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__label__wiki	0.630314	0.630314	No More Kaepernick? NFL Commissioner Says the League Has ‘Moved On’ Madison Summers December 12, 2019, 10:39 am 21.6k Views 80 Votes 6 Comments Joe Robbins/Getty Images It seems that former San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick’s workout about a month ago didn’t go as planned. The National Football League (NFL) now says it is moving on. Kaepernick — a former NFL player who sparked controversy for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of racial inequality — was invited by the NFL to a special workout in November in Atlanta, Ga. Though the workout was planned to be at the Atlanta Falcons training facility, the former 49er switched things up and his representatives changed the location to a local high school stadium, as IJR previously reported. The change of location drew criticism from the league, as they said they were “disappointed that Colin did not appear for his workout.” However, a number of representatives from different NFL teams still attended. Kevin Hadden holds a sign opposing Colin Kaepernick outside a special workout hosted by the National Football League (NFL) at the Atlanta Falcons training facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, U.S., November 16, 2019. Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters However, now, the league’s commissioner, Roger Goodell, is sharing how the NFL has “moved on” from the workout. Goodell noted on Wednesday, according to Reuters, that the special workout was “about creating an opportunity”: “We created that opportunity. It was a unique opportunity, a credible opportunity and he chose not to take it. I understand that.” “We’ve moved on,” Goodell added. 80 pledges WayHungLow Looks like Colin just had his ego shoved up his colon. There goes his career and millions of dollars to follow. Soon, Nike will wake up and dump this guy before he costs the company millions in lost sales. Communist Colon Kapercunt the dumb-ass that went all out un-patriotic and joined the religion of goat humping was still Nike’s choice as front man ?????????? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL Good for the NFL – now Adidas needs to “move on” Thank goodness! Climate Activist Greta Thunberg After Trump Twitter Roast: Right Back at You Obama-Era Attorney General Excoriates Barr as ‘Unfit’ for Office	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1244
__label__wiki	0.742195	0.742195	Haunted by a horse I was haunted on my trip to Denmark. Not by the ghost of a murdered king on the ramparts of Elsinore, but by some of the most mournful air conditioning systems I've ever heard. The bathroom in my room at the Cabin Hotel in Aarhus was filled with spine-tinglingly creepy sighing, as if a spirit were trapped under the shower drain. Later, the same spook seemed to follow me on the train to Fredericia. Danish TV is already creepy enough, filled with the subtitled ghosts of old 80s American TV shows. I sought something more specifically Danish at the reconstructed village called Den Gamle By (The Old Town) and in the Aarhus art gallery, where I found the windswept 1930s canvases of Jens Sondergaard and Nils Lergaard satisfying, in a harrowing, windswept way. But the spookiest, most fascinating thing was the song that accompanied a 1970 Super 8 film of a horse being sacrificed out on the pack ice. I got obsessed with the mourning song about the horse, returning time and again to try and record bits of its strange open chords, its mournful shamanic singing, part Nico, part Bjork. And of course the wind, keening in the background. Fluxus seems to have had tentacles everywhere -- the Danish wing was represented by people like Bjorn Norgaard, Lene Adler Petersen -- who made the horse film -- and the composer Henning Christiansen (right) who made the song that accompanies it. They came to Scotland with Joseph Beuys in the early 70s, invited by Richard Demarco, and you can hear the results (someone -- possibly Beuys himself -- tuning a piano in the courtyard of the Edinburgh Art College, for instance) on the Henning Christiansen page at Ubu.com. There's nothing quite like the Horse Song there, though perhaps Abschiedssymphonie comes closest; field recordings and vocal gestures mixed with piano composition and primitive scratching noises. The Fluxus Danes killed a horse out on the ice partly as a protest against the pointless human sacrifice then going on in Vietnam, partly to "comment on the way in which museums accumulated our common heritage". You can actually see clips of the Super 8 film "Hesteofringen" -- warning: it's rather disturbing -- here (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4). I've made an mp3 of the song so that it can haunt you as it now haunts me: The Horse Sacrifice, Henning Christiansen (stereo mp3 file) I'd never heard of Henning Christiansen before, but you can read about him on this page -- how he attended the Darmstadt summer school in 1962, then hooked up with George Maciunas' crew in Wiesbaden and joined Fluxus, "embracing a multitude of disciplines verging on the political, including performance, painting and making music with stones, buckets of water, glass bowls, sheep, birds and tape delay". And here's a glimpse of a 2007 show he mounted. He's an old troll now with green ears, but still making music more haunting than the Danish air conditioning. As for the horse, its spirit lives on; we don't need to look far to find new pointless wars for the poor beast to symbolize.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1248
__label__wiki	0.821209	0.821209	Cool Buzz 8 most unreal sci-fi gadgets ever Top 10 most divorced celebrities 10 spookiest festivals from around the world Which is the best astrology system in… Understanding the meaning of 11:11 and how… Welcome To Foodscapes – A Land Filled… North and South Korea come together in… 3 Things You Did Not Know About… How the royal wedding 2018 promises to… Remember These 6 Most Evil People In… 10 – Celebrities who went from riches… Top 6 celebrities who died mysteriously at… Extraordinary Cinema Halls From Across The Globe Watch 100+ Channels Globally for Free! 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Fun & games : Reactor Mini Game… Wine tasting games will make an oenologist… GMEA phone — No virtual games allowed… Icon Watch pays homage to 8-bit graphics… 20-in-1 Multiplay Games Table is fun, all… 3 in 1 DVD player, TV &… 8 – Deadliest Special Forces in the… Top 10 scariest bugs in the world 6 – Most Famous UFO sightings ever 8 – Effects of Nuclear Testing on… 10 Strange cat behaviours and what they… Interesting Facts About Parrots that you probably… Creepiest lizard species that will shock you The most amazing pets to get recognition… Astounding facts you never knew about the… Unbelievable Friendship Between a Man and 38… Coolest pic of the day – Animals… Map animals – Animal figures using the… Stuffed animals couch is a comfy cuddle Pictorial – Mechanical Animals made from trash Home Entertainment Top 6 celebrities who died mysteriously at 27 EntertainmentLatest Top 6 celebrities who died mysteriously at 27 If you think 13 is an unlucky number then think again as 27 is the new number which is taking a close turn. 27 is the number, which has given too many mysterious celebrity deaths. Many of the celebrities had lost their lives when they reached 27, which unfortunately have created a dreaded club called the 27 club. 1) Anton Yelchin He is the most recent celebrity to add in the 27 Club. He was among the few infamous rockstar deaths, who lost his life from a fatal accident on which occurred on 19th June 2016. He is known for his millions of fans. This accident happened when he was coming out of his home and was taking out his Cherokee Jeep from his driveway in his home at California when a fast-moving car smashed him over the brick pillar over the security fence. By the time, his close ones noticed him, and he was already dead, later the LA Country Corner’s office declared his death with the reason as traumatic asphyxia. Anton is still missed by his fans and friends equally who was one of the recent Celebrities who died at 27. 2) Amy Winehouse Image Source : johnlikesmovies.com She is one of the Celebrities who died at 27 thus making her end so early at this tender age when she was enjoying her stardom. She had her debut in the glamour world in 2003, but when she finally embarked with her back to back songs, she soon turned the talk of the town in the UK. Soon she was included in the top 10 in the Hot 100 Singles chart by Billboard with “Rehab.” She had a great voice, but that was not only the reason for her being covered in the media but was covered even in the different news for her looks and intense personal relationships. She lost her life on 23rd July 2011 due to excessive alcohol content in her blood level. It was reported that she had five times the allowed blood alcohol level than the permitted legal limit as per the UK’s rule book of driving. 3) Brian Jones Image Source : secure.i.telegraph.co.uk He was the man who brought Mick Jagger and Keith Richards to limelight with the Rolling Stones. In fact, it was this man only who got people and made a band and named it. He also chose the music that they played. He was infallible and vital for the band and people close to him, but they were unfortunate to lose him. As he started getting famous with his group, he treaded the pop-centric direction but soon turned the victim of alcohol and drugs. He was into a deep depression and sorrow causing too much of mood swings, which eventually made him count his death among the mysterious celebrity deaths. Although he remained reported among the good spirited person in his last days but it was his lethal habits of drugs and alcohol that led him to the death in 1969 when he was 27. His death was tragic; his body was found drowned in the swimming pool, which people say was the result of misadventure. 4) Jonathan Brandis Image Source : hosbeg.com One of the Celebrities who died at 27 also included Jonathan Brandis. He was only six year old when he got into limelight with the role of Kevin Buchanan in the play One Life to Live. However, his journey to stardom started as a teen when he was at the peak of his success. All thanks to the NBC series and the movies like The NeverEnding Story II, Ladybugs, Sidekicks, and Stephen King that gave him roaring success. He also did other key roles in Ride With the Devil and Outside Providence. However, his other movies like pilot 111 Gramercy Park failed and perhaps the turn of events made him shattered and in 2005 he was seen hanging himself. 5) Kristen Pfaff Image Source : celebwikiworthbio.com One of the Celebrities who died at 27 was Kristen Pfaff. She started gaining recognition in her region when turned the member of Minneapolis band Janitor Joe but her show in California made her more famous. While she was in Seattle, she got indulged into the habit of drugs, which even brought her into the detox center in 1994. However, she promised herself to leave behind her bad habits and start fresh and was supposed to depart for Minneapolis to start things fresh but was reported dead in her own apartment due to a drug overdose. 6) Kurt Cobain Image Source : birdinflight.imgix.net In his last days, he wrote one song known as – “I Hate Myself and Want to Die,” and barely people knew that he was talking the truth and would leave this world with loads of his fans. He had contributed a lot to the world of music and gave too many songs to the world and his fans. But thanks to his habit of drugs he lost his battle against the menace despite trying to live in this mortal world in the Los Angeles rehab facility. He gave up finally on 5th April 1994 when he shot himself at his home based in Seattle leaving not just his wife and daughter but hordes of fans who remain his die-hard fan with his music. Top 6 celebrities who died mysteriously at 27 was last modified: November 28th, 2018 by Dr Prem Community Writer Celebrities who died at 27featuredinfamous rockstar deathsmysterious celebrity deathsthe 27 clubTop ‘The Game Plan’ will be the first... Huski Chills your Beer, Instantly! Spiritual gurus of India who have found... 10 – Celebrities who went from riches... Facts you probably did not know about... Incredible Art Forms We Never Knew Existed Some of the strangest musical instruments in... Bialetti pasta pot Top 5 Incredibly Beautiful and Expensive Pen... ← 10 Strange cat behaviours and what they mean IncredibleDiary.com – A Dr Prem Web Magazine Network Site. 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__label__wiki	0.778936	0.778936	(+256) 755-132-176 Bulk GSM SMS Twitter co-founder Biz Stone backs tutoring platform Scoodle January 10, 2020 News Arnold Mayambala Scoodle, a U.K.-based startup that, in its own words, wants to help tutors become influencers, is disclosing $760,000 in pre-seed funding. Backing the round is Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, alongside Tiny VC, IFG Ventures and a number of unnamed angels. Scoodle is also the first edtech company to join the University of Oxford’s accelerator, Oxford Foundry. Launched in late 2018, Scoodle might be thought of as Quora-meets-tutoring. The platforms lets students post questions which tutors are then invited to answer as a way of boosting their reputation and influence, from which they can generate more tutoring work. Tutors can also create a comprehensive profile and share learning resources as a further way of demonstrating their expertise. And, crucially, take tutor bookings. Co-founder and CEO Ismail Jeilani, who most recently worked at Google, says the idea was born from his own experience tutoring so that he could save up for university and avoid taking out a student loan. “It’s difficult to find good tutors, because parents don’t know what to look for,” he tells me. “We solve this with a content-driven approach. Our tutors share content like learning resources on their profiles, which parents get to view before booking a lesson. Through this approach, tutors begin to develop their own brands, like ‘an educator’s LinkedIn’”. Scoodle says it hosts thousands of tutors from the U.K.’s best educational institutions, including the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and others. Perhaps, most noteworthy, Scoodle is operating like a content-led marketplace for tutor bookings but doesn’t currently charge a booking fee. Having grown to 100,000 users across mobile and web, the startup instead has introduced a subscription model: tutors pay £10 per month for boosted listings, and the company claims this secures tutors up to 30 times more enquiries. Similarly, there is also a subscription option for students whereby anybody can book, message and access tutor content for free, but a higher tier Scoodle Pro membership lets you ask questions directly to tutors for a more on-demand service. “It’s very common that a student discovers Scoodle on the back of a Google search,” adds Jeilani. “When they view an answer, they also see other answers from that tutor, along with how many students they’ve helped. This helps create trust”. In the U.K., the tutoring space includes companies like Tutorful, Tutorhunt and myTutor, but remains fragmented. Jeilani argues that Scoodle’s key differentiator is its focus on tutor branding driven by content. “Unique content gives us a different user acquisition channel along with long term defensibility,” he says. “This tutor-focussed approach also means we’re the first to have a 0% commission model. This keeps tutors on our platform longer than anywhere else”. Arnold Mayambala Arnold has held responsible positions in a number of companies specialising in IT services as a systems administrator, Website Developer, tester and programmer. His practical experience includes systems administration, support, software development, testing, specifications, security policy and people management. We make registering, hosting, and managing domains for yourself or others easy and affordable. Join Our Newsletter & Communication We'll send you news and offers. info@indexhosting.net Website Development Jobs Copyright © Index Hosting. 2019 - All Rights Reserved.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1251
__label__wiki	0.723182	0.723182	Michael Cart on the virtues of comics and graphic novels In this Infopeople podcast, book maven Michael Cart talks about yet another assessment of American reading from the National Endowment for the Arts in a study entitled Reading on the Rise and extols the virtues of comics and graphic novels. Michael Cart: From Romance to What? Thoughts on Young Adult Literature In this podcast, Michael Cart reflects on the many changes that have transformed the field of young adult literature since the mid-1990s and sneaks in a plug for his latest writing project. Here is a list of cites mentioned in the podcast (in PDF format). Michael Cart talks about the importance of voice in literature Michael Cart -- the book voice of Infopeople -- talks about considerations of voice in literature and reads passages from some of his favorite examples, ranging from Charles Dickens to Cormac McCarthy and beyond in his latest podcast. Here is a list of citations from this podcast. Michael Cart discusses the 2008 Nobel Prize for Literature Infopeople's bookguy Michael Cart grouses in his latest podcast -- at length -- about the winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Literature (hint: it wasn't an American . . . again!). Michael Cart on new (and old) takes on the legend of King Arthur In this podcast, Infopeople's book maven Michael Cart reports on modern reinterpretations of the classic King Arthur legends, focusing on the just-published Here Lies Arthur by British novelist Philip Reeve and also on T. H. Michael Cart goes from Bulwer-Lytton to Ray Bradbury in one giant leap of a podcast! In his latest podcast, Infopeople's book guy Michael Cart reports on the 26th Annual Bulwer-Lytton Bad Fiction Writing Contest (It's a dirty job, he says, but someone's got to do it!). Podcasting and More: Cutting Through the Jargon to Find the Gems (Part 2 of 2) Paul Signorelli It’s not as if we haven’t heard of podcasting—producing simple and inexpensive audio and video recordings which can be shared online with anyone interested in what we are doing. We may, on the other hand, be wondering what it means to us and to the library members and guests we serve. Michael Cart looks at comic art museums (or is that art museums with comics?) Who says comics aren't art? In his latest podcast, Infopeople's book maven Michael Cart talks about the explosion of comic art museums and reviews some nifty new graphixc novels. Michael Cart on the migration of print from paper to digital In his latest podcast, Infopeople's book maven Michael Cart talks about the gradual migration of books and other print-based product from paper to digital formats. Missed some of the books & other references he makes in this podcast? Ta-da, a PDF list is here!	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1253
__label__cc	0.698661	0.301339	MA'AMARIM Maamarim of the Rebbe Rashab classes Veyadata 5657 Veyadata 5657 click here to view: Tanu Rabanan 5643 Click here to view Hemshech Reb Brachia 5643 Click here to view classes Mem Gimmel - Introduction, Vyadata And Mem Gimel. The Mem Gimmel Class series includes a full year of study at a relatively advanced level. The classes delve into an important area of the chassidus of Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber Schneersohn (Rashab, the fifth Rebbe of Lubavitch). The first 18 classes in this series cover a discourse from 5657 (1897) (Vyadata). The topic is Achdus Hashem (the unity of G-d) based on the pasuk (line) "Hashem hu ha'Elokim" (e.g., the Divine Name "Havaya" - an acronym for the 4 letter name of G-d - and the Divine name "Elokim" are one and the same). The discourse explains this concept of unity on three levels: (1) Havaya and Elokim are like the right and left Hands of One G-d; (2) Elokim conceals only from the perspective of the creation not the Creator; and finally (3) deep spiritual service makes it possible for us to experience the truth of the unity of Hashem in creation. Vyadata concludes with two practical discussions. First, earning a parnassa (a livelihood) while keeping a balance between faith and human effort. Second, the significance of personal tests. Samach Tisamach 5657 Ranat The Ranat ma'amar is a series of discourses given by the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber Schneersohn (the Rashab) in the Fall of 1898. "Shiteif eemo midas harachamim" Creation is an act of judgement and concealment (from the Divine name Elokim). In order for the world to achieve its purpose, some measure of mercy and Divine revelation must be incorporated into the Creation. Human beings also play a role in realizing the Divine plan. The Ranat series discusses this process in detail. Tov Raish Samach Samach Aleph Samach Bais Samach Hay Samech Vav - Earliest Version The Samech Vov (published in 5666 or 1906) is a classic work of Chassidic philosophy written by Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber Schneersohn (the Rashab, the fifth Rebbe of Lubavitch). It is one of the largest series of Chassidic discourses ever written. Its core focus is the topic known as "Dira b'tachtonim" (making Hashem a home in the lowest world). To this end, two distinct views of the purpose of Creation are discussed with emphasis placed on bringing G-dliness down into the physical realm (as opposed to lifting the world up to G-dliness). The Samech Vov series describes this process, e.g., the union of the infinite (sovev) and the limited (mimaleh) as a response to the higher level of atzmus (truth). The Rebbe describes two types of avodas Hashem (service to G-d): the rich and experiential service of studying the Torah, and, the service of mitzvos which is exemplified by discipline and acceptance of Hashem's yoke. He extends this contrast with an analysis of two types of people: an "eved" (common slave), who nullifies himself in his interaction with his master; versus a "ben" (son), who has an intimate relationship with his father. The discourse culminates with the novel concept of "ben sh'naaseh eved" (a son who achieves the advantages of servitude). The lectures in this series cover about 25% of the entire Samech Vov. Samech Vav- Second Round The classes in this series were given over the course of a few years. For the most part, I have classes on all the Maamarim. There are several things to note. One: The classes are unedited. Two: Most of the lectures are oral. This means that I don't necessarily read all of the Maamar inside. Instead, I read select portions. Three: Some of the classes on Yom Tov Shel Rosh Hashanah and Vayelech Ish (Vayechi) are from other occasions. It may, therefore, seem a bit out of sync as you listen. Four: For technical reasons the two Maamarim Hachodesh and Vayolech Hashem are text-based classes. Samach Chess	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1256
__label__wiki	0.613848	0.613848	Cowboys Trading for Robert Quinn was a Genius Move Like Love OMG by Matthew Lenix November 19, 2019, 12:00 pm 1.2k Views 1 Comment The Dallas Cowboys added quite a few pieces to their defensive front during the offseason. Veteran’s Kerry Hyder and Christian Covington were brought in to provide a steady rotation on the defensive line and to make life easier for All-Pro DeMarcus Lawrence. The biggest acquisition came at the end of March when the Cowboys traded for Defensive End Robert Quinn, sending a sixth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins. A former All-Pro in his own right, Quinn was set to start opposite Lawrence at right defensive end and provide the Cowboys with one of the best pass-rushing duos in the league. Unfortunately, Quinn was suspended in August for violating the NFL’s PED policy. Also, he broke a bone in his hand around the same time, making his start in Dallas a shaky one. When Quinn made his Cowboys debut in Week 3 vs his former team he wasted very little time making his presence felt. Not only did he register a sack but he was credited with seven quarterback pressures, which already gave him the team lead in that category. Pretty impressive for a guy with limited practice time prior to the season. This would set the tone for his entire season and he hasn’t looked back. In the seven games since his Cowboys debut, Quinn has registered at least a half-sack in every game except Week 5 vs the Green Bay Packers, including two games with multiple sacks. What’s mind-blowing to me is that his 8.5 sacks for the season are almost a third of the Cowboys 26 sacks as a team. Quinn’s speed and leverage coming off the edge is quite impressive. Trying to block him one on one is a recipe for disaster. In fact, if any team takes this approach they might as well make funeral arrangements for their quarterback. The benefits of having Quinn are endless. The more pressure he gets coming off the right side the easier it will make Lawrence’s job coming off the left side due to less double teams. What this also does is free up Maliek Collins, Antwaun Woods, and Michael Bennett on the interior by putting them in more one on one situations. The “Black Cobra” as he’s called in Dallas has been the best offseason acquisition the Cowboys have made in a while. He’s on pace for 15 sacks in 14 games which would be the second-most of his career (had 19 in 2013) and his first double-digit sack season since 2014 when he was a member of the Los Angeles Rams. He’s been best pass rusher all year for the Cowboys and a true gift from above for this defensive line unit. Defensive EndRobert Quinn Written by Matthew Lenix I write dope stuff about the Dallas Cowboys and what not. Ben Miller says: 12 sacks and counting for 6th and 7th round picks…..wow Jerry is just awful as a GM Robert Quinn’s Impact Could Increase After Bye Week Robert Quinn Continues Impressive Start to Cowboys Career Cowboys DE Robert Quinn On Pace For Career High in Sacks Robert Quinn Quickly Proves Value in Cowboys Debut Robert Quinn’s Return Important For Struggling Cowboys Pass Rush Robert Quinn Returns; How Will Cowboys Make Room on Roster? The Brady Report: How Many Different Ways Can We Say Dak Prescott Is Great? Tony Pollard Could Prove Invaluable Down the Stretch	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1258
__label__cc	0.5736	0.4264	Bio-Resonance E-Lybra Voice Remapping Mace Energy Method Genetic Voice Print Immersion Session Voice-Bio Matrix Rhythm Therapy Trinfinity8 Quantum Transformers Do you have symptoms, but doctors tell you nothing is wrong? Do you know something is wrong with your health, but no one seems to know what? With Voice-Bio, you can let your voice tell you what your body knows. It’s a unique screening tool that assesses both an individual’s physical and emotional energetics, and the relationship between the two. Did you know that sound frequencies extremely important to your health? To explain why, let’s look at why the body functions the way it does… The organs, glands and systems in the body function independently and as a whole at the same time. All systems and organs must constantly communicate with and interact with each other. Imbalances develop when that communication breaks down or when too much stress is placed on one system or organ. Each part of the body communicates with the others through sound frequency. Each organ has its own frequency that indicates which nutrients and vibrations are required to function optimally. VoiceBio allows these frequencies to be captured and translated into an indication of physical function. It produces an assessment of the heavy and weak areas of the voice, which serves as a guide that can be used to improve your health and well-being. It reveals what doors are locked, why they are locked and which key is needed to unlock the door. With this technology, you can pinpoint what is going on due to the lack of energy in certain musical notes in your voice. In other words, you can discover what musical notes are missing from your body, which are representing themselves as imbalances. Then, you can use music and other methods to strengthen and reintroduce those notes into your body, which leads to a simultaneous improvement in your health and regeneration. What is a Voice Print? There are 12 vibrational frequencies that are hidden in the human voice and each one leads to the function of the organs, the efficiency of cells and the balance of emotions. With a perfect body in an ideal world, a voice print would show every one of the 12 sound frequencies registering an equal number of sound hits. That would mean a voice print of 240 overall hits will register 20 hits in each of the frequency categories. Unfortunately, such perfection does not exist in the real world. Instead, as a result of poor lifestyle habits, genetic tendencies and environmental factors, a voice print will show a range of heavy hit categories and weak hit categories interspersed with those that are in the average range. An assessment of the heavy and weak areas of a voice print can act as a guide to improved health, regeneration and increased energy. The sound formulas that are prescribed to you as a result of a voice-bio session are specific patterns of tones that provide the frequencies your body is missing. These sound formulas can be listened to until the brain becomes trained to produce those tones itself. How Does Voice-Bio Work? The client talks into the microphone and a voice print chart is created, providing a highly accurate indication of physical and emotional function. The client is given a notecard containing the musical notes that are weak, along with suggestions to strengthen those notes. Clients are also given a CD with the appropriate music to help you improve the notes. Ready to Discover Your Voice Print? Contact me here to sign up for a Voice-Bio Session Today! © 2020 Inspirational BALancing	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1259
__label__cc	0.563232	0.436768	Japanese Company Designs Bra That Opens Only for True Love While most of us here have “love for engineering”, a Japanese lingerie company has come up with engineering for love. To be more precise, it has come up with a bra that opens only for true love based on the wearer's heart beat over a certain period of time. [Image Source: Ravijour] Ravijour, the company in question, claims that women have specific heartbeat patters associated with specific emotions. Hence, heartbeat patterns for jogging and watching horror movies would be different. This much is common knowledge. What Ravijour would like us to believe, however, is that heartbeat patterns for “flirting” and “surprise gift” can be measured as well. By comparing these latter graphs with others, the engineers at Ravijour have come up with a specific graph (or set of graphs) which tells a smartphone app connected wirelessly to the bra when it is “safe” to open the clasp, based on what the sensors inside the bra are telling them. Hence, the bra automatically opens when the woman is in “true love”, while making it impossible for it to be opened by hook or by crook under any other circumstances. The company claims that this will act as a safety mechanism for women who are often targeted by perverts, while allowing her to acknowledge her feelings for her lover. That is all very well, but there are two small problems. Firstly, the front-open clasp isn't exactly artistic, and we wonder how comfortable those sensors would be. More importantly, women had better not be in “love” in public, since this futuristic bra flies open in rather explosive style. Architecture Firm Designs Smart Forest City Cancun That's Fully Self-Sufficient 13 Great Car Modifications of Terrible Taste Researchers Bet Eye-Tracking Technology Can Create the Perfect Breast Spotify Became a Dating App for This Couple, Maybe for More in the Future	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1262
__label__cc	0.653769	0.346231	Israel Defense Forces Canadians being “strapped” with obligation to help ISIS supporting citizens January 22, 2018 January 23, 2018 Avi By Avi Abelow @aviabelow Something is very wrong in Canada. The days of Prime Minister Harper are long gone. PM Harper was a world leader who understood that there is good and evil in this world, and the only way to protect Canadians is by standing up for good and standing strong against evil. Yet, the Trudeau government is doing the exact opposite, seriously endangering Canadian citizens. Well, this is one of the strangest things ever heard. A Canadian woman traveled abroad to marry a terrorist. Yet, Canada is using resources to bring her home. Can she be charged with a crime? Can she be arrested? On what grounds? This lawyer explains what is happening and on what grounds she can expect to face charges. The question that remains is, how can Canada stop this from happening again? How can it deter women from wanting to travel to terrorists to marry them? How can Canada stop this from happening? This is just the latest, of many new policies, by PM Trudeau, where he prefers to use empathy and compassion with the worst of the worst. NO, you don’t repatriate a Canadian citizen who decided, with her own free will, to join the worst genocidal organization of the 21st century! Life is about taking responsibility and consequences. That means that when one makes a bad decision, like joining an organization that murders innocent civilians in cold blood, then they must pay a price for that decision. Allowing women to come back into the country who joined ISIS? This is absolute lunacy. If anything, she should be tried in a court of law for treason, sit in jail for whatever sentence she is given and be rehabilitated, and then be allowed to join society! This direction of the Trudeau government is not about empathy and compassion. It is an absolutely irresponsible way to protect law abiding Canadians. First of all, this means that Canadian citizens who left to be terrorists will now be walking the streets of Canada, endangering all Canadians. But even more so, the Canadian government is establishing a double standard, and abrogating its responsibility to enforce the law. Join a Muslim terrorist organization abroad, and no need to pay a price. But perpetrate any other crime, and you do have to pay a price. Crazy, No? Until this new policy direction of Canada is changed, we are extremely fearful for the physical well-being of Canadian citizens. You will be shocked to see what an Imam in Texas is openly spewing Israel sucks at being an “apartheid” state. Here is the proof. Instant Articles Standing with Israel Denver Broncos Player Visits Latest Gaza Terror Tunnel February 18, 2018 Avihamas, israel, nfl, tunnel Share on FacebookTweet WhatsappDenver Broncos player, Chris Harris Jr. shared his thoughts after visiting the latest... Around the World Instant Articles Israeli PM Netanyahu Sends Condolences to Victims of Parkland Terror February 16, 2018 February 16, 2018 Aviflorida, netanyahu, parkdale Share on FacebookTweet WhatsappIsrael is a country too familiar with terror. It is horrific when it... Anti-Semitism Instant Articles Covert campus watchdog exposes rampant Anti-Semitism at University of Houston Support for terror, incitement, anti-Semitism, praising Hitler, mocking the Holocaust and calls for violence... Israel is Beautiful Israelicious Judea and Samaria Melanie Philips	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1265
__label__cc	0.680881	0.319119	Authors: K-M, Crime, Thrillers and Mystery, M, T The Blood Road by Stuart MacBride @StuartMacBride @HarperCollinsUK June 14, 2018 June 20, 2018 by Jen Lucas Oh how I love the Logan McRae series. Well, I love anything written by Stuart MacBride in general if I am being honest, but there is just something about this series which fascinates, thrills, elicits major chuckling and some rather eekish face pulling. It’s really quite fun. I have been looking forward to this book for ages, having had it on pre-order since late 2017 and now it is finally here – the wait is over! Here is what it is all about. What drives someone to murder? The No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author returns with the much anticipated new Logan McRae thriller. Some things just won’t stay buried… Logan McRae’s personal history is hardly squeaky clean, but now that he works for Professional Standards he’s policing his fellow officers. When Detective Inspector Bell turns up dead in the driver’s seat of a crashed car it’s a shock to everyone. Because Bell died two years ago, they buried him. Or they thought they did. As an investigation is launched into Bell’s stabbing, Logan digs into his past. Where has he been all this time? Why did he disappear? And what’s so important that he felt the need to come back from the dead? But the deeper Logan digs, the more bones he uncovers – and there are people out there who’ll kill to keep those skeletons buried. If Logan can’t stop them, DI Bell won’t be the only one to die… Now, as much as I love reading Stuart MacBride’s books (and I truly do), the one area I feel less comfortable is in writing a review. Why? Well, see, I never quite feel like I do the books justice. Too much gushing and it seems like I’m some rabid fangirl and I make no sense. Not enough of a push and I struggle to convey just how fab the books are and why you should read them. I really want to just say, read the bloody things – they are flufftastic and should be on everyone’s tbr. But then that’s probably not enough either. I make no bones about the fact I’m a huge fan so I guess you want something more than that to convince you this is worthy of your time. But oh it is. It really really is. The Blood Road sees us back in the easy, but not quite comfortable company of Logan McRae, put upon hero of so many of Mr MacBride’s masterpieces. He is a character we know well and one we have all grown to love because he is just so … well, just so really. He is a very intelligent, sometimes grumpy, long-suffering, often beat up but never truly beaten, guaranteed to get his man police hero who sets Aberdeen(shire) on the straight and narrow, much to the dismay of some of his colleagues. A strong sense of right and wrong, a very unusual private life and some rather peculiar quirks that he has picked up along the way all make him an absolutely cracking protagonist. To be fair to the guy, after everything he has been through, occasional hallucinations and hearing the voices of dead people seem to be rather mild symptoms and ones he is easily able to cope with. I do love Logan bless him. Despite having a year away from the limelight, life for the poor chap hasn’t gotten any easier. He is now in the dreaded ‘Professional Standards’ division, meaning most of his colleagues view him with great suspicion. Not something he isn’t already used to to be fair, but at least this time it comes with permanent Inspector pips at his shoulder. It also puts him in pole position for investigating when a colleague turns up dead. A formerly dead colleague that is. Don’t ask. Well … do actually, because this turn up for the books takes Logan deep into a dark and harrowing case, one that none of them can have foreseen. His investigation is overshadowed by the case of a missing child, something which is distracting all of his colleagues and leaving him with a dubious selection of Detectives to help him in his own quest. Dubious but oh, oh, oh so funny because not only does Logan have his old friend Simon Rennie at his side, bouncing around like an over enthusiastic puppy, but he is handed the assistance of DC ‘Tufty’ Quirrell and his old boss and permanent headache, DS Roberta Steel. Steel still hasn’t forgiven him for his part in her change of status (demotion) and seems hell bent on making his life intolerable, both at work and in private. Now I love Rennie and Tufty so this was doubly delightful for me, and the constant banter and verbal assaults between Logan and Steel do make me chuckle. The four of them provide so many moments of mirth that it is hard to take their scenes too seriously. Another stand out character for me was the young girl, Rebecca. Another example of how great Stuart MacBride is at developing character. Hard, funny and as frank and opinionated as they come. I loved her. She too added much needed lighter moments to the darkness. Which is just as well as you do need those moments. There is a very dark subject matter at the heart of this story, one which brings together all the seemingly unconnected threads in a most surprising of ways. It does involve violence against children and there are scenes which will make you wince and perhaps feel uncomfortable, and rightly so. But balance this against the plentiful scenes of mirth, the moments of hilarity such as the scene in the cemetery, so perfectly placed in amongst it all, and it makes a very tough subject more manageable. I don’t for one moment want you to think Stuart MacBride has either glossed over the abhorrent nature of the central story, he is hardly renowned for that now, or that he has trivialized a very harrowing subject by turning it into a farce. Far from it. There is such a delicate line drawn here, a tiny fragment which separates good from bad, light from dark, and yet Stuart MacBride is so adept at blending the line that you can barely tell is it there at all. Lordy. I wish I could tell you properly just how fab this book is. Yes, there may be moments where hard-core crime fans will not be happy. Steel is, after all, an acquired taste. And perhaps this did have more moments of humour than some of MacBride’s earlier novels but it definitely needed it. All I know is that from the moment I picked this book up I was caught, like a fish on a hook, and reeled straight in. I did not want to put it down and I was gutted when it was over. A brilliant story with truly clever plotting, so much so that while some bits may have appeared to be obvious, other parts still came as a complete surprise. Pacing is spot on taking reader from quiet moments of personal reflection, to the general hubbub of the police station during the investigation, to moments of high tension and absolute peril for our protagonists. And it had Rennie. And Tufty. Did I mention I love those guys? But especially Logan. He is put through the ringer in this one (again) and no mistake. Poor guy probably needs a holiday. Some where warm and miles away from Steel (although knowing his luck he’d suffer heat stroke and spend most of it laid up …) But not too long a break. We’re all keen for the next book after all. My thanks to publishers Harper Collins for the advance copy of The Blood Road for review. It is available from today from the following retailers: Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ Kobo ~ Waterstones If you liked this please share the #booklove Harper Collins Logan McRae Missing Children Murder Stuart MacBride Follow Me Home by DK Hood @DKHood_Author @Bookouture #BlogTour The Reckoning by Yrsa Sigurdardottir @YrsaSig @HodderBooks 11 thoughts on “The Blood Road by Stuart MacBride @StuartMacBride @HarperCollinsUK” The Quiet Knitter says: Fuuuuuuuck! That’s the review to end all reviews! Nicely done Jen 👍 Jen Lucas says: Lol. Thank you. I found this so hard to write. Good books you’d think the reviews will write themselves but then it is so hard not to give away spoilers. Gah! They’re the hardest reviews to write, nigh on impossible! It took me over a week to write mine & im still not 100% happy with it 🤷‍♀️ I try never to go back and look or I’d spend the rest of my life editing it and never press publish lol So very sorry but I’m not reading your review because I hate mine enough already as it is and I just know you aced it again. (especially after seeing Kate’s comment) 😂 Er… thanks. I think. And I really didn’t lol Now you made me read because I couldn’t possibly say “yes you did” when I didn’t know what you’d written. I stand by my gut instinct that bloody hell, yes, you aced it! If I wasn’t already in the MacBride Mafia, I would totally join up right now! These are insanely hard to write! Which is why this is only the second book by him I’ve actually written a review for. But your love for these books comes across and that’s all we can do! Lol. Thank you. They are almost impossible to write well as all the bits I want to shout about I can’t. And just how do you convey a Tufty to the uninitiated? So so hard. Jen your enthusiasm for the work of Stuart MacBride fairly oozes out of this review. It is so good to hear of your enjoyment. Great review! Pingback: Rewind, recap: Weekly update w/e 17/06/18 – Jen Med's Book Reviews The Infirmary by LJ Ross @LJRoss_author @audibleuk #DCIRyan #Prequel #Review	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1280
__label__wiki	0.531804	0.531804	Corporate spiel Search our site for... Home Search and apply Job description Search By Town Or City Media and PR Officer Media and Communications officer Once upon a time there was a storyteller, one of the greatest storytellers in all the land. This storyteller knew how to captivate any audience they encountered, those with the attention span of a goldfish and a scrolling habit and even the most cynical journalist or busy politician. What was the secret to their success? This storyteller knew the power of the stories they told of children and young people with cancer, and the honour it was to tell them. Sound like this could be you? We’re looking for an amazing person to join our merry team on its mission to make sure that every child or young person with cancer from 0-25 gets the support they need. You’ll have experience of working in a busy press office or lively social media management and you’ll be as comfortable building great relationships with families or young people as with journalists, celebrities or colleagues across the charity. You’ll get a real buzz from seeing how you can help change the system and make stuff happen for young cancer patients. You’ll be unflappable, friendly, determined and have loads of creative ideas on how to get our stories heard by many different audiences up and down the UK. Like all great storytellers you’ll be happy sharing these powerful stories across a range of channels whether it’s crafting something for insta, Twitter and Facebook, writing amazing media releases, delivering some awesome internal comms or briefing a colleague before they appear on the BBC Breakfast sofa. In return we offer a competitive salary, impressive benefits, tea, cake or granola bars (whatever floats your boat) and the opportunity to be part of one of the most exciting charities around. We like to think there'll be a stampede for this fantastic job, so we reserve the right to close the advert early to make sure we're not still shortlisting by Pancake Day! CLIC Sargent is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. JOB DESCRIPTION OCTOBER.pdf (21.40 KB) London - Office No.1 Farrier's Yard, Ground Floor, Assembly London, 77-85 Fulham Palace Road, London, UK, W6 8JA Engagement and Communications circa £32,000 Create an alert subscription based on this vacancy Stop cancer destroying young lives © 2018 CLIC Sargent Registered charity in England & Wales (1107328) and Scotland (SC039857)	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1291
__label__wiki	0.673668	0.673668	Joe Jencks J O E J E N C K S “If one can master a craft after investing 10,000 hours, Joe Jencks’ hours are showing! I am literally stunned by this new album. Poets, Philosopher, Workers & Wanders tells our stories, his story, and the untold stories, as an American folk master can - with heart and unfettered perfection. Add this one to the folk canon! ” - MarySue Twohy – The Village, SIRIUS XM Radio Joe Jencks is an 20-year veteran of the international folk circuit, an award-winning songwriter, and celebrated vocalist based in Chicago. Merging conservatory training with his Irish roots and working-class upbringing, Joe delivers engaged musical narratives filled with heart, soul, groove and grit. Having penned several #1 Folksongs including the ever-relevant Lady of The Harbor, Jencks is also co-founder of the harmony trio, Brother Sun. From Festivals like Falcon Ridge, Kerrville, Mariposa, and Old Songs, to venues like Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, Jencks has enthralled diverse audiences with his approachable style. Joe is noted for his unique merging of musical beauty, social consciousness, and spiritual exploration. Blending well-crafted instrumentals and vivid songwriting, Jencks serves it all up with a lyric baritone voice that has the edgy richness of a good sea-salt caramel. Joe's newest Solo CD - Poets, Philosophers, Workers, & Wanderers - was released May 1st, 2017 - to critical acclaim. The CD has spent several weeks at #1 on Sirius XM's Americana Chart, and was also the #1 CD on the Folk DJ Chart for May, 2017 - with 4 songs in the top 10. Poets, Philosophers, Workers & Wanderers chases new musical horizons for Joe Jencks. Honoring his mentor and friend Pete Seeger with the title track, this collection of songs progresses into a wide range of human experience from love and triumph, to tragedy and transformation. With arrangements that showcase sparse acoustic textures alongside Copeland-like orchestral tapestries, this recording reflects the depth of Joe’s musical knowledge as well as the diversity of his influences. Cinematic in its imagery and scope Poets, Philosophers, Workers & Wanderers features largely original songs influenced by Celtic, Blues, Jazz and traditional American Folk styles, interspersed with a handful of carefully chosen covers. Guest artists include: Ysaye Barnwell (Sweet Honey In The Rock), Cathy Fink, Harpeth Rising, Tret Fure, Reggie Harris, Edie Carey, Jon Carroll, Grace Jencks, and more. "Beyond the fine selection of songs and the talented team assembled in the studio, what really shines through on Joe Jencks' new album are his resonant, honey-rich voice, his open-hearted humanity, and his commitment to social justice. We need artists who inspire our better selves more than ever, don't we?" - John Platt , Sunday Supper, WFUV, Bronx, NY “Poets, Philosophers, Workers & Wanderers -is absolutely Joe Jencks’ finest effort thus far. Jencks’ captivating tenor voice, lofted by flawless production, demonstrates music of conscience and provides a feast for the ear as well as nourishment for the soul.” - Rich Warren, The Midnight Special – WFMT, Chicago, IL “Joe Jencks brings us moving and stunning songs of hope, redemption, connection and remembrance. Sung with passion and delivered in his rich tenor voice, the songs on Poets, Philosophers, Workers & Wanderers are a balm for the times.” - Laurie DesJardins – KVMR, Nevada City, CA “Climb inside the songs of Joe Jencks, and you meet real people. His lilting melodies and warm, caramel tenor draw us closer to the stories he tells. Jencks finds the humanness that binds us to the people in his songs!” - Scott Alarik – Author of Revival and host of Folk Tales, WUMB, Boston, MA “You can expect many a gifted artist to move you deeply, but Joe Jencks will change who you are.” - Angela Page – WJFF, Radio Catskill, Jefferson, NY In addition to his performance work, Jencks' skills as a vocal harmony arranger are in demand. With over 30 appearances as a guest vocalist and arranger on various studio recordings, he brings a unique rich sound to the work of other artists. On the stage, in the studio, or in the classroom, Jencks applies conservatory training to contemporary genres, bridging styles and techniques. Drawing on his Irish heritage (dual U.S./Irish Citizen), Jencks uses his lyrical voice to enchant, heal, and inspire. Jencks has won numerous songwriting awards and is also highly regarded as a song interpreter. Jencks weaves a diverse web of stories with brilliant musical skill, ensnaring even the most rigid of hearts, inviting them to open. His songs invite us to live inside of our passions and our beliefs. Joe Jencks is a member of the A.F.M. Local 1000: North American Traveling Musicians Union, NARAS, ASCAP, and the Folk Alliance International. In 2010, Jencks co-founded the dynamic harmony trio Brother Sun, with colleagues Greg Greenway and Pat Wictor. The trio performs widely throughout the United States and Canada. Brother Sun's 2016 release - "Weights & Wings" was the #1 CD for 2016 on the Folk DJ Chart, and 5 songs charted in the top 50 for the year - including Joe's composition, "Mary Don't You Weep & Moan" at #3 for the year! The trio's 2013 release "Some Part of The Truth," was #1 for 2013, and also took #1 song for 2013 with Joes composition: "Lady of The Harbor." Fusing, Folk, Roots, Blues, Pop, Jazz, Rock, and a cappella singing, Brother Sun is an explosion of musical diversity and harmony, in the finest of male singing traditions. For more information, please visit: www.brothersunmusic.com. The Forgotten: Recovered Treasures from the Pen of Si Kahn CD Folk/Social Justice 2018 Turtle Bear Music Poets, Philosophers, Workers, & Wanderers CD Acoustic/Singer Songwriter 2017 Turtle Bear Music Brother Sun CD - Weights & Wings, Acoustic/Fusion - 2016 Brother Sun Music (#1 CD, #3 Song - Mary Don't You Weep & Moan) 2016 Folk DJ Brother Sun CD - Some Part of the Truth, Acoustic/Fusion - 2013 Brother Sun Music (#! CD, #1 Song: Lady of The Harbor) 2013 Folk DJ Brother Sun CD - Brother Sun, Acoustic/Fusion - 2011 Brother Sun Music Links In A Chain CD Acoustic/ Singer Songwriter 2009 Turtle Bear Music The Candle & The Flame CD Acoustic/ Singer Songwriter 2007 Turtle Bear Music Rise As One "Live Concert CD Folk/Labor History 2005 Turtle Bear Music The Wonder Deep Within CD Folk/Spiritual 2004 Turtle Bear Music I Hear Your VoiceCD Folk/Social Justice 2003 Turtle Bear Music What Kind Of Brother CD Folk/Traditional 2000 Turtle Bear Music The Phoenix CD Folk/Rock 1995 - Turtle Bear Music Joe has also appeared on numerous CD Compilations including National Public Radio's "Car Talk: Born Not To Run." Radio, Contests, & Awards 2017 #1 CD Poets, Philosophers, Workers, & Wanderers - Sirius XM / The Village - Americana Chart 2017 #1 CD Poets, Philosophers, Workers, & Wanderers (May 2017) - Folk DJ 2017 #1 Artist (May 2017) - Folk DJ 2016 #1 CD Folk DJ for 2016 - Brother Sun: Weights & Wings 2016 #3 Song for 2016 - Joe Jencks/Brother Sun: Mary Don't You Weep & Moan 2016 #1 Song - April 2016 Joe Jencks/Brother Sun: Mary Don't You Weep & Moan 2015 #1 Song - December 2015 - Joe Jencks: The Longest Night of The Year (pre-Release from: Poets, Philosophers, Workers, & Wanderers) 2013 - #1 Song of the Year - Lady of the Harbor - Folk DJ - North American Folk Music Chart 2013 - Brother Sun - Album of the Year - Folk DJ - North American Folk Music Chart 2011 - Brother Sun - Best of 2011 - WUMB Boston 2011 - Brother Sun - Best of 2011 - WFUV - NYC 2011 - Brother Sun - Best of 2011 - WFMT - Chicago - The Midnight Special 2008 - Kerrville Folk Festival - New Folk Finalist 2008 - Dirty Linen Magazine's Best of 2007 2007 - Falcon Ridge Folk Festival - Emerging Artist Showcase, NY 2005 - Songwriting Contest Winner - Plowshares Songwriting Competition - Phoenixville, PA 2005 - Songwriting Contest Winner - South Florida Folk Festival, Margate, FL 2004 - Songwriting Contest Winner In Two Categories - Walnut Valley Music Festival, Winfield, KS 2004 - Songwriting Contest Winner - Tumbleweed Music Festival, Richland, WA "In these times, we need the singers who will do the homework and tell the stories! Joe Jencks is among the fine next generation singers who are ready to carry on the tradition as well as look into the future" "Holly Near, Ukiah, CA "The key to the future is people joining in. The music of Joe Jencks captures this essential spirit. Joe is a fantastic singer who carries on the traditions." -Pete Seeger "Listen to Joe! A clear tenor voice; a heart that's in the right place, close to the skin; a sense of justice tempered by a sense of humor; and a CD that captures it all in rich tasty arrangements. How can you go wrong?" •Charlie King, Songwriter and Performer, Shelburne Falls, MA "The next time someone says that folk music has lost its conscience, lacks great protest songs, or has lost its connection with its causes, I will sit them down and play Joe Jencks' CD, I Hear Your Voice. Jencks sings with a superb tenor voice, and picks flashy guitar… that doesn't obscure the beauty of his voice or the words of his well-crafted songs." -Sing Out! Magazine, Rich Warren "Host of 'The Midnight Special' WFMT "FM Chicago, IL "Joe Jencks is the type of musician that will cause you to drop that morning newspaper or pull your car to the side of the road when you hear his songs. He is the type of artist that will turn heads in his direction when he walks onto a stage. His voice will instantly draw you into his passionate songs. He is the type of musician whose music will become part of you. His craft and artistry will remind you of the best efforts of Phil Ochs, Stan Rogers, and Woody Guthrie. The troubadour tradition is alive and well in the 21st century with the music of Joe Jencks." •Ron Olesko, WFDU "FM Teaneck, NJ "I find that Joe embodies the spirit of Pete Seeger. In much the same way, Joe has his finger on the pulse of our grassroots social conscience, and passes it on for us to scrutinize. Every generation needs a voice for social justice and Joe Jencks is one of those very important voices." -Judy Matzen, Off the Square Concerts, Woodstock, IL "Joe Jencks is one of the Northwest's best-not-kept secrets; a singer-songwriter with a warm, smooth, powerful voice, and memorable finely crafted songs that have something to say. He moves freely between the worlds of contemporary acoustic pop and traditional folk, alternating and combining them into a rich and satisfying musical mosaic!" "Richard Middleton, Victory Music Review, Seattle WA Sharing The Stage With… Pete Seeger, Holly Near, John McCutcheon, Utah Phillips, Suzy Boggus, Steve Seskin, Sweet Honey In The Rock Susan Werner, Red Molly, Red Horse (Gorka, Kaplansky, & Gilkyson) Greg Greenway, Pat Wictor Ollabelle Spuyten Duyvil Peter & Bethany Yarrow Rod MacDonald Bill Staines Pat Humphries David Roth Willie Porter Tret Fure Steve Seskin Kim & Reggie Harris Joe Crookston John Flynn Rebel Voices Tao Rodriguez Justin Roth Kym Tuvim Wishing Chair Reggie Garrett Joe Glazer Brad Warren Mark Spittal Charlie King Anne Feeney Chris Chandler Dave Nachmanoff And many others.... Turtle Bear Music joejencks@hotmail.com www.joejencks.com Web, Social Media, PR Anna Ratliff armusic.mgmt@gmail.com www.brothersunmusic.com @JoeJencksMusic updated: 11 months ago facebooktwitterinstagramyoutubepandoraitunescdbabysoundcloudreverbnationspotifyicon pack by Komodo Media, Rogie King Quotes and Comments Joe Jencks Short Bio © 2020 Joe Jencks a [slab]site	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1296
__label__wiki	0.844958	0.844958	Journal Le Tour LE TOUR V37#2 HIVER/WINTER 2019 DES ÉVÈNEMENTS The tree whisperer Daniel Haché in his workshop with Acadian instrument [SUMMER 2015] By Wilder Penfield Like the guy in the musical Paint Your Wagon, “I talk to the trees, but they don’t listen to me.” This is probably less surprising than meeting someone who listens patiently until the trees talk to him. Daniel Haché is an unassuming guy from these parts who lives in a wooden home he built himself and works in a wooden studio he also built for himself on a tract of land that was his reward for a big commissioned wood sculpture. He found his passion for the work at the far end of a long journey he took at 21, hitchhiking on his own to the coast of British Columbia. While he had carved some totem poles in high school, it was out west, on the Powell River, that he was first stunned by the power of big chainsaw-carved artwork. That power kept him there for three years while he began a lifelong quest to teach himself, and then to refine, the techniques that would lead to his mastery of the art. And no small part of his technique was ‘listening’ to what a tree was willing to become. But he never lost his connection to his Acadian origins and his roots in Quebec, and thereto he did return. His medium of preference now is the Loyalist white pine, which historically was used for masts and as a symbol of British colonial power — ‘Even if you owned land’, he says, ‘you didn’t own any white pine that grew on the land.’ “Carving is my source of income,” he says, “but my free time is spent practising the fiddle, playing (Cajun) percussion, and becoming a good didgeridoo player”, with the band he calls “Soulwood”. When Au Diable Vert, Glen Sutton’s ecotourism and outdoor-adventure destination, was taken over by Jeremy Fontana, a Montreal adman who was one of the mountain lodge’s most loyal guests, and his partner, biologist Julie Zeitlinger, the area’s most iconic image was Gilles Degens’ The Rooster, a hilltop “ice-storm sculpture,” so-called because it was built with huge branches that had fallen during the record freeze of ‘98. Degens passed away just after finishing anchoring it with rocks, and Daniel, on-site as artist-in-residence, was eventually co-credited with the sculpture for his imaginative ways of strengthening and preserving it. Another hard winter, though, felled the bird, and Jeremy, who had put a lot of work into expanding the resort with tree houses and other nature-oriented accommodations, and giving it a more versatile for-all-ages, four-seasons appeal with 50 highland cows from Scotland, new kayaks for paddling the Missisquoi, and even a vélo-volant for cycling through the treetops, decided to make a clean break with the past and have another Coq created by Daniel in the spirit and location of the original. And last year, a white pine 44 inches in diameter was discovered. “It was 140 years old,” says Daniel. “Yes, I counted the rings.” After meditating with the tree, he went to work with typical care, starting with a 3-D clay mock-up of his vision, and the astonishing result was installed in the fall. After it had weathered the winter, a process called ‘roasting’ was applied to scorch it and strip the tree-bird down to its dark veins. When a crane (no relation) weighed the result at close to four tons, it was clear that Le Coq also needed a substantial concrete base, and 256 cubic feet were delivered by two full cement trucks. “Commissions often come from trees that want a second life,” says Daniel. Recently he was introduced to one such that proposed itself as a graceful giant Möbius Strip. “I’m not starting with a blank page; I’m working with what was alive. Hundreds and hundreds of carvings have created my vocabulary. And working with international sculptors has expanded it. So I’m not dictating a shape — I’m trying to relate to the wood. And when something happens, a hiccup, a piece cracking … I accept that this was part of the relationship.” That conviction derives in part from the Queen Charlotte totem poles, whose makers honoured the context of vines and roots, the organic life of the outdoors. “We are not here to be eternal,” he says, “but we are privileged to be witness to lives larger than our own.” La Guerre des tuques LE TOUR V32#4 ÉTÉ/SUMMER 2015 Daniel Haché, The Tree Whisperer and Soulwood Musician [SUMMER 2015] By Wilder Penfield Like the guy in the musical Paint Your Wagon, “I talk to the trees, but they don’t listen to me.” This is probably less surprising than meeting someone who listens patiently until the trees… Si vous aimez, svp partager! If you like this, then please share! Aménagement forestier Centre d’art de Dunham Coop Gym Santé Sutton D’Arts et de Rêves Entreprise locale Fiducie foncière du mont Pinacle Héritage Sutton Heritage Mes Cantons de l’Est Microbrasserie Mieux-Être Sutton Mont SUTTON Musée de Sutton Musée Missisquoi Museum OBVBM Plein Air Sutton Ressource Famille Sutton Stories by Peter Turner Vie & Communauté École d’art de Sutton & RÉGION © 2019 Journal Le Tour. Tous droits réservés	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1300
__label__cc	0.709398	0.290602	Facial Paralysis and Occult Parotid Cancer: A Characteristic Syndrome Joseph P. Broderick, MD; Raymond G. Auger, MD; Lawrence W. DeSanto, MD From the Departments of Neurology (Drs Broderick and Auger) and Otorhinolaryngology (Dr DeSanto), Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minn. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1988;114(2):195-197. doi:10.1001/archotol.1988.01860140093029 • Extratemporal involvement of the seventh cranial nerve is often secondary to a tumor of the parotid gland. We describe six patients who had facial paralysis associated with an occult malignant neoplasm of the parotid gland. Initial evaluations in these patients, including computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, provided no evidence of a parotid tumor. Four of the six patients had a progressive triad of ear pain, facial paralysis, and sensory loss in the second and third divisions of the trigeminal nerve. This pattern indicates a high probability of a malignant lesion of the parotid gland, even in the presence of normal findings on noninvasive studies. (Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1988;114:195-197) Broderick JP, Auger RG, DeSanto LW. Facial Paralysis and Occult Parotid Cancer: A Characteristic Syndrome. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1988;114(2):195–197. doi:10.1001/archotol.1988.01860140093029	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1305
__label__cc	0.71556	0.28444	Skip to footer widgets Bio & Credentials VLP Login VMR Login Legacy VMR Login Kelly Brogan MD Holistic Women's Health Psychiatry Defeat Depression The Paleo Brain Gut Health and Mood Sane Motherhood Rethink Health A Mind of Your Own A Time for Rain Own Your Self Vital Life Project Vital Mind Reset Facebook Testimonials Vital Mind Stories Sending A Signal Of Safety by Kelly Brogan, MD This blog post contains excerpts from my new book, Own Your Self, now available for pre-order. Ever look around and feel like we are all either shut-down and depressed or wired and on the edge? Or both? We humans are having a particularly hard time, and despite the projection of our inner chaos all over this planet, we are primarily struggling to just be comfortable in our own skin. To simply be. We don’t know how to be, however, and so we are forever arranging the furniture on the deck of the proverbial Titanic, neglecting the gaping hole down below. Because of this foundational instability, a single email or text message can send us into a tailspin, and we feel that our deepest desires and entitlements are constantly receding into the future, never to be secured, while we consume ourselves with busyness and distractions. Maybe in your struggles, you were captured by the medical system, labeled, told you have a brain chemical imbalance, and medicated. And just now, you’re beginning to wonder where the you is in this form of treatment. Isn’t there a reason, related to your human experience, that you have experienced agitation, persistent worry, panic, insomnia, disconnection from your body or even reality? Could it really just be random misfiring of the brain? Your trauma, my trauma, our trauma In my private practice, nearly 100% of the women I have worked with identify as having experienced childhood trauma – physical and sexual abuse, and/or domestic violence. The perceived injuries range from a mother’s critical reaction to a math test score in first grade all the way to heinous and ongoing sexual violation. Trauma expert and author of the important book, The Body Keeps the Score, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk writes, “Trauma causes people to remain stuck in interpreting the present in light of an unchanging past.” Thus repeated patterns of perceived victimization arise, perhaps to show us like a persistent tap on the door of our soul, that this pain requires healing. Our response to these patterns is often referred to as reactivity, as in re-act or acting again from a past imprint rather than to the context of the present life experience, and defines the places, people, and things that hold the power we need to reclaim in order to heal. In fact, anything that gets you hot under the collar is probably tripping a trauma wire, firing off programs of felt abandonment, betrayal, inadequacy, and shame…programs that have stories attached to them, that keep us feeling a surrogate sense of control because at least we are right about being wronged. How do you know when you’re acting from your childself? You need to feel right about being wronged. Heal victim mentality, come into your adult power. — Kelly Brogan, MD While I am a firm believer in triage – in starting with the low-hanging fruit of self-healing in the form of lifestyle change – I hold the perspective that personal meaning is at the root of everything that happens seemingly “to us” in our lives. It is from this perspective that my gluten, sugar, toxicant, and stress-induced Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, also served as an invitation to begin to awaken spiritually and to heal neglected emotional wounds and trauma, the compensation for which were driving my personality, my relationships, and my life experience in a way that left me feeling unfulfilled and out of control. For most of us, the experience of conditional love from our primary caretakers left us with what is referred to by Dr. Alfie Kohn as “contingent self esteem” – as in, feeling fleeting self-worth only when we secure the approval of others. In his book, Unconditional Parenting (required reading for all humans, not just parents), he uses published research to build an irrefutable case for the damaging impact of love withdrawal (think time outs at best, violence at worst) and of rewards and praise as setting up a sense of self that is guided by the approval of a parent rather than an inner sense of lovability and adequacy. So we find ourselves, in our 30s and 40s, confronting the programs of productivity, success, and unboundaried relationships as increasingly bankrupt methods of controlling the lack of self-acceptance and love that is festering beneath. We carry our Victim Stories because, from our childhood patterning, we were potentially victimized and we continue to look for confirmation of that experienced reality in an effort to resolve this worldview and graduate to adult responsibility. If we have been living without a sense of safety, and perhaps worse, and with the reverberation of trauma, for the greater part of our adult life, what does this do to our nervous system? Fight, flight…or freeze One day, while walking from his office toward the subway in Manhattan, my mentor, Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez turned to me and said, “You know what the top five most important contributors to health are?” I dug deep, listing off inflammation, the microbiome, the role of nutrients….until I realized that this was a question my previous training in functional medicine likely hadn’t prepared me to answer. He said, “The autonomic nervous system, the autonomic nervous system, the autonomic nervous system, the autonomic nervous system, and the autonomic nervous system.” He literally said it five times, counting out on his fingers. He was referring to the nervous system that controls our glandular secretions, our heart rate, and everything “automatic” about our being that also assesses and orchestrates responses to the state of alarm in the body. At the intersection of neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and psychology, research scientist, Dr. Stephen Porges contributed the polyvagal theory1 which adds important nuance to our understanding of the autonomic nervous system. Beyond rest/digest and fight/flight, he describes how the vagus nerve, often conceived of as simply a parasympathetic, rest and digest conduit between visceral organs and the brain, has evolved many different hierarchical roles. Porges describes the vagus as having two branches – a more ancient unmyelinated branch below the diaphragm responsible for reptilian-like freeze (and defecate) responses called the dorsal vagal complex, and a relatively newer branch above the diaphragm that lowers heart rate, controls facial expressions, and vocal tone called the ventral vagal complex or the “social nervous system.” In times of safety, this vagal system supports rest, digestion, and regeneration, however, in times of perceived danger, this system mounts the more ancient defenses of dissociation or fainting including dizziness, nausea, and intense fatigue. The social nervous system allows us to recruit a sense of safety from others and the environment and to pair sympathetic activity with play (think lively dancing) or immobility with peace (think deep meditation). What Porges calls neuroception, or how our nervous system assesses the safety of settings and people, can be influenced by trauma and conditioned responses and beliefs. For example, if you were assaulted by someone in a red jacket, the sight of a red jacket in your periphery can set off a sympathetic fight or flight or even a parasympathetic freeze in the setting of sufficient danger perception. If we are able to establish that the environment is safe, however, and to glean from cues like facial expression and voice prosody, that an individual means us well, then this higher functioning social network role of the vagus nerve suppresses our more primitive fight/flight and freeze response. This state of vagal tone also allows us to remain calm and present when faced with another’s suffering, enabling experiences of compassion or bearing caring witness as a means of activating sending safety signals between us. Ever feel more anxious when you tried meditating? In those with trauma histories, engaging in exercises designed to induce calm (breathwork etc) without a sufficient sense of safety in the setting can induce vulnerability as, for these people, calm can be associated with lack of vigilance and subsequent danger. For these individuals and others, the parasympathetic system can be supported and toned, and body awareness enhanced to allow for more conscious engagement with the environment and life experiences. Toning of the parasympathetic through breathing (including lengthened exhales), chanting, and bowing postures can allow our vagus to remain active and able to buffer defensive response. This vagal tone also facilitates compassion, so that we can can support another in their moment of struggle without getting sucked into a vortex of pain. 8 ways to send a signal of safety Trauma may be responsible for so many aspects of your personality and life experience that you could wonder what would be left if you were to finally transform this fear, worry, pain, and rage. If you are at the point of readiness, and want to explore what a healed and balanced nervous system feels like, here are 8 methods to send a signal of safety: 1. Safe and Sound Protocol: Porges’s research supports the use of filtered human vocal sounds to stimulate signals of safety in the middle ear of the listener, allowing for improved vagal tone and neurological repair, loosening the reflexive fear response and disconnection that can pervade the lives of those with autonomic instability. 2. Binaural beats: A soundwave therapy that sends two different frequencies to each ear, inducing brainwave states consistent with relaxation, relieving insomnia and anxiety associated with hyperarousal of the nervous system.2 3. Tapping: also called Emotional Freedom Technique, this self-directed methodology reprograms your thoughts through acupressure point stimulation and affirmations, and allows the body to let go of traumatic life experiences by calming the nervous system. Check out my friend’s new (free) guided app! 4. Kundalini yoga: Ancient technology that seemed to anticipate our modern struggles, kundalini yoga and meditation focuses specifically on the vagus nerve and stimulation of its complexes for greater internal regulation. Here is a practice that can shift your felt experience within a few minutes. 5. Biofeedback: My recommended home system is called Inner Balance developed by the HeartMath Institute which trains the user to generate a coherent state between the lungs, brain, and heart using the emotion of gratitude and a slow breathing pattern while a small device monitors heart rate variability. With hundreds of studies supporting this research, daily practice is a no brainer. 😉 6. EMDR: A well-researched3 trauma processing modality, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) involves therapist-assisted exploration of destabilizing memories while invoking an external focus on a bilateral stimulus. 7. Grounding: In an age of 5G networks, cell towers, and ubiquitous electromagnetic pollution, it has never been more important to ground and get your feet onto the earth to literally calibrate your energy field in the way only the earth can. In fact, the clinical significance of direct contact with the earth’s surface has been reviewed and researched by enlightened clinicians like Dr. Stephen Sinatra who recommends 15 minutes a day of grounding as a wellness practice.4 8. Weighted Blanket: In preliminary states of research5, weighted blankets offer an experience of being contained and held while meditating or sleeping. Here’s an example of one. While I have used and recommended all of these tools, I believe that first things should come first. If you can send a concerted signal of safety to your mind, body, and spirit through basic lifestyle change, why not start there? This is why I advocate for a one month Reset for every single adult on this planet. In addition to quieting the white noise of physical imbalances related to blood sugar and food intolerances, a Reset invokes daily meditation (3 minutes!) which begins to send that higher level message that everything is actually ok. Perhaps the reason why this approach has been so powerful for so many with histories of trauma is because it defies the programmed belief that we are powerless victims, broken patients, and hopeless cases. Committing to a high level of self care is an act of personal empowerment, and when we take our power back from the places we have given it, we become whole once again. Interested in more insights and tools to help you Own Your Self? My brand new book, Own Your Self, helps you discover the meaning behind your symptoms and your struggle as a way to reclaim your health and your Self. Click below to claim your copy! 1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3108032/ 3 http://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/ Filed Under: Defeat Depression, Health Topics Tagged With: 5G, Brain, Chemical Imbalance, Childhood Trauma, Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, Dr. Stephen Porges, EMDR, Emotional Freedom Technique, Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing, Human Experience, Inner Balance, Personal Meaning, Reactivity, Safety, Signal, Thyroiditis, Trauma, Unconditional Parenting, Vagal Complex, Visceral Organs Like what you are reading? Subscribe by entering your email below and get free blog updates via email. Due to the volume of spam we receive, our team has decided to close public comments as we work on building a protected container for those who are genuinely looking to connect on the topics discussed on this blog. In the meantime, feel free to post comments or questions on our public Facebook page, and join our waitlist to be notified when our new Vital Life Project membership opens up again. See you inside! Kelly Brogan, MD Kelly Brogan, M.D. is a Manhattan-based holistic psychiatrist, author of the New York Times bestselling book, A Mind of Your Own, and co-editor of the landmark textbook, Integrative Therapies for Depression. She completed her psychiatric training and fellowship at NYU Medical Center after graduating from Cornell University Medical College, and has a B.S. from MIT in Systems Neuroscience. View full bio. Want to share this article on your own blog? View our reposting guidelines. Browse: Recent Posts by Topic Learn: More About Dr. Kelly Brogan Watch: Let Dr. Brogan Change the Way You Think About Health Download: Dr. Brogan's Free E-Book Vitamin B12 Deficiency: A Trigger for Depression and Anxiety? Contraception Depression: Can the Pill Affect Your Mood? Eating for Two: the Pregnancy Diet 5 Foods That Can Cause Depression Depression: It’s Not Your Serotonin © Kelly Brogan MD • All Rights Reserved • Terms of Service • Privacy Policy • Disclaimer • Contact Us Copyright © 2020 Kelly Brogan MD : 280 Madison Ave, Suite 702 : New York, NY 10016 : 646-706-7771 : office@kellybroganmd.com	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1320
__label__cc	0.686839	0.313161	Space & Defense Engineering Disaster Recovery & Planning Mass Feeding & Emergency Food Claims Administration Administrative Staffing Servicesfirefly-wp2019-10-08T10:37:27-06:00 Administrative Staffing Administrative Staffing Services Keta Group has the capabilities and resources to provide your organization with well-trained, reliable personnel when you need help handling work overflow. Over the years, we have provided administrative staffing services for law firms, call centers, Red Cross shelters, and more. Whether you need staff augmentation for critical situations or daily operations – you can rely upon Keta Group to meet your needs. Keta Group provides organizations with well-trained, reliable personnel through our reliable staffing solutions. Contact us today to get started! We have the recruitment specialists and worldwide contacts needed to find the perfect personnel to meet your organization’s unique needs quickly and cost effectively. In addition, we perform thorough background checks on all personnel and can provide any training needed to ensure that all staff members are qualified to the standards required by your company. At Keta Group, we also have the experience and knowledge needed to meet all requirements and regulations for the administrative staffing of government agencies. For more information about Keta Group administrative staffing solutions, contact us today. See our latest projects Space and Missile Defense Advisory and Assistance Services (SMDA2S)Ben Hu2019-11-14T16:23:11-06:00 Space and Missile Defense Advisory and Assistance Services (SMDA2S) U.S. Air Force for the Command and Control SystemBen Hu2019-11-14T16:03:54-06:00 U.S. Air Force for the Command and Control System Base Operations Support Services, Fort Benning, GAfirefly-wp2019-11-26T15:19:38-06:00 Base Operations Support Services, Fort Benning, GA Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)firefly-wp2019-10-08T10:12:03-06:00 Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Work with our highly dedicated & experienced team Contact Keta Group 345 Highlandia Dr. information@ketagroup.com A Chitimacha Tribal Enterprise © Keta Group \| All Rights Reserved \| Website Design by Firefly Digital	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1323
__label__cc	0.544696	0.455304	John Stamos Helps Couple Have A 'Magical' Engagement At Disney World posted by Paris Close - Dec 7, 2019 John Stamos made one couple’s dream engagement come true! The Fuller House star was enjoying family time with his wife Caitlin McHugh and their one-year-old son Billy at Walt Disney World when a man approached him with an earnest request. As Stamos shared in a video posted to Instagram, the fan in question, Micheal Ray Kingsborough Jr., asked the 56-year-old if he would do the honors of helping him propose to his girlfriend — which he happily obliged — by pretending to take a fan picture with her. Just as she approaches Stamos for the shot, that’s when Micheal pulls her to the side and pops the question before the fireworks set off in the distance. “Will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?” he says on bended knee, as Stamos chimes in, “Please say yes!” When she does say “yes,” Micheal then celebrates the moment with a congratulatory hug. “Thank you so much,” he adds in the clip. “That just made it so much better.” “To assist with an engagement anywhere is an honor, but at @waltdisneyworld right as the fireworks began? That’s magical,” the actor captioned the video on Instagram. “Congrats kids!” Watch Stamos help Micheal with his proposal down below.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1324
__label__wiki	0.675139	0.675139	Luke In The MorningLuke In The Morning Shots Fired by Freeborn Deputy Halts Wild Chase ChiccoDodiFC Albert Lea, MN (KROC-AM News) - Shots were fired yesterday by Freeborn County Deputy Sheriff involved in a high-speed chase that ended with an attempted carjacking along a highway near a northern Iowa casino. A news release issued by the Albert Lea Police Department says the deputy fired several shots through the windshield of his squad car after the subject of pursuit stopped along a highway in Worth County and attempted to steal a car from a 20-year-old woman who had pulled over on the shoulder. The suspect reacted by dropping to the ground and surrendering to the law officers at the scene. Officials noted the man, later identified as 30-year-old Ryan Amabile of St. Paul had earlier displayed a handgun outside the window of his vehicle while he was being chased. Worth County Sheriff's Office photo The pursuit began in Albert Lea around 3:50 PM when police officers were sent to a grocery store parking lot to investigate a report of a man passed out in a vehicle. When the officers made contact with the man he appeared intoxicated and initially complied with a request to shut-off the engine but then started the Jeep and sped away across some landscaping and struck a vehicle. Speeds during the following chase topped 100 miles-per-hour and officials say Amabile made intention contact with an Albert Lea squad car. He is also accused of aiming the Jeep at a deputy who was outside his squad car after deploying a tire deflation device. After the chase finally ended around 5 PM with the attempted carjacking, it was learned Amabile was wanted on several felony warrants. The news release also states the Jeep had been reported stolen in St. Louis Park and drug paraphernalia. He is currently being held in the Worth County Jail. News Update: Fire Causes Heavy Damage To Rochester Apartment House Source: Shots Fired by Freeborn Deputy Halts Wild Chase Filed Under: crime	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1325
__label__wiki	0.771165	0.771165	Why did Yosef cause so much anguish to his family? While this question already seems to assume some answer or another (that of a 'deeper purpose'), I thought it strange that nobody has actually asked this question so far: Yosef recognized his brothers, but instead of welcoming them, giving them grain, and inviting them to live near him as royalty (which he does later), he "speaks to them harshly", playing a tormenting game with them (imprisoning Shimon, returning their money, placing his cup in Binyamin's sack) causing them significant anguish. Not only does this distress his brothers, but - perhaps more importantly - Yosef's antics also cause his father Yaakov to further suffer. A corollary to this question (that's been asked) is, why didn't he just send a message to his father when he could, that he was alive and doing quite well for himself? What was Yosef's plan, or motivation? parshanut-torah-comment yosef shevatim-12-tribes miketz vayigash הנער הזה הנער הזההנער הזה Like with so many of these questions, there are several approaches as to how to deal with this issue: While this approach is rejected by every commentator I've seen, I think it's worth mentioning at least as a rejected possibility: Yosef wanted to take revenge on his brothers for selling him. Besides for being an unacceptable interpretation because it makes Yosef HaTzaddik out to be a vengeful person, this also seems textually inadequate, as he wouldn't have tried to imprison Binyamin. R. Avraham ben HaRambam, quoting R. Shmuel ben Chofni, as well as the Ramban and many other commentators, explain that Yosef was trying to make sure that his dreams came to fruition. I used to think that this was a bad explanation, because, as R. Yitzchak Arama points out, how could Yosef cause his family so much pain just because of his dreams? Even if he thought his dreams were divine sings, let God worry about His plans; that shouldn't excuse paining his father for so long! Should Yirmiyahu have destroyed the Temple just because God told him that it would happen?! However, if Yosef felt the dream to be a form a prophecy, then just as a prophet has an obligation to tell his prophecy to others, perhaps a prophet also has an obligation to make sure that those prophecies are seen through. Yosef felt that God wanted Him to do this, and as a prophet he was making that judgement as something more important than the mitzvah of kibbud av v'em (much like Avraham understood the prophecy to sacrifice his son as overriding the general prohibition of murder) R. Yitzchak Arama, Abarbanel, and R. Hirsch (though there are important nuanced differences between these three commentators) basically understand that Yosef was trying to put the brothers in a position to do teshuvah, to repent for their selling of him, by causing them to regret their deeds and ultimately put them in a position where they would have to defend one of their brothers (i.e. Binyamin). This position is expounded upon and defended by R. Yaakov Medan, here. The Bechor Shor (36:26, 42:7) writes that when the brothers decided to sell Yosef instead of killing him, they did so on condition that he swear to them that he never reveal to their father how he landed up into slavery. Yosef thought that his brothers would also never tell their father that he is alive even if he revealed himself to them right away as viceroy of Egypt, and so he had to come up with an elaborate plan to force the brothers into telling Yaakov that Yosef became ruler of Egypt. R. Shimon Schwab in Me'ein Beis HaSho'eivah gives what I think is a very beautiful explanation. Yosef knew about the prophecy given to Avraham, that his decsendents would be 'strangers in a foreign land', and that those foreigners would enslave and oppress Avraham's offspring. Yosef, realizing the divine Hand that caused him to sit on the Egyptian throne, understood himself to be the vehicle through which Yaakov and his family would descend to Egypt. He thus devised a plan: he - and his children after him - would play the part of an evil, oppressive king, to fulfill the prophecy, but would all the while be secretly looking out for the benefit of B'nei Yisrael. This way, they would indeed be oppressed strangers, but in a land where the ruler actually, secretly, had their best intentions at heart, because he'd be one of them. This plan failed when Yosef became so overcome with emotion that he knew he couldn't go through the rest of his life putting on a facade of hatred every time he faced his brothers. R. Yoel bin-Nun, of Yeshivat Har Etzion, has a novel approach that was roundly criticized and garnered considerable debate when he published it in their first volumes of the Megadim journal. He suggests that Yosef was afraid that perhaps, like Yishmael and Eisav before him, his father Yaakov had actually rejected him and sent him away, never to take part in the heritage of Avraham and Yitzchak. Thus, he thought Yaakov might have been 'in' on the plan, and didn't reveal himself until he heard from his brothers that Yaakov was actually mourning for him for all these years. (While very creative, it's hard to read this into the pesukim) Several non-religious bible critics have understood that Yosef felt estranged from his long-forgotten family, and had little desire to reconnect with them, as he associated his entire family with his own painful past. The only exception was Binyamin, and he had devised a plot to 'kidnap' Binyamin so that he and the only brother that he loved could live in Egypt, far away from his former family. (The problems with this explanation are too numerous to list) R. Chanan Porat had another interesting suggestion: Yosef thought that his father and brothers had already forgotten about him, had moved on with their lives, and were happy with how it all turned out. At great personal sacrifice, Yosef thought that he should do whatever he could to remain 'dead', not to ruin the lives of his family members that they had recreated. I don't really understand how he explains Yosef's motivation for hiding his goblet in Binyamin's sack, though Rabbi Ari Khan has another novel explanation, built upon midrashim (and, it seems to me, similar to that of R. SR Hirsch). As summarized here, his interpretation is that Yosef was trying to elicit 'brotherly feelings', so that they would come to accept him once he did reveal himself - or better, if he would convince them to start inquiring about 'that Hebrew slave'. "Yosef was not looking to exact revenge on his brothers but to remind them that there was someone they had forgotten; he wanted them to seek him". (numbers 5,6, and 7 came from this article) It's not so much "I want them to repent for selling me", but "let's see if they're still the type of people who would sell me, as evidenced by whether they'll defend baby Benjamin. If not, what's the point of reunification." – Shalom Dec 23 '14 at 14:50 @Shalom I agree if you're talking about R. Yitzchak Arama and R. Hirsch, not if you're explaining Abarbanel or citing R. Medan. Hence the important nuanced differences between these three commentators in number 3, though I thought them similar enough to group together – הנער הזה Dec 23 '14 at 14:52 Rav yaakov Medan has am alternate explanation presented as a response to Rav Yoel Bin Nun – andrewmh20 Dec 13 '15 at 17:21 Matt's answer is most complete. Allow me to take a different angle building on a dvar Torah I wrote in honor of my older son's bar mitsva this shabbat. I think the reason Yosef causes so much anguish to his family is to get to one thing. He knew he and his brothers would be the fathers of the entire Jewish people, that all Jews would inherit their traits of character. But he realized there was a big flaw in them: a lack of brotherly love, a lack of ahdut (unity). He could not imagine that they could be the source of the Jewish people with such a flaw and wanted a tikun (reparation). So all he does is to force them to correct this major shortcoming, to force them back into ahdut. How do we know this is Yosef’s goal? Because as soon as he reaches it, as soon as Yehuda tells Yosef that he will not give away Binyamin, Yosef starts to cry and reveals himself to his brothers. This cry of Yosef is key. It is not so much a cry of joy, after all how could Yosef’s joy be complete when he hasn’t yet seen his father? I don’t think it is a cry of sadness either. It is the sort of cry that we feel when we touch something very deep, very pure, when we feel something new being created, for instance when we want to cry at a brit mila, when we feel the kdusha (sanctity) of a new Jew coming into the brit (alliance), or at a wedding when we feel the love of a new couple being born. In Yosef’s case this was the cry of feeling the ahdut of the Jewish people being created. How do we know this? I think we can learn it from another cry of Yosef, a few psukim earlier when Yosef met Binyamin. Rashi explains that Yosef asks Binyamin if he has sons. Binyamin answers yes, 10, and the Torah gives their names: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, etc. When we read these names we wonder why the Torah brings them, but Rashi and the Midrash tell us that Binyamin explains that each name represents a way for Binyamin to remember his brother Yosef. Bela shenivla ben umot haolam, Becher shehaya bechor leimo, naaman shehaya naim beyoter. Every time Binyamin looked at his sons, he remembered the brother he hadn’t known. And all 10 sons of Binyamin together represented for him his brother Yosef. When Yosef hears that he starts crying, of the cry of one who feels what real love is. So in a nutshell the anguish was justified to create the required unity in Joseph's family - and should be a model for us of the required ahdut in the entire Jewish people. mblochmbloch Mazal tov! Your explanation (similar to #3 in Matt's answer) is also supported by the S'forno on B'reishis 42:22: "אין החטא הנדרש עתה האכזריות בלבד כאשר חשבתם אבל גם דמו שחטאתם לשפוך דם נקי שלא היה בן מות כאשר חשבתם והנה בלי ספק מת בעבדותו". Reuven rebukes the brothers that they still haven't appreciated the magnitude of their guilt and rectified their behavior. Yosef's goal, as you said, wasn't fulfilled until Yehuda and the brothers demonstrated their utter solidarity with Binyamin. +1. – Fred Dec 14 '15 at 22:13 Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged parshanut-torah-comment yosef shevatim-12-tribes miketz vayigash . Why Didn't Yosef tell Yaakov He was Still Alive? Why does the Torah seem to tolerate cheating esp. with Ya'akov and his sons? Why did Binyamin think Yosef was still alive? Why didn't Yaakov and Yosef spend much time together? Did Reuven find out what had happened to Yosef? Why did Yosef wash his face after crying the second time but not the first? How did Yosef showing his circumcision prove anything? Why did Yaakov Avinu not ask G-d about where Yosef was? Did Joseph have the authority on his own to settle his family in Goshen? Why didn't Yaakov rebuke his sons when he found out what they really did to Yosef? When Yosef interprets Pharoah's dream, is he also trying to fulfill his own dream? In what merit did Yosef become viceroy of Egypt?	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1334
__label__wiki	0.591899	0.591899	JSoC A Julia interpreter and debugger 19 March, 2019 \| Tim Holy, Kristoffer Carlsson, Sebastian Pfitzner, Keno Fischer The authors are pleased to announce the release of a fully-featured debugger for Julia. You can now easily debug and introspect Julia code in a variety of ways: Step into functions and manually walk through your code while inspecting its state Set breakpoints and trap errors, allowing you to discover what went wrong at the point of trouble Interactively update and replace existing code to rapidly fix bugs in place without restarting Use the full-featured IDE in Juno to bundle all these features together in an easy to use graphical interface The debugger is itself a collection of tools that enable those features. The core is powered by an interpreter that can faithfully run Julia code while allowing various front-ends to control its execution. Each front-end is its own package: Juno incorporates the debugger into its IDE, Rebugger provides a REPL text UI, and the traditional step/next/continue command-line interface is provided by Debugger. All these new debugging capabilities seamlessly integrate with Revise, so that you can continuously analyze and modify code in a single session. A brief user-level introduction to the front end debuggers To orient potential users to the debugger front-ends, here we include a couple of screen shots that highlight the new capabilities. Juno provides a rich user interface around the interpreter and allows you to set breakpoints and step through directly in the source code. The debugger REPL can execute arbitrary code in a local context and the Workspace allows you to inspect local variables. The screenshot below shows a small debugging session for gcd: The Juno.@run macro interprets your code and drops you in a debugging session if it hits a breakpoint, while Juno.@enter allows you to step through starting from the first line. Debugger and Rebugger If you have a different favorite editor than Atom—or sometimes work in remote sessions through a console interface—you can alternatively perform debugging via the REPL. There are two REPL interfaces: Debugger offers a “step, next, continue” interface similar to debuggers like gdb, whereas Rebugger aims to provide a console interface that is reminiscent of an IDE. Debugger has some capabilities that none of the other interfaces offer (e.g., very fine-grained control over stepping, the ability to execute the generator of generated functions, etc.), so it should be your go-to choice for particularly difficult cases. Below is a screenshot of a short session using Debugger.jl, showing some of its features: In the screenshot, the function closestpair is debugged by prepending the call with the @enter macro. Execution is then suspended on the first line of the function (line 4) and it is possible to see a breakpoint on line 8. Upon running the command c (short for “continue”), execution is resumed until a breakpoint is encountered. At this point, the command fr (short for “frame”) shows all the local variables and their values at the point where the execution of the code suspended due to the breakpoint. Finally, a “Julia REPL mode” is entered using the ` key. This gives a normal Julia REPL mode with the addition that the local variables are available. Rebugger enters calls via a key binding. To try it, type gcd(10, 20) and without hitting enter type Meta-i (Esc-i, Alt-i, or option-i). After a short pause the display should update; type ? to see the possible actions: Rebugger also features an “edit” interface. For more information, see Rebugger’s documentation. An overview of the packages With several packages making their initial debut, and some old ones getting new capabilities, we felt it would be appropriate to provide an overview of the underpinnings of the new ecosystem. JuliaInterpreter JuliaInterpreter is the lynch pin of the entire stack; it contains the logic needed to evaluate and inspect running Julia code. An interpreter lends itself naturally to step-wise code evaluation and the implementation of breakpoints. JuliaInterpreter descended from an original package ASTInterpreter2 written by Keno Fischer. In its original form (prior to Jan 2019), ASTInterpreter2 was a fairly small but sophisticated package, capable of handling many advanced aspects of Julia’s internal representation of code. It was in need of updating to the many changes in Julia 1.0, although most of that work had already been done by Neethu Joy in late 2018. When we began our own efforts, we finished the updates and decided to extend it in many ways: JuliaInterpreter became recursive-by-default, interpreting calls all the way down to the ccalls, intrinsic functions, and builtin functions that define Julia’s lowest levels. By running virtually all code through the interpreter, it became more straightforward to implement breakpoints and trap errors. JuliaInterpreter received numerous performance enhancements, and now can run step-wise through code at roughly 50× its original speed. These optimizations reduce—but come nowhere close to eliminating—the most serious disadvantage of running all code in the interpreter: slow performance. It is hoped that the performance gap between compiled and interpreted code, which can be many orders of magnitude, will narrow in the coming months. However, the interpreter will always be slower than compiled code. It’s also worth noting that there are cases where the interpreter feels faster, at least on initial execution. Julia’s JIT compiler produces excellent results, but all that code-analysis takes time; there is interest in exploring whether running more code in the interpreter could reduce latency, a.k.a. the “time to first plot” problem. JuliaInterpreter is a potential tool for exploring that trade off, and it appears that not much additional work would be needed. JuliaInterpreter gained the ability to interpret “top-level code”, for example the code used to define packages and create test suites. This was a major change, partly because top-level code uses an expanded vocabulary, but mostly because top-level code can define new modules, structures, and methods, which in turn introduces the need to manage “world age,” the counter that determines the visibility of methods to callers. (If this fails, you see errors like “method is too new to be called…”). Supporting top-level code allowed JuliaInterpreter to achieve two goals: the ability to serve as the foundation of new code-parsing abilities for Revise, and the ability to run test suites originally designed for compiled Julia code. Once we had top-level execution partially working, we decided to evaluate JuliaInterpreter against the most extensive single test suite available, that of Julia itself. This revealed dozens of bugs in areas like the calling of C libraries (ccall, @cfunction, and cglobal), llvmcall, keyword-argument functions, generated functions, anonymous functions, struct definitions, global variables, the handling of try/catch, locks and threads, and the treatment of @evaled code. Some of these problems were isolated for us from the test suite failures by two additional contributors, Gunnar Farnebäck and Don MacMillen. As of this writing, most of the cleanly-isolated problems have been fixed. While we are still far from perfect, the pursuit of such a demanding goal has contributed extensively to the robustness of these young packages. JuliaInterpreter gained support for breakpoints. While not strictly a feature of interpreters, they are necessary to build a capable debugger and can be viewed as an additional form of control-flow within the interpreter itself. These breakpoints can be set manually with functions breakpoint and a macro @breakpoint, manipulated in Juno, Rebugger, or Debugger, or added directly to code with the @bp macro. Existing breakpoints can be disabled, enabled, or removed. We support setting of breakpoints at specific source lines or on entry to a specific method, conditional and unconditional breakpoints, and can automatically trap errors as if they were manually-set breakpoints. To explore the interpreter in its own right, you can start like this: using JuliaInterpreter A = rand(1:10, 5) @interpret sum(A) If all is working well, you should see the same answer you get from running sum(A) without @interpret. LoweredCodeUtils LoweredCodeUtils is the most specialized and opaque of the new packages. Its purpose is to build links between multiple cooperating methods. For example, the seemingly-simple definition mymethod(x, y=0; z="Hello", msg="world") = 1 actually creates 5 methods: one “body method” (here, simply returning 1), two “positional-argument” methods (ones that do not accept any keyword arguments), and two “keyword function” methods (ones that get called when you supply at least one keyword argument, then fill in defaults and standardize order). Because all five of these arise from the same user-supplied expression, they need to be implicitly linked in order to provide a satisfying user experience. In particular, changes to source files cause the line numbers of compiled methods to become outdated; if we didn’t correct that, Juno might open a file to the outdated line number when stepping through code. LoweredCodeUtils does the source-level analysis to discover these associations and handle differences that arise when parsing the same file multiple times. If you ever wanted to be able to parse Julia code and extract the signatures of the methods it defines (without redefining the methods), LoweredCodeUtils is the package for you. CodeTracking CodeTracking was designed to act as a simple, lightweight “query API” for retrieving data from Revise. Essentially, LoweredCodeUtils performs analysis, Revise manages changes that occur over time, and CodeTracking informs the rest of the world. For CodeTracking to do anything interesting, you need to be running Revise; to allow CodeTracking to be a lightweight dependency, it relies on Revise to populate its own internal variables. See CodeTracking’s README for more information. Revise and Rebugger Thanks to a rewrite based on JuliaInterpreter, Revise and Rebugger are better (in some cases, much better) at their core tasks. In particular, if you used an earlier version of Rebugger, you may have noticed that it was defeated by many language constructs (e.g., functions containing keyword arguments, @eval-generated methods, etc). Most of the underlying causes were resolved by LoweredCodeUtils, which is in turn used by Revise, which then feeds the necessary data to CodeTracking for consumption by Rebugger. As one measure of the difference, of the more than 10,000 methods in Base, Revise 1.1.0 fails to capture 1,425 method signatures (a failure rate of 13%). In contrast, Revise 2.0.0 misses only 10 (<0.1%). Consequently, in addition to the new “interpret” interface, the new Rebugger is much better at its original “edit” interface, too. Revise (and consequently Rebugger) has also gained some other new abilities, like handling methods defined at the REPL. In the longer term, the deep analysis of code permitted by JuliaInterpreter and LoweredCodeUtils may support features that were formerly out of reach. This has been only a high-level overview. Some of the individual packages have extensive documentation, and interested readers are encouraged to work through it. For anyone looking to develop a deeper understanding of the internals of Julia’s code, the new packages provide a powerful set of tools for introspection and analysis. And of course, we hope that the new debugging capabilities further accelerate Julia’s rapid development, and make it that much more fun of a language to use. We thank Fastly for their generous infrastructure support. Donations help pay for community resources such as CI, Discourse, workshops, travel, JuliaCon, and other such needs. ©2020 JuliaLang.org contributors. The website content uses the MIT license.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1336
__label__wiki	0.956659	0.956659	Snowpack Good Statewide Below Average North Posted: Dec. 26, 2019 12:46 AM PST As you may have heard, the Sierra snowpack is off to its best start in years. Chris Orrock, with the Department of Water Resources, says it was 105-percent of average, statewide, as of Monday. But it was only 82-percent a year ago at this time. It’s the best start since 2010, and the first time it’s been above normal for this date since 2015. Orrock says it bodes well for the April snowpack measurement, which is the most crtical one for the water supply… click to listen to Chris Orrock The April snowpack was the fifth largest in recorded history. Meanwhile, the Northern Sierra snowpack shows the worst number in the state so far, although it’s still 93-percent of average. Orrock says most winters continue to feature precipitation extremes… The first official snowpack survey of the season is January second. Meanwhile, storage also looks good for the state’s two largest reservoirs. It’s 119-percent of average for Lake Shasta and 94-percent for Oroville Dam. Reservoir Levels Are Still Above Normal Snowpack Above Average So Far April Snowpack One of Heaviest Snowpack Improves In Last Month But Not Enough Unusual May Survey Shows Strong Snowpack Snowpack Improves A Bit But Still Low	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1338
__label__cc	0.748603	0.251397	Knock on Wood Custom Round Cookies Dinner Table Size Finished Wood Projects Why It Matters - The Drying Process - Live Edge Wood Slabs by Justin Pruitt December 10, 2018 Drying your live edge wood slab is by far the most important process for a quality wood product that will last generations. For a stable wood product, the internal moisture content of any single slab will range from 6-10%. After cutting down or collecting a log, excess water content will almost always exist. Once our team mills the log into usable raw lumber the drying process can begin. There are numerous ways to facilitate the drying process: Air Drying, Solar Kiln, Dehumidification Kiln, and Vacuum Kiln When Knock on Wood Custom began, we milled live edge wood slabs at 2" or less thickness and the process at the time was to air dry all of the wood. Air drying appeared to be a reasonable way to dry wood slabs... That was not really the case. The process did not produce a viably consistent and quality product. Sometimes the wood could warp, cup, or twist after we started to work the project, indicating the internal moisture was still to high for anything to be crafted with quality. Once this shortcoming was identified there was a lot of research completed trying to answer how we could best dry the wood salvaged from the logs. The Virginia Tech Solar Kiln was the next best option. This Solar Kiln assists the drying process by actively and passively drying the wood in an outdoor insulated structure with a clear roof acting much like a greenhouse. This allows the sun and its radiant solar power to be magnified in addition to the structure holding heat in to complete the drying process more naturally over months. This process is a great alternative to air drying and comes at a low cost. The next option was to bring technology into the process. Using a dehumidification kiln seemed like the next best option. This technology is designed to allow you to rapidly dry lumber in an insulated structure compared to air drying alone. However, the dehumidification kiln is designed for thinner dimensional lumber and preferably species like pine, cedar, and poplar. These wood species are not overly dense and can be dried relatively easy. The largest issue with this process is that most of the wood species Knock on Wood Custom carries would have been required to air dry for 6-12 months prior to going into the kiln. Finally, a Vacuum Kiln, the state-of-the-art drying process. Using this computer driven system, a tree can be removed by an arborist in Tulsa, Oklahoma, milled into usable live edge wood slabs the same day, and dried to an internal moisture content of 6-10% in as little as 12 hours to 30 days depending on the species and the thickness of the raw wood. From Tree to Table with quality to last generations. © 2020, Knock on Wood Custom Powered by Shopify	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1339
__label__wiki	0.631056	0.631056	Drew Weisholtz is an award-winning writer who has had his work published on several websites, including GuySpeed, StarCrush.com and theFW.com. Previously, he has written and served as a producer for ABC News Radio and also spent time as a stand-up comedian. He can be found rooting for his beloved Yankees and Giants and begrudgingly holds out hope his Rutgers Scarlet Knights will one day return to the NCAA Tournament. When that's not consuming him, he passes time quoting "Saved By the Bell" and making fun of his in-laws. You can follow him on Twitter. HS Football Team Miraculously Wins Playoff Game With 3 Improbable TDs in Final Minute It ain't over 'til it's over. Man Whips Out Gun When McDonald’s Runs Out of Egg McMuffins You know, some people just aren't the same when they don't get their breakfast. Deontay Wilder’s Pulverizing KO of Bermane Stiverne Will Leave You Concussed Deontay Wilder didn't just knock out Bermane Stiverne on Saturday night. He knocked him out into oblivion. Steph Curry, LeBron James Lead 2017 All-Star Athlete Halloween Costumes They get dressed up every time they play, but athletes are just like the rest of us -- they like to wear costumes on Halloween, too. Little Boy Is Ultimate Dead-Eye Arcade Basketball Sharpshooter Steph Curry can only wish he was this accurate. Watch Every Final Out of the Last 50 World Series This'll definitely get you in the mood for the Fall Classic. Jeremy Lin Is the Next NBA Star to Go Down With a Brutal Injury First, it was Gordon Hayward. Now, it's Jeremy Lin. Gordon Hayward Suffers Gruesome Broken Ankle in First Celtics Game His first game as a Boston Celtic had a horrific ending.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1342
__label__wiki	0.916995	0.916995	Ravens Outlast 49ers in an Epic Super Bowl Posted about seven years ago by MBaca RAVENS WITHSTAND FURIOUS SECOND HALF NINERS RALLY AS SAN FRANCISCO COMES UP SHORT 34-31 AP) — The Ravens used a last-gasp defensive stand to hold off the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 and capture their second Super Bowl title in 12 years. Game MVP Joe Flacco threw for three touchdowns while helping Baltimore build a 21-6 halftime advantage. Flacco says it is an amazing feeling to be a Super Bowl Champion... Then, not long after Jacoby (jah-KOH'-bee) Jones opened the second half with a 108-yard kickoff return that increased the Ravens' lead to 28-6, a power outage held up play for 34 minutes. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh says he knew the 49ers would gather themselves and make it a game after the outage..... The Niners regrouped, and Colin Kaepernick (KAP'-ur-nihk) directed four second-half scoring drives. The Niners' final touchdown cut the deficit to 31-29. They missed a two-point conversion try before Baltimore added a late field goal and then took a safety in the final seconds. Wide receiver Michael Crabtree says the 49ers didn't capitalize on all their opportunities.... 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh says his team made a nice comeback, but just dug themselves too big of a hole to get the win.... It is San Francisco's first loss in six Super Bowl appearances. It was Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis' final game after a 17-year pro career.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1343
__label__wiki	0.565878	0.565878	Tax Refund Fraud A Little Sunshine / Data Breaches / Tax Refund Fraud — 34 Comments Human Resources Firm ComplyRight Breached Cloud-based human resources company ComplyRight said this week that a security breach of its Web site may have jeopardized sensitive consumer information — including names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and Social Security numbers — from tax forms submitted by the company’s thousands of clients on behalf of employees. Pompano Beach, Fla-based ComplyRight began mailing breach notification letters to affected consumers late last week, but the form letters are extremely vague about the scope and cause of the breach. Indeed, many readers who received these letters wrote to KrebsOnSecurity asking for more information, as the company hadn’t yet published any details about the breach on its Web site. Also, most of those folks said they’d never heard of ComplyRight and could not remember ever doing business with a company by that name. Neither ComplyRight nor its parent company Taylor Corp. responded to multiple requests for comment this past week. But on Wednesday evening, ComplyRight posted additional facts about the incident on its site, saying a recently completed investigation suggests that fewer than 10 percent of individuals with tax forms prepared on the ComplyRight platform were impacted. According to ComplyRight’s Web site, some 76,000 organizations — many of them small businesses — use its services to prepare tax forms such as 1099s and W2s on behalf of their employees and/or contractors. While the company didn’t explicitly say which of its cloud services was impacted by the breach, the Web site which handles its tax preparation business is efile4biz.com. ComplyRight says it learned of the breach on May 22, 2018, and that the “unauthorized access” to its site persisted between April 20, 2018 and May 22, 2018. Continue reading → A Little Sunshine / DDoS-for-Hire / Tax Refund Fraud — 84 Comments Deleted Facebook Cybercrime Groups Had 300,000 Members Hours after being alerted by KrebsOnSecurity, Facebook last week deleted almost 120 private discussion groups totaling more than 300,000 members who flagrantly promoted a host of illicit activities on the social media network’s platform. The scam groups facilitated a broad spectrum of shady activities, including spamming, wire fraud, account takeovers, phony tax refunds, 419 scams, denial-of-service attack-for-hire services and botnet creation tools. The average age of these groups on Facebook’s platform was two years. On Thursday, April 12, KrebsOnSecurity spent roughly two hours combing Facebook for groups whose sole purpose appeared to be flouting the company’s terms of service agreement about what types of content it will or will not tolerate on its platform. One of nearly 120 different closed cybercrime groups operating on Facebook that were deleted late last week. In total, there were more than 300,000 members of these groups. The average age of these groups was two years, but some had existed for up to nine years on Facebook My research centered on groups whose singular focus was promoting all manner of cyber fraud, but most especially those engaged in identity theft, spamming, account takeovers and credit card fraud. Virtually all of these groups advertised their intent by stating well-known terms of fraud in their group names, such as “botnet helpdesk,” “spamming,” “carding” (referring to credit card fraud), “DDoS” (distributed denial-of-service attacks), “tax refund fraud,” and account takeovers. Each of these closed groups solicited new members to engage in a variety of shady activities. Some had existed on Facebook for up to nine years; approximately ten percent of them had plied their trade on the social network for more than four years. Here is a spreadsheet (PDF) listing all of the offending groups reported, including: Their stated group names; the length of time they were present on Facebook; the number of members; whether the group was promoting a third-party site on the dark or clear Web; and a link to the offending group. A copy of the same spreadsheet in .csv format is available here. The biggest collection of groups banned last week were those promoting the sale and use of stolen credit and debit card accounts. The next largest collection of groups included those facilitating account takeovers — methods for mass-hacking emails and passwords for countless online accounts such Amazon, Google, Netflix, PayPal, as well as a host of online banking services. This rather active Facebook group, which specialized in identity theft and selling stolen bank account logins, was active for roughly three years and had approximately 2,500 members. In a statement to KrebsOnSecurity, Facebook pledged to be more proactive about policing its network for these types of groups. “We thank Mr. Krebs for bringing these groups to our attention, we removed them as soon as we investigated,” said Pete Voss, Facebook’s communications director. “We investigated these groups as soon as we were aware of the report, and once we confirmed that they violated our Community Standards, we disabled them and removed the group admins. We encourage our community to report anything they see that they don’t think should be in Facebook, so we can take swift action.” Continue reading → A Little Sunshine / Latest Warnings / Tax Refund Fraud / Web Fraud 2.0 — 68 Comments When Identity Thieves Hack Your Accountant The Internal Revenue Service has been urging tax preparation firms to step up their cybersecurity efforts this year, warning that identity thieves and hackers increasingly are targeting certified public accountants (CPAs) in a bid to siphon oodles of sensitive personal and financial data on taxpayers. This is the story of a CPA in New Jersey whose compromise by malware led to identity theft and phony tax refund requests filed on behalf of his clients. Last month, KrebsOnSecurity was alerted by security expert Alex Holden of Hold Security about a malware gang that appears to have focused on CPAs. The crooks in this case were using a Web-based keylogger that recorded every keystroke typed on the target’s machine, and periodically uploaded screenshots of whatever was being displayed on the victim’s computer screen at the time. If you’ve never seen one of these keyloggers in action, viewing their output can be a bit unnerving. This particular malware is not terribly sophisticated, but nevertheless is quite effective. It not only grabs any data the victim submits into Web-based forms, but also captures any typing — including backspaces and typos as we can see in the screenshot below. The malware records everything its victims type (including backspaces and typos), and frequently takes snapshots of the victim’s computer screen. Whoever was running this scheme had all victim information uploaded to a site that was protected from data scraping by search engines, but the site itself did not require any form of authentication to view data harvested from victim PCs. Rather, the stolen information was indexed by victim and ordered by day, meaning anyone who knew the right URL could view each day’s keylogging record as one long image file. Those records suggest that this particular CPA — “John,” a New Jersey professional whose real name will be left out of this story — likely had his computer compromised sometime in mid-March 2018 (at least, this is as far back as the keylogging records go for John). It’s also not clear exactly which method the thieves used to get malware on John’s machine. Screenshots for John’s account suggest he routinely ignored messages from Microsoft and other third party Windows programs about the need to apply critical security updates. Messages like this one — about critical security updates available for QuickBooks — went largely ignored, according to multiple screenshots from John’s computer. More likely, however, John’s computer was compromised by someone who sent him a booby-trapped email attachment or link. When one considers just how frequently CPAs must need to open Microsoft Office and other files submitted by clients and potential clients via email, it’s not hard to imagine how simple it might be for hackers to target and successfully compromise your average CPA. The keylogging malware itself appears to have been sold (or perhaps directly deployed) by a cybercriminal who uses the nickname ja_far. This individual markets a $50 keylogger product alongside a malware “crypting” service that guarantees his malware will be undetected by most antivirus products for a given number of days after it is used against a victim. Ja_far’s sales threads for the keylogger used to steal tax and financial data from hundreds of John’s clients. It seems likely that ja_far’s keylogger was the source of this data because at one point — early in the morning John’s time — the attacker appears to have accidentally pasted ja_far’s jabber instant messenger address into the victim’s screen instead of his own. In all likelihood, John’s assailant was seeking additional crypting services to ensure the keylogger remained undetected on John’s PC. A couple of minutes later, the intruder downloaded a file to John’s PC from file-sharing site sendspace.com. The attacker apparently messing around on John’s computer while John was not sitting in front of the keyboard. What I found remarkable about John’s situation was despite receiving notice after notice that the IRS had rejected many of his clients’ tax returns because those returns had already been filed by fraudsters, for at least two weeks John does not appear to have suspected that his compromised computer was likely the source of said fraud inflicted on his clients (or if he did, he didn’t share this notion with any of his friends or family via email). Instead, John composed and distributed to his clients a form letter about their rejected returns, and another letter that clients could use to alert the IRS and New Jersey tax authorities of suspected identity fraud. Continue reading → San Diego Sues Experian Over ID Theft Service The City of San Diego, Calif. is suing consumer credit bureau Experian, alleging that a data breach first reported by KrebsOnSecurity in 2013 affected more than a quarter-million people in San Diego but that Experian never alerted affected consumers as required under California law. The lawsuit, filed by San Diego city attorney Mara Elliott, concerns a data breach at an Experian subsidiary that lasted for nine months ending in 2013. As first reported here in October 2013, a Vietnamese man named Hieu Minh Ngo ran an identity theft service online and gained access to sensitive consumer information by posing as a licensed private investigator in the United States. In reality, the fraudster was running his identity theft service from Vietnam, and paying Experian thousands of dollars in cash each month for access to 200 million consumer records. Ngo then resold that access to more than 1,300 customers of his ID theft service. KrebsOnSecurity first wrote about Ngo’s ID theft service — alternately called Superget[dot]info and Findget[dot]me — in 2011. Ngo was arrested after being lured out of Vietnam by the U.S. Secret Service. He later pleaded guilty to identity fraud charges and was sentenced in July 2015 to 13 years in prison. News of the lawsuit comes from The San Diego Union-Tribune, which says the city attorney alleges that some 30 million consumers could have had their information stolen in the breach, including an estimated 250,000 people in San Diego. “Elliott’s office cited the Internal Revenue Service in saying hackers filed more than 13,000 false returns using the hacked information, obtaining $65 million in fraudulent tax refunds,” writes Union-Tribune reporter Greg Moran. Experian did not respond to requests for comment. Ngo’s Identity theft service, superget.info, which relied on access to consumer databases maintained by a company that Experian purchased in 2012. In December 2013, an executive from Experian told Congress that the company was not aware of any consumers who had been harmed by the incident. However, soon after Ngo was extradited to the United States, the Secret Service began identifying and rounding up dozens of customers of Ngo’s identity theft service. And most of Ngo’s customers were indeed involved in tax refund fraud with the states and the IRS. Continue reading → Tax Refund Fraud — 65 Comments IRS Scam Leverages Hacked Tax Preparers, Client Bank Accounts Identity thieves who specialize in tax refund fraud have been busy of late hacking online accounts at multiple tax preparation firms, using them to file phony refund requests. Once the Internal Revenue Service processes the return and deposits money into bank accounts of the hacked firms’ clients, the crooks contact those clients posing as a collection agency and demand that the money be “returned.” In one version of the scam, criminals are pretending to be debt collection agency officials acting on behalf of the IRS. They’ll call taxpayers who’ve had fraudulent tax refunds deposited into their bank accounts, claim the refund was deposited in error, and threaten recipients with criminal charges if they fail to forward the money to the collection agency. This is exactly what happened to a number of customers at a half dozen banks in Oklahoma earlier this month. Elaine Dodd, executive vice president of the fraud division at the Oklahoma Bankers Association, said many financial institutions in the Oklahoma City area had “a good number of customers” who had large sums deposited into their bank accounts at the same time. Dodd said the bank customers received hefty deposits into their accounts from the U.S. Treasury, and shortly thereafter were contacted by phone by someone claiming to be a collections agent for a firm calling itself DebtCredit and using the Web site name debtcredit[dot]us. “We’re having customers getting refunds they have not applied for,” Dodd said, noting that the transfers were traced back to a local tax preparer who’d apparently gotten phished or hacked. Those banks are now working with affected customers to close the accounts and open new ones, Dodd said. “If the crooks have breached a tax preparer and can send money to the client, they can sure enough pull money out of those accounts, too.” Several of the Oklahoma bank’s clients received customized notices from a phony company claiming to be a collections agency hired by the IRS. The domain debtcredit[dot]us hasn’t been active for some time, but an exact copy of the site to which the bank’s clients were referred by the phony collection agency can be found at jcdebt[dot]com — a domain that was registered less than a month ago. The site purports to be associated with a company in New Jersey called Debt & Credit Consulting Services, but according to a record (PDF) retrieved from the New Jersey Secretary of State’s office, that company’s business license was revoked in 2010. “You may be puzzled by an erroneous payment from the Internal Revenue Service but in fact it is quite an ordinary situation,” reads the HTML page shared with people who received the fraudulent IRS refunds. It includes a video explaining the matter, and references a case number, the amount and date of the transaction, and provides a list of personal “data reported by the IRS,” including the recipient’s name, Social Security Number (SSN), address, bank name, bank routing number and account number. All of these details no doubt are included to make the scheme look official; most recipients will never suspect that they received the bank transfer because their accounting firm got hacked. The scammers even supposedly assign the recipients an individual “appointed debt collector,” complete with a picture of the employee, her name, telephone number and email address. However, the emails to the domain used in the email address from the screenshot above (debtcredit[dot]com) bounced, and no one answers at the provided telephone number. Along with the Web page listing the recipient’s personal and bank account information, each recipient is given a “transaction error correction letter” with IRS letterhead (see image below) that includes many of the same personal and financial details on the HTML page. It also gives the recipient instructions on the account number, ACH routing and wire number to which the wayward funds are to be wired. A phony letter from the IRS instructing recipients on how and where to wire the money that was deposited into their bank account as a result of a fraudulent tax refund request filed in their name. File Your Taxes Before Scammers Do It For You Today, Jan. 29, is officially the first day of the 2018 tax-filing season, also known as the day fraudsters start requesting phony tax refunds in the names of identity theft victims. Want to minimize the chances of getting hit by tax refund fraud this year? File your taxes before the bad guys can! Tax refund fraud affects hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of U.S. citizens annually. Victims usually first learn of the crime after having their returns rejected because scammers beat them to it. Even those who are not required to file a return can be victims of refund fraud, as can those who are not actually due a refund from the IRS. According to the IRS, consumer complaints over tax refund fraud have been declining steadily over the years as the IRS and states enact more stringent measures for screening potentially fraudulent applications. If you file your taxes electronically and the return is rejected, and if you were the victim of identity theft (e.g., if your Social Security number and other information was leaked in the Equifax breach last year), you should submit an Identity Theft Affidavit (Form 14039). The IRS advises that if you suspect you are a victim of identity theft, continue to pay your taxes and file your tax return, even if you must do so by paper. If the IRS believes you were likely the victim of tax refund fraud in the previous tax year they will likely send you a special filing PIN that needs to be entered along with this year’s return before the filing will be accepted by the IRS electronically. This year marks the third out of the last five that I’ve received one of these PINs from the IRS. Of course, filing your taxes early to beat the fraudsters requires one to have all of the tax forms needed to do so. As a sole proprietor, this is a great challenge because many companies take their sweet time sending out 1099 forms and such (even though they’re required to do so by Jan. 31). A great many companies are now turning to online services to deliver tax forms to contractors, employees and others. For example, I have received several notices via email regarding the availability of 1099 forms online; most say they are sending the forms in snail mail, but that if I need them sooner I can get them online if I just create an account or enter some personal information at some third-party site. Having seen how so many of these sites handle personal information, I’m not terribly interested in volunteering more of it. According to Bankrate, taxpayers can still file their returns even if they don’t yet have all of their 1099s — as long as you have the correct information about how much you earned. “Unlike a W-2, you generally don’t have to attach 1099s to your tax return,” Bankrate explains. “They are just issued so you’ll know how much to report, with copies going to the IRS so return processors can double-check your entries. As long as you have the correct information, you can put it on your tax form without having the statement in hand.” Continue reading → Name+DOB+SSN=FAFSA Data Gold Mine KrebsOnSecurity has sought to call attention to online services which expose sensitive consumer data if the user knows a handful of static details about a person that are broadly for sale in the cybercrime underground, such as name, date of birth, and Social Security Number. Perhaps the most eye-opening example of this is on display at fafsa.ed.gov, the Web site set up by the U.S. Department of Education for anyone interested in applying for federal student financial aid. Update, Nov. 28, 12:34 p.m. ET: The Education Department says not all of the data elements mentioned below are accessible on a FAFSA applicant if someone merely knows the static details about that person. Read on for their response to this story. Short for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, FAFSA is an extremely lengthy and detailed form required at all colleges that accept and award federal aid to students. Visitors to the login page for FAFSA have two options: Enter either the student’s FSA ID and password, or choose “enter the student’s information.” Selecting the latter brings up a prompt to enter the student’s first and last name, followed by their date of birth and Social Security Number. Anyone who successfully supplies that information on a student who has applied for financial aid through FAFSA then gets to see a virtual colonoscopy of personal information on that individual and their family’s finances — including almost 200 different data elements. The information returned includes all of these data fields: 1. Student’s Last Name: 2. Student’s First Name: 3. Student’s Middle Initial: 4. Student’s Permanent Mailing Address: 5. Student’s Permanent City: 6. Student’s Permanent State: 7. Student’s Permanent ZIP Code: 8. Student’s Social Security Number: 9. Student’s Date of Birth: 10. Student’s Telephone Number: 11. Student’s Driver’s License Number: 12. Student’s Driver’s License State: 13. Student’s E-mail Address: 14. Student’s Citizenship Status: 15. Student’s Alien Registration Number: 16. Student’s Marital Status: 17. Student’s Marital Status Date: 18. Student’s State of Legal Residence: 19. Was Student a Legal Resident Before January 1, 2012? 20. Student’s Legal Residence Date: 21. Is the Student Male or Female? 22. Register Student With Selective Service System? 23. Drug Conviction Affecting Eligibility? 24. Parent 1 Educational Level: 26. High School or Equivalent Completed? 27a. Student’s High School Name: 27b. Student’s High School City: 27c. Student’s High School State: 28. First Bachelor’s Degree before 2017-2018 School Year? 29. Student’s Grade Level in College in 2017-2018: 30. Type of Degree/Certificate: 31. Interested in Work-study? 32. Student Filed 2015 Income Tax Return? 33. Student’s Type of 2015 Tax Form Used: 34. Student’s 2015 Tax Return Filing Status: 35. Student Eligible to File a 1040A or 1040EZ? 36. Student’s 2015 Adjusted Gross Income: 37. Student’s 2015 U.S. Income Tax Paid: 38. Student’s 2015 Exemptions Claimed: 39. Student’s 2015 Income Earned from Work: 40. Spouse’s 2015 Income Earned from Work: 41. Student’s Total of Cash, Savings, and Checking Accounts: 42. Student’s Net Worth of Current Investments: 43. Student’s Net Worth of Businesses/Investment Farms: 44a. Student’s Education Credits: 44b. Student’s Child Support Paid: 44c. Student’s Taxable Earnings from Need-Based Employment Programs: 44d. Student’s College Grant and Scholarship Aid Reported in AGI: 44e. Student’s Taxable Combat Pay Reported in AGI: 44f. Student’s Cooperative Education Earnings: 45a. Student’s Payments to Tax-Deferred Pensions & Retirement Savings: 45b. Student’s Deductible Payments to IRA/Keogh/Other: 45c. Student’s Child Support Received: 45d. Student’s Tax Exempt Interest Income: 45e. Student’s Untaxed Portions of IRA Distributions: 45f. Student’s Untaxed Portions of Pensions: 45g. Student’s Housing, Food, & Living Allowances: 45h. Student’s Veterans Noneducation Benefits: 45i. Student’s Other Untaxed Income or Benefits: 45j. Money Received or Paid on Student’s Behalf: 46. Student Born Before January 1, 1994? 47. Is Student Married? 48. Working on Master’s or Doctorate in 2017-2018? 49. Is Student on Active Duty in U.S. Armed Forces? 50. Is Student a Veteran? 51. Does Student Have Children He/She Supports? 52. Does Student Have Dependents Other than Children/Spouse? 53. Parents Deceased?/Student Ward of Court?/In Foster Care? 54. Is or Was Student an Emancipated Minor? 55. Is or Was Student in Legal Guardianship? 56. Is Student an Unaccompanied Homeless Youth as Determined by High School/Homeless Liaison? 57. Is Student an Unaccompanied Homeless Youth as Determined by HUD? 58. Is Student an Unaccompanied Homeless Youth as Determined by Director of Homeless Youth Center? 59. Parents’ Marital Status: 60. Parents’ Marital Status Date: 61. Parent 1 (Father’s/Mother’s/Stepparent’s) Social Security Number: 62. Parent 1 (Father’s/Mother’s/Stepparent’s) Last Name: 63. Parent 1 (Father’s/Mother’s/Stepparent’s) First Name Initial: 64. Parent 1 (Father’s/Mother’s/Stepparent’s) Date of Birth: 69. Parents’ E-mail Address: 70. Parents’ State of Legal Residence: 71. Were Parents Legal Residents Before January 1, 2012? 72. Parents’ Legal Residence Date: 73. Parents’ Number of Family Members in 2017-2018: 74. Parents’ Number in College in 2017-2018 (Parents Excluded): 75. Parents Received Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income? 76. Parents Received SNAP? 77. Parents Received Free/Reduced Price Lunch? 78. Parents Received TANF? 79. Parents Received WIC? 80. Parents Filed 2015 Income Tax Return? 81. Parents’ Type of 2015 Tax Form Used: 82. Parents’ 2015 Tax Return Filing Status: 83. Parents Eligible to File a 1040A or 1040EZ? 84. Is Parent a Dislocated Worker? 85. Parents’ 2015 Adjusted Gross Income: 86. Parents’ 2015 U.S. Income Tax Paid: 87. Parents’ 2015 Exemptions Claimed: 88. Parent 1 (Father’s/Mother’s/Stepparent’s) 2015 Income Earned from Work: 90. Parents’ Total of Cash, Savings, and Checking Accounts: 91. Parents’ Net Worth of Current Investments: 92. Parents’ Net Worth of Businesses/Investment Farms: 93a. Parents’ Education Credits: 93b. Parents’ Child Support Paid: 93c. Parents’ Taxable Earnings from Need-Based Employment Programs: 93d. Parents’ College Grant and Scholarship Aid Reported in AGI: 93e. Parents’ Taxable Combat Pay Reported in AGI: 93f. Parents’ Cooperative Education Earnings: 94a. Parents’ Payments to Tax-Deferred Pensions & Retirement Savings: 94b. Parents’ Deductible Payments to IRA/Keogh/Other: 94c. Parents’ Child Support Received: 94d. Parents’ Tax Exempt Interest Income: 94e. Parents’ Untaxed Portions of IRA Distributions: 94f. Parents’ Untaxed Portions of Pensions: 94g. Parents’ Housing, Food, & Living Allowances: 94h. Parents’ Veterans Noneducation Benefits: 94i. Parents’ Other Untaxed Income or Benefits: 95. Student’s Number of Family Members in 2017-2018: 96. Student’s Number in College in 2017-2018: 97. Student Received Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income? 98. Student Received SNAP? 99. Student Received Free/Reduced Price Lunch? 100. Student Received TANF? 101. Student Received WIC? 102. Is Student or Spouse a Dislocated Worker? 103a. First Federal School Code: 103b. First Housing Plans: 103c. Second Federal School Code: 103d. Second Housing Plans: 103e. Third Federal School Code: 103f. Third Housing Plans: 103g. Fourth Federal School Code: 103h. Fourth Housing Plans: 103i. Fifth Federal School Code: 103j. Fifth Housing Plans: 103k. Sixth Federal School Code: 103l. Sixth Housing Plans: 103m. Seventh Federal School Code: 103n. Seventh Housing Plans: 103o. Eighth Federal School Code: 103p. Eighth Housing Plans: 103q. Ninth Federal School Code: 103r. Ninth Housing Plans: 103s. Tenth Federal School Code: 103t. Tenth Housing Plans: 104. Date Completed: 105. Signed By: 106. Preparer’s Social Security Number: 107. Preparer’s Employer Identification Number (EIN): 108. Preparer’s Signature: According to the Education Department, nearly 20 million students filled out this form in the 2015/2016 application cycle. Update: The process described above was based on a demonstration this author saw while sharing a screen with a KrebsOnSecurity reader who had a family member apply for aid through FAFSA. But an Education Department spokesperson took strong exception to my experience, saying that while someone armed with an applicant’s SSN and date of birth would be able to view some of the less sensitive data elements related to an application that has already been submitted and processed, seeing the more sensitive data requires and additional authentication step. The spokesperson said the data is displayed across several pages that require manual advancement, and that before the pages with financial data are shown the visitor is prompted to supply a username and password that all users are required to create when they start the application process. The agency said that without those credentials, the system should not display the rest of the data. In cases where a student has saved but not completed an application, the spokesperson said, the applicant is prompted to create a “save key,” or temporary password that needs to be supplied before the financial data is displayed. Fraudsters Steal Tax, Salary Data From ADP Identity thieves stole tax and salary data from payroll giant ADP by registering accounts in the names of employees at more than a dozen customer firms, KrebsOnSecurity has learned. ADP says the incidents occurred because the victim companies all mistakenly published sensitive ADP account information online that made those firms easy targets for tax fraudsters. Patterson, N.J.-based ADP provides payroll, tax and benefits administration for more than 640,000 companies. Last week, U.S. Bancorp (U.S. Bank) — the nation’s fifth-largest commercial bank — warned some of its employees that their W-2 data had been stolen thanks to a weakness in ADP’s customer portal. ID thieves are interested in W-2 data because it contains much of the information needed to fraudulently request a large tax refund from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in someone else’s name. A reader who works at U.S. Bank shared a letter received from Jennie Carlson, the financial institution’s executive vice president of human resources. “Since April 19, 2016, we have been actively investigating a security incident with our W-2 provider, ADP,” Carlson wrote. “During the course of that investigation we have learned that an external W-2 portal, maintained by ADP, may have been utilized by unauthorized individuals to access your W-2, which they may have used to file a fraudulent income tax return under your name.” The letter continued: “The incident originated because ADP offered an external online portal that has been exploited. For individuals who had never used the external portal, a registration had never been established. Criminals were able to take advantage of that situation to use confidential personal information from other sources to establish a registration in your name at ADP. Once the fraudulent registration was established, they were able to view or download your W-2.” U.S. Bank spokesman Dana Ripley said the letter was sent to a “small population” of the bank’s more than 64,000 employees. Asked to comment on the letter from U.S. Bank, ADP confirmed that the fraud visited upon U.S. Bank also hit “a very small subset” of the ADP’s total customers this year. ADP emphasized that the fraudsters needed to have the victim’s personal data — including name, date of birth and Social Security number — to successfully create an account in someone’s name. ADP also stressed that this personal data did not come from its systems, and that thieves appeared to already possess that data when they created the unauthorized accounts at ADP’s portal. ADP Chief Security Officer Roland Cloutier said customers can choose to create an account at the ADP portal for each employee, or they can defer that process to a later date (but employers do have to chose one or the other, Cloutier said). According to ADP, new users need to be in possession of two other things (in addition to the victim’s personal data) at a minimum in order to create an account: A custom, company-specific link provided by ADP, and a static code assigned to the customer by ADP. The problem, Cloutier said, seems to stem from ADP customers that both deferred that signup process for some or all of their employees and at the same time inadvertently published online the link and the company code. As a result, for users who never registered, criminals were able to register as them with fairly basic personal info, and access W-2 data on those individuals. Continue reading → Phishing Victims Muddle Tax Fraud Fight Many U.S. citizens are bound to experience delays in getting their tax returns processed this year, thanks largely to more stringent controls enacted by Uncle Sam and the states to block fraudulent tax refund requests filed by identity thieves. A steady drip of corporate data breaches involving phished employee W-2 information is adding to the backlog, as is an apparent mass adoption by ID thieves of professional tax services for processing large numbers of phony refund requests. According to data released this week by anti-fraud company iovation, the Internal Revenue Service is taking up to three times longer to review 2015 tax returns compared to past years. Julie Magee, commissioner of Alabama’s Department of Revenue, said much of the delay this year at the state level is likely due to new “fraud filters” the states have put in place with Gentax, a return processing and auditing system used by about half of U.S. state revenue departments. If the states can’t outright deny a suspicious refund request, they’ll very often deny the requested electronic bank deposit and issue a paper check to the taxpayer’s known address instead. “Many states decided they weren’t going to start paying refunds until March 1, and on our side we’ve been using all our internal fraud resources and tools to analyze the tax return before we even put it in the queue,” Magee said. “That’s delaying refunds nationwide for the IRS and the states, and it’s pretty much going to also mean a helluva lot of paper checks are going out this year.” The added fraud filters that states are employing take advantage of data elements shared for the first time this tax season by the major online tax preparation firms such as TurboTax. The filters look for patterns known to be associated with phony refund requests, such how quickly the return was filed, or whether the same Internet address was seen completing multiple returns. Magee said some of the states have been adding new fraud filters nearly every time they learn of another big breach involving large numbers of stolen or phished employee W2 data, a huge problem this tax season that is forcing dozens of companies large and small to disclose data breaches over the past few weeks. “Every time we turn around getting a phone call about another breach,” Magee said. “Because of all the different breaches, the states and the IRS have been taking extreme measures to filter, filter, filter. And each time we’d get news of an additional breach, we’d start over, reprogram our fraud filters, and re-assess those returns that were not processed fully yet and those waiting to be processed.” Magee said the Gentax software assigns each tax return a score for “wage confidence” and “identity confidence,” and that usually fraudulent tax refund requests have high wage confidence but low — if any — identity confidence. That’s because the fraudsters are filing refund requests on taxpayers for whom they already have stolen W2 information. The identity confidence in these cases is low often because the fraudsters are asking to have the money electronically deposited into an account that can’t be directly tied to the taxpayer, or they have incorrectly supplied some of the victim’s data. “I have zero confidence that filings which match this pattern are legitimate,” Magee said. “It’s early still, but our new filtering system seems to be working. But it’s still a big unknown about the percentage of fraudulent refunds we’re not stopping.” MORE W2 PHISHING VICTIMS Most states didn’t start processing returns until after March 1, which is exactly when a flood of data breaches related to phished employee W2 data began washing up. As KrebsOnSecurity first warned in mid-February, thieves have been sending targeted phishing emails to human resources and finance employees at countless organizations, spoofing a message from the CEO requesting all employee W2’s in PDF format. In Magee’s own state, W2 phishers hauled in tax data on an estimated 180 employees of ISCO Industries in Huntsville, and some 425 employees at the EWTN Global Catholic Network in Irondale, Ala. But those are just the ones that have been made public. Magee’s office only learned of those breaches after employees at the affected organizations reached out to journalists who then wrote about the compromises. Over the past week, KrebsOnSecurity similarly has heard from employees at a broad range of organizations that appear to have fallen victim to W2 phishing scams, including some 28,000 employees of the market research giant Kantar Group; 17,000+ employees of Sprouts Farmer’s Market; call center software provider Aspect; computer backup software maker Acronis; Kids Dental Kare in Los Angeles; Century Fence, a fencing company in Wisconsin; Nation’s Lending Corporation, a mortgage lending firm in Independent, Ohio; QTI Group, a Wisconsin-based human resources consulting company; and the jousting-and-feasting entertainment company Medieval Times. Continue reading → Data Breaches / Tax Refund Fraud — 38 Comments Thieves Phish Moneytree Employee Tax Data Payday lending firm Moneytree is the latest company to alert current and former employees that their tax data — including Social Security numbers, salary and address information — was accidentally handed over directly to scam artists. Seattle-based Moneytree sent an email to employees on March 4 stating that “one of our team members fell victim to a phishing scam and revealed payroll information to an external source.” “Moneytree was apparently targeted by a scam in which the scammer impersonated me and asked for an emailed copy of certain information about the Company’s payroll including Team Member names, home addresses, social security numbers, birthdates and W2 information,” Moneytree co-founder Dennis Bassford wrote to employees. The message continued: “Unfortunately, this request was not recognized as a scam, and the information about current and former Team Members who worked in the US at Moneytree in 2015 or were hired in early 2016 was disclosed. The good news is that our servers and security systems were not breached, and our millions of customer records were not affected. The bad news is that our Team Members’ information has been compromised.” A woman who answered a Moneytree phone number listed in the email confirmed the veracity of the co-founder’s message to employees, but would not say how many employees were notified. According to the company’s profile on Yellowpages.com, Moneytree Inc. maintains a staff of more than 1,200 employees. The company offers check cashing, payday loan, money order, wire transfer, mortgage, lending, prepaid gift cards, and copying and fax services. Moneytree joins a growing list of companies disclosing to employees that they were duped by W2 phishing scams, which this author first warned about in mid-February. Earlier this month, data storage giant Seagate acknowledged that a similar phishing scam had compromised the tax and personal data on thousands of current and past employees. Continue reading →	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1344
__label__cc	0.632843	0.367157	Home » Library Human Resources Department » Academic Employment » Librarian Review Cycle » Guidelines for the Review Initiator's Evaluation LAS LHRD Academic Sidebar Academic Employment Distinguished Librarian Award Academic Recruitment Process Guidelines for the Review Initiator's Evaluation Librarian Review Process Overview Preparing Self-Evaluations Timetable for Merit and Special Reviews Timetable for Promotion and Career Status Reviews Forms and Additional Resources The review initiator's evaluation provides a comprehensive evaluation of the candidate's performance and accomplishments both within and beyond the primary assignment for the period under review. It brings to bear direct knowledge of the candidate as well as knowledge gleaned from letters of reference, the candidate's documentation and other sources. With input from the candidate, the review initiator solicits letters of reference from persons best able to assess the candidate's performance and accomplishments. In the solicitations the review initiator requests comment on specific activities and contributions. Letters of reference are appropriate for career status and promotion reviews and may be appropriate for greater-than-standard requests and off-cycle reviews. The review initiator's evaluation avoids repetition of the candidate's self-evaluation. It indicates whether or not there is agreement on the relative importance of the candidate's accomplishments during the period under review. To the extent that the review initiator differs from the candidate in assessing accomplishment, the differences are clearly delineated. The review initiator works with the candidate in identifying goals and objectives for the next review period. In the evaluation the review initiator indicates whether there is agreement on goals and objectives; if there is disagreement, the review initiator identifies what she/he believes are goals and objectives for the candidate. The review initiator's evaluation is most helpful in the review process when: it is succinct, well organized and coherent. it describes clearly the lines of authority in the unit, the scope of the candidate's responsibility, and the length of time such assignments have been in effect. it presents a balanced evaluation of the candidate's performance, including problem areas as well as particular strengths. insofar as possible, it considers the breadth and quality of the candidate's performance in relation to that typical of other librarians at the candidate's rank. it examines the candidate's performance for evidence of continued professional growth during the review period. it mentions special circumstances which may have limited the candidate's activity in areas where, given the past record, she/he might have been expected to continue to make significant contributions. it documents by specific examples the candidate's judgment, innovative ideas, management skills, or special professional expertise which have had positive influence among her/his colleagues and significant impact on the library programs and services. ‹ Documentation up Timetable for Merit and Special Reviews ›	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1349
__label__wiki	0.842088	0.842088	Justia › US Law › Case Law › Federal Courts › Courts of Appeals › Court of Customs and Patent Appeals › 1964 › Application of Josef Fried and Josef E. Herz Application of Josef Fried and Josef E. Herz, 329 F.2d 323 (C.C.P.A. 1964) U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals (1909-1982) - 329 F.2d 323 (C.C.P.A. 1964) March 26, 1964 William H. Saltzman (Robert Alpher, New York City, and Merle J. Smith, Scotch Plains, N. J., of counsel), for appellants. Clarence W. Moore, Washington, D. C. (Raymond E. Martin, Washington, D. C., of counsel), for Commissioner of Patents. WORLEY, Chief Judge. Fried and Herz appeal from the Board of Appeals' affirmance of the examiner's rejection of claims 6, 20 and 21, the remaining claims of their application.1 The invention relates to steroids of the pregnene series. The claims in dispute are directed to unsaturated pregnene steroids having a 9,11 epoxy group and an alkylsulfonoxy or iodo group in the 21 position. Claim 6 reads: "6. 21-Iodo-Δ4 -pregnene-9β, 11β-oxido-17α-ol-3,20-dione." The steroids being claimed may be depicted by the structural formula: NOTE: OPINION CONTAINING TABLE OR OTHER DATA THAT IS NOT VIEWABLE wherein Y is lower alkylsulfonoxy and iodo, Z is hydrogen and alpha hydroxy and either the 1,2, the 4,5, the 1,2 and 4,5, or the 4,5, and 6,7 positions are unsaturated. The symbols Δ1, Δ4, Δ1,4 and Δ4,6 correspond to unsaturation in the aforesaid positions, respectively. Claims 20 and 21 are generic. Claim 20 is directed to the alkylsulfonoxy derivatives of pregnene which serve as intermediates for the preparation of the corresponding iodo compounds, which are the subject matter of claim 21. The latter are said to be useful as intermediates in the preparation of other steroids which are physiologically active. The board held that claims 20 and 21 were unsupported by the specification in that the preparation of all of the starting materials was not disclosed; and also held that the compounds of claims 6 and 21 were unpatentable in view of a patent to Nathan et al., 2,884,429, April 28, 1959. Regarding the first holding, the specification as filed contained a reference to two copending applications2 for the purpose of disclosing how to convert pregnenes unsubstituted in the 21 position,3 having a 9β, 11β-oxido substituent, to physiologically-active 9β-halo 11β-hydroxy derivatives. When first confronted with a rejection based on insufficient disclosure of the preparation of the starting materials for the Δ1-, Δ1,4, and Δ4,6 steroids, appellants made the following amendment to the specification: " [The Δ1-, Δ1,4-and Δ4,6-steroid reactants can be prepared as disclosed in the applications of Josef Fried, Serial Nos. 489,769 and 515,917, filed February 21, 1955, and June 24, 1955, respectively.]" That amendment was entered by the examiner but he continued the rejection on the ground that "* * * Applicants may not rely upon copending applications having different inventorship for the purpose of completing the disclosure, M.P.E.P. 608.01(p)." The board sustained that rejection,4 but for a somewhat different reason. In the board's view the reference to Serial No. 489,769 in the specification as filed, for a limited purpose, as described above, even if sufficient to incorporate other portions of the copending application for other purposes5 "* * * would still not avail appellants since that application, as stated by the Examiner, does not disclose the preparation of all the starting materials required for the compounds recited in these claims." On reconsideration the board said that it was "not called upon to rule on" the question of whether the reference to Serial No. 489,769 "in the application as filed, for a different purpose than that of disclosing the starting materials is sufficient to incorporate the disclosure into the specification and make it available for the latter purpose." We cannot agree with that conclusion since resolution of the above question would dispose of the issue of insufficient disclosure. The Patent Office tribunals do not deny that Serial No. 489,769 discloses the preparation of the Δ1, Δ1,4, and Δ4,6 starting materials. Indeed the solicitor agrees that those starting materials are disclosed by Serial No. 489,769. The application as filed also referred to Serial No. 417,489, a copending application which prepares and claims the Δ4 starting materials. Furthermore, no statement was ever made by the examiner to the effect that the Δ4 steroids were insufficiently disclosed.6 The board on reconsideration said: "Petitioners also contend that the adequacy of the disclosures of the Δ4 pregnenes is not in issue. This is not the case as the Examiner on page 4 of the Answer, states that the `application Serial No. 489,769 fails to show the preparation of all of the starting materials used to synthesize the compounds recited in claims 20 and 21, i. e., 9β, 11β-oxido-17-desoxy-pregnene-21-o1 derivatives' or more specifically 9β, 11β- oxido-17-desoxy-Δ4-pregnene 21-o1." (Last emphasis supplied) It seems to us that the emphasized portion at the end of that statement was not included in the comments of the examiner. He said: "Serial No. 489,769 fails to show the preparation of all of the starting materials used to synthesize the compounds recited in claims 20 and 21, i. e. 9β, 11β-oxido-17-desoxy-pregnene-21-o1 derivatives. * * *" Reading that statement of the examiner in view of his earlier remarks that "only the Δ4 steroids corresponding to the formulas given on pages 1 and 4 of the specification have been sufficiently disclosed," we can only conclude that the examiner was referring to Δ1, Δ1,4 and Δ4,6 steroids having no hydroxy group in the 17α position. Appellants point out that a generic method of preparation is disclosed in Serial No. 489,769 wherein the 17α position may have a hydroxy or a hydrogen radical. In addition, the preparation of the Δ1, Δ1,4 and Δ4,6 17α hydroxy steroids is specifically disclosed. The generic teaching discloses that the specific example of the preparation of 9β, 11β-oxido 17α-o1 pregnenes would work whether the 17 position was so substituted or not. Thus the preparation of all the starting materials is adequately disclosed in the copending applications and we see no reason why appellants may not rely on those disclosures. The possibility of the instant application issuing as a patent while Serial No. 489,769 was still pending and unavailable to the public, was eliminated by a waiver of secrecy filed by appellants' assignee.7 Since claim 20 is not rejected on any other ground we are obliged to reverse the decision of the board on that claim. The second issue presented is the rejection of claims 6 and 21 as unpatentable over the Nathan patent. Nathan discloses the generic reaction scheme: NOTE: OPINION CONTAINING TABLE OR OTHER DATA THAT IS NOT VIEWABLE The Δ symbol above represents unsaturation at either the 4,5 or the 5,6 positions. R' may represent a ketonic oxygen atom (=0), R a 9:11-β-oxide, R" a hydrogen or hydroxy group. Nathan specifically discloses twenty steroids which may be used as starting materials in the outlined reaction scheme. One of those is 9:11-β-oxido-21-(trifluoroacetyl) progesterone. When the latter is used as compound A in the above reaction scheme compound C will be 21-iodo-9:11-β-oxido progesterone which may be written as 21-iodo-Δ4-pregnene-9β, 11β-oxido-17α-o1-3,20-dione, the compound of claim 6. Appellants contend that compound C in Nathan's reaction scheme is simply a transitory intermediate and as such is never prepared. They argue that the 21-iodo intermediate cannot be prepared because Nathan's reaction is conducted in an acidic medium and, as taught by their specification, in an acidic solvent, the 21-unsubstituted products are obtained directly. In re Jacobs and Bauer, 318 F.2d 743, 50 CCPA 1316, presented a similar factual situation. There a reference patent to Miller disclosed a method for the preparation of perfluoroallene and claimed it as "Perfluoroallene, B.P.-28°C." Appellants therein claimed perfluoroallene, B.P.-38°C and maintained that perfluoroallene was not disclosed by Miller because the method of preparation in Miller's patent was inoperative. To substantiate that contention Jacobs and Bauer cited an article by them which appeared in the Journal of the American Chemical Society stating that they were unable to make perfluoroallene by the reaction disclosed by Miller. They also referred to a second article coauthored by Miller, which reported a process employing the same reactants as in the Miller patent but producing a different product. We said in that case: "In order for appellants to prevail, and in view of the Miller disclosure, we think that appellants have the burden of proving that Miller's process was not operative to produce perfluoroallene and could not be made operative by use of ordinary skill of the art, and that therefore Miller's perfluoroallene never existed. Bullard Co. et al. v. Coe, Com'r Pats., 79 U.S.App.D.C. 369, 147 F.2d 568. Furthermore, this court, in In re Spence, 261 F.2d 244, 46 CCPA 722, 725, said: "`The invention disclosed in a patent is presumed to be operative because the patent enjoys a statutory presumption of validity, 35 U.S.C. § 282, and operativeness is a prerequisite to validity, 35 U.S.C. 101. An inoperative device lacks the utility which is required by statute.'" We concluded in the Jacobs and Bauer case that the presumption of operativeness of the Miller process was not overcome by the cited publication. Applying the same yardstick used in Jacobs and Bauer we conclude that appellants have not discharged their "burden of proving that [Nathan's] process was not operative to produce [21-iodo-9:11-β-oxido-progesterone] and could not be made operative by use of ordinary skill in the art, and that therefore [Nathan's 21-iodo 9:11-β-oxido-progesterone] never existed." Appellants charge that their 21-iodo steroid is disclosed only as a transitory intermediate in Nathan and therefore is never prepared. We note, however, that the reference states unequivocally that the 21-iodo intermediates are produced but are then converted to the corresponding 21-acetoxy products. Nathan is primarily concerned with the recovery of the 21-acetoxy pregnene derivatives and therefore does not attempt to isolate or recover the 21-iodo pregnenes. There is no evidence to suggest that it is beyond the skill of a chemist to alter the reaction conditions and isolate the disclosed intermediate. Indeed Nathan suggests that his process may be somewhat reversible. Furthermore, we think a chemist would recognize the distinction between an intermediate which forms and proceeds to react further in situ and an intermediate which never really exists because it decomposes spontaneously.8 There is no evidence here from which to conclude that the 21-iodo intermediate is never actually formed in Nathan's process. Appellants' statements to that effect are not enough. As evidence of the inoperativeness of Nathan's process appellants refer to a statement in their specification that 21-unsubstituted pregnenes are directly obtained in an acidic medium. Nathan states, however, that he obtains 21-acetoxy pregnenes in an acidic medium indirectly. We are not in a position, on this record, to hold that appellants are correct and Nathan is incorrect. The rejection of claims 6 and 21 as unpatentable over Nathan is affirmed: the rejection of claim 20 is reversed. Serial No. 521,915, filed July 13, 1955 Serial No. 417,489, filed March 10, 1954, and Serial No. 489,769, filed February 21, 1955 The specification earlier teaches a method for reducing the 21-iodo compounds of claim 21 to the corresponding 21-unsubstituted compounds We do not see that reliance on a commonly assigned application, cited in the specification as filed, cannot be barred merely because of different inventorship. The board also refused to consider Serial No. 517,917 because it was not referred to in the application as filed. Since appellants concede that Serial No. 517,917 is merely cumulative to the disclosure of Serial No. 489,769, we need not consider that matter Original claims 3 and 4 drawn to Δ4 pregnene esters of a sulfonic acid, which claims are species of claim 20, were allowed by the examiner. The waiver of secrecy was filed during the prosecution. Serial No. 489,769 has since matured into patent No. 3,101,332. Serial No. 417,489 had issued as patent No. 2,852,511 at the time said waiver of secrecy was filed For example, Kirk & Othmer "Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology" Vol. 3, p. 149 (1949) discloses that in the preparation of carbonates by the reaction of phosgene with alcohol, chlorofomates are produced. Whether the chlorofomates are isolated or are permitted to continue to react and form carbonates is a matter of choice	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1353
__label__wiki	0.851658	0.851658	Watch Live: Law & Crime Network Watch Live: Euri Jenkins on Trial After Allegedly Hiring Man to Kill Pregnant WifeWatch Live: Donald Hartung on Trial for Allegedly Murdering His Mom and His 2 Half-BrothersWatch Live: Broward County Bond CourtWatch Live: Brevard County Bond Court high profileAG Barr Served with Demand to Recuse Himself from Lev Parnas Investigation Here’s Why Michael Cohen Might be Parting Ways With His Attorneys by Colin Kalmbacher \| 3:35 pm, June 13th, 2018 President Donald Trump‘s longtime friend, legal fixer, and attorney Michael Cohen will separate from his legal team in the matter currently before the Southern District of New York. This separation appears to be related to money. Cohen is currently represented in the matter by attorneys Todd Harrison and Steve Ryan, with the New York City-based firm of McDermott, Will & Emery LLP. As soon as the departure was anonymously leaked just after noon on Wednesday, multiple theories abounded as to why and exactly how the rupture occurred. Let’s try and sort the major claims out here. The initial report issued by ABC News claimed that Cohen was imminently preparing to cooperate with prosecutors in the aforementioned matter before the SDNY. Recall: the FBI, performing a raid on behalf of SDNY prosecutors, seized voluminous files–both digital and analog–from Cohen’s various living quarters and offices on April 9 of this year. ABC’s report claimed: [A] source representing this matter has disclosed to ABC News that [Harrison and Ryan] are not expected to represent him going forward…Cohen, who is under federal investigation now with no legal representation, is likely to cooperate with federal prosecutors in Manhattan, sources said. This development, which is believed to be imminent, will likely hit the White House, family members, staffers and counsels hard. The Wall Street Journal quickly doused ABC’s speculation with a clarification that Cohen and his legal team had simply decided to part ways after the ongoing privilege review of those 3.7 million seized documents was completed. U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood previously gave Cohen’s team a Friday deadline for their first review. The WSJ’s report also clarified that Cohen is currently “searching for a federal criminal lawyer in New York” and noted that Cohen wanted an attorney “with close ties to the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office.” Those are fairly drastic gulfs in reporting on the how. As for the why, various explanations were also immediately trotted out. The New York Times quickly followed up in a report partially written by highly-connected (to Trumpworld) journalist Maggie Haberman. Haberman claimed this report echoed ABC’s initial claims and said Cohen was “increasingly likely to flip.” When asked as to whether Cohen was sending a smoke signal to Trump for a potential pardon, Haberman decisively responded, “No.” But the Times report also offered a less immediate timeline for the departure of Cohen’s legal team than ABC’s initial report did. And, yet another reason for the law firm’s initial departure from the case. That article notes [emphasis added]: Mr. Cohen’s current legal team is expected to stay with him for the rest of the week as they struggle to complete a laborious review of a trove of documents and data files seized from him by the authorities two months ago. But after that review is finished, he will seek new legal counsel, the people familiar with his case said. The issue is primarily over payment of the legal bills of one of his lawyers, Stephen Ryan, according to a person familiar with the discussions. This claim was also made by Fox Business reporter Charles Gasparino in a tweet. He noted: more on @MichaelCohen212 –stephen ryan his attorney has complained about payments from cohen for some time; also ryan has described cohen as a “difficult client” — Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) June 13, 2018 Fox Business also ran a report on this exact issue where Gasparino said, “There’s a lot of speculation about whether Mr. Cohen can pay Mr. Ryan’s fees. There’s also speculation that maybe Mr. Cohen needs a different type of lawyer. Lots of talk right now.” [image via Drew Angerer and Getty Images] Follow Colin Kalmbacher on Twitter: @colinkalmbacher Watch Live: Broward County Bond Court	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1354
__label__wiki	0.674562	0.674562	Elite Lawyers Add Lawyer David E Roop Jr. ROOP XANTTOPOULOS BABOUNAKIS PLLC Call Website $ $$$ Spring Hill Road 1604 Vienna 22182 VA US Add to favorites Favorite Mr. Roop is a cum laude graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.A. 1985) and an honors graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law (J.D. 1991). He is admitted to practice in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. Mr. Roop’s practice has focused in the area of domestic relations and family law since 1996. He has tried countless equitable distribution, support and custody cases. From 1991 to 1996, he was a trial lawyer in Maryland, DC and Virginia in the areas of contract, tort, and malpractice defense. Before law school, he was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kongolo, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo). He has been happily married since 1992 to Anna-Marie Christello-Roop, a graduate of Yale Law School who now helps him run ROOP XANTTOPOULOS BABOUNAKIS PLLC. They have two children. For more than 10 years, Mr. Roop has carried an AV-Preeminent rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register. In 2004-05, Mr. Roop served as Chair of the Standing Committee on Professionalism of the Virginia State Bar. For three years thereafter, he was appointed by the Chief Judge of the Supreme Court of Virginia to serve as a Faculty member at professionalism courses conducted through out the state. He currently serves on a Virginia State Bar disciplinary committee for evaluating lawyer misconduct. He has twice appeared on the cover of Virginia Lawyers Weekly for ground breaking work in the areas of spousal support and domicile. He has been recognized as one of the preeminent divorce lawyers in Virginia and/or Washington DC by the following organizations or periodicals: WashingtonianBest Lawyers in America, U.S. News & World ReportNorthern Virginia MagazineTen LeadersSuperlawyers In February 2009, Mr. Roop created ROOP XANTTOPOULOS BABOUNAKIS PLLC, having spent thirteen years at Condo Roop Kelly & Byrnes and its predecessor(s). He understands the emotional and financial toll of divorce. Mr. Roop brings to the practice of family law, a sense of fairness, substantial trial ability, mathematical aptitude, courtroom ability, experience with children, and a commitment to resolve matters in the best interests of the family. Rate : $$$$ What types of cases Attorney David E Roop Jr. & ROOP XANTTOPOULOS BABOUNAKIS PLLC can handle? ROOP XANTTOPOULOS BABOUNAKIS PLLC can handle cases related to laws concerning Family, Divorce, Child Support, Child Custody. We manually verify each attorney’s practice areas before approving their profiles and reviews on our website. Where is ROOP XANTTOPOULOS BABOUNAKIS PLLC located? ROOP XANTTOPOULOS BABOUNAKIS PLLC is located at 1604 Spring Hill Rd #460, Vienna, VA 22182, USA. You can reach out to ROOP XANTTOPOULOS BABOUNAKIS PLLC using their phone line (703) 442-0040. You can also check their website www.rooplaw.com. How much would it cost to hire ROOP XANTTOPOULOS BABOUNAKIS PLLC? David E Roop Jr. lawyer charges are specific to each case. However, they work with contingency fees and its ranges from $$ to $$$. They also provide free consultation [and no obligation quotes] if you are interested to hire. Are David E Roop Jr. reviews trust-able? We have the ratings and reviews moderation team who checks and verifies every review submitted on our website manually. You can trust all the reviews you see on David E Roop Jr. lawyer profile listing. Boris Lavent Lavent Law Northeast 19th Avenue 17295 North Miami Beach 33162 FL US Ted Lorenz Lorenz & Lorenz, L.L.P. South Capital of Texas Highway 1515 Austin 78746 TX US Ryan Zavodnick Zavodnick, Zavodnick & Lasky, LLC South Broad Street 123 Philadelphia 19109 PA US Michele Mirman Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C. New York 10007 NY US Nicholas Wooldridge LV Criminal Defense South 7th Street 400 Las Vegas 89101 NV US Lina Stillman Stillman Legal P.C. Broadway 42 Your overall rating of this lawyer: Is this your profile?Claim it now. Make sure your information is up to date. Child Support Lawyer Employment Lawyer Molly Elise Lucas Matthew Douglas Campbell LawTally Copyright © 2020 by LawTally.com	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1355
__label__cc	0.656021	0.343979	Curse #BookReview @readstevenjames Date: September 4, 2016Author: AngelaKaysBooks 4 Comments Title: Curse Publisher: Skyscape Sold by:Amazon Digital Services LLC ASIN: B017TVZO5S Formats: Kindle Genres: Young adult When I started Curse, I had no idea it would be as intricate and complex as it became. The story developed in a way that introduced more fascinating characters who each had their own unique storyline to develop. Watching this occur, and seeing where each character’s special interests and skills led them, deeply intrigued me and helped carry me through some of the most intense editing months of my life. As I mention in the author biography at the end of Curse, I have never owned a turtle named Snookums or a basketball named Alfie (you’ll have to read the story to fully appreciate that). But while researching the book, I did see the synchronous fireflies. And they are quite remarkable. The Blur trilogy (Blur, Fury, and Curse) is James’ first young adult series. It is the story of Daniel Byers who has had what doctors think are hallucinations, but in truth, the dead are trying to tell him how to solve the crimes. In Curse, Daniel begins preparing to attend a basketball camp when the terrifying blurs return to haunt him. As he tries to figure out the meaning behind his most recent blurs, Daniel finds himself teamed up with two other teens that are just as extraordinary. They race against time in order to save a young woman who was abducted by a scientist with distorted views of justice. James’ degree is known as a master storyteller, and let me tell you something: it is no joke. The thing I love most about any of his work is that he has a way of making you feel as though you are a part of the story. Curse was no different. The images given of Daniel’s blurs were so vivid and real, it was as though I was watching it happen. Curse was written in first-person view and in the present tense (when we’re seeing Daniel’s perspective), and also in third person view for the other characters’ perspectives. The first two novels of the series were written all in third person, so when I began reading Daniel’s point-of-view, I was thrown off track for a second, but thankfully I got used to it quickly enough. As always, I enjoyed the roller coaster ride of twists and turns, and I had no clue how it would end. With this particular story, I was quite mad at myself that I didn’t figure it out, but proud that James managed to trick me, so to speak. Curse was very fast-paced. I ended up loving the finality of this trilogy. James has been my favorite author ever since I picked up The Rook, book two of his Patrick Bowers FBI series. I fell in love with his writing, and will buy every book that he writes. I recommend him to friends, and I anxiously wait for a new novel to be produced. Although Curse is marketed as “young adult,” anyone would enjoy it. I highly recommend this trilogy, as well as every other novel he printed. Overall Rate: 5 out of 5 stars Steven James is a national bestselling novelist whose award-winning, pulse-pounding thrillers continue to gain wide critical acclaim and a growing fan base. Suspense Magazine, who named Steven’s book THE BISHOP their Book of the Year, says that he “sets the new standard in suspense writing.” Publishers Weekly calls him a “master storyteller at the peak of his game.” And RT Book Reviews promises, “the nail-biting suspense will rivet you.” Equipped with a unique Master’s Degree in Storytelling, Steven has taught writing and storytelling on four continents over the past two decades, speaking more than two thousand times at events spanning the globe. Steven’s groundbreaking book on the art of fiction writing, STORY TRUMPS STRUCTURE, won a Storytelling World award. Widely-recognized for his story crafting expertise, he has twice served as a Master CraftFest instructor at ThrillerFest, North America’s premier training event for suspense writers. Respected by some of the top thriller writers in the world, Steven deftly weaves intense stories of psychological suspense with deep philosophical insights. As critically-acclaimed novelist Ann Tatlock put it, “Steven James gives us a captivating look at the fine line between good and evil in the human heart.” After consulting with a former undercover FBI agent and doing extensive research on cybercrimes, Steven wrote his latest thriller, EVERY CROOKED PATH—a taut, twist-filled page turner that is available now wherever books are sold. If you’ve never met environmental criminologist and geospatial investigator Patrick Bowers, EVERY CROOKED PATH is the perfect chance to dive into the series and find out what fans and critics everywhere are raving about. AmazonBlur TrilogyBook ReviewCurseKindleSteven JamesThrillerYoung Adult Published by AngelaKaysBooks Equipped with a professional writing degree from Augusta State University, Angela Kay is a southern lady who spends her days and nights dreaming up new ways to solve dark murders of normal people. Angela Kay is one of 23 across the United States to win a 2009 playwright contest for her one-act entitled "Digging Deeper." Because of this, she was able to spend a week in Atlanta at Horizon Theater. In addition to this, Angela is featured in the poetry anthology, "Under the Sun," for her poem "A Little Hope." View all posts by AngelaKaysBooks Previous Previous post: Interview with Bridgette L. Collins of The Chip Maker. Next Next post: Introducing a great friend of all #authors, the Story Reading Ape (@Storyreadingape) and a project very close to his heart. 4 thoughts on “Curse #BookReview @readstevenjames” Olga Nunez Miret with one of her in depth reviews.. this time for Curse by Steven James his first YA series. Not my review, Sally but thanks for sharing. Reblogged this on Don Massenzio's Blog.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1364
__label__cc	0.645431	0.354569	Epileptics legal definition of Epileptics https://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Epileptics (redirected from Epileptics) Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia. Related to Epileptics: epilepsy, epileptiform EPILEPSY, med. jur. A disease of the brain, which occurs in paroxysms, with uncertain intervals between them. 2. These paroxysms are characterized by the loss of sensation, and convulsive motions of the muscles. When long continued and violent, this disease is very apt to end in dementia. (q.v.) It gradually destroys the memory, and impairs the intellect, and is one of the causes of an unsound mind. 8 Ves. 87. Vide Dig. 50, 16, 123; Id. 21, 1, 4, 5. Demency Some associate it with witchcraft, while others do not know how to handle an epileptic person having seizures. Man walks from Nairobi to Mombasa to create awareness on epilepsy Aggression is also another common personality trait reported in patients with epileptic seizures. A CONTROLLED STUDY ON PERSONALITY TRAITS OF ADULTS WITH AND WITHOUT EPILEPSY All the epileptic patients who are admitted in burn unit are subjected to a definite burn management protocol as per the burn unit criteria of our institute. BURN INJURY IN EPILEPTIC PATIENTS--A RETROSPECTIVE-DESCRIPTIVE STUDY IN A TERTIARY BURN CARE UNIT "I want to better the lives of all Epileptics, which is something we haven't seen to this day," says Founder, Bruno Fiacco. 27 Year Epileptic Starts His Own Organization [3,9-15] Caregivers and family members support is crucial for better compliance and care of epileptic patients. Perceptions of the community about epilepsy in rural Tamil Nadu, India Wasay Shakir, addressing the programme said 50,000 of the estimated number of epileptics are registered to be seeking proper treatment while no less than 25,000 remain devoid of the needed essential treatment. Experts seek improved public understanding about Epilepsy Previously, all patients who experienced a seizure at the time of the burn were considered to be epileptics, whereas epilepsy was only documented in the current database if the patient had a previous diagnosis of epilepsy. A closer look at burn injuries and epilepsy in a developing world burn service The recovery seen after the human stem cell -derived neuron transplants, which were done while the cells were still maturing into their full-grown form, is similar to that published in a 2013 study by University of California, San Francisco, scientists who transplanted fetal mouse brain cells into epileptic mice. Human stem cell-derived neuron transplants reduce seizures in mice Heise (2002) investigated the effect of a 12-week aerobic exercise which was held 3 sessions a week each lasting for one hour (60% of VO2 peak) on 23 adult epileptic patients. Effect of selected aerobic exercise training on the occurrence of electroencephalographic disorders in epileptic children At that time, it was known as the 'Sacred-Disease', because people thought that epileptic seizures were a form of attack by demons (World Health Organization, 2005). The effect of gender and literacy on executive planning of epileptic patients Gender was found to be significantly associated with questions on whether epileptics were having intellectual functioning below average or slow learners and whether epileptics should participate in sports with p-values of 0.026 and 0.032 respectively. Knowledge and attitudes toward epilepsy among Malaysian Chinese NICE guidelines state all suspected epileptics should be seen within two weeks. City's care for epilepsy is slammed; HEALTH: Seizure sufferers are receiving sub-standard treatment, says damning new report Entia pars enticement entitled spouse Entry ad commune legem entry clearance Entry of goods Entry of Judgment Enumeratio infirmat regulam in casibus non enumeratis Enure environmental impact report Epileptics Episcopacy Equal Access Act Equal Pay Act of 1963 equal protection of the law Equality is equity equitable compensation Equitable estate Equitable Estoppel equitable execution equitable interest equitable lien Equitable mortgage Equitable Remedy Equity looks upon that as done equity of redemption Equity suffers not a right without a remedy Epileptic myoclonus Epileptic Psychosis epileptic raptus Epileptic Recruiting Rhythm epileptic seizure Epileptic seizures epileptic spasm epileptic stupor epileptic vertigo Epileptical epileptically epileptiform Epileptiform Activity epileptiform convulsion Epileptiform Discharge epileptiform neuralgia epileptiform seizure epileptogenic epileptogenic focus epileptogenic zone Epileptogenous epileptoid	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1366
__label__wiki	0.735844	0.735844	Forgery detection legal definition of Forgery detection https://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Forgery+detection (redirected from Forgery detection) Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Financial, Encyclopedia. The confirmation rendered by an officer of a court that a certified copy of a judgment is what it purports to be, an accurate duplicate of the original judgment. In the law of evidence, the act of establishing a statute, record, or other document, or a certified copy of such an instrument as genuine and official so that it can be used in a lawsuit to prove an issue in dispute. Self-authentication of particular categories of documents is provided by federal and state rules of evidence. A deed or conveyance that has been acknowledged by its signers before a Notary Public, a certified copy of a public record, or an official publication of the government are examples of self-authenticating documents. AUTHENTICATION, practice. An attestation made by a proper officer, by which he certifies that a record is in due form of law, and that the person who certifies it is the officer appointed by law to do so. 2. The Constitution of the U. S., art. 4, s. 1, declares, "Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records and judicial proceedings of every other state. And congress may by general laws prescribe the manner in which such acts,, records and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof." The object of the authentication is to supply all other proof of the record. The laws of the United States have provided a mode of authentication of public records and office papers; these acts are here transcribed. 3. By the Act of May 26, 1790, it is provided, "That the act of the legislatures of the several states shall be authenticated by having the seal of their respective states affixed thereto: That the records and judicial proceedings of the courts of any state shall be proved or admitted, in any other court within the United States, by the attestation of the clerk, and the seal of the court annexed, if there be a seal, together with a certificate of the judge, chief justice or presiding magistrate, as the case may be, that the said attestation is in due form. And the said records and judicial proceedings, authenticated as aforesaid, shall have such faith and credit given to them, in every court within the United States, as they have, by law or usage, in the courts of the state from whence the said records are, or shall be taken." 4. The above act having provided only for one species of record, it was necessary to pass the Act of March 27, 1804, to provide for other cases. By this act it is enacted, Sec. 1. "That, from and after the passage of this act, all records and exemplifications of office books, which are or may be kept in any public office of any state, not appertaining to a court, shall be proved or admitted in any other court or office in any other state, by the attestation of the keeper of the said records or books, and the seal of his office thereto annexed, if there be a seal, together with a certificate of the presiding justice of the court of the county or district, as the case may be, in which such office is or may be kept or of the governor, the secretary of state, the chancellor or the keeper of the great seal of the state, that the said attestation is in due form, and by the proper officer and the said certificate, if given by the presiding justice of a court, shall be further authenticated by the clerk or prothonotary of the said court, who shall certify, under his hand and the seal of his office, that the said presiding justice is duly commissioned and qualified; or if the said certificate be given by the; governor, the secretary of state, the chancellor or keeper of the great seal, it shall be under the great seal of the state in which the said certificate is made. And the said records and exemplifications, authenticated as aforesaid, shall have such faith and credit given to them in every court and office within the United States, as they have by law or usage in the courts or offices of the state from whence the same are or shall be taken." 5.-2. That all the provisions of this act, and the act to which this is, a supplement, shall apply, as well to the public acts, records, office books, judicial proceedings, courts, and offices of the respective territories of the United States, and countries subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, as to the public acts, records, office books, judicial proceedings, courts and offices of the several states." 6. The Act of May 8, 1792, s. 12, provides: That all the records and proceedings of the court of appeals, heretofore appointed, previous to the adoption of the present constitution, shall be deposited in the office of the clerk of the supreme court of the United States, who is hereby authorized and directed to give copies of all such records and proceedings, to any person requiring and paying for the same, in like manner as copies of the records and other proceedings of the said court are by law directed to be given; which copies shall have like faith and credit as all other proceedings of the said court." 7. By authentication is also understood whatever act is done either by the party or some other person with a view of causing an instrument to be known and identified as for example, the acknowledgment of a deed by the grantor; the attesting a deed by witnesses. 2 Benth. on Ev. 449. <a href="https://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Forgery+detection">Authentication</a> Exemplification Probate of a will Shop-Book Rule Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act Worcester v. The State of Georgia The common flowchart of most copy-move forgery detection methods has six steps as shown in Figure 1. Blur Invariant Features for Exposing Region Duplication Forgery Using ANMS and Local Phase Quantization The CMHD contain three types of forgery (simple case, rotation and scaling) in one dataset, so that it is more practical to verify the performance of the forgery detection methods. Copy-move Forgery Detection Robust to Various Transformation and Degradation Attacks To validate our matching accuracy (94%) and number of iterations (40), the performance of our PCNN-NDD method with these values are tested in standard databases such as COVERAGE (COpy-moVe forgERy dAtabase with similar but Genuine objEcts) and CoMoFoD (Copy Move Forgery Detection) databases and is compared with the performances of other existing methods. Pulse Coupled Neural Network based Near-Duplicate Detection of Images (PCNN--NDD) Tapak, "Copy-move forgery detection using multiresolution local binary patterns," Forensic Science International, vol. Nonoverlapping Blocks Based Copy-Move Forgery Detection SIFT based forgery detection method matches total 110 keypoints whereas the proposed method matched 324 keypoints. A New Copy Move Forgery Detection Method Resistant to Object Removal with Uniform Background Forgery (98) It appears to be simply a question of judicial tradition: expertise in handwriting identification and forgery detection is reliable because the techniques have been accepted and tested in the court system over time. Expert handwriting testimony: is the writing really on the wall? In this paper, an improved copy-move forgery detection scheme is proposed that improves the process for judging the similarity between two image blocks. Detecting Copy-move Forgeries in Images Based on DCT and Main Transfer Vectors Actually, image forgery detection not only belongs to image processing but also is a field of image security. Combined zernike moment and multiscale analysis for tamper detection in digital images Two are the main phases to be analyzed: first, web crawling, ranking, and image set selection and second, forgery detection and localization. A Feature-Based Forensic Procedure for Splicing Forgeries Detection "Customs inspectors are intensively trained and they attend regular (training) workshops on all types of drugs and ways of trafficking, counterfeit and forgery detection techniques, body language, intuition and security sense development, and the handling of dangerous substances and explosives." 39% rise in contraband seizures at Dubai airport Gopi, "Digital image forgery detection using artificial neural network and independent component analysis," Applied Mathematics and Computation, vol. Detecting image splicing using merged features in chroma space The other step taken was installation of forgery detection machines at international airports, the sources said and added FIA also set up helpline for complaints and support. Specialized teams formed to arrest absconding human traffickers : FIA Foreign Affairs Power foreign bill foreign corporation Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review foreign principal forensic animation Forensic Science Service forensic testimony Foreseeability foreseeable risk forestalling Forged bill of sale Forgery detection forisfamiliated forjudge Forma legalis forma essentialis Forma non observata Formal Party Formed Design Forms of Action Forstellarius est pauperum depressor Fortas, Abe Forthwith Fortior est custodia legis quam hominis Fortior et potentior est dispositio legis quam hominis Forwarding Fee Foss v. Harbottle, rule in foster child foster parents Found guilty of running red lights in New York City Found not guilty of DUI, still on driving records Found worm in food Forgent Forger Forgery forgeries forgers Forgery Bond Forgery Bonds Forgery of Documents Forgery, Forger forgery-proof forges ahead Forges Bank Card to Obtain Money Forges et Ateliers de Construction d'Eure et Loire Forges et Mécanique de la Loire forges on Forget 'em If They Can't Take A Joke forget (about) it forget (one's) manners forget (oneself) forget about (someone or something)	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1367
__label__cc	0.69624	0.30376	In-N-Out Burger Review Roice Jacob, Leopard Life Staff Writer There has been a big outbreak that In-N-Out is the better burger joint than Whataburger mostly because of their “secret sauce”. The major fast food chain started Oct. 22 1948 at Baldwin Park, California. Although there are more restaurants in California, there are a few in Texas. Many students in the Willow Springs area recognize the In-N-Out on Stacy Road which is extremely popular. Harry and Esther Synder opened the first In-N-Out Burger at what is now the intersection of Interstate 10 and Francisquito Avenue. They have now expanded across the west coast and in Texas. They appear to have a limited menu because it consists of food like a Double Double, milkshake, or french fries.However, In-N-Out has a secret menu with things like a Quadruple Quadruple (which has 4 patties), animal fries, or a root beer float. Something else about In-N-Out, it’s the healthier option because McDonald’s burgers have more calories than an In-N-Out burger. Unfortunately In-N-Out lacks a kids meal. The best things about the burgers is definitely the secret sauce. The secret sauce looks like Cane’s sauce from Raising Cane, but people aren’t very sure on what it is actually made of except for In-N-Out themselves. I’d recommend this to someone who’s craving a burger and a good time with family. What is your favorite genre of music? Is Disney Plus all that plus? AirPods or Beats? The fourth season of My Hero Academia hits screens globally Was Frozen 2 what we expected? Igor Album Review Three new food trends take Instagram by storm Review: “The Addams Family” not as bad as you think “Mario Kart” Comes To Mobile Controversy over the new Joker movie	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1371
__label__cc	0.687289	0.312711	Monday Funnies: Twilight, In 20 Years… and the LTT/LTR Store Posted on May 17, 2010 by themoonisdown Dear LTT-ers, It’s a Monday and you might be on your 3rd cup of coffee looking to wake up and shake off the tireds. But you can’t, I know. In fact you’re probably looking pretty haggard when you catch your glimpse in the reflection of the coffee pot in the break room and wondered, ‘when the crap did I age 20 years?’ You’re definitely not eternally 17. So I was thinking if normal people feel this way than the twi folks have to have a few haggard days themselves. Since we could all use a pick-me-up and helped out with the site In 20 Years that Brooke sent me, I present you some of our Twilight folks… IN TWENTY YEARS! First up we have Rob… Hmmm… they usually say men get better with age… but it appears as though Rob’s eyebrows have just grown with age. And he may just have a drooling problem… Daaamn and we thought present day Kristen was a hardass… look at what 20 years and some smokes will do to you… Joan Jett, midlife crisis movie here she comes! Then it was Taylor’s turn and a funny thing happened… I put this picture in, but kept getting this back Looks like the apple (or the double bacon cheese burger) doesn’t fall far from the tree… Follow the cut to see an extra special treat AAANNNDDD an extra special announcement. Spoiler alert it may involve tshirts Because I’m a glutton for punishment and because I love a good laugh I decided to throw Cathi Hardi in the ol 20 Year time machine and here’s what happened… gird your loins!! MY EYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who let skeletor into the 20 Year time machine?! Make it stop!! Ok, so the big news besides scaring your retinas and making you cry with that last picture is that we’re launching the Official LTT/LTR Store! Yes, that’s right you can now wear the love you have for Vampires/Werewolves/Wigs/Jorts/Plaid/dumpsters right across your boobs, where it belongs! In honor of this momentous occasion we will be giving away a tshirt to one of you!!!!!! Yes, that’s right. But of course we’re gonna make you do something for it! Dance monkey, dance! Want to see what Charlie Swan will look like in 20 years, or how about our favorite DILF? Use the In 20 Years site, OR your own creativity to imagine what our fave Twilight characters/actors/ect will look like when we’re all using walkers and can’t remember who the hale Edward even is… then email us with the subject “In 20 Years” and we will pick a winner and make you semi internet famous for a day and you will win the prize of their lives. Ok, they’ll just win a tshirt from our store but it’ll be a mildly exciting experience, I promise. So get to it! You have till Thursday, at noon EST to enter! Beauty is fleeting but an LTT TShirt/Coffee Mug/Mouse pad/Tote bag is forever! What will you look like in 20 years? What will the rest of our Twilight pals look like?! Have you found your new casual Friday/Twi-con/Leg Hitch/vacuuming shirt in the store? Our internet game is ridiculous: LTR, The Forum, Twitter Special Note! HUGE thanks to snowwhitedrifted for helping us make this a reality with her amazing and hilarious designs! Besides coming up with great ides, she listens to our crazy ideas and makes a Robsten-love-by-the-fire-tshirt a reality! You are awesome girl! And another Special Note: Happy Birthday to Jena, one of our lovely forum mods and provider of smiles, sweet emails and DVD’s full of clips! Celebrate with her in the forum and wish her a very merry happy slappy yo-dappy (ok, I made that up) Birthday! Psssst I hear there’s Rob porn… and maybe some Rob/Keanu porn… Filed under: Catherine Hardwicke, Contests, Kristen, LTT, Monday Funnies, Rob Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Twilight \| Tagged: 20 years, aging, Big Daddy, contest, funny, Giveaway, gross, Kristein Stewart, LTR, LTT, old, Robert Pattinson, shop, store, Taylor Lautner, time machine, tshirt, Twilight \| « Open Weekend Post: Hosted by Charlie the Narc Twilight Moments that have shaped us (Oh, we’re interviewing Stephenie Meyer) » Stuff I find when googling Robert Pattinson « Letters to Rob, on May 17, 2010 at 8:02 am said: […] HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT at LTT today about the LTT/LTR Store! Get there now! And maybe win […] locabetzabella, on May 18, 2010 at 2:09 am said: congrats on the store and the thing with Stephenie Meyer Doing ‘Eclipse’ Press With ‘Twilight’ Fansites! im so happy for you guys!!!!!! ask her…where the fuck is Midnight Sun u??? or why she is a cockblocker???she dont have to worry about my inocence hahah im not mormon i can do it???? hahahaha Jayde, on May 17, 2010 at 8:08 am said: Dude. These are hilaaaaaarious!!! Also: a store?! Awesome!! Shleeeigh, on May 17, 2010 at 8:10 am said: “…you can now wear the love you have for Vampires/Werewolves/Wigs/Jorts/Plaid/dumpsters right across your boobs, where it belongs!” You seem to be able to get some of these on panties as well – so you can emblazon your love for LLT/LTR on your ass as well. Alice - Not an Addikt, on May 17, 2010 at 8:42 am said: HA! Those twimoms got nothing on us! Cam, on May 17, 2010 at 8:12 am said: Team Aro! Awesome! That may be my new vacuuming/ watching 30 Rock t-shirt! Great shirts, ladies. robsten4life, on May 17, 2010 at 9:10 am said: Cause I’m Old TeamSeth, on May 17, 2010 at 12:06 pm said: “That may be my new vacuuming/ watching 30 Rock t-shirt” quote of the day whyamidoingthis, on May 17, 2010 at 3:19 pm said: Srsly, that design had me laughing for 5 minutes straight. snowwhitedrifted, on May 17, 2010 at 4:33 pm said: I have the Team Aro shirt. It’s been worn to the park and gets a good laugh from twimoms and dog owners. themoonisdown, on May 17, 2010 at 9:11 pm said: can we ask for anything more from a good incognito twi shirt?! JodieO, on May 17, 2010 at 8:13 am said: Oh man. I better quit the drinking and Joan Jetting around. I’ve only got 5 years until I look like KStew! Aww! But have you seen Joan jett lately? That vegan is h-o-t! LauraBee, on May 17, 2010 at 8:20 am said: I think i’m gonna try and draw mine 🙂 The store is AMAZING. Do I spot Hale no and bobbygee? brilliant. A PHENOMENON as Oprah would say. I want the plaidman, downward spiral, fade to sad, war of wigs (do they look like a cool Canadian rockband or what?) and they’re not bears, ohh and fake lesbians. I WANT IT. It’s a phenomenon. A PHENOMENON. eatmyjorts, on May 17, 2010 at 10:29 am said: Even a Fee-narm-en-ahm! It’s that good. eatmyjorts, on May 17, 2010 at 1:48 pm said: I’m a Brit so it sounded even weirder – does Oprah normally pronounce the same word in different ways in the same interview? So odd. Keisha, on May 17, 2010 at 3:25 pm said: Yes, she thinks she’s funny. Sorry, Oprah-lovers. YOU get a phenomenon and you get a phenomenon and YOU get a phenomenon!!! wyou’re ALLL getting phenomenons!!@!!!! Saveyoursoul, on May 17, 2010 at 8:22 am said: First I thought that wearing a LTT shirt would be a bit obvious. You know, no one really knows about my addiction… But then I checked out the designs. And they’re BRILLIANT! Cause NO ONE except real LTT ladies will “get it”. I SO want to wear one of those shirts to the Eclipse premiere! Do we shout ‘That’s normal!’ if we see someone wearing one…we need to work out a code word. Shleeeigh, on May 17, 2010 at 1:54 pm said: I was totally thinking about a code word earlier! I decided “That’s Normal!” was best! It’s definitely what I’d yell. Or maybe ‘They’re not bears’ if startled by a sudden T shirt sighting, cos they’ll be rarer here in the UK. Saveyoursoul, on May 17, 2010 at 4:55 pm said: haha,alright! I’m excited to see if anyone will yell “that’s normal” when I wear my LTT shirt… I bet I would be close to a heart attack because of the shock. But it would also RULE! Especially if there are tons of people around who have no idea what’s going on 🙂 WIN! So I was playing some scenarios around in my head of what would happen if like a co-worker picked up on a comment I made that was all LTT/LTR (ie 2nd Hand Embarrassed) and how I should react/test to see if they really are a fellow LTTer. It all comes down to THAT’S NORMAL. It’s like Joey’s “Whoa!” Dear Snowwhitedrifted: Giseli Freitas, on May 17, 2010 at 8:31 am said: in20years.com? Eew!! I’ll grab me some Team Aro Shirt now. Kaet, on May 17, 2010 at 8:33 am said: Ooooh LOVE the store, actually maybe a bit too much LOL cos every new design was the very one I wanted… until I saw the next one! I may just have to send you my wage packet… for the next 20 years! Eep! that post was almost as bad as MTV’s glimpse into Rob’s future http://www.mtv.com/photos/a-glimpse-into-robert-pattinsons-future/1639036/4858415/photo.jhtml obava, on May 17, 2010 at 12:31 pm said: Nope, the MTV thing was DEF worse! sassysmart, on May 17, 2010 at 8:46 am said: These are great…meaning the store and designs not the 20 years thing. It’s scary and I’m gonna have nightmares. I pray that Rob ages like Rob Lowe…he’s still delish. lindsaylee, on May 17, 2010 at 8:53 am said: why does everyone look like meth addicts? Is that the same thing as twenty years? CAuse if so, ill start scaring my class with this site rather than telling them they will smell like cat pee. h2oforelephants, on May 17, 2010 at 8:57 am said: The Store the store – I am speechless – those t-shits are ace I must have one but which one ??? Fade to sad – making me laugh as is big in japan ha ha ha T-shits? Oh crap. Katie S, on May 17, 2010 at 9:07 am said: Those photos are scary. Especially the one of Taylor… yikes. I need EVERYTHING in that store. Please send me t-shirts. I will wear them and be your marketing tool. I’ll be your big, hard tool. EverJay, on May 17, 2010 at 9:12 am said: Seriously, I want every single thing you’ve put in the store. I LOVE THEM ALL!!!!!! Great, great job. MsLiss, on May 17, 2010 at 9:21 am said: your new store is HILAR! i’ve got tears in my eyes ..but i’m asking wtf? where are we to wear this stuff.. where it is normal ? bed? …or it is the ultimate inide joke and “no one ” will get it. meaning those that do know not to say so? BrookeLockart, on May 17, 2010 at 9:22 am said: The store is fantastic. Seriously. Meghan O, on May 17, 2010 at 9:26 am said: I just read all the shirt designs and I have to say they are genius. The 20 year things, kinda creepy. NoOrdinaryGurl, on May 17, 2010 at 9:28 am said: Thinking may go with leg hitch 2010 or That’s Normal or shite can’t decide…one of all of them?? forsee depletion of checking account! Boomin' Granny, on May 17, 2010 at 9:37 am said: Heck, I think I’m going to get pregnant AGAIN just to sport the So True 2 maternity tee. Ain’t nothin’ like a hoochie mama, hood rat, hood rat hoochie mama. All slutty seriousness aside YOU ladies did well and I will be weighing my options today. Can’t be too obvious, must hide the fandom. Rachel B, on May 17, 2010 at 9:38 am said: To tie it all together….doesnt Rob look like John Belushi in his old picture? kind of? Anyway- LOVE the store! Cool….now to decide which shirt to wear to the Eclipse midnight showing. AngieK, on May 17, 2010 at 10:32 am said: OMG…you are so right…he does bear a resemblence to John Belushi in that old picture yikes That makes it even more frightening! trixi, on May 17, 2010 at 9:44 am said: Dude I should have had my Monday morning coffee before I read this. Jesus Cathi Hardi stay out of the sun!!!! MY EYES!!!! I was not ready for that. Jena, on May 17, 2010 at 9:57 am said: “MY EYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who let skeletor into the 20 Year time machine?! Make it stop” Thanks for the happy birthday wishes, Moon! 🙂 XO Happy birthday Jena!!! trixi, on May 17, 2010 at 10:23 am said: So question. I went to that site. Did you mark the box Cathi Hardi and KStew were drug addicts? Just wondering? Cause you know Cathi Hardi was on some kind of psychedelic to think that the sparkles effect looked good. Kind of creepy lol I definitely hope Rob ages more gracefully than that…like a Richard Gere or Sean Connery operarose, on May 17, 2010 at 10:32 am said: I am SO glad I didn’t buy the team Jacob tshirt at Nordstrom’s Rack the other day. I now have money to get a LTT shirt which is way superior. I am definitely coveting the “Tweed Serious” design…hoping I can have Twilosophy moments all day long in one of those! Though the leghitch one might be a nice reminder for my fiance. Midnight_Cyn, on May 17, 2010 at 10:35 am said: MORNING 🙂 Katie S, on May 17, 2010 at 10:50 am said: Heeeeey, stranger! lapushbaby, on May 17, 2010 at 10:49 am said: OOOOOOOOOOEEMMMMMMMMMMMGEEEEEEE. I need a Tweed Serious shirt like nobody’s bizz. Serious! I’m sending you an email, btw. sjaantje, on May 17, 2010 at 10:52 am said: I love the store! I have to get the “Downward Spiral”. You also need one that says “LTT/LTR – If you have to ask, don’t”. That was talked about here once and I thought it was a great idea. Showing our fandom without getting crazy about it. I also think you need to send Jimmy Fallon a special “Bothered” shirt or boxers. Maybe even bejewel it for him too. Great idea, sjaantje! I’ll even chip in for postage!! fangbanger, on May 17, 2010 at 10:55 am said: I pictured a lame tshirt. What a found would have blew my socks off if I were wearing any. WOOOT! I’m excited. PS. Someone needs to find the Fountain of Youth stat. I’m not well with this aging thing. 😉 Fang, I’m with you on this…the ageing thing is def plus some serious drug use – pics of me 20yrs ago & now really don’t look that different…maybe 1/5th of the effect here… As soon as I saw it though, I knew I’d be seeing Big Daddy & LTT did not let me down. I would bet money on Tay staying thin though, unless some hormonal thing runs in his family. kandnandb, on May 17, 2010 at 11:12 am said: Um, obviously I’m so hideous in the future that I couldn’t even get a preview. I must’ve crashed the site!! 😦 I’m like a fat kid in a candy store-wtf am I gonna order??? “Fade to Sad” is absolutely genius. So is “Alleycat.” And “Pocket Edward.” Oh hell, I want it all! KinkyKiss, on May 17, 2010 at 12:05 pm said: Omgg, can’t wait to get my little hands on some shirts! They look fab! OMG. How long have you been working on these designs?! I.am.died. This is so exciting!!!! The Quil quot lay question mark is too funny. Next time I’m in La Push (holla Beav!) Imma ask what it means. But seriously, thank god I have birthday and christmas gifts for this year. Phew. Question: Are you going to get an unicorn designs in the future? Or maybe a bobbygee design… something like a soccer ball and words like “Bobbygee, because I love succinct comments that make no sense. FUTEBOL!” snowwhitedrifted, on May 17, 2010 at 12:35 pm said: “Bobbygee” is on the Unicorns’shirt (“Men of LTT… Bad ass unicorns”. Bobbygee is the shark, White Yorkie is the wolf, Mr.Choice is the pit bull, The Hatchet is the Indian (sorry, Native American) Facepunch is the snake and The Font is the devil) etc. Wait, WHERE is that shirt?! How did I miss that!!! JodieO, on May 17, 2010 at 1:06 pm said: The unicorns shirt has had me laughing all. day. Yay, the store launched! I’m so excited! applepie, on May 17, 2010 at 12:37 pm said: I love you!!! I had no idea you were working on this!!! you are awesooome! JacobEdwardsWife, on May 17, 2010 at 12:39 pm said: claps enthusiastically So excited for the store… It is so hard (twss) to choose which one explains me best… returns to browsing shirts Your designs are brilliant! I am SO impressed! awesomesauce. Wow- the Ts are lovely and it’s gonig to be so hard to decide! But why can I not click to see larger? and why are they all women’s Ts? You brought me Cullen smiles today, ladies! There is a men’s option (towards the bottom) on all the designs. It is an organic men’s tee. To enlarge the designs, click on a garment to get into it, then click on “zoom in”. It takes a few clicks. Or just do an “ltt” search on cafepress.com and when you hover over the design, it enlarges. obava, on May 17, 2010 at 9:40 pm said: Thanks- ask and ye shall receive! SnowWhite, your designs are great- I am super impressed! JacobEdwardsWife, on May 17, 2010 at 1:21 pm said: What the hell is wrong with Rob’s mouth? Does he have some nasty-assed cold sore thing going on or something our what. Gah! Rob better not look like that in 20 years! I’m not even going to start on Cath. Yikes! But awesomely hilar all the same. kristen's bestie, on May 17, 2010 at 2:00 pm said: Oh hell! Rob is going to look like my uncle in 30 years. Seriously. That just ruined it for me. DAMN!! Love the Store!! Choices! Choices! Leg Hitch? Robward? BIJ? Fake Lesbians? GAh! lindsaylee, on May 17, 2010 at 2:46 pm said: the store is blocked on work computer… stupid county schools… I tried to look on my phone, and icons are to tiny. I an sure that they are wonderful, i will be wearing one to Eclipse one of the times that i see it Good idea wearing it to Eclipse. I love that I’ll now be able to have a chance to spot fellow LTT/LTRers. You know, us “normal” people. 😉 Lindelle, on May 17, 2010 at 2:47 pm said: Can I request a quilt with patches of all the different t-shirt designs? ‘Cause I just can’t choose which one to get! (Currently narrowed it down to 10. Well, 12. Actually, 15. No wait … you see my dilemma!) Katie S, on May 17, 2010 at 2:58 pm said: A patch quilt of the designs is a fabulous idea! Put me down for one of those. And I will attempt to explain it to my grandchildren someday. The back could be entirely plaid, that way you can flip it over when you have pesky visitors (or grandkids) stopping by! The Old One, on May 17, 2010 at 8:53 pm said: Or a certain well-known male person who likes plaid . . . Luludee, on May 17, 2010 at 3:23 pm said: OME, I’m dying!! These are fantastic!! I’m going to have to figure out some layering cuz I need the Quil Clout Lay, Downward Spiral, War of the Wigs and That’s Normal. Can we get an LTT of the month club (like a fruit of the month club)? Which 2 are vital for May and June before Eclipse?? Decisions, decisions! teamjorts, on May 17, 2010 at 3:42 pm said: I will have nightmares of these “In 20 Years” pics. Shudder. BUT the store makes up for all of that and more!!!! They’re NOT Bears merchandise here I come! Ok, so can we talk about how I feel like a proud mommy right now (which is fine because I’m older than both UC and Moon)?? I’m dying for you two. Rachael, on May 17, 2010 at 5:02 pm said: just wondering if you are excited this site being pulled for the mini-junket? just saw it on stepheniemeyer.com unintendedchoice, on May 17, 2010 at 5:12 pm said: This is monumental! I’m totally OMG squeeing! And that’s something I never ever do. It’s like having a personal audience with the Pope or something. OMG OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wendy, on May 17, 2010 at 5:17 pm said: I’m usually a lurker, but just read about what you girls are going to get to do with Smeyers, and I am SO SO very excited for you. Its so nice to see you get a pat on the back publicly because I recognize how much work you put into these blogs. Squee-ing with you!!!! THANKS WENDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!! I can’t wait for you guys to break this down! chryredlipstik, on May 17, 2010 at 6:49 pm said: Hey came in to give some ‘grats to the two of you as well for getting this opportunity with Stephenie M. Ya Gotta Represent! NinjaTwiNerd, on May 17, 2010 at 6:26 pm said: WTG, you two!!! Awesomeness! Can’t wait to hear about all the good stuff you guys are going to find out!! Marina, on May 17, 2010 at 6:46 pm said: I can’t be the first to say something about it, but Letters to Twilight was randomly chosen to participate it a press junket with Stephenie Meyer. Check out her website. stepheniemeyer.com Michelle, on May 17, 2010 at 6:48 pm said: HOLY SHIT GUYS!!! Congratulations!! Thank GAWD someone got pulled from that hat that may jazz up the junket a little. Can’t wait to see what you’ve got up your sleeve. Leave a Reply to trixi Cancel reply	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1372
__label__wiki	0.66401	0.66401	Zakk Wylde Releases Dreary ‘Sleeping Dogs’ Video Joe DiVita Zakk Wylde may have gone soft on the surface with his forthcoming solo acoustic effort, Book of Shadows II, but the music video for "Sleeping Dogs" hints otherwise. The guitar virtuoso conjures some stirring emotions musically and visually as a Voodoo ritual takes place. The icon is first seen walking through an open field with his signature acoustic guitar slung over his shoulder and a black top hat that brings to mind images of a traveling mystic. In the same field, clips of painted voodoo practitioners, known as "bokors," gather around in a circle, engaging in a ritual. The group performs the tradition of sacrificing a chicken, pouring the blood on one of the members all while Wylde's soothing voice and gentle strumming of the strings serves as a peculiar juxtaposition. "Black Label Brethren O' Doom Father Justin Reich did another amazing job directing the video," commented Wylde, adding his beloved sense of humor continuing, "I asked Father Justin to capture the sights, sounds, smell and feel of the first day my parents dropped me off at kindergarten. Watching the video made me realize why I'm so fond of reading and vegetables." Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor will appear on the album version of the track to which Wylde excitedly exclaimed, "Having Father Corey Taylor's brilliant voice sing on 'Sleeping Dogs' fulfilled my vision of the two of us as the modern day Simon & Garfunkel. We may not be as legendary, talented or as handsome as those two, but we've eaten at some of the same restaurants as them." Book of Shadows II is out April 8 on eOne and can be pre-ordered on iTunes here and fans will receive instant gratification downloads of "Sleeping Dogs," "Tears of December" and "Lost Prayer." The physical version of the album is available through Amazon and a bundle package is also a purchasing option. Zakk Wylde Plays Black Sabbath on Hello Kitty Mini-Guitar Zakk Wylde Plays 'Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?' See Where Zakk Wylde Ranks Among the Top 50 Hard Rock + Metal Guitarists of All Time Zakk Wylde: Adele is Beyond Mind-Blowingly Talented Filed Under: Zakk Wylde Categories: Metal, News, Official Music Videos, Rock, Songs, Videos Kenny Hickey: Silvertomb Disc Helped Resolve Peter Steele Death	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1379
__label__wiki	0.94032	0.94032	Great Flood Brewing celebrates year two by announcing new production brewery Great Flood co-owner Vince Cain, left, discusses the brewery’s forthcoming production facility. \| Photo by Kevin Gibson Great Flood Brewing Company celebrated its second birthday on Saturday by announcing to its Flood Liars Club members it will open a 13,000-square-foot production brewery in Shelby Park. The new brewery will increase Great Flood’s capacity by ten-fold, according to a press release. Co-owner Vince Cain made the announcement during a quarterly event for club members that had the brewery’s taproom full with fellow co-owners Matt Fuller and Zach Barnes. He said the new brewery will be a 15-barrel facility able to produce an estimated 4,000 barrels annually. The current two-barrel brewing system tops out at about 300 barrels per year. This is the future home of Great Flood’s production facility. An address was not disclosed. \| Courtesy of Great Flood The new facility also will feature a canning line and tasting room, and will eventually offer brewery tours. There will be space for private events as well. Cain declined to disclose the address of the facility, however, saying only that it is in the Shelby Park/Germantown area. The current brewery and taproom will continue operating as usual. Cain wouldn’t say what he and his co-owners would be paying for the new facility, but said it will be funded through “traditional bank financing” and not from outside investors. “We will 100 percent remain local brewer-owned,” Cain said. Great Flood will primarily use the new brewery to distribute its beers locally so area bars and restaurants can carry the brewery’s beers on draft. According to the press release, “While the Highlands brewery focuses on experimentation, the Shelby Park/Germantown brewery will facilitate large-scale production and distribution.” In addition, the canning line will produce 12-ounce cans of Great Flood beers for retail sale in area liquor stores, convenience stores and supermarkets. Cain also said arrangements are “in place” for statewide and regional distribution when brewing capacity allows for such. No announcement was made in terms of what beers will be distributed or canned. When asked, Cain said, “We’re going to expand on existing successful Great Flood brands. Expect to see grown-up versions of beers you already know well.” Cain, Fuller and Barnes had spent several months in late 2015 and early 2016 looking for a space to house the brewery before finally finding the Shelby Park neighborhood location. Great Flood celebrates two years. \| Photo by Kevin Gibson “It’s been in the works for a while,” Cain said. “This location has been our target for some time.” For the brewery’s two-year celebration, it had 16 house-made beers on tap, including some new brews such as Oaked Scotch and Dark Raspberry Sour, as well as favorites such as ’37 Coffee Porter Great Flood opened two years ago to a welcome reception at its location at 2120 Bardstown Road, with the beer selling out before the end of the first weekend. It has remained a popular location. The popularity of the brewery surprised even the owners. “There was, in our minds, less than a 1 percent chance it was going to be like that,” Cain said at the time. “We blew more kegs on Friday than we expected to blow the whole weekend.” By Kevin Gibson\|2019-12-30T12:33:02-05:00April 9th, 2016\|	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1380
__label__cc	0.71471	0.28529	How childhood pain leads to involvements with sociopaths December 19, 2019 // by Donna Andersen// 70 Comments Lovefraud recently received this letter from a woman whom we’ll call “Nina.” I’m posting Nina’s story because many Lovefraud readers have told me of similar patterns in their lives. I love this man like I’ve never loved before. He seemed to be my soul mate. I have had two failed marriages (no sex in them). I was touched by a neighbour starting when I was 10 and it continued for eight years. My father was totally controlling and I was not allowed friends or to go anywhere except to this neighbour. Both were depressed parents and did not show affection, only criticism. I have always felt alone but now am — parents dead, sister dead within last four years. I am 57. I met him seven years ago and he was totally charming and enchanting. He pursued me for 11 months before I let him kiss me, and a year before I let him “make love.” I have got myself totally embroiled in a situation with him and my life revolves around him. He has a partner now, his wife and seven other women that I know of. He speaks to me in a terrible manner a lot and is demeaning and rude and cruel and thoughtless. Tells me he loves me all the time. I can’t understand why I find it ok to let him treat me this way — I desperately want him to love me and can’t imagine not having him in my life. Feels not worth living. We have good times together playing music and he is a good lover (I think, although I nothing to compare). He doesn’t know I know about most of his other women but he often has us crossing paths. I don’t want to lose what may be a relationship worth keeping, yet it causes me so much pain and torment I don’t think it can be worth it. He owns a huge property and I live in same building paying rent. I help with any work that needs to be done, as my biggest dread is being on my own, so I work with him and his nephew. I have myself totally tangled up with him. He sometimes seems such a caring man yet at other times a completely selfish one. Over these last six plus years I have let him become part of almost every bit of my life. I am trying to open other avenues, but have no family and no “true” friends. I am trying to work out why it is so important to me to find out if he is a “sociopath,” as really, how he treats me should be enough for me to say that I deserve better. I have worked really hard on improving myself for over 25 years now, and although I have come a huge way, I still feel very stuck in myself a lot. My problem is I would become homeless, know nobody and my greatest fear is being alone and rejected —can’t see a way out. What is he — just a selfish, inconsiderate, narcissistic, thoughtless man, or am I too fussy? Sometimes he can be very nice and seems thoughtful. Don’t feel other option/s are worth considering — all feels hopeless and useless and impossible. I feel when I tell what I’ve allowed that I am extremely stupid and weak. Roots of the pain Why is Nina in this situation? I believe the roots reach back to the beginning of her life, which she explained at the start of her letter. Nina says she endured: Depressed parents, who showed no affection, only criticism A controlling father, who wouldn’t let her have friends Sexual assault by a neighbor from ages 10 to 18 After that, Nina had two failed marriages with no sex. So, as Nina says, she has “always felt alone.” And even though her parents contributed mightily to her pain, they are now dead, so she truly is alone. Seven years ago the man Nina writes about showed up. In the beginning he pursued her with charm and enchantment. After she finally agreed to a physical relationship with him, his treatment of her changed. Now Nina experiences: Cheating — the man has a wife and seven other women He is demeaning, rude, cruel and thoughtless, yet still says he loves her He arranges for Nina to cross paths with his other women They have sexual relations Nina pays the man rent and does work for him The man is entangled in all aspects of Nina’s life I see a direct cause-and-effect relationship between Nina’s past and the mistreatment she is now experiencing at the hands of the sociopath — and yes, he is a sociopath. This man’s level of disorder may be low- to mid-range — unless he’s also doing other things that Nina hasn’t mentioned. But he is definitely toying with her, cheating, and taking advantage of her. The guy is an exploiter, so in my book, he’s a sociopath. Nina’s prior disappointments, betrayals and traumas primed Nina to be his target. Hungry for love Nina’s parents did not provide her with love, so I believe she did not develop a solid understanding that she, like everyone, is worthy of love. Now she is hungry for any scraps of love she may find. “I desperately want him to love me,” she writes. Inappropriate sexual contact Nina was abused from age 10-18, and apparently her parents did nothing. (Her father may have even been complicit.) Nina then had two sexless marriages — which may have been her own reaction to the childhood abuse. Then she meets the sociopath, who takes a year to get her into bed. Because of his diligent pursuit, Nina probably believed his intentions were sincere — after all, who chases someone for a year just to get laid? Well, sociopaths do — they enjoy the game. To Nina, this sociopath seems like an accomplished lover. This may be true — many Lovefraud readers have said that the best sex they ever had was with the sociopath. But that only covers the physical aspects of sex. Sociopaths are not capable of emotional connection, so that dimension is missing from the experience, although they can be good at faking it. But because Nina herself has not experienced healthy sex, she may not realize what it can be. Fear of being alone Nina says that she always felt alone. This likely resulted from the lack of warmth in her home when she was growing up, and the fact that her father would not let her develop outside relationships. Now Nina’s family is gone, and she’s living in a building owned by the sociopath. If she wanted to end the involvement, she would probably have to move. Nina didn’t explain much about that situation, except that she fears being homeless. Psychological love bonds All of these issues created psychological vulnerabilities for Nina. And how do sociopaths hook their targets? They find psychological vulnerabilities and exploit them. One way they do this is by hijacking the normal bonding process. When two people become a couple, a psychological love bond forms between them. Intimacy, both emotional and physical, causes oxytocin to be released in the brain, which creates feelings of attachment. This is all normal. But sociopaths then create fear and anxiety in their partners, perhaps by cheating or threatening to leave the relationship. Surprisingly, this has the effect of making the psychological love bond stronger. The target wants the relationship to go back to the happy days of the beginning, and may beg, plead and appease to make it happen. Sociopaths may be willing to go along with this, if it suits their purpose at the time. So if the two kiss and make up, the bond is strengthened again. Intermittent reinforcement Another technique that keeps the target attached to the sociopath is intermittent reinforcement. This is classic psychology— if laboratory rats don’t know when pressing a bar will result in a food pellet, they keep pressing and pressing and pressing. The compulsion to engage in the behavior gets stronger and stronger. Likewise, if Nina never knows when the sociopath is going to respond to her with affection, she keeps trying and trying. Any time he responds with affection, it reinforces her efforts and strengthens the compulsion she feels. Tolerating bad treatment Nina writes that she can’t understand why she allows the man to treat her badly. It’s because she has psychological vulnerabilities created by her family of origin and her prior experiences. The sociopath found and targeted those vulnerabilities. Nina has experienced a lifetime of pain. The sociopath presented himself as the antidote to her pain. The love he expressed was fake, but Nina didn’t know that, so she became emotionally and psychologically entangled. Now she feels like she has no choice but to tolerate his bad treatment. In fact, she questions whether she is being “too fussy.” This may be a psychological defense mechanism. Since she can’t change him, she may subconsciously hope that changing her own expectations will make her feel better so she can stay in the relationship. Except that the relationship is not healthy. Nina, like all of us, is deserving of love. Real, honest love. She’s never going to get it from this man. Full recovery Nina’s story demonstrates a big reason why sociopaths come into our lives: to help us recover from a lifetime of pain. Involvements with sociopaths are bad. Really bad. They are so bad that, unlike other painful experiences we may have had earlier in our lives, the devastation of the sociopath cannot be ignored. We have to face it, or we’ll fall apart. If we examine the experience with the sociopath, we can often see that it is linked to previous life experiences. So to truly recover, we need to overcome not only the injury and pain caused by the sociopath, but the previous injuries and pain that made us vulnerable to the sociopath in the first place. Then we can achieve real healing, and a life more brilliant than we ever imagined. Nina’s story clearly and concisely demonstrates how her past created an opening for the sociopath to exploit. I thank her for allowing me to share her story. The next step for her, and for everyone with similar stories, is to address all the pain the recent experiences and the trauma from experiences long ago. Lovefraud originally posted this story on March 3, 2014 Category: Recovery from a sociopath Previous Post: « Love Fraud book excerpt: How my sociopathic husband ripped off the wife before me Next Post: Love Fraud book excerpt: What I learned when I called the other woman » Nina, thank you so much for sharing your story and helping so many others. I can relate to so much of your story. Stay strong and may you be filled with peace and serenity. saneandfree This was a good article/post. It helps to move on by exploring why we are seemingly magnets for the character disordered. Why we settle for unconscionable treatment. And, why we stay when we should go. Information is power.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1381
__label__wiki	0.916236	0.916236	BREAKING: Minister Abela Publishes Emails Ex-Detective Flagged As ‘Police Interference’ By Tim Diacono Foreign affairs minister Carmelo Abela has released email correspondence to prove he did not interfere in a police investigation. Former detective and financial intelligence gatherer Jonathan Ferris felt the e-mails amounted to ministerial interference in a police investigation into a fraud case he was conducting. The exchange, which took place in May 2016 when Abela was home affairs minister, has prompted the Opposition to demand Abela’s resignation. However, Abela has insisted he was just seeking a progress update on a fraud case on behalf of a citizen whose requests for information about his case to the police had fallen on deaf ears. Abela told Lovin Malta he was alerted to the case in question in May during a phone-in on One Radio. In the phone-in, which Lovin Malta has listened to, the angry man complained to Abela that the police were refusing to give him information about how his case was progressing. “He doesn’t deserve to be a policeman, let alone an inspector,” the man could be heard saying, ostensibly a reference to Jonathan Ferris, who was in charge of the case. Abela responded on air that his powers were limited to asking the police how the case was progressing and that he could not demand information about the investigation itself. On 25th May 2016, Abela’s secretary Kevin Mifsud emailed Ferris to say: “I would like you to give me an update about the case of Mr X* who was defrauded. Seeing as the case was mentioned in the media, I would like to pass on this information to the minister.” Ferris got back to him the next day, saying: “Case is still being investigated. It is a complex case and not just as Mr X is stating. Will update you in due course.” Around half an hour later, Abela’s head of customer care Raymond Grech sent Ferris an email – with the minister and Mifsud cc’ed – saying: “We know that this case is still being investigated. All we’re asking is a brief summary of what has been done so far regards this case. Whilst thanking you in anticipation, I’m looking forward to hear from you.” However, Ferris refused to give the minister any information. “All I can tell you is that the case is still being investigated,” Ferris said. “Should the complainant request updates re. progress on his case, he is more than welcome to make an appointment and attend my office to discuss his queries.” A few minutes later, Grech responded: “The minister has requested information about this case and not Mr X.” Unlike what Ferris had told Lovin Malta, the email in question was not written in capital letters. Abela said the correspondence between his office and Ferris ended there, as far as he is aware. The minister said he never met or spoke to the citizen in question, other than to answer his question on air. He also said the citizen is not one of his constituents. Ferris has said this email exchange amounted to interference. He also said this is what prompted him to ask police commissioner Laurence Cutajar to be transferred – to the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) in the role of manager of the analysis section. Abela told Lovin Malta he believes Ferris only left the police force because he wanted to get into the FIAU. Ferris’ tenure at the FIAU turned out to be short-lived, and he was let go in June of this year at the end of his probationary period. Ferris said he was let go because the FIAU didn’t want him digging into allegations the Prime Minister’s wife owned an offshore Panama company, but the FIAU said in a statement today the real reason was because he wasn’t competent enough for the job. Contacted by Lovin Malta, Ferris said the FIAU was “playing a game of chess”. “They published that statement today claiming I was incompetent because they know I cannot respond because that would constitute a breach of FIAU secrecy laws,” he said. He said Abela’s information proves his version of events – namely that the minister tried to interfere in an investigation he was conducting and that he refused to comply. “These sort of things shouldn’t take place and Carmelo Abela should be ashamed of himself,” he said, while adding he has other cards up his sleeve, which include correspondence with Ian Abdilla, the assistant police commissioner in charge of the Economic Crimes Unit. “If Abela thinks that’s it, then let him be but all I can say is he’ll be quite surprised later on. My mind is at rest.” * Abela didn’t reveal the name of the complainant so as to protect his identity. Do these e-mails amount to ministerial interference or not? Let us know what you think in the comments’ section READ NEXT: Former FIAU Inspector And Egrant Whistleblower Say They Fear For Their Lives In Malta BREAKING: Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar Has Resigned EXCLUSIVE: PART ONE: Full Transcript Of The Infamous Chris Cardona ‘Frameup’ Letter Which Keith Schembri Allegedly Sent To Yorgen Fenech Via Their Doctor Robert Abela Calls For Unity After Winning Leadership Election By A Landslide	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1382
__label__wiki	0.592894	0.592894	Malta’s Data Protection Commissioner Is Investigating Leak Of Luciano Moggi’s Voting Document By Julian Bonnici The Data Protection Commissioner is investigating the leak of the voting document belonging to disgraced Juventus General Manager Luciano Moggi. The image unsurprisingly went viral, with commenters likening Moggi’s own shady history to the more unsavoury sides of Maltese “min ħexa mexa” culture. However, despite the admitted humour in the image, serious questions actually have to be asked over how the electoral commission is handling the data of every single resident in the country, including yourself, and the implications of electoral commission staff nonchalantly sharing images of voting documents. With regards to the media themselves who published the image, which included most independent media houses and the state broadcaster, the commissioner did note that the extensive public information available and the redactions made will be taken to account in determining the extent of public interest. While the media did actually blackout the Gżira address of Moggi, the image that circulated around messaging groups and social media did show his full residency details It is unclear whether an internal investigation will be launched by the Electoral Commission themselves. Questions sent to the commission remain unanswered by the time of publication. Moggi was at the centre of Juventus’ role in the ‘calciopoli’ bribes scandal, which saw him handed a lifetime ban from the Italian Football Federation over allegations that he would influence referee selectors. He has always denied the charges, which were dropped in 2015. On the plus side, maybe Gzira United can reach out to their local lad to get them to the next level next season! READ NEXT: The Revised Malta Fuel Stations Policy Is Finally Here And There’s 8 Things You Need To Know About It	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1383
__label__wiki	0.64349	0.64349	The Let's Play Archive Martian Dreams by Nakar ‹ Part #12 Part #14 › Return to LP Index Part 13: The Avatar Conquers the Martians The Avatar Conquers the Martians "Though the Martian is sentient, it is possible that the mind of his species is entirely alien to our own way of thinking. It may well be that we cannot fully understand him." "In other words, you're copping out." "I'll still be around, I just don't plan to analyze their mother." "Because their mother is a compost heap?" "Ja, essentially." You see a Martian. "Greetings, soft one. How may we share our knowledge?" "Well, at least you Hellas folks are alright. I'm Steve, the Avatar." "I am called Pukchep." It sounds rather harsh. "Within our Grove, it is my task to act as the Gatherer. Ever since the Firstdeath, it has fallen to the Gatherers to be the keepers of knowledge of their grove." "By... recycling them, right?" "Mine is the task to collect the fallen leaves and roots of the old ones as they die. By mixing their remains with the soil for the new seedlings, the knowledge of the old is passed on within the grove. I used to trade soil and chemicals with Fazek of Elysium. Here in my dreams, though, none of my podfriends wither, so I gather little." "Sounds like a cushy job." I figured Old Mars would've been slightly prettier, but it's still better than the real one. There are also fun scrolls here. When Mars was young and the Sun and the Blue-green Planet had given life to the First Grove, and the moons had failed to destroy the offspring of the gods by creating worms, they developed a new plan. Since the sun had to stand his rounds travelling the heavens to tend other children, the evil moons waited until he was away to assault the planet. While one moon distracted her with a masterful and intricate tale of strange creatures who wove webs between the stars, the other moon gathered great stones to hurl from the heavens at Mars. The great Planet saw the impacts of those stones on her beloved Mars, and grew so angry she blew on the lesser moon with all her might. The lesser moon was sent spinning about Mars too fast for it to ever slow down again. But the force of her breath sent her far from Mars herself, and she could not return. When the Sun returned, he came to take vengeance on the greater moon for the assault on his beloved's offspring and her estrangement from them. The greater moon fled before the Sun, faster and faster, with the blows of the Sun's mighty arms carving great chunks off of it at every stride. Eventually it escaped the Sun's wrath, but only by running even faster than its sibling had been knocked spinning, and only after being reduced to smaller than its sibling. "What do you make of it?" "That's messed up." You see a young martian with a hint of a regal air. As you approach, she folds her arms over her chest and kneels. She calls out in a pleasant voice, "I, Chsheket of Hellas, greet you and welcome you to the Grove of Hellas. Please, explore and meet the citizens of the Enlightened Grove." She stands up and regards your reaction. "Aren't there like five of you here?" "I did say enlightened, not huge." "Point, Chsheket. I'm Steve... from, um, Earth. Sometimes." "I am the Ambassador of Hellas, messenger of Prektesh, Agrarian of the Grove. My duty is to represent Hellas before all other Groves. I communicate to the other Groves as my Agrarian directs. My travels have been limited to meetings in the Dream-World, speaking to the other Ambassadors. Recently, the Groves of Elysium and Argyre closed communications with us. I know little more than that each have plans that will release our race from the Dream-World." "I've met with the Elysium crowd. They're kind of dicks." "I know little of their plan, save that they are following an immoral path in their efforts to release us. Prektesh, the Agrarian, knows more." "I haven't visited Argyre yet though. What's wrong with them?" She sneers and says, "That is the Grove that spawned that shkcha, Raxachk. Prektesh may speak to you of him, but I will not. The city has been closed by Raxachk, and I know nothing more." "I see. I guess I'll go track down Prektesh and try to hammer all this out." "See that you do. He is the Agrarian, leader of our Grove. In the past, it was he who directed my travels to give messages to the other Agrarians. He would gladly speak to you." The Blue-white Planet smiles upon you. The sun, it warms you and gleams. The two moons above Give their blessings as well And I drink to your Martian Dreams. "That kind of sucks." "I thought you were trying to analyze their culture." "What do I look like, an anthropologist?" You see a Martian engrossed in thought. The Martian turns to your voice, and studies you closely. "Greetings. You are not formed of sun and soil, are you?" "Nope, 100% meat miracle." "Be joyful that you are not affected by the plague that causes our bodies to wither." "Yeah, that sucks. Are you Prektesh?" "No. I am known as Plashef, shell-less one." "It's Steve the Avatar." "I see, Steve. I am the Cultivator for the Grove of Hellas." "And that makes you, what, again?" "The Cultivators are responsible for the preparation and care of the seedlings from the time they are planted, through their growth, and finally their birth. Most of the seedlings died after becoming exposed to the plague that destroyed our race. Fortunately, I was warned by Xaktsesh in time, and I was able to place the last of our seedlings into a secure place." "Who's Xaktsesh?" "She is our Arborist. She knew the plague for what it was, and warned us soon enough to escape to the Dream-World. Others know more details of the plague. I remember only the horror, the senseless loss of life." "You said you saved some of your seeds. I might need those." "In our Grove that remains in the Real-World, there is a hidden preservation unit. You can find it in the building next to the greenhouse. I have worked long and hard to preserve our Grove. I could not allow the schemes of an insane being to destroy us." "You mean Raxachk." He shudders. "Ask Prektesh, the Agrarian, about the Grove of Argyre." Just for reference here, the Martian jobs seem to break down like this: Cultivator: Grows new bodies. Gatherer: Gathers old bodies to use their compost to transfer memories between generations. Arborist: Plant doctor. Agrarian: The head of the Grove. Dream Machine research developed from research into the Mind-Body problem, which for Martians was a problem in biology rather than philosophy. Martians acquired their purely-physical abilities from their genetic heritage: thus seeds from physically-adept Martians and Groves were prized by Agrarians and Cultivators. Memories, knowledge of Martian culture and their groves' history, and such items came from the ground the pod was grown in and the leaves, other sheddings, and dead bodies used as mulch. The questions raised were about the development of individuals' personalities and distinctive traits, and about why certain memories were stronger for some Martians than for grovemates raised in the same soil. In this early work, researchers discovered a psychic fluid, like phlogiston or the luminiferous ether or electricity, which carried mental abilities and thoughts. Certain plants and animals attracted or interacted with this fluid, especially the berries other researchers were investigating for the conference of psychic powers. The goal was to develop a machine which would allow extraction or transference of patterns in this "animistic ether" intact, from or between living Martians. "Ewwwwww gross, I've been eating brain sap!" "Is that really a problem?" "I guess not. They are pretty good." You see a wizened, aged Martian. "The Martian looks up at you, its eyes revealing the weight of its burdens. "My leaves have never fallen on your fields before, worm of no shell." "I don't claim to be an expert on Martians, but are you coming on to me?" "I am Prektesh, Agrarian and Leader of the Grove of Hellas, once the finest of our planet. I welcome you, off-worlder, and all your kind to the shadow of Hellas. I extend the hospitality of our Grove to you." He looks about at the "city," then makes a rustling sound that could be a sigh. "Our city was once the finest of the Groves of Mars, but that is in our past. We have been forced to abandon our Grove, but the spirit of Hellas still thrives here in the Dream-World. This place has become our refuge." "Refuge from the plague, you mean." His features grow dark and he says, "Yes! We fled through the Dream Machines to escape the devastation wrought by the plague that struck down our race, killing the last of our seedlings. It was not a natural occurrence. What grieves me most was that our race was decimated by one of our own. The pestilence that destroyed us was the evil deed of Raxachk. He sought dominion over all of Mars, and for many years, he strove to control the supply of water and oxygen that all Martians require." "And then he failed?" "He was the Agrarian of the Grove of Argyre. But rather than seeking peace and prosperity for his citizens, he sought dominance over all Mars. When his attempts to use political and economic dealings to take control failed, he then chose to use force and terror to extort us into accepting his rule." Prektesh shudders at the memory. "He prepared biological weapons, containing a strain of bacteria to afflict our entire race. It was a most insidious weapon! It caused our bodies to grow sickly and rot away. Worse yet, it destroyed our offspring as they developed." "I've heard. I know I come across as a massive jerk to, well, everybody I've ever met, but I am still kinda sorry about that, especially since I didn't cause it in any way." You see a drop of what looks like sap well in his eye, and run down his cheek. "Awww, don't cry Kermit the Frog!" "That shkcha's disease made growing seedlings impossible, killing our race with his arrogance!" Regaining his composure, he continues, "We knew then that his plan meant doom for our race. We fled our Grove and entered the Dream-World to wait, forever if necessary, hoping that someday we would be rescued. We are trapped here indefinitely. Though the body remains in the Real-World, and ages normally, the essence of consciousness exists in the Dream-World, lasting eternally, even when the body has ceased to function. We existed on the faith that someone would come, even someone like yourself, a visitor from another world. Now that you have heard our plight, you must aid us to discover some means for us to return to our native soil and inhabit the Grove in the Real-World. You must act as our agents, using your bodies where we cannot exist." "How am I supposed to do that? I mean, I am the Avatar, so I'll figure out a way, I'm just blanking on ideas right now." "To return to our Grove, we must find bodies that we may inhabit and leave the Dream-World. The Martians of Elysium have been striving to grow new bodies such as those from preserved seeds, now that the plague has passed. There was another plan being examined as well. Speak to my Arborist and she can give you more information." "That's fine and all, but what is it you want me to do? Grow you new bodies?" "If you could access our seeds, and properly grow a body, we would be able to transfer our consciousness from the Dream-World to the Real-World. But that would be impossible without a great genius to manage the growing, and I worry you off-worlders will not know the way." "I've got George Washington Carver on speed dial and Warren Spector is with me." "...then we may yet have a chance. Prepare a body and we will see what can be done!" Here's the barge dock, or the dream version of it. We've seen the real one before, and we'll need access to it later. You see a Martian that seems almost effeminate. It kneels in greeting, then rises. "Greetings, outsider. I am excited that you have come. Now, at last, I will know the fate of Kaxishek." "Who's Kaxishek?" "My podmate, Kaxishek, was researching the creation of a new type of body that would be immune to the effects of the plague. He had a laboratory in the north polar regions to perform his studies. He hoped the cold would slow the spread of the plague until he had constructed a prototype. It has been a very long time since I was there, but I believe that it was located somewhere along the border of that northern icecap. I feel certain that his efforts were successful, for he never followed me into the Dream-World. Why he never came has always been a mystery to me." "Isn't it equally likely that he failed and he couldn't visit you because he died?" "Perhaps a bit more tact is required." "Oh hey Pot, Kettle just called, he wants you to call him black." "...you win this round, Frau Steve." She looks about, then says, "This world, though safe from the plague, will never be the same as our Grove. My greatest hope is that one day we can return to our Grove in the Real-World." "So if your... guy... actually did succeed, you'd have bodies that would be immune to the plague?" "Yes. The plague, it was horrible, worse than any disaster imaginable. And I, the Arborist of the Grove of Hellas, was powerless to prevent the deaths of my podfriends. It certainly killed every living Martian on the planet." She is quiet and reflective for a moment. "You're like a healer, aren't you?" "I tend to the citizens of my grove, healing them if they become injured or ill. I have not used those skills in a long time. Here in the Dream-World, our bodies do not require treatment." "Pack your parkas everyone, we're taking a trip to the south pole!" Remember that building I said was rusted shut? Oiling it open reveals the last living Martian seeds. We'll need one to grow a new body. Alllllllll the way down here is a bridge, which allows me to cross the southernmost canal to reach the south pole. Once there, Warren chips a piece of ice out of the glacier. And we stick it in a bucket. It'll melt by the time we get back to Hellas, but since we need it for water, that's kind of the idea. Now we just need a good spot to grow us a Martian. The greenhouse seems to be the right spot, so we'll plant the seed and cover it with dirt. First we water it. And by we I mean Warren Spector. Now we need some chemical compounds. First nitrogen... ...then phosphorous... ...and finally, per Carver's notes, potassium. Which we can get in potash. And thus we wait three full days. And come back to this. Three more days... Well, that's getting somewhere. Three days again, and the pod is finally ripe. So with a ritual pod knife, we'll split it open and... Ewww gross, there's a Martian inside. Looks good though, but a little heavy. See if you can spot what Sherman discarded to make weight capacity. Now it's off to the dream again to inform Tekapesh we have a body ready. "News of your success has traveled quickly, Steve-worm. The Hellas Grove has chosen me to attempt the transfer." He smiles sadly. "It was difficult to convince my Ambassador, Chsheket, that this is the correct choice. I will prepare myself immediately, and will be ready when you place the newly grown sapling into the Dream Machine." Alright then! Let's bring Tekapesh back to the real world, and not in a stolen body! With some trepidation, you activate the device again. Blinking, Prektesh awakes in "his" new body. "He" then turns and engages you in conversation... You see a young, newly-grown Martian. The Martian looks itself over, marvelling at each limb and appendage. It takes a deep breath of air and slowly exhales. "You're welcome." "Like you did anything." "I cut the pod! That's like 50/50 what you did!" "I lugged him to the machine, that counts for something, right?" "Not really." "My friend! It worked! I cannot express my gratitude!" He pauses to contain himself, then continues, "This is wonderful! I feel weak, but I am sure it will pass. Now I can see to it that our race is saved from the Dream-World. It is our duty to grow all of the bodies necessary to allow our race to return ot the Real-World." "Well then, our work here is done! And all without having to worry about that horrible plague!" Prektesh makes a coughing sound, and his voice trembles with fear. "Goddamnit." "Steve! Something is terribly wrong! I feel like... like I'm rotting away inside! Help me, I'm dying!" "First you want me to grow you a body in a world ravaged by plague, now you want me to help you? What the hell man, make up your mind!" "I feel that I am contracting the plague! That cannot be, for it has been too many years for the poison to remain in the air. Your bodies require air also, do they not? Why am I in pain when you are unaffected?" "Maybe we're just awesome. I'm pretty sure me and Warren are." "Steve, this is kind of serious." "Your life-form is not plant-based is it, Steve? My poisoning must be because I am a plant. What, then, is the cause? Plants require air and sunlight, and..." "I hope you don't die before you explain this." "By the Two Moons, SOIL! The poison is in the soil! The plague has settled into the ground!" It pauses, lowering its head. "Chkaf! This means that my people are twice doomed. Any bodies that we grow will be born with the poison inside them, as I was. You must speak to my Arborist Xaktsesh. Her podmate was working on an alternate body that would be immune. Return to Hellas in the Dream-World, and seek her." "You want us to just leave you here then?" He doubles over, overcome by a horrible convulsion. "So is that a yes?" "You must win the trust of Tekapesh to accomplish anything more. There is only one way this can be done... You must take my body to him." "That doesn't really seem to make sense." "Look, just do it!" "Fine, jeez." "I am sorry that I will not be able to fulfill my duty to my people. Go to Tekapesh now, and win his confidence. You, Steve, must do what you can to save my race. You MUST!" "Hold on, vine buddy, why MUST I?" "Because, no matter how often you try to avoid it... you are... the Avatar." It bows, its energy spent. "I guess he's got me there. SHERMAN!" "Oh come on." "Martians don't move themselves, buddy. Not when they're dead."	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1386
__label__cc	0.740303	0.259697	How to connect people and architecture with your Lumion 3D animations by Daniel \| Jul 25, 2019 \| Case Studies, Lumion Property advertising agency, TEN OVER MEDIA, recently won two creative advertising awards with their Lumion videos. Creative Director Mathieu Anfosso sat down with the Lumion team to discuss how he and his twin brother implement a people-first design philosophy and bring out the emotion in property animations. It was their first animation together, and when twin brothers Remi and Mathieu Anfosso were discussing strategies for how to best show a building, they came across an interesting insight. “Dude, they all look the same,” said Remi Anfosso, a young film director with a successful background in making videos for the film and TV industry. “They’re completely different! What are you talking about?“ responded Mathieu, Creative Director of TEN OVER MEDIA. Remi shook his head. “To everyone involved in the project, and especially the architects and clients, it may look different. But to the general public, it looks the same.” This brief conversation between Mathieu and Remi would go on to form their ideas about communicating architecture and why so many 3D animations seem to fall flat. Pool shot from the Carolina Pines project, by TEN OVER MEDIA. “Emotion is really missing from 3D marketing videos,” Remi stated on the TEN OVER MEDIA website, “and it is the one thing the audience is interested in.” From specific shots meant to incite memories to overall themes designed to immerse viewers into a story-driven, emotional world, the entire team at TEN OVER MEDIA have made it a point to put people and personal experience at the heart of architectural animations. The goal is to help audiences connect with property on a close, personal level. When the property is finally built, they hope a person will already feel at home; they hope people will already know what it feels like to enter the space. “Carolina Pines – There’s Room At The Pines,” by TEN OVER MEDIA. As Mathieu explains, “That’s how we know we’ve hit the mark.” The team at TEN OVER MEDIA has been producing animations of RV resorts, hotels, resorts, ranches and more, and just this year, the team won two 2019 Muse Creative Awards for their River Run (Platinum Award) and Carolina Pines (Silver Award) projects. In this blog post, we sat down with Mathieu to discuss TEN OVER MEDIA’s approach to property animation, and how the brothers’ design philosophies have played a significant role in winning both clients as well as the hearts of audiences. River Run and Carolina Pines: two award-winning videos by TEN OVER MEDIA With Mathieu as Creative Director and Remi as the Film Director, along with the rest of their team, TEN OVER MEDIA has recently won two 2019 Muse Creative Awards for their recent videos. You can watch the videos below. Carolina Pines, which won the silver recognition: You can learn more about the Carolina Pines project and see more images and animations here. River Run, which won the platinum recognition: You can learn more about the River Run project and see more images and animations here. “Design like you give a damn” When approaching projects like Carolina Pines and River Run, Mathieu said that the entire process was built off of one company core value — “design like you give a damn.” According to Mathieu, this is an overriding theme guiding each project from the first client meeting to the moment the videos are rendered in Lumion. “To us, average is unacceptable. Questioning the status quo, pushing boundaries and making a positive impact are part of our standard process.” This includes not only the way the team works but the impact they hope a video will have. RVs at Carolina Pines, by TEN OVER MEDIA. “You can produce something and be really proud of it, but it might not have the impact you were hoping for. It can raise eyebrows, it can be any kind of thing, but what’s important to us at TEN OVER MEDIA is really understanding our audience and who we’re talking to. What’s important is to put our egos aside.” In the Carolina Pines video, for example, the team started off with a lot of material and some general concepts. Right from the start, Mathieu and Remi were discussing how they could integrate some of the concepts. “One of the main concepts was our goal to create memories that don’t exist yet. We wanted something for everyone that’s both nostalgic and fresh. We wanted the property to feel contemporary, upscale, active, charming and a getaway from the sounds of the city.” All in all, Mathieu said, they wanted something fun to watch. One clear example of these ideas — the philosophy of “design like you give a damn” — was evident during the pool scene of the Carolina Pines video. Carolina Pines – Dive Into the Experience, by TEN OVER MEDIA. “You’re in the pool and it’s hot out. You dive into the water, and when you get out, what are you going to do to feel refreshed? You’ll go back to your lounge chair and have a sip of your drink with an ‘Ahhh’ feeling. That is what we were trying to show: dive in, sit back, relax and have a good time.” Especially in property marketing, well-designed videos can be highly effective in showing experiences and connecting with audiences over how they will interact with a building or space. Details such as the swimming pool, the brunch, the towel over the chair and many others, these are all things that can transport a person to the property and show them the type of person they’ll be when they stay there. And according to Mathieu, “These are the kinds of things that are going to make you remember the property in the end.” “Keeping it real” — Translating client needs into beautiful animations In addition to implementing emotional concepts into their Lumion animations, the team at TEN OVER MEDIA also values the idea of “keeping it real.” For Mathieu, this means being authentic to one’s self and with colleagues, clients, contractors and all of the other individuals that must come together when designing and communicating a property. Front facade of Carolina Pines, by TEN OVER MEDIA. “When we go on a site visit and meet with the clients,” Mathieu said. “We aim to understand not only the property and the client’s goals, but also the people and where they’re coming from. From there, we can build a meaningful relationship that sometimes lasts over a few years. It’s probably what we’re most proud of.” In the making of the Carolina Pines video, for instance, Mathieu and Remi flew out to South Carolina to meet with the client. At the time, Remi was on a one-year vegan diet and the client casually mentioned how her daughter was on the very same diet. From this, Mathieu found an opportunity to turn an awkward, business-like introduction into a casual conversation, and, as Mathieu said, “It unlocked something in our conversation.” From that moment on, their interactions took on a friendly air. “We were walking around the property, discussing these vegan diets, and all of a sudden the client started talking about life in South Carolina. She mentioned how the folks there are all about their weekend brunches. It’s all about hosting others. The setup. The typical table fabric, and all that stuff, and, you know, we saw a good opportunity to translate that into the video. Now, we have a short brunch setup and scene in the video, and that was an inspiration we got on site.” Carolina Pines RV Resort – A Touch of Upscale and Totally Down Home, by TEN OVER MEDIA. It is these types of conversations that Mathieu says will have never come up in an email conversation, but it does come up on an informal or casual site visit. “The more casual a conversation becomes,” he said, “the easier it is for the client to talk openly about his/her vision.” You can see this same idea in the River Run video. Mathieu mentioned that when the TEN OVER MEDIA team was in Colorado on the River Run site visit, the client started talking about how she wanted the video to show scenes reminiscent of Christmastime photographs that sit above a warm fireplace. “This was a huge, huge clue that helped us move the video in the right direction. “Leave the world better than we found it” According to Mathieu, every piece of architecture has two lives: one life in the imagination (before it’s built) and a second life in reality (after it’s built). With a philosophy of “leaving the world better than we found it,” the TEN OVER MEDIA team strives to use staging, props, setup, lighting and more to make the imagined building as real as it can be. “And this wouldn’t be possible without Lumion,” Mathieu said. “Having my brother on board as a film director, Lumion helps build an entire world in 3D. You’ve seen Carolina Pines — we were able to build a scene with tens of thousands of trees, and the overview shots only show half of the project. I’ll be sitting with a big screen next to my brother and we’re walking the property in Lumion just like we’re walking the real property, and that’s when he’ll get his ideas so that we can start shooting.” Birds-eye-view of the River Run project in Colorado, by TEN OVER MEDIA. “When we start shooting, you never know how a video clip feels until we put it into the editing draft to see if it’s really working. At low resolution, exporting that shot takes one minute. We’re able to try a shot, export it in a minute, put it into the editing software and check if it’s working for the whole video, all in 5 minutes. That’s unheard of. It’s allowing us to go so much faster.” “With Lumion, everything is possible,” he continued. “If you can do it in real life, you can do it in Lumion. And that’s something we do every day. When we are shooting something with my brother as the film director, we really try to mimic the movements you would do on a movie set. So, if we’re doing a crane shot, for example, we can make those crane movements and vibrations in Lumion. We’re able to recreate it using all of the tools that Lumion provides. We did some green screening for Carolina Pines, and while Lumion doesn’t provide green screening, there are tips and tricks within Lumion that allows you to do that.” Porch swing at Carolina Pines, by TEN OVER MEDIA. “If you can do it in real life, you can most likely do it Lumion, and if you can’t do it in real life, you can most likely do it in Lumion.” Thanks to Mathieu Anfosso and the entire TEN OVER MEDIA team for the interview! Turning urban cemeteries into botanical gardens and green public spaces January 21, 2020 6 steps for a flying start with Lumion (2019 update) December 13, 2019 Faster 3D rendering with 6 workflow-boosting features in Lumion 10 November 21, 2019 Capture beautiful exteriors with new features in Lumion 10 November 15, 2019 Explore three of the top new features in Lumion 10 November 11, 2019 Lumion 10 is available today! Discover what’s new. October 29, 2019 New Lumion 10 teaser video and release date revealed October 15, 2019 Tip: 5 steps to great renders from Lumion (2019 Update) October 7, 2019 Lumion 10 is coming soon… October 1, 2019 Step inside your design: 360 panoramas and VR presentations in Lumion 9 September 16, 2019 See ancient Rome brought to life through SketchUp and Lumion August 19, 2019 What do you do if Lumion does not respond to mouse clicks? August 1, 2019 How to connect people and architecture with your Lumion 3D animations July 25, 2019 How to create 3D environmental context from drone images July 15, 2019 Capture a cozy feeling with 150+ new objects and materials in Lumion 9.5 June 25, 2019 Lumion 9.5 is out now! June 18, 2019 Just what can you really do with Lumion? Architect Paul Spaltman explains. May 31, 2019 How to optimize your 3D model for faster Lumion performance May 16, 2019 5 weeks to deadline with the help of Lumion May 2, 2019 Building a sense of place: objects in Lumion 9 April 9, 2019 Tweets by lumion3d Lumion Blog \| Beautiful renders within reach. ← How to create 3D environmental context from drone images What do you do if Lumion does not respond to mouse clicks? →	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1387
__label__wiki	0.985059	0.985059	Verbeek with defender Lucas Neill after the Socceroos were eliminated from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Picture: Getty Images Former Socceroos coach Verbeek dies by Tom Smithies It will be the tea and cake that I recall most fondly about Pim Verbeek, the former Socceroos coach who has died aged 63. Cups of tea and cake at their Manly apartment epitomised the private warmth and hospitality of Verbeek and his wife Anneke during the nearly three years he spent living and working in Australia. Cancer has taken a dignified and principled man of warm humanity, whose public candour - and outspoken views on the standard of the A-League - rather belied his sense of humour. He loved to talk football, but also to engage in the world around him as he coached across the globe and at three World Cups, over almost 40 years. Though his coaching style with Australia was the source of considerable debate, especially at the 2010 World Cup, he carried an air of decency in a sport where too often the chancers thrive. Pim Verbeek during a Socceroos training session. Undoubtedly his style was conservative and pragmatic, but it's worth recalling the circumstances of his appointment in late 2007, just weeks before Australia's World Cup qualifying campaign was due to begin. Dick Advocaat had signed a deal to be Socceroos coach, but reneged after being promised inconceivable amounts of money by Zenit St Petersburg in Russia. In a panic FFA officials sought an available replacement, and Guus Hiddink among others mentioned Verbeek - his assistant coach with South Korea at the 2002 World Cup, when they reached the semifinals. Ironically he performed the same role under Advocaat four years later. Verbeek was duly appointed Socceroos coach just eight weeks before the first World Cup qualifier, and I recall him standing in the foyer of the team hotel in Melbourne in February 2008, greeting players for the first time just two days before that first game in charge. Australia was still getting to grips with the practicalities of playing in Asia, and there were question marks over how many of the senior players would be able to return for the qualifiers. Verbeek's solution was to rely on home wins and a defensive mindset in away games, often played in oppressively hot and humid conditions. Some critics called it "unAustralian", whatever that meant, but the result was the Socceroos becoming only the second team to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, a full year out. By the time the tournament came around he had already announced that he would be moving on, and a humbling 4-0 defeat to Germany in the opening game sparked fury among some commentators at his defensive tactics. Pim Verbeek at the Asian Cup in January, where he coached Oman. Picture: Getty Images Yet Australia ended up with four points, the same as in 2006, and only missed going through on goal difference. As a little context, also, that Germany team would go on to put four past England, reach the semifinals and win the World Cup four years on. If in truth Verbeek could not be categorised as one of Holland's top-level coaching exports, he moved comfortably in their company - counting the likes of Louis van Gaal among his friends thanks to years helping to steer the Dutch coaching union. In private, he was very easy to like. In 2009 he wrote some columns for News Corp and answered readers' questions, each time asking my help to draft them. It was there that the tea and cake were provided, and at one point a reader asked about a player who Verbeek had never selected despite public pressure to do so. Verbeek showed me two messages he had sent to the player asking for a chat, neither of which were answered. When I suggested he might reply to the reader with that, he declined - doing the dignified thing always more important to him than winning a cheap popularity contest. A-League coach drops F-bomb in furious rant FFA responds to criticism of its sex scandal actions Olyroos stars banned over Cambodia incident premium_icon Widow sues after husband dies hour after getting off cruise Kayo fans set streaming records premium_icon Fowler defends Babbel: "I swear quite a lot myself" Kurz broken: Kruse cues Victory celebrations premium_icon Nice guy in dog-eat-dog world: Arnold's tribute to Verbeek Postecoglou on the brink of history in Japan premium_icon Messi or Neymar? Which star will Socceroos face? Ridiculous list exposes Messi farce Liverpool boss makes a bold move cancer death former coach pim verbeek soccer socceroos sport	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1389
__label__wiki	0.835906	0.835906	Cat Power (person) See all of Cat Power, there is 1 more in this node. (person) by Septimus Sun Mar 14 2004 at 18:27:17 The name has nothing to do with cats. Chan Marshall once had to make up a band name for herself virtually minutes before a concert, and someone in the audience was wearing a hat that said "CAT - Diesel Power". To call her introvert doesn't really cut it. If you invest money to see her play live, it's more like gambling. There have been concerts where she threw down her guitar after three minutes and stormed off the stage, just because some careless girl in the audience said something she didn't like. She's not really a diva though, just a little.. odd. During interviews, she sometimes likes to keep silent for half an hour, happily driving music journalists mad. If all this doesn't scare you, and you are as patient as an angel, a Cat Power concert can be very special. Let me relate my experience of a show in Cologne, in the summer of 2003. Shortly after 11 pm (she was scheduled for 9 pm), Chan Marshall enters the stage. She has obviously spent those two hours drinking most of a bottle of Scotch (the rest of which she shares with the band) and smoking various not-so-legal cigarettes, presumably to get rid of the stage fright. What follows hardly fits standard rock concert conventions. Chan asks if someone has an eye liner. Leaves the stage (the remaining bass player and drummer are desperately trying to fill the time), only to reappear 10 minutes later in an over-the-top goth look. After that, she regularly leaves to pee, throw up, or get more booze (these are her own words). Three hours later, she has played about two known songs from her albums, one of which has only one chord, talked for half an hour about a cab driver she once met, covered the Stones, Black Sabbath, Moby Grape and Michael Hurley, and smoked at least one pack of cigarettes. With any other artist, you would have left long ago. But strangely, you will forgive this woman anything, with her achingly beautiful voice and her fragile, minimalistic songs. You look into the eyes of the ten remaining people in the audience, mesmerized around the small stage, and they have this odd expression, like wanting to hug her and shout at her at the same time. Indie music and computers create a recluse beauty sadcore Moon Pix Is there a problem, (insert title here)? Cat bathing as a martial art matador Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl Cats hate computers Whip-Smart What Would the Community Think You Are Free The Dirt of Luck Cat-man Bill Callahan Cat's Diary Modest Mouse Marquee Moon Feline fascination: In praise of cat girls Wild Is the Wind The E2 feline conspiracy	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1391
__label__cc	0.748308	0.251692	I Know You Think Online Friend-Searching Is Weird, So I Tried It For You By: Sarah Ban Allyse Maifield It must be that I’ve been binging on one too many Broad City reruns, but I recently felt like Ilana without an Abbi. Or maybe it was the Sex & The City anger-watching session I had the other day: While horrified by Carrie mocking Berger for the scrunchie appearance in his novel, I was also jealous of the unwavering camaraderie between her and her three gal pals. Noticing all these unwelcome and unanticipated emotions, I couldn’t help but wonder… Do I need more friends? First thing’s first: I do have friends. Real human ones. But being born and bred in LA and still living here at the age of 32, I’ve never really exerted much energy making new pals outside of those I’ve known since the age of 8. For reasons mainly having to do with people trying to force me into love triangles, I’ve lost touch with all my college friends, which I know is wildly uncharacteristic for people who’ve attended four-year universities and lived in dorm rooms. On top of that, after a stint at a corporate newswire as a newly degree-minted graduate, I’ve ventured off on my own as a freelance editor (a.k.a. daytime loner). Throw in the fact that I’m a major introvert and a creature of routine who likes comfort zones and you get Sarah with the same social circle since high school. So remains my childhood friends. We’re all still very close at heart, but we’ve diverged. No one is in the same life phase, at least not in the way that parents of children at the same daycare hang out to exchange tips and grievances. Somewhat recently, I was crying on the streets after a certain person got elected president, and nobody seemed to share an ounce of rage. It hurt. It was made clear to me that you can retain your “OG” friends for life, but you need to constantly evolve your network to interact with those who are like-minded. By no means do you need to have the exact same interests, but at the most basic level we all need someone who can get outraged with you on the streets from time to time. But since I’ve missed out the two top opportunities to find friends as a young adult (college and work), I sought out new avenues, starting with attending networking events for young professionals. But then one day, I stumbled upon a fun article on xoJane about a site called GirlfriendSocial.com. I signed up with burning curiosity. It’s easy–all you need to is add a profile photo and fill out a few fields about yourself. Your name, interests, favorite books and movies, how shy (i.e. willing) you are to actually meet other people. Standard stuff. If you’ve ever online dated, it’s not too much different except you don’t have to worry as much about dick pics and/or catfishing. Here are a few things I’ve learned: You might not be looking for love, but you still make snap judgments based on the bullet lists in people’s profiles. Let’s keep it real. While I would totally become BFFs with a witty 21-year-old in real life if it happened organically and sparks were flying everywhere, I’m not going to message a 21-year-old online. I also avoided people whose activity interests were only snowboarding, mountain climbing, sky diving and bird watching. I prefer the Bachelor-watching, British contemporary fiction-reading, brunch-eating type of friend. Looks don’t matter. I’ve heard that women actually do choose their friends based on how they look (I have no idea what their criteria are… I mean who actively looks for, in the words of Elle Woods, “unfortunate-looking” friends?). But I didn’t pay attention to appearance. You could have serial killer vibes and I would still message you if you “love discussing the latest self-help books over a glass of rosé”. You still got to put in some effort. I naively thought finding girlfriends online would be as easy as sending 15 form messages per day. (Now I know why guys do it on dating sites! Kind of.) But you should really tailor your messages based on their interests, sort of like how you’re supposed to customize your cover letters to employers. I, too, was more likely to respond to a girl if she got specific, or at the very least: “I love your braids!” You may be contacted by women who kind of act like the guys your single online-dating girlfriends gripe about. A girl messaged me and she seemed like a real cool intelligent human being based on her profile. We ended up chatting in-app for a bit, mainly about what we were cooking that night for dinner. We moved our conversation to text, and that’s when I noticed: Her texts were epically long. I’m talking, so long that her phone broke up her message into three message bubbles and I needed to scroll to read. That’s fine, but she wouldn’t stop texting me exact details of her schedule for the next three months. Then she called me. When I didn’t pick up, she called me from an unknown number. I picked up thinking it was a client, then hung up quickly because I felt weird about the unknown-number ruse. She then proceeded to text novellas for a few weeks reiterating we need to set up a time to meet up. She eventually got ornery and sent me her final words: “GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR FRIENDSHIP SEARCH.” (I admit, I was wrong for not blatantly telling her I wasn’t interested but it felt really mean and foreign saying that to another woman so I chose the cowardly option of neglect.) Another girl was normal and sweet, so we decided to meet for happy hour on a Friday. Something came up early that morning so I texted her asking to postpone. She responded: “Actually I’m not available either! I was waiting for you to text me to cancel, lol.” What? You will eventually succeed at finding a friend. So far, I’ve connected with two other girls who’ve been fun to chat with: A and D. I’ve been exchanging texts with them and it almost feels like they’ve been my friends, not strangers I met on the internet. Isn’t that a good sign? I’m pretty sure I had the same feeling when I met my fiancee on Match.com. Plus, these potential friends are 50% of the people I’ve chatted with (the two others are mentioned above). That’s a solid statistic. Since these two gals, I’ve been dormant on the site for about three months and eventually canceled. But I did end up meeting D. She invited me to her birthday party at a local bar and I decided to go because, well, that was the whole point right? Granted the bar was verging on becoming a club so it was hard to have a substantial conversation, but she turned out to be chill and friendly. But here’s the interesting part: The three other party-goers were also people she met on GirlfriendSocial.com! This is proof that even though online “friend” dating is the new online “romantic/fling/hookup” dating (i.e. people don’t want to admit they’re doing it), there are fun, fabulous females who are down with it. As of now, although I can’t say I’ve found my Abbi (anybody would only be so lucky), I have to say that I feel more connected already knowing there are always options, for me and for the over 40,000 other women on the site who are just like me: not loners, but seeking someone new who “isn’t overly attached to your significant other,” “knows the value of a genuine friendship,” and “likes to have a fun time, drama-free.” If you have time to invest in a new friend, give your Internet neighbors a chance. You never know who will come clicking their way into your life. friendshiponline I wanna hang out with you Sarah! 🙂 P.s. I tried an app called Hey Vina before but everyone on there loved yoga and hiking and that’s it :/ Kim Do says: Have A Side Of Egg Whites With Your Facial Everything You Want To Know About Hair Extensions (But Are Afraid to Ask) Korean Beauty Is Taking Over Your Beauty Cabinet (and Here’s Why) Getting Ready Can Be The Best Part About Dating Ugly Lesson: Finding Beauty In My Mother’s Battle With Cancer Luxury Brands That Are Changing the Vegan Skincare Game The Ultimate List of Best Acne Masks for the Clearest Skin of Your Life Makeup Madeover ® \| All Rights Reserved 2020 Hey Buddy!, I found this information for you: "I Know You Think Online Friend-Searching Is Weird, So I Tried It For You". Here is the website link: https://makeupmadeover.com/how-to-find-friends-online/. Thank you. Want to be a card-carrying member of TMB? Sign up for our newsletter!	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1401
__label__cc	0.520417	0.479583	An Act establishing a sick leave bank for Donna Paul, an employee of the Department of Correction By Mr. Ross, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2166) (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Richard J. Ross and Elizabeth A. Poirier for legislation to establish a sick leave bank for Donna Paul, an employee of the Department of Correction. Public Service. Richard J. Ross Emergency Preamble Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to establish forthwith a sick leave bank for a certain employee of the department of correction, therefore, it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience. 8/24/2017 Senate Referred to the committee on Rules of the two branches, acting concurrently 8/31/2017 Senate Rules suspended 8/31/2017 Senate Referred to the committee on Public Service 9/21/2017 House House concurred 10/2/2017 Senate Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Senate Ways and Means 10/26/2017 Senate Committee recommended ought to pass 10/26/2017 Senate Rules suspended 10/26/2017 Senate Read second, ordered to a third reading, read a third time and passed to be engrossed 10/27/2017 House Read; and refrred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling 11/20/2017 House Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting 11/20/2017 House Rules suspended 11/20/2017 House Read second and ordered to a third reading 9/13/2018 House Read third and passed to be engrossed 9/17/2018 House Emergency preamble adopted 9/17/2018 Senate Emergency preamble adopted S.2437 191st (Current) An Act establishing a sick leave bank for Aurora Wilber, an employee of the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing An Act establishing a sick leave bank for Elliot Brown, an employee of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services H.4314 191st (Current) An Act establishing a sick leave bank for Michael A. Daigle, an employee of the Department of Correction An Act establishing a sick leave bank for Robert Aronosky, an employee of the Worcester County House of Correction An Act establishing a sick leave bank for Shannon Ondras, an employee of the Trial Court of the Commonwealth	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1403
__label__wiki	0.677296	0.677296	Christmas supertyphoon NinaPH/Nock-Ten update Author: eli j obligacion \| Sunday, December 25, 2016 \| Issued at: 7:00 AM PhT (23:00 GMT) Sunday 25 December 2016 Next update: Sunday Afternoon, 25 December 2016 Current Status and Outlook Super Typhoon NOCK-TEN (NINA) has maintained its strength as it continues to move slowly closer to the eastern coasts of Bicol Region. Deteriorating weather conditions are expected today across Northern Samar and Bicol Region. This super typhoon is expected to continue moving in a generally westerly track within the next 24 hours at a speed of 17 km/hr, and shall consequently weaken as it interacts with the landmass of Bicol Region and due to the entrainment of cold and dry air of the Northeast Monsoon (Amihan). Residents are advised to take full precautionary measures as Nock-ten (Nina) is forecast to make its first landfall over the island province of Catanduanes tonight. Where is “NOCK-TEN” (NINA)? As of 5:00 AM PhT today, December 25…2100 GMT. The eye was located over the mid-western part of Central Philippine Sea (near 13.6N 126.3E), about 226 km east of Virac, Catanduanes or 282 km east of Legazpi City, Albay. How strong is it? Maximum Sustained Winds (10-min avg): 225 kph near the center…Gustiness: 275 kph Where is it heading? It was moving West @ 13 kph, towards Catanduanes and Camarines Sur. Potential Landfall Area(s): Over Catanduanes on the evening of Christmas Day, Dec 25th between 5-7pm, with a high Strike Probability of 80-90%; and over Eastern Camarines Sur or Eastern Albay Area between 9-11pm Dec 25th, with a high Strike Probability of 80-90%. What Philippine areas will be most affected? : Bicol Region and Southern Quezon – beginning Sunday Noon, Christmas Day (Dec 25) through Monday Morning (Dec 26). Where Damaging Winds of >100 km/hr will be expected. Potential Storm Surge/Coastal Flooding Areas+ : Bicol Region, Southern Quezon and Northern Samar – beginning Sunday morning, Christmas Day (Dec 25) through Monday morning (Dec 26). +Large and dangerous batttering waves with inundation can be expected along the coastal, inland lakes and beach front areas of the above areas. 3-Day Forecast Outlook Summary* MONDAY EARLY MORNING: Downgraded from Super Typhoon (Category 4) to a Category 3 Typhoon as it traverses the central part of Bicol…about 21 km west of Naga City, Camarines Sur [2AM DEC 26: 13.6N 123.0E @ 170kph]. Confidence Level: HIGH. TUESDAY EARLY MORNING: Emerges over the West Philippine Sea after crossing Southern Tagalog Provinces…just a Tropical Storm (TS), about 284 km west of Metro Manila [2AM DEC 27: 14.9N 118.4E @ 110kph]. Confidence Level: LOW. WEDNESDAY EARLY MORNING: Just barely a Tropical Storm (TS) as it is about to leave the western border of the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) and begins to bend southwestward…about 541 km west of Subic Bay, Zambales [2AM DEC 28: 14.6N 115.3E @ 65kph]. Confidence Level: LOW. Important Note: Please be reminded that the Forecast Outlook changes every 6 hours, and the Day 2 and 3 Forecast Track has an average error of 100 and 250 km respectively…while the wind speed forecast error, averages 35 km/hr per day. Therefore, a turn to the left or right of its future track and changes in its wind speed must be anticipated from time to time. - Source: WeatherPH ************* ******************** Super Typhoon Nock-ten to threaten lives, property in Philippines on Christmas By Kristina Pydynowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Nock-ten strengthened to a super typhoon prior to threatening lives and property across the central Philippines on Christmas Day. The environment is prime for Nock-ten, locally known as Nina, to remain a very powerful typhoon as it churns westward through the Philippine Sea. The strength of Nock-ten is equivalent to that of a Category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific oceans. Wind, rain and seas will increase around Nock-ten as it intensifies, creating dangerous conditions for shipping interests. Residents of the central and northern Philippines should have made or should be making all necessary storm preparations in advance of the storm. Residents should heed any evacuation orders. The projected track of Nock-ten sends it into the Bicol region on Sunday with destructive winds and flooding rainfall. The typhoon should continue to blast westward over far southern Luzon Island and northern Mindoro Island into Sunday night. While land interaction will cause some weakening, damaging winds and torrential rain will continue along Nock-ten’s path. Source: AccuWeather DISASTER, Typhoon NinaPH	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1408
__label__wiki	0.579267	0.579267	Home Biography Luis Suarez Luis Suarez Biography Updated On 25 Mar, 2019 Published On 17 Jan, 2015 Facts of Luis Suarez 5 Feet 11 Inch Luis Alberto Suarez Diaz Working For Uruguayan national team, Liverpool 10 million pounds Sofia Balbi Delfina Suarez and Benjamin Suarez Relationship short Statistics of Luis Suarez What is Luis Suarez marital status ? ( married,single, in relation or divorce): How many children does Luis Suarez have ? (name): Is Luis Suarez having any relationship affair ?: Yes1 affair Is Luis Suarez Gay ? 1 Affair 1 Marriage 2 Children Starting out as a young trainee, Luis Suarez made his professional level debut in 2003 for football team Nacional. Growing up in Salto, he had always wanted to be a professional footballer. After playing for a couple of years for clubs like Groningen, his career took the first hype after he joined the Dutch football giants Ajax in 2007. Afterward, he joined England's Liverpool football club and became the highest scoring scorer in English Premier League season 2013/14. He then moved on a 4 year deal to Spanish giants F.C Barcelona. Luis Suarez's Personal Life He started dating his girlfriend Sofia Balbi at the age of 15. The couple married in 2009 and they have a daughter Delfina Suarez and two sons Lautaro Suarez and Benjamin Suarez. Family TIME imposible mirar todos en la foto. LOS AMO, MIS AMORES A post shared by Luis Suarez (@luissuarez9) on Mar 3, 2019 at 9:50am PST The sports star is active on Instagram where he frequently shares adorable images of his family. Luis Suarez's Net worth He amassed an attractive net worth of about $70 million as of 2019. Luis Suarez's Wiki-Bio Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz was born on 24 January 1987 in Salto, Uruguay. Also Read: Earl Thomas' Married Life Apart from his fantastic goal scoring abilities, he is also famous for his strange attacks on opponent players, biting then with his bunny-like teeth. Discover: Alan Shearer's Personal Life He has been fined and banned for his misconduct on the pitch with the Serbian Branislav Ivanovic and recently in 2014 FIFA World Cup against Georgio Chilleni. Apart from his career, you can also read about his personal life in this article. Luis Suarez Affairs Affair with Veronica Rodriguez Although for a very short period of time, Luis was believed to be romantically involved with this Venezuelan model. Luis Suarez Married Marriage with Sophia Balbi Married date: March, , 2009 Married He had been dating Sophia for a long time, before they finally got married amongst friends and family in Uruguay. Luis Suarez Children SON : Benjamin Suarez Mother: Luis Suarez Ben was born as the couple's first child, when Luis was playing in Ajax. He was born in a hospital. DAUGHTER : Delfina She was born as the couple's second child, and the first daughter. During her birth, her father was playing for his country in the South American cup.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1411
__label__wiki	0.861447	0.861447	Search results for 'James Howlett' About 9,500 results for James Howlett James Howlett (Earth-616) as "Logan" was born James Howlett, the illegitimate son of Elizabeth Howlett (who was married to John Howlett, owner of a large estate) and the Howletts' grounds-keeper, Thomas Logan. As a boy, James was https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/James_Howlett_(Earth-616) James Howlett With a past shrouded in mystery, Wolverine's memories are full of government secrets, traumatic events, and death. Remembering only escaping Weapon X and later joining Alpha Flight, the man known as Logan was approached https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/James_Howlett James Howlett (Earth-807128) This is an abridged version of Logan's history. For a complete history see Logan's Expanded History This Logan's life was originally thought to be identical to that of the primary iteration of https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/James_Howlett_(Earth-807128) James Howlett (Earth-1610) Wolverine was a mutant whose primary ability was an accelerated healing factor that enabled him to regenerate damaged or destroyed bodily tissue with far greater speed and efficiency than an ordinary human. Wolverine's healing https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/James_Howlett_(Earth-1610) Prior to Apocalypse taking over North America and decimating much of the rest of the world, Logan was traveling through Japan. He rescued young Mariko Yashida from members of the Yakuza. This angered her half James Howlett (Earth 616)/Expanded History A number of the incidents recounted of Wolverine's life are cited to have occurred in specific decades relative to the era of publication. However, the Earth-616 universe operates on a Sliding Timescale these https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/James_Howlett_(Earth_616)/Expanded_History James Howlett (Earth-14412) Logan's history seemingly mirrors his mainstream counterpart's history up to the point King Loki completely wiped out humankind to make his brother Thor suffer. Logan died under unknown circumstances, but he was later https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/James_Howlett_(Earth-14412) James Howlett was Governor-General of Dominion of Canada, and Viceroy of Her Majesty's Expedition to Shangri-La. He had several adventures with Hercules, the pair becoming their world's greatest heroes. They eventually Born in Canada sometime in 1832, James Howlett's mutant powers first manifested in 1845 during a moment of wild rage, after witnessing the death of his father at the hands of Thomas Logan. Grief Little is detailed about Wolverine’s life before the zombie plague arrived on Earth-2149, however, it can be presumed that it followed much the same path as his Earth-616 counterpart. At the Xavier James Howlett (Earth-616)/Gallery Gallery: Character Gallery: J: James Howlett (Earth-616) Gallery: Character Gallery: J: James Howlett (Earth-616) See Also Main Article: James Howlett (Earth-616), Image List: James Howlett (Earth-616) https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/James_Howlett_(Earth-616)/Gallery presumed at this point in time, he was aware of his full identity as Fury calls him Howlett. Sometime after this, James was recruited into Team X, a top-secret black ops mutant team sponsored is as yet unrecorded, however it can be assumed that it is similar to that of his Earth-616 counterpart (at least aspects of his boyhood in the Howlett home and experiences in Weapon X). his mainstream counterpart, with some differences about his family's history, starting with his elder brother John Howlett Jr., who did not die when Logan/James was an infant. John Howlett Jr., believed to be Cable's life was identical to the present time Wolverine, until Apocalypse arrived and battled the X-Men. Many of the team died during the battle, and Apocalypse absorbed Cable's healing factor and ripped The history of Logan seemingly resembles that of his Earth-10005 counterpart, but it diverges at an unknown period of time. After a seizure caused Professor X's telepathy to go out of control and James Howlett (Earth-TRN414) https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/James_Howlett_(Earth-TRN414) James Howlett (Temporal Paradox) (Earth-61112) The story of Wolverine followed the same path as his Earth-616 counterpart until the return of Ultron. Ultron lauched a massive and sudden attack on New York, and the rest of the world, quickly https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/James_Howlett_(Temporal_Paradox)_(Earth-61112) Much of Wolverine's history matches that of his Earth-616 counterparts, however there are some major divergences that are made apparent in terms of his origins and his genetic backgrounds. When the Wolverine of Logan was watching a hockey game when it was suddenly interrupted by a battle between Spider-Man and the Rhino, during which Spider-Man started eating the Rhino. He was soon subdued by the Fantastic History of character is unknown. Trivia In Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, there is a second playable Wolverine with his claws made of normal bone rather than the usual covered by adamantium Little is known of Wolverine's past, save that it was fraught with pain and loss. This much is known: his real name is James Howlett but he prefers to be called Logan. Long ago A subject of a Weapon X experiment who had his memory erased multiple times, Logan was used as a weapon on multiple missons, including those in Kabul, Bago and Pyongyang, before eventually escaping. He attempted After the death of Tony Stark and the hostile takeover of Stark Industries by Obadiah Stane, Logan became a boat captain in order to stop cargo being transported by Stane International. During a messed up Wolverine is one of the heroes infected by the Symbiotes. He first appears in Spider-Man Web of Shadows when Spider-Man goes to Hell's Kitchen where he fights him, believing that Spider-Man The Expanse Wiki Humanity has colonized the solar system – Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond – but the stars are still out of our reach. However, one small ship can change the fate of the universe... The Expanse is a science… The Best Pop Culture April Fools’ Jokes of 2016 ‘Pokémon Sun and Moon’ – More New Monsters Confirmed (UPDATED)	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1413
__label__cc	0.634194	0.365806	Mary Holm NZ’s most trusted personal finance journalist Book: Rich Enough? Articles & Audio NZ Herald Q&A Column Money Talk column RNZ Radio eBooklet: Upside, Downside NZ Herald 29 July 2017 HomeNZ Herald 29 July 2017 This article was published on 29 July 2017. Some information may be out of date. Why term deposit returns now beat old returns above 10% Is it OK if an employer makes employees pay their own KiwiSaver employer contributions? Is it better to pay down the mortgage fast or be in KiwiSaver? Might a fees-only financial adviser still accept commissions? QWhat’s the future of term deposit interest rates? There’s absolutely no incentive to save with current interest rates. This is the opinion of many people I know who ask government to stop taxing interest income. It’s no use a bank economist saying we are not saving enough when he fails to recognise that people are stupid to do so with current interest rates. AI was once sailing in a smallish yacht through the narrow stretch of a harbour. The sails were full and we seemed to be going full-steam — sorry, full-sail — ahead. It felt great. But when we looked at the shoreline we realised we were actually going backwards. The force of the tide was stronger than the force of the wind. Some time later, the wind had dropped and the tide had changed. The sailing wasn’t nearly as exhilarating, but we were getting where we wanted to go. Investing in bank term deposits in the late 1960s to early 1980s was like the first experience. It felt wonderful to earn interest well into the teens. Your savings balance zoomed up. The only trouble was — as our graph shows — inflation was even higher than interest rates. Your $1000 term deposit might be $1120 a year later, but you could buy less with the $1120 than you could with the $1000 the year before. You were sailing backwards. These days, your $1000 might be just $1030 a year later — at an interest rate of 3 per cent. But with inflation at just 1.7 per cent, your buying power is growing. Your yacht is making progress. And that’s all that matters with money. As anyone who has used a foreign currency when travelling knows, it’s not about the numbers, but what you can buy with your cash. Let’s add tax into the mix. In the bad old days, after paying lots of tax on your interest you were even further behind. These days, you can still come out ahead after tax. There’s a good argument — and I’ve made it before — for adjusting tax brackets to match inflation, so that we don’t pay higher tax just because our incomes have grown with inflation. But while “bracket creep” should stop, it isn’t nearly as bad as it was in the 70s and 80s. Sorry, but I can’t see why we should stop taxing term deposit interest altogether, while continuing to tax other forms of income. All in all, term deposits are not too bad a deal these days, especially if you do the following: Shop around. That’s easy on websites such as www.interest.co.nz. It shows, for example, that several banks are offering more than 3 per cent for 12 months on $5000, and more than 4 per cent for five years on $5000. Go to your own bank and ask if they can raise their rate for you. Several people have said that worked for them. Consider similar alternatives with somewhat higher average returns. Bank-run PIE term funds give many people a tax break. With cash managed funds — run by KiwiSaver providers and others — your money isn’t tied up. But your return will vary — which might be good or bad — and you’ll pay fees. On your question about future interest rates, nobody knows. Many say rates will rise — given they are low by historical standards. But other experts say conditions have changed, and rates may stay lower from now on. In light of that, it’s a good idea to have some deposits maturing soon and some further down the track. QI was particularly interested in a recent Q&A about employers’ responsibilities towards paying KiwiSaver contributions. My employer deducts the employer contributions from the wages of those who choose to be in KiwiSaver — so effectively I am contributing 4 per cent as an employee then 4 per cent of my own money as the employer contribution. Their argument is that individuals who aren’t in KiwiSaver would effectively be on a lower salary if they didn’t do this, and that as a small business (20–30 employees) they could not afford to increase everyone’s wages by 4 per cent. However, I believe that’s the point — as an incentive to join KiwiSaver! I queried this with the Citizens Advice Bureau a few years back, and they said it was frowned upon but wasn’t actually breaking any rules. However, I am curious as to whether you think this practice is legitimate? ATotal remuneration, as it’s sometimes called, is certainly legal. It was banned by the Labour government in mid-2008, but allowed again by National after it won the election that year. Some people agree with your bosses, that total remuneration is fairer to those who don’t join KiwiSaver. Others take your view, that employers are meant to be incentivising people to join. And I tend to be on your side. But there’s not a lot you can do about it — except perhaps say when negotiating a pay rise: “You’re saving by not contributing to KiwiSaver, so how about giving me more money in my hand?” If you think you’re contributing too much, you could reduce your contributions to 3 per cent plus 3 per cent. Ask your employer to adjust it. QIs it worth joining KiwiSaver or better to concentrate on paying off the mortgage in our situation? I am 36, my partner 30. We have a $400,000 mortgage on a fixed term that will expire next year. We are saving a minimum of $1,000 each month (but planning to increase this to $2,000), to pay off a lump of the mortgage when the term expires. We’re both on good incomes, so are hoping to keep ratchetting up our savings each month to pay the mortgage off in 10 years. Neither of us is in KiwiSaver. We were living overseas, and when we moved back were able to buy our first house without it, so did not see the point of joining. Here is the crux — we both work in jobs where we have total remuneration packages in our contracts, where our employers’ KiwiSaver contributions are deducted from the total package. If we join and start contributing, our pay cheques would not only decrease by the 3 per cent we contribute but also by the 3 per cent employer contribution. We do not want to lose this 6 per cent as we want to put it towards the mortgage. Is it still worth joining just to pay in the minimum to get the maximum government contribution? Or would it make more sense to put that $1,043 towards the mortgage? But would waiting until we’ve paid off the mortgage be leaving it too late to start retirement savings? AYour goal is presumably to reach retirement with a mortgage-free home and a big chunk of savings. It’s wise for everyone with a mortgage to ask your question: Is it better to contribute to KiwiSaver while paying down the mortgage, or skip KiwiSaver and put as much as possible into getting rid of the loan first? Unfortunately, the answer depends on the assumptions you make about future mortgage interest rates, KiwiSaver returns, and so on — things we can only estimate. Generally, employees whose employers pay their KiwiSaver contributions are likely to be better off in the scheme and contributing 3 per cent — to get their maximum tax credits and employer contributions. Any further savings should go into mortgage payments. But it’s a harder choice for you, without employer contributions. You suggest the possibility of putting in just $1043 a year, to get the maximum $521 tax credit. But you won’t be able to do that in the first year. As an employee, you must contribute at least 3 per cent of your pay, and in your case also the employer’s 3 per cent. However, after a year you can take a contributions holiday for up to five years, and then repeat that until you retire. And while on holiday you can put in the $1043 each year, perhaps as an automatic transfer of $87 a month. At that stage, you’re in the same position as the self-employed and other non-employees. Because you miss out on employer contributions, it’s not as clear that KiwiSaver beats mortgage repayment. Mathematically it might, but it might not. I think, though, that KiwiSaver tends to win for a few reasons: Psychologically many people like to see a retirement savings fund growing. And the fund will be all set up for you to shovel much more money into once your mortgage is paid off. In the meantime, you’re learning about how markets rise and fall and rise again. There’s nothing like having “skin in the game” to take an interest. Your savings are diversified into shares, bonds and so on, rather than all being in property. This reduces your over-all risk. In your case, you’ve got that expensive first year to get through. But the money is still yours, sitting in KiwiSaver for many years with compounding growth. It will give your KiwiSaver accounts a great start. One more tip: Once your mortgage fixed term expires, consider making some of the loan a revolving credit mortgage. That will enable you to put all your income to work reducing your mortgage interest payments. P.S. I love your stroppy attitude towards your mortgage! Increasing your savings each month is a great strategy. QI’m interested to know more about fee-based financial advisers. You mentioned the consumer should pick a fee-based adviser because they are unbiased on investment options. However, can a fee-based financial adviser also take commissions from investment service providers? Is there any law stopping them? When I interview those fee-based advisers, is there any way to frame the question so they have to tell me the truth? AI suggest you just ask them outright, in person, “Do you receive any commissions?” According to the Financial Markets Authority, all financial service providers, including advisers, have to “tell you if they get paid by someone other than you — for example through commission.” If you’re considering the fees-only advisers listed on the Info on Advisers page on www.maryholm.com, they have all agreed to the following: “I guarantee that when I give any new client investment advice or help them to make any investments, the only money or other consideration I receive is explicitly stated fees that I charge the client. Any commissions or other considerations I receive from financial firms or others are passed on in full to the client.” But I also say on that page, “Please note: I’m not in a position to check what the advisers in this table have told me. I’m relying on readers to report back if an adviser doesn’t stick to what they’ve said, so please tell me!” The fact is that somebody could cheat. Usually, though, they get caught out in the end. Perhaps a former employee or someone from the organization paying the commission tells. Mary Holm is a freelance journalist, a director of Financial Services Complaints Ltd (FSCL), a seminar presenter and a bestselling author on personal finance. From 2011 to 2019 she was a founding director of the Financial Markets Authority. Her opinions are personal, and do not reflect the position of any organisation in which she holds office. Mary’s advice is of a general nature, and she is not responsible for any loss that any reader may suffer from following it. Send questions to [email protected] or click here. Letters should not exceed 200 words. We won’t publish your name. Please provide a (preferably daytime) phone number. Unfortunately, Mary cannot answer all questions, correspond directly with readers, or give financial advice. Financial advisersFixed interest investmentsInflationKiwiSaverMortgagesTerm deposits Mary’s weekly Q&A column appears in the Business section of the Weekend Herald. Her monthly Money Talk column appears in the Australian Women’s Weekly NZ edition. Every second Thursday, at about 3:10 pm, Mary discusses personal finance issues with Jesse Mulligan on RNZ National. NZ Herald 21 December 2019 Money Talk December 2019 RNZ Radio 12 December 2019 NZ Herald 7 December 2019 Free eBooklet: Upside, Downside Info on Advisers Bio: Something About Mary © Mary Holm 2001–2019	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1414
__label__cc	0.611816	0.388184	Category: Geometry Just when I was getting into finding out about the contemporary Western relationship to esotericism and the occult, a friend sends me a selection of facebook screenshots he thought I might enjoy. I did enjoy it immensely, not just because peoples reactions are so great, but because it provided a nice little insight into exactly what I was curious about. From digging around online I’ve come to the conclusion that a sort of vague ‘witchiness’ is very popular right now. As long as it’s got some connections to nature and you can indulge in some enjoyable consumerism in the form of sage smudge sticks or sliver pentacle necklaces, it seems reasonably acceptable by the (non-religious) western mainstream. I don’t think the same can be said for things that lean in a more ‘occult’ direction though. What fascinates me is the fear induced by geometry; namely any geometry that appears in-situ within a building (one could almost say an installation). Ritual circles on the floor really get the blood pumping, then add a five-pointed star, or a hexagon, or similar and satan is on the loose! It’s quite wonderful that geometric shapes have so much power over otherwise jaded and skeptical adults. The excitement of finding a couple of circles under the carpet of an old house was so exhilarating that it migrated from facebook and onto the front page of the NZ Herald – I bet the owners didn’t expect that much curiosity! Is this the last real bastion of true superstitious fear in western culture? I was thinking that you could perhaps chuck hauntings in there as well, but the reaction to ghosts vs floor-geometry does appear a bit different. Hauntings, as well as offering the exhilaration of fear, also offer answers; the possibility of an afterlife or existence in another place and the chance to connect with it. Occultism only puts forward questions. Find some fancy floor-geometry under your carpet and you’re just going to be left with more questions than you started with even if you can find someone to tell you what it is and who made it. Just quietly, I suspect that either someone who lived in the house 30 years ago wanted spooky rooms for fun (bunch o goths) or there was someone who did some general non-specific ritual work and wanted a circle for it. There is certainly nothing in either of those circles that tells you much about what they might have been used for. I’ve included screenshots of the original post and some of my fave comments. These were shared on a public forum, but I have removed all names. If anyone has any thought’s about contemporary western society’s relationship to the occult, please do leave me a comment as I’m very curious… Mikala Dwyer @ Hopkinson Mossman 2016 Last Friday I popped into Hopkinson Mossman gallery to enjoy the Mikala Dwyer solo show – I’m a big fan of her work but had never seen an entire gallery install. On entering the gallery there are three of her robe costumes on the lefthand side, with one of her hanging ‘necklaces’ on the right. On entering the main gallery space you encounter three large painted banners, a hanging mobile-type structure and a number of of her fetishistic ritual objects. There was no one else in the gallery which was quite nice because I could spend time with the works and get up close for a good look at the different objects. The large draped banners immediately reminded me of sacred geometric designs, of mandalas and of the Tree of Life. They changed an became more three dimensional or more flat depending on the angle they were viewed from. The sculptural objects that sat on them seemed like chess pieces waiting to be moved activating the composition. i felt they had a potentiality about them in the sense that they could be performed – the costumes also have this but in a more obvious way because the viewer is quite aware that they could be worn. Perhaps the positioning of the robes and headwear at the entrance to the ain space signalled that an initiate could don the robes and activate the space? Between 2 of the banners hangs a totemic mobile. It guards the space and the viewer feels that even though they could walk through to the other side, they probably shouldn’t if they know what’s good for them. Maybe donning the mask and robe would make it a safer journey? The feeling of a gateway or passage to another space is amplified by the use of semi-translucent material, translucent gauze and reflective mirror. The mirror does the trick of reflecting back the shapes and objects as well as the viewer and bouncing you around between the structures in the space. Dwyer uses some wonderful objects in her assemblages. The weirdness and clashing nature of them activate the ritual totemic urgency in the work, creating a dialogue between the materials. In her large necklace piece I particularly enjoyed the lumpy clay weights that hung heavily from the ends of the chain. They served to make the other elements on the ‘decorative’ part of the necklace seem all the more special, magical and precious. On both the necklace and in the main room assemblages there are some of Dwyers trademark moulded pieces; some with other objects embedded in – or more accurately consumed by – the malleable substrate. The multi-hued metallic glaze she has used is like an oil slick over their lumpy surface. Somehow the install manages to be both noisey and quiet at the same time. You could very well sit and meditate on the geometric constructs, but you have to be prepared to deal with the cacophony of bold colour and clashing objects. ‘The Hive’ by Wolfgang Buttress and Tristan Simmonds in Kew Gardens Continued interest by artist and designers in the wonders of bees; Wolfgang Buttress and Tristan Simmonds create a giant hive installation that responds to the activities of Kew Garden’s resident bees. LED lighting within the structure responds to the hum within the nearby hives giving visitors insight into the activities and moods of the gardens residents. http://www.thisiscolossal.com/tags/installation/ Wolfgang Buttress and Tristan Simones (2015) The Hive Sydney Biennale Part 2 On the secondary Justine and I caught the train out to Newtown for breakfast and wandered back into the city stopping at Biennale venues along the way. The Carriageworks hosts the Embassy of Disappearance. “The Embassy of Disappearance addresses themes such as absence, memory, history and archaeology, and concerns in relation to natural resources, politics of spaces and questions of ownership of land.” Rosenthal, S. (2016) The Guide. Sydney, Australia: 20th Biennale of Sydney. Gerald Machona (2012) Uri Afronaut The Afronaut works but Gerald Machona were both amusing and poignant. We see the outfits the Afronauts wear displayed as sculptural relics, as well as their journey in the form of a video piece. The costumes made of decommissioned currency parallel the state of the disenfranchised legal alien adrift in their own land. The Afronaut characters reference ‘Nyau’, a form of ritual dance incorporating masks that originates in Malawi. Gerald Machona (2012) Uri Afrinaut Apichatpong Weerasethakul (2016) Home Movie Thai artist Apichatpong Weerasethakul creates film and experimental video works that address memory and representations of reality. He describes the work ‘Home Movie’ as being a ritual space in a cave-like environment where spectators gather to observe the light of the fire. I found this work mesmerising probably due to it’s elemental and ritual nature which are themes that appeal to me personally. I also spent a great deal of time watching the work and thinking about the way it was made; a ring of fire surrounded by fans that blow the fire in gusts and eventually become consumed themselves imitating a dying planet. Jus and I discussed how dangerous this would have been to make what with the electrical-powered fans slowly being consumed by flame. I was thinking about the kind of studio set-up you would require, what sort of fire regulations would need to be in place etc. It was much to our amusement that we discovered the piece is called ‘Home Movie”! The Embassy of Disappearance is a huge gallery space and I’ve only choose 2 works to show here, but we spent several hours there looking at all the pieces. I got really tangled up with whether certain pieces functioned effectively or not and Jus had to bring me back to the present so we could make it on to the next stage because we were both dying of thirst. After stopping for a drink and a sit-down we continued on to the Embassy of Transition which is housed in the beautiful Victorian Mortuary Station. “The Embassy of Transition is situated at the Mortuary Station, a former train station in Chippendale used until 1948 to transport coffins from the city to Rookwood Cemetery. Closely related to the Embassy of Spirits, this Embassy brings together two artists who each engage with cycles of life and death, and rites of passage more generally.” Charwei Tsai (2016) A Dedication to Those Who Have Passed Through Mortuary Station, Sydney Charwei Tsai’s coils of incense have scripts written on them in different languages that contemplate the Bardo (the state between death and rebirth). During the course of the Biennale the coils will burn away and will not be replaced. Looking at photos of her incense coils installed in different environments I felt that the Mortuary Station was very ‘busy’ in its setting, it’s ornamentation and style so that the quiet contemplation of the installation was lost. The meaning was still there, but the feeling of that state of transition between worlds was nullified by the visual clutter of new-victorian architecture and the busy tiled floor. I spent some time talking to the woman who had been employed to look after the works in this Embassy (mainly as a zoologist to care for the birds in Marco Chiandetti’s works). Apparently the install had its own set of challenges that I was grateful to hear about; its easy to forget that well established artists deal with the same sorts of unanticipated questions and challenges that we do. Tsai had decided to install the objects lower than she at first envisioned because they would be lost in the rafters and it was definitely more engaging for us viewers to walk amongst them. There was also the challenge of the wind speeding up the burning process – will they last for the entire Biennale? The ash was being blown around the area rather than making circles on the floor, so the attendant was sweeping it up periodically rather than leaving it as it would be in an interior install. Marco Chiandetti’s ‘The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where one ends and the other begins?’ was installed but not yet active. The large aviaries and birdseed objects were in place but the myna birds intended to inhabit the installation were not yet present due to a hold-up with animal welfare permits. I would very much like to see this work progress over the course of the next couple of months. We continued on the the Gallery of New South Wales to visit the Embassy of Spirits. Along with the Museum of Contemporary Art, this was the most traditional gallery space. “The early twenty-first century has seen a dangerous return to fats-based political conviction, with various belief structures becoming associated with extreme views, and violent and harmful acts that impinge on our everyday lives. A belief structure helps us to define what we think and believe about ourselves and the world. It is how we connect to the external world and environment in which we find ourselves. The Embassy of Spirits addresses the place in our lives of belief systems manifested in the form of religious and personal rituals.” Mella Jaarsma (2015-16) Dogwalk Dogwalk by Dutch artist Mella Jaarsma is a set of performative outfits and a video showing performers wearing the costumes within the bounds of a ‘dog walk’. Initially I found the outfits and the video deeply disturbing; I think this could be because I don’t eat meat and am very concerned about animal rights? The costumes with the calf skin trailing it’s legs along the ground (above centre) upset me the most because it seemed like a small animal being dragged to death. For me the ‘Dogwalk’ spoke of the different relationships humans have with animals that are considered companions and those that are considered food. Reading about the artist’s intent it is a similar idea from a different viewpoint; the animal skins are those that have been slaughtered in Islamic ritual, but are being compared to dogs that are considered unclean. There is also the juxtaposition between cultural relationships to animals; in the west we consider dogs companions, in Islamic countries they are haram. She also delves into the idea of the trickster in folklore, the shaman wearing the skins of animals, human-animal hybrids etc. It’s interesting because I’m not repulsed by shamanic characters in animal skins, maybe because there is a reverence at play? I saw no reverence in this use of skins which is perhaps what gave me such a negative reaction? The soundtrack music was jarring yet hypnotic and I felt it was very effective… I’m still not sure how to feel about this work, I think it was the one that affected me the most in terms of repulsion, but at the same time drew me in because I was fascinated by my own reaction. Nyapanyapa Yunupingu (2016) My Sister’s Ceremony Walking through the door from ‘Dogwalk’ you encounter Nyapanyapa Yunupingu’s My Sister’s Ceremony which I found to be a soothing reprieve from the animal carcasses. A cool, dimly lit room is dappled with light and filled with a dream forest of marked and engraved wooden poles. She uses a meditative mark-making practice as a kind of ritual and an expression of the action of her hands. Taro Shinoda (2016) Abstraction of Confusion I enjoy experiential environments and I feel they are a successful way to convey the subtleties of ritual otherworldly experience. ‘My Sisters Ceremony’ did this with darkness and quiet, a womb-like ambience. Taro Shinoda’s Abstraction of Confusion use’s space and bright light together with the cool scent of drying clay to create an environment that conjures the tranquility of zen contemplation. This is a place of stillness, abstraction and thought. The coolness and smell of the space are soothing and work to quiet the mind and promote introspection. Yin-Ju Chen (2014/2016) Liquidation Maps Finally, the ‘Liquidation Maps’ of Yin-Ju Chen. When Justine and I saw these we joked that they could be the unholy offspring of both of our art practices! We imagined my work and her work combining and giving birth to this show; detailed drawing, artefacts, alchemy, astronomy, macrocosm and microcosm, diagram-making and historical referencing all in one! In this installation Chen references important events in Chinese history then maps them as cosmic cartographies showing the position of the planets and the stars when the event unfolded. She references the interrelationships between cosmic events and human behaviour, the macrocosm and the microcosm. I appreciated how the works were displayed. Placing them in tables increased the cartographic and scientific presence, if they had been hung on the wall I feel they would have become more decorative and have held less weight. Outtake from filming 9/12/15 I’m very fortunate to have the kind of friends who let me dress them up and make them do weird stuff for the sake of my art practice. “There can be an infinite number of polygons, but only five regular solids. Four of the solids were associated with earth, fire, air and water. The cube for example represented earth. These four elements, they thought, make up terrestrial matter. So the fifth solid they mystically associated with the Cosmos. Perhaps it was the substance of the heavens. This fifth solid was called the dodecahedron. Its faces are pentagons, twelve of them. Knowledge of the dodecahedron was considered too dangerous for the public. Ordinary people were to be kept ignorant of the dodecahedron. In love with whole numbers, the Pythagoreans believed that all things could be derived from them. Certainly all other numbers. So a crisis in doctrine occurred when they discovered that the square root of two was irrational. That is: the square root of two could not be represented as the ratio of two whole numbers, no matter how big they were. “Irrational” originally meant only that. That you can’t express a number as a ratio. But for the Pythagoreans it came to mean something else, something threatening, a hint that their world view might not make sense…”. Carl Sagan – Cosmos ‘Episode 7, Backbone of Night’ Work in Progress January 2015 This is a record of the work I made in January 2015. Overall I think this is the least successful work, but I learned a lot of valuable stuff from actually making it. During the creation of the work I went through a repetitive production process that was bordering on ritualistic in it’s experience. The scent of the wax brought bees into the house and I had to go through a sort of ritual everyday around avoiding them, feeding them (because they got tired) and taking them back outside again at the end of the day. Creating the hexagon tiles involved a long process of heating, pouring, cooling, flattening, being very, very hot, getting burns and dodging excited bees. After creating this work it became obvious to me that the interest in the piece was within the creative process, not the tiles on the floor. They felt flat and lacking in the energy of their own creation – someone described them as being like a ‘sketch’ rather than a sculpture. During my feedback meeting Anders suggested the inclusion of the tools of making, of somehow bringing the energy of the bees and the feeling of the creation process into the work. This was very valuable for me and has informed my thinking ever since. Despite being somewhat disappointed in the finished piece, I’m very glad that I made it because I learned so much from what didn’t work and what I needed to think about to make it successful. Hex (2015) Beeswax, carbon, sandalwood, frankincense, myrrh Work from September 2014 I realised that I hadn’t posted progress photos of my work from September last year and January this year. Looking back on this work is curious… it’s interesting and it seems like a step towards what I’m trying to create, but just and experiment with materials and ideas. I went from the very clinical, minimalist object work in July to using much more natural materials and attempting a more active work. I say ‘attempting’ because it was an attempt and an experiment rather than a success. I found a great deal of enjoyment working with wax, wood and resin. I also found that scent and some sort of sensual experience is an important part of the work I want to create. Artist’s Statement: “Examining the role of boundaries and thresholds in establishing areas of safety and discomfort. Creating ritual ‘happenings’ that instigate a transformation and leave behind a residue or resolution. I have started to push into areas I discovered in both semester one and two; working through viewers reactions to exclusionary subject matter. When an event happens inside a performative space how does that affect the viewer? What if it breaks out of that space? What if the viewer has to step inside a delineated boundary? Can a threshold be captured inside a boundary and diffused or made ‘safe’?” Holy Smoke: An Adoration of Our Star (2014) (pine, copper, beeswax, glass, obsidian, charcoal, benzoin resin, kauri gum, frankincense, Abramelin resin, voice.) Fools Gold (2014) (pine, beeswax, salt, pyrite, myrrh resin) This work set me up to look at trace and residue of rituals or other performative happenings. It got me thinking about performance as a viable practice for me and it pushed me to acknowledge that my work was too ‘poised’ and therefore lacked the legitimacy of a real happening, even when one had occurred. It also made me think about the positioning of elements within a space and how the viewer experienced them. Does performance occur in the space? How is it documented? What does it leave? Could the happening be about to occur rather than have finished? Could it be occurring during viewing? It also got me thinking about using the elements of esoteric ritual in a less obvious way; e.g. beeswax can say what it needs to say without being a candle. I constructed a natural pine platform/altar with an enclosing glass and copper box on top. Using the idea from John Dee’s Enochian system of using wax as an insulator I filled the base of the platform with beeswax and sat the feet on 4 beeswax disks to keep it from touching the ground. Charcoals were set on 4 pieces of obsidian and lit to burn 4 types of resinous gum. A ritual adoration for the sun was performed (necessity meant it had to be performed outside due to fire alarms which meant the ritual was not in the gallery space and also a lot of the smell was lost). The ritual was then enclosed in the box where the the smoke pooled and finally died leaving only melted wax, charred carbon and a lingering scent. The altar during the ritual adoration. A test of the work at home showing the smoke-filled case. This work was a broken ring of salt and basalt with a ‘popped’ box shooting resin crystals outside the confines of the circle. I used the same materials for this work as for the previous one, but although I really enjoy the objects and the overall idea, I think this work mostly failed. It was a good test for me to experience what would happen if I made a work like this and let me see how much further it needed to be pushed. Sculpture for a possible future Ashley Zelinskie works in a future where we have reached the singularity and machines live on par with humans. Her work examines the way machines and humans view the word differently and how works can be made that can be appreciated by both. Her laser cut and 3d printed objects are covered with hexadecimal code which, in the simplest sense, allows both human and machine to observe the object – if a computer were to read the code it would ‘see’ the object. There are some interesting questions within her work around how to teach machines to see art, how to give them an appreciation of the subtle, the non-logical. But I’m not sure where the work goes from there? If this future she imagines is not reached then does the work become less? If machines do become able to read the work does it lose it’s place as an artwork and become utilitarian? What is the value in machines being able to appreciate art? Is it an attempt to make them understand the human experience? Why would they need to do that? There are also some questions for me around the use of laser cut and 3d printed materials to produce work that has meaning beyond being an aesthetically pleasing item. I love the aesthetics of her work, but being seduced by aesthetics is an easy trap to fall into. I feel like the use of these new technologies is a very tricky area thats more complicated than, say, the use of fabricated works by the Minimalist sculptors, because it’s such a seductive method that allows the maker to easily create things that would have previously required intensive labour. But like Adobe software doesn’t necessarily create good design, a method like laser cutting doesn’t necessity make good art and, as artists, we need to be careful of being seduced by new technological methods unless our work specifically requires use of those methods. It seems to work for an object that can be appreciated my a machine to be machine-made, but what if it was handmade? What would that mean? An Overly Optimistic Take on Our Post-Human Existence http://www.ashleyzelinskie.com From left to right: Ashley Zelinskie, “Octahedron” (2014); “Dodecahedron” (2015); “Icosahedron” (2015), all 3-D printed nylon, various sizes Golden Ratio 2013, 6.5″ x 4″ x 1″ 3d printed gold plated stainless steel Ashley Zelinskie, “US Hexahedron” (2013), laser-cut aluminum, 5’x 5’ x 5’	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1416
__label__cc	0.612237	0.387763	City of Max North Dakota Max City Hall/Youth Center Monthly Community Calendar City Council & Commitees Procedures & Fines Max Plunge Civic Club History (History taken verbatim from A Century in the Heartland: Max Centennial 1906-2006. Information is current to the publication date of that book.) The Max Civic Club was organized as the Max Commercial Club September of 1906. In 1963 a new constitution and by-laws were drawn and the name of the Max Civic Club was adopted. The purpose of the organization was to promote activities for the general welfare, not only for the city of Max but the community as well. Membership consists of business and professional persons, and anyone else who would be interested in Max. Membership of the organization has been 100 or more at times. Some of the long term activities have been: Summer recreation program, including swimming lessons for youth, annual steak fry to raise funds for the summer recreation program and ambulance, Santa day, Pasta day, and many other events for the betterment of our community. In 1975 the civic club sponsored the Community betterment program. This was a state wide competitive program for participating communities to demonstrate the various programs they have instituted for promoting and developing their community in their population class. Max placed in the top ten the first two years they participated and first the third year. The Civic Club has also been in the development of road construction affecting Max particularly four-laning of Highway 83, paved road leading to communities east to Benedict, Ruso and beyond, and the mail and school bus routes around Max. The Civic Club also has been involved in energy, missile and coal development, impact on our city. Present officers are Susan Moreno as president, Dan Haugen as vice president, Susan Halverson as secretary-treasurer and directors are Duane Schroeder, Ed Hauf, John McElwain and Joyce Malling. Some excerpts taken from past secretary minutes: June 8, 1953: An invitation was extended to Max to hold the 1954 4-H achievement days in Max. January 30, 1954: resolution was drawn in support of natural gas pipeline contemplated by ND Natural gas transmission company. This lead to Max eventually receiving natural gas hookups. December 30, 1954: a motion was made and carried that Max share in broadcasting reservation tournament Basketball tournament in Parshall. Max share would be $31.00. April 12, 1954: 4-H achievement days would be held in Max on September 17-18. November 8, 1954: motion to give honor roll to American Legion to remove and do as they please with it. March 11, 1957: Discussion on putting a gate in the culvert crossing Highway 83 near Don's Standard Station, which would control the amount of water, allowed going west. The city council would appreciate the support of the civic club in asking the State Highway Department for such a gate. Motion made, second and carried. At the meeting held on August 11, 1958, it was reported the highway dept denied this request. Motion was made to inform the City council that the Civic Club meets on the second Monday of each month and their holding a council meeting at that time is not appreciated. Motion second and carried. October 7, 1957: letter to be sent to the postal department in regard of closing the post office lobby at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. This would cause an inconvenience as much of the mail is not distributed prior to 2:30 (Reported at March 10, 1958 meeting that the lobby would remain open.) November 14, 1958: A farmer meeting is to be held December 2 when a Social Security representative from Bismarck will be present to discuss how social security will affect farmers. October 1, 1960: A barbecue was held on October 1. A fine day with good food. Attendance was great with approximately 1,300 beef sandwiches were served and 20 gallons of nectar. Total cost $329.91. May 9, 1960: Resolution drawn in regard to road leading east of Max to Benedict, Ruso, Butte, and beyond, to be hard surfaced. This is in regard to the heavy traffic usage namely Star Route, School bus routes, supplies and services to communities served as well as farmer traffic. July 12, 1969: Motion was made to extend an invitation to McLean Electric to hold their annual meeting in 1970 in Max. Straw votes were taken in regard to support a housing project in Max. 21 yes, 0 no (This lead to establishing of Economy Homes, Inc.) March 9, 1970: Housing project is being started. Memberships are needed. Fees are $15 payable now, and another $10 payable later if needed, (this was for the establishing the Economy Homes.) August 11, 1970: It was announced that the 65th alumni reunion is to be held June 18, 19, and 20 of June 1971. Motion was made and second that the civic club help the alumni association in also sponsoring the 65th anniversary of the city of Max. Oct 11, 1971: Decided to purchase Christmas light fixtures for a cost of $1265 payable over three years. Annual payment $421. July 9, 1973: President Don Nett reported on a district ambulance service which operates in conjunction with the City of Garrison and is in financial need to provide service for this area and asked the Max Civic Club to help in some way to support it. Report a Problem Subscribe Whether it is a local farmer's market or main street shops, shopping local sustains our community and supports local merchants. A win-win for all! McLean County Independent Max Public School Community Safety Guide City of Max Max, ND 58759 © 2020 City of Max, ND. All rights reserved.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1422
__label__wiki	0.854109	0.854109	Beat of Brazil / Heartbreak and bossa nova Her ballads unite grand emotions with the lightness of bossa nova: In a stroll along the beach, the young singer Bianca Chami speaks about her music and the Brazilian way of life The following video contains no captions. You will find a description on the website. From a heartache to a song - Bianca Chami speaks with us about her music As beautiful as the beach in Rio: Bianca Chami’s dreamy, lilting song "Você Vai Me Estragar" Without sorrow and a broken heart, Bianca Chami would perhaps never have become a musician. She needs heartache to compose, she overcomes her lovesickness in her lyrics. Originally, she dreamed of becoming an actress and studied drama in England. Then she started writing: not novels or poems, but short pieces, intense and full of rhythm. Bianca Chami realized that she had written song lyrics. Chami describes her lyrics as confronting a broken heart with irony. The young singer from Rio de Janeiro combines several different Brazilian music styles and coats her romantic songs about love and sorrow in the lilting lightness of the bossa nova’s four-four time. Culture Clash: Crime novels Crime novels are ideal for reading at the beach. But have you ever ventured beyond authors from Sweden, Britain or the U.S.? For an exciting alternative, check out the booming literary crime scene in Asia. North African magic North African magic Tunis’ ancient buildings are being restored after years of neglect, and there’s a new self-confidence in the air. The White Chapel is a Christian church in the largely non-denominational People’s Republic of China. Travelling beautifully Products for a relaxing flight	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1423
__label__wiki	0.650973	0.650973	BRIGHT LIGHTS: Reaching out aids her own recovery from brain injury December 28, 2008 Sunday BYLINE: Megan McKee Globe Correspondent SECTION: WEST; Pg. Reg1 LENGTH: 735 words On March 11, 2002, a freak accident on an airport shuttle bus changed Peggi Robart’s life in an instant. A piece of ceiling or sign – Robart doesn’t know which, since she has no memory of what happened – came loose, hitting her in the head and knocking her unconscious. Outwardly, everything appeared normal. There was no gaping head wound, no blood. Robart got on her plane and headed home. “I went to work the next day and then it became apparent that I was not myself,” said Robart, a Newton resident who was an educator, lecturer and published author at the time of the accident. What she soon discovered was that she had sustained a traumatic brain injury that divided her existence into “before” and uncharted “after.” Since the accident, she has journeyed from feeling shell-shocked and in mourning to becoming an activist committed to helping other survivors of a traumatic brain injury, or TBI, understand that their symptoms are real and that treatment is crucial. But at first, she was mystified. This woman who was a gourmet cook and hostess of lively dinner parties became a woman who couldn’t complete a sentence without significant stuttering. The familiar streets of Boston became a confusing maze. The routines, objects, and terrain of her life became unfamiliar. Her job, which had been central to her identity and pride, receded into her past. “I’d get in the shower and ask, `What am I doing here?”‘ said Robart. “You write everything down. I had to put labels on all of my cupboards. … You go to the supermarket holding onto your list for dear life.” Knowing she needed help, Robart started attending a support group run through the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts, based in Westborough. This fall, she initiated and helped organize a TBI awareness event at the Newton Free Library aimed at reaching both legislators and veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, nearly 20 percent of whom have experienced a traumatic brain injury during those conflicts, according to a study by the Center for Military Health Policy Research. Of these veterans, half do not get treatment, said the report, leaving thousands of people dealing with debilitating symptoms as they try to integrate into life back home. “Some are lucky enough to have understanding family members, but it’s common to find yourself without a job, or to lose your home, or having to downsize … many survivors end up breaking up and getting divorced from their partners,” said Barbara Webster, a TBI survivor who has been running support groups through the association since 1995. Reaching veterans is crucial, said Webster, since leading a functional life is dependent on support and treatment. For the Newton event, Robart helped bring in Lee Woodruff, wife of ABC News journalist Bob Woodruff, who in 2006 sustained a TBI from a roadside bomb while reporting in Iraq. The audience of about 150 people included many veterans, as well as legislators such as US Representative Barney Frank. Robart has also focused her outreach on healthcare providers by attending conferences and networking to let them know the full scope and treatment options for traumatic brain injuries, since many survivors report difficulties finding providers who adequately recognize and understand such injuries. And her giving doesn’t end with TBI. For the third year, Robart organized her support group’s members to sponsor children in shelters during the December holidays. The yearly event begins with a luncheon during which Robart collects money. She then does all the toy shopping, and organizes a wrapping party the following week. Although Robart may appear normal to the casual observer, everything she does requires extensive strategizing. And because her brain can’t sufficiently filter out visual and audio stimuli, a two-hour excursion – her average limit for public interaction – can leave her exhausted for hours afterward. Robart sees her efforts as instrumental to her healing. Although she will never be equal to her “before” self – a fact she says she is at peace with – she has made significant strides, thanks to her support group involvement, therapies, and outreach. She no longer stutters, she needs fewer Post-it notes to carry on her life, and driving a car has become easier. “Part of getting better is that I want to contribute, I like to help,” said Robart. “Apparently, TBI is what I’m supposed to be doing.”	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1425
__label__wiki	0.765991	0.765991	Robert Helpmann’s ballet The Display This is an expanded version of an article first published in ‘Panorama’, The Canberra Times, 7 July 2012, p. 15 under the title ‘an icon of dance’, and in The Saturday Age, 7 July 2012, p. 24 with the title ‘In matters theatrical, Helpmann’s ideas soared above Patrick White’s bizarre flights of fancy’. As part of its forthcoming Icons program, the Australia Ballet will restage Robert Helpmann’s 1964 work, The Display. I am curious to know how this work will stand up choreographically and theatrically now that close to 50 years have passed since it was conceived. The old black and white ABC studio recording shows a work that could still be gripping today with the right cast and informed coaching. Barry Kitcher as the Male in The Display, the Australian Ballet, 1964. Photo Walter Stringer. Courtesy National Library of Australia But I am also fascinated by the stories that surround the creation of The Display. Helpmann claimed, so the Australian Ballet’s current promotional material says, that The Display was inspired by a dream he had in which he saw his friend and theatrical colleague, Katharine Hepburn, naked on a dais surrounded by lyrebirds. Helpmann and Hepburn came to Australia together in 1955 as the leading actors with a Shakespearean company sent out from London by the Old Vic. Hepburn, who toured in Australia for a period of about six months, was fascinated by the habits of the lyrebird, which she saw on a trip to Sherbrooke Forest in the Dandenong Ranges, and she insisted that Helpmann come with her to watch the lyrebird in its mating dance. Helpmann later included a note in a program for The Display in which he maintained that the movements he eventually choreographed for the character of the lyrebird in his ballet were those ‘learned after many hours of watching this beautiful creature’. So the background was certainly there for Helpmann to dream the dream he is alleged to have had. The storyline of The Display concerns a group of young Australians on a picnic in the bush. The men practise football moves and Helpmann drew on the services of Ron Barassi* of Melbourne and then Carlton Football Clubs to coach the dancers for this section of the ballet. In old-fashioned Australian style, the girls rarely interact with the men but sit together, chat and prepare the picnic. We first see the lyrebird, who is named the Male in the list of characters, dancing behind a gauze at the beginning of the ballet. Three main human characters emerge—the Leader of the young men in the group, the Outsider and the Girl. The Girl and the Outsider are attracted to each other but the men have been drinking and inevitably there is a fight over the Girl. Garth Welch as the Outsider and Kathleen Gorham as the Girl in The Display, the Australian Ballet, 1964. Photo Walter Stringer. Courtesy National Library of Australia The girls in the group flee the scene and ultimately the Outsider is left lying on the ground following the aggressive actions of the Leader and his mates. The Girl returns to the scene of the picnic, as does the Outsider, and eventually the Girl is left lying exhausted on the ground following an attempted rape by the Outsider. The Male reappears and, with his tail feathers fully displayed, enfolds the girl into his plumage. The Display explores themes of hostility and aggression in Australian society and Helpmann recorded that he had attempted to show the brutality that can emerge from gang behaviour. Some of Helpmann’s colleagues have also suggested that elements of the story are autobiographical. William (Bill) Akers, who created the dappled lighting for the ballet, recalled in an oral history interview in 2002 that as a youth Helpmann was thrown into the sea at Bondi by a gang who thought his clothing was ‘sissy’. He was, according to Akers, wearing plus fours at the time. Akers suggested that The Display reflected Helpmann’s feeling that he had always been an outsider in society The ballet is strongly symbolic and the work’s sexual elements, both overt and suggested, occasionally incurred the wrath of some sections of society. Newspaper clippings in Helpmann’s scrapbooks indicate that, when The Display was shown in Glasgow as part of the 1965 Commonwealth Arts Festival, the Glasgow Presbytery made attempts to have the ballet banned, a move that was only narrowly defeated. But the story behind The Display has more to it than what Helpmann and others have recorded to date. In fact, Patrick White was approached to write a scenario for the ballet and a cache of letters, which I chanced upon around ten years ago in a National Library collection, indicated that when White submitted the manuscript it was not to Helpmann’s liking, and not to the liking of the then artistic director, Peggy van Praagh, either. They rejected the manuscript. But what was contained in White’s submission remained an annoying mystery until just recently when, while looking for something else, I chanced upon a manuscript in the National Library entitled ‘A scenario for a ballet by Patrick White’. What this manuscript reveals is that Helpmann and van Praagh had excellent theatrical reasons for rejecting White’s scenario. White’s story takes place in two separate settings, the Australian bush where initially a picnic takes place, and a ballroom in the country mansion of a family called Brewer. The Brewer daughter, named as the Girl in White’s cast list, is engaged to an Italian Count. The girl has an obsession with a Lyrebird and during the picnic leads the Count into the bush where they encounter the bird. At the end of the ball that takes place in the mansion, the Girl returns to the bush. During this scene it is revealed that she is naked (stage naked) under her black raincoat. She encounters the Lyrebird and with him dances what White calls ‘a dance of consummation’. The Italian Count follows, is enraged at what he sees, rapes the Girl and then strangles her. He is then arrested by a detachment of policemen. Helpmann may well have given White an initial plot outline as the first excursion into the bush is redolent of Hepburn taking Helpmann with her to visit the sanctuary of the lyrebird, while the nakedness of the Girl when she returns to the forest even recalls Helpmann’s alleged dream. The Italian Count too may well be Helpmann’s Outsider, although he is an outsider on account of his nationality and only partly so by his behaviour as described in the White manuscript. But despite the fact that Helpmann apparently disliked what White presented, he appears to have borrowed many features of White’s story, including perhaps the gauzes that became part of Helpmann’s production and that lift to reveal the sanctuary of the lyrebird. White’s manuscript contains all kinds of stage directions including directions regarding gauzes. However, Helpmann, as the remarkable man of the theatre he was, clearly removed the more bizarre and the more literary features from the manuscript he received. ‘When the ballet opens’, writes White, ‘a grotesque fête-galante version of an Australian picnic is about to take place’. He continues, ‘As the dancers appear they have the air of embarking on something reprehensibly unusual. They are inclined to mock at their surroundings and to treat the whole occasion as a huge joke. LADIES are over-dressed in satirical versions of contemporary clothes … The OLDER PERSONNAGES are pompous and would-be refined, the YOUNGER PEOPLE rather gauche, if not hobbledehoy’. In The Display that went onstage in 1964 there are no Italian counts, no feeling of hobbledehoy, no pomposity, no murders, no policemen for example. Helpmann distilled the scenario and in so doing created a story that could be told simply and clearly through dance. White’s elaborate and somewhat convoluted story with its many literary descriptions of events and people was not an easy scenario to translate successfully into dance. Even White’s three suggestions for a title, ‘The stroke of feathers’, ‘The feather breast’, or ‘The double engagement’, have nowhere near the instant attraction of Helpmann’s eventual choice, The Display, an ornithological term referring, in the case of The Display, to the lyrebird’s mating dance. The Display was not the first all-Australian ballet as Helpmann claimed when speaking to oral historian Hazel de Berg in 1964, but it did have an Australian creative team of the first order. Complementing Helpmann’s choreography were designs by Sidney Nolan and music by Malcolm Williamson. The lighting design by Akers included a number of new initiatives in theatre lighting. The work was visually and aurally evocative and an exceptional collaborative effort. Its strength also partly lay in Helpmann’s ability to create theatre by reducing a story to its essentials. The ballet was dedicated to Katharine Hepburn but Patrick White’s involvement was, to my knowledge, not mentioned in 1964‒1965 programs and appears not to have been mentioned in published biographies of Helpmann. © Michelle Potter, 7 July 2012 Please respect my copyright in this article and acknowledge it if the material is used elsewhere. * Barassi is recorded as saying: In 1964 I had the great pleasure of coming to know Robert Helpmann through my involvement on his ballet ‘The Display’. In the dance there was quite a lot of football played and Robert asked me to attend rehearsals and advise the ballet dancers on the correct ways of playing Victorian Rules. I did so and although the dancers were impressively athletic, I immediately noticed that they were throwing the football around the room like rugby players. I told Robert this and he was absolutely mortified. From there he worked solidly to get every detail right, as his demand for excellence and accuracy was uncompromising. Barry Kitcher Bill Akers National Library of Australia Robert Helpmann The Australian Ballet THE DISPLAY ← Previous post Australia Dancing. Vale Next postHere today, gone tomorrow. Christina Gallea Roy → 8 thoughts on “Robert Helpmann’s ballet The Display” Adrian Ryan says: Given the friendship between Patrick White and Sidney Nolan [certainly around the time of “The Display”s inception] I wonder who was first approached regarding the possibility of working on the ballet and did that person suggest their friend as a possible collaborator. Or did the canny management at the AB realise the publicity potential of a collaboration uniting such big contemporary names [Williamson/Nolan/White/Helpmann]. Michelle has mentioned White’s manuscript as containing “all kinds of stage directions including directions regarding gauzes”. I wonder did Nolan and White discuss possibilities at an early stage. Your remark that perhaps Nolan and White could have discussed possibilities is an interesting one, as is the question of who was approached when, although at this stage I simply don’t have any answers. I hope one day some correspondence will emerge that will help and I hope it won’t take 10 years as it did to find the White manuscript! The discovery of the manuscript opens up so many avenues for further research. On the publicity potential of such a big foursome I suspect that Helpmann was interested in publicising himself more than anything else but, yes, publicising Patrick White as part of the team would have been terrific for public relations. In fact someone who was in the company in the 1960s has said exactly that to me privately. Another interesting side issue, which I did not include in the post or the newspaper article, is that Kristian Fredrikson remarked in his oral history interview of 1993 that he was given the task of copying Nolan’s designs for the back and floor cloths for Display to send to London prior to the company’s overseas tour in 1965. The cloths were to be painted up in London and the Australian Ballet felt that Nolan’s original art works were too valuable to be sent. So they had Fredrikson make copies. This would have been shortly after Fredrikson arrived in Australia from New Zealand when he was doing all kinds of odds and ends of work for the Elizabethan Trust. Fredrikson says that Nolan never knew! ‘Fakeroo’ he called it (not without some pleasure in his voice)! I am not sure if I have mentioned it to you previously Michelle, but the ‘first’ administrative file maintained by Geoffrey Ingram for the Australian Ballet, which includes pre-1962 material up to ~1964, including I believe correspondence with Helpmann around The Display, is at the Performing Arts Collection. I located it amongst a miscellaneous collection of scrapbooks at the end of the unprocessed material that was part of the ABs ‘Australian Archives of the Dance’ when I worked there during 2010. The file also includes material relating to the establishment of the AB with correspondence between the AETT, J C Williamsons etc.; engagement of Peggy and Geoffrey; artistic/staffing decisions etc. I put a couple of items from it in the small Peggy exhibition I did, but I’m not sure if the file has received much sustained research attention since. Thank you Nick. I will make further inquiries when I am next at the Performing Arts Collection. It’s worth filling in as many details as possible to what has turned into a very interesting story. Did you by any chance come across material concerning Ron Barassi’s involvement while you were working at PAC? I was contacted by an Australian Rules researcher asking if I knew more. It would be good to fill in more on that side too. The Barassi quote I used in my post is part of a note from Ron Barassi in the program for Tyler Coppin’s play Lyrebird: tales of Helpmann but I have not yet turned up much more. In reply to Adrian’s initial comment on this post, some interesting material has just surfaced. In the records of the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust various letters and reports from Peggy van Praagh indicate that a meeting was scheduled in London between van Praagh, Helpmann, Nolan and White on 30 August 1963. Van Praagh wrote to Stefan Haag on 2 September 1963 saying that White had agreed to write a scenario because they felt he would provide ‘a dramatic touch’. Van Praagh intimated that the scenario would be received ‘in about a week’. In the same letter she noted that Nolan had already produced some designs, which she found ‘ravishing’, and that she and Helpmann had listened to various composers and had decided on Williamson. Later in her artistic director’s report to a meeting on 9 December 1963 between the Trust and the Australian Ballet she advised that they had decided to go with Helpmann’s version of the scenario because they felt it was ‘more suitable to the medium of Ballet’. Prior to that, however, van Praagh sent Helpmann a telegram from Australia on 11 October 1963 asking whether or not White’s name should be included on the program credits. I didn’t find a reply from Helpmann, although the answer was clearly ‘No’. It is still not clear of course who entered the scene when, although it seems that Nolan may have preceded White and that Williamson was the final creative collaborator to come on board. These further pieces of the puzzle are most interesting. The issue of who was involved first, adds to our attempts to understand the alchemy involved in a ballet collaboration. If Nolan had produced some designs for consideration at the London meeting, one wonders what, at that stage, had been the brief given to him regarding the proposed work. Had Helpmann already worked out the locations and general outline of the action. And, as I have suspected, was more interested in getting White involved for the cachet of his name. Or perhaps he really did think White could flesh out the vague ideas Helpmann had already given to Nolan. The way the action plays out in the completed work has that marvellous sense of being the only way possible. And that may have been facilitated by Nolan’s ideas of the gauzes, helping move the action around the forest locations easily. I am sure Michelle is deeply immersed in these ideas regarding collaboration as she works her way through Kristian Fredrikson’s career. The role of designer can be such an important contributor to a work. For instance I feel that the Peter Farmer designs for “Manon”, which the Australian Ballet employ, cannot hold a candle to the original Nicholas Georgiadis designs used by the Royal Ballet which worked with MacMillan’s ideas to show a visual panorama of how a whole society from high to low is interlinked and how a woman had very few options in achieving a measure of independence. Farmer’s work reduces it all to the level of illustrative, pretty, opera-ballet. The AETT records also contain some interesting minutes from an Australian Ballet management meeting held in Melbourne on 30 October 1963 in which it was noted that the Zoological Gardens had been consulted in order to establish ‘the veracity’ of Helpmann’s title. It was also recorded that the committee suggested ‘that Miss van Praagh also convey the name “The Displaying” to Mr. Helpmann’. Fortunately Helpmann must have declined to accept the suggestion. I think you are right Adrian that the story unfolds in an inevitable way and it certainly wouldn’t have done so had the White scenario been followed. I also had an offline comment from someone who was with the company in the 1960s who confirmed my suspicion that White’s Italian Count was probably Helpmann’s Outsider. The comment was that Helpmann made it clear to those involved in the production that the Outsider was Italian (the era was a high point in European migration to Australia). Still lots to discover and I would especially like to find out just exactly when Nolan came in! And on another note, yes, I think the Georgiadis designs for Manon are much stronger than those of Peter Farmer. I tend to think that Farmer’s designs for Giselle also reduce that work to ‘prettiness’. 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__label__cc	0.715945	0.284055	https://michiganlcv.org:443/news/gov-whitmer-demonstrates-commitment-to-clean-water-and-public-health-in-budget/ Gov. Whitmer demonstrates commitment to clean water and public health in budget Issue: Good Government, Healthy Great Lakes, Safe Drinking Water LANSING – The Michigan League of Conservation Voters and Michigan Environmental Council today applauded Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s budget proposal that puts the health of Michigan’s air, Great Lakes and communities first by supporting dedicated funds to clean up the thousands of contaminated sites across Michigan as well as funding programs that ensure Michiganders have clean air and drinking water. “Gov. Whitmer today rightly used her first budget to reinforce that clean water is a fundamental Michigan value,” said Lisa Wozniak, executive director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. “We urge the Legislature to join her in removing lead pipes, cleaning up toxic PFAS chemicals, expanding public health programs, and making sure every child has access to safe drinking water at their school. None of these issues are partisan, but all of them impact Michigan’s economy and the health of our citizens.” “Gov. Whitmer is showing the residents through her budget recommendations that public health and the environment are not just talking points, but priorities for her administration,” said Michigan Environmental Council Deputy Policy Director Sean Hammond. “We also commend the governor for directing funds to address invasive species. With an ever growing list of potential invasive pests due to climate change, Michigan’s over $11 billion outdoor recreation economy is more at risk than ever. We look forward to working with the Legislature and the governor to allocate these funds to protect Michiganders’ public health and the environment.” FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, March 5, 2019 Contact: Nicole Pomish, Michigan Environmental Council, (248) 762-1570 Nick Dodge, Byrum & Fisk Advocacy Communications, (517) 333-1606 ← Michigan LCV Announces Delegation Scores from LCV’s 2018 National Environmental Scorecard Michigan LCV statement on President Trump’s budget proposal →	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1437
__label__cc	0.598539	0.401461	The importance of deception; theatre and make believe in medicine and everyday life. Posted by mindbodydoc under art, literature, love, medicine, politics, psychology, religion, science, theatre ‘I’ve had this pain for months and nobody has been able to help, I’m at the end of my tether with it,’ she complained in a high pitched whine. The consultant listened carefully, asked her about her pain – when it occurred, what brought it on, whether it was associated with food, posture, sex, exercise, and nodded gravely at her answers. He then thought for a long while, and then with a grave face told her he wanted to try a completely different type of treatment. He disappeared into the office, only to reappear a few minutes later walking slowly down the ward, holding in front of him a pair of tweezers which grasped a large white tablet. He dropped the tablet into a glass of water and told the patient to sip the water slowly as soon as the fizzing had subsided. It worked. The tablet contained little more than vitamin C and some bicarbonate of soda, but through personal gravitas and a little bit of play acting the doctor was able to recruit a therapeutic response in the patient when all other treatments had failed. The eighteenth century hypnotherapist, Franz Anton Mesmer, carried this to extremes. He used to dress up in a purple cloak covered in moons and stars and connect his patients by iron bars to a tub containing dilute sulphuric acid. By movements of his hands and eyes, he would draw off the sickness and instill energy into the affected part. This powerful theatre, which resonated with contemporary ideas on electricity and cosmology, rarely failed to cure his patients. It helps if the treatment already fits in with ideas that are already prevalent in society. Yakult, the phenomenally successful probiotic yoghurt, is unproven, but the idea that replacing the bad bugs with good bugs fits with current fears of terrorism and the rise in criminality. If people can just feel safe inside, then all will be alright. For illnesses to heal, we must all have faith in the treatment and in the person who is administering it. A bit of theatre and make believe can encourage expectation and hugely enhance the therapeutic effect. Many doctors need to pay more attention to the mechanics of healing; eye contact, active listening, taking time to understand their patients fears and a confident explanation of why the treatment will work. Looking for inspiration on their computer screens and the recantation of rare but serious side effects can be counterproductive. But deception is not just important in medicine, it underpins all aspects of life. Our view of the world is constructed not by what actually exists, but what we think exists, the meaning we ascribe to it and the expectation that we have in it. These are informed not so much by scientific evidence as by the influence of our parents, our teachers, the friends we had at university, the advertisements on television, a play, an inspiring speech. Human beings are story tellers. We use our imagination to invent a narrative that fits what we perceive. We convince ourselves it is true, but it is our truth. There is no absolute truths, only beliefs. There are no absolute facts, only theories. But we demand an explanation. We need our narratives, our mythologies in order to make sense of the unknown, to explain the inexplicable, to tolerate the intolerable. Traditional healers, like the sangoma in Africa, are story tellers. They explain the illness and cure it by altering the story. The same principles are implicit in some types of psychotherapy. Many occupations trade in deception; salesmen lie for commercial gain, politicians for ambition, teachers and priests out of conviction, healers out of compassion – actors for dramatic effect. Religion is a grand mythology. The Christian story and the remarkably similar Moslem story have captured the imagination of vast numbers of people for over a thousand years. They both impart a message of understanding, compassion and self sacrifice, an ethical code essential for the integration of society. The theatre of the service, the robes, funny hats, rituals, the awe-inspiring edifices all help to consolidate the mythology, maintain the belief and the integrity of the society. Our political leaders are also mythic figures; we create Gods out of them. We need to have faith that they will be strong and determined and live up to our aspirations, while satisfying our needs and dispelling our doubts. They have to be worthy of our trust in order to gain our votes. The rhetoric of a charismatic orator such as Barak Obama could unite a nation, inspire half the world. Our courts of law attempt to extract truth and justice out of conflicting narratives and deceptions, but in doing so they can create their own mythology which requires the most impressive theatre of bewigged and gowned characters on raised platforms to convey the necessary authority. If mythology and delusion were not so crucial to our existence, then literature, poetry, theatre, art, sculpture, song, dance, music would not be so popular. And because these are representations and not constrained by reality, they possess enormous power to inspire, shock, to bring people together in joy and grief, to demonstrate and teach. They are outer expressions of our inner world of thought and dream, where every scene is illusion, every act has meaning. But if the arts are about expression and representation, what of science? Science is perhaps the biggest deception of all our institutions; it purports to be about fact, but is nevertheless delusion. Scientists use assumptions to make the measurements and observations, from which they derive theories that create the ‘laws’ of science and nature. The only certainties about a scientific fact is that it continues to be supported by observation and has resisted attempts to disprove it, but we know that science is never stable, it changes is according to fashion. Today’s scientific dogma is tomorrow’s heresy. Ask anybody what gives their life purpose and meaning, most would reply that it’s the love of my family, or the love of my spouse or partner. But isn’t love just a reassuring delusion? How can we be sure it’s true? When somebody tells us that they love us, we believe it because we want to believe it. We need to have somebody special to desire, feel close to; somebody we can invest with our hopes, entrust with our fears, and the expression of love is a kind of password? Romance is a wonderful mythology, the cards, the flowers, the romantic dinner for two, the theatre of the bedroom – the seduction scene. Romantic couples weave a magic spell, a delusion that convinces them that their love is special and will last for ever. The Beatles sang, ‘All you need is love.’ All you need is delusion just didn’t scan! Even if the relationship is failing, people often hold on to the mythology and the hope it conveys for far too long because the separation and loneliness is just too frightening. It’s not what is that’s important, it’s what we think might be. We can build a better world. We will never get ill and die. We will be in love forever. We will be rich and famous. God will forgive us. Our children will love us. Friends will respect us. Human beings tell stories. It’s built into us. It’s called imagination. But imagination involves delusion and self deception. Our delusions are what inspire us, console us when things go wrong, keep us secure, regulate our behaviour, and generate our desire. With appropriate self deception we can look back with fond remembrance, and look forward with hope. Without it, there is no meaning to life. By contrast, what serves for reality and is supported by hard evidence, is dull and tedious, a land of the dead, where there is no meaning and no hope. God does not exist in the ‘real’ world, love is an illusion, our friends just care for themselves and our employers are only interested in making money. Life is one long sequence of separations and increasing isolation and when we die we will just disintegrate and nobody will remember who we were. There is no heaven. Beauty is merely a projection. Happiness is just the release of a chemical in the upper part of the brain stem. Our leaders will always let us down. The world is slowly being poisoned. We are going to run out of food. We are just an animal with a capacity for telling stories. Phew! A ray of hope! Where there’s a story, there’s hope Rather like patient who is given a ‘placebo treatment’, it is important that people be allowed to keep their delusions (providing they don’t hurt others). Otherwise they run the risk of sliding into a pit of meaninglessness and depression. Like nineteenth century missionaries, people of strong moral principle can demolish cultural meanings, leading to an erosion of spirit and a decline in health. But before I go any further, I should perhaps make it clear that I am not advocating that we should deliberately tell lies, though there are occasions when to conceal the truth is an act of compassion. Deliberately deceiving another person, keeping secrets from them, not being authentic, can not only devastate their trust, it can also compose a self script that is so damning, it cannot be edited out. Equally so, to be so analytical and introspective that we are fully aware of the extent of our self deception, is not a recipe for happiness. If we can’t believe in an individual mythology, then we may be destroyed by the reality of the world. Depression, which is the commonest chronic illness in the western world arises from a depletion, not only of the body and mind but also the spirit – the meaning and purpose of life. Is there another way? Is there a philosophy that is more grounded in reality, less dependant of a sustaining mythology, on relationships and material possessions. Can we become more self reliant? Can we perhaps find inspiration and peace in the natural world? It sounds remarkably like Buddhism. Comments, feedback on this post would be very welcome. I feel the message is important, but the style seems a bit too much like a sermon. What do you think? The role of pharmaceuticals; life preservers or superplacebos. Posted by mindbodydoc under medicine, news comment, psychology, science ‘I’ve been standing on this bridge all day selling Dr Carter’s pink pills for pale people. Guaranteed to purify the blood and make the skin like velvet. Take on an empty stomach and they won’t roll off. If the pills don’t work, swallow the box.’ Did you catch Dr Ben Goldacre’s programmes on Placebos on Radio 4 last Monday and the Monday before? The messages were uncompromising; the evidence overwhelming. People who suffer from a variety of illnesses can get better when they are given ‘placebo’ pills that contain an inert sugar or starch compound and no ‘active’ pharmacological agent. Double the number of placebo pills and the effect increases. Improve the packaging, invent a brand name, alter the colour of the pill, provide a rationale and there are further increments in efficacy. In other words, it seems that people are not responding to the tablet, they are responding to the idea, the expectation, the belief they have in the treatment. Placebo controlled trials indicate that for many illnesses, expectation and belief can provide the bulk of the therapeutic effect. In patients with unexplained illnesses such as the Irritable Bowel Syndrome, as many as 60% of patients respond to the placebo alone, only a few percent short of those who respond to the active drug. Thousands of patients are required to prove statistically that this effect could not occur by chance alone. So are drug companies spending billions of dollars to develop new drugs that are only marginally more effective than inert tablets? And are we paying for the privilege? But it’s even worse than that. Evidence-based medicine’s holy grail, the randomised, placebo-controlled trial (RCT) is fallible. The outcomes of RCTs depend on the patient being unaware of whether they are being given the active drug or the dummy, but this is rarely tested. Instead, it is assumed that using capsules or tablets that are identical in shape, size and colour and concealing the true nature of the tablet from the prescribing doctor or nurse must make it impossible for the patient to detect the difference. That’s not true. Drugs often taste bitter. Placebos often taste sweet. And haven’t we all been trained from childhood that the nasty tasting medicine makes you better? Even if trial patients don’t detect differences in taste, they almost certainly detect differences in side effects. Dry mouth, a change in bowel habit, a slight dizziness, drowsiness are all common side effects that would instantly alert the patient that they are taking the active drug. Ethical practice for therapeutic trials dictates that patients have to be told that they are taking part in an experiment and that although they may receive the active drug, they may equally well receive a pill that has no pharmacological action on the disease process. Just imagine what that must be like. You have suffered a painful disease for years and suddenly you get the chance to test a new drug that promises to solve all your problems, but then you are told that you may not get the new wonder drug, you stand just as much chance of getting the blank. You would feel so worried that you would just have to find out whether you were getting the active drug or not. So you would chew the tablet, break open the capsule, become very sensitive to any tell tale side effects, and even to the complicit gleam in the doctor’s eye, but you wouldn’t let on. In the few studies where patients have been asked whether they could tell whether they were taking the drug or the placebo, most guessed correctly. This simple fact must invalidate the results of any RCT at a stroke. But there’s more. Although I know of no study that has formally investigated whether the doctor actually knew the true nature of the medication he was administering, I was involved in research for long enough to realise that such distortions do take place. Reputations are fragile and ephemeral; medical researchers, pharmaceutical research coordinators, even multinational executives will do almost anything to protect them. Sealed codes can be broken, statistics fudged, inconvenient results omitted, negative studies not sent for publication, studies left out of systematic reviews. I’m not intending to blow the whistle on pharmaceutical trials. Many of them, I feel sure, are conducted meticulously, responsibly according the highest ethical standards. There are numerous guidelines and safeguards to make sure this is so. I’m not suggesting that pharmaceutical multinationals are necessarily evil empires that deliberately try to deceive the regulatory authorities. I am just pointing out the obvious. Human beings and the organisations they represent are all too – well – human. And humanity is a broad church. Politics is about concealment. Error, distortion, omission and exaggeration all exist in the congregation gathered in the nave of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. Indeed, one might be forgiven for asking ‘Excellence in what; The Arts of Deception?’ What worries me is that health services now exist in such a state of mutual interdependence with the pharmaceutical industry that it is difficult to see how research can always be conducted and reported with absolute objectivity. Some of the drugs that have been developed are truly miraculous and have made enormous differences to our ability to withstand illness and our quality of life – antibiotics, insulin, diuretics, anti-arrhythmics, chemotherapy, but so many others are probably little more than super-placebos? The examples, quoted in Dr Goldacre’s programmes are but a fraction of those that demonstrate the efficacy of placebos. Human beings are not separated in the neck. Whatever goes on in our minds has an enormous effect on the ways our bodies work. Belief can get rid of pain, expectation can cure infections, friendship can cure depression, love can treat tiredness, peace and companionship can prolong life. Cardiac failure can be treated by a pacemaker that is turned off, angina by an operation in which the skin of the chest wall is opened and closed up again, Parkinson’s disease by an injection of saline, leprosy by the touch of a King, epileptic seizures by healers that do little more than place their hands on the heads, and almost any disease by sipping a solution that is so dilute that the active ingredient cannot possibly exist. Drugs are prescribed by serious, responsible and authoritative professionals, who have been trained for five years and apprenticed for a further seven years, who believe in the action of the medication and who understand the way the body works. With that kind of endorsement, how could we ever doubt the efficacy of drugs. Drugs are what doctors are about. Indeed, remove drugs and what would doctors do? The idea of modern drugs; the notion that there is a pill that can relieve our pain, rectify the gut that has been wrenched out of kilter, alleviate the burden of backache, make us breathe more freely, quieten the troubled heart, bring us sleep, render us potent and make us happy, make us life forever, may be deeply reassuring. We are not alone. There’s always another pill. There is even a proposal to make Simvastatin available to everybody over the age of 50 so that we don’t die of heart attacks. But our dependence on drugs has stripped people of their self determination. If we cannot look after our own health without recourse to drugs, how free can we be? And if we can’t be free from health anxiety, how healthy can we be? I feel sure that our descendants will look back on the millennium as a time when medicine was dominated by pharmaceuticals just as we look back on the ‘enlightenment’ as a time on quack remedies. The annual UK drug budget is about 7.5 billion pounds. We urgently need to put our dependany on drugs into perspective. We must take back responsibility for our own health, realise what living a healthy life means. Most illnesses are reversible in their early stages. The body has remarkable resilience. Rest, shelter, food, exercise, companionship and trust can rectify most illnesses. It’s only when illnesses are truly life threatening or when the deterioration of bodily function has been compromised beyond repair than we need to turn to drugs. They have their place, but that place is not everywhere. It’s time to trust the body to heal itself and learn to give it the best conditions to do so. Felt in the Yorkshire Dales Posted by mindbodydoc under art, travel It was one of those atmospheric afternoons that can occur in early autumn. A light mist lent soft focus to the sun as it picked out the greys, greens and russet browns of the Yorkshire fells. Stone cottages huddled cosily alongside tumbling becks. This was sheep country and I had driven across the high moors to meet Andrea Hunter, a local artist who ‘painted’ in wool. Her studio adjoined her cottage home in the hamlet of Hardraw, just a mile or two across the fields from where Hawes hunkered down in upper Swaledale. I climbed the flight of stone steps to a small upper room under a sloping roof of thick slates. The room was lit by a large window that looked out across field and hillsides dotted with sheep. It was almost certainly built for weaving. Andrea was sitting in front of her drawing board; a statuesque woman in her mid thirties with ringlets of auburn hair that tumbled like a fleece onto her broad shoulders. She seemed so much part of the country; I could imagine her striding the moors in dark coat and boots, at home with the long haired sheep that foraged the hillsides. Her strong face broadened into a wide grin as I walked in, lowering my head in the doorway. She enquired about my journey in a broad Yorkshire dialect and we chatted about the route and the weather, gauging the safety of our communication. I soon discerned that Andrea had the easy open confidence of someone at peace with herself and her environment and so I began to ask about her work. ‘I don’t use wool to make things,’ she told me, ‘I am an artist. I use it as a medium to ‘paint’ pictures and then I fix the pictures by felting the wool’. Anthea had discovered the art of drawing with wool through hours of solitary play on her parents sheep farm. I asked her to show me and she strode across the room to collect the piece she was currently working on; dark trunks of trees against a light background. ‘Felt’, she explained ‘is what happens to wool when it is heated in water. There is nothing very difficult about it. I take two pieces of lightly felted white wool; one with the grain going in one direction, the other with it going in the other direction – like the wrap and the weft. This is my paper. Then I paint with the wool.’ She pointed to the skeins of various shades of coloured wool on the shelves by the door. ‘I would love to work with the wool from local sheep, but it is too coarse. I get my wool from a flock of Merino sheep on the Falkland Islands. It comes over in big bales and is dyed at a mill in Bradford. So this, in effect, is my palette.’ She brought a skein of wool over to show me. ‘This wool is not spun. It is just parallel fibres. That way you can tease it out.’ ‘So I moisten the ‘paper’ with a spray of soapy water and place the wool on top, teasing and spreading the fibres with my fingers. If I am making a background, a sunset, I use the wool in the same way as a watercolour artist would use colour washes, teasing out the colours and spreading and blending them over the surface. The good thing about this is that I can adjust and alter the picture as I go along without having to rub out or paint over. I use a light spray of soapy water to hold the painting in position. Then when it is done, I felt the layers together.’ I asked Andrea what happened during the felting process. She replied with the practiced skill of a teacher. ‘Hairs are made up in layers, so the surface of each hair is made of overlapping scales. When you apply compression and heat to these fibres, the scales interlock forming a mat. This is ‘felt’. And once a felt is formed it is impossible to take the picture apart. So when I have finished a painting, I moisten it with soapy water and cover in with bubble wrap. Then I roll it tightly round a cylindrical wooden baton and roll it backwards and forwards. This compresses the layers and generates heat through friction. It takes about twenty minutes to fix the painting, but the trick is to do this without the picture moving. That’s where the spray of soapy water is so important.’ I looked around the room. All of her work evoked the atmosphere of The Dales; the thistle heads, the cotton grass, the horses, the hares and of course the sheep. ‘I like to do sheep because – well – they are what I grew up with. I know sheep. I know how they move, how they stand and look. I know where they live, the moods of the hills and dales. I can recreate the wildness of the moors and the strength and hardiness of the beasts. And there is no better medium than wool for doing this. I prefer to work in black and white because the natural colours evoke the drama of survival better than anything else.’ Andrea Hunter and her work are part of the landscape of Swaledale. Apart from the time she studied art at Bretton Hall, then part of Leeds University, she has lived in Hardraw for all her life. It is in her blood. Her parents had a farm here. She married a local shepherd. She has raised her children here. The Dales are expressed in her appearance; her hair the dark fleece of the moorland sheep and clouds scudding over the fells; her face the no-nonsense honestly of dalesfolk. She emanates the strength and peace of a contented soul and transmits this in her work. Posted by mindbodydoc under story The discs of light danced a violent tango on the thick cream paint of the cabin walls, backwards and down, forwards and up and then backwards again. The engine raced, rattling the glass syringes in their boxes and then slowed to a regular thud as the propeller bit into the next wave. One small dark medicine bottle had broken loose and rattled back and forth across the wooden floor. Somewhere a door opened and then shut with a bang. The cabin smelt of Dettol, diesel and fish. A body, partly covered in a grey blanket lay on a metal table in the middle of the room. The lights flashed across his swarthy features, the prominent nose, the high cheekbones, the dark moustache. His skull, cushioned in pillows, was wrapped in layers of bandage, white except for a faint smudge of blood at the forehead. His eyes were closed and he slept, oblivious to the world that rattled, banged, bucked and lurched around him. By the side of the table sat a young woman, dressed in navy slacks and a thick cream coloured Fair Isle cardigan. She was pretty in a way. Her brown hair curled loose over her ears. Her reddened lips were parted to reveal rather prominent teeth with a gap between them. A scrap of blue paper was screwed tightly in her right hand. The long fingernails were painted a rich red. She had been crying, her make-up ran down her face like the rusty stain on the cabin wall she stared at. She felt sick. ‘You bastard!’ Doris shouted at the sleeping body. ‘You utter bastard!’ Tears blurred the dancing discs of light as she suddenly got up, paced back and forth and then tried to push the table to the door. But it was bolted to the cabin floor and Doris collapsed into her chair, defeated. The letter was from a girl, a WAAF stationed near Kirkwall. Doris had read only the first two lines, ‘Darling, you were so wonderful. Please come and see me again just as soon as you can’ Just six weeks wed, Doris was completely distraught. Caught in a blind fury, she just wanted to throw herself, her husband and the whole bloody war into the sea. Two years previously, in that sunny autumn of 1939, the British government under Neville Chamberlain, declared war on Nazi Germany. Nothing much happened for the first three months. In February the following year, the government issued a general call for volunteers. Wallace, although he was tipped to be a high flyer in his company, had responded without hesitation. Wrapping his fawn coloured gabardine raincoat around him and holding his dark trilby to his head, he ran through the squalls to the Navy recruiting office near the top of Park Street in Bristol, but they were closed for lunch and so he signed up for the RAF a few doors down. He wasn’t that disappointed – his friends, Pete and Bryan assured him that the RAF boys got a better class of crumpet. That evening he told Doris. She was frightened; Wallace couldn’t even drive a car – how on earth could he learn to pilot a plane? Still, he was so brave and she felt very proud. Silly with love, she told her grandmother. ‘I hope I never live to see you marry that boy’, was her only comment. But it was war and there was no time to reflect. Within a few weeks she had left the family; grandma, grandpa, aunts and uncles, her dog Rover, and Daisy, the devoted mother who had lost her husband in another war. Doris rented a flat in the Victorian town of Clevedon on the Severn estuary; it would be so romantic for her and Wallace when he came home on leave. Wallace commenced his pilot training, first in Kidlington north of Oxford, then in Long Sutton in Lincolnshire, before he joined 253 squadron, fighter command, which was assigned to fleet escort duties in Orkney. By the spring of 1941, the British army had been defeated and plucked from the beaches at Dunkirk and the Luftwaffe had intensified their bombing raids on London. The RAF recruited more pilots to respond to the threat of invasion. Wallace was told that only one in nine of them would survive. So on the 24th April, he married Doris at a hurried ceremony in St Luke’s Church. He wore the blue serge uniform of flight sergeant, his wings proudly sewn to his chest. Doris clutched her bouquet of white flowers and shivered. The honeymoon was a weekend in Weston-Super-Mare. They never left their hotel room. Then Wallace rejoined his squadron. Just six weeks later on the 12th of June, Wallace was on a reconnaissance flight in tandem with his commanding officer. Witnesses said one engine was making a funny noise. The aircraft had come in from the east over the sea and were heading up a valley on Rousay when they noticed smoke to the south over the hill. Wallace banked steeply to investigate but was too low to clear the ridge and crashed into a telegraph pole at two hundred miles an hour, cutting off all communication to the island for two weeks. Doris had only just got into her office in Clevedon when the call came through. She left immediately and that same night, took the train to Scotland. It took her three days. Wallace lay in the back bedroom of Mrs Greave’s croft when Doris arrived. He had broken his back, shattered his right knee, his forehead had been lacerated by the perspex of the broken cockpit and his skull was cracked open. The MO from the base told her that he had never seen anybody survive such injuries, but Wallace responded to Doris’s devoted nursing and three weeks later was stable enough to be moved to the mainland. When Wallace regained consciousness, he had lost all memory of the accident and the events that had preceded it. He could not even remember his wedding and he didn’t know who Doris was. He was childish in behaviour and for a time just talked French. It was another eight months before he could leave hospital. Unfit to return to active duty, he spent the rest of the war serving pints in Daisy’s pub in Bedminster. The daily contact with customers, getting to know the drinks and working out the change rewired his brain. But he was not the same man. The damage to his brain had disintegrated his personality. He had had to reinvent himself. His sisters remarked many years later that he had gone to war a confident, laughing boy, with everything going for him, and had returned a feckless, middle-aged man, prone to rages and embarrassing behaviour. By the end of the war, Wallace was able to return to his work in the same insurance company. He even passed his professional examinations at the first attempt, but he had lost lacked the emotional containment to take responsibility for even a small branch office. He would lose his temper easily. He drank heavily. And his behaviour towards women, which had always been very polite, had become openly flirtatious; his innuendo could offend. Doris suffered it all, the flirtations, the humiliations, even the drunken rages. They had two young boys and women at that time rarely left a bad marriage. She stuck it out, but the resentment inside her grew. She kept the letter as a dark secret and from time to time she would open it and make a solemn vow to herself that if she ever had the chance, she would leave Wallace. It was only what he deserved. They had been married for 18 years when she met Ron. He had moved into the house next door. He had recently divorced his wife for adultery, but had retained custody of their 5 year old son. He and Doris would spend hours talking over the fence while they were both working in the garden. Wallace didn’t seem to notice. He was hospitable to Ron; he invited him round most evenings – they all went out drinking together. He even invited him to come on holiday with them. There was a connection between the two men, a comradeship; during that same war, Ron had served on arctic convoys out of Scapa Floe, the very fleets Wallace had been protecting. Wallace never dreamed that Doris could be interested in any other man, let alone a sailor. But she was. She was falling in love. Ron was everything that the old Wallace, the Wallace she had married, used to be – and the reinvented Wallace wasn’t. He was young, bright, amusing, he had a lively interest in all kinds of things, and he made her laugh. Wallace’s interests had constricted, become stereotyped by warm beer, laughing women and slow horses and he always seemed angry with her. Soon Ron and Doris were having an affair. He would visit her during the afternoons when she knew that Wallace would be safely seeing clients and the children were at school. They were careful. They made their plans. After two years, she left Wallace without any warning. There was just a note on the kitchen table. She rented a flat in town, hired a man with a van, packed up a few personal items, and left, taking the boys with her. Then she petitioned for divorce on the grounds of mental cruelty. Shocked by his wife’s betrayal and furious with the man he had welcomed into his house, Wallace found the sense of abandonment almost impossible to cope with. He couldn’t work. He spent hours in the pub, drinking heavily, buying himself barstool friends by always getting the next round. His only respite from morbid preoccupations were the weekly commentaries he composed to his sons; long letters in which he imagined them conducting lives that were always successful and sexually adventurous. ‘And do they admire you?’ he would ask, as if the continuation of his life depended on their answer. To what extent, the burden of Wallace’s expectations shaped the lives of his sons is difficult to assess. They were both successful. Rory became an artist. Jack, four years older, won a Flying Scholarship with the RAF, obtained his private pilots licence and might have joined the RAF or become a commercial pilot, but those prospects seemed empty and boring. So he went to University and pursued a career in zoological research, investigating bird migration. Flying was Jack’s religion. He maintained his private pilot’s licence, saved up his money and bought his own aeroplane. Soaring among the sun-split clouds was the one place he could find peace and inspiration. . Jack could not be the happy-go-lucky philanderer that his father wished him to be. He was too shy and introspective. He never let anybody get too close to him for fear of abandonment. He had a series of prolonged relationships with women whom he loved, but the inevitable separation always left him with a loss of meaning, that sent him back to the clouds again. At length, he married Therese, his research assistant. In the beginning, they were happy. Their three children were a joy to them both. Jack felt, for the first time in his life, that he belonged. But Therese resented his preoccupation with work and the weekends he took off to go flying. She grew angry. Hurt, Jack had a brief affair with one of his PhD students. Wallace would have been proud of him, but that was little consolation. It could not negate the guilt he felt. His girl friend became pregnant. Jack could not abandon the child, but neither did he want to leave the marriage. He continued to see his daughter but did not tell his wife, but this strategy was never going to last. After 19 years together, the loss of home, wife and above all, children, was devastating. It was not an amicable separation. Therese was furious and took her revenge. Jack found himself isolated. His friends deserted him. It became impossible to continue his work. He had to find a project, something that would capture his imagination, restore some meaning to his life. Wallace, meanwhile, had married a country woman who loved him for the man he had become and understood his losses of memory, supported him through crises of confidence, and guided him to behave in ways that were more appropriate. She became his rock. He found a contentment he had not known before. But one bitter February morning in 1994 she collapsed in the bathroom. Her beloved spaniel also died within the month. Wallace lived for another ten years alone in his house on the hill. His health deteriorated and he suffered being looked after by the carers whom Jack had organised. It was while he was recovering in a care home from an operation on his hip that he crashed. He had gone out of his room, without his sticks, on another low flying sortie to visit the ladies when he fell into the door frame, striking his head. He died later that day in hospital. Jack heard the news in Indonesia. He had left Queensland four days previously on the third leg of his round-the-world solo flight. His aircraft, an ancient J3 Piper Cub, had once been WW2 US Army spotter plane, but was very reliable – just a few problems with the carburettor in Australia. He was island hopping to Singapore before flying on up the Malay Peninsula. The next day was one of the most dangerous of the whole trip – along the northern peninsula of Sulawesi, then over the sea to Borneo and across the mountains to land in Brunei. There were storms forecast. Jack knew he should wait, but if he did that, then he would not get to Singapore the following day and he would not get a flight to England in time for the funeral. He owed it to his dad. He was only an hour or two away from Brunei, flying up the densely wooded valley of the River Sesayao when the mountain ridge ahead was obscured by a tropical storm. It was getting late. Unwilling to fly blind into the mountains, he decided to turn back and try to land by the coast. He banked steeply towards the wooded hillside. The cliffs at the side of the gorge were directly ahead of him, lit by a lowering sun that picked out the sparkle of the water cascading down their flanks. They looked so beautiful, ‘Oh dad would have loved to see this’ Tears came into his eyes. The engine coughed once, twice, three times and stopped. All you ever wanted to know about farting, but were too embarrassed to ask. Posted by mindbodydoc under Food, medicine, psychology, science There can be nothing as embarrassing and painful as gas. It gurgles and squelches through the intestines during pauses in conversations, sometimes squeaking like a rusty door and sometimes roaring like an express train in a tunnel. It can get trapped by spasms causing pain and such gross bloating and distension that women can look as if they’ve acquired a five month pregnancy within the space of half an hour. It can rise up in the mouth and be expelled with a cavernous belch but worst of all, it can escape downwards, silent and deadly at five paces or with a distinctive sound that instantly identifies your shame. Doctor Janet Tomlin, who worked in my laboratory, had the dubious privilege of measuring colonic gas expulsion by means of a rectal tube attached to a gas proof bag. Her ‘normal’ volunteers expelled between 200ml and 2 litres of gas depending on the diet they consumed. Most of this gas is generated in the colon by the fermentation of carbohydrate or protein that has escaped absorption in the small intestine. Indeed the colon can be thought of a large fermenting vat of bacteria, converting sugars and starches and some protein to short chain fatty acids (mainly acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid), a little alcohol and a lot of gas. Colonic gas is predominantly an explosive mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide with variable amounts of methane and some nitrogen. My first insights into the explosive capabilities of intestinal gas was obtained on camping trip when I was just 14 years of age. During one particular riotous evening, one of my friends, John Bishop, offered to ignite his intestinal gas in exchange for a pint of beer. So later, back at the tent, he prepared himself, his bottom emerging pale like the risen moon from between the tent flaps, while we readied ourselves with the matches. On the muffled order of ‘Now!’, we lit a match and held it close to the pale globe. There was hiss of gas, a slight flutter, and the field was instantly illuminated by a bright tongue of flame that was just as quickly extinguished. Pain sensation is not immediate. There was a pause as our eyes adjusted to the dark. This was followed by a scream as a half naked figure rushed from the tent and half ran, half jumped across the field, heading for the river. Blowback! So let this be a solemn warning to any who might be tempted to repeat this experiment at home. In the early days, explosions were also reported during the endoscopic removal of a rectal polyps using diathermy. In one such incident, so the story goes, the sigmoidoscope was expelled out the rectum with the force of a rocket, slamming the surgeon against the opposite wall of the operating theatre. As the dazed surgeon slid slowly to the floor, the patient raised himself on one elbow, looked round and with wonderful understatement, said, ‘Gee doc, you could do someone an injury doing that.’ But for most people the greatest risk of inadvertent gas production is psychological and occasioned by the smell and of course the noise of the escaping gas. So why should intestinal gas smell so bad? After all, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, methane and nitrogen are all odourless. The answer is that just as water carries the taste of orange juice dissolved in it, so odourless intestinal gases carry small quantities of volatile skatoles, cadaverine and putrescine, which are formed by the bacterial putrefaction of proteins. Intestinal gas also contains very small amounts of hydrogen sulphide, the gas of school chemical laboratories that smells like rotten eggs. In the colon, hydrogen sulphide is generated from the breakdown of sulphur containing amino acids as well as the reduction of sulphite preservatives by populations of sulphide producing bacteria. And what produces the noise? As we are all aware, the expulsion of gas from the anus can generate a variety of sounds. The farty noise is produced by the floppy walls of a relaxed anal canal behaving like a flutter valve, opening and closing as the gas escapes. As any trumpeter knows, the more tension there is in the muscles surrounding an orifice, the higher the pitch. So if a person is squeezing the anus and trying to stop gas being expelled, any increase in abdominal pressure that might be caused, for example, by getting up from chair or laughing, forces the gas out and creates a loud toot! But this need not always be such a disadvantage. The entertainer, Joseph Pujol discovered early in life that by exquisitely timed contractions and relaxations of the muscles of his diaphragm, abdomen and anal sphincter, he could suck gas into the rectum and expel it at will. Not only that, but by delicate adjustments in its expulsion, he could play tunes and generate sound effects. His fame spread far and wide and under the pseudonym of ‘Le Petomane’ (‘le pet’ is the French word for ‘fart’) he was soon the star of Le Moulin Rouge, performing before the rich and famous. The King of the Belgians was a notable fan. Pujol’s ‘piece de resistance’, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture complete with cannonade, never failed to bring the house down! Not everybody is fortunate enough to turn their disability into an art form. But there again, not everybody would want to! Neither are people generally as ‘gung-ho’ about farting as Robbie Burns, who advised his readers, ‘Where’re ye be, let ye’r wind gang free’. Most of us strive to contain our wind in company. Not to do so is indicative of a singular lack of social graces. So it’s not so much the actual expulsion of wind that is the problem, it is what it represents; loss of control, a lack of social competence, a deficiency of manners and even dirtiness. Such notions were inculcated in most of us at a very early age! Farting is frequently associated with intestinal illness, particularly conditions, like celiac disease, pancreatitis, or lactase deficiency, that reduce absorption of carbohydrate or protein. Indeed, the world’s gasiest man, the pseudonymous Mr Sutalf, had lactase deficiency. He was recorded to fart 144 times in a single hour, generating enough gas to launch a weather balloon. Farting is also a source of considerable embarrassment for patients with the Irritable Bowel Syndrome; those with diarrhoea because rapid passage through the gut reduces the absorption of protein and carbohydrate, adding fuel for fermentation; those with constipation because they have a extra large pool of bacteria in the colon, which is fed by the soluble fibre (methylcellulose and isphagula husk) and unabsorbed sugars (lactulose syrup and prebiotics) that are used to treat the symptom. So what can be done to reduce or modify the expulsion of gas? There are three approaches; diet, drugs and behavioural therapy. Since most gas is generated by poorly absorbed starches and sugars, it would seem sensible to reduce the intake of foods that contain such material. Beans, beans the musical fruit; The more you eat, the more you toot! The flatulent properties of beans have been immortalised in the Hollywood film, Blazing Saddles, but bananas, apples, pears, reheated potatoes, cereal fibre and Jerusalem artichoke are also very gassy. Unfortunately these foods are generally reckoned to be healthy, helping people to lose weight and reduce plasma lipids and blood sugar levels. So everything has its down side. But if it’s the offensive odour is the problem, cutting down the amount of meat in the diet from the diet can also help. Many products claim to reduce intestinal gas. Charcoal biscuits have been used for many years and claim to adsorb the gas onto the charcoal matrix (www.charcoal.uk.com). Simethicone (Gas X, Mylicon, Phazyme, Flatulex, Mylanta Gas) reduces the surface tension of gas bubbles in the gut so that small bubbles join to produce big bubbles which are more easily expelled. Beano is a capsule that contains enzymes break down the starches in beans before they can be fermented in the colon (www.rxmed.com). By changing the composition of colonic bacteria, probiotics might lead to a reduction of flatulence in some people, but in others they might actually cause more gas. Capsules containing peppermint (Colpermin or Mintec) may also help, not because they reduce the production of gas but because the gas generated smells more sweetly of peppermint. There is even a product called Fartypants, tight underwear containing a fart filter of activated carbon (www.fartypants.com). They are hardly a fashion statement but they may nevertheless be a useful aid to socialisation. And now, hot from the factory, is ‘GasBGon’, your own personal cushion containing a gas absorbent (www.GasBGon.com). There is no easy answer for most people with gassy symptoms. Relaxation and complementary therapies, that help to build confidence, may reduce the sensitivity and reactivity of the colon allowing more gas to be retained and absorbed instead of voided. For people who work in an enclosed office, it may be useful to take frequent loo breaks or walks to expel the gas. But symptoms frequently express meaning and there can be few more meaningful symptoms than farting. So for patients whose gas expulsions resist all dietary or behavioural modifications and do not respond to medications, it can be useful to address the meaning – whether this be fear of company, the seeking of attention or even expression of disapproval or anger. Gas leaks can be dangerous whatever the cause! Darzi’s New Foundation for the NHS; The Time Lord and the Dalek Posted by mindbodydoc under medicine, news comment, politics The day after the operation, she was sitting quietly by her bed, reading a magazine, when with a whine, a whirr and a flutter of tire tread, up trundled a Dalek or at least something like it. The body resembled a self-propelled heavy duty vacuum cleaner and was topped by an adjustable, flat-screen television monitor with the consultants concerned face on it. The machine came to a quiet halt in front of Marjorie. She hadn’t noticed. She carried on turning the pages of her magazine. ‘Good morning, Marjorie, it said, how are you feeling today?’ She looked up, stared, seem to give a start, then recognised her consultants face. She relaxed, smiled knowingly, and replied a little self consciously, ‘I feel better, thank you.’. The face on the monitor then proceeded to ask her specific questions about how much she was eating, her bowels, any soreness. The machine then focussed in on the results of today’s tests, seemed satisfied, ‘That’s fine, Marjorie, I’ll see you tomorrow.’ and swivelled round with a whirr and motored on down the ward. Asked what she thought of addressing a robot, she smiled and said, ‘Oh it’s just like talking to my husband. He’s deaf, you know.’ Oh, so not much communication there then! But the consultant on the monitor was none other but Lord Darzi of Denham, KBE, perhaps the most eminent doctor in the country, the author of the government’s latest review on the health service and the advocate of a new constitution for the NHS, one that respects and empowers the patient. Yet, this same man conducts ward rounds using a Dalek! In the introduction to his review, Darzi writes, ‘I have continued my clinical practice while leading the review nationally. I have seen and treated patients every week. Maintaining that personal connection with patients has helped me to understand the changes we still need to make.’ Personal connection? With a robot? The report continues with high sounding rhetoric. Patients should have control and influence on their own health care. They should be able to choose which GP practice they attend, they should have access to the best drugs, and those with a chronic illness should have a personalised care plan. I suppose patients could also have a say on which colour robot they wanted – something to match their dressing gown, maybe! ‘All patients want care that is personal to them.’ Personal care? With a robot? How does C3PO palpate the patient’s abdomen – conduct a rectal examination. No milord, care by a robot, is hardly personal. Perish the thought that it even might be! ‘High quality care should be as safe and effective as possible, with patients treated with compassion, dignity and respect.’ Compassion is something that can only be conveyed by personal contact. The patient has to be sure that their doctor really cares. Sending a robot along really doesn’t do it. Dignity? How could you tell a Dalek about your most intimate symptoms, your deepest worries? Who else might be listening? Sending along a robot reduces the status of the patient to that of a machine. Respect? I’m afraid that the use of robots to conduct ward visits conveys the message that their consultant is far too important and busy to see them. This is hardly respectful. Darzi’s robot featured on the television programme, Superdoctors, which was broadcast on Thursday night. So, to be fair, we don’t know whether the good Time-Lord uses his C3PO routinely or whether this was just for the programme. Darzi commented that a robot would enable him to maintain continuity of care wherever he was – even from America. That is true, up to a point. C3PO might allow Darzi to keep control of his patients, but does it really allow him to administer care? Caring is a very human relationship, like loving. Indeed, it is important that doctors love their patients – not in any romantic sense – but in a compassionate, human sense. But some patients are difficult to love. I remember one of my teachers, a very wise professor, telling me how he once had to look after a tramp. ‘He was filthy dirty, drunk, abusive and he smelt like a latrine that hadn’t been cleaned for a month. He only had one tooth in his jaw, but that tooth seemed to sum up the tragedy of his life, yet at the same time, his determination to live. I focussed on that tooth and I began to love it and the more I loved the tooth the more I found I could feel a love for him that overcame my natural revulsion – the more I saw him as a vulnerable person in need of care.’ Caring is an essential component of healing, though sadly it seems that medical students are not encouraged to develop either of these essential arts. The emphasis is on efficiency; diagnostic algorithms, personal care plans and evidence based management. This has been a developing trend since the nineteen sixties – for as long as I have been in medicine. I once remember writing a piece for Northwing, the Sheffield medical student’s magazine, entitled ‘The White Coat Game’. In it I observed how white coats were originally worn by doctors to protect their suits from the bodily fluids of the patients under their care, but spotless and buttoned up, they seemed to serve another purpose: to defend the doctor from contamination from the messy emotions of their patients, who were depersonalised in hospital pyjamas and gowns. The message, ‘Don’t get too close!’ And what did the doctor do when he needed to carry out some messy procedure such as sigmoidoscopy? He took the white coat off and inspected the rectum in his shirt sleeves! Darzi’s robot made me wonder how much of the new NHS constitution is political – offering lip service to an increasingly powerful patient lobby. Does the strapped-for-time lord not have a public relations assistant? If he does, they deserve to be fired. C3PO is appalling PR! Healing a patient is like bringing up a child. It requires intimate personal contact and absolute trust. 95% of human interactions are non verbal. Touch, eye contact, the flushing or blanching of the skin, involuntary body movements, smell – all of these are important. They all help to create trust. How can you trust a robot? It may be programmed for a kind of compassion. The face on the monitor may say reassuring words. But it is still a robot. Like television, it is not real! And robots are fallible. What would happen if somebody left a cloth on the floor in front of C3PO, or like ‘Q’s robot in those last few intimate sequences of ‘Live and Let Die’, somebody threw a towel over its head? What would happen if it took a wrong turning and trundled off down the stairs? Computers may be great at shopping on line, managing finances, buying theatre tickets, arranging travel, but they are just not reliable enough to deliver health care. And one dreads to think what might happen if the treatments didn’t work and there was no hope. ‘Ex-term-inate! Ex-term-in-ate! Food allergies; don’t always test for the food, look for the meaning. Posted by mindbodydoc under Food, psychology How is it that over 50% of people in this country claim to suffer from food allergy or intolerance yet medical tests establish a diagnosis in less than a tenth of them? How can elimination of specific foods such as milk or wheat from the diet seem to cure illnesses when there is no objective evidence of allergy or intolerance? Have doctors just become so immured in their scientific evidence that they are not seeing the broad picture? Have patients become so fearful of food toxicity and contamination that just the thought of it makes them ill? Food intolerance exposes a real clash of cultures. According to medical criteria, allergy is an immunological hypersensitivity to specific food, like, for example, peanut allergy, while food intolerance requires objective biochemical criteria, such as deficiency of lastase enzyme in milk intolerance. But many patients and the organizations that represent them tend to define allergy in much the same way as my Chamber’s dictionary, ‘an unnatural reaction to a natural substance’. So to the doctor, food allergy is relatively rare, but the millions who suffer from reactions to food, it is very common. Problems arise when people adopt the broad definition of allergy and expect it to be confirmed by immunological evidence or when doctors fail to acknowledge that there are many reactions to food that cannot be validated by immunological tests. This creates a gap in which private entrepreneurs develop their own allergy tests – leading to exploitation of a vulnerable population. This was the topic of yesterday’s blog. Dr Harry Morrow Brown, emeritus consultant physician and specialist in allergy, has stated that ‘specialization has created barriers to the holistic approach which is essential for the recognition of the diverse illnesses caused by reactions to food and the environment’. He is correct, because with medical specialization comes the requirement for hard evidence. Yet food intolerance is more than just a stereotyped bodily reaction to a specific food. It is the response of the whole person; mind, body and meaning, to his or her environment. Surveys have shown that most people with food intolerance have reactions to a variety of foods. Questionnaires reveal that people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and food intolerance report that between 5 and 22 different foods can provoke their symptoms. This suggests that it is not the food that is the problem, but their sensitive guts. It is rather like when you try to put on your shirt after you have been out in the sun for too long. Your skin feels sore, not because you are allergic to your shirt, but because your skin has became sensitive by being burnt by the sun. Foods that have rough edges, foods that distend the gut with fluid and foods that are fermented releasing large volumes of gas are particularly likely to cause symptoms. These include cereal fibre, fruits, vegetables, especially pulses, beer, some fruit juices and onions. Also implicated are foods that are associated with emotional tension. We all know how emotion can wrench the gut out of kilter. If we are tense or we try to eat to quickly or we are worried about what we are eating, then we can get pain and feel sick. Physiologically, emotional tension increases the activity in the sympathetic nervous system which impairs digestion by drying up secretions, inhibiting peristalsis, causing spasm and making the gut very sensitive. As a result, we may end up feeling ‘gutted’. Ask me how I feel today. I feel as unfit as an unfiddle. And that’s because of a certain turbulence in my mind And a certain burbulence in my middle. Sensory signals from the organs of the body are normally damped down in the spinal cord by inhibition from the brain, but if you are anxious, the increased vigilance inhibits that suppression, so that more of the signals reach consciousness as pain and induce gut reactions. So excessive or unnatural reactions to food can be caused by emotional upset . Amanda had ignored how late Rick was coming home and the increasing number of nights he had to spend out of town. Times were tough for both of them and she knew that Rick was taking on extra jobs so that they could get married and start a family. So when Rick suggested that they go out for a meal because there was something he had to say to her, she felt thrilled and excited. The venue was perfect; a little fish restaurant in a village a few miles away. Rick was attentive as usual but seemed somehow tense and sad. They chose the ‘salmon with prawns and that delicious buttery sauce’ She had just finished hers when he blurted out that he had been having an affair with Margaret, who worked in the office. It had been going on for some time. He still loved her but he loved Margaret too, and well – somehow she had got pregnant. Amanda listened with mounting horror and dread. How could this be happening? Suddenly she couldn’t stay there any more. She insisted that Rick drive her home, where she was seized with the most violent diarrhoea and vomiting, which continued for three days. Every time she even thought of food she would be sick. That was three years ago. Rick left and married Margaret, but she lost the baby. Amanda moved to Doncaster, but she continued to be unwell. Subsequent to the attack of gastroenteritis on that fateful evening, she developed an ‘allergy’ to fish so that even the smell of fish made her violently ill. This spread to other foods and even an invitation out made her feel ill. Amanda’s gut reaction to Rick’s catastrophic news had been so dramatic that anything that reminded her of that fateful evening made her feel sick. Her gut has become conditioned to the associations – going out on dates, nice meals, and particularly fish. Her doctor has sent her to a gastroenterologist – all the tests were negative. She has been to an allergist, who carried out tests and advised a very restricted diet. She was still no better, so in desperation, Amanda went to see a psychotherapist and was able for the first time to talk about what had happened. Slowly, she gained in self confidence and her symptoms improved. We all know how the memory of a traumatic events can cause our heart to race, make us feel faint, cause us to get a lump in our throat or make us feel sick. What I am suggesting is that if the trauma occurs in association with some particular illness or bodily reaction, then those symptoms persist as a kind of bodily memory triggered by whatever was associated with the event. Research on patients with gastroenteritis confirm this conclusion. Usually, gastroenteritis or food poisoning only lasts a few days, but in a small percentage of people, the symptoms become chronic and go on for years, even though all traces of the infection are long gone. Questionnaires administered at the time of the original illness showed that patients who were depressed or anxious about something were more likely to develop persistent symptoms. It seemed therefore that the gut symptoms had been recruited to express what was going on in the patients’ lives. So food allergies may not necessarily be specific immunological or biochemical reactions to particular food components, but may more usually represent to thoughts and memories associated with a particular food. In the 1950’s, patients with severe milk intolerance were fed by gastric tube so they didn’t know what was given to them. The researchers observed that they could tolerate milk quite well when it was given down the tube, but they rapidly developed symptoms if they were told that milk was injected into the stomach irrespective of whether that was true or not. In other words, it was the idea of the milk that caused the symptoms not the milk itself. In other patients the connection between emotion, food and gut symptoms may have been primed early in childhood. Meals can so easily become a battle ground as foods come to represent a resistance to parental control. If mum and dad try to make their little monster eat up his greens, he may get so upset that he is sick and never eats greens again. The emotion, the food and symptom can establish an aversive loop, which can be very difficult to break it. I remember that my brother would never eat baked apples. He complained they gave him stomach ache. This caused mother to become quite exasperated, but then she hit on the idea of calling them ‘Simon’ apples. Immediately he began to view them as a good thing and from that time on would eat his pudding up without getting tummy ache. Often a specific intolerance bears a closer association with what that food represents for the patient. Tracey, a bubbly, pleasantly plump 29 year old, would only eat chocolate. Everything else made her sick. But she was frustrated by her limited horizons of family, her work in the local mill, and a husband who had no ambition apart from supporting the local football team. She needed more out of life, more love, more excitement. The vomiting of the meals she had cooked for the family represented her rejection of the domestic role, while her chocolate consumption represented her desire to have a good time for herself. She never vomited when she went on a girl’s night out. Food is the currency of relationships. It brings people together and induces feelings of relaxation and companionship. The primary relationship between mother and infant does not only provide food but also provides warmth, comfort, safety, protection and love. So from the earliest times of our lives nourishment and nurturing are intimately associated. Lovers often feed each other like infants. Going out to dinner is often the precursor of greater intimacy. The family meal is of critical importance in consolidating family ties. Couples invite other couples around for meals to establish a sense of shared experience and empathy. The way a person is with food can represent how s/he feels and how s/he is with other people. People who are wary about what they eat often find it difficult to trust. Those who suffer from eating food can find relationships and other aspects of life difficult. The conviction that food is the cause of the symptoms is more likely to become consolidated when the emotional connection is too shameful or distressing to talk about. Psychotherapy can help to make this more accessible, but for Sheila, this was a mixed blessing. ‘For years, I was so careful about what I ate because I was convinced that my disease was caused by an allergy to food. At Christmas when I went home, I ate everything and didn’t get any problems with my tummy at all. Now I’ve come back to the stress and problems of my life here, all the symptoms are back again and I’m watching what I eat. I guess it must be due to stress.‘ ‘But you’re disappointed.’ ‘Yes, because I have no control over the stress.’ Sounds like more therapy! I am a retired physician and nutritionist, but still currently work as a psychotherapist looking after people with medically unexplained illnesses, especially Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I am also medical adviser and chair of trustees for The IBS Network, the UK's national charity for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I previously held chairs in Physiology, Nutrition and Integrated Medicine at the University of Sheffield. I write blogs, articles, poems and books on a variety of topics including emotion, the links between mind and body, wildlife and the environment, food and nutrition and culture and the arts. My last book was entitled 'Sick and Tired; Healing the Illnesses, Doctors cannot cure' and is published in paperback by Phoenix at £8.99. For more information, please visit my website at www.nickread.co.uk. Sick and Tired; Healing the Illnesses Doctors cannot cure. 50% of visits to doctors are for illnesses that have no obvious physical cause and no effective cure. Drawing on the latest research in affective neuroscience and my own clinical experience as a physican and psychotherapist, I offer explanations for this seemingly modern epidemic discussing why unexplained illnesses are becoming more common, why the medical profession are unable to to deal with them and how we can help people find their way back to health. Currently out of print but available on Amazon After a nearly four year gap, during which I have been too busy with The IBS Network, I have found the time to recontinue this blog, which will now focus on articles on the relationship between mind and body. My other blogs include www.thesensitivegut.wordpress.com www.artsnmind.wordpress.com www.notdrowningbutwaving.wordpress.com. My website is: www.nickread.co.uk He, who would valiant be; a contemplation on bravery. Detained at speed Doomed! We’re all doomed! Columbo on Columba Hunting for the Craik	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1440
__label__cc	0.625032	0.374968	(212) 518-2095 Call us today Meet the Attorney NYC Car Accident Lawyer DWI Accidents View All+ New York’s No-Fault Insurance Laws Committed to providing you quick and personalized service start your case evaluation How Do Contingency Fees Work? Can a Passenger Sue a Driver? Improper and Unsafe Lane Changes Personal Injuries Due to Auto Manufacturing Defects Fractures/Broken Bones Multiple Car Accidents Electronic Evidence in New York Truck Crash Cases Posted on April 16, 2019 in The fully-loaded semi-trucks that crisscross the New York metro area weigh at least 80,000 pounds. Furthermore, bureaucrats routinely grant waivers which allow shipping companies to pile even more weight onto these trucks. There’s more: these vehicles normally carry hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel. This concoction burns at a different temperature from gasoline. So, many large truck crashes involve huge fireballs. Because of these hazards, New York truck drivers have a higher duty of care than non-commercial drivers. For example, non-commercial drivers must be more alert at night. But truck drivers must drive more slowly at night. The victim/plaintiff has the burden of proof in a negligence claim. So, the victim/plaintiff must have evidence. Generally, there’s a direct relationship between the amount of evidence and the number of damages. In other words, the more evidence a victim has, the more compensation a jury will probably award. Event Data Recorder Many people know that commercial jets have black box flight recorders. Investigators use these gadgets to help determine the cause of a crash. But many people do not know that large trucks have EDRs, and New York personal injury attorneys use these gadgets to establish liability for damages. Device capability varies according to make and model of truck. But generally, the EDR captures and records things like: Brake application, Engine RPM, Steering angle, and Vehicle speed. Numbers like these are very important in vehicle collisions claims. If the information comes from an EDR, that’s even better. Assuming the device was working properly, it is almost impossible for insurance company lawyers to successfully challenge this evidence in court. But it is not all wine and roses. Typically, insurance companies destroy wrecked vehicles a few days after a collision. If that happens, any physical evidence, including the EDR, is gone forever. So, a Manhattan car accident attorney must act quickly and send a spoliation letter to the insurance company or truck custodian. This letter creates a legal duty to preserve any potential evidence, including the EDR. If the insurance company ignores the letter and “accidentally” destroys evidence, most judges impose harsh penalties on violators. Additionally, New York has very strong vehicle data privacy laws. Generally, only the vehicle owner or an authorized representative can access EDR information. Therefore, a Manhattan auto accident attorney usually needs a court order to proceed with this phase of evidence collection. Electronic Logging Devices in Manhattan There’s a good reason the trucking industry fought long and hard to prevent the ELD mandate from going into effect. These gadgets make it much easier to establish fatigued driving in truck crash cases. Drowsiness is a serious problem. Most shipping companies pay drivers by the load, so they have a financial incentive to stay on the road as long as possible. Prior to the spring of 2018, drivers used manual log books to comply with HOS (hours of service) requirements. These log books were easy to fake. But ELD’s are connected to the truck’s power train. So, they provide irrefutable evidence regarding working times and resting times. Sometimes, victim/plaintiffs do not even need ELD’s to establish drowsiness. Most people are naturally sleepy early in the morning or late at night, no matter how much rest they had the night before. Contact a Manhattan Car Accident Attorney Substantial compensation is available in truck crash cases, and a Manhattan car accident attorney must present evidence to collect these damages. For a free consultation with an experienced Manhattan car accident lawyer in New York, contact Michael J. Redenburg Esq. P.C. We routinely handle matters in Queens County and nearby jurisdictions. Michael J. Redenburg In over a decade of legal practice, Attorney Michael Redenburg began his career defending cases for the clients of insurance companies. Initially defending no-fault claims at a Long Island-based law firm, he then moved on to a Manhattan-based firm where he defended the clients of insurance carriers in an auto accident and premises liability matters. Office 32 Broadway, Suite 811 New York, NY 10004 Call Us (212) 518-2095 Follow Us Facebook google+ Twitter Youtube LinkedIn ©2020 Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. P.C. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer / Attorney Advertising Law Firm Marketing by:	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1441
__label__wiki	0.581338	0.581338	The Cannabis Chronicles: Chris Curtis Michael Lynch LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 12: Chris Curtis celebrates after his TKO victory over Sean Lally in their welterweight bout during Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series at the TUF Gym on June 12, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/DWTNCS LLC) Chris Curtis is a pro MMA fighter who is currently fighting in the PFL welterweight tournament. He has advanced to the playoffs, and will have a rematch with Magomed Magomedkerimov on October 11th. Curtis formally fought on the north eastern local MMA circuit with CES. He also appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018, where he got himself a knockout win over Sean Lally. MMASucka recently spoke with Chris Curtis about his view on Cannabis in the sport of MMA. Curtis Is Not A Cannabis User In the first messages with Curtis he revealed that he has not smoked marijuana in 12 years. He stated that when he was younger and he tried to smoke it, it made him sick. Curtis has made it clear that he is not against cannabis, it’s just not for him. Other Fighters Using Cannabis When asked if he believes cannabis can be considered performance enhancing, he replied “I don’t consider it a performance enhancer anymore then aspirin. Curtis also specified that he does not use cannabis or any other pain killers while training. He said that although he does not do cannabis, he does not care if his opponents do, as he feels it does not boost their performance. The Nick Diaz Situation Back in 2015 Nick Diaz was suspended for 5 years following his Anderson Silva fight for testing positive for marijuana. Seeing how Curtis trains in California which is also the home of Nick Diaz, Curtis was asked his opinion on the situation. He responded by saying. “It helped his nerves but it did not give him better recovery or an athletic advantage. I can’t think of any tangible benefit he got from it besides relaxing.” When asked if he believes USADA should be stricter when it comes to cannabis, his reply was simply, “No”. The PFL’s first card of the playoffs will be October 11th, featuring the women’s lightweights and the men’s welterweights. If victorious, Curtis would be fighting twice in one night, with the semi finals being decided later in the card. Previous articleRobert Whittaker: More Than a Title Fight Next articleInvicta FC 37 Preview: Pearl Gonzalez vs. Brogan Sanchez My name is Michael Lynch. I’m originally from Long Island, NY, but I reside in Columbia, Sc. I’ve been covering MMA for almost two years now. I’ve covered events such as Island fights and the PFL. I also have a YouTube channel where I do fight companions and UFC fight previews. I have recently started to train in mma and would like to have my first fight in 2020. I believe that as a journalist I need to experience what these fighters go threw, in order to understand their POV. Shamrock FC 327’s Evan Elder: “[Orell Fisher] Probably Most Dangerous Person I’ve Ever Fought” Lindsey VanZandt “Soccer kicks are going to be a natural thing”	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1445
__label__cc	0.642368	0.357632	About Morgan Malone Morgan Malone Racy Romance and Romantic Memoir "...a gifted author." LuAnn McLane USA Today Best-selling Author New Book Released! The hot silver fox docs at FL-Ortho are known throughout Mimosa Key for their skilled hands and gorgeous looks. Dr. Joel Alfonso was dubbed Dr. McDreamy in med school and the nickname has followed him all the way to Barefoot Bay. Attempts to hook him up with any of the lovely ladies on the island or in nearby Naples, FL have been unsuccessful because Joel's heart was lost over a decade ago to the only woman he has ever loved. Dr. Sydney Butler Washington, a brilliant and beautiful gene therapy research scientist, has recently moved to Barefoot Bay to work with Dr. Oliver Bradbury at IDEA. Dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer, she long ago buried the heartbreak caused when she was forced to leave her first love just as they were about to begin a life together. A chance meeting at Casa Blanca Resort and Spa causes all the old feelings of regret, recrimination and romance to surface. Can they salvage their lost love or has too much time and too many lies caused wounds that even these skilled physicians cannot heal? Download from your favorite e-book provider for just $1.99! Click on the logos below to buy now. WGNA's Sean McMaster Loves Unanswered Prayers Sean McMaster was honored and amazed to learn that he was an inspiration for some of the content of Unanswered Prayers. He writes, "I really loved the excerpt where we are mentioned in regards to that terrifying moment on 9/11. It amazed me how well she remembered how the events transpired and how it gave me a perspective from the other side of the radio and how it felt to be a listener that morning. In the book she wrote..." Read More Morgan Malone Contributes to Kindle World Barefoot Bay series. Morgan’s contribution to the “silver fox” population in Roxanne St. Claire's fabulous Kindle World Barefoot Bay series is here! Shoulder To Lean On, with Morgan’s “Dr. Hottie Rock Star” is set in the offices of OrthoFL, the orthopedic surgeons for the Barefoot Bay Bucks, a minor league baseball team, founded by the Barefoot Bay Billionaires. Buy Now USA Today Interview with Morgan Malone Joyce Lamb interviews Morgan Malone for USA Today's Life Happy Ever After romantic novel review section regarding Morgan's new release Unanswered Prayers as well as her motivations for writing and more. This is a must read interview for Morgan Malone fans! Read More Dreams of You Taking Control: Rick's Story Need You Now Shoulder To Lean On Summer on the Jersey Shore and all Rick Sheridan wants is some solitude at his beach house. Then he spots a lean, leggy blonde coming out of the surf and his plans are shot to hell. And the dangerous looking knife strapped to her arm tells him this is no damsel in distress. As a not-so retired Marine, at 51, Rick’s learned that nothing is for certain, plans can spin out of control and shit happens. Wounded and weary from one too many wars, Britt Capshaw thought a summer at the Shore, hanging out in her family’s beach cottage, would help her heal. And figure out what to do with the rest of her life. Out of the military, disillusioned and distrustful of any two-legged male, Britt’s one love is Alex, the yellow Labrador retriever she rescued from Afghanistan. Rick and Britt are immediately attracted to one another, but after years in combat, they are wary of letting down their guard, of giving up control. The summer heats up and fireworks are flying between them even after the Fourth of July. But, ghosts from their pasts haunt them and finally bring them face to face with some dark secrets that may destroy the fragile trust they’ve built. Can Britt trust Rick with her dangerous past? Will Rick be able to let go of the rigid control he needs to keep Britt and himself safe from more heartbreak? These two brave souls fight against surrendering their hearts and finally finding love. Who will win? Missy Edmonds, Levi’s feisty housekeeper, from Shoulder to Lean On, is back and she's in the arms of Don Smith, artist and gallery owner...or is that really who he is? The holidays are approaching and these "friends with benefits" are starting to have feelings for each other. Is it the light of the Hanukkah candles or the temptation of stolen kisses under the mistletoe that have them wanting more? This sexy silver fox and the lady he desires both have dark secrets to share before they can enjoy the gift of love. Missy arrived in Dr. Levi Gould’s orthopedic clinic over three years ago, looking for all the world like a battered spouse or girlfriend on the run from an abusive relationship. Levi repaired her damaged shoulder and offered to let her stay in the caretaker’s cottage on the estate he’d bought north of Casa Blanca Resort and Spa in exchange for dog-sitting his chocolate Lab, Hersch. and overseeing the repairmen who were rebuilding his house. Missy’s work ethic and organizational skills soon made her indispensable to Levi, and eventually, his new bride, Ella. It seemed there was nothing Missy could not conquer, even the quiet and very private local artist, Don Smith. He’s known on Mimosa Key as a talented painter of seascapes, a quality framer and the creator of the whimsical mural of moving vehicles in Dr. Levi Gould’s surgical suite. But there are secrets that Don has not revealed to anyone on Mimosa Key, including his real name and tragic past. He’s gotten close to Missy, physically oh-so-close, but has never told her the real reason he’s living on a small Florida coastal island. Until now. Here’s a seasoned romance that combines the magic of Hanukkah and Christmas, with a silver fox hero and a tough and talented heroine, a regal, disdainful cat and the beauty of a warm winter beach to serve up a sweet and sexy read that’s just purrfect for the holidays. ;Download from your favorite e-book provider for just $1.99 Tall and movie star handsome, John Fitzgerald Ford, is a successful orthopedic surgeon, relocated from New York to Mimosa Key. And he has become the island's most eligible bachelor. No one questions his skill as a surgeon but everyone wonders why the mysterious silver fox has never married. Fitz has had no interest in answering the unspoken questions about his single existence until the one woman he thought knew him best forces him to reveal his darkest secrets. Maureen Donovan O'Riley is finally free. After being trapped for twenty-five years in marriage to a cold and controlling man, she is now on her own. And planning to stay that way except for Honey, the fox terrier she rescued the day she buried her husband. Day by day she has been finding her way back to the woman she once was. Her transformation is almost complete. Then Fitz whispers "Hello, Beautiful" in her ear and she finds herself falling under the spell of another charismatic, strong-willed man. Even though Fitz and Maureen have known each other for years, suddenly there's a new element to their relationship: they can't keep their eyes or hands off each other. The doctor with the distant demeanor and the fiercely independent nurse are determined to control their futures and conceal their troubled pasts. Neither is looking for love but, to guard their wounded hearts, will they walk away from their chance at happy ever after? Download from your favorite e-book provider for just $1.99 Orthopedic surgeon Levi Gould is known throughout Mimosa Key as Dr. Hottie Rock Star. His silver-streaked black hair, whisky-brown eyes and gym rat physique - coupled with his skill in the operating room - gave him the nickname he detests. Losing his daughters in a messy divorce fueled his penchant for picking up and mending stray dogs and damaged souls. Until he met Ella Anderson. Ella arrives at Casa Blanca Resort and Spa to recover from injuries sustained in a violent attack. Known throughout the world as E. L. Levin, the best-selling author of the Bloody Murder series of books and the mega-hit movies they spawned, Ella is dodging the press - and her publisher - by hiding out on Mimosa Key. Swearing she is done with writing violent criminal mysteries, she is penning a happily ever after for Bloody Murder’s crime-fighting duo. Even though their attraction is immediate, both Levi and Ella resist the burgeoning feelings for one another. The doctor with the damaged heart and the writer who believes true love only happens in books find themselves drawn closer and closer. But before they can find their own happy ending, they must confront the secrets that could destroy any chance they have for a forever together. Learn about Morgan Malone's latest projects as well as recent news with these informative articles and posts. "She tastes like Tequila and lime, and the memory of a thousand shots snaked through him, like a river of fire. She was salt and sweet and once he tasted her, he couldn’t get enough." Unanswered Prayers "She could hear a woman moaning and realized the needy sound was coming from her." Katarina: Out of Control "We were still. The only movement was our chests expanding as we gasped for breath in the steamy, sex-scented air." Randy Randy – Not Your Mother’s Book on Sex "I love you is the easiest phrase in the world. And the most terrifyingly difficult." Cocktales "He was as strong and unpredictable as the waves crashing into the Outer Banks." "Right before my forty-ninth birthday, I asked my husband if he minded if I had sex with another man." Have a book idea for Morgan Malone? A sequel you are craving? A character you think would fit into an existing plot or series? A new plot idea in a different sub-genre? Submit your idea for a plot or character to Morgan Malone and if it is used, you will receive a free, signed copy of that book! Learn More About Morgan Malone Who is Morgan Malone? What compels her to write? Where do her ideas for her plots and characters come from? If you're curious about Morgan Malone then this is the place to learn more. Morgan's Newsletter Contact Morgan Please use my Contact Form to reach me directly. You can also post to my blog and interact with other fans! Morgan Malone's Blog Submit a Book Idea Contact Morgan Malone Seasoned Romance Romantic Memoir Website Designed and Coded by WebsiteDevelopmentShop.com. Copyright © 2015-2019 MorganMaloneAuthor.com. All Rights Reserved.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1448
__label__cc	0.532335	0.467665	Renault-Nissan Alliance Named Official COP22 Passenger Car Partner with Zero-emission Fleet Posted on October 6, 2016 by J Sammy Leave a comment CASABLANCA, Morocco, October 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Alliance to provide a fleet of 50 electric vehicles to the Conference of Parties COP22 in Marrakech. Fleet dedicated to COP22 to include Renault ZOE, Nissan LEAF and e-NV200. More than 20 accelerated and standard charging stations to be set up in Marrakech. The Renault-Nissan Alliance, world leader in zero-emission mobility,* will provide a fleet of 50 all-electric vehicles as the official passenger-car provider for the United Nations’ COP22 Climate Conference in Marrakech, Morocco. The fully electric fleet will shuttle delegates. More than 25,000 participants from 195 countries are expected to attend the annual climate summit Nov. 7-18. It marks the second time the United Nations will use a zero-emission shuttle fleet in support of public transport at one of its major conferences. The COP22 fleet will feature the Renault ZOE subcompact car, the Nissan LEAF compact car and the seven-seat Nissan e-NV200 van. The vehicles will be available to shuttle delegates 24 hours, seven days a week to key venues at the conference, as a complement to public transportation. The Alliance will also provide a network of more than 20 accelerated and standard charging stations at strategic locations. The accelerated charging stations will be able to charge the EVs from 0 to 80 percent in about one hour. The Renault-Nissan Alliance is the global leader in zero-emission vehicles. With six models, it has already sold more than 360,000 electric vehicles worldwide. Nissan LEAF, launched in 2010, remains the industry’s best-selling EV. Renault ZOE is the best-performing EV in Europe. The Alliance has sold about half of the electric vehicles on the road globally today including the Renault Twizy two-seat, urban commuter vehicle, and the Nissan e-NV200 van, which has been on sale in Europe and Japan since 2014. In addition, the Renault-Nissan’s Tangier, Morocco, plant is designed to move towards “zero CO2” emissions through the use of renewable resources, for thermal energy produced on site, as well as its purchased electricity. The plant began operations in 2012, and its approach remains unique in the automobile industry * No CO2 emissions and no regulated atmospheric pollutants while driving according to homologation cycle (NEDC). SOURCE Renault-Nissan Alliance CONTACT: Media contact: Doha Rou, Press Manager, Tel: +212-661-740-534, Doha.rhou@renault.com tagged with car partner, Climate Conference, COP22, morocco, Nissan e-NV200, Nissan Leaf, renault-nissan, United Nations, zero-emission shuttle fleet, zero-emissions Cooper Tire Scores 100 Percent on 2020 Corporate Equality Index January 21, 2020 ExxonMobil, Tencent and Automotive Aftersales Market Partner to Build Digital Automotive Maintenance Ecosystem in China January 21, 2020 Evenflo® Unveils EveryFit™ 4-in-1 Convertible Car Seat That Protects Children for Up to a Decade January 21, 2020 Arcimoto Pure Electric Fun Utility Vehicle Lightweighted Using XponentialWorks Generative Design and Additive Manufacturing Capabilities January 21, 2020 ServiceMaster Contracts with Merchants Fleet for Fleet Management Services January 21, 2020	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1451
__label__wiki	0.807869	0.807869	CES chief defends invite for Ivanka Trump US-The man in charge of next week’s giant CES tech expo has said that Ivanka Trump has done “great work” and will help it focus attendees’ minds on job-related issues for the future. READ MORE: AC extends Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's judicial remand till Feb 4 in LNG case A decision to offer the US president’s daughter one of the show’s “keynote” sessions has caused controversy. Critics have said other women with more expertise have failed to be granted lower-profile slots at the trade show. But Gary Shapiro told the BBC that he did not regret the decision. “There’s a lot of focus on jobs of the future, and certainly the keynote that I’ll be doing with Ivanka Trump will be focusing on... how industry is working with government on this very important issue,” he said. He will interview Ms Trump - who serves as a jobs creation adviser to the president - when she appears on stage on Tuesday 7 January. READ MORE: France: Seven detained over plans for terror attack He declined, however, to say if her appearance had been his organisation’s idea or if the White House had requested the address. The US Consumer Technology Association confirmed Ms Trump would headline a discussion about “the path to the future of work” in a press release shortly before Christmas. Over the following days hundreds of people tweeted objections to the announcement, often using the hashtag #BoycottCES. “I was far from pleased at the news and the reason is certainly not found in my political beliefs,” blogged CES regular Carolina Milanesi from the tech consultancy Creative Strategies. READ MORE: UK parliament presses Johnson to release Russia report “The reason for my upset is rooted in the fact that there are many more women who are in tech and are entrepreneurs who could run circles around Trump on how technology will impact the future of work.” Rachel Sklar, an entrepreneur who has campaigned for women to have more opportunities in the tech industry, added: “What an insult to the years and years of protesting how few women were invited to keynote... there are so many great, qualified women. Shame.” PM okays commission to hire state enterprises CEs PCB’s Chief Financial Officer Badar resigns PHA chief sets targets to capture int'l markets for export of halal products CES 2020: Nreal’s mixed reality glasses win over sceptics	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1466
__label__cc	0.527857	0.472143	Passionate about maintaining our children's health. Healthy Children, Confident Parents Be confident in your vaccine knowledge, before giving consent. Grandparents, do you know what has changed? Trust your instincts, they are there for a reason. Are you thoroughly satisfied that vaccination is the very best option for your child? Vaccination has become such a hot topic in the last few years, yet no-one cared who was vaccinated or not in the previous 50 years. Polio, and small pox have long since gone, even measles was declared eliminated from Australia. Today, people are vilified for having an infection that was once a normal part of childhood: for infections that were expected and easily dealt with for the vast majority of Australian children. Meanwhile, our children have exchanged these infections for all manner of diseases, rarely heard of in earlier generations of children. Something has changed and Australian parents are now encouraged to be afraid of these childhood infections, along with many others we had never heard of, until vaccine time. Only 10 years ago, no-one knew who was vaccinated, no-one asked (except occasionally a doctor) and no-one cared. Our children are not dying from these infections, but a thousand under 12 months of age die every year from other problems, like heart disease and SIDS or SUIDS. We did not have epidemic deaths and damage from these infections in the 1960s - 2000s, with only 70-80% vaccination, so why do we need 100% coverage now? When vaccination didn't matter back then, why are we demonising those who don't want to vaccinate now? So many questions... not enough thought out answers..... Find answers, know what comes next, know what a reaction looks like and record your child's health, step by step through the Australian Vaccination program. Questions .. just a few of them... Are you ready for that first vaccine? Do you know enough to give informed consent? Why are babies given so many more than our parents needed? Why do we need to repeat them? Is your newborn allergic to vaccine ingredients? Are there other ways to avoid infections? Do vaccines always work? Are these injections always safe? Are you one of the 43% parents with concerns? Or the significant number of doctors not strongly convinced? How serious are vaccine side effects? Did vaccines alone save us from disease? Why do other countries compensate for injury? Why can't our doctors express their concerns? Aren't doctors the experts? What really is in vaccines? Does your doctor know? Are our children healthier, overall? But my Doctor knows best ... Many of us have a caring doctor who really wants the best for us. Our current medical system allows very little time to discuss our questions, or for doctors to research for themselves. Many rely on what they were told in their brief training from years ago, but much has changed in the last 20 years. Source of Information? Good question! Most of the 200 plus references come from medical journals, government websites or information supplied by the manufacturers of vaccines. Add a bit of common sense, a love for truth and a willingness to look at historical numbers and records to get it straight. Kathleen Austin was vaccinated as a child, has fully vaccinated children and also had several travel vaccines for an African adventure. Recently she has taken a step back to get a better understanding of this growing practice. Her formal tertiary qualifications provide a logical approach and sound understanding of the data governments collect. Copyright © 2019 Navigating the Program - All Rights Reserved.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1468
__label__cc	0.649865	0.350135	Williamson-Hadamard spreading sequences for DS-CDMA applications Jennifer Seberry, Beata J. Wysocki, Tadeusz A. Wysocki Orthogonal bipolar spreading sequences are used in direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) systems for both-spectrum spreading and channel separation. The most commonly used sequences are Walsh-Hadamard sequences of lengths being an integer power of 2. A construction based on Williamson's arrays leading to sequences of lengths N≡4 (mod 8) is presented in the paper. Aperiodic correlation characteristics, for example sequence sets of lengths 12-252 are presented. The correlation properties of the sequence sets are later improved using a diagonal modification technique. Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing https://doi.org/10.1002/wcm.143 Code division multiple access Correlation functions Spreading sequences Williamson's arrays Seberry, J., Wysocki, B. J., & Wysocki, T. A. (2003). Williamson-Hadamard spreading sequences for DS-CDMA applications. Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, 3(5), 597-607. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcm.143 Williamson-Hadamard spreading sequences for DS-CDMA applications. / Seberry, Jennifer; Wysocki, Beata J.; Wysocki, Tadeusz A. In: Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, Vol. 3, No. 5, 01.08.2003, p. 597-607. Seberry, J, Wysocki, BJ & Wysocki, TA 2003, 'Williamson-Hadamard spreading sequences for DS-CDMA applications', Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 597-607. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcm.143 Seberry J, Wysocki BJ, Wysocki TA. Williamson-Hadamard spreading sequences for DS-CDMA applications. Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing. 2003 Aug 1;3(5):597-607. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcm.143 Seberry, Jennifer ; Wysocki, Beata J. ; Wysocki, Tadeusz A. / Williamson-Hadamard spreading sequences for DS-CDMA applications. In: Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing. 2003 ; Vol. 3, No. 5. pp. 597-607. @article{ebccb239eba74d83abee7e245ed2f14a, title = "Williamson-Hadamard spreading sequences for DS-CDMA applications", abstract = "Orthogonal bipolar spreading sequences are used in direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) systems for both-spectrum spreading and channel separation. The most commonly used sequences are Walsh-Hadamard sequences of lengths being an integer power of 2. A construction based on Williamson's arrays leading to sequences of lengths N≡4 (mod 8) is presented in the paper. Aperiodic correlation characteristics, for example sequence sets of lengths 12-252 are presented. The correlation properties of the sequence sets are later improved using a diagonal modification technique.", keywords = "Code division multiple access, Correlation functions, Spreading sequences, Williamson's arrays", author = "Jennifer Seberry and Wysocki, {Beata J.} and Wysocki, {Tadeusz A.}", doi = "10.1002/wcm.143", journal = "Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing", publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Ltd", T1 - Williamson-Hadamard spreading sequences for DS-CDMA applications AU - Seberry, Jennifer AU - Wysocki, Beata J. AU - Wysocki, Tadeusz A. N2 - Orthogonal bipolar spreading sequences are used in direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) systems for both-spectrum spreading and channel separation. The most commonly used sequences are Walsh-Hadamard sequences of lengths being an integer power of 2. A construction based on Williamson's arrays leading to sequences of lengths N≡4 (mod 8) is presented in the paper. Aperiodic correlation characteristics, for example sequence sets of lengths 12-252 are presented. The correlation properties of the sequence sets are later improved using a diagonal modification technique. AB - Orthogonal bipolar spreading sequences are used in direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) systems for both-spectrum spreading and channel separation. The most commonly used sequences are Walsh-Hadamard sequences of lengths being an integer power of 2. A construction based on Williamson's arrays leading to sequences of lengths N≡4 (mod 8) is presented in the paper. Aperiodic correlation characteristics, for example sequence sets of lengths 12-252 are presented. The correlation properties of the sequence sets are later improved using a diagonal modification technique. KW - Code division multiple access KW - Correlation functions KW - Spreading sequences KW - Williamson's arrays U2 - 10.1002/wcm.143 DO - 10.1002/wcm.143 JO - Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing JF - Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing 10.1002/wcm.143	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1471
__label__cc	0.732977	0.267023	23.06.16 Somebody's Business Leo Russell Sports – Preston Business Owner: Peter Russell How many years have you owned this business and how did it start? “This business first opened in 1935. My father opened it. He lived upstairs. It started as a library and then after he came back from the war, he started selling crockery and china. Then he moved into tennis and transitioned into a general sports store. We used to have a lot of other sports gear. Now we specialise in shoes only. What personal characteristic traits have kept you in business so long? “I go out of my way to help customers. This is an old fashioned store. I know all my customers. I’ll be in another suburb in Melbourne and people will recognise me because I have been here so long. I was once in Gembrook and I remember a bloke yelling out to me “I’ll be there next week Peter”. People are treated nicely. All my staff are nice to the customers and we look after them. If they’ve got a problem we look after them. We also stock all sizes and widths. I carry all my shoes up to 14 and some up to 17 and the women’s all up to 11 and some up to 13 and 14. We carry all the sizes and all the widths. Super wide and super narrow.” Can you tell me a highlight of owning this business? “Satisfaction of the business succeeding. Every business now is gigantic. Shops like us don’t exist any more so that fact that we are still going gives me great satisfaction. We’ve always been open 9-12 on Saturday. People ring up and I tell them, its no good you coming at half past eleven. You’ve got to come at 9 o’clock because we can’t serve 100 people. We sell between 70 – 100 pairs of shoes on Saturdays. Once we did 146 in one day.” What about a lowlight? “We have been burgled over the years a lot. There was a time when they knocked the whole window down and pinched half the shop.” What are the biggest changes you have seen in your industry? “Colour and much bigger range. Compared to a few years ago, the range is enormous. Before we only used to have one junior shoe, one model and one colour. It’s fashion, people want colour, they buy because of colour.” Where do you see yourself 5 years from now? “Still going. I might go until I am 100.” Would you ever sell the business? “I don’t know. I wouldn’t want someone else to come in and stuff it up and ruin our reputation.” What advice would you give to someone starting their own business? “You have to sell a good product. And make sure you have a break. You wear yourself out working non stop seven days a week.” Pinterest / Physiognomy by Mark Seliger David Burnett – Man Without Gravity – Anastasia Photo	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1472
__label__wiki	0.991395	0.991395	Home/Celebrity Net Worth/Rock Stars/Anthony Kiedis Net Worth Anthony Kiedis Net Worth Anthony Kiedis Net Worth 2020: Wiki Biography, Married, Family, Measurements, Height, Salary, Relationships Anthony Kiedis net worth is Anthony Kiedis Wiki Biography Anthony Joseph Kiedis was born on 1st November 1962, in Grand Rapids, Michigan USA, of ancestry including Lithuanian, English, Irish, French, Dutch, and Mohican. He rose to prominence as the lead vocalist of the band he co-founded, Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Anthony Kiedis is also recognised under the nicknames Tony Flow, Cole Dammett and Antoine the Swan. He has been active in the entertainment industry since 1978. So, is the man who has spent more than 30 years on the stage wealthy enough? It has been reported that the current net worth of Anthony Kiedis is as high as $120 million, most of his wealth having come from his performances with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Anthony Kiedis Net Worth $120 Million To begin with, his parents divorced when Anthony Keidis was only three years old, and he was first raised by his mother, Peggy and stepfather, and then from his early teens Anthony lived with his father, actor Blackie Dammett in Los Angeles, who unfortunately introduced him to drugs. In 1978, Anthony debuted on the big screen with a minor role in the film “F.I.S.T.” (1978), directed by Norman Jewison. Since then, he has appeared on the screen playing himself, and in other roles this way adding to his net worth, too. In 2014, he debuted as an executive producer, with the film “Low Down”. The career of the vocalist Kiedis began in 1983. Anthony, alongside Michael Balzary (Flea), Hillel Slovak, and Jack Irons founded the band called the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The band initially gave concerts in clubs and bars. In 1984 their first, self-titled album was released. After some disagreements and changes in the band, their second album, entitled “Freaky Styley” (1985) was released. It was produced by the outstanding personality George Clinton. The third album, “The Uplift Mofo Party Plan” (1987) was the first (and last), released by the original composition of the band. During their promotional tour, Kiedis and Hillel got heavily addicted to heroin, and in 1988 Hillel died after overdosing. After that incident, Jack Irons left the band. At that time it seemed that the Red Hot Chili Peppers would die out, but the band rose like a phoenix from the ashes. Kiedis gave up drugs, and two new members joined them. The group released the album “Mother’s Milk” (1989), which became a hit, and the band reached their highest fame with their next album “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” (1991), which also became a hit, and the songs “Give It Away” and “Under the Bridge” became anthems of the band and were sung during every concert. Needless to say that the members of the band, and especially the leading vocalist, Kiedis, became very wealthy as well as famous. Due to a change of personnel, the band then experienced a silent period. However, the third coming of the band began in 1999, with the return of former member John Frusciante. This recovery was marked by three excellent albums as follows: “Californication” (1999), “By The Way” (2002), and “Stadium Arcadium” (2006). Those albums established the group as one of the best in the world. The band has now released 10 albums, and in 2012, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Anthony Kiedis has had a number of girlfriends. In 2007, he fathered a son from a relationship with model Heather Christie. However, currently he is apparently in a relationship with the model Helena Vestergaard. Full Name Anthony Kiedis Net Worth $120 Million Date Of Birth November 1, 1962 Place Of Birth Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States Profession Songwriter, Actor, Singer-songwriter, Lyricist, Musician Education Fairfax High School, University of California, Los Angeles Children Everly Bear Kiedis Parents Blackie Dammett, Margaret Noble Siblings Jenny Noble, James Kiedis, Julie Noble Nicknames The Swan , The Tuff Daddy , Cole Dammett , Mike Chester , Tony , Tony Flow , Antoine the Swan , Red Hot Chili Peppers , Red Hot Chilli Peppers , The Red Hot Chili Peppers Awards Grammy Award for Best Rock Song, Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package Music Groups Red Hot Chili Peppers Movies Bob and the Monster, The Chase, Point Break, Less Than Zero, Thrashin', F.I.S.T. 1 Frequently performs shirtless 2 Strange dance moves 1 What doesn't kill you only makes your book longer. 2 When I was younger, I used to hate Germany. I hated the country, the people, the language, the culture, everything! But over the years I've grown to really appreciate the German people. I learned to admire their culture, the films, the poetry, the sculptures, the paintings, the music, and also the beautiful countryside. After all those years, and going there so many times, I really learned to love the country! 3 "I inherited my father's insatiable desire to meet all the beautiful girls in the world". 4 [About kissing band mate Dave Navarro in the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Warped" video]: "It was totally spontaneous. It was no big deal. It was not any sort of contrived design to shock. The funny thing is people are so close-minded and uptight and freaked out by human contact of the same sex that it ended up having a shocking impact. Probably a lot of people couldn't handle it and decided they didn't like us. And that's okay, because to me it's more important to make someone that can relate to it feel good than to worry about people with a bad case of homophobia. I have a sneaking suspicion that there were probably a lot of frat guys out there who just could not handle the concept. But this is just my own imagination. Apparently the Russians love it though. They're kissers from way back" - interview in the March 5th, 1996 issue of the Toronto Sun. 1 Currently compiling a greatest hits album. This will include new material. [October 2003] 2 (Mid-2004) Recording the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album. 3 Released album "By The Way" with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. [July 2002] 4 Released album "Stadium Arcadium" with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. [May 2006] 5 currently writing his first autobiography. [April 2004] 6 (Late 2004) Putting the finishing touches on the new Red Hot Chili Peppers and it should be out sometime in 2005 though. 7 Has lived in Los Angeles since the age of eleven. 8 Girlfriend Heather Christie gave birth to a baby boy on 2nd October 2007 at the Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles; they named their son Everly Bear. 9 He always drinks ginseng tea before going on stage. 10 Published his autobiography "Scar Tissue", which peaked at number 17 on the "New York Times" bestseller list (2004). 11 His godfather was Sonny Bono. 12 The song "Transcending" on the Red Hot Chili Peppers album "One Hot Minute" is dedicated to River Phoenix. 13 His father John Kiedis (aka Blackie Dammett) is an actor and president of RHCP club. His mother's name is Margaret "Peggy" Idema. They got married on July 2, 1960. 14 Has a Rhodesian Ridgeback called Buster. 15 Has three siblings. Two sisters (Julie and Jen) and one half brother (James). 16 Resides in L.A.; he also owned a house in New Zealand for a while but he recently sold it, saying he actually didn't have enough time to go to New Zealand and didn't need that house. 17 Has a nephew called Jackson Diego. 18 Broke his back when he was 16 when misjudging a jump from a rooftop into a pool. 19 Likes to do "thrilling" things. When he was younger, Anthony and Flea used to jump off roofs for fun. 20 Most of the songs on the band's 2002 album 'By The Way' were written about his ex-girlfriend, fashion designer Yohanna Logan. 21 Practices yoga. 22 In the 1997 the band's touring had to be cancelled after he broke his wrist and his arm in many places in a serious motorbike accident when a car suddenly pulled a U-turn. 23 Anthony met the The Dalai Lama during a trip in India at the end of 1996. 24 Is a vegetarian. 25 His great grandfather, Anton Kiedis, was Lithuanian and his father's mother has some Mohican blood. Drugaí Marú II Short writer: "Suck My Kiss" filming Mike & Mike 2016 TV Series writer - 1 episode The Intern 2015/I writer: "Break Ya Neck" The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon TV Series writer - 2 episodes, 2014 performer - 1 episode, 2014 The Voice 2014 TV Series writer - 1 episode Guapas 2014 TV Series writer - 1 episode Super Bowl XLVIII Halftime Show 2014 TV Movie writer: "Give It Away" The Block 2014 TV Series writer - 1 episode The Armstrong Lie 2013 Documentary writer: "Easily" The Voice of the Philippines 2013 TV Series 1 episode Mein, Lover, sein Vater und ich 2013 TV Movie writer: "Suck My Kiss" - uncredited Divorce 2012 TV Series writer - 1 episode Flight 2012/I writer: "Under the Bridge" No me la puc treure del cap 2012 TV Series writer - 1 episode A Documentary of Life 2012 TV Series documentary writer - 1 episode Tu cara me suena 2011 TV Series writer - 1 episode Showboaters 2011 TV Series writer - 2 episodes Solyanka po-Piterski 2011 Short writer: "Kant" Todd's Pop Song Reviews 2010-2011 TV Series documentary writer - 2 episodes So You Think You Can Dance 2011 TV Series writer - 2 episodes The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 2011 TV Series writer - 1 episode Foo Fighters: Back and Forth 2011 Documentary writer: "Scar Tissue" The Fighter 2010/I writer: "Strip My Mind" One Night Stand 2010 TV Series short writer - 1 episode X Factor 2010 TV Series writer - 1 episode Law & Order: LA 2010 TV Series writer - 1 episode Casal Rock 2010 TV Series writer - 5 episodes Danville 2nd Ward Young Men 2010 TV Series writer - 1 episode Formula 1: BBC Sport 2010 TV Series writer - 2 episodes Live from Studio Five 2010 TV Series writer - 1 episode The Big Bang Theory 2009 TV Series writer - 1 episode Rage 2008 TV Series writer - 1 episode The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 2008 writer: "Suck My Kiss" Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock 2007 Video Game writer: "Suck My Kiss" Idool 2007 2007 TV Series writer - 1 episode Rock Band 2007 Video Game writer: "Dani California" Cesko hledá SuperStar 2006 TV Series writer - 1 episode Saturday Night Live 2006 TV Series writer - 1 episode Coachella 2006 Video documentary writer: "Californication" - as Anthony Kiedes My Name Is Earl 2006 TV Series writer - 1 episode Everybody Hates Chris 2005 TV Series writer - 1 episode The Work of Director Mark Romanek 2005 Video documentary writer: "Can't Stop" Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room 2005 Documentary writer: "Californication" Independent Lens 2005 TV Series documentary writer - 1 episode Idol - Jakten på en superstjerne 2004 TV Series writer - 1 episode Chris Rock: Never Scared 2004 TV Special documentary writer: "Venice Queen" Bluebird 2004 TV Movie writer: "Otherside" Tony Hawk's Underground 2 2004 Video Game writer: "Power of Equality" - as Kiedis Something's Gotta Give 2003 writer: "Butterfly" Red Hot Chili Peppers: Greatest Videos 2003 Video documentary writer: "Give It Away", "Suck My Kiss", "Under the Bridge", "Aeroplane", "My Friends", "Scar Tissue", "Around the World", "Otherside", "Californication", "Road Trippin'", "By the Way", "The Zephyr Song", "Can't Stop", "Universally Speaking", "Soul to Squeeze" Idol 2003 TV Series writer - 2 episodes S.P.U.N.G TV Series lyrics - 1 episode, 2003 music - 1 episode, 2003 'Weird Al' Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection 2003 Video writer: "Bedrock Anthem" Idols 2003 TV Series writer - 1 episode Idols! 2003 TV Series writer - 2 episodes Orange County 2002 "Butterfly" / writer: "Butterfly" Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 2001 Video Game writer: "Fight Like A Brave" ER 2001 TV Series writer - 1 episode Saving Silverman 2001 writer: "Butterfly" 'Weird Al' Yankovic Live! 1999 Video writer: "Bedrock Anthem" All Saints: The Video 1998 Video writer: "Under the Bridge MTV Live", "Under the Bridge", "Under the Bridge Acapella" uncredited - as Keidis Free Tibet 1998 Documentary writer: "Give It Away" - as A. Kiedis Mystery Science Theater 3000 1998 TV Series writer - 1 episode 'Weird Al' Yankovic: The Videos 1996 Video writer: "Bedrock Anthem" Twister 1996 writer: "Melancholy Mechanics" Top of the Pops 1996 TV Series writer - 1 episode Lassie 1994 writer: "Breaking the Girl" Beavis and Butt-Head 1993 TV Series writer - 3 episodes Coneheads 1993 writer: "Soul to Squeeze" Amongst Friends 1993 writer: "I Could've Lied" Night and the City 1992 writer: "Freaky Styley" Wayne's World 1992 "SIKAMIKANICO" Pretty Woman 1990 writer: "Show Me Your Soul" Say Anything... 1989 writer: "Taste The Pain" Less Than Zero 1987 lyrics: "Fight Like A Brave" / music: "Fight Like A Brave" Thrashin' 1986 writer: "Black Eyed Blonde" Gimme an 'F' 1984 writer: "Get Up and Jump" - as A. Kiedis Red Hot Chili Peppers: Go Robot 2016 Video short Robot, 70's Gang Member Gadget's Electric Garage 2008 TV Series The Chase 1994 Will The Simpsons 1993 TV Series Anthony Kiedis Point Break 1991 Tone Less Than Zero 1987 Musician #3 (as Cole Dammett) Tough Guys 1986 Red Hot Chili Peppers Member Jokes My Folks Never Told Me 1978 Student (as Cole Dammett) ABC Afterschool Specials 1978 TV Series Jimmy Plummer F.I.S.T. 1978 Kevin Kovak (as Cole Dammett) Red Hot Chili Peppers: Go Robot 2016 Video short Snow (Hey Oh) 2006 Short Bunker77 2016 Documentary executive producer Low Down 2014 executive producer Jay Leno's Garage 2016 TV Series documentary Himself - Red Hot Chili Peppers La Viola 2016 TV Series Himself Red Hot Chili Peppers: Dark Necessities 2016 Video short Himself - Vocalist The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon 2014 TV Series Himself - Guest Vocalist Super Bowl XLVIII Halftime Show 2014 TV Movie Himself (as Red Hot Chili Peppers) Such Great Heights 2012 Documentary Himself The 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2012 TV Movie Himself Bad Brains: A Band in DC 2012 Documentary Music Nuggets 2011 TV Series Himself Bob and the Monster 2011 Documentary Himself Red Hot Chili Peppers: I'm with You Live in Theaters 2011 Documentary Himself The Jonathan Ross Show 2011 TV Series Himself Eco-Pirate: The Story of Paul Watson 2011 Documentary Himself Revenge of the Electric Car 2011 Documentary Himself - Musician Robert Williams Mr. Bitchin' 2010 Documentary Himself A Cross the Universe 2008 Video documentary Himself One Life 2008 TV Series documentary Himself Gadget's Electric Garage 2008 TV Series Himself Red Hot Chili Peppers: Stadium Arcadium 2007 Documentary Himself Making of Red Hot Chili Peppers' 'Hump de Bump' 2007 Video documentary short America the Beautiful 2007 Documentary Himself Brit Awards 2007 2007 TV Special Himself - Performer (as Red Hot Chili Peppers) Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten 2007 Documentary Himself Musikprogrammet - programmet om musik 2006 TV Series documentary Himself - Performer Later... With Jools Holland 2006 TV Series Himself - Interview Snow (Hey Oh) 2006 Short Himself Making of Red Hot Chili Peppers' 'Snow (Hey Oh)' 2006 Video documentary short Himself Making of Red Hot Chili Peppers' 'Tell Me Baby' 2006 Video documentary short Himself Making of Red Hot Chili Peppers' 'Dani California' 2006 Video documentary short Himself Saturday Night Live 2006 TV Series Himself Too Tough to Die: A Tribute to Johnny Ramone 2006 Documentary Himself House Band 2006 TV Series Himself Popworld 2006 TV Series Himself In the Cutz 2006 TV Series Dancing with the Stars 2006 TV Series Himself Johnny Cash: God's Gonna Cut You Down 2006 Video short Himself Music Cares Person of the Year: Brian Wilson 2005 TV Special Himself - Performer UK Music Hall of Fame: Biggest Selling Artists of the 21st Century 2005 TV Movie documentary Himself The Work of Director Mark Romanek 2005 Video documentary Himself - Interviewee The Work of Director Stéphane Sednaoui 2005 Video documentary Himself (segments "Scar Tissue" and "Give it Away") (as Red Hot Chili Peppers) All We Are Saying 2005 TV Movie documentary Himself Independent Lens 2005 TV Series documentary Himself WrestleMania 21 2005 TV Special Himself Live with Kelly and Michael 2004 TV Series Himself Late Night with Conan O'Brien 2004 TV Series Himself Red Hot Chili Peppers: Greatest Videos 2003 Video documentary Himself (Vocals) (as Red Hot Chili Peppers) Red Hot Chili Peppers: Live at Slane Castle 2003 Video documentary Himself 2003 Radio Music Awards 2003 TV Special Himself (as The Red Hot Chili Peppers) MTV Bash: Carson Daly 2003 TV Special Himself Ice Cube: The Videos, Volume 1 2003 Video Himself (segment "Wicked") Go Further 2003 Documentary Himself Top of the Pops 1996-2003 TV Series Himself End of the Century 2003 Documentary Himself, Red Hot Chilli Peppers MTV Video Music Awards 2002 2002 TV Special Himself - Presenter Red Hot Chili Peppers: By the Way Concert 2002 TV Special VH1 Backyard BBQ with the Red Hot Chili Peppers 2002 TV Special Himself Friday Night with Jonathan Ross 2002 TV Series Himself MTV 20: Live & Almost Legal 2001 TV Movie documentary Himself (as Red Hot Chili Peppers) Red Hot Chili Peppers: Off the Map 2001 Video Himself MTV Video Music Awards 2000 2000 TV Special Himself - Performer (as Red Hot Chili Peppers) Rolling Rock Town Fair Featuring Red Hot Chili Peppers 2000 TV Special Himself Testimony: 20 Years of Rock on MTV 2000 TV Movie documentary Himself (Red Hot Chili Peppers) Making the Video 1999 TV Series documentary Himself Woodstock '99 1999 TV Special Himself Behind the Music 1999 TV Series documentary Himself Nina Hagen = Punk + Glory 1999 Documentary Himself Free Tibet 1998 Documentary Himself (Red Hot Chili Peppers) 1996 MTV Movie Awards 1996 TV Special Himself Woodstock '94 1995 Video documentary Himself (Red Hot Chili Peppers) Hi Octane 1994 TV Series Himself Rhythm & Jam 1993 TV Mini-Series Himself The Arsenio Hall Show 1993 TV Series Himself Red Hot Chili Peppers: What Hits?! 1992 Video Himself MTV Video Music Awards 1992 1992 TV Special Himself - Red Hot Chilli Peppers Vocalist Red Hot Chili Peppers: Funky Monks 1991 Video Himself Thrashin' 1986 Himself (uncredited) Dolezal Backstage 2016 TV Series documentary Himself Whale Wars 2008 TV Series documentary Himself - Red Hot Chili Peppers Provinssirock 30 2008 TV Series documentary Himself Video on Trial 2006 TV Series Himself - Red Hot Chili Peppers / Himself - Accused Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow 2005 Documentary Himself MTV Europe Music Awards 2003 2003 TV Special Himself Celebrities Uncensored 2003 TV Series Himself Top of the Pops 1995 TV Series Himself as Soundtrack Flight (2012) Orange County (2002) ...Baby One More Time 'N Sync $120 Million 1962 5 ft 8 in (1.75 m) Actor Adobe Photoshop Al Murray Alternative Rock Anthony Kiedis Anthony Kiedis Net Worth Anthony Mandler Antoine the Swan Asian Scientist Backing vocalists Blackie Dammett Blood Sugar Sex Magik Cole Dammett Dutch-American Emile Haynie English language European Union Everly Bear Kiedis Extended play Freaky Styley French American George Clinton Grand Rapids Greek American Hillel Slovak Irish American Jack Irons Jeff Bhasker John Frusciante Josh Klinghoffer Lead guitarists Lithuanian American Lykke Li Lyricist Margaret Noble Michael Balzary (Flea) Michigan Mike Chester Mother's Milk Music Musician Nate Ruess Nationality November 1 One Hot Minute Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chilli Peppers Rock Stars Singer-songwriter Songwriter The Red Hot Chili Peppers The Swan The Tuff Daddy The Uplift Mofo Party Plan Tony Tony Flow United States United States of America Marilyn Manson Net Worth Ted Danson Net Worth Malcolm Young Net Worth Gavin Rossdale Net Worth Finesse Mitchell Net Worth Tatiana Maslany Net Worth Greg Biffle Net Worth Bishop Don Magic Juan Net Worth Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Net Worth	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1474
__label__cc	0.72562	0.27438	Rural Water Groups ADWR's Rural Programs Section provides support to a number of rural water groups that consist of both rural watershed partnerships and other rural entities. Not all Arizona watershed groups are listed, and some that are may not currently be active. If you know of a watershed group that would like to be included on this site please contact ADWR, Statewide Planning, Rural Programs. Cobre Valley Watershed Partnership Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla. Nulla vitae elit libero, a pharetra augue. Nullam quis risus eget urna mollis ornare vel eu leo. COCONINO PLATEAU WATERSHED PARTNERSHIP AND TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE The Coconino Plateau Water Advisory Council (CPWAC) was established in 2000 with support from ADWR under the Rural Watershed Initiative and was originally administered as a program by Coconino County. In 2012 the CPWAC formed a 501(c)(4) non-profit for the purpose of lobbying and funding, and in 2013 formed the affiliate Coconino Plateau Watershed Partnership (CPWP), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The CPWAC and CPWP includes three committees: Technical Advisory Committee, Government Affairs Committee, and Public Outreach Committee. The Water Advisory Council and the Partnership have worked to provide a better understanding of local water issues such as supply and demand in northern Arizona. The Coconino Plateau Water Advisory Council (CPWAC) and Coconino Plateau Watershed Partnership (CPWP) were formed to facilitate and implement sound water resource management and conservation strategies on the Coconino Plateau. The Council coordinates and cooperates in the identification, prioritization and implementation of comprehensive policies, projects, and programs to assist in meeting the water needs of the Coconino Plateau. The Vision of the Council and Partnership is to ensure an adequate long-term supply of water is available to meet the current and future reasonable needs while preserving the health of the environment on the Coconino Plateau. The CPWAC/CPWP area of interest is defined by the group as the Coconino Plateau. The general boundaries are the Colorado River on the north including the community of Page, the Hualapai Reservation on the west, the Navajo Reservation on the east and Sedona on the south as depicted on the CPWAC/CPWP Boundary Map. This area is in Coconino County and straddles portions of three groundwater basins (the Little Colorado River, the Coconino Plateau, and the Verde River Groundwater Basins), and includes areas of the Verde River, Upper Colorado River, and Little Colorado River watersheds. Board of Directors & Committee Chairs Board Chair – Mayor Coral Evans, City of Flagstaff Board Vice-Chair – Vice-Mayor John Martinez, City of Sedona Secretary Treasurer – Supervisor Jim Parks, Coconino County Government Affairs Committee Chair – Brad Hill, City of Flagstaff Public Outreach Committee Chair – Amanda Acheson, Coconino Technical Advisory Committee Interim Chair – Ron Doba Coconino Plateau Water Advisory Council and Watershed Partnership http://cpwac.org/contact.htm Ron Doba, Coordinator FORT HUACHUCA SENTINEL LANDSCAPE RESTORATION PARTNERSHIP The U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Defense, and the Interior established the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership to better serve areas of the United States where working and natural lands converge with national defense facilities. In April 2015 Fort Huachuca was designated as a Sentinel Landscape. The Sentinel Landscape Restoration Partnership (SLRP) exists to facilitate cooperative projects that improve water quality and quantity, range and forest conditions, wildlife habitat, the status of rare species, and other vital features of the working and natural lands within the Landscape and nearby ecologically connected areas. The SLRP is engaged in efforts to conserve grasslands and forests that provide habitat, water, livelihoods, and recreation in Cochise, Pima, and Santa Cruz Counties. For decades, people have worked together to protect the natural and cultural features of southeastern Arizona's sky island region. In 2015, the SLRP came together with the added responsibility of preserving the electromagnetic testing range and the restricted air space maintained by Fort Huachuca in support of manned and unmanned aviation operations. The Fort Huachuca Sentinel Landscape Partnership includes Federal, State, and Local government agencies, and Non-Governmental Organizations, and has two subcommittees: the Open Lands Subcommittee, and the Sentinel Landscape Restoration Partnership (SLRP). Fort Huachuca Sentinel Landscape Steering Committee Jerry Payne Friends of the Verde River Gila Watershed Partnership The Gila Watershed Partnership (GWP) was founded in 1992 and is a 501(C)3 not-for-profit Arizona corporation comprised of community members, representatives from businesses, organizations, and local, state, and federal agencies. The Gila Watershed Partnership works to improve watershed health and water quality of the Upper Gila Watershed through locally led efforts. to conserve natural resources to enhance the environment for all users to maintain or improve the local economy to increase recreational opportunities to increase water quantity to improve water quality to prevent or minimize damage from large storms, floods, and other natural disasters The watershed of the Upper Gila River in southeastern Arizona is located primarily in Graham, Greenlee, and Cochise Counties and includes lands of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. The watershed overlies four groundwater basins; Safford, Bonita Creek, Duncan Valley, and Morenci. Originating in the Gila National Forest of New Mexico, the Gila River flows west through Arizona and eventually reaches the Gulf of California. Although the Upper Gila River and some of its tributaries are perennial, many tributaries are ephemeral. The ephemeral streams can be fast and free flowing during the rainy season, yet are without water during the dry period. The Upper Gila River and tributaries support a myriad of life in a vast area. The Gila Watershed supplies the water needs for agriculture, industry, recreation, as well as critical habitat. Chair – Keith Alexander Vice Chair – Phillip Ronnerud Secretary/Treasurer – Steve Eady Board Members-at-Large Bill Brandau Jean Reynolds Don Merrill Danny Smith Melanie Tluczek, [email protected] P.O. Box 1614, Thatcher, AZ 85552 LITTLE COLORADO RIVER WATERSHED COORDINATING COUNCIL The Little Colorado River Watershed Coordinating Council is an alliance of agencies, communities, companies, organizations and other watershed stakeholders dedicated to identifying, facilitating and implementing sound watershed resource management and conservation strategies within the Little Colorado River Watershed. The Little Colorado River Watershed Coordinating Council envisions a healthy, sustainable, and diverse watershed perpetuated by natural ecological and judicious and intelligent anthropic processes and capable of providing sustainable economic, social, educational, cultural, and environmental benefits for current and future generations. The Little Colorado River Watershed Coordinating Council’s mission is to be a progressive and proactive watershed organization dedicated to: Protecting, preserving, promoting, enhancing, and restoring ecological health and diversity, wildlife habitats and wildlife and fisheries resources, natural features, scenic beauty, prehistoric and historic natural and cultural resources through partnering with local, state, and federal agencies, tribes, communities, companies, organizations and other stakeholders; and promoting the implementation of wise management and conservation practices in support of the vision statement, Enhancing and protecting the quality and quantity of water in area creeks, streams, rivers, wetlands, ponds, springs, reservoirs and lakes, Promoting appropriate, cost effective, and sustainable recreation, economic, and financial security for present and future generations, Advancing education of wise and sustainable watershed and land management practices, encouraging responsible stewardship and fostering communication and cooperation among stakeholders across the watershed. The Council is affiliated with the Little Colorado River Plateau Resource Conservation & Development Area, Inc. (Little Colorado RC&D). The Little Colorado RC&D's Mission is "to support partnerships by providing leadership in natural resources, conservation and economic development with the communities and stakeholders of northeastern Arizona." The Little Colorado River Coordinating Council and the Little Colorado River Plateau RC&D host the annual Winter Watershed Conference. littlecolorado.net David Newlin, Executive Director Mohave County Water Authority The Mohave County Water Authority (MCWA) was officially formed in 1995. The MCWA was created to keep the City of Kingman’s Colorado River supply in Mohave County for use by river communities. It is comprised of representatives of the governing boards of: Bullhead City, City of Kingman, Golden Shores Water Conservation District, Lake Havasu City, Mohave Valley Irrigation & Drainage District, and Mohave Water Conservation District All members of the Authority are entities with fourth, fifth, or sixth priority mainstream Colorado River water contracts with the Department of Interior for municipal and industrial use. Mohave County is a member, though it does not have a Colorado River contract. The MCWA has the assignment of the Kingman Colorado River contract and, in exchange, provides funds to Kingman for future develop of Kingman’s groundwater resources. As the Colorado River is the Mohave County river communities’ only source of water (there is no ground water backup) the MCWA also provides other functions such as acquiring additional water supplies, including effluent. It may store, recharge, and recover these supplies for the benefit of Mohave County water users. The MCWA can also assist members with the development and operation of water diversion, conveyance, treatment, storage and recharge facilities, and the development of augmentation and conservation programs. Mohave Valley Irrigation & Drainage District – Chip Sherrill Bullhead City – Mark Clark, Bullhead City Council Member City of Kingman – Mayor Monica Gates, Secretary/Treasurer Lake Havasu City – Doyle Wilson, Vice Chairman Mohave County – Supervisor Lois Wakimoto, Chairman Mohave Water Conservation District – Tom Sockwell Golden Shores Water Conservation District – Bill Trotter 2000 McCulloch Blvd N., Suite B, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403 General Counsel – Maureen George Law Offices of Maureen Rose George, P.C. Northern Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (NAMWUA) and Technical Advisory Committee The Northern Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (NAMWUA) represents a group of northern Arizona municipalities that work together to speak as one voice for water policy. Created in 2002, NAMWUA is managed by an Executive Board of elected officials from eight northern Arizona municipalities. Through cooperating with one another, NAMWUA’s goal is to develop a sustainable regional water supply. In addition to sharing knowledge to better manage existing water supplies, NAMWUA seeks to secure water rights and infrastructure funding for importing additional supplies. Membership is open to any municipal water user or provider in northern Arizona that supports NAMWUA’s mission. To unite our expertise and resources in a collaborative effort to secure regional and local water resources for today and the future. Embraces the concept of sustainability of water resources for their customers Promotes working relationships with water providers, state and federal agencies and other stakeholders Seeks to develop and communicate a unified position before regulatory agencies and legislative bodies Encourages water conservation, water quality, and stakeholder input Chair – Lora Lee Nye, Town of Prescott Valley Vice Chair – Jamie Whelan, City of Flagstaff Secretary – Steve Blair, City of Prescott Ben Kramer, Town of Clarkdale Chris Marley, Town of Chino Valley Karen Pfeifer, City of Cottonwood Buzz Walker, Town of Payson John Martinez, City of Sedona Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Chair – Erin Young, City of Flagstaff Vice Chair – Tom Whitmer, City of Cottonwood Leslie Graser, City of Prescott Brad Hill, City of Flagstaff Roxanne Holland, City of Sedona John Munderloh, Town of Prescott Valley Northern Arizona Municipal Water Users Association Ron Doba, Administrator Oak Creek Watershed Council The Oak Creek Watershed Council (OCWC), formerly the Oak Creek Canyon Task Force, was organized in 1994 by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality as an informal watershed group, and evolved into a community-driven non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization in 2003. The OCWC membership includes citizen scientists, consultants, hydrologists, geologists, engineers, professionals with varied expertise, and a volunteer force — Friends of Oak Creek. A common goal is to support sustainable tourism while addressing its impacts, and tackle water issues of the community from a short and long-term perspective. In 2009, the Oak Creek Watershed Improvement Commission (WIC) was formed representing a larger group of stakeholders. Current watershed challenges include water quality, quantity and conservation, watershed restoration, and the social, economic and environmental impacts on the watershed community. MISSION STATEMENT AND PURPOSE The Oak Creek Watershed Improvement Commission (WIC) advises the Oak Creek Watershed Council (OCWC) regarding policies, programs, regulations and strategies that will increase public awareness, knowledge and action though best management practices (BMPs) in water sustainability and water quality protection with measurable outcomes to enhance and enrich the area's watershed community. The Oak Creek Watershed drains a portion of the Verde River Basin beginning on the Colorado Plateau and continuing into the transition zone between the Colorado Plateau and Sonora desert, in North Central Arizona. The watershed is approximately 300,000 acres, or about 464 square miles. Its main watercourse is Oak Creek which is about 50 miles long and is also the largest tributary of the Verde River almost doubling its volume at the confluence. Oak Creek is a valuable perennial stream that generally flows south from the confluence of Sterling Springs Canyon and Pumphouse Wash to its convergence with the Verde River. Sterling Spring discharges into a tributary of Oak Creek. This is the start of perennial flow for Oak Creek. http://oakcreekwatershed.org/contact-ocwc PO Box 732, Sedona, AZ 86339 Upper Agua Fria Watershed Partnership The Upper Agua Fria Watershed Partnership (UAFWP) grew out of the Water Study Committee of the Big Bug Economic Development Alliance in early 2000. During the same period the Arizona Department of Water Resources began encouraging rural areas to form grassroots regional watershed groups to function as water study and management units outside the Active Management Areas. The UAFWP consists of area stakeholders: Residents of the various communities, ranchers, members of community organizations and county, state and federal public agencies in the study area. The UAFWP also works closely with BLM and Prescott National Forest planning staff concerning their Land Use Planning and Recreational Planning. Mary Hoadley, Chair UAFWP HC 74, Box 4136 Mayer, AZ 86333 Upper san pedro partnership The Upper San Pedro Partnership was formed in 1998 as a consortium of federal, state and local agencies and organizations to assist in meeting the long-term water needs of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA) and of the area residents. The Partnership’s goals are to meet the long-term water needs of the Sierra Vista Subwatershed by achieving sustainable yield of the regional aquifer to: preserve the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA), and ensure the long-term viability of Fort Huachuca. The purpose of the Partnership is to coordinate and cooperate in the identification, prioritization and implementation of comprehensive policies and projects to assist in meeting water needs in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed of the Upper San Pedro River Basin. 1011 N. Coronado Drive Sierra Vista, AZ 85635 Yuma County Agricultural Water Coalition Agricultural water use in the the Yuma area is tied to the development of water resources from the Colorado River. The Yuma area is unique because a combination of factors, including geographic location, fertile soils, agricultural efficiency, technological innovation and high priority use water. An available workforce and environmental stewardship have transformed the Yuma area into one of the most productive agricultural centers in the United States. The Yuma County Agricultural Water Coalition is an alliance consisting of the following water users and irrigation districts: Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District (WMIDD) Yuma County Water Users’ Association (YCWUA) Yuma Mesa Irrigation and Drainage District (YMIDD) Yuma Irrigation District (YID) North Gila Valley Irrigation and Drainage District (NGVIDD) Unit B Irrigation and Drainage District (Unit B) Wade Noble 1405 W. 16th St. Suite A Yuma AZ 85364 waves.png Statewide Planning telephone-icon.png	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1475
__label__wiki	0.558242	0.558242	In relation to a question I asked earlier—What is a Neapolitan 6th chord—I have a follow up question. A Neapolitan chord is pretty much a Major chord built on the lowered second scale degree; however, there are two modes that naturally have a minor 2nd (Phrygian and Locrian) and the naturally occurring chord built from the second scale degree is major and technically is identical to a Neapolitan chord built in other modes, but the second is not lowered. Are the naturally occurring II chords in these modes considered Neapolitan chords and if not, can a Neapolitan chord be built in those modes? Dom♦Dom The main reason you will not find this analysis/interpretation is that the N6 chord is a part of Functional Harmony, ie Major or Minor keys with Functional Dominant -> Tonic relationships. The N6 chord is part of the Classical world. You are trying to place a Functional Harmonic device in a Modal setting. While you may be able to make this work in a Modal setting in one way or another, it would still not be analyzed as an N6 because a Modal setting does not conform to the same rules. Furthermore, as the N6 chord is a part of the Classical world, when similar things are found in other places, say Jazz (with Functional Hamony), they do not call it the same thing. In Jazz they may relate the ♭II triad to a Tri-Tone Substitution and describe its motion to the V7 to be an extension of the Dominant. On top of that, as Roland mentions in his answer, using the N6 with its Classical rules (going to V7) will detract from the feeling that you are in a Modal setting and will likely imply that you are in a Minor Tonality. In Phrygian, the ♭II often acts as dominant, wanting to resolve to the tonic, so not only would the use of the V7 detract from the Modal feel, but the bII will not receive its normal treatment, potentially adding a feeling of 'stressing' the dominant. At best, utilizing the N6 in this way will create the effect of a piece being Modal at some times and Tonal at others. BassticklerBasstickler Thanks! You put it way better than I did, and you provided a couple of interesting pointers to how it could be analyzed in a jazz harmony context. Thanks! Indeed, either it won't sound as a typical Neapolitan,or it won't sound as Locrian or Phrygian. – Roland Bouman Mar 23 '14 at 20:20 It could also be thought of as a dominant-functioning German augmented 6th. – Caleb Aug 10 '15 at 13:59 I have use a mixed function French sixth in Phrygian mode a number of times for final cadences, combining the bass of ♭vii6-I (essentially a plagal variant) with V-I in the upper voices. It works quite well; it doesn't detract from the mode. Augmented sixths are usually used as predominants now, much like ♭vii6-I is usually now used transposed in iv6-V-I. Still, the derivation from Phrygian is obvious. The Neapolitan sixth, though, acts like an altered subdominant. The characteristic ♭2-♮7 diminished 3rd in the voice leading isn't to be found in any Church mode. – user16935 Aug 11 '15 at 1:13 @Patrx2 I guess I couldn't be 100% about this but my thought is that you are using Aug6 chord to describe a separate function. My interpretation of the example you give, if I'm following correctly, would be a tritone substitution with b5/#11 for a dominant chord. I'm definitely not sure that I'm following your example correctly though. – Basstickler Aug 11 '15 at 14:30 @Basstickler, in C Phrygian, the chord would be D♭ in the bass, with F, G, B above. You could describe it as a tritone substitution (the one you suggest), but that doesn't capture how it functions. The D♭ is acting as an upper leading tone - it goes to C. It is acting as if taken from ♭vii6, i.e., D♭, F, B♭ ("6" would usually be superscripted, but I can't do it here), which is a subdominant-side chord. F, G and B act (naturally enough) like G7, i.e., V7 in C. – user16935 Aug 11 '15 at 14:50 Interesting question. I'd say no. My argument is not very strong though because its not about the N2 chord itself but about the way it appears on stock progressions. Typically a Neapolitan (rather, Neapolitan sixth) chord is heard as a subdominant that progresses to the dominant or dominant 7 chord. If you'd be in locrian or phrygian, and you would make that progression, you'd have to make a couple of alterations to make the dominant 7 chord. I think at that point it won't sound as locrian or phrygian anymore, but as melodic or harmonic minor. To be clear, obviously your observation that locrian and phrygian have a major chord on the 2nd degree, and the 2nd degree is a semi-tone up from the tonic is completely correct. I'm just saying I doubt that would ever show up in formal analysis as a Neapolitan. At least, it won't unless it would be followed by a dominant major or dominant 7th chord, in which case I think it would be considered a change of mode. Roland BoumanRoland Bouman @Dom's recent edit brought me here. I'll just add this to @Basstickler's answer which I think gets to the point that Neapolitan chords are a concept within the major/minor system. I think of Neapolitan - and augmented sixth - chords as first and foremost chromatically altered diatonic chords. The colorful effect of these chords is made apparent by their alteration from diatonic subdominants ii or iv. You could make an analogy with language. A phrase like 'Trompe-l'œil' sounds very intellectual in English, but in French it just means 'trick the eye.' In the context of a borrowed, foreign word it sounds special, in the context of the native language it is just a few simple words. Why use a borrowed French phrase in English to convey an idea about tricking the eye? Well, the borrowed phrase is used for a very specific kind of optical trick: when a painting is so realistic it tricks the viewer into believing they are seeing a real scene. We say 'trompe-l'œil' convey they specific meaning not just any optical illusion. So, in Phrygian, a major triad build on the second degree of the mode - a half step above the tonic - is nothing more than the major triad on the second degree. That is the native root and chord quality in Phrygian. But in a minor key a major chord on a lowered second degree is something special. Of the common chromatic chords - Neapolitan, augmented sixths, secondary dominants - it is the only one whose root is altered by lowering. It's so special we give it a special name to underscore its unique and foreign character: Neapolitan. In a mode where the second degree was natively a minor second, I think the label Neapolitan isn't meaningful. crudité is a better example, but I couldn't think of that yesterday. crudité sounds so much more elegant that 'raw vegetables' – Michael Curtis Mar 14 '19 at 16:47 Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged theory chords modes or ask your own question. What is a Neapolitan 6th? Chord construction using the minor scale Why Locrian #2? What do you call a Minor chord on the flatted second? Why do we only build 7th chords on the supertonic and dominant of a major scale? Is there such a thing as a Harmonic key besides for Harmonic Aeolian? Are the 1,4,5 the primary chords in all modes? Different modes with same root Relationship between extended diatonic chords and modes? What should one keep in mind when writing the Neapolitan 6th chord in a chord progression?	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1476
__label__cc	0.642727	0.357273	3-year-old dies in hot car, police say Posted 1:50 pm, September 22, 2019, by Web Staff SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS -- A Texas community is shaken after 3-year-old boy was found dead in San Antonio, KSAT reports. According to police, a local family came home from a t-ball game with their two sons Saturday afternoon. The parents had accidentally left the younger child in the hot car. When the parents went back to the car to get him, he was found unresponsive. The child was pronounced dead on the scene. The San Antonio Police Department believes there was no foul play but homicide detectives are investigating the case. If the medical examiner's office confirms the child died because he was left in the car, he will be the sixth child in Texas to die in a hot car this year, according to kids and cars, an advocacy group. Texas has had the highest number of child hot car deaths, tallying 131 since 1991. Lt. Jesse Salame said the death appears to be a "terrible accident." Topics: 3-year-old, death, hot car, Texas Missing Texas mom possibly found dead in trunk, family says; 1-month-old daughter found alive Teen dies after car goes airborne, crashes into home, police say 14-year-old girl uses Snapchat to tell her friends she had been abducted by 3 men, police say Toddler dies after being left for hours inside a hot car outside her family’s home in Florida Mother pleads not guilty in death of toddler left in car for hours with heater on A toddler was caught in a North Carolina airport escalator and fell to his death. Now his mom is charged with child abuse ‘This child was tortured’: Virginia mother charged with murder in death of two-year-old son A former nurse suspected of killing dozens of children has been sentenced to life in prison Man charged with capital murder after little girl stuffed in backpack, dies in car Texas church security member who shot gunman is former reserve deputy and firearms instructor Father charged with homicide, child abuse after emaciated teen son found dead Italy makes alarms for car seats mandatory so kids aren’t forgotten 11-year-old girl rescued hours after Amber Alert; video shows suspicious car driving behind her day before abduction	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1486
__label__cc	0.569586	0.430414	Police conducting death investigation in Winston-Salem; man identified Winston-Salem police file photo (WGHP) WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Police are conducting a death investigation in Winston-Salem. Police tell FOX8 they were called to 828 Cameron Ave. around 12:30 p.m. A 33-year-old man was found dead in his home. The man has been identified as Erick Demond Eaton. Family members found him Sunday afternoon. The cause of death is unknown at this time. Police are calling the death “suspicious.” Authorities ask that anyone with information regarding this incident, contact the Winston-Salem Police Department at (336) 773-7700 or CrimeStoppers at (336) 727-2800. Topics: death investigation Man charged with murder after woman found shot to death in vacant lot in Winston-Salem Man shot to death in Winston-Salem’s first homicide of 2020 Man suffers life-threatening injuries in shooting on Mulberry Street in Winston-Salem Man shot, killed in Winston-Salem fight identified Teen killed in shooting at Pittsburgh Avenue and Burton Street in Winston-Salem identified 91-year-old woman, 62-year-old man found shot to death in Winston-Salem home Winston-Salem man charged with murder after man shot, killed in Greensboro, police say Man found shot on basketball court at Rupert Bell Park in Winston-Salem; victim identified Man shot, killed in Winston-Salem identified Man dies in Winston-Salem crash after being thrown off dirt bike, police say Man dies after being shot in Winston-Salem; police begin homicide investigation Man shot, killed in Winston-Salem after fight with weapons, police say 2 men shot, taken to hospital after argument in Winston-Salem, police say	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1487
__label__wiki	0.90467	0.90467	NC, RJPN join hands against govt Published On: July 11, 2019 06:00 AM NPT By: Republica This is the first time since Prime Minister KP Oli came to power that the opposition parties are coming together against the government. KATHMANDU, July 11: The Nepali Congress (NC) and Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJPN), two friends in the opposition bench, have agreed to defend their common interests from parliament and street as they seek to intensify their protest against the government. Leaders said that the two sides have reached to a consensus on a minimum common agenda, while discussions are in progress to expand the protest across the nation. Since Monday, the two parties have been jointly obstructing the parliament meeting demanding a parliamentary probe into the killings by police of a leader of the Communist Party of Nepal and a commoner in Sarlahi district. The move followed a series of meetings between leaders of the two parties including the one held at NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba's residence in Budhanilkantha on July 5. Since then, leaders have held several rounds of meetings at their parliamentary party office in Singha Durbar, RJPN presidium member RajendraMahato said. “We are exploring other possible areas of cooperation in both parliament and street. For now, we would work together on a minimum common agenda in our struggle against the government,” Mahato told Republica. He said that leaders from the two parties were in discussion to make a list of common demands. Mahato said they would continue to obstruct the parliament meeting until the government agrees to form a parliamentary committee to probe the death of Kumar Paudel, Sarlahi district in charge of the CPN, and Saroj Narayan Singh, a Sarlahi local. Paudel and Singh were killed in police firings on June 20 and June 30 respectively. The alliance comes at a time when the opposition forces are facing increasing criticism for failing to stand up to the government, which commands two-thirds majority, on key issues of governance. In the recent months, the government has been facing bigger pressure from within the ruling party than from the opposition. While the alliance may have come as a positive sign for the opposition bench, it however remains unclear how far this alliance can go. The parties, despite sharing common position against the government, still appear divided on a number of issues, especially on the issue of the constitution amendment. The constitution amendment remains one of the major demands of RJPN, while NC leadership appears unwilling to do so. The parties are also prime rivals in core Madhesi constituencies. “Our partnership would be limited to a set of agendas. There hasn't been any agreement on the constitution,'' said an NC leader, who was present in the meeting held at Deuba's residence. RJPN leaders are working to forge an alliance with forces outside the parliament to start a nationwide campaign for constitution amendment. Mahato, who is heading the RJPN's talks team, said that at least seven ethnic parties have expressed their commitment to form a national alliance to mount pressure for constitution amendment. “We will start a nationwide street protest as soon as there is a consensus on common demands,'' said Mahato. nepali_congress rjpn Govt’s performance disappointing: NC (with full text) KATHMANDU, Feb 17: The main opposition Nepali Congress has said that the government’s performance during the first year of tenure... Govt revokes its earlier decision on hospitals named after NC leaders KATHMANDU, Jan 30: The government has decided to keep two hospitals named after late Nepali Congress (NC) leaders under the central... State's role imperative in implementing federalism: Gachchhadar MORANG, Jan 12: Main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) vice president Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar has stressed on the effective role of...	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1492
__label__cc	0.637757	0.362243	North Fork restaurants receive Wine Spectator ‘Award of Excellence’ by Monique Singh-Roy on July 11th, 2016 Caci North Fork (Credit: Randee Daddona) This is Caci North Fork’s first time being honored by Wine Spectator (Credit: Randee Daddona) For the first time, Caci North Fork in Southold has been honored with Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence for its outstanding wine list. It joins Touch of Venice in Cutchogue, which cracked the list for the third consecutive year. The Award of Excellence recognizes restaurants whose wine lists feature a well-chosen assortment of quality producers along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style. In total, 3,595 restaurants from around the world were recognized for their outstanding wine programs this year. “It’s very exciting,” said Caci owner Daniele Cacioppo. “Our wine list is solely Italian and North Fork wines, as that is the focus of the restaurant, authentic Italian food.” Caci offers a wine list for its restaurant, as well as another one for the bar. The lists offer winemaker’s notes as well, which are helpful to diners when choosing a wine to have with their meal. “We have an extensive wine list,” Ms. Cacioppo said. “For Italian wines we choose full-bodied, all Umbrian wines and we have a wonderful variety of North Fork wines including roses, sauvignon blancs, pinots, chenin blancs, all sorts of favorites of ours.” Touch of Venice also specializes in Italian and North Fork wines and the restaurant is excited to have been honored once again by Wine Spectator. “It’s a nice affirmation that we’re doing it right,” said co-owner Bryan Pennacchia said. “We work with a lot of the local producers. I put a lot of effort into the wine list, doing research, checking wine publications and going to distributor wine tastings.” Mr. Pennacchia likes to look for Italian wines that are not quite mainstream, instead of relying on well known names. “I pay attention to value wines and look for Italian wines from different regions of Italy, not just Tuscany and Barolos,” he said. “I’m really liking Sicilian wines right now, I feel like they’ve progressed. They’re doing a lot of high quality wines and have some interesting grapes that you’ve never seen around before.” To see the complete list of award winners check out the August issue of Wine Spectator, out on newsstands July 19. Caci North Fork is located at 56125 Main Road in Southold. Touch of Venice is located at 28350 Main Road in Cutchogue. Caci North Fork Cutchogue Southold Touch of Venice Wine Spectator One Minute on the North Fork: The creeks of Southold Even in winter, the various creeks along the bay in Southold provide breathtaking sights.... Podcast: The future of Caci, the arrival of Maroni and more North Fork restaurant news A month after abruptly closing their popular Southold restaurant, the owners of Caci North...	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1497
__label__wiki	0.863284	0.863284	Jesse Gross embraces coaching at St. Paul Jesse Gross was a three-time state qualifier with more than 125 wins wrestling at St. Paul, then won 62 matches at NCAA Division III Mount Union. At age 23, he’s in his first full season as the head wrestling coach at his alma mater. St. Paul's Caizzo wins 100th match; Norwalk 2nd in Findlay The Flyers placed fourth at the 27-team Waterloo Classic on Saturday, while the Truckers were second at the Findlay Invitational. Edison sweeps challenging Fricker's Duals The Chargers won all 10 dual meets over the two days in Defiance, highlighted by a thrilling 34-31 win over Perrysburg in the championship match. Monroeville sweeps tri-meet The Eagles beat Oberlin (51-12) and Western Reserve (43-12) on Friday at the Monroeville Athletic Complex. Willard Crimson Flashes Shelby tops Willard in double overtime The Flashes rallied from a seven-point deficit with two-plus minutes left in the fourth quarter, but the Whippets recovered for a 59-52 win in two overtimes on Tuesday in Shelby. Plymouth wins Arcadia Invite Monroeville’s Daniel Smith, Willard’s DJ Slone and Western Reserve’s Jake Elkin and Tyler Ramage all won their weight classes on Saturday at weekend tournaments. Edison dominates host Invite The Chargers had six individual champions on Saturday, while Western Reserve’s Tyler Ramage won his weight class and earned his 100th career win. Updated Dec 8, 2019 at 2:44 AM Edison's new multipurpose room is home for wrestlers The 7,500-square-foot facility can accommodate 24 wrestling practice mats and includes two locker rooms and an office and locker room for coaches. OHSWCA to sponsor girls state tournament next year The Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association voted unanimously to officially sponsor a girls state wrestling tournament, which will take place Feb. 22-23, 2020 at Hilliard Davidson. Updated Jun 25, 2019 at 1:27 PM Hernandez commits to Ivy League's Pennsylvania Norwalk High School wrestler Ethan Hernandez verbally committed to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on May 22. Hernandez was state runners-up and national runners-up in a one-month span in March during his junior season. Updated Jun 7, 2019 at 12:55 AM DeLuca's personality led to a 47-year coaching career After a nearly half-century stay at Norwalk that has spanned 99 total seasons of coaching, Ron DeLuca coaches his final event on Saturday. Sports Editor Mark Hazelwood reflects on DeLuca as old school coach with an infectious personality to poke fun at himself — and everyone around him.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1499
__label__cc	0.537024	0.462976	The team of international volunteers helping feed Warsaw’s needy Nov 20, 2019 \| Society \| 1 comment By Percy Metcalfe Every Sunday afternoon since 2017 a group of international volunteers, along with a smattering of locals, have gathered outside Warsaw’s iconic Palace of Culture and Science to serve hot food and tea to the city’s poor and needy, as well as, more recently, to provide them with warm clothes and haircuts. They call themselves Smile Warsaw, a name they live up to by exhibiting unending friendliness and a commitment to welcoming everyone. The group was founded by two Brits, Andy Eddles and Piotr Podworski, and an American, Caleigh Furlong, who decided to break off from another organisation, Warsaw Seva, that carried out a similar function within a Sikh religious context. Smile meet every Sunday in front of Warsaw’s iconic Palace of Culture and Science Podworski explains that they wanted to create something that was “non-religious” so that anyone would be comfortable participating, either as a volunteer or as a guest, as they refer to their clients, who form long lines waiting for the hot vegetarian meals that are on offer. “It gave us something to do,” remarks Eddles modestly when asked what prompted the three founders to undertake this weekly logistical headache. “And there are lots of beggars in Warsaw, so it seemed obvious.” He estimates that of the roughly 150 guests who attend the Smile meetings each week, 40% are “genuine rough sleepers” who find themselves bedding down each night in parks, metro stations, out in the open, or in sheds that they have broken into. The rest “are just really poor and need the assistance,” he explains. Some of Smile’s guests “When it’s minus stupid degrees Celsius” says Eddles, “breaking into a działka [allotment] for safety and warmth is necessary.” He notes that for Warsaw’s nearly 3,000 homeless there are very few options: they are “constantly hassled by police and asked to move on.” Smile Warsaw has been given a warm welcome by the city. Every week they receive support from a number of businesses: the main meal is prepared by the Indian Taste restaurant; tea and a clothing drop-off point are offered by Legends, a British pub and restaurant; cutlery comes from The Alchemist, a gastropub that also does the washing-up; and Less Mess, a storage provider, allows the group free use of their space to hold their equipment. Food is provided by a local Indian restaurant Smile Warsaw’s cadre of volunteers is remarkably international. Brits, Ukrainians, Emiratis, Saudi Arabians and Indonesians, among others, all gather each week, together with Poles, to give back to the city that has become their home. The Vietnamese contingent is particularly numerous. Eddles reports that initially there was little interest from Poland’s largest non-European immigrant group, but the arrival of volunteer Nam Phong in the city two years ago changed that dynamic. “I knew nothing about Poland when I came here,” says Phong. “I saw Smile on Facebook and became the first Vietnamese person to come and help. I told other Vietnamese people and they came too.” Phong now sits on the organisation’s management board and has succeeded in getting sustained engagement from his compatriots, who make up a sizeable chunk of the volunteers. In May, Smile served up Vietnamese chicken stir-fry shrimp noodles with drinks provided by Asia Market and Viet Station. Last Sunday, 17 November, was “World Day of the Poor”, a Catholic event proclaimed in 2017 by Pope Francis. So the 30-40 regular Smile volunteers were joined by helpers from Caritas, the Catholic charity, as well as organisations that support homeless people, Fundacja Daj Herbatę, Ambulans z serca karetka dla bezdomnych, and the po DRUGIE foundation. Hot tea is also on offer Smile’s diversity, as many of the organisers and volunteers report, is what keep people coming each week. Some volunteers, such as Adam, a British student who is still in secondary school, have made it a consistent hobby. “I’ve missed only one week in a year,” he proclaims proudly. While discussing what sets them apart from other similar organisations, Furlong notes, “we’re friendlier. We don’t turn anyone away. We don’t have an agenda. But it also has something to do with the expats, who all seem to like each other.” Abdullah, a student at the Medical University of Warsaw from Dubai, remarks that he “found it to be a great atmosphere with a lot of diversity and an opportunity to make friends.” He explains that for him it provides a boost on a cold and gloomy Warsaw winter day and a chance to meet people who he otherwise never would have crossed paths with. Volunteers praise the diverse, friendly atmosphere Marcin Brdys, who is from Poland but spent several years in the United Kingdom, explained that he thought people – both guests and new volunteers – respond positively to such a diverse group helping out anyone who needed it. “Poverty is everywhere. It doesn’t matter where you are from. It looks the same. It smells the same. It is the same. You cannot focus on one group or another, and people respond to this kind of kindness,” says Brdys. Rafał, a barber and rough sleeper himself, started coming to Smile as a guest over a year ago. He was overwhelmed by the welcome he experienced and began volunteering to cut hair for the other guests. While helping to clear up after last Sunday’s event, he explains in Polish with some glee, “Everyone here knows me now.” Guests are also offered haircuts and a shave Smile Warsaw is active on Facebook, where details for donation are available. They meet every Sunday from 3.45 pm until around 4.45 and accept clothing donations at The English Primary (Rzodkiewki 18), The English Playhouse (Płyćwiańska 14), and Legends Bar (Emilii Plater 25). Smile also accepts toiletries, female sanitary products, tents, sleeping bags, large IKEA-style carrier bags, rucksacks, and packaged foods in large quantities. As winter approaches, there is a particular need for warm large winter clothes. The group welcomes all volunteers to come join them, but there is a particular need for those who have access to a car and can drive. Image credit: all photographs from Smile Warsaw and Zula Rabikowska. Percy Metcalfe Percy Metcalfe is an American Fulbright student located in Warsaw for the academic year of 2019/20. He is carrying out a research project on the performance of national identity in the Polish-U.S. bilateral relationship at the University of Warsaw while also working part time for Notes from Poland. Lewaczka on December 25, 2019 at 1:38 am It is very sad what happened last Sunday in Warsaw – please cover this outrageous incident too. Recap: three aggressive neonazis attacked in bright day in the centre spot ‘Patelnia’ the Food not Bombs activists distributing food to homeless. The attackers were using liquid gas, hailing and praising wars and Hitler. The greatest challenge in 2020: the president must end Poland’s “war of the courts” Piotr Trudnowski A priority for presidential candidates must be finding a solution to the judicial crisis. Monkeys, windmills and sausages: six of the best Polish idioms Our editor picks and explains some of his favourite Polish sayings. What are yours? As Germany opens its labour market, should Poland be worried about losing Ukrainian workers? Business, Society Katarzyna Michalska Germany’s new Skilled Immigration Act goes into force in March this year.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1500
__label__cc	0.560192	0.439808	This Mascara Is So Good, A Tube Is Sold Every 7.4 Seconds When it comes to mascaras, there is no gray area. They’re either clumpy and smudgy, or life-changing, everyone-asks-if-you have-lash-extensions-good. Too Faced’s Better Than Sex Mascara falls into the latter category — the five-year-old product is currently the best-selling prestige mascara in the country. In fact, according to the brand, a tube of it sells every 7.4 seconds. “I wanted to create a holy grail mascara for every woman out there who’s been searching for the perfect mascara that delivers volume, separation, length, curl, and rich, fluffy, black lashes,” says Jerrod Blandino, co-founder and chief creative officer of Too Faced. “Before Better Than Sex, you could get a couple of those things in a mascara, but never all of those things in one tube. I gave myself the freedom to experiment, play and dream without time limits, launch dates, or the pressure of needing it to happen.” RELATED: Why People Are Obsessed With This Cult-Classic Dry Texturizing Spray Considering it took three years and over 100 variations before landing on the formula everyone knows and loves, it’s a good thing that Blandino wasn’t tied to a launch date. “The science of a mascara is the most difficult thing to do within the color cosmetics industry,” he explains. “There are so many variables that will make or break it, from ingredients, waxes, the temperature of the water going into the batch, time of year and weather, the brush, the bottle, the glue that holds everything together, the metal, the plastics, essentially every component that makes it what it is.” According to Blandino, the fact that Too Faced went outside of the typical mascara ingredients to find things that take it to the next level, is what makes Better Than Sex so wonderful, and a product that can’t be replicated. Well, and the fact that it’s name would make your grandma clutch her pearls. Incidentally, the origins of the mascara’s X-rated name is ironically G-rated. “We had been playing and testing for so long and we had finally found a formula that we were all loving, but hadn’t unlocked it with the right brush,” says Blandino. “The UPS man came in and dropped off a box full of brushes. My team and I rolled our eyes thinking, ‘ok, another trial and error is about to happen.’ We chose a couple brushes, nothing great happened, and then we plucked THE ONE out of the box, dipped it in the tube, swirled it around, and when my product development manager applied it, everybody’s jaws dropped, gasps were heard, and I screamed, ‘Oh shit! It’s better than sex!’ Whether or not the mascara is hyperbolic is up for you to decide. Too Faced’s Better Than Sex Mascara is available for $ 24 at sephora.com. To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter Beauty – Health.com Tagged every, good, Mascara, Seconds, Sold, this, Tube Demi Moore Swears by the MakeUp Eraser for Her Anti-Aging Skincare Routine September 20, 2019 September 20, 2019 admin Demi Moore Uses MakeUp Eraser Nightly in Anti-Aging Skincare Routine – Health Top Navigation Close Explore Health Profile Menu Follow us Close Share options Close View image Demi Moore Swears by the MakeUp Eraser for Her Anti-Aging Skincare Routine this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Let’s […] The Anti-Aging Serum That Has More 5-Star Reviews Than Any Other Skincare Product on Amazon This Serum Has More 5-Star Reviews Than Any Other Anti-Aging Product on Amazon – Health Top Navigation Close Explore Health Profile Menu Follow us Close Share options Close View image The Anti-Aging Serum That Has More 5-Star Reviews Than Any Other Skincare Product on Amazon this link is to an external site that may or […] Kourtney Kardashian Just Revealed Exactly What She Eats on Cheat Days Kourtney Kardashian Just Revealed What She Eats on Cheat Days – Health Top Navigation Close Explore Health Profile Menu Follow us Close Share options Close View image Kourtney Kardashian Just Revealed Exactly What She Eats on Cheat Days this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Let’s block […] 6 Facts You Might Not Know About McDonald’s French Fries Montel Williams Describes His Life-Threatening Stroke: 'I Didn’t Think That I Was Going to Recover From This.' What to Know About Antisocial Personality Disorder Treatment Jennifer Aniston's Best Health and Fitness Tips Through the Years 7 Fall Hairstyles That Will Be Huge This Season	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1502
__label__cc	0.535595	0.464405	Home > Books > Jade Man’s Skin by Daniel Fox Jade Man’s Skin by Daniel Fox June 13, 2010 David Marshall Leave a comment Go to comments This is the second book in the trilogy Moshui, the Books of Stone and Water, behind the eyes of the characters introduced in Dragon in Chains by the pseudonymous Daniel Fox. We wanted to see more of the same. We really did. But, as it turned out, there was a different path for them to follow. The morning after the night before, as it were. The results are just as good, but different. Well, even in difference, there can be common themes. I take the central concern of this second of a trilogy (Moshui: The Books of Stone and Water) to be captured in the elegant thought that, “A city defended once can be defended again. Its reputation will speak through its stones; it has a memory of resistance, walls that say no, gates that refuse to yield. A city that has fallen once will fall again. That is. . .inherent. Shame sinks to its foundations, weakness and loss and surrender lie like characters to be read in the very dust of its streets.” We all struggle against the tendency of the world to label and, by that label, to define us. So, a city can be stereotyped by one loss to be a loser in all future conflicts. Passive people find such limitations comfortable. They never have to rise above the expectations of those who label them. But, for those more active personalities who have already set the bar high, it is easy to fail. So, where is the path to redemption? Take a young Emperor as an example. He has fled across China and then across the sea to a craven last hiding place in the mountains of an island. This effectively demolishes all expectations of leadership. Indeed, his concubine may have risen to become an unexpected power behind what is left of the throne. Yet how can a girl who has grown up on a fishing boat expect to command loyalty and lead? Then there are the two generals who have come to radically different fortunes. One has been responsible for managing the retreat. The other is determined to confirm the legitimacy of his claim to the throne by eliminating the Emperor and all his family who might be a rallying point for future rebellion. It was all poised to reach the obvious conclusion with both generals conspiring to kill the Emperor. . . . . and then everything was turned on its head by the release of the dragon. What a magnificent beast, just as powerful underwater as in the air, commanding the elements with dramatic effect. It should be so easy for such a dominant creature, once free, to kill without limit. Yet who or what is ever truly free? An animal, once chained, is forever enslaved! A city once defeated. . . In Chinese philosophy, we have the notion of interdependence defined as yin and yang. Everything is opposites in a complementary relationship of balance. Think of the world as a meta-context. It begins as emptiness and then, as forces come into existence, there will be an ordering until the new environment is as calm as the previous emptiness. In a magic realm, a dragon would have to be balanced by a deity. Except, a dragon can emerge into the real world, so the deity must find human agents who can preserve the balance in both contexts. In the human realm, everything also has its own paired cycles. Generals will rise and fall in their fortunes. Even Emperors will find individuals who will balance and complete then. So, in this second book, the cycle must turn again. The Emperor must come down from the mountain and lead again. Perhaps the courtesan’s path leads back to the boat she grew up on as her relationship with the Emperor may be in decline. Perhaps the generals will find the pursuer becomes the pursued. So it is that the tone is different because we deal with the consequences of the first book, but it is the same because the equal and opposite qualities are complete in themselves. This is a hugely enjoyable second outing, full of sharply economical writing and cleverly constructed character development. In tone, it starts off relatively subdued, but ends with muted triumph as character arcs, having diverged, converge to complete circles. Everything is now nicely poised for the final volume, Hidden Cities. Involuntarily, characters have been trapped or cajoled into living up to their labels. Now we have to see whether the Emperor really does have the intellect and emotional maturity to do more than lead from the front in a fight. Can he become the power in the land. While above him flies the dragon with the power to summon a typhoon to wash all life from the Emperor’s land. It is, as it should be, all left nicely balanced. For the concluding volume, see Hidden Cities. For a new series, see Desdaemona and Pandaemonium. Categories: Books Tags: Books, Daniel Fox, dragon, fantasy, Jade Man's Skin, magic, Moshui, The Books of Stone and Water Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie Julian Comstock by Robert Charles Wilson	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1503
__label__cc	0.509937	0.490063	Home Achievers Belmont Invited to Become a Science Communication Fellow as Pharmacy Students Impact... Belmont Invited to Become a Science Communication Fellow as Pharmacy Students Impact the Lives of Young Tennessee Women In February, four Belmont student pharmacists volunteered their time at a hands-on science summit for the Tennessee Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Research (TWISTER). TWISTER is a program to inform and motivate high school girls to pursue science and technology careers, provide positive role models and engage young women with limited opportunities for success in positive math and science experiences. Pharmacy students Erica Evans, Laci Hendress, Jessica Paullet and Lindsey Smith dedicated a Saturday to mentor young women and promote pharmacy as a career field. These students modeled the professional, career-oriented women who work in pharmacy to 9th through 12th grade girls. “TWISTER seems to be a wonderful opportunity for these highly motivated individuals,” said Hendress. These four women have demonstrated excellence in academic coursework, the work place and extracurricular activities while at Belmont. “I was excited to have the opportunity to give back, especially to this group of girls because I had so many mentors in my life who inspired me to set my goals higher and to go achieve them,” said Smith. The four students gave a 15 minute presentation, followed by a series of pharmacy-oriented, hands-on lab activities: compounding ointments, accurate measurement exercises and a timed pill-counting competition. TWISTER’s effect on the lives of high school participants is immeasurable. Belmont University School of Pharmacy and TWISTER hope to continue to inspire young women to excel in the sciences and educate them on possible career options. Paullet said, “If I can make a difference in one girl’s life and help guide her along a career path, then it is well worth the time spent.” As a result, Belmont University has been invited to become a 2011-2012 Science Communication Fellow for the Adventure Science Center of Nashville. As a Fellow, Belmont will build sustainable partnerships with the science community, provide professional development opportunities that prepare scientists, and create public programs throughout Tennessee. “Twister was a wonderful experience and we are thrilled to extend our efforts as part of a program that is offered at only five science centers across the country,” said Dr. Ronda Bryant, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice and project mentor. “Being a 2011-2012 Science Communication Fellow is a privilege.” Thomas F. Cone Center for Entrepreneurship Honors Top 100 Alumni Entrepreneurs... Haley Charlton - October 15, 2019 Ranked a Top 25 Program for 2019 by the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine, the Thomas F. Cone Center for Entrepreneurship held... Occupational Therapy Faculty, Alumni, Students Present at International Symposium Belmont University Dedicates Newest, Largest Residence Facility, ‘Tall Hall’ Cecil Scaife Visionary Award Honors Congressman Marsha Blackburn Residence Halls Compete in Sustainability Contest	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1514
__label__wiki	0.653271	0.653271	Tag: model Do you ever wish to become a model or an actor? Bet you have! Most people don’t have the opportunity to try this experience. But don’t let this derail your urge to pursue this career. Instead, engage a competent modelling and acting agency to scout you. The opportunity doesn’t only apply to upcoming or aspiring models. Professional modelers can also promote their work by engaging an agency. Here are the primary reasons why you should engage in a modeling and acting agency. If you’ve ever researched how to build up muscle muss, then you’ve certainly come across the following piece of advice: Confidence Boost: The Positive Impact of Invisalign On Aspiring Models You’ve heard people say that it’s not about what you look like on the outside… it’s all about who you are on the inside. Well, that’s true to a certain degree but in the world of modeling, it’s all superficial; if you don’t look good, you’ll never have a career in modeling, let alone a successful one. Presley Gerber - male model and photographer Presley Gerber is the eldest child and son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and her husband, businessman Rande Gerber. He is an aspiring photographer. He was born via home birth in Brentwood, California. He has a strong following on Instagram more than 550 000 followers, where he shares his photography skills. He is the older brother of model Kaia Gerber and has a dedicated Instagram account, kbyp, of photos he takes of his sister. Menswear collections Cantarelli presented "Under The Tuscan Rainbow" collection The Italian Historical Fashion Brand organized a glamorous Fashion Runway and Awarding Ceremony “UNDER THE TUSCAN RAINBOW” on 12.06.2019. Top designers from Russia presented their collections at Cantarelli Fashion Week on 12.06.2019. Russian designers will produce their collections in Tuscan tailors and factories. Cantarelli’s goal is to attract world markets for Made In Italy products. Over 200 Industry experts from over 30 countries attended the event. Made-to-measure Men's Suits Meet Sartorio at Pitti Immagine Uomo The Sartorio brand, with its strong sartorial imprint that is modern and casual, tells the story of a Neapolitan in the World, while the Kired brand is characterized by the combination of artisanal excellence and innovation. The two present their novelties for the first time in a new space at the Cavedio of the Lower Floor (Main Pavilion). Timeless collections that do not fall victim to fleeting trends, but which are in constant evolution, reinterpreting the codes of elegance and good taste. Menswear accessories Why Seiko Watches are a Fantastic Present for Men Watches are one of those things that sit slightly outside of an obvious classification, being part functional necessity, and (in some cases) part fashion accessory; and although these days the popularity of mobile phones means fewer people wear a watch daily, most of us own at least one. Khrystyna: Fashion industry still needs a reform Actor, model, and influencer Khrystyna is the new self-made, multifaceted girl of 2019. Known for her extensive work on various modeling campaigns music videos, including Nervo's "Forever or Nothing," and Chris Brown's "Grass Ain't Greener," as well as her acting in film and television, Khrystyna is a true hustler whose name will be on everyone's lips this coming year. Why We Should Pay Homage to These Style Icons This Thanksgiving Every man has a style idol. Whether we know it or not, we’re always learning smart sartorial lessons from men whose style we admire. For most, it all starts as kids with our dad's fashion. Then as we grow up, we turn to movie stars, models and musicians for our fashion fix. Rhys Pickering - one of the most famous Instagram models Rhys Pickering is an English YouTuber and male model. Scouted in Switzerland during his gap year from university. By 2015, Pickering achieved "top 50 model" status very quickly, shooting with highly respected photographers and working with international brands. Fernando Cabral - Portuguese male model One of the most mediatic Portuguese male models, Fernando Cabral has several successes. He is the only Portuguese on the top 50 models of the worlds, ranked by the renowned Models.com site., was awarded by SIC and CARAS in 2014 and 2018 with the Golden Globe of the best male model and in 2016 was considered GQ Men of The Year. Special launch of the Cos Menswear Capsule Collection During Pitti Uomo 94, the London-based fashion brand COS will present “Soma,” a capsule collection of essential menswear garments characterized by comfort and high-level design. A special event will be held for the launch of the collection in a stunning location in the city involving the participation of the famous British choreographer Wayne McGregor. River Viiperi - Spanish male model In 2010 he opened the fall show for Calvin Klein as an exclusive in New York, he was on the cover of Surface, he appeared in the spring issue of V Man, he signed with Soul Artist Management, he walked the spring shows for Calvin Klein and D&G in Milan, he was on the cover of Attitude and became the face for American Eagle. Fashion Photographers Alessandro Dal Buoni - London photographer with supreme aesthetic Alessandro Dal Buoni is a natural born photographer that leap us up by a supreme aesthetic. One of these natural born artists that make you want to see realness in a new way. Born in Italy and currently based in London. Walter Schupfer - professional photographer in USA Walter Schupfer was born and raised in a small village just outside of Vienna, Austria. Discovered by Helmut Lang at the age of 15 he soon after made his pilgrimage to America where he began his career as an internationally recognized fashion model. From the moment he embarked on his travels his objective was to satisfy his wanderlust and go in search of discovering the world of opportunities that awaited abroad. Jeff Lack - celebrities' stylist Jeff Lack is an editorial, campaign and personal stylist, content creator, media commentator and keynote speaker with over 20 years of experience in the Australian Fashion Industry. Andre Hamann - German model and digital influencer German male model Andre Hamann started his modelling career at the age of 23 after being scouted in Vienna, Austria. With his striking looks he’s become one of Germany’s leading models with over one million followers on Instagram. Andre recently created his own clothing line Haze and Glory which focuses on creating high end vintage inspired premium garments. Johannes Huebl - German male model Johannes Huebl is a favorite for street style and he dresses his personality without having to get a stylist. He is 38 years old when it comes to his age. He is a designer for shoes and a photographer. He is married to a blogger Olivia Palermo. They got married in 2014. Marlon Teixeira - Brazilian male model ranked as Top Icons Men Marlon Teixeira is a Brazilian model who has walked in numerous fashion shows for companies like Dolce & Gabbana, Emporio Armani, and Roberto Cavalli and became the face of the Diesel fragrance Diesel Fuel for Life Denim Collection in 2011. Simon Nessman - the face of Giorgio Armani He began modeling in his young teens, around the time he was 14 or 15 years old. In 2011, models.com ranked him as the second most successful model in the industry. n 2011, models.com ranked him the second most successful male model in the industry behind Sean O'Pry. Tyson Beckford - the most successful black male model Tyson Beckford was born on 19th of December, 1970. He is an American fashion model and actor, best known as a Ralph Lauren Polo model. He was also the host of both seasons of the Bravo program Make Me a Supermodel. Beckford has been described as the most successful male supermodel of all time, achieving fame and huge contracts similar to the female models that had huge success in the 1990s. In 2014, Vogue Magazine named Beckford the greatest male model of all time. Noah Mills - Canadian model and actor After beginning his career in 2003 at the age of twenty, Mills progressed into working with a number of fashion companies, most notably Wilhelmina Models, from which he started his model life. In 2004, Mills made his debut as a runway model for the fall Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent collections in Milan and Paris. In early 2005, he signed a contract with Dolce & Gabbana. Mathias Lauridsen - the most famous Danish model Copenhagen, Denmark native Mathias Lauridsen is an internationally renowned supermodel best known for appearing in advertising campaigns for Christian Dior, Calvin Klein, Herm?s, and Jil Sander. Perhaps most significantly, he sat for legendary photographer, the late Richard Avedon. Marcus Schenkenberg - Swedish male model, singer and actor Marcus Lodewijk Schenkenberg van Mierop, better known as Marcus Schenkenberg (born August 4, 1968) is a model, actor, singer, writer, and TV personality born in Stockholm, Sweden to Dutch parents. He has a citizenship with Netherlands, but has been based in NYC since 1991. World fashion Top International Model of the World Top International Model of the World will be gathering once again models from around 25 countries around the globe in one UNIQUE modeling contest. This year, models will have some job specific activities as well as some cultural activities. Jon Kortajarena - Spanish male model and actor Jon Kortajarena Redruello is born on 19th of May 1985. He is a Spanish model and actor. He has landed advertising campaigns for Just Cavalli, Versace, Giorgio Armani, Bally, Etro, Trussardi, Diesel, Mangano, Lagerfeld, Pepe Jeans but notably H&M, Zara, Guess and Tom Ford for his consecutive seasons with the brands. On 26 June 2009, Forbes ranked Jon Kortajarena 8th in The World's 10 Most Successful Male Models. Evandro Soldati - the 7th most successful male model in the world in 2008 Evandro Soldati is born on 17th of April, 1985 in Uba, Minas Gerais, Brazil. He is a Brazilian male model. According to Forbes, he was the 7th most successful male model in the world in 2008. Evandro is of Italian ancestry. Brad Kroenig - at 36 years he is still one of the best models The mid-west doesn’t play around when it comes to handsome men; born April 23, 1979 in the heart of St. Louis, Missouri, Brad Kroenig has been nothing less than a godsend. Xavier Buestel - French male model Xavier Buestel is a French fashion model. Born on May 13, 1992, Xavier is known for his luxury work with clients such as Coach, Belstaff, and Sandro. A regular face on the catwalk, Xavier has walked for fashion brands, which range from Cerruti 1881 and Paul Smith to Boglioli. The leading model has also appeared in editorials for magazines like Interview and Vogue Netherlands Man. Alexandre Cunha - the most successful Brazilian model Born in 9th June 1987, Alex Cunha is a Brazilian Fashion model who was discovered as he scouted on a bus at the age of 17. Ever since he joined the fashion modelling industry, Alex has gain immense success and has since become of the most successful Brazilian models today. He is well-known for his killer body-well-sculptured and toned and beautiful skin as well. He is also known for his charming smile and sexiness. He is adored by many and has made his name in the industry in the most fashionable way-he is definitely a rising star. Janis Ancens - the most famous Latvian in fashion industry Janis Ancens is a Latvian fashion model. Born on July 25, 1992, Janis has appeared in a number of advertisements. The Latvian model has worked with brands such as Calvin Klein, Dior Homme, Gucci, and Neil Barrett. Janis has also starred in a number of editorials. His print portfolio includes clients such as Dazed & Confused, Man About Town, VMAN, and Num?ro Homme. Sci-fi-inspired Autumn/Winter 2017 campaign of GUCCI GUCCI made fashion headlines this week with its sci-fi-inspired autumn/winter 2017 campaign. Shot by Glen Luchford, with art direction by Christopher Simmonds, models pose in Star Trek-influenced scenarios, fend off dinosaurs and fall prey to extra-terrestrial creatures that emerge from deep, dark lakes. Belvest Fall/Winter 2017-2018 collection Dressing with style is a combination of creativity, intelligence, technique and feeling. For Belvest it is an inexhaustible passion for quality and perfection of craftsmanship, conceptual research models and excellence in fabric, selected to give personality and character to every garment. Fashion design education "Migration" NABA Fashion Show 2017 The traditional final event of the academic year took place on July 5th at 9.30 pm at the NABA campus in Milan. Almost 200 students from the BA in Fashion Design (60 of which attended the course in Fashion Styling & Communication) and 45 students of the MA in Fashion and Textile Design were able to celebrate their hard work with a catwalk attended by press, fashion institutions, companies and influencers, besides their teachers and families. Lifestyle chronics PERSOL 100th anniversary Persol, one of the most important eyewear brands in the world, celebrated its 100th anniversary with an exclusive party in Cannes last night during Cannes Film Festival, in partnership with amfAR, one of the world’s leading non-profit organizations dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and the advocacy of sound AIDS-related public policy. We love this brand Avakian at the Cannes Film Festival 2017 World renowned performer Mary J. Blige chose Avakian for the vanity fair party. She is seen here wearing a full diamond necklace with matching earrings, a diamond and sapphire bangle and a matching ring from a high jewellery collection. Celebrities' style: Kellan Lutz Kellan Christopher Lutz is born on 15th of March, 1985. He is an American model and actor. He is known for playing Emmett Cullen in The Twilight Saga film series (2008–2012), and has since played Poseidon in the 2011 film Immortals, Tarzan in the 2013 animated film Tarzan, John Smilee in The Expendables 3 (2014), and Hercules in the 2014 film The Legend of Hercules. Curious news Techtextil and Texprocess present ‘Living in Space’ in cooperation with ESA and DLR Beam me up, Scotty: a large amount of material has to be transported for a journey into space – and technical textiles account for a large proportion of them. Examples of the parts and products in which they are to be found will be on show at the ‘Living in Space’ exhibition during this year’s Techtextil und Texprocess (9 to 12 May 2017), which has been organised by Messe Frankfurt in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) Fashion magazines and books The new British Vogue Editor is a man - for the first time in history Eduard Enninful, who will depart his current position as fashion and style director of W Magazine to take up his new position on August 1, revealed that he was "most excited to tell my father about my appointment. He immigrated to England from Ghana with my mother and six children." Sewing industry C.L.A.S.S. Spring/Summer 2018 is becoming Smarter C.L.A.S.S., the leading eco-material hub based in Milan and specialized in the integration of a new generation of smart values within fashion and home d?cor, presents the new SS 2018 collection through its partners, highlighting the new generation of values as innovation, research, creativity, traceability, transparency and sustainability. A very new business model and a real supporting tool for companies (not only the “fashion” ones) for lower environmental impact productions. A new concept that contributes to improve the quality of life, properly answering to cultural changes and to consumer’s new mind-set that links excellence to smarter products. Model of 2016: Jordan Barrett The Models.com Model of the Year (MOTY) Industry Awards are the voice of over 250 voters representing a wide range of the industry’s top professionals, including many of the industry’s top stylists, designers, photographers, editors, hair and makeup artists and casting directors, and a wide range of the next generation of the industry’s emerging creative talents. Reverso meets Pop Art 2016 On the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the watch icon Reverso, the cosmopolitan, athlete and pop artist Prince Hubertus zu Hohenlohe presents two new Reverso models. Designed with an eye for the exceptional, his motifs decorate the reverse side of the legendary watch with its swivel case. Sean O'Pry - one of the most successful male models In 2006, 17-year-old O'Pry was scouted from his prom photos on MySpace by Marin; fashion-icon, model-maker, TV personality and past judge from America's Next Top Model. Bert Hamilton, a photographer from Sean's home state of Georgia, took the picture featured on this article before his career took off. Menswear looks from the collaboration of H&M and KENZO The KENZO x H&M lookbook features a key selection of looks from the designer collaboration and stars a diverse cast of talented, passionate and creative ambassadors, each of whom expresses their individuality and values with style. Scabal Tailoring - Made-to-measure experience Your sartorial adventure with Scabal comprises of selecting the finest luxury fabric, choosing the style of the cut crafted with Savile Row tailors techniques to suit your individual measurements, down to picking your unique personalised detailing both inside-and-out. Jaeger-LeCoultre celebrates the 85th anniversary of the Reverso watch in Venice For over a decade, Jaeger-LeCoultre has demonstrated its commitment to encouraging and promoting all aspects of the filmmaking art. The Maison feels uniquely positioned to continue its work alongside the artists who make film: both are passionate about capturing the fleeting moments. American male model Garrett Neff Garrett Neff is a 32-year-old male model, born in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. He is among the most successful and respectively top earning male models in the world. MANGO launches the new Autumn/Winter 2016 campaign MANGO MAN presents its new campaign for the Autumn/Winter 2016 season, featuring the models Vinnie Woolston, George Barnett, Matthew Bell and David Agbodji, who have all previously worked with prestigious international brands. The photo shoot took place in the district of Harlem, New York, and was shot by Gregory Harris. One fashion project is among the winners of Chivas' The Venture 2016 The Venture, luxury whisky Chivas Regal's search to find and support the most innovative startups from across the world, rewarded five social enterprises in New York City earlier this month. The winners were announced after five grand finalists pitched in front of a live audience and judging panel that included actress and philanthropist Eva Longoria. Mister Elegance Dian Hristov Dian works as a professional model for more than 15 years. He has worked in Spain, Turkey, Austria, Germany, Italy and has photo sessions in New York, Las Vegas, Cape Town, Vienna, S?o Paulo, Cyprus, Malta, etc. The style of Alexander Ludwig Alexander Richard Ludwig is a Canadian actor, singer and model. His notable film credits include The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising, Lone Survivor, Disney's Race to Witch Mountain, and The Hunger Games. Fashion in the industry Happy Birthday Mark Zuckerberg The Men's Fashion Cluster Academy gives 365 men's suit jackets to Mark Zuckerberg as a gift. It announced it earlier this year, but Mark Zuckerberg did not call yet to claim this gift. The Men's Fashion Cluster team is very serious in this offer and once again wants to make it for Mark Zuckerberg's birthday, which is today, 14th May. Edgardo Osorio - a women's footwear designer and a men's style role model Edgardo launched his own brand AQUAZZURA in 2011, when he was only 25-year-old. He aims to create stylish yet wearable footwear for today's woman balancing between modern design and impeccable craftsmanship. The dandy style David James Gandy - the best dressed and undressed model David James Gandy was born in 1980 in Billericay, Essex, England, the son of working-class parents who ran a property and freight company. UNITED COLORS OF BENETTON: merging colours, blending identities What is the face of London? And the face of Tokyo? New York? Milan? Berlin? Paris? In a brand new United Colors of Benetton global campaign, the face of each model is a partly analog, partly digital combination of all the features found in the six fashion capitals of the world. Zach Miko - the first 'Brawny' male model IMG Models is one of the largest modeling agencies in the world and aiming to help society to 'celebrate all body types', it has just launched a plus-sized division for male models. It is called 'Brawn' and 1.98 m 125 kg Zach Miko is its first representative. Mango Man Essentials for Spring 2016 MANGO Man launches its offering for Spring 2016 with The New Essentials. The menswear line presents 4 different offerings with something in common: they are all equally necessary when creating new wardrobe essentials for a modern man with personality. David Gandy is the winner in Most Stylish Men 2015 - Category Science and Culture David James Gandy is an English model, born in Billericay, Essex, England, in 1980. He is currently one of the most famous male models in the world. Having gained a reputation for his personal style, David Gandy won the prize for Most Stylish Men 2015 in Category Science and Culture! Toronto's Fashion Santa in a charity Christmas initiative Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto is the place where you can see Paul Mason, a.k.a Fashion Santa, in action. All customers are encouraged to snap selfies with him, because the mall donates $1 (up to a total of $10,000) for every Fashion Santa Selfie posted on social media /hashtag #YorkdaleFashionSanta/ to the SickKids Foundation - a charity for Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. British model Oliver Cheshire among the nominees for the Most Stylish Man 2015 prize Fashion experts define Oliver as one of the most stylish man in Britain and if you think that he deserves this prize support him for the BGFN readers' voting for Most Stylish Men 2015. Share his page OLIVER CHESHIRE with your friends and each of you will have the chance to win a made-to-measure men's suit jacket. Noah Mills for David Yurman Fall Winter 2015 campaign The male top model Noah Mills is the star in the David Yurman Fall Winter 2015 campaign. Sean O'Pry alongside Katy Perry in H&M's 2015 Christmas campaign After Sean O'Py appeared in Madonna's music video 'Girl Gone Wild' and in Taylor Swift's 'Blank Space', now his next part is in H&M's Christmas campaign for 2015 in which Katy Perry is in the leading role of a Christmas fairy. David Gandy covers Esquire Mexico eading model David Gandy expands his strong portfolio with two new covers, shot by photographer John Russo, for the November edition of Esquire Mexico. The most famous male models We all knew the most famous female models, how they look and spicy details about their lives. But, how many of you can tell me three names of famous male models? It's difficult task, right? So, we decided to make a selection of most famous male models. Marc Jacobs Spring 2016 Ready-to-wear collection Marc Jacobs’s was a clamorous, exuberant affair. Both got the public involved: It’s still hard to score access, but the shows are less and less an insular, insiders-only experience. Fall/Winter 2015-2016 fashion trends: Marshmallow colours Let's look at the Fall/Winter fashion trends in different angle. We are looking for the most trendy colours for the winter season. We know, that there are colours that are typical for fall and winter - grey, black, brown with their shades, but this year is different - a whole new world in marshmallow colours. Womenswear: 20 key trends for Fall/Winter 2015-2016 The winter season is going to be very interesting - colorful, lively and unconventional. Trends are diverse and everyone can find something for himself. Colors, fabrics and patterns are combined to show you what will be modern during the coming season. Georgia May Jagger Collection for Mulberry Georgia May Jagger, Mulberry muse and poster girl for the British rock 'n' roll lifestyle, has teamed up with us to create the ultimate leather Biker Jacket. Zinedine Zidane continues for another season as the face of MANGO MAN MANGO Man is once again counting on Zinedine Zidane for the forthcoming Autumn/Winter 2015 campaign. Anouk Wipprecht's 3D Printed Audi A4 Dress Collection Brings Incredible Virtual Reality to Fashion Just when you think you have seen everything there is within the fashion industry, something always seems to jump up and grab you unexpectedly. For Dutch designer Anouk Wipprecht, her work not only does this from time to time, but just about every piece of fashion that she designs will leave you either totally awe inspired or incredibly freaked out. She is known within the fashion industry for taking things to a level previously unthought of, and within the 3D printing industry for exhibiting the potential the technology provides for the future. Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2015 From 26 to 30 August in Mumbai was held Lakme Fashion Week, presenting Winter/Festive 2015 collections. Runway veterans the supermodel Ujjwala Raut and the actor Arjun Rampal set pulses racing at the fashion show. The most strange handbags for Fall-Winter 2015-2016 We presented for you the Handbags trends for Fall-Winter 2015-2016. Now it is the time to show you, the most strange handbags presented during the Fashion Weeks in Paris, Milan, New York and London. Models and photomodels Top 10 of the world's most popular models First on the list is the 19-year-old Kendall Jenner, who is a half-sister of Kim Kardashian. Earlier in 2015, FHM Magazine gave Kendall the second place in its Top 10 Sexiest Women in the World 2015 list. BVLGARI launched ITALIAN GARDENS High Jewellery Collection at Paris Haute Couture Bulgari launched its newest High Jewellery collection entitled Italian Gardens during Paris Haute Couture fashion week. Lanvin Spring-Summer 2016 collection - Men at the party It was "Le Plus Beau des Voyages": the soundtrack for the runway show mimicked the journey in which the models declared their individuality, to stand out from the rest. The Lanvin man is contemporary and aesthete yet does not follow fashion in order to follow the crowd. Sara Sampaio is 'the next Adriana Lima' Sara Sampaio is one of Victoria's Secret Angels. She made her debut with the luxury brand in November 2013 and fashion experts already call her 'the next Adriana Lima'. adidas Originals by Pharrell Williams – Supershell – Artwork Collection After captivating the world with the ground breaking Supercolor release in April, Pharrell Williams is back for FW15 with Supershell. The Supershell project sees Pharrell hand-pick friends and creatives from around the world to completely reinvent the shoe's Shelltoe for the very first time, evolving the Superstar into a canvas for creation. Amazon Fashion Studio launch party with brand ambassador Suki Waterhause London (23rd July 2015): Amazon Fashion opened its new multi-million pound European Fashion Photography Studio in East London on Thursday 23rd July. To celebrate, a launch party was held at the studio for Amazon’s brand partners and its studio team, celebrities, media, models and photographers with special guest DJ Jack Guinness and Amazon’s Autumn/Winter ’15 brand ambassador, Suki Waterhause, Amazon Fashion’s European brand ambassador for Autumn/Winter 15 and special guest DJ, Jack Guinness. Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne, an explosive duo for the new MANGO campaign Two outstanding fashion icons together for one brand. Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne star in the MANGO Autumn/Winter campaign. Regular models, as well as muses for prestigious designers, both know what it means to conquer the world of fashion shows. The firm is guaranteeing a spectacular campaign to launch the collections of the new season. Celebrities' style: Nina Dobrev Nina Dobrev is a Bulgarian Canadian actress and model. Tony Awards 2015: Best dressed celebrities The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented at an annual ceremony in New York City. This years edition of the event was held on June 7, 2015 and the most stylish celebs, according to us, were... Wunderkind Fall/Winter 2015 collection WUNDERKIND is Wolfgang Joop’s personal vision of what a contemporary, sophisticated and independent woman wants in her wardrobe. It is an intimate and emotional expression of the designer’s taste, one that explores the contradictions and dualities inherent in each woman. WUNDERKIND celebrates a sense of freedom, which defies sartorial conventions and offers a unique take on modern elegance. People Magazine: World's Most Beautiful Women for 2015 People Magazine publishes a list of the most beautiful women in the world every year. Find out who famous show business women are part of 2015's list. United Colors of Benetton chooses Joan Smalls as its style ambassador United Colors of Benetton chooses Joan Smalls, icon and today’s top supermodel, as its muse and style ambassador for the Spring/Summer 2015 campaign. Not just a testimonial, but a true “style ambassador”, Joan is a highly talented and successful woman who reflects the perfect Benetton way of life – Italian style, that mixes fashion and practicality to which always enhances a woman’s personality. Fashion design contest Richmart Vintage Richmart Ltd respects and prices copyright of each artist. Each designer retains copyright over their own model. Richmart Ltd has no right to reproduce, manufacture or use the proposed models as their own without the consent of their authors. FOREVER 21 ACTIVEWEAR 2015 campaign with Shanina Shaik Forever 21 announces the launch of their Activewear campaign highlighting new high-tech features as well as on-trend designs, with key theme ‘Fit. Function. Fashion.’ Top Australian model, Shanina Shaik is the face of the campaign- her healthy physique and relaxed model off-duty sense of style naturally represents the fitness movement the new Forever 21 Activewear collection. A new era for Denim - Spanish top model Blanca Padilla presents the latest in SUITEBLANCO jeans Without a doubt, this will be one of the winning trends in the upcoming season. Denim fabric transcends its basic status and is set to star in the launching of the new SUITEBLANCO collection. Blanca Padilla, one of today’s most desired Spanish top models, is its ambassador. Fashion fairs SACE and Pitti Immagine: agreement for the competitiveness of Italian high-end fashion companies The SACE group and Pitti Immagine are announcing the signing of an important collaboration agreement designed to enhance the international competitiveness of companies participating in the trade shows organized by Pitti Immagine through better access to the insurance-financial products and services provided by the SACE group. Cara Delevingne is the new face of DKNY lingerie collection The supermodel Cara Delevingne was shoot in the Spring 2015 lingerie campaign of Donna Karan New York(DKNY). Chanel's Spring/Summer 2015 campaign: the barefoot Gisele Bundchen Gisele Bundchen poses barefoot in the new ad campaign for "Chanel". 34-year-old model, who became the face of the iconic fragrance Chanel №5 in May last year, taking the role of Brad Pitt, shot her second campaign for the brand. On the pictures she poses barefoot in front of some of the famous landmarks of Paris. Philipp Plein Cruise Collection 2015 For the ADV Campaign of his Cruise 2015 collection the designer chooses to immortalize the ironic and glamour soul of the collection through the unconventional eye of the American photographer Dylan Don. As set a maxi studded “photobooth” which perfectly reflects the pop/rock mood of the campaign. Protagonist of the shooting is the gorgeous topmodel Roxy Kiscinska. Irina Shayk for SUITEBLANCO Night '14 Warm furs, shimmering glamour and statement accessories are the cornerstones of a campaign where evening looks are the protagonist. With extra seduction provided by top model Irina Shayk, SUITEBLANCO presents its new party collection, revealing the sexiest and most sophisticated version of each garment. Carrera y Carrera launches new advertising visuals In November 2014, Carrera y Carrera will launch new visuals that reinforce its international advertising campaign and the brand’s image. Carrera y Carrera presents 5 new visuals with strong Spanish influence, complementing the advertising campaign launched in 2011. ale swimwear Summer 2015 by Alessandra Ambrosio The model Alessandra Ambrosio expands her fashion brand with a swimwear collection. The Brazilian beauty has helped in the design of 75 different models swimsuits, all of which are inspired by the "Brazilian bohemian style and the elegance of Malibu." Tailor-made designer shoes by Jimmy Choo Jimmy Choo launches an online personalization service - Tailor-made designer shoes. Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year Awards 2014 Australian actress Margot Robbie was awarded 'Breakthrough of the Year' at the annual Women of the Year Awards by the British edition of Harper's Bazaar. British Style Award 2014: Nominees The British Style Award will go the 'individual who most embodies the spirit of British fashion and is an international ambassador for London as a leading creative fashion capital'. The Chiffre Rouge time piece has accentuated the allure of men in Dior It’s been a decade since its hands began to turn to the rhythm of the Dior man’s allure. Accompanying the evolution of his contemporary style with precision, the Chiffre Rouge watch has reinvented itself year after year since its was first created, consistently remaining faithful to its defining signature: a skilful balance between masculine elegance and couture spirit. SUMMER 2015 by DOLORES CORTÉS Inspired in the Japanese culture and it retrospective sense of the interrelationship between manand nature. Two different environments: The first one takes as a reference the uniqueness of Akihabara district in Tokyo and the fascinating Manga universe with its Superheroines from the Japanese comics. Pastel colors and origami works on the swimsuits, bikinis and trikinis inside of a casual and imaginary world. Bulgarian Balin Balev is one of the official photographers of MQ Vienna Fashion Week From 8th to 14th September 2014 will be held the sixth edition of MQ Vienna Fashion Week. Bulgarian photographer Balin Balev from Varna will be one of the five official event's photographers, taking pictures and having access to the whole show. ABC of the men's suit Smart chic by Kristos Avraam Kristos Avraam is on a 5 day practice at Richmart factory in Ruse, Bulgaria. He is a participant in the Men's style project, organized by the Men's Fashion Cluster and he is creating his men's suits collection for the project now. He described his models as "Smart chic" and revealed that his suits will be from two colours - a different color for the jacket and the trousers, which is a very popular trend for casual suits. Nina Gleyzer will present Spring 2015 collection at Couture Fashion Week Award-winning veteran couturier Nina Gleyzer will make her fourth appearance at Couture Fashion Week New York with the presentation of her latest collection “Nostalgie: Le Fin Mot”. The collection will be accessorized with head pieces by Natalya Bythewood. The fashion show will be held at 8:00 p.m. on September 6, 2014 at the Crowne Plaza Times Square. Oscar de la Renta: Five decades of style Oscar de la Renta opened an exhibition titled "50 Years of Style" in Dallas, Texas. Angelina Jolie works with Christian Louboutin The beautiful but strange shoes that Angelina Jolie wore during the campaign before the premiere of her newest film "Maleficent" will be marketed. Children's Suits Three teenagers from Ruse prepare a unique collection of kids' suits Being a fashion designer - the dream of many children and teenagers, which is already starting to come true for three young girls from Ruse, Bulgaria - Martina, Stella and Preslava. Instead of resting during the summer holidays, they draw new models of suits for children and teenagers aged 3-7, 8-12 and 13-17 years. Womenswear: United Colors of Benetton Autumn/Winter 2014-2015 United Colors of Benetton revealed its proposals for the Autumn/Winter 2014-2015. Unique silhouettes and fabrics spreading along freshness and uniqueness. How to plan your business How to create your own successful fashion line Maybe you have designing skills, but you are afraid that launching your commercially successful clothing line is too hard for you? Well, this article is just for you! It will explain the steps you should take for turning your passion into your business... Linda Evangelista is the new face of Moschino The supermodel Linda Evangelista is the new face of the Italian fashion house Moschino, reports ContactMusic. Spring-Summer 2014 fashion trends: Bags Medium sized models are dominating in Spring-Summer 2014 handbags fashion trends. There is a variety of types, which are modern during this year's hot season - hand-held, cross-body, frame bags. Of course there is something for big handbags' and clutches' fans, too. Let's take a look at seven of the Spring-Summer 2014 top bag trends... Some interesting facts for the supermodel Karlie Kloss The famous model Karlie Kloss admits that her favorite ballet is responsible for her style of dress in everyday life. Kate Moss launched her collection for Topshop Supermodel Kate Moss presents her new collection for the brand Topshop. Makeup trends for Fall-Winter 2014/2015 Metallic reflection, bright colors or nothing but a radiant skin - the choice is yours and each of these looks will be trendy for 2014/2015 cold season. International fashion designers contest Men's Style - Join it in April Men's Style is a project for business support of the fashion designers. It is not like the regular fashion contests. It fully supports the creation of the collections of men's suits of the designers by providing all the materials and sewing one piece from the models, which is then presented in a photoshoot. Then the collection is offered for sale online as made-to-measure and it is also presented on fashion fairs in Europe and USA. H&M Conscious and Conscious Exclusive show the style of sustainability On April 10th, H&M launches its new Conscious and Conscious Exclusive collections. With two new materials, organic leather from the Swedish leather supplier Tärnsjö, and organic silk, the collections show what can be done in more sustainable materials. Cara Delevingne and Kate Moss for the campaign of Burberry's fragrance Photographer Mario Testino finally unite the British beauty in the face of Kate Moss and Cara Delevigne and shot the models for the advertising campaign of the new fragrance of Burberry. Cara Delevingne with television debut 21-year-old British model Cara Delevingne who is 'bored of modeling' is going to make her television debut in Tim Frith's drama 'Timeless'. The story is described as an 'engaging tale of love, loss and hope'. Fashion designers, Say 'No' to black business suits The classic men's suit is most wanted for corporate and formal wear. Huge amounts of garments are sewn in black, gray and blue and this makes male's style in offices extremely unattractive and impersonal. The 'fashion' element is actually missing. The main reason for this is that stores offer limited variations of models because of the huge variety of sizes, which manufacturers should produce to fit the different characteristics of the male body. Mickael Kors became a billionaire The American designer Michael Kors officially joined the ranks of the richest people after shares of his company "Michael Kors Holdings" rose by 17.3 % to 89.91 dollars, reports Bloomberg. Underwear and Swimwear David Beckham stars in new campaign for H&M In the action-packed plot, David is locked out of a photo shoot on a rooftop in just his underwear, with no way down. He has to go to any length to get to safety, performing all his own stunts in the process. David has filmed two alternative versions, which will be put to a vote on hm.com to find the people’s favourite, voting starts January 27th. ACHTLAND shows Autumn/Winter 2014/15 at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin Berlin, 14 January 2014: Tuesday night the high-end Prêt-à-porter-Label ACHTLAND presented at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin. About 300 selected guests watched the runway presentation of the autumn/winter 2014/15 collection at Bärensaal. Man in the fitting room A really good men's suit fits the body like a glove. With the help of the men's fashion brand Richmart we will help you to find it by providing some tips. Because of the different structure of male body, suits can have at least 54 different silhouettes. When you add 11 sizes and 3 heights, the possible combinations are 1782. Due to that huge number, every company specializes in specific shapes, but always in all 11 sizes and 3 heights. Cara Delevingne for MULBERRY Dogs, horses, parrots and Cara for the new campaign of Mulberry. The British model is more feminine than ever for non-standard session with animals of the brand. The style of Adriana Lima Adriana Lima likes to feel herself "feminine" and "sexy". The Victoria's secret angel Candice Swanepoel talks about the models The model of "Victoria's Secret" Candace Swanepoel believes that in order to succeed in the fashion world, you should be more then pretty. The smartest models that she knows are those who have managed to turn their name into a brand. British Fashion Awards 2013 winners The evening saw a total of 16 awards presented to the leading figures in fashion, recognising creative talent and design excellence across all areas of the industry. The ceremony was hosted by one of the UK’s most exciting comedy talents, Jack Whitehall, and was attended by industry members, including retailers, models, celebrities and media, and for the first time this year, members of the public who purchased tickets to attend. Hairstyle as an Art during the Mercedes Benz China Fashion Week L'Oreal Paris Salon exclusive promotes the perfect combination of Chinese fashion and hair style on L'Oreal Paris Professionnel Hairstyling Show during the Mercedes Benz China Fashion Week. The world's largest cosmetics and beauty company in cooperation with Tony Studio held the Fashionable Hairstyle Theme Show in Beijing fashion center on November 1, 2013. Cruz sisters have created a new bag for Loewe Spanish brand Loewe, famous not only for its clothing, but also for accessories, continuing its cooperation with the wonderful sisters Penelope and Monica Cruz. Great opportunity to start your fashion design career The Men's Fashion Cluster is looking for young and approved designers from all over the world to take part in its contest Men's Style and send their ideas for the 'Men's suit - modern and practical'. Why should you participate? What are the benefits for winners? Huishan Zhang Announced Winner of 2013 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize Huishan Zhang is the winner of the 2013 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize. The award was bestowed to the designer tonight at The Dorchester after a catwalk show featuring the four shortlisted designers of the prize. Huishan Zhang was presented with an endowment of £25,000 from Dorchester Collection's chief executive officer Christopher Cowdray, along with an engraved Baccarat crystal trophy and a stay at a Dorchester Collection property, and in a new element launched this year, the prospect of one-to-one mentoring from a selection of the judges. Kate Moss as a part of editor's team Kate Moss is joining British Vogue as a contributing fashion editor to the magazine, with her first story due to feature in a forthcoming spring issue. Kate Moss for Liu Jo Autumn/Winter 2013-2014 The stunning collaboration between Kate Moss and Liu Jo continues to give birth to new and amazing presentations of the Liu Jo Autumn/Winter 2013-2014 collection. International fashion design contest Men's Style - an opportunity for young and approved designers The Men's fashion cluster organizes International fashion design contest for designers, fashion photographers and filmmakers and the theme is: 'Men's suit - modern and practical'. The main aims of the project are to make the suit more attractive and practical in everyday life of men, teenagers and children, to preserve made-to-measure traditions and to promote the use of wool fabrics, which allow the clothes to breath, being ecologically clean, practical, light and fine. Linda Evangelista for Loewe A few months ago it became clear that the model Linda Evangelista will be the face of the new perfume of the luxury brand "Loewe". Giorgio Armani for Made-to-measure Giorgio Armani tells the story about his new campaign- Made-to-measure suits. Festival of Fashion and Beauty 2013 presented Bulgarian fashion house Banderol Bulgarian fashion house 'Banderol' has been creating boutique men's and women's clothing for more than 10 years. Garments are made in small, limited editions, because the main aim of the brand is to offer a variety of models to make 'Banderol' competitive and preferred. To be a face of their menswear collection from 'Banderol' choose Bulgarian actor and singer Stelian Dimitrov - FAKED STARS. Modern chic in Emanuel Ungaro Resort 2014 collection Modern chic in Emanuel Ungaro Resort 2014 collection. Emanuel Ungaro Resort 2014 is designed by Fausto Puglisi. Kremena Otashliyska in photosession of Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel A few days ago 17-year-old Bulgarian top model Kremena Otashliyska took part in photosession of Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel. Kremi was part of Chanel Resort 2013 Fashion Show in Singapore and posed for lookbook of 'Diesel Black and White'. Kremena Otashliyska is the most popular Bulgarian top model ever - only for the last season she walked on the runway of 53 fashion shows for some of the most famous fashion houses in the world and had plenty of photoshoots for 'AnOther', 'Numero', 'V', 'W' , 'Vogue' and many other magazines. Bulgarian top model Kremena Otashliyska captured New York, Paris, Milan and London Fashion weeks One of the most popular Bulgarian models Kremena Otashliyska, marched in the four fashion cities – New York, Paris, Milan and London – this year. She made the incredible 52 shows for top designers such as: Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Roberto Cavali, Valentino, Alberta Ferretti, Iris Van Herpen, Elie Saab, Armani, Fendi, Max Mara, Salvatore Ferragamo, Lavin, Kenzo, Louis Vutton, Carven, Roberto Cavalli, Just Cavalli, Giambattista Valli, Viktor & Rolf, Prabal Gurung and many others, said the fashion agency 'Inter Models'. Top models who have never been on a diet Most people thing that models make huge sacrifices to keep their bodies in great shape, but some of them have strange tastes and eating habits, which help them to achieve it. Some Victoria's Secret Angels for example allow themselves to eat everything but moderately – that's why they always seem happy and smiling. The Bulgarian brand AVIN boutique made a great success in France The Bulgarian brand Avin boutique presented its first collection in France, where the collection was sold out for two days. This is a huge success for the Bulgarian fashion brand. The collection is named "A day with a Star", the model of the collection is Aglaia Vassileva. A representative of Avin boutique said that for them this is a tremendous recognition by French women and they already prepare a new collection, even better than the last one. New models from Caramella fashion - Bulgarian online shop for boutique women’s clothes Caramella Fashion is a fast growing fashion brand and offers a great variety of colours and sizes. It proposes a wide assortment of dresses, tops, blouses, overalls, skirts, pants and coats. The emphasis in the collections is on the most effeminate clothing, her majesty - "The Dress". The designers of the brand believe that there is no more appropriate clothing, which emphasizes the beauty and delicacy of the female body and comfortable to wear at the same time. Jakarta Fashion Week (JFW) 2013 Jakarta Fashion Week (JFW) 2013 takes place at Fashion Tent, Plaza Senayan, from 3 to 9 November 2012. With the theme “Indonesia Today, The World Tomorrow”, this largest fashion event in Indonesia began with the collections of Lie Sang Bong, a Korean designer and the Indonesian designer Sebastian Gunawan. In the first section, Lie Sang Bong, the Paris-based-designer, launched his collection inspired by butterflies. His couture designs were presented in irresistible palettes from blue, red, orange to green. The Queen of Thai Silk at the Bangkok Couture Fashion Week 2012 Models presented creations of The Queen of Thai Silk at the Bangkok Couture Fashion Week 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand, 30 September 2012. The Queen of Thai Silk is a union of seven designers from Thai and international, using fine Thai silk in their collections. Prada presented a Japan-inspired Spring-Summer 2013 collection in Milan The fashion brand Prada presented its Spring/Summer 2013 collection on the second day of Milan Fashion Week. It is a Japan-inspired apparel line with graphic flower motifs. Although many of the pieces, including satin kimono wraps, had been given names like Mikado, Prada said she hadn't realized just how Japanese-inspired the collection is until it was finished. The collection includes skinny satin skirts, Origami folded satin tops, kimono wraps, tunic dresses, cycling shorts, boxy fur coats and Geisha style metallic zip-up socks. Adriana Lima gave birth to a second daughter called Sienna Adriana Lima gave birth to her second girl on Wednesday, September 12. The 31-year-old supermodel announced the news on Twitter. The girl is called Sienna. The first daughter of the model and her husband, ex-NBA player Marko Jaric is Valentina, who was born in 2009. "The best job in the world for me is being a mom. I never thought I could love so much. I always thought, does unconditional love exist? Now I know it does because I feel it.", said the supermodel. World's oldest supermodel Carmen Dell'Orefice to the catwalk at New York Fashion Week The 81-year-old supermodel Carmen Dell'Orefice took to the catwalk twice in one day at Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week. The New Yorker, who is known within the fashion industry for being the world's oldest working model, looked effortlessly chic as she showcased two contrasting ensembles, wrote Daily Mail. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley designed underwear collection for Marks and Spencer The 25-year-old model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley had the opportunity to create her debut underwear collection for Autograph at Marks & Spencer. Originally the Vogue cover girl had dreams of being a designer before being "swept away" by the world of modelling. Cindy Crawford launches her first ready-to-wear clothing collection Cindy Crawford will be making her designer debut when she launches her own clothing line with budget retailer C&A. The 46-year-old supermodel is thrilled to be teaming up with the high street chain for her first design collection and she hopes her creations will make consumers feel good. The model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is obsessed with vintage lingerie Rosie Huntington-Whiteley decorates her bedroom with vintage underwear. The model-turned-actress, who is launching a new underwear range with Marks & Spencer, has revealed she adorns the boudoir she shares with her actor boyfriend Jason Statham with fine French camisoles and lace Brassieres. In an interview with Style magazine, the 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' said: "Vintage underwear is particularly sensual, especially pieces from the 1930s and 1940s - that's largely down to the colours and tones. Linda Evangelista is shot like a superhero The supermodel Linda Evangelista is shot by the photographer Steven Klein, styled by Edward Enninful for the September 2012 issue of W Magazine. The 47-year star poses dressed like a superhero. Her head styling is made by Julien d’Ys. Makeup by Peter Philips for Chanel. Set design by Jack Flanagan at the Magnet Agency. Collection of fashion house Veteida for Spring-Summer 2012 Collection Spring-Summer 2012 of the Bulgarian fashion house "VETEIDA" that was shown at the Festival of fashion and beauty Varna 2012, is an inspiration of the modern woman, for which innovation, dynamics and happiness from life are moving powers and clothing is their manifestation. The designer of the models is Vessela Vassileva, owner of fashion house "Veteida". The colours that dominate in the collection are black, white and light blue. Festival of fashion and beauty Varna 2012 Festival of FASHION AND BEAUTY is the biggest and most prestigious fashion forum in North-east Bulgaria, which provides a possibility for different fashion brands /Bulgarian and foreign/, to present their collections to a specially selected audience. By tradition, the host of the forum is Grand Hotel Varna, and the organizer – Fashion Agency VIP Fashion Group. Gizele Bundchen in photossesion for Salvatore Ferragamo After shooting for Versace and Givenchy advertisements the famous supermodel Gizele Bundchen took part in Salvatore Ferragamo Spring-Summer 2012 ad campaign. The photossesion was made against a background of deep Caribbean sea and shot by photographer Michael Janson. On some of the photos Gizele has teamed with sexy Canadian model and actor Noah Miles. Supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio gave birth to a son, Noah Alessandra Ambrosio gave birth to a son just two days after a party for the upcoming birth, Brazilian media reported. The Brazilian beauty became the mother of a boy who will be named Noah. She gave birth on May 7th, at the clinic Santa Helena in Florianópolis, South Brazil. The newborn is the second child of Ambrosio by her fiance, businessman Dzheymis Mazur, father of her three year old daughter Anya. Alessandra Ambrosio poses pregnant and nude for jewelry advertisement Pregnant Alessandra Ambrosio posed nude for the Brazilian jewelry company Vivara. Supermodel is due to become a mum for a second time in June and has chosen not to keep her baby bump under wraps, taking part in a revealing new ad campaign for Vivara instead. Bar Rafaeli is the new face of Piaget Rose Jewelry Collection Super model Bar Rafaeli has been named the new face of the 2012 Piaget Rose Jewelry Collection. The collection includes watches, cuffs, necklaces, rings and bracelets, as on each of one has a rose. At Piaget, the rose is first and foremost the expression of a natural environment that is interpreted in a stylized rather than naturalist fashion. For the House of Piaget, the rose is a talisman. A message of eternity and renewed love that pulsates daily. A generous, joyous icon mirroring the rose of which it is the muse: the Yves Piaget rose. Miranda Kerr is the most beautiful person for 2012 The 28-year-old model has been voted Most Beautiful Person of 2012 by the Australian magazine Who and is posing for the publication with her 15-month-old son Flynn. In the accompanying interview Miranda Kerr revealed that her family always comes before her work. She said: "I was working 18-hour days. Now that pace has slowed so I can spend the majority of my time with Flynn. I'm first a wife and a mother, and then comes work." The Victoria's Secret model said about her child: "He's a really charming, lovely boy. He has that look in his eye like, What trouble am I going to get into next? But I like that, it's like me." Naomi Campbell As Star In Cavalli New Campaign Naomi Campbell is starring in Roberto Cavalli's new fashion campaign.The British model, who has previously walked the runway for Versace, Vivienne Westwood and Christian Dior - joins forces with Karen Elson, Daphne Groeneveld and Kristen McMenamy to show off the new spring-summer 2012 collection of Cavalli. The photographer Steven Meisel shot the ad campaign. Gisele Bundchen became the new face of Givenchy Gisele Bundchen, Forbes' top earning model for the seventh year in a row, is Givenchy's new face. She has stolen the coveted French label from the supermodel Mariacarla Boscono. Gisele stars alongside two male models - Chris Moore and Simone Nobili in "a love story between a surfer and a mermaid" in a gothic, beach-set spread. 38 attractive models at Victoria's Secret show On the evening of November 9 in New York took place Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. 31 sets of wings and 69 outfits in total were presented by the sexy angels. The whole to-do cost was $12 million and featured more than 2 million Swarovski crystals on the models. Candice Swanepoel opened the show in a ballet-inspired tutu. Karlie Kloss, Bregje Heinen, Joan Smalls and 12 more models made their Victoria's Secret debuts at the show, alongside seasoned names and the brand's legendary Angels among which Alessandra Ambrosio, Chanel Iman, Adriana Lima, Lily Aldridge. Campari unveiled its 2012 calendar entitled "It’s the end of the world, baby! Yesterday Campari officially released the 2012 Campari Calendar images at an exclusive event held in Milan. The calendar star is the international supermodel Milla Jovovich, the photographer - Dimitri Daniloff. Entitled It’s the end of the world, baby!, this year’s Campari Calendar takes its inspiration from the buzz around the prediction that, according to the ancient Mayan culture, the world as we know will end on 21st December 2012 and enter a transformative period. Campari takes a positive look at intriguing theories, and presents them visually in a series of powerful, awe inspiring photos starring Hollywood actress and supermodel, Milla Jovovich. Christian Dior back on top at Paris fashion week with collection Spring-Summer 2012 Fashion house Christian Dior remover all doubt for its ability to be one of the top fashion brands with its collection of women's dresses for Spring-Summer 2012, presented at Paris Fashion Week. The show at Rodin Museum gathered the high society and was the second show of Christian Dior without the designer John Galliano, who was the art director of the company in the past 15 years. Designer of the new collection is the former deputy of Galliano - the British Bill Gaytten. Italian fabrics for men's suits were presented in Ruse The high quality fabrics of the Italian brand Vitale Barberis Canonico, used mainly for men's suits, were presented on a fashion show in Ruse, Bulgaria. The foyer of the theater building gathered connoisseur of fashion, music and good wines. During the presentation of the fabrics from the models of Visages agency, the guests listened to the magnificent trio of tenors "The Unique voices" and had the opportunity to taste selected wines from "Rousse Winery". Specially for Fashion.bg the representative of Vitalis Barberis Canonico, Franco Brovelli shared that the company successfully works with the Bulgarian brands Richmart, Agressia etc. An Unique Collection of Veteyda Fashion House The designer of the Bulgarian fashion house Veteyda Vessela Vassileva created 24 unique outfits for the participants of the contest Miss Varna 2011, organized by VIP Fashion Group model agency from Varna. The beautiful contestants presented them during the talent competition. The designer outfits of fashion house Veteyda are for the ladies, which want to be noticed and remembered. Extravagant, different and modern is every toilet, made by designer Vessela Vassileva. Sicily inspired PIETRO FILIPI for Autumn-Winter 2011-2012 Sicily is the inspiration of the designers of Pietro Filipi for the collection Autumn-Winter 2011/2012. The models in the women's collection are inspired by the 50s and 80s, with respect to the women's forms, with underlined higher waist, accents on the shoulders and retracted silhouette of the trousers. The romantic floral motives, silk, velvet accessories and lace make a strong contrast with strict jackets in men's style. The Italian brand Gucci created men's shoes with carbon fiber The fashion brand Gucci never forgets men and occasionally creates new models to catch their attention. The designers created a new collection men's shoes Gucci, which are not made from leather, but from carbon fiber. This material becomes more and more popular for the production of shoes. GG Plus Moccasin is made in Italy and comes in elegant beige/ebony colors, laced in dark brown leather. The best feature of these shoes is the cut out at the front that shows a beautiful G as brand logo. The carbon fiber is found at the beautiful back heel of the shoes in the rubber sole. The shoes can be found at various stores at the price $425. Mercedes-Benz fashion week swim brings international line-up of swimwear designers to Miami It’s finally beginning to feel like summer, and as we gear up for much anticipated longer days and warmer weather, it’s time to start getting ready for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim. For the seventh year, thousands of fashion industry professionals will migrate to the sands of Miami Beach to see what’s in store for the swimwear industry in 2012. "This season is one the most exciting to date; Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim is bringing it’s most international roster of swimwear designers yet," says Christina Neault, Executive Producer of the event for IMG Fashion. Hot bridal fashion trends for romantic summer Summer, scent of sea and romance, sunny days and warm evenings. Beautiful time for planning the wedding ceremony. Your child's dream is about to come true - to be dressed in a beautiful wedding dress. You probably already know how do you want to look like a bride, but when you dip into the sea of wedding dresses, you will see that the choice is not easy. Stick to the fashion trends and you won't be wrong. Romantic ruffles Ruffles can be seen in many wedding dresses this summer. They sway romantic in step of your walk to the alter. Choose them if you want to look very feminine. The Miss Bulgaria 2011 contest in a special reality format A lot of beauty and charm promise the organizers of this year's edition of the contest Miss Bulgaria, which will be held for the first time in a special TV reality format. Everyone will be able to sense the emotions directly on TV7. Conferencier of the gala ceremony will be the Bulgarian pop folk singer Kamelia, mentor will be Azis. Official designer of the contest this year is the top designer Sofia Borisova. The dresses are specially made for the evening from silk chiffon, organdy, satin and Spanish taffeta. The "Black swan" inspired collection 2012 of Pronovias Several days ago at Palau San Jordi in Barcelona took place a fashion show of the biggest world producer of bridal and formal dresses Pronovias. More than 2000 VIP guests, agents and customers of the company from all over the world admired the unique collection, created by the designers Manuel Mota and Elie Saab. From Bulgaria VIP guests of the event were Mrs. European Union 2010 – Elena Karakoleva and the agent for Bulgaria Anelia Petkova, accompanied by their husbands. Colorful Winter 2012 with the collection of Modis On Friday, Rousse fashion house Modis presented its collection for Autumn/Winter 2011/2012 with designer Valery Gidionov. Traditionally, on the catwalk marched the models of Elit-D Diana Poptoneva, who presented 109 new outfits of the brand. Wool coats with playful combinations of green, pink, yellow and white predict colorful winter. Elegant suits, dresses and shirts sparkled in red and dusky rose, creating a great mood. Alessandra Ambrosio covers GQ Brasil’s April 2011 issue Hot model Alessandra Ambrosio made her cover debut on GQ Brazil's April 2011 issue. 29-year-old Victoria’s Secret angel heats up the Brazilian issue of the magazine by posing in a seductive and sexy way. On the cover, the Brazilian model looks smokin’ hot in a white bikini in an amazing pose photographed by Gavin Bond. Emma Watson unveiled her eco-friendly collection for Alberta Ferretti Design duo: Alberta Ferretti and Emma Watson have finally unveiled their eco-friendly fashion collaboration, Pure Threads. It features five Seventies-style pieces inspired by Miss Watson's fashion idol, actress Jane Birkin, and is made entirely from environmentally-friendly materials. The Harry Potter star has designed for People Tree, modeled for Burberry and is current face of Lancome. Ukrainian Fashion Week 2011 From 16 to 21 March Kiev hosted one of the major events in the fashion world – the 28th Ukrainian Fashion Week. Over 50 designers and fashion houses presented their visions for Autumn/Winter 2011-2012. The viewers of the event had the opportunity to enjoy the incredible models, who sparkled in brilliant eccentricity and futuristic look. The original outfits were completed with hair styles resembling the horn of a ram or bird nests, extravagant jewelry and eccentric accessories. Gisele Bundchen H&M Spring 2011 Ad Campaign The supermodel Gisele Bundchen is the new face of H&M’s Spring Awakening line and she looks amazing and super fresh in the collection of sheer, vintage-style prints. This Spring season is all about retro flares, the spirit of 70s will be everywhere around us – flashback prints, soft, sheer fabrics, ruffles, frills and effortless beauty. Also, the Spring/Summer 2011 "must have" item is the platform sandal, especially a wooden one, cork or hemp base – it must be natural. Elegant men's fashion for spring-summer 2011 by Styler The Bulgarian man becomes more and more modern and elegant, especially if he chooses garment of the famous brand for men’s fashion – Styler. For Spring/Summer 2011 Styler offers the traditional striped and checked patterns along with the trendy shirts with original ornaments, flowers and embroidery. The shirts are in variety of non-traditional colors – dusky pink and magenta. The new collection of Jana Kosheva is inspired by the city lights The collection of evening and prom dresses of the young designer is inspired by the city lights. It aims to show the beauty and elegance that every modern woman holds in herself. Some of the fabrics used are satin, taffeta and chiffon. The dresses are decorated with lace, feathers and Swarovski crystals with handmade details. . Milan Fashion Week started with the bright Fall-Winter 2011 collection of Gucci Gucci designer Frida Giannini cited flame-haired songstress Florence Welch as the inspiration for her sexy fall collection, which opened fashion week in Milan on Wednesday. The fashion show began with a bold palette of emerald green, fuchsia, purple, teal and rust, colors that only a strong, and confident woman would wear. Victoria's Secret with bridal lingerie collection Model Lily Aldridge, who married Kings of Leon singer Caleb Followill last September, poses with the latest bridal collection of fashion label Victoria's Secret. The Los Angeles native model, who first appeared in a Victoria's Secret fashion show in 2009, modeled in white lingerie for the ad campaign of the new collection branded underwear. Tanya Ilieva in art-show of the sports fashion mogul "Moncler" The glamorous Grand Central Station terminal in New York turned into a makeshift fashion stage for the presentation of the autumn-winter 2011 trends of the sports brand Moncler Grenoble, where the star was the favorite of many, Tanya Ilieva. The model of "Visages", who lives now in New York, but traveled for continuous commitments to the world’s hottest fashion spots, presented the clothing of the sports brand during an attractive fashion show, gathered in one place models, special guests and near passing people at the terminal. Example of eco-sustainable business model Six hundred fewer tons of plastic in the environment in 2011: this is the green result that Benetton Group will achieve by introducing innovative, lightweight liquid wood clothes hangers – 100% biodegradable and recyclable – in place of the plastic hangers usually used to display garments. The eco-hangers, developed in partnership with the Fraunhofer-Institut für Chemische Technologie in Pfinztal-Berghausen (Germany), will gradually replace their plastic predecessors throughout the worldwide network of Benetton stores. Monique Lhuillier presented chic dresses at New York Fashion Week Fall 2011 Monique Lhuillier's fall 2011 show proceeds like a fantastic call to femininity. Bow-tied belts cinch dresses perfectly at the waist, echoing that kind of old Hollywood glam in the retro-styled hair and sultry cat-eyes. Then, a feather-trimmed skirt tops a pair of skinny black trousers and a slim blazer; shoulder embellishments on a sparkly black sheath, and lace-up heels Emma Watson has been crowned a Style Icon at the Elle Style Award The beautiful movie star Emma Watson - who has been in the spotlight since she was 10 - has been crowned a Style Icon at the Elle Style Awards. She did admit, however, she has "been feeling the pressure a bit more recently" to look good. The 20-year-old actress received her Style icon award from Vivienne Westwood, who admitted she had no idea who the Harry Potter actress was. Fashion in New York: the difference is in the technical complexity In a world of globalization where any successful clothing design is quickly copied and mass marketed, designers like those starring in New York Fashion Week want that little extra wow to make their mark. Or, in the case of Prabal Gurung on Saturday, a lot of extra wow. As the first days of the Autumn-Winter 2011 collections got underway at the Lincoln Center in Manhattan, Gurung, who was born in Singapore and raised in Nepal... Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2011 Collections Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is taking place in New York City at Lincoln Center from February 10-17, 2011 with more than 100 designers presenting their Fall 2011 collections including Hervé Léger by Max Azria, Diane von Furstenberg, Carolina Herrera, Vera Wang, Michael Kors, Derek Lam, Tommy Hillfiger, Prabal Gurung, Nicole Miller, Charlotte Ronson, Tory Burch, and Betsey Johnson. Bar Refaeli poses for Passionata Lingerie 2011 Bar Refaeli is back with a new photos for the Spring/Summer 2011 lingerie line from Passionata. The new collection of the lingerie brand has become one of the hottest this winter. The theme is kinda fun, colorful, and girlie, just slightly different from last year collection, with vibrant, candy colors. (R)Evolutions - fashion show by graduates from NEW BULGARIAN UNIVERSITY An impressive fashion show – work of the graduates from "Design and architecture" department, module "Fashion", was presented in Sofia hall “Florimont Expo” on 6 of February. Under the theme "(R)Evolutions" the fashion graduates demonstrated their creative works – collections of 6 models each, designed and constructed by the students. Bridal dresses 2011 collection by Atelier Simon The bridal collection for 2011 of designer Gergana Simeonova is now ready and offers elegant and stylish vision of the future brides. The collection has been made in the spirit of the typical of Atelier SIMON femininity and sexiness. The colors of the bridal collection are snow white and light cream, fading into champagne. Decorations of brooches made from Swarovski crystals complement the outfits. Top models presented the new collection of Romantika fashion Yesterday, Sofia Borisova, the designer of Romantika Fashion, presented her new collection “Different” for spring-summer 2011. The fashion show was held in Dedeman Princess Hotel Sofia. Several top models, including Dilyana Popova, Teddy Velinova, Stella Stoykova made appearance on the catwalk, dressed in exquisite outfits. The fashion show of fashion house Romantika gathered many VIP personas, including Zlatka Raykova, Jeni Kalkandjieva, Iren Onteva, Desi Zidarova, Sofi Marinova... ETAM LINGERIE New Collection 2011 The luxury lingerie brand Etam presented their new collection for spring-summer 2011. It was lunched by charming supermodels Karolina Kurkova, Frida Gustafson, Angela Lindvall, Georgina Stojkovic and Joan Smalls. Among the celebrities attending the event was Charlotte Casiraghi, Kate Moss and Stefano Pilati, Alexander Dellal, Emma de Caunes, Riccardo Tisci, Natalia Vodianova, Mario Testino, Eva Herzigova, Alexa Chung, Lou Doillon, Jefferson Hack, Zoe Felix, Aure Atika, Julie Depardieu, Frederic Beigbeder. First day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin Autumn/Winter 2011 From January 19 - 22, 2011 a great selection of German and international designers will show their latest collections under the umbrella of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin. More than 40 brands are part of the event and contribute to a strong week for industry professionals attending the runway shows. Many returning and new designers build a strong line-up for the season Autumn/Winter 2011. The four-day showcase of Winter 2011/2012 designs targets fashion industry professionals, and is expected to draw around 200,000 visitors to Berlin. BELNOIR presents American prom dresses 2011 collection You’re in love with a dress by Jovani? You can’t stop watching your favorite model by Faviana? That’s why we offer you the services of online boutique Belnoir, where you can find the collections of prom and formal dresses by some of the leading American fashion houses. In Belnoir boutique can be found models of Jovani, Faviana, Blush Prom, Scala, BG Haute, Allure, Night Moves and others. Teresa Scanlan from Nebraska was crowned as Miss America 2011 Miss Nebraska 2010 Teresa Scanlan was crowned as Miss America 2011 friday night at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The final night of the 90th Anniversary of the Miss America Pageant presented by DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse was broadcast live from Las Vegas on ABC. Teresa's triumphant walk across the stage was just the beginning of a journey that will take her to every corner of the country during her year of service as Miss America 2011. Julia Jurevich with fashion visions in a new calendar * 4 visions, containing references to the latest world fashion capitals - Paris, Milan, New York and London was created by the team of Julia Jurevich for her calendar of beauty for 2011. Miss Bulgaria 2007 Julia Jurevich proved to be a supermodel in the world level with her new calendar. It is dedicated to the discreet charm of luxury, the ability for flexible change, unique style - everything that we are getting used to associate with high fashion. Model Geya Antonova appears in an ad of Indian multinational giant Indian multinational giant Adytia Birla Group presented its new corporate advertising for 2011. It will be aired this year on the most popular televisions in the world. In the ad is starring the famous Bulgarian model Geya Antonova. The Bulgarian, who works for Expose models agency, was chosen among thousands of models for the ad. Veneta Harizanova is preparing rich wedding in January One of the sexiest Bulgarian models, Veneta Harizanova is rushed to prepare her wedding. The beauty will say “yes” to her beloved Emil in January. The future bride has returned from New York where she studies. Bridal agency “Diamanti” is booked for the preparation and organization of the wedding and more than 50 people are looking after everything to go according to the plan. Kate Middleton's wedding dress sketched by world famous designers Ever since it was announced Kate Middleton is due to marry Prince William next April the mania is now in full swing. The biggest names in the fashion world, Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Lacroix, Valentino and Gucci, sketched their interpretation of Kate Middleton's wedding dress. For the moment, Miss Middleton is still considering how to dress in the happiest day of her life. Gisele Bundchen in Balenciaga’s new Spring campaign Brazilian top model Gisele Bundchen models pieces by Balenciaga for the fashion house’s Spring 2011 campaign. The 30-year-old Brazilian supermodel looks helpless in a forest as she poses in a black-and-white shot with male model Yuri Pleskun dressed in ghostly makeup. Steven Meisel shot the Spring 2011 campaign images, designed by Paris-based duo M/M, set to appear in February editions of the major fashion publications. Adriana Lima is the Christmas angel of Victoria's Secret The Victoria’s Secret Angel, Adriana Lima has posed in Victoria's Secret Holiday 2010 Photoshoot. Adriana Lima has the special supermodel charm that fits perfectly with the brand and the Holiday 2010 collection of lingerie. The sensational photo session shows the beauty posing with the new, blue Starlet Halter Bra as well as the Starry Nights range in beautiful deep blue that features stars, lace and sequins Leather and furry coats for the winter In this cold weather there is nothing better than warm, fur coats. Want to get some original ideas? Every year fashion designers bring something new to the table and this season they managed to take the fur coats to another level, creating stylish designs which suit the current fashion trends perfectly. Short fur coat can be combined with almost everything, even dresses. If the leather is light, focus on the cream and pale shades. Where to produce quality men's suits in Eastern Europe - made-to-measure suits, ready-to-wear suits and CMT How to become a fashion consultant without any designer skills How to start a men's made-to-measure suits store - analysis and real business offer Made-to-order - The Future of Fashion Retail Business Made-to-Measure, Made-to-order or Bespoke suit to choose The men’s suit - 9 reasons to wear it Made to measure - individual approach in making man suit according to the size and client's preferences	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1515
__label__cc	0.513693	0.486307	Gender Equality FTW! NASCAR Just Announced That It Will Add A Special Nursing Race Car For Lactating Mothers To Pump In Privacy Going Rogue: ‘The New Yorker’ Has Announced That They’re Going To Start Putting An Umlaut Over Every Letter ‘O’ And No One Can Sto... SEE MORE: Women's Rights For a sport known for its high-octane masculinity, NASCAR is making an amazing effort to cater to female fans. The auto-racing association announced that it is adding a nursing race car onto the track where lactating women can pump breast milk in privacy. In a world that often ignores the needs of mothers, this truly is a thoughtful and long overdue race car! Women looking for a quiet and comfortable space to pump milk during NASCAR races need only flag down the pastel pink vehicle speeding around the track at 185 mph. The nursing car will then briefly slow down to 10 mph, so the mother can run alongside the car and hop in the backseat. Aside from the convenience of being able to leap into the race car whenever they need to express milk, it’s also a symbol of inclusion that mothers will truly appreciate. Inside the race car, NASCAR is promising a warmly lit and soothing environment, with privacy screens that can be pulled down to cover up the windows and create a partition from the driver. The interior of the car reportedly has an electrical outlet to power breast pumps, a Koala Kare changing table that unfolds out of the driver’s seat back, and a mini-fridge beneath the passenger’s seat to store bottled milk until the car crosses the finish line. This is a huge quality of life improvement for mothers, who previously were forced to pump milk in public restrooms at NASCAR stadiums because there were no better alternatives. A pit crew is standing by to clean and sanitize the car between uses, and can mop up spilled breast milk from the seats and refill the diaper and wipe dispensers in under 10 seconds. That’s certainly much better than waiting in a long line for a toilet stall! As another particularly considerate gesture, NASCAR also placed complimentary adult- and child-sized racing helmets in the car to protect both mother and infant in case of an auto collision. NASCAR deserves a round of applause for showing that motherhood should be celebrated and accommodated, not ignored or shunned. It’s good to know that from the Brickyard 400 to the Daytona 500, nursing mothers will always be welcome. And that is something to cheer.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1516
__label__wiki	0.512138	0.512138	WIFE OF DETAINED BUHARIST WRITES THE PRESIDENT_Ada Nkong By Francisca Ogar on November 11, 2019 • ( Leave a comment ) An Open Letter of a wailing Wife to President Muhammadu Buhari over the unlawful incarceration of my Husband Dr Barr Joseph Odok President Muhammadu Buhari President and Commander-in-Chief Federal Republic of Nigeria Aso-Villa, Abuja His Excellency Sir, Tears of Abandonment of my husband and Your Ardent supporter Dr Barr Joseph Odok who is currently unlawfully incarcerated by the CRS Government His Excellency, I can no longer hide my tears and rely on the strength of the Nigerian Constitution to write to you while in deep anguish over the travails of my husband. Sir, the Constitution bestows you with the responsibility of ensuring the security and lives of Nigerians but my husband’s right has constantly been breached by the CRS Government and it’s agents for daring to criticise his policies as a member of opposition and supporter of your anti corruption drive. My decision to write you an open letter is because my husband’s earlier letter to you through the office of your Chief of Staff was not attended to and the injustices against my husband have nose-dived to unbearable level.. In my husband’s earlier letter, he was duly introduced to you by the CRS APC Acting Chairman Sir, John Ochala who clearly stated the reasons for his persecutions to be because of his support for your government and our great party APC: an opposition party in a PDP State of CRS. As a core Buharists, my husband campaigned for you on pages of newspapers, Channels TV, AIT, ITV, and social media handles as the Director Media and Strategic Communications, Coalition for Buhari/Osinbajo Movement (COBOM). COBOM was proclaimed the fourth largest support group of your campaign by the Presidential Campaign Council 2019. My husband is a member of other strategic groups that are key in supporting your administration including; the Buhari Strategy Group, Buhari/Osinbajo Strategic solidarity group, PMB/VPO Awareness Forum, No Alternative to Buhari, to mention but a few. Despite his uncompromising character as a social change agent and critic, my husband has been a victim of injustice in the glare of your government with such an arrogance that Federal instit butions are so used to wreck a sacrilege on our esteemed Constitution by the CRS government and it’s agents. Currently my husband is been incarcerated for over 43 days in both the police and Prison custody by the CRS Government over frivolous charges of Terrorism and cybercrime. The most brazen show of politics without ethics is the fact that the complainant over my husband’s incarceration is the Chief of Staff to CRS Government Mr Martin Orim who doubles as a suspect in my husband’s attempted murder and is evading arrest by compromising our weak Federal institutions even after being issued a warrant of arrest by the Nigeria Police. Painfully, Federal institutions are used to incarcerate a Nigerian, my husband and your ardent supporter. The Federal High Court CRS Jurisdiction that my husband is currently being tried for terrorism and cybercrime was the same court that was used to stall the warrant of arrest issued to agents of the CRS government over attempted murder on my husband. The CRS Police command that compromised, abandoned and released suspects in my husband’s attempted murder; namely Raphael Odu and Patience Odey who were caught at the scene of the crime by the DSS. The CRS state Police Command that refused to investigate my husband’s patriotic demand and call on the CRS government to stop the killings of his Ogep Osokom community people by a cultist, General Iron, granted amnesty by the CRS government for electoral reasons is the same Federal Institution that is propping up false charges of terrorism and cybercrime because my husband had forwarded complaints against the said cultist close to the CRS government to the police and “Ochibe Boki” our traditional council in Boki LGA, CRS and published same on social media handles. The embarrassment of the failure of the government to provide security to the people through the use of my husband’s social media handles is what has been adjudged terrorism and cybercrime even when my husband had ran away from CRS to Abuja for political asylum and have not come to CRS since December 2017. How can someone perpetrate acts of terrorism without a gun or any gang and through his pen is the worst embarrassment the CRS Police Command that investigated and charged my husband for terrorism and cybercrime. This is the worst sacrilege to our democracy. My husband foiled the attempt by the CRS Government to compromise the case of attempted murder on him by petitioning to the Inspector General of Police for the transfer of suspects to his attempted murder and case file to Force Headquarters Abuja to stall the influence of the CRS government on the matter that was already compromised and abandoned by the CRS police command. Investigations resumed at Nigerian Police Force Headquarters Abuja and the Director General CRS Homeland Security and his girl friend were reinvited and handed over to the Police Force Headquarters after extensive investigation by the DSS and confessional Statements. The current Secretary to the CRS Government Barr Tina Banku Agbor and former State Security Adviser to the CRS Government, Mr Jude Ngaji were invited by the Police and granted bail. A warrant for the arrest was issued to the Chief of Staff to CRS Government Mr. Martin Orim (who surreptitiously has moved from suspect to my husband’s attempted murder to his complainant), the former Attorney General of CRS Government Barr Joe Abang, Prof Zana Akpagu and one Chris Abang. His Excellency, the pen alone without the gun and a gang does not make one a terrorist. My husband is a law abiding and patriotic Nigerian that engages the CRS government for transparency, accountability and good governance. It is curious that the CRS police command will stop the the investigation of a suspect to my husband’s attempted murder and begin to prosecute my husband. Without shame because the Chief of Staff to CRS Government who is suspect to my husband’s assassination attack was conspicuously mentioned in the charge sheet and list of witnesses as my husband’s complainant. His Excellency, both the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation are well briefed of how the pursuit of the matter of attempted murder on my husband has led to my husband’s illegal sack as a lecturer in the University of Calabar, the removal of his name from the University of Calabar PhD convocation list 2017 even after meeting up with all the requirements for the awards of his PhD and his incarceration that has made him a prisoner of conscience Mr President, when my husband’s lawyer and the members of the Buhari Osinbajo Solidarity Movement (BOSS M) further briefed the Inspector General of Police and requested for the transfer of the investigation of the allegations of terrorism and cybercrime, The Inspector General of Police from the IG Monitoring Unit, graciously sent his men for the transfer of the complaints according to my husband’s request to evade any interference by the CRS government. But upon citing the men from the IG, the CRS police command rushed my husband to the court to be remanded in Calabar prisons facility. The team from the Nigerian Police headquarters left a signal urging the to transfer of investigation to Abuja, this led to an official withdrawal of the case by the police prosecutor in charge of my husband’s case. His Excellency, the language of the court seems to suggest that the Police Prosecutor cannot withdraw a case already in court by the fiat of the Inspector General of Police though my husband’s lawyer insists in his argument while quoting the Administration of Criminal Justice Act that a Police Prosecutor acts as an agent of the Government and Attorney General and acts in their name. His Excellency, CRS government seems to be using your name to incarcerate innocent critics. Another journalist Agba Jalingo is also currently being tried for terrorism, treason and attempt to over throw the CRS government because he exposed corruption in the diversion of 500million Naira by the CRS Government. His Excellency, the CRS government have constantly denied being behind their arrest and incarceration and this has left your government in bad light. I pray you don’t allow the CRS government to drag your name to the mud. Sir, I beg to conclude with the following prayers: That you use your good office to cause the transfer and take over of my husband’s case to Abuja by the Attorney General of the Federation because the Federal institutions in CRS could always be compromised by the CRS Government. 2.That you use your good office to order thorough and speedy investigation of my husband’s case of attempted murder by agents of CRS government that has been delayed by the Nigerian Police since 2017. That you order the police to protect my husband from any further attack by agents of the CRS government because my husband suspect the CRS police command to be working on the instructions of the CRS government His Excellency, my husband is innocent and is ready to enter trials on the charges of terrorism and cybercrime. I am confident he will come clean and innocuous only if the matter is taken away from the influence of the CRS Government Thanks in anticipation as you use your good office to protect our democracy. Cecilia Ogbeche Odok Joseph Odok’s wife. Categories: HUMAN INTEREST CHILD BRIDE RANKING: NIGERIA IS SECOND_Ehiabhi Femi BUHARI MOURNS TAM DAVID-WEST_Ada Nkong	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1519
__label__wiki	0.636095	0.636095	News Room - Latest News from Guyana Live on E-Networks E1 7PM January 21, 2020 January 20, 2020 January 19, 2020 January 18, 2020 January 17, 2020 Fire guts Hadfield Street home Editor May 7, 2018 0 Approximately eleven persons are said to be homeless after a fire completely destroyed a two-storey wooden house at 69 Hadfield Street, Georgetown. The origin of the fire remains unknown. According to neighbours, they heard a female… Phang and Sawh locked in ‘Baby Cup’ battle By Avenash Ramzan Ever since its formation in early 2017, GT Motorsports has premised it existence on the development of young talents in the sport, providing an avenue for their growth and honing their competitive spirit. So it was… Labourer busted with Cannabis in freezer A 60-year-old labourer was this morning arrested by ranks of the Guyana Police Force Narcotics Branch after five taped parcels of compressed cannabis was found at his home. Police said the man’s Haslington, East Coast Demerara home was… IPL: Sunrisers bowlers stifle struggling RCB Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers once again proved their worth, defending another low total, this time against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL on Monday. Kane Williamson’s 56 off 39 (5x4s, 2x6s) and Shakib Al Hasan’s 35 off 32 took… Miners killed because they were assumed to be GDF informants By Devina Samaroo The Lindo Creek miners were killed either in the execution of a robbery or because they were assumed to be informants to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), according to the findings of an investigation by the GDF into… Man jailed for beating wife with rolling pin A 43-year-old miner was on Monday sentenced to serve 18 months imprisonment for beating his reputed wife with a rolling pin. Collin Millington appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court, where he… Indian company working on design for East Bank/East Coast Road Project An Indian Public Sector company, RITES Ltd. has been contracted to provide Consultancy Services for the Design of the East Bank - East Coast Road Linkage Project. The Ministry of Public Infrastructure in a statement on Monday said… Boutique owner remanded on drug trafficking charge A 42-year-old businessman was on Monday remanded to prison by Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan on a drug trafficking charge. Gavin Blackman, the owner of Glow Again Boutique, denied that on May 4 at Lot 2 Norton Street, Georgetown, he had… Businessman charged with vigilante killing of Campbellville youth A 59-year-old East Bank Demerara businessman was on Monday charged with the murder of 26-year-old Seon Clarke of Campbellville, Georgetown, which occurred on August 20, 2016, at Pearl, East Bank Demerara. Moses Singh appeared before… Man who allegedly killed suspected bandit charged with manslaughter Days after 56-year-old Peter Jansen allegedly stabbed and killed a suspected bandit who tried to steal his caged bird, he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on Monday, charged with Manslaughter. Jansen, a construction worker,… Kaneville teen found dead with wound to head Editor Jan 21, 2020 0 Pensioner dies after brutally beaten by his son, three others First 1 million barrels of crude depart Guyana, next lift expected in… News Room is a news outlet launched in 2016 and catered to persons interested in creative and intelligent journalism with a broad perspective. We are a daily news broadcast on E-Networks channel, E1, and our stories are also distributed via the devices closest at hand: mobile phones and tablets. © 2020 - News Room Guyana. All Rights Reserved.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1520
__label__cc	0.5082	0.4918	Under Friday night lights, she helped Raiders stay scrappy It’s late in the season and late in the game – a time when every yard gained takes on more meaning as players extend beyond their physical limits. Resident-Football-inset Emily... Stu Farber, UW palliative care pioneer and teacher, dies Dr. Stu Farber, a founder of UW Medicine's palliative care service who helped patients and their families prepare for life’s end, died Friday at age 67. He had battled acute myelogenous leukemia.... Playing Harborview in June: the World Doctors Orchestra In June, doctors from around the world will gather in Seattle for no good medical reason. Instead, they’ll pull on tuxedos and gowns and show off their classical-music chops at Benaroya Hall and, of... UW’s ‘pushing hand’ gave rise to huge Ethiopia health center Last summer, the opening of a comprehensive outpatient center in Ethiopia’s historic town of Gondar was heralded as a beacon of a stronger healthcare system in East Africa. The clinic is designed to... Q&A: Teasing out personal therapies from data’s vastness Noah Simon, UW assistant professor of biostatistics, is using big data to develop open-source software that could help other scientists better understand diseases. Ultimately, that could lead to more... $6 million gift will propel research at Alzheimer’s center “Alzheimer’s is driven by genetics, but it isn’t just one disease,” said Dr. Thomas Montine, chair of the University of Washington’s Department of Pathology. “It’s a disease that has many different... UW Nepalese students respond to quake aftermath Relief activities in Nepal after the magnitude 7.8 Himalayan earthquake April 25 will last indefinitely. The real effects of the devastating earthquake will emerge and continue for years, said Biraj... Doctors’ orchestra dazzles patients, staff at Harborview Eighty-some members of the World Doctors Orchestra played a benefit concert June 6 at Harborview Medical Center. Dozens of patients, family members and hospital staff attended. Assembled in very... Global Health chair talks chronic disease, climate change UW professor Judith Wasserheit entered Harvard Medical School at the age of 19. Today, the long-time leader in research on sexually transmitted diseases chairs the University of Washington’s... Public health stats ‘giant’ Norman Breslow dies at 74 Dr. Norman E. Breslow, 74, who helped shape the modern field of biostatistics and had a nearly 50-year career at the University of Washington, died Dec. 9 after a long illness. Brilliance and a sense... (-) Remove Commentary/Opinions filter Commentary/Opinions (-) Remove global health filter global health (-) Remove biostatistics filter biostatistics (-) Remove philanthropy filter philanthropy (-) Remove teens filter teens (-) Remove palliative care filter palliative care American Indian (5) Apply American Indian filter School of Public Health (5) Apply School of Public Health filter exercise (4) Apply exercise filter gun violence (4) Apply gun violence filter obituary (4) Apply obituary filter School of Dentistry (4) Apply School of Dentistry filter School of Social Work (4) Apply School of Social Work filter athletes (3) Apply athletes filter guns (3) Apply guns filter injury prevention (3) Apply injury prevention filter	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1522
__label__wiki	0.596109	0.596109	Eakins says Oilers need to add ‘some veteran leadership’ By Jason BroughMar 28, 2014, 3:56 PM EDT “We need to supplement this group with probably some veteran leadership, some guys that can make plays, and not so much a toughness aspect, but guys that are going to win battles in this conference.” Edmonton Oilers fans have heard this sort of thing before. And they heard it again Wednesday from head coach Dallas Eakins (around the 7:00 mark of the video below): Eakins may be right, but it’s not really what the Oilers were still supposed to be saying at this point in the rebuild, which has been going on for quite some time now. Yesterday, PHT readers voted Edmonton as Canada’s most disappointing team. Which when you consider all the other strong candidates says a lot about how far below expectations the Oilers have fallen this season. Ultimately, the personnel decisions will be up to general manager Craig MacTavish, who we always like to note promised to do “bold things” when he was hired in April. Exactly what kind of “veteran leadership” MacTavish could go out and get (if he agrees with his coach on that need) is the big question. It’s not a particularly strong free-agent crop, and while a player like Ryan Callahan would seem to fit the description of what Eakins would like to add, convincing players — especially an American like Callahan who’s spent his entire NHL career in the East — to move to Edmonton isn’t always easy. (Not without overpaying.) If it’s a trade that MacTavish needs to make in order to bolster the roster, well, certainly the Oilers have some interesting chips to play there. (And why we’d love to tap his phone for any calls he makes to Nashville this summer.) Tags: Ryan Callahan, Tampa Bay Lightning	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1526
__label__wiki	0.707765	0.707765	Gabriel Landeskog The Buzzer: Larkin goes coast to coast; Hurricanes shut out Coyotes By Scott CharlesJan 10, 2020, 11:55 PM EST 1) Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings Larkin took matters into his own hands midway through the second period when he skated from his own zone and completed a breakaway in the Red Wings’ 3-2 win against the Ottawa Senators. He would later add a shootout tally that proved to be the game-deciding goal in Detroit’s second straight win. 2) Petr Mrazek, Carolina Hurricanes The Czech goaltender made 32 saves and picked up his third shutout of the season in the Hurricanes’ 3-0 win over the Arizona Coyotes Friday. Several lucrative contracts were given out to goaltenders this past offseason but Mrazek has proven to be the best value. Semyon Varlamov has been solid for the Islanders and Sergei Bobrovsky has been inconsistent for the Florida Panthers but both received long-term deals. Mrazek has provided a strong return on the two-year deal he signed in the summer of 2019. 3) Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins Malkin tied Jaromir Jagr for 3rd on the Penguins’ all-time assist list when he helped set up a third-period game-tying goal. He later added a goal of his own when he fired a wrister past Pavel Francouz at 15:43 of the third period. Cale Makar helped the Avalanche force OT with a goal in the final seconds, but the Penguins would leave the Pepsi Center with two points thanks to Jared McCann’s game-winner. If Larkin prefers to not attend All-Star Weekend, he should stop completing these types of plays. The tweet below says all that is needed. This sequence is NUTS. 😳 pic.twitter.com/zLqzeIPCvS — NHL (@NHL) January 11, 2020 Blooper of the night Tyler Ennis’ unusual shootout attempt was not successful. Tyler Ennis attempts to score with the toe of his blade in the shootout. Close, but no cigar. #GoSensGo #LGRW pic.twitter.com/TYEIJhooEX — Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) January 11, 2020 In his first game back since leaving a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on January 4th, Antti Raanta exited the Coyotes game Friday with a lower-body injury. The @Canes are one of five teams to have seven players each with 10+ goals in 2019-20. The others: Penguins, Avalanche, Canadiens and Capitals. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/j3dOTmRIbO — NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 11, 2020 Carolina Hurricanes 3, Arizona Coyotes 0 Detroit Red Wings 3, Ottawa Senators 2 (SO) Pittsburgh Penguins 4, Colorado Avalanche 3 (OT) Scott Charles is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @ScottMCharles. Tags: Arizona Coyotes, Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Dylan Larkin, Evgeni Malkin, Gabriel Landeskog, Matt Murray, Petr Mrazek, Pittsburg Penguins, Tyler Ennis, Antti Raanta, cale makar, Dylan Larkin, Evgeni Malkin, Jared McCann, Pavel Francouz, Petr Mrazek, Semyon Varlamov, Sergei Bobrovsky, Tyler Ennis NHL on NBCSN: Can Grubauer, Avalanche get on track vs. Blues? By James O'BrienJan 2, 2020, 2:03 PM EST NBCSN’s coverage of the 2019-20 NHL season continues with Thursday’s matchup between the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche. Coverage begins at 9:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. You can watch the game online and on the NBC Sports app by clicking here. About a month ago, a Blues – Avalanche game would present a battle for Central Division supremacy. As we’ve learned all too often in the turbulent NHL, a lot can change — fast. The Blues took care of their end — and then some. While their eight-game winning streak ended on New Year’s Eve, they’re running away with the top spot in the Central and West. Their most relevant battles might instead be for the Presidents’ Trophy, and they’re rightfully perched among the league’s best during their impressive defense of that first-ever Stanley Cup championship. Meanwhile, cracks are forming for the Avalanche. Colorado on the edge of a crisis? Despite injuries to Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar, and Gabriel Landeskog, the Avalanche found ways to keep winning. Lately, that train came to a screeching halt, even with such key players returning to action. The Avs ended 2019 with a thud, falling 7-4 to the Jets to slip to 1-4-1 over their last six games. You can almost feel the Avs’ confidence fading. “It feels like it’s hard to win right now,” Rantanen said following that loss to the Jets, via the Denver Post’s Mike Chambers. “We play good periods at times, but then we shoot ourselves in the leg. I think it’s in our minds. When it’s a tie game, or we’re up one or down one, we get scared that (a collapse) is going to happen again.” That doesn’t sound like a resilient team. Really, a team that was snatching victory from defeat is now experiencing the opposite. “We’re finding different ways to lose every night lately, and it’s frustrating,” Erik Johnson said, also via Chambers. Goalie battle brewing? Looking at win-loss records alone, you’d assume Philipp Grubauer has mainly been struggling recently. After all, he’s only managed a single victory since Dec. 4. The larger truth might just be that the Avs aren’t propping Grubauer up the same way. Jared Bednar says there were too many breakdowns, not enough checking & they had to be better controlling gaps. Was asked if Philipp Grubauer was a concern because he has not won since Dec. 4. Bednar: He’s grouped in with the best of our team. He’s gotta be better. #Avs — Ryan S. Clark (@ryan_s_clark) January 1, 2020 The deeper you drill into Grubauer’s stats, the clearer it is that he’s been just OK all season. Grubauer actually managed a better save percentage during his one-win December (.910) as he did in a 3-4-0 November (.903). Overall, Grubauer sports a mediocre 10-9-3 record, and a middling-but-not-catastrophic .911 save percentage. In a more anxious hockey market, you’d probably hear all about how a goalie battle should be brewing. Maybe that hypothetical nervous group of fans would have a point, too. Pavel Francouz stepped in when Grubauer was hurt, and now it’s fair to wonder who will start each night. Even after a tough loss to the Wild on Dec. 27, Francouz’s numbers sparkle. The 29-year-old is 11-3-1 with a splendid .927 save percentage. That tough night against Minnesota ended a four-game winning streak, and Francouz also saw the end of an impressive eight-game point streak (7-0-1). Avalanche count on history repeating with Grubauer? Looking at Francouz’s numbers, it’s fair to wonder why he received such scant opportunities during his career. The undrafted goalie managed strong (if not brilliant) numbers basically everywhere he went. One could validly argue that the Avs should let him run with these chances. On the other hand, what if Grubauer repeats the narrative from last season. Consider that Grubauer was putrid before the All-Star break last season (.891 save percentage over 21 games), only to catch on fire afterward (.948 in 16 games), closing it off with a strong playoff run. It’s easy to see why the Avalanche weigh that experience — and, frankly, their larger financial commitment to Grubauer — more than Francouz’s superior recent play. That said, it’s absolutely a situation to watch, and one the Avs can’t afford to ignore. The Blues won’t be shy about testing Colorado’s goalies, either. John Forslund and Brian Boucher will call the action from Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. Tags: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche, Erik Johnson, Gabriel Landeskog, Jared Bednar, Mikko Rantanen, Minnesota Wild, Nathan MacKinnon, NHL on NBCSN, Pavel Francouz, Philipp Grubauer, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets, cale makar, Erik Johnson, Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, Pavel Francouz, Philipp Grubauer The Buzzer: Another 2-goal game for Bergeron; Perron keeps Blues rolling By Adam GretzDec 28, 2019, 1:35 AM EST 1. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins. There is no stopping Bergeron right now. He scored two more goals for the Bruins in their 3-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night, giving him three consecutive two goal games. He also has nine goals in his past nine games. With 17 goals in 30 games, he is having one of the best goal-scoring seasons of his already incredible career. He is the just the fifth different Bruins player to ever score multiple goals in at least three consecutive games, and the first to do it since Cam Neely during the 1988-89 season. 2. Mika Zibanejad, New York Rangers. With two goals and an assist in a 6-4 win, Zibanejad continued his outstanding season for the Rangers. He is averaging more than a point-per-game and has once again been one of the bright spots for the Rangers. His first goal came on an absolutely ridiculous no-look, behind-the-back pass from Chris Kreider that you can see in the highlights down below. The Rangers still have their flaws and do not always win pretty, but with Artemi Panarin (who also recorded three points on Friday night) they have some serious impact talent than can keep them in games and give them a chance on most nights. 3. David Perron, St. Louis Blues. With Vladimir Tarasenko sidelined the Blues needed some other forwards to help step up and provide the offense. Perron has been one of those players. He scored another overtime goal on Friday (already his fourth this season) to help lift the Blues to a 4-3 win against the Winnipeg Jets and extend their current winning streak to seven games. Perron has 24 points in his past 22 games. Other notable performances from Friday William Nylander and John Tavares both had three points for the Toronto Maple Leafs as they extended their winning streak to six games. The only bad news in the game was Ilya Mikheyev leaving the game with a serious cut to his wrist. Read about that here. Robin Lehner made 38 saves against his former team to lead the Chicago Blackhawks to a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders. Tristan Jarry picked up another win for the Pittsburgh Penguins and their depth scoring had a huge night in a 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators. The Minnesota Wild rallied past the Colorado Avalanche in the third period. Read more about their win and their recent hot streak here. Andrew Mangiapane scored 11 seconds into the game and finished with three points as the Calgary Flames won the first Battle of Alberta for this season, 5-1, over the Edmonton Oilers. The Anaheim Ducks scored three goals in 97 seconds then held on to beat the Vegas Golden Knights by a 4-3 margin. The Los Angeles Kings overcame a 2-0 third period deficit to beat the San Jose Sharks, 3-2, in overtime. Martin Frk scored his first two goals of the season to tie the game, setting the stage for Jeff Carter to win it in overtime. Check out this behind-the-back pass by Kreider to set up Zibanejad for the Rangers’ first goal of the night. This pass from Richard Panik to set up Carl Hagelin is an absolute beauty. The Capitals were 2-1 winners in overtime thanks to a T.J. Oshie game-winning goal. It came in a losing effort for the Avalanche, but Gabriel Landeskog scored a beauty of a goal against the Wild. Damon Severson scored an overtime goal for the wrong team. Read more about it here. Alex Ovechkin‘s assist on T.J. Oshie’s game-winning goal was his 36th career regular season point in overtime. Only Patrik Elias has more. He also made the decision tonight to not play in the 2020 NHL All-Star game. Read about his reasoning here. [NHL PR] Cale Makar played his 30th career regular season game for the Avalanche and joined some exclusive company in the process. [NHL PR] Jeff Carter scored the game-winning goal for the Kings, giving him 11 career overtime goals. No player in Kings history has more. [NHL PR] Boston Bruins 3, Buffalo Sabres 0 Toronto Maple Leafs 5, New Jersey Devils 4 (OT) New York Rangers 5, Carolina Hurricanes 3 Washington Capitals 2, Columbus Blue Jackets 1 Minnesota Wild 6, Colorado Avalanche 4 Pittsburgh Penguins 5, Nashville Predators 2 St. Louis Blues 5, Winnipeg Jets 4 Chicago Blackhawks 5, New York Islanders 2 Calgary Flames 5, Edmonton Oilers 1 Anaheim Ducks 4, Vegas Golden Knights 3 Los Angeles Kings 3, San Jose Sharks 2 (OT) Tags: Alex Ovechkin, Anaheim Ducks, Andrew Mangiapane, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Cale Makar, Calgary Flames, Carl Hagelin, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Damon Severson, David Perron, Edmonton Oilers, Gabriel Landeskog, Ilya Mikheyev, Jeff Carter, John Tavares, Los Angeles Kings, Martin Frk, Mika Zibanejad, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Patrice Bergeron, Pittsburgh Penguins, Richard Panik, Robin Lehner, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, The Buzzer, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tristan Jarry, Vegas Golden Knights, Washington Capitals, Winnipeg Jets, Alex Ovechkin, Andrew Mangiapane, Artemi Panarin, cale makar, Carl Hagelin, Chris Kreider, Damon Severson, David Perron, Drew Mangiapane, Gabriel Landeskog, Ilya Mikheyev, Jeff Carter, John Tavares, Mika Zibanejad, Patrice Bergeron, Richard Panik, Robin Lehner, T.J. Oshie, Tristan Jarry, Vladimir Tarasenko, William Nylander Landeskog fight, Keith hit makes Blackhawks-Avs a rough one By James O'BrienDec 21, 2019, 11:49 PM EST With the Blackhawks fading and the Avalanche rising, the two teams don’t jump out as natural rivals. Watch Gabriel Landeskog fight Dennis Gilbert, and Duncan Keith‘s hit on Joonas Korpisalo. After witnessing such violence, you’ll likely agree that the two teams won’t be exchanging gifts during the holidays. Gabriel Landeskog fights Dennis Gilbert Gilbert fights with frequency for the Blackhawks, while Landeskog hasn’t dropped the gloves in almost exactly one year. Even so, Landeskog loves to mix physicality with scoring, so it’s not too shocking that he got into such a spirited fight with Gilbert. First, the two traded feisty hits. Next, they decided to settle the matter by fighting. You can watch that bout in the video above; it’s quite the tussle. Duncan Keith delivers a hard hit When you think about Duncan Keith, a tremendous finesse game likely first comes to mind. Keith bares his teeth often enough that you have to respect his physical side, though. Keith caught Avalanche forward Joonas Donskoi with the sort of check that might make you cringe: The veteran defenseman spoke about playing with more of an edge earlier this week. Then Keith backed it up. Duncan Keith thinks playing a little ticked off could help the Blackhawks. "We need to get a little pissed off. I think everybody, myself included, has to play with a little more energy, a little more grit, being a little mean out there."https://t.co/KvGmfraCkK — Chicago Tribune Sports (@ChicagoSports) December 19, 2019 The Blackhawks upset the Avalanche by a score of 5-3 on Saturday night. Landeskog ended up having a rough game, finishing the evening without a point and suffering with a -4 rating. Keith couldn’t generate a point either, but his partners in crime Jonathan Toews (2G, 1A) and Patrick Kane (1G, 1A) came through. Saturday continued opposite trends for the two teams. Colorado lost its second game in a row, dropping three of the Avs’ last four. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks pushed their winning streak to two games and have won three of four. Tags: Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dennis Gilbert, Duncan Keith, Gabriel Landeskog, hockey fights, Joonas Donskoi, Dennis Gilbert, Duncan Keith, Gabriel Landeskog, Jonathan Toews, Joonas Donskoi, Joonas Korpisalo, Patrick Kane Avs’ rising star Cale Makar shaken by hit from Bruins’ Marchand By James O'BrienDec 7, 2019, 9:29 PM EST The Colorado Avalanche have done a masterful job, for the most part, when it comes to rolling with injury-related punches to key players such as Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. They have to hope that Saturday didn’t send another such haymaker their way. Rising star defenseman Cale Makar (who just fell under a point per game on Saturday with 28 in 29 contests) was clearly shaken up by a hard hit by Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand. It didn’t seem like a heinous hit by Marchand, although there are some who wonder if it was a bit high. Either way, Makar’s reaction is troubling. You can see him shake his head multiple times following the hit, which gives the impression that he could have suffered a concussion. That doesn’t guarantee that Makar did, but it’s a situation to watch — and one the Avalanche should absolutely be careful about. The Avalanche ended up beating the Bruins 4-1 on Saturday. Tags: Boston Bruins, Brad Marchand, Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche, Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, Brad Marchand, cale makar, Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen The Buzzer: Larkin goes coast to coast; Hurricanes shut out Coyotes January 10, 2020 11:55 pm EST NHL on NBCSN: Can Grubauer, Avalanche get on track vs. Blues? January 2, 2020 2:03 pm EST The Buzzer: Another 2-goal game for Bergeron; Perron keeps Blues rolling December 28, 2019 1:35 am EST Landeskog fight, Keith hit makes Blackhawks-Avs a rough one December 21, 2019 11:49 pm EST Avs’ rising star Cale Makar shaken by hit from Bruins’ Marchand December 7, 2019 9:29 pm EST The Buzzer: First place Coyotes; Zuccarello leads Wild to another win December 6, 2019 12:54 am EST Bargain star MacKinnon says he’d take less money again to help Avalanche win December 5, 2019 12:09 pm EST NHL Power Rankings: Best landing spots for Taylor Hall December 2, 2019 1:52 pm EST NHL Power Rankings: Most dangerous duos in the league November 18, 2019 2:20 pm EST Avs hold breath about MacKinnon after blowing out Predators November 8, 2019 12:41 am EST Top-line injuries to Blues and Avalanche shake up Central October 31, 2019 10:00 am EDT Landeskog the hockey horse out of Breeders’ Cup Sprint October 31, 2019 9:45 am EDT NHL injury roundup: Landeskog out indefinitely; Zibanejad out for Rangers October 29, 2019 12:52 pm EDT Avalanche crush Golden Knights in first game without Rantanen: 3 takeaways October 25, 2019 9:17 pm EDT Avs get first taste of life without Rantanen against Golden Knights October 25, 2019 5:51 pm EDT The Buzzer: Wrapping up wild Saturday around the NHL October 6, 2019 1:43 am EDT Examining Avs’ salary cap, Stanley cup window after signing Rantanen September 28, 2019 7:53 pm EDT Analyzing the Avalanche after Colorado re-signs J.T. Compher July 17, 2019 4:51 pm EDT Avs continue strong summer by extending coach Bednar July 9, 2019 5:38 pm EDT Return on Duchene trade will help shape Avalanche’s defense for years June 23, 2019 3:13 pm EDT Avs’ Landeskog takes blame for controversial offside call May 9, 2019 10:47 am EDT The Playoff Buzzer: Pavelski returns for Game 7 to lead Sharks past Avs May 9, 2019 12:13 am EDT What to watch for in Sharks-Avalanche Game 7 May 8, 2019 5:36 pm EDT Avs in position to build on current success April 30, 2019 5:24 pm EDT Nathan MacKinnon might be NHL’s most valuable asset April 18, 2019 4:31 pm EDT Mike Smith unlikely hero as Flames shutout Avalanche in Game 1 April 12, 2019 12:59 am EDT Colorado Collapse: What’s eating the Avalanche? February 4, 2019 1:02 pm EST NHL All-Star Game: Draisaitl, Landeskog, Letang, Skinner voted ‘Last Men In’ January 11, 2019 12:00 pm EST The Buzzer: Schenn fights, scores twice; Hoffman hits 100 February 9, 2018 1:25 am EST Fight: Landeskog, Schenn let fists fly three seconds after puck drop (Video) February 8, 2018 8:57 pm EST Avs’ Gabriel Landeskog suspended four games for cross-checking (Video) November 27, 2017 5:20 pm EST Gabriel Landeskog lands player safety hearing after cross-check November 26, 2017 3:30 pm EST Colorado Avalanche ’15-16 Outlook August 18, 2015 7:00 pm EDT Avalanche’s biggest question: How much will they miss Ryan O’Reilly? August 18, 2015 1:30 pm EDT Under Pressure: Nathan MacKinnon August 18, 2015 10:56 am EDT It’s Colorado Avalanche day at PHT August 18, 2015 10:15 am EDT Liles curious to see if Zadorov will make the Avs next season August 17, 2015 2:30 pm EDT Soderberg didn’t hesitate in signing with Avs July 26, 2015 9:57 pm EDT Denver-bound? Avs sign 10th overall pick Rantanen July 13, 2015 3:35 pm EDT Avs’ Landeskog underwent wrist surgery April 25, 2015 11:30 am EDT	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1527
__label__wiki	0.551813	0.551813	NHL Power Rankings: Top rookie performances so far By Adam GretzJan 20, 2020, 1:43 PM EST In this week’s edition of the NHL Power Rankings we keep it on an individual player level and dig into the 10 best rookie performances so far this season. It has been an interesting rookie class because two of the most anticipated rookies — top-two picks Jack Hughes and Kappo Kaako) have gone through some early growing pains and have not really played their way into the Calder Trophy discussion. That is nothing to be concerned about, either. Not every 18-year-old is going to jump right into the league and make an immediate impact. Sometimes it takes a year. Sometimes it takes two. They both still have great futures ahead of them and should be stars (maybe even superstars?) in the NHL. It has, however, been a great first half for rookie defensemen (four in the top-ten) and a couple of rookie goalies. Which rookies have stood out the most so far this season? To the rankings! 1. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche. Makar entered the season as one of the Calder Trophy favorites, and he has not only met the high expectations placed upon him, he has probably exceeded them. He is already the best defenseman on one of the NHL’s best and most exciting teams. An exceptional skater, great passer, and a lightning fast release that just looks effortless and unstoppable. He is a one-man highlight reel almost every night. (See it here, too) 2. Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks. When the 2019-20 season began it was expected that a Hughes would be at the top of the rookie class. And there is. It’s just probably not the one (Jack, the No. 1 overall pick this year) that most thought would be this high on the list. For the third year in a row the Canucks have one of the league’s top-two rookies as Hughes joins their promising core alongside Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser. 3. Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres. One of the few bright spots in yet another massively disappointing season for the Sabres. At 24 he is a little older than your average rookie, but he has been a great fit next to Jack Eichel on the Sabres’ top line when he’s been healthy. As of Monday he still leads all rookies in scoring even though he has not played in close to a month due to injury. 4. John Marino, Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins acquired Marino from the Edmonton Oilers for a conditional sixth-round draft pick in a trade that few people noticed when it was announced. All Marino has done this season is help transform the Penguins’ defense into one of the league’s best. He is already a 20-minute per night player, helps drive possession, has great defensive metrics, and has helped bring back mobility and puck skills to the Penguins’ blue line. 5. Dominik Kubalik, Chicago Blackhawks. Stan Bowman has made some questionable trades and decisions over the past few years, but this is one that he knocked out of the park. The Blackhawks acquired Kubalik from the Los Angeles Kings for a fifth-round draft pick almost exactly one year ago. He was always considered a talented prospect with offensive upside (something the Kings could use!), but he hadn’t shown a willingness to actually sign with the Kings. So they traded him. The Blackhawks were the team that pounced and added some desperately needed scoring depth. He has 21 goals on the season, with 10 of them coming over the past two weeks. Recency bias plays a role here, but he has made a huge jump in the Calder Trophy discussion from where he was even a few weeks ago when he probably was not even on the radar. 6. Ilya Samsonov, Washington Capitals. The Capitals’ goalie of the future should probably be getting even more playing time in the present. In his 19 appearances this season he owns a 15-2-1 record with a .927 save percentage and is currently on a run where he has won 10 consecutive decisions. He has not lost a start since Nov. 15 against the Montreal Canadiens. His play is probably making it easier to say goodbye to long-time starter (and long-time top-shelf goalie) Braden Holtby this summer in free agency. 7. Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus Blue Jackets. Like Kubalik, he is another rookie that has picked up his play very recently. When Blue Jackets starting goalie Joonas Korpisalo went down with an injury, Merzlikins had yet to win a game in the NHL and had a sub-.900 save percentage. It would have been easy to write off the Blue Jackets’ playoff chances at that point. Instead, Merzlikins has helped carry the team into the first Wild Card spot (as of Monday) in the Eastern Conference thanks to an 8-2-0 record, three shutouts, 8. Adam Fox, New York Rangers. Not going to lie, I kind of hate putting him this low because I feel like it underrates the season he has had. He has been really good. But, I also think the top-four here are clearly the head of the rookie class. It is also hard to ignore how downright dominant Kubalik and Merzlikins have been recently and the role they have played for their teams. Fox was one of two key additions to the Rangers’ blue line over the summer alongside Jacob Trouba. Trouba has the big name and the massive contract, but there is no denying which player has been the better addition for the Rangers — it is Fox. 9. Martin Necas, Carolina Hurricanes. Necas is very quietly putting together a strong rookie season. He is the fifth-leading scorer on the team and his current scoring pace would put him on track for nearly 20 goals and 50 points with strong possession numbers. Not quite enough to be a Calder Trophy favorite, but that is still a heck of a season for a 21-year-old in his first full NHL season. 10. Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens. Suzuki was the key long-term player for the Canadiens in the Max Pacioretty trade, and they are getting their first taste of what he is capable of this season. He is still a bit of a work in progress, but he has improved dramatically over the past couple of months and is currently the fifth-leading scorer among all rookies. Pacioretty is having a career year for the Golden Knights, but Tomas Tatar (the other key player in that trade) having a great year of his own, and Suzuki showing a ton of potential, it is one that — so far — has worked out well for both teams. Tags: Adam Fox, Brock Boeser, Buffalo Sabres, Cale Makar, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dominik Kubalik, Elias Pettersson, Elvis Merzlikins, Ilya Samsonov, John Marino, Los Angeles Kings, Martin Necas, Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Nick Suzuki, PHT Power Rankings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights, Victor Olofsson, Washington Capitals, Adam Fox, Braden Holtby, Brock Boeser, cale makar, Dominik Kubalik, Elias Pettersson, Elvis Merzlikins, Ilya Samsonov, Jack Eichel, Jack Hughes, Jacob Trouba, John Marino, Joonas Korpisalo, Martin Necas, Max Pacioretty, Nick Suzuki, Quinn Hughes, Tomas Tatar, Victor Olofsson Gerard Gallant on coaching future: ‘I’m far from done’ The Vegas Golden Knights decision to fire coach Gerard Gallant this past week came as a shock to pretty much everyone across the NHL, and that of course includes Gallant himself. Gallant told his hometown paper, the Journal Pioneer on Saturday that he was “quite surprised” by the Golden Knights’ decision and that it isn’t too popular with him. “You don’t see something coming like that when you have two-and-a-half years in. I was disappointed and surprised, but I understand the hockey business and things have to change sometimes. They made a tough decision and I’m sure it was tough on them, but that’s the way hockey is.” Given the nature of the NHL’s coaching carousel it seems to be a given that Gallant will be back behind a bench at sometime in the near future. He told the Journal Pioneer that he “definitely” still wants to coach and that he is “far from done.” Under Gallant’s watch the Golden Knights were the most successful NHL expansion team of the modern era with a 118-75-20 regular season record in two-and-a-half seasons. They made the playoffs in each of his first two full seasons and made a stunning run to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season. Even though they were on the outside of the Western Conference playoff picture at the time of the coaching change they were still just one point out of a playoff spot and only three points out of first place in the Pacific Division. The Golden Knights are 1-0-1 in the two games since the coaching change. Given the way they have played at 5-on-5 this season there is every reason to believe they can turn their season around after a slow start as long as they get more consistent goaltending. Perhaps the most interesting comment from Gallant in his interview was how he and the NHL were going to handle the 2020 All-Star Game. Gallant had initially been announced as the head coach for the Pacific Division team, but his dismissal from the Golden Knights put that into question. Gallant said he and the league talked about how to handle the situation and that the NHL left it up to him on whether or not he wanted to participate. In the end he decided he would not have been comfortable going. The NHL named Arizona Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet as the replacement. You can read Gallant’s entire interview here. MORE GALLANT FIRING COVERAGE: • Golden Knights fire Gallant, hire Peter DeBoer • Golden Knights’ Gallant firing seems like short-sighted, knee-jerk reaction • Gallant replaced by Rick Tocchet at 2020 NHL All-Star Game Tags: Gerard Gallant, Peter DeBoer, Rick Tocchet, Vegas Golden Knights The Buzzer: Elvis, Ovechkin, and others who rocked By James O'BrienJan 19, 2020, 1:58 AM EST Three Stars beyond Elvis and Ovechkin 1. Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks Chicago blowing out Toronto will lead to some hand-wringing, no doubt. Yet, as much as that was on a tough night for Frederik Andersen, give the Blackhawks some credit. Toews topped all in that game with an outstanding four-point performance (two goals and two assists). Saturday continued what’s been one heck of a month for Toews. The Blackhawks captained pushed his January total to 15 points (5G, 10A). Toews reached that total in just eight games, scoring at least one point in seven contests. Scratch that. Toews has been on fire for a while now. He started off ice-cold with only two points in 11 October games. Toews took off after that, and has generated an impressive 41 points in his past 28 contests. Underrated rookie Dominik Kubalik contributed to Chicago’s win, too, with three points (2G, 1A). 2. Riley Sheahan, Edmonton Oilers Sheahan scoffs at Toews’ slow start. The journeyman forward failed to score a point in 12 October games, and managed one in 11 November contests. Sheahan went and matched his December points total (four in 14 GP) in one contest on Saturday. That’s right, he generated four points, scoring an empty-netter plus three assists. Connor McDavid dominated in his own right with two goals, but Sheahan helped the Oilers rout the Coyotes. Josh Archibald generated three points (1G, 2A) as well. This just in: the Oilers have a lot of “that guy’s still around?” forwards. It’s honestly cool to see some of them have such a strong day, and maybe take a bit of the pressure off McDavid here and there. 3. Cam Atkinson, Columbus Blue Jackets It’s as though Atkinson never missed any time. After scoring a goal and an assist in his first game in almost one month on Thursday, Atkinson generated three points (2G, 1A) on Saturday. This gives Atkinson seven points (4G, 3A) in his past four contests. Others give Atkinson a run for his money, even beyond the next section. Jason Zucker (1G, 2A) and James van Riemsdyk (1G, 2A) both contributed to their respective teams’ blowouts. Atkinson’s extra goal gives him the edge. OK, now let’s consider Elvis and Ovechkin Saturday featured enough strong performances that it feels better to give these two a mention. After all, they already received their own posts. Yes, these two probably rank as the “real” third and fourth stars of Saturday, or higher, depending upon your personal taste. Elvis Merzlikins generated a 41-save shutout. Read about his hot streak here (which includes three shutouts in four games, all wins). Alex Ovechkin passed Mario Lemieux in goals and tied Steve Yzerman. Click here for more information on his history-making hat trick. Marc-Andre Fleury is suffering through a tough season, big-picture wise. “The Flower” keeps adding to his resume of breathtaking saves, though: Jamie Benn provides us with a reason to laugh. At least those of us who aren’t immediately transported to our own memories of hilarious blunders. That video summarizes the Stars’ night succinctly, as the Wild beat them 7-0. Ovechkin nabbed consecutive hat tricks to push his career goals total to 692. He passed Mario Lemieux (11th all-time, 690) and tied Steve Yzerman for ninth all-time (692). Mark Messier sits just two goals away at eighth with 694. Ovechkin also generated consecutive hat tricks for the third time in his career. In doing so, Ovechkin joined Joe Malone (four times) and Wayne Gretzky (three) as the only players to generate consecutive hat tricks three or more times, according to NHL PR. Again, this post delves deeper into Ovechkin’s latest accomplishments. Ovechkin’s teammate John Carlson reached 60 points. Carlson managed the feat in just 49 games, getting to 60 faster than any Capitals defenseman; Mike Green held the previous mark with 60 by game 57. Opinion: Green deserved better treatment from hockey folks during his peak years. Merzlikins authored the 18th instance of a rookie goalie getting a shutout of at least 41 saves, via NHL PR. Cale Makar scored his 11th goal, setting a new record for goals by a rookie Avalanche defenseman. Dominik Kubalik reached 20 goals in his 47th game. NHL PR points out that Kubalik ranks among sixth Blackhawks to reach 20 goals in 50 games or less. WSH 6 – NYI 4 COL 5 – STL 3 EDM 7 – ARI 3 OTT 5 – CGY 2 CHI 6 – TOR 2 MTL 5 – VGK 4 (SO) FLA 4 – DET 1 PHI 4 – LAK 1 CBJ 5 – NJD 0 NSH 2 – BUF 1 MIN 7 – DAL 0 VAN 4 – SJS 1 Tags: Alex Ovechkin, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Cale Makar, Calgary Flames, Cam Atkinson, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Dominik Kubalik, Edmonton Oilers, Elvis Merzlikins, Florida Panthers, Frederik Andersen, James van Riemsdyk, Jamie Benn, Jason Zucker, John Carlson, Jonathan Toews, Los Angeles Kings, Marc-Andre Fleury, Mario Lemieux, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Riley Sheahan, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, Steve Yzerman, The Buzzer, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights, Washington Capitals, Wayne Gretzky, Alex Ovechkin, cale makar, Cam Atkinson, Connor McDavid, Dominik Kubalik, Elvis Merzlikins, Frederik Andersen, James van Riemsdyk, Jamie Benn, Jason Zucker, John Carlson, Jonathan Toews, Josh Archibald, Marc-Andre Fleury, Mike Green, Riley Sheahan Elvis thrives: Merzlikins is on fire for Blue Jackets By James O'BrienJan 18, 2020, 11:58 PM EST Elvis Merzlikins advanced a bold goal lately: to be more than just a funny name. He is leaving opponents all shook up absolutely red-hot for the Columbus Blue Jackets right now. Elvis absolutely hound-dogged shut out the New Jersey Devils in Columbus’ 5-0 on Saturday, and that 41-save performance was far from his first standout evening. Merzlikins generated three shutouts in his last four games, allowing just two goals overall. The Blue Jackets won all four of those games. (OK, this post includes enough cheesy Elvis jokes … arguably.) During seven appearances between October and November, the 25-year-old goalie languished with sub-.900 save percentages. Since then, he’s started to take off. Some “too perfect” moments for Elvis Merzlikins and the Blue Jackets Maybe Merzlikins made a New Year’s Eve resolution to dominate? Perhaps it was because Elvis asked reporters to leave him alone? Merzlikins suffered only two losses since Dec. 31, winning eight of 10 games. The lights-out play already makes the story endearing, but there are notes of the surreal. Consider a few facts about his hot streak: Merzlikins grabbed his first NHL win on Dec. 31 against Sergei Bobrovsky and the Panthers. Even John Tortorella joked about Elvis managing his first shutout in … you guessed it, Vegas. Torts praised Merzlikins’ ability to roll with the punches, as Columbus had been reeling with injuries. “That’s what you like about him. He’s strong mentally,” Tortorella said after the Jan. 11 Vegas shutout, via Rob Mixer of First Ohio Battery. “He’s a piece of work as far as his personality, which I like. A lot of things have been thrown at him here…but he’s handled himself really well. I’m happy for him.” Merzlikins ended up making it back-to-back shutouts, as he also blanked the Bruins with a 34-save shutout. His three shutouts have upped the ante each time: first 27 saves, then 34, then 41 against the Devils on Saturday. Tortorella deserves ample credit for creating a cocoon for his goalies, of course. "Defense" CBJ has figured out how to survive and it's impressive to see Torts working a system that suits this group so well. pic.twitter.com/vqKSrQ6Ryq — Sean Tierney (@ChartingHockey) January 18, 2020 Regardless, Merzlikins is playing a big role in helping the Blue Jackets stay in the East wild-card races. Here’s hoping that our jokes rise up the charts or we might just need to leave the building. (Sorry. I’m so, so sorry.) Tags: Columbus Blue Jackets, Elvis Merzlikins, Florida Panthers, John Tortorella, Joonas Korpisalo, New Jersey Devils, Sergei Bobrovsky, Vegas Golden Knights, Elvis Merzlikins, Sergei Bobrovsky PHT Morning Skate: Kassian’s road to sobriety; Maple Leafs and the deadline January 21, 2020 8:15 am EST NHL Power Rankings: Top rookie performances so far January 20, 2020 1:43 pm EST Gerard Gallant on coaching future: ‘I’m far from done’ January 19, 2020 1:28 pm EST The Buzzer: Elvis, Ovechkin, and others who rocked January 19, 2020 1:58 am EST Elvis thrives: Merzlikins is on fire for Blue Jackets January 18, 2020 11:58 pm EST The Buzzer: Golden Knights win DeBoer’s debut; Hats off to Ovechkin January 17, 2020 1:20 am EST William Karlsson will be out ‘week-to-week’ for Golden Knights January 16, 2020 7:06 pm EST Rick Tocchet replaces Gerard Gallant as Pacific All-Star coach January 16, 2020 6:36 pm EST PHT Morning Skate: Why Gallant was fired; Will Yzerman bring him to Red Wings? January 16, 2020 9:50 am EST Golden Knights’ firing of Gallant short-sighted, knee-jerk reaction January 15, 2020 3:16 pm EST Golden Knights fire Gallant, hire Peter DeBoer as head coach January 15, 2020 10:45 am EST The Buzzer: Crosby’s return, Matthews’ hat trick, Kubalik’s hot streak January 15, 2020 12:02 am EST The Buzzer: Big night for Sharks; Tkachuk vs. Kassian; McDavid does it again January 12, 2020 3:08 am EST Max Pacioretty, Tomas Hertl added to 2020 NHL All-Star Game January 10, 2020 4:54 pm EST The Buzzer: Pastrnak’s third hat trick; Big games for DeAngelo, Rinne January 10, 2020 1:26 am EST Max Pacioretty on pace for career-best season in Vegas January 9, 2020 8:54 am EST The Buzzer: Lightning score 9 goals; Predators lose big in Hynes debut January 8, 2020 1:39 am EST The Buzzer: Hat trick for Rantanen; Hutchinson shines for Maple Leafs January 5, 2020 1:57 am EST Fleury will ‘pass on invitation;’ Markstrom added to Pacific All-Star roster January 3, 2020 8:59 pm EST Berube, Cassidy, Gallant, Reirden will coach at 2020 NHL All-Star Game January 3, 2020 12:03 pm EST Five most underrated stars heading into 2020 January 3, 2020 10:11 am EST Golden Knights’ Gallant gets mad, walks out of press conference after win January 3, 2020 3:11 am EST The Buzzer: Nylander keeps Maple Leafs rolling; Canucks make it 6 in a row January 3, 2020 1:44 am EST Ducks’ Josh Manson scores bizarre own goal (Video) December 31, 2019 4:55 pm EST Bergeron, Giroux, Toews highlight NHL All-Star Last Men In vote December 30, 2019 3:57 pm EST The Buzzer: Markstrom stops 49 for Canucks; Foegele dominates December 29, 2019 1:56 am EST Taylor Hall’s early impact on Arizona Coyotes December 28, 2019 2:49 pm EST The Buzzer: Another 2-goal game for Bergeron; Perron keeps Blues rolling December 28, 2019 1:35 am EST Why Golden Knights are climbing NHL standings December 27, 2019 6:49 pm EST PHT Morning Skate: World Juniors preview; Kurvers’ cancer fight December 27, 2019 9:30 am EST PHT Decade in Review: Most significant goals in hockey December 24, 2019 7:20 am EST The Buzzer: Blues, Maple Leafs, others roar into holiday break December 24, 2019 1:59 am EST PHT Face-Off: Pacioretty’s career year; Hart’s strong start December 23, 2019 9:05 am EST Five great NHL performances sneaking under the radar this season December 20, 2019 6:25 pm EST Coyotes’ Kuemper out ‘week-to-week’ with lower-body injury December 20, 2019 3:18 pm EST PHT Morning Skate: Golden Knights’ dynamic duo; Duclair’s journey December 20, 2019 8:50 am EST The Buzzer: Flyers erupt; Kane has another big night December 20, 2019 2:52 am EST The Buzzer: Price is right for Canadiens, Malkin’s 400th goal, and Hall’s impact December 18, 2019 1:40 am EST PHT Morning Skate: Sabres thrilled for Bills; Hall’s impact on Arizona December 17, 2019 9:07 am EST NHL Power Rankings: Flames on the rise December 16, 2019 3:15 pm EST	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1528
__label__wiki	0.513646	0.513646	SCR Additional Information Pharmacy Survey Closed 21 Sep 2018 Opened 10 Aug 2018 bau.operations@nhs.net Feedback Updated 26 Sep 2018 We Asked For views on the benefits of Summary Care Records Additional information to Pharmacy professionals There were 71 responses to the survey and the results are attached. We Did The survey has been re-published for further feedback - https://nhs-digital.citizenspace.com/live-services/scr-ai-survey-for-pharmacy-v2 Results Updated 26 Sep 2018 Please see the report attached. The survey has been republished - https://nhs-digital.citizenspace.com/live-services/scr-ai-survey-for-pharmacy-v2 SCR Pharmacy Benefits report, 105.3 KB (PDF document) Summary Care Records (SCR) The SCR is an electronic record of important patient information, created from GP medical records. It can be seen and used by authorised staff involved in the patient's direct care. The SCR holds important information about: Current medication Allergies and details of any previous bad reactions to medicines The name, address, date of birth and NHS number of the patient Currently there are over 1.7 million patients who have chosen to add Additional Information to their SCR, with more than 18,000 patients providing consent for their Additional Information to be shared each week. If present in the GP health record SCRs with Additional Information can contain the following: Significant medical history and procedures (past and present) Reason for medication Anticipatory care information (such as information about the management of long term conditions) Communication preferences (as per the SCCI1605 Accessible information national dataset) End of life care information (as per the SCCI1580 Palliative Care Co-ordination national dataset) Contact details for family, carers and healthcare professionals The purpose of this survey is to assess the benefits and/or disadvantages of the Additional Information for Pharmacy professionals who view Summary Care Records. In line with the provisions of the government’s Code of Practice on Consultations (available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consultation-principles-guidance), a summary report will be published within 12 weeks of the survey closing. Publication may be on this website, elsewhere online and/or in printed form. Within three months of a survey ending we aim to publish a summary of responses received and provide a link to it from this page. This may include quotes of comments, which however, will be non-attributable. If appropriate, the summary will include a list of organisations that responded but not personal names, addresses or other contact details. Note that unless we have asked for consent to contact you to discuss feedback, and you have provided that consent, we will not respond to comments on an individual basis. Additional information in SCR SCR Additional Information Survey for clinical staff Pharmacy Managers EPS stakeholders Pharmacy technicians	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1529
__label__cc	0.593378	0.406622	AboutBoulder.com and University of Colorado Boulder Athletics Announce Partnership MetroSampler.com Announces Partnership with JNH Lifestyles MetroSampler.com Announces its Family of Websites Charity of the Week University Blog Ski & Ride Beer Blog Leaf of the Week Faces of Denver Outdoors Blog Home & Hardware Stores Airstream Camping Behind the Scenes – Restaurant Boulder People and Events CU Buff Stuff Literary Scene Love and Dating Music and Art Scene Jared's Featured Artists Natural Resources & Sustainability Pay it Forward Friday Transplanted: moving to, adjusting to, and living in Denver Dating OnDenver Featured Dispensary Featured Dog Featured in Arvada Featured in Aurora Featured in Golden Featured in Lakewood Featured in Wheat Ridge Mindful Monday Sponsored Blogs Home » Blog » Sports » Mistaken Identity Alan Tapley October 30th, 2018 Sports Share: Quarterback Chad Kelly was released by the Denver Broncos last week after being arrested for Suspicion of Criminal Trespassing following a late-night party. Kelly was reported to have wandered into a stranger’s home, talking incoherently before being quickly chased out, as the police found Kelly in a nearby SUV a short time later. The second-year quarterback out of the University of Miami was rumored to take over the starting spot if Case Keenum were to continue his struggles, but instead, the trouble-filled quarterback will be looking for a job. It’s not easy to get recognized as a back-up quarterback as most of us couldn’t point out the difference between Chad Kelly, Kevin Hogan, or any other late-rounder holding a clip board. So, are we sure they got the right guy? After all, mistaken identity can be commonplace in the world of sports. Trey Young and the guy that killed Patrick Swayze in Ghost – Where was Trey Young the night Patrick Swayze got axed? I think the movie may have been released before Young was born, but still. Steven Adams and Aquaman – Talk about mistaken identity. Adams plays center for the Oklahoma City Thunder and just happens to be seven-feet tall. My point is that Adams is a foot taller than Aquaman, and it would still be tough to be sure when having to pick someone out of a lineup. Robin Lopez and the Caveman from Geico – Which one is the caveman, and which one is the seven-foot center that plays for the Chicago Bulls? Technically, Neanderthals died out about 30,000 years ago, about the same time the Bulls last made the playoffs. Tony Parker and the doctor from Grey’s Anatomy – I’m not sure if it’s more surprising that the point guard has lasted more than 17 years in the NBA, or that Grey’s Anatomy has lasted 15. Based on the script writing, I’m guessing that Parker may outlast Doctor Jackson Avery. Charlie Blackmon and Adam Sandler’s caddie in Happy Gilmore – They both wear helmets, they both have long beards, and they both look homeless. Hard to differentiate. Kyle Korver and Ashton Kutcher – Would you rather be Korver, make over 2,000 three-pointers, and play 18+ seasons of basketball in the NBA with guys like LeBron James and Allen Iverson…or be married to Mila Kunis? Anthony Davis and Selma Heyak – He’s a 6’10 NBA superstar and she’s a petite award-winning actress, and yet, for some reason there’s a strong resemblance. Greg Popovich and Donald Sutherland – Popovich is arguably the greatest NBA coach of all-time, and Sutherland was known for movies such as The Dirty Dozen, Klute, and Ordinary People. Okay, fine…he was the old, villain guy from the Hunger Games. Gordon Hayward and Adam Levine – Hayward signed a 4 year/$128 million contract last summer and joined the Boston Celtics, and yet, I’d still rather be Adam Levine. Hopefully, Kelly gets the help he needs and gets his life straightened out, but for now, John Elway seems to have mistaken Kelly, Hogan, Keenum, Paxton Lynch, Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler, and a handful of others as possible franchise quarterbacks. Wish we could find a Peyton Manning lookalike. Images via nba.com, s1.zetaboards.com, newshub.co.nz, mnogololk.info, clutchpoints.com, pinterest.com, mlbdaily.com, bustler.com, carbonated.tv, youtube.com, sportingnews.com, onenewspage.com, justriches.com Alan Tapley Alan Tapley is an educator, author, and blogger who has lived just outside of Boulder for the last twenty years. His published work includes two novels, two children’s books, a series of cartoons in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and multiple sports related articles. His love for family and the state of Colorado is only matched by one thing, his passion for sports. The first baseball game he ever attended was at Wrigley Field, before there were lights. At the final Bronco game at the old Mile High, he allegedly cut out a piece of his seat in the South stands. But regardless of being here for the Avalanche’s last Stanley Cup, the Rockies only World Series appearance, and all the Broncos’ Super Bowl Victories, his wife never fails to remind him that he wasn’t at the University of Colorado in 1990, like she was. The year the Buffs football team won the National Championship. Tagged: Adam LevineAnthony DavisAquamanAshton KutcherChad KellyCharlie BlackmonDenver BroncosGrey's AnatomyNFLRobin LopezSelma HeyakSteven AdamsTrey Young Search OnDenver.com https://ondenver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/videoplayback.mp4 Featured Food & Drink Goat Patch Brewing Co OnDenver.com is a locally-owned and operated directory and information guide for Denver, Colorado Discover the best of Denver shopping, restaurants, night life, breweries, events, business, outdoors, fun, local life, real estate, transportation, jobs, and schools. Looking for what to do in Denver? OnDenver.com has columnists, and bloggers to keep you up to date on the best of Denver, Colorado. MetroSampler Headquarters 2770 Arapahoe Rd Ste 132 Privacy Policy • Terms of Use • Disclaimer • Contact Copyright © 2018 • All Rights Reserved • OnDenver.com • Metro Sampler	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1530
__label__cc	0.677038	0.322962	imyril February 19, 2017 Reviews Space Opera Sunday: The Player of Games Jernau Morat Gurgeh is bored of winning, a master of strategy and tactics who can beat anyone at almost any game. When Special Circumstances approach him to represent the Culture in the vicious Empire of Azad – home to a complex Game so revered the winner is made Emperor – he can’t say no. But to play will mean putting more than just his life at risk. Can he resist the lure of Azad? It’s been a long time since I’d read The Player of Games, and I’d forgotten pretty much everything about it. Reading it so soon after Consider Phlebas, I’m struck just how well these first few volumes work as a sequence, even though they are set in different periods and focus on different protagonists and political situations. Phlebas introduced the Culture from the outside, and dwelt long and hard on whether its relationship with technology was entirely healthy. Player inverts the view, giving us a look from the inside and then peering out at another civilisation from the Culture’s perspective. It also introduces the idea that the very nature of the Culture (a galactic society where anything that looks like work – including governance – has been delegated to AI so that humanity can get on with having a damn fine time) doesn’t produce citizens who make good agents provocateurs: so if drones can’t do the necessary, mercenaries are required do the dirty work (setting up Use of Weapons beautifully). But occasionally, a citizen must be pressed into service. Gurgeh is introduced as atypical: a Culture citizen who is driven to excel and who looks down on those (everyone else) who take themselves less seriously. He hasn’t even played with his gender and sexuality, although he isn’t quite odd enough to pursue monogamy. His very focus makes him vulnerable: he is lured into cheating at a game not because he’s afraid to lose, but because it offers an opportunity to demonstrate a perfect win. Pride goes before a fall: it’s a set-up, leaving him vulnerable to blackmail when Contact come knocking and offer to whisk him off across the galaxy. The bulk of the novel takes place on Azad, where Gurgeh – representing the Culture – enters the Game and persists in playing in spite of the disapproval of his prissy drone chaperone Flere-Imsaho and the repeated (sometimes murderous) attempts by the local competitors to dissuade him. The book works hard on several levels: illustrating the Culture’s morality by contrasting it with Azad, where sexism, slavery and abuse are commonplace; showcasing round after bewildering round of tense Game matches (which I thoroughly enjoyed without ever really being able to picture what on earth they were doing); teasing us with the suggestion that Gurgeh is so disenchanted with the Culture that he might actually be seduced by Azad, where his actions count; and keeping us guessing as to whether he’ll survive long enough to have to make that call. It’s a sensational mix and alongside the vivid world-building and colourful characters, it never stops throwing ideas at you to ponder. Having created a post-scarcity civilisation that liberates its citizens to enjoy endless hedonistic excess, Banks explores some possible consequences, starting with the suggestion that the freedom to do anything leads to shallow lives (Yay) or boredom and disillusion (Gurgeh). Driven by Gurgeh’s dissatisfaction, at the heart of the book is this idea of a search for meaning and consequence. Humanity created the Minds so that they could goof off – but in so doing they have rendered themselves peripheral. Gurgeh has stature in the Culture, but the most he can hope to achieve is to become even better known for being good at gaming (such as by being the first Culture player to get a full web in Stricken). The Minds find humans entertaining and embrace a duty of care; and other (less developed) civilisation (like Azad) can’t or won’t deal with machines directly, so humans remain essential to Contact and Special Circumstances. But humans don’t set Contact policy and very few even get to see the big picture. Humanity is free to have fun, but gets to do very little else. It’s all very Consider Phlebas with the idea that – counter to the teachings of most scifi / fantasy novels – no one person can make a difference (which Gurgeh explicitly comments on as a source of frustration). But in The Player of Games, we learn that Contact – or perhaps Special Circumstances – is the place to be to make a difference. Crucially to me, though, the difference isn’t made to the Culture itself – it’s to another civilisation (typically less mature). To the Culture, these civilisations are still basically footnotes, much like Horza in Consider Phlebas. Here, Contact want Gurgeh on Azad to make a point – but Azad is no real threat to the Culture, they simply disapprove of its way of life. That said, I particularly liked the subplot about language shaping thought – with Flere-Imsaho becoming concerned when Gurgeh stops speaking Marain, because it leaves him vulnerable to the Azadian mindset. It’s seems to me that the machines are the true moral arbiters of the Culture – it is the Rascal and Flere-Imsaho who openly disapprove of Azad. Gurgeh is more open-minded and less judgmental from the outset (for example, he doesn’t react strongly to the gladiatorial fight to the death that Za takes him to), and while there’s some slow-burning rage that gets teased out, he is pretty cold-blooded about the ‘delights’ of Hamin’s estate. The Culture’s population embraces the idea of live and let live – it is the Minds who refuse to turn a blind eye to bad behaviour beyond the borders. This leads to internal tensions: it’s okay to meddle for the greater good, but the very nature of the Culture undermines its ability to do so. Its citizens aren’t well suited to intervention (or subterfuge). Worse, many would disapprove of what Contact – let alone Special Circumstances – get up to. The Idiran War was unpopular at the time it happened; history doesn’t look on it any more kindly. This brings us straight back to the role of less judgemental (and more capable) mercenaries, getting me all excited about Use of Weapons. There’s so much complexity here, and I love it – The Player of Games feels far more thoughtful and nuanced than Consider Phlebas, with its blunt assaults on religion / faith and a lingering impression of false equivalences (Horza’s logic just doesn’t work for me). If Consider Phlebas was an explosive, tragic adventure, The Player of Games is both a tense thriller and a satisfying novel of big ideas (although – and I have to say it – I could equally argue it’s a book of big straw men; Banks never really allows the opposing view to become credible). Once again, I have to admit I don’t like our protagonist as much as the drones (this will be a common theme, as I recall – I always liked the Minds and drones best), but I have far fewer reservations about recommending this as a great point of entry to the Culture. Posted in Reviews and tagged 5 stars, books, iain m banks, scifi, sff, space opera, The Culture. Bookmark the permalink. Nathan on February 20, 2017 at 3:50 am I obviously read these way out of order. Use of Weapons worked just fine on its own. But to see the set up would have been pretty cool. Doesn’t affect my enjoyment; I read Discworld all out of order and it is my favorite series. imyril on February 20, 2017 at 6:44 am I don’t think I’ve ever read them in order (or close together) before. They work perfectly well stand alone; I’m a bit surprised to find they have more in common than I realised. maddalena@spaceandsorcery on February 20, 2017 at 8:09 pm Wonderful, thought-provoking review! I nodded emphatically at the point where you mention Flere-Imsaho worries about Gurgeh not speaking Marain anymore: this is a very fascinating concept, that of language shaping thought – after all, if a language’s structure can shape the way people express themselves, why would it not change the way they look at things? This makes me think that maybe Marain exerts the same kind of influence on Culture citizens, and that the drone’s concern went beyond the mere re-shaping of Gurgeh’s thought-patterns… Revisiting this story through your review made me understand that these novels have more layers that it might seem at a first reading, and that re-reading them can be a new experience after all 🙂 Redux: February – x+1 on February 28, 2017 at 10:01 am […] Opera Sunday: Consider Phlebas \| The Player of Games \| Use of […] Space Opera Sunday: Excession – x+1 on March 12, 2017 at 10:01 am […] infiltrating a hostile vessel Balveda couldn’t afford to be vapid; Jernau Morat Gurgeh in Player of Games was a wildly clever bloke who was despairing of exactly the same traits in his society that are […] Space Opera Sunday: Look to Windward – x+1 on March 26, 2017 at 10:31 am […] of whether the hedonistic, backed-up life of a Culture citizen can have meaning (touched on in The Player of Games and Excession) and introduce the concept of a controlled afterlife (which we’ll revisit in […] The Middle Shelf Book Forager A Darker Shade of Magic: welcome to London Top Ten Tuesday (on a Wednesday): defying expectations	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1531
__label__wiki	0.711584	0.711584	Looking for technical support? Or simply wish to get our expert opinion on a product? Get in touch with our friendly team today. About OnePLM Your Digital Transformation Partner Teamcenter PLM We supply trusted Siemens PLM technology for: Simcenter FEMAP Engineering Resource NX Design Apps NX Manufacturing Apps Solid Edge Apps +(44) 01865 954 300 Curtain lifted on Bloodhound SSC for first time Education, Manufacturing On Thursday 24th September in Canary Wharf we were in attendance at the world première reveal of Bloodhound SSC, the car that will attempt to smash the land speed record by travelling 1000mph. We were some of the first eyes to be cast upon the shiny metallic exterior, inside the cockpit and beneath at the inner workings. The event marked the culmination of years of graft for the Bloodhound SSC team – with there still much more to be done before next Easter when the car will be tested in Cornwall. The plan is to reach 200mph in Cornwall, review the performance and then attempt to reach 800mph in South Africa come October 2016. This will break the current land speed record, currently standing at 763mph, and not to be content with this “mere” success Bloodhound will return to South Africa in 2017 to attempt the 1000mph holy grail. The car on show is almost the complete article. One side of the car was fully clad with its bodywork, sponsors’ names embossed across, while the other had some panels removed to illustrate what was going on beneath. We were able to look inside the cockpit, where RAF fighter pilot Andy Green will be positioned, and saw the sophistication of the controls. Imagine travelling close to 1000mph and having to remain attuned to the advanced technologies surrounding you. The cockpit is protected by panels that are able to withstand bullets and has been tested using a comprehensive ballistics test to ensure Andy Green is safe from any stray stones or debris flicked up during the runs in South Africa. The Bloodhound car was seen by 10,000 people over the course of the weekend, and from our privileged position we thought how impressed everyone must have been. Prior to the real thing standing before us, our software support enabled the Bloodhound engineers to design a complete model of the entire car and components in 3D. In conjunction with our support they used NX from Siemens PLM Software to create models that could then be sent for manufacture, as well as keeping a digital technical record. My initial impression was the scale of the car. At 44ft (33-metres) long and with a 6.5ft (2 metre) high tail fin, the car certainly imposes itself and demands attention. I’m sure the bright and glossy colour-way contributes to this impression as well. But once you come to terms with the size, it’s inevitable that you wonder at the actual design, engineering and manufacture involved at every stage of the project. The consideration and hours of contemplating that which has never been done is inspiring, and that’s what the programme hopes as a consequence – to inspire the next generation of engineers. Bloodhound has an offshoot educational programme that has been touring the country to bring STEM subjects to the forefront of students’ minds. You can find out more here: www.bloodhoundssc.com/education Below are a couple of Bloodhound advocates you should follow to keep up to date on the latest Bloodhound SSC developments: Bloodhound SSC Twitter Major Oli Morgan Twitter Sign up to receive event and technology updates Space Mice © Copyright 2020 OnePLM Limited. All Rights Reserved. \| Privacy & Cookie Policy \| Terms & Conditions OnePLM acquires TEAM Engineering The board of OnePLM is delighted to announce that on 13th September 2019 it successfully completed the acquisition of the entire issued share capital of TEAM Engineering Ltd. This transaction facilitates the merger of the UK’s two largest Siemens Digital Industries Software Partners serving thousands of clients across a diverse industry range throughout the UK and Ireland.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1533
__label__cc	0.620058	0.379942	Home / Entertainment / Mtskheta – Where UNESCO Meets the World’s Best Beans Mtskheta – Where UNESCO Meets the World’s Best Beans MTSKHETA, Georgia, located 20 kilometers north of Tbilisi, might be as famous among locals for its velvety, red beans as for its stunning UNESCO World Heritage monuments. One of Georgia’s oldest cities, and the former capital of the Kingdom of Iberia (from 300 BCE), Mtskheta is home to the country’s holiest sites, including Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Jvari Monastery (pictured below). The town is built at the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers, once important trading routes along the Silk Road. Today, Mtskheta remains the headquarters of the Georgian orthodox church and continues to be a popular destination for religious pilgrims. In 1994, UNESCO designated “the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta” a World Heritage Site comprised of the area’s churches, examples of Georgia’s extraordinary medieval religious architecture, making the town a worthwhile day trip from Tbilisi. Jvari Monastery is the most visually dramatic of the UNESCO monuments, perched atop a cliff over looking the entire valley. Built in the 6th century CE, the legend states that Georgia’s most famous female evangelist, St. Nino, erected a wooden cross on the site of a pagan temple. The cross worked miracles, worshipers arrived and a small church was built. The large church, standing today, was built around 600 CE on the same holy site. After navigating the hairpin curves up to the church, take a moment to bask in the sweeping views of Mtskheta and the two rivers below. Down in the old section of Mtskheta, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral towers over the town. The massive church — literally called “The Living Pillar Cathedral” — is the the holiest site in Georgia. Legend dictates that the original church (4th century) was built on the burial ground of Jesus’ robe. As the church was being constructed, the central column rose into the air and levitated for one day. Magical liquid began to flow from the column, healing all diseases. The church was rebuilt in the 11th century in the Cross-Dome style, and remains the 2nd largest church in Georgia today. And then, there are the beans. When I first arrived in Tbilisi, everyone I met insisted I had to try lobio, Georgian beans. “But not in Tbilisi,” they’d say, “you need to go to Mtskheta for the best beans.” So, what exactly is lobio? The dish varies slightly by region. In Mtskheta, lobio is made from red kidney beans, slow-cooked and mashed — imagine the consistency of Mexican refried beans — but the similarities end here. Lobio is packed with herbs, heat and flavor; ingredients include onions, garlic, coriander seed, black pepper and cilantro. Traditionally, lobio is served in small clay jars with handles. A common accompaniment is mtchadi, a dense, savory cornbread. Mtskheta’s red beans have not yet joined the town’s UNESCO monuments, but they should. The area’s best beans are found at Restaurant Salobie, a favorite stopping-off point for locals and tourists traveling between Tbilisi and Mtskheta. The indoor/outdoor casual eatery looks like a highway rest area, with large wooden picnic tables and rock-bottom prices. The menu features a extensive variety of Georgian “fast food” favorites, from cheese-stuffed khachapuri to kebabs and broth-filled dumplings, khinkali. It’s a beautiful summer day, and the restaurant’s outside tables are filling up fast. Lunch begins with a traditional Georgian salad of tomato, cucumber, onion and spicy peppers. A platter of sulguni, white farmer’s cheese, arrives with a basket of fresh bread. I’m trying to hold back, because it’s all about the beans. The lobio come with an assortment of DIY condiments, like spicy yellow pickled peppers and a plate piled with herbs and radishes. The beans are presented in small clay jars (pictured below), and topped with a round slab of still-warm mtchadi (cornbread). Everyone has their own way of eating lobio. Some people like to crumble the cornbread and drop it into the jar, I dunk mine like a donut into coffee. After I reach bean nirvana, the feasting continues, with plate after plate of local favorites. I dig into thick slices of cheesy khachapuri bread, deep fried pastries stuffed with spiced ground meat and Georgian-style kebabs — chock-full of coriander, served with raw onions, bright purple sumac and wrapped in paper-thin flatbread. It’s here, at Salobie, where I learn the proper way to eat khinkali, holding a giant dumpling with both hands and slurping out the molten broth inside. I eat mtsvadi, shish kebabs made with marinated pork and onions. There’s so much food, I can barely sip my mug of beer. This is undoubtedly my favorite food experience in Georgia. But still, it’s all about the beans. Restaurant Salobie is located on the main road from Tbilisi, just across the river from Mtskheta. If you’re traveling by taxi or local bus, the driver will know how to arrive at the restaurant. Source: Foodie International Beans cuisine Eating Georgian cuisine Mtkskheta UNESCO 2015-09-04 Tags Beans cuisine Eating Georgian cuisine Mtkskheta UNESCO Beka Beridze’s Works – Merged Old and Contemporary Tbilisi EU4Climate Projects to Improve Climate Policies kicks off in Georgia Minister of Internal Affairs: We Have Achieved Agreement that will Bring Benefits to Pankisi Gorge Georgian Capital Tbilisi to Celebrate Europe Day on May 4 Alternative Medicine on the Black Sea Coast – Georgia Palace Kobuleti Invites Guests to an Exotic Environment Tbilisi City Hall to Connect Turtle Lake with Mtatsminda Park through 6-km Footpath Market TBS – Tel Aviv Designers and Artists Gather at Fabrika Tbilisi Dinner in the Sky – New Restaurant Set to Open in Kojori Georgian Director Invited to Switzerland for Filming	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1544
__label__wiki	0.854543	0.854543	978-561-9004 info@nstc.org Volunteer On A Committee Our STEM Scholarship Mission Member Registration/Join Us Event Details and registration Biosciences Group Tech Hub Executive Leadership Group Leadership Roundtables Sustainability Forum Sustainability Forums – Past Events Benefits of Hosting a Group NSTC adds bioscience and economic development experts to board by Joyce McMahon \| Aug 4, 2017 \| Bioscience, Blog, Member News, News, NSTC in the News, Press Releases New President Dave Bertoni excited to expand upon an existing successful structure Beverly, MA, August 4, 2017 – The North Shore Technology Council (NSTC), the volunteer-led, nonprofit technology trade association for northeastern Massachusetts announced the election of officers to serve on its executive committee as well as three new directors to the board. The new members hail from some of the Commonwealth’s most influential higher education, economic development, and life sciences institutions. Dave Bertoni, New NSTC President David Bertoni, a resident of Beverly, MA, is the newly elected president of the NSTC’s Board of Directors. Bertoni served as the NSTC Vice President for the past three years and Co-Chair of the NSTC BioSciences Group, one of four special interest groups that serve specific sectors of the North Shore technology cluster. “I am gratified that NSTC has the confidence in my ability to lead the organization and continue the success that Linda Saris, our retiring president, has set in motion.” The North Shore Tech Council also welcomes three new directors who bring years of experience and strategic skills to the leadership group. “I look forward to working with our directors and officers to bring more value to our members and sponsors, and continue to grow the NSTC.” Bertoni has a BS from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado in Boulder and is the founder of MarketSpace LLC, also of Beverly, MA. In addition to Bertoni as new NSTC president, the NSTC Executive Committee members elected for one-year terms are: Secretary: James L. Kawski, Manager of Market Research and Communications, at Applied Materials, and a resident of South Hamilton, MA Treasurer: Tracy Wilson Curley, Assurance Partner at Marcum and a resident of Manchester by the Sea, MA Past President: Linda E. Saris, Director of Salem Cyberspace and a resident of Swampscott, MA The North Shore Technology Council also elected three new directors to the Board: Tom Chmura, Retired Vice President for Economic Development at the University Massachusetts System, and a resident of Gloucester, MA Laura Browne, Founder and CEO of Covalent Bonds of Beverly, MA, and a resident of Newburyport, MA. Laura is also taking over from Dave Bertoni as Co-Chair of NSTC’s Bio Special Interest Group, working alongside long-term Chair Jack Swigg Angus McQuilken, Manager of Business Development for the life sciences sectors for global law firm McDermott Will & Emery, and a resident of Topsfield, MA. McQuilken previously served as Vice President for Communications & Marketing for the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Angus McQuilkin Tom Chmura Laura Browne Rolling off leadership roles with the organization are Tim Lasonde, David Reibel, Eric Sigman, Lorie Skolski, and Gordon Ulen. About the North Shore Technology Council The North Shore Technology Council (NSTC) is a non-profit, volunteer-led organization with a mission to be the leading collaborative for fostering technology businesses in Massachusetts’ north-of-Boston region. The council’s mission is to build a strong ecosystem for the success of technology businesses north of Boston by facilitating collaboration, networking, professional growth and economic development in a collegial fashion. The NSTC welcomes the participation of technology businesses, senior executive and employees of technology businesses, entrepreneurs, companies that support technology businesses, academic and governmental units and nonprofits. The council is on the Web at www.nstc.org. Its office is at the Cummings Center, in Beverly, Massachusetts. For more information call, 978- 561-9004. Networking Event – Ipswich Brewery Tour Today’s Electric, Solar Powered Home Can Enable a Zero Carbon Tomorrow Regional Economic update from the Federal Reserve Sustainability Forum Lunch n’ Learn BioSciences – Getting Investment: Advice for Women-Founders and CEOs	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1546
__label__wiki	0.830528	0.830528	Leaders Eat Last - Penguin Publishing Group Leadership Strategy and Tactics - St. Martin's Publishing Group Atomic Habits - Penguin Publishing Group Rich Dad Poor Dad - Plata Publishing, LLC. How to Lead When Your Boss Can't (or Won't) - HarperCollins Leadership Extreme Ownership - St. Martin's Publishing Group The Ride of a Lifetime - Random House Publishing Group How Will You Measure Your Life? - Harper Business Principles - Simon & Schuster The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition - Thomas Nelson From 107 Ratings By Carlo Rovelli Genre: Physics One of TIME’s Ten Best Nonfiction Books of the Decade "Meet the new Stephen Hawking . . . The Order of Time is a dazzling book." --The Sunday Times From the bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, comes a concise, elegant exploration of time.Why do we remember the past and not the future? What does it mean for time to "flow"? Do we exist in time or does time exist in us? In lyric, accessible prose, Carlo Rovelli invites us to consider questions about the nature of time that continue to puzzle physicists and ... She Has Her Mother's Laugh By Carl Zimmer Genre: Biology 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Finalist"Science book of the year"—The GuardianOne of New York Times 100 Notable Books for 2018One of Publishers Weekly's Top Ten Books of 2018One of Kirkus's Best Books of 2018 One of Mental Floss's Best Books of 2018One of Science Friday's Best Science Books of 2018“Extraordinary”—New York Times Book Review "Magisterial"—The Atlantic"Engrossing"—Wired"Leading contender as the most outstanding nonfiction work of the year"—Minneapolis Sta... By James Fallows & Deborah Fallows Genre: United States *NATIONAL BEST SELLER*A vivid, surprising portrait of the civic and economic reinvention taking place in America, town by town and generally out of view of the national media. A realistically positive and provocative view of the country between its coasts. For the last five years, James and Deborah Fallows have been traveling across America in a single-engine prop airplane. Visiting dozens of towns, they have met hundreds of civic leaders, workers, immigrants, educators, environmentalists, artists, public servants, libra... The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs By Steve Brusatte Genre: Science & Nature "THE ULTIMATE DINOSAUR BIOGRAPHY," hails Scientific American: A thrilling new history of the age of dinosaurs, from one of our finest young scientists. "A masterpiece of science writing." —Washington PostA New York Times Bestseller • Goodreads Choice Awards Winner • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Smithsonian, Science Friday, The Times (London), Popular Mechanics, Science News"This is scientific storytelling at its most visceral, striding with the beasts through their Triassic dawn, Jur... Algorithms to Live By By Brian Christian & Tom Griffiths A fascinating exploration of how computer algorithms can be applied to our everyday lives, helping to solve common decision-making problems and illuminate the workings of the human mindAll our lives are constrained by limited space and time, limits that give rise to a particular set of problems. What should we do, or leave undone, in a day or a lifetime? How much messiness should we accept? What balance of new activities and familiar favorites is the most fulfilling? These may seem like uniquely human quandaries, but they ar... The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds By Michael Lewis “Brilliant. . . . Lewis has given us a spectacular account of two great men who faced up to uncertainty and the limits of human reason.” —William Easterly, Wall Street Journal Forty years ago, Israeli psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky wrote a series of breathtakingly original papers that invented the field of behavioral economics. One of the greatest partnerships in the history of science, Kahneman and Tversky’s extraordinary friendship incited a revolution in Big Data studies, advanced evidence-based me...	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1551
__label__cc	0.730649	0.269351	The Ballistic Beast Precision Shooting Range @ the Parys Airfield About Parys (1) Art, Artists & Galleries (2) Parys People (2) To do in Parys (8) To see in Parys (3) A FUN DAY OUT Having a few bored teenagers at home during the December holidays was more than reason enough to have the wife suggest (insist) I take the kids to the shooting range. A quick call later and I had reserved a time at the local Parys shooting range. The shooting range has recently been upgraded to a 1000 meter range and it is now known as the Ballistic Beast Precision SA Shooting Range. The shooting range is situated at the Parys Airfield. On arrival, you first need to go to the Montgolfiers Restaurant to complete the shooting range register and collect the gate key to gain access to the range. You can also buy targets and refreshments here. Having reached the range we attached our targets (remember to take your masking tape) and headed downrange. We took a few practise shots at various distances and then settled at the 100-meter mark for the official family competition. We only had a .22 open-sight (un-scoped) rifle with us and as such could not make use of the remaining 900-meters! Although, a few of the younger members of our party were quite certain they could hit the target at a 1000-meters out, the optimism of youth! When we had all taken our turn, we anxiously rushed to view our targets and ultimately the results. The winner…, well, a picture says a 1000-words, say no more! We had a fantastic day out and I can highly recommend the range as a fun to do activity in Parys. Obviously, serious marksmen and precision shooters are also catered for. https://www.facebook.com/parys.mobi/ terblanchedeon@gmail.com The 100-meter mark The Montgolfiers Restaurant Dad's target INFO ON THE BALLISTIC BEAST PRECISION SHOOTING RANGE The shooting range near the Parys Airfield was registered and fully accredited up to 1000 meters with the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) in 2016 by Leon Henrico, CEO of Ballistic Beast Precision SA. The range is approved and used by the South African Hunters and Game Conservation Association (SAHGCA) on appointment. The shooting range is open to the public seven days a week from 08h00 to 16h00. The keys to the shooting range must be handed in at the restaurant where the register and indemnity are signed by no later than 16h00. Group events must be pre-arranged with Leon Henrico (see contact below.) To avoid disappointment please pre-arrange and reserve your time slot in advance at the contact details below. The principle of “first come, first served” applies. BALLISTIC BEAST PRECISION SHOOTING RANGE Address: Located at the Parys Airfield To book a time call: 084 400 2290 Website: Ballistic Beast Leon Henrico leon@ballisticbeast.com « The Garden at 8th on “Middel” Vaal River Kayaking with Paddle with Us Parys » 15 President Steyn Rd., Parys info@parys.mobi	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1563
__label__cc	0.702759	0.297241	Passion for Startups Anecdotes and financing advise for startups Jokin Garcia Entrepreneur's First Aid Kit Glosary Financing Pills Strategy and Business Model Pills Startup Experience Pills Inspiring Pills Human Resources Pills Blog en Español Archives For Startup Big Business Opportunities for Entrepreneurs and Investors in the Next 10 Years 15 January, 2014 — 3 Comments Fred Wilson, one of the world’s most prominent venture capitalists, shares the three big coming trends in tech. He has invested in the early stages of companies like Twitter, Tumblr, Foursquare, Zynga, Kickstarter and Bitcoin. His ideas about business trends are really interesting, both for investors and for startup entrepreneurs. Wilson talked at LeWeb conference in Paris (December, 10, 2013) and he used as an example for each megatrend, some startup companies from his own portfolio (USV). “We don’t think about technologies, we think about trends, we think about what’s happening in society, what’s happening with people, in terms of how people behave. The technologies are important; but we don’t like to invest in mobile, or big data, or machine learning or those kind of things. We think about them, they matter to us, but we really think about things from a behavioral and a societal point of view.” Megatrend 1: Technology Driven Networks are Replacing Traditional Bureaucratic Hierarchies Bureaucratic hierarchies are the way that the world has been organized for the past couple hundred years. Markets, governments and businesses have one person on the top of the pyramid organizational structure controlling everything. Transaction and communication costs were so high in the industrial era that that was the most efficient way to organize work. But we are now in the information age, where technology-driven networks are replacing bureaucratic hierarchies. Some examples are: Continue Reading… In Inspiration, Strategy and Business Model early stage, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, Fred Wilson, innovation, Investor, Le Web, Startup, Technology-Based Company, Trends, USV, venture capital Apple is the Biggest Startup on the Planet 10 December, 2013 — Leave a comment Leadership Lessons from Steve Jobs (the late and great CEO of Apple) Today I bring you a two-minute video of Steve Jobs. He gives us a lot of tips about how to lead a company. His ideas are just as useful for big companies as they are for startups. In fact, Jobs explains that “Apple is organized like a startup”, the biggest on the planet, of course. Continue Reading… In Experiences, Human Resources Apple, experience pill, human resources, innovation, leader, leadership, management, quote, Startup, Steve Jobs Hesham Salman: A Story of Persistence and a Lesson about Starting Your Own Disruptive Company 27 November, 2013 — Leave a comment In 2007, when I first met Hesham Salman, he just had an idea: starting a company that would put the value of his thorough knowledge of polymer nanoencapsulation by applying them to multiple sectors. It was an idea that was more than innovative, it was quite disruptive: it consisted in the application of nanotechnology techniques to biotechnology, pharmacology, food manufacturing, fertilizer, etc. Continue Reading… In Experiences Bionanoplus, business, disruptive, Hesham Salman, innovation, Inveready, nanotech, navarra, Pamplona, Pharmaceuticals, seed, Start Up Capital Navarra, Startup, TBC, Technology-Based Company, University of Navarra, venture capital “Do Not Start Your Business to Earn Money, Do It to Change the World” 20 November, 2013 — 1 Comment The above sentence is from Guy Kawasaki, one of the largest marketing specialists in the world, renowned writer , lecturer, entrepreneur and investor. He worked in the eighties as a “technology evangelist” at Apple. His job consisted in building a critical mass of support for the Macintosh and encouraging people to develop software for their computers. In Kawasaki’s opinion, the key to success as an entrepreneur is to make meaning in your company. Continue Reading… In Experiences, Human Resources, Strategy and Business Model Apple, business, early stage, entrepreneur, entrepreneurs, experience pill, Guy Kawasaki, Kawasaki, Macintosh, passion, Startup, storytelling Interview with David Gomez from Hiyalife: “a Startup is a Learning Experience” One of my favourite films is Blade Runner. In this film, genetically engineered robots called “replicants” are so similar to human beings that they even have their own implanted memories. I felt fascinated by this idea and others similar in Blade Runner, like the unicorn dream. So when I heard about Hiyalife, a website where you can store your memories, I got immediately interested about it. Last week I heard that David Gómez, Hiyalife co-founder, came to my city to give a workshop for entrepreneurs. Therefore, I decided to attend the workshop and it really deserved applause. David told such good advice for start-ups entrepreneurs that I asked him for an interview to share with you. Continue Reading… In Experiences Angel investor, Blade Runner, business, business angel, David Gómez, early stage, entrepreneur, financing, Hiyalife, innovation, interview, lean startup, London, Madrid, Startup, Startup Company, venture capital Do You Know Where You Can Find Financing for Your Startup? NadieLabs, a Spanish consultancy firm specialized in entrepreneurship and innovation in business models, interviewed me last month. They asked me about how to get funding for a startup. I tried to capture the main financial possibilities that an entrepreneur have when he launch an innovative company. I also try to give clues about how easy or difficult it is to get each financing option. This is the interview: Continue Reading… In Sources of Funding advice, Angel investor, Bootstrapping, business, business model, Cash flow, entrepreneur, financial needs, innovation, investible, scalable, Startup, Technology-Based Company, venture capital 8 Simple Keys to Success 22 October, 2013 — 1 Comment Richard St. John, a brilliant entrepreneur and lecturer at TED, agreed on a plane with a high school student who asked what leads to success. St. John could not give her a good answer. He thought it would be very useful to find out and transmitting it to the young. So over seven years he interviewed over 500 successful people to find out. St. John condensed the interviews into 8 keys to success and recorded this amazing 3 minutes video. The video is very interesting because it gives examples of successful people explaining each key. Although it is not specifically about startups, it can be very useful to those who are starting an innovative business project. Continue Reading… In Experiences, Human Resources, Strategy and Business Model 8tobegreat, business, entrepreneur, experience, Geoactio, keys, Richard, secrets, St. John, Startup, storytelling, successful, Ted, Weareknitters Jokin García Co-founder at Inspiria Consulting Venture Capital: a Simple Explanation about How to Finance your Startup What is a Technology-Based Company? The Metaphor of the Chair: Four Stories About the Viability of Innovative Business Projects. The Metaphor of the Tub (Part 2): Cash is King RT @InspiriaConsult: Acabamos la Jornada #smartcity & #livinglabs del @Pamplona_ayto Muy interesante #greendeal @stardusth2020 https://t.co… 3 hours ago RT @InspiriaConsult: @josecostero nos explica la #estrategia2030 del @Pamplona_ayto Retos y Desafios. en Jornada #smartcity & #livinglabs @… 4 hours ago RT @InspiriaConsult: Martín Flores de @Naitec_CT en la Mesa Redonda “Innovación, Oportunidades de negocio y Modelos de Colaboración para S… 4 hours ago RT @InspiriaConsult: Luis Goñi explica los apoyos de Sodena en la Mesa Redonda “Innovación, Oportunidades de negocio y Modelos de Colabora… 4 hours ago RT @KunaK_sensing: Comienza la mesa de "Innovación, Oportunidades de negocio y Modelos de Colaboración para Smart Cities en el marco del Ca… 4 hours ago Follow @jokingarciap Passion for Startups Tag Cloud business business model capital cash Cash flow cash is king company early stage Enisa entrepreneur entrepreneurs entrepreneurship experience pill financial needs financing innovation innovative internet Investor market money navarra Pamplona Spain Startup Startup Company storytelling TBC Technology-Based Company venture capital Jordi Macias on Big Business Opportunities for… Big Business Opportu… on Big Business Opportunities for… Business Ideas and B… on Big Business Opportunities for… Hesham Salman: A Sto… on What is a Start-Up? 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__label__wiki	0.754944	0.754944	Holiday in Namibia? FAIL!!! pjdickens Africa, de Beers, Diamonds, game farm, GETAWAY, holiday destination, honeymoon destinations, Kate Middleton, royal wedding, safari, Skeleton Coast Leave a comment Each year in Namibia, 85 000 CITES protected baby Cape Fur Seals still suckling from their mothers teats, get savagely beaten to death. Their pelts are sold for a mere $7. A further 6 000 bulls get shot at point blank range so that their penises can be used to make an ineffective aphrodisiac. For more info, click HERE Partial suspension of EU ban on Fur pjdickens baseball bat, Canadian seal cull, cute, EU ban, fur, Pamela Anderson, Paul McCartney, Pink, royal wedding Leave a comment EU partially suspends ban on seal products By Toby Vogel Ban on most seal products takes effect today, but EU court gives Inuit groups extra time to submit a full legal challenge.The European Union’s highest court has partially suspended an EU ban on the import of seal products in order to allow opponents of the ban to present their case in writing. The PARTIALl suspension of the ban, which came into force today, applies until 7 September and applies ONLY to groups who lodged a case with the European General Court. A number of companies are among the plaintiffs, but the principal challengers are seal hunters from native Inuit communities in Canada, Greenland and Norway. The BAN REMAINS IN PLACE FOR ALL OTHER HUNTERS and means that almost all seal products are, from today, BARRED from the EU. A spokes person for the European Commission said that an oral hearing, to be held soon after the 7 September deadline,would determine whether the suspension would continue until the full case is heard. The legislation contains an exemption for products from seals hunted by Inuit, but Inuit groups are nonetheless opposed to the legislation, arguing that it would lead to the collapse of market prices. Mary Simon, the president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Canada’s main Inuit organisation and the lead plaintiff in the court action, welcomed the suspension by Luxembourg-based European General Court. “Although we are not sure what future action the EU court will take in this case, I welcome the current decision by the court to stop the implementation of the ban asscheduled,” she said in a statement. “I can only hope that the EU court will determine that the ban and its so-called Inuit exemption are illegal,” she stated. Simon, who also described the ban as “immoral”, calledfor the European Parliament, the chief supporter of the ban,”to do the right thing and withdraw its legislation”. Canada, the country most affected by the ban, is also challenging the ban. Its prime minister, Stephen Harper,announced yesterday that his government would ask the World Trade Organization (WTO) to set up a dispute settlement panel to assess whether the EU’s import ban breaks WTO rules. Canada has already complained to the WTO that the ban violates the EU’s trade obligations. “This is flagrant discrimination against the Canadian seal industry, against Canadian sealers,” Harper said. Canada and the EU are conducting talks on a far-reaching free-trade agreement. The next round of negotiations is to take place in October, and agreement appears possible by next year.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1569
__label__cc	0.621366	0.378634	JP2007159645A - Recording medium adjusting type game machine - Google Patents Recording medium adjusting type game machine Download PDF gaming machine Masashi Inoue 雅士井上 Heiwa Corp 株式会社平和 2005-12-09 Application filed by Heiwa Corp, 株式会社平和 filed Critical Heiwa Corp 239000002609 media Substances 0 abstract title 3 239000011805 balls Substances 0 abstract 3 230000000875 corresponding Effects 0 abstract 1 238000007689 inspection Methods 0 abstract 1 230000000007 visual effect Effects 0 abstract 1 The present invention provides a recording medium settlement type gaming machine that effectively uses an area (band-like area) in which there is a belt-like front plate at the lower front side of a conventional gaming machine. In a recording medium settlement type game machine such as a video game machine, a prize ball is not paid out of the machine, so a ball is placed on a shelf-like table protruding from the lower end of the game machine to the player side. There is no need to place a box, and there is no case where the ball box is retracted when the front frame 5 is opened. Therefore, the lower end of the front frame 5 provided on the front surface of the gaming machine so as to be openable and closable with respect to the outer frame 2 is extended to a position corresponding to the lower end of the outer frame 2 for effective use. If the front frame 5 is formed so as to reach the belt-like region at the lower front side of the conventional gaming machine, there is no visual or mechanical division between the belt-like region and the region above it in the conventional gaming machine, and the design and configuration The members can be integrated, and when the front frame 5 is opened, the entire front side of the outer frame 2 can be opened to facilitate maintenance and inspection of the control circuit boards 35 to 37 in the outer frame 2. [Selection] Figure 8 The present invention relates to a recording medium settlement type gaming machine that starts a game using a recording medium capable of reading and writing valuable information and performs settlement at the end. Conventionally, a game ball is driven and moved by operating the launch operation unit on a game board surface on which board component members such as a prize opening, an out mouth, and a game nail are arranged. There is a gaming machine that plays a game to determine which ball will be entered, in which a prize ball (acquired ball) obtained by entering the winning opening is not actually paid out of the machine. Examples include a so-called encapsulated ball game machine and a video game machine (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). An enclosed ball type gaming machine is a gaming machine that uses a game ball enclosed in the machine to circulate and play a game, and an actual game ball (hereinafter referred to as a real ball) made of a steel ball or the like is used in the machine. However, this is a gaming machine that is not used for paying out prize balls to the outside of the machine. The video game machine is equipped with a launch control unit similar to that of a mechanical game machine (excluding encapsulated ball game machines, hereinafter referred to as an actual game machine), and includes a board structure such as a prize opening, an out port, and a game nail. A game board surface in which members are arranged to imitate the form of a game board surface of an actual gaming machine and a game ball that is driven into the game area on the game board surface and moves down and moves are displayed on an image display to virtually play a game. This is a gaming machine to be used, and the real ball is not used at all for the awarding of prize balls to the outside of the machine. In these gaming machines, the game is played (started and progressed) based on the converted ball count information by reading valuable information recorded on a recording medium such as a magnetic card. Then, when the settlement switch is operated, the number-of-balls information at the time of the settlement switch operation is recorded as it is or converted into valuable information and recorded on the recording medium, and the game is played by ejecting the recording medium out of the machine. finish. That is, the game ends without the acquired ball (real ball) being paid out. JP-A-8-299530 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-9766 In the enclosed ball game machine and the video game machine (collectively referred to as a recording medium settlement game machine) in which the acquired ball by the real ball is not paid out of the machine as described above, it is not necessary. There is no ball tray in actual game machines. Therefore, even when a large number of prize balls are paid out and the ball tray is full, it is not necessary to transfer it to a ball box independent of the gaming machine. In an actual gaming machine, the ball box is usually placed on a shelf-like table protruding from the lower end of the gaming machine to the front (player) side with the gaming machine installed on the gaming machine island, that is, the gaming machine. Located on the lower front side. For this reason, in an actual gaming machine, a belt-like front plate is fixed in the front left and right direction below the ball tray position, and the front frame that can be opened on the front side is disposed above the belt-like front plate. Yes. This is because even if a ball box is placed on the table, the front frame can be opened and closed without leaving the ball box. On the other hand, in the recording medium payment type gaming machine, the acquired ball by the real ball is not paid out of the machine, so it is not necessary to prepare a separate ball box, and consideration for placing the ball box on the front side of the lower part of the gaming machine is It becomes useless at all. However, in the conventional recording medium settlement type gaming machine, no consideration is given to the configuration unique to the gaming machine as described above, and the belt-like front plate in the actual gaming machine is left as it is in the lower part on the front side of the gaming machine. (See FIG. 16 of Patent Document 1 and FIG. 1 of Document 2). An object of the present invention is to effectively use an area where a belt-like front plate on the lower front side is fixed in a recording medium payment type game machine. In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 of the claims is directed to a game by operating a launch operation section on a game board surface on which various board surface components including a prize opening and an outlet are arranged. A game is performed based on the number information of the possessed balls read and converted from the valuable information recorded on the recording medium. Recording medium settlement type gaming machine which records the number of possessed balls at the time of the settlement switch operation as it is or converts it into valuable information and records it on the recording medium by operating the settlement switch, and discharges the recording medium to the outside An outer frame that divides the outer periphery of the gaming machine, the gaming board surface is disposed at an upper portion on the front side, and a front surface of the gaming machine that is provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the outer frame, and corresponding positions of the gaming board surface Open to A window is formed, and a lower part of the opening window is provided with a control unit including an operation switch including the settlement switch, an information display unit for displaying information including the number of balls, and the firing operation unit, And a front frame formed to extend to a position corresponding to the lower end of the outer frame. The invention according to claim 2 of the claims is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the game board surface and the game ball are arranged on the front side upper portion of the outer frame, and the outer shape is substantially flat. Provided with various control circuit boards that allow the game to be virtually displayed on the formed image display, and the outer frame is a plate on the front and back as well as the upper, lower, left and right surfaces of the outer frame itself. A box-shaped frame partitioned by a box-shaped body, and the image display is used as an upper side plate-shaped body portion of a plate-shaped body that partitions the front of the box-shaped frame, and the image display and the box-shaped frame The various control circuit boards are arranged in the upper space in the box-shaped frame body including the space between the plate-like bodies that partition the back surface, and the lower space in the box-shaped frame body excluding the upper space Is a speaker storage space. The invention according to claim 3 of the claims is the invention according to claim 2, wherein a partition plate for partitioning the upper space and the lower space in the box-shaped frame is formed of the box-shaped frame. It is provided as a ceiling plate of the speaker storage space that also serves as a reinforcing plate. In the recording medium settlement type gaming machine according to claim 1, the lower end of the front frame provided on the front surface of the gaming machine so as to be openable and closable with respect to the outer frame is extended to a position corresponding to the lower end of the outer frame. An extension was formed. That is, the front frame was formed over the area (band-like area) where the band-like front plate at the lower front side of the conventional gaming machine was fixed. According to this, there is no visual or mechanical division between the belt-like region and the region above it in a conventional gaming machine. Therefore, it is possible to integrate the design when the gaming machine is viewed from the front, and it is not necessary to prepare a belt-like front plate in addition to the front frame on the front side of the gaming machine, thereby reducing the number of parts and the assembly cost. . Further, the game board surface (game area) can be expanded without increasing the vertical dimension of the gaming machine or reducing the launch operation section. In addition, when the front frame is opened, a configuration in which the entire front side of the outer frame is opened is possible, and maintenance / inspection work of devices, mechanisms, and the like arranged in the outer frame is facilitated. In the recording medium settlement type game machine according to claim 2, the game board surface and the game ball are displayed on the image display device arranged at the upper part on the front side of the outer frame to virtually enable the game. A video game machine equipped with a control circuit board was constructed. Then, the outer frame was used as a box-shaped frame, and the control circuit board was disposed in the upper space in the box-shaped frame, and the lower space in the box-shaped frame was used as a speaker housing space. The front side dimension of the upper side space in the box-shaped frame has at least the same size as the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the image display, and the entire area of the rear partition plate portion of the upper side space of the same size is the desired component. The control circuit board can be arranged in the arrangement space and can be used in the gaming machine of the present invention. On the other hand, in the video game machine configuration, since the game ball is displayed as an image and does not use a real ball, there is no structure such as an out ball discharge unit on the back side of the ball tray at the lower part of the game machine. Further, the launch operation unit arranged adjacent to the ball tray does not have its occupied space on the back side of the gaming machine. Therefore, if the control circuit board is arranged in the upper space in the box-shaped frame, all of the remaining space (lower space) in the box-shaped frame can be used for the speaker storage space. A storage space can be formed. Therefore, according to the recording medium settlement type game machine of the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the degree of freedom of the diameter of the speaker arranged in the speaker storage space can be increased. Have In particular, it is possible to arrange a low-frequency speaker (large-diameter low-frequency speaker) that is unavoidable to have a large diameter, and it is possible to enjoy a sound for playing a game or the like with a low sound or a heavy low sound. According to the recording medium settlement type game machine according to claim 3, the partition plate for partitioning the upper space and the lower space in the box-shaped frame body in the configuration of claim 2 is Since it is provided as a ceiling plate of the speaker housing space that also serves as a reinforcing plate for the frame, the box-shaped frame can be reinforced without using a dedicated reinforcing plate. Of course, the recording-medium payment-type game machine according to the third aspect also has the effects of the first and second aspects. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code \| symbol shows the same or an equivalent part between each figure. First, the configuration of the video game machine will be outlined. The video game machine has a launch operation unit similar to that of a real game machine, and a game board surface on which board surface components such as a prize opening, an out port, and a game nail are arranged to imitate the game board surface form of the real game machine, A game ball that is driven into the game area on the game board surface and that moves down and moves is displayed on an image display, and a pachinko machine that virtually plays a game as to whether the game ball enters the winning port or the out port. Machine. Basic game rules such as winning balls that are acquired when a game ball enters a winning opening and are not acquired when entering a winning opening are not particularly different from those of an actual gaming machine. In such a video game machine, the player uses a portable recording medium in which valuable information such as a rentable amount of game balls is recorded, such as a card-like recording medium (card) such as a magnetic card, as a card reader / writer. The game is played by converting it into a score (number of possessed balls information). At the end of the game, the settlement switch is operated, and the score acquired by entering the winning slot at that time, or valuable information converted from the score is recorded on the card by the card reader / writer, and the card is recorded. Let go outside the machine. Then, the above-mentioned score recorded on the discharged card or valuable information converted from the score is exchanged for a premium. A control unit, which will be described later, is a device unit that is operated by a player using the card at the start and end of a game in such a video game machine. In this way, the video game machine does not pay out a prize ball (actual ball) to the outside during the game or when operated by the control unit, and in any other case. In addition, a typical example of a recording medium settlement type gaming machine is made. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a video pachinko machine to which the present invention is applied from the front side. FIG. 2 is a front view ((b) view), a left side view ((a) view), and a right side view ((c) view) of the pachinko machine. 1 and 2, the middle frame 1 is formed in a frame shape having an opening window 1a, and is formed on the back side of the middle frame 1 in a rectangular shape having the same size and shape as the outer shape of the middle frame 1. The outer frame 2 that partitions the outer periphery of the pachinko machine is disposed, and the entire rear surface of the outer frame 2 is covered with a back plate 3 (see FIG. 3). Further, the middle frame 1 is pivotally attached to hinges 6 provided on the left and upper sides of the outer frame 2, and the right and left sides of the middle frame 1 are provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the outer frame 2. The front frame 5 is located on the front surface of the middle frame 1, that is, on the front surface of the gaming machine, is fixed integrally with the middle frame 1, and can be opened and closed with respect to the outer frame 2 via the middle frame 1. The front frame 5 is formed in the shape of a frame having an opening window 5a as in the case of the middle frame 1, and the outer shape is a rectangle having substantially the same dimensions and the same shape as the middle frame 1. That is, the front frame 5 and the middle frame 1 each have an outer shape substantially the same as the outer dimension of the outer frame 2 so that the entire front side including the opening windows 5a and 1a overlaps the entire front side of the outer frame 2. Specifically, the rectangular sides forming the outer shape of the front frame 5 are attached so as to align with the rectangular sides forming the outer shape of the middle frame 1. A locking device (not shown) is provided between the front frame 5 and the outer frame 2, and the front frame 5 (the middle frame 1) is always attached to the outer frame 2 with the outer frame 2 closed. Fixed. The front frame 5 is provided with a lamp 51, a middle / high tone speaker 52, and the like, and a front glass (not shown) for protecting a liquid crystal image display to be described later over the entire screen. Is attached and fixed. Further, intake ports 11 (11a, 11b) are opened on the lower left and right sides of the front frame 5. Further, a control unit 12 operated by the player is attached and fixed to the lower center portion of the front frame 5 at the start and end of the game. For the convenience of maintenance, for example, the control unit 12 may be attached such that the left side is pivotally supported and the right side can be freely opened and closed. On the upper surface of the control unit 12, there is an information display section, here, a card balance display section 13 for displaying a usable amount of game balls (amount of game balls that can be rented) and an acquired score display section (number of possessed balls information display section) 14. Is provided. On the top surface of the unit 12, there are also provided operation switches, here, a lending ball button switch 15, a card return button switch 16 and an earned score adjustment button switch (adjustment switch) 17 operated by the player. A card insertion slot 18 is provided at the lower center of the unit 12, a drink holder 21 is provided at the lower left side, and a game ball (image) is provided on the right side, and its firing strength is increased. A handle set (firing operation unit) 22 for firing while adjusting is attached. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view from the front side of the pachinko machine. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the image display device of the video pachinko machine, such as a liquid crystal image display device, an EL display, etc., here, the liquid crystal image display device 31 is a large-sized occupying about 2/3 of the entire area in front of the pachinko machine ( Large screen) display, and the outer shape is substantially flat. The liquid crystal image display 31 is fixed to the rear surface of the middle frame 1 by a fixing device (not shown) in a state where the screen is directed to the front side of the gaming machine and aligned with the middle frame opening window 1a. As a result, the game board surface (specifically, the screen of the liquid crystal image display 31) displayed by the liquid crystal image display 31 as an image is arranged at the upper part on the front side of the outer frame 2. The opening window 5a of the front frame 5 is formed in substantially the same position and the same size as the opening window 1a of the middle frame 1, and almost the entire screen of the liquid crystal image display 31 can be seen from the opening window 5a of the front frame 5. Here, the outer frame 2, the back plate 3, the liquid crystal image display 31, and a baffle plate to be described later form a box-shaped frame 4. In this case, the outer frame 2 is a plate-like body that divides the upper, lower, left and right surfaces of the box-shaped frame body 4, and the liquid crystal image display 31 and the baffle plate are plate-like bodies that partition the front surface of the frame body 4. Forms a plate-like body that partitions the back surface of the frame 4. In this case, the liquid crystal image display 31 forms an upper side plate-like body portion of a plate-like body that partitions the front of the box-shaped frame 4, and a box shape formed between the liquid crystal image display 31 and the back plate 3. In the upper space 32 in the frame body 4, various details will be described later, but various control circuit boards constituting the video pachinko machine are arranged. The entire lower space (hereinafter referred to as the lower space) 33 in the box-shaped frame 4 excluding the upper space 32 is a speaker storage space, in which a large-diameter speaker, here A low sound speaker 34 is arranged. In the present embodiment, a partition plate 33 a that partitions the upper space 32 and the lower space (speaker storage space) 33 in the box-shaped frame 4 is provided, and the partition plate 33 a is used as a ceiling plate of the speaker storage space 33. It has been. And the baffle plate (planar plate which partitions the front of the speaker storage space 33) 33b of the low-frequency speaker 34 is used as the lower side plate-like body part of the plate-like body that partitions the front of the box-shaped frame 4, and the sealed enclosure is A bass speaker 34 is formed in the sealed enclosure. The ceiling plate (partition plate 33 a) of the speaker storage space 33 is also used as a reinforcing plate for the outer frame 2, that is, the box-shaped frame body 4. As various control circuit boards (control circuit board group) which constitute the video pachinko machine and are arranged in the upper space 32 in the box-shaped frame body 4, in this embodiment, the main control circuit board 35 and the image Examples include a sub control circuit board 36 on which the display control circuit board 36a and the audio control circuit board 36b are mounted, and a payout control circuit board 37. In the present embodiment, a power supply circuit unit 38 that supplies power to the control circuit boards 35 to 37 and the liquid crystal image display 31 is also arranged in the upper space 32. Here, the main control circuit provided in the main control circuit board 35 is a circuit that controls the entire pachinko machine, and in particular, controls the gaming state in the game board surface image displayed on the liquid crystal image display 31. Further, the image display control circuit provided in the image display control circuit 36a is a circuit that performs display control on the game board surface image and on / off control of the lamp 51 based on the control of the main control circuit, and is provided in the sound control circuit board 36b. The sound control circuit is a circuit that controls a game effect or the like by sound using the middle / high sound speaker 52 or the low sound speaker 34 based on the control of the main control circuit. The payout control circuit provided on the payout control circuit board 37 is a circuit that performs payout control for winning balls accompanying winning a prize at the winning opening (disappearance of the game ball image at the winning opening position), settlement processing at the end of the game, and the like. The power supply circuit provided in the power supply circuit unit 38 is a circuit that supplies power to each part of the pachinko machine such as the control circuit boards 35 to 37, the liquid crystal image display 31, the lamp 51, and a fan for forced air cooling described later. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the middle frame 1, the front frame 5 and the liquid crystal image display 31 are removed, that is, the arrangement state of the control circuit boards 35 to 37 and the like in the box-shaped frame body 4 and the arrangement state of the bass speaker 34. FIG. 5 is a right side cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 4. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the control circuit boards 35 to 37 are arranged and fixed on the inner surface of the upper portion 3a of the back plate 3 that partitions the back of the upper space 32, and the power circuit unit 38 is housed in a speaker. The chamber 33 is disposed and fixed on the upper left side of the ceiling plate 33a. The control circuit boards 35 to 37 and the power supply circuit unit 38 are provided with cases so as to be protected from external mechanical and electrical failures. FIG. 6 is a rear view (pachinko machine rear view) of the box-shaped frame 4. As shown in the drawing, exhaust ports 41 (41a, 41b) are opened on the upper and lower sides of the upper side portion 3a of the back plate 3 in the upper side space 32, respectively. The exhaust ports 41a and 41b are openings that allow the upper space 32 to communicate with the outside of the pachinko machine. As shown in FIG. 4, the fans 42 (42a and 42b) are respectively connected to the filters 43 (43a). , 43b). Each fan 42 is a forced air cooling fan that generates a forced cooling air flow from the intake port 11 side toward the exhaust port 41 side. As shown in FIG. 3, the middle frame 1 is formed with ventilation holes 19 (19a, 19b) at positions opposed to the intake holes 11 (11a, 11b) opened in the front frame 5. The space between the shaped spaces 32 is formed so as to allow ventilation. In addition, an air passage is formed from the air inlet 11 through the air vent 19 to the box-shaped space 32 through the front side of the baffle plate 33b. 7 and 8 show the front frame 5 (front decorative frame 100) integrated with the middle frame 1 with respect to the outer frame 2 (box-shaped frame 4) in the pachinko machine shown in FIGS. FIG. 7 is a plan view and FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an opened state. 8, 1, and 2, the front frame 5 is formed to extend to a position where the lower end (lower side of the rectangle) corresponds to the lower end of the outer frame 2 (the lower side of the rectangle that forms the outer shape of the outer frame). Has been. In this embodiment, as can be seen from FIGS. 7, 8, 1, and 2, the front frame 5 has an outer shape that is substantially the same as the outer dimension viewed from the front side of the outer frame 2. More specifically, each side of the rectangle forming the outer shape of the front frame 5 is formed into a rectangular shape forming the outer shape of the outer frame 2 so that the entire front side including the opening window 5a overlaps the entire front side of the outer frame 2. Attached to each side. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the front frame 5 (front decorative frame 100) is opened, a space (inside the box-shaped frame 4) in which the control circuit boards 35 to 37, the power supply circuit unit 38, the fan 42, and the like are arranged. The entire surface is opened, and the maintenance / inspection work of the control circuit boards 35 to 37 in the same space is facilitated. In addition, the baffle plate 33b is removed to facilitate maintenance and inspection work in the speaker storage space 33. The reason why the front frame 5 is not openable / closable independently from the middle frame 1 as in an actual gaming machine is that a video game machine has a ball (real ball) on the gaming board surface like an actual gaming machine. This is because clogging does not occur and it is not necessary to directly open the surface of the game board. FIG. 8 shows the arrangement state of the control circuit boards 35 to 37 and the power supply circuit unit 38 in the upper space 32 shown in FIG. 4 in an easy-to-understand manner. In FIG. 8 and FIGS. Wiring of the control circuit boards 35 to 37, the power supply circuit unit 38, the fan 42, the lamp 51, the middle / high tone speaker 52, the low tone speaker 34, and the like is not shown. As described above, in this embodiment, the lower end of the front frame 5 provided to be openable and closable with respect to the outer frame 2 is formed to extend to the position corresponding to the lower end of the outer frame 2 on the front surface of the gaming machine. In such a configuration, the front frame 5 has an outer shape substantially the same as the outer dimension of the outer frame 2, and the entire front side including the opening window 5a is the front side of the outer frame 2 (box-shaped frame 4). It was realized by attaching it so as to overlap the entire surface. According to this, there is no visual or mechanical division between the belt-like region and the region above it in a conventional gaming machine. Therefore, the design can be integrated when the gaming machine is viewed from the front, and it is not necessary to prepare a belt-like front plate in addition to the front frame 5 on the front side of the gaming machine, thereby reducing the number of parts and the assembly cost. I can plan. Furthermore, the game board surface image (game area image) can be enlarged without enlarging the vertical dimension of the gaming machine or reducing the handle set (launching operation unit) 22. Further, when the front frame 5 is opened, the inside of the box-shaped frame 4 (outer frame 2) is fully opened, and the control circuit boards 35 to 37, the power supply circuit unit 38, and the fan 42 arranged in the box-shaped frame 4 are opened. This makes it easier to perform maintenance and inspection work. In addition, the baffle plate 33b is removed to facilitate maintenance and inspection work in the speaker storage space 33. In the present embodiment, the game board surface and the game ball are displayed on the liquid crystal image display 31 arranged on the front side upper part of the outer frame 2 so that the game can be virtually played. The present invention was applied to a pachinko machine. Then, the control circuit boards 35 to 37 are arranged in the upper space 32 in the box-shaped frame 4 with the outer frame 2 as the box-shaped frame 4, and the lower space in the box-shaped frame 4 is connected to the speaker. A storage space 33 is provided. The front side dimension of the upper side space 32 in the box-shaped frame 4 has at least the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the liquid crystal image display (large liquid crystal image display) 31, and the back side of the upper side space 32 of the same size. The entire region of the partition plate portion can be used as a space for arranging desired constituent members, and the control circuit boards 35 to 37 in this embodiment can be arranged. On the other hand, in the video pachinko machine configuration, the game ball is displayed as an image and does not use an actual game ball (real ball) made of a steel ball or the like. There is no such structure. Moreover, the handle set 22 (launching operation unit) arranged on the right side of the ball tray does not have an occupied space on the back side of the pachinko machine. Therefore, if the control circuit boards 35 to 37 are arranged in the upper space 32 in the box-shaped frame 4, the lower space 33, which is the remaining space in the box-shaped frame 4, is entirely accommodated in the speaker storage space. A large speaker storage space can be secured. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the freedom degree of the aperture of the speaker arrange \| positioned in speaker storage space can be made high. In particular, in the present embodiment, the large-diameter low-frequency speaker 34 is used as the speaker, so that it is possible to enjoy the sound for gaming effects in low and heavy bass, and the middle-high sound speaker 52 is arranged as before, Enjoy a wide range of sounds (sound effects, etc.) from low to high. In addition, in the present embodiment, since the low-frequency speaker 34 is disposed in the sealed enclosure, it is possible to enjoy low and heavy bass with better acoustic characteristics. In this case, the plate-like body that partitions the space in the box-shaped frame 4 is also used as the ceiling plate 33a and the baffle plate 33b of the sealed enclosure (speaker storage space 33), so that the sealed enclosure is realized at low cost. it can. Furthermore, since the ceiling plate 33a of the speaker storage space 33 is also used as a reinforcing plate for the box-shaped frame 4, the box-shaped frame 4 can be reinforced without using a dedicated reinforcing plate. In the present embodiment, since the liquid crystal image display 31 is also used as a part of the plate-like body (upper-side plate-like body portion) that partitions the front of the box-shaped frame body 4, the upper side in the box-shaped frame body 4 The cost of the structural member of the space 32 can be reduced. In the above-described embodiment, the middle frame 1 is pivotally attached to the hinges 6 provided on the left and upper sides of the outer frame 2, and the right and left sides are provided to be openable and closable with respect to the outer frame 2. The upper and lower right sides of the outer frame 2 may be provided on the upper and lower sides of the outer frame 2, and the upper and lower right sides of the inner frame 1 may be pivotally attached to the hinge 6. Further, the handle set 22 may be arranged on the left side of the control unit 12. In this case, the drink holder 21 is provided on the lower right side of the control unit 12. It is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a pachinko machine to which the present invention is applied. It is the front view and right-and-left side view of the pachinko machine shown in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of a pachinko machine same as the above. It is a figure which shows the state which removed the inner frame of the pachinko machine same as the above, a front frame, and the liquid crystal image display from the front side. It is a right side sectional view when cutting along the AA line in FIG. 4 about the pachinko machine same as the above. It is a rear view of a pachinko machine same as the above. It is a top view at the time of front frame opening of a pachinko machine same as the above. It is a perspective view similarly. 2: outer frame, 3: back plate, 3a: upper side portion of back plate, 4: box frame, 5: front frame, 5a: opening window of front frame, 12: control unit, 13: card balance display section 14: Acquired score display section (number-of-ball information display section), 15: Lending ball button switch, 16: Card return button switch, 17: Acquired score adjustment button switch (adjustment switch), 18: Card insertion slot, 22: Handle set (launch operation unit), 31: liquid crystal image display (image display), 32: upper side space, 33: lower side space (speaker storage space), 33a: ceiling plate (reinforcement plate) of speaker storage room, 34: Speaker for bass, 35: Main control circuit board, 36: Sub control circuit board, 36a: Image display control circuit board, 36b: Audio control circuit board, 37: Discharge control circuit board. A game ball is driven and moved by operating the launch operation unit on a game board surface on which various board surface components including a winning opening and an out opening are arranged, and this gaming ball enters either the winning opening or the out opening. A game of whether or not is performed based on the information on the number of possessed balls read and recorded valuable information recorded on the recording medium, With a recording medium settlement-type gaming machine that records the number of possessed balls at the time of the settlement switch operation as it is or converts it into valuable information and records it on the recording medium when the settlement switch is operated, and discharges the recording medium outside the machine. There, An outer frame that partitions the outer periphery of the gaming machine, and the gaming board surface is arranged on the upper front side of the gaming machine; An opening window is formed on the front surface of the gaming machine so as to be openable and closable with respect to the outer frame, and an opening window is formed at a corresponding position on the gaming board surface. A control unit including an information display unit for displaying information including numerical information, and a front frame provided with the firing operation unit and having a lower end extending to a position corresponding to a lower end of the outer frame. A recording medium settlement game machine. Various control circuits for virtually enabling the game by displaying the game board surface and the game ball on an image display device arranged on the front side upper part of the outer frame and having an outer shape substantially flat. Equipped with a substrate, The outer frame is a box-shaped frame body in which the front and back surfaces are partitioned by a plate-like body in addition to the upper and lower surfaces and the left and right surfaces of the outer frame itself, The image display is used as an upper side plate-like body portion of a plate-like body that partitions the front of this box-shaped frame, The various control circuit boards are arranged in an upper side space in the box-shaped frame body including a space between the image display unit and a plate-like body partitioning the back of the box-shaped frame body, 2. The recording medium settlement type game machine according to claim 1, wherein a space on the lower side in the box-shaped frame excluding the upper space is a speaker storage space. The partition plate that partitions the upper side space and the lower side space in the box-shaped frame body is provided as a ceiling plate of the speaker storage space that also serves as a reinforcing plate of the box-shaped frame body. The recording medium settlement game machine described. JP2005356568A 2005-12-09 2005-12-09 Recording medium adjusting type game machine Pending JP2007159645A (en) JP2005356568A JP2007159645A (en) 2005-12-09 2005-12-09 Recording medium adjusting type game machine JP2005356568A Pending JP2007159645A (en) 2005-12-09 2005-12-09 Recording medium adjusting type game machine US8335089B2 (en) 2009-07-15 2012-12-18 Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. Display apparatus JPS5014826A (en) * 1973-06-18 1975-02-17 JPH02136687A (en) * 1988-11-17 1990-05-25 Osaka Gas Co Ltd Utilization of cold heat effected by accumulating coil heat of low-temperature liquefied gas JPH04180788A (en) * 1990-11-14 1992-06-26 Nippon Dendou Tokkyo Kk Up/down separation type game machine JPH07289719A (en) * 1994-04-20 1995-11-07 Sophia Co Ltd Game equipment JP2005237444A (en) * 2004-02-24 2005-09-08 Sophia Co Ltd Enclosed ball type game machine US8094450B2 (en) 2012-01-10 Gaming machine vent cover US7862436B2 (en) 2011-01-04 Custom configurable gaming machine and gaming machine components US4813675A (en) 1989-03-21 Reconfigurable casino table game and gaming machine table US20060073900A1 (en) 2006-04-06 Custom configurable gaming machine JP2005148206A (en) 2005-06-09 Projection device for game machine US7643285B2 (en) 2010-01-05 Storage apparatus JP2001346969A (en) 2001-12-18 Game machine JP2001334027A (en) 2001-12-04 Pachinko game machine US7905783B2 (en) 2011-03-15 Modular gaming machine JP4541086B2 (en) 2010-09-08 Controller for merchandise sales data processing apparatus and method for sharing parts used for the same JP2002172217A (en) 2002-06-18 Game acoustic device US20040147316A1 (en) 2004-07-29 Gaming machine JP4832062B2 (en) 2011-12-07 Game machine US20060055114A1 (en) 2006-03-16 Electronic card table with hinged table top JPH07255926A (en) 1995-10-09 Rear working structure for game machine JP4270564B2 (en) 2009-06-03 Slot machine JP4700628B2 (en) 2011-06-15 Bullet ball machine	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1570
__label__cc	0.547233	0.452767	HUD’s Carson Offers Tenants Insults, Not Solutions by Tara Raghuveer, Liz Ryan Murray \| Apr 26, 2018 \| Blog \| 0 comments 75 low-and moderate-income tenants and manufactured homeowners repeatedly disrupted Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson at a speech in Las Vegas on Wednesday, asking, “where will we go?” Carson’s response? Instead of offering solutions, he insulted poor tenants, saying “This is a perfect example of what happens when the swamp gets ahold of people.” The disruption took place on the same day as Secretary Carson announced that HUD wants the poor to pay higher rents for public housing, not receive credit for health and child care, and meet work requirements to keep their units. Carson’s proposals triple the rent for people on housing assistance and require that residents make the money to pay rent by at least 15 hours of work at the federal minimum wage level. These changes will affect millions of individuals and families, and especially seniors and the poorest residents of public housing who are already ravaged by frozen budgets and budget cuts. The proposal will bring crippling new burdens to the poorest and most vulnerable people – many of whom may entirely lose the already-precarious roofs over their heads. The activists confronted Secretary Carson inside the Manufactured Housing Institute’s spring meeting in the Paris Hotel in Vegas, and held a press conference and rally outside. Inside the room, low-income senior Jeliner Jordan was one of those to interrupt Carson’s speech. She asked, “If you increase rents and cut the HUD budget, where will I live?” “Trump’s lackey Ben Carson demonstrated that he doesn’t care about people like me who he is sworn to serve,” said Jordan, a senior housing resident in Chicago and a grassroots leader with Jane Addams Senior Caucus and People’s Action. “His words insulted me, and patronized all of us who struggle to pay our rent. His villainous policy proposal today just affirms what we already knew: Carson will continue putting people out of our homes and deepening the housing crisis that is devastating our communities.” “Today Ben Carson insulted us while telling the corporate investors in attendance that they should keep profiting off the housing crisis. Ben Carson’s job is to help solve the housing crisis for people, not profiteers. We came to Las Vegas today to remind Secretary Carson to do his job,” said Patricia Norberg, a manufactured homeowner from Delaware and a grassroots leader with MHAction. “Corporate and private equity investors associated with MHI say ‘jump’ and Carson says ‘how high?’ We’ve had enough.” “The nation’s housing crisis has reached emergency levels. A person working a full time minimum wage job, can’t afford a two-bedroom apartment in any county in the U.S. More than half of all Americans spend over 30 percent of their income on rent and utilities, and I’m one of them,” said Kendra Moore, a Section 8 tenant in Los Angeles and a grassroots leader with POWER and People’s Action. “It is absolutely unthinkable that the Trump Administration’s response to the crisis is to make things worse with draconian rent increases and work requirements. We insist that Congress reject the proposal and we demand a HUD that’s fully funded to meet 100 percent of the real needs of American people.” “Carson is out of touch and patronizing. He thinks poverty is a state of mind. He needs to do his job and push for a massive reinvestment in community-owned and public housing. We need him to make a true commitment to alleviating the conditions of poverty and the dismantling of the racist structures embedded in our housing system,” said Trenise Bryant from the Miami Workers Center and Homes for All. “And we, those who are directly impacted by the crisis and live with it every day, need to be at the center of the conversation and decisions made to solve it.” The group, representing a multiracial, multigenerational collection of housing justice organizations from across the country, demanded that Ben Carson turn his attention to the housing crisis that threatens them, their families, and millions of people in America every day. The group told Carson to do his job to faithfully execute the mission of his department, and to advocate for a radical rethinking of the HUD budget to meet one hundred percent of our community’s housing needs. Groups participating in the event included: MHAction, People’s Action, CarsonWatch, Center for Popular Democracy, Right to the City/Homes for All, POWER, LA Community Action Network, Long Beach Residents Empowered (LiBRE), Miami Workers Center, Jane Addams Senior Caucus, Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, Make the Road Nevada, Make it Work Nevada, SEIU Nevada, NextGen America, For Nevada’s Future,Make the Road Nevada, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, and New York Communities for Change.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1576
__label__wiki	0.659214	0.659214	Thinking WAY Outside the Box at Bad Bean Baja Grill Bad Bean Baja Grill By Katrina Mae Leuzinger \| Thursday, June 15, 2017 One thing is for certain about Rob Robinson and Matt Payne, the “brains and the brawn” of the locals’ favorite Bad Bean Baja Grill: They refuse to be pinned down. Since they opened in 2010, Bad Bean has never really stopped shifting and changing in new and dynamic ways, thanks to a creative team that’s never afraid to try something different and always looking for ways to improve. That dynamic quality and general refusal to think inside the box starts with their type of cuisine. Baja California may be part of Mexico, but the food there draws inspiration from Mediterranean and Asian flavors as well. Bad Bean takes Baja food and adds healthy doses of eastern North Carolina flavors, creating an original and wonderful fusion where any given dish might be inspired by at least four countries, maybe five, if you throw in the classical French cooking techniques Rob and Matt learned throughout their culinary career. The food they’re making isn’t “traditional” or “authentic” anything. It’s something wholly and completely their own, and we, the diners, are so much the better for it. “We take all those themes and just play around with them, really,” says Rob. “Sometimes it has a little Southern twang to it, sometimes it has a North Carolina twist. It’s got maybe a little bit of Baja, but it might have a French technique in the cooking method. Sometimes it’s smoked, sometimes it’s toward the barbecue realm.” Take, for example, a traditional Mexican sope made with regional sweet potatoes then topped with smoked local rockfish, avocado and bacon jam. “That was one of those dishes that was like, ‘This is us in a nutshell.’ It was three ingredients from North Carolina but in a complete Latin dish,” says Matt. Their menu is packed with crazy delicious little fusions like that, especially when it comes to their nightly specials. The regular menu offers an array of tacos, burritos, salads and quesadillas — popular items that happy locals and visitors return for again and again. But the nightly specials are where they take the opportunity to play fast and loose with the Baja theme or try out something completely new. On any given night you might find ceviche made from locally caught tuna on the special menu or something completely off the wall like a house-smoked brisket sandwich on a fresh-baked roll with grilled onions, honey mustard and a fried egg. Of course, the real secret to why their food is so good isn’t the fusion quality. That alone doesn’t make great food. What makes the food at Bad Bean Baja Grill great is that everything is fresh, and very nearly everything is made from scratch. “You build the layers of flavor all from scratch-made things. Everything that goes into a dish has integrity,” says Rob. That means that if a dish has chipotle peppers, they made those chipotles cooked in an adobo that they also made from scratch. Sandwiches that are run as specials are served on fresh-baked buns. They made all the salsas, sauces and other condiments themselves. They make their own queso fresco. If you see a prickly pear margarita on the drink specials, that’s because Matt went out and picked prickly pears off of the cactuses then painstakingly peeled and juiced them. “Everything on the dish is made from scratch. It’s not just one thing,” says Rob. And when they’re building these dishes from the ground up, they’re sure to use only fresh ingredients of the highest quality. “The one thing I always find amazing is, for how busy we are, how empty the walk-in refrigerator looks, because we’re just constantly bringing food in, and as soon as it comes in, it’s gone,” says Matt. “We have a two-door freezer. We basically don’t freeze anything,” says Rob. Plenty of that meat and produce flying off the shelves is local, like the Heritage Farms pork belly that works its way into many dishes including their marvelous pork belly tacos. The way Matt and Rob do food might be more time consuming and use more costly ingredients, but to them, it is absolutely worth it. “Really, it’s just standards for us,” says Matt. Yet, for all that, most of the items on their menu come at a surprisingly reasonable price point. They keep what’s on their menu affordable on purpose. Rob has a wealth of experience working in fine dining restaurants, the kind of places where you might see the same customer twice in a year at the most. When he opened Bad Bean, he wanted something different — a chance to really be a staple in the community and the kind of place where locals might come by every week and visitors would always feel welcome. “I want to see people on a consistent basis, and I want them to come and relax in a t-shirt with a pair of baggies and flip flops ... just chilling and hanging out,” says Rob. The restaurant itself, with its colorful artwork by local artists adorning the walls, really captures that laid-back feeling and somehow manages to embody both the spirit of the Outer Banks and Baja California. If you get a chance, ask Matt or Rob because almost everything you see has a story. Unfortunately, they may be too busy to share it with you because they’re probably back in the kitchen pureeing fresh cantaloupes for a cocktail or coming up with a Mexican twist on French duck confit. One thing is for certain: Whatever it is, it won’t be remotely typical and it will be mind-blowingly tasty. 4146 N Croatan Hwy, www.badbeanobx.com Bomb Fridays With DJ Styles Secret Island Tavern Outer Banks • Kill Devil Hills Friday, January 24th 10:00 pm Friday, January 31st 10:00 pm Pizza Party Special Pizzazz Pizza Buy 5 or more large pizzas and get 15% off your entire check.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1577
__label__wiki	0.883424	0.883424	Development through Offsets Last month, British firm Rolls Royce, a leading provider of power systems and services, announced a partnership with Metalysis Ltd to launch Malaysia's first tantalum processing and research and development (R&D) facility. The investment is part of the offset arrangement with the government for the procurement of Roll-Royce Trent 900 engines for Malaysia's fleet of six A380s. The facility is expected to produce 100 tonnes of tantalum a year, worth about RM3bn ($848m). It will be located at Kulim Hi-Tech Park in Kedah, and should be operational by September 2007. Tantalum, in powder form, is used for the production of electronic components. End-uses include mobile phones, personal computers and automotive electronics. Targeting 10% of the world market, Metalysis Malaysia is to conduct R&D to scale up and increase production of super-grade tantalum powder. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said Rolls Royce, which is investing $5m in the facility, has provided Malaysia the entry point to the global advanced materials market. "We are still quite a distance away from where we want to be in terms of progress and development in science and technology. But we have no doubt that we can achieve all that we have set out to do and will work tirelessly to achieve our objectives," he said at the launch of the facility. Like many developing countries, Malaysia has relied heavily on imported technology in order to achieve rapid industrialisation both in the defence and civilian sectors. Malaysia's government understands that it can leverage on government procurement to accrue economic and industrial benefits for the country. Under these circumstances, in the early 1990s the government began to adopt offset requirements for major contracts. In no realm is this practice more common than in the defence industry, where foreign investors looking to net government deals must provide substantial counter trades. According to the ministry of defence, contracts for acquisition that amount to more than 10m euros will, as a general rule, attract counter trade or offset obligations for the seller. The offset arrangements must be completed during the time period of the contract in question. Offsets activities in Malaysia take many forms. In the early stages of programme implementation, the preference was for direct offsets related to the item being procured, such as local manufacture of assemblies or parts. Now the government is also encouraging indirect offsets, such as investment in new high-value technologies such as the tantalum facility. Olof Rapp, regional director of Rolls Royce in Malaysia, told OBG "the key is to provide offsets that are advanced technologically, and demonstrate how that technology can be transferred in practice." In the case of the Rolls Royce-Metalysis venture, all fifty employees of the facility will be Malaysian. Moreover, the technology introduced is new to Malaysia, and will provide linkages to other industries. The country director of another European defence systems firm agreed, adding that there are certain areas, geographically and politically, that the government tends to favour in awarding contracts. "There is a tendency to favour offset proposals that focus on developing rural areas such as Sabah and Sarawak, and focusing on technology transfer, and not just creating jobs, is key," he told OBG. He also added that the government likes to hedge its bets, seeking diverse sources of procurement. "If a company from one country nets a big contract then it is likely that the next one will be from somewhere else," he said. The government is also keen to promote its designated growth areas under the Ninth Malaysia Plan. This year BAE Systems received a government procurement deal for two frigates for the Royal Malaysian Navy. According to reports the company is also exploring business ventures in Malaysia's biotechnology and agriculture industries, as these are industries that are targeted by the government for growth. Eventual self-sufficiency in defence is also a priority, as a sophisticated defence industry is also part of Malaysia's vision of becoming a fully developed nation by 2020. In an interview earlier this year Najib, who also serves as defence minister, said that the implementation of the offset policy provided the impetus for local defence companies to acquire technology from abroad. As such "there has been a gradual development of the local defence industry." "What we would like to see is for the local defence industry to contribute significantly towards flow of foreign direct investment, dual use technology as well as generate spin-offs to the other sectors of the economy." In other recent aerospace industry news, helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter opened its regional maintenance centre in Malaysia, at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport near Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia has also signed a deal worth RM417m ($114m) to acquire fighter trainers from Italy's Alenia Aermacchi. The Royal Malaysian Air Force will use the eight MB-339 jets to train its next generation of pilots to fly advanced aircraft, the defence ministry said in a statement. Register for free Economic News Updates on Malaysia The Report: Malaysia 2016 Read our Malaysia 2016 Economic Report and Investment Analysis online or purchase from our online store Featured Sectors in Malaysia: Malaysia Industry Malaysia Energy Malaysia ICT Malaysia Education Malaysia Transport Premium Content: Malaysia Chapter \| Country Profile from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Explore chapter Chapter \| Trade & Investment from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| Economy from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| Sabah from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| Johor from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| Banking & IFS from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| Capital Markets from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| Insurance from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| Energy from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| Innovation from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| Transport from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| Construction & Real Estate from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| Industry & Retail from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| Telecoms & IT from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| Education from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| Health from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| Tourism from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| Agriculture & Plantations from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| Legal Framework from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| The Guide from The Report: Malaysia 2016 Chapter \| Table of Contents from The Report: Malaysia 2016 In Malaysia Robert Opp, Chief Digital Officer, UN Development Programme (UNDP) To what extent are sustainability goals tied to the success of a business?	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1581
__label__cc	0.587965	0.412035	Pad and Pixel Game journalism and ethics June 1, 2014 106 By Brian Crecente The Society of Professional Journalists is a meaningful and needed organization for any practicing journalist. I’ve posted their ethics policy below because it is such a well thought out policy shaped over the years by an important body of journalists. If you’re a working journalists, no matter your subject, I highly encourage you join the SPJ. Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Society’s principles and standards of practice. Seek Truth and Report It Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information. Journalists should: — Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible. — Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing. — Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources’ reliability. — Always question sources’ motives before promising anonymity. Clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information. Keep promises. — Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context. — Never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical clarity is always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations. — Avoid misleading re-enactments or staged news events. If re-enactment is necessary to tell a story, label it. — Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public. Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story — Never plagiarize. — Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly, even when it is unpopular to do so. — Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others. — Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status. — Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant. — Give voice to the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information can be equally valid. — Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context. — Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two. — Recognize a special obligation to ensure that the public’s business is conducted in the open and that government records are open to inspection. Minimize Harm Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect. — Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects. — Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief. — Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance. — Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone’s privacy. — Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity. — Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects or victims of sex crimes. — Be judicious about naming criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges. — Balance a criminal suspect’s fair trial rights with the public’s right to be informed. Act Independently Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public’s right to know. —Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. — Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility. — Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity. — Disclose unavoidable conflicts. — Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable. — Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence news coverage. — Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money; avoid bidding for news. Be Accountable Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other. — Clarify and explain news coverage and invite dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct. — Encourage the public to voice grievances against the news media. — Admit mistakes and correct them promptly. — Expose unethical practices of journalists and the news media. — Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others. The SPJ Code of Ethics is voluntarily embraced by thousands of writers, editors and other news professionals. The present version of the code was adopted by the 1996 SPJ National Convention, after months of study and debate among the Society’s members. Sigma Delta Chi’s first Code of Ethics was borrowed from the American Society of Newspaper Editors in 1926. In 1973, Sigma Delta Chi wrote its own code, which was revised in 1984, 1987 and 1996. If game journalism and journalism ethics interest you, make sure to check out the stories I’ve been writing for the ongoing Game Journalism Mentorship program. Also, please feel free to discuss ethics and ethic policies in the comments. I’d love to hear from you. CategoryJournalism NPR’s All Things Considered on Medal of Honor and the taliban Jonathan Mann sings about Kotaku’s Sony showdown, testicular fortitude Bryan C. says: Yeah, given that the publishers/manufacture’s pretty much expect you not to follow any of these rules, combined with the hoard of 19 year old guys looking for free games and you’ve got an environment that actively discourages integrity with punitive measures. I would applaud a change and I know from personal experience that it can be a positive experience for both developers (artists, programmers) and gamers who appreciate honesty. It’s just getting the publishers on-board that’s the real challenge when they can cut your team off over a perceived slight and have no repercussions since some other magazine will be more than willing to take your place for the story leads. Not bitter, seriously 🙂 Great post Bryan, I think many of the problems surrounding lack of ethics in game journalism stem from lack of content. In no other entertainment medium do you have such long spans between major events to the point where opinion, fabricated outrage and speculation make up the bulk of day to day content. that also means that journalistic outlets are so under pressure to be the first to see, talk, or review a game to get something actually material to talk about, that they’ll beg borrow and steal to be first in line. I work b2b journalism, in a vertical that is pretty small and even in that sector there is enough material news to make at least 10-12 solid stories daily without defaulting to opinion or speculations pieces. On any day the outlets and companies I cover will have multiple press releases and will make themselves available for comment, and that’s in addition to actually breaking hard news stories that happen. Even with that much to choose from, there are still instances where I need to run a story against my better judgement to appease a sponsor. The trends of content marketing and more pressure on journalistic outlets to play nice with advertisers has eroded at least some of the principles outline above for just about every publication. In VG journalism those content options simply aren’t there and that pressure to appease an advertiser while getting content up to draw eyeballs to the site is even higher. Add to that lack of transparency in the industry, rampant fanboy-ism and an audience that loves to hear itself talk and the quality of content falls even further. Think of it akin to sports entertainment journalism, a field that granted does not have the best track record on ethics (consider the press seats conundrum), but offers a decent analog. Regardless of who you cheer for there are at least 6 games on Sunday, one on Monday and one on Thursday and the aggregate cost to pay all the players in one game most be somewhere in the same stratum of a AAA game development budget. Anyways, those games are frequent enough that coverage can consist of ongoing analysis of the team, as well as coverage of the multi-weekly games themselves plus coaching strategy, scouting, sponsorships etc. I almost see triple AAA titles as a single Giants game that happens once every 4 years, and has the starting line revealed 3 weeks in advanced, naturally as a sports journalist you’re going to do anything to be at that game, even if its at a cost of violating the tenets above. When the team sucks in the NFL you have the hope they’ll rebound to keep the drama up, when a game sucks? that’s usually the end of the story. This is not a defense of game journalism in its current state. There could be more to cover; the business, development, legal and other behind the scenes type stuff that could make for great day to day content. Episodic content too could offer a space for daily analysis and conversations. But developers are generally tight lipped about industry details, and no one has really nailed the episodic game thing just yet (or has produced it quickly enough) so they’re not there to create original, compelling content on a day to day basis. The result is again opinion, speculation, and fabricated outrage. I offer no solution on this, just observations on why the space seems so schizophrenic and full of poor journalism. Some of this may also speak to the disparity in maturity level in the audience, on the one hand you have the 19 year old who is more interested in DOTA streams then the machinations of executive leadership going on at EA. Would love to hear your thoughts on whether or not you think this is part of the issue since you have more first hand experience in the space. Just thought I’d get my thoughts out there since this is topic of conversation I always finding interesting. There are a few solutions to that 1 – click bait journalism, a lot of what we have. Shocking titles of are games x or has y gone to far. Little actual content disguised 2 – Stories on the actual trends and economic situations of companies. Not OMG new AAA sell a bizillion but actual reporting and comparisons. It is hard to find anyone who actual talks about this in a serious manner, it is all just shock headlines like Mario Kart 8 sell terribly when it is the best selling one 3- In depth analysis, and that doesn’t just mean shove in a social issue or idea you have. I mean stuff like matthewmatosis who studies a game and see what it actually has going on, not what the writer wants to talk about. 4 – Don’t ignore none AAA or indie darling games. How many games get released a year that get a few trailers put up, an article saying it is out and maybe at best a page review? Most games I play now are from hearing them from friends and message boards because most of the interesting stuff is looked over in favour on stuff they hope will get clicks as it is AAA or an indie game with a simplistic message to masturbate over 5 – Investigative journalism. The most I ever see of this is no better than looking on wikipedia, hell I’ve seen DYKG do more research for their videos. You have links use them to find actually interesting information no one else could And as a general point, just more effort needs to be put into writing. To restore any semblance of ethics in games journalism at this point, it will require the resignation of you and all your ilk. Even doritos pope knows whats up, but idiots like you have him, and others like him (including devs that don’t share your opinions), having to play both sides for the sake of politics. Keep your shit, idealist, never-going-to-be-proven gender politics “theories” out of video games Stop fucking with the Japanese market coverage, especially when it produces content the west (not counting eastern europe) can’t touch in terms of technical prowess and presentation No one in their right mind is calling for a boycott of women/minorities/etc in games, if anything it was ironically you fucking people all along by deeming that all the problems are caused by an ever decreasing percentage of the gaming population. No one cares about phone games, seeing shit like Kim Kardashian Hollywood getting accolades from you idiots is sickening. No one cares about 2deep4you non-games and walking simulators, keep that shit to yourself. Lastly, stop pushing your opinions on others, you don’t speak for anyone but yourself. To save you the pathetic rebuttal of “then why should I listen to you?”, I’m your potential fucking customer, if that doesn’t matter to you then reread my first point. I think if every abides by your idea it’d be great Kurt F. says: I think the line in the SPJ about housing both sides of an issue is not being done here. Without that all you have is controversial rhetoric. Which is both polarizing, and dangerous, and it certainly isn’t news. Daddy Warpig says: I gave an analysis of my opinions on ethical games journalism here: http://youtu.be/Jur85S1YAPs I understand it can be daunting being out of the gate without a review the day of launch but I believe that if publishers do stone wall you and you’ve built up credibility with your audience that the simple mention of the fact they are stonewalling due to article x could have an impact on their bottom line to the point where such a threat would be ill advised on their part. At least I’d like to think we live in this kind of world. Still this isn’t an approach that I’ve seen tried from the press and would love to see it in action. If there could be something out there equivalent to the Michelin Guide in the culinary world for games, it might help people make more informed decisions. Or give developers a reason to raise the price of a certain game. I think where people get their gaming journalism should be handled on an individual basis. There are a few independents I trust to offer a bullshit free review and I’ve found those people on my own. If others crave that kind of experience, it’s already out there. Jeb says: Ok, sorry for my English. You always seemed like a good guy and I hope something positive will come out of this fiasco. First I would like to say i’ve been gaming since the 80s so I saw the emergence of mags, exclusives reviews and paid covers. I would love for the gaming press not to throw us under a bus and to the mainstream media when a few hundred raging lunatics are threatening people on Twitter for having an opinion. I would like more transparency. This includes disclosure of relationship when there is one. I do not believe you can be totally impartial when you are talking about your friends. I want disclosure of any kind of embargo or restrictions publishers have put upon discussing a game or a review. I would like more varied opinions when it comes to reviews and opinion pieces and people that are not afraid of their opinions or using a scale. This involves having more reviewers and journalists from different backgrounds, ethnicities, sex and religions. This may actually help with the metacritic system and offer more varied experiences.I would actually a gaming press that actually has the balls to get rid of the rating system altogether which may force metacritic to run a fresh/rotten system instead. I want stronger moderation on site, not for people that have a dissident opinion but for people that cannot handle a civil discussion. I want less clickbait, because I believe the press is partly to blame for this generation of gamer warriors, and more in depth articles about the underlying problems of the industry and the press. This includes corruption, but also companies that do not treat their employees fairly or equally or are simply being unethical. I want to hear about the difficulty or discrimination certain groups of people are suffering within the industry. I want the gaming press to stop acting like previewed games are super exciting and it is not a big advert for the publisher. I want to hear all the sides of a story when possible. If there’s anything positive about this whole situation is that we have proven is that gamers can organise and ruffle up some feathers. I want to gaming press to be less complacent and help us investigate and point out underlying issues in the industry so we can start focusing the gaming mob for good and hopefully eradicate some problems developers and journalists may have been suffering all these years. I would love to be able to discuss this without someone telling me ‘if you are not with us you are against us’. I will always be on the side of my fellow gamers, regardless of sex or origin. I have always liked the rules of ethics of journalism for a long time as they seem rather clear cut and simple to follow. However, often I feel these rules get bent for certain situations particularly when it comes to politics. I was wondering what you would say about sites like Wiki-leaks who when the initial scandal broke released the names of inocent individuals and parties which could (& may have to all I know) endangered them & their families. I know that Wiki-leaks may not be considered a news site by some journalists & many news organizations like the Washington Post worked incredibly hard to censor information of those who may be negatively harmed for simply being mentioned in the reports but I was wondering how does one deal with this? If you get a hold of something that could cause serious harm to inocent bystandards, but the story itself may be important for the public to know, how do you ensure what you do will not hurt those people or how do you censor something when all that information is already out there? A Man In Black says: It would be nice to have a business model that wasn’t entirely reliant on cooperation with the people covered. That’s not the sort of thing that can be fixed by trying harder to be more ethical, though. This isn’t some sort of gamergate thing, either. I see previews and reviews, at their heart, as advertorial content, and I’d love to see outlets focusing on something other than upcoming product which you should (not) preorder and new product which you should (not) buy. The problem is that I have no idea what that “something” would be, or how to attract enough of an audience to it in order to pay someone to write it. If I did have an idea, I wouldn’t be grousing in some article’s comment section! dox says: I think its important to really investigate a narrative before you start pushing it. For example some of the narrative being pushed by the anti gamergate crowd is that Jack Thompson was right and gamers are by and large being effected by what they play. This is a mindset everyone needs to fight against. I don’t think due diligence has been done on a bunch of these articles because the viewpoints they express are directing us towards a terrible end. Another issue is diverse gaming. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want diversity but its being pushed as a change what you like instead of make something new. We don’t need to sacrifice what we have or change what we have. We need more options on top of what is already available. I don’t understand why people don’t understand that. For example if you think bayonetta is too sexual don’t play it. Don’t tell those who enjoy it they are bad and don’t try to change that game just ignore it and find something you do like. Push developers to make new things but not at the expense of what people enjoy. That’s not an inclusive view that’s a greedy view. Appease me at the expense of all or else! Last but not least journalists should have a wall between them and subjects they cover. Obviously people will make friends onntje industry. That’s natural and expected. There is however a difference between a friend you see at events or talk to from time to time and a friend you talk to daily or see personally outside of work. I don’t mind someone putting their own views into an article or review but don’t knock somethings quality because you don’t agree with its “message” or ideals. That does a disservice to the game in question. If you would rate a game a 9 but give it a 7 because of a political view that’s unfair. A review should be based on the overall merit of the game. Talk about what you don’t agree with but don’t penalize because of it. I hope that makes sense because its obviously a tricky area. We just want fair truthful coverage of the industry. We don’t want to be mislead we don’t want things to be excluded because they aren’t your thing or made by someone you dont agree with. An example I personally have is gone home. I bought gone home based on someone in the press insinuating it was a horror themed game. I should have done more due diligence before buying it but it was someone I thought I could trust. Did I enjoy gone home? Sure, it was OK. I however never would have paid $20 had I known what it actually was. It was an experience worth having but I got there through less than honest means which really pissed me off. Jorge Cervera says: Dear Bryan Crecente, first of all, thank you for make this space possible, is good to know that not all bridges were burn, as a pro Gamergate I believe the problem comes from thinking that all is worth in the quest of equality in the medium, I’m pro feminist, pro diversity (I’m Mexican), and I think we can work together on this, I play games and for me the gender of the character is not the problem, I don’t fell my gender or identify in jeopardy, on the contrary, I fell I can understand more other people, right now I’m playing Alien Isolation, but the way Polygon, Kotaku, Rock Paper Shotgun and Gamasutra are talking about those changes is problematic, first, instead of point fingers at any one how play video games for not playing a female is way to put the mentality of “Us Vs. Them”, and that is not helpful, why not make them part of the solution, why not put positive things in the articles and make gamers fell not as the bad guy, but as the good guy, for example if there is a lack of female characters, way not say, we want more Tifas, more Lara Crofts more new characters put positive news; ¿Why doctor Sommers can have a more positive reception from gamers and not Anita? I think the problem is the approach, you cannot change the minds of people by closing discussion and from a Ivory Tower, you need to put your hands on the mud and talk to gamers, second, sexuality, the approach that Polygon is taking is not good, sexual expression can, and will change from subject to subject, there are people that want to expressed more, others less and we need to respect both, why music and movies can make videos as Anaconda with sexual themes or movies like Eyes Wide Shut and be call art, but video games cannot, is important to respect the sexuality of the game and understand the content of the piece, the industry has a place for Gone Home and Bayonetta 2, not only for one, third, if we really want equality, criticism cannot be only for males and not females, game media sites cannot afford another Zoe Quinn debacle, is a fact that if this news was well cover two months ago, like any other news, none of this will happen, let people blow off some steam in forums, when video games web sites made this news a “No Talk” subject, of course more people wanted to talk about it, I love games, and diversity is something that is happening right now, games will change, and they are changing, but we need to let everybody talk, the only reason to forbid someone from a forum or a discussion is if that person disrespectful of others, not if that person think different, is we want real diversity, all ideas need to be talk, even Gamergate, I think this forum is productive in order to reach a conclusion to this, thank you for your time. Cerebrawl says: What we’ve been seeing from the gaming media lately is that they’re in bed with devs and publishers, there’s a lot of shady financial and personal connections going on. We’ve also seen an increasing contempt for their audience, even before the gamers are dead articles, and it’s just kept going since. There’s a definite feel of “methinks thou dost protest too much”, every concievable avenue to deflect criticism, shame and blame critical voices has been used. It’s just staggering the lengths the gaming media has gone to, to discredit a consumer revolt looking for some journalistic integrity in games media. It’s very clear that it was never about misogyny, and all about covering ass. Not only is gaming media in full smear mode on gamers, zealously so, it’s been pushing very hard for censorship from the start, banning all dissent to its fabricated narrative. And there’s been very real harm, people have had to drop out because they’ve been doxxed, threatened and in some cases had their place of work harassed into firing them. This goes unreported by the media of course, as only their chosen victims apparently matter, and are tied to their opposition without any evidence what so ever, and in many cases quite suspect to begin with(for example known self-confessed sock puppeteer gets tons of coverage, without any research or critical thought put into it). Scrumpmonkey says: Look at the Patricia Hernandez situation. She clearly broke the rules twice with no consequence. The editor just weaved it off. When a journalist has a clear undeclared relationship and is actively promoting their friends/ former lovers products without the reader knowing there should be a clear mechanism in place for how that journalist is dealt with. These guidelines should be public and the readers should be able to know what will happen and what SHOULD happen in the event of a major lapse. You can’t just go “oops” and that be that. It would be nice if at least one of the “mainstream” outlets would “reveal” the “truth” behind #GamerGate: that it is a group of human beings (some shitty) who are united by being disenfranchised by their media when that media was pushed on issues of their own corruption. Personally, I’m not expecting professional journalistic standards, because most are just bloggers who made good. I’d LOVE professional standards, but what I expect from someone calling themselves a journalist is simple: Disclose connections of a financial or personal form as it relates to the subject or subjects of a journalistic article. Disclose financial or physical compensation for reviews. Recuse if you cannot, or will not, disclose those connections. Verify your source’s information, and Disclose if you can or will not. Punishment by editorial staff and publishers for journalists who refuse to follow these guidelines, or who attempt to obscure factual data. I’d genuinely prefer games journalists realize that it actually is about reporting information, and that “creating a message” is a matter for op-ed pieces, which should be labeled as such. What we have now, however, is a system where any dissent is met with threats and dismissal, from the journalist side. Not all, but enough to keep the fire burning. As a personal matter, I’d like the GameJournoPro complete e-mail list shown publicly. If it is such a vindicating document, that should reveal the truth behind the journos’ innocence. If, however, it is still worth hiding that suggests that there is still information in it worth concealing. I’d also like to know why “ethical” journos involved in it said nothing to their audience when they saw unethical behavior occurring. I would also say social media interactions need to be better handled. A LOT of this is due to people acting like dammed fools over Twitter etc. Editors need to power to say “If you say X in a public space you represent this site and will face discipline” If i said the things these people had said on my personal social media accounts no one would want to work with me. I’m not a public figure, a journalist who trades in reader confidence needs to be held to at least a basic standard. Badly researched, clearly biased or hit-piece articles need to be prevented. It should be basic policy that this shouldn’t take place. When it does take place we need a mechanism of reader accountability. E-mailing advertisers was a last resort option, it should NOT have to be the norm. These sites make money out of US. WE are their commodity they sell to their customers. When something is clearly out of line (and i do think it has to be extreme, populism isn’t always the best choice) we need to be able to hold their feet to the fire before it is allowed the escalate like it has done. Throwing gamers under the bus in the mainstream media is unacceptable practice for games journalist at a major website. That as appalling to see. Some Journalists also need to apologize. Right now. They are way past the line and actively damaging the image of the gaming industry. Darji says: For Ethics. What I figured out in the last months that most article were even made not for actual coverage but to protect friends. This industry is so tightly together that actual objective Journalism has been made impossible. If you are friends with someone or have a relationship NEVER EVER write about them. Not even one word. Do not defend them personally be objective and not personal in your articles. Here is a great video about Journalistic Ethics and relationships and these rules are currently broken by almost every Games “journalist” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-7RLxrsJ04 As for Reviews and Criticizing games : It is totally fine to criticize a game based on a social issues but it should never negative influence a Review Score which is part of Metacritic. In this Industry Developer are getting paid by this score. Obsidian for example did not get a Bonus and had to cancel a project because their score was 84 instead of 85. If you want social commentary or a review do it as a second opinion or editorial. Do not give a score like Kotaku does. Also only criticize the Game and not the people who like these sort of games or Developer. I just read some report on the Hatred game calling the Dev Team “human Garbage” Also if you already know that you will hate the game do not Review it if its on Metacritic. It should not be the case that someone who hates Racing games thinks they and cars are dumb is going to Review Gran Turismo 6 and the score will affect Metacritic. If you do not like JRPGs do not review them if you do not like soccer or soccer games do not review them. Give an opinion if you want but without a score. Done. As for Social criticism in general. Don’t use words like Sexist, racist etc like its free Candy. These words actually meant something but through the over use of these words they lose meaning and only become annoying. Also do not hyperbole. It can not be the case that someone is allowed to compare a vampire Scene in Castlevania 2 with a game called Rapelay. This is clickbait and hyperbole. Do not use these social issues as a click-bait be honest and fair about it. Do not try to censor things with words through public pressure. raymond bray says: I would like the gaming journalist and bloggers to adopt a code of journalistic ethics. that does not allow nepotism, cronyism, collusion or abuse of its customers. they should lose there jobs at some point if these practices continue. as it is, they dont even think there is a problem, much less that some one should be punished for these things. Gamergate has a list of ethics based on the journalists code of ethics. I also dont think that they should be able to label there customers as anything derogatory just to stop discussion on certain topics- misogynist, etc falls under the abuse of customers. silencing my opinion for having a different ideology is not right. also if you want to review games based on a political idiology your review score should not reflect on any all inclusive scores like Metacritic. since this has gone on to include game awards also. those need to be presented fairly and honestly. and not allowing people to participate because of there ideology can also not be allowed. Filip Moris says: After this week? After the entire main press jumping on gamers without investigating, calling us an hate mob, and creating more hate? After the entire mainstream press failing at basic human rationality? After generalizing, comparing us to terrorists, appealing to emotiong to generate more hate, saying hacking members of gamergate is ok? After that guy from gawker saying bullying is ok? I will fight to the end. I will fight until the truth comes out. But honestly, this week I lost all if any faith in journalism as a whole. I was hoping there were a few people with values, intelligence and ethics out there. A few people who would be skeptical enough to not buy the narrative that 30000 gamers are terrorists fighting to get girls out of videogames. Seems I was wrong. So currently? I do believe the entire industry needs to be purged; fire everyone and then hire new people. Gamergate would never achieve that of course. But I honestly believe that’s the only solution. But I digress. Click-bait journalist must end. There must be a central body who endorses good journalism and punished bad journalism. If you want to have a “badge” saying journalist, you must adhere to this body and behave according to it’s standarts. Inside our outside the internet. And if you fail you are kicked out. No journalism can be done by anyone who is not a journalist with a badge. And if you fail that badge you are out of the cool journalists club. Bloggers are bloggers, opinionators. Journalists are truth seekers, people who are here to make a better world. If you are a journalist and you only trust but don’t verify, if you are a journalists whose job description is not to publish the truth but generate click-bait, if your news are speculations; then you are not a journalist, you don’t have a badge and you are not authorized to call your pieces “news”. On that last word I meant “journalism”, not “news”. Nigel Coleman says: Our goal is to have the mainstream gaming media review and adopt ethics policies hopefully aligned with those laid out by the Society of Professional Journalists. If these standards are not achievable then the media should at least attempt to interact with the Gamergate community to see what actions changes can be made. A dialogue of some type on the issue is clearly needed. Wheeler says: One of the talking points I’d like to see is where the line between ‘fast reporting’ and ‘accurate reporting’. I understand that to journalists, often being the first to break or comment on a story is going to (or it is perceived it will) earn them the biggest audience for coverage on that subject. The question I want to pose is where that line should be drawn. It feels like too often people are abandoning the allegation and distance from the topic until facts are known, and instead plunging into opinion pieces based on incomplete information, or worse, articles intended to come off as factual based on incorrect information. I believe at no point should haste cause any chance of inaccuracy in reporting, and that if it has the writers should own up to their mistakes instead of claiming ignorance at the time. I’d much rather read a factual piece 48 hours after the fact than a knee jerk reaction 12 hours afterwards. Haste itself doesn’t fall directly under any given bulletpoint, but I feel it is a cause for several of them, making them symptoms of it. I do concede that at times, a publication’s livelihood may rely on being the first to break the story, but is that truly an excuse for the risk of being biased by one’s own interpretation of events, or worse, flat out incorrect? Is there any ethical guideline one could enforce to make sure that haste doesn’t compromise a story, or can we only create guidelines to deal with the symptoms it causes? EgoSumLetum says: This seems fantastic. If you do stick to this (and I’m not saying you won’t) this will make you one of the most ethically sound publications in the US. That is something to be proud of! Actually, I think I should go email spj and ask them to put together a numeric rating system to judge media outlets on their ethical soundness. One more Think I totally forgot about the whole GamerGate scandal. I think it was really telling that not one of the gaming media who covert these events wrote something objective. It was all one sided fitting a narrative. There was no objectivity at all it was all protect these people and do not care about the rest and Writer do the same: For example I warned a unnamed writer for Polygon and co that her Address was being posted by a troll and that GamerGate is reporting them until he gets suspended. Hours later when she woke up she thanked me and I said “np and that we need to fight harassment together and not against each other”. A minute Later she blamed everything on GamerGate. I asked her politely if she could restate this claim and that it was not GamerGate but her response was this: ” Even if GamerGate itself didn’t doxxed me, its existence is encouraging this kind of harrasment to happen to women who speak up” I will not name the Person who writes for Polygon and other sites but this shows exactly what was going on. They spinned their own narrative without even reaching out to the other side. How can we trust Games Journalism if they have writer like this who do not care about the truth and objectivity but rather to cause even more outrage for the sake of their goals? We know there are a lot of financial connections and cozyness between developpers and game journalists. The first step would be to actually disclose them. No one would deny that they need review copies to do their jobs, but when you go on a 5000$ trip paid for by the devs, there is a problem. With full disclosure, it’s up to the to consumer decides whether or not to trust your review. Not only would we be able to give feedback on what is and isn’t acceptable, it would open the debate on grey areas. And ultimately, it puts pressure on the devs instead of the journalists. If a dev is giving a car with your review copy, a lot of the backlash would be directed (justly imo) at the dev. I would also like journalists to be accountable for their actions. Many of them insult people publicly and their parent companies are perfectly okay with it. If a dev does something like this they get crucified by the games media. But the same standards don’t seem to apply to them. Just gonna drop this here… And also, start reporting fairly already! No mention of any good things we do, overblowing & accusations on shaky grounds, ect. http://www.littletinyfrogs.com/article/458015/GamerGate_What_do_you_want Nick Reed says: A few issues I’ve had with gaming coverage recently: I read reviews expecting to get information about how games compare to others, how its graphics/sound/controls shape up, as well as how much fun the reviewer had playing it. I like obscure Japanese Strategy RPGs, like Disgaea and its ilk. Sometimes when I read reviews of them, I understand that the reviewer may not like those games as much. I then am forced to just rely on the more ‘objective’ aspects of the review, and ignore personal impressions since the reviewer doesn’t like the genre. I feel like more and more reviews I read recently are from people who “don’t like the genre.” I read reviews and come away with the feeling I’ve been criticized for liking those games. Whether that’s saying SRPGs are for math nerds or FPSs are for immature bros, or just a general attitude about the game being beneath them. That’s not to say I don’t or won’t read opinion pieces on gaming, but I don’t personally feel that has as much a place in reviews of a particular game. I wouldn’t want to be a developer releasing a game I’ve worked on for 3 years right when a few websites decide they need to take a stand against whatever genre my game is. I also feel like a lot of people have been burned recently by well reviewed indie games. I’ve read glowing reviews of games that have interesting mechanics, storylines, are particularly progressive in their handling of issues, etc. But when I buy them, I find they’re not actually that fun to play. And the reviewer maybe only played it because they had to, and had no desire to go back and play it on their own time. I want those games to be made, and I want them to be refined so that one of them is worth my time some day, but I don’t want to feel deceived by reviewers. The last issue I wanted to touch on maybe feeds into all of this. I think people have been concerned with the group-think / herd-mentality of video game journalists. I feel like this has fostered contempt for game players that I can feel in some reviews. I feel like this prevents reviewers from speaking out about issues with indie darlings. I feel like this prevents people from writing as well as they could. All of the gamergate related coverage has been to try and express some nuanced ideas about inclusiveness, stereotypes, and the complex relationship between consumer, journalist, and producer. I don’t feel like many of the writers attempting to tackle it are skilled enough to communicate that nuance. I have read many articles and felt stereotyped, criticized, and attacked. A lot of the writing is only capable of communicating an idea to someone who already understands the idea — as if no devil’s advocate editor or dissenting opinion has helped work through some imprecise language. Rob Roy says: Jeff already had a ver concise list of ideas so I am going to quote him to lend support to his suggestions. I think this has been a major issue in the past for Polygon and needs to be rectified. Also, corrections need to be given the proper format and visibility. Going back and changing the wording on an old aticle like ben Kuchera did with the sexual harassment article is not just unprofessional it is downright disingenuous. Between that, the undisclosed financial relationships to a developer & his attempts to stronarm another publication into shutting down discussion I have a very hard time moving past such actions & trusting the goodwill of Ben Kuchera. His handling of the Patricia Hernandez controversy also is more than questionable. I think these points touch less on ethics per se, yet still are important to ensure a certain amount of value of information to the reader & would go a long way towards improving the site. Thanatos says: Remove the journalists who attack and bully their own readers. Have strict social media policies and if your employees go on unprofessional vitriolic rants or insult people, take away their social media account or fire them. This should be under that “Act Accountable” section. Stop acting like sycophants towards other journalists and stop collaborating with each other to coordinate coverage and shape narratives. Stop promoting clickbait garbage that only seeks one side of a story and refuses to address the other side of an issue. Any journalist found to be intentionally misrepresenting a story should be dismissed. And never, EVER ban or delete people’s civil comments just because they disagree with the journalist’s position or wish to discuss an issue. If your sites have overly broad Terms of Use that basically let your moderators do anything they want, rewrite them, restrict their powers and make them accountable. Keep your politics out of your reviews. A professional review should be telling me whether I will like a game or not, not whether the reviewer liked it. And shoving your ideology into your review and score helps no one, because my ideology is not likely to be the same as yours. Pure objectivity is of course impossible, but you should strive to be as objective as possible. And then read Roger Ebert’s own ethical guidelines: http://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/rogers-little-rule-book And have your journalists follow every single one of them. Look… I don’t care for Anita’s criticism. I think Zoe isn’t a good person. I think you all can do a lot better job of choosing figures that represent diversity in gaming (and you do choose them). Maybe you feel like any woman would face undue hatred, but I still think you can write about better people. Also if you want to write about progressive topics, I encourage you all to not be so lazy as to manufacture controversy (read http://tinyurl.com/mhqxwpw) However, if you want to write about them on your website that’s fine. I won’t read it, and I don’t want to silence you. I don’t participate in GG (except for donating to anti-bullying fund), and I’ve never threatened anyone. There is a very real problem with big dev/publisher and press relationships, and I want consumer advocates that I can trust. Frankly I find IGN having console-specific editors that gush over their beat while getting first access a little gross too. However, I don’t think that’s the only problem with the industry, and from the outside looking in there is certainly reason to suspect a bit too much nepotism. I’m a big fan of GB. I think there doing something really unique with their content, but what has been made abundantly clear from watching those videos is that it’s common place for developers (both indie and big studio) to schmooze with the press. It may be innocent, but I think it’s legitimate to question how all of the same people going to almost monthly industry events with after-parties, living in the same cities where they spend social hours together, and reinforcing each other through networking on twitter and private email groups are not being influenced to unduly give coverage to people within their social circle. GB has been pretty good about making distinctions in coverage, but I’ve got to wonder whether the social interactions they have with devs are common place for journalism. How are you guys expected to maintain professional distance with the way social media and industry events have exploded? When I read a lot of reviews that all have the same criticisms, is that because you all made the same conclusions in your independent play-through’s of the game? Or is it because someone released their review first and everyone emulated it? Or is it because of a private mailing group that you all communicated on with your review builds helped influence a narrative about a game? Maybe it’s none of the above, but it’s certainly easy to perceive unethical behavior from the outside, and it’s not clear how you regulate that. How exactly do you guys quantify whether the friendships you maintain for exclusives are professional or something more? I think a little more self-reflection on those issues, and honest communication to your audiences would help us all find consensus instead of disagreement. At the very least, it would certainly improve my perception of a press that’s just a little to full of enthusiasm and not appreciating the bigger picture of how the internet and social interactions can potentially influence groupthink in your writing. CollisionNZ says: I’ve already blown my top off at you over the editorial article. First and foremost, these ethics are something that should be applied to all your gamergate articles. The blatant misrepresentation of fact amid a very strong case to raise questions and demand an Ombudsman to be the one to investigate to verify the claim, is poor journalism. Do not be complacent with claims that carry a clear bias. “Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error.” A proper statement would be Kotaku claims that the relationship had no impact. This is yet to be verified by an independent investigation. The reason I push for it even in the articles being published about #GamerGate is because the media not properly investigating results in essentially slander pieces. They appear to be directed towards discrediting #GamerGate in a bid to avoid the true issues. In this case, all of this applies: But it appears that very little of this is actually followed in action. When it comes to denouncing harassment, #GamerGate is pretty much doing all it can do as a grassroots movement. Example is both the uncovering of the Brazilian Journalist harassing Anita and how /war/ on 8chan was flooded so the info was 404ed. Not indicating that such actions were undertaken also paints a biased narrative. All these informal fallacies have been present in some way in the media. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_picking_(fallacy) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_the_well http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_populum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_fallacy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeal_to_emotion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeal_to_consequences http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_silence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judgmental_language http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_sharpshooter_fallacy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_ignorance http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_does_not_imply_causation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasty_generalization http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallacy_of_the_single_cause http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_high_ground As you can see, the ease at which I find so many is a disgrace. It shows that even when an opinion piece is produce by the media that the argument that they are presenting is faulty. As you may begin to understand now, the longer this drags out, the more damage it will do to the gaming press. More shit will be dug up and more cases such as what is happening with Gawker. These sites names will be dragged through the mud to the point that advertisers will slowly leave. Just look at the stock prices for Gamasutra’s parent company. The media’s reluctance to address this, negatively affects them but not the consumer. There is huge competition in games media we have seen and Devs still need to sell games to the consumer. Ultimately I want journalists that advocate for the consumer. We have seen barely any of this at all and that is probably the biggest factor that has contributed to the mess we have now. I pretty much fully endorse all of this code. If you were to have a ethics policy, copy and paste this adding in specific examples for clarification. I believe that this should be pushed as an industry standard. Also additionally, a discussion on the distinction between a review and a critique needs to be had. A review in my opinion should be aimed at a general audience, be the ones with a score and follow below. Sorry for my outburst on twitter, but after finding a journalist finally willing to have the discussion then their employer releasing such an article, it was like an extreme bi-polar roller coaster. Enormous respect earned followed by a massive drop. Being here since the start and having such a passion for gaming means that I am may be over invested. But this is the first time that I’ve felt such purpose for a movement/revolt and actually dedicated time to one. Truth and integrity are something worth fighting for and after engaging with the community that sprung up and the ones that were always there, supporting each other through tough times, I couldn’t be more proud to call myself a gamer. BrokenTinker says: See… this is why some of us are fighting in this. Publishers being able to cut you guys off, that’s bloody disgusting. We want to (and need to) go after as well, but right now, the focus is on the media outlet (who attacked us in the first place). In regards to journalism, what can we do to enforce the rules when EiC is complacent in the first place and the writers/journalists fear for their own employment? Subscription model failed (patreon is part of sub. model), the ad revenue model is failing us, industry paid model is unworkable, journalists can’t live on nothing, so definitely no free/hobbyist model. I’m afraid cutting out the middleman might become a likely possibility, a hybrid industry+consumer model might work, But that isn’t fair to everyone. Would having the site part of its parent company, thus making it liable, be a possible model? Escapist focus on more than just games, so they are a little diversified and thus not as tightly choked for contents. Will the same work for other sites? The lack of content might be one reason why certain sites are pushing out some stuff, masquerading as another. Pepep Pope says: I would like to discuss an article recently published on Polygon and I want to be as respectful as possible, even if some of what I say may not sound pretty, please wait until the end before reaching a conclusion. http://www.polygon.com/2014/10/14/6979071/utah-state-university-anita-sarkeesian-threats My concerns come when the level of the threat is gauged. After reading the article, I end with the idea that her safety could have been seriously compromised, had Miss Sarkeesian decided to participate in the event, especially in the second update when it’s said that security preparations were taken very seriously or that the level of threat present is rare. On the other hand, there’s this letter from USU. http://www.usu.edu/ust/index.cfm?article=54180 “Together, we determined that there was no credible threat to students, staff or the speaker, and that this letter was intended to frighten the university into cancelling the event.” It’s shocking to me that state and federal law enforcement agencies didn’t consider there was a credible threat, but after Polygon reached police officials, this was never transmitted, or the author didn’t consider it was relevant to the story. It’s my belief that journalists have a responsability to avoid creating mass hysteria, among other reasons, because that probably was the main objective behind whoever sent the threats and validating these individuals can have a seriously dangerous effect, like creating copycats. I understand the writer isn’t in an easy position in a case like this one, since it feels heartless to “downplay” the suffering of others. But I feel I’m being told a substantially different story when I read “the level of threat presented is rare” on Polygon’s article (which could be a misleading choice of words) compared to the one I get after reading the statement from USU. Nicolas Rodrigue says: First off, I’d like to thank you for taking comments on this. This is something we desired for a long time. I had to catch some sleep before writing on this topic. I’ll be talking about ethics first, then briefly go over biased reporting/reviews. I think for the gaming press to be taken seriously, it will need to first and foremost distance itself from the publishers, the game developers, etc. It’s all too common for their relationship to be too cozy. I haven’t forgotten controversies DoritoGate or the Kane & Lynch scandal. The press shouldn’t be accepting gifts, parties and etc offered by them. They have you by the balls when it comes to giving pre-release copies and frankly, that’s not an easy problem to tackle. But it’s pretty obscene that it’s common in the industry to have review blackouts because the non-positive coverage is banned before release. As much as I’d like to blame the publishers for corrupting the press, it’s on the press to actually put their foot down and set a clear guideline of ethics and fight them industry-wide. From what I gathered, the movie industry sends pre-release reviews by the bulk, so there’s a professional distance between the producers and the reviewers. This is what you guys need to establish first and foremost. And if that means to do like Kotaku has announced to do – to focus on post-release reviews instead, I say – go for it. I may hate Kotaku but this is definitely not a bad direction to go to. Now, I’ll go and tackle the meat of GamerGate – the conflicts of interest. The gaming press is in dire need of more transparency. It needs to remember than even appearance of impropriety is just as important as actual impropriety. I don’t think Kickstarter is much of an issue, not unless one funded the game massively but for an objective standard to be met, I think it’s important to at least disclose it when it happens. Yes, even if it’s something like 20-25$, mostly because I want an objective standard, not something subjective that can easily be twisted later on. Besides, it wouldn’t stop anyone from reviewing a game unless they contributed massively to the project. However, the maze of Patreon links between journalists/writers and the subjects they cover has been a depressing thing to discover. This, to me, has to go. Funding a person is quite different from the equivalent of pre-ordering a game (Kickstarter). When you like the person so much you’re funding them a monthly salary or vice versa (dev funding you), the trust is completely broken. You can’t be neutral or objective on anything if there’s a financial interest in it not to be. You may think “But I know, this wouldn’t affect my opinion either way”. No, appearance of impropriety is just as bad, especially when it comes to financial links. Some people will say a disclosure could be enough, I disagree with them because dollars are involved. The next issue to tackle is relationships being failed to be disclosed. This has been a problem that has been talked about quite a bit during GamerGate. This needs full-on disclosure or for the person involved to recuse themselves, depending on the nature of the relationship. Let me cite one egregious example : Patricia Hernandez. Now, I know you’re not Kotaku but entertain me for a moment, Patricia had a close personal relationship with Anna Antropy (they lived together at some point). Yet she still covered her games, even going so far as to recommend readers to buy them. This is NOT OKAY. Even more not okay is that the same thing happened between her and Christine Love, except this time, she dated her. This wasn’t disclosed. And when caught, it was disclosed retroactively with seemingly no consequences for Hernandez. And this is something that’s also important, if a writer fails to disclose a relationship, there needs to be consequences. Going back, updating the article and then going on as if nothing ever happened shatters the trust between readers and gaming websites. What’s to stop it from happening again? This was the part about ethics. Now, I’d like to discuss briefly the concept of trying to review a game as objectively as possible. And no, I do not think it’s something silly to strive for. Oliver Campbell wrote an article on this – https://medium.com/@oliverbcampbell/the-purpose-of-a-game-review-and-how-to-write-one-with-minimal-subjectivity-c8fb78d3266 and it’s an interesting read. tldr; version is “Your job, as a reviewer, isn’t to tell the customer what to buy. Your job is to INFORM the customer of what they COULD buy, should they be inclined to.” Also, if you absolutely must bring morality, sexism and those sort of things that are related to personal ideology into play, I suggest you take this from Christian reviewers, who do not let it affect scores by using a dual score system – http://i.imgur.com/tCBhkIu.png?1 . I think it’s really terrible for games to be marked down for political beliefs that your audience may not share, like the Tropico 5 review which got marked down for making the reviewer feel like a bad person. Especially in light of the abomination that is Metacritic scores being used to determine whether devs get paid bonuses or not. Personally, I’d love nothing more than to do away with scores but we all know this isn’t a realistic approach. And that’s it for me. I didn’t really touch fair reporting or the lack of investigative journalism though these are also important things to strive for. The SPJ code does already cover this stuff quite well, so I’ve got nothing to add on the subject. Again, I’d like to thank you for fielding comments on this issue, even if it’s on a personal level and not as a representative of Polygon. JackSprat says: Two short ideas. Throw away account, obviously. First: acknowlege that you aren’t part of the gaming industry. You’re people in the press who have gaming as their beat. Entirely different. So very many of the defences and grievances revolve around this idea that “they are a colleague and we need to be able to work and socialize with our colleagues”. That is wrong. Dangerously wrong. Game designers and political activists focused on gaming may be lovely people…but they are subjects, not colleagues. There should be some distance, and instead there is a chummy and cozy clique. The latter group can be especially difficult, since they are writers themselves much of the time, and often journalists privately agree with them. But they are exactly those people who “seek power, influence or attention” that the SPJ refers to. They are attempting to use that writing to change policy and polity alike. They are closer to politicians than journalists, and deserve some scrutiny. (Even the ones you agree with. ESPECIALLY the ones you agree with.) It doesn’t help that so many gaming writers are obviously angling for a job in the industry either. Every Journo who becomes a “Community Manager” or the like is another weight crushing your credibility to dust. Second: yes, we’re all aware that there is no such thing as complete objectivity in either journalism or criticism. You can stop using that to defend yourselves now, we all get it. But you can’t have it both ways. You can’t Pronounce Factual Judgment on a difficult subject as a journalist, or provide quantitative and definitive scores as a critic, and then turn around and start rambling on and on and on and on about how it’s just your “feels” when challenged on your reasoning or justification. That’s disingenuous, dishonest, and plain dumb. The scores, especially, are produced knowing that they are going to be compared and aggregated. That is why you produce numbers. That is what numbers are FOR. If you don’t like it, DONT PRODUCE NUMBERS. Kotaku doesn’t. Rock Paper Shotgun doesn’t. Polygon could ditch them tomorrow. The choice to use them is valid, but accept what that choice means. Either way, you have a duty to be intellectually honest. Clearly explain your reasons and methods, and ground your writing in those reasons and methods. If your writint is supposed to be seen through a particular ideological lens, make it obvious, so that nobody is caught by surprise. If you are writing about a person or group, give them a chance to comment, and cite them clearly and fairly, without fear or favor. Taking potshots at a caricature makes YOU look like an idiot too. And, finally, accept that there are going to be those that disagree with you of equal or greater intelligence and moral fiber to your own. Even the ones who can’t write as well as you can. Your flair with words doesn’t prove a goddamned thing. It’s not enough. But it’s a start. Somebody Left A Comment says: To me the problem is that there’s a clique of game journalists who are trying to monopolize the ability to discuss issues. I’m going to use Anita Sarkeesian as an example. The responses to her videos can be spit into three groups. Group 1) Personal threats against Anita. These are horrific and morally bankrupt. Group 2) Attempts to discredit Anita as a critic. For example, digging up a clip of her saying “I’m not a gamer”. I don’t like this either – it’s a textbook ad homenim logical fallacy. Arguments should be judged on their own merits. Group 3) Actual rebuttals and counter critiques. There’s an enormous range of actual rebuttals. To demonstrate the diversity – I have seen feminists criticizing Anita from an explicitly feminist perspective (then again, given the history of feminism that shouldn’t be surprising… I digress). What should have happened is that journalists would have found the best rebuttals and given them visibility. People would then see these rebuttals and write counter-rebuttals, then counter-counter-rebuttals. So on ad infintium, and we’d have a proper discussion. What happened instead is that game journalists lumped all three groups together and talked down to them as though everyone disagreeing with Anita was complicit in harassment. Unsurprisingly people don’t like being talked down to or accused of misogyny, so this behavior has been slowly but steadily sowing distrust and division for years. I believe that said distrust and decision is a major factor that led up to the explosion that was gamergate. I don’t mind if journalists agree with and want to support Anita. I don’t mind if reviewers want to mark a game down for not being feminist enough. But I think they have to accept and respect other points of view. They should not divide the world into “people who agree with me” and “neckbearded manbabies”. I’m honestly not positive that games journalism has anywhere to go but towards irrelevancy. Certainly there are some issues that can be addressed immediately, such as disclosure and recusal – take much of Patrica Hernandez’s work over at Kotaku for example – her hype pieces on the work of her friends, roomates, or erstwhile lovers is completely indefensible by any standard or metric of journalistic practice. In fact, this so egregiously violates any standard of propriety that it’s almost impossible to take the publication seriously at all since one must suppose that Stephen Totilo (EiC) didn’t just passively “miss” a few instances of this behavior, but actually thought it was fine Ending these sort of practices has to be first. This also means cultivating a level of distance between journalists and their subject material, which in the case of the indie games scene is going to be both difficult, but also extremely necessary if you actually give a damn about the development of indie talent. As it stands right now, through blind nepotism and incestuous relationships, the entire scene has turned into a charity welfare system for “needy games” where “needy games” are often synonymous with “my best mates games” or “games who have a political agenda that I think needs press”. Both of these attitudes are completely self serving and do not serve the consumer or the developers working in this scene at all. And finally, even if these things were addressed, frankly the caliber of the gaming “press” has been exposed as fucking atrocious. When people that their peers hail as their “best writers” fail at making simple ontological arguments, or conflate critical theory with qualitative analysis, it literally blows your fucking mind. A lot of the anger I think we are seeing from the public on the whole is because while they may not understand epistemology the way, say a social sciences professor would, all human beings understand it in principle and we certainly notice it when it’s lacking. I really have no idea how you fix this last issue. Maybe stop hiring freelancers with creative writing degrees, or certainly get better editors. It seems too many people in this scene are concerned with being perceived as being “Writerly” instead of intellectually challenging, or they conflate intellectual challenge with just challenging societal norms (although I question if this is actually happening and instead what we are seeing is careful construction of strawmen to burn by journalists). Obviously, the former takes more effort and expertise on behalf of the writer to accomplish than the later, but it’s also the objective measure by which we value writing – as in your audience is not going to invest their time and intellectual capital into non-consumer review pieces that fundamentally fail the epistemological tests of their thesis without eventually getting pissed off. I often think that many writers believe their audiences are stupid because they put too much of a value on ones ability to express themselves as a sign of intelligence (naturally, they are writers after all). They fail to recognize that simply because someone may have a limited vocabulary or life experiences, doesn’t mean that they cannot logically process causality. I see this a lot with people who are supporting #GamerGate right now, not all of them are incredibly articulate, but the notion of everything I’ve stated in this post is absolutely there even if they can’t express it using exact terms like I can. Anyway, getting back to my opening paragraph – I’m not convinced that anything can be done here. I think what we’re seeing is just one in a long line of middle fingers given by the public to the press as it continues to tumble towards irrelevancy. Between the problems of an obviously diminished talent pool and a freelancer system that isn’t designed to cultivate intellectual talent, much like the mainstream press we’ll just see a decline into yellow journalism while people move to places like Youtube to connect with personalities that have more credibility. And while I appreciate the position that this puts you guys in, I can’t honestly say I’m sad over it. Most who are not young gamers seem to assume game journalists, in their current form, are still necessary. I think this is wrong because a) they never acted like journalists and b) youtubers have taken over their main schtick. In this discussion, people have also been confusing reviews with opinion, to the point where some journalists have essentially declared objectivity dead. For the most part, gamers don’t care that Kotaku posts another article about the sexualization of Medusa’s breasts in God of War. People care about reviews. These are reports that are supposed to inform consumers of games of the content and quality of a product on day 1. To do this, reporters receive privileged early access to games. Relevant questions include: – Can anyone with a credible channel get early access? (No) – Have reviewers been gagged from discussing certain aspects? (Yes) – Have outlets been blacklisted for publishing negative reviews? (Yes) – Have writers been fired for criticizing advertised games? (Yes) – Are review scores used for purposes other than informing consumers, like the bonuses game developers receive? (Yes) – Are reviews used to push a political agenda by docking points for subjective interpretations? (Yes) The whole system is so obviously rigged at this point, you have to question it entirely. Shouldn’t there be more transparency in this? Shouldn’t game companies have more open policies about giving reviewers access? And in an age when there is no shortage of DLC and DRM, why have real “shareware” demos gone all but extinct? On top of that, when you ignore the reviews, what you are left with is mostly…. bloggers. Not journalists. If you want in-the-field reporting on gamer events, an expose on unreasonable crunch time, news from academic research, or measured thoughts on interaction and game design, good luck finding them. The social justice warriors act like their brilliant critique simply isn’t being understood, when in truth, most people hate it because it’s shit and third-rate. UnSubject says: I believe that gaming journalism needs to have a good think about the nature of crowdfunding approaches like Paetron and Kickstarter. If a journalist starts to ‘invest’ in a particular person or title, they are showing an enhanced interest in that person succeeding. So if a games journalist has invested heavily in (say) Star Citizen, they’ll be personally invested in that title succeeding. They’ll have an interest in writing more articles about the game and also will have a more directly line to the developers through backer-only content. They’ll be less critical in pushing news about that second Kickstarter because they want the game to succeed (plus they’ve already invested $$$ in it). The extreme end is where the games journalist becomes an unpaid PR mouth piece – something that should be avoided. We’re also moving into the position of paid games curation as well. It strikes me as odd that game sites are heading towards recommending titles AND providing a link that sells them where they make a cut. That seems to start heading towards a conflict of interest, since if you make money off the games you sell, then the incentive is to recommend more of them. There really hasn’t been much discussion around mock reviews since the Florence / Wainwright blow-up a few years ago, but I’m not sure how much of a thing mock reviews are any more. Teuthex says: Don’t review or give other positive coverage to people you have a close personal connection with. Don’t refrain from reviewing or giving other positive coverage to people you don’t have a close personal connection with. Don’t insult your audience. Don’t coordinate with others in the games media to push agendas, construct narratives, suppress stories. Don’t suppress stories that paint people you have a close personal connection with in a negative light. Polygon is Polygon. Kotaku is Kotaku. RPS is RPS. They should have their own distinctive voices, motivations, and even to some degree their own ideological slants. They should be competitors. This does not appear to be the case. ‘Friends’ shouldn’t come into anything. If anyone gets preferential treatment, you are quite simply not a journalist. meh says: Thanks for listening to us. i understand now why you were drawn red and blue for the cultural stuff the press threw up i completly agree with Jorge Cervera. I would like to add to that statement that everything should be critizised from sexism to radical feministical ideas only that way can a satisfactory conclusion be reached for the ethics stuff i really like your list my question is how to enforce it since well trust for selfpolicing is at an alltime low. also no blacklisting of developers we do not want people out in the streets just because they stubbed the wrong toes. FearTheGuardian says: 1. Journalists aren’t allowed to accept gifts or money. 2. Journalists reporting on a game or product are not allowed to go to the developers offices to review a product. No VIP treatment type stuff. 3. You can go to industry parties but you are not allowed to right articles or review products for a company that you went to a party for or have close friendships or affiliations with. 4. At public events or stuff you’re invited to you are not allowed to review anything that you received for free from that specific developer. Like Ubisoft giving press free tablets. That’s a big no-no and if you accept it you shouldn’t talk about what it is you saw. 5. 5 point system for rating stuff. This was often a point of contempt in the past that would upset people because you can’t rate something objectively I would argue you can. A. Is the Pacing good (Pacing referring to how smoothly the game played, were the objectives not expressed well were you cruising through the game and no all of a sudden you keep dying? B. Do the Mechanics of the game bring something new to the table? Ex: The new Call of Duty allowing much more vertical movement and laser weapons do you think that this changes the formula or is something new. C. Is there any Replayability? This includes Multiplayer. D. What are the options menu like? Does it provide plenty of options to change your ability to play the game? Head phones option? Color Blind mode, screen adjustments etc etc. E. Was the game bugged or glitchy? did you run into any issues with the game of something just not working or other problems? Yes = 1 point Kinda = 1/2 No=0 grimgate says: I think anyone that works under the title of journalist and covers gaming media needs to get back to basic. Journalists need to be above reproach when covering a story. Usually I’m all for people being entitled to a private life, however, when you take a position that requires integrity and the status of being above reproach to cover material in the least bias manner for the sake of truth, you often lose certain privileges to keep your integrity intact. This includes having overly friendly to intimate relationships with possible sources. They are plenty of people to have relationships with in the world and the potential sources of a journalist shouldn’t be one of them. Feelings may compromise one’s journalistic integrity and form bias. This should also apply to receiving free swag, nice accommodations, getting game previews before the release date, etc. As for reviews… I think the reviews are more than welcome to critique from a social point of view so as long as that the author discloses ideologies or religious views that may bias the the critique and not affect the overall gaming score. A social score could be created apart from gaming score in the similar vain to the current game rating system. The gaming score should be about graphics, design, well written story (whether or not you agree with it), speed, controls, game mechanics similar to how hardware reviews often score electronics. If a piece of hardware has a naked male / female on it. I think its relevant to make a note about this, but it shouldn’t detract from a score meant for things like price, quality, speed, capacity, etc. Opeds… Since opinions pieces are stated with an elevated voice that could sway or polarize the audience published on a news platform, a place that should be more about facts than opinions, there should be more transparency. Hopefully, this will force the writer to at least use facts to back up the opinion and to reveal any bias which may help avoid compromising the authors integrity and giving readers a feeling of betrayal later when the come across information that may call into question the integrity of the writer. Also it may be in the best interests for the public that a person try not to straddle the fence of being a game journalist and a game critic. Transparency. In a field where integrity is part of the job requirement, there shouldn’t be a private e-mail list, google hangout, or private meetings for like minded people to share things that may cause colluding. It should either be a public list or the list shouldn’t exist in order to keep journalistic integrity above reproach. TL;DR Avoid actions that may question you’re integrity. If you can’t do that, disclose all such actions. One more thing to add to the list above. I believe that it is imperative that we continue the movement of inclusiveness in our culture while also allowing article writers to express themselves freely through their writing. With that being said I would the key points I touched on above to be the standard for game reviewing as far as a point system goes however the person doing the review is absolutely allowed to say that he thought the game was garbage misogynistic propaganda to encourage the rape and murder of young women they are perfectly allowed to right their anti cis gendered male manifseto without affecting the score of the game. your* integrity. Maelwaedd says: Ethics should reflect the role of the journalist Protecting the consumer should be #1 Looking over the SPJ ethics code I really struggle to find examples which gaming journalists have not broken in the last 12 months and I’m not just talking about what has occurred during GG I am not saying there are not ethical journalists, but as a collective they have failed and the disconnect and loss of trust from their consumers can not be better demonstrated than the massive surge in popularity of Youtube’s LP’s and game reviews. If your consumers are going elsewhere for content you use to provide for them maybe you should pay attention to it, when consumers tell you that they do not trust the information and opinions being presented to them you should ask why that is and how can it be improved I want gaming media to be beacon on what journalism should be and something that other journalists strive to achieve. I want media that I am proud of, not clickbait. BeardRex says: Things I want to see: -Fact checking, even in editorials. (this is the most important one for me) -Not only should you not review the game of someone you have an intimate or financially involved with, but you should not even use them as a SOURCE. If for some reason you can’t recuse yourself, you must DISCLOSE this information. (NOTE: I would define financial involvement as investment that includes potential return, or someone who you are financially co-dependent with (ie a housemate, landlord, child, or parent). If you donate to Patreon, or other crowdfunding THAT MUST BE DISCLOSED. And I also feel like all disclosures should be at the top of the article.) -Remove review scores, especially from reviews that make no effort to be objective. Disclose at the top of the review how you obtained your copy of the game. -If you choose to run a publication that does not do ‘objective’ reviews, you must go out of your way to publish reviews of the same game from authors with different perspectives/ideologies, and display them prominently on the same page (I remember when some game mags would actually do this). And you must NEVER delete comments simply for question the ideologies of the author or the review itself. -Be consistent in your coverage of “drama”. Do your best to not appear as if you hold one person’s personal life more important than another. These are the responsibilities of the both the publication AND the journalist. Journalists should be pushing these sites away from clickbait. Refuse to write clickbait headlines. Police each other and call each other out. Journalism should be a noble profession. If you want to be a real journalist then you must make sacrifices. Sometimes that means sacrificing a portion of your social life. Sometimes that means making almost nothing. I think a lot of games journalists are honest people, but the bad ones screwed up the trust. The best things games journalists can do now is remove any doubt of misconduct. Disclose, disclose, disclose. It’s the easiest thing you can do. If you’re not sure whether something is worth disclosing… disclose it. I’d also like to add that you should avoid developing an intimate or financial relationship AFTER you use someone as a source or review their game as well. Yes that’s hard, but journalism should be hard. I’m sorry, but that’s the only way trust can be formed. To start Brian, I’ll say that none of these are specifically aimed at you (obviously) as your stance in the Sony/Playstation Home story is one that I think all game journalists could learn from. I’ll hit up a few details in what I am looking for: This means anything and everything. The problem of “closeness” in the industry is to the point where I’m not sure where it ends so I couldn’t possibly guess as to whether or not a journalist is actually disclosing “everything”. From the SPJ Code of Ethics: Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. Disclose unavoidable conflicts. Obviously some journalists don’t do enough on this subject, but I think even those who are “turning the corner” aren’t truly following this step as they think disclosure solves all. Going further, there are times when conflicts of interest are truly “unavoidable”. Such a COI might be: My brother married a game developer. This is unavoidable from the Journalist, but should still be disclosed. Taking this further, I dislike the idea that simple disclosure should be “enough”. If a Journalist is flown out to a developer and put up in a Hotel and whatever because it was the only means by which they could get a “review copy”, the proper solution is not to simply disclose this, but rather it is to not have participated at all. This is why when Polygon updates their previously horrible “Patreon Guidelines” to indicate that all Patreon donations must simply be disclosed, I have no choice but to laugh. While I argue that Patreon donations ARE a conflict of interest, I don’t think anyone can argue that they aren’t, at the very least, a perceived conflict of interest. From the SPJ CoE, these perceived conflicts of interests should be AVOIDED, not just disclosed. To think otherwise is to not take ethics seriously (IMO). To take this further (and is hopefully a point that you yourself need no preaching about), the right answer to PR pressure should always be to walk away. PR firm won’t give you coverage if you don’t agree to only use “positive” words (see recent youtube coverage)? You walk away. PR firm won’t give you a review copy that isn’t in the form of a giant Master Chief replica? You walk away. And disclose. I think the quickest way to alert your reader-base and gain their sympathy for a lack of coverage on a game is to let them know that shady-PR deals led to it. While I have many others, there is one last one that I would like to touch on, and that is the subject of “Objective Reviews”. While Polygon maintains that these are impossible and that no one wants them anyways, I disagree, to an extent. To put it in another way, while “somebody” would find value in a Call of Duty review written by someone who only plays racing games, I believe that such a review on a website that represents all gamers would be useless. Similarly, I think the same topic could apply in regards to political issues etc. My problem with inserting personal-views into game reviews is that you alienate the usefulness of the review to only those who share the same views (well, kind of anyways). It’s a problem I have with the “individual reviewer” system that most sites use. While I think reviews that attempt to be as objective as possible will always be best (A review that talks about the quality of a shooters shooting mechanics instead of lamenting about how the thrill of shooting doesn’t compare to the thrill of racing is, I presume, inherently more desirable), I’m open to the idea of more subjective reviews under the following circumstances: I, personally, would like for all reviews on Polygon to be held to a universal “guideline”. While Polygon may expect every reader to learn and follow individual reviewers, I think that websites need to understand that a review posted on Polygon is a “Polygon” review and not an “Arthur Gies” review. As a result I would be more inclined to accept subjective input on a game as long as it follows the “Polygon Review Standards”, so to speak. As an example, look at many of the Christian Game reviewers. They discuss objective qualities of the game, but also review the game against a moral guideline (the bible?). If Polygon held all of it’s reviews to the same standard, I think there would be less of an issue. Saúl Pereira says: It’s simple: More disclosure of relationships between devs, journalists and companies, and less clickbait journalism. Dielan says: Let’s put aside the conspiracy theories I blabber on about on twitter for a minute, What gets me about recent games journalism is scope. If a website wants to write articles on games with their connections/connotations/conclusions to politics than that’s what the site should be for. More and more I see politics creeping up into product reviews. In politics nobody is ever truly “right” so it falls into the opinions category when you apply a political bias to your writing. I just want such writing labeled as such so I can respectfully go read a different article. You don’t see politics popping up in magazines and/or journals and/or blogs related to RC aircraft. You just see a lot of articles about events, fun, and comparing products for what they are worth. A wrongful police arrest related to RC use would be appropriate for such a magazine sure, but it wouldn’t be on the front page. To reiterate: opinionated and biased coverage of a game is fine if that’s what your site is all about. I just want it labeled as such so I can seek out more objective product reviews. Other people might be interested in pieces like that, but not me nor many others. b100darrowz says: My biggest concerns are the following: The separation of cultural critique and game critique in terms of allocating reviews. I understand wanting to be able to talk about the cultural, sexist, dangerous, and so forth aspects that can be present in any form of media, however your analysis of those should be separate. When I look into a review, I want to see analysis of game mechanics, graphics and physics engines, is the story powerful, is it challenging, what are the flaws in the gameplay, and ultimately is it worth the cost. I do not care for the politics of the reviewer to be injected into the score of the game. Like https://www.christcenteredgamer.com/ if they wish to do a moral analysis of the game under review, there can be a separate section for analysis of morals and societal ills the game addresses [or fails to address]. The second issue, and honestly to me as someone who relies more on personal experience and experience of a few close friends to judge a games value the more serious one, is the deep collusion between both authors on hypothetically competing websites and the collusion between developers and those writers. For the first, this allows them to push whatever rhetoric they wish upon readers, without allowing for any dissenting opinions to spring forth [see Gamers are Dead, responses to Zoe post specifically]. Collusion between the developers and writers/reviewers can prevent legitimate criticism being levied at the game in question for fear of not being allowed to review further games of the developer. While obviously friendships between authors, and friendships between reviewers and developers are not in and of themselves a bad thing, nor is communication about big issues, the problem comes when it is decided that there is a single agenda to push, especially one that alienates the consumer base, one that does not give the consumer base a chance to respond, and one which does not make it clear the relations that may have influenced the author. We want clear and open lines of communication, with honest discussion on all ends. That does not seem too much to ask. Thank you for your consideration and the time spent to review our concerns. Vivian James says: You could start by not having someone so openly in favor of one corporation write a review for a game that they publicly tweeted should not exist. Don’t know who I’m talking about? Then you do not know your staff very well. By far, the most alarming aspect out of all of this is that somehow gaming journalists think the distaste for their antics and nonsense began in late August. One of you went on a disgusting, offensive, drunken verbal rampage on an E3 2010 podcast. One of you made a joke about Catholics being child molesters on Weekend Confirmed. Ethics? Maybe you could try not being completely offensive morons first, and then focus on the ethics. Notice what has not been mentioned – the events unveiled in late August. I never heard of the journalist involved prior to that, but I did laugh my ass off when he had the gall to write an article about what YouTube personalities (who are not, and have never been journalists) may or may not be doing wrong. Pot. Kettle. Black hole. It must be very easy for you to tell yourselves that this is all the work of 4chan, Reddit, and some digital lynch mob. Wrong. Some of us have attended events and shook your hands. Some of us have actually been playing games for thirty years. Some of us used to read John Carmack’s .plan file in 1998, simply because we find the medium interesting. Some of us have repeatedly scratched our heads at the spectacular decline in gaming journalism since 2008. We did not magically appear on August 20th, and we will not vanish when the people you are throwing us under the bus for go find another imaginary injustice to cash in on with speaking engagements. That the perception exists among gaming journalists that this all stems from the sexual indiscretions of a lousy gaming blogger that we had not previously heard of, is absolutely hysterical. Keep stabbing at ghosts and anons. We’ll keep emailing your advertisers with links and .mp3 snippets of every dumb, hateful, wildly ignorant, and patently disgusting thing you have been writing and saying for the past six years. You can kill the needless hashtag tomorrow. Six years of wanting to vomit at the moment of exposure to your horrendous bullshit is not going anywhere. Gamers Everywhere, emailing and using adBlock Kain Yusanagi says: These are the basic positions of the journalist that they all need to be held to, agreed. I’d like to go further and ask for people to stop treating their readers like human scum, if at all possible? This said, we also need to work with you journalists to kill this cycle where you are reliant on the publishers to feed you information. As journalists it is your JOB to report on them for the public, and we need to enable the freedom of the press in that manner- something we have been neglectful in primarily because of lack of impetus to do so. That they can attempt to blackball you as was done with Kotaku and Sony in 2007 is unconscionable and should be reported so public feedback can be used to push back against such bad practices. We’re here not just to consume the content you provide, but keep both you and the games industry you report on in line. We’re the hammer, as Damion Schubert said; You’re supposed to be the focussing lens for our response. Cody Kiser says: This is what I want in gaming journalism: No more writing about people you are friends with or have financial ties to. If you do write about them, then put it up front so everyone knows and they are able to read the article with the thought in mind that you may be leaving out anything negative. An end to deciding who gets coverage (mainly applies to indie devs) based on your personal connections or ideologies. If you can’t or won’t give them fair coverage then direct them to someone who can. Publicly available ethics policies available on all gaming journalism websites. They should be presented on a page all to themselves with a clearly visible link on the websites home page. These ethics policies should be strictly enforced and all breaches should be investigated by an outside entity with no stake in the outcome so as to refrain from creating a conflict of interest. Friendships between journalists and others in the industry should be watched to make sure they won’t lead to a breach of ethics or conflict of interest. Remember, as a journalist your number one priority is your readership. No more accepting bribes and/or gifts from developers (including AAA) companies. If they have to bribe you for good coverage then they have no faith in their products and should really take a bit to reevaluate their production process and view on what the consumer would like. As a journalist it is your job to go to the story, not the stories job to come to you. If your company won’t pay for your travel expenses and instead relies on the developers for it, then you need to find a different company. When it comes to reviews and ratings, leave your personal bias and views at the door. Listen to what the community wants to know. We want objective reviews based on the structural and mechanical merits of the game. We want to know if the physics engine works properly, if we are going to glitch out every couple of steps, if the control scheme is efficiently utilized, and how the graphics quality is among other things. When it comes to reviewing character design, do is so it is in relation to the other graphical qualities of the game. I want to know if the buildings look realistic but the characters look like cartoons. I don’t care if you think a character is to sexy, to brutish, to dopey looking, or to hideous. I want to know if the design fits in with the rest of the graphics in the game. The rating giving to the game should reflect those qualities and those qualities only. Ratings can affect the financial aspects of many peoples lives and you have no right to control that with your personal biases. You might as well go demand the pope pay you a tax every year because you’re an atheist. If you do want to review the game from your own personal biases, do so in a separate piece that is clearly labeled as your opinion. Do this so everyone else has a chance to form their own opinions on the game. I’ll say this to illustrate my point: Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one and that’s okay. What’s not okay is for you to whip it out in public and rub it my face because then we will have a problem. When it comes to awards shows: give the awards to the games that actually deserve it. Quit with “Let’s give it to game x because I don’t think they’ll succeed without it” mentality. When you hand out participation trophies to everyone they all think they should always get awarded for doing absolutely nothing. You kill the concept of a competitive market and devalue hard work. If you can’t handle failure every now and then, GTFO. You have no right to demand success be given to you. It is something you have to work for. And lastly, if you don’t like the current games on the market, then go make your own. Quit complaining and just go put in the work to make some you’ll like. If there’s a market, people will come. Namirual says: Much has been already said here, but the thing I want to talk about are nuance, evenhandedness and public responsibility. To preface, I think journalism has a duty to public discourse, to keep it civil, functional and most importantly well informed. The very fact that GamerGate and other, smaller controversies in the past have taken place makes it abundantly clear that journalism has failed at this. The only one of these controversies that I’m intimately familiar with is the one started by Jason Schreier’s Kotaku article about Dragon’s Crown, which was frankly a deplorable piece of writing simply because of how astoundingly uninformative it was. Setting aside whatever one might think about the art style of Dragon’s Crown, Schreier failed to represent what Dragon’s Crown’s art was like as a whole, or that the artist he was calling a “fourteen-year-old boy” was in fact the celebrated George Kamitani, who is (I believe) a very rare example of an artist as a company head. To this day I wonder if Schreier was truly unaware of these things – if so, he had failed to do even the faintest bit of research on the matter, and worse, inflicting his ignorance upon his audience, many of whom, myself included, initially took him at his word. Whatever Schreier wanted to say could have been expressed in a less inflammatory article or, God forbid, an interview that would have also served to inform the public, and everyone would have been happier for it. The need for nuance and evenhanded reporting extends to political issues. The pieces written about Christina Hoff Sommers at major game sites were bizarre. I want to say that for a single video, she received more mainstream criticism in hours than Anita Sarkeesian has received throughout her career, but it would be exaggeration to call many of those articles criticism; some were more like dismissals. That Kotaku refers to Sarkeesian as a “scholar” (she has the same academic title as I) but but refers to Sommers, an actual scholar and former professor, as “conservative critic”, is an amusing detail that speaks volumes. I am personally ambivalent about Sarkeesian’s work, but I think it would have been in the public interest for the major game sites to have brought up voices critical of her work to the mainstream; that this was not done made many feel that their voice was not being heard in the game media, serving only to radicalise them and making healthy discourse that much harder to have. In this case, game sites had the opportunity to give the floor to moderate, nuanced criticisms and leave the small hate-spewing minority to the margins; if that had happened, I think everyone would have been better off. Finally, to take this back to games, I think evenhandedness is crucial when it comes to reviewing as well. Being a good reviewer or critic doesn’t mean being without bias, but it does mean being aware of one’s biases, using them at a tool to examine games and also trying to see past them. Professional game reviewing in itself involves its unique biases, one of which Mike Krahulik of PA brought up about how reviewers handled the original Assassin’s Creed; simply put, professional reviewers play games in a different manner than ordinary players do, often in a hurry to finish, which in some ways makes their perceptions useless to the consumer. Many tropes of today, such as the “Video games are Art” and “Citizen Kane of Video Games” show, I believe, that reviewers have a difficult time approaching and appreciating games for what they are. Personally, and this is purely an opinion rather than a strict issue of ethics, I think it would behoove professional journalists to play and write more about older games. It would ground them, make them less suspectible to hype and keep them from being distanced from the audience that they ultimately serve. I have heard a great deal of things about the economic straits of game journalism, and how writing nuanced, well-researched pieces simply doesn’t pay. That might be, and the journalists who are stretched thin by financial demands deserve some sympathy, but the public is nonetheless in the position of having to consider whether gaming journalism is, in its present form, doing more harm than good. Insightful reviews and criticism of games is readily available from fan sites, and TotalBiscuit, a Youtuber, is doing a far better job being a reasonable, equitable voice in matters big and small than journalists. I find it disturbing that some journalists seem to think of themselves as thought leaders, when in its proper form journalists should, in my opinion, be public servants. If the present game journalism isn’t capable of upholding its role in enabling a healthy public discourse but rather keeps poisoning it, perhaps it should be replaced with something else. To add an addition: I know that most members of GameJournoPros don’t think the list is that damning specifically because they don’t think it shows active colluding/collusion. However, I would argue that the peer-pressure tone/arguments exerted by some (I’m looking at Ben Kuchera) cross a line between “advice” and attempting to shape a narrative. While not all members agree and “collude”, the tone of some of these people clearly led me to believe that they were hoping to craft the narrative by influencing the other members. I don’t think there is any place for that in journalism and am dissapointed that only a select few participants identified the conversation for what it was (unethical and conflicts of interest). Whats transpired has hurt all of us, no one with a stake in this in untouched. No one can better tell you what you done then yourself, you know the part you and every other journo had in this debacle. With that said i want to tell you personally that i used to look up to game media with awe and inspiration, the way you used to speak on games and gamers made me proud to call myself a fan. I remember a time when game journalist where the first ones to stick up for us in a fight, when you’d rebuke any claim that gamers where just abunch of kids or nerds or only white. What happened to the gaming media that defended us from the jack thompsons of the world? What the hell happened to the game media that gave two shits about of how we felt and stood up for ethics and positivity? I know i suck at writing but please know you and every other figure i held in high regard cut me deep when you pulled this gamers are dead crap. Hurts seeing the people you respect wave you off with false claims of misogyny and buzzwords. People above me have great ideas for better ethics but just let me say this. If you re-build the bridge you burnt, don’t expect us to be the ones to cross it, you need to come back to us. Specific suggestions: 1. Institute policies that either forbid journos from writing about friends and people they have financial ties to or adopt a disclosure policy. To be clear, “friends” means friends outside of just professional acquaintances. And not only to adopt these policies, but enforce them. 2. CLEARLY label and separate promotional/advertorial content from non-promo content. 3. Adopt company policies/employee manuals etc. that encourage writers to strive for objectivity and not just what will get the most clicks. While it’s true that all things are subjective, it’s also true that journos should strive to put their subjective view aside and try to be FAIR. In other words, always try to play devil’s advocate to your own viewpoint. On morality/political beliefs in game review scores. This is a problem due to the unique system in gaming regarding metacritic. Ideally, the industry should stop tying dev bonuses to metacritic scores. But the industry has never given any signs, even with the pressure from journos, consumers, and devs, that they’ll abandon the metacritic bonus system any time soon. So it seems that we’re stuck with it for now. This system makes scoring a game based on a moral/political viewpoint problematic. It gives reviewers far to much power to a reviewer who can influence the pay a dev receives based on a moral stance or political viewpoint. It doesn’t sound that bad if we agree with the moral viewpoint of the reviewer, however, consider if a reviewer were staunchly homophobic/anti-gay marriage and gave a game a low score because it depicted homosexuality in a positive way. This would effect the monetary compensation the devs receive and influence them to not approach difficult or controversial subject matter in the future. It creates a chilling effect on art. Suggested solution: If reviewers want to include their individual stance on morality or politics in a review. Give 2 separate scores. One is the game score that’s counted in metacritic and the other would be the morality/social conscious score that isn’t but is still available to readers of that particular site. This is already how many Christian sites review games. https://www.christcenteredgamer.com/index.php/reviews/68-console/playstation-4/5726-valiant-hearts-the-great-war-ps4 Those are all the suggestions I have for now. Thanks. David Tamaru says: Stop letting writers do reviews on things that they have conflicts of interest in. It doesn’t even matter if they give it a positive review or not, they should recuse themselves and let someone else decide if it really warrants being written about or not. I personally think a lot of the problems in gaming journalism seen by those participating in the current debate are not specifically ethical, but of sensationalism and bias. That’s not to say that ethics are not a problem. Everybody knows IGN reviews are bought and sold to the highest bidder even if nobody will come out and say it. The problem I see is that these articles are no longer produced to be interesting, but to be enraging. It seems all people want is to go viral because something is so offensive or outright stupid that people share it just to laugh at or rage at. Also, the video games press for several years has been fairly apolitical. Recently they’ve come out with a fairly clear progressive bias. This would be fine if there was a balance, but when nearly all of the sites start pushing this ideology and demonizing everybody who doesn’t follow it as a various combination of ‘ists’ and ‘phobics’ it becomes a problem. On the subject of actual ethics, the GameJournoPros leak was fairly worrying to several members of the gaming community. Not only did it reveal that the people involved are a bit too chummy, but it also that they subscribe to a fairly dangerous ideological groupthink. The worst part of it is not even what we’ve seen. but what might be in there. There’s supposedly 800 some threads, and we’ve only seen a few posts out of them. The Alistair Pinsoff situation is one of the most shifty ones we’ve seen so far. I’m not a lawyer, but it smells like illegal blacklisting to me. Boooooooo-urns says: Any interest in doing a AMA on reddit’s KiA subreddit? I actually had such a strong interest in journalistic ethics in games media that I started a ethics watchdog project (The Sentinel Wire) and i’m using SPJ’s ethics criteria to examine articles and journalists. I recently finished a review of Leigh Alexander’s TIME article as the first of many reviews. There’s been a lot of cries of collusion and malevolent corruption but from my research I haven’t seen much that could even broadly be considered either. However, I have seen a fair amount of laziness and the mistake of writing a story, then finding evidence to back up your points. Gaming journalism is really, really young, and approaching something like strict ethics in an enthusiast press is, I think, not only difficult but almost a barrier to entry. For a long time something like “Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity” would have been unthinkable in gaming journalism. As far as I can tell, the current issues are growing pains for everyone. Just to add to my previous comment re: Paetron. The issue with Paetron and conflicts of interest is only going to get worse as time goes on. Today there is a clear-ish line between the Paetron-funded and those Paetron-funding, but as people like games journalists jump between those lines (such as the recent IGN video bloggers who started Kinda Funny) things are going to get very messy about where the conflict of interest lies. How video games journalism is going to handle the ethics of crowdfunding is an issue that needs to be carefully considered. Ideally you’d want those things kept completely separate, because I don’t think simple disclosure of a conflict is enough (such as a journalist saying they are friends with a dev team in an article where they promote their Kickstarter). Tim Morrison (@OmniUke) says: The worst issue, for me, is probably the standard of disclosure. Because it is so poor, and carries such little consequence, I don’t trust anything that’s written. Did they really think the social issues were there, or is it a justification for a bad score they’d already decided it would get for other reasons? It’s a beautiful way to ‘launder’ scores – what’s good or bad is already subjective, but you can at least see what they’re calling good or bad. The social impact or secret meaning of something? Absolutely no way of checking if they’re 100% pulling it out of their ass, or what they’re basing it on. Did they really think it was positive in social terms, or is that a justification for a high score because they’re connected to the creator and we don’t know it? It’s just so appallingly loose right now that it really needs to be proven that an outlet is clean. I don’t think this will happen with big friendly groups that are relied upon for direction and/or support. With something like GJP, I think it hurts journalists’ ability to report on anything done by a fellow member. William Usher has been criticised by another GJP member as having ‘betrayed friends’. This attitude concerns me greatly, and is why I don’t believe a group that conducts itself as it apparently did should exist. Who wants to be kicked out of the ‘in crowd’? Got to be careful what you do, to avoid the boot. Jarod Frye says: Well Brain, I am glad you opened up some good discussion in here, though it seems that things are going a bit slow. My First problem is that Disclosure isn’t done much enough personally. The PC Gamer incident shown that lack of relationship disclosure with Video Game Companies is more negligence than anything. The severity of the relationship does not need to be disclosed (as that’s none of our business.) but the existence of a relationship I believe is very important. At least as an honest gesture to the reader. The Second is Affiliate deals. The FTC has recent made it violation if Affiliate deals are not disclosed and the reason is simple. Users simply want that transparency that it is indeed an Affiliate and essentially and advertisement of a product. I’ll start with the reason I’m here right now responding to this, well, perhaps I’ll start with the reason for that reason as, with this as well as a lot of things, there’s a large list of reasons. Getting right down to it, I took journalism in high school and planned for three years to go into the field before getting cold feet as the current economic crisis loomed. That being said, I constantly watched channels like CNN (reporting without solid facts just to be first), MSNBC (hi, we’re crazy and you should know it!), and Fox (do I even have to explain?) and saw the abundance of ethical violations and just downright unfair or ridiculous nature of their reporting. It grated on me because I did want to go into the field and while I understood what was going on, when an agenda was being pushed or people were acting unethically, I knew others wouldn’t. The news is a powerful tool in a difficult system of government, its state does little to help the careful and sensitive nature of our current national body politic and it upset me that people would be so willing to push crap over ethical reporting. Now let’s take a step back here. The year is 2006. I enroll in journalism in high school after a lengthy discussion on what I would personally like to do. I’m held to a higher standard than most rags that I’ve seen currently (three sources on an issue or you go back and find more). We busted ass to put out a newspaper on time with only 90 minutes a day, five days a week to work on it, the six other newspaper students and I. I busted ass, and I expected the journalists that reported on things to bust ass and kept to code, and I expected the same of the various news outlets I went to. Once again, we’re going to step back further, this time to about early 2004. I’m looking at my mother, angry about something. I was upset, but I didn’t understand it. It would cause me problems through out my second year of high school that would lead me to damage band equipment, angrily storm out of a performance, and eventually, bring me into conflict with my mother–the last thing a woman on crutches for the rest of her life needed. She was smart though. She worked with children sometimes and she knew I was a teenager. So she decided to connect with me. She pointed out I needed something to drive me forwards. If not band, what? That was when she started telling me stories of her time working at a professional newspaper, how she gave the benefit of the doubt to the downtrodden, to convicted murderers, not because of compassion but because of her ethical responsibilities as a journalist. She told me a story of how she reported on a gym being built that the entire student body backed and payed for (thinking they’d all have access) but instead members of the athletic staff had planned to bar all but members of the football team from entering. She showed me what an ethical free press can do, the power and the impact it can have. I made heroes out of Woodward and Bernstein and saw Watergate as a pinnacle of the effect good journalism could have. And it’s thanks to a woman. A woman is why I’m here today. Right now, the state of gaming journalism is abysmal. The people it should be benefiting: the readers, they’re getting nothing but lies and deceit. I’m sorry, that is the state of things. The following are a list of ethical violations compiled over the years: -Accepting gifts from sources or people being reported on. (At one point, an editor for a major gaming news site accepted an expensive gift from Ubisoft) -Unhealthy relationships between sources and journalists. (No matter the reason, Nathan Grayson and others should not have been friends with Zoe Quinn if they knew they were going to have to report on her) -Dorito Pope still has a fucking job. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rbU0mzoMyw ) -Editorializing in things marked news (HUGE no no. Doing this gets people strung up by the ankles in print media. Or at least, it used to.) -Failure to comply with FTC guidelines on disclosure. -Failure to set ethical guidelines on what is allowed to be reported. -Failure to consider the consumer. -Failure to keep political opinions from creating clear biases, and failure to check those biases properly. -Failure to report fairly (Max Temkin was gas lit for unproven accusations of rape by someone he hasn’t seen in years, but there’s proof Zoe Quinn emotionally abused Eron Gjoni, but no news story would run it.) All of these are cardinal sins in my book. This is a problem that could easily be fixed by clear guidelines and enforced policies. This is what people want, this is what people expect. Please, consider what you’ve done, consider what your coworkers are doing, and then please realize that much of this is fairly unacceptable. WesR says: I was a long-time commenter on Kotaku (invited back when invitations were only given out to those who sent in tips etc). Before I was entirely familiar with the modernized idea of click-bait, I cordially replied to one of the editors (not you) complaining about how the comments were a cesspool in one of the “Resident Evil 5 is racist!” topics. It all seems so naive & perhaps even marginally sycophantic now, but I suggested a minor tweak to the headline that’d start readers off on a better foot, so to speak. My entire account was nuked. I had spent 3 or 4 years with you guys, sending in tips and trying to be a constructive “addition” to the site (again, perceiving it a little differently than the average user considering how long I had been there). I’m not sure if I’d call myself a GGer, but that’s the sort of thing which made me receptive to a lot of the ideas going around. The internet isn’t always a great place for cordial discourse, but these kind of things are cancerous. They create an environment where it’s perceived that you profit from controversy while all opposing voices are snuffed out. Moreover, today the pattern is to denigrate any disagreement as an attack on a person’s character (be it racist, misogynist etc) by association. I’m not part of a club. I get no GG memo. I’ve never doxxed anyone or even said anything hateful on twitter, but I have qualms with these reoccurring patterns of generating controversy and silencing/denigrating dissent. It’s arguable that this thing won’t die because it’s one big hydra of grievances. Pint.dmg says: I apologize in advance for this being very blunt and riddled with sarcasm. We’ve addressed these matters plenty of times and been shot down with deflection and accusations of all sorts of vile shit. I’ve lost the mood for pleasantries a while ago. -> I hate to bring them up again after all this, but: Wizardchan. -> And again: Wizardchan. -> Clickbait. -> Key phrase: “avoid imposing those values on others”. -> Just about any “Fuck you white gamers!” article -> Well, guess covering GamerGate properly would be a start. Whodathunkit. -> Native advertising, shady ad deals. Come on, we all saw it burn IGN. -> Brad Wardell. — Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. -> Key phrase: “or perceived”. If the readership feels this is out of line, it is out of line. -> Silverstring Media. GameJournoPros -> This is a muddy one, but the swag you are offered should be refused. -> Well bugger me, disclosure would be nice! -> Could stand with the customer against publishers, couldn’t you? -> Key phrase: “invite dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct”. -> Pretty self-explanatory, really. No, mocking ‘it’s actually about ethics in game journalism’ is not encouraging at all. -> I commend PC Gamer for that. I appreciate Totilo getting onto it even if the results were less-than-stellar. But it’s still a long shot from this actually happening across the board. -> Rather than working together to cover it up via GJP. -> The hypocrisy we have seen between “ends justify the means” attitudes and the constant calls for GamerGate to “reform itself” before journos may so much as think about doing the same. Yeah, well tough shit: The reader’s not the professional. That said – these all apply to varying degrees to different people and outlets. I’ve brought up a few specific examples, and been vague with other matters (mainly because this is just a quick write-up, and we’ve been over this and documented it – or tried to, with DDoS and Wikipedia rewritings as the result a few times – plenty of times. As I said, PC Gamer did a great thing the other day in addressing the CoI concern brought up, Totilo at least tried to investigate the Grayson matter – it’s really not that hard. We’re not asking for much, just some basic decency. See, this is where many of the big sites fail since they rely on their source’s advertisements to stay afloat, in addition to accepting swag and invitations to parties. Polygon especially has, on numerous occasions, failed to act independently, namely in letting a friend of a dev review Gone Home, and more importantly (and disgustingly) accepting $750,000 from Microsoft; accepting that sort of money should be grounds to make a site to recluse themselves from covering anything MS related ever again but I guess it would have been impolite to refuse that money. As far as ethics issues go, disclosure is the big one. It seems like a lot of sites are recognizing this and updating their policies so that conflict of interest isn’t as big of a deal, which I think is great. It’s just about the transparency aspect. If the journalist writing an article on Game X is good friends with the developer, awesome, good for them – but you should let the audience know. Whether or not their relationship affects how they cover the game, it’s something that should be shared. Also, less about journalism ethics and more about journalism etiquette – journalists insulting huge groups of people and calling them entitled when there are controversies over a game is getting a little old. If you were a fan of old DMC and you played the reboot and love it, awesome! Glad you enjoyed it. And yeah, people can get a little ridiculous with the hate circlejerk over these things (DmC, Mass Effect 3, etc all come to mind). But there are legitimate fans and legitimate complaints out there too and to make sweeping, patronizing statements about them is offensive and silly. Finally – on both sides, both journalist and consumer, I think people need to get with the idea that all games have the right to exist, and all people have the right to enjoy them. The whole Dragon’s Crown controversy springs to mind, with another example of writers talking down to their audience (this time for enjoying something), but also Depression Quest and the hate storm that received because people didn’t feel it was enough of a game. If a game personally offends you, that’s unfortunate, but part of the beauty of society in the 21st century is that millions of people have protested and fought and died so that we could have the freedom to consume whatever media we want. Regardless of if you think Bayonetta is disgusting and oversexualized or Gone Home is just a walking simulator and a ripoff, there are plenty of sensible, well-minded adults who enjoy them both, and neither one deserves to be censored or removed or whatever. Who cares? Just enjoy video games. That’s the point. Gamer here. Game journalists need to follow the SPJ code of ethics. If they had then Gamergate never would have been a thing. InvisibleJim says: This is a useful dialogue. I recently commented to Tim on PC Gamer that having suitable ethics and standards policies are the only way a company can protect themselves from consumer (and other stakeholder ire). This corporate compliance includes a large number of areas not limited to: > Conflicts of Interest > Bribery > Favours > Facilitation > Impartiality It appears in the wake of #GamerGate that the consumer movement wasn’t just important, but relevant as IGN have adopted an acceptable set of policies. It also seems that PC Gamer and Future Publishing are considering this; rather than just saying they follow the UK Bribery Act and apologising when they trip over their feet. In addition the FTC and the UK ASA have started enforcing paid content rules (which existed but were being ignored) with a more appropriate degree of rigour. There are two areas of concern remaining to me as an ‘industry uninvolved’ consumer: > There is however further work to be done in creating tools and standards for medium sized and smaller outlets to understand how they can appropriately provision ethics and standards. > I also think we have entered a phase where companies are starting to realise that in order to ‘Redress’ consumers concern there is a need to shift company cultures to be ‘pro-active’ rather than ‘reactive’ with regards to ethics and standards. But some people are loathe to say it. Disclosure says: My main gripe is the lack of disclosure about relationships. Nobody cares if you fucking Sally Sue or Billy Bob and write about stuff that could benefit them; so long as you put that out there. Let the CONSUMERS decide if you are biased. If your review seems fair nobody will care. If it seems biased, your disclosure lets people take it with a bigger grain of salt and perhaps just ignore it entirely and find another source. Better yet – have someone who isn’t in a relationship take over and write that article so there isn’t a chance of bias. I don’t care how well you think you can separate work from relationship, you can’t. That’s why relationships that can create a COI are disclosed in every other form of journalism. You aren’t some special snowflake who isn’t like every other human out there. Next – pushing your ideology needs to fucking stop. Enough of this SJW bullshit. If you think Dead or Alive is sexist, fuck off. There are woman out there with those body types who do enjoy being represented. For you to assume it’s male-pandering or all the females are unrealistic sluts says more about you than anything else. Review the gameplay, story, game mechanics, theme, compare it to similar games in the genre, the controls/camera, etc. You have so much to talk about other than “this game has female characters with big breasts and that’s sexist!” and going on a 5 paragraph essay about how sexist games have become and how they could have had more realistic dimensions and blah blah fucking blah. Nobody gives a fuck, drop it. Zombie Neith says: Recusal/disclosure should not be an afterthought. And if writers are caught plugging their friends, family or partners the response should be much more robust than that of Stephen Totilo fill for example. He maintains Nathan Grayson’s innocence despite there being overwhelming evidence that he and Quinn were at least friends 2 years prior to him writing about him twice. We also know for a fact that he repeatedly plugged Joshua Boggs as a favour. Financial ties via Patreon and affiliations are a huge problem. Groups like GameJournoPros are also a big problem and only serve to reinforce cliquish BS instead of fostering competition between outlets to provide quality, competitive scoops. I’m not even convinced they’ve disbanded, just that they’ve moved elsewhere. I have 0 trust in these vultures. I’m interested in newsworthy subjects and reviews. I’d be more interested if reviews could be carried out in the impartial fashion that Christ Centred Gamer attempts. If you want to cry about how attractive Bayonetta is and imply I’m an awful person to placate feminists, cool. Please do that in a separate score. Then rate the stuff gamers care about afterwards. Oh, and another thing! The way Brad Wardell, Erik Kain and Ben Paddon have been treated is disgusting. As long as Ben Kuchera is employed, I will never take his employer seriously. Tiriel says: What I want is very simple: If a journalist has any sort of relationship with the person they’re writing about – professional, personal, monetary, etc – I want them to disclose that connection up front. I’m okay with a journalist writing about something they’re really passionate about, even if they have some kind of personal or professional connection to that thing. That’s okay…as long as you TELL me. As long as you state up front what your connection is, and allow me to go from there. That’s seriously ALL I want. …of course if you can manage to get politics and social justice out of my games journalism, I’ll be happy, too, since gaming has always been my refuge from politics and I hate seeing the two mixed as they are currently. But all I really, truly want is the disclosure. Just tell me. Lister says: I think the main issue is the fact that none of you journalists had the balls to call out your co-workers/fellow journalists for the shady shit they’ve been doing. Name any other medium where a writer/journo could literally call a majority percentage of the audience names and berate them, without their fellow journalists putting them on blast? The fact is there is too much collusion in this industry, and that could be because of how it originally started which is fine, but if you want to be taken seriously as a journalist there’s no way half the shit you guys do should be okay. Leigh Alexander’s article was not okay. Neither was the 9 other websites spewing the same hateful shit. None of those articles targetted me specifically(being a black male) but racism is racism. The fact that the majority of the journalists in this industry SUPPORTED that racism because of their personal beliefs on white males or cisgendered individuals is what’s wrong. Human says: Here are two recent articles from RawStory. In the first one, http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/01/busted-gamergaters-attempt-to-swat-transgender-game-artist-backfires/comments/, Boggioni at least attempts to publish that gamergate did this with attribution, trouble is he fails to state how Lynn knows that gamergate was behind this. In the second piece, http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/01/gamergate-hits-new-low-with-attempts-to-send-swat-teams-to-critics/comments/, Hern doesn’t even try at attribution, he merely publishes that this was linked to GG. I don’t know your background, if you’ve never done time in newspapers or have a degree in journalism, run this by an editor you know and see if they feel the proper standards for attribution in news stories were met. Teek says: Fact checking. Too many “journalists” out there will run a controversial story based on the word of one person, and make no attempt to verify the details from a third party. That the Escapist’s EiC Greg Tito actually defended such behavior shows that lack of professionalism goes straight to the top and is unacceptable for the media that covers the world’s largest entertainment industry. Daniel Snider says: On this point: “Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.” Let us say that a game journo had helped test a game and provided feedback to a dev: http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sdbke3 https://twitter.com/TheQuinnspiracy/status/524982758331154432 Now, imagine that some time later that journo can be seen pledging to “burn down” the industry if that dev should end up leaving it: https://archive.today/M8R4O A few months from then, that dev is using the failure of a game jam event to promote the dev’s own game jam event. The journo wrote about the failed game jam and ended the article with a lengthy quote from the dev talking about the prospect of setting up a different game jam. http://tmi.kotaku.com/the-indie-game-reality-tv-show-that-went-to-hell-1555599284 Days after the article is published the dev and journo are involved in a sexual relationship. How is that seeking to “remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility”? Kris McCartan says: I feel like disclosure is a primary concern for many people, there have clearly been undeniable lapses in judgement from many journalists involved in this industry on that regard. Games journalists attacking groups of people is not okay either, especially when they can reach a large audience and can spread misinformation and deceive people as to the true nature of a situation. The fragrant misrepresentation of gamers by people like Leigh Alexander and the people who moved on to attack it without understanding it serves as a fine example of this. As far as I’m concerned talking about politics and gaming is perfectly fine, gaming as a medium is going to mature whether people like it or not and we need to learn to handle more sensitive material within this medium, (although it will take a few attempts to make it work and developers shouldn’t be attacked for trying). That being said, far-left banner waving is just as bad as far-right banner waving, it’s dangerous and it alienates people, especially when it’s coupled with poor, cherry picked evidence like the Kotaku Bayonetta 2 review or any video made by Johnathan McIntosh. Equality and diversity is something that will happen over time, too, people need to realize that hiring as many women as men doesn’t make your company progressive, if you’re hiring/not-hiring people based on their gender then that is sexist, people should get positions based on their capability to do a job. Also it’d be nice if a number of the journalists/sites who are responsible for causing this shit-storm apologized for their mistakes, from the people who attacked/accused others to the people who are behind many of the ethical lapses. There are real people involved in both sides of this debate, and it would be better if people stopped attacking eachother and came together to admit there are problems, and discuss them rationally. Mathenaut (@Mathenaut) says: I’d like to see this guy contrast this code with alot of the actions, statements, and publications of prominent gamejournos and associated organizations. Especially in light of many of these organizations updating policies to reflect said criticisms. Scott Malcomson says: Speaking with people on the inside of gaming journalism, not only is cronyism rampant, it’s usually excused by calling it “normal networking” or “developing sources”. While both of those things are REAL journalistic tools, they have been extended by many in the game community to include: * Close personal relationships with persons they can be expected to cover (“it’s just a friendship, our being room-mates has nothing to do with how I cover their game”, “I may be listed in the credits of their game, but that should not be a barrier to reporting on that game”, etc) * Accepting gifts of substantial value, from persons and corporations which one can be expected to cover (“They just left the laptop right there and winked at me — I make squat at this job, why wouldn’t I take it?”) * Promoting works, persons and organizations because they are friends or friends of friends, even if they are poorly designed or cause actual damage (e.g., the “GGAutoblocker” which blanket-smeared as “harassers” anyone who followed two or more prominent members of GamerGate… this ended up including both KFC and one of the chairmen of the IGDA, which ironically had endorsed and promoted the tool themselves). * Abusive and stereotyping of actual gamers, in favor of game developers/publishers, esp. those with strong financial or personal relationships to the journalistic outlet and/or its staff (“ME3 Gamer Entitlement”, “Gamers are Dead/Don’t Have to Be Your Audience”) These four things are merely the first which pop to mind in the first few minutes. But that last item is particularly egregious, given that the argument “straight male gamers make gaming sites unsafe for everyone else” was already being pitched to numerous gaming-site editors a year before GamerGate existed. The narrative presented at that time, by Samantha Allen, included the same arguments pitched later in the “Gamers are Dead” articles. Namely, blaming people on basis of race/gender for harming the gaming community, burning bridges with them, “you don’t need their advertising revenue”, declarations that any backlash should be rebuffed as coming from 4chan et al, demonization of any such complaints as coming from the same stereotypes, et cetera. http://www.reactionzine.com/an-open-letter-to-games-media/ The fact that Samantha Allen self-declaredly hates all males, according to her post “What Misandry Means to Me”, did not appear to serve as a moderating note of warning to these game-site editors, who a year later adopted most of her talking-points to declared gamers “over”. https://web.archive.org/web/20140701225929/http://unpitchable.tumblr.com/post/79931857273/what-misandry-means-to-me If nothing else, gaming media simply cannot be used as a means by which to spread toxic hatred, and GamerGate stands against such activities. The SPJ indeed has a wonderful set of guidelines. But they are clearly not being followed by game journalists, and that is one of the many reasons this current storm is happening. I’ve tried to address as many as possible. Most video game journalism sites I’ve frequented only use one source, and the accuracy is not tested. For example Kotaku ran an article that was completely false. http://i.imgur.com/iLNDWSf.png Deliberate distortion is more arguable since intent has to be proven, but so far I’ve seen several claims that the press is distorting the news. For example: http://www.littletinyfrogs.com/article/458579/The_long_lasting_effects_of_dishonest_reporting Again, several examples of this guideline being ignored and broken by game journalists. Brad Wardell was contacted, but only given 24 hours to respond. When Ben Spur made his notorious “beat up Anita” game the articles I found such as http://www.gameranx.com/features/id/7810/article/ben-spurr-makes-game-advocating-physical-violence-against-anita-sarkeesian/ only used his twitter comments, and made no mention of actually contacting Ben Spurr for his side of the story. When Hatred developer’s were accused of being Nazi’s, and their game being a neo-nazi hate crime (example: http://www.playerattack.com/news/2014/10/17/hatred-is-the-neo-nazi-hate-crime-of-video-games/) They were not contacted to give their side of the story. While eventually other publications did reach out to, many publications acted unethically. Right now click bait in videogame journalism is endemic. A great example was given by http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2013/01/09/kotaku-and-the-problem-with-inflammatory-headlines-in-video-game-blogging/ While the article was about the different mindset between western gamers and developers and the ones held by their western counterparts, the original headline was “The Guy Who Made Bayonetta Is Clueless About Valve And PC Gaming”. Another example was https://web.archive.org/web/20130827020524/http://penny-arcade.com/report/article/brad-wardell-of-stardock-sued-for-sexual-harassment-with-some-pretty-damnin The original headline claimed damning evidence of Brad Wardell, but in reality it was allegations. Allegations that were later dropped, the person who brought the lawsuit apologized. Plagiarism is sadly common video game journalism, at very least allegations of plagiarism. One example, http://www.cinemablend.com/games/1Up-And-Kotaku-Plagiarize-News-For-PSP-Go-17187.html Another example is when Kotaku allegedly plagiarized a piece unknowingly. http://techraptor.net/content/kotaku-updates-plagiarised-article While video game journalists aren’t afraid to tell unpopular stories, they do seem to only give one point of view without diversity. Look at all the coverage given to Anita Sarkessian’s criticism, but when a long time feminist academic with a doctorate, Christina Hoff Sommers offered criticism of Anita Sarkessian, she was dismissed and mocked by video game journalists. http://www.polygon.com/2014/9/19/6373669/christina-hoff-sommers-is-just-plain-wrong-about-games While we are seeing an examination of cultural values in games, we are also seeing games journalists attempting to impose those values on others. For example http://www.usgamer.net/articles/yes-castlevania-lords-of-shadow-2-did-make-me-feel-uncomfortable- called upon a game developer to remove scenes from a game. One of the outcries in the past few months is that critics of video game journalists are repugnant, and their voices should be dismissed. How often have we seen video game journalists claim “you wouldn’t give nazi’s a chance to speak, why would you give gamergate a chance to speak”? Please see above. The previous example of http://www.usgamer.net/articles/yes-castlevania-lords-of-shadow-2-did-make-me-feel-uncomfortable- was labeled as a preview, and not an opinion piece. Many major video game journalism sites have had massive problems with native advertising. http://blogjob.com/oneangrygamer/2014/11/gamergate-how-to-spot-gawkers-native-advertisers/ To the point there was a major letter writing campaign to the FTC over it. The past few months have been filled with allegations of conflicts of interest. At least two game journalists having relationships with individuals while covering games that were helped produced by said individuals. Game Journalists having financial ties to people they were covering etc. Among game journalists, they call these sort of things: “Swag” http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/10/26/all-the-pretty-doritos-how-video-game-journalism-went-off-the-rails/ Again over these last few month, several conflicts have been found, and the disclosures were only edited in after the fact. Again, there are multiple accusations of review scored being inflated due to advertising with publishers. For example the Jeff Gertsmann firing years ago. These last few months there have been countless calls to dismiss the criticisms against video game journalism. Forums on most large sites shut down discussion. You gave SPJ guidelines and emphasized their importance, but from my own (admittedly amateurish) point of view it seems games journalism fails to live up to these standards. In some cases they actually mock them. Maybe it’s time that ethics in games journalism stops being a joke. Chazu says: Thanks for asking. I want to get my response in under the wire so I’m writing without sorting through the existing responses first. I’ve included a summary of my thoughts and then the text of a post outlining my personal story as an LGBTQ person who supports GG. I see the intrusion of social justice into gaming as an issue. The modern social justice narrative is a highly divisive one, to say the least. The focus on shaming and on negative rhetoric is harmful. Those who would paint gaming as a 30 year old boy’s club are erasing an entire history of diversity: MUs provided a place for LGBT people to gather and explore their identities in the 80s and 90s, and even today. Chan culture is chock full of individuals with divergent gender identities, but critics of gaming never notice this or investigate the ways that gamers use games as a means to express their gender identities. Elements of many Japanese games represent continuations of complex topics of gender expression and homosexuality in Japanese culture, however social justice critics just see these games as filth. Of course, criticism is welcome. However, that criticism comes with responsibility. It is not enough to say ‘it’s misogynistic’ and call anyone who disagrees a ‘hate group’. That is essentially what the gaming press and anti-GG have been doing. Take a look at /r/KiA, actually read through the comments. Does it look like a hate mob? Absolutely not. Terrorists? Come on… Now obviously, there is harassment on both sides. But as you know, being a public figure on the internet now means you’re going to get trolled. Nobody should get death threats, but when replying to someone’s tweets is ‘harassment’, we’ve crossed the Crazy Rubicon. My point is that the modern social justice movement is unhealthy, and its intrusion into the gaming media is troubling. The assertion that games (an art form) ‘need’ to reflect a certain set of values to move forward is, in my opinion, a dangerous one. This is the same sort of notion that created Soviet Realism. Its dangerous. Its puritanical. And it erases 30 years of art that has meant an enormous amount to a very diverse group. I know I’m writing quite a bit, but I’m going to include here the text of a post I made on KiA a few months ago, outlining my personal story as a queer person who supports GG. I’ve sent this story in one form or another to Leigh Alexander, Brianna Wu and others, getting no response. This is what gaming means to me, and why I resent the mischaracterization of gaming as a negative force. If you’ve taken the time to read, thank you sincerely. And if you have any further questions don’t hesitate to shoot me an email or ping me on twitter. @Chazu Please allow me to take a moment and share with you why I support GG, and what it means to me. As a child, gaming was for me – as it was for many of you – a way to escape constant persecution by my peer group. From about the time I was six until I entered adolescence, I was ruthlessly bullied by my peers – called a faggot before my testes had even dropped, told my mother was a whore, told I was universally reviled by my peers although the only crime I imagined myself to be guilty of was the crime of being too shy to engage with them. I was precocious and I prided myself on being different – and for that I was routinely punished. As a youth I learned that I was not heteronormative. I identify as queer, although only to those very close to me as I know that my gender identity would not be accepted by the mainstream nor by traditionally non-gender-specific people (to the normal observer I just look like any other dude). Futhermore I was diagnosed with crippling OCD and depression at 11 and those diseases have become inextricably a part of my identity; something I will carry to my grave and something which I have to fight daily to make my life the life I want to live, instead of a swirling maelstrom of terror and misery. For me, gaming represented a way out of all this. It represented – even as a young child – a way to build bridges with other people, a way to find common ground. I have so many poignant memories of video games as a child: the months when my mother compiled a whole booklet of maps for the Legend of Zelda as we played through it together, captivated by its mysteries after we’d initially gotten our family’s NES. The mind-blowing weekend where an equally nerdy friend and I rented Space Harrier II for the Genesis. The first time a friend and I played a demo of Xenogears, or the first time we witnessed the death of Aeris together… …The time I played Double Dragon with a young black boy my own age, while peddling hosuewares in the projects with my grandfather (I’m white, in case you care). I often think about that boy, how similar we were and yet how differently we surely have been treated by society in the 15+ years since that day. As I grew older, gaming culture grew more complex. It was already a commodity when I was a child, reading Gamepro or Game Informer, slavering over the Funcoland catalog in the back of the magazine; but by the time I was a youth in college it had taken a leap: it had become its own ineffable beast, comprising the experiences of multiple generations of human beings to whom video games meant something…impossible to articulate. You didn’t have to tell me at 20 years old that games are an art form: I had been trawling games’ abstract systems for so long by then that to me, they were the most potent form of expression. You didn’t have to tell me that games were sexualized: to me, the presence of game content which acknowledged the existence of sex was helping to confirm and legitimize my identity as a sexual creature, helping to reinforce the idea that I didn’t have to conform to gender norms. I didn’t have to be a jock, I didn’t have to be a nerd or a band geek or whatever, I didn’t even have to conform to a stereotype of what homosexuality looks like: I could invent my own identity from whole cloth. Since then, I’ve never fallen out of love with games. I’ve ended up working with technology my whole adult life, as anyone around me as a child could have predicted. I aspire to express myself through the medium of games development. I consider games to be an inclusive art form which – like all other art forms – has room for popular dreck as well as avant garde statements. I resent the characterization of this culture – which I consider an inextricable part of myself – as an atavistic, reactionary and intolerant place. If anything, we gamers have adopted the intolerance of our peers and turned it into a calling card for our culture, an ironic symbol of our willingness to disagree while still affirming the things that bind us together. Looking at the higher-than-average incidence of non-binary gender identities coupled with the attempted reclaimation of homophobic slurs like ‘faggot’ by gamers is, I posit, evidence of this. I resent the implication that our culture needs to change in order to be more inclusive. I am a weird motherfucker, a freak who was derided constantly as a child, someone who longs to connect with other human beings and who cherishes those connections. I’ve met so many different people from all over the world because of games. I welcome open discourse about games, I welcome controversial discourse about games; however I will not allow anyone to use identity politics to sully the culture we’ve built over all these years, and I will not allow anyone to commoditize us ‘gamers’ to the point where not only are our identities as part of this culture a commodity, but ridiculing us becomes a commodity in and of itself. So I thank you, people. Over the past few weeks I’ve felt many times as though I ought not to be so upset about this whole thing, but then I remember how important games have been to me, how they’ve pulled me back from the brink of despair so many times, how they’ve allowed me to exercise my intellect and express myself in a way no other medium could achieve. I’m not afraid of anything anyone can say to me about this, because I know I’m right, and I know that there are a lot of other people out there who feel the same. And I thank you. leny says: it isn’t about journalists entirely. editors also matter. editors should: be aware of conflicts of interests of their employees. * disclose or avoid conflicts of interests. a journalist with a boyfriend in a company can still report on games, just not games associated with that company (without disclosure). * not publish hatespeech, especially hatespeech against the audience or against members of a group associated with the audience. * look at all the citations in the material. and have the citations of appropriate authority, for the argument being made. IE if you want to say women in gaming want X, publish statistics showing you did a survey on the topic. also, editor, make sure your survey isn’t biased either. * (journalists should) never be allowed to pander to a narative or audience prejudice, part of curration is not publishing such articles. * not hire people who feel contempt towards actors/stakeholders in the ‘conversation’ * not hire and fire anyone who is unwilling to hold themselves up to be good faith ambassadors of the brand. people who express bad faith towards their consumer will lose their readership. these attitudes suggest that editors should not only edit their writers content, but they should see themselves as curators who characterize their brand. AsatorPrime says: On disclosure: Disclosure is what I want from game journalists, if you have a relationship with someone who works for a company you are covering I would like that disclosed, it doesn’t have to be specifics, a vague statement like “I have personal friends who work for X” or “I’m in a relationship with someone who works for X”. I would also like company relations disclosed, if you cover a game by a company that owns your company or has given significant money to your company, I would like to know. If the company paid for accommodation, meals etc this should also be disclosed. This may not affect the reviewer personally but can give the appearance of bias. I would also like these disclosures at the top of the article, I hate reading an article only to come to a disclaimer at the bottom that may make me disregard the article. On Ethics Policies: Also, all sites should have their ethics policies made public, this lets me read them and decide if it is good enough for me. I would also like consequences for journalists who break the policy, this consequence can be kept private by the company, but the breach should be addressed publically by the company. On Private Mailing Lists: I can understand the desire to talk to colleagues from other companies or freelance friends, but I am not a fan of discussing current/upcoming work, this may not be strictly related to ethics but it just rubs me the wrong way. I’m an Engineer and if I discussed my current or upcoming work in any detail with people outside my company, especially competitors, I would be let go immediately and would face possible legal action. On Sources: Please try and minimise secondary and tertiary sources, I see this way too often. Ethical Behaviour: This is not directed at you but all journalists, please stop acting like spoiled children on twitter, you represent your company and it’s embarrassing to watch. I know it’s hard when random people aren’t held to the same standard but please act professionally. There are other smaller things I would like to know as well about reviews including:- – How you got the game (Review copy, bought by employer, bought yourself etc) – How long you played the game for? -What difficulty did you play the game on? – Did you finish the game? -Is the game owned by the reviewer personally or is it a company owned game? -Any personal bias (i.e reviewing a platform game, but not a fan of the genre) (While this may not all be completely related to ethics, I believe it would help the readers immensely) Sorry for the poorly written comment, I started writing without pausing to collect my thoughts (and I still haven’t to be honest). Finally as a member of GG who has never insulted or harassment anyone, I would really appreciate if journalists stoped smearing whole movements on the actions of a few trolls. While I won’t deny there has being harassment (on both sides) most of what I see is just arguing back and forth and I would attribute most of this to the twitter format (short comments are often viewed harsher than the intent). The hit pieces call GG a misogamists harassment campaign don’t help either, it just drags more third parties in who think they are doing the right thing by harassing and insulting GG resulting in retaliation from the less mature members and culsterfucks ensure. If you read all this, thank you for your time. James Watkins says: *The following was originally posted/formatted to twitter* 1. If you’re writing a piece for purely political reasons be honest about it. 2. If you make a claim that will hurt someone’s reputation, back it up with facts. (See: Brad Wardell sexual harassment hoax) 3. Disclose personal or financial relationships with your subjects (See: Nathan Grayson, Patricia Hernandez, Tyler Wilde) 4. Do not hide important information to protect corporate relationships [HARD] (See: EA’s 40000 User Hack) META: Don’t lie about your readers politics to protect the financial interests of your personal friends. (See “Gamers are dead”) Wouldn’t hurt if you refused to censor your readers and exposed scams (See: IGF/Indiefund racket) but that’s not why we’re here. Den Anima says: From the beginning of all this I’ve been trying to summarize the main concerns and think about what a reasonable person might ask for. I advocate time and time again that people shouldn’t loose their jobs just for having an unpopular opinion and that includes the journalists who apparently hate their audience enough to write hit pieces on the entire demographic. I disagree completely with the “objectiove review” idea, you are allowed to like or not like a game for whatever reason you choose. I advocate for an honest review, honesty includes telling people “I like this game because the person who made it is really cool and we’re buds.” liking a game because you’re friends with the maker is totally fine, it really is, but you must be honest about that being the reason you like it. I don’t think that’s asking for too much. as far as the “ethical” concerns go, games “journalism” isn’t the same as regular journalism it’s more like a trade publication right, journalists should have an obligation to inform the consumer and advocate for that consumer when dealing with those who produce this content. making “kim kardashians give me all your money now please” a game of the year is advocating for the company and actively rooting against the consumer, you cannot on one hand condemn micro-transactions then on the other praise games that abuse it. At this point most GGers would probably settle for simple disclosure and making an effort to get both sides of the story before writing an article. the bar is really that low, but when the response to a somewhat silly call for these things was to double down on the jack-assery and to openly mock people for wanting these things. Well now we have trust issues, and trust is hard to build. for GG to go away completely and not be an issue ever again GJ is going to have to double down on trust building and be over-cautious for a while. That’s just all there is to it. right now game journalism is seen rightly by most consumers as an advertising branch for game companies. your job is to make us buy games weather they are good or not, weather they use anti-consumer mechanics or not. You want consumer trust back? get on our side again, advocate for us, call games out on their bullshit and then stick to your guns, don’t run an article on what a crappy company ubisoft is then make far cry 4 your game of the year. just respect your readers it isn’t rocket science. Erazor says: I think a lot of people would agree with me in that there should be more honest distinguishability for consider themselves critiques, a disclaimer should be made known for those who are analysing and those with a political agenda. If they offer no counter arguments, cherry pick and use out of context material to manufacture a narrative, they are not a critique but intact a propaganda artist, and should therefore not be promoted in a misleading way. It is not ethical to give exposure to such people, simply because you are afraid of the backlash of what they stand for. Anyone who knows the facts which are purposefully hidden from the general public (but easily available to those who delve deeper) can easily discover the truth, and this tarnishes the name of your site and alienates your fans. Please consider what I’m saying, it is only a matter of time before some con-artists are exposed, it just takes someone with a lot of swing to point it out and then the broader media will jump on it. Sites like yours will look bad in hindsight for purposely being deceiving by concealing or postponing the truth. madhousechild says: Reporters unquestioningly reporting claims of threats and their purported but undocumented source. Just using a hashtag is not enough to identify the source, and certainly threats without hashtags should not be identified as GG. Reporting claims of people fleeing home while at the person’s home. Media staying silent on the Zoe post then they all post the same article, obviously planned or, if you will, colluded. Saying they don’t pry into a woman’s sex life but when a man was accused (falsely) of impropriety, he is fair game. Parroting those who say critique of their work is harassment or targeting them because they’re female. Refusal to consider our side of the story, or to look at our evidence of fakery or chicanery. Not reporting on the many in GG who have been harassed, threatened, doxed. Giving little if any time to anyone on the GG side. Saying that because we don’t have a leader or flack for hire, they can’t tell our side. Deleting or closing comments because they disagree with the story, not because of spam or harassment. Because the anti’s are well connected to media, they gain access and control the narrative. Focusing on the sensational “women being harassed!” instead of corrupt media. Failure to point out hypocrisy of supposed feminists in brigading against female developers and gamers who disagree with them. While accusing us of pushing women out of gaming, they are calling for boycotts of female-developed games. Allowing people like Anita Sarkeesian to explain our motives (that it’s no longer a boys club, come on, that doesn’t pass the giggle test) instead of asking us. Stacking the deck against us by limiting pro-GG discussions to certain areas. In the case of Reddit, only r/KotakuInAction is allowed but why not r/Gamergate? Because people will search for it. Media usually pick up stories from other sources, but pro-GG stories like those written by Milo Yiannopoulos are seldom picked up despite being well-researched. That’s all I can say for now. Thanks. I will break my grievances down as simple and concise as possible along with suggestions. 1. Report fairly and honestly. Cherry picking bits and pieces out of an article or study to push an agenda is NOT acceptable. We’ve seen this done in the past TWO YEARS to push a sensationalist headline and recently it’s been done to hurt gamers by the people we are supposed to trust. 2. Disclosure and transparency. IF you are paying someone, you should not write articles about them. If you are living with someone, you should not write articles about them. If for WHATEVER reason that’s somehow impossible, put a friggin line at the top so people know. This isn’t hard and the cost is your audience’s trust. 3. Do not insult your audience! Do I really have to point this out? I feel like I shouldn’t but holy hell in the wake of gamergate I KNOW I do. Even worse, insulting our intelligence. Posting twelve articles all saying variations of gamers are dead linking the same nonsense study across several sites in a 48 hour period and then saying “No no! There’s no collusion!” We’re not stupid. Don’t act like we are. That kinda crap is why this whole thing erupted in the first place. 4. Do not shame developers for artistic choices. “This woman has breasts that are too large! This game won’t let you play as a girl! This game should not be violent!” Criticism is fine. In fact, in many ways, it can be positive! I became a much better writer after sucking up my pride, taking my beatings over my mistakes, and listening to people’s criticisms. However, when it turns into a campaign to try and force developers to change their games, then it’s journalists making the news, not reporting it. 5. Report RESPONSIBLY! There are many examples of this one being broken, but the most notable one is that of Brad Wardell being tried and convicted in the court of kotaku long before his case ever saw a courtroom. In the end, the case was so flimsy that it was dismissed with prejudice and the plaintiff was forced to apologize. He was found innocent in the end, but he was found guilty long before then. This is NOT responsible reporting! In fact, given the circumstances, it could be endangerment. 6. The world is not black and white. Don’t write like it is! What do I mean by that? not all muslims are terrorists. Not all black people are robbers. The common argument against this is what I call the “M and M’s Offense.” “If you had a bowl of M and M’s and you knew ten percent were poison, would you eat one?” This is an argument for bigots. swap that with any minority and illegal activity and you would be seen as racist. Watch and be amazed: “If you were at a party with a hundred black people and you knew one was a robber, would you talk to them?” See? Just as stupid as the M and M offense. Back to my point, not all gamers are the trolls who hurl slurs on xbox live. DON’T WRITE LIKE WE ARE! 7. Review scores are NOT weapons! Don’t low ball a review just because you want to punish a developer for their choices. I’m mostly referring to the bayonetta 2 score here. The review (which I read ZOMG!) reads nothing like the score. They just don’t match up. The reason for that is simple and clear. Punish the dev by lowering the metacritic score. Sure, you can throw up your hands and say “well maybe publishers and companies shouldn’t put as much emphasis on metacritic!” Obviously they shouldn’t, but this argument is quite literally, don’t hate the playa, hate the game. No. Don’t play the game. Be responsible. 7. Irresponsible reviews and previews. The simcity review polygon posted lead many people to think they would have no issues playing it. Unfortunately, this review was done before the game was released, so they had no issues with logging in. Shocking to the exciting demographic of the not insanely stupid, when the game finally released, people couldn’t play and had holy crap levels of issues with the game. Polygon updated their score, but that change never went on to metacritic. Why? Because the first score was the only one that mattered, much to EA’s delight I’m sure. This is also the same for previews. I know it’s difficult to write a preview that isn’t just PR, but if that’s all it is, maybe don’t write a preview. Analyze the actual game if possible and highlight concerns. I could go on for FAR too long, but these are the main issues I have with the current state of game journalism. I can promise you I have no issues with women. I have, in fact, received a broken nose in defense of a girl. I’m not part of gamergate because of some oddball iidea that we all hate women. I really and truly am In it to bring a light to corruption in journalism, not to mention to stop the censorship of developers. The moment I see true change come to the game journalist industry, I will drop out of gamergate faster than you can blink. Until then I will stand with gamergate, I have not and will NOT doxx, ddos, or harass people, and I will encourage female developers like @gmshivers who has had corrupt journalists try and denounce her simply because she didn’t tow their line. Chris Edwards says: It’s simple. Journalists are the eyes, ears, and mouth of the public. The public invests trust and authority in journalism so that they can be accurately informed, and so they can speak to those in power without riots and violence, or leadership changes. Why did it matter in gaming journalism? Because this is just a glimpse of the corruption problem that plagues all media now. The media pretends to represent the public’s interests while decieving the public for profit and the benefit of their friends. It must end. How can we expect the public to make rational decisions for the good of everyone if it doesn’t know the truth? I am going to take this from a slightly different angle and try not to relate this to GG but rather from a gamer critiquing the performance of games journalism as a whole Is current games journalism representative of a $100 billion dollar industry? Should journalists be held to a higher standard when the industry is doing well or are we stuck with enthusiast bloggers from a time when the industry was performing poorly masquerading as journalists? Are games journalists seeking to inform their audience? In what ways are journalists seeking to influence their audience, is it to make gaming better in the long run or are they simply pandering to what is now considered hip or trendy to generate views? >Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Society’s principles and standards of practice. Just looking at the preamble, why is enlightenment of the public so important in a democracy? Informing the public with accurate and pertinent information so they can make an informed decision so in regards to gaming journalism that would correspond to journalists reviewing games and products so consumers can make accurate purchases. Providing fair and comprehensive accounts of event and issues which arise in the game or product, with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of this, consumers can not trust the opinion of a journalist if there is even the appearance of impropriety, which is where we are at the moment. Go to any forum and ask the question are games journalists to be trusted? Most of the time you will get the response no they are not and have not been for a long time. Where has this problem arisen from? Some of this is due to past issues where games magazines were just the PR arm of the gaming companies, I believe it has occurred over a number of years with small issues which gradually got consumers to the point where they feel that games journalists are again just the PR arm of the industry. That is not really the case but when games are being released filled with bugs or incomplete content and the games media are calling it the greatest thing since sliced bread, people will begin to question if games journalism is just a big ball of hype with nothing of substance to offer. Games media is changing, the rise of youtube as the new media frontier means that traditional written media is not as relevant, the saying a picture is worth a thousand words is probably never more apt. Forums such as reddit and even 8chan means that information scoops traditionally provided by the journalist are now being directly disseminated to the consumer further reducing the relevance of the journalist, it wasn’t that long ago that a major games site got caught plagiarising content from reddit without crediting the source. Instances like that is what erodes the consumers confidence to call games journalism reliable. >Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context. Do i really need to cite examples of the number of times that journalists have used promo images on their stories and the game turns out nothing like it, when a product does not meet the standards set by the journalists they should be the ones calling the game companies out, not the consumers but on numerous occasions journalists have appeared to scared to do anything that will upset the games industry which makes consumers question were are the journalists priorities? are they here to inform me the consumer or are they in it the promote a game? >Never plagiarize. See above, It has been seen over and over games sites lifting stories from reddit neogaf or tumbler, which is not an issue most of the time if the source is credited and an effort is made to contact them, but that has not always been the case and there have been numerous instances of inaccurate reporting just because someone wanted to get the scoop on their site first and didn’t bother to fact check it. This further erodes confidence in the media especially due to games media being so small, so poor standards reflect upon the whole to a greater extent >Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others. Gaming is a diverse group from a number of different countries with different beliefs, that is why politics has no place in gaming. Games are a diverse medium with a myriad of idea on offer, and gaming companies are in it to make money. If there is an indie idea which makes money you can guarantee that there will be a line of clones just behind it but to try and shoe horn ideas into the palette of an already abundant medium of ideas will end up just producing obtuse and disingenuous works which its audience will ignore, things like that need to occur naturally and when they do it will be the real next break though game and propel gaming along further as has been done throughout gaming’s history. If someone wants to do a cultural critique of a game I welcome it but they had better be willing to defend their ideas, this is gaming after all a lynchpin in the internet. Critiques have not been done well to date, they are often criticised due to poor writing or incomplete knowledge on the subject matter and cherrypicking of subject matter to fit an idea rather than looking at the game holistically. I actually appreciate the effort that journalists are trying to critique games but I currently do not think what has been written to be a fair example of what critiques should be, but I expect it should improve given time and when writers take into consideration the criticism of their work. I should also add, a critique is not a review and should not be used as one >Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status. Gamers are diverse we moved away from those stereotypes years ago, it was disappointing to see games journalists so adamant to bring those back recently, it did nothing but to hurt and inflame an already agitated issue >Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant. This is where sites like the escapists have shown better ethical standards than other sites, the EiC did not agree with GG but still allowed its discussion. A similar argument can be said of allowing comments on youtube and articles on sites, there is no need to have comments open but there is a need to have some place where they can be discussed and criticism be shared. >Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context. That it took the FTC to enunciate its expectations and was not being done by sites themselves is another reason why consumers lack the confidence to assume what a journalist says is truth and not just some piece of PR Look I could keep going with this if you want but I think you get my point. Consumer confidence in journalistic integrity is low, I mean most gamers if asked will say they gave up on sites long before GG started. What can be done about it I do not know, over exaggeration of ethics maybe, disclosure of the smallest things even when normally an editor would say “dont worry about it, it is not an issue” should be disclosed. GG could have been over in a week had sites agreed to update their ethics standards and simply say “look it appears there maybe somethings which got overlooked, it should not have happened and we will try to do better in the future, lets have a talk about it here (link to forum)” You may not agree with GG or just think it is all about attacking women or harassment but I do ask you this. What is more likely to be accomplished? Addressing and updating ethical concerns of gaming sites or trying to stop harassment on the internet? Harassment is wrong but by trying to tar all of GG as harassers while ignoring the concerns we had about the ethical standards in journalism is what has made this continue for 5 months and given the actual harassers someone to deflect the blame to There is a disconnect between consumers and journalists and it will take effort from boths sides to show that there should really be no sides to this, we should all want better standards in games journalism and we should want less harassment of everyone on the internet Mark Samenfink says: The biggest modern issues with games journalism (and honestly journalism as a whole) these days come from the following, in my opinion >Journalists are not becoming journalists to inform the public, but are instead joining to convince the public. While there is a place for OP-EDs and activist journalism, it’s place is not to sublimate investigation and reporting of factual information. Far too often, willfully or otherwise, publications will post entire articles predicated on untrue information, or at least contain some untrue information from which conclusions are propagandized to the reader. This, quite simply, must stop. Journalists are there to present objectively true information, and THEN they may apply their subjective analysis, but we can’t keep having them make shit up to pontificate on. >Journalists should leave comment sections active on all articles, when you don’t allow them it acts as a de facto confirmation that their statements will not hold up under public scrutiny, and that they aren’t trying to spark discussion, rather they are trying to end it. >Journalists need to disclose any potential conflicts of interest they might have associated with any subject matter they are covering, and if they are unwilling to disclose their connection or if the connection is too significant they should recuse themselves from reporting on that subject matter >Endorsing/Supporting any sort of blacklisting, regardless if it’s a mass-social-media blocking tool or a targeted blackballing of an individual across publications, as not only is that a legal grey area and a discrimination lawsuit waiting to happen, it also runs counter to the duty of a journalist, as it is hard to get factual information from large groups of people whom you’re not permitting to speak. >Overt sensationalism, clickbaiting, and creating news where there is no news, serve only to encourage narration w/o facts and emotive appeals rather than ones based on logic and true information. >Arrogance/lack of accountability. Journalists today behave like they are untouchable, and much of that is due to nepotism/political adherence creating a situation where, for example, publishers are not deciding whether to discipline their employee for their bad decisions, but are instead fully on board with their Buddy from College/political ally who made bad decisions while promoting a political position. Journalists do, by picking up the pen, take on a responsibility, whether they want to or not, and we simply cannot continue having them disregard that responsibility whenever it suits them with no ramifications for their actions, because when the public sees journalists have no respect for what they are supposed to be there to do, they will easily join them in disrespect for what journalists are supposed to be and do. Thank you for taking the time to read/do this. Gimel says: If you are looking for the simplest, quick-shot solution it can be summed up thus: disclosure. Disclosure has been, by far, the biggest bone of contention. For example, it was just recently discovered that a senior editor at PC Gamer had an undisclosed relationship with blogger/PR staffer at Ubisoft. The Editor had continued to do coverage on Ubisoft , with no mention of all of the relationship, no effort at disclosure. When this came to the attention of PC Gamer, they swiftly addressed the situation, rather than dismissing the concerns. They stated what their policy is and noted that the situation with that editor was a lapse in the practice of that policy, and explained how they would correct it going forward. This should be the gold standard for game news sites addressing ethical concerns brought up by the audience. That’s really all it takes, just respecting the audience enough to address their concerns. In an ideal world, that report that GamerGate compiled last year would have been looked over by at least the EIC of every major gaming outlet (and reported on, since many game news sites now report on gaming culture issues) and clear instances of ethics breaches would have been addressed along with publishing current and updated ethics policies. The fact that so few sites even willing to address the fact that is an issue, and would rather ignore, hurl insults at, and mischaracterize the gaming audience, is really sad. The way in which some sites, reporters, and even EICs have treated the concerns of gamers, and gamers as an audience, has sent a clear message to a gaming audience that is already jaded on the industry’s press. I recently emailed Joe Skeel, the executive director of the Society of Professional Journalists and he forwarded me to Andrew Seaman, the ethics committee chairman, whom I am still waiting to hear back on his input to my questions. I asked the SPJ should journalism in the entertainment industry, particularly the computer gaming media meet the same standards as journalists in any other industry. I also put to them should we expect gaming media journalists to be members of an organisation such as the SPJ which can provide resources, training and on-going education in journalism and ethics. Lastly, I asked if it is reasonable for consumers to have the expectation for these kind of reforms in the gaming media industry. I have browsed linked-in for a number of publications looking at the education, work experience and memberships of the senior personnel of various gaming publications and I think most lack traditional journalist routes, many come from blogging or freelancing backgrounds so I do not think they have been institutionalised into the kind of professional standards required typically from people who perform journalistic roles. I don’t the primary fault lies with the individual journalist, it lies more with the structure of the organisation, from editors to others in the leadership structure who do not prevent unethical conduct or reporting. I believe the SPJ has a strong code of ethics which should be applied to all forms of journalism where the general public is reliant on the honesty of those reporting to them. As we saw with PC Gamer, the editor was aware of an unethical situation where a journalist was writing about a company and it’s products while he was in a relationship with an employee. Even if he didn’t show any conscious bias, the reader is not unaware of any subconscious bias. Strong ethics protect the publisher, the reader, the journalist and their family because it prevents problems from occurring if you believe in ethics and enforce them. I think what people will find is they will see better type of articles being written, there is nothing wrong with a journalist wanting to use their article to write opinion pieces, however, a real journalist will categorically state what is fact and what is an opinion. We just can’t have games journalists attack people like Brad Wardell of Stardock Games like they did before, most journalists who attacked him have not apologised to him since. There is no place for people like Leigh Alexander, of Gamasutra, attacking gamers with a politically driven agenda. If you want to write like a blogger, then the blogs are where you belong. Kaliban(GG) says: I’m going to be short as I have class soon. Take this as something from an amateur developer and a lover of good journalism no matter where it comes from. Also you know, read it in full and contact me. I would really like to get to know someone that works in this field. Lets split this up into two areas for the sake of simplicity Area 1: Lack of reporting. So news breaks. Lets say that Activision uses their DMCA power to stop people from spread of information that would make their newest edition of COD look fairly bad at release. (something that did happen late last year. A lot of major games news, the ones that are household names, just dont cover it. IGN didnt but Joystiq did. The issue remains that Activision silenced a lot of youtube videos for showing problems with the game but websites that would say be able to contact activision or have the resources to keep up with the story didnt actually report about it. Furthermore there is no unifying or transparent code of ethics for the medium. Which is needed given its nature. Like check out the associated press. Area 2: Separation of Product and Art/The Platinum dilemma. This is something dealing with game reviews as they relate to game reporting and is itself segmented. Games at the end of the day are a software product that serves as a type of entertainment media. They straddle the line between performing smoothly and successfully as well as dodging, addressing and dealing with the kind of things other media forms get crap for. Like violence and sexuality and politics and so on. The issue that this leads to in games reviewing is that many reviewers choose to separate what they think about a game in terms of its stability and its content controversial or not in different measures. In short scoring videogames is inherently tricky and uneven because it needs to be. But many sites still stick to the idea of a 10/10 system and aggregate scores like metacritic. Its just not acceptible to use such a simple system for games reviews. The other segment is what I call the platinum dilemma. Platinum likes to create videogames that are “character action”. Deep hack and slash combat based on style and reaction. These games are different from the genre from which they spring. When their games get reviewed too often the reviewers dont “get” them and play them wrong and then review them based on their flawed understanding of the game. This isnt unique to platinum’s games but its a lot more clear as all of their products are games that take varying genres and add a twist to them that alters their gameplay. Vanquish. Wonderful101. Bayonetta(one more that two). There is too little attention paid to how a game is meant to be played and it leads to a disparity between user and site scores. A criticism that polygon gets a lot I imagine is that reviews on your site have a single reviewer that talks about their experience with the game and its content but at the end of the review its given a score which is determined by multiple people and is separate from the views of the individual creating the written review. This is a huge wall between the reader and the rationalizations of the group that came up with the score. Bayonetta 2 is an example of such a review where it was clear the reviewer talked about the game in the manner an editorial might but didn’t actually talk about gameplay. But at the end of the article there was a score. I’ll stop here as class draws near. Sorry if its poorly formatted. Please I want to have a larger dialog about this. Contact me at the provided email. I hope you are being sincere. It’s a fine list, in fact I think many of points could be removed since they’d be impossible to enforce– but that’s each publication’s management’s problem. The only amendments or additions I’d make to the list is, 1. Test stories from other publications, press-releases, or news-agencies, before repeating the story, or using facts from it. #GamerGate coverage has been one endless game of telephone for the most part. And even though other publications may have their own rigorous verification process, it may not be as good as yours, and should still be checked like any other source. 2. Other than personal harm, there is no good reason to turn away an important story. When TFYC tried getting their story out there, many journalists turned them away, fearing it’d make them unpopular with certain groups of people. 3. Editors should disclose their conflicts of interest. Anyone who has the power to change, or edit a story, should be making disclosures or recusing themselves, not just the journalists writing the article. Anyone who is deciding what story the journalist should write, what sources they should use, what angle to pursue, should be making disclosures as well. 4. More for the news site, rather than for a specific individual: Implement a policy to only delete abusive comments, or spam. Or at the very least state what types of comments are/aren’t allowed. In addition to this, keep a record of all deleted comments, so that any complaints against moderators can be properly looked into. 5. In addition to an ethics policy, a clarification of the terms used is needed: – What makes something an “acceptable source”? – What constitutes “harm”? – What is or isn’t a “conflict of interest”? – [You get the idea.] Things like these need to be properly defined, before readers can trust that all articles, stories, journalists, editors, etc are being consistently managed. Improperly defined terms, gives room for purposeful misinterpretation, and does little to curtail corrupt/biased actions. 6. This is purely managemental, and I have no idea how such a thing could be implemented, maybe it’s just something that has to change culturally– but journalists need to take more pride in what they do. Video game journalism is the primary thing connecting gamers, developers, and the mainstream news outlets & public. It provides each party insight on the other, and it’s a key component in keeping this community & industry alive and in balance. Yet more, and more I keep seeing game journalists/editors using the “ethics in video games journalism” memes, telling others it’s “only video games journalism”, or just generally having a “who cares” attitude about their profession. And it’s all very depressing; if professionals don’t take their profession seriously, what hope do things like ethics policies have in changing anything? Thank you for taking the time to read all these replies, and thank you for your uncynical approach in trying to change journalism for the better. I wish you the best of luck. When this came to the attention of PC Gamer, they swiftly addressed the situation, rather than dismissing the concerns. They stated what their policy is and noted that the situation with that editor was a lapse, and explained how they would correct it going forward. This should be the gold standard for game news sites addressing ethical concerns brought up by the audience. That’s really all it takes, just respecting the audience enough to address their concerns. In an ideal world, that report that GamerGate compiled last year would have been looked over by at least the EIC of every major gaming outlet and clear instances of ethics breaches would have been addressed along with publishing current and updated ethics policies. The fact that so few sites even willing to address the fact that is an issue, and would rather ignore, hurl insults at, and mischaracterize the gaming audience, is really sad. The way in which some sites, reporters, and even EICs have treated the concerns of gamers has sent a clear message to a gaming audience that is already jaded on the industry’s press. J2150 EC Media Critique #GamerGate \| Enter Sandeman says: […] the editor of Polygon himself believes that there are some instances in which practicing journalists should abide by the […] DeepFreeze could be the future of GamerGate - TechRaptor says: […] I think Crecente is among the most professional game journalists and since the beginning has been open and transparent in his conversations with GamerGate so it’s confusing to see him […] A few of theses look really good… I love Open World RPGs. Division 2 catches my interest. The Outer Worlds reminds me of New Vega so really want to play this one. Generation Zero looks cool too. Leave a Reply to Nicolas Rodrigue Cancel reply Apple Arcade: What It Is, How To Access, What To Play ‘Ring Fit Adventure’ Delivers Excercised-Powered Gaming to Nintendo Switch Third of Iran’s Gamers Are Women, Yet They Still Face Gaming Bans Pre-Orders Open Soon For Nostalgia-Fueled Handheld Singapore Minister Says Loot Boxes Need New Laws ‘Reigns’ Gets Boardgame Kickstarter ‘Dead Cells’ Hits iOS, Still No Date For Android Magic Leap: Founder of Secretive Start-Up Unveils Mixed-Reality Goggles Inside the Disarray Facing the Video Game Organization Behind E3 How ‘Grand Theft Auto’ Is Changing the Way the World Experiences Music Proudly powered by WordPress \| Theme: Envo Magazine	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0109.json.gz/line1582

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