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Home » January 2010 » You Never Know What’s Around the Corner!
You Never Know What’s Around the Corner!
Winning her bid for an AKC Pet Healthcare Plan at the December 2008 Live Auction — in honor of the AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF) — proved to be a lucky break for Marti Simons. Little did Marti know then that within six months, she would be very grateful for her AKC pet health insurance. Her young Bernese Mountain dog, Purna, suddenly collapsed one day and was diagnosed with septic shock and bronchopneumonia, coming close to death.
But let’s go back to December 2008. Marti was at the annual AKC CHF Gala by the Bay event in Long Beach, CA, held each year to raise funds for canine health research. This particular event included both a live auction and a silent auction, with an amazing array of wonderful items donated by individuals and companies whose generosity raised many thousands of dollars.
Marti had gone with a group of friends from the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America who were there to accept the annual CHF President’s Award for Fundraising. This honor is bestowed on an individual or club making an extraordinary contribution to the mission of CHF. The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America has been a model in demonstrating a commitment to conquering the diseases that threaten our dogs. Always generous contributors, the Bernese community made a particularly significant effort in 2008, raising nearly $80,000 for health research for this breed.
“I had insurance for my four-year-old Bernese, Maverick, and had been meaning to insure our new puppy, Purna. She replaced another dog, Anna, whom we had lost tragically to a fatal case of bloat. So when the AKC Pet Healthcare Plan came up for auction, it motivated me to make a bid,” explained Marti.
Marti’s bid won her the high-end pet healthcare protection of a ‘Wellness’ Plan donated by the provider, PetPartners, Inc, exclusive provider of the AKC Pet Healthcare Plan.
Marti and her family enjoy lots of activities with their Bernese Mountain dogs together, showing and participating in Obedience and Agility. Her twin daughters, fourteen, have shown their own dogs as ‘Junior Handlers’ in conformation. The family and their dogs have traveled extensively across the U.S., driving from Orange County, CA to Kentucky one year and to Rhode Island another time for the Bernese National Specialty show.
It was after a show in Portland, Oregon last April that one of their dogs, Fiona, developed a cough. “Our veterinarian attributed this to kennel cough. Fiona was sick for awhile and showed it. She got over it with no problems though.”
Then Purna, still a young dog, developed a cough. “I naturally thought it was the same thing on the first day she coughed,” recalled Marti. “Purna didn’t act sick, and she continued to play and bounce around and bring me toys for tug-of-war — as a puppy she was like the ‘Energizer Bunny’!
Suddenly, within less than 24 hours, the situation changed dramatically for Purna. “She got me up at four o’clock the next morning to go outside. Since she was still quite young, she wasn’t always able to last all night, so I thought nothing of this. Then without warning, she collapsed outside in the yard and was having real problems with her breathing. I was very worried, so I pulled on some sweats and drove her immediately to the emergency veterinarian.”
The emergency animal hospital found that Purna had a high fever and the beginning stages of pneumonia but sent her home with a prescription.
However, at seven o’clock that same morning, Purna collapsed again. This time Marti called her regular veterinarian who told her to bring Purna to him immediately. He had experienced a similar case with his own puppy and suspected it could be serious.
Marti continued, “It was so scary, she almost died. My veterinarian put Purna on oxygen and gave her some heavy drugs. She had fluid on her lungs and had gone from a simple cough, like Fiona’s, to suddenly having major breathing problems in less than 24 hours.”
The veterinarian thought that Purna’s less advanced immune system made her more prone to the ‘doggie flu’ than their older dog, Fiona. Purna stayed at the clinic for awhile and then went home, still attached to an IV drip. With her prescription and lots of loving care, Purna recovered from her case of septic shock and bronchopneumonia.
Today, Purna is doing fine and has begun Agility training. Looking back on her winning bid at last year’s Gala, Marti is delighted that she won the AKC Pet Healthcare Plan. It proved to be great decision that more than paid for itself; with Purna’s illness alone, her AKC plan reimbursed Marti with $1,702 for visits to both the emergency clinic and to Marti’s regular veterinarian, including treatments. Marti’s plan will also reimburse her for the majority of Purna’s preventive care costs this year, such as her annual physical exam, shots, flea/tick control, heartworm control, etc.
But that’s not the only heartwarming side of this story. Earlier in 2009, Marti’s employer of 25 years was acquired by a larger one. As often happens, layoffs followed the inevitable restructuring and Marti lost her job as a commercial insurance broker.
So, the AKC Plan became even more important in helping manage the family’s finances this year. Not that Marti is sitting back feeling sorry for herself. In addition to her busy family schedule and training her dogs, she also volunteered at the December 2009 AKC/Eukanuba Agility event in Long Beach, CA. Isn’t it just great when nice things happen to nice people?
For more information on how the AKC Pet Healthcare Plan* can help you protect your pet in case of unexpected accidents or illnesses visit www.akcphp.com or call 1-866-725-2747. Plans include up to $13,000 a year ($5,000 per incident), with options for additional coverage for preventive care costs.
For more information on the many different research projects of canine diseases funded by the AKC Canine Health Foundation, and how you can help if you wish to become a donor, visit www.akcchf.org. Over $24 million has been granted by CHF to date to support ground-breaking research into many diseases, both canine and human.
*See terms and conditions for a full description. Rates are subject to change. Coverage is offered by PetPartners, Inc. to all U.S. residents and is underwritten by Markel Insurance Company, 4600 Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060, rated A ‘Excellent’ by A.M. Best www.akcchf.org.
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RACHEL’S VISIONS
In the last episode, Rachel’s visions were of a swan peacefully floating through her line of sight, but this week the visions got a bit weirder. We used a combination of the real swan, a prosthetic swan neck, VFX, and b-roll that was shot of the village in order to create the perfect mysterious and frightening vision. Once all of the elements were shot, our editing team and VFX team at Intelligent Creatures worked together with our showrunners to create the perfect look and tone for the visions that flicker in and out of Rachel’s bionic eye.
Fun Fact: We actually shot two days worth of b-roll and visions inserts before finding the right visual motif to tell our story. Originally Susan Duncan was in Rachel’s visions, but it didn’t feel right when we saw the edit so we went back to the drawing board and what you see in the episode is where we ended up landing.
SELF-AWARE CLONES
The script originally did not have MK showing Sarah and Cosima the Evie Cho and Susan Duncan video conference call that she intercepted. We didn’t think at the script stage that it was necessary for the story. However, once in post-production, we realized that our clones needed to see and hear that Neolution wasn’t done coming after them in order to light a fire under our clones. With a little brilliance from our editor we were able to slice in the video using VFX and reaction shots on Sarah and Cosima.
Fun Fact: Editor Jay Prichidny had the idea to cut in the intercepted video in that scene and it worked perfectly. The things you can do in post!
PETER MOHAN – A NEW ADDITION TO THE HIVE
This episode was written by a new addition to our writing team — Peter Mohan. Peter and Graeme have worked together in the past and we were delighted when he became available to join us midway through the season. Peter is a highly experienced and very well-respected Canadian writer, and he did a great job bringing the comedy of Donnie in jail together with the dramatic demise of Duko.
Production meeting (Director Peter Mohan is the man sitting next to Graeme Manson)
JESUS CHRIST SUPESTAR
The Jesus Christ Superstar number was choreographed and musically directed by Anika Johnson and Barbara Johnston, the women behind Blood Ties the Musical, in which Alison performed in Season 2. You can actually see them in the show as the background dancers and singers.
Fun Fact: We based the outfits on the original costumes from the film by Norman Jewison.
Barbara Johnston
Fun Fact: Did you catch the funeral portrait of Alison’s Season 1 best frenemy Aynsley? We thought it would be funny to have it in the wings of the church’s stage as if it was stored there and they forgot about it. It was a fun throw to Alison’s past, especially when she is in such a distressed state.
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Top quotes by Norma McCorvey
I looked at a fetal development chart at the Operation Rescue Office in Dallas. I had a lot of emotions stirring up inside of me. That's when I decided that it was wrong in any stage of pregnancy. Votes: 15
I don't think there is a good reason for an abortion, but Dr. Jasper made me really realize it was just a racket. He was just doing it for the money. He didn't care about the women. Votes: 15
I was the Jane Roe of Roe vs. Wade, but Jane Roe has been laid to rest. Votes: 14
I think everyone should sit down and write a book. It's a lot like therapy but a lot less expensive. Votes: 12
We live in a society today where these children can be wanted children. Even if you don't want to keep this child after you've had it, there's plenty of young couples out there, that want children. Votes: 10
I'm the computer operator for Operation Rescue National. Votes: 10
Father God, we just ask You to open Your wide, wide arms and look down upon us, Lord, and lead us, and let us know what we should do to stop this, this terrible, terrible holocaust. Votes: 10
I'm Norma McCorvey, the former Jane Roe of the Roe vs. Wade decision that brought "legal' child killing to America. I was persuaded by feminist attorneys to lie; to say that I was raped, and needed an abortion. It was all a lie, Votes: 9
It doesn't make any difference what religion you are, or how young you are or how old you are-if they go to these abortion mills and stand there and pray-that would make a lot of difference. Votes: 8
I really didn't know there was two sides to the abortion issue. Votes: 8
Instead of helping women in Roe v. Wade, I brought destruction to me & millions of women. Votes: 8
The abortionist I worked for, he's a very greedy man, a selfish man. Votes: 7
I used the name Jane Roe because I didn't want my personal name to be involved in it. Votes: 7
The holocaust against the unborn is the greatest sin they could ever do or even ever participate in. Votes: 7
I am serving the Lord and helping women save babies. Votes: 6
Patients would come in and say, Well, my baby is going to have a cleft palate. I'm going like, that's not a reason. And the doctor would do the abortion. Votes: 6
But Sarah Weddingtonhad never told me that what I was signing would allow women to use abortions as a form of birth control. We talked about truly desperate and needy women, not women already wearing maternity clothes, Votes: 6
I think it's the pro-abortion people who are doing this to collect on their insurance, so they can go out and build bigger and better killing centers. Votes: 5
I've got so much to do, I don't have time to sit down and be sad. Votes: 5
There's a feminist writer, Naomi Wolfe, who is reconsidering her position on abortion. Votes: 4
They could have been nice to me instead of treating me like an idiot. Votes: 4
I am Roe. Votes: 3
I deeply regret the damage my original case caused women. I want the Supreme Court to examine the evidence and have a spirit of justice for women and children. Votes: 3
I felt like they only cared about what I could do for them, not what they could do for me. Votes: 2
It was a mutual thing. I made a deal with them: I asked them if they did not bring out the place card of Malachi, I would let them have two minutes with each one of my patients. Votes: 2
They tried to discredit me. I used to tell them, There's many wonderful people out there who can't have children, who would want to have these children. Votes: 2
I didn't attend any of the court proceedings. Votes: 1
I did not go to the Supreme Court on behalf of a class of women. I wasn't pursuing any legal remedy to my unwanted pregnancy. I did not go to the federal courts for relief. I went to Sarah Weddington asking her if she knew how I could obtain an abortion. She and Linda Coffey said they didn't know where to get one. They lied to me just like I lied to them. Sarah already had an abortion. She knew where to get one. Sarah and Linda were just looking for somebody, anybody, to further their own agenda. I was their willing dupe. For this, I will forever be ashamed. Votes: 0
It's not your body, it's not your choice, because you got that from God. He gave that to you. Votes: 0
My case was wrongfully decided, and has caused great harm to the women and children of our nation. Votes: 0
You read about me in history books, but now I am dedicated to spreading the truth about preserving the dignity of all human life from natural conception to natural death. Votes: 0
I think it's safe to say that the entire abortion industry is based on a lie"¦. I am dedicated to spending the rest of my life undoing the law that bears my name, Votes: 0
I used the name Jane Roe because I didnt want my personal name to be involved in it. Votes: 0
Am I Saved
Arms Wide Open
Brought
Cared
D Wade
Discredit
Don't Be Sad
I Regret
I am the �
I am the �
People killing
Pro Abortion
Selfish Man
Selfish Men
Serving The Lord
Supreme Court Justice
Tell Me I Can T
Women Want
Wonderful Children
Wonderful People
Wrongfully
Been nice
Better go
Doing this
Great nation
Great women
I used to
Just doing it
Lord of lord
Not like me
Old religion
Our great nation
Religion differences
Sit and think
Society today
Terrible father
Terrible fathers
Two side
You make a difference
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Helping Young Workers Open a Roth IRA
It's not too early for kids with part-time or summer jobs to contribute to a Roth IRA. Even a small investment now can turn today's teen into a millionaire by retirement.
By Kimberly Lankford, Contributing Editor
QMy 16-year-old son earned some money helping out at a summer camp last year. Is he eligible to contribute to a Roth IRA, and is it too late to make a 2017 contribution? What are some IRA administrators that let kids open a Roth with just a little money?
There's no minimum age to be eligible to make Roth IRA contributions; you just need to have earned income from a job. Your son can contribute up to the amount of money he earned from his job for the year, but no more than the $5,500 maximum for 2018. You can even give him the money to contribute. He has until April 17, 2018—the tax deadline—to make a contribution for 2017.
SEE ALSO: Why You Need a Roth IRA
Contributing to a Roth IRA can be one of the smartest financial moves for teenagers starting to work. Even contributing a small amount at first can make a huge difference over the long run. Here's the math: Say your son invests $1,000 each year to a Roth IRA from ages 16 to 21. From ages 22 to 49, he contributes $5,500 a year—the current maximum. At 50, when he's eligible to make an additional $1,000 in catch-up contributions, he starts putting in $6,500 a year until age 65. At that point, assuming his investments gained 7% a year, his Roth would be worth more than $1.74 million, says Anthony LaBrake, a certified financial planner with Adam Financial Associates in Boca Raton, Fla. Your son can withdraw all of the money, including earnings, tax-free after age 59½. (He can withdraw his contributions without penalty or taxes at any time.)
Your teen may cringe at the idea of saving his entire summer paycheck for retirement. But you can give him money to put into the Roth or match his contributions to help him develop a savings habit. LaBrake works with quite a few parents and grandparents who give their teenager or young adult the money to make the Roth IRA contributions, up to the amount they earned from working. "This helps them get a jump on retirement savings and also acts as a sort of secondary emergency fund, since they can withdraw from a Roth up to their basis without penalty," he says.
Many IRA administrators will let you open a Roth IRA for a minor, but you may need to sign some extra forms. You can, for instance, open a Vanguard Roth IRA for a minor with a minimum of $1,000 and invest in a variety of mutual funds. For a teen's IRA, Vanguard spokesman John Woerth recommends Vanguard's Target Retirement Funds, a broadly diversified portfolio of four to five low-cost index funds based on your investing time frame. A minor with less than $1,000 to invest can open a brokerage IRA at Vanguard and invest in stocks or exchange-traded funds. For example, he could buy a few shares of the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF, which currently trades at about $137 per share and offers broad U.S. market exposure, says Woerth. Vanguard usually charges a $20 annual fee for accounts with less than $10,000, but it waives the fee if you sign up for electronic delivery of statements, confirmations and other documents.
Many of LaBrake's clients open custodial Roth IRAs through Charles Schwab. These accounts require a minimum investment of $100 with no maintenance fees. Fidelity and TD Ameritrade also offer custodial Roth IRAs with no minimum investment and no maintenance fees.
For more information about Roth IRAs, see New Tax Law Makes Roth IRA More Appealing to Savers.
SEE ALSO: Retirement Planning Mistakes You'll Regret Forever
Got a question? Ask Kim at askkim@kiplinger.com.
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Alex Burns
Australian Researcher
Tag: MySpace
Calling All Nations
Several weeks ago I noticed new graffiti on street signs in the Melbourne suburb Northcote from an unknown group: the Saracen Soldiers. A block away from the most prominent graffiti two houses displayed nationalist flags in their front windows. It could have been coincidence or maybe a signalling game to establish psychological turf.
At the time I thought of the ominous graffiti in Philip K. Dick‘s posthumously published novel Radio Free Albemuth (1985). The grafiti also reminded me of the wanna-be teenage mercenaries in Leo Berkeley‘s film Holidays on the River Yarra (1990), who are recruited by a racialist organisation to engage in graffiti, brawls and other low-level politically motivated violence.
Two nights ago police fatally shot 15-year-old Tyler Cassidy during a confrontation in Northcote’s All Nations park. Earlier that evening, Cassidy left home after a family argument then stole two knives from Northcote’s Kmart store. Four police were called to arrest Cassidy and Victoria Police will now investigate what happened next. As Rosie X observes, several media outlets speculated about Cassidys membership in the nationalist group Southern Cross Soldiers (SCS) and posed a ‘suicide by cop’ explanation for Cassidy’s death.
There are a couple of interesting things to note about blogosphere and media coverage.
Journalists described Cassidy’s online life as “subterreanean” – a mix of Sherry Turkle‘s theories about online identity fused with cyberterrorist fears – yet did not link to Cassidy’s MySpace page or mention the SCS sites above. In contrast, Richard Metzger observed to me in 1998 that Disinformation had a different strategy: it would link to white supremacist groups such as Aryan Nations so that readers would understand their ideological worldview. This got Metzger into trouble with several anti-racialist organisations who confused him with Tom Metzger of White Aryan Resistance.
Anarchist and anti-racialist bloggers knew SCS for months before Cassidy’s death as a white supremacist gang or youth network. The SCS band has copied Rahowa‘s white separatist music as a recruitment strategy. The social network Bebo has pages for SCS recruitment and the SCS band. Jacques Ellul would be proud: SCS (and perhaps Cassidy unwittingly) use a blend of Australian historical imagery for in-group identity and integration propaganda (“Aussie pride”, the Southern Cross flag, conflation of national identity with ethnicity) with agitation propaganda that is aimed at specific out-group enemies (Italians, Lebanese, anyone who does not meet SCS’s criteria for being Australian).
Several questions: How many other pages are there? Who has been monitoring them? What if any threat assessments were made? Will anyone get an opportunity to conduct a sociometry analysis of SCS’s online social network before the pages are pulled (Marc Sageman established a benchmark with his study of Salafist cells that may have had weak ties to Al Qaeda).
Bloggers and journalists alike noted that police might have de-escalated the incident if they were armed with a Taser electroshock weapon. The incident captures why there is a tactical role under specific circumstances for law enforcement personnel to use non-lethal or less-lethal weapons that could have saved Cassidy’s life. The four police will likely receive critical incident debriefs and stress counselling.
A few days after Cassidy’s death Northcote remains largely subdued apart from occasional police sirens in the distance. In contrast. Greece has faced a week of riots after the shooting of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos which may spread to Europe. As a ‘paired study’ – SCS’s street gang violence, the shootings of Grigoropoulos and Cassidy, and the divergent reactions – illustrate the late sociologist Charles Tilly‘s distinction between individual aggression (Cassidy), brawls (SCS) and scattered attacks (Greece) as different types of collective violence.
Tilly’s urban sociology in the 1960s foresaw how today’s social network sites may be used to coordinate street violence. Perhaps police intelligence analysts would benefit from a few hours with Tilly’s masterful study The Politics of Collective Violence (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2003) to pre-empt any SCS revenge attacks for Cassidy’s death. SCS might then remain the purveyers of bad hip-hop/rock/metal hybrids (not exactly Australian), poorly designed web sites and street graffiti: the opportunist yet ineffectual extremists that Dick and Berkeley tried to warn us of . . . and that Greece and Europe may face again.
Chinese Democracy looks set to be the most delayed and expensive album in history: a rumoured $US13 million recording budget, 5 guitarists, 14 studios and a horde of Pro Tools digital editors. I’m not exactly a Guns n’ Roses fan but I bought the album anyway for the CD booklet: a list of production credits for the massively overrun project. For the project’s background see Wikipedia’s CD history page and Jeff Leeds’ article “The Most Expensive Album Never Made” (New York Times, 6th March 2005).
Interesting that Axl Rose augmented the Best Buy-only release with a MySpace streaming strategy and that Amazon.com’s top search today for “Chinese Democracy” is Metallica‘s Death Magnetic (Elektra, 2008) . . . Rose’s CD is ninth on the search algorithm’s list.
I’m saving most of my thoughts on Chinese Democracy for a journal article.
Former Gn’R co-founder Slash in his autobiography Slash (HarperEntertainment, New York, 2007), co-written with Anthony Bozza, has a prescient and interesting anecdote (p. 371) on Rose’s decision to use Pro Tools in the recording studio:
There were rows and rows
of Pro Tools servers and gear. Which was a clear indication that Axl
and I had very different ideas of how to do this record. I was open to
using Pro Tools, to trying new things–but everyone had to be on the
same page and in the same room to explore new ideas. The band managed
to do a little bit of jamming and come up with some things. A couple
of the ideas I had come up with Axl apparently liked and they were
recorded onto Pro Tools and stored for him to work on later.
We’d show up at different times every evening, but by eight p.m.
generally everyone in the band would be there. Then we’d wait for Axl,
who, when he did come, arrived much, much later. That was the norm; it
was a dark, miserable atmosphere that lacked direction of any kind. I
hung out for a bit; but after a few days I chose to spend my evenings
at the strip bar around the corner, with orders for the engineers to
call me if Axl decided to arrive.
Posted on November 21, 2008 August 13, 2010
CPRF08 Paper: Disruptive Innovation, Radiohead & Nine Inch Nails
I recently blogged about a presentation the 2008 Communications Policy Research Forum in Sydney on disruptive innovation in the music industry.
You can now download an Adobe PDF version of the PowerPoint slides here.
The refereed paper has been published in the Proceedings of the Communications Policy Research Forum 2008 (pp. 155-175 or PDF file pp. 179-199). You can also download a local copy of the paper here.
The paper’s case study examines why Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails released their new albums as digital downloads. I suggest a major reason why, and one that was overlooked by Web 2.0 pundits, is that each artist was in the ‘label shopping phase’ of a new contract and defected after negotiation problems with their major labels. This fits a pattern in mergers and acquisitions: the major labels lost artists due to integration problems in a merger or acquisition. Terra Firma Capital Partners has since partially confirmed this hypothesis: the private equity firm endures more post-acquisition integration problems with EMI and is fighting against government regulation of Great Britain’s financial services sector.
The paper’s data appendices contrast the artists’ strategies with signficant events and innovations in music industry contracts, conglomerate mergers and deal structures. Somehow I missed U2‘s March 2008 deal with Live Nation: I found out about it in an October 2008 announcement. Guns n’ Roses also finally released Chinese Democracy (MySpace audio stream): a new album that has taken 15 years, a rumoured US$14 million budget and 14 recording studios in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and London. I may write a paper on it . . .
Duelling Web 2.0 Scenarios: Boom/Bust
Has Tim O’Reilly’s Web 2.0 meme become a high-tech bubble about to burst?
Origins of the Web 2.0 Boom
O’Reilly’s vision of a new Web platform originally fused two developments.
The first development: C, Smalltalk and object oriented programmers devised design patterns in the early 1990s to reuse software code and workaround solutions across projects. A 1995 catalog catapulted its four authors to software engineering fame. To capture the rapidly growing number of design patterns programmer Ward Cunningham created the first wiki: the Portland Patterns Repository.
The second development: a re-evaluation of dotcom era business models to encompass new technologies that enhanced the end-user experience including the site interface and information architecture. Industry buzz around News Corporation’s acquisition of MySpace (18th July 2005), Yahoo!’s purchase of Flickr (21st March 2005) and del.ico.us (9th December 2005), and Google’s stock-for-stock deal for YouTube (9th October 2006) made O’Reilly’s vision the ‘default’ vision for Web pundits and investors.
The media’s buzz cycle soon went into warp speed as Facebook frenzy replaced MySpace mania. In a move that exemplified the pivotal role of complementors O’Reilly & Associates morphed into the juggernaut O’Reilly Media. Ajax and Ruby Rails soon replaced Java and C# as the languages for new programmers to learn. For activists in community-based media, angel investors investing in scalable programming prototypes and international conglomerates seeking to control their industry white-spaces Web 2.0 provided an all-encompassing answer to venture capitalists on how they would change the world.
Two Scenarios: Web 2.0 Boom & Bust
For industry pundits Google’s decision in October 2008 not to acquire Digg may signal the Web 2.0 boom has become a bubble. If true Google’s decision could be the mirror of News Corporation and Yahoo!’s acquisitions in 2005. Slate‘s Chris Anderson points to several factors: no tech IPOs in the second quarter of 2008, the cyclical nature of the digital consumer market, the exit of Yahoo! as a potential buyer due to internal problems, market noise due to low barriers of entry for startups, and a smaller “window of opportunity in which startups can think of a new neat trick, generate buzz, and cash out.” YouTube’s co-founder Jawed Karim adamently believes that Silicon Valley is in a bubble.
Twitter is the latest startup in the duelling scenarios of Web 2.0 boom versus bust. New York Times journalist Adam Lashinsky experiences a similar euphoria to Facebook and YouTube when he visits Twitter’s co-founder Jack Dorsey. Sceptics counter that Facebook and YouTube have not ‘monetised’ their business models into profitable revenues. Portfolio‘s Sam Gustin raises the ‘monetisation’ problem with Twitter co-founder Biz Stone who believes that service reliability is a priority over the “distraction” of revenue pressures. In support of Stone’s position Anderson observes that cloud computing and open source software are lowering the operational costs and slowing the burn rates of startups.
Yet monetisation remains a primary concern for Sand Hill Road entrepreneurs and other venture capitalists. They differ in their decision-making criteria to Web 2.0 pundits and high-tech futurists: for angel investors and first round VC funding the entrepreneurs will demand a solid management team, the execution ability to control an industry whitespace, and viable sources of future revenue growth. This is the realm of financial ratios and mark-to-market valuation rather than normative beliefs and ideals which probably influenced the acquiring firm’s decisions and valuation models in 2005-06.
Furthermore, if a Web 2.0 bust scenario is in play, the ‘contrarian’ sceptics will look to Charles Mackay, Charles P. Kindleberger, Joseph Stiglitz and other chroniclers of past bubbles, contagion and manias for guidance. With different frames and time horizons the Web 2.0 pundits, high-tech futurists and venture capitalists will continue to talk past each other, creating still more Twitter microblogging, blog posts and media coverage.
Several preliminary conclusions can be drawn from the Web 2.0 boom/bust debate. In a powerful case of futures thinking O’Reilly’s original Web 2.0 definition envisioned the conceptual frontier which enabled the social network or user-generated site of your choice to come into being. The successful Web 2.0 startups in Silicon Valley have a distinctive strategy comparable to their dotcom era counterparts in Los Angeles and New York’s Silicon Alley. Web 2.0 advocates who justify their stance with MySpace, YouTube and del.icio.us are still vulnerable to hindsight and survivorship biases. There’s a middle ground here to integrate the deep conceptual insights
of high-tech futurists with the quantitative precision of valuation
models.
It’s possible that the high-visibility Web 2.0 acquisitions in 2005-06 were due to a consolidation wave and strategic moves/counter-moves by their acquirers in a larger competitive game. There are two precedents for this view. Industry deregulation sparked a mergers and acquisitions boom in Europe’s telecommunications sector in the late 1990s comparable to the mid-1980s leveraged buyout wave in the United States. Several factors including pension fund managers, day trading culture and the 1999 repeal of the US Glass-Steagall Act combined to accelerate the 1995-2000 dotcom bubble. Thus, analysts who want to understand the boom/bust dynamics need to combine elements and factors from Web 2.0 pundits, high tech futurists and venture capitalists.
If the Web 2.0 boom has become a bubble then all is not lost. Future entrepreneurs can take their cue from Newsweek journalist Daniel Gross and his book Pop! Why Bubbles Are Great for the Economy (Collins, New York, 2007): the wreckage from near-future busts may become the foundation of future bubbles. Web 3.0 debates are already in play and will soon be eclipsed by Ray Kurzweil‘s Transhumanist agenda for Web 23.0.
11th AIPEN Workshop Draft Programme
From Dissertation To Book
On My PhD 1
ORCID – Alex Burns
Vega Theory
Aum Shinrikyo
Australian Research Council
Barry Saunders
Ben Eltham
grand strategy
high-frequency trading
Jack Snyder
John Lewis Gaddis
market microstructure
process tracing
strategic subcultures
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Allergy Free Gardening
Allergy-Free New York - New York Times
Too Much Pollen? Blame the Males - All Things Considered
Safe Sex in the Garden - Weekend Edition
If you are suffering from allergies, tree and plant pollen may be the reason.
Allergy Plants For Dogs
"It makes no sense to plant highly allergenic trees or shrubs close to where we live." Dr. Walter H. Lewis, senior botanist Missouri Botanical Gardens, author of Medical Botany
The articles and newsletters below require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view. If you don't have it installed, Download Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Allergy-Free Parks
From coast to coast, all across Canada, new parks are now being developed and planted as Allergy-free Parks. The person most responsible for driving this wonderful work is Canadian horticulturist and award-winning educator, Peter Prakke. Peter has also been instrumental in getting allergy-free landscapes installed at all the new "Bravery Parks," across Canada, each park named after a Canadian soldier who was killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
In addition, Peter has been instrumental in getting school boards to start implementing allergy-free gardening practices in landscaping in Ontario, Canada's elementary and secondary schools.
If you'd like help on similar projects in your own area, contact Mr. Prakke, at cprakke@cogeco.ca
Click to view the July Newsletter - Marydale Park
Allergy-Free School Yards
At the present time school yards are often the most allergenic landscapes in a typical American or Canadian city. Trees and shrubs were originally selected to never produce any fruit, seeds, or seedpods, with the idea that kids might play with these or throw them at each other. The end result of these school landscapes is that school children are suffering more than ever before from both allergies and asthma. Please read this new article.
Allergy-Free Urban Green Zones
The authors, professors and department heads from the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Madrid, are botanists and pollen experts, and at least four years of extensive research went into the writing of this fine article. This paper, first published in the highly respected journal, Landscape and Urban Planning, is re-printed here, with the permission of the authors. Please do not re-print any of it without their express permission, or that of Landscape and Urban Planning.
Click to view the Urban Green Zones Publication
Ketzel Levine on NPR
Some years ago an NPR listener to Ketzel Levine’s great on the air garden show, wrote her a note, asking about allergies and what could she do about them. Ketzel mentioned my book, Allergy-Free Gardening, but implied that all it really covered were the worst plants, the ones to avoid. She also seemed to imply that there wasn’t a damn thing you could do about pollen allergies.
Continue Reading Full Story
Proximity allergy, hay fever and asthma caused by landscape trees and shrubs
How far does pollen actually travel? How much allergy is homegrown? Alarming, record pollen counts coming from elementary schools. New research from other countries. Please read this important new research paper:
Measures to reduce the urban pollen count
A new article from Science for Environmental Policy:
Tom & Peter Prakke
Copyright © 2020 Allergy Free Gardening
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Home / Android / AndroidO / Google / Orio / Everything about Android 8.0 Orio is here
Everything about Android 8.0 Orio is here
8/25/2017 08:30:00 PM Android, AndroidO, Google, Orio
Earlier this year, Google took the stage at its I/O developers conference to officially announce Android 8.0, the next big update to the operating system.
The company wasn’t keen on introducing the name of this version at the time, though. There was plenty of speculation, of course, including Android Oatmeal, but today Google has officially announced that Android 8.0 is Oreo.
As for what’s new in the upcoming operating system, that much we know. Google states that Android 8.0 Oreo offers two times faster boot speed, which was measured on the Google Pixel. There are also background limits on apps, so that the battery isn’t overly taxed by apps running in the background, as well as an AutoFill feature which will allow the system to remember usernames and passwords, even in apps for quicker access.
Other features include picture-in-picture on smartphones, new emoji support, notification dots, and much more. Here’s Google’s promo video for Android Oreo:
As for the release schedule, Google says it is pushing the Android 8.0 Oreo sources to Android Open Source Project (AOSP) for everyone. Pixel and Nexus 5X/6P specific are in carrier testing now, and Google says the update should begin rolling out in phases soon. The updates for the Nexus Player and the Pixel C tablet should also be rolling out soon.
Google says it is working with partners like Essential, HMD Global, General Mobile, HTC, Huawei, Kyocera, Samsung, Motorola, and LG to bring Android 8.0 Oreo to select devices by the end of this year. It also notes that any devices that are enrolled in the Android Beta program will get updated to Android 8.0 Oreo as well with this final version.
Everything about Android 8.0 Orio is here Reviewed by Admin on 8/25/2017 08:30:00 PM Rating: 5
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Metros, Mumbai
4 fake doctors arrested for running illegal clinic in Sion
Published : Dec 11, 2019, 3:23 am IST
Updated : Dec 11, 2019, 3:23 am IST
The accused persons are class XII pass outs and were operating in slums since past three years.
Dalsingh Yadav
Mumbai: The Mumbai crime branch conducted a further crackdown on quacks and arrested four impostors from Sion area where they were practicing allopathy. The accused persons are class XII pass outs and were operating in slums since past three years.
The crime branch arrested 15 fake doctors in the past three months. The officials said that the crackdown will continue. The arrested accused were identified as Rakesh Tiwari (45), Dalsingh Yadav (59), Motilal Maurya (51) and Anilkumar Bind (41).
The teams of police officials raided their premises and seized several allopathic medicines, injections, syringes and other material from the accused persons. An official said that none of the accused holds a medical degree and the mandatory Maharashtra Medical council registration.
"The accused had been treating gullible slum dwellers since last three years. We are looking for the people he treated," said a crime branch officer.
The crime branch has been nabbing the fake doctors and this is the latest arrest from the jurisdiction of Wadala TT police station. A case has been filed against the accused under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act and they have been remanded to police custody.
Earlier, the officials arrested five quacks from south and central Mumbai in raids carried out by special teams.
Tags: mumbai crime branch, fake doctors arrested
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Home » Celebrity Horoscope » Virender Sehwag Horoscope
Virender Sehwag Horoscope
Name: Virender Sehwag
Date of Birth: Friday, October 20, 1978
Place of Birth: Delhi
Information Source: Finance And Profession (Raj Kumar)
AstroSage Rating: Reference
About Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag Love Horoscope
Virender Sehwag Career Horoscope
Virender Sehwag Birth Horoscope/ birth chart/ kundli
Virender Sehwag 2015 Horoscope
Virender Sehwag Astrology Report
Virender Sehwag Images for Phrenology
Get Your Horoscope Now
A hard-hitting opening batsman with an excellent strike rate, Virendra Sehwag is now the backbone of the Indian cricket team. He was born on October 20, 1978 in Delhi.Virendra Sehwag the most dangerous batman of modern era also known as Viru. He is treated as one of the most hard-hitting opening batsman of all time. Some of the experts also went ahead to compare him with Sir Vivian Richards. Affectionately known as Viru, is one of the leading batsmen in the Indian cricket team. Sehwag is an aggressive right-handed opening batsman and an occasional right-arm off-spin bowler. Virendra Sehwag made a disastrous debut against Pakistan atMohali in the Pepsi Cup. His name was then shortlisted among the 19 probables for the 1999 World Cup in England but he did not make it to the final squad. But Sehwag made a strong comeback to the Indian team during the Australian tour of India in 2001-02. he was quoted by Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer as a sophisticated slogger. Sehwag was appointed as vice-captain of the Indian team under Rahul Dravid in October 2005. But over the years, his style has changed from "reckless hitting" to that of "controlled aggression", according to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald. Astrology explains his sudden rise and fall, and predicts years ahead
Read more on about Virender Sehwag horoscope
The position of Muntha is very favorable to Virender Sehwag. Just let go and enjoy the happiness that comes Virender Sehwag's way. At last Virender Sehwag can relax and enjoy the success and the results of the hard work Virender Sehwag had been doing for a long time. This period will also bring Virender Sehwag in the midst of famous people. Gain from foreign lands will build Virender Sehwag's status. Gains from superiors and higher authorities are also indicated. Virender Sehwag will get happiness from the life partner and children. There will be religious ceremony at home and name, fame and luck due to that. ....
Read more on Virender Sehwag 2015 horoscope
Virender Sehwag Birth Chart/ Kundli/ Birth Horoscope
A birth chart (also known as kundli, janma kundali, or horoscope) is a map of heaven at the time of birth. Virender Sehwag's birth chart will show you Virender Sehwag's planetary positions, dasa, rasi chart, and zodiac sign etc. It will also allow you to open Virender Sehwag's detailed horoscope in "AstroSage Cloud" for research and analysis.
Read more on Virender Sehwag Birth Chart
Virender Sehwag Astrology
Check more Astrology reports for Virender Sehwag -
Virender Sehwag Manglik / Mangal Dosha Report
Virender Sehwag Shani Sadesati Report
Virender Sehwag Dasha Phal Report
Virender Sehwag Transit 2015 horoscope
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Home Contacts Signup Login
All brands >>> Ford >>> Five Hundred
Summarization of Ford Five Hundred:
Ford Five Hundred have only one modification of doors quantity:4.
Car width is 74.5 mm.
Option Limited AWD 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl CVT) (2005) have min height 60.1. Option SEL 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 6A) (2007) have max height 61.5mm.
Car length is 200.7 mm.
Years production:2005 - 2007
Price deppend on modification from 22165$ (SE Fwd 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 6A) (2005)) to 28460$ (Limited 4dr Sedan AWD (3.0L 6cyl CVT) (2007))
Ford Five Hundred was equipped with only one option of the engine with 6 cylinders.
clearance of this car is 5.1 mm.
Related models:
Ford C-Max Energi
Ford Taurus X
Ford Tempo
Ford E-150
Ford Escape Hybrid
Ford Econoline Wagon
Ford Aerostar
Ford Explorer Sport Trac
Ford Mustang SVT Cobra
Ford F-150 Heritage
Ford Five Hundred information:
A Great Family Car Or A Disastrous Purchase? A Serious Question To Ask
After a long series of pickup trucks and minivans, Ford realized that it should have a formidable full-size car created, as to offer a new choice for a family car, as well as to challenge its competition in that area as well. As a result, the Ford Five Hundred was created and released, with the aim of completing the full size sedan arsenal of the Ford family. In general, it didn’t quite reach the popularity which was aimed for, and it is certainly not a popular purchase today. While it managed to keep a decent performance in several areas on level, there are some major downfalls which ultimately made that car somewhat of a mediocre choice.
What are the noteworthy characteristics of this model?
The Ford Five Hundred officially went into production in the year 2005. It came just after Ford Taurus, but its production spree the last too long. In fact, it was finished by the year 2007. It was supposed to come in three trim levels, the SE, SEL and limited, but throughout the last year of production, the SE has been canceled, as the production came to an end. What users were particularly pleased with was the spacious, comfortable design, which is certainly going to be very appealing to a family. The overall design has quite a few similarities to the year 2000’s Ford Prodigy, and it is believed that the Ford Five Hundred’s design was mostly based on that model. With an air-conditioning feature and the simulated wood trim on the dashboard, leather trims on the shifting knob; it proved to have all of the basics covered. It had the 17 inch alloy wheels and null tires, with a temporary spare tire stored in the back, for convenience.
How much of customization should I be expecting?
Despite how old it is, the Ford Five Hundred has quite a few notable upgrades available. There evenly balanced, able to boost both the interior and exterior design, as well as the performance. You will be able to change the look of the grille, the sidebars, upgrade the brakes and exhausts, as well as provide some of the minor changes to the interior as well. In addition to that, you will be able to shop for spare parts, which means that if anything goes wrong at any point, you will be secured .It is a pleasing choice, seeing as not every car which was this old was able to provide some of the upgrades you can see in this model. This makes it possible for you to customize the car across several aspects, which is always a positive trait.
What about the engine?
This is the area in which the Ford Five Hundred doesn’t seem to perform quite as well as you would expect. Although it’s uses a 3.0L V-6 engine with 24 valves, the overall impression is that the acceleration and the speed it can achieve are quite subpar. It uses the six speed automatic transmission, as well as the multipoint fuel injection system. The torque has been able to reach 207 lb –ft at 4500rpm, while the overall engine power is at 203hp at 5750rpm. With those specifications, this car is quite is able to provide you with any notable speed boosts, although admittedly it does perform on a decent level. Granted, it could be much better than what it currently is.
How much fuel is it expected to spend?
The Ford Five Hundred can’t quite brag with the fuel economy either, seeing as the painfully small fuel tank, and what could be considered fairly decent fuel consumption won’t really improve the overall state this car is in. The fuel tank can hold up to 20 gallons of fuel, and the 20mpg doesn’t really help that either. This most certainly calls for frequent refills, which isn’t something consumers would be particularly excited about. Still, with an overall decent performance this car has shown to exhibit, this could still make a very viable choice for someone looking for a cheap car to purchase. The fuel it uses is the unleaded fuel.
Is the safety well-managed?
Thankfully, the Ford Five Hundred happens to excel in this area, which would only be acceptable, seeing as this was supposed to be a family car. The crash test ratings came up extremely high, with the small exception in the rollover resistance area. Other than that, this car happens to have a few safety features as well. Initially, as the car went into production, the overhead airbag has been an optional upgrade a buyer could purchase. In later editions, however, it became part of the standard equipment. There is an occupant sensing airbag, a security system which would help prevent thefts, a panic alarm, the engine immobilizer and an optional upgrade which could get you the traction control as well. The amazing level of the safety is one of the main reasons this qualifies as quite a good purchase for a family car.
Should I consider it is a purchase?
If you are still wondering whether or not would it be worth to purchase the Ford Five Hundred, you can join the club of many users which have the similar opinion. A handful of useful features make it a great choice, while the inevitably horrible engine performance certainly makes you consider your other options before settling for this one. In any case, you should know that the Ford Five Hundred has actually been remade and rebranded in the year 2008. It was given the name of the Ford Taurus, and while it resembles this model in every single way, the major issue of the acceleration we had here has been successfully dealt with. It is worth knowing that you can get practically the same car with a good engine performance. However, if you really do want to get this one, be prepared to face what seems to be at least a mediocre engine performance. It would be a much better idea to get the rebranded model, in order to be able to successfully avoid any of the problems you are bound to meet if you purchase the Ford Five Hundred. If the engine performance was handled in a good way, the car might have had a chance to become popular.
Ford Five Hundred Images:
Ford Five Hundred #1
Ford Five Hundred Image #1
Ford Five Hundred interior
Ford Five Hundred interior #1
ford-five-hundred-interior.jpg
ford-five-hundred-interior-1.jpg
Ford Five Hundred engine
Ford Five Hundred engine #1
ford-five-hundred-engine.jpg
ford-five-hundred-engine-1.jpg
Ford Five Hundred black
Ford Five Hundred black #1
ford-five-hundred-black.jpg
ford-five-hundred-black-1.jpg
Ford Five Hundred white
Ford Five Hundred white #1
ford-five-hundred-white.jpg
ford-five-hundred-white-1.jpg
Ford Five Hundred red
Ford Five Hundred red #1
ford-five-hundred-red.jpg
ford-five-hundred-red-1.jpg
Ford Five Hundred wheels
Ford Five Hundred wheels #1
ford-five-hundred-wheels.jpg
ford-five-hundred-wheels-1.jpg
Ford Five Hundred modifications:
All Ford Five Hundred years
modification price cylinder wheels doors width x length x height clearance
SE Fwd 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 6A) (2005)
22,165$ 6 front wheel drive 4 74.5 x 200.7 x 60.1 5.1
SEL AWD 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl CVT) (2005)
25,965$ 6 all wheel drive 4 74.5 x 200.7 x 60.1 5.1
SE AWD 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl CVT) (2005)
SEL Fwd 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 6A) (2005)
Limited Fwd 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 6A) (2005)
Limited AWD 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl CVT) (2005)
SEL 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 6A) (2006 - 2007)
23,035$ 6 front wheel drive 4 74.5 x 200.7 x 61.5
SE 4dr Sedan AWD (3.0L 6cyl CVT) (2006)
24,080$ 6 all wheel drive 4 74.5 x 200.7 x 61.5
SE 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl CVT) (2006)
Limited 4dr Sedan AWD (3.0L 6cyl CVT) (2006 - 2007)
Limited 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 6A) (2006 - 2007)
SEL 4dr Sedan AWD (3.0L 6cyl CVT) (2006 - 2007)
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Brainy Betty
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Business Quotations & Success Secrets
Start or spice up your presentation with a famous or eye-opening quote...
"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."
-- George S. Patton(1885-1945), American military leader
"One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man."
-- Elbert Hubbard
"The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work."
-- Arthur Brisbane, American journalist (1864-1910)
"I am what I am today because of the choices I made yesterday."
"Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or the last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory."
"Continue to be yourself because in the end that's what people will remember about you."
"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."
--- Leo Tolstoy
"Life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by so quick you hardly catch it going."
--- Tennessee Williams
"Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible."
"WORK...Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Half effort does not produce half results, it produces no results. Work, continuous work and hard work, it the only way to accomplish results that last."
--- Hamilton Holt
"I'd rather be a failure at something I love than a success at something I hate."
--- George Burns
"Your attitude shall determine your altitude."
"The superior man is modest in his speech, but excels in his actions."
--- Confucius
"I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it."
--- Thomas Jefferson
"The greater the challenge, the greater the glory."
--- Lorrin L. Lee
"We must open the doors of opportunity. But we must also equip our people to walk through those doors."
-- Lyndon B. Johnson
"Take away my people, but leave my factories, and soon grass will grow on the factory floors. Take away my factories, but leave my people, and soon we will have a new and better factory."
-- Andrew Carnegie
"We are drowning in information but starved for knowledge."
-- John Naisbitt
Success: We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.
Risk: You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.
Imagination: A mind stretched by new ideas never regains its original dimensions.
Opportunity: You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
Effort: Life does not require us to be the biggest or the best. It only asks that we try.
Teamwork: There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching out and lifting people up.
Excellence: Some succeed because they are destined to. Others succeed because they are determined to. (which are you?)
Attitude: If it is to be, it is up to me.
Teamwork: Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to achieve uncommon results.
Courage: In the end the only people who fail are those who do not try.
"A true measure of your worth includes all the benefits others have gained from your success."
--- Cullen Hightower
---> FOCUS <---
F--ollow
O--ne
C--ourse
U--ntil
S--uccessful
"The road to happiness lies in two simple principles: find what it is that interests you and that you can do well, and when you find it, put your whole soul into it ---every bit of energy and ambition and natural ability you have."
--- John D. Rockefeller III
"When written in Chinese, the word "crisis" is composed of two characters.One represents danger, and the other represents opportunity."
--- John F. Kennedy
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Ken Sanchez - District 1
2014 Swim Passes Available
Ditch the Ditches
2014 Swim Passes Available Ditch and Water Safety Task Force launched the 2014 Swim Pass kick-off event and unveiled the new "Ditch Critters" http://www.cabq.gov/council/find-your-councilor/district-1/news/2014-swim-passes-available http://www.cabq.gov/council/find-your-councilor/district-1/news/2014-swim-passes-available/@@download/image/Ditch the Ditches.jpg
Ditch and Water Safety Task Force launched the 2014 Swim Pass kick-off event and unveiled the new "Ditch Critters"
Task Force’s ‘Swim and Play Pass’ Aimed at Keeping Kids Safe
Council President Ken Sanchez joined the Albuquerque Fire Department, Albuquerque Aquatics, Griffin Associates and children from the community to kick off the Ditch and Water Safety Task Forces 19th year of the “Swim and Play Pass” Program. They also unveiled their new campaign mascots and brand, the “Ditch Critters.”
In an effort to organize a public education campaign for the children of Albuquerque and the surrounding areas, the Task Force has been providing both educational presentations throughout the school year and swim passes in the summers to children to give them safe playing alternatives to keep them out of ditches and arroyos.
Free One-Day Admission
Flash flooding can occur quickly, causing serious injuries and death to children who play in ditches and arroyos, so for the last 18 years, The Ditch and Water Safety Task Force has organized the Swim and Play Pass Program, a lifesaving public education program which provides passes for children under 17. The passes are good for a free one-day admission at specific City of Albuquerque or Bernalillo County Pools.
The program kicks off with the opening of City and County pools and runs through September 1st.
Passes are available at:
Albuquerque Fire Stations,
Albuquerque Police Substations,
the Bernalillo County Fire Departments,
Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Departments, KOB-TV, and Mechanical Concepts, while supplies last.
Parents need to talk to their children and remind them to never go into the area arroyos and ditches. Even if it is sunny in town, if it has been raining in the mountains, the arroyos will fill with water. And the banks along the ditches can be dangerous areas to hang
What’s the Danger?
Although arroyos and ditches can appear harmless, it's important to remember that a flash flood, New Mexico's number one natural disaster, can occur at any moment. Drowning victims have ranged in age from two years to 87 years old.
Here's what you need to know about ditches and arroyos:
Ditches are mud-lined waterways that run north to south, parallel to the Rio Grande River.
Arroyos are cement or dirt-lined waterways that run east to west or west to east
Ditches are usually filled with water from March 1st to October 31st of every year.
The banks are slippery and the ditches are often filled with debris. It is never safe to be in a ditch.
The water in ditches can move up to 20 miles an hour! Some ditches have undertows. If you're caught in one of these your chances of getting out of are very slim.
99 percent of the Arroyos are dry, so it is tempting to walk, jog, skateboard, or rollerblade in them.
When water fills in an arroyo it fills very quickly, known as flash flooding. Water can move as quickly as 40 mph in an arroyo.
The Ditch & Water Safety Task Force
The Ditch & Water Safety Task Force is an organization dedicated to eliminating ditch and arroyo injuries and deaths through education. Formed in 1983, members include: Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority (AMAFCA); Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District; City of Albuquerque; Bernalillo County; and Sandoval County.
The task force's goal is to maintain zero drowning’s in the ditch and arroyo systems. This is accomplished by making over 100 safety presentations per year to elementary schools, middle schools and adult organizations and participation in special events throughout the year.
For more information on the Ditch and Water Safety Task Force visit ditchtheditches.com, or call (505) 764-4444 ext. 241.
Contact Your City Councilor
About the Councilor
Celebrated and Current District 1 Projects
District 1 Councilor Expenses
Isaac Benton - District 2
Klarissa J. Peña - District 3
Brook Bassan - District 4
Cynthia D. Borrego - District 5
Pat Davis - District 6
Trudy E. Jones - District 8
Don Harris - District 9
Tweets by @ABQCityCouncil
Elaine Romero
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Legal tips and questions to check before signing your child's indemnity form Senior Associate at Webber Wentzel Justin Malherbe explains the scope of indemnity forms and what to look for in the fine print. 21 January 2020 7:59 AM
Our movement for change is coming! - Mmusi Maimane "… we are definitely going to participate in the 2021 local government elections...," says former Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba. 20 January 2020 1:16 PM
Differently abled Tarryn Tomlinson is climbing Kilimanjaro for a worthy cause
6 December 2019 11:14 AM
Tarryn Tomlinson
Tarryn developed rheumatoid arthritis at age 18 and is dedicated to helping create accessible spaces for wheelchair access.
CapeTalk Breakfast's trailblazer this week is embarking on a five-day journey to summit Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for Sigi Children's Centre in Tanzania and the charity she works with the Bambini Dream Foundation. But this is no ordinary summit.
After developing rheumatoid arthritis, a long-term progressive and disabling autoimmune disease when she was 18, Tarryn has been using a wheelchair since.
Tarryn is an accessibility and inclusion auditor for hotels and public spaces, visiting sites and checking building plans and facilities to ensure necessary details aren’t overlooked for people with disabilities.
She chats to Refilwe about her challenging journey and conquering Kilimanjaro in her wheelchair.
It was not a decision I took lightly and has been two years in the planning.
The organisation that inspired her and has helped her prepare is called Guts to Glory, which helps athletes who are differently-abled to reach their objectives in the athletic space.
She says she will be accompanied by four guides to help her.
Although it is not a steep-faced climb, there are areas of the Kiliminjaro assent where she will not be able to pull herself up, she says.
On the last day at the top, there are going to be eight hours of basically having people carry me up.
The full team comprises six people, including two amputees.
It's called the crazy chick challenge.
Take a listen below:
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Senior Associate at Webber Wentzel Justin Malherbe explains the scope of indemnity forms and what to look for in the fine print.
Roger Lucey remembers the life of SA music legend Steve Fataar
Renowned guitarist Steve Fataar died in the early hours of Saturday morning, just hours after performing at a gig in Durban.
10 babies die from drug-resistanct bacteria at Tembisa Hospital
Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku says the cause is overcrowding andTembisa neonatal ICU has 40 beds and over 90 babies.
SAHRC to represent Mpianzi family in lawsuit against Parktown Boys, Edu dept
The teenager drowned at an orientation camp in the North West last week and his body was later found in the Crocodile River.
Police search for twin baby boy abducted by fake social worker
A woman claiming to be a social worker approached a Khayelitsha mom last week and abducted one of her twin boys.
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Which direction? At Jacob the Angel, Neal’s Yard
It is easy to miss Jacob the Angel as you enter Neal’s Yard, but an angel above the hoarding gives it away.
Jacob the Angel is tucked into Neal’s Yard in London’s Covent Garden. Named after Thomas Neale (1641-1699), Neal’s Yard is part of his development which is now known as Seven Dials. And rather like the larger 17th century development, this cafe-physics review of Jacob the Angel has a similar dilemma: so many avenues to explore, each wrestling for attention, which one to pursue?
But first the coffee. Roasted by Square Mile, coffee is available as the usual espresso based drinks or on V60 pour over. I had a Rwandan V60 that was full bodied and full of treacle like flavours. Owing to the geometry of the cafe, I didn’t get to check my ‘flavour notes’ against what the tasting notes thought I should perceive. The cafe space itself is fairly small but with a surprising amount of seating. Given this, it can feel a bit close as you squeeze past some of the people sitting down in order to place your order, (hence not double checking the tasting notes) however that is quickly set aside as you can gaze at the large selection of cakes (all with allergens clearly marked) arrayed on the counter.
On the walls of the cafe were paragraphs about the history of coffee and how a man named Jacob opened Britain’s first Coffee House in 1651 at the Angel Inn (in Oxford). The coffee itself came presented in a manner that was reminiscent of solar eclipses, while the sink next to our table was strikingly similar to those in my A-level chemistry lab. Unable to dissociate my memories of the sink with the reality of the environment at Jacob the Angel, it was a bit shocking when someone came to fill their glass of tap water there – don’t they realise what could have been in that sink?! Each thought train surfacing as a potential direction for the review, but then, above me, something moved. Looking up it was clear that a plant that was hooked to the ceiling was moving in a draught, but where was the breeze coming from? A small air-conditioning/heater unit was on the other side of the coffee house, circulating the air that was moving the plants.
Plants above the tables at Jacob the Angel. How do they move in the breeze?
The moving plant had appeared to my peripheral vision as if it was floating in the breeze or perhaps flying. Now clearly there cannot be a flying plant, but in some ways the swaying leaves do illustrate the fluidity of air, which is a necessity for flight. The moving air demonstrates how the air imparts a force to the leaves (and the pot) causing them to sway. For things that genuinely fly this would be experienced as ‘drag’ – something that we have probably all experienced, even when not flying. Drag is increased if the object moving through the fluid (air) has a larger surface area perpendicular to the direction of movement: all being equal, bigger objects experience more drag. Imagine moving a spoon through coffee, it is easier to move a stirring stick rather than a tablespoon. But then, drag also depends in a non-trivial way on the shape of the object and how that changes the vortex wake behind it (look again at the spoon and how the vortices form behind it as it is dragged through coffee, you do not see those so easily with a stirring stick).
It is partly this sort of shape effect that seems to be behind Orsted’s recent restatement of the calculation of the amount of energy that their off shore wind farms can generate. By actually going out and measuring the air flow around the off shore wind farms, Orsted discovered that the air flow (which would be used to generate power) is affected not just by the individual windmill (as had been known and calculated), but its neighbours and the way these combine into the shape of the wind farm. There is still a lot we don’t understand about exactly how spoons move through coffee.
Vortices behind a spoon dragged through coffee.
But there is also a connection to a different type of “flying machine” if only through the name of the coffee house. For it was from the Angel Inn in (what is now) Aldwych that, more than 250 years ago, that an unusual ‘flight’ took place*. It was described in an advertisement in the paper:
“On Monday, the 5th of April 1762, will set out from the Angel Inn behind St Clements Church in the Strand…. a neat flying machine, carrying four passengers, on steel springs and sets out at four o’clock in the morning, and goes to Salisbury the same evening, and returns from Salisbury the next morning at the same hour… Each passenger to pay 23 shillings for their fare, and to be allowed 14lb weight baggage”.
How many more avenues could be followed while enjoying a slow coffee at this small but fascinating little cafe? Do let me know what you ‘see’ next time you visit.
Jacob the Angel is in Neal’s Yard, Seven Dials, London.
*”London Coffee Houses” by Bryant Lillywhite, pub. 1963
Posted on January 15, 2020 by beanthinking — No Response ↓
TAGS: air flow, Angel Inn Aldwych, coffee Covent Garden, coffee house, coffee houses London, drag, flying machines, history, Jacob the Angel, off shore windfarms, Orsted, vortices | FILED UNDER: Uncategorized | Permalink
Goodbye to the take-away cup
Back in April 2017 I was given a “completely compostable” disposable cup in order to try some batch brew. But how “compostable” is “completely compostable” really? It needed to be tested! And so, once it was empty, the cup was placed into a worm composting bin and left to see how long it took to compost.
Each week I took a photograph of the cup to see how it was composting, the results of which were made into the film below. How long did it take? You can watch the film or scroll past to find out more:
Did it compost?
110 weeks! That is more than two years in the worm bin. Is that how long you thought it would take? When things are marked “compostable”, even when they are marked with a regulatory compostable mark like EN13432 or ASTM6400, this usually means the item is compostable only in an industrial setting. Industrial composting facilities are kept at 58C, very far from the conditions found in a London based worm bin (more details here) or indeed from most people’s idea of a compost bin.
The OK Vincotte label is for items that are supposed to be genuinely “home” compostable. Will this bag from Amoret coffee compost in the worm bin? It is in there now but as we are in winter, the worms have slowed down to such an extent that it would not be fair to start a new #willitcompost just yet.
What about defining labels for a genuine “home” composting environment? The problem here is that a worm composting bin in London will be very different from a more conventional compost heap in a tropical country. How can you define one set of conditions that are universally applicable? One label that tries is “OK Vincotte” but it seems quite rare and indeed I have only seen this once ‘in the wild’: on bags of Amoret roasted coffee (see picture). Have you spotted them anywhere else?
The conclusion from all this? We all need to think about how we each can live more simply and sustainably. Perhaps a re-usable cup will be part of the way that you do this. (Some of them are reviewed by Brian’s coffeespot linked here). Or maybe you’ll opt to drink your coffee to-stay. Whatever else it involves though, it can’t be by putting each “compostable” take-away coffee cup we consume in a worm composting bin in London or imagining that they will somehow compost in a landfill!
Do let me know what you are doing to address the issues of your own coffee waste either in the comments below, on Twitter or over on Facebook. I look forward to continuing the discussion there.
Posted on January 8, 2020 by beanthinking — No Response ↓
TAGS: #willitcompost, compost, compostability, disposable coffee cup, living more simply, take away coffee cup, waste, worm bin, worm bin in London, worm composting | FILED UNDER: Uncategorized | Permalink
Ringing in the New Decade
Sometime this week I’ll brew this with a V60 and adapt an ‘examen’ to help me review 2019. I was thrilled to be able to meet the farmers, Dania and Desiree, at Amoret coffee earlier this year. One of the things I’m sure will feature in my ‘gratitude’ examen.
Each New Year is an opportunity to look back at the previous year, anticipate the future year and perhaps make resolutions to improve our lives, or even of those of people around us. Maybe this is even more true this year which is not just the start of a year, but of a decade.
This year I have been lucky to meet, or to continue friendship with, many people who have taught me all sorts of things about life, physics and coffee. There have also been some great finds of some fantastic cafes, trying to make a difference to their local community while serving excellent coffee.
And yet, as the year or the decade turns and we resolve to get fitter, pay more attention to sustainability or whatever seems important to us right now, we will inevitably take our existing selves into the new day and our resolutions will meet the reality of who we are: a bell rings at certain frequencies owing to the resonances of the vibration on the surface of the bell. The resonances of the bell depend on its exact shape and size, it is not easy to change the sound of the bell unless you change its temperature or even the interior to a different gas or muffle. (You can see images of how a violin vibrates at resonance here). The surface of a coffee resonates similarly, if we put it on a vibrating surface with a frequency that matches the fundamental vibrations of the surface. Nonetheless, thinking about these resonances can take us in surprising directions. The mathematics that describes them was developed by Friedrich Bessel (1784-1846) but, Bessel was not thinking about resonances when he formulated what is now known as Bessel functions. And it is possible, his life may have taken a very different direction were it not what happened from 1799.
Resonating coffee.
In the new year of January 1799, when he was just 14, Bessel was apprenticed to an imports and exports company with the hope that he would become an accountant. And maybe we would have heard no more about him had he not got interested in the problem of longitude and solving the navigational issues of the time, important for the company for which he was working. This issue got him thinking about astronomy and he caught the attention of the authorities of an observatory who gave him a job there and encouraged his observations and interest. But it was while thinking about “many body problems” or how multiple massive objects interact with each other via gravity that he came up with the mathematical description that we now know as Bessel functions. It is these Bessel functions that also describe the resonances on a bell and in a coffee cup.
What links coffee to the Sun? So many things! But for the purpose of this post, we can find clues as to the interior of stars by watching the way they vibrate, analogously to a bell. What would Bessel think? Image © NSO/AURA/NSF
What does this leave us with in our thoughts for 2020? That what we are interested by may lead us to discoveries in various tangential and scarcely believable connections? That what we plan for our lives may not be how they have to end up? That it benefits us to stop for 5, 10 minutes, even half an hour and just contemplate our world in our coffee? (ok, that last one did not come from Bessel). Where-ever your paths lead and your interests lie, happy new year! May the 2020s be a decade where we can all slow down, notice, contemplate and appreciate the beauty of this strangely connected world which is our home.
TAGS: 2020, bell, Bessel, examen, Longitude, resonance, vibrations | FILED UNDER: Uncategorized | Permalink
A Weight-y issue
Waves on the surface of of a coffee. But what do we know about gravity driven waves rather than surface tension driven ones?
Ever swung a bucket of coffee round in circles swooping down towards the floor and then over your head? Why would you, you may well ask? Well, the answer may surprise you. It’s all about turbulence.
We have probably all come across turbulence, perhaps by watching how milk is added to a black coffee or seeing the steam interact with the air as it evaporates off a hot mug of tea. But it turns out that there is a lot that we do not yet understand about turbulence and this is where the bucket of coffee comes in.
Waves on the surface of a coffee can be dominated by gravity or capillary effects. Capillary waves are short wavelength (higher frequency) waves that are forced into oscillation by the effects of the surface tension of the liquid pulling the surface of the coffee back into shape once its been distorted. Gravity waves are longer wavelength (lower frequency) waves where the disturbed surface of the coffee is pulled back into shape by gravitational effects rather than surface tension effects.
Benjamin Franklin famously stilled the (capillary) waves on one of Clapham Common’s ponds by adding just a teaspoon of oil to it.
The frequency at which there is a crossover from gravity dominated waves to capillary dominated waves is dependent on both the density and surface tension of the liquid as well as the strength of the gravitational acceleration experienced by the mug of coffee. (We’re getting to the bucket). On Earth, the gravitational acceleration is 9.8m/s, the ratio of a liquid’s density to surface tension is quite similar for many liquids and so the transition frequency between these two regimes is generally in the region of 10Hz.
What this means is that if you wanted to study the turbulence affecting one type of wave only you could measure at higher frequency (and so measure capillary waves) or measure the turbulence in a liquid in lower gravity eg. on the International Space Station (so that capillary waves dominate at lower frequencies too). But both of these types of measurement don’t give any insight into what’s happening to turbulent waves sustained by gravity, such as Rossby waves which travel the whole circumference of planets with atmospheres and affect the weather in different parts of the globe.
So how could you study turbulence in the gravity dominated surface waves of water? It goes back to the bucket mentioned earlier. By putting a freely moving bucket (the authors called it a ‘gondola’) at the end of the arm of a centrifuge of 8 m diameter, the authors of a recent paper created an effective gravitational force on a liquid of up to 20x the value of the Earth’s gravitational acceleration. It’s sort of like the bucket of coffee being whirled around in a circle apart from a lot bigger and capable of moving at up to 67 rpm! This meant that they could measure the effects of turbulence on gravity driven waves up to about 100Hz allowing them a large frequency range over which to compare their results to theoretical predictions.
Turbulence comes in many forms: What do you see in your coffee cup?
And when they did so, they proved one nagging problem for theoreticians studying turbulence: the size of the ‘container’ becomes important, something that models had previously neglected. For the 23cm wide bucket of distilled water used by the authors, this may be something that we can easily visualise but the research has consequences for how we understand the Rossby waves that circle our planet as well as the large wavelength waves in oceans. Slightly more connected with coffee (or at least doughnuts), the results are also important for understanding turbulence in plasma waves in tokamaks.
You may have better things to do over the holidays than swirl a bucket of coffee round and round while watching for the waves on top of it, but if you are stuck for something to do…
Posted on December 23, 2019 by beanthinking — No Response ↓
TAGS: capillary waves, centrifuge, gravity, gravity waves, happy Christmas, swing a coffee in a bucket, turbulence | FILED UNDER: Uncategorized | Permalink
Coffee inside Kopiku, Sri Hartamas, KL
The gate advertising Kopiku. It leads to somebody’s garden
Kopiku means “my coffee”, a very apt name for coffee sold direct from the coffee farmer through their own cafe. Many cafes will be able to share with you their ‘directly traded’ coffee where the cafe has a one to one relation with the coffee farmer. But Kopiku takes this one stage further because Kopiku is run by the farming family themselves.
Kopiku is along a residential street in Sri Hartamas in Kuala Lumpur. We came across it because of the not-so-subtle painting on the (open) gate leading up to somebody’s backyard: “Coffee inside”. Driving past this one day prompted a curiosity, would this be good coffee? What sort of cafe operates from somebody’s garden? As it turns out it is a very good coffee from a small farm in Indonesia. The cafe opened back in August when the son of the family came over to study in Malaysia. When we first visited, there was only one other table there, the second time we visited it was packed. It seems that word is spreading and Kopiku is (deservedly) getting popular.
There are a few chairs and tables scattered around the small garden where you can sit and enjoy your freshly brewed coffee. Although the coffee is currently prepared as standard espresso based drinks, the beans are available for retail at an astonishingly reasonable price. I enjoyed a good conversation with the owner/barista talking about how best to bring out the fruity notes of the coffee (a pour over on a cold day apparently), something I plan to test when the beans come with me back to London. And how best to roast the coffee for different effects. The coffee is roasted on the farm and then sent over to Malaysia every couple of weeks so it is guaranteed to be fresh.
The coffee bean bag from Kopiku. Some of these beans are coming back with me to London to test the suggestion of the cafe owner that it’s best enjoyed as a pour over during colder weather.
Inside the garden, there is a bookshelf with an interesting selection of titles. I have sometimes wondered, when faced with similar bookshelves, whether you could make a story from the titles of the books at the end of each row. But then the fish in the tank near the shaded seats (where we sat on our first occasion in the cafe) and the waterfall feature on the wall (near where we sat on our second visit) offered different things to think about.
For a start, there is the fact that the water, falling down the 2m high granite wall, seems to stick to it. There was no splatter from the surface, it was as if a film of water was slipping down the rocks into the pool below. Initially this prompted thoughts on waterproof vs hydrophilic surfaces and their connection with coffee rings/stains and printing technology. And yet, something in the water fall was a bit more mesmerising. Watching the sheet of water flow into the small pond below, considering the energy taken to pump it up to the top of the wall again so that it could cascade down.
Which brings us up against a problem, along with part of a solution: how best to transition towards renewable electricity energy sources? Wind power is very good while it is windy, and solar while it is sunny, but how do we store the electricity generated then so that it can be released when we need it on calm, dark nights (or at other times of low generation)?
One of the older solutions for this problem turns out to look somewhat similar to the water feature at Kopiku: pumped hydro storage. The idea is frighteningly simple. When electricity is needed, water cascading down from a high level reservoir to a lower level reservoir can drive turbines and thereby generate electricity. But when a lot of electricity is being generated but demand is low, the water from the lower level reservoir can be pumped up back to the top (using the surplus electricity) ready to be allowed to cascade down and regenerate electricity as and when it is needed.
Nitrogen flasks at Chin Chin (London). A solution for energy storage as well as for ice cream?
A similar solution uses liquid nitrogen: during windy or sunny times when a lot of electricity is being generated, the surplus electricity is used to compress nitrogen and turn it into a liquid (which is very cold at -196C). Storing the nitrogen is quite easy, effectively it is stored in giant thermos flasks and, when these are well maintained, doesn’t result in that much loss of liquid over many days. When the electricity is needed on the grid, the nitrogen liquid is allowed to return to room temperature and so expands rapidly to form nitrogen gas. This expansion can be used to drive turbines which generates electricity and returns it to the network as and when it is needed.
Incidentally, that rapid expansion of liquid nitrogen into a gas can be a problem in labs like the one in which I run experiments. If 1L of liquid nitrogen is allowed to suddenly heat and become a gas, it forms, roughly 700L of nitrogen gas. In a closed space this could result in oxygen displacement and so the people in the lab could suffocate. Generally each nitrogen ‘flask’ in our lab contains 200L. You do the maths but we ensure we have good procedures in place (including oxygen sensors) to ensure that we can experiment with liquid nitrogen safely, and have fun.
The space for coffee at Kopiku however is very open and, even were nitrogen present, could not ever cause a problem! A lovely environment in which to enjoy some lovely coffee. Do sit back and let me know what you notice when you ponder your surroundings.
Kopiku is at Jalan Sri Hartamas 1. Look for the gate!
Posted on December 4, 2019 by beanthinking — No Response ↓
TAGS: Coffee in Malaysia, Kopiku, my coffee, pumped hydrostorage, renewable energy, Sri Hartamas | FILED UNDER: Uncategorized | Permalink
Searching for the light at Alchemist, Singapore
Almost a hole in the wall. Alchemist in the Hong Leong building was a welcome break from the heat of Singapore.
Is coffee a diuretic? Perhaps it seems strange to start a review of a fantastic little cafe with such a question, but all will become clear. Or will it?
Alchemist coffee in Singapore’s Raffles Quay district was a serendipitous find. A small outlet, almost a deep hole in the wall (with bench seating) in the middle of a walkway through a building. The shady walkway is the sort of space in Singapore that you duck into in order to avoid the glare of the Sun and take brief advantage of the air-conditioning in the otherwise powerful heat. And yet, escaping into this passageway, I was immediately struck by the aroma of the coffee indicating that a speciality coffee store was nearby. On noticing the queue of customers coming out of the door, this was definitely marked as a cafe to return to at a quieter time.
Returning a bit later we noticed that, at these quieter times, it was possible to have a pour over of some locally roasted coffee. I tried the Kenyan with currant and hawthorn tasting notes as, although I forage for hawthorn in the autumn in the UK in order to make brown sauces, it is unusual to find it as a tasting note there. We watched as great care was taken to prepare the pour over (Kalita wave) and the barista took a small glass of the coffee to try before serving it to me in the pre-warmed cup. Which marked another point of interest in this small cafe, although you may expect such a small outlet to serve only take-away coffee, even for customers who want to sit on the two bench seats that line the sides of the shop, the coffee is in fact served in a proper cup, an excellent point to see. Alchemist is actually three cafes, the one that I tried in Raffles Quay and two others, with the larger branch at the International Plaza being where they also roast the coffee.
Inside there is a rack of items for sale that include freshly roasted coffee and filters for the Kalita wave
A rack of items for sale featured filters for the Kalita wave as well as bags of the coffee roasted by Alchemist. And while initially this prompted thoughts of the differences in fluid dynamics between the Kalita wave (flat bottomed, ridged filters) and the Hario V60 (conical, flat walled filters), the reflections of the lights above in the coffee below turned this thought train in quite a different direction.
Like the cafe Alchemist, in some senses the discovery of the element phosphorus was an accidental affair. Accidental in the sense that Hennig Brand (~1630-92) who discovered it, was looking for something quite different: gold. Brand was an alchemist in the original sense of the word and, for whatever reason, thought that he may find a source of production of gold in urine.
Who knows how much urine he had to store and had to boil before he noticed its glow in the dark properties that were caused by the element phosphorus? Brand’s discovery occurred after the introduction of coffee into European coffee house culture, could its reputation as a diuretic have helped in the discovery of phosphorus? While entirely speculative, what is clear is that the name ‘phosphorus’ comes from the Greek and means the bringer of light (phos). The element phosphorus is used in many fertilisers as well as in matches.
Turning coffee into gold. This bag of Guatemalan beans has proved to be great in the Aeropress.
The name of the element “phosphorus” conjures up terms such as phosphorescence, fluorescence and luminescence. While we sometimes use the term phosphorescence to describe substances that glow in the dark. This is because phosphorescent materials absorb higher energy light (such as UV) and then re-emit it some time later (which can even be hours after being ‘excited’ by the higher energy light such as sunlight). Fluorescent materials on the other hand also emit lower energy light as a result of the substance absorbing higher energy light, but they do so fairly immediately. Strictly speaking however the ‘glow in the dark’ properties of phosphorus do not come from phosphorescence but chemiluminescence: it glows in the dark because it emits light as a result of a chemical reaction, in this case oxidation.
The lights on the ceiling in the Alchemist were of the fluorescent type and so we may think that our connections with Hennig Brand and the alchemists of old are limited to the speculations on the name. But we’d miss one detail were we to do so. Fluorescent lights can use a voltage to excite mercury vapour to emit light in the (high energy) ultra violet region. This UV then interacts with a coating on the inside of the glass tube of the light which then fluoresces to give the light that we see reflected on our coffee. The substance that provides the coating? What else but phosphorus.
From Germany to Singapore, alchemy to Alchemist, and even urine to coffee, the reflections, metaphorical and actual, between the chemists of old and the baristas of now, consist of more than just the name.
Alchemist (Singapore) is in the Hong Leong building (Raffles Quay that was tried here) as well as the International Plaza (where they roast the coffee) and the Khong Guan building.
Posted on November 13, 2019 by beanthinking — No Response ↓
TAGS: Alchemist Singapore, Alchemy, chemiluminescence, Coffee in Singapore, diuretic, fluorescence, Hennig Brand, Hong Leong building coffee, phosphorescence, phosphorous, Raffles Quay coffee, urine | FILED UNDER: Uncategorized | Permalink
Espressos in the evening
Where it all happens. Amoret Coffee in Notting Hill.
Two weeks ago saw the latest in the series of “coffee and science” evenings at Amoret Coffee in Notting Hill. Designed to be informal (and hopefully conversational), each evening explores a different aspect of the interaction and connections between coffee and science (or more specifically, physics). This time, we were also very fortunate to be joined by Ricardo of La Lomita coffee farm in Columbia.
Last time we had investigated foam and so this time we looked more at the base of the cappuccino: espressos. We started off with Sadiq of Amoret preparing a pour over (this time of an Ethiopian) in order for us to feel coffee focussed before leaping into a discussion of the extraction of espressos. And an experiment! How does the extraction of the espresso vary with the strength? We were exploring the extraction-strength relation described on Barista Hustle. Three espressos were prepared by Sadiq: one that was spot on, one that was under extracted and one that was left for too long to percolate through the puck. How did they taste and compare? While various participants took to the very important, but ultimately subjective, taste tests, Sadiq used the Total Dissolved Solids meter to explore how ‘strong’ the coffee was in terms of the percentage of dissolved solids. The extraction on the other hand is a function of the time of the brew and as more water goes through the espresso puck and the shot pull time gets longer, the strength of the coffee (as measured by the percentage total dissolved solids) can get relatively lower as the espresso yield (the size of the drink) gets larger.
The total dissolved solids meter uses the different refractive indexes of coffee and water to measure the amount of coffee dissolved in the beverage. The refractive index is what causes a straw to appear to bend when it is put in a glass of water.
A note on the physics here: the total dissolved solids meter uses the refractive index of the coffee to evaluate the ‘strength’. According to Illy*, the refractive index of a strong espresso is 1.341 at 20C. In comparison water has a refractive index (at 20C) of 1.333. Assuming light enters the coffee at an angle of 20 degrees, this means that the difference in the refraction of the light between coffee and ordinary water is 14.78 – 14.87 = -0.09 degrees. A pretty sensitive meter.
We followed this up with an exploration of crema. What, if anything, does crema tell you about a coffee? Does it even matter? I was impressed by the fact that some members of the group could recognise the Nicaraguan from the Ethiopian espresso just from the way it looked; the Nicaraguan had a different crema effect and coloration than the Ethiopian. Among other factors, the colour of the crema will be influenced by the number of suspended small particles in the coffee. A detail that brought us back to a link with Prof Jan Cilliers who had come along last month. A review paper on the science of cremas included a reference to Jan’s work on froth flotation. A connection between coffee cremas and the froth flotation technique used in mining, an excellent point for an evening of interconnectedness!
The ancient Greeks considered the circle to be the perfect shape. I’d suggest they were nearly right. The perfect shape has to be a cylinder.
By this time we had moved upstairs at Amoret and the discussion continued about extraction techniques and percolation. Which linked very nicely to the work that Ricardo of La Lomita is doing at his coffee farm in Columbia. Ricardo uses biochar around his younger plants. Biochar is charcoal, formed by burning old plant matter (in Ricardo’s case, old coffee trees) in a low oxygen environment. This leaves the carbon of the trees intact and so acts as a way of sinking carbon (for many years) into the soil and avoiding its escape as CO2 into the atmosphere. In addition to this, the percolative structure of the charcoal traps nutrients within the structure giving the coffee plants every chance of success in their growth. As a last point, the way that the biochar holds and stores water (think about how an espresso puck remains damp or a V60 filter keeps the water for an age), means that the coffee plants are more resistant to drought, which is an increasing problem for coffee farms in a time of climate change.
More evenings are planned for early in 2020, do join us if you can. There were some excellent suggestions for topics for future events, so together with a few that we were thinking about already, there is plenty to think about for next year! However, if you have a question about the physics of coffee, have noticed something in coffee that you would like to explore or just generally want to think more about one or another aspect of coffee, do tweet, FB or email me your suggestions. Looking forward to 2020 already.
*Illy and Viani (Eds), “Espresso Coffee”, 2nd Ed (2005)
Posted on November 6, 2019 by beanthinking — No Response ↓
TAGS: Amoret, biochar, coffee and science, Coffee at Amoret, crema, Darcy, espressos, Extraction yield, La Lomita, percolation, refractometer | FILED UNDER: Uncategorized | Permalink
Clouds, condensation and coffee
Clouds in my coffee. There is, perhaps unsurprisingly, plenty of atmospheric physics you can encounter in your cup.
As we approach the end of the year, it is a good time to notice the changes in the weather. If you are in the northern hemisphere, the nights grow longer as the days grow colder. If you are in the southern hemisphere it is the opposite. And yet around the world, we have things in common. There may be days when it is more cloudy and days when there is a heavy dew (or even in some places a frost) on the grass. But what has this to do with coffee?
It’s to do with some experiments that you can do at home or on your way to work. And, in particular, with two effects you can see in your coffee cup.
To start with the dew, perhaps you’ve noticed the condensation around the rim of the cup or the coffee pot when you brew the coffee and the hot steam condenses onto the cold mug around it. Condensation happens because the temperature of the mug is lower than the ‘dew point’ of water at that humidity and pressure. Below the temperature of the dew point, the water vapour will condense into the liquid droplets that we then see dotted around the mug.
You can see the condensation on the V60 brewer here. Looking at the dew formed in the mornings, what does it tell you about the temperature of space?
It is a similar effect on the grass: the temperature there is lower than the point at which the water vapour in the air starts to condense out of the air and so you get dew. William Charles Wells published his “Essay on Dew” in 1814. The result of more than two years of careful observation, Wells found that dew formed only under certain weather conditions and only on certain space (sky) facing surfaces. Wells’ results can be used to show that the space around the earth is much colder than the surface of our planet. His results (together with some back of the envelope calculations) can therefore also be used to show that the Earth is in a delicate balance and has a natural greenhouse effect. As the weather changes this year and you notice the dew, can you see how Well’s could come to this conclusion?
The second coffee experiment we could do at this time of year is to see whether pollution affects our steaming take-away coffee. While generally it’s always a better idea to sit in a cafe and take the time to enjoy your coffee, there are occasions when a take-away is necessary. Just as with the dew, clouds start to form when the air temperature drops below the dew point. However, water droplets in the air are unstable to evaporation and so as soon as a pure water droplet is formed, it will evaporate unless it has a diameter larger than about 0.1 µmª. This may seem small and yet to spontaneously form a droplet with this diameter would take the accumulation of several million water molecules (I will leave it to you to do the estimate!). This represents a very improbable occurrence and yet we can see that clouds are everywhere, how can this be?
Contrails are caused by condensing water droplets behind aeroplanes. But why are they white and what does that tell you about the water droplets within them?
The answer comes from the dust. Fortunately we are a dusty planet and these bits of dust in the atmosphere act as ‘nucleation’ points for water to condense onto. This makes the condensation of water into droplets much more likely and so clouds – which are an accumulation of droplets – can form.
Which brings us back to the coffee. If clouds require dust in order to form droplets, and the steam above your coffee is a grouping of water droplets, does it not make sense that your coffee should be steamier next to a polluted road than in the middle of a park (for the same temperature coffee)?
It’s an idea that I’ve never been able to test but the shift to colder weather here offers a(nother) perfect opportunity.
Does your coffee steam more when you take it away from a city cafe?
I look forward to hearing about the results of your experiments, in the comments here, on Twitter or on Facebook.
ª Introduction to Atmospheric Physics, Andrews, Cambridge University Press, 2008
Posted on October 18, 2019 by beanthinking — No Response ↓
TAGS: clouds, contrails, Dew, Essay on dew, home experiments, pollution, steamy coffee, William Charles Wells | FILED UNDER: Uncategorized | Permalink
Notes from Berlin
What a cinnamon bun! Coffee and bun at Refinery Coffee, Albrecht Strasse, Berlin
Cinnamon buns, doughnuts and plenty of coffee.
There is a very vibrant speciality coffee scene in Berlin with plenty of excellent cafes offering an interesting variety of coffees and pour overs. A city break of just a couple of days is nowhere near enough to even start to scratch the surface of the city. Coupled to that, we arrived during the Berlin coffee festival so many cafes were participating in public cupping and tasting events. So much to explore. But if you are rushing around, can you really stop and notice things?
How can you experience a place when you travel? Carl Jung pondered this very point when thinking about Rome, he wrote:
“I have travelled a great deal in my life, and I should very much have liked to go to Rome, but I felt that I was not really up to the impression the city would have made upon me…. I always wonder about people who go to Rome as they might go, for example, to Paris or to London. Certainly Rome as well as these other cities can be enjoyed aesthetically but if you are affected to the depths of your being at every step by the spirit that broods there, if a remnant of a wall here and a column there gaze upon you with a face instantly recognised, then it becomes another matter entirely.”*
We may not all have the sensitivity of Jung towards visiting a place but it can nonetheless be illuminating to reflect on the sentiment. This is particularly true of a city like Berlin where the remnants of walls are an ever present reminder of the dangers of ideologies, as well as the ease with which they can seize us.
Pour over at Roststatte, spoilt for choice for coffee in Berlin.
How do you visit a cafe so that you can appreciate the space beyond the aesthetic? We visited several cafes including Brammibal’s Donuts, Common Ground, Oslo Kaffeebar, the Refinery and Roststatte. We also attempted a visit to The Barn (Mitte) but it was sadly too crowded on our visit. Each cafe revealed something unique and each was memorable for its own reasons. The lovely pour-over at Roststatte, the long black with character at the Refinery, the vegan doughnuts during a heavy rain shower at Brammibals. And yet we know how many cafes we missed (as you can see in this guide here or here).
And yet, what stood out as something to stop you in your tracks? What can you sit and dwell with as you savour your coffee? In hindsight, it is interesting that the connections at Oslo Kaffeebar were both very much connected with nature. It was not the wood lining of the cafe and the plentiful wooden furniture around the cafe but the spiders web style tiles on the table and something we saw at the window.
The spider-web tiled table at Oslo Kaffeebar, near the Nordbahnhof in Berlin
The tiles on the table at the Oslo Kaffeebar were a regular array of spider’s webs. Each identifiable immediately as a web and striking for its regularity. The surprising uses of spider’s silk have featured on Bean Thinking before in a cafe that sadly no longer exists, but it was the regularity of the webs that prompted thoughts about the effect of different drugs, sadly including caffeine, on the behaviour of spiders. But it was a visitor to the outside of the cafe that struck us. A bird, silhouetted against the light, was perched on the (vertical) brick wall outside the cafe. What was it doing there? After it flew off, it was back, again in the same awkward perch but then it darted into the corner that the window made with the brick wall exterior to the cafe, could there be a nest there? The decline of bird species in our world as industrial scale farming has replaced hedgerows with monotonous fields of crops is well documented. But there is more to the bird-human interaction than that. Some bird species have adapted to the way we have traditionally built our houses, the problem being that modern building methods and renovations can threaten their ability to share our space. Other bird species have evolved to adapt to the way humans want to interact with birds with Great Tits for example apparently evolving longer beaks to make it easier for them to access the food put in bird feeders. What do these considerations reveal about evolution and our place in the world?
View from inside the Oslo Kaffeebar. To what extent does our culture influence our architecture, decoration and even our science?
On the other side of the Tiergarten, the pink tiling of Brammibal’s Donuts contrasted with the teal tiling that had been ubiquitous on the U-bahn line 5. The teal tiling somehow highlighted how even strictly utilitarian architecture nonetheless evokes an emotional response. In addition to considering how this challenges our understanding of architecture as representative purely of form, it can prompt a question: is a utilitarian philosophy consistent with an environment that allows science, (and the pursuit of knowledge for curiosity’s sake) to flourish**? (a question with repercussions for our own, consumerist and atheistic society). To what extent is our scientific development dependent on the prevalent attitudes of our culture? To be somewhat hyperbolic about it, is it possible to continue to do science, as we have traditionally understood it, in a consumerist society that demands constantly new entertainment (itself a form of consumerism)? Do we not replace ‘science’ with ‘technology’ and replace those questions that ask about our place in a world of reality and truth with questions that ask how we can better manipulate our world (where truth and reality as such no longer matter)? And what, in turn, does that do to our understanding of humanity’s place in the universe and so back to our cultural outlook?
We are then left with a couple of questions for ourselves. When travelling, can we allow the space to affect us with, as Jung says, “the spirit that broods there”, or do we take ourselves, imposing our own lens on another space? Can we open ourselves to encounter and is it not urgent, lest walls arise in our minds as well as our countries? I do not have any answers to such questions, but the cafes of Berlin, of London, and of many other places around the world would be a great place to ponder them.
*C.G. Jung “Memories, Dreams, Reflections” Fontana Press, 1961 and reprint editions.
**The question really is, if we consider that the best thing for society is to maximise the happiness of the maximum number, this could tend to promote the sort of science that produces results, technology or devices quickly. This short-term investment in science is contrary to the ideal of funding science for the sake of knowledge and arguably against the idea of being able to investigate the world as it is as opposed to merely developing the technologies that we can use. Is this true? Does it matter?
TAGS: Berlin, coffee Berlin, common ground, espresso, ideologies, Jung, Oslo Kaffeebar, pour over, Refinery, relation of science to culture, Roststatte, utilitarianism | FILED UNDER: Uncategorized | Permalink
Frothy physics for a coffee & science evening
A full line up of milk froth! How did each type of milk compare? And why….?
Last Tuesday saw the first of what will hopefully be an autumn-winter series of “coffee & science evenings” at Amoret Speciality Coffee in Notting Hill. These evenings are designed to be conversational; spaces where people can get together and chat about the strange things that they have observed in their coffee (or perhaps the common things that link to stranger things).
The event last Tuesday was in the latter category. We have all seen milk frothed, and noticed how it is different in different milk types (cow and plant), or seen how some foams seem to age while some seem to last forever. But why are some foams stable while others age? And what is the additive in the “Barista edition” oat milk that encourages better foaming and is connected with the foams that you can sometimes see washed up on the beach after a stormy sea?
The oat milk barista edition saw considerable ‘ripening’ of the foam structure as it aged. But does it matter?
We were joined for the evening by Prof. Jan Cilliers of the Earth Sciences department at Imperial College. Why would a professor of Earth Sciences be interested in foam? Well, part of his research involved understanding the use of foams in the froth flotation technique of mining. You can read more about that here. How does it link back to your cappuccino? You can watch some more milk foams age to investigate.
Finally we had the foam line up. Sadiq Merchant of Amoret prepared a series of 8 milk foams using homogenised full-fat milk, non-homogenised full fat and semi skimmed milk, the non-homogenised full fat milk that is used at Amoret, a lactose free milk, coconut milk, oat milk and oat milk Barista edition. The differences were fascinating. That the semi-skimmed milk produced a good stable foam was explicable with its fat-protein content, but why did the lactose-free milk foam so much? Regular oat milk performed fairly poorly: a foam that quickly aged and returned to liquid, but the barista edition oat milk did not last too long either. After 15 minutes there was considerable ‘ripening’ of the microfoam into larger bubbles (as you can see in the photo), but will most coffee drinkers be aware of this? Many of us will have finished our coffee within 15 minutes and be ordering our next one!
More events soon! Sign up to the events list or send an email to find out more.
Our next event on 22 October focuses more on the espresso part of the coffee. What makes a good crema? What are the connections between pulling an espresso and soil science, what can we learn about irrigation and soil ‘health’ by thinking about coffee? What about the grind size distribution? And can we make a connection between pulling an espresso and an old method of measuring blood pressure? (though the question here is not really can we, that answer is yes, the question is should we).
If you are in London, do come along on Tuesday 22nd October, you can sign up for that particular event here or sign up to the events list (to hear of future events) here. If you are not in London but still want to join the conversation, you are welcome to add comments here, head over to Facebook or see you on Twitter.
Posted on October 2, 2019 by beanthinking — No Response ↓
TAGS: Amoret, Amoret coffee Notting Hill, Bean Thinking Science and Coffee Evening, foams, frothing of lactose free milk, oat milk, oat milk barista edition, science and coffee evening, science in a cafe, what makes a good foam | FILED UNDER: Uncategorized | Permalink
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GST Implementation in Malaysia – The Argument
There were many responses when the Malaysian government first announced the Financial Budget for Malaysia, year 2010, both good and bad. But when they were undecided about GST, it sparked more conversation on whether it’ll benefit the Rakyat, or further threaten poorer communities in Malaysia.
What goods GST covers
As proposed by our dear government, GST covers all types of goods & services sold to Malaysian & non-Malaysian residents (therefore consumers) except for a common commodities such as rice, flour & sugar.
This goes to mean: Whenever you walk into your favorite hypermarket with the family to get some groceries in the future, you will be charged additional ~{512b763ef340c1c7e529c41476c7e03bc66d8daea696e1162822661d30dde056} (the proposed additional 4{512b763ef340c1c7e529c41476c7e03bc66d8daea696e1162822661d30dde056}) on top of your bill except for certain controlled items.
Further, Malaysia’s main revenue shouldn’t just live off petroleum. In other words, we shouldn’t put all eggs in one basket because petroleum revenues have risks of its own, seeing that it’s a natural resource.
What reason did they give? More funds for development and expenses.
How much would they probably get? RM1 billion (RM1,000,000,000) per annum in estimated rounded-up revenue.
Will it hurt the poor & middle class?
To a certain extent, it will somehow affect pockets of middle and lower income group Malaysians.
The arguments:
Recent price hike in petrol, prices of commodities have increased drastically. And now another one called GST?
Income tax brackets for high earners aren’t as ‘expensive’ as middle-to-low income groups.
The Malaysian government has saved approximately RM2 billion (RM2,000,000,000) by lowering fuel subsidies – What’s the take on GST now for lower income groups?
GST is tax on SPENDING. Basically, everything from parking fees to purchasing mattress. Even with GST-exempted items, this would still hit lower income groups in Malaysia.
Private sectors aren’t paying much to Malaysians – Other more developed countries such as Singapore could take this hit because wages & salaries are much higher.
Other countries such as Britain, India, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore has GST – Doesn’t mean GST has to be implemented in Malaysia. Their economic status and way of gaining revenue varies from Malaysia. (GST is also called VAT – Value Added Tax in other countries)
Inflation may happen. Prime Minister Mr. Najib has guaranteed no inflation – But with the introduction of GST, the chain of ‘passing the cost’ will end up usually at the hands of consumers.
Corruption isn’t a rare thing in Malaysia – So businesses has already included ‘corruption prices’ in goods & services. How does that not reflect additional costs to consumers?
Out of inflation pressures, higher prices for goods & services are sought.
Prime Minister Mr. Najib has promised Malaysians that they will be tabling a public discussion on GST (called the GST Bill) on December. There are also several upsides that could be seen – But until Mr. Najib tables the meeting on GST Bill, we shouldn’t be skeptical of anything yet.
Other side of the GST story
GST has been said to promise a few things:
Implementation will not be abrupt. It will be a slow & steady tax preparation so that individuals and small businesses will not be adversely affected.
It will replace the 10+5{512b763ef340c1c7e529c41476c7e03bc66d8daea696e1162822661d30dde056} services and goods tax. This means taxes are lower now – Consumers need not pay more for one area, but it’s divided into many other source of ‘tax’ payments.
GST rates are promised at 4{512b763ef340c1c7e529c41476c7e03bc66d8daea696e1162822661d30dde056}, out of the normal 10{512b763ef340c1c7e529c41476c7e03bc66d8daea696e1162822661d30dde056} or 5{512b763ef340c1c7e529c41476c7e03bc66d8daea696e1162822661d30dde056} charged in restaurants.
Implementation will not occur until middle to late 2011 or 2012. Planning time is essential to not put ‘inflation pressure’ on small businesses.
Government’s coffers will increase. This will enable further development and budget control to the country, other than relying just on petroleum or income tax revenues.
Tax when consumed, not when earned is much better. It allows better control. Spending influences will be “Careful” and “More controlled” when purchasing on higher prices are made rather than “taxable incomes” generated from work.
It’s a broad-based tax system. Some items may be slightly more expensive & cheaper. It’s not a overall standardized taxation method.
Your opinion on GST
Of course, there are many pros and cons of the new GST system – And the implementers should look more intricately into all income groups, balance their sheets and understand what are the effects first. While we can only propose so much, there’s only so much we can do.
Here are some of the ‘preparation techniques’ the tablers of the GST Bill can adopt:
Be intricate with details: Tax is a complicated subject, like a science of its own. If you make the subject complicated, it may lead to more misunderstandings and later, more arguments.
Introduce ‘layman terms’ for further understanding. Giving examples always help. Examples on implementations always help. Tell a story to the public – And make it make sense to them.
Use other form of publicity media: Tabling the GST Bill on national newspapers and mass media isn’t going to cut it. Find other means such as introduction campaigns Malaysia-wide.
Engage community understanding: Allow certain private and public (individual or company) figures to table talks and debates on GST Malaysia-wide. This encourages engagement and allows more problems & solutions to be seen.
The Malaysian government or finance department has a long time more (approximately 15 – 20 months) to table talks around Malaysia with regards to GST.
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chipollo.info
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Art is a term that describes a diverse range of human activities and the products of those activities, but here refers to the visual arts, which cover the creation of images or objects in fields including painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and other visual media. 50s/60s Era Tickets Architecture is often included as one of the visual arts; however, like the decorative arts, it creates objects where the practical considerations of use are essential—in a way that they are usually not for a painting, for example. Music, theatre, film, dance, and other performing arts, as well as literature, and other media such as interactive media are included in a broader definition of art or the arts. Until the 17th century, art referred to any skill or mastery and was not differentiated from crafts or sciences, but in modern usage the fine arts, where aesthetic considerations are paramount, are distinguished from acquired skills in general, and the decorative or applied arts.
Ticketsallstatearena.com is providing cheap Tickets for Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Christmas Attic, Ariana Grande, at Ticketsallstatearena.com.
Many definitions of art have been proposed by philosophers and others who have characterized art in terms of mimesis, expression, communication of emotion, or other values. During the Romantic period, art came to be seen as "a special faculty of the human mind to be classified with religion and science". Though art's definition is disputed and has changed over time, general descriptions mention an idea of human agency and creation through imaginative or technical skill.
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Mach 2.44 Flight in the X-1A – Dec. 12 1953
This Month in Aviation History:Dec. 12, 1953: Maj. Chuck Yeager flies his Bell X-1A to March 2.435, approximately 1,650 miles per hour, at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
At Mach 2.4 at 80,000 feet the aircraft spun out of control, spinning on all 3 axes. G-forces sent Yeager’s head into the canopy, cracking it and bending the control stick. The aircraft spun down 51,000 feet in 51 seconds before he regained control at 25,000 feet.
His speed record that day stood for the next 3 years.
Follow along with the original cockpit audio and transcript of that flight.
[vc_images_carousel images=”256,257,258,259″ img_size=”full” onclick=”link_no”]
E-24911
This photo of the X-1A included graphs of the flight data from Maj. Charles E. Yeager’s Mach 2.44 flight on December 12, 1953. (This was only a few days short of the 50th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first powered flight.) After reaching Mach 2.44, then the highest speed ever reached by a piloted aircraft, the X-1A tumbled completely out of control. The motions were so violent that Yeager cracked the plastic canopy with his helmet. He finally recovered from a inverted spin and landed on Rogers Dry Lakebed.
Among the data shown were Mach number and altitude (the two top graphs). The speed and altitude changes due to the tumble were visible as jagged lines. The third graph from the bottom showed the G-forces on the airplane. During the tumble, these twice reached 8 Gs or 8 times the normal pull of gravity at sea level. (At these G forces, a 200-pound human would, in effect, weigh 1,600 pounds if a scale were placed under him in the direction of the force vector.) Producing these graphs was a slow, difficult process. The raw data from on-board instrumentation recorded on oscillograph film. Human computers then reduced the data and recorded it on data sheets, correcting for such factors as temperature and instrument errors. They used adding machines or slide rules for their calculations, pocket calculators being 20 years in the future.
NASA Photo
Read more:http://www.chuckyeager.org/news/week-history-control/
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Charles Yeager and Pakistan Air Force – Daily Pakistan Global
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Home | Innovation
China launches first rocket into space from platform at sea
By ZHAO LEI on board Bohai Zuanzhu in the Yellow Sea | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2019-06-05 10:42
China carried out the country's first seaborne space launch on Wednesday, from a platform in its territorial waters in the Yellow Sea, opening a new chapter in its space industry.
A Long March 11 solid-propellant carrier rocket blasted off at 12:06 pm from a mobile launch platform — a modified submersible craft — in the Yellow Sea off the eastern province of Shandong and then sent seven satellites into orbit about 600 kilometers above the Earth.
The mission — the first seaborne space launch in the world in five years — showcased China's mastery of the technologies and capabilities required for such operations and indicates the country has found an alternative to its ground-based launch centers.
China is striving to expand its launch service portfolio and promote its carrier rockets to more countries, especially those wishing to have their own affordable satellite networks.
Designed and built by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the Long March 11 is the only solid-fuel carrier rocket in the Long March family, the pillar of the country's space programs.
The Long March 11 carrier rocket blasts off from a mobile launch platform in the Yellow Sea off the eastern province of Shandong on June 5, 2019. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/chinadaily.com.cn]
With a length of 20.8 meters, a diameter of 2 meters and a liftoff weight of 58 metric tons, it is capable of sending satellites to low-Earth orbit or Sun-synchronous orbit, according to the academy, which is part of State-owned space conglomerate China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.
Its first flight, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert in September 2015, ferried four satellites to a Sun-synchronous orbit.
Six Long March 11 rockets had been launched before the seaborne mission, placing 25 satellites into orbit. All the previous missions were launched from the Jiuquan center and were successful.
The mobile launch platform used in Wednesday's launch is owned and run by a Chinese maritime engineering company that asked not to be named due to contractual obligations.
People watch the blastoff of Long March 11 carrior rocket from the shore on June 5, 2019. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/chinadaily.com.cn]
Li Tongyu, Long March 11's project manager at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, said more sea-based launches will be conducted to verify its capacity to lift payloads in various orbits.
He said the academy plans to build a coastal port dedicated to supporting seaborne launch missions as well as a dedicated launch platform — instead of the current modified one — that will be capable of launching not only solid-propellant rockets but also liquid-propellant types, which are usually bigger and more powerful.
The world's first launch at sea was made in April 1967 with a Scout B carrier rocket, developed by the United States, from the San Marco platform of the Italian-owned Luigi Broglio Space Center, off the coast of Kenya. The most recent sea launch took place in May 2014, when Sea Launch, a multinational joint venture, sent a Zenit-3SL rocket from the company's mobile launch platform Odyssey in the Pacific Ocean, near Kiritimati, into orbit carrying a communication satellite.
Compared with conventional land-based launches, a sea mission has a lower risk of causing trouble for densely populated areas along the rocket's trajectory. The method also allows launches to be made near the equator, which increases the rocket's carrying capacity, lowers launch costs and extends the life span of some satellites, Li explained.
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Films That Shocked You
Il Divo, directed by Paolo Sorrentino [no]
Re: Films That Shocked You
by Adam Blake » Tue Sep 20, 2011 8:27 pm
Don't start on music in films, Jamie! The amount of really good films that are utterly ruined by gratuitous use of CRAP music. It's almost mandatory in Hollywood - when there's a 'sensitive' scene you have to have a piano picking out notes in the Lydian mode in the upper octaves, drenched in digital reverb of course. If you have some syrupy strings underneath, so much the better. The other day I was watching "Flashbacks Of a Fool" on telly (not a great film by any means but not bad) and shouting obscenities at the screen at the endless crap music being served up so that we could linger endlessly on 'poignant' long shots. Another one was "As Good As It Gets" - there's Helen Hunt and Shirley Knight really giving it some in their big scene, and the arsehole director has to drip slushy muzak all over it. It's like they don't trust the actors to effectively convey the scene, any more than they trust us to own our own emotions, we have to be constantly prodded with the 'correct' emotional responses by Pavlovian associations with particular strands of ghastly crap music. "The Secret Life Of Bees" - another one. That could have been a GREAT film but for the fucking muzak ruining key scenes.
Sorry, this is a rant but it IS shocking! I'll shut up now.
Adam Blake
Location: Notting Hill Gate, London
by Rob Hall » Tue Sep 20, 2011 10:10 pm
Well, not the film itself, but by extension: after watching "The Deer Hunter" in the cinema I was sitting in a pub enjoying a much needed drink; as I looked around, a guy at a nearby table scratched his head with an extended finger, rather as if he were pointing a gun to the side of his head. Sharp intake of breath on my part.
Rob Hall
Location: Home, home on the range
by AndyM » Tue Sep 20, 2011 10:33 pm
The Deer Hunter has always shocked me in terms of its bafflingly positive reception by liberals who don't usually admire racist bullshit.
Hey, I read Bao Ninh's "The Sorrow Of War" three times as penance, just for watching that film, OK?
Te absolvo.
by Hugh Weldon » Wed Nov 09, 2011 1:01 am
Not sure if it quite fits here, but I've just caught up with 'Happiness' (1998) a film which somehow managed to be both gross and touching and amusing at the same time. Anyone seen it? (It's probably a cult classic and I'm showing my ignorance...)
Hugh Weldon
Location: London N11
by john poole » Wed Nov 09, 2011 1:20 am
Hugh Weldon wrote: Not sure if it quite fits here, but I've just caught up with 'Happiness' (1998) a film which somehow managed to be both gross and touching and amusing at the same time. Anyone seen it? (It's probably a cult classic and I'm showing my ignorance...)
I saw it at the time, but now can't remember all that much about it, except that I don't think that I cared very much about any of the characters - I do remember that I much preferred the director's previous film "Welcome to the Dollhouse".
Location: Sittin' on my sofa
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Pronunciation: BRIN
Forum ID Tom
Plot Quest for Neria
Brynn is © Tom.
Brynn’s Gallery
Race Dwarf
Homeland Kingdom of Stone
At five foot two inches, and one hundred sixty-five pounds, Brynn is thinner than most dwarves. This is due to his strict code of what he puts into his body: no foods that are to rich in spices or sugars, no alcohol, and nothing to excess. He keeps his gray flecked, black hair and beard with a white stripe to either side of his chin, cut short, to avoid filth and parasites when he goes into less clean environs to aid the sick. His gray eyes have a glimmer to them, and he has the beginnings of crows feet in the corners. Brynn has fairly tanned skin, as he spends long days out in the sun. His facial expression can range from admonishing to jovial, depending on the situation.
Height 5’2” Hair Color Black, Graying
Weight 165lbs Eye Color Gray
Build Lean Skin Color Well-Tanned
Brynn is always found in one of two outfits. The more common outfit is his full suit of armor. A flat gray suit of plate mail, with no helm, and with the face-like symbol of Myrii emblazoned on the chest plate. As part of his armor he wears half calf length black leather boots. They are thick soled, with no decoration. He also wears a backpack over his armor which contains his other outfit and his healing supplies. Under his armor he wears simple long sleeved clothing of any neutral color, mainly to protect his armor from chaffing, and around his neck is his holy symbol of Myrii.
His other outfit is a ceremonial robe used in official church functions. It is a full length white robe with green cowl neck. The simple garment fits over his head and is tied at the waist with a thick leather belt. There are no sleeves and the sides under his arms are also open. Under his robe, he wears no shirt, but wears the simple pants and boots that he wears under his armor. When wearing his ceremonial garb, the silver holy symbol of Myrii is plainly visible on its thick chain.
Brynn carries a simple mace, steel shaft with leather grip and cylinder shaped head. He also carries a small metal shield, emblazoned with the symbol of Mryii. This can typically be found strapped to his backpack. Both items are kept in perfect condition, and seem seldom used.
Class Cleric
Occupation Priest of Myrii
Weapons Light Mace
Armor Small steel shield, Full suit of armor; gauntlets, arm plating and leg greeves, solleret boots, tassets, pauldrons, heavy breastplate
Equipment Clothing, Backpack; ceremonial robes, two water skins, a bit of dry bread and some dried meat, clean gauze, alcohol for cleaning wounds, needle and thread, armor polish and oils, silver holy symbol
Magic System Clerical
Patron God Myrii
Brynn finds joy in aiding those in need. Traveling amongst the injured, sick, and dying, one must be able to keep a high spirit or they would be crushed by the despair. He has found that if he is truthful and kind to everyone, that they will treat him with respect, and provide him with what he needs to survive. He is not naïve though, and realizes that some of less than pure intent would use his link to his God for their own purposes. Despite this he would not refuse to heal someone who is in actual need of his help.
Brynn feels that his work is never done, and can get restless if he is not helping someone. To sit around idly, while others may be in need of assistance can drive him to an agitated state. This usually happens when he is forced to wait in line to gain entrance to areas cordoned off for safely reasons, or when awaiting an audience with the local lord. Brynn has seen a bit of a reprieve in the last five years of relative peace. It has brought a new happiness to his life healing injuries caused by accidents rather than by war.
Brynn’s family lived in the Kingdom of Stone until its ruination. He was sent away as a young child to become a cleric of Myrii after he had a dream of his God, and was spared his family’s dread fate. As far as he knows, he is the only survivor and has no living relatives.
Growing up in the monastery of Myrii suited Brynn. The life was simple yet full of the various training that the clerics of Myrii go through. He learned to live without want of more, as all of his needs were supplied to him. It was here that the foundations of his faith were set up, and he learned of a better way to resolve conflicts.
When he was ready to go out into the world, he left with an innocence that he soon lost as he saw the hardships that everyday people were faced with. This only served to firm his resolve in his faith, seeing how others needed his aid and that of his god.
Brynn has served as a sort of field medic, during all of the wars of his lifetime. As he passed the age that most dwarves and clerics settle down, he could not, for there were still those in need of his help. He passed on several requests by various lords, to head up his own church within their lands, instead he prefers to continuously move about aiding those that need it.
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Home Car Crashs The astonishing disappearing act of Beto O’Rourke
#Betomania became #Betofatigue in six short months can the Texas Democrat rise again and depict voters what type of president hed be?
When Beto O’Rourke travelled to Yosemite in California to unveil his $ 5tn plan on climate change, a gurgle of amaze bridged America. How did the tall white guy with the funny first name known for his punk past, Beatnik road journeys and fondness for campaigning atop bars get to be the first Democratic nominee to exclaim on the crisis of our age?
This wasn’t the O’Rourke that the country had grown used to during his battle with Ted Cruz last-place November for a US Senate seat. Then, the Texas Democrat had propelled himself to within three percentage points of win, and with it national stardom, by making use of viral speeches about NFL actors takinga knee and by instilling hope through a feel-good but instead wishy-washy call to unity.
Now here he was framed against the beauty of Yosemite Falls, delivering a granular plan of action worthy of the most nerdish policy wonk. Coming from a politician from oil-rich Texas who has been criticized for his track record on fossil fuels, his proposals for the largest 10 -year investment in history and a goal of net-zero radiations by 2050 caught many off guard.
” We were pleasantly astonished ,” said David Turnbull of the climate advocacy radical Oil Change US.” When you look person like Beto O’Rourke calling for the elimination of fossil fuel aids and an intention to fossil fuel leasing on public properties- that’s moving in the right counseling .”
There was another group of parties hoping to be agreeably surprised by the Yosemite announcement that day- O’Rourke himself and his team of expedition consultants. They have been wrestling with one of the largest supernatural mysteries of the early period of the 2020 presidential election.
That is: the astonishing disappearing act of Beto O’Rourke.
Beto O’Rourke listens to environmental proposes on 29 April 2019, in Yosemite national park, California. Photograph: Marcio Jose Sanchez/ AP
Like Houdini, O’Rourke has moved from front of stagecoach to a inhale of smoking in six short months. #Betomania morphed into #Betofatigue, seemingly overnight.
Look back on the events of 7 November 2018, when he delivered his concession lecture, having lost to Cruz in a jam-packed sports stadium in El Paso, and you can see the compare. At that time he was lauded as the politician who could do the hopeless: challenge a virulent Republican like Ted Cruz in a solid red government like Texas and come within an inch of victory.
Next stop Donald Trump? But from the moment he launched his presidential bid in March, he has been struggling. Those extremely qualities that had been the recipe of his relative success in Texas abruptly became liabilities.
His charming access and good looks were thrown back in his face as white-hot privilege. That wasn’t helped where reference is threw Vanity Fair a gift of a one-liner on the eve of propel-” Man, I’m just birth to be in it”- that stirred many Democrats wince.
The mere decision to run for the White House was interpreted as chutzpah. As the Daily Beast cruelly set it:” Reacting to losing to Ted Cruz by flowing for president is like failing to land a role in a community theater production and deciding to take your endowments to Broadway .”
In the latest poll from Quinnipiac university, O’Rourke is gleaning a glum 5% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters. He is being outgunned on 10% by Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who has stolen much of his thunder.
” We’ve seen Mayor Pete take a leading role in the newcomer district ,” said Quinnipiac’s Peter Brown who predicted worse to come.” We’ve got 18 months to go and I bet there will be other fresh faces taking the spotlight .”
So what happens next to O’Rourke now that the spotlight has swung away from him? Can he complete the Houdini trick and make a reappearance? And if he was able to, what kind of potential president would he present to the American beings?
‘He was always exceedingly focused’
Examining those questions, it quickly becomes clear that all streets Beto lead to El Paso. That’s the dusty, sunbaked borderline city in Texas where he was born Robert Francis O’Rourke in 1972.
His father, Pat, was a businessman and judge, and his mother, Melissa, passed a furniture storage. They were comfortably off and organized part of the white middle class elite in a city that is 80% Latino.
O’Rourke’s opponents have tried to depict his youth as one of fecklessness and debauchery. Rightwing pundits like to poke him for the figure “Beto”, claiming it is a conceit designed to suggest that he has Latino beginnings, which he does not.
They too point to a drunk-driving episode in 1998, his teenaged toying with his punk band Foss and to the period when he floundered around in New York City working as a glorified maid. Reuters recently contributed to that pile of potential negative criticize textile with the revelation that O’Rourke had privately belonged to the prominent “hactivist” group Cult of the Dead Cow.
But those who have known O’Rourke for years say they do not recognize this caricature of the spoiled wildernes son from the border town. Take Maggie Asfahani, a writer and El Paso restaurateur, who had a teenaged romance with O’Rourke when he was at an all-male boarding school in Virginia.
Asfahani clearly recalls their first encounter in an El Paso plaza when he was back on holiday. Her memory instantly applies to rest any suggestion that ” Beto ” was an adult affectation.” I’d imagined this Mexican kid, given the name, but there was this really tall white guy. I can categorically dismiss all that speculation- he was’ Beto’ at least since I’ve known him in “schools ” .”
Asfahani can also, incidentally, put to rest any smutty talk about a much reproduction picture of O’Rourke flanked by his Foss bandmates in which he wears a long floral dress.
” I just wanted to put one across the record, that is my dress he’s wearing ,” she said.” There’s nothing specially complicated about it- we were all hanging out, and someone thought it would be funny if we swopped invests, the girls and people. That was all, exactly being different .”
What struck Asfahani then as now was something that’s been lost amid the presidential chatter – his seriousness.” He was always extremely focused. He was this furiously intelligent, strange person who was into things, always wanting to learn things, always with a work in his hands .”
Asfahani remains in touch with O’Rourke to this day. She ponders the flak he has taken over unearned entitlement since he entered the 2020 hasten, based on her knowledge of the man, has been unfair.
” It strikes me he is finding his method on the national stage ,” she said.” He’s being open and honest and susceptible, hoping people will relate to that and ensure themselves in it. That’s not a defect: it has been his personality since I’ve known him .”
‘He learned how to take vitality from crowds’
O’Rourke’s has entered into politics followed his return to El Paso, the prodigal son, at age 26. Having been largely away since his teens, he re-engaged with the city, setting up Stanton Street, an internet busines combined with a short-lived alternative newspaper.
His political opinions modelled around his ambitions for El Paso, which in the late 90 s was economically depressed and suffering from a brain drain of young person. O’Rourke forged a attachment with four friends who came to be known as the Progressives, one of whom, Veronica Escobar , now occupies the El Paso congressional set vacated by O’Rourke.
” What motivated him was the idea that El Paso didn’t have to settle for being a low-key, down-at-heel city which was fine with exporting its progenies ,” said Bob Moore, former writer of El Paso Times who has known O’Rourke since his return in 1998.
The Progressives’ ideals for their metropolitan guided all four friends to stand for local part. All four won, with O’Rourke to intervene in the El Paso city council in 2005.
Moore recalls that in his political infancy O’Rourke gash a paradoxically diffident person for a soul now contesting for the White House.” By sort he’s a deeply private being. He was very awkward when he first moved for agency, awkward in huge radicals. Then he “ve learned” to take intensity from armies, and that has changed him .”
Despite such initial reticence, O’Rourke championed some radical and highly contentious campaigns. He became a passionate advocate of legalization of marijuana long before it was de rigueur, authoring a work with fellow Progressive Susie Byrd, Dealing Death And Drugs, that quarrelled powerfully that the US war on dopes was a disaster for both sides of the US-Mexican border.
He also fought to extend health benefits to unmarried and same-sex partners of city workers, then a hot potato in heavily Catholic El Paso.
You will hear O’Rourke projecting his track record on marijuana and LGBT claims on the presidential campaign trail. You are much less likely to catch any reference to a third controversy that dogged him as city councilor, and still does to this day: the redevelopment of downtown El Paso.
The plan to revitalize downtown with a new sports arena, Walmart and other facilities preceded O’Rourke’s time to the human rights council, having been initiated in 2004. But he cuddled it keenly.
Beto O’Rourke steps with his wife, Amy Hoover Sanders, and his three children, Ulysses, Henry and Molly in El Paso on 6 November 2018. Photograph: Paul Ratje/ AFP/ Getty Images
His involvement became problematic for two main reasons. The first was his family ties to the mastermind behind the contrive, multi-millionaire real estate magnate William Sanders. Months after O’Rourke assembled the council, he married Amy Sanders and William Sanders became his father-in-law.
The downtown project was a private-public partnership. The private back involved a civic organization called the Paso del Norte Group, PDNG, which Sanders set up with some of his super-wealthy friends from El Paso.
Controversy erupted when it emerged that O’Rourke was also a member. Did his position, with one foot in the private PDNG side of the bargain and another on the public council side, amount to a conflict of interest? He was slapped with an moralities complaint, later dismissed.
O’Rourke initially voted in the council to go ahead with the developing intention, but as local opposition developed he recused himself from various key referendums. Further cries of foul play pitched on him in 2012, when O’Rourke made an insurgent’s bid to depose the incumbent Congressman for El Paso, Silvestre Reyes.
A company owned by Sanders lent $40,000 to a Republican-backedSuper Pac that invested in attack ads against Reyes, contributing to O’Rourke’s underdog victory and throwing him a leg-up to Washington.
In a recent interview with the American Prospect, O’Rourke disclaimed any conflict relating to his father-in-law. Sanders” made it a rule that he religiously followed, never to talk politics”, he said.
But the Sanders connection still rankles with activists opposed to the downtown scheme such as David Romo, a preceding is part of the primary complain group Paso del Sur. He said that O’Rourke’s connections to Sanders takes the shine off his current claim that as a presidential candidate he eschews big bucks and is running a ” people’s campaign “.
Romo told the Guardian that in his view O’Rourke’s role in the redevelopment castings doubt on his 2020 candidacy.” What is true in El Paso is said that the solution to our national questions does not come from a multi-millionaire funded by billionaires who does their dictation .”
Romo is a celebrated historian of El Paso’s revolutionary past and as such is an articulate exponent of the second criticism leveled at O’Rourke over the redevelopment scheme- that he sided with gentrification despite the trauma it would inflict on poor Latino residents and historic El Paso.” He was the fairly face of ugly gentrification .”
O’Rourke is denying that he sided with gentrifiers, insisting his intention was to breathe new life into the dilapidated center of a major city. He did tell the American Prospect, though, that in hindsight he accepts that he did” a really poor job of like to hear that review “.
‘He genuinely does need to answer questions’
Similar controversy followed O’Rourke to Washington. Whether it originated from his innate pragmatism as a politician who tends to decide each problem as it comes rather than following dogma, or whether it was because of his springs in Texas, a state that has been dominated by Republicans for the past 20 times, his voting record in Congress was impressing for its lack of party purity.
Although El Paso shifts overwhelmingly Democratic, a fivethirtyeight.com tracker indicates that he voted 30% of the time in line with Trump. Compare that to his presidential rivals: Kamala Harris( 17% ), Bernie Sanders( 14%) or Elizabeth Warren( 13% ).
That didn’t matter much in his senatorial hasten last November. But then he was running against Ted Cruz, one of the most toxic rightwing senators who even fellow Republicans call ” Lucifer in the flesh “.
In that hasten he proved himself to have various of the qualities that might appeal to Democratic voters looking for a presidential campaigner capable of beating Trump, first and foremost his ability to turn out the vote. He demonstrated himself adept in appealing to young person, African Americans, Latinos and suburban lily-white maidens- electoral groups all likely to play a crucial role in 2020 in deciding Trump’s fate.
But the road to the presidential nomination is proving to be a stonier path for O’Rourke than his itinerary last year. By taking his expedition national he has moved on to much more fertile ground for a Democrat than the traditionally arid clay of Texas, yet it has come at the price of sharply intensified scrutiny.
Which fetches O’Rourke back to his climate change announcement amid the splendor of Yosemite Falls. Fossil fuel activists may have been pleasantly surprised by O’Rourke’s robust policy, but that doesn’t mean they have forgotten that his relationship with the oil industry has been complicated.
He paused for weeks before agreeing to sign the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge in which candidates forego all subscriptions above $200 from Pacs, lobbyists and executives of fossil fuel companies. The donate was particularly sensitive for O’Rourke, who according to Open Secrets abode more contributions from oil and gas in 2018 than any congressional campaigner other than Ted Cruz.
He has said his hesitancy was because of concerns for ordinary employees in service industries who should be allowed to participate. The the organisers of the pledge however stressed that exclusively the donations of top heads were excluded.
In the end, he did sign the donate, two days after his Yosemite declaration.
Another sticking point is that O’Rourke voted twice in Congress to promote a 40 -year ban on US exports of crude oil. He tried to justify the voting rights in October 2015, two months before the Paris Agreement on combating climate change was adopted by 195 nations, by arguing that US crude was cleaner than that of other countries and” the petroleum that plies the current dominant mode of transportation will have to come from somewhere “.
The lifting of the ban has led to a massive spike in US crude exports, from well under 1m barrels per day to more than 3m per date currently.” There’s been a dangerous and problematic an increasing number of the distillation of crude oil driven by exportations in the US. He certainly does need to answer questions about that referendum ,” David Turnbull of Oil Change US said.
It all points to the steep uphill climb that Beto O’Rourke faces if he is to claw his acces back into the Democratic spotlight. The Yosemite announcement made a solid start, initiating American voters to a more serious, focused politician than they had previously been shown.
Now the real scramble begins.
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Minor earthquake in Lake Ontario off Olcott
This map, provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, shows the epicenter of this afternoon's earthquake, about 16 miles north of Olcott.
The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting a magnitude 1.7 earthquake around 3:38 p.m. in the middle of Lake Ontario ― about 16 miles north of Olcott.
An earthquake of that magnitude would barely be felt if it were actually in Olcott, much less 16 miles away in the middle of the lake, according to scientists from U.S.G.S.
A similar size earthquake was reported Nov. 29 in South Lockport, and another was reported about 25 miles north of Barker on Feb. 13, although that one was nearly double the intensity at 2.9 on the Richter Scale.
Download the new ENP Mobile app for Android.
Labels:earthquake,News,Olcott,US Geological Survey | 0 comments
Lockport women charged with shoplifting from Walmart
TOWN OF LOCKPORT — A 45-year-old Lockport woman and her daughter were charged Monday night with shoplifting after Walmart employees say they loaded up a cart and walked out without paying.
Alicia K. Teeter, 45, 6270 Shimer Dr., was charged with petit larceny, as was her daughter, listed in the police report only as "Shufeld," with no age or address given.
According to the report, Walmart's head of security, "observed two adult females pass all points of sale with merchandise that was concealed in a Walmart shopping bag. (She) stated that she observed the two females select a shopping cart that already had a shopping bag in it. (She) stated that one female began to conceal tank tops in the shopping bag while in the infants department. (She) stated that both females put items into the shopping bag. (She) stated that both females then exited the store through the automotive department entrance passing all points of sale."
The total value of the stolen merchandise was $47.30.
The two women are due in the Town of Lockport Court on Jan. 15.
Labels:Crime,NCSO,theft,Town of Lockport,Walmart | 0 comments
Lightning crashes Sabres party
BUFFALO — Fans were decked out in tuxedos and gowns hoping to end 2014 with a Sabres victory to celebrate. Instead, they walked out of First Niagara Center with a 5-1 loss to the Tampa Lightning.
Tampa started the party pooping at 7:48 of the first period when Matthew Carle scored on a slapshot from Ondrej Palat. Tyler Ennis got the fans back in the festive mood with a power play goal at 12:33, assisted by Nikita Zadorov and Matt Moulson.
That was all the celebrating Sabres fans would do, as Tampa scored the next four goals, starting with a power play goal by Palat at 19:02 of the second period. Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov assisted on the goal.
In the third, Brett Connolly scored on a backhand shot at 5:20, assisted by Anton Stralman and Palat. Kucherov made it 4-1 at 8:40, assisted by Johnson and Stralman. Finally, at 18:05, Kucherov tallied another on a snap shot. Palat and Johnson got the assists.
The Sabres got just 11 shots on goal during the game. They next play the Florida Panthers on Friday.
Labels:Buffalo,Buffalo Sabres,hockey,Sports,Tampa Lightning | 0 comments
Charity hockey game slated for Saturday
The Lockport Express has challenged area first responders and LHS alumni to a hockey game to be played at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Cornerstone CFCU Arena.
The game will pit the the Express' Junior team up against a group of players including members of the Lockport Police and Fire departments, EMTs, corrections officers and former LHS players.
Admission is $5 for adults, while kids 12 and under are free. All money will be donated to charity.
There will be a public holiday skate immediately following the game which will include members of the Lockport Express team.
Labels:20150103,charity,hockey,LFD,Lockport Express,LPD,Niagara County Jail,Sports | 0 comments
Gage W. Amidon — May 13, 1995 - Dec. 27, 2014
Gage W. Amidon passed away suddenly on December 27, 2014.
Born in Buffalo on May 13, 1995 he is the son of Jennifer Amidon. Gage enjoyed music, outdoor sports and playing with his younger brothers. Besides his mother he is also survived by his daughter Kilie Rose; brother of Gavin Gill, Grant Amidon, Garet Amidon; half-brother of Sean Gill and step-brother of Alex Schweigert and Makayla Schweigert; “son” of Doug Gill; grandson of Rebecca Garvey and Kathy Paul; girlfriend and mother of his daughter Shelby Adamczak.
Relatives and friends may call Saturday, January 3rd from 1-4 PM in Prudden & Kandt Funeral Home, 242 Genesee St., Lockport.
Visit www.pruddenandkandt.com.
Labels:Obituaries,Prudden and Kandt | 0 comments
Ortt to be sworn in Saturday in N.T.
7:33 AM | | Edit Post
NORTH TONAWANDA — Senator-elect Robert Ortt will publicly take his oath of office Saturday at an 11 a.m. ceremony at the Riviera Theatre.
Ortt, R-North Tonawanda, will represent New York's 62nd Senate District, taking over from outgoing Sen. George Maziarz, who announced his retirement earlier this year. The 62nd District includes all of Niagara and Orleans counties, as well as the Monroe County towns of Ogden and Sweden.
Newly-elected New York State Supreme Court Justice Paul B. Wojtaszek, who also hails from North Tonawanda, will administer Ortt's oath.
Labels:20150103,News,North Tonawanda,NY62,Rob Ortt | 0 comments
Most Post Offices close at noon today
All Post Offices will be open today, but most will close at noon except for a handful, open until 5 p.m.
The Lockport Post Office, 138 East Ave., is one of 10 in the Buffalo/Niagara area that will remain open regular hours today, as are:
Buffalo Main Post Office, 1200 William St.
Cayuga Branch Post Office, 285 Cayuga Road, Cheektowaga
Northside Station Post Office, 725 Hertel Ave., Buffalo
West Seneca Branch Post Office, 4300 Seneca St., West Seneca
Williamsville Branch Post Office, 5325 Sheridan Drive, Williamsville
Batavia Post Office, 2 West Main St.
Niagara Falls LaSalle Post Office, 9860 Niagara Falls Blvd.
Orchard Park Post Office, 60 School St.
Tonawanda Post Office, 96 Seymour St.
Regular mail delivery and blue collection boxes having final collection times before noon will not be affected. However, collection boxes with final collection times scheduled after noon will be collected by noon.
Post Offices will be closed Thursday, Jan. 1 and only Priority Express Mail will be delivered.
Regular mail delivery and Post Office hours will resume Friday, Jan. 2.
Customers can access many postal services and products at local retailers (stamps), at a Self-Service Kiosk or at usps.com.
Labels:Features,USPS | 0 comments
Newfane man charged with stealing tools
NEWFANE — A 19-year-old Newfane man was charged Monday with stealing tools from the home of a Newfane woman.
According to a report issued by the Niagara County Sheriff's Office, Steven A. Wells, 2762 West Ave., had taken an orange Pass Load impulse nail gun, and a Craftsman 19.2 volt drill from the home of a Lockport-Olcott Road woman.
Orignally, Wells denied having taken the items but later admitted to the thefts. He said he had already sold the nail gun but still had the drill in his possession, which he turned over to patrol.
He was charged with two counts of petit larceny and one count of fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property in the 5th degree. He was taken to Niagara County Jail and held on $250 bail. He is due in Town of Newfane Court.
Labels:Crime,NCSO,Newfane,theft | 0 comments
Today's forecast: Out with the cold, in with the snow
The National Weather Service calls for a cold and snowy end to 2014. Today offers a 50 percent chance of snow with a high near 23 and an overnight low in the teens.
New Year's Day forecasts scattered flurries and snow showers with a high near 28 and a low around 25. Friday brings a chance of snow showers with a high near 31 and a low around 24. Saturday: A chance of snow with a high near 35. Overnight, snow, freezing rain, and sleet is likely with a low around 27.
Sunday offers a chance of snow showers, freezing rain, and sleet with a high near 34 and a low around 17. Monday, there's a chance of snow showers with a high near 22 and a low around 17. Tuesday brings a chance of snow showers with a high near 24.
Labels:20141231,Weather | 0 comments
Hartland man charged with shoplifting from Walmart — twice
TOWN OF LOCKPORT — A 38-year-old Drum Road man was charged Sunday with shoplifting from Walmart — twice in three days.
According to the Niagara County Sheriff's Office report, James J. Gould Jr., 2912 Drum Road, Hartland, was seen on store video around 9 p.m. on Dec. 26 concealing seven miscellaneous bottles of perfume inside of his jacket, then walking to the front of the store and out through the small cart access door to avoid the security sensors.
Walmart's loss prevention manager told NCSO that another male was seen to be selling said perfumes on Facebook. She knew the perfumes to be the same because she had made identifying marks on them.
As patrol was investigating the incident, they were told that Gould was back in the store and concealing more perfume. Patrol waiting outside for Gould to leave the store, which he did through the small cart access door again. Patrol stopped Gould and interviewed him. He admitted that he had just taken perfume from the store.
Patrol detained him and brought him back into Walmart and into the security office, where deputies located seven miscellaneous bottles of perfume inside his jacket and pants pockets. Patrol asked if he was in the store two days prior and took perfume, to which he replied "yes." He was asked what he does with the perfume, to which he said that he gives them to a friend that sells them, although he would not say who that friend was.
He was taken into custody and transported to the Niagara County Jail where he was held on $500 bail and ordered to appear in Town of Lockport Court on Jan. 6.
The case was forwarded to the Criminal Investigations Bureau for possible charges to be brought against the other male.
Labels:Crime,Hartland,NCSO,theft,Town of Lockport,Walmart | 0 comments
OLIVER: Ringing out the old
As the year draws to a close, I think about how much more divided this country is than it has ever been in my lifetime. I was not around for the civil rights protests of the 1960’s, but I remember the riots of the 1970’s and they scared me. When everything seemed to calm down, even as a kid, I was relieved.
Today, thanks to the persistent efforts of the 24-hour news media and attention hogs like Al Sharpton, the country is never given a chance to rest in order to heal. Each violent act against the police brings us closer and closer to the very martial law that we have abhorred throughout our history. The land of the free and the home of the brave is about to become the land of the locked-down and the home of the cowards who throw rocks from behind their naïve, racist shields.
I didn’t like 2014 from the moment it started. I sensed from the beginning that something was wrong and that feeling never went away. At first, the senseless deaths were of celebrities who were struggling in silence and never felt like they could reach out for help. Then the struggles took to the streets and morphed into a grayscale hue that has never looked right to me.
People. We are all People. We, the People. Why do some insist on using race as a reason to be destructive or as an excuse to be ignorant? I have always been, and always will be, a firm believer that the content of our character matters and the color of our skin does not. I stole that from a great man, as we should all steal the teachings of that great man.
To divert our attention, every once in a while, a little gnome in North Korea pipes up and keeps us all entertained. As we find out more about the Sony hack, we are starting to think that it could have been an inside job and Kim Jong Un had nothing to do with it. But don’t change protocol now. It has been great sport to watch the little guy pipe up, make his threats and then fade away.
Kim Jong Un is like a blast of unpleasant gas passed in church. The tension builds and builds until it erupts with an inappropriate and foul blast of energy. Then, it slowly dissipates while the people all around continue to stare with disapproving scowls. After a while, the tension and the energy are gone and the whole thing is forgotten. But unlike gas passed in church, watching Kim Jong Un in action is a lot of fun.
Can we do better in 2015? I’m not sure. For our little corner of the world, 2015 represents the single most important election year in the recent history of Lockport. If we do not educate ourselves and vote for the right people, then there very well may not be a Lockport to leave our children. Bankruptcy means a rise in crime, a decrease in basic maintenance and the decay of our city unlike anything we have ever seen.
If we get complacent and vote in the same Harrisons cronies that we vote in with each election, then our city is done for. But if we take the time to learn about the people who want to run for office, then we have a fighting chance at getting better. We have a long road ahead of us Lockport, and we can determine whether or not there is light at the end of the tunnel by our decisions next November.
What about the country? A country that gets more sharply divided each year will find itself mired in a full-out presidential war as the 2016 campaigns again. Politicians who are supposed to be uniting the country will tear the country down to its very foundation just to further their own causes. Politicians do not unite – they divide. Until we learn that, we will never make any progress.
We will be subjected to two years of inappropriate comments ruining political careers and 40 year old war records shaming politicians into getting off the campaign trail. Is it really any wonder why men like Colin Powell refuse to run for president? Being president of this country is not about making America great; it is about burying your opponent so deep in mud that the voting public can no longer see that opponent. That is the basis for a political system that, at some point very soon, will fail.
On the one hand, we have our city’s destiny in our own hands. We will decide whether Lockport makes a slow comeback, or whether a lazy reliance on old habits drives us into the ground. On the other hand, we have to sit back and watch the rest of the country implode knowing full well there is nothing we can do about it.
Nick Oliver is a Niagara County resident who is running out of hope for the future. His column appears each week and offers hope to no one.
Labels:Columns,Happy New Year,Nick Oliver | 0 comments
Apartment manager reports theft
11:37 PM | | Edit Post
NEWFANE — The manager at Hamlet Square Apartments reported Monday that sometime between 4 p.m. Friday and noon Sunday, someone stole a metal rod from a fence.
The woman told patrol that she had no suspects in mind for the theft of the $15 rod.
The investigation is continuing pending more information.
Teen shoots self in foot while hunting
GASPORT — A 15-year-old male who shot himself in the foot while hunting Saturday was taken to Medina Memorial Hospital for treatment.
According to a Niagara County Sheriff's Office report, the teen had set his 12-gauge Remington 1100 shotgun against a tree with the barrel facing the ground. When he attempted to pick his shotgun back up, it slipped and fell to the ground. He reached for the shotgun on the ground, but as he was picking it up, the shotgun slipped out of his hand again. As the shotgun fell to the ground, the teen accidentally grabbed it near the trigger causing a shell to discharge. The birdshot pellets struck him on his right foot.
The teen's brother and two friends assisted in carrying him to their vehicle. They first drove to the boy's house to get his insurance card. After getting the insurance card, they transported him to Medina Memorial Hospital.
The firearm which was documented onto a property management form was transferred to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The case was forwarded to the NCSO Criminal Investigation Bureau.
Labels:Gasport,gun,Medina Memorial Hospital,NCSO,shooting | 0 comments
Funny money confiscated from Lockport man
TOWN OF LOCKPORT — A 63-year-old Prospect Street man had a counterfeit $20 bill confiscated from him Sunday morning at Tops.
According to a report by the Niagara County Sheriff's Office, the man had tried to use to $20 bill when store representatives told him it was fake and took it from him, calling NCSO.
Patrol interviewed the store manager, who turned the bill over. The Sheriff's Office then turned the bill over to U.S. Secret Service.
The report does not state where the man got the fake money from. No charges were filed in the incident.
Labels:counterfeit,Crime,NCSO,Secret Service,Tops,Town of Lockport | 1 comments
Skate in the new year at Cornerstone
The Cornerstone CFCU Arena tower recently added the namesake sign on its north side. Improvements at the arena continue to be made daily. Open skating sessions are available seven days a week, including one New Year's Eve night. (PHOTO BY SCOTT LEFFLER / ENP STAFF)
With the City of Lockport scrapping the annual New Year's Eve ball drop, many people in Lockport are looking for something to do to ring in 2015. Cornerstone Arena hopes to have a solution.
The arena has been offering open skating daily during the Christmas recess — with notable success. The arena announced Sunday that it had 926 skaters during its first week of public skating at the arena. There were a total of 522 pairs of skates rented.
Now the arena is offering a double dose of skating fun New Year's Eve with one session from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and a second session from 8-10 p.m. And on New Year's Day, the arena will be open for skaters from 1-3 p.m.
Skate rentals for all sessions are $3. Admission is $3 Wednesday afternoon and $5 ($3 for kids 4 and under) for the Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon sessions.
For more open skating options from the arena, check the Cornerstone CFCU Arena website.
Labels:20141231,20150101,Cornerstone Arena,Features,skating,Sports | 0 comments
Wyndham teen charged with disorderly conduct
TOWN OF LOCKPORT — A 16-year-old male resident of Wyndham Lawn was charged Sunday night with disorderly conduct.
The teen was returned to the home by Niagara County Sheriff's deputies after having been reported missing. Patrol was standing in the hallway of McCorney Cottage listening to the staff ask the teen repeatedly to close his bedroom door per policy.
Patrol walked into the room and told him to stop giving the staff a hard time but he continued to yell profanities at staff and patrol. Patrol then began closing his room door. The teen jumped up from his bed that he was sitting on and slammed the door shut. In doing so the door struck patrol's shoulder, although patrol did not get injured.
Patrol opened the door and placed the teen in custody for disorderly conduct. He was transported to Niagara County Jail and held on $100 police bail. He is to appear in Town of Lockport Court on Jan. 6.
Labels:Crime,disorderly conduct,NCSO,Town of Lockport,Wyndham Lawn | 0 comments
Dale Association to partner with Lockport Meals on Wheels
The Dale Association and Lockport Meals on Wheels announces a partnership today between the two agencies.
The partnertship, effective Thursday — the first day of 2015 — makes sense due to the two organizations' similar missions and similar people served in the community. Both organizations proudly serve people in Niagara County, providing support designed to enhance health, wellness and socialization. Additionally, the partnership will allow a cost savings to the Meals on Wheels organization.
Meals on Wheels of Lockport provides daily nutrition to elderly, home bound, frail, disabled or at-risk residents within the City of Lockport. Daily operations of meal preparation and delivery will remain unchanged. Kathy Fahs will continue to coordinate and manage the program out of Lockport Presbyterian Home, and meals will continue to be delivered by dedicated Meals on Wheels volunteers.
“At The Dale Association we provide comprehensive services and coordinate connections for adults in Niagara County which enhance their health and wellness as well as their sense of empowerment," said Dale Association President/CEO Maureen Wendt. "We anticipate benefits to the people we collectively serve - all designed to promote good health and independence."
According to Patricia M. McGrath, Board Chair, Meals on Wheels of Lockport, “Our board is excited to partner with The Dale Association, given the shared commitment to improving the Lockport community in the most efficient way possible. Meals on Wheels volunteers have always gone the extra mile to support our customers and now we can work with The Dale to identify other Lockport residents who may benefit from the services we provide.”
Labels:Dale Association,Features,Lockport,Meals on Wheels | 0 comments
Sabres assign Hackett to Rochester
BUFFALO — The Buffalo Sabres today announced that goaltender Matt Hackett has cleared waivers and has been assigned to the Rochester Americans (AHL).
The Sabres next play the Tampa Lightning at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Falls man charged with stealing air fresheners, refills
WRIGHTS CORNERS — A 41-year-old Niagara Falls man is facing petit larceny charges from two Lockport-Olcott Road stores Sunday afternoon.
Gerald H. Stroud, 1819 Pine Ave., Niagara Falls, stands accused of stealing Glade air fresheners from Tops at approximately 4:30 p.m. He then reportedly stole Glade oil refills from Family Dollar at 4:34 p.m.
According to NCSO, Stroud entered Family Dollar and asked where the Glade Oil Refills were located for air fresheners. Several minutes later, he quickly exited the store and the sensor alarm was activated. The employees yelled to him to stop, but he continued walking out of the store and got into the back seat of a car which then left.
A short time later, patrol was informed that the Town of Niagara Police Department stopped the vehicle involved in the larceny and the male in the back seat matches the description of the suspect provided. The items were also found in the car.
NCSO states that Stroud confessed to stealing the items from Family Dollar and Tops. The merchandise was returned to its appropriate stores. Stroud was held in the Niagara County Jail, in lieu of $500 bail. He is to appear in the Town of Newfane Court to be arraigned on the charge of Petit Larceny.
Stroud is also on New York State Parole for Robbery in the Second Degree. Patrol will notify his parole officer.
Labels:Crime,Family Dollar,NCSO,Niagara Falls,theft,Tops,Town of Niagara,Wrights Corners | 0 comments
Ann B. Godzisz — Dec. 29, 2014
Ann B. Godzisz, 91, of Lockport, NY wife of the late Sylvester Frank Godzisz passed away Monday, December 29, 2014 at Briodys Health Care Facility under the loving care of family and staff.
She was the daughter of Louis and Sophia Klos Grendisa. Ann and her husband were the owners of N. Transit Grocery in Lockport for many years and Frank’s Restaurant & Bar in Wrights Corners. Ann enjoyed gardening, sewing, cooking favorite Polish dishes and bird watching. Her greatest joy was being together with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was a member of St. Brendan’s R. C. Church Newfane, NY.
Ann was the loving mother of Sheila McAtee of Lockport, Kathy (John) Phillips of Cambria and Patricia (Robert) Smith of Dunkirk. Grandmother of Steven (Kathy) Waas of Palm Beach, FL, Greg (Amanda) Phillips of Wilson, NY, Mandie (Lenny Paul) Bechard of Rouses Pt., NY, Jeffrey (Shannon) Phillips of Fairport, NY. Great Grandmother of Alex, Emily, Gracie Phillips and Hanna Bechard. Sister of Cecelia Sasiadek of Tonawanda, Helen Fura of Lockport, Stella Newman of Barker and the late Leon Grendisa, Catherine Karlak, Mary Kyzmir, Thomas Grendisa and Amelia Godzisz. Also survived by several nieces and nephews.
Friends may call at the RUTLAND-CORWIN FUNERAL HOME, INC. 2670 Main St. Newfane, NY THURSDAY January 1, 2015 from 2-6 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated FRIDAY at 10:00 AM at St. Brendan of the Lake R.C. Church (St. Bridget’s) Ewing’s Road Newfane, NY. Burial will be in St. Charles Cemetery, Newfane, NY. In lieu of flowers; memorials to Alzheimer’s Association WNY Chapter 1914 Colvin Boulevard Tonawanda, NY 14150 would be appreciated by the family.
Please visit www.rutland-corwin.com to send a condolence to the family.
Labels:Lockport,Obituaries,Rutland-Corwin | 0 comments
Red Cross: Resolve to donate blood
The American Red Cross asks eligible blood donors to make a resolution to give blood regularly in 2015, beginning with National Blood Donor Month in January.
National Blood Donor Month recognizes the importance of giving blood and platelets while honoring those who roll up a sleeve to help patients in need. It has been observed during January since 1970, and that’s no coincidence. Winter is an especially difficult time to collect enough blood to meet patient needs. Unpredictable winter weather can result in blood drive cancelations, and seasonal illnesses, like the flu, may cause some donors to be unable to make or keep blood donation appointments.
Donors of all blood types are needed, especially those with O negative, A negative and B negative. With a shelf life of 42 days, red blood cells must be constantly replenished to maintain an adequate supply for patients. Individuals who come out to give blood Jan. 1 through Jan. 4 will receive a long-sleeve Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last.
To learn more about donating blood and to schedule an appointment, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Upcoming East Niagara blood donation opportunities:
Jan. 4: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Family Video, 76 East Ave.
Jan. 6: 1 - 6 p.m. Faith United Methodist Church, 1449 Quaker Road, Barker.
Jan. 13: 1 - 6 p.m., The Dale Association Incorporated, 33 Ontario St.
Get the daily East Niagara Post email update.
Send an email to news@eastniagarapost.com with "email update" in the subject line.
Labels:20150104,20150106,20150113,Features,Red Cross | 0 comments
Hartland woman reports credit card fraud
HARTLAND — A Johnson Creek woman told Niagara County Sheriff's deputies on Sunday that an unknown person charged $1,368.68 to her credit card.
The woman said that the transactions were made between Nov. 7 and Nov. 24. She said she had made a purchase at the Home Depot on Nov. 1 and her bank believes that may be when her card number was compromised.
It is unknown who made the purchases or where they were purchased from. All the purchases appear to have been made online consisting of purchases from iTunes, Craigslist, Google , Checkmark Inc. and Intuit.
The woman told patrol that Key Bank requested a police report as they are looking into the transactions and are not holding her liable. Key Bank supplied the woman with paperwork to complete as the fraud unit is looking into the incident.
The report will be forwarded to the Criminal Investigations Bureau.
Labels:Crime,fraud,Hartland,Home Depot,Key Bank,NCSO,theft | 0 comments
Skipping New Year's — Lockport not holding ball drop
Many Lockportians have asked recently whether there will be a ball drop or fireworks this New Year's Eve as there have been in the past.
The short answer is "no."
According to Mayor Anne McCaffrey's office, the city opted to skip the annual New Year's celebrations which have been held in the past in either the municipal building parking lot or the City Center. The reason the festivities will not be held is so the city can focus its resources on the 2015 sesquicentennial celebration.
While there are several private functions being held at area bars, restaurants and other establishments, the public event typically held by the city will at least be taking the year off.
Today's forecast: Scattered snow showers, high near 28
The National Weather Service calls for scattered snow showers before 2 p.m., then a chance for flurries with a high near 28. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible and an overnight low will be around 18 degrees.
New Year's Eve, there's a slight chance of snow showers, otherwise partly sunny with a high near 23 and a low around 17. The day will be windy with gusts as high as 30 mph. New Year's Day calls for a chance of snow showers with a high near 25 and a low around 22. Friday, there's a chance of snow showers with a high near 32 and a low around 26.
Saturday, there's a chance of rain and snow showers with a high near 36 and a low around 26. Sunday, there's also a chance of snow showers with a high near 32 and a low around 20. Monday looks to be partly sunny with a high near 23.
IT'S A NOVEL IDEA: Everything Changes
When I first started writing reviews for East Niagara Post, I told myself I would not repeat authors, at least right away. It only took three months to break that promise to myself. In my defense, the author I am reviewing today is well worthy of a second review, especially if you like character-driven novels that echo real life rather than glamourous life. In my opinion, Jonathan Tropper is that worthy author. Previously, I had reviewed The Book of Joe. Today, I turn my attention to another of his works, Everything Changes.
In Everything Changes, 32-year old Zachary King is ready to tie the knot with his rich girlfriend. He has it all, a beautiful woman, a rent-free apartment in Manhattan with his independently wealthy roommate, and a steady job. Which, in Tropper’s universe, means that all hell is about to break loose in King’s life. Just like in real life, nothing is ever as simple as it appears.
The crux of King’s issues is that he has fallen in love with his best friend’s widow and sees himself as a surrogate father for their child. In the two years since his best friend’s death, he has taken the time to make sure that he visits Tamara to let her know she is not alone and still has him as a friend. Part of him may feel guilty because Zack survived the same crash that killed Rael.
In the midst of all these mixed feelings as he head towards his nuptials, his estranged father arrives to intrude on his seemingly idyllic life. He brings mayhem into Zack’s life and makes the younger King question all his own decisions. Just when it seems like there can be nothing else to go wrong, a health issue brings his own mortality to the forefront. In the following scenes of Zach attempting to come to terms with where his life has landed, hilarity ensues.
With his father around, no one knows exactly how things will turn out. This is the man, who while cheating on his wife, was photographed in the act by his wife. She then used the photo on the family’s Christmas cards. As traumatic as that may seem, imagine how that impacted a teenage Zack. Twenty years later, people still remember that photo of Norm King on their Christmas card and remind Zack of that fact.
Norm’s reappearance into Zack’s life causes no end to consternation faced by the younger King. When Zack faces a medical issue that leaves him sleepless at night wondering whether the diagnosis means cancer or sterility, or something completely benign, his father drags him along an adventure to find his doctor somewhere on the golf course. It is pure comedy as Norm, Zack and his roommate attempt to avoid country club security while racing after an elusive, golfing doctor. Lucky for Zack, the news is good. Unlucky for Zack, his father invites himself to Zack’s rehearsal dinner.
Zack is initially concerned that Norm will embarrass him with his fiance's well-off parents and siblings. Somehow, despite all his shortcomings, Norm is able to schmooze his way to the good side of the family. However, it is Zack who causes his own issues when he is caught kissing Tamara by his future father-in-law.
In true Tropper fashion, nothing is quite as simple after he leaves his fiance’s family home. He’s lost his girlfriend while the woman for whom he has buried feelings suddenly states that she needs some time to think about what has transpired. At least he still has Norm to keep him on his toes. Norm reiterates that the happiest man is the man who doesn’t do something simply because it is the comfortable thing to do, but does something that makes him feel good. Perhaps he was in the wrong relationship all along, Norm quips. Now it is up to Zack to determine which path to blaze.
Will Zack make the correct decision? Will he find his way back to his girlfriend? Will he find a way to gain Tamara’s trust once again and become a father to her young daughter? Will he keep Norm in his life? These questions and more will be answered by the time you turn the final page of Everything Changes.
Once again, Jonathan Tropper delivers a hilarious, heartfelt narrative on the pitfalls of being human, especially a socially flawed human. He reminds us that the choices we make affect more than just ourselves. We must be honest with ourselves in order. It’s the only way to form and nurture the relationships around us.
I have thoroughly enjoyed all the Tropper books that I’ve read so far. His fast, easy pace keeps the reader engaged and eager to discover the fortunes of all the characters. LIke in his other books, his protagonist is his own worst enemy. I’m sure we’ve all made those choices where when we look back on it, we wonder what the heck were we thinking? And we’ve all had friends who we’ve questioned about their own ill-fated decisions. Jonathan Tropper throws it right in our faces. And he makes us laugh about it, while we think (mostly to ourselves, because we really don’t like to admit it) that it could easily be us making the same mistakes.
As I stated at the beginning of this review, I really tried to avoid writing reviews of the same author, especially so close together in time. Of course, as I was finishing this review, I actually finished another Tropper book, How to Talk to a Widower. That book is even better than this one, however, I will not be reviewing it.
In a side note, I just purchased the movie, “This is Where I Leave You.” This movie is based on Jonathan Tropper’s book of the same name. It was that book that started me on this author’s works. I hope to watch the movie over Christmas break. Maybe I could invite another East Niagara Post columnist over to watch it, and then he could write one of his fabulous reviews. I cannot adequately explain how much I enjoy this author’s works. I eagerly await his next new novel, hopefully sometime in the next year or so.
Craig Bacon likes to read. Sometimes he likes reading more than talking to people — especially after reading Facebook.
Labels:Columns,Craig Bacon,Everything Changes,It's A Novel Idea | 0 comments
Ottawa, Ryan beats Sabres 5-2
OTTAWA — Ottawa's Bobby Ryan scored a hat trick Monday night — enough goals on his own to beat the Buffalo Sabres without any help from his teammates. His teammates added two more goals anyway.
Ryan started the scoring off with 1:34 to go in the first period, scoring with the help of Kyle Turris and Erik Karlsson.
In the second period, the Sabres took a 2-1 lead with goals by Mark Pysyk at 1:53 (assisted by Chris Stewart) and Zemgus Girgensons at 8:37. Matt Moulson and Nikita Zadarov were awarded the assists on that goal. At 18:41, Ryan scored his second of the night, assisted by Mike Hoffman and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, tying the game at 2.
In the third, Ryan completed the hat trick at 3:02, assisted by Karlsson. Former Sabre Clarke MacArthur made it 4-2 at 11:54 of the third period, assisted by Chris Phillips and Mark Stone. Finally, Colin Greening closed things at 19:58. Mika Zibanejad and Erik Condra were awarded assists on the empty-net goal.
With the loss, the Sabres are 14-20-3. They next play New Year's Eve at 6 p.m. against the Tampa Lightning. The 6 p.m. start will likely see a lot of Tuxedos in First Niagara Center as the old "Tux and Pucks" New Year's Eve tradition is carried on.
Labels:Buffalo Sabres,hockey,NHL,Ottawa Senators,Sports | 0 comments
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Cuba’s Second Special Period – 2016
Published July 20, 2016 | By Albert Bates
Off the keyboard of Albert Bates
Published on Peak Surfer on June 12, 2016
Discuss this article at the Economics Table inside the Diner
"Cuba’s economy minister told the Cuban Parliament last week, in a closed session, (drum roll) that the country would have to cut fuel consumption nearly a third in the second half of this year."
Foodlines in Soviet Union 1991 (photo by A. Bates)
The story of Cuba’s Special Period has been told here before, but just to refresh. (light bongo beat) In 1992 the Soviet Union was undergoing great social upheaval at home and in the shifts that followed could no longer support its massive foreign aid dole-out to client states such as Cuba. Without Russian fuel and food aid — and more importantly without the Eastern European export market for its sugar and other commodities — and still under the 30-year-old embargo imposed by the United States, Cuba sank into catastrophic recession. The caloric intake of its population shrank by a third. Oxen replaced tractors and combines. Cuba teetered at the brink of collapse.
In the face of these challenges, the spirit of the 1953-59 student-led revolt revived and bolstered the willingness of the population to come together, tighten their belts and do what needed to be done. (light guitar comes in with the bongo beat) Urban gardens led by permaculture instructors arriving from Australia and South America sprung up along sidewalks, on balconies, and on rooftops. Bicycles, horse taxis and “camels” (massive 300-passenger buses) replaced the diesel classic car fleet. Ride share coops, farmers coops, barefoot doctors and street markets ignored the daily power blackouts and kept the country alive, even thriving. (conga beat picking up, maracas coming in) It was an historic moment, although if you ask the average Cuban, as we did four years ago, they would tell you they would never want to repeat the experience.
Generalisimo Batista and his rival, medical student Ernesto "Che" Guevara
When we visited in 2012 we noticed, and blogged here, that Cuba was doing some remarkable things but that much of their economic development came from and is planning to go forward on, their alliance with friends in the South, notably Venezuela and Bolivia. Instead of being addicted to Soviet fossil energy, they were becoming enslaved to Orinoco Heavy. (castanet roll) Cuba uses 80,000 barrels per day of Venezuelan oil, but when we visited they had ambitious plans for offshore fracking, a giant harbor that would handle oil supertankers and Chinese container ships too large to dock in Miami or Houston, and a revival of the sugar industry using Brazilian next-gen technology to make ethanol. In Havana, the neighborhood gardens were still there, but they were beginning to look a little seedy. (tambourine, cow bell)
Following the student-led revolt, conditions improved markedly.
Cuba’s economy minister told the Cuban Parliament last week, in a closed session, (drum roll) that the country would have to cut fuel consumption nearly a third in the second half of this year because the Venezuelan spigot was slowly squeezing shut. Venezuelan oil exports to Cuba have dropped 40% since January. As the news rippled out through Havana there was a universal sense of Déjà vu. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, won’t be fooled again (as George W. Bush said in his being-folksy mode, unable to recall where he was in the fool-me-twice-shame-on-me proverb and so reverting to a rock anthem lyric from his Yale fraternity days).
Havana 2012 (photo by A. Bates)
Venezuela is running dry, as is neighboring Mexico, and bargain basement crude sales to bolster Venezuela’s economy don’t help. Venezuela can no more supply the Citgo stations in Havana than it can keep the lights on in hospitals in Caracas.
Since we are not exactly getting the White House morning briefing we can only speculate on connections between the US military/intelligence community (triple oxymoron there)’s goals in Venezuela. We know that as the curtain comes down on the Pentagon-mesmermized Drone King Administration and up on an uncertain successor, it could be a chessboard moment. (bass drum and brushed cymbals)
We know, for instance, that the shortages in Venezuela are specific products, so other food and consumer goods remain available. Could it be that the crisis in Venezuela is less about the oil economy and more about black ops by opposition elements? Those elements would include domestic food companies controlled by long-standing opponents of the Bolivarian revolution of 1999. They control, for instance, 62% of every arrepa, a staple of Venezuelan cuisine.
The market distortion is curious. Venezuelans can purchase yogurt, cheese, teas, vegetables, chocolate and fruit, but not meat, corn flour, milk, coffee, and personal hygiene products like soap, toilet paper, sanitary napkins and diapers. In a managed socialist economy you’d think the reverse would be true. It is only when you look at the ownership of the companies where scarcity exists that it begins to make sense.
V.P. candidate Mike Pence and actor Everett McGill – Under Siege 3?
The Friday night military coup in Turkey is another one of those things that can be explained by other factors but the timing is curious. There is no love lost in either Washington or Moscow for the Erdogan regime. Russian press and other sources linked Turkey to the CIA-covert resupply chain for the Islamic State in Syria (ISIS), which the Syrian Army, supported by spectacular Russian air strikes, is in the process of decimating. Erdogan was a klutz, but he was Washington’s klutz. He made that very clear when he shot down a commercial Russian airliner and then okay’ed a new pipeline to take offshore oil and gas Israel was stealing from Gaza through Turkey to Europe. That will potentially square US accounts with kleptocrats in Kiev who keep siphoning gas meant for Europe and not paying for it.
As we penned this Friday night this we were watching the air battle over Ankara not knowing who was fighting for whom over what. That Russia Today is a more reliable witness than The New York Times is the new normal.
Cubans have been here before, and actually, this time it may not be as bad. The embargo is lifting. Although Donald Trump is out-polling Hillary Clinton in Florida, especially with Cuban-Americans, his war-chest is no match for hers and
nationwide, at this point in the election cycle, he is a diminishing threat to US-Cuba détente. (muted instruments, brushed cymbals, then just bongo) With air routes opening, tourist hotels being planned, and Havana’s notorious nightclubs a shorter hop than Las Vegas for half the population of the United States, Cubans only have to hold their breath while they turn off the fans 8 hours per day.
Then the
Posted in Economics, Home | Tagged CIA, Cuba, Drones, Gaza, Hillary, Israel, Palestine, peakoil mexico, Revolution, Russia, Syria, Trump, Turkey, Ukraine, US 2016 election, venezuela
Dystopias and Eutopias
Published January 5, 2016 | By Albert Bates
Published on Peak Surfer on January 3, 2016
Discuss this article at the Environment Table inside the Diner
"Cities like Miami, New Orleans, Tokyo and Venice will squander billons to forestall the inevitable and for a while may even seem to succeed, only to lose it all in one spin of the wheel — a single bad day with some monster storm."
The wind billowing out the seat of my britches,
My feet crackling splinters of glass and dried putty,
The half-grown chrysanthemums staring up like accusers,
Up through the streaked glass, flashing with sunlight,
A few white clouds all rushing eastward,
A line of elms plunging and tossing like horses,
And everyone, everyone pointing up and shouting!
—Theodore Roethke, The Child on Top of the Greenhouse
Watching the development of the Arctic superstorm on earth.nullschool.net, our eyes drifted to the Eastern Mediterranean, curious about the lake effect of that large body of water on Palestine and the Middle East. We had seen a photo earlier in the week from Instagram of a trolley making its way through snow in Istanbul, and we knew Eastern Mediterranean weather was likely cold.
We latched onto two curious patterns. The first was that cold air mass descending out of the Russian steppes, crossing the Black Sea, passing through the Dardanelles and entering the Mediterranean, where the hot air mass in Africa wheeled it around to lash the shores of Gaza. It was no surprise to see our heroic permaculture pioneer there in Ramalla, Murad AlKhufash, bundled up against the cold.
The other pattern we saw was farther west, beyond the boot of Italy, where two air masses converge and bend up into the continent. The first comes in off the North Atlantic, collides with that hot high in North Africa and swings up into Provence. The second is a westward flow of cool Mediterranean air moving down from the Italian Alps, out through the San Remo Bay and then along the gold coast, past Nice, Cannes, Monaco, before suddenly sweeping north, drawn like a magnet to that same compass heading in the Golfe de Lyon.
We watched, rapt, this vacuum in Southern France, endlessly drawing warm air up into Southwest Europe. It is a weather pattern as old as human history. This is where the oldest known hominid settlement, a stick and sealskin family lodge around a central firepit, is found at Terra Amata, 400000 BCE. "Tautavel man" (possibly Homo heidelbergensis) built refuge there, moving along an annual coastal hunting route during the Mindel glaciation. The cave paintings at Lascaux date to the middle of that Ice Age, when this part of Europe was relatively warm and food was plentiful, although stone tools discovered at Lézignan-la-Cèbe in 2009 date humans in France to at least 1.57 million years ago.
What we are looking at now, with this modern satellite imagery, is the climate signature of very old refugia — the places to which our kind, the two-leggeds, repaired when climate changed abruptly.
As the weather warmed again, there was an expansion of peoples from southwest Asia into Europe from the Aegean and Eastern Steppes, about 8500 years ago, marked by the introduction of Indo-European speech. Vascons bear the remnant genome — related to none other in the world and retaining a fragment of Neanderthal DNA — and pre-Indo-European linguistic roots. These peoples were likely forced from the lowlands and pushed upland by Middle Eastern migrants from 6500 to 4000 BC, moving eventually into the Pyrenees, where they live today in the Basque region of Spain and Andorra.
As an aside, when we were researching the history of the conquistadors for The Biochar Solution, we came across the fascinating tale of Lope de Aguirre (1510-1561), nicknamed El Loco ('the Madman') who was psychotically depicted by Klaus Kinski in Werner Herzog's B-film, Aguirre: the Wrath of God, in 1972 (where our friend, the bioregional poet and singer, Christopher Wells, performed as an extra). Aquirre, a Vascon, was said to be nearly 7 feet tall and was uncomfortable in leather boots, which compells us to muse about the possibility of his Neanderthal bloodline. When Aguirre was sentenced to public flogging for his cruelty towards the indigenous peoples he conquered and enslaved, he endured his whipping but then pursued the judge who sentenced him. Over three years he ran 6,000 km (3700 miles) through the mountains and jungles on foot, unshod, on the trail of the judge, who slept in armor to protect himself. He caught and killed the judge but was pardoned in exchange for his Indian-fighting services, until once more atrocities and his open rebellion against the Spanish crown made him a hunted rogue agent, gone off the reservation, and he so was recaptured and terminated with extreme prejudice.
The people living in the highlands of what is today Bolivia might of thought they had a pretty good life for themselves in a place of great natural beauty until that guy showed up.
Five hundred years before Aguirre, the Southern French and Italian coast was the tribal homeland for the Ligurians, whose language carries as many Celtic words as Indo-European, and who were conquered in the Punic Wars by Rome. The ancient Roman port of Ventimiglia, on San Remo Bay, lies close to one of Europe's most treasured ecovillages, at Torri Superiori, which perches just back up that river valley, at the transition point where paved roads give way to mountain trails, and a days' walk will take you through many vacant, or nearly vacant, fieldstone towns and cobbled hamlet ruins in the foothills.
In 1834, Henry Brougham, Lord Chancellor Lord Brougham and Vaux, discovered the sleepy fishing village of Cannes and built a winter villa there with immense lawns of turf imported from Britain by sail. Lord Brougham, epitomizing Britain's ruling class, is remembered for his stern attack on the radical idea of providing public education:
I should regard anything of the kind as utterly destructive of the end it has in view. Suppose the people of England were taught to bear it, and to be forced to educate their children by means of penalties, education would be made absolutely hateful in their eyes, and would speedily cease to be endured. They who have argued in favour of such a scheme from the example of a military government like that of Prussia have betrayed, in my opinion, great ignorance of the nature of Englishmen.
— Report of the Parliamentary Committee on the State of Education (1834).
Trailing in Brougham's turfboat wake, wealthy Victorian scoundrels landscaped themselves along the gold coast and over the present Italian border to Bordighera, San Remo and other Ligurian villages (until 1860, Nice and Menton were in the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia), building exotic terraced gardens and palatial estates befitting the rewards of extractive colonial empire. It was in a family villa near Ventimiglia that Lord Balfour hosted the San Remo conference to design the partition of Palestine, haughtily issuing "Israel's Magna Carta," and precipitating the Jerusalem Nebi-Musa riots of 1920-21.
It was not just the warmth and healthy winter climate that attracted the British gentry. The cost of living was lower there than in London, Belfast or Edinburgh, and if one had served her Majesty in one of her distant colonial outposts and remembered fondly being waited on by servants — and the cool tropical drinks out on the veranda — one could hire poor French peasants for a pittance. These were the years following Napoleon's ruin, when empirical overreach sank French fortunes in a foolhardy Russian winter campaign and then got mopped up and tossed into history's dustbin by Wellington and the Prussians.
To some British ex-pats, the Riviera was simply an escape from Victorian morals, a place for singles and gays to freak freely — as Somerset Maugham put it, "a sunny place for shady people."
Last week we listened to a Kunstlercast podcast in which James Howard Kunstler chatted with Chuck Marohn of StrongTowns.org. The two mused at how estate prices had fallen in the rust belt and how easy it would be for aspiring youth and young families of like-minded kith and kin to move in, build collaborative, regenerative local economies while incurring zero debt, and even be supported in that reclamation process by the greater city, state and county taxsheds interested in recovering misallocated and stranded assets amid cascading petrocollapse.
Personally, we think climate change should be a major consideration. As we listened to scientist emeritus James Hansen in his Paris talks last month, we heard the urgency of his concern for sea level rise and took that to heart. But no one can say with certainty how fast an individual section of coastline will give itself up to the waves and that provides some comfort to coastal dwellers. Cities like Miami, New Orleans, Tokyo and Venice will squander billons to forestall the inevitable and for a while may even seem to succeed, only to lose it all in one spin of the wheel — a single bad day with some monster storm.
In Climate in Crisis (1990) we speculated that the hot interiors of continents were not going to be pleasant places in the coming years. With some exceptions, most will become dreadfully hot and water starved, subject to tornadoes, wildfires and even dust bowl conditions. The Pacific Northwest will be more wet, as will the American Southeast, but that also means much greater humidity and unless you can power air conditioning with renewable energy, not very happy places in warm times of the year. Mosquitoes and biting flies will love the change, and will proliferate too in thawing regions closer to the poles. Much of the Amazon Basin (another lockbox of untapped viruses) is expected to desertify at 3 degrees above now, and that will alter rainfall patterns for a very large part of the world. Being on the Equator, their climate may begin to resemble the lower quadrant of Saudi Arabia in a few decades.
When we taught our most recent permaculture course in Iceland we thought that would be a lovely place for young people to settle and build ecovillages. Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, fits a similar mold. We used to think that might be a great place to relocate our family and maybe take up fishing. After watching earth.nullschool.net and the gigantic storm now churning through the Arctic, we have second thoughts.
One thinks of higher elevations as refuges, and indeed, some very spectacular real estate can be found in the Rockies, Alps and Snowy Mountains. Insofar as the rain-shadow effect of cross-mountain winds continues, these may provide some areas of refuge, albeit gradually shrinking. So may certain islands, if they rise up from the sea to secure elevations and can shelter from superstorms.
As refugees continue to pour north into Europe we are reminded what it may look like in these more comfortable microclimates like Southern France in the not distant future. Human numbers are already staggering, our fecundity rates show no sign of abating, and we add 220,000 to the number of us at procreating age, every day.
In the end, it matters not where we are. It matters who we are, and what we do with our knowledge and skills in the time we are given.
Through sunny fields
And valleys deep
Through noisy streets
And river's sweep
Although I may race
With the wind
I keep that quiet place
My heart; a chamber
To give you shelter
From the storm
— Gabriela Duricova
Posted in Environment, Home | Tagged #COP21Paris, Anthropocene, Climate Change, Degrowth, Extreme Weather, Hansen, Hurricane, Iceland, Kunstler, Palestine, Permaculture, Population, Sea Level
Beware: Israel the Eager Provocateur
Published August 8, 2014 | By Anthony Cartalucci
Off the keyboard of Anthony Cartalucci
Published on Land Destroyer on August 8, 2014
August 8, 2014 (Tony Cartalucci – NEO) – With hostilities once again erupting between Israeli forces and Palestine, onlookers must keep in mind the greater agenda in which the current violence is playing out and the stated agenda of achieving hegemony over the Middle East in which Israel plays a pivotal role – as the “unilateral aggressor.”
FOB Israel
Of course, Israel does nothing unilaterally. It is a stunted, militaristic faux-state that depends entirely on the West for its continued existence. From the funds it builds its military with, to the very hardware it buys and maintains, starting from the day the modern state of Israel was founded up to and including today, Israel is in reality a state-sized forward operating base (FOB). Wikipedia defines a FOB as follows:
“The base may be used for an extended period of time. FOBs are traditionally supported by Main Operating Bases that are required to provide backup support to them.[citation needed] An FOB also improves reaction time to local areas as opposed to having all troops on the main operating base.”
As such, Israel’s constant and otherwise irrational belligerence makes perfect sense. An FOB’s priorities are not prosperity and peace as would a nation’s, but rather to engage forward into enemy territory. The trick over the years has been to portray Israel as a nation, while propping up its constant belligerence and aggression as “self-defense.” To keep this illusion in motion, Israel and its regional and Western collaborators have even created full-time enemies, including Hamas itself – a creation of Israeli intelligence and to this day primarily propped up by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, both of which are defacto regional partners with the West and of course Israel itself.
The Wall Street Journal reported in their article, “How Israel Helped to Spawn Hamas,” that (emphasis added):
“Hamas, to my great regret, is Israel’s creation,” says Mr. Cohen, a Tunisian-born Jew who worked in Gaza for more than two decades. Responsible for religious affairs in the region until 1994, Mr. Cohen watched the Islamist movement take shape, muscle aside secular Palestinian rivals and then morph into what is today Hamas, a militant group that is sworn to Israel’s destruction.
Instead of trying to curb Gaza’s Islamists from the outset, says Mr. Cohen, Israel for years tolerated and, in some cases, encouraged them as a counterweight to the secular nationalists of the Palestine Liberation Organization and its dominant faction, Yasser Arafat’s Fatah. Israel cooperated with a crippled, half-blind cleric named Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, even as he was laying the foundations for what would become Hamas. Sheikh Yassin continues to inspire militants today; during the recent war in Gaza, Hamas fighters confronted Israeli troops with “Yassins,” primitive rocket-propelled grenades named in honor of the cleric.
This is in fact exactly what Hamas is still being used today for – to counter real opposition movements by dividing against each other different factions of Muslims and secular organizations alike, in confusion and armed combat, preventing a greater, unified front against Western expansion and exploitation throughout the region. Extremist groups closely aligned to Hamas, including Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood, would flood into Iraq during the US occupation to “serendipitously” disrupt united Sunni-Shia’a resistance, and create bloody infighting that broke the back of meaningful opposition against foreign occupation. The same method is being used again in Syria, and with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria’s (ISIS) incursion into Iraq weeks ago, yet again against Baghdad.
Divided and in perpetual conflict, the Arab World across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has not been able to create strong, secular, nationalist nations to protect Arab socioeconomic and political interests. In the process, the West has been able to exploit, divide, and conquer regions of MENA over and over again. Israel’s role as the ultimate casus belli, instigator, and aggressor, has been instrumental in keeping this hegemonic enterprise alive and well with the region kept in a perpetual and crippling defensive posture.
Israel’s Role as “Unilateral Aggressor” is Stated US Policy
Logistically, it is obvious Israel does not exist without Western support, and therefore does not act without Western approval. The illusion of its unilateral aggression is designed specifically to lend the West plausible deniability for brutality and unprovoked aggression it believes it cannot afford to be associated with directly. This is stated across years of US policy papers, including the most definitive report on the subject, Brooking Institution’s 2009 report “Which Path to Persia?”
The report itself conspires to use covert provocations to trigger a war with Iran, to undermine it politically through foreign-sponsored “protests” augmented by covert armed groups, the direct funding, arming, and use of listed terrorist organizations against the Iranian people, and specifically the use of Israel to attack Iran with covert Western backing to make it appear as if Tel Aviv took the steps unilaterally. It specifically states:
“An Israeli air campaign against Iran would have a number of very important differences from an American campaign. First, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) has the problem of overflight transit from Israel to Iran. Israel has no aircraft carriers, so its planes must take off from Israeli air bases. It also does not possess long-range bombers like the B-1 or B-2, or huge fleets of refueling tankers, all of which means that unlike the United States, Israel cannot avoid flying through someone’s air space. The most direct route from Israel to Iran’s Natanz facility is roughly 1,750 kilometers across Jordan and Iraq. As the occupying power in Iraq, the United States is responsible for defending Iraqi airspace. “Which Path to Persia?-page 105 (.pdf)
“From the American perspective, this negates the whole point of the option—distancing the United States from culpability—and it could jeopardize American efforts in Iraq, thus making it a possible nonstarter for Washington. Finally, Israeli violation of Jordanian airspace would likely create political problems for King Abdullah of Jordan, one of America’s (and Israel’s) closest Arab friends in the region. Thus it is exceedingly unlikely that the United States would allow Israel to overfly Iraq, and because of the problems it would create for Washington and Amman, it is unlikely that Israel would try to fly over Jordan.” Which Path to Perisa?-page 106 (.pdf)
“An Israeli attack on Iran would directly affect key American strategic interests. If Israel were to overfly iraq, both the Iranians and the vast majority of people around the world would see the strike as abetted, if not authorized, by the United States. Even if Israel were to use another route, many Iranians would still see the attack as American supported or even American orchestrated. After all, the aircraft in any strike would be American produced, supplied, and funded F-15s and F-16s, and much of the ordnance would be American made. In fact, $3 billion dollars in U.S. assistance annually sustains the IDF’s conventional superiority in the region.” Which Path to Persia-page 106 (.pdf)
“…the Israelis may want to hold off until they have a peace deal with Syria in hand (assuming that Jerusalem believes that one is within reach), which would help them mitigate blowback from Hizballah and potentially Hamas. Consequently, they might want Washington to push hard in mediating between Jerusalem and Damascus.” -page 109 (.pdf)
With the US fully withdrawn from Iraq and Damascus significantly weakened, many of these problems have been adequately addressed, and with the US’ perceived “failure” in and “withdrawal” from the region being eagerly reported by the Western press itself, the stage is set for the ultimate staged “unilateral” attack by Israel, not only against its own Hamas provocateurs, but through a series of dubious associations, Hezbollah, Damascus, and even Iran itself.
Of course, another possibility exists. As seen before, Israeli belligerence and intentional role as regional arch-villain has been used to undermine targets throughout the region as well as boost others up. That Hamas’ current and most public supporters are Israel’s own regional collaborators, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, a quick and humiliating stalemate for Israel would help boost the credibility of Riyadh and Doha across the region ahead of renewed pushes against both Damascus and Baghdad.
Whichever route Israel takes, it will be apparent soon enough. Should the conflict expand rapidly and involve Hezbollah, the final battle may be underway. If the conflict remains limited to Hamas, the possibility that the Israel is trying to lend Hamas’ public sponsors in Riyadh and Doha credibility and momentum throughout the region will be greater.
Israel: The Bottom Line
What Israel is doing across the region is both criminal and demands condemnation. However, it must be condemned in the context of a belligerent client regime acting not in the best interests of the Israeli people or toward peace, prosperity, and coexistence with its neighbors, but rather for foreign interests that see the nation instead as a massive forward operating base. Protesting Israel alone is not enough. Boycotting Israeli businesses and industries is also fruitless and even helps play into the engineered strategy of tension constructed by Israel’s sponsors. Israel does not fund its military might by local cottage or even national industry, it does so via immense foreign aid.
Instead, to protest and undermine Israel’s role as regional provocateur, target the corporate-financier interests that feed it billions of dollars annually. Separate, isolate, and protest Israel’s political leadership rather than Israel’s existence and population. Reach out to Israelis who oppose their government’s current posture of perpetual provocations, and those in the middle who may be swayed one way or another.
By throwing rocks at Israel as a whole, one plays into the besieged mentality the government invests immense resources in perpetuating among common Israelis. Those who might otherwise see their government as the villain will seek its protection against irrational external hatred directed at the entire nation rather than at those responsible for its criminal extraterritorial brutality – whether it is in the occupied territories of Palestine, or across the borders of its neighbors in Syria, Iraq, Iran, or beyond.
Posted in Geopolitics, Home | Tagged Al-Qaeda, Hamas, ISIS, Israel, NATO, Palestine, Terrorism
Israel-Palestine Conflict: Modern Era Causes and Conclusions
Published August 7, 2014 | By RE
Of the microphone of RE
Aired on the Doomstead Diner on August 7, 2014
Discuss this Rant at the Podcast Table inside the Diner
Snippet:
…What with all the Geopolitical Doom going on in Ukraine as NATO tries to put the Thumbscrews to Vlad the Impaler, California on the verge of drying up and Blowing Away sending Californicators in the OPPOSITE direction BACK to Oklahoma (which is not doing much better really) and Ebola Virus being scare mongered throughout the MSM, one theater of collapse I have notably MISSED covering so far is the ongoing War between the Israelis and the Palestinians inhabiting the so called “Gaza Strip”, which is where after the creation of the State of Israel in the aftermath of WWII is where a lot of displaced Palestinians ended up.
As anyone who has been alive for the last half century knows, this is not a new War, just the latest flare-up in a war ongoing since Israel was created as a modern state back in 1948 or so. From 1917 after the end of WWI when the Brits clobbered the old Ottoman Empire with the modern machines of warfare, the neighborhood belonged to them as a Colony, but in 1948 the VERY dominant FSoA and the newly created United Nations basically created Israel by Fiat, and the surviving Jews from Europe and WWII migrated there en masse…
For the rest, LISTEN TO THE RANT!!!
Posted in Home | Tagged Asymmetric Warfare, Egypt, Energy, Gaza, Israel, Missiles, Oil, Palestine, Resource Depletion, Suicide Bombers, Terrorism
Published July 22, 2014 | By James Howard Kunstler
Originally Published on Clusterfuck Nation July 21, 2014
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summed it up the other day when he said, “We use our rockets to protect our women and children; they [Hamas] use their women and children to protect their rockets.”
Some time ago, the Left adopted the Palestinians as their pet oppressed minority group so there is nothing that Israel might do that will be okay with them, except to commit suicide, that is, cease to exist — which is the stated policy of Hamas. Every time Israel refuses the suggestion that it cease to exist, the Left becomes inflamed. They cannot imagine why Israel would prefer to fight for its existence than to roll over and die.
The Palestinian leadership doesn’t really want to talk about any resolution to the enduring crisis in which Israel is granted the right to exist. That doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for negotiation, and so they have literally painted themselves into a geographical corner of the region called the Gaza Strip where one of their other policies is to grow the Palestinian population in the hopes of eventually wiping Israel off the map by sheer demographic pressure. The political Right Wing of Israel is using exactly the same tactic in the contested West Bank. All of that is tragic, of course, because when the oil age comes to an end the entire region of the southern Levant will probably support one-twentieth of the population of all ethnic groups.
The New York Times reported that street protests against Israel had broken out in London and Paris, giving the impression that some broad national sentiment was being expressed when, in fact, the protesters were from the large Muslim communities that these nations had foolishly invited to immigrate there. Has anyone in the West still failed to notice the pugnacity of Islam in our time? Islam does not want to co-exist with the West anymore than the Palestinians want to grant Israel the right to exist.
Luckily for the West, there is enough animosity between the Islamic factions to distract Islam from its mission to defeat all the great-and-small Satans cluttering up their world. All this is happening as that world lurches into the twilight of the oil age, which until lately had given so much financial leverage to Islam. Really, the entire Middle East, including Israel, has overpopulated itself so severely that the only plausible outcome is the desperate fight over what’s left. A hundred and fifty years ago a mere half million people inhabited the place that is now Israel, and more than 90 percent of them were Arabic. Then came the great Industrial explosion of activity, migrations, and soaring birth rates thanks to fossil fuels. When that phase of history concludes, the population there will go down accordingly.
Over millennia, Israel or Palestine or the Levant (take your pick) has been under the dominion of rotating empires: Greece, Rome, Byzantium, the Egyptian Mameluks, the Turks, Great Britain. Who owns what has been an expression of a particular slice of time, and the current time is no different. As a geographical crossroads of trade and cultures, the region is one of the most fought-over places in the world and may continue to be as long as human beings are around. Hamas and the Palestinians in effect declared war on Israel by lobbing rockets out of Gaza and now Israel is answering. The Palestinians have got the war they asked for and they are trying to manipulate world opinion by mingling their war machine in the heart of their population center of Gaza City. Their choice.
The other hot zone in the world right now, Ukraine, got hotter the past week when somebody or some faction shot down a commercial Malaysian airliner. The question that no news organ has so far raised: why are any commercial airlines routing their planes over a war zone? Especially a war zone where other airplanes have been shot down recently. Just how dumb has the human race become?
And as sad as this incident may be, what business is it of the USA to get involved over a downed flight of a foreign airline that originated in the Netherlands and was carrying passengers overwhelmingly of Dutch nationality? Our presumption to involve ourselves in this is flat-out insane. It’s the kind of behavior that leads to world wars.
Posted in Forum, Geopolitics, Home | Tagged Clusterfuck Nation, Gaza, Hamas, hot zone, Israel, Jim Kunstler, Oil, Palestine, Ukraine
Quote from: moniker on Today at 10:14:55 AMThanks for posting the link. I am interrupting my re-reading of this because last year for several months my commute included taking the D train from Manhattan to Brooklyn, unf...
These guys aren't from ANY privilege, imho. They are the remains of the white labor class, now largely made redundant. They used to build things and make things (as long as somebody else hired them and trained them and paid them) but now they're more...
Quote from: Surly1 on Today at 07:59:44 AMQuote from: RE on Today at 03:59:12 AMQuote from: Surly1 on Today at 01:58:52 AMThey will be the priests and sh...
[img]https://scontent.forf1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/82956543_2241683542802169_1537432072438677504_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&_nc_eui2=AeGE9IYxteWVaq3MAigwOVA1ciSsnsTzfi40dvYWcCZk5of8wfVWkquENQ9U7eU4kfUZHreq2_MVtSLxxCeAbANitFZVA-zHa72fX4r9eawxfg&_nc_ohc=nanp3qq...
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Musicians Bringing Musicians Home
The Core: Galactic
By Mike Greenhaus
I met both Tom Morello and Alec Ounsworth here in New Orleans through Future of Music Coalition events they played and I ended up on both their records.
Artist Activism Camp
Just Announced: Musicians Bringing Musicians Home VI
We're incredibly excited about the latest Artist Activism Camp (our sixth!) and its live benefit concert finale, Musicians Bringing Musicians Home. This year's event, which takes place at One Eye Jacks in New Orleans on Friday, March 26, 2010. read more
Submitted by Casey on March 11, 2010 - 3:08pm
Sweet Home New Orleans
This December, Help FMC Help New Orleans Artists
As you probably know, FMC exists to improve the lives of musicians. This holiday season, we wanted to highlight our efforts in New Orleans, where too many artists are still struggling years after Hurricane Katrina drove many from their homes and communities. read more
Submitted by Casey on December 2, 2009 - 12:35pm
December Giving Campaign 2009
Can't-Miss Concert at Future of Music Policy Summit!
Hey there, party people! read more
Submitted by Casey on September 29, 2009 - 10:13am
From the Desk of Scott McCaughey
By Scott McCaughey
McCaughey: I recently attended a retreat in New Orleans sponsored and led by the Future Of Music Coalition and Air Traffic Control, with the added participation of local organizations like Sweet Home New Orleans. There was sort of a dual purpose to the gathering: facilitating activism in the music community, as well as showing how local activism in New Orleans is helping the city and its musicians recover from the disaster of Katrina.
Galactic's Stanton Moore powers Tom Morello's new Street Sweeper Social Club album
By Keith Spera
New Orleans Times-Picayune
Moore first met Morello in November 2006 when the guitarist came to New Orleans for a Future of Music Coalition concert at Tipitina’s. Two nights before the benefit, Moore performed at a party at the Mother-in-Law Lounge that Morello attended. As Moore recalled, Morello said, “Ask anybody who knows me — I hate drummers. But you’ve done nothing to offend me. You’re my new favorite drummer.” At Tipitina’s, they briefly shared the stage; Moore also performed with trombone collective Bonerama.
Back From New Orleans!
Our three-day bacchanal in the Big Easy (a highly productive bacchanal, we might add) has ended, and FMC staff are back in D.C., where we're basking in the warm memories of another successful Artist Activism Camp and "Musicians Bringing Musicians Home" concert. Bet you wish you had been there! Well, maybe you were. . . if so, cheers!
This year's retreat included such talented artists as Wayne Kramer (MC5), Jolie Holland, Jon Langford (Waco Brothers, Mekons), Saul Williams, Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows, Minus 5, R.E.M.), Laura Veirs, Vijay Iyer, Erin McKeown, Bonerama, Al "Carnival Time" Johnson, Martín Perna (Antibalas, TV On the Radio, Ocote Soul Sounds), Mariam Adam (Imani Winds), Luke Reynolds (Pictures and Sounds) and Paul Sanchez. read more
Submitted by Jim on May 27, 2009 - 8:31pm
Artist Activism Camp Kicks Off in New Orleans!
FMC staff are on the way to New Orleans for our latest Artist Activism Camp and "Musicians Bringing Musicians Home" concert. There's nothing like a three-day party in the Big Easy to kick off summer!
But it's not all bourbon and gumbo. The May 20-22 retreat -- hosted by FMC and Air Traffic Control -- is the fifth since the Gulf Coast storms of 2005. Artists from around the country converge on New Orleans to tour affected neighborhoods, visit with the city's notable musicians and community leaders and participate in strategy sessions about how to integrate activism and philanthropy into their musical lives and careers. read more
Submitted by FMC on May 20, 2009 - 7:04pm
Gearing up for Artist Activism Camp V
[UPDATE: Now with Saul Williams!!!] read more
Submitted by FMC on April 27, 2009 - 5:20pm
Al Carnival Time Johnson
Musicians Bringing Musicians Home IV Benefit Announced
Plug In Music.com
The ?Musicians Bringing Musicians Home IV? concert is the celebratory and fundraising finale of the fourth three-day activist retreat hosted by Air Traffic Control and the Future of Music Coalition since the Gulf Coast storms of 2005. This retreat brings established and emerging artists from around the country to New Orleans to tour affected neighborhoods, visit with some of the city?s notable musicians and community leaders and participate in strategy sessions about how to integrate activism and philanthropy into their work as musicians.
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Earlier this summer I pitched my (unfinished) novel to Baen Books‘ Contributing Editor Gray Rinehart at a face-to-face critique session at LibertyCon, a three-day sci-fi and fantasy literature convention in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Unusually for a modern publisher, Baen takes unsolicited manuscripts. Gray is the Slushmaster General – a job,
0 Feb 28, 2016 Writing challenges
Free fiction friday: Reinterpreting an award-winning story for fun and (no) profit
The Water That Falls on You From Nowhere won a Hugo Award for short science fiction & fantasy in 2014. The story is about Matt “coming out” to his traditional Chinese parents in a world where water falls on you when you lie. I loved the
0 Feb 20, 2016 Science
Detecting a Death Star and other gravitational wave ideas
If you follow the news, you’ll know that last Thursday (11/02) scientists detected for the first time gravitational waves – tremors in the fabric of space and time. The discovery confirmed the theories of Albert Einstein, who predicted their existence 100 years ago. If you’re a science fiction writer,
0 Dec 20, 2015 Archives
Yes, he is scary…
And I’m very proud of him… He’s my first major model painting project. He’s a Tyranid Tyrannofex, a massive biomechanical war engine from the Warhammer 40K universe. The Tyrannofex has the armour and fortitude of a living battle fortress and its bio-weaponry eclipses that of its foes’ most
Alien life Aliens Arthur C Clarke Award Axolotl Baen Books Colonising planets Dogs Edgar Rice Burroughs Exoplanets Flowers for Algernon Gravitational waves Guns Hard SF How Not to Write a Novel Hugo Awards 2016 Interactive fiction Jetpacks Large Hadron Collider LibertyCon link roundup literary agents literary fiction Mars message fiction Military SF Novel submissions particle physics Physics for SF writers Pro advice Proxima b Proxima Centauri Random comparisons to the Death Star Seasteading short fiction Space dogs Space exploration Stephen Baxter The Martian Three-Body Problem Twine Venus Warfare Wingsuits Writing advice
Five reasons why the ‘Battle for Pop Culture’s Soul’ isn’t about ‘white men’
15 Sep 19, 2015
Do the Hugo Awards have a short fiction problem?
Hugo nominations 2016: Best Professional Artist?
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Sybase Brings 'Deep Analytics' to Mobile Carriers
New analytics server uses hosted business intelligence to provide greater insight into messaging traffic.
By David Needle | Posted Mar 24, 2010
Sybase said its new Sybase Operator Analytics 365 analytics software is an industry first for mobile operators, because it can provide them with deep analytics on billions of records in seconds. The analytics can, potentially, save operator costs and head off problems quicker by giving earlier insight as to where there might be bottlenecks.
"If you've got tens of millions or hundreds of millions of messages every day, a tiny fraction of those not being delivered is a big hit on your customer service reps," Dan Auker, senior manager for worldwide Marketing and business solutions at Sybase, (NYSE:SY) told InternetNews.com.
Auker said an analysis for one of its tier two carrier customers showed that if the new service could reduce calls to their call center by 10 percent, the carrier would save $800,000 per year.
"This is a new go-to-market strategy for Sybase, our first hosted analytics solution," said Auker. "It's a line extension to a raft of products we have that lets us give carriers a new service to improve their business."
The service features a point-and-click interface, based on the MicroStrategys 8 business intelligence software, that Sybase said lets users perform complex queries and extract useful, timely information without needing to know how to write SQL queries or involve database administrators.
Auker said carriers have a good handle on their own network traffic, but firewalls prevent them from having much visibility off into other network traffic where messaging typically travels. "And that really matters to the carriers because messaging is becoming a more mature market that's about quality of service and cost control," he said.
Sybase Operator Analytics 365 generates a wide range of reports, including message traffic, network utilization, performance indicators, quality of service testing and customer analysis. The system leverages the Sybase 365 global network, which the company said processes more than 1.4 billion messages per day, reaching 850 operators and four billion subscribers around the world.
Sybase bought Mobile 365 in 2006 for approximately $400 million and as a result lays claim to being the number one provider of mobile messaging and content delivery.
The Operator Analytics 365 lets companies monitor key network components they can then provision on their network to better deal with traffic spikes. It also shows performance trends, analyzes system history and tracks error messages.
Auker said Sybase will have more than 100 carriers on the service by the end of the second quarter and hopes to have all 500 of its carrier clients using it by the end of this year.
"As mobile messaging continues to soar, mobile operators will require more insight into their network. Comprehensive analytics will enable operators to strengthen their quality of service through predictive analysis by quickly identifying and resolving network issues to drive higher quality service and better predict messaging trends to improve network planning", said IDC analyst Dan Vesset, the research company's vice president of business analytics, in a statement.
David Needle is the West Coast bureau chief at InternetNews.com, the news service of Internet.com, the network for technology professionals.
dneedle@internet.com
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Last week we said an unexpectedly quick goodbye to "Homer" our wonderful first motorhome - an Autocruise Starfire 4-berth 2004 model. It is our own travel preferences which have changed over the past few months and which prompted us putting Homer up for sale. For 2 years this motorhome has served us incredibly well - she has been reliable and comfortable but yet compact. In just under 2 years we drove 13,200 miles in her and did not have one problem. We have had many people compliment the Autocruise finish, styling, build-quality and they have also called it a 'tardis' for space! Here is our review after 2 years......
Autocruise Starfire 4 Berth 2004 Model Key Specifications
5.5m long (6m with bike rack extended)
Short wheel-based Peugeot Boxer chasis
Diesel 2L HDi engine
Captain driving seats
Luton over cab double bed
2 passenger seats with safety belts and head rests
Full oven, grill and 4 gas rings
3-way fridge
Truma blown air gas heating
Mains and gas Truma water heater
Electric skylight
Omnistore Bike rack
Fiamma Awning
19" 12V television/DVD player
Extra Thule lock on habitation door
Why we bought this motorhome?
We bought "Homer" in April 2014 with only 13,700 miles on the clock. She had been bought from new by the couple selling her and was in fantastic condition for a 9.5 year old motorhome. She had been regularly serviced bi-annually.
We hadn't originally planned to go motorhome touring. It was only after a health scare forced us to change our plans from a walk tour, that we had a few weeks to gather some advice from buying guides, set a budget, think about some key features we would like, research the internet and eventually select a few motorhomes to go and view. We've written a series of articles about our experiences buying our first motorhome which you can read here but in short, because we had never travelled in a motorhome before we didn't expected to find the 'perfect' motorhome for us the first time round so instead our main criteria were reliability and finding a good deal. The only feature which was essential was a bathroom because of Dan's health issues.
For our first, we wanted a compact motorhome less than 6 meters in length - mainly for drivability but also because of potential additional ferry or toll costs on the continent. We viewed 3 other motorhomes before this one - a Possl van conversion, an Autocruise Vista and a 2-berth Autocruise Starfire. At the time we steered away from a van conversion as we wanted the extra space that a coachbuilt offered. The Autocruise range stood out to us in terms design and features. At the time, we felt the Vista was a little too small for a longer trip and liked the Starfire - however the 2-berth model we viewed had several mechanical problems so was ruled out. We never considered a motorhome with an over cab bed as they tended to be much bigger, however it was only because this particular compact 4-berth became available when it did that we decided to see how it felt. Once inside we immediately appreciated the extra space and headroom in the front of the habitation that this model offered plus liked the idea of not having to build the bed. Also should people join us on our trip we could offer road legal seating for passengers and somewhere to sleep. At the same time during the test drive we still found it very easy to drive as the motorhome was still so compact, not noticing the extra volume above the cab.
Where we've been in this motorhome?
In short we have driven 13,200 miles in just under two years and mostly in Europe. Homer has been great on long motorway drives, down country lanes and up some of the biggest mountain passes of the French and Swiss Alps. Browsing this blog will show you the places we have been (you can see our route here - some updating is still needed). Although on some occasions the engine was a little underpowered (a 2L engine on a 3.5 tonne van struggled a little with long drags and steep mountain roads) and on some other occasions the size was a little bulky for very small mountain roads with overhangs which required caution but on the whole there was no were no places that we didn't go because the motorhome couldn't take us there.
Work we had done / Modifications
Engine: As soon as we bought the motorhome we had the cam belt replaced. Although it fell far short of the mileage requirement, the engine was 10 years old. But other than the annual service, this was the only work we had done on the engine in the 2 years of ownership.
Habitation: We also didn't have any no major problems in the habitation either. Some very small wear and tear replacements - the catch on the fridge door, hinge on the freezer compartment, 2x light bulbs, 2x fly screens on the roof hatches replaced, a small overflow valve on the water heater, switch in the bathroom lights. Total cost of these repairs was less than £150. We also had an extra Thule lock fitted to the habitation door for additional security which cost £60 fitted.
What's been great?
In addition to being brilliantly reliable and comfortable, a few features we especially appreciated have been....
Being only 5.5 metres in length has made this motorhome very easy to drive motorhome as she is so compact. Parking has also been pretty straightforward as she fitted into most standard parking bays pretty well. And we have benefited from staying in the cheaper class of vehicles on ferries and toll roads.
We enjoyed having a big bathroom with a separate shower cubicle, not only for showering etc. but as a convenient place for laundry, damp kit and changing on rainy days.
The way that Autocruise had designed the bathroom needs a special mention. The sink was on a hinged wall panel that swung out to leave a full sized shower cubicle behind it, that was closed off with a small frosted panel. This meant that the bathroom was an excellent size when not using the shower and that only the shower tray got wet rather than the whole room when showering, making it a very large versatile bathroom in a compact motorhome.
Having an option to for two sleeping areas was brilliant. Not only could we have a double bed either over the cab or downstairs, but on very hot nights in Summer when it could get a bit too stuffy in the overcab area for two we had the option to make up a single bed downstairs very easily (comprised of the side bench and passenger seat).
Having an overcab bed meant we didn't need to build a bed or put it away every day saving a lot of time. It also meant that we could leave the driving seats in position and easy to access whilst we were asleep so that we could get moving early or in case we had to move on suddenly in the night (which we never had to do but it was reassuring).
The volume of storage was more than enough. The cupboards had been well thought out, there was a large space under both seating areas, an under floor storage accessed from within the motorhome and even a wine cupboard!
The fridge was a decent size for a compact motorhome with a reasonable freezer compartment.
The quality of the Autocruise finish and build was superb - very robust and sturdy. Visitors to our motorhome often commented on the rounding and aesthetics in the habitation which made it "feel very homely rather than box-like".
We feel we must mention the free-standing and collapsible dining table was very versatile. It could be positioned in various ways for dining or even taken outside. It was also very useful that it had it's own stowaway cupboard for travelling and for when it wasn't needed - again maximising the living space day to day.
Some compact motorhomes we saw only had one seat which could turn so it was really good that both the driver and the passenger front seats were 'captains chairs' that we could turn around, creating a lot more living and entertaining space.
What wasn't for us?
Most of the features that weren't for us were because they were surplus to our requirements rather than actual problems.
We didn't need the full oven, the grill or 4 gas rings. Many people we met said they couldn't be without the oven (and it was a feature the couple who we bought Homer from appreciated and also the couple we sold her to), however we only ever used 2 gas rings for our cooking.
There was no externally accessible storage for outside chairs, electricity cable, water hoses, chocks etc. All of the storage was accessed in the habitation which could be a little difficult if things got wet or dirty. We did make it work - everything had a stowaway cover or bag. The previous owners had fitted a Fiamma Ultra-Box to solve this problem - it's just we took this off so that we could use the bike rack.
The overcab bed meant we didn't have to build the bed every day and in contrast to other fixed bed layouts, its foldaway nature enhanced the day living space however it took a while to get used to sleeping with little headroom. There was enough (and good ventilation with 3 windows) not to make it feel claustrophobic but we would have liked to be able to sit up in bed and read at night (which was possible when we built the downstairs bed).
Also the overcab mattress wasn't the most comfortable padding for very long trips (just 5cm deep), even with the additional memory foam mattress topper we bought (extra 2cm). It would have been fine for shorter trips and we could have maybe solved this problem by having another mattress / foam piece cut. When we did build the downstairs bed it was much more comfortable due to the thickness of the cushions but after a long day we rarely felt like rearranging and building it.
The dining area was a slightly awkward for mealtimes due to the spacing between the sideways bench and the driver seat when it was turned around being a little too far apart.
Whilst we enjoyed the extra space of a coachbuilt motorhome, we did feel at times it stopped us from overnighting in certain areas because it's big white nature made it too conspicuous for wild camping.
Although we were relatively happy with 27mpg (which we calculated for our Autocruise Starfire 4-berth) a more streamlined vehicle would have been more efficient. Compared to some tourers we preferred to cover less miles and explore the places we visited for longer, so this wasn't a major issue but we were aware that this could have significantly increased our fuel costs on a longer distance adventure.
We were really happy with the performance of the Peugeot 2L HDi engine and it drove well on most roads but it wasn't quite powerful enough for the steep mountains roads or on long drag climbs. We often found ourselves crawling in 2nd gear by the end.
What we'd change if we'd kept this motorhome longer?
Not much! We've already mentioned the overcab mattress but in addition......
Being a 2004 model, even though Autocruise had added several of advanced features like the electric skylight and digital TV receiver etc, LED lighting wasn't fitted as standard. If we'd kept her for another adventure we'd probably have switched to LED light fittings to reduce our power consumption.
Also, although we had a relatively low power requirement, we did have a few experiences of running low on power while camping off mains power and without driving after 5-7days (we had one standard 110Ah leisure battery). We were considering have a solar panel or second leisure battery fitted.
Being a UK compact motorhome, the gas cupboard was designed to carry 2x 6kg Calor gas cylinders. This would be ok for shorter holidays however being outside of the UK and since every European country has it's own gas bottle, we were considering installing a refillable gas system. We managed for 2 years by minimising heating and hot water and were able to fit 1 Calor bottle alongside 1 French TwinyPro 5.1kg bottle in the cupboard. Click here to read more....
Why we have sold this motorhome?
Our Autocruise Starfire "Homer" was just perfect for us during our first two adventures and we have had many happy memories in her so it was a difficult decision to sell. However, the reason we sold our Starfire is that we began to feel that even if we spent the money making the above mentioned modifications, that our travel preferences had evolved.
As we wrote about above and in our series on buying our first motorhome, when we bought Homer we just prioritised finding a good deal. We didn't know how long we'd be motorhoming for and had also read that people go through several motorhomes before they find the 'right' one for them so we worried less about the exact features and layout and more about getting value for our money. We don't regret this approach because we had so little time to search for a motorhome and we knew so little about what we might need / prefer anyway. Besides, our strategy has worked out really well for us - the motorhome we bought was very reliable and a good deal - it held its value, required very few repairs and took us everywhere we wanted to go. It was the 'right' one for us over the past 2 years.
However now that our travel style and preferences have evolved (we want to try longer distance and more wild camping for example) the little things that we came to want to change or had overlooked in our first 2 years in the Autocruise Starfire started to build up but more than that we would like to now try a van conversion. That is why we've taken the opportunity whilst we were in the UK to change our motorhome - and it all happened rather quickly!
What we are looking for in our next motorhome?
Now that we have 2 years of experience touring in a motorhome and having seen many other features and layouts etc. we now feel we have a clearer idea about what would suit our upcoming travel plans for 2016.
In addition to looking for a good service history, relatively low mileage and good overall condition our current wish list for features includes:
A van conversion instead of a coachbuilt motorhome for drivability and better mpg
A bigger engine for accessing steep mountain passes more easily
Under 6 metres in length with a bike rack
Potentially a fixed bed at the rear with rear accessible garage space layout
A front dining/seating area
As big a fridge as possible (for lots of fresh vegetables from local markets!)
A solar panel and refillable LPG would be nice
Potentially a left hand drive as we spend a lot of outside of the UK although that might change so we aren't too worried about this as we didn't feel a right-hand drive has impacted on our experience so far.
Final Thoughts on our Autocruise Starfire:
During our 2 years of adventures so far we've had the opportunity to look at and spend time in lots of other motorhomes and until very recently we never considered changing our Autocruise Starfire for a moment. Whenever we got back into our Autocruise Starfire after looking at or spending an evening in other peoples' motorhomes we were always were extremely satisfied with the large living space we had in such a compact size. We enjoyed having a ready-made bed every night that we could foldaway during the day so that we had a rolling living/kitchen area the rest of the time as opposed to some motorhomes which to us felt like a rolling bedroom. After our health scares, we needed the space for relaxing and recovery. The big kitchen area allowed to rediscover the joys of cooking from scratch again. Not only was this motorhome a great deal for us and had good service history - they layout and features all fitted our needs at the time.
The reliability, quality and the finish of our Autocruise Starfire was especially impressive and luxurious. If we ever do decide to return to a compact coachbuilt, I don't think we'd hesitate if an Autocruise Starfire was available again (we even asked the people who bought Homer to let us know if they ever considered selling her just in case we're looking - they said they'd give us first refusal but we'd be waiting a long time!).
Farewell Homer...... Thank you for the memories........
Bye Bye Homer?? Motorhome Adventurers Without A Motorhome!
Finding Homer: Our Experience Buying Our First Motorhome
Why getting a good deal on our first motorhome was so important to us
Does the 'perfect' motorhome for us even exist?
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free iphone ipad album innocence download songs how to
How to download the Songs of Innocence album by U2 for free on iPhone and iPad
m.imore.com/how-download-songs-innocence-album-u... - Details
KASANDRAcbg: U2 took the stage today at Apple's iPhone event and along with a free performance, also announced that their new album, Songs of Innocence, would be made available for free to all iPhone and iPad owners via iTunes. The biggest question we're...
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KASANDRAcbg saved and folkd this page on 11/28/2014 04:01am
U2 took the stage today at Apple's iPhone event and along with a free performance, also announced that their new album, Songs of Innocence, would be made available for free to all iPhone and iPad owners via iTunes. The biggest question we're getting bombarded with now is how exactly you go about downloading it. As it turns out, you've just got to know where to look.
Tags: how to download songs innocence album free iphone ipad
by KASANDRAcbg
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Back to EveryPatent.com
United States Patent 5,645,322
Hsu , et al. July 8, 1997
In-situ chemical reactor for recovery of metals and salts
An "in-situ reactor" is provided to facilitate recovery of metals and salts such as potassium, lithium, gold from salt-bearing natural waters, sediments, and rocks by passing a fluid containing such metals and salts through a reactive chemical bed placed at the bottom of a reactor, the metal and salt bearing fluid flowing through the reactive chemical bed to react with the active components to produce a fluid from which the metals and salts can be more easily extracted.
Inventors: Hsu; Kenneth (Zurich, CH); Hsu; Peter (Zurich, CH); Dickson; Frank W. (Sparks, NV)
Assignee: Tarim Associates for Scientific Mineral & Oil Exploration (Zurich, CH)
Appl. No.: 403364
Filed: March 14, 1995
Current U.S. Class: 299/5; 166/259; 166/260; 166/261; 210/747
Intern'l Class: B01D 037/00; E21B 043/241; E21B 043/247; E21B 043/28
Field of Search: 166/259,260,261 210/747 299/3,4,5 405/58
References Cited U.S. Patent Documents
3309140 Mar., 1967 Gardner et al. 299/5.
3501201 Mar., 1970 Closmann et al. 299/5.
3661423 May., 1972 Garrett 299/2.
3894769 Jul., 1975 Tham et al. 299/5.
4043595 Aug., 1977 French 299/2.
4085971 Apr., 1978 Jacoby 299/4.
4113313 Sep., 1978 Terry 299/4.
4162808 Jul., 1979 Kvapil et al. 299/2.
4192552 Mar., 1980 Cha 299/2.
4210366 Jul., 1980 Hutchins et al. 299/2.
4239286 Dec., 1980 Coursen 299/4.
4243100 Jan., 1981 Cha 299/2.
4260192 Apr., 1981 Shafer 299/5.
4369842 Jan., 1983 Cha 166/251.
4381873 May., 1983 Johnson et al. 299/5.
4436344 Mar., 1984 Forgac et al. 299/2.
4444256 Apr., 1984 Shen 166/259.
4444258 Apr., 1984 Kalmar 166/261.
4475772 Oct., 1984 Jan 299/5.
4478282 Oct., 1984 Nolte et al. 166/281.
4487260 Dec., 1984 Pittman et al. 166/259.
4522260 Jun., 1985 Wolcott, Jr. 166/245.
4522265 Jun., 1985 Yen et al. 166/307.
4789486 Dec., 1988 Ritter 210/747.
4869322 Sep., 1989 Vogt, Jr. et al. 166/280.
5159979 Nov., 1992 Jennings, Jr. 166/280.
5228510 Jul., 1993 Jennings, Jr. et al. 166/263.
5362400 Nov., 1994 Martinell 210/747.
5484535 Jan., 1996 Downs 210/747.
Foreign Patent Documents
1482024 Aug., 1977 GB.
Primary Examiner: Suchfield; George A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Helfgott & Karas, P.C.
1. A process for recovering salts and metals from fluid ore-deposits comprising the step of inducing hydrodynamic flow of a salt- or metal-bearing solution through a chemical filter layer into a natural or artificial basin having walls and a floor constructed on a deposit site bearing desired metals or salts, said chemical filter layer being located on said floor, said floor of said basin lying below the groundwater table and the flow rate is regulated through a change of the hydrodynamic gradient, to promote chemical reaction between the fluid and the chemicals in the basin and thereafter separating the reactor product.
2. The process according to claim 1 wherein the hydrostatic gradient is changed by lowering the water level in the basin.
3. The process according to claim 1 wherein the hydrostatic gradient is changed by elevating the groundwater table.
4. The process according to claim 1 wherein said solution flowing through chemical layer on the floor of said basin is rich in dissolved ions wherein the undesirable ions are removed by the chemical reaction between the fluid and the chemical layer.
5. The process according to claim 1 wherein said solution flowing through said chemical filter layer on the floor of said basin is rich in dissolved ions wherein the desired ions are extracted by said chemical filter layer.
6. The process according to claim 1 wherein the chemical layer at the bottom of said basin contains a mixture of soluble salt which is dissolved by the fluid flowing through, wherein said chemical layer is kept permeable.
7. The process according to as claim 1, wherein trona mud or limestone is used as the chemical in said chemical filter to remove Mg-ion in a brine so that potassium-exploitation in the form of direct KCl precipitation by evaporation is possible.
8. The process according to claim 5, wherein said solution being a chloride solution having lithium, and wherein said fluid ore-deposits being included in brine which is subsequently converted into a bicarbonate solution through reaction with trona or other carbonates in the chemical layer at the bottom of the basin so that said lithium could eventually be precipitated as a carbonate and be refined by conventional method.
9. The process of claim 1 wherein the chemical filter layer is trona mud or limestone, to convert a chloride solution into a chloride/bicarbonate solution.
10. A process for recovering metals from an ore bearing body comprising the steps of:
subjecting said ore bearing body to shale burning to oxidize said ore beating body to enable fluid to permeate and to react with said ore-beating body;
recovering said metals from said burnt, ore-bearing body by subjecting said burnt ore beating body to leaching by inducing hydrodynamic flow of a leaching solution through said body lying below a groundwater table, the flow rate being regulated through a change of the hydrodynamic gradient, and thereafter separating said metals from the reaction product.
11. The process according to claim 10 wherein fuel is injected into said body to help initiate said shale burning.
12. The process according to claim 10, wherein fuel is injected into said body to help maintain said shale burning.
This invention relates to the recovery of valuable metals and mineral salts from fresh and salt water bodies and from various sedimentary deposits and rocks.
Valuable metals and salts are found in nature either as minerals in sediments and/or rocks or as dissolved ions in fresh water and/or brine. Ores have to be processed physically and chemically to produce commercial products. Normally the ores are mined, milled, and refined in factories.
In arid regions such as the Qaidam Basin of Northwest China or in the Dead Sea region of Israel, the potassium-rich brines are mostly chloride brines, and they are also enriched with magnesium, sodium, and other ions. The current methods of recovering potassium from such brines have the disadvantage that the final product of evaporation, after NaCl is removed, is a potassium mixed salt (KCl.MgCl.sub.2 .multidot.6H.sub.2 O). KCl has to be separated from the mixture in a factory, and the refining process is costly. Furthermore, the final product is not always pure enough to be used as a chemical fertilizer.
It has now been discovered that valuable products can be directly obtained by in-situ mining without having to resort to excavation and milling, and with a minimum of factory refining. The invention of the "in-situ reactor" makes it possible to remove magnesium ions from brines so that commercially pure KCl can be precipitated directly from brine through evaporation. Not only is the process more economical, but a further advantage is that the KCl so precipitated is sufficiently pure to be used as chemical fertilizer.
The invention is directed to a process for the economic recovery of metals from fresh water, brine and unconsolidated sediments or from rocks. The process provides for recovery of ores in-situ through chemical reaction of a metal-bearing (or metal-extracting) fluid and a solid in a in-situ reactor. The fluid flows through the in-situ reactor under a hydrodynamic gradient. The ore in the fluid can be fractionated or the metal in the solid can be extracted by chemical reaction between the fluid and solid phases.
The invention is particularly suitable for the recovery of potassium and lithium from brine in certain arid regions, such as Northwest China, Israel, Chile, Bolivia, and western North America, or for the mining of gold and other metals found in dark or organic-rich shales, such as those in the Carlin (Nev.) type of gold bearing deposits. The invention further optimizes the efficiency of a chemical exchange in in-situ reactors as fluid is induced to mainly move vertically upward through a chemical filter layer, with a resultant faster flow rate because the cross-sectional area A of such vertical flow is much larger than that of lateral fluid movement of in-situ mining processes currently in use.
The type of "in-situ reactor" employed depends on whether the metal or salt is present in solid form or as dissolved ions in solution.
If the metal or salt is contained in sediment or rock, the metal bearing rock is converted into an "in-situ reactor," so that the metal in the reactor can be dissolved by an injected fluid which is induced to flow vertically upward into collecting ponds, where the fluid is pumped out for refining by conventional methods.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the strata at the site of an in-situ reactor suitable for use in processing ore bearing fluids.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an in-situ reactor suitable for use in processing ore bearing fluids.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the reactor of FIG. 2 showing the chemical filter layer in place.
FIG. 4a is a flow chart showing the treatment of brine (high K/Mg ratio).
FIG. 4b is a flow chart showing the treatment of brine (very low K/Mg ratio).
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an in-situ reactor suitable for use in processing solid, ore bearing rock.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a variation of the in-situ reactor shown in FIG. 5.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings,
the figures show a cross-section of the strata in an in-situ reactor 10 wherein 11 is a layer of salt and/or sediment, 12 is a sand aquifer, 13 is the bed or base of the reactor and 14 is water,
h.sub.0 =the height of the groundwater table;
h.sub.1 =the height of the water-level in the in-situ reactor;
h.sub.2 =the height of the bottom of the pond; and
h.sub.4 =the height of the sand (aquifer).
Referring to FIG. 3 of the drawings,
the figure shows the in-situ reactor of FIG. 2 with chemical filter layer 15 in place,
h.sub.1 =the height of the water level in the in-situ reactor;
h.sub.2 =the height of the surface of the chemical layer in the reactor;
h.sub.3 =the height of the bottom of the reactor;
(h.sub.0 -h.sub.1):(h.sub.2 -h.sub.4)=the hydrodynamic gradient;
(h.sub.1 -h.sub.2)=the water depth in the reactor;
(h.sub.2 -h.sub.3)=the thickness of the chemical filter layer in the reactor;
(h.sub.0 -h.sub.3)=the depth of the excavation pit;
h.sub.4 =the height of the upper surface of an aquifer;
h.sub.2 -h.sub.4 =the distance of fluid movement through the reactor; and
K=transmissibility, an empirical constant with a value related to the permeability of the porous medium through which fluid flows.
the figures show an in-situ reactor 20 for use in processing solid, ore bearing rock wherein 21 is the bed rock, 22 is the water permeable processing zone which may also contain oxidized stone or rock, 23 is water (a pond) and 24 are bore holes,
h.sub.2 =the height of the bottom of the pond;
h.sub.3 =Z=the height in meters of the bottom of the reactor;
h.sub.1 -h.sub.2 =the water depth in the reactor;
h.sub.2 h.sub.3 =the vertical distance of the water or fluid movement; and
K=transmissibility, an empirical constant with a value related to the permeability of the host rock through which fluid flows; and
t=the thickness of the zone of rocks from below the surface at that point to the depth z (h.sub.3).
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
If the metal or salt is contained in fresh water or brine in an "in-situ reactor" may be constructed so that the composition of the groundwater or brine is modified as it flows upward into and filters through a reactive chemical filter layer. The reactor in this case is an open pit 10 having its bottom below the local water table 14 (FIGS. 1 and 2). The bottom of the pit is lined with the chemical filter 15 layer which, in some instances, may cover a layer of salt and/or sediment 11 or gravel or gravelly sand 12 (FIG. 3). The composition of chemical filter layer 15 selected for in-situ reactor 10 is determined by the ionic-fractionation desired. The chemical employed is dependent upon whether:
(1) the metal to be recovered is extracted by the chemical as the fluid is filtered through the chemical filter layer; or
(2) one or more undesirable ions are extracted or exchanged and thus removed from the solution by the chemical as the fluid is filtered through the chemical filter layer.
In the first instance, the metal extracted by the chemical filter layer can be taken out of the in-situ reactor and refined by conventional means. In the second instance, the metal-bearing fluid, with one or more undesirable ions removed from the solution, can be introduced to other facilities where the metal is recovered by conventional means. The purpose of effecting chemical reactions in an in-situ reactor is to minimize the need for factory refining and thus to reduce production costs.
The in-situ reactor is constructed so that the flow rate can be varied to effect optimum chemical reaction between a fluid and a solid as the fluid flows through solid. The flow rate Q, or volume per unit time, depends upon three factors, namely:
i) the transmissibility of the flow K;
ii) the hydrodynamic gradient of the flow, (h.sub.0 -h.sub.1)/(h.sub.2 -h.sub.4), where h.sub.0 is the height of groundwater table, h.sub.1 the height of the water level within the pit, h.sub.2 the height of the surface level of the chemical layer in the pit, and h.sub.4 the height of the source bed (aquifer) of the water or brine, as noted in FIG. 3;
iii) the cross-sectional area A normal to the path of flow.
The rate is determined by the Darcy-Hubbert-Hsu formula
Q=K((h.sub.0 -h.sub.1)/(h.sub.2 -h.sub.4)) A.
The in-situ reactors are so-designed that the flow rate is to be regulated through adjustment of the three factors.
The hydrodynamic gradient of the in-situ reactors can be easily regulated. The hydrodynamic potential difference (h.sub.0 -h.sub.1) can be varied through a change of h.sub.1 when fluid is being pumped out of the in-situ reactor so that the fluid-level within the reactor (h.sub.1) stands at the level desired, or through an increase of potential height h.sub.0 when fluid is pumped under increased hydraulic pressure into a gravel layer at the base of the "in-situ reactor."
The transmittability factor K is related to the permeability of the solid, or solid mixture in the filter. Transmittability is necessarily changed because of chemical reaction within in-situ reactors. The permeability of the chemical filter layer in the in-situ reactor could, however, be maintained or even increased by a mixing of soluble salt with the chemical in the reactor, or through other means.
To recover metals (e.g., gold or uranium) from black shale or oil shale, leaching fluid must be injected into a host rock which is permeable and oxidized. The fracturing and shale-burning methods, which have until now been applied only to oil production to render the metalliferous host rocks oxidized and permeable, are used for the recovery of metals from black shale, or oil shale.
In selecting water supplies for production of KCl and lithium carbonate production, as adapted for local conditions in the Qaidam Basin of China, it is preferred that the area to be selected is one where the sulfate concentration is low. The brine should be essentially a chloride of Mg, K, and Na, with a high lithium content.
Since the production requires substantial freshwater or slightly brackish water to dilute the brines during production, a borehole is drilled to an aquifer below the surface in the selected region and the water is stored in an adjacent reservoir.
The procedures employ chemical fractionation in evaporating ponds and/or in in-situ reactors. For recovering K and Li from Mg rich chloride brines, the following ponds and reactors, numbered according to their functional utility, are employed.
In-situ Reactor 1 serves to remove Mg by chemical reaction
In-situ Reactor 2 serves to convert chloride solution into bicarbonate/chloride solution.
Evaporating Pond 1 serves to precipitate NaCl from brines
Evaporating Pond 2 serves to precipitate KCl from brines
Evaporating Pond 3 serves to precipitate K/Mg mixed salt from brines
Evaporating Pond 4 serves to precipitate Mg as chloride from brines
Evaporating Pond 5 serves to precipitate mixed salts enriched in Li
For recovery of K and Li from brines in the Qaidam region of China, the process is shown diagrammatically by FIGS. 4a and 4b. The steps in the process consist of:
1. Removing Mg
For brines with K:Mg ratio of about 1:1, the brine can be fed directly from the underground source to In-situ Reactor 1 as described below (FIG. 4a).
Natural brines commonly have a K:Mg ratio considerably less than 1, e.g. Qaidam brines have a ratio of 1:20. A brine with a low K:Mg ratio is first prepared through the evaporative precipitation of KCl.MgCl.sub.2 .multidot.6H.sub.2 O by conventional means in Evaporating Pond 3 (FIG. 4b). The residual brine enriched with Mg is drained from the evaporating pond, thus removing much of the Mg from the system (step 1) and can be used for Li-production as described afterwards.
Evaporating Pond 3 is lined with a gravel or coarse sand layer at the bottom and isolated from ground contact by plastic sheets or other water barrier means and if necessary, with an overlying chemical filter layer. After the KCl.MgCl.sub.2 .multidot.6H.sub.2 O is precipitated above the gravel (and/or the chemical filter), a chemical solution is pumped into the gravel. Such a chemical solution can be made from the dissolution of trona mud by fresh or brackish water. Alternatively, a carbonic acid solution could be pumped into the gravel. The solution rises to acidify a layer of powdered limestone between the gravel and the K/Mg mixed-salt precipitate, where dissolved bicarbonate is to be used as the chemical agent to remove Mg from the mixed salt. As the solution rises under the pump pressure into the K/Mg precipitate, KCl is dissolved from the mixture, while the Mg reacts with the solution to form hydrous magnesium carbonate (MgCO.sub.3 .multidot.xH.sub.2 O). Thus, Evaporating Pond 3 serves the function of an In-situ Reactor 1 to remove Mg from the brines (production of KCl). Because of the dissolution processes, the flow of the solution through the chemical filter is not impeded, because the permeability of the solid medium is increased by dissolution.
The filtered brine, which now contains mostly dissolved KCl and NaCl (or CaCl.sub.2) from In-situ Rector (converted from Evaporating Pond 3), is pumped into an Evaporating Pond 1 for further processing in step 2.
After the chemicals which line the bottom of the In-situ Reactor are completely converted into hydrous magnesium carbonate, the residue in the reactor can be removed. If necessary, a layer of new chemical is placed above the gravel layer in the reactor. The pit can again be used as an Evaporating Pond 3 for the precipitation of KCl.MgCl.sub.2 .multidot.6H.sub.2 O. The magnesium carbonate from the reactor can be processed to make magnesium cement, or periclase (MgO), as local needs demand.
2. Removing Na
Evaporating Pond 1 is constructed according to local climatic conditions to provide appropriate evaporation.
Brine which contain mostly dissolved K and Na chloride from In-situ Reactor 1 is introduced into and concentrated in Evaporating Pond 1 by natural evaporation until NaCl is almost completely precipitated from solution.
3. Recovering KCl
The residual brines following step 2 are transferred to Evaporating Pond 2 for further natural evaporation. KCl is precipitated from the brine and is recovered (step 3). KCl precipitation is terminated if and when KCl MgCl.sub.2 .multidot.6H.sub.2 O is about to precipitate, as the Mg-removal may not have been complete.
4. Production of Li:
Mg is removed from brines drained from Evaporating Pond 3. The residual brine which is drained (during step 1) from Evaporating Pond 3 is transferred to Evaporating Pond 4 for further evaporation (step 4). Mg Cl2 is precipitated and thus the residual brine is depleted in Mg and enriched in Li.
5. Conversion of a chloride brine into a bicarbonate solution
The residual brine following step 4 is transferred to a water reservoir. A dilute chloride solution is prepared by mixing the residual brine with fresh or slightly brackish water to provide a dilute solution having a concentration of several percent.
In-situ Reactor 2, having dimensions similar to In-situ Reactor 1 (=converted Evaporating Pond 3), is constructed with a water reservoir for introduction of dilute chloride solution into Reactor 2. The bottom of the In-situ Reactor is lined with clean gravel or coarse sand to facilitate movement of water through the chemical filter.
The filter should be a layer of trona mud to convert the dilute chloride solution into a bicarbonate solution through a gradual dissolution of the trona mud.
5. Recovery of lithium carbonate
The bicarbonate solution from In-situ Reactor 2 is introduced into Evaporation Pond 5 and evaporated to dryness so that Mg, Na, K are mainly precipitated as chlorides, and Li mainly as carbonate.
The chloride is removed by dissolution. The residue should be carbonate of Li, mixed with Mg and Na carbonates. The lithium carbonate can be refined by conventional methods.
The various detailed procedures to install an in-situ reactor for the exploitation of metals and salts are exemplified by the following examples:
Recovery of Potassium Salt Through Direct Precipitation of KCl from Mg-rich Brines.
Where chloride brines are enriched with potassium, sodium, and magnesium, the process involves direct KCl precipitation by evaporation resulting in (a) the removal of magnesium, (b) the removal of sodium, and (c) the recovery of KCl. The process requires that a minimum of one in-situ reactor and two evaporating ponds be constructed for serial production. The specifications and their functions are described as follows:
(a) Removal of Mg.sup.2+ in In-situ Reactor 1
In-situ Reactor 1 having dimensions of 33m .times.33m in area and a depth of about 1 m or more below the groundwater table, or about 3 m below the surface is constructed. The pit wall is lined with plastic or with fabric to make it impermeable. The bottom of the pit is lined with a layer of gravelly sand 5-10 cm. thick. The gravelly sand is covered by a chemical filter layer of trona mud or dolomite powder about 15-20 cm. thick; the filtering layer serving to remove Mg from brine. The thickness of the filter can vary so as to obtain optimum rate of flow.
The brine filling the open pit should be approximately several meters deep, but the water level should be lowered by pumping when movement into the pit is desired. The flow rate is maintained at a slow enough rate through the chemical filter so for optimum Mg removal:
i) Use trona mud, either as a filler or as an aqueous solution filtering through K/Mg salt to remove magnesium, as previously described, the trona mud being particularly suitable for use with brines low in sulfate ion.
ii) Use powdered limestone to be acidified by carbonic acid as the agent to remove Mg as described previously;
If the efficiency of the Mg removal is too low because the flow rate is too high, the brines may be pumped to a brine-reservoir (tower) to be reintroduced into the gravel layer for recycling until the K:Mg ratio is increased to a value greater than 5:1.
If the flow rate is too low, as the permeability of the chemical in the filter is decreased by Mg/Na replacement, the trona mud (or dolomite) is mixed in the filtering layer lining the pit with NaCl, so that the filter contains a mixture with NaCl in the mud. Water reservoirs, several meters high and a few meters in diameter, should then be constructed, with pumping system to facilitate mixing with brines to be introduced into the gravelly sand at the bottom of the in-situ reactor. Alternatively, fresh water can be introduced directly into the gravelly sand below the in-situ reactor (driven by the gravity head of the water reservoir) into the gravelly layer to dilute the brine to keep its concentration considerably below NaCI saturation. Brine thus diluted, filtering through the trona mud NaCl mixture, should dissolve NaCl in the trona mud so that the permeability of the filter can be kept at a optimum value.
Another means to facilitate the filtering of brine through the chemical filter layer is to form an interlaminated deposit of the reacting filter chemical and permeable sand in the bottom of the pit; the interlamination can be produced through an alternate deposition of a layer of reacting filter chemical and a layer of sand. This arrangement is particularly suitable if there is considerable cementation caused by chemical reactions as a brine is filtered through the chemical filter layer.
After the chemical filter layer is no longer reactive with the magnesium ion of the brine, new chemical filter material can be placed into the pit, after the spent chemical is removed.
The chemical for the filter in the in-situ reactor is selected because it has the ability to effect ion-exchange to remove magnesium ion from brines. Sodium carbonates (Na.sub.2 CO.sub.3 .multidot.NaHCO.sub.3) are particularly suitable, because of their fast reaction rate and because the sodium ion exchanged could eventually be removed as NaCl by fractional evaporation. For the sake of economy, a trona mud (Na.sub.2 CO.sub.3.NaHCO.sub.3 2H.sub.2 O) rather than the pure compound is preferred. To economize even further, the use of powdered limestone is preferred, and it is especially suitable for brines with high concentrations of sulfate ion which could then be precipitated by the calcium released by ion-exchange from the limestone.
(b) Removal of Na+ ions in Evaporating Pond 1
The filtered brine from In-situ Reactor 1 is pumped into Evaporating Pond 1. The dimension of the pond depends upon the brine inflow rate from the In-situ Reactor, the evaporation rate, and the production volume. Typical evaporating ponds in Qaidam have dimensions of 100 m .times.300 m .times.2 m.
By means of solar evaporation, sodium ions in the brine are removed by precipitation as sodium chloride.
(c) Recovery of KCl in Evaporating Pond 2
The residual brine from Evaporating Pond 1 is drained into Evaporating Pond 2, which may have dimensions similar to those of pond 1.
Potassium ion from the brine is precipitated as KCl because of the relatively high K:Mg ratio of the brine. Recovery should proceed until the K:Mg ratio of the brine is reduced so that KCl--MgCl.sub.2 .multidot.6H.sub.2 O is about to be precipitated.
(d) Recovery of KCl.MgCl.sub.2 .multidot.6H.sub.2 O in Evaporating Pond 3
If the residual brine from the Evaporating Pond 2 still contains some K ions, it can be introduced into an Evaporating Pond 3 having similar dimensions. Potassium ion in this brine of a higher K:Mg ratio is precipitated as KCl.MgCl.sub.2 .multidot.6H.sub.2 O, which can be recovered and refined in the factory for KCl as is currently done.
The procedure (d) to recover KCl.MgCl.sub.2 .multidot.6H.sub.2 O is particularly suitable for those salt-works where facilities are available to separate potassium and magnesium from the mixed salt.
Recovery of Lithium Salt Through Precipitation of Lithium Carbonate from K--Mg Rich Chloride Brines.
In arid regions such as the Qaidam Basin of Northwest China, potassium-rich brines enriched in magnesium and sodium, may contain lithium in sufficient quantity so that lithium can be economically recovered. Lithium is presently extracted by solar evaporation from fresh water or brines. The Qaidam brines are, however, chloride rich, also containing in some instances significant concentrations of sulphate-ions. Such chloride brines may be converted into bicarbonate solution so that lithium can be recovered as lithium carbonate by means of the "in-situ reactors". Before the brine composition is changed by chemical reactions in the in-situ reactor, KCl can be recovered as a commercial by-product by the process described in Example 1.
The procedure to install "in-situ reactors" for lithium recovery is as follows:
(a) Removing Na and recovering KCl to produce residual brine enriched in Mg and Li
KCl is precipitated as a by-product of lithium production, according to the process described in Example 1. During Step 1 of the process, the residual brine in Evaporating Pond 3 of KCl MgCl.sub.2.multidot. 6H.sub.2 O precipitation is depleted in K, enriched in Mg and somewhat enriched in Li, as described previously.
(b) Removing Mg
The residual brine from Evaporating Pond 3 is transferred to Evaporating Pond 4 for further natural evaporation. The residual brine, after McCl.sub.2 precipitation is depleted in Mg and further enriched in Li, as described previously.
(c) Converting chloride brine into dilute solution
The residual brine from Evaporating Pond 4 is transferred to a water reservoir. A dilute chloride solution is prepared by mixing the residual brine with fresh or slightly brackish water to provide a dilute chloride solution.
(d) Converting a chloride solution into a chloride/bicarbonate solution.
The dilute chloride solution is injected into an In-situ Reactor 2.
In-situ Reactor 2 is constructed with dimensions similar to those of In-situ Reactor 1, with a water tank, where evaporated brine from Evaporating Pond 4 has been diluted to produce a dilute chloride solution. This solution is then introduced into the Reactor 2. The bottom of this in-situ reactor should be lined with clean gravel to facilitate movement of water upward through the filter. The hydrodynamic gradient influencing the flow rate could be adjusted by pumping water out of the pit of the In-situ Reactor 2.
The chemical filter layer lining the bottom of the reactor pit should be a layer of bicarbonate salt. The dilute chloride solution from the water tank near In-situ Reactor 2 could flow under its gravity head, or be pumped, into the gravel layer at the very base of the in-situ reactor. The solution then ascends through the chemical filter layer and enters the pit. Through the dissolution of the carbonate salt in the filter, the dilute solution becomes a saturated bicarbonate solution, with subordinate chloride and sulfate ions.
Sodium carbonates, such as trona muds, are recommended as a filtering chemical for use in In-situ Reactor 2 because of the high solubility and fast dissolution rate. Powdered limestone (CaCO.sub.3), can be used as the filtering chemical if the dilute solution prepared from the dilution of brines from Evaporating Pond 4 is acidified by carbonic acid to increase the solubility and dissolution rate. The use of calcium carbonate is not only economical, it also has the advantage of depleting the sulfate concentration of the solution.
e) Recovery of Lithium carbonate
The bicarbonate solution from In-situ Reactor D is introduced into Evaporating Pond E and evaporated to dryness so that Mg, Na, K are precipitated mainly as chlorides, and Li mainly as carbonate.
The chloride is removed by dissolution. The residue should be a carbonate of Li, mixed with Mg and Na carbonates. The lithium carbonate can be refined by conventional method.
Recovery of Gold from Carlin (Nev.)-type Deposits.
Organic-rich metalliferous rocks contain appreciable amounts of disseminated gold and associated metals, such silver, mercury, arsenic, antimony, etc., have been called the Carlin-type deposit. Black shales containing appreciable amount of disseminated uranium, and associated metals such as vanadium, molybdenum, nickel, etc., have been called the Chattanooga-type deposit. These organic-rich metalliferous sedimentary rocks (shales, mudstones) are relatively impermeable.
The Carlin gold deposit was discovered and first mined in the 1960s. Those ores, containing 7 or 10 grams of gold per ton in oxidized, leached rocks, could be mined by conventional methods of excavating the metalliferous rocks and extracting the gold from the excavated and mined ores by dilute (10 parts per million) cyanide solutions. The current mining processes are, however, so costly that the gold deposits below the oxidized, leached zones cannot be economically mined. Mineral reserves of low-grade gold are, however, immense. Nevada, for example, was estimated in 1990 to have a reserve of 3900 metric tons. With the process of the present invention, many such low-grade deposits can be economically recovered.
The reasons why the Carlin-type deposits below the oxidized, leached zone cannot be recovered by conventional practices are threefold:
(1) the ore-bearing rock is too impermeable for injected leaching solutions to penetrate into the ore body;
(2) the ore deposit contains too much organic matter and/or metallic sulfides which render ineffective the leaching solutions;
(3) the hydrological framework of the region may lead to contamination of groundwaters by leaching solutions injected into the orebody.
Recovery of desired metals such as gold from the Carlin or Chattanooga type deposits can be accomplished by first fracturing and retorting organic-rich shale, i.e., shale burning using presently available means and then converting the ore-bearing host rock into an in-situ reactor so that the leaching solution can be injected into the reactor to dissolve the metals present therein. The in-situ reactors are constructed so that the flow path of injected fluids is controlled and the solvents used for leaching ore metals do not contaminate or pollute groundwaters.
The procedure for working Carlin-type gold deposits, as an example, is described as follows:
(i) Fracturing and retorting organic shale
The current methods of shale burning, developed for the purpose of extracting hydrocarbons from oil shales, are first applied to a deposit. A cavity is excavated underground where the rock 21 can be ignited and into which oxygen, and in some instances fuel, are introduced to sustain the shale burning Suitable processes are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,894,769, 4,043,595, 4,162,808, 4,192,552, 4,243,100, 4,436,344 and 4,444,256. To increase the porosity and permeability of the rock for more effective shale burning, various methods of explosion fracturing and hydrofracturing have been employed. Suitable processes are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,085,971, 4,210,366, 4,239,286, 4,522,260, GB-Patent 1,482,024, 3,917,345, 4,487,260, 4,444,258, 4,522,265, 4,869,322, 5,228,510 and 4,487,260.
Thus, through a combination of current methods of fracturing and shale burning, an impermeable ore-bearing, organic-rich, host-rock can be converted into a porous and permeable oxidized "in-situ reactor" as hereafter described. It should first be noted that any in-situ combustion must terminate prior to the solution mining described below.
A borehole is drilled to depth z. Fluid is pumped under high pressure to a zone t, z meters below the surface to fracture the rocks in the zone by hydrofracturing. Fracture surfaces will radiate from the borehole, and flammable material will be pumped into the hole to ignite the burning of organic-rich shale. Oxygen is pumped into the hole to sustain the burning, and the organic material in the rock is the fuel for the fire. Additional fuel can be introduced if the organic matter in the rock is not sufficient. The zone of "shale burning" which has a thickness t down to z meters below the surface can be controlled by the so-called "floor-block material" as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,282. Holes 24 can be drilled on the periphery of the shale-burning zone to release the exhaust gases produced by shale burning. Hydrocarbons produced by burning can be collected through the application of conventional methods such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,842. The shale burning can be extended from the original borehole outward until the entire ore-body to be exploited is burnt.
The porous and permeable burnt rock, surrounded on all sides and surrounded below by impermeable, organic-rich rock which is not burnt, is the in-situ reactor 22, into which leaching solution can be injected.
ii) Solution mining by leaching fluid moving under hydrodynamic gradient through the in-situ reactor.
The current solution-mining methods employed to process such shales inject leaching fluid into porous and permeable strata, and the fluid moves laterally under a pressure gradient. Boreholes are drilled on the periphery of the injection zone, and leaching fluid is pumped into the holes 24 under high pressure. The fluid flows then into a borehole at the center of the zone, where the ore-bearing solution is collected and pumped out for refining.
The present invention introduces a method of moving fluids vertically upward through a mass of burnt, but still not very permeable rock. Boreholes for injecting leaching solution are drilled on the periphery of the zone of shale burning, i.e., the in-situ reactor 22. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, instead of one collecting borehole in the center, one or more shallow collecting ponds are dug above the burning zone. By lowering the water level within the pond 23, a vertical hydrodynamic gradient is produced, so that the injected fluid is induced to move upward into the pits. The hydrodynamic gradient influencing the rate of the flow can be varied by lowering the water-level within the ponds (by pumping water out of pond); the greater the level of water in a pond beneath the groundwater table, the greater is the hydrodynamic gradient and thus rate of the vertically upward flow movement. The rate can further be adjusted by varying the pressure of injection-fluid. Because of the much greater cross-sectional area normal to the path of vertical flow, the quantity of leaching fluid flowing vertically upward is much more than that flowing laterally, and the leaching is rendered more efficient.
To extract gold from the Carlin type of deposit, very dilute cyanide solution (CN.sup.-) has to be used. Although a concentration of 10 ppm is so small that it could not lead to great health hazard, the toxicity of the fluid is nevertheless so notorious that in-situ solution mining of gold is commonly prohibited because of fear of groundwater contamination by cyanide. The present invention has the advantage that the injected fluid is forced to move through the porous and permeable in-situ reactor to the collecting ponds in the center of the zone of shale burning. Hardly any injected fluid could penetrate into the impermeable, organic-rich host rock surrounding the in-situ reactor. The negligible amount of the injected fluid that might move sideways into the unoxidized organic-rich host rock is immediately detoxified, because cyanide solution is easily neutralized by the organic compounds in the organic-rich host rock. Solution mining by injecting fluids into an in-situ reactor will, therefore, not constitute an environmental hazard. Furthermore, since the ores are not excavated but extracted by solution, the mine areas will not be polluted by the dumping of tailings. Instead, the collecting ponds can be refilled and seeded in the depressions into which groundwater flows. Ponds 23 are initially filled to h.sub.0 and subsequently refilled from h.sub.1 to h.sub.0 automatically due to the difference in hydrodynamic potential of the fluid column in the boreholes and the fluid column in the pond.
iii) Solution containing ore-metal, such as gold, is collected and pumped out of collecting ponds to be processed in factory by conventional refining methods.
Although the present invention has been described with pretense and embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims for a full definition of the scope of the invention.
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1872: Du Wenxiu, Panthay rebellion leader
On this date in 1872, China’s Panthay Rebellion came to an end with the surrender, suicide, and execution — in that order — of Du Wenxiu.
The Panthay Rebellion (also known as the Du Wenxiu Rebellion) was one of several cataclysmic revolts to shake foundering imperial China in the 19th century.
This one was centered in the city of Dali (also known as Talifoo) in the southeastern Yunnan Province, near the Burmese border.* The rebels in question were the Hui people, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group who had been pushed around for years by Qing officials and by the ethnic Han.
The backstory of Han-on-Hui ethnic cleansing in the 1840s makes for harrowing reading, lowlighted by the 1845 massacre of 8,000 Hui in Baoshan.
An even more ambitious operation in May 1856 went down in Kunming, where a massacre — Qing officials publicly posted a directive to “kill [the Hui] one and all”** — claimed several thousand more and razed the city’s mosques. This outburst spawned an attempt at wholesale ethnic cleansing throughout the province … but that attempt blew back on its perpetrators by triggering a rebellion that would require a generation to tame.
The unexpected tenacity of Hui resistance was multiplied by the disadvantages for the Chinese state of operating in a distant and mountainous territory, and its preoccupation with the much larger simultaneous Taiping Rebellion. Though these considerations were not sufficient to dissuade local officials from picking the fight in the first place, they would help them come to regret it.
Hui resistance quickly coalesced into an organized rebellion, and that rebellion overran Dali by the end of the year, establishing itself as the seat of an independent kingdom called Pingnan Guo. Meanwhile, the onset of the Second Opium War left China incapable of contemplating a reconquest.
Du Wenxiu, the half-Han Islamic convert rebel leader acclaimed Sultan Sulaiman of Dali, was therefore left with some operating room to establish a Hui state. He led a pluralistic nation (for the Hui themselves were and are a pluralistic identity) in the western half of Yunnan, stretching from the Tibetan frontier almost to Kunming. (They came close but never quite managed to take this city).
Alas, in due time and with sufficient stability elsewhere in China the Pingnan state came under withering attack from the late 1860s. It sought help from the British as a potential foil against Chinese power, but the aid was not forthcoming and probably would have been too little and much too late. The Pingnan / Panthay / Hui state
ended much as it had begun — in a bloody massacre of the Hui populace. On 26 December 1872, imperial troops surrounded Dali, the Pingnan capital. Du Wenxiu, in a move that he hoped would spare the lives of the city’s residents, made the decision to hand himself over to the Qing general. Swallowing a fatal dose of opium as his palanquin carried him to the Qing encampment, Du was already dead by the time that he was delivered to the Qing commander. Not to be robbed of the gratification of killing him themselves, Qing officials hastily dragged Du before the Qing troops to be decapitated.† According to Emile Rocher, a French adviser to the provincial officials in Yunnan at the time, Du’s head was encased in honey and sent to the emperor.
Du’s sacrifice, however, was in vain. Three days later, imperial troops began a massacre that, according to the government’s own conservative estimates, took ten thousand lives by the time it was concluded — four thousand of the victims were women, children, and the elderly. Hundreds drowned trying to escape from Dali by swimming across Erhai Lake. Others attempted to flee through the narrow passes at either end of the valley. All were chased down and slain by the Qing troops. The imperial soldiers were ordered to cut an ear from each of the dead. These grisly trophies filled twenty-four massive baskets and, together with Du’s severed head, were sent to Beijing, where they served as a silent and unequivocal corroboration of the Pingnan regime’s bloody demise.**
Du Wenxiu was within living memory when the Qing themselves fell; shortly after that happened, an honorary tomb was constructed for the martyred rebel outside Dali.
* “Panthay” is a Burmese word for Chinese Muslims.
** David Atwill, “Blinkered Visions: Islamic Identity, Hui Ethnicity, and the Panthay Rebellion in Southwest China, 1856-1873,” The Journal of Asian Studies, Nov. 2003. This article and/or Atwill’s book (review) on the same subject appear to be the ultimate source of nearly every accessible English resource on the Panthay Rebellion.
† According to the London Times (Aug. 27, 1873) the aides and litter-bearers who accompanied the dying Du to the Qin camp were also beheaded for their troubles. It ballparks the ensuing butchery at 40,000 to 50,000 souls.
2019: Wei Wei - 2019
1845: John Burnett, failson - 2018
2017: Fifteen Sinai Islamic militants - 2017
831: St. Euthymius of Sardis, iconophile - 2016
1864: James Utz, St. Louis spy - 2015
1502: Ramiro d'Orco, discarded by Cesare Borgia - 2014
1936: Harry Singer, in the holiday spirit - 2013
1942: Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, Darlan's assassin - 2012
1870: Kumoi Tatsuo - 2010
Feast Day of St. Stephen - 2009
1862: Asa Lewis, Confederate deserter - 2008
1862: 38 Sioux - 2007
Themed Set: The Spectacle of Public Hanging in America - 2007
1942: Avraham Stern, a strange bedfellow
1836: The defenders of the Alamo, much remembered
1389: Saint Tsar Lazar, after the Battle of Kosovo
1885: Louis Riel, Metis leader
1896: Chief Chingaira Makoni, Rhodesian rebel
1849: Lajos Batthyány and the 13 Martyrs of Arad
Entry Filed under: 19th Century,Beheaded,Borderline "Executions",Capital Punishment,Cheated the Hangman,China,Cycle of Violence,Death Penalty,Disfavored Minorities,Execution,Famous,Heads of State,History,Martyrs,No Formal Charge,Occupation and Colonialism,Posthumous Executions,Power,Racial and Ethnic Minorities,Revolutionaries,Separatists,Soldiers,Summary Executions,Treason,Wartime Executions
Tags: 1870s, 1872, dali, december 26, du wenxiu, du wenxiu rebellion, ethnic cleansing, nationalism, panthay rebellion, qing dynasty, suicide
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How entertaining? ★☆☆☆☆
Thought provoking? ★☆☆☆☆
This article is a review of MALEFICENT.
“True love does not exist,” Stefan (Sharlto Copley)
Fifty-five years on from Disney’s cartoon classic, SLEEPING BEAUTY, a live action revisionist blockbuster has emerged to tell the story from the perspective of the titular villain, played by Angelina Jolie. Blandness has seeped into the very fabric of the movie, punctuated by moments of out-of-place violence.
We are in JACK THE GIANT SLAYER territory when it comes to the cacophony of uninspired computer generated imagery world creation. Lacking the immersion of SIN CITY or AVATAR or LIFE OF PI, MALEFICENT has neither enhanced realism or spectacular imagination to offer.
Typifying the spoon-feeding of ideas and the over-explanation of lessons learned, Janet McTeer’s unnecessary narration kicks us off explaining how two kingdoms sit side by side – the human one ruled by greed, envious of the neighbouring leaderless and wealthy magical realm. Gone is the scroll of initial narrative; are modern family filmmakers afraid of the whiff of the bookish? It’s not clear what the magical land is wealthy in exactly, apart from annoying creatures that throw mud at each other. Oh the japes they have! Consisting of an under-populated castle among vast countryside, what exactly do the humans need? Attention to detail is not MALEFICENT’s strong suit.
Focal point of the mystical inhabitants is Maleficent, a winged fairy. Devoid of rhyme or reason, her powers include randomly utilised telekinesis, healing and energy manipulation. Like all superheroes, she has a weakness: Things made of iron burn her. Why?
As a child Maleficent is still the protector of her realm, and spying a young human thief, a quickly told romance is explained. Jumping through the years sans establishing emotionality, adult Maleficent, reminding of Tilda Swinton’s archangel Gabriel in CONSTANTINE, awaits the return of her Stefan, who is teetering on the edge of joining the dark side.
We get given a crummy sub-LORD OF THE RINGS monster battle between the two lands, and the douche bag King Henry (Kenneth Cranham) is mortally wounded. On his deathbed, his kingdom is offered to anyone who can kill Maleficent. So what does Stefan do? That’s right, he worms his way back into Maleficent’s affections (the narrator has to tell us this, as the rest of the script can’t be bothered to show it), drugs Maleficent, and cuts off her wings using a scary-looking iron garrotte thing. Are they serious? What age level is the film aimed at? Such mutilation is more suitable to Shakespeare’s TITUS ANDRONICUS. Was the idea to make a crude metaphor as to how women can be treated by their first boyfriends?
Not descending into KILL BILL’s roaring rampage of revenge, Maleficent hangs about until King Stefan’s daughter Aurora is born. Then, turning up at the castle, curses the child to prick herself on a sewing spindle, which happens to be in the middle of the throne room, to sleep forever. You can write a fairy tale, you can read a fairy tale, but showing a fairy tale literally needs careful updating for modern sensibility. So many liberties are taken with the SLEEPING BEAUTY mythology, adhering to that is nonsensical.
Having a plethora of female characters does not make a project feminist or containing characters worth aspiring too, see also FROZEN. Does MALEFICENT champion traits worth celebrating? You will have to sift through the debris to find any glimmers.
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Shok Paris - "Steel & Starlight" [1987]
Artist: Shok Paris
Title: Steel & Starlight
Genre: Heavy/Power Metal
Go Down Fighting
Steel and Starlight
Tokyo Rose
Rocked Outta Love
Castle Walls
Fallin' for You
Lost Queen
Hot on Your Heels
Regardless of what you might have thought after looking at the cover art and the track list, this is not glam/hair metal, but a very good example of American melodic heavy/power metal from the 1980's. Shok Paris, formed in Cleveland in 1982, have released three full-length albums over that period. "Steel & Starlight" is their sophomore LP which is widely considered to be their best. While the second half of this album may seem to be a bit boring, at least the first three tracks are great:
Слушайте Steel and Starlight — Shok Paris на Яндекс.Музыке
Автор: Alexander на 10:20 PM
Ярлыки: heavy metal, USA
I created this blog mostly because I wanted to practise my English skills, and to showcase the industrial, gothic, punk, metal, neofolk and progressive rock scene of Russia/ex-USSR and Eastern Europe (especially Hungary) in the meanwhile.
As you can see, this blog doesn't take itself seriously enough, but I hope I'm doing good enough with my reviews even if my proficiency in English is limited. Along with the aforementioned stuff from Eastern Europe, I occasionally post some classic and rare albums that aren't to be missed, and generally whatever I want. Other categories of note:
* finno-ugric rarities - various music (including pop) in minor Finno-Ugric languages which I'm interested in because of my heritage. The music from Hungary, Finland and Estonia can be found under the respective categories;
* lo-fi - various poorly recorded demos from before 2000 that are of historical importance. Most of these demos come from the USSR era, so you might want to check out the USSR category as well.
As of now, I try to post only music that has already been made free by the artists themselves, or the rare old releases that are out of print. But if you're an artist and would like me to remove the download links of your work, just contact me using the form below.
Sorry, I don't do reviews by request, I don't have the time. Moreover, I think the bands that feel the need to advertise themselves by sending their demos to as many blogs as possible are usually just plain boring. If you want to contact me for any other reason, use the contact form below.
It should be obvious enough that reviewing anything on here doesn't equals endorsement of artists' personal views. This especially concerns neofolk and martial industrial. It'd be fair enough to say that I have the same approach to the political and religious topics in these genres as Laibach do.
Many of the female musicians featured on my blog are amateur models, and in many cases their modelling work is no less interesting than their music. Right now I'm working on giving it a separate section of the blog (just in case if anyone wants my review to be only about their music and not their looks). The work is in progress, check back later if you're interested.
The title of my blog comes from a song by The Kovenant (album "SETI", 2003).
Le Bal de l'Éphémère - Hylé (2018 France) @320
From The Metal Archives Vol. 10 - Black Lion Records
Electronick Tapes
Juniper Hill – Live!
Red & Anarchist Black Metal [and much more!]
Moving to Reddit
INDUSTRIAL_SKADS
The Opposer Divine : Barb Wire Around Your Neck [2015]
electro-body-music.com
NITRONOISE - Rebuilt For Clubs (EP 2014)
Tygers of Pan Tang - "Spellbound" [1981]
Black Sabbath - "Heaven and Hell" [1980]
Pegasos - "A Night in the Cold World" [1991]
Oz - "Fire in the Brain" [1983]
Stormtrooper - "Armies of the Night" [1985]
Coven 13 - "Worship New Gods" [1987]
Fifth Angel - "Time Will Tell" [1989]
Queensrÿche - s/t EP [1983]
Upper Echelon - "Surface Tension" [1984]
Omen - "Warning of Danger" [1985]
Omen - "Battle Cry" [1984]
Cities - "Annihilation Absolute" [1986]
Tyrant's Reign - "Year of the Tyrants" [1987]
Surprise - "Assault on Merryland" [1977]
female vocals (159)
doom metal (33)
neofolk (32)
finno-ugric rarities (25)
lo-fi (25)
EBM (24)
darkwave (24)
post-rock (23)
gothic rock (22)
industrial black metal (19)
folk-rock (18)
dark electro (16)
rock in opposition (12)
martial industrial (11)
alternative rock (10)
folk-pop (10)
psychobilly (10)
hardcore and metalcore (8)
8bit (5)
dadacore (5)
digital hardcore (4)
futurepop (3)
gothic ethereal (3)
3d animation (2)
drum and bass (2)
live events (1)
open hardware (1)
witch house (1)
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Fit For Moshing
'If music be the food of love, play on' as long as it's live and in a hot little sweatbox of a venue - William Shakespeare Twelfth Night Act 1, scene 1 (partly)
Human League, Royal Concert Hall
Tonight the soulless Concert Hall. We are off to the 30th anniversary of the Human League and the 25th ish anniversary of their classic album Dare.
Support is by a band called OneTwo who I had never heard of, which is surprising as its basically Paul Humphreys of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Claudia Bruecken of Propaganda. Their competent if a little dull set consists of mostly tracks from their album 'Instead', but they also play Orchestral Manoeuvres classic 'Messages', although not as well as the band themselves did it earlier this year and they finish with Propaganda's 'Duel'. They are very well received by the crowd, despite Claudia's appalling dancing.
Another track they played was a cover of 'Club Country' by the Associates. This was done as a tribute to Billy MacKenzie who would have been 50 this year had he not committed suicide in 1997. MacKenzie who was already suffering with depression, overdosed on prescription drugs in his father's garden shed, after the death of his mother.
So to the main event and a huge backdrop of half the original Dare cover, of the three surviving members, covers the stage. Phil Oakey comes on stage, looking more and more like Christopher Walken in manner and dress, each time I see him. They launch straight into Dare, in its entity and in order. The problem is, it's immediately an anticlimax because the first three tracks of the album are well known live favourites anyway so the occasion doesn't really happen until 'Darkness' is played. Now had they thrown in a few pre-Dare rarities first then that would have whipped up the expectation straight away. How about opening with something like 'Girls And Boys' which was the first League Mark 2 single anyway.
'Do or Die' is my favourite track off Dare and I haven't heard them play this since the Hysteria tour in err.. 1985 was it? but tonight it falls a little flat. It doesn't help that they seem to prolong the instrumental bit in the middle and Phil and the girls disappear off stage for no apparent reason.
It’s side two of the vinyl that makes the night. The three tracks that merge together on record, the brief 'Get Carter' (that Phil milks for all its worth), the fantastically haunting 'I Am The Law' and a sensational 'Seconds', with great graphics. For the first time they crank the bass up and you can feel the walls of the auditorium throb. You want them to stop right there, rewind and do all three of them again. Brilliant.
Throughout the crowd are very static (standing but barely dancing) and very quiet, none of which is helped by the staid venue. The bands last three visits to Nottingham have all been to Rock City, so it seems an odd decision to downgrade to the Concert Hall this time. I only saw the last of the Rock City gigs in December 2005 but the atmosphere was fantasic. People's attitudes are different at places like Rock City, tonight you get the impression that people have nipped out to grab a concert in the gap between Coronation Street and their evening cocoa and they'll be really pissed off if they're not back in time for the Ten O'clock News.
'Love Action' and 'Don't You Want Me' round off Dare and then we get a totally instrumental Hard Times, purely so the gang can do a clothing change. Then we have a run through of some of the hits starting with the Lebanon and finishing with 'Fascination' and 'Mirror Man'. Regrettably there are no surprises.
The encore starts with a storming 'Being Boiled' and concludes with the immensely annoying 'Together in Electric Dreams'. Which is not even a Human League track but they always play it.
Oakey's voice was excellent throughout and the band weren't bad but still an awful lot was on tape but the three best tracks of the night were by miles 'I Am The Law', 'Seconds' and 'Being Boiled', unfortuantely non of them feature the girls. Who were their usual dancing, singing slightly off-key, selves with numerous costume changes. Perhaps too late for a career move but time to go solo Phil?
The problem with playing your classic album first, as I discovered with Orchestral Manoeuvres this year, is that whatever you play next is going to be an anti-climax. Also, although I thought it would, playing the album in order doesn't work either because there's no surprise, everyone knows what's coming next. What both bands should have done for a retro-tour like this is play it as if it really was the Dare tour (or the Architecture & Morality Tour) e.g. play what you would have played in 1982 on that original tour. Which in the Leagues case would have meant drawing on stuff from 'Travelogue' and 'Reproduction'. They could possibly get away with a few tracks that were close to that period e.g. 'Fascination', 'Mirror Man' and why do they never play the wonderful 'Love You Too Much'? It just doesn't seem right when you mix in stuff from twenty years later. Just my opinion.
In 2005 they did a greatest hits set, is there any point in doing the same thing every year? Go on surprise us. Just because 'Dare' sold millions doesn't make it a classic album, it's a classic album simply because it is! If you see what I mean. 'Travelogue' is a classic too, now there's a thought...
Go on Phil do it, 'Dare' To Be different, I can see it now...
'A crow and a baby had an affair...'
Posted by FitForNothing at 08:00
FitForNothing
Pigeon Detectives, Rock City
Gigs Of The Year
Favourite Albums Of The Year
Fantasy Shuffle Selection
Twenty Tracks From 2013
Fit For Nothing
Puppyhood - After my improbably quick time on Sunday the old legs are a bit stiff the next day but I’m winning the battle against the stairs at work so all’s good. L c...
Fit For Something
Nottingham Christmas Half Marathon - Today I have the Notts Christmas multi-looped Half Marathon at Holme Pierrepont. Shoot me now. It’s as dull as ditch water but necessary dullness training-...
Fit For Viewing
The Irishman - The Irishman is made by Netflix, who have given the film a very limited cinematic run before confining it purely to streaming. The same thing happened with...
Going To Fail: 500 Miles
Helsinki City Run - So the final race on the 500 mile challenge, the Helsinki City Run half marathon. We take the Metro from our hotel to the railway station and then walked t...
Peter Hook & The Light, Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
Kele Okereke, The Plug, Sheffield
Status Quo, Nottingham Arena
Gaslight Anthem, Rock City
Splendour Festival, Wollaton Park, Nottingham
Concert Rat
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Grandville Hockey Golf Outing
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Ruth Rich Saga
Ten Days That Shook The Kitchen
Double Booked
Fashionably Late
Learned Friends
Arrows of Desire
UpDownSizing – NEW WORK 2018
SCRIPTS FOR HIRE
A note about Charity
Running Time: The play lasts approximately 1 hour without interval.
The production has received generous assistance from
Warwick District Council
King Henry VIII Endowed Trust, Warwick
Phillips 6
Wright Hassell, Solicitors
Hammons Solicitors
Wareing and Company
Avonvale Veterinary Practice
Shakespeare’s Garage, Wellesbourne
Penman’s Solicitors
R Locke & Co
Shah’s Restaurant Wellesbourne
Justina of Wellesbourne
www.granarycottagecotswolds.co.uk
WINNER – BEST ORIGINAL PIECE – BIRMINGHAMFEST 2016
“Brilliantly acted, superbly devised and amazingly well written.”
Alastair Hodge Master of the Bench, Inner Temple
A fascinating new play with echoes of “Twelve Angry Men” set within the context of a criminal trial. “Learned Friends” draws parallels between the worlds of football and the law and answers questions frequently put to barristers: What occurs when Judge and Counsel retire from the public areas of a criminal court while the jury deliberate their verdict? Can the advocates and judge be personal friends? Is it necessary for defence counsel to believe in/know his client’s innocence during a trial?
Audience reaction:
“A fascinating and gripping tale.” His Honour John Price
“Truly captivating, witty and engaging.”
“Brilliant! Thought-provoking, touching, wonderful!”
“Wonderfully complex and thought-provoking.”
“Excellent tension throughout. Realistic portrayal of criminal lawyers.”
“Witty, clever, believable, beautifully acted. An enthralling hour that sped by all too fast.”
“Beautifully crafted… intriguing and entertaining.”
“Fabulous show – packed with atmosphere. Totally convincing performances.”
“An excellent performance. A compelling story.”
“Definitely left me with the impression that it is a good idea to steer well clear of the legal system.”
“Electric!” (Circuit Judge)
Prosecution and Defence counsel are awaiting a jury’s verdict in the trial of a high profile football manager. Irregularities in the case are revealed which threaten careers, relationships and the true course of justice.
Ginny Davis draws on her experience as a former practising barrister and a lifelong association with the law (father – solicitor, mother – JP, husband – High Court Judge) to draw a fascinating, revealing and authentic representation of criminal proceedings.
Director: Michael Bott (Skylight 2014) former member of RSC and National Theatre company
Artistic Adviser: Neil Reading (Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton)
Legal Advisor: Mr Justice William Davis
Sound and Lighting design: Tom Jude (Artrix Theatre, Bromsgrove)
Premiere – 29th November 2015 Warwick Crown Court, Northgate Street, Warwick CV34 4EW
LEARNED FRIENDS AT CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT
The courtroom is a tried and tested dramatic staple of stage, film and television. And while the British Crown court rarely moves at the sort of speed that screenplays would have you believe, there’s still plenty of spectacle to be had.
But as various legal dramas – most recently BBC1’s Silk by Peter Moffat – have realised, the true drama comes from the offstage moments, when the barristers are not in court and the real bunfighting can take place.
Into this world dives Learned Friends, predominantly set in an antechamber where two barristers – on opposite sides of an assault case in which a prominent football manager is in the dock – are awaiting the verdict. For this one-off performance of Ginny Davis’s play, a makeshift stage is created by cordoning off a lower corridor within London’s Central Criminal Court – more commonly known by the name it inherits from its street address, The Old Bailey.
As the opening moments of the play unfolds, it seems as if the prestige of the location is being paid for with echoing acoustics that rarely work in a production’s favour. But as the action revolves around just two women – Davis playing prosecution barrister Judith, against Sharon Baylis’s defense barrister Mandy – the duo’s exploration of some legal dilemmas comes across with clarity and not a little humour. The impression that these are two women who have been working alongside each other for many years, and who have become friends even as they have faced each other in court, comes across well.
And thus, when information comes to light that could render the whole case invalid, the potential personal consequences are as clear as the legal ones are muddy. Davis constructs a set of moral questions that offers no easy answer, with Baylis’s defence barrister in particular facing choices which could ruin either of the barristers’ careers.
Usual productions of Learned Friends, I understand, see the barristers exit their room to receive the verdict, and continue the action once they return, the consequences of Mandy’s decision playing out further. But in the Old Bailey, who could resist exploring this beautiful, historic venue further? And so, a new scene was inserted, with cast and audience promenading to Court No. 1 for the delivery of the verdict.
Even here, Mandy’s consultation with the defendant takes place out of the sight and hearing of the audience, so the bulk of the additional material takes place within a conversation between prosecution barrister Juith and Ella-Siobhan Barker’s court clerk.
The action returns to the original staging for its conclusion, a satisfying finale in which the true justice is done, but in which one feels for all parties. In Learned Friends, Davis has created a pair of believable characters, and produced a courtroom drama that feels more realistic than many screen presentations. The thrill of experiencing a play within the Old Bailey itself is great, but it’s nothing without a play deserving of the surroundings – and Learned Friends, a warm, witty and suspenseful work, is just that.
Learned Friends was at the Central Criminal Court on October 16. For more information including future performance dates, visit ginnydavis.com
Scott Matthewman
Eyesawtheatre.com (Off West-End, London Fringe reviews)
Bridge House Theatre, Warwick
In May this year, I took a friend to see Ginny Davis’ play ‘Learned Friends’. This particular friend is a keen and highly critical theatre-goer, so I was hoping in advance that the performance wouldn’t disappoint. I needn’t have worried. Not only was the acting superb, the plot was wholly absorbing and the characters utterly believable. The dialogue in particular was fantastic: very witty with not a word wasted; every line either revealing character or moving the plot along. What I particularly enjoyed was the demands the play made of the audience, who could not remain passive bystanders. All of us were wholly invested in the outcome of the play, which pivoted on a highly unenviable moral dilemma faced by one of the characters. The Q&A afterwards was extremely entertaining and informative, as it lifted a lid on the closed world of barristers’ chambers and the intimate relationship between prosecution and defence. The members of the audience were completely polarised in their response to the play’s conclusion. My friend and I had a very lively debate about it on the way home, focusing entirely on the consequences of the character’s decision which to me is the best indication that she, like the rest of us, completely forgot she was watching a play. Instead, it was as if we were eavesdropping on a real life drama which had life-changing ramifications for all of the people concerned.
Catherine Evans
Editor of www.pennyshorts.com and author of 'The Wrong'un'
GINNY PRESIDES OVER CLEVER SHOW
“Learned Friends” is the latest play by Ginny Davis, writer and performer of The Ruth Rich Saga, a series of five plays based on modern family life, which have graced many local theatres as well as the Edinburgh, Brighton and Buxton Fringe festivals.
Her new play is a two-hander and is excellently performed by the playwright, alongside Sharon Baylis (Emmerdale, The Bill, Eastenders, Juliet Bravo and Bergerac) as prosecution and defence barristers awaiting the return of the jury in a high-profile case.
What begins as a seemingly straightforward trial of a well-known sports personality develops into an engaging and thought-provoking study of the personalities and perspectives of those involved.
Unexpected twists and turns reveal new layers and complexities in the relationship between the barristers, and others. And, just as the audience is convinced by one line of argument, something new, and often surprising, is thrown into the ring.
The debate between the lawyers parallels some of what must have gone on in the courtroom only a few hours before, challenging and contrasting the legal debate with both moral and personal, sometimes intimate, perspectives. Ultimately the lawyers each make a choice which turns their professional and personal lives upside down.
The staging is minimalist and clever. Although we hear the voices of the judge, defendant and others, the two actors hold the stage with scene shifts marked by simple, but effective, use of lighting.
The opening few scenes weren’t perhaps as surefooted as they might be, but this was, after all, a preview and the audience was steadily drawn into the story which engaged and challenged.
Andrew Kerr
STRATFORD-UPON-AVON HERALD, 26 November 2015
INTELLIGENT AND ENGAGING DRAMA
A clever piece of theatre breathed life into the old wooden courtrooms at Warwick’s historic Crown Court. Writer and performer Ginny Davis’s play “Learned Friends” was a lively, intelligent legal cliff-hanger that really made the audience think, and involved them in the whole drama.
“Learned Friends” goes behind the scenes of a criminal court. Two women barristers await a jury’s verdict in the trial of a football manager. As events got more complicated, Ginny Davis and her terrific co-actor Sharon Baylis (Emmerdale, The Bill, Eastenders) ratcheted up the tension.
Then the audience was invited into the old courtroom, some to sit as the jury. Real-life High Court Judge, William Davis loomed over proceedings and the energy rose as the audience bobbed nervously to the command “Court Rise” and awaited the verdict.
Who doesn’t love a courtroom drama, but “Learned Friends” raises dilemmas that go beyond the law such as: Friendship or Duty? Right or Wrong? And just was is right and wrong anyway? It’s intelligent drama and an engaging way of doing theatre, one Ginny plans to continue exploring.
Deirdre Shields
Leamington Spa Courier 4 December 2015
Designed by Ellosk09
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Board index » Housepets! » Roleplaying
HPU: Sunset Plateau
[ 8706 posts ] Go to page Previous 1 ... 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134 ... 218 Next
xhunterko
Location: Fairfield, Illinois
Re: Pet Friendly: Sunset Plateau
"It's a party to chase evil spirits away!" Mitch said, excited. They reached the new lake's edge and there was a couple struggling with a table, and Mitch started helping them pull it out.
"We light a bunch of lanterns, big ones, small ones, some very large ones," Mitch said, "And let them go up in the air in the evening! There's dancing all day and parties all night. It'll be the first I'll be in."
Also on twitter: https://twitter.com/xhunterko
And instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertclemmonsjr/
"Cool! just like the Chinese do! It must be quite the sight! Will I be allowed to light up a lantern and let it go?"
Mitch nodded and grinned.
"Sure!" He said.
"You'd have to send it off with our's though," Mitch said, helping set the table on the grass.
"It's no good setting off alone," he added.
A slightly older, female panda, hearing the conversation, walks up to Rikki.
"Families are usually sent off together dear," she said with a wink. Mitch blushed.
"And to think that you gave me the impression that I could be out of place here."
"Eh heh, sorry," Mitch said, going for another group that had a bed this time. A panda warrior approached Mitch, a scout with a yellow kneckerchief.
"Yes?" Mitch asked.
"Orders from your father sir, he requests you and yours at chapel for further instructions," he stated. Mitch sighed.
"All right, if she's willing, let's go see what my dad wants, or you can stay here and help," he said to Rikki. Mitch moved over so the scout could take his spot with helping lift the bed and waited to see what Rikki wanted.
"I'll come with you, of course. The more I know about this tribe and your family, the better. Right? So no, you won't get rid of me that easily, amore."
"Hey, I'm not the one seperating us. Heh, come on Zhang," Mitch said to the scout. And with that, they jumped up to the trees. Mitch waited for Rikki for a moment.
The black ferret climbed up with an impressive speed! "Trained + natural abilities. So, where to?"
"The chapel of course," Mitch said, climbing up higher to get a better look. It wasn't too far away. But Mitch noticed some of the trees had red flags on them.
Huh, must've expected for people to follow them. He thought.
"Let's get moving," he said. Following the flags.
"What do the flags mean?" she asked, while following
Mitch stopped and looked at her.
"This is the way to the chapel?" Mitch said, "Not all things have to have a meaning hon."
"Well, forgive me, milord! What with the security you had for your own protection, my cop instincts start to look for hidden meanings everywhere."
Mitch grinned.
"Well," he said, "Not quite everywhere. Heh." He then continued to follow the trail.
The car pulled up to the Haynes house and Jenny and Lance got out. Lance stretched and yawned a bit looking over to his Mom. "I hate to ask but I'm rather hungry is there anything to eat?" Jenny smiled and nodded "Yeah I can whip something up, believe me I'm famished as well." She said opening up the door and heading for the kitchen.
Lance plopped down on the sofa and let out a sigh of relif as his dad walked over kissing Jenny on the lips holding her close. He looked over at Lance and shook his head. "Dinner will be a while kid, go take a shower or something. Your dirty as heck." He said. Lance sheepishly grinned and got up nodding and heading for the bathroom. He looked back at Jenny and shook his head "You too, I can cook dinner." Rob said. Jenny opened up her mouth to protest but Rob just shook his head and pointed to the basement. Jenny didn't fight it and went to the basement without another word.
Shortly they arrived at the chapel. Mitch's father was standing at the entrance with a couple of warriors.
"There he is," Benjamin said, "Mitch, I would like for you and Rikki to help designate sleeping partitions. Try to use the pews in the main hall, as well as some flags for the main room upstairs. We have those in baskets by the doors. There's 43 of us to make spots for."
"We're not using the rooms?" Mitch asked.
"Those are off limits, I don't want people getting jealous and fights breaking out," Benjamin said. Mitch sighed.
"All right," Mitch said, "Ah well, this shouldn't take long, and you'll be home before you know it, come on!" And into the chapel he went.
Belisarius brought his mate into the bathroom. Ms. Leone - he couldn't just call her 'Mom', it felt so...unnatural - had instructed him to wash himself and Janus quite thoroughly. They were dirty and smelled unpleasant, she had said, although not in ill will. Plus, she *was* pack leader, and Belisarius was obliged by etiquette to respect her wishes.
And so, the wolf deposited Valient into the shower stall. "Oh, well, you're going to wake up anyway." he grabbed the shower head and turned on the water. Cold.
A long howl of anguish followed shortly later.
"Perhaps I am being dense," Rikki said while helping Mitch in that task. "But why? After all, you guys could just pick up a pew and get to sleep, right?"
"It just makes things more structured I guess," Mitch said, "And this way we know where most everyone is. But anyways, it's not my position to argue."
"You're so right: You must get used to be obeyed, milord." Rikki made a deep bow.
Mitch stopped what he was doing and hugged Rikki from behind.
"It's not like that really," he said, giving her a firm hug, "Everything is open for discussion. But my dad, the shaman, and the ranked warriors are in charge. And my dad can have the final word on some things. But my dad is chieftan because his dad was chieftan. And his dad was chieftan cause the ranked warriors and the shamans wanted him to be chieftan at the time. Each elected chieftan has the right to have his son follow him in the line if they want. And if he doesn't, the ranked warriors and the shamans will decide who is the next chieftan. And if the ranked warriors and the shaman want me as chieftan, well, then I'll take it. I have a pretty good standing, and they seem to like you fairly well. But I can't have somebody do just anything if that's what your thinking. If your not I'm sorry. But it really isn't like that."
Rikki feigned a pout. "Aww, too bad! I had hoped that, as your consort, I would lead my cortege with an iron paw and be served at any whim."
"Well my dear, if that were the case, I'd have you wear an iron gauntlet that would minimize your movement to serve as a reminder," Mitch said in a joking tone, and began rocking her gently back and forth, "But sorry, not the case my lady."
"Getting lots of work done I see," Nora said, standing behind them, and trying not to smile. Mitch stopped embarrased for a moment, but didn't let go.
"Er, uh, we, uh er un, um, uh, y-yeah," Mitch stammared. They were at the end of the room near the altar.
"Signora, I assure you, I am only doing my duty as stress-reliever." Rikki was really trying not to laugh. Poor Mitch was literally radiating heat together with his embarrassment.
"Well dear, you seem to be doing a good job, eh heh," Nora said. The smell of dear could be felt on the nose, "A warrior group was lucky and got two dear. I got the upstairs done and your more then welcome to join us for dinner. They're a decent size so there's plenty to go around."
"Please do!" Mitch said to ferret with excitement.
Rikki was blinking in surprise.
"Deers? You guys caught deers?"
"Yes, they were very lucky," Nora said.
"Yeah, my dad likes the occasional deer jerky, and we can eat anything, so," Mitch said, full of excitement, trying not to get all hopping.
"Well...congrats to the hunters then. I mean, *how* did you guys get TWO deers?!"
"Crossbows, good tracking, and probably the fire helped scare some out," Mitch said, and Nora nodded.
"Well come on then," Nora said, heading out, "Normally there'd be a bit more joy at such an occasion. But, well, everyone's tired, and we lost all our sake'. Ah well. Speaking of sake'. Rikki be a dear and tell your mother that the rice balls I have in the fridge can hold for a couple days."
"You made rice balls?" Mitch asked surprised.
"We did just meet your girl, I thought it appropriate," she said.
"Oh, yeah, eh heh," Mitch said, following her out holding Rikki's paws.
"I'll tell her, although I am pretty sure those are going to disappear come the night. The others were pretty hun--" her stomach growled loudly. She blushed crimson. "Like I said. And soon the humans will bring here the food Mom made as well. It will be a feast, Signora."
Lance shook him self dry as he exited the shower and grabbed a near by towel to finish himself off. Humming to himself he put his colar back on and sniffed the air. Though the steam and heat he could smell the cooking diner and smiled bounding out the door to the kitchen, the towel hitting the hook on his way out.
After the flooding, Will had retreated, but unlike the pandas, he fled to the forest as far from the big body of water as possible. When he was far enough, he stopped and looked around. He wasn't sure where he was exactly, and though he was good with directions, he still climbed the tallest tree he could find and quickly found the required destination. He got down and continued home...
Mitch and his mother then exchanged glances.
"The only problem with that, is that we have no place to store leftovers," Nora said.
"Oh we sure do, my stomach it'd be a fitting spot, heh," Mitch said.
"Signora, with all due respect, everyone here's hungry like a dragon, and I am sure you have learnt ways to keep leftovers intact for at least one day. That, and what with the wild fauna, withing tomorrow night we'll all be sated and with virtually no leftovers."
"Eh heh, she's probably right mom," Mitch said. Then 3 short horn blows could be heard.
"Oh good, that's the call signal dear," Nora said, "Everybody should be headed over soon enough." Mitch got ahead of his mother as they neared the door and opened it.
"Ladies first," he said with a small bow.
"Watch it and don't say it during the meal, or no leftovers for you!"
Mitch pouted as she walked past, then he thought again and got a grin.
"Oh well, that means I'll just have to eat everything I'd like to during the meal," he said, then his stomach gurgled as well.
"Smells good so far Dad." Lance said as he walked into the kitchen. A few pots and pans were bubbling with water and some vegetables were cooking on a skillet his dad stirring them every once in a while. Rob looked back and nodded. "Yeah I can still cook pretty good, regardless of what your mother says." he said as he continued to cook.
(OOC: Ok guys I think its time to start wrapping this day up.)
"You look worried," Belisarius said, while looking at his mate munching without conviction.
"I'm thinking that the pandas are going to become the center of much, unwanted attention. And then the humans who put them in danger may learn about them..." He felt a big paw ruffling his head.
"You're worrying too much for one day. Tonorrow we'll come up with something. I am good at hiding out from unwanted attentions after all, and you're a good cop. It will work."
Valiant smiled and wagged. He just wanted to lean against his wolf...if only it wouldn't be rude at table... "It will. Thank you..." then he frowned. "Say, did you ever use the cutlery?"
Belisarius put up a scoff. "Of course! I have read many one bon-ton books humans discarded. Look here." To his credit, he assumed the perfect posture to cut his steak...and the moment he cut into the meat, both tools slipped from his paws! "Whoops!"
fork and knife completed an arc and landed in this order -the fork into the table after grazing Valiant's snout, and the knife into Valiant's seat, too close for comfort to a Very Delicate area.
Belisarius grinned apologetically, fiddling his fingers.
"Bel, if you *love* me: paws."
ooc: Yeah I agree.
ic:
Already the pandas were filing in, each taking some deer. The meat on the catches dissapearing as fast as the sunlight.
"Yeah, we will need that food after all," Mitch said, not without grabbing a couple hand fulls for himself, Rikki, and his mother, out of line.
"Now that, is one royal priviledge we can get away with," Nora said munching.
"You know what? I am not one to complain, ma'am. Plus, I am Italian: Ignoring queues is in our DNA." And she started eating--or rather, devouring her portion, finishing well before her hosts. After that, she went and helped herself to another fill.
Then Rikki was given a look or two from those in line.
"GUEST!" Mitch said, and they turned back, "But still, etiquette rule: Be given or invited to take first. Which I ASSUMED it was okay. Since, you know, she is INVITED already." The two where already stung, and now their ears were drooping.
"Sorry," they said in unison, bowing their heads, and moving on.
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View source for Lone Star Lambdas
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[[Category:Clubs]] '''Location:''' [[Austin]], [[TX]], [[USA]] '''Website:''' [http://www.lonestarlambdas.org/ http://www.lonestarlambdas.org/] '''Started:''' [[2005]] '''Admitted to IAGSDC:''' 30 Jun [[2006]] as Full Member '''Status''': Active '''History:''' The Lone Star Lambdas was founded by seven adventurous individuals in the summer of 2005. This enterprising group notified other experienced dancers of the club’s creation and extended invitations to join. The inaugural mainstream class to recruit additional members began September 2005 with ten students. Those individuals who completed the class graduated December 2005. The club’s bylaws were adopted by the initial membership in October of 2005, and the first officers were elected in December of 2005. The club meets weekly on Monday evenings and also holds alternating quarterly dances with the Alamo City Wranglers of San Antonio. The club’s membership continues to grow! '''Classes:''' The club has offered both mainstream and plus classes, traditionally limited to one class per year. '''Club Caller[s]:''' [[Mikael Jacobson]] '''Levels:''' MS, Plus '''Dance Location[s]:''' Gethsemane Lutheran Church, 200 West Anderson Lane, Austin, TX, 78752-1197 '''Fly-Ins Hosted:''' * [[Shoot the Lone Star]] '''Conventions Hosted:'''
Return to Lone Star Lambdas.
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PHP team makes another attempt to close critical CGI hole
The PHP development team has made another attempt to fix the critical vulnerability in the interaction with CGI. In CGI mode, PHP interprets certain URL parameters as command line parameters. This can, for example, cause affected servers to return the source code of a page if the ?-s character string is attached to the end of a URL (e.g. http://www.h-online.com/?-s). Code can also be executed this way.
The details of the vulnerability were made public when the developers accidentally marked the relevant entry in the bug tracking system as "public". The vulnerability is being actively exploited for attacks. Originally, the problem was supposed to be fixed in versions 5.3.12 and 5.4.2, which were released last week. However, it was soon found that the updates provided an incomplete solution and that further ways of exploiting the hole appeared to exist. Security experts also say that the rewrite rule that was initially published as a workaround could easily be bypassed.
With the release of versions 5.3.13 and 5.4.3, the developers have renewed their promise that the hole has now been fixed – and first tests by PHP expert Christopher Kunz indicate that they have delivered this time. A buffer overflow in the apache_request_headers function has also been fixed in the 5.4 branch. Details about this hole have also been available on the net since last week. Security expert Georg Wicherski says that the vulnerability involves a stack buffer overflow that can only be exploited on systems that run PHP in CGI mode. Reportedly, the vulnerability can be exploited in combination with components such as the lighttpd web server.
At the end of last week, Wicherski also released a simple PoC exploit. He says that he became aware of the problem from the entry in the bug tracking database. The developer explained that, while the hole was marked as "private" to make its details inaccessible to the public, the displayed vulnerability name was enough for him to track it down in the PHP source code within 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, Facebook has taken the opportunity to use the CGI flaw for its own purposes. Visitors to http://facebook.com/?-s will find PHP code which directs them to a recruitment page for a security engineer.
eBay closes critical security holes
Opera 11.11 closes a critical hole
Opera closes critical hole in web browser
Critical vulnerability in AWStats Totals
Critical security hole in Joomla fixed
Qt bug rips security hole in Konqueror
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Eric Chiu
Dawn Cappelli
Michelle Dennedy
Victim Tally in L.A. Breach Doubles
Stolen PCs Stored More Data Than Originally Estimated Marianne Kolbasuk McGee (HealthInfoSec) • April 4, 2014
The estimate for the number of victims affected by a recent breach involving a vendor that provides patient billing and collection services to the Los Angeles County departments of health services and public health has doubled to 338,700 individuals.
See Also: The Application Security Team's Framework For Upgrading Legacy Applications
When the incident involving the Feb. 5 theft of eight unencrypted desktop computers from a Torrance, Calif., office of Sutherland Healthcare Services was first disclosed on March 6, the total number of victims was said to be 168,500 (see: L.A. Breach Linked To Stolen Computers.)
In an updated statement posted on the websites of the LA County departments, Sutherland says, "After analyzing the information contained on the stolen computers, we identified a group of impacted individuals and on Feb. 25, 2014, we provided that information to Los Angeles County. Since then, we have continued our analysis to determine if other individuals were affected. On March 27, 2014, we provided Los Angeles County with updated information."
The computers contained personal information, including patient names, Social Security numbers, and billing information. In addition, the stolen computers may have included individuals' dates of birth, addresses, diagnoses and other medical information, the statement says.
Affected individuals are being offered one year of free credit monitoring service.
Continuing Investigation
LA County has used Sutherland as a vendor for about 20 years, and has been working with the firm in the aftermath of the breach to address Sutherland's data security, says David Sommers, a county spokesman. The jump in the number of breach victims was "a surprise" to the county, which was unaware that Sutherland was still conducting its forensics investigation into the breach, he says. "We understand the gravity of this."
When unencrypted devices are lost or stolen, it's common for breach victim estimates to change as the investigation continues, says security expert Darren Leroux of WinMagic, a vendor of encryption and other security solutions. "Understanding what was on the stolen device can be a complex process," he says.
"If regular back-ups weren't done, it can be very challenging to try and understand what exactly was at risk or exposed. As they work with the employee and know access rights, etc., they can piece together the type of information that was accessible and stored on the device and that is likely why the numbers grow," Leroux says. "The best way to be more accurate is to do regular system backups, whether it's weekly or daily. But that can be a challenge to implement and can affect system performance and requires a hefty back-end storage infrastructure."
If details of the breach are confirmed by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights, the incident will be the largest breach reported so far in 2014, according to OCR's "wall of shame" website listing breaches affecting 500 or more individuals since September 2009.
Sommers says three class-actions lawsuits have been filed against Sutherland and LA County in the aftermath of the breach. Those include a lawsuit filed in early March, which alleges violations of various California laws, was filed by attorneys for one unnamed plaintiff on behalf of those impacted by the breach (see Class Action Suit Filed In L.A. Breach).
Malware Hits Kaiser's Research Data
Privacy Advocate McGraw Gets New Role
Marianne Kolbasuk McGee
Executive Editor, HealthcareInfoSecurity
McGee is executive editor of Information Security Media Group's HealthcareInfoSecurity.com media site. She has about 30 years of IT journalism experience, with a focus on healthcare information technology issues for more than 15 years. Before joining ISMG in 2012, she was a reporter at InformationWeek magazine and news site, and played a lead role in the launch of InformationWeek's healthcare IT media site.
Equifax Settles Mega-Breach Lawsuit for $1.38 Billion
NSA Uncovers 'Severe' Microsoft Windows Vulnerability
Attorney General Presses Apple to Unlock Shooter's iPhones
Baby's First Data Breach: App Exposes Baby Photos, Videos
https://www.healthcareinfosecurity.com/victim-tally-in-la-breach-doubles-a-6716
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Robot debates humans about the dangers of artificial intelligence
in: Artificial Intelligence,Big Problems,IBM,Machine Learning,Science & Technology News
Project Debater argued both for and against the benefits of artificial intelligence
An artificial intelligence has debated the dangers of AI – narrowly convincing audience members that the technology will do more good than harm.
Project Debater, a robot developed by IBM, spoke on both sides of the argument, with two human teammates for each side helping it out. Talking in a female American voice to a crowd at the University of Cambridge Union on Thursday evening, the AI gave each side’s opening statements, using arguments drawn from more than 1100 human submissions made ahead of time.
On the proposition side, arguing that AI will bring more harm than good, Project Debater’s opening remarks were darkly ironic. “AI can cause a lot of harm,” it said. “AI will not be able to make a decision that is the morally correct one, because morality is unique to humans.”
“AI companies still have too little expertise on how to properly assess datasets and filter out bias,” it added. “AI will take human bias and will fixate it for generations.”
The AI used an application known as “speech by crowd” to generate its arguments, analysing submissions people had sent in online. Project Debater then sorted these into key themes, as well as identifying redundancy – submissions making the same point using different words.
Project Debater summarized arguments put forward by humans
The AI argued coherently but had a few slip-ups. Sometimes it repeated itself – while talking about the ability of AI to perform mundane and repetitive tasks, for example – and it didn’t provide detailed examples to support its claims.
While debating on the opposition side, which was advocating for the overall benefits of AI, Project Debater argued that AI would create new jobs in certain sectors and “bring a lot more efficiency to the workplace”.
But then it made a point that was counter to its argument: “AI capabilities caring for patients or robots teaching schoolchildren – there is no longer a demand for humans in those fields either.”
The pro-AI side narrowly won, gaining 51.22 per cent of the audience vote.
Project Debater argued with humans for the first time last year, and in February this year lost in a one-on-one against champion debater Harish Natarajan, who also spoke at Cambridge as the third speaker for the team arguing in favour of AI.
IBM has plans to use the speech-by-crowd AI as a tool for collecting feedback from large numbers of people. For instance, it could be used by governments seeking public opinions about policies or by companies wanting input from employees, said IBM engineer Noam Slonim.
“This technology can help to establish an interesting and effective communication channel between the decision maker and the people that are going to be impacted by the decision,” he said.
Via NewScientist.com
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iOS Hardware & Accessories
Tara's G-Spot
Legacy Reviews
MACH (M.A.C.H) PSP Review - www.impulsegamer.com -
Gameplay 8.6
Graphics 8.6
Sound 8.4
Distributor: Vivendi
Classification: PG
Review Date: June 2007
Reviewer: Tyrone Williams
M.A.C.H..
Modified Air Combat Heroes
M.A.C.H. (Modified Air Combat Heroes) is the latest and dare I say it... greatest PSP game to be released all year which transforms gamers into a fighter pilot in the year 2049.
As the casualties of war rise, governments around the globe turn to unmanned aircrafts for combat in order to reduce the casualties of war. With thousands of planes decommissioned and thousands of pilots no longer able to fly these man made metal eagles, entrepreneurs have started selling these jets on the black-markets to the highest bidders.
With these planes falling back into the hands of the underground, ex-pilots and wealthy enthusiasts now challenge each other for fortune and glory through races and dogfights across the globe.
The storyline of M.A.C.H. may sound clich�d but where the story may lack, the gameplay more than makes up for this addictive and entertaining title. In its basic essence, M.A.C.H. is an arcade flight simulator that allows the gamer to either race their jets on a dangerous circuit or challenge their opponents to dogfights in the high skies.
The title features two main modes of play which include Arcade (quick play) and Career that allows the gamer to start as a Rookie and fly their way through to Combat Hero. The career mode also awards the gamer for their standing in the race and dogfight and the cash which is awarded to you can then be used to upgrade your jets or purchase new aircrafts.
Through the career mode, you will need to compete in races where you must use your afterburner and wits to win the race. In order to assist you, there are various powerups littered through the gaming environment such as missiles and cloak to blow your opponents into next week.
Dogfights are completely different to races and you need to defeat as many enemies as you can through missiles and bullets. The afterburner gauge is located on the lower-left hand side of the screen and is activated via double-tapping the X button, giving you a short burst of speed.
The gameplay of M.A.C.H.. is perfect and it uses the PSP controls to its limits with the analog stick used to control your aircraft in the gaming environment, the X button used for afterburner (which is limited) and the shoulder buttons for attacking your enemies.
The artificial intelligence of your opponents range from easy to difficult, however as you progress, you slowly learn how to adjust to your opponents. There are also a variety of challenge modes and some great multiplayer fun over Adhoc wireless networks or via Game Sharing.
I must reiterate that the gameplay of M.A.C.H. is perfect and I haven't had this much fun on the PSP in a long time. The game is extremely reminiscent of an old PC game called Plane Crazy which is now emulated and improved on the PlayStation Portable.
Graphially, M.A.C.H. is a visual treat on the PSP that features colourful and detailed background environments that go hand-in-hand with the gameplay. Match that with some great looking aircraft models and a variety of special effects from Hollywood style explosions to Star Trek like cloaking effects, it's all been perfectly implemented into the title.
As with the graphics, the sounds effects are top class which feature realistic aircraft sounds with an impressive soundtrack. The small touches such as the sounds of the afterburner or the sounds of your machine gun really help push the gameplay to the next stage of entertainment.
In conclusion, M.A.C.H.. is definitely a fun experience on the PSP that is recommended to those that love those classic arcade flight simulators with a 21st century twist. The gameplay does become a little repetitive but it's still a wild ride from start to finish that will definitely have a multiple replay value.
Arcade - Arcade mode is designed to throw gamers into the action as quickly as possible and, although only one plane will be available initially, progressing through the Career mode to unlock other planes will gradually give access to the full Arcade experience.
Career - This mode consists of a collection of high-octane tournaments spread over various landscapes. As gamers progress through their career from a Rookie through Pro, Ace, Elite and finally to a combat Hero, they'll gradually win access to enemies' planes and earn cash, which will enable players to upgrade capabilities and keep up with the competition.
Challenge - Each tier consists of five challenges - MACH Mel�e, MACH Dash, Time Check, MACH LAP and Dog Tag - in different locations in the quest for ultimate glory.
Multiplayer - Players race or dogfight against up to eight opponents over an Ad Hoc wireless network or via Game Sharing with rival PSP system owners for the ultimate deathmatch experience! (Game sharing mode requires only one copy of M.A.C.H..)
Wi-Fi Compatible (Ad-Hoc)
Movies & IMAX
Information & Fun
Loren's Level
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Tour Pricing
JBN Storytellers Box
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Bianca Marais Author Interview
4:00 AM Bianca Marais Author Interview, If You Want to Make God Laugh, JBN, Jean Book Nerd 4 comments
Photo Content from Bianca Marais
Bianca Marais is the author of the beloved Hum If You Don't Know the Words and If You Want to Make God Laugh. She holds a certificate in creative writing from the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Studies, where she now teaches creative writing. Before turning to writing, she started a corporate training company and volunteered with Cotlands, where she assisted care workers in Soweto with providing aid for HIV/AIDS orphans.
She runs the Eunice Ngogodo Own Voices Initiative to empower young black women in Africa
to write and publish their own stories. Originally from South Africa, she now resides in Toronto with her husband.
Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
I had a reader who loved my first novel, ‘Hum If You Don’t Know the Words’ and who was then diagnosed with cancer. When it looked like she wasn’t going to be able to conquer it, she reached out and asked if there was any chance she could read ‘If You Want to Make God Laugh’ months ahead of publication. I got her an advance copy and it was the last book she read before she passed away. I was told it meant a lot to her and I can tell you, it meant the world to me.
Why is storytelling so important for all of us?
It helps us live so many lives that we could never live, have experiences we’d normally never have and it connects us to one another. It both takes us away from every day life and anchors us in it. For me, it’s an essential as food and water.
What were your inspirations for the character development?
I spent a lot of time in South African squatter camps in the 2000s and met so many women there. Zodwa was a composite of those resourceful and resilient young women. Ruth was very loosely based on an ex-stripper in South Africa who was famous in the 1970s, but the rest of her was taken from people I’ve personally known. And Delilah was inspired by all the women I know who have survived sexual assault.
Do you believe a book cover plays an important role in the selling process?
Absolutely! I know that I’m very drawn to book covers and will often judge a book based on the cover. LOL. This is why writers don’t get to choose their book covers because the experts in sales and marketing at the publisher know the demographic they’re targeting and what will appeal to them. I’ve been very lucky that I loved both of my book covers!
In your new book; IF YOU WANT TO MAKE GOD LAUGH, can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about it.
The book takes place against the backdrop of South Africa’s transition from apartheid to democracy, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as headed up by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and the onset of the AIDs pandemic.
Three women, Zodwa, Ruth and Delilah, are each at a personal crossroads. In a squatter camp on the outskirts of Johannesburg, seventeen-year-old Zodwa lives in desperate poverty, under the shadowy threat of a civil war and a growing AIDS epidemic. Eight months pregnant, Zodwa carefully guards secrets that jeopardize her life.
Across the country, wealthy socialite Ruth appears to have everything her heart desires, but it's what she can't have that leads to her breakdown. Meanwhile, in Zaire, a disgraced former nun, Delilah, grapples with a past that refuses to stay buried. When these personal crises send both middle-aged women back to their rural hometown to lick their wounds, the discovery of an abandoned newborn baby upends everything, challenging their lifelong beliefs about race, motherhood, and the power of the past.
Are there authors that you’re excited to engage/work with?
I unfortunately don’t get to work with other authors in terms of writing a book together but I love engaging with authors on social media and at events, etc. Writing is such a solitary endeavor that it’s always great to meet other people who spend their lives making stuff up!
What part of Zodwa, Ruth and Delilah did you enjoy writing the most?
With Zodwa, it was walking a mile in the shoes of someone who is so very different from myself: a young, black woman who is impoverished and hasn’t had many opportunities. I believe that as writers and readers, we gain so much more empathy by exploring worlds so different from our own. Seeing the world though Zodwa’s eyes was a deeply humbling experience.
With Ruth, I loved her irreverence. She’s a very flawed person but she lives out loud without any apologies for who she is. I wish I could be like that.
With Delilah, it was seeing her development as a character and seeing her come into her own that I most enjoyed. She’s such a damaged person and seeing her find her way back to herself and reclaim her life was extremely satisfying.
What book would you recommend for others to read?
If they’d like to learn more about this time in South Africa’s history, I’d recommend Jim Wooten’s ‘We Are all the Same’ which is a wonderful book about Nkosi Johnson, who was the face of South Africa’s struggle against the AIDs pandemic.
If you could introduce one of your characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why?
I’d personally love to meet Professor Minerva McGonagall from Harry Potter so that’s who I’d choose. I think she’d be able to talk sense into every single one of my characters though I think she’d have the most fun with Ruth.
If you could leave your readers with one legacy, what would you want it to be?
We really are all the same. No matter our race, background, culture, sexual orientation or religion, we can always find commonality in our shared humanity. If we can set aside our prejudice or preconceived ideas about one another, and try to understand rather than change one another, the world would be a much better place for it.
What event in your life would make a good movie?
Probably my time spend in Soweto volunteering there. Not because of me or my life but because I came into contact with amazing, strong, resilient and astounding women over that time. Their stories would make a good movie.
What’s the most ridiculous fact you know?
Tarantulas keep tiny pet frogs. I’m not lying. Look it up!
If you had to go back in time and change one thing, if you HAD to, even if you had “no regrets” what would it be?
I’m the person who has thousands of regrets. Things I said, things I shouldn’t have said, things I should have done, things I wish I hadn’t done. It’s probably just as well that I can’t go back because, with everything I’d change, I’d probably change the entire course of my own life and everyone else’s that I know.
What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?
Visit South Africa. It’s a beautiful country filled with wonderful people. It will change you.
TENS RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME
1. I was once bitten by a giraffe.
2. I adopted a serial killer’s cat.
3. Coffee goes with peanut butter but tea goes with jam
4. I’m such a huge Harry Potter fan that I’ve named four pets in honor of it: Muggle, Dobby, Wombat and Mrs. Norris.
5. I’d rather do just about anything than go clothes shopping (book shopping is entirely different!)
6. I once almost accidentally ran over Archbishop Desmond Tutu with my car. Probably the scariest moment of my life.
7. I run the Eunice Ngogodo Own Voices Initiative in South Africa to empower black women to tell their own stories. The initiative is named after my childhood caregiver.
8. I’ve jumped out of planes, off of cliffs and white water rafted twice on the Zambezi
9. I suffer from claustrophobia
10. I belonged to a quiz team called ‘You Can’t Make Sh*t Up, Stephen’. My husband is the Stephen in question.
From the author of the beloved Hum if You Don't Know the Wordscomes a rich, unforgettable story of three unique women in post-Apartheid South Africa who are brought together in their darkest time, and discover the ways that love can transcend the strictest of boundaries.
In a squatter camp on the outskirts of Johannesburg, seventeen-year-old Zodwa lives in desperate poverty, under the shadowy threat of a civil war and a growing AIDS epidemic. Eight months pregnant, Zodwa carefully guards secrets that jeopardize her life.
As the mystery surrounding the infant grows, the complicated lives of Zodwa, Ruth, and Delilah become inextricably linked. What follows is a mesmerizing look at family and identity that asks: How far will the human heart go to protect itself and the ones it loves?
Praise for BIANCA MARAIS
“Set against the backdrop of the Mandela presidency, the Afrikaner Resistance Movement, and the burgeoning AIDS epidemic, the story offers a look into the staggering emotional cost of secrecy, broken family bonds, racism, and sexual violence. Marais once again showcases her talent for pulling beauty from the pain of South African history with a strong story and wonderfully imperfect characters.” —Publishers Weekly
"A moving portrait of the choices women can make--and the ones we can't. Beautifully crafted and powerfully drawn, this book had me in tears." —Jill Santopolo, bestselling author of The Light We Lost and More Than Words
"A story of three remarkable women at crossroads in their own lives against the backdrop of South Africa at the moment of stunning transformation that will keep you reading late into the night. Marais deftly completes a writer's hat trick, leaving you gutted, smiling through tears and soaring with hope." —Steven Rowley, bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus and The Editor
“You will absolutely love this book. You will. Why? Because Bianca Marais’s heart is immense and full of love. With unsparing insight into the human condition, she unspools a tale that is at once heartbreaking as it is merciful, validating our frailty while eulogizing our endless capacity for generosity and love. We all need the deep refuge of Bianca Marais’s exceptional voice.” —Robin Oliveira, author of My Name is Mary Sutter and I Always Loved You
“Radiant…A stirring ode to a country’s painful maturation.” —O, The Oprah Magazine on HUM IF YOU DON’T KNOW THE WORDS
“Richly drawn…[The characters’] journeys and eventual love poignantly demonstrate that nothing is simply black or white.” —USA Today on HUM IF YOU DON’T KNOW THE WORDS
“With its vivid, emotional scene-setting, alternating narration and tense plotting, this novel is a thoughtful, compelling page-turner.” —Good Housekeeping on HUM IF YOU DON’T KNOW THE WORDS
You can purchase If You Want to Make God Laugh at the following Retailers:
And now, The Giveaways.
Thank you BIANCA MARAIS for making this giveaway possible.
1 Winner will receive a Copy of If You Want to Make God Laugh by Bianca Marais.
jbnpastinterviews
"If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be?" Paris, in my own hotel particulier!
Linda Kish July 16, 2019 at 10:37 AM
I'd live in a small town on the east coast somewhere. I don't need to live in another country and I've always wanted to live in one of those small towns. But, no hurricanes or tornadoes please.
Danielle H. July 16, 2019 at 10:40 AM
I would live in Ireland for a year.
Nancy Payette July 16, 2019 at 4:09 PM
Tropical island with all the perks.
The JeanBookNerd Storytellers BOX is here!
Jean Vallesteros
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We now have substantial experience representing exact same intercourse couples with both prenuptial agreements, divorce proceedings actions, termination of a civil unions and/or domestic partnership.
We’re luckily enough to call home in a country that now takes marriage that is same-sex every state. Nevertheless, for many years same-sex couples had been restricted to getting a civil union or perhaps a domestic partnership. Despite the fact that same-sex wedding happens to be appropriate, it doesn’t imply that all civil unions and domestic partnerships are immediately changed into a wedding. Certainly, there are lots of variations in the liberties of the who’re divorcing buy a bride online a married relationship rather than the ones that are dissolving a civil union or domestic partnership. Us Law Department at Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer knows the distinctions in addition to implications they may have for you personally.
Another problem very often arises into the context of same-sex relationships is parentage – that is, the recognition of every partner towards the relationship because the moms and dad of a young youngster that has been created through the relationship. Under nj-new jersey’s current law, husbands are assumed to function as the biological dad of kids created for their spouses during wedding. Exactly the same will not hold real for same-sex lovers who aren’t a biological moms and dad of a kid created within a same-sex relationship because the statutory framework is gender specific. That said, there are lots of avenues of relief that a non-biological parent may pursue to say their straight to begin a parent-child relationship that is legal. This might come with a “second parent adoption” or other proceeding. These methods may be confusing and frequently tough to navigate, but we’ve the experiences and resources to protect that is best your passions.
Nj-new Jersey Civil Unions
In a 2013 landmark choice, our united states of america Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”) usa v. Windsor, 570 U.S., 133 S. Ct. 2675, 186 L. Ed. 2d 808 (2013). DOMA, Federal Law enacted in 1996, clearly defined wedding as a union between a guy and a lady. DOMA had been greatly scrutinized in the past few years for prohibiting same sex partners from enjoying many Federal Advantages. Subsequent to United States v. Windsor, the IRS in Rev. Rul. 2013-17 clarified that that the terms “husband and spouse,” “husband,” and “wife” must be interpreted to incorporate same-sex partners.
Domestic Partnership Act
On July 10 th , 2004, nj-new jersey passed its Domestic Partnership Act. On 19 th , 2007, New Jersey enacted its Civil Union Law february. On June 26 th , 2013, the usa Supreme Court issued a determination, usa v. Windsor, keeping that the government that is federal perhaps perhaps perhaps not reject advantageous assets to same-sex partners lawfully hitched in circumstances that recognized same-sex marriages. This would not impact the best of states to determine separately to supply marriage that is same-sex plus it had not yet become appropriate in nj-new jersey.
Nevertheless, same-sex wedding became appropriate in nj-new jersey ahead of the straight to same-sex wedding was recognized for a level that is national. When it comes to Garden State Equality v. Dow, a gay-rights advocacy group and lots of same-sex partners brought an action against nj-new jersey state officials for unconstitutionally depriving them the proper to marry. They won this argument before an innovative new Jersey test court, as well as the Court ordered state officials in nj-new jersey to start issuing marriage that is same-sex. The State straight away desired to postpone the effective date regarding the trial Court’s choice, but that demand ended up being rejected. The New Jersey Supreme Court declared that state officials would be permitted to process same-sex marriages in New Jersey on October 18 th , 2013, in its unanimous opinion denying the state’s request to postpone the effective date of the trial Court’s ruling. That exact same time, Governor Chris Christie withdrew the state’s intends to allure, which sealed the ability to same-sex wedding in nj-new jersey. Their state started issuing same-sex marriage licenses the next Monday, October 21 st , 2013.
On June 26 th , 2015, same-sex wedding became legal atlanta divorce attorneys state once the united states of america Supreme Court decided Obergefell v. Hodges. In Obergefell, the Court held that the proper to marry is just a fundamental right fully guaranteed to every American beneath the due procedure and equal security clauses associated with Fourteenth Amendment. Some same-sex couples have chosen to remain in civil unions although same-sex marriage is now available in every state. People who look for to dissolve their civil union needs to be alert to the distinctions in their liberties versus those people who are trying to divorce a married relationship.
Nj-new Jersey Parentage Act
The appropriate recognition of same-sex families is an issue that is evolving. Beneath the nj-new jersey Parentage Act, husbands are presumed to end up being the biological daddy of kids created for their spouses during wedding. Given that same-sex wedding is appropriate in nj, numerous have actually argued that this assumed parenthood should expand to same-sex lovers over kiddies of who their same-sex partner may be the parent that is biological. Nevertheless, the statutory legislation continues to be in flux, whilst the statute seems on its face to be gender specific.
Dissolving a Civil Union
There are many impediments to dissolving a civil union that try not to occur for divorcing spouses in a wedding. First, in cases where a couple that joined as an union that is civil to a different state where civil unions aren’t recognized, they are unable to reduce their union for the reason that state. This poses an inconvenience that is particular lovers who would like to marry or get into a union with a brand new partner, considering that the presence of a civil union can be an impediment to stepping into a fresh civil union or wedding.
As well as the geographic impracticalities of dissolving a civil union, under present law, lovers in a civil union are deprived of significant federal benefits wanted to married partners as the authorities doesn’t recognize civil unions. These benefits denied to civil union lovers consist of:
Family and leave that is medical
Immigration things
Military and affairs that are veteran’s
Filing a joint federal taxation return
Participation in a Survivor Benefit Arrange
Unlike divorced partners, previous lovers of a dissolved union that is civil maybe maybe perhaps not entitled to receive their previous partner’s Social protection advantages. In addition, while a divorced partner who’s bought to cover alimony may subtract their alimony repayments from his / her federal tax return, a previous partner up to a now-dissolved civil union cannot declare that same deduction. Unless the civil union is dissolved additionally the partners later come into a wedding, dissolving lovers to a civil union will still be deprived among these advantages.
Marriage Equality and Presumed Parenthood
A appropriate moms and dad is someone who is legitimately thought to be such and it has the appropriate authority to be involved in the most important choices impacting a child’s welfare that is overall. a appropriate moms and dad could be a biological parent, whereby parenthood ended up being founded by conception, or an adoptive moms and dad, whereby parenthood had been founded with a appropriate authorization of a Court. A man is presumed to be the biological father of a child born to the woman he is married to under New Jersey’s Parentage Act. A same-sex partner was entitled to the statutory presumption of parenthood afforded to husbands under the language of the New Jersey Parentage Act in at least one New Jersey trial Court case, In re Parentage of Child of Robinson. Nonetheless, until it really is specified because of the legislature that this new Jersey Parentage Act is sex basic, the parent that is non-biological a same-sex wedding should petition the Courts for a moment Parent Adoption. This use procedure is generally pretty brief because at the very least one parent that is biologicalthe same-sex partner that is additionally the biological moms and dad regarding the kid born during marriage) is generally consenting to your adoption.
Second Parent Use
A adoption that is second-parent another term employed for “stepparent use.” It will be the act that is legal enables a non-biological moms and dad to consider his / her partner’s biological son or daughter without terminating the biological parent’s appropriate status being a moms and dad. Numerous same-sex partners make use of this procedure because, as being a matter of biology, they can’t both end up being the biological moms and dad of the youngster.
A stepparent adoption is established by filing a grievance. Following the problem is filed, as well as the Court discovers it will order an investigation and agency report that it has jurisdiction over the matter. The research and report are geared towards assessing perhaps the stepparent has the ability to meet up with the child’s physical and psychological needs, and whether it’s general when you look at the child’s needs when it comes to use become prepared. The Court may also schedule an initial hearing 2-3 months through the date associated with complaint, and can purchase that a search associated with the stepparent’s criminal and domestic physical physical physical violence history take destination within 1 month associated with the hearing that is preliminary.
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Who We Are --Accomplishments
Glenn S. Bacal
Sean D. Garrison
IPDepartment.com Blog
A Proven Team of IP Lawyers and Paralegals
Our observations about legal history and developments in the law
It is The IDES OF MARCH. When I studied "Modern History" at Oxford for two years, the subject matter started with Roman Britain. In Roman times, the Ides of March, which corresponds to March 15, was a time when several different religious observances occurred, and historically was also the date when Julius Caesar met his untimely end. In trademark parlance, there is but a single registration on the Federal Register for THE IDES OF MARCH, Registration 2088918, for a series of audio recordings and for entertainment services. It has been registered for nearly two decades. There are 48 registered marks with IDES as an element and only one for IDES alone. Is it owned by anyone Italian, perhaps a descendant of the Romans? No, IDES in a stylized format is registered by a Japanese company as Registration 4638935 for baby carriages and toys, among other things. Submitted by Glenn Bacal on March 15, 2016.
Each of the Attorneys from Bacal & Garrison will contribute blog posts from time to time
Key Contact Information:
Firm General Phone : 480-245-6230
Firm Fax: 480-245-6231
Glenn S. Bacal glenn.bacal@bacalgroup.com;
direct line is 480-245-6233
Sean D. Garrison sean.garrison@bacalgroup.com;
Website at http://ipdepartment.com
Let us be your IP Department on demand.™
Copyright © 2019 Bacal & Garrison Law Group
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Published: 0420 GMT October 08, 2018
Iran, Russia discuss broadening of energy cooperation
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in a telephone conversation on Monday discussed mutual cooperation, especially in the field of energy.
"The two top diplomats discussed bilateral cooperation, focusing on the energy sector," a statement from Russian Foreign Ministry said, reported Fars News Agency.
It noted that the two ministers also exchanged views on a number of important regional and international issues.
Zarif and Lavrov met on the sidelines of various international events on a regular basis to discuss mutual cooperation and ways to resolve the Syrian crisis.
The latest meeting between the Iranian and Russian foreign ministers took place in Singapore on the sidelines of the conference of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
In remarks last month, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov underlined that Moscow, Tehran and Beijing will increase their efforts to confront the reimposition of sanctions by the US in the coming days.
"Russia, Iran and China are doing their best to counter the unilateral US sanctions and also Washington's efforts to undermine the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)," Ryabkov said.
The Russian deputy foreign minister also strongly criticized European companies for refusing to cooperate with Iran in the wake of the mounting pressure by the US.
"Most European firms have ignored a blocking statute re-enacted by the EU to protect them against punitive American measures for trading with Iran," Ryabkov added.
He reiterated that their withdrawal has undermined Europe's wish to portray the nuclear deal with Iran as a flagship achievement of their foreign policy and a symbol of their growing strength.
Iran plans energy exchange with Russia
Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran set to launch energy corridor
Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan discuss energy corridor
Rosgeo inks agreement with Iran on hydrocarbons exploration
Tehran, Moscow ink roadmap for energy sector cooperation
Russian companies ready to invest in Iran's hydrocarbons production
Russian minister, delegation due in Tehran today
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CE Marking Consultants in Uttarakhand
ISO CE Marking is one of the few CE Marking certification consultancy organizations in Uttarakhand India having domain expertise for almost all the industry sectors. The CE marking requirements covers different aspects of a products design in Uttarakhand India, production and distribution. Typically, various companies are involved in the design in Uttarakhand India, manufacturing, distribution and placing on the market of products. The contributions of each single of these links in the production chain and distribution chain may affect the CE compliance of a product. For example, a product may be designed in accordance with the requirements in Uttarakhand India, but may in the end not comply because during the production stage there was a deviation from the design. Or an electronic component may have been tested and approved for the requirements for electromagnetic interference, but can start to emit illegitimate disturbance when installed incorrectly. This raises the question of who is responsible for the CE marking Certificate for all the industry sectors in Uttarakhand India.
The European CE marking directives, intend to make one person the main responsible and accountable for CE compliance Certificate. The way to identify that responsible person is rather unique for these directives. One would expect that the directives state that the manufacturer is responsible for CE marking Certification in Uttarakhand India . But instead they define two moments in time when the responsibility for CE Mark starts.
According to the text of the CE Marking directives in Uttarakhand India, a product must comply with the CE Certificate requirements in Uttarakhand India and have a CE marking Certification from the moment it is:
� placed on the Community market for the first time;
� put into service in the Community market for the first time.
Placing on the market is the initial action of making a product available for the first time, either for payment or free of charge. Putting into service takes place at the moment of first use within the EEA by the end user in Uttarakhand India.
You may ask why the European legislator chose this construction to establish responsibility. The answer is for reasons of clarity and flexibility to be able to deal with all different cases that one may find in Uttarakhand India. For example, if the directives would make the manufacturer responsible in Uttarakhand India, the question arises what to do if the manufacturer is located outside Europe and therefore is not subject to European legislation. And what to do with products that sold under the brand name of one company, but manufactured by another? And if the directive would make the importer responsible, one could ask which importer: the importer in the United Kingdom, the importer in Germany, the importer in France etc.? In other words, although references like manufacturer or importer seem to be clear and feasible to be used to establish legal responsibility in Uttarakhand India, in practice these terms turn out to be rather ambiguous.
With help from the definitions of placing on the market and putting into service in each practical case always one responsible person can be identified:
* the manufacturer, when located in the EEA;
* the company that manufactures equipment for its own use (putting into
service);
* the importer of products from outside the EEA;
* the importer of second hand equipment to be placed in the European
market fro the first time;
* a private labeler (who presents himself as being the producer);
* the person that revises or modifies a product in such a way that it is
considered to be a new product (and that product needs CE).
Therefore the conclusion is that there may be one person bearing the final responsibility for the CE compliance in Uttarakhand India. However, this person cannot ensure CE compliance without the help of all the parties involved in the design in Uttarakhand India, production and distribution chain. And so we see in practice that CE marking requirements are increasingly becoming part of agreements and contracts between these parties.
CE Marking Consultants near Uttarakhand
CE Marking Consultants in Almora CE Marking Consultants in Bageshwar
CE Marking Consultants in Champawat CE Marking Consultants in Dehradun
CE Marking Consultants in Gopeshwar CE Marking Consultants in Haldwani
CE Marking Consultants in Haridwar CE Marking Consultants in Nainital
CE Marking Consultants in New Tehri CE Marking Consultants in Pauri
CE Marking Consultants in Pithoragarh CE Marking Consultants in Roorkee
CE Marking Consultants in Rudraprayag CE Marking Consultants in Rudrapur
CE Marking Consultants in Uttarakhand CE Marking Consultants in Uttarkashi
CE Marking Consultants by State
Services in Uttarakhand
CE Marking in Uttarakhand
GMP Certification in Uttarakhand
HACCP Certification in Uttarakhand
ISI Mark in Uttarakhand
ISO 13485:2013 in Uttarakhand
ISO 20000-1:2011 in Uttarakhand
ISO 50001 in Uttarakhand
ISO 9001:2015 in Uttarakhand
ISO-TS 16949:2009 in Uttarakhand
NABH in Uttarakhand
NABL in Uttarakhand
ROHS in Uttarakhand
SA 8000 in Uttarakhand
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Bilingual scientific journal
dans les articles de la revue (texte intégral)
sur l'ensemble du site
Where to find articles
Bibliographic databases
Population chronicles
Thematic and regional chronicles
The demographic situation in France
Young author’s prize
Awards and Juries
Home Volume 69, numéro 3 Fertility and Schooling in Ouagadougou : The Role of Family Networks
The article "'Abortion Around the World An Overview of Legislation, Measures, Trends, and Consequences" is freely accessible
The winner of the 2019 Young Author’s Prize is Kim Xu for the article "Changing patterns and determinants of first marriage over the history of the People’s Republic of China"
Population report 2016
Population participates in the conference PAA, Washington, April 22-25, 2020
Subscribe to Population
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Vol. 69, 2014/3, p. 391-418
Fertility and Schooling in Ouagadougou : The Role of Family Networks
Moussa Bougma By the same author
Laure Pasquier-Doumer By the same author
Thomas K. Legrand By the same author
Jean- François Kobiané By the same author
The importance of family solidarity networks is routinely cited in the literature to explain why the relationship between number of children and schooling in sub-Saharan Africa does not follow the predicted theoretical pattern. The dilemma between « quantity » and « quality » of children may be less acute for parents if they can foster out their children to the extended family, or receive monetary support from them to pay for schooling costs. However, there has been little empirical exploration of this hypothesis due to a lack of suitable data. Drawing on an original dataset (Ouagadougou Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems, Demtrend 2012 retrospective survey), this study uses logistic regression models to study the combined effect of family networks and number of siblings on schooling of children in suburban districts of Ouagadougou. The findings show that large families more frequently receive support from family networks for schooling than smaller ones. Moreover, family networks are able to offset the negative effect of large family size on school enrolment, but only for a part of the population, the poorest being excluded.
Read the article on Cairn.info
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An opportunity for innovative leaders in education
DOWNLOAD THE TEACHER BROCHURE
JEP Classroom Kit
The JEP Classroom Kit is provided to every class participating in the programme. This kit includes a step-by-step Teacher’s Guide to the programme and contains all the tools that participating teachers will need to successfully facilitate the JEP in their classroom. The guide combines instructions for fun team building and brainstorming games along with activity sheets and posters for each lesson. The JEP Classroom Kit has been designed to foster the imagination of participating pupils and provide real focus to their new endeavour.
THE JEP CLASSROOM KIT IS AVAILABLE IN A NUMBER LOCALISED EDITIONS;
Republic of Ireland – English Language
Republic of Ireland – Irish Language
Kits are provided to participating classes following sign-up.
Why Primary School?
Primary School provides a great opportunity for change creation. The combination of having one teacher with a constant and familiar relationship with pupils, close parental and community contact with the schools, combined with the open minds of 11 and 12 year olds make it the ideal time to introduce new concepts. The competitive elements of education which are so evident at second level have not yet kicked in and pupils view each other as equals.
Radical Societal Change
There is a superb opportunity for nationwide adoption of an initiative that will change lives forever. There are 4,200 primary schools on the island of Ireland with over 170,000 pupils in senior classes. There has never been a nationwide entrepreneurship programme with a real connection to entrepreneurs. But this is something we can impact today.
What does JEP cost? Who pays?
The Junior Entrepreneur Programme is available free of charge to every primary school in every county on the island of Ireland. JEP is a not-for-profit initiative, it is underwritten by Tweak.com and is further supported by local delivery partners in several counties. Our key objective is to ensure that every primary school pupil in Ireland has the opportunity to access to entrepreneurial learning.
An Academically Approved Approach
JEP has been developed in collaboration with Mary Immaculate College of Education in Limerick. The programme materials have also been reviewed and welcomed by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA). Every step of the programme mirrors strands of the primary curriculum and the links are clearly set out in the Teacher’s Guide. This means the pupils are learning new life skills while covering their core subjects in a fun and engaging way.
Mary Immaculate College has also developed a summer course, closely linked to JEP, called ‘Learning’s the Business: Entrepreneurship in Senior Primary Classes.’ This 20-hour summer course, entitles primary teachers who successfully complete it to 3 EPV days.
Registration for the 2019/2020 programme is now open. You can register your class to take part in the programme by clicking here.
The Support You’ll have
Schools that sign up for the Junior Entrepreneur Programme will have the opportunity to take part in something truly innovative and exciting and will be supported throughout. In addition to a comprehensive classroom kit, teachers will be supported every step of the way by; online teacher orientation; weekly webinars and online and telephone support from the JEP team. Once signed up, participating teachers will have access to online orientation before they start the programme. This will include a walk-through the administrative requirements as well as a step-by-step guide to running the programme.
JEP Teacher Orientation
Once registered online, participating teachers can access the My JEP Teachers Area. We continuously update our orientation on the basis of feedback from participating teachers and also curriculum updates. The links between JEP and the primary school curriculum are clearly highlighted and sample JEP projects are available. The orientation programme is designed with interactive learning assessment which will give the participating teacher the confidence to successfully carry out the programme in their class.
What are the learning benefits?
The principles of the Primary School Curriculum and utilises an integrated teaching and project-based approach to teach many strands of the curriculum. JEP is a very meaningful way of teaching aspects of literacy including oral language development, reading and comprehension as well as writing purposefully.
This innovative programme helps participating pupils to develop a number of skills including presentation, literacy, writing, drawing, technology, financial skills, consumer awareness, storytelling, listening skills, creative thinking, problem-solving, collaborative skills and team work. Participating pupils engage in real-life applications of their mathematical skills as they undertake data collection, problem solving, and presentation of data and profit and loss. The JEP programme is most closely aligned with English, Mathematics and Social, Personal & Health Education (SPHE/PSHE) Curriculum in Ireland and the Personal Development & Mutual Understanding (PD&MU) in Northern Ireland, encouraging children to make decisions, negotiate, resolve conflict and connect with the wider world. Depending on the focus of the project, there may also be a strong focus on Arts Education, History, Geography or Science. There is also potential to link with Physical Education through the team building games. JEP instills a new interest and focus on learning and teaches invaluable skills in a real-life context that motivates and inspires the pupils.
Teacher and Pupil Recognition
Teachers who complete the JEP online orientation and deliver JEP in the classroom are awarded a certificate in recognition of their achievement. Pupils who complete the programme receive a certificate of achievement. Participating schools receive the JEP school flag and JEP wall plaque to mark their participation in the programme.
Registration and Sign Up
To sign up for JEP, simply click the button below and fill in you details.
Entrepreneurs –
at the heart of the Irish economy
Entrepreneurs are at the economic heart of Irish society. They conceive creative products and services used by customers at home and all over the world. They create employment, wealth, and are big contributors to the national exchequer.
They’re not always running multi-national companies. Some are people who’ve chosen to work for themselves and have a lifestyle which is independent of an employer. A self-employed person makes a significant contribution to the economy – and to society.
Entrepreneurs have become applauded in Irish society as their passion, inspiration and hard work are celebrated in programmes like the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and RTÉ’s Dragons’ Den.
There is no clear formula to becoming an entrepreneur – except perhaps inspiration, hard work and competence – and sometimes getting thrown in the deep end, but there are learned skills that help make the process a bit less risky.
Most entrepreneurs enjoy a challenge. These are the people who say “why not?” and often end up changing the way we all do things in our everyday lives.
It’s natural that we would want to nurture this spirit in our young people. And what better place to start than in primary school – long before exam pressures have begun.
Bernie Muldoon
St Marys Special School
Gemma Doyle
Cullina National School
Niall Horgan
Sheila Jennings
Gwenda Richardson
Ann Marie Knightly
Mary Grogan
Kilnaleck National School
Jenny McKeown
Deirdre Hackett
Ellen Honner
Eileen Lovett
Fybough National School
Edward Looney
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GNTCE
The Temple Guards 26 1These are the assignments of work for the Levites who served as Temple guards. From the clan of Korah there was Meshelemiah son of Kore, of the family of Asaph. 2He had seven sons, listed in order of age: Zechariah, Jediael, Zebadiah, Jathniel, 3Elam, Jehohanan, and Eliehoenai. 4 There was also Obed Edom, whom God blessed by giving him eight sons, listed in order of age: Shemaiah, Jehozabad, Joah, Sachar, Nethanel, 5Ammiel, Issachar, and Peullethai. 676-7Obed Edom's oldest son, Shemaiah, had six sons: Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad, Elihu, and Semachiah. They were important men in their clan because of their great ability; the last two were especially talented. 8Obed Edom's family furnished a total of sixty-two highly qualified men for this work. 9Meshelemiah's family furnished eighteen qualified men. 10From the clan of Merari there was Hosah, who had four sons: Shimri (his father made him the leader, even though he was not the oldest son), 11Hilkiah, Tebaliah, and Zechariah. In all there were thirteen members of Hosah's family who were Temple guards. 12The Temple guards were divided into groups, according to families, and they were assigned duties in the Temple, just as the other Levites were. 13Each family, regardless of size, drew lots to see which gate it would be responsible for. 14Shelemiah drew the east gate, and his son Zechariah, a man who always gave good advice, drew the north gate. 15Obed Edom was allotted the south gate, and his sons were allotted to guard the storerooms. 16Shuppim and Hosah were allotted the west gate and the Shallecheth Gate on the upper road. Guard duty was divided into assigned periods, one after another. 17On the east, six guards were on duty each day, on the north, four, and on the south, four. Four guards were stationed at the storerooms daily, two at each storeroom. 18Near the western pavilion there were four guards by the road and two at the pavilion itself. 19This is the assignment of guard duty to the clan of Korah and the clan of Merari. Other Temple Duties 20Others of their fellow Levites[Y]One ancient translation fellow Levites; Hebrew Levites, Ahijah. were in charge of the Temple treasury and the storerooms for gifts dedicated to God. 21Ladan, one of the sons of Gershon, was the ancestor of several family groups, including the family of his son Jehiel. 22Ladan's two other sons, Zetham and Joel, had charge of the Temple treasury and storerooms. 23Duties were also assigned to the descendants of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 24Shebuel, of the clan of Moses' son Gershom, was the chief official responsible for the Temple treasury. 25Through Gershom's brother Eliezer he was related to Shelomith. Eliezer was the father of Rehabiah, who was the father of Jeshaiah, the father of Joram, the father of Zichri, the father of Shelomith. 26Shelomith and the members of his family were in charge of all the gifts dedicated to God by King David, the heads of families, leaders of clan groups, and army officers. 27They took some of the loot they captured in battle and dedicated it for use in the Temple. 28Shelomith and his family were in charge of everything that had been dedicated for use in the Temple, including the gifts brought by the prophet Samuel, by King Saul, by Abner son of Ner, and by Joab son of Zeruiah. Duties of Other Levites 29Among the descendants of Izhar, Chenaniah and his sons were assigned administrative duties: keeping records and settling disputes for the people of Israel. 30Among the descendants of Hebron, Hashabiah and seventeen hundred of his relatives, all outstanding men, were put in charge of the administration of all religious and civil matters in Israel west of the Jordan River. 31Jeriah was the leader of the descendants of Hebron. In the fortieth year that David was king, an investigation was made of the family line of Hebron's descendants, and outstanding soldiers belonging to this family were found living at Jazer in the territory of Gilead. 32King David chose twenty-seven hundred outstanding heads of families from Jeriah's relatives and put them in charge of administering all religious and civil matters in Israel east of the Jordan River—the territories of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh.
Good News Translation Catholic Edition / ©1992 American Bible Society About
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Mailbag: 6 Questions About Audio Publishing
After reading my article How I Started My Audiobook Publishing Company, a couple of people recently wrote to me with questions about the process. With their permission, I am answering their questions here so more people can benefit from and join in the discussion.
Before you read further, I should state that I’m not a lawyer. I offer advice based on my experience in the audiobook industry, but anyone considering starting a publishing company may need to consult with an attorney.
Telisha’s Questions:
1. Does ACX accept copyright audiobooks without the author’s consent in the example of an economy book that has been in publication for 20 years and has a new edition every year which comes out and has never had an audio version. I would love to do it. From reading your article, I would hate to have this idea usurped as the authors did in your experience.
In order to publish an audiobook, the text must either be in the public domain, or you must have the audio rights to publish it. Authors own the audio rights to their work unless and until they assign the rights to another party. Many publishers include audio rights as part of a publishing contract for the work.
This chart shows you copyright term and the public domain in the US. The terms vary for other countries; for example, this page has info about copyright in the UK.
If the work is in the public domain, anyone can use it for whatever purpose they like. As an example, I discovered 2 related books were in the public domain, and neither had ever been recorded. I edited both books together so they followed a consistent timeline. The result was an original, derivative work for which I now hold the copyright: Bly vs Bisland: Beating Phileas Fogg in a Race Around The World. I created the Kindle book and produced and co-narrated the audiobook.
Bly vs Bisland is one of my all-time favorite projects!
If the copyright is still valid on the book, you must do research to determine who holds the audio rights. It could be the author, the author’s literary agent, or a traditional publisher.
When using ACX.com to distribute the audiobook, you must first be able to claim an edition on Amazon. It doesn’t matter whether the edition is Kindle, paperback, or hardback. My article linked above gives the steps and additional info about claiming the Amazon edition when you are using a text in the public domain. The ACX process is much simpler for claiming titles still in copyright and would start with step 6 and skip step 7 in my article.
Not knowing or being able to find the rights holder does not give one permission to record and publish the audiobook! Copyright infringement can be a serious and costly mistake.
Which leads us to the next question…
2. How do you find out who holds the Rights on a book currently in print? Can you negotiate to buy the audio rights? Is there a better way to buy the audio rights to a book currently in print?
The research on rights can start with how the book came to your attention. If you know the author, you can ask her whether she still has the audio rights to a book.
If the work is traditionally published, you can contact the Subsidiary Rights department of the publisher. You may need to become a detective following the links in this article and/or hire a researcher.
Once you find the rights holder, you can negotiate with that party to license the audio rights.
In August 2016, I hosted a webinar with Jessica Kaye, a Grammy-winning audiobook producer/director of over 500 titles, founder of long-time audiobook distributor Big Happy Family Audio, and intellectual property attorney at Kaye & Mills. Before the webinar, I compiled a list of links to aid in researching the rights holder and distributing the finished audiobook. In the 1.5 hours of the webinar, I asked Jessica how to structure the deal and specific questions about the budget for licensing. You can buy a copy of the recording and receive my exclusive list of links for $49 on my Shop page.
3. What production and payment options did you choose and why? I read up on the ACX website, but wanted to get your perspective as a seasoned business owner and narrator.
ACX forces one to select non-exclusive distribution when publishing an audiobook from a public domain text. The royalty rate is currently 25% of earnings, paid each month.
With Bly vs Bisland, I could have chosen exclusive distribution since it is an original work. Exclusive distribution gives you a 40% royalty rate, but you’re only allowed to sell the book on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes throughout the contract period. I chose non-exclusive distribution for it as well since I’d also like it to be available in libraries and places like the NY Historical Society Museum.
I’m currently producing and narrating a text for which I negotiated and licensed the audio rights. I haven’t decided if I want to distribute through ACX or another venue. If I do go through ACX, I’m leaning toward exclusive distribution for the first year to maximize the royalties paid. Like print editions, the interest in an audiobook is highest during its first year.
After the first year, section 12(A) of the ACX Book Posting Agreement states that you can write to Audible to request a change to non-exclusive distribution for titles produced under the pay-for-production model. The distribution cannot be changed for books created under a royalty share (RS) contract. As both the audio rights holder and narrator, I wouldn’t enter into an RS agreement with myself. 🙂
4. What was your starting out per-finished hour rate?
I’m assuming this question refers to my rate as an audiobook narrator. I completed my first audiobook for a commercial publisher in 2003. My rate was $60 per finished hour, which included editing and mastering the audio files to be retail-ready and transmitting them via DAT.
To learn more about building skills in becoming an audiobook narrator, check out this article. You’ll find more advice specific to being a producer on ACX at this link.
Adrian’s Questions:
5. I just finished recording an audio version of a copyrighted book that the author himself narrated and a friend of mine suggested that I start my own publishing company. I’m confused since the agreement with the author of the book was that we will publish the audiobook thru ACX and he will receive all the royalties. But now I wonder if I should use this opportunity and offer him to publish the book thru my publishing company that I want to start. Obviously all the profit on his book will be completely his.
Can you give some advice or thought on that?
Adrian clarified for me that:
he had been the sound engineer in a work-for-hire arrangement with the author
the author had paid him the agreed-upon fee
he had created an ACX account for the author to upload the files
In this instance, you have no choice but to give the author the audio files per your agreement with him. For instance, the agreement may state that you will provide the edited, mastered, retail-ready, finished product. Withholding the files definitely is a breach of contract. I also would think attempts to re-negotiate the terms of the agreement at this point violate the spirit of the agreement and could jeopardize your long-term reputation.
Assuming that the file upload wasn’t included in your contract, you could offer to upload the files to the author’s ACX account as a convenience to that person and for an additional fee. The audio rights to the work, the audio files, and the ACX account all belong to the author.
Offering the author the chance to “publish through your company” doesn’t get the author anything, and, in fact, would cost the author more because you presumably would take a commission from the royalties. Otherwise, how would you make money from this venture?
The 3 easiest ways that you could start a publishing company are:
following the steps in my article to produce works in the public domain
acquiring the audio rights to books as discussed in questions 1 and 2 above
becoming an agent for authors who don’t want to or have time to do the casting, production, and technical aspects like uploading files, and/or for those who want to use ACX but live outside the US, UK, Canada, or Ireland.
In your position as sound engineer, option 3 seems like the best route for you. You would need to outline the services covered in your fee to potential clients BEFORE you sign an agreement.
You would need to cast qualified narrators since authors usually are not the best oral interpreters of their text. You could use the talent pool on ACX for casting. You could also use ACX for distribution or another service. You would make these kinds of decisions when developing your business plan.
As the audio publisher, you’re also responsible for marketing the audiobook, starting with its cover art. Many times, the audio publisher cannot license the cover art to the print editions and must create or obtain new artwork for the audio.
6. If I want to start a publishing company is it enough to make a ACX publishing account or do I need to register it somewhere else?
ACX is merely a distribution option in audiobook production. You would still need to follow rules in your state, county, and city about starting a business. You may be required to get a business license and/or file other paperwork. You also need to talk with your tax advisor about the type of business you’d run (sole proprietor, LLC, etc.), which would dictate how you’d report the taxes on the income from it.
When I worked at the government, I taught many training classes. I always liked to end with this quote:
We have not succeeded in answering all our problems.
The answers we have found only serve to raise a whole set of new questions.
In some ways we feel we are as confused as ever,
but we believe we are confused on a much higher level, and about more important things. 🙂
Obviously, we’ve just scratched the surface about considerations in audiobook publishing! If you have questions, please leave a comment, or contact me on my Shop page to set up a 30- or 60-minute personal consultation.
Updated 7/9/19
Filed Under: Audiobooks, Away From the Mic, Business, Narrators Tagged With: ACX.com, audiobook, Bly vs Bisland, copyright, public domain, publishing
During the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, I started seeing this wonderful ad from Dell, titled “Beginnings”:
Perhaps it caught my attention because I have my own story about the quiet beginnings for a new business:
Date: 10/6/06
Place: 10634, the cabin number of a cruise ship docked in Mykonos, Greece
Becoming an audiobook publisher has been a rough road, full of potholes, downed trees, and diverging paths that didn’t necessarily lead me in the direction I wanted to go. Only by trudging forward and refusing to give up was I able to eventually reach the destination.
I offer this post as a road map for becoming an audiobook publisher on ACX with a public domain book. If you want to publish a book still under copyright, you may want to skip down to the end for more information.
Initial Obstacles
I recently wrote about how ideas love speed. I did take several immediate actions 7.5 years ago when I had the idea to create an audiobook publishing company. I read several books that hadn’t been made into audiobooks and contacted the authors about obtaining the audio rights.
One author was interested, but the idea seemed to be squelched by her agent’s lawyers, who were reluctant to be involved with a start-up. Another author wanted to narrate her book. It took her several more years, but I see on Audible that she did narrate her audiobook. A third author was someone rather famous. I didn’t receive a response to my inquiries, but I see that her book is now on Audible, too. Perhaps I gave her the idea.
Life intervened. With the loss of my mother and changes on my day job, I put my dream of becoming an audiobook publisher on the shelf. While ideas love speed, some ideas can’t be implemented immediately and often take years to develop.
All the forces in the world are not so powerful as an idea whose time has come.
With the advent of ACX, I knew that I could finally see this idea through to fruition!
Rather than start with a book from a contemporary author as I originally envisioned, I decided to start Jewel Audiobooks with what I thought would be a simpler project: a book from the public domain (PD).
On 1 January 2013, I decided to publish the audiobook of The Heart of the New Thought by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, originally published in 1903. I wanted to produce a shorter work that would be new to audio and had a message I want to share. I often find myself in conversations about the power of our thoughts and words, so this little volume seemed perfect.
Filed Under: Audiobooks, Away From the Mic, Business, Law of Attraction, Narrators, Other Videos Tagged With: ACX, Andrea Emmes, Audible, audio publisher, audiobook, Beginnings, Dell, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Jewel Audiobooks, KDP, Kindle, public domain, publishing, The Heart of the New Thought
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By Gary T. Czerwinski
I already Miss George W. Bush.
No public official made a columnist’s job so easy. All W. had to do was to open his mouth and it was a cinch to type out 500 words why what he had to say was so inane. Or dangerous.
I expect Janurary 20, 2009 his last day in office, will be a day of celebration around the world, the likes of which we’ve never seen. I’m confident it will rival New Year’s, complete with fireworks.
Old W. has mellowed a bit in these, his final days. Gone is his bellicose braggadocio. Gone is the smirk and forced smile. When he appears on television, he’s basically just a footnote that no one wants to read. And no one believes.
I’ve always contended that W. never really felt comfortable in his role as president. His countenance expressed that he wasn’t “elected” president as much as he “pulled it off.”
(What is it with all this facial quirkiness among Republicans? Watching McCain’s grimaces, eye-rolling, tongue-sticking-out in the third debate, I felt like I was back teaching junior high kids. And then Palin’s wink-wink.)
To give him credit, W. has at least been consistent in his resume. Like most of his previous jobs, he leaves this one much the same: in worse shape and broke. Not only is our own economy in a toilet that Joe the Plumber can’t figure out, but the rest of the world’s is jeopardized as well. And to think he began his presidency with a budget surplus! Aren’t you glad he had an MBA?
Ironically, one of the best things he managed to accomplish was to ruin his own party, the GOP. It’s no wonder conservatives like Colin Powell and Christopher Buckley, (son of William F. Buckley considered the “father of modern conservatism”) are jumping ship. If McCain loses, it’s because he’s been unable to organize a winning coalition or message. In his acceptance speech at the GOP convention, that message or theme was “fight with me!”
Huh? Fight?
Americans are tired of fighting. Fight in Iraq. Fight to pay for gasoline. Fight to pay high food costs. Fight to keep your job. That’s all we’ve been doing for eight years. For too long, families have fought just to stay afloat and to feel optimistic in a querulous world his presidency helped to create.
Contrast that to Barack Obama’s stellar campaign organization and message of unity and hope. And intellectualism.
Ignorance and greed can’t grow a nation.
Does W. have any remorse for the damage he’s done and lives he’s ruined? One has to wonder. When he walks the White House halls alone, does he ever wonder, “God, I really screwed up?”
I know there are still die-hards who fervently believe in poor W. There are those who blindly believe his failed policies will somehow be vindicated by history and that his foreign policy has been prescient. But they are the same who believe Sarah Palin is ready to assume the presidency.
Unfortunately, W. is not quite out the door yet. I’m sure he’s already preparing a list of “pardons.” Unknown facts and circumstances will surface as historians sift through the verbiage of his disasters. Slips of the tongue will reveal new details. His visage will drift in and out of focus. But one thing is certain: I doubt that face will ever appear on any of our currency he so infamously devalued. And defamed.
Apple-Onion Casserole
A regional classic featuring apples, onions, herbs and bacon. A great accompaniment to ham and pork. I like it cold, too.
This recipe is adapted from my Grandma’s old cookbook. It sounded so whacky I had to try it. It’s almost a meal in itself and the first time I made it I almost ate all of it. I suspect it’s an old recipe with ingredients that were cheap and which most housewives would have had on hand.
3 medium-sized onions
2 medium-sized, crisp apples
6 slices of bacon
1 cup soft, cubed bread crumbs, crusts removed
Dried thyme and/or rosemary
Peel and slice onions thinly, about 1/8 inch. I used yellow sweet onions. Peel and core apples and slice into rings. I've tried using "chunks" but it doesn't work as well. Thin slices of apple "rings" work best and look the best when layered with the onion. You may choose to keep the skin on for a more festive look and use a red and green apple.
Cut bacon into smaller pieces and sauté/fry until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain and cool. Add the bread cubes to the bacon “renderings” to coat. Remove to a bowl. In the same pan, add chicken broth, a pinch or two of dried thyme or rosemary (or both!). Bring to a boil and reduce to a bit less than 1/2 cup.
Butter a 1.5 quart glass-baking dish. Arrange the apples, onions and bacon in alternate layers. Pour in the broth mixture. Cover the top with the bread cubes.
Cover the dish and bake in a 375-degree oven for about 25-30 minutes. Uncover it and cook for another 15 minutes longer.
Notes: It's important to have crisp apples. If the apples are soft, they will cook before the onions. You want everything the same texture.
Posted by Kitchen Bounty at 10:21 AM 3 comments
Labels: apple onion casserole, apples, Winesap apples. southwest Michigan
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THE MASSACRE AT LE PARADIS - HELL IN PARADISE - MAY, 1940.
The Surrenders
The Massacre
Massacre Overview
The Massacre In Depth
The Norfolks
The Royal Scots
Burial Register
O'Callaghan Index
Bill's Story >
Bill's Diary Part One
Bill's Diary Part Two
Bill's Diary Part Three
Bill's Diary Part Four
Bill's Diary Part Five
Bill's Diary Part Six
Bill's Diary Part Seven
Bill's Diary Part Eight
Affadavit
Bill Medal
Bill's Timeline
Pooley Index
Bert Pooley Cross Exam
Bert Pooley's Affidavit
Bert In The Press
Fritz Knoechlein
The Trial Overview
Knoechlein's Defence
Knoechlein's Statement
Knoechlein on the Cage
Knoechlein documents
Pre-2000 Pilgrimages
2010 Pilgrimage
2018 Pilgrimage Photos
Memorials and Museum
British Memorial
Memorial Launch
Memorial Support Form
Le Paradis Museum
Dereham Service
Le Paradis History
Miscellaneous Documents and Areas >
Maps and Diagrams
Press/Film and Photographs
The Massacre on Film
They Wrote About The Massacre
dunkirk missing
Trial Description
German Reports
London cage
Sheffield POW Camp
Creton Family
First Hand Accounts
Dunkirk - The Rearguard Action
The historic perspective to the evacuation of Dunkirk as portrayed in numerous articles, magazines, newspapers, books, documentaries and films has always been the portrayal of a beleaguered force, heroically re-patriated through the bravery of many small ships and individuals.
Few articles etc, however, focus on those left behind to hold the German advance. Throughout our research into this web site we have come across many instances of the bravery and self-sacrifice of those left behind.
At times comments made contemporaneously question the course of history. On this page we will include comments written during the war which suggest that those involved in the rearguard action were not totally aware of the Dunkirk evacuation, nor did they receive the accolades that they deserved. Bill O'Callaghan,Bert Pooley, together with various regiments, were all part of this action and we feel they have never received the recognition they deserve.
Below are comments on this matter which can be found at various points of this site.
Captain Robert Hastings in his war diary alludes to ignorance over the Dunkirk operation (Operation Dynamo) on a number of occasions including the following:
"Our four companies were in positions covering the canal for the definite object of preventing it being crossed. From right to left our companies were in the order A. B. C. D. I can't remember the extent of the Battalion front in miles but it was an incredibly wide one for the size of our formation and in consequence was only thinly held. Our role, when we first went into our positions was described to us as "an outpost position with a defensive right flank". From time to time we received the encouraging news of an impending counter attack by the French and of support from a tank battalion. None of this support ever came and, in actual fact our position subtly changed its character and became in effect a rearguard to cover the embarkation about to take place at Dunkirk. We did not have this, for no information even reached us of the general situation. In fact, so great was our ignorance at this time, that if the name of Dunkirk had been mentioned to us, which it was not, we would have assumed as a matter of course that further British reinforcements were being landed at that port."
Further in his diary he talks of the lack of recognition for the fighting rearguard:
"We had been in captivity for almost a year before anything like the full story of Dunkirk began to filter through. This news was brought to us by newly arrived prisoners. We then heard of the great welcome accorded by the people of England to those who got home and this news slightly depressed us. It was not entirely that we envied these people their good fortune, though not unnaturally we did feel something of this. It was rather, I think, that we felt that if there was any honour in getting large British forces back to British soil such honour belonged least of all to those who were themselves got back. Such honour as there was, belonged rather to those who got them away in boats at Dunkirk and by those whose gallant and costly rear guards extending as far back as 40 miles behind Dunkirk enabled the evacuation to take place at all."
"The 2nd Battalion the Royal Norfolk Regiment, some of whose work I have endeavoured to describe, were amongst those who performed this very important task. If the effort made by a unit is proportional to the casualties sustained, and I think it must be considered so, then the effort made by this particular unit must be notable amongst the achievements in France in 1940, for I know of no unit that had a longer list of casualties in that campaign. I am aware that in the version of Lord Gort's report that was received here, much greater prominence was given to the importance of the resistance put up by the units that were at Calais. In fact no reference whatever was made to those units that necessarily had to be sacrificed behind Dunkirk. There may or may not have been political reasons for this misplacement of emphasis, as I personally think it to be, but whatever the reason, the fact remained that the German commentators, one of which I have quoted, did not fail to recognise the importance of the resistance at other places. But aside from the importance of a regiment's achievement which may always be a matter of opinion, and never perhaps wholly unbiased, the cold figures of dead and wounded are the sole means of measuring the extent of the efforts made.The numbers of killed and wounded amongst those units that operated at Calais were not high in comparison to the devastation suffered elsewhere. But it must not be thought that I wish in the slightest degree to detract from the value to the whole campaign of the achievement at Calais. That is very far removed from my intention. What I am endeavouring to do is to distinguish two factors (a) efforts put forth and (b) the value of the results achieved. I maintain that it is a grave error to suppose that these two elements are necessarily closely related."
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August 16, 2019 / Culture
People Matter: Mandy Rogers
Mandy Rogers is our sweet and spunky project assistant who keeps our Dallas office running! With a background in landscape architecture, she found herself at home surrounded by tracing paper and supporting designers. When she’s not herding LandDesigners across the firm, you can find Mandy spending time with her son, a paintbrush in hand or picking out plants for the office.
Keep reading to get to know LandDesigner, Mandy Rogers.
Q: What drew you to landscape architecture?
I’m an artist at heart, so I was initially drawn to landscape architecture by the art of blending design and creativity with nature – it grew into a love for the community. I’ve seen good design reinforce and strengthen a community in a way that transcends the division we often feel today. And isn’t this what art is all about – telling a story that encourages a universal response?
Asana Deep Ellum | Dallas, TX
Q: Favorite LandDesign project?
Asana Deep Ellum, which is located in my old neighborhood. It feels a lot like home and gives me a sense of pride to see how well the design integrates with the culture.
Q: What LandDesign value resonates with you the most?
The culture. LandDesign really values their people and in turn this creates a passionate and community-loving work environment! It really is the place you want to be.
Q: What LandDesign office would you like to visit?
Definitely our Washington, DC office! I’ve heard so many great things about the office and would love to meet the team. Seeing the sights and history would, of course, be a huge plus!
Q: Favorite trend happening in the industry?
The revitalization of small city downtowns. Suburban town centers that were seemingly abandoned are now making a comeback in the industry. Many smaller, outlying cities have taken note and are making efforts to celebrate their community centers. The result is exciting, giving residents a sense of pride and identity for their town!
Q: What’s a secret passion you have?
Houseplants! I seriously can’t get enough of them. Current count is 15 at home and four in the office… Plus I’m in the process of attempting to propagate three more and on the lookout for a nerve plant. You may lovingly refer to me as the ‘Crazy Plant Lady’.
Q: Fill in the blank. “This All Matters.”
Sounds like I didn’t answer the question, so let me explain. One of my favorite scenes in the movie ‘You’ve Got Mail’ begins with Joe visiting Kathleen to ask if they can be friends after his mega chain of bookstores causes her family-owned bookshop to go under. His response: “It wasn’t personal.” Kathleen replies with one of my all-time favorite quotes, “What is that supposed to mean? I am so sick of that. All that means is that it wasn’t personal to you. But it was personal to me. It’s personal to a lot of people. And what’s so wrong with being personal, anyway? Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal.” Everything is personal to someone, so tread lightly and remember you don’t know what road they are walking. This All Matters, because everything matters to someone.
Q: What Scooby-Doo character are you?
Velma for sure. A little socially awkward and apart from the enticement of solving the latest puzzle, I would prefer to be reading a book. Not to mention my go-to Mary Jane shoes are nearly an exact match to Velma’s. I guess it’s as the saying goes, “If the shoe fits…”
Q: What’s your go-to karaoke song?
In the event that you could actually get me to sing in public (which currently only my kiddo has the ability to do) I imagine ‘Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha’ by the legend, Sam Cooke, would be pretty high up on the list. It’s my son’s favorite song to dance to.
Q: Dogs or cats?
Definitely Pups. (I’m not against kitties though, just allergic to them.)
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Home » Cases
People v. L.F.
Outcome: Supervision Reinstated - Driving Privileges Restored!!!
Our client found himself in violation of his Court Supervision after first being issued a warrant for failure to report to court monitoring, and later having the Supervision revoked and a conviction being entered in its place. As a result, our client’s driving privileges were revoked by the Secretary of State once the conviction was reported to them by the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Mr. LaScola got involved and encouraged the client to complete all the conditions of his sentence and pay all outstanding fines. After this was performed by the client, a motion to vacate the conviction was filed by Mr. LaScola. In court , he argued to have the Supervision reinstated after showing that all conditions of the sentence were satisfied. The Court agreed to reinstate Supervision and a Court Order was then sent to the Secretary of State. Mr. LaScola sent a certified copy of this Order to his courier in Springfield for hand delivery to the Secretary of State. The client’s driving privileges were reinstated the next day!!!
In re: Order of Protection – Respondent L.A.
Practice Area: Domestic Violence
Outcome: Order of Protection Vacated - Children Returned to their Mother!!!
Our client came to our office desperate to have her children returned to her. On a visitation with their natural father, the children of our client told their father that the boyfriend of our client was using corporal punishment for discipline. The natural father sought an order of protection forbidding our client from having any contact with the children she raised from birth. An emergency/temporary Order of Protection was allowed pending a full evidentiary hearing and the children were allowed to remain with the natural father until the hearing date. At the hearing, Mr. LaScola cross-examined the natural father on points including his extensive criminal history (including convictions for domestic battery and cook county jail sentences), a prior DCFS report where he was indicated as the subject of the investigation, the current DCFS decision finding that the allegations against our client were unfounded, and the fact that only our client’s boyfriend was alleged to have used corporal punishment on the children (and that our client was never alleged to have done so). After hearing all the evidence, the Judge was unable to find that the natural father met his burden of proof demonstrating that an Order of Proection should be sustained against our client. Mr. LaScola successfully defended our client from this Order of Protection and the Court ordered that the children be immediately returned to her care and custody.
People v. A.B.
Outcome: DUI - Not Guilty
Our client lost control of his vehicle after leaving the toll plaza and eventually veered completely off the road, colliding with the median wall. An Illinois State Trooper arrived shortly thereafter to investigate. He testified that he smelled alcohol and administered field sobriety tests. Mr LaScola cross-examined the Trooper who couldn’t remember many of the details relating to how our client failed the field sobriety tests & also pointed out that the arrest video displayed marginal (at best) failure in only 1 of the field tests. At the end, the client was only found guilty of the accident ticket & the DUI was a finding of NOT GUILTY!!!
DCFS Investigation – Re: L.G.
Practice Area: Child Abuse
Outcome: DCFS Investigation - Case Closed With "No Neglect Findings"
Client was being investigated for allegations of neglect with regards to his minor children. He was intoxicated severely and had to be transported to the hospital for treatment and his children called 911. A DCFS report was made because he was the caretaker of his children at the time of the incident. An investigation was conducted and our client contacted Mr. LaScola to try and stop an “indicated report” being filed and prevent their family from being listed on the National Register. Mr. LaScola facilitated the investigation and prepared the family for the 60-day investigation. Because this was an isolated incident and the family took preventative measures to avoid any future incidents, the DCFS investigation decided to make a recommendation of the allegation being “unfounded” and the family’s case was therefore closed without incident.
People v. S.K.
Practice Area: Criminal Defense
Outcome: Charges Dismissed
My client was arrested for attacking bouncers at a local drinking establishment in Palatine and charged with Battery. Ultimately – all charges were dismissed.
People v. R.A.
Outcome: TRIAL - Finding of NOT GUILTY!!!
Our client was charged with DUI after parking his vehicle half on/half off the roadway in Elk Grove Village. The police investigated and found our client asleep behind the wheel. When he was asked to exit the vehicle, he was very confused and had a strong odor of alcohol coming from his breath according to the officer. At trial, Mr. LaScola employed aggressive cross-examination techniques and demonstrated reasonable doubt of guilt. The DUI resulted in a Finding of NOT GUILTY and our client was placed on Supervision only for a minor traffic ticket.
Village of Deerfield v. D.F.
Outcome: Second DUI amended to non-criminal Ordinance Violation with Court Supervision!!!
Client charged with a second DUI. He was facing the revocation of his license if he was convicted of this new case. Mr. LaScola effectively convinced the prosecution to amend the DUI to a non-criminal ordinance violation and he received Court Supervision. Defendant is a successful businessman who could have had negative career consequences if he was convicted of any misdemeanor charge. Getting the charge amended to a non-criminal offense protected his job & saved his license from being revoked.
People v. P.Q.
Outcome: DUI Reduced to a Lesser Charge - License Saved!!
Client charged with a Second DUI. He was facing the inevitable revocation of his IL license if he were to be convicted of this new offense. Mr. LaScola wrote a mitigation letter to the Prosecutors downtown who agreed to give him a second chance and reduce his case to a Reckless Driving which preserved his IL license. He kept his job and his fines were only $394.00 total.
Village of Gurnee vs. J.J.
Outcome: Court Supervision and NO LICENSE SUPSENSION
Our client was charged with DUI after an accident in Lake County. He was a war veteran with an excellent job who could not have a suspended license or his employer would be forced to let him go. After lengthy negotiations with the prosecution, Mr. LaScola worked out a negotiation for a sentence that would not be a conviction on his public record (Court Supervision) and a rescission of the license suspension so our client was able to keep his job.
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Cover Reveal - VIKING WARRIOR REBEL by Asa Maria Bradley
VIKING WARRIOR REBEL (Book 2 of the Viking Warriors series)
She can’t let him discover…Immortal Vikings are among us.
Astrid Irisdotter is a Valkyrie, a fierce warrior fighting to protect humanity from the evil god Loki and his brutal minions. She’s on an urgent mission for her queen when everything goes hideously sideways. Undercover agent Luke Holden arrives on the scene just in time to save her life—and put his own on the line. Luke may have saved her, but that doesn’t mean Astrid can trust him. Tempers flare as they hide secret upon secret from each other, but Astrid’s inner warrior knows what it wants…and it will not take no for an answer.
2016 double RITA finalist Asa Maria Bradley grew up in Sweden surrounded by archaeology and history steeped in Norse mythology, which inspired the immortal Vikings and Valkyries in her paranormal romances. She arrived in the U.S. as a high school exchange student and quickly became addicted to ranch dressing and cop shows. Asa currently resides on a lake deep in the pine forests of the Pacific Northwest with a British husband and a rescue dog of indeterminate breed. She graduated from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers program at Eastern Washington University with an MFA in creative writing and also holds an MS in Medical Physics from University of Colorado. Visit her at www.AsaMariaBradley.com, or follow her on Twitter @AsaMariaBradley.
Amazon: http://hyperurl.co/0fx3ut
Barnes & Noble: http://hyperurl.co/2ojqh6
Author of Historical and Contemporary Romance
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Abbott Brothers
BadGirlzWrite
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RWA14
What We're Reading Wednesday
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Andrew Romine 4 SS
Lehigh Valley IronPigs
MLB Parent Club: Philadelphia Phillies
Full Name: Andrew James Romine
Age: 34 (December 24, 1985)
Birthplace: Winter Haven, FL
Bats/Throws: S/R Ht: 6' 1" Wt: 200
Draft: Round 5 (2007, LAA)
School: Arizona State
Relationship(s): son of Kevin Romine, brother of Austin Romine
View Andrew Romine Stats on»
Andrew Romine Career Stats
Andrew Romine News
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Andrew Romine Photos
View Andrew Romine photos »
November 4, 2019 SS Andrew Romine elected free agency.
May 23, 2019 Lehigh Valley IronPigs activated SS Andrew Romine from the temporarily inactive list.
May 21, 2019 Lehigh Valley IronPigs placed SS Andrew Romine on the temporarily inactive list.
March 25, 2019 SS Andrew Romine assigned to Philadelphia Phillies.
March 25, 2019 SS Andrew Romine assigned to Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
March 22, 2019 Philadelphia Phillies released SS Andrew Romine.
March 22, 2019 Lehigh Valley IronPigs released SS Andrew Romine.
January 11, 2019 Philadelphia Phillies signed free agent SS Andrew Romine to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
January 11, 2019 SS Andrew Romine assigned to Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
October 29, 2018 SS Andrew Romine elected free agency.
November 2, 2017 Seattle Mariners claimed SS Andrew Romine off waivers from Detroit Tigers.
March 21, 2014 Detroit Tigers traded LHP Jose Alvarez to Los Angeles Angels for SS Andrew Romine.
August 14, 2013 Los Angeles Angels recalled 3B Andrew Romine from Salt Lake Bees.
May 3, 2013 Los Angeles Angels optioned Andrew Romine to Salt Lake Bees.
September 1, 2012 Los Angeles Angels recalled Andrew Romine from Salt Lake Bees.
August 6, 2012 Los Angeles Angels optioned Andrew Romine to Salt Lake Bees.
July 27, 2012 Los Angeles Angels recalled Andrew Romine from Salt Lake Bees.
July 17, 2012 Los Angeles Angels optioned Andrew Romine to Salt Lake Bees.
June 18, 2012 Los Angeles Angels recalled Andrew Romine from Salt Lake Bees.
May 29, 2012 Los Angeles Angels optioned Andrew Romine to Salt Lake Bees.
May 24, 2012 Los Angeles Angels recalled Andrew Romine from Salt Lake Bees.
March 26, 2012 Los Angeles Angels optioned Andrew Romine to Salt Lake Bees.
August 16, 2011 Los Angeles Angels optioned Andrew Romine to Salt Lake Bees.
August 2, 2011 Los Angeles Angels recalled Andrew Romine from Salt Lake Bees.
June 20, 2011 Los Angeles Angels optioned Andrew Romine to Salt Lake Bees.
September 24, 2010 Los Angeles Angels selected the contract of Andrew Romine from Arkansas Travelers.
July 23, 2010 Andrew Romine roster status changed by Arkansas Travelers.
June 28, 2010 Arkansas Travelers placed SS Andrew Romine on the 7-day disabled list. right shoulder impingement
April 6, 2010 SS Andrew Romine assigned to Arkansas Travelers from Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.
February 3, 2010 Los Angeles Angels invited non-roster SS Andrew Romine to spring training.
Andrew Romine Awards and Honors
Born: December 24, 1985
Bats: S
Throws: R
Selected by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim out of Arizona State University in the fifth round (178th overall) of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. Previously selected by the Philadelphia Phillies out of Trabuco Hills High School (Mission Viejo, Calif.) in the 36th round (1,082nd overall) in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft.
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Home Reviews MAAC Review: THE INVINCIBLE DRAGON
MAAC Review: THE INVINCIBLE DRAGON
Darren Murray
Fruit Chan’s long delayed The Invincible Dragon finally makes its ways to cinema screens, released on the coattails of Chan’s recent Three Husband’s (2019) and leading man Max Zhang’s Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2019). Originally titled The Man with the Dragon Tattoo, it is clear upon viewing the completed product that a retitle was not the only issue facing the action thriller.
Sadly, The Invincible Dragon is one of the poorer films to come from both Chan and Zhang, at times blackly comic, brutally violent and tonally inconsistent. On many occasions this can work to a film’s advantage, being one of the contributing factors in many Hong Kong classics that set them apart from typical movie fare.
Unfortunately, this is not the case with The Invincible Dragon, with these inconsistencies being a major detriment to the overall flow of the movie. Saying this, there are aspects of The Invincible Dragon that still make it a worthwhile viewing experience, notably a charismatic leading performance from Max Zhang and some well-done fight scenes.
The film opens with undercover cop Kowloon (Max Zhang) taking down a crime ring with him chasing a cameoing Lam Suet through a wedding banquet, only to shoot Suet’s arm off when he captures him. This action does not sit kindly with the higher ups, with them re-stationing him to a small precinct where it is thought he can do less damage.
It is not long before Kowloon becomes involved in a serial killer case with the killer targeting female police officers. During the investigation, Kowloon’s fiancé Fang-ning (Stephy Tang) becomes the latest victim and Kowloon gets suspended from the force because he gets shot. Things only get more ridiculous from here.
Kowloon ends up wallowing in despair, with him only returning to the force once the killings begin again, this time in Macau. Through his investigation he is brought into contact with Gym owner Alexander Sinclair (Anderson Silva), who he had competed against years before. Could Sinclair be more involved in the case than he appears?
With Fruit Chan at the helm, it should have been apparent that The Invincible Dragon would not have been a straightforward action movie. Cutting his teeth on indie fare like Made in Hong Kong (1997) and The Longest Summer (1998), it would seem that The Invincible Dragon was more of a step towards the mainstream. It certainly seemed so in regards to the films promotional material.
While it does initially appear that we are going to be served with a straightforward martial arts action thriller, similar to Max Zhang’s recent action hit The Brink (2017), Chan begins to fill his film with many stylistic touches that jar with the story being told.
There are elements of film noir, with an unneeded voice over that is seemingly only included to explain away the plot as well as the inclusion of unnecessary black and white flashbacks. In addition, the film is poorly paced and incoherent. During the film, Zhang’s Kowloon is only given two weeks to catch the killer. With this, you would think he would perhaps spend his time focusing on the case, instead of spending his time getting back into shape in order to take on Sinclair.
This is shown in a musical montage that harkens back to the action movies of the 80’s and 90’s. The film makers idea of making Zhang look out of shape is laughable, giving him some facial hair and what looks like a pillow stuffed into the front of his hoodie. Remarkably, his two weeks training seems to be enough to shape Zhang back into a lean, mean fighting machine. I would love a copy of his fitness regime.
Kowloon’s methods of detective work range from re-enacting crime scenes, angrily beating up suspects or having a dream about the case. Other’s speak of him being the best, but the film does not exactly show any evidence of him carrying out proper detective work, with him just coming to the correct conclusion.
The incoherence of the film could perhaps be laid at the feet of someone other than Chan if he was not also responsible for the script. Working with long time writing partner Jason Lam Kee-To, their script is a convoluted mess.
They do include some nice ideas, such as Kowloon clearly suffering from a mental illness and Sinclair having a little more depth than typical villains. However, even these are poorly established, with Chan and Lam’s script lacking the complexity of some of their previous work.
It is unclear what they were trying to say with this film, as some of their other ventures have clearly had a message. It could be their attempt at a parody to the action genre, but this is not inherently clear. Audiences may gain more enjoyment from the film if they view it with less serious eyes. Come the ending, with it encroaching into more fantastical territory, it would be impossible to view it with anything else.
Leading man Max Zhang does well enough with material he is given, even when the script has him do some extremely silly things. The film makers attempts at conveying mental illness leaves a lot to be desired, with one laughable scene having Zhang attempting to strangle himself. Still, Zhang manages to rise above the more laughable aspects of the film, with his charisma shining through.
As expected, he excels in the fight scenes, with his one on one fights with MMA legend Anderson Silva clearly being the highlights, even if they are not as epic as expected.
Speaking of Silva, he also equips himself well in the fight scenes, but his acting leaves a lot to be desired. His line delivery is especially stilted and even though his character has some added depth, Silva is not a good enough actor to convey this.
Faring slightly better is Juju Chan, who does well in an underwritten role. Chan gets a good chance to show of her considerable physical skills during an exciting chase scene that culminates in her squaring off with Zhang on board an out of control train.
Kevin Cheng and Endy Chow manage to add more to their characters than is on the written page, playing Kowloon’s fellow cops who assist him on the case.
There is also Annie Liu, who plays a clearly smitten doctor enamoured by Zhang’s Kowloon. She adds some fun to proceedings, with her character additionally being the means of bringing in Hong Kong movie legend Richard Ng, who makes any film better by just appearing.
As inconsistent as The Invincible Dragon is, it is visually appealing, with Chan employing the expertise of ace cinematographer Cheung Siu-Keung. A Johnnie To regular, he has carried out work on the likes of Running Out Of Time (1999), Election (2005) and more recently Three (2016). His lensing of the action is first rate, with him perfectly utilising both the Hong Kong and Macau settings. Only some woefully inept CGI detracts from his work, most notably during on otherwise well shot train set fight scene between Zhang and Juju Chan.
In addition to the look of the film, the action somewhat saves The Invincible Dragon from complete mediocrity. Action choreographers Tung Wai and Jack Wong create a number of well-done fight scenes that are peppered throughout the film’s run time. The fights are slightly let down by some obvious wire work as well as the afore mentioned CGI. As well as this, some poor editing takes away from their overall impact.
Still, Wai and Wong’s action still generates a fair level of excitement, even if their work here pales in comparison to their previous efforts. Tung Wai may be better known to some as the young boy Bruce Lee asks to “concentrate on the finger” in Enter the Dragon (1993), but he has created some of the most memorable action scenes in Hong Kong cinema. His work in minor classics Pom Pom and Hot Hot (1992) and Fox Hunter (1995) are especially noteworthy.
Jack Wong has worked alongside Tung Wai on numerous occasions, assisting on such films as Hitman (1998), Extreme Challenge (2001) and Bodyguards and Assassins (2009). Most recently they collaborated on the excellent Operation Mekong (2016), a far superior display of their skills than this film.
Ultimately The Invincible Dragon is nothing more than an interesting failure, with enough action to at least make it moderately interesting to martial arts fans. Fans of Fruit Chan may be put off by how different it is in comparison to his other work, but their curiosity should be sated if they were wondering how Chan would approach a mainstream feature.
Plot: 2.5/5
Acting: 3/5
Action: 3/5
Overall: 2.8/5
ALICIA VIKANDER Set To Return For TOMB RAIDER 2. UPDATE: Release Date
FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER To Team Up For Limited Series On Disney+. UPDATE: Poster
https://www.facebook.com/darren.murray.73550
MAAC Review: Bad Boys For Life
MAAC Review: Undercover Punch & Gun
MAAC Review: Bodies At Rest
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Inc'read'able India
Karnataka – Cultural Study of the Hoysala Inscription
For the past 5 states, I have been doing a proper google search, checking out the ratings and summaries of the books through goodreads and then select a book. I end up buying it when I feel that it will serve the project and purpose of “Increadable India”. This book on the other hand, was completely a random pick. When I was trekking in Coorg, during our ‘rest day’, we visited a fort. The museum in the fort, was wonderful, small in size, but in a bad shape. Wanting to contribute in someway, I looked around and stumbled upon this little book shelf in the corner of a room that had a label on it and it read “Books for sale”. Wish technology would allow me to capture the smell that bookshelf had. It felt like digging out a million year old fossil and in a way felt like hunting for treasure. Hoysala, the word was a first time for me and with funny gestures and facial movements I asked the lady over the counter “Is this about Karnataka?” She said, “Yes, Yes, Karnataka, Hoysala Dynasty followed by afbakjfgdsfbvsdjfgksalfhsdhfksdhfsdgjfsdhfsdkhfaflsdks(something in Kannada)” which I have no clue what it meant. I went for it anyway and OMG, I have no idea how naive I have become to miss out this wonderful dynasty that has been such an important part of our land, particularly, Karnataka.
Almost 1000 years old now, this dynasty has been forefront in the development of art, culture and temples in the Karnataka region. The dynasty has been part of this holistic development from 1010 AD to 1346 AD. What this dynasty did in approximately 300 years is fantastic. Three languages, Sanskrit, Tamil and Kannada, were prominent in their region of rule. The book “Cultural Study of the Hoysala Inscription” spoke on few aspects and parts of the dynasty.
The book opened up with an introduction, followed by the religions prevalent in that time (Jainism, Vaishnavism, Srivaishnavism, Saivism and Virasaivism). The author clearly extracted information from inscriptions that this group left and the book spoke about education, music, dance, poets, position of women, temples and currency. One should be a little aware while reading the book, because there is a need to read in between the lines to feel and live with those of the Hoysala kingdom. This is definitely not your average history book.
The word Hoysala is written as Poysala or Poysolar which means, poy+solavar, people who do not utter falsehood. By comparing 1010 AD and 2017 AD we have evolved and changed drastically in many directions that are negative and yet still there is a bit of connection, which I feel is unconscious and has somehow kept us rooted to our culture.
The inscriptions written in the Champu style are either as prose or poetry. These inscriptions have been the source of information for archaeologists and numismatists. Beautifully crafted and lengths ranging from a single word to inscriptions that are 394 lines long, they give an understanding of the importance the dynasty had on writing incriptions and leaving a legacy for the coming generations. The craftsmanship is so intricate, their statues and their inscriptions spoke a million stories more than the actual words. Talk about blogging a 1000 years back, the inscriptions have spoken about art, religion, royal family lineages, food, kingdom and literature. Imagine writing this very article on soap stone! I am glad the mac keyboard is far more comfortable than that.
Back then, people have been more secular and religiously open mined. This is evident because the dynasty had kings who were ardently devoted to Srivaishnavism but their wives are complete opposite by being devoted to Jainism. With the such disparities, the kingdom flourished and the family was prosperous. With all the religions mentioned, temples were built extravagantly. A lot of importance were given to infrastructure and aesthetics. This was primarily because the temples were the centre point around which life existed. Worshipping was only one part. There were education(school) classes that went on, business discussions, money transactions, loan borrowing, dance and music shows for the public and general political discussions. This is the present day “mall” for we are doing everything that they did. Except worshiping, as it has become directed and different. Ideally the temples brought in all the people in one place, giving the chance to interact and strengthen their bond, thus living as one through time.
Education back then was open as people were given equal right. We now talk about un-schooling, formal education, higher education and college. Schools have changed, but the idea has been similar a thousand years back as well. Education was not just science, because the normal subjects you would have to opt for during school would be the four vedas, vēdāngas, polity, poetry, drama, purānas, āgamaśastras and logic. People were given the choice of specialising in one particular subject as they grew up. If you were a teacher in an educational institution back then, you would not get a monthly salary, instead, fertile land, free living and food were given as incentives. Such was the importance given for the teachers back then. As I said before, education was not just classes, there was education through music and dance as well. People of the Hoysala kingdom, incorporated music and dance in their everyday life so that there was sustainability and transfer of talent and skill from one generation to the other. Fun fact is, the sculptors had to know dance before they could sculpt out a goddess in a dance position. Musical instruments were plenty and a part of their life. Women were given equal opportunities in education as well.
Such a wonderful kingdom had to come to an end somehow. The family divided, and post division there was the invasion from the Muslims. That caused the 30 decade dynasty to come to a halt. But because of the importance given to religion, open mindedness, love for art and culture, harmonious living and equality, we still have those temples standing strong and their history being read and written by a number of archaeologists.
Places you can visit
Here is the MAK tip.
Pay attention to the smallest of things for they are the connecting links to the bigger picture. Never think of anything as unimportant and silly, for every brush stroke counts in the master piece.
The dynasty still lives because of how they gave importance to each others’ opinion and by living together, have left us with a sense of pride of where we belong.
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March 31, 2017 May 5, 2017 Arunbook, culture study, hoysala, karnataka, maktheway, travel
2 thoughts on “Karnataka – Cultural Study of the Hoysala Inscription”
Sumana_Mathi says:
Wonderful article! You brought out the beauty of the dynasty along with the beauty of the book! Had no idea such a dynasty existed until now!
Umesh V Maliye says:
Arun, if you would like to know more about arts … of Hoysala dynasty,please visit Belur and Halebidu in Hassan District , Karnataka. The inspiration for the sculpture was ” Queen of Vishnuvardhan known as Pattamahishi Shantala Devi.
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Click on a name to see photos, video, links to bios and reviews of our musical guests:
Richard-Yves Sitoski
Andrew Nunno
David Newberry
Shawna Caspi
The Jessica Stuart Few
Amy Tourlousse
Various Local Artists Event
Brian Janzi
Shannon Rose
Sue Newberry & The Law
Indie Fun Rock singer/ songwriter from Toronto, Ontario
Feb 8th 2014 at The River Cafe, Owen Sound, Ontario
You can click on the pictures to see the full size.
This Mossy Gatherings' concert was a resounding success.Sue Newberry Music and David Newberry, along with our very talented Andrew Nunno, performed in front of an enthusiastic crowd. The show was sold out! The mood and atmosphere felt electric. All eight performers are very warm and kind-hearted people. They were an excellent fit for The River Café.
Check outSue Newberry's Bio and more videos and music
Spoken Word Artist from Owen Sound, Ontario
Singer/ Songwriter from Vancouver
February 8th 2014 at The River Cafe, Owen Sound, Ontario
Check out David's Bio and more videos and music
Singer/ Musician, Performer from Owen Sound, Ontario
February 8th, 2014 at The River Cafe, Owen Sound, Ontario
In front of a full house, Andrew Nunno shared his love of music with us while opening the concert. Sue Newberry, the band members, and the audience enjoyed our local young and aspiring performer. Great job Andrew. We are grateful for the opportunity to host Andrew.
Read Andrew's Bio
Scott Hamilton, Cougars in America
World traveling singer-songwriter, poet, multi-instrumentalist and troubadour from Godridge, Ontario
December 13th at The River Cafe, Owen Sound
"What if you found out you had a gift for telling great stories about your travels and people you have met over the years? What if you worked hard and learned to play the guitar really, really beautifully? What if you saw the world with delight and consciousness and were able to translate the poetry around you into songs? Then you'd be Scott Hamilton.
And if you were at The River Café that night you'd know this." Andree Levie-Warrilow, audience member
Folk Singer/ Songwriter, from Toronto
December 6th at St. George's Hall, Owen Sound
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
This annual event is very dear to many people. Many people gathered at St. George's Hall; many wished they could. For this reason we have decided to provide the full material of this important event online. The following is an audio clip to hear the vigil so you may listen to it and reflect on your own. The second Audio clip is the concert Shawna Caspi performed. Below is a collection of pictures and video footage of this event.
You will have to click the play button and then click on the bar to find particular track.
I have not learned how to have it jump for you.
0:01 - Intro reflective music, Joachim Ostertag on Flute and Sebastian Ostertag on Cello
3:35 - MC, Laura VanDyk - Opening Remarks
6:00 - Shawna Caspi performs a song in reflection of this event
9:00 - The names of the 14 women who were killed in the tragic act of gender-based violence in Montreal are said
10:00 - Shawna performs "Not So Silent"
14:50 - Quiet Moment of Reflection
15:45 - Mossy's Remarks
We hope you enjoyed listening to Shawna Caspi's concert.
We encourage you to make a donation to a local Women's Shelter. Thank you.
"Shawna Caspi was charming and genuine. Her words were thought-provoking and her music was healing. We feel blessed to have met her and we are grateful for her spending her time and talent with us in in Owen Sound in this important event. On both local TV and on stage Shawna brought awareness to violence against women and encouraged people to be louder, to be the change! We enjoyed a lovely concert after the vigil. This singer/songwriter's music will warm the soul...even in the cold of Canadian winter. Thank you Shawna" ~ Mossy Gatherings.
“What an experience! With rare sensitivity, Shawna Caspi guided the audience from mourning to celebration with her warmth and charm. A multi-gifted singer, songwriter, guitarist and story-teller, Shawna’s relaxed personal approach, her mellifluous voice and professional musicianship gave the event drama, humour, and appreciation of the human condition. Great talent, energy and personal charm. Shawna speaks to the heart – a winner! Hey Mossy Gatherings, bring her back soon” Sylvia Moss – member of the audience.
CHeck our more about Shawna and this event
Folk Jazz Power Trio, with Japanese Koto, from Toronto
November 9th, 2013 at St. George's Church, Owen Sound
"The Jessica Stuart Few is one of the hottest groups ... from the Toronto eclectic indie folk scene. Inspiring the term “folk-jazz power trio”, Stuart brings the lyrical playfulness..."
Check out more of the Band, Bio, & Videos
Singer/songwriter from Flesherton, Ontario
October 11, 2013 at The River Cafe, Owen Sound
AMY TOURLOUSSE was so excited about her debut album release concert. We were honoured to have shared this experience with her. This emerging musician is a talented, exciting and excited young singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
Local visual artist, Karen Roselie, painted a commemorative piece for Amy as a keep sake of her first Album Release. In it has the title of Amy's Album and the date.
Read MOre of Amy's Bio
Emerging Artist in the Toronto Music Scene, from London Ontario
September 30th, 2013 at The River Cafe, Owen Sound
Don Campbell gave a wonderful, moving, and inviting performance at the River Cafe. This successful event left people wanting more and people applauded the fact that this musician is community and family oriented. During his two day stay Don, checked out Inglis Falls, the Grey Roots Museum, Kilannan Brewery. The Toronto based singer/songwriter joined protesters at the Save the Bus Terminal Rally, purchased stuff at Fromogers Music Store, ate lunch at The Bean Cellar and gave his all during his concert at The River Cafe.
Check out more of Don Campbell
From Ottawa - July 7, 2013 at The River Cafe, Owen Sound
"Rose is by turns vulnerable and naive, streetwise and downright seductive, sometimes all in the same song. It’s an elusive, occasionally ambiguous quality - dangerous and impulsive one second, timid and innocent the next - that comes to define the warm, sonic purr of her resplendent debut.” (Ottawa XPress)
"Rose has a seductive, smoky voice and an ear for textured songs.” (National Post)
Check out her website here ---> www.shannonroseandthethorns.com
Shannon recently released a double CD concept album containing songs inspired by our beautiful Canadian seasons. The album "Seasons" along with others are available for purchase.
Shannon is recognized by the Ontario Arts Council.
She has been on CBC radio.
“[Shannon Rose] is a fantastic singer-songwriter, and has a way of transporting the listener to another, calmer place.” (Ottawa Citizen)
WE HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO HOST SHANNON AND HER HUSBAND STEVE in our area as she created her most recent music video with a professional film crew on the Bruce Peninsula! Way to go Shannon!!!!!!!!
PERFORMERS AT ONE OF OUR PRIVATE EVENTS
Tyler Wagler, David Sereda, Keira McArthur, Pete Devlin, Larry Jensen
With Spoken Word Performer Richard Sitoski
From Owen Sound - August 2013 at The River Cafe, Owen Sound
Singer/ Songwriter from Toronto
August 19th, 2013 at The River Cafe, Owen Sound
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Reversed! CT Supreme Court Reverses Superior Court; Clears Path For Activists To Nullify Millstone Water Discharge Permit
Millstone News, Press Releases, World News
Tagged with connecticut coalition against millstone, CT Supreme Court, CT Supreme Court Reverses Superior Court, federal Clean Water Act, Millstone nuclear power station, Nancy Burton, Nullify Millstone Water Discharge Permit
For Release December 13, 2016
Contact: Nancy Burton
NancyBurtonCT@aol.com
The Connecticut Supreme Court has reversed a lower court decision on the Millstone nuclear power station Clean Water Act permit, clearing the path for activists to nullify the permit on environmental grounds at an upcoming hearing.
The Waterford CT nuclear power plant’s Units 2 and 3 cannot legally operate without a valid discharge permit under the federal Clean Water Act, which is administered by the state DEEP.
Without a valid water discharge permit, Millstone would be forced to shut down.
The unanimous decision, authored by Chief Justice Chase P. Rogers, is to be officially released on December 13, 2016 in the case of Nancy Burton v. Commissioner of Environmental Protection, SC 19664. https://www.jud.ct.gov/external/supapp/Cases/AROcr/CR323/323CR10.pdf
Nancy Burton, director of the nuclear watchdog group Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone, brought the appeal after the Superior Court failed to hold a hearing under the Connecticut Environmental Protection Act as ordered by the Supreme Court in an earlier decision it had decided in Burton ’s favor in 2009. Burton v. Commissioner of Environmental Protection, 291 Conn. 789.
The Superior Court defied that remand order and, instead of conducting the hearing as ordered by the state’s highest court, dismissed Burton ’s case as moot.
“The plaintiff [ Burton ] contends on appeal that the trial court improperly granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss because this action is not moot,” Chief Justice Rogers wrote.
[0r “We agree,” she wrote.
Chief Justice Rogers continued:
“Because a determination [at an upcoming hearing] that the renewal proceeding was inadequate to protect the rights recognized under the state’s [Environmental Protection] act, could result in the invalidation of the 2010 permit under which Millstone is operating, the claims are not moot.”
In court papers, Burton argues that DEEP acted unlawfully in its review and approval of Millstone’s application to renew its Clean Water Act Permit by failing to conduct a fair hearing by stipulating in secret in advance with Dominion, Millstone’s owner, to approval of a renewed permit on terms Dominion advocated, including allowing it to continue to operate indefinitely with its once-through cooling system.
Among other issues, Burton claims that DEEP failed to consider the environmental benefits of Millstone conversion to closed cooling from its once-through cooling system – despite federal mandates that it do so – and that its action was driven by Dominion’s refusal in secret negotiations to consider conversion to closed cooling.
In support of such contention, Burton presented excerpts from Dominion representatives’ own sworn testimony during the contested permit renewal proceedings in 2009 to such effect.
DEEP, which had previously agreed that closed cooling was environmentally and legally required, drafted a decision to such effect, but reversed itself during the secret negotiations with Dominion at Dominion’s insistence, Burton ’s court filings assert.
Burton hailed the Supreme Court decision as an “outstanding recognition by the state’s highest court of the supremacy of the law to protect the fragile environment from unnecessaryand harmful degradation.”
A closed cooling system would virtually eliminate Millstone’s use of waters of the Long Island Sound for cooling and discharges of toxic and radioactive contaminants in addition to a constant thermal plume, Burton said.
The stunning Supreme Court victory came eighteen (18) years after Burton successfully brought suit to shut Millstone Unit 2 for 10 days during the peak of native Niantic River winter flounder larvae migration to the Long Island Sound. Annually, larvae were sucked by the millions into Millstone’s intake structures and destroyed.
That case, Fish Unlimited v. Northeast Utilities, was initiated at the behest of Joseph Besade, former Millstone pipefitter-turned Millstone whistleblower who spearheaded Fish Unlimited’s campaign in Connecticut.
In Fish Unlimited, the plaintiffs sought conversion of Millstone to closed cooling. The Supreme Court dismissed the case on grounds the plaintiffs had to seek their remedy through administrative proceedings before the DEEP which had not yet begun rather than obtain direct relief in the Superior Court.
In Fish Unlimited, the Supreme Court opined that DEEP would be sure to follow the letter of the Clean Water Act to weigh whether closed cooling was legally required.
Instead, in the proceedings at issue in the appeal just decided by the Supreme Court, DEEP secretly stipulated with Dominion to evade the requirements of the Clean Water Act, Burton said.
The case now returns for further proceedings on whether DEEP complied with the state’s Environmental Protection Act and whether the permit DEEP issued in 2010 should be nullified.
Tell EPA to Reject Proposed Drinking Water Quality Standards
HAIL CONNECTICUT’S SUPREME WATER PROTECTORS!
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Sign-in: Board Members | Media Outlets || Register Now.
Taking Issues from the Sidelines to the Headlines
The Secret Sauce Behind Leading Opponents of a Minimum Wage Increase
By LeeAnn Hall
By Saru Jayaraman
There's a heated debate going on in Congress and many state capitols this spring over raising the minimum wage. One of the key players -- and a vocal opponent of wage increases -- is the restaurant lobby, led by the National Restaurant Association (NRA).
So, when the Restaurant Association holds its annual lobby day in Washington, DC in late April, topping its agenda will be this: to stick a fork in the proposed federal minimum wage increase.
The NRA has an impressive track record on this score: Congress hasn't voted to increase the minimum wage since 2007, and the tipped minimum that applies to many restaurant workers remains frozen at $2.13 an hour... where it's been stuck since 1991.
Whose interests does the NRA represent? Its membership includes a kitchen sink list of corporate chains, including Darden Restaurants (parent company of Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and Capital Grille), YUM! Brands (parent of Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut), Walt Disney, McDonalds, Marriott, Sodexo, Aramark, Starbucks, and Coca-Cola -- all members of the Fortune 500 or Global 500.
But on its lobby day, the Restaurant Association will likely showcase "mom and pop" restaurants instead of corporate chains. If youre going to lobby against a publicly popular issue like a minimum wage increase, it's better optics to say youre speaking for the corner bakery than corporate chains like Taco Bell and Olive Garden.
So, on its DC lobby day, the NRA will cultivate a Main Street image. But the other 364 days of the NRA's year feature a different main ingredient: Washington insider influence-peddling that stacks the deck against low-wage workers.
The Restaurant Associations roster of registered lobbyists has grown substantially, even as more lobbying moves underground in Washington. From 2008 to 2013, the NRA more than doubled its count of registered lobbyists from 15 to 37, according to OpenSecrets.org. The member companies listed above added another 127 registered lobbyists last year.
The NRA's choice of lobbyists reflects a commitment to using the best ingredients, netting four mentions on The Hill's Top Lobbyists list for 2013. Or, you might say, the best-connected ingredients. The "secret sauce" behind the NRA's lobbying success? A heaping helping of revolving door influence.
Nothing symbolizes influence-peddling in Washington like the revolving door between Congress and K Street -- it's like Washingtons version of insider trading. Despite reforms passed in 2007, the revolving door spins faster than ever: according to the Sunlight Foundation, the share of active contract lobbyists who are revolvers increased from 18 percent in 1998 to 44 percent in 2012.
And, when it comes to using the revolving door to cook up insider influence, nobody does it like the National Restaurant Association.
Indeed, when the NRA doubled its lobbyist count, it didn't just pluck any old suits off the DC streets. It made a concerted investment: all the growth came from a four-fold increase in "insider trading" (ie, revolving door) lobbyists, from 6 in 2008 to 27 in 2013.
The NRA's 2013 insiders included nine "rapid revolvers" (who jumped from government jobs to lobbying jobs the same or the following year), six former congressional chiefs of staff, six former legislative directors, and various senior advisors, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
For perspective, compare the Restaurant Association's revolver profile to that of the other NRA powerhouse in Washington -- the National Rifle Association. While the two had virtually identical lobbyist counts last year (37 for restaurants, 33 for rifles), the Restaurant Association had nearly twice as many revolvers as the gun lobby (27 to 15).
The Restaurant Association's members have invested heavily in insiders, too: the companies listed above tripled their combined revolver count from 28 to 91 over 1998-2013 (their non-revolvers only increased from 28 to 36). Talk about super-sizing your insider influence.
So the Restaurant Association and its biggest members together have more than a hundred "insider trading" lobbyists pushing their agenda in Congress. How many do minimum wage workers have, again?
If it seems surprisingly hard to raise the minimum wage, despite overwhelming public support, we'll know why: the restaurant industry's legions of revolving door lobbyists are using their insider influence to keep a wage increase right where the NRA wants it: in the deep freezer.
Hall is the executive director of the Alliance for a Just Society, a national organizing and policy network that works with state-based organizations to build campaigns for economic and racial equity. Jayaraman is the Director of the Food Labor Research Center at UC Berkeley, the author of national best-seller Behind the Kitchen Door, and co-founder and co-director of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC United).
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Defining a Cluster of Differentiation, or CD
One of the goals of this blog is to introduce readers to some of the language of medicine. As much as jargon is sometimes unnecessary, sometimes the specificity and detail in medical terms aids precision.
So what is a cluster of differentiation, or CD?
In medical practice, the two-letter acronym specifies a molecule, or antigen, usually on a cell’s surface. In 1982, an international group of immunologists got together for the First International Workshop on Human Leukocyte Differentiation Antigens. The initial focus was on leukocyte (white blood cell) molecules. The goal was to agree on definitions of receptors and other complex proteins to which monoclonal antibodies bind, so that scientists could communicate more effectively.
A few examples of CDs about which you might be curious:
CD1 – the first-named CD; this complex glycoprotein is expressed in immature T cells, some B cells and other, specialized immune cells in the skin; there are several variants (CD1a, -b, -c…) encoded by genes on human chromosome 1.
CD4 – a molecule on a mature “helper” T cell surface; T lymphocytes with CD4 diminish in people with untreated HIV disease.
CD20 – a molecule at the surface of immature B lymphocytes that binds Rituxan, an antibody used to treat some forms of lymphoma, leukemia and immune disorders.
In this schematic, an antibody recognizes a specific molecule, or cluster of differentiation, at a cell surface.
The CDs were named (i.e. numbered) not necessarily by the order of discovery, but by the order of their being deemed as bona fide CDs by HLA Workshop participants. There’s a pretty good, albeit technical, definition in FEBS Letters, from 2009:
Cluster of differentiation (CD) antigens are defined when a surface molecule found on some members of a standard panel of human cells reacts with at least one novel antibody, and there is good accompanying molecular data.
Perhaps the best way to think about CDs is that they’re unique structures, usually at a cell’s surface, to which specific antibodies bind. By knowing the CDs, and by examining which antibodies bind to cells in a patient’s tumor specimen, pathologists can distinguish among cancer types. Another use is in the clinic, when oncologists give an antibody, like Campath – which binds CD52, the responsiveness might depend on whether the malignant cells bear the CD target.
Still, I haven’t come across an official (such as NIH), open-source and complete database for all the CDs. Most can be found at the Human Cell Differentiation Molecules website, and information gleaned through PubMed using the MeSH browser or a straight literature search.
Wikipedia is disappointing on this topic; the list thins out as the CD numbers go higher, and the external references are few. To my astonishment, I found a related page on Facebook. Neither makes the grade.
Where should patients get information about these kinds of things? Or doctors, for that matter?
What is the Disease Control Rate in Oncology?
What Is a Cancer Metastasis?
What is a Cybrarian?
TV Meets Real Life Oncology, and Anticipating the MCATs
By Elaine Schattner, MD|May 17th, 2011|Diagnosis, Empowered Patient, Immunology, language, Medical Education, Oncology (cancer), Science|2 Comments|
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Middleton Park House Hotel
Middleton Park House Hotel, Irelands Premier Wedding Venue
Bars and Dining
Author: mph
Middleton Park House – Make your own history in an historic setting
A mile-long avenue weaves its way through tall, lush trees – suddenly the trees clear and one of Ireland’s most stunning country houses stands before you. Welcome to Middleton Park House.
Built between 1840 and 1850, during the Great Famine, this historic house was designed by George Papworth, who was also the architect for Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin’s city centre as well as other stunning designs around the country.
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The house was built for George Rochfort-Boyd, who was descended from the Earls of Belvedere. The Rochforts came to Ireland as part of the Cromwellian settlement and originally controlled vast estates in excess of 25,000 acres.
Middleton Park House was designed to be a technical wonder of its age. It had its own gashouse, where coal was converted to gas to fuel the boilers. The house has an extraordinary heating system buried in its walls, which circulated heated air.
It utilised the most modern materials of the time including cast iron beams for structural supports in the vaulted basement, instead of the usual timber.
Although constructed well into the Victorian era,Middleton Park House was built in a classical Georgian style, as opposed to the prevailing Victorian Gothic. Only the very best craftsmen and materials were used and it is a testimony to those craftsmen and materials that Middleton Park House has stood the test of time since then.
The house and estate remained in the Rochfort-Boyd family until the late 1950s, when it was sold. Since then it has seen many owners, the most colourful of whom was Barney Curly, who famously raffled it in 1986!
This is a wonderfully symmetrical Georgian property, lovingly restored over two years by its current owner.
From the plasterwork, which was re-moulded and set, to the wallpaper, which was recreated following the discovery of a piece of the original design in one of the rooms, every detail has been considered. The design allows brides and grooms to experience the best day of their lives surrounded by family and friends in a truly historical and much loved property.
The centerpiece at Middleton Park House is the stunning entrance hall and sweeping stone cantilevered bifurcated staircase – regarded as one of the finest in Ireland. The feature is simply made for photos and gives Middleton its wow factor and a real fairytale feel.
Middleton also boasts one of only six Richard Turner conservatories to be found in Ireland. Turner is best known for his conservatory design of the Palm House at Kew Gardens in London and his glasshouses at the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin. The magnificent example at Middleton of Turner’s genius and period use of ironwork is the ideal setting for photos and in which to entertain and impress your guests.
Middleton Park House accommodates only one wedding per day on an exclusive-use basis. This is their commitment to each bride and groom.
A special “Night Before Your Wedding Day” rate is also offered.
With a church just 10 minutes away in Castletown, Middleton is also licensed to hold civil ceremonies.
Wedding co-ordinators Shauna Fitzsimons and Jeremy Levasseur are on hand to provide a full planning and co-ordination service, so every last detail of your day will be special.
The Middleton team will be delighted to assist you with any issue as you plan your day – whether you are looking for advice on menu content, timing of events or anything else.
Whether you are planning a grand event or something smaller and more intimate, the team at Middleton Park House will take care of everything so that you can relax and enjoy the experience to the full.
Around the gallery landing in the main house there are four suites, each with its own private sitting room and private bathroom. They offer splendid views of Lough Ennell and the beautiful wooded grounds.
In addition, 12 well-appointed bedrooms – all with private bathrooms – are located in the Bell Tower Wing attached to the main house.
All the rooms have been sensitively decorated with elegance and comfort in mind. Far from being intimidated by
the house’s stately grandeur, you will feel totally at home and in the lap of luxury.
The high ceilings in the drawing room, cocktail bar, library and banqueting hall display fine examples of handcrafted cornices and coving and give each room its own unique point of interest.
At Middleton Park House a wide choice of menu options are offered for your wedding meal. They pride themselves on the quality and choice available.
They are also happy to help in your choice of wines, with an extensive wine cellar to suit all tastes. A full bar is available and of course a bar extension is possible on your wedding night too.
A sample wedding menu might include: Pernod infused parsnip with spinach quenelles to start; for the main course: roast rack of lamb with champ mash and thyme jus, or fire-grilled jumbo prawns on Asian noodle salad with orange oil and toasted sesame seeds; to finish: fresh passion fruit cheesecake with raspberry sorbet.
With its fine-dining restaurant, friendly staff, gorgeous accommodation and historic setting, you’re sure to enjoy your stay at Middleton Park House. Their policy is simple – “that you have the best day of your life at Middleton Park House”.
Middleton Park House has a wealth of Dining options including.
Rochforts Ballroom
Turner Conservatory
Barneys Bar
Kitchen Breakfast Room
We have the Rochfort Room seating up to 220 , The Long hall seating 100, the Turner conservatory (spring/summer only), the Kitchen Bistro (seating 50) and Barneys Bar. We serve Sunday lunch from 12 to 4.30 each week without booking. Evening dining and lunch are available on other days subject to booking. We can cater for all types of functions, be it corporate events, family occasions such as parties, clubs and community events
Middleton has over the years developed a well-deserved reputation for its quality of food. Our food is prepared in house by our own chefs using Irish sourced ingredients where possible We have a selection of house wines to choose from and can source most wines on request.
We have extensive menus designed for all occasions, be it a lunch, buffet, BBQ, dining, or Banquet. Please enquire. We can cater for most dietary requirements and are happy to tailor a menu to suit the needs of larger groups
Contact us for details on menus and options available.
See our fabulous Sunday Lunch Menu.
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Upcoming phones: The future smartphones of 2020
Pocket-lint 09-01-2020 pocket-lint.com
With the pace of smartphone evolution moving so fast, there's always something waiting in the wings. No sooner have you spied the latest handset, that there's anticipation for the next big thing.
© Provided by Pocket Lint Limited Best Upcoming Smartphones The Future Phones Of 2018 image 2
Here we look at those phones that haven't yet launched, the upcoming phones for 2020. We'll be updating this list on a regular basis, with those device rumours we think are credible and exciting.
As for already-launched handsets, we've rounded up the best smartphones for 2019 elsewhere — those we consider to be the best across all platforms. If your budget is a little smaller, there is also our budget smartphones for under £200 feature — and there's a mid-range roundup up to £400 as well.
The upcoming generation of phones
Before we dive into the detail, here are some of the anticipated handsets for 2020:
Samsung Galaxy S11 & S11+ / S20
Samsung's second Fold
Nokia 8.2 5G
Xiaomi Mi 10 & Mi 10 Pro
Sony Xperia 5 Plus/Next Xperia phone
Apple iPhone SE 2/iPhone 9
Oppo Find X2
Huawei P40 & P40 Pro
OnePlus 8 & 8 Pro
Apple iPhone 12 5G
Nokia 9.2 PureView
© Provided by Pocket-lint Upcoming Phones The Future Smartphones Of 2018 image 5
There has been a flood of rumours for the Samsung's 2020 phones and Samsung has scheduled Galaxy Unpacked for 11 February were this phone is likely to launch. It's said that the punch hole in the display will be getting smaller - following the path the Note 10 took - and that it will have that Auro Glow colour, but the real story is likely to be about integrated 5G. Will the SGS11 just offer handsets that work on all bands? It's also thought that the camera module on the back will grow - big cameras, it seems, are now a thing. It's also suggested it might be called the S20 instead of S11.
© Provided by Pocket-lint Actual Phones image 2
Samsung Galaxy Fold 2
Another Samsung phone rumoured to be launching on 11 February is the Fold 2, or SM-F700. It's a clamshell-style folding phone with a 6.7-inch display. It's rumoured to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, but the price is supposed to be a lot lower than the previous folding phone from Samsung.
Nokia and Qualcomm have been talking up affordable 5G handsets based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Series hardware. We know they are coming but we don't know a lot more about what these phones will offer - besides faster connection speeds. What's confirmed is that we'll get a 5G Nokia phone and it's likely to appear at MWC 2020. We suspect it will be called the Nokia 8.2 because that's a mid-range phone waiting to be upgraded - and we think it will run the Snapdragon 765.
Xiaomi has confirmed that the Mi 10 will be launching in 2020 and has revealed one important detail - that it's going to be one of the first phones to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 platform. We suspect that means that the Mi 10 will be announced ahead of the pack, perhaps in January for China, followed by a global launch in February. We're also expecting two variants of this phone, a Pro model with 108-megapixel camera and the regular with a 64-megapixel main camera.
Sony Xperia 5 Plus / Next Xperia phone
Appearing under the name Xperia 5 Plus, this phone could be called all sorts of things. There's a few details that have leaked along with these images, showing a flattened-edge design and lots of cameras on the rear. It looks like Sony is stick to 21:9 for the display, be reducing those bezels for a better result. We're expecting this to be flagship grade and with a 6.6-inch display it's going to be pretty big.
The standout feature for the LG G9 appears to be the camera system on the back of the phone. The display is around 6.6 inches, and the design overall looks a lot like the LG G8, except for the camera changes on the rear. That looks like the focus for LG, boosting the camera performance in this phone.
© Provided by Pocket-lint Actual Phones image 29
This one comes around every year, but now we have a better idea of Apple's next affordable phone. Rumours say that the iPhone SE 2 - or iPhone 9 as it might be called - will basically be an updated version of the iPhone 8. It will be designed to be affordable to draw people into the Apple system without having to pay big bucks for the latest models.
The original Oppo Find X wanted to fix the notch problem by having a pop-up camera. Now there's reports that Oppo is going to use an under-display camera for the next iteration of the Find X, due to launch in 2020. Paired with Snapdragon 865 — something Oppo has already confirmed — it could be a really interesting phone.
Huawei hasn't had an easy ride in 2019, but it still has a huge market in China that's not affected by the US trade bans that affect its business in other regions of the globe. Despite this, there's plenty of rumours circulating about the new phone. We're expecting it to launch in Paris in March and that it will have a 64-megapixel main camera, part of a five-camera Leica system. While it won't launch with Google services, Huawei will offer alternatives to keep you connected.
The design of the OnePlus 8 has already leaked - and it's got a punch hole front camera on the display. Basically, it looks like a Samsung phone, with a curved display, the punch hole and a triple camera on the rear. We'd expect this phone to launch on the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 hardware, and probably see a launch around April 2020. There will also be an 8 Pro and we're expecting a 120Hz display on these phones.
OnePlus looks like it's going to offer an affordable phone of its own in the OnePlus 8 Lite. This phone might sit on MediaTek hardware and make a few compromises, but may well offer a more affordable entry point to OnePlus' devices. It's rumoured to be launching alongside the OnePlus 8 — and it could well be an affordable 5G handset too.
Google's affordable handset offers access to that great Google camera, but in a phone that's more affordable. It looks like there's going to be a Pixel 4a to appeal to those on a tighter budget, along with a punch hole front camera, 3.5mm headphone socket and a single camera on the back. We're expecting to see it launch around May 2020. It's rumoured that we're not getting a 4a XL in 2020, however.
Apple iPhone 12 and iPhone 5G
With the iPhone 11 series launched and out of the way, the big question over 5G remains. Apple had said it wouldn't launch a 5G phone in 2019 and it didn't — but long before the iPhone 11 surfaced there were rumours about the 2020 iPhone - the iPhone 12. There's talk of a new squarer design, no notch, 5G and OLED displays for all three models. But is this just a fan wishlist?
Also watch: Best smartphones of 2019 (Video by ANI)
Welcome CAA but never demanded exclusion of one religion: Manjinder Sirsa
jan20v62.jpg
Asian News International
The Dargah of Hazrat Niyaz Ahmad Sahib acting as a binding force between different religions
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Kim Sharma celebrates birthday with industry friends
Will launch people's movement against MP's Collector behavior towards pro-CAA protesters: Shivraj Chouhan
'Saksham Cycle Day-2020' kicks off in Agartala
Bhupinder Hooda says states can't say no to CAA, but wants law's legality tested
Watch: NCP leader Jitendra Awhad's passionate and aggressive speech against CAA, NRC
CM Kejriwal holds roadshow enroute filing nomination
PM Modi tells students to remember Ind-Aus Kolkata test during de-motivating times
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It'll help people: DGP Dilbag Singh on de-radicalisation centres in Kashmir
South India gets first squadron of Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter jets
SU-30MKI will provide integrated support to Indian Navy: CDS
The word on the street is that Nokia wants to update the Nokia 9, but to get it on Snapdragon 865 it's delaying until later in 2020 - most likely IFA in August. That's probably because of the work needed to get the camera system working on the new hardware. Where was the Nokia 9.1? A rumoured Snapdragon 855 version never appeared, which might account for the 9.1
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Microsoft might launch a second, cheaper Xbox in late 2020
FIFA 20 demo available for PS4, Xbox One and PC now
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Home > Landscapes recalled: watercolours of Rome between 1876 and 1895 by Ettore Roesler Franz
Landscapes recalled: watercolours of Rome between 1876 and 1895 by Ettore Roesler Franz
The districts, narrow streets and houses of times past shown in the watercolours painted by Ettore Roesler Franz (1845-1907) provide a record and a reminder of how Rome looked up until the end of the 19th century.
Today, to mark the passing of the one hundred year’s since he died, the city pays homage to the artist with this magnificent exhibition entitled “Landscapes recalled: watercolours of Rome between 1876 and 1895 by Ettore Roesler Franz” that opened in the Museum of Rome in Trastevere on 19 December 2007 and will run until 24 March 2008.
The exhibition is the fruit of a joint effort by the City of Rome’s Office for Cultural Policies and the Department for Cultural Promotion and Co-operation at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs who renewed and formalized their long-standing collaboration and commitment to promoting cultural events by the signing of a Document of Intent on April 3, 2007 at the City Offices known as the Campidoglio.
The Museum of Rome in Trastevere is a long standing symbol of the life of ordinary Romans and a selection of Roesler Franz watercolours painted between the end of the 18th and during the 19th century have always been part of it’s permanent collection so it is a fitting first host to an exhibition that will then take to the road, stopping off in various Italian Cultural Institutes in both Eastern and Northern Europe.
A true master of the difficult techniques used in watercolours and a polyglot artist with a cosmopolitan mentality who was never-the-less strongly attached to his native city, Ettore Roesler Franz used his art to bear witness to the tremendous changes that took place in Rome once it had been proclaimed capital of Italy in 1870 and following the city’s last, disastrous flood at the end of that same year. The rapidity of the modernization process that the swept the city forwards was the trigger for the artist to paint and photograph the parts of the city being redeveloped and those most at risk of being demolished and disappearing forever, in particular, along the banks of the River Tiber – where existing buildings were destroyed in order to make way for the high retaining walls of the embankment built as a defence against future floods – as well as Piazza Venezia, the Ghetto and the historic districts of Borgo, Trastevere and Monti all of which lost important architectural, artistic and other urban features that represented Rome’s past.
79 of the 120 watercolours produced by the artist between 1876 and 1895 can be admired in the “Recollections of the Past” exhibition that encompasses both the left and right banks of the Tiber in order to tell the story of how life really was in the different districts depicted.
A few self portraits and paintings of the artist’s family are also on show, as are 15 paintings featuring the aqueducts that run through the Roman countryside. These “water giants” are grandiose bridges often featured by Roman artists and their paintings were almost an open invitation to the observer to seek out these evocative and little known landmarks of the rural surroundings. Every single painting is an anthropologically sensitive representation of the many aspects of daily life in a city that still enjoyed the social and human dynamics of a village. These watercolours of a Rome that no longer exists provide a detailed account of the traditional skills, knowledge and activities, now long forgotten, connected to the economy of the river. The construction of the embankment walls along the Tiber meant that although the
problems caused by flooding were resolved, many livelihoods that depended on the river were destroyed:
Water carriers, tanners, those who made terracotta cooking pots and dishes, dyers, ferrymen, millers, fishermen, wood-carriers, bargees, washer-women, the men who quarried river sand, and Tiber boatmen generally all slowly disappeared; a world and a way of life that the 120 watercolours painted by this Roman landscape artist documented in full in three separate series, each of 40 paintings. His first Roman paintings to show the ending of an era were exhibited in the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in 1883, the year of its inauguration. Leopoldo Torlonia, Rome’s Mayor at that time, was directly responsible for purchasing the collection, which cost the city 18,000 lire. The last two series however, were bought for a total of 35,000 lire the year after Roesler Franz died - but only after several council debates on the subject. The complete collection was shown for the first time in the Castel Sant’Angelo during the Universal Exhibition of Rome in 1911.
Best known as the watercolours of “Roma sparita” – vanished Rome - the collection was first housed in the Palazzetto della Farnesina in via Baullari and only later transferred to the newly inaugurated site of the Museum of Rome in Piazza Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth Square) that closed in 1939 because of the war. In 1952 they were moved to the museum’s new site in the Palazzo Braschi, but in 1980, the first 28 paintings from the collection were sent to the newly opened Folklore Museum in Trastevere where they are still exhibited today, although for limited periods and on a rotation basis with the rest of the collection.
Ettore Roesler Franz, landscape artist and guardian of the city’s memory, travelled the length and breadth of Italy and Europe as previous exhibitions prove: 46 in Italy and 23 abroad. He was particularly drawn to Britain – in fact all his painting materials, the paper, paints and brushes he used came from there – and it was a country he returned to time and time again as well as the place that most buyers of his works came from. In the 35 or so years that he spent painting, this genial landscape artist who was a great admirer of Turner, Constable and above all of Corot, painted more than 1000 watercolours and not only founded a Society for Watercolorists in Rome but acted as its President many times. He only ever painted around 15 canvases in oil however and produced just a few works in tempera. Watercolours were his passion and he firmly believed that they were the best medium for capturing rural landscapes and in particular the transparent quality of sky and water.
His favourite subjects included the countryside around Rome and the rest of Lazio as well as the nearby Abruzzi region, views of Tivoli and the English landscape. He will always however be associated with and most famous for his three series of “Roma sparita” that are still as evocative as ever and allow us to imagine life in Rome as it once was - and is no more.
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Exhibition|Modern Art
Paesaggi della memoria. Gli acquerelli romani di Ettore Roesler Franz dal 1876 al 1895
Tittoni M. E.; Pirani F.; Fornasiero P.
brossura cucito con bandelle; cm 24,5x29; pp. 288
Italiano/Inglese
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Slaughterhouse Review
Slaughterhouse is a unique film to say the least. In fact it doesn't get a lot of the credit it deserves. Its a combination of horror and comedy that never really got the respect it deserved. It has a small cult following that has grown over the years but not much else.
Also know as Pig Farm Massacre, Slaughterhouse came out in 1987 a great year for horror films, especially with the big video rental bomb that was taking place. Its the story of Lester Bacon, an old school pig slaughterer who likes to make sure everything is skinned by hand in the old school ways as the new machine slaughterhouses ruin the integrity of the meat.
He lives with his son, a large dimwit who snorts like a pig named Buddy. Buddy is trained in the old school slaughter ways which is good for him as he is also a deranged killer.
See Lester is about to lose his house for his land which sits by an old slaughterhouse to the bank to make way for a brand new slaughterhouse coming to the town. :ester doesn't want to sell it. He is given a choice to sell of the bank will foreclose in 30 days. Well seeing as how Buddy is a whack job Lester just tells his son they are going to kill anyone who steps foot on their property.
As luck would have it, the sheriff's daughter and her friends are making a shot on video horror film and decided the old abandoned slaughterhouse would be a great place to film it. This of course leads to Buddy and Lester slaughtering a group of people.
The film features lots of gore and practice special effects. Murder by saw, stabbings, and even skinning's take place through out the course of the film. So for horror and slasher fans in general there is more than enough blood and goings on to keep you entertained.
Having never really had a nice release I was thrilled that Vinegar Syndrome had acquired the rights and have no released in on a special edition Blu-ray complete with special features
• Region free Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack
• All extras included on both Blu-ray and DVD
• Newly scanned and restored in 2k from 35mm Interpositive
• Commentary track with Director Rick Roessler, Producer Jerry Encoe & Production Designer Michael Scaglione
• New video interview with Lead Actress Sherry Bendorf Leigh
• “Making a Low Budget Indie” – Featurette with Rick Roessler
• “Producing Slaughterhouse” – Interview with Jerry Encoe
• Archival interviews with Rick Roessler & Jerry Encoe
• “Epilogue: 30 Years After the Slaughter”
• Radio interview featurette from 1987
• Local news coverage from the theatrical premiere
• Behind the scenes featurette
• Outtakes
• “No Smoking” SLAUGHTERHOUSE snipe
• Multiple theatrical trailers, tv & radio spots
• Shooting script gallery
• Reversible cover artwork
• English SDH Subtitles
The transfer in both video and audio presentation look fantastic. If you are a fan this is the definitive version to get. If you have never seen it before you should definitely check this out.
Overall 3 out of 5 Stars!
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Quarter Square by David Bridger
Quarter Square
Urban fantasy is my favorite sub-genre. I love the idea that something magical and extraordinary might be just on the other side of an alley wall or just around a corner. But since urban fantasy has come to encompass the plethora of vampire and werewolf novels that take place within a city, the kind of story that I enjoy doesn’t come along as often. So, I’m quite happy with David Bridger’s Quarter Square, a novella that hops back and forth between our world and one just beyond the next doorway.
(Description nicked from B&N.com.)
“English carpenter Joe Walker thinks his life is over when he discovers his wife and best friend having an affair. Restoring an abandoned theatre offers little hope for a fresh start…until he follows a group of strangers through a hidden door into a world he never could have imagined.
In the haven known as Quarter Square, Joe encounters a community of supernatural street performers who straddle the mortal world and the magic realm known as the Wild. Here, Joe finds a sense of belonging he’s never known before—and a chance to uncover the truth behind the frightening visions that have haunted him since childhood. He also meets Min, an enchanting singer who quickly captures his heart.
But as Joe settles into Quarter Square, he learns their haven is under attack, while an ancient enemy threatens to tear him and Min apart. Now, Joe must learn to wield his own powers in order to save the life he’s come to love…”
As I read this, I was put in mind of an urban fantasy version of Mercedes Lackey’s Bardic Voices series. There’s quite a bit of music and magic and performance woven throughout this story, and it makes for an engaging backdrop. I happen to think that artistic performance is an underrated way to convey the use of magic in fiction, and I’m always pleased to see it crop up.
The characters, despite the shorter length of the narrative, are fairly well drawn. Watching Joe work through his anger and despair at the breakdown of his marriage is poignant and realistic. Min is a bit more mysterious–although readers do learn about her, she wasn’t quite as fully realized as Joe. The various people who populate the background are obviously not given as much time as Joe and Min, but nonetheless they flesh out the tale quite nicely without the need for tons of exposition.
My only complaint about this tale is the pacing. Bridger has a really good story here, but his manner of telling it seemed uneven. Readers barely get to spend time in Quarter Square before Joe and Min are off somewhere else, and they spend a good chunk of the story in that other place. I think the story would have flowed more smoothly if more time had been given to Quarter Square (strengthening the urban fantasy setting) and less time was spent away from it.
Even so, I enjoyed Quarter Square and was sorry to see it end. I’ll be keeping an eye out for Bridger’s next foray into this world, because it’s one that I would love to revisit.
This review appeared on Owlcat Mountain on August 29, 2011.
Series: Wild Times
Page Count: n/a
Acquired: Provided as an e-ARC through NetGalley
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Book review: The Hidden Art of Disney's Musical Years – The 1940s, Part One by Didier Ghez
Those of you who have read my blog before will already know that I'm obsessed with musicals and books, but another passion of mine that doesn't always get the airtime on here that it deserves is Disney. I've been a big fan of the movies, the theme parks and all the merchandise you can imagine since I was a little kid and discovering new Disney gems still get me as excited now as they did all those years ago, whether it's visiting a new theme park (so far I've been to the ones in Paris, LA and Tokyo), watching a new animated film or reading an incredibly in-depth insight into the magical history of a brand I adore so much. The Hidden Art of Disney's Musical Years – The 1940s, Part One brings together my passions for musicals, reading and Disney in one gorgeously illustrated and comprehensive package, detailing the scope and depth of concept art that made the 1940s Disney animations such classics.
Created by Disney expert Didier Ghez, who has been researching Disney since the mid '80s and has written many articles and books on the parks, animations, vintage Disneyana, the Disney Studios and its animators, this book provides an incredible insight into a part of Disney history not often explored.
The 1940s are an iconic period when it comes to Disney musicals, encompassing classics such as Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi and Alice in Wonderland. Yet the concept artists behind these animated films, and many future classics as well, aren't names that the general public automatically associate with these films. This new book finally puts the spotlight on the incredible talent of a selection of these artists; Walt Scott, Kay Nielsen, Sylvia Holland, Retta Scott and David Hall.
The Hidden Art of Disney's Musical Years – The 1940s, Part One is a big book, and it is completely filled with stunning art bringing the well-known classics and lesser know Disney animations from the 1940s to life. From early sketches that were discarded to finished designs, and illustrated with excerpts from the artists' biographies and private letters, this is a rare look into the process of creating a Disney classic. Many of the art featured within the book comes from private collections and so has never before been seen by the general public. It makes it all really rather special.
The book is clearly divided into different sections for each of the aforementioned artists and is set against the backdrop of a world in turmoil with part of Disney's flourishing 1940s musical years of course coinciding with the Second World War. So this comprehensive work does not only provide a fascinating insight into the often lesser known names behind the Disney magic, but it intertwines this with a part of history that is very well known, making it an even more interesting portrait of the decade it is focused on.
There aren't enough words for me to express how incredibly beautiful and special this book is (hence the selection of photos in this review, after all they say a picture is worth a thousand words). Each time I thought I'd seen the most incredible designs within this book that were most definitely my favourite, I turned the page to discover something else incredible that had me in awe.
I particularly loved that the book provided a mixture of concept art from lesser known and highly popular animated features, showing the incredible scope of work that was created by these talented Disney artists in the 1940s.
This isn't a read cover-to-cover in a single sitting kind of book. It's a dip in and out book that you'd want to savour as long as possible. It brings the magic of Disney alive on the page like nothing else I've ever seen; expanding this imaginative world in a beautiful way that is both fascinating to existing Disney fanatics such as myself as well as insightful for those who have a more casual interest in the history of film, Disney, and/or concept art.
The Hidden Art of Disney's Musical Years – The 1940s, Part One writes about art and shows readers sensational art at different stages of the design process, but most of all it is a work of art in its own right. This is one of the most beautiful books I've ever had the joy to explore, and its comprehensive insight into the road to creating Disney magic, combined with the stunning illustrations, result in an enchanting book that is personifies what Disney is all about.
Many thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.
The Hidden Art of Disney's Musical Years – The 1940s, Part One is published by Chronicle Books on 30 August 2016 and you can pre-order the book now from Foyles or your own preferred retailer.
Labels: category: books, entry: book review, genre: adult, genre: history, genre: non-fiction, rating: 5 stars
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The lives of students at Our Lady of Black Rock are enriched by the education they receive and the opportunities to join in on many activities and events. We are very blessed here to have a dedicated faculty who willingly offer to moderate the wide range of activities during and after school.
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Attempts to resolve the Quandary:
"I might as well tell you now," said Major J Alfred Prufrock, addressing both Vlado and Olga, "one of Hya Loid's jokes – the one about the guy suffering from vexillology, the flag one, was a coded message to Holly and me: the State Department has signed off on the Stink Bomb, which means you have their approval for the mission, it's all systems Go!" but all he received from Vlado was a scowl, as if to say, it's my mission, my operation, who cares about your State Department, and Prufrock rather agreed, but there was more: "and when Ginger sang the Hut Sut song, that was to let us know that immediately after the bomb goes off, we're into Operation Lessepsian which is going to get the four of us, plus Palestrina, Gertie, Prince Hubertus and Elizabeth out of the country using a network of canals. . . . ." but Vlado growled: "no canals, no fucking way, I don't do boats!" at which Holly entreated him to listen: "the Jews call them canals, and it's their Operation, but it's a network of safe-houses and couriers to smuggle people out of Germany, the small ones feed into a main route called Suez and the whole thing is named after the guy who built the Suez Canal, but definitely No Boats!" at which Vlado apologised and admitted that he couldn't swim and had a violent fear of drowning; so Prufrock said: "we'll be whisked away even before the smoke clears, in a van, that's all we know – they have very tight security, everyone knows only the bare minimum so even if someone's caught and tortured they can give away nothing of value, everyone else will have disappeared and shut down that section of the network; so it's all pos – pos for the Bomb and pos for the escape," and Olga asked, "why do you pause it as soon as you say go ahead?" and Holly laughed: "he's so Ivy League, Olga, Harvard men have their own pronunciation of words and their own language, he said pos, which is short for positive, so one last drink and we should all try to get some shut-eye before the kite goes up."
(by MissTeriWoman)
The Quandary for Saturday, December 07, 2019 consisted of:
hyaloid
Lessepsian
pos, adj. (and adv.)
Challenge: use all four words together in one illustrative sentence.
Since September 2009, word lovers have offered 7573 sentences — each one a surprise — to QQ's unique and growing library. Explore other Quandaries through our word list or the calendar below. View yesterday's QQ resolutions or pick a day at random.
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Crime, Drama, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Thriller
Asuran Review
November 10, 2019 rajasaravanan Leave a comment
Asuran Review – Asuran is a Tamil crime thriller released in 2019. When powerful landlords in the village, try to overpower the poor farmers to take over the land, the family of Sivasami doesn’t budge and the following events turn into an endless revenge saga between families.
I always wish that Indian directors make movies on already written material than trying to create material on their own every time. Director Vetrimaaran has taken a step if followed by other fellow directors in this country could change the landscape of Indian Cinema in a positive way. Kudos to him for making a movie based on a novel Vekkai by Poomani. This makes the content very rich, characterization very deep-rooted and overall movie a very engaging one.
I haven’t read the novel so I may not be able to comment on how much true to the book the movie has been. My analysis is mostly on the structure of the movie. The structure of the screenplay is much akin to the structure of the cult classic commercial movie Baasha. Due to the rural treatment and the message in the movie, it also resembles Devar Magan in many ways. An innocent protagonist, who doesn’t raise voice against atrocities has a dark past in which he is akin to a menacing Villain, the secret breaks right at the interval block and then dwells into the past to establish the gory side of the protagonist, coming back to the present to close the proceedings. While many directors have tried to emulate the success of these movies have miserably failed, Vetrimaaran banked on the content which eventually created a successful product.
I was very intrigued by the fact of the choice of the name Asuran. In Hindu mythology, the Asuras were always looked down upon by the Devas and were constantly at war between each other. Devas also made peace with Asuras whenever they needed some work to be done with them like in the case of churning the ocean to create Amruth. In the movie too, the landlord keeps a good pact with Dhanush till he is preparing liquor that helps his business grow. It is only later he realizes where his real place is and things change. Even the scenes involving the insult of the upper cast before women, the insult he takes for her laughing and the way he avenges for it are all in correlation to the Deva and Asura wars. In that way, it is a befitting the title.
The characters are sketched well. Although Dhanush becomes of prime importance in the second half, other characters still have a convincing life cycle. It is nice to see Pasupathi and Prakash Raj on screen after a while. The choice of Manu Warrier to play Dhanush wife as well is a great choice. She has a lot more scope in the first half of the movie.
The locations in which the movie is shot adds a more convincing tone to the whole narration. In particular, the forest sequences are taken very well. The background score is the soul of the movie and GV Prakash has done a phenomenal job in scoring the BGM.
High Points – Strong content, Interval Block, background score, depth of characters, visuals of the forest sequence, action blocks, raw treatment
Low Points – Too much violence might not appeal to everyone.
Overall Asuran is a very well made commercial crime thriller. It has all the ingredients that would keep you glued to the chair until the end and leave you with a powerful message. It is now available in Amazon Prime.
AsuranBaashacrime dramaDevar MaganDhanushIndian MythologyManju WarrierMovie based on novelPasupathyPoomaniPrakash RaiRural SubjectTamilVekkaiVetrimaaranViolence
Comedy, Drama, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies
Super Deluxe Review
July 29, 2019 rajasaravanan Leave a comment
Super Deluxe Review – Super Deluxe is a Tamil neo-noir film released in 2019. The story follows the lives of 3 different set of people dealing with different taboos in life and how each of their life influences the outcome of the other.
It is almost impossible to write a review of Super Deluxe without giving away the plot. So if you haven’t watched the movie, do watch it before you continue reading this review.
There are movies that you walk into the theater with a different expectation in mind and the movie is not even a bit of what you had expected it to be. But later as you sink it in you understand the depth of the plot, the construct, the dialogues and all of a sudden everything falls so perfectly in place that you would want to yell “Wow! What a brilliant movie”. The phrase from the song from Delhi Belly “I hate you like I love you” fits in so perfect for the movie.
If you walk in expecting an Aaranya Kaandam you would be largely disappointed. Rather if you let Super Deluxe be it what it is supposed to be then you would appreciate the nuances and the beauty of the neo-noir film. There are actually 4 different threads of the plot that is intelligently arranged in so that it becomes a compelling tale.
You might feel why are you watching it as you start watching it for it is going to make you uncomfortable by breaking all the rules. As you watch it till the end it leaves a great after taste that you can savor for long.
Through the 4 different tales, director Thiagarajan Kumararaja questions the very sense of right or wrong, good or evil. Just like how the day merges into the night and the night into the day, good merges with evil and the vice versa. Time can alter how things are perceived. He questions the existence of God in a statue, while he is making the curse of a Eunuch become true. A girl having an extramarital affair doesn’t mean that she is characterless. Porn stars are there to perform as the market for porn is out there. Who is to be blamed? He even teases the whole plot by getting in an Alien. As you just begin thinking what an absurdity, the alien questions your very thought process by telling, “Why do you think Aliens would just come to America?”. The climax though a bit preachy but a brilliant one as you see the gem of the advice coming in through the narrator in the porn movie who explains the meaning of life and everything. He teases the audience there too, by telling you might just end up thinking of this as a porn movie and miss the essence of it.
High Points: The performances of Vijay Sethupathi, Samantha, Fahad Fasil and the kid Ashwath. The plot and the questions around stereotype that is embedded in the plot. The quirky dialogues in the movie. The Climax, the Cinematography.
Low Points: The length of the movie and the complex plot would have been a let down for many. But if you love the movie you will feel it justified.
Overall, Super Deluxe is a movie that beats the logic of the predictable formula in movies. You might have seen such brilliant non-linear work with Tarantino, Frank Miller, and Guy Ritchie. Thiagarajan Kumararaja does it for a Tamil movie that is going to yet again become a cult hit like his first outing.
Action, Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch
Petta Review
January 22, 2019 rajasaravanan Leave a comment
Petta Review – Petta is a Tamil action drama released in 2019. Kaali an elderly man joins as a temporary hostel warden in an arts college. There seems to be a hidden agenda behind his move which forms the core plot of Petta.
Petta, a fanboy film of Rajnikanth works its magic in bringing back many nostalgic memories of Rajnikanth movies in terms of shots, action blocks and situations. One big thing that it misses out is on the emotional connection to the character played by Rajnikanth on screen. Barring that it is an out and out entertainer. Like as in flashback sequences for Shankar, twists have become the regular feature in director Karthik Subburaj’s films. Personally, for me, the twists haven’t worked while it seems to have worked with many audiences. The twist of the tale in Jigarthanda and Pizza too did not work for me.
Petta’s first half is a wholesome entertainer, it has comedy, love, action sequences, songs, Thalaivar Swag all making it very enjoyable. The second half narrates an entirely a different story on a different canvas, that almost makes the first half irrelevant to the whole plot. The high orchestration builds up music is generously used in the second half BGM that might have worked well for the first day first show crowd but becomes cloying and making the climax appear to be elongated one. As it has been touted to be the second Baasha of sorts, I can’t resist doing a comparison to the old cult classic which again portrayed a dark side of Rajnikanth. But the first half characters lead back into the flashback as well and when the story connects back all of them are still relevant. That made you connect with the purpose of the lead character. That missed in Petta.
Besides the flaws, Petta is still a well made Tamil film that has many brilliant portions that would make you watch it again. First and foremost is the villaneous avatar of Rajnikanth and he plays it with so much ease and brings a terror on the screen as he gets involved in fights. It was refreshing to see Simran on screen after a long time. You just wished she had more screen time. Nawazuddin is the ideal choice for the Villain, the role is tailor made for him and he plays it to perfection. If you remove the fan flair of Petta, there is a raw gangster tale beneath it, that seems to be a very powerful one and left unexploited for the want of a breezy first half.
High Points: Rajni’s presence, the interval block, entertaining first half, the market fight scene, a Flashback sequence, inclusion of Simran
Low Points: Overuse of the build-up BGM, Twist after twist just for the sake of it
Overall, Petta is a true fanboy flick that captures all fanboy moments in a Rajni film. Lack of emotional connection to the main character makes it fall short of being a milestone movie. Yet there is lots to look for in Petta.
ActionBaashaCrimeDarkHostel WardenKarthik SubburajNawazuddin SiddiquiNostalgic memoriesPetta ReviewRajinikanthSimranThalaivar SwagTrishaVijay Sethupathi
Crime, Drama, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies
June 13, 2018 rajasaravanan Leave a comment
Kaala Review – Kaala is a Tamil crime drama released in 2018. Mumbai’s politician Hari Dhada has hidden agenda of cleaning up Mumbai’s Dharavi to let it open for commercialization, but people of Dharavi protest against it under the leadership of local don Karikaalan.
I was disappointed with the second half of Kabali wherein I felt director Ranjith had a masterpiece in the making but fell flat in the second half. This time in Kaala the screenplay is much tighter and travels towards the purpose. The screenplay also provided a much larger scope for the mass moments of Rajini. Be it the swag of the black dress and shades, not being able to hide his lost love or getting drunk and blabbering in the police station, its out and out Rajini’s moments. He makes all these scenes very enjoyable.
Kaala has a very similar structure to his previous movie Madras. The movie jumps right into the core problem and how the voice of people is not heard in the massive political schemes which are supposed to be for the people. Apart from Rajini the biggest strength of the movie is Nana Patekar. He has played the unapologetic, gruesome villain with ease. His acting and body language are exemplary.
The screenplay does come with its own flaws. The character of Huma Qureshi is very weak and one dimensional. There was a much larger scope for the character but again the writers seem to have struggled with it as they did for Radhika Apte’s character in the second half of Kabali. The rapper group is becoming a very predictable part for Ranjith’s film which again could have been avoided.
Samuthrakani has played a very good supporting role. It is refreshing to see him explore different roles other than being typecast into roles that shout out social messages. Eswari Rao makes a good pair to Rajini. She has a lot of scope in the first half and the way her character has been sketched is very nice. It is also refreshing to see Dileepan playing a significant role after Vathikuchi.
The subtext of the movie is about the perception people carry regarding the slums. Ranjith has questioned the stereotypes. If we talk about Dharavi or the North Madras slum, we remember movies like Nayagan, Thalapathy, Pudupettai which stereotypes the areas as the hub of crime. Pa Ranjith’s Kaala paints the picture of more life and family values in the slum, unlike the popular stereotypes.
High Points: Rajini’s charisma and screen presence, Nana Patekar’s acting, Mass moments of Rajini and Nana Patekar, a very compelling subtext of the movie, the climax sequence, brilliant cinematography, editing and art design to recreate Dharavi.
Low Points: Huma Qureshi’s character build-up, too much violence in the second half might upset many audiences, some components that are becoming too predictable in a Pa Ranjith’s movie.
Overall Kaala is a compelling tale about the slums beyond our perceptions and beliefs. Pa Ranjith is very sincere in what he believes and has the ability to narrate it in a compelling way. Ram killed Raavan and established Ram Rajya for making people’s lives better, but is that what the people wanted is essentially the question the movie asks. If you like crime dramas then do watch this one in the theaters.
DharaviDileepanEswari RaoHuma QureshiKaalaKaala ReviewKabaliNana PatekarPa. RanjithRajinikanthSamuthirakaniSlums
Comedy, Genre, Heist, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Wait for DVD/TV
Thaana Serndha Kootam Review
February 18, 2018 rajasaravanan Leave a comment
Thaana Serndha Kootam Review – Thaana Serndha Kootam is a Tamil heist movie released in 2018. Iniyan aspires to become a CBI officer. When he is denied the opportunity due to a corrupt CBI officer, he becomes a con man to teach to teach a lesson to the CBI officer.
The movie is based on true incidents that happened in 1987. It is adapted from the Hindi blockbuster Special 26. Director Vignesh Shivan after his much successful outing with Naanum Rowdydhaan chooses a plot that can guarantee success. However, he is seen too uncomfortable to step out of his comfort zone which spoils the engagement factor that is required for a heist script. His choice of cast is quite interesting one including Suresh Menon coming back to the screen after a long break, Karthik, Ramyakrishnan, and Senthil. The movie has the right set of cast, technicians, music composer needed make it an interesting and engaging tale.
Although Vignesh Shivan has teased the audience with the usual cliches that they would normally see in a movie and changes course, he has still recreated the same cliches at the later point in time. The romance portion between Suriya and Keerthy is an interesting one in isolation but it doesn’t fit well into this tale. He has also mixed comedy into the movie akin to his previous outing. Only few comedy scenes make you laugh. The biggest minus for the film is the lengthy and boring climax.
Why do Tamil directors have the pressure of justifying everything a hero does and create the character of the ones who would oppose the hero as a tainted one?
High Points: Ensemble of cast, background score, romance portion between Suriya and Keerthy Suresh
Low Points: Cliched sequences, a comedy that doesn’t work always, climax.
Overall Thaana Serndha Kootam aspires to be an improved version of Special 26 but just ends up to be a mashup of Naanum Rowdydhaan and VIP. You can watch this when played on TV/DVD.
Wait for TV/DVD
Anirudhbased on true eventsKarthikKeerthy SureshPeriod filmRamya KrishnanSenthilSpecial 26SuiryaSuresh MenonThaana Serndha KootamVignesh Shivan
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The Ramen Burger in Japan!
Ramen Burger
The original ramen burger has arrived in Japan, by way of New York and the world.
Taking residence on the second floor of Saikoro was a bold move. It is tough to pass up the solid bowl on the first floor!
A quick history of the Ramen Burger is in order. If you've been a long-time reader of Ramen Adventures, you know that Keizo Shimamoto quit his job in Los Angeles, moved to Japan, and worked in a number of Japanese ramen shops. Eventually, he had an opportunity to go to New York to help open a branch of one of those shops; Basanova. Well, things didn't work out, and instead of heading back to Japan, Keizo hooked up with some of his many connections to get a booth at Smorgasburg. Smorgasburg is some sort of weekend food festival in Brooklyn. What could he serve (ramen is notoriously tough to make at outdoor festivals)? Did anyone see this Vice video?
As there was already a bit of buzz about a ramen burger (hipsters love Vice!), the initial push was strong. Add that to the fact that the media was growing tired of the cronut (croissant / doughnut) and looking for a new food trend to report on.
This perfect storm of hype and media drew huge crowds, the positive reviews from people who braved the lines began pouring in, and it just went from there. The Ramen Burger has popped up here and there in the States, at festivals and events, but it was never seen in Japan (apart from that initial time he made it for Vice).
That was back in 2013. About two years later, it finally hits Japan.
First, it's salad time!
The salad was great! Thinking back, I can't recall a time in my nine years in Japan that I've seen a chopped salad. A nice appetizer before the main course.
Some sort of high-tech wrapper (the staff will explain) means that you can take these to go.
And there it is. The Ramen Burger. I feel like everyone already knows this, but the bun is made from ramen noodles. Some arugula and secret shoyu sauce go on a 100% American Angus beef patty.
The works come with cheese, bacon, and egg.
My opinion on the Ramen Burger?
It lives up to the hype. It's fun and innovative and full of flavor.
The burger scene in Tokyo isn't near what it is in many American cities, but don't get it wrong, there is a scene. Martini Burger, 3rd Burger, and Burger Mania all make Ramen Adventure approved burgers. There's even a $150 Kobe burger at the Ritz-Carlton.
And now the Ramen Burger. Check it out!
Let me know what you think in the comments or over at the Ramen Adventure Facebook page. The Ramen Burger is a crazy phenomenon, and thus the opinions are all over the place. Is it ramen? Is it a burger? Let me know!
東京都中野区中野2-28-8 2F
Tokyo, Nakano-ku, Nakano 2-28-8 2F
Closest station: Nakano
I had a ramen burger when Keizo visited in November 2013 for the Chicago Food Film Festival. It was good. It is made with 100% American Angus beef patty there? In New York, it is 75/25%.
I believe Keizo got the seed for it from Kentucky Fried Chicken's Double Down sandwich, which was two pieces of fried chicken around a chicken patty.
As to Why did it catch on? I have no guess. I wonder if it helped when Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel called it a "fad".
For anyone wondering Ramen Burger Tokyo's new address is 867-7 Fusha-shi, Fusha
They've moved to a ground floor restuarant about 5 minutes from Fusha train station. We were told they moved out there to be closer to the Americans at the airforce base.
The burgers are awesome!
Thanks for the heads-up. Fussa is a bit far for me, but for the Air Force, it's good news!
純 (Jun in Niihama)
清乃 (Seino in Arida)
龍王亭 (Ryuotei in Wakayama)
My Ramen Book (Out Now in Japan!)
流れ星 (NAGAREBOSHI in Hamamatsu)
けんど茶屋 (Kendochaya in Tokushima)
RAGE in Nishi-Ogikubo
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Reimagine! is pleased to announce the publication of Alive!, the second volume of RP&E produced under our collaborative editorial model. To be independent and sustainable, we need your support. Please use the tabs on the right to donate, subscribe, and join our email list, where you can receive our digital editions, learn about our open editorial process, and become a part of Movements Making Media. To read the entire issue in beautiful print format, please subscribe!
By Jess Clarke and Marcy Rein
The resurgence of direct action as a viable strategy for change has energized a new generation of activists and provides a springboard for launching a movement of movements that can challenge the domination of capital in social, economic and political spheres. Street protests are just one part of this expanding constellation of strategies. Cultural consciousness and personal healing are also being brought to bear in the effort to foster long-haul sustainability. From inside of prison, from inside the heart—people are moving out into community and into connection with the earth. Read More...
Read more about Alive! Strategies for Transformation
Transit Allies Fight for Share of Sales Tax
Santa Clara County's low-income transit users face some common challenges, whether they live in Gilroy, the Latino communities of East San Jose, or Sunnyvale. The buses they depend on cost too much, take too long, don’t run often enough or late enough, and are always at the end of the line for transit funding.The transportation sales tax proposed for the November 2016 ballot could begin to close the funding gap, but competition for the $6 billion the tax could raise will be stiff, and low-income transit users will need to press their case in a political process that has been dominated by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, which represents the region’s major employers. But a diverse new coalition, the Transportation Justice Alliance (TJA), is taking the challenge head-on.
Read more about Transit Allies Fight for Share of Sales Tax
San Mateo County Renters Fight Rising Evictions
By Joseph Smooke and Dyan Ruiz
A group of community workers, along with mostly Latino and African American working-class parents, hold hands in a prayer vigil at a suburban Bay Area neighborhood. They huddle together in the shade on the front lawn of a townhouse complex as their children play with protest signs and run around with friends. So close to San Francisco with its rent control and modest eviction preventions, the Silicon Valley city of San Mateo provides no security for tenants.
Read more about San Mateo County Renters Fight Rising Evictions
Tech Shuttle Drivers Win Union Contracts
Read more about Tech Shuttle Drivers Win Union Contracts
Connecting Struggles Across Issues and Borders
By Virali Gokaldas
The roots of the environmental justice movement lie in an archetypical struggle between low-income communities of color and industrial polluters—refineries, incinerators, landfills, and dirty ports, to name a few. In the last few years, leaders of this movement have worked ardently to infuse an environmental politic into racial and economic justice campaigns and to underscore local control of common resources and community-based solutions to social and ecological ills.[1]
Now the fruits of this labor are becoming evident. What was seen as isolated pockets of noxious industrial impacts are now being viewed as symptoms of larger phenomena that create other social inequities. People are connecting the impacts of toxic industry to other injustices, such as forced migration and poverty jobs, and coming together to address these multiple crises.
On a hot July afternoon in Detroit last summer, over 300 movement organizers from across the United States gathered to plot a course for ecological justice as part of the U.S. Social Forum. “We come from environmental justice communities who have been on the frontlines of the effects of polluting industries like waste incineration. But [we] also come from economic justice struggles... and immigrant [communities that] understand the connection between land and life,” said Michelle Mascarenhas-Swan, strategy initiatives director for Movement Generation based in Oakland, California.
Read more about Connecting Struggles Across Issues and Borders
People, Power, Policy
Coalition Challenges California to Legislate Climate Equity
By Kay Cuajunco, Photos by Brooke Anderson
On August 25th, community leaders from across the state converged on the steps of the Capitol to demand climate policies that benefit and protect low-income communities and communities of color. In commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, residents from some of the state’s most pollution-impacted communities stood in solidarity with frontline communities across the nation, urging their legislators to pass policies to transition away from dirty fossil fuels and ensure another Katrina doesn’t happen again.
Read more about People, Power, Policy
Moving the Money
By Amy Vanderwarker
In 2014, there was a rare occurrence in California: a new revenue stream of hundreds of millions of dollars—$872 million, to be exact, with more anticipated in future years — being funneled to state agencies through the newly implemented cap-and-trade program to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
On October 31, 2014, the California Environmental Protection Agency announced that, as expected, it will use the statewide cumulative impact screening tool, CalEnviroScreen2.0, to define “disadvantaged communities” for the purposes of distributing climate change funding. The top 25 percent of communities identified by this tool will be considered “disadvantaged” for the purposes of the set-aside within the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Suddenly, how “disadvantaged community” is defined took on a lot more importance to a lot more people than it ever has in the past.
Read more about Moving the Money
Race Poverty & the Environment (RP&E)
Reimagine! is pleased to cosponsor a celebration of 30 years of Freedom Voices Publications and the release of Mujeres Magicás: Domestic Workers Right to Write by Las Malcriadas. We are celebrating with doubleheader SF / East Bay release events co-sponsored with Freedom Voices and Mujeres Unidas y Activas.
Read more about Right to Write! 8/11 Readings at SF Library — East Side Arts Alliance
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VEHICLE WRAPS COVER UPS: the world is watching
Vehicle and fleet wraps are efficient and effective means for placing outdoor signage in plain sight by turning a bus, truck, touring vehicle or car into a mobile billboard that puts a client's advertising all over the place.
By Louis M. Brill
The concept is simple, instead of using billboards in a fixed location and depending on people to pass by the sign, the sign instead, is 'wrapped' around a vehicle and then taken for a ride around the city to promote itself. Anything with four wheels and an exterior shell, and a willingness to become a signboard is fair game.
Outdoor Articles
This form of mobile outdoor advertising seems to be popping up in every major city in the United States and abroad. Wrapping vehicles to place gigantic detailed decals and perfectly apply them to vehicles is a very sophisticated process of being able to print on the vinyl films and to perfectly cover the vehicle with that advertisement. A good wrap must be able to cover, but not impede, widow visibility and its vinyl materials must be weather resistant to heat, UV, cold and wind. Adherence to the vehicle shell is important, as the wrap must stay on without it peeling off before purposely being pulled off. Lastly, the vinyl must be easily removed without damaging the vehicle surface with an adhesive residue or even worse, stripping the exterior paint off the vehicle.
Applying a pressure sensitive vinyl film to create a vehicle wrap may seem an easy job of placing adhesive backed vinyl film to cover a bus or truck shell, but appearances can be deceptive. Applying fleet/vehicle wraps requires a tremendous amount of patience and concentration in lining up each vinyl film element and transferring it to the vehicle. There are no special machines to apply this; it's all done by hand and is definitely not for the faint of heart.
The coverage of a vinyl wrap on a bus can be akin to placing a series of gigantic decals in exacting proportions in very specific parts of the bus. The trick is getting all the different vinyl panels to perfectly line up as one complete picture. Not easy. When applying a vinyl film on a bus, one must take into account whether the wrap is temporary or permanent, and where it's going on the bus and what the material is (metal or glass). There is also the surface condition; is it smooth? Is it corrugated? Are there separations within the surface (window openings, door gaps, gas inlet hatch, etc.)? Covering windows is easy, but it requires a different kind of vinyl, a perforated one-way viewing mesh that allows it to cover windows, yet letting passengers still see through them. Most acute in the design and manufacturing process is creating a two-dimensional product, computer-altered to be applied to compound curves, such as those found on the ubiquitous P.T. Cruiser.
MACtac IMAGin JT5915P perforated window film makes one-way visibility easy to achieve on any application. The vinyl film, which provides see-through graphics capabilities, is a popular choice for vehicle and public transportation advertising.
Once the deal is signed and the plan is launched, there are essentially five stages in the creation to completion process of wrapping a vehicle or bus. This includes the design process of transforming the advertisement into a format that 'reads' as a vehicle wrap, the computer processing of fitting the image onto the designated vehicle, printing the vinyl materials, applying it to the vehicle surface, and once the campaign is finished, removing it. Each stage is very sophisticated and involves a serious of specialized steps in massaging the advertisement or graphic image into its final vehicle cover up.
Some of the players
One international provider of high quality vinyl films is MACtac (Stow, OH), a manufacturing company and leading supplier of pressure sensitive adhesive materials as applied to fleet/vehicle wraps. Covering up cars and other assorted vehicles has been a niche in the outdoor graphics market for about a decade, observed Fran Lawrence, a MACtac product manager for Large Format Imaging.
Designed specifically for solvent inkjet printing, MACtac IMAGin films provide high print quality and consistency with long-term color and gloss and offer superior conformability over simple curves, rivets and corrugations.
"Bus wraps have been offered since the mid-1990s. Around 2000, vehicle wraps became even more popular and since then, there have been a parade of 'wrapped' vehicles including delivery trucks, vans and cars." Lawrence attributes this expanding market opportunity to the release of a recently new class of printers, the solvent ink jet that allows for a more efficient printing of digital images on vinyl films. "Typically our customers for vinyl wraps are the print shops who create the final advertisements for vehicle placement, which would include either screen printers or ink jet digital printers."
To meet the market demand for wrapping these vehicles said Lawrence, "MACtac supplies several vinyl films including the JT5529, which is an ultra-conformable pressure sensitive film that can be used on compound curves and to fit over riveted and corrugated metal surfaces. There is also the JT 5900 series. This vinyl film is also used for curved surfaces and corrugations, but not as conformable as our JT5529 product. For window segments we offer IMAGin JT5915SP, a perforated see-through mesh. And finally to protect the vinyl films, there is also an over laminate, IMAGin LF3699."
Although fleet wraps is an emerging application, Lawrence says for MACtac its product output is really a small portion of the overall graphics sign market that MACtac serves, but it's definitely one of the fastest growing product lines for the company right now. Lawrence surmised that for wrap applications the big step going forward is making the application of the vinyl films easier to apply and in doing that, it would be a big boost in helping to grow the market.
A vehicle wrap of a Chrysler P.T. Cruiser. Great care was taken in applying this wrap as the vinyl film had to be fit against the various compound curves of the vehicle. Well received by the client and burger lovers everywhere. photo credit : Shadow Graphics
On the manufacturer/installer side there is Shadow Graphics (Orlando, FL), a full service sign and graphics shop that exclusively utilizes 3M Scotchprint printing materials for indoor and outdoor signage and for fleet/vehicle wrap projects. Bill Corio, president of the company has wrapped buses, trucks, cars and then some to satisfy his customers' needs for getting their name out in a big way.
He pointed out that fleet/vehicle wraps constitute about 50 % of Shadow Graphics business. "Our company has a high standard for fleet/vehicle wraps and we are a licensed 3M Scotchprint manufacturer for electrostatic printing of vinyl films. Our service combines special training from 3M, the use of their Scotchprint materials (inks, toners and vinyls) and 3M application techniques for proper procedures in applying Scotchprint vinyls to fleet/vehicle wrap coverage. We also have a unique, separate 3M license to install the vinyl graphics on the different vehicles as required"
It's a wrap! Buses as mobile billboards wrapped by Shadow Graphics with advertising or conference or special event promotions. photo credit : Shadow Graphics
To create a fleet wrap as explained by Vice President Richard Howard is done by what he calls "The 3M Scotchprint System. This is a complete process that incorporates the software, the printing inks, the vinyl materials and the laminates - all part of creating a fleet/vehicle wrap. A project begins with having the advertisement and knowing what kind of vehicle you want to put it on. Sometimes we get a finished advertisement that we can apply to the vehicle template, sometimes we design it for the customer."
If it stands still long enough - it can be wrapped. One of the more unusual wraps for Shadow Graphics was a Zambone machine at an ice hockey rink in Texas. People love to watch the Zabones do their thing at ice hockey games, Talk about getting their undivided attention, what better to wrap than something that everyone is looking at. photo credit : Shadow Graphics
The Scotchprint vinyls that Shadow Graphics uses come from a product line family including high performance permanent cast vinyl (2 mil, 8620), two removable vinyl films (4 mil, 8655) and (2 mil, 8652), an electrostatic perforated window film (8671) and a reflective film (680 CR).
Customers for fleet/vehicle wraps as explained by Corio, "are any business that owns cars or trucks (from semi-rigs to small delivery trucks) and want their brand image on their vehicles. In the case of municipal bus fleets, it's usually an opportunity to extend the bus into a mobile 'targeted marketing' outdoor advertising display."
As to the cost of doing a wrap, for example of a bus, there is no standard price as it depends on a number of factors including the total number of buses to be wrapped, how much printing is involved, how much vinyl material is required per wrap, how many installers will be involved and how long it takes. All that becomes the calculus for pricing the project.
Once the wrap becomes a definite project, the first thing is getting a software 'template' of the vehicle to be wrapped. The template is a 100% accurate engineering line drawing of the vehicle to be covered. The first challenge is fitting the final artwork onto the template and getting a proper sense of how that will translate into its vinyl element counterparts. The second challenge says Howard is taking all the different vinyl panels and making sure they will fit together into a seamless image that properly (very important) covers the vehicle or bus. To cover a bus Howard noted, "it normally requires two, but could require as many as five 'installers' to apply the vinyl and depending on the number of installers used, could take between one or two days to complete. Altogether, a single completely wrapped bus could consume up to 1000 square feet of vinyl"
For some jobs or a single vehicle wrap, Shadow Graphics can complete the wrap at their shop. For doing a fleet project, it's more a case of 'Mohammed going to the mountain.' This means that once the vinyls have been printed, a Shadow Graphics installer team will travel to the client's site and set up an on-site workshop to do the final installation of the vinyl films on the client's vehicles.
It's a vehicle wrap, except this one goes up and down instead of back and forth. Shadow graphics wrapped a two-level passenger gondola at Sea World, Orlando, FL. The wrap image was the soccer ball in honor of the World Soccer Championships held at Orlando. The soccer balls were large enough to be noticed at least 100 aeronautical miles away from the low flying jet planes arriving at Orlando's international airport. photo credit : Shadow Graphics
Shadow Graphic's reputation as a fleet/vehicle wrap provider has spread far enough that other sign shops have begun to ask if they can also provide the service. To this end, Shadow Graphics has begun to prepare a franchise program where franchised sign shops can become fleet/vehicle wrap or large graphic providers. In this process, Shadow Graphics will train franchisees how to qualify customers, price jobs, acquire the artwork and install the final vinyl on a bus or vehicle.
Part of the beauty of setting up a franchise outlet is that it can be anywhere in the United States, said Howard. "Because of the Internet Age, it's now very easy for other sign shops to digitally transmit data and artwork back and forth and get approvals. With the efficiency of door-to-door shipping services, a sign shop in Kansas City for example, can take an order, transmit it and the artwork back to Shadow Graphics where we can print the order and then ship the vinyl back to Kansas City, where the franchisee can do the final installation."
With fleet/vehicle wraps popping up more often on city streets, advertisers have increased their product coverage from print, radio and television to four wheels giving new meaning to moving messages and new life to vinyl films.
Louis M. Brill is a journalist and consultant for high-tech entertainment and media communications. He is also writing a book on the history and future of film entertainment. He can reached at (415) 664-0694 or lmbrill@earthlink.net
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Automated Email Generation
With the Social Syndication Hub, you can:
Generate emails by dynamically pulling content from digital channels
Reduce manual development and coding of emails
Cut cycle times, costs, and errors
Create AMP Emails – New!
T.V. Network Case Study
Challenge: Get Timely, Relevant Content into Email
A leading television network spent considerable time and resources producing email to promote its programs. As its most timely, relevant content lives on dynamic web pages and Facebook, the T.V. network had to manually search for content, cut and paste it into email templates, and adjust the email’s HTML code. The process was time-consuming, error-prone, and costly.
Solution: Automated Content Extraction, Aggregation, Templating, and Publishing to Email Service Provider
Using SimpleFeed, the T.V. network now automatically extracts text, links, images, and video elements from its digital channels – such as web pages and Facebook timelines – in any format (RSS, HTML, XML, Web Service, Facebook, Twitter, and more). Based on rules set by the network, SimpleFeed then aggregates content elements into HTML, RTF, and text templates, and publishes them via an API into a leading email service provider (ESP). Then, the network or ESP sets up automated content imports, schedules pushes to the ESP, and even edits and previews the HTML, RTF and text templates.
Results: Reduced Cycle Times, Production Costs, and Errors
After a one-time setup, the T.V. network has reduced email production cycles from days to seconds. Because emails contain more timely, relevant content, the campaigns yield better results. And with all the time and money saved, the network has more resources to enhance its email programs – and create new ones.
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Image 1: Kitchen Boss Facebook timeline is the source of content.
Image 2: Facebook content is extracted, templated, and published to an email service provider, which delivers the above email.
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12)DE 176 MICKA
Photo www.navsource.org By Jason Stevenson for his grandfather, George Stevenson
3 May 1943: Keel laid at the Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N.J.
22 August 1943: Launched and christened, sponsored by Mrs. Edward Micka, widow of Lieutenant Micka
23 September 1943: Commissioned, Lt. G. C. Spencer in command
14 June 1946: Decommissioned at Green Cove Springs, Fla.
1 August 1965: Stricken
15 May 1967: Sold for scrapping to the Peck Iron & Metal Co. of Portsmouth, Va.
Displacement: 1,240 tons (std) 1,620 tons (full)
Dimensions: 306' (oa), 300' (wl) x 36' 10" x 11' 8" (max)
Armament: 3 x 3"/50 Mk22 (1x3), 1 twin 40mm Mk1 AA, 8 x 20mm Mk 4 AA, 3 x 21" Mk15 TT (3x1), 1 Hedgehog Projector Mk10 (144 rounds), 8 Mk6 depth charge projectors, 2 Mk9 depth charge tracks.
Machinery: 4 GM Mod. 16-278A diesel engines with electric drive, 6000 shp, 2 screws.
Crew: 15/201
Assigned to Escort Division 24, DE 176 MICKA guarded merchantmen and naval supply vessels plying the waters of the eastern Atlantic from Recife, Brazil, to New York until 12 November 1944. She then reported at Recife for 3 months of mid-ocean antisubmarine patrols with the 4th Fleet.
11)DE 175 PENNEWILL
13)DE 177 REYBOLD
14)DE 178 HERZOG
15)DE 179 Mc ANN
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Saving the Wars on Iraq and on Public Education
(Chart at left from The Christian Science Monitor)
It's going to be another big week for the Decider. Not only will he be going before a hostile public to advocate for an escalation of his War, but he will meet with Miller and Kennedy this morning to charm his way toward a new surge in the continued war on the poor and on the public education system in our country. It comes just in time to mark the five-year anniversary of the most reckless, destructive and utterly failed education policy ever. Let's take a little accounting of how NCLB is accomplishing its goals as set out in 2002:
Performance Goal 1: By 2013-2014, all students will reach high standards, at a minimum attaining proficiency or better in reading/language arts and mathematics.
Reality 1: The most significant form of educational growth is the alarming increases in the number of schools not making AYP (adequate yearly progress) toward the impossible goal of 100% proficiency. In Massachusetts and Connecticut, for instance, where public schools are the strongest, the NCLB-mandated failure in reaching beyond the impoverished urban schools and into suburban enclaves.
Here is a chart from a study commissioned in Massachusetts (click to enlarge) that shows 74% of their schools failing to make AYP by 2014. If ED has its way, of course, these schools will have been turned in corporate welfare charter schools by then.
Performance Goal 2: All limited English proficient students will become proficient in English and reach high academic standards, at a minimum attaining proficiency or better in reading/language arts and mathematics.
Reality 2: If most people know that 100% proficiency is impossible for native speakers, 100% of people know that English-language learners and special ed. students are not going to become 100% proficient. The insanity of this goal clearly demonstrates the built-in failure that will not, cannot, be overcome, regardless of all the wishful thinking by the likes of Kati Haycock and Amy Wilkins at Ed Trust.
Performance Goal 3: By 2005-2006, all students will be taught by highly qualified teachers.
The attempted implementation of this goal has caused more grief and confusion and resignations than most could have imagined in 2001. On the one hand, higher standards would seem to guarantee more qualified teachers. This could have been the case if not for the overriding ideological commitment to bypass schools of education in creating a teacher corps is "highly-qualified."
ED prefers teachers who have passed subject matter tests to teachers who have completed professional certification programs. In the meantime, states like New Jersey now have a 52-page document explaining what it means to be "highly-qualified." Or check out the NEA's guide to highly-qualified (Download this chart as a PDF document here).
Performance Goal 4: All students will be educated in learning environments that are safe, drug-free, and conducive to learning.
Reality 4: 14 percent of eighth graders, 28 percent of 10th graders, and 36 percent of 12th graders used an illicit substance during the past year.
In terms of safety, here are the key findings from the latest (2004) School Safety Survey conducted by the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO):
More than 55% of the school officers stated that teachers, administrators, and support staff (secretaries, custodians, etc.) do not receive ongoing professional development training on school security and emergency preparedness issues.
Over 65% of the SROs stated that school bus drivers and other school transportation personnel have not received training during the past three years on issues related to security measures, emergency planning and response, terrorism, and associated topics.
Nearly 86% of respondents indicated that the number of crimes that occur on school campuses nationwide are underreported to law enforcement.
The majority of SROs (over 54%) stated that the federal “No Child Left Behind” law requiring states to create definitions of “persistently dangerous” schools decreases school crime reporting. Only 17% believed the law would improve school crime reporting.
The majority of school-based police officers (67%) believe that a federal law mandating the reporting of serious/violent school crimes to law enforcement would enhance law enforcement efforts to reduce school crime. Over 20% were uncertain as to whether such a law would improve school crime reporting.
Over 70% of the surveyed school officers indicated that funding for school safety in their districts is either decreasing or remaining the same.
Only 15% of respondents reported an increase in safe schools funding.
Over 70% of the survey respondents reported that school safety funding either decreased or remained the same in their district. Over 25% of that figure said that school safety funding was decreasing in their district, while over 44% said that funding was remaining the same. Only slightly more than 15% reported an increase in school safety funding in their districts.
More than 80% of the SROs believe that, considering the amount of federal funding being provided to improve homeland security for non-school entities, the amount of funding being made available specifically for K-12 school security and emergency preparedness planning is not enough.
Performance Goal 5: All students will graduate from high school.
In June 2006 the Christian Science Monitor reported on a new study funded by the Gates Foundation that showed a dropout epidemic in American high schools. The Administration's solution: increased testing in high school.
In the meantime, high schools have survived repeated attempts by the Administration to eviscerate vocational education, proposing in 2006 to simply eliminate all vocational education programs. The Administration is pushing, too, for more testing in high schools under the perverse rationale that testing will improve high schools and improve dropout rates, when the evidence points to the contrary. The 10 states, in fact, with the lowest graduation rates all have high school exit exams, and 9 of them have had exit exams for more than 10 years:
S. Carolina (1990)
North Carolina (1982)
NCLB Blasted
Finally a Little Pell Grant Relief
Spellings on the Road Again Hawking High School Ch...
Accountability for Failing Doctors and Hospitals
Still Think Impeachment is a Bad Idea?
Knights-Errant of the Business Roundtable, Begone
NYC Principals Get No Respect
Testing and the "Darkest Underbelly"
America's Schools of Institutionalized Child Abuse...
When Schools No Longer Matter
Documentary "No Child Left Behind" Tonight
The Speeding Gender Equity Clock at ED
Fairfax County Revolts Against NCLB Abuse of Immig...
The CBS Film You Won't See on CBS
What We Talk About When We Talk About School Priva...
Orleans Public School Children Wait-Listed While C...
Misleader, Liar, or Both? NAEP and the Art of Mani...
Documentary "No Child Left Behind" Comes to NJ
Educator Roundtable Says Enough is More Than Enoug...
Monty Neill in Chicago
Monty Neill Responds to Bush's "Augmentations" to ...
To Miller and Kennedy: A Plan for Withdrawing fro...
Announcing the New Testing Surge
Five Myths About U.S. Kids and American Schools
20 Reasons to Repeal NCLB Redux
Restoring the Fairness Doctrine to Save the Republ...
The Bloomberg Defense
Bloomberg, Klein, and the Stealth Privatization Pl...
Nelnet Gets to Keep $278,000,000 in Illicit Studen...
Using a Business Model to Bankrupt Teaching
Movie "Freedom Writers" Promotes Dangerous Myths
Parents Fighting the Testing Frenzy
Dodd, Kennedy, and a New Surge for the Testing Jug...
Saving Recess
Merit Pay and the Flawed Research That Buys It
Losing Black History, All History
High-Stakes Testing as New Tool for Old Repression...
Jacques Derrida, Pat Robertson, and Frosty Hardiso...
Will the NEA Help Parents Learn What Teachers Know...
The Broken Rhetoric of Sec. Spellings
Failure at Any Cost
LeFevre's "Report Card on Education" Earns an F
Using NCLB to "Incentivize" "Voluntary" National S...
America's Homeless and the Decider's War
Dodd on Arrival
Petrilli, Finn and the Sludge Tanks' Revival of Fe...
Accelerated Charter School Puts Brakes on Repaymen...
NCLB and Right Wing Privatization
NCLB and The Hounds of Hell
Who Is Accountable for Five Years of NCLB's Failed...
State-Sanctioned Child Abuse in New York
Jaywalking Historians in Atlanta Beware
Professor Schrag, Congressman Miller, NCLB, and th...
Stanley Milgram and the NEA
KIPP and Apartheid Schooling
Hand-Wringing at Middle School
Earth to Professor Fuller
It's the Family Income, Stupid!
KIPP and the Stepford Children
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Maureen Carlo named 2019 recipient of the SIA Progress Award
The first thought that popped into my head when hearing about Maureen Carlo, director of strategic alliances – North America at BCDVideo, named as the recipient of this year’s SIA Progress Award: “It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving, humble and truly amazing individual.”
Carlo and I met my first year in the industry – back in 2010-ish. After an encounter on Twitter and several tweets later, we became fast social media pals. Then, serendipitously, at my second ISC West in a rather obscure hallway, off the beaten path of the show, we found ourselves walking toward each other. Carlo recognized me and said, “Ginger?” And, I literally screamed, “Maureen!” as we gave each other a hug, having met for the first time in person. Since that moment, I have proudly called her my friend. (See how social media can bring people together?)
It is truly an honor to be writing about Carlo, an industry veteran whose 15-year tenure includes roles at BCDVideo, Videotec Security, NeuEon, Venture Communications & Security and Wells Communication. Through her work in the industry and her seemingly magical way of building strong relationships with others, Carlo has developed an international reputation as a strategic electronic security and integrated systems leader.
Carlo is dedicated to the advancement of SIA’s mission and serves as committee co-chair of the SIA Women in Security Forum, in which I, too, am a member. (I was so honored when Carlo presented me a membership pin and bag at ISC West at the Women in Security Forum’s breakfast!) Her passion for diversity and inclusivity in the security industry is inspiring, as she helps guide SIA’s efforts in engaging security professionals to promote, recruit and cultivate the leadership of women.
“Joining SIA offered me the opportunity to connect with the most prestigious leaders in our industry, and together we have created a movement with the Women in Security Forum that is engaging and influencing our integrated security world through diversity and inclusivity,” Carlo said in the announcement. “I am inspired by this award and awed by the honor of receiving the 2019 SIA Progress Award. When we are dedicated to championing others and recognize values, vulnerability, courage and grit as part of the process, our partnerships and participation grow – the effects are force multipliers in bettering our workforce and advancing the next generation of our converged physical and cybersecurity industry.”
Recent activities in which she helped organize and present lively networking and professional growth include a breakfast at ISC West 2019 and happy hour at GSX 2019; moderator of the ISC West session, “Being a Woman Business Owner in the Security Industry is an Advantage, Not a Disadvantage,” and panelist in the ISC East session, “Strategies for Successful Leadership in the Security Industry.”
“SIA is thrilled to present the 2019 SIA Progress Award to Maureen Carlo in recognition of her strong dedication to furthering the growth of women in the security industry,” Don Erickson, CEO, SIA said. “Her enthusiastic efforts to elevate women in security through outreach, engagement and leadership have helped to grow the forum and shed light on challenges women face in the industry.”
SIA’s Progress Award recognizes SIA members who have shown excellence in their advancement of opportunities and success for women in the security industry. Recipients are determined based on their contributions to fostering women in the industry, promotion of women’s professional growth though mentorship and/or sponsorship, recognitions and awards for activities and demonstration of the highest levels of professionalism and integrity in the industry.
SIA will present Carlo with her award during SIA Honors Night, November 20, in New York City.
Read more about Maureen Carlo named 2019 recipient of the SIA Progress Award
Brinks Home Security teaming with Mission 500 for annual 5K
Brinks Home Security is teaming with Mission 500 for the company’s fourth annual Brinks Home Security 5K on Saturday, Oct.19, 2019, in Farmers Branch, Texas. Proceeds from this year’s event will benefit children attending Farmers Branch Elementary, Habitat for Humanity Dallas, and children living in poverty across the United States.
Last year’s Brinks Home Security 5K raised more than $52,000 and benefitted children at Farmers Branch Elementary, in addition to helping families displaced by the Northern California fires, and students attending a Title One School in Boynton Beach, FL. In addition, Brinks was named the Primary Sponsor of the Lighthouse Program, which benefits Title One Schools in Houston, Texas.
In speaking with Brinks Home Security President and Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Gardner, for my article on Mission 500 earlier this year, he told me that he first heard of Mission 500 at ISC West when he participated in the Security 5K/2K and became inspired by what the organization was doing to help children and families in need.
“When I heard about Mission 500, and what George Fletcher and others there were trying to do to unite the industry around a single effort, I decided to get really involved as the CEO of one of the national security players,” Gardner told SSN. “I wanted to do something similar, in addition to the Security 5K and to really try to assist George and Mission 500. Helping families and children in need is something that has always been important to me. So starting a Brinks Home Security 5K was something that we needed to do and that we have really benefitted from as a company."
Tom Nolan, Director of Strategic Partnerships for Mission 500, said that Brinks Home Security continues to step up to plate in support of Mission 500.
“Our ability to help children and families in need would not be possible without annual events such as the Brinks Home Security 5K,” Nolan said. “Proceeds from this event have made a positive difference in many lives, and we are proud to work with Brinks Home Security again this year.”
The race is open to people of all ages. Participants can register now and see more information here. Registration is only $30 until Sept. 29, then $35 afterward. Cash prizes and trophies are planned for the top finishers in several categories.
Mission 500, a nonprofit charitable organization that works closely with the security industry to serve the needs of children and communities in crisis, is once again partnering with Brinks Home Security for this year’s event. Corporate sponsorships are available at the Platinum, Gold and Silver levels, and in-kind sponsorships (product donations) are also encouraged. Sponsor benefits include a table at the event, company logo on event marketing materials, verbal recognition, and the opportunity to increase the sponsor’s profile within the local community.
For more information on Mission 500 or on how to become involved in supporting Mission 500, contact Tom Nolan at [email protected], or call 631.219.8728.
Read more about Brinks Home Security teaming with Mission 500 for annual 5K
Andrew Lanning wins Jay Hauhn award
I was very excited to hear the news that Andrew Lanning, co-founder of Integrated Security Technologies, has been selected by the Security Industry Association (SIA) as the 2019 recipient of the Jay Hauhn Excellence in Partnerships Award, an annual distinction recognizing leadership in security industry collaboration.
As a personal note, I am not surprised at all as Andrew is everything that is right about the security industry. I have seen in just my 3-plus years in the industry how much he gives back to make this industry better and to raise the profession of security professional to greater heights. I am looking forward to celebrating with him and others when Andrew is recognized at SIA Honors Night Nov. 20 in New York City.
Congrats Andrew!
In addition to working tirelessly to help integrators within PSA, Lanning serves as a member of SIA’s Cybersecurity Advisory Board, which guides SIA members ahead of potential cybersecurity issue related to physical security measures. He also holds a board of directors position with — and serves as the defense industrial base sector chief for — the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s InfraGard Hawaii Members Alliance.
“Andrew Lanning has consistently advocated for industry collaboration, including between SIA’s manufacturer members and PSA Security Network, best seen through his vocal support for joint programming like Cyber:Secured Forum,” SIA CEO Don Erickson said in the announcement. “SIA applauds Andrew’s leadership in fostering industry partnerships and looks forward to presenting him with this prestigious, well-deserved award at SIA Honors Night.”
Lanning also serves as a defense industrial base representative on the PSA Security Network’s Cyber Security Committee, participates in the UL Cybersecurity Standards Technical Panel for Software Cybersecurity for Networking-Connectible Products, previously served on the board of directors of the Hawaii Information, Communication and Technology Association and is a member of the Rotary Club of Hickam Pearl Harbor. He is an active member of the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation and the host of Security Matters: Hawaii, a community-based webcast.
“I would like to accept this award and thank SIA, PSA and especially both organizations’ cybersecurity committee members, past and present, for continuing to drive our vision of the electronic security industry as a reliable cybersecurity supply chain partner to our country’s critical infrastructure operators, government agencies and the U.S. Department of Defense,” said Lanning.
Lanning has encouraged organizations such as InfraGard to participate in SIA’s cybersecurity education offerings and served as an active member of the SIA and Electronic Security Association task force that successfully recommended a joint strategy to help members identify, recruit and retain qualified employees for a variety of professional roles within manufacturer and integrator businesses.
The Jay Hauhn Excellence in Partnerships Award is named in honor of security industry veteran Jay Hauhn. During his tenure as SIA’s chairman of the board, Hauhn demonstrated a steadfast commitment to fostering cooperation among industry trade associations, and this award recognizes a leader who embodies that spirit of collaboration in the industry.
SIA Honors Night — held each year concurrently with ISC East, the Northeast’s largest security trade show — features a gala dinner reception, an awards ceremony recognizing industry leaders and engaging entertainment. Along with presenting the Hauhn Award, SIA will also honor industry leaders at the 2019 Honors Night with the George R. Lippert Memorial Award, the SIA Insightful Practitioner Award and the SIA Progress Award sponsored by SIA’s Women in Security Forum.
Read more about Andrew Lanning wins Jay Hauhn award
Security Systems News recognized as a 2019 NCSAM Champion Organization
As the saying goes, “it takes a village,” and nothing is farther from the truth when confronting cybersecurity. It will literally take everyone working together to combat cyber risks and threats. As more and more organizations take the necessary steps to become and stay cyber safe, these same and other organizations are reaching out and showing their support of various campaigns centered around cyber.
And, now an important announcement … drum roll please!
As of this blog post, Security Systems News is proud to be the only security industry publication recognized as a 2019 Champion Organization of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) co-led by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and the Cybersecurity and infrastructure Agency (CISA) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
In just five days, October will be here, the month of ghouls and goblins, candy and trick-or-treating, and perhaps most importantly, NCSAM, a collaborative effort among businesses, government agencies, colleges and universities, associations, nonprofit organizations and individuals to be committed to this year’s NCSAM overarching team of “Own It. Secure It. Protect It.” This theme serves as encouragement to everyone to #BeCyberSmart through personal accountability and proactive behavior in security best practices and digital privacy.
“Cybersecurity is important to the success of all businesses and organizations,” Kelvin Coleman, executive director, NCSA, said. “NCSA is proud to have such a strong and active community helping to encourage proactive behavior and prioritize cybersecurity in their organizations.”
So, what does this amazing news mean for you, our amazing readers? Well, throughout the month of October, we will provide you with the latest and greatest tips, discussion topics, free resources, videos, quizzes and more to ensure you are cybersafe!
To gain access to these must-have tools, be sure to:
Follow SSN Managing Editor, Ginger Hill, on Twitter @SSN_Ginger;
If you miss any tweets, search on Twitter using #SSNTalks to see all our previous tweets.
Follow SSN/SecurityNext on LinkedIn; and
Follow SSN on Facebook.
When you see our posts on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, be sure to comment, using #SSNTalks and #BeCyberSmart, like and share! We will respond to all comments!
Everyone here at SSN is super excited to be a 2019 NCSAM Champion and to join in the fight for cybersecurity!
Read more about Security Systems News recognized as a 2019 NCSAM Champion Organization
Mission 500 Security Softball Game raises more than $40k
It probably wasn’t the best idea for me — physically speaking, that is — to try and play 7 innings (no snickering!) of softball this past Sunday in support of the Mission 500 Security Softball Game, held on a beautiful day in Overpeck Park, New Jersey.
SecuritySoftball2019-NEW.jpg
That realization was driven home (no pun intended) late in the game when I had to score all the way from first base, which is tougher than it sounds (again, no snickering). As I high-fived my teammates and gasped for air entering the dugout, I promised that if I survived I would write about how rewarding it was to help support such a great organization as Mission 500, which organized another successful charity event to help families and children in need.
All told, more than $41,000 was raised and 400 children living in severe poverty in the South Bronx received backpacks filled with school supplies. The backpacks were assembled over the course of the day, with the opportunity to include a note of encouragement and inspiration to the children who would be receiving these backpacks. One of the things I wrote, “don’t be afraid to dream big,” for me speaks to the goal of Mission 500 — to help level the playing field for those who are less fortunate.
The day before, security industry executives also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity Paterson, framing walls and pouring concrete for two families in need as part of a community build project.
In addition, $2,500 was donated to the New York Firefighters Burn Center Foundation Children’s Camp, a non-for-profit dedicated to the advancement of burn care, research, prevention, education, and the proper treatment of burns. This organization sends burn victims under the age of 18 to a camp where they can come together and put their scars aside, while having fun at summer camp. Mission 500said it is “proud to support the camp for a third year in a row.”
Tom Nolan, Mission 500’s Director Strategic Partnerships, told me during the day that he was “very pleased” with the turnout for the Habitat for Humanity build and the charity softball game, and was excited about the number of people already committed to participating in the Mission 500 Service Trip to Puerto Rico, Oct. 9-13.
Security industry professionals looking to support Mission 500 can help by joining or making a donation towards this year’s service trip to Puerto Rico, volunteering to help with the Security 5K/2K at ISC West 2020, participating in a teambuilding event with their colleagues or customers, or by making financial donations.
At the charity softball game this past Sunday, American Security was the sponsor that raised the most funds, and was joined by the following sponsors for the event: Alarm Shield, Altronix, American Security, Anixter, Assa Abloy, Axis Communications, Beacon Protection, Criticom Monitoring Services, Dahua USA, DMP, ESA New Jersey Chapter, Hikvision USA, ISC Events, Ken Gould Consulting, Lensec, LRG Marketing, M2M Services, Napco StarLink, NYFAA, Rapid Response, ScanSource, Security Sales & Integration, Security Systems News, Security Today and Statewide Monitoring.
It was great to support and be a part of such a great day of giving back and having some fun. Not to gloat, but my team, the Protection Pirates, won 21-16, over the Security Sluggers, in a hard-fought game that ended in hand shakes and smiles, and personally speaking, a few scrapes, bruises and sore muscles.
Hope to see you all on the field next year! Click here for more on Mission 500.
Read more about Mission 500 Security Softball Game raises more than $40k
The debate continues: do video doorbells invade privacy?
As a security journalist, I hate to admit that I’m a bit torn on the whole privacy vs. security of video doorbells and whether it’s unethical or not. I mean, I should take a stand, right? Either I support video doorbells or I don’t but, I really do see both sides of this hot debate.
Here’s an example: My mom lives alone and is a very spry 73-year-old who is quite capable of looking through the peephole of her door to see who’s knocking on it. However, should someone cover her peephole, having a video doorbell, enabling her to see exactly who is at her door before she opens it, and record them, especially if they plan on causing some type of harm, I see is a must.
But at the same time, let’s say a Girl Scout or Boy Scout rang my mom’s doorbell to sell cookies or popcorn. In my opinion, recording them, or any child for that matter, is very unethical and a huge invasion of privacy, unless, of course, the parents know and give permission.
To my knowledge there isn’t a video doorbell (yet) that can – with 100 percent accuracy – distinguish between adults who intend to do harmful acts and children. At this point, it just seems video doorbells are an all-or-nothing device that are causing some major disruption.
A recent ABC news story highlighted attorney, David Barnett, who specializes in privacy law. Barnett suggested letting people know they are under surveillance if using a video doorbell, and take into consideration that these cameras are aimed at property, with the expectation that places such as backyards, windows and bathrooms are private. But, even if the camera is aimed at the front of a home and let’s say children are outside playing in the camera’s recording range, recording them is wrong and what if that camera got hacked? Hackers would then be able to see those children.
There are also the terms of service of the video doorbell manufacturers that puts a lot of the responsibility on the person installing the device. Ring’s, for example, says, “Privacy and other laws applicable in your jurisdiction may impose certain responsibilities on you and your use of the Products and Services. You agree that it is your responsibility, and not the responsibility of Ring, to ensure that you comply with any applicable laws …” (I’m quite sure people aren’t allowed to point cameras at public streets or into their neighbor’s yards, for example, which if done, can lead to privacy invasion, but where is the responsibility of the manufacturers of these products?)
Then, of course, there’s apps being connected to these video doorbells. Not to pick on Ring, but its new app, Neighbors – where most posts are captured videos – could expose people to a whole new level of privacy invasion, taking the old-school “nosey neighbor” to the extreme. Again, in Ring’s terms of service, it says: “You are solely responsible for all Content that you upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise disseminate using, or in connection with, the Products or Services …” And, again, I ask, shouldn’t the manufacturers of video doorbells take on at least some of the responsibility?
Overall, this topic is a tough one, filled with “ifs, ands and buts,” amazing use cases where lives were saved and the possibility of privacy invasion. This makes me want to subscribe to the old-school method of using the peephole, and if it’s covered, asking “who’s there,” and if there’s no answer, not answering the door.
What are your thoughts on video doorbells and privacy? Let’s talk about it on Twitter @SSN_Ginger or email me directly at [email protected].
Read more about The debate continues: do video doorbells invade privacy?
ADT continues its growth spurt
There’s been a lot of activity with ADT Commerical lately and it looks like the commercial side of business continues to grow organically and through acquisition. ADT Commerical recently acquired Design Systems Group and purchased Systems Group and Fusion Fire Protection to further broaden its commercial presence. In fact, ADT's commerial side of the business now accounts for nearly $1 billion in revenue.
Here’s a little bit about each of the acquired companies and what each company’s president has to say about the acquisition.
Systems Group is headquartered in Denver and provides commercial fire alarm detection, installation, inspection and maintenance services in Colorado. It was founded in 2004 and specializes in installation and service of integrated fire alarm, fire sprinkler, distributed antenna systems (DAS) and mass notification systems.
“The team here at Systems Group has built a company admired and respected by the industry and customers alike,” John Ballman, Systems Group president said in the announcement. “Becoming a part of the ADT Commercial organization takes us to a higher level, both in terms of delivering for clients, and further achieving professional status for our employees.”
Fusion Fire Protection is headquartered in Hanover, Md. and serves the fire sprinkler systems needs of customers in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia. Established in 2015, in its short run, the company has earned the respect and loyalty of commercial customers.
“Aligning with ADT Commercial reinforces our customer-centric commitment by strengthening and expanding our ability to deliver the most advanced technologies while still maintaining our agility and responsiveness,” Joe Roberts, Fusion Fire partner and president, said.
Both companies are staffed by NICET-certified professionals enabling them to assist customers with design, project management, system installation, and testing, service and maintenance.
“Systems Group in Denver and Fusion Fire Protection in Maryland represent the very best of the best in the fire alarm, fire sprinkler, and life safety arena, and illustrate our consistent dedication to best serve the needs of our mid-market, national and large-scale commercial customers,” Dan Bresingham, executive vice president, ADT Commercial, expressed.
Existing customers of both Systems Groups and Fusion Fire Protection will continue to work with the same people they know and trust to manage their accounts, now with ADT Commercial’s added resources and reach.
“The addition of these tenured, well-trained professional teams furthers our aim of offering an advanced suite of end-to-end solutions for security, life safety and fire,” Michael McWilliams, senior vice president field operations, ADT Commercial said. “Backed by the strength of a nationally recognized organization, these teams will be empowered by local leadership, and will continue to provide the level of service expected by their customers.”
I wonder what ADT’s next move will be? Rest assured that you will be the first to know as I keep my eyes and ears open and on the pulse of this company.
Read more about ADT continues its growth spurt
From the mouth of a director of safety and security at a U.S. school district
I just completed an article about perimeter school security, “The undogging debacle: perimeter security in a school environment,” in which I had the opportunity to speak with a director of safety and security for a school district, who also has a 14-year background at the local police department, most recently of which was supervisor for the School Resource Officer Unit. He told me something that really opened my eyes and I think that all security professionals involved in the school security niche need to hear.
Here’s the question I asked: “If you could pick only one security measure that all school environments must have, what would that be and why?”
The response: “If you limit me to just one security measure, I would have to say it would be hiring the right people, and training them properly in school safety and security,” Mike Johnson, director of safety and security at Rock Hill Schools, said.
Read that again … limited to ONE security measure, he relies on people, but not just any people, though, trained people, not equipment or services.
“The people we have in critical places, from administrators and teachers to support staff, are the biggest asset and the strongest point of any safety and security program,” Johnson continued. “Without quality people who are versed in safety and security, we would have nothing.”
Of course, without equipment or services, school security would be impossible in our modern day of school shootings, cyber-attacks, physical breaches, etc.; however, the key to it all is training. Equipment and service users, the people, must be properly trained to use the equipment and services to effectively and efficiently achieve their security goals. Any school could have the latest and greatest security equipment and services deployed, but if it’s not being used properly or even at all, then, really, what’s the point?
“All the best products in the world are worthless if you don’t have the right people, who are properly trained, using them,” Johnson said.
So, security professionals, I ask you, “Who is responsible for this training?” I would hope that every security professional, whether an integrator, consultant, sales person, manufacturer, etc., answered with, “I am responsible.”
I would love to hear your feedback! Please comment here, over on Twitter @SSN_Ginger or email me directly.
Read more about From the mouth of a director of safety and security at a U.S. school district
Global smart home market still growing
The global smart home market is forecast to grow by nearly a factor of five to reach more than $192 billion in 2023, up from $41 billion In 2018, according to the latest Smart Home Device Database from IHS Markit.
The research firm noted that the United States led all countries in 2018, representing about 35 percent of global market revenue. China was second, accounting for an 18 percent share.
IHS_Markitgraphic.jpg
The fastest-growing device types in the market include lighting, smart speakers and connected major home appliances, according to Blake Kozak, principal analyst for IHS.
“The brilliance of the smart home is that it can be molded to suit the requirements of any kind of consumer, from the strictest demands of power users to the simplest automation needs of dabblers,” said Kozak. “Irrespective of consumer tech-savviness, the smart-home market has bourgeoned into a consumer technology heavyweight, eager to move beyond the basics of security and single-family homes and into uncharted opportunities. However, these uncharted opportunities are coming with concerns about privacy and the technology’s readiness for primetime. The remainder of 2019 and start of 2020 will be a pivotal time for the smart-home market as companies and service providers fine-tune their strategies and reposition to compete with the smart home juggernauts — as well as newcomers looking to upend the status quo.”
Smart-home companies look to future opportunities
Kozak pointed out that companies looking to make waves in the smart home market include IKEA and newcomers such as Wyze, which offer ultra-low-cost devices.
He added that major players also will make pivotal strategy changes to enhance their competitiveness, with examples including Google, which recently ended its “Works with Nest” program. In another example, he pointed to Amazon Alexa, which achieved compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA).
“For its part, Ring is launching into the small-medium businesses (SMB) segment,” said Kozak. “Comcast will focus on its Xfinity platform and hone its strategy around content deployment. Meanwhile, Centrica, which offers the Hive smart home, plans to focus its platform on energy and services.
Software, analytics and partnerships
A brief hiatus in hardware development has prompted smart-home companies to make advancements with software, analytics and acquisitions/partnerships, according to IHS. However, Kozak noted that another hardware push is set to arrive soon, with the arrival of new smart speakers from Google, Apple and Samsung as well as offerings for insurance companies and apartment complexes.
US smart-home penetration rises, despite privacy concerns
Although the U.S. smart-home penetration exceeded 38 percent in 2018, IHS said the market’s further progress could be impeded by privacy concerns, which is why IHS is advising technology providers to take steps to alleviate consumer apprehension.
“Rapid innovation often breeds speculation and mistrust,” Kozak said. “Because of that, smart-home companies should be as transparent as possible regarding data usage. They also should focus on edge-based processing, which reduces the need for cloud-based computing systems that send private data over the internet. The smart home should also make greater efforts to comply with standards and regulations for sectors such as security, healthcare and senior care. By having more standards and regulations in place, innovation in the smart home will be less a source of anxiety for consumers and instead become a cause for optimism and a fulcrum for peace-of-mind.”
The IHS Markit Smart Home Device Database assesses the market for smart home devices including unit shipments, installed base, housing type, route to market, system type, connectivity type, network controller, country/sub-region and market shares.
Read more about Global smart home market still growing
Phishing, smishing and vishing: what do they mean and how to protect yourself
I have a special affinity toward cybersecurity, probably because I’ve witnessed it grow from not even being a word, much less a concept to indoctrinating itself into society on a second by second basis. People must be alert, knowledgeable and actionable in order to stay safe from cybercriminals, and thankfully, there are various organizations available to help.
During August, I attended the National Cyber Security Alliance and Infosec webinar that explored the cyber threats phishing, smishing and vishing, and offered steps of protection. Daniel Eliot, director of education and strategic initiatives, National Cyber Security Alliance moderated as Tiffany Schoenike, chief operating officer, National Cyber Security Alliance and Lisa Plaggemier, chief evangelist, Infosec took center stage.
“At their core, phish are just tools criminals use for social engineering, which is the use of deception to manipulate individuals into doing something they wouldn’t normally,” Plaggemier explained during the webinar. “Thieves are generally after two things: money and things they can turn into money, and over three billion phishes are sent every single day” to try and gain access to private information, engage with people to develop trust, present links that download malware when clicked, modify data, etc.
Here’s some common types of phish you need to know about:
Spear phishing: a targeted attack that usually involves cybercriminals gathering intel to use to send emails that appear to be from a known or trusted sender.
Whaling: attacks that target senior-level employees.
Credential harvesting: an attack that allows unauthorized access to usernames and/or emails with corresponding passwords.
To identify phishes, Plaggemier said to look for things such as spoofed sender addresses that may be off by a letter or two; misspelled words and bad grammar; strange URLs; the use of scare tactics; buzzwords such as cool job offers and last but not least, use your own senses. If you feel something isn’t right, you’re probably correct.
With smishing, the cybercriminal uses text or SMS messaging to try and trick people into giving out private information while vishing uses the phone via a call.
To protect yourself and your organization against phishing, smishing and vishing, consider the following:
Enable strong authentication.
Think before you share personal information.
Never give personal information over the phone.
Use unique and the longest passphrases possible as passwords
Keep your computer system and smartphone’s software updated.
Only download apps from trusted sources.
Train employees.
Establish, maintain, use and enforce policies and procedures.
Report all phishing incidents to DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Trade Commission.
For more information on how small and medium-sized businesses can be safer and more secure online, visit National Cyber Security Alliance’s national program, CyberSecure My Business, which consists of in-person, interactive workshops, monthly webinars, an online portal of resources and monthly newsletters that summarize the latest cybersecurity news.
Read more about Phishing, smishing and vishing: what do they mean and how to protect yourself
Intrusion trends stem from smart home, home automation capabilities
Mission 500 exceeds 2018 goals with higher expectations for 2019
ADT unveils DIY brand at CES
Woodie Andrawos, National Monitoring Center (NMC)
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Archive for the ‘Blue Thumb’ Category
Listen: Debora / Tyrannosaurus Rex
Never will I forget the sight of this first US single by Tyrannosaurus Rex. Their name was so foreign at the time, completely intimidating to all, particularly US programers. Yes, they were full of reasons back then to keep adventurous music off the airwaves too. Add to that the band’s warlock folk, as one reviewer called it. He couldn’t have conjured up a more tempting challenge.
A&M never did release either their first nor second album in the US when current, just this lone 7″, ‘Debora’.
The Los Angeles label had a deal with Regal Zonophone out of the UK, or maybe it was directly with Denny Cordell’s and Tony Secunda’s production company, Tarantula. Basically, the arrangement covered US representation for their UK artists: Procol Harum, Joe Cocker & The Grease Band, The Move and Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The latter two benefiting only from singles being issued in the US, and in the case of Tyrannosaurus Rex, just this one. WOUR were only too glad to have me cart their copy out of the building. That bunch literally had no clue. Bless their studipity.
Listen: Ride A White Swan / Tyrannosaurus Rex
What seemed like a generation later actually was one short year. Their third and fourth albums, UNICORN (’69) and A BEARD OF STARS (’70) were near perfect, still as exhilarating today as then. By this time, Bob Krasnow had picked up the band for his Blue Thumb label. He released both albums in quick succession plus ‘Ride A White Swan’ almost immediately after A BEARD OF STARS.
Although still using the full Tyrannosaurus Rex moniker in the US, Marc Bolan and Steve Peregrin-Took had officially shortened their name to T. Rex elsewhere, coinciding with their full on electric and pop path, not unlike Bob Dylan’s gear shift with BLONDE ON BLONDE, bar a name change to B. Dylan.
Almost simultaneously, Bob, as in Krasnow, joined Warner Brothers Records’ A&R department, bringing T. Rex with him. The rest is history.
Tags: A&M, Blue Thumb, Bob Krasnow, Denny Cordell, Joe Cocker & The Grease Band, Marc Bolan, Procol Harum, Regal Zonophone, Steve Peregrin Took, T. Rex, The Move, Tony Secunda, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Warner Brothers, WOUR
Posted in A&M, Blue Thumb, Bob Krasnow, Denny Cordell, Joe Cocker & The Grease Band, Marc Bolan, Procol Harum, Regal Zonophone, Steve Peregrin Took, T. Rex, The Move, Tony Secunda, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Warner Brothers, WOUR | Comments Off
Mark – Almond / Johnny Almond Music Machine / Jon-Mark
Listen: What Am I Living For / Mark – Almond MarkAlmondWhatAmILiving.mp3
Listen: The City / Mark – Almond MarkAlmondTheCity.mp3
I was lucky enough to see one of the early shows John Mayall did in support of his then brand new album TURNING POINT, basically himself, Jon Mark, Johnny Almond and Steven Thompson. A fantastic drumless lineup – so different at the time. If you have the album, well the live show was exactly the same. A perfect evening.
Always on the move musically, John Mayall soon reinvented himself, possibly due to the formation of Mark – Almond. They too, were a super good act live. Several of the songs from their first two albums on Bob Krasnow’s Blue Thumb label were progressive radio staples, including ‘The City’. It was frankly shocking to hear it on a JetBlue flight recently via their Sirius radio feed. It had been years since that came out of any radio. Got to hand it to Sirius, they play a lot of great stuff.
Learn something everyday: I was completely sure ‘What Am I Living For’ had charted, even peaking in 30′s/40′s on Billboard’s Top 100. Not so. Never even entered. I heard it often as a current during the summer of ’72. It was a high point of the live show as well.
Mark – Almond double billed often with plain and simple guitar bands during their 4-5 year run. Despite the company, every audience listened and appreciated their undeniable musical superiority. Jon Mark, the consummate acoustic, 12 string player, with Johnny Almond at his side, swaying to the music, eyes closed. His seemingly euphoric state took up almost as much stage time as his playing, which by the way, was superb.
Listen: Solar Level / Johnny Almond Music Machine JohnnyAlmond.mp3
Prior to the John Mayall association and subsequent Mark – Almond period, Johnny Almond made a few albums for Deram’s jazz leaning long player roster (along with the likes of Henry Lowther, The John Cameron Quartet and The Mike Westbrook Orchestra). All highly desirable now, primarily for their sampling potentials, it’s interesting to think that the label would actually release singles from said endeavors, which even more oddly, I ended up liking a lot.
Listen: Night Comes Down / Jon-Mark JonMarkNightComes.mp3
Jon Mark, in fact, started years earlier, playing guitar on various Marianne Faithfull singles, like ‘Come And Stay With Me’ and ‘Summer Nights’. It was during that period (’65) that he too recorded a version of the Shel Talmy written ‘Night Comes Down’, which I post a few days back by The Mickey Finn in a much more psychedelicized style.
Tags: Blue Thumb, Bob Krasnow, Columbia, Deram, Joe Cocker & The Grease Band, John Mayall, Johnny Almond Music Machine, Jon-Mark, Marianne Faithfull, Mark - Almond, Patto, Shel Talmy, Sirius, The John Cameron Quartet, The Mickey Finn, The Mke Westbrook Orchestra
Posted in Blue Thumb, Bob Krasnow, Columbia, Deram, Henry Lowther, Joe Cocker & The Grease Band, John Mayall, Johnny Almond Music Machine, Jon-Mark, Marianne Faithfull, Mark - Almond, Shel Talmy, Sirius, The John Cameron Quartet, The Mickey Finn, The Mike Westbrook Orchestra | No Comments »
Monday, February 2nd, 2009
Listen: My Little Red Book / Love
Listen: 7 And 7 Is / Love
Above: Jukebox Tab filled out by Arthur Lee
Listen: Stephanie Knows Who / Love
Listen: She Comes In Colors / Love
Listen: Orange Skies / Love
Listen: Que Vida / Love
Listen: Alone Again Or / Love
Listen: Softly To Me / Love
Listen: Your Mind And We Belong Together / Love
Listen: The Everlasting First / Love
What do Love have in common with The High Numbers, JJ Cale, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Mose Allison and Rockpile? Well, in this case, Tom Petty. He played them all, and more, on his Sirius/XM radio show, which I heard for the first time on the red eye from Seattle to New York Saturday night.
I don’t own a satellite capable device having been so disinterested in American radio for decades, and very bitter that it’s dummied down music as being a big part of culture in the US. Therefore figured it was more of the same. A few friends have, to be fair, tried convincing me otherwise. The very first time I heard it, on one of the now partnered networks, was in Kimberly Boley’s office at Sony. I asked her what she was listening to and she said satellite radio and that she loved it. I said sure but do they play The Cramps, just to throw a real wrench into the moment. She dialed up their station that most likely would, and The Cramps were playing that very second. Swear to God. I guess I should’ve taken it as a sign.
The flight was meant to be a time to finally get some rest. I’d been on Matt & Kim’s tour for several days and it had been non stop, stay awake. But this flight I’d earmarked as a sleeper. That was not meant to be. Spent the whole time flipping round these channels, then started jotting down some of the things I’d heard and kinda liked (The Soft Pack, Titus Andronicus), and some records I needed to look up once in the house to be sure I had (Chuck Jackson & Maxine Brown, Titus Turner, Bobby Womack). It was a noticeable change hearing so much variety: Lemon Jelly, Roxy Music (two stations playing two different songs simultaneously), Mott The Hoople, Eurythmics, LCD Soundsystem, Joan Armatrading, Nick Drake, The Nice. It was endless. You see, there is room for everyone. What a democratic concept.
There’s one thing that hasn’t changed though: the tired, lazy, hokey US DJ presenter. Does a building need to fall on these people? Unlike the BBC, and Radio 1 in particular, that presentation is lightning fast sonically and annoucer-wise. So with the luxury of access to BBC stations (Radio 1, 2, 6, Radio London) via internet streaming and my new discovery of satellite, I think things are pretty tolerable out there. I’d get subscribed up if I ever drove anywhere.
Back to Tom Petty’s program. He played Love’s ’7 And 7 Is’ on this particular episode. Interestingly named, I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with Love. Many times, I crave hearing the music and thoroughly enjoy it. Other times, it sounds so lame, and twee, and overrated.
Some strong opposing opinions out there about Arthur Lee too. Met him the one time, and he was cool about doing the jukebox tab, but I was with Gary Umbo, a Love hardcore who I’m pretty sure Arthur knew and was friendly with. Undeniably some great singles though, and if you’re like me, it’s hard to forget the first time hearing ‘My Little Red Book’. It was a pretty big hit everywhere rightfully. Then ’7 and 7 Is’ came out, and that was the loudest cut record I’d ever heard. You can’t turn it down. Just try.
When I worked at Elektra in ’85, our mailroom guy Mark Cohen came down to my office telling me there was a closet that was about to be part of the renovation underway to create more office space. It was full of old chairs, cabinets, typewriters AND some boxes of old 45′s. Was I interested, they’ll be tossed otherwise.
It was a treasure trove. About 200 singles in all, and a virtual history of Elektra’s early 7′s. So many amazing things, I never separated the lot, kept them as they were. Loads of Tom Rush, The Voices Of East Harlem, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Beefeaters, Tim Buckley, plus a mixture of US and UK presses.
Every Love single was there, promos and stock, and some UK copies as well. Many are pictured here. Note the withdrawn copy of ‘Stephanie Knows Who’ / ‘Orange Skies’ (EK 45608). The catalog number was re-assigned as EK 45608 (REV). I’m guessing to indicate ‘revised’, replacing the A side with ‘She Comes In Colors’. I knew of the switch but wasn’t aware original copies had been pressed until that day.
Also, for some reason unknown as it wasn’t an Elektra master, the pile included a UK pressing of ‘The Everlasting First’. It was originally released in the US on Blue Thumb, Bob Krasnow’s label. Although he was our chairman and boss at Elektra, he had no idea why the record was included there either. “Maybe I gave Holtzman a copy then, and yeah that is Jimi playing the lead”. Thankfully he didn’t reclaim it.
Not long after, the front desk somehow decided to forward through an irate Arthur Lee to my line. I pick up and he launched into a rage about unpaid royalties and how Elektra, and even I myself, were stealing from him, so much so that he had to move in with his aunt in Nashville or some such place. I was very unequipped to handle this one, so politely sent him through to Gary Casson in business affairs, where I’m sure the rampage ended abruptly.
Tags: Arthur Lee, Blue Thumb, Bob Krasnow, Bobby Womack, Chuck Jackson & Maxine Brown, Eurythmics, Gary Umbo, Harvest, Jack Holtzman, Joan Armatrading, Jukebox Tab, Kimberly Boley, LCD Soundsystem, Lemon Jelly, Love, Mott The Hoople, Nick Drake, Roxy Music, Sirius, The Beefeaters, The Nice, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Soft Pack, The Voices Of East Harlem, Tim Buckley, Titus Andronicus, Titus Turner, Tom Petty, Tom Rush
Posted in Arthur Lee, BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, Blue Thumb, Bob Krasnow, Bobby Womack, Chuck Jackson & Maxine Brown, Elektra, Eurythmics, Gary Casson, Gary Umbo, Harvest, Jack Holtzman, Joan Armatrading, Jukebox Tab, Kimberly Boley, LCD Soundsystem, Lemon Jelly, Love, Matt & Kim, Mott The Hoople, Nick Drake, Roxy Music, Sirius, The Beefeaters, The Nice, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Soft Pack, The Voices Of East Harlem, Tim Buckley, Titus Andronicus, Titus Turner, Tom Petty, Tom Rush | No Comments »
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Manufacturers in Focus
Prime-Time Products
LIVE from ConExpo-Con/Agg
Franklin Joins Vulcan in Executive Role
Published: Friday, 18 October 2019 10:47
Vulcan Materials Co. named Denson (D.) Franklin III as senior vice president and general counsel effective Dec. 2, 2019.
Vulcan Chairman and CEO Tom Hill said, "We are excited to welcome D. to the Vulcan family. He has worked with the company for more than 20 years as our primary outside counsel, and with many other companies in the construction materials, building and engineering industries. We are fortunate to bring him in-house to add his experience and perspective from years counseling companies, large and small, on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, compliance, securities issues and overseas operations."
Franklin is joining Vulcan from the Corporate and Securities Practice Group at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. He graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School and Birmingham-Southern College. He steps into the general counsel role following the retirement of Michael R. Mills in September. Mitesh B. Shah has been promoted to serve as deputy general counsel.
Vulcan Materials Denson Franklin III general counsel Michael R. Mills
Here Comes a New Year...
StonePoint Materials Acquires Road Builders ...
Seaway Shipping Stoppages in December Would Cost Economy ...
Vulcan Aggregates Segment Sales Rise in Third Quarter...
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Julie Romeo
Peggy Morales
Rebecca Lowrey
Renee Tarczon
Jody Underwood
Kevin Deal
Ryan Unangst
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Lowrey Program
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A music educator for 20+ years, Peggy specializes in practical, easy-to-use technology for music educators at all levels. In this role, she conducts application-based training at clinics and hands-on workshops across the country.
When it comes to her musical background, you name it and chances are Peggy’s done it. Taught in a private music school for three years (group and private piano). Played in a few popular duo/trio groups for several years before going on the road for another year. While living in New York, studied jazz piano with Harold Danko, worked alongside singers in piano bars, accompanied in dance studios and held music director positions for off-Broadway musicals as well as summer stock productions.
Peggy’s earlier non-music jobs – at a Wall Street law firm and a sales executive for a resort company – helped her become the compassionate, thorough and problem-solving dynamo she is today.
From Northwest Missouri State University, Peggy holds an all-level music education degree with extensive experience in band (concert, marching, ensemble and solo) and choir. With piano as the primary performance instrument, she was a skilled private studio accompanist as well as for choir, vocal and instrumental performance.
At the University of Denver, Lamont School of Music, she obtained her Masters in Piano Performance (with a teaching assistantship responsible for elective group piano classes and piano proficiency for music majors) giving Peggy her first taste of technology – and an exciting glimpse into the future of what music education could (and would) become.
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New SL630 Ultra-Compact from Samsung
By: William Chambers
SAMSUNG EXPANDS POPULAR SL-SERIES OF DIGITAL CAMERAS WITH THE SL630
The New Addition Comes Equipped with Dual Image Stabilization and Smart Auto
Ridgefield Park, NJ (January 18, 2010) - Samsung Electronics America, Inc., a market leader and award winning innovator in consumer electronics, today extended its popular SL-Series of digital cameras with the introduction of the SL630. This 12.2 megapixel point-and-shoot offers unprecedented value for the casual shooter with a versatile 28mm wide-angle, 5x optical zoom lens, Dual Image Stabilization, and Samsung's full range of smart features packed in a slim, compact frame. "Samsung is elevating the stature of its SL-Series with models such as the new SL630," said Mr. SJ Park, CEO of Samsung Digital Imaging Company. "With Samsung's SL-Series, consumers can now enjoy features such as wider-angle lenses with longer zooms, as well as technologies such as Smart Auto, which brings incredible value to the consumer while at the same time, giving them the ability to take their creativity to new levels and take great photos."
Impressive Optics
The Samsung SL630 offers an exceptional 28mm wide-angle Samsung lens which provides consumers with a 5x optical zoom (28mm-140mm / 35mm equivalent), giving users the ability to capture more of a desired scene from farther away. Consumers will benefit from Samsung's Dual Image Stabilization (IS) technology, which gives them the ability to capture crystal-clear images by combining both Optical and Digital Image stabilizers to produce sharp images. The Optical IS intelligently compensates for hand trembling by shifting the lens in the opposite direction. When Optical IS isn't quite enough, the Digital IS automatically takes over to ensure virtually blur-free images.
Smart Automatic Controls and Video Recording
Samsung's SL630 comes fully equipped with an array of automatic controls, including Samsung's advanced scene recognition technology known as Smart Auto. Designed to simplify the way consumers take a photograph, Smart Auto analyzes key elements of the composition of the image such as color, brightness, motion, and subject, and then selects the appropriate scene mode which will produce the best results possible. The SL630 also features useful auto focusing options such as object tracking. Samsung's object tracking enables users to select any object or area within the frame and automatically program the camera to lock and keep its focus on the subject even if it's moving within the frame. In addition, the SL630 offers Samsung's Perfect Portrait System - a series of automatic technologies which take the guess work out of shooting beautiful portraits. Key features of the Perfect Portrait System include Face Detection, Samsung's Smile Shot and Blink Detection technologies, Red Eye Fix mode, and Beauty Shot. Samsung also offers standard definition video recording in the new SL630. At a resolution of 640x480 and recording at 30 frames-per-second, consumers can switch from taking 12.2 megapixel digital stills to recording movies.
Mega-Pixels
5x Optical Zoom / 28mm wide-angle
LCD Size
2.7 inch 230K-pixel LCD
Movie Mode
640x480 / 30fps / AVI
3.8" x 2.3"x .8" (Excluding lens protrusions)
Advanced Dual Image Stabilization
Smart Auto
Perfect Portrait System: Beauty Shot / Face Detection / Self Portrait / Smile Shot / Blink Detection
Rechargeable Li-Ion battery
* Specifications are subject to change without notice.
About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, NJ, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., markets a broad range of award-winning, digital consumer electronics and home appliance products, including HDTVs, home theater systems, MP3 players, digital imaging products, refrigerators and washing machines. A recognized innovation leader in consumer electronics design and technology, Samsung is the HDTV market leader in the U.S. Please visit www.samsung.com for more information.
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Health Starts With You
Out of Hours cover
Currently the Strachur Medical Practice is opted in to providing 24 hour medical cover 365 days a year. It is only one of two practices in the area that still carries this responsibility.
As I've mentioned before on the practice blog, this 24 hour responsibility is a huge burden. This is not in any way the fault of the patients in Strachur, who rarely call except in a genuine emergency. I think patients living in rural areas understand that the GP cannot always be immediately available. If a patient had a medical emergency, and called the surgery only to discover that I had gone to Glasgow shopping with my family, then I think they would understand. In the past, the doctor would leave word and would either see the patient on his/her return, or the patient would go to the hospital in Dunoon.
However, my contractual and professional obligation is to be immediately available within the practice area at all times for emergencies. We only have three calls per week in Strachur on average, yet I cannot take my children to Benmore gardens for a walk. A meal in the Loch Fyne Oyster bar is fraught with danger because of the poor mobile phone signal. What if someone dies because I was not able to be contacted?
If a patient were to complain, I would not face a sympathetic hearing. I would be judged by peers who have never worked in remote general practice or as singled handed GPs. Judged by their standards, a trip to the shops in Dunoon could easily lead to me losing my practice, having registration as a doctor taken away by the GMC, or being sued in court.
The Health Board currently pays the practice around £20,000 per year towards the costs of the on call. However, to get a locum doctor to cover the practice costs between £1000 and £1600 per weekend and £100-£200 per night. Were I to be incapacitated for a period of time, the cost of out of hours locum cover alone would be around £110,000 per year. Recently, a friend of mine (a single handed GP on one of the small islands) became very unwell and had to be admitted to hospital. Her Health Board helpfully told her that she was in breach of contract leaving the island and should not have allowed herself to be admitted to hospital until she had organised a locum doctor and waited for them to arrive on the island to take over from her.
Also, it is increasingly difficult to get locums who have any experience of this kind of out of hours. Recently, I have had locums who were worried because they have always worked in Out of Hours centers which had receptionists to answer the phones, nurses to help with patients, and a driver to drive them to visits at night and weekends.
So, reluctantly, I've decided to ask the Health Board to allow me to opt out of the responsibility for providing 24 hours medical cover.
I have submitted a bid from our limited company to continue to provide out of hours cover from Strachur with more locum doctors at the market rate of pay, and they are considering this option. It is expensive, and works out at around £400 to £600 per call.
I have also said that I will always be happy to respond to medical emergencies in the area when I am here even though it will no longer be part of my contract and I will not be receiving any payment for it. Dr Wright has said the same, as has Dr Tittmar. That is part of living in a rural community. If we are unavailable (or the call is not an emergency) then the Health Board will have an alternative system in place for patients to use.
Actually, I think this is the system that most people think we have at the present anyway.
Download leaflet (pdf)
Strachur Medical Practice is an NHS GP practice in the Cowal Peninsula, Argyll, Scotland.
We provide care to around 900 patients. We are also a dispensing practice, which means that our patients can receive their medication from the practice dispensary.
download a copy of our practice leaflet
Regular Clinics
Approaching from the north, as you arrive in Strachur the medical practice is on the left just after the Creggans Inn.
Approaching from Dunoon, drive straight through Strachur heading north and the practice is on the right just before the Creggans Inn.
Approaching from Tighnabruaich, pass the post-office turn left at the T-junction and the practice is on the right just before the Creggans Inn.
There is always a GP on call for emergencies: 24hrs a day, 365 days a year.
To contact the On-Call Doctor dial
If the doctor is not in, you're call will be diverted to NHS 24 operators who can contact the on-call doctor for you.
In dire emergency dial 999 and ask for 'ambulance'.
Patient Information Videos
A Day in the Life of a GP
Chest Pain Advice
British Heart Foundation information video: may not be suitable for young children.
Stroke Advice
Parents - get free Calpol and Nurofen on prescription from the dispensary
Health Board estates department not meeting its responsibilities?
Health Board appoints Out of Hours contract to Tighnabruaich
Health Board takes over Out of Hours
BASICS Ambulance Doctor Car
Welcome to the Strachur Medical Practice weblog
I take it all back
Repeat prescriptions by email
Quality and Outcomes Framework (QoF) points 2008/9
Archive of Items
Our Practice Leaflet
NHS Highland
Argyll Community Health Partnership (CHP)
BASICS Scotland
Scottish Ambulance Service
Lochgoilhead Medical Centre
Patient UK - Patient Information Leaflets
Pageviews (last 30 days)
Content © Strachur Medical Practice 1999-2018. Simple theme. Powered by Blogger.
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Miss Gay Maryland 2010-2011: Onyx Revlon
So last night after my show Lashin Out a special visitor stopped pass. That's right Miss Gay Maryland herself Ms Onyx Revlon. We sat down as me, Onyx and Helena had a great interview and talk. Actually I let Helena take the lead because she knows Onyx just a little better then I so the questions In Purple are Helena (lol)
Who is Onyx Revlon?
Diverse, hard working, determined, legend just to name a few but I would have to say mainly I am me.
Can Onyx be separated from your male persona and who you are in you everyday life?
Yes Onyx can totally be separated from me. My male persona is more of the quiet behind the scenes type where as Onyx is the more out spoken, in your face performer. So yes I do think that I can separate the two.
Out of all your years of performing and doing pageants what would you say your most memorable title is and why?
I would have to say Ms Hippo. Ms Hippo gave me the range to do alot. It gave me time to evolve in to the performer I am now.
If you could change anything about Onyx what would it be?
Not to wear so much on my sleeve and definitely not to say to much to soon
Out of all of the characters that you have done who was your most memorable?
People look at me now and would think that its unbelievable it but I would have to say Janet Jackson. People wouldn't believe it but it was a very successful character for me back in the day.
If you could choose any person in this industry has had a positive influence on you and your career who would it be?
Vicki Fox from DC. She was one of the first African American Miss Gay Maryland's that I saw which she was Ms hippo at the time. It let me know that I can do this I can actually be Ms Hippo and I can actually be Miss Gay Maryland if I work hard and if I'm dedicated I could do this too and I can be her on that stage and still be me at the same time.
In your reign as Miss Gay Maryland what was your most important platform?
My most important thing in my platform was letting people know that this goes a lot further then what you see on stage as far as the feathers,the gown, the beads and the rhinestones you have to go out there and make and be your own Miss Gay Maryland. You know my Miss Gay Maryland was children, pediatrics, and aids that was my platform that is what I wanted to do is go out there and make the community aware that not only adults suffer from HIV but children also suffer. Another thing people to know is that I stood for Diversity. I wanted everyone to know it doesn't matter what color or nationality you are its about the positive impact you make.
How long have you been performing?
28 consistent years and I'm still here and still beautiful. (lol)
In your 28 years of being a female illusionist do you think that drag has changed?
I think that it has changed for the worst. Back when I first started is was really all about your success and what you have accomplished. I think that now it is about the commodity. Its not about what you offer. You can truly now see what separates the men from the boys because now its like you really don't have to do anything. Now the children sit around and say they want to do drag on a Friday and want to do a show Sunday and not ready but when we started doing it you had to prepare a whole week or a whole month prior to you performing. Honestly that's why I am happy about Miss Gay Maryland this year because only the strong will survive. If you don't have then you are out.
Do you think that 2010-2011 is the only time you should have won Miss Gay Maryland?
No I don't think that it is when I should have won. I think that in 1991 I should have won and I didn't. The way I know it now I wouldn't have really been prepared and its really so much involved with Miss Gay Maryland, I like to call Miss Gay Maryland, Miss America Boot Camp because it is a preliminary to Miss Gay America. It shows you that these are the things you need to do, these are the things you need to say to actually bring you through and help you represent yourself in the appropriate manner. You have to take what and who you are into that system and it has worked for me. I have to say they loved the male I was because I never changed who I was.
What do you think the next Miss Gay Maryland Has to do to uphold the title?
Be Real. Be real at all times and be prepared at all times. Do not take anything for granted. Just because your Miss Gay Maryland don't think that anything is owed to you. You have to still work and uphold that title as Miss Gay Maryland. If yo think something is not right you are a symbol of excellence so you should help guide things.
What will you be doing after you step down from your crown?
I do plan on running for another prelim for Miss America I cant tell you which it is but you will be interviewing me again as the reigning so and so.
How long have you been a Revlon?
I have been a Revlon since the Revlon House started in 1992. I was one of the first who got up in drag along with 3 others. We were the fantastic 4 of Baltimore. We are the ones who put the Revlons on the map.
How do you feel about bareback porn and the spread of HIV?
I enjoy watching it but I am a advocate for safe sex. The only way that I could do it if I was in a relationship for a very long time. Other then that I am a advocate for safe sex
What can we look forward to from Onyx Revlon?
I will be preparing girls for the pageant system. Sort of like a liaison helping them get ready for talent, interviews, and the pageant in general. From the age of 5 to 50.
Do you have any last words for your supporters and my viewers?
Please come out and support Miss Gay Maryland April 16-18. Also please please in what ever you do be safe. And if your going to do anything as far as sexual go with your heart. Just believe in yourself and believe in the person you are with.
Labels: Baltimore Pride, Female Illusionist Interviews, Helena Hologram, Onyx Revlon
HELENA HOLOGRAM March 30, 2011 at 7:23:00 PM EDT
WONDERFUL INTERVIEW, I REALLY ENJOYED READING IT
Diamond Balancieaga June 9, 2011 at 5:26:00 PM EDT
She is really Beautiful
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University of Cambridge > Talks.cam > Financial History Seminar > Regulatory responses to financial crises: Spain, 1850-2000
Regulatory responses to financial crises: Spain, 1850-2000
Professor Pablo Martín-Aceña, Universidad de Alcalá (Madrid)
Lucia Windsor Room, Newnham College.
If you have a question about this talk, please contact D'Maris Coffman.
Financial crises have been examined under many perspectives, including that of regulatory failures. However, the effects of crisis on regulation are less well known. Generally, after a major crisis, the faith in the market dwindles and the partisans of strong regulation tend to have the upper hand. In a recent paper on the history of financial supervision, Goodhart has put it clearly: what historical record demonstrates, and as every central banker and practitioner comes to understand, is that regulation and supervision are primarily reactive. In Goodhart´s words, when something goes wrong in the financial system, some people lose money and then almost by definition the existing system of supervision and regulation is held to be at fault. Politicians feel the need to be seen to be taking actions to make sure that that particular disaster never happens again. Then the result is to find ways to tighten regulations and change the supervisory rules.
Like the rest of the world, Spain has suffered frequent financial crises and undergone several changes in its regulatory framework. There have been crises that have been followed by reforms of the financial structure, and also trouble financial times with no modification of the regulatory and supervisory regime. In various instances, regulatory changes have predated financial crisis, but in other banking crises have occurred without reference to changes in the regulatory regime. Regulation and supervision have been usually absent in the XIXth century, while in the XXth century policy makers have been more active and diligent. Moreover, all major financial crises have produced intense financial restructuring, although as elsewhere banking restructuring and interventions not always have been successful.
Although we know the major trends of the Spanish regulatory cycles, there still many questions to be answered. Has been the Spanish financial system adequately regulated? Do financial reforms and regulations have contributed to banking stability? Have financial reforms been introduced as a response to financial crises or predated them? What government agencies have been responsible for banking supervision? Does Spanish regulation conform to a common regulatory European pattern or, on the contrary, country-specific political and economic factors have mattered more? The study regulation and supervision for a small and peripheral country in a historical perspective is of interest for several reasons. First, the examination of a nation’s case, such as that of Spain, may contribute to a better understanding of how regulation and supervision have changed in the last two centuries. Second, although one of the primary purposes of banking regulation and supervision is to promote stability, they can also have ancillary effects on the aggregate economy by affecting bank behavior. The Spanish economic experience, moving from underdevelopment in the XIXth century to development in the XXth century, provides evidence of how the regulatory framework may affect economic performance through bank lending behavior. Finally, a look at the Spanish case may also shed light to the permanent debate between the two theoretical approaches that compete to explain the historic cycles of financial regulations: one base on a public interest motivation, and the other emphasizing the role of private interest.
This talk is part of the Financial History Seminar series.
AUB_Cambridge Seminars
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Lucia Windsor Room, Newnham College
Dr. Mira Phailbus talks about the education system in Pakistan Topology Seminar
Adding turbulent convection to geostrophic circulation: insights into ocean heat transport “Soap cost a dollar”: Jostling with minds in economic contexts Neurodevelopment disorders of genetic origin – what can we learn? A unifying theory of branching morphogenesis Universality in Active Matter Britain, Jamaica and the modern global financial order, 1800-50
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Antonino Faà di Bruno
Antonino Faà di Bruno FAQs: Facts, Rumors, Birthdate, Net Worth, Sexual Orientation and much more!
Who is Antonino Faà di Bruno? Biography, gossip, facts?
Antonino Faà di Bruno (December 15 1910 - May 2 1981) was an Italian actor and former officer. Born in London Faà di Bruno becomes officer of the grenadiers. After his retirement in 1964 Faà di Bruno started a career as a character actor working with Pier Paolo Pasolini Vittorio De Sica Billy Wilder Federico Fellini Luciano Salce Mario Monicelli.
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Antonino Faà di Bruno was born on the 15th of December 1910 , which was a Thursday. Antonino Faà di Bruno's next birthday would be in 329 days (would be turning 110years old then).
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Today, Antonino Faà di Bruno would be 109 years old. To be more precise, Antonino Faà di Bruno would be 39791 days old or 954984 hours.
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Antonino Faà di Bruno died on the 2nd of May 1981, which was a Saturday. The tragic death occurred 38 years ago.
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Antonino Faà di Bruno died in Alessandria, Italy.
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Antonino Faà di Bruno retired in 1980, which is more than 40 years ago.
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Antonino Faà di Bruno's career started in 1964. That is more than 56 years ago.
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Babu Mathew P. Joseph
Babu Mathew P. Joseph FAQs: Facts, Rumors, Birthdate, Net Worth, Sexual Orientation and much more!
Who is Babu Mathew P. Joseph? Biography, gossip, facts?
Babu Mathew P. Joseph is a judge of Kerala High Court. He was born in the Island of Bolghatty Ponnarimangalam Area Mulavukad Ernakulam Kerala on 29 July 1954. He graduated in Law from Government Law College Ernakulam and enrolled as an Advocate on 16 December 1979. As a lawyer he was practicing in various branches of law and he was served as the standing council for the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation.
When is Babu Mathew P. Joseph's birthday?
Babu Mathew P. Joseph was born on the 29th of July 1954 , which was a Thursday. Babu Mathew P. Joseph will be turning 66 in only 190 days from today.
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Babu Mathew P. Joseph is 65 years old. To be more precise (and nerdy), the current age as of right now is 23748 days or (even more geeky) 569952 hours. That's a lot of hours!
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Babu Mathew P. Joseph's zodiac sign is Leo.
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Babu Mathew P. Joseph was born in India, Kerala.
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Home » SLU » Recent Articles:
Opinion: Proposed Crosswalk “Improvements:” On Grand Won’t Improve Pedestrian Safety
May 30, 2018 Featured, Midtown, Planning & Design, SLU, Walkability Comments Off on Opinion: Proposed Crosswalk “Improvements:” On Grand Won’t Improve Pedestrian Safety
Grand Avenue runs through Saint Louis University’s main campus. It’s very busy because other North-South options like Spring & Theresa were vacated years ago. This means North-South that had 5 options now have 3: Vandeventer, Grand, and Compton. To handled the increased volume, on-street parking was removed. Without having to slow for cars parking, speeds increased. For pedestrians this is dangerous.
Since the city has given away public right-of-way (aka streets) to private property owners for years this problem exists throughout the city. The proposed solution is the same superficial one — decorative crosswalks. The warm & fuzzy element of urban planning.
SLU’s rendering of proposed changes to Grand where West Pine used to be
Here again is what SLU is planning at Lindell, where West Pine used to be, and Laclede:
The project calls for the elimination of one of the three northbound lanes on Grand, which will allow the remaining lanes and the median to be widened. Bollards will also be installed to protect pedestrians who are about to cross the street as well as those who might be standing in the median. The roadway where the crosswalk is, will be changed to a brick-like surface to enhance the look and remind drivers to slow down. (KMOV)
Let’s take a closer look at each element.
Removal of one Northbound travel lane: Reducing the number of travel lanes is good.
Widen the remaining travel lanes & median: While widening the median is ok. increasing the width of travel lanes is the wrong thing to do! Wider lanes means driver’s feel safe at higher speeds. The remaining lanes should either be kept at their current width or reduced if you want to slow vehicles to increase pedestrian safety.
Bollards installed: In this context bollards gov an impression of safety, though they might help since cars will be going even faster on wider lanes.
I’ve long been interested in the Grand & formerly West Pine crosswalk. I visited and observed at 4:45pm on Tuesday September 21, 2010 — nearly 8 years ago.
The crosswalk was highly visible to pedestrians & motorists, September 2010
After I observed the crosswalk and took the photo (above) I decided to record what I was witnessing,
Here are the problems I listed at the end of the video:
Signal timing is too long for pedestrians, they get tired of waiting and cross when they can. The timing needs to change so pedestrians can safely cross more frequently.
The pedestrian button, like most in St. Louis, doesn’t do anything. Even the one person who pressed the button crossed before getting the “walk” signal. Eliminate the button or make the signal change quickly once pressed.
The fixes, save for shortening the crossing distance & giving students more space to stand between traffic, won’t make this crossing any safer. It’s possible the dark bricks will be less noticeable to motorists than the white paint. I know from a wheelchair perspective brick crosswalks are highly annoying. Motorists need to slow down before they reach the crosswalk.
Looking North on the East side of Grand, June 2011
One of the big problems is the lack of anything to get motorists to slow down: parked cars, narrow lanes, or — my favorite — street trees. It feels too wide open so motorists feel ok going faster than they should. Other things to do would be rumble strips in the pavement prior to reaching the crosswalk. make traffic stop more frequently during busy times, embed flashing LED lights in the lane markers ,a lighted sign overhead, etc.
Sadly too many are fooled by this region’s superficial efforts to appear to make pedestrian-friendly environments. Here’s the results of the recent non-scioentiofic Sunday Poll:
Q: Agree or disagree: Proposed changes to the crosswalk on Grand South of Lindell will greatly improve safety for pedestrians.
Strongly agree 3 [13.64%]
Agree 3 [13.64%]
Somewhat agree 7 [31.82%]
Neither agree or disagree 2 [9.09%]
Somewhat disagree 2 [9.09%]
Disagree 4 [18.18%]
Strongly disagree 1 [4.55%]
Unsure/No Answer 0 [0%]
This crosswalk will, to most eyes, look better. Aesthetics aside, it won’t perform any better — it might be worse. This is a way for SLU to mitigate damages from a future lawsuit by claiming they made an effort to improve safety. Actual safety is perceived as too inconvenient to motorists.
Thankfully Biondi Wasn’t Allowed To Immediately Raze The Pevely Building
February 3, 2015 Featured, History/Preservation, Midtown, SLU 6 Comments
A few years ago Saint Louis University was determined to raze the Pevely Dairy building at Chouteau & Grand (see Pevely Dairy Fate to be Decided Today, or Not?). The city said they could raze the building — once they apply for a building permit for the medical building they intended to build to the South — the site of the Pevely Dairy was to be lawn and driveway. Many of us who fought against demolition felt defeated, eventually they’d submit plans for an awful new building set far back from the road and the historic warehouse would come down.
2011: The historic Pevely Dairy maintains the building line at both Grand & Chouteau
However, their project didn’t go forward! Thankfully the city’s Preservation Board had the good sense to require a real project before allowing the demolition. See SLU May Pass on Pevely Site for New Medical Facility.
View from Grand last month
So now it’s three years later, Biondi is no longer SLU’s president. Maybe I missed it, but I haven’t see any news about the fate of the building and the acres of vacant land to the south. I’d love to see it get a new use as part of a larger project. I’d also like to see the big red letters spelling PEVELY returned to the rooftop sign. Pevely Hall?
Saint Louis University Law School Shuttle
October 11, 2013 Downtown, Environment, Featured, Midtown, Public Transit, SLU, Transportation 22 Comments
One reason for trying to build the St. Louis Streetcar is to reduce the number of polluting buses on the streets, in particular, from shuttles for the new Saint Louis University School of Law (my review of the building). The law school is open and the diesel-powered shuttles are very visible.
Shuttle in front of Scott Hall
Shuttle idling on Locust at 9th, near Culinaria
Here’s a quick summary of the route:
Scott Hall Shuttle You can access Scott Hall from the main university and designated law school parking via a new shuttle. Hours and information can be found here. The shuttle will connect Scott Hall to the main University campus, Salus Center and the law school parking at Schnucks Culnaria and 1215 Olive St. surface lot. The final shuttle runs from Scott Hall at 10:10 p.m. with drop-offs at Culinaria, the 1215 parking lot and finally at Busch Student Center. (source)
And here’s visuals:
Scott Hall Shuttle route map on SLU website
Close up of the route in the central business district
Seems excessive too me, especially when they sit and idle, spewing diesel fumes. Guess law students won’t mix with the general public with such an elaborate shuttle system at their disposal. Presumably, though, amy SLU faculty, staff, or student, can ride it.
SLU’s New Law School Breathed New Life Into An Old Building, Downtown
September 30, 2013 Downtown, Featured, SLU 25 Comments
The building at 100 North Tucker was built by a developer in 1964, opening for office tenants in 1965. Typical for that era, the 11-story structure had low ceilings and small windows. It was plain, a dog. It’s been “functionally obsolete” for decades now. Occupancy dwindled to the point the last owner donated it to his alma mater, Saint Louis University.
100 North Tucker in September 2012, before renovations
Last week I got to tour the Saint Louis University School of Law, the new occupant of the building. The tour was organized by the St. Louis Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, our guides were architects from The Lawrence Group who worked on the project.
Turns out the structure was designed to have two more floors to be added later. So one tall floor was added. Two previously unused elevator shafts got new elevators to the 12th, the originals stop at 11
The library occupies the 5th & 6th floors with views of the St. Louis courts to the south
The south end of the new top floor is an event space, wheelchair access is provided by a ramp out of view
The glass wall of the 12th floor offers great views downtown. A mock courtroom occupies the north end of the floor.
A small class was having a mock trial inside the courtroom during our tour
View looking east
I’ve not been happy with the direction former SLU President Larry Biondi took the main campus (fenced fortress) but his last project looks to be a winner. I’ve not tried The Docket restaurant on the ground floor yet, but at lunch on the day of the tour I saw a SLU law student at Empire Deli on Washington. An ugly building was given new life while adding many more people downtown.
Congrats and thank you to everyone that made this happen!
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TOTM- Lee
Jonathan Lee is June's Teacher of the Month.
By Ella Kaminsky, Features Editor
Although Honors Chemistry is known to be a very difficult course, Mr. Jonathan Lee has made learning effective yet enjoyable for his students. Lee has taught at WCHS for five years. Students every year boast about his impressive teaching style and his unmatched relatability.
Before working as a teacher, Lee graduated from Quince Orchard High School, and continued his education at University of Maryland on a full academic scholarship, despite also being accepted into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. However, he soon realized that college was not for him and instead joined the United States Army.
“I served between 2008 – 2010 as a member of the Army’s 1st Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment, eventually completing two 12-month tours in Afghanistan and Iraq before a combat injury in 2010 resulted in my medical discharge,” said Lee.
Since his time in the Army, Lee has finished his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Chemistry as well as his Master’s degree in Education, all at UMBC.
“Mr. Lee is a great teacher, and really elaborates on everything so I understand each topic completely.” said WCHS sophomore, Isabella Caraballo.
This college experience was a much better fit for Lee, as he discovered his love for teaching.
Before working at WCHS, Lee worked at Catonsville High School in Baltimore County. He explained that there he worked as a chemistry teacher, but did more erratic experiments than at WCHS.
“One time, the Bunsen burner was a tad too close to the big container of methane bubbles so that when I ignited the bubbles in my hand, a trail of fire followed the residual methane near the container, into the container, and then exploding the container,” said Lee. “ Luckily, glass did not shatter all over the place, but the explosion did burn off my eyebrows.”
Lee’s favorite part of teaching is seeing his students succeed. He loves it when his efforts in teaching finally pay off on tests, quizzes, and in class discussions.
“I also love to see when a student has one of those “lightbulb” moments, when they’ve been trying and trying to grasp a difficult concept and then suddenly they get it. You can see it in their eyes, like, “Ooooh, I get it now…!”” said Lee.
He naturally is social, making it easy for him to connect with his students. He also has a casual sense of humor that he often will incorporate in his lessons to grab students’ attention and make them laugh.
“He encourages me to excel in class and I can truly tell that he wants what is best for me.” said Isabella Polglase, a WCHS sophomore.
Lee makes efforts each day to not be a different person to his students than to his peers. Treating his students well, with respect is another crucial trait Lee has.
“My hope is that my positive outlook and attitude translates well to my students,” said Lee. “Furthermore, I feel very strongly about not being a different person at school than I am “in real life.” I try to be as “real” to my students as I would to anyone else.”
When Lee was in the Marine Corp, the MARSOC (Marine Special Operations Command) continued to explain each day that “Today will be different.” It means that no matter how badly yesterday may have been, it’s up to you to break out of the negative cycle and to take ownership of making today different.
“Not only is Mr. Lee a fantastic chemistry teacher, but his bright personality lifts me up each morning during first period.” said Polglase.
Ella Kaminsky
TOTM
Ella Kaminsky, Features Editor
Ella Kaminsky is a Features Editor and junior on the Winston Churchill Observer staff. When she isn’t writing for The Observer, you can find her going...
Seal of Biliteracy award symbolizes dedication to mastering a language
English Honor Society changes for the better
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C4C donates supplies and warms the hearts of many
Students share their heritage through ISA club
Honors societies change for the better
TOTM: Christopher Forney
Teacher of the month: Katelyn Blanken
Pink-out unites WCHS community together
Homecoming week improvements boost school spirit
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Former hockey coach arrested for sexual abuse of minors
A former hockey coach at Kenai Central and Soldotna high schools has been arrested on charges of sexually abusing minors over a span of 14 years. So far, seven victims have been identified, according to Alaska State Troopers.Listen now55-year-old Bradley Elliot was arrested July 13 and remanded to Wildwood Pretrial Facility in Kenai after a search warrant was served on his Sterling home. He faces 37 counts, including sexual abuse of a minor, child pornography and misconduct involving a controlled substance. He allegedly provided steroids to victims as a form of bribery, according to troopers.Kenai Peninsula Borough School District spokeswoman Pegge Erkeneff says that Elliot worked for the district as a junior varsity hockey coach at Kenai Central High School for the 2005-06 school year. She also confirms that Elliot was involved with the hockey program at Soldotna High School for three seasons, from 2007 to 2010, but is still investigating in what capacity Elliot participated.“We’re still verifying the level of involvement, whether he was a volunteer, or in what position or role,” Erkeneff said.Erkeneff says the district has a four-step process when hiring coaches. First, the position would be made available to certified staff at the school. If no one wanted it, the job would be posted on the district’s website. Any candidate who is selected as a potential hire after completing the application process would then undergo a background and reference check.“Everything we do for an employee, and we also look for felonies and misdemeanors in that process. And then, if they pass that, we would offer them the position,” Erkeneff said.The process to volunteer in the district was made more rigorous in the 2009-2010 school year, Erkeneff says.“The district decided that they wanted to take this more seriously so there was a pilot program in 08-09 and then it was implemented districtwide in 09-10. So what happens if somebody volunteers in a school or is a volunteer coach they would go through a background check,” she said.Troopers say the investigation against Elliot began in December 2015, on a tip from a citizen who was concerned that Elliot had abused a family member.Erkeneff says she can’t comment on whether any complaints had been filed with the district regarding Elliot, citing employee confidentiality requirements. But she did say that the district’s policy is to investigate all such claims.“If the district receives a complaint from anybody, generally it starts at a school site, and then it would go to the director level, and then potentially the superintendent, and there would definitely be an investigation,” Erkeneff said.Erkeneff says that the safety and welfare of its students is the district’s first priority.“I think that we’re continuing to improve and refine our background checks, so that all of our schools are safe places. We love our volunteers, we need our volunteers, our staff and we’re committed to safety for our students. And the school district stands against any employee or volunteer that is abusing a child or another employee and it’s never acceptable.” Erkeneff said.Anyone who knows of other minors potentially victimized by Elliot is asked to call trooper investigator Austin MacDonald at 907-260-2737.
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Top 10 Most Aggressive Animals in the World- Deadliest Animal on Earth
Tammy Lindner No Comments
Whenever we heard aggressive animals, most of the people have already thought of the animal with razor sharp claws with gnashing teeth. Animals like tigers, sharks, lions are surely arousing fear. There are plenty of animals that are not big in size and innocuous looking, but most aggressive animal on earth. So let’s see top 10 most aggressive animals in the world.
1 Top 10 Worlds Most Aggressive Animals
1.1 Saltwater Crocodile
1.2 Cape Buffalo
1.3 Box Jellyfish
1.4 Tsetse Fly
1.5 Black Mamba
1.6 Golden Poison Dart Frog
1.7 Cassowary
1.8 Sun Bear
1.9 Wild Boar
1.10 Pufferfish
Top 10 Worlds Most Aggressive Animals
Weight: 1,000 lb.
Size: 17 ft. (shoulder)
Lifespan: 70 years
The saltwater crocodile is known as the Indo-Pacific crocodile, estuarine crocodile, and marine crocodile. Informally this crocodile known as saltie is a living reptile. As the name indicates, this type of crocodile lives in saltie, brackish and saline mangrove swamps, deltas, estuaries and lagoons and sometimes in lower areas of the river. Moreover, this crocodile is a huge opportunistic apex predator. Due to size, ferociousness this crocodiles are taken into consideration as the most dangerous animal on our list. They are extremely dangerous because this short-tempered crocodile is an excellent swimmer in both fresh and saltwater. However, saltwater crocodile is one of the most Aggressive Animals in the World.
Also Check: Top 10 Largest Bird of Prey
Size: 3.3 to 5.4 ft. (shoulder)
Due to its unpredictable nature, Cape buffalo has never tamed. Like crocodile and lion, Cape buffalo is also a predator. In Africa, the big five game refers to the most five stubborn animals are leopard, lion, elephant, rhinoceros and Cape buffalo. In sub-Saharan Africa, around 900,000 Cape buffalo are found. Black Death is its nickname. The Cape buffalo got a well-developed scent, but the hearing and sight are both poor. Overall, Cape buffalo is one of the most powerful animals.
Weight: 2 kg maximum
Size: 1 millimeter
Lifespan: 2-6 months
When you see a box jellyfish first, it seems cute, colorful jelly-like substances but it’s surely world’s one of the most dangerous creature on earth. Though jellyfish are available in every ocean, they prefer to live in the deep sea. A species of jellyfish named Scyphozoans found in marine; other type hydrozoans lives in freshwater. Most of the cases jellyfish are very available in coastal area worldwide. Hence, It is one of the oldest multi-organ animals, roamed over 500-700 million years.
Tsetse Fly
Color: yellowish, brown
Size: 6-14mm
Lifespan: 9-14 days
Tsetse is the true terror. You may wonder why this tiny fly entered on the most dangerous animal on the earth. The tsetse fly is not only considered as a grievous fly but also as one of the dangerous animal in the world. It’s a small insect just about 8-17 mm, almost same as a house fly. Furthermore, this deadly fly is commonly available in sub-Saharan countries. It’s the main causes of deathly diseases named African sleeping sickness.
Color: blackish, olive, gray, or brownish
Size: up to 14 feet
The black mamba is second largest snakes and considers as world’s most aggressive animals. So like most of the people, you may think it got such a name it must be black. But interestingly they are olive, green and often brownish. The black mamba can reach 12 mph, world’s fastest snake in the world. The most important thing is it doesn’t attack without any stimulator provocation.
Golden Poison Dart Frog
Weight: less than 01 oz
Size: 1 inch
This beautiful yellow color frog’s poison can kill ten adult men easily. It can be found in South America. Just two micrograms poison of this dart is enough killed an individual. Hence, these bright color frogs are the 1-inch length average, consider as largest 100 poison dart frog species. Specifically, it lives in a tiny plot of rainforest on Colombia’s Pacific coast.
Weight: 129 Ib
Size: 1.5-1.8 meter
Regarding the size, Cassowary is second largest ostriches, most dangerous bird as well. It’s aggressive by nature and attacks viciously. The primary weapon of this dangerous bird is its sharp claws and powerful legs. As a result, just by one bow of claws, it could crush the human bone. They live mainly on fruit.
Color: white, yellowish on chest
Weight: 35-80 kg
Size: 120-150cm
Considering the size, sun bear is the smallest animal of the bear family. But this bear is more ferocious than another bear. They are very short tempered and become aggressive very quickly. However, they never attack without reason. They are so deadly for their sharp teeth, powerful jaws and long claws. Sun bear are found on tropical forest. They also have known as the honey bear. They like beehives, bees, and honey as their food items.
Lifespan: 20-30 years
Though it seems very harmless in look for its violent nature its one of the most aggressive animal on earth. They are also known as the Eurasian wild pig, wild swine or simply wild pig. Eventually, the Wild boar is unpredictable. The most remarkable feature of this boar is its curved tusks that are pretty long. However, this extremely sharp tusk is the main weapon by which they attack primarily.
Weight: 10-30 pound
Size: up to 3 feet
Lifespan: 4-8 years
This water balloon-like fish is poisonous vertebrate on the earth. They are famous for “inflatability.” It is known as blowfish, commonly found in China, Japan, and the Philippines. Meanwhile, the predator got fool by their slow, clumsy swimming style. The toxins they produce are deadly to humans. However, just one puffer fish is enough to kill 30 grown men. Puffers are commonly found in tropical ocean waters; some species are available in fresh or brackish water.
I firmly believe that you are also amazed like me to know the facts about most aggressive animals. To wrap up this article, we would say though they are a most dangerous animal they have some benefit and advantage over nature. Furthermore, human causes some serious damage to Mother Nature and also these animals. So show some space and respect for them.
*Image Source: Pixabay, Pexels, Wikimedia, and Flickr
Tags:Aggressive Animals
4.9 / 5 ( 21 votes ) The Largest Bird …
Tammy Lindner December 12, 2017
Top 10 Largest Bird of Prey that are Pretty Awesome & Scary Too
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A Zionist & Conservative Blog
Tag Archives: Feds Released Hundreds of Immigrant Murderers
FEDS TERRORIZE AMERICAN CITIZENS:ILLEGAL MURDERERS (ETC)UNLEASHED ON PUBLIC! Commentary By Adina Kutnicki
Posted on June 9, 2014 by Adina Kutnicki
It is impossible to wrap one’s head around the criminal-bent actions perpetrated under Obama Inc, unless one is of like-mind. But let’s get this factoid settled: the POTUS, whoever holds office, is sworn to protect the public from harm and there is no getting around this obligation. Case closed. Or, so you would think.
In the main, there is every reason to believe (and no reason not to) that the current despoiler of the People’s House is running a criminal operation, not unlike Al Capone back in the day. A regime which runs wild, hell bent on bringing down “Amerika”, will stop at nothing to achieve its goals.
Such is the case within every realm of their operations, but some actions stand head and shoulders above the rest. From gun running, resulting in many murders, due to “fast and furious”; to the slaughter of Americans via Benghazigate; to IRSgate, and the release of Taliban terror kingpins, where does letting loose illegal criminal aliens factor in? Everywhere.
Factor One:
Just consider the ramifications of not only “legalizing” millions of illegals, but the fact that the Lawbreaker-in-Chief honors one of its chief proponents, herself a felon!
Factor Two:
In this regard, what are the chances of reining in said leadership, when they not only abet illegal aliens but their champions too? H E L L O….
Factor Three:
But never mind, the IRS rewards and pays illegals for their lawbreaking, yet hounds patriots for their national honor. What the hell is going on? Oh yes, Obama Inc. has the nation in its vise-grip.
Factor Four:
Consequentially, who other than a renegade POTUS would preside over an out of control DHS? You know, the very same agency tasked with securing the national interest, yet losing ! illegals under their charge!
Factor Five:
As a result, the sham of immigration “reform” is exposed for what it is; illegals are “koshered” and DHS is caught – with its pants down – ferrying illegals to U.S. shores!
Factor Six:
Exactly how much more criminal does it get, then when Feds actually DUMP illegals at bus stops across Texas, Arizona and elsewhere? Why would they do this?
Alas, here they go again…..but before you read on, a MUST view video is embedded within!
IF Barack HUSSEIN Obama is not guilty of GRAVE dereliction of duty…or worse, then…..
Feds Released Hundreds of Immigrant Murderers, Drunken Drivers, Sex-Crimes Convicts
Immigration officials knowingly released dozens of murderers and thousands of drunken drivers back into the U.S. in 2013, according to Obama administration statistics that could undercut the president’s argument that he is trying to focus on the most serious criminals in his immigration enforcement.
Among the 36,000 immigrants whom U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released from custody last year there were 116 with convictions for homicide, 43 for negligent manslaughter, 14 for voluntary manslaughter and one with a conviction classified by ICE as “homicide-willful kill-public official-gun.”
The immigrants were in deportation proceedings, meaning ICE was trying to remove them from the country and could have held them in detention but released them anyway, according to the Center for Immigration Studies, which published the numbers Monday. The Washington Times also obtained the data.
“This would be considered the worst prison break in American history, except it was sanctioned by the president and perpetrated by our own immigration officials,” said Rep. Lamar Smith, Texas Republican. “The administration’s actions are outrageous. They willfully and knowingly put the interests of criminal immigrants before the safety and security of the American people.”
The data raised thorny questions about how the government decides which immigrants to detain and which it will release as they await court hearings and final action on deportation.
Jessica Vaughan, policy studies director at the Center for Immigration Studies, said the numbers undercut the Obama administration’s argument that it is trying to keep its enforcement efforts targeted at dangerous criminals.
“We keep hearing from the administration that they are focused like a laser on enforcement against the worst of the worst, convicted criminals, as their top priority. On the other hand, they are releasing, at a rate of about 100 a day, aliens from their custody with criminal convictions, and many of them are serious criminal convictions,” she said.
In a statement, ICE said many of those it released were subject to electronic monitoring, posting bond or having to check in with officers.
In other cases, the agency was required to release immigrants because of court decisions, including a 2001 Supreme Court ruling that found immigrants whose home countries refused to take them back could not be held for more than six months.ICE said 75 percent of the convicted murderers released in 2013 were considered “mandatory releases” in compliance with court decisions.
“Others, typically those with less serious offenses, were released as a discretionary matter after career law enforcement officers made a judgment regarding the priority of holding the individual, given ICE’s resources, and prioritizing the detention and removal of individuals who pose a risk to public safety or national security,” ICE said.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson will have to answer questions.
Mr. Goodlatte and Mr. Smith asked ICE for the release numbers but said the agency never turned them over.
“These criminals should be locked up, not roaming our streets,” the lawmakers said.
ICE has told Congress it doesn’t need to hold as many immigrants in detention. In its budget request this year, ICE asked that Congress fund slightly more than 30,500 detention beds a day, down from the 34,000 set in current law.
“This funding level of beds will allow ICE to detain the current mandatory population, as well as the higher-risk, non-mandatory detainees,” ICE Deputy Director Daniel Ragsdale testified in March.
Ms. Vaughan said that rings hollow if the administration is releasing murderers and other serious criminals even with 34,000 detention beds.
The 36,007 criminal aliens counted in the data had more than 87,000 convictions among them: 15,635 for drunken driving, 9,187 for what ICE labeled “dangerous drugs,” 2,691 for assault, 1,724 for weapons offenses and 303 for “flight escape” — a category that would seem to make them bad candidates for release.
The immigrants are in addition to the 68,000 other immigrants that ICE officers came across but didn’t put into deportation proceedings.
ICE came under fire last year for releasing thousands of immigrants and blaming it on the sequester budget cuts. Among those released were 622 criminals, including 24 with repeated felony convictions so bad that the administration had to go recapture them.
Officials later said it wasn’t the sequester, but rather the regular budget process that caused them to have to release the immigrants. They said they had been running above the 34,000 detention level for too long and would have had to cut detention to average out the numbers.
Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Similarly, as is said, there are “a lot of ways to skin a cat”. So if truthfulness is the sine qua non, the bottom line, what else can one conclude from the very same words uttered by Barack HUSSEIN Obama’s alter ego, Valerie Jarrett?
President Barack Obama’s top adviser and confidant told a group of global elites on Thursday in Las Vegas, Nevada that House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has made a commitment to the White House to try to pass amnesty legislation this year.
After hailing the Senate’s amnesty bill that the Congressional Budget Office determined would lower the wages of American workers, Valerie Jarrett, Obama’s senior advisor, told attendees at the yearly invitation-only SkyBridge Alternatives Conference that Boehner would help the White House make a push get immigration reform enacted in the next three months.
“I think we have a window this summer, between now and August, to get something done,” Jarrett said, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We have a commitment from Speaker Boehner, who’s very frustrated with his caucus.”
Addressing attendees at an event described as conference where “investors and elite political donors” along with “hedge fund managers, political and business leaders and celebrities” can “speak freely,” Jarrett said that the Senate’s bill would pass in the House if Republicans brought it to the floor.
Jarrett, echoing the sentiments of Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), who has said that Democrats would want a piecemeal approach to immigration reform if they get all of the pieces of the Senate bill, said that there were “a lot of ways to skin a cat” and that there would be “mounting pressure” on amnesty legislation in the coming months. She also reportedly claimed the high-tech industry needed more “educated workers” even though numerous studies have debunked the myth that there is a shortage of American high-tech workers.
Indeed, since the Lawbreaker-in-Chief took over the helm, rock solid plans to terrorize American citizens – into submitting to their “transformation” – have been in place. Thus, it behooves all Americans, whatever their political fealty, to hold Obama Inc. accountable. After all, does anyone believe that illegal murderers, sex-offenders, criminals in general, repeat drunk drivers too, “discriminate” when committing their crimes? Do they care what your ideological affiliation is, or anything else you deem sacred, before they assault unsuspecting Americans?
Rhetorical questions.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "fast and furious", Benghazigate, Bringing down "Amerika", DHS, Drunken Drivers, Feds Released Hundreds of Immigrant Murderers, illegal aliens, illegal murderers, illegals, immigration "reform", IRS rewards, IRSgate, Lawbreaker-in-Chief, regime runs wild, Sex-Crimes Convicts, Taliban terror kingpins, terrorize American citizens, [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBtHhB_Qcbk] | 10 Replies
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Sikkim stands out like a small thumb in the eastern part of India landlocked with some illustrious Himalayan neighbours including Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan Despite that, it has carved out a unique niche for itself as the little Shangrila, home to the highest mountain in India and the third highest of the World - Khangchendzonga Although, the second smallest state by land and smallest state by population in India, it has tremendous diversity in the ethnicity of locals - Lepcha, Limbu, Magar, Gurung, Sherpa, Nepali, Newari, Bhutia, Tamangall of them distinctly preserving their identity through the ages Sikkim officially became part of India in 1975, before which it was ruled by the Chogyals(priest-kings from the Namgyal dynasty) This is the land of greenery, high...
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In Quest Of The Snow Leopard Feb 28 to Mar 08, 2020
Mar 13 to Mar 22, 2020
In the dead of the night, in peak winter, when the mountains are covered by a snow quilt and are in deep slumber, ‘the grey ghost’ descends from the high inhospitable Himalayan heights to the lower reaches in the valley…in search of a mate and its prey - the wild mountain goats! Snow Leopard (Ladakhi: Shan) - An enigmatic mammal capable of surviving in some of the most brutal terrains and in extreme environmental conditions, is the undisputed King of the snowcapped regions Easily the most magnificent of all the wild cats, this nocturnal cat moves like the phantom in the high mountains of Central Asia in about 12 countries including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal In India, it is most prevalent in parts of Ladakh and Spiti Due to...
Feb 28 to Mar 08, 2020
Led by: TBD
12 Hikers
Everest Base Camp Trek Mar 28 to Apr 12, 2020
Sep 26 to Oct 11, 2020
There are few treks in the Himalaya that can match the popularity and aura that surrounds the trek to Everest Base Camp in the Solo Khumbu Valley of Nepal You have to walk this path and experience it to actually know why The trail passes through the heartland of the Sherpa community of Nepal, who migrated from Tibet about 400 years ago and made Khumbu Valley their home The trek is challenging with some long hours of walking going upto a maximum height of 5545m; yet the accommodation in Tea-houses during the trek adds a great element of comfort to the...
Mar 28 to Apr 12, 2020
Led by: Vishwas Raj
Singalila Ridge Trek Dec 22 to Dec 28, 2019
Apr 05 to Apr 11, 2020
Apr 26 to May 02, 2020
The Singalila Ridge Trek is one of the finest ridge walks in the Indian Himalaya affording amazing views of some big mountain ranges including Khangchendzonga and Everest The highlight is the Khangchendzonga and surrounding mountains including Janoo and Pandim which from this distance, resembles a man sleeping and is famously referred to as “The Sleeping Buddha” The Singalila ridge comes off one of the ridges from Khangchendzonga in Sikkim Sandakphu at 3636m, the highest point on this trek is a classic vantage point to view the Himalayan ranges from Right ahead is the Khangchendzonga range, to the left is Everest range and to the right are the mountains of Bhutan Trekkers and tourists flock to Sandakphu all year round, to get a glimpse of the magnificent...
Annapurna Panorama Trek Mar 16 to Mar 24, 2020
The 5-day Ghorepani-Poonhill trekking loop is one of the most pleasant and sought after short treks of Nepal and affords beautiful views of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Macchapucchre ranges Poon Hill, which is the highest point of the trek at 3210m is one of the finest vantage points in the Himalaya from where you can witness many peaks higher than 6000m and the Giants – Dhaulagiri(8167m) and Annapurna 1(8091m) A great introduction to Himalayan trekking and Nepalese Himalaya, this trek passes through farmlands and picturesque villages nestled in the foothills of Annapurna We will be staying at simple tea-houses on the trail, a charming way to experience Nepali hospitality and witness the lifestyle of the natives The traditional villages – Ghorepani and Ghandruk are...
Goechala Trek Mar 28 to Apr 07, 2020
May 16 to May 26, 2020
Goechala Trek is your chance to visit the hallowed land of the highest mountain in India and the 3rd highest mountain in the World - Khangchendzonga(8586m) in the Kingdom of Sikkim You will be delighted each day of the trip by the Buddhist culture of the place, its natural beauty and the warmth of the locals The trip spans the Nepalese hinterland of East India covering Darjeeling and West Sikkim Right from day 1, the Khangchendzonga range covers the north sky and grows in size as we inch closer and closer until Goechala, where we are just 9 kms away from its formidable North face You will have to crane your neck to get a good sight at the summit from here The trip starts with 2 days at the Tea Capital of Darjeeling, the charming hill station town built by the...
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Jeevan Jeyaratnam Sits Down With SBC To Discuss The Sweet Science Behind Pricing A Penalty Shootout
As the nation prepares for England’s first World Cup semi-final since Italia 90, England fans frantically hope that the anxiety of the Colombia game isn’t replicated and Southgate’s side win in 90 minutes.
However, should England’s fate see them head to spot kicks tonight, we take a look at the challenges that are presented to a trader as they look to price the dreaded penalty shootout.
SBC spoke to Head of Compilation at Abelson Info, Jeevan Jeyaratnam who revealed his belief that a shootout is far from a lottery, as well as looking at some of the key factors in pricing penalties.
SBC: In general, how difficult is it to price which side will win a penalty shootout?
Jeevan Jeyaratnam: A common misconception is that a penalty shootout is a “lottery” with both sides having an equal chance. This is not far from the truth, however, if we breakdown the mechanics it is more nuanced than that.
There are a couple of approaches to pricing a penalty shootout, the first, a more accurate but laborious process, involves using player parameters to determine the likely more experienced, and therefore successful penalty takers in each team- a “penalty prowess”player/team parameter. Generally, the team with better players are going to be favourites for the match, this team would also be slightly more likely to win a penalty shootout. Therefore, pre-game shootout odds should reflect that superiority, albeit if the game has gone all the way to penalties there is far less variance between the two teams’ chances. Most firms won’t be going to the detail of analysing each player’s parameters. So, method two, derived from the match supremacy, allows us to use the 50-50 idea as a benchmark, before adding a small deviation to allow for the superiority of one side over another.
If we look at bet365’s prices, at 90mins, prior to the England v Colombia shootout, we can see England were regarded as slight favourite to win a shootout (3.10 v 3.25).
At the end of the extra-time period the prices had snapped to 1.90 v 1.90, but a closer look at the Asian Handicap prices shows England at 1.875 (53.33%) v 1.975 (50.63%) for Colombia. This is as we would expect to see given that England were judged to have the superior team at kick-off. It is small but significant difference. The reason for the variation in pricing what is essentially the same market is likely due to margin and odds ladders, and possibly different supplier feeds. The Asian prices were bet to 103.96% while the top of the page “To Win Shootout” prices were bet to 105.2%. Always shop around!
SBC: In the Croatia versus Denmark game, we saw Modric miss a penalty in the game before stepping up to take one in the shootout, can in-play penalties have an impact on pricing for a shootout?
JJ: Invariably the team’s regular penalty taker is an experienced and competent individual, able to handle the pressure situation that comes with a penalty. Bearing this in mind, we wouldn’t expect to see this affect a player taking another penalty in the shootout. Of course, if we were updating individual player parameters in real-time, there would be an additional data point for both taker and keeper, but honestly these would have little impact on the pricing.
SBC: Additionally, in that shootout we saw dominant performances from Schmeichel and Subasic, how much can a strong keeper sway a sides’ odds before heading into a shootout?
JJ: Of course, a better than average goalkeeper is a benefit, and if we were allocating player/team “penalty prowess” parameters, this would be reflected. It is fair to say that most firms/supplier feeds will set up their penalty shootout prices as such;
As a starting point we know that 75% (1.33) of penalties are scored and 25% missed (4.00). That sample is going to be mainly comprised of experienced penalty takers. So, to score the 1st pen, 1.30 (76%), to miss, 3.40 (29.41%) is a likely offer. The same prices would probably be used for the 2nd pen. After that we’d likely see some degradation in the quality of the taker, the offer might look like this; to score 1.33 (75%), to miss, 3.25 (30.76%). The “to score” price would continue to fractionally slide the further the shootout went.
SBC: For the Russia Spain game it was clear for long periods, Russia were playing for penalties, can the moral victory of getting to penalties increase a smaller teams’ odds of winning a shootout?
JJ: Psychologically I’m not sure of the impact of this, it isn’t something we’d worry too much about from a compilation perspective. I’d actually argue the opposite, in that the smaller teams may feel they have already achieved their goal before embarking on the arduous task of winning a shootout.
SBC: Can the body language of players have any impact at all on the odds for a penalty shootout?
JJ: We all recall times when we’ve said, “he doesn’t fancy this, I think he looks like missing”, and when that hunch is confirmed, we remember it. What we don’t recall with such clarity is the times that the player goes on to prove us wrong and score. This is evidence of confirmation bias and really has no bearing on price. If a player has agreed to step up for a penalty then there’s every chance he feels confident enough to convert it. There is, of course, extra pressure on penalties that must be scored in order to avoid defeat, likewise, those whose success can mean victory. At a very detailed level this could affect pricing but realistically, with margins, it isn’t something firms should be worrying about at this time.
article via SBC News
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BlogHome » Blog – new » BEES, REJOICE! CANADA PROPOSES BANNING NEONICOTINOIDS
BEES, REJOICE! CANADA PROPOSES BANNING NEONICOTINOIDS
Daniel Huang
Environment, SPUD Calgary, SPUD Edmonton, SPUD Vancouver, SPUD Victoria
Bees, rejoice! Health Canada has proposed to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, including one specific insecticide called imidacloprid that is widely used throughout Canada and has been attributed as having caused widespread death amongst bees.
What are neonicotinoid pesticides?
Neonicotinoid pesticides are the most widely used pesticides in the world and have been the subject of many studies in the past. In fact, Europe voted to do a test ban of two years back in 2013. It was lifted two years later with an emergency application by Britain to conserve its oilseed rape crop. However, a further verdict of their test ban is due in January of 2017.
Neonicotinoids exhibit a wide spectrum of uses, from general pest control, to agricultural crops, to cereals, grains, pulses, and even Christmas trees. The biggest concern draws from heavy usages of these pesticides in agricultural regions, as the levels were deemed to be “well above concentrations that may result in toxic effects to insects.”[i]
Why ban them?
While neonicotinoid may work well in eliminating pests, it is also harmful to beneficial insects. As these pesticides leach from the soil into foliage, rivers, and streams, more insects that are crucial to the ecosystem become affected. This is bad news for bees especially, where colonies in North America and Europe have seen dramatic declines. Other insects–such as mayflies and midges–that serve as the main food source for many birds and marine creatures are also affected.
Health Canada’s Ban Proposals
Health Canada is moving forward with this proposal based on proven studies of the ramifications of neonicotinoid pesticides, as well as the positive effects of the limited use of these pesticides in Ontario, where in 2014, stricter regulations saw an 80% decrease in bee death incidents. Both Montreal and Vancouver have also already banned the use of neonicotinoid pesticides as a city health bylaw.
The proposed ban consists of two options. The first one is a three-year phase-out plan of imidacloprid. The second option is a five-year phase-out plan for those who can’t find alternatives to pest control.
Both phase-out plans apply to uses for outdoor agriculture, greenhouse, trees, and commercial seed treatment. But they do not apply to pesticides used around homes and buildings, direct injection into trees, or tick treatment in pets.
The ban proposal is not finalized, however, and is open to the public and industry stakeholders for 90 days—until the end of February.
What can we do to help the bees?
It’s indisputable that bees and many pollinators are severely affected by this insecticide, which is why it’s important to take a stance in supporting the ban. You can voice your opinion and send any comments before a final decision is made. For ninety days starting from November 23rd, 2016, Pest Management Regulatory Agency will consider any additional data and information submitted in making a final re-evaluation.
We’re excited to see where this proposal heads, and whether it or not it will follow through. Protecting and valuing our environment and its ecosystem should be a priority. We all know what our world would be like without bees and pollinators. There wouldn’t be many flowers or plants left. This is not only a win for bees but also a win for us.
[i] http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pest/part/consultations/_prvd2016-20/prvd2016-20-eng.php
Daniel is a Digital Marketing and Content Strategist at SPUD. He graduated from UBC with a degree in English and International Relations with a focus on environmental topics. A wordsmith by day and a bookman by night, he's a self-proclaimed gastronomic snob, a buck-a-shuck addict, a sub-par skier, and a devoted kingsguard of the oxford comma. He also frequents the dog park with a schnauzer named Duke. | Instagram: @dannnyellow
beesinsecticidesneonicotinoidspesticides
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It’s a Triple Whammy for Makerbot — Not a Rep 3 but 3 New 3D Printers
Rachel Park January 07th 2014 - 5:42pm 0 7
Makerbot hosted its traditional effusive press conference ahead of the opening day of International CES at 4pm yesterday afternoon, unveiling its new product line. It had been rumoured something big was coming from the NY based 3D printing company, and so it came to pass. As usual, Makerbot surpassed expectations (generally along the lines of “here comes the Replicator 3 with noticeable improvements following the acquisition by Stratasys”) and launched three new 3D printers together with a host of desktop and mobile apps.
Making the point that this is MakerBot’s 5th consecutive year at CES, Bre Pettis, the gregarious host of the press conference, also noted that the company’s first exhibit at CES, back in 2010, featured the only 3D printer at the show. This year however, they are part of a dedicated 3D printing zone with a vastly improved product offering in four short(!) years.
Unveiled one by one, Bre first introduced the world to the MakerBot Replicator Mini billed as a ‘compact 3D Printer that is easy-to-use and just right for smaller spaces such as college dorm rooms, classrooms, multi-workspaces and the home.’ Offering fast and easy One-Touch 3D printing with a maximum build volume of 10.0 x 10 x 12.5 cm (3.9 x 3.9 x 4.9 in), the Makerbot Mini is optimized for speed and MakerBot’s proprietary PLA Filament according to the company, it has a build plate that requires no levelling and produces a default 200-micron layer resolution in prints. Also, believe it or not, Makerbot has trademarked the ‘One-Touch’ phrase — quite why is rather baffling and points to further unfortunate undertones to all the good things Makerbot/Stratasys do and are capable of. But that’s just my humble opinion. Anyway, the MakerBot Replicator Mini’s expected retail price will be $1,375 (compared with the Cube 3’s “under $1000”) with planned availability later this year, around spring time.
The second reveal was the third iteration of the MakerBot Replicator Desktop 3D Printer. Essentially the Rep 3, but that’s not what they are calling it, however they were highlighting the “unmatched speed, reliability, quality and connectivity for all prosumer 3D printing needs.” This new Replicator has an increased build volume (11% larger than the Rep 2) taking it to 25.2 x 19.9 x 15.0 cm (9.9 x 7.8 x 5.9 in) and prints faster, at 100-micron layer resolution. The MakerBot Replicator is app and cloud enabled, offers USB, ethernet and available Wi-Fi connectivity to ensure a seamless production workflow — this is targeting the designers and people that work with 3D printing as opposed to playing/making/learning with it. Other features include a 3.5-inch full-colour LCD display and intuitive dial; an on-board camera for monitoring and sharing; assisted build-plate levelling; and a new Smart Extruder designed to allow for easy replacement/swaps and detecting filament absence when it will then automatically pause a print without ruining it. Like the mini, this medium sized machine is optimized for MakerBot’s own PLA Filament. The reiteration of “optimized” suggests it does not wholly preclude other materials, but how it affects your warranty should you go down that route needs further investigation. The latest Replicator 3D Printer is available immediately at a retail price of $2,899.
You may have noticed I called the new Desktop Replicator a medium sized machine. That is because the third and final 3D printer in the new MakerBot hardware line-up goes bigger again. In his final reveal Bre uncovered the MakerBot Replicator Z18 3D Printer. As its name suggests it builds up to 18 inches (45.7 cm) in the Z axis, with a square 12 x 12 inch (30.5 x 30.5 cm) build plate. This, Makerbot believes, means that the Z18 offers the best price/performance in its category for printing large industrial prototypes, models and products and/or printing multiple models at once within an enclosed and heated build chamber — courtesy of Stratasys’ R&D and patents. This is kind of what people were expecting for the non-existent “Rep 3” but despite the price/performance marketing line, they obviously can’t justify the economics for including these premium features at the typical Replicator prices yet. The Z18 is coming in at $6,499 and you’ll have to wait until spring to pre-order. No more Mojo I suspect.
After the hardware, MakerBot also announced some new apps, including MakerBot Desktop and MakerBot Mobile, which provide a complete 3D printing solution to discover, manage and share 3D prints – from your desktop computer or a mobile device. This availability to your 3D printing files, accessed via a personal MakerBot Cloud Library, allows users to explore Thingiverse, prepare files for printing, and most importantly, remotely monitor and control a MakerBot Replicator 3D Printer. MakerBot Desktop is expected to be available 3 February 2014, while MakerBot Mobile is expected to be available on IOS in the spring and then on Android later in the year.
Then came the introduction of the MakerBot PrintShop billed as a new model and collection-based offering to provide an easy entry into 3D printing models that can be used for personal use, collecting and giving. MakerBot PrintShop is a tablet-based fun, easy and free way to create and 3D print unique signs, jewellery and much more. No 3D design skills are needed to use MakerBot PrintShop. Users can create and 3D print without a learning curve that often comes with developing 3D design skills, the premise being to make 3D design and 3D printing even easier for everyone. PrintShop works with all MakerBot fifth generation printers and is free to all MakerBot users. This possibly suggests that for anyone with a Rep 2 (or earlier model) it may not work and for anyone with any other type of 3D printer, it may not work and you may need to pay to use it.
Similarly the MakerBot Digital Store has been developed to provide a place that offers original, fun and collectible digital content directly to the end user. The MakerBot Digital Store is only available for the MakerBot fifth generation desktop 3D printers and the MakerBot Replicator 2 (4th generation), with all content being “Makerbot Verified”. It is a place where customers can purchase “high-quality, delightful, printable and paintable digital 3D models and collections” that effectively turns any new or 4th Gen MakerBot Replicator “into an in-home entertainment device and completely redefines the distribution channel: there is no packaging, no shelving requirements, no distributor/retailer mark-up, and the customer can print as many copies from the digital file as they want.” Model pricing is based on individual digital 3D files (.x3g and .makerbot) or by the collection, each can be printed as many times as you want; prices start at $0.99 per file or $9.99 for a collection and are exclusive to the MakerBot Digital Store. Current collections include: Around TownTM, Chunky TrucksTM, The Cosmic CadetsTM, Dragons of GlastonburyTM, Famous FlyersTM and PetPalsTM.
So there we have it — MakeBot’s 2014 revelations for 3D printing. The hardware covers all the bases, but also kind of feels like a step backwards too in some respects targeting different markets with different platforms. However in terms of the “Ecosystem” the company is developing it works; whether it quite “fulfils the vision of a 3D printer for everyone,” as noted by Bre, quite yet, is questionable — both in terms of price, materials and capabilities, but they are certainly still moving in the right direction. And in terms of laying strong foundations with consumers, the Digital Store is inspired, it won’t take off quite yet, it’ll be a slow burn and Thingiverse is likely to dominate the content landscape for a while longer, but I have a suspicion that the DigitalStore, in a couple of years time, will be very significant.
Rachel Park
Rachel is a BA (Honors) graduate in English.
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leather Stories January 13, 2016
LG G4 Smartphone w/ 32GB flash GSM 4G LTE (factory unlocked): $350 shipped (Orig. $600)
Jared Weintraub
- Jan. 13th 2016 7:37 am PT
Android LG Smartphone Lte 4G
B&H offers the Unlocked LG G4 32GB Smartphone in Black Leather for $349.99 shipped. That’s $100 off the original list price, $69 less than Amazon’s current listing and the lowest we can currently find. It has a 5.5-inch IPS LCD multi-touch display, Android 5.1 Lollipop, Dual-Core Processor, and a 16 megapixel camera. Amazon shoppers gave it 4.4/5 stars.
expand full story
leather Stories September 15, 2015
OnePlus now sells a $100 handmade leather case for the OnePlus 2
Stephen Hall - Sep. 15th 2015 8:19 am PT
OnePlus came out on Google+ a couple days ago to tease “something luxurious” (and no, we didn’t cover it at the time because we aren’t going to simply regurgitate all of the company’s endless marketing ploys), and now that “something” is available for purchase. Apparently, it’s a $100 leather case, handmade and built specifically to fit the OnePlus 2…
The case comes from a company by the name of Hard Graft, known for its premium accessories for a variety of smartphones. It’s “handmade in Italy,” built with “buttery soft leather,” and comes with a couple pockets for storing credit cards and cash. And while it’s currently “Out of Stock,” you’ll be able to grab one from the OnePlus store for $99 + shipping.
My first instinct is to criticize OnePlus because, well, it’s really easy to do. But this isn’t the kind of thing that OnePlus deserves criticism for. These kind of cases are more than popular in (majority) iPhone part market, and it makes sense that OnePlus would try to capture some of those kind of buyers on the Android side. The company’s website definitely looks familiar, too.
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Fossil & Intel show off upcoming round Android Wear smartwatch
Jordan Kahn - Aug. 18th 2015 11:11 am PT
Watchmaker Fossil is about to launch a new Android Wear-powered smartwatch in collaboration with Intel and today we get our first look at the device during Intel’s IDF developer conference in San Francisco (via Engadget).
The Android Wear smartwatch, which is scheduled to arrive later this year, comes alongside two other wearables from the companies including other wrist worn devices — a bracelet and a more traditional-looking, connected watch that aren’t powered by Android Wear.
It’s not exactly much to look at, as it appears to have a design a lot like the rest of the round Android Wear devices on the market. But apart from looking a lot like a Moto 360, we do get a sneak peek at some variations planned for the device including a selection of metal and leather bands.
No word on pricing or exact availability, but you can expect to hear more in time for the holidays later this year.
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leather Stories December 9, 2014
Lamborghini unveils luxurious Tauri 88 gold and leather smartphone for $6,000
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- Dec. 9th 2014 10:56 am PT
@rsgnl
Android Smartphone gold leather Lamborghini
If you can afford to spend upwards of $200,000 on a brand new Lamborghini, then chances are you are doing quite well for yourself. If that is the case, then look no further than the luxury car maker’s new Tauri 88 smartphone in gold and leather. For just $6,000, you are getting an Android-based smartphone with some impressive specifications under the hood. You can’t miss this deal. expand full story
leather Stories November 26, 2014
Standalone Moto 360 leather and metal bands now available for $29.99/$79.99
Chance Miller
- Nov. 26th 2014 5:00 pm PT
@ChanceHMiller
Android Moto 360 Motorola SmartWatch leather
Motorola announced earlier this month that it would soon begin to offer interchangeable leather and metal bands for the Moto 360, and today, those accessories have gone up for sale. A standalone leather band for the Moto 360 runs $29.99 and is available in either cognac (brown), stone, or black. Metal bands cost $79.99 and are available in light and dark finishes.
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More details leak on leather back plate option for rumored Moto X+1
- Apr. 13th 2014 11:03 am PT
Android Moto X Motorola leather
The biggest differentiator for the Moto X was the ability to customize it to your liking via Motorola’s Moto Maker website. With its next flagship, it looks as if Motorola is planning to further expand the customization options available. According to information obtained by @evleaks, Motorola plans to keep many of the original backplate options with the Moto X+1, but also introduce a new leather option, as teased before.
The company will reportedly offer 25 back panel options, including a new leather option in grey, blue, red, and black.
Leather: Black, Red, Grey, Blue
Cool: Navy, Turquoise, Olive, Royal Blue, Dark Teal
Wood: Teak, Bamboo, Rosewood, Ebony
Neutral: Slate, Purple, Smoke, Black, Chalk
Warm: Red, Orange, Lemon Lime, Violet, Crimson, Raspberry, Cabernet
Motorola itself has said that itself that a Moto X successor is planned for this summer. The device is rumored to be called the Moto X+1, but other details are sparse at this point. But a new leather backing option would certainly be a differentiator.
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Casino News The Psychology Of Casino Players: Why Casino Games Appeal More To Men
The Psychology of Casino Players: Why Casino Games Appeal More to Men
Casino games have changed a lot over the last few decades as online gaming introduces a whole new set of gaming opportunities. Even with the additional games, we still see the majority of games are played by men. Sure, the number of women players has shown a great increase, but as far as gambling goes, a large percentage of players are indeed their male counterparts.
Below, we look at the reason for this. Is it just that women don't like it as much or is there more to it?
Type of Casino Games Men Play
Studies reveal that men tend to play more casino games than women, which is at both land-based and online casinos. While most men play table games such as blackjack or roulette, there are many who enjoy video slots and virtual games as well.
The most popular game played by men is poker and multiplayer table games that involve up to 12 players. The study behind it shows that men prefer the game as a form of dominating another man by either winning the hand or fooling the other players into a win (bluffing). The same goes for the player who calls the bluff and winning the hand. Studies have shown that the dominating action actually increases the testosterone level for a man. Naturally, the feeling of being superior leads to playing more often, almost subconsciously chasing the “high” of being better than other men at the table.
While poker is the most popular choice, the same psychology appeals to men with other forms of casino games such as table games. There are various games to choose from and most men would settle on a particular game with the focus on beating the house. Here, instead of beating another player, most men attempt to beat the house which once again leads to feeling superior; only now, it’s not just a single player, but the entire casino instead.
The last on the list of most popular casino games for men is video slots. Developers introduce new gaming themes and styles that appeal more to men and studies have shown that games such as slots are built to stimulate emotions associated to big wins and simplicity. These games are easy to play, fast-paced and could provide some impressive winnings, but since men have a shorter attention span, these games only remain popular for a short amount of time, unless of course, a strategy is discovered.
Do Strategies Affect How Often Men Play Casino Games?
Strategies play a major role in how often men gamble play the way they do. As with poker and table games, studies show a desire to beat other players or the casino, which mainly involves the use of strategies. Furthermore, it’s gone even further as men aim to get more of a thrill by having the best strategy at the table and winning more often.
As some of you would already know, there are several strategies out there, each offering unique benefits for each type of casino game. However, most of these might not be as successful as promoted, which is why men modify standard strategies to suit their own gaming style.
Strategies also reveal the reason men tend to play table games more than any other form of casino game. These strategies tend to take time to develop and practice, and more often than not, small adjustments restart the entire process.
If video slots didn’t work primarily on random number generators (RNG), it’s believed that men would play these games more often as strategies could be applied. However, there are many players who’ve come up with unique betting systems for slots, but in comparison to table games and poker, more than 60% of men prefer table games, poker and sports betting.
How Online Casinos Affect Gambling Habits for Men
It's no doubt that online casino games provide a whole new world of opportunities. Men who play online for the first time, tend to prefer it above land-based casinos, which once again relates to the use of strategies along with ease of accessing games. Not only do online casinos provide more game styles and features, but since these games are played at home, players find it much easier to keep track of betting systems.
Online casinos also see a much greater variety of players, ranging from professionals through to casuals, who simply play for the fun of it. However, when considering men, you’ll find the majority of games played still relate to titles that allow strategies. Most men prefer online multiplayer poker and would enjoy the occasional table game on the side.
Online casinos also see a lot more men play video slots, which mostly include casual players. However, since online casino games tend to include more bonus features, huge progressive jackpots and a larger variety of slot games, many players attempt to enhance their account balances by aiming for the big winnings.
Furthermore, the majority of men share an interest in technology as well, leading to yet another reason why online gambling has become a popular alternative to land-based casinos. The advancements in online gaming shifted rapidly with new technology, allowing players to gamble remotely with mobile devices. This also leads to men challenging their own friends to win more than the other, which once again involves having the best strategy.
Do All Men Play to Win?
Studies have shown that most men play to win, but their primary interest is in beating the house or other players. However, there are many male players who simply enjoy casino games and the entertainment aspect that casinos offer. These players tend to play slots and arcade-style games, which provides the opportunity to win huge amounts of cash, but at the end of the day, they doing it for the entertainment more than anything else.
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Heat, drought impacting urban animals
A mockingbird, the state bird of Texas, is hand fed a cricket by volunteers. Homeowners around Houston are finding the drought distressed animals and bringing them into the Wildlife Rehab and Education Center in west Houston.
"I was turning on the sprinkler in the yard and I heard a little chirp-chirp, and I looked down and there was a bird," said Allison Gonzales.
The southeast Texas drought is taking its toll on urban wildlife, who no longer have access to their typical water and food source as the earth continues to dry out.
Debbie Mitchell with the Wildlife Rehab and Education Center explained, "We are seeing little armadillos come out and they're looking for little puddles of water where people have watered their yard. They're looking for soft soil so they can dig for insects and things."
The triage unit at the Wildlife Rehab and Education Center is nursing all kinds of southeast Texas critters back to health. As soon as they come in, they're hydrated and given vet checks. Fortunately many are able to be nursed back to health.
"(This animal) is finally getting a nice fat little belly because he has had some good groceries while he has been here, but he came in just thin and emaciated," Mitchell said. "He was weak and we are seeing a lot of the fleas this year because of the drought."
From birds to mammals the entire Texas ecosystem is doing its best to endure the worst drought in Texas in more than 50 years. It's also put the Wildlife Rehab and Education Center under duress. They have already taken in the same number of animals as all of last year - 7,000 in 2010.
"This year we have already reached 6,900," Mitchell said.
The wildlife center says they are still accepting wild animals as well as volunteers.
Patchy frost overnight, soggy weather Wednesday
Gun believed to be used in student's shooting death found
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Sex toys used to help chase off armed robber in California
By Rob McMillan
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- Two feisty employees of a San Bernardino sex shop fought off an armed robber, yelling at him and throwing sex toys to chase him out of the store with no money.
The attempted robbery, caught on surveillance video, happened Wednesday around 9:45 p.m. just before closing at Lotions & Lace.
A man walked in with his face covered pointing what appeared to be a gun.
Store employee "Amy" said she wasn't scared. She was convinced the gun was a fake and she was having none of it.
"With the gun, he walked in. I just thought he was trying to be funny, to scare us," she said. "But then I saw the gun and it was like, really? I don't have time for this."
CRAZY SURVEILLANCE VIDEO: Sex store employees fight off armed robber by throwing adult toys at him. @ABC7 at 4pm pic.twitter.com/E8QbuxJkEX
— Rob McMillan (@abc7robmcmillan) December 15, 2016
She started yelling at him, and at one point he grabbed her. That's when a coworker at the store started throwing sex toys at him. Eventually he fled the store empty-handed.
"I think he was a coward," said the store's other employee. "Coming in and trying to get over on two females and not realizing that were pretty feisty."
Police released surveillance video of the robbery, including images of the suspect outside the store with his face uncovered.
Surveillance video shows a suspect who tried to rob a San Bernardino sex shop before he covered his face.
San Bernardino police also said they generally recommend people don't confront armed robbers.
surveillance cameraarmed robberysurveillance video
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