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Water Liars - Wyoming, out in March - free download of "Fake Heat" available now
Water Liars is a Mississippi duo, Andrew Bryant and Justin Kinkel-Schuster, whose sophomore LP Wyoming will be out 3/5 on Big Legal Mess/Fat Possum.
"Fake Heat" is the first track off Wyoming, and they've made it available for free download as a preview.
This is recommended if you like well-sung folk rock like Richard Buckner or the recently-featured Joshua James - a good strong, evocative voice over fairly delicate instrumentation.
REVIEW: Django Django - Django Django
Most bands would be quite satisfied with a initial career stage that resulted in a nomination for a Mercury Prize for their debut album, but most bands aren't going to achieve that kind of success. London-based Django Django isn't like most bands. Their self-titled debut album was nominated for a Mercury, after great success in the UK. Then it was licensed for release in the US and has been enjoying success on this side of the Atlantic. Then, in an embarrassment of riches, the album earned a coveted spot in my top 50 albums for 2012 (my list here).
What makes Django Django stand out, in addition to the excellent performances, is the distinctive sound. The tracks marry various degrees of krautrock, post-rock, psychedelia, dance pop and, at times, country western guitars to make an album that is energetic and has a genuine sense of fun. While the album's core is undeniably percussion and rhythm, the distinctive hooks, frills, effects and melodies hold their own. And thematically, there is no self-imposed constraint to be conventional. The boys are on an adventure, and we're along for the ride. The deadpan vocals might remind you of The Talking Heads or the Beta Band, but the sense of wide scope and wry humor remind me more of the work of the Welsh band Super Furry Animals.
Try out the great sound on "Default", in which you may hear a nod to Bo Diddley's guitar riff.
Django Django has been called a Scottish band because the members met and began playing music while at Edinburgh College of Art. But they now are based in London and the members -- David Maclean (drummer and producer), Vincent Neff (vocals and guitar), Jimmy Dixon (bass), and Tommy Grace (synths) -- hail from England and Ireland, as well as Scotland.
And here is a favorite of mine, in which the band builds a psychedelic stomp on a timeless rockabilly base --
Twitter ( @thedjangos )
Introducing: Males
Today's introduction is to Males, a garage pop/surf band from the fertile Dunedin, New Zealand scene. The band is Richard Ley-Hamilton, Sam Valentine, and Ben Madden. They released the four-track EP Males Males Males in July 2012. Although the physical copies are sold out, the tracks are available on Bandcamp for "name your price". You can stream them here:
MalesMalesMales by Males
The "So High" single was released in November 2012, and also is a "name your price" download --
So High - Single by Males
Twitter ( @males420 )
New Garage Punk Discovery: Mesa Cosa - Infernal Cakewalk
You never know where your next recommendation is going to come from, which is why it pays to be open to nearly everything... for instance, who'd have predicted that I would become aware of outrageous garage punk from Mexican/Australian party animals, out now on a French record label (Casbah Records)? And yet, here we are:
Infernal Cakewalk by Mesa Cosa
There's not a lot to say about this record - good luck understanding, much less analyzing, the lyrics... It's as lo-fi and breakneck as any garage punk you are likely to hear this year, and features distorted guitars, undecipherable Spanish/English lyrics, and also distorted guitars.
In other words, it's fantastic. My favorite tracks are the nearly 4:00 "Los Perros" - a guitar distortion workout of epic proportions, and the 1:55 "Hijo Del Mal" - which reminds me of Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers played through the amp that fell off the back of Jackie Brenston's Rocket 88.
New Weekly Feature: Friday Nuggets - "Psychotic Reaction"
We are starting a new Friday feature at WYMA: Friday Nuggets, featuring a garage rock classic. Nuggets of course being the title of the absolute must own Lenny Kaye and Jac Holzman compilation of 60's psychedelia and garage rock. We will at times be broader than those CDs but in that era and vein.
Many of the new bands that Rocksteady and John in particular feature here at WYMA are direct descendants of this great lineage.
We will lead with one of my all-time favorite songs, a certified classic and prototypical garage rocker, "Psychotic Reaction" by the Count Five, from 1965.
The Count Five were from San Jose, CA. "Psychotic Reaction" was a top 5 single, as big in its day as say a Taylor Swift or Maroon 5 hit today.
If you have ideas for songs you'd like to see in this feature, please feel free to include them in comments.
Posted by Jim Desmond at 1/11/2013 1 comment: Links to this post
New Italian/Brit-Pop Discovery: Turnpike Glow - Inflatable Optimism EP
From Italy by way of the UK comes Turnpike Glow, whose 4-song EP Inflatable Optimism will be released in the US January 15.
Their sound is upbeat, catchy and guitar-centric and the record was produced by Dave Newfeld, whose credits also include Broken Social Scene and Los Campesinos.
Video for "1986":
And here's a video for "The Turn, The Pike and The Glow", another cut on the record - my favorite, mainly because of the guitar work:
That's 50% of their output, but there's more to come. This has been out in Europe since mid-2012, and they've been working with Newfeld on another release. You can stream the whole EP at Bandcamp:
Inflatable Optimism EP by Turnpike Glow
Here's a great new song from The Men
Brooklyn's Sacred Bones Records is announcing that Brooklyn noise polyglots The Men have an album being released on 5 March, and have begun streaming the first single, "Electric", which you are welcome to listen to right here:
The Men have a rugged sound, hard-to-heavy guitars and all the stuff that goes with that, but they're tough to categorize because they do so many different and cool things within that framework . The new album is called New Moon, and will be the band's third with Sacred Bones. My first experience with the band was last year's Open Your Heart, which I liked so much I immediately bought their second one, Leave Home. Buy them, crank them up, and be happy. Go check out the Sacred Bones website and listen to more songs by Men and the label's other bands.
The Men blog -- go here for tour schedule, merch, guaranteed personality.
Posted by H Lewis at 1/10/2013 No comments: Links to this post
Reverberation Radio #44
If it is Wednesday, it is a new playlist Reverberation Radio. Something new, something old, and more often than not, something blue. . The Golliwogs changed their name to Credence Clearwater Revival. Raul Seixas was the father of Brazilian RnR. Mose Allison a major jazz icon and songwriting contributor to the lexicon of modern pop music (Young Man Blues - The Who) throws his spin on Willie Dixon's "Seventh Son." Joe Bataan created salsoul and is the self-monikered "King of Latin Soul." Something blue is provide by the 60's British Blues Invaders The Pretty Things. A great soundtrack to start your day.
Posted by Frank Fahey at 1/09/2013 No comments: Links to this post
REVIEW: Opposite Sex - Opposite Sex
Ragged, weird, fantastic and a bit feral are some of the descriptions applied to Opposite Sex (yes, I understand they also are applied to one's exes of the opposite sex generally, but you don't really expect me to tackle that subject, do you?). Lucy Hunter (bass, vocals, trumpet, piano, keys), Tim Player (drums, vocals, keys) and Fergus Taylor (guitar) are college students currently residing in Dunedin on New Zealand's south island. Their self-titled debut LP was recorded in eight hours over two days at the Fishrider Records studio. Its original release on Fishrider was in 2011 and sold out quickly, probably largely to an eager New Zealand audience. But Fishrider re-released in 2012 and it was licensed to Occultation for distribution in the UK and Europe, giving the band renewed exposure. I first heard the album two weeks ago, and after multiple plays concluded that it was in my top group of recommended albums for 2012 (My 2012 list here).
The songs on Opposite Sex vary among somewhat scruffy folk rock, post-punk, alt rock, cabaret pop, and other, somewhat more adventuresome approaches including carnival waltzes. At times it seems like the trio is performing free form poetry to a lo-fi accompaniment. The vocals -- mostly Lucy but some from Tim as well -- are unassuming but effective. Imaginative, twisted pop such is this has an immediate magic, as well as a broader effect in subverting the boundaries of what to expect in a pop song. By the way, currently four of the tracks on the album are available for free download at the Bandcamp link below, although I recommend the entire album.
"La Rat" by Opposite Sex from Fishrider Records on Vimeo.
"Sea Shanty" by Opposite Sex from Fishrider Records on Vimeo.
Occultation (UK/Europe label)
"Bathe In Glory", new single from Paperfangs
Finland's Paperfangs are a three-piece electro-pop band. Their debut LP, Past Perfect, will be released by Soliti Music in February, but track "Bathe In Glory" has been released as a single. If this track is representative of the quality on the album, I think it Past Perfect will be one of the early pop gems of the year.
Soundcloud for "Bathe in Glory"
Twitter ( @Paperfangs )
Game Day Special - "Irish Celebration" (Macklemore)
OK you nervous and excited Irish fans. Here's one that will help you get pumped up.
We don't do much hip hop here, but this is worthy.
Macklemore, real name Ben Haggerty, is from Seattle. The track is produced by Macklemore's frequent collaborator Ryan Lewis.
Now I have to go headbutt my Irish Terrier. His name is Renny, but today he's Clashmore Renny.
HL's 2012 Recommended
This year had as much great music as any year I can remember. A ton of it was loud. Maybe I should have written more about it.
25. Red Collar - Welcome Home (Tiny Engines)
Jason and Beth Kutchma came to Durham from Pennsylvania in the mid-aughts, formed Red Collar, and have been embraced by the rock and roll scene in these parts like only a handful of bands over the past 10 or 20 years. To be sure, there's a ton to like about a straight ahead American rock band finding a voice in a crowded musical space without feeling a need to do cheap, genre-bending stunts. Here's a live video of the album opener, "Orphanage", performed at one of the best places anywhere to see a show -- Durham's Motorco Music Hall.
24. The Sword - Apocryphon (Razor & Tie)
There was a time, a time when the artisans of metal forged their weapons from the deepest veins beneath the mountains, with concussive rhythms, tribal drums, primordial riffage, nouns like "demiurge", and dwarves and goddesses and such shit as that. My last, misty recollection of such a time was the last time I played this album.
CLICK HERE TO FINISH READING THIS POST
▼ January 6 (12)
Water Liars - Wyoming, out in March - free downloa...
New Garage Punk Discovery: Mesa Cosa - Infernal Ca...
New Weekly Feature: Friday Nuggets - "Psychotic Re...
New Italian/Brit-Pop Discovery: Turnpike Glow - In...
Game Day Special - "Irish Celebration" (Macklemore...
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ScotDrakula - SCOTDRAKULA
If the quality of album is determined by the number of plays you give it, and I think a credible argument can be made that it is so, this self-titled debut LP from the Melbourne garage rock trio ScotDrakula has earned a spot on my list of best albums. I've never been concerned about whether august music critics (I don't know who there are, it is enough to know that I'm not invited to their monthly lunches) will regard an album as a worthy artistic achievement five years down the road. For me, music is experienced viscerally and emotionally, and this album is a grade A infusion of adrenaline and youthful energy.
The songs spring from the mind of guitarist and provider of the appealingly on the edge lead vocals, Matt Neumann. The songs are then fleshed out with the super-ace rhythm section of Dove Bailey (bass/keys/backing vocals) and Evianne Camille (drums/backing vocals). The result is as if The Undertones merged with Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall, were sent back in a time machine and grew up in Australia. And on top of the very well executed indie rock, the lyrics reveal Neumann to be an inventive songwriter who takes a kernel of an idea and runs it out in interesting and unexpected directions. Here are a few favorites --
SCOTDRAKULA by ScotDrakula
This is music that cleanses. Not one of those icky sounding Gwyneth Paltrow type cleanses, of course. ScotDrakula works by making you feel the way you do when you stumble down the basement steps in the party house on Friday night, drink beer, dance, pogo, sweat, burp, smooch, and scream. You stagger home -- well, to someone's home -- and collapse. The next morning you wake up a bit blurry, but still vibrating. This music is cleansing because it strips away the niggling loose ends of stuff that bothered you yesterday, and just makes you feel alive. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if doctors prescribed at least one spin of this LP every day. And rather than leave anything to chance, and since I did briefly consider medical school, I will prescribe it for you. Head to Bandcamp and fill your prescription. Unlimited refills.
Marlovers - (Stalking) You
A rush of guitars and keys, with achingly beautiful female vocals and classic melodies makes (Stalking) You from Spain's Marlovers one of those under the radar gems that you need to experience. Listening to this album is a bit like letting warm, gentle waves lap over you as you sit on the beach on a perfect summer evening. Dream to it, fall in love to it, make eye babies to it, but in any case sample the two tracks below, and then go to the Bandcamp page and stream the entire album. You'll find that picking the best track is a fool's game, because there is too much consistency to make a reasonable choice (that said, don't miss "Bittergum").
Marlovers have been a band since 2005, but (Stalking) You is their first LP. It is out now via Jigsaw Records.
Bandcamp for this album
Jigsaw Records page for album
Bandcamp for previous recordings
"Guerrero", free track from Panda Elliot
Panda Elliot isn't a household name yet, but with Forestera -- an album of infectious dance pop released last October -- and an upcoming appearance at SxSW, she is going to be much better known in the music world in a short time. She is a producer, musician and vocalist from Argentina, but has participated in bands in the UK and Venezuela in addition to her home country. You can experience her art via album track "Guerrero", which is available as a free download from the Soundcloud stream below. If you want to hear more, you can stream Forestera at the Bandcamp link below.
Here is the official video for "Guerrero" --
Here is "Avanzo", another catchy track from Panda's most recent album --
Forastera by Panda Elliot
Melbourne Cans - Moonlight Malaise
I took a few days off, so I'm coming back with what I believe is a very interesting young band. Melbourne Cans are an Australian quartet whose most evident influences, at least to my ears, are '80s - '90s New Zealand rock and '50s -'60s girl groups and doo wop. Add baritone vocals and an evident love for pop and you have a band with a distinctive, if rather unexpected sound. And the bottom line is that the music is good, and it is entertaining. The band's 2014 LP is Moonlight Malaise, which originally was a vinyl-only offering via Melbourne's Lost and Lonesome Recording Co. but it now is available as a digital download at the Bandcamp link below. Packed with ear worms that demand repeated listenings, Moonlight Malaise is one of those overlooked albums that should continue to gather steam as the word gets around
Melbourne Cans are Ian Wallace (guitar/vocals), Will McFarlane (bass), Ash Buscombe (drums), and Nina Renee (vocals/keys), who variously are members of other bands such as Pageants, Shocking Pinks, Pets With Pets, Witch Hats, Ladydreams, and Creeks.
Moonlight Malaise by Melbourne Cans
Lost and Lonesome Recording Co.
▼ January 4 (4)
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Our Route
Welcome to our blog! We are Patrick, Bliss and Jude – a/k/a PB&J. On August 10, 2011, we are setting off for a five-month trip around the world.
Patrick and I have lived in Brooklyn, New York for over six years. In June 2009, Jude joined us. We both work in Manhattan where Patrick is an attorney and I work in finance. In early July 2011, we both gave notice to our jobs that we are taking off on a new adventure – first the trip, and then we’ll relocate to Vermont. We are excited about our adventures ahead as we go AROUND THE WORLD WITH A TWO-YEAR-OLD, our darling Jude!
Patrick and I both moved abroad to study when we were 16. He moved to France for a year, and I moved to rural Japan for a year where I attended public high school. We enjoy sharing our love of travel, different cultures, adventure, and new foods with our son.
We love to meet people on our travels!
The intrepid traveler at home in New York - May 2011
Patrick, Jude and llamas in a Mendoza, Argentina vineyard - March 2011
Jude keeps his eye on a monkey at the top of the Rock of Gibraltar - July 2010
Bliss' high school class at Huis Ten Bosch, a model Dutch town in Nagasaki, Japan - October 1996
Thank you for voting us a 2011 Babble.com Top Travel Blog for Families! We are honored to be #11 of 123. Thank you for reading!
Our second installment on Cambodia for FamiliesGo!
Our FamiliesGo! Guest Post
Iceland in January: Our Saga with a Two-Year-Old Comes to an End
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: A Delicious Bite
Cambodia: Houses on Stilts, Skin Whitening, and Magnificent Temples
Trans-Siberian Railroad
England (family)
Luang Prabang, Laos
Agra, India
Trans-Siberian Railway – Russia
Trans-Mongolian Railway – China & Mongolia
© 2012 Around The World With a Two Year Old Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha
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Advertisement and Partnerships
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Home / Dialogues / Raising The Bar With Green Buildings in Asia | United Technologies | John Mandyck
Raising The Bar With Green Buildings in Asia | United Technologies | John Mandyck
By Editor on 18/10/2017
Green buildings in Asia are increasing year by year as a result of rising urbanization. In recent years, Asia has seen a rapid increase in localized green building certification schemes. With buildings accounting for 40 percent of the world’s energy consumption and a corresponding 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, awareness of sustainability in Asia is steadily growing. Although the pace of adoption varies from country to country, the importance of green buildings is not to be ignored.
John Mandyck, Chief Sustainability Officer of United Technologies Corporation and Chair of the Corporate Advisory Board of the World Green Building Council, talks exclusively with AsiaGreenBuildings to share his expertise on energy efficiency and the benefits of going green for building owners and policymakers.
What aspects have you observed in the green building space that differs Asia with leading green building cities such as London and New York?
The main difference is that Asian cities still need to overcome the first-cost mentality and understand the true value and cost savings of green buildings. Hence, more needs to be done to increase the level of education on green buildings.
That said, there is rapid acceleration in the adoption of green buildings in Asia. To share an example, China started 10 years after the U.S. but has already overtaken the U.S. in terms of green building investment.
As the Corporate Advisory Board of the World Green Building Council, how do you see the green movement progress in Asia? How can policymakers and industry players take part in the movement?
In Asia, each country is at a different point in their adoption of green buildings. However, the question is no longer if they are interested but how far and fast they can go.
Countries such as Singapore, China and Australia have their own green building certification systems. We have also seen a positive reception from industry leaders in Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand. Throughout the region, we’ve worked to advance the sustainability dialogue through our Distinguished Sustainability Lecture Series.
Moving forward, I think policymakers and industry leaders should focus their attention on the occupant’s benefits to achieve their goals faster. Costs such as utilities and other expenses form about 10% of a building’s true operating cost – but 90% of the true operational costs come from the remuneration to building occupants.
What trends are you seeing in the green building industry that the Asian region can further adapt and ultimately implement?
The World Green Building Trends 2016 report, conducted by Dodge Data & Analytics and supported by United Technologies, shows that green building activity continues to double every three years. More and more, we’re seeing demand for energy-efficient products around the world. Buildings consume 40% of the world’s energy so the future of sustainability and the future of buildings go hand-in-hand. Countries won’t accomplish the 2050 lower carbon goals set by the United Nations if we don’t address the buildings sector.
The significant cost savings derived from green buildings as well as the benefits to occupant health and productivity, as outlined in the COGfx study, will be key drivers for the demand for new technology and buildings, and retrofits to existing structures. We hope to lead the way. At United Technologies, innovation and sustainability are cornerstones of our business and we strive every day to provide energy-efficient solutions through our products and services, in Asia and around the globe.
Lastly, you say that green buildings improve health and productivity, especially in office spaces. What benefits have employees seen when working in green-certified buildings?
Green buildings improve the cognitive function and productivity of their occupants. The COGfx study, from Harvard University and SUNY Upstate Medical University, with primary support from United Technologies, showed the doubling of cognitive test scores with the enhanced ventilation in green buildings. The energy cost of improving the indoor environmental quality is between 1 to 18 USD per person per year – the health and productivity benefits amount to 6,500 USD per person per year.
Employees in high-performing, green-certified buildings also showed 26% higher cognitive function test scores than occupants in similarly high-performing, non-certified buildings. In addition, the study found that employees reported 30% fewer sick building symptoms and 6% higher sleep quality scores. This indicates green building benefits may extend beyond the office. With minor improvements in a building’s indoor air quality, we see dramatic effects on the employees and the total costs of companies. More on the report findings here: The COGfx Study
About John Mandyck
John Mandyck serves as Chief Sustainability Officer for United Technologies Corporation and chairs the Corporate Advisory Board of the World Green Building Council, and serves as chairman of the Board of Directors for the Urban Green Council in New York City. He is a member of the Corporate Council at the Harvard University Center for Health and the Global Environment. He was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Energy to co-chair the Department of Energy’s Appliance Standards and Rulemaking Federal Advisory Committee. Throughout his career, John has worked with governments, universities and organizations to accelerate environmental sustainability in an increasingly urbanizing world. He has presented energy efficiency, sustainability and future of food strategies to audiences around the globe. He blogs on sustainability issues at SustainabilityView.com and can be found on Twitter @JohnMandyck.
Related ItemsAsiagreen buildingsunited technology
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Copyright © 2015-2017 Asia Green Buildings.
The science between energy efficiency and food waste | United Technologies | John Mandyck
The climate change or the climate crisis is rapidly getting worse and the need to reduce energy consumption has begun to spark global...
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From Aspen Hill, Maryland, USA
Revision as of 21:58, 6 November 2010 by Thardman (talk | contribs) (→Gangs in Aspen Hill: links to OJJP PDF on gangs)
1 Gangs in Aspen Hill
2 Anti-Crime Efforts
2.1 Neighborhood Watch Forming
3 High-Profile Cases History
3.1 Increased Patrols Deter Drunks
4 National Night Out Against Crime
5 Free Lunch for Kids in Aspen Hill
Gangs in Aspen Hill
Please see the article on Gangs in Aspen Hill.
Please consider reading Best Practices to Address Community Gang Problems (PDF) from the (US Office of Juvenile Justice Programs).
Anti-Crime Efforts
We have a bit of a crime problem here in Aspen Hill.
REAL TIME CRIME: Please see the MAP of recent call for service to 911. You may have to manuallly select the Crime Types which interest you.
Neighborhood Watch Forming
A Neighborhood Watch group will be forming as of Monday June 28, 2010. The meeting will take place at the Aspen Hill Library, downstairs in the public meeting room, at 7:00PM.
High-Profile Cases History
We have a fairly comprehensive History of High-Profile Cases in Aspen Hill.
Please read about the Mid-County Neighborhood Initiative. An example of some of our projects can be found at School's Out Soccer Tournament at Maryland Soccerplex, Germantown MD, June 12-13, 2008. There are photos.
You can help by downloading some "Check-On Patrol Request" forms and sending them via FAX to your local station.
If you lived here in 1975, please see the Kathy Beatty Investigation website.
Please see the comprehensive Washington Post coverage.
Aspen Hill, Maryland, is widely considered a gangster playground and a place that the rest of Montgomery County considers a lost cause, mostly due to the pervasive Crime problem. This is moreso the case to the eastern side of Georgia Avenue.
Don't worry, he's not dead, just dead drunk. At a bus stop. In broad daylight. On a weekday. Typical Aspen Hill.
Be advised that there may be a variety of groups engaging in what amounts to organized stalking. The nature and intentions of such groups may range from locals curious about their new neighbors, through burglary rings or other organized crime groups or actual gangs, and up to and including law-enforcement renegade operations and international espionage. We are, after all, awfully close to Washington, DC.
Increased Patrols Deter Drunks
Aspen Hill Local Park will be the object of increased police patrols for the forseeable future.
The recent flooding caused by Tropical Storm Hanna seems to have washed away some homeless camps that were located in the Rock Creek Park right near Aspen Hill Local Park.
Our National Night Out events in Aspen Hill were successes by all accounts.
We had a rather successful Clean-up of North Gate Park, thanks to the people from Marriott Corp.
Free Lunch for Kids in Aspen Hill
The summer meals program has ended for this year, but its successes are paving the way for expanded programs serving children and young people in the Aspen Hill area.
Retrieved from "http://www.aspenhillnet.net/mediawiki/index.php?title=Public_Safety&oldid=7121"
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World Naked Bike Ride Day – WTF???
Published June 1, 2015 | By Carl
Now I know for a fact the world has gone mad.
I know I shouldn’t be trolling the news sites but some just make me laugh me head off, stories as such as this one. World Naked Bike Ride Day or what ever the hell it’s called. They (the organisers) had to call the cops in coz some dude cracked a boner BAHAHAHAHAHAHA woddadick!!!
The story is here
Local Call
An American photographer on vacation was inside a church in London taking photographs when he noticed a golden telephone mounted on the wall with a sign that read ‘£10,000 per call’. The American, being intrigued, asked a priest who was strolling by what the telephone was used for. The priest replied that it was a direct line to heaven and that for £10,000 you could talk to God.
The American thanked the priest and went along his way. Next stop was in Lincoln, there, at a very large cathedral, he saw the same golden telephone with the same sign under it. He wondered if this was the same kind of telephone he saw in London and he asked a nearby nun what its purpose was. She told him that it was a direct line to heaven and that for £10,000 he could talk to God.
‘O.K., thank you,’ said the American. He then travelled to York , Rotherham , Sheffield Dewsbury, and Pickering , In every church he saw the same golden telephone with the same ‘£10,000 per call’ sign under it.
The American, upon leaving Yorkshire decided to travel down to Wales to see if the Welsh had the same phone.
He arrived in Rhoose, and again, in the first church he entered, there was the same golden telephone, but this time the sign under it read ’50 pence per call.’ The American was surprised so he asked the priest about the sign. ‘Father, I’ve travelled all over England and I’ve seen this same golden telephone in many churches. I’m told that it is a direct line to heaven, but in England the price was £10,000 per call. Why is it only 50 pence here?’
The priest smiled and answered, ‘You’re in Wales now, son …. it’s a local call.’
I like #21 🙂
1. Two blondes walk into a building ……. you’d think at least one of them would have seen it.
2. Phone answering machine message – ‘..If you want to buy marijuana, press the hash key…’
3. A guy walks into the psychiatrist wearing only Clingfilm for shorts. The shrink says, ‘Well, I can clearly see you’re nuts.’
4. I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day but I couldn’t find any.
5. I went to the butchers the other day and I bet him 50 quid that he couldn’t reach the meat off the top shelf. He said, ‘No, the steaks are too high.’
6. My friend drowned in a bowl of muesli. A strong currant pulled him in.
7 . A man came round in hospital after a serious accident. He shouted, ‘Doctor, doctor, I can’t feel my legs!’ The doctor replied, ‘I know you can’t, I’ve cut your arms off’.
8. I went to a seafood disco last week and pulled a muscle.
9. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly. They lit a fire in the craft, it sank, proving once and for all that you can’t have your kayak and heat it.
10. Our ice cream man was found lying on the floor of his van covered with hundreds and thousands. Police say that he topped himself.
11. Man goes to the doctor, with a strawberry growing out of his head. Doc says ‘I’ll give you some cream to put on it.’
12. ‘Doc I can’t stop singing ‘The Green, Green Grass of Home’. ‘That sounds like Tom Jones syndrome.’ ‘Is it common?’ ‘It’s not unusual.’
13. A man takes his Rottweiler to the vet. ‘My dog is cross-eyed, is there anything you can do for him?’ ‘Well,’ said the vet, ‘let’s have a look at him’. So he picks the dog up and examines his eyes, then he checks his teeth. Finally, he says, ‘I’m going to have to put him down.’ ‘What? Because he’s cross-eyed?’ ‘No, because he’s really heavy’.
14. What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.
15. So I was getting into my car, and this bloke says to me ‘Can you give me a lift?’ I said ‘Sure, you look great, the world’s your oyster, go for it..’
16. Apparently, 1 in 5 people in the world are Chinese. There are 5 people in my family, so it must be one of them. It’s either my mum or my Dad, or my older brother Colin, or my younger brother Ho-Cha-Chu. But I think it’s Colin.
17. Two fat blokes in a pub, one says to the other ‘Your round.’ The other one says ‘So are you, you fat git!’
18. Police arrested two kids yesterday, one was drinking battery acid, and the other was eating fireworks. They charged one and let the other one off.
19. ‘You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen. It said, ‘Parking Fine.’ So that was nice.’
20. A man walked into the doctors, he said, ‘I’ve hurt my arm in several places’. The doctor said, ‘Well don’t go to those places anymore!
21. Ireland’s worst air disaster occurred early this morning when a small two-seater Cessna plane crashed into a cemetery. Irish search and rescue workers have recovered 2826 bodies so far and expect that number to climb as digging continues into the night.
The Ski Lodge
Published October 25, 2010 | By Carl
Damn jokes are comin’ in thick n fast lately 🙂
Three guys go to a ski lodge, and there aren’t enough rooms, so they have to share a bed. In the middle of the night, the guy on the right wakes up and says, “I had this wild, vivid dream of getting a hand job!” The guy on the left wakes up, and unbelievably, he’s had the same dream, too. Then the guy in the middle wakes up and says, “That’s funny, I dreamt I was skiing!”
A friend was in front of me coming out of church one day, and the preacher was standing at the door as he always is to shake hands. He grabbed my friend by the hand and pulled him aside. The preacher said to him, “You need to join the Army of the Lord!”
My friend replied, “I’m already in the army of the Lord, Father.”
The Preacher questioned, “How come I don’t see you except at Christmas and Easter?”
With a totally straight face, he whispered back, “I’m in the Secret Service.”
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Tags: defence chiefs
29 Aug 2004, Comments (0)
A small porky
I know other Aussie bloggers (just a small selection) have been all over the Howard porkypies issue. I’ve just got a little one to add which I haven’t noticed elsewhere.
On Monday 9 August, on PM, Catherine McGrath was interviewing JH on “…the claim by 43 retired Defence chiefs, diplomats and former senior bureaucrats that the Australian people were deceived over Iraq and that Australia has not become a safer place.” She played the following from JH in parliament:
CATHERINE MCGRATH: And John Howard said that even General Peter Gration, back in 2002, had written that he believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
JOHN HOWARD: I don’t criticise…
SPEAKER: Member for Blair.
JOHN HOWARD: …General Gration, for those remarks Mr Speaker. I merely point out that in November of last, of 2002…
SPEAKER: Member for Wills. Standing order of 55 applies equally to answers as to questions.
JOHN HOWARD: …General Gration himself said that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction Mr Speaker and I think it’s instructive that a few months earlier, the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs had said that it was an empirical fact, and you don’t get any tougher than that Mr Speaker.
My ears kind of pricked up at that, because I definitely thought I remembered that both Gen. Gration and Brigadier Adrian D’Hage unambiguously opposed the war in 2002-2003 and I had the definite impression that General Gration had never stated that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Why did I remember? Well, I was so pleased at the time that many senior military blokes, that is, people who could never be accused of being the “usual suspects” (you know, us basket-weaving, latte-sipping lefties and literary wankers), had come out against the war, I put a mental placeholder on the fact to use in future barbeque battles with my brother in law.
Furious googling has uncovered interviews and statements from General Gration like this, this and this but has failed to find any statement by him that Iraq posessed WMDs. Here’s what Gration thought of going to war before the WMD inspectors had completed their task, and without UN backing:
TONY JONES: Let’s go back to first principles then, if we can.
Under what circumstances do you think it would be OK to take military action of any kind to disarm Iraq?
GENERAL PETER GRATION: Well, I think first of all, we have got to let the present action run its course.
The inspectors have to go in.
We have got to see how Saddam reacts to them.
We have got to see how the US reacts to that, how the United Kingdom reacts to that.
And then depending on how that develops, Australia must then look to our own interests, not to the American interests, to our interests, to decide whether we would take part in any military action.
TONY JONES: Would you agree that Iraq is already in breach of a number of UN security resolutions?
GENERAL PETER GRATION: Yes, there’s no question it is.
But it’s not the only country in the world and I don’t think that in itself is grounds for going to war.
TONY JONES: The question is, though – could a case conceivably be made that if the UN doesn’t give a strong new resolution backing military power that the resolutions Iraq is already in breach of constitute enough of a reason to go to war to disarm Iraq at the very least?
GENERAL PETER GRATION: Well, not in my view, Tony, I don’t think it does.
TONY JONES: Let us look at this, if we can, from the American point of view.
Doesn’t it make sense to remove Saddam Hussein now while you have got the backing of the American people for military action against him before he gets his hands on a nuclear weapon?
GENERAL PETER GRATION: Tony, going back to what I said a few moments ago, that’s a pre-emptive action.
And I believe it is a very dangerous course indeed.
And if the world’s only military superpower sets the pattern that it’s OK in the global arena to undertake pre-emptive action, I think that’s a very retrograde and destabilising step.
What we are saying is that there’s no overt action against us, there’s no imminent threat, but we think one may develop and therefore let’s move now.
Now, that’s a very destabilising doctrine and I wouldn’t go along with it.
TONY JONES: So there is no way that you can construe the UN charter with its provisions for self-defence to say we’re going to stop this man getting a nuclear weapon before he uses it against us?
GENERAL PETER GRATION: No, I think that’s drawing a very long bow, and a dangerous one too.
TONY JONES: But you can see what’s happening here, can’t you?
President Bush now has domestic support for a war.
If he waits, that support will evaporate.
And it seems to be there is a momentum moving in that direction.
GENERAL PETER GRATION: I’m aware that that’s what is happening.
That’s one of the reasons I signed the letter.
I just think there is quite insufficient provocation at present to start a war which may involve tens of thousands of people being killed, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people being killed.
There just isn’t sufficient provocation.
And if you look at the objectives of the war, I don’t think they stand up.
I don’t think there’s any ambiguity here. If any rightwing blogger can find a statement by General Gration that he believed Irag posessed WMDs in 2002-2003, and that Australia joining the invasion was justified thereby, please send it on.
(Note on links):
defence chiefs, definite impression, empirical fact, posessed, shadow minister, weapons of mass destruction
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Brain Death, the UDDA, and Federal Law
Posted on January 2, 2020 at 3:30 AM
In the United States, the law defining who is alive and who is dead is state law. Every state has legislatively or judicially adopted the Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA). That law has remained relatively stable for the past 40 years. But, as I have written, there are increasing challenges.
Particularly, interesting are two issues in the ongoing Cromer v. Beaumont Health case in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
1. Does EMTALA preempt the Uniform Determination of Death Act?
The family argues that the hospital cannot withdraw organ-sustaining treatment, because EMTALA requires that the hospital stabilize Titus’ emergency medical condition. The hospital argues that it has no duty to stabilize, because that duty makes no sense when the patient is dead.
Yet, that is much the same argument that Fairfax Hospital made 30 years ago in the Baby K case. That hospital argued it makes no sense to stabilize an anencephalic baby. The hospital lost.
2. Is the hospital a state actor when it determines death under the UDDA?
The family challenges the constitutionality of the UDDA. Beaumont Health is a private hospital, and argues that procedural due process is owed only when there is state action. But the family contends that the hospital operates as a state actor when it declares patients dead, because this is a power that the state has delegated to it.
Note that this is similar to the state action argument in the Tinslee Case in Texas. When hospitals adjudicate medical futility disputes, they do that pursuant to power delegated from the state under TADA.
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Philip J. Giordano
(D-10)
54 West North Street #305
pgiordano@stamfordCT.gov
Member representing the 10th District since 1995
Former Vice Chair of Housing-Community Development-Social Services Committee
Member of Parks & Recreation and Housing-Community Development-Social Services Committee
Former Member of Transportation Committee
Government and Political Activities:
City Constable since 2004
Member, Democratic City Committee, 10th District
U.S. Army 2nd Division, 15th Field Artillery, Headquarters Battery (1946-47)
Community Organizations/Memberships:
Member, Oscar H. Cowan American Legion Post 3, Stamford
Coach, American Legion Baseball (16-18 yr. olds) (1984-1993)
Board Member, CTE (past)
Stamford Citizens' Police Academy Graduate (1/24/96 - 4/11/96)
Past President, Board of Directors, River Haven Co-Ops, Inc.
Member, St. John's Basilica
Member, Holy Name Society
Teacher for a Day at Springdale School (1996, 1997)
Reader for a Day, Westover School (1997)
Citizens Advisory Committee, J.M. Wright Technical School (1996-pr)
Member, West Side Business Council's Anti-Crime Vigil (1996-pr)
Active in annual Toys for Tots campaign
Member, United Way of Stamford Residential Division Team Member 1998-1999
Honored for community and military service at the 63rd annual City of Stamford Citizen of the Year Award Ceremony (2008)
City and State Proclamations in 1991 for outstanding service to Stamford's youth
Meritorious Service citation by Vietnam Veterans Agent Orange Victims, Inc.
Toys for Tots Commander's Award, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve (2000)
Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Volunteer Service to the City of Stamford (4/10/2000)
Distinguished Achievement Certificate, Stamford Board of Representatives (March 13, 1999)
Certificate of Appreciation, 25th Board of Representatives Workshop (10/5/98)
Attended Stamford Schools including Center, Hart, Burdick and Stamford High and J.M. Wright Technical High School
Received Diplomas at Stamford High (2001) and J.M. Wright Technical Schools (2000)
Retired Head Custodian, Stamford Board of Education
Former paid member, Stamford Fire & Rescue (1955 - 1969)
Married November 7, 1975 to to the late Marion Bottomly Santarsiero, 2 children, 2 stepchildren, 7 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren
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Counties & Cities
All Counties & Cities
Hutto has consistently been a Top 5 growth community in Texas. More than 15,000 residents earn roughly $24,000 annually in this 7.75 square mile/20.1 square kilometer community on SH 130 and US 79.
Median Age: 28.90
Mean Income: $71,216
Per Capita Income: $23,864
Percent bachelor's degree or higher: 14.40%
Mean travel time to work (minutes): 25.8
Other Communities in Williamson County
Bartlett is a 1.2 square mile/3.2 square kilometer community located in north-central Williamson County. The roughly 2,000 residents earn a per capita income of just over…
View this community →
Cedar Park is located 16 miles/26 kilometers north of downtown Austin in far western Williamson County. This high-growth community consists of 22.5 square miles/58 square kilometers…
Florence is a 0.8 square mile/2.1 square kilometer agricultural community in northwest Williamson County. The 1,200 residents earn roughly $16,000 annually on SH 95, six miles/10…
Georgetown is the 25 square mile/64 square kilometer Williamson County seat on Interstate 35. Nearly 48,000 residents earn just over $31,000 annually in Texas’ “Red Poppy Capital.”
Granger is a 0.7 square mile/1.9 square kilometer rural community in eastern Williamson County. More than 1,500 residents earn roughly $19,000 in this area where film…
Jarrell has more than ten miles of Interstate 35 frontage in north-central Williamson County. This 48 square mile/125 square kilometer community has almost 1,300 residents with a…
Leander is located on US 183 in western Williamson County. The 30,000 residents earn more than $27,000 annually in this community of 24 square miles/62 square kilometers.
Liberty Hill is a 2 square mile/5.2 square kilometer community on SH 29 and US 183, nine miles due west of Interstate 35 in Williamson County. The…
Round Rock occupies 26.3 square miles/66 square kilometers on Interstate 35, US 79, SH 45 and SH 130. The nearly 100,000 residents have an annual per capita…
Taylor is a 13.6 square mile/35.1 square kilometer agricultural community located on US 79 and 95. More than 15,000 residents earn roughly $21,000 annually in this…
Thorndale is a 1 square mile/2.5 square kilometer agricultural community in far eastern Williamson County. The 1,400 residents that call this city home earn almost $21,000…
Thrall is a 0.4 square mile/1.1 square kilometer farm community in eastern Williamson County. There are almost 900 residents who earn close to $23,000 annually that…
Weir is a 1.6 square mile/4.1 square kilometer village in central Williamson County. The 450 residents that live in Weir earn $19,500 annually.
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© 2019 Austin-San Antonio Corridor Council • P.O. Box 1618 • San Marcos, Texas 78667 • Phone: 512-558-7364 • Fax: 512-558-7365 • council@thecorridor.org
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How to make your stag do “click”?
Hen night while throwing axes? Why not?
Was Schwarzenegger throwing axes during his stag do? – This and many questions about throwing axe club
A bad-axe evening in Krakow!
Extraordinary places to visit in Krakow
Throwing axes – a new fashionable way to spend time with friends?
Home Extraordinary places to visit in Krakow
One of the many reasons why you should visit Krakow is surely a bunch of extraordinary locales, including thematically arranged pubs and cafes. Nowadays, such places are largely visited by people who want to enjoy a good board game beside a local beer. It even came to the situation, that you literally have to reserve yourself a place there in advance. At a peak moment it could be even a month before a given date. Let’s dive into the subject of best such places in the Krakow.
Board game locales
First and foremost, Krakow has plenty of good tabletop cafes and pubs. In here, everything started around few years ago with increased popularity of pub named Hex, where you had to reserve yourself a place way before you wanted to come with your friends, or you would just stand around or maybe get a smallest table, if you were lucky. Up until today, this place makes a lot of people show up every day, with bunch of official tournaments, premiere gatherings (for example for Game of Thrones watching) or meet-ups with known persons. Not long after, many new places came and go, including Boardowa in city center or AFK near AGH UST. Such places were a great alternative to shops, since you could eat and drink there and they were opened for a much longer time, than typical board game shop. While such meeting was a bit more expensive it was very much worth it. Especially, that most of those locales were very climatic and filled up with people to play with. It was its own category in terms of meeting new people.
Activities clubs
Krakow is a city also known for many action-packed clubs and societies, ranging from historical reconstruction up to modern, throwing axe clubs like Bad Axe. Whether you prefer to prepare your medieval cosplay for hours to meet standards, or you just want to make yourself a great Instagram pictures, everything was here for the taking. You could learn a lot of techniques and skills, including traditional polish fighting techniques or shooting multiple kinds of firearms in different situations or places. Krakow is a one kind of a city in this region, providing people with both casual and professional approach to such entertainment. It is easily visible, when you move to this city from around Poland and meet people. Everyone has an extraordinary hobby, so cool it would make a nice story. And on top of that, Poland is a country in which it is relatively easy to talk in English, as people are very opened and kind to newcomers. Therefore, you probably will have a great time sharing those exercises in the international groups of such activities. It is much easier to do it, than in many countries, especially outside of Europe.
The old capital of Poland combines all of those features in one major place – its main market square. You will find most of those places around it, scattered in the beautiful buildings. It is both climatic and comfortable, as you can go straight from your hobby activities for a pub around, or enjoy a dinner under the stars, looking at the Sukiennice building. Additionally, you will enjoy a seasonal events, including music shows, parades and market expansions, where you can enjoy traditional craft and food for every major part of the year. Nothing is really better than a hot beverage, among people during Christmas here.
Nerdy evenings in Krakow
Places to visit in Krakow – board games locales
Visiting Krakow – what to eat?
A guide to Krakow nightlife – major clubs
A Viking playground in Kraków
Looking for an extraordinary idea on stag night? Throwing axe clubs are a way to go!
Stag party 1
Axe throwing 5
Free time 3
Kraków 5
Website dedicated to various forms of entertainment and nightlife in Krakow. Information about interesting places, events, such as throwing axe, shooting range, the best stag nights and other events.
© Copyrights PartyLife Krakow. All rights reserved.
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Mail-Order Bride Ink: Dear Mr. Weaver - Kit Morgan Book Blast
Title: Dear Mr. Weaver
Series: Mail Order Bride Ink #1
Author: Kit Morgan
Print Length: 244 pages
Format: Digital and Paperback
Digital ISBN: B01EZ4NPJ4
Paperback ISBN: 978-1533127044
Daniel Weaver was ready for a wife. His three older brothers had been married for several years and now it was his turn. So, like his brothers Arlan, Benjamin and Calvin, he sends for a mail-order bride, with a little help from their cousin Matthew of course. After all, he helped his brothers write their letters to their prospective brides, so why not him? But when the letter from his bride comes, it’s got more than her acceptance of his proposal written in it. Worse, it gets picked up and read by the town’s worst gossip, Nellie Davis.
Ebba Knudson can’t figure out why folks in her intended’s town of Nowhere would be giving her such odd looks. It was bad enough she had other things to deal with by coming to the Washington territory to marry a farmer, but now this? Was there something wrong with her future husband? Or just with her? Of which she knew there was plenty. Enough to make her think she might not get married at all…
Enjoy this sweet, historical, western romance and the first book in this laugh out loud new series!
Available Here: Amazon
Excerpt #1:
Ebba smiled half-heartedly. Mrs. Pettigrew had a reputation for being an odd duck. But she was also supposed to be a superb matchmaker, be it through her mail-order bride agency or otherwise. Which made Ebba wonder. “Why aren’t you married?”
Mrs. Pettigrew put a hand to her chest and sighed. “I was, ma belle, I was – to a wonderful man. But he died.” She hung her head. “However, he did leave me a considerable fortune, one that makes it possible for me to do what I am best at. Matchmaking!”
That made sense. Ebba and her parents had heard about the Pettigrew fortune not long after coming to Denver. But it wasn’t Mrs. Pettigrew’s money that so often had her in the social gossip pages – it was her eccentric behavior, and speculation about her past. Though no one seemed to know what that past consisted of. “I put my trust in your good judgment, Mrs. Pettigrew.”
About Kit Morgan:
Kit Morgan, aka Geralyn Beauchamp, has been writing for fun all of her life. When writing as Geralyn Beauchamp, her books are epic, adventurous, romantic fantasy at its best. When writing as Kit Morgan they are whimsical, fun, inspirational sweet and clean stories that depict a strong sense of family and community. Kit likes fun and romance, and there’s plenty of both in her books. Kit resides in the beautiful Pacific Northwest in a little log cabin on Clear Creek, from which her fictional town from her Prairie Brides and Prairie Grooms series are named after.
Connect with Kit: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads
Posted by The Phantom Paragrapher at 12:30 AM
Labels: 2016 Release, Book Blast, Book Excerpts, Brides, Contracts, Historical Romances, Killion Group, Mail-Order, Weddings
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Slow Decline at Coventry
Posted by Rob Langham on Dec 3, 2009 in Uncategorized | 2 Comments
There was always an air of unreality surrounding Coventry City’s three decade stint in the top flight. The Sky Blues rarely troubled the top half of the table and indeed, appeared to be attending multiple auditions for a remake of the film Flatliners. Their most dramatic escape of all came with a 4-1 victory over already crowned Champions Everton in 1985, long after other fixtures had been played and a situation that would never be allowed to occur nowadays. Only with FA Cup glory and John Sillett’s dancing in 1987 did the Midlands club rise above the humdrum, although they did brighten the mood with some ludicrous kits. Since returning to the level that many might suggest is their rightful home, City have again managed to dodge the drop, seemingly establishing themselves as the most mid table of clubs — but I do feel there are grounds for concern.
The problem is one of slow decline. The descent of Leeds, Sheffield Wednesday, Forest, Leicester and others in the past has been vertiginous, but the feeling of catastrophe has been so marked that it has become quickly obvious that urgent surgery is required. Hence, these clubs have, in the main, managed to conduct a turnaround before their plight has become too parlous. Coventry, by contrast, have edged down the pyramid over the course of a decade; their demise has been akin, to quote Charles Dickens, to “being ground to bits in a slow mill…roasted at a slow fire…stung to death by single bees… drowned by drops… going mad by grains”. A cup quarter final appearance last season and Michael Mifsud’s destruction of the Old Trafford Reds have failed to clothe a masterclass of underachievement, with bosses Strachan, Nilsson, McAllister, Reid, Adams and Dowie doing little to enhance their reputations in the manager’s seat.
From an outside viewpoint, the decision to relocate from a perfectly good, indeed, relatively modern stadium in Highfield Road to the motorway hugging and ghostly quiet Ricoh Arena is at the root of the problem. Shiny new homes have worked for others but only when there was clear evidence of trading upwards (Bolton, Huddersfield, Leicester). The Sky Blues pioneered the all seater stadium in the seventies and for a club with a history of innovation going back to Jimmy Hill, this rehousing seemed to be a new idea too far. In addition, boardroom politics have taken over as evidenced by the thankfully ditched decision to do away with the club crest in 2005, although a switch is now once again up for discussion.
This term, the Sky Blues rode their luck a little to actually lead the way early on, but from the autumn onwards, worry has become the dominant emotion. Only Leon Best has done himself justice, finally showing glimpses of the player he promised to be back in his Southampton youth team days. As Lloyd said in a recent post, when your talisman is Clinton Morrison, you have concerns. Chris Coleman has done well with the resources available to him and cannot be blamed for losing Danny Fox and Scott Dann, but their last win was in September and they have now stretched the victoryless run to eight matches. This may be the year when they tumble again.
Rob Langham
Rob Langham is co-founder of the defiantly non-partisan football league blog, The Two Unfortunates, a website that occasionally strays into covering issues of wider importance. He's 50 and lives in Oxford while retaining his boyhood support of Reading FC. He tweets as @twounfortunates and has written for a number of websites and publications including The Inside Left, When Saturday Comes, In Bed with Maradona, Futbolgrad and The Blizzard as well as being nominated for the Football Supporters' Federation Blogger of the Year Award in 2013.
The last win was in September, and they were bloody lucky to get anything out of that one let alone win it. Hrmph.
You may be right about the off-field malaise and the potential for relegation this season. I can't help but feel that Coventry's natural position is about seventeenth in whichever tier they find themselves in, and any variation around that is just the effects of random noise.
Leave a Reply to Matt R
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Busch Gardens’ Waterpark Opening March 10
March 6, 2012 September 2, 2014 The Unemployed Mom
DIVE INTO SPRING AT BUSCH GARDENS’ WATERPARK, OPENING MARCH 10
TAMPA, Fla. – Adventure Island kicks off another season of fun in the sun on Saturday, March 10. It’s time again to splash in the wave pool, amble down the Rambling Bayou, race down speed slides including Everglides and Riptide or just kick back on the beach amidst a tropical Key West setting,
Best reason to come again and again this year? The valuable Adventure Island Weekday Pass allows you to play weekdays all season long at a valuable price. And extended hours return all summer long.
BEST OFFERS:
The best value to visit all season long is the Adventure Island Weekday Pass.
Weekdays All Season long. Enjoy unlimited weekday access to Adventure Island during the 2012 season with no blackout dates.
Valid Mondays through Fridays, March 12 through Sept. 3, 2012
Purchase at AdventureIsland.com, 1-888-800-5447 or at Adventure Island or Busch Gardens front gates.
The Adventure Island Weekday Pass is $49.99 for adults and $45.99 for children.
For the best deal on a single-day ticket, buy online at AdventureIsland.com and save $5.
EXTENDED HOURS ALL SUMMER LONG
Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. June 11 through Aug. 12, ALL SUMMER LONG — not just during Island Nights. That’s more time to enjoy the thrills, water attractions and family fun offered at Adventure Island.
And Island Nights returns as well, offering the perfect excuse to stay late this summer. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 5 to 9 p.m., June 14 to Aug. 11, it’s a vacation from the everyday with music, inspiring cuisine and family-friendly beach activities in addition to all the thrilling slides, tube rides and water-drenched fun of Adventure Island.
CABANAS: To make the most of your Adventure Island visit, rent a cabana for a shaded, exclusive spot for your family and friends to gather throughout the day. Each cabana includes four chaise lounges, a locker, a mini-fridge with assorted drinks and four souvenir towels. Daily rental prices range from $99.99 to $189.99, based on the time of year.
From the moment guests enter Adventure Island, they are immersed in a Key West-themed paradise. The 30-acre water park features thrilling slides and tube rides including Riptide, Wahoo Run, Key West Rapids, Runaway Rapids, Everglides, Calypso Coaster, Aruba Tuba, Caribbean Corkscrew, Water Moccasin and Gulf Scream. Guests can also kick back on the beach or in the 17,000-square-foot wave pool, play on professional sand volleyball courts, breeze through the tropical gift shop or let the current sweep them through a half-mile of lush landscapes and tropical waterfalls on the Rambling Bayou.
Visit AdventureIsland.com for daily operating hours. Single-day admission tickets for Adventure Island are $44.99 for adults and $40.99 for children. Children ages 2 and younger are free, and all children must be accompanied by an adult. All prices are per person, plus tax. Park hours are subject to change. Visit www.adventureisland.com for more information.
Tampa Area, Theme Parks & AttractionsFamily Travel, Orlando Florida
Sunday Shape-Up Report With Medifast Week 9
Downtown Orlando Food & Wine Fest Returns to Lake Eola March 31 – April 1
February 15, 2019 The Unemployed Mom 0
TAMPA’S OLDEST THEATRE WELCOMES ITS YOUNGEST MOVIEGOERS FOR FAMILY FAVORITES FILMS
Tampa Theatre’s Kid-Inspired Movie Series Is Back NEW Evening Screening,Classic Family-Targeted Films and Kids’ Ticket Prices...
COKE FLORIDA CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH BY INVESTING BACK INTO LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Laptops to be Donated to Community Partners to Support Educational Advancement Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC (“Coke Florida”),...
Feast On New Flavors and Enjoy World-Class Entertainment at the 5th Annual Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival
Tampa’s premier spring festival returns on Saturday, March 16 at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s Food &...
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Medieval and Early Modern Political Theology (MEMPT)
Historical and Theoretical Perspectives
"Medieval and Early Modern Political Theology. Historical and Theoretical Perspectives" proposes a field of research in which, for a correct understanding of juridical or political concepts, institutions, symbols and images with their vast significance in historical contexts, we should establish analogies between the political and juridical sphere and the religious one. This idea includes three main aspects: a. that the metaphysical image of the world forged by an epoch has the same structure as the form of its political structure; b. that there are multifarious transferences of meanings between the theological and religious sphere as well as the political and institutional, in both senses; c. this kind of transferences allows us to analyze and interpret the use of the religion in order to legitimate politics in some historical experiences and viceversa. This series seeks to develop this methodological hypothesis along different historical epochs and diverse theoretical approaches taking into account the perspectives from different disciplines.
Published by: General Editor: M. Herrero, J. Aurell
Publishing Manager: L. Diercken
Method of peer review: double-blind undertaken by a specialist member of the Board or an external specialist
Languages accepted: English, français, español, italiano, Deutsch
Main Language: English
Additional Languages: French, German, Italian, Spanish
All volumes in this series are evaluated by an Editorial Board, strictly in academic grounds, based on reports prepared by referees who have been commissioned by virtue of their specialism in the appropriate field. The Board ensures that the screening is done independently and without conflicts of interest. The definitive texts supplied by authors are also subject to review by the Board before being approved for publication,
Brepols general stylesheet in English can be found at: http://www.brepols.net/Pages/Getfile.aspx?dlfi=89
Martin Aurell, Université de Poitiers
Antonio Bento, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã
William T. Cavanagh, DePaul University, Chicago, IL
Hent de Vries, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Brad S. Gregory, Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, IN
Paul W. Kahn, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Julie R. Lupton, University of California, Irvine, CA
Francis Oakley, Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA
Heinrich Meier, Karl Siemens Stiftung/Ludwig Maximiliann Universität, München
Teófilo F. Ruiz, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
Professor Jaume Aurell
saurell@unav.es
Herrero et al. Political Theology in Medieval and Early Modern Europe 2017 MEMPT 1 € 80,00
Sol Droit subjectif ou droit objectif ? La notion de ius en droit sacramentaire au XIIe siècle 2017 MEMPT 2 € 80,00
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Victorine Texts in Translation (VTT 2)
H. Feiss O.S.B.
A Selection of Works of Hugh, Adam, Achard, Richard, and Godfrey of St Victor
391 p., 1 colour ill., 152 x 229 mm, 2011
Online content: http://www.brepolsonline.net/action/showBook?doi=10.1484/M.VTT-EB.5.112570
The version of the Rule of St Augustine used at the Abbey of St Victor began with the command to love God above all things and one’s neighbor as oneself. Not surprisingly, then, love was a pervasive theme in the writings produced there, many of which are introduced and translated here : (1) five lyrical essays by Hugh of St Victor (d. 1141): ThePraise of Charity; The Betrothal Gift of the Soul; In Praise of the Spouse; On the Substance of Love; What Truly Should Be Loved ?; (2) On the Four Degrees of Violent Love, by Richard of St Victor (d. 1173), which traces the likenesses and differences between romantic love and the love of God; (3) Achard of St Victor (d. 1170), Sermon 5 and two of Adam of St Victor’s sequences are examples of how these authors wove love into their writings ; (4) excerpts from the Microcosmus by Godfrey of St Victor (d. ca. 1195), summarize the central place of love in his humanistic theological anthropology.
Hugh Feiss, OSB (STD, Anselmianum, Rome; Monastery of the Ascension), the editor of this volume, translated Achard of St Victor, Works (2001).
"[...] this is a most welcome volume with intriguing and powerful texts that shed new light on the broader discourse of love in the twelfth century." (Albrecht Classen, in: The Medieval Review 12.02.15)
"Les lecteurs anglophones disposent d'une sélection judicieuse de quelques-uns des plus beaux textes de l'école de Saint-Victor, traduits et présentés par un des meilleurs spécialistes en la matière." (D. Poirel, in: Revue d'histoire ecclésiastique, 106, 2011, p. 669)
"Une imposante bibliographie et des indices (auteurs anciens et médiévaux, et notions) parachèvent ce beau volume, marqué par une grande finesse théologique (A. Noblesse-Rocher, dans: Revue d'Histoire et de Philosophie Religieuses, 2012, tome 92, n° 4, p. 661)
Christian Church : religious orders
Orders of canons regular
This publication is also distributed by: Proquest e-books, ISD
Seeking the Face of God: The Reception of Augustine in the Mystical Thought of Bernard of Clairvaux and William of St Thierry
Cvetković Interpretation of Scripture: Practice
van Liere et al. Trinity and Creation
Taylor Coolman et al. Writings on the Spiritual Life
Evans Victorine Christology
Evans Sermons for the Liturgical Year
Feiss O.S.B. Commentary on Samuel and Kings (Andrew of St Victor)
van Liere
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Business Bhutan
Dealing You
Water woes at NHDCL colony in Toribari come to an end
Greenstory National News
November 28, 2019 businessbhutanLeave a Comment on Water woes at NHDCL colony in Toribari come to an end
The absence of drinking water problem at the housing colony of the National Housing Development Corporation Limited (NHDCL) in Toribari, which has been going on for more than a month now, has been finally solved.
The Phuentsholing Thromde has replaced the water pump which was installed in Pekarzhing reservoir tank this week which supplies water to the housing colony. It has been more than a month the residents of the colony have suffered without drinking water.
Thromde’s Chief Engineer Lobzang said the old water pump was replaced recently.
“Due to frequent power blackout, the pump became defunct. It took time to replace the machine which comes from south India. A pump could cost around Nu 0.3mn. We could procure few pumps, which won’t get supplied instantly,” he said.
There are two bore-wells from where the water is pumped and supplied to the colony. Also, the disruption along the pipelines by landslides is another challenge for the Thromde to supply water continuously. It takes almost a four-kilometer journey to reach the colony from the pump house. The Thromde has now bypassed the pipes from landslides to avoid damages.
According to the Chief Engineer, the machine has a capacity to pump around 30,000 liters of water per hour which would be enough for 105 tenants in the colony. If the pumps function well, there won’t be any water problem.
“The Thromde has however continued to supply water from tankers twice a day in absence of water to the colony. It won’t be enough to wash clothes and take bath, but we assured that the water distributed from the tankers would be enough for drinking and cooking,” he said.
The tenants, meanwhile, have also formed a committee to solve such issues in the colony. The committee had resorted to supply temporary drinking water from the nearby stream. They collected Nu 300 per household for the temporary arrangement. The Thromde, however, supplied 12,000 liters of water to the tenants daily, mostly in the evening, during the crisis.
A Tshogpa, Pema Wangda, said the committee had informed the Thromde about the water crisis in May and only temporary measures were taken.
“We would like them to come up with permanent solutions,” he said.
“We have been facing problems without continuous water supply. We expect the Thromde to come up with permanent solutions,” a mother of two weeks old baby said.
Sangay Chophel, another tenant, said the drinking water being the most important thing should not be taken for granted.
“We have waited for the water and finally it came. We hope there would not be any problem in the future,” he said.
The Chief Engineer said the water issues will be solved in the Thromde within few years. The Thromde has plans to tap drinking water from the Amochhu for the town and from the Singye River for the residents of Pasakha.
“We have plans and we are waiting for the budget from the government,” he said.
Krishna Ghalley from Phuentsholing
Agriculture ministry confident about Bhutan’s organic dream
29 farmer groups linked to 18 schools and a hospital
The means will have to justify the end – BKP
August 1, 2018 businessbhutan
PDP preparing report on pledges
September 13, 2017 businessbhutan
MoAF and Trashigang claimed the highest TA/DA for FY 2012-13 and 2016-17
July 25, 2018 businessbhutan
Villagers face increased wildlife predation after integrating with wildlife sanctuary
January 16, 2020 January 16, 2020 businessbhutan
‘I live by integrity, empathy, compassion and excellence’
Goods and services price up by more than 2%
Business Bhutan Private Limited
Changzamtok
Thimphu, Bhutan 11001
www.businessbhutan.bt
Business Bhutan | ©Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved | Business Bhutan
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NEW GIVEAWAY with $120 in prizes!
NEW GIVEAWAY!
Clean Teen Publishing and Crimson Tree Publishing are excited to share our new April giveaway! Do you hate long car rides and traffic? Are you tired of the same old cleaning the house routine? Do you find yourself wishing you had more time to read? If so, then we have the answer for you: LISTEN TO FICTION! Audio books can not only help fight road rage, it can add a little spice to your normal routine. Pop in those earphones or crank up the volume and listen to an exciting story. Having someone read a book to you is an amazing experience that takes us back to childhood. It’s a whole different way to take in a novel. This is why we are offering 6 audio books valued at $19.95 each to 6 winners! That’s about $120 in prizes this month. Help us celebrate our newest audio book releases and take a moment to enter this awesome giveaway! (PS: For all of those people who say they never win anything, guess what? Your odds are great with 6 prizes being given away this month!)
CHECK OUT THESE NEW AUDIO BOOKS AND ENTER THE GIVEAWAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST!
NEW AUDIO RELEASE: KINDLING FLAMES: GATHERING TINDER by Julie Wetzel
Fresh from college and with no real work experience, Victoria Westernly considers herself lucky to land the coveted position of personal assistant to Darien Ritter, the CEO and owner of a multibillion-dollar company. His busy schedule and eccentric ways are enough to keep her on her toes. But, all is not what it seems when she discovers the handsome man employing her just happens to be the most powerful vampire in the area.
RIVER OF BONES by Angela J. Townsend
When 17-year-old Dharma Moore moves to Bayou country so her scam-artist mother can work as a Paranormal Investigator, she discovers that more than ghosts haunt the abandoned plantation they now call home. Centuries ago, a voodoo curse was placed on the swamp waters surrounding the old plantation by a murdered slave. This terrible curse ensnares Dharma with its deadly effects. To save herself, she must face the terror of the haunted waters, find the dead woman’s skull, and convince the slave’s soul to release her from its torments. When Dharma discovers an ancient secret that links her to the property – a secret kept from her by her own family – she realizes that the curse is more personal to her than she ever imagined. To survive, Dharma must accept the help of the locals, and put her trust in the handsome gardener, Wolf Bodine – who is the only one crazy enough to come near the plantation. With his help, Dharma must learn to embrace the truth and accept that magic is not only real…but that it can be very, very deadly!
THE KEY by Jennifer Anne Davis
His father’s kingdom is on the brink of upheaval and at the center of it all is an ordinary girl who could be the key to its undoing. When faced with the ultimate choice, will he choose the girl he’s falling in love with or the kingdom he has sworn to protect?
An ordinary girl with an extraordinary past. All she wants is to be free. What she doesn’t realize is that freedom comes with a price she can’t afford to pay. She’s forced to accept the proposal of a prince she despises, even though her heart belongs to someone else… his brother.
Seventeen-year-old Rema lives in a brutal kingdom where travel between regions is forbidden, people are starving, and looking at someone the wrong way can mean death. Nineteen-year-old Darmik is the king’s son and Commander of the King’s Army. He spends his days roving the island, doing his father’s bidding and trying to maintain control over the people.
When a chance encounter throws Rema and Darmik together, they share an instantaneous connection, but any sort of relationship between them is strictly forbidden. Darmik’s brother, the Crown Prince, notices Darmik’s interest in Rema and, in a calculated, political move, blackmails her. Faced with an impossible choice, Rema is forced to sacrifice her heart in order to save her family.
SWEET CONTRADICTION by Peggy Martinez
When Beth Michaels hightailed it out of the hole-in-the-road town she grew up in, she only had two goals. One – get as far away as quickly as possible, and two -never set foot in her parent’s home again. But when she receives a heart breaking call from her childhood best friend, Jen, she has no choice but to turn her ’56 Ford pickup back in the direction of Salem, Missouri to attend a funeral.
There’s a new local in town when Beth arrives, and suddenly, it ain’t all that easy for her to remember her rules for dating.
#1. Cookie-cutter-perfect guys ain’t her type.
#2. Tie wearin’ and church frequentin’ is an automatic dismissal.
#3. Most importantly, never date anyone from small minded, conservative, Bible-thumping towns like Salem.
Unfortunately, Matthew Wright breaks all her rules and then some.
Matt might be from a small town and have small town values, but that doesn’t mean he fits into a little slot of Beth’s preconceived notions. After all, ever so often good guys are good. Now if he could just convince Beth to let go of her past and give him a chance, he’s pretty sure there’s a whole lotta sweet under that prickly exterior. His own… Sweet Contradiction.
THE WOODLANDS by Lauren Nicolle Taylor
Rosa never thought she’d make it to 16….
When being unique puts you in danger and speaking your mind can be punishable by death, you might find yourself fighting to survive. Sixteen-year-old Rosa lives in one of the eight enclosed cities of The Woodlands. Where the lone survivors of a devastating race war have settled in the Russian wilderness because it’s the only scrap of land left habitable on the planet. In these circular cities, everyone must abide by the law or face harsh punishment. Rosa’s inability to conform and obey the rules brands her a leper and no one wants to be within two feet of her, until she meets Joseph. He’s blonde, fair-skinned, green-eyed, and the laid-back complete opposite of Rosa. She’s never met anyone quite like him, and she knows that spells danger.
But differences weren’t always a bad thing. People used to think being unique was one of the most treasured of traits to have. Now, the Superiors, who ruthlessly control the concrete cities with an iron fist, are obsessed with creating a “raceless” race. They are convinced this is the only way to avoid another war. Any anomalies must be destroyed.
The Superiors are unstoppable and can do anything they want. After all, they are considered superheroes by the general public. But not everyone sees them this way. When they continue to abuse their power by collecting young girls for use in their secret, high-tech breeding program, they have no idea that one of those girls has somehow managed to make friends even she didn’t know she had. And one man will stop at nothing to save her.
QUEEN OF SOMEDAY by Sherry D. Ficklin
Before she can become the greatest empress in history, fifteen-year-old Sophia will have to survive her social-climbing mother’s quest to put her on the throne of Russia – at any cost.
Imperial Court holds dangers like nothing Sophia has ever faced before. In the heart of St. Petersburg, surviving means navigating the political, romantic, and religious demands of the bitter Empress Elizabeth and her handsome, but sadistic nephew, Peter. Determined to save her impoverished family – and herself – Sophia vows to do whatever is necessary to thrive in her new surroundings. But an attempt on her life and an unexpected attraction threatens to derail her plans.
Alone in a new and dangerous world, learning who to trust and who to charm may mean the difference between becoming queen and being sent home in shame to marry her lecherous uncle. With traitors and murderers lurking around every corner, her very life hangs in the balance. Betrothed to one man but falling in love with another, Sophia will need to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice in order to become the empress she is destined to be.
In a battle for the soul of a nation, will love or destiny reign supreme?
Tags:Angela J. Townsend, Audible, Audio Books, Clean Teen Publishing, crimson tree publishing, Giveaway, Jennifer Anne Davis, Julie Wetzel, Kindling Flames, Lauren Nicolle Taylor, Listen to Books, New Audio Book Release, New Contest, Peggy Martinez, Queen of Someday, River of Bones, Sherry D. Ficklin, Sweet Contradiction, The Key, The Woodlands
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Clinlab Navigator
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Hepatitis C Quantitative PCR
Hepatitis C virus is a single stranded RNA virus. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic liver disease in the United States. Approximately 4 million people in the United States are currently infected. Of those known to be infected, 2.7 million have chronic liver disease. An estimated 40,000 new infections are suspected each year. Of the six different HCV genotypes, genotype 1 is most common, followed by 2 and 3.
The initial test for hepatitis C (HCV) infection is an immunoassay that detects antibodies to multiple HCV proteins. Supplemental or confirmatory testing is recommended for all reactive HCV antibody tests to determine the presence of active infection. Detection of HCV RNA in the blood by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is indicative of active infection. PCR testing has been available since September 1995. In this assay, a DNA copy of viral RNA is synthesized by reverse transcription. This DNA molecule is amplified millions of times by PCR. Because of its high sensitivity, PCR can detect HCV infection much sooner than antibody tests. Most patients have detectable levels of HCV RNA in plasma within 1 to 2 weeks of exposure. HCV RNA detection precedes ALT elevation by 10 to 12 weeks and seroconversion by 10 to 24 weeks. The highest levels of circulating viral RNA are found during the early course of infection, suggesting that patients are most infectious during this time. Variation among HCV genotypes is less likely to affect PCR test performance than antibody tests, because PCR primers are based on the highly conserved untranslated region of the HCV genome.
Once HCV infection has been established, quantitative HCV PCR (viral load) can provide prognostic information. Predictors of response to antiviral therapy include viral load of less than 2,000,000 IU/mL, genotype other than 1, shorter duration of infection, female gender, and low body weight. The HCV positive patient with negative viral load should have the test repeated in 3 to 4 months, because some patients with active infection have intermittently undetectable viral loads.
The goal of therapy is to cure HCV infection to prevent cirrhosis, liver decompensation, hepatocellular carcinoma and death. Cure is defined as a sustained viral response, which means undetectable HCV RNA using a sensitive PCR assay with a lower limit of detection (LOD) and lower limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 15 IU/mL. Today, the standard of care for treatment naïve patients with the new oral drug regimens is treatment for 12 to 24 weeks depending on the selected drug combination, genotype and presence of cirrhosis. Up to date guidelines can be found at www.hcvguidelines.org.
Samples having no HCV target detected are reported as ‘not detected.’ Samples having detectable and quantifiable HCV target are reported as the numeric value up to 200 million IU/mL. The unit of measurement for the Hepatitis C Virus RNA changed from copies/mL to IU/mL in March 2001.
Specimen requirement for HCV Quantitative PCR is 2 to 4mL of serum or EDTA plasma. Tubes containing heparin cannot be used. Specimen must be centrifuged for 18 to 20 minutes and separated from the cells within 6 hours of draw.
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Information (613) 632-0123 Information Mon - Fri: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Information sales@csplane.com
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The company just celebrated its 40th year in global aircraft sales.
Founded in 1977, by Stephen Assaly, and incorporated in 1980. The Headquarters is located in Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada, between Ottawa and Montreal. The main focus of the business is, worldwide aircraft sales. In 1992 the company purchased 200 acres of land which is now the home of the Hawkesbury East Airport (PG5). The property around the airport is being developed for both commercial and residential purposes. There is also a floatplane base that makes change-overs from floats to wheels possible. Services provided at the airport are: tie downs, hanger rentals, hanger plots, aircraft maintenance and flight training.
The company specializes in DeHavilland Beavers, Turbine Otters, Twin otters, along with high performance singles and float planes. With a good portion of sales going to export, we take pride in offering clients, from the USA and overseas, a turnkey service which entails: export licensing, de-registration, insurance and delivery to the destination airport. Stephen Assaly and his team, treat every initial contact with special attention and concern for their client’s particular needs.
It is to be noted that over 50% of the company business is in repeat sales.
We have arranged to Ferry Aircraft all over the world. We also work with several experienced AMO’s that can disassemble aircraft, pack into a 40 foot container, then we ship from the port of Montreal. We have shipped to Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy and Africa over the years. We also work with DAR’s that can provide a C of A Export if required.
For sales to the USA, we work with A & P’s in the USA, that can come to Canada to perform an independent pre buy after which, they can quote on putting the aircraft on the US Registry.
Joan King our administrator and Webmaster, who many of you know, has been with our company for over 30 years now. When constructing a web page, Joan is always happy to have comments and suggestions from aircraft owners as we depend on their input.
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In 1992 the company purchased 200 acres of land which is now the home of the hawkesbury east airport (pg5). the property around the airport is being developed for both commercial and residential purposes. there is also a floatplane base that makes change-overs from floats to wheels possible. services provided at the airport are: tie downs, hanger rentals, hanger plots, fuel sales, aircraft maintenance and flight training.
129 Main Street Hawkesbury, ON
email sales@csplane.com
Copyright 2017.csplane.ca // Site Development and Design Elevate Communications
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Maverick pilot missing again as vintage rally reaches Kenya
(FILES) This file photo taken on November 20, 2016 shows a vintage Travel Air 2000 biplane sitting on the runway in Khartoum airport during the Vintage Air Rally (VAR). Pilots taking part in a vintage air rally across Africa were being detained on November 23 by Ethiopian authorities, a spokesman for the trip said. / AFP / ASHRAF SHAZLY
Maurice Kirk
A maverick 72-year-old British pilot went missing Friday for a second time as teams taking part in a vintage air rally made it to Kenya after being detained in Ethiopia.
The 13,000-kilometre (8,000-mile) journey, which has taken them to Egypt's Gaza pyramids -- where they were the first aircraft to land in 80 years -- and the Sudanese capital Khartoum, has already seen plenty of drama.
Maurice Kirk, 72, who dubs himself the Flying Vet for his days as a veterinarian, entered the rally only on Sunday and has run afoul of organisers for failing to stick to rules and regulations.
In 2005 he was injured when he crash-landed in Japan on a solo bid to fly around the world in a vintage plane, and in 2008 was briefly placed in a psychiatric clinic after landing on the Texas ranch of former US president George Bush.
His trip to Cape Town has not gone smoothly, with posts on his Facebook page describing problems with his aircraft and navigation.
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An interdisciplinary journal exploring linkages between society, environment and development
The Use and Knowledge of Herpetofauna on Little Nicobar Island, India
Manish Chandi
Andaman and Nicobar Environmental Team (ANET), Post Bag 1, Junglighat P.O., Port Blair, Andaman Islands, India
C/O Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, Post Bag 4, Mamallapuram 603104, Tamil Nadu
The island of Little Nicobar in the southern Nicobars is the least developed of all the inhabited islands in the archipelago. The Nicobarese are one of the few tribal communities who are exempt from the provisions of the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. Studies on the use of wildlife in the Nicobars are rare in spite of the knowledge and use of species for consumption and sustenance. This article focuses on the ethnobiology of herpetofauna in Little Nicobar and the methods of use. This was part of a larger study on the food production and procurement strategies of the 'Payuh', who are the ethnic group of islanders who identify themselves as such on the island of Little Nicobar and surrounding regions; the term 'Payuh' is in use even in the Nancowry group of islands and on the south western coast of Great Nicobar Island but these populations are culturally distinct in many ways. Though local communities have lived off forests and fauna for many years, and occupied the coast for habitation and conversion into plantations, wild species still persist on the island in less disturbed habitats, unlike other islands in the archipelago. This article details the way these islanders describe the herpetofauna.
Keywords: herpetofauna, Little Nicobar, India, food, resource use, habitat conservation
Chandi M. The Use and Knowledge of Herpetofauna on Little Nicobar Island, India. Conservat Soc 2006;4:155-65
Chandi M. The Use and Knowledge of Herpetofauna on Little Nicobar Island, India. Conservat Soc [serial online] 2006 [cited 2020 Jan 20];4:155-65. Available from: http://www.conservationandsociety.org/text.asp?2006/4/1/155/49262
THE ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR group of islands are situated in the Bay of Bengal, spanning latitude 6°45'N to 13°41'N and longitudes 92°12'E to 93°57'E. [Figure 1]. The Ten Degree Channel separates the two island groups, distancing the Nicobar archipelago 160 km south of the Andaman Islands. The Nicobar group of 24 islands is clustered into three groups, and only 12 are inhabited. The northern group has two islands Car Nicobar Island and to its south, the small island of Battimalv. Car Nicobar island is the headquarters of the Nicobar District. The middle section of the group consists of Tillangchong, Chowra, Teressa, Bompoka, K/Camorta, Trinket, Katchal and Nancowry islands. The southern Nicobars is a group of two large islands, Great and Little Nicobar Islands, and smaller islands, Kondul, Pulomilo, Menchal, Trak, Treis, Kabra and Meroe; the last five are uninhabited (Saldhana 1989; Andrews and Sankaran 2002) [Figure 2]. However neighbouring islanders visit these islands to harvest produce from their plantations.
The islanders are commonly referred to as 'Nicobaris' by outsiders as a general term for residents of the Nicobar archipelago, but these islanders have different dialects and terms of reference for each other. The 'Payuh' are a group of islanders who inhabit the southern Nicobars, mainly Little Nicobar Island, Kondul and Pulomilo while some of their relatives are also distributed throughout the archipelago mainly in the Nancowry group of islands. Payuh, which means 'native person', is used by these islanders to distinguish themselves from other islanders of the Nicobars, by dialect/language and geographical location.
This article discusses perceptions and knowledge of the Payuh of the herpetofauna that are part of their island ecosystem; this knowledge has been built up over generations of interaction and use. The distribution of these faunal elements across the island makes confrontation and regimes of perception and use inevitable. The island is a mosaic of wet evergreen forest tracts in the interior, coastal beach forest, freshwater swamps, mangroves, and riparian forest that cut across the island. There has been little or no previous documentation of the culture and faunal resources of the island of Little Nicobar. This article attempts to present a different way of looking at the species discussed; namely through the eyes of the indigenous islanders.
Fieldwork was conducted between the years 2000 and 2003 focusing on use of natural resources during which this information was also gathered. The island of Little Nicobar was surveyed to map settlement regions after which nearby islands that are used for plantations were also visited. My focus being on the production and processing of food found naturally on the island, fieldwork extended to more than 3-4 months at a stretch over two and a half years in various seasons. This gave me ample opportunity to observe and participate in life amongst the islanders I was staying with. My residence was largely confined to a small hamlet and two others along the west coast primarily as they were the most isolated, those that continued most traditions, was the richest in floral and faunal elements in which I was interested in knowing of how they were used and also because the most amount of hunting and gathering activities were concentrated in this area.
The large reptiles that the Payuh frequently come into contact with are the saltwater crocodile, Crocodylus porosus, the four species of marine turtles, the water monitor lizard (Varanus salvator nicobarensis) and the reticulated python (Python reticulatus). Other herpetofauna found on the island are not common in Payuh dialogue or use, but are known by those who come into contact with such fauna during their infrequent treks in the forest. The indigenous islanders of the Andaman and Nicobar islands are exempt from the schedules of the Indian Wild Life Protection Act (1972), and are allowed to use wildlife for sustenance but not as articles for sale. The Payuh, like other Nicobar Islanders are sedentary and live along the coast by tending plantations and fishing. Forays into the forest are largely by a few men, to hunt or collect timber and other building materials when necessary. Women and children are largely confined to the precincts of the settlement and gather such information only through the descriptions of eventful hunts and creatures encountered by men who venture into the forest for food. Amongst the Nicobar herpetofauna (Das 1999, 2002) discussed here, apart from the Malayan Box Turtle, frogs, agamids, skinks and snakes, the other large reptiles are all sources of protein and part of the Payuh diet.
Malayan Box Turtles (Cuora amboinensis), known as 'Etaing' in Payuh dialect, are commonly kept as pets; since they are harmless and easy to look after, these turtles are tethered or are kept in an enclosure. It is common but elusive and rarely found, only being noticed and flushed out by dogs accompanying hunters in the forest.
Due to the difficulty in finding this species, nothing much is known of its natural history except that it is found in swampy regions in the forest, usually inundated during the monsoon. This species occurs only on the two large islands, Great Nicobar and Little Nicobar Islands, and is not known to exist on the surrounding islands (Das 1996, 1999 for the geographic distribution of this species). The reticulated python (Python reticulatus), the largest snake found in the archipelago, is known as 'Yammai' in the Payuh dialect. Another reference 'Yammai kamai' literally means 'eater of our chicken'. This species is also referred to as 'Tulanth', a name more commonly used by all islanders in the Nicobars and not specific to the Payuh. The python is named for its uncanny habit of attempting to feed on prized domestic fowl of these islanders. It is known to visit households to feast on this easy prey, but is often discovered before its meal is digested and is killed. There have been instances when large pythons have been killed after feasting on fully-grown domestic pigs. After the snake is killed it is usually sent to sea on a miniaturized canoe, to displace it as an element of destruction from the village precincts. Some Payuh hunters told me that pythons looked different in the inland forest compared to the ones found along the coast and settlements. The pythons found in the inland forest are supposed to be darker in colouration, heavier bodied and longer than those found on the coast. Not having seen a single live python in the wild the Payuh suggested I visit Menchal Island along the northeastern coast, which was supposed to have a healthy population of pythons. The plantations of the Payuh on such outlying islands are chiefly of coconut. Banana trees of many varieties are also planted along the edge of coconut plantations close to the forest. The pythons are known to frequent the banana trees to prey on birds and fruit bats that feed on the fruit. We searched all trees with ripe and ripening fruit, but were unsuccessful in locating the reptile. The birds that visit the trees are usually parakeets (Psittacula caniceps), hill mynas (Gracula religiosa) and black naped orioles (Oriolus chinensis). Pythons coil around the ripe bunch of fruit and lie in wait for the birds and bats that visit the trees. Apart from the nearly universal disgust and fear of snakes, some Payuh found such behaviour intelligent enough for the snake to deserve some of their respect.
Apart from the python, other snakes that are seen on occasion are the 'Biyohe' the bronze-backed tree snake (Dendrelaphis pictus), the 'Kaonl' the dog-faced mangrove snake (Cerberus rhynchops) and the 'Hiya paloah' the marsh snake (Gerardia prevostiana) (see [Table 1]) all of which are common but rarely seen. The Biyohe is often seen atop coconut trees searching for geckoes or small skinks such as young of Dasia nicobarensis/olivacea 'Palainh'. The sea snake 'Gok layuh' (Laticauda colubrina) comes ashore at a few places on the main island but is seen more commonly on the smaller islands such as at Kabra Island, known for its mosquitoes and sea snakes.
Sea turtles, 'Ka owis' are a common source of meat; as in other parts of the world they are exploited while nesting, and are also harpooned from canoes. Four species are known to nest in and around the archipelago (Bhaskar 1993; Andrews et al. 2001), and more specifically on the western coasts of Little Nicobar Island. Of these, the leatherback sea turtle is the only species that is not hunted for its meat nor are its eggs collected, except by a few very elderly people. The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) visit mostly outlying islands including some beaches on Little Nicobar Island, whereas the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and the olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) are known to nest only on the beaches of the larger islands, Great Nicobar and Little Nicobar Islands. Some Payuh reported another species that nests occasionally on the smaller beaches, similar in appearance to the Green sea turtle but with a larger head. However surveys conducted since 1977 in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands provide no evidence of any other species nesting on beaches in this island group (Bhaskar 1993; Andrews et al. 2001). These islanders have a name for this species 'Kao hippuh'; the other local sea turtle names are, 'Hi kunth' for the leatherback sea turtle, 'Kao ka' green sea turtle, 'Kao kayil' hawksbill sea turtle, and 'Kao reyeh' olive ridleys.
Eggs of these species are collected and eaten during the nesting season, when available and found. Only a few elderly people consume the eggs of the leatherback turtle, undeterred by its smell and a local belief that it has energy draining properties and hastens aging. The arrival of the sea turtles is associated with the monsoon winds, 'Suhop' the southwest monsoon winds and 'Phool' the northeastern winds. It is observed that hawksbills and green sea turtles arrive to nest after the leatherback and olive ridley sea turtles, starting in May, following the pattern of northeastern winds which blow before the southwest monsoon. The leatherback sea turtle is the only species that is not eaten and all hunted hawksbill turtles are checked for the presence of fat around its neck. The presence of fat is an indicator that the turtle has been feeding on algae or a species of sea grass, which makes the meat poisonous and unfit for consumption. Most turtle meat is consumed raw (any raw edible meat is called 'uhavgh'), directly from the carapace, choice portions are carved out for children. Sea turtles are hunted at night using a torch of dried coconut leaves, or with a petromax lantern held aloft on a canoe punted slowly over sea grass beds offshore or over nearby coral reefs. The disoriented turtle surfaces and is seemingly confused by the light, making it easy to harpoon from the canoe. Coral reef regions known as feeding sites of turtles during the day are visited in the hope of harpooning a turtle. Invariably these turtles happen to be hawksbill sea turtles. The Green sea turtle is the next most commonly hunted turtle. Some Payuh also keep sea turtle hatchlings as pets. Very rarely do the turtles grow to a size worthy of it to be eaten. More often, the hatchlings die or are released by children while playing with their pets in nearby creeks. Green, olive ridley and hawksbill sea turtles that are encountered on the beach while nesting are promptly captured for food. At the start of the nesting season for these species, the first nesting turtle is usually only known by its tracks, after which a count of 12-14 days is kept by the help of a leaf of the Cycas (Cycas rumphii)-'rai tiwiyle'. The leaflets are broken off on each day until the specific number of days is reached. Then the entire beach is patrolled at night to await the arrival of the turtle that came earlier on, in the belief that it would arrive again and bring other sea turtles along with it to nest.
The monitor lizard (Varanus salvator nicobarensis) is the only reptile that has different names within Payuh ethnoanemology. It is distinguished by size; the larger more commonly seen lizard is called 'haroouin', whereas its juvenile counterpart is called 'ukoungeh'. Brightly streaked hatchling monitors are called 'tamau heeauwegh'. The tamau heeauwegh is considered a delicacy as it is not often caught and moreover the fat it contains adds to its taste as well ignites the fire 'heeauwegh' of the barbecue. These are not considered to be separate species; the names distinguish size classes and taste. Monitors are acknowledged to be clever animals, mainly because they get to megapode (Megapodius freycinet abboti) eggs before humans can and are able to steal crocodile eggs with ease. This lizard is also known to lay its eggs in megapode mounds, after consuming the megapode eggs if any, or eggs of the sunbeam snake (Xenopeltis unicolor), 'Ngooh moh', also known to use the mound to lay its eggs. This large lizard is not hunted regularly but only left to chance encounters in the forest, when hunters' dogs sometimes encounter and corner them. However the cleverness and agility of the monitor lizard has earned it a status among the Payuh as the elder brother of the crocodile.
Of all the reptiles that the Payuh come in contact with, the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), [known to the Payuh as 'Kohnghueveh'] is respected for its strength and its meat as a culinary delicacy. Though it inhabits several estuarine creeks and freshwater streams that criss-cross the island, only a few Payuh hunters are both brave and knowledgeable about the techniques to hunt this species. Though the final hunt is fairly simple, the knowledge of the terrain deep inside the forest where it is easy to hunt crocodiles that inhabit pools in freshwater streams, and being able to 'study the water' for crocodile trails requires an experienced hunter. This experience is scarce among the Payuh, and thus the meat is elevated to a delicacy, which is shared generously and equally among the participants of the hunt, and other hamlet residents. Due to the lack of experience amongst most Payuh, crocodile hunts are incidental and very rare, being restricted to periods when conditions along the courses of streams are favourable. On the other hand, crocodiles are also allowed to inhabit creeks adjoining villages until they begin to prey on the Payuh's dogs and pigs. If any such incident should occur, the offending crocodile or an unfortunate substitute from that particular creek is killed soon.
Only a few hunters are accustomed to the techniques of crocodile hunting, so in the event of any meat being available, it is shared with all neighbours in the village. Hunting the species for its meat involves long treks into the upper reaches of the freshwater stream, where crocodiles are known to nest and prey on boar, macaques and fish. Once the shallows of the meandering stream are reached, the hunter studies the deep pools found invariably at every turn of the stream. Slide marks and claw prints on the banks are the most revealing signs of the animal, but these are not sometimes seen due to the canopy overhang and the unsuitability of a basking spot for the crocodile. I eventually learnt that a faint trail left by the animal on the stream bed while swimming upstream was the clearest and latest evidence of the crocodile's presence. This is established by poking a fine long stick, which also serves as a harpoon, into the deep pools to check for the presence of the crocodile. When a poke results in a twitch by the animal underwater, a barbed harpoon head tied to a long rope is used to snare the crocodile. A few more harpoon heads are similarly thrust into the crocodile, which by now starts rolling and struggles to get loose, until it tires. The stressed reptile is hauled up onto the bank and is killed by a quick jab of a knife behind the skull to sever the spinal chord. The animal is then cut up from the belly and all the meat is apportioned; only the innards, the skull and claws are left behind. The innards are thrown into the water for other crocodiles or given to the accompanying dogs; the skull is strung up on the nearest branch in the forest as a trophy of the hunt, and is not taken home. The meat is not skinned, but is cut to sizeable portions to be barbecued.
Hunts take place only during summer when the stream is shallower and hunting crocodiles is easier. During the rains, inundated regions along streams are avoided, as by then the crocodiles have moved into the forest areas near the streams to nest and are more aggressive. During the monsoon, the Payuh hunters believe that crocodiles roam along the inundated foothills of hillocks in the forest to prey on wild pigs. During this period, hunters avoid these regions for fear of losing their prized hunting dogs to crocodiles. Crocodiles are believed to possess three pairs of eyes by some Payuh hunters. Apart from the regular eyes, the gular glands and the paracloacal glands in between scales on the ventral surface are believed to be eyes that crocodiles use underwater to locate prey and hunters. This adds to the extra care and respect with which crocodiles are treated by experienced hunters who are capable of exploiting it as a resource.
The crocodile also features in shamanistic rituals on the island. Shamans, 'Minlooneh', use a variety of effigies, 'Kareyou/Kareva', to both treat and exorcise illnesses and cast spells. The effigies are carved according to the perception of the illness afflicting the patient, and what the shaman in his trance sees beyond the obvious. A few effigies incorporating crocodile heads were observed, some with a man's head in its jaws, others as part of a larger creature, an amalgamation of cryptic animals seen in the shaman's trance. The only other reptile or amphibian to figure as a 'Kareyou' was a toad, 'pindram'. I was told a belief of a gargantuan 'pindram', which is said to live deep in the forest and has been seen only by a few ancestral 'minlooneh'. It is said to be visible to only few people; the effigies are reminiscent of its existence in the healing and spiritual world of the Payuh.
With such close proximity to herpetofauna, and their use over centuries, the Payuh appear to have (until now) been successful in integrating their traditional livelihood patterns with modern conservation ideology. The use of species is restricted to successful and knowledgeable hunters, seasonal variation, and fortunately an absence of trade in these species until now. Being coastal dwellers, the forest and water systems are intact and pristine, resulting in natural habitat for many species, promoting both wildlife and human existence. The use of species being varied over seasons and substantiated with fish and horticultural fruit, the Payuh seem to take only what is needed, secure in the knowledge of its availability in future.
I thank Harry Andrews and the Andaman Nicobar Environmental Team, a division of the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust for the opportunity and resources that facilitated the survey. At Little Nicobar Island, Moses, Abed, Hajoon, Roghtauh, P. Joora and Kanyungh for sharing experience, time and space. The District Commissioners (Andamans and Nicobar districts) for permission to visit these restricted tribal areas.[7]
1. Andrews, H.V. and V. Sankaran. 2002. Sustainable Management of Protected Areas in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. ANET, IIPA and FFI, New Delhi.
2. Andrews, H.V., S. Krishnan and P. Biswas. 2001. The Status and Distribution of Marine Turtles around the Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago. GOI/UNDP Sea Turtle Project, IND/ 977964.
3. Bhaskar, S. 1993. The Status and Ecology of Sea Turtles in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. ST-1/93. Center for Herpetology, Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, Mamallapuram.
4. Das, I. 1996. Biogeography of the Reptiles of South Asia. Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, Florida.
5. Das, I. 1999. Biogeography of the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In: Tropical Island Herpetofauna-Origin, Current Diversity and Conservation (ed. H. Ota), pp. 43-77. Elsevier Science B. V., Amsterdam.
6. Das, I. 2002. A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India. New Holland Publishers, London.
7. Saldanha, C.J. 1989. Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep. An Environmental Impact Assessment. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.
Chandi M
herpetofauna
Little Nicobar
resource use
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CHATS : ALBUMS : DEMOS : GIGS : NEWS EDITORIAL : RANTS : : MORE CoC : SEARCH
Anaal Nathrakh - _Desideratum_
(Metal Blade, 2014)
by: Dan Lake (8 out of 10)
If Anaal Nathrakh had ever showed an interest in leading the way toward the future of metal, _Desideratum_ might just be where they were pointing. If Anaal Nathrakh exhibited even the slightest hint that musical advancement excited them, that climbing the ladder of progress made up even a fraction of a percent of their ambitions, it would be easy to hear _Desideratum_ as a breathtaking step in that direction. But Anaal Nathrakh have never sought forward motion nor appreciated any expectation of evolution. When the human race is destined to consume itself in a slowly disintegrating cycle of autodefecation and remastication, what use is progress? Wouldn't you rather just tear the lying tongues from the assholes they're tickling and the gullets from which they sprang and bathe in all the blood and chaos?
Anaal Nathrakh have a long and prolific history of scaring the tits off anyone who encounters their brand of thousand-fisted black/death misanthropy. Not all of their developments along the way have been everyone's cup of frothing gangrene -- Maiden-sized clean vocals, anyone? -- but it's hard to deny the duo's dedication to decimation and constant teetering between caustic metal and sheer noise. Their live act has become one more reason to respect the band, as they acquire complete control over their shrapnel-studded sound and the audiences who gather to witness the atrocity. _Desideratum_ updates Anaal Nathrakh's sound yet again, with odd electronic stutters akin to dubstep, but instead of feeling like a trend-hopping calculation, it seems more like, after ambushing and shattering enemy forces, Anaal Nathrakh dug a valuable new weapon out of the rubble and have turned it on their own disgusting audience.
From the moment "Acheronta Movebimus" shivers to life with its chopped effects and anguished samples, you know Anaal Nathrakh have stitched something special together. Strangely, the track takes an unexpected turn toward djent, which admittedly might curdle first impressions. Quickly, though, "Unleash" explodes into two dozen electrified serpents seeking out your ears and flesh. The onslaught continues, freshening Anaal Nathrakh's hateful attack with grating electronic surges and sampled voices meant to amplify their guitar-driven, anti-human manifesto. Some listeners have slagged the album for its inclusion of modern studio techniques, but when the results are this rabid and visceral, we refuse to join the chorus of shruggers. _Desideratum_ slays hard.
Contact: https://www.facebook.com/Anaalnathrakhofficial
(article published 12/8/2015)
4/12/2002 P Azevedo Anaal Nathrakh: The Heart of Necro
10/25/2000 P Azevedo Anaal Nathrakh: Necro Lives
12/29/2012 A El Naby 7.5 Anaal Nathrakh - Vanitas
6/15/2009 J Smit 8 Anaal Nathrakh - In the Constellation of the Black Widow
10/14/2006 J Smit 8.5 Anaal Nathrakh - Eschaton
11/29/2004 P Azevedo 8 Anaal Nathrakh - Domine Non Es Dignus
5/29/2003 P Azevedo 8.5 Anaal Nathrakh - When Fire Rains Down From the Sky, Mankind Will Reap as it Has Sown
1/14/2002 P Azevedo 9 Anaal Nathrakh - The Codex Necro
8/12/2000 P Azevedo 8 Anaal Nathrakh - Total Fucking Necro
10/12/1999 P Azevedo 4 Anaal Nathrakh - Anaal Nathrakh
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CIM-Laser
News archive for July 2016
Meet Holo Dancer....
Submitted by Emma Williams on Tue, 05/07/2016 - 10:36
Courtesy of Dr Wlodarczyk and his research relating to holograms we have a new star in our midst - Holo Dancer.... who can be found on our Youtube channel, shown below.
https://youtu.be/8DCkh_9vtKw
Quite a performance I'm sure you'll agree.....thanks Krystian!
Read more about Meet Holo Dancer....
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QUBL Power Rankings: For pride (and money...)
posted by Ilana Shecter on 20:09 No Comments
The trend of games coming down to the wire in the QUBL continued this week, where two of the three games were decided by one possession. Playoffs are fast approaching and teams in the Q are fighting for home-court advantage and a chance to raise the QUBL banner.
However, the teams in the Q are not just hoping to win their conference for the pride of that banner, but for financial reasons as well. With Canada West hosting the second-place QUBL team in the West Regional this year, that means that the the qualifying team has to travel to the west in order to compete for berth at nationals--which themselves happen to be a 10-hour bus ride from la belle province, in Windsor.
This week's power rankings:
1. McGill Martlets
The Martlets have been outscored in the second half in the past three of four games and are making a habit of relying on last second antics to seal a win. Their win against the Rouge et Or on Friday saw them give up 24 in the fourth quarter (and scoring only seven) as an 18-point fourth-quarter lead dissipated into thin air. With the game tied and two seconds left to play, Marie-Eve Martin drained her sixth three-pointer of the game at the buzzer to give McGill the 62-59 win. That brings Martin’s season total to a league-leading 31 threes while also averaging the best three-point percentage with a sizzling 40.1%. Marie-Eve Martin’s outside shooting, paired with Anneth Him-Lazarenko’s inside presence is one of the reasons why the Martlets have been so successful this season. Their win against the Rouge et Or brings their record to 9-1 as they sit comfortably in first place.
2. UQAM Citadins
The Citadins faced the Bishop’s Gaiters this week, a matchup that saw seven lead changes in the fourth quarter and a thrilling 64-63 win for UQAM. The hero of the night proved to be Karine Boudrias who gave UQAM the go-ahead basket with eight seconds to go. The player of the game however, went to Emie Simard who scored 20 points in 16 minutes of game time. UQAM made some good adjustments going into the second half by being more aggressive and pounding the ball inside. After attempting no free throws in the first half, the second half saw them attack the basket, go 11-15 from the line, and take advantage of the rebounding issues that have plagued Bishop’s for the duration of the season. They face the Stingers next week in what is turning out to be a battle for second place.
3. Concordia Stingers
The Stingers took care of business this week, defeating the Gaiters 76-53 and playing solid basketball for 40 minutes. One of the more impressive statistics coming out of this Stingers team is the number of steals they average per game, 14.1. They had 20 in their game against Bishop's and have four players who average at least two steals per game (all league-leaders). The Stingers are athletic and versatile but still make poor decisions on the offensive end, shooting a league-worst 34.8% from the field. Concordia will have to shoot better next week as they face the Citadins, whom they have yet to beat all season.
4. Laval Rouge et Or
You have to feel for the Rouge et Or. Ever since coming back from winter break, all their games have been decided by four points or less. During that stretch they’ve gone 2-3 and only find themselves one game ahead of Bishop’s in the standings. It’s clear that Laval has come back a better team in the second half, but they might still miss the playoffs for the first time in a very long time (10+ seasons). They put together a spirited fourth quarter push against the Martlets, as mentioned above, but it proved all for naught as they lost 62-59. Turnovers continue to plague the Rouge et Or, who committed 27 of them to McGill’s 17. They face the Gaiters next week in what is shaping up to be a must-win for both teams to keep their playoff hopes alive.
5. Bishop’s Gaiters
The Gaiters played two games at home this week, going 0-2 and bringing their record to 2-9. They were outplayed by the Stingers on Thursday night, losing 53-76. They let the Stingers dominate the offensive boards, giving them 20 in their own end on a night where they only had eight (though they pulled even defensively to keep the total rebounding margin at 12 in Concordia's favour). Weak offensive rebounding, combined with the fact that they committed 27 turnovers, means that the Gaiters never had a chance to make it a game. Their second game of the week saw them lose by one against UQAM even though they only collected 36 boards to UQAMs 56. The Gaiters had the last possession of the game but couldn’t find the back of the basket as time expired. The Gaiters have 5 games left in the season and face the Rouge et Or twice in that span. The final playoff spot will come down to those two matchups – the first one of which is February 5th at Laval benefitting the Shoot for the Cure campaign.
Ilana Shecter
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The Jesus in the Gospels Never Existed!
[Written by John W. Loftus] Yep, that's right, although I have not changed my mind about anything. It comes from something that mythicist Steven Carr recently wrote:
There was an actual person behind the Popeye traditions.
So Popeye existed, according to mainstream Biblical historian criteria, as the character of Popeye was based on a real person.
Nobody would seriously doubt that Popeye was based on a real sailor who liked to get into a fight, if they studied history properly.
And , according to mainstream Biblical historical criteria, Sherlock Holmes existed, as the character in the stories was based on a real person.
All you need for somebody to exist is for that person to be based on a real historical person.
This is mainstream history, and mythicists should go to school and learn this.
So Popeye and Sherlock Holmes existed, according to all the criteria of mainstream Biblical history.
Of course, Olive Oyl and Dr. Watson may not have existed, just like Judas and Lazarus may not have existed, but that is simply not relevant to the historically certain facts that Popeye and Sherlock Holmes were based on real historically attested figures.
However, when people say 'Jesus' existed, they really want something more than a historical person behind the story.
They want Jesus to have more of an existence than Popeye or Sherlock Holmes.
So the mere statement that 'Jesus' was based on a real person no more convinces mythicists that Jesus existed than claiming that Popeye was based on a real person is evidence that Popeye existed. Link
This comment is probably the best statement of the problem in so few words I have read. I think it highlights the main issue that deserves further discussion. Let's say there is a human person behind the myths about the Jesus in the Gospels. So what? There are many myths about such a person to be found there, significant ones, primarily that he existed before creation, he was one with the father, fulfilled prophecy with his life, born of a virgin in Bethlehem, had the authority to speak for God, atoned for our sins on the cross, bodily arose from the dead and that he'd come again. With so many myths as these does it make much of a difference if the person pictured in the Gospels is a complete mythical person? At that point who cares? Why then the passion over this issue? Why does it divide atheists and agnostics like it does? Why issue challenges to other atheists/agnostics like to Bart Ehrman, who emphatically denies the mythicist position?
If there was a human being who was the basis for the Jesus figure in the NT, he is dead now.
If there was not a human being who was the basis for the Jesus figure in the NT, so much the worse.
I think that at best the founder of the Jesus cult was an apocalyptic end times prophet, as I argued in a chapter for The Christian Delusion , but even that's a "best case scenario." Historical studies are fraught with so many problems I could be wrong.
So regardless of this one disagreement over a mere historical question, atheists and agnostics who agree that there are many myths about Jesus in the Gospels should likewise agree that the Jesus pictured in the Gospels (and the NT for that matter) is a myth. If we must take it all at face value then such a person described there did not exist.
The Jesus of the Gospels is a myth. Such a person never existed.
Now that's a major agreement between us and it goes against the largest religious group opinion in America, evangelicals. Let us then herald this agreement loudly and clearly.
The Jesus depicted in the Gospels never existed.
Labels: "Jesus Never Existed"
Dan DeMura said...
I like the Popeye analogy.
Adrian said...
Interesting comparison, thanks John & Steven.
And if you haven't subscribed yet, there's a good blog devoted to biblical scholarship & historicism/mythicism at http://vridar.wordpress.com/
Was just reading material from the link to Thom Stark... it brought to mind another point.
Even if we accept a historical Jesus, and accept that some mythology was added to his life story by disciples for flavor... you also have to take into consideration the "re-interpretation" of these stories as they are read out of context from the time and period in which they were originally written.
Thom Stark said...
Right. Thanks for reading, Dan!
First, great post, John. We need more people like you trying to mediate between mythicists and historical Jesus scholars. Your points are correct: it doesn't matter if the end result is the same. So there is no need for such heat over the issue.
And Dan is right. As I argued in my series "Oh My God Man," much of the language that Orthodox Christianity took up as mythical language about Jesus probably was not originally meant that way by Jewish writers. For instance, the language of Jesus' preexistence, as I argue at length, was a common trope applied to anything important in second temple Judaism, from the Messiah, to the Torah, to the Temple, to the bridal gown of Joseph's wife! Those things and other things all existed "before the foundation of the world." As I argue, that language of preexistence is NOT literal, and would not have been taken so by anyone familiar with the literature. Language of preexistence was a way of expressing the belief that things were going according to God's eternal plan. So to say that Jesus existed before the foundation of the world means that God had a plan for the messiah all along, a plan that could not be thwarted.
Of course, if God did have a plan, it seems to have been thwarted.
GearHedEd said...
Another angle on the "Jesus existed before the foundation of the world" and "that God had a plan for the messiah all along" is the obvious problem of why Adam and Eve were set up to fail.
There can be no justification for anything happening in human history before Jesus' arrival from God's point of view, if Jesus was the plan "all along". And the flip side of that is that if Jesus was "planned", then Adam and Eve were pawns without choice or free will.
Oh, yeah, I forgot.
"God works in mysterious ways."
You're right of course, GearHeadEd. The idea of God having had a "plan" all along became popular in the second temple period, when the garden narrative in Gen. 3 took on new meaning as a "fall," whereas before it was probably read as more of a coming of age parable.
LadyAtheist said...
Elvis was a real person, so I'm told. Therefore, he did reappear to his fans for years after his supposed "death" and appearance in toast and potato chips.
“With so many myths as these does it make much of a difference if the person pictured in the Gospels is a complete mythical person?”
Does it make any difference whether everything Mark and Matthew came up with--the narrative, the parables, the Last Supper, the crucifixion--were not occurrences in the life of real person, one who existed and walked the roads of Galilee, but instead were entirely creations of their imaginations or of others on whom they relied?
Does it make any difference whether about 30 AD, John baptized Jesus or instead Mark made it up--whether it was all it Mark’s head (and perhaps other heads of the time) or actually happened?
Does it make any difference whether Jesus was reputed to heal people, and drew crowds by virtue of this reputation--or instead nothing of the sort ever happened, it’s just that Mark (and maybe others) said that he (or a personage they knew to be fictive) did?
Does it make any difference whether the eloquent words recorded in Matthew 5:1-20, 6 trace back to a man who preached in Galilee circa 30 AD, or instead to some anonymous author who made them up two or three generations later?
Does it make any difference whether Jesus did and said as Paul reports in I Corinthians 11, or that instead he made it up or got if from an unreliable source?
Does it make any difference whether Jesus proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom or instead he never existed or the attribution to him of the proclamation is mistaken?
Does it make any difference whether Jesus entered Jerusalem at Passover, somehow caused a disturbance, and was crucified by Pilate--or that instead these things never happened, somebody made them up?
Does it make any difference whether one can discern that Bart Ehrman in his exchange with Infidel Guy left the mythicist view exposed as no more intellectually supportable than is creationism?
The answer is no. The only thing that makes a difference is whether or not Jesus rose from the dead.
I would say that it shouldn't make any difference about all these fables and myths.
Except the douchebags that really believe the fables seem intent on making life miserable for those of us who don't buy into the bullshit...
Vinny said...
Popeye may have been a real person but his predilection for spinach is clearly borrowed from an earlier pagan cult.
Stillfroth with all kinds of problems to deny the obvious, that the Jesus described within the bible actually did live and actually did exist...
Examples: 3rd part testiony to the fact that Jesus was crucified. This is contained within sources unsympathetic to Christianity or even his person...
Example: 3rd party reference to his existence and having followers who believed in such things he said and taught well beyond hs death.
Early second centrury references to the beliefs of those who followed this prophets teaching's "as if he were a God" according to Pliny in AD 110
I mean could go on naming a minimum of 9 sources that clearly reference Jesus as a person all of who's references DO NOT conflict with the biblical references...Are we to assume thee is a Christian/scular conspiracy afoot?
If your "popeye argument" is to have any sort of success it must show that, like we see wth popeye, there is and are clearly established embellishments. The Holmes and Popeye stories all lead back to men who clearly are less than their fictitious characters. References to Jesus don't establish that he was less than the biblical account. Although seclar references don't address much of his works the do address gnerally what happened and what individuals thought regarding what happened and both of those things are consistent with the biblical narratives and thoughts.
So these analogies may appear to have some sort of sigificance, but I don't find them very convincing John.
Jesus was a real person. Only he was a 500 pound shut in with acute acne an a severe facial tick. All the other stuff about him was added on, but he existed.
Morrison said...
John Loftus exists, but the John Loftus described as being a great Chrsitian before his "deoonversion" never existed.
jwhendy said...
@Supt:
I'm interested in the things you reference. What I've wondered, though, is where they got their material. I haven't looked into this at present.
If Pliny in 110 is hearing his material from the same group to which belonged the author of Mt, Mk, Lk, and/or Jn... it's not really 3rd party but merely a parroting of some other down-the-oral-tradition-chain source who we still don't know about.
What we certainly don't have is someone who says, "I operate according to the following method when conducting history... Regarding Jesus, I interviewed these named 20 people claiming these things independently and here are their verbatim testimonies... from these and light of my explicitly stated method, here are my conclusions."
From what I've read, all we have are about 2 sentences per reference (Tacitus, Josephus, Pliny and perhaps one more) who give us nothing more than what could have been circulating the land via who knows who.
Paul could have done things a whole lot better by given reference to some sayings of Jesus, his virgin birth, the name of his mother, what he did between either 2 and 12 and the age of 30... and so on.
Anyway, at the end of the day, does 3rd person reference to belief in the resurrection help the case that much? I think you'll find that a lot of references relate to the beliefs of the followers, not to some first hand knowledge of the happenings themselves. I also don't think John was trying to establish that Jesus as a person didn't exist but that Jesus as portrayed in the gospels didn't exist. Either way, the result is the same: Christianity is false.
P.S. Noticed in your profile that you recently took up selling insurance as a "wealth strategist." Pardon me if I'm wrong in wondering if your target constituency is comprised of those in the church you founded?
Do you all really think these lines of argument will excuse you of your responsibility to God?
I have always wondered if that isn't what you are all hoping deep down.
@Morrison:
Reasonable hypothesis. Find some people who knew him from before and find out if it holds. Pull from:
- people who still like him
- people who don't
- friends
- those who were clergy with him
- his former laity
- anyone he did mission/service work with
- teachers who had him in class
- any pastoral care providers he worked with
- old emails and letters
- Bibles in his house (check for notes)
- His journals
Deal? It's your hypothesis so why don't you gather up some evidence for us all and report back.
I'm eager to read your results in a peer-reviewed journal with an established methodology written up, signed statements by all those interviewed, and audio-recordings of all conversations available upon request.
Can't wait to hear back from you!
Harvey, the analogies are not only not convincing.
They are false.
But John knows that; he just likes to throw stuff like this into the mix.
Hendy, why would I need to publish in a peer reviewed journal?
John doesn't.
Would an interview, though, with "Linda" be of any help? LOL!
Further, John is the one who makes the claim of being such a great Christian.
He should have AREADY provided the information you ask for.
It is up to him to prove the existence of the great Christian John Loftus.
(Phone numbers and addresses where witnessess can be contacted will be sufficient, I do not require that it be published in a peer reviewed journal. LOL!)
I look forward to John posting this information soon.
- Re. peer-reviewed journal: I dunno, those interested in relating the results of interest following the testing of a hypothesis usually do this so that others can evaluate their methods, evidence, and interpretation.
If you want to just write us a book, that's fine, too.
- Re. John's effort to back his former Christianity: Ummm, it's in the first parts of WIBA, a published book. You're the one who wants to go further and thus you're the one who needs to do the work.
Now, let's compare John with Jesus:
- Claims:
--- John claims to be a deconverted Christian. We have tons of evidence that these exist. His education matches with that of someone who is a Christian. He has written a book stating he is a Christian. None of these are outlandish claims.
--- Jesus is claimed to do about anything and everything that violates modern day experience except for walk, pray, eat, sit down, and talk. Miracles, raising others from the dead, controlling the weather, using alchemy to help people get drunk, and the like are all outlandish claims.
- Potential validation methods:
--- Anyone he knew John and has read WIBA can come to his publicly available blog (which has been up for like 3 years now, aka well-known) and blow our minds with a debunking via a comment or just start their own "truth-about-the-old-loftus" blog. Probably 80% of those (or more) who knew John pre-deconversion are still alive to be questioned. It would be fantastically easy to build a huge case either for or against John's former Christianity and to have a conspiracy would be a remarkable accomplishment, especially if these individuals are not in communication with each other and scattered around the globe.
--- No one is around to follow up on Jesus and requests to get answers via prayer fail miserably. Those who think they know who he was disagree, those who wrote about him disagree and show signs of elaboration and legend-style writing, and the earliest writer, Paul, gives us literally no facts about his life whatsoever.
I think I'm about done wasting breath on an obviously silly point with you. The point is that you can easily prove your hypothesis if you want to.
To respond critiquing minute details vs. the point is just silly. Peer-reviewed vs. book vs. article vs. blog post... who gives a fuck? John's got a book with what you want if it's from the horses mouth. If you have reason to doubt, go do your own research and make a name for yourself.
Oh, yeah. Just get the information from anyone else who knew him. Start with WL Craig. I'm sure he'll be happy to help you out.
Jonathan MS Pearce said...
@Hendy
really good points about independent attestation and sources. this is a hole that craig falls into, often claiming early multiple independent attestation to give jesus claims validity and force. however, since all the gospel writers were bad historians INCLUDING luke/acts (see Carrier in not the impossible faith for excellent work on this matter), and since they were all UNCRITICAL historians, we have NO idea who any of their sources were. none of their claims are remotely verifiable, and they wouldn't have been verifiable at the time of their circulation originally.
pliny, tacitus and josephus would all have had the same original sources. in fact, some of the gospels accounts had so few sources, that the sources MUST originally have been the same person. take the resurrection narratives. we have no accurate account of who was actually there, but mary seems to be the common factor - it was highly likely that the story came from her, which in fact is implied within the gospels themselves. and yet she disappears off the radar.
we know that other historians, such as tacitus, were good with mentioning their sources, and they were still WOEFULLY INACCURATE, so what does this say about the gospel writers, who, by their own admission, were evangelists, and not historians. they also believe their sources without seeking verification themselves.
thus, the whole train of accounting from the original sources leads one to believe that independent attestation isn't a reality, and that the gospel accounts must be deeply questioned before anything like a remote authentication can exist.
people like craig make very forceful conclusions that he treats as fact, but these conclusions are built on shaky assumptions, which themselves are built on exceptionally charitable treatment of sources that would not be afforded to any other religion or ancient text. basically, craig would fail the outsider test for faith.
it is impossible to assert any sort of reliability with regards to the gospels.
just to reiterate and emphasise, Carrier's 'Not the Impossible Faith' is an excellent book dealing with historical and verification issues of the gospels (particularly Luke).
@Johnny P:
Not the Impossible Faith is on my list, for sure! I'm even more excited to read it after seeing another mention it.
Also, I find that a nice analysis of historical sources can be found HERE in a shorter-than-book form. I found it quite intriguing.
Oddly, before finding that I swear that I'd listened to debates in which the participants explicitly said that the evidence for Jesus was as good as that of Caesar crossing the Rubicon. Weird...
thanks, i'll check it out. if i got a quid for the number of times the rubicon was trotted out....
(i'd have 17 quid?)
Emanuel Goldstein said...
John Loftus did not "deconvert" for intellectual reasons, as he makes clear in WIBA.
However, the question is, did he "deconvert" at all?
He gives names of people he knew, but no way to contact any of these people. Whether they even exist or not I have not been able to determine.
Moreover, John has admitted that he has lied...to his wife, his friends, his congregation.
So how do we know he is telling the truth about his "deconversion"?
And as for "peer review", bad news. WIBA is not "peer reviewed" literature.
"Published" does NOT equal "Peer reviewed" in the acadmeic sense, "Hendy".
If you received Winston's Smith's lies respond if you want to, but he's been banned so many times here for so many different reasons I can't count the names he's used or the times he's been banned. He is a liar for Jesus, but it's okay since it's for Jesus. It's not worth talking to him at all. His mind is brainwashed and that's all there is to it.
@winston
are you an angry man? it seems like it.
yes, his comments seem to have disappeared...
@Winston:
Dude, the point is that the book is not hidden and neither is this blog. Sure, peer-review has to happen on the front end but I made it clear that anything John has to say can be responded to on the post-publishing end as well.
Geez, all I tried to do is show that it's pure ridiculosity to try and assert that because Jesus' actual historical character can't be pieced together from the horrid sources we have from 2000 years ago does not mean that a claim that a person still alive with living 1st hand witnesses cannot be verified to either have been 1) a TrueChristian(TM) before deconversion or 2) not one.
Instead of just letting my levity put a smile on your face with its truth, you critique nitpicking details in my examples!
Critique your own example that should never had been typed out in the first place ;)
Hendy,
You said:"If Pliny in 110 is hearing his material from the same group to which belonged the author of Mt, Mk, Lk, and/or Jn... it's not really 3rd party but merely a parroting of some other down-the-oral-tradition-chain source who we still don't know about."
This is a good argument and there is much that can be said about Pliny and what he wrote. This issue was undertaken by Boyd and Eddy in The Jesus Legendon pg. 176. They said this regarding the subject:
This source is nevertheless valuable not only because it likely indicates that both Christians and non-Christians assumed Jesus was an historical person at the beginning of the second century, but also because it demonstrates that by this time the Christian movement had become numerous enough in the region of Bithynia to be problematic to its ruler."
You said:"What we certainly don't have is someone who says, "I operate according to the following method when conducting history... Regarding Jesus, I interviewed these named 20 people claiming these things independently and here are their verbatim testimonies... from these and light of my explicitly stated method, here are my conclusions.""
I don't think we find any historical narratives done that way. Look at Tacitus for instance. To say that he was relying on hearsay is different for him than in any other surviving writing that he renders. ie: he is otherwise reliable and it would seem that he sets forth information that he would have had to have received from those who were Christians themselves.
Another issue is the writing of Luke himself. In that gospel which has been shown to be highly accurate both archaeologically and within the narrative itself, we see the writer announcing that he had an excellent knowledge about what had happened and what was believed among the Christians and his whole dialogue in the beginning uses the dialogue of someone who had undertaken the tasks to interview, and amass material that would support his case.
When these issues are considered, the only way one can strip the Jews of their writings is to amalgamate them and their writings with the Greek/Roman culture in which we know clearly that displayed embellishments. ie: Just because the Romans told myth, does not make religious Jews create myths also. The first century Jewish culture was especially religious and especially monotheistic. Remember they had fought a war over meddling with their religion just a short-time before.
You said:"Paul could have done things a whole lot better by given reference to some sayings of Jesus, his virgin birth, the name of his mother, what he did between either 2 and 12 and the age of 30... and so on."
The question here is why would Paul be compelled to do such? I mean the people he wrote knew both he and Jesus. he would have never had to go over all the details that the early Church already knew and further details that were not Slavic in nature. Many of the critics assert this but even if we find Paul doing so it becomes a waste of time and energy and leads to greater suspicion...we would then be right to ask..."How many Jesus's were born of a virgin, in Bethlehem, through the lineage of David etc...why would Paul have to be so specific?"
Remarkably, his (Paul's) teachings are totally consistent with that of Jesus and any perceived discrepancies such as that of faith and works are only apparent and when they are examined certainly can be reconciled.
"I also don't think John was trying to establish that Jesus as a person didn't exist but that Jesus as portrayed in the gospels didn't exist."
John believes that Jesus was a failed doomsday prophet of his time. If that is the case, he would not have been honored nor received by any Jew and any conversions of religious Jews and skeptics such as Paul and James are hopeless...so I understand John's desire to make Jesus different than the gospel accounts, but his case too, in my opinion, is unsupportable.
You asked P.S. Noticed in your profile that you recently took up selling insurance as a "wealth strategist." Pardon me if I'm wrong in wondering if your target constituency is comprised of those in the church you founded?
Well, does a home builder build homes for people who are dead? No he builds homes for living people who need housing. If those people are on his block that's an incidental benefit of his business isn't it? My clients are everyplace and no I don't target market my church...I provide services to those who need it. Now I don't provide services to individuals who are morally opposed to what I feel are positive and good societal values...I don't do strip-club owners, bar owners, drug sellers or pimps, although I will help their clients in so much as I can.
Hope that addresses your questions.
BTW, if you are leaving a job and need help transferring a retirement plan, I'll be glad to help. I've got an excellent product and company that people have been using to move financial assets to safety. All I need is a minimum of $10,000 or $5,000 qualified funds...Let me know-LOL!!!
Sorry for the overlap, I'm having a problem posting and maintaining teh page for some reason.
@Supt Harvey:
- I see your point about Pliny, but we're still treading water in my opinion. The point of this post, or at least my read on it, is that if all we can establish is that people thought he was historical and many people were already following him... we haven't done much. John states this much. The post doesn't strike me as primarily targeting whether he existed but whether he aligns with all the gospels say about him (miracle worker, sayings, deeds, travels, resurrection, appearances, etc.).
- I'll continue to look into things like Luke's accuracy. My understanding was that right after his prologue stating his diligence with historical facts he put Jesus' birth during Quirinius which would be far too late and that most choose Matthew (during Herod < 4 BC) instead. I could be wrong. Sure, this isn't saying anything about the majority or entirety, but it's weird to say, "Check out me getting my facts straight by sorting through all of these stories" and then immediately make an easily avoided blunder.
- Regarding Paul, I guess I still find it weird that in not one of his letters does he use Jesus' actual words as teaching tools. If Paul who was evangelizing Christians for the first time didn't need to use them, why did the gospel writers? It's not like the people Paul was writing to all already knew Jesus intimately, did they? If I approached you and said that Barack Obama supported pro-life policies and this surprised you (it should), wouldn't you want to see a quote or something? This is how I see Paul: he's preaching in the name of someone and conveying apparently what that person stood for, but giving no references whatsoever. Call me weird, but I find that... weird. I think you'd have assume that everyone knew the entire content of all of the gospels almost verbatim to hold that Paul wouldn't have benefited from relaying anything of Jesus' life to them.
- Thanks for satisfying my curiosity about the new business.
were the gospels peer reviewed? were the sources named? no and no.
@Harvey
a few issues with your points.
I don't think we find any historical narratives done that way.
actually, early historians did name sources. take herodotus, for example. notoriously inaccurate, he still names sources, and exhibits skepticism over certain sources. as carrier points out: "In Herodotus’ Histories he mentions sources or methods: e.g. 2.123; 1.5, 4.195; names sources: e.g. 1.20-21, 2.29, 4.14, 4.29, 5.86-87, 6.53-54, 8.55, 8.65; gives different accounts: e.g. 1.3-5, 2.20-27, 5.86-87, 6.53-54, 7.148-152; expresses skepticism: e.g. 2.45, 3.16, 4.25, 4.31, 4.42, 4.95-96, 4.105, 5.86, 7.152."
so HISTORIANS did it. but the gospel writers were NOT historians.
Another issue is the writing of Luke himself. In that gospel which has been shown to be highly accurate both archaeologically and within the narrative itself
another classic apologist tactic which is simply wrong. luke is an accurate historian on certain issues but he is not a critical historian in any way. he never seeks verification of facts, or names sources, or many other things expected of historians. but then he is an evangelist, not a historian.
he is accurate in the same way conan doyle was with sherlock holmes. he sets it in a historical setting: truthful and accurate. but fiction.
none of the claims of the actual jesus narrative, in both luke and acts, are verifiable. not to us, but more importantly, not to the contemporary readers. and this is the key. those being evangelised to were not able to verify the facts, nor would have had the desire to (see carrier again for this).
as for I mean the people he wrote knew both he and Jesus. you are way off here. his letters were sent to embryonic churches and converts in far off lands who certainly never met jesus. and neither had he.
I think one important take away from Pliny's letter to Trajan is that Pliny didn't exactly know what to do with the Christians he had in custody. Rome apparently did not have a consistent, Empire wide policy at that point. Hence Pliny's letter...
Given Pliny’s questions to Trajan, it’s probable that somewhere in the Empire, Christians were put to death regardless if they recanted or not.
This undermines the worn out apologetic that’s “eyewitnesses” would never have allowed themselves to be martyred for a lie. Perhaps they had no choice in their martyrdom.
great points about Paul. it is a weak apologetic argument, in my opinion, that claims that even mentioning events or miracles in jesus' life would have been out of place in his letters. i find it incoherent.
paul is talking to new churches. effectively evangelising. it's all about christ, and yet not to mention or remind or even teach some of the churches some of the amazing things that jesus did begs the question of whether he did them at all, and whether they were written into his biography ex post facto.
the amount of obsequious praise of jesus in the epistles, it is amazing that he doesn't refer to any gospel material other than cryptically to the resurrection.
Johnny P, & Hendy,
Thanks for the responses. So far as Luke's accuracy, to which Johnny P agrees, all one has to do is be familiar with Sir WIlliam Ramsay who was no run of the mill archaeologist but one of the best in history and specifically dealt with Quirinus and the census that has been the bain of critics as the facts he discovered undermine many of the critical arguments still found on this site.
Now, you render the "critical nature" of his writing and I don't know what to make of that...If someone is accurate and has been proven to be so, and since their narrative is not history, but yet factual, the other criteria (critical) seems to me to be a phantom and adds no or minimal value to the conversation.
Paul's letters weren't written to evangelize the churches, they were written to strengthen the churches that already existed whether he founded them or not. If these people were already Christians they had already accepted the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus as Paul affirms in his epistles when dealing with what it took to be saved.
I don't see how Paul could write expecting to convert people who had never heard about Christ etc...who would he write to? What would be the address??? We already see how he was received in the synagogues and these were not synagogues...so that point is kinda easy to refute.
Johnny P & Hendy,
so far as Paul and Jesus is concerned, this has got to be about one of the most refuted and lame arguments in existence...Paul expresses a great deal about the the life and the words of Jesus not to mention the Judaism behind it all.
Professor J. P. Meier also deals extensively with this whole subject in his series "A Marginal Jew" which is one of the best series of works that I've found to truly get an accurate contextualization of the historical Jesus.
if you're talking about the lapis tiburtinus, and the work ramsay did on that, it has been roundly and soundly rubbished by modern scholars (basically he made up an unfounded hypothesis), as good as ramsay was in his day, his archaeology has been greatly reassessed since then. see http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/richard_carrier/quirinius.html to assess the ramsay / quirinius stuff. it's a non-starter.
the quirinius thing is of great interest to me, and the birth narratives are probably the easiest things in the bible to debunk. don't get me started!
you mention luke again, but i do not think he is an accurate historian per se. the only things we know he can be accurate on are the periphery setting details. the actual meat of his work is contested.
If these people were already Christians they had already accepted the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus
this is not true, since he writes to actually set the record straight on some issues. i never said they had never heard of jesus, i said they had never met him. they lived in different countries after all.
ok, tell me what events in the gospels about jesus that paul actually talks about, if you think it is that easy to refute.
as gauvin said many years ago " If Paul really wrote them, they were written by a man who lived in Jerusalem when Christ is supposed to have been teaching there. Now, if the facts of the life of Christ were known in the first century of Christianity, Paul was one of the men who should have known them fully. Yet Paul acknowledges that he never saw Jesus; and his Epistles prove that he knew nothing about his life, his works, or his teachings.
In all the Epistles of Paul, there is not one word about Christ's virgin birth. The apostle is absolutely ignorant of the marvellous manner in which Jesus is said to have come into the world. For this silence, there can be only one honest explanation--the story of the virgin birth had not yet been invented when Paul wrote. A large portion of the Gospels is devoted to accounts of the miracles Christ is said to have wrought. But you will look in vain through the thirteen Epistles of Paul for the slightest hint that Christ ever performed any miracles. Is it conceivable that Paul was acquainted with the miracles of Christ--that he knew that Christ had cleansed the leprous, cast out devils that could talk, restored sight to the blind and speech to the dumb, and even raised the dead--is it conceivable that Paul was aware of these wonderful things and yet failed to write a single line about them? Again, the only solution is that the accounts of the miracles wrought by Jesus had not yet been invented when Paul's Epistles were written."
@Harvey:
- Second comment first. I just don't have time to read that whole article right now, but even my initial skim seems mainly to focus on the gospels and not Paul. What I did see of Paul just seemed to be excerpts with bolded "kingdom of god" instances which are supposed to show that Paul was preaching Jesus' words?
I want verbatim words, references to his most famous parables, his antitheses or anything from the sermon on the mount or plain, and especially references to his miracles. Jesus preached for 1-3 years yet Paul focuses only on the death phenomenon which happened in days.
Surely reference to his years of ministry are needed to actually instruct others about the content of that message?
- Regarding Ramsay... it seems that the only real issue he had and resolved stated in the movie was Quirinius and it was solved by some piece of evidence indicating that he was governor twice. Carrier on Quirinius seems to disagree.
While I dislike the "x's word vs. y's word" ordeal... it does seem that the issue is not unanimously agreed upon. Check Wiki's last paragraph on the current historical stance and follow the sources if you'd like. It seems that modern historians think Luke goofed?
- Interesting point about the Epistles being aimed at already established churches. That's a good point. I guess I have the Paul pictured in some of the Acts stories in my head.
Let's continue on this track, anyway, though. Even though Paul is writing to existing communities, you have to admit that there's at least some justification in thinking that they weren't highly understanding of what he wanted them to get. He references milk-feeding them since they're not ready for spiritual food and tries to lay out some elaborate connections between Adam and Jesus and being heirs of Abraham's promise with being united in Christ. This seems like the kind of thing that would benefit from some direct quotes from the savior.
Or simply examine our current practice. We're extremely familiar with the general concept of Jesus, yet (being of Catholic background) the gospel is read every single Sunday. OT and an epistle (usually, or other non-gospel NT book) are also read from.
Why continue reading the words of Jesus to us? Aren't today's priests doing exactly what Paul was doing back then? Strengthening their flocks? You're a preacher -- do you use Jesus' words or just say things unfounded. I'm sure you typically look for some reference to what Jesus preached when you proclaim various things, right?
When divorce comes up these days, one of the first passages grabbed is Jesus' statement that an exception was made for Moses' time due to hardness of heart and thus it was not his will that any divorce. Couldn't some of Paul's writings to the Corinthians about marriage or, say, Eph 5 have benefited from similar quotes to substantiate the message?
Anyway, probably not intensely important. I guess it's just one of those things where I find it odd that none of his letters show he could quote the entire reason and source for Christianity but those who follow it don't find it surprising at all!
Johnny P,
You said:"Yet Paul acknowledges that he never saw Jesus; and his Epistles prove that he knew nothing about his life, his works, or his teachings."
Just the opposite conclusion of the scriptural evidence I left in the links. Read, there are over 2,000 allusions and references within Paul's writings that are totally consistent with what Jesus taught. What do you claim? Coincidence? Hardly...It simply can't be written off from one that claims to be preaching and teaching in his name...How do you sound when asserting that there si something else necessary to make the link...that's an atrocity of reasoning. The articles states:
"Alfred Resch, the German author who early in this century found 1,158 Pauline allusions to Jesus (this is in slightly over 2,000 verses of Pauline writings!)."
There are all kinds of categories for the material he cits all with consistency.
The critic irrationally implies that every verse has to be linked by expression to the founder of the verse and this is a ridiculous requirement. Paul as an apostle had authority to set the church in order under the leadership of a Jesus that he proclaimed was crucified and resurrected, (where did he get that from if he didn't see or know HIM?), and was alive not only spiritually but physically pointing to an empty tomb as a proof of his current existence.
Richard Carrier is another Jesus myth theorist so any of his work regarding an historical Jesus is only a smokescreen and he's absolutely absurd and creative regarding his Quiniris anti-apologetic. There are much better and more accurate and well reasoned explanations to the census and surrounding issues.
Hendy and Harvey
great point hendy about the fact that christianity constantly goes on about events and sayings of jesus. something i have said in other arguments i have had on this issue. if someone was writing now about anything to do with christianity to a church community you would absolutely expect concrete referral to jesus in 7-13 letters. even more so in the early establishment days.
as for luke /acts, all people like geisler claim are "As a result, Ramsay discovered that Luke was a first-rate historian. In Luke's references to 32 countries, to 44 cities, and 9 islands, there were no errors. This being the case, Luke's prior narration of Christ's death and resurrection (which are integral parts of his Gospel) should be accepted as authentic as well".
notice he says that because he got setting details right, we should accept the rest. that is like saying because the setting of london in sherlock holmes were accurate, holmes himself was historically accurate.
the double ruling of quirinius, as i am aware, is no longer taken seriously. it is taken from the spurious ramsay hypothesis that has absolutely no historical backing. a shot in the dark that has lots of evidence against it, and none supporting it. at all.According to the Anchor Bible (p.403), the beginning of the Tivoli inscription (Dessau, ILS sect. 918) is lost, and therefore the name of the person honored are lost. There is no evidence it refers to Quirinius, and it has often been ascribed to others.
The Tivoli inscription has nevertheless been cited to support the view that a second legateship for Quirinius would have been possible. This is actually a mistranslation; properly, it should say that the person, being a legate of Augustus for the second time, "he received Syria and Phoenicia." That is, the person performed public service twice, and the last time, he was legate to Syria (Anchor Bible, p. 403).
It is unheard of that a proconsul would become a legate of the emperor twice in the same province (see J. G. C. Anderson, _Cambridge Ancient History_ 10 [1934] 878; R. Syme, "Titulus Tiburtinus," 590)"
as lowder says: "
all your claims of paul = jesus are exactly what you accuse - smokescreens. allusions. there are no concrete mentions of anything jesus did. as gauvin and hendy said.
as for your accusations of carrier, unless you have read all his work, which i hope you have, you can't really sau that of him. he is a far better historian than any apologist i know. primarily because he is a trained one, and they aren't.
as for your opinions of the census shannanigans, you are simply off the mark.
paul tobin: (on the special pleading for the double rule)
"the inscription found by ramsay merely mentioned that quirinius was honoured for his role in achieving a military victory.it was ramsay who guessed that quirinius' reward for his role was an earlier appointment prior to 6 CE, as governor of syria. nothing in the inscription even suggests this. it is not surprising that most historians are of the opinion that the inscription does not provide any evidence to support the assertion that quirinius was governor of syria earlier than 6 CE."
from jospehus we know most of the roman governors of syria around that time.
there are simply no gaps. the possible gap that quirinius needs to fill has now been filled by marcus titius as we know he ruled abou then, there are no other gaps, and a 3 year rule is standard.
paul tobin:
"quirinius' career is relatively well documented in our primary sources. tacitus ... suetonius ... strabo ... and josephus all mention aspects of his career. from these accounts we know that he was born sometime before 50 bce and that he died in 22 ce. we know that he was consul of rome by 12 bce. he was in asia minor between 12 and 6 bce, where he fought the war against the hasmonadenses. he was governor of pamphylia-galatia between 6 to 1bce. and he was serving as the advisor to gaius caesar for several years before 4 ce. josephus mentioned quirinius several times when he becamse governor in 6 ce... so we read of quirinius' career spanning 20 years from 12 bce o 6ce, yet not once was he ever mentioned as taking over governorship of syria at any time during the reign of herod.
the conclusion is inescapable - quirinius could not have been the governor of syria twice."
moreover, there could not have been a census in syria prior to 6 ce as judea was only a CLIENT KINGDOM, and they never had censuses. ever. moreover, herod was very obedient to rome, and taxation censuses would not have been warranted under his rule.
Harvey said,
"...Paul's letters weren't written to evangelize the churches, they were written to strengthen the churches that already existed whether he founded them or not. If these people were already Christians they had already accepted the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus as Paul affirms in his epistles when dealing with what it took to be saved."
Does it strike anyone else here as very odd that within less than 30 years there were many scattered Christian communities THAT WERE ALL WORSHIPPING INCORRECTLY ACCORDING TO PAUL AND NEEDED THE CORRECTIVE ACTION OF HIS EPISTLES?
Doesn't this say a great deal about the story not being "fixed" yet?
i don't know about not being fixed...half of it wasn't even written yet. (...invented?)
Since we like to quote, let's at least quote accurate information:
"Both Josephus and Luke mention the later census which was made by Quirinius on the deposition of Archelaus, together with the insurrection of Judas which accompanied it. But while Josephus does not mention the Herodian census-although there may be some intimation of it in Ant, XVI, ix, 3; XVII, ii, 4; compare Sanclemente, De vulg. aerae emend., 438; Ramsay, Was Christ Born at Beth.1, 178 - Luke carefully distinguishes the two, characterizing the census at the time of Jesus' birth as "first," i.e. first in a series of enrollments connected either with Quirinius or with the imperial policy inaugurated by the decree of Augustus. The Greek-Roman writers of the time do not mention this decree and later writers (Cassiodor, Isidor and Suidas) cannot be relied upon with certainty as independent witnesses (Zumpt, Geburtsjahr, 148). Yet the geographical work of Agrippa and the preparation of a breviarium totius imperil by Augustus (Tac. Ann. i0.11; Suet. Aug. 28 and 101; Dio Cassius liii0.3; lvi0.33; compare Mommsen, Staatsrecht, II, 1025, note 3), together with the interest of the emperor in the organization and finances of the empire and the attention which he gave to the provinces (Marquardt, Rom. Staatsverwaltung, II, 211; compare 217), are indirectly corroborative of Luke's statement. Augustus himself conducted a census in Italy in 726/28, 746/8, 767/14 (Mommsen, Res Ges., 34) and in Gaul in 727/27 (Dio Cassius liii.22, 5; Livy Epit. cxxxiv) and had a census taken in other provinces (Pauly-Wissowa, Realencyc., under the word "Census," 1918; Marquardt, op. cit., II, 213). For Egypt there is evidence of a regular p eriodic census every 14 years extending back to 773/20 (Ramsay, op. cit., 131 if; Grenfell and Hunt, Oxy. Papyri, II, 207; Wilcken, Griech. Ostraka, I, 444) and it is not improbable that this procedure was introduced by Augustus (Schurer, op. cit., I, 515). The inference from Egyptian to similar conditions in other provinces must indeed be made cautiously (Wilcken, op. cit., 449; Marquardt, op. cit., 441); yet in Syria the regular tributum capitis seems to imply some such preliminary work (Dig, 1. 15, 3; Appian, Syriac., 50; Marquardt, op. cit., II, 200, note 2; Pauly-Wissowa, op. cit., 1921; Ramsay, op. cit., 154). The time of the decree is stated only in general terms by Luke, and it may have been as early as 727/27 (Zumpt, op. cit., 159; Marquardt, op. cit., II, 212) or later in 746-8 (Huschke, Census, 34; Ramsay, op. cit., 158), its execution in different provinces and subject kingdoms being carried out at different times. Hence, Luke dates the census in the kingdom of Herod specifically by connecting it with the administrative functions of Quirinius in Syria. But as P. Quintilius Varus was the legate of Syria just before and after the death of Herod from 748/6-750/4 (Ant., XVII, v, 2; XVII, ix., 3; XVII, x, 1 and 9; XVII, xi, 1; Tac. Hist. v0.9; and coins in Eckhel, Doctr. num. vet., III, 275) and his predecessor Was C. Sentius Saturninus from 745/9-748/6 (Ant; XVI, ix, 1; x, 8; xi, 3; XVII, i, 1; ii, 1; iii, 2), there seems to be no place for Quirinius during the closing years of Herod's reign.
see pt. 2
"Tertullian indeed speaks of Saturninus as legate at the time of Jesus' birth (Adv. Marc., iv.9). The interpretation of Luke's statement as indicating a date for the census before Quirinius was legate (Wieseler, Chron. Syn., 116; Lagrange, Revue Biblique, 1911, 80) is inadmissible. It is possible that the connection of the census with Quirinius may be due to his having brought to completion what was begun by one of his predecessors; or Quirinius may have been commissioned especially by the emperor as "legatus ad census accipiendos" to conduct a census in Syria and this commission may have been connected temporally with his campaign against the Homonadenses in Cilicia (Tac. Ann. iii0.48; compare Noris, Cenotaph. Pis., 320; Sanclemente, op. cit., 426 passim; Ramsay, op. cit., 238).
It has also been suggested by Bour (L'Inscription de Quirinius, 48) that Quirinius may have been an imperial procurator specially charged with authority in the matter of the Herodian census. The titulus Tiburtinus (CIL, XIV, 3613; Dessau, Inscr. Latin Sel., 918)-if rightly assigned to him-and there seems to be no sufficient reason for questioning the conclusiveness of Mommsen's defense of this attribution (compare Liebenam, Verwaltungsgesch., 365)-proves that he was twice legate of Syria, and the titulus Venetus (CIL, III, 6687; Dessau, op. cit., 2683) gives evidence of a census conducted by him in Syria. His administration is dated by Ramsay (op. cit., 243) in 747/7; by Mommsen in the end of 750/4 or the beginning of 751/3 (op. cit., 172). Zahn (Neue kirch. Zeitschr., 1893, IV, 633), followed by Spitta (Zeitschr.ff. d. neutest. Wiss., 1906, VII, 293), rejects the historicity of the later census connected by Josephus with the deposition of Archelaus, basing his view on internal grounds, and assigns the Lucan census to a time shortly after the death of Herod. This view however is rendered improbable by the evidence upon which the birth of Jesus is assigned to a time before the death of Herod (Matthew 2:1 Luke 1:5; Luke 2:1 f); by the differentiation of the census in Luke 2:1 and Acts 5:37; by the definite connection of the census in Josephus with Syria and the territory of Archelaus (compare also the tit. Venet.); and by the general imperial policy in the formation of a new province (Marquardt, op. cit., II, 213). Moreover there seems to be no adequate ground for identifying the Sabinus of Josephus with Quirinius as urged by Weber, who regards the two accounts (Ant., XVII, viii, 1 and XVII, iv, 5; XVIII, i, 2; ii, 1) as due to the separation by Josephus of parallel accounts of the same events in his sources (Zeitschr.ff. d. neutest. Wiss., 1909, X, 307)-the census of Sabinus-Quirinius being assigned to 4 B.C., just after the death of Herod the Great. The synchronism of the second census of Quirinius with the periodic year of the Egyptian census is probably only a coincidence, for it was occasioned by the deposition of Archelaus; but its extension to Syria may be indicative of its connection with the imperial policy inaugurated by Augustus (Tac. Ann. vi0.41; Ramsay, op. cit., 161)
EVIDNCE not conjecture...evidence!
Not only are you wrong about Quinirus's census you're wrong about this one too..."they never had censuses. ever"
The did and the EVIDENCE speaks for itself. Too uch radical scholarship is bad for the brain and everyone that partakes of it.
J P Holdinh has more of a summary of many of Carrier's bad arguments regarding this subjecty and how they are refuted HERE.
From that article we get a more detailed and technical analysis of the wording both HERE and HERE.
If this subject isn't taken seriously, I don't know what is and there are more historians and linguists than just Carrier. The truth of the matter doesn't favor radical scholarship. It certainly isn't settled in the favor of the radicals especially Carrier, quite the opposite is true.
my goodness, where to start. firstly, i did not say censuses never happened. read it back. they never had censuses in 'CLIENT KINGDOMS' which it was under herod's rule. this is very different, and is historical fact in roman history.
secondly, your first post backs up my point entirely. quirinius and herod did not overlap.
hence there seems to be no place for Quirinius during the closing years of Herod's reign.
now read back your second part. it is entirely 'may have been's and 'has been suggested' by christians. serious historians don't entertain the idea of these situations.
the rest of part 2 is badly written appeals to authority and indirect quotes, mostly outdated, that essentially amount to it being the first of many such administrative procedures. well, yeah. judea was no longer a client kingdom after herod. it would not have had a census during his reign, since it was not a fully endowed part of the roman empire, but a client kingdom.
you've got to realise as well that mos tof the archaeology is pre-albright here, and most of his work is now being reassessed!
most of that second part is also irrelevant to the dating, but trying to establish regular censuses from thereafter. thereafter is irrelevant, we are trying to establish the census, and it COULD NOT have happened in the time of census. nothing you have said changes that. we know when quirinius ruled. we know when herod died. we know that a census could not happen under herod, and that it is claimed by several sources that it happened under quirinius. you cannot use the works of Sanclemente, Mommsen, and Ramsay who are 18th/19th century scholars whose work has been overturned on the lapis tiburtinus. and yet you are still appealing to them and this!!
really, nothing to even remotely challenge the thesis that luke got it wrong, or that matthew got it wrong.
1) jesus was not born in time of herod (likely for mosaic influence wanted by matthew)
2) jesus was not born in 6ce at time of census
3) he was not born concurrant with either
oh dear me, you are appealing to holding. he is possibly the worst apologist on earth. he is so bnad that most mainline christian apologists stay well clear of him. he is not only rude, but has no grasp of history, never checks any of his sources, misquotes his sources, claims consensus facts as not being true if they disagree with his conclusion with no evidence for disagreeing so on ans so forth. carrier's entire 'not the impossible faith' book is written to debunk everything holding has said. he DESTROYS him. it is embarassing.
on holding's nonsense of the rubicon, see here *just on this holding is hilariously bad and inept, his assumptions and claims make me want to cry): http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/richard_carrier/resurrection/rubicon.html
eg "holding claims (to the horrified astonishment of all historians of Rome!) that it is "questionable" whether Cicero was Caesar's enemy. Doesn't Holding even think to check these things? Holding often does this: asserts what every historian knows is completely false, makes claims exactly the opposite of what we learn even in the most introductory courses on the subject, and then poor sods like me have to do the legwork to prove him wrong. It is as if he insists the grass on my lawn is not green, so that I actually have to take the absurd step of bringing in witnesses to testify that my grass is in fact green."
even on theology web which i sometimes read which is affiliated with him, THEY slag him off!
so please don't appeal to him, use some decent work by decent apologists.
carrier is NOT a radical in this field. he is a highly trained roman and greek historian. this is his bag, he knows his onions. he has a phd in it. holding does not know his arse from his elbow. you'll see that from NTIF (and by reading holding critically) in which carrier exposes holding as a charlatan and a fraud.
for more accurate opinions on holding:
http://www.theskepticalreview.com/tsrmag/024jph.html
http://www.discord.org/~lippard/turkeldishonesty.html
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/theism/christianity/apologetics.html#turkel
http://the-anointed-one.com/exposed.html
carrier is NOT a radical in this field. he is a highly trained roman and greek historian. this is his bag, he knows his onions. he has a phd in it. holding does not know his ar5e from his elbow. you'll see that from NTIF (and by reading holding critically) in which carrier exposes holding as a charlatan and a fraud.
Mark Plus said...
Whatever happened to Lazarus, any way? We never hear from him again after his resurrection, even though he could have showed up later as a witness in Jesus' defense before Pontius Pilate, saying something like, "You better not mess with this guy. He raised me from the dead, so no telling what else he can do!"
So, assuming that a historical Lazarus existed and that Jesus raised him from the dead, that leaves two possibilities:
Either Lazarus died later, like everyone else, which makes his resurrection seem kind of pointless.
Or else in the year 2010 CE a deathless Lazarus still wanders the earth like a character from Highlander.
mark plus
the problem with lazarus is that he contradicts himself. or put better, luke has lazarus as a parabolic character - fictional - to illustrate that Jesus / God should not have to raise someone from the dead to prove his power. And yet John disagrees with this and turns him into a jesus miracle to prove the power of jesus. the christological theology in john means that he is at loggerheads with luke over the use of miracles.
a parable becomes 'real' and the event is 'reverse' - ie lazarus actually gets raised, whereas he doesn't in luke.
basically, another example of how the gospels do not agree, and how lazarus is a fictional character used to represent John's christology.
he ain't wandering the streets of chipping norton, if that's what you were wondering.
"The Jesus of the Gospels Never Existed!"
Well because you shouted so with the force of your feelings magical spaz hyper infantile retard!!!!
Look at that John Retard, I shouted louder and was more forceful and insulting, that must make me righter, dur. What a stupid idiot. Grow up insane flamer troll retard.
Stop being a Satan-worshiping moron. The Bible, UNLIKE YOU, is backed by logic evidence within and outside of it: http://20questions.tk
Stop being an ignorant moron and dwelling on your feelings all day like a self centered stubborn narcissist who can't stand to learn and think but only wants to babble away like a stupid six year old. Grow up idiot and learn self control. Obey God, who said:
DO, NOT, LIE, not "Make infantile hypocritical comparisons between cartoon characters and noodle gods YOU INVENTED IDIOT and pretend that you aren't the absurd morons who believe in the absurd and that Christians are despite you being so massively absurd and deluded that you actually think you saw a giant explosion BILLIONS of years ago, and without having evidence for that or the explosion, let alone everything you claim happened after it, contrary to Genesis."
Stupid fool, which is easier to believe: the evidence from 6,500 years ago, OR BILLIONS WITHOUT EVIDENCE YOU IDIOT AND JUST YOUR FANCY "WELL I FEEL" "WELL SCIENTISTS SAID", WHAT SCIENTISTS YOU IDIOT? YOU MEAN THE ONES DELUDED LIKE YOU WHO CAN'T COME UP WITH EVIDENCE OTHER THAN ANTI-GOD PROPAGANDA HEADLINES THAT DON'T MATCH THE STORY, WHERE THE STORY SAYS, "MORE RESEARCH NEEDED" OR "LOOKS HOPEFUL" AS OPPOSED TO THE HEADLINE WHICH SAID, "MORE EVIDENCE DISCOVERED"? FOOLS: YOU BELIEVE IN POPEYE, YOU DWELL ON COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS AND SPEND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO FANCY ON THEM IN SILLY VIOLENT BOOKS AND MOVIES, SHALLOW STUPIDITY, LIKE LITTLE KIDS TOO LAZY TO DO ANY USEFUL WORK. GROW, UP INFANTILE HYPOCRITES.
@ eternian
that's the worst post i have ever seen, anywhere. unintelligent ranting of an immature person that couldn't string a logical argument together if he / she tried.
grow up and come back when you have something mature and structured to say.
live by the mantra 'what would jesus do?', because he certainly wouldn't sit at his computer and shout that sort of sub-5-year-old drivel.
Thanks again for the respose but I simply can't fathom your position regarding the census.
You quote 2 people, Richard Carrier and Paul Tobin. Yu calim that their resource is supeior to the over 10 to 15 I name. you offer o proof for your position other han saying, they said it and I believe it. That'snot really a good way to do it but what the heck...
Look, I offer yet another, that even goes into further depth tht blows your hypothesis away...HERE Once again, here is an excerpt,
"Perhaps Josephus provides a clue to help straighten out the mystery. The historian mentioned that actually there were “governors” (plural) in Syria during the rule of Saturninus. 1 While during the earlier governorships of Titius and Quintilius Varus, Josephus spoke of a “governor” (singular), 2 but during the administration of Saturninus why does he mention the plural “governors”?...How many governors were there at this time? Josephus mentions the names of Saturninus and Volumnius. Were these the only men to whom Josephus was referring? Or, could Quirinius be considered as well? This is the very time Luke in his Gospel places the administration of a census by Quirinius. Since it is clear that Saturninus was the regular governor, it must be held that the rule of Quirinius was of a different and special nature. Such special status could well accord with the other types of commands that Quirinius held as attested in the historical records."
Here's another:
"This indication of Justin may have significance to our question concerning Quirinius. The Cambridge Ancient History, vol, X, p. 216, has an interesting comment on the role of a Roman procurator. “Each province had its equestrian procurator who in the eyes of the provincials was almost as important as the governor himself.” 8 These procurators were appointed by the Emperor quite independently of the legatus (governor), and the relations between the two were frequently none too friendly. The fact that Justin said that Quirinius was a procurator while conducting the “census” gives much weight to the belief that a resident governor also ruled Syria at the same time."
And more o clarify what type of enrollment or census it was since your sources make no ype of distincion:
"It should be remembered that back in 27 B.C.E. Augustus was given complete and absolute allegiance by the Senate and people of Rome. Would there not have been a renewal of their loyalty to Augustus in the Jubilee year? If so, we could well have a reference to an Empire-wide registration of loyalty to the emperor. Josephus mentioned that Augustus demanded an oath of allegiance about twelve or fifteen months before the death of Herod. This event would fit nicely with a decree going out from Augustus in 3 B.C.E. that all were to give an oath of allegiance to him at some designated time during the year. Obviously, the recording of oaths (where people ascribed their names) was a type of registration. That is what Luke said the census was. It was an enrollment of people."
Finally thre's this:"The truth is, the “oath” mentioned by Josephus and the “census” of Luke are no doubt one and the same. All fits perfectly if the registration was ordered by Augustus in the summer of 3 B.C.E. to be completed by autumn of 2 B.C.E. during the year in which he was acclaimed the Pater Patriae. We will see that this was the first time that Augustus ever ordered all in the Empire to show such loyalty.
When the universal registration mentioned by Luke is dated to 3 B.C.E., a flood of light comes on the scene showing several Roman references to it. Since Luke said it was Augustus who gave the decree for an Empire-wide registration, perhaps we should let Augustus tell us with his personal statement about a political accounting of peoples that involved the whole Empire. It took place in 3 B.C.E. just when Luke said a registration occurred and when Josephus shows the Jews gave their oath to Augustus. This was the first time the emperor had the whole Roman Empire award him the title Pater Patriae (Father of the Country). We have a record from Augustus that an Empire-wide registration took place in 3 B.C.E."
Now, I have provided scholarship on this issue and yet you say all my sources are outdated. How about the FACT that your soures are just simply WRONG. Carrier can be wrong on this issue like many others and Tobin certainly is nooe I wouldn't hang my hat on in any manner...
Now, the smoke-screen about Holding is uncalled for. He's an excellent scholar and I'm sure get's tired of anti-Chist advocates just making stuff up when they are cornered or appeling to scholars sympathetic to their positions as if they are somehow more credible than anyone else who can read...I understand him and agree with him that the ignorance of denial is horribe and unfruitful. We may disagree but taking the word of 2 fringe sceptics and claiming that the sun rises in their theory is ridiculous.
So I've offered both late and current sholarship in support of my position and a host of references accross the spectrum of time that goes right back to support Sir William Ramsay, who was an atheist like you, but cetainly one, unlike either of us, who was both able and capable of examining teh FACTS for himself and arriving at a conclusion that is suppotd by the MODERN evidence be it litrary or archaeological.
So this chapter we may agree to disagree, but to say that any current evidence favors your position is a leap of FAITH rooted in unfounded specualation.
Thee is NOTHIING to undermine my original statement and Ramsay's finding tha Luke was "first rate" in the job that he did. But to each his own my friend.
Later!!!!
Once again, please excuse my many spelling errors. My keyboard is not allowing certain leters consistently and that's a problem.
Harvery
thanks for all your w2ork there. i have to go out in a few minutes, after which i will reply in full. two points in the meantime though:
1)i cannot excuse the opinion that holding is an excellent scholar. not even many christians think that. he is exactly the opposite of that. his methodology is shocking, his conclusions spurious, and his knowledge of ancient civilisations wanting.
2) everyone that you keep quoting is not a historical source. they are christian sources trying to shoehorn something in, or with little or no knowledge of ANE procedures, trying to spuriously harmonise 2 things desperately. Go read Raymond Brown, one of the best Christian scholars around (because his methodology was excellent). his conclusions? luke got it wrong. compare christian scholars who rate brown - loads, eg Craig. Does Craig EVER mention Holding? no way.
as has been said:
"While Turkel writes articles that often drip with sarcasm and ad hominems, he nonetheless can compose material that to the uniformed sound logically solid and well researched. Turkel owns a Master’s degree in Library Science and a Bachelor’s in English Literature. He knows how to write and he knows how to pepper his articles with a lot of biased references and annotate his work with a long bibliography. To counter this illusion of scholarly work, the articles compiled here expose his otherwise weak apologetics and/or ill manners."
more in a while.
Ok, so you cannot fathom my approach. However, my approach is the consensus approach of mainstream historians. Yours, on the other hand, is a handful of different approaches from evangelicals who employ special pleading because they NEED their theories to be right. So, if any is difficult to fathom, it is your approach, not least because you have given a number of different theories, all of which are mutually exclusive! Which means, by anyone’s reckoning (including yours), most of your theories must be wrong, for one of them to be right.
Furthermore, let us look at context. You see, it is not just the date that Luke has wrong, but the census itself and what type of census it was. The census as Luke describes it is completely logistically, economically and commonsensically unjustifiable. As well as being totally historically incoherent. Taken together with the dating issue, we can see that Luke is employing the census and changing it to suit his own ends. The date is actually the smallest issue of Luke’s census. The other issues create an even greater case.
But before I get onto that, let us look at the date again.
The main problem with your theories are that if Jesus was born in the reign of Herod and then fled to Egypt, then he would have been born around 2 years before Herod’s death, which pushes it further back to 6BCE.
Now let’s look at the history of Quirinius. Most of your theories don’t take into account what we DO know that Quirinius was doing before he became Governor of Judea. “Publius Sulpicius Quirinius was a career military officer whom Augustus put in charge of a string of troubled provinces. His victories over pirates as governor of Crete & Cyrene (14 BCE) earned him appointment as consul of Rome (12 BCE). Then as governor of Galatia (6-2 BCE), he led a successful campaign against rebellious mountaineers, for which he was given a triumphal procession in Rome
(2 BCE). His trip to Syria (2 CE) as tutor of the emperor's grandson, Gaius [Caligula], led to his appointment as imperial legate for that region when Archelaus was deposed (6 CE).”
So being the governor of an area of Turkey at the time gives a dampener to some of the theories. Then being at war. Then being free to be a tutor. And so on. The key to history is making sure ALL the facts add up.
As for the suggestion that the census was for an oath – well, that’s nuts. Luke’s own words clearly indicate a census, as do all other extra-biblical info, esp. Josephus.
Let’s see another entry in a biography of Quirinius: “Legate of Syria in AD 6, he supervised the assessment of Judaea when that territory was annexed after the deposition of Archelaus (Joseph. AJ 17. 1 ff., cf. ILS 2683=EJ 231 (tr. D. Braund, From Augustus to Nero, no. 446); also Acts 5: 37, which mentions the insurrection of Judas the Galilaean ‘in the days of the taxing’). In order to reconcile and explain Luke 2: 1 and establish a date for the Nativity before the death of Herod the Great (i.e. before 4 BC), various attempts have been made to discover an earlier governorship of Syria by Quirinius, and, by implication, an earlier census in Judaea. The acephalous (= top missing) elogium from Tibur (ILS 918=EJ 199; tr. D. Braund, no. 362) sometimes attributed to Quirinius more probably honours Piso (above), and in any case could not prove two governorships of Syria.”
Your suggestions about the alternate history of Quirinius are nothing more than speculations that actually have no historical value of agreement outside of evangelical circles. Your belief that my theory is speculation is clearly untrue, and is backed up by the specualive language shown by all your theories, and the fact that you will find NONE of them in history books, outside of evangelical circles.
and as for using Tertullian as source:
1)he was a christian theologian
2)he used luke and josephus as his sources
3)he knows quirinius was not governor at the time of the census, and so is supposing his own apologetic
4)as one christian site states "The words of Tertullian do not confirm or establish a specific date for the census."
4)you have a huge problem with trying to make luke's referral to the census as an earlier one as per tertullian, because luke in acts further associates the census with the much later revolt of Theudas, which is DEFINITELY the census of 6 ce. again, your sources are not harmonising across the theories. by saying one theory is correct, you are throwing out another, or disconfirming accuracy in other biblical texts!!! you are trying to have your cake and eat it!!!
laters!
"Or else in the year 2010 CE a deathless Lazarus still wanders the earth like a character from Highlander."
Maybe he's "Teh Wandering Jew" we've heard so much about?
Matt 16:28
OK you said:"However, my approach is the consensus approach of mainstream historians."
I don't thnk you can take Richard Carrier and Paul Tobin...the ONLY two that you've referenced (and n unnamed source that you quote) and say that they are "mainstream historians" or that their words represent a "consencus"...That's sheer and utter fantasy and really quite funny.
You said:"Yours, on the other hand, is a handful of different approaches from evangelicals who employ special pleading because they NEED their theories to be right."
I think it's right because it is right and the possbilitiy that I've set forth is more plausable and historically accurate than your denial.
In addtion, in fact, part of what you have said, has been proven to be flat wrong. Remind you of what you asserted? "moreover, there could not have been a census in syria prior to 6 ce as judea was only a CLIENT KINGDOM, and they never had censuses. ever."August 16, 2010 6:24 PM
I have proven based on EVIDENCE that asserion is and was INCORRECT. I will restate this:""The truth is, the “oath” mentioned by Josephus and the “census” of Luke are no doubt one and the same. All fits perfectly if the registration was ordered by Augustus in the summer of 3 B.C.E. to be completed by autumn of 2 B.C.E. during the year in which he was acclaimed the Pater Patriae. We will see that this was the first time that Augustus ever ordered all in the Empire to show such loyalty"
What the literary evidence solves is the the common problem with language and your critical interpretation that a census means payment of taxes. NONE of the evidence, however supports your "it didn't happen" thesis.
So far as Tertullin, you said:"1)he was a christian theologian"
So, what does that have to do with it? All you've presented is 2 radical atheist presentations, only one of which can claimed to be any type of expert ( I suppose)...Soare we to discount your sources by your criteia? If so, the debate has long been over.
You said:"2)he used luke and josephus as his sources"
I'm sure he did, becaus he understood how to do historical resarch unlike your radical atheist and liberal sources.In addition those sources provide the best evidence to understand the narrative and they are close t the eents themselves and are otherwise rliable in the information they provide which is a treasretove for historical study...well, except when raical's are the one's doing the study and the evidence opposes their position.
You said:"3)he knows quirinius was not governor at the time of the census, and so is supposing his own apologetic"
The evidence has been set forth that there were dual legit's at the time as affirmedby the language in the texts themselves. You deny this because you don't care and your radical soures are sloppy and this information does not suit their disagrement.
You said:"4)as one christian site states "The words of Tertullian do not confirm or establish a specific date for the census."
But notice in that none of his writing disconfirm any proposed dates now do they? ie: If the writings don't establish a date, then they cerainly dont's say that the date I hold and that Christianity holds to in general is wrong now does it? So this is a moot point and your argument and disagreemen simply is what it is... a disagreement.
You stated:"The census as Luke describes it is completely logistically, economically and commonsensically unjustifiable."
I think that's the information that has been confirmed. The type of census of taxation is your "assumption" and not based on the language of the the text, Further, stating that "This census first took place under Quirinius" NKJV, indicates that the type of census was done under Quirinius's (dua) rule because of Augustus's decree.
What I give is not contradictory ccounts. What I give is layerd context. Quirnirus's order was in effect and he was a co-legit and this effected even the "client kingdom" of Judah.
You said regading Luke:"The other issues create an even greater case."
Ya right, smoke screens are what they are...-LOL!
I follow your time line and you end up stating that:"So being the governor of an area of Turkey at the time gives a dampener to some of the theories. Then being at war. Then being free to be a tutor. And so on. The key to history is making sure ALL the facts add up."
I got you and the historical and life time line is somehing that I'll look at. So your disageement isn't in vain (totally-LOL)
So far a oath and wringing in the people, you have a hard time with that concept. Most Chrsitians don't because we already know that these people had a god comlex, they didn't want to be uprooted. So why wouldn't Herod want to know who was in his kingdom? Especially in light of prophcy and religious expectaion.
2 (again)
You simply say:"As for the suggestion that the census was for an oath – well, that’s nuts. Luke’s own words clearly indicate a census, as do all other extra-biblical info, esp. Josephus."
The aricle said this:
"Luke tells us that the reason why both Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem was because he was reckoned as belonging to the house of David. While everyone else went “into his own city” (Luke 2:3) no doubt in their own local neighborhoods, those of royal Judaic lineage because of political implications had to register in Bethlehem. This requirement would allow Herod to know who all claimants were in Judaea to the royal throne of David. He was anxious to know who all these people were (in order to keep them subjected to thorough non-political functions) so that his own dynasty would survive. This was especially important at this time in history because there was then a great deal of messianic expectation among the Jews.
Registering David’s descendants in Bethlehem, the city of David, would have been a ploy not only to get all the people to attend for prestige purposes but for Herod to find out who they were. Since Augustus had ordered that an oath of allegiance be given to him, Herod simply included himself and the legitimacy of his kingdom within the same oath. And since females among the Jews could give Davidic heirship to descendants, Herod included the women as well. This would have given him a complete record of all such claimants to the throne. This could well be why Mary was expected to accompany Joseph"
What did Josephus say?
This is what he stated:“There was moreover a certain sect of Jews who valued themselves highly for their exact knowledge of the law; and talking much of their contact with God, were greatly in favor with the women of Herod’s court. They are called Pharisees. They are men who had it in their power to control kings; extremely subtle, and ready to attempt any thing against those whom they did not like. When therefore the whole Jewish nation took an OATH to be faithful to Caesar, and [to] the interests of the king, these men, to the number of above six thousand, refused to swear."~Josephus, Antiquities XVII.41–45
Now where did that come from? Looks like the radicals left that out because it didn't suit their needs.
Now, what? Is this literary evidence nonessential to our purpose too? I'm sure it is IF you wan to obfuscate truth further.
good to chat! What i can say to most of your points is better said by carrier: (1) Finegan's response to the first conundrum is that Quirinius was actually prefect or procurator of Syria in 2 B.C. (§ 522), not an actual governor. But that is definitely impossible: those were offices held only by knights (men of the equestrian class), never by senators, much less senators of the most prestigious consular rank, and Quirinius had been of consular rank since 12 B.C. This mistake is similar to that made by those who want Quirinius to have been a co-governor. It just isn't possible or logical, and of course has no evidence of any kind in support of it.
(2) Finegan's response to the second conundrum is that Luke was referring to some sort of other 'counting' by Herod the Great. This could not be a census (see above). So Finegan argues it was when "the people of Rome" proclaimed Augustus Pater Patriae, "Father of his Country" (§ 525), but Finegan has badly erred here: this is a reference to a vote by Roman citizens, which would have nothing whatever to do with Judaeans. By confusing a vote with an oath-taking, Finegan conjures the false claim that Luke is referring to the registration of oaths of loyalty. Of course, this is already shot down by the fact that Herod was not alive in 2 B.C., as we've seen. And we have no record of such an oath in Judaea in that year or any year near it, despite the fact that Josephus usually records them: the last such oaths commanded by Herod were in 20 B.C.[17.4] and in 8 or 7 B.C.[17.5] Worse, this thesis is inherently implausible: Luke does not use the vocabulary of oath-swearing, nor does he describe such a process. For example, Joseph would not travel to Bethlehem if all he had to do was swear an oath of allegiance--that had to be done where he lived.[17.6]"
The problem you STILL have with your oath of allegiance (we only KNOW that people in Paphligonia underwent the allegiance) is that it puts Jesus born in 3bce. This is still 3 years out with herod, and 3 years out THE OTHER WAY with Luke’s own dating of Jesus based on John the Baptist (works out some 2-3ce). It just gets you into more mess!
incidentally, the historians i have used are Ok, I have used HISTORIANS such as Carrier, Tobin, Brown, Doig, Levick, Bickerman, Borg, Lendering, several of whom are Christians.
Now, when I get a chance later, I will comment on some of the issues with Joseph going from Galilee to Bethlehem to do an oath, and taking his 9 month pregnant fiancee on a donkey etc etc. all of this is nonsense. going that distance to do an oath is even more incredulous than for a census/ as carrier says, the vocabulary used by luke is of a census, NOT of an oath (in the original language). more issues!
these are the things that you have to stretch to accept:
1) Mary and then Joseph are visited by god to anounce the birth of their son, the messiah (not much of a stretch if you believe in the supernatural)
2) joseph has to go to bethlehem to attend a census. this requires him to go to his ancestral home. no census has ever required this. one in egypt required migrant workers to return home, which is understandable, but not to an ancestral home. (STRETCH)
3) to get there, joseph will have to take 3 weeks off work (STRETCH)
4) he will also have to feed and house himself, mary and most probably a donkey for that time with no income. holidays didn't exist. (STRETCH)
5) bethlehem was not in the same tax area as nazareth, so requirement for himto travel there would be incoherent (STRETCH)
6) at the time, judea was a client kingdom. no client kingdom was ever recoded as needing a roman census. this simply NEVER happened. why would it happen here? (BIG STRETCH)
7) Quirinius, legate of judea took the reins in 6CE. Herod died in 4BCE. There is at least a 10 year difference in dates between luke and matthew, and no correlation of these two ruling simultaneously (MASSIVE STRETCH)
8) Matthew had joseph as already living in bethlehem (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethlehem#Roman_and_Byzantine_periods) and this contradicts luke as having them living in nazareth and travelling to bethlehem (STRETCH)
9) Joseph, a supposedly loving husband, makes his wife travel (on cart / donkey back) for 80 miles whilst heavily pregnant. this is both cruel, and would have almost certainly resulted in miscarriage. elizabeth, who had been visited too, lived a few miles away and would have been a much better place for mary to stay. (STRETCH)
10) women were not required to attend censuses (STRETCH, given her pregnancy)
11) it explicitly says that joseph attended bethlehem census because he was in the line of david, mentioned in luke as being 42 generations past. this is an arbitrary requiremeent (totally unevidenced) requiring a man to return to his home 42 generations past. why 42, not 34, 16 etc? “Under no circumstances could the reason for Joseph’s journey be, as Luke says, that he was ‘of the house and lineage of David,’ because that was of no interest to the Romans in this context.” [Uta Ranke-Heinemann, Putting Away Childish Things, (p.10)]. (STRETCH)
12) getting either the whole nation (or even less, if bizarrely argued) to return to a 42 generation past census contradicts all knowledge of censuses, and would have been logistically and economically impossible. (BIG STRETCH)
13) the generations of matthew and luke do not cohere, and directly contradict jesus' grandfather (STRETCH)
14) the magi followed a star going counter-directionally in the sky for what must have been months. in a highly astrolonomically literate period, there is no other written etc evidence for this very long incredible miracle. (STRETCH)
15) the magi are only elswhere used as a word in daniel. matthew seems to copy daniel in many aspects. is this pulling on daniel as a literary technique? also, it seems, in conjunction with the shepherds, a technique to show jesus' appeal to the rich and influential as well as the poor and lowly. (smaller STRETCH)
16) these rich and influential people, and the shepherds, despite knowing they have met god incarnate, are never heard from again. no cult, no movement, no writing, nothing. (STRETCH)
17) there is no extra-biblical evidence of herod massacring baby, despite 2 historians noting his atrocities. (STRETCH)
18) luke and matthew directly contradict where joseph goes after birth. one has egypt, chased by herod, for 2 years. the other has them going to see simeon in a temple and then returning to nazareth. (STRETCH)
19) it seems like, by hook or by crook, there are devices afoot to get jesus to be born in bethlehem to gulfill prophecies. (smaller STRETCH)
20) miraculous birth narrative fits perfectly in line with other mythological birth stories. (smaller STRETCH)
21) despite all these miracles, jesus' family (including, most probably his mother) do not believe jesus is messiah in his life. (STRETCH)
22) herod would have been incredibly unlikely, at the age of late 70s as he was, to have given 2 hoots about a baby boy who would have come of age clearly after he had died. no threat at all to go to all that rigmarole (good point made by r. stovold). (STRETCH)
23) census takers more commonly travelled TO the land-owners, not the other way around (STRETCH)
24) jesus is called everywhere 'Jesus of Nazareth' and not jesus of bethlehem, which would have been correct. (smaller STRETCH)
25) the star was lifted from Numbers 24:17 as a refernce from authority of the OT (smaller STRETCH)
26) vigin birth (STRETCH)
27) problem of how the male genome is selected to allow him to be fully human (STRETCH)
if your answers are continuously 'maybe' and 'this could have happened' and 'there is a possibility', then you are convincing yourself with weak arguments. which is fine on the odd occasion. but for over 20 points makes mockery of reason. i think the nativity narratives are hugely important and if they are false, shed so much doubt on eeverything else as to allow the NT to start crumbling
Good one Johnny P, I'll get atchya tomorrow, but I'll only stick to the topic (try to) as you throw so much nonsense (for a lackof a better word) on the wall that it would be impossble to thoroughly go through in this thread.
Anyway, on the topic, I think we got something cookin'.
It is a curious irony debunking Christianity's supercilious silliness that if someone argues that a real person was foundational to the myths of the Christ of faith but that that person was not the Christ of faith exactly as depicted in the NTGs, then they argue Christianity is a false religion.
Johnn P,
Forgive my absence my friend, I want to continue this convo and promised to do so last week. I will. I've got more than a few additional things I'm balancing here, but I'll get back in a minute...especially in regards to Finnegan and hsiassessment since he's the latest one that you referenced.
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Office Focus: Exemplary Workplace Design
The Alzheimer’s Society’s new building in Edgbaston, Birmingham, and Cardiff’s refurbished Park House are featured as a pair of workplace case studies
Edited by Cathy Hayward
The Alzheimer’s Society’s new building in Birmingham includes design features to facilitate neurodiversity, providing an environment not just suitable for people affected by dementia but a variety of other conditions. Cathy Hayward reports on Overbury’s latest project
We’ve all found ourselves lost in a building or city unable to make sense of the signs or remember the way we’ve come. We can feel confused, anxious and angry. Those are emotions familiar to people affected by dementia, who find it particularly difficult to understand signage and frequently find themselves disorientated and bewildered.
The Alzheimer’s Society’s new office space in Birmingham is a facility that complements the charity’s London HQ and regional bases and was designed to be dementia-friendly. Built to deliver the organisation’s new service, Dementia Connect, it provides a first point of contact for people affected by dementia and their families. The service is being rolled out across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, starting with Wales and the West Midlands from November, and connects people and their carer with vital practical support to empower them to independently manage their condition and remain active within their community.
There are no dramatic contrasts with the floor finishes because sometimes people affected by dementia can perceive dark areas of flooring within a light background as a hole
The 7,250 sq ft space on the sixth floor of Tricorn House in Edgbaston therefore had to be a place where people with the condition felt welcomed and comfortable. The design team from fit-out specialist Overbury researched how interior environments can affect Alzheimer’s sufferers, working with the University of Stirling, which has conducted considerable research in this area. ‘We carried out workshops directly with dementia sufferers, which gave some invaluable first-hand information about how interior environments can positively and negatively affect them,’ explains Emily Benussi, the project’s designer.
‘The Dementia Connect facility is primarily a call centre with 90 desks, and staff there may answer some pretty emotional calls at times,’ say Benussi. ‘We wanted to design an area where the call handlers can relax, take stock and clear their heads.’ There are three meeting rooms and three break-out areas together with flexible working areas such as touchdown points and collaboration zones.
Note the linear, timber-slatted ceiling with inset, linear light fittings, which helps wayfinding
Colour and contrast play a huge role in the development of positive interior environments for dementia sufferers, explains Benussi: ‘It’s important that the colours and contrasts used are enabling, instead of intimidating; muted instead of loud, vibrant colours. We needed to consider hues and tones very carefully to make sure they highlighted or disguised the appropriate areas of the interior space, without presenting a huge visual contrast, which can be threatening for dementia sufferers.’ For example, it was essential that there are no dramatic contrasts with the floor finishes because sometimes people affected by dementia can perceive dark areas of flooring within a light background as a hole, which can make it a difficult environment for them. Similarly, floor finishes can’t stop abruptly as that could appear as a step. Patterns, too, can be confusing to the brain so their use was limited. Having consistent colours with certain meanings in an interior environment is helpful as the colours form a reference point, and people with dementia are able to recognise the function of certain spaces through colour. ‘The process was a real eye-opener,’ says Benussi.
The building has three meeting rooms, plus three break-out areas and flexible working zones
At Tricorn House the door frames contrast with the doors and the walls, highlighting to visitors where the cellular internal spaces are located. ‘One place in particular that we chose to highlight was the contrast in the kitchen area, where the blue of the cabinets contrasts with the white worktop, so it’s obvious where the kitchen units end and the worktop starts,’ she says. Much attention was focused on the design of this space, which poses considerable potential danger with sharp objects and hot substances. It was essential it was in no way confusing or threatening for individuals with dementia.
Additional lighting in the form of a 15mm LED strip light underneath the worktop above the cupboards was used to help people navigate their way around the units. Downlights underneath the wall cupboards illuminated the worktop, making it easier for people with impaired sight to see what they are doing when making a hot drink or preparing food. No glossy surfaces were used, to reduce the chance of confusing reflections, which can pose a visual threat. Even the splashback tiles are matt.
Colour and contrast play a huge role in the development of positive interior environments for dementia sufferers
While integrated appliances are standard in most workplace kitchens, at the Alzheimer’s Society the fridge is free-standing so it can’t be mistaken for another cupboard or storage unit. At the same time, the panels on the cupboard doors are perforated to ensure that people can see exactly what is stored there, avoiding the need to search through numerous cupboards or remember where things are kept.
All of the workstations in the new building are located next to external windows, maximising their exposure to natural light, and all of the internal spaces have internal glazing so that the beneficial effects of natural light pervade throughout. ‘It was important that every single space in the office benefitted from natural light, and so the floor plate was kept as open plan as possible,’ says Benussi.
The internal fixtures and fittings, such as signage, have a huge role to play in how a person with dementia navigates the space. The signage had to be clear with a good level of contrast so that text can be read easily and without confusion, while, for example, not using white words on a glass wall made all the difference. Tactile and 3D signage was also used, together with signage within enclosed spaces, such as the storeroom and toilet, clearly showing the way out of a space.
Other wayfinding is less obvious. Key focal spaces were designed as reference points for visitors. The tea point has a feature ceiling – a linear, timber-slatted ceiling with inset, linear light fittings – which can be seen from all over the office, ensuring it is easy to navigate to. The collaboration booths also have two, large, pendant lights that can be seen from each end of the office.
There is a deliberately strong homely feel throughout the space as domestic furniture tends to be better for dementia sufferers, explains Benussi, who adds: ‘As well as the traditional soft seating for the office breakout and reception space, we chose seating of various heights as it was important that visitors – many of whom are elderly – do not struggle to get in and out of chairs.’
Just as biophilic elements in a workplace help improve people’s wellbeing, they can help to calm those affected by dementia as well as provide sensory stimulation. The elements include planters along the tops of collaboration booths, potted plants throughout the space, and the use of natural materials, tones and colours.
The result is a space that is welcoming and supportive for people affected by dementia who may be guests, while also providing a caring environment for the staff who may experience distressing calls and visits. It’s a truly multisensory space, designed around consistency, comfort and wellness, which many other offices could learn from.
Project file
Architect/Designer: Overbury
Fit-out: Overbury
Engineering: Overbury
QS: Cluttons
Project managers: Cluttons
AV: Overbury
Furniture: Overbury
Designing for Dementia
Good design should support people affected by dementia in three key areas:
Cognitive ability is improved by promoting the use of familiar and recognisable surroundings and activities that respond to peoples’ deepest and earliest memories.
Social ability is addressed through the design of artefacts and amenities that create opportunities for people to interact more easily in activities of daily living.
Physical ability is promoted through design that unobtrusively compensates for disabilities, such as mobility and vision, which are prevalent among people affected by dementia.
Source: Design for Dementia, a two-year collaborative research project between the Helen Hamlyn Centre at the Royal College of Art and Bupa
Cardiff’s Park House is a wonderful example of how often refurbishment is a much better, sustainable long-term solution to regenerating a city centre than knocking down and building from the ground up. Angela Penn reports
Cardiff boasts the UK’s fastest-growing population, and as business title Management Today recently found, is one of the top seven cities in the UK in which to do business. With an unusually young population – the majority are under 35 – it has seen internationally competitive clusters emerge in many sectors, including financial, creative, life sciences and advanced manufacturing.
The entrance seating was used to set the tone for the rest of the scheme
As the Welsh capital, business in Cardiff benefits from being in the home of Welsh Government, while the demand for high-quality workspace has recently been exacerbated by the high cost of offices in London and the consequent exodus of companies to regional hubs. As businesses relocate, some cities struggle to ensure there is enough high-quality space. First impressions count when attracting potential businesses and individual occupiers so the importance of place and in particular the entrance and façade cannot be underestimated.
So the core of the brief by developer Boultbee Brooks was to update a tired and dated 1950s office building to meet today’s requirements. Park House is central, in a prominent area close to institutional buildings including the university. It is situated in a conservation area and also surrounded by three parks. Occupiers include Liverpool Victoria, Gleeds, Medigold Health, Cowshed and Scott Brownrigg.
Architecture and interior design practice Gpad was directed to keep the layout yet reimagine the common parts. This included the entrance, corridors and courtyard, with a design for the offices to be implemented as they become vacant. The exterior was to be updated and opened up to enhance the streetscape.
Offices were updated as they became vacant
The team completely refreshed Park House with a bold colour scheme and geometric features to create a modern and sophisticated feel. Four floors of sleek, contemporary offices are connected by an eye-catching, refurbished central spiral staircase encased in a circular glass wall. Bringing the outside in, the glazing allows for views at every floor into the central courtyard, which is now a versatile outside area for working, collaborating and relaxing.
The entrance seating was used to set the tone for the rest of the scheme. With a restricted area to work with, creating a dynamic space presented a challenge. The brief included a large screen to grab the attention of staff and visitors and to drive a perception of an original brand identity. To bring this to life yet avoid expensive and overused solutions, Gpad undertook thorough research into the possibilities. The scale of the space was not right for a large screen simply projecting images. So, inspired by the light art installation Shaida Walking by Julian Opie in Carnaby Street, Gpad decided on the LED screens produced by Swedish company Nullohm. Sensors placed at the back of the reception capture the movements of visitors and staff, projecting their shapes in real time onto the LED lights of the dark screen.
Another challenge was how to make the small seating area flow and feel spacious yet dynamic. A set of angular shapes was introduced, and these were applied to the floor, the walls and the ceiling. Keeping the colour scheme simple was also key, and only blue was added to an initial monochrome palette. Intersections between blue and white wall panels form a network of triangular, three-dimensional shapes on the walls. Giving definition to the design, the sleek painted panels with a contrasting black edge provide a counterpoint to the rough finish of the Valchromat.
The existing reception desk was clad with Hi-macs, echoing the shapes of the joinery. The desk appears to flow seamlessly through the front glazing, becoming a flowerbed outside. Unifying the space, the pattern continues on the ceiling, as the wires of the light pendants form to create an eye-catching geometric network.
The installation of the joinery presented another challenge. The Valchromat shapes, while individual and irregular, had to be exactly right for the intricate pattern to work. This involved a detailed design process and also required the architects to work closely with the contractors on-site.
The existing reception desk was clad with Hi-macs, echoing the shapes of the joinery. The desk appears to flow seamlessly through the front glazing, becoming a flowerbed outside
Upstairs, the futuristic concept continues. Gpad wanted to add to the sense of height in the corridors, creating an unusual combination of a suspended and a mesh ceiling. The suspended part closest to the lifts allowed for the insertion of projecting, semi-recessed spotlights. For the other part, an existing tile system was reused and infiltrated with black mesh, creating more height and adding a dash of the industrial aesthetic.
The spiral staircase connecting the building was updated and brought in line with the new concept and colour scheme. The finishes were updated – the timber varnished, the metalwork painted and the contrasting nosing installed. The number of each floor is cut into the vinyl flooring, in the same font as the new building sign.
Park House is a prime example of where a structurally sound building simply needed a facelift to bring it up to modern-day requirements. From a sustainability point of view, a refurbishment is fundamentally a much better long-term solution than knocking down and building from scratch. Any new build in a similar conservation area would have met with planning restrictions, greatly increasing the time in which new workspace could be turned around from conception to completion.
Reimagining the existing building was therefore the right approach in this Cardiff location. An example of the increasing number of high-quality workplaces outside of the capital, Park House is sustainable, sleek and has features promoting the wellbeing expected by today’s employees.
FX MAGAZINE
CATHY HAYWARD
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I Wish I Knew How to Quit [DotA 2]: The International 2015
by Maurice Pogue on August 10, 2015
Watch That First Step!
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F Becomes One Of The Top Ten Anime Releases Of All Time
It has been a full five months since the last time I have written an article on DotA 2. I will talk about why I have been dodging (besides 100+ hours of Witcher 3) in an article to come. For now, I would like to discuss the greatest International yet—and I am not even being hyperbolic. TI5 really is the best International thus far!
Remember these guys, Evil Geniuses, the champions of the first DotA 2 Asia Championship? If not, please check out my linked article about them for a bit of backstory on their journey. At the time of that writing, Aui_2000’s status on Cloud 9 was nebulous. Of course since January/February, things are much more clear. I will not sully EG’s success with all of that drama; instead, I will leave this parody video not only because of its humor, but also because it tells the story more effectively:
Aui_2000 and Universe have surely come a long way, but Fear has come even longer by fufilling a livelong dream and promise to his mother, as seen in the documentary Free 2 Play.
I spent a full hour looking for a good enough photo featuring all five of the TI5 champions EG: Aui_2000, Universe, PPD, Fear, and the 15 year-old rock star solo-mid sensation, Suma1L. To secure the victory, Universe and PPD made a play in the Grand Finals that rivals S4’s Million-Dollar Dream Coil….
CDEC barely made it into TI5 after losing the Chinese Qualifiers to EHOME, but recovered by winning the Wild Card round by going 5-1 over Team Archon, MVP Phoenix, and Vega Squadron. After that, the team performed well, earning a 9-5 record during the Group Stage to make the Upper Bracket where they would not drop another game, including sweeping EG 2-0 and sending them to down to play LGD. When EG triumphed to return to the Grand Finals, the squad’s team captain, PPD, had deciphered CDEC’s smoke gank strategies which dumbfounded them in their first battles. The games were much more competitive and entertaining than last year’s 15-minute Newbee stomp of VG, and the teams were evenly matched. In the game-defining moments, CDEC would pick off Suma1L’s Storm Spirit right before attempting to take Roshan, knowing that EG lacked vision there. That was no deterrent, and EG snuffed CDEC out:
Most are crediting Universe alone on his Earthshaker, the “Six-Million Dollar Echo Slam,” however paying closer attention will reveal how well-coordinated this play is between two teammates rather than just one, with Universe blinking in and ulting just before PPD’s Ice Blast (from Ancient Apparition) arrives, resulting in MAXIMUM CARNAGE. By first damaging CDEC’s entire team with the Echo Slam, the Ice Blast was more effective in causing panic—Ice Blast prevents any kind of healing so all CDEC could do is run rather than fight with such low HPs. Of course, EG whipped four of CDEC’s heroes, leaving only Phantom Lancer who would escape, and claim the Aegis. CDEC would not recover from this morale shock, and would call GG after the next big teamfight.
EG’s win is a really big deal in Esports and the gaming world at large. North American DotA has traditionally been known as a punchline over the past ten years while SEA, China and EU have dominated. EG, C9, and to a lesser extent, CompLexity, NAR, and mousesports have been trying hard, but had not succeeded in big and consistent wins until now. I have already mentioned DAC, and now EG can add TI5 to its trophy case…and wallets:
To put things into perspective, Na’Vi, winner if the first International, won one-million dollars as a team. EG, four years later, would take home more than that for each player, thanks to the money raised through the DotA 2 community with the 2015 Compendium. Yeah, everyone wants first place, but sixth place earns today what 1st did in 2011.
I do not want to even think about how much money I have spent in “digital hats” over the years, but at the time of this writing, my Compendium sits at level 162, and I know that will spend at least another $10 before all is said and done to raise its level to 175 for the Enigma World Chasm Immortal Bracers, introduced in the short comic, The Summoning. In terms of Compendium Immortals, I have all but the SF Arms of Desolation, Gyro’s golden Atomic Ray Thrusters, and Luna’s golden Moonfall. I would still like the latter because while I do not play with the other two, but I do play her. I have purchased two chests to get the Compendium points, and I am contemplating buying a few more of the Collector’s Cache because the Doom and DK sets are sweet, and the overall chance of buying a lame set is low, and I can always sell it on the Steam market to save some change. They’re only $2 each…only???
https://cdn.steamstatic.com/apps/dota2/videos/international2015/hero_videos/invoker_wer348nrwk9.mp4
I don’t play Invoker, but I’m pleased to have his SSJ form!
Nevertheless, all the pro DotA players have guys like this to thank for their prize pool:
At 24 levels for $9.99, This dude (I’m certain it was a male) spent upwards of $4,000 on his compendium. I mean, I didn’t bother to do the math on my compendium, but….
C’mon son!
Ok, I have covered all that casual stuff, and it’s time to roll up the ol’ sleeves and get just a tad more technical. One of the keys to making this year’s International so successful was a great patch. 6.84 is such a balanced patch that only six heroes remained unpicked throughout the entire International series, from the Qualifiers to the Main event, which is similar to TI4 and much better than TI3 when twenty-four heroes were shut out. Among the unpicked heroes this year are Death prophet, Earth Spirit (though he is not in CM), Elder Titan, Necrophos, Oracle, and Terrorblade; four of these heroes are in my regular rotation. [Editor’s Note: Like Earth Spirit, Oracle is disabled in Captain’s Mode, the official mode of competitive DotA, so it is impossible for him to have been picked in TI5.] Well, I no longer play Oracle and fee; that he is beyond redemption right now. The best reason to use him, his False Promise ult, was completely destroyed in 6.84:
False Promise no longer makes the target invisible
False Promise now continuously removes debuffs and disables, instead of only when first cast
False Promise duration from 7/8/9 to 6/7/8
False Promise cooldown from 20 to 80/60/40
It was hard enough to get allies to coordinate well with him because few people play support and even fewer understood what his skills did; at least when False Promise made allies invisible, it would encourage them to play more aggressively. Now no invis and a 4x to 2x the c/d? RIP Oracle.
Death Prophet never fully recovered from a series of nerfs in consecutive patches resulting in the increase of her Exorcism ult from a 100s c/d to 145s. After all, that is almost a full minute added in addition to the original c/d—that is a lot of downtime compared to heroes like Lina with ults that c/d in less than a minute. Likewise, Terrorblade suffered from a series of nerfs before he could even become a force in CM mode like DP was during the deathball era: lower movespeed, increased damage intake to his illusions, and said illusions overall doing reduced damaged to buildings.
Elder Titan follows the pattern of getting hit with the nerfbat so hard, that he was never able to recover:
Reduced Astral Spirit damage from 120/160/200/240 to 80/120/160/200.
Reduced Astral Spirit damage from 60/100/140/180 to 60/90/120/150.
RIP…ET used to be a staple in the offlane, able to harass forever with a Soul Ring (and later, the Tranq boot). Now there are simply much better heroes to place in that position, from Queen of Pain to Skywrath Mage. These days, one can even run a carry like Faceless Void, Sniper, or Phantom Assassin in the offlane. Why deny a core with a utility hero?
Shifting the focus, am honestly dumbfounded, saddened, and insulted that one of my best cores at a 60% winrate in 222 games was completely shut out. All I can conjecture about Necrophos is that like ET, the pros would prefer stronger, more mobile cores than what he is capable, or the fact that pros have a tendency to build BKBs on the important heroes that Necro would “delete” with his agh (and refresher) upgrade negates his strongest ability.
Poor heroes! Maybe IF will find a way to buff them to bring them on par with heroes like Gondar, who was frequently picked because of his Track Gold buffs, or Tuskarr, who received a series of buffs that make him a strong utility/support/initiator. To be honest, the diversity in picks during TI5 was so various that it would be neigh impossible to fully capture the experience.
Instead, I will hit up a few highlights.
Most Picked Hero
I told all my friends that Queen of Pain wasn’t back from irrelevance until Mushi played with her in a competitive match.
Welp, that settles that! Indeed, QoP was picked 197 times and banned 188 times for a whopping combined total of 385 picks and bans. Put another way, in 94% of all 400+ games that were played through the TI5 season, QoP was accounted for. And this is after dwelling in complete irrelevance for the past year or two! One could go back as far as 6.52 when QoP received some nerfs, though I feel that it was really the arrival of Skywrath Mage combined with the reduction of deathbll effectiveness which sidelined for a few years. Then 6.83 arrived:
Increased max blink distance from 700/850/1000/1150 to 1300 on each level.
Increased cooldown from 12/10/8/6 to 15/12/9/6.
Sonic Wave
Changed damage type from magical to pure.
A 1300-range blink at level one is a big deal (like Pudge’s 1000-range lv 1 hook), but Sonic Wave doing BKB-penetrating damage won her over in the hearts of dota players everywhere, from pros to amateurs. I am sure that Mushi is glad that she’s back. I kinda am too; I think she has some of the best voicework in the game.
Best Strat
I should probably give EG’s PPD the nod for giving Aui_2000 Techies in game 2 of the semifinal against EHOME. The latter essentially surrendered bottom lane to the Techies, not wanting to invest resources in purchasing sentries or gems to deal with the mines. I do not recall ever seeing a team straight up give away a lane for free like that in a professional game, however I also had yet to see Techies picked and taken seriously. He’s annoying enough to deal with in a pub; the pros didn’t even try!
…but he’s friggin Techies. Eff that hero.
Instead, I’m going to select Virtus.Pro’s selection of Drow Ranger as a last pick in their upset of Team Secret, this year’s all-star team of Arteezy, s4, zai, KuroKy, and Puppey. Full disclosure: Drow is my most-picked hero with 384 picks, and after she was among the host of heroes unpicked/banned in TI4, I cannot get enough of her in competitive play—it’s a validation thing.
She’s squishy, lacks a reliable escape, has zero stun, and features no fancy spells that would make her a popular pick. Yet she is the OG glass cannon. <3. Credit to DotaCouch not only for this artwork, but his/her determination to retain Valve’s vision of the hero with large nose, lips, and elongated face while other artists strive to mute those features.
Granted, s4 played poorly on QoP, though zai played out of his mind with Dark Seer. I give credit to VP: many thought that Secret would make it to the Grand Finals, but they get caught off guard with a good old-fashioned Drow Aura strat, enhancing the right click damage of their Storm, but most importantly, Lina (with Firey Soul skill) and Visage (with Familiars skill). In the end, Illidan Stormrage’s Drow would suicide solo push the bottom melee rax to secure the mega creeps and Secret had to tap out.
(However, VP would would be straight up embarrassed for using this strat in the next round against LGD, with Illidan Stormrage going 0-11-1 with Drow. Eew.)
Best Play
It is obviously Universe’s Echo Slam combined with PPD Ice Blast for the EG teamwhipe against CDEC!
Rekt.
FY, member of team VG gaming, is by far and wide the reason why his team made it as far as they did. The man’s Rubick is probably the most formidable player/hero combination in the entire tournament, earning Rubick in a few “respect bans” along the way, making sure that FY does not get his hands on that hero. I was able to see him play live, and I felt like I was at the Key Arena myself! Behold the mastery of FY on that hero:
Now I will not go as far as to call him “FY God” like others do, but watching him made me realize that I have no business raging at a game of dota by talking about how bad my teammates are, because I, too, suck compared to these guys. In short, I have a lot to learn, so swallowing my pride should be a habit.
With all of that said, I will now close as abruptly and awkwardly as TI5 did with some seizure-inducing deadmau5.
Articles, Gaming, PC
AACDECChinese Dota Elite CommunityDOTA 2Drow RangerEarthshakerEGEvil GeniusesLGDQoPQueen of PainTeam SecretThe InternationalThe International 2015VG
AA, CDEC, Chinese Dota Elite Community, DOTA 2, Drow Ranger, Earthshaker, EG, Evil Geniuses, LGD, QoP, Queen of Pain, Team Secret, The International, The International 2015, VG
Maurice Pogue
Since picking up an NES controller in 1985 at the age of 2, Maurice and video games have been inseparable. While most children aspired to be lawyers, doctors, or engineers (at the behest of their parents), he aspired to write for publications such as EGM, PC Gamer, PC Accelerator, and Edge. After achieving ABD status in English at MSU, Maurice left academia and dedicated his writing to his lifelong passion. He is currently the Video Game Editor at Geeks Under Grace.
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Jeremiah Curry
Dear Fellow Brokers and Friends,
It is with great sadness that we find ourselves having to be the bearers of bad news. Our beloved friend and Senior Vice President, Jeremiah Curry, suddenly passed away on Sunday, December 20, 2015 at his home in West Los Angeles. This tragedy was both unexpected and devastating. For those of us who knew Jeremiah he will be remembered by his charming smile and his endless ambition and drive. He had a will to constantly learn and grow unlike none other. There was never a challenge he was not up to undertake.
Since he joined Global Commercial Real Estate in 2008, he made constant strives on his personal development, improving in all areas of life. He has been the firm’s top producer, earning the salesman of the year award for the past five consecutive years. Jeremiah set a prime example for anyone entering the real estate industry to model. His work ethic was impeccable and loved what he did. He was the first one in the office day-in and day-out. He was a relentless prospector who was both consistent and persistent, and a solid negotiator whose presence was felt by all those around him. His loyalty was never questioned. He was as trustworthy of a man you can ever find.
Not only did we lose an outstanding business partner, we lost a family member. Many of us found it so easy to open up to Jeremiah, being so understanding and compassionate as he was. His energy was so engaging; you could find yourself sharing a dynamic conversation about a deal one minutes, then in to a deep philosophical conversation right after. He was just that kind of guy. He was a man that can never be replaced and will never be forgotten. He is survived by his lovely wife Lisette Curry, his brother Richard Curry and his sister April Pursley. Funeral ceremony services will be announced in the days to come.
Frank Lahijani
01 Feb 2016 Global CRE
New Drone Fly By 4334 Santa Fe
May Jobs Report
Jim Gillespie on the Global CRE team.
Our New Office
Broadway Trade Center Closed Transaction
Global CRE Chooses Fortress Construction Group
New Listing On Los Angeles Street
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Home > 1997 Presidential Documents > pd27oc97 Checklist of White House Press Releases...
pd27oc97 Checklist of White House Press Releases...
<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
[frwais.access.gpo.gov]
[Page i-ii]
Volume 33--Number 43
[[Page i]]
Weekly Compilation of
[[Page ii]]
Addresses and Remarks
America Reads initiative--1622
Argentina, Nahuel Huapi National Park in San Carlos de Bariloche--
Asia Society and the United States-China Education Foundation
Board--1648
Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues--1624
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee dinner--1626
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards honoring board-
certified master teachers--1643
National Geographic Society--1629
Radio address--1618
Voluntary national testing for basic education skills--1622
White House Conference on Child Care--1634
Bill Signings
Second continuing resolution for fiscal year 1998, statement--1641
Narcotics Traffickers in Colombia, letter transmitting notice--1616
Further Amendment to Executive Order 13038--Advisory Committee on
Public Interest Obligations of Digital Television Broadcasters--
Interviews With the News Media
Interview with Argentine reporters in Buenos Aires, Argentina--1611
Continuation of Emergency With Respect to Significant Narcotics
Traffickers Centered in Colombia--1616
National Character Counts Week--1617
National Forest Products Week--1617
United Nations Day--1642
See also Bill Signings
Death of Ann Devroy--1641
Japan-U.S. trade agreement on access to Japanese ports--1615
Acts approved by the President--1656
Checklist of White House press releases--1655
Digest of other White House announcements--1653
Nominations submitted to the Senate--1654
Published every Monday by the Office of the Federal Register, National
Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC 20408, the Weekly
Compilation of Presidential Documents contains statements, messages, and
other Presidential materials released by the White House during the
preceding week.
The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is published pursuant to
the authority contained in the Federal Register Act (49 Stat. 500, as
amended; 44 U.S.C. Ch. 15), under regulations prescribed by the
Administrative Committee of the Federal Register, approved by the
President (37 FR 23607; 1 CFR Part 10).
Distribution is made only by the Superintendent of Documents, Government
Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The Weekly Compilation of
Presidential Documents will be furnished by mail to domestic subscribers
for $80.00 per year ($137.00 for mailing first class) and to foreign
subscribers for $93.75 per year, payable to the Superintendent of
Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The charge
for a single copy is $3.00 ($3.75 for foreign mailing).
There are no restrictions on the republication of material appearing in
the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents.
[[Page 1611]]
[Page 1611-1615]
Week Ending Friday, October 24, 1997
Interview With Argentine Reporters in Buenos Aires, Argentina
MERCOSUR Trade and the World View
Q. I will begin with a question about one of the main aspects of
your visit to Brazil and Argentina, which was the MERCOSUR question.
During several months it appeared that there were controversial views in
the U.S. concerning MERCOSUR. Since you strongly backed, both in Brazil
and Argentina, MERCOSUR, the question is how you built up your
conclusion or your position over the MERCOSUR, and did you consider,
eventually, other approaches before taking a final decision,
particularly in Brazil the other day?
The President. Well, I think that the impression developed--first of
all, let's talk about how the impression developed.
Q. Yes.
The President. I think the impression developed because some people
in the Government and in the press in America I think had the impression
that MERCOSUR might be used as a vehicle to limit the growth of trade
and investment with the United States in ways that would have adverse
consequences for our long-term political, as well as our economic,
cooperation. Now, let me say, at the end of the cold war there were
Americans who felt that way about the European Union as well. When I
became President, there was a group of people, good people, in our
Government, permanent civil servants, who had the same feeling about the
European Union.
But I have a very different view. I believe that the United States
should do whatever it can to promote the political and economic
cooperation of democracies, not simply to grow the economy but in a
larger sense to lift the conditions of ordinary people and to strengthen
democratic institutions so that they cannot be reversed, and finally,
because the threats we face today at the end of the cold war are much
more likely to be threats that cross national borders, like terrorism,
drugs, organized crime, as opposed to threats from other nations. So we
all have to adjust our thinking.
What I'm trying to do is to promote a process of reorganization of
the world so that human beings are organized in a way that takes
advantage of the new opportunities of this era and permits them to beat
back the problems. If you start with that presumption, instead of a
political organization in South America that doesn't include us is a
threat to us, then you come to a very different conclusion. My
conclusion is that MERCOSUR has been good for the countries that are
members of it because they've torn down barriers among each other. That
helps them all economically. At the same time, our trade with all the
MERCOSUR nations has increased.
And it permits other things. For example, Brazil and Argentina
worked with us to stop the interruption of the democratic process in
Paraguay. We now have the problems of potential terrorist activities in
the tri-border--the countries are now better equipped to do that. So to
me this is a positive thing.
Now, having said that, what I had hoped to do on this trip is to
convince the leaders, not just the Presidents but the leadership,
generally, that it is also in our interest to follow through on the
commitment we made at the Summit of the Americas in Miami to work toward
a free trade area of the Americas, and to see MERCOSUR, NAFTA, Andean
Pact, CARICOM as building blocks in this. This is very important,
because if the rest of the world should happen not to agree with us
philosophically, then having a big trade area will be a great insurance
policy for all these countries. And if we can prove that you can merge
integrated economies and integrated democracies, then we'll be more
likely to build a global system of this kind.
So that's a long answer, but anyway it's important that you
understand that this MERCOSUR issue for me is part of a very big world
view. I just never felt as threatened by it as a lot of people who saw
it in terms of this particular negotiation over this tariff or this
custom or that sort of thing.
Social Inequity
Q. Mr. President, in this era of free market in the region, the
problem of social inequity is a great deal for our countries and also
for the strength of our democracy. I would like to have your views about
The President. First of all, I think it's important to point out
that this problem of social inequity is a problem that every country in
the world is facing, even countries with very robust growth. No country
has solved the problem perfectly of how to grow the economy and preserve
more equality and at the same time move more poor people into the middle
Let me just give you a couple of examples. Look at France, which has
a very strong social contract but pays for it with very high
unemployment. Great Britain has opted for a policy more like ours, where
they're generating lots of jobs now--their unemployment rate is 6.5
percent, only about a point and a half higher----
Q. Five-point-nine yesterday.
The President. ----5.9 yesterday, so it's only a point higher than
ours. And they're open to immigrants now, as the United States is. But
as a result of that, because the modern economy favors technology and
education, they've had increasing inequality there, just as we have.
I think it's important to point out that most of this is due to the
structural changes in all advanced economies driven by technology. Trade
is a part of it, but mostly it's the changing of the paradigm, if you
will, away from the industrial society to the information age. And I
believe the answer is to have the Government have less destructive
involvement in the economy, but the Government should have more
constructive involvement in the society.
Basically, you have to do, I think, three things. You have to, first
of all, have a system of lifetime education and training so that
everybody can participate. Secondly, you have to have a strategy to
bring the benefits of free markets to the places that are untouched.
Technology can help. Investment can help. I think that is very
important. And thirdly, you have to have adequate protections for people
who, through no fault of their own, are not participating. This is easy
to say and difficult to do, because if it costs too much to do this you
will weigh down the economy. But essentially that is what must be done.
So the challenge in Argentina, the challenge in Brazil, the
challenge in Latin America is, in a different way, the challenge that we
in America face--in the United States--and that the Europeans are trying
to do--even the Japanese now are having to deal with it. So this is the
new social challenge of the 21st century. The answer is not to withdraw
from the trade or to pretend that the technology doesn't exist, the
answer is to get all the benefits.
Argentina for example--I will make you a prediction here. If you can
maintain these levels of growth that you have now, your unemployment
will go down, but it will not go as low as you want unless you have real
systems to create more small businesses, to hook small business into
technology and exports, and to create much more universally effective
education systems. But that's no criticism of the last 7 years; you had
to fix all the problems of the past before you can confront the
challenges of the present.
Integrity in Government
Q. Mr. President, to follow up what you just said, corruption makes
inequality even worse. You said that the applying of the term ``endemic
corruption'' to Brazil has been a mistake. What's the precise meaning of
widespread corruption that had been implied in the same document to the
Argentine situation?
The President. Well, first of all, I wasn't even familiar with this
document. I didn't know it was issued. I don't know who wrote it.
But let me back up and say when you are in a period where the
Government has had heavy-handed involvement in the economy and then
things start to change and arrange-
ments are unsettled, that's a point where, in general, civil societies
are vulnerable to corruption. Also, human nature being what it is, there
will nearly always be someone somewhere who is doing something wrong.
So what you want, however, is a system where the incentives are to
be honest; where there are disincentives--sanctions--for being
dishonest; and where you're moving in the right direction. I told
President Menem--we had a talk about this last night--I was
complimenting President Caldera of Venezuela because he took the lead in
making sure that our hemisphere--we have, basically, the only convention
against corruption of any hemisphere in the world.
And I said to President Menem, and I said to the young people
at the townhall meeting yesterday, what my experience is, just from my life
in politics. And that is that if a civil society can maintain a vigorous,
free press, an economy that works, and you can just preserve democracy,
time takes care of a lot of this. That is, I believe that 20 years from
now, an American President will be sitting here, and either you will be
sitting here or your successors will be, and I will predict to you that if
democracy survives in Argentina, which I believe it will, there will be
less corruption, but you could still ask a question about corruption. Do
you see what I mean? You could still ask.
So what my advice would be here, because this country has come so
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EU, UK Politics
What More Can We Take?
This weekend should, according to previous promises by our Prime Minster, be the country’s last as a member of the European Union.
And even though there are six remaining days for things to change, it seems almost certain that leaving at the end of October will become another promise that is broken.
True the lack of a majority in parliament has left the country with a government that is unable to govern. With an array of anti-exit political factions and vested interests against it any meaningful progress has become impossible – even the judiciary showed their bias.
Of course, for the many Grandads happy to support leaving without the far-reaching constraints demanded by the EU, this situation means that a bad deal has also been delayed – so far. But with many politicians demanding that No-Deal is taken off the table the chances of the UK actually escaping the spider’s web of EU control next week seem slim.
Obviously giving up on the present parliament and having a general election does offer a potential solution. But only if it results in a clear majority of MPs being in one camp or the other. Recent experience shows that another minority government could be the result – and then we are back in the same situation by Christmas.
The public’s view of our pseudo-democratic representatives must now have fallen to an all-time low – with plenty of justification.
BrexitindependenceLeaveNo Dealno more delays
Jester Minute
In a surprise move a group of MPs – also ones opposed to leaving the European Union – have presented a case to the Royal and Ancient High Court of Lindisfarne to amend the calendar through a decree that October can no longer have 31 days.
A move that will end the existence the 31st of October in perpetuity – and to compensate will add an extra day to November.
The members involved stated that this was a long disputed issue that seriously disadvantages millions of British people no longer able to remember the rhyme about the number of days in each month. This was now seriously impacting the mental health of the nation and was costing the NHS millions. They are, therefore, demanding that the speaker of the house makes an order for the immediate acceptance of their Calendar Correction Bill – as soon as the court issue their verdict. This is expected by Wednesday at the latest.
These same members also stated that this urgent action is totally unrelated to any other matters that parliament is currently considering or in any way linked to blocking the UK from leaving the EU. To quote Our only interest being protecting the well being of the nation.
Update: Today the Lord Provost of the Lindisfarne Court announced that the case had been rejected and gave a summary of the grounds for its rejection. These were that the plaintiffs did not attend the court in person as required, that no victims of the supposed injustice were presented and that the High Court’s jurisdiction on such issues had been terminated by Act of Parliament in 1648.
Storm Approaching
As predicted last week, the new deal with the EU revealed today – and immediately accepted by Brussels – is the May-Robbins dead donkey treaty with some tweaks for the Irish issue but now with a divorce bill reduced to just £33,000 million! So it seems our all-new prime minister is actually Theresa May 2.0 underneath.
If that is not the case then a Baldrick-style cunning plan could be in play – based on a guess that our self-serving politicians will defeat the dead donkey for a fourth time on Saturday – and then a hope that the EU would loose their patience and say no to another extension. Thus exiting without a deal on 31-Oct-2019. But that seems like another flying pig scenario!
For the other political parties the latest deal has already been rejected as a step backwards and provided them with more fuel for revoking our Article 50 leave request; probably via a one-sided referendum. A view that might now just win out. If it does then the only bright spot would be a general election to follow with an opportunity to vote in a Brexit parliament that would invoke Article 50 again – if the EU had not blocked countries using that route by then.
That tangled web is entrapping us more and more …
Brexitfatal flawsell-outslaves
Today the bookies are rethinking their odds that there will be a UK-EU deal agreed as soon as next week. Clearly someone thinks that a deal is near.
So while all the anti-no deal politicians ought to be happy at the expected news it is more likely that they will live to regret their feeble-minded efforts.
Why? Because the only deal the EU have ever supported is their one-sided treaty agreed to by the May-Robins gang. A treaty that even these same anti-no deal politicians rejected no less than three times. This is the only deal that is ready-to-go – and one already approved by the 27 EU members.
Grandad could be wrong and a complete replacement for the 600+ page treaty might be created in time to be approved next week. But pigs might fly. So what about a few quick edits on the existing treaty? Well the only edits so far covered relate to the Irish land border. Nothing else has been aired in public.
The logical implication is that the original treaty – the dead-donkey deal – will be tweaked for the Irish issue and then put to the UK parliament for a fourth time.
And, as before, if approved it will commit the country to a much despised Brexit-in-name-only future. A Pyrrhic victory that leaves the UK with the worst of no-deal and worst of remain without any advantages. And a general election will punish the culprits but come too late to undo the mess.
Oh! What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.
EU, Europe, UK Politics
We Cannae Take Much More Captain
As the political wrangling reaches fever-pitch the mood amongst the general population seems to range from despair to barely contained anger.
How can so many of our elected representatives be so bad? Many – most – ignore their constituents’ choices and play juvenile games in an insulated metro bubble with zero regard for the well being of the nation.
At least the EU politburo is working towards an objective with a plan – even though it is flawed plan to create a European Empire ruled by a central cabal. Whereas every UK plan seems to be to try anything and hope we can all muddle through. All the time expecting that everyone involved will play the game with fairness and honesty. An ideal that cuts little ice in the 21st century.
The next few weeks are supposed to be our last under EU control .. but we have all heard that so often before.
Given that it is now 1,200 days since the EU membership referendum result and that was preceeded by months if not years of pro- and anti- arguments you would think that every possible issue had been covered.
But no. Instead we have shrieks and wails from anti-Brexit factions demanding months more of delays. For what? To discuss? To have a rigged referendum? To have a damaged general election? Or simply to remain- either by these repeated delays or by revoking our leave request?
Looking at our politicians – and judges – from outside of the metropolitan bubble gives Grandads little insight into their off-camera activities. But experience tells us that most are driven by self interest – be that personal, financial or idealogical. So we cannot see who is getting paid or benefiting from insider trading or who is trying to weaken or even break-up our country. But there can be little doubt that they exist.
And outside of the UK we have little support from powerful EU figures – unlike leaders in Australia and the United States for example. And the typical EU view is that we are there to be exploited and restricted in any way possible. Their words deny it – but their actions do not.
The country has to leave – and today would not be too soon!
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See Andrew Imamura’s Intricate Paper Art at the “Winter Swell” Surf Exhibition
Emma Wo’s Collection of Engagement Rings is Beautiful, Brilliant and Budget-Friendly
The Traditional Filipino Feast at Dana’s Restaurant in Waipahu Leaves No Room for Dessert
O‘ahu in 1958: The Man Who Wears Two Hats
Kailua’s Olive Boutique Expands to Lifestyle Décor That We Are Absolutely Living For
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Editor’s Page: There’s Something About a Team
December 2019: Table of Contents
Take a Look Inside Honolulu Artist John Koga’s Mānoa Studio
Exploring contemporary artist John Koga’s custom-built home art studio.
By James Charisma
Photos: Aaron K. Yoshino
Step through the front door of local contemporary artist John Koga’s midcentury home on Lo‘i Street and you enter two worlds. On the right side of the house, the living and dining rooms are spacious, with a minimalist arrangement of simple furniture, such as wood stump footstools.
Koga, surrounded by art projects, in his home studio in Mānoa.
But on the left side is “Studio Mānoa,” Koga’s two-story workshop filled with full-size sculptures, small maquettes of sculptures-to-be and paintings in progress. Moving walls in the back conceal storage for the artist’s work (as well as surfboards), and painting tools lie next to carpenter’s tools on an island workbench in the middle of the room. The space is a tribute to Koga, who specializes in not only painting and sculpting, but art installations and creative build-outs.
Art in progress is always at hand.
“This used to be a two-car open garage and a long cement driveway going out to the street. There was a little more yard that way,” Koga says, gesturing through the studio’s front wall.
Eye-level inspiration adorns a staircase.
The house itself was built by Koga’s parents in 1963. In 2016, Koga and his wife, Karin, worked with a draftsperson to draw up plans for a 600-square-foot studio inside the home; construction was completed in nine months. They added a wall with plywood behind the drywall so large artwork could be easily hung for display and a 280-square-foot second floor with big windows to bring in lots of natural light. “There was this idea that the second floor could cover the entrance hallway but I said no because it was gonna feel like a cave,” says Koga.
Koga’s garage-turned-studio now includes a second floor.
At any given time, Koga is working on at least a half-dozen projects. On the back walls are blueprints for future art installations. An open space at the front is reserved for painting and sculpture work; from there, the artist can look out through an adjacent open door to draw inspiration from the garden that runs along the perimeter of the property or from the towering Ko‘olau mountain range surrounding Mānoa. “I can be priming a canvas over here or molding a mockup of a sculpture there,” says Koga. “It’s a flexible space.”
READ MORE STORIES BY JAMES CHARISMA
The New Reality of Vog and What We Can Do About It
Two Honolulu Fashion Designers Talk Feminism and Fashion
Teeing up Tech: The Ala Wai Driving Range is Due for an Upgrade
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Home Elgin Area History last name N
Death records in Elgin, Illinois [Volume 2, part 2]: with burials at Bluff City Cemetery and elsewhere as recorded in the cemetery sextons' ledgers / coordinated by the City of Elgin Heritage Commission.
last name N
Title Death records in Elgin, Illinois [Volume 2, part 2]: with burials at Bluff City Cemetery and elsewhere as recorded in the cemetery sextons' ledgers / coordinated by the City of Elgin Heritage Commission.
Description Death records in Elgin, Illinois from 1925-1949. Listings alphabetical by name include date and location of death, age, date and location of interment, cause of death, husband or wife, occupation, undertaker, physician, nationality, and date and location of birth. Notes for users: Pages are named according to the last names found on them. Names are listed in “rough” alphabetical order only. Within each part of each volume, names which were overlooked earlier in the alphabet, can sometimes be found at the end of each part. For example, part 1 of volume 1 contains the last names A through G. Last name A fills pages 3 through 17, but then appears again at the end of that part of that volume on pages 200-201, and 213-216.
Subject Cemeteries --Illinois -- Elgin
Registers of births, etc. -- Illinois -- Elgin
Elgin (Ill.) -- Genealogy
Keywords Elgin death records
Date Original 1925; 1926; 1927; 1928; 1929; 1930; 1931; 1932; 1933; 1934; 1935; 1936; 1937; 1938; 1939; 1940; 1941; 1942; 1943; 1944; 1945; 1946; 1947; 1948; 1949
Date Created 1995
Organization-Subject Gail Borden Public Library District
Publisher Elgin Heritage Commission
Contributing Institution Gail Borden Public Library District
Format microfilm
Source Bluff City Cemetery Sextons' ledgers
City, State Illinois
1930s (1930-1939)
Browse Topic Illinois History & Culture
GiftBy Permission for digitization granted in November 2013 by the City of Elgin Heritage Commission
PlaceKept microfilm
Rights This material may be protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S. Code) and is intended solely for personal or educational use. Any commercial use without permission is prohibited.
Collection Name Elgin Area History
Title last name N
Death records in Elgin, Illinois [Volume 2, part 2]: with...
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last name H
last name I
last name J
last name K
last name L
last name M
last name O
kast name P
last name P
last name P and Q
last name R
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What kind of spiritual person are you?
This is a weekly post by Nidhal Guessoum (see his earlier posts here). Nidhal is an astrophysicist and Professor of Physics at American University of Sharjah and is the author of Islam's Quantum Question: Reconciling Muslim Tradition and Modern Science.
The French magazine Psychologies, not to be confused with its namesakes in the US and in the UK, while aiming for the general-public, tries to keep a reasonable standard of scientific accuracy. It also tries to remain “interesting”, that is to sell copies, so in its latest issue (February 2012), it has a cover story on why our (sexual) desire comes and goes and an interview with the captivating actress Juliette Binoche. But it also has a two-page article on the more than dubious “quantum therapies”.
But I was intrigued by the quiz it ran on the various types of spiritualities that people hold today, though they may or may not be fully aware of that aspect of their personalities/personhoods.
Now, before I give you an idea of the quiz, and even let you take a short version of it, I must point out that the concept of “spirituality” has been the object of various attempts to redefine it or at least expand its meanings. Indeed, “spirituality” comes from “spirit”, which in the “technical” sense refers to “the immaterial intelligent or sentient part of a person” (as the Webster dictionary puts it), or more simply that dimension of humans that religious people believe makes us able to connect to God and perhaps to others. But since “spirit” can also mean “temper or disposition of mind or outlook” (another definition given by Webster), and if you take this meaning and infer some “spirituality” from it, then it no longer needs to be related to religion. And that is why there is this increasing trend of people describing themselves as “spiritual, but not religious” (just Google up "spiritual, not religious").
The Psychologies quiz begins with an introduction titled “To each, their own spirituality”, where the different facets of the concept are first explained. The reader is told that spirituality can refer to: a) a state of “completeness”, when one has integrated various dualities (light and shadow, heaven and earth); b) a feeling of being in relation with something sacred, of being connected to a higher dimension of existence; c) a “life of the spirit”, representing a kind of “secular spirituality”, as has been defined by some thinkers (the magazine refers specifically to the popular French philosopher Andre Comte-Sponville). It goes on to explain that these different types of spirituality then result in different responses in the person: giving meaning to one’s life, giving comfort, developing an ethic of living together, or solving personal problems and inner conflicts.
On this basis, the magazine produced a quiz: 48 statements are offered, and the reader is asked to the select the ones that s/he agrees more with (or represent his/her personhood); each statement is given a symbol, and the reader then counts which symbol appears most in his/her selected statements; on the next page, a description of the spiritual type represented by each symbol is given, thus describing the reader’s spiritual nature.
Since I can’t reproduce the whole quiz for you (first there are copyright limitations, and second I don’t have time to translate 48 statements), I’ve selected 16 from the four categories and labeled them A, B, C, D. Select the letter that appears more in your answers and refer to the description of each category at the end.
Here’s the mini-quiz. Have fun:
I often feel a need for protection. (A)
We are here on Earth to learn and to improve ourselves. (B)
As I matured, spirituality became more important for me. (B)
I feel connected to all that lives. (C)
Solidarity and compassion are not a monopoly of spirituality. (D)
I cannot bear the idea of nothingness after death. (A)
I find meaning and values in humanistic philosophies. (D)
I believe in miraculous healings. (A)
I often get lightning and accurate intuitions. (C)
I meditate to calm my mind and to open up my heart. (B)
I ask heaven for help in difficult situations. (A)
Spirituality should never leave the personal sphere. (D)
To change the world, one must first change oneself. (B)
It’s in Man that I believe, first and foremost. (D)
Speaking to God is completely natural for me; I need no intermediary. (C)
I am fully convinced that hardships have a meaning, and we must accept that sometimes it escapes us. (C)
A describes a spirituality which seeks “refuse” in something or some being, a “parent God” who protects and heals the person. Supposedly (according to the magazine), this is closer to the traditional concept of God and spirituality.
B describes the spirituality of an evolving person, one who, through practices like yoga or zen, seeks higher and more connected ways of living. Here belief in a higher being (God) is not essential, even though there is often the belief/feeling that there is some higher intelligence that we may be part of or may be able to become part of.
C refers to the mystical type of spirituality, to seek to live in communion with the Divine/Spirit or with the Universe (in a pantheistic/panentheistic worldview).
D denotes an “atheistic ethic” (the magazine’s description), one which tries to uphold truth, goodness, and beauty without any reference to or need for God.
So, there you have them: the four types of spirituality as Psychologies sees them. Perhaps there are other types or definitions or hybrid forms…
Do you recognize yourself in any of these? Do you have a different description for your own or your parents’ spirituality?
Posted in general, posts by Nidhal Guessoum, science of belief on Monday, January 30, 2012 by Salman Hameed | 1 comment Edit
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What is Irtiqa?
Irtiqa is Salman Hameed's blog. A few years ago (before Facebook killed many of the blogs), it used to track stories of science & religion, especially those related to Muslim societies. That is still one of its foci, but now it dovetails more of Salman's interests including film, astronomy, science fiction, and science outreach in both Pakistan and the US.
Irtiqa literally means evolution in Urdu. But it does not imply only biological evolution. Instead, it is an all encompassing word used for evolution of the universe, biological evolution, and also for biological/human development. While it has created confusion in debates over biological evolution in South Asia, it provides a nice integrative name for this blog. For further information, contact Salman Hameed.
The blog banner is designed by Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad. You can find all his creative endeavors at Orangie.
Salman Hameed
Salman is an astronomer and Associate Professor of Integrated Science & Humanities at Hampshire College, Massachusetts. Currently, he is working on understanding the rise of creationism in contemporary Islamic world and how Muslims view the relationship between science & religion. He is also working with historian Tracy Leavelle at Creighton University to analyze reconciliation efforts between astronomers and Native Hawaiians over telescopes on top of sacred Mauna Kea in Hawaii. He teaches “History and Philosophy of Science & Religion” with philosopher Laura Sizer, and “Science in the Islamic World”, both at Hampshire College. Salman and Laura Sizer are also responsible for the ongoing Hampshire College Lecture Series on Science & Religion, and you can find videos of all these lectures below. Contact information here.
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Series: This Week's TV MVPs -- Week 49
10:00 PM contributor: megan mann, guest poster: erin, series: tv mvp 1 comment
It's beginning to look a lot like... mid-season finale time! And you know what that means: your favorite shows are leaving you on cliffhangers for the foreseeable future. As shows prepare to depart for the holidays (or for their seasons), performances are getting more and more impressive. There are so many incredibly emotional moments on television this week, a lot of action-packed ones, and even a few lighthearted comedic moments.
So without further ado, joining me this week are:
Let's celebrate some actors and actresses!
Jenn's MVPs: Matt Lanter and Abigail Spencer (Timeless)
Why they're the MVPs: Timeless has become one of my favorite new television shows. Admittedly, I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did, but I'm so glad I gave it a chance. The show does a really good job of balancing humor with character development and serialized drama. And while this show is definitely an ensemble and couldn't work without Lucy, Wyatt, and Rufus together, this week focused a lot more on the former two characters who met up with Bonnie and Clyde in the 1930s. I absolutely loved "Last Ride of Bonnie & Clyde," because it gave viewers the chance to dig deeper into the emotional cores of Wyatt and Lucy — as well as explore chemistry between the two that has been simmering for a while now.
The credit for the success of the episode falls to the writers, but also truly to Matt Lanter and Abigail Spencer, equally. I love the chemistry that the two have — they play off one another's lines and scenes effortlessly, and it was even more crucial that they make this episode click. Because what the two actors did was really sell the depth of feelings (confusing feelings, to boot) that Wyatt and Lucy have for one another. While chasing Bonnie and Clyde around to retrieve an item belonging to Rittenhouse, Wyatt and Lucy masquerade as a criminal couple in love, just like the notorious duo. In the process, Lucy learns more about Bonnie (and softens toward her as a person), and Wyatt and Lucy grow closer together.
After Wyatt tells the story of how he and Lucy got engaged (the heartbreaking reality being that the story was actually how Wyatt proposed to his late wife), he sells their relationship with a kiss that takes both him and Lucy by surprise. Lanter and Spencer are incredible in this moment. Everything hinges on subtlety, and the actors deliver on that in spades. There are all kinds of emotions swirling around the two and it's just such a beautiful moment. These are two people who have been incredibly vulnerable with one another in an incredibly short amount of time, and Lanter and Spencer have been able to convey the believable transition in the Wyatt/Lucy relationship from friends to partners to confidantes to something more.
Not only do the two nail the emotional beats of the episode (just look at that GIF above for proof of how exceptionally well they conveyed those post-kiss feelings), but also the awkwardness that ensued. Wyatt and Lucy care about one another, but are also extremely guarded individuals because of the lives they lead and the hurts they've experienced in the past. Watching Lanter and Spencer break down those walls and then promptly build them back up again slightly in the final scene was so great and satisfying.
These two incredible actors bring us believable, flawed, and ultimately very lovable (and shippable) characters each week on Timeless. For that, they are both my MVPs.
Bonus MVP: Alia Shawkat as Dory (Search Party)
I binge-watched the first half of Search Party last week, and finished the second half within the last 48 hours. It's an incredibly interesting comedy — a blend of mystery, drama, romance, and lightheartedness that you don't really find on television these days. The story centers around a young woman named Chantal who goes missing. Dory — played by Alia Shawkat — was a classmate of Chantal's in college and suddenly decides that she'll find Chantal and bring her back. Dory is a really complex young woman, and I think what I love so much about Search Party was that she's left changed by what happens and yet there's no easy answer: no neat bow to tie around her and prove that she's learned anything or grown.
Shawkat expertly conveys the layers Dory has, as well as her issues. It's a tough feat to play a character who is guarded and whose motives are never explicitly stated. Characters imply reasons throughout the series as to why Dory becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Chantal. But Dory herself never really confirms or denies any of those assumptions. Instead, we are left to draw our own conclusions of her based on her interactions with others and on Shawkat's performance. There are so many great things about her performance, but the range is perhaps the best. In any given episode, Shawkat will transition Dory from curious friend to hysterical woman to terrified sleuth and do so without missing a beat.
Dory is awkward, uncertain, and while she retains some of the qualities in the pilot in the final episode (I can't spoil it for you because it's a great and intense end to the show), she also grows. We can see that her experiences have left her changed, and we're not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. All we know is what Alia Shawkat conveys, and it's a beautiful mix of so many different characteristics, all drawing us closer to Dory — to root for her, sometimes to root against her, and mostly just to understand her.
If you haven't yet watched Search Party, I recommend it! If you're in the market for a quirky comedy that doubles as a mystery, you're in for a treat. And I can guarantee that you'll find Alia Shawkat's performance just as captivating as I did.
Erin’s MVP: Sarah Jessica Parker as Frances DuFresne (Divorce)
Why she’s the MVP: I knew Sarah Jessica Parker was my choice of MVP in the first five minutes of the episode. She played the character so perfectly. At first, I thought that one scene alone was why she was my MVP, but as I thought back on the episode more, I realized her performance was steady and strong throughout. The episode begins with Robert’s lawyer making Frances out to be an absentee mother because she doesn’t take the kids to doctor’s and dentist’s appointments or pick them up from school. Frances has a job and is the breadwinner for the family. “Usually those questions are a slam dunk for the mother,” her lawyer says, dumbfounded. The mother is expected to do all of that even if she is the breadwinner, too. Fathers are praised when they do the job of a glorified babysitter; mothers are criticized when they don’t do everything. Women being held to a higher standard than men is nothing new, but when sexism strikes, it still takes its toll, emotionally. Parker shows the weight of it on Frances’ shoulders. Nevertheless, she squares those shoulders and tries her best to “be more visibly involved” even when she “really just wants to cry.” This struggle is so very real and Parker does it justice.
The episode is fraught with awkward moments where Frances must continually defend her worth as a mother and combat judgment from everyone around her. Parker expresses awkwardness so well that I kind of die of secondhand embarrassment. So well, in fact, that I experience palpable mortification while sitting in front of my television at home, alone. All of the emotions that happen when going through that kind of embarrassment show on her face, but so subtly. You can see that she is uncomfortable, but she tries to feign confidence. When it’s received poorly she continues to force pleasantries, just compounding the awkwardness. Frances is painfully aware of this the whole time and you can’t help but feel bad for her. Despite being knocked down over and over this way, she gets back up and faces the next situation.
Frances confronts these embarrassing and awkward moments throughout the episode, but it is punctuated by a humiliating scene where Robert is served the divorce papers publically at their daughter’s basketball game. Frances has spent the whole season trying to be as civil as possible, even when her husband has not been. Her new lawyer decides for her that enough is enough. Frances is trusting and doesn’t realize that it means she will fight ugly on her behalf. She is devastated that the divorce ends up being filed in this manner. You sympathize with Robert because he didn’t deserve that, but you also feel for Frances because you know she didn’t intend for it to go down like that. Parker can play the awkwardness comically, but also tragically. She handles both variations with equal aplomb.
There is a scene in the middle of the episode where Frances is by herself, outside, at a party. It seems like a bit of a throwaway scene or filler, at first. She stands by the fire pit and watches the party going on inside. The whole episode she has been tamping down her feelings in order to appear easygoing and friendly. In this simple scene, she is just herself. And she’s not angry or bitter or sad. She shows concern for her friend; she smiles watching her kids dance with their dad; she enjoys the calm of the brief solitude. There is only one line of dialogue where Frances says “cheers” into the void. It’s a quiet, understated scene, but it speaks volumes and Parker’s performance gives it that weight, that significance. She is my MVP because she repeatedly surprised me with nuances like this that stuck with me well after viewing the episode.
Megan's MVP: Jeremy Allen White as Lip (Shameless)
Why he's the MVP: From the very beginning, Jeremy Allen White's Lip has been my favorite character on Shameless. He's insanely brilliant, resourceful, full of potential and has a kind of appeal that you just can't explain. The writers always give him great one-liners and comebacks and it's a joy to watch how effortlessly Allen White delivers them.
However, what they writers done to Lip has made me sad. They've put him down a really rough path over the last two seasons, culminating over the last half of the current season. They're taking everything that's great about Lip and turning those qualities on their heads. He's always been a somewhat destructive character, but he's always landed on his feet. Not this time.
To make that believable, Allen White has to really commit to what's been written for him. Instead of a charmingly rough Lip, Allen White has to be a stumbling, moody, half-drunk and half-already-hungover tornado. He snaps on Fiona at every turn, he attacks Sierra's baby daddy because he can't just stay out of things. It's the wrong kind of loyalty.
While he's always played his character beautifully, Jeremy Allen White has truly shone this season; even if it's in all the wrong ways. There's definitely an element of beauty in his portrayal of destruction. He's an underrated element of the show and he steals each scene he's in. Lip's story may not end well this season, but it's been fascinating to watch because of Jeremy Allen White.
Who was YOUR TV MVP this week? Sound off in the comments below!
Thank you, Jenn, for the Matt and Abigail love. Timeless is such a great show. I hope more people find it and watch not only the Bonnie and Clyde episode but all the others, too!
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Totem Pole presents Robbie Limon's 'Singers and Songwriters'
Robbie Limon, who appeared at Totem Pole Playhouse in "Lovesick Blues," returns for a special two-show fundraiser performance.
Totem Pole presents Robbie Limon's 'Singers and Songwriters' Robbie Limon, who appeared at Totem Pole Playhouse in "Lovesick Blues," returns for a special two-show fundraiser performance. Check out this story on flipsidepa.com: http://fside.co/2bgw9l3
Staff report Published 1:37 p.m. ET Aug. 10, 2016
Robbie Limon(Photo: Submitted)
FAYETTEVILLE - Totem Pole Playhouse presents a special solo concert by singer-songwriter Robbie Limon in a limited engagement fundraising event to close the theater's 2016 season.
“Singers and Songwriters: Featuring Robbie Limon” will be on the Totem Pole stage at 2 and 8 p.m. Wednesday, August 17, only with general admission seating.
Limon, who was last seen on stage at Totem Pole in 2016’s audience favorite “Lovesick Blues,” stars in the special fundraising event for Totem Pole Playhouse. In an intimate, two-hour show, Limon brings his love of ‘50s-, ‘60s-, and ‘70s-era songwriters to each performance with the style and nuance of the original artists, sure to spark memories and joy for the audience.
Tickets for the limited engagement concert are $40 in advance and $45 at the door. Group rates are available for groups of 10 or more, however, no gift certificates or comp passes will be accepted for this special event. For tickets and more information, contact the box office at 717-352-2162 or buy online at www.totempoleplayhouse.org.
Totem Pole Playhouse is located off of Route 30 in Caledonia State Park in Fayetteville, halfway between Chambersburg and Gettysburg.
Read or Share this story: http://fside.co/2bgw9l3
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The Forerunner web site redesigned and updated
By Jay Rogers. Posted February 04, 2006.
The Forerunner web site — http://forerunner.com — has been redesigned and updated.
Since 1996 when I first put up the site, I stayed with an austere design — never updating the look. The vast majority of the 1600 plus pages were just text and minimal graphics, because I thought that people mainly wanted information to load fast — especially in regions and countries where there is no access to broadband.
I reconsidered this recently and decided that I wanted to identify “The Forerunner” and “Jay Rogers” to each visitor. Within the first few days I had some old friends who I hadn’t heard from in years email me.
Every page has a new look. The site no longer looks like it was designed ten years ago. If you haven’t see the web site this year, check it out and remember to reload your cache.
- Jay Rogers
«- Victorious Eschatology
-» An Open Letter to the Pro-life Movement
Forerunner Ministry News
God's Law and Society (DVD)
God’s Law and Society powerfully presents a comprehensive worldview based upon the ethical system found in the Law of God.
Speakers include: R.J. Rushdoony, George Grant, Howard Phillips, R.C. Sproul Jr., Ken Gentry, Gary DeMar, Jay Grimstead, Steven Schlissel, Andrew Sandlin, Eric Holmberg, and more!
Sixteen Christian leaders and scholars answer some of the most common questions and misconceptions related to this volatile issue:
1. Are we under Law or under Grace?
2. Does the Old Testament Law apply today?
3. Can we legislate morality?
4. What are the biblical foundations of government?
5. Was America founded as a Christian nation?
6. What about the separation of Church and State?
7. Is neutrality a myth?
8. What about non-Christians and the Law of God?
9. Would there be “freedom” in a Christian republic?
10. What would a “Christian America” look like?
Perfect for group instruction as well as personal Bible study.
Ten parts, over four hours of instruction!
Watch over 60 on-line video interviews from God’s Law and Society.
Dr. Francis Schaeffer - A Christian Manifesto (DVD)
That Swiss Hermit Strikes Again!
Dr. Schaeffer, who was one of the most influential Christian thinkers in the twentieth century, shows that secular humanism has displaced the Judeo-Christian consensus that once defined our nation’s moral boundaries. Law, education, and medicine have all been reshaped for the worse as a consequence. America’s dominant worldview changed, Schaeffer charges, when Christians weren’t looking.
Schaeffer lists two reasons for evangelical indifference: a false concept of spirituality and fear. He calls on believers to stand against the tyranny and moral chaos that come when humanism reigns-and warns that believers may, at some point, be forced to make the hard choice between obeying God or Caesar. A Christian Manifesto is a thought-provoking and bracing Christian analysis of American culture and the obligation Christians have to engage the culture with the claims of Christ.
Dr. Francis Schaeffer - How Should We Then Live? (DVD)
Special Two-Disc Set!
After 40 years of intense study and world-wide ministry, Dr. Francis Schaeffer completed his crowning work of scholarship – to present profound truths in simple film language. Dr. Schaeffer’s brilliant analysis of the past and predictions for current trends have proven so uncannily accurate that this amazing series still feels contemporary almost three decades after its initial release. Ultimately, Schaeffer concludes that man’s only hope is a return to God’s Biblical absolute, the truth revealed in Christ through the Scriptures.
Available for the first time on DVD, this documentary spectacular also includes intimate in-depth conversations with Francis and Edith Schaeffer. With the on-disc study guide, this presentation forms a unique course of comprehensive study. While this series forms an innovative analysis of the past, this outstanding work is more than history. Each episode focuses on a significant era, yet speaks clearly to 21st-century man with answers for modern problems.
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Wireless earphone with built-in mobile communications module and dial-up method of the same
A wireless earphone with a built-in mobile communications module and a dial-up method of the same are proposed. The mobile communications module is used to automatically answer an incoming call. A wireless electronic dial-up device is used for dial-up communications. The wireless earphone comprises a mobile communications module, a digital signal processor, an earphone, a microphone and a wireless communications module. The mobile communications module is used to receive a first remote signal and emit a first reply modulation signal. The digital signal processor is connected to the mobile communications module and used for processing digital signals. The earphone is connected to the digital signal processor. The microphone is connected to the digital signal processor. The wireless communications module is also connected to the digital signal processor, and is used to receive a second remote signal and emit a second reply modulation signal.
Hsiang, Yueh Wen (Hsin Chuang City, TW)
HSIANG YUEH WEN
455/575.2
455/41.2
H04B5/00; H04L12/56; H04M1/60; (IPC1-7): H04B7/00; H04M1/00
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PHU, SANH D
ROSENBERG, KLEIN & LEE (3458 ELLICOTT CENTER DRIVE-SUITE 101, ELLICOTT CITY, MD, 21043, US)
1. A wireless earphone with a built-in mobile communications module, comprising: a mobile communications module used to receive a first remote signal and emit a first reply modulation signal; a digital signal processor connected to said mobile communications module and used for processing digital signals; an earphone connected to said digital signal processor; a microphone connected to said digital signal processor; and a wireless communications module also connected to said digital signal processor and used to receive a second remote signal and emit a second reply modulation signal.
2. The wireless earphone with a built-in mobile communications module as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first remote signal is generated by a station.
3. The wireless earphone with a built-in mobile communications module as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second remote signal is generated by a wireless electronic dial-up device.
4. The wireless earphone with a built-in mobile communications module as claimed in claim 3, wherein said wireless electronic dial-up device can be a Bluetooth mobile phone.
5. The wireless earphone with a built-in mobile communications module as claimed in claim 3, wherein said wireless electronic dial-up device can be a personal digital assistant.
6. The wireless earphone with a built-in mobile communications module as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mobile communications module can be a personal handyphone system module.
7. The wireless earphone with a built-in mobile communications module as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mobile communications module can be a code division multiple access module.
8. The wireless earphone with a built-in mobile communications module as claimed in claim 1, wherein said digital signal processor comprises a voice transmission and encoding/decoding unit for encoding and decoding of voice and conversion between digital data and analog data.
9. The wireless earphone with a built-in mobile communications module as claimed in claim 1, wherein said wireless communications module is a Bluetooth communications module.
10. A dial-up method of a wireless earphone with a built-in mobile communications module comprising the steps of: using a wireless electronic dial-up device to send digital data; receiving said digital data and then generating a digital signal using a built-in wireless communications module; using a digital signal processor to process said digital signal and then outputting a control signal; and controlling said mobile communications module to accomplish full-duplex communications.
The present invention relates to a wireless earphone with a built-in mobile communications module and a dial-up method of the same and, more particularly, to a wireless earphone and a dial-up method of the same, which can make use of the communications protocol of personal handyphone system (PHS) to answer an incoming call.
The Bluetooth technology is a low-cost, low-power and short-distance wireless communications technology, and can be widely applied to any personal mobile communications equipment. Making use of the function of wireless transmission, Bluetooth wireless earphones, portable mobile phone watches, and communication devices directly worn on a finger can be designed. These products not only can accomplish wireless transmission, but also can provide the functions of being online and sending and receiving e-mails.
There are various commercial Bluetooth earphones. They are generally matched with Bluetooth mobile phones in application. Through the Bluetooth communications technology, incoming voice messages of a Bluetooth mobile phone can be wirelessly transmitted to a Bluetooth wireless earphone, and voice messages to be transferred can also be wirelessly transmitted to the Bluetooth mobile phone for emission of messages via the Bluetooth wireless earphone, thereby accomplishing full-duplex communications. However, a Bluetooth wireless earphone needs to match a Bluetooth mobile phone to accomplish voice communications, but can't receive incoming voice messages by itself.
One object of the present invention is to provide a wireless earphone with a built-in mobile communications module and a dial-up method of the same, wherein the built-in mobile communications module can receive incoming voice messages by itself to accomplish full-duplex communications.
The present invention provides a wireless earphone with a built-in mobile communications module and a dial-up method of the same. The mobile communications module is so small that it can be built in the wireless earphone for transmission or reception of voice messages. A digital signal processor (DSP) is used to process and control the transmission direction of voice messages. Incoming voice messages are processed by a voice transmission and encoding/decoding unit and then outputted via an earphone. A microphone is used to receive voice messages to be transferred, which are sent to the voice transmission and encoding/decoding unit and then processed by the DSP to control the transmission direction of voice messages and finally emitted out via the mobile communications module.
The present invention can make use of a wireless electronic dial-up device for dial up. A wireless communications module in the wireless earphone is used to receive a dial-up signal, which is then processed by the DSP to accomplish full-duplex communications through the built-in mobile communications module.
The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a communications architecture diagram for transceiving incoming signals of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram of a wireless earphone with a built-in mobile communications module of the present invention; and
FIG. 3 is an operation flowchart of a dial-up method of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, a wireless earphone 10 with a built-in mobile communications module can receive signals from a station 30 and send signals to the station 30, and can also send and receive messages to and from a wireless electronic dial-up device.
As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless earphone 10 with a built-in mobile communications module can receive incoming voice messages by itself through the mobile communications module to accomplish full-duplex communications. The wireless earphone 10 with a built-in mobile communications module comprises a mobile communications module 16, a digital signal processor (DSP) 14, an earphone 18, a microphone 19 and a wireless communications module 12.
Please refer to FIG. 2. The mobile communications module 16 is connected to the DSP 14 to receive a first remote signal 22 and emit a first reply modulation signal 24.
When there is an incoming call, the mobile communications module 16 will receive the first remote signal 22 and send it to the DSP 14 for processing. After decoded by a voice transmission and encoding/decoding unit 142 in the DSP 14, the signal will be send out via the earphone 18 to be heard by the user.
As shown in FIG. 2, if the user wants to reply to the incoming call, the reply signal is transferred into the voice transmission and encoding/decoding unit 142 in the DSP 14 via the microphone 19. After encoded by the voice transmission and encoding/decoding unit 142, the reply signal will be transferred to the mobile communications module 16, which will then emit the first reply modulation signal 24 to a remote station 30 shown in FIG. 1.
The wireless earphone 10 with a built-in mobile communications module of the present invention can thus accomplish full-duplex voice communications. The above mobile communications module 16 can be a personal handyphone system (PHS) module or a code division multiple access (CDMA) module.
Please refer to FIG. 2 again. The wireless earphone 10 with a built-in mobile communications module can make use of the wireless communications module 12 therein to accomplish full-duplex communications with an external wireless communications device.
When there is an incoming call, the wireless communications device will receive the incoming call and wirelessly send to the wireless communications module 12. After processed by the DSP 14 and decoded by the voice transmission and encoding/decoding unit in the DSP 14, the incoming call will be sent out via the earphone to be heard by the user.
As shown in FIG. 2, if the user wants to reply to the incoming call, the reply signal is transferred into the voice transmission and encoding/decoding unit 142 in the DSP 14 via the microphone 19. After encoded by the voice transmission and encoding/decoding unit 142, the reply signal will be transferred to the wireless communications module 12, and a second reply modulation signal 26 will be obtained. The second reply modulation signal 26 is wirelessly transferred to the external wireless communications device via the wireless communications module 12 to accomplish full-duplex voice communications. The above wireless communications module 12 can be a Bluetooth communications module, and the wireless communications device can be a Bluetooth mobile phone or a Bluetooth personal digital assistant (PDA).
As shown in FIG. 3, the operation flowchart of a dial-up method of the wireless earphone with a built-in mobile communications module of the present invention comprises the following steps. First, a wireless electronic dial-up device is used to send digital data (S100). The digital data are then received by a built-in wireless communications module of the present invention to generate a digital signal (S102). Next, a DSP is used to process the digital signal to generate a control signal (S104). Finally, a mobile communications module is controlled to accomplish full-duplex communications (S106).
As shown in FIG. 2, in the flowchart of the present invention, a wireless electronic dial-up device is used to wirelessly send a second remote signal 20 to the wireless communications module 12. The wireless communications module 12 receives the second remote signal 20 and generates a digital signal. After the digital signal is processed by the DSP, a control signal is outputted. The control signal controls the mobile communications 16 to emit a call signal to the opposite side. Until the opposite side answers the call, full-duplex voice communications can then be accomplished with the earphone and the microphone.
To sum up, a wireless earphone with a built-in mobile communications module and a dial-up method of the same can make use of the mobile communications module accomplish the function of answering an incoming call by itself without the need of a wireless mobile phone. When one wants to call another person, a wireless electronic dial-up device (e.g., a wireless mobile phone, a wireless keyboard, a wireless indoor telephone and so on) can be used to accomplish full-duplex communications.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof. Various substitutions and modifications have been suggested in the foregoing description, and others will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, all such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Previous Patent: Slide-type mobile communication terminal
Next Patent: STRUCTURE OF A FOLDER-STYLE MOBILE PHONE
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Mixture of alkaline earth metal thiogallate green phosphor and sulfide red phosphor for phosphor-converted LED
A device and method for emitting output light of a desired color utilizes green-emitting Thiogallate phosphor material and red-emitting SrCaS:Eu phosphor material to convert some of the original light emitted from a light source of the device to a longer wavelength light in order to produce the desired output light. The green-emitting Thiogallate phosphor material includes at least one of CaGa2S4:Ce phosphor and BaGa4S7:Eu phosphor. The device and method can be used to produce white light or other mixed color light using the light source, which may be a blue-green light emitting diode (LED) die.
Chua, Janet Bee Yin (Perak, MY)
Menkara, Hisham (Mableton, GA, US)
Summers, Christopher J. (Dunwoody, GA, US)
Ahmad, Azlida (Penang, MY)
Choo, Hwai Peng (Penang, MY)
257/98, 362/293
H01J1/62; F21V9/00; H01L33/50
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CANNING, ANTHONY J
Kathy Manke (Avago Technologies Limited 4380 Ziegler Road, Fort Collins, CO, 80525, US)
1. A device for emitting output light, said device comprising: a light emitting diode die that emits first light of a first peak wavelength in a blue-green wavelength range; and a wavelength-shifting region optically coupled to said light emitting diode die to receive said first light, said wavelength-shifting region including Thiogallate phosphor material having a property to convert some of said first light to second light of a second peak wavelength in a green wavelength range, said Thiogallate phosphor material including at least one of CaGa2S4:Ce phosphor and BaGa4S7:Eu phosphor, said wavelength-shifting region further including SrCaS:Eu phosphor material having a property to convert some of said first light to third light of a third peak wavelength in a red wavelength range, said first light, said second light and said third light being components of said output light.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein said wavelength-shifting region is a part of a lamp coupled to said light emitting diode die.
3. The device of claim 2 wherein said wavelength-shifting region is located at an outer surface of said lamp.
4. The device of claim 1 wherein said wavelength-shifting region is a lamp coupled to said light emitting diode die.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein said wavelength-shifting region is a layer of mixture coated over said light emitting diode die, said mixture including said Thiogallate phosphor material and said SrCaS:Eu phosphor material.
6. The device of claim 1 further comprising a reflector cup on which said light emitting diode die is positioned.
7. The device of claim 1 wherein at least one of said Thiogallate phosphor material and said SrCaS:Eu phosphor material of said wavelength-shifting region includes phosphor particles.
8. The device of claim 7 wherein said phosphor particles of one of said Thiogallate phosphor material and said SrCaS:Eu phosphor material have a silica coating.
9. The device of claim 7 wherein said phosphor particles of one of said Thiogallate phosphor material and said SrCaS:Eu phosphor material have particle size of less than or equal to 30 microns.
10. A method for emitting output light from a light emitting diode, said method comprising: generating first light of a first peak wavelength in a blue-green wavelength range; receiving said first light, including converting some of said first light to second light of a second peak wavelength in a green wavelength range using Thiogallate phosphor material and converting some of said first light to third light of a third peak wavelength in a red wavelength range using SrCaS:Eu phosphor material, said Thiogallate phosphor material including at least one of CaGa2S4:Ce phosphor and BaGa4S7:Eu phosphor; and emitting said first light, said second light and said third light as components of said output light.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein said receiving includes receiving said first light of said first peak wavelength at a wavelength-shifting region of said light emitting diode.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein said wavelength-shifting region is part of a lamp of said light emitting diode.
13. The method of claim 11 wherein said wavelength-shifting region is a lamp of said light emitting diode.
14. The method of claim 11 wherein said wavelength-shifting region is a layer of mixture coated over a light emitting diode die, said mixture including said Thiogallate phosphor material and said SrCaS:Eu phosphor material.
15. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one of said Thiogallate phosphor material and said SrCaS:Eu phosphor material includes phosphor particles.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein said phosphor particles of one of said Thiogallate phosphor material and said SrCaS:Eu phosphor material have a silica coating.
17. The method of claim 15 wherein said phosphor particles of one of said Thiogallate phosphor material and said SrCaS:Eu phosphor material have particle size of less than or equal to 30 microns.
Conventional light sources, such as incandescent, halogen and fluorescent lamps, have not been significantly improved in the past twenty years. However, light emitting diode (“LEDs”) have been improved to a point with respect to operating efficiency where LEDs are now replacing the conventional light sources in traditional monochrome lighting applications, such as traffic signal lights and automotive taillights. This is due in part to the fact that LEDs have many advantages over conventional light sources. These advantages include longer operating life, lower power consumption, and smaller size.
LEDs are typically monochromatic semiconductor light sources, and are currently available in various colors from UV-blue to green, yellow and red. Due to the narrow-band emission characteristics, monochromatic LEDs cannot be directly used for “white” light applications. Rather, the output light of a monochromatic LED must be mixed with other light of one or more different wavelengths to produce white light. Two common approaches for producing white light using monochromatic LEDs include (1) packaging individual red, green and blue LEDs together so that light emitted from these LEDs are combined to produce white light and (2) introducing fluorescent material into a UV, blue or green LED so that some of the original light emitted by the semiconductor die of the LED is converted into longer wavelength light and combined with the original UV, blue or green light to produce white light.
Between these two approaches for producing white light using monochromatic LEDs, the second approach is generally preferred over the first approach. In contrast to the second approach, the first approach requires a more complex driving circuitry since the red, green and blue LEDs include semiconductor dies that have different operating voltages requirements. In addition to having different operating voltage requirements, the red, green and blue LEDs degrade differently over their operating lifetime, which makes color control over an extended period difficult using the first approach. Moreover, since only a single type of monochromatic LED is needed for the second approach, a more compact device can be made using the second approach that is simpler in construction and lower in manufacturing cost. Furthermore, the second approach may result in broader light emission, which would translate into white output light having higher color-rendering characteristics.
The second approach can also be used to produce mixed color light other than white light, such as light of different shades of green, by using different fluorescent material and/or using different LED die. Thus, the fluorescent material is a critical component in creating a phosphor-converted LED that produce light of a desired color. However, the fluorescent materials currently used to convert original UV, blue or green light results in phosphor-converted LEDs having less than desirable luminance efficiency, light output stability and/or desired color.
In view of this concern, there is a need for a device and method for emitting output light of desired color using one or more fluorescent phosphor materials with high luminance efficiency and good light output stability.
A device for emitting output light in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes a light emitting diode die that emits first light of a first peak wavelength in a blue-green wavelength range and a wavelength-shifting region optically coupled to the light emitting diode to receive the first light. The wavelength-shifting region includes Thiogallate phosphor material having a property to convert some of the first light to second light of a second peak wavelength in the green wavelength range. The Thiogallate phosphor material includes at least one of CaGa2S4:Ce phosphor and BaGa4S7:Eu phosphor. The wavelength-shifting region further includes SrCaS:Eu phosphor material having a property to convert some of the first light to third light of a third peak wavelength in the red wavelength range. The first light, the second light and the third light are components of the output light.
A method for emitting output light in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes generating first light of a first peak wavelength in a blue-green wavelength range, receiving the first light, including converting some of the first light to second light of a second peak wavelength in the green wavelength range using Thiogallate phosphor material and converting some of the first light to third light of a third peak wavelength in the red wavelength range using SrCaS:Eu phosphor material, and emitting the first light, the second light and the third light as components of the output light. The Thiogallate phosphor material includes at least one of CaGa2S4:Ce phosphor and BaGa4S7:Eu phosphor.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrated by way of example of the principles of the invention.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a phosphor-converted LED in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C are diagrams of phosphor-converted LEDs with alternative lamp configurations in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D are diagrams of phosphor-converted LEDs with a leadframe having a reflector cup in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 4 is a CIE chart showing different color emissions produced by phosphor-converted LEDs in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 5 shows the optical spectrums of phosphor-converted LEDs with BaGa4S7:Eu and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 6 is a plot of luminance (lv) degradation over time for a phosphor-converted LED with BaGa4S7:Eu and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 7 shows the optical spectrum of a phosphor-converted LED with CaGa2S4:Ce and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 8 is a plot of luminance (lv) degradation over time for a phosphor-converted LED with CaGa2S4:Ce and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a method for emitting output light in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
With reference to FIG. 1, a phosphor-converted light emitting diode (LED) 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is shown. The LED 100 is designed to produce “white” or other mixed color output light with high luminance efficiency and good light output stability. The mixed color output light is produced by converting some of the original light generated by the LED 100 into longer wavelength light using Thiogallate phosphor material, which can convert some of the original light into green light, and SrCaS:Eu phosphor material, which can convert some of the original light into red light. The green-emitting Thiogallate phosphor material includes at least one of CaGa2S4:Ce phosphor and BaGa4S7:Eu phosphor.
As shown in FIG. 1, the phosphor-converted LED 100 is a leadframe-mounted LED. The LED 100 includes an LED die 102, leadframes 104 and 106, a wire 108 and a lamp 110. The LED die 102 is a semiconductor chip that generates light of a particular peak wavelength. Thus, the LED die 102 is a light source for the LED 100. In an exemplary embodiment, the LED die 102 is designed to generate light having a peak wavelength in a blue-green wavelength range of the visible spectrum, which is approximately 450 nm to 500 nm. The LED die 102 is situated on the leadframe 104 and is electrically connected to the other leadframe 106 via the wire 108. The leadframes 104 and 106 provide the electrical power needed to drive the LED die 102. The LED die 102 is encapsulated in the lamp 110, which is a medium for the propagation of light from the LED die 102. The lamp 110 includes a main section 112 and an output section 114. In this embodiment, the output section 114 of the lamp 110 is dome-shaped to function as a lens. Thus, the light emitted from the LED 100 as output light is focused by the dome-shaped output section 114 of the lamp 110. However, in other embodiments, the output section 114 of the lamp 100 may be horizontally planar.
The lamp 110 of the phosphor-converted LED 100 is made of a transparent substance, which can be any transparent material such as clear epoxy, so that light from the LED die 102 can travel through the lamp and be emitted out of the output section 114 of the lamp. In this embodiment, the lamp 10 includes a wavelength-shifting region 116, which is also a medium for propagating light, made of a mixture of the transparent substance and two types of fluorescent phosphor materials based on Thiogallate 118, which includes at least one of CaGa2S4:Ce and BaGa4S7:Eu, and SrCaS:Eu 119. The Thiogallate phosphor material 118 and the SrCaS:Eu phosphor material 119 are used to convert at least some of the original light emitted by the LED die 102 to lower energy (longer wavelength) light. The Thiogallate phosphor material 118 absorbs some of the original light of a first peak wavelength from the LED die 102, which excites the atoms of the Thiogallate phosphor material, and emits longer wavelength light of a second peak wavelength. In the exemplary embodiment, the Thiogallate phosphor material 118 has a property to convert some of the original light from the LED die 102 into light of a longer peak wavelength in the green wavelength range of the visible spectrum, which is approximately 520 nm to 540 nm. Similarly, the SrCaS:Eu phosphor material 119 absorbs some of the original light from the LED die 102, which excites the atoms of the SrCaS:Eu phosphor material, and emits longer wavelength light of a third peak wavelength. In the exemplary embodiment, the SrCaS:Eu phosphor material 119 has a property to convert some of the original light from the LED die 102 into light of a longer peak wavelength in the red wavelength range of the visible spectrum, which is approximately 625 nm to 740 nm. The second and third peak wavelengths of the converted light are partly defined by the peak wavelength of the original light and the Thiogallate phosphor material 118 and the SrCaS:Eu phosphor material 119. Any unabsorbed original light from the LED die 102 and the converted light are combined to produce mixed color light, which is emitted from the light output section 114 of the lamp 110 as output light of the LED 100.
The Thiogallate phosphor material 118 of CaGa2S4:Eu can be synthesized by various techniques. One technique involves using CaS and Ga2S3 as precursors. The precursors are ball-milled in a solution from the alcohol family, such as methanol, along with a small amount of Eu dopant, fluxes (Cl and F) and excess Sulfur. The amount of Eu dopant added to the solution can be anywhere between a minimal amount to approximately six percent of the total weight of all ingredients. The doped material is then dried and subsequently milled to produce fine particles. The milled particles are then loaded into a crucible, such as a quartz crucible, and sintered in a reduced and/or sulfur-rich atmosphere at around eight hundred degrees Celsius (800° C.) for one to two hours. The sintered materials can then be sieved, if necessary, to produce CaGa2S4:Eu phosphor powders with desired particle size distribution, which may be in the micron range.
The Thiogallate phosphor material 118 of BaGa4S7:Eu can also be synthesized by various techniques. One technique involves using BaS and Ga2S3 as precursors. The precursors are ball-milled in a solution from the alcohol family, such as methanol, along with a small amount of Eu dopant, fluxes (Cl and F) and excess Sulfur. The amount of Eu dopant added to the solution can be anywhere between a minimal amount to approximately six percent of the total weight of all ingredients. The doped material is then dried and subsequently milled to produce fine particles. The milled particles are then loaded into a crucible, such as a quartz crucible, and sintered in a reduced and/or sulfur-rich atmosphere at around eight hundred degrees Celsius (800° C.) for one to two hours. The sintered materials can then be sieved, if necessary, to produce BaGa4S7:Eu phosphor powders with desired particle size distribution, which may be in the micron range.
The SrCaS:Eu phosphor material 119 can also be synthesized by various techniques. One technique involves using SrS and CaS as precursors. The precursors are ball-milled in a solution from the alcohol family, such as methanol, along with a small amount of Eu dopant, fluxes (Cl and F) and excess Sulfur. The amount of Eu dopant added to the solution can be anywhere between a minimal amount to approximately six percent of the total weight of all ingredients. The doped material is then dried and subsequently milled to produce fine particles. The milled particles are then loaded into a crucible, such as a quartz crucible, and sintered in a reduced and/or sulfur-rich atmosphere at around one thousand degrees Celsius (1000° C.) for one to two hours. The sintered materials can then be sieved, if necessary, to produce SrCaS:Eu phosphor powders with desired particle size distribution, which may be in the micron range.
Each type of the above phosphor powders may be further processed to produce phosphor particles with a silica coating. Silica coating on phosphor particles reduces clustering or agglomeration of phosphor particles when the phosphor particles are mixed with a transparent substance to form a wavelength-shifting region in an LED, such as the wavelength-shifting region 116 of the lamp 110. Clustering or agglomeration of phosphor particles can result in an LED that produces output light having a non-uniform color distribution.
In order to apply a silica coating to phosphor particles, the sieved materials are subjected to an annealing process to anneal the phosphor particles and to remove contaminants. Next, the phosphor particles are mixed with silica powders, and then the mixture is heated in a furnace at approximately 200 degrees Celsius. The applied heat forms a thin silica coating on the phosphor particles. The amount of silica on the phosphor particles is approximately 1% with respect to the phosphor particles. The resulting phosphor particles with silica coating may have a particle size of less than or equal to thirty (30) microns.
After the desired phosphor materials 118 and 119 are synthesized, the phosphor materials can be mixed with the same transparent substance of the lamp 110, e.g., epoxy, and deposited around the LED die 102 to form the wavelength-shifting region 116 of the lamp. The ratio between the two different types of phosphor materials can be adjusted to produce different color characteristics for the phosphor-converted LED 100. The remaining part of the lamp 110 can be formed by depositing the transparent substance without the phosphor materials 118 and 119 to produce the LED 100. Although the wavelength-shifting region 116 of the lamp 110 is shown in FIG. 1 as being rectangular in shape, the wavelength-shifting region may be configured in other shapes, such as a hemisphere, as shown in FIG. 3A. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the wavelength-shifting region 116 may not be physically coupled to the LED die 102. Thus, in these embodiments, the wavelength-shifting region 116 may be positioned elsewhere within the lamp 110.
In FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C, phosphor-converted LEDs 200A, 200B and 200C with alternative lamp configurations in accordance with an embodiment of the invention are shown. The phosphor-converted LED 200A of FIG. 2A includes a lamp 210A in which the entire lamp is a wavelength-shifting region. Thus, in this configuration, the entire lamp 210A is made of the mixture of the transparent substance and the Thiogallate and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials 118 and 119. The phosphor-converted LED 200B of FIG. 2B includes a lamp 210B in which a wavelength-shifting region 216B is located at the outer surface of the lamp. Thus, in this configuration, the region of the lamp 210B without the Thiogallate and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials 118 and 119 is first formed over the LED die 102 and then the mixture of the transparent substance and the phosphor materials is deposited over this region to form the wavelength-shifting region 216B of the lamp. The phosphor-converted LED 200C of FIG. 2C includes a lamp 210C in which a wavelength-shifting region 216C is a thin layer of the mixture of the transparent substance and the Thiogallate and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials 118 and 119 coated over the LED die 102. Thus, in this configuration, the LED die 102 is first coated or covered with the mixture of the transparent substance and the Thiogallate and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials 118 and 119 to form the wavelength-shifting region 216C and then the remaining part of the lamp 210C can be formed by depositing the transparent substance without the phosphor materials over the wavelength-shifting region. As an example, the thickness of the wavelength-shifting region 216C of the LED 200C can be between ten (10) and sixty (60) microns, depending on the color of the light generated by the LED die 102 and the desired output light.
In an alternative embodiment, the leadframe of a phosphor-converted LED on which the LED die is positioned may include a reflector cup, as illustrated in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D. FIGS. 3A-3D show phosphor-converted LEDs 300A, 300B, 300C and 300D with different lamp configurations that include a leadframe 320 having a reflector cup 322. The reflector cup 322 provides a depressed region for the LED die 102 to be positioned so that some of the light generated by the LED die is reflected away from the leadframe 320 to be emitted from the respective LED as useful output light.
The different lamp configurations described above can be applied other types of LEDs, such as surface-mounted LEDs, to produce other types of phosphor-converted LEDs with Thiogallate and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials 118 and 119 in accordance with the invention. In addition, these different lamp configurations may be applied to other types of light emitting devices, such as semiconductor lasing devices, to produce other types of light emitting device in accordance with the invention. In these light emitting devices, the light source can be any light source other than an LED die, such as a laser diode.
Turning now to FIG. 4, a Commission Internationale d'Eclairage (CIE) chart is shown. The CIE chart shows the color of output emissions 424, 426, 428 and 430 from four phosphor-converted LEDs in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The output emissions 424 were produced using a phosphor-converted LED with fifty-five percent (55%) of CaGa2S4:Ce and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials (9:1 ratio) relative to epoxy and a phosphor-converted LED die with excitation wavelength (peak wavelength) of 460 nm. The output emissions 426 were produced using a phosphor-converted LED with sixty-five percent (65%) of BaGa4S7:Eu and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials (5:1 ratio) relative to epoxy and a phosphor-converted LED die with excitation wavelength of 460 nm. The output emissions 428 were produced using a phosphor-converted LED with sixty-five percent (65%) of BaGa4S7:Eu and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials (7:3 ratio) relative to epoxy and a phosphor-converted LED die with excitation wavelength of 468 nm. The output emissions 430 were produced using a phosphor-converted LED with sixty-five percent (65%) of BaGa4S7:Eu and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials (7:3 ratio) relative to epoxy and an LED die with excitation wavelength of 460 nm.
The CIE chart of FIG. 4 indicates that various mixed color light can be obtained by adjusting the ratio of green-emitting Thiogallate phosphor material to red-emitting SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials and/or using an LED die with different excitation wavelengths. As an example, the mixed color light of greenish color or reddish color can be obtained. Greenish color may include apple green lime green, aqua, sea green, grass green, peak green, etc. Reddish color may include light rose, hot pink, deep pink, crimson, mauve, burgundy, maroon, etc.
Turning now to FIG. 5, optical spectrums 532 and 534 of phosphor-converted LEDs in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is shown. The phosphor-converted LED associated with the optical spectrum 532 was made using sixty-five percent (65%) of BaGa4S7:Eu and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials (5:1 ratio) relative to epoxy and an LED die with excitation wavelength of 460 nm. The phosphor-converted LED associated with the optical spectrum 534 was made using sixty-five percent (65%) of BaGa4S7:Eu and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials (7:3 ratio) relative to epoxy and an LED die with excitation wavelength of 468 nm. The optical spectrum 532 includes a first peak wavelength 536 at around 460 nm, which corresponds to the excitation wavelength, a second peak wavelength 538 at around 545 nm, which is the peak wavelength of the light converted by the BaGa4S7:Eu phosphor material, and a third peak wavelength 540 at around 645 nm, which is the peak wavelength of the light converted by the SrCaS:Eu phosphor material. The resulting color of the optical spectrum 532 is greenish-white. Similarly, the optical spectrum 534 includes a first peak wavelength 542 at around 468 nm, which corresponds to the excitation wavelength, a second peak wavelength 544 at around 550 nm, which is the peak wavelength of the light converted by the BaGa4S7:Eu phosphor material, and a third peak wavelength 546 at around 645 nm, which is the peak wavelength of the light converted by the SrCaS:Eu phosphor material. The resulting color of the optical spectrum 534 is pinkish-white.
FIG. 6 is a plot of luminance (lv) degradation over time for a phosphor-converted LED made using sixty-five percent (65%) of BaGa4S7:Eu and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials (5:1 ratio) relative to epoxy and an LED die with excitation wavelength of 460 nm in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As illustrated by the plot of FIG. 6, the luminance properties of the phosphor-converted LED experience little change over an extended period of time while being exposed to high intensity light, i.e., the light emitted from the semiconductor die of the LED. Thus, the BaGa4S7:Eu and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials used in the LED has good resistance against light. This resistance to light is not limited to the light emitted from the semiconductor die of an LED, but also any external light, such as sunlight including ultraviolet light. Thus, LEDs in accordance with the invention are suitable for outdoor use, and can provide stable luminance over time with minimal color shift.
Turning now to FIG. 7, an optical spectrum 748 of a phosphor-converted LED in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is shown. The phosphor-converted LED associated with the optical spectrum 748 was made using sixty-five percent (65%) of CaGa2S4:Ce and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials (9:1 ratio) relative to epoxy and an LED die with excitation wavelength of 460 nm. The optical spectrum 748 includes a first peak wavelength 750 at around 460 nm, which corresponds to the excitation wavelength, a second peak wavelength 752 at around 535 nm, which is the peak wavelength of the light converted by the CaGa2S4:Ce phosphor material, and a third peak wavelength 754 at around 645 nm, which is the peak wavelength of the light converted by the SrCaS:Eu phosphor material.
FIG. 8 is a plot of luminance (lv) degradation over time for a phosphor-converted LED made using sixty-five percent (65%) of CaGa2S4:Ce and SrCaS:Eu phosphor materials (9:1 ratio) relative to epoxy and an LED die with excitation wavelength of 460 nm in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As illustrated by the plot of FIG. 8, the luminance properties of the phosphor-converted LED experience little change over an extended period of time while being exposed to high intensity light, i.e., the light emitted from the semiconductor die of the LED.
A method for producing output light in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is described with reference to FIG. 9. At block 902, first light of a first peak wavelength in a blue-green wavelength range is generated. The first light may be generated by an LED die. Next, at block 904, the first light is received and some of the first light is converted to second light of a second peak wavelength in the green wavelength range using Thiogallate phosphor material, which includes at least one of CaGa2S4:Ce phosphor and BaGa4S7:Eu phosphor. At block 904, some of the first light is also converted to third light of a third peak wavelength in the red wavelength range using SrCaS:Eu phosphor material. Next, at block 906, the first light, the second light and the third light are emitted as components of the output light.
Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, the invention is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts so described and illustrated. The scope of the invention is to be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents
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This section contains a large selection of original Art Nouveau posters by Alphonse Mucha and others, as well as an assortment of lobby cards from "Gone With the Wind" and "Singin' in the Rain", among others. Werner Graul's classic German movie poster for "Metropolis" is a rarely seen gem that is also part of this collection.
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Lobby card #7 for Cabaret starring Liza Mannelli (1972) (see 2961 through 2961_8 to view the other lobby cards from the movie) (Item 2961_7)
United Artists lobby card Posters
Lobby card for The Son of the Sheik starring Rudolph Valentino (1926) (Item 01395)
"Bieres de la Meuse" (Item 3316)
Mucha, Alphonse poster Prints, Posters
"Salon des Cent" - 1896 (from Les Maitres de L'Affiche) (Item 3319)
"Triner's Bitter Wine Tonic" - 1930 (Item 3596)
Mucha, Alphonse calendar Prints, Posters
Cover image to The Literary Digest vol. XXXVIL no. 16 (October 17, 1908) (Item 3597)
Mucha, Alphonse magazine cover Prints, Posters
"Salon des Cent" (Item 00943)
"Job" (Item 00977)
"Dusk" (Item 00996)
"Spring" (Item 00999)
"Dawn" (Item 00995)
"Summer" (Item 01000)
"Winter" (Item 01001)
"Autumn" (Item 01002)
"Flowers" (Item 01003)
"L'Annee Qui Vent" (Item 01013)
"Lorenzaccio" - from Les Maitres de L'Affiche (Item 01014)
"Gismonda" - from Les Maitres de L'Affiche (Item 01021)
"La Dame Aux Camelias" - from Les Maitres de L'Affiche (Item 01022)
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Content Copyright © 2020 Jim Halperin
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Fei Chok, lover of Finn has arrived on the planet Vasudha with Saskia Drakul, where they are captured by the human inhabitants of the Aayus canyon. They are about to be killed for body parts when Fei is saved by villager Seth, who has seen her tears. She is taken to the caves at the foot of the cliffs where Seth’s tribe lives, where she meets the Jananii, witch-queen of the canyon people. Within the cave network of the Aayus lives a strange society, evolved to survive the dangers of the canyon and the toxic Maru desert. The Jananii tests Fei by poisoning her with the blood of a giant scorpion. Fei is close to death when she sees the scorpion attacking children in one of the caves and gives up her life for them. It is a hallucination, but she passes the first test.
Saskia Drakul is tortured for information by her nephew Angelov. After, she is dropped into a scorpion pit where she is taken for food. As dusk approaches, Fei faces her third challenge and instinctively chooses the same burrow. She is the hook bearer but she has refused to wear the armour of the giant scorpion and after a long battle is stung, but does not die. The scorpion is captured and Fei is revered as Saskia is taken to the caves. The witch-queen sees Fei’s wound and tells her she is the new Jananii. As she dies, she reveals that she too has vampire blood.
At the back of Angelov Drakul’s mind is a constant fear of Finn Angmon, although Earth is over sixty light years away. Angelov selects the best of his fighters, Aruna and sends her on a mission to destroy Finn and bring back his mother. With Aruna’s help, Angelica is freed and regains her strength, massacring anyone in her way. Finn overcomes Aruna and makes her take him to where the portal is hidden and together they escape to Vasudha. Angelica joins her son in an uneasy truce. They force the vampire priests to grow a new pyramidal star ship, larger and more terrible than any other and designed to attack Earth.
Finn finds his way to the caves where the followers of the Jananii live, where he finds Saskia Drakul. She is no longer vampire asks his forgiveness before taking him to see Fei Chok and finally they are together. Finn teaches craftsmen from the villages and caves how to build kilns and make swords, then takes Fei into the desert and summons the giant scorpions to carry them to war. The army marches upon the pyramids with thousands of men and women armed with longbow and katana and at their front are the mighty scorpions. Riding on the largest is Finn, transformed into the Vorkha werewolf. After a titanic battle, Angelica must face Finn in the blue pyramid as it races Earthwards, arriving over London. She flees from him and he chases her through the labyrinth of the pyramid until she falls to Earth and Finn follows, but Angelov is killed by Saskia Drakul and the ship returns to Vasudha.
In London, Finn defeats Angelica but is too weak from his injuries to escape. Harry Penn has them both imprisoned and experimented on for many years. Finn remains trapped in the Vorkha body whilst Angelica’s living remains are used for a new form of genetics that will ultimately destroy human society…
Seth Bowmaker lay on the edge of a dune high above the surrounding desert, almost invisible in his sand-spun cloak. His lips moved as he prayed.
“Jananii, mother of Vasudha, creator of white magic, bless your children and keep them safe. Protect us from the tantuna that crushes, the living sand that devours and the obyri that steal our children in the night. Protect my Sorna and our baby, I beg you. Jananii, hear my prayer.”
The wind blew his words away, drowning them in the hiss of sand. He clutched his tantuna-sting knife and wished he could plunge it into Angelov Drakul’s black heart. The treasured weapon was deep red and curved like a tusk, the inside edge sharp enough to shear through bone. On the side was carved the image of the warrior-god Yamala riding upon his scorpion, a mighty bow raised to fire. The green paint representing Yamala’s wolf eyes had chipped off and Yamala was long gone, only existing in the imagination of the storytellers. If such a God had really existed, why would he allow his followers to be tortured and slaughtered? Why would he have allowed gentle, beautiful Sorna to be taken, and her unborn child? One of the planet’s two suns was already halfway over the horizon. Gura Tapana was a bloated red ball, impossibly big and its surface was mottled with sickness. Alpa Tapana was little more than a pinprick of the fiercest white and too bright to look at, following its cousin into darkness. Eeka, Yamala and Trih gradually appeared in the sky but this was no time for wonder or worshipping the three moons. Now was a time of horror and darkness, a time when life lost all meaning and death was welcome, and death was everywhere in the Maru.
Seth had known it since he was old enough to remember, and the one lesson dinned into his head over and over, was survival. Almost every lesson he had attended at school, which consisted of a ring of children seated in a cave, had been about hunting, hiding and killing. Hiding had been necessary when dealing with the giant desert tantuna that could drive its sting right through the body so it came out the back, or crush a man in half with one of its pincers. The mantis preferred to crush the skull in order to eat the brains, whereas the vampires that lived in the huge pyramid preferred children to any other prey. They stole the unwary and would eat them alive or worse still, keep them as slaves. As he grew older, Seth learned about legends and the gods of the three moons that looked over them. Yamala was the greatest of all and rode a legendary tantuna, but no longer looked upon his children because of some great wrong they had committed, and he had taken his protection away from them. Life was not all about hiding, hunting and killing. It was also about retribution, paying for the unknown sin so that their protector would return.
According to their witch-queen the Jananii, the unknown sin was being human, born with compassion and all else that made them different from their persecutors. Being human was the absence of vampire poison but why that was a sin remained beyond Seth. He was a lawbreaker and should the Jananii find out what he had done, he would surely be fed to the sands. When Sorna was captured, he knew it was punishment just as every death was deserved. It should have been him, but they took Sorna so he would suffer.
Seth shielded his eyes and scanned the horizon anxiously, looking for a miracle but the Jananii would do nothing to save the ones who had been taken. It was part of the unspoken deal in which the Aayus providing a supply of victims in return for survival. Several miles away a tornado weaved drunkenly, surrounded by a thick haze of brown as it sucked up tons of jiivaa-infected sand and spat them out. The distant roaring grew louder but Seth took no notice and the cone died abruptly, collapsing in a dark column. Veils of yellow washed towards him, raining sand. The pyramid floated above the silver heat haze and within were thousands of the hated grey creatures. People used to say the giant pyramid could travel to the moons and even beyond to the furthest worlds and now he could believe it. The thing looked like it had been made from solid water, reflecting the fast moving ceiling of cloud that streamed either side. People also said it was dying. Fragments of its strange crystal skin had broken away and the scars had been unable to heal. The other two pyramids were in a worse state and the top of one had been sheared away during the first Zilon war, but the pyramids were bound with a dark magic beyond the imagination of humankind. Every few seconds, bursts of light exploded from the peak of the giant pyramid, bleaching the sky. The thunder was a deep thud-thud, shaking the ground like a pile driver. Seth’s heart already ached with the pain of loss to come. The hand that gripped the knife was white to the knuckles. He knew what the lightning meant – the vampire goddess was hungry. He closed his eyes in prayer. “Let it be soon, Yamala”, he prayed. “Let it be quick. Let not the innocent baby suffer, hear my prayer.” In his heart he knew that Yamala was far away. Why should he care about Seth and his pitiful family?
As if in answer, a shockwave of fear radiated outwards from the pyramid and raced across the dunes and the pit traps of the tantuna, onwards into the vastness of the Maru. Seth clapped his hands to his ears to ease the pain. Even the tantuna would be cowering deep in their tunnels when they felt the intensity of that shrieking cry and their glistening, dark brown carapaces would turn the colour of sand. A solitary bird fell to the sand nearby, the stick-thin legs kicking their last. It was a flycatcher from the Aayus that had wandered too far from home, the long yellow bill spoiled with crimson. The sound rose ever higher until it passed out of range and died away, followed by an unnatural silence. Seth wiped the sweat from his skin and took a shuddering breath, waiting for his wife and unborn son to be butchered.
The slope in front was steep and smooth, plunging hundreds of metres onto the foot of the next dune and the valley he had chosen was pitted by conical sand traps. At the centre of each one lay a black hole, ridged around the edge where the grains had been cemented by vamati, saliva of the desert tigers. The holes looked like gaping mouths to Seth as he strained to breathe. To venture beyond the edge of any of the craters would result in a sand-slide ending in a lingering death, but to set foot on the sand without wearing vamati on the skin would kill just as surely. The gentle breeze carried the stench of rotting flesh and he wondered which friends had been trussed up in the dark, cool tunnels. Sometimes the prey of the tantuna could be heard screaming for days. Even the vampyra could not kill as slowly or painfully.
Seth watched and waited. Ribbons of sand writhed across the surface of the dunes. Somehow, the sand was inextricably linked to the vampires and also infested by jiivaa, the living magic of their blood. How easy it would be to roll down the slope until he was within one of the tantuna craters, but the shocking pain of their sting would be the coward’s way out. He had no right to let Sorna suffer by herself and so he would be with her until the end, sharing the pain as he shared her thoughts. He pulled up the scarf and narrowed his eyes against the sand and in desperation, prayed to Yamala whilst clutching the knife in his shaking hands. Death had been a member of his family as long as he could remember and his constant companion on each outing to the desert, whilst Yamala slept the endless sleep. The vampyra had stolen his sister and her husband, his father and his mother and soon enough he would plunge the knife into his own heart and the sand would bury him. Not long after, the jiivaa that bred below the surface would turn him into leather and bone. The hated shrieks rose up again as Seth pressed his hands over his ears and screamed for mercy.
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Giveaway and Book Review: Like I Used to Dance
5:00 AM Sarah Koves 0 Comments
The opinions here are 100% mine! This post contains affiliate links.
Like I Used To Dance
by Barbara Frances
“Oh, Grace, our kids,” laughed Bud. “Where did we go wrong? One marries God, another a Jew and the last one, the devil!”
Texas, 1951. The Wolanskis—Grace, Bud and their three grown children—are a close-knit clan, deeply rooted in their rural community and traditional faith. On their orderly farm, life seems good and tomorrow always holds promise.
But under the surface, it’s a different story. Grace is beset by dark memories and nameless fears that she keeps secret even from Bud. Their son Andy has said no to becoming a farmer like his dad and, worse, fallen in love with a big-city Jewish girl. Youngest child Regina is trapped in a loveless marriage to an abusive, alcoholic husband. Even “perfect” daughter Angela’s decision to become a nun takes an unforeseen turn.
And then Ceil Dollard breezes into town.
Ceil—wealthy, sophisticated, irrepressible—is like a visitor from Mars. She’s a modern woman. She drives a car and wears pants. She blows away tradition and certainty, forcing Grace to face her fears and brave a changing world. Through Ceil, Grace learns about courage and freedom—but at the risk of losing Bud.
Barbara Frances’ sparkling, richly human novel takes you back to a time when Ike was president and life was slower, but people were the same as now. You’ll encounter a cast of characters storm-tossed by change, held together by love. Written with compassion, humor and suspense, Like I Used to Dance will charm you, warm you and even squeeze a few tears, from its opening number to the last waltz.
A family with its own problems like every other family in America. A period tale with a family that reminded me of This is Where I Leave You and Trail of Broken Wings. This emotional tale has a family of characters that are well-developed and interesting to discover; the journey of each one of them adding to the story as a whole.
Your emotions will be pushed to the happiest and saddest of limits over the course of this novel, and I always get way more emotional over books than movies. The characters and emotions combined with a simpler time means I was drawn in from the first line to the last dance. Courage and change are awaiting.
While this is not a book that I would teach or use with my students, it was the perfect spring break read.
Ceil had brought over a bottle of wine and some fancy cheeses. Grace felt like a celebrity. She asked Bud and Ceil to sit on the couch in the parlor. Slowly and carefully she furled the bed sheet from the easel revealing the newly dried canvas. It was a painting she had copied from an old black and white photo of the children.
Nine-year-old Andy stood on the creek bank with his little fishing pole while ten- year-old Angela held a wriggly worm for him. To the side and in the background five-year-old Regina looked on with awe at her older siblings.
There was a long moment of silence before Bud could catch his breath. “I’ve never felt anything like this. I’m… It touches my heart,” he said and began to applaud. Ceil joined in. Grace couldn’t remember such joy flooding over her, not even when her children were born. The wine was opened and for the first time in her life Grace got tipsy over the course of the evening. Sitting between Bud and Ceil, she hugged one and then the other like a child who had been away from its mom and dad for several days.
“Ceil, I know I promised you my first painting,” she said, slurring her words, “but this one’s for Bud. I hope you don’t mind.” Bud kissed her on the cheek. He felt like a prince.
Ceil paused with a serious expression on her face. “Well, I guess I’ll have to take back all the brushes, canvases and stuff I got you.” Laughter sailed through the open windows.
A few days later, Regina dropped by and stood for a long time silently taking in Grace’s painting. Grace marveled at how pretty she was these days. She was regaining her health and an interest in her appearance. Finally, Regina said softly, “You paint like I used to dance.”
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Barbara Frances has plenty of stories and a life spent acquiring them. Growing up Catholic on a small Texas farm, her childhood ambition was to become a nun. In ninth grade she entered a boarding school in Our Lady of the Lake Convent as an aspirant, the first of several steps before taking vows. The Sisters were disappointed, however, when she passed up the habit for the University of North Texas, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and Theater Arts.
Her professors were similarly disappointed when she passed up a postgraduate degree to become a stewardess for American Airlines. Barbara, however, never looked back. “In the Sixties, a stewardess was a glamorous occupation.” Some highlights include an evening on the town with Chuck Berry and “opening the bar” for a planeload of young privates on their way to Vietnam.
Barbara eventually returned to Texas and settled down. Marriage, children, school teaching and divorce distracted her from storytelling, but one summer she and a friend coauthored a screenplay. “I never had such fun! I come from a family of storytellers. Relatives would come over and after dinner everyone would tell tales. Sometimes they were even true.”
The next summer Barbara wrote a screenplay on her own. Others followed, including Two Women, a finalist in the 1990 Austin Screenwriters Festival. Three more were optioned: Silent Crossing, The Anniversary and Sojourner Truth. Barbara left teaching and continued to work on her screenplays. In 1992, exhausted by endless rewrites she did something many screenwriters threaten but few carry out. She turned down an option renewal, done forever with writing—or so she thought.
It was not to be. One day a friend’s child found and read Lottie’s Adventure, her script for a children’s movie. At her young fan’s urging, Barbara turned it into a book, published by Positive Imaging, LLC, her husband Bill’s press. For Like I Used to Dance Barbara drew upon childhood memories and “front porch stories.” Her next novel, Shadow’s Way, is a “Southern Gothic tale” about a woman caught in the struggle to keep her beloved plantation home from a scheming archbishop.
Barbara and her husband Bill Benitez live in Austin, Texas.
She can be reached at:
barbfrances2006@yahoo.com
Saturday Morning Coffee
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Author Interview: Julie Roberts and The Wow Factor...
Teaching Overseas #3: ESL in Asia
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Teaching Overseas #2: Mumbai, India
Giveaway and Book Promotion: The Glittering Court
True Colors Book Promotion and Giveaway
Four New Classroom Necessities
Planning for a Sweet Sixteen
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Merchants Of Air
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Suffering - Chaosatanas
'No Morality, No Tolerance, No Human, No God', that's the credo of this Polish black metal act. Fueled by nihilism, misantropy and occultism, this trio has released a crushing debut e.p. According to the biography the album was recorded during the full moon nights in June and July of 2012. This can actually explain the aggressive and dark nature of this album. If people really are more aggressive during full moons, metal bands should follow Suffering's example and record only then.
The band exists since 2007 but faced a few creative differences with former members. This resulted in a delay in recording and releasing this debut. After the problems were dealed with, founding and remaining members Armagedon and Astaroth decided to finally get this stuff on CD. They were absolutely right to do so because this has become one hell of a debut.
Suffering offers no intro, they just start blastbeating the hell out of the listener and that eternal damnation lasts for almost half an hour. They don't seem to care about a modern sound, lengthy instrumental passages or elaborate keyboard soundscapes. No, they want your soul and they're smashing your head to pieces to get it. Blastbeats are more furious and guitars are colder than in most black metal bands these days. Vocals are awesome, perfectly mixed into the music.
'I'm the existence' takes a step back. It's a slow song but in no way less intense. The double bass is vicious, drilling bleeding holes in every body part you can imagine. The atmosphere is bleak and frightening. The drums are amazing on this album, very intense and powerful, at moments almost mechanical or at least inhuman. The whole really reminds me of the Scandinavian scene of the nineties with bands like Impaled Nazarene or Beherit. Yet, the sheer speed of most of the tracks is astonishing.
If we have to talk about influences, well, let's just say the only influence seems to be old school black metal. Suffering takes the genre to an even more extreme level than I'm used to and it's simply stunning. Picking favourites is not easy, I love the previously mentioned 'I'm the existence' for its atmosphere but 'Essence Of Sin' and 'Frozen Faith' are equally awesome. I'll just go with the closer 'Ofiara', an epic piece that combines all the qualities of the other songs.
This has got to be one of Satan's favourites....
Serge_
Neo Folk
Neo-folk
Noise-rock
minds
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U.N., U.S. Targets of Major Cyber Spying Campaign
Over 70 organizations including the United Nations and major U.S. defense groups have been targets of a global cyber spying effort, according to security firm McAfee, with analysts pointing to China as the culprit, the Washington Post said Wednesday.
Targets for the intrusions -- identified from logs tracked to a single server -- included computer networks of the United Nations secretariat, a U.S. Energy Department lab, and some dozen U.S. defense firms, said the McAfee report to be released Wednesday, according to the Post.
Troubled Waters Dispute between Lebanon, Israel Heats Up
A dispute between Lebanon and Israel over their maritime boundary has heated up and sparked fears of conflict as both countries move to assert sovereignty over an area potentially rich in gas.
Tension rose last month after Israel's cabinet approved a map of the country's proposed maritime borders with Lebanon and submitted it to the United Nations, which has been asked to mediate.
French Debate over Decreasing Size of Contingent in UNIFIL
France might decrease its presence in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) after the attack that targeted its contingents in the southern city of sidon, An Nahar newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Three French U.N. peacekeepers were wounded last week in a roadside bombing near Sidon, and another three suffered hearing problems.
Security Council Struggles with Syria Crisis
The U.N. Security Council struggled Tuesday through negotiations on how to respond to the Syria crisis that Russia's envoy warned was veering toward civil war.
Divisions remained among the 15 nations on the wording of any condemnation of President Bashar Assad's crackdown on protests and whether it should be a formal resolution or a less weighty statement.
Israel Crosses Technical Fence Again, Files Complaint with U.N.
An Israeli ten-member patrol entered 30 meters deep into Lebanese territories near the southern town of Mais al-Jabal 24 hours after a shooting incident between the two sides, pan-Arab daily al-Hayat reported Wednesday.
The newspaper said that the patrol crossed the technical fence and entered the area around 1:30 pm Tuesday. It stayed there for around half an hour after searching olive groves.
Security Council Meets Again on Syria, Ban Says Assad 'Lost All Humanity'
The U.N. Security Council began a second day of talks on Syria Tuesday after President Bashar al-Assad's tanks shelled the protest hub of Hama on the opening day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
At least 24 civilians were reported killed across the country on Monday, among them 10 during protests after special evening prayers, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights chief Rami Abdul Rahman said.
Miqati Urges U.N. to End Israeli Violations, Says Lebanon Will Defend its Rights
Prime Minister Najib Miqati expressed fear on Tuesday over the ongoing Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty, urging the United Nations to demand Israel to implement Security Council resolution 1701.
Miqati stressed after meeting with U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams that Lebanon will defend its rights and protect its sovereignty with all the available means.
Williams: It's Imperative that Lebanese Govt. Take Firm Action on Recent UNIFIL Attack
United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Michael Williams, voiced on Tuesday his concern over the July 26 attack against French soldiers in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, revealing that it “generated very considerable concern in France and all the troop contributing countries.”
He said after holding talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati: “It is imperative that the Lebanese government take concrete and firm action on this.”
U.S., Israel Propose New Talks to Head Off U.N. Bid
Israel is willing to begin new peace talks using the 1967 lines as a basis for negotiations, if the Palestinians drop their U.N. membership bid, an Israeli government official confirmed on Tuesday.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official confirmed that Israel has been working with Washington and members of the international peace-making Quartet to draw up a new framework that could re-launch stalled talks.
Tensions High after Deadly Unrest in China
Tensions ran high in China's remote Kashgar city Tuesday after authorities shot dead two men suspected of fomenting deadly ethnic unrest and vowed a further crackdown on "religious extremists".
Police killed the men, both from the mainly Muslim Uighur minority that makes up around half the population of China's northwestern Xinjiang region, late Monday as they were trying to capture the pair, Kashgar authorities said.
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More than the capital of Lombardy, Italy, the region of Milan is perhaps one of the most exciting places in the world. Known for its famous museums, theaters, and landmarks, such as the Milan Cathedral, Sforza Castle, Leonardo da Vinci paintings, the site of two previous Universal Expositions as well as being a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to two of the world's major football teams (AC Milan and FC Internazionale), Milan is also the second largest populated Italian municipality, bustling with both professional opportunities in a multitude of industries and recreational activity for all. As a result, Milan attracts both seasoned professionals as well as students looking to embark on a career and build a life in the Italian municipality.
Nicknamed "the moral capital of Italy," Milan is a global city with booming industries in such industries as the arts, commerce, design, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, services, research, and tourism. As a result, Milan is also part of the Blue Banana, making it the third largest economy in the European Union thanks to its sizable gross domestic product, or GDP. The home of Italy's Stock Exchange as well as many national and international banks, Milan is aptly named the business district and epicenter of the Lombardy region, which hosts numerous opportunities and events in the fashion and design industries as well as academic and cultural. For up and coming professionals and prospective college students, adequate preparation is the only way to ensure both their academic success and professional success in the global city of Milan. Manhattan Review has the tools and resources to help students, just like you, to reach your goals, starting with getting into the best schools and programs that Milan has to offer.
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Marion Hume
The Fashion Business
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Tag Archives: Sydney Opera House
People, The Fashion Business
The Godfather – AFR Magazine
Adam WorlingAdele WeissAndrew GoldsmithAustraliaAustralian Chamber OrchestraBernie LeserCarla ZampattiCollette DinniganIta ButtroseJohn KaldorLe CorbusierNancy PilcherNaomi MilgromPeter WeissPringleRoyal College of MusicSydneySydney Opera HouseTabbererVillage LivingWeiss Art
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activewearAkira IsogawaAnna PlunkettAustralian Fashion WeekBespokeKym ElleryLuke SalesMaticevskiRomance was bornSydney Opera House
Bespoke, May 16th, Sydney Opera House; Opening Address
Good morning everyone.
Welcome aboard Bespoke.
As you took your seats, you saw a visual celebration of Australia’s raw luxuries.
We may not be Paris – the undisputed capital of fashion – we ARE right at the world’s luxury source.
Let’s start on Sydney Harbour. The Australian Financial Review is headquartered at Pyrmont, on land once sold for a gallon of rum to Captain James Macarthur.
Sailing on the Second Fleet, it was Captain James Macarthur who brought the first merino sheep to Australia.
Industrial architecture – the massive finger wharfs stretching out into the water – reminds us that this city – this nation – was built on a sheep’s back. Yet perhaps we overlook the vital role played by wool in fashion today.
Superfine suits by Zegna, Paul Smith, Burberry?
Always Australian.
Dion Lee reached the finals of the Woolmark awards in London, where one of the judges was Victoria Beckham, whose designs – in Australian superfine – have re-defined what women wear in the boardroom.
Our ancient island continent is rich indeed. For the wealthy woman in Shanghai considering the purchase of an Hermes Crocodile Birkin or the one in Paris who desires a Victoire de Castellaine opal ring from Dior; the trail starts here.
There’s Australian gold, sunburst yellow diamonds from Ellendale and from out beyond the tin-roofed town of Broome, in the sparkling Arafura sea; Pinctada maxima – the shells the size of dinner plates, south sea pearls lustrous to behold. These greenest of gems which thrive only in pristine waters – become jewelled creations by Paspaley, Kailis and Harry Winston and Tiffany & Co on New York’s Fifth Avenue.
Our mineral wealth inspires our artists. In 1983, Jenny Kee created Opal Oz which Karl Lagerfeld used in his first ready-to-wear collection for Chanel.
In 2007, Gloria Pet-yar-ee’s art became “Gloria’s Dream”, a silk scarf for Hermes.
Just a few weeks ago, Zegna revealed a collaboration with Dorothy Nap-an-gardi, whose artwork, Salt, was incorporated in to the menswear collection.
Then there’s the Argyle Diamond mine. Argyle’s peerless pinks find their way into the hands – or actually, the tweezers – of only the world’s finest jewellers – the Australians celebrated in the Beyond Rare brochure today – with others around the world including Chow Tai Fook in Beijing, Nirav Modi in Mumbai and Van Cleef & Arpels on Place Vendome… which takes us back, again, to Paris.
…A city which has its eye on us.
A few weeks ago, the world’s largest luxury group, LVMH – which is helmed by the richest man in France, Bernard Arnault – took a stake – through its investment arm – in RM Williams.
Some of my business colleagues at the AFR were perplexed. What could the chi-chic French want with work boots worn by everyone here, from the boss to a jackaroo?
One word – macho.
The French might have the lead on romance, but when it comes to footwear, a bloke wants to look like a bloke. The appeal is somewhat like our actors – Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Joel Edgerton, Sam Worthington, Jason Clark – we send em out tough and rugged.
Equally, Australia brands like RM Williams promise a deeply male authenticity, which, to the purveyors of luxury looking – especially – to sell menswear into China, is as desirable as our diamonds.
Akubra is not for sale. This family firm just turned 100 and the whispers are that the hatters of the Outback have exciting plans ahead. They certainly have unusual customers – the second biggest market for Australia’s celebrated hats? It’s … Tibet.
Might a brand go global from here? The best-known luxury brands trace their roots back to hard work; Louis Vuitton made steamer trunks, Thierry Hermes was a saddler. So why not one from the land of hard yakka?
Still, it’s got to be said, we’re pretty good at relaxing too – and creating sand-between-the-toes chic which labels – such as Zimmerman – export to the world.
Australia today has one of the world’s most robust economies, thanks largely to a resource not connected to the fashion world; iron ore.
Yet we also breed entrepreneurs who are focusing – not – on what we can sell over there, but on what – they – can buy over here.
I’m talking about a sophisticated focus on inbound tourism aimed in particular at top-tier Chinese visitors.
Their expenditure in Australia is expected to top $9 billion by 2020.
Our isolation of old has been replaced by a central position in the trade maps of a new world.
Global economies have shifted and Sydney is perfectly positioned as the modern metropolis-on-the-ocean.
And what does the tyranny of distance mean anymore, anyway?
In a scan-and-shop digital age?
The theme of Bespoke is creative collaboration. The Sydney Opera House is stunning example of what can be achieved when talents, from many disciplines, come together with a shared ambition to be outstanding.
Today, fashion has to be collaborative if it is to fly. The days of the designer issuing edits from an ivory tower are gone. This global industry thrives on partnerships. Yet we must not ignore new paradigms. Where we must be bold is in ways that make fashion more fair.
So what does Australian luxury mean?
To me, it is all about encapsulating how we live, how diverse we are, this vast land and the blue sea.
In the past few days, it’s been a joy to welcome our speakers from around the world and to watch them, falling in love, as I did when I first landed here in 1996.
“Why can’t I live here?”
“Why can’t I live by the water?”
They’ve been saying to me, “Why can’t I live like you do?”
Sydney is a shiny city of fresh thinking and new beginnings.
Literally – in that, every New Year’s Eve, the world turns in this direction and watches as fireworks on the Harbour Bridge illuminate the Opera House sails.
Our first speaker is the creative director of a brand which has a direct relationship to The Sydney Opera House.
Please welcome – in the brave and bold position of walking on first – Ana Maria Escobar, the Creative Director of Oroton Group.
Australian Financial Review MagazineBespokeConferencedebatesSummitSydney Opera Housetalks
BesPoke – AFR
Luxury summitSydneySydney Opera House
Journalist, Ethical Consultant and Screenwriter
About Marion Hume
Since 1985, Marion Hume has been a fashion journalist
writing for the UK, the USA and Australia.
For five years she was the
Senior Consultant for the
United Nations' ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative.
She is a consultant to luxury business clients on social and environmental ethics.
She is a speechwriter and
public speaker. She is a screenwriter and member of the WGA and WGGB.
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Copyright © 2018 · All Rights Reserved · Marion Hume
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Matliwala Public SchoolLeads to Light
LKG Admission -Final
Click here for LKG Merit list -2020-21
Learning is our Passion and success the fuel that drives it. About us: The Matliwala Public School which was started under the aegis of the Matliwala Education Society is situated on a pristine atmosphere on the banks of river Narmada at Bharuch, Gujarat. The school runs classes from LKG – XII offering both the commerce
The Matliwala Public School declares it’s Mission to instill in learners a sense of God and Human consciousness, a passion for acquiring Knowledge and a commitment to reach full potential throughout life. Towards attaining this we shall endeavour: To provide learning experiences which are holistic, heuristic, relevant, challenging, dynamic and fulfilling, aimed at a balanced
The Matliwala Public School has been established with the objective of promoting education among one and all. I personally believe that education in its true sense is a pre-requisite in enhancing the progress of mankind. The mission of the school is to make the students component for the modern world and at the same time
To me, the old, the infirm and the children are the loving forms of God. I wish to serve them with heart and soul. Empowering the new generation with modern education giving personal attention to every child, focusing on their intellectual, spiritual, social and physical formation is the basic idea behind the school. No resource is above human resource. Therefore, we can join hands to make our society a potential human resource hub. Give us your children, we will give you a complete human being.
Administrator’s Message
The Matliwala Public School has been established with the objective of promoting education among one and all. I personally believe that education in its true sense is a pre – requisite in enhancing the progress of mankind.
The mission of the school is to make the students competent for the modern world and at the same time shape their character righteously. Thus to ensure the dual objective, we have adopted CBSE syllabus on one hand and have introduced Islamic studies as an integral part in the course of studies in our school. Moreover, our students are getting an international exposure through the foreign teachers who visit our school every year.
The school wishes to reach out to those parents whose dreams of educating their children in English medium CBSE based schools remains just a dream because of the exorbitant fees charged in such types of schools. Our school, MPS, is an exception in this case as we have very moderate fees and moreover free schooling and free books are also provided if it is found necessary.
These are a few of the remarkable features of our school. We have a good team of teachers to guide the children towards their goal and we look forward to your co – operation dear parents, to make our mission successful.
Mr. Ishak Patel
Education, as rightly said, is the manifestation of knowledge acquired through the process of learning and if we aspire for our freedom its not the action but only the knowledge which can make us free. Since ages it has been observed that experience is the only teacher that guides an individual to address any problem with reason. With an aim to help the growing children to draw out the best in them and make it perfect for a noble use education at MPS is imparted. We ensure that every child associated with this school must remember the necessity of an absolute sincerity. The very motto of MPS is to fill the child with strength to tell the truth and walk on the righteous path believing in the certitude of Truth’s final victory. Children are taught to dare to come to truth even through hell. The other basic need of mankind is faith and while educating young minds utmost care is taken to teach them to trust the justice of nature. With a belief in the possibility of constant progress and the will to achieve several milestones can be measured without much strains. Education at MPS is a benchmark of progress even in adverse situation.
I bless all alumni of MPS for success in all their endeavours ahead………..
Check the school progress of Achivement of X and XII
MPS Information
School information as per cbse
APPLICATION FORM FOR FACULTY
Wanted educators for CBSE school for all the subjects and all the grades. graduates and post graduates with B.Ed.
© 2020 - Matliwala Public School. All rights reserved. by Neki infosys.
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About Us/ Services and Programs
Announcement - New Leaf Transition
We, the New Leaf Board of Directors are pleased to congratulate Cathy Grant on her promotion
to Co-Director and to Don Gunton on his promotion to 3/4 time employee. These promotions
are effective immediately. Cathy has been involved with the New Leaf Program in various
capacities for almost 17 years now, while Don has been involved on different levels including
serving on our Board and as volunteer, and most recently 1/4 time staff person for
approximately 7 years.
We would also like to extend a sincere thank you to Ron Kelly, Co-Director for his continuing
involvement with New Leaf for almost 25 years. Ron is currently moving to half time hours, to
assist staff, Board members, and the New Leaf program itself in making the transition to his
retirement in March of next year.
The Board is confident that that the quality service New Leaf provides will continue under the capable
hands of its current staff.
Changing Male Conversations Update
On Wednesday, March 2, 2016, Ron Kelly, New Leaf Program Director and Don Gunton, Counsellor/Co-facilitator, started the first in-school sessions of the Changing Male Conversations Pilot Project at West Pictou Consolidated School.
We are currently working with all the grade 7 males totaling 41 to date. We have chosen to work with them in three separate groups with each group lasting 1 hour. The young men seemed to be very open and willing to take part in this project.
The first sessions were a lot of fun and we are very much looking forward to the second session will is happening today where we will begin talking about healthy relationships. Thanks again to the United Way of Pictou County for their support in making this project happen, to West Pictou Consolidated School for all their work in making this possible and to the young males who are participating.
Changing Male Conversations (CMC) Pilot Project – Rolling out on Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Changing Male Conversations (CMC) Pilot Project – Rolling out on Wednesday, March 2, 2016
New Leaf would like to thank the United Way of Pictou County for their support and encouragement, as well as West Pictou Consolidated and North Nova for their support in getting our Changing Male Conversations Project this far.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016 New Leaf will be going into West Pictou Consolidated school to engage with young males on current issues related to how we have been socialized, providing information, generating discussions, and about making personal, individual choices that support healthy emotional development.
We look forward to keeping you posted!
Past News/ Announcements
Announcment
Changing Male Conversation
Group Facilitator
How Would You Like Your Daughter To Be Treated
How You Want To Be Known
New Leaf Board
New Leaf Cooks
New Leaf Transition
North Nova Education Centre
The 'Male Script'
T.O.N.E
United Way Of Pictou County
West Pictou
Your Personal Code
Home - About Us/ Services and Programs - History - Links - Contact - Blog © New Leaf 2014-2017 - Web Development by Christian Delorey
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Search results from 1 to 10 of 600 for source
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• The first casualty: Edgar Deems (Sunshine Parker) [credit: Universal Pictures ] It's been 30 years since the release of Tremors, an unabashed love letter to the B-movie creature features of the 1950s that remains as fresh today as it was three decades ago. The film is sheer perfection, and ranks among my personal favorite films of all time. As Ars' own Nathan Matisse wrote last year, "If B-movie horror with flashes of comedic brilliance and a few edge-of-your-seat scares interests you, viewers likely can't do much better than Tremors." (Major spoilers below, because it's been 30 years.) Writers S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock came up with the initial idea for Tremors in the early 1980s while making educational safety videos for the U.S. Navy. They climbed a desert boulder for a shot, and pondered what they would do if, for some reason, they were stuck there due to some outside force they eventually dubbed "Land Sharks." A friend of theirs, Ron Underwood, was a documentary director for National Geographic, ...
Read more ... Published 18 hours ago by Ars Technica (USA)
Categories: Culture/Cinema
SpaceX successfully completes its Dragon abort test
Enlarge / The Falcon 9 during the launch of the abort test. Today, SpaceX attempted a critical test of its ability to launch humans to orbit: the ability to get them away from the rocket if things go wrong. Shortly after liftoff, the company shut down the main engines of its Falcon 9 rocket, and fired off the system that's meant to return the crewed capsule safely to Earth. Everything about the flight appeared to have worked just as planned. The Dragon capsule accelerated away from its Falcon 9 launch vehicle, oriented properly, deployed parachutes, and splashed down successfully. Getting a capsule gently off a rocket in the midst of what might be a catastrophic failure is (as you might imagine) not a simple task. Engines on the capsule have to fire with sufficient power to cause the capsule to accelerate away from a rocket that may still be accelerating itself, all without subjecting the crew to excessive forces. Once free, the capsule has to jettison its service module, and then be oriented so its ...
Another 1 image ( show )
Whole story (78) Published 20 hours ago by Ars Technica (USA)
Categories: Science/Space
Apple TV+: Can it be saved before everyone's free trials run out?
Enlarge / When Apple TV+ landed on November 1, it did not include all of these original series, thanks to its "soft launch." (credit: Apple) When Apple TV+ launched in November 2019, it was the first of four major video-streaming services that would launch between then and May of the next year. It was also one of the riskiest of the set, coming from a company that had zero experience in creating entertainment. With the service's 90-day mark fast approaching, it's time to take Apple TV+'s temperature. And, yes, it's ice-cold. But is Apple TV+ really as dead in the water as it appears? And what do we expect for the rest of its first year? So many devices, so little excitement From the jump, Apple seemed an odd addition to a lineup of players, all of whom were already in the content-creation business. Apple has never been interested in producing its own fare so much as using others' content to promote its closed hardware ecosystem. But that hardware component was Apple's claim to enter the derby. The company ...
When Apple TV+ landed on November 1, it did not include all of these original series, thanks to its "soft launch."
Read more ... Published 21 hour ago by Ars Technica (USA)
Categories: IT/Companies/Apple
Enlarge / Because Mediterranean smooth clams live up to their name, their shells produce a cleaner cutting edge than others. (credit: Villa et al. 2020) There may be a little more evidence to suggest that Neanderthals waded, swam, and even dove to gather resources along the shores of the Mediterranean. A new study claims Neanderthals at a coastal cave in Italy waded or dove to get clamshells straight off the seafloor to make scraping tools. Swiping seashells straight from the seafloor? Neanderthals who lived at Grotta dei Moscerini around 100,000 years ago used the sturdy shells of Mediterranean smooth clams to make sharp-edged scraping tools. Clamshells wash up on beaches all the time, but University of Colorado archaeologist Paola Villa and her colleagues say that some of the worked shell tools at Moscerini look less like flotsam and more like someone scooped them off the seafloor while they were still fresh. Shells that wash ashore after their former tenants die usually show signs of sanding and ...
Whole story (4) Published 22 hours ago by Ars Technica (USA)
Enlarge / NBCUniversal kicks off its new Peacock streaming service on TODAY at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (credit: Nathan Congleton | Getty Images) This July, NBCUniversal and Comcast will launch a new streaming service, Peacock. (Xfinity cable customers will get an advanced version in April.) It will house NBC classics like Parks and Recreation, Frasier, and Law and Order: SVU, as well as a wide array of movies, reality shows, and current programming, including live events from the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. It will offer reboots of nostalgia-triggering shows like Saved by the Bell, Punky Brewster, and Battlestar Galactica. And of course, as there are now a ton of streaming television services competing for eyeballs in the US, NBC is also planning to roll out an ambitious lineup of originals to compete with rivals like Disney+, CBS All Access, and Quibi. To that end, it has ordered dozens of pilots and several full seasons of new shows to lure viewers into adding yet another paid subscription into their monthly ...
Another 2 images ( show )
Read more ... Published 1 day ago by Ars Technica (USA)
Categories: Business/Telecom/Cable
A Georgia election server was vulnerable to Shellshock and may have been hacked
(credit: Jason Riedy / Flickr) Forensic evidence shows signs that a Georgia election server may have been hacked ahead of the 2016 and 2018 elections by someone who exploited Shellshock, a critical flaw that gives attackers full control over vulnerable systems, a computer security expert said in a court filing on Thursday. Shellshock came to light in September 2014 and was immediately identified as one of the most severe vulnerabilities to be disclosed in years. The reasons: it (a) was easy to exploit, (b) gave attackers the ability to remotely run commands and code of their choice, and (c) opened most Linux and Unix systems to attack. As a result, the flaw received widespread news coverage for months. Patching on the sly Despite the severity of the vulnerability, it remained unpatched for three months on a server operated by the Center for Election Systems at Kennesaw State University, the group that was responsible for programming Georgia election machines. The flaw wasn't fixed until December 2, 2014, ...
Closeup photograph of a Georgia voter access card.
Whole story (3) Published 2 days ago by Ars Technica (USA)
Categories: Society/Criminal
Nemesis brings alien impregnation horror to your tabletop—and it works
Enlarge / The intruders are... unpleasant. (credit: Awaken Realms) Welcome to Ars Cardboard, our weekend look at tabletop games! Check out our complete board gaming coverage at cardboard.arstechnica.com. You're roused early from cold sleep. The ship's hibernatorium—and likely the remainder of the ship—is running on half power. There's a body nearby. More accurately, there's a body all over. For a moment, your sleep-fogged brain assumes somebody has splashed BBQ pork all over the floor and walls. Nope; that's the crew member who was supposed to be on watch while everyone else slumbered. Welcome to Nemesis, a board game with strong (but decidedly unofficial!) echoes of Ridley Scott's Alien. It raised millions on Kickstarter—but is it any good?
The intruders are... unpleasant.
Read more ... Published 2 days ago by Ars Technica (USA)
"Living concrete" is an interesting first step
Enlarge / The cyanobacteria in flasks contribute to the structure at right. (credit: Cell Press) It seems like every week, I can do an article on some interesting science that ended up buried under hyperbolic headlines and overly credible coverage. This week's victim is "living concrete." It only sort of exists, in that the material can either be living or concrete, but not really both. It doesn't heal itself either. But none of that means the publication has no merit, as it does show that the concept more or less works, and it identifies a number of areas that need further study in order for "living concrete" to actually become useful. La vida concrete The idea of mixing living things and concrete isn't quite as strange as it sounds. Part of concrete's strength comes from carbonates that are formed during the curing process. Lots of living things also produce structures made of carbonates; these include some very robust structures that are a mix of proteins and carbonates, like the shells of many aquatic ...
A $100 million investment pulls an EV startup out of stealth mode
Enlarge / Arrival's first model, due out later this year, can carry 500 cubic feet of stuff and cover 200 miles between charging stops. (credit: Arrival) Hyundai and Kia announced Thursday that they are investing $111.5 million in Arrival, a startup British automaker building electric delivery vans. The three companies will jointly develop vehicles and share know-how as Arrival scales up its operations and moves to put a vehicle on the market in the next few years. Arrival was founded in 2015 and has 800 employees, but until now the company has been in "stealth mode," revealing little about its business model or plans. But this deal is a sign it has been doing something right, says Michael Harley, an industry analyst with Kelley Blue Book. Major automakers rarely make such large investments in newly established companies. Moreover, Harley says Arrival is smart to target the commercial van market. Buyers who need fleets of vehicles care about reliability and durability, not style and leather seats, ...
Categories: Business/Startups
Smart homes will turn dumb overnight as Charter kills security service
Enlarge / A Charter Spectrum vehicle. (credit: Charter) Charter is killing its home-security service and telling customers that security devices they've purchased will stop working once the service is shut down on February 5. The impending shutdown and customers' anger at Charter—a cable company also known by the brand name "Spectrum"—has been widely reported over the past month. Over the years, some customers have spent large sums on products that will no longer work. One user posting on a DSLReports forum said they spent $1,200 on sensors and IP cameras, which will be essentially useless in a couple of weeks. The devices won't connect to other alarm-monitoring services, and Charter will no longer offer the ability to remotely manage the system and view security video. (We're guessing a Charter alarm would still be able to make loud noises when someone breaks into a house, but that doesn't mean it'll work with an alarm-monitoring service.)
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by jfko6
Forum: Military Videos
Topic: Saving Private Ryan Ending Scene
Saving Private Ryan Ending Scene
The final scene in which Private Ryan, as an older man [Ryan], sees the grave of Captain Miller and says to his wife, "tell me I've lived a good life" and "tell me I'm a good man."
U.S. Army, Infantry
Topic: A look back at Side By Side: A Celebration of Service
A look back at Side By Side: A Celebration of Service
Watch this brief recap video of the inaugural Side By Side: A Celebration of Service, presented by Northwell Health, held in New York City during Memorial Day Weekend 2019.
Topic: D-Day 75th Anniversary
The Normandy landings were the landing operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D-Day, it was the largest seaborne invasion in history. The operation began the liberation of G...
Topic: Returning to Normandy: The Richard D. Winters Leadership Monument Project (Trailer)
Returning to Normandy: The Richard D. Winters Leadership Monument Project (Trailer)
project Title: Returning to Normandy: The Richard D. Winters Leadership Monument Project Info: Trailer for the documentary short film Returning to Normandy: The Richard D. Winters Leadership Monument Project presented by SERKET USA, Inc. Featuring interviews with Easy Company "Band of Brothers" vete...
Topic: Platoon film -- Oh Susanna
Platoon film -- Oh Susanna
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i066Jm5R1tQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4qUpiNAjsg Platoon - 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition (Widescreen) http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BE8VJ2ETL._SS500_.jpg Platoon (Collector's Edition Steelbook) http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41AmSBlkn7L....
Topic: Platoon Collector Editions
Re: Platoon Collector Editions
Pvt. Taylor's early reflection on the boredom of war and his part in it. This is usurped by the closing scene montage (not shown here). Notice the welts on his face.
Topic: Rambo: Last Blood (2019 Movie) Teaser Trailer— Sylvester Stallone
Rambo: Last Blood (2019 Movie) Teaser Trailer— Sylvester Stallone
Rambo: Last Blood— In theaters September 20, 2019. Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Adrianna Barraza, Yvette Monreal, Genie Kim aka Yenah Han, Joaquin Cosio, and Oscar Jaenada
Topic: Blood Makes the Grass Grow: Conscientious Objectors and Gulf War
Blood Makes the Grass Grow: Conscientious Objectors and Gulf War
The film features several men and women who were among the 2,500 U.S. soldiers who sought to become conscientious objectors during the Gulf War. The stories of the objectors illuminate the transformations they underwent - from teenage recruits to responsible adults, willing to take a moral stand des...
Topic: Witness to War Documentary
Witness to War Documentary
Hard to Find Documentary. We should try and find this. I had trouble locating this media. Witness to War (Academy-award winning documentary film produced by David Goodman) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6Dz_NeZ3oo https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553050648/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative...
Topic: Soldiers of Conscience
Soldiers of Conscience
To kill or not to kill? Soldiers of Conscience is a powerful and balanced look at the choice a soldier makes when he finally must pull the trigger. In fact it's clear all soldiers wrestle with the morality of killing in war. It's a split-second decision in the heat of combat that can never be forgot...
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Before They Make It Big
Get the real story of entrepreneurship from the people doing it. Minding Your Business features owners, experts and organizations sharing personal stories, advice and essential business tips. Listen to the podcasts here or on iTunes.
Fair Labor Practices Around the World and at Home
Just like the importance of buying organic or free trade, it's of equal value to understand the people who make the products we buy. Wally Bell spent 12 years working for REI on compliance, and now he's a consultant who helps U.S. companies establish fair labor practices.
In a perfect world you shouldn't have to worry about how your stuff is produced.
Hear Wally explain some of the key problems and by way of example, we discuss Apple and Foxconn at length.
There has to be a decision within the company that labor compliance is important.
If you're wondering how you can produce your products fairly, you'll want to listen to the ideas and advice outlined in this interview.
04_21_12_myb.mp3
We're All About Small Business
Minding Your Business is produced and hosted by Robbin Block
Business Orgs
Blockbeta Marketing: A big picture approach to small business
Dempsee: free and low cost market research sources.
Copyright © 2011-2014, Block Media LLC. All rights reserved. Seattle, WA 206-335-5929
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Forum Index > Public Lands Stewardship > Long-term Perspective on Wildfires in the Western USA
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This is a very involved study of Wildfire in the Western United States from a multitude of inputs and references and including studies of the age of charcoals.
The analysis shows a strong relationship to both temperature and drought as well as the effects of humans, both Native Americans and modern Americans. It warns of the obvious effects of climate change that should push climate and fire activity well out of the range of the evidence of activity in the last 3000 years.
Long Term Perspective of Wildfires in the Western USA.
getting old
Location: kenmore
sounds joyous:
Consequently, there is now a forest “fire deficit” in the western United States attributable to the combined effects of human activities, ecological, and climate changes. Large fires in the late 20th and 21st century fires have begun to address the fire deficit, but it is continuing to grow.
man, you go through life, you try to be nice to people, you struggle to resist the urge to punch 'em in the face, and for what?
--- moe sizlack
The data in that paper clearly show a massive decrease in fire activity starting around 1900... despite rising temperatures.
The obvious conclusion is that an industrialized society decreases fires when it chooses to do so.
treeswarper
Alleged Sockpuppet!
Location: Don't move here
So, what else is new?
Forests in our area burn and always have.
What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities
John Morrow
Location: Roslyn
thunderhead wrote:
I, honestly, have no idea what you are trying to say here.
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”-Mary Oliver
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”
― MLK Jr.
I thought the paper addressed the whole ball of wax with great detail including, climate, fuel loads, and human caused and human intervention.
treeswarper wrote:
You obviously didn't read or didn't understand the paper. The paper did not address your political concerns, just data, and correlations.
Jake Neiffer
Location: Lexington, OR
Fire deficit? Here’s my perspective. I was on an Intial Attack crew for 4 summers. Heppner Ranger district, very dry in summer. Probably assigned to about 60 fires total, including a dozen in 1 weekend. Very few human caused, only remember one being so. None of these fires got big, none turned into project fires. In fact most were held to less than an 1/8 of an acre. Now imagine if just these 60 fires over 4 years had been allowed to burn. Expand that out to 100 years worth of suppression.
The author clearly states the correlation between wildfire and drought and temperature. A 40,000 acre fire is not going to help habitat restoration to a mosaic landscape. The forest will return to a monoculture and will be at risk once again in the future. There should be a big difference in fire management in drought and heat conditions versus more normal (historically) conditions.
Take the Cougar Fire as an example https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6053/
The current fighting force is 1008 persons. Sure glad the government has the money to employ 1008 persons instead of the few you suggest could have stopped the fire when it was small. But I don't mind the smoke, it is good for you. There surely won't be any health costs long term for breathing smoke year after year.
But your argument and mine are beside the point. This is about the paper; it should be informative. It is worth an open-eyed honest read.
The author clearly states the correlation between wildfire and drought and temperature.
The data presented does not support such a correlation once an industrial civ shows up and starts changing forest management.
I not suggesting fires can be stopped when small. I'm trying to say the impact made by suppression is enormous, and not in a good way. I don't think the authors of the paper disagree.
Fire suppression became common after the 1910 big fires, if you want to get specific.
I will not blame global warming, nor climate change as in my mind, we haven't had enough years to decide that for sure. (now don't get unhinged) We are having warmer seasons. Instead I will point out that:
A very burnable species of trees has a short life of about 80 years. Then it weakens and beetles attack, killing or weakening the trees and they burn up. That would be Lodgepole Pine. That species has adapted to that condition, and needs heat to open cones for seeding.
Forest management, which was financed by timber sale receipts is seldom possible on PNW forests. This began in the 1990s. Meantime we've got unhealthy, overstocked stands which burn easily. Trees compete for water and sunlight. Weak trees attract insects. Spruce budworm go after true firs and Douglas-fir. Bark beetles like many species.
Roads have been decommissioned or simply not maintained so access takes time. This might even affect spotting smokes before they grow.
The People Thing: Crews are more cautious, which is a good thing, afraid of being sued should anyone be killed, which is a bad thing, and there are fewer trained and qualified employees out there. I have pointed out that while at one time, 60 crewmembers could be sent from one ranger district. Now, even with combined districts maybe 20 people can be rounded up? I'm using the Gifford Pinchot NF for that example. There are fewer fire savvy folk out in the woods, both FS employees and loggers. The latter are required to carry fire tools and even have a cache of tools + fire wagon/truck on their job site. Meanwhile, the population of our state has grown and we have more brainless idiots out there starting fires.
It is normal for August to be hot and dry. It is normal to have forest fires in July, August, September and even in October. I will admit to not remembering smoke like this although I bet it was bad in the past. The Blue Mountains are an example. The name came from the blue smoke haze that settlers saw during the summer which hung over the mountains. I imagine our eastside Cascades were similar.
There are a lot of trees out there waiting to burn. We can either cut them or let them go up in smoke. Pretty simple. We have the science and the knowledge to calculate optimum spacing for healthy trees and be site specific as one size does not fit all when it comes to forestry. As far as wilderness goes, let it burn. Sounds like the Pasayton is getting to the point of regenerating itself.
Instead of "praying" for our firefighters, I would encourage people to educate themselves about forest health and lobby their Congressional folks to actually fund forest management and change rules to allow more of it.
That's not what you want to hear, but it is from what I've seen and experienced on the ground in quite a few different locations in the west.
It is normal for August to be hot and dry. It is normal to have forest fires in July, August, September and even in October. I will admit to not remembering smoke like this
It certainly hasn't been smoky like this in the Pacific Northwest in the last 70 years.
As to "normal", that is BS founded on ignorance or intentional distortion:
# LAST OF SEVERAL OCCURRENCES
COLUMN 17 PEAK WIND IN M.P.H.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA (WS FORM: F-6) , PAGE 2
STATION: SEATTLE-TACOMA WA AIRPORT
LATITUDE: 47 27 N
LONGITUDE: 122 18 W
[TEMPERATURE DATA] [PRECIPITATION DATA] SYMBOLS USED IN COLUMN 16
AVERAGE MONTHLY: 61.0 TOTAL FOR MONTH: 0.12 1 = FOG OR MIST
DPTR FM NORMAL: 5.0 DPTR FM NORMAL: -1.82 2 = FOG REDUCING VISIBILITY
HIGHEST: 88 ON 14 GRTST 24HR 0.04 ON 19-19 TO 1/4 MILE OR LESS
LOWEST: 45 ON 19, 2
MONTH: JUNE
HIGHEST: 88 ON 20,17 GRTST 24HR 0.25 ON 8- 8 TO 1/4 MILE OR LESS
LOWEST: 48 ON 12,11
HIGHEST: 94 ON 29 GRTST 24HR 0.04 ON 1- 1 TO 1/4 MILE OR LESS
LOWEST: 50 ON 3
HIGHEST: 94 ON 8 GRTST 24HR 0.05 ON 11-11 TO 1/4 MILE OR LESS
LOWEST: 54 ON 17
It is the same throughout the west and to at least 500 miles north of the BC border. The drought index reflects this as do fires. Note the temperature data also.
Edited: There is now an outbreak of fires on the Cassiar Highway in Northern BC and the Alcan Highway is closed down. from BC Wildfire Service
BC fires 2018 Wikipedia (August 20): A total of 1,925 wildfires have burned 612,124 hectares (1,512,590 acres) of land in 2018 as of August 20.[7]
BC’s extreme wildfire season of 2017 is not an isolated event. It is part of a global trend of increasing area burned and extreme fire behaviour resulting in megafires with tremendous social, ecological and economic costs – as witnessed in recent years in western Canada, the USA, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, India, Portugal, Greece, Spain, Italy, France… Over the past decade, record-breaking heat waves in spring and early summer meant fire seasons started earlier with longer, more pronounced, summer droughts – BC’s new normal due to climate change. Rather than a once in a lifetime event, 2017 is the pinnacle of several “exceptional” fire years, with tremendous costs to citizens, communities, the province, and forest management companies. Evidently, forests and communities in BC are not resilient to wildfire and adaptation is urgently needed.
http://www.forestry.ubc.ca/2017/10/wildfire-2017/
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status/wildfire-situation/fire-danger
This wasn’t supposed to be a bad year for Western wildfires.
Last winter, a weak La Niña bloomed across the Pacific. It sent flume after flume of rain to North America and irrigated half the continent. Water penetrated deep into the soil of Western forests, and mammoth snowdrifts stacked up across the Sierra Nevadas. California’s drought ended in the washout.Yet fires are now raging across the West. More than two dozen named fires currently burn across Washington and Oregon. More than one million acres have burned in Montana, an area larger than Rhode Island, in the Treasure State’s third-worst fire season on record. And the largest brushfire in the history of Los Angeles currently threatens hundreds of homes in Burbank.
Canada may be experiencing an even worse year for wildfires: 2.86 million acres have burned in British Columbia, the largest area ever recorded in the province.
So what happened? How did a wet Western winter lead to a sky-choking summer?
The answer lies in the summer’s record-breaking heat, say wildfire experts. Days of near-100-degree-Fahrenheit temperatures cooked the Mountain West in early July, and a scorching heat wave lingered over the Pacific Northwest in early August.
“This will become an important year for [anecdotes about] the importance of temperature. Despite the fact that these forests were really soaked down this winter and spring, these heat waves have dried things out enough to promote really large fires,” says Park Williams, a research scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University.
In other words, the weeks of heat that baked the West in July and August were enough to wipe away some of the fire-dampening effect of the winter storms.
“The last 60 to 90 days have been exceptionally warm and dry, the perfect recipe for drying out fuels (the one ingredient besides ignitions you need for fire in these systems),” said John Abatzoglou, a professor of geography at the University of Idaho, in an email. “I was running a few numbers this morning, and the last 60 days have been record warm from Spokane, Washington, to Medford, Oregon; both Seattle and Missoula earlier this summer set records for the longest number of days without measurable rain.”
This excessive heat can have an outsize effect on the size of forest fires. For more than three decades, wildfire researchers have known that fire and aridity, which is controlled by heat, exist in an exponential relationship. Every degree of warming does more to promote fire than the previous degree of warming, Williams said.
“Now, thinking about temperature trends due to human-caused climate change, we think that the western United States is 1.5 [degrees] Celsius, or 3 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than it would be in absence of climate change. And there’s a heat wave on top of that,” said Williams. “Because of the exponential influence of temperature, that means that this heat wave is having a way worse influence on fire than it would in absence of human-caused warming.”
In the runaway consequences of each additional degree of warming, wildfires are a “canary in the coal mine” for the effects of climate change, Williams said.
And global warming is already having an effect on wildfire. In a paper published last year in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Williams and Abatzoglou http://www.pnas.org/content/113/42/11770 found that the total area burned in the western United States over the past 33 years was double the size it would have been without any human-caused warming.
“The added forest fire area—due to just the degree and a half Celsius of warming—equaled the area of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined,” Williams told me.
Other researchers have arrived at similar conclusions. A paper published in Science last year found that “large wildfire activity increased suddenly and markedly in the mid-1980s, with higher large-wildfire frequency, longer wildfire durations, and longer wildfire seasons.” The mid-1980s is also when most scientists argue that the effects of global warming began to be broadly felt.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/09/why-is-2017-so-bad-for-wildfires-climate-change/539130/
But these are just experts speaking. You may have your own opinion, it just doesn't carry any weight.
It is still not odd to be this smoky when we have so many fires going. I consider the fires to be normal due to the condition of the forests. That's it, that's my conclusion. Take it or leave it.
Plus, there are a heck of a lot of experts around who do not write papers, who have observed the conditions, some for generations. But you've been told that before. Not gonna argue with you on this topic. You seem to have no respect for anybody who has not written a paper for a PHD.
Drabble on....
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District 6940 – Club No. 4248
Pensacola Clubs
2019 Grover III and Sandra Robinson Awards
These awards were first presented in June 2000 to recognize an outstanding Rotarian from our Club and a community leader who exemplify “Service Above Self”. Both Grover and Sandra Robinson exhibited the highest examples of this service to Rotary and concomitant community concern and action. These awards are given in honor of their memory and legacy.
Malcolm Thomas: 2019 Grover Robinson III Award Recipient
School Superintendent of Escambia County, Malcom Thomas, elected in 2009 has served in many roles as District Teacher, Education Specialist, Coordinator and Administrator spanning a 38 year career. He is highly committed to student success and service to the community. He was recently named by the Florida Association of School Superintendents, a national organization of school superintendents and education leaders, as the 2019 Superintendent of the Year. He holds both a Bachelor and Master’s Degree from the University of West Florida. He is dedicated to students, parents, teachers and is highly respected by educators, colleagues and friends. He has been a member of the Rotary Club of Pensacola since 2009. His Future Ready Vision 2020 initiative includes decreasing the graduation gap, establish a digital learning environment and provide quality education access for all students. He exemplifies “Service Above Self” and leadership to both the community and to Rotary.
Dr. Nell Potter: 2019 Sandra Robinson Award Recipient
Born in Apopka Florida and grew up in Zellwood Florida. Dr. Potter attended Baylor University for her undergrad and the University of Florida, College of Medical. Nell met her husband Jim during their freshman year of medical school, married sophomore year and welcomed their first child during junior year. Nell was one of only two women who graduated in the class of 1963. In private practice she specialized in adolescent medicine. She was the Clinician at UWF for 33 years and team physician for Escambia High School for 24 years. Over the past 40 years, the Potters have donated generously to the university, particularly the College of Medicine. The couple’s overall support totals more than $600,000 and Nell has served on the UF medical alumni board for 20 years. Nell also serves on the UF Foundation Board of Directors. Dr. Potter was a founding member of Pensacola Opera, Pensacola Symphony, Impact 100, Pensacola Woman’s Alliance, and co-owner of The Zoo in Gulf Breeze.
More Rotary News:
Club Awarded District and International Service Citation
Betty Roberts, Past President of Rotery Club Pensacola, was awarded the 2018-19 Rotary District Governor’s Citation from Rotary Club District Governor Innes Richards and Assistant District Governor Dan Sulger, and the 2018-19 Rotary Citation with Gold Distinction from Rotary International President Barry Rassin.
Innes Richards Installed as Rotary's 106th District Governor
Betty Roberts, President of Rotary Club of Pensacola, welcomed District 6940 Area Presidents, Past Presidents, Past District Governors, District Governor Elects, Club members and guests to the Installation of Rotarian Innes Richards as the 106th District Governor.
UWF College of Business and Combined Rotary Clubs of Pensacola name 2019 Ethics in Business Award recipients
The University of West Florida College of Business and the Combined Rotary Clubs of Pensacola named David Apple and Olevia McNally as this year’s recipients of the annual Ethics in Business Award during the 2019 Combined Rotary Luncheon on Monday, May 6 at New World Landing in downtown Pensacola.
Rotary Club of Pensacola Demonstrates Rotary’s Commitment to Literacy and Family Through Millions of Words for Early Literacy
Rotary Club of Pensacola President Betty Roberts awarded a check of $10,000 to Studer Community Institute Director of Early Learning, Shannon Nickinson to support the Early Learning Project Brain Bags and Parental Outreach entitled “Millions of Words for Early Literacy.” Rotarian District Grant Director, Ray reported that the two-year project has resulted in “5,377 Brain Bags being presented in 2018 to new mothers at local hospitals.
Nominations open for Ethics in Business Awards
Nominations are open for the 2019 Ethics in Business Awards. The Combined Rotary Clubs of Pensacola, along with the University of West Florida College of Business, established the Ethics in Business Awards to recognize business leaders who adhere to the high ethical standards in their business practices reflected in the Rotary Four-Way Test. Nominations must be received by March 29, 2019
The Rotary Club of Pensacola
P.O. Box 528, Pensacola, Florida 32591
Copyright © Rotary Club of Pensacola | Web site provided by Duncan McCall Advertising
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Are you a Financial Services Professional?
woman thinking of small business 401k pension plan services
The naysayers will tell you there are too many good reasons to avoid the qualified 401k plan business:
The marketplace is too complicated and litigious.
The marketplace is mature.
Required fee disclosure has led to compression, and advisor services are undervalued.
The small plan marketplace (below $5 million) is unprofitable.
It's too late.
Never mind that since their introduction in 1978, 401(k) plans have grown at an astonishing pace — both in number of plans and participants. Despite a decrease in
assets from the 2008 downturn, the 401(k) marketplace still represents a multitrillion dollar opportunity. These caveats also ignore the growing number of participants
who are projected to roll balances out of 401(k) plans — and will be in dire need of income planning.
The trick to succeeding in the qualified plan business lies in understanding the marketplace. Let's look at how it has evolved, dispel the myths, and identify the opportunities.
AN AUSPICIOUS BEGINNING
The original 401(k) sales model of the 1980s was built for the traditional broker world. 401(k) plans were typically an ancillary part of one's business; the broker
was a generalist, not an expert. That role belonged to the product wholesaler, and the broker received commissions and varying compensation from the funds within the plan.
By law (like today), brokers and service providers were not allowed to provide investment advice to either plan sponsors or participants because of inherent conflicts of interest: brokers and service provider would be paid by the fund companies recommended and some fund companies might pay more than others regardless of their merit for clients. Brokers tended to focus on such areas as education and communication, testing, compliance and plan design, investments, proprietary requirements, enrollment, and the out-of-pocket-cost to the plan. While they were not named fiduciaries, many brokers inadvertently became functional fiduciaries by virtue of their activity and unknowingly engaged in so-called prohibitive transactions.
As the marketplace evolved, so did the sales model. Originally, financial companies provided 401(k) products; it was an asset-based model. But as technology emerged that allowed companies to offer mutliple fund families, asset managers struggled to hold onto their market share. While some opened their gates to additional investments, they implemented self-interested proprietary investment mandates as well. Then annuity players got into the game; while their multifund options were popular, they were also loaded with commissions and expenses that were neither disclosed, nor understood, by plan sponsors — then or now. Essentially, with internal expenses of 2.5 percent to 3 percent going to service providers and brokers, and no out-of-pocket fees to plan sponsors, 401(k) plans appeared to be free — but the hidden fees were ultimately detrimental to plan participants.
Recordkeepers have since emerged as the dominant leaders of the 401(k) industry, and undisclosed, complicated, and indirect expenses such as 12b-1s, sub-transfer agent fees, and soft-dollar transactions continue to be a problem. Many plan sponsors are still in the dark, believing 401(k) plan management is free.
This model has worked to the disadvantage of financial "advisors" — why would companies choose to incur the additional expense of investment advice if they were getting everything for free? Consequently, many advisors feel their services have been undervalued and are thus reluctant to enter this market. They are right about the first part, but wrong about the second. The Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA) brought into play some necessary reform that helps validate the need for advisors in the 401(k) marketplace.
BROKERS VS. ADVISORS
The growth of RIAs and independents over the last 10 years has increasingly led investment professionals to answer the following question: Do I want to be a broker and sell products, or do I want to be an advisor and offer consultative advice?
The adoption of fee-based advisory business in both qualified and nonqualified arenas is testimony to the fact that the Gordon Gekko days are over and independent advisors can truly align themselves with clients to provide independent, objective consulting services in line with fiduciary standards.
But where and how investment professionals decide to set up their practices presents another challenge. We've seen compensation issues, product limitations, and myriad potential prohibitive transactions limit the advice investment professionals can offer at the plan sponsor and participant levels. The fact that compliance oversight for registered representatives and advisors falls under two different regulatory bodies presents more obstacles. Many traditional brokerage houses don't protect advisors on this front. In fact, some firms claim it's cheaper for them to handle one-off lawsuits than to go through the expense of redesigning their compliance protocols and paperwork. Other firms, despite the definition of a functional fiduciary, have retreated altogether, claiming that neither they nor their employees who provide plan sponsor services are fiduciaries.
Most traditional brokerage houses do have proprietary fee-based programs, but they come with exclusive sales agreements with captive money managers and mutual funds that aren't necessarily in the best interests of clients. The contracts supporting these relationships sometimes acknowledge a limited fiduciary role. Some of the major wirehouses also have retirement consulting programs for qualified producers who meet criteria like AUM, education (i.e., designations), and years of experience, but these programs are limited in their scope of vendor access, nondiscretionary functions, and contractual fiduciary acknowledgment.
Enter The Hybrid Model — And The Opportunity
The issue with the broker model is clear: A registered representative who sells products and earns commissions cannot provide advice and therefore does not belong in the qualified plan business. And while an RIA-only model enables advisors to act as qualified investment advisors, it limits access to certain products.
That's why we're seeing the greatest growth in "hybrid" independents, which allow advisors to act as either a registered representative or an RIA — and thereby gain access to the entire investment universe and bring the greatest value to client relationships. For example, while a pure fee-based model would be ideal, there are situations when a product with varying compensation, such as an annuity for estate or income planning needs, may be suitable. Hybrid firms enable advisors to work with organizations and individuals in this dual capacity based on suitability, need, and product access, which is what being a fiduciary is all about.
Let's consider this in the context of today's 401(k) marketplace, which has suffered an approximate $2 trillion dollar loss. As the Chinese proverb goes, "Crisis equals opportunity." According to a 2008 EBRI survey, approximately 77 percent of participants claim to have little, basic, or no level of investment understanding, despite all sorts of 404(c) education requirements and efforts. Participants need advice, not education.
In the past, plan sponsors said, "Go away, Mr./Ms. Broker, we don't want you selling our employees stuff." Now, because of the magnitude of the credit crisis, and the personal liability that they bear, plan sponsors are welcoming advisors with open arms.
Many plan sponsors don't understand their basic fiduciary duties, and they need advice on everything from forming a committee and basic protocols, to how an IPS management process works, to what the various fees and expenses mean and how to protect themselves. Plan sponsors feel overmatched by their fiduciary responsibilities, and advisors who can bring some perspective and help address their needs will win all day long.
As alluded to previously, the Pension Protection Act brought some necessary reform, but it also muddied some issues — which play to the advantage of advisors.
Issue one: The provision calling for advice to be provided by independently certified computer models, which seems to benefit large corporations, not individual participants.
Issue two: The qualified default investment alternative (QDIA) provision, which made asset allocation/target date investments the vehicles of choice. Yet proprietary holdings and management inconsistency among these vehicles make them a poor choice for many investors. Moreover, 67 percent of participants polled assumed asset allocation investments offered some kind of retirement income guarantee.
QDIA evaluation and support is a huge growth area. With money markets breaking the buck and insurance companies downgrading, diligence around money market and stable value investments is in demand. Additionally, with the integrity of many target date investments under attack, advisors have an opportunity to come in with their own models comprising diverse underlying holdings from the plan's investment menu — offering independence and objectivity.
The bottom line is, with the right positioning, advisor opportunities are limitless. Today's paradigm is about objective advice, and it appears the Obama administration is in full support of it. Today's qualified plan advisor is a specialist, not a generalist, handling everything from establishing fiduciary protocols, plan review, and plan design, to investment management, vendor search and selection, fee management, benchmarking, and participant education and advice. Today's qualified plan advisor bears fiduciary accountability.
WHAT WAS IT THOSE NAYSAYERS SAID?
MYTH--THE MARKETPLACE IS COMPLICATED AND LITIGIOUS
While true, it's amazing how simple it is when you do the right thing and can say, "Yes, this is in the best interest of my client every time." It is easy to find a designation program with a curriculum that will both keep you current and differentiate you from other advisors; consider the PRP, AIF, or CRPS. The AIF program also offers an affordable suite of tools and analytics to support your compliant practice.
MYTH--THE MARKETPLACE IS MATURE
Sure, but the new paradigm is about advisor replacement, not product replacement. There are thousands of plans being underserved by brokers who set the plan sponsors up in a product and never came back — and those brokers can't offer advice.
MYTH--REQUIRED FEE DISCLOSURE HAS LED TO COMPRESSION, AND ADVISOR SERVICES ARE UNDERVALUED
This works in favor of advisors. For years, advisors have given away their time-consuming advisory services for free, bundling them under asset management fees, yet the changing marketplace is making room for fee-based consultative services.
Fee disclosure requirements are actually forcing advisors to think more like CEOs by substantiating their time. Likewise, plan sponsors are starting to understand and respect the value advisors provide.
MYTH--THE SMALL PLAN MARKETPLACE IS UNPROFITABLE
Quite the contrary — and RIA and hybrid models, not to mention technology, are creating new opportunities. Previously, the only options for start-up and small businesses were single investment family offerings or multifund offerings through annuity-based providers. As technology has evolved, record-keeping entities such as Ascensus, 401k Enginuity, Expert Plan, 401k Easy, and Daily Access have moved down market and can support truly open architecture services in the small marketplace.
As an RIA, you can dial in a minimum fee of, say, $5,000, which can debit from the plan on a prorated basis with full disclosure. There are hundreds of thousands of plans out there with an annuity-based provider paying something like 2.5 percent to 3 percent all in. As an RIA working with an open architecture platform, you can find a lineup of I shares with an average internal operating expense of 0.45 percent, tack on a point for your services, and earn some money. And 90 percent of the time, you will be lowering clients' fees and enhancing their services.
MYTH--IT'S TOO LATE
Not true. Fee-based practitioners who got into this business early surely have a leg up, but I know of hundreds of teams who made a commitment to get into the 401(k) game — and they've been successful in a big way. It has never been easier to brush up on your skills via designation programs, conferences, study groups, and online and offline subscriptions.
We continue to hope that the current administration will simplify the posture around advice, enabling advisors to serve both plan sponsors and participants. Now is the perfect time to retool your practice and bring viable solutions to a marketplace in crisis
For more information: comments@pension-plan-services.com
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Fringes of Algo » Boards » Creative Corner » Literature » Fan Fiction » Phantasy Star II » Compassion
Page 2 of 2 [ 2 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2
tilinelson2
Posted: Sun Mar 6, '11, 4:16 am
This second chapter was not planned at first, but after some time I decided to take a shot in the next logical step after the first chapter: how it would be when Shir and Anna met again.
The style of this chapter is different from the previous one, as it is almost a new fanfic. I just published it as a second chapter to keep it organized.
The newcomer caused quite a stir on Paseo streets. Having just left the Teleport Station, the green-haired beauty was dressed to cause quite an impression. And she really did. Her tight tube dress was just two inches longer than nakedness. The dress had been carefully chosen. As she walked, the movement made it become just one inch from nakedness. And her walking, over her high-heels, was full of movement. Her short green hair and her hips danced to the left and to the right, in synchrony, as she walked. She wore a red lipstick, making her mouth scream kiss me. She also wore golden bracelets and earrings. She was looking so good that no man could resist staring at her, even if it was for just some seconds. As most of men in Paseo were just lazing around, the newcomer was the main attraction of the day.
Her careless attitude dazzled the audience. She acted as if she was unaware of the hordes of old men with jaw-dropped expressions. She smiled inside herself, though, as she walked down the streets of the Motavian capital, carrying an expensive and fashionable handbag. She was used to wear plain clothes that enabled her to mix with the crowd after doing one of her favorite misdemeanors: stealing for fun. But she knew how to dress when she wanted to cause an impression. That day, she wanted to cause an impression. Not on the lazy people who lived without working. Not on the old men who couldn't hide their amusement. She had a clear goal on her mind.
She was tired of committing her pleasure-robberies. She wanted something more exciting. She wanted to enjoy the thrills of something really dangerous. Stealing was not thrilling anymore as she had mastered all the skills required for shoplifting. She already had something in her mind. She would say the sunny and cool climate was a perfect indication that her new plan would work if most of the days were not artificially made to be sunny and cool. Deep inside her cool air, she was anxious. Despite her overconfidence, something inside her was warning her of a serious threat to her plans.
As she caught a glimpse of the steel facade of the house, with the numbers 2 and 7 hanging on the wall, she smiled. "Now I'll start a new and exciting thing! Wow, can't wait to be journeying through the planet to solve the most thrilling mysteries! And if this Rolf is half good-looking as he was on that picture, I'll not mind mixing pleasure and business!"
There was a knock on the door. In the living room, two tall men where excitedly watching a soccer match on the large 3D-holographic TV. One of the guys jump from the couch.
"Damn! Hav' ye see dat? Rudo, if dat wazznota' a-foul, we hav' tunid on da wrung channel! It was a-like a kung-fu kicka!"
"Yeah, that referee is very bad. He thinks that just because the match had just started, he doesn't have to signal fouls."
"If tha' moron a-kip do-in tha', de guyz will-a beat hinnup!"
A man came from the kitchen, holding a handheld computer in his hands.
"Rudo! Kain! Did you hear a knock on the door?"
"Sorry, Rolf. I was not paying attention."
"Why dont'cha a-join us, Rolf? The Kueri Ranjaars will trash Zema's FC"
"Sorry, Kain, I've no time for that today. I must plan our visit to Uzo island." Rolf scratched his head. "Are you sure you didn't hear anything?"
"Nope."
"Alright". Rolf turned his back in order to return to the kitchen, but he had not started moving when he heard a more vigorous knock on the door.
"Heya, Rolf..."
"I've heard it, Kain."
Rudo and Kain turned their attention back to the soccer game, while Rolf went straight to the door. The intercom screen showed the image of an unknown woman standing by the door, with her arms crossed on her chest and an expression of irritation stamped on her face. "Who can it be? I've never seen this woman." Rolf judged it was not dangerous to ask her personally, so he pressed the button to unlock the door.
The studded-steel door released its usual wind sound as the pneumatic valves emptied, raising the steel door. Rolf's eyes met a pretty girl in a pin-up pose, laying by the door jamb with her right arm up, her head tilted to the left and her left index finger touching her crimson lower lip.
"Rolf Landale?" The girl asked with a sweet inquisitive voice and a careless tone.
"It is me."
"Wow! He is really a hottie!" The girl changed her pose and took a dominant attitude. "Hello, Rolf!" She took a good look at him, from the face to his legs and then back to his face. "You are just as handsome as they say."
Her devil-may-care attitude didn't betray any embarrassment. Rolf, on the other hand, blushed at her remark. "I'm Shir Gold. Of course you know me, don't you?" Shir pushed Rolf's shoulder in a friendly manner. Her attitude made Rolf feel uncomfortable.
"What do you want... Shir?"
"Well, I am a thief. I care little for peace and justice. I steal for fun and frankly, I think your little outing will be packed with thrills for me. Stealing has become boring with all those lousy shopkeepers. Even an 800-pound gorilla dressed as Carmen Miranda could get out of these stores unnoticed. That is why I'm here, I think I'd like to go with you."
Rolf was shocked by the naturallity of the girl confessing to a stranger she was a thief. "That must be a joke, one of those candid camera things..."
"So?" Shir assumed another pin-up expression, with an inquisitive face.
"So what?" Rolf was clearly confused.
"What about me... and you... together." Shir said so as she pointed to herself and to Rolf in a suggestive way.
"Well..." Rolf scratches his head, his face betrays discomfort. "Shir, isn't it? What we are doing here is very serious..."
Shir put the palm of her right hand over Rolf's chest, closed her eyes and turned her face from him. "Stop! Stop! Stop! Don't waste my time with your sermon. I'll not be listening."
"Well... Shir..." Rolf avoided eye contact with the girl by looking down. "Well... I think you misunderstood our business. I cannot admit you in the group..."
Shir was less than pleased with the answer, by she didn't panic, as she knew it wasn't all lost. She shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, if you didn't want any help, you should have told me from the start. I don't care, anyway, your mission must be the greatest bore in the last fifty years." She turned her back to Rolf and started walking away, with heavy steps, holding her handbag tightly.
"No, wait! I didn't mean that..."
"Oh, great!" Shir turned back to Rolf, kissed his cheek, making sure she properly squeezed her chest on his arm and then gently pushed Rolf from her way. "So where is my room?"
Rolf rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. "It is no use, I'll have to admit this crazy girl..." "Are you sure you want to come? It will be dangerous..."
"Ah, don't worry!" Shir turned to Rolf and lifted the skirt of her dress, revealing a small dagger by her hips, tucked inside her lace panties. She also revealed more skin than Rolf was comfortable with. "I know how to take care of myself. I'm deadly with these."
Rolf closed his eyes and nodded silently, thinking in the ambiguity of her last sentence. "Well, Shir. I'll let you come with us, under one condition: each member of the group has to accept you."
"Oh, no problems, I'm sure they will." Shir left Rolf behind, with an overconfident expression and acted as if the house was hers. Soon she met Rudo and Kain, who were watching TV.
"Dawg! Can' beliuve it! Even ma granma wud scor' dat a-goal!" Kain jumped from the couch, with an irritated expression. His eyes met the green-haired girl entering the house in a hurry. "Whoa!"
"Hello, I'm Shir!" She went straight to the couch and kiseed Kain's cheek. "Pleased to meet you." "I'm really pleased, all these guys are hot." Then, turning her attention to Rudo, who had just noticed her, she kissed his cheek as well. "I'm your new companion. Is it OK for you?"
"Well, yeah..." Rudo was very confused with the sudden appearance of the girl and her go-getter approach.
"So see you around." Shir turned to Rolf and winked at him. "That will be easier than I thought. And all these handsome guys... if I knew, I'd have come long before...".
Shir then crossed the door that separated the living room from the kitchen. Rolf tried to say something, but was unable. She acted so fast that he didn't know what to say or do to counteract her bold moves. "Man! What am I doing?". On the couch, Rolf and Kain were still trying to digest what has happened.
"Gosh! Shisss damn gorgious, Rudy!" Kain had his mouth open.
"Well, yeah." Rudo was still seated, with a confused look on his face.
"Did ya see dat dresshs? Dat ligs?"
"Definitely, she is something!" Rudo was excited, though his cool expression didn't show it.
Rolf followed Shir out of the room, leaving the two alone.
"Well, yeah, I a-feel as ifa wass siin' dat 'ips shakin' in frontof ma ey' s."Kain looked mesmerized.
"So you are not thinking on Nei anymore?" Rudo releases a brief laughter.
"Ssshhhhh! Ar' ye mad? Rolf waz 'ere righ' now!" Kain was mad at Rudo
"Sorry, chap!"
"If Rolf dizco' ers I'm in a-luv with Nei, he will shuv his swurd... down ma throat!"
"Ye know, I a-am 'ere for Nei, but I wudn´ rul´out thi new on'. Ye musta a-hav alwiss a B plan."
"B plan... that is good..."
"Shucks! Zema´s scorid une an me didn´t sii it! De guy mustav bin offside..."
As the two guys resumed watching TV, Shir made a loud entrance in the kitchen. "Hello, people!". On the aluminium table, there were many electronic and scientific devices. One man was looking something at an electronic microscope screen while a woman helped him preparing experiments. At Shir´s loud entrance, the man was startled.
"What the..."
"Hello, cute boy, I´m Shir. Nice to meet you!" Shir walked to the man and hugged him from behind, giving him a kiss on his cheek. The man was irritated and now confused as well. He turned his head to look at the girl and was startled again by the sight of her outfit. "Wow!" Shir turned to the other girl and kissed her cheeks.
"Hello! I am Shir!"
"Hi... I´m Amy" The other woman answered shyly, feeling uncomfortable by Shir´s outgoing manners.
"I´m your new companion!"
"Nice." Amy was less than excited. "Well, you interrupted us. We were studying biomonster tissues."
"So you are scientists..." Shir had an expression of disgust. At the same moment, Rolf entered the kitchen.
"Looks like you have already met Shir."
"Hell, yeah, she almost made me break the microscope." Hugh was irritated and crossed his arms.
"What does she do, anyway?" Amy asked Rolf, with a displeased expression on her face..
"I am a thief! I love to steal things!" Shir answered as if being a thief was a common job.
"A what? Thief? Rolf!" Amy is indignant. She stood up, with her arms crossed and a less than pleased expression on her face.
"Yes, a thief. Let´s see what I´ve got here..." Shir opened a wallet and took a card from inside it. "Let's see... Hugh Thompson... a cute name! Biologist? Meh!"
Hugh started searching his pockets desperately. Then, he stood up violently, his face was red, as he barked to Shir. "Hey, it is my wallet!"
"Oh, oh, cool off, big guy." Shir was very calm. "Here, take it, I´ll not steal anything from you..." Shir leaned on Hugh and returned the wallet to his pocket, making sure she squeezed her chest on his body. "... except for you heart, honey." Shir whispered in his ear in a way only Hugh could listen.
Hugh was surprised by Shir. He lost all his anger at once. He was not used to be treated by girls that way, as he had a very introspective persona. It was as if he had been put under a spell when he heard Shir sweetly whisper 'honey' in his ear. His heart started racing and he sweated. "Wow! This girl is amazing."
"I´ve made it, I have him on my hands now. Well, he is cute, I have a crush for his intellectual style. I just hope my friends in Piata never discover that. Now it is time to deal with the girl, but it will be easy." Shir grinned. She turned to Amy. "I loved your dress. You look really sweet on it."
"Seriously?" Amy was disarmed by Shir´s flattery and lost her suspicious gaze.
"Yes, you look very good on it." Shir looked like the most innocent girl in the world, but her thoughts didn´t reflect her actions. "Meh, she is so old-fashioned that not even my great-grandmother would wear something like that.". "You must be a lovely woman. What do you work at?"
"I´m a doctor." Amy blushed at Shir´s flattery and looked down to avoid eye contact.
"Really? That is lovely! My father has many friends who are doctors. Do you know Dr. Lanzies? He was always dining with us." Shir countenance showed deep interest in the subject, though she loathed it.
"Dr. Mark Lanzies? The Motavia Secretary of State for Health? I can´t believe it!" Amy stared at Shir with her eyes shining.
"Oh, I can present you to him one of these days." Shir acted as if that was a trivial affair for her, with a careless wave of hands.
"Oh, nice!" Amy clasped her hands together. She had a big grin on her face and seemed to be under a spell.
"Well, girls..." Rolf felt a bit lost. "Sorry to interrupt your interesting conversation, but I came here to ask you Amy, and you Hugh, if you oppose the idea of Shir joining us."
"Of course not!" Amy and Hugh answered in a chorus, immediately. Then they felt embarrassed for that.
"Well, great. Let´s get going, Shir, they are doing some important research here." Rolf motioned Shir to follow him.
"Excuse-me, I interrupted you. Well, see you around." Shir turned her back on them waving her hands, in a very natural manner, as if they were old acquaintances and followed Rolf out of the kitchen.
Amy turned to Hugh, still puzzled. "What do you think about this Shir?"
"She..." Hugh was caught in surprise. Amy could see infatuation in his eyes. "She looks nice..."
"Well, she is a bit strange... Do you think she is really a thief?"
"I don't know... she had taken my wallet, but that seemed just a playful trick to me." Hugh's countenance betrayed confusion.
"Well, if Rolf trusts her, who are us to say anything?" Amy shrugged. Then they returned to their seats and resumed working with the biomonster tissue samples.
In the main aisle, Rolf was leading Shir through the house. Shir put her arms around Rolf's neck and followed him closely. Rolf was uncomfortable with Shir's hold.
"Well, now let's see what my sister thinks of you."
Shir was a bit surprised. "Sister? I didn't expect that. If I can have her trust, I'm in. If not..." Shir released her hold on Rolf and tried to dismiss any negative feelings from her mind.
Rolf stopped by the door of one room. It was open, so he got inside. He looked at at the surroundings, but it looked like there was no one inside "Nei?"
Rolf looked up and saw the pointy-eared girl on the ceiling, rubbing a cloth on a dark spot. Shir looked up and was surprised. It looked like the girl was floating on the air.
"Nei? What are you doing up there?" Rolf was in a mix of surprise and irritation.
"Oh, Rolf, I'm cleaning a dark spot on the ceiling. It was annoying me. I stayed staring at it through most of the night and couldn't sleep." Nei answered coolly, not understanding her brother's irritation.
"Huh... hello?" Shir entered the room shyly. She examined the room and felt a sense of relief when she noticed that the girl was not floating. She had her feet on the top of the wardrobe. Even so, her position showed unnatural strength and balance for a human.
"We have a new woman in the group, Nei." Rolf was still annoyed to see Nei calmly rubbing the cloth on the ceiling and became irritated. "Nei, can you come down here for a moment?"
"Oh, Rolf, you don't need to shout!" Nei leapt from the top of the wardrobe and fell on her feet, in front of Shir, who as a bit scared by the aerial acrobacy. She was more scared to see Nei's claws in her hands. Nei grinned at her, while cleaning her hands in her apron. "Oh, will you be joining us? That is great."
Shir was a bit reassured by Nei's smile and went to kiss her cheek, though less excitedly than with the others. "So you are Rolf's sister? I was anxious to meet you. You are so lovely!" "And weird. How can she be Rolf's sister?"
Shir was still uncomfortable with Nei's unusual features, but she tried to be nice to the girl. Rolf was relieved to see that Shir apparently was not shocked by Nei being a biomonster. "Well, Nei, what do you think?"
"Think about..." Nei looked at her brother with an inquisitive face.
"About her joining our group." Rolf was impatient.
"Ah!" Nei's gaze lost all the worry. "If she really wants to come with us, that is fine. The more people helping us, the better."
Shir was relieved to hear that Nei was not a bit concerned about her character. She felt sympathy for the numan girl. "Well, she doesn't look threatening. She is even good-looking. Gorgeous, I'd say. But I don't have to worry, as she is Rolf's sister..."
"Well, let's get going." Rolf motioned Shir to follow him.
"Wait!" Nei stretched her arms towards Shir. "Leave your bag here. This will be your room."
"Alright." Shir handed Nei her handbag, feeling she turned her back and followed Rolf to the door. She heard some noises and looked back. Nei had jumped on the bed, then on the wardrobe and in less than one second she was brushing the dark spot on the ceiling again. Shir turned her head again and followed Rolf out of the room.
"What did you think of my sister?" Rolf asked as soon as they left the room.
"We are stepping into a dangerous territory now. I must be careful." Shir was a bit worried. "She is lovely, isn't she?"
"Yes, she is." Rolf seemed displeased with Shir's noncommittal answer.
"Though she doesn't look like you..." Shir's voice was filled with tension.
"Yes. Do you have problems with that?" Rolf suddenly stopped and turned to Shir, staring intently at her eyes, scaring her.
"No... No problems..."
"Aren't you worried that my foster-sister is a biomonster?" Rolf crossed his arms and kept staring deeply at Shir's face.
"Is she?" Shir's voice denoted discomfort. "She looks normal..."
Rolf tapped his foot noisily on the floor. He knew she was lying.
"Oh... Rolf... why would I be worried? She is your sister, isn't she? For me she is like anybody else." Shir chose her words carefully, though she spoke in a steady manner in order to not sound artificial.
"Are you being sincere, Shir? Can I trust you?" Rolf's tone changed from angry to worried, as he frowned.
"Yeah, of course!" Shir hugged Rolf tightly in order to disarm him. "I'm a thief, but I'm not an evil person. I'd never do any harm to your sister."
"Well, I see..." Rolf tried to free himself from her embrace, but he didn't really want it, as he felt pleasure in feeling the warm touch of Shir's body. After some seconds, he finally pushed Shir gently. "I'm always afraid people will do some harm to Nei. Many times people yelled at her, attacked her and even tried to kill her..."
"Don't worry, Rolf. I like her. I'll help you protecting her."
Shir saw Rolf's eyes shining with her last words. "Well, I've made it! I don't have anything against Nei, but my last words were exactly what Rolf wanted to hear. Nothing can prevent me from joining the group now."
Rolf resumed walking, followed by Shir. Shir was overconfident again, catwalking down the aisle as as model. Rolf led the way straight to the end of the aisle, where the laundry was. As they were reaching the laundry, they could hear the sound of the washing machine and another sound of metal scratching some hard surface. Rolf knocked the door jamb and entered the laundry. "Excuse me..."
"Don't worry." A mysterious woman's voice answered, calmly.
Shir entered the laundry and looked at the woman. Her eyes met a blonde girl seated in a bench by the wall, with her left leg on the bench. She was wearing a dark blue dress, not so short as the one Shir was wearing, but her position on the bench revealed as much of her legs as Shir's dress naturally revealed. The woman was holding one slasher leaned on her left knee. She was sharpening its blade with a whetstone, which she held with her right hand. Her golden curly hair was hanging down her face, hiding it from view.
Shir felt an immediate antipathy for the girl "Hmmm, looks like I'll have competition here. And an unfair competition. Look at her legs! And with * large as that, she will always steal all the attention for her! I'll have to do something about that!"
"Anna, can I have a brief talk with you?" Rolf tone was unusually polite.
"Damn! She had already stole Rolf's. Look the way he talks to her!" Shir's face couldn't hide her anger.
"For sure." Anna slowly tilted her head up, revealing her blue eyes.
"Yikes!" Shir jumped up, scared. Her heart started racing like mad, she started trembling. Her scream startled Rolf, who looked at her, and then back to Anna, trying to ignore Shir's odd behavior, as he was getting used to her mannerisms. "She will ruin everything! From all the women in the world, it had to be her! That damned guardian!"
"Well, this girl wants to join our group..."
"Shir Gold, isn't it?" Anna interrupted Rolf, grinning at Shir while she rearranged her hair, making her face perfectly visible.
"Do you know her?" Rolf was confused, alternating his stare between the girls.
"I've met her once..." Anna answered in a nonchalant way and turned her attention back to her slasher blade.
"And is it fine for you?" Rolf was still surprised as he never expected girls with such different personalities would know each other.
"Yeah, if it is fine for you." Anna's coolness frightened Shir. She resumed sharpening the slasher blade.
"Well..." Rolf turned his attention to Shir, who was paralyzed with fear. "No one has anything against you, Shir, so that means you are now part of the group."
"Gre... great..." Shir was trembling.
"Well, gotta go now, must get our trip ready. Will talk to you later about our mission. Feel free to ask anything to any of us." Rolf turned his back to Shir and started leaving the room.
"Tha... anks..." Shir's voice was almost inaudible.
Shir stayed still, trying to understand what had just happened. Many things were on her mind, specially the memories of her previous encounter with the guardian. She remembered of how the guardian caught her on the act, how she tried to kill the guardian and how the guardian almost killed her. She also remembered the compassion in the eyes of the woman when she released her.
"Why... why... didn't you... sa-say... any... thing...?" Shir's voice was trembling, together with her whole body.
"Why should I?" Anna answered without taking her eyes from her slasher.
"Is it... OK... for you?" Shir was still trembling and now confused.
"We.. well... I'm going... to the kitchen..." Shir turned her back to leave the laundry, as she was feeling completely disturbed by the presence of the guardian who frustrated her robbery years before.
"Shir?" The sound of metal being rubbed at the whetstone stopped for a second.
Shir was startled. She had a hard time to control herself to be able to leave the room and now the voice of the guardian calling her made her almost lose her balance. "Wha... what...?"
"Do you think you are up to the task we are about to perform?" Anna's voice was very calm. She didn't take her eyes from her slasher and resumed sharpening its blade.
"Y... ye... yes..." Shir was afraid as she had never been before, surpassed only by when Anna was pressing the point of her dagger in Shir's throat during their first encounter.
"Good."
Anna kept sharpening the blade of her slasher, not caring for the presence of the thief in the room. Shir waited for some time, just to see if Anna would ask her something else, but it seemed to her that Anna was unaware of her presence in the room. She started leaving the room very slowly and noiselessly, trying to control her limbs, which were still shaking.
Finally Shir was able to leave the laundry. She walked back to the kitchen. She wanted to drink some water and relax. "I know I should be rejoicing to be admitted in the group, to be able to live thrilling experiences in company of these hotties. But I didn't want this experience to be so traumatic! This woman again... I can't understand her. I can't understand why she hadn't killed me back then when I tried to kill her and I can't understand why she didn't tell anything about me to Rolf today. Now I'll have to endure her presence everyday. I don't know if it is something I'll be able to cope with. Just to think of her gives me creeps... Well, that is something I'll have to endure... There is no going back. I wish I was able to understand her... to understand her..."
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2003 December – 2004 June
Development of Two Mini Game Prototypes
Q-Games began work on two original game prototypes. One of which was accepted for full-production by a major publisher and begins full production in August.
2003 July – 2003 September
Mini Game Project
An interesting idea for a small but fun-packed game was thought up by Q-Games’ members. We began development of a prototype to show to publishers.
2002 October – 2003 December
Authoring Tool Research and Development
PlaystationBB and XboxLive had started, but content for these services was very difficult to develop for a lot of small companies, requiring knowledge of proprietary scripting systems and other such things. Q-Games developed an authoring tool, codenamed BNAT, that allows content developers to create and edit interactive content in a similar style to Macromedia’s Flash/Shockwave. This tool is set for release to US content developers this year. It was also used to layout and stylise the PSX OS.
2001 September – 2002 September
Next Generation MMORPG Research and Development
Rather than take the standard approach to MMORPGs, we experimented with different ideas that might appeal more to the average consumer rather than the hardcore. In order to do this, we developed a no. of key technologies, including a natural-looking fractal landscape that generates itself on the fly, and also a detailed weather/planet climate simulator, which used changing data such as wind direction/speed, the passage of the sun, ground thermal induction rates, etc. to generate weather patterns for the game world.
If you feel the same way as us, drop us a line.
As you can tell from the above, we have worked on a wide number of varied and interesting projects as we have built the company up solidly with technology as our base for creativity. Going forward we hope to lever that technological know-how to our advantage and make solid fun and original titles that everybody can enjoy.
>>contact@q-games.com
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pop. rock. metal. punk. opinionations. other junk.
Album & EP Reviews
THE WINDUPDEADS – Army Of Invisible Men
Posted on May 13, 2011 by Real Gone
Already having had tunes featured on popular US TV shows ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘One Tree Hill’, Stockholm based band The Windupdeads have already been given a fair amount of exposure in media terms. They’ve also been favourably compared to Radiohead and Muse, though listening to their second full-length ‘Army of Invisible Men’ (released on OK!Good Records), this comparison would appear to be lazy journalism forced by the unnecessary need to pigeonhole the band.
Granted, Richard Olsen may have an early Thom Yorke strain to his vocal style occasionally – and thankfully, he’s not possessed by the hideous untrained wailing practiced by Muse’s Matt Bellamy – but in honesty, that’s about as far as any comparisons go. The Windupdeads lack any of the experimentalism practiced by latter-day Radiohead too (and that’s potentially a good thing) and the bulk of their music settles for a fairly safe brand of rock/pop.
The Snow Patrol/Fray-esque ‘Used Cars’ shows The Windupdeads in a good light, working a memorable chorus around a breezy drum part with lots of understated cymbal work. The verses are tuneful in a radio friendly way, all building to a mid section which features some sharp guitar work which (under layers of studio trickery) never really breaks into a full solo. ’59:1’ begins with multi-tracked vocals and new wave keyboards, and in doing so, promises a great deal. Those vocals eventually make up the bulk of a decent chorus, but the verses themselves aren’t so strong. The drums do little more than mark time and Marcus Von Boisman’s guitars are limited to rhythm work, fleshed out with swirly keyboards (interesting that keyboards would have such presence when nobody is credited for them), over which Olsen delivers a lightweight vocal. It’s a track saved by its chorus; it’s a shame they couldn’t beef up the rest of the arrangement just a little.
Undoubtedly the album’s strongest track, ‘Quiet Down’ has a great intro with multi-tracked guitars and a moody verse with Jonas Westholm’s bass upfront. Olson’s vocals are stylised at first sounding like he’s singing down a telephone, but by the time his full voice is heard, it’s easy to hear where the knee-jerk Radiohead comparisons are coming from. Olsen channels his inner Thom Yorke for a ‘Bends’-era style vocal over a subtle waltz time signature. The Windupdeads certainly sound more assured here – and it’s a style which suits them very well. ‘Blood On Her Hands’ opens with a very mechanical feel which runs through the rest of the track, with Olsen’s heavily filtered vocals taking on a very staccato quality for the verses. Things pick up for the chorus, which utilises a fairly simple hook, but overall, the end result feels somewhat empty.
‘Don’t Let Go’ features another of the album’s best choruses. The musical simplicity – effectively a stomp – gives Westholm’s bass another moment in the spotlight and although the featured guitar solo isn’t brilliant, it’s nice to actually hear one, since most of The Windupdeads’ material doesn’t really offer much in the way of instrumental breaks. The mid-paced ‘Perfection’ makes great use of keyboards in lieu of affording a full string section, before falling away to allow Olsen’s vocal to take a dominant role. By the time the chorus rolls around, he’s augmented by soft backing vocals and chiming guitars all of which have a pleasant quality.
And that’s the word which best sums up The Windupdeads: they’re pleasant. There’s nothing objectionable in what they do, but despite any comparisons to Radiohead and Muse, there’s very little that’s edgy or alternative on show. ‘Army of Invisible Men’ is the work of solid musicians delivering material that sounds like it was made for American television dramas; a band making music for an audience looking for something that gives them more of a challenge than Keane…just.
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Easter Island Polynesia
Polynesia Easter Island
the easternmost outpost of the Polynesian islands. This is Rapa Nui ("Great Rapa") or Te Pito o te Henua ("Navel of the World") from the islanders. Sweet potato problem in Polynesia. Today Easter Island occupies a key position in the reconstruction of Polynesia's prehistory. If you think of Pacific archaeology, you often think of a picture of the moai of Easter Island - the huge stone statues.
Eastern Island and Polynesia
Have a memorable adventure exploring non-standard tourist sites in the Pacific. Sailing from Hanga Roa to Papeete aboard Le Soléal for an extraordinary 15-day trip. Your Easter Island is about 3,700 km from the Latin America mainland. Clean water, rich wildlife and indigenous wildlife.... You are sailing to the Pitcairn Islands, an untouched sub-tropical area whose capitol, Adamstown, looks like a small town.
Away from the great sea lanes, the Gambier Islands are one of Polynesia's most untouched tourist resorts. Surrounded by a large ring of corals, the colourful lakes are each more attractive than the others and provide a stunning show. Le Soléal will also stop in the small town of Rikitea, where St Michael's Cathedral is standing proud, entirely made of corals and ligne.
Then, we continue to the gems of Polynesia: Moorea, Bora Bora Bora Bora with its easy to recognize vulcanic form and Motu Ceran. Genuine paradise post cards, these isles will end your journey with a heyday before boarding in Papeete. Eastern Island and Polynesia: It is also the capital of the mythical Easter Island Hanga Roa.
This scenic pacific city in Chile is an ideal starting point for discovering the stunning riches of the website island?s, in particular the mai, the celebrated mysterious monuments. Polynesia's Hanga-Roa civilization and its historic buildings are a real joy. Situated in the Pacific Ocean, this missing star deserves particular consideration.
About 500 kilometers from the island of Pitcairn, it is one of the most isolated isles in the canal. The Pitcairn volcano island can be admired from a distance from this reef with its peak at 330 meters and a population of around fifty. The Pitcairn Island is a paradise for adventurers who enjoy the outdoors.
It is a small UK country consisting mainly of Pacific central Atoll. Pitcairn is a vulcanic island to be discovered on walking, and it is set on precipitous rocks several hundred m high. Pitcairn calls depend on meteorological and marine factors. Explore the high island of Mangareva, an extraordinary place between heaven and ocean, encircled by a beautiful body of sand and lush green.
Situated in the centre of this historical town with its picturesque countryside, one should not miss the small town of Rikitea, where one of Polynesia's miracles, St.-Michael's Cathedral, is proud to be located. It is made entirely of corals and wood. Known for the flawless qualities of its dark beads, this little paradise reveals its most precious gems to you.
Luxuriant emerald greenery contrasts with the clear ocean blue, enchanting wood cottages on unspoilt shores.... The island's splendour has remained unaltered since James Cook explored the island in 1769. This small coral-lined island is known for its wild flower beds and pine apple-groves.
Walk along the two coves that cut through this island of corals or discover the Belvedere, which gives you a stunning panoramic look at the island's magnificent volcano tops, such as Mount Rotui. Complete recreation in the midst of a vanished heaven, fragrant with monoi. Paradisical to the Leeward Islands Arcipelago, just westward of Polynesia, the Bora-Bora is a mythic wonder of nature of enchanting splendour.
It is overgrown with lush greenery and overshadowed by the majesty of Mount Otemanu. Walking through this vulcanic countryside allows you to explore a number of towns and encounter a number of indigenous people. Motu Ceran is situated off the island of Tahaa on the Leeward Islands and is a small island in the Pacific Ocean.
It is a true paradise, the embodiment of the lonely island in the middle of the sea. It is an excellent place to discover the delights of the sea, especially scubaiving. This small island's decoration, coir orchards and beautiful sandy beach, amidst a magnificent sea of corals, are a delight for the behold.
Town of Papeete, the French Polynesia's main town, is located on the northwestern shore of the island of Tahiti. Here you will find a relaxing ambience that blends urbane flair with the mythical, relaxing Polyynesian outfit. On Easter Island and Polynesia vice versa: Town of Papeete, the French Polynesia's main town, is located on the northwestern shore of the island of Tahiti.
Here you will find a relaxing ambience that blends city flair with the mythical, relaxing Polyynesian outfit. Motu Ceran is situated off the island of Tahaa on the Leeward Islands and is a small island in the Pacific Northwest. It is a true paradise, the embodiment of the lonely island in the centre of the sea.
It is an excellent place to discover the delights of the sea, especially scubaiving. This small island's decoration, coir orchards and beautiful sandy beach, amidst a magnificent sea of corals, are a delight for the behold. Paradise gateway to the Leeward Islands Arcipelago, just off the western coast of Polynesia, the Bora-Bora is a mythic wonder of enchanting nature.
It is overgrown with rainforest and dominates the magnificent outlines of Mount Otemanu. Walking through this vulcanic countryside allows you to explore a number of towns and encounter a number of indigenous people. Luxuriant emerald greenery contrasts with the clear ocean blue, enchanting wood cottages on unspoilt shores.... The island's natural splendour has remained unaltered since James Cook explored the island in 1769.
This small coral-lined island is known for its pristine flower beds and pine apple-groves. Walk along the two coves that cut through this island of corals or discover the Belvedere, which offers stunning views of the island's magnificent volcano tops, such as Mount Rotui.
Complete recreation in the midst of a vanished heaven, fragrant with monoi. Explore the high island of Mangareva, an extraordinary place between heaven and sea, encircled by a beautiful body of sea life and lush green. Situated in the centre of this historical town with its picturesque countryside, one should not miss the small town of Rikitea, where one of Polynesia's miracles, St.-Michael's Cathedral, is proud to be located. It is made entirely of corals and wood.
Known for the flawless qualities of its dark beads, this little paradise reveals its most precious gems to you. The Pitcairn Island is a paradise for adventurers who enjoy the outdoors. It is a small UK country consisting mainly of Pacific central Atoll.
Surrounded by precipitous rocks several hundred meters high, the vulcanic island Pitcairn is to be discovered on walking. Pitcairn calls depend on meteorological and marine factors. Situated in the Pacific Ocean, this missing star deserves particular consideration. About 500 kilometers from the island of Pitcairn, it is one of the most isolated isles in the canal.
The Pitcairn volcano island can be admired from a distance from this reef with its peak at 330 meters and a population of around fifty. It is also the capital of the mythical Easter Island Hanga Roa. This scenic pacific city in Chile is an ideal starting point for discovering the stunning riches of the website island?s, in particular the mai, the celebrated mysterious monuments.
Polynesia's Hanga-Roa civilization and its historic buildings are a real joy. - Complementary land tours on Easter Island; - From Hanga Roa you will explore the imposing Ahu Tahai and its monuments, which are part of Unesco's archaeological heritage; - From Pitcairn you will be able to see the Pitcairn Memorial and its large collections of objects from the famous Baunty;
From Mangareva you can go to one of the most famous bead farmers; - In Rikitea you can see the cathedral of Saint Michel; - A keen teacher of rapah nui and orongo will be on the boat; - Excursions to Zodiac Redinghies in Fakarava, which is mentioned as a Unesco biosphere reserve.
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TERRELL'S TUNE-UP: Wolves, Angels and BBQ
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
“Anger is an energy,” John Lydon, a.k.a. Johnny Rotten, informed us a few decades ago. Considering that wisdom, Texa$ Platinum, the new album by The Ghost Wolves, is one of the most energetic I’ve heard lately.
The Austin couple of singer/guitarist Carley Wolf and her husband, drummer Jonathan Wolf, rock hard and wild with lyrics and song titles (“Attitude Problem,” “Whettin’ My Knife,” “Strychnine in My Lemonade”) that seem to seethe with vexation. And yet somehow listening to them only makes me grin.
Carley Wolf has a pixieish, girly voice that wouldn’t seem out of place in some of my favorite Japanese girl-punk bands. Actually, the first time I heard her, I thought of KatieJane Garside, the singer of the early-’90s group Daisy Chainsaw (“Love Your Money”). Carley is also a heck of a guitarist.
Her hubby Jonathan is not only downright powerful on the skins, he also adds subtle iggly-squiggly, sci-fi synth effects. The result is a refreshing take on the tried-and-true minimalist garage-y sound.
Summing up the spirit of the album is a track called “Noisy Neighbors (Yuppie Scum),” which features a recording of what sounds like some hapless neighbor coming to the door and meekly asking the group to keep the noise down. This prompts Carley Wolf to scream “Nobody likes a crybaby!” while the band unleashes a defiant blast of noise.
This is followed by a frantic little tune called “Crybabies Go Home,” a message to any fuddy-duddy neighbor or anyone else who would bring them down with trivial complaints.
Texa$ Platinum is brimming over with irresistible songs. “Triple Full Moon” starts off with nearly a full minute of the Wolves singing over a drum beat. This is basically a love song, with the refrain “You’re so good being bad with me.” And my favorite at the moment is a track with a very un-punk title: “Bunny Run.” It’s a fast-paced rocker bouncing off a bluesy guitar riff and features tinkling piano.
Curiously, the album ends with a low-fi acoustic hillbilly song called “DYGKD.” You might have fooled me into thinking this is some scratchy old field recording from the backwoods, except that Carley’s voice is recognizable. Don’t ask me what the title means. Don’t ask me to decipher the lyrics, either. I just think it’s cool that the band ends an album full of rage with a sweet wink and a joke.
Long may The Ghost Wolves howl.
* Death Song by The Black Angels. Speaking of bands from Austin, the Angels are flying again.
This group, which has been around for more than a decade, is perhaps more responsible than any other for launching the modern-day “psychedelic rock” movement.
But unlike many bands who claim that description, The Black Angels actually live up to both the psychedelic and the rock sides of the equation. Often, so-called psychedelic rock is too spacey, with annoyingly meandering noodling. Or it’s so fey and precious it makes Donovan look like Randy “Macho Man” Savage — and makes me want to whack a hobbit in the head with a shovel.
But The Black Angels — even back in their early days, when they were fond of 14-minute sound odysseys — have a tough sound that has never fallen into those traps. Like the best groups of the original psychedelic daze, the Angels’ reverb-drenched garage-rock roots are always apparent. Their heads may be in some bizarre Dr. Strange dimension, but their feet are on the ground.
There are lots of solid rockers on this album. One of my favorites has a not very peace-and-love title: “I’d Kill for Her.” The guitars scream while Alex Maas sings a tale of love and death: “She was so loaded/And mesmerizing/I had to follow/Her black horizon/No, I will not kill for her again.”
Even stronger is “Hunt Me Down,” with its thunderous brontosaurus beat, while the bouncy “Grab as Much (As You Can)” — was this inspired by our current president? — has a bass line similar to the Beatles’ “Taxman” and an ending that might have been inspired by “A Day in the Life.”
Meanwhile, “Comanche Moon,” which concerns the genocide of the American Indian, starts out with a Byrds-y folk-rock guitar hook that soon yields to an Allmans-esque “Whipping Post” riff.
Velvet Underground fans will immediately catch the significance of the album’s title — though nothing on this record sounds like the folkish, Dylan-influenced “The Black Angel’s Death Song” from the Velvets’ debut.
The final two tracks here seem to be a nod to it, though. “Death March” sounds like a descent into the underworld, with drums that suggest the band is ready for battle. Maas’ voice sounds downright ghostly. The final tune is a six-minute dirge called “Life Song,” which may be closer to Pink Floyd than The Black Angels have ever come before.
* BBQ by Mark Sultan. This is the latest solo album by Canadian Mark Sultan, a one-man band who is also half of the two-man band known as The King Khan & BBQ Show. He plays guitar and drums (via foot pedal) at the same time.
But Sultan’s real strength is his soaring voice. While a number of the better-known one-man outfits with roots in the punk racket play a hopped-up version of the blues, Sultan’s best songs are rooted in doo-wop and/or early soul.
Right now my favorite on this album is “Rock Me,” in which he makes a credible stab at being the best living Sam Cooke impersonator.
Ya like the videos?
Here are a couple from The Ghost Wolves.
Remember, nobody likes a crybaby!
Some folks like water, some folks like wine. But I like the taste of strychnine in my lemonade ...
Here are a couple of new Black Angels songs
And here's my favorite song on the latest Sultan album
Labels: tuneup
WACKY WEDNESDAY: Let Outsider Music Inside Your He...
Looky Here! A New Hillbilly Episode of The Big Enc...
THROWBACK THURSDAY: Revenge of the Scopitones
WACKY WEDNESDAY: Songs for the Serial Killers
THROWBACK THURSDAY: In Praise of American Epic
WACKY WEDNESDAY: We Just Missed Jonathan's Birthda...
TERRELL'S TUNE-UP: Musical Gems from the Countercu...
THROWBACK THURSDAY: Happy Birthday, Irving!
WACKY WEDNESDAY: The Record Shows He Took The Blow...
THROWBACK THURSDAY: Four Dead in Ohio
WACKY WEDNESDAY: Music from the Found Footage Fest...
Start Your Week Off with the Classy New Big Enchil...
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Tired of the office? Microsoft builds treehouses for its employees
in Companies
There’s no daydreaming about being outside at Microsoft Corp.’s new meeting spaces. You literally are in the great outdoors.
Last week, Microsoft MSFT, +0.48% unveiled a network of treehouses on its Redmond, Wash., campus, as part of an effort to boost employees’ creativity and happiness. Sitting 12 feet off the ground, the treehouses feature skylights, WiFi, hidden wall plugs and even a gas fireplace. Two structures are now open for use, with a third opening later this year. There’s also a “Crow’s Nest” observation post.
“People said, given the opportunity, they would work more outside,” project manager Bret Boulter said in a Microsoft blog post. “The first thing when you walk into the space is that everyone is really quiet. You stop talking and are just present,” he said. “It’s fascinating. People absorb the environment, and it changes the perception of their work and how they can do it.”
The treehouses feature meeting rooms open to all employees and lounge spaces. ”Nothing formal,” said Genise Dawson, a Microsoft administrator who helped plan the project. “A place you can chill inside or out of, sit, work.”
Microsoft Corp ,.
A meeting space in one of Microsoft’s treehouses.
The treehouses are part of Microsoft’s “outdoor districts” connected to buildings on the company’s 500-acre forested campus.
“With their workspace turned inside out and meetings taking place up in the foliage employees are figuring out how to rethink what working looks like,” Microsoft said.
Microsoft’s new treehouses sit 12 feet off the ground.
The treehouses were built by Pete Nelson, who’s known for his TV series “Treehouse Masters” on Discovery Communications’ DISCA, -0.21% Animal Planet.
Tags: Computer HardwareComputer SoftwareMicrosoftRetailsoftwaretreehousesUS:DISCAUS:MSFT
Nikkei continues to surge, leading Asian market gains
One of the World's Rarest Metals Is Having Its Best Price Run in a Decade
Lowest Unemployment Since Clinton Era Isn’t as Good as It Looks
Dow Tumbles on Weaker-Than-Expected Economic Data, Nike Loses Its Footing
Etsy Reports Quarterly Earnings Monday. Here’s What to Expect.
Is Gold a Buy? CEO of Gold Fields Explains
Fed Chair Announcement, Beer and Cannabis: Monday’s Top Stories
France’s stock market is poised for a ‘golden decade,’ Berenberg economist says
© 2016 Stock Market HeadLines News .
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Wishlist(0) Login/sign up
Home ⁄ Knowledge Centre ⁄ 4Cs Education ⁄ Diamond Clarity
Diamond Clarity Refers to the Absence of Inclusions and Blemishes
Natural diamonds are the result of carbon exposed to tremendous heat and pressure deep in the earth. This process can result in a variety of internal characteristics called ‘inclusions‘ and external characteristics called ‘blemishes.’ Evaluating diamond clarity involves determining the number, size, relief, nature, and position of these characteristics, as well as how these affect the overall appearance of the stone. While no diamond is perfectly pure, the closer it comes, the higher its value.
The GIA Diamond Clarity Scale has 6 categories, some of which are divided, for a total of 11 specific grades.
Flawless (FL) No inclusions and no blemishes visible under 10x magnification
Internally Flawless (IF) No inclusions visible under 10x magnification
Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2) Inclusions so slight they are difficult for a skilled grader to see under 10x magnification
Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2) Inclusions are observed with effort under 10x magnification, but can be characterized as minor
Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2) Inclusions are noticeable under 10x magnification
Included (I1, I2, and I3) Inclusions are obvious under 10x magnification which may affect transparency and brilliance
Many inclusions and blemishes are too tiny to be seen by anyone other than a trained diamond grader. To the naked eye, a VS1 and an SI2 diamond may look exactly the same, but these diamonds are quite different in terms of overall quality. This is why expert and accurate assessment of diamond clarity is extremely important.
How did the GIA Clarity Scale come to be?
Like the color scale, GIA’s clarity grading system developed because jewelers were using terms that could be misinterpreted, “loupe clean” or “piqué™.” Today, even if you buy a diamond somewhere else in the world, the jeweler will most likely use terms like VVS1 or SI2, even if his or her language is French or Japanese instead of English.
What causes inclusions?
Small crystals can become trapped in a diamond when it’s forming. Sometimes as a crystal grows it can develop irregularities in its atomic structure.
Copyright Su-Raj Intergold.
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[dropcap]S[/dropcap]EGA Nerds was founded in 2006 with the goal of bringing professionally written, journalistic daily news coverage of all things SEGA. The editorial team at SEGA Nerds strives to ensure we publish balanced, unbiased stories that are both informative and entertaining to our readership.
The SEGA Nerds team is led by Chris Powell, who has covered video games for various outlets over the past 15 years. Chris is also an Air Force print journalist with 17 years of covering the Air Force and was most recently the managing editor of the Air Force’s official feature magazine – Airman magazine.
The rest of the SEGA Nerds team is filled with respected journalists, photographers, videographers, designers and developers, who work tirelessly to make SEGA Nerds the best source for SEGA and Atlus coverage.
In late 2016, the SEGA Nerds team launched a new, digital SEGA and Atlus focused magazine called Mega Visions. Mega Visions is a bi-monthly, interactive magazine designed for tablets, smartphones and computers, and brings its readers a premium reading experience of both retro and new SEGA coverage.
History of SEGA Nerds
In 2001, Chris Powell created Dreamcaster’s Realm to be an enthusiast site where Dreamcast owners could go to read news and reviews on the system. Despite SEGA announcing its cancellation of the Dreamcast that same year, the two continued their steadfast coverage of the Dreamcast for several years.
However, as SEGA eventually moved development of its games to other platforms, Chris and Graham wanted a platform where they could cover SEGA across all systems.
In 2006, in the ashes of Dreamcaster’s Realm, SEGA Nerds was born to be a news source for SEGA enthusiasts to get coverage of their favorite video game site in one place.
SEGA Nerds quickly became the number one source for SEGA news on the Internet and several video game magazines and other sites have relied on the site for breaking news and coverage over the years.
In 2009-2010, Chris deployed overseas, and the site began to be updated more infrequently, to the point where it was unofficially closed down in 2011.
Two years later, on April 1, 2013, Chris and Graham relaunched SEGA Nerds with a renewed commitment to deliver the best SEGA news coverage anywhere around. The two brought back several members of the original staff and filled out the roster with new and incredibly talented professionals in the community, ranging from artists, documentarians and video editors.
In the few years the site has been back, SEGA Nerds has quickly built itself the reputation of being a credible source for news, having covered and been the first to report many prominent stories.
Along with the relaunch of the site, the team relaunched the SEGA Nerdcast — a popular SEGA podcast — and have had many incredible guests, like Tom Kalinske, Al Nilsen, Greg Johnson, Mike Mendheim and Keith Apicary, to name a few.
More than any time before, the SEGA Nerds team remains committed to being the very best we can to ensure video game fans have a place to go to get their daily dose of SEGA content.
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Welcome to Special Vehicle Services Ltd
Mercedes Benz & Japanese aftermarket specialists. Established in 1987.
Welcome to Special Vehicle Services Limited, or as many people know us 'SVS'. We came to the market originally helping car tuners, stylists and re-sellers find items they simply didnt know where to go for. Over the years we have been involved with over 50 percent of the UK Mercedes-Benz main dealer network, sold virtually every make of major and minor styling accessory for the Mercedes Benz marque, and also developed in-roads in the import and export of both racing and high performance parts as well as original ('O.E.') items for many high profile European and Japanese marques. In the market of specialist woodwork and interior trim, we have worked with some of Englands' best known coachbuilders, even at one time supplying interior trim to Porsche Cars Great Britain. We also became the first dealer in Europe for Trust Co. Ltd Japan ('GReddy') back in 1992, and still represent them today. We are also UK agents for Schatz-Tuning (Germany), Sportservice Lorinser, Quaife engineering products, Exedy Clutch Europe, to name but a few. We were one of the first official sub-dealers for Momo when re-appointed in the early nineties, and have also been involved in the supply of specialist suspension (Bilstein/Eibach/Koni etc), road wheels, racing products ranging from engine components, electronic upgrades,exhaust, turbo upgrades,intercoolers,improved braking systems and so on. We have a wealth of experience in the aftermarket performance and styling markets, so if you dont see it listed within our website, do please ask.
In recent years, our operation has become largely mail order, and parts supply rather than installation. We are entirely happy to serve you whether you are a conglomerate, a garage, or a private individual. We have delivered products to all corners of the globe so are very experienced in packing and despatch, both domestically and internationally.
Exedy Clutch (1)
GReddy (22)
Lorinser (9)
Mercedes-> (861)
Mitsubishi->
Nissan-> (37)
Quaife (6)
Snow Chains (2)
Sportservice Lorinser (13)
Trust Co. Ltd Japan (1)
Stainless steel bumper protection
Copyright © 2020 Special Vehicle Services Ltd
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Town of Carthage
Planning, Zoning & Permits
Town of Carthage Board of Commissioner's Regular Meeting Schedule
Land Development/Zoning Ordinances
Carthage Facts
Water Payments
Moore County Library
Born Learning Trail
Important Phone Numbers and Websites
Welcome to Carthage, North Carolina
Carthage, the county seat for Moore County, was incorporated in 1796. The name was changed to Fagansville in 1806 in honor of Richardson Fagin for letting the county seat be moved from his house to another tract of land he donated to the county. The name was changed back to Carthage in 1818. The exact reason is unknown, but we've been called Carthage ever since.
Important Notifications from the Town
https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BFE61879C81E
Text "buggy" to 99411 to sign up for notifications!
Downtown Business Committee
If you are a local business owner and/or dedicated to helping the Town of Carthage downtown grow and thrive, please consider participating in the Downtown Business Committee. Applications are available at Town Hall or by calling (910) 947-2331.
Even if you are unable to serve on the Committee, please complete our questionnaire. The questionnaire is available in the office, on Facebook or by clicking here. Completed surveys can be brought to the Town Hall Administration office or mailed to us at:
4396 US 15-501 Hwy, Carthage, NC 28327. We are grateful for participation!
Working together, we can accomplish a lot more!
The Carthage Board of Commissioners regular scheduled meetings are held on the third Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m., except for the January meeting which will be held on Tuesday due to the Martin Luther King holiday on Monday, at the McDonald Building.
The Carthage Historical Committee will hold their regular scheduled meetings on the second Tuesday of each month at 5:15 p.m. at the Museum. The Town of Carthage is accepting applications from anyone interested in serving on the Historical Committee.
The Planning Board has their regular scheduled meetings on the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the McDonald Building. Applications are being accepted from anyone interested in serving on the Planning Board.
Appearance Committee
The Carthage Appearance Committee will hold their regular scheduled meetings on the second Monday of each month at 5:00 p.m. at the Town Hall. The Town of Carthage is accepting applications from anyone interested in serving on the Appearance Committee.
Town Minutes & Ordinances
For information on our annual Buggy Festival, Please visit our official site.
Launch Site
Water bills due 25th
Board of Commissioners Agenda January 21, 2020
Public Hearing-Kelly Annexation
Public Hearing Notice-Conditional Use District
Special Meeting Notice-January 14, 2020
December 2019 Board of Commissioners Meeting
November 2019 Board of Commissioners Agenda
If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint filing cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call 866-632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax 202-690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov.
4396 Hwy 15-501 (Town Hall)
Carthage, North Carolina 28327
Office hours (on non-holiday working days) are:
Important Notifications Community Calendar Terms of Use & Privacy Login
Official Site for the Town of Carthage, Moore County N.C. - All Rights Reserved.
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HOT APP STORIES DAILY QUIZZES MEMES
WOO! 💥 Watch user mashups made from clips
Kapow! 🔥 Top Clips of The Rock (1996)!
http://www.tzr.io/yarn-clip/{# clip.uuid #}
About [object Object] results R 🔥 Filter
Drama(17547) Thriller(10746) Comedy(8381) Crime(7283) Horror(3843) Biography(3353) Romance(3085) Mystery(3050) Action(2611) Adventure(2602)
1990(26452) 2010(1749) 2000(105) 1980(48) 1970(24) 1960(4)
rateds
A Time to Kill (1996)(2088) Tin Cup (1996)(1874) Sling Blade (1996) (1782) Michael Collins (1996)(1661) The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) (1659) The Birdcage (1996) (1657) Shutter Island (2010)(1655) The Rock (1996)(1600) Fargo (1996)(1427) Trainspotting (1996)(1381) Scream (1996)(1361) Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)(1331) The Craft (1996)(1300) Bottle Rocket (1996)(1186) Jerry Maguire (1996)(1158) From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)(1147) The Great White Hype (1996)(1014) Escape from L.A. (1996) (949) Fear (1996) (936) Foxfire (1996) (873)
Tom Cruise(400)
Jerry Maguire(400)
The Rock (1996)
heading around Treasure Island.
Treasure Island.
Treasure Island?
Fisher Island. Such a lovely spot.
With the Jeb Bushes, on Fisher Island.
Even if you escape from the island,
Treasure!
Gonna buy yourself a wee island in the sun?
My mother always said, "Live on Fisher Island,"
you will evacuate this island in gunships under
- Where are you going? - Off this bloody island.
- Your island? - My island! Yup!
Foxfire (1996)
I'm afraid of an island with no boys on it.
My parents lived on Fisher Island until they died.
I mean, grow up! We're stuck on an island...
Treasure chest!
Treasure hunts?
Treasure hunt.
That's My Boy (2012)
A treasure!
There's probably a maze of tunnels on this goddam island.
your mission is the complete thermal destruction of Alcatraz Island.
Plum Island.
Anthrax Island.
The Beach (2000)
the island..
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
Island-hopping,
In Long Island? Stockbrokers in Long Island?
Escape from L.A. (1996)
at Firebase Seven, the deportation centre for Los Angeles island.
We penetrate the island through the tunnels under the prison buildings undetected
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Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates Skill Development Institute at Ahmedabad
Dated : 23 九月 2017 10:20:02 下午
Dharmendra Pradhan addressing the gathering during the inaugural ceremony
Mr Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship inaugurated the Skill Development Institute (SDI) at Adalaj, Ahmedabad today. This Institute has been established to achieve the National Skill Development Mission of Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi which aims to empower the youth of the nation through skill training and capacity building.
SDI Ahmedabad, set up by ONGC, is equipped to impart training in three trades i.e. Fitter Fabrication, Welding and Production Technician, through a six months’ residential program. The first batch of 90 students has been enrolled comprising of 76 students from SC/ST and OBC communities. Aspire Disruptive Skill Foundation is the training partner for the program. With this initiative, opportunities for employment and income generation will open up for the youth of the country.Addressing the gathering, Mr Pradhan said that nearly One Crore youth are seeking employment opportunities annually. To provide suitable jobs the youth need to be provided requisite skill enhancement training.
Unveiling of plaque during the inauguration of SDI, Ahmedabad
The minister said that Skill Development Institutes being set up with the support of the oil sector companies are a major step in this direction. “To meet the aspirations of the youth, Skill Development cannot be done by the Government only. It needs the support of PSEs, corporates, training institutes and industrial sector, all in a cohesive manner”, he said.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has established the Hydrocarbon Skill Council which would ensure setting up and functioning of six Skill Development Institutes (SDI) in different states. Oil PSUs viz. ONGC, IOC, HPCL, BPCL, OIL, GAIL, EIL and Balmer Lawrie have been entrusted responsibility of promoting these Institutes.Three institutes, at Bhubaneswar, Vishakhapatnam and Kochi are already functional. The fourth Institute has been established at Ahmedabad to meet the aspirations of the youth of Gujarat and neighboring States. Two more Institutes will commence shortly at Rae Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh and Guwahati in Assam.
DG, DGH, Mr Atanu Chakraborty, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Mr Rajesh Agarwal, Director (Onshore) ONGC, Mr V.P. Mahawar, senior government officers, executives from Oil PSUs, trustees, faculty members and students of the Institute participated in the inaugural event.
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd
Corporate Communications, New Delhi
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Published On: Tue, Dec 3rd, 2019
Central government involved in big onion scam: AAP MP Sanjay Singh
New Delhi: AAP MP Sanjay Singh on Tuesday said that the central government is involved in a big onion scam.
Singh, wearing a garland of onions, raised slogans in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in the Parliament premises against rising onion prices.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh on Tuesday said that the central government is involved in a big onion scam.
“There is a big scam related to onions. The central government is saying that 32 thousand metric tonnes of onion have decayed. The Delhi government had demanded 10 trucks of onion every day till December 9. From November 23, our onion supply was stalled by the central government,” Singh told ANI.
“The central government on September 5 had said that they had 56 thousand metric tonnes of onion. Then how did 32 thousand tonnes of onion decay? Why did the government not make available those onions at a lower price? They can let the onions decay but not make them available to the public,” he added.
Earlier, Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on December 1 accused the Centre of intentionally creating a scarcity of onions in the city-state.
“When the onion prices started to rise, on September 5 the Centre wrote to Delhi government that they had 56,000 metric tonne stock of onions and asked the Delhi government to procure onions as required,” he said.
“Soon, the Delhi government intimated the Central government that it would procure and distribute 10 trucks of onions, that is, 2.5 lakh kilos at a subsidised price in Delhi every day so that the hoarding of onions could be stopped,” he said.
Sisodia further said: “I want to ask the Central government why has it stopped the provision of onions to the Delhi government. Where is the stock of onions that the Union Government claimed in writing on September 5? Why has the Union government allowed huge onion stocks to rot away?”
The price of onions has shot up in other parts of the country as well.
Earlier on November 20, the Union Cabinet approved the import of 1.2 lakh metric tonnes of onion in view of the high prices of the essential commodity in the market.
“The Cabinet has given its approval to the import of 1.2 lakh metric tonnes of onion,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had told reporters after the meeting of the Union Cabinet.
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Terrapin Nation
Welcome to Terrapin Nation, a home for ramblings about Maryland basketball, sports near and dear to the hearts of fans in Baltimore and Washington, and a repository for writing by Greg Abel.
My Other Stolen Car, Another Essay
On Thursday, May 19, 2011, I had to get up very early to go to a business event in downtown Baltimore - had to be there by about 6:45 to set up. I walked out of the house and to my car and upon getting in, noticed that the car had been rummaged through. Papers were scattered about from the glove box, loose change on the floor, compartment in the dash was opened and emptied of the broken watch and bluetooth headset that had been in there.
It's a petty crime and one that happens a little too frequently in our Mt. Washington neighborhood for my comfort level, but so it goes. I reacted as most people would in such a situation, by releasing a stream of under-my-breath expletives about as loud as I would permit myself while standing outside before 7 a.m. At the same time as I was stomping around, my very kind, neighborly neighbor Marianne was driving by on her way to work and slowed to ask what happened. At that particular moment, I thought I had just lost a few things in my car and I was trying to remember what was even in the car to be taken. I just grumbled to her about my car being broken into and losing a few things including, I thought at the time, a tripod that I needed for a video shoot that day.
But, alas, the tripod I soon found in the trunk, along with a few other items that I thought were worthy of stealing. I figured they didn't bother or couldn't figure out how to pop the trunk ... so I considered myself a bit lucky and just got into the car and drove off.
Fast forward to about 8 a.m. and my cell phone rings. I'm with the client and quickly turn it off without looking at the screen. A half hour later I check the message and it's from my wife Jennifer who says simply, "Hey, hon, uh, where's the Volvo?"
And then it hits me. I didn't even notice ... when I drove off in in the early morning in my car, my wife's car wasn't there.
We have been through this before. Back in 2007, my then 6-month old Mazda sedan was poached from in front of our house. That time, I ran into the thief while he was running errands at the Home Depot at the Reisterstown Rd. plaza. Truly. [One comical side note to that whole story, by the way, was in telling my brother Ken that I ran into my car thief with my car at the Reisterstown Rd. plaza Home Depot, the first thing he said was, incredulously, "you go to the Home Depot at the Reisterstown Rd plaza?"] Not anymore.
Anyway, back to my current source of frustration with city living ... the missing 2001 Volvo V70 wagon, the one with 140k miles, our kid hauler, filled with toys and children's books and two carseats. Now in the hands of someone likely on a joyride, who went scrounging for loose change, ipods and GPS's in the middle of the night and hit the dirtbag jackpot.
And let me just go on a rant for a moment here about crime. We all have watched tons of movies and shows where slick thieves are portrayed as cool as they rip off unsuspecting dopes. When you are the person whose stuff a criminal takes, the only feeling you have for them is rage. They took our car. With our kids' stuff in it. It's maddening.
But then, you know, you calm down. It's just a car, a thing, you tell yourself and each other. Hell, it had a lot miles on it and we were shopping for something new anyway. The kids got an unexpected day off from school and by 3 p.m. we had a loaner Jetta and new car seats. A thing comes into your life and it goes away. It's a utility, you tell yourself, don't get too worked up about it, insurance will cover it. But still. It stings.
Now allow me to digress from that digression for a moment about the disinterest of the Baltimore police department in this particular crime. Jennifer and I weren't expecting Bunk and McNulty to bring down the criminals with an elaborate undercover operation, but what the police did do in response was just north of nothing.
A responding officer came out that morning to file a report. We learned the last time that what usually happens in these instances is that the thief is not an arch criminal with a network of comrades in Europe selling used parts to the mob ... no, it's typically a teenager on joy ride who is going to leave the car wherever it stops when it runs out of gas. Then someone will report that a car has been abandoned on their lawn or in the middle of the street and then Baltimore's finest will impound it and give you a call.
Our car was stolen in the overnight hours of May 19th. A week and a half later, Jennifer got a call from the insurance company saying that they were having trouble processing our claim because the car was not officially reported as stolen and in the police database. Jen called the officer who filed the report to find out what was up - the officer made a few calls and found out that due to "dispatcher error," the car was never reported as stolen. So, in the time from when it was stolen, not only was no one looking for it (as if) but there wouldn't even be a reason for a police officer to call in something suspicious if they saw the car or even pulled over the driver. Unless, of course, the driver posted a sign that said "stolen car" in place of our tags.
Two days after that call, they found our car. With the gas on E and the sunroof smashed in, the cops picked it up not far from Pimlico, less than 2 miles from our house.
THE IMPOUND LOT EXPERIENCE
Ever had your car impounded? When most people have their car impounded, it's usually for one of a couple of reasons:
1.) Failure to pay tickets.
2.) It's been in a hellacious accident and just gets hauled off there.
3.) Someone stole and abandoned it.
4.) Lord only knows.
Baltimore city's impound lot is located on Pulaski Highway, which looks a lot like a place called Pulaski Highway, in an area dotted with strip clubs, auto body shops, adult book stores, and shady looking motels. It fits right in. The office is a large shed of a building, with attendants behind barred off windows, gas station style, separating faithful city employees from people who might not be super psyched that their vehicle has been placed in the parking lot of broken dreams.
To get your car out, it costs $140 for the tow, $50 for storage and a $40 administrative fee. $230 is a figure we kept hearing people being charged for getting their car out. (Wonder why we haven't seen an impound lot Groupon yet...) You may use a credit card, but that carries with it a $12 fee because they consider it a cash advance and, you know, credit cards are such an exotic form of bill payment these days. In fairness, there is a MECU ATM in the corner near the cashier cages, just to the left of the nailed down plastic chairs.
So what happens when you get there is you take a number from deli-counter style machine and they call you and you step right up to the counter. You give the worker your title and driver's license and tale of woe. Then you sit back down until your car model is called, and a guy who's seen it all takes you back, three or four at a time into a massive parking lot of broken down, discarded, and otherwise troubled vehicles.
The lot is huge, and the cars populating it are not, generally in good shape. There's a caged off area of motorcycles and mini bikes. Because you go in groups, you get to see and hear the stories of the other people as you sit scrunched next to them in a crappy Chevy with a City of Baltimore logo on the side.
Anyway, I was in there with an elderly woman who informed us that she was there to fetch the belongings from her brother's car - she said he walked away fine after passing out at the wheel and slamming into 2 parked cars. She had to unload the car, a Crown Victoria, of a bunch of his stuff. Anxious to get to my car, I got out to help and watched as she waded through his car, a few hats, a travel iron, grocery bags. She popped the trunk and found some corn that had turned a spoiled brown. Before getting back in the car, she stood there for a while with a hand on a hip, just looking at the mangled front end. There was a massive, V-shaped crater in the front grill and both airbags had been deployed and now hung limp - "mmmph, mmmph, mmmph," she said, "good thing for those airbags."
Next up came a young woman who needed to pay a visit to her Chevy Blazer. She told the driver she couldn't afford to get it out right now, but needed her shoes and a bunch of other stuff. So I watched as she unloaded more pairs of shoes than you would hope that anyone you know stores in their car into a brown paper bag.
Next up came my turn... it's kinda like an airport Super Shuttle for losers this ride I was on ... and I saw the nose of the Volvo peeking out from the row. Looked OK. Got up close and saw that the sunroof was smashed. But the body looked alright, no major dents. Got out of the impound limo and got in my car, pushing glass off the seat... turned the key and it started. Realized there were a bunch of clothes that weren't ours all over the place ... didn't drive the car out because I didn't want to drive it with all the glass and didn't know if it was OK to drive. So I had to go back to the shack and release the car to the insurance company, which later sent a tow truck and had it brought to our car repair place of choice.
I felt happy to have the car back, still mad that it was stolen but overall a decent outcome considering the circumstances. As I write this we're still waiting for the adjuster to give us a damage total but I'm assuming we'll put it back on the road after a thorough cleaning. I'm thinking we are going to ask whoever details it to detail it after they detail it.
THINGS LEFT BEHIND
When you're out at the impound lot, it's hard to take a long time with the car because you feel the eyes of the other auto sweepstakes losers waiting for you, as is the friendly driver. Finally when the Volvo was at the auto shop, I put on a pair of gloves and sorted through the stuff in it.
Jen was happy that the kids "Bop It" toy was left behind, as was Alec's Thomas the Tank engine umbrella and sunglasses and their books and some action figures. Though I feel like I want to have those things washed or just toss em. I put em in bags.
Then I looked at what the car thieves left in the car. Very weird. It was an assorted bunch of karate gear - several black belts and a robe that included the name of a karate place. As it turns out, the name of the place is for troubled youths... and, here we go, one of the blackbelts had a person's name on it.
I'm not going to write that name here because I don't know if that person stole our car, is related to the person who stole our car, or had his stuff stolen by the person who stole our car. I'll let the police put their best team on that case.
Then, the final kicker. Jen later visited the car and found the kids' Milkshake CD (kids songs) had been destroyed, and in the CD player was a homemade mix called "In the Guttah."
Posted by Greg Abel at 6:38 PM No comments: Links to this post
My favorite memory of the Gary Williams era of Maryland basketball did not burn its way into my brain at Cole Field House, Comcast Center, or even Minneapolis or Atlanta, where Gary and the Terps played in back-to-back Final Fours.
No, the indelible moment took place in Anaheim in March of 2001. Gary and the Terps had just defeated top seeded Stanford in the Elite 8 and I was lucky enough to be in the stands, in the lower bowl even, having snuck down from the nose bleeds I scalped to sit in Terrapin red among a bunch of well-heeled, burgundy-clad Stanford alums.
After the final horn blew on an amazing game – Maryland won 87-73 – Gary climbed up the ladder to take his turn cutting down the net. He’d finally done it. All the years, all the battles, all the sweaty suits, and all the sideline rants were in the past. He had a look of elation and peace. The Final Four awaited. He’d done it.
For the prior two hours, his third-seeded Terps took apart top-seeded Stanford, led at the time by future NBA players Jarron and Jason Collins along with All America Casey Jacobson. Maryland's Lonny Baxter absolutely schooled the Collins twins in the second half to the tune of 24 points with an array of half hooks, drop steps and reverse layups. Juan Dixon nailed his share of trademark jumpers and the score kept stretching out, stretching out in Maryland's favor as the clock wound down.
I'm getting the chills now typing as I remember that game. It meant so much. No team before or since, in my opinion, embodied the Gary Williams era more at Maryland. They were scrappy and talented, but not overwhelming favorites. They played hard, like their coach, and took their share of criticism. Just a month or so prior to that magical night in Anaheim, the Terps fell at home to a mediocre Florida State team. The home crowd booed the team off the court.
As Maryland completed the win over Stanford (for my money, the best played game of any team in the Gary era), the Florida State loss felt like another season. But I bet Gary remembered. I bet he heard those boos somewhere in his brain as he ascended the ladder, scissor in hand. I remember watching him intently, not wanting to miss a second of it. I can’t remember feeling as happy as a fan or as satisfied for a coach as I did at that moment. He cut the remains of the net, grabbed it, and swung it over his head. “There! You see this?" he seemed to say with each twist of the rope. "You didn’t think I could do it, did you? Well here I am. What do you want to say now?”
I just want to say thank you. Thanks Gary. There will never be another coach like you. It was quite a ride.
Posted by Greg Abel at 7:36 AM No comments: Links to this post
Oh, Oh, Tokyo
Some friends have asked what I'm doing here in Tokyo, so I'll share the story here:
So, why the heck am I in Tokyo?
The story goes back to last fall when I took on a project to represent a Japanese company called Remo System that wanted to attract press in the US around the New York marathon in November.
The company makes, among other things, a shoe insert called the i-Grip, which has an elevated bump in the center that is intended to help your feet ‘grip’ better. Their media hook was that they were sponsoring an elite Japanese runner who had a chance to contend in the race. He had an interesting twist in that this runner broke away from the traditional Japanese corporate system and was running as an independent. So I took on the project and we were able to land some nice coverage, like in Runner's World and the Times
After that, they asked what I could do for the Tokyo Marathon in November. The goal, again, was press in the US because they want to get someone in the US to sell their product and want some credibility in the market. So I said well, you’re a Japanese company, with a Japanese product, and your endorser is Japanese and the race is in Japan. I don’t know how I’m going to get the NY Times to care about that.
So we got to thinking about who we might hire to represent Remo in the Tokyo Marathon that press in the US and internationally would take an interest in. At first I was thinking about a reality TV star or a retired athlete, but ultimately suggested Edison Pena, the Chilean miner who completed the New York marathon just three weeks after being rescued from the mine. I was in NY for the NY marathon for Remo and sat in on the press conference when he was introduced. The guy is a natural in front of the media and his story is compelling of course.
They liked the idea so then I had to go about finding him and making an offer and working out all the details. This took about two months, but we finally got it done. Here’s where I need to give a shout out to Barry Flaks. Barry speaks Spanish and made himself available to me to call Pena and his wife and present our offer to them and finalize all the details.
Anyway, so once Pena agreed, then we were able to make an announcement about it – which generated some good press - http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=gen&id=6145281
I’m over here now working to drum up more media interest, build the relationship with the client, and try to see what Tokyo is all about. There are so many details I could share, but let me just start by throwing out some random observations about Tokyo, in no particular order:
It’s clean, really clean. The people and the cultural are all very orderly. The people on the subway almost don’t talk at all. Very nice people if you ask for some help but they are not outwardly friendly; as in they don’t make eye contact and nod to a stranger, they barely make eye contact at all if you don’t know them; My toilet seat is heated and has a bidet feature. I would pay good money to install both of these features at my home, just sayin. Our American way of dressing down for work has not caught on over here. People wear suits. They are very stylish, they dress well and seem to be incredibly attentive to the details. Lots of people, maybe 15 percent, walk around with surgical masks in public, I think this is related to the cleanliness obsession.
There’s an odd, sort of whimsical nature about Japanese cultural that I can’t quite describe. For example, at night the last 2 nights I’ve noticed that there are these weird shows that I guess you’d describe as a variety show, where you have performers and talk segments and weird stupid human tricks, and it’s all set against a kaleidoscope of a background that’s colorful and weird and childlike.
What else can I tell you? I had a moment in a minivan today when it was me, Edison and his wife, and 5 Japanese people from Remo, the company that hired me. My contact to Remo is Kaz, a US-based Japanese business development guy, whose job it is to connect Japanese businesses with international opportunities.
I’ve gotten to know Kaz pretty well and today in the car I asked him what city he is from. And he replied, “Hiroshima.” And a short uncomfortable silence during which I contemplated apologizing on behalf of the US for dropping an Atomic bomb on his city, I instead went with, “so what is your favorite sport to watch?”; to which he answered baseball; so I quickly changed the conversation to my appreciation of Ichiro’s approach at the plate.
My role here is very odd in that I am a US PR guy who speaks only English and I’m with the Chilean miner who speaks only Spanish, working for a company of people that speak mostly Japanese. So there are weird situations where there isn’t much conversation going on because, basically, no one understands each other. Well, that's not entirely true. Kaz speaks good English so he talks to me and I speak a little Spanish, so I try with Edison and his wife but once they get going in Spanish in return, I can’t understand a word, unless for some strange reason they ask me ‘donde esta el quarto de bano?’ which means, as you who took Spanish in high school know, “Where is the bathroom?” But they have yet to ask me where is the bathroom.
Anyway, the language thing is confusing. I’m finding myself saying gracias to the Japanese concierge, who speaks pretty good English.
What else should I share? Here was my day today:
Woke up around 7 a.m. local time and went to breakfast with Edison and the media director from the NY marathon, who wanted to present him with a gift. Table conversation was difficult so I literally had Kaz call Barry, who walked away from his kid’s basketball practice in Reisterstown for 10 minutes to translate a conversation in Tokyo between me, Edison Pena and his wife and the NY marathon guy, Richard. Have I mentioned that I love Barry?
After breakfast we were picked up by the Remo CEO and drove to the official marathon expo, where Edison met the Chilean ambassador to Japan for a meet and greet and photo opp. A quick note on driving in Japan – they drive on the left. The cars are a touch smaller. Like the minivan we were in, was 3 rows, but a bit more narrow and sleek than the US minivans, which are more bulky. This design, it seems to me, goes hand in hand with the fact that Japanese people are much slimmer than Americans and don’t require as much space. I wish they sold a van like that in the US, it’s got what you need but isn’t a beast to drive around.
Anyway, after the expo, it was time to go to the official marathon press conference. I arranged for Edison to be introduced and interviewed and it went pretty well. There’s some conflicts between Remo and the official marathon sponsors that I’ve had to tip-toe around so it wasn’t as highly publicized as it could have or should have been, but hopefully we’ll get some nice coverage out of it.
After the press conference we took the train back to our hotels. The Japanese subway system is awesome. They have digital readouts above the doors that tell you where you are and what stop is next. There are English translations for most things and everything operates with mind-blowing efficiency. Unlike the subways in DC or New York for example, where people gaggle around the doors all mish-mashed, they have people whose job it is to line you up and there are tight lines of people waiting to get in, who stand behind the line. There’s a crush to get in, of course, but it’s an organized crush.
I’m trying to think of some other good tidbits but my brain is starting to feel a bit soft and uncooperative so I’ll wrap it up. I’ll send some more news and notes later this weekend, hope you made it this far in my little write-up.
Posted by Greg Abel at 8:01 AM 2 comments: Links to this post
Links to Other Published Work
Len Bias: "It Was 20 Years Ago ... " for PressBox
NCAA Tourney Coverage for Yahoo Sports
Terence Morris Feature for Sun
"Starbury" Feature for Sports Business Journal
Euroleague Feature for The Sporting News
Tyus Edney feature for L.A. Times
Euroleague feature for L.A. Times
Brenda Frese Feature for PressBox
Drew Nicholas feature for Sun
Sarunas Feature in Post
Sarunas Feature for Washington Post - June 2005
The Washington Post June 29, 2005 Wednesday Final Edition Jasikevicius Looks for NBA Shot; Free Agent Hopeful Counts On His Stardom in E...
Remembering Len Bias - article and interviews for Baltimore Pressbox
NOTE - these articles originally appeared in the June 19, 2006 edition of Baltimore PressBox magazine, http://www.pressboxonline.com/story.c...
Post Game Thoughts After Maryland 104, Va. Tech 100 in Double OT
Post game thoughts: That was a GREAT college basketball game. The kind of game that makes you love college basketball all over again. I was...
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My Stolen Car, An Essay
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On Thursday, May 19, 2011, I had to get up very early to go to a business event in downtown Baltimore - had to be there by about 6:45 to s...
Maryland Beats Duke on a Perfect Night
From my good pal and devoted Terps fan Gabe, couldn't have said it better myself: Great start, great finish. Inspired seniors, clutch f...
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Greg Abel
Freelance writer and radio host. Owner of Abel Communications PR firm (www.abelcommunications.com). Loved Cole Field House, Accepts Comcast, really enjoyed the Juan Dixon era.
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Board index » Discussion Forums » The Library of Rivendell
Sad loss: Ursula K. Le Guin
WampusCat
Post subject: Sad loss: Ursula K. Le Guin
Location: Where least expected
From NPR:
Ursula K. Le Guin, a prolific novelist best known for the Earthsea series and The Left Hand of Darkness, died Monday at the age of 88. Across more than 20 novels and scores of short stories, Le Guin crafted fantastic worlds to grapple with profoundly difficult questions here on Earth, from class divisions to feminist theory.
Her agent Ginger Clark confirmed Le Guin's death to NPR.
Take my hand, my friend. We are here to walk one another home.
Avatar from Fractal_OpenArtGroup
Frelga
Post subject: Re: Sad loss: Ursula K. Le Guin
Location: Out on the banks
All the best people are leaving.
“I am not so blind that I can't see darkness.”
Dangerous Beans
Terry Pratchett, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
Primula Baggins
Living in hope
Location: Sailing the luminiferous aether
I am so sad. I’ll come back and try to write more than that, but not tonight.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
Teremia
Reads while walking
I am also just so sad about this loss. It's hitting me hard. I got to see her in person in 2013--a great highlight of my adult life. She was everything any writer or human being could hope to be. So poetic and so honest.
“Wilbur never forgot Charlotte. Although he loved her children and grandchildren dearly, none of the new spiders ever quite took her place in his heart. She was in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.” E. B. White, who must have had vison in mind. There's a reason why we kept putting the extra i in her name in our minds!
“I do not care what comes after; I have seen the dragons on the wind of morning.” —The Farthest Shore
Impenitent
Throw me a rope.
Location: Deep in Oz
There are writers whose work has tunnelled beneath my flesh and bones into my heart or my soul. When they die, it rips into me, or iut of me, leaving a vacuum that can't be seen but diminishes me in a lasting, even permanent, way.
I feel it. This makes me so sad.
Sent from a tiny phone keyboard via Tapatalk - typos inevitable.
Mornings wouldn't suck so badly if they came later in the day.
bioalchemist
Location: the dry land
I yelled at the radio when I heard last night.
It's one of those things you know had to happen one day but hoped it wasn't today. She'll never really be gone as long. Her writing is still with us, as well as the mighty influence she had on all things speculative fiction. But we'll never read anything new from her again.
When you can do nothing what can you do?
Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 10:07 pm
For Christmas I got the Library of America two-volume set of the Hainish stories and novels (which include The Left Hand of Darkness and The Disposessed), and I'd been holding back on it until I finished some things—it has new introductions by Le Guin written just for this set, and the endpapers are her hand-drawn map of Gethen. And I haven't read the first three Hainish novels (Rocannon's World, Planet of Exile, and City of Illusions) in at least a couple of decades, so . . . it's like having something new to read?
2018 Fitbit Balrog*
Oh CRaP. WTF.
I’ve been going on & on about Ursula to My mom, my sis on how they have to read her... about her letter to The editors as well. . This hurts.
*title copyright: Teremia
'You just said "your getting shorter": you've obviously been drinking too much ent-draught and not enough Prim's.' - Jude
Maybe there's something here you haven't read. From her Wikipedia article:
Ursula K. Le Guin has written fiction and nonfiction works for audiences including children, adults, and scholars. Her most notable works are listed here.
Earthsea fantasy series[79]
[Main article: Earthsea]
A Wizard of Earthsea, 1968 (named to the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award list in 1979)
The Tombs of Atuan, 1971 (Newbery Silver Medal Award)
The Farthest Shore, 1972 (National Book Award)[75]
Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea, 1990 (Nebula Award;[80] Locus Fantasy Award)[81]
Tales from Earthsea, 2001 (short stories)
The Other Wind, 2001 (World Fantasy Award, 2002)[82]
Hainish science fiction series[19]
[Main article: Hainish Cycle]
Rocannon's World, 1966
Planet of Exile, 1966
City of Illusions, 1967
The Left Hand of Darkness, 1969 (Hugo Award;[83] Nebula Award)[84]
The Dispossessed, 1974 (Nebula Award;[85] Hugo Award; Locus Award)[86]
The Word for World Is Forest, 1976 (Hugo Award, best novella)
Four Ways to Forgiveness, 1995 (Four Stories of the Ekumen)
The Telling, 2000 (Locus SF Award;[87] Endeavour Award)
The Lathe of Heaven, 1971 (Locus SF Award)[88]
The Wind's Twelve Quarters, 1975
Orsinian Tales, 1976
The Eye of the Heron, 1978 (first published in the anthology Millennial Women)
The Beginning Place, 1980 (also published as Threshold, 1986)
The Compass Rose, 1982
Always Coming Home, 1985
Searoad: Chronicles of Klatsand, 1991
Annals of the Western Shore, 2004–2007 (Powers, the third volume, won the Nebula Award for Best Novel)
Lavinia, 2008 (Locus Fantasy Award)[89]
And this is just her fiction for adults. For kids, from the "Ursula Le Guin Bibliography" article on Wikipedia:
Catwings, 1988, ISBN 0590428330
Catwings Return, 1989, ISBN 0833566350
Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings, 1994, ISBN 0439551919
Jane on her Own, 1999, ISBN 0531301338
Her poetry, same source:
Wild Angels, 1974
Hard Words, 1981
Wild Oats and Fireweed, 1988
Blue Moon over Thurman Street (with Roger Dorband), 1993
Going out with Peacocks, 1994
The Twins, the Dream (with Diana Bellessi), 1996
Sixty Odd, 1999
Incredible Good Fortune, 2006
Out Here: Poems and Images from Steens Mountain Country (with Roger Dorband), 2010
Finding My Elegy: New and Selected Poems, 2012
Late in the Day: Poems 2010–2014, 2015, ISBN 978-1-62963-122-6
Her nonfiction, mostly about writing (same source):
From Elfland to Poughkeepsie," chapbook, Pendragon Press, 1973 (ISBN 0-914010-00-X)
"Science Fiction and Mrs Brown"[27]
The Language of the Night, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1979 (ISBN 0-399-12325-3) (Hugo Award nominee, 1980)
Dancing at the Edge of the World, Grove Press, 1989 (ISBN 0-8021-1105-X) (Hugo Award nominee, 1990)
Earthsea Revisioned (Cambridge, MA: Children's Literature New England, 1993, ISBN 9780948845031), 26 pages, illustrated – "A lecture delivered under the title "Children, Women, Men and Dragons" at Worlds Apart, an institute sponsored by Children's Literature New England and held August 2–8, 1992, at Keble College, Oxford University, England." OCLC 29598010 – about unifying her later Earthsea writings with her earlier Earthsea writings[28]
Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Mariner and the Mutinous Crew , The Eighth Mountain Press, 1998 (ISBN 0-933377-46-0)
The Wave in the Mind, Shambhala Publications, 2004 (ISBN 1-59030-006-8) (Locus Award winner, 2005)
Cheek by Jowl, Aqueduct Press, 2009 (ISBN 978-1-933500-27-0) (Locus Award winner, 2010)
Steering the Craft: A 21st-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015. (ISBN 978-0544611610)
Words Are My Matter: Writings About Life and Books, 2000-2016, with a Journal of a Writer’s Week, Small Beer Press, 2016 (ISBN 1618731343) (winner of the Hugo Award for Best Related Work)
No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017 (ISBN 978-1328661593)
And finally her translations (translations she published, same source):
Selected Poems of Gabriela Mistral. University of New Mexico Press, 2003. ISBN 0-8263-2818-0
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching: A Book About the Way and the Power of the Way. Shambala Publications, 1998. ISBN 978-1570623950
Kalpa Imperial: The Greatest Empire That Never Was. Northampton: Small Beer Press, 2003. ISBN 1-931520-05-4 [29]
Gheorghe Sasarman: Squaring the Circle: A Pseudotreatise of Urbogony. Aqueduct Press, April 2013. ISBN 978-1619760257[30]
I MUST HAVE THIS BOOK
https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/15/1731 ... lease-date
It comes out five days before my birthday, so I think I can wangle it.
Yeah. Wow.
Alatar
of Vinyamar
Is there a price mentioned?
The Vinyamars on Stage! This time at Bag End
$59.99 list. It may be quite a bit less on Amazon.
I’ll have to get it. There’s no way I can’t not.
All five Earthsea novels. Every Earthsea story, including a new one. And eighty illustrations on which Le Guin worked directly with the artist, commenting on each revision, so that his vision of Earthsea was hers. Yes, I'm going to have to have that, too.
lazycat
She was a neighbor of mine for a time in Portland. I used to stand in line at the grocer's or the post office with her.
Gasp. Hallowed space around you.
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Beer Pouring Robots Hit US Football Stadiums
Perfect hand-off. JL
Peter Holley reports in the Washington Post:
The mechanical arm — manufactured by Universal Robots and programmed by MSI Tec — serves beer from a machine that fills plastic cups from the bottom up using a magnet. The robot is programmed to start dispensing once two people push a button at the same time. Unlike a human bartender, the UR5e never spills a drop of beer. Asked (about) any issues arising between drunk football fans and a robotic beer-pourer, “We haven’t had any issues so far.”
Last month, a robotic bartender made its debut inside a futuristic-looking restaurant in Prague, where intrepid guests place orders via an app.
Little did many Americans know, U.S. engineers were simultaneously placing the finishing touches on our own alcohol-pouring machine, known as the “UR5e.”
And thus, a new robotic “arms” race was underway.
While the Eastern European robot pours guests glasses of expensive wine, its American counterpart remains true to its roots, serving up ice cold Bud Light straight from the keg.
The robot make its official debut in Mile High Stadium, the team said, where the Denver Broncos faced off against the Cleveland Browns. The machine will be at least the second known robot to pour fans beers inside an NFL stadium. In Florida, a robot produced by the robotics company FANUC and “employed” by the Jacksonville Jaguars has also been serving Bud Light to fans on game days.
“Broncos Country will find out if robots do it better when the beer-dispensing Bud Light Bot debuts at the stadium in the United East Club level during the game,” the team said.
We are deploying a robot that will serve some Bud Light this Saturday in the United East Club Level. Who could use one for their Broncos Fan Cave? #DillyDilly #BudLightBot pic.twitter.com/iTXNeMMfQ2
— Broncos Bud Light (@BroncosBudLight) December 12, 2018
The mechanical arm — manufactured by Universal Robots and programmed by MSI Tec — serves beer from a machine that fills plastic cups from the bottom up using a magnet. The robot is programmed to start dispensing once two people push a button at the same time.
Unlike a human bartender, the UR5e never spills a drop of beer, according to Mike Barrett, MSI Tec’s vice president.
“The exciting thing behind Universal Robots is that they’re a collaborative robot intended to be used alongside humans,” Barrett said, noting that the machines are often used to do tedious process work, such as picking up parts over and over again. “They don’t need additional safeguarding like most industrial robots, which often have to be kept away from people behind big cages."
Barrett said the Broncos discovered the robot during an event at a Denver brewery, where the UR5e’s pouring prowess was on display. The machine can be programmed in about an hour, the company says.
Barrett said he would like to see the UR5e working inside NFL concession stands across America at some point, but he doesn’t foresee the robot replacing human jobs.
“It certainly can operate autonomously, but it would still require someone to monitor the keg and make sure it’s operating properly, and that still means that it needs human interaction,” Barrett said.
Several thousand miles away in the Czech Republic, the owner of the wine-pouring robot, Marcel Soural, told Reuters he’s convinced that robots will soon replace waitstaff all over the world, following a trend that has redefined the manufacturing world.
“I am deeply convinced that in some time, when you will be served in a restaurant by a real person, it will be a terribly expensive restaurant because it will be unique,” he said.
Thus far, human workers continue to play a crucial role in restaurants staffed by robots. At a California fast-food restaurant this year, a burger-flipping robot named “Flippy” lasted only a day on the job before he was replaced by his human colleagues after quickly burning out. The robot, a specialized industrial six-axis robotic arm bolted to the kitchen floor, later returned to action and began pushing out 300 burgers per day, according to USA Today.
On the other side of the country, in Boston, a restaurant that replaced human chefs with seven automated cooking bots that simultaneously whip up meals in three minutes or less has been a success. Opened in May by a group of 20-something robotics engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Spyce recently announced $21 million in funding and plans to expand along the East Coast, according to Eater Boston.
Asked whether he foresees any issues arising between drunk football fans and a robotic beer-pourer, Barrett chuckled.
“Well find out,” he said. “We haven’t had any issues so far.”
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Delivery Robot Spontaneously Bursts Into Flames. Observers Mourn
Fallen in the heat of the delivery battle...JL
Sophia Brown-Heidenreich reports in The Daily Californian:
A KiwiBot, one of the more than 100 robots that deliver food throughout the campus and city, caught fire outside the (UC Berkeley) Student Union. Garnering more than 300 reactions and more than 90 comments within an hour of uploading the video of the robot in flames, students have called for a moment of silence, suggesting finals week may have finally gotten to the robot as well. While the KiwiBot may have been scorched, it was not delivering a meal when it caught fire — no one saw their order lost.
Describing the robot as a "hero" and a "legend," UC Berkeley students expressed their grief on Facebook as news of a fallen KiwiBot reached the campus community.
About 2 p.m. Friday, a KiwiBot — one of the more than 100 robots that deliver food throughout the campus and city — caught fire outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union.According to Sasha Iatsenia, head of product at Kiwi, the company is still working with UCPD to investigate the cause of the fire. Nothing like this has ever happened before, Iatsenia said.
UCPD could not be reached for comment as of press time.
Footage from the scene shows one person putting out the flames with a fire extinguisher. The fire drew a small crowd of curious onlookers, and videos of a slowly blackening KiwiBot were soon thereafter uploaded to Facebook's Overheard at UC Berkeley page.
Garnering more than 300 reactions and more than 90 comments within an hour of uploading, the video of the robot in flames made waves on the page. Students have called for a moment of silence, suggesting finals week may have finally gotten to the robot as well.
While the KiwiBot may have been scorched, Iatsenia assured The Daily Californian that it was not delivering a meal when it caught fire — no one saw their order lost.
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TAK Games > Australian Dragon Ball Z 2016 Organised Play Announcement
Australian Dragon Ball Z 2016 Organised Play Announcement
Strap yourselves in! Starting in June and finishing in October with our Australian Nationals event, large scale organised play events are back.
Three World Championships invites are up for grabs for Australian players with two different ways to earn the invites this year. Similar to last year, the top 2 finishers at the Australian Nationals will earn a paid invite to the Dragon Ball Z World Championships. In addition to that, this year the best performing player over the Local Championship and Regional events will also earn a paid invite.
In June, eight Local Championship events will be held across Australia, hosted by current TAK league organised play stores. These events will offer support to players travelling to Nationals in October. The prizes will include:
1st Place – $400 travel stipend to Nationals, trophy and exclusive playmat
2nd Place – $200 travel stipend to Nationals
3rd / 4th Place – $50 travel stipend to Nationals
5th – 8th Place – $25 travel stipend to Nationals
World Championship invite points will be awarded based on final placing and number of players present at each event. A player’s three top finishes in Local Championship and Regional events will count towards their final ranking.
Travel stipends will be payable to players on presentation of evidence of booked travel (flights / accommodation) to Melbourne for the Australian Nationals weekend. Travel stipends are cumulative.
Regional Championships will again be held around Australia through August, September and October. You can expect trophies, exclusive promos and points towards the World Championship invite to be on offer for prizes.
The organised play season will culminate in the 2016 Australian Nationals event to be held in Melbourne on the weekend of the 15th and 16th October. The event will be hosted at the Celtic Club, and the Top 2 finishers will earn themselves a paid invite to the Dragon Ball Z World Championships.
TAK Games are thrilled to bring organised play events to Australian players throughout the 2016 season and look forward to seeing as many participants as possible. If you have any questions regarding organised play, please contact us at dbz@tak-games.com.au, via our Facebook page TAK Games or group Dragonball Z TCG Australia or via Twitter @TAKGames_au.
Tagged: dragon ball z, organised play
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How to make the most of a staycation in Looe and Polperro
Talland Bay Hotel May 27 2019
Early summer is a marvellous time of year to visit Cornwall, with long daylight hours, warming seas, quiet beaches and pretty sea pinks in bloom. You’d be forgiven for thinking you’d travelled abroad with the aquamarine waters sparkling in the sunshine and palm trees gently waving in the breeze.Whether a first-time visitor or a regular to the area, make the most of your staycation in sunny south...
Talland Bay Hotel to star in More4 TV show
We’re famous! The beautiful south Cornish coast and Talland Bay Hotel’s sunny sub-tropical gardens are set to steal the show when episode six of new More4 TV series, Devon & Cornwall is broadcast on 6 May.In the words of the production company, True North, the eight-part series follows “a host of fascinating characters who reveal what it is really like to live and work in the far South West ...
Supporting the Cornwall Air Ambulance New Heli Appeal
Established in 1987, Cornwall Air Ambulance is one of the county’s most vital charities, completing over 800 missions every year, bringing essential emergency medical treatment to patients across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The charity has committed to raising £2.5 million by April 2020 to secure a bigger, faster helicopter for Cornwall. In 2018 Talland Bay Hotel became the charity’s first...
On the trail of smuggling in south east Cornwall
Cornwall’s smuggling heritage is renowned the world over, romanticised in the pages of novels from Poldark to Jamaica Inn. Its virtually uninhabited, rocky coastline provided the ideal setting for smugglers and wreckers seeking to evade the revenue men, with the secluded bay at Talland being a particularly favoured spot for bringing contraband ashore. A visit to south east Cornwall wouldn’t be...
Nick Hawke's Roasted Beetroot and Braeburn Tarte Tatin
Talland Bay Hotel December 18 2018
If like us you like to hole up and hibernate with tasty, comfort food in wintertime then this earthy, savoury twist on a tarte tatin is an ideal dish to try at home. The following recipe by the Talland Bay Hotel’s head chef Nick Hawke appears in the winter edition of Talking Food Magazine. It features three different types of beetroot along with Cornish Nanny (or blue goats’) cheese and is packed...
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As our American friends prepare for Turkey Day, Wil looks back at the Thanksgiving skeleton hanging in George Lucas' closet - The Star Wars Holiday Special.
Imagine as a child walking in on your parents having sex.
Sorry for that imagery. But stick with me.
The shock of seeing people you know and love in a weird uncompromising position. The people that you care about the most are doing something that just seems completely wrong to you, and it's hard to accept. Then there's the awkwardness afterwards. Do you talk about it? Or do you just try and pretend like it never happened and let everyone get back to normality?
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Star Wars Holiday Special.
November 17th 1978 a great disturbance was felt on CBS. Millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were simultaneously silenced as Carrie Fisher sang a song in celebration of 'Life Day' to the tune of the Star Wars main theme.
Star Wars was just 18 months old, and 1978 was a time when very few people had VCRs, and prior to the video rental boom. So your only way to see Star Wars was at the cinema, and I'd chance a guess that most people, excessive fans excluded, had only seen the movie once, maybe twice. But everyone had a television set and as families gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving this variety show could've killed the franchise stone cold dead. Because it is one of the worst things you can imagine - yes worse than Jar Jar Binks!
So what was included in the line-up of the Star Wars Holiday Special? Well all of the principal cast were featured across the two hour variety show, but prior to Ms Fishers dulcet tones we were treated to, amongst other things, Bea Arthur (yes her from the Golden Girls) playing a bartender in the Mos Eisley Cantina and singing "Good Night, But Not Goodbye", backed by the Cantina's resident group, Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes. Because that seems like a great idea, right?
Wrong. And the madness continued. There was a circus style acrobatic routine, a skit with a four-armed chef, Jefferson Starship, comedy segments, and an animated cartoon - which was the high point of the whole thing, and included the very first appearance of Boba Fett.
George Lucas’ claimed he had nothing to do with it, but knowing his hands-on nature at the time that feels very unlikely. Mind you, I'd deny I had anything to do with it either! Lucas has said that he'd now like to find the "time and a sledgehammer" and "track down every copy of that show and smash it”. I felt the same way about The Phantom Menace.
The plot, if you can call it a plot, of the Star Wars Holiday Special revolves around Han Solo and Chewbacca attempting to make it home for the holidays. You see it is Life Day for the Wookies and so the big fur ball longs to be with his wife Malla, son Lumpy and father Itchy (I know!). Most of the focus is on the Chewbacca family, including a very disturbing soft core space-porn sequence between Itchy and Diahann Carroll (it starts about four minutes in, if you can stomach it!)...
And that's just within the first ten minutes! And yes, it gets worse.
The Star Wars Holiday Special was never broadcast again, understandably, but off air taped copies exchanged hands in the twenty or so years afterwards until the Interweb bought this horrific nightmare to the masses. My first exposure to the show came in the form of a completely unofficial 2 Disc VideoCD that was doing the rounds in the late 1990s, but alongside the clips I've included above pretty much all of it is on youTube, if you're brave enough to search for it. I'm warning you though, you may think you're not afraid....You will be.
So this Thanksgiving whilst you're tucking into your turkey, spare a thought for those less fortunate than you. Those children of the 70s who got a bad feeling about this. Then went to bed crying, with heads full of disturbing images they could never forget, and a fear that something terrible had happened.
"What a piece of junk!"
Geek. Lover. Fighter. Dwarf. Follow Wil on Twitter.
Tags # Feature # George Lucas # Star Wars # TV # Wil Fromage
Wil Fromage
Labels: Feature, George Lucas, Star Wars, TV, Wil Fromage
Star Trek: Remembering DeForest Kelley
Feature Doctor Who TV Review Movies Print Comics Miscellaneous Peter Capaldi Big Finish Titan Comics Trivia Star Wars Steven Moffat DC Comics Marvel Star Trek Books Matt Smith David Tennant James Bond Daleks Retro Batman Gaming Disney Superman MCU Chris Chibnall Captain America Spider-man Jodie Whittaker Iron Man The Avengers Interview Black Widow
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Atomic batteries to power. Turbines to speed. Geek Dave is ready to move out... 1. Although the series debuted on January 6th 1966, Bat...
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Archive | August 4, 2017
Favorite Reads: July 2017
I’m out of the Transfer Towns for better and worse. Better, because after six years dirty ole Pohang has started to feel a bit like home. Worse, because I had a book-reading writing/gaming buddy I could hang out with almost everyday living right up the street. I haven’t had anything like that in years, possibly even decades. It was great!
On to the books…
The Lais of Marie de France by Marie de France: Most summers I get this desire to read Arthurian tinged stuff and that led me to reading Jessie Weston and she got me reading Marie de France. Decent editions of both are available at Gutenberg. In France’s lais we’re dipping into the Chivalric tradition centuries before Mallory with stories of knights and their lady loves, magic oaths and spells, even a noble werewolf (BISCLAVRET!!!) Collected together these make for a series of great words and the like a collection of fairy tales you can dip in, read one or two stories, then put the book aside. Although you can certainly read it straight through. One thing that makes France’s handling of the material so enjoyable is how separate it is from the Christian tradition. That tradition is present but it’s not hitting you ever the head like it would by the time Mallory’s recounting the Grail Quest. I might use this for a yesterweird series of posts.
Jhereg by Steven Brust: Suddenly so many of the D&D characters my friends and I rolled up as teens make sense. Wicked Awesome Super Assassin Wizard does wicked awesome super assassin wizard stuff with his wicked awesome super assassin wizard powers and wicked awesome super assassin wizard friends. Yes, I’m mocking this book a bit, but it was a fun romp and I enjoyed its pace and flippant attitude. I know there are a lot more books in the series, but I’m in no real rush to read them. I’d rather save them as treats between other books.
Laura by Vera Caspary: Of all the books I read last month this one had me running around the most and recommending it to friends. Laura is pitched as a Femme Fatale, but really she is a modern professional woman in the world of 1940s advertising, doing her best to be an independent woman. What results because of that is like a Gothic novel set in the hard-boiled worlds of New York cops and savage murderers. Definitely give this a shot if the hard-boiled tradition is at all a thing you enjoy.
A Lady’s Guide to Ruin by Kathleen Kimmel: I haven’t read a lot of romance novels, but I’ve been told that there are two kinds: the first kind has the love-struck characters boning in the first twenty pages, and the second kind where there’s pages and pages of angsty, yearning, and flushed groin business before the boning happens somewhere in the 3rd act. This book is the latter type. It’s about a lovable thief and con-artist masquerading as a noblewoman in order to escape her criminal past. Of course she falls in love with the Earl who believes she is his cousin. To Kimmel’s credit, by the time the boning happened I was more interested in all the plot machinations and wished the groining would finish quick so the character could go back to resolving the plot.
The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson: If you had handed this grim fantasy ballad to the Viking era to 13 year old me, I would have gobbled this up and thought it was the greatest book ever: a dark brooding antihero, a quest to forge a demonic sword, monsters, war, sexy weird elves… the whole book is a witch’s brew of moody heroics that even though I’m less in love with such beverages now I can remember how much I loved the taste of them back then. If you’re a pulp fantasy fan and you’ve never read this, you owe it to yourself to track down a copy.
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick de Witt: The Sisters Brothers, Eli and Charlie, work for as hired killers for the Commodore and the Commodore wants them to kill a gold miner named Hermann Kermit Warm. So begins a picaresque novel as the two set out from Oregon and make their way to the gold fields of California. Along the way they encounter an assortment of odd characters and circumstances, all of it narrated by Eli Sister the more pensive and over-weight of the two brothers. This was a fun if deceptively easy read and with a level of artful construction that I appreciated. If you like atypical westerns this is worth tracking down.
And special mention goes to…
Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand: This is a delight of a book, and if you have an afternoon to spend and want to spend it with a wry smile plastered to your face this is the book to do it with. How can you not love a play that gives stage directions such as: “A MUSKETEER, superbly mustached, enters”?
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Chapter Five – FROM IONA TO FIONA, THE INTERIM YEARS, 1970 TO 1983
I keep reminding myself that this bio was expanded to describe my sailing career, not a complete story of my life. But this period was very important for Edith and me; it was our middle years when we had to build up our financial resources, develop our professional lives and bring up our children. In this paragraph I will give a brief outline of those years, the overall canvas of our life, so to speak, and then below in separate paragraphs I will paint small pictures of sailing exploits which can be pasted on the canvas at the appropriate places. When we returned from the Caribbean we were flat broke and we needed a house. Fred suggested I borrow money from the same bank that financed Iona. ‘Get $5,000 for home improvement’, he said. ‘Fred,’ I replied patiently, ‘I haven’t got a home to improve.’ ‘Ah, I know that,’ he said ‘but the bank doesn’t’. We used the money as down payment on a house in Brookhaven. It was not on the water; Edith had seen enough of that for a while. Edith pointed out she had endured a year on the boat, in 1971 came payback; our daughter Brenda was born in March. Later that year Edith started her own medical practice in the village. We sold Iona and I bought a 19 ft used day-sailer which I still sail when I am home. In 1974 we bought a bare hull that was delivered to the backyard in 1975, after 8 years of labor it was to become Fiona. Sadly, in the late 1970’s Edith was diagnosed with breast cancer. Mastectomies of both breasts gave her a reprieve from this terrible affliction until 1990. But these operations affected her sailing; the muscles in her upper body were now weak and she could not brace herself during the normal rolling of an offshore passage. This factor and the increasing work load of her practice forced Edith to visit Fiona by air when we started cruising after 1983. Before the Fiona was launched we chartered boats at various times for a couple of weeks in the Bahamas and the Florida Keys.My more interesting sailing experiences until Fiona was launched are written up below.A Lingering Farewell to Iona.
In the late summer of 1970 I sailed Iona through Fire Island Inlet and east to Montauk with Tom, newly graduated from college, as crew. Edith and Colin drove to Montauk and we picked them up there. After a night at Block Island we set sail for Cuttyhunk. This turned out to be a minor disaster. The wind swung to a little east of north and we could not lay a direct course. By nightfall it was raining and we were still miles from our destination. When we finally beat up to the vicinity of Pig and Sow reef we handed sail and started the engine. Edith was lying in her bunk feeling sea-sick. After a while she called me and said she could smell smoke. Sure enough, tendrils of smoke were curling around the edge of the engine compartment hatch. I quickly got the sails up and laid off a course on starboard tack to take us towards the middle of Buzzards Bay. he smoke came from a slipping belt, I quickly tightened it and got engine going again. It was dark and I had to find the entrance to Cuttyhunk.Because it was raining I stupidly left the chart below and when I spotted the masthead lights of anchored yachts I figured we could turn into the entrance channel.Tom was stationed on the bow with a strong flashlight, suddenly he called out that he could see something in the mist and rain. ‘What is it; a buoy?’ I called. ‘It looks like a wall,’ he replied. Just then the boat bumped on the rocks fringing the harbor sea wall. Fortunately we were in the lee of the wall and backed off without damage. When we finally got the anchor down I poured drinks all round with a double for me. In the next week we enjoyed the lovely anchorages of Vineyard Sound, finishing up at Hyannis Port. On our return we dropped off Edith and Colin at Montauk and then sailed west along the south coast of Long Island. Just before we braved the Inlet the engine quit, it turned to be a blocked fuel filter, the commonest cause of engine failure with a diesel. This requires the fuel line to be purged of air, often a messy job when the boat the boat is rolling in the seaway.In 1971 I sailed Iona to Bermuda in mid-summer. For crew I had a local friend, Pete, and a young married couple, Mary and Charles, both of them students at Stony Brook University. We made the five day trip without incident, except we were all sea sick, including me. On our watches we re-introduced the idea of ‘Flying Fish Wings’; awarded to anyone who logged more than 12 nm on the two-hour watch. We first used this system on the trip south in 1968 to spur competition. We arrived at St Georges at midnight, but we managed to tie up at Ordnance Island without too much difficulty.mEdith flew down to join us with Colin and baby Brenda, then aged five months, Charles and Mary opted for the comfort of a B and B. We cruised west and tied up at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club – a very posh establishment in Hamilton. In the morning the club secretary came to the boat and asked me to remove the diapers Edith had pinned on the life-line to dry! We anchored at Mangrove Bay where there is a perfect little island with a beach for Colin to play on. Just before we left Bermuda Mary took a cropper on a rental moped and opened up a nasty gash in her leg. This sort of accident is not uncommon in Bermuda; many tourists get crunched riding unfamiliar machines on the left-hand side of narrow roads populated by wide buses. Pete flew home with Edith and the children. Mary, Charles and I sailed the boat back to Fire Island Inlet with good winds in five days. It was to be my last trip aboard Iona as captain.In 1972 Sharon and Dick, whom we had first met at St Martin in 1969, bought Iona and I helped them sail to their home in Rochester. We powered through New York harbor and up the Hudson River. I left at Albany where the mast had to be lowered for the rest of the trip. The next year Dick asked me to help sail the boat on a cruise to Bermuda. I joined the boat at the 72nd St Marina in New York. Several incidents from this trip come to mind; one was tragic, one scary and one funny. Dick’s daughter was part of the crew, one night she went to sleep in the port bunk in the main cabin. The bunk had a lift-up backrest to permit stowage of bedding behind it. I did not notice that she had lifted the backrest, which was held up by a small hook, before she settled down. As the boat rolled the hook slipped out of the eye and the backrest crashed down, inflicting a nasty wound on the poor girl’s forehead.After we crossed the Gulf Stream we ran into a dead spot with no wind and I went for a swim off the side as we rolled gently in the swell. I noticed that a protective bronze cap over the nut securing the propeller had come adrift. I knew we had a spare on board so I dug it out and went back over the side with the cap and a large plumber’s wrench. The cap needed a little persuading to go on; I asked Dick to lower a hammer to me on a thin line. Taking a few deep breaths I banged away at the wrench while I hung on to the propeller. When it seemed tight I passed the tools back to Dick and climbed up the boarding ladder. Just as I stood on the bottom step a large shark swam by a couple feet from the boat. Thank goodness I had climbed out just in time; banging with a hammer while swimming is not a good idea, sharks are naturally inquisitive. When we got to Bermuda we had difficulty shifting the transmission into forward and decided to sail to the dock at St Georges. Dick took the wheel and when it seemed we had just enough momentum we dropped the sails and coasted alongside the moored boats. Just as were about to ask someone to take our line a head popped out of the hatch on a boat we were passing. The man watched for a second and said, ‘my God, that’s a quiet engine!’
The Voyage of Sea Swan.
When we returned from the Caribbean we renewed our friendship with Betty Lou and Arnie. Arnie had been building a schooner about 53 ft long for half a dozen years, it was now nearly finished. He quite literally started with some trees that had been knocked down for a new development and scrounged almost everything he needed from the dump or local yards. Arnie was a wonderful craftsman, many fittings were elaborately carved. The boat was massively built – the stem consisted of 12 x 12 oak. Betty Lou, who was in her mid-twenties and quite a looker, worked as a waitress at a restaurant in Patchogue to earn the hard cash they needed for their venture. The boat was now afloat and they lived aboard. During our first winter back Edith became very concerned about Arnie’s health, he had respiratory problems exacerbated by living on a cold, damp boat. She made him promise to leave for the tropics before spending another winter in the north. And so in the fall of 1970 a bunch of Arnie’s friends gathered at the boat on evenings and weekends and did all we could to help. For example, on the dock was a large pile of lead scrap that Arnie had collected over the years. We got a propane burner rigged and melted the lead in large bread tins liberally coated with graphite. As the production team got the pigs ready the installation guys fastened them to the lowest part of the frames with ½ inch lag bolts. Then we turned our attention to the running rigging, all the halyards, sheets and lifts had to be prepared and reeved. The boat had no winches, mechanical advantage was provided by blocks with the bitter end cleated to belaying pins. The masts were set up with dead-eyes, a feature that gave us considerable trouble when the trip started. Finally one weekend we took the boat into Great South Bay for an inaugural cruise and tried the sails for the first time. That was the shake-down – we planned to leave for the Virgin Islands the next day. It was the last day of October and some snow had already fallen.
I was going to sail as navigator but we had not been very successful in recruiting more crew. A young woman, Kathy, who was Steve’s sister, was the only hand besides Arnie and Betty Lou. I sat in the cockpit alone on the morning of our departure and worried about our lack of muscle power. Sea Swan was heavy boat, without winches sail handling was going to be tough. As I brooded, my friend Pete gave a hail and came aboard to make his farewell. I looked at Pete, he was young and strong; he made a living as a clammer but had recently signed up for courses at a local college. ‘Pete,’ I said, ‘how would you like to sail to Bermuda the way they did a hundred years ago?’ This was quite true, Sea Swan’s rig and gear were archaic. ‘It’s a chance that won’t come again,’ I continued, ‘it’s a unique opportunity.’ ‘How long will it take?’ he asked. ‘Probably about five days,’ I replied, ‘you’ll be home by weekend.’ Pete calculated, ‘Well, I’ll only miss one course. OK, I’ll go. I’ll get a sleeping bag and foul weather suit. I’ll be back soon.’ Pete left a note for his wife saying he would be back by weekend. As you will see, this did not make me very popular with her. We shoved off in the afternoon. Heading west for the Inlet I decided to swing the compass by steering a circle while I compared the steering compass heading with a small hand bearing compass I had brought along. The results were staggering, the main compass refused to budge until the boat had turned nearly ninety degrees. When I made a deviation chart I found that the graph varied from +45º to -45º. Besides the navigational problem this meant tacking at night was going to be real tricky. Tacking was also complicated by an idiosyncrasy of the steering system. The wheel operated a worm that turned the rudder, but it was an antique device Arnie had picked up somewhere. When the wheel was turned left the boat went right, apparently a feature of very early wheels for small boats when conservative sailors wanted something that behaved like a tiller. This took a little getting used to. The main compass was a beautiful antique brass and glass affair of hexagonal shape with sloping sides. It was mounted on a bridgedeck in front of the companionway. I went searching for some iron object that was responsible for making the deviation so high. I soon found it; underneath the bridgedeck was the galley refrigerator, inches the below the compass, and to which the needle was very attracted. Obviously that problem was not going to be fixed very easily.
The inlet was calm and we powered out to sea through the night. A new problem arose; both the diesel engine and the propeller had been scrounged from local yards but they were not matched. The pitch of the prop was too coarse and the engine ‘lugged’, that is to say it could not achieve proper rpm for the power delivered and it ran very hot. By the next morning the superheated exhaust gases had burnt a hole in the corrugated flexible coupling between the engine and the exhaust pipe. A tongue of flame licked the sides of the wooden casing over the engine and we had to shut it down to prevent the boat catching on fire. We set sail to a light easterly wind that gradually increased in speed over the next day. Sea Swan did not point up too well; by the second day we were about 50 miles west of the direct rhumb line to Bermuda. Unfortunately most days the wind had an easterly component and we made slow progress. The continuous beating to weather stressed the new dead-eyes and the standing rigging slackened alarmingly. Arnie had not been able to afford timber to make the masts long enough to step on the keelson; they were stepped on deck with a compression post underneath. This robbed the masts of support from partners at deck level and they began to sway ominously. We did what we could to tighten the dead-eyes on the lee side as we tacked and we rigged extra tackles to supplement the standing rigging. Twice the wind rose to gale force from the northeast and we were forced to heave-to. At least as we got south of the Gulf Stream the water was warm. I remember one night, when I was relieving Pete on the watch, that we noticed the jib had come loose from the gaskets and was working its way up the headstay and flogging badly. While Pete kept an eye on me I made my way along the long bowsprit standing on the side supporting chains. It was quite dangerous as the boat had a tendency to pitch violently and take green water over the bow. I clawed the jib down and secured it before inching back to the relative safety of the foredeck. A funny episode that comes to mind occurred during a gale a couple of days before we raised Bermuda. Arnie and Pete were busy on deck reefing the mainsail and I was at the wheel. I heard plaintive cries for help floating up the companionway. When I got a chance I pushed open the hatch. Betty Lou was sitting on the cabin sole buried up to her shapely bosom in books. A large bookshelf which we had temporarily tacked up with nails before leaving Long Island had come adrift and buried poor Betty Lou under scores of books. I rather brusquely told her we had more important things to do on deck at that moment. Eventually one night we had the lights of Bermuda in sight, but we were approaching from the west, the dangerous side due to the reef extending for miles from the islands. My navigation had been by celestial sights and dead reckoning, there were no electronic aides except an aero beacon at the airport but we had no direction-finding radio. I took bearings on the Gibbs Hill lighthouse and some antenna lights at the old dockyard using the sextant horizontally. This gave me an arc as a line of position and we were somewhere on it. A short segment intersected the reef but most of it lay over deep water. I figured we were still several miles from the reef but on an impulse I turned on the depth finder, an old Heathkit that had a maximum range of 60 ft. To my horror the spinning light flickered and settled down to a steady reading of 12 ft. The reef was studded with shallow coral heads and was a notorious graveyard for ships and we were sailing over it in the dark! We were close hauled on port tack heading southeast, I rushed into the cockpit and as calmly as I could asked Arnie, who was at the wheel, to turn sharp right. I tensed, waiting for a crunch, but the depth finder soon indicated we were back in deep water. It was a near miss, another few minutes on our original course and we would have been in real trouble. At first light we were located off the southwest corner of Bermuda, but there is only one entrance into the Bermuda reef and that lay about 20 miles to the northeast, naturally that was the direction the wind was blowing from. I reckoned it would take up another day to beat up under sail and I suggested to Arnie that we had to use the engine if we were going to make the entrance in daylight. We had wrapped the leaky exhaust pipe with fiberglass and we protected the engine casing with a sheet of aluminum. We evacuated the cabin, lined up the fire extinguishers in the cockpit and as we powered along the south coast of the island copious fumes wafted up the companionway. We made it OK to St George and cleared customs; it had taken us eleven days from Long Island. Pete dashed to a telephone and came white-faced, I don’t know exactly what his wife said to him but he immediately took a taxi to the airport. When I met his wife socially for years after she was rather distant. I had problems too; I had worked with Arnie to get the boat ready for a week before leaving, add the time we had been at sea and that left me with only ten days before I was due back at work. I told Arnie that I would fly home too unless we left for the Virgin Islands the next day. It was tough to leave the pleasures of Bermuda so quickly after such an arduous trip, but we buckled down, fixed the most pressing problems as best we could and left after twenty-four hours.
Fortunately we picked up the Trades quite far north and this gave us a reach as we headed south for St Thomas. This is the best point of sailing for a schooner, but Sea Swan was still relatively slow, the problem lay in the distribution of weight, I think. The boat would start to pitch, on each oscillation the bow would dig in more deeply, until after several cycles she nearly stopped, then the pattern would start over again. The 900 nm leg to St Thomas took nine days. For several days before our arrival the sky had been overcast and I had not been able to obtain any sights. The notorious Anageda Reef lay only twenty miles east of our track, I was very worried we might strike it; it was low-lying and not well lit. During the night I left orders with the watch-keepers to be awakened if any break in the clouds occurred. About 2 am I was called on deck, the moon and several stars were visible between the scudding clouds. Normally it is impossible to take star sights after the sun has set for about an hour, but the moon gave just enough light to illuminate a faint horizon and I was able to grab a couple of position lines; they put us on track for St Thomas. In the morning the steep hills of Tortola were silhouetted on our port bow in the rays of the rising sun, I was truly glad to see that familiar sight. We tied up at Charlotte Amalie by lunchtime; it was the Monday I was supposed to be back at work. My old friends Barbara and John, shipmates from Arvincourt II, managed operations for Pan Am at the airport and they were able to get me on a plane to New York that afternoon. I got back to work a day late but I don’t think anybody noticed. I had not seen much of the Caribbean or Bermuda on this trip but the ceaseless rolling and pitching during nearly three weeks at sea had reduced my waistline by a couple of inches.
The Newport to Bermuda Race.
In 1972 Hugo, a friend who kept his boat at the same yard as me in Patchogue, asked me if I was interested in serving as navigator on his boat for the next Bermuda Race. This is one of the premier events in the international racing circuit. I was flattered. As it turned out, boats had to carry a navigator who had sailed to Bermuda previously; I guess Hugo didn’t know many people who had. Navigation in those days was performed by taking sights on celestial objects, although I was reasonably proficient at finding where we were I discovered racing navigation was much more than that. In cooperation with the skipper the navigator is also a tactician; trying to correlate the weather forecast, the effect of ocean currents (particularly the Gulf Stream) and the sailing properties of the boat to produce a strategy that will beat all the other competitors to Bermuda. I wasn’t too good at that, I suspect. One day near the summer solstice I crossed Long Island Sound on the ferry after work and Hugo picked me up in New London for the ride by car to Newport. All the other crew had already gathered on Hugo’s boat, a Cal 36. I was immediately immersed in the racing culture after I was introduced as the navigator. A very large man with a bushy beard grabbed my shirt collar and pulled my face next to his. ‘Remember this, navigator,’ he snarled, ‘you can only lose this race, not win it’. We later became good friends and there was a lot of truth in what he said. Three of Hugo’s sons were in the crew of ten, eight of whom stood watches, four hours on and four off. Hugo and I did not stand formal watches. The race got underway the next morning, there were over a hundred and fifty yachts leaving at ten minute intervals in several different classes, depending on the boat size. The weather forecast was not good; a tropical storm was making its way up the coast near Florida and a couple of low pressure centers were forecast to cross the track of the race. It got increasingly rough, the stress of plotting my sights down below in the heaving cabin made me sea-sick. The sights were needed about every two hours while there was anything in the sky to see, starting with star sights in the early morning and late evening and sun sights in between. At times a crew member had to hold onto me as I swung off a stay trying to catch a sight. After we crossed the Gulf Stream conditions got very bad. When we were about a day’s sail from Bermuda the boat was really taking a beating. We were on port tack sailing hard into steep waves. The boat seemed to be powering out into space and then crashing down, only to repeat the maneuver with the next wave. A fresh-water tank located under a bunk broke its securing straps and began to pound on the hull with each crash. I recollect that the mast, which was stepped on deck, began to stress the support underneath and cracks were appearing. We were not laying a course that would bring us to the finish line off St David’s light; the wind was pushing us to the west by about 20º from the desirable heading. It seemed to me that a tack of twenty miles or so to the east would then give us a fair shot for the finish line and the waves were at such an angle that we would not pound so much; I was a little fearful we could seriously damage the boat. I recommended a tack to the east for a few hours to Hugo and he accepted the suggestion. It was a mistake, at least in terms of the race. Although we might have stopped the boat pounding itself to pieces this is the thinking of a cruising sailor; racers don’t care. The original heading was the ‘money tack’, that is, we were getting closer to the finish than heading east. And, of course, just to prove Murphy’s Law, when we did go back on port tack the wind had veered, so we were too pinched to lay the finish line anyway. I think we finished somewhere in the middle of our class, but the crew was furious with me. I didn’t expect Hugo to ask me to navigate again, but two years later, for the next race, he did.
For the 1974 race Hugo acquired an Allied 42. This was a much more comfortable and drier boat than the Cal. It had been upgraded for the race at Weeks’ yard including fitting a holding tank, which I think Hugo believed was necessary for sailing in Bermudian waters. The tank involved some complicated plumbing, it had been installed under the supervision of Joe, a co-owner of the yard, and he was also sailing as a crew member on the race. About two days into the race when someone was pumping the toilet the handle became very stiff to operate and suddenly the joker valve let go and a few gallons of very evil-smelling fluid spurted back into the head. It turned out a newly-installed elbow had clogged and for some time the contents of the toilet were simply being pushed under increasing pressure into a connecting pipe. Poor Joe got the task of cleaning up and fixing the toilet as we pounded towards Bermuda. I don’t remember how we placed in the race, we usually finished in the middle of the pack, I think. After we had crossed the finish line Hugo sailed to the Princess Hotel in Hamilton where he had reserved a slip next to the swimming pool. I was impressed with the hotel, which was very luxurious and yet had an old world charm. After this race I sailed back with the boat to Long Island. Hugo continued to ask me to sail as navigator for the next four races. On a later race I asked Edith to fly down and stay at the Princess as the social scene after the finish of a race was great fun, with many parties in a style only Bermuda can provide. On my last race, in 1982, Hugo’s son Peter sailed as captain with a boat that had been chartered for the race. My main recollection is an incident that might have proved tragic, but in the end only cost us time. Somewhere in the vicinity of the Gulf Stream late at night the boat was sailing well on starboard tack in a strong wind that was steadily increasing. The watch captain decided to bend on a smaller jib, it was fed into the spare groove on the headstay foil and hoisted aloft. But halfway up it jammed, it would not go any higher and would not come down. The watch captain went up in the bosun’s chair to have a look, got sea-sick and decided to leave it for the next watch to sort out. They sent a young crew member up in the chair with cutters but the heel of the boat made it to difficult for him to reach the head of the jammed sail. They winched him down and attached a line to the bottom of the chair so that he could be pulled upwind. Up he went again but when they began to pull him upwind, the ‘D’ ring to which the tether was attached simply ripped out the stitching of the canvas cover and he was suddenly jettisoned out of the chair. He plunged towards the sea over which we were sailing at 7 to 8 knots. Fortunately the safety harness jerked him to a halt before he hit the water. When I saw him in the cabin later his body was covered with bruises from the fall. In the meanwhile the halyard to the bosun’s chair and the safety line for the cutters had formed an unholy knot around the half-raised sail. A mess that was finally sorted out in the morning by rigging the spinnaker pole and having someone sit on it while cutting everything free. Naturally we didn’t do too well in the race by sailing without a jib for several hours. In fact the incident helped me formulate my theory on how to win; you must make absolutely no mistakes, either in seamanship or navigation, of those that pass this test the winner will simply be the lucky one picking up just that right wind to get to the finish line first.
The Building of Fiona.
In 1974 I went to an engineering conference at Anaheim in California. Edith came along as a short break from her medical practice. I had got the idea of buying a stock fiberglass hull and then building the rest of the boat yourself from a friend at work. This gave me the opportunity to have a fiberglass boat without the expense and time needed to make a mold. Not far from Anaheim at Costa Mesa a firm called Westsail was building a line of very staunch double-ended boats based loosely on the designs of Colin Archer, a Scandinavian naval architect active at the end of the nineteenth century. Westsail was prepared to sell a boat in any state of completion from a bare hull to a finished yacht. I suggested to Edith that we sneak off a couple of hours early and pop down to Costa Mesa in a rental car. Most of the boats built were 32 feet long but when we arrived at the yard the first of the 42 foot models was nearing completion. It was a lovely looking boat with a generous rounded bilge and long straight keel supporting the rudder at the stern. Edith walked round it and offered her considered opinion; ‘it looks like another eff-ing Iona’. She didn’t actually swear, that is how she phrased it. A salesman descended on us, he said orders took a year to execute, but a down payment of $2,000 would hold a boat for later delivery. He also mentioned that the price was rising substantially next week, but a deposit now would get the current price. I scoffed and said all salesmen say that. He looked hurt, but after a hurried family conference we asked him if he would take a post-dated check and still give us the old price. He agreed, and that was the first step in the long saga of Fiona, which, of course, was the only name we could give the new boat after Edith’s initial assessment.
Months went by and then I got letter asking if I would sell the contract back to Westsail for $10,000. Oil prices were shooting up and the company was apparently losing money on every boat they sold at the old price. I told them to build it and flew out on a red-eye to discuss the final package. They had moved to a new address, instead of the grungy old yard we had first visited there was a brand new factory with a jazzy sales office featuring big picture windows and staffed by svelte young ladies. I began to suspect the company was heading for bankruptcy. The package I decided to buy included the hull with ballast, engine and rudder installed. I also bought a lot of extras that were custom made for the boat such as the mast and rigging, bow platform, sails and stanchions, they were not installed. A mistake I made was to buy a kit of pre-cut plywood parts that matched their standard design, as I wound up building the interior to my own design the wood was mostly useless and simply became a source of lumber. After a couple more visits to California on the red-eye, returning the same day, on which I handed over an increasing percentage of the final price, the boat was ready for shipment. By then I was convinced the company was going down the tubes and on my final visit I made arrangements for the boat to be shipped via special boat trailer within a week. I already had a cradle sitting in the back yard which I had made to a Westsail specification by hiring a welder to fasten together a pile of six-inch ‘I’ beams and two-inch steel tubing I had cut up. It was an immensely strong cradle, a feature that saved my life later, as you will find out. The dispatcher told me that the boat left Costa Mesa on Saturday; it required special permits in just about every state because it was a wide, high load. Indeed, Fiona had a 13 foot beam and even though the trailer had a slot so that the keel was only inches above the ground the rig was 14 feet high. To unload I would need a 30 ton crane to lift the boat onto the cradle. The dispatcher estimated it would arrive the following Friday, I was amazed, it was over 3,000 miles to Long Island, nevertheless I rented a crane with operator for Friday. If the driver showed up late it would be my loss. That week Dick and Sharon were visiting Long Island Sound and Connecticut aboard Iona, I suggested they stay at the house for a couple of nights to witness the arrival. They came on Wednesday night, Thursday dawned bright and clear and about 7 am I heard the rumble of a heavy diesel; towering above the hedgerow on the quiet lane I live on was the outline of Fiona. I dashed into the front garden in my shorts, I explained to the driver that the trailer would have to be backed up the driveway. Dick and ten-year old Colin joined me, to make the turn the driver wanted the mailbox on the corner of the drive removed. Dick and I gave the post a vigorous shake so we could lift it out. We were standing right next to the throbbing diesel, suddenly I felt a stinging on my torso and for a moment I thought I was being burned by hot particles from the diesel exhaust. Then Colin yelled, ‘Daddy, Daddy, yellow jackets!’ Sure enough the wasps had a nest under the post and were defending their territory, Dick and I leapt about smacking our bodies and retreated rapidly. Some kerosene fixed the wasps and when the boat was parked just ahead of the cradle I told the driver, whose name was Wally Wiggins, that the crane wasn’t due until the next day. ‘What,’ he exploded, ‘I only make money when dem wheels is turning, I’ll take this turkey back to California.’ I tried to mollify him and said I would pay for a motel that night. He then spent a couple of hours on the kitchen phone and finally became somewhat happier when he arranged a load to pull back west on Friday afternoon. Suddenly I had a dreadful thought, Thursday was a working day and I had an appointment to meet some visiting Russian scientists, I was already late. Come with me I told Wally as I did a quick change into collar and tie and drove furiously to the Laboratory. I strode into the meeting, they were all waiting along with an interpreter. I still had Wally with me. ‘This is Dr Wiggins,’ I said, ‘he’s an expert on transportation.’ Wally loved it. When the crane lifted the boat an inch above his trailer the next day Wally was gone. Two days later one of our neighbors ran into Edith, ‘I see your husband has got his new boat,’ she said ‘he must be really happy.’ ‘Yes, I guess so.’ said Edith. ‘Oh, I mean really, really happy,’ she gushed, ‘I came by just as the truck arrived and you don’t often see a man jumping for joy!’
I built a sturdy set of steps and rigged electric power into the boat. Once I moved all the extra stuff that had been stored in the hull the interior looked like a vast green cavern. It seemed terribly empty, I had told Edith it would take about three years to complete the construction of the interior furnishings, but I began to have doubts. I had no experience in carpentry, so the first thing I did was to run the dc wiring of the boat, at least I knew how to do that that. I decided to start at the forward end, which consisted of the chain locker and the forward head (toilet). But before I could build the chain locker I had to decide how the chain would be raised, I found myself shopping for a substantial anchor windless, which, in turn, required a 100 amp service for the one horsepower motor. Thus it went, almost everything on the boat interacted in some way with everything else, and I discovered a cruising sailboat is a very integrated design. When I was building the forward head I remembered I would have to store the dinghy on the foredeck over the head. The mounting chocks would have to be through bolted, in order to get those in the right place I had to build a small eight-foot dinghy before installing the overhead panels. It took me a year to build the forward head. By this time Colin was eleven, I felt a little guilty about the time I was spending isolated, working on the boat and I asked Colin if he would like to help me build a ‘kit’ car in the garage. These were the rage at the time; they consisted of a Volkswagen stripped of the bug-like body, sometimes even the floorpan and fitted with a special fiberglass body. We decided to build a replica Frazer Nash, an English sports car popular in the 1940s and early ’50s. This kit just used the front and rear axles of the Volkswagen, a chassis had to be made from 2 inch steel angle. But Fiona proved useful, I fastened a four-part tackle to the bow and used it to lift the body off a 1965 bug I had bought from a friend a work. It was a pleasure to do some metalwork; I was finding the carpentry of boat building quite trying. That project took care of winter, in the spring I started to build the aft cabin. I was concerned that the roof of the cabin was only supported at the sides, so I bought a few lengths of inch and a half diameter stainless steel pipe and installed two as supports between the roof and the hull. They turned out to be very handy for hanging on to when the boat was rolling. Many years later when Fiona was running her easting down in the Southern Ocean we were overwhelmed by a large wave that crashed on the stern of the boat and pushed her deep underwater, I am sure those extra supports paid off at that moment.
To shorten the time spent hurrying from the boat to the basement workshop and back again I installed a band saw and large belt sander in the main cabin. I was very concerned about the noise level when under power, when I built the bulkheads surrounding the engine I sandwiched 1/16th inch-thick lead sheet between plywood. This made a cozy and fairly soundproof engine room. Although it was tight fit I also put in a workbench with a vice. About this time I suggested to Colin that perhaps we should restore an antique car over the winter, the replica Frazer Nash was, after all, just a big toy. It took a year a find suitably beat-up classic car that wasn’t too expensive, but that is how I acquired the 1928 4 ½ liter Bentley. It had to be towed home on a borrowed trailer, but when I got really fed-up with endless woodwork on board I turned with pleasure and relief to fussing with that old car. It took two years to get the engine fixed and put the car on the road. The work was interspersed with boat construction, Colin didn’t spend as much time as I thought he would working with me on the restoration; I think he had discovered girls. When the aft end was substantially completed I started on the forward end of the main cabin. This area contained three bunks and a number of large storage lockers and a hanging locker. When I designed the overhead, or ceiling in land-going parlance, I used plywood sheets with white Formica glued to one side. Varnished mahogany strips covered the joints. This gave a pleasing nautical look, it was also very practical, it was easy to clean and permitted access to the underside of the deck if necessary. The bunk area took another year to complete. What was left was the galley and dining area. This was quite complicated; the table was mounted on a raised floor (sole for the sailors reading this) in the original Westsail design. I decided to keep this feature as it permitted one to look through the main cabin windows when seated at the table. On the starboard side I had to juggle with the placement of the sink, stove and refrigerator/ freezer unit. Fortunately I was diplomatic enough to ask Edith’s advice on solving this problem. The stove burned propane gas, I had built a gas-tight locker at the stern called a lazarette to hold the tank. Before building anything in the galley I had to secure and plumb the water and fuel storage tanks which were located underneath. The galley and dinette area took me nearly two years to finish. While building the floor (or sole) over the tanks I had a nasty accident. Until the companionway steps were finished, almost the last thing I built, I used a temporary ladder made of 2×4 timber studs to get from the cabin into the cockpit. One night while climbing out holding a half-full can of paint the ladder slipped and I fell back into cabin with the ladder under my body. I broke four ribs, and spilled paint over the teak frame of the companionway hatch. I got Edith to mop up the paint before she dragged me to the local hospital for an x-ray. When I recovered sufficiently I built the freezer using an old compressor off a car air conditioner. Fred helped me make a fiberglass food storage box for the freezer. During the winters I made the cabin and locker doors and numerous drawers in the warmth of the basement with forays to the boat to check fit and measurements. The cat we had then, a lovely Himalayan, played an endless game. She would sit at the bottom of the steps and expect to be carried to the cockpit. There she would wait until I carried her down again when I returned to the house. This went on all night. Eventually in early 1983 I turned my attention to the mast and rigging, painted the bottom and by April the boat was substantially finished. I then faced the problem of getting it to the sea.
I made a contract with the owner of a local boat moving company to haul the boat to Weeks’ yard in Patchogue. There were several problems; the boat was now higher because I had installed the life-line stanchions and it was sitting on the cradle. I surveyed a route and discovered some electrical lines which posed an interference vertically by about a foot. The contractor said to forget it; someone with rubber gloves could stand on deck and lift up the offending wires. Patchogue required a special permit to drive in the village. When I called the contractor a couple of days before the move he said the company had just gone bankrupt. The move was delayed. This did not endear me to the Weeks brothers, they had a tight schedule for launching boats using their 40 ton travel-lift, my delay would disrupt it, as well as requiring a new permit for transit through the village. Eventually the contractor called to say he had a trailer and he would drive the rig himself. One more problem; it was me and not the boat mover who had to crib the boat and cradle 21 inches off the ground so that the trailer could slide underneath. The boat was heavy, even without fuel, water and supplies it weighed about 37,000 lbs. I rented every 20 ton jack I could find and bought scores of concrete cinder blocks. With the help of Colin and one of his friends we dug holes under the cradle and put the jacks on pieces of 2×8 timber under the ‘I’ beams It had been a very wet spring and the ground was saturated, the jacks tended to go down rather than the boat go up. After we had got the boat raised up two courses, or a little less than 16 inches, allowing for subsidence, the ground under the cradle looked like a WWI battlefield, pitted with holes we had dug for the jacks and cribbing. Many blocks cracked and I kept driving to the local mason’s supply store for more. Prior to installing the last round of spacers to get the magic 21 inches clearance I was working under the boat operating a jack handle. The cradle was only 6 feet wide, but Fiona is 13 feet wide, so I had to crawl right under the boat to get to the jack.
Suddenly earth began to spurt horizontally in a hole about 2 feet from the jack. With a great groan the jack sank into the ground and the boat began to list to starboard and go down by the bow. I slithered out from underneath as fast as any snake. Fortunately the motion stopped as all the extra cribbing took up the load. The boat had tilted about 15º but the cradle held, although the forward supports were no longer just in compression. Nothing bent. Very gingerly we put more jacks under the list and got the boat horizontal again. Then we finally inserted the last spacers using wooden blocks to achieve the necessary clearance. It had been a long day and I had been nearly squashed flat.
The next day the contractor showed up, the trailer looked pretty flimsy to me for such a heavy boat. I looked at the beams on each side of the trailer and did a quick calculation; it was definitely overloaded. I mentioned my doubts to the contractor, he pooh-poohed my worries; I was a typical engineer (all theory), he had experience he said. Slowly the trailer was backed under the cradle and the blocks removed as the load was transferred. As he was organizing this phase I happened to glance at the tires, which were beginning to look pretty flat. On the wall of each tire it said ‘max load 4000 lbs’. There were six, small wheels so the arithmetic was easy. The rated load was 24,000 lbs and it was carrying 37,000 lbs. When Fiona was finally loaded he pulled onto the driveway for the night; sighting along the main side beams of the trailer I could see a distinct sag. When the contractor returned in the morning I showed him the route I had mapped out and asked him to drive very slowly. I was scared the trailer might collapse and dump Fiona on the ground. I also wanted to drive ahead and position myself for a few shots of the trip on my 8mm movie camera. Colin was elected to stand on the deck wearing rubber gloves to lift sagging wires. This worked for a while but then the idiot driver began to put the pedal to the metal. Eventually at the crossing of a major highway Colin had to lift a low-hanging traffic light, he had to run down the deck lifting the heavy light and was almost left swinging from it as the driver accelerated through the junction. I had little chance to get any movie footage. By some miracle we all arrived at the yard unharmed. A few days later the boat was lifted from the cradle and put in the water. As Fiona swung in the travel-lift straps Edith properly christened her with a bottle of champagne. Colin belonged to a militia unit of the Revolutionary War, all the troop attended the launching, at the word of command a volley was discharged from their muskets. Colin also played tuba with a group which provided Dixie music for the party. After the bow platform was mounted, the sails bent on and the engine tested I sailed Fiona with some friends to a marina in Greenport at the eastern end of Long Island. I had decided to keep her there for the first summer as the boat needed a considerable shake-down and the Great South Bay was too shallow for casual sailing with a boat that drew 6 feet.
The happy crew of Sea Swan; Eric, Betty Lou, Arnie and Kathy. Pete is not present.
The start of the 1972 Newport to Bermuda Race. This is the class for smaller boats, which started first.
Fiona’s interior, looking aft in main cabin. Note overhead paneling, upper right
Eric enjoys a cup of tea; Fiona is finally on the trailer.
A salute at the launching of Fiona from the Queens Rangers Revolutionary War Militia.
Charles, Mary, Pete and Eric at St Georges, Bermuda, 1971.
Eric, Colin and Edith with baby Brenda on board Iona in Bermuda, 1971.
Sea Swan under construction in Patchogue, circa 1969, Arnie sits at the stern.
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See the warning Hawaiians saw on TV during missile scare
HONOLULU -- When a cell phone alert erroneously warned of an imminent missile threat in Hawaii, similar messages were broadcast over local television and radio outlets urging the public to take cover.
Just after 8 a.m. local time, television viewers saw a crawl appear across the top of their screen warning of a "CIVIL DANGER WARNING" that had been issued for local municipalities.
"The U.S. Pacific Command has detected a missile threat to Hawaii. A missile may impact on land or sea within minutes. This is not a drill," an accompanying voiceover told viewers.
"If you are indoors, stay indoors. If you are outdoors, seek immediate shelter in a building. Remain indoors well away from windows. If you are driving, pull safely to the side of the road and seek shelter in a building or lay on the floor," the emergency alert continued. "We will announce when the threat has ended. This is not a drill. Take immediate action measures."
The same emergency message was broadcast over local radio stations.
Approximately 10 minutes after the initial alert went out, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency tweeted that there was no threat. The warning was retracted nearly 40 minutes after the initial cell phone alert was sent.
Hawaii emergency officials say an alert of a ballistic missile headed toward Hawaii was a false alarm.
weaponstelevisionradiomissileu.s. & world
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Uber driver faces charge after hitting SF girl
Here is a photo of former Uber driver Syed Muzaffar who faces a vehicular manslaughter charge in the death of a 6-year-old Sophia Liu of San Francisco. (ABC7 News)
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A former Uber driver now faces a vehicular manslaughter charge in the death of a 6-year-old girl on New Year's Eve.
Syed Muzaffar hit and killed 6-year-old Sophia Liu on Polk Street in San Francisco. He also injured the girl's mother and brother.
Muzzafar turned himself in Sunday and posted bail. He's expected to be arraigned on Tuesday.
Liu and her family were in the crosswalk on Polk and Ellis streets when police say they were hit.
Uber says Muzzafar was not covered by its insurance because he did not have a passenger at the time of the crash.
The ride service has since changed its policy and now covers drivers even when they aren't carrying a fare.
businesssan franciscounion citynew year's evepedestrian struckmanslaughteruberdrivingdriver
Uber sued for wrongful death of 6-year-old girl in San Francisco
Man arrested for fatal pedestrian crash was Uber driver
Mother of girl killed by driver in San Francisco speaks
Uber expanding driver background checks
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>It really was tough up north
The ravages of HIV / AIDS have had a catastrophiceffect on life expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa. Swaziland has the world’slowest life expectancy at 39.6 years according to the UN’sworld population report and is joined at the lower reaches of the table byMozambique, Zambia and Sierra Leone. But even Swaziland’s tragic figures aresignificantly higher than Manchester, Lancashire in the first half of the 19thcentury.
Szreter and Mooney have calculated that Manchesterhad a life expectancy of 25.3 years from birth between 1801 and 1850. Thesefigures, quoted in Danny Dorling’s SoYou Think You Know About Britain, are the lowest ever seen by thisacademic.
As late as 1880, Liverpool had a life expectancyfrom birth of 29 years whilst Glasgow’s 27 years in 1840 illustrates that urbanconditions were pitiful across industrialising Britain. The main factor inthese rates was the high rate of infant mortality – the averages were draggeddown by the sheer number of babies who never reached their first birthdays.
Still, the dark, satanic mills of King Cotton’sLancashire cast a particularly tragic shadow over this period. In Simon Schama’sHistory of Britain it is noted that “Manchester was the very best and the veryworst taken to terrifying extremes”. An American visitor, Henry Colman, was takento some of Manchester’s most notorious districts andreported “wretched, defrauded, oppressed, crushed human nature, lying andbleeding fragments”.
So You Think You Know About Britain?
Industry and Empire: From 175 to the Present Day: From 1750 to the Present Day
← >Clash of the corporate titans
>A controversial plan for post-war Germany →
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Network Working Group T. Morin, Ed.
Request for Comments: 4834 France Telecom R&D
Category: Informational April 2007
Requirements for Multicast in Layer 3 Provider-Provisioned Virtual
Private Networks (PPVPNs)
This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does
not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this
memo is unlimited.
Copyright (C) The IETF Trust (2007).
This document presents a set of functional requirements for network
solutions that allow the deployment of IP multicast within Layer 3
(L3) Provider-Provisioned Virtual Private Networks (PPVPNs). It
specifies requirements both from the end user and service provider
standpoints. It is intended that potential solutions specifying the
support of IP multicast within such VPNs will use these requirements
as guidelines.
Morin Informational [Page 1]
RFC 4834 L3VPN Mcast Reqs April 2007
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2. Conventions Used in This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.1. Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2. Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3. Problem Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.1. Motivations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2. General Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.3. Scaling vs. Optimizing Resource Utilization . . . . . . . 8
4. Use Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
4.1. Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
4.1.1. Live Content Broadcast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4.1.2. Symmetric Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4.1.3. Data Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4.1.4. Generic Multicast VPN Offer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.2. Scalability Orders of Magnitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.2.1. Number of VPNs with Multicast Enabled . . . . . . . . 11
4.2.2. Number of Multicast VPNs per PE . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.2.3. Number of CEs per Multicast VPN per PE . . . . . . . . 12
4.2.4. PEs per Multicast VPN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.2.5. PEs with Multicast VRFs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.2.6. Number of Streams Sourced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5. Requirements for Supporting IP Multicast within L3 PPVPNs . . 13
5.1. End User/Customer Standpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5.1.1. Service Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5.1.2. CE-PE Multicast Routing and Group Management
Protocols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
5.1.3. Quality of Service (QoS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
5.1.4. Operations and Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5.1.5. Security Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.1.6. Extranet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.1.7. Internet Multicast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5.1.8. Carrier's Carrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5.1.9. Multi-Homing, Load Balancing, and Resiliency . . . . . 19
5.1.10. RP Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
5.1.11. Addressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
5.1.12. Minimum MTU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
5.2. Service Provider Standpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
5.2.1. General Requirement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
5.2.2. Scalability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
5.2.3. Resource Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
5.2.4. Tunneling Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
5.2.5. Control Mechanisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
5.2.6. Support of Inter-AS, Inter-Provider Deployments . . . 26
5.2.7. Quality-of-Service Differentiation . . . . . . . . . . 27
5.2.8. Infrastructure security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
5.2.9. Robustness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
5.2.10. Operation, Administration, and Maintenance . . . . . . 28
5.2.11. Compatibility and Migration Issues . . . . . . . . . . 29
5.2.12. Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
6. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
7. Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
8. Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
9. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
9.1. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
9.2. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Virtual Private Network (VPN) services satisfying the requirements
defined in [RFC4031] are now being offered by many service providers
throughout the world. VPN services are popular because customers
need not be aware of the VPN technologies deployed in the provider
network. They scale well for the following reasons:
o because P routers (Provider Routers) need not be aware of VPN
o because the addition of a new VPN member requires only limited
configuration effort
There is also a growing need for support of IP multicast-based
services. Efforts to provide efficient IP multicast routing
protocols and multicast group management have been made in
standardization bodies which has led, in particular, to the
definition of Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) and Internet Group
Management Protocol (IGMP).
However, multicast traffic is not natively supported within existing
L3 PPVPN solutions. Deploying multicast over an L3VPN today, with
only currently standardized solutions, requires designing customized
solutions which will be inherently limited in terms of scalability,
operational efficiency, and bandwidth usage.
This document complements the generic L3VPN requirements [RFC4031]
document, by specifying additional requirements specific to the
deployment within PPVPNs of services based on IP multicast. It
clarifies the needs of both VPN clients and providers and formulates
the problems that should be addressed by technical solutions with the
key objective being to remain solution agnostic. There is no intent
in this document to specify either solution-specific details or
application-specific requirements. Also, this document does NOT aim
at expressing multicast-related requirements that are not specific to
L3 PPVPNs.
It is expected that solutions that specify procedures and protocol
extensions for multicast in L3 PPVPNs SHOULD satisfy these
2. Conventions Used in This Document
2.1. Terminology
Although the reader is assumed to be familiar with the terminology
defined in [RFC4031], [RFC4364], [RFC4601], and [RFC4607], the
following glossary of terms may be worthwhile.
We also propose here generic terms for concepts that naturally appear
when multicast in VPNs is discussed.
ASM:
Any Source Multicast. One of the two multicast service models, in
which a terminal subscribes to a multicast group to receive data
sent to the group by any source.
Multicast-enabled VPN, multicast VPN, or mVPN:
A VPN that supports IP multicast capabilities, i.e., for which
some PE devices (if not all) are multicast-enabled and whose core
architecture supports multicast VPN routing and forwarding.
PPVPN:
Provider-Provisioned Virtual Private Network.
PE, CE:
"Provider Edge", "Customer Edge" (as defined in [RFC4026]). As
suggested in [RFC4026], we will use these notations to refer to
the equipments/routers/devices themselves. Thus, "PE" will refer
to the router on the provider's edge, which faces the "CE", the
router on the customer's edge.
VRF or VR:
By these terms, we refer to the entity defined in a PE dedicated
to a specific VPN instance. "VRF" refers to "VPN Routing and
Forwarding table" as defined in [RFC4364], and "VR" to "Virtual
Router" as defined in [VRs] terminology.
MDTunnel:
Multicast Distribution Tunnel. The means by which the customer's
multicast traffic will be transported across the SP network. This
is meant in a generic way: such tunnels can be either point-to-
point or point-to-multipoint. Although this definition may seem
to assume that distribution tunnels are unidirectional, the
wording also encompasses bidirectional tunnels.
Denotes a multicast source.
Denotes a multicast group.
Multicast channel:
In the multicast SSM model [RFC4607], a "multicast channel"
designates traffic from a specific source S to a multicast group
G. Also denominated as "(S,G)".
Service provider.
SSM:
Source Specific Multicast. One of the two multicast service
models, where a terminal subscribes to a multicast group to
receive data sent to the group by a specific source.
RP:
Rendezvous Point (Protocol Independent Multicast - Sparse Mode
(PIM-SM) [RFC4601]).
P2MP, MP2MP:
Designate "Point-to-Multipoint" and "Multipoint-to-Multipoint"
replication trees.
L3VPN, VPN:
Throughout this document, "L3VPN" or even just "VPN" will refer to
"Provider-Provisioned Layer 3 Virtual Private Network" (PP
L3VPNs), and will be preferred for readability.
Please refer to [RFC4026] for details about terminology specifically
relevant to VPN aspects, and to [RFC2432] for multicast performance
or quality of service (QoS)-related terms.
2.2. Conventions
3. Problem Statement
3.1. Motivations
More and more L3VPN customers use IP multicast services within their
private infrastructures. Naturally, they want to extend these
multicast services to remote sites that are connected via a VPN.
For instance, the customer could be a national TV channel with
several geographical locations that wants to broadcast a TV program
from a central point to several regional locations within its VPN.
A solution to support multicast traffic could consist of point-to-
point tunnels across the provider network and requires the PEs
(Provider Edge routers) to replicate traffic. This would obviously
be sub-optimal as it would place the replication burden on the PE and
hence would have very poor scaling characteristics. It would also
probably waste bandwidth and control plane resources in the
provider's network.
Thus, to provide multicast services for L3VPN networks in an
efficient manner (that is, with a scalable impact on signaling and
protocol state as well as bandwidth usage), in a large-scale
environment, new mechanisms are required to enhance existing L3VPN
solutions for proper support of multicast-based services.
3.2. General Requirements
This document sets out requirements for L3 provider-provisioned VPN
solutions designed to carry customers' multicast traffic. The main
requirement is that a solution SHOULD first satisfy the requirements
documented in [RFC4031]: as far as possible, a multicast service
should have the same characteristics as the unicast equivalent,
including the same simplicity (technology unaware), the same quality
of service (if any), the same management (e.g., performance
monitoring), etc.
Moreover, it also has to be clear that a multicast VPN solution MUST
interoperate seamlessly with current unicast VPN solutions. It would
also make sense that multicast VPN solutions define themselves as
extensions to existing L3 provider-provisioned VPN solutions (such as
for instance, [RFC4364] or [VRs]) and retain consistency with those,
although this is not a core requirement.
The requirements in this document are equally applicable to IPv4 and
IPv6, for both customer- and provider-related matters.
3.3. Scaling vs. Optimizing Resource Utilization
When transporting multicast VPN traffic over a service provider
network, there intrinsically is tension between scalability and
resource optimization, since the latter is likely to require the
maintenance of control plane states related to replication trees in
the core network [RFC3353].
Consequently, any deployment will require a trade-off to be made.
This document will express some requirements related to this trade-
The goal of this section is to highlight how different applications
and network contexts may have a different impact on how a multicast
VPN solution is designed, deployed, and tuned. For this purpose, we
describe some typical use case scenarios and express expectations in
terms of deployment orders of magnitude.
Most of the content of these sections originates from a survey done
in summer 2005, among institutions and providers that expect to
deploy such solutions. The full survey text and raw results (13
responses) were published separately, and we only present here the
most relevant facts and expectations that the survey exposed.
For scalability figures, we considered that it was relevant to
highlight the highest expectations, those that are expected to have
the greatest impact on solution design. For balance, we do also
mention cases where such high expectations were expressed in only a
few answers.
4.1. Scenarios
We don't provide here an exhaustive set of scenarios that a multicast
VPN solution is expected to support -- no solution should restrict
the scope of multicast applications and deployments that can be done
over a multicast VPN.
Hence, we only give here a short list of scenarios that are expected
to have a large impact on the design of a multicast VPN solution.
4.1.1. Live Content Broadcast
Under this label, we group all applications that distribute content
(audio, video, or other content) with the property that this content
is expected to be consulted at once ("live") by the receiver.
Typical applications are broadcast TV, production studio
connectivity, and distribution of market data feeds.
The characteristics of such applications are the following:
o one or few sources to many receivers
o sources are often in known locations; receivers are in less
predictable locations (this latter point may depend on
applications)
o in some cases, it is expected that the regularity of audience
patterns may help improve how the bandwidth/state trade-off is
handled
o the number of streams can be as high as hundreds, or even
thousands, of streams
o bandwidth will depend on the application, but may vary between a
few tens/hundreds of Kb/s (e.g., audio or low-quality video media)
and tens of Mb/s (high-quality video), with some demanding
professional applications requiring as much as hundreds of Mb/s.
o QoS requirements include, in many cases, a low multicast group
join delay
o QoS of these applications is likely to be impacted by packet loss
(some applications may be robust to low packet loss) and to have
low robustness against jitter
o delay sensitivity will depend on the application: some
applications are not so delay sensitive (e.g., broadcast TV),
whereas others may require very low delay (professional studio
o some of these applications may involve rapid changes in customer
multicast memberships as seen by the PE, but this will depend on
audience patterns and on the amount of provider equipments
deployed close to VPN customers
4.1.2. Symmetric Applications
Some use cases exposed by the survey can be grouped under this label,
and include many-to-many applications such as conferencing and server
cluster monitoring.
They are characterized by the relatively high number of streams that
they can produce, which has a direct impact on scalability
A sub-case of this scenario is the case of symmetric applications
with small groups, when the number of receivers is low compared to
the number of sites in the VPNs (e.g., video conferencing and
e-learning applications).
This latter case is expected to be an important input to solution
design, since it may significantly impact how the bandwidth/state is
managed.
Optimizing bandwidth may require introducing dedicated states in the
core network (typically as much as the number of groups) for the
following reasons:
o small groups, and low predictability of the location of
participants ("sparse groups")
o possibly significantly high bandwidth (a few Mb/s per participant)
Lastly, some of these applications may involve real-time interactions
and will be highly sensitive to packet loss, jitter, and delay.
4.1.3. Data Distribution
Some applications that are expected to be deployed on multicast VPNs
are non-real-time applications aimed at distributing data from few
sources to many receivers.
Such applications may be considered to have lower expectations than
their counterparts proposed in this document, since they would not
necessarily involve more data streams and are more likely to adapt to
the available bandwidth and to be robust to packet loss, jitter, and
One important property is that such applications may involve higher
bandwidths (hundreds of Mb/s).
Morin Informational [Page 10]
4.1.4. Generic Multicast VPN Offer
This ISP scenario is a deployment scenario where IP-multicast
connectivity is proposed for every VPN: if a customer requests a VPN,
then this VPN will support IP multicast by default. In this case,
the number of multicast VPNs equals the number of VPNs. This implies
a quite important scalability requirement (e.g., hundreds of PEs,
hundreds of VPNs per PE, with a potential increase by one order of
magnitude in the future).
The per-mVPN traffic behavior is not predictable because how the
service is used is completely up to the customer. This results in a
traffic mix of the scenarios mentioned in Section 4.1. QoS
requirements are similar to typical unicast scenarios, with the need
for different classes. Also, in such a context, a reasonably large
range of protocols should be made available to the customer for use
at the PE-CE level.
Also, in such a scenario, customers may want to deploy multicast
connectivity between two or more multicast VPNs as well as access to
Internet Multicast.
4.2. Scalability Orders of Magnitude
This section proposes orders of magnitude for different scalability
metrics relevant for multicast VPN issues. It should be noted that
the scalability figures proposed here relate to scalability
expectations of future deployments of multicast VPN solutions, as the
authors chose to not restrict the scope to only currently known
deployments.
4.2.1. Number of VPNs with Multicast Enabled
From the survey results, we see a broad range of expectations. There
are extreme answers: from 5 VPNs (1 answer) to 10k VPNs (1 answer),
but more typical answers are split between the low range of tens of
VPNs (7 answers) and the higher range of hundreds or thousands of
VPNs (2 + 4 answers).
A solution SHOULD support a number of multicast VPNs ranging from one
to several thousands.
A solution SHOULD NOT limit the proportion of multicast VPNs among
all (unicast) VPNs.
4.2.2. Number of Multicast VPNs per PE
The majority of survey answers express a number of multicast VPNs per
PE of around tens (8 responses between 5 and 50); a significant
number of them (4) expect deployments with hundreds or thousands (1
response) of multicast VPNs per PE.
A solution SHOULD support a number of multicast VPNs per PE of
several hundreds, and may have to scale up to thousands of VPNs per
4.2.3. Number of CEs per Multicast VPN per PE
Survey responses span from 1 to 2000 CEs per multicast VPN per PE.
Most typical responses are between tens (6 answers) and hundreds (4
responses).
A solution SHOULD support a number of CEs per multicast VPN per PE
going up to several hundreds (and may target the support of thousands
of CEs).
4.2.4. PEs per Multicast VPN
People who answered the survey typically expect deployments with the
number of PEs per multicast VPN in the range of hundreds of PEs (6
responses) or tens of PEs (4 responses). Two responses were in the
range of thousands (one mentioned a 10k figure).
A multicast VPN solution SHOULD support several hundreds of PEs per
multicast VPN, and MAY usefully scale up to thousands.
4.2.4.1. ... with Sources
The number of PEs (per VPN) that would be connected to sources seems
to be significantly lower than the number of PEs per VPN. This is
obviously related to the fact that many respondents mentioned
deployments related to content broadcast applications (one to many).
Typical numbers are tens (6 responses) or hundreds (4 responses) of
source-connected PEs. One respondent expected a higher number of
several thousands.
A solution SHOULD support hundreds of source-connected PEs per VPN,
and some deployment scenarios involving many-to-many applications may
require supporting a number of source-connected PEs equal to the
number of PEs (hundreds or thousands).
4.2.4.2. ... with Receivers
The survey showed that the number of PEs with receivers is expected
to be of the same order of magnitude as the number of PEs in a
multicast VPN. This is consistent with the intrinsic nature of most
multicast applications, which have few source-only participants.
4.2.5. PEs with Multicast VRFs
A solution SHOULD scale up to thousands of PEs having multicast
service enabled.
4.2.6. Number of Streams Sourced
Survey responses led us to retain the following orders of magnitude
for the number of streams that a solution SHOULD support:
per VPN: hundreds or thousands of streams
per PE: hundreds of streams
5. Requirements for Supporting IP Multicast within L3 PPVPNs
Again, the aim of this document is not to specify solutions but to
give requirements for supporting IP multicast within L3 PPVPNs.
In order to list these requirements, we have taken the standpoint of
two different important entities: the end user (the customer using
the VPN) and the service provider.
In the rest of the document, by "a solution" or "a multicast VPN
solution", we mean a solution that allows multicast in an L3
provider-provisioned VPN, and which addresses the requirements listed
in this document.
5.1. End User/Customer Standpoint
5.1.1. Service Definition
As for unicast, the multicast service MUST be provider provisioned
and SHALL NOT require customer devices (CEs) to support any extra
features compared to those required for multicast in a non-VPN
context. Enabling a VPN for multicast support SHOULD be possible
with no impact (or very limited impact) on existing multicast
protocols possibly already deployed on the CE devices.
5.1.2. CE-PE Multicast Routing and Group Management Protocols
Consequently to Section 5.1.1, multicast-related protocol exchanges
between a CE and its directly connected PE SHOULD happen via existing
multicast protocols.
Such protocols include: PIM-SM [RFC4601], bidirectional-PIM
[BIDIR-PIM], PIM - Dense Mode (DM) [RFC3973], and IGMPv3 [RFC3376]
(this version implicitly supports hosts that only implement IGMPv1
[RFC1112] or IGMPv2 [RFC2236]).
Among those protocols, the support of PIM-SM (which includes the SSM
model) and either IGMPv3 (for IPv4 solutions) and/or Multicast
Listener Discovery Version 2 (MLDv2) [RFC3810] (for IPv6 solutions)
is REQUIRED. Bidir-PIM support at the PE-CE interface is
RECOMMENDED. And considering deployments, PIM-DM is considered
When a multicast VPN solution is built on a VPN solution supporting
IPv6 unicast, it MUST also support v6 variants of the above
protocols, including MLDv2, and PIM-SM IPv6-specific procedures. For
a multicast VPN solution built on a unicast VPN solution supporting
only IPv4, it is RECOMMENDED that the design favors the definition of
procedures and encodings that will provide an easy adaptation to
IPv6.
5.1.3. Quality of Service (QoS)
Firstly, general considerations regarding QoS in L3VPNs expressed in
Section 5.5 of [RFC4031] are also relevant to this section.
QoS is measured in terms of delay, jitter, packet loss, and
availability. These metrics are already defined for the current
unicast PPVPN services and are included in Service Level Agreements
(SLAs). In some cases, the agreed SLA may be different between
unicast and multicast, and that will require differentiation
mechanisms in order to monitor both SLAs.
The level of availability for the multicast service SHOULD be on par
with what exists for unicast traffic. For instance, comparable
traffic protection mechanisms SHOULD be available for customer
multicast traffic when it is carried over the service provider's
A multicast VPN solution SHALL allow a service provider to define at
least the same level of quality of service as exists for unicast, and
as exists for multicast in a non-VPN context. From this perspective,
the deployment of multicast-based services within an L3VPN
environment SHALL benefit from Diffserv [RFC2475] mechanisms that
include multicast traffic identification, classification, and marking
capabilities, as well as multicast traffic policing, scheduling, and
conditioning capabilities. Such capabilities MUST therefore be
supported by any participating device in the establishment and the
maintenance of the multicast distribution tunnel within the VPN.
As multicast is often used to deliver high-quality services such as
TV broadcast, a multicast VPN solution MAY provide additional
features to support high QoS such as bandwidth reservation and
admission control.
Also, considering that multicast reception is receiver-triggered,
group join delay (as defined in [RFC2432]) is also considered one
important QoS parameter. It is thus RECOMMENDED that a multicast VPN
solution be designed appropriately in this regard.
The group leave delay (as defined in [RFC2432]) may also be important
on the CE-PE link for some usage scenarios: in cases where the
typical bandwidth of multicast streams is close to the bandwidth of a
PE-CE link, it will be important to have the ability to stop the
emission of a stream on the PE-CE link as soon as it stops being
requested by the CE, to allow for fast switching between two
different high-throughput multicast streams. This implies that it
SHOULD be possible to tune the multicast routing or group management
protocols (e.g., IGMP/MLD or PIM) used on the PE-CE adjacency to
reduce the group leave delay to the minimum.
Lastly, a multicast VPN solution SHOULD as much as possible ensure
that client multicast traffic packets are neither lost nor
duplicated, even when changes occur in the way a client multicast
data stream is carried over the provider network. Packet loss issues
also have to be considered when a new source starts to send traffic
to a group: any receiver interested in receiving such traffic SHOULD
be serviced accordingly.
5.1.4. Operations and Management
The requirements and definitions for operations and management (OAM)
of L3VPNs that are defined in [RFC4176] equally apply to multicast,
and are not extensively repeated in this document. This sub-section
mentions the most important guidelines and details points of
particular relevance in the context of multicast in L3VPNs.
A multicast VPN solution SHOULD allow a multicast VPN customer to
manage the capabilities and characteristics of their multicast VPN
A multicast VPN solution MUST support SLA monitoring capabilities,
which SHOULD rely upon techniques similar to those used for the
unicast service for the same monitoring purposes. Multicast SLA-
related metrics SHOULD be available through means similar to the ones
already used for unicast-related monitoring, such as Simple Network
Management Protocol (SNMP) [RFC3411] or IPFIX [IPFIX-PROT].
Multicast-specific characteristics that may be monitored include:
multicast statistics per stream, end-to-end delay, and group join/
leave delay (time to start/stop receiving a multicast group's traffic
across the VPN, as defined in [RFC2432], Section 3).
The monitoring of multicast-specific parameters and statistics MUST
include multicast traffic statistics: total/incoming/outgoing/dropped
traffic, by period of time. It MAY include IP Performance Metrics
related information (IPPM, [RFC2330]) that is relevant to the
multicast traffic usage: such information includes the one-way packet
delay, the inter-packet delay variation, etc. See [MULTIMETRICS].
A generic discussion of SLAs is provided in [RFC3809].
Apart from statistics on multicast traffic, customers of a multicast
VPN will need information concerning the status of their multicast
resource usage (multicast routing states and bandwidth). Indeed, as
mentioned in Section 5.2.5, for scalability purposes, a service
provider may limit the number (and/or throughput) of multicast
streams that are received/sent to/from a client site. In such a
case, a multicast VPN solution SHOULD allow customers to find out
their current resource usage (multicast routing states and
throughput), and to receive some kind of feedback if their usage
exceeds the agreed bounds. Whether this issue will be better handled
at the protocol level at the PE-CE interface or at the Service
Management Level interface [RFC4176] is left for further discussion.
It is RECOMMENDED that any OAM mechanism designed to trigger alarms
in relation to performance or resource usage metrics integrate the
ability to limit the rate at which such alarms are generated (e.g.,
some form of a hysteresis mechanism based on low/high thresholds
defined for the metrics).
5.1.5. Security Requirements
Security is a key point for a customer who uses a VPN service. For
instance, the [RFC4364] model offers some guarantees concerning the
security level of data transmission within the VPN.
A multicast VPN solution MUST provide an architecture with the same
level of security for both unicast and multicast traffic.
Moreover, the activation of multicast features SHOULD be possible:
o per VRF / per VR
o per CE interface (when multiple CEs of a VPN are connected to a
common VRF/VR)
o per multicast group and/or per channel
o with a distinction between multicast reception and emission
A multicast VPN solution may choose to make the optimality/
scalability trade-off stated in Section 3.3 by sometimes distributing
multicast traffic of a client group to a larger set of PE routers
that may include PEs that are not part of the VPN. From a security
standpoint, this may be a problem for some VPN customers; thus, a
multicast VPN solution using such a scheme MAY offer ways to avoid
this for specific customers (and/or specific customer multicast
streams).
5.1.6. Extranet
In current PP L3VPN models, a customer site may be set up to be part
of multiple VPNs, and this should still be possible when a VPN is
multicast-enabled. In practice, it means that a VRF or VR can be
part of more than one VPN.
A multicast VPN solution MUST support such deployments.
For instance, it must be possible to configure a VRF so that an
enterprise site participating in a BGP/MPLS multicast-enabled VPN and
connected to that VRF can receive a multicast stream from (or
originate a multicast stream towards) another VPN that would be
associated to that VRF.
This means that a multicast VPN solution MUST offer means for a VRF
to be configured so that multicast connectivity can be set up for a
chosen set of extranet VPNs. More precisely, it MUST be possible to
configure a VRF so that:
o receivers behind attached CEs can receive multicast traffic
sourced in the configured set of extranet VPNs
o sources behind attached CEs can reach multicast traffic receivers
located in the configured set of extranet VPNs
o multicast reception and emission can be independently enabled for
each of the extranet VPNs
Moreover, a solution MUST allow service providers to control an
extranet's multicast connectivity independently from the extranet's
unicast connectivity. More specifically:
o enabling unicast connectivity to another VPN MUST be possible
without activating multicast connectivity with that VPN
o enabling multicast connectivity with another VPN SHOULD NOT
require more than the strict minimal unicast routing. Sending
multicast to a VPN SHOULD NOT require having unicast routes to
that VPN; receiving multicast from a VPN SHOULD be possible with
nothing more than unicast routes to the relevant multicast sources
of that VPN
o when unicast routes from another VPN are imported into a VR/VRF,
for multicast Reverse Path Forwarding (RPF) resolution, this
SHOULD be possible without making those routes available for
unicast routing
Proper support for this feature SHOULD NOT require replicating
multicast traffic on a PE-CE link, whether it is a physical or
logical link.
5.1.7. Internet Multicast
Connectivity with Internet Multicast is a particular case of the
previous section, where sites attached to a VR/VRF would need to
receive/send multicast traffic from/to the Internet.
This should be considered OPTIONAL given the additional
considerations, such as security, needed to fulfill the requirements
for providing Internet Multicast.
5.1.8. Carrier's Carrier
Many L3 PPVPN solutions, such as [RFC4364] and [VRs], define the
"Carrier's Carrier" model, where a "carrier's carrier" service
provider supports one or more customer ISPs, or "sub-carriers". A
multicast VPN solution SHOULD support the carrier's carrier model in
a scalable and efficient manner.
Ideally, the range of tunneling protocols available for the sub-
carrier ISP should be the same as those available for the carrier's
carrier ISP. This implies that the protocols that may be used at the
PE-CE level SHOULD NOT be restricted to protocols required as per
Section 5.1.2 and SHOULD include some of the protocols listed in
Section 5.2.4, such as for instance P2MP MPLS signaling protocols.
In the context of MPLS-based L3VPN deployments, such as BGP/MPLS VPNs
[RFC4364], this means that MPLS label distribution SHOULD happen at
the PE-CE level, giving the ability to the sub-carrier to use
multipoint LSPs as a tunneling mechanism.
5.1.9. Multi-Homing, Load Balancing, and Resiliency
A multicast VPN solution SHOULD be compatible with current solutions
that aim at improving the service robustness for customers such as
multi-homing, CE-PE link load balancing, and fail-over. A multicast
VPN solution SHOULD also be able to offer those same features for
multicast traffic.
Any solution SHOULD support redundant topology of CE-PE links. It
SHOULD minimize multicast traffic disruption and fail-over.
5.1.10. RP Engineering
When PIM-SM (or bidir-PIM) is used in ASM mode on the VPN customer
side, the RP function (or RP-address in the case of bidir-PIM) has to
be associated to a node running PIM, and configured on this node.
5.1.10.1. RP Outsourcing
In the case of PIM-SM in ASM mode, engineering of the RP function
requires the deployment of specific protocols and associated
configurations. A service provider may offer to manage customers'
multicast protocol operation on their behalf. This implies that it
is necessary to consider cases where a customer's RPs are outsourced
(e.g., on PEs). Consequently, a VPN solution MAY support the hosting
of the RP function in a VR or VRF.
5.1.10.2. RP Availability
Availability of the RP function (or address) is required for proper
operation of PIM-SM (ASM mode) and bidir-PIM. Loss of connectivity
to the RP from a receiver or source will impact the multicast
service. For this reason, different mechanisms exist, such as BSR
[PIM-BSR] or anycast-RP (Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)-
based [RFC3446] or PIM-based [RFC4610]).
These protocols and procedures SHOULD work transparently through a
multicast VPN, and MAY if relevant, be implemented in a VRF/VR.
Moreover, a multicast VPN solution MAY improve the robustness of the
ASM multicast service regarding loss of connectivity to the RP, by
providing specific features that help:
a) maintain ASM multicast service among all the sites within an MVPN
that maintain connectivity among themselves, even when the site(s)
hosting the RP lose their connectivity to the MVPN
b) maintain ASM multicast service within any site that loses
connectivity to the service provider
5.1.10.3. RP Location
In the case of PIM-SM, when a source starts to emit traffic toward a
group (in ASM mode), if sources and receivers are located in VPN
sites that are different than that of the RP, then traffic may
transiently flow twice through the SP network and the CE-PE link of
the RP (from source to RP, and then from RP to receivers). This
traffic peak, even short, may not be convenient depending on the
traffic and link bandwidth.
Thus, a VPN solution MAY provide features that solve or help mitigate
this potential issue.
5.1.11. Addressing
A multicast provider-provisioned L3VPN SHOULD NOT impose restrictions
on multicast group addresses used by VPN customers.
In particular, like unicast traffic, an overlap of multicast group
address sets used by different VPN customers MUST be supported.
The use of globally unique means of multicast-based service
identification at the scale of the domain where such services are
provided SHOULD be recommended. For IPv4 multicast, this implies the
use of the multicast administratively scoped range (239/8 as defined
by [RFC2365]) for services that are to be used only inside the VPN,
and of either SSM-range addresses (232/8 as defined by [RFC4607]) or
globally assigned group addresses (e.g., GLOP [RFC3180], 233/8) for
services for which traffic may be transmitted outside the VPN.
5.1.12. Minimum MTU
For customers, it is often a serious issue whether or not transmitted
packets will be fragmented. In particular, some multicast
applications might have different requirements than those that make
use of unicast, and they may expect services that guarantee available
packet length not to be fragmented.
Therefore, a multicast VPN solution SHOULD be designed with these
considerations in mind. In practice:
o the encapsulation overhead of a multicast VPN solution SHOULD be
minimized, so that customer devices can be free of fragmentation
and reassembly activity as much as possible
o a multicast VPN solution SHOULD enable the service provider to
commit to a minimum path MTU usable by multicast VPN customers
o a multicast VPN solution SHOULD be compatible with path MTU
discovery mechanisms (see [RFC1191] and [RFC4459]), and particular
care SHOULD be given to means to help troubleshoot MTU issues
Moreover, since Ethernet LAN segments are often located at first and
last hops, a multicast VPN solution SHOULD be designed to allow for a
minimum 1500-byte IP MTU for VPN customers multicast packet, when the
provider backbone design allows it.
5.2. Service Provider Standpoint
Note: To avoid repetition and confusion with terms used in solution
specifications, we introduced in Section 2.1 the term MDTunnel (for
Multicast Distribution Tunnel), which designates the data plane means
used by the service provider to forward customer multicast traffic
over the core network.
5.2.1. General Requirement
The deployment of a multicast VPN solution SHOULD be possible with no
(or very limited) impact on existing deployments of standardized
multicast-related protocols on P and PE routers.
5.2.2. Scalability
Some currently standardized and deployed L3VPN solutions have the
major advantage of being scalable in the core regarding the number of
customers and the number of customer routes. For instance, in the
[RFC4364] and Virtual Router [VRs] models, a P router sees a number
of MPLS tunnels that is only linked to the number of PEs and not to
the number of VPNs, or customer sites.
As far as possible, this independence in the core, with respect to
the number of customers and to customer activity, is recommended.
Yet, it is recognized that in our context scalability and resource
usage optimality are competing goals, so this requirement may be
reduced to giving the possibility of bounding the quantity of states
that the service provider needs to maintain in the core for
MDTunnels, with a bound being independent of the multicast activity
of VPN customers.
It is expected that multicast VPN solutions will use some kind of
point-to-multipoint technology to efficiently carry multicast VPN
traffic, and because such technologies require maintaining state
information, this will use resources in the control plane of P and PE
routers (memory and processing, and possibly address space).
Scalability is a key requirement for multicast VPN solutions.
Solutions MUST be designed to scale well with an increase in any of
o the number of PEs
o the number of customer VPNs (total and per PE)
o the number of PEs and sites in any VPN
o the number of client multicast channels (groups or source-groups)
Please consult Section 4.2 for typical orders of magnitude up to
which a multicast VPN solution is expected to scale.
Scalability of both performance and operation MUST be considered.
Key considerations SHOULD include:
o the processing resources required by the control plane
(neighborhood or session maintenance messages, keep-alives,
timers, etc.)
o the memory resources needed for the control plane
o the amount of protocol information transmitted to manage a
multicast VPN (e.g., signaling throughput)
o the amount of control plane processing required on PE and P
routers to add or remove a customer site (or a customer from a
multicast session)
o the number of multicast IP addresses used (if IP multicast in ASM
mode is proposed as a multicast distribution tunnel)
o other particular elements inherent to each solution that impact
scalability (e.g., if a solution uses some distribution tree
inside the core, topology of the tree and number of leaf nodes may
be some of them)
It is expected that the applicability of each solution will be
evaluated with regards to the aforementioned scalability criteria.
These considerations naturally lead us to believe that proposed
solutions SHOULD offer the possibility of sharing such resources
between different multicast streams (between different VPNs, between
different multicast streams of the same or of different VPNs). This
means, for instance, if MDTunnels are trees, being able to share an
MDTunnel between several customers.
Those scalability issues are expected to be more significant on P
routers, but a multicast VPN solution SHOULD address both P and PE
routers as far as scalability is concerned.
5.2.3. Resource Optimization
5.2.3.1. General Goals
One of the aims of the use of multicast instead of unicast is
resource optimization in the network.
The two obvious suboptimal behaviors that a multicast VPN solution
would want to avoid are needless duplication (when the same data
travels twice or more on a link, e.g., when doing ingress PE
replication) and needless reception (e.g., a PE receiving traffic
that it does not need because there are no downstream receivers).
5.2.3.2. Trade-off and Tuning
As previously stated in this document, designing a scalable solution
that makes an optimal use of resources is considered difficult.
Thus, what is expected from a multicast VPN solution is that it
addresses the resource optimization issue while taking into account
the fact that some trade-off has to be made.
Moreover, it seems that a "one size fits all" trade-off probably does
not exist either. Thus, a multicast VPN solution SHOULD offer
service providers appropriate configuration settings that let them
tune the trade-off according to their particular constraints (network
topology, platforms, customer applications, level of service offered
As an illustration, here are some example bounds of the trade-off
Bandwidth optimization: setting up optimized core MDTunnels whose
topology (PIM or P2MP LSP trees, etc.) precisely follows a
customer's multicast routing changes. This requires managing a
large amount of state in the core, and also quick reactions of the
core to customer multicast routing changes. This approach can be
advantageous in terms of bandwidth, but it is poor in terms of
state management.
State optimization: setting up MDTunnels that aggregate multiple
customer multicast streams (all or some of them, across different
VPNs or not). This will have better scalability properties, but
at the expense of bandwidth since some MDTunnel leaves will very
likely receive traffic they don't need, and because increased
constraints will make it harder to find optimal MDTunnels.
5.2.3.3. Traffic Engineering
If the VPN service provides traffic engineering (TE) features for the
connection used between PEs for unicast traffic in the VPN service,
the solution SHOULD provide equivalent features for multicast
traffic.
A solution SHOULD offer means to support key TE objectives as defined
in [RFC3272], for the multicast service.
A solution MAY also usefully support means to address multicast-
specific traffic engineering issues: it is known that bandwidth
resource optimization in the point-to-multipoint case is an NP-hard
problem, and that techniques used for unicast TE may not be
applicable to multicast traffic.
Also, it has been identified that managing the trade-off between
resource usage and scalability may incur uselessly sending traffic to
some PEs participating in a multicast VPN. For this reason, a
multicast VPN solution MAY permit that the bandwidth/state tuning
take into account the relative cost or availability of bandwidth
toward each PE.
5.2.4. Tunneling Requirements
5.2.4.1. Tunneling Technologies
Following the principle of separation between the control plane and
the forwarding plane, a multicast VPN solution SHOULD be designed so
that control and forwarding planes are not interdependent: the
control plane SHALL NOT depend on which forwarding plane is used (and
vice versa), and the choice of forwarding plane SHOULD NOT be limited
by the design of the solution. Also, the solution SHOULD NOT be tied
to a specific tunneling technology.
In a multicast VPN solution extending a unicast L3 PPVPN solution,
consistency in the tunneling technology has to be favored: such a
solution SHOULD allow the use of the same tunneling technology for
multicast as for unicast. Deployment consistency, ease of operation,
and potential migrations are the main motivations behind this
For MDTunnels, a solution SHOULD be able to use a range of tunneling
technologies, including point-to-point and point-to-multipoint, such
as:
o Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) [RFC2784] (including GRE in
multicast IP trees),
o MPLS [RFC3031] (including P2P or MP2P tunnels, and multipoint
tunnels signaled with MPLS P2MP extensions to the Resource
Reservation Protocol (RSVP) [P2MP-RSVP-TE] or Label Distribution
Protocol (LDP) [P2MP-LDP-REQS] [P2MP-LDP]),
o Layer-2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) (including L2TP for multicast
[RFC4045]),
o IPsec [RFC4031]
o IP-in-IP [RFC2003], etc.
Naturally, it is RECOMMENDED that a solution is built so that it can
leverage the point-to-multipoint variants of these techniques. These
variants allow for packet replications to happen along a tree in the
provider core network, and they may help improve bandwidth efficiency
in a multicast VPN context.
5.2.4.2. MTU and Fragmentation
A solution SHOULD support a method that provides the minimum MTU of
the MDTunnel (e.g., to discover MTU, to communicate MTU via
signaling, etc.) so that:
o fragmentation inside the MDTunnel does not happen, even when
allowed by the underlying tunneling technology
o proper troubleshooting can be performed if packets that are too
big for the MDTunnel happen to be encapsulated in the MDTunnel
5.2.5. Control Mechanisms
The solution MUST provide some mechanisms to control the sources
within a VPN. This control includes the number of sources that are
entitled to send traffic on the VPN, and/or the total bit rate of all
the sources.
At the reception level, the solution MUST also provide mechanisms to
control the number of multicast groups or channels VPN users are
entitled to subscribe to and/or the total bit rate represented by the
corresponding multicast traffic.
All these mechanisms MUST be configurable by the service provider in
order to control the amount of multicast traffic and state within a
VPN.
Moreover, it MAY be desirable to be able to impose some bound on the
quantity of state used by a VPN in the core network for its multicast
traffic, whether on each P or PE router, or globally. The motivation
is that it may be needed to avoid out-of-resources situations (e.g.,
out of memory to maintain PIM state if IP multicast is used in the
core for multicast VPN traffic, or out of memory to maintain RSVP
state if MPLS P2MP is used, etc.).
5.2.6. Support of Inter-AS, Inter-Provider Deployments
A solution MUST support inter-AS (Autonomous System) multicast VPNs,
and SHOULD support inter-provider multicast VPNs. Considerations
about coexistence with unicast inter-AS VPN Options A, B, and C (as
described in Section 10 of [RFC4364]) are strongly encouraged.
A multicast VPN solution SHOULD provide inter-AS mechanisms requiring
the least possible coordination between providers, and keep the need
for detailed knowledge of providers' networks to a minimum -- all
this being in comparison with corresponding unicast VPN options.
o Within each service provider, the service provider SHOULD be able
on its own to pick the most appropriate tunneling mechanism to
carry (multicast) traffic among PEs (just like what is done today
for unicast)
o If a solution does require a single tunnel to span P routers in
multiple ASs, the solution SHOULD provide mechanisms to ensure
that the inter-provider coordination to set up such a tunnel is
Moreover, such support SHOULD be possible without compromising other
requirements expressed in this requirement document, and SHALL NOT
incur penalties on scalability and bandwidth-related efficiency.
5.2.7. Quality-of-Service Differentiation
A multicast VPN solution SHOULD give a VPN service provider the
ability to offer, guarantee and enforce differentiated levels of QoS
for its different customers.
5.2.8. Infrastructure security
The solution SHOULD provide the same level of security for the
service provider as what currently exists for unicast VPNs (for
instance, as developed in the Security sections of [RFC4364] and
[VRs]). For instance, traffic segregation and intrinsic protection
against DoS (Denial of Service) and DDoS (Distributed Denial of
Service) attacks of the BGP/MPLS VPN solution must be supported by
the multicast solution.
Moreover, since multicast traffic and routing are intrinsically
dynamic (receiver-initiated), some mechanism SHOULD be proposed so
that the frequency of changes in the way client traffic is carried
over the core can be bounded and not tightly coupled to dynamic
changes of multicast traffic in the customer network. For example,
multicast route dampening functions would be one possible mechanism.
Network devices that participate in the deployment and the
maintenance of a given L3VPN MAY represent a superset of the
participating devices that are also involved in the establishment and
maintenance of the multicast distribution tunnels. As such, the
activation of IP multicast capabilities within a VPN SHOULD be
device-specific, not only to make sure that only the relevant devices
will be multicast-enabled, but also to make sure that multicast
(routing) information will be disseminated to the multicast-enabled
devices only, hence limiting the risk of multicast-inferred DOS
attacks.
Traffic of a multicast channel for which there are no members in a
given multicast VPN MUST NOT be propagated within the multicast VPN,
most particularly if the traffic comes from another VPN or from the
Security considerations are particularly important for inter-AS and
inter-provider deployments. In such cases, it is RECOMMENDED that a
multicast VPN solution support means to ensure the integrity and
authenticity of multicast-related exchanges across inter-AS or inter-
provider borders. It is RECOMMENDED that corresponding procedures
require the least possible coordination between providers; more
precisely, when specific configurations or cryptographic keys have to
be deployed, this shall be limited to ASBRs (Autonomous System Border
Routers) or a subset of them, and optionally BGP Route Reflectors (or
a subset of them).
Lastly, control mechanisms described in Section 5.2.5 are also to be
considered from this infrastructure security point of view.
5.2.9. Robustness
Resiliency is also crucial to infrastructure security; thus, a
multicast VPN solution SHOULD either avoid single points of failures
or propose some technical solution making it possible to implement a
fail-over mechanism.
As an illustration, one can consider the case of a solution that
would use PIM-SM as a means to set up MDTunnels. In such a case, the
PIM RP might be a single point of failure. Such a solution SHOULD be
compatible with a solution implementing RP resiliency, such as
anycast-RP [RFC4610] or BSR [PIM-BSR].
5.2.10. Operation, Administration, and Maintenance
The operation of a multicast VPN solution SHALL be as light as
possible, and providing automatic configuration and discovery SHOULD
be a priority when designing a multicast VPN solution. Particularly,
the operational burden of setting up multicast on a PE or for a VR/
VRF SHOULD be as low as possible.
Also, as far as possible, the design of a solution SHOULD carefully
consider the number of protocols within the core network: if any
additional protocols are introduced compared with the unicast VPN
service, the balance between their advantage and operational burden
SHOULD be examined thoroughly.
Moreover, monitoring of multicast-specific parameters and statistics
SHOULD be offered to the service provider, following the requirements
expressed in [RFC4176].
Most notably, the provider SHOULD have access to:
o Multicast traffic statistics (incoming/outgoing/dropped/total
traffic conveyed, by period of time)
o Information about client multicast resource usage (multicast
routing state and bandwidth usage)
o Alarms when limits are reached on such resources
o The IPPM (IP Performance Metrics [RFC2330])-related information
that is relevant to the multicast traffic usage: such information
includes the one-way packet delay, the inter-packet delay
variation, etc.
o Statistics on decisions related to how client traffic is carried
on distribution tunnels (e.g., "traffic switched onto a multicast
tree dedicated to such groups or channels")
o Statistics on parameters that could help the provider to evaluate
its optimality/state trade-off
This information SHOULD be made available through standardized SMIv2
[RFC2578] Management Information Base (MIB) modules to be used with
SNMP [RFC3411], or through IPFIX [IPFIX-PROT]. For instance, in the
context of BGP/MPLS VPNs [RFC4364], multicast extensions to MIBs
defined in [RFC4382] SHOULD be proposed, with proper integration with
[RFC3811], [RFC3812], [RFC3813], and [RFC3814] when applicable.
Mechanisms similar to those described in Section 5.2.12 SHOULD also
exist for proactive monitoring of the MDTunnels.
Proposed OAM mechanisms and procedures for multicast VPNs SHOULD be
scalable with respect to the parameters mentioned in Section 5.2.2.
In particular, it is RECOMMENDED that particular attention is given
to the impact of monitoring mechanisms on performances and QoS.
Moreover, it is RECOMMENDED that any OAM mechanism designed to
trigger alarms in relation to performance or resource usage metrics
integrate the ability to limit the rate at which such alarms are
generated (e.g., some form of a hysteresis mechanism based on low/
high thresholds defined for the metrics).
5.2.11. Compatibility and Migration Issues
It is a requirement that unicast and multicast services MUST be able
to coexist within the same VPN.
Likewise, a multicast VPN solution SHOULD be designed so that its
activation in devices that participate in the deployment and
maintenance of a multicast VPN SHOULD be as smooth as possible, i.e.,
without affecting the overall quality of the services that are
already supported by the underlying infrastructure.
A multicast VPN solution SHOULD prevent compatibility and migration
issues, for instance, by focusing on providing mechanisms
facilitating forward compatibility. Most notably, a solution
supporting only a subset of the requirements expressed in this
document SHOULD be designed to allow compatibility to be introduced
in further revisions.
It SHOULD be an aim of any multicast VPN solution to offer as much
backward compatibility as possible. Ideally, a solution would have
the ability to offer multicast VPN services across a network
containing some legacy routers that do not support any multicast VPN-
specific features.
In any case, a solution SHOULD state a migration policy from possibly
existing deployments.
5.2.12. Troubleshooting
A multicast VPN solution that dynamically adapts the way some client
multicast traffic is carried over the provider's network may incur
the disadvantage of being hard to troubleshoot. In such a case, to
help diagnose multicast network issues, a multicast VPN solution
SHOULD provide monitoring information describing how client traffic
is carried over the network (e.g., if a solution uses multicast-based
MDTunnels, which provider multicast group is used for a given client
multicast stream). A solution MAY also provide configuration options
to avoid any dynamic changes, for multicast traffic of a particular
VPN or a particular multicast stream.
Moreover, a solution MAY provide mechanisms that allow network
operators to check that all VPN sites that advertised interest in a
particular customer multicast stream are properly associated with the
corresponding MDTunnel. Providing operators with means to check the
proper setup and operation of MDTunnels MAY also be provided (e.g.,
when P2MP MPLS is used for MDTunnels, troubleshooting functionalities
SHOULD integrate mechanisms compliant with [RFC4687], such as LSP
Ping [RFC4379][LSP-PING]). Depending on the implementation, such
verification could be initiated by a source-PE or a receiver-PE.
This document does not by itself raise any particular security issue.
A set of security issues has been identified that MUST be addressed
when considering the design and deployment of multicast-enabled L3
PPVPNs. Such issues have been described in Section 5.1.5 and
Section 5.2.8.
7. Contributors
The main contributors to this document are listed below, in
alphabetical order:
o Christian Jacquenet
3, avenue Francois Chateau
CS 36901 35069 RENNES Cedex, France
Email: christian.jacquenet@orange-ftgroup.com
o Yuji Kamite
NTT Communications Corporation
Tokyo Opera City Tower 3-20-2 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku
Email: y.kamite@ntt.com
o Jean-Louis Le Roux
France Telecom R&D
2, avenue Pierre-Marzin
22307 Lannion Cedex, France
Email: jeanlouis.leroux@orange-ftgroup.com
o Nicolai Leymann
Deutsch Telecom
Engineering Networks, Products & Services
Goslarer Ufer 3510589 Berlin, Germany
Email: nicolai.leymann@t-systems.com
o Renaud Moignard
Email: renaud.moignard@orange-ftgroup.com
o Thomas Morin
Email: thomas.morin@orange-ftgroup.com
The authors would like to thank, in rough chronological order,
Vincent Parfait, Zubair Ahmad, Elodie Hemon-Larreur, Sebastien Loye,
Rahul Aggarwal, Hitoshi Fukuda, Luyuan Fang, Adrian Farrel, Daniel
King, Yiqun Cai, Ronald Bonica, Len Nieman, Satoru Matsushima,
Netzahualcoyotl Ornelas, Yakov Rekhter, Marshall Eubanks, Pekka
Savola, Benjamin Niven-Jenkins, and Thomas Nadeau, for their review,
valuable input, and feedback.
We also thank the people who kindly answered the survey, and Daniel
King, who took care of gathering and anonymizing its results.
9. References
9.1. Normative References
[RFC4031] Carugi, M. and D. McDysan, "Service Requirements for
Layer 3 Provider-Provisioned Virtual Private
Networks (PPVPNs)", RFC 4031, April 2005.
[RFC4026] Andersson, L. and T. Madsen, "Provider-Provisioned
Virtual Private Network (VPN) Terminology",
[RFC4601] Fenner, B., Handley, M., Holbrook, H., and I.
Kouvelas, "Protocol Independent Multicast - Sparse
Mode (PIM-SM): Protocol Specification (Revised)",
RFC 4601, August 2006.
[RFC4607] Holbrook, H. and B. Cain, "Source-Specific Multicast
for IP", RFC 4607, August 2006.
[RFC3376] Cain, B., Deering, S., Kouvelas, I., Fenner, B., and
A. Thyagarajan, "Internet Group Management Protocol,
Version 3", RFC 3376, October 2002.
[RFC3810] Vida, R. and L. Costa, "Multicast Listener Discovery
Version 2 (MLDv2) for IPv6", RFC 3810, June 2004.
[RFC4176] El Mghazli, Y., Nadeau, T., Boucadair, M., Chan, K.,
and A. Gonguet, "Framework for Layer 3 Virtual
Private Networks (L3VPN) Operations and Management",
RFC 4176, October 2005.
[RFC3973] Adams, A., Nicholas, J., and W. Siadak, "Protocol
Independent Multicast - Dense Mode (PIM-DM):
Protocol Specification (Revised)", RFC 3973,
9.2. Informative References
[RFC4364] Rosen, E. and Y. Rekhter, "BGP/MPLS IP Virtual
Private Networks (VPNs)", RFC 4364, February 2006.
[VRs] Ould-Brahim, H., "Network based IP VPN Architecture
Using Virtual Routers", Work in Progress,
[RFC2432] Dubray, K., "Terminology for IP Multicast
Benchmarking", RFC 2432, October 1998.
[RFC3031] Rosen, E., Viswanathan, A., and R. Callon,
"Multiprotocol Label Switching Architecture",
RFC 3031, January 2001.
[RFC1112] Deering, S., "Host extensions for IP multicasting",
STD 5, RFC 1112, August 1989.
[RFC2236] Fenner, W., "Internet Group Management Protocol,
Version 2", RFC 2236, November 1997.
[P2MP-RSVP-TE] Aggarwal, R., "Extensions to RSVP-TE for Point-to-
Multipoint TE LSPs", Work in Progress, August 2006.
[PIM-BSR] Bhaskar, N., "Bootstrap Router (BSR) Mechanism for
PIM", Work in Progress, June 2006.
[RFC4610] Farinacci, D. and Y. Cai, "Anycast-RP Using Protocol
Independent Multicast (PIM)", RFC 4610, August 2006.
[RFC3446] Kim, D., Meyer, D., Kilmer, H., and D. Farinacci,
"Anycast Rendevous Point (RP) mechanism using
Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) and Multicast
Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)", RFC 3446,
[P2MP-LDP] Minei, I., "Label Distribution Protocol Extensions
for Point-to-Multipoint and Multipoint-to-Multipoint
Label Switched Paths", Work in Progress,
[P2MP-LDP-REQS] Roux, J., "Requirements for point-to-multipoint
extensions to the Label Distribution Protocol",
Work in Progress, June 2006.
[RFC4687] Yasukawa, S., Farrel, A., King, D., and T. Nadeau,
"Operations and Management (OAM) Requirements for
Point-to-Multipoint MPLS Networks", RFC 4687,
[BIDIR-PIM] Handley, M., "Bi-directional Protocol Independent
Multicast (BIDIR-PIM)", Work in Progress,
[RFC2003] Perkins, C., "IP Encapsulation within IP", RFC 2003,
[RFC3353] Ooms, D., Sales, B., Livens, W., Acharya, A.,
Griffoul, F., and F. Ansari, "Overview of IP
Multicast in a Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS)
Environment", RFC 3353, August 2002.
[RFC3272] Awduche, D., Chiu, A., Elwalid, A., Widjaja, I., and
X. Xiao, "Overview and Principles of Internet
Traffic Engineering", RFC 3272, May 2002.
[RFC2784] Farinacci, D., Li, T., Hanks, S., Meyer, D., and P.
Traina, "Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE)",
[IPFIX-PROT] Claise, B., "Specification of the IPFIX Protocol for
the Exchange", Work in Progress, November 2006.
[RFC4045] Bourdon, G., "Extensions to Support Efficient
Carrying of Multicast Traffic in Layer-2 Tunneling
Protocol (L2TP)", RFC 4045, April 2005.
[RFC3809] Nagarajan, A., "Generic Requirements for Provider-
Provisioned Virtual Private Networks (PPVPN)",
RFC 3809, June 2004.
[RFC3811] Nadeau, T. and J. Cucchiara, "Definitions of Textual
Conventions (TCs) for Multiprotocol Label Switching
(MPLS) Management", RFC 3811, June 2004.
[RFC3812] Srinivasan, C., Viswanathan, A., and T. Nadeau,
"Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Traffic
Engineering (TE) Management Information Base (MIB)",
"Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Label
Switching Router (LSR) Management Information Base
(MIB)", RFC 3813, June 2004.
[RFC3814] Nadeau, T., Srinivasan, C., and A. Viswanathan,
"Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Forwarding
Equivalence Class To Next Hop Label Forwarding Entry
(FEC-To-NHLFE) Management Information Base (MIB)",
[RFC2365] Meyer, D., "Administratively Scoped IP Multicast",
BCP 23, RFC 2365, July 1998.
[RFC2330] Paxson, V., Almes, G., Mahdavi, J., and M. Mathis,
"Framework for IP Performance Metrics", RFC 2330,
[MULTIMETRICS] Stephan, E., "IP Performance Metrics (IPPM) for
spatial and multicast", Work in Progress,
[RFC2475] Blake, S., Black, D., Carlson, M., Davies, E., Wang,
Z., and W. Weiss, "An Architecture for
Differentiated Services", RFC 2475, December 1998.
[RFC3180] Meyer, D. and P. Lothberg, "GLOP Addressing in
233/8", BCP 53, RFC 3180, September 2001.
[RFC3411] Harrington, D., Presuhn, R., and B. Wijnen, "An
Architecture for Describing Simple Network
Management Protocol (SNMP) Management Frameworks",
STD 62, RFC 3411, December 2002.
[RFC2578] McCloghrie, K., Ed., Perkins, D., Ed., and J.
Schoenwaelder, Ed., "Structure of Management
Information Version 2 (SMIv2)", STD 58, RFC 2578,
[RFC1191] Mogul, J. and S. Deering, "Path MTU discovery",
RFC 1191, November 1990.
[RFC4382] Nadeau, T. and H. van der Linde, "MPLS/BGP Layer 3
Virtual Private Network (VPN) Management Information
Base", RFC 4382, February 2006.
[RFC4379] Kompella, K. and G. Swallow, "Detecting Multi-
Protocol Label Switched (MPLS) Data Plane Failures",
RFC 4379, February 2006.
[LSP-PING] Farrel, A. and S. Yasukawa, "Detecting Data Plane
Failures in Point-to-Multipoint Multiprotocol",
Work in Progress, September 2006.
[RFC4459] Savola, P., "MTU and Fragmentation Issues with In-
the-Network Tunneling", RFC 4459, April 2006.
Thomas Morin (editor)
2, avenue Pierre Marzin
Lannion 22307
This document is subject to the rights, licenses and restrictions
contained in BCP 78, and except as set forth therein, the authors
retain all their rights.
This document and the information contained herein are provided on an
"AS IS" basis and THE CONTRIBUTOR, THE ORGANIZATION HE/SHE REPRESENTS
OR IS SPONSORED BY (IF ANY), THE INTERNET SOCIETY, THE IETF TRUST AND
THE INTERNET ENGINEERING TASK FORCE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF
THE INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
The IETF takes no position regarding the validity or scope of any
Intellectual Property Rights or other rights that might be claimed to
pertain to the implementation or use of the technology described in
this document or the extent to which any license under such rights
might or might not be available; nor does it represent that it has
made any independent effort to identify any such rights. Information
on the procedures with respect to rights in RFC documents can be
found in BCP 78 and BCP 79.
Copies of IPR disclosures made to the IETF Secretariat and any
assurances of licenses to be made available, or the result of an
attempt made to obtain a general license or permission for the use of
such proprietary rights by implementers or users of this
specification can be obtained from the IETF on-line IPR repository at
http://www.ietf.org/ipr.
The IETF invites any interested party to bring to its attention any
copyrights, patents or patent applications, or other proprietary
rights that may cover technology that may be required to implement
this standard. Please address the information to the IETF at
ietf-ipr@ietf.org.
Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the
Internet Society.
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Tag Archives: Brandon Trost
CAPSULE: THE FP (2011)
November 21, 2012 Gregory J. Smalley (366weirdmovies) Leave a comment
DIRECTED BY: Brandon Trost, Jason Trost
FEATURING: Jason Trost, Caker Folley, Lee Valmassy, Art Hsu
PLOT: In the future rival gangs fight for control of a lawless suburban town, gaining power and street cred by winning dance video game duels.
WHY IT WON’T MAKE THE LIST: It dances to the beat of its own beat machine, for sure, and will strike a chord with some, but it’s not weird enough to overcome its own lightweight aspirations.
COMMENTS: Although I can’t unconditionally recommend The FP, I do admire its willingness to play its goofy premise with a (mostly) straight face. There are only a couple of outright jokes in the movie’s entire run-time (including a pretty funny one about the ecology of alcoholics and waterfowl). Most of the time, we’re allowed to generate our own humor from the absurd spectacle of wannabe gangstas settling deadly scores on video game dance floors. Eye-patched hero J-Tro quits the 248 gang after brother B-Tro drops dead, presumably of shame, after losing a hoofing contest to mohawked L Dubba E, leader of the 245 clan. Coaxed out of retirement by monumentally irritating sidekick KCDC, J-Tro returns to the FP to find L Dubba E monopolizing not only the suburbs’ liquor supply, but also his would-be New Wave squeeze Stacy. This leads, inevitably, to a series of training montages before J-Tro faces L Dubba one-on-one for some beatbox vengeance. Meanwhile, a cast of spastic punk extras say the f-word while dressed in mix-and-match outfits from Road Warrior and Karate Kid (the ladies dress like Cyndi Lauper in the depths of a depraved cocaine binge). From the Commodore 64-style opening graphic scroll to the synthpop theme, the movie is oh-so-Eighties it hurts. It’s a parody of all those shy-and-stoic underdog defeats the arrogant villain and gets the girl flicks, and also a satire on today’s white suburban youth acting all ghetto (not the most challenging of satirical targets, for sure, but sometimes you aim at what you can hit). The slang is thick to the point of near impenetrability (“J-TRO jumped his ass and was like bow to the bridge, yo kick it! Believ’ dat!”), but it’s too near real contemporary teen talk (characters actually say “whatevs” and “for realz”) to have any poetic charm. Odd moments include an attack with an electric tennis racket and a drug trip where a freaked out J-Tro believes he’s being attacked by hipsters in rainbow wigs, but the weirdest thing about the movie is that none of the characters realizes that none of the other characters in the movie actually has a “black ass.” The 248 crew refer to each other as “Niggas” (“nig” for short), which they explain stands for “Never Ignorant in Gettin’ Goals Accomplished.” To me, a more accurate acronym for their behavior would be “Willfully Insipid Goofiness Galls Adults.” I desperately wanted to enjoy this offbeat movie, but I couldn’t, because every character was constantly screaming at me in a stream of profanity-laced, alphabet soup jargon, and I wanted them all to die in grisly ways. With its head-rattling techno soundtrack and post-apocalyptic rave visuals, The FP seems hellbent on giving anyone over the age of 30 a screaming headache; if that sounds like an endorsement to you, then by all means give it a watch.
The FP was released by Drafthouse Films, the new distribution branch of the famous Alamo Drafthouse saloon/cinema.
“…just a flat out bizarre experience that never quite clicks.”–Jeremy Lebens, “We Got This Covered” (Blu-ray)
2011Brandon TrostComedyDanceIndependent filmJason TrostParodyPost-apocalyptic
Gregory J. Smalley (366weirdmovies) on TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2019: MAINSTREAM EDITION
Gregory J. Smalley (366weirdmovies) on 250. THE CREMATOR (1969)
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Abstract Number: 911
Efficacy and Safety of Tocilizumab in Patients with Giant Cell Arteritis: Primary and Secondary Outcomes from a Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
John H. Stone1, Katie Tuckwell2, Sophie Dimonaco2, Micki Klearman3, Martin Aringer4, Daniel Blockmans5, Elisabeth Brouwer6, Maria C. Cid7, Bhaskar Dasgupta8, Juergen Rech9, Carlo Salvarani10, Robert F. Spiera11, Sebastian H. Unizony1, Neil Collinson2 and the GiACTA Investigators, 1Massachusetts General Hospital Rheumatology Unit, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 2Roche Products Ltd., Welwyn Garden City, United Kingdom, 3Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, 4Abteilung für Rheumatologie, Dresden, Germany, 5General Internal Medicine, University Hospitals Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium, 6Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands, 7Vasculitis Research Unit. Department of Autoimmune Diseases, Hospital Clínic. University of Barcelona. IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain, 8Rheumatology, Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Westcliff-on-Sea, United Kingdom, 9Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany, 10Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova-IRCCS, Reggio Emilia, Italy, 11Hospital for Special Surgery, Cornell, New York, NY
Date of first publication: September 28, 2016
Keywords: clinical trials, giant cell arteritis and tocilizumab, IL-6
Session Title: Plenary Session I: Discovery 2016
Session Type: ACR Plenary Session
Session Time: 11:00AM-12:30PM
Background/Purpose: The efficacy and safety of tocilizumab (TCZ), an IL-6 receptor-alpha inhibitor, was evaluated in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) in GiACTA, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with blinded glucocorticoid regimens of variable dose and duration (Int J Rheumatol. 2013:912562). Data up to week 52, the time of primary outcome measurement, are presented.
Methods: Patients aged ≥50 years had active GCA previously confirmed by temporal artery biopsy or cross-sectional imaging and documented acute-phase reactant elevation attributable to GCA. Randomization was stratified by baseline prednisone dose (≤30 or >30 mg/day). Patients were randomized 1:1:2:1 to 4 groups: A, short-course prednisone (26-week prednisone taper + weekly subcutaneous [SC] placebo); B, long-course prednisone (52-week prednisone taper + weekly SC placebo); C, weekly SC TCZ 162 mg + 26-week prednisone taper; D, every other week SC TCZ 162 mg + 26-week prednisone taper. The baseline prednisone dose (20-60 mg/day) was selected by the investigator. Prednisone doses <20 mg/day were blinded. Patients who flared or could not adhere to the protocol-defined tapering schedule received open-label prednisone escape therapy but continued on double-blind TCZ/placebo. Sustained remission was defined at week 52 as the absence of flare and normalization of C-reactive protein after week 12, combined with adherence to the protocol-defined prednisone taper. The primary and key secondary end point was the proportion of patients in sustained remission, comparing both TCZ groups (C, D) with the short-course prednisone group (A) and with the long-course prednisone group (B), respectively, at a significance level of 0.005. A dose hierarchy of statistical testing was implemented. Cumulative prednisone exposure was a secondary end point.
Results: Of 251 patients randomized, the mean ± SD age was 69 ± 8.2 years, and 75% were female. In the primary comparison, 56% of patients in the weekly TCZ group and 53.1% in the every other week TCZ group achieved sustained remission at 12 months compared to only 14% in the short-course prednisone group (p < 0.0001). In the key secondary efficacy comparison, the percentage of patients in sustained remission in each TCZ group was also superior to that of patients in the long-course prednisone group (17.6%) (p ≤ 0.0002). The median cumulative steroid exposure in both TCZ groups was less than half that of those in the long-course prednisone group (Table). The incidence of adverse events was similar among the 4 treatment arms. No deaths and no new vision loss occurred over the period of observation.
Conclusion: TCZ plus a 26-week prednisone taper was superior to both short- and long-course prednisone tapers for the achievement of sustained remission at 52 weeks. The addition of TCZ to prednisone also led to a substantial reduction in the cumulative prednisone doses required to control GCA.
Disclosure: J. H. Stone, Roche Pharmaceuticals, 2,Roche Pharmaceuticals, 5; K. Tuckwell, Roche Products Ltd., 3; S. Dimonaco, Roche Products Ltd., 3; M. Klearman, Genentech/Roche, 1,Genentech/Roche, 3; M. Aringer, Roche, Chugai, 3,Roche, Chugai, 8; D. Blockmans, None; E. Brouwer, Roche Pharmaceuticals, 5; M. C. Cid, None; B. Dasgupta, Roche, GSK, Servier, Mundi Pharma, 5,Napp, 2,UCB, 8; J. Rech, None; C. Salvarani, None; R. F. Spiera, Roche/Genentech, 2,Roche/Genentech, 5; S. H. Unizony, None; N. Collinson, Roche Products Ltd., 3.
Stone JH, Tuckwell K, Dimonaco S, Klearman M, Aringer M, Blockmans D, Brouwer E, Cid MC, Dasgupta B, Rech J, Salvarani C, Spiera RF, Unizony SH, Collinson N. Efficacy and Safety of Tocilizumab in Patients with Giant Cell Arteritis: Primary and Secondary Outcomes from a Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2016; 68 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/efficacy-and-safety-of-tocilizumab-in-patients-with-giant-cell-arteritis-primary-and-secondary-outcomes-from-a-phase-3-randomized-double-blind-placebo-controlled-trial/. Accessed January 20, 2020.
ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/efficacy-and-safety-of-tocilizumab-in-patients-with-giant-cell-arteritis-primary-and-secondary-outcomes-from-a-phase-3-randomized-double-blind-placebo-controlled-trial/
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Homozygous TBC1 domain-containing kinase (TBCK) mutation causes a novel lysosomal storage disease – a new type of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (CLN15)?
Stefanie Beck-Wödl1 na1,
Klaus Harzer2 na1,
Marc Sturm1,
Rebecca Buchert1,
Olaf Rieß1,
Hans-Dieter Mennel4,
Elisabeth Latta3 an1,
Axel Pagenstecher4 &
Ursula Keber ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0539-70654
Homozygous mutation of TBC1 domain-containing kinase (TBCK) is the cause of a very recently defined severe childhood disorder, which is characterized by severe hypotonia, global developmental delay, intellectual disability, epilepsy, characteristic facies and premature death. The link between TBCK loss of function and symptoms in patients with TBCK deficiency disorder (TBCK-DD) remains elusive. Here we demonstrate for the first time the histopathological characteristics of TBCK deficiency consisting of 1) a widespread and massive accumulation of lipofuscin storage material in neurons of the central nervous system without notable neuronal degeneration, 2) storage deposits in few astrocytes, 3) carbohydrate-rich deposits in brain, spleen and liver and 4) vacuolated lymphocytes. Biochemical examinations ruled out more than 20 known lysosomal storage diseases. These investigations strikingly uncover TBCK-DD as a novel type of lysosomal storage disease which is characterized by different storage products rather than one specific type of accumulated material. Due to the clear predominance of intraneuronal lipofuscin storage material and the characteristic clinical presentation we propose to classify this disease as a new subtype of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (CLN15). Our results and previous reports suggest an autophagosomal-lysosomal dysfunction caused by enhanced mTORC1-mediated autophagosome formation and reduced Rab-mediated autophagosome-lysosome fusion, thus disclosing potential novel targets for therapeutic approaches in TBCK-DD.
Homozygous mutation of TBC1 domain-containing kinase (TBCK) leads to a very recently defined severe disorder in childhood, which is characterized by infantile muscular hypotonia, psychomotor retardation and characteristic facies (IHPRF3; OMIM: 616900). To date, more than 30 patients with various homozygous TBCK mutations have been reported [1, 4, 9, 17, 20, 31, 35, 51]. The disease is often accompanied by global developmental delay, distinctive facial features like deeply set eyes and tented upper lip vermilion, medication refractory epilepsy and chronic respiratory failure [51]. Typical brain imaging signs are brain atrophy and progressive leukoencephalopathy with a thinned corpus callosum. The disease has a generally short survival and only exceptional clinical courses up to two decades have been described [17, 35].
In all reported cases, the different TBCK mutations resulted in aberrant TBCK protein. The knowledge about the function of TBCK is still limited. The protein contains a Tre-2/Bub2/Cdc16 (TBC) domain, a rhodanase-like domain and a kinase domain, which has been proposed to be inactive due to a lack of essential catalytic subdomains [7, 29, 42]. The TBCK protein is expressed in most organs (https://www.proteinatlas.org/). It has been shown to suppress cell proliferation [29, 50] and to play a role in cell growth and actin organization by enhancing the signalling pathways of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), presumably at a transcriptional or post-transcriptional level [29]. Interestingly, an autophagosomal-lysosomal dysfunction has been described recently in patients with TBCK deficiency [35] that is attributed to the disturbed activation of the mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1), which regulates autophagy [6]. In addition, it has been suggested that TBCK encodes a Rab GTPase-activating protein [9].
Despite these data, the actual mechanisms linking TBCK gene mutation to the clinical phenotype remain elusive, thus impeding the establishment of potential therapeutic strategies. This study provides the first autopsy reports of two siblings, who suffered from homozygous TBCK mutation. Macroscopic, histological and ultrastructural investigations give insights into the cellular changes in the disorder and provide compelling evidence for classification of TBCK deficiency disorder (TBCK-DD) as a novel type of lysosomal storage disease (LSD).
General study design
Two siblings born in 1972 and 1974 suffered from the same severe and at that time unknown disease. Clinical examinations of both patients rendered no definite diagnosis. Autopsies were done immediately after death of patient 1 in 1978 and of patient 2 in 1985. Investigations included macroscopic, histological and biochemical analysis, but no definite diagnosis could be made. With the recent advent of modern genetic techniques it became possible to pinpoint the cause of the disorder. Subsequently, intense re-evaluation of tissue samples including completive immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies was performed. Written informed consent to participate in the study and for publication of the clinical photographs (Fig. 2) was obtained from the parents of the siblings.
Molecular gene analysis
Genomic DNA was isolated from spleen tissue of patient 2 using the QIAamp Mini Kit (Qiagen NV, Hilden, Germany) following the manufacturer’s instructions. Mutations in the TBCK gene were uncovered by whole exome sequencing. Target regions were enriched using the SureSelectXT Human All Exon Kit V5 (Agilent, Böblingen, Germany) according to the manufacturer’s protocol. Sequencing was performed on a HiSeq2500 instrument (Illumina, San Diego, CA; USA). On average 100 million paired-end reads with a length of 125 bp were produced per exome. The conversion of the sequence data in the FASTA format was done by Illumina bcl2fastq. Adapter sequences were removed with SeqPurge (https://github.com/imgag/ngs-bits) and the trimmed reads were mapped to the human reference genome hg19 (GRCh37) using Burrows Wheeler Aligner (http://bio-bwa.sourceforge.net). PCR-duplicates were removed with samblaster (https://github.com/GregoryFaust/samblaster). Deletions and insertions were realigned with ABRA (https://github.com/mozack/abra). Variants were detected using freebayes (https://github.com/ekg/freebayes) and transcript/protein information was annotated with SnpEff / SnpSift (http://snpeff.sourceforge.net).
Filtering of variants for pathogenicity was performed with an in-house tool (MS, unpublished). Calls with an allele frequency ≥ 1% in the 1000 Genomes, ExAC or Kaviar databases were excluded. In addition, frequently observed variants in our in-house database (≥ 20x) were removed. All exonic non-synonymous variants including splice sites which potentially change the protein were taken into account (other intronic and UTR mutations were eliminated). Finally the remaining SNVs and INDELs of the index patient were checked for the three modes of inheritance: Autosomal dominant (de novo?), autosomal recessive, X-linked recessive or dominant and the coverage (minimum 20x).
Sanger sequencing of the TBCK gene was performed on genomic DNA from spleen and paraffin-embedded brain tissue of patient 2. Genomic DNA was also isolated from peripheral blood leukocytes of both parents by standard methods in order to confirm the pathogenic variants and exclude de novo mutations. The following primer sequences were used: TBCK-Ex3F: AGCCCTTTCGTGGAAGAACC, TBCK-Ex3R: GCCCTGATCCCAGTTGCT, chr4: 107183639–107183188. TBCK reference sequence was NM_001163435.2, ENST00000394708.6 and all genomic positions are denoted according to GRCh37/hg19.
Biochemical analysis
Enzymatic, cytochemical and thin-layer chromatographic lipid analyses screening more than 20 LSDs were performed on white blood cells, cultured fibroblasts and frozen tissue samples of brain, spinal cord and liver obtained from autopsy of both patients. Additionally, urine of patient 2 was tested for oligosaccharide concentration and spleen tissue of patient 2 was examined regarding its content of carbohydrate positive (CHp) material. For this, buffer extract from 200 mg spleen tissue was delipidated by phase partitioning with chloroform/methanol 2:1 by volumes. The aqueous upper phase was dialyzed against water, concentrated and applied to a BioGel P-4 column [25]. The buffer-eluted fractions were monitored for CHp material by spotting aliquots to a thin-layer plate and reacting the spots with anisaldehyde/sulfuric acid reagent (characteristic colour for carbohydrates, glucose as a reference). CHp material was detected only in some fractions eluted with the void volume. These fractions were also positive with a mucopolysaccharide reagent [13]. Positive fractions were pooled and centrifuged. The resulting sediment and supernatant were again tested for CHp material as follows: The test spots were applied to a start line 1 cm above the lower edge of a thin-layer plate. Water-soluble, low-molecular-weight contaminations were removed from the start line by running the plate upwards with a polar solvent system for 2 h. Finally, the run plate was sprayed with anisaldehyde reagent to visualize CHp material. The entire procedure was also applied to spleen tissue from two control individuals.
Histological and immunohistochemical analysis
Autopsies were done immediately after death of patient 1 in 1978 and of patient 2 in 1985. Visceral and central nervous tissue was formalin fixed and paraffin embedded according to standard protocols. Multiple stained sections of all relevant brain regions and of the spinal cord were available from patient 1 and re-evaluated for this study. From patient 2, both the stained sections and archived paraffin blocks of the central nervous system and peripheral organs were re-evaluated and used for new histological and immunohistochemical stains, respectively. Hematoxylin and eosin, Klüver Barrera (luxol fast blue and cresyl violet), Sudan black and red, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), Alcian blue, Shimizu and Heidenhain-Woelcke stains as well as Gallyas silver impregnation were performed according to standard procedures. Investigation of sections was performed with normal or differential interference contrast microscopy and autofluorescence was evaluated with light excitation using ultraviolet (excitation wavelength 340–380 nm), blue (460–500 nm) and green (515–560 nm) light.
For immunohistochemistry, heat-induced epitope retrieval was performed either with citrate or EDTA according to the manufacturer’s protocol of the respective primary antibody. Sections were incubated for one hour with the following primary antibodies: rabbit anti-GFAP (1:1000; Dako Z0334), mouse anti-ß-Amyloid (1:100; Dako M0872), rabbit anti-p62 (1:100; Enzo BML-PW9860), mouse anti-CD3 (1:50; Novocastra Laboratories NCL-CD3-PS1), mouse anti CD20 (1:400; Dako M0755), mouse anti-CD68 (1:100; Dako M0876) and mouse anti-CD138 (1:200; Dako M7228). Sections were washed and incubated with post-block solution and HRP-polymer reagent according to the manufacturer’s protocol of ZytoChem-Plus HRP Polymer-Kit (Zytomed Systems).
Ultrastructural analysis
For ultrastructural analysis, cylinders of 3 mm in diameter were punched out of paraffin embedded tissue of the neocortex, medulla oblongata and spinal cord anterior horn, respectively. We chose areas in which neuronal storage inclusions were histologically observed. The tissue was rehydrated and fixed in glutaraldehyde. Tissue preparation was performed as described previously [26]. In brief, the tissue cylinders were fixed in buffered glutaraldehyde, postfixed in osmiumtetroxide and embedded in Epon resin. Thin sections were contrasted with uranylacetate and lead citrate and analyzed using a Zeiss EM 902.
Clinical report
The two sisters were born to healthy Caucasian German parents with distant consanguinity (Fig. 1). The third pregnancy was interrupted without a prenatal diagnosis. The clinical symptoms, age of onset and age of death of both patients are summarized in Table 1.
Family tree of the patients. The siblings (VI.5 and VI.6, black circles) were born to Caucasian, distantly consanguineous parents, who did not suffer from the disease. ◊, pregnancy with induced abortion. ?, twins with unknown zygosity
Table 1 Clinic of siblings
In detail, patient 1 started to suffer from hypotonia and loss of tendon reflexes at the age of about 4 months. The progressive hypotonia prevented any statomotor development except for lifting the head in prone position, an ability that was lost later on. At the age of 7, the body size was reduced (1.2 m, according to the 30. percentile of age-related WHO reference values), the body weight was regular (31.5 kg). X-ray examination revealed no signs of dysostosis. She had a short neck and mild facial dysmorphia with an open mouth, tented upper lip vermilion, macroglossia, furrowed tongue and right esotropia (Fig. 2). She was intellectually disabled, never able to speak and blind, but able to hear. At the age of 5 years, epilepsy with generalized onset motor seizures became manifest. Accordingly, electroencephalographic (EEG) waves of severely changed general activity and some hypersynchronous activity were observed. The patient died at the age of 7 years and 3 months from a bronchopneumonia with respiratory failure.
External appearance of the two patients. Severe hypotonia, a short neck and mild facial dysmorphia with open mouth, tented upper lip vermilion, macroglossia, furrowed tongues and right esotropia are seen
Patient 2, the younger sister, developed similar clinical features of a profound global developmental delay with a slightly later onset and longer survival. Her statomotor maximum was the all-fours position, when the symptoms with hypotonia started at the age of 10 months. The subsequent disease progress was faster compared to her sister and generalized onset motor seizures appeared soon. She was intellectually disabled, never able to speak and suffered from severely reduced visual acuity. Hearing was intact and she developed hyperacusis. The external appearance was comparable to her sister (Fig. 2, middle and right panel). Size and weight was normal at birth but severely reduced by the age of 11 years (size 1.24 m, according to < 1. percentile and weight 33 kg, according to the 22. percentile of age-related WHO reference values, respectively). Electroneurographic and myographic measurements at the age of 9 years revealed reduced distal nerve conduction velocities and a complete absence of spontaneous and arbitrary muscular activity. Computer tomography showed a general cortical, frontally accentuated atrophy with slightly distended, deformed ventricles and a massive atrophy of the lower cerebellar vermis. The patient died at the age of 11 years from bronchopneumonia with respiratory failure.
Genetic investigations
Whole exome sequencing of the DNA of patient 2 yielded 77 million mapped reads with a mean coverage of more than 94%. The analysis revealed a homozygous nonsense mutation in exon 3 of TBCK: NM_001163435.2:c.304C > T, p.Gln102* (Fig. 3a). This leads to a premature stop codon and affects the protein kinase domain. The mutation was confirmed by Sanger sequencing and accordingly heterogeneously present in both parents of the patients (Fig. 3b). Other gene mutations, especially of known metabolic diseases, were not detected.
The TBCK defect in the genome of patient 2 and her parents. a, Integrative Genomics Viewer presentation of the homozygous stop mutation in the TBCK gene of patient 2. Below the green square, green dots show the base exchange (c.304C > T) in the multiple reads. b, Sanger sequencing of the TBCK gene of patient 2 and her parents. Sequencing was performed on the reverse strand, showing the base exchange G > A in our patient (grey boxes). Both parents carry the same mutation heterozygously, as seen in the R (grey boxes) that resembles an A and a G in each allele
Biochemical investigations
Biochemical analyses were performed on white blood cells, cultured fibroblasts and frozen tissue samples of patient 2 and ruled out the following metabolic diseases: metachromatic leukodystrophy, multiple sulfatase deficiency, Krabbe disease, GM1 gangliosidosis I and II, GM2 gangliosidosis, galactosialidosis, sialidosis, Salla disease, Fabry disease, Schindler disease, Farber disease, Niemann-Pick disease, Gaucher disease, mucopolysaccharidoses (7 types), Wolman disease, cholesterylester storage disease and neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis (NCL). Thin-layer chromatographic lipid analyses of brain, spinal cord and liver tissues showed normal patterns of gangliosides including GM1, GM2 and GM3, and of glucosylceramide, galactosylceramide, sulfatides, and sphingomyelins. Urinary oligo- and mucopolysaccharides were unremarkable.
Investigation of carbohydrate-positive material in spleen tissue of patient 2, on the thin-layer plate, detected carbohydrate-positive material at the start line suggestive of an accumulation of a carbohydrate-containing substance of high molecular weight. In contrast, the spleen tissue of two control individuals showed only small traces and thus distinctly less amounts of carbohydrate-positive material compared to the patient.
Visceropathological investigations
General autopsy of both patients revealed respiratory failure as cause of death, which was evident with multiple atelectases, recurrent small embolisms, pulmonary edema and single foci of pneumonia in patient 1 and with a fulminant bronchopneumonia in patient 2. Strikingly, in the obtained mesenterial lymph nodes few leucocytes contained large uniform bold vacuoles, which were pale in hematoxylin eosin staining, strongly PAS-positive and did not stain for chloracetate esterase (Fig. 4). They emitted a strong yellowish, green and red autofluorescence in light excitation with respective wave lengths. Immunohistochemical analysis characterized the vacuolated cells mainly as B-lymphocytes and as occasional plasma cells with an incomplete differentiation (Fig. 4e-f), whereas T-cells and macrophages were not affected. The vacuolated lymphocytes suggested an enhanced autophagosomal load, as indicated by p62 immunohistochemistry (Fig. 4d).
Vacuolated lymphocytes in lymph nodes of patient 1. A few lymphocytes with clear bold cytoplasmic vacuoles can be detected in the hematoxylin eosin staining in normal microscopy (a and b, first panel) and differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy allowing for a three-dimensional illustration (a and b, second panel). The vacuoles exhibit a clear autofluorescence in different channels (a and b, right panel) and are strongly PAS-positive (c, DIC). An enhanced autophagosome formation is indicated by strong p62 immunoreactivity (d, black arrow), whereas normal lymphocytes are predominantly negative (white arrow). Note the positively stained larger macrophage (arrowheads) phagocytosing an erythrocyte (asterisk). Most of the vacuolated cells are CD20+ B-lymphocytes (e, DIC), and single cells show a partial CD138 expression, likely pointing at immature plasma cells (f, DIC). Scale bar: 10 μm
In both patients, the spleen showed subacute congestion. Here, single extracellular clusters of autofluorescent polymorphic structures suggestive of degraded material were seen (data not shown). The liver showed fatty degeneration, presenting as diffuse small lipid droplets in patient 1 and as centrolubular hypoxic fatty changes in patient 2. Neither in the spleen nor in the liver storage cells could be detected, but patient 2 exhibited PAS-positive material subendothelial to small arterioles in both organs. No lipopigments were seen in all investigated peripheral organs, including heart, lung, liver, spleen, kidneys, endocrine organs, gastrointestinal and urogenital tracts as well as skeletal musculature.
As individual pathologic changes, patient 1 showed a jejunal invagination with beginning impaired circulation and a reactive hyperplasia of single mediastinal, mesenterial and inguinal lymph nodes. Patient 2 had kidneys reduced in weight to 50% of the age related norm and a thoracolumbal scoliosis.
Neuropathological investigations
On autopsy, both brains showed a moderate global atrophy including a hydrocephalus internus and narrowed cortical gyri with dilated sulci in patient 1 and narrowing of white matter tracts in patient 2 (Fig. 5). Brain weights were appropriate to the age related norm (1490 g and 1350 g formalin fixed, respectively). The corpus callosum was thinned. Basal ganglia, thalami, hippocampi, brain stem and cerebellum appeared macroscopically unremarkable. The dorsal nerve roots of the spinal cord were partly thickened in patient 2. There was acute congestion with dilated capillaries. Singular microbleeds were found in the white matter of cerebrum, cerebellum and pons. In patient 1, individual hippocampal neurons of Sommer sector CA1 and of the nucleus dentatus were shrunken and hyperchromatic, indicating previous hypoxia. Patient 2 showed mild edematous changes in the cerebrum, a severe reduction of Purkinje cells with strong activation of Bergmann glia and a discrete fibrosis of leptomeninges. The white matter showed normal myelination.
Whole mount coronar brain sections of patient 1 (a, Heidenhain-Woelcke stain) and patient 2 (b, luxol fast blue stain). The lateral ventricle is widened especially in patient 1 (a, asterisk). The brain of patient 2 shows narrowing of the white matter (b, blue staining of myelin). The corpus callosum is thinned in both patients (a and b, arrows). Scale bar: 2 cm
Both patients showed a significant muscular atrophy, especially of the lower legs. Muscle specimens revealed a neurogenic atrophy with angular fibers and partial fiber groupings (data not shown).
Histological examination of the central nervous system (CNS) revealed one major pathological finding in both patients: cytoplasmic accumulation of granular storage material within neurons and to a lesser extent within glial cells. Interestingly, the number of neurons was normal to slightly reduced. The intracellular inclusions were distributed bihemispherically in many neurons of nearly all investigated brain regions. A detailed list is provided in Table 2. Most severely affected were the cerebral cortex laminae V and VI, claustrum, corpus geniculatum laterale, olivary nuclei, nuclei nervi vagi and the anterior horn of the spinal cord. The mesencephalon and the lateral and posterior horns of spinal cord were mainly preserved, the Purkinje cells peculiarly spared. The occurrence of neurons with abnormal storage material was more pronounced in patient 1 as compared to patient 2, who showed significantly less affected neurons in the cortical laminae I-IV, striatum and hippocampus.
Table 2 Distribution of neuronal storage material and PAS-positive granules in the central nervous system. Screening for neuronal inclusions was performed on sections stained with cresyl violet luxol fast blue (LFB) and sudan black (SB) or under ultraviolet light excitation for emission of autofluorescence (AF)
The neuronal inclusions were densely packed in the perikaryon and lay frequently adjacent to neuronal processes (Fig. 6). They had a round shape with an average diameter of 1 μm, varying from 0.3 to 2 μm. They stained strongly with luxol fast blue and sudan black and were argyrophilic. In unstained sections, they exhibited a bright silvery autofluorescence in ultraviolet light excitation and a weaker green and red autofluorescence in light excitation using respective lasers (Figs. 6 and 8 patient 1; Additional file 1: Supplement A patient 2). The detection of autofluorescent inclusions was most sensitive compared to other stains (Table 2). The PAS-reaction of the granules was heterogeneous and mainly weak (Fig. 6e), the alcian blue staining was entirely negative. A small proportion of the storage material was weakly immunoreactive for ß-amyloid, whereas a negative immunoreactivity was observed for ubiquitin, TDP-43 and the marker for autophagosomes p62 (Fig. 6h). In ultrastructural analysis, the inclusions presented as globular structures with a partially undulating border and a surrounding empty halo (Fig. 7). They consisted of amorphous osmiophilic, compact or granular material including high-density particles, lipid droplets (Fig. 7d-e) and sometimes membrane packages (Fig. 7d lower arrow), thus being highly suggestive of lipofuscin granules in lysosomal residual bodies. They furthermore showed a strong similarity to granular osmiophilic deposits (GRODs). Some neurons in addition contained vacuoles with membraneous structures resembling membranous cytoplasmic bodies (MCB) and zebra bodies (Additional file 1: Supplement B).
Neuronal inclusions in the spinal cord anterior horn of patient 2. Many neurons present with granular deposits in the perikaryon, which stain strongly with sudan black (a and b) and sudan red (c). Note the frequent localization adjacent to neuronal processes. The inclusions stain with luxol fast blue (d, arrows) and show a weak PAS-reaction (e). The storage material is moderately argyrophilic (f, Gallyas stain) and shows strong autofluorescence (g, unstained section). The storage material does not stain for p62 (h, arrows). Note the reactive GFAP+ gliosis (i, arrowheads). GFAP, glial fibrillary acidic protein. Scale bar: 250 μm in a, 50 μm in b-i
Ultrastructural morphology of neuronal storage material. Semi-thin section stained with toluidin blue of a neuron in the spinal cord anterior horn of patient 2 shows strongly stained storage material (a). Ultrastructural examination of the same neuron in a serial section (b-e) reveals a cluster of intracytoplasmic globular inclusions (delineated in b) consisting of amorphous osmiophilic material with high-density particles, lipid droplets (e; white arrowheads) and structures reminding of degraded membranous material (d and e; arrows). These inclusions correspond to lipofuscin granules in lysosomal residual bodies and remind of granular osmiophilic deposits (GRODs). Note the different polygonal shape of physiological Nissl substance (b; white arrowheads). Scale bar: 50 μm in a, 10 μm in b, 2 μm in c, 250 nm in d and e
Intracellular storage material was not only present in neurons of both patients, but also in some glial cells. These inclusions varied in their features from those of neuronal storage material, as they showed a strong PAS reaction, no staining with luxol fast blue or sudan black/red and a silvery autofluorescence in ultraviolet light excitation of unstained sections (Fig. 8d-e). Double staining with PAS + GFAP and PAS + CD68 revealed a localization of the material in the cytoplasm mostly of astrocytes and to a lesser extent of microglia (Fig. 8f).
Morphological changes in the cortex of patient 2. Many cortical neurons in lamina V and VI incorporate storage material, which stains strongly with luxol fast blue in the Klüver Barrera staining (a, arrows) and with sudan black (b, arrows). A massive reactive astrocytosis is seen in GFAP immunohistochemistry (c). The intraneuronal inclusions (arrows) and glial inclusions (arrowheads) exert a strong autofluorescence (d, unstained section). Several cortical glia cells show cytoplasmatic PAS-positive granula (e, arrows). Note the numerous PAS-positive corpora amylacea (e, arrowheads). The laden glia cells are mainly astrocytes, as shown in double staining for PAS and GFAP (f, upper panel, arrows) and very few microglia cells, as shown in double staining for PAS and CD68 (f, lower panel, arrow). GFAP, glial fibrillary acidic protein. Scale bar: 50 μm in a-e, 20 μm in f
Finally, diffusely dispersed small granules of PAS- and Shimizu-positive material were observed in the neuropil of some areas in patient 1 and less frequent in patient 2. Affected regions were only partially concordant with the described areas showing neuronal inclusions, as the cerebellum and pons harbored the highest content of grains (Tab. 2, Fig. 9). The material lay diffusely in the grey and white matter of the mentioned regions with a notable dense perivascular accumulation (Fig. 9b). The remaining CNS showed isolated subendothelial aggregations. The deposits varied in size between 0.2 μm and 2 μm in diameter, the larger ones emitted autofluorescence. The granules were mainly globular, but large grains were often polygonal, allowing for discrimination against round corpora amylacea with a larger diameter. Considering the age of the patients, an excessive number of corpora amylacea was found in the brain and spinal cord of both patients, predominantly located in subpial, subependymal and perivascular areas.
Diffuse PAS-positive material in the cerebellum of patient 1. The PAS-positive deposits are abundantly present in the subcortical cerebellar white matter (a, Δ; b and c) with sparing of molecular layer (#), Purkinje cell layer (*) and granular cell layer (+++). The deposits often accumulate perivascular (b, arrows) and are sometimes seen in glia cells (c, arrow). The nucleus dentatus is also affected (d). Note the shrunken and hyperchromatic neurons (arrows) as a sign of previous hypoxia. Scale bar: 65 μm in a, 50 μm in b-d
An extensive reactive gliosis was present especially in the regions containing storage materials (Figs. 6i, 8c). Immunohistochemistry for CD68 revealed a moderate activation of microglia, other inflammatory changes were not seen.
This study provides a description of the morphological and biochemical pathology in the CNS and peripheral organs of patients with inherited TBCK-DD. The presence of 1) predominant lipofuscin-like storage material in CNS neurons, 2) storage deposits in astrocytes and to a lesser extent in microglia, 3) grainy PAS-positive deposits mostly in the pontine and cerebellar neuropil, spleen and liver, and 4) vacuolated lymphocytes support the classification of TBCK-DD as an LSD and give important evidence for the understanding of its pathogenesis.
Morphological classification of TCBK-DD
Neuronal inclusions correspond to lipofuscin granules
The foremost observation were the frequent intraneuronal granular deposits spread throughout almost the whole central nervous system. Neuronal storage material is characteristic for LSDs, which comprise more than 50 diseases with a wide variation of storage products depending on defects in lysosomal enzymes, lysosomal membrane-associated proteins or non-lysosomal associated enzymes [33]. Here, positive staining for Sudan black and luxol fast blue, a moderate PAS reaction together with the absence of eosinophilia demonstrated that the inclusions consist predominantly of lipopigments with minor or no protein content [49]. In addition, the inclusion material showed strong autofluorescence, a characteristic feature of lipofuscin, the storage material in neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL) and mucopolysaccharidosis type III (MPS III, Sanfilippo syndrome), respectively [12, 46, 52].
In concordance with the light microscopical characteristics, ultrastructurally the majority of storage material corresponded to lipofuscin granules in lysosomal residual bodies and in particular resembled granular osmiophilic deposits (GRODs) as seen in NCL types 1, 4, 5, 8–10, 12 and 14 [34]. Moreover, few zebra body- and MCB-like structures similar to inclusions in gangliosidoses and MPS were observed [16, 21]. In contrast to MPS, the neuronal deposits did not stain with Alcian blue and they showed strong autofluorescence distinguishing the disorder from gangliosidoses and all but one MPS (MPS III). Since the electron microscopical investigation was performed on material that was recovered from formalin fixed and paraffin embedded tissue, ultrastructural morphology was suboptimally preserved and therefore we cannot fully exclude the possibility that TBCK-DD pathology consists of further alterations.
The autofluorescent glial inclusions differed from the neuronal deposits in that they were PAS-positive and negative in luxol fast blue and Sudan black stains, suggesting that they contain a larger fraction of carbohydrates in addition to autofluorescent lipofuscin. The inclusions were mostly present in astrocytes, but also seen in few microglia.
Diffuse accumulation of PAS-positive material in the CNS and in peripheral organs
Moreover, PAS-positive granular deposits were observed diffusely in the neuropil. Interestingly, the spleen and liver contained PAS-positive granules in subendothelial areas, too. These deposits biochemically corresponded to increased concentration of carbohydrate-positive material in the spleen of patient 2 and indicate an insufficient degradation of saccharides or glycosylated substrates. Similarly, a recent study described enhanced oligosaccharide levels in fibroblasts and urine of patients with TBCK-DD [35]. The absence of urinary oligosaccharides in our patient 2 might be due to the lower sensitivity of the test used in 1987 as compared to the mass spectrometric analysis recently performed by Ortiz-Gonzalez et al. [35]. The distribution pattern of PAS-positive material was different in the two patients, indicating that these deposits might be a variable pathologic feature of TBCK-DD in different organs. The more severe brain affection of patient 1 correlated with the worse clinical course compared to that of her sister. All in all, storage of PAS-positive material was much less pronounced as in mucopoly−/oligosaccharidosis, gangliosidoses or polyglucosan body disease.
Vacuolated lymphocytes
Here, we discovered the presence of vacuolated B-cells and immature plasma cells in TBCK-DD. Vacuolated lymphocytes are a feature of several metabolic diseases including CLN3 [2, 3, 10, 27, 45] and CLN11 [8], Pompe’s disease/adult acid maltase deficiency [2, 19, 36], GM1 gangliosidosis [2, 14, 15] and others as summarized by Anderson et al. [2].
The autofluorescence together with the strong PAS-reaction of the vacuoles in lymphocytes of our patients suggest an accumulation of both lipopigment and carbohydrates. PAS-positive vacuoles in lymphocytes have been reported in patients with Pompe’s disease/adult acid maltase deficiency [2, 19] and Danon disease (LAMP2-deficient cardiomyopathy) [32]. At present it is unknown whether vacuolated lymphocytes are regularly present in the peripheral blood of patients with homozygous TBCK mutation. Should this be the case, peripheral blood film examination might represent a useful and simple diagnostic tool to support the diagnosis of TBCK-DD.
The vacuolated lymphocytes showed excessive p62-positive autophagosomes which have been previously described in TBCK-DD patients’ fibroblasts [35]. This contrasted to neurons that showed no accumulation of p62 immunoreactive organelles. This variance may be explained either by cell type-specific effects of TBCK or by alternative pathways regulating autophagy in postmitotic neuronal cells as compared to dividing cells such as fibroblasts [11, 28].
Synopsis of morphological changes
In summary, our findings revealed characteristic morphological changes in both patients with TBCK-DD that are typical for an LSD. Subclassification into a specific group, however, is not straightforward since we observed aggregates with different morphological properties pointing at different storage materials. While the majority of neuronal inclusions in the CNS indicate an NCL, the PAS-positive vacuoles in lymphocytes are reminiscent of those seen in Pompe’s disease and the PAS-positive aggregates in the CNS, spleen and liver as well as the occasional intraneuronal zebra bodies and MCB-like structures demonstrate carbohydrate-containing material as is stored in polyglycosan body diseases, mucopoly−/oligosaccharidosis or gangliosidosis. Together, TBCK-DD represents a new type of storage disorder, characterized by the occurrence of different storage products with predominance of lipofuscin. Future studies will show whether a classification as a novel subtype of NCL (CLN15) is appropriate.
Metabolic consequences of TBCK defects
A recent study demonstrated an autophagosomal-lysosomal dysfunction in TBCK-DD with accumulation of autophagosomes and impaired degradation of glycosylated proteins in cultured fibroblasts [35]. Mechanistically, TBCK can be linked to autophagy as a regulator of two distinct pathways including mTOR and small GTPases of the Rab-family. Knockdown of TBCK in vitro significantly downregulated the main inhibitor for autophagy initiation, mTORC1 [4, 6, 29], thus explaining an enhanced production of autophagosomes in case of defective TBCK. Importantly, disturbed mTORC1 signaling and lysosomal dysfunction have been observed in a mouse model of CLN11/progranulin deficiency, underpinning the concept of TBCK-DD being an NCL [40, 43, 48]. Furthermore, TBCK has been proposed a putative activator protein for small GTPases of the Rab-family [9], which regulate fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes [18, 22, 24, 47]. In line with this interpretation, Rab-associated dysfunctional endocytic membrane trafficking was described in CLN3 mammalian cells [30]. It is therefore likely that a TBCK defect leads to both, enhanced autophagosome formation and decreased fusion with lysosomes which in turn cause a disturbed clearance of cell components e.g. glycosylated substrates and an accumulation of non-degradable products such as lipofuscin.
In addition to the effects on autophagy, mTOR has been reported to mediate key endogenous neuroprotective mechanisms in motoneurons [41] and to contribute to peripheral axonal myelination and growth [44], thus possibly explaining the severe affection of the second motoneuron due to both CNS (storage inclusions) and peripheral (myelination and axonal growth) pathologies in TBCK-DD.
To date, few neurodevelopmental disorders have been linked to an aberrantly reduced mTOR signaling as seen in the herein described TBCK-DD, including Rett syndrome [38, 39], Phelan-McDermid syndrome with autism spectrum disorder [5] and Galloway-Mowat syndrome [23]. These diseases share the symptoms of cognitive deficits and epilepsy, but are not associated with an accumulation of storage products. Thus, the appearance of TBCK-DD as an LSD is likely to result from multifactorial TBCK-specific alterations, which need to be elucidated in further studies. So far, therapeutic mTORC1 activation may be a potential strategy to prevent disease progress in patients.
Correlation of morphological changes to clinical symptoms
The presence of storage material in a large number of neurons in the absence of significant neuronal loss suggests neuronal dysfunction as the underlying cause of TBCK-DD. This is a clear difference to most other LSDs that are characterized by severe neuronal degeneration with marked brain atrophy in late stage disease. The distribution pattern of neuronal storage material fits well with the clinical phenotype: neurogenic atrophy of skeletal muscle is likely the consequence of secondary motoneurons in the spinal cord being severely affected and intellectual disability is consistent with the high amount of neuronal inclusions in the neocortex, archicortex and hippocampus. Those changes may not only explain neuronal deficits, but also account for uncontrolled neuronal excitations as a source of epileptic seizures. As the patients suffered from declining visual acuity or blindness, an involvement of the retina like in CLN1–3 and CLN5 [37] seems possible, although an electroretinogram in one patient with TBCK-DD was normal [9] and points to a cause by affected neurons in the central visual tract. Overall, the clinical symptoms with severe developmental delay and intellectual disability, hypotonia, severe visual deterioration and generalized seizures resemble those seen in infantile and late infantile CLN1 and CLN2, respectively.
In conclusion, our investigations uncover TBCK-DD as a novel LSD. The predominant neuronal lipofuscin inclusions as well as the clinical symptoms are typical for an NCL and may indicate a novel subtype (CLN15). The accumulation of carbohydrate-related material and the PAS-positivity of lymphocytic vacuoles, however, exceed the pathological alterations seen in other NCL. Since our investigations are limited due to restrictedly archived tissue material, further studies, in particular ultrastructural analyses of the CNS and vacuolated lymphocytes are needed in order to come to a definite classification of this disorder. The underlying mechanism can be assigned to an autophagosomal-lysosomal dysfunction, including enhanced mTORC1-mediated autophagosome formation and reduced Rab-mediated autophagosome-lysosome fusion, thus implicating new targets for therapeutic approaches in TBCK-DD.
CHp:
Carbohydrate positive
CNS:
GROD:
Granular osmiophilic deposit
IHPRF3:
Infantile muscular hypotonia with psychomotor retardation and characteristic facies
LSD:
MCB:
Membranous cytoplasmic body
MPS:
mTORC1:
mTOR complex 1
NCL:
Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis
PAS:
Periodic acid-Schiff
TBC:
Tre-2/Bub2/Cdc16
TBCK:
TBC1 domain-containing kinase
TBCK-DD:
TBCK deficiency disorder
CLN1–15:
type 1–15 of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis
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We thank Dr. G. Spalke from the Department of Neurology, University of Marburg, Germany, and Dr. J. Rüschoff and the late Dr. C. Thomas from the Department of Pathology, University of Marburg, for essential neuropathological and pathologic reports. We thank Heike Geißel, Ruth Wassmuth, Heidi Jennemann, Petra Debelius-Rauch, Sylvia Stanek, Ginette Bortolussi and Petra Zschau for invaluable technical support.
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency.
All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files.
Stefanie Beck-Wödl and Klaus Harzer contributed equally to this work.
Department of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Stefanie Beck-Wödl
, Marc Sturm
, Rebecca Buchert
& Olaf Rieß
Department of Neuropediatrics and Neurometabolic Laboratory, Children’s Hospital of the University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Klaus Harzer
Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
Elisabeth Latta
Department of Neuropathology, Philipps University and University Hospital of Marburg, Baldingerstrasse, 35043, Marburg, Germany
Hans-Dieter Mennel
, Axel Pagenstecher
& Ursula Keber
Elisabeth Latta is deceased. This paper is dedicated to her memory.
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EL collected and provided all clinical data, autopsy and pathology protocols, she has long sustained the contact to the patient’s parents. OR supervised the design of the genetic analyses. SB-W and RB did and supervised the whole exome analysis and complemented the manuscript. MS was responsible for the bioinformatic evaluations. KH provided the test materials, did the biochemical work, complemented and revised the manuscript. UK, AP and HDM did the neuropathological studies and AP revised the manuscript. UK wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Correspondence to Ursula Keber.
All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed consent was obtained from the parents of the siblings for whom identifying information is included in this article.
The authors declare that they have no competing interest.
Additional histological and ultrastructural observations. (PDF 771 kb)
Beck-Wödl, S., Harzer, K., Sturm, M. et al. Homozygous TBC1 domain-containing kinase (TBCK) mutation causes a novel lysosomal storage disease – a new type of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (CLN15)?. acta neuropathol commun 6, 145 (2018) doi:10.1186/s40478-018-0646-6
Infantile muscular hypotonia with psychomotor retardation and characteristic facies 3 (IHPRF3)
Central nervous system (CNS)
Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)
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ADI Wildlife Sanctuary
21 Lions and tigers in Guatemala take a step closer to a new life
September 27, 2019 October 16, 2019 / animaldefendersinternational
21 LIONS & TIGERS IN GUATEMALA TAKE A STEP CLOSER TO A NEW LIFE. A new Temporary Rescue Center (TRC), better climate and closer to the airport, is up and running. The tigers and lions rescued from circuses by ADI, are safe. We have armed security. This is our launch pad for the final phase of the rescue, which will see 6 lions and 12 tigers heading to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa, and 3 tigers to Big Cat Rescue in Florida.
Relocation took 30 hours – 12 trucks, a crane, police, security, officials and lawyers from government departments, and ADI. The original site, mandated by government and owned by a reptile facility, was too hot, too remote, badly laid out, and the access roads were not suitable for animals in travel crates. It was beset with problems and our team endured harassment and intimidation. We were forbidden from employing security guards to protect the animals even after a mob attempted to enter their area. The landowners blocked access to ADI personnel and tried to take control of the animals. For a while, they locked out ADI, officials and police. Misinformation and misleading photographs (eg of cages during cleaning) were fed to circuses and circulated on social media, to try to block the rescue. The landowners even took ADI’s fencing, gates, etc., which we had planned to use at the new TRC, as well as our volunteers’ personal possessions. We are pleased to be putting this chapter behind us, and taking another step towards the animals’ new lives.
In similar rescues in Bolivia, Peru and Colombia, where we have rescued over 150 animals we did not experience this kind of behaviour. ADI’s track record is homing every single animal we take in, so we don’t give up.
A TRC is set up when ADI is removing large numbers of animals, for example from circuses in a new country. Here, ADI provides veterinary treatment, food and care, prepares them for new lives in sanctuaries abroad. Our freedom cages/night houses fit onto trucks, go into circuses, get animals, bring them back; these can be joined together to make more space and are attached to play areas. The animals get more space than they have ever known, enrichment such as hay, catnip, tires, essential oils, grass, pools. But the best is to come: At the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary the cats’ enclosures range from 55,000sqft to 650,000sqft.
At the new TRC, we continue to get the animals ready for their new lives including veterinary work to keep health certificates for their travel up to date. We are awaiting final travel permits, are talking to air cargo companies about flights, and construction of their travel crates begins this month. The disruption has set back finances, and progress, but we are optimistic that we will be able to start flying animals to their new homes in November.
Please support this very challenging rescue. Even a small contribution such as price of a coffee makes a difference and goes towards food, care and veterinary treatment until the animals leave Guatemala.
US: https://donate.adiusa.org/guatemala
UK: https://donate.ad-international.org/guatemala/
Our thanks to our animal protection partners ARCAS; to UBA–Guatemala Animal Welfare Division; CONAP; the police and the military, who have all helped to save these animals; Different Rhythm Foundation who sent a team when the old TRC was vulnerable; Big Cat Rescue, steadfast in their support for this important rescue. A massive thank you to GreaterGood.org who are currently raising funds for the flight to Africa for the lions and tigers.
animal defenders international, animal rescue, lions, Operation Liberty, tigers
← ADI Wildlife Sanctuary: Reflecting on an incredible first year
Kesari is home – just in time for his birthday! →
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US IPTV subs will reach 15m+ in 2013
The US IPTV market will grow from over 5 million subscribers in 2009 to 15.5
million by 2013, according to a report by analyst firm Strategy
Analytics. While IPTV holds less than a 5% share of total television households
in 2009, the percentage will approach 13% in 2013.
Strategy Analytics believes that, despite recently announced
deployment deceleration by companies such as AT&T, IPTV will nonetheless become an important platform in the pay television landscape.
AT&T announced on a recent earnings call that it had pushed back its 30 million
“Living Units Passed” (homes passed) goal from 2010 to 2011, citing the
difficult economic environment.
IPTV subs to rise by 50%+ in 2009
IPTV subs total almost 40m worldwide in 2009
IPTV to capture 14% of all TV subs by 2013
90m IPTV subscribers in 2013
Over 1.4bn subs for TV services by 2013
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Dominique Perrault to receive 2015 Praemium Imperiale Arts Award for architecture
By Justine Testado
Dominique Perrault. Screenshot via YouTube.
Dominique Perrault is the 2015 architecture laureate for the prestigious Praemium Imperiale International Arts Award, as announced by the Japan Art Association today. Bestowed by the Japan Art Association since 1988, the award celebrates the association's 100th anniversary and honors the late Prince Takamatsu, who was a patron for 58 years and had faithful commitment to the arts.
The Praemium Imperiale recognizes lifetime achievement in the arts, and its list of winners include 134 legendary cultural figures of the 20th and 21st centuries. The prize also comes with a cash prize of 15 milion yen (approx. US$122,000). As expected, the list of architecture laureates is of a high caliber, including Steven Holl, David Chipperfield, Henning Larsen, Ricardo Legorreta, Toyo Ito, Zaha Hadid, and Peter Zumthor, to name a few.
Alongside Perrault, the 2015 Praemium Imperiale laureates include four cultural figures: Japanese-born British pianist Mitsuko Uchida; French ballerina Sylvie Guillem, German sculptor Wolfgang Laib, and graphic designer and artist Tadanori Yokoo. The 2015 Grant for Young Artists award (5 million yen) will go to Myanmar's Yangon Film School, which is headquartered in Berlin.
Japan's Prince Hitachi — honorary patron of the Japan Art Association — will present each Praemium Imperiale gold medal to the winners during a ceremony in Tokyo on October 21.
If you're fluent in French, here's the official laureate video profile on Perrault.
Dominique Perrault, 2015 Laureate of Architecture
Dominique Perrault reveals plans for the Paris 2024 Olympic Village
Dominique Perrault will direct 2021 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism
Dominique Perrault presented with the 2015 Praemium Imperiale gold medal for architecture
dominique perraultpraemium imperiale prizepraemium imperialeartsmedalprizesjapan
Dominique Perrault Architecture
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African Court on Human and People's rights Collection
The Documentation Unit supports the Vision, Mission and Objectives of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (herein refers to the Court) as it is stipulated in the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. Thus, the mandate of the Documentation Unit of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights is to support the Court fulfill its mission, goals and vision through organizing, managing and making accessible all internally produced documents.
These documents are products of activities of the Court; therefore, they must be well-preserved to ensure that they are, authentic, reliable and useable. The same serves not only as evidence but they ensure accountability, transparency and good governance. The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights like any other organization of the current Information age relies upon organized documents and well-managed records for information, communication and sound decisions
Ordonnance en Requête No. 024 du 2016 - Amini JUMA datée 13 Février 2019
African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, 2019-02-13)
Order in Application No. 024 of 2016 - Amini JUMA Dated 13 February 2019
Parecer Separado Articulado dos Venerandos Juizes KIOKO a MATUSSE no Processo GOBERT Contra Vs Republica de Côte D’Ivoire 22 Mars 2018
Ordonnance Portant Mesures Provisoires en Affaire LEON MUGESERA Datee 28 Septembre 2017 / Ordonnance Portant Mesures Provisoires en Affaire LEON MUGESERA Datee 28 Septembre 2017
African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights; African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (African Court on Human and Peoples' RightsAfrican Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, 2017-09-28)
Ordonnance Portant Mesures Provisoires Datée 18 Mars 2016 En L’Affaire RAJABU ET AL Contra République- Unie De Tanzanie
Ordonnance Portant Mesures Provisoires Datée 15 Mars 2013 En L’Affaire Commission Africaine des Droits de L’Hommes et Des Peuples Contra Kenya
Ordonnance (Intervention) Datée 04 Juillet 2019 En L’Affaire Commission Africaine des Droits de L’Hommes et Des Peuples Contra République Du Kenya
Orders for Provisional Measures in Great Socialist Peoples's Libyan Arab JAMAHIRIYA Dated 25 March 2011
Orders for Provisional Measures in Arabic Title Dated 25 March 2011
Order of Great Socialist Peoples's Libyan Arab JAMAHIRIYA - Dated 15 March 2013
Order in Great Socialist Peoples's Libyan Arab JAMAHIRIYADated 16 June 2011
Order in Great Socialist Peoples's Libyan Arab JAMAHIRIYA Dated 30 March 2012
Order in Great Socialist Peoples's Libyan Arab JAMAHIRIYA Dated 02 September 2011
Order for Provisional Measures in Leon MUGESERA dated 28 September 2017
Order for Provisional Measures Dated 18 March 2016 in the Matter of Ally RAJABU ET AL Versus United Republic of Tanzania
Order for Provisional Measures Dated 15 March 2013 in the Matter of African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Versus Kenya
Order for Intervention in the Matter of AfCHPR Versus Republic of Kenya Dated 04 June 2019
Order for Changing the Title of the Case dated 17 January 2018 in Gergia PENNESIS
Opinion Individuelle du Juge Blaise Tchikaya en Jugement de Mgosi Mwita MAKUNGU Datée du 07 Décembre 2018
AuthorAfrican Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (179)African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (10)African Court (1)SubjectArrêt (Compétences et Recevabilité) (7)Advisory opinion (2)Arrêt En Affaire L’Jean – Claude Roger GOMBERT Contre République De Côte D’Ivoire (2)decisions (2)human rights (2)Human Rights Violations (2)Individual Opinion on Judge Blaise Tchikaya in Judgement of Mgosi Mwita MAKUNGU (2)Judgement in the Matter of Mgosi Mwita MAKUNGU Versus United Republic of Tanzania Delivered on 07 December 2018 (2)Judgements (2)Opinion Individuelle du Juge Blaise Tchikaya en Jugement de Mgosi Mwita MAKUNGU Datée du 07 Décembre 2018 (2)... View MoreDate Issued2010 - 2019 (204)2000 - 2009 (1)1990 - 1999 (1)1982 - 1989 (1)TypeOther (116)Judgement (72)Order (19)Judicial document (6)Decision (2)Journal Article (1)Languageen (118)fr (88)pt (10)Has File(s)Yes (214)No (1)
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Private Sector Development and Infrastructure Vice Presidency, 1 résultats 1
Private Sector Development Vice Presidency, 1 résultats 1
Theodores, James L., 1 résultats 1
Vita, Frank K., 1 résultats 1
Reference Collection on World Bank History
WB IBRD/IDA REF
This fonds hold copies of records from other repositories that relate to the history of the World Bank. One group of records copied from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library deals with the Bretton Woods conference. A second group, copied from the Har...
Personal papers of O. Hursit Calika
WB IBRD/IDA WB_IBRD/IDA_94
1961 - 1974, 1976 - 1979
Series consists of the chronological files Calika personally created and maintained during his career at the World Bank.
Calika, O. Hursit
Records of the Finance and Private Sector Development Vice Presidency
The fonds consists of budget, work program, planning, management, and organization records related to FPD and its subordinate departments of PSD, FSD, and IEN.
Finance and Private Sector Development Vice Presidency
WB IBRD/IDA EXC
The records of cover the entire span of administrative and substantive activities of the Bank. Particularly useful is the documentation of public relations activities by the presidents and coordination efforts with outside partners. Briefing books...
WB IBRD/IDA CFOP
Records of the VP Front Office The fonds includes Front Office records for the following vice presidents: Teruyuki Ohuchi, Vice President of Cofinancing (VPCOF) from 1982 to 1986; Kunihiko Inakage, VPCOF/COFVP from 1986 to 1989; Koji Kashiwaya, Vi...
Records of the Senior Vice President of Operations
Records of Vice President of Operations and SVPOP J. Burke KnappThe fonds includes records maintained by Vice President and Senior Vice President of Operations (SVPOP) J. Burke Knapp. The records include memoranda sent between Knapp and Bank Presi...
Records of the East Asia and Pacific Regional Vice Presidency
WB IBRD/IDA EAP
Note that the countries included in the East Asia and Pacific Region fonds fluctuated over the years; countries were moved from one Region to another and Regional Vice Presidencies were merged and separated. The only significant impact this had on...
East Asia and Pacific Regional Vice Presidency
Personal papers of Desmond McCarthy
1964, 1976 - 2006
Fonds consists of chronological files compiled by McCarthy that cover nearly his entire career at the World Bank. Fonds also contains reports and articles authored by McCarthy in both draft and published form as well as records related to his atte...
McCarthy, Desmond
The fonds includes budget, business plan, and work program records for the Private Sector Development Vice Presidency (PSDVP) and its subordinate units.
Private Sector Development Vice Presidency
Records of the Office of the Controller
WB IBRD/IDA CTR
Office of the Controller
Personal Papers of William Clark
WB IBRD/IDA CLARK
1967 - 1981, 1985
William Clark's notebooks provide a unique view of the World Bank during the McNamara years. Although some of this material found its way into the memoirs, the notebooks contain colorful and candid entries that are not in print. The descripti...
Records of the Consultative Group on Food Production & Investment in Developing Countries
WB IBRD/IDA CGFP
The records of the Consultative Group are of three types: the records of the four meetings of the Group, the correspondence of the secretariat, and the files on the projects sponsored by the Group. Read together, the records of the meetings and t...
Consultative Group on Food Production and Investment in Developing Countries
Records of the Poverty Analysis and Policy Sector
The fonds includes records from PHRWH's involvement with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and World Bank Poverty Research Conference held in 1989. It also includes records related to the Living Standards Measurement St...
Poverty Analysis and Policy Sector
Records of the Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Network
1994 - 2003 (predominant 1998 - 2003)
The fonds consists of records that reflect the various activities of the Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Vice Presidencyof (ESSDVP) and its oversight of, and involvement with, sector departments within the network. Note that a...
Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Network
Records of the Economic Policy Reform Sector
WB/IBRD/IDA WB_IBRD/IDA_105
1984 - 2005 (predominantly 1997-2005)
Country project filesThe fonds includes country project files from 1984 to 2002. The country project files include extensive records related to Structural Adjustment Loans (SALs) and Sector Adjustment Loans (SECALS) administered for individual cou...
Economic Policy Reform Sector
Records of Administration
WB IBRD/IDA ADM
Records of the Energy Development Sector
WB IBRD/IDA ENGY
The fonds consists of correspondence, memoranda, minutes, reports, notes, briefing papers, aide-memoires, back-to-office reports, agreements, background research notes, guides, issuances, published material, research papers authored by staff and c...
Energy Development Sector
Records of the Office of the Chief Economist
WB IBRD/IDA DEC
Records created by the Office of the Vice President (later Senior Vice President), Development Economics and Chief Economist (DECVP) comprise the bulk of the records in Fonds 14. Prior to the creation of DECVP in 1987, responsibility for directing...
Personal Papers of Louise Taraldson Woods
WB IBRD/IDA LWOODS
This fonds consists of diaries and photographs of social activities, principally during the period when George D. Woods was President of the World Bank.
Woods, Louise Taraldson
Records of the Human Development Network
WB IBRD/IDA HRD
The fonds consists of records that reflect the various activities of HDN and its oversight of, and involvement with, sector departments within the network. Note that a small amount of records in this fonds were created prior to the creation of HDN...
Human Development Network
Records of the Office of the General Counsel
WB IBRD/IDA LEG
Records of the Middle East and North Africa Regional Vice Presidency
WB IBRD/IDA MNA
This fonds has been provisionally arranged into one sub-fonds and eight series. Sub-headings are used in this "Scope and content" field according to provisional sub-fonds and series. For a complete list of the provisional series, see the...
Middle East and North Africa Regional Vice Presidency
Personal papers of Gloria Davis
WB IBRD/IDA DAVIS
The papers relate almost exclusively to Indonesia. They include her dissertation and its background data survey sheets. The papers also include background information on all the Indonesia projects in which Davis was involved between 1978 and 1986,...
Davis, Gloria
Records of the Human Resources Development and Operations Policy Vice Presidency
The majority of the records in this fonds are chronological files created by the HROVP. Most of the contents of these files are correspondence to and from institutions, agencies, governments, and departments external and internal to the Bank. The ...
Human Resources Development and Operations Policy Vice Presidency
Records of the Population, Health, and Nutrition Sector
The fonds consists of records that reflect the various activities of the population, health, and nutrition sector in the World Bank. Included in the fonds are records related to Working Paper, policy, project, and program research. Many of these r...
Population, Health, and Nutrition Sector
Records of the Financial Sector Vice Presidency
Fonds includes the budget monitoring and planning records for FSEVP and its subordinate departments, units, and specialty programs.
Financial Sector Vice Presidency
Personal papers of Benjamin B. King
WB IBRD/IDA KING
1964-1994 (predominant 1982 - 1989)
The papers consist of a body of materials related to Zambia and a set of general policy and issues papers. King undertook a mission to Zambia for the Bank and wrote a report on it, and he collected information about and remained interested in Zamb...
King, Benjamin B.
Records of the Conflict Resolution System
WB IBRD/IDA CRS
Conflict Resolution System
Records of the Office of Information Management and Technology
WB IBRD/IDA CIO
Office of Information Management and Technology
Personal papers of Hollis B. Chenery
August 1970 - November 1979, January 1980 - June 1981
This fonds contains the memoranda and other papers exchanged between Hollis Chenery and World Bank President Robert McNamara between August 1970 and June 1981.
Chenery, Hollis B.
Financial Policy, Planning, and Budgeting
This fonds has been provisionally arranged into one sub-fonds and five series. Sub-headings are used to break up the content of this field according to provisional sub-fonds and series. For a complete list of the provisional sub-fonds and series, ...
Records of the Office of Operations Policy
WB IBRD/IDA OP
Records of the VP and Head of Network and the departmental directors'The fonds includes memoranda, notes, letters, and emails sent and received by Hans Wyss, Director of the Central Operations Department (COD), and by those acting as Director...
Operations Policy
Personal papers of Sidney E. Chernick
Fonds consists of Sidney Chernick's chronological files from his time in numerous World Bank departments, including: the Policy, Planning and Program Review Department (PPPRD); Country Policy Department (CPD); South Asia Country Programs Depa...
Chernick, Sidney E.
Records of the Education Sector
The fonds consists of records that reflect the various activities of the education sector in the World Bank. Included in the fonds are records related to research activities. These include: proposals; Research Project Outputs (RPOs); exploratory s...
Records of the Urban Development Sector
WB IBRD/IDA URB
Fonds consists of records related to activities undertaken by the urban development sector. The majority of records in the fonds are reference materials created or received by the Water Supply and Urban Development Department (WUD) and, more speci...
Urban Development Sector
Personal Papers of Davidson Sommers
WB IBRD/IDA SOMMERS
The files consist of correspondence, speeches, articles, and photographs related to Davidson Sommers' years of employment in the World Bank's Legal Department and his subsequent service as a consultant to the Bank.Topics covered in the c...
Sommers, Davidson
Personal Papers of James L. Theodores
Fonds consists of records from Theodores's time as Resident Representative in Kabul, Afghanistan and as Field Coordinator for the World Bank Group. Many of the records in this fonds appear to be a selection made by Theodores either during his...
Theodores, James L.
Records of the Europe and Central Asia Regional Vice Presidency
WB IBRD/IDA ECA
This fonds has been provisionally arranged into eight series. Sub-headings are used to break up the content of this field according to provisional series. For a complete list of the provisional series, see the "System of Arrangement" fie...
Europe and Central Asia Regional Vice Presidency
Records of the Operations (Loan) Committee
WB IBRD/IDA LC
The records of the Loan Committee consist of three distinct types of files: minutes; records of the chairman; and background information. The official Loan Committee minutes were maintained by the Bank's Central Files unit until 1987; this Ce...
Operations (Loan) Committee
Personal Papers of Lester Nurick
WB IBRD/IDA NURICK
The topics to which the records relate reflect issues of personal interest to Nurick or issues which he handled on behalf of his clients. Records relate to the legal structure of the World Bank as an institution and of its lending operations. Reco...
Nurick, Lester
WB IBRD/IDA HIST
Because of the broad scope of the work of the office, which was essentially the entire history of the Bank, the records are extremely varied. They include: written reminiscences, solicited or volunteered, by former Bank staff members; drafts of va...
Office of the Historian
Records of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network
WB IBRD/IDA PREM
The fonds consists of records that relate to the activities of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Vice Presidency (PRMVP), and its oversight of the sector departments within the PREM Network. This fonds includes incoming and outgoing co...
Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network
Records of the South Asia Regional Vice Presidency
WB IBRD/IDA SAR
Note that the countries included in the South Asia Region fonds and, in particular, the "Country operational records" series, fluctuated over the years; countries were moved from one Region to another and Regional Vice Presidencies were ...
South Asia Regional Vice Presidency
Records of the Sector Policy and Research Vice Presidency (PREVP) and the Sector and Operations Policy Vice Presidency (OSPVP)
The fonds includes sector policy review and sector work program review records maintained by Visvanathan Rajagopalan when he served as the Vice President for Sector Policy and Research (PREVP/PRSVP), and its successor the Sector and Operations Pol...
Sector Policy and Research Vice Presidency (PREVP) and the Sector and Operations Policy Vice Presidency (OSPVP)
Robert W. Oliver Collection on George D. Woods
WB IBRD/IDA WOODS
The collection includes copies of the oral interviews Oliver conducted in preparing his biography and copies of a portion of the Woods papers that he had at his disposal when writing the biography. It also contains the clippings files that George ...
Robert W. Oliver Collection on George W. Woods
Records of the World Bank Institute
WB IBRD/IDA WBI
The fonds consists of records related to the activities of the World Bank Institute (WBI, previously the Economics Development Institute [EDI]). Records in this fonds most commonly relate to the training and programming offered by the WBI. Topics ...
World Bank Institute
Records of the Office of the Treasurer
WB IBRD/IDA TRE
Records of Individual Staff Members
WB IBRD/IDA STAFF
A number of individuals accumulated bodies of records from various offices in which they served. When these individuals retired or resigned from the Bank, these records were transferred to the Archives. Because the records cover the individual...
Individual Staff Members
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ARCISFOODBLOG
Non Veggie
Restaurants Reviews Travel Wine/Beer 9 December 2017 14 January 2020
Around the World – Pacific Northwest USA (part 22) – Portland, Oregon
The kids had their way on our last day in Portland, so we had a “Wie is de Mol?” day…
The Pacific Northwest has always attracted us, but actually going there was triggered by a Dutch reality TV show, Wie is de Mol? (“WIDM”) whose 2017 season was set in Oregon.
In WIDM the goal of the 12 contestants is to increase the prize money by successfully completing team challenges. However, one of them is the “mole”, trying to keep the prize money as low as possible by subtly sabotaging and mixing up things in general. At the end of every episode, all the contestants get quizzed on who they think is “de Mol” based on what happened in the group challenges. The contestant who has the least correct answers has to go home, but the mole always gets a pass, of course… It’s edited in such a way that also at home, conspiracy theories run amok as the series progresses. Needless to say, it is a top-rated and highly additive show, with its 18th season kicking off in January. We can’t wait!!
During the first 3 episodes, Portland and surrounding areas were the backdrops of WIDM, before heading to Eastern Oregon (Pendleton and Oregon Trail) and ending to Central Oregon to explore the Cascade Mountains, lava fields, scenic rivers, and wide-open spaces. Amazed by the beauty of Oregon, we decided to build our summer holiday around some of the locations that were shown on TV. We were not alone as the show’s popularity resulted in a remarkable 55% increase in searches for flights from the Netherlands to Oregon, and actual bookings had tripled compared to 2016.
In the past posts, you have already seen several locations featured in WIDM: Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock on the Oregon Coast, Bend and The Painted Hills, Dee Wright Observatory, and the McKenzie Pass in the Cascade Range, Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge. We coincidentally also stayed in the same hotel in Portland itself, Hotel Modera, and had already walked past several other some locations (like Hawthorne Bridge, Voodoo Doughnuts, Pioneer Courthouse Square, the Alder Street Food Truck pod and Powell’s Books). There were still a couple of WIDM sites to tick off, mainly because no vacation is complete without a visit to an amusement park.
Voodoo Doughnuts, Part 2
As to be expected when handing the reigns to the kids, we kicked off with a visit to Voodoo Doughnuts Two in Eastside Portland (1501 NE Davis St.), where a more extensive selection of delightful doughnuts was selected. The lines weren’t any shorter, though…
Oaks Amusement Park
On the banks of the Willamette River in Portland’s more southern Sellwood neighborhood, there are plenty of carnival thrills in the historic Oaks Amusement Park. It has been opened in 1905 and provides a mix of classics like bumper cars, a roller coaster, miniature golf, go-carts, and new rides that made us queasy just looking at them, especially the enormous centrifuge-like contraption.
In WIDM, the contestants had the entire part for themselves at night and needed to reach the rides without getting caught by the (laser game) snipers.
The kids obviously loved the rides. The parents, still feeling full of just one doughnut, wisely avoided them and strolled around, studying the ordinary American in their natural leisure habitat.
Willamette Falls
After that, it was a short drive to Oregon City to admire the natural 40ft (12m) high and 1500ft (457m) wide horseshoe-shaped waterfalls in the Willamette River. From 1842, the falls have been used to power various mills (lumber, flower, wool, and paper) and were used for turbine-generated electricity for the city of Portland since 1889. Unsurprisingly, as the water throughput of the Willamette Falls almost equaled that Niagara Falls. Since 1873 a canal and set of locks allowed vessels to pass into the Willamette Valley as well.
The abandoned Blue Heron Paper Mill at the base of Willamette Falls was the scenery of a challenge in the second episode of WIDM. It’s not open to the public since it became defunct in 2011 when the Willamette locks have closed as well. Luckily, there are several vista points.
It must be said that the view from the northern vista point on the I-205 was quite obscured. This was actually one of the best shots that I could take)..
but from the southern viewpoint on Highway 99E, the panoramic views were quite impressive…
Q Restaurant & Bar
Inspired by the fantastic Japanese dinner at Yama on our first night in Portland, the kids had their eyes set on Mika Sushi (1425 SW 2nd Ave), but unfortunately, the restaurant was closed that night due to unforeseen circumstances. Their second choice was Vietnamese, Luc Lac (835 SW 2nd Ave), which was 6 blocks away, but the lines there were insane.
So there we were, casually underdressed (shorts and slippers) and without any restaurant reservations for the Saturday night… We were so lucky to get a last-minute table at the packed Q Restaurant and Bar across the street (828 SW 2nd Ave), which turned out to be Annie Cuggino’s renowned restaurant and was one of Tripadvisors’ highest rated in Portland.
From their menu that is based on hyper-seasonal produce, Chantal chose the beautiful entree-size Panzanella Salad, and a side of Sautéed Spinach (with whipped ricotta, toasted pine nuts, and golden raisins) and I ordered the Lamb Bolognese. As long as there is pasta marinara with parmesan cheese on the menu, the kids are happy too!
The kids got some yummy freshly squeezed Grape and Apple juices; the foam on the latter almost made it look like a glass of unfiltered Weizen beer ;-). The Warm Pearl Bakery Pugliese Bread with EVOO and Maldon sea salt that we ordered never came (but wasn’t charged either), and the wine only just came before the food was served, so we were stuck with water for quite some time. Luckily, both the food and wine were great.
Especially my Greek-style braised Lamb Bolognese with mint, feta cheese, and pine nuts paired really well with the 2015 Sinister Hand (a Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre blend with a touch of Cinsaut by Owen Roe from Wapato in Washington’s Columbia Valley.
As for desserts, we had house-made Melon Sorbet and Blackberry Ice Cream as well as the Crème Brulée from the “Smaller Treats” section. It was just that: delicious and served in a small coffee cup, much to the dismay of our youngest 😉
When we were waiting for our bill, there was some commotion as a hobo or skater (witnesses were not conclusive) threw a couple of bottles onto the restaurant’s front windows on Taylor Street, just behind where we were sitting. Luckily, they didn’t give way, so nobody got hurt, and only some glass had to be swept from the sidewalk. Quite a stupid/gutsy move as the police station is only 1 block or so away, and several patrol cars were circling the neighborhood in minutes.
When we hit the street at 10pm to walk back to the hotel, the lines outside Luc Lac were still there!
sharing = caring
Posted in Restaurants Reviews Travel Wine/Beer and Tagged Annie Cuggino Donuts Doughnuts Oaks Amusement Park Oregon Pacific Northwest Portland Q Restaurant & Bar Restaurant Roadtrip Travel USA Voodoo Doughnut WIDM Wie Is De Mol? Willamette Falls
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reported by Niles George on November 21, 2019
This touching image by Greenfist was posted on Remembrance Day / Armistice Day this month and was a heartfelt salute to honor the fallen. Thank you for sharing your talents for such an important moment.
In a symbol of peace, United States Army Special Forces meet the local populace of Takistan with the help of IDAP. What a wholesome humanitarian photo taken by Scarecrow.
Contact! POLPOX captures Livonian Defense Force soldiers radioing in support from above, while among the wheat fields of Livonia, in this excellent screenshot.
Arma 3 Aegis team has announced their latest version of the Aegis mod, an unofficial expansion created for the vanilla 2035 setting, as well as their Opposing Forces mod. You can read up on the full changelog over in their Discord development section.
If you're into heavy armor, the Turkish Mod Team has published a preview video of their new addition - the T-155 Fırtına. It's expected to release in their upcoming 0.8 version update of the Turkish Forces mod.
In the world of infantry combat, new equipment and M1 helmets have been distributed to DHI Uniforms and Equipment by Delta Hawk. We'd recommend taking a look if you're looking for some quality Battle Dress Uniforms (BDUs).
Soaring through the air, Sgt. Fuller has dropped a bomb of talent in their recently released United States Air Force (2019) mod. Check out the full showcase of images on our forums and enjoy the preview video below. You can almost hear the BRRRRT in the distance.
At the beginning of this month, it was announced that Rob (Homesick) would be officially leaving the role of Community Manager. Thank you for all that you have done for this community.
"Hello, wonderful Arma 3 community. As you've seen this is my final week working on Bohemia Interactive's flagship game - Arma 3. I'd like to thank each and every one of you for being such an amazing community, and you've honestly made this job incredibly easy for me to do. I expected that managing such a huge community with so many different play styles would be a lot more challenging than it actually is. You're all so passionate about the game, and from my point of view it seems like you all want the best for one another which honestly made my every day at work so much better. I don't know what's next for me, but I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this fantastic journey and it is incredibly suitable that this is the 10th version of my creation - the COMRAD. Thanks for having me, and I wish you all the best for the future!" - Rob
We're always glad to see new Units join the Arma 3 community! 1st Air Assault is a growing milsim community that inserts deep into hostile territory all around the world. Balancing serious tactics and fun in story-based missions, we say check them out if their production quality is any indication of their effort.
The team over at Radio Arma has come out with their latest podcast episode, speaking with Thorpeland of the community group Red Sector Inc. Listen in to learn about another group of the community!
If you're a reader, head over to Rock Paper Shotgun for the thorough article, written by Dominic Tarason, talking about some of the major mods you can play within Arma 3.
If you've ever wanted to play on an inspired urban setting of post-apocalyptic Washington DC, then you may want to watch this video. It showcases the recently released work-in-progress terrain called Death Zone by Variable.A. We look forward to seeing where this project leads and what creative missions are made on it!
The Shermanator takes us along his operation with the 3rd Ranger Battalion and a little MI-24 support, before having to help extract one of their pilots to safety.
If you're interested in watching the making of staged screenshots in the editor, check out Extermination who recently has been making some images for the 15th MEU Realism Unit over on Twitch.
Nillers
Flash-Ranger
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Home › Thoughts and Perspectives › Celebrating Amanda Marshall and the music we can love to love.
Celebrating Amanda Marshall and the music we can love to love.
By Dr. Andrew Joseph Pegoda on August 5, 2015 • ( 32 )
Amanda Marshall is a singer based in Canada. In this blog, I look at how and why her music is really neat and special. Most importantly, her music is very feminist and free of so many of the problems we see in our contemporary music.
Amanda Marshall has been my favorite singer since the mid 1990s. Her band, her voice, and her songs are perfect and very unique. The “live” versions (many are available on YouTube, many of these are linked on the unofficial Facebook fan page) are very different than the CD versions in most cases. All are of outstanding quality.
Before going further, take 6 minutes. Relax. Close your eyes. And please listen to this:
I am the Amanda Marshall fan! She is one of just a few singers who I would love getting to visit with. 🙂 I have every song she has recorded on both of my computers, on my iPhone, and of course, on all of my backup systems. Once a long time ago–sometime in the late 1990s–I got word that she was going to be on some radio station somewhere far away but it was going to stream live on the Internet, and my parents let me stay up late (past midnight for a 4th/5th grader is a big deal!) to hear her.
While in Canada her music has generally ranked very highly, her music hasn’t been given the same opportunity in the United States or elsewhere.
I have never figured out why she isn’t an everyday house-hold name. She certainly deserves to be one more than many who are house-hold names.
One thing that makes her a really special musician is that all of the songs on her major CDs are 100% original to her. Many of them she wrote or co-wrote. The others songs were written for her by friends. She never sings “her version” of already-popular songs.
Her songs all tell some kind of story or life lesson; discuss feelings (not looks); have some kind of special, positive message; and/or communicate that any kind of relationship must be about mutual, consensual love. The positive messages in these songs is communicated without being over the top or even that obvious (except for Believe in You). Its regular, adult contemporary music that goes against the usual beat. Many of her songs are autobiographical in full or in part. AND unlike so much music that perpetuates the Culture of Rape, Marshall’s music never does that. Additionally, her music frequently uses gender neutral pronouns.
It was just last night that I went through all of her music song-by-song, line-by-line to look for any potential problems. Now, I like her more than ever before. Music that sounds great, is unique, and is free of racism, sexism, heterosexism, cisgender sexism, classism, imperialism, etc. What more can we ask for!
Below, is a list of her songs with the lyrics linked. A brief excerpt, summary, and/or comments are provided for some of the ones I really, really like. On the right you’ll see the album cover. Clicking on the image will take you to the Amazon page to buy a copy! If you want to start with her music, I would recommend her 1999 album as the prefect starting point. Or pull up YouTube!
Amanda Marshall (1995):
Birmingham – about a woman who escapes from her abusive husband – and, in the words of Marshall, about respect at its core
Beautiful Goodbye – the instrumentals are really outstanding on this one
Sitting On Top Of The World
And everybody’s got an opinion ’bout how this should be
Last Exit To Eden – an especially unique sound
Trust Me (This Is Love)
I’m here for you baby
There’s nothing I want more
Our day is coming
And we’ll reach that peaceful shore
Tuesday’s Child (1999)
Believe In You – a unique song of inspiration for anyone
Love Lift Me
And when it’s all said and done
It’s just the same for everyone
Your busy making your plans
Why Don’t You Love Me?
Too Little, Too Late
If I Didn’t Have You
Ride – another inspirational/love song
I’ll be your ride
We’ll get a, running start
and we’ll take to the skies, baby
Keep your hands on the wheel, and your eyes on the prize
and ride
Right Here All Along
Shades Of Grey – linked above – the difficulties of having interracial parents and her grandmother’s negative reaction
You can’t change a stubborn mind
You can’t see the world if your eyes are blind
What does it matter anyway
In our darkest hour we’re all just shades of grey
Give Up Giving In
Best Of Me
I’m a tough tough game that no one can master
I’m a tall tall tale no one believes
I’m a long dark night with no morning after
You get the best of me
Never Said Goodbye
Everybody’s Got a Story (2001)
Everybody’s Got A Story – a great song about accepting people without any judgment
Everybody’s got a story that would break your heart
The Voice Inside – about not following “rules,” making mistakes, and letting life happen
The Gypsy – about being patient and enjoying life
It is not the destination it’s the journey
Colleen (I Saw Him First) – the struggles between two friends as they figure out life and guys
Double Agent – absolutely love this one about navigating the world as being Black while looking White
I’m a double agent on my momma’s side
The shit I hear you say just blows my mind
Every time, recognize
Though who I am to you is not a lie
I don’t have to volunteer and say
That I was born a particular way
I got not uniform, I’m camouflaged in any light
Obviously you can’t tell
Red Magic Marker – a final declaration of love but with an understanding that it may not be reciprocated
Sunday Morning After – one of my least personal favorites, but explores the questions that follow an unexpected adventurous night
Love Is My Witness – something of an attempt to define and explore the meaning of love
Dizzy – the wild adventures of love
Brand New Beau – discovering that the person loved is gay
Marry Me – an extended marriage proposal and declaration of love without the need for any outside approval
Inside The Tornado – an acapella song about the craziness of life
Other songs:
Until We Fall In – a really interesting song about experience, perspective, and point of view
Every soldier in the war’s got God on his side
Cross My Heart – a really neat song about two people who fall in love really young, get married, and one of them is unhappy being in a small town
But she wants to fly
So he gives her the wings
And tells her goodbye
Please let me know what you think. Have you heard of her before?
It would be great if Amanda Marshall got the attention she deserves. I also hope she has more CDs come out as rumored.
Thank you, dear readers, as always.
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Tags: culture, gender, music, politics, rhetoric
Tim W Callaway
August 6, 2015 • 10:59 pm
Thank you so very much for this. Here in Canada, Amanda is often referred to as “the little lady with the great big voice” and she is indeed, one of our finest musical treasures. I wish I was at liberty to comment on what I’ve heard via industry-insiders as to why it’s been such a long time since her last album. Here’s hoping her next one is sooner rather than later. And I hope I’m not “…too old to believe in, promises.”
Andrew Joseph Pegoda
Thank YOU, and thank you for reading and commenting. She has an incredible voice, great songs, etc., etc., etc.! 🙂 It’s sad that sometimes the best aren’t allowed to just shine. I really, really hope she’s able to make more albums. 🙂
August 7, 2015 • 6:16 am
I agree 100% with your comments, Andrew. It is a shame that she has been prevented from recording more of her amazing music. We last saw her play at Windsor Casino 4 or 5 years ago and she was just as good as the first time we saw her play a show at the Western Fair, outdoors in the rain. Her music is powerful, important and needs to be heard. Thanks for this blog post.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting. She does have the best voice ever. I would love to see her sing live!
Bill Marantz
I’m 80 years old and agree with you. Amanda is a fellow Virgo, and IMHO that’s her problem. She finds it impossible to just go along & get along. Fortunately there are people like you in her corner who appreciate her true worth. I hope she reads this blog. Bless you.
Hey there, thanks so much for your comment. I really hope she is able to have some more CDs! 🙂
I am by no means a young person. The only song I ever heard Amanda Marshall sing was “Ride” and that was because my son, who is now 36 years old, was listening to it back in the late 90’s.. I never went on you tube before the Year Of Our Lord, 2015. Yeh… I’m up with the times. Anyway, I remembered “Ride” and wanted to see if it was on there. Well it was, along with a lot of other song I never new she wrote and sang. Needless to say, I bought them all. I don’t know why her songs were never played in America. She could very easily have been a “Superstar”. I started to read about her and that’s how I ended up here. I was in a few bands back in the 60’s and I never lost my love of music. Amanda’s voice just revitalized what has always been in my heart. The love of “song”. Thanks Andrew for letting me comment.
arxsyn
When her first album came out I was still in grade school. I remember a period when Canadian radio was literally flooded with songs by female singer songwriters like Amanda, Alanis, Sarah M. (Lilith Fair), Jewel, Chantal K., Paula Cole, Tori A., Sheryl Crow… There was a lot of alternative rock music. They were in constant rotation.
I was probably too young to appreciate commercial radio back then. I remember feeling extremely bored to death in the summer break and fiddling the with the radio dial a lot hoping to listen to more “fresh”, fun tunes without much success.
Now that I am an adult and very much interested in music, revisiting music of that era is a totally different experience, with a hint of nostalgia too.
I got into Amanda when I discovered that I could sing her songs. As a petite myself, I find her big, unapologetic voice inspiring. I also admire her fierce leonine mane of golden curls. My favourite song of hers is “Shades of Grey” revealing her surprising biracial heritage and her thoughts on interracial love. “Birmingham” is a close second.
Thanks do much for sharing these great thoughts and experiences!
Thank you, i miss her but i’m very happy to know her more and more in her music, in her text.
BONJOUR from a french little island in the south pacific.
God bless you and Amanda.
Come Back Amanda!
She’s so underappreciated and so missed!
Zeke Woollett
I keep hearing rumors of a new album that she has been working on, and possible concerts – any truth to this? I hope that wherever she is and whatever she is doing – she’s doing well.
I don’t know! 😦 I’d love for her to do more!
Art Mosher
I too have a mane. Mostly grey ! And I LOVE Amanda Marshall ! When she hits my system I am in heaven !! Few singers have had that effect on me. I’m hoping to be buried with her; CD/MP3/FLAC that is !! She is played wider than you might think, I hear her often on Stingray/Shaw, Sirius Sat Radio and pure Internet Radio, particularly Radio Swiss Pop. The latter plays selections voted world wide as favourites; so this is quite impressive. I dont know the whole story of her dearth of new public material, but would love to hear. Email me. I gather its all some sort of legal hassle; in which case I hope her adversaries soon accept her musical talent contribution as more important than their control or money. Looks to me like she’s not budging.
Apparently, she’s having some concerts this summer! 🙂
PS – thanks for your comment!
Anthony DC
September 13, 2017 • 10:26 am
I have been a big Amanda fan since her early days. Is there going to be any new material from her for the near future
September 13, 2017 • 12:11 pm
I don’t know anything. I do know she’s done several concerts this year — youtube has videos of many of these.
Isn’t the dispute with her record company over? I’m not sure but it seems to me that it’s been over 20 years since she released a new cd.
That’s what I’ve heard. The last CD came out in 2003 (“Intermission: The Singles Collection”) – it has one or two new songs but that’s it.
Anripol
Flaccing my CDs I came across her 1995 CD bought in the Netherlands and played by Frits Spits in the Avondspits radio show a lot. Beautiful Goodbye is out of this galaxy… Will be looking for the other CDs coming days.
Hi Dr. Andrew
I found an article on Amanda. She performed at the CityFolk festival in Ottawa in September this year.
Check this link: http://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/local-reviews/cityfolk-review-amanda-marshall-broken-social-scene-make-triumphant-return
December 17, 2017 • 12:18 am
If only I were closer. Would be amazing to hear her live sometime!
Bryan and kristina💜
We LOVE AMANDA MARSHALL….ITS MY WOMAN’S FAVOURITE ..I MEAN SHE IS MY WOMANS AND ONE OF MY FAVOURITE SONGWRITERSCAND SINGERS TOO..AND A VERY COURAGEOUS AND BEAUTIFUL WOMAN AS WELL. IM BRYAN..MY WOMAN HAS A HISTORY OF MUSICAL CAREERS TOO. WELL…HER NAME IS KRISTINA K. KAVALAK. THNX!! XO 💜💜💜
August 21, 2018 • 6:27 am
More than 20 years ago Amanda’s debut album was one of my favorite albums at the time and i still love hearing it. All the tracks were great not just the singles. And it chartered pretty high down here in Australia. But after that i didn’t hear anything other than the TIN CUP soundtrack song. I always wanted to hear more but never really heard anything else after that. The other day i pulled out the CD played it and still love it. I did a search on YouTube and found a great concert she did in Ottawa in 2017 WOW! it’s great. I hope Amanda keeps doing more great stuff, I’d love the chance to see her tour Australia one day. Does anyone know much about her life? Is she married? or have family? I can’t see anything on Wikipedia about her life? Just curious!
Oh and Happy Birthday too soon Amanda! Cheers Glenn. xxx
Here’s a link to the YouTube concert if any one would like to view it.
Love Amanda! I think she should be as big as Pink, Beyonce or any other female preformer. It’s a crime she isn’t!
Wendy Adams
August 12, 2019 • 3:30 pm
Amanda is the BEST. I live in the US, not a lot of my friends had heard,of her but everytime I play her music for someone who,doesnt know her, they LOVE it! I wish she would tour the US, put out a new album and have some social media where we could at least hear from her every once in a while.
Becky Joseph
I just discovered Amanda ‘s music. She is amazing. I could listen to her all day. Why is she not a superstar?
Nam nasao
Hey I love Amanda, I have known her since the 90s, she has had many difficult periods in her life, and today, I am happy to see her back in shape and …. satisfied (I hope).
The only thing that I regret with her is that she will not be able to renew herself, no more recording since the early 2000s, is it because of her breach of contract with her ( old record company), I don’t know, but I also hope that she will not live only on her past, because as superb were her songs and musical arrangements at the time, I find it surprising that we have more new songs for 17 years now!
Secret Societies of Double Agents: Music, Life, and Teaching | Andrew Joseph Pegoda, A.B.D.
“Just making fun of the political system” (and other waiting room observations) – Andrew Joseph Pegoda, A.B.D.
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"Nothing Happened Here": History vs. history
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CONTACT Book Blitz with Laurisa White Reyes
Title: Contact
Author: Laurisa White Reyes
Genre: Young Adult Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Hallowed Ink Press
It takes only half a second…
…Like those commercials where a crash test dummy rockets forward at high speed and slams into a wall.
…In that instant, every thought in Emma Lynn Walsh’s head collides with mine—every thought, memory, hope, disappointment and dream.
…I open my eyes to see Dr. Walsh peering at me, a puzzled expression on her face.
“Let—go—of—me,” I order though clenched teeth.
Mira wants to die. She’s attempted suicide twice already, and failed. Every time she comes in contact with another person, skin to skin, that person’s psyche uploads into hers. While her psychologist considers this a gift, for Mira, it’s a curse from which she cannot escape.
To make matters worse, Mira’s father is being investigated in the deaths of several volunteer test subjects of a miracle drug. Shortly after Mira’s mother starts asking questions, she ends up in a coma. Although her father claims it was an accident, thanks to her “condition” Mira knows the truth…but proving it just might get her killed!
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20707931-contact
After earning her B.A. in English in 1995, Laurisa White Reyes spent many years writing for newspapers and magazines before gathering enough courage to live her dream of writing novels. Contact is her third published book. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in creative writing, is a book editor for Hamilton Springs/Xchyler Press, and is the Editor-in-chief of Middle Shelf Magazine. She lives in Southern California with her husband and five children.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5244611.Laurisa_White_Reyes
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Laurisa-White-Reyes/e/B006IL8HUK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lwreyes
Blog: http://laurisareyes.blogspot.com
Web: http://www.laurisawhitereyes.com
Buy Link:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L4RYEZ0
Goodreads * Facebook * Web * Twitter
Angela Mcpherson Blog Tour, Book Blitz, Lady Amber's Blog Tours, Young Adult 2 Comments November 1, 2014 November 1, 2014 1 Minute
Molten Heart Release Day Blitz with LL Hunter
Title: Molten Heart
Series: Molten Heart Saga Book 1
Author: L.L. Hunter
Genre: YA dystopian/ post- apocalyptic
Release Date: October 31st
Forty years after the middle- east dropped bombs on our country, we are now just starting to rebuild.
But a new danger threatens our small community.
A group of men we call The Takers, have returned to finish what they started ten years earlier.
So we leave.
My friends and I head to a safe house five days away where there is food a plenty and the hope of a fresh start.
But we never will be out of danger.
And my heart will never be safe, not around Lukas Green.
When I thought I couldn’t be broken any further, I fear Lukas will break the wall around my heart down so far, my heart won’t have a choice but to melt.
He really will be the death of me. My name is Skye Montgomery and this is my story.
L.L. Hunter is the author of over 20 published works, including The Legend of the Archangel Series and The Eden Chronicles. She has studied everything from veterinary nursing, forensic science, and dramatic arts, but has always known her true calling was to be an author. She has been writing since her teens – everything from fan fiction, to song lyrics, to plays and musicals. When not working on her next paranormal romance, she can be found at home in Australia, reading somewhere comfortable with one or both of her “fur babies.”
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/LL-Hunter/110104129132865
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LLHunterbooks Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/L.L.-Hunter/e/B00B2B701I/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1379386637&sr=8-1 Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6559537.L_L_Hunter Blog: http://llhunter.blogspot.com.au Instagram: @llhunter Website: http://llhunterauthor.wordpress.com Google +: google.com/+LLHunter
Pre-order now:
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/molten-heart/id886081920?mt=11
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00MQL9FT8
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/molten-heart-ll-hunter/1119689186?ean=2940045987752
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/molten-heart
Come join me this Halloween for some fun, thrills and games to celebrate Molten Heart’s release — https://www.facebook.com/events/581085395346979/?ref_dashboard_filter=hosting
And Vote for Lukas in the Best Book Boyfriend competition here — https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10204640165623958&set=gm.1454286591520820&type=1&theater
Angela Mcpherson Blog Tour, Book Blitz, Lady Amber's Blog Tours Leave a comment November 1, 2014 November 1, 2014 2 Minutes
Cover Reveal for THE RELICS 2 by John Dawson Jackson
Chicago is in ruins. True evil has been unleashed upon the world, but no one seems to believe…
Milo and Killian attempt to free themselves from the madness David Wormwood left behind, but they quickly find themselves searching for the answer to an unknown riddle, something that has to do with a cult and the saying, “In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.”
The hunter is back from hell with the love of his life Laura, but has he really escaped the clutches of the demonic forces he sabotaged? He’ll find out somewhere in the bayous of Louisiana and inside the pages of a legendary book.
Abigail Williams has finally found the power she sought, but she doesn’t understand. Why doesn’t she feel good? Why doesn’t she feel immortal? And why does she keep pondering the question: Will the Pendulum swing towards who is right, or who is left?
John Dawson Jackson returns to the first book of his career with new stories, new characters, and plenty of bloodshed. If you were a fan of The Relics, prepare to be amazed!
Born in a ditch beside a busy highway, John Dawson Jackson never knew his parents. Taken in by wealthy philanthropists Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Elmo Jackson, he was trained from the age of two in classical piano. A horrible accident left his arm damaged, ending his dream before it began. He was forced to undertake control of his adopted father’s oil business, a company that allowed him to travel the globe and explore the far reaches of civilization. As he studied the ancient carvings of the Mesopotamians, he realized just how much of our history has been covered up by powerful people. These findings have been collected into his new novel The Relics 2. Or maybe that’s a lie…maybe this is true… John Dawson Jackson is an independent author based out of the Knoxville, TN area who has a broad spectrum of interests. Predominantly, his novels integrate the genres of fantasy, history, and horror with intriguing mind bending qualities. All of his works are based in the supernatural and exist within the same universe–a sometimes frightening, but always exhilarating place where Jackson enjoys playing with the interconnectivity of what is real, myth, and rumor. His most recent novel, The Relics 2, charts a path through history, blending both fact and fiction as ancient objects of power shape lives and bring together some of the most interesting and terrifying characters the world has ever seen as they realize their collective destinies.
MEDIA LINKS:
FBhttps://www.facebook.com/jdjacksonauthor
Amazon Author page UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Dawson-Jackson/e/B00BADBRQM/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1414316746&sr=1-2
Amazon Author page USA http://www.amazon.com/John-Dawson-Jackson/e/B00BADBRQM/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1
Goodreads Author Page https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6942887.John_Dawson_Jackson?from_search=true
Twitter: @JohnDawsonJacks
John Dawson Jackson
Angela Mcpherson Blog Tour, Cover Reveals Leave a comment November 1, 2014 November 1, 2014 2 Minutes
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Angus Lee
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A Short Treatise on Reading Aloud
by Ernest Legouvé.
Volume 2, 1891/92, pgs. 066, 455
Translated for the "Parents' Review" by Mrs. Swire (with the kind permission of Messrs. Hetzel and Cie., of Paris).
PART II. CHAPTER II. READING CONSIDERED AS A MEANS OF CRITICISM.
After a long conversation, in which I had expressed my ideas on this subject to him, Mr. de St. Beuve said to me, "At that rate, a good reader should be an able critic."
"Without doubt, and the remark has more truth in it than you imagine. For in what consists the reader's talent? In correct interpretation of the works he reads, in order to which he must first of all understand them. But the surprising part of it is this. It is his endeavor to rightly interpret, which aids him to understand; for reading aloud gives a power of analysis which we can never attain to by merely reading to ourselves."
Mr. de St. Beuve asked for a few examples. I quoted Racine's academical speech on Corneille. This discourse is famous amongst men of letters. It contains one marvelous passage: the comparison of the state of the Théátre Français before and after Corneille's time. I had often read this passage to myself and admired it; but one day, upon trying to read it aloud, I was prevented by the unexpected difficulty I found in so doing. I was surprised, and began to consider the passage attentively. The second part seemed to me to be heavy, and almost impossible to render--as if harnessed to La Fontaine's famous coach. This part consists of a period of seventeen lines, which seventeen lines for one single sentence! One sentence, without any rests! No full stops! No colons! Not even a semi-colon! Nothing but commas, with interwoven incidences which succeed one another and reappear at each turn of the sentence, prolonging it just as you think it is finished and obliging you to follow breathlessly all its endless sinuosities. I finished the piece panting, but pensive, "Why," said I to myself, "did Racine write such a long and laboriously-turned sentence?" Instinctively my eye fell on the first part of the piece. What did I see? A complete contrast! Seven sentences in nine lines! Notes of exclamation everywhere! Not a single verb! A disjoined, dismembered style! Everything in fragments, in tatters! With an exclamation of delight the answer flashed upon me. Wishing to describe the two different states of the drama, Racine had done more than describe them. He had painted them.
In order to delineate what he himself called the chaos of the drama, he wrote in an abrupt, violent style without art, without modulation. In order to give a vivid picture of the drama as created by Corneille, he displayed a long sentence, where everything was connected and smooth, where all was harmony and unanimity. With this new thread in my hand to guide me, I took the piece, and read it over again.
I know of nothing more difficult, and consequently more useful, than to safely reach the end of this terrible period of seventeen lines without once resting on the way, without appearing tired, indicating by your intonation that the sentence is not yet completed, so as to allow of its developing itself in all its majestic amplitude and flexibility! My studies as a reader were very useful to me that day, and I gave twofold thanks to an art which, after having assisted me in understanding this beautiful piece, had enabled me to interpret it in a manner worthy of it.
CHAPTER III. ON READING POETRY.
How must poetry be read? To judge by the system followed, even in theatres, the great art of reading poetry is to make the audience think it is prose. One day I was present in a theatre where a drama was being performed. In a box near me were two elegantly attired ladies. Suddenly, one of them said to the other, "Why, my dear, it is actually poetry!" Whereupon they got up and went away. All I can say is, that it was not the actor's fault that they had found it out. He had done his best to hide the monster: he had disjointed, dismembered, and dislocated the verses so well that the lines, as spoken by him, reminded me of Hippolyte in Théramène's narrative:
"The dead hero left in my arms a corpse so much disfigured that his own father would not have known him."
Amateurs naturally exaggerate what is done by artists, and for a very good reason. One cannot know what one has not learnt, and very few people think that there is anything to be learnt on the subject of reading.
I never hear verses read in public without being surprised at the number of different ways there are of reading badly! A few, on the plea of harmony, think it is necessary to surround them with a sort of unctuous flourish, which rounds off the verses, blunts all the outlines, oils all the springs, and gives you a faint, sick feeling, like that produced by the swallowing of a mucilaginous liquid. Others, on the plea of truth, do not trouble themselves about rhythm, or rhyme, or prosody; and when, unluckily, they chance to recollect that the caesura occurs in the sixth foot, they say, quite calmly,
"Mon esprit est malpropre (caesura) aux speculations"
(My mind is unfitted [pause] for speculation).
Let me present in opposition to these extraordinary errors three absolute maxims, the correctness of which I shall exhibit to you by quoting examples.
I. That the art of reading is never so difficult as when it is applied to poetry, and long study alone will enable you to apply it properly.
II. That poetry should be read as poetry, and poets should be interpreted poetically.
III. That the interpreter of a poet becomes also his confidant, and to him is revealed what is hidden to others.
A single individual will suffice to demonstrate the truth of these three axioms--viz., La Fontaine.
But here I must give a few details which are not so much digressions as a safer and pleasanter way of attaining our object.
I first began to read in La Fontaine: my master was a very clever man, almost too clever, who had a charming voice, which he managed very well, an expressive face which he managed too well; and who gave me two kinds of lessons, both equally useful, and which will be as useful to you as they were to me: he taught me what a reader should do and also what he should not do.
One day, when he was going to read some of La Fontaine's fables at a literary meeting at the Conservatoire (amongst others the fable of the Oak and the Reed), he said to me:
"Come and hear me read, and you will learn how a reader who knows his business should present himself to his audience. I shall begin by glancing round the room: this fugitive glance ought to be agreeable, amiable, and accompanied by the slightest of smiles: its object is to collect, so to speak, the sympathies of the audience, and to bring all eyes to bear upon you: then, you should make a little noise with your throat thus, hem! hem! as if you were about to begin; but you do not begin immediately. No; you wait till silence is completely established; then you stretch out your arm, the right arm, curving it gracefully at the elbow. The elbow is the soul of the arm. Attention being fixed, you announce the title. You say it quite naturally, without any attempt at effect, for you are just then playing the part of a mere advertisement; 'The Oak and the Reed.' Then you begin 'The Oak.' Here the voice must be sonorous, the sound majestic: a noble and somewhat emphatic gesture. You are describing a giant whose head is in the clouds and whose feet rest in the kingdom of the dead:--
"'The oak one day said to the reed.'
"When you utter the word 'reed' use hardly any voice. Dwarf the poor plant by your intonation, despise it, throw it a glance over your shoulder quite low down on the ground, as if you could only just distinguish it in the distance."
You laugh, and you are right to do so; of course it is funny. It is even ridiculous. And yet the principle of it is perfectly correct and true. It is true that you must not begin speaking directly you appear before your auditors; it is true that you must enter into communication with them by means of your glance; it is true that the title must be pronounced clearly and simply; it is strictly true that the sound must represent and describe the different characters; and if you can do all this without affectation or exaggeration, the result will be a very excellent and useful lesson, especially as regards La Fontaine.
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Home National 'Be careful what you wish for.' GOP's bogus dossier investigation about to...
(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
'Be careful what you wish for.' GOP's bogus dossier investigation about to backfire
Eric Boehlert
Busy mounting the most blatant and un-nuanced congressional attempt to distract from a single president's troubles, Republicans in the House continue to use whatever gears of the government they have to delay, if not try to dismantle, investigations focusing on Donald Trump and the criminality that surrounds him and his 2016 campaign.
With all the subtleties of a sledgehammer, Republicans are doing everything possible to save Trump by trying to tarnish the reputations of federal law enforcement as investigators zero in.
Among those appointed to run interference for the White House is House Intelligence chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA), who has threatened to subpoena FBI officials and hit them with contempt charges if they don't turn over more documents and information about the so-called Steele dossier.
That's the widely confirmed intelligence document that was created during the 2016 campaign that detailed Trump's many shocking connections with Russian business operatives over the years. Former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele was hired to assemble the information.
On Monday night, Nunes met with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and the two agreed to a deal in terms of handing over more documents.
Nunes and Republicans harp on the dossier obsessively, convinced that if they can raise doubts about its legitimacy and how it was used (or not used) by the FBI and special counsel Robert Mueller's office, they will somehow be able to taint the entire probe into Trump's past.
That's highly unlikely since it's the only the GOP that seems to think the dossier is some sort of all-important document around which every Trump-related investigation revolves. Mueller has already secured two guilty pleas in his investigation, and it doesn't appear the dossier was central to either case.
Secondly, the more Republicans find out about the dossier, the less they're going to like. That's according to former Department of Justice prosecutor and CNN legal analyst Michael Zeldin.
Conceding that Nunes is at the forefront of a widespread distraction campaign, Zeldin said Republicans are likely to discover the famous dossier "is more valid than invalid":
https://shareblue.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Be-careful-what-you-wish-for.mp4
ZELDIN: But to your exact question, it seems to me that what he is interested in is this collateral matter of the dossier and how it was prepared and did the FBI have any role in paying for it. And all of this is a bit of a sideshow, save for the fact that I think they're going to find this dossier is more valid than invalid when they look at the heart of the matter. So he may be in this be-careful-what-you-wish-for situation where he gets access to what did the FBI do to validate the dossier's findings, who did Steele speak to in the FBI to confirm to them that this was legitimate intelligence and he was gathering? So while Nunes, I think, is on a bit of a sideshow, the consequences of what he's getting may actually be more harmful to what he's trying to do, which I think is to divert attention, than helpful.
On Monday, Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch, who founded Fusion GPS, the research company behind the dossier, fought back against the GOP smear campaign that's underway. Writing in the New York times, they denied their document prompted the FBI to start investigating Trump's ties in 2016. Instead, they wrote, "Our sources said the dossier was taken so seriously because it corroborated reports the bureau had received from other sources, including one inside the Trump camp."
And they stand by the report: "Mr. Steeles sources in Russia (who were not paid) reported on an extensive and now confirmed effort by the Kremlin to help elect Mr. Trump president. Mr. Steele saw this as a crime in progress and decided he needed to report it to the F.B.I."
If that's the kind of information Nunes and Republicans are going to highlight, they might soon regret it.
Previous articleSarah Sanders pathetically introduces Trump propaganda tape as 'special guest' at briefing
Next articleJeff Sessions already in trouble for his plan to arrest people for legally smoking weed
Veteran progressive writer for Media Matters and Salon. Two books: "Lapdogs: How The Press Rolled Over for Bush," and "Bloggers On The Bus." Follow him on Twitter @ericboehlert.
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Home National Trump: It's OK to collude with Russia because I just had dinner...
(AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Trump: It's OK to collude with Russia because I just had dinner with the queen of England
Dan Desai Martin
In a morning meltdown, Trump insists that collusion with foreign governments to win elections is perfectly acceptable.
In a Thursday morning Twitter meltdown, Trump doubled down on his position that he would absolutely collude with foreign adversaries for political gain in the future.
"I meet and talk to 'foreign governments' every day. I just met with the Queen of England (U.K.), the Prince of Whales [sic], the P.M. of the United Kingdom, the P.M. of Ireland, the President of France and the President of Poland. We talked about 'Everything!'" Trump wrote, before deleting the tweet and reposting it with "Wales" spelled correctly.
"Should I immediately call the FBI about these calls and meetings? How ridiculous! I would never be trusted again. With that being said, my full answer is rarely played by the Fake News Media. They purposely leave out the part that matters," Trump concluded.
Trump is trying to defend himself after video aired of him telling ABC's George Stephanopoulos that he would not contact the FBI if a foreign government offered him dirt on political opponents.
"It's not an interference, they have information — I think I'd take it," Trump said in response to a question about whether he would accept information from adversaries like Russia or China. Trump went on to say that the FBI does not have enough resources to deal with campaigns alerting them when foreign governments try to illegally influence American elections.
"If I thought there was something wrong, I'd go maybe to the FBI — if I thought there was something wrong," Trump said.
With these comments, Trump was essentially inviting foreign governments to seek to influence him by providing dirt on his opponents.
And in his Thursday morning tweets, Trump absurdly tried to claim that these nefarious actions would be no different from normal diplomatic relations like meeting with the queen on a state visit to the U.K.
The invitation to foreign governments to interfere in elections on Trump's behalf drew immediate and widespread outrage.
"'Unfit to be President' is a gross understatement," former CIA chief John Brennan wrote on Twitter. Trump "is undeserving of any public office, and all Americans should be outraged," he added.
Even Trump's most loyal sycophants on "Fox and Friends" attacked him on Thursday morning for inviting help from foreign adversaries.
In the 2016 campaign, Trump begged Russia to help his campaign by hacking into his opponent's emails. Hours later, Russian operatives began trying to illegally access the email accounts of Hillary Clinton and high-level staffers on her campaign.
The Mueller report lays out numerous instances of Trump campaign officials chatting with Russian actors and welcoming any dirt they may have had on Clinton. Trump later lied about one of those meeting, which took place in Trump Tower in New York, the same building as Trump's campaign headquarters.
In the end, Trump is willing to put his own personal ambitions over the law and fair democratic elections. He wanted foreign interference in 2016, and is asking for it again in 2020.
culture of corruption
Previous articleTrump admits he'd illegally collude with foreign countries to win reelection
Next articleTrump completely loses it after admitting he'd collude with hostile powers again in 2020
Former international development advocate and communications professional; freelance writer. Follow him on Twitter: @DanMartinTalks.
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