winners and Losers Roundtable.
Mike Davis - Signed 2-year, $6M deal with CHI
Jason Wood: Presuming Jordan Howard is traded, Davis will have spot-start value along with Tarik Cohen, but neither will push for every-week starting status.
Daniel Simpkins: Interesting, under-the-radar signing indicating Howard’s time might be up in Chicago. Davis is a name to file away, especially if Howard leaves and the Bears don’t add another running back in the early rounds of the draft.
Andy Hicks: Davis is a better fit for Matt Nagy’s scheme than Howard, but the presence of Cohen limits the upside of whichever back receives the most carries in Chicago this season.
Justin Howe: It wouldn’t be shocking if Davis’ stock skyrockets by the middle of the summer once Howard is dealt. I won’t be quick to buy the hype. Howard is no world-beater, but Davis is hardly an upgrade. He’s both a lesser athlete and NFL producer. Even if gifted Howard’s 2018 role, Davis would offer little more than occasional best-ball value.
Phil Alexander: There’s been smoke around a Howard trade for quite some time. I’d be mildly surprised if he’s still on the team come Week 1. But I’m still not ready to anoint Davis as the Bears leading ball carrier in 2019. I fully expect a rookie to be added to the mix, and at worst, split the early-down work with Davis while Cohen continues to hog all the PPR value.
Latavius Murray - Signed 4-year, $14M deal with NO
Jason Wood: Alvin Kamara is a clear top-5 running back, but the Saints will need Murray to touch the ball a lot, too. He'll be less reliable than Ingram was in the same role, but he becomes a solid RB3 or flex option with this move.
Daniel Simpkins: Sweet landing spot for Murray. He should inherit the Ingram role for the Saints.
Chad Parsons: This may have been my favorite free-agent signing. Kamara is best suited to play the 1A to another back’s 1B rather than carry a huge workload. Murray is a candidate for double-digit touchdowns, even with Kamara healthy, and becomes one of the highest upside backups in the league if forced into lead-back duties.
Andy Hicks: The Saints didn’t make much of an investment in Murray. He essentially signed a year-by-year deal that will probably keep him on the team for two years max. He is not the same caliber back as Ingram, especially in the passing game. I see this backfield as the Kamara show, and as long as he remains up to the task, Murray will take a clear backseat.
Phil Alexander: The Saints offensive line can be a huge boost for a player like Murray, who is big and fast but lacks the wiggle to make defenders miss on his own. Top-20 cumulative numbers and a handful of matchup-swinging multi-touchdown weeks are not out of the question.
Carlos Hyde - Signed 1-year, $2.8M deal with KC
Jason Wood: The Chiefs backfield is a mishmash, and we can't be sure they won't draft another running back, too. Hyde's limitations as a receiver make it hard to project a big season for him in Andy Reid's offense.
Daniel Simpkins: He’s not the player he was early in his career and won’t be a threat to take major touches away from Damien Williams.
Andy Hicks: We can definitively say Hyde has underdelivered on his talent after five years in the NFL. Kansas City is as good a landing spot as any though, and in theory, he has the ability to fit their scheme. Then again, it wouldn’t be shocking if Hyde fails to break camp with the team, so it’s best not to over-invest.
Justin Howe: Even if Hyde sticks as Williams’ caddy, there are far more intriguing handcuff options all over the fantasy landscape. Aging, one-dimensional, and forever a plodder, Hyde brings little to any NFL backfield.
Phil Alexander: There seems to be a consensus in the fantasy community the Hyde signing should be viewed as a vote of confidence in Williams as Kansas City’s unquestioned starter. Certainly, there could have been worse signings for Williams’ 2019 prospects, but I’m not ready to dismiss Hyde out of hand.
Hyde has been an effective runner out of the shotgun throughout his career, and the Chiefs ran about 80% of their plays out of the formation last year. He also has a 59-catch season on his resume, so I’d disagree with Jason’s assertion he’s limited as a receiver. Maybe he’s just been underutilized. There are very few true handcuffs I’d be interested in ahead of Hyde given the simple fact he’s tied to the best offense in the game.
Frank Gore - Signed 1-year, $2M deal with BUF
Jason Wood: Zero fantasy value without an injury to LeSean McCoy.
Daniel Simpkins: He’ll never be a fantasy starter again, but is still a technically sound runner who can help the Bills as a backup.
Andy Hicks: Gore’s farewell tour has lasted longer than Frank Sinatra’s. The Bills seem to be collecting aging running backs, with McCoy and Chris Ivory already on the roster. None of them look like anything more than emergency fill-ins in fantasy.
Phil Alexander: One day I’m going to tell my grandchildren about Frank Gore. And they’ll know exactly who I’m talking about because he’ll still be playing football on TV.
Follow @PhilFBG
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What Gives Israel the Right to Defend Itself?
It’s important to understand what Hamas stands for.
Hamas defines itself as being in a continuous state of war with Israel. The group refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist. Hamas’ charter states:
“Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.”
Hamas’ so-called spiritual leaders provide religious justification for unimaginable depravity. In their sermons, they consistently incite their followers to hate Israel and Jews.
“…our mantle is ‘Death to the Jews and to America.’”
Friday Sermon on Hamas TV, December 2, 2011
“The annihilation of the Jews here in Palestine is one of the most splendid blessings for Palestine.” – Muhsen Abu ‘Ita, July 13, 2008
Hamas’ political leaders proudly emphasize their desire to destroy Israel.
“The Hamas movement will lead Intifada after Intifada until we liberate Palestine – all of Palestine, Allah willing.” – Ismail Haniyeh, Decmber 14, 2011
Hamas is a terrorist organization, and it’s not just the government of Israel that says so. TheEuropean Union, the United States, Canada, and Japan also classify Hamas as a terrorist group.
It’s easy to see why. Hamas’ suicide bombers have murdered hundreds of men, women and children in hotels, buses, nightclubs and restaurants.
Operation Pillar of Defense
Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza have fired more than 12,000 rockets into Israel in the past 12 years.
In response to these incessant rocket attacks, which accelerated in recent days, the IDF has launched a widespread campaign against terror targets in Gaza. The operation, called Pillar of Defense, has two main goals: to protect Israeli civilians and to cripple the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza.
“Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations…” – U.N. Charter, Article 51
In accordance with the instructions given to it by the government of Israel, the IDF will continue to act to ensure the safety of all Israeli citizens. It’s our right.
Meet the Citizens that Help Defend Israel’s Most Threatened Communities
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Posted in Uncategorized and tagged in incitement, Pillar of Defense, Rockets, self-defense, suicide bombings,terrorism.
How Does the IDF Minimize Harm to Palestinian Civilians?
Would You Raise Your Child in This Neighborhood?
83 commentsSocial RankingChronologicalReverse Chronological
Meyer Rafael · Monash University
When the ships of the world were threatened with pirates in the 19th century the civilized world agreed that piracy was such a danger to life and trade that captured pirates would be executed promptly. Terrorism hiding behind the skirts of human rights has become a danger to our age and this scourge can only be contained by brave and determined actions. Bravo to the IDF as the main organization with the courage to set the example of honourable and moral action.
Reply · 42 · Like · Follow Post · November 15, 2012 at 12:19pm
Vducati Vrocks · Top Commenter
السلام والنصر لإسرائيل
Reply · 5 · Like · November 16, 2012 at 2:51am
Sharon August Kahn
Hey Mohamed, don’t you think that people who preach that all Jews should be murdered have injured their right to be considered “innocent?” What about parents who raise children to be sociopathic terrorists? Teachers who teach lies and hate? Journalists who write hate propaganda? The blood of the truly innocent is on their hands!
Max Coutinho · Follow · Top Commenter · Political Blogger at MAX: Dissecting Society
Well said, Sharon.
Reply · 7 · Like · November 15, 2012 at 9:00pm
Mexter MaPsyas Nilsson · Top Commenter · Upplands-Väsby
indeed, that’s why the blood is on the hands on so many palestinians and israelis that promote hatred and intolerancestop the bombing and stop the occupation!
no ONE side is to blame, takes two to tango, etc
Reply · 1 · Like · November 16, 2012 at 12:56pm
Slogans do not represent the clear thinking needed here. Yes- to do an intricate dance like a tango takes two cooperative people. To be in a war requires only 1 aggressor.
There will be peace when Hamas revokes its Charter and all its genocidal goals and accepts that Israel has the right to exist in peace. Isn’t it time that Europe stops pandering to vile terrorists?
Tony Washington Shapiro · Top Commenter · San Quentin, California
Mohammed, I think your turban is too tight on your head. You should get on your magic carpet and fly away. Israel did not start the war. We are peace loving people. Tell Hamas to stop killing our people and the war will end. G-D BLESS ISRAEL.
Hari La Ilaha
I like how you attempt to make racism acceptable. You must be a genuinely good human being.
Robert Richards · Top Commenter · Broker Associate at ComTrade Financial
Racism is what Hamas represents you hypocritical bigot
Reply · 14 · Like · November 15, 2012 at 9:32pm
Let me guess. You are a Republican-voting Conservative Yank?
Charlotte Merli · Top Commenter · Philadelphia University
The God of Israel still watches over Israel. I continue to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem! Lord please intervene to stop this awful mess!
Jeremy Andrews · Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Oh for goodness sake. You’re all crazy people. Thank God I’m an atheist!
Meri Starly
Jeremy Andrews Please shut your mouth and respect other people, thank you
It is rarely mentioned that Hamas instigates all of these problems! It looks as if Israel is standing alone so they must do what they can to protect themselves.
Mohamad Nordin Khairuddin · Follow · Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Keningau
Speaking about right huh? Right to my foot.Tell me why the women and children of Gaza are also considered as terrorist? And death toll in Palestine are even bigger than the Israel. Clearly, it’s an unfair ‘counter-attacks’.Don’t forget to mention another hundred of thousands missiles attack your country has fired to Palestine this past 12 years.
Reply · 8 · Like · Follow Post · November 15, 2012 at 12:10pm
Marc Fauconnier
Maybe, your “fighters” should hide any place but among civilians… and perhaps civilians who help terrorists must be considered as terrorists themselves…
The solution is clear… stop teaching hate to your children and you will reach peace 😉
Reply · 26 · Like · November 15, 2012 at 12:59pm
Tanya Assayev · Follow · Top Commenter · מכללת מעוף
Mohamad, you know what is the differance between gaza strip and to the IDF forces? Gaza strip uses the ngihborhoods as terror zone, shooting rockets in front of civilized building . near children and woman just to harm Israel. The IDF forces tried only to protect our pepole. If gaza strip would shoot even one rocket the IDF forces would leave you guys alone along time ago, but what is your code? oh thats right ” Kill all the Jews and America”. Now you get what you deserve IDF wont sit quietly this time.
Laahaulawalaa quwwata illaa billaa hil aliyil’azim
Vladimir Hazera · Follow
There is a misconception about the “RIGHT to defend itself”: It isn’t just a RIGHT, but an OBLIGATION to defend Homeland and it’s a DUTY for all its citizens to defend the country. It is time for Israel STOP seeking for approval to rest of the world in order to exercise its sovereignty and protect its citizens. Historically, Israel want live in peace with its neighbors; patiently, has been waiting for the UN to pronounce against terrorist organizations attacking its territory and citizen. Firmly, it’s time to tell them as John Dryden said in his Absalom and Achitophel: “Beware the fury of a patient man. Law they require, let law then show her face”.
Reply · Like · Follow Post · November 30, 2012 at 2:13am
Chris Tex Caruthers · Top Commenter · Customer Serice and Sales Rep at Toyota Rent a Car
I find it odd that the rest of the world has no problem telling Israel not to defend herself, but aren’t doing anything to stop the aggressors. Maybe if they were under threat by someone who wanted to wipe them out, they would wake up.
Philip Petruska · University of Maryland Overseas, Central Texas College
I for one am happy to see Israel standing up for itself. The Israeli people should not be forced to live under the constant threat of attacks by their neighbors.
Umar Mukhtar · Top Commenter · Graduate Research Assistant at UNIVERSITI SAINS ISLAM MALAYSIA [USIM]
Well put.. but where is Palestinian right to exist?
Shariq Hashme · Follow · Coder at Human Computer Interaction Lab
Hey guys do you know what the most celebrated intellectual of the 21st century thinks?
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/396767_424761417577690_1119288674_n.pngOh but don’t worry about what he thinks, he’s a self hating Jew! He hates himself and he hates all Jews too! That Jew is anti-semitic! Yeah! Let’s kill all of them!
Mike Gailey · Follow · Royal Belfast Academical Institution
It is every Human’s duty to find a way to live in PEACE with his neighbour, and not seek ever more gruesome and unpleasant ways to kill each other. This is 2012, not 1012 – time for your peoples to mature and stop killing each other at the slightest excuse. Killing in the name of God, whichever God you claim to represent, is ungodly, and you should all live in shame with the guilt and blood you shed on a daily basis.
Reply · Like · Follow Post · November 15, 2012 at 8:04pm
John Shultz · Vanguard University of Southern California
Israel does not kill in the name of God.
Hey guys, let’s all kill the Mozlems because they hate the Jews!@@ YEAH! DEFEND ISRAEL! YEAH!Charge of conflating militants with the civilian population. Pretty much all of you, guilty as charged.
John Pat Reynolds · Top Commenter · Franklin Hights High School
Yes we defend Israel
we see trough the B S Hamas is part of Iran anyone that uses children as suicide bombers need to be destroyed
Reply · Like · November 17, 2012 at 5:05am
Muhammad Zaini · Follow · Top Commenter · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Israel have no right to abuse palestinian teritory. why you don’t understand?
Reply · Like · Follow Post · November 15, 2012 at 12:17pm
Heads Up Muhammad!!!
Reply · Like · November 15, 2012 at 8:01pm
Camilo Roco Castillo · Top Commenter · Peor Es Nada, Libertador General Bernardo O’Higgins, Chile
because israel dosen´t start this war, hamas send 104 to israel during the past weekend that is the casius belli.
Matt Levine · Top Commenter · University of Pittsburgh
Muhammad, israel has the right to defend itself. you are basically saying that israel shouldn’t defend itself. palestinians in gaza are bombing israel like crazy.
Shaza Sulaiman · Universiti Teknologi MARA
There is NO Israel..There is always Palestin.
I think you cant read a map. Israel is there bold and beautiful for the world to see. And I hope I am blessed enough someday to go visit Israel .And see all the wonders. Yes you may not like it but Israel is there and there to stay
Farah Gill · Follow · The Manchester College · 400 subscribers
u need extra special glasses to map,there is no palestine.@shaza
Avraham Epstein
Mohammed, qos omak, ya ibn kalb, ya tizi, ya ibn sharmouta!
Reply · Like · Follow Post · November 16, 2012 at 12:55am
Eu Wei Choi
He WILL KNOW what that Arabic means.
You told him in the language he knows.
Carol A Berrian · Top Commenter
Madmen.
Hajo Netzer
Of course has Israel to defend itself, but has it the right to build up Settlements in the occupied territories und to take the land the land away from the Arab people?
Reply · 1 · Like · Follow Post · November 16, 2012 at 11:55am
Jeff Bracey
Yes Hajo. Under international law an aggressor forfeits land in battle to the victor who has a right to use and hold that land defensively.
people cant attack other people with out consequence
Levi Roriz · Follow · CETEFI – CENTRO DE ESTUDO TEOLÓGICO E FILOSÓFICO IDE
Louvamos e salmodiamos pelo amor ao Seu povo.
O Eterno Hashem!
Eric Fedida · Top Commenter · Lycée Yabne
every country has the right to defend its self
Sofyan Hadi · FKUI Jakarta
Open your eyes, israel captured palestinian land for 64 years, now who is the invaders..hamas defends because you want captured all palestinian land.. Who is the real terrorist?? G
חיים מלול · Top Commenter · הדרכה GOLANIX at טכנאי מחשבים ורשתות
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BUaTMr6bpuc
Samuel Divino
too much hating. Israel, I belive in you!
Alois Eckerstorfer · Top Commenter · Faculty of Philosophy
Hamas is not the only violent groups in the GAZA Strip. The presence of several such groups that show no willingness to cooperate in their common goal to destroy Israel as well, weakens again just whose common nonsense. The fish starts with the head to the stink. In these heads, Islamism, much selfishness and brutality is hidden.
Reply · 1 · Like · Follow Post · November 26, 2012 at 3:40am
Tags Stephen Darori, Stephen Drus
Analysis: Examining the future of the IDF
Does Israel’s air force have a self-inflicted monopoly on firepower, should the IDF reassess and be investing more in special forces & cyber-ops, or are boots on the ground what is essential in winning a war?
As the Middle East becomes ever more anarchic and unpredictable, a group of high-ranking former and current military figures gathered at Bar-Ilan University this week for what would turn out to be one of the liveliest and frank public debates on the future of the IDF ever held.
The conference, called IDF Force Structure, was organized by the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and Israel Defense magazine, and contained two panels of speakers, each of which used their rich personal experience in the security world to build up deep and well-founded arguments on how Israel should tailor its armed forces in the first quarter of the 21st century.
The former navy chief, R.-Adm. (res.) Eliezer Marom, used the opportunity to say that the Israel Air Force enjoys an unreasonable monopoly over the IDF’s firepower. The monopoly was in fact dangerous, Marom said, since an unpredictable challenge to air power would severely limit Israel’s ability to direct long-range fire at enemy targets.
“If something happens to the air force, like it did during the Yom Kippur War, there won’t be firepower directed at the depth of the enemy’s territory,” he warned.
Most of the IDF’s guided weapons systems are launched autonomously these days, and it would be easy to spread out the weapons more evenly among the air force, ground forces, and navy, Marom said.
Israeli Dolphin class submarine (left) courtesy IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, picture of a nuclear-armed Harpoon missile launched from a Dolphin-class submarine (right).
The ex-navy commander cast doubt on the idea that squadrons of fighter jets have to take off every time a target needs destroying. “It would not be a problem at all,” he said, to direct surface-to-surface missile fire when needed.
In truth, senior elements in the IDF agree with Marom’s analysis, believing that the navy can and should play a bigger supporting role in ground combat.
Navy vessels should serve as floating guided- weapon launch pads. That said, they still regard the air force as Israel’s supreme strategic branch.
In the IDF’s coming four-year working plan, called Teuza (Hebrew for “valor”; the plan is awaiting government approval), the air force and its guided weaponry appear to take second place in the military’s priority list. Intelligence would appear to be in first place.
The air force continues to be perceived as the most effective operational tool for strategic gains in war.
Ground forces hold third place in the priority list, and are seen as an inseparable component of an Israeli victory in any full-scale war.
Bedouin Reconnaissance Unit during exercise – Photo courtesy: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit
Moreover, the navy might find itself playing additional, classified roles that could be game-changers in a future conflict.
During his address, Marom paid tribute to the IDF’s networking capabilities, in which the three branches – air, ground and navy – and their various platforms are merged into one. In effect, this means that today, an infantry battalion commander can order an attack on a target in Gaza by simultaneously employing missiles on navy ships and tank fire.
Yet with all due respect to technology, Marom pointed out, “in the end, in order to win, we need boots – with human legs in them – on the ground.”
Maj.-Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, deputy head in the reserves of the IDF’s Depth Corps, presented one of the most fascinating and radical visions during his address. Hersch argued that technological advances and regional changes have prepared the ground for a second revolution in military affairs (the first occurring in the late 1970s to the early 1980s).
Faced mainly with enemies that know no limits, and which employ terrorism, guerrillas or subversion rather than organized military forces, Israel now has to create its own surprise force, Hirsch said.
He showed a graphic of a floating iceberg, and then a second image, in which an intricate matrix of wires, signals and colors pulsed inside the iceberg.
“What you see is not the whole picture. We need to know what is happening underneath the iceberg,” he explained.
“We need capabilities and forces that know how to exit the frame,” Hirsch said, adding that a combination of secret services, commando units and special forces fit the bill.
Creating a force based on what Hirsch described as the “Six Cs,” command and control, computing, intelligence, surveillance, cyber and special forces, would make the IDF “far more effective.”
The Golani Reconnaissance Battalion received the Chief of Staff Award for Excellence in recognition of their hard work protecting all of Israel – Photo courtesy: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit
Amir Rapaport, editor-in-chief of Israel Defense magazine and a member of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, noted the intensive debate being held in the IDF on whether to prioritize firepower, or ground maneuver capabilities.
A lack of training and proficiency in basic skills, neglect of ground forces and a failure to invest in armored vehicles led to systemic failures during the Second Lebanon War, Rapaport noted, adding that the IDF repaired these shortcomings between 2007 and 2011.
Now, he said, some of this work is being undone.
According to Rapaport, in the coming years, cyber warfare capabilities will be at the top of the IDF’s its priority list – higher even than the air force.
“If there is a recruit suitable to become either a pilot or a cyber-operator, he will be sent to be a cyber-operator,” Rapaport said. The Intelligence Unit 8200, which according to reports, runs cyber war programs, can inflict as much damage with the press of a button that paratroopers can with weapons, he said.
Intelligence-gathering units are next on the list of priorities, enjoying an enormous budget, followed by the air force, which is due to receive the F-35 fighter jet in the coming years.
But budget cuts will affect numbers of armored fighting vehicles (AFVs), tank units and ground forces combat training. “I’m not sure there will be enough AFVs in the next clash,” Rapaport said.
Rapaport’s concerns for the future of the ground forces are well-founded.
The Ground Force Command’s special staff, who oversee key functions, have experienced a 20-percent budget cut in 2013-2014. When combat units resume training programs this year, the drills will be limited to frontline fighting forces.
Combat support units will not train much – if at all – unless the IDF’s budget is increased again in 2015.
Conscripted soldiers this year will spend nine months carrying out operational duties, before holding short war-training exercises, and returning to normal duty.
Nevertheless, in the eyes of army brass, robust ground maneuvering capacities remain a vital component in Israel’s ability to strike deep in enemy territory, making conflicts short, and, unlike past clashes, making an Israeli victory appear convincing.
The current cuts appear to be guided by an element of risk management for the coming year, rather than a permanent downgrading of ground forces.
During the panel, Brig.-Gen. (res.) Avigdor Klein, former Armored Corps chief officer, argued in favor of cutting back on armored vehicles, saying that such tools were becoming increasingly irrelevant.
He supports focusing more on firepower, and less on ground maneuver force build-up.
With no current existential threats facing Israel, and enemies seeking to inflict damage on Israel’s civilian sector, the IDF should focus on being able to strike the enemy’s infrastructure, weapons and commanders, while minimizing harm to Israeli civilian casualties and noncombatant deaths on the other side of the border.
“I very much agree with the reduction [of heavy vehicles]. What will remain constitutes an enormous core [of military forces] in comparison to other armies in the world,” Klein said.
Maj.-Gen. Meir Kalifi, former military secretary to the prime minister, said Israel should seek to build a flexible military, guided by its capabilities, rather than trying to design the IDF according to a forecast of future developments. Strategic and security forecasts are less relevant now than ever, he argued.
Maj.-Gen. Gershon Hacohen, current corps commander of the General Staff, looked at how differing cultures play a part in military force build-ups, and offered some salient perspectives.
Whatever technical advantage Israel develops, hostile Arab entities like Hamas and Hezbollah will work to neutralize them, he said, turning disadvantages into advantages. Israel’s enemies adapt quickly, and leverage their inferior strategic conditions as tools against the Jewish state. Recent examples include Hamas’s movement of human shields to rooftops of buildings designated for destruction via air strike.
“When we identify a problem, we look for a technical solution. We think like graduates of a business school. They focus on primitive adaption, and then watch how it creates a new situation,” Hacohen said.
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Tags 2nd Lebanese War, African National Congress, Benjamin Netanyahu, Brig.-Gen. (res.) Avigdor Klein, Business Insider, Early Stage Threshold Technology Curve Model, Facebook, Google, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWpJC_ZXPFo, IDF, Israel Defense Force, Lebanon, Maj.-Gen. Gershon Hacohen, Six Day War, Stephen Darori, Stephen Drus, Teuza, Yom Kippur War, Zion, Zionist
The Mandela moment: Now it’s time to move forward South Africa
The past few weeks have been a milestone in our country’s history — there’s no doubt about that. We’ve made huge pronouncements about how we are so very thankful for all that Madiba has done for us, how we pledge to continue and honour his legacy, how so much still needs to change. But what now? I’m sure many of us are asking ourselves this question. Sure we’ve made progress since 1994 and sure many of us are already hard at work moving our beloved country forward. But this week of reflection — both of our history and what still needs to be done — has given many of us renewed energy for the road ahead. What do we need to do to make things right for the past in our country? How does what we do depend on where we were located in the past? As an architect of apartheid injustice or as architect of resistance to injustice; as an implementer of apartheid injustice or as an implementer of resistance to injustice; as someone dishonoured by apartheid injustice or dishonoured in the act of resisting or perpetrating apartheid injustice; as a beneficiary of apartheid injustice or as a beneficiary of resistance to injustice; or as a young inheritor of apartheid injustice or as an inheritor of resistance to injustice. Definitely loads to discuss on this point — but the real point is wherever we were locate our history is complex and not uncomplicated — all of us need to participate in actions to move us forward as a country.
These actions of restitution — “doing sorry” rather than just “saying sorry” and “receiving sorry” rather than believing “sorry is not enough” — need to happen urgently and on multiple levels. Not only in the large institutional, legal and structural ways — by government through affirmative action, black economic empowerment, land restitution and our past truth and reconciliation commission but also in everyday ways — where people can contribute to making things right at individual, interpersonal and community levels — where everybody has a role to play, and does so not out of the largesse of charity (that makes us feel good but not obligated to doing our part) but out of a duty to moving forward.
So what can we do to move forward South Africa?
As an academic (at the Human Sciences Research Council and the University of Cape Town) and as a practitioner (the current Chair of the Restitution Foundation, a small Cape based NGO) I have a few ideas (that I’m sure not everyone will agree with, but at least they are ideas for action). I think, however, that together we can all come up with many more creative and everyday actions. As a new year begins and as we live in the moment Nelson Mandela’s passing has given us to reflect, refocus and renew our efforts to change, let’s think deeply and creatively about the actions that must be done to move forward.
Broadly speaking these actions should include helping people to remember the past so our actions are motivated by duty; to recover lost dignity and to dismiss feelings of shame associated with poverty or undue senses of superiority; to experience a sense of belonging and equality no matter who we are; and to have access to a decent life through opportunities for fair work and useful education. Some will cost money; all will cost time and effort.
In practical terms here are a few I have thought about:
Inheritance of personal wealth: Change your will today to include someone who does not own property rather than just pass on your inherited wealth to your kids. Remember that your inherited wealth was only possible through apartheid’s unjust laws (job reservation, land ownership, differential education).
Education of another: Pay for another young South African to get a great high school education and go to university. Include in your financial sponsorship the mentoring and social capital that your own kids will receive because you know how to help them access jobs, helpful networks and make good personal decisions along the way.
Look people in the eyes: When someone asks for work, money or any other help, no matter how you respond materially, look them in the eye and talk to them with dignity and respect.
Living wages: Beginning with the people you employ at home or in business, sit down and do a job and personal needs assessment. Then pay the person a living wage (rather than a minimum wage).
Public holidays: Make each of our public holidays (Human Rights Day, Youth Day, Women’s Day, Heritage Day and Reconciliation Day) an opportunity to share a meal and a chat about its significance. Do so with a small group of people of who at least half come from a different history in the South African community as you. Tell each other your stories of growing up in South Africa, and listen intently. Repeat frequently.
Cross “racial” adoption: Adopt a child with a different history to yours. And live your family life in such a way that celebrates all of your historical heritages, which may mean learning another language and celebrating different customs.
Religious groups: Change the colour of Sunday mornings or Friday evenings/afternoons. This may mean starting something new, or intentionally gathering a diverse group of people in a mid-week prayer, study or discussion group. So many of us in this country are religious that this action alone could really help us to move forward.
Learn/teach a language different to yours: Works both ways. Ask someone to help you learn to speak isiZulu, isiXhosa or seSotho. Help someone become proficient in business or academic English.
Vote: It doesn’t matter who for but don’t just stay at home. Become active in insisting that people in power deliver on their promises for the benefit of those most excluded. Don’t let your opposition only be heard as a grumble over a beer or over supper. Support the ruling party if you like but hold them accountable to good governance at every turn (booing included!). Strengthen the opposition parties if you like but insist they come up with viable alternatives rather than just complaining about existing polices or looking after the interests of their local constituencies (potholes be damned!). This is the democracy we wanted after all.
Please send your ideas to samovingforward@gmail.com or post a response here. Please also share this post widely to your networks via Facebook or on email. Written submissions can be made to: SA Moving Forward, Private Bag X9182, Cape Town, 8000. Please include a short paragraph about who you are in your submission. I’m planning to make the outcome widely known in the coming few months, while we are still living in this Mandela Moment!
Sharlene Swartz is a research director at the Human Sciences Research Council, adjunct associate professor with the department of sociology at University of Cape Town and chairperson at the The Restitution Foundation.
Tags: Madiba, Nelson Mandela, reconciliation, restitution
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Tags Advertising, African National Congress, Benjamin Netanyahu, Business Insider, Course (navigation), Early Stage Threshold Technology Curve Model, Facebook, Global Positioning System, iPhone, Israel, Jerusalem, Jews, LinkedIn, Middle East, Nelson Mandela, Online Communities, Stephen Darori, Stephen Drus, United States
Boycott Israel? Not on my campus ( Reblogged)
BY JUDEA PEARL
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Judea Pearl
There are many good reasons to oppose the American Studies Association (ASA) decision to boycott Israeli universities. But there are some bad reasons as well. Many arguments against the boycott play exactly into the hands of the pro-boycott propagandists and give them the ammunition they need to continue their racist campaign with renewed vigor and self-righteousness.
The two most dangerous “objections” to the boycott consist of these arguments: 1) There are worse violators of human rights in the world, so why pick on Israel? And 2) Israel is aware of her crimes, and is willing to confess and repent, with the help of an international team of expert “confessors” who are about to fix all that is broken with Zionism.
I will not comment on the second point because anyone who has been watching Israel’s relentless effort to extricate itself from having to control other people’s lives, how her poets, playwrights, educators, philosophers, journalists, jurors and political leaders have been struggling for the past 66 years to redefine Zionism to fit the changing dynamics of society and circumstances would laugh at the idea that what Zionism needs at this point is expert confessors from the Diaspora, to teach it what it truly stands for.
But the first point deserves a comment or two, because it has been used as a crutch by many commentators, not least among them UCLA professor David Myers, writing in these pages.
Admitting “You caught me stealing, but there are bigger thieves in town” is precisely what the boycott cronies want to hear, and the ASA president’s response, “We have to start somewhere,” sounds much more compelling and honest than the plea for first chasing after the other thieves in town. After all, once you admit to being part of the Mafia, you have no business telling the police how to go about fighting crime, and you should not be surprised if you are arrested first.
I want to assure our students that the case against academic boycott is not as flimsy as these arguments make it sound, and that the majority of faculty on our campuses do recognize both the difficult predicaments of Israel and the non-academic character of the boycott campaign. They recognize that Israel did not choose to occupy another people; her presence in the West Bank was imposed upon her by neighbors who admit to wishing her disappearance and who make sure she understands that lifting the occupation would only intensify their wishes.
They recognize that, obviously, the occupation “has a negative impact on the working conditions of Palestinian researchers and students” (this is a quote from the ASA resolution). But it is also obvious that Israel cannot lift movement restrictions in the West Bank while she is intimidated daily, both rhetorically and physically, with existential threats; normalcy must be symmetrical.
They recognize that while occupation is ugly and unsustainable, the Arab side shares (at least) equal responsibility for prolonging this conflict by nourishing a culture in which coexistence is non-existent.
In particular, Palestinian educators, researchers, students and academic institutions who now call for boycotting Israel are greatly responsible for perpetuating this culture of anti-coexistence, hence no less deserving of a boycott than their Israeli counterparts. Most ASA members should agree that denying peoplehood to a people, for more than 65 years, is no less a crime than causing students at Nablus University to be late to class.
ASA members should be concerned about the reputation of their organization if allowed to be hijacked by the rhetoric of the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement and its radical supporters.
While the resolution itself may sound benign, ASA members should take a hard look at the purpose for which this document will be used in the future, given the radical agenda of its supporters.
The leaders of the BDS movement do not hide that purpose: In every conversation with them. they make it crystal clear that their ultimate goal is not to end the occupation, nor is it to achieve a peaceful solution in the Middle East, but rather to defame Israel in the public eye, to choreograph an arena where Israel’s criminality is debated, to intimidate pro-coexistence voices into silence, if not shame, and eventually bring about Israel’s isolation, if not her demise.
Omar Barghouti, a key ideologist of BDS, stated publicly (Sept. 29, 2013), “Colonizers [read: Zionists] are not entitled to self-determination, by any definition of self-determination.”
ASA members should also take a hard look at what the passing of this resolution would do to campus climate, how it would isolate faculty members who choose to collaborate with Israeli universities and what it would mean to the posture of Jewish students on campus once BDS supporters sense the smell of victory, however mild.
The commentary by UCLA professor Robin Kelley, who wrote in support of the boycott in these pages, was a perfect reflection of this BDS mentality. We are witnessing a “professor of history” who is as quick to desecrate the word “apartheid” as he is to ignore the historical context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the responsibility of the Arab side in sustaining that conflict. Some “professors of history” can preach for hours and hours on the moral right of the Palestinian people to self determination and, at the same time, ignore or deny the historical right of their neighbors to the same self determination.
In the old days we used to label such professors “racists,” but nowadays that label is reserved strictly for Islamophobes and “white settlers’ colonial societies,” so, on a technicality, Kelley is exonerated. One of Israel’s painful misfortunes is that professors like Kelley formed their worldview at a time when the only villains in town were “white settlers.”
Today, when there are no such settlers in existence (except perhaps the British settlers in the Falkland Islands), history professors must invent them, no matter how absurd the resemblance. And you can guess whom they chose for the honor — the only functioning society in the Middle East that speaks the language of its historical birthplace.
On the positive side, we should not forget that despite its symbolic victory in the ASA case, the BDS movement has given the Jewish people two important gifts. First, support of BDS has become a crisp and unmistakable litmus test by which to distinguish potential discussants from hopeless bigots, and by which to determine whom to include and whom to exclude from the broad tent of “Jewish conversation.” Drawing such red lines was one of the smartest things our sages enforced to preserve Jewish identity. At times it involved painful decisions, which left the Karaites, the early Christians, the Shabtaim, the Spanish Conversos and “Jews for Jesus” out of the community. But these were necessary, life-saving decisions. Today, as if by divine supervision, BDS supporters find themselves excluded from the Jewish conversation — a life-saving demarcation line has been drawn, and a stronger, more united community has emerged
The second blessing has been a miraculous awakening and an unprecedented galvanization of Jewish students and faculty to confront the dangers of the BDS assault. It is still too early to assess, but I would nevertheless venture to predict that next year will not be an easy one for Israel’s enemies on campus.
Judea Pearl is a professor at UCLA and president of the Daniel Pearl Foundation (danielpearl.org), named after his son. He is a co-editor of “I Am Jewish: Personal Reflections Inspired by the Last Words of Daniel Pearl” (Jewish Lights, 2004), winner of the National Jewish Book Award.
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american studies association, asa, bds,boycott,boycott, divestment and sanctions,daniel pearl, david myers, judea pearl,nablus university, palestine, robin kelley,ucla, west bank
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Charles Richman · University of Virginia
SO YOU WANT TO BOYCOTT ISRAEL, DIVEST IN OR SANCTION ISRAELI PRODUCTS: YOU ARE A BDS ADVOCATE
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU USE THE FOLLOWING:
The PillCam (capsule endoscopy) is used to detect blockages or other problems in the intestine and esophagus. This device is ingestible (Made in Israel).
TA Count-A Real-Time Microbiology—Detection and Counting Harmful Microorganisms in pharmaceuticals, food and drink which are complete in minutes and not days as the antiquated cell culture procedures require. Time might be vital, BDS supporters you can’t use it since it was made in Israel.Mazor Robotics’ Spine and other Surgery Robots is a highly accurate procedure that requires less time and less intense radiation. (Guess where it is made, Israel of course, thus BDS fans it is a no, no for you).Optical Heartbeat Monitor—…See More
Reply · 3 · Like · Follow Post · 9 hours ago
Jan Clausen · Syracuse, New York
Boycotting Israeli universities because you disapprove of the policies of the government is like boycotting Harvard because you didn’t like Bush going to war in Iraq.
Alan Rockman · Top Commenter
I stand with Dr. Pearl. He knows terribly – and first hand how intolerant militant Islam is.The Nazis – for that is exactly who and what they are – of the ASA, Lisa Duggan, Robin Kelley, and Curtis Marez should try living under Sharia sometime soon. They’ll find they will have NO rights whatsoever if they had the courage of their convictions. But they’re cowards. They always are.And shame on my fellow Scrantonian, the current head of the Department my major was under at UCLA, David Myers, for his lame opposition to Kelley and the other Fascist scum which went like this.
“I know how terrible Human Rights is in the Arab Moslem entities and Iran and I deplore it..But on the other hand”…
Correcto Mundo, Myers (you probably didn’t grow up in the Flats. I did…) You don’t defend nor make excuses – you call those Jew-baiting bigots out for who and what they are…and you fire Kelley, who apparently teaches some kind of Afro-Centric garbage to begin with.
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Tags Apartheid, Bantustans, Benjamin Netanyahu, Boycott Israel, BSD, Business, Campus, Course (navigation), Early Stage Threshold Technology Curve Model, Facebook, Google, Israel, Made in Israel, Made in the west Bank, Middle East, Occupation, PA, Palestinian Authority, Stephen Darori, Stephen Drus, Twitter, Zionism
1st chief rabbi inaugurated in Albania
The first chief rabbi of Albania was inaugurated in Tirana last week in the presence of a representative of Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha and Chief Rabbi of Israel Shlomo Amar.
Prime Minister Berisha had expected to attend but because of the floods in Albania, he sent his representative with a blessing and greeting to the new chief rabbi and the Jewish community.
New Emissary
Russia’s Subbotnik Jews get rabbi / Ynetnews
Rabbi Shlomo Zelig Avrasin ‘s mission to focus primarily on community of Vysoky in southern Russia, to include teaching Hebrew and Judaism, organizing prayer services and conducting range of diverse educational activities for Jewish youth
The inauguration is the result of a meeting a number of months ago between Prime Minister Berisha and the Rabbinical Centre of Europe (RCE) in the RCE’s offices in Brussels. The RCE is an organization dedicated to meeting the needs of Jewish communities in Europe.
During the meeting, the representatives of the RCE thanked Berisha for his efforts and expressed their gratitude for the great support and assistance that the Albanians have made for the Jewish community through sheltering and saving many Jews during the Holocaust.
Rabbis with PM Berisha’s representative (Photo: Meir Alfasi)
The RCE broached the subject of appointing Rabbi Joel Kaplan, who is affiliated with the RCE, as the first Chief Rabbi of Albania. Berisha consented to the idea. The ceremony, including the traditional agreement between a community and its new chief rabbi, was presided over by Rabbi Aryeh Goldberg, Deputy Director of the RCE and Rabbi Gershon Mendel Garelik, Head of the Rabbinical Court in Milano and founder of the RCE.
“The Rabbinical Centre of Europe’s mission is to assist any European Jewish communities, whether they are large of small, affiliated or non-affiliated,” Rabbi Arye Goldberg, Deputy Director of the RCE said. “Albanian Jewry has a long and illustrious history and the current community needs a spiritual leader to ensure its vitality and continuity.”
“The RCE thanks Prime Minister Berisha for his support and the fact that only the devastating floods kept him away from the inauguration is a testament to his commitment to the Albanian Jewish community.”
Reinvigorated Jewish community
The event was also attended by representatives from the Albanian Christian and Muslim communities.
During the RCE’s visit to Tirana, a Jewish center called “Moshe Rabenu” and a synagogue named after the visiting Chief Rabbi of Israel was inaugurated as “Hechal Shlomo”.
Rabbi Kaplan will now preside over a reinvigorated Jewish community. “This will be the first time in 70 years that there will be a minyan (Jewish prayer quorum) in Albania,” Rabbi Kaplan said.
The rabbi’s first task will be to import kosher food into Albania and he will enjoy diplomatic status.
Rabbi Kaplan, formerly the Chabad emissary to Thessaloniki in Greece, had approached the RCE with the idea of reinvigorating the small Albanian Jewish community. The number of Jews in Albania is thought to be around 150, although these numbers are buttressed by large numbers of Jewish tourists and businessmen who visit the small nation.
Albanian Jewry dates back over 1,300 years, but was at its peak after many Jews expelled from the Iberian Peninsula made it their home. During the Communist era, the Socialist People’s Republic of Albania banned all religions, including Judaism. After the fall of Communism in 1991, all but a small number of Albanian Jews moved to Israel.
Tags Albania, Chabad, Course (navigation), Early Stage Threshold Technology Curve Model, Global Positioning System, Google, Holocaust, Holy Land, Israel, Middle East, Nelson Mandela, Netanyahu, Online Communities, Rabbi, Rabbinate, Saudi Arabia, Social media, Startup company, Stephen Darori, Stephen Drus, Zion, Zionist
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Botticelli (Rapid City, South Dakota)
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Café Christiania (Oslo, Norway)
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Chaophraya (Glasgow, Scotland)
Circe (Providence, Rhode Island)
Copper Falls Steakhouse (Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands)
Creole Restaurant & Bar (Frigate Bay, St. Kitts)
Devon Seafood Grill (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Dixie Quick’s (Council Bluffs, Iowa)
Elephant Restaurant (Gdansk, Poland)
Emporium Coffeehouse and Café (Scottsbluff, Nebraska)
Ferdinand’s Caribbean Café (Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman)
Finca Decero (Mendoza, Argentina)
Fratelli Sarti (Glasgow, Scotland)
Ganter Brauereiausschank (Freiburg, Germany)
Golden Thai (Toronto, Ontario)
Haesje Claes (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
Havana 1957 (Miami, Florida)
Havis (Helsinki, Finland)
Ivar’s Acres of Clams (Seattle, Washington)
Jack’s Oyster House (Albany, New York)
Jama Michalika (Krakow, Poland)
Kaszubska Marina (Gdansk, Poland)
Khazana (Edmonton, Alberta)
Kuldse Notsu Kõrts (Tallinn, Estonia)
La Scala Ristorante (Baltimore, Maryland)
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Legligin Wine Bar (Valletta, Malta)
Leunig’s Bistro & Café (Burlington, Vermont)
Literacka (Gdansk, Poland)
Lucas Park Grille (St. Louis, Missouri)
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Maestro’s at the Van Dam (Saratoga Springs, New York)
Mary Mahoney’s Old French Restaurant (Biloxi, Mississippi)
McCormick & Schmick’s (Washington, D.C.)
Mia Tapas Bar & Restaurant (Ithaca, New York)
Minervas (Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
NECI on Main (Montpelier, Vermont)
Oceanaire Seafood Room (Baltimore, Maryland)
Olde Bryan Inn (Saratoga Springs, New York)
Palazzo Preca Restaurant (Valletta, Malta)
Peacock Alley (Bismarck, North Dakota)
Plank Seafood Provisions (Omaha, Nebraska)
PM Buenos Aires (Miami, Florida)
Poros (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
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Radicchio (Zagreb, Croatia)
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Ristorante Il Massimo (Providence, Rhode Island)
Sage Creek Grille (Custer, South Dakota)
San Chez Bistro (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Šašlik (Helsinki, Finland)
Savor (Niagara Falls, New York)
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Sorge’s (Corning, New York)
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Ottley’s Plantation Inn (St. Kitts)
Robertson House (Rotorua, New Zealand)
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A “Sea of Sin” in the Very Wild West
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Driving Without Mirrors in the Canary Islands
Falling for Iguazú
Finding Peace and Harmony in Half an Acre
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Have Yourself a Merry German Christmas: Day 1 — Frankfurt
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Have Yourself a Merry German Christmas: Day 4 — Stuttgart
Have Yourself a Merry German Christmas: Day 5 — Düsseldorf
Have Yourself a Merry German Christmas: Day 6 — Heidelberg
Have Yourself a Merry German Christmas: Day 7 — Cologne
Hiking With Huskies in Finnish Lapland
Kadriorg Park (Tallinn, Estonia)
Killarney National Park (Ireland)
Lake Bled Remains a Romantic Idyll in Any Weather
Lake-Hopping in the Canadian Rockies
Life in Bronze and Granite in Oslo’s Vigeland Park
Lokrum, Croatia
Man Meets Montana Moose
My Own Private Estonia
Prešeren Square (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Purmamarca: The Most Colorful Place in Argentina
Split’s Marjan Hill: Perfect View, No Tourists
Stanley Park (Vancouver, British Columbia)
Swiss Camels and an Exploding Snowman
The Ghost at Symonds Street Cemetery in Auckland, New Zealand
The Plazas of Mendoza, Argentina
The Wineries of Mendoza, Argentina
Three Stellar Attractions at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Tivoli Gardens (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Traveling the Mission Trail in San Antonio, Texas
Tulip Mania at Keukenhof
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Stephen Travels
And he's ready to take you with him.
In the heart of Omaha’s historic Old Market district, amid the brick warehouses converted into loft apartments, galleries, shops, restaurants, and cupcake stores, Plank Seafood Provisions has been making its mark since it opened in 2013 and promptly won the city’s Best New Restaurant Award that year. This highly popular coastal-inspired seafood grill — an anomaly in a sea of steakhouses — boasts an oyster bar that, on any given day, serves up fresh oysters from, say, Virginia, Massachusetts, or Washington that are served raw, baked, fried, smoked, or grilled over a wood fire.
A 50-seat outdoor patio wraps around the restaurant for dining al fresco, but you’ll get a better nautical vibe inside. In the main dining area, the wooden ribs of a boat float above a row of booths, and an enlarged photo of open ocean almost lulls you into a slumberous state as you imagine yourself bobbing on the water in your sailboat. The fonts used for the “P” and “K” in the restaurant’s name hint at boating rope knots. Tiny waves, anchors, and sea creatures dot the menu that you’ll spend a good deal of time reading, trying to select from a very tantalizing selection.
Try This: Unfold your very naval-looking blue and white napkin and start sipping on a tart blackberry nectar lemonade as you wait (not long at all) for your first course. Start with Plank’s highly touted macaroni and cheese, baked in a cast-iron dish with cavatappi pasta, cheddar, béchamel, parmesan breadcrumbs, paprika and chives, which you can embellish with lobster or applewood smoked bacon and green peas. Or, you might like the sautéed Prince Edward Island mussels. For an entrée, from a dozen choices, I opted for the trout meunière, pan-seared with capers, grape tomatoes, herb-roasted fingerling potatoes, and sautéed baby green beans, served in a lemon and white-wine butter sauce, along with a brown-butter almond purée, but the walleye puttancesca, diver scallops, and cedar-plank Scottish salmon all sounded equally outstanding. For dessert, launch into the banana foster bread pudding or the key lime panna cotta.
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Indirect Tax Handbook 2019/2020
A comprehensive legislative handbook containing all the indirect tax acts, regulations, practice and interpretation notes. Available Feb 2020.
This item is on backorder, you will be charged and the item will be shipped when available
Indirect Tax Handbook comprises indirect tax legislation such as transfer duty, VAT, skills development levies, unemployment insurance contributions, diamond export levy, securities transfer tax and mineral and petroleum resources royalty, as well as tax administration law. It incorporates the legislative amendments made during the current tax year, as well as pending amendments. It includes the consolidated Acts, together with related regulations and interpretation and practice notes. Updated annually.
Transfer Duty Act No. 40 of 1949
Value-Added Tax Act No. 89 of 1991
Skills Development Levies Act No. 9 of 1999
Unemployment Insurance Contributions Act No. 4 of 2002
Diamond Export Levy (Administration) Act No. 14 of 2007
Diamond Export Levy Act No. 15 of 2007
Securities Transfer Tax Act No. 25 of 2007
Securities Transfer Tax Administration Act No. 26 of 2007
Mineral and Petroleum Resources Royalty Act No. 28 of 2008
Mineral and Petroleum Resources Royalty (Administration) Act No. 29 of 2008
Tax Administration Act No. 28 of 2011
Income Tax Legislation 2020
Tax Planning – Corporate & Personal
Starting from R1,581.25
Insurance and Tax Journal
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Sycamore Trust
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Carter Snead to Lead The Center for Ethics & Culture
SOUTH BEND, IN — We are very pleased to bring to you the news just released by the University that the successor to Dr. David Solomon as Director of the Center for Ethics and Culture will be Professor O. Carter Snead of the Notre Dame Law School.
We have had our say about the dark implications of the forced departure of Dr. Solomon at the end of this school year. We put that aside now so as not to becloud our celebration of the appointment of Professor Snead.
There could not be a more welcome development. Professor Snead is superbly qualified to build upon the work of Dr. Solomon and his associates that has made the Center a focal point for Catholic intellectual life and the driving force for pro-life reflection and action on campus.
Professor Snead, a graduate of St. Johns College of Annapolis, Maryland and of Georgetown Law School, joined the Notre Dame faculty in 2005. His ability and work have been recognized and rewarded swiftly through promotion last year to tenured full professorship.
A brief University summary of his career tells something of his special qualifications for his new position:
Standing at the intersection of bioethics and the law, Snead writes, speaks and thinks deeply about the governance of science, medicine and biotechnology He is the former general counsel for the President’s Council on Bioethics…and the principal author of the council’s 2004 report on the regulation of new technologies affecting assisted reproduction, human embryo research and genetics. He recently was appointed to a four-year term on UNESCO’s International Bioethics Committee, a body of independent experts that advises member states on bioethics, law, and public policy.
Coincidentally, we have drawn attention to Professor Snead’s work in our last two bulletins.
In our most recent bulletin, we singled out for commendation a recent article co-authored by professors Carter Snead and Gerard Bradley of the Notre Dame Law School and professor Helen Alvare of George Mason Law School dismantling the Administration’s recent proposed regulation that would require Notre Dame and a host of other Catholic organizations to provide health insurance coverage for contraception.
And in the immediately prior bulletin we praised the recent conference on stem cell research at Notre Dame organized by Professors Snead and Phillip Sloan. A video of Professor Snead’s conference address was among those we posted and that we now reproduce in the right hand margin. There is now special reason for you to view it.
For an especially rewarding insight into Professor Snead’s views, we draw your attention to his recent article on the primacy of life issues in the upcoming Presidential election.
In this article Professor Snead addresses the question whether it should matter “whether the 2012 candidates for president are pro-life” and the answer of many that it should not matter in light of “the vast array of other pressing issues facing the United States.”
Professor Snead responds that this attitude is “badly misguided” and that it is indeed “of paramount importance that the President of the United States be pro-life.” We leave to you the rewards and pleasures of reading his compelling explanation of why this is so.
For representative additional examples of Professor Snead’s work, see the following contributions listed on the University website:
Law school’s Snead says embryonic decision abandons moral neutrality
Law school Professor Snead dismayed by President Obama’s abortion funding decision
Law School’s Carter Snead praises Vatican bioethics document as eminently reasonable
Law professor sees abortion case as crucial
All can now look forward to a smooth and productive transition from the directorship of David Solomon to that of Carter Snead. Surely the future of the Fund for the Protection for Human Life, which has had its home in the Center, is no longer imperiled, nor is the Fund’s extraordinarily promising Project Guadalupe with its newly launched program of pro-life education. The Fund will doubtless continue its fine work under the leadership of Dr. Solomon as board chairman and with the assistance of its board, which includes Professor Snead.
This appointment has transformed next month’s annual conference of the Center from what would have been an occasion for unrelieved sorrow over Professor Solomon’s premature departure into one for celebration of his great work together with a grateful and hopeful welcoming of Professor Snead.
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MAIL GROUP PAPERS THE WORST OF IPSO-REGULATED PRESS FOR FOURTH YEAR RUNNING
DID THE TELEGRAPH MAKE UP STATISTICS ON THE PEOPLE’S VOTE MARCH ATTENDANCE?
DAILY MAIL TOPS LIST OF IPSO OFFENDERS FOR THIRD YEAR RUNNING
THE TABLOIDS PRINT DUBIOUS STORY ABOUT TOMMY ROBINSON FAN SUPPOSEDLY THROWN OUT OF COLLEGE CLASS
IPSO UPHOLDS COMPLAINT AGAINST DAILY MAIL ON IRAQ COMPENSATION CLAIMS
Opinion: Cui Bono? W… on DAILY MAIL TOPS LIST OF IPSO O…
Cui Bono? What can w… on DAILY MAIL TOPS LIST OF IPSO O…
Who is to blame for… on STATISTICS SHOW THAT DAILY MAI…
Tabloid Corrections
Rubbing the nose of naughty newspapers in their own bullshit
STATISTICS SHOW THAT DAILY MAIL WAS BY FAR THE MOST UNRELIABLE UK PAPER IN 2017
January 2, 2018 January 2, 2018 hieronymousbentfinger
Picture: LSE
The Daily Mail transgressed the press regulator rules no fewer than 50 times in 2017, making it by far the biggest offender of the year out of the publications monitored by IPSO.
This was more than the combined total of the next three worst offenders (Daily Express, The Sun and the Daily Telegraph) and far in excess of its 2016 total, when the paper also topped the charts.
The 2017 figures show an overall rise in IPSO sanctions compared to 2016, which could be due to worsening press standards or greater vigilance among those monitoring and reporting transgressions to IPSO.
In terms of overall figures, the Daily Mail chalked up 50 offences. The Daily Express was second worst with 19, then The Sun with 17, the Daily Telegraph with 10, The Times with 8, the Daily Star with 6 and the Daily Mirror with 5.
Figure 1 (above): Total number of IPSO rulings 2017
These include breaches of various clauses of the Editors’ Code of Practice, including accuracy, privacy and harassment. Concerning accuracy alone, the Mail breached the code on 37 separate occasions. This is over twice the number of times it breached the code in 2016 (when it was sanctioned 17 times). The Express followed with 17 breaches, and The Sun with 16 (both up on their 2016 totals).
Figure 2 (above): IPSO rulings for inaccuracy 2017
This means that the three worst offenders in terms of publishing inaccurate content were sanctioned a total of 70 times between them in 2017, an increase of more than 50 per cent on last year (when they were sanctioned 43 times between them).
This is worrying news for the Daily Mail, the most popular daily paper in the UK in terms of online readership, but perhaps highlights why Wikipedia made the decision to classify it as an unreliable reference source in 2017.
Regarding subject matter of articles pulled up for inaccurate content, it was a mixed bag for the Mail although slightly more common themes were Jeremy Corbyn/Labour Party and issues relating to immigration and refugees (3 each). There were clearer patterns where the Express was concerned, with nearly half of its inaccurate content (8 articles) relating to the EU/Brexit and a further four concerned with Islam/Muslims. The most common theme of The Sun‘s inaccurate content was Corbyn/Labour (3 articles).
Perhaps what these figures show more than anything is that the current IPSO sanctions are ineffective. If they were working, you would expect the number of times these papers were pulled up for inaccurate content to decrease. The very fact that the Mail, the Express and The Sun are committing more offences than ever before does little to instil confidence in the current IPSO model as a regulatory force.
IPSO was established in 2014 as an independent regulator of the press but has been criticised for not imposing sufficient penalties when guidelines are breached. Offenders generally get away with printing a small correction notice months after the original offending article was published.
Surely it’s time to make papers pay for their indiscretions rather than handing out token ineffective punishments. Some have suggested forcing papers to publish corrections in bold print on the front page. Others have suggested imposing fines to hit publications where it hurts.
Another idea could be to impose a ban on papers covering certain subjects for different periods of time if they can’t report truthfully and accurately on them. After all, if a paper has repeatedly demonstrated that it can’t handle a topic responsibly, why should it be allowed into a position where it can influence millions of people?
IPSO does have the power to impose tougher sanctions such as increased prominence of corrections notices or even fines for serious or repeat offences. It can be contacted here.
*The Daily Mail is used here to include the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday and the Mail Online. Likewise, the Daily Express is used to include the Daily Express, the Sunday Express and the Express Online, and so on.
**IPSO rulings include both breaches of the Editors’ Code of Practice, where no agreement between the parties can be reached and IPSO has to intervene, and Resolution Statements, where the publication admits it has breached the code and offers to make a statement/concession that is to the satisfaction of the complainant.
Don’t like what you’re seeing in the press? If you see an article you’re unhappy with, you can email the press regulators at inquiries@ipso.co.uk to voice your concerns. If enough complaints are received, they will have to look into it.
Tabloid Corrections Facebook page: here.
← THE SUN’S INVESTIGATION INTO FOSTERING REVEALS ONE THING – THE PAPER IS HELLBENT ON STIRRING UP RACISM
IPSO UPHOLDS COMPLAINT AGAINST THE SUNDAY TIMES BY MOHAMED AHMED →
18 thoughts on “STATISTICS SHOW THAT DAILY MAIL WAS BY FAR THE MOST UNRELIABLE UK PAPER IN 2017”
Richard Wells. says:
A useful and informative report.
Daily Fail stats | Very Vexed says:
[…] via STATISTICS SHOW THAT DAILY MAIL WAS BY FAR THE MOST UNRELIABLE UK PAPER IN 2017 […]
Undercover5051 says:
I don’t believe this. The guardian posted fake news about non British academics being banned from writing about brexit. It was NOT true. Why are they not included?
ocelot says:
The Guardian isn’t a newspaper though is it?
A Contrarian Viewpoint says:
Because the Guardian has not yet signed up to IPSO.
gravity says:
Oh. Lol.
/u/Undercover5051 has an shitty article written about some comment he made months ago. And then threatens to sue me. from badukpolitics
https://www.studentmoneysaver.co.uk/article/estate-agent-were-the-real-victim-of-this-years-budget/
Jamil says:
Reblogged this on Jamil's Blog.
Challenging says:
Can you tell us all where you got this analysis from?
Having just looked through the IPSO site using their section on rulings https://www.ipso.co.uk/rulings-and-resolution-statements/ and having done an analysis from these pages (specifically rulings that were identified as 2017 in the reference, defined as a Breach and including Accuracy as part of the complaint) come up with some very different figures:
– Daily Star/Star on Sunday/Star Online 6
– Daily Express/Express Online 6
– Mail Group 5 (Sunday Mail 3, Mail 2, Mail Online 1)
– Daily Mirror 1
– Telegraph 1
– Sun 1
– Times 2
Plus some regional, Welsh and Scottish papers
hieronymousbentfinger says:
It’s from the same rulings section but includes resolution statements as well as breaches. This is where the paper makes a concession, usually a printed correction/retraction or an agreement to remove content from the website, that satisfies the complainant and means that IPSO no longer have to investigate further.
WE NEED A BETTER REGULATED PRESS – HERE ARE A FEW IDEAS – Tabloid Corrections says:
[…] STATISTICS SHOW THAT DAILY MAIL WAS BY FAR THE MOST UNRELIABLE UK PAPER IN 2017 […]
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DAILY MAIL TOPS LIST OF IPSO OFFENDERS FOR THIRD YEAR RUNNING – Tabloid Corrections says:
[…] your-poker-hands on STATISTICS SHOW THAT DAILY MAI… […]
Has the Salvator Mundi Really Gone Missing? Unpacking the Latest Conspiracy Theory UPDATED… – MusicCosMos says:
[…] Prince Bader bin Abdullah Farhan. (It’s useful to know that the Every day Mail is the UK’s least-correct tabloid. The publication is so unreliable that Wikipedia has banned it as a supply for its articles.) […]
The Mainstream Media – The Good, Bad and Downright Ugly | SHOAH says:
[…] 2018, the Daily Mail was identified as by far the biggest offender of the year out of the publications monitored by IPSO. The Express, Sun, Telegraph and Times respectively […]
The Mainstream Media – The Good, Bad and Downright Ugly – devinieke says:
Who is to blame for our bullying culture? Not just tech corporations | Nesrine Malik | Opinion - wiredfocus says:
[…] Daily Mail in 2017 alone was censured by the press regulator 50 times, more than twice the number of violations recorded by the second highest offender, the Daily […]
Who is to blame for our bullying culture? Not just tech corporations | Newyorrk.com says:
Who is to blame for our bullying culture? Not just tech corporations | Nesrine Malik | Opinion says:
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Deciphering the Soul Behind ABAO's Latest Album KINAKAIYAN
By Evan Vitkovski on 2020-01-13 Features
Singer-songwriter and multi-talented media darling ABAO embodies the role of cultural ambassador and torchbearer for Taiwan's indigenous Paiwan people by bridging the gap between traditional forms of expression and modern innovative creative trends. Her latest album, KINAKAIYAN (Mother Tongue), recruited the genre-bending whizz kid producer Dizparity behind the beats and a team of other talented artists adding their own flourishes to the project. With the help of Dark Paradise Records' Oberka taking the helm by mixing the vocals for the record, overseeing the mastering of KINAKAIYAN in Las Vegas, as well as co-producing the whole album, a truly assorted musical flavor was cultivated. Singing with R&B, pop, and soul inflections in the Paiwan language creates a vibrant sonic atmosphere where storytelling and celebrating the beauty and simplicity of daily life feels natural. Even the album title is a nod to embracing the world at large even when a language barrier exists, as well as ABAO's deep connection with her own family. Getting lost in the music dissolves these boundaries and builds a new world of possibilities with fresh perspectives.
What started as a rough demo recording of lyrics and musical sketches, Dizparity, ABAO, Orberka and many other skilled musicians worked together over several months on recording and developing the first full-length album to be completed at Taipei's Coop Studio. R&B vocals and lyrical sensibilities sung in Taiwanese, Amis, English, Mandarin, and Paiwan languages sewn together with electronic music, gospel, hip-hop, and even Latin rhythms gives listeners something unlike anything they've heard before. All ten tracks seem to have a life of their own, while remaining consistent thanks to the top-notch production and ability to experiment effectively with a range of styles.
We asked Dizparity to delve into the background of the project and how working with ABAO inspired him to create something special:
"I met ABAO in CMW (Canadian Music Week 2018), we were both doing live shows in the festival showcase at a Taiwan night event. Afterwards, we sent each other ideas online back & forth, though it never got to the finishing stage, we did try a lot of styles during that period of time. And I knew ABAO really has this rare potential to deliver in such diverse but also emotionally-powerful way in multiple genres of electronic music.
I remember I did a drum & bass and a dancehall tune back then with her, it was quite a DJ dance floor mix. However it ended up being a completely different version of what we cut in the album, she is just so good at translating her vocal emotions among the textures of the beat. Sometimes during the recording session, she even got the characters in her head to help her sings some specific lines in a tonally distinguished way.
As for the writing process, we never sat in the room together coming up with the beat and demo. She had her ideas jamming from random music loops and I broke down the structure to add my arrangement and sounds and bring more musical elements to the song. The most tricky one in the composition process was "Uduli." ...There's no clear verse and chorus structure wise, the whole demo was just based on one super catchy hook and it keeps building with the crowd vocals. Until I came up with that Indian snakey lead in the drop, we all felt that it's the coolest direction for the song to go, and she even translated the ancient Paiwan tune on the bridge in a strong dance music style.
The early finished tracks like "Tjakudain" and "Ten", we started with my old finished beats and it's pretty close to what we heard in the album version. I felt really surprised when i first heard ABAO's demo, that's totally not the material I would think about to work on with the vocalist, but it just perfectly fits in a unique sonically and groovy way. And of course, I have to thank producer Huang Shao Yong for helping on the stem mixing stage, making ABAO's vocals as powerful as they should be. And ABAO's spirit of experimentation gave us huge freedom to play around with her vocals. Without that, we wouldn't have been able to make such pioneering Taiwanese cultural electronic dance music album."
Incorporating distinct and recognizable Paiwan style graphic art by Bawa Walloon into the album design also gives KINAKAIYAN an element that engages with audiences on another level. Each song has a corresponding picture that strikes a visual chord and gives a nonverbal hint into the meaning and message of the individual tracks.
The music video singles for "1-10" and "Thank You" are a window into the lifestyle and wholesome values and spirit of the Paiwan people. "1-10" uses an instrumental beat selected from Dizparity's archive blended with a field recording of a prayer provided by ABAO. The song uses the choppy vocalization of Paiwan language to add emphasis and natural rhythm.
On "Thank You", ABAO brought in her friend and longtime music partner Brandy along with a children's church choir from Taidong and Argentinian pianist Musa. The video was shot at a Pingtung church in southern Taiwan to effectively capture the mood of the song.
The latest music video release from the album is a love song with DJ Didilong. "Tjakudain" tells the story of a cross-culture relationship between a Paiwan woman and a Taiwanese man whose parents won't let them be together. The lovers trade sentiments in their respective languages and express their romantic story over a smooth and bittersweet beat.
ABAO's impressive catalog sporadically spans over 15 years. It all started with 2003's Mandarin pop record duet collab ABAO+Brandy that won best vocal collaboration album at the Golden Melody Awards the following year. While that might have launched her career, the record label went bust shortly after.
Inspired by her grandmother's vision of sharing Paiwan music with a larger audience, ABAO worked on reimaginings of 22 Paiwan ballads, giving them new life with modern vocal arrangements and production. With her grandmother's singing to guide the way, The East Payuan Folk and Three Generations (東排三聲代) was released in 2014. This in turn led to ABAO reinventing herself as an indigenous R&B singer with original songs and concepts that displayed her raw talent as a solo artist on 2016's Vavayan. Proving that ABAO stands out as a unique vocalist and artist, that album was lauded as the Best Indigenous Album and Best Producer at the 2017 Golden Melody Awards. She described her motivation behind making Vavayan to Taiwan Scene saying: "Just listen to the music and don't be afraid if you can't understand the language. I hope that the combination of ancient language and modern style can help more listeners get in touch with Paiwanese, especially the new generation of indigenous youths. We lose a lot of our culture because of the changing nature of our lifestyles. In the context of use of our mother tongue, writing lyrics is a good way to maintain the use of the language. If you use it, it will not be eliminated. It is also nice to share that I learnt my own mother tongue through music."
As the host of a show on Taiwanese Indigenous Television, ABAO uses her own personality and charisma to share Paiwan art and culture with viewers. Music has an inherent power to cross cultural boundaries and create a powerful dialectic between artists and listeners. This energy becomes even more pronounced in a place like Taiwan, which is blessed with a diversity of aboriginal groups that have their own deep and exceptional cultural traditions. After spending years in and out of the spotlight, receiving accolades from critics, and sharing her music with the world, ABAO continues to hold it down for her people. She has a flare for taking the beauty of Paiwan style and adding a futuristic spin.
For fans in Taipei, ABAO will be celebrating the release of KINAKAIYAN with a concert at Leagcy on 1/16.
Evan Vitkovski
Treat Yourself to Taipei's Lofi Hip-Hop on Conehead's untitled_ EP
Dark Paradise Records Compilation “J7 White Diamond” Breaks the Mold
RayRay Takes Over EDM with an 'Alien Invasion'
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Sussex homepage Staff
Three-quarters of Sussex PhD survey respondents satisfied
By: Molly Whyte
Last updated: Friday, 9 August 2019
Three quarters of PhD students at the University of Sussex are satisfied with their university experience, according to new survey results.
Just over 75 per cent of doctoral researchers who completed the 2019 Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) agreed or strongly agreed that they are satisfied with the experience of their research degree programme overall.
The highest levels of satisfaction were seen in relation to supervision and research skills development, whereas research culture and wellbeing showed some scope for improvement. The overall satisfaction level was slightly down on last year, where it stood at 81.4%.
Jayne Aldridge, Director for the Student Experience, said: “Thank you to all doctoral researchers who provided valuable feedback during the survey period.
“All of this data helps us understand what is working well and where changes could be beneficial.”
Directors of Doctoral Studies will be producing and implementing action plans in response to the survey feedback.
In addition, the Doctoral School has launched a consultation to help shape plans for doctoral study at Sussex.
A set of guiding principles for doctoral education at Sussex have already been agreed and endorsed by the University’s Executive Group, with input from student representatives. The Doctoral School is now seeking views on actions that could be taken to deliver the principles.
Up to 30 September, everyone with an interest in postgraduate research at Sussex is invited to contribute to the consultation, especially doctoral researchers, doctoral supervisors and professional services staff.
Pro Vice-Chancellor of Planning and Resources Stephen Shute said: “Under the Sussex 2025 Strategic Framework, we have established our Doctoral Principles. These principles set out the vision and aspirations for Doctoral Research at Sussex, and they will be essential to Doctoral Research continuing to be a vital part of our University. We are now consulting on actions to support the Doctoral Principles, and we will use this process to address issues raised in the PRES. I do hope you will take the opportunity to get involved in shaping this important action plan.”
You can share suggestions and ideas by speaking with a postgraduate research rep, filling in a short online form or attending a consultation event. Please visit the Doctoral School website for more information and contact Miles Willey if you have a question.
One month of free gym membership for Sussex students, when purchasing a four-month Gold plan
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Family Case Studies
Is It Really Possible…
…to earn better grades in less time?
…to eliminate homework fights in my house?
YES! It’s possible to do both. Below are case studies from actual clients who’ve dealt with common homework problems, discovered solutions, and reaped great results!
1. “He’s Not Working to His Potential!”
Kyle, an 8th grade student with ADHD, was failing most of his classes. His teachers all agreed his greatest problem was missing assignments. His mother was completely exasperated; she knew Kyle did most of the assignments, but they never made it back to school. Every day, they fought intensely about homework! Kyle also complained that he didn’t understand what was going on in class or anything he read in a textbook. Aptitude tests indicated that Kyle was very bright, confirming exactly what all of his teachers said, “He’s just not working to his potential.”
The Solution… Click HERE.
2. “I Work Hard, but My Grades Don’t Show It.”
As a junior in high school, Kathryn was a “good” student but was often frustrated because her grades never seemed to reflect her effort. “It’s hopeless!” she said after receiving a low grade on a math test for which she spent hours preparing. She was also overwhelmed with writing assignments. She had a major research paper to do over the following quarter and felt paralyzed by it. “I don’t even know where to begin,” she sighed.
3. “Homework Is Destroying Our Family!”
As a mother of two girls, ages 9 and 11, Nancy was becoming increasingly more frustrated by the nightly homework battles in her home. “I can’t sit and do every piece of homework with them because I have to get the dishes done, lunches made, do the laundry. Yet, they freak out when I leave the room then fight with me about how to do their work. It can’t continue this way or homework will actually destroy our family.”
Six Steps to
Conquer the Chaos
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Ethan Ackelsberg and Austin Kremer
We’ll keep fighting for the Palestinian people
Ethan Ackelsberg and Austin Kremer report on a vote on a BDS resolution at Ohio State and the challenges campus activists face in their fight to win divestment from Israel.
AFTER MORE than five hours of heated debate, the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) at Ohio State University (OSU) voted against a boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) resolution on December 5. The final vote was 7 for and 30 against, with 3 abstentions.
The resolution, spearheaded by the newly formed OSU Coalition for BDS and supported by 13 student and community organizations, called on OSU to divest from Hewlett-Packard, Caterpillar and G4S; boycott these companies, as well as Sabra Dipping Company; and sever all ties with Israeli academic institutions.
Rather than introducing the resolution through a USG senator, organizers chose to bring forward the resolution through a petition process, collecting nearly 150 signatures in just two days to build broader student support and raise the issue of Palestine to a wider audience on campus.
The resolution was officially introduced by Ahmad Abusharkh, a member of the OSU Coalition for BDS and the International Socialist Organization.
Demonstrating for Palestinian rights in Columbus, Ohio (Students for Justice in Palestine at The Ohio State University)
In the weeks leading up to the resolution, the coalition held biweekly teach-ins and organizing meetings to bring in more organizers and educate more students on the continued practices of ethnic cleansing, occupation and apartheid carried out by the Israeli state against the Indigenous Palestinian population.
On the day of the meeting, organizers held a rally on campus for the resolution. About 30 people rallied for roughly an hour before marching through campus to the location of the USG meeting.
At the meeting, more supporters joined, bringing the numbers to about 50. The meeting hosted a public forum over the resolution, where 21 people spoke out in support of the resolution. But the Zionist opposition at the meeting was intense, with 43 students speaking against the bill.
OPPOSITION TO BDS on campus wasn’t limited to the Senate hearing. The Zionist organization SJP Uncovered launched a smear campaign against Ahmad by sharing tweets from when he was 15 in an attempt to discredit the talk he gave at the meeting.
This did nothing more than prove their lack of an actual fact-based platform and show us that we are a threat to their cause. The Columbus branch of the ISO and the OSU Coalition for BDS responded promptly to these attacks, issuing statements through Facebook. Ahmad issued his own statement several days later.
This was not the Zionists’ first attempt to discredit the campaign. The anti-BDS group SJP Leaks had previously leaked audio from the public launch meeting at the beginning of the semester, trying to frame BDS as an anti-Semitic movement by quoting members out of context.
Additionally, at an organizing meeting on December 3, Zionists attended and attempted to bait organizers at the end of the meeting with anti-Semitic tropes. The next day, two members of Buckeyes for Israel pretended to be interested in the BDS movement at an ISO tabling in an attempt to disrupt it.
On December 5, the USG president and vice president published a statement in opposition to the resolution prior to hearing any testimony from organizers.
This was also the same day that a dangerously dishonest resolution condemning the BDS movement as anti-Semitic passed the Ohio House of Representatives by a vote of 89 to 2.
The only two votes against the resolution were from staunch far-right Republicans who changed their vote after a line was added to condemn the rise of white nationalism and neo-fascism.
The BDS resolution wasn’t expected to pass, and its failure does not mark the end of the BDS movement on campus.
Even if the resolution had passed, there would still be more work to be done in order to get the university to abide by its students’ demands. A resolution passed last year by USG calling for fossil-fuel divestment and a successful ballot initiative for a $15 an hour minimum wage on campus have both been rejected by the university administration.
A mass movement of students and workers at Ohio State is needed to hold the administration accountable to student demands.
The BDS resolution was a step in this larger movement to bring the Palestinian struggle to light on Ohio State’s campus. The coalition plans to continue building a BDS movement through spring semester, holding more teach-ins and rallies to build support for a student ballot initiative.
From Palestine to Mexico, border walls must go
BDS activists in Colombia are building a campaign to stop Mexican cement company Cemex from supplying Israel’s apartheid regime.
Ethan Ackelsberg
Their lies about BDS can’t go unanswered
A resolution passed by the Ohio legislature repeats dangerous slanders against the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.
Emmaline Bennett
A BDS victory at Barnard
Barnard College students voted in favor of a referendum calling for divestment from eight firms complicit in Israeli apartheid.
Isabelle Bartter
Battling a common enemy from Latin America
Latin American BDS, environmental and other organizations are joining forces to take on the Mexico-based corporation Cemex.
Shireen Akram-Boshar
Solidarity can win an SJP chapter at Fordham
Students are mobilizing to establish Students for Justice in Palestine at Fordham University, despite administration opposition.
Eric Ruder and Danny Katch
He made America protest again
A torrent of humanity flooded through cities around the country to express their anger at Donald Trump--but also their joy at finding one another.
Children forced on a dangerous journey
It is an indictment of U.S. government policy that thousands of young migrants, in their teens and younger, are treated as criminals and undesirables.
Lee Sustar
What the Chicago teachers accomplished
The winning strike by Chicago teachers can be an opening wedge against corporate school "reform"--and a fighting example for other unions.
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Home > Student life > Student life services > Health and Counselling Services > Auckland > Hot Health Topics
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Influenza (Flu) vaccine - national shortage
Unfortunately there is a national shortage of the influenza vaccine. It is very unlikely that New Zealand will be able to obtain any more supplies and Health & Counselling in Auckland no longer have any in stock.
For more information please visit https://www.fightflu.co.nz
Measles Alert
If you have any of these symptoms:
* Fever * Rash
* Cough * Runny Nose
* Red Eyes * Sore Throat
Please phone the Nurse at Health + Counselling on 09 2136700 or contact your own GP.
For more information see Auckland Regional Public Health
- Have you heard of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella)?
- Did you know there has been a measles OUTBREAK?
- Are YOU protected?
- Contact your GP for a FREE immunisation or further information.
It is particularly important to use physical methods of protection when UV radiation is highest. In New Zealand, this is between 11am and 4pm during daylight saving months.
Physical methods of UV protection:
broad-brimmed hats
clothing covering the arms, legs and trunk
appropriate sunglasses (close fitting, wrap-around glasses that meet the Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NSZ1067)
Did you know that sunscreens have expiry dates? Discard sunscreen that has passed its expiry date or if it has been exposed to high temperatures or has changed colour or consistency. Apply sunscreen 20-30 minutes before going outdoors and re-apply every 2 hours or more often if you are swimming or sweating.
Check your skin regularly. Where to look:
head, scalp, neck and ears
trunk: front, back and sides
arms, armpits, hands, fingers and nails
buttocks, legs and feet
Book an appointment at the Health & Counselling Centre for a skin check with the Doctor.
An Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a life-long developmental disability which affects approximately 1 in 100 New Zealanders. Because of the differing degrees of severity and variety of symptoms, the term ASD is used to include everybody in the range including those with Aspergers Syndrome.
People on the ASD spectrum have difficulty making sense of the world. They often have problems with social and communication skills. Although people on the ASD spectrum may appear aloof or indifferent, many would like to have social relationships. Some people struggle to recognise social cues such as being able to read and make sense of facial expressions. Some experience hypo-sensitivity or hyper-sensitivity to the outside world e.g. sounds, light, touch, smell.
Imagine trying to make sense of the world if you cannot read people expressions, tone of voice, or other social cues. You would not know for example, if people were becoming angry with you! People could become more and more angry or uncomfortable and if you don't know, then you wouldn't be alerted to change your behaviour. The world could seem quite a frightening/unpredictable/confusing place if people (without warning) started yelling at you or walking away.
Many "Aspies" and others on the spectrum have special abilities e.g. with music, mathematics, technology etc.
Famous people who are "Aspies" include:
Satoshi Tasjiri - creator and designer of Pokemon
Daryl Hannah - actress
Clay Marzo - American professional surfer
Raymond Thompson - New Zealand scriptwriter and TV producer
Phillipa "Pip" Brown (aka Ladyhawke) - indie rock musician
Adam Young - multi-instrumentalist, producer and the founder of the electronic project Owl City
Meningococcal C
Look out for these symptoms:
A rash may also occur with some forms of meningitis. You can test whether a rash is caused by meningococcal bacteria, by pressing a glass against it. If you can still see the rash through the glass, there's a high chance that it's a meningococcal rash.
"Don't let Meningococcal C get in the way!" Meningococcal C (406 KB)
Meningitis website: www.meningitis.org.nz
This vaccine is available through our clinic. Costs are from $65 for PHO Enrolled students and from $75 for International students, Casual patients and Staff. Please speak to one of our Nurses for further details, ph: 09 2136700.
Page authorised by Campus Operations
Last updated on Tuesday 11 June 2019
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15 Creative Social Media Campaigns and What You Can Learn from Them
1. Heineken #OpenYourWorld
What you can learn from this:
2. Qdoba Queso Showdown
3. Wayfair
4. Blenders Eyewear
5. Blendtec
6. Netto
The Psychology of Snapchat Marketing
7. AirBnB
8. Worldwide Breast Cancer
9. Disney
11. Bikini Luxe
13. Lowe’s
14. LinkedIn
15. IHOP
Studying does not mean copying
You are looking for exciting ideas for new social media campaigns? Then get inspired by others. Many of the best examples come from big companies. But this doesn’t mean that these ideas cannot be executed at a smaller level, often with little effort. Here you will find 15 social media marketing campaigns which will show you “how it’s done” – from a value-based campaign via a self-deprecating video series up to a spontaneous change of name. Furthermore we will give you tips on how to implement the strategy used for your own goals.
The dutch multinational brewery Heineken has not always been very sensitive in its advertising campaigns. Just recently the company had to pull the slogan “Sometimes Lighter is Better” due to heavy criticism of racism.
On the other hand their 2017 campaign #openyourworld received nearly unanimous praise. The film experiment in which people with contrary political opinions were put together in a room is considered a prime example of successful value-oriented advertising campaigns (purpose-driven campaign). Additionally to the publication of the video Heineken was experimenting with a Facebook chatbot. Not surprisingly, it brought people from different backgrounds together.
The result of this, apart from recognition? In this case the use of the hashtag #openyourworld 18,000 times in 13 months as well as 2.4 million likes, comments and re-shares over the same period. How many people will now choose to drink Heineken beer when discussing their values and political views is hard to determine though.
Advertisements do not have to be value neutral. Quite to the contrary! According to forecasts the meaning of value-based campaigns will increase in the future. Social media campaigns tackling relevant social discussions and inter-human values, such as Heineken’s, are well suited to reach a lot of people and increase brand awareness.
The fast food chain Qdoba is a popular type of restaurant in the USA. The darlings of the public on offer are Quesos, variations of traditional mexican cheese-cream dishes with various spices. In the course of the social media campaign “Queso Showdown” Qdoba encouraged users on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to choose their favourite queso from two choices. More than 30,000 users took part. People who voted for the winner “Queso Diablo” were able to add it to their order for free for a whole month.
Even though it happened a few years ago the Qdoba Queso Showdown is still a great example of how to increase interaction rates with competitions and give the followers the feeling that they are part of important decisions within the company. That the close race between the two Quesos could be followed in real time on Facebook and co. increased the efficiency of the campaign even more.
Wayfair was one of the first companies to realize the potential of Instagram at an early stage. When the image network introduced its new shopping function the furniture store took this opportunity. From the beginning Wayfair took care to picture the products available for sale in a favourable environment. This meant for example putting a lamp into a stylish and fitting living room arrangement.
Wayfair is a prime example of how to make the most of Instagram shopping. To simply photograph your products from your online shop in front of a white wall is less encouraging to users than placing them in an appealing environment targeted at the relevant target group. To put it differently: a part of a picture will be more interesting to the viewer if the whole picture is interesting.
Blenders Eyewear is a success story based in great parts on intelligent social media marketing. This includes the Facebook ads of the company. These are unique because they include – next to the pictures – comments and reviews by customers. This enabled Blender Eyewear to double the click rate.
Including your own customers in your marketing is not a new approach. With its Facebook ads Blenders Eyewear shows that this strategy is not limited to posting user generated photos but can even be used for paid ads.
Paid ads are an important part of social media marketing. In our blog article “The Complete Guide to Facebook and Instagram Advertising for Beginners” you will learn everything you need for a successful start with Facebook and Instagram ads.
Sometimes it makes sense to exaggerate the advantages of your own products to emphasize their effectiveness. Get inspired by Blendtec.
The producer of blenders caught the public eye with its video series “Will it blend”. Company founder Tom Dickson uses it to test the capability of his products to turn smartphones, tablets or Justin Bieber merchandise to mush while grinning happily. The result of these destructive orgies is always the same: “Yes, it blends”. By now the YouTube channel of Blendtec boasts 881,000 followers, quite an impressive number for a producer of blenders.
No one will buy a blender to destroy their iPhone. But the success of Blendtec’s legendary videos shows that it can pay off to artificially exaggerate the product promise (in this case “the last blender you will need in your life”). The fact that the products that are destroyed are popular items such as iPhones or Nike shoes furthermore contributes to the massive reach. The company also cleverly involves its users by asking them which object they should destroy in the next “broadcast”.
But be careful: A good idea is important in order for the experiment not to turn out unintentionally funny and cause more harm than good. Furthermore not all CEOs are blessed with the acting talent of Tom Dickson.
Everybody is talking about storytelling, but few do it as good as Netto in its video #DerWahreOsterhase (#TheRealEasterBunny). The elaborately produced animation film received 20 million clicks in a short period of time. It was a success on both Facebook and YouTube and shows that supermarket chains are at the forefront of modern social media marketing.
Not every company has the financial resources and possibilities to create a mini cinema movie in high gloss quality for its social media marketing. But whatever your budget may be: the way Netto tells an emotionally touching story linked to a current topic is a source of inspiration for many formats.
You have a clear advantage if you know the desires and goals of your target group. Get our free eBook “The Psychology of SNAPCHAT MARKETING” now and learn more on how you can make your marketing more successful with psychological insights.
Download our eBook and learn about the psychological principles that keep Snapchat’s community going, and how this affects your marketing strategy. To ensure an in-depth and thorough approach, we’ve also included the interviews of 5 Snapchat experts. Find out why your brand should be on Snapchat, what content works best and which tools to use.
Another successful method of putting one’s own customer base at the center of social media campaigns comes from the hip accomodation agent AirBnB. To demonstrate to its followers what kinds of exciting experiences await them in far-off countries, the company invited people from all over the world to take part in a 6-part Facebook live feed called “We Are Here”. Followers were able to see on their screen how the protagonists of the video took part in performance art in Paris, surfed on Californian beaches or visited a cooking class in Venezuela. AirBnB was able to reach more than 6 million people this way.
Live-videos are one of the social media formats experiencing rapid growth. The AirBnB campaign shows how one can create the immersive feeling of taking direct part in what is happening on screen for the viewer. The company enhanced this with small but effective tricks such as filming with helmet cameras and the integration of social media comments in the narration.
A well known saying goes “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!” The organisation Worldwide Breast Cancer took this saying as the starting point for their campaign #knowyourlemons. It informed about lesser known symptoms of breast cancer on one hand. On the other hand it created a platform for information exchange of affected people and calls for donations. According to Worldwide Breast Cancer it was able to reach more than 7 million people with 3 postings on Facebook alone. According to the Digital Marketing Institute the amount of donations far exceeded the targets set for the campaign.
Signature hashtags are a great way to attract people out of your own target group to visit your channels again and again. Wordwide Breast Cancer also shows how easy to remember and light footed hashtags may be used to increase awareness about serious topics.
In 2016 Disney invited its followers on social networks to publish photos of themselves with Mickey Mouse ears and the ShareYourEars Facebook photo frame under the hashtag #ShareYourEars. For each of these photos shared on Twitter and Instagram the company donated 5 Dollars to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. At the end more than 220,000 photos where shared. Disney then doubled the amount of donations.
Social engagement improves the image of your company. With calls for donations in social networks you can do good for others and your brand. Try to not make the campaign feel too fake by limiting the amount of advertising for your brand. The use of photos and other content with a special hashtag gives the campaign better visibility and more reach.
The “Ice Bucket Challenge” was one of the most surprising social media campaigns of the last few years. It made more than 17 million people pour a bucket of ice cold water over their heads and upload a video of this spectacle to social media after all. The aim of the campaign was to raise awareness of the serious condition of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and kick-start donations to the ALS Association – but not right from the start. At the beginning the participants of the Ice Bucket Challenge chose the recipient of the donations themselves. The ALS Association “captured” the idea and the whole campaign only at a later stage.
The “Ice Bucket Challenge” is a prime example of how social institutions and organisations can use social media to raise awareness about a topic. It is also a reminder of how some of the most successful marketing campaigns can come from nothing or stem from coincidences. Then it is just a matter of picking the right moment to jump on the train.
For the fashion company Bikini Luxe employee advocacy is an important part of marketing. A requirement for employees is presenting themselves as brand ambassadors and publish photos with the products of the brand.
Additionally Bikini Luxe has created a partner program. The registered brand ambassadors receive discounts and free products for the images submitted. The success of both programs can be measured in the rapid growth of follower numbers as well as rising sales.
Employee advocacy is not a new idea. Many companies in the German speaking countries are still hesitant to use this strategy though. If you want to turn employees and customers into brand ambassadors you can take inspiration from Bikini Luxe.
The inspiration for Starbucks’ White Cup Contest were photos of painted Starbucks cups that customers were posting on the internet. The company responded by encouraging coffee lovers to publish their personal design under the hashtag #WhiteCupContest on Instagram and Twitter. The design of the winner was sold as a limited edition. Nearly 4,000 people took part in the contest which only ran for 3 weeks.
Coming up with a theme for a competition can be hard. The White Cup Contest shows that the best inspiration can sometimes come from your own customers. Presenting the creative achievements of your followers on social networks like Instagram is a wise decision which shows appreciation and attracts attention.
How-to-videos are often useful but also not very enjoyable at the same time. The American hardware store chain Lowe’s includes new features of social networks in its videos and creates a gamification effect. In this 360° Facebook-Video users can follow the construction of a Tipi by turning and swiping.
With How-to-videos quickly showing simple work steps in an entertaining way Lowe’s wants to attract younger Millennials who prefer it short and crisp.
At the beginning of 2018 LinkedIn asked its members “What are you in it for?” in a social media campaign. The network then created videos out of chosen answers in which people from different industries explained how they want to push their career and develop professionally. The black and white clips shot in a documentary style were notable for the fact that they featured not only IT experts in suits or other professionals usually associated with the cliche of a typical active LinkedIn member, but also artists, farmers and even a professional female martial arts athlete. The video of the “In It Together” campaign was shown during the Golden Globes awards ceremony.
By integrating user-generated content in marketing campaigns as cleverly as LinkedIn did you can promote a strong bond between followers or a target group and your company. You furthermore create credibility. At the end LinkedIn succeeded in painting an authentic and multi-faceted picture of its community with “In It Together”.
The restaurant chain IHOP (International House of Pancakes), which is mostly known for its pancakes, caused a big stir on social media when it announced that it was changing its name to IHOb. After some time of guessing amongst its followers the company announced that the “b” stood for Burger. It has since come to light that this was a test to promote the introduction of burgers into the product range. In the meantime the company has “changed its name back” to IHOP.
Sometimes it helps to confuse your own followers. But you need a lively community for this to work. In this case a stunt like the one IHOP pulled is well suited for generating attention – not even mentioning the fun factor. In the end IHOP initiated a flurry of debates on Facebook and co. over a period of weeks with its announced name-change.
Successful advertising campaigns like the ones mentioned above are a great inspiration for your own marketing. But copying these ideas directly is not only problematic from a legal point of view. It also very rarely works.
It is better to get inspired for your own strategies which have to be tailored to your own product offering and target group. Maybe your own campaign will be included in our next list!
A good idea only comes to life with the right execution. Swat.io includes everything you need for content planning, community management and social customer service. Get your free demo now!
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About the Author Julia Berndl
Julia Berndl is Junior Content Marketing Managerin at Swat.io, a Social Media Management solution that’s helping companies to improve their customer support & content management on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others. Swat.io is currently used by companies such as 3Österreich, Hitradio Ö3, ÖBB, Focus Online and Burda Intermedia.
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How to Raise Brand Awareness With a Facebook Frame - Swat.io says:
[…] Social Media Marketing – not just when it comes to Facebook Frames. Check out our blog post “15 Creative Social Media Campaigns And What You Can Learn From Them” and get inspired for your next […]
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Town Board & Staff
2018 Garbage/Recycling Calendar
Recycle electronics instead of trashing them
By Bridgette Valdez-Kogle, DNR
Cell phones, computers, televisions and other electronics are a daily part of most of our lives. But the more electronics we use the more electronic waste we create. Electronic waste is the fastest growing component of waste in the United States. There are millions of pounds of electronic waste in Wisconsin alone.
Until now, Wisconsin households could throw away their outdated or broken electronics. But trashing electronics is not without consequences. Electronics can contain harmful chemicals like mercury, lead, cadmium and other heavy metals, as well as chemical flame retardants. When disposed of improperly, these pollutants can pose a risk to human and environmental health.<
Electronics also contain valuable reusable materials, including steel, gold, silver, copper and glass. Properly recycling these materials reduces the need for mining new materials.
“Electronics are resources that are too valuable to waste, and we can help both our economy and the environment by recycling them,” said Ann Coakley, director of DNR’s Waste and Materials Management Program.
Under a new electronics recycling law, passed in October 2009, Wisconsinites now have the opportunity to recycle their electronics instead of trashing them. The E-Cycle Wisconsin program, created under the law by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), provides electronics recycling options in many parts of the state and bans the landfilling of certain electronic devices as of Sept. 1, 2010.
“This is an exciting new opportunity for many of us in Wisconsin to recycle our electronics more easily and cheaply,” Coakley said.
The following electronics can be recycled through E-Cycle Wisconsin
Computers (desktop, laptop, netbooks and tablet computers)
Desktop printers (including those that scan, fax and/or copy)
DVD players, VCRs and DVRs
Computer mice and keyboards
Other computer accessories such as hard drives, speakers, flash drives and modems
All of these devices, along with cell phones, are banned from Wisconsin landfills and incinerators as of Sept. 1. For more information on the E-Cycle Wisconsin program, including a full list of collection sites, see http://dnr.wi.gov/ecyclewisconsin. For questions, contact the E-Cycle Wisconsin program at (608) 266-2111 or [email protected]
Collection Centers for E-Cycle in Wood County
Wood County Opportunity Development Center (ODC Inc.)
2406 E. Main St. Marshfield, WI 54449
1191 Huntington Ave. Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494
Veolia Environmental Services
2510 Engel Road, Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495
Please note: There may be charges associated with recycling these items. Please call ahead to get the prices for your particular device.
9903 CR E South
Pittsville, WI 54466
Town Hall:
10108 County Road V
Clerk’s Phone:
© 2019 Municipality hosted & designed by Town Web Design | Accessibility
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From Calgary to Kazan: An architect's journey
As I prepare to leave for Kazan to attend the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, I feel somewhat stunned by the immense privilege of being part of such a unique event set to take place in such a magnificent city...
Video: Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2019
In case you missed the live webcast from Kazan in September, The Ismaili is pleased to publish the full 50-minute Aga Khan Award for Architecture film. Mawlana Hazar Imam presided over the 14th cycle of the award, which is presented every three years to projects that set new standards of excellence in architecture, planning practices, historic preservation, and landscape architecture.
The architecture of life
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was conceptualised with the hope of creating a platform to cultivate conversation and debate about the built environment and provide direction for the betterment of human life through its enhancement. Award-winning architect and Steering Committee member Marina Tabassum spoke to The Ismaili to continue the conversation.
Aga Khan Award for Architecture concludes with Winners’ Seminar
On Saturday 14 September, Mawlana Hazar Imam participated in an Aga Khan Award for Architecture Winners’ Seminar at the Main International Centre, Universidade Village, Kazan. Hazar Imam was joined by members of his family, and leaders of the Jamat and AKDN.
Webcast: Aga Khan Award for Architecture Ceremony
The Ismaili is pleased to confirm that the Aga Khan Award for Architecture Ceremony will take place today, 13 September 2019, in Kazan, where Mawlana Hazar Imam will preside over the ceremony and present certificates to the winners. The event is anticipated to begin at 3:00 PM UTC+3, and will be webcast at the.ismaili/live.
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