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__label__wiki	0.543422	0.543422	Board index » Castles & Crusades - Games of High Adventure » Castles & Crusades Open Discussion: General, The Rules, The Law & the Chaos Half-orcs: How often do have you seen them used as PCs? Telhawk Hlobane Orc This is just a general discussion topic, the specific game system (AD&D first to fifth edition to C&C) notwithstanding. Half-orcs have always struck me, based on previous gaming experiences, as the outliers/outcasts of the Fantasy RPG realm - they're either left in the dust as an untouched PC race or put to use as notable bad guys - orc tribe x (The Bloody Skulls, The Cleaving Sword, The Fluffy Kittens) has a new leader that's smarter, stronger and more vicious in application than the previous generations were. The general take regarding AD&D first-edition characters is that if you want a challenge, play a half-orc: you're limited in strength (despite the +1, the character is capped at 18/99); intelligence gets no higher than 17, which is pretty much for additional languages only as the race has absolutely no magic-user/illusionist capacity; wisdom at 14, which provides only the slightest of bonus spells to an already meager cleric range; dexterity to 17, which caps thief abilities below human, let alone elf level; constitution, which - even assuming one has a 19 - is not covered for that point in the PH in terms of bonuses (sure, a DM could extrapolate based on what the 3-18 progression is, but there's nothing concrete given till one looks at Deities & Demigods), and charisma...well, let's suffice by stating that, for the majority of the NPCs encountered, high average reaction is the best you're ever going to get. A notable exception to the paucity of half-orc PCs I've encountered through my gaming life is the AD&D first-edition game my brother is running; every player has three characters (there aren't very many of us and we don't all show up consistently for every game; being fathers and other real-life stuff gets in the way), and as it turned out, three out of the five players (myself included) created a half-orc - either fighter/thief or just plain fighter. While the games have concentrated, generally, on pure dungeon-crawling with several outdoors/maritime excursions, and thus not too much solo character development has taken place, I was struck that the half-orcs were making a pretty notable demographic place for themselves in this group. The players are, again as a demographic, either first-time AD&D/fantasy RPGers who've not read extensively through the Player's Handbook, or long-timers who've decided what and what not to pay attention to. One point that, at least in my opinion, has tended to reduce half-orcs as a PC race is their general popularly accepted appearance. The first-edition PH has the following description for half-orcs: "Orcs are fecund and create many cross-breeds, most of the offspring of such being typically orcish, However, some one-tenth of orc-human mongrels are sufficiently non-orcish to pass for human.[Italics added]...As it assumed that player characters which are half-orc race are within the superior 10%, they have certain advantages." The illustrations given in the PH, however (along with every other official AD&D/D&D resource I've ever seen) do not fulfill this description; instead, half-orcs are portrayed as brutish, clearly non-human cave-dweller types, with little or no capacity to pass as human. C&C continues this tradition, although the C&C PH(all printings) designates half-orcs as a clearly gross aberration from human stock, both in literal description and illustration. I far prefer the AD&D first-edition description, which gives (presumably) the majority of PC half-orcs the capability of mixing in to a human settlement - regardless of what character class they pursue - with little or no attention given. I'd suspect that dwarves and elves could, by racial instinct, be able to pick up who was who in this regard, but human populations would have little reason to draw suspicion without cause. The fact, I would contend, that half-orcs, in C&C, are free to pursue all classes without restriction (although, magic notwithstanding, their charisma bonuses as knight, paladin or bard would be limited to +2), and this creates an even greater likelihood of mixing in with human-dominated populations without note. So, my rather drawn-out thinking and opinion on the subject submitted, wondering what and how other people's experiences have developed; have people either DM/CKed half-orcs as PCs, and if so, what was the general choice in class/es? I've played, and do play, half-orc fighter/thieves in AD&D, half-orc rangers and barbarians in C&C, all of whom have had their own origins drawn up and characteristics defined...and all of whom have been incontrovertibly human (with maybe a couple of low-key markers) in appearance. Any stories about how other PCs (and NPCs, to be fair) turned out with regard to this - in my opinion - very much under-played and under-appreciated race? Re: Half-orcs: How often do have you seen them used as PCs? I've never played one. They really haven't interested me. I typically play a 1/2 elf. I see 1/2 orcs as neutral at best, evil at worst based on how most societies would view them. mgtremaine Twice in 40 years... Once in the 80's (AD&Dish) another part-time player had a Half-Orc Paladin... "Snort, Snort, Unhand that Madien"... It usually got a laugh at the table. The other was more recent using C&C we I dm'd player with Half-Orc fighter. He was pretty tough for sure. Simply throwing this in, but the replies thus far fit the standard that I've seen - in passing only, I would certainly admit - over the years. Half-orcs as the outcasts, presumed evil (or at least undesirable) by nature, or thrown in as pure demihuman wrecking ball capacity (which, properly statted and played, they can certainly excel at). I would frankly love to hear of someone who'd done C&C with a half-orc knight/paladin/bard and who played them straight, and what the outcome/s might have been. Meantime, appreciate the responses, and looking forward to seeing more. Ancalagon Location: Bellevue, NE When I'm a player, the vast majority of the time I'll play a human. However, back in 1998 I played a half-orc assassin in an all too brief AD&D2e campaign. Too bad the DM had to move out of the region! Imaginatio est Vita BigJackBrass Skobbit Can't recall anyone I know playing them. Personally I don't have them in my game world at all. anvil242 My "current" campaign has a half orc monk with skills learned in gladiatorial arenas. He has a human paladin for an aunt, and a half elf rogue as another aunt (I'm still not clear on this particular family tree). He is played as a character with some anger control issues, explaining the monk class as an attempt to control his orcish temper. But he is pretty ugly. I played a half-orc in a Con game one time. Clang! He could speak, but he could only say clang. I got to reprise the role the next year with the same Ck at another Con. Unfortunately, Clang did not make it out of that day alive. Clang... Go0gleplex Location: Keizer, OR I've not been a player in a while, mostly the CK, but I in the past I used to have both half-orc and half-ogre characters that I would run on nights i was in a grumpy mood (we rotated DMs amid our 20+ member group and did not have set campaigns really at that time) One of my current players character is a half-orc as well. They call him BRUCE! :p "Rolling dice and killing characters since September 1976." "Author of Wardogs! and Contributor to Iron Stars and Starmada-Admiralty ed." "Certified crazy since 2009." Buttmonkey I love me some Clang! He's one of the best pregens I've seen for C&C. I played a half-orc monk named Ghoulface (really low charisma) for a session or two in Frank Mentzer's 1E home game maybe 8 years ago. He died a brutal death in Wretched Swamp. He was reduced from full health to -28 hit points in the first round of a fight with a black dragon. Sadly, no one was impressed since a long-standing PC was reduced to something like -57 hit points the same or the next round. No one mourns poor, wretched Ghoulface besides me. tylermo wrote: Your efforts are greatly appreciated, Buttmonkey. Can't believe I said that with a straight face. Omote Battle Stag Location: The fairest view in the park, Ohio. I've never played one, but I have had 2 or 3 playing in the campaigns I ran. The 1/2 Orc Monk is really awesome. Just saying. ~O @-Duke Omote Landwehr, Holy Order of the FPQ ~ Prince of the Castles & Crusades Society-@ VAE VICTUS! >> Omote's Advanced C&C stuff << Omote wrote: And such being an illustration of exactly why I'm a big supporter of all races being able to access all character classes. Taking a cue from Star Trek, we've got here a case of infinite diversity from infinite combinations - exactly what would inspire a half-orc to begin attending and training at a monastery? Does he/she seek a way to channel his/her violence in productive channels? Has he/she rejected the common world after years of prejudice and seeks to find a place where they can be appreciated for him/herself? Does something about the discipline and austerity of the monk's life appeal to this particular character, either through the orcish inherited tendencies, personal directive, or a bit of both? Any one of these things - and more - could be put to use just as pure character establishment, something the CK could utilize in story creation ("Half-orc brother x - who you trained with for years - has turned evil, dominated the surrounding countryside as a self-proclaimed warlord and now we need your help in kicking his butt into the pottery kiln forge!"). I'll always have, I think, a tendency to restrict paladin class to humans, but this remains a personal leaning/choice. Glad to read that this, again, underappreciated race made a nice mark for itself in a previously inaccessible career direction. Captain_K Location: North Coast playing one right now... 1/2 orc cleric - assassin.. great stuff but it is tough always being told you are bad because of your race... its like wearing black all the time. that said through the years the race bit goes away quick with PC and even most DM because it gets old fast. Wow, Another Natural One! You guys are a sink hole for luck. Stay away from my dice. Captain_K wrote: ...it is tough always being told you are bad because of your race... its like wearing black all the time. Switch to orange - people get interested in you and you get to start cool social trends. I'd advise opening with jumpsuits and maybe move on to kilts...who knows, after having hammered countless people into the ground your character could retire with the name "Orange Crush". koralas I have played 1/2 Orcs on a number of occasions in AD&D. A straight Cleric was fun, we had our own level limit rules that imposed penalties of 70+Level to be attained% XP penalty to XP after the PHB max level limit was reached, was a lot of fun. A straight up Fighter, he was cool, but I liked the F/T(Acrobat) even more. finarvyn I tried a half orc for a couple of sessions. Okay, but not anything really awesome. My sister played one pretty well. A couple of guys at the game store run one occasionally. Overall, not a lot of half orcs at my tables. Marv / Finarvyn Lord Marshall, Earl of Stone Creek, C&C Society Just discovered Amazing Adventures and loving it! MA1E WardenMaster - Killing Characters since 1976, MA4E Playtester in 2006. C&C Playtester in 2003, OD&D player since 1975 Telhawk wrote: Personally, I've never played one, but back in the day I had a friend that played on and enjoyed it. I and another player had knight/Paladin types, and he played the orc (fighter or berserker I can't remember which) as our 'serjeant' . It was good to have him where other knights' pages/retainers being a pain, he was able to 'meet them behind the stable/in the alley and remind them just how one should respect a knight and his followers. All the time the 2 of us were in the inn keeping our hands clean but able to point out how embarrassing it must be for the other knights to have pages and followers so weak they can't check on their lord's horses without coming back bruised and bloodied. Rgr that on both accounts. I never understood why an elf (which is woodland based) would be bared from being a druid, etc. That said, I also only see a human (for the most part) being tied to nobility honor and divinity in the unique way that makes a paladin. I would not say ONLY humans, but to be anything other than a human would need a really good back story and reason for being a paladin. Oh yeah, monk ... my 'western' based world does not have BtB monks. They have 'pankrationest' which fits the bill for lightly armed armored to no armor armed fighter without the 'eastern' influence of the monk. So, that would fit a half orc perfectly. Half Orc Monk.. think Billy Jack GameOgre It's rare but Half Orc's get plaid at my table a lot more than Dwarves. I love Dwarves but I can count PC Dwarves on one hand in 40 years of playing. Half orcs prob several dozen, though still low. dawnrazor Mist Elf Location: South Sweden Back in the AD&D days my players often chose to play half-orcs. And my first ever AD&D character (before I got into GM:ing) was Ugluk the half-orc fighter. My RPG blog: https://nerdomancerofdork.wordpress.com Goodevil, the half orc cleric... same character in every game, no one else wanted to play the cleric, cost you a gold piece per hp of curing to "pay for the prayer"... serleran From other players, never. Well, actually, once -- a half-orc barbarian. From, me, also only once -- a ranger with a 3 Charisma. He made it to level 6 before the game fizzled and we started over with most everyone as a dwarf. The other game, with the barbie orc also died out around 5th level before I got bored and just changed the universe.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line452
__label__cc	0.691263	0.308737	Asus Eee PC Seashell Review Posted on July 27, 2009 laurenPosted in Netbook Ever since the first ASUS EEE PC came out, netbooks have gotten bigger and lost the one trait that made them attractive in the first place: size. Why go for a 12-inch netbook when you can just get a more powerful laptop? The new Asus EEE Seashell, however, reminds me of the convenience and ease of use a netbook is supposed to provide. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a demo unit when I went to New York on vacation, and this is my review. Design and Feel For P23,000 (suggested retail price), you definitely get what you pay for. At 2.4 pounds and just an inch thick at the thickest point, the Asus Eee PC Seashell was incredibly satisfying to carry around. It’s thin enough for me to slip into a large purse, but not too thin to make me worry that it might break into two under more powerful hands. The sides of the Seashell stay sleek because tethered rubber stoppers hide two USB ports, Ethernet ports, and a socket for the headphone, mic, and mini VGA. I like that each of the USB ports were located on both sides of the machine, avoiding the annoying, “I can’t use my second USB device because my other USB device is in the way” issue. I wasn’t too crazy about the glossy finish of the black demo unit because the fingerprint smudges drove me nuts, but its tapered edges and beveled-keyed keyboard felt like those of a first-class machine. The keyboard, in particular, was a delight to use. I remember how I kept making so many typos on the first generation Eee because the keys were too small and too close together. The keys on the Seashell had just enough distance from each other to avoid typos, and I liked how the keys had a satisfying click every time you pressed on one. There’s also a button on the upper left hand corner that controls the WiFi and Bluetooth, while a separate button turns the trackpad off. The trackpad itself was a little strange; instead of a smooth surface, the trackpad has a dotted texture that takes a while to get used to. Other than the odd sensation, the trackpad is fairly accurate and no trouble to use. The insides of the Seashell pretty much resembles that of most netbooks. It runs on XP (thank God for that – I didn’t have enough time to figure out how to use a Linux machine), has an Aton N280 processor, 160GB hard drive, 1 GB of RAM (which you can upgrade to 2GB), DHC port, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.1. The Seashell’s real selling point, however, is its battery life. Asus claims that the its integrated lithium polymer battery has a 6-hour running time, but I only got around three hours and a half. How do I know this? I loaded two movies onto the Seashell’s hard drive – one was an hour and a half long, the other was two hours. I saw both movies on the plane and the Seashell was gasping for power by the time the credits were rolling on the second movie. Still, three and a half hours isn’t bad for a netbook; at least the battery is really light and doesn’t add any unwanted weight on your bag. I did, however, encounter a serious problem that made it impossible for me to use the Seashell for the rest of my trip and pretty much defeated the purpose of a netbook. The WiFi refused to recognize any available networks, even if the router was right in front of me. At first I thought I was just being stupid and forgot to turn the WiFi on but according to the Asus forums, the Seashell is notorious for its WiFi woes. For those of you who experience problems connecting to WiFi on your Seashell, this advice from the forums might be able to help: Right click on the Wireless icon in the system tray. Left click on Open Network Connections Right click on Wireless Network connection Left click on properties. On the window that opens it says connect using..and shows your wireless card with a button that says configure next to it. Press configure. On the window that opens is a tab called advanced. Down arrow to power save mode and set the pulldown to maximum. Click OK and reboot. Connect using encryption and let us know if you stay connected. I wish I could tell you for sure if the procedure above worked, but I was too lazy to troubleshoot the Seashell myself. 😛 The Asus Eee Seashell is a very tempting buy because of its sleek and beautiful form, but what might deter others from buying it is that it’s not beautiful enough to make it worth paying extra. The Seashell costs a couple more thousand pesos than its similar-performing though slightly chunky counterparts and though its compactness makes it a dream to carry around, I wouldn’t mind carrying something a little heavier if it means spending less. Then again, you can always wait for the price to drop, which I’m sure it will in a couple of months. asus, Asus eee pc, asus eee pc seashell Apple Tablet May be Out in September 6 thoughts on “Asus Eee PC Seashell Review” Traverus Travel says: Hey this is a good review. I had some interest in getting one of these because of the portability. One thing that I was not too happy about was the lack of a cd-rom… and the wifi issue that you had doesnt make me too confident either. Good review overall.. I need to start coming back to this site more lol .-= Traverus Travel´s last blog ..Chris Waston- Executive Line – 1.888.258.0664 =-. Pingback: HP Mini Note 2140 \| Techie Gadgets Prec says: I still feel that Toshiba NB200 is a better option than the Seashell. With the extra thousands of pesos, the keyboard is so much nicer than Asus’. However, the NB200 doesn’t have a 1.3MP webcam. Sucks! iantheragingbull says: tempting… =) .-= iantheragingbull´s last blog ..How to Put Up a Heliport – Part 3: Helicopter to be considered =-. kharmey says: how about the Battery? is it built in? I love ASUS netbooks and you bring up the best point about what people are doing wrong: supersizing netbooks. Then, they’re just like a low-powered laptop. A netbook should always be ULTRA portable and have extremely long battery life! .-= Jim´s last blog ..Top Rated Netbook =-.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line458
__label__cc	0.719169	0.280831	Board index ‹ Peach Tree Garden ‹ The Pub Favorite Musical? The place to hang out with your fellow scholars, have a drink, share a laugh and enjoy each other's company. First unread post • 95 posts • Page 3 of 10 • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ... 10 by tuffy135 » Fri Jul 13, 2007 1:06 am My highschool European History teacher used to do the "If I were a rich man..." dance at least once for every class he taught. Think of a guy built like Santa Claus dancing like that. tuffy135 by Tigger of Kai » Mon Nov 12, 2007 3:16 am Anyone attended Sweeney Todd? A throat-slashing cannibalistic English barber — seems like the kind of thing I'd enjoy. Apparently, Tim Burton's movie version starring Johnny Depp debuts next month. In Toronto now there's a production which ...is actually set in an insane asylum, where a company of 10 of the most bizarre creatures you've ever seen onstage act out the story – gruesome payback over a lost wife – in between bouts of psychosis and dementia[...]there is no orchestra and the members of the company play all the musical instruments. Sounds a bit...much. Mithril! The dwarves tell no tales. But just as it was the foundation of their wealth, so also it was their destruction. They delved too greedily and too deep, and disturbed that from which they fled. Tigger of Kai by Liu Yuante » Wed Nov 14, 2007 9:15 am Tigger of Kai wrote: Sounds a bit...much. Awesome is what it sounds like. Actual lunatics performing Sweeney Todd? How can you beat that? ...Well, as long as the security is good. Liu Yuante 绯红王 Location: Central Pennsylvania by Cherry Coke » Sun Feb 17, 2008 2:56 am I totally love the Phantom of the Opera!! Sweeney Todd wa sactually rather good too..favorite song from there is Epiphany...if I start even a line of that I will get it stuck in my head and go on for ages... Sound of Music is so adorable too...I can watch that over and over... Rocky Horror Picture Show ...saw it once....years and years ago...disturbed for life Live, Love, Laugh, Believe, Dream Cherry Coke by Sun Fin » Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:41 am I wann see Todd but it's an 18 . My favourite musical is Les Mis, so touching (I've even seen it twice!) although the best show I've seen was Equus by miles! by Ricky » Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:12 pm I never did perform on stage. Only when I was eight though. Wouldn't say it counted, I just tapped my feet in anger while looking glum at others. I saw a betiful Kabuki dance on television before though. Re: Favorite Musical? by Sun Fin » Mon Jan 31, 2011 12:45 am Blood Brothers is my new favourite musical. It was amazing. Only time I've cried in a show. by Adam » Fri Feb 11, 2011 10:58 am The only musical I enjoyed and have watched more than once is Repo: The Genetic Opera...it has a weird conglomeration of musical styles but it works really well...probably helps that it's sort of a horror movie behind the musical stuff. >.> -亚当 Me books on Amazons: https://www.amazon.com/Adam-Sisemore/e/ ... scns_share by Sun Fin » Sat Jan 05, 2013 5:53 pm Saw Wicked a few days ago, really good musical. What do people think about Les Mis being made in to a film? You USer's might have seen it already... Does it measure up to the show? Personally I'm suspending judgement until I've seen it! by Dong Zhou » Sat Jan 05, 2013 7:13 pm Are you a fan of musicals, on the stage or on the screen? Ah I love musicals but only tend to get to see them on film, though did see Joseph live as a kid. Disney films, Phantom of the Opera film and 25th anniversary version, Les Mis 25th on youtube, the deserves to be better known Camelot, the all time great Moulin Rouge, Chicago... Even when a film isn't that good (Disney's Robin Hood and Hunchback, Gigi), the songs can make it a little bit better. Even when the song performances, like Mamma Mia, aren't that good. Have you ever performed in one yourself? Sun Fin wrote: Saw Wicked a few days ago, really good musical. I have heard Wicked was a great musical. Perhaps the next one to transcend Broadway? I'm always happy to see a play or a musical or something that many people may not get a chance to see done properly, get a TV/film thing. If done properly. Even if I have already seen a version (Phantom of the Opera or the Henry IV plays), it can be intresting to see how how one contrasts with another. To use the Phantom, the 25th anniversary had a slightly more human title for their Phantom thanks to Ramin Karimloo and a more sensuous version of "Beyond the Point of No Return" from Sierra Boggess then the film. So a version where everyone has put a lot of effort in is always welcome. Been intresting reading the British reviews. One or two love it, a lot go "this is good but" and really put effort into explaining why it didn't work for them. my tumbler my officer analysis 3kingdom total war faction and NPC's history/novel profiles Dong Zhou A-Dou Location: "Now we must die. May Your Majesty maintain yourself" 95 posts • Page 3 of 10 • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ... 10	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line462
__label__cc	0.658543	0.341457	SITREP: US missile attack on Syria – Russian statistics 22620 Views April 16, 2018 76 Comments SITREPs The Saker The following are the official results of the US missile attacks on Syria as reported by the Russian General Staff on this video: TRANSLATION (all names phonetically translated from Russian, not the original Arabic, by me. The Saker) Target Attacking cruise missiles Defeated cruise missiles Diuvali 4 4 Duimeir airbase 12 12 Blei airbase 18 18 Shairat airbase 12 12 Tifor airbase 2 2 Mezze airbase 9 5 Khoms airbase 16 13 Barza and Dzharamanni 30 5 Air defense system Fired Successfully hit Pantsir 25 23 Buk 29 24 Osa 11 5 S-125 13 5 Strela-10 5 3 Kvadrat 21 11 S-200 8 0 source: https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/4126052.html US aggression again Syria Nice article but I read it somewhere else also, thanks anyway :) Well as others have pointed out, that if the US sent as the say, sent 70 cruise missiles at one target and they all hit, that would be roughly 30 metric tonnes of explosive! 30 metric tonnes of explosive can turn rubble into dust. The US version of this story is so unbelievable that I wonder how they dare tell it, it is so plainly stupid, that it defies logic. I cruise missile ( Roughly 400 kilo high explosive) that comes into close contact with and unhardened building, simply blows it apart. They sure make some good concrete these Syrians! Mike on April 17, 2018 · at 11:10 am EST/EDT Read a real analysis: http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/20168/four-outlandish-russian-ministry-of-defense-claims-about-the-syrian-missile-raid Kilgore Trout on April 17, 2018 · at 1:27 pm EST/EDT All you got to do is look at the damage. then even a blind person can see that the ameri3kans are full of shit that all their missles hit their targets. Cat Pillar on April 17, 2018 · at 1:49 pm EST/EDT Yes…. I guess it must be a terrifying thought…. 70% of NATO/America’s modern missiles brought down by that old Soviet stuff!? Makes you shit your pants huh. And it should. Richard Steven Hack on April 17, 2018 · at 4:43 pm EST/EDT That analysis claims the Pantsir has no “real-world data” to back up its claims of effectiveness. I would say the Syria strike IS the real world data that it works well. It also claims some of the shot down missiles pictures in social media are actually of Russian missiles, which is of course completely irrelevant to anything. In short, the article is heavily biased. Colonel Pat Lang, a retired senior intelligence officer, says on his blog that he has done Bomb Damage Assessments many times, and from the pictures he’s seen it appears reasonable that most of the US cruise missiles failed to hit their targets. The Pentagon claims one hundred percent success in their strike. Another intelligence officer at Colonel :Lang’s blog points out that at least one shot down cruise missiles has been photographed on social media, so that alone proves the Pentagon is lying. We know the last missile strike Trump tried did next to no damage to the airfield it fired at, despite allegedly hitting it with all 50-odd missiles. The base was back in action in 48 hours. This provides backup evidence to the effectiveness of Russian ECM. I would also remind you that during the Iraq war, Iraqi gunners manning manual air defense guns managed to shoot down one out of three cruise missiles – a very high percentage for such manual weapons. Cruise missiles are relatively low and slow, so knocking them down isn’t that challenged for an automated weapons system such as the Pantsir. +Mikie on April 17, 2018 · at 2:32 pm EST/EDT Your math is correct, it does work out about 30t of presumably best kablooie stuff US can make. Or buy from Chyna, whatever. Other math works out at 70 * $1.58 mil = $110.6 mil for that salvo of Tomahawks. Not including go-juice for the ships that dragged them across the Atlantic to Mediterannean, pays and “combat” bonuses for sailors, etc. etc. That spray-tanned orange muppet wouldn’t have any shares in Raytheon, now, would he? ;) Ted 99 on April 16, 2018 · at 9:57 pm EST/EDT ‘Explosion’ at Israeli held area of Golan Heights near Syria border https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/947055/Syria-Israel-attack-explosion-airstrike-Golan-Heights-USA-UK-France-Iran-Russia Circe on April 16, 2018 · at 10:09 pm EST/EDT Here’s Trump’s assessment of missile strikes in Syria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W9jS3-gt7w Izaates bar Monobazeus on April 16, 2018 · at 10:27 pm EST/EDT The denial is frightening. I think Trump truly doesn’t know. Combine this with press reports he was tricked by his advisors on the numbers if diplomatic staff expelled by European governments over the Skripal hoax and we see a President who is cut off from the real world by the muck accumulating around him. Trump is be kept in the dark. He us being fed bullshit. A ‘mushroom’ president then? Anonius on April 17, 2018 · at 7:32 am EST/EDT I am not sure, if this applies to him, but surely he is applying this principle to the populace hooked on MSM BS. Rob from Canada on April 17, 2018 · at 12:15 pm EST/EDT He’s an article on how his advisors played him for a sucker and fed him neo horseshit. What’s great is that there are lots of indications that Russia is psychologically defeating the USA. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-a-reluctant-hawk-has-battled-his-top-aides-on-russia-and-lost/2018/04/15/a91e850a-3f1b-11e8-974f-aacd97698cef_story.html?utm_term=.db866c263679 PokeTheTruth on April 16, 2018 · at 11:09 pm EST/EDT Why are people slapping themselves on the back because only 32 out of 103 cruise missiles got through? How many delivery platforms were used by U.S.-NATO in this latest attack? Four warships and one submarine (USS Monterey, USS Laboon, USS Higgins, the French frigate Languedoc and the US submarine SSN John Warner). Two B-1B Lancers, 4 British Tornadoes and Typhoons, French Rafales and Mirages. Roughly 18 aircraft. See: https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/14/politics/syria-airstrikes-weapons-used-intl/ . Syria got off lightly because such a small number of ships and planes were used to launch the missiles. What would have happened if dozens of warships and planes were used to send two or three hundred missiles into the country? People on the ground would have been killed including Russians for sure. It’s only a matter of days or weeks when that happens because Russia didn’t stand up to the U.S. when this attack occurred. Bob on April 16, 2018 · at 11:40 pm EST/EDT Sadly, I have to agree with Poke on this. A full on onslaught of hundreds of cruise missiles would almost certainly overwhelm the Syrian/Russian air defenses and, more, importantly, here in the US it appears that the lack of a direct Russian military response to the attack is encouraging the neocons to demand more strikes. It is only fear of Russian retaliation that keeps the zionists from sending the US military to sweep Assad from power via a coup de main. Once the Russian personnel can be pushed back into their compounds the way is clear for a US/Israeli invasion which they would happily do if they are convinced the Russians will simply hunker down in their bases and not resist. Putin has played his, admittedly marginal hand, brilliantly to get this far, but I’m afraid that baring some serious military move by the Russians, the end is near at hand. You can only threaten so many times before people figure out your bluffing. The Israelis believe Putin is bluffing and the American military will not be able to hold back the political pressure for an invasion without a credible Russian threat. I think we are days/weeks away from the end, not months or years. Tsar Nicholas on April 17, 2018 · at 12:06 am EST/EDT There is a saying, “be careful what you wish for.” Larchmonter445 on April 17, 2018 · at 9:36 am EST/EDT The defenses in country maybe. Not the Kalibrs. Not other weapons. Russia is layered for payback, as well as in defense. And the Americans know it. A blow in country against Russian force structure would bring Hell from Mother. Do you not understand how Russians plan? That is not hot air coming from Russian Generals and Putin. Those are existential warnings. Imagine the HQ at Lattakia taking a hit. Centcom would lose its HQ. The calculus of battle against Russia is always for it all. They are a martial nation. They understand war. They understand their enemy. Putin already has given the Doctrine for all to understand. Russia will not fight The War on its soil ever again. mike k on April 17, 2018 · at 10:24 am EST/EDT The end will be nuclear. ” A full on onslaught of hundreds of cruise missiles would almost certainly overwhelm the Syrian/Russian air defenses and, more, importantly, here in the US it appears that the lack of a direct Russian military response to the attack is encouraging the neocons to demand more strikes.” Complete agreement with you on the 2nd bit but regarding all those launches – that would be when you “take out the launchers?” I guess if that is insufficient then you start looking at the cities. I think the Russians have made the situation far more dangerous by allowing this “face-saving” escapade. Rob from Canada on April 17, 2018 · at 1:46 pm EST/EDT “Once the Russian personnel can be pushed back into their compounds the way is clear for a US/Israeli invasion which they would happily do if they are convinced the Russians will simply hunker down in their bases and not resist.” You need to stop smoking neo horseshit. Assad’s popularity in Syria went up after the strike and how many soldiers in the IDF and US military are willing to die for Greater “Horsehit” Israel and a pile of morally retarded politicians? BFN: Butt F*king None is my guess. SEA on April 16, 2018 · at 11:45 pm EST/EDT What do you suggest Russia do? Come on and tell us. I’m more than willing to listen. vot tak on April 17, 2018 · at 12:23 am EST/EDT They want Russia to provide israel’s american colonial’s with their “new Pearl harbor” so zionazia can have ww3. ;-D Actually, they just want to make Russia look weak, cowardly, incompetent on websites in the west, like this one, to demoralise and discourage westerners from supporting Russia and her allies. Convincing us that the countries opposing zionazia are failing causes feelings of despair, isolation, helplessness and weakens resolve. It’s another part of the psywar directed at us to neutralize our objection to what zionazi is up to. Look up pnac and new Pearl harbor. These zionazi provocations against Syria are not to provide pretext for starting ww3, but to go all out against Syria. The zionazis realise they don’t have the public support in the west for another Iraq style mass murder spree, and need some massive 9/11 type pretext. If Russia sinks a usn ship, or attacks an american ground unit and causes significant casualties, the zionazis will have their “new Pearl harbor”. At least, that is their working assumption. Rikko on April 17, 2018 · at 1:38 am EST/EDT I think you may be right but there might also be an element of bravado expressed in these views born of an extreme hostilty towards US foreign policy and a consequent impatience to see that nation finally get its comeuppance. SEA on April 17, 2018 · at 2:57 am EST/EDT Yes, they’re playing ‘baiting the bear’ aren’t they? Fortunately for the rest of the world, so far the bear hasn’t taken the bait. It is very frustrating, this game. I can’t help but admire the RF General Staff — they’re cool, calm, matter-of-fact and no bluster, at least in public. That’s reassuring in an odd kind of way when the whole world can see that FUKUS (name thought up by another poster in another thread. I like it, has a nice ring to it) and the rest of Nato and the twin sisters, Wahhabi KSA and Israel, are lusting for war. RF is constrained by several factors, chief of which is to avoid escalation which can easily lead to nuclear war. RF is doing its best to avoiding giving a pretext for FUKUS and the other criminal regimes to start a general war. I don’t know how the fools in the Empire can misread VVP’s warning when he said the world without Russia is not worth living in. But then again, there are loonies in the US regime who think they can survive a nuclear exchange. Call it wishful thinking but there are two ways to slow down or stop the Empire’s march to war in the ME. Kitai president Xi Jinpeng has just overseen a parade of the ‘largest armada of Chinese warships in 600 years’ as the blurb goes, in the South China Sea. Just detach a squadron of ships to the Mediterranean on a ‘goodwill’ visit, say to Algeria (a naval customer), Egypt and finally stopping at Tartus (for extended R & R of course). Chinese diplomacy employs nuances in language and action that the barbarians in the Empire don’t understand. A grey ship bristling with missiles is what works for them. The other is for RF to demonstrate a Kinzhal or two over the bow of the US carrier group once it has reached the Syrian theatre. And ideally they should detonate somewhere east of the Euphrates. jiri on April 17, 2018 · at 2:36 am EST/EDT The Russians have already said that they will consider upgrading Syria’s (and others) air defences with S-300 system. Maybe other systems too? This would make it very risky for any future attacks plus it would give the Russians plausible deniability when destroying any attacking platforms in the future. Imagine the Iraqis having S-300. Any ship firing a missile from a ship in the Persian Gulf would be a legitimate target as the Iraqis would have no way of knowing whether the missile was headed for Iraq or elsewhere. Melotte 22 on April 17, 2018 · at 7:46 am EST/EDT Provide S-400 and much more Pantsir S-1 systems to Syria as a starter. If they can do nothing then say nothing. On the basis of “we will target delivery systems” recently I was saying prayers. Solon on April 17, 2018 · at 9:28 am EST/EDT Naive. And ignorant of the facts. And oblivious to the reality. The Russian Generals communicated directly in three channels–Chief of Staff to Chief of Staff, in theater Commanders to Centcom Commanders, and within NATO. The words were clear, perceived correctly and acted upon by the Americans prudently. Mattis refused the Package to attack Lattakia and Tartus, as well as the decapitation strikes on Damascus and the Syrian Defense Organization. Just because you don’t understand that doesn’t mean it did not happen. It definitely happened. We see the facts. We know the prelude. We see the aftermath. From your words festooning the Saker’s Vineyard, it is clear you may be over your head talking about things you don’t understand. And you are not alone. Though, obviously, we are trolled heavily on these topics. Your comments are troll-like, another thing you ought to consider. Carping is not critical thought. Naive? Your belief in the benevolence of any oligarchy (anywhere) is the overriding weakness (nay, disease) of the common man. e.g Power and privilege: Elite Lifestyles in Communist Eastern Europe https://thevieweast.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/power-and-privilege-in-communist-eastern-europe/ Krollchem on April 17, 2018 · at 4:03 am EST/EDT The potential for Nuclear War and the subsequent nuclear winter is real. I have previously argued that the US and its allies can overwhelm the Russian and Syrian air defenses using swarm tactics and all the missiles and planes that the US and their allies can muster. However, but the initial costs in lost planes and ships would be greater than the Russian losses by an order of magnitude. Besides, the conflict would rapidly result into use of tactical nuclear weapons and ultimately full-scale nuclear war. For those who think that FUKUS and their allies can take down the air defense systems of Russia and Syria, remember that besides missile systems the Russians have advanced air superiority fighters that carry more missiles than the NATO planes, can detect stealth fighters and the missiles have a greater range. Any reasonable attack on Russian assets in Syria would result in a Turkey shoot of the planes and their ships/bases based on in the following in theatre systems (as well as the out of theatre systems in in Caspian and Black seas): S-400 (SA-21) systems: Yes there are two S-400 complexes guarding Khmeimim consisting of 16 missile launchers per complex (32 launch ready missiles range 350 km) http://www.janes.com/article/74500/second-russian-s-400-in-syria-confirmed S-300 (SA-20) systems Russia has seven S-300VM missile systems defending Tartus and abord some warships (range 350 km) http://theiranproject.com/blog/2016/11/16/seven-russian-s-300-air-missile-defense-systems-deployed-syria/ Bastion (K-300P) anti-ship coastal systems (Yakhonts) Russia has deployed perhaps two batteries of 18 launchers at their naval bases (72 launch ready missiles – range 350 km) Russia also has K-300P systems on it Project 11356 frigates http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/179014/bastion-missile-proves-land-attack-capability-in-syria%3A-tass.html Syria has two batteries consisting of 18 launchers which carry two 3M55E Yakhont supersonic cruise missiles. (72 launch ready missiles -range 350 km) http://defense-update.com/20111203_syria-receives-yakhont-missiles.html Kalibr (SS-N-27 Sizzler) Russia has Kalibr long range missiles on all their frigates either 3M-54E1/3M-14E: (300 km range) or 3M-54/3M-54T: (660 km range) http://www.defensereview.com/us-navy-aircraft-carriers-vulnerable-to-ss-n-27b-sizzler-anti-ship-missile/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3M-54_Kalibr Pantsier Russia had previously provided 40 Pantsier-1 missile systems to Syria with 12 missiles loaded per system (480 launch ready missiles – range 20 km) https://www.therussophile.org/russia-delivered-40-pantsir-s1-air-defense-systems-to-syria-state-media.html/ Subsequently, Russia has also deployed an unknown number of Pantsir S2 air defense systems to its Khmeimim airbase in Syria (range of about 40 km) https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2016/05/31/weapons-tested-syria-russia-pantsir-s2-mobile-air-defense-missile-gun-system.html The Pantsier-2 may have been upgraded to add four directed sub-rockets to each missile for a total of 48 missiles per Pantsier launcher. Buk-M2E (SA-11) Russia has an unknown number of Buk-M2E systems and perhaps the new Buk-M3 in Syria. Perhaps FB could provide more information. Syria has received a total of 48 launchers of Buk-M2 surface-to-air missiles. (192 launch ready missiles – range 40 km) http://www.todaynews24h.com/israel-continued-air-strikes-damascus-buk-m2-of-syria-where/ S-125 (SA-3) (Pechora-2M) Syria has about 145 Pechora and 12 Pechora-2M each with four missiles per launcher. (628 launch ready missiles- range 32 km) Same as was used by Yugoslav Army 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade to shoot down a F-117 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-125_Neva/Pechora S-200 systems (SA-5) (upgraded) Syria has two S-200 batteries consisting of 44 launchers at Kweires airport (range 350 km). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-200_%28missile%29 Kvadrat (SA-6) Syria has 195 2K12s systems with three missiles per launcher. (585 launch ready missiles – range 22 km)) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2K12_Kub Osa (SA-8) Syria had 14 batteries consisting of 60 launchers with six short range missiles per launcher. (360 launch ready missiles – range 15 km)) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9K33_Osa Tor-M2E (SA-15D) Russia has installed both the land based systems (SA-9) and integrated them in their ships at sea (SA-N-9). The launchers come with either 8 or 16 missiles with a range of 16 km Syria has a number of the older Tor-M1(V) systems with 4-8 launch ready missiles – range 12 km. Iskander (SS-26) Russia has at least one Iskander nuclear capable ballistic missile systems in Syria -range 400-500 km. These are ship killers along with the Zircon missiles to take out carriers. http://defense-update.com/20170106_iskander-in-syria.html 9K35 Strela-10 (SA-13) Syria has 35 launchers – four missiles per launcher, reload time 3 minutes- range 5 km http://military.wikia.com/wiki/9K35_Strela-10 Emily on April 17, 2018 · at 7:21 am EST/EDT Russia has created a formidable deterrent in Syria. It shows her capacity to fight a conventional (bloody…) war that will not give victory to the aggressor. At the same time, it shows Russia’s intent to fight a conventional war instead of a nuclear war! This is amazing – Russia is determined to save humanity from the madness of a nuclear war. Thanks for the details, Krollchem. I’ve been calling for the Iskanders to be installed. The 14+ US bases in Syria should be their targets if Russians get hit. And everyday and night the US commanders should “feel the presence of those ballistic missiles” in their psychology. Until the US feels dread, they will rampage and instigate chaos inside Syria. General Giap’s artillery and the Vietnamese sappers destroyed the great war machine of the US military. The Russians have the weapons to do the same. The Iskander’s mere presence in country could be decisive. More is better. Krollchem on April 17, 2018 · at 2:53 pm EST/EDT Good point about the need to deploy the Iskander missiles. The Bastion (K-300P) anti-ship coastal systems can hit land targets at a range of 450km but the US bases are outside this targeting envelope. Melotte 22 on April 17, 2018 · at 4:14 pm EST/EDT Kalibr missiles from Caspian Sea would do the job perfectly. Iskanders should be used for rats during liberation of Idlib, the next big battle. There is a massive concentration of various jihadi groups in Idlib right now. Iskander and TOS-1 would do magic in Idlib. Misa comment at the Moon of Alabama is also instructive. Whenever the Russia airborne radar command plane(s) in the air the Israeli AF generally chooses not to attack.. Otherwise they have terrain cover for attacks. Too bad Russia doesn’t have a base in Lebanon.. “I see a lot of discussion about (non)usage of Russian/Syrian air defence systems in Syria. People often think of extreme ranges of interceptor missiles (more than 100km), and associate that with some “protection umbrella” with 100+km radius. It is then hard to understand from that point of view, how can something enter within 100km of SAM site and survive? Air defence of Syria is directly dependent on terrain configuration. One must understand the concept of radar horizon and radar shadow, and how they impact air defence systems. Radar horizon is the limit of target detection zone, and it scales with height of radar antenna. That is why AWACS fly high and see far away. And that is why sea based radars don’t have much of a range except for high flying targets. Anything beyond this zone won’t be detected. Then there is a radar shadow. To put it very simply, radar shadow is an area within normal radar range that is blocked by some terrain feature, like mountain range. Radar is ineffective in that area. Terrain features of Syrian Latakia province can be seen on this image. Light blue dashed line represents radar horizon for radars located along the coastline (i.e. Latakia city and Tartus). Beyond that line inside Syria, those radars can’t see aircrafts, except those flying at extremely high altitudes. This means that S-400 systems located along the coastline can be used to the maximum range to protect only from attacks coming from the sea. Inlands, it only protects against targets flying over small strip of coastline (around 40km from the sea). For example, TUAF drone flying at 2km altitude over Khan Sheikun (70km from Latakia) or over Jisr Ash Shugur (55km from Latakia) can’t even be acquired by S-400 sites along the coastline. While that drone can surely be acquired by other radars elsewhere in Syria, and eventually target trace can probably be exchanged with S-400 systems along the coast, it is doubtful that it can be engaged with S-400 missiles. Of course, this assumes that S-400 long range missile needs midcourse target updates via direct line-of-sight link from battery command site. This also suggests that recently launched US/UK/F cruise missiles used some alternative approaches via Turkey/Lebanon/Israel/Jordan, in order to avoid early detection by Russian coastline radars. Approach from Lebanon is regularly employed by Israeli Air Force attacks at Syria. Terrain features there can be seen on this image. Light blue line is the trajectory of Israeli aircraft, which use Bekaa valley radar shadow to hide their approach. Lebanon mountain to the west of Bekaa valley protects them from Syrian coastline radars, and Anti Lebanon mountain to the east of Bekaa valley protects them form Damascus radars. Red lines are flight paths of stand-off missiles that are launched towards Syria while launch aircrafts are inside Bekaa valley. Missiles are picked up by Syrian mainland radars only in terminal flight phase after those missiles hop over Anti Lebanon mountains. This attack vector puts SAA air defences at severe disadvantage, because reaction time is very short. For example, JASSM missile launched from an aircraft flying above Baalbek, Lebanon at Dumayr airbase in Syria (60km away), would be ideally detected when it hops over Anti Lebanon mountains. From that point, flying at 800Km/h, missile impacts in less than 4 minutes. In that time, central air defense must classiffy threat, identify possible target, alarm the units that can intercept, and communicate approval of engagement to those units. Units then have to chose engagement profile – one or more missiles, intercept near or far, engagement radar acivity, where will missile debris fall on civilian settlements etc… all in less than 4 minutes. Let me tell you this as someone who had endured NATO missiles – SAA air defence is doing GREAT job.” Posted by: Misa \| Apr 17, 2018 9:14:00 AM \| 89 the master on April 17, 2018 · at 9:50 am EST/EDT I suppoes in case of such a scale of attack the Russians/Syrians would not sit and wait for the Tomahawks being hit but destroying the launchers! Don’t you think? Pickle Rick on April 17, 2018 · at 10:39 am EST/EDT Your concerns are warranted, and would likely be justified if only Syrian air defenses were used in the defense of a larger strike. I doubt that would be the case. As Krollchem has pointed out the Russians have a significant anti-air/anti-ship missile defense system in Syria. They could knock down a significant number of US/NATO air assets in any attack, no matter the scale. Any NATO/US Naval assets in the region would be in deep trouble. Clearly, there are enough anti-ship missiles in and around the coastal waters of Syria to overwhelm and deplete an Aegis air defense system. Finally, their is the, allegedly, lone Iskander missile. I have serious doubts about any air defense systems ability to intercept a ballistic missile during terminal flight. With regard to The S-200s performance or lack thereof, we should consider where the batteries are located and how far their ordanance had to travel to make intercept. There will be fall off, in intercept rates, towards the edges of the systems operational range. This holds true for all such systems. I mention this, because Russian air defense systems are positioned such that any attack on Russian assets would require US/NATO missiles and aircraft to fly into/through the heart of these defense systems operational ranges, and in many cases, more than once.Thus, improving kill rates. Further, I doubt Russian missiles would be used to defend Syrian forces in general. I would bet that the Russians would conserve their missiles for defending their own assets and the Assad government in Damascus. Everything else would be left to SAA air defense. This is not to say the Russians, even with newer hardware, could totally repulse the attack; however, they could easily blunt it enough to strike back from Syria. This should be a major concern for any first strike doctrine type of attack, because said doctrine (the US’s doctrine) requires a first strike that is so debilitating that the opponent cannot retaliate in a meaningful way. Anything less than this is a failure. The Russians have the ability to make such a strike a failure, and they would have ample ability to retaliate in kind using any number of anti-ship missile, be they of the ballistic or cruise variety. As you can see, this quickly becomes about who can take the biggest hit, not who can dish it out. Because, both can plainly deliver big hits. Given Russia’s proximity to Syria, I will place my bets on it in such a contest. Paranam Kid on April 17, 2018 · at 1:42 pm EST/EDT The lack of a robust Russian response is seen by the U$ as weakness, and it will encourage them to do it again, and launch more. The longer Russia refrains from responding robustly, the bolder & more reckless the U$ gets, which will eventually lead to a confrontation, and it’s anybody’s guess where that will end. I think the true is neither on Russian nor on US side. Another excellent report from Colonel Cassad. Thanks for posting it here. Were are the wreckages of cruise missiles? if 71 are downed, we should see some photos, 6 at least! I have seen some photos on tweeter, but these were actually Russian missiles that missed a target. cosmicom on April 17, 2018 · at 1:19 am EST/EDT Go there and searth for them, syrian army has more urgent businesses Francesco on April 17, 2018 · at 1:05 am EST/EDT If they hit dozen of incoming missiles, where are all the wrecks? It would be great, if true, but this time I do not believe the russians, nor the 100% success version of US DoD by the way. I agree. Lies and warfare are frequent bedfellows. Robin Hood on April 17, 2018 · at 1:38 am EST/EDT Maybe this is why the success rate was so high? The Tomahawk is GPS guided and they have The Krasukha (Красуха) mobile, ground-based, electronic warfare (EW) system. So, many of these missiles could well be laying on the sea bed off the Syrian/Lebanese coast or the debris buried in the desert ! About 18 months there was a report in the independent media that taxi drivers and other motorists using GPS sat-navs and driving near The Kremlin reported the display was showing they were at an airfield some 40km from Moscow! Strange that ….. smart people these Russians! Beirut on April 17, 2018 · at 5:07 am EST/EDT The main thing to consider is that FUSUK wanted to launch a far greater number of missiles, mainly targeting the Syrian air bases. Yes we know that MOST of the missiles which managed to travel into Syria were either shot down or otherwise disabled. But of even greater significance is the fact that at least 2 destroyers ready to launch TLAMs had their electronics switched off… mysteriously. The FUKUS MUCUS military is in total shock! How those brave US generals who got all those colorful decorations for galantly dropping bombs on Grenada, Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq are able to lie about an alleged 100% hitting rate with such straight faces is beyond me. It was more like 5%. Probably actors flown in from the west coast. “If you shoot a piece of iron in the air, it will come down some place”. Yea sure. We now know what is junk. It starts with a T and Ends with a LAM, and was useful flattening Baghdad almost 30 yrs ago. And those poor navy guys and sailors must be sweating really hard – they know they are sitting ducks in mare nostro. HUUUUUGE problem for the cabalists… How can they now turn around the large carrier group already under way from the US, without losing face? Also to consider: It almost seems the Russians had ET help to develop weapons so smart in so short a time … and in a country still suffering the comprehensive occidental RAPE the saker has recently written about. It appears the universals/galactics no longer tolerate the shit that has been going on this most beautiful planet. It was about time folks. You were certainly not too early. vot tak on April 17, 2018 · at 2:08 am EST/EDT It would be interesting to know the breakdown of intercept data for the 3 types of u.s./nato missiles used. The tomahawk is the older of the 3, while it has been upgraded, I assume it is less capable than the more modern scalp/storm shadow (I wonder if trump was bothered one of the weapons used was named storm ;) ) and agm-158. Info on these: APACHE AP/ SCALP EG/ Storm Shadow/ SCALP Naval/ Black Shaheen https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/apache-ap/ JASSM at a Glance https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/jassm/ Of the Syrian AD, the Pantsir and Buk are the most modern, I believe. But even then, the models in service are not the latest versions. The were probably upgraded by the Russians recently, cbut would still be less effective than the latest model. Keep that in mind when looking at their success ratio in repelling that missile attack and consider what the newest models would have done. Even without the details, it is still possible to arrive at some speculative conclusions. The initial targets of the attack would likely be detection assets, AD assets and their related command centers. To prevent detection of incoming missiles, their interception and disrupt the chain of command. Second tier, air assets. To prevent them getting airborne and being a problem for the last tier. Also, destruction of Syrian air assets would push the Russians to use theirs. After that, the empty buildings, who’s destruction was the phony reason for the attack. Logic would imply, then, that the best missile types would be used in the initial assault wave. The lesser missiles for the rest. Since the Syrians probably concentrated their best AD around high priority governing facilities, air bases and other military concentrations, it was these that played a large role in the success in shooting down the missiles targeting the air bases. Meaning the 1st wave zionazi agm-158 and s/ss got hit the hardest, as these failed to get through the air base AD. Follow up 2nd tier tomahawks, also failing to get through, then. The 2st and 2nd tier missiles being mostly wiped out, the last wave, probably all tomahawks, did better because they targeted relatively low defended areas, with old AD types being predominantly in use. Thus in summary, it is possible the very good performance of the older model Buk and Pantsir was against top of the line agm-158 and s/ss missiles. If so, think how these cruise missiles would fare against the new models. Meanwhile, the Russians are adroitly responding to Nikki Haley Randhawa’s hissy fits at the UN. Perhaps, Ms. Haley has wet in panties in a rage. The “Female Trump” Is Tempting Russia To Disrespect Her At The UN https://orientalreview.org/2018/04/14/the-female-trump-is-tempting-russia-to-disrespect-her-at-the-un/ There are reports that the missile launches stopped after Russian fighter jets in Syria took to the air. It would be interesting to know if this is correct and the reasons why. Павел (Paul) on April 17, 2018 · at 3:03 am EST/EDT “QI editor’s note: This article is based largely on reports tweeted as the event was happening by on-the-spot Twitter source @A_J_S_B. We verified the accuracy of AJSB’s reporting during the Donbass war in the years 2014 and 2015, and consider this source among the most reliable.” https://quemadoinstitute.org/2018/04/14/syria-strike-fails-us-britain-france-bomb-damascus-friday-13-2018/ … now listen closely to Mark Sleboda on this CrossTalk and draw your own conclusions … https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/424245-us-syria-attack-weapon/ (Consider 100 missiles as 100% real established feedback, so after 100 missiles the operation was stopped by Russia by getting their jets airborne … information received … thanks … now you will leave) Straight-Bat on April 17, 2018 · at 2:50 am EST/EDT Thanks to Saker’s efforts – this statistics will be treated as a benchmark in future military studies. If possible can you please provide the statistical break-up of “Type of Attack missile” vs. “Air Defence system”. It appears that Osa, S-125, S-200 air defence systems already become outdated, but not completely useless. Russia should supply S-300, Pantsir, Buk systems & Fighter/Interceptor aircrafts as many as required in as short time as possible – without mobilising large contingent of Russian military forces in Syria, the only way to win this war is to create a impenetrable air defence coupled with effective air coverage for large contingent of Iranian Army/PMU. Straight-Bat S-400 on April 17, 2018 · at 2:55 am EST/EDT Russia needs to keep its eyes and ears open for Israel trying to pull of a USS Liberty 2. The whole point of that muderous crime in June 1967 by the Zionist entity, was to have the incident pinned on Egypt, so that the US would lay waste to Egypt. It has been more that 50 years since they perpetrated that vile and evil act against -the country that likes to boast about being their staunchest ally, so Russia must be extremely vigilant. Israel will not hesitate to do something similiar today, if they believe -if successful – it will get Washington to wage war against Russia, Iran and Syria. The whole thing got botched in 1967 and the Johnson Administration was forced to cover up for Israel by silencing the Liberty’s surviving crew members. At the time, Jewish power in the US was nowhere near where it is today, and yet Israel still managed to survive that scandalous crime. Today, they and their minions are in control of all major centers of power in the US, so in essence, they could conceivably get away with even greater crimes. Did someone say something about 9/11? Well anyway, with that in mind, Russia must at all times ensure that they can independently track the various machinations being hatched in Tel-a-Viv, because there is simply no limit to what they wont do. The US government covered up the crime of Israel’s attack on the USS Liberty. Hopefully, if Russia should catch them trying to pull off something similiar, that information will be made available to the American people and the entire world, without hesitation! Remember that the zionists could also attack a Russian target and blame the US. Would the Russians fall for this? Mats on April 17, 2018 · at 2:12 pm EST/EDT Russia has “very good” Intel. How else does it survive with the monstrous Hegemon and a plethora of vassals poised against it? Nothing really is overlooked in terms of who may do what against Russia. That doesn’t mean they can stop everything, but they understand Israel far better than Israel understands them. Shortly, Israel will see that it won’t have its war against Iran. Züri on April 17, 2018 · at 3:20 am EST/EDT What and where are Diuvali and Tifor airbase? The Russian Ministry of Defence has Damascus International Airport and Tiyas airfield on their list. The former being a civilian target. Can anyone clear this up? Thanks! Alexander on April 17, 2018 · at 4:17 am EST/EDT From the map at this video (time = 3:21) looks like airfield Tifor has following coos: Diuvali I didn’t find. “Tifor” should be T-4, aka Tiyas, so these match. I’m still not sure about Diuvali vs Damascus International Airport. I am reading in various places on twitter that the Dumayr air base has been hit by at least 2 or 3 Israeli missiles. Also that Israel’s Defense Minister has bluntly stated that Israel will not accept limitations on its actions in Syria from Russia. I don’t think there is necessarily any hidden agenda when readers wonder why Russia has to limit its protection of Syria to hitting western mercenaries, but not, god forbid, western/israeli forces themselves when they are attacking Syria. It is a perfectly reasonable question. The notion that any reply to western agression is out of bounds because it might be used as a “pearl harbour” event is not exactly reassuring as to what the role of Russia is supposed to be in this shameful mess. In fact it is equivalent to saying, tacitly, that Russian can’t do anything about it. It seems clear the hyenas won’t stop their intentions to destroy Syria. So then, for Russia to maintain this vague and limited status about its presence there does not seem possible much longer. If open confrontation with the west in Syria* seems too risky a move for Russia, this is perfectly understandable and would in part justify an honest retreat into its own borders in order to effect a complete and radical decoupling from the west and get rid of all the liberal rot within its own government. It would be understandable, even though it would of course be a horrible morale blow to so many of us, infinitely depressing, as we would be imprisoned for the foreseeable future in a system that has now got rid of even a pretense of a moral base and that is desintegrating into complete depravity. But definitely that will be our problem. We the zombified massess let it happen to us. Russia is not responsible for that and Russia does not have any obligation to take on the monstrous west outside of its own borders. Russia still has a chance to make a clear break with such a repulsive system as ours, and go its own way. What is really wearsome is this endlessly foggy role as Syrian protector but only up to a point, because of ourse Israel is supposed to be sacred or because defending Syria might look like pearl harbour and similar nonsense. This cannot be kept up. This fog. the empire that makes our reality has us binded in a catch 22.When i say ‘us’ i mean the whole world,the whole humanity,if one just look at it from the filter of the west ,east,north,south,christian or muslim it would not be manifestically seen clearly. Like it was said,”the whole world is a theatre and everyone a bit player” That it has taken about 70 years to set up this theatre and now they,the controllers who set up this catch 22 are not going to let the whole thing come to nothing.,they want their blood ,the pound of flesh ,so humanity mind is captured completely ,so the show can go on to the next level ..to whatever level they have in their fertile mind.The christians ,the hard boiled evangelist and from the muslims the hard boiled martyrs ,have been brainwashed to walk into this battle of not their choosing but engineered into it by ,you know the one we are talking, about the usual subject,it is not just the west or the east but some mysterious force that might have killed jfk, what was he saying?..or is it all just a conspiracy and ordinary peeps just want to kill other ordinary peeps? i do not think that ,ordinary peeps will kill other ordinary peeps for nothing not even heaven. “I am reading in various places on twitter …” Really? And you believe in all what they are telling? No satellite images or pictures from the ground at Mezze airbase or Khoms airbase? The US claims that neither of these sites has been attacked, while the Russians claim that some missiles have truck those bases. So it should be a simple matter to give good evidence for the Russian story by showing pictures of impact craters at those sites. Does anyone know of any? If so, where? If not, then why not? So Syrian air defense does have Pantsir missiles? JJ on April 17, 2018 · at 5:57 am EST/EDT https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201804161063616104-russia-douma-attack-uk-us/ Yesterdays conference by Russian delegation to OPCW stating usa and allies trying to stitch up Douma investigation.worth listening to for the extreme concern being expressed …Russia says that everything is set up though despite accusations by usa representative of prevention….note WHO have still to gain access to Douma for humanitarian assistance although they claimed previously they had evidence of the chemical attack… https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201804171063636288-us-replace-troops-arab-military-syria/ https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201804171063636265-who-no-access-douma/ https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201804171063632977-opcw-douma-condition-ceated/ The US Military need to act. Meaning, take power. Putsch. Just read Seymour Hersh’s article on the attack a year ago… It’s truly frightening: “The national security advisers understood their dilemma: Trump wanted to respond to the affront to humanity committed by Syria and he did not want to be dissuaded. They were dealing with a man they considered to be not unkind and not stupid, but his limitations when it came to national security decisions were severe. “Everyone close to him knows his proclivity for acting precipitously when he does not know the facts,” the adviser said. “He doesn’t read anything and has no real historical knowledge. He wants verbal briefings and photographs. He’s a risk-taker. He can accept the consequences of a bad decision in the business world; he will just lose money. But in our world, lives will be lost and there will be long-term damage to our national security if he guesses wrong. He was told we did not have evidence of Syrian involvement and yet Trump says: ‘Do it.”’ http://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article165905578/Trump-s-Red-Line It’s proven. This prez is unfit and most dangerous! The whole Q anon crowd is utterly delusional. This is NOT some Kind of 4D chess. Trump may not be stupid but he lacks the qualities required for such game. So PLEASE american generals, get off your colorful decorated a***es! Save America! Muster, at last, that bit of courage. And in case you have forgotten what courage is, for all the bottom-pushing and armchair-farting, just look at the guy whom the Syrians chose for president. Now that’s a real PREZ! He would have, he is a trained doctor. Russia must make good on its -veiled – threat to make S-300s available to Syria. This will be a game-changer and skake up the power balance in the region. Did you know that by law, the US government cannot sell any weapons in the region, without the approval of Israel? Israel is suppose to maintain what is described as its”Qualitative Military Edge” over its perceived enemies in the region – which means every one – so if they decide that the US selling something to a country in the region undermines this in anyway, the deal gets scrapped. Go see for yourself: http://militaryedge.org/israels-qualitative-military-edge-legislative-background/ The fact that the Americans were stupid enough to agree to this arrangement is their business, but Russia must not fall into this trap, because all it does is to facilitate Israel’s aggression against neighboring countries. S-300s for Syria and S-400s for Iran!! mike on April 17, 2018 · at 9:25 am EST/EDT 19 JASSM-ER missiles were fired by two B1 bombers. This was their first every combat use. It seems that 16 of those hit the Barzah Centre near Damascus. Those missiles are advertised as being “jam resistant”. I’m wondering if Russian EW tech doesn’t work on these munitions, though of course the S400s would still be able to target them. If true,perhaps we will see more of them used in the next attack on Syria. all of the JASSM were disabled “It seems that 16 of those hit the Barzah Centre near Damascus.” Where is your source for this claim? I’ve seen no information about a breakdown of which specific missile types were aimed at specific targets. Nor any breakdown of the % for each type that were shot down. Regarding jammed missiles, we don’t know how many were jammed, if any. The Russians inly released data on missiles shot down by Syrian AD. If missiles were defeated by jamming, these would be in addition to those 71 shot down. This article notes that factor: Russian military releases full report for US-led missile attack on Syria, what air defense systems were used and their effectiveness https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article/russian-military-releases-full-report-for-us-led-missile-attack-on-syria-what-air-defense-systems-were-used-and-their-effectiveness/ “The statistics likely fail to account for Western cruise missiles that were downed or driven off target due to ‘soft-kill’ electronic warfare systems – something which Russian sources will never confirm the use of.” The Russians already have pointed out that the actual missiles strikes, and the damage they caused no way comes close to the number put out by the u.s. military propagandists. But they have not detailed how many missiles did hit a target. If it this information gets released, and the strikes are well less than the 32 missiles that survived Syrian AD, then we can surmise at least some missiles were defeated by jamming. Oscar on April 17, 2018 · at 9:53 am EST/EDT Russia must deploy the S-300 asap! to both Syria and Iran. Israel, Saudi, the US/NATO, even Turkey! all of them are happy to see Russians die. There is not turning back, Russia is at war, there are no western “partners”. Moscow has ‘irrefutable’ evidence chem attack in Syria’s Douma was staged – Russia’s envoy to OPCW https://www.rt.com/news/424280-russia-evidence-chemical-attack-staged/ “We have not just a ‘high level of confidence,’ as our Western partners uniformly put it; we have irrefutable proof that there was no chemical attack in Douma on April 7,” Russia’s Ambassador to the Organization for the Prohibition of the Chemical Weapons Aleksandr Shulgin said at a special meeting of the UN chemical watchdog’s executive council. The diplomat added that the incident had been a “pre-planned false-flag attack by the British security services, which could have also been aided by their allies in Washington.” “Things unfolded according to the pre-written scenario prepared by Washington. There’s no doubt, the Americans play ‘first fiddle’ in all of this,” Shulgin said, adding that “attack” was staged by “pseudo-humanitarian NGOs,” which are under the patronage of the Syrian government’s foreign adversaries. Russian radiological, chemical and biological-warfare units carefully examined the scene of the alleged attack mentioned in the NGOs’ reports immediately after the liberation of Douma from the militant groups, Shulgin said. He then drew attention to the fact that the Russian military specialists found “not a single piece of evidence” substantiating the claims about the alleged chemical attack. Instead, they found local witnesses who said that the video allegedly showing the aftermath of the perceived attack was in fact staged.” In his latest email out PRC makes the following concluding statement: “Once Washington experiences a defeat, NATO will dissolve and with this dissolution Washington’s ability to threaten other countries will lose its cover and evaporate.” https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2018/04/17/crisis-beginning-stages/ However, the US has been experiencing defeats throughout recent history. The only way a “Washington” defeat will occur is if there is a very visible and public defeat that leads to regime change which covers both sides of the traditional political divide. And given the system is so corrupted by the dollar-vote nexus such a shock could only emerge from almost complete fiat currency failure. Given the implications of this level of collapse I’m not holding my breath. When the inmates have the keys and believe that everyone else is mad then inside is out, and outside is in. It is not a rational well-informed free market — it’s a political economy and exceptionalism rules. I am glad to hear all the JASSM were disabled ! How do you know this? A link would be good please. Hey Vot, It was just something I read on the latest Moon of Alabama post. It was in one of the comments but there was no source given. Paul Greenwood on April 17, 2018 · at 12:04 pm EST/EDT S-200 is perhaps outdated ? My dear, dear brothers in peace and comrades in war. I offer you a reading of historical significance spoken with reverence on February 16, 1951. “Of course, in the United States of America, in Britain, as also in France, there are aggressive forces thirsting for a new war. They need war to obtain super-profits, to plunder other countries. These are the billionaires and millionaires who regard war as an item of income which gives colossal profits. They, these aggressive forces, control the reactionary governments and direct them. But at the same time they are afraid of their peoples who do not want a new war and stand for the maintenance of peace. Therefore they are trying to use the reactionary governments in order to enmesh their peoples with lies, to deceive them, and to depict the new war as defensive and the peaceful policy of the peace-loving countries as aggressive. They are trying to deceive their peoples in order to impose on them their aggressive plans and to draw them into a war. Precisely for this reason they are afraid of the campaign in defense of peace, fearing that it can expose the aggressive intentions of the reactionary governments. Precisely for this reason they turned down the proposal of the Soviet Union for the conclusion of a Peace Pact, for the reduction of armaments, for banning the atomic weapon, fearing that the adoption of these proposals would undermine the aggressive measures of the reactionary governments and make the armaments race unnecessary. What will be the end of this struggle between the aggressive and peace-loving forces? Peace will be preserved and consolidated if the peoples will take the cause of preserving peace into their own hands and will defend it to the end. War may become inevitable if the warmongers succeed in entangling the masses of the people in lies, in deceiving them and drawing them into a new world war. That is why the wide campaign for the maintenance of peace as a means of exposing the criminal machinations of the warmongers is now of first-rate importance. As for the Soviet Union, it will continue in the future as well firmly to pursue the policy of averting war and maintaining peace.” This speech was given by the “Man of Steel” himself, the great Koba, Joseph Djugashvilli. This is where we are today; the people of America are being led down the dark path towards great conflict with modern day Russia. Holy Mother Church will protect her spiritually but she must now prepare to save her mortality with vigor and resoluteness. Defend Syria now! You cannot retreat and allow the destruction enabled by great battles to stain Russian soil with corrupted blood. That would be an unforgivable mistake. Russian Military Finds Chemical Weapons Warehouse in Syrian Douma – Reports https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201804171063655063-russian-military-chemical-weapons-douma/ OPCW chemical weapons inspectors enter Douma – Syrian state media https://www.rt.com/news/424384-opcw-chemical-inspectors-enter-douma/ Saudi Arabia Ready to Send Troops to Syria if Proposed – Foreign Minister https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201804171063652269-saudi-troops-syria/ Gulf States Reportedly Reach Blackwater to Discuss US ‘Arab Force’ Plan in Syria https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201804171063648020-blackwater-arab-force-syria/ It’s quite obvious that 103-105 cruiser missiles didn’t much harm at all and most likely over 70 never reached their aim target. I won’t be surprised if half of the rest did not much damage at all. Just about 3-4 of last years similar action (60 Tomahawk) caused most of damage. The main point here is that even hitting target these damages are relatively soon fixed. Just like during WW2.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line470
__label__wiki	0.648983	0.648983	WOMAN Means Something Fighting for true diversity Arguments vs. Gender-Based Rights Violence Database Visualizations of the Violence Database Gender Legislation and Increased Harm We Represent the Majority Gender Dysphoria Presentation Target Study GD and Medical Practice Presentation Late last year, Angus Reid did a poll on “Transgender in Canada“, which included a wide variety of questions. As in all studies and polls, you have to be careful to read the entire thing to get a good representation of the data presented. There are many ways to present data, and it can be easily skewed. The key-findings listed include: More than eight-in-ten Canadians (84%) support expanding non-discrimination laws to include gender identity On washrooms, some 58 per cent say transgender people should use the ones they feel most comfortable using, rather than having their washroom choice decided by laws or policies There are three distinct Canadian mindsets when it comes to views on transgender people: “Trans Allies” (48% of the total population), “Trans Opponents” (15%), and the “Sympathetic but Uncertain” (38%) If you don’t read on, you would think that the majority of Canadians support the opening of women’s safe spaces to whoever claims to be a woman. Even before proceeding further however, note the incredible difference between the 84% supporting non-discrimination laws and the 58% who believe it shouldn’t be laws and policies which determine which bathroom trans individuals should be able to use. Trans-advocacy groups claim that those are one-in-the-same question, and that full rights mean use of whatever space aligns with gender identity. Clearly, however, a significant amount of Canadians do not think those are the same question or issue, a point we have been trying to raise with our campaign. It is Q.10, on page 13 of their tables that is most relevant to us. The question is “Legislation proposed in some U.S. states would require transgender ppl to use public washrooms that correspond with the gender they were assigned at birth, not the washrooms that match their identity, should transgender people use:” In other words, there is already a reference to US bathroom policies in places like North Carolina, and it is within this context that they give three answer options to this question: Corresponds to Gender Identity (41%), Corresponds to Biologic Sex (22%), It Depends (37%). This means that a majority of polled Canadians (59%), believe that it is not so simple as people using the bathrooms which correspond to their gender identity, which is what Bill C-16 would permit. Our campaign falls firmly into the “it depends” group. Most of our supporters have no problem with a natal male who has fully medically transitioned to female with sex-reassignment surgery using women’s spaces. We do not believe penises should be allowed in women’s safe spaces. The question Angus Reid decides to list in their “key findings” is the next major question: “Q12. Some say transgender people should use the public washrooms they feel most comfortable using, while others say there should be rules and policies to determine which washrooms transgender ppl use. Which is closer to your point of view?” This is a question with a binary answer choice, either “feel comfortable” or “rules and policies”. So why would support for full-choice be significantly higher with Q12 (58%) than with Q10 (41%) which didn’t make their key findings? Firstly, as they themselves mention, it is only a binary choice. Those who previously responded “it depends” are forced one way or the other. But secondly, they have already mentioned US policies, which have been much in the news. Thus, it is very likely that many who previously answered “it depends”, are thinking that they don’t like all aspects of the North Carolina bathroom bill. I and many in our campaign would agree! At the very least, to cite the 58% support number without the 41% as well seems to be extremely biased. But here’s the the thing that is particularly interesting and relevant to our opposition to Bill C-16. Angus Reid only polled about bathrooms. While bathrooms are by no means always safe (see our Violence Database), there are always separate stalls. There is no open nudity. What if Angus Reid had asked the question, “do you think transwomen with male genitalia should be able to use women’s showers?” We can only guess, but we suspect the number of Canadians who would answer “no” would be much larger yet. Our campaign represents the majority of Canadians. Media Stand Up, Speak Up Rally June 15th 10:30 Downtown Vancouver Medical Literature Transition as Treatment: The Best Studies Show the Worst Outcomes Original Articles Transgender Day of Remembrance and Homicide Rates Medical Literature Challenges Transition as Treatment: The Best Studies Show the Worst Outcomes Half of All Desisters are Same-Sex Attracted Is it a Myth that the Vast Majority of Gender Dysphoric Children Desist? Favorite Follows 4thWaveNow Kaeley Triller Jenn Smith Transgender Trend YouthTransCriticalProfessionals Marcus Gregory Emily Zinos Culture Guard Chad Felix Greene Lisa Marchiano GenderTrender Adolescents Alberta Bathroom Bathrooms BC Canada Change Rooms Children Christianity Contagion Crime Desisting Detransition Entertainment Erasure of Women Family Values Feminist Freedoms Free Speech Government Language Legal LGB perspective Mainstream Media Medicalization Men Parental Rights Philosophy Policies Politics Poll Pregnancy Privacy Protections School Schools Sex-based Medicine Sports Studies Trans Perspective UK USA Violence Voyeurism Youth Receive Updates on Email WOMAN Means Something Copyright 2016 WOMAN Means Something Campaign. All rights reserved. Proudly powered by WordPress — Theme: JustWrite by Acosmin	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line478
__label__wiki	0.713268	0.713268	WordPress CPanel yüklemek Menu Title #1 Sub Menu #1 خانه/Life Style/Xbox boss talks Project Scorpio price admin آگوست 26, 2019 0 447 خواندن این مطلب 6 دقیقه زمان میبرد فیس بوک توییتر گوگل پلاس لینکدین ‫StumbleUpon ‫تامبلر ‫پین‌ترست ‫رددیت واتس آپ Using screen Digital Crown Apple Watch review: Design For a slightly more opinionated version of the video review above, here’s the male half of the Macworld team arguing (after four months with this device) about whether the Apple Watch is a great or a terrible product: The Apple Watch is beautifully designed and engineered, with a great look and feel. It’s chunky, rounded body is faintly reminiscent of the original iPhone, yet simultaneously modern-looking and very satisfying to hold. The Apple Watch is also pleasingly comfortable on the wrist. We’ve seen lots of fitness trackers over the years, and they’ve typically struck us as pretty formulaic: plasticky wristbands with little fashion appeal. One activity tracker brand tried to convince us that their activity tracker was designed to appeal to a fashion-conscious woman; they even thought that women would wear it around their neck like a necklace. But at the end of the day, it wasn’t jewellery. None of the fitness trackers on the market are. It’s a similar story with smartwatches. Sure, over the past year they’ve become more and more popular with guys looking for the latest tech gadget, but they don’t appeal to everyone. One major issue is that most smartwatches are designed for men. They wouldn’t sit comfortably on a smaller wrist. Apple Watch review: Dimensions There are two sizes of watch: the 38mm model (which actually measures 38.6 by 33.3 mm) and the 42mm model (which measures 42 by 35.9 mm). Both have a thickness of 10.5mm. 38mm model: 38.6 x 33.3 x 10.5mm Here’s how a 38mm Apple Watch looks on Karen’s wrist: Apple Watch review: Build quality Speaking of the materials the watch is made from, there are three options: aluminium for the Watch Sport, stainless steel for the Watch, and 18-carat gold for the Watch Edition. The Watch and Watch Edition come with sapphire screens, the Sport version with ion-x glass. We love the look and feel of the Apple Watch. As we mentioned above, it looks a bit like a shrunk-down version of the original iPhone, and it’s reassuringly robust – after almost a year with the Watch, there no scratches on the body or screen, although the brighter of our two Sport Band straps is starting to look a bit grubby. Apple doesn’t recommend dunking your Apple Watch first-gen in water. While the watch is rated as water-resistant to the IPX7 standard, which should mean it will survive in water up to a depth of 1 metre for up to 30 minutes, Apple describes it as “splash- and water-resistant but not waterproof”. So it’s ok to use it in the shower – as Apple’s CEO Tim Cook apparently does – but it’s not to be taken swimming. Having said that, plenty of reckless reviewers have done exactly that, and we’ve yet to hear anyone complain that their watch was damaged by the experience. We don’t recommend taking the risk, and you obviously won’t have a leg to stand on with Apple if something does go wrong since they’ve been careful to only claim it’s water-resistant. But it appears that yes, the Apple Watch is waterproof. Apple Watch review: Straps While we’re on the subject of straps, which one should you pick to go with your beautiful Apple Watch? There are a wide collection of straps to choose from, including: Link Bracelet, Sport Band, Leather Loop, Classic Buckle, Modern Buckle, Milanese Loop and more recently, Nylon band and Hermes straps. The Leather Loop, Classic Buckle, Leather Loop, Modern Buckle The Leather Loop, Classic Buckle, Leather Loop, Modern Buckle, Woven Nylon and Sport Band options are offered in multiple colour choices while the Milanese Loop and Link Bracelet are only available in two colours. The Sport Band comes in 22 different colours including black, white, pink, yellow, blue, grey, lime green, lavender, antique white, stone and midnight blue, for example. Apple Watch review: Screen While doing our best to extend the watch’s battery life, we wanted to force-quit some apps and found the method of doing so deeply counterintuitive. Returning to the screen, the resolution depends on the watch you choose. The resolution of the screen on the 38mm Apple Watch (which measures 1.32 inches diagonally) is 272×340 while the 42mm model offers 312×390 on a screen that measures 1.5 inches. Both models, therefore, offer a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch, or ppi. In both cases, the Apple Watch screen is officially rated (or perhaps we should say branded) as Retina-quality, and our subjective experience with it has been great. It’s sharp and vividly colourful and we’ve yet to notice any pixellation. The touchscreen aspects work terrifically too: it’s highly responsive, and we found we tend to fall back on old habits, swiping through screens whenever possible by using the touchscreen even if a scrolling option is available via the Digital Crown. It ought to be as easy to quit apps and glances as it is on the iPhone – but it isn’t. To quit an app you have to press and hold the side button, and then do the same again. Nobody is going to stumble on that by accident. Apple Watch review: User interface Apple’s design expertise is only a small part of what makes the Apple Watch stand out. Another factor in its favour is the user interface. The problem many current smartwatches have is that the UI is packed onto a tiny display and you need to manipulate those tiny visual elements using your fingers, which are inevitably bigger than the elements you’re trying to touch. Below we examine Apple’s method for controlling the user interface, and the software you can expect to see on the Apple Watch. Apple Watch review: Using the Apple Watch screen One way to use the Watch is via the screen. You can scroll around the screen, tap on items to select them or press harder to get more options – akin to using right click on a mouse. Various gestures bring up other elements of the operating system. For example, Glances are accessed by swiping up on the watch face. There’s also Apple’s Force Touch technology that determines how hard you are pressing the Watch and will act accordingly. There is a difference between a hard press and a simple tap. (We discuss Force Touch in more detail below.) Apple Watch review: Speed/performance One possible weakness of the Apple Watch – depending on how demanding your standards are when it comes to wearable tech – could be its all-around speed. Numerous reviewers have found the interface sluggish in use and noticed a delay before certain actions. Update 8 September 2016: It should be noted that the below section is based on the original watch and not the Series 1 or 2 which feature a 50 percent faster processor. As with many aspects of this product, experiences have varied among the team, and it’s likely that day-to-day performance is influenced by factors such as apps and Glances currently running. It’s rare to find an app that’s near-instantaneous to respond, as they’ll open quickly but will often hang, leaving us staring at a black loading screen; and syncing processes with the iPhone, over a Bluetooth connection, can be sluggish. We’ve also found, as have many users, that third-party apps can sometimes be slow to start up. watchOS 2 looked to speed up third-party apps by allowing them to run natively on the Apple watch, but as we mention in our watchOS 2 section of the review below, we still find apps pretty sluggish and we often give up and end up using our iPhone apps instead. Apple Watch review: Using the Digital Crown Apple’s solution to the navigation problem is to use something that has always been a feature of watches in a new way. The dial on the side of the watch – its proper name is the crown – has been brought into the 21st century and turned into what Apple calls the Digital Crown. This Digital Crown solves the problem of swiping through icons on a minuscule display. Below the Digital Crown is another button. This button takes you to the home screen and to the Friends app, from which you can contact your friends (more on that below). This button is also used when you’re paying for things using Apple Pay (more on that below, also). Apple Watch review: Battery life Apple claims that on a typical day, with typical usage, you should get 18 hours of battery life from the Apple Watch. In other words, you ought to be able to get through a whole day, but that will be about it: expect to charge it every night. (Which, incidentally, rules out being able to sleep with the watch on – which is likely to be a disappointment to developers of sleep-related apps.) In fact, your use may vary. Apple’s ‘typical day’ included a half-hour workout, but if you exercise more than that you may use up the battery quicker – in Apple’s tests, the battery lasted 6.5 hours during a workout (so you should at least be able to run that marathon without running out of battery). If you use the Apple Watch to play music you will also find that to be a bit of a battery hog. Apple got 6.5 hours of audio playback out of the test device before it ran out of power. Apple Watch review: Apple Watch UK price Pricing varies depending on the watch and strap you choose. For more information about Watch prices, read our Apple Watch buying advice. The Apple Watch price starts at £259 in the UK; that’s for the 38mm Apple Watch Sport with a plastic band, and £299 for the 42mm version. The stainless steel Apple Watch starts at £479 and the newer Apple Watch Hermes starts at £1000, while the 18-carat gold Apple Watch Edition starts at an eye-watering £8,000. The Apple Watch isn’t the first ever smartwatch, and it doesn’t really do anything rival products don’t do. But what it does do, it does as well as any smartwatch out there, thanks to Apple’s user interface expertise. It’s a slick device to use, although you should be warned that it isn’t completely intuitive, particularly at first. With use it will become more familiar and user-friendly. Test5 - 63% Test 1Test 1Test 1Test 1Test 1Test 1Test 1Test 1Test 1 به صفحه تنظیمات Arqam در پیشخوان بروید و شبکه های اجتماعی را تنظیم کنید. Ice Cream Maker Free Chocolate 6 Ways Drinking Warm Water Can Heal Your Body Carolyn Donnelly Here What is in the game $80 Deluxe Edition Nintendo Details Next Miitomo Update Arkadaşlar yazılarım hakkında olumlu yada olumsuz görüşlerinizi yorum kısmına bırakacağınız mesajlarınızla bana ulaştırırsanız çok memnun olurum. Yapacağınız yorumlar ile daha kaliteli içerikler üretmeme katkı sağladığınız için şimdiden teşekkür ederim. 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__label__cc	0.738774	0.261226	Terry McBlurter Today when I read the New York Times articles about the riff between Clinton and Obama, all I could think was that Terry Mcauliffe’s involvenment in any campaign is a good enough reason not to be committed to that campaign. Whether or not I work for a candidate, I want to have the opportunity to hear what all the candidates have to say. I want debate on issues and discussion about things that affect my life. I don’t want all the Primaries to be in January and February thereby allowing whoever raises the most money upfront, to be the candidate or maybe the President. That’s what happened in 2004 and we all understand what the consequences can be. I love Hillary, but I detest the way she appears to be strong-arming and intimidating potential supporters. Even if she’s not doing it personally, perception is reality. I detest Terry Mcauliffe’s smug, threatening tactics and I love that it is beginning to backfire for the campaign. You will note that he claims what he said was done in good humor—he’s lying, as David Geffen suggested, too easily. Here’s, how the Times reports what happened and what they quote him as saying: At a fund-raiser for Mrs. Clinton in Hollywood two weeks ago, as Mr. McAuliffe told the story in an interview on Thursday, he joked in a crowded room that big contributors would be honored with limo rides with the new president while those who wrote checks to, say, Mr. Obama could give up their dreams of access. “Clarence Avant’s daughter was there, he’s a friend of mine, and I looked at her and in front of 500 people I said, If you don’t contribute, you’re not going to get that ambassadorship to France,” he said, referring to the former chairman of Motown Records. “It’s a joke! I said it in front of 500 people.” The Los Angeles Times quoted Mr. McAuliffe as saying at that event, “You are either with us or you’re against us,” a remark Mr. McAullife and other attendees said was jocular. Are they kidding? I, who have one of the great developed sense of humors, know this is not a joke. Everyone in Washington knows that if you are are big contributor you might just get to be an Ambassador. That’s how it works. There’s no humor in recounting for donors how it works. There might be humor in what is left unsaid but no one leaves anything unsaid. When the Obama people were struggling for how to respond to the Clinton attack, all I could think of was a phone call I had with Pamela Harriman after Chris Ogden’s book about her life was published. She called for my counsel about how to respond. I thought about it for about 10 minutes and my immediate reaction was for her to say, “who cares about me and all the old, now dead guys I slept with”. I then reconsidered and decided that, amusing as it was, it would be controversial and the Ambassador to France couldn’t be controversial. So instead I said, “just have your people say, no comment.”. Don’t say anything and it will go away. And it did. And I felt a little guilty since Chris was my friend but taking care of Mrs. Harriman and so many other politically appointed Ambassadors was my job. The Obama people simply should have said, we have no comment; we will not participate in the politics of destruction. Any comment or response beyond “no comment”/ It is inappropriate and unnecessary to comment on something someone else said or thinks. Why is it that political people think it is absolutely necessary to say anything. It isn’t. And as I said in a previous blob, the thing that concerns me about Obama is not his lack of experience in Government but his lack of experience in campaigns. The Obama people could have made the Clinton people seem ridiculous if they just hadn’t responded. But he is still too green to understand that political people get paid for what they say and not what they don’t say. And the candidate is too inexperienced to tell his staff to say nothing—because that’s what will win an election-- not the supercilious, self important blurters like Terry Mc Auliffe. We’re just sayin Posted by Iris&David at 8:07 AM Just to set the record straight. I just returned from Florida and nobody is dead, trust me they are all fine. The aunts were playing cards and i even had to go to the drugstore to get aunt Fritzie the white stuff to put on her nose when she goes in the sun. She made me cold hamburgers and veal chops. Uncle Lou was at Pics buying shoes with my father and uncle Joe was teasing somebody. Gee what really freaked me out was when uncle Sammy should up with another box of Chocolate, hes still a jerk. So Iris tell your mother all is well. PS.Elaine yelled at me to get a haircut. Gee she never stops steven When it's all said and done, and the Obama/Clinton mud had been slung, it is likely those who take the higher road will prevail. I am looking for John Roberts to arise from this. I am not saying I'm a Roberts supporter..just an observation.. Hillary is pandering a bit toooo much to come down south, fake a southern drrrrrrrrrawwwwwwwllll, and sta she's,"..no ways tired.." in Alabama recently.It's just TOO overtly obvious, and someone needs to tell her codescending statements just do not rally the vote..except for the opponent,perhaps. Is she working for Obama?? It Never Goes Away The Five Worst Things The Egg and I Have You Lost Something? The Birthday Continues And the Dispersal Continues Oh, that World Premiere A Fine Premiere Praise and Honor to God Happy Birthday, JKB It Was a Great Super Bowl Save This Coupon for Swell Gifts	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line483
__label__wiki	0.684254	0.684254	WFC Forums Home Forums > Main Forum > Match Day > Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Watford FC - 20/10/2018 Discussion in 'Match Day' started by Clive_ofthe_Kremlin, Oct 13, 2018. Clive_ofthe_Kremlin Squad Player A warm Watford welcome and 'Bom Dia' to our forthcoming gallant opponents, São Wôlvêrhmptón do Wãndêrérs FC. As soon as this interminable international yawn is over, our glorious Hornets, pride of and example to the rest of the football league, will make their triumphant and magisterial progress through the gentle breezes and sunlit, flower-strewn lanes of beautiful Hertfordshire, northwards to the Wolf Hall Stadium, home of the historic dozing footballing giants, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. We'll no doubt be using our green kit for this one, as our normal yellow would clash with the home team's famous tangerine shirts. Before about 1100, Wolverhampton was just a cold and windswept wasteland northwest of Birmingham populated by a few itinerant swine farmers. Then some woman called Lady Wulfrun did some unknown 'favour' for some king or other and as a reward, or to get shot of her or whatever, he gave her a present of the whole area. It was going to be called Wolverton at first, but that was already taken, so they added a 'Ham' into it in recognition of the area's production of pork products. A few shacks and things started getting built up around Lady W's manor house, but then the whole place burned to ashes in the great fire of 1590. Undaunted and showing that famous black country can-do spirit, they built it all up again over the next 100 years or so. Then it all burnt to the ground again in the great fire of 1693. The locals spent the next 10 years pondering these events and eventually in 1703, they finally came up with the idea of purchasing their very first fire engine. This was what first led to the Wolfetonians (as they are called) gaining their reputation for being, whilst perhaps a little slower in speed of thought and wit than the rest of us, eventually getting to the answer in the end. As for industry, they obviously didn't want to be doing much that involved naked flames, so they had a go at coal mining for a while. But the last Wolverhampton pit closed as a hopeless dead-weight on the economy in the early 1900s, back before Maggie Thatcher was even a sperm. They also had a go at making bicycles, but not very successful. Makes that nobody has ever heard of and which are lost to obscurity. They soon gave that up and tried making motorcycles. Also not very successful. They are not really great manufacturer's names which echo down through the ages. Anyone ever been for a ride on a Beau Ideal, an Olympic, a Diamond, an Omega, an Orbit, a Shacklock, a Carfield, a Mercury or a Sprite? I doubt even the motorcycle museum has heard of them. Anyway, motorcycle manufacturing was inexplicably abandoned in the 1920s. due to 'disappointing sales'. The marvellous Wolverhampton-invented and manufactured Turner 'Bi-Van'. The bicycle/white van solution for your business. Comes complete (for reasons which are unclear) with both forward and rear anal probes as standard. Abandoned following low sales and complaints from riders of chronic bow-legs and crushed nuts. There was one industry that was extremely successful for Wolverhampton though. An industry at which they excelled and became justly famous. An industry which contributed massively to this country's wealth and prosperity. They were experts in making locks, chains, shackles, fetters, iron collars and gags, handcuffs and all sorts of other torture stuff. Yes, the slave trade of course, but people forget that there are also plenty of sado-masochists with good reason to thank Wolfertonian industry. Made in Wolverhampton. Firm but fair. To this day, the people of Wolverhampton remain very proud of their huge contribution to the forceable restraint sector. Inspired by the landslide victories local voters gave to Enoch Powell as the town's wildly popular MP for no less than 24 years, they invented their own flag with the slave chains boldly front and centre and a red stripe representing the rivers of blood they hoped to extract from the black stripe. They even took it up to the House of Commons and were surprised when appalled MPs refused to pose with it. Another famous and admirable aspect of Wolverhampton people is their disdain and disregard for standards of namby pamby cleanliness. With all the industry going on, failing or not, there were plenty of choking, smoky pollution and it wasn't long before all the streets, the buildings and not least the people themselves became caked in a thick layer dirt, grime and filth from the waste and sewage. Queen Victoria made a brief visit once during the 1830s and called Wolverhampton 'a large and dirty town'. However, she did quite like the statue they'd put up of her husband, Prince Albert, so it wasn't a complete 1 star review. The self-deprecating name 'The Black Country' came about as the result of a public vote with a poll being conducted by the Wolverhampton Express & Star. It was a close run thing, but the winning entry The Black Country managed to take it by a handful of votes from other popular entries such as Tarnish Town, Filthville, Mucky Mire, Sludge City, Contamiton and Bonny Sootland. However all of that is history now because the place was more or less bombed flat in the second world war, getting rid of all the rats, disease and failed industries and what have you and giving them a fresh, clean slate to start with again. Today you won't see any blackened sooty buildings or streets – everything is a fresh, cheerful modern concrete grey, with splashes of colour provided by the oil slicks in some of the puddles and the traditional wind-blown litter. Things To Do In Wolverhampton It was very unfair that Wolverhampton was voted the fifth worst city in the whole word by Lonely Planet traveller's guide. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uk...pton-voted-fifth-worst-city-in-the-world.html and also amongst the country's most miserable and unhappy locations https://www.expressandstar.com/news...on-named-as-one-of-uks-most-miserable-cities/. In fact, the Black Country is crammed with exciting and fascinating things to see and do. If, for some inexplicable reason, you should happen to arrive there early and have some hours to spend , then why not take in some of these local attractions before the game? Are you a very undemanding animal lover who also hates all things strange and foreign? Then why not visit the imaginatively-named Wild Zoological Park (http://www.wildzoo.co.uk) described on Trip Adviser as being “a bit like a pet shop, but less exotic.” Pet the rabbits! See real ducks and geese. Why not visit the goat enclosure? Feed the rats with some leftovers from your sandwiches. It's all at the Wild Zoological Park. Marvel at Britain's first automatic traffic lights. Installed in 1927 in Princes Square at the junction with Lichfield Street, these babies present full-phase synchronised switching through a complete spectrum including classic red, the rarely seen red and amber together, exotic amber only and of course, brilliant green. This attraction is popular, so try to bag a space amongst the crowds of awestruck watching locals as early as possible. Synchronised - Lights Feeling peckish? Fancy a bite to eat before the big match? You're in luck! Wolverhampton is famous for its regional cuisine and most of all its traditional pork products from the area's historic pig farming. Most famous of all is the Wolverhampton pork scratching. Delicious scraps of slaughterhouse waste, crisp roasted in tasty lard. Clive_ofthe_Kremlin, Oct 13, 2018 sydney_horn, Glenhorn, nornironhorn and 30 others like this. Believe it or not, once Wolverhampton were one of football's big names. They even won the very first FA Cup and were quite well-known in the 1920s and 1930s. Like the local industry though, it's been in a long, slow decline every since and they've been kicking around the 2nd and 3rd divisions in relative wonky-pitched obscurity, with a few thousand die-hard fans still clinging on to fantasies of men with centre partings, long shorts and big, cloggy boots. The sort who bemoan the absence of laces in the modern football. However, all that has changed very recently with a takeover, as has happened to a few other suspiciously nouveau riche clubs, by some secretive billionaire. Chinese this time apparently. Another one of those candidates for an 'unexplained wealth' order. Millions have been pumped in and a questionable relationship has been struck up with some “super agent” who was ordered a load of Portuguese mercenary types to come over and pull on Wolves' famous bright orange shirt. This arrangement has been called "illegal and unfair" by other clubs, whilst others have complained about them being all that's wrong with modern football. Meanwhile, the blatant robbery of players from Portuguese clubs has outraged fans there and earned Wolves the title of “most hated club in Portugal”. Sporting are even suing them for £50 million or so for the jiggery pokery player theft they did on them. But at least people in Europe have heard of them now, when they hadn't before. Whilst it might ultimately all be about the Chinese putting one over on the Russians and Yanks who own other premier league clubs in a 'war by proxy', long-suffering Wolves fans aren't complaining! At long last they're seeing a bit of top flight football at the Wolf's Lair Stadium and have players who aren't as execrable as those who've represented the club over the past four or five decades. Wolverhampton's club badge used to be a quite smart leaping fox thing with WW underneath, but these days sadly, it is a sort of blocky approximation of the head of a wolf who has been blighted by cataracts as designed by an 8 year old using a very old version 8-bit version of Minecraft. Currently holding the reins at the Wolf Pack is the balding, but extravagantly whiskered, Portuguese Nuno Espiritu Santos. He looks a bit like Don King with his head on upside down. With the money they have, it's a mystery why they bothered hiring him and couldn't have gone for someone a bit more accomplished. A no account player, Santos managed Valencia for less than 18 months before resigning in shame (jumping before pushed) after abysmal results. Inexplicably hired by Porto, he lasted less than a miserable year there before being “relieved of his duties” after catastrophic results and winning nothing. Although we're only a few games into the season, Santos' gob-smacking lack of humility and grace has managed to make him plenty of Premier League enemies in record time. Fellow managers have variously described him as; “a disgrace”, “lacking class” and “having no manners”. Neil Warnock was caught by the cameras repeatedly telling him to '”fck off” and refused to shake his hand after they played Cardiff recently. At least if beardy Santos makes it at a hat trick of ignominious sackings before Christmas, he'll be a shoe-in for work as a department store Father Christmas. Conor 'Commander' Coady - A whinging, moaning little shaved-headed scouser. Renowned as an impetuous walking red card and with the passing accuracy of an 18th century cannon, the Commander is a token English player amongst the Portuguese legions. They tried in vain to flog him to Shef Wed or QPR in 2016, but ultimately neither club was suckered in. They moved him from midfield to being a defender where he was able to better be carried and made to look good way above his ability by his Portuguese mercenary team mates, Coady is incredibly even being talked about as a possible for England! Presumably as part of Southgate's strategy to include Championship-standard players. Willy 'Bigfoot' Bolly – By Jim Dandy out of Milly Molly Mandy, this is a gigantic, clumsy (6ft 5in) defender who was one of those who joined in questionable circumstances from Portugal, because of a suddenly discovered passion and love for Wolverhampton (cough cough). Relying entirely on his freakish size and brutish 16 stone bulk, Brolly lacks any footballing ability and is in the team simply to 'clean out' any opposition forwards. He takes out the ball, the player, the goal net and the front three rows of spectators with his wild lunging tackles. Noted for having a poor attitude and with disciplinary 'issues', he's one of the weak links in the Wolverhampton side which we ought to be able to exploit with some ease. Ruben Neves – A luxury player, inevitably another one of those controversially 'acquired' from Portugal, Neves does seem to have a little bit of ability. It's hard not to feel a bit sorry for him and the other Portuguese players they've ordered to come to Wolverhampton. Especially now the nights are drawing in and there's a bit of a chill in the air. The Black Country is not The Algarve. It's sad, but slightly comical, to hear Neves struggling to try to put a brave face on it when asked about the differences he's noticed between Porto and Wolverhampton. “In Porto it’s a tourist city. I t’s close to the river, the ocean as well. There’s a lot of history. The wine and the food also. There's the hot women and the amazing beaches. The relaxed Mediterranean lifestyle. The nightclubs. The palm trees and sunshine. And here in Wolverhampton, it’s....erm.....ahhh....an industrial city. But we’re fine with it. Yes fine. Honestly. No, no. We like it here. Really. Yes.” Almost certainly horribly homesick, horrified by the pork scratchings and misery, missing his family and freezing, freezing cold. Adama Traore – A sort of less-able Wilf Zaha. The team's show pony, Traore cuts a comical if tragic figure, sometimes even appearing with matching bleached flat top haircut and little goatee beard! Lots of show off fancy footwork and hell-for-leather runs with the ball barely under control. Flopped already at Villa and Middlesboro in the championship and has no end product. Barely worth marking or chasing after, since there's never any end product from him and it's a safe bet he'll end up running it into touch or treading on the ball or similar. No footballing brain and no threat. Our boys will be itching to remove the thorn of the scandalously unjust referee-inspired defeat against the Muff and to revenge our honour. They'll want to put the record straight. A lot will depend on the weather, but as autumn moves on into winter and the miserable black-country cold and drizzle starts to bite, these mercenaries are bound to start to fade. I can't see anything other than the cleanest and most glorious victory for the Hornets. Three or four nil and hardly breaking a sweat. sydney_horn, Moose, Glenhorn and 29 others like this. wfc4ever First Team Captain When will they bite? You just know those players you pretend to rubbish will comeback to haunt us ! wfc4ever, Oct 13, 2018 hornetboy1 First Team A 1-0 defeat. We reset, put right the mistakes and go again. hornetboy1, Oct 13, 2018 Burnsy Squad Player hornetboy1 said: ↑ You've had this pegged as a defeat almost since the start of the season. Not arguing against your viewpoint but can I ask what it is that makes you so certain we will lose? Burnsy, Oct 13, 2018 Burnsy said: ↑ It's just a prediction. It doesn't need any greater explanation than that. Lloyd, The undeniable truth, Meh! and 1 other person like this. RookeryDad Squad Player Clive_ofthe_Kremlin said: ↑ Possible starting elevens? Putative score? RookeryDad, Oct 14, 2018 Jonny. Simply Jonny. What’s going on there? Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow Believe it or not, once Wolverhampton were one of football's big names. They even won the very first FA Cup and were quite well-known in the 1920s and 1930s. I guess you are being flippant.. but "The Wanderers" that won the first FA Cup final were from London. Furthermore.. and you wont like this.. they were a bunch of ex public school toffs. Stevohorn, Oct 14, 2018 Happy bunny and Clive_ofthe_Kremlin like this. RookeryDad said: ↑ Surname is Castro Otto.. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Castro_Otto Stevohorn said: ↑ Ex? It’s not a condition that gets cured. Bunny Larkin and Stevohorn like this. wfc4ever said: ↑ Eight castles. Their equivalent to Eddie Tenpole Tudor? Bwood_Horn, Bunny Larkin and wfc4ever like this. I figured they'd grown up and left school. Well unless the first Fa Cup was really won by those dastardly little devils from Harrow. Okay, that’s fair enough. I’ve just seen you state quite a few times that you believe we are almost certain to lose, so I was wondering why you think that. If it’s just a hunch, cool. Jumbolina First Team Brilliant write up! Not got much hope for this game as wolves have played well in most games and one of our squad centre backs will be playing. 0-2. Jumbolina, Oct 14, 2018 PhilippineOrn First Team It's got the neanderthals fighting amongst themselves. PhilippineOrn, Oct 14, 2018 WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important How do I like this several times? Great entertainment on my train journey home tonight! Hilarious. ‘Bonny Sootland’ was my favourite. WillisWasTheWorst, Oct 14, 2018 Ray Knight and Clive_ofthe_Kremlin like this. PhilippineOrn said: ↑ To be honest, I had slight reservations about writing the preview, given what happened to Moo the last time we went up there. However, the reaction from the vast majority of their supporters to that outrage was absolutely spot on and I have a lot of time for them as a result. Similarly you can see from the responses on their forum that they 'get' it - far more than the Muffsters last week, many of whom seemed to be genuinely offended about slights on their town. For those of their fans querying how I had the time/energy to write it - simple. No Match of the Day this week.... Glenhorn, HappyHornet24, Derbyhorn and 5 others like this. wfcmoog Tinpot Their reactions are the most down to earth and measured of any rivals I've read. Most share in the joke and hardly anyone is threatening to kill Clive. Top, top, TOP banter wfcmoog, Oct 14, 2018 SkylaRose, The undeniable truth, Leighton Buzzer and 1 other person like this. Bit harsh to call us trophy less - we have won 3 divisional titles in the past and the play-offs twice Well better than nothing..... Not sure Huddersfield fans would like being compared to us and Brighton btw! Guy Squad Player Can't see anything other than us getting a bit of a pasting I'm afraid Guy, Oct 14, 2018 Bunny Larkin Academy Graduate Wolves seem to be this season's Bournemouth - Lineker and his merry men fawning over them, saying how great their style of play is, what a great bloke their weirdy beardy manager is. As far as I'm concerned Espirito Santo's greatest achievement is making me agree with Colin about his arrogance. Bunny Larkin, Oct 14, 2018 Ghost of Barry Endean First Team Espirito Santo looks like Keith Allen's tramp brother. Ghost of Barry Endean, Oct 14, 2018 Cthulhu, RookeryDad and BigRossLittleRoss like this. domthehornet Moderator Staff Member Superb Clive. domthehornet, Oct 14, 2018 luke_golden Space Cadet “Passing accuracy of an 18th century cannon” was my particular favorite. luke_golden, Oct 14, 2018 wimbornet likes this. foxywfc Reservist Enjoyed that write up, great job Clive. My favourite was the bit about the traffic lights. As for the match, it’s all about how we react. Hopefully one lung Geri starts and we attack them as sitting back allowing them to play won’t be good for us. Southampton nullified neves and Moutinho for 80mins and nearly come away with something. Do that and try to keep their wing backs out the game. Hopefully we respond like muff did with their defeat to Burnley. foxywfc, Oct 14, 2018 The undeniable truth Squad Player Yes, "a bit of a pasting" just about sums up my prediction. The forwards seem to have stopped scoring and the defence will be decimated. 3-0 wolves. The undeniable truth, Oct 14, 2018 Rozerhorn likes this. Cassetti's Beard First Team Far too much to read in my spare time, will save it for tomorrow at work. Wolves 4 0 Watford Will be to pissed to care about the result Cassetti's Beard, Oct 14, 2018 Harrow Orn likes this. Sahorn Reservist Lady Thatcher was a sperm? Sahorn, Oct 14, 2018 luke_golden said: ↑ I think that by the 1700s cannon were becoming more accurate. It was a poor analogy. 16th century cannon would've been better. SkylaRose Reservist Clive I bow to your greatness of football pre match write ups. Amazing content and accurate analysis of both sides. Very well done. As for the game? Hmmm not simple. Play like we have done overall we may snag a point. They are looking like the sort of side to sit back and win games late on, either that or come back and get a result. Both of which we have are also more than capable of. Regardless of the actual result it’s more interesting to see the line up. Will Success start? Will Chalobah get a sniff? Will gray get dropped to second half sub? I really can’t see anything past a loss. If Gracia has us fired up from last fortnight we may grab a draw. Wolves are playing well and picking up points, we seem to of gone backwards not in terms of effort but goal scoring. Sonething Wolves have little trouble with. SkylaRose, Oct 14, 2018 Happy bunny likes this. Happy bunny Cheered up a bit Clive was a bit harsh on the late 50s/ early 60s sides which included the England captain amd a couple of skilful wingers who could cross a ball (we used to like thst sort of thing in Watford). Wolf Town was also the site of Marlon's incisive critique of linoing standards Happy bunny, Oct 14, 2018 BigRossLittleRoss Squad Player Also their most famous son is one of rocks greatest and also named after an item of heavy industry as per Clives OP. BigRossLittleRoss, Oct 14, 2018 Lloyd Reservist 2-2. Hornets throw away 0-2 half time lead in the last 20 minutes Lloyd, Oct 15, 2018 Oscar calling Squad Player Wolves are a better side than the Muffins, so assuming we play a lot better we may only lose 3-1. Oscar calling, Oct 15, 2018 WFC Forums 2 (WIP)	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line484
__label__cc	0.727392	0.272608	Anti-gravity and the True Nature of Dark Energy \| Space Time \| PBS Digital Studios Lithium (new) - Periodic Table of Videos Proof that the Binomial Distribution tends to the Poisson Distribution pr... What about dark energy allows it to resist the powerful inward pull of gravity and accelerate the rate of the universe’s expansion? Find out in this episode of Space Time. And watch our previous episodes on dark energy right here: Part 1 - Will the Universe Expand Forever https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZTb6... Part 2 - Why the Universe Needs Dark Energy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4Pay... Part 3 - What Does Dark Energy Really Do? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUE_L... Get your own Space Time tshirt at http://bit.ly/1QlzoBi Tweet at us! @pbsspacetime Facebook: facebook.com/pbsspacetime Email us! pbsspacetime [at] gmail [dot] com Comment on Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/pbsspacetime We’ve come a long way in our understanding of dark energy. In previous episodes we’ve looked at how our universe is paradoxically flat and how dark energy is exponentially accelerating the expansion of the universe. In this episode of Space Time we dive into the true nature of dark energy and how its antigravity effect and its other properties are having such bizarre effects on our universe. Written and hosted by Matt O’Dowd Made by Kornhaber Brown (www.kornhaberbrown.com) James Bailey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsARBnvUB2E&lc=z13pj5mygwqhi3t3k23bfdn5fyf1dbsep Fros7bite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsARBnvUB2E&lc=z135cleyiorcwhuke223ij3wgzbqs50si Patrick Romo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsARBnvUB2E&lc=z13gfr2qkwaezxbu0231ftjxmu3vehuec ArchNME https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsARBnvUB2E&lc=z13jfhk5mmjehhxrr04cfd3hivjotdmz1yk0k 1019wc1019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsARBnvUB2E&lc=z13tjvvqxrapjplrw04ci3453zm2yt3iduk0k Aging Reversed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsARBnvUB2E&lc=z13yyh45ntaft5pjn04cjthwdnrdfrhqwl00k Super User uploaded a new media, Anti-gravity and the True Nature of Dark Energy \| Space Time \| PBS Digital Studios	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line488
__label__wiki	0.640871	0.640871	The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene - Volume 43, Issue 4, 1990 Editor's Page https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.1990.43.319 The offices of McWilson Warren, the incoming Editor of The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, are located at 3088 Briarcliff Road NE, Suite A-1, Atlanta, GA 30329. All new manuscripts should be sent to him at that address. The Baltimore office of the JOURNAL will continue to be active for several months. Manuscripts currently under review and any correspondence pertaining to them should be sent to the address (Baltimore or Atlanta) indicated in the documents. Variations in Malaria Transmission Rates are not Related to Anopheline Survivorship per Feeding Cycle Thomas R. Burkot, Patricia M. Graves, Raymond Paru, Diana Battistutta, Anthony Barnes and Allan Saul Anopheline survivorship, vectorial capacity, and mosquito infection probability estimates from mosquito infection rates were determined 4 times in 1 year in a Papua New Guinea village. Estimates of survivorship over the length of the extrinsic incubation period differed significantly during the year. However, survivorship per feeding cycle, individual mosquito vectorial capacity, and mosquito infection probability did not vary significantly. Estimates of these parameters were then compared to estimates of survivorship, individual vectorial capacity, and mosquito infection probability in mosquito populations in other villages in the study area. Since survivorship per feeding cycle did not vary significantly among the mosquito populations in these villages, changes in malaria transmission potential can be better gauged from estimates of survivorship over the length of the extrinsic incubation period. However, as measurements of relative inoculation rates are easier to perform and have been related to parasite prevalences in children in this area, estimates of inoculation rates are a preferred option for estimating malaria transmission in the Madang area of Papua New Guinea. Evaluation of Survival Potential and Malaria Susceptibility among Different Size Classes of Laboratory-Reared Anopheles Dirus Sangvorn Kitthawee, John D. Edman and Jetsumon Sattabongkot Four size classes of Anopheles dirus were reared from different larval densities. Higher densities produced smaller adults with lower survivorship. Larger females took larger bloodmeals by artificial feeding with cultured Plasmodium falciparum and developed significantly more oocysts. Geographical Distribution of Plasmodium Falciparum Erythrocyte Rosetting and Frequency of Rosetting Antibodies in Human Sera Mats Wahlgren, Johan Carlson, Wipaporn Ruangjirachuporn, David Conway, Helena Helmby, Alberto Martinez, Manuel E. Patarroyo and Eleanor Riley Uninfected erythrocytes bind spontaneously to those infected with certain strains of Plasmodium falciparum. This is known as spontaneous erythrocyte rosetting. We have studied the occurrence and frequency of rosetting in 75 fresh patient isolates and have identified rosetting strains from Africa, South America, and Asia. Rosetting was present in 49% of the isolates tested; the frequency of rosetting red blood cells (RBC) in individual isolates was 0–75% when scored during the first cycle of in vitro growth. Rosetting antibodies were found in 15 out of 73 (21%) Liberian sera as measured by disruption of rosettes in vitro. However, antibodies able to inhibit CD36 dependent cytoadherence of P. falciparum-infected RBC were not detected in these sera. Erythrocyte rosetting is a geographically widespread phenomenon. Rosetting antibodies seem to be induced by natural infection and the molecular mechanism of rosette formation seems distinct from that of endothelial cytoadherence. Studies in Owl Monkeys Leading to the Development of a Synthetic Vaccine against the Asexual Blood Stages of Plasmodium Falciparum Raul Rodriguez, Alberto Moreno, Fanny Guzman, Mauricio Calvo and Manuel Elkin Patarroyo During the development of a synthetic vaccine for human use against the asexual blood stages of Plasmodium falciparum, monkey trials were performed to assess safety, immunogenicity, and protectivity. We determined the minimal infective dose of the P. falciparum FVO strain, the kinetics of the immune response induced by vaccination with the synthetic peptide mixture (S7 + S12 + S17) or the synthetic hybrid polymeric protein SPf66, and the induction of protective immunity against the experimental challenge with 2 P. falciparum strains. A clear boosting effect was observed, determined by the increased antibody titers against synthetic peptides S7, S12, S17, and SPf66, and by improvement in the protective immune response against the challenge. These studies suggest that either the peptide mixture or the synthetic hybrid polymeric protein are excellent choices for the development of a vaccine against P. falciparum. Immunization of Owl Monkeys with a Combination of Plasmodium Falciparum Asexual Blood-Stage Synthetic Peptide Antigens Trenton K. Ruebush II, Gary H. Campbell, Alberto Moreno, Manuel E. Patarroyo and William E. Collins A mixture of 3 synthetic peptides (35.1, 55.1, and 83.1) corresponding to portions of the 35 kDa, 55 kDa, and 83 kDa proteins from the asexual blood stages of Plasmodium falciparum and a polymer of a synthetic peptide incorporating the 3 individual peptides (SPf66) were tested as candidate malaria vaccine antigens in Aotus nancymai. Monkeys were immunized with combinations of the 3 peptides from 2 separate sources (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], Atlanta, GA or Colombia) or with the synthetic polymer. Animals immunized with a combination of the 3 peptides from CDC had higher antibody titers to the 35.1 and 55.1 peptides than to the 83.1 peptide. Monkeys immunized with a combination of the 3 peptides produced in Colombia developed higher levels of antibody to the 55.1 than to the 83.1 and 35.1 peptides. Animals immunized with the polymer produced detectable antibodies to the 55.1 peptide alone. Following challenge with P. falciparum, no differences were observed between the 3 vaccine groups and 2 control groups with respect to the number of animals with parasitemias ≥10%. The inconsistency of serologic response to all 3 peptides in these animals contrasted with previous trials performed in Colombia where the monkeys developed high antibody titers against the 3 peptides and were protected against the experimental infection. Genetic Analysis of Leishmania Mexicana Populations from Texas, Latin America, and the Caribbean Richard D. Kreutzer A genetic analysis using enzyme data of 72 Leishmania mexicana isolated from hosts in Texas, Latin America, and the Caribbean is presented. All isolates from each country were combined and considered as local populations. Allomorph (allele determined by electrophoresis) frequencies for 20 enzyme (loci) were calculated and 7 populations (Texas, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Ecuador [EC], Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic [DR]) were compared pairwise in the statistic of genetic identity (I) (level of genetic similarity). All populations were found to be genetically similar with a mean I value for all comparisons of 0.890 ± 0.067. When DR was included as one of the pair compared, Ī = 0.811 ± 0.034. Among comparisons that include EC (excluding EC vs. DR), Ī = 0.875 ± 0.026. The mean I for the other comparisons was >0.9. The data indicate that the DR population is divergent enough from the others that it can be considered at the subspecies/incipient species level of evolutionary divergence; the EC population is, to a lesser extent, distinct from the others, and the other 5 represent geographic populations of 1 widely distributed species. A diagrammatic representation of the allomorphs among the 72 isolates is included. There were some allomorph/geographical (or local) population relationships noted. Bb65, a Major Immunoreactive Protein of Bartonella Bacilliformis Jürgen Knobloch and Michael Schreiber A 65 kDa protein (Bb65) has been identified as one of the major specific antigens of Bartonella bacilliformis, the causative agent of bartonellosis which is a bacterial infectious disease of inhabitants of the Andes. The gene encoding this antigen (7B2) was isolated from an expression library made directly from randomly generated fragments of B. bacilliformis genomic DNA using Bartonella antibodies raised in rabbits and sera of bartonellosis patients. The Bartonella 7B2 gene was expressed in Escherichia coli and the recombinant Bb65 protein was purified by column chromatography. Using polyclonal antibodies raised in rabbits, the antigen was shown to be present in all of 13 B. bacilliformis isolates from different Peruvian regions. Immune electron microscopy demonstrated the probable cytoplasmatic localization of Bb65. When applied to enzyme immunoassays, Bb65 sensitively and specifically bound to IgG antibody of sera of bartonellosis patients, convalescents, and immunes from various Peruvian regions. IgM antibody was not recognized by Bb65, neither was IgG antibody circulating during the first 2 weeks of illness. The amino-terminal amino acid sequence of Bb65 was 53% homologous to the 65 kDa heat shock protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Ultrasonographical Investigations of Onchocerciasis in Liberia Michael Leichsenring, Jochen Tröger, Mathias Nelle, Dietrich W. Büttner, Kassa Darge and Ekkehard Doehring-Schwerdtfeger The efficiency of ultrasonography (US) for the diagnosis and clinical characterization of onchocerciasis was evaluated. US was performed on 120 probands in Liberia. Ninety-two patients had generalized onchocerciasis, 21 patients suffered from the chronic hyperreactive form of onchocerciasis (sowda), and 7 probands served as controls. Patients were examined by US with linear (7.5 MHz and 5 MHz) and sector (3.5 MHz) scanners. US results were evaluated by examination of extirpated nodules. The US structure of nodules revealed a typical pattern consisting of a homogeneous echogenicity with small echodense particles and a lateral acoustic shadow, and differentiation from lymph nodes, lipoma, or fibroma was achieved. Within the onchocercomata, calcifications or fluid were identified. Regarding the estimation of the worm burden, it is important to note that in 24 patients, additional nodules not previously palpated were found by US. Also, the number of worm centers in palpable conglomerate nodules was determined more exactly by US than by palpation. In 4 of 16 sowda patients, impalpable nodules were found by US. In 13 patients with positive microfilaria counts, no nodules could be detected. The highly characteristic ultrasonographical pattern of onchocercomata may serve as a basis for further US investigations in onchocerciasis. South American Blastomycosis: Ophthalmic and Oculomotor Nerve Lesions A. M. Dantas, R. Yamane and A. G. Camara A case of South American blastomycosis began with an oropharyngeal lesion which was followed by a granulomatous uveitis. The patient was treated with Amphotericin B and showed a clinical regression. Four months later, he developed a right 3rd cranial nerve palsy, aggravating the clinical aspect with a severe generalized involvement of the central nervous system and death. Necropsy showed blastomycotic meningoencephalitis. Recombinant Capsular Antigen (Fraction 1) from Yersinia Pestis Induces a Protective Antibody Response in BALB/c Mice Warren J. Simpson, Rex E. Thomas and Tom G. Schwan Yersinia pestis produces a glycoprotein capsule, the biosynthesis of which appears to be temperature dependent. The fraction I (F1) component of this capsule is specific to Y. pestis and the detection of F1 antibodies is the basis for several serological tests. We report the cloning of the F1 gene and its expression in Escherichia coli using the phagemid vector λZAPII and a F1-specific monoclonal antibody. The recombinant F1 antigen had a molecular weight of 17 kDa, which proved to be identical to that of the F1 antigen produced by Y. pestis. The recombinant cells produced F1 antigen at 37°C but only minimal amounts at 27°C, suggesting that the genetic features affected by temperature in Y. pestis may be operating in the E. coli clone. It is not known if their similar molecular weights reflect the glycosylated nature of both proteins. F1 antigen purified from the E. coli recombinant induced a protective immune response in BALB/c mice challenged with up to 105 virulent Y. pestis. The resistance of immunized mice to plague infection correlated with high titers of F1 antibody. The cloned gene expresses an immunogenically competent F1 antigen suitable for use in plague serodiagnostics and vaccine development. Epidemiology of High-Level Gentamicin Resistant Enterococcal Isolates from Zimbabwe Jan Evans Patterson, Michele Barry, Joel Gallant, Linda S. Mangine, Patricia Farrel and Ahmed Latif High-level gentamicin resistance (minimum inhibitory concentration of ≥2,000 mcg/ml) in Enterococcus faecalis has not previously been reported in Africa to our knowledge. Eight of 28 (29%) rectal swab specimens obtained from hospitalized patients in Zimbabwe had gentamicin resistant enterococci. Previous exposure to penicillins or aminoglycosides were risk factors for colonization with these organisms. This study documents the presence of high-level gentamicin resistant enterococci in Africa and suggests that penicillin or aminoglycoside usage may select for gentamicin resistant enterococcal plasmids in Africa. Infection of colonized cat fleas, Ctenocephalides Felis (Bouché), with a Rickettsia-like Microorganism J. R. Adams, E. T. Schmidtmann and A. F. Azad We report the ultrastructure of a rickettsia-like microorganism in a colonized population of the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché). The microorganism occurs principally in the cytoplasm of midgut cells, but similar microorganisms were detected in the tracheal matrix, muscle, hypodermis, ovaries, and the epithelial sheath of the testes. The microorganism has a well-defined cell membrane consistent with rickettsia and measures 0.25–0.45 µm in diameter with lengths up to 1.5 µm. It was observed repeatedly in fleas of 1 laboratory colony, including newly emerged non-bloodfed specimens, but not in specimens from several other sources. Human T Cell Lymphotropic Virus Infection in Guaymi Indians from Panama William C. Reeves, John R. Cutler, Fernando Gracia, Jonathan E. Kaplan, Luis Castillo, Trudie M. Hartley, Maria Majela Brenes, Mario Larreategui, Suzanne Loo De Lao, Carlos Archbold, Michael D. Lairmore and Paul H. Levine Preliminary studies found that 9% of Guaymi Indians from Bocas del Toro province have antibody to human T cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV-I/II). The present study enrolled 317 (21% of the population) Guaymi Indians from Changuinola, the capital of Bocas del Toro province and 333 (70% of the population) from Canquintu, an isolated rural village. Demographic information and family relationships were ascertained and subjects were screened for neurologic diseases. Serum specimens were screened by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for HTLV-I/II antibody and positives were confirmed according to U.S. Public Health Service criteria. Twenty-five (8%) Guaymi residing in Changuinola and 7 (2.1%) from Canquintu were confirmed seropositive. In Changuinola, antibody was virtually limited to residents ≥15 years of age (24 [16%] of 153) and rates were slightly higher in males than in females; in Canquintu, antibody rates did not increase significantly with age and appeared higher in females than in males. In Changuinola, there was no evidence for household clustering of infection. In contrast, HTLV antibody among Canquintu residents clustered significantly by household. HTLV-associated neurologic disease was not detected in either population. The atypical seroepidemiology observed in both locations might be explained if the virus endemic to the Guaymi differed from HTLV-I previously described in the Caribbean basin and Japan. Persistence of Mosquito-Borne Viruses in Kern County, California, 1983–1988 W. K. Reisen, J. L. Hardy, W. C. Reeves, S. B. Presser, M. M. Milby and R. P. Meyer The persistence of arboviruses was studied from 1983 to 1988 in mixed agriculture, marsh, riparian, and foothill habitats in Kern County, CA. Western equine encephalomyelitis (WEE) virus was isolated frequently during 1983 from Culex tarsalis and Aedes melanimon and was detected by the seroconversion of sentinel chickens. WEE virus then disappeared, even though vector competence studies during 1984–1986 showed that Cx. tarsalis was able to transmit WEE virus. St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) virus was detected sporadically in 3 of the 6 years of the study by isolation from Cx. tarsalis and/or by sentinel chicken seroconversion. When mosquito pools were screened for virus in suckling mice, Turlock (TUR) and Hart Park (HP) viruses were isolated from Cx. tarsalis during each summer. Vertical transmission of HP was indicated by the isolation of virus from a pool of male Cx. tarsalis. California encephalitis (CE) virus was isolated repeatedly from host-seeking Ae. melanimon females, males, and adults reared from field-collected immatures, verifying vertical transmission in nature. Horizontal transmission of CE virus among both jackrabbits (Lepus californicus) and desert cottontails (Sylvilagus auduboni) appeared to amplify Ae. melanimon infection rates during the summer of 1985, but elevated herd immunity depressed infection rates during 1986. Thus, CE, HP, and TUR viruses persisted in Kern County, while WEE virus appeared to become extinct and required reintroduction. The sporadic occurrence of SLE virus activity remains unexplained, but its persistence may require both vertical transmission and reintroduction. Volume 102 (2020) Volume 95 ([2016, 2017]) Volume s1-31 (1951) Volume s1-9 (1929) Tweets by @ASTMH Tweets by @AJTMH http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/14761645/43/4 BROWSE_VIEW_TOC	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line496
__label__cc	0.666464	0.333536	Relationships October 24, 2011 No sex on campus? Another school year is in full swing. Frat houses around the country are once again swollen with partygoers and intoxicated youth. Sunday mornings once again mark the regret of thousands of young women who hooked-up the night prior and either cannot remember what they did, or do remember and are trying to forget. Another hook-up season is in full swing. But this hook-up season, there is an increasing phenomenon of unlikely bedfellows opting out: Catholic and Muslim women. These women of faith are increasingly allied in searching for a different way to live out their college tenure than from dorm room to dorm room. And they are finding that despite theological differences that run deep, shared perspectives about modesty, chastity, and dignity run deeper. At Georgetown, the Muslim Interest Living Community (MILC), originally “designed to create a strong support group for Muslims and non-Muslims who want to be steadfast in prayer and in their commitment to campus building and cooperation,” provides a haven for students seeking an escape from alcohol and hook-ups. In years past, up to half of its residents have been non-Muslim. Noreen Shaikh, a resident of the MILC, says the community offers “an alternative way to spend Friday and Saturday nights outside the realm of parties and clubs.” Muslim enrollment at Catholic universities is surging. At Catholic University, which just recently reinstated same-sex dormitories and where the school administration has been very vocal in opposing binge drinking and premarital sex, Muslim enrollment has doubled in just four years. Nationwide, the growth in percent of Muslim freshman students at Catholic colleges and universities is significantly outpacing that of enrollment at secular schools. As one female Muslim student at Catholic University put it, “They have the same values we do.” Sarah Mumma, a devout Catholic and recent graduate of Northwestern University, affiliated herself closely with the Muslim Cultural Student Association during her time there. In her view, rooming with Muslim girls was a “haven amid the hookup culture and the pervasive dismissal of chastity as backwards, or even sinister.” She found that not only did she share with these Muslim women abstinence as a lifestyle, but found they shared other values in common. “Smart, well connected and serious Muslim girls I met in college became some of my best friends.” Sajda Ouachtouki, a member of the Religious Life Council at Princeton University, voices similar sentiments about her close Catholic friends, “I find that I share much in common with these friends and often find myself turning to them in times of inner struggle. Their morals and notions of self-respect weave a special bond between us.” Statistics show that as many as 78 percent of women will engage in a hook-up at some point during their college tenure, 14 percent of whom will rely on a friend to tell them what happened the next day, 49 percent of whom will never see the partner again, and 16 percent of whom felt pressured into the sexual encounter. In a given year, roughly 97,000 cases of college campus sexual assault or date rape related to binge drinking are reported. Another 100,000 college students annually report being too drunk to know if they consented to having sex. For many women of faith on college campuses, not only is such behavior a direct violation of their faith, it is the degradation of women, plain and simple. Not only are Catholic and Muslim women increasingly sharing the experience of rejecting the college culture of sexual excess, but they find common ground in the empowerment that chastity offers as an alternative. So while Muslim and Catholic women may say different prayers each night as they prepare for bed, they are united in relishing that their bed (and their dignity) is theirs and theirs alone. (Photo of Catholic University found here) Asma Uddin and Ashley McGuire are the respective editors-in-chief of AltMuslimah and AltCatholicah. This article was originally published on AltMuslimah @OnFaith at the Washington Post. Previous articleAmerican Muslim sister-wives? Next articleTo date or not to date The Hijab is oppression and the Hijab is liberation Since 9/11, each election cycle in America and in European nations brings with it a renewed fury over the debate of whether or not Islam is compatible with the West. When politicians stoke their citizenry’s latent fear of Muslims to drum up votes, hijab-wearing* Muslim women are arguably the ones…	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line499
__label__wiki	0.929144	0.929144	Post a Comment Print Share on Facebook Featured Riyad Mahrez• Turkish honey• Venus Williams• Ukrainian plane crash• International Police Football Tournament• Little boy with pneumonia forced to sleep on hospital floor due to lack of beds A troubling picture of four-year-old Jack covered in coats on the floor with tubes coming out of him lays bare the NHS funding crisis after 10 years of Tory rule reads. A little boy with suspected pneumonia was forced to sleep on a cold hospital floor for more than four hours because of a shortage of beds. His desperate mum Sarah Williment covered her four-year-old son Jack in coats in a bid to keep him warm and comfortable. And when he was eventually moved to a ward, the youngster endured another five hours on a trolley before a bed was found. Now, after witnessing the crisis in the NHS at first hand, Sarah, 34, has vowed she will vote Labour for the first time in her life in Thursday’s General Election . In an exclusive interview with the Mirror, Sarah, who had nothing but praise for the medical staff, said: “I am frustrated about the system and the lack of beds, which I am presuming is due to a lack of funding to the NHS to deliver the services that are required.” Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow health secretary, has called on the Prime Minister to apologise to Jack’s family. He said: “This is shameful. Boris Johnson should personally apologise to Jack and his family. A decade of Tory cuts has brought us to this crisis in our NHS. “If the Tories win on Thursday, patients including children will suffer five more years of this. We need a Labour government to save our NHS.” Mum-of-two Sarah took Jack to her GP on Tuesday last week after he fell ill. The teaching mentor said: “Jack had been very unwell for six days. He was vomiting, had diarrhoea and a fever and was coughing. "We had been to the GP once and they thought it was virus.” But when Jack did not improve and was refusing to eat, Sarah returned to the surgery, where the doctor called an ambulance, fearing he had pneumonia. Jack and his worried mum were ‘blue-lighted’ to Leeds General Infirmary, West Yorkshire, where she said he was seen “very quickly” and given a bed and oxygen in A&E. PneumoniaNHS Reply to: @name x Your comment has been forwarded to the administrator for approval.× Warning! Will constitute a criminal offense, illegal, threatening, offensive, insulting and swearing, derogatory, defamatory, vulgar, pornographic, indecent, personality rights, damaging or similar nature in the nature of all kinds of financial content, legal, criminal and administrative responsibility for the content of the sender member / members are belong. Harry and Meghan: No other option but to step back,... Meghan Markle and Prince Harry waxworks removed from... Enver Kannur awarded The Freedom of the City of London Gulcin Ozdemir elected as Labour councillor	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line513
__label__cc	0.698762	0.301238	Van Gogh's Letters: The Mind of the Artist in Paintings, Drawings, and Words, 1875-1890 by Vincent van Gogh H. Anna Suh Jan 22, 2020 883 Comments Van Gogh s Letters The Mind of the Artist in Paintings Drawings and Words Now in paperback this beautiful and important collection of than of Van Gogh s letters paired with than works of art Vincent Van Gogh wrote hundreds of letters to his brother Theo as well as Title: Van Gogh's Letters: The Mind of the Artist in Paintings, Drawings, and Words, 1875-1890 Author: Vincent van Gogh H. Anna Suh Now in paperback, this beautiful and important collection of than 150 of Van Gogh s letters paired with than 250 works of art Vincent Van Gogh wrote hundreds of letters to his brother Theo as well as to family members and fellow artists including Paul Gauguin and Emile Bernard In many of them he described, in painstaking detail and beautiful prose, the progressNow in paperback, this beautiful and important collection of than 150 of Van Gogh s letters paired with than 250 works of art Vincent Van Gogh wrote hundreds of letters to his brother Theo as well as to family members and fellow artists including Paul Gauguin and Emile Bernard In many of them he described, in painstaking detail and beautiful prose, the progress of his work Van Gogh s Letters presents than 150 of these stirring letters, excerpted and newly translated, and set side by side with the art it describes, including sketches, drawings, and paintings The result is an elegantly rendered collection that allows us to see the world through the eyes of one of the greatest artists of all time Previously published in hardcover as Vincent van Gogh A Self Portrait in Art and Letters The letters Vincent van Gogh Letters To Theo van Gogh The Hague, Sunday, September a To Hendrik Verzijl The Hague, Saturday, October To Theo van Gogh. The letters with sketches Vincent van Gogh Letters To Betsy Tersteeg Helvoirt, Tuesday, July To Theo van Gogh London, between Tuesday, and Sunday, April To Theo van Gogh. The Letters of Vincent van Gogh The Letters of Vincent van Gogh refers to a collection of surviving letters written or received by Vincent van Gogh More than of these were from Vincent to his brother Theo The collection also includes letters van Gogh wrote to his sister Wil and other relatives, as well as between artists such as Paul Gauguin, Anthon van Rappard and mile Bernard. Browse van Gogh s letters WebExhibits Imprecise dates A fifth of the letters have uncertain dates.For example, a letter dated Summer will be listed at above at June , but it could really be August or May. How Van Gogh Found His Purpose Heartfelt Letters to His Long before Vincent van Gogh March , July , became a creative legend and attained such mastery of art that he explained nature better than science, he confronted the same existential challenge many young people and aspiring artists face as they set out to find their purpose and do Download Hundreds of Van Gogh Paintings, Sketches As a callow young art student in high school, I dearly wanted, and tried, to see the world with the same furious intensity as Vincent van Gogh, and to capture that kind of vision on paper and canvas.I later realized with chagrin as I stood in a line several blocks long for a wildly popular exhibit Van Gogh s Van Goghs at the National Gallery of Art that I was but one of millions who wanted Van Gogh s Perennial Appeal The New York Times Mar , Vincent van Gogh s visceral, vibrant paintings and difficult life, which led him to kill himself at age in , have had an enduring hold on the public He is an unusual combination of A Complete Archive of Vincent van Gogh s Letters First published in three volumes in , only years after his death, the letters of Vincent Van Gogh have captivated lovers of his painting for over a century for the insights they offer into his creative bliss and anguish They have also long been accorded the status of literature There is Vincent van Gogh s Turning Points Six Lectures by John When van Gogh arrived in Paris in , he was a year old Dutch painter of rural life looking to bolster his meager formal training He had not yet seen Impressionist paintings, let alone learned of the radical changes in color and design that the Post Impressionists Georges Seurat, Paul Gauguin, and others of their generation were introducing. Sunflowers Van Gogh series The two Sunflowers in question show two buttons each one of them was preceded by a small study, and a fourth large canvas combines both compositions. These were Van Gogh s first paintings with nothing but sunflowers yet, he had already included sunflowers in still life and landscape earlier. Van Gogh's Letters: The Mind of the Artist in Paintings, Drawings, and Words, 1875-1890 By Vincent van Gogh H. Anna Suh Vincent van Gogh H. Anna Suh 321 Vincent van Gogh H. Anna Suh Title: Van Gogh's Letters: The Mind of the Artist in Paintings, Drawings, and Words, 1875-1890 By Vincent van Gogh H. Anna Suh Posted by:Vincent van Gogh H. Anna Suh About Vincent van Gogh H. Anna Suh Vincent van Gogh H. Anna Suh says: Vincent Willem van Gogh, for whom color was the chief symbol of expression, was born in Groot Zundert, Holland The son of a pastor, brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere, Vincent was highly emotional and lacked self confidence Between 1860 and 1880, when he finally decided to become an artist, van Gogh had had two unsuitable and unhappy romances and had worked unsuccessfully as a clerk in a bookstore, an art salesman, and a preacher in the Borinage a dreary mining district in Belgium , where he was dismissed for overzealousness He remained in Belgium to study art, determined to give happiness by creating beauty The works of his early Dutch period are somber toned, sharply lit, genre paintings of which the most famous is The Potato Eaters 1885 In that year van Gogh went to Antwerp where he discovered the works of Rubens and purchased many Japanese prints.In 1886 he went to Paris to join his brother Th o, the manager of Goupil s gallery In Paris, van Gogh studied with Cormon, inevitably met Pissarro, Monet, and Gauguin, and began to lighten his very dark palette and to paint in the short brushstrokes of the Impressionists His nervous temperament made him a difficult companion and night long discussions combined with painting all day undermined his health He decided to go south to Arles where he hoped his friends would join him and help found a school of art Gauguin did join him but with disastrous results In a fit of epilepsy, van Gogh pursued his friend with an open razor, was stopped by Gauguin, but ended up cutting a portion of his ear lobe off Van Gogh then began to alternate between fits of madness and lucidity and was sent to the asylum in Saint Remy for treatment.In May of 1890, he seemed much better and went to live in Auvers sur Oise under the watchful eye of Dr Gachet Two months later he was dead, having shot himself for the good of all During his brief career he had sold one painting Van Gogh s finest works were produced in less than three years in a technique that grew and impassioned in brushstroke, in symbolic and intense color, in surface tension, and in the movement and vibration of form and line Van Gogh s inimitable fusion of form and content is powerful dramatic, lyrically rhythmic, imaginative, and emotional, for the artist was completely absorbed in the effort to explain either his struggle against madness or his comprehension of the spiritual essence of man and nature. 883 Replys to “Van Gogh's Letters: The Mind of the Artist in Paintings, Drawings, and Words, 1875-1890” I am reading Van Gogh's letters for the first time and I find that although this paperback version of a coffee table book seems voluminous, it is actually very readable and digestible. Van Gogh wrote more than 700 letters to his brother and friends so going through them all may be a bit difficult for a beginner like me. This volume extracts the more important and interesting letters and organises them according to major phases of his creative output including:1) the earlier years (his 20s) when [...] This is a beautiful and enlightening collection of Van Gogh’s letters in the context of the drawings and paintings that they refer to. The book is well printed on heavy paper, and the reproductions seem quite good. There are reproductions of many of the actual physical letters becaues they often include sketches of the works that Van Gogh was drawing or painting at the time. It also provides the translations of the letters, and representative drawings and paintings. Most of the letters are to [...] Given to my by one of my best friends for my 28th birthday. The actual book is gorgeous, a tactile experience to read in and of itself, with thick, almost silky pages. Stunning full color images throughout combined with visually appealing formatting make for a reading experience anyone can appreciate, an artist or not! I think Van Gogh's paintings are enhanced by these letters. It shows his drive to succeed as an artist but never making it during his life. Without these letters, would we know what it's like to be an artist? Being able to read Van Gogh's words while perusing his work provides wonderful insight into the mind of a true artist. Tom Mosser says: Amazing read. I researching a movie screenplay involving Van Gogh and this will be invaluable in developing dialogue for it. The printing of Van Gogh's work in the book is top notch as well. 4.5. Love that you can see that he is 90% normal a genius with an I diagnosed epileptic disorder. Fascinating. Seven Lambs: Stories of Peace from the Old Testame... The Motion Demon Jameson, Cowden Clarke, Kemble, Cushman: Great Sha... Road to Valor: A True Story of WWII Italy, the Naz... Yes, Chef The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook: Cookies, Cakes,... A Mother's Trust Gray Thunder: Exploits of the Confederate States N... The Artisan of Light The Golden Dawn Year of the Wasp Humanoid Encounters: 1975-1979: The Others amongst... Arbre brocoli (L') LIFE OUTSIDE THE CUBICLE: Conversations with Peopl... Kvadrivium دور الأطباء الأتراك في المذ... 2020 Van Gogh's Letters: The Mind of the Artist in Paintings, Drawings, and Words, 1875-1890. Education-Zone powered by WordPress	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line516
__label__wiki	0.958745	0.958745	Back to The British Journal of Cardiology guides Guide: How to cite a Archive material in The British Journal of Cardiology style Cite A Archive material in The British Journal of Cardiology style Cite in The British Journal of Cardiology Use the following template to cite a archive material using the The British Journal of Cardiology citation style. For help with other source types, like books, PDFs, or websites, check out our other guides. To have your reference list or bibliography automatically made for you, try our free citation generator. Black text = text required by the The British Journal of Cardiology style. 1. Author Surname Author Initial. Title. Year Published; 1. Library.sc.edu. F.Scott Fitzgerald Centenary. 2015; http://library.sc.edu/spcoll/fitzgerald/biography.html His father, Edward, was from Maryland, with an allegiance to the Old South and its values. Fitzgerald’s mother, Mary (Mollie) McQuillan, was the daughter of an Irish immigrant who became wealthy as a wholesale grocer in St. Paul. 1 Popular The British Journal of Cardiology Citation Guides How to cite a Book in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Website in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Journal in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a DVD, video, or film in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Online image or video in The British Journal of Cardiology style Other The British Journal of Cardiology Citation Guides How to cite a Archive material in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Artwork in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Blog in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Broadcast in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Chapter of an edited book in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Conference proceedings in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Court case in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Dictionary entry in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Dissertation in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a E-book or PDF in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Edited book in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Email in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Encyclopedia article in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Government publication in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Interview in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Legislation in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Magazine in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Music or recording in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Newspaper in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Patent in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Podcast in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Presentation or lecture in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Press release in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Religious text in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Report in The British Journal of Cardiology style How to cite a Software in The British Journal of Cardiology style	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line537
__label__wiki	0.728631	0.728631	Forum-Index » Allgemeines » Alles rund um http://www.aragon.ws was 4 of 7 for 38 yards with three sacks Moderatoren: tossa-fan Seite 1 von 1 [1 Beitrag] Sean Payton despises the term "Black Monday." And he's one of the coaches who always survives it.Six head coaches were fired as the NFL season concluded Color Rush Jonah Williams Jersey , four of them on Monday. Two, Mike McCarthy in Green Bay and Hue Jackson in Cleveland, didn't even make it that far.Saints coach Payton, finishing his 13th season in New Orleans and now owning the second-longest tenure with a team after Cincinnati fired Marvin Lewis , had some strong words about how the coaching carousel gets derailed every year. "Our owners' network that they own have created this," Payton said, referring to NFL Network that is owned by the league, "marketed this and sold this ‘Black Monday,' and that's just disappointing."In reference to Lewis, who was with the Bengals since 2003, but went an all-time worst 0-7 in the playoffs, Payton added: "He's been a fabulous coach, but I don't want to comment on anyone or all of them (who were fired)."He added that the whole Black Monday scene, which some media outlets promote the way they do actual competition, is "ridiculous."Payton and every other coach in pro sports recognize that change is understandable and at times necessary. As long as it is thought out and includes a plan for the future, revision can make sense.When it's more on an owner's whim or due to some serious impatience, that's another story. Steve Wilks , fired after a 3-13 record in his first — and only — season in Arizona, might be a case in point. Had Bruce Arians not retired, he still would have been with the Cardinals Cheap Jonah Williams Jersey , but Wilks was a hot candidate for several openings last offseason following his work as Carolina's defensive coordinator. Barring a full-out revolt by the players, as happened with Ben McAdoo and the Giants in 2017, how is one year enough to judge a head coach's capabilities?Also fired on Monday were Vance Joseph in Denver and Adam Gase in Miami. On Sunday night, Todd Bowles with the Jets and Dirk Koetter with the Bucs were let go.A year ago, Indianapolis, Tennessee, Oakland, Detroit, Chicago, Arizona and the New York Giants made changes. That's 14 franchises out of 32 with different head coaches since 2016. The Cardinals and Giants will have had three coaches from 2016-19.Also taking a hit has been the NFL's initiative on diversity in coaching. The Rooney Rule is exemplary in purpose, though it sometimes gets criticized for how it is implemented.Of the eight head men released, only Koetter, Gase and McCarthy are not minorities. Just three minority head coaches remain: Ron Rivera with the Panthers, Anthony Lynn with the Chargers, and Mike Tomlin with the Steelers.Impatience by owners can't be blamed for the moves by the Bengals or Jets, both clearly on a downward spiral.Otherwise, well, it normally takes at the very least three years for a coach's program to take root. Joseph got two, Gase got three injury-ravaged years, and Koetter also got three.Jackson simply lost too often Jonah Williams Jersey Womens , particularly with a vastly improved roster early this season, to remain on the job.McCarthy, a Super Bowl winner, had seen things go stale in Green Bay, and he often has been blamed for the Packers getting to just the one Super Bowl with a generational quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.Still, the word stability seems to have been dropped from owners' dictionaries. They give lip service to wanting to be like the Patriots, Saints or Seahawks.Then, if things turn sour for one season, they begin wondering if the right people are in place. Imagine if John Mara had done that with Tom Coughlin before the 2007 or 2011 seasons, when fans and media were calling for the coach's removal.Yet, we hear things like this from Broncos boss John Elway:— "Vance made a lot of strides and deserves credit for how hard and competitively the team played this season. There's always going to be a high standard here. The bottom line is we need to win more football games. We're excited about the foundation that's being built and look forward to putting in the work to get the Broncos back on the winning track."In most places, that winning track has lots of potholes. Not many coaches get the opportunity to navigate around them. CINCINNATI (AP) 鈥斅燚erek Carr聽kept his streak without an interception going. In the end, he couldn’t complete enough throws to give the聽Raiders聽a chance.Carr extended his streak without an interception to nine games, but Oakland managed only 19 yards in the fourth quarter, helping the聽Cincinnati Bengals聽hold on for a 30-16 victory on Sunday .The Bengals (6- got the better of a game between two struggling, injury-depleted teams. Oakland’s offensive line has been hit hard, forcing the Raiders (3-11) to keep shuffling players.They managed to pull out a 24-21 win over the Steelers a week earlier and had a chance for another comeback, trailing 20-13 after the third quarter. They failed to convert a third-down play against the NFL’s worst defense the rest of the way.“We’re working with our fourth and fifth guards,” Carr said.Starting left guard聽Kelechi Osemele聽missed his second straight game with a toe injury. Starting right guard聽Gabe Jackson聽was inactive with an elbow injury. The line didn’t give the running backs much room 鈥?the Raiders managed only 68 yards rushing 鈥?and Carr was sacked five times.“It was a very difficult situation for us today offensively Jonah Williams Cincinnati Bengals Jersey , with all the changes,” coach Jon Gruden said. “We’ve got to do better, and I will acknowledge that was one tough situation that we were put under today.”Doug Martin聽ran nine times for 39 yards, the Raiders’ leading rusher. Tight end聽Darren Waller聽accounted for nearly a third of the Raiders’ yards rushing, getting 21 on a reverse. Otherwise, there wasn’t much room to run.“We didn’t have it today,” Martin said.Carr has thrown 301 passes without an interception, breaking Rich Gannon’s club record from 2001. Overall, he was 21 of 38 for 263 yards with a touchdown . In the fourth quarter, Carr was 4 of 7 for 38 yards with three sacks.After聽Daniel Carlson‘s聽40-yard field goal cut Cincinnati’s lead to 23-16 with 5:05 left,聽Alex Erickson聽returned the kickoff 77 yards, setting up聽Joe Mixon‘s聽clinching touchdown run.“We made it a one-possession game in the fourth quarter, and the kickoff return by Erickson really hurt us,” Gruden said.The Raiders already are in next-year mode. They fired general manager Reggie McKenzie on Monday and had little on the line against the Bengals, other than Carr’s interception streak and the chance to win back-to-back games for the first time this season.“I want to see us finish with authority, with as much juice as we have, and as much heart and soul as we can showcase,” Gruden said. “That’s what I want us to do.” Verfasst am: Di 22.10.2019, 02:54 Beiträge der letzten Zeit anzeigen: Alle Beiträge1 Tag7 Tage2 Wochen1 Monat3 Monate6 Monate1 Jahr Sortieren nach: ZeitTitel des BeitragsAutor AufsteigendAbsteigend Gehe zu: Forum auswählen ------------------- Forum-Index \|___ Allgemeines \| \|___ Alles rund um http://www.aragon.ws \| \|___ Alles rund um http://socceroos.aragon.ws \| \|___ Alles rund um http://www.fussball-im-nordosten.de \| \|___ Folding@home und www.aragon.ws \| \|___ DFS - Datenbanken \| \|___ aragon.ws \| \| \|___ Kreisliga Kreis Bochum - Ersteller: tossa-fan \| \| \| \|___ Fussball im Nordosten \| \| \|___ DFB-Pokal - Ersteller: Benni \| \| \|___ Fußball in Brandenburg - Ersteller: TSHoernchen \| \| \|___ Fußball in Sachsen - Ersteller: Benni \| \| \|___ Fußball in Sachsen-Anhalt - Ersteller: TSHoernchen \| \| \|___ Fußball in Thüringen - Ersteller: A.K. \| \| \|___ Oberliga Nordost Süd - Ersteller: TSHoernchen \| \| \| \|___ Socceroos \| \|___ Australischer Fußball - Ersteller: champion \| \|___ CONMEBOL: Copa Libertadores - Ersteller: champion \| \|___ FIFA: Klub WM - Ersteller: champion \| \|___ Fußball \| \|___ Allgemein \| \|___ Fussball - Deutschland \| \| \|___ Borussia Dortmund \| \| \|___ Hansa Rostock \| \| \|___ Rot-Weiß Essen \| \| \|___ Sportfreunde Schnee \| \| \|___ TSG Neustrelitz \| \| \| \|___ Fußball - International \| \| \|___ News zur australischen Nationalmannschaft \| \| \|___ Real Madrid \| \| \| \|___ Kuriositätenecke \| \|___ Spiele \| \|___ aragon.ws - Tippspiel \| \|___ Materna Tippspiel \| \|___ Onlinefussballmanager \| \|___ Forum, Website, ... \|___ Vorschläge, Fragen, Probleme, ... \|___ Sonstiges	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line540
__label__wiki	0.805317	0.805317	US OPEN SERIES W&S OPEN: Venus Makes Special Appearance On Sunday For High School Day American Venus Williams signing autographs for even the smallest of fans. Former World No. 1 Venus Williams made a special appearance to sign autographs on High School Day for a throng of students gathered in the Grandstand Tent. Williams, who made the third round of Cincinnati in ’09, has won seven Grand Slam titles in her career and 43 Tour titles overall. A viral illness has forced her to withdraw from this year’s Western and Southern Open, but she came on-site Sunday to fulfill sponsor obligations. Source: cincytennis.com 0 comments: to “ US OPEN SERIES W&S OPEN: Venus Makes Special Appearance On Sunday For High School Day ”	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line543
__label__cc	0.666559	0.333441	Home \| \| Geography \| \| Geography \| Disaster Management, Mitigation and Prevention Chapter: 11th 12th std standard Geography earth space Higher secondary school College Notes Disaster Management, Mitigation and Prevention 'Disaster management' is better split up in two: 'disaster prevention' and 'emergency management". By definition, disasters cannot 'be managed'. One prevents a disaster and manages an emergency. 'Disaster management' is better split up in two: 'disaster prevention' and 'emergency management". By definition, disasters cannot 'be managed'. One prevents a disaster and manages an emergency. Emergency management (EM) deals with all activities from preparedness to rehabilitation. Recovery goes from impact to reconstruction. Risk reduction goes from reconstruction to preparedness. Relief is all what is on the right side of the cycle while development is all what is on the left side. Mitigation and Prevention Mitigation and Prevention are used as synonymous. Some expert prefers to drop the term Mitigation and use only Prevention. Mitigation means to reduce the severity of the human and material damage caused by the disaster. Prevention is to ensure that human action or natural phenomena do not result in disaster or emergency. Primary prevention is to reduce - avert - avoid the risk of the event occurring, by getting rid of the hazard or vulnerability. For example, primary prevention is to avoid overcrowding, deforestation and to provide services: healthier people in a healthy environment will be less vulnerable to most hazards; immunizing people against smallpox made them less vulnerable to the virus, and slowly eradicated the disease. Secondary prevention means to recognize promptly the event and to reduce its effects, that is, by staying alert to possible displacements of population; by being ready to provide immunization, food, clean water, sanitation and health care to refugees: healthier people in a healthy environment will also be more capable to overcome the emergency. Preparedness and Response Preparedness includes all the measures that can ensure an effective relief. It stresses a safe environment: relief must not cause secondary risks to others and to oneself. 'Don't Make Things Worse' must be the guiding principle in preparedness for disasters. Response includes on the other hand all activities that can tackle an emergency. Other terms that are widely used are relief and humanitarian assistance, but they have slightly different meanings. Response means more than relief, which usually targets immediate and short-term needs. Humanitarian assistance includes certain aspects of protection and promoting, disseminating humanitarian laws and aspects. Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Rehabilitation is restoring the basic function; and reconstruction is restoring to full resumption. In disaster management, the two are important, especially for people who cannot afford either. Disaster Prediction and Warning Although predictions are quite possible as to the nature of weather and climate, and even to a certain extent, hazards and disasters, it is rather difficult to predict accurately the disasters that occur periodically on the surface of the earth. Hence, the people and communities vulnerable to disasters must helped and the first ever help we may render is the warning. The warnings must be comprehensive as to include the following activities: = Identify location where a hazardous event will likely occur. = Determine probability that an event of a given magnitude will occur. = Mitigate, Anticipate, Prepare. = Observe precursor events. = Forecast the event. = Warn the public. There is a gap in the knowledge gained by hazards researchers and that of emergency planners and the general public. Why? It is because: = Public are largely uneducated scientifically; = Difficulty in communicating in a language, the general public can comprehend; = Economic issues (lack of tourism if volcano expected to blow); and = Liability. Towards determining human response to disasters, it is necessary to assess risk and, once assessed, use the understanding arising out of it to develop strategies for averting the disaster. As we have seen before, if people are prepared, know how to respond to it, then half the risk is eliminated. The other half can be eliminated by being prepared for meeting the risk headlong. Rehabilitation and reconstruction will entail the risk assessment. Risk assessment is made using / considering the following logic. = Risk determination = probability event occurs x consequences should it occur (risk = hazard + exposure). = Acceptable risk assessment. = Problems and opportunities for risk assessment in a commu-nity context. Human Response to Hazards Emergency Management: Emergency management actually deals with hazards in four phases: = Mitigation - Minimizing the damage hazards can cause. = Preparation - Tasks performed immediately before disaster occurs. = Response - Actions taken after the disaster has occurred. = Recovery - Repairing the damage, leads into mitigation, and makes a cycle. A few days before a disaster, a Columbian geology student, Jos' Luis Restrepo, had come to Armero on a field trip. After playing billiards, he was returning to his hotel at about 10:50 p.m., when the lahar arrived. His recollection of events was recorded as follows by Dr. Barry Voight: An Account of Volcanic Eruption: We didn't hear any kind of alarm, even when the ash was falling and we were in the hotel . . . we turned on the radio . . . The mayor was talking and he said not to worry, that it was a rain of ash, that they had not reported anything from the Nevado and to stay calm in our houses. There was a local radio station and we were listening to it, when suddenly it went off the air . . . about fifteen seconds later, the electric power went out and that's when we started hearing the noise in the air, like something toppling, falling, and we didn't hear anything else, no alarm . The priest from Armero had spoken on a loudspeaker (around 6:00 p.m.) and had said the same thing: that there was no need to leave Armero . . . When we went out, the cars were swaying and running people down . . . there was total darkness, the only light was provided by cars . . . we were running and were about to reach the corner when a river of water came down the streets . . . we turned around screaming, towards the hotel, because the waters were already dragging beds along, overturning cars, sweeping people away . . . we went back to the hotel, a three-storey building with a terrace, built of cement and very sturdy . . . Suddenly, I heard bangs, and looking towards the rear of the hotel I saw something like foam, coming down out of the darkness . . . It was a wall of mud approaching the hotel, and sure enough, it crashed against the rear of the hotel and started crushing walls . . . . And then the ceiling slab fractured and . . . the entire building was destroyed and broken into pieces. Since the building was made of cement, I thought that it would resist, but the boulder-filled mud was coming in such an overwhelming way, like a wall of tractors, razing the city, razing everything . . . . Then the university bus, that was in a parking lot next to the hotel, was higher than us on a wave of mud and on fire, and it exploded, so I covered my face, thinking this is where I die a horrible death . . . There was a little girl who I thought was decapitated, but . . . her head was buried in the mud . . . A lady told me, 'look, that girl moved a leg'. Then I moved toward her and my legs sank into the mud, which was hot but not burning, and I started to get the little girl out, but when I saw her hair was caught, that seemed to me the most unfair thing in the whole world. Water Ethics and Management, Irrigation, Political Dimension Water Management and Basin Management Disaster, Hazard and Vulnerability, the Meaning Resilience and Emergency Earthquakes and Landslides The Turkey Earthquake 1999 Disasters and Health Epidemic, Emergency Response to Disasters Floods as Hazard and Major Flood Disasters in world Flood Warning and Emergency Planning	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line547
__label__wiki	0.55742	0.55742	Bahri Commits To Indian Expansion Shipping lines aims to increase strategic industry collaborations Saudi Arabia’s national shipping company Bahri said it intends to bolster its relationship with Indian ports as it plans sustained expansion in the Indian market. Focusing on strategic industry collaborations, the group plans to expands its market footprint in India and build on “strong and direct relations with customers and partners” in the country. “We have steadily expanded and deepened our presence in this thriving market [and] remain committed to stepping up our efforts towards catering to their varied and evolving needs, and will continue to build on our nearly two decades’ experience in this market to unleash its enormous potential for further growth and profitability,” said Abdullah Aldubaikhi, CEO of Bahri. Bahri is one of the largest maritime services provider in the world and alongside a fleet of breakbulk vessels also operates several double-hull very large crude carriers, chemical carriers, dry bulkers and multipurpose roll-on, roll-off vessels. Photo: Bahri vessel. Credit: Bahri	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line548
__label__cc	0.67991	0.32009	C2 new release Posted by Maurizio Pustianaz Band News, News control freak records and freeze frame reality are pleased to announce that Friday the 13th September we crush the hiatus and unleash two new C2 EPs on the public. SANGUINE EP(beats) and MELANCHOLIC EP (noise). at the same time we will open digital pre-order at a special price for the fourth full-length release from C2, QUADRANTS: the stories of four. We are finalising art for this and will be releasing the full album on 5th October. Overall, there are 24 new C2 tracks ranging from dark cinematic, to noise, to power noise, to industrial disco. QUADRANTS: the stories of four, is an audio visual journey into an AM radio nitemare of a man haunted by the noise, the number 4 and four dead sirens. Urged to seek short-term physical gratification as pain relief, stuck in cycles of pain, we replicate pain as pain relief. We all have our sirens. Are you a bystander, a cause or a solution? What happens when the unknown becomes constant and the hyper awareness becomes truly horrible. The stories of four explores the cloudy line between memory, premonition and action through a state of being that does not allow clarity but does allow us to be haunted by the simplest things or the most complex. A number, a noise, or the occasional spark of humanity linking us to our brothers and sisters in solidarity or torture, whether overt or complacent… Some doors you open, some are slammed in your face, others you are pushed through. Which do you choose? Welcome to the four. listen and buy: QUADRANTS: the stories of four https://control.bandcamp.com/album/quadrants-the-stories-of-four SANGUINE EP https://control.bandcamp.com/album/sanguine-ep MELANCHOLIC EP https://control.bandcamp.com/album/melancholic-ep special project page: http://control.org/four direct link video teaser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIX6t5kK-1A https://soundcloud.com/controldotorg C2 catalogue: http://control.bandcamp.com https://www.facebook.com/control.org https://www.facebook.com/freezeframereality Sigillum S, Sshe Retina Stimulants, Iugula-Thor and Eraldo Bernocchi news ESO new EP Dj Marcelle: Djing can really be a form of art when there are no real stylistic limitations and it can also get closer to a language that listeners can understand and that is entertaining for them. Marcelle Van Hoof aka Dj Marcelle seems to be aware of this simple, but rarely applied ”wisdom”. After we listene... Jimmy Rosso: "32.32" is the remarkable debut album by London-based composer, cellist, keyboard player and vocalist Jimmy Rosso. He partially implemented his vision and his versatile approach to music as a member of eccentric punk-jazz-rock-classical collective DOLLYman, but his chameleon style and his poetic... Ossaserpia: Chain D.L.K.: Please tell us how you got the idea to make the album"Music For Solve et Coagula".Ossaserpia: Firstly it was a collection of tracks I made atnighttime sitting in a small studio... I liked to make covers of oldbaroque lute composer´s but t... Silent Auction: Before the summer ended, Nilaihah Records offered me the opportunity to interview three bands on their roster. Since there was no big pile of CDs that needed to be reviewed waiting me I said “Sure, why not?” I decided to start with Silent Auction, a light/dark synthpop/futurepop duo out of Rochest... Solar One Music: Born at the end of 2006 in the science city of Jena, Germany, from an idea of Nico Jagiella (SLF) and Robert Witschakowski (The Exaltics), Solar One Music started to spread its music soon after releasing "Ten Million Light Years" by The Exaltics (www.the-exaltics.com). It was a USB Stick with a...	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line551
__label__wiki	0.591153	0.591153	Bleached releasing new EP & zine ‘Can You Deal’ (listen), opening for The Damned ++ other dates By Bill Pearis February 1, 2017 Bleached's 'Can You Deal?' zine features contributions from Julien Baker, Tegan Quin (Tegan and Sara), Jane Wiedlin (The Go Go’s), Liz Phair, EMA, Alice Glass, Hayley Williams (Paramore), Sadie Dupuis (Speedy Ortiz), Patty Schemel (Hole) and more. Category: Music News, tour dates Tags: Ali Koehler, Alice Glass, Alicia Bognanno, Allie Hanlon, Allison Wolfe, Bleached, Bratmobile, Dani Miller, EMA, Hayley Williams, Hinds, Hole, Jane Weidlin, Jennifer Clavin, Jessica Clavin, Julien Baker, Kate Nash, Kim Schifino, Liz Phair, Lizzo, Maryn Jones, Matt and Kim, Mecca Vazie Andrews, Micayla Grace, Mish Way, Paramore, Patty Schemel, Sadie Dupuis, Sara Landeau, Sex Stains, Speedy Ortiz, Surfbort, Tegan and Sara, Tegan Quin, The Damned, The Go-Gos, The Julie Ruin, Upset, Vivian Girls, White Lung Five Notable Releases of the Week (9/2) By Andrew Sacher September 2, 2016 Angel Olsen's best album yet, emo revivalists Signals Midwest's Evan Weiss-produced LP, Helms Alee's metal boundary-pusher, and more. Category: Music News, new releases Tags: Angel Olsen, Angel Olsen - My Woman, Bratmobile, Evan Weiss, Helms Alee, Helms Alee - Stillicide, Serpentwithfeet, serpentwithfeet - blisters, Sex Stains, Signals Midwest, Signals Midwest - At This Age, The Haxan Cloak, Tri Angle Records photo by Debi Del Grande stream Sex Stains’ (ex-Bratmobile) s/t LP By Andrew Sacher August 30, 2016 Former Bratmobile singer Allison Wolfe hasn't lost her sarcastic edge one bit. Category: Music News Tags: Bratmobile, Sex Stains photo by Hailey Parker Sex Stains (ex-Bratmobile) releasing debut LP on Don Giovanni, add tour dates By Andrew Sacher July 20, 2016 Last week, we posted four songs by Sex Stains, the new band of Bratmobile singer Allison Wolfe. Those songs have all been taken off Soundcloud unfortunately, but it's been revealed that Sex Stains signed to Don Giovanni and will release their self-titled debut album on September 2 via that label... Category: Music News, tour dates Tags: Bratmobile, Don Giovanni, Downtown Boys, Sex Stains Downtown Boys at SXSW 2016 (photo by Amanda Hatfield) Downtown Boys touring, playing NYC w/ Sex Stains (ex-Bratmobile) before NAMF Downtown Boys have shows coming up, including Hopscotch in Raleigh and their label Don Giovanni's New Alternative Music Fest in Asbury Park. Right before NAMF, they'll play a NYC show... Category: Music News, tour dates Tags: Bratmobile, Downtown Boys, New Alternative Music Festival, Sex Stains Flogging Molly announce 2017 St. Patrick’s Day cruise with Bouncing Souls, English Beat, NOFX, CJ Ramone, DeVotchKa, more Flogging Molly are doing their annual St. Patrick's Day Weekend cruise, the Salty Dog Cruise, again in 2017 from March 10-13 off the coast of Miami. The lineup for this one has Flogging Molly joined by NOFX, DeVotchKa, Less Than Jake, The English Beat, The Bouncing Souls, CJ Ramone, The Skatalites, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Punk Rock Karaoke and more... Category: Music News, tour dates Tags: Askultura, Beans On Toast, CJ Ramone, Devotchka, Flatfoot 56, Flogging Molly, Jon Gazi, Less Than Jake, Mickey Rickshaw, NOFX, Pasadena, Punk Rock Karaoke, Salty Dog Cruise, Sex Stains, The Attack, The Bouncing Souls, The Bunny Gang, The Cherry Cokes, The English Beat, The Potato Pirates, The Skatalites, Voodoo Glow Skulls, West Lindy, Zander Schloss Burger A-Go-Go fest in pics (Best Coast, The Muffs, Dum Dum Girls, Shannon & the Clams, Coathangers, La Sera & more) By BrooklynVegan Staff August 4, 2014 Song by song, band by band they came. Peach Kelli Pop, the catchy, girl-group suggestive punk band fronted by Allie Hanlon, delivered verse-chorus-verse songs about love and heartbreak... Category: Music News, Photo Galleries Tags: Best Coast, Bleached, Bombon, Burger Records, Cheryll, Coathangers, Colleen Green, Dead Pansies, Death Valley Girls, Dum Dum Girls, Kickball Katy, Kim House, La Sera, Peach Kelli Pop, Penny Machine, Sex Stains, Shannon and the Clams, Summer Twins, Teenage Burritos, The Coathangers, The Muffs	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line566
__label__wiki	0.804255	0.804255	Hosted By Beth Ruyak Insight creates conversation to build community, exploring issues and events that connect people in our region. Insight covers breaking news and big ideas, music, arts & culture with responsible journalism, civil discussion and diverse voices. Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. on News Station Recovering From The Napa Earthquake Monday, August 25, 2014 \| Sacramento, CA \| Permalink Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin. Eric Risberg / AP With about 170 injured, three critically and a vast amount of damage, idyllic wine town of Napa is still recovering from a 6.0-magnitude earthquake early Sunday morning. Joining us to talk about what it will take to get Napa back up and running is CEO of Pinnacle Emergency Management Leo Grover. Plus, Capital Public Radio’s Regional Reporter Bob Moffitt joins us from Napa with the latest updates on the situation. CapRadio's Napa Earthquake Coverage Open Hazards Pinnacle Emergency Management Pedestrians stop to examine a crumbling facade at the Vintner's Collective tasting room in Napa, Calif., following an earthquake Sunday, Aug. 24, 2014. Officials in the city of Napa say 15 to 16 buildings are no longer inhabitable after Sunday's magnitude-6.0 earthquake, and there is only limited access to numerous other structures. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) About 600 Without Water After Napa Quake Damage assessments continue after an earthquake that struck Napa and surrounding areas. Capital Public Radio's Bob Moffitt is In Napa and has the latest updates. UPDATES: 11 A.M. earthquakeNapa Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories Delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Check out a sample ReCap newsletter. Three Horses Die In Three Days At Santa Anita Race Track The Fourth Annual Women’s March Draws Thousands To The State Capitol Why CapRadio Is Carrying The Impeachment Trial (And Where You Can Find Our Other Programming) Could Sacramento Flood Like New Orleans? It's Possible, But Water Managers Are Trying To Make It Less Likely. What You Need To Know About California’s New Domestic Partnership Law Folsom Dam Is Getting Taller In Effort To Lower Flood Risk In Sacramento Sacramento Just Quietly Revamped Its Cannabis Cultivation Enforcement Law Here’s What The State And Advocates Have In Mind To Change CA’s Mental Health Care System	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line569
__label__cc	0.595269	0.404731	Two suspected Al-Qaeda operatives arrested from Sargodha DNA News \| October 8, 2016 LAHORE: Police on Saturday arrested two suspected Al-Qaeda operatives in Sargodha who were allegedly planning attacks during Muharram processions, said police officials. Security officials also claimed that the two had trained in Afghanistan. Law enforcement officials recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition, which included five hand grenades, 37 RPG rounds, suicide vests, seven Kalashnikov assault rifles, and 695 bullets. “Police has been carrying out raids in various areas of Punjab on the directives of Punjab Inspector-General Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera to ensure security for the mourners,” said Sargodha RegionalRead More Al Qaeda, Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), AQIS, arrest, bomb blast, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), CTD, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LJ), militants, Raja Umer Khattab, Sargodha, suicide jacket, terrorism, terrorist PAKISTAN No Comments »	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line576
__label__cc	0.521253	0.478747	News and Debate Tag Archive for: international relations You are here: Home / international relations Article: Forget Hobbes August 5, 2016 /in New Publications /by Publication Officer Ondrej Ditrych: ‘Forget Hobbes’, International Politics, 53,3 (2016). Abstract: This article has a threefold aim. First, it criticises the instrumentalisation of intellectual history in international relations (IR) that clouds issues of contemporary politics rather than illuminating them. Second, benefiting from the recent advances in Hobbes’ studies in the field of political theory and emphasising the importance of both textual plausibility and authorial intentions for preserving the ‘horizon’ of the possible interpretations, it suggests that ‘IR’ were of no particular concern to Hobbes, and the few scattered remarks on the ‘superpolitical’ state of the many governments interacting with each other are functionally subservient to the purpose of demonstrating the reality of the state of nature. Third, by pointing to the ‘security continuum’ of various states present in his political theory, the article challenges the reading of Hobbes as authoring the discipline’s foundational inside/outside difference. It concludes by making a case that the field would benefit from curing itself from the ‘Hobsession’ it seems to be suffering and from forgetting Hobbes to open space for rethinking international politics. Book: Literature and the Law of Nations 1580-1680 April 15, 2016 /in New Publications /by Publication Officer Christopher N. Warren, Literature and the Law of Nations 1580-1680 (Oxford University Press, 2015) About this Book: In this groundbreaking study, Christopher Warren argues that early modern literary genres were deeply tied to debates about global legal order and that today’s international law owes many of its most basic suppositions to early modern literary culture. Literature and the Law of Nations shows how the separation of scholarship on law from scholarship on literature has limited the understanding of international law on both sides. Warren suggests that both literary and legal scholars have tacitly accepted tendentious but politically consequential assumptions about whether international law is “real” law. Literature and the Law of Nations recognizes the specific nature of early modern international law by showing how major writers of the English Renaissance-including Shakespeare, Milton, and Hobbes-deployed genres like epic, tragedy, comedy, tragicomedy, and history to shore up the canonical subjects and objects of modern international law. Warren demonstrates how Renaissance literary genres informed modern categories like public international law, private international law, international legal personality, and human rights. Students and scholars of Renaissance literature, intellectual history, the history of international law, and the history of political thought will find in Literature and the Law of Nations a rich interdisciplinary argument that challenges the usual accounts by charting a new literary history of international law. Contains the chapter ‘From Imperial History to International Law: Thucydides, Hobbes, and the Law of Nations’. Essay: The Domestic Analogy Revisited: Hobbes on International Order January 21, 2016 /in New Publications /by Publication Officer David Singh Grewal, ‘The Domestic Analogy Revisited: Hobbes on International Order’, Yale Law Journal, 125, 3 (2016). Abstract: This Essay reexamines Thomas Hobbes’s understanding of international order. Hobbes defended the establishment of an all-powerful sovereign as the solution to interpersonal conflict, and he advanced an analogy between persons and states. Extending this “domestic analogy,” theorists following Hobbes have supposed that a global sovereign would prove the solution to interstate conflict. Yet Hobbes himself never proposed a global sovereign, which has led some scholars to diagnose an apparent inconsistency in his philosophy. This Essay seeks to resolve that inconsistency, drawing on Hobbes’s theory of the passions and his hope for radical political transformation. Hobbes believed that the solution to international disorder was not analogous but rather identical to the solution to domestic strife: both would be overcome through the establishment of a “well-ordered commonwealth.” Hobbes argued that a state capable of securing peace within its borders was unlikely to make aggressive war outside them. The radical transformation he envisaged in domestic politics would thus in itself mitigate and perhaps even overcome international conflict. This “realist-utopian” position aligns Hobbes more closely with later social-contract theorists, including Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, and John Rawls. It also invites a reconsideration of the foundational principles of international law, with implications for contemporary problems from humanitarian intervention to economic integration. Hobbes’s realist-utopianism provides a needed corrective not only to the narrowly defined realism that has long claimed his imprimatur, but also to realism’s rivals, which unwittingly share its premises. Symposium on Hobbes’s Kingdom of Light, by Devin StaufferDecember 21, 2019 - 9:10 pm New book: Hobbes’s On the Citizen: A Critical Guide, edited by Douglass & OlsthoornDecember 5, 2019 - 4:16 pm Latest Issue of Hobbes Studies (October 2019)November 8, 2019 - 8:31 am EHS Mini-Workshop, Amsterdam, 20 Nov 2019October 15, 2019 - 3:33 pm Online Colloquium (5): Reply to Critics by RaylorJuly 15, 2019 - 7:11 am European Hobbes Society The European Hobbes Society is an international and interdisciplinary research network, which aims to promote scholarship on the thought of Thomas Hobbes.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line582
__label__wiki	0.839241	0.839241	Some facts about Mount Everest Is Part of the Himalayas mountain range, in the Mahalangur section Also known as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Chomolungma in Tibet Its Earths highest mountain above sea level 8848m, some say 8850m Everest’s summits are either by the Northern side in Tibet or the Southeast side in Nepal, with the international border running precisely across the summit point. There are also less frequently climbed routes, and always a determined plan for the next route up. Everest was first attempted by a British expedition team in 1921 who managed to reach 7000m via the Northern Route. 1922 saw the British team ascend to 8320m, in 1924 Climbers ascended to 8550m. On the 8.6.1924 Mallory and Irvine made a historical attempt to summit but were never seen again and the jury is still out if they were indeed the first to summit. Various other attempts were made with the first Southern Route been attempted in 1950. Evans and Bourdillon came within 100m of the summit on 26.5.53 but ran out of Oxygen. On the29th May 1953 the first official ascent of Everest was made by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary. The next successful attempt was in 1956 Reinhold Messner was the first climber to summit without supplementary oxygen in 1978, and made the first solo summit (no porters) in 1980. The first South African to summit was Cathy O’Dowd in 1996 Mount Everest was known as Peak B or Peak XV and from 1802 various people tried to estimate its height with theodolites, weighing 500kg each and requiring 12men to carry them. This was obstructed by the Nepal government as well as weather and ill health of the surveyors with many falling ill to malaria. Difficulties of light refraction, barometric pressure, temperature and the estimation over a vast distance lead to the official announcement of Everest’s height only in 1856 by Waugh of 8840m Waugh calculated Everest to be 29000ft(8839.2m) but declared it was being 29002ft (8839m) to avoid people thinking that the exact height was just a rounded estimate. This lead to Waugh being credited with the ‘first person to put 2 feet on top of Mount Everest’ As there were so many local names Waugh Named Peak XV after George Everest, his predecessor as Surveyor General of India. 1999 saw an American Expedition anchoring a GPS on the highest bedrock and an elevation of 8850m was obtained, in 2005 Chinese Scientists calculated the height at 8844,4m with 3.5m of snow. Mauna Kea in Hawaii is the tallest mountain when measured from its base on the ocean floor; its height is 10200m but only 4205m above sea level A closer look at Everest reveals different ‘colours’ or formations which are ‘separated’ by faults. The top part 8600 to 8848m, a grayish to dark grey area is made up of limestine, dolomite and other rocks. The second fault, 7000 to 8600 is most noticeable by the upper yellow band. Below 7000m the rock is thought to have been a partial melting of different rocks some 20 to 24million years ago. At 6700m a black jumping spider can still be found, making it the highest non microscopic resident! Birds like the Chough have been seen at altitudes at 7920m Plants only weigh in at 6480m with a certain moss growing here The Mount Everest webcam is situated on the nearby peak of Kala Patthar, while the Mount Everest weather station is situated on Everest at 8000m A Jet stream is the tuft of ‘ice blowing ‘off the top of Everest. In fact it’s due to fast flowing narrowing currents, where there are adjacent air masses of significant temperature differences. Summits are normally attempted in May before the summer monsoon season, as the monsoon approaches the jet stream is pushed northward reducing average wind speeds. (Winds can be 200mph) October summits are more difficult with unstable weather patterns and more snow. Facts courtesy of Wikipedia.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line583
__label__wiki	0.554774	0.554774	Something is Wrong with This Picture Natasha Matila-Smith – 3 September, 2014 It's easy to regard Kalisolaite and Luke's works as being purely social commentaries. Even easier, that they are Pacific artists whose works revolve around the physical concept of home. Shows like 'HOME AKL' (2012) (6), curated by Ron Brownson and others, give the impression that Pacific artists are particularly obsessed with home, navigating their displacement and identity whilst trying to reclaim a lost culture through the forced confines of colonisation. AUCKLAND ART GALLERY TOI O TAMAKI Denny, Leach, Thompson, ‘Uhila The Walters Prize 12 July - 12 October 2014 The 2014 Walters Prize exhibition is definitely vying for ‘most controversial’ art prize in New Zealand. Surely though, it is more than just the inclusion of intangible and socially centred works that is causing all the commotion? The tedious discussion over why Luke Willis Thompson, Kalisolaite ‘Uhila, Maddie Leach and Simon Denny’s nominated works are even considered art, borders on dull, if not irrelevant. Why are these works so hard to swallow? Works of this nature are not new to art. If anything, the excitement revolving the Walters Prize is not that art modes are changing, but that the role of the audience is changing by having to rapidly adapt to disembodied art practices. The independent jurors for The Walters Prize have presented us with a selection that certainly stretches the audience; a selection of the “crème de la crème” of New Zealand’s contemporary artists. I would like to perhaps challenge the selection as being typical of an institution that caters to specific stereotypes - concentrating on the Pacific Island descent contingent of the Walters Prize nominees - Luke Willis Thompson and Kalisolaite ‘Uhila. What do you mean, We?, the show that that originally featured Kalisola’ite ‘Uhila’s Mo’ui Tukuhausia, posits a direct social question. We implies there are at least two parties - who exactly is the we? The exhibition, originally shown at Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts, Pakuranga, consisted of various artist responses to prejudice in New Zealand. Presumably the we in What do you mean, We? are the victims of prejudice and the other are perpetrators of prejudice based upon preconceived ideas of race, gender and class. The restaged version of Mo’ui Tukuhausia at the Auckland Art Gallery in 2014 is problematic. Allegedly patrons walk into the gallery and request to know the location of the artist so they can see the work. I’ve seen ‘Uhila several times recently - once when he was in the Symonds St Starbucks, another he was walking down Karangahape Rd. He basically stays within a certain radius of the Auckland Art Gallery - so, if one really wanted to see him, it wouldn’t be that difficult. Stephen Cleland (1) has stated that ‘Uhila is immersing himself in the homeless community. In doing so, he is attracting a small gathering of threatening homeless people within close proximity to the gallery. This seems kind of ironic given that the work is perceived to be about highlighting the existence of marginalised societies (2). It seems ‘Uhila is not necessarily trying to be authentically “homeless” or to live by the biased ideas of what homelessness is - he is a performance artist testing his physical and artistic stamina. If he should simultaneously point out the ludicrous nature of art and the audience, then that is a bonus. Mo’ui tukuhāusia means to be absolutely stranded; to be left destitute and friendless (3). Although ‘Uhila is of Tongan descent and he has chosen to name the work with a Tongan language title, I get the impression that when the community is talked about in relation to artists of Pacific descent those artists are considered to be talking about exclusively Pacific concerns. Mark Amery’s review of Tonga ‘I Onopooni: Tonga Contemporary (4) notes that artist Lucy Aukofolau is “on her first visit home” - even Amery, who is a seasoned writer, has made this mistake of assuming that Tonga is Aukafolau’s home. Aukofolau was born and raised in New Zealand and is of British and Tongan descent. Tonga is her father’s home. The relocation of Luke Willis Thompson’s Inthisholeonthisislandwhereiam has gained access to a much wider audience and is vulnerable to even more criticism than in its original inception. Since 2012, we have learned that it is Thompson’s family home - not that he actually lives there anymore. The 2014 version of this work seemed slightly more desolate although relatively unchanged with the exception of the kitchen oven looking a little worse for wear. I initially encountered Thompson’s Walters Prize nominated 2012 work as a volunteer. I recall feeling like a voyeur and privy to the domestic secrets of a regular family. I didn’t view this house as decrepit nor was I aware of the implications that this kind of work had on its idyllic neighbourhood. Was it a stain on an otherwise pristine and economically plentiful suburb? John Hurrell’s original reading of the work (5) was very alien to my personal experience - for the clutter and frenetic physicality of such a dwelling is a common occurrence in Pacific households. I questioned, as many did, whom this work was intended for? There was just so little information about the work’s conditions that I was struggling to come up with interpretations past the obvious readings of race and class - which is where the gallery information assists. The audience reading is left much to its own devices: “Thompson’s objects are often taken from sites of trauma or contain references to the artist’s biography, but these are rarely made explicit”, so the interpretation can only be based on assumptions and subjective experience. Thompson is actually inviting people to draw on their prejudices. It’s easy to regard ‘Uhila and Thompson’s works as being purely social commentaries. Even easier, that they are Pacific artists whose works revolve around the physical concept of home. Shows like HOME AKL (2012) (6), curated by Ron Brownson, give the impression that Pacific artists are particularly obsessed with home, navigating their displacement and identity whilst trying to reclaim a lost culture through the forced confines of colonisation. Brownson, in relation to this exhibition, said that ‘New Zealand’s contemporary Pacific art reflects many distinctive voices, stories and perspectives - it’s urban, biographical and affected by its grass-roots community.’ This kind of language predetermines an aesthetic value - urban, biographical, grass-roots. I can’t help but wonder if these themes are imposed or at the very least reinforced by the gallery’s prescribed marketing, for slogans like ‘New Zealand’s Toughest Art Prize’, coined by Head of Programmes, Zara Stanhope, do the works no favours. The Auckland Art Gallery, in this instance, through its campaign marketing tries to put itself in a position to be praised for enlightening us with these relevant social and economic concerns. The curation of Pacific artists’ works in general, I find to be highly problematic, as the potential of the works are limited to the vision of the curator, which usually contains highly stylised ideas of Pacific-ness. True, there seems to be a strong interest within the Pacific art community in social practice, favouring the immaterial over the material, reflecting a concern with the economy and a critical view of the privileged position of materiality. However, the works selected for exhibition and the way they are presented, are consistently predetermined by people outside of that community, so how can thats be an accurate depiction of contemporary Pacific art? This surely will impact on how artworks are received and directly encourage a narrow, misinformed, audience reading. Natasha Matila-Smith (1). Cleland, Stephen. “A conversation with Stephen Cleland.” Night School, Fuzzy Vibes, August 20, 2014. (2). Phillips, Bruce E. “A Voice for the Voiceless.” The Walters Prize 2014 Catalogue (2014): 71-74 (3). Tonga, Nina. “Roaming all levels.” Arts Te Papa. Accessed September 1, 2014. http://www.arts.tepapa.govt.nz/off-the-wall/7959/roaming-all-levels. (4). Amery, Mark. “Tonga here and now.” Stuff.co.nz. Accessed September 1, 2014. http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/10168402/Tonga-here-and-now. (5). Hurrell, John. “Thompson Installation.” EyeContact. Accessed September 1, 2014. http://eyecontactsite.com/2012/03/thompson-installation. (6). “Home AKL.” Auckland Art Gallery website. Accessed 28 August, 2014, http://www.aucklandartgallery.com/whats-on/events/2012/july/home-akl. Print \| Facebook \| Twitter \| Email Daniel Webby This year’s Walter’s prize has felt curiously allegorical. Four contestants dancing variously around poles of displacement. Read as system, the ... John Hurrell The suspense is over. <http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/10550882/Walters-Prize-awarded-to-Luke-Willis-Thompson> Congratulations to Luke Willis Thompson for winning the 2014 Walters Prize. Mark Amery Great piece. Good thoughts. Perhaps we Pakeha are swallowing the 'Home' rhetoric being fed to us without interrogating it enough ... This Discussion has 3 comments. Mark Amery, 2:17 p.m. 4 September, 2014 # Great piece. Good thoughts. Perhaps we Pakeha are swallowing the 'Home' rhetoric being fed to us without interrogating it enough - because that was exactly what was great about the Tongan show, that it unpacked that. So my job was to echo that curatorial intention - Calling Akofalau's trip as one 'home' arguably runs against that. While one could argue that one's father's place of birth is 'home' it's a labeling that I agree actually slims down what the complexity of feelings the artist in this interesting work is exploring. Appreciated the criticism - more please. (My bandwagon is that, if we can't be critical of each other publicly we are limiting our freedom) John Hurrell, 10:29 p.m. 26 September, 2014 # The suspense is over. <http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/10550882/Walters-Prize-awarded-to-Luke-Willis-Thompson> Congratulations to Luke Willis Thompson for winning the 2014 Walters Prize. Daniel Webby, 7:42 a.m. 30 September, 2014 # This year’s Walter’s prize has felt curiously allegorical. Four contestants dancing variously around poles of displacement. Read as system, the questions presented by the works in various ways seem to respond to this tasty little quote from a recent Kuan Woods essay “…maybe you thought you were still looking at contemporary art—but actually art left the building quite a while ago and the artist is mostly using the real estate to work a gigantic production job of stabilizing an image of career trajectory in the absence of any social or art historical one”. Leaving behind the notion of art for a second, the contemporary moment seems of primary significance in the selections made. Considered by Leach in terms of syntactical displacements in which the concrete disappears and lies silently on the ocean’s floor. Considered by 'Uhila as social displacement, the collision of incongruent, but crucially, entirely commensurate outcomes of our seemingly inescapable social reality – something about iPhones as congealed human misery. Considered by Denny as the displaced songs of a thousand techno-sirens, calling us to venture ever closer toward the shores of some or other promised land. And if one is to accept this frame of displacement, the guile of Willis Thompson’s gesture and its ability to refract the battleground does lead to the conclusion, as Willis Thompson described in reference to his intentions, that perhaps it wasn’t necessary to see the other works at all. With a Copperfieldian slight of camera angles, Willis Thompson made the museum disappear. Which draws me to the central theme in this composite-image – which I contend has not been fabricated with any particular regard for veracity – the role of cynical reason. Alternately described as enlightened false consciousness, the concept is multifaceted and could be characterised as the movement from cynicism as attempt to undermine ideology, to an ideological position in-itself, aligned with prevailing economic imperatives. It’s the morning you wake next to John Key as PM and realise it was precisely because of his ability to lie that you knew you could trust him. And it is with this framework that inthisholeonthisislandwhereiam would seem to become legible. Its initial gesture is profoundly subversive and draws attention to the movement away from the location of power, opening the crucial space of cynical distance. The second movement is stabilising and reminds us of life, of inhabitation, it is personal, intimate, affecting. But it is the final movement which describes the instrumental foreclosure that grounds the work as both contemporary and as art - that is, we get dropped off at precisely the location the journey started from. Subscribe to comments on this post (RSS) Register to Participate. Sign in to an existing account. Recent Posts by Natasha Matila-Smith Digital Consequences 22 May - 3 July 2015 Lonnie Hutchinson’s Black Bird Survey GUS FISHER GALLERY Lonnie Hutchinson Black Bird: Lonnie Hutchinson 1997-2013: A Survey 7 March - 2 May 2015	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line586
__label__wiki	0.693094	0.693094	Published on May 26th, 2011 \| by Derek Strickland, Contributor Scorpion & Sub-Zero Fight in New MK Legacy Episode Presented by Machinima.com and Warner Bros. Entertainment, the Mortal Kombat: Legacy webseries has been coveted and acclaimed by the gaming community and fans of the massive MK franchise even before it was created. After seeing many of the signature MK characters such as Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, and Jaxx, we finally get to see the beloved characters Scorpion and Sub-Zero confront one another. Seeing the origins of MK characters is quite interesting, and the mysterious histories are now revealed in the impressive webseries. Mortal Kombat: Legacy brings to life the complex and rich history of the gaming world of MORTAL KOMBAT. In a universe with powerful evil sorcerers, cyborgs, Gods and movie stars, this Mortal Kombat digital media series drives a cohesive understanding of what this Universe is all about. Below is the video’s official YouTube description: Episode 7: “Scorpion and Sub Zero (Part 1)” Hanzo Hasashi, better known as the warrior Scorpion, is summoned to meet with the Shogun of Kumamoto Castle. While traveling, the fearless General of the Shirai Ryu clan encounters his mortal enemy, Sub-Zero. Scorpion realizes too late that this trap has led him away from his village and family, leaving them without means to defend themselves. He knows that he must defeat Sub-Zero and return to his village before it is too late. [jwplayer mediaid=”28068″] Tags: Machinima, MK Legacy, Mortal Kombat: Legacy, Warner Bros. Interactive, webseries Derek Strickland, Contributor I'm an aspiring games journalist who writes articles focused on everything from Indie Games to next-gen titles. [Twitter] @Mr_Deeke [E-Mail] derek.s(at)gamingtruth(dot)com Batman: Arkham Origins Launch Trailer ? Batman: Arkham Origins Gets Multiplayer Mode ? Dying Light Announced For Next-Gen Consoles ? Mortal Kombat Launching For PC ?	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line587
__label__cc	0.652247	0.347753	Published on January 13th, 2012 \| by G. Bargas, Managing Editor CES 2012: Kinect Star Wars: Pod Racing Impressions The 2012 Consumer Electronic Show (CES) was filled to the gills with surprises this year. One of those surprises just happened to be the nice array of games from some of the major players in the business. After being a very narrowed experience in the gaming department in the prior year, it was rather impressive to see so many games and accessories on the show floor. Luckily, Microsoft brought the goods for pod racing fans everywhere. Kinect Star Wars has been one title that we are anxiously waiting for. And by we, I mean the fans out there who can’t get enough Wookie r-r-r-r-r-awr’s, or boo-beep-boop-boop’s from R2D2. As we practice how exactly our force push is going to play out, we at least have the images of the Star Wars themed Xbox 360 bundle to gawk over. Thanks to the showing on the floor of CES, we get yet another look at the pod racing of Kinect Star Wars. To date, I haven’t really met a Kinect game that lacked response time and made the game unplayable. Even Sonic Free Riders, once in the proper stance, became an easy game for me to play. Although the pod racing didn’t utilize your whole body when maneuvering, it did involve some strategic movement of your arms. Starting the game involves the similar menu selectors that you would see in the Xbox LIVE Dashboard. During the demo we ventured into the desert sands of Tatooine. To get started, the drive of the podracer must extend their hands out in front of them as if they were grabbing railing or a bar. I’m not going to lie either, my chubby nerd arms were slightly sore mid-race. The acceleration is automatic, but players can use a few things to catapult them into the lead. I tried to be as careful as possible starting out being that there were so many rock formations that could leave you to explode on impact. You might be wondering, how exactly do you accelerate in the game? The game does it automatically, but there are a few tricks you can use to grab that first place spot. Steering in and out of traffic of other racers, or dodging rock masses, are done by pulling back the arm coinciding with the direction of your turn. It may sound difficult, but it becomes very natural when in the heat of the race. Another way to stay in front is to use the boost. When you build up boost, it can be used by bringing your arms toward you and thrusting them at the screen. This can prove helpful after catching flak from enemy racers and running into obstacles. Arcade racing games often rely on power-ups to give the game a fun feel, but also to even out the playing field. In the case of KSW, power-ups come in the form of health, droid auto fire, womp rats and other creatures that will disrupt your perfect run. After asking Product Manager Glenn Gregory about these, he reassured us that they are automatically fired after picking them up. Even though both myself and Louis from GAMINGtruth/Digital Hippos placed first in both races we played, I felt as though my racing skills weren’t all that great and definitely not 1st place deserving. After getting hands-on and watching others play, there were a few things that I saw that could use some tinkering. When we were making quick turns in and out of cavern like scenery, the sensor often auto-corrected the mistakes and turning mishaps. This was helpful in some cases, but in other it directed my racer completely opposite from where I wanted to head. I do agree however that there is a slight learning curve in obtaining those better scripted turns. In the demo version, there was also a green guideline that showed exactly the correct pathing to take during the race. It was easy to follow, but hopefully this will go away in game and allow players to deter from it. This might also help the game separate itself from a dominate on-rail feel, even though the races are typically 95 percent linear. Final Truth: The game does seem like it is coming along as planned. Fans just can’t seem to keep patient, myself included, but the longer the wait–the better the outcome. Well, hopefully. It was easy to tell the game still had some final polishing to go through in the graphics department. It was however still coming together nicely in the realm of 3D. The controls will definitely see some tightening whether its through Kinect Sensor fine tuning coupled with the games own response time. Gregory also noted the game’s campaign and two-player abilities. Unfortunately, the two-player mode cannot be played in 3D with the current tech. This not only gives the racing portion a lot of substance, but the game as a whole an immersive Star Wars experience. Tags: 2012, area, arms, ces, Demo, footage, gameplay, kinect star wars, playable, pod, racer, racing, throttle, Video, when Drive! Drive! Drive! Review ? Rocket League: The Sleeper Hit Your PS4 Deserves ? Latest ‘Road to Battlefield’ Highlights Gun Customization ? Check Out this Real-Life Parkour Action Inspired by Mirror’s Edge ? One Response to CES 2012: Kinect Star Wars: Pod Racing Impressions Billvenkman says: Well, I’ve played it and acceleration isn’t automatic (controlled by how extended your arms are to your torso), items are used manually with a specific arm gesture, and the features you mentioned (the green line, steering assist, and difficulty) are be set by the player; those are just default selections.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line588
__label__wiki	0.719064	0.719064	Star Trek: Picard Poster Reveals More On New Look for the Show By Jeff Fountain Although there is still no release date yet for Star Trek: Picard, anticipation for the series is growing steadily, and… Patrick Stewart Returns in First Teaser for ‘Star Trek: Picard’ “15 years ago today, you led us out of the darkness. You commanded the greatest rescue armada in history. Then… Patrick Stewart to Reprise Role of Jean-Luc Picard in New ‘Star Trek’ Series It is now officially so: Sir Patrick Stewart is back in the saddle, or the chair, or somewhere, in a… The 5th Passenger: A Bottled Sci-Fi Thriller Loaded with Star Trek Veterans By Laura Cerrone There are universal conditions that most people fear. In the 5th Passenger, many of these conditions are presented in a… Star Trek: Discovery Cast Greets Fans, Tells All (Not Really) During Toronto’s Fan Expo Star Trek has been blessed with quite a loyal fan base over the years, even with underachieving TV series to… Star Trek: Discovery Trailer Takes Flight at Comic Con Last year we were the first outlets that broke the news that CBS’ new Star Trek show would feature the… Star Trek Mission New York Celebrates the 50th Anniversary In celebration of Star Trek’s 50th anniversary, pop culture event organizer ReedPOP, of New York Comic Con fame) threw the… New to Console: Star Trek Online Hits Xbox One and PS4 on Sept. 6 Star Trek Online is one of the most expansive MMORPG’s to date, bursting onto the scene in early 2010. In… Star Trek Timelines Helps Ring in Show’s 50th Anniversary It’s an exciting time for Star Trek fans as the iconic sci-fi series turns 50, celebrating its Golden Anniversary. From… REVIEW: The Impossible Has Happened By Mel Burke As a long time Star Trek fan, I have somehow managed to get this far in life without reading any biographies from…	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line589
__label__cc	0.609137	0.390863	Charlotte de Larminat, Josephine Messer, Cristina de Miguel, and Deb Sokolow July 6 through July 28, 2017 Deb Sokolow Any deviation in the rug’s pattern is open to interpretation, 2016 Graphite, acrylic, colored pencil, crayon, Cult objectives always take precedence, 2016 Graphite, acrylic, colored pencil, crayon, collage on paper Orchestrating a romantic seduction inside any dark hall is a simple matter, 2016 Josephine Messer How Soon Is Now, 2017 Pigment, urethane, resin and charcoal on linen Show Out, 2017 Pigment, urethane and resin on linen Charlotte de Larminat Bias, 2017 Rubber, synthetic rope, astro turf, chain, plastic, clay, and acrylic Sans, 2017 Broom corn, plastic, charcoal, and nails Cristina de Miguel Mud Jeans, 2017 Boy Leading a Horse, 2016 Acrylic, oil, lithography ink, oil pastel, and spray paint on canvas Four Artists Opening reception: Thursday, July 6 from 5 to 7 pm Summer hours: Tuesday through Friday, 10 am to 5 pm Charlotte de Larminat’s sculptural paintings and drawings emerge as non-linear associations of experience rooted in a collapsing of past, present, and future. Using contradiction as a platform for the possibility of harmony, de Larminat’s work encapsulates permanent mutation in complete stillness. Her work adeptly provides a space where the viewer’s subjectivity is drawn to the surface to be questioned. de Larminat studied at the Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp, Belgium and the New York Studio School and received her MFA from Yale. Born in Argentina and raised between Oaxaca, and Paris, Charlotte currently lives and works in New York City. Josephine Messer’s paintings hover between the individual and the whole, breaking the pictorial space to form an undefinable shape. Each panel is a fragment of a personal narrative that when assembled construct an entirely different story. Messer received her BFA from the Cooper Union and her MFA from Yale University. Spanish-born painter Cristina de Miguel creates idiosyncratic paintings, at once sophisticated and disarmingly childlike. Steeped in humor and gesture, her work features images and motifs that are borrowed from old masterpieces, social media, and absurd daily scenes. Her non-linear and sometimes whimsical narrative quality lends itself to a spectrum of meaning. Deb Sokolow’s partially fictional, text-driven drawings and collages come from serious research and comical speculation into the details of shadowy histories, organizational brainwashing, the foibles of heads of state and the trope of the male genius. Recent topics include Frank Lloyd Wright's troubles with secretaries, an alternate career trajectory for would-be master illusionist David Copperfield, Kenneth Noland's uninhabited orgasms inside a Reichian Therapy box, and the CIA's failed assassination attempts on Castro. Sokolow is a Chicago-based artist and writer. Her work has been included in the 4th Athens Biennale; Drawing Center, NY, and Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen, Germany; Van Abbemuseum, Netherlands; and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia. She is represented by Western Exhibitions in Chicago. Fredericks & Freiser is located at 536 West 24th Street, New York, NY. Our summer hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10am to 5pm. For more information, please contact us by phone (212) 633 6555 or email info@fredericksfreisergallery.com, and visit us online at www.fredericksfreisergallery.com, and on Instagram @fredericksandfreiser.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line591
__label__cc	0.560771	0.439229	http://appserver-329e629b/content/desert-snow-company-teaches-government-how-take-innocent-peoples-property Desert Snow: The company that teaches the government how to take innocent people's property Over the last several weeks, FreedomWorks has released two publications discussing in detail the problems with civil asset forfeiture. First, we released Civil Asset Forfeiture: Grading the States, which, as the title suggests, functions as a scorecard on states' civil asset forfeiture laws. More recently, we published From High Seas to Highway Robbery: How Civil Asset Forfeiture Became One of the Worst Forms of Government Overreach, which offers historical background on this concerning area of the law. articularly concerning in state laws is the perverse profit motive that is often behind seizures of property supposedly connected to a crime. Thirty-nine states allow law enforcement to keep a large portion, or all, of the proceeds from forfeitures. Only 10 states have removed the profit motive by directing all proceeds to separate, non-law enforcement accounts. Justice is turned on its head in the 36 states where the burden of proof falls on the property owner, even if they are never charged with a crime. In most states, the government need only meet a very low standard of proof to subject property to forfeiture (21 require "a preponderance of the evidence" and 10 require only probable cause). Federal forfeiture law is just a bad. The government needs to present "a preponderance of the evidence" to subject property to forfeiture and the burden of proof falls on the property owner, who does not need to be charged with a crime. In addition, federal agencies can keep 100 percent of the proceeds from forfeitures. State and local law enforcement working in joint operations with federal agencies can use federal forfeiture law to seize property and begin forfeiture proceedings. Through the Justice Department's Equitable Sharing program, state and local law enforcement can receive up to 80 percent of the proceeds from forfeitures. Civil asset forfeiture is a pernicious threat to Americans' due process and property rights, but it has become a lucrative business for law enforcement. They are incentivized to self-fund with the proceeds received through civil asset forfeiture. While apologists of this practice would argue that it is a necessary tool to fight crime, there is example after example of innocent people who have been negatively affected by abuse of civil asset forfeiture. One aspect of civil asset forfeiture that has received some coverage -- but not nearly enough -- is a private intelligence network, Black Asphalt, that allows law enforcement participants to share information on potential targets, including innocent people. In its lauded September 2014 series, "Stop and Seize," the Washington Post detailed the activities of Black Asphalt, which was created by Desert Snow, a company that, for $590, trains law enforcement on how to take people's stuff during traffic stops. Think of Black Asphalt as sort of a Facebook for law enforcement, except it is far more exclusive and secretive. "Operating in collaboration with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal entities, Black Asphalt members exchanged tens of thousands of reports about American motorists, many of whom had not been charged with any crimes," the Post explained. "For years, it received no oversight by government, even though its reports contained law enforcement sensitive information about traffic stops and seizures, along with hunches and personal data about drivers, including Social Security numbers and identifying tattoos." Desert Snow holds competitions for law enforcement to see which group can seize the most property. The award for the winner is inclusion in its "Royal Knight" program, which offers various goodies, including consideration to be an associate instructor. Certainly, some of the "qualified incidents" for consideration are wholly important, but those related to civil asset forfeiture raise eyebrows considering that, in most instances, the person whose property is seized does not have to be charged with a crime. Desert Snow's training and the Black Asphalt network are effective. "Agencies with police known to be participating in the Black Asphalt intelligence network have seen a 32 percent jump in seizures beginning in 2005, three times the rate of other police departments," the Post noted. "Desert Snow-trained officers reported more than $427 million in cash seizures during highway stops in just one five-year period." But Desert Snow's operations do not end at training law enforcement how to participate in this form of legal plunder. The company hired itself out to an Oklahoma district attorney to conduct interdiction stops for a 25 percent cut of the proceeds. Its efforts reeled in some $1 million over roughly a six-month period before a judge scrutinized the company for operating inside the state without the certification required by state law. Judge David Stephens warned Desert Snow's owner, Joe David, not to participate in interdiction stops in Oklahoma without proper certification. "If you do," Stephens told David, "I hope to see you soon, wearing orange," in reference to the color of a prisoner's clothing. Though the stops yielded dozens of arrests, the involvement of Desert Snow employees, because they lacked proper certification, was grounds to dismiss charges on a technicality. Desert Snow, which spent $30,000 on forfeiture-related congressional lobbying efforts in 2010, is coming under scrutiny, thanks, in part, to the Washington Post's reporting and a federal civil rights lawsuit holding the company partially liable for the seizure of $90,000 in cash from two professional poker players who were stopped by law enforcement in Iowa. When it all comes down to it, though, Desert Snow is not the problem, but rather a symptom of it. And though law enforcement is often criticized for the wrongful seizures of property and cash, lawmakers expanded civil asset forfeiture laws in a way that breeds abuse. It is true, however, that law enforcement does not want lose this ability to self-fund, and they often fight against proposed reforms to protect innocent property owners. Civil asset forfeiture laws are the problem, and it is up to federal and state lawmakers to address them in a way that protects law-abiding citizens. By all means, go after those who break the law, but arrest, convict, and sentence them before seizing assets connected to crimes. Otherwise, the Fifth Amendment's guarantee of due process means nothing. Tags Civil Asset Forfeiture, Due Process Rights, private property rights, fifth amendment, Desert Snow, Black Asphalt, FWF "http:\/\/www.freedomworks.org\/content\/support-due-process-act-hr-2835?social=facebook_share" Support the DUE PROCESS Act, H.R. 2835 On behalf of FreedomWorks’ activist community, I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to cosponsor the Deterring Undue Enforcement by Protecting Rights of Citizens from Excessive Searches and Seizures (DUE PROCESS) Act, H.R. 2835. Introduced by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), the DUE PROCESS Act would reform federal civil asset forfeiture laws to, among other substantive reforms, increase the evidentiary standard, shift the burden of proof to the government, and provide counsel to those unable to afford legal representation. "http:\/\/www.freedomworks.org\/content\/congress-reins-irs-abuse-federal-forfeiture-laws?social=facebook_share" http://fw-d7-freedomworks-org.s3.amazonaws.com/styles/thumbnail/s3/field/image/IRS_6.jpg?itok=9zdFhUtY Congress Reins in IRS Abuse of Federal Forfeiture Laws Last week, the Senate very quietly passed the Taxpayer First Act, H.R. 3151. The bill, which now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature, seeks to improve customer service and better assist taxpayer appeals. The bill included other provisions, however, that seek to rein in the Internal Revenue Services abuse of civil asset forfeiture laws. "http:\/\/www.freedomworks.org\/content\/support-fifth-amendment-integrity-restoration-fair-act-hr-1895?social=facebook_share" Support the Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration (FAIR) Act, H.R. 1895 On behalf of our activist community, I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to cosponsor the Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration (FAIR) Act, H.R. 1895. Introduced by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the FAIR Act would reform federal civil asset forfeiture laws to increase the evidentiary standard needed to subject property to permanent seizure and restore the presumption of innocence in federal civil forfeiture proceedings. "http:\/\/www.freedomworks.org\/content\/small-victory-against-civil-asset-forfeiture-supreme-court?social=facebook_share" http://fw-d7-freedomworks-org.s3.amazonaws.com/styles/thumbnail/s3/field/image/SCOTUS_0.jpg?itok=7n-_Z4yk A Small Victory Against Civil Asset Forfeiture at the Supreme Court The Supreme Court issued an opinion on Wednesday that is a shot across the bow of defenders of civil asset forfeiture. In a unanimous judgment, the justices incorporated the Excessive Fines Clause of the Eighth Amendment to the states. The Court didn’t rule on the dubious constitutionality of civil asset forfeiture, leaving that issue for another day. "http:\/\/www.freedomworks.org\/content\/support-private-property-rights-protection-act-hr-738?social=facebook_share" Support the Private Property Rights Protection Act, H.R. 738 On behalf of FreedomWorks’ activist community, I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to cosponsor Private Property Protection Act, H.R. 738. Introduced by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), the Private Property Rights Protection Act would put strict limitations on the federal, state and local governments from exercising the power of eminent domain for economic development purposes. "http:\/\/www.freedomworks.org\/content\/dumpster-fire-month-house-democrats-rules-allow-suspension-debt-limit?social=facebook_share" http://fw-d7-freedomworks-org.s3.amazonaws.com/styles/thumbnail/s3/field/image/Dumpster_Fire_Legislation_Blog02.jpg?itok=bt0fGnbg Dumpster Fire of the Month: House Democrats' Rules Allow for a Suspension of the Debt Limit Tucked away in the rules that House Democrats rolled out at the beginning of the 116th Congress is a provision that temporarily suspends the debt limit if the House of Representatives passes a budget resolution. The provision is what’s known as a self-executing rule. This may be legislative inside baseball, but it's a rather radical change to the rules that differs from even from a similar rule employed in the past. "http:\/\/www.freedomworks.org\/content\/last-shot-reining-irs-abuse-asset-forfeiture-115th-congress?social=facebook_share" http://fw-d7-freedomworks-org.s3.amazonaws.com/styles/thumbnail/s3/field/image/IRS_5.jpg?itok=Oryh_yZi A Last Shot at Reining in IRS Abuse of Asset Forfeiture in the 115th Congress The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has a long, well-documented history of abusing federal forfeiture laws. They seize assets from innocent Americans on the mere suspicion of malfeasance. If the IRS believes a citizen is structuring deposits to avoid reporting requirements, the agency can seize your money. Administrative reforms were made in 2015 to roll back some abuses, but there is still much work to be done. "http:\/\/www.freedomworks.org\/content\/supreme-court-likely-deliver-long-overdue-blow-civil-asset-forfeiture?social=facebook_share" http://fw-d7-freedomworks-org.s3.amazonaws.com/styles/thumbnail/s3/field/image/SCOTUS.jpg?itok=XhOc-UFQ Supreme Court Likely to Deliver a Long Overdue Blow to Civil Asset Forfeiture On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Timbs v. Indiana. The case centers around the use of civil asset forfeiture and whether or not to incorporate the Excessive Fines Clause of the Eighth Amendment to the states. Although the Court won’t decide the case until next year, the oral arguments show that most of the justices appear ready to deal a long overdue blow to civil asset forfeiture.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line592
__label__wiki	0.713811	0.713811	Half-Assed TV half-assed productions . . . . . . the only production company that loves you Half-Assed Productions Beer Thirty Film Bacon How to Fix it Workshop Stuck in Beta Podcast The Ides of March – Review Posted on 07. Oct, 2011 by Nicole in movies, reviews This film has a very solid cast of actors including: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, and Jeffrey Wright. This movie is also the fourth film directed by George Clooney and his best so far in my opinion! The Ides of March is a film about dirty politics and the lengths that people will go to in order to win an election, especially one that could lead to a United States Presidential nomination. Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney), and his campaign team are doing everything in their power to keep his lead to win the Ohio Democratic primary. Morris’s campaign manager Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) has a “do whatever it takes to win” type attitude, while Morris’s campaign press spokesperson Steven Myers (Ryan Gosling) has a more ethical and moral approach to the campaign, or so we think. Morris and his campaign team are trying to get through the few days before the Ohio Democratic Primary, when Myers starts finding himself in some situations that make him question his beliefs and goals for his career in politics. He uncovers some information and secrets about the Governor that make him start to evaluate where his loyalties lie and who he can trust in the dark and bitter world of politics. Marisa Tomei plays a New York Times reporter that is both a friend and enemy to Morris’s campaign team. Jeffrey Wright is the senator that Governor Morris needs to endorse his campaign if he wants to win this nomination. Paul Giamatti plays the rival campaign manager trying to convince Meyers to come work for his campaign team. The only thing else this movie needed to be true to the political arena was a gorgeous and scandalous intern role which Clooney cast Evan Rachel Wood to play. This movie takes a good look at life behind the scenes of a political campaign. I think this was an excellent movie and definitely worth seeing. The plot took many turns and was filled with suspense, drama, and at times humor. It was a modern take on the dark, cynical, and scandal filled world of politics and media manipulation. The ending of this movie will definitely leave you speechless and guessing. Tags: drama, political Latest Half-Assed Posts: What Do you want for Christmas? (Vintage Toy Commercials) Friday the 13th in Umbros Vintage Video Game Commercials The Shamrock Shake – March McMadness The Menu Song – March McMadness Half-Assed Prod Network: film / tv news & reviews DIY / Repairs / How-Tos © 2020 half-assed productions. All Rights Reserved.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line594
__label__cc	0.614345	0.385655	Philippines: Venice Biennale 2015 Peter Johnson Art and Performance contemporary art, places and spaces 0 Tropical Heterotopia The Philippines will participate in the Venice Biennale 2015 after a five decade absence. The Filipino Department of Foreign Affairs has announced that the Philippines will have a pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015. ‘Curated by international contemporary art historian Pearlie Rose S. Baluyut, Ph. D., The Philippines Pavilion exhibition entitled “Heterot(r)opic” revolves around the concept of the Philippines as a tropical heterotopia, a real space of crises where utopia – the myth of civilization and the project of progress – is simultaneously represented, negotiated, and/or subverted’ culture360.org. For more information click Peter Johnson Art and Performance contemporary art 0 Exhibition recently held in in Beijing – click image for link. Hive·Becoming VIII: Heterotopias – Zhao Shuhong and Gu Xiuhua’s Lithography Works A Bar at the Folies-Bergère and the mirror Peter Johnson Reflections on spaces and places, Resources Fromanger, Las Meninas, Manet, Michals, mirror 0 The Courtauld Gallery in London owns Manet’s famous painting that so engaged Foucault. They have a wonderful interactive web page through which you can scroll, enlarge and highlight different aspects of the painting, with background information and much more. Defert (se below) says that Foucault considered the painting the inverse of Velásquez’s Las Meninas. Foucault also refers back to A Bar at the Folies-Bergère in discussing a painting by Gérard Fromanger and a series of photographs by Duane Michals – all four works by Velásquez, Manet, Fromanger and Michals play with images reflecting in a mirror. Defert, D. (1994) ‘Chronologie’ in Dits et écrits 1954-1975. Paris: Gallimard (49). The puzzling mirror: a placeless place. July 3 2014 Museums and art Peter Johnson Publications contemporary art, museums 0 Have managed to get hold of the catalogue for an exhibition held at the Kunsthaus Graz (Universalmuseum Joanneum) in 2011: Vermessung der Welt. Heterotopien und Wissensräume in der Kunst Measuring the World. Heterotopias and Knowledge Spaces in Art From the catalogue: “Museums systematize, collect, group, ratiocinate and exclude. They draw up reference systems, build maps out of them and arrange themselves into miniature portrayals of the world. On the occasion of the bicentenary of the Joanneum Universal Museum, the Kunsthaus Graz explores the subject of museums as heterotopias, ‘other spaces’ where local rules apply, and accumulating and contrasting can become a critical strategy outside time. The group exhibition Measuring the World. Heterotopias and Knowledge Spaces in Art casts light on the human desire for order and systematisation and the act of measuring one’s own world. The exhibition is devoted to structures in contemporary art, and relates these to the way sciences orders knowledge. Artistic systematisation makes use of aesthetic experience. It facilitates new cross-connections and investigates systems for their tenability. This allows both a better analysis of the world and also anchors the self in the world as part of it”. For more information and images, check out website Abandoned empty spaces Peter Johnson Reflections on spaces and places, Resources abandoned sites, panopticon 0 An excellent resource for images and background information regarding abandoned sites in: Web Urbanist, Digital Magazine on Urban Architecture, Art, Design, Travel, & Technology The following caught my eye: Cracked Mirrors: 12 Abandoned Observatories Real-Life Panopticons: Deserted Dystopian Prisons in Cuba Empty Spaces: Urban Ruins Abandoned panopticon prisons in Cuba.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line607
__label__cc	0.600988	0.399012	December 3 2019 Peter Johnson Conferences, Publications bath house 0 Always fascinated by bathhouses as heterotopia and pleased to find this chapter from publication of ACSA Conference, 2017 Nerea Feliz Arrizabalaga Bathhouses constitute an environmental construction marked by the architectural articulation of the physiological and the meteorological. Collective bathing spaces form autonomous spaces for immersion within altered physics, artificial environments that are internalized and isolated from the environment. The most intimate contact between the body and architecture takes place at the bath space. As an interior space that protects the naked body from the elements and society, collective bathing spaces produce an intensified, contained and controlled earthly Eden. The peculiarity of collective baths as new artificial Natures, both at a physical, meteorological, physiological and social level, allows these constructions to be referred to as interior microcosms. https://www.acsa-arch.org/chapter/the-bathhouse-an-interior-microcosm/ March 9 2016 ‘Espaces et moments autres….’ Peter Johnson Conferences 0 I am hoping that podcasts from this exciting international symposium will be available shortly. Prochainement! More details: ‘Espaces et moments autres. Hétérotopies : concepts, terrains et usages’ Depuis les années 1960, de nouvelles réflexions sur l’espace ont permis d’interroger l’hétérogénéité de ce que Michel Foucault(*) dénomme « l’espace du dedans » structuré par ce que l’on pourrait qualifier de normes légitimes. Le colloque Espaces et moments autres. Hétérotopies : concepts, terrains et usages, point d’orgue du séminaire Politiques de Foucault développé à l’Université Paris Ouest depuis deux ans, invite à alimenter l’analyse des espaces « du dehors », lieux qui ont la propriété, nous dit-il, de refléter, contester ou inverser ces normes légitimes. Held at Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense in June 2015. October 2 2015 Symposium: Another Art World is Possible Pleased to be part of this collaboration on 19 November 2015 in London: For more details go to Weight of Moutains website or no.w.here website September 7 2015 Travelling Art Residencies Peter Johnson Art and Performance, Conferences contemporary art, film, residency, ships 0 Two distinct art residencies are under way and both refer to heterotopia in launching their projects. 23 Days at Sea “Twenty-Three Days at Sea …… will offer selected artists passage aboard a cargo ship sailing from Vancouver, Canada to Shanghai, China. Crossing the Pacific Ocean takes approximately twenty-three days, during which time the artist will be considered “in residence” aboard the vessel”. “The ship is a floating piece of space, a place without a place that exists by itself, that is closed in on itself and at the same time is given over to the infinity of the sea…” Foucault The Weight of Mountains “The Weight of Mountains is a microcosm or a portable heterotopia. It is fluid, and malleable through its roaming nature and interchangeable curators and locations” Following the Weight of Mountains residency there will be a symposium held in London on 19 November 2015 in collaboration with the art project no.w.here: ‘Another Art World is Possible: A collaborative symposium on heterotopias’ March 13 2015 Conference – Outsider Environments in Europe Peter Johnson Conferences architecture, contemporary art, landscape 0 International EOA Conference 2015 Osservatorio Outsider Art is organizing from May 28th to June 1st 2015 the annual conference of EOA (European Outsider Art Association), whose members are museums and European institutions that deal with Outsider and Irregular Art in all its forms The conference will be devoted to spontaneous environmental sculptural or architectural works and their protection. It is divided into two sessions held in Palermo (May 28th and 29th) and Messina (May 31st). The speakers are among the leading experts on the topic. The official language adopted for the conference is English, but there is an interpreting service. For more information and pdf of programme, click poster: Arts and Humanities Symposium Peter Johnson Conferences architecture, contemporary art, painting 0 Michel Foucault (1926 – 1984): les arts & les lettres/arts & humanities in the 21st Century Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies & Collège de France Symposium L’Institut d’études avancées de Paris 17 quai d’Anjou, Paris 75004 June 12 – 13, 2014 Art and architectural history, visual culture, literary studies, media and film studies and aesthetics have all “partaken” of Foucauldian theories, but a comparative exploration of Foucault’s significance has been lacking. If the reception of Foucault has focused on single disciplines and discrete areas of thought, it has also differed across specific linguistic and/or geo-political lines. This colloquium seeks to map the philosophy of Foucault as it impacts the future of the arts and humanities across cultures, institutions and practices. Link to website: Heterotopoi in Japan Peter Johnson Conferences anthropology, bodies, gardens, Japan 0 A further link to workshop mentioned in previous post. Embodying Places and Emplacing Bodies Time: Fri, March 22, 2014, 9:15–18:30 Venue: Institut für Kultur- und Geistesgeschichte Asiens, Seminarraum 1 Apostelgasse 23, 1030 Wien Organisation: Johannes Wilhelm (University of Vienna) Cooperation: Bernhard Scheid (IKGA) Oslo Conference Oslo International Graduate Students Conference: Space, Culture, and Religion: Considering Implications of The ‘Spatial Turn’ In recent years, the humanities and social sciences have seen a renewed interest in spatiality. Scholars have increasingly considered ways in which texts, history and cultural practices are physically embodied – and, hence, spatially embedded. Notions of ‘space’, ‘place’ and ‘landscape’ are no longer the exclusive domain of geographers, but have been appropriated by social anthropologists, scholars of religion, historians and literary scholars. Following a number of other ‘turns’ in the humanities, this development has been called ‘the spatial turn’ (e.g., Warf & Arias 2009). Scholars are studying aspects of space from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, drawing on theories not only from geography but also from philosophy and sociology. Thinkers whose work has been rediscovered, or reinterpreted from a spatial perspective, include Mikhail Bakhtin (‘chronotope’), Pierre Bourdieu (‘social space’), Michel de Certeau (‘spatial stories’), Michel Foucault (‘heterotopia’) and Henri Lefebvre (‘the production of space’). In this conference, we would like to examine implications of the ‘spatial turn’ for the humanities. In particular, we look at the possible impact of new considerations of space on the disciplines represented at our institute: Asian studies, Middle Eastern studies, cultural studies, and the study of religion(s). We welcome papers on a variety of topics, as long as they relate to our central topic. We particularly would like to invite (post)graduate students and young (postdoc) researchers to present papers on the spatial aspects of their own research. Time and place: May 19, 2014 – May 21, 2014, University of Oslo Localizing Heterotopoi in Japan A fascinating forthcoming workshop in Vienna. Announcement of a workshop organized by the Dept. of East Asian Studies (Japanology) of the University of Vienna Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia (IKGA) Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) with the kind support of the Akademischer Arbeitskreis Japan (AAJ). March 21, 2014, 9:15 – 17:45 Apostelgasse 23, 1030 Wien. Urban Space Conference Peter Johnson Conferences urbanism 0 Conference: Heterotopias of the Urban Space When: Wednesday,6 November – Friday, 8 November 2013. Where: Ernst-Bloch-Zentrum, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany. Details: http://philevents.org/event/show/11171 HETEROTOPIES SEXUELLES Peter Johnson Conferences sexuality 0 Laurent Gaissad (Université Libre de Bruxelles) organised a symposium 4 years ago and has let me know that the call and abstracts of papers are still available in French and English. Formes et pratiques du désir d’ailleurs Colloque international – 23/24/25 octobre 2008 – Université Libre de Bruxelles “Organised by the “Norms, Gender and Sexuality” interdisciplinary project and the Anthropology of Contemporary Worlds research unit in Université Libre de Bruxelles (Brussels) in October 2008, this international symposium aims at thinking through the transitory transformations of the self at stake in various forms of alternative, subversive sexual experience: sexual borders as well as psychic, identity and cultural forms of mobility in sexuality will be discussed at the intersection of anthropology, sociology and history…”	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line608
__label__cc	0.629693	0.370307	xsamplex Is It Live Or XSamplex? The Frustration Rating Twins? AHCommentCentral DBClassWrapper Fandro Hearts! HelioSQL HelioSQL.Net Palm Desktop plugins Wordfinders Fandro.Net Posts by month and year Tag Archives: The Shadows I was going to put a long winding post about Cliff Richard (and his excellent backing band, The Shadows), but I decided to keep it to the point: My mother used to be a big fan of the 60’s singer and as a teenager, she had been able to collect all the records and singles, which eventually, ended up being listened to by teenage-me and that one. This is also the 4th anniversary of her death, or rather, funeral, so this is slightly appropriate. Personally, I find that there’s some vindication in the way how things panned out altogether: it’s not that I’m really into this music or that I love this music. That’d be too silly. However, if you think about it, it’s generally better music (or less pretentious) than the noise my other siblings listened to, back in the 70s. I mean, can you say ‘Grease Lightning’? Huh? HUH? Now, I decided to pick out The Young Ones (If you prefer video: YouTube) because it shows how gifted Cliff Richard’s backing band was. The Shadows, fronted by guitarists, Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch, wrote, produced and co-wrote many of Cliff’s songs. The band eventually went on creating hit-songs of their own (with ‘Apache’ and ‘The Deer Hunter’). This also reminds me of a theory of one of my sociology teachers in high school in the mid 80s: He opined that fans of Cliff Richard’s music ended up listening to the music of Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley fans ended up listening to Prince. I can tell you for a fact that this is not true. This entry was posted in Past-the-bridge and tagged pop music, The Shadows on October 19, 2008 by Arthur. 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__label__cc	0.739572	0.260428	Java-Gaming.org > Discussions > General Discussions > AMD has revealed an API that gives developers direct access to GPUs using ... AMD has revealed an API that gives developers direct access to GPUs using ... (Read 26791 times) Andre Lopes AMD has revealed an API that gives developers direct access to GPUs using ... AMD has revealed an API that gives developers direct access to GPUs using the GCN architecture. Now that AMD is powering all four major gaming platforms – namely the Wii U, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC – the company has finally revealed its secret weapon to bind these platforms together: the low-level high-performance "Mantle" graphics API. This will allow developers to "speak the native language" of AMD's Graphics Core Next architecture used in modern AMD-based graphics cards and APUs. "http://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-mantle-api-gcn-battlefield-4,24418.html" Re: AMD has revealed an API that gives developers direct access to GPUs using ... What does that means for us? Java programmers... Quote from: Andre Lopes on 2013-09-28 03:57:29 I thought this might've had something to do with GPU acceleration that they're intending to add to Java. I'm too busy to compare the two articles, but for anyone interested: http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240206233/Executive-interview-The-significance-of-the-GPU-accelerated-Java JevaEngine, Latest Playthrough (This demo is networked with a centralized server model) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWA8bajpVXg xsvenson Mu question is, how will it affect OpenGL and the future of the APIs. Could it not have been abstracted under OpenGL ? Or maybe the cgn supported cards actually have their implementation on top of mantle but having access to the raw mantle gives additional benefits. The information is kinda lacking or I just don't see it. “The First Rule of Program Optimization: Don't do it. The Second Rule of Program Optimization (for experts only!): Don't do it yet.” - Michael A. Jackson Spasi « JGO Bitwise Duke » Mantle is mostly targeted at titles that will be deployed on both next-gen consoles and PC. Console developers take advantage of the direct hardware access they enjoy on those platforms and both PS4 and Xbox One have AMD hardware under the hood. Mantle will enable the reuse of the same optimized paths on the PC. Everyone else will also be able to use it of course, but I'm not sure many will. Both OpenGL and Direct3D need a lot more work to enable low-level access to the GPU and, in any case, abstracting over the hardware differences will be hard and probably not as optimal as a proprietary API. But we'll definitely see more work in that direction for both APIs and the gap will close. As for Java, Mantle will be just another API to bind with JNI to. But you need to keep in mind that this will not be just another set of function pointers that, by calling them, magically increase your draw calls per second. Instead of handles, there will probably be a lot of direct pointers to GPU-specific data structures and misc buffers and it's going to be awkward to work with in Java. The power will be great; better reuse of buffers for reduced memory/bandwidth pressure and you'll be able to do novel things that enable new algorithms and effects. It's just going to be horribly unnatural and unsafe to use from Java. There's also been some info during JavaOne that the sun.* package will be inaccessible in Java 9 with Jigsaw modularization. Not sure what that means exactly yet, but it's scary to think how we're going to be able to deal with all that without sun.misc.Unsafe. Anyway, AMD is obviously taking full advantage of the unique opportunity it has with so much hardware being deployed with its GCN architecture underneath. As much as I don't appreciate proprietary APIs (see CUDA), this is a decent step towards moving the PC to the living room, which I really want to see happening. Imagine a Mantle optimized game running on SteamOS; direct GPU access on top a very lightweight platform that minimizes kernel - user space context switches. The efficiency will be awfully close to that of a console and it'd still be an open(-ish) platform. gouessej TUER Quote from: Spasi on 2013-09-28 13:21:39 There's also been some info during JavaOne that the sun.* package will be inaccessible in Java 9 with Jigsaw modularization. Not sure what that means exactly yet, but it's scary to think how we're going to be able to deal with all that without sun.misc.Unsafe. I'm a bit worried. Sun and Oracle already refused several times to provide a public API to release the native memory reserved by direct NIO buffers, they are almost unusable in performance-critical code without a mean to trigger their "destruction". Julien Gouesse \| Personal blog \| Website \| Jogamp « League of Dukes » AMD are also adding new high performance OpenGL extensions as explained here. Quote from: gouessej on 2013-10-07 20:00:29 Sorry, I forgot to follow-up on this. There's been additional info on Unsafe specifically. It's going to be cleaned-up and move into the official JDK in Java 9. It's obviously too popular to kill. I'm not sure what kind of trouble you're having with buffer deallocation. Have you tried using a large buffer as a memory pool and using .slice()d buffers out of it? Also, direct buffers are simple wrappers around Unsafe.allocateMemory() and Unsafe.freeMemory(). Why not use those directly and construct the ByteBuffer instances out of the pointer .allocateMemory() returns? princec « JGO Spiffy Duke » Medals: 1128 Eh? Who? What? ... Me? As I understand it there are moves to getting "structs" into Java at some point, so there's hope it'll be useful for someone yet. Of course the idea of writing to the metal (and indeed, only AMD's metal, at that), is kinda useless to most people who aren't building bespoke hardware and software solutions. Even a console writer would be loathe to bother because it means a lot of extra effort for a minimal performance gain and then having to ignore it all anyway when the inevitable PC port (read: Steambox) comes along. Play Revenge of the Titans - Play Titan Attacks - Play Droid Assault - Play Ultratron Thanks. I feel better now. Where can I get some more information about those public APIs? We'll have to use different code paths depending on the Java version but as long as it works, it's ok for me. In some cases, it is difficult to plan how much native memory I'm going to use when launching my applications, I can vaguely estimate that but my own code isn't the only one to use the native heap. I often use the direct NIO buffers obtained from the public API and I use Oracle/Sun/Apache proprietary API only to destroy them. Most of the direct NIO buffers that I use are created by third party libraries, I can override a mechanism to get them and destroy them quite easily but using Unsafe.allocateMemory would require some modifications of the architecture and some maintainers don't want to expose any API to release the native memory (it has been a source of debates for JMonkeyEngine 3 and I handle that in my own code for Ardor3D). Quote from: kappa on 2013-10-07 20:39:32 This might be interesting Sindisil Junior Devvie « Reply #10 - Posted 2013-10-08 12:53:05 » I don't think there are any details yet. Just tyus morning I came across this link in /r/java: http://mail.openjdk.java.net/pipermail/discuss/2013-October/003162.html Follow me on teh twitters, if ya want. Yesterday's presentation: AMD Mantle Technical Deep Dive. There were two more but those are not available publicly yet. No code was shown either, but it's still a nice abstraction layer above the hardware; it won't be much more code than using OpenGL. Highlights: - Multi-vendor and multi-platform. Obviously it'll start as AMD and Windows 7/8 only, but it's not tied to any of that. They're hoping it will become an industry standard. - It completely eliminates CPU bottlenecks. An FX8350 underclocked to 2GHz can drive an R9 290X with no loss in frame rate. They claim a FX8350 is just as fast as an i7-4770K. - They're targeting 100k draw calls (compared to the 3k-10k cap today). RTS games with 3000 units on screen, 25000 discrete objects simulating and moving. - Explicit multi-threading. Basically your application's threads are the rendering threads, there's no threading at the driver level. This is a huge deal considering Java's concurrency features. - Multiple threads, driving multiple command queues, executing on multiple GPUs. Full application-level control, multi-GPUs will be able to get to 90%+ scaling. Can do AFR, SFR or your own custom scheme. - GPU page table remapping exposed. Used to implement AMD's Partial Resident Textures, can now be used however you like. - Generalized resources, everything is either "memory" or "texture". Usage hints are gone (and so is driver behavior unpredictability as a result), you now explicitly tell the driver how you're using a resource and when that usage changes. The driver then handles low-level details like flushing, compression/decompression, etc. When you do have to stall, you can control when it happens and that it happens only once. - New binding model that's as flexible as bindless, but without complicating the shaders. - Monolithic pipelines. You build (almost) all state in advance, binding is done without validation. Some state is left out of pipelines, to avoid combinatorial explosion (they profiled existing engines to determine which state should be left out). - Pipeline serialization, which includes pre-compiled shader code, for low start-up times. I use and prefer nvidia so do half of the market so having it implemented into major online games would cause large issues on pcs without AMD technology. It's a valid concern, but I think you missed the first point in my post: Multi-vendor and multi-platform. Obviously it'll start as AMD and Windows 7/8 only, but it's not tied to any of that. They're hoping it will become an industry standard. I intentionally mentioned it before everything else. It's very important that both AMD's Mantle and Nvidia's G-Sync are to be open (or at least licenseable) and eventually become industry standards. Unlike, say, Nvidia's CUDA and PhysX. Do you know how one programs the GPU with Mantel, GLSL or something new? What is with all the low level rasterization stuff(stencil, depth, blending ...) just a copy from OpenGL or something new? Quote from: Danny02 on 2013-11-14 22:46:24 They did not say (unless I missed something). I don't think it's going to be something new though. I did read something about HLSL last month and they should easily provide GLSL extensions if necessary. Also, @grahamsellers mentioned OpenGL extensions that will provide Mantle-like functionality & performance. Yes, such standard GPU features are identical across all APIs. Depth-testing and blending were actually mentioned in the presentation as two pieces of state that are not included in the monolithic pipelines. More details in these slides: Mantle for Developers (Frostbite, DICE) edit: more slides: How Mantle Changes the Game (Nitrous, Oxide) Q&A with developers, very interesting stuff. Info from past couple of days: There is a validation layer on top of Mantle which is "indeed extremely important and very valuable. also makes it significantly easier than on PS4" according to DICE. Seems AMD is taking profiling, debugging and integration with other tools (e.g. PerfStudio) very seriously. Issue is though they could use different apis and could have bugs with individual processes meaning the languages would be different on both. Opiop You do know that all those systems don't use the same language, correct? theagentd I used to be extremely skeptical to Mantle since I thought Nvidia wouldn't be able to implement it. If Mantle failed it'd be a loss for AMD which could increase Nvidia's market share killing competition, and if it succeeded it'd split up PC between Nvidia and AMD since in that case Nvidia and Intel might make their own Mantle-like API. If Nvidia actually swallows their stupid pride and makes a Mantle driver (assuming they can) I would definitely start using it immediately. Multithreaded rendering? Precompiled pipelines? Much more flexible state? Just to mention a few? Sign me the fck up. Does anyone have a clue on how hard it'd be to create a Java binding? Myomyomyo. Without having seen any code, I'm sure I'll add it to LWJGL the same day it's out. Interestingly, we might have to start worrying about JNI. It's only noise with OpenGL, but if we're moving to 100k-1M draw calls per frame, JNI overhead could easily add up to a few milliseconds. An FFI mechanism would be nice in Java 9... I think a multi-vendor, multi-platform Mantle would be a great opportunity for Linux to directly compete with Windows as a gaming platform. I also can't wait for lightweight drivers vs the 200+ MB monstrosities we have to download now every couple of weeks. Without having seen any code, I'm sure I'll add it to LWJGL the same day it's out. Damn. Have a medal, good sir. Biggest hurdle for Mantle is going to be getting Nvidia, Intel and Apple to support it, without that not sure its going to have widespread enough appeal. For that to happen it'll need to be an open standard and AMD will have to give up its exclusively control on the API probably to a party like Khronos. Having said that, AMD is in a pretty strong position atm as their chips are used in all the next gen consoles (PS4, XB1 & WiiU) and in about 1/3 of the gaming PC's out there. Therefore it could become pretty common as the code is suppose to be shareable across hardware. Senior Newbie Read this article: Tech Giants [...] Join the HSA Foundation HSA seems to be an architecture (or concept?), that allows CPU and GPU to access the same adress space, i.e. passing pointers instead of copying data, and other stuff. The new AMD third generation APU (Kaveri) A10-7850K will have this. Kaveri will include AMD’s Mantle API [2]. The article above says that many companies, including Oracle, are members of the HSA Foundation. It says also, by joining HSA Foundation Oracle strives for better utilization of the GPU with Java. Other interesting things: [1] Java 8 Sumatra processing demo (Sumatra is an OpenJDK Project to allow to take advantage of GPUs and APUs) [2] a biased article with more details about the APUs (read also comments of user Ken Luskin for more background info) edit: Oh, I see there is already a thread about HSA+Java. Nvidia and java have announced they will be allowing speed boosts using the gpu , this involves even array scanning functions with up to 48 performance on some tasks. Missed that but seems like its acceleration is done using Nvidia's CUDA library. Its not clear from the links I've found whether it'll be automatic behind the scene acceleration, like what AMD is working on for Java 9 (using OpenCL), or whether its just a simple binding to Nvidia's CUDA libraries which developers will have to work with directly, since the articles states Java 8 then i'm assuming its probably just a binding to CUDA. Link 1 and Link 2. Noticed the following new video presentation in relation to Mantle: http://www.youtube.com/v/QIWyf8Hyjbg Things to note: Not difficult nor expensive to add Mantle support on modern engines (probably expect all of the major ones to have it, and maybe even nvidia could use it, it seems that the decision to use it or not is still up to nvidia). It's in alpha stage, they have not fully optimized Mantle yet and they are already hitting GPU bottlenecks instead of CPU, but there is still much room for optimization. Underclocked to 2GHz, the FX-8350 was still GPU bottlenecked with R9 290X. They have not even looked much at GPU performance yet, just CPU, and there are already amazing gains. Support to fully utilize CPU cores means FX-8350 is comparable to power to an i7 4770K. High-end CPUs not needed to support high-end GPUs. Everything scales amazingly well with more cores. Frame rate jumped up to x3 when changed from Direct3D (DirectX) to (alpha) Mantle. The tech demo shown is supposed to come out on Q1 2014 and will be moddable. It looks damn pretty (starts at min 25 in the video). Future: GPU might be used as a co-processor even for non multimedia applications. jmguillemette very interesting vid. now will we be able to use this while leveraging java.. oh i hope so.... -=Like a post.. give the author a medal!=- Merry Christmas and a happy new year! Please accept this present from me and my fellow Swedes! Gjallar 1x	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line612
__label__cc	0.610087	0.389913	Happy Boxing Day To The Middle Of Somewhere www.slowburnmarketing.com Finding Resonance Beyond Brand In Unlikely Places... A Scary, Profitable Advertising Lesson For The Small Business Owner? ARE YOU HUNGRY YET? AdWeek has released its list of "The 10 Best Ads of 2017." I thought, this should be good. These kinds of lists always give the small-business owner a great lesson in what to do--or not to do, depending on the particular advertisement. And the first ad shown, the tenth of the 10 ads represented, is one heck of a "how-to" lesson in advertising. The very first thing that anyone who's ever seen 2001: A Space Odyssey thinks is, Hey, that's the neoclassical bedroom from the end of the movie. And it is. It's an actual recreation of that set with the furniture removed. But the room is still unmistakable in its antiseptic starkness and its under-lit white-tile floor. BUT DR. DAVID BOWMAN IS NOT THERE Instead, an elderly woman with short, white hair sits slumped in a chair in the middle of the room, wearing a white hospital gown. There is an odd, orbiting device above her head. Who is she? Why is she there? What is the odd device above her head? Why does it look like a series of concentric lampshades, and what do the lampshades do as they slowly spin on their axis? A creepy song plays, discordant and metallic sounding, a cheery voice singing disturbing words about ice cream. A robot rolls into the frame. Its mechanical, emotionless voice says, "Good morning. It's time for ice cream." Its arm thrusts forward a spoonful of white ice cream. She tastes it and says, "Oh, it's good! What's--" "Eat the ice cream," says the robot. IT FEEDS HER ANOTHER BITE She takes it, then says, "Where am I?" "Humans require ice cream." "What is this place?" "Eat the ice cream." "I don't want any more!" "How long have I been here?" "You're so hungry for delicious ice cream." THE ROBOT CONTINUES THRUSTING THE ICE CREAM SPOON AT HER "Get that away from me!" She knocks the spoon to the ground. There's a shot of the spoon clattering on the floor. One vaguely recalls a similar image in Kubrick's movie. Homage! She says, "Where...where's Steven?" A door in the front of the robot's body opens, almost with apprehension. Hesitation. Then, an arm slowly protrudes from the dark space within, holding out... An ice cream cone. It slides towards the woman. She regards it with trepidation and recoils ever so slightly. THE ROBOT SWIVELS ITS HEAD TO ONE SIDE "Everyone you love is gone. There is only ice cream." The camera pulls back. The woman begins to sob. She slumps her head. There is a dark and dissonant swoosh and "whump." Following is a product shot. The product is Halo Top ice cream. PUTS YOU RIGHT IN THE MOOD, DOESN'T IT? This is perhaps the best produced, hilariously dystopian, grimly satisfying, un-motivating advertisement for a food product ever. And here's the one thing I really do appreciate about the reportage around this commercial. I've read several stories that say basically same thing. "Wow that's funny. "And it does the product no favors." Yes, earlier I did say that this ad would offer one heck of a "how-to" lesson in advertising. The lesson is how to not do it. NEVER COMMIT SACRIFICE Never sacrifice your message or your product--or your brand--to the self-pleasuring comedy of a message driven by creative ego. I've seen it constantly in small-business radio advertising. But not like this epic horror. Understand, this commercial was greenlit by the CEO of Halo Top. It was also produced to play in movie theaters before Stephen King's It. For that latter tactic, you can almost excuse it. Except that, it lives on in YouTube land. And plenty of people are seeing it. And viewer reactions are things like, "That's hilarious. I'll never eat ice cream again." The Fabulous Honey Parker, who came away from her career in big agency advertising with good rules, and good ways to break rules, has a simple rule about food advertising. "YOU HAVE TO WANT TO EAT IT" I showed her this video. She did something I've never seen. She watched with her mouth agape. Her reaction was something like, "Oh, my God." There is nothing tasty about the old woman in sinister limbo being tortured by a robot with a spoonful of ice cream. Where it should be the hero, the product becomes evil. Granted, "Got Milk" commercials cast the product as the hero absent. But nobody needs to be sold on milk being tasty. They merely need to be reminded to buy milk. In those stories, the protagonists who were too careless to not buy milk end up paying the price. The lesson is, "Don't let this happen to you." And it was hugely successful. Except with the Spanish-speaking community. Hispanic mothers found nothing quite as insulting as the idea that they would forget to buy milk for their families. THERE WAS AN EMOTIONAL DISCONNECT "Got Milk" was a huge failure with that demographic. Which is why Goodby-Silverstein launched a campaign called, "Familia, Amor Y Leche." Family, Love & Milk. It reversed the emotional disconnect inherent in the sardonic message, "Got Milk?" But the emotional disconnect of "Eat The Ice Cream" is stunning. The product is malevolent. It is an antagonist. It is threatening and dangerous. Abandon all hope, ye who eat the ice cream! Since the video does not appear on the Halo Top YouTube channel, it's safe to assume they really don't want it out there and that it was a publicity stunt designed to create buzz. But the take away for the small-business advertiser: play to your core customer's needs, wants, desires, or even fears. But do not make your product fearsome and loathsome and sinister. It doesn't pay off. To see "Eat The Ice Cream" and revel in its dysfunctionality, visit https://youtu.be/j4IFNKYmLa8 A Giant Brand, Giant Hilarity, And Giant A Lesson For The Profitable Small Brand? IS BUD LIGHT STILL THE REAL BREW OF GENIUS? Because beer always makes you smarter. The Bud Light Real Men Of Genius radio campaign went away in 2008 after 7 inspired years. It was epic, it made the brand a market leader, and was parodied endlessly (and badly) in small-business, local-radio advertising. Since then, But Light has not had such a juggernaut--but today, they may be on the brink. This morning, I was confronted with a video of a town crier standing inside a craft brewery in Minneapolis. He was reading a "Hear ye! Hear ye!" to everyone in the place. It was a cease & desist letter from Bud Light to the craft brewer. So, I thought, "Hold my beer. Watch this. I'm going to find out more." The story is interesting, and it's a useful brand advertising lesson--even for the small-business owner. "DILLY DILLY!" Have you heard that? Have you said it? I hadn't until this morning. I haven't been watching a lot of commercial TV lately. But it seems that Bud Light and their agency, Wieden + Kennedy, is drafting off of the zeitgeist. In this particular case, it's the mania around Game of Thrones. They've done it with a commercial that shows a royal banquet room, and a line of subjects paying obeisance to the king. As people step up and offer sixes and cases of Bud Light to the king, the king raises his own Bud Light and proclaims each person, "A true friend of the crown! Dilly, dilly!" And everyone in the banquet room responds by raising their own Bud Lights and crying, "Dilly, dilly!" This happens a couple of times, and then another gentleman steps up and offers a large brown bottle, without a label, and sealed with red wax. He puts it in front of the king, who says, "What, um, what is that?" "This is a spiced honey mead wine that I have really been into lately." WHAT FOLLOWS IS A LONG, UNCOMFORTABLE SILENCE Then, the king says to the gent, "Please follow Sir Brad. He's going to give you a private tour of the Pit of Misery." The hapless fellow is hauled off while everyone happily toasts, "To the misery! Dilly, dilly!" The announcer chimes in over a shot of the Bud Light logo rendered in rice, barley, hops, and the head of a beer: "Here's to the friends you can always count on. Bud Light, brewed to be America's favorite light lager." Oh, boy. Ya know what's going on here? This is an attack ad. Very funny. Really well produced. But it's an attack ad. IT'S TAPPING INTO THE GAME OF THRONES ZEITGEIST AND ATTACKING CRAFT BREWING If you don't know, craft brewing has become HUGE. It's huge enough that there are now three fundamental problems. One, craft brewers are having a hard time competing with one another because there's so much competition and a limited market. Two, consumers are suffering from FOMO, Fear Of Missing Out. When they look at a wall of craft beers in the liquor store, they become anxious and don't know what to buy, fearing they may be missing something better than what they'll choose. And three, craft brewers are eating into big brewers' market share. And I've got to be honest, as a guy who's been a fan of craft beers since they began bubbling up in the 1990s, even I'm over it. There are plenty of great beers out there. But the preciousness and the overtness and the slam-you-in-the-face-ness of so many of these beers is out of hand. AND YES, I'M THE GUY WHO LAST WEEK THREW LAURELS TO A NANO-BREWER Mad Fritz, the Napa Valley nano-brewery, is a brilliant brand. It's not precious. It's intelligent and arcane and balanced and specialized and scarce. But so many craft brewers are so clever and working so hard for people who are so pretentious about their beer. I get it. This is the pendulum swinging the other way after decades of mega-brewery domination. So...where's the attack? One, the subject presents a precious bottle of spiced mead (which, if you don't know, is a honey wine). Two, he presents the bottle with the cliché qualifier, "That I've really been into lately." And three, the announcer says, "Here's to the friends you can always count on. Bud Light, brewed to be America's favorite light lager." A POX ON CRAFT BREW HEADS! Long live the light lager! Can you imagine any big brewer even five years ago using a line like, "America's favorite light lager." They'd say, "Beer." They'd use modifiers like, "light," or "crisp," or "refreshing." They might say something unqualified like, "Beechwood aged!" (I once read an article by a reporter who called Budweiser to find out what "Beachwood aged" actually meant. The reply from the person at the other end was essentially, "Well, you know, beechwood. It's beechwood aged!") Beer has been a commodity product. AND NOW, COMMODITY THINKING IS BEING UNDERMINED BY ARTISAN THINKING Regardless of how you feel about craft beer (I feel it's a good thing), it's not hard to see how this happened. A landscape of fizzy yellow beers was infected by variety and flavor and choice and surprise. Yes, craft beers are surprising. Not always in a good way. A top-fermented, dry-hopped ale that tastes of rosebuds, garlic and old gym socks may not be a good surprise. Nonetheless, it has become a pervasive threat to the market dominance of brands like Bud Light, a brand whose core, die-hard fan is intolerant of things like craft beer. I know people like this. They are single-beer fanatics and they are angry at craft brewing. Bud Light is shooting fish in a barrel--and being really funny. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE TOWN CRIER? Back to the brewery in Minneapolis. The brewery is called Modist. Not sure how you pronounce it. Modist very recently released a brew called, "Dilly Dilly Mosaic Double IPA." Mosiac is a strain of hops. It is known for its complex and broad aromas backed by a clean bittering. If you care. Modist put this brew in their taproom only. They did not release it widely. They created a logo that said, "Dilly Dilly" in a blatant rip-off of the Bud Light swirl logo. ON NOVEMBER 28, THEY ANNOUNCED IT ON THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE They posted that they were releasing it on December 1. The same day they released it, they posted a video of the town crier standing in their lobby, reading the cease & desist "proclamation" aloud. The town crier's message included a request to make sure this ale was a one-time-only occurrence, and offers the brewery two free tickets to the 2018 Super Bowl in Minneapolis. They next day, Modist posted a picture of the town crier's scroll and the "Dilly Dilly" ripoff logo, with the message, "Come drink this beer before we rename it 'Coat Tails.'" I smell a publicity stunt cooked up by Anheuser Busch, whose parent company is not known for being so kind with its C&Ds. Nonetheless, it's fun, it's well-crafted, it bears retelling, it's good advertising, and a good stunt for the press. WHAT'S THE TAKEAWAY FOR YOU? One, no business of any size is too small for a publicity stunt. I've done it with a tiny business, getting them coverage in a major metropolitan daily. You need to be creative, relevant, and interesting. Two, your business can be a threat to the bigger market leaders. You just need to understand how to be different and resonant and offer your core customer a better reality. And three, never discount the value of making the prospect feel the right thing. "Here's to friends you can count on." That is a simple, unsophisticated, artless sentiment--and it's going to sell a lot more beer than it deserves. It's also part of the Famous Among Friends conceit that Bud Light has been using for over 30 years. BUD LIGHT APPEARED AT MODIST WITH GREAT ALACRITY The town crier was on the scene so quickly, and Modist was so on top of the situation, that it smacks of benign collusion. And the fact that Bud Light is acknowledging Modist in this way (and likely partnering with them) demonstrates that they probably aren't as down on craft beer as their advertising might imply. Instead, they could be preparing to invest in Modist, if not preparing to buy them outright. Seem unlikely? Tell that to craft brewers Goose Island, Blue Point, Breckenridge, Golden Road, Four Peaks, 10 Barrel, Devils Backbone and Karbach--all of whom have been acquired by Anheuser Busch. Your brand is also never too small to be acquired by a giant. For a peek at "Dilly Dilly," Click here: https://youtu.be/D8Cb5Wk2t-8	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line615
__label__cc	0.501036	0.498964	Board index » Housepets! » Fan Projects Power Rangers: Babylon Guardians EmoPeanut Re: Power Rangers: Babylon Guardians Helmetzid Wrote: yeah it was the green dragon ranger...funny a 15 year old knows this and hes never watched it I'm 13 and I watched the entire franchise.... Am I a nerd? Im crazy......WAFFLES!!! yes, yes you are, ive only watched ninja storm, dino thunder, SPD, samurai, and mystic force Peanut has a Facebook!!! It takes a REAL genius to do something truely stupid!-ME Wanna play a game with me on steam? PM me JageshemashFTW EmoPeanut Wrote: Yes, but nerds are awesome. Puppy Wrangler Yay!! My monster got picked. I am so happy! Great update, can't wait to see the rangers win again... Everybody has a story to tell. What's yours? King just wanted this day to be over. It started off innocently enough; he woke up, had breakfast, got buried up to his neck by the wolf cubs (bless their young hearts), ended up having Miles call Fox to dig him out (Miles would have done it himself but he had to keep up the whole ‘wolves-living-as-humans’ thing by going to this bizarre thing called an ‘occupation’). Once that was over the two friends went about their daily schedule of being doing anything that crossed their mind. It was Fox who suggested getting a bite to eat at the local mall as the unexpected riot kept Sasha from keeping her word to the two boys. Not that they blamed her. No, King didn’t blame Sasha for the blinding pain he felt upon his face. Nor did he blame Fox for inadvertently choosing the location where King would inevitably get punched in the face by some lizard/wolf creature who laughed maniacally with every bit of destruction it caused to poor populace of the mall. King was pretty sure he blamed the aforementioned lizard/wolf creature who, not moments ago punched him in the face, for the pain that was spreading through his face. As Fox helped his diminutive buddy to his feet, the lizard/wolf creature began screaming to the people in the mall who effectively became his audience purely for his bizarre appearance, though the destructive path he left in wake held their attention as well. “Power Rangers! Come out and face me! You have tested the wrath of Skath and now his agent of destruction, Krot, is here to bring you to your doom!!!” Krot screamed to any spandex-clad superhero who would be willing to listen to him. Up on a higher floor, staring at Krot raving madly to the poor scared civilians of Babylon Gardens, stood the generals: Youko and Malacoda. Youko could only shake her head at the theatrics of their new ‘partner’. “Maly, if I ever get that melodramatic… kill me.” Youko said to her, much more respected, partner. Malacoda merely nodded. Fox could only stare at the this ‘Krot’ guy in stunned silence. Did he say… Power Rangers? That’s what this senseless violence was for? Some new evil dude was looking to pick a fight with earth’s defenders… and they weren’t even looking in the right place?! “Hey! Zedd wannabe!” Fox yelled at Krot causing the monster to turn his menacing eyes to the husky. Fox instantly regretted yelling at the savage and dangerous monster but he could at least be stubborn and defiant to the end… which by the looks of things were in about five seconds. “If you’re looking for Power Rangers, don’t you think you’re a little wide off the mark? Go to Angel Grove or Reefside. I’m sure one of the Rangers there would be more that happy to kick the crap outta you. Just get your stinkin’ mutant butt out of our town!” Fox yelled. Krot looked at the defiant husky incredulously. “You mean you don’t know?” he asked. Fox was a little unclear as to the meaning of Krot’s words but his confused face only seemed to entertain Krot as he started laughing. “Oh that’s rich, not only did my master’s upcoming arrival warrant the need for a brand new team of Power Rangers, but you guys aren’t even aware of them.” Krot started laughing even harder… but his laughter abruptly stopped, and was replaced with blinding rage, when a white-hot shot of plasma belted him in the face. Looking at where the blast originated he saw the smoking barrel of a sleek, futuristic looking gun. But Krot was more interested in the red spandex wearing user of the weapon and her two companions. “Well, we were trying to keep a low profile but with all your screaming about Power Rangers, that seems like kind of a moot point by now.” The Red Babylon Ranger said to her new adversary. Needless to say, Grape was quite happy with this new addition to the team’s equipment. Like their individual weapons, this gun seemed to come seemingly from nowhere. As if born from their very power. Max willed his own gun into existence and experimented with it by blasting Krot again. This did not make Krot feel any better. “Nice, I think we’ll call them ‘Babylon Blasters’.” Max said, rather proud of the name. Krot decided he was done playing around and lunged for the three Rangers. With Krot quickly closing the distance between himself an the three Rangers, Grape and Max holstered their blasters into apparently nothingness before the three called on their individual weapons from the same nothingness. “Fox Tail Blade!” “Dragon Scale Spear!” “Griffon Wing Hammer!” Grape slashed at the charging monster with her blade only for Krot to leap above the blade, spinning around to kick the surprised Red Ranger in the head. Peanut and Max tried a two-pronged attack at both sides of Krot but he managed to grab hold of both weapons, stopping them in his tracks. Before Krot could take advantage of this, Grape had managed to recover from Krot’s blow and brought a rising kick to his face, knocking him on his back. Krot brought himself back to his feet before staring daggers into the three Rangers. Grape pointed the tip of her sword at Krot in a menacing manner. “Why don’t you just give up. If you know what we are, then you know how this is going to end.” Krot gave a startled look before his unnaturally large mouth became an unnaturally large grin. “Your right Red, I know exactly how this is going to end.” Before Krot could specify what he meant, he reached into his gapping mouth and pulled out two of his own teeth. Gripping them by the root, the teeth elongated into twin blades that Krot brandished with innate skill. Charging once again at the Rangers, Krot slashed to and fro, this way and that. He seemed less interested in causing any actual harm to the Rangers and more focused on giving himself a wide berth. When the Rangers were a good distance away from him, Krot sprinted for the door. The only problem being was that the Yellow Ranger was right between Krot and freedom. Max pulled back a fist and launched it straight for Krot’s face… Only for Krot to launch himself above Max’s head and escape into the outside. The Rangers were abut to pursue when suddenly they were surrounded by the absolute bane of every superheroes existence: Fans. All of the civilians within the mall during Krot’s attack suddenly surrounded their new heroes, offering ‘thank-you’s and ‘congratulations’. A small ferret followed by a man with a video camera shoved their way to the middle of the crowd. “Yes that’s right all you monsters and villains out there.” Keene Milton said to the video camera, slinging an arm over Peanut’s shoulder as if he were a good friend. “In case you ever thought Babylon Gardens was going to be an easy target, we now have our own team of Power Rangers here to protect us. Sponsored by the Milton family of Babylon Gardens itself.” Keene claimed though that was a blatant lie. “Power Rangers, this town owes a debt to you and I’m sure you will continue to protect this fair community.” Keene said shaking Grape’s hand profusely. Grape was two seconds away from eating Keene but she stopped herself when she realized that would probably ruin their reputation as protectors of the innocent. (Though the term ‘innocent’ was stretched greatly in Keene’s case). That, and she would have to remove her helmet in order to stuff the annoying ferret down her gullet. Which would effectively ruin any hopes of keeping a secret identity. “That’s very nice but we need to follow that monster before…” Grape attempted to reason but her words were drowned out by the questions of a growing number of reporters. The Rangers were trapped by the flashing lights of the cameras and the constant thrusting of microphones in their faces. Poor Peanut was actually starting to get frightened by all the attention. If their suits hadn’t hid their tails from the public eye, it would have been between his legs at this point. Just when the Rangers thought they were going to suffocate within the crowd, a voice rang out. “Look out! Another monster!!” The crowd started looking everywhere for the supposed monster. With this distraction in hand, the Rangers burst through the crowd and began running away as fast as they could. When the paparazzi realized that there next headline was getting away, they ran after them. Thanks to the enhanced speed their suits granted them, the Rangers managed to break the line of sight quite easily but they knew it was only a matter of time before the reporters caught up. Before they could plan any further, two pairs of hands reached out of a clothing store and pulled them in. Fox was thankful his fake cry of “Monster!” managed to distract the reporters enough for the Rangers to break free. But they still needed an escape route. Roping his friend King along with his harebrained scheme, the two ran ahead and hid themselves within a clothing store and waited for the Rangers to pass by. When they did, the two grabbed whatever scrap of spandex they could and pulled the Rangers into the store, unceremoniously stuffing the town’s defenders into clothing racks. They preceded to act natural, browsing the stores selection on bandanas, while the reporters rushed past the store, hell bent on being the first news crew to interview this new Power Ranger team. When the reporters were long gone. Fox and King fished the Rangers from a circle of coats and jackets. The Rangers were dazed but thankful. “The reporters went towards Kinko’s. Just head towards the opposite direction and you should lose them” Fox informed the Rangers. Grape shook her ahead, as if to get the craziness of the situation out of mind. “Uh… Thank you citizen. We… uh… appreciate the assistance.” Grape said in her best superhero voice. Fox fought back a smile. “Don’t worry about it.” King gave a slight smile. “Just kick that Krot guy in the teeth for us.” Peanut smiled under helmet. “Shouldn’t be hard, that’s a big target.” With that, Rangers ran out the mall leaving the two ‘civilians’. Peanut, being an avid comic book reader, was fairly certain you weren’t supposed to swear like a sailor when you lost a villain. Nonetheless, Max was feeling quite angry about the whole scenario. “I don’t believe this! It’s only our second fight and were already losing the bad guy?!” Truth be told, Max was feeling worse about the whole thing because he allowed Krot to escape. “Hang on guys, Sabrina said she would contact us if anything went wrong.” Peanut stated. “So maybe it can work the other way.” Peanut thought back to how Tarot somehow managed to make contact with Sabrina by putting her hand to her head. Peanut did the same and concentrated. He imagined Sabrina was right there in front of them, ready to listen to whatever he had to say. When suddenly his hand glowed blue. “Sabrina? It’s Peanut.” Peanut? You managed to figure out how to access our mental link? That’s… impressive. Especially since you never really studied telepathy before. “Well I wish I could enjoy this newfound power but I’m afraid I have some bad news. Krot escaped.” Peanut slapped himself. “The monster Skath sent to the mall. He was creating a riot in order to lure us out.” Weird. Why would he lure you out only to run away in the middle of a fight? Peanut looked back to their fight with Krot. It wasn’t as though Krot was losing, he actually seemed pretty evenly matched with them. Something he said though. “Your right Red, I know exactly how this is going to end.” Something about the way Krot said that made Peanut nervous. “I don’t know Sabrina, but I don’t intend to find out. Can you find him for us?” There was a slight pause before Sabrina continued. I’m… I’m sorry Peanut. The viewing globe can only sense Skath’s agents as their causing trouble. I’m afraid we’ll have to wait until Skath makes his next move. With that Sabrina ended the conversation and Peanut’s hand stopped glowing. He just then remembered his friends right next to him. He gave a sad sigh before powering down, surrounding himself in a blue light and when it faded, a normal brown dog emerged. The other two Rangers followed suit in flashes of red and yellow. “C’mon, let’s head back to the dojo.” Was all Peanut said before turning away. Grape, understanding the two sides were on a temporary stalemate, followed Peanut towards the dojo. Max gave one last look at the mall before sighing. “Great.” Krot was able to use the rooftops to hide himself as he made his way back to Youko and Malacoda’s house. Before he could reach the house’s door handle, a large red hand gripped it tightly. Krot looked to his left to see the significantly more grumpy Malacoda. The door opened to reveal the the pointed tip of Youko’s scimitar. “You abandoned your mission” Youko said menacingly. Hey eyes barely slits. With his free hand, Krot calmly pushed the scimitar’s blade away from his throat. “I like to think of it as making a tactical retreat.” When Malacoda didn’t relinquish his grip, Krot continued. “You see, I came up with a certain plan to defeat the Rangers. But in order to do so, I needed to run back home and get some supplies.” Krot said carefully, knowing full well that the wrong word would grant him one less head. Youko studied Krot carefully before withdrawing her blade, Malacoda took the queue to release Krot from his grip. “Let’s see what Master Skath thinks of your plan.” Skath heard the same things as Youko and Malacoda from Krot. “And tell me Krot, just what is this master plan of yours? Oh, and do tell me before I grow bored and decide to obliterate you.” Krot grimaced in fear for a short second before composing himself. “you see sir, we are dealing with Power Rangers, correct?” Skath rolled his eyes “Truly Krot, your gift of perception is astounding.” Krot continued, trying to ignore the sarcastic and gulp bored tone in his master’s voice. “And, all things considered, they have followed the usual pattern for your run of the mill Ranger team. Spandex, weapons, blasters, the lot.” Skath was wishing Krot would get to the point already. “But what’s the one thing common to a Ranger team we haven’t seen them use yet?” At that, Skath had to pause and think before the realization hit him. He started to laugh. “I must say Krot, I’m impressed. You’re showing quite a bit of initiative for a former Formless.” Krot merely bowed in respect. Skath turned to his favorite general. “Youko, am I right to believe that you and Malacoda emptied my store rooms before coming here?” Youko wasn’t quite sure what was going on but better to simply go along with whatever Skath was planning. “Of course Master Skath, all your belonging are here for you to use when you arrive.” Skath nodded. “Good, good. I want you to go through the archives and see if you can’t find a certain artifact. The Goliath Crystal.” Howdy ho everyone. Man, it’s been a loooooooooooooong time since I uploaded this. Hopefully it hasn’t been forgotten. FINALLY!!! Been waiting on this gem forever! It was good! Um, no zorg? Well, we shall just have to see how this one is handled then. loomCAT Oh my gosh, you're actually continuing this!! I could hug you right now! hugs Legotron123 Location: Colorado, missing Michigan Yet another great comic that just randomly stopped a couple of years ago for no apparent reason. I just hope the author isn't dead EDIT: okay I just realized that the dates of the post are on the bottom not the top like the other websites I post on so that threw me off gonna have to edit a bit of my postings it's gonna be a long night Anyways not sure if your still excepting monster ideas but I have a couple Virion: (pronounced vi-ree-on) A virus monster who's main attack involve running straight through any technology at high speed, often causing it to ether short circuit or (if large enough) turn it into a formless sharing its physical properties. Is about 4 feet tall has computer circuit like lines running all over his body, has USBs for feet and upper arms, a laptop screen for a head, mouses for palms, cordlike fingers and always speaks in memes Hydros (pronounced hi-droos) A hydra like monster with a demon like trihorned dragon head, mini versions of his head for hands and shoulder mounted flame blasters red leathery wings with sword like ends, half circle blades coming out of the sides of torso (facing forward), and feet that look like a cross between a talon and a paw. It's very easy to brake his arms off but when you do two more take its place. Each head has its own mind the personality often being very different from the rest. The head in charge is very reckless much to the disappointment of the other heads. Bladtriny (pronounced blade-tree-nee) A female monster who body is made of different types of blades and swords. Is easily distracted by "cute" boys (I.e. king) and goes crazy when people try to "steal them from her" will appear in the episode where king and fox become rangers (hint hint) Monsters round 2!!! Vamprator (pronounced vamp-ra-tor) A tall humanoid bat like thing. Has short yet pointy claws which can shoot balls of pure dark magic. Can teleport through shadows. Anyone he bite turns into a formless who only turn back if he's beaten in battle. Acts like a cross between Dracula and voldamort. Loathes twilight Drill-a-borg (that's his name and how you pronounce it from now on ill just put all their names like that) A cyborg moll with a drill on 1 arm and a claw on the other. Has a normal mole face but with 1 robotic eye and metal nose and whiskers. Has metal and wire on random parts of his body. Builds tunnels under buildings and collapses them, bringing the buildings down with them. Sounds and acts like a evil mole version of alpha 5. Sou-nd-bl-ast A knock off of soundwave from transformers, brought to life from the tv shiw acts and looks just the same Even more monsters!!! Carp-a-tre-um A humanoid fish monster who spins like a whirl pool send off scales as he does. Shoots a high powered water blast out of his mother. Randomly shouts fish puns and "glub a dub dub" Con-troll-a-fr-eak A humanoid glob of purple goo who can enter people's body's and possess all of it but the victims mouth allowing his victim too cry for help. His victims eyes turn purple. Lead-uh-crab A blue crab monster with a crown on his head. Shoots lasers out of his claws. Always shouts order at people and gets upset if they don't follow them Yet more!!! Gor-bull-a A gorilla-Minotaur hybrid. Has a gorilla face but with bull horns and nose. Has Minotaur legs and gorilla arms but the torso is where the hybrid shows. It's a gorilla chest but with random bull hide parts mixed in with the hair of the gorilla, making a ugly mess. Horns can generate a energy ball that if it hits somebody causes them to have a spasm, which he laughs at. Uses brute force and nothing but. Speaks in wrestling terms. Pell-a-com A robot humanoid pelican who mouth is a speaker. Records all sorts of annoying sounds and plays them back against her enemy's. such noises include, claws on chalkboard, high pitch squealing and worst of all " Friday". Gar-bing A trash monster with a trash can for a torso, a vacuum for 1 arm and a cannon for the other. Sucks thing up and shoots them out at high speed. Hates clean things and try's to make them dirty. Talks in quotes from trashy tv shows Mix-a-match A monster who start out as a formless but phases through people and gains their strongest physical attributes and personality traits. I.e. if he phased through miles he'd get his strength, if he phased through fox he'd become smart and if he phased through bino he'd become a insecure brat who try's to make himself feel better by belittling others and automatically assume that everyone is trying to beat him at everything. (Yeah this is just a way for me to be lazy and still make a monster with good potential) Spot superdog Peanuts creation brought to life and turned evil. Appears in a peanut focused episode. Evil rangers Clones of the rangers designed because " you gotta fight fire with fire." (Might as well call this the lazy update) Keep 'em coming!!!! Pop-foe-ture A monster who can turn into any pop culture character. His true from is the body and tail of a xenomorph, the arms of lord zedd the legs of darth vader and the head of mewtwo Free-fi A flip out cell phone monster with the screen for a head and the keypad for the torso. His upper arms are antennas, his face s a emoticon and his fingers are charger cords. He can type out codes on his chest to summon weapons. Here's some more moster to celebrate that the writer isn't dead and actually is trying to countinue the story! An-gore A fire red monster that can shot beams that make people super argessive. Can breath fire if the spell is broken. Loves action movies. Has fire bursting off random parts of his body. Has the darkest red eyes and can shot lasers out of them. Han-song The only male siren left in the world. Can use his voice to turn females to his will. Will make girls dump their boyfriends just to watch the buys in pain. However its very obvious when someone is under his controls. When he gets mad scales open up on his skin and all the girls under his control turn into mindless slaves. ka-boom-box A walk radio with speakers for shoulders a record for a face and shoots powerful sound blasts out of his shoulders. Has a nob on his chest that changes the effects of his blasts. If the nob is destroyed the blasts become useless. GO GO MEGAFORCE!!! Tarp-antulla An icky hairy spider with four smaller spider legs on each arm. The legs can split in four at the tip to shoot web that covers his enemies. The web slow drains his victims energy and sends it back to him. He's kind of a hunchback and he has a typical spider head. His hands are just three hairy claws and his feet are pretty much the same. Is terrified of birds. I'm really running out of ideas I thought of a way the zords should combine! Naturally grape gets a fox zord, peanut gets a dragon, and max gets a griffon Here's how I think they should combine: griffon forms legs and wings, dragon forms arms and shoulders, and fox forms the rest Plot ideas!! King, fox, and bailey should become rangers. Kitsunie should have a fight with his daughter. Bino should try to convince people he's a ranger then when he gets beat up by a monster he winds up revealing he just wanted the attention and start crying like a baby. Fido should find out who the rangers are. A monster should suck the rangers into the tv. There should be episodes focused on each ranger A peanut EP. Using a evil spot (superdog) A grape using coper selan the siren A max one using copper calpren ( seriously he make great monster) I have an eBay! I sell Transformers and Power Rangers stuff there. You ever realize that the two longest pieces of literature in existence are both fanfics? Weird right? Last edited by Legotron123 on Mon Apr 08, 2013 6:47 pm, edited 9 times in total. Hey guys. I wan't to say sorry for the long wait. I actually was about to sit down and write a new chapter but my computer chose to break down on me (I'm writing this on my phone) so for all... 2 of you waiting for a new chapter. I'm afraid your going to have to wait a little longer. I have the world's greatest team of computer experts (which is code for my cousin) working on it right now. Also, while I appreciate all the ideas, I do have the whole plot thought out in my head so don't worry about that. I just need help coming up with monsters. On that note, great monsters guys! I can't wait to use them! I am just waiting to see what you are going to do with my monster. He is already in the story!!! JageshemashFTW Wrote: I'm just glad that you told us what's taking so long. My dads computer just got back from the shop 2 weeks ago so I know what it's like. I just have 2 question 1. Did I guess any of the plot idea you already had planed? 2. Which ones of my monsters did you like? 4-8-13 EDIT: also which of my monster don't you like and why? I want to know so that I can make better monster P.s it's been A MONTH. most repair shops are done in 2 DAYS. I don't think "cheaper is better" still applies. Hey, guys. Good news! We are just about to finalize the deal on our house. Which means we are almost ready to focus our efforts on getting a new computer. I have not givin up on this fic and it will be be continued. On that note, I recently got a private message from Legotron asking me to review his monsters and say what are my favorite and least favorite so he could focus on what works. I kinda don't want to since I specifically wrote how Skath creates monsters to work with litterally ANYTHING you guys come up with. He taps into the imagination of humans to create his monsters. Specifically, your guy's imagination. But I can understand where he is coming from so how about i compromise by just saying my top 5 Legotron monsters Vamprator Evil Spot (This actually gave me a great idea for a stand alone episode) Bladtriny Carpatreum Hope that helps Lego. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!! Also if he use people's imagination, then he'd have an army if he got to me. Of corse that's assuming that he could get the cyborg racist zebras and the vampire Jewish lobsters from fighting. And that the facehuggers didn't get loose and impregnate everyone with chestbursters. But anyways welcome back. Jeeze, has it really been a year since I updated this thing? Well, on the very very very very very slim chance anyone is actually still waiting for an update, please know that I have never forgotten this fic once. We finally signed off on the house and it is officially ours. I'm so so sorry it took so long but their were a lot more hoops to jump through in getting a house than we ever realized. But that is all in the past. We can now focus our efforts on getting a new computer and I promise this will be updated as soon as we get it... I just hope it doesn't take a whole year to do it. Welcome back!!!!! We missed you. We meaning me and possibly copper. It has been a year... this belongs in the Dead Thread Bed... PM me or obbl with your next update when you write it and we can bring it out of there for you to post in. Power Rangers: Babylon Guardians-TT It is official. After much too long, Power Ranger: Babylon Guardians is back! Unfortunately, due to the unplanned hiatus, the fic itself was put into the ‘Abandoned Fic’ forum. I have already PM’d Copper about getting it out but, until then, this will have to serve as a temporary place for updates until it’s out. With that said, I hope you enjoy and I am immensely sorry for the wait. Fido weighed the options of just packing up his equipment and going home. It had been little more than an hour since his students left for no explained reason and the police dog was starting to wonder if they were actually going to come back. Or rather, if Max was going to come back. Fido knew it wasn’t any of his business but he couldn’t help wonder just what it is that was keeping Max from just leaving. Before he could ponder any more, the three students in question walked back into the dojo. “Sorry about that Fido.” Grape said, rubbing the back of her neck. Fido simply smiled. "Don't worry about it. I understand what it means to have emergencies. But if you’re all done with... whatever you had to do, we still have a few hours of daylight left so how about we..." Fido was cut off when the doors of the dojo slammed open revealing what appeared to be a smaller version of the Ranger’s sensei. “Bro! You need to get out of here!” Joey screamed. Without so much as a word to the three students in the dojo, Joey scrambled behind his older brother and began to shove him out the door. “Joey? What’s going on?” Max asked. He knew the young dog had a habit of getting excited over small stuff but the kid looked like he had seen a mon… Joey frantically glanced at the three before returning to his brother-pushing, an activity Fido was beginning to lose patience over. Finally, Fido turned and grabbed Joey by his shoulders, holding him in place and trying in vain to calm his little brother down. “Joey, what is going on?” Fido said in his best stern-but-caring-older-brother voice, a voice that received a great deal of practice from his other brother. Joey, still wide-eyed with fear, screamed “Kaiju! They’re real! They’re here!” Fido gave a puzzled look. “What’s a Kaiju?” Joey scrambled out of his brother’s grip, attempting once again to push the much larger dog out the door before answering. “Giant monsters! Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra! They’re real! They’re attacking the town!” Fido, to his credit, didn’t immediately bring his palm to his face but the temptation was there. “Joey, if this is one of your Japanese… things then…” But his thoughts were derailed as he saw his three students scrambling towards the door, as if they believed Joey’s warning. Which they did. Pushing themselves through the dojo’s door, the three were greeted by the sight of the scaly lupine creature they fought not an hour ago. “Krot.” Grape said. “Looks like he’s put on a few pounds.” Max said. A few moments earlier Youko prepared the spell silently, Malacoda watching intently as she worked while Krot kept tapping his foot impatiently. It was a simple two-way door spell. The concept was relatively simple: A sigil is painted in a location the spell caster might want to return to someday, an identical sigil is painted in the caster’s current location. The sigils act as two ends of a bridge which are then connected by mana, the cosmic force behind all magic. With this bridge of mana in place, the laws of reality are temporarily rewritten (as is often the case with magic) to compress miles of distance into a single footstep. And thus, Youko stepped from the basement of a suburban household into the treasure chamber of an ancient ruin that, if discovered by archeologists, would be stumped in guessing which lost civilization built it. This is exactly how Skath preferred it. Walking to a stone chest in the middle of the room, which was already opened when she and Malacoda picked up some basic equipment, she reached in and pulled out a black and deep-violet crystal of perfect cut. “The Goliath Crystal.” With that, Youko turned and re-entered the basement, the ancient ruins behind her going back to being hundreds of miles away. Krot, suddenly much more excited than before, walked up to the dark vixen. “Well? Did you get it?” Youko answered by lifting the crystal to where he could clearly see it. Krot practically salivated at the thought of the sheer power this crystal would give him. “With this, the Power Rangers will be little more than stains under my foot.” Not wanting to wait, Krot stood before Youko. “What are we waiting for? Let’s do it!” Youko smiled. “Of course, there is just one last bit of ‘prep work’ first.” Something about the way she smiled left Krot feeling… unsure about the whole thing now, but his desire for power overridden any sense of foreboding he received from the vixen. That is until Youko drew her scimitar from her chest. “Wait… What are you doing?” Krot asked, beginning to back away only to bump into the large frame of Malacoda. Krot looked once again at Youko and realized why her smile unnerved him. It was the same smile a predator gives her prey, right before feasting. “You see Krot, the Goliath Crystal is meant to give power in the form of a second life. But to receive a second life… the first one must be taken away.” Krot felt the strong hands of the demon behind him grab hold of him. Krot attempted to escape from the mad demon’s hold but Malacoda held tight. He looked into Youko’s hungry eyes and realized what was going to come. “Remember Krot: This was your idea.” With all his strength and his scary visage, Krot was still just a Formless inside. Thus, like any Formless who ‘expire’, his body dissipated into a gray smoke. The smoke was held in place by a bubble of mana to keep it from spreading too far for the spell to have any effect. Youko held the Goliath Crystal in her hand, pointing one end to the bubble filled with the essence of Krot. “Surge, ceciderunt in bello. Titanis confortare in anima. Cresce, et conteret omnia sub pedibus alta, ad seipsum.” With the incantation complete, a blinding light shot from the crystal into the bubble. The smoke inside crackled with power and a deep bellowing growl could be heard within. Why was he suddenly a giant? Why did Youko kill him? How would he return to his natural state? All these questions and more were not going through his mind. The Goliath Crystal, so named because it imbued those who used it with the power of the ancient titan Goliath himself, also gave the user Goliath’s mindless rage. Krot had no thought in his mind now. No joy in his newfound power. No bitter resentment towards Youko for slaying him. He just felt the need to destroy as he had become an avatar of destruction. The Rangers watched as the giant scaled wolf began tearing apart buildings, the people underneath the creature in constant danger of being flattened. Fido, needless to say, certainly believed his brother now. Whatever he said to calm the townspeople after the ‘gang attack’ in the Carnaby District, Fido remembered with perfect clarity what happened. He remembered the monsters he had fought and just barely survived against. And now there was a bigger monster smack-dab in the middle of the town. Years of police training kicked in as he turned to his younger brother. “Joey, find Dad and get him as far away from the town as possible.” “B-but…” Joey stammered. “What about you?” Fido looked back at the creature. “I have a job to do, the K-9 are going to have their hands full evacuating the people. They need my help.” He turned back to his brother. “Whatever happens Joey, you head for the edge of town and don’t look back.” Joey gave a meek nod before running off. Fido turned his attention to his students. “As for you three… They’re gone already aren’t they?” “Babylon Guardians Power Up!” The square where Krot reassembled himself was already in shambles. Gaping holes were in nearly every building surrounding him. Cars were flipped on their backs if not outright crushed, and people and pets alike were running in fear from the insane beast. Among these mad scrambling civilians was Fido’s other younger brother, the much less respectful Bino. Screaming and hollering at the sight of the thing that simply should not exist. With a swipe of his claws, Krot hurled a chunk of concrete and metal into the air, where it threatened to land right on top of the screaming Bino. As he was paralyzed with fear, Bino found he could not move his legs despite his brain telling him to do so in every possible way. He closed his eyes and waited for the impact. bzzzztkrsh! The sound, which surprisingly was not the sound of a dog being squished into a pancake, caused Bino to open his eyes. In front of him was not a hurtling ball of death, but instead a pet in red spandex, holding what appeared to be a sleek futuristic gun in her hand. The red clad pet turned her eyes, which were hidden behind a black visor, towards the visibly shaking Bino. In a second, Bino was hoisted into the air by the apparent superhero. “Get out of here and find shelter.” She said. Bino, still shaken from being nearly crushed to death, stood still. That got Bino moving. With a hearty “Yes Ma’am!” Bino began running away from the rampaging beast. With that out of the way, Grape rejoined her teammates in blasting the giant-sized Krot with their lasers. The damage they seemed to be doing was minimal to non-existent. “Okay, if anyone has a way to stop a monster the size of a football stadium I would love to hear it!” Grape said, repeatedly pulling her finger against the trigger of her blaster. As before, Krot made no indication he was even aware of the Ranger’s existence, remaining just as focused on causing sheer destruction. Max stopped firing as he realized the futility of the attack. “It’s no use. We need to stay focused on saving civilians.” He said to his teammates. Peanut stopped firing. “Sooner or later we have to take this thing down.” Grape ceased her attack as well. “Then keep an eye out for anything we can use while escorting people to safety. A weak point, anything like that.” With that, the Rangers holstered their blasters and ran off in different directions. Meanwhile in Tarot’s basement, Sabrina was watching the giant’s onslaught through the viewing globe, feeling helpless as Krot wrecked everything in sight while the Rangers were forced into the defensive. She turned to the three altars, each one projecting the image of the three Babylonians whose power coursed through the Rangers. “There has to be something we can do!” She pleaded. “Skath must have used some kind of spell to make Krot grow that large. Could we do the same to the Rangers?” The Spirit Dragon, like her brothers, wore a worried expression. “This is the work of a powerful artifact known as the Goliath Crystal. Even if we were to grow the Rangers to match his size, they would be overwhelmed by the power and ferocity of Goliath himself.” Sabrina began to panic as she rummaged through Tarot’s supply of artifacts and magical trinkets. “There has to be something. Some book or spell. Anything!” Her hopes were dashed as each enchantment proved less promising than the last. Tarot and Sabrina, skilled in magic though they were, had only been studying magic for years. Skath, a god born in the creation of the universe itself, had millennia upon millennia to learn the secrets of mana. And without Tarot to guide her, Sabrina found herself hopelessly outclassed. Throwing a book of, at the moment, useless spells aside she gripped her head in anger. “Please…” She pleaded to any cosmic force that would listen. “There has to be some way. There has to be.” Her thought were interrupted by a loud humming noise. Turning to the source of the noise, she was reminded of the green crystal in the middle of the room. The Morphing Grid. As Sabrina walked closer to the humming crystal, she felt a constant field of energy emanating from it that made her fur stand on end. “What is it doing?” She asked the gods to her side. All three Babylonians were as confused as she was. Kitsune was the first to speak. “The Morphing Grid is as old we are. Even we do not know all of its secrets.” Sabrina felt… drawn to the crystal. As if a voice that could not be heard was calling her name. As she stood in front of the Grid, she raised her hand and touched the crystalline surface. Immediately, she felt a surge of energy blast into her. Her head rolled back as her eyes saw an image, a premonition. She saw the giant Krot standing amidst ruins. He was joined by an entire army of giants, guided by voice of pure malice and hatred. Sabrina never heard the voice before, but she instantly recognized it. Skath. Just as the mad god ordered his army of giants to lay waste to the world, Sabrina saw a golden glow in the distance. There she saw the three Rangers standing atop a hill. Sabrina wondered what they could do against such a force, but her question was answered as the three performed the motions and incantations for an old and ancient spell. One Sabrina had never heard before. The Rangers were glowing in their respective colors before disappearing into nothingness. In their place materialized three gargantuan titans that Sabrina recognized, a dragon, a griffon and a kyuubi. The golden glow returned as the three titans moved closer and closer to each other. The bodies fusing into… into… Sabrina was knocked, rather literally, back into reality as the Grid stopped humming. She panted and felt a cold sweat on her body. “I have to tell them.” Mere moments ago, King was enjoying a simple time out with his wife. He and Bailey found the time to get out and simply enjoy each other’s company, deciding on a simple dinner date in a simple restaurant. This was before the monster known as Krot, one King remembered being much smaller, returned. Knocked unconscious by the initial attack, King willed himself awake as the screams of the denizens of Babylon Gardens roused him from his impromptu nap. He immediately began to panic as Bailey was nowhere to be seen. Screaming her name, King heard a weak reply from within the ruins that used to be a restaurant. Running inside, he saw his wife pinned underneath a steel beam obviously torn from the building’s foundation. Taking into consideration that the remains of the building were most likely very unstable, King rushed to Bailey’s side and began trying to lift the beam off of her. Bailey shook her head as King tried in vain to free her. “King, I can hear the walls straining. You have to get out before you’re crushed.” King ignored her pleas, huffing against the weight of the beam. “Not...without… you!” But it was to no avail. The beam simply would not give. But before King could resign himself to fate, he heard a voice call from outside. “Is anyone in there?” King and Bailey screamed for help in hoarse voices. What they saw shocked them, a pet in yellow spandex and a face-covering helmet in the visage of a griffon. “Power Ranger…” King recognized the Yellow Ranger from Krot’s rampage in the mall. “Please…” He said. “Help me!” King started lifting the beam again before being pushed aside by the Yellow Ranger. “Stand Back” the Ranger said before pulling a bizarre looking firearm out of nowhere. He pointed the barrel at the beam and sliced through it with a red-hot laser. With the added leverage and decreased weight of the beam, as well as the help of an incredibly strong pet, King was able to finally lift the beam off of the nearly crushed husky. Helping Bailey to her feet, the two rushed out of the restaurant giving a hurried thank-you to the Yellow Ranger. With King and Bailey safe, Max ran out himself to find more people in danger. He knew that eventually they would have to stop Krot himself. But what could they do? Following Grape’s orders, he had taken experimental shots to different parts of Krot’s body as he was rescuing civilians. Each one had been as ineffective as the last. “We need a miracle.” Max said. Will I do for now? “Sabrina!” Grape and Peanut had taken to rooftops to see if a higher vantage point could reveal a weak point on Krot. They were having just as much luck as Max when they too heard Sabrina’s voice in there heads. “Sabrina, please tell me you or Tarot have some kind of magic anti-giant spray?” Grape asked. Nothing so simple, but I think I do know of a way the three of you can beat him. The Morphing Grid showed me a vision of a spell, an incantation that would give you the power to stop Krot. Peanut kept shooting at the beast, keeping his eyes peeled for any other civilian in distress. “Great! How do we do it?” Listen carefully. As Sabrina finished detailing the spell, Max made his way to the middle of the square. He stood directly in front of the still rampaging Krot as he was joined by his teammates. “Let’s hope this works.” Grape said. The three Rangers brought their hands together as they began the incantation. “Air above, earth beneath us, water around us. We call on the power of the cosmos itself. Give us power, give us strength to fight against those who threaten our world.” As they spoke, their hands began to glow their respective colors. They felt the same power that flowed through them when they morphed into rangers begin to grow inside them. Bigger and bigger it grew until they current sizes could no longer contain the sheer power. They needed to grow. As they opened their eyes, they saw that Krot had finally taken notice of them thanks to their blinding light. “We become one with our power! One with our world! We… Become… One!” With the cosmic power inside them threatening to explode within them, the Rangers released it all at once. Thrusting their hands outwards, their power, the power of the Babylonians themselves was shaped into giant forms the Rangers recognized. As these forms became more and more solid, the Rangers found themselves becoming less so. But they felt no fear from their disappearing bodies. They knew they weren’t going anywhere. The three gargantuan figures suddenly exploded from the energy they were formed from. Their skin was metallic, their bodies were robotic, and their power was immense. A red kyuubi, a blue dragon and a yellow griffon suddenly stood against the confused Krot. At first, all was black. Then, as though gently nudged awake, Grape opened her eyes and saw Krot standing before her. At eye-level. As she looked around, she saw that the spell had worked. She and her fellow Rangers had indeed changed into metallic versions of their respective Babylonians. They were Zords. She could hear Peanut’s excited cheering in her mind as well as Max screaming “Did that really just happen?” She looked to her sides and, instead of her fellow rangers; she saw a mechanized yellow griffon and blue dragon. But before the three could get used to their newfound stature, Krot decided that these three titans were more of a threat to him than the three tiny Rangers were. He leaped towards the red kyuubi that was now Grape and brought his claws down on her. The claws bounced off of the metal skin of the Zord but Grape still felt the impact itself. Max was the first one to react to Krot’s attack as he grabbed the monster and gripped tightly with his new razor sharp talons. “Get off her!” He screamed, hurling Krot away and taking care not to throw him into any of the buildings. Grape stared at Max, then herself. “We got a second chance here guys. Let’s not waste it.” Without another word, the three Zords went on the offensive. Peanut flew around Krot, drawing his attention with white-hot blasts of fire from his mouth. Grape pounced on Krot and returned his clawed strike from earlier, her armored claws leaving a much deeper wound. She pinned the giant monster down with her teeth, letting her instincts take full advantage of her bipedal form. Krot, now fully realizing the dangers these three machines posed, grabbed Grape by her midsection before hurling her towards Peanut ceasing his onslaught of fire. With Krot facing the two temporarily downed Zords, his back was to the charging yellow griffon. Max gripped his talons into Krot’s shoulders before lifting him high into the air, tossing him downwards after reaching a sufficient altitude. Krot, feeling his injuries taking their toll on his body, stood up and blindly charged at the yellow griffon. Max clenched his talons into a fist and drew it back before letting it fly straight towards Krot’s face. Whether Krot still had some semblance of his memory or if it was just instinct, the scaled wolf jumped over Max’s fist and sailed over his head just like before in the mall… It was completely unfair, Max thought. The only reason Fido wanted to demonstrate this move on him was because he was being singled out as ‘the slacker student’. Still, he didn’t want to cause a scene and make the lessons any harder for his teammates. He realized that, despite his complaining, they would need this training to keep up with whatever Skath had planned for them. “Now if your opponent gets in close to you, one fundamental you need to utilize is shifting your opponent’s weight away from you.” Fido said to Grape and Peanut. The two were sitting cross-legged and paying close attention to the demonstration. Fido looked towards his less diligent student. “Now Max, I want you to charge at me full-speed. Watch how I use your own weight against you.” Max gave a huff, but got into position for a fast run. With a ‘Now’ from Fido, Max ran towards his sensei as fast as he could. What followed, from Max’s perspective, was a quick glance to the ceiling and then the floor coming to meet him. Due to the floors padding, plus Fido intentionally trying not to hurt him, Max’s pride was hurt more than anything else. Feeling the larger dog’s hands picking him up, Max got to his feet and joined his teammates. Peanut, trying to get Max to enjoy the lessons, gave the black cat a thumbs up. Max did not return it. “Notice how little I used my own strength. Redirect your opponent and let his own weight carry him.” Fido explained to his students. With these words echoing through his mind, Max turned and grabbed the aerial Krot before turning slightly on his heel. Remembering the demonstration, Max let Krot’s own weight fly through the air like a pendulum. He would not allow Krot to escape again. He threw the gargantuan lupine straight towards the waiting claws of Peanut who proceeded to slam Krot into the ground. As the three Zords regrouped, they saw Krot simply get up from barrage of attacks. The various cuts and bruises were largely superficial and Krot’s boundless rage was proving to be an effective anesthetic. Grape started panting as her increased size was starting to take its toll on her stamina. “This isn’t working, we’ve barely dinged him.” Max looked around and saw that their fight with Krot was causing only slightly less property damage than Krot himself. “We need to hurry up or there won’t be a town left to protect, whatever we do has to hit him fast and hard.” Peanut turned his metal draconic face to his fellow machines. “Guys, we’re Zords! You know what we have to do.” Grape nodded her head. “Alright, let’s bring them together!” As if on instinct alone, the three Zords flew into the air. Peanut was the first to change, his arms and legs sliding into slots in his body as his serpentine body bent into a V-shape. His head and tail twisted until they both faced away from his body. Max followed suit, his griffon body sitting on its haunches as his clawed arms elongated and became more humanoid. His head folded into a hollow crevice in his chest as his wings spread out. Grape finished the transformation as her arms and legs folded into her chest revealing the same symbol on their belt buckles, the symbol of the Babylonians, a crescent moon surrounding a six-pointed star. The red kyuubi Zord fit into the front of the griffon Zord as its nine tails went underneath it. The joined griffon and kyuubi then sat upon the v-shaped dragon. As the blue dragon Zord formed the mechanical man’s legs, the yellow griffon Zord forming its wings and arms, the red kyuubi Zord’s nine tails spread out into a majestic fan of fire. The vulpine head of the kyuubi Zord opened to reveal a more humanoid face inside. Inside the still forming machine a field of stars was manifesting as the Rangers, back in their spandex-clad forms, materialized in this cosmic control area. There were no buttons or consoles. The Rangers controlled this mighty machine through will alone. As their consciousness returned to their bodies, the three rangers opened their eyes and, in unison, screamed the name of their mechanized marvel. “BABYLON MEGAZORD!!!!” Krot, as a mindless monster fueled only by rage, could not register what had just happened. But sheer instinct told him one thing: This machine was an even greater threat than the other three all at once. Before it could be allowed to get the first strike, Krot charged at the Megazord and tried to swipe at it with both claws. In the control area, the three Rangers thrust their arms out simultaneously as though to grab something. The Megazord followed these movements and grabbed onto Krot’s swinging claws, holding the monster in place. With a high kick from the Rangers, the Megazord brought its massive foot up to meet Krot’s face sending the giant soaring through the air to land painfully on its back. Before Krot could recover, the Megazord brought its hands to its back, pulling two of the kyuubi Zord’s tails out. The tails flashed a bright light before suddenly shifting into a pair of razor-sharp, flaming, broadswords. With a mighty slash from both swords, Krot was sliced deeply and burned as well. The damage proved to be too much and, with a final growl, Krot exploded into nothing. The Megazord stood tall and proud, brandishing its flaming swords like a legend from history. Inside the control area, the Rangers were acting slightly less dignified. Peanut was whooping like a wrestling fan, constantly screaming “Did you see that! DID YOU SEE THAT!!?” Grape was dumfounded at what they just did. She had acted in the moment, letting instinct take over as she piloted the Megazord. It was only after the adrenaline rush calmed that she realized she was floating in a field of stars telepathically controlling a massive robot. Max just smiled. Back on the ground, civilians had taken notice that the monster that was demolishing the town had disappeared. They saw the giant robot and knew that the Power Rangers had saved them. Bino was the first one to cheer. On a nearby rooftop overlooking the whole scene stood a violet vixen and her demonic companion. “Well… That didn’t work.” She said. Malacoda simply nodded. The two generals left to return to their home. No doubt Skath would be seething at these turn of events. The next day, people were already going back to their normal lives. They made no attempt to hide the fact that a giant monster had just attacked the town but they took comfort in knowing that they had a team of Power Rangers to protect them. In the Good Ol’ Dogs club, one particular admirer was being very vocal about it. “Come and join the Power Rangers Fan Club!” Bino shouted into a megaphone. “Let’s show the heroes of Babylon Gardens that they have the support of the G.O.D.!” Fox shook his head at his friend’s antics. “Bino, don’t you think you’re taking the hero worship a bit far?” Bino turned away from the small crowd gathering to his megaphone enhanced voice. “Fox, I’d be dead now if it wasn’t for the beautiful Red Ranger. If you ask me, I’m doing a service to the community by giving these guys some much needed PR.” Fox slapped his head. “They fought a giant monster with a giant robot. How much more PR could they need?” As the three Rangers themselves, back in their civilian states, passed by Bino’s growing fan club Grape couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of Bino of all people calling her ‘beautiful’. Max certainly didn’t help as his trademark grin crept across his face. “Looks like I have to watch out, wouldn’t want Bino taking you away from me.” “Shut up Max.” Peanut, despite himself, couldn’t help but join in the ‘fun’. “It’s practically a storybook romance, the dashing hero saving the helpless damsel.” Grape, to her credit, didn’t grab both giggling boys and hurl them into the stratosphere. She merely sighed and let them laugh it out. “What is so funny?” A familiar voice said to them. The three looked to where the voice came from and what they saw made them gasp. “TAROT!” Indeed, there was Tarot. She still had a number of bruises from her fight with Youko but she was, at the very least, standing on her own two feet. Peanut ran towards, scooping her into a gentle hug out of fear of hurting her. Max and Grape followed suit with their own, friendlier hugs. “I was let out of the hospital earlier today and I thought I should congratulate you three on a job well done.” Tarot explained. “I saw the whole fight on the news, such an amazing power this ‘Megazord’. It will surely come in handy should Skath choose to use the Goliath Crystal again.” Grape nodded but then a solemn look took her face. “We can’t remain on the defensive forever. Sooner or later we have to find where Skath’s generals are based and take the fight to them.” Tarot shared Grape’s expression. “Agreed, but for now I suggest that you three take some much needed rest before Skath strikes again.” Peanut and Grape were quick to agree until Max pointed something out. “We can’t. We have classes today, remember?” Peanut and Grape suddenly did remember but were surprised that it was Max who reminded them. More than that, he seemed all too willing to go. “Why the change in heart?” Grape asked. Max simply shrugged. “No change, I just thought that if we have to through with it then I’m not gonna make things easier whining about it.” Max started walking towards Fido’s dojo. “Besides, we really do need the training.” Rather than make a big deal about it, Grape and Peanut shrugged and said goodbye to Tarot before following Max to the dojo. As they got there, Fido was already waiting by the door for them. Grape winced at the look he was giving them. It was clear he wanted an explanation. Grape began to speak. “Look Fido, about running off…” But she was silenced when Fido held up his hand. “The fact of the matter is I can’t teach students who aren’t there. I think it would be best if you stopped coming to class.” Before the three could argue or plead, Fido held up his hand again. “However.” He said as a smile broke through. “I wouldn’t mind giving some private lessons to the Power Rangers.” The three practically felt the floor hit their jaws as Fido snickered. “C’mon, it was kinda obvious. The town gets three brand new Power Rangers and suddenly you three appear looking for martial arts lessons. A monster attacks the mall, you go running. A bigger monster attacks the town square, you go running. You really have to work on your stories other than ‘You have something you need to do’.” Grape looked to Peanut and then to Max and saw that they had the same panicked expressions she no doubt had. “You’re not… gonna tell anyone, are you?” Fido shook his head. “No, I can recognize that there’s something big coming. Something the town’s police force just won’t be able to handle.” He gave each of them a hard stare. “As of right now, this town NEEDS Power Rangers and the last thing you guys need is a bunch of fans or paparazzi getting in your way.” He smiled. “Don’t worry; your secret is safe with me.” The three calmed down immensely as Fido went back inside motioning for the three Rangers to join him. As they passed through the doors and went towards their lockers, Fido held Max back to talk to him. “Listen, I get it now why you couldn’t leave before. But you need to understand that you have a huge responsibility now.” He said in a hushed tone. “I’ll teach you and the others all I know, free of charge. But you need to be willing to learn.” Max looked away from Fido towards his teammates, his friends, as they put on their gis. Grape looked up at him. “C’mon Max, get dressed.” He looked down at his necklace, holding the griffon shaped charm in his hand before turning back to Fido. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.” Youko and Malacoda were just finishing up the spell that would allow them to speak to their master. As the window opened into the Void, they prepared themselves for what was sure to be blinding wrath. Instead, Skath was unnervingly calm as the vision of his subordinates became clearer. “Is Krot dead?” He asked simply. There was no anger in his voice at all. “Yes sir.” Youko said, refusing to make eye-contact with Skath. “I see.” He said. “This… was a trial run. Krot was strong to be sure but the human imagination is limitless. There will be an endless supply of warriors for us to throw at the Rangers. It’s simply a matter of wearing their defenses until they break.” At last, a flash of pure malice flashed across his melancholic face. “And break them we will!” End of Episode 3 And thus, Power Rangers Babylon Guardians is back! Last edited by JageshemashFTW on Sat Dec 07, 2013 10:27 am, edited 1 time in total. Obbl Smiley McSmiles Location: The Housepets Forum ^^ Aaaaaand merged. I haven't seen this one in a while. May have to go back and refresh myself Aside from the gryphon and dragon switching positions as legs and arms, the megazord is almost exactly the same as my concept. Not sure if you used my idea on purpose or if it was just a coincident, but regardless I'm just delaying my neccessary response. SSQQQUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! POWER RANGERS BABYLON GARDENS IS BACK BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a AWESOME early Christmas present!! And since Christmas is almost here, expect me to have a winter themed monster idea ready for you soon! EDIT: Soon meaning now!! Frost-sting An icy frost monster. His torso is basically an ice version of a snowman. His head is the hero factory frost beast head except with a frosty the snow man head. His shoulder have ice spikes pointing at 65 degree angles. His arms are, well ice tubes with random ice spikes. His right hand is a snow ball blaster and his left arm has three fingers plus the thumb. When someone is hit by one of his snow balls their body starts slowly being covered in ice until they're a Popsicle. Their options are grape, peach, and orange. His personality is kinda bland. His only traits are jerkiness and his hatred of Christmas lights. If something seems wrong about him let me know I'm kinda off my game. Grape said, repeatedly pulling his finger against the trigger of his blaster. Grape, despite appearances, is definitely a girl. HA! Bino is the fan of a cat! Priceless~ I like the monster, though byou didn't really use any of the Crocotta's abilities, nor the fact that their eyes turn into crystals upon their death that can help someone foretell the future. I cannot wait until the next one! Oooo, maybe use the Krampus in a Christmas themed update! copper Wrote: Whoops! Heh-heh... aaaaand fixed. As for the Crocatta powers, the ideas were interesting but I couldn't figure out a way to utilize a future seeing gem without it being an instant-I-win button for the Rangers. Maybe if I was a better writer. :-/ Short chapter, I know. It will be longer next time. Episode 4: Hero in Blue In a world where evil reigns supreme, one hero steps up to defend all that is good. When the ancient evil, Skath, plans evil for the world only one hero can stand against his evil. And that hero was needed now as Skath’s newest creation, a monster of the vilest of origins, terrorizes the city of Babylon Gardens in the name of his master. The creature, a half-mechanized menace by the name of Drill-a-Borg, was in the midst of weakening the foundations of a bank full of hostages being held in place by a legion of Formless. As the cyborg mole drilled his metal nose through each of the support beams, he kept glancing back and forth waiting for his foes to come and attempt to save the day. Unbeknownst to our brave heroes, Drill-a-Borg had set a trap for the Power Rangers should they try to intervene his destruction. This is why it was such a shock to him when he heard a grand heroic voice call out. “Your vile machinations end here agent of Skath.” Before Drill-a-Borg could trace the source of the voice, several blue flashes of light travelled through the room at high speeds, each finding a home in the triangular faces of the hostage’s captors. As the platoon of Formless dissipated into smoke, Drill-a-Borg turned to face the door of the bank. Standing there were the three avatars of the godlike Babylonians: The Power Rangers. The Blue Ranger twirled his still smoking blaster before holstering it. He dramatically pointed his finger to the cyborg monster. “Your reign of terror ends now!” The Red and Yellow Rangers cheered behind their teammate. “Get em’ Blue!” “You’re so cool!” The Blue Ranger stepped forward to face the monster alone, Red and Yellow offering their praise. Drill-a-Borg snarled, wondering why his trap failed to destroy the Rangers before they even came into the building. He would have to worry about that later as he charged straight towards the superhero. The Blue Ranger smirked under his helmet. With a single step to the side, Drill-a-Borg’s wild punch missed completely. Balling his own hand into a fist, the Blue Ranger brought it up to meet the cyborg’s chin. With a loud ‘crack!’ the monster flew into the air from the force of the punch alone. Drill-a-Borg recovered only to immediately quiver in the corner with fear. “Please, Oh noble hero! I am too weak to face your might.” The Blue Ranger stood before the blubbering monster, bringing his blaster out and setting its sights straight for its head. “Let this be a lesson to all of Skath’s creations. Babylon Gardens- nay, the world! - is under the protection of the Blue Ranger” Peanut was about to squeeze the trigger when… “Stop!” Grape said, holding her palm to her red helmet. “Aww, I was just about to get to the best part” Peanut whined. “This is so not how it happened!” In Tarot’s basement, which also served the purpose of the Ranger’s base of operations, Peanut was ‘recounting’ their most recent victory against one of Skath’s creations. Almost immediately both Tarot and Sabrina knew that the story was more than a little embellished due to the almost synchronized groans from Grape and Max when Peanut started his tale. Grape was content to let her friend have his fun but increasingly felt the need to set the record straight. “First off, there was only three Formless holding those civilians hostage. And all three of us took down one each.” Grape said. “Well…” Peanut tried to counter. “Second, why would Max and I just stand to the side? That thing was way too strong for you to handle on your own.” She continued. “Well gee, you could have sugarcoated that a little” He exclaimed. “Also, what trap?” Max interjected. “There was no such trap waiting for us when we fought cyber-mole. That whole part just seemed to come outta nowhere.” Peanut shrugged his shoulders. “I thought it would spice the story up a bit.” Grape brought her palm to her face yet again. “Peanut, we’re Power Rangers. Our lives have plenty of ‘spice’ as is.” Peanut dropped the subject, choosing to just sulk. “You guys are no fun.” Tarot brought her hands up attempting to alleviate the mood. “Regardless of how it happened, you three did a wonderful job stopping Skath’s latest attack.” She put her hand on Peanut’s shoulder, giving him a comforting smile which made him feel somewhat better. “It would probably be best if you three go and get some rest. You deserve it.” Max stretched his arms above his head, enjoying the satisfying pop of his muscles losing tension. “You heard the boss. I’m clocking out.” Turning on his heel, he made his way for the stairs. Grape turned to follow, stopping for a moment to look back at Peanut. “Listen Peanut, I get that you’re psyched by this whole superhero thing. Just don’t romanticize it too much.” Peanut didn’t reply, merely staring at the floor. Grape took that as an invitation to continue. “I’m just saying there is a difference between acting like a hero and being a hero.” Peanut sighed before nodding. “I know Grape, I know. I’ll… try and cool it.” Grape gave him a quick hug before making her way out of the basement. Peanut gave a quick glance to his morpher before following her. In the Lair, as Youko and Malacoda have come to call the basement of their humble abode, Skath was once again speaking to his generals through the dimensional window. The failure of Drill-a-Borg had obviously angered the dark Babylonian but he reminded himself to keep his rage directed to the Power Ranges. His loyal generals still had their use to him. “These monsters are doing little to vanquish those clowns.” Skath mused. He looked to see the waiting faces of his underlings. “Youko, you were the commander of my forces during the siege of the old cities. Tell me, how did you destroy their defenses?” Youko gave a quick nod of acknowledgement to her master before replying. “It’s an old mortal adage that hearts and minds win wars. In my experience, the opposite is true as well. During my… your conquest of the Aztec city Cuatetelco, I found that by feeding the soldier’s scouts false information about us capturing their children and elders, their men would hold back when attacking our camps.” Skath nodded as he considered this tactic. “So you attacked them where their hearts lay?” Youko nodded. “Metal and stone are effective at crushing the body, my lord. But to break a man’s will is to truly destroy him.” Skath smiled as he contemplated his next move against the Rangers. A wicked thought crossed his mind. Using his cosmic power to will a Formless in existence in front of Youko and Malacoda. “And out of the three Rangers…” Skath began. “Which would you say has the weakest will?” Malacoda spoke up as the answer came immediately to him. “The Blue Ranger, master. He is young and naive. He is always the first to charge into the fight.” Skath nodded. “Do you know his true name?” Malacoda nodded. “When we first saw their faces, Youko and I assumed mortal guises to find out where they lived. Sadly, the witch the Babylonian dragon once had as her avatar charmed their houses so as to keep any who bear your mark away. We did find out his name through our reconnaissance: Peanut Sandwich.” Youko scoffed. “What a ridiculous name.” Skath paid the name no mind. What mortals named their pets were of no concern to him seeing as they would all be called ‘servant’ before long. Focusing his consciousness to the general area of Babylon Gardens, a feat which proved easy considering the immense amount of cosmic power radiating from that place. Skath went to work, combing through the minds and imaginings of those that inhabited the town. Finally he recognized an all too familiar magic. The magic of his sister, the Spirit Dragon. Skath tread as carefully as he could, he did not want to alert the reptilian goddess to his presence in the young dog’s mind. He saw a number of interesting things that Skath could no doubt use against him. A love for the witch… And for the Red Ranger it seems! The dog had a conflicted heart, the poor thing. Skath made a mental note to kill both women first to spare the dog from having to choose. Skath gasped as he found exactly what he was looking for. A mental projection of his ideal self, what he wants to be more than anything. And best of all, he’s already convinced himself that this abstract paragon is an entity separate from him. He’s perfect! Skath performed the necessary enchantment to bring this imaginary aspect to life, reborn through the blank slate of the Formless. Dark… Cold… He is nothing. But now he is something. Darkness gives way to light and coldness gives way to warmth. He is… alive. As the musclebound white dog opened his eyes for the first time, he saw two strange beings: a violet fox and a large red man with horns staring at him with confusion. He heard a voice behind him. “Greetings Spot the Superdog.” Spot turned in the air, not even realizing he was flying, as he came to face what appeared to be a hole in the air. Inside the hole was an ethereal blue face that smiled warmly at him. “My name is Zordon, defender of all that is good.” Skath said, smiling behind his disguise. “And I am in need of a hero.” So now Peanut will have to fight his ideal self!? Bummer... Nice update! Cannot wait for the epicness to come! Oh good, a new chapter. I was starting to worry that this was going to fall back into the abyss of no updates. I have at least 6 monsters in my head but I don't have the time to post any of them. Remember a month back when I said I had 6 monsters in my head I kept forgetting to post? Well that 6 is now 10 and that 10 is now 9! Brainiac: Apperance: think mutagen man from TMNT 2012 and replace the mutagen with brain tissue. Powers: Shoots lightning from his hands. Incredibly smart. Can drain people's intelligence to increase his own. Personality: Stuck up and snooty. Brags about his IQ and belittles others he thinks are beneath him. Gets upset if someone knows something he doesn't. Drains people to become the smartest creature in existence. Notes: When he drains peoples brains, he gets a "flavor" based on how smart they are. I.E. fox would taste like a pastry buffet and bino would taste like an old sock. Would eventually drain so much knowledge that he would see beyond the fourth wall and see how pointless what he's doing is pointless and give all the intelligence he drained back and would sabotage the baddies plan as much as he could before they killed him. Is this one good? Or is it kinda crappy? ZeroTheFated Is it just me or whenever the Rangers power up you get the Dino Thunder feel to it? But other than that I'm very looking forward to the next update. You caught my attention really fast with this fic and you're doing a magnificent job with it. Keep it up. I Am Someone... Someone who lives... Someone who loves... Someone You Can Trust... I Am That Little Speck of DARKNESS to HELP YOU See Through The Brightest Light... I Am Your Eternal Friend! Finally got another monster out. Tell me your opinions. Sploosher Appearance: Sploosher is fat. Very fat. Which is because of the 200+ big bubbles covering his body in multiple layers. Underneath it all he's kinda a twig. Above it all he looks like a purple zit-covered stay puff marshmallow man minus the hat. Powers: Each of the bubbles that cover his body are filled with misc. liquids that have different effects each. Some cause anyone who gets hit by them to get covered by pimples. Some cause severe rashes. Some cause all hair/fur to fall off someone's body. The worst is the one that dissolves all non-organic materials(I.e. Anything that isn't alive). No matter what, if you're hit with one if those liquids, you are in some deep trouble. The bubbles are strong enough that they won't pop if Sploosher falls over, but weak enough that they'll pop explosively if hit with something, like the rangers weapons. The point is do dissuade the rangers from attacking him for fear of causing collateral damage. Personality: Sploosher is psychotic. Off the walls insane. He takes much glee in the pain his liquids cause his victims. He would probably pop the zits himself if them not being popped wasn't the idea. 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__label__wiki	0.642821	0.642821	Bosley Looks to Wind Up Legislative Career Tammy Daniels 02:15AM / Wednesday September 15, 2010 Daniel Bosley, center, speaks with MCLA President Mary Grant and her husband, Jim Canavan, at a subdued gathering at Taylor's after the representative conceded defeat in the sheriff's race. NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — For 24 years, Dan Bosley has been working on educational initiatives, community programs and big budgets — very big budgets. He'd hoped to translate those skills into the sheriff's office but it wasn't to be. Voters overwhelmingly backed Tom Bowler's bid to become the first new sheriff in 32 years. "I had a tough job," said Bosley at his gathering at Taylor's Restaurant. "I had to explain what the sheriff did and then explain why I was the best candidate, while the other person just said, 'I'm the best candidate.' " Bosley said he'd called Bowler earlier to congratulate him and offer his support. "I think he ran a great race." The candidates agreed on a number of things but diverged most prominently on the function of the job. Bosley defined it as public safety; Bowler, a Pittsfield Police detective, as law enforcement. He gained the endorsement and active support of local law enforcement agencies, the district attorney and the corrections officers. Saying the sheriff is a lawman and not a warden fit with the voters. Condolences from a supporter. "I think the voters were more interested in security, more interested in putting a lawman there," he said. "And the voters have spoken." Bosley had hoped to counteract Bowler's grip on Pittsfield with a higher turnout in Northern Berkshire. "I just couldn't crack that Pittsfield market," he said. Turnout was high enough in Pittsfield to give Bowler the advantage but not enough in North County to make a difference for Bosley, who won both Williamstown and North Adams but not Adams. With a new representative selected on Tuesday in Gailanne Cariddi, the man whose name was once bandied about as a potential speaker of House has options open for the first time in years. "I really have no idea what I'm going to do. I focused on this race and now tomorrow I'm going to focus on something else. ... well, I'm going to focus on some things my wife said I absolutely have to do," he laughed. "I'm a pretty talented guy, I'm pretty smart and I'll find something to do." He decided to leave the Legislature because it was just time, he said, not because of any of the reasons many have speculated on, including his loss of stature with the new House speaker. "It's been 24 years. I've done everything I've set out to do," said Bosley, referring to his work in education, insurance and green jobs, his efforts on economic development bills and in making Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the science center at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and the reconstruction of the Hadley Overpass a reality. "I'm grateful for the support I had and we accomplished everything." All but one bill he's been working on for a decade. Bosley doesn't think that one will ever happen but he plans to spend the next three months on tying up his two dozen years of service and transitioning everything over to Cariddi as smoothly as possible. "I'm going to work hard until Jan. 3 and then, hopefully, I'll be down there to see her sworn in; I'll applaud and I'll leave. "It's been a privilege serving the people of Berkshire County for 24 years." Tags: Bosley Today Dan will be able to collect his pension at 100%. So who really won here? from: Pension Power on: 09-15-2010 I Agree (15) - I Disagree (27) I am so sick of hearing people bash Dan with the retirement factor, pension, etc. Give me a break. The guy has been nothing but terrific for north berkshire and ran to make the county sherrif position a better one. He has been elected BY THE PEOPLE for over 24 years. He must have done something right folks. This Sarah Palin type attacks in America just have to stop at some point. Stop the whining. Yes he lost and good luck to Tom Bowler and congrats to him but Im sick of people attacking peoples character when they have no clue. I would vote for Dan for whatever position he decides to run. from: Stop it! on: 09-15-2010 Can you start your new career by removing all the "Sheriff Bosley" signs that blight peoples lawn. from: Tom on: 09-15-2010 Only if Bowler and his cronies take down their "Illegaly" placed signs too!! Thank god this race is over. I hope the Bowler supporters will be open when he fails miserably as Sheriff! I can't wait for Tom to back his word and hire the 10 guards that were laid off. All that "extra" money from the shrinking budget will help. Good Luck Tom, hopefully your sister is going to help bail your butt out! from: John on: 09-15-2010 John want some cheeze with that whine? His sister is twice the man you will ever be. I Agree (10) - I Disagree (3) That is really funny, you just referred to Tom Bowlers sister as a man. Looks like you are fool here Tom. I hope Pudgy knows that you called his sister a man too, LMFAO That's assuming you're a man and from your response that's a stretch. Mostly just spineless banter. The people voted for him for 24 years because he was the only choice. There was no character attack just a simple fact was stated. from: Runaway on: 09-15-2010 Dan Bosley has been a superb public servant for the people of North Berkshire for 24 years. All of you who say he was only in it for the pension likely voted for Bowler, which is fine. He won fair and square and ran a very good campaign, and I'm sure he'll be a good sheriff. He will also, as a police detective in Pittsfield and now Sheriff, retire with a fully vested state pension. So, if your vote was based on that idiotic perspective, welcome to Club Hypocrisy. And to the poster who said Dan only won because he was "the only choice" for over two decades... there's a reason for that - no one challenges those who do good jobs. Thanks, Dan, for all of your hard work for all of us - even the naysayers among this crowd - for the past 24 years. from: Naysayers Galore on: 09-15-2010 Why do we even have a county sheriff? The state was supposed to do with county government over a decade ago yet we still have it. This is just another example of taxpayers money being used to give people jobs with Big Government. from: More Waste on: 09-15-2010 I'm not sure why people disagree with this point. It is a fact. This is nothing towards Mr. Bowler nor Mr. Bosley. County government was supposed to be abolish back in the '90s. from: Facts are facts on: 09-15-2010 The sheriff is the only "LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER" who reports back to the people, by election!And you would like to get rid of it! By giving him up the position it would go to the state and this would make the Government bigger! Get out of berkshire county and go to the eastern part of the state and see what a real sheriff does! Barnstable,Plymouth,suffolk,essex are all doing what the sheriff should do! from: really on: 09-21-2010 No one said he was only in it for the pension. He lost all of his political clout and was relegated to a mere rank and file rep after DiMasi was indicted. He had served for 24 years and deterined that was enough. Now to the pension. If he lost a race, state pension law says that he would be able to collect his pension immediately, not having to wait until age 62 to take his pension. Oh and the free State health care for life is also a nice little perk. It's over. He served the district and now will move on to something else. But to attempt to decieve the voters is wrong. By "no one" you must mean "no one but Bowler supporters," because I heard the "he's only running to add to his pension" comment from a lot of them. I'd hardly call it no one. And when I would tell those Bowler supporters that Tom will collect just as much, they'd either say they didn't realize that or would say "that isn't the issue." So, a lot of "no ones" did say it, and they're wrong. If Dan was running for Sheriff only to pad his pension, then why wouldn't he have just run for re-election? He would have been unopposed. from: Naysayers Unite on: 09-15-2010 Let's not forget to thank Dan for pushing through the deregulation of the utilities and doubling our electric rates. from: Yail Bloor III on: 09-15-2010 Agree or not, most of the deregulation and letting banks and companies get away with murder was done during the Bush years and causing a terrible economy. Obama was handed a mess and yes its not turning around as quickly as hoped but I'll tell you what, I'll take the Democrates putting regulations on banks/companies anyday instead of G.W. Bush type politics. If the Democrates didnt take over only a short time ago, we would be in a depression. Bosley actually helped bring back alot of regulations so the average american can afford things. from: deregulation? on: 09-15-2010 I Agree (6) - I Disagree (15) Deregulation of the power industries in MA. About 10 yrs ago? That's OK. I'm sure most of the population doesn't even know what happened. Regulated power co.s had to sell off their generating assets to private co.s to create a "competitive" market. Dan spearheaded this through the state house and promised lower rates and a huge influx of new industries into the state due to this cheap power. Check out how it worked in California. Here in MA the private co.s came in, laid off 60% of the work force, forgot about maintaining facilities, and because there is no real competition have fixed prices and created power shortages to create these prices.It's just run the generators till they break. How does $50 to $900 per MW sound on the wholesale market to you? And notice how it takes a lot more time to restore your power because multible co.s are dealing with an infrastructure that was once maintained by one. Power co. shareholders were thrilled to unload their generating plants at a huge profit and it's a sure bet they were very appreciative of Dan' efforts on their behalf. Do you know who your buying your power from? It's not National Grid and they probably aren't even based in the U. S. Thanks Dan! Gale has large shoes to fill. from: Greg Roach on: 09-15-2010 Dan, has been a tremendous public servent for 24 years and Ms. Cariddi has large shoes to fill in Boston and the 1st District. Thanks for everything that you have done for the community, district and my family! It's a shame that the run for Sheriff didn't end in a victory for you. You truly deserved it and were the right man for that position. I know that you will easily find work and you will take it on with dignity and class, as always!! Best of luck!! from: Pat Ingoldsby on: 09-15-2010 Please stop with the 'Dan' was qualified for sheriff tirade-NOT! Let it go, it's over! He was never qualified for the position no matter the arugment you make! Thanks for your time in Boston, Mr. Bosley, please accept a gracious good luck in your future endeavors from one of your opponent's supporters...time to move on...for all of us. from: Bubba on: 09-15-2010 Who is qualified to be a sheriff ? If the sheriff we had for 32 years could do it, many people in the county would make good sheriffs. The current sheriff was a teacher and a politician. Bubba, you sound like a bully looking for a new job at the jail or doing road details. I'd enjoy knowing what you are qualified to do - probably not much. from: Deputy Bub on: 09-15-2010 My clear memory of Bosley is an arrogant man who had no apparent reason for his arrogance. He once told a local program that he didn't care about cuts to day care-his wife stayed home. Time for him to stay home now. from: Memory on: 09-15-2010 memory sounds like u are the arrogant one...dan thanks for all you have done for our district good luck in the future from: local man on: 09-15-2010 As someone who has known Dan for a very long time, I can assure you, he would never have said he doesn't care about cuts to anything. The above statement is an outright lie. The voters of Berkshire County may not have thought he was the right person for the sheriff's position, but saying he doesn't care is ridiculous. from: pittsfield on: 09-15-2010 Despite all of the very negative comments on Dan Bosley's legacy of public service, facts speak for themselves. For 24 years he served as our State Representative. In that time he had either no opposition or token opposition at most. He was re-elected each and every time. When he initially announced he would step down and take the job with the Governor's office a few years ago, a host of qualified candidates started throwing their names into the ring. When he announced he was not taking the job and was running for re-election every one of them dropped out. If he had decided to run for re-election this year, no one would have opposed him. Those facts speak a lot louder than any words. Dan was re-elected so many times because his constituents were happy with him. Enough of the hateful comments. Bowler won, congratulations to him. Gail is the next State Rep, I didn't vote for her but she'll do just fine, I'm sure. Let's move on, people. from: The Ayes Have It on: 09-16-2010 Dan Bosley lost the election for a number of reasons. The first is that the people did not feel that he was qualified to be a Sheriff. The next is the feeling that Dan has become to much of a Boston "fat cat" who over the years had changed to the ultimate career politician. The third downfall in loosing votes was and is, his allegiance to former Mayor John Barrett. This certainly lost him votes esp. in North Adams. People have indicated that this connection was one of the reasons for supporting Dan's opponent. Lastly and most important is the fact that Tom Bowler had a magnificent and superior organization That coupled with his outstanding record as a law enforcement officer and wide circle of friends gave him a large edge over his opponent. Voters wanted a law enforcement officer and not a glorified social worker running the House of Correction. It appears that a new era has dawned on the Berkshires and the old closely knit political gang is going out of business. Results will be more openness and better government for all. from: Just an observer on: 09-16-2010 It would appear your observational skills need adjustment, maybe thicker glasses will help. Bosley lost because Bowler is from Pittsfield and a well respected police detective there, Pittsfield is where the heaviest majority of the vote was, and South County barely voted at all in this primary. It's math, plain and simple. It's also obvious that the majority of the voters felt, as Bowler did, that the job required a law enforcement background and not a political one (this time - remember, Mr. Massimiano was not law enforcement before becoming sheriff). As for your attempt to blame John Barrett for Dan's loss, that's just plain ludicrous. If that was going to be a factor, then why did Gail Cariddi win the Rep race in a convincing fashion in both North Adams and Williamstown? She is a major supporter of Barrett and has never made a secret of it. Why would the same voters in North Berkshire using your "Barrett mentality" say it applied to Bosley but not to the Rep race. I think most would agree the position of State Rep is far more important to North Berkshire specifically than the sheriff's office. I really do wish the Barrett haters would move on - he LOST, okay, we get it! Dick is the mayor and he's doing a pretty good job, so please stop obsessing about Barrett and making him the reason for all things you don't like. from: Mr Magoo on: 09-16-2010 abuse of power or political policies. Yes, it is time to move on and the sands of times are pointing to a new and improved Berkshire County with new leadership being demanded by voters and citizens of this county. from: The truth be said on: 09-17-2010 Dear MaGoo, Why did Ms. Carridi win despite being a major Barrett supporter? Precisely for the reason I voted for her, to get her off the council. It will help the new mayor and council continue trying to straighten out the mess Herr Barrett left. "I'm a pretty talented guy, I'm pretty smart and I'll find something to do." but not smart enough to WIN. your a official LOSER from: down on: 09-16-2010 Hey Down, Give the man some credit, he has pulled more money into our district than any other representative before him. So enough with the name calling and show some gratitude. from: Two Cents on: 09-16-2010 Because he got a free ride to hold the job so long. How about how much money he pulled into his POCKETS? Again, check your electric bill. Kind of concerned with the election of Gail Carriddi as State Representatives. Although the Eagle and Transcript gave her their endorsements and blessings her record clearly shows that she has not been a strong and/or effective political leader on the North Adams City Council. Give her credit for community efforts but as for political leadership the question is of concern. from: news watcher on: 09-17-2010 to all you bosley fans, dont worry you might get another chance to vote for him.the rummer on the radio election night is that he will now run for mayer of north adams.im glad i live somewhere else. from: fed up on: 09-17-2010 People, settle down! Bowler won the race because he ran a great campaign. We wish him success as Sheriff. Whether Dan or Tom were "qualified" to serve depends on your expectations of the role of Sheriff. Law enforcement or Corrections? Law endforcement won out, but Tom will be fine as he learns the job. Most people will never know the breadth and depth of Dan's influence on legislation over his tenure; suffice it to say that North Berkshire and the entire county benefitted from his hard work and political savvy. Good luck Tom, good luck Dan. from: Jim on: 09-19-2010 Where to vote in Berkshire County Tuesday, Nov. 4 Voting is from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Deadline to register or change party affiliation was Oct.15. Candidates on the ballot in races for state office; all others on the ballot are unopposed. Links will take you to their campaign websites. U.S. Senator • Edward J. Markey, Democrat • Brian J. Herr, Republican Governor/Lieutenant Governor • Charlie Baker & Karyn Polito, Republican • Martha Coakley & Stephen Kerrigan, Democrat • Evan Falchuk & Angus Jennings, United Independent Party • Scott Lively & Shelly Saunders, Independent • Jeff McCormick & Tracy Post, Independent • Maura Healey, Democratic • John B. Miller, Republican • William Francis Galvin, Democratic • David D'Arcangelo, Republican • Daniel L. Factor, Green-Rainbow • Deborah B. Goldberg, Democratic • Michael James Heffernan, Republican • Ian T. Jackson, Green-Rainbow • Suzanne M. Bump, Democratic • Patricia S. Saint Aubin, Republican • MK Merelice, Green-Rainbow The cities of Pittsfield and North Adams will hold municipal elections for mayor, city council and school committee in 2015 You may vote absentee: if you will be absent from your town or city on election day, have a physical disability that prevents you from voting at the polls or cannot vote at the polls because to religious beliefs. 2010 Special Senate Election Results Election 2009 Stories 1st Berkshire (42) 2nd Berkshire (29) 3rd Berkshire (19) 4th Berkshire (14) auditor (5) candidate forums (49) city council (40) endorsements (47) school committee (21) selectmen (22) sheriff (28) Lieutenant Governor 1st Mass Bosley City Council North Adams Campaign Democrat Mark Debates Szczepaniak Town Election Independent Preliminary Primary Selectmen Governor Democratic Party Election 2013 Pittsfield Election 2014 Berkshire Brigades Williamstown Letters To The Editor Bissaillon Town Elections Macdonald Republican Party U.s. Senate Debate Bowler Special Election Mayor Candidates Boucher Cariddi There's a New Sheriff in Town Three Make Case for 2nd District Seat Cariddi Clear Winner in 1st District Longtime City Councilor Cariddi Kicks Off State Rep Campaign Candidates Forum Scheduled for Aug 17 Bissaillon Campaign Hosts Pancake Breakfast Baker Wins Governor's Race Suzanne Bump Seeking Re-election as Auditor Independent Falchuk Hits Threshold To Start New Party AG Candidate Healey Hears Concerns on Hospital Candidate Kerrigan Stops in Pittsfield For Get Out The Vote Push U.S. Senate Candidate Brian Herr Fighting for Name Recognition Area Democrats Making Final Push For November Election Coakley Stresses Commitment to Berkshires Candidates Showing Differences As Governor's Race Heats Up Gubernatorial Candidates Spar In Springfield Debate	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line621
__label__wiki	0.702919	0.702919	IBOV on Facebook September 12, 2016 \| Don’t be a target. Learn how to keep your personal information private by requesting to remove it from these sites. December 18, 2015 \| New Website Helps You Research Veterans In Your Family For Free With Help Of Volunteers November 9, 2015 \| Operation Find GRIDLOCK004 – Help Parents Recover Colt 1911 Previously Owned By Their Army Veteran Son September 27, 2015 \| Border Jobs For Veterans Act To Increase Employment Opportunities For Veterans September 17, 2015 \| Carter Honors 3 Who Stopped Gunman On Paris-Bound Train OPM Covers 21.5 Million Plus Impacted By Data Breach With Identity Theft Insurance And Identity Restoration Services TOPICS:data breachid theftopm By Amaani Lyle DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, September 2, 2015 — U.S. Office of Personnel Management officials recently awarded to ID Experts a contract encompassing a comprehensive suite of identity theft and credit monitoring services for compromised victims, agency officials announced yesterday during a media conference call. Beth Cobert, OPM’s acting director, said the most recent data breach was one of the largest cyber crimes ever carried out against the U.S. government and she pledged to provide impacted parties individualized notices about obtaining additional credit monitoring services at no cost. All 21.5 million impacted individuals and their minor dependent children “are now covered for identity theft insurance and identity restoration services,” she said. ID Theft, Fraud Protection Services “Once notifications have been received,” Cobert added,” I hope people will take advantage of the comprehensive identity theft and fraud protection services we are providing to the victims of these crimes.” These notifications, she said, will begin by the end of September and continue over the following weeks. Navy Rear Adm. Allie Coetzee, DoD’s principal deputy for defense procurement and acquisition, said the contract immediately covers individuals with $1 million in insurance, as well as restoration services in cases following discovery of further compromise to information or identity. “Individuals who elect to can sign up for three years of credit monitoring and identity theft protection through contractor services,” Coetzee said. OPM has partnered with experts across government to take significant strides in securing IT systems and guarding against future attacks, the admiral explained. “OPM is … committed to helping those whose personal information was stolen by providing them with high-quality identity theft and credit protection services free of charge,” she said. Colbert noted that due to the nature of breached information, OPM offers individuals the option to enroll their minor dependent children for credit monitoring and other services. Commitment to Protect Information OPM’s acting director noted that she has a personal stake in the matter as part of OPM’s commitment to protecting the security federal employees and contractors’ information. “As one of the millions of people who had their own personal information stolen, I completely understand and share the concern and frustration people are feeling,” she said. “I’m sorry about the concern this breach has caused and want to assure everyone impacted that we are doing all in our power to support those individuals victimized by this cybercrime.” Cobert praised the collaboration between the U.S. General Services Administration and the Defense Department in the development and execution of the contract. “DOD in particular is best positioned to deliver the quality and volume of support to these cybercrime victims,” she said. VIEW THE PRESS RELEASE FROM OPM OPM, DoD Announce Identity Theft Protection and Credit Monitoring Contract Victims of Cybercrime to Receive Three Years of Services WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) today announced the award of a $133,263,550 contract to Identity Theft Guard Solutions LLC, doing business as ID Experts, for identity theft protection services for 21.5 million individuals whose personal information was stolen in one of the largest cybercrimes ever carried out against the United States Government. These services will be provided at no cost to the victims whose sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, were compromised in the cyber incident involving background investigations. “We remain fully committed to assisting the victims of these serious cybercrimes and to taking every step possible to prevent the theft of sensitive data in the future,” said Beth Cobert, Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management. “Millions of individuals, through no fault of their own, had their personal information stolen and we’re committed to standing by them, supporting them, and protecting them against further victimization. And as someone whose own information was stolen, I completely understand the concern and frustration people are feeling.” ID Experts will provide all impacted individuals and their dependent minor children (under the age of 18 as of July 1, 2015) with credit monitoring, identity monitoring, identity theft insurance, and identity restoration services for a period of three years. This task order was awarded under GSA’s Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA) for Identity Monitoring, Data Breach Response and Protection Services which GSA awarded today. The U.S. Government, through the Department of Defense, will notify those impacted beginning later this month and continue over the next several weeks. Notifications will be sent directly to impacted individuals. For more information, or to sign up for email alerts, please visit https://www.opm.gov/cybersecurity. OPM has previously issued the following guidance to affected individuals: Monitor financial account statements and immediately report any suspicious or unusual activity to financial institutions. Request a free credit report at www.AnnualCreditReport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228. Consumers are entitled by law to one free credit report per year from each of the three major credit bureaus – Equifax®, Experian®, and TransUnion® – for a total of three reports every year. Contact information for the credit bureaus can be found on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website, www.ftc.gov. Review resources provided on the FTC identity theft website, www.ftc.gov/idtheft. The FTC maintains a variety of consumer publications providing comprehensive information on computer intrusions and identity theft. You may place a fraud alert on your credit file to let creditors know to contact you before opening a new account in your name. Simply call TransUnion® at 1-800-680-7289 to place this alert. TransUnion® will then notify the other two credit bureaus on your behalf. How to avoid being a victim: Be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls, visits, or email messages from individuals asking about employees or other internal information. If an unknown individual claims to be from a legitimate organization, try to verify his or her identity directly with the company. Do not provide personal information or information about your organization, including its structure or networks, unless you are certain of a person’s authority to have the information. Do not reveal personal or financial information in email, and do not respond to email solicitations for this information. This includes following links sent in email. Do not send sensitive information over the Internet before checking a website’s security (for more information, see Protecting Your Privacy, http://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST04-013). Pay attention to the URL of a website. Malicious websites may look identical to a legitimate site, but the URL may use a variation in spelling or a different domain (e.g., .com vs. .net). If you are unsure whether an email request is legitimate, try to verify it by contacting the company directly. Do not use contact information provided on a website connected to the request; instead, check previous statements for contact information. Information about known phishing attacks is also available online from groups such as the Anti-Phishing Working Group (http://www.antiphishing.org). Install and maintain anti-virus software, firewalls, and email filters to reduce some of this traffic (for more information, see Understanding Firewalls, http://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST04-004; Understanding Anti-Virus Software, http://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST04-005; and Reducing Spam, http://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST04-007). Take advantage of any anti-phishing features offered by your email client and web browser. Affected individuals can obtain additional information about the steps they can take to avoid identity theft from the following agencies. The FTC also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Visit the California Office of Privacy\|Protection (www.privacy.ca.gov) for additional information on protection against identity theft. For Kentucky Residents: Office of the Attorney General of Kentucky 700 Capitol Avenue, Suite 118 Frankfort, Kentucky 40601 www.ag.ky.gov For Maryland Residents: Office of the Attorney General of Maryland Consumer Protection Division 200 St. Paul Place www.oag.state.md.us/Consumer For North Carolina Residents: Office of the Attorney General of North Carolina www.ncdoj.com/ For all other US Residents: Identity Theft Clearinghouse www.consumer.gov/idtheft 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338) TDD: 1-202-326-2502 Be the first to comment on "OPM Covers 21.5 Million Plus Impacted By Data Breach With Identity Theft Insurance And Identity Restoration Services" International Brotherhood of Veterans Don’t be a target. Learn how to keep your personal information private by requesting to remove it from these sites. New Website Helps You Research Veterans In Your Family For Free With Help Of Volunteers Operation Find GRIDLOCK004 – Help Parents Recover Colt 1911 Previously Owned By Their Army Veteran Son Border Jobs For Veterans Act To Increase Employment Opportunities For Veterans Carter Honors 3 Who Stopped Gunman On Paris-Bound Train Copyright 2020 \| MH Newsdesk by MH Themes Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and Disclaimer.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line622
__label__cc	0.646221	0.353779	Class Action Citibank As a general overview, class action lawsuits involve a band of people in some capacity: A collective class, even bound together over the issue of a misrepresented product, suing a defendant, or a band of defendants, individual negligent companies, as an example, being sued by a single person. While most class action lawsuits are filed for product liability claims, other types of cases also conclude in court, too, including shareholders suing for fraud, employees for discrimination, and residents over environmental disasters. Each case, which can be filed in either federal or state court, class action lawsuits has its pluses. Because a limited number of witnesses overlap, the trial process inevitably moves along faster, while the cost of litigation tends to be lower than for individual plaintiffs filing alone. Additionally, these types of cases also tend to have drawbacks. Before the lawsuit even progresses, the collective group must be defined as a class. Federal courts, as well, can conclude class actions if the defendants are state governments or officials or if the plaintiffs number less than {one hundred,100. Obama Political Jokes – Funny Jokes About Barack Obama President Obama finally took decisive action. He named Duke, Kansas, Ohio State and Pittsburgh as his Final Four." Obama said he talked so much during class, the teacher had to take away his teleprompter." Citibank, Morgan Stanley — all dependents." –Jay Leno The Best "Sleeper Ideas" For Trends, Stocks, And Private Companies To Watch In 2014 This is the third year in a row that I’ve asked friends and colleagues of mine to make predictions for the coming year. In the past, when I’ve done these predictions, I’ve turned to mostly traders Credit Card Customers May Benefit From Class Action Lawsuit … If you had a credit card account with Citibank between May 5, 2002 and May 24, 2010, and your interest rate was increased as a result of a default or delinquency, you could get a payment from a class action settlement. A proposed class action settlement has been reached in a lawsuit brought against Peer-to-peer Lending – Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia On July 19 the class action lawsuit was settled. Under the settlement terms Prosper will pay $10 million to the class action members. See also . Alternative financial services; Comparison of crowd funding services; Customer to customer; UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK … Plaintiffs bring this putative antitrust class action alleging that certain general Citibank USA, N.A., Universal Bank, N.A., Universal Financial Corp. (the Citigroup, Citibank and Universal entities are collectively referred to as “Citibank”), Citicorp Diners Club, Inc., Fire An Employee – Top 10 Don'ts When You Fire An Employee How to Fire With Compassion and Class; How to Handle Employee Job Termination; More About When You Fire an Employee. Employment Terminations: Avoid Legal Problems; Performance Improvement Strategies; Memorable Firsts in Human Resources Management; Citi Files Motion To Dismiss In Bonus Pay Class Action … On Monday, Citigroup filed a motion to dismiss a class action lawsuit filed against the firm over the terms of its financial advisor bonus pay agreements. Special Action Force – Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia The Special Action Force is the National Mobile Unit of the Philippine National netting a bank robbery gang made up of ex-AFP soldiers believed to be responsible for the Citibank Philippines SAF Commando Class 27 composed the 24th company of 2nd Battalion were deployed in North Carlaw Capital IV Inc. Provides Update On Proposed Qualifying Transaction TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – Jan. 8, 2014) – Unemployment Extension 2013 – About.com Job Searching Legislation was approved in early January extending federal unemployment benefits that would have expired without action from Congress. The legislation extended the federal Emergency Unemployment We are living in a new economy similar to a third world with a widening class division. © 2011 Citibank, N.A. All rights reserved. • Semi-annual assessments of the effectiveness of internal controls and disciplinary action allow the Citi and the Department of Navy won Treasury & Risk’s best-in-class solution distinction,	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line623
__label__cc	0.642122	0.357878	Home Astronomy 26 July 2014 – National Day Parade (NDP) Rehearsal Fireworks with Rising Milky Way above Laser Show at Marina Bay Sands 26 July 2014 – National Day Parade (NDP) Rehearsal Fireworks with Rising Milky Way above Laser Show at Marina Bay Sands The NDP rehearsal fireworks photography outing was concluded with great success with many photography enthusiasts from all walks of life converging at Esplanade outdoor theatre yesterday hoping to capture the spectacular fireworks display and probably also the Milky Way galaxy. I’ve also received more questions about the Milky Way than the fireworks which I will answer them later in this post. 26 July 2014 – National Day Parade (NDP) Rehearsal Fireworks Photography Outing. Credit: Seah Kee Bee It turned out that the sky conditions were unfavorable with many layers of thin haze overhead and the fireworks display was pretty decent considering it’s just a rehearsal. Nonetheless, I was able to complete my earlier image with the first burst of fireworks before the entire CBD was obscured by the smoke. 26 July 2014 – NDP rehearsal fireworks with rising Milky Way above laser show at MBS. The above image shows the following: 1. Rising Milky Way on 21 July 2014 at 9.10PM SGT. 2. MBS laser show on 21 July 2014 between 9.30PM to 9.45PM SGT. 3. First burst of fireworks on 26 July 2014 at 8.02PM SGT. It is worthy to know that it’s possible to photograph the above scene on the same day provided the seeing is good on that day, which is extremely rare. Here’s some statistics based on my own observations whenever I’m in Singapore to show you why. 1. The number of good seeing nights, to capture the Milky Way when its altitude is at least 30 degrees above horizon, since Jan 2014 till date is 10 days or less. 2. Since NDP fireworks start in July till 9 Aug, the number of good seeing nights right after sunset is 3 days or less from 1 July till date. 3. Since NDP fireworks is only available on Saturday, the number of good seeing Saturday nights right after sunset is zero from 1 July till date. Cloudless night ≠ Good Seeing night Assuming the seeing is good and you wish to produce the above image on 02 August 2014, here’s the timing you need to take note. 1. If you want the position of the rising Milky Way to be the same as it was on 21 July 2014 at 9.10PM SGT, then you need to capture it at 8.23PM SGT on 02 August 2014. Note that the skies will only enter its astronomical darkness state after 8.29PM SGT on 02 August. 2. National Day Parade rehearsal fireworks display will start from 8PM SGT for around 10 minutes or less on 02 August 2014. 3. The MBS laser show will start between 8.30PM to 8.45PM SGT on 02 August 2014, next show will be from 9.30PM to 9.45PM SGT and last show will be from 11PM to 11.15PM SGT. 4. Riverboat will start after the fireworks display. And here’s my reply to some questions that I’m being asked yesterday. Q1. Where is the Milky Way now? A1. The Galactic center of the Milky Way is located between Scorpius and Sagittarius constellations. There are many mobile apps available to help you find out the position of the Milky Way. You may also find out more about my astronomy tools at http://www.justinngphoto.com/astronomy-tools. Q2. Can we see the Milky Way from Esplanade? A2. No, you can’t see the Milky Way from most parts of Singapore. But having said that, it’s still possible to see the Milky Way from some very dark locations in Singapore. Q3. Do we need a full frame DSLR camera and F2.8 lens to shoot the Milky Way in Singapore? A3. No, you can use crop body and any aperture to shoot the Milky Way in Singapore. You only need a full frame DSLR camera and a fast lens when you’re shooting at a dark location. Q4. Do we still need to shoot at dark locations when using ETTR technique? A4. ETTR technique alone won’t work in most parts of Singapore. As Singapore offers varying degrees of light pollution, different workflows and shooting techniques are required to unveil the elusive Milky Way. Using ETTR technique at darker locations in a light-polluted city will increase your chances of getting a good shot and you don’t need a complex workflow to bring out the details of the Milky Way. Q5. Are your images real since they need to go through extensive post-processing in Photoshop? A5. My images present what’s real in reality, but the image will never look real because we’ll never be able to see the Milky Way under extreme light pollution with our naked eye. The same goes for all the beautiful galaxies and nebulae in our universe. But we cannot pretend they don’t exist just because we can’t see them with our eyes. Q6. I have tried your tutorial on shooting Milky Way under light-polluted skies but it’s not working for me. A6. The workflow presented in the tutorial only works for locations as dark as Sentosa or darker. If you’re shooting at a brighter location, then you need a more complex workflow to unveil the Milky Way. Q7. What advice do you have for beginners like us? A7. Believe in nothing is impossible. Astro-cityscape is a new genre that’s completely unprecedented in Singapore and most of the tutorials available online will not work in most parts of Singapore. Shooting under different atmospheric conditions and different degrees of light pollution require a different shooting technique and workflow. You only need one or two workflows if you don’t really care about digital noise and details. It can be fun because there’s so much to explore, but it can also be frustrating for those who just started out. You need tons of patience, be warned 🙂 art science museum national day parade national day parade rehearsal Astronomy Milky Way Milky Way in Singapore Night Sky Photography Justin Ng Photography Mobile App Available on App Store and Google Play! 30 July 2014 - Southern Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower Milky Way in Singapore Rising Milky Way at East Coast Park Singapore on 26 May 2019 Astrophotography Tours Huawei P30 Pro Astrophotography Huawei P30 Pro Milky Way 2019 Mount Bromo Milky Way Astrophotography with Huawei P30 Pro Milky Way and Star Trails with Huawei P30 Pro [Apply Now] Official Photographers/Assistants for Chingay Parade Singapore Eta Aquarid Meteor Captured in Mount Bromo on 6 May 2017 30 Nov 2016 – First flight with DJI Phantom 4 Pro	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line624
__label__wiki	0.980064	0.980064	Home » 苏州美甲美睫培训学校 » Grain still hitting the market Grain still hitting the market IN SPITE of logistical issues as a result of the east coast floods, exporters are reporting they are still getting grain onto boats to meet export demand. Rosemary Richards, executive director of the Australian Grain Exporters Association (AGEA) said that in spite of some difficulties getting the grain from upcountry sites to port, the shipping stem was still strong for grain exports. “The shipping program is strong, there’s still a lot of grain moving out, there’s over half a million tonnes booked for February,” she said. Ms Richards said it was a matter of exporters finding the easiest port to move the grain from. “We’ve seen some issues, like limited rail access into Geelong and the closure of Fisherman Island for some time in Queensland, but exporters are working around these difficulties.” GrainCorp said in its latest harvest report that it expects there to only be minor crop losses from stored grain, while early reports after the Victorian floods indicate most grain is deliverable, albeit downgraded to feed quality. However, in the overall scheme of the Australian crop, the tonnages in question are relatively minor. “It is unclear in Victoria what area has been abandoned and how bad the downgrading has been, but on a macro level, most of the crop is already off,” Ms Richards said. She also said there were issues with farmers who could not meet contract requirements because of access issues to either unharvested paddocks or on-farm storage, but said she expected exporters and farmers to work through this together. Robert Green, Cargill Australia chief executive, said in the December floods in NSW, his company had worked with farmers who had come to them with genuine difficulties in getting accessing the grain and given them an extra month for delivery. Ms Richards said the plus for both exporters and farmers with late contracts was that there was enough grain that could be accessed for exporters to meet their international customers’ needs, easing the pressure to get grain out of flood impacted areas immediately. However, she the damage to the rail infrastructure could be felt for months, especially in parts of Queensland, where she said it is expected to be over three months before grain rail tracks are operational again. Mark Thiele, managing director Elders Toepfer Grain (ETG) said that in spite of a challenging harvest, most exporters were coping reasonable well. “It’s a regional thing, in some areas there is more of an impact than others, but overall, I’d say the exporters have managed to keep the shipping program ticking along reasonably well, given the challenges.”	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line635
__label__wiki	0.739893	0.739893	Hiva Oa, Marquesas - November 2010 My first impression of Hiva Oa arriving from Ua Huka (via Nuku Hiva desert airport) was of a green lush island paradise. It's not quite that, although the French singer-songwriter Jacques Brell chose to make Atuona, Hiva Oa his home for his last years (lung cancer due to smoking) and as did Paul Gauguin. Brell took up flying and I saw his aircraft, now preserved in a small museum. I also visited the museum of copies of Paul Gauguin's paintings and a recreation of his "House of Pleasure" and a particularly obscene tiki, clearly female; chaqu'un à son Tiki!. Gauguin's retirerment in Atuona was not long either. I was told the the shopkeeper at Puamau, from whom I bought a snack lunch, is a descendent of Gauguin. Puamau is as close to the end of the world as I have yet visited and returned: accessible on land by a precipitous 4wd track that clings to the crumbling cliffs after crossing the cloud forest highland interior of Hiva Oa. There are a couple of large archaeological sites, each of which I saw at dawn when the light is most evocative and the birds still singing. Impressive in their different ways: Puamau has large Tikis (stone statues) including one which depicts the lower half torso of a vanquished tribal chief (on the right in my photo). Taaoa, much closer to Atuona, seemed to be about using stone age architecture to portray power. The architecture is about power rather than meditation or peacefulness. You can't fail to think that these people were a big and impressive tribe. It's been extensively restored and there's a clear map /layout which suggests the houses for the warriors, the houses for the chief and his advisers and so on. And the pits for the fermentation of bread fruit and another (some way away) for the bones of the sacrifices. The views of the bays and Mount Temtieu are also fantastic but overall I preferred Nuka Hiva because it's even more dramatic and I found the locals much more friendly. Nuka Hiva airport is due to be upgraded to receive international flights which will change things there. Leaving Hiva Oa was not so easy either:: just as we got to the airport, some rain started. Feli, the patron, was very happy because they need rain. Not so happy when he found his incoming clients would not arrive so he would not sell the bungalows tonight. He may also have soem problems with the 4WDs he has rented out getting stuck in the mud. Air Tahiti weren't too bad on information. The flight out was meant to be on a little plane, I think a Twin Otter. That circled overhead for 30mins whilst the rain and cloud didn't clear. Then it left back to Nuku Hiva. Our flight was supposed to be to Nuku Hiva and then on to Papeete: they cancelled the passengers to Nuku Hiva and gave a new time for the flight to Papeete. We're arrive late but without a stop at Nuku Hiva. There was a German tourist travelling alone who was crying when she thought that she would miss her international flight tonight to Santiago via Easter island. But not a disaster for me, the worst was hitting the rush hour out of Papeete, though I was cursing the extra day I stayed at Hiva Oa which wasn't really used very well for seeing things nor was it useful relaxation. If I'd left yesterday then no delay... Motorbiking Polynesia Photo Blog About JohnH Anna Pavlova at the Victoria Palace It’s good to see the School we knew? Saint-Raphaël, Côte d'Azur Concorde at Heathrow Ready for GLME Summercamp 2017 Madeira sunset In the land of dykes and sills Ilheus da Rib Montado do Paredão Baía de Camara de Lobos Polynesia in Provence “Physical Energy” Paul Gauguin at the Tate Modern Copyright © 2020 John HikerBiker. All Rights Reserved.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line638
__label__cc	0.529469	0.470531	If I Didn't Care Love Proof Love and Redemption Love and Turmoil Love & Mayhem If Wishes Were Earls Portrait of a Girl If Wishes Were Earls Chapter One Camborne, England Your heart’s desire awaits in St. Erth. Begin your search at Enchanted Keepsakes. Good heavens, how strange. Miranda Large turned the single sheet of paper over, searching for a clue to its sender. Addressed simply to Miranda in Camborne, it was a wonder the missive reached her in the first place. Her heart’s desire? Why, she’d not thought of that phrase since the previous summer when—But surely it could have no connection. Where the devil was St. Erth? Leaving her half eaten breakfast on the table, she crossed the hall to Papa’s library. She glanced at the watch pinned to her shirtwaist – a treasured remembrance of her mama. Yes, she’d have time to find St. Erth in the atlas, providing it existed, and was in England, before Cordelia arrived for their morning excursion. The library was empty of both Papa and his pipe smoke this time of morning. He’d yet to return from his morning stroll, so she was in no danger of interrupting him in his scientific studies. The large atlas of England, Scotland, and Wales sat on the bookcase’s lowest shelf. She wrestled the tome to the only clear space on Papa’s desk and flipped the cover open. Now, where to start looking? Hoping she wouldn’t have to venture north to the Hebrides for her heart’s desire, she found the section for Cornwall to start her search close to home. Five minutes later she located the tiny village, inland from Hayle, a few stops along the main rail line. Not far at all. Hm…perhaps an adventure was in the offing. Mrs York stepped into the room. “Miss Cordelia is here, miss.” “Thank you. Have you heard of a village called St. Erth?” The housekeeper frowned and pursed her lips. “Can’t say as I have. Is it near?” “Close to Hayle.” “Ah, I’ve not spent much time down that way.” Miranda strode to the sitting room. “Good morning, Cordelia. My, your cheeks are rosy.” “It’s frightfully cold, and the wind is sharp.” The young woman had peeled off her gloves and held her hands to the fire. “Not a good day for a stroll, then.” Blast. She quite enjoyed tramping through the streets, greeting people with whom she was acquainted, and peering into front windows should the net curtains be askew. Surprising what one saw when one kept one’s eyes open, and looking in the right direction. “I fear we may suffer frostbite if we’re too long out of doors.” But perhaps…“Wait here a moment, there’s something I want to show you.” She hurried to the library again and rummaged atop the desk to locate the train schedule. She flipped through it on her way back to the sitting room. “How about a train journey instead?” “The train? Wherever to?” “A quaint,” it sounded quaint, “little village called St. Erth. We can catch the nine-twenty to Hayle, and hire a conveyance of some sort to the village.” “Why on earth would we? Are you acquainted with someone who resides in St. Erth?” “No…I don’t think so.” “Is this another of your scavenger hunts?” Miranda laughed. “You might say, but something more exciting.” She pulled the mysterious note from the pocket of her skirt and handed it to her friend. “Read this while I fetch my coat and hat.” She ran from the room before Cordelia could express any objections. She donned a woollen spencer and topped it with her heaviest wool coat. Her fur-lined boots should keep her feet warm. As added security against the cold, she wrapped a long muffler around her neck. None of her hats were designed for warmth, so she chose the one most likely to break the wind. After penning a note to Papa explaining her absence, she returned to the sitting room. “We’d best hurry.” “I don’t understand why we’re going. Who sent this letter?” “I mean to find out.” Miranda huffed. Cordelia’s endless and habitual questions were delaying the start of the adventure. “By going to the shop mentioned, of course. There must be a connection.” “How do you know it is a shop?” “I assumed from the name it’s a gift shop of sorts. Or a curiosity shop.” She linked arms with her friend, the better to propel her at a greater speed. They descended to the street and set off at a brisk clip. “And what does ‘heart’s desire’ mean?” Good heavens, more questions. No surprise, Cordelia had always been inquisitive. Indeed, more than one of her many former suitors had said precisely that. But Miranda had a similar curious streak, hence their firm friendship. The station came within sight. They would be in time for the train. “Let’s purchase tickets and then I’ll explain as much as I can.” They bought return tickets and secured seats in one of the third class carriages. A minute later the train started moving. “Tell me the story, I’m ready.” Miranda smiled at the look of resignation on Cordelia’s face. They’d known each other for all but the first five of their twenty-seven years of life, and no one knew her better. Or had more patience with her occasionally wild ideas. “You remember my holiday with Papa last summer.” “In Penzance, yes.” “On a day Papa was busy with one of his scientific meetings, I hired a driver to take me to a spot I’d heard about from one of the other ladies at the hotel.” “On your own?” “I had Bertha with me of course, all quite proper. There was a tale about Madron’s Well and a nearby cloutie tree.” “I’ve not heard of a cloutie tree in years.” “They’re not as popular as they once were amongst the wishing set, but this lady I mentioned makes a special trip to this exact tree every year. She swears her wishes invariably come true.” “Stuff and nonsense.” “Perhaps, but as I had nothing better to do, Bertha and I spent a lovely afternoon exploring the countryside. The hotel packed a picnic lunch for the three of us—” “Three?” “Bertha, the driver—Bob? Bill? —And me.” Cordelia chuckled and shook her head. “Only you would think to include a hired driver in your picnic party.” “He required feeding as well. In any case,” she sat forward, the memory of her impressions sending a tingle up her spine, “we arrived at the cloutie tree, fairly smothered in scraps of cloth and ribbons and handkerchiefs. Some had been there so long they were little more than tattered rags. An atmosphere of portent and mystery permeated the glade.” She clasped her hands tightly. Even now the sense of some indescribable power made her heart race. “I’d written my wish on a hankie while we ate lunch and tied it securely to one of the lower branches. And there you have it.” “There I have what? What does that have to do with the mysterious letter and our hare-brained trip in the dead of winter to a strange village in the middle nowhere?” “St. Erth is but two miles from Hayle, hardly the middle of nowhere.” She wished Cordelia could be a little excited about this adventure. They’d never come to harm pursuing one of her schemes. Not yet at any rate. “But you haven’t explained how the two are connected.” “I should think it obvious. My wish has been granted.” “You made a wish to receive a letter instructing you to travel to a little village no one has heard of?” “No, silly, I made a wish to find my heart’s desire.” Cordelia’s eyes widened and the colour left her cheeks. “That’s what the note said. Those exact words.” Miranda nodded and relaxed in her seat. “Precisely. Hence our excursion to St. Erth.” “But what is your heart’s desire? What will you find? And who sent the note?” Miranda frowned and chewed on her lower lip. “I have no idea.” “Will the thing for which you search be a titled gentleman?” “A titled husband is my dream, of course. As it is yours. I can’t imagine there are many viscounts, earls, or dukes roaming a tiny village.” “We’ve not run across many in Camborne, either.” “True.” They needed to spend more time in sophisticated haunts. Perhaps Papa could be persuaded to send her to Bath for a few months. She’d be sure to trip over a baron or two at the very least. And Cordelia would have little difficulty attracting the notice of one such. They had vowed to settle for nothing less, even before they’d attended their first assembly as debutantes. Jewels and prestige would compensate for the absence of affection. Miranda tapped her friend’s hand. “What do we want?” “A title.” Cordelia smiled, her eyes filled with laughter. “Why do we want it?” “For a place in society.” They spoke in unison before dissolving into giggles. Such silliness. They’d been playing this game whilst still in the schoolroom. Spouses may die but once a Lady, always a Lady. She’d read in the scandal sheets of straying husbands, particularly amongst the aristocracy. But if her earl, baron, or knight acquired a mistress, she would remain a Lady. The title was insurance of a sort. What did it matter if her husband was rarely at home? She’d have a grand house to manage, parties to host, and gowns in the latest fashion. They subsided into their private thoughts, accompanied by the sway of the train and the clack of wheels over the track. Miranda had felt faintly ridiculous tying a scrap of fabric to a tree, truth be told, but the woman at the hotel had been convinced of the power of the cloutie tree. Surely it would cause no harm. And look, there had been a result. Why else would she have received a note from the vast Universe? The two must be connected. And she did need to wed, sooner rather than later. A little over an hour later they pulled into Hayle. A respectable hotel next to the station allowed the two women to freshen up and plan the next step in their journey. They were fortunate to have timed their arrival with the imminent departure of a delivery wagon heading for St. Erth. They squeezed into the back, perching atop a roll of carpeting and a sack of grain. “I think the temperature has dropped.” Cordelia shivered and raised the collar of her coat. “I fear you may be right. The wind has certainly picked up. Would you have rather remained at the hotel?” Miranda scooted closer to her friend and chafed her hands. “And allow you to go on this perilous journey on your own? What sort of friend would I be?” “A warm friend.” They laughed and ducked their heads against the wind as the team of horses moved off. Luckily the trip was only two miles, and they reached their destination before they were frozen through. They were deposited outside a public house next to a mill, its giant wheel turning slowly in the stream’s current. “Where to now?” Cordelia blew on her fingers. “Let’s explore all the shops facing onto the central green to start. We’ll maintain a brisk pace to warm us.” The village of St. Erth was indeed quaint, built around a square common area on which a few sheep grazed. At one end stood an imposing Norman church, complete with squat bell tower. They moved in the opposite direction from the church and passed a butcher shop displaying furred and feathered rabbits and chickens in the window. The remaining buildings on that side of the square were private homes, built of light grey stone, with thatched roofs. Tidy gardens would no doubt be delightful in the summer but now were barren and empty. A large pond, fed by the millstream, filled the square at the end opposite the church. Two ducks floated near the bank, but they would soon move on, once ice formed. No houses or shops sat at this end of the square, bordered as it was by a thick forest. A narrow track led away into the dark, forbidding depths. Miranda shivered, having no desire to explore along the track. Not one to fear the unknown, the area beyond the footpath nonetheless appeared ominous, the perfect haunt for monsters. At the next corner, they crossed a humped bridge over the stream as it flowed out of the pond. “How lovely, a tearoom.” Cordelia’s pace quickened. Thank heavens. A nice cup of hot tea would be lovely. And perhaps some cakes – the time being close to luncheon. A small sign hanging above the neighbouring door caught Miranda’s eye. She gasped, grabbed Cordelia’s arm, and pulled her to a stop. She pointed. “Look!” In faded black lettering on a pale gold background were the words Enchanted Keepsakes. “It exists,” Cordelia breathed. Miranda linked her arm with her friend’s and gave it a squeeze. “I was convinced it would. I could feel it.” Cordelia may have snorted at that comment. Miranda tried the doorknob, surprised when it turned. The shop did not appear open for business. She stepped into a gloomy, crowded, stuffy room. And sneezed. Blast. She didn’t do well in dusty places. Cordelia plucked a fan from atop a dresser, flicked it open, and the crimson silk crumbled to dust. “Knowing what we are searching for would help.” “Yes.” Miranda blew out a breath. The contents of the shop appeared to be nothing more than other people’s cast-offs. Certainly nothing enchanted about a chair losing its stuffing, a doll with one eye, or a collection of mismatched gloves. Another room led off the first, filled with similar clutter. Ordinarily she’d call it junk, but perhaps someone, somewhere, could make use of a cracked washbasin. Besides which, this was where the note had instructed her to go. For a reason. Cordelia clasped her hand, her face creased with sympathy. “A cup of tea will be just the thing.” “Yes, I see nothing here to tempt me.” She sneezed again. Blast, this was disappointing. “I’m sorry I suggested this, a wasted trip and we about froze to death.” “Nonsense. It is frightfully cold, but like you always say, we’ve been on an adventure, seen new sights, and will have a story to tell. You can regale your Papa and his friends at one of your dinner parties. And I’ll have something to discuss at the interminable assemblies Mother will drag me to. Let’s see if the tearoom serves more than tea.” They hurried across the side street and ducked into the fragrant warmth of the Custard Tart Tea Room and Bakery. Four small round tables sat arrayed near the large bow window, each covered with a snowy cloth and dainty tea service. A woman, who clearly enjoyed her own baking, emerged from behind a curtain at the back. “Good afternoon. Would you care for a pot of tea?” “Yes, please.” Miranda pulled off her gloves. The heat from the round stove sitting in the centre of the room penetrated her bones. “And we’ll have a plateful of whatever smells so delicious.” “Muffins. Another pan just came out of me oven.” She stepped into a back room but returned almost immediately with a laden tray filled with teapot, hot water, mismatched teacups and saucers, jug of milk, plate of muffins, large knob of butter, and three varieties of jam. A feast fit for a queen. Miranda dug in, groaning softly at the first bite of the tender muffin. She leaned forward. “I would get quite plump given the chance to eat such a treat everyday.” Cordelia nodded, her mouth too full to answer. Miranda turned to the woman polishing a jumble of teaspoons. “Tell me, Mrs…” “Mrs Treadwell, miss.” “How do you do. I’m Miss Miranda Large.” How she still cringed at her surname. Though she’d lived with it all her life, and was past the age of being teased by nasty schoolgirls, she wished her mama had chosen a different husband. Of course, given her knowledge of breeding, if she’d had a different father, she might not exist. Or she’d be a man. Besides, she wasn’t large all over, merely taller than most women and quite a few men. “And this is my friend Miss Cordelia Jones.” The older woman bowed her head in greeting, her hands crossed over her ample stomach. “Tell me, Mrs Treadwell, who owns the shop next door?” “You interested in purchasing, are you?” “Is the shop for sale?” Perhaps that’s why no shop owner hovered around being helpful. Drat, was she too late? “Could be. Miss Korinna has been talking of selling, waiting for the right person.” She shook her head. “Puts too much faith in the stars and similar malarkey, if you ask me.” “Actually I was hoping to buy a—” What in the world was she after? “A trinket.” “ ‘Tis strange she wasn’t in the shop. She’s there all hours, sorting and fussing. An unholy mess, if you ask me. But different folks have their own ways, and it’s not for me to judge. And I’ll not speak ill of his lordship, what would be her cousin, no matter what others may say. Shall I fetch you more hot water?” Miranda longed to ask about the mysterious lord and why there was ill feeling directed at him. But she surmised that this woman spoke the truth when she stated she wouldn’t spread tales. So she ate the last bite of her muffin and contemplated the frozen journey back to Hayle. Given the brevity of their stay in the village, they would have time before the next train to do some shopping. Perhaps find a Christmas gift for Papa, a man who desired nothing except books and had an overflowing library as it was. “A woman has entered the shop next door.” Cordelia half rose from her chair to get a better view through the lace curtains. Mrs Treadwell went to the window. “Aye, Miss Korinna Penhallion, the proprietress.” Miranda glanced at her friend and raised her brows in question. Cordelia sighed and pulled on her gloves. “Let us take another look. Perhaps she keeps her real treasures locked away.” Miranda leapt from her seat, paid Mrs Treadwell while offering effusive thanks and compliments, and dashed out the door, not wanting the mysterious shop owner to leave before she got there. Amazon \| Amazon CA \| Nook \| Kobo \| Other retailers	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line647
__label__cc	0.576281	0.423719	common errors in English • improve your English • Learn English Just who is this post for? The difference between “who” and “whom” by Michael Rundell A story in last week’s Observer newspaper included the sentence: “She now has a four-year-old daughter who she is bringing up in Turkey”. This would not go down well with Grammar Girl, whose numerous posts on questions of usage includes one explaining the difference between who and whom. She repeats the standard “rule” that: You use “whom” when you are referring to the object of a sentence [and] “who” when you are referring to the subject. In our Observer sentence, the four-year-old daughter is clearly the object of “bringing up” – so was the who here just a careless mistake? I don’t think so. The trouble with simplistic rules like these is that they bear little relation to the evidence of how people actually use language – and they lead their advocates to make up sentences that wouldn’t have much chance of existing in real life. Grammar Girl backs up her explanation of the who/whom problem with examples which include “Whom did you step on?” and she even gives the Rolling Stones a telling-off for “being grammatically incorrect when they belted out the song Who Do You Love”. (They should have sung “Whom do you love”, of course.) There are plenty of sites like this around, dispensing evidence-free advice for anxious writers.The same rule is trotted out on the Grammar Monster site, again accompanied by implausible examples such as Claire saw whom yesterday? and Whom did you go to the cinema with? To this last one, the Monster adds: “Ideally, you should not end a sentence in a preposition (like ‘with’), but sometimes it sounds better”. If he (she?) means this sounds better than With whom did you go to the cinema?, my response would be that neither sounds much good – or remotely natural. Macmillan’s explanation, which has the benefit of being based on corpus data, includes examples which (though authentic) would make Grammar Girl’s hair curl, such as: She was with her husband, who I had already met. Who does this place belong to? Who did you hire for the sales position? As the dictionary explains: In formal English whom is sometimes used instead of who as the object of a verb or preposition, but it sounds very formal to say: To whom did you speak? It is more normal to put the preposition at the end and say: Who did you speak to? Three things stand out from the data. First, the use of whom as the first word in a question (as in Whom did you step on? or Whom did you go to the cinema with?) is so rare that it may as well not exist. There are 380 instances in our corpus, out of a total of 145,000 whoms – that’s 0.26%. Secondly, the use of whom when there is no preposition around (as in She has a four-year-old daughter whom she is bringing up in Turkey) is fairly common, accounting for just under a quarter of all uses of whom – but counter-examples using who (when referring to the object of a clause) are very frequent too, even in “serious” writing: Find out who you should contact and how to make your complaint. Their marriage survived her lesbian affair with Virginia Woolf who she met in 1922. The rebels are fighting to oust Kabila, who they accuse of corruption. The great majority of cases where whom is used – and where it still sounds natural – are when it follows a preposition. The commonest preposition in this construction is of, which itself typically follows a word like some, many, most, or all, or a specific amount: Over 40,000 people attended, 75% of whom lived locally. Again, starting a sentence with preposition + whom (Of whom are you speaking?) is extremely rare, and not recommended. The final and most interesting lesson from the data is that whom is in steady long-term decline. In the million-word Brown Corpus of the 1960s, there are 146 instances of whom: that’s a rate of 146 hits per million words. The hit rate had fallen to 112 per million by the time the BNC was created in the early 1990s. Ten years on, we find a rate of 91 per million in the COCA Corpus’s texts for 2000-2004, and COCA’s most recent data – covering 2010-2012 – shows that whom occurs just 79 times per million words of text. Is any clear guidance possible? The simplest advice would be to use whom only when it follows a preposition, but if the preposition is at the beginning of the sentence (At whom is this article aimed?) then turn it around and say Who is this article aimed at? grammar prescriptivism who vs whom Language tip of the week: related Coping with the dominance of English: a view from Iceland Catfishing, blackfishing, sadfishing: the spread of a... Who’s confused by ‘whose’? Understanding English Dictionaries: an exciting new... Michael Rundell Jonathan Marks says: Whom is also much more frequent in writing than in speech – intuitively obvious, but I’m sure you’ve got statistics to support this assertion, Michael. It’s certainly borne out by the analysis in the Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English. I’m not surprised that whom is on the decline. It’s a vestige of the Old English declension system, and probably destined for oblivion. Advice for learners, I suppose, should include the caveat: “But if you’re thinking of taking an exam, try to find out what usage the examiners regard as acceptable.” “Who to follow” is grammatically fine \| Sentence first says: […] clear and commonsense summary of who vs. whom by Michael Rundell at Macmillan Dictionary […] One place where ‘whom’ still holds its own is in the expression ‘To whom it may concern’, used at the top of formal communications where the identity of the recipient is unknown or irrelevant. There are nearly 5 million hits for this on Google. Apparently it is also the title of albums by Lisa Marie Presley and the Bee Gees. Who knew, as they say (but to whom?) This Week’s Language Blog Roundup: grammar, wordplay, Canadianisms \| Wordnik says: […] Stan Carey told us about the dramatic grammatic evolution of LOL and the origin of the word kempt. At Macmillan Dictionary Blog, Michael Rundell gave us the story behind dapper and the difference between who and whom. […] Edward Vanderpump says: Is uncertainty over ‘whom’ leading to its being avoided in UK media, even with a preposition? I now often hear eg “over 1000 people, of which 70% were …” Bronwyn Carlisle says: The Scots seems to use “whom” quite easily. I always have to think about it, and mostly don’t use it speaking, but I have often wondered why it is that it is so intuitive to identify object and subject when I’m talking about I/me, we/they, or him/he, but not with who/whom. What are the correct rules of English grammar? says: […] Above all, grammar is not about the made-up rules which prescriptivists are so fond of (and which Gwynne’s book, for example, is awash with). The mistake lies in confusing rules with norms or conventions. The use of should with first person subjects and would with the rest (‘I should like’ … vs ‘you/they would like’) was indeed a norm for many years. But conventions change over time, and the evidence of usage shows that this distinction is rarely observed now. No-one could argue that the clarity of a speaker’s message is affected by this change, so to say it is ‘wrong’ to break this rule is irrational. Similarly, anyone asking ‘Whom did you invite to your party?’ (in any but the most formal context) would invite ridicule now, even if this was once quite normal. (The use of whom, except in certain specific constructions, is in long-term decline.) […] Because I say so! Stop asking silly questions! They don’t shoot dead people, do they?	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line650
__label__wiki	0.834318	0.834318	Living With Rare Disease Powered By Ben’s Friends Welcome to LivingWithRareDisease.org A support and community referal site for victims of rare disease Living With A Rare Disease Over 6000 different rare diseases have been identified to date, directly affecting the daily life of more than 30 million people in Europe and 25 million in the USA alone. The complex nature of rare diseases, coupled with limited access to treatment and services, means that family members are often the primary source of solidarity, support and care for their loved ones. That means for most, parents, siblings, grandparents, spouses, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends are their only Support. We forget that these support people’s daily lives are impacted and are living day-by-day, hand-in-hand with rare disease patients. Typically chronic and debilitating, rare diseases have enormous repercussions for the whole family. Living with a rare disease becomes a daily learning experience for patients and families. Though they have different names and different symptoms, rare diseases impact the daily lives of patients and families in similar ways. How to find a diagnosis? How to access treatments? How to find appropriate expertise? How to work with a team of caregivers, such as doctors or physical therapists, and other healthcare professionals and coordinate care between them? How to operate special equipment? How to administer treatments? How to identify and access social services? How to manage the economic burden of living with a rare disease? How to ensure the well-being of the entire family and balance priorities? Patient organizations such as Ben’s Friends become a crucial source of information, experience and resources. Day-by-day, hand-in-hand, together we present a united voice to advocate for the treatments, care, resources and services we all need. Patients, families and organizations are pivotal to creating solutions for the daily challenges of living with a rare disease in solidarity with all stakeholders – caregivers, healthcare professionals, specialised social services, researchers, pharmaceutical companies, policy makers, and regulatory bodies. We need to send a strong message of solidarity to the countless rare disease patients and families throughout the entire world. Together, we can transform the individual experience of patients and relatives around the world into collective actions, support, advocacy and community building. If we don’t have a community for your disease, or there isn’t already one established elsewhere, it is ourgoal at Ben’s Friends to provide one. Please use the community link to at least share with other Rare Disease Suffers about your Daily Challenges YOU ARE NOT ALONE TJ, Mod Support Ben’s Friends LivingWithRareDisease.org is a dedicated patient-to-patient support community for families affected by Rare Disease. This community is designed as springboard to over 50 Ben's Friends Support communities and as a placer to suggest/request new communities for diseases lacking support and a place to connect with fellow sufferers. LivingWithRareDisease.org is powered by BensFriends.org, patient support communities for rare diseases, and is run by volunteer moderators who have been affected by Rare Disease. ModSupport Ben Munoz Living with a rare disease: Biggest challenges GBut You Don't Look Sick Designating an Orphan Product: Drugs and Biological Products Ben’s Friends Sites Patient Communities - Ben’s Friends Bens Friends.org Facebook - Bens Friend's Ben's Friend's - Twitter Google+ - Ben's Friends Vimeo - Ben's Friends Pintrest - Ben's Friendst Training and Staff Access Global Staff Training Mod Support Workroom	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line659
__label__cc	0.513634	0.486366	Timeslips (2019) single channel HD (1920*1080px) video, stereo 2-channel audio; looping installation or single screening, duration 39'35" Commissioned by the Haus der Kulturen der Welt and the Max-Planck-Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte, Berlin as part of the Deutschlandsjahr project Mississippi. An Anthropocene River for presentation as part of Field Station 4, Carbondale IL and environs, USA. The work was premiered as part of the exhibit Confluence Ecologies SIU Museum Carbondale [11 October-30 November 2019] Jay Alan Yim: producer, screenwriter, and composer/sound designer; main concept development & research; second unit camerawork Marlena Novak: producer and director; principal videographer, video editor, motion graphics/video processing; concept development; voiceover Joslyn Willauer: co-producer; motion graphics/video processing; concept development Our contribution is a speculative fiction moving-image installation; Timeslips creates a poetic frame for an audience to ponder the state of mind of an interplanetary agronomist as a mechanism to open up contemplation of the ethics of terraforming and biosphere transformation on planetary scales. The rotational period of Mars (24:39:35) is slightly longer than that of Earth (24:00:00). In Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy the solution to that difference is a programmed pause between 00:00 midnight and 00:01, called the Timeslip—a time outside of chronometric time, and a suspension of the relentless hegemony of the clock that becomes an opportunity for reflection, introspection, and mindfulness. Timeslips is not an advertisement for escapism: we hope the video installation will plant seeds in the consciousness of our audience that might grow into a more mindful societal discussion of what forms of geoengineering could be less disruptive to others who live on Earth, and could be tempered or reversed if it turns out that the cure is worse than the disease. ••••••••••••• The exhibition focused on the political ecology of rural and riverine environments in the Confluence area where the Ohio and the Mississippi meet. Mixing art, science, and cultural research, and engaging with both humans and non-humans, the works compose a regional mosaic highlighting multiple facets of the contemporary predicament. At stake throughout the show are urgent needs for social, cultural and technological change in an era when human populations exert tremendous powers, capable of altering the biosphere and disrupting the life-sustaining cycles of the earth system. The HKW program included a river journey on voyageur canoes, stopping at five Field Stations scattered up and down the Mississippi or along its endless tributaries. At each Field Station, events were organized to greet the travelers and display the local research to the general public. At Field Station 4 in Carbondale, activities included: the opening of the museum exhibition, Confluence Ecologies; the closing of a parallel show at Carbondale Community Arts, Seasonal Pulse; a Walk About It tour of Ferne Clyffe State Park guided by two geologists; a panel discussion on alternative ecologies and environmental justice; an Asian Carp dinner; and a bus tour to the Cache River Valley and Fort Defiance State Park, at the confluence of the two great rivers, with a performance and an art installation on the water. Excerpt 1 \| Excerpt 2 \| Excerpt 3 \| Excerpt 4 \| Excerpt 5 \| Contact \| Home	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line661
__label__wiki	0.556733	0.556733	High Resolution Photo Links The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra with Adonis Rose The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra was formed in 2002 and was designed to celebrate and fortify the American Jazz portfolio while providing infrastructure for developing the New Orleans Jazz Industry. Led by Artistic Director Adonis Rose, this 18-piece big band has an ever-increasing repertoire that exemplifies the influence of Jazz as the grandfather of all modern American music and as such the band and its members are true Ambassadors of American Music. The members of the orchestra span several generations and have over a hundred years of combined professional experience. They have performed and recorded with a veritable who’s who’s list of artists across all genres. NOJO has headlined all of America’s major performing arts venues and clubs and produced the first local, ticketed Jazz Concert Series in the history of New Orleans. NOJO’s album, BOOK ONE on World Village, a subsidiary of the Harmonia Mundi label, won the 2010 Grammy Award for “Best Large Jazz Ensemble.” It’s most recent album, Dee Dee’s Feather’s was released in 2015 and featured Grammy and Tony award winning vocalist – Dee Dee Bridgewater. Vocalist, Ledesi is a frequent guest of the orchestra and is available for dates on their Congo Square Tour, a presentation of New Orleans history through music. Other special guests can include Cyril Neville and John Boutte. This program is also available as an educational component to accompany select concerts and can be customized for primary, secondary collegiate and community audiences. The NOJO is also especially proud of their ability to present many small ensembles within the Orchestra, including Rose’s modern brass and outfit, The NOJO 7. Their long-awaited album “Songs “ is set for release in Spring 2019 and debuts the orchestra’s original arrangements of classics and obscurities from Allen Toussaint catalog. The Orchestras unique sound and spirit thrives upon the talent and versatility of the musicians of New Orleans and their concerts redefine the big band experience. The New Orleans Jazz Market: The New Orleans Jazz Market is the only stand-alone facility in New Orleans designed specifically for Jazz. It was thoughtfully crafted to be a performing arts venue and Jazz community center for the Central City neighborhood and Greater New Orleans region. The Jazz Market features a 340-seat theater, the full service Bolden Bar, a 750-piece reading library, the New Orleans Jazz Archive, tributes to current and past Jazz Masters. The Dee Dee Bridgewater Stage plays host to performances by the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra and other renowned musicians. The City of New Orleans: Known as the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans has a rich musical legacy, having spawned such legends as Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima, Jelly Roll Morton and many others. New Orleans' legacy continues today, not just with jazz and Dixieland styles, but also in genres like hip-hop, R&B, rock and even metal. Master P, Lil Wayne, Mahalia Jackson, Harry Connick, Jr., Trent Reznor and Better than Ezra all have roots in this area, among others. The Critics Speak: "The music was vibrant and swinging, facts to which the sold-out crowd attested with raucous cheers for soloists like saxophonist Khari Allen Lee, who burned his way into the climax of their take on Stevie Wonder’s “Golden Lady.” - JazzTimes Magazine "They sound phenomenal" - New Orleans Advocate "Adonis Rose and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra look forward to presenting a holiday performance in early December and offering full spring and fall concert seasons. Rose, as well as fans and supporters, are ready to see NOJO go from zero back to 100 again." - Offbeat Magazine Adonis Rose - Artistic Director, Drums Davell Crawford - Piano, Vocals Steve Glenn - Tuba Amina Scott - Bass Ashlin Parker - Trumpet Leon “ Kid Chocolate” Brown - Trumpet Jonathan Bauer - Trumpet Michael Watson - Trombone Terence Taplin - Trombone Riccardo Pascal - Saxophone Amari Ansari - Saxophone Derek Douget - Saxophone Ed “Sweetbread” Peterson - Saxophone Victor Atkins - Piano Gerald Watkins - Drums Nayo Jones - Vocals The NOJO Seven The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra presents the music of Allen Toussaint: New Orleans Icon The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra with special guest Davell Crawford The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra with special guest Dee Dee Bridgewater The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra with special guest Ledesi The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra with special guest Sheila E 2010 Grammy Award for Best Large Ensemble	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line664
__label__cc	0.517883	0.482117	Debt Raising, Crew/Utility Vessel Renewal By meoadmin26 September, 2012Announcements Miclyn Express Offshore (“MIO” or “the Company”) is pleased to announce that it has recently concluded a US$45 million upsize of its Term Loan Facility. A significant proportion of the proceeds will be used to reduce the balance of the Company’s Revolving Credit Facility, providing flexibility for future investment in fleet expansion. The interest margin for the upsized facility remains at 2.75% + LIBOR. CEO Diederik de Boer said, “We are very pleased with the outcome of the facility upsize and thank our lenders for their continued support. The proceeds of the upsize provide us with increased capacity for investment and we are seeing a number of opportunities for capital deployment at strong returns. MIO remains committed to maintaining prudent gearing levels”. In line with its fleet renewal strategy, MIO has entered into an agreement to sell 6 Crew/Utility Vessels to a Mexican counterparty and acquire 3 new Crew/Utility Vessels from a Singaporean shipyard. The average age of the 6 vessels being disposed is over 25 years and the gain on disposal of US$1.2 million will be realised in Financial Year 2013. The 3 new vessels will be injected into Uniwise Offshore, MIO’s Thai Joint Venture, in the second half of Financial Year 2013 as part of the Chevron fleet plan announced on 10 May 2012. About MIO Miclyn Express Offshore is a leading provider of service vessels to the expanding offshore oil and gas industry, across South-East Asia, Australia and the Middle East. The Group charters a diverse range of OSVs, Crew/Utility Vessels, Tugs, Barges and Coastal Survey Vessels to a wide range of customers operating across all phases of the offshore oil and gas cycle, namely exploration, development and production, as well as project transportation and the offshore civil construction industry. The Group operates a vertically integrated business model through its vessel chartering and shipyard businesses. The shipyard provides in-house vessel newbuilding, conversion, repair and maintenance services, as well as third party vessel conversion, repair and maintenance services when spare capacity exists. For further enquiries, please contact: Adam Clayton GM, Corporate Finance & Investor Relations Miclyn Express Offshore Mob: +65 8298 5155 MEO lays keel for new generation mid size PSV	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line668
__label__wiki	0.616268	0.616268	Supporting the Moore River Catchment Area Call Us: +61 8 9653 1355 Our Address: 20 Roberts St, Moora, WA 6510 Donations and Sponsorship Moore e-news Contact MCC MCC Finalist State Awards 22 October 2019 by Helen Watkins in Press Releases The Moore Catchment Council Inc was presented as a Finalist in the prestigious Woolworths Community Group of the Year Award, by Anthea Halliday, Woolworths Supermarkets at the 2019 Western Australian Regional Achievement and Community Awards Gala Presentation Dinner held at Hyatt Regency Perth on Friday 18th October. The Awards were hosted by Noel Brunning, Presenter, GWN7 News and more than 460 guests gathered from across the State including official guest; Hon. Darren West MLC, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Regional Development; Agriculture and Food; Ports; Minister assisting the Minister for State Development, Jobs and Trade representing Hon. Alannah MacTiernan MLC, Minister for Regional Development; Agriculture and Food; Minister Assisting the Minister for State Development, Jobs and Trade, to celebrate regional Western Australia’s high achievers. The Moore Catchment Council Inc. hopes to increase environmental awareness. Moore Catchment Council is a small landcare group composed of local community volunteers who wanted to show off the natural assets of the Midwest as well as the threats it faces. The Moore Catchment Council holds The Last Stand, a community environmental awareness raising event, highlighting the Wheatbelt wildflower country. Over 400 people attended the 5-day event at Moora Performing Arts Centre. The event includes an exhibit of artwork, poetry and craft, interactive displays, guided bush walk and a symposium. The Last Stand won the Shire of Moora Australia Day 2019 ‘Event of the Year” Award. The twelve category winners are: • Boab Health Services of Broome – Insurance Commission of Western Australia Regional Safety Award • Wheatbelt Secondary Freight Network Program – Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries Making a Difference Award • Life and Soul Health and Fitness Club of Djugun – Prime Super Business Achievement Award • Mirima Dawang Woorlab-gerring Language and Culture Centre of Kununurra – Curtin University, School of Education Teaching Excellence Award • Les Wallam of Eaton – RAC Volunteering Award • Froth Craft Brewery of Exmouth – Rinehart Development of Northern Regional WA Award • Djarindjin Airport – Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Economic Development Award • Nanette Williams of Nickol – Community TAB Community Service Award • WA iSports Inc of East Bunbury – Woolworths Community Group of the Year Award • Shannon Richards of Boulder – Ricoh Australia Customer Service Award • South West Community Care of Harvey – Prime Super Employer Excellence in Aged Care Award • Albany Roller Derby League – Horizon Power Leadership and Innovation Award Winners each received a $2,000 Award prize from Foundation Partner, Commonwealth Bank and a magnificent trophy. Gravity ETC was announced as the 2019 People’s Choice Award Winner and received a $250 cash prize. The Awards night was the culmination of a tremendously successful year with hundreds of nominations received from across regional Western Australia. Finalist Video Honouring a Landcare Champion 26 February 2019 by Helen Watkins in Press Releases Vale Alison Doley AM Sad news in the catchment as Alison Doley, a long time supporter of the Moore Catchment Council, passed away on 20th February 2019. Alison farmed at “Koobabbie”, Coorow and was a long term champion of landcare and native ecology especially with her love of Carnaby’s Black Cockatoos. A timeline of conservation events at Koobabbie is attached. Alison was honoured in 2017 with a AM in the Australia Day Honours for significant service to conservation and the environment in Western Australia through revegetation and catchment recovery initiatives. Around 165ha of the property was revegetated with local provenance native species between 2007 and 2011. Much of the bush is protected under covenants. She was also a member, founding member and president to several conservation and recovery committees, trusts and panels. The Last Stand event committee – Alison, Pam, Fiona, Lyn, Peter, Paulina, Sarah, Marie and Rachel Last year, Alison was an integral part of The Last Stand organising committee which helped raise awareness of native biodiversity in the Midwest wheatbelt. We’d meet every month for 6 months plotting how we were going to make the event work. Alison was particularly passionate about the demise of roadside native vegetation especially the Buntine-Marchagee road which she has been monitoring for years and kept notes of native species that had disappeared and weeds which had taken over (attached). In fact, in an effort to keep weeds at bay on the roadside, Alison and good friend Fiona Falconer would go out hand weeding ‘pesky’ Love grass and also present to the Coorow Shire Council in an effort to raise awareness of poor environmental practices decimating the ecology of the area. Thank you Alison for your contributions to environmental conservation in this region. You will be missed. RIP The Last Stand makes a stand for the environment 27 September 2018 by Helen Watkins in Press Releases People from all over Australia flooded to Moora between the 5th and 9th September to visit The Last Stand, a free environmental awareness event aiming to highlight the wonders and woes of Midwest wheatbelt native vegetation. Rachel Walmsley, Moore Catchment Council’s Community Landcare Coordinator who helped organise the event said “The Last Stand was the brainchild of a frustrated group of ladies (and lad) living between Calingiri and Carnamah who wanted to do something to show off all the amazing natural assets we have here in the Midwest but also highlight the threats which are continuing to decimate them including introduced weeds, and roadside clearing. We decided to take a punt and do something different, and so this 5 day event was conceived and organised on a shoestring budget as it needed to happen as soon as possible.” The event included a symposium on the 5th which attracted 70 people from around the State who came to listen to a plethora of excellent environmental speakers including former Premier and current Conservation Council Chair Carmen Lawrence Rachel said “The message coming from the talks was clear and unified – we need to conserve our natural environment now or lose it forever.” For the remaining 4 days, The Last Stand played host to over 300 members of the public who visited the event to look at the extensive information displays and art, get up close to native bugs, admire and create bush art, claim free native trees and shrubs, add thoughts to the ‘Tree of Life’ and learn about bush medicine. Rachel said “The event was a huge success and helped open eyes to the real lack of remnant vegetation left and continuing decline in native biodiversity.” Feedback was overwhelming positive and plans are being made to possibly hold the event again next year as the event served as a good drawcard to attract visitors to Moora. Rachel concluded “The event couldn’t have happened without the input from the volunteer committee – Fiona Falconer, Alison Doley, Sarah Mason, Paulina & Peter Wittwer, Pam Toster, Marie Carter and Lyn Phillips; the cash contributions from Lotterywest and the WA Natural Resource Management Program; and the generous in-kind support from all the speakers and display/event donators, and finally the Shire of Moora for supplying the venue.” Moore Catchment Council are finalist at this years National Landcare Awards 13 July 2018 by Helen Watkins in Press Releases Vote for the Moore Catchment Council to win the People’s Choice Award at the National Landcare Conference in October 2018. All finalists are in the running to win the People’s Choice Award. A highly-coveted prize, this award is presented to the finalist who receives the most votes from the general public in the lead-up to the awards. The winner will be announced on Thursday, 11 October at the Awards gala dinner. Voting is now open and closes on Wednesday, 10 October 2018. Show your fellow Landcarers some love and vote for them to win the People’s Choice Award. Up until 30 July 2018 Landcare Australia are giving you the chance to win one of eight 2-day passes to the Conference and the Awards gala dinner. One lucky entrant per state will win so get your votes in. www.nationallandcareconference.org.au/awards Voting is now open and closes on Wednesday, 10 October 2018. Please feel free to share to your friends and get them to vote Bunjil Rock BioBlitz results now available 30 January 2018 by Helen Watkins in Press Releases Northern Agricultural Catchments Council, Yarra Yarra Catchment Management Group and Moore Catchment Council were proud to co-host the 2017 Bunjil Rock BioBlitz 23rd & 24th September 2017. A BioBlitz is a 24-hour event involving rapid collection of data about the biological diversity of a particular site; enabling scientists and other experts to identify as many plant and animal species as can be found in this limited time frame. It doesn’t provide a complete inventory of species, but rather a ‘snapshot’ of the species that occur in the area. A BioBlitz is a collaborative process, which brings together scientists, skilled amateurs, willing workers and interested ‘others’, with members of the local community, all working together to expand knowledge about the biodiversity of a particular location. Professional biologists and capable amateurs from the local area, Perth and throughout the Southwest – lent their expertise to the finding and identifying of taxa within their respective field. For more information please contact the BioBlitz Organising Team Jessica Stingemore on jessica.stingemore@nacc.com.au or 9938 0106 Lizzie King on lizzie.king@nacc.com.au or 9973 1444 Rachel Walmsley on mcc.nrmo@bigpond.com or 9653 1355 This project is supported by Northern Agricultural Catchments Council, Yarra Yarra Catchment Management Group and Moore Catchment Council , through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme and Gunduwa Regional Conservation Association. click here for Bunjil-Rocks-BioBlitz-Results- Moore cause for celebration 14 December 2017 by Helen Watkins in Press Releases Moore Catchment Council is celebrating triple funding success!! Recent announcements from the State NRM Program and the National Landcare Program (NLP) have seen MCC attract $185,000 to the catchment. $100,000 from the NLP’s 20 Million Trees program will see 50ha of native habitat, featuring priority tree and shrub species suitable for Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo, planted on five local farms. This is the 3rd 20 Million Trees project MCC has been successful in obtaining funds for, and with only 64 projects funded Australia wide(only 10 in WA), MCC are extremely grateful to have been selected again. $85,000 will come from the State NRM Program to continue protecting and enhancing the Moore’s natural assets including fencing remnant bush and revegetating degraded land. Part of this program will be the engage the local Yued community through providing paid work opportunities working on country, and work with two schools providing learning experiences through Noongar and native wildlife education. This funding news is excellent news for the continuation of important landcare projects in the Moore catchment. The extra funding also allows Moore Catchment Council to continue its work past 2018. Thanks to both funding bodies for their investments, grant writing is a lengthy and stressful exercise so to be rewarded for many (many many) hours of hard work is gratifying Making extra income from native trees and shrubs Can extra money be made from planting native trees and shrubs on your farm? This was one of the questions aimed to be answered from a recent field walk at Gabalong, east of Moora, looking at sustainable agriculture options which have both landcare and industry outcomes. The field walk, held 26th October at Les Crane’s property, was a final part of a Moore Catchment Council project reviewing sustainable agricultural projects carried out over the past 10 years in the Moore and Yarra regions. Projects have included brushwood, oil mallee and native tree plantations, saltbush and fodder shrubs, and perennial pastures. The project aimed to find out what worked, what didn’t work, improvements and recommendations for future projects. Honouring a local landcare Legend Vale John Longman John Longman’s footprint can be seen in a majority of the landcare initiatives that have happened in the Moore Catchment especially around Gillingarra. John was chair of the Koojan-Gillingarra Land Conservation District Committee (LCDC) for many years and has served on and off of the MCC committee since its conception. John was also on the Committee of the West Midlands Group in its early years, a member of the Dandaragan Shire LCDC and a member of the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council (NACC) board. John has helped get many salinity projects & water projects happening and always had a knack of getting pollies up from Perth to see (and fund) the issues. Thanks John for all your perseverance and making plenty of noise. You have made a difference! And we will miss your dedication and squeaky wheel getting things done. Our deepest sympathy goes out to all of John’s Family Are you … … a resident, land owner or land manager of the Moore River Catchment in the Shires of Dandaragan, Gingin, Moora, Victoria Plains, Perenjori, Coorow, Carnamah or Dalwallinu? … have links to the community ? Come along and see what is happening in your area with regard to NRM. Become a Committee members of this award winning Community Landcare Group – Bunjil Rocks bioblitzed in 24hr community event What do you get if you put 60 keen environmentally minded people together for 24hrs in the Midwest bush? A bioblitz of course! The weekend of the 23rd/24th September served as the date for the Midwest’s inaugural bioblitz organised by the Moore Catchment Council (MCC), Yarra Yarra Catchment Management Group (YYCMG) and the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council (NACC). A bioblitz is a 24hr event involving rapid collection of ecological data at a particular site which provides a snapshot of the species that occur in that area. The event attracted around 60 people aged 7 to 70 from all over the region from Perth to Geraldton, and was held at Bunjil Rocks in the Shire of Perenjori. Rachel Walmsley, MCC’s Community Landcare Coordinator said “It really was a fabulous weekend. We based ourselves at Latham to take advantage of the free and well equipped Shire camping facilities and community hall. Participants camped in swags, tents and camper vehicles in the bush camping area adjacent to the oval. We also picked the same date to camp there as 80 members of the 4WD club Trackcare which nearly doubled Latham’s population for the weekend !” 20 Roberts St, Moora, WA 6510 moorecc@bigpond.com MCC Finalist State Awards26 September 2017 Honouring a Landcare Champion26 September 2017 Contact Moore Catchment Council Website developed by Markitech © 2017 Moore Catchment Council	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line672
__label__wiki	0.844274	0.844274	U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Announces Policy to Enhance Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Partnerships with States Listen While You Read Streaming Audio 24/7 Administrator 09-16-2016 UltraViolet Index in My Area of Interest North Carolina Air Quality Forecast Center Air Quality Forecast Map Companies Issued Permits to Discharge Waste Water Environmental Levels of Radiation in My Area Environmental Superfund Environmental Justice S&M Tool Environmental - - Tri-Reporting Public Water Systems in My Area that have Reported Violations I Want To Know All About Environmental Conditions In My Area A Message about Improving Service from Andrew Saul, Commissioner of Social Security Take Care of American Veterans U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Proposes to Modernize Disclosures of Business, Legal Proceedings, and Risk Factors Under Regulation S-K U.S. Agriculture Secretary Perdue Swears In USDA’s Principal Deputy Chief Financial Officer Scott Soles U.S. Department of the Interior publishes - - - What They Are Saying – Endangered Species Act Announcement U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Wheeler Statement about Shell Ethylene Cracker Plant Tour in Monaca, Pennsylvania, with President Trump U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Sullivan’s Visit to Bhutan Stephen M. Dickson Sworn in as Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo’s Meeting with Director Yang Jiechi U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Perry’s Meeting with Saudi Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, Khalid Al-Falih U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs updates the Disability Rating Schedule for Infectious Diseases, Immune Disorders and Nutritional Deficiencies U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Awards 6 Million Dollars to Provide Technical Assistance to Distressed Communities Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights Secures Agreement with MSU to Resolve Investigation into Sexual Abuse by Larry Nassar U.S. Department of the Interior says Trump Administration Improves the Implementing Regulations of the Endangered Species Act IRS says Individuals with Significant Tax Debt should Act Promptly to Avoid Revocation of Passports Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publishes nine Health Hacks for Back-to-School Success Joint Statement by the Governments of France, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States on the Truce in Libya Departments of Commerce and Transportation Announce 109 Million Dollars in Grants to Modernize 911 Services for States and Tribal Nations U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs launches August Women’s Health Mini Residency Program U.S. Department of State addresses Presidential Elections in Guatemala U.S. Homeland Security Press Conference in Yuma, AZ on August 8, 2019 Remarks of Federal Communications Commissioner Geoffrey Starks at Comcast Internet Essentials Expansion Kickoff Event U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Announces Agenda and Panelists for 2019 Small Business Forum in Omaha U.S. General Services Administration releases FY 2020 Per Diem Rates for Federal Travelers Corrected: U.S. Department of Labor Announces New Ombudsman For Federal Contract Compliance Programs U.S. State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus provides Information in August 8, 2019 Briefing Treasury and IRS Issue Improved Form W-4 for 2020 to Simplify Filing and Increase Transparency U.S. Department of Labor Awards National Dislocated Worker Grant for Disaster Response after Severe Storms and Flooding in Arkansas Federal Housing Administration to Promote Greater Residential and Commercial Development in Opportunity Zones National Institutes of Health-funded Study will Test Seasonal Flu Vaccines with Two Experimental Adjuvants Secretary of the Interior Bernhardt to Lead U.S. Delegation to Tuvalu for Partners Dialogue at the Pacific Islands Forum U.S. Department of Agriculture Invests in Rural Electric Infrastructure Improvements in 10 States U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Awards Contract for Region 4 of Community Care Network to Increase Veteran Access to Health Care U.S. Department of Transportation Issues Final Statement of Enforcement Priorities Regarding Service Animals on Flights State Department Hosts Conference on Women’s Economic Empowerment: Minerals, Responsible Sourcing, and the Jewelry Supply Chain Federal Communications Commission Establishes New Digital Opportunity Data Collection Office of the Historian, Foreign Service Institute Release of Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume XIX, South Asia U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Adopts Amendments to Codify Exemption to Credit Rating Agency Rule Trump Administration Officials Visit Bloomington, IN as Baxter Signs Pledge to America's Workers Department of Homeland Security Rescinds Public Notice Regarding Security Conditions at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila U.S. Department of Agriculture Invests in Rural Water and Wastewater Infrastructure in 24 States U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo’s Call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross Completes South American Trip Federal Election Commission addresses Use of Campaign Funds for Childcare Expenses Dana Schulze Named Director of National Transportation Safety Board Office of Aviation Safety Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Annual Publication Examines Potential Credit and Market Risks Federal Communications Commission Bans Malicious Caller ID Spoofing of Text Messages and Foreign Robocalls Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Transcript of August 6, 2019 Press Briefing titled, CDC Vital Signs: Naloxone Remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo And United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab U.S. Homeland Security Acting Secretary McAleenan Traveling to Yuma, AZ U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Announces Agency Efforts to Reduce Risk from Cash-out Refinance Lending U.S. Department of Labor Seeks Public Comment on Changes To Family and Medical Leave Act Forms Joint Statement on the Ministerial Meeting of the United States, Greece, Republic of Cyprus, and Israel Regarding Cooperation in the Field of Energy U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hosts Initiative that Assists in Securing Financial Futures for Veterans, Service Members and their Families U.S Department of Veterans Affairs Announces Upcoming Awards of more than 400 Million Dollars in Grants to Help Veterans who are Homeless or At Risk of Homelessness U.S. Department of Energy Announces Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement to Examine Building a Versatile Test Reactor in the U.S. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to Release Mitigation Funds in two Tranches Dorel Juvenile Group USA Recalls Inclined Sleepers Due to Safety Concerns About Inclined Sleep Products U.S. Department of Labor Cites Ohio Plumbing Contractor For Exposing Employees to Trenching Hazards Following Fatality IRS, Treasury issue Guidance on Making or Revoking the Bonus Depreciation Elections U.S. State Department says The United States Imposes Maximum Pressure on Former Maduro Regime U.S. Department of the Treasury Designates China as a Currency Manipulator U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao Announces Department of Transportation Tentatively Grants Antitrust Immunity for Delta-Air France-KLM-Virgin Atlantic Joint Venture NATIONWIDE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM TEST ON AUGUST 7 U.S. Homeland Security Acting Secretary McAleenan Met with Officials in Guatemala City to Further Implement DHS Initiatives Federal Reserve Announces Plan to Develop a New Round-the-clock Real-time Payment and Settlement Service to Support Faster Payments U.S. Agriculture Secretary Perdue Statement on U.S. and E.U. Beef Agreement U.S. State Department refers to Australia and the United States as An Alliance for the Future U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Clayton Announces Event for Main Street Investors in Chicago Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Still Not Enough Naloxone Where It’s Most Needed U.S. Interior Secretary Bernhardt Spotlights Maine Businesses Signing the Pledge To America’s Workers and Visits Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge Federal Communications Commission updates Cable Franchising Rules to Promote Broadband Deployment by Cable Operators U.S. Department of Homeland Security Announces Grant Allocations for Fiscal Year 2019 Preparedness Grants Ohio Governor DeWine Statement on Dayton Shooting Texas Governor Abbott Statement On El Paso Shooting Federal Reserve Board approves actions by the Boards of Directors of the Federal Reserve Banks of Boston, New York, Cleveland, Richmond, Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Kansas City National Transportation Safety Board says Insufficient Training, Inadequate Bridge Operating Procedures, Lack of Operational Oversight Led to Fatal Ship Collision Remarks in Australia by U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo refer to The Unbreakable Alliance Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary McAleenan Announces Extension of Temporary Protected Status for Syria Federal Communications Commission sets December 17 as Date for Bidding in Experimental Auction of Toll Free Numbers U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and DeepMind develop Machine Learning System to Predict Life-threatening Disease Before it Appears U.S. Agriculture Secretary Perdue Statement on Labor Agreement with Guatemala U.S. Department of Energy Authorizes Liquefied Natural Gas Exports from the Gulf LNG Liquefaction Project in Mississippi U.S. State Department Officials give Background Briefing to Traveling Press U.S. General Services Administration Awards Next Generation Maintenance Repair Facility Supplies Solution Minutes of the Meeting of the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association July 30, 2019 Quarterly Refunding Statement of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Federal Finance Brian Smith Report to the Secretary of the Treasury from the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association U.S. Department of the Treasury Announces Marketable Borrowing Estimates Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Michael Faulkender Economy Statement for the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo speaks On The U.S. In Asia: Economic Engagement for Good U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao Announces Major Infrastructure Investment in America U.S. Department of the Interior says 2018 Economic Impact on U.S. Insular Areas Estimated at 888 Million Dollars, Supports More than 26,000 Jobs Federal Communications Commission Proposes Establishing 20.4 Billion Dollars Rural Digital Opportunity Fund U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Proposes Amendments to the Coal Ash Regulations U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Census Bureau Report New Residential Sales in June 2019 Special Representative Abrams to Discuss Venezuela Crisis with Canadian Officials Department of Veterans Affairs Enhances Research and Education Efforts related to Airborne Hazards and Burn Pit Exposure with Newly Restructured Research Hub The Federal Reserve issues Federal Open Market Committee Statement Salmonella Outbreaks Linked to Pig Ear U.S. Commerce publishes article titled - - - Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross Responds to Contempt Vote by House Democrats U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo Remarks to Traveling Press En Route to Bangkok, Thailand National Transportation Safety Board says Investigation of Collision Involving Commercial Truck and Autonomous Shuttle Completed U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Announces Quality Summit to Streamline and Improve Quality Programs across Government Sale of F-16 Aircraft to Bulgaria Federal Trade Commission Releases Agenda for Loot Box Workshop on August 7 U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos Calls on National Education Association to Drop Lawsuit that she says Puts Financial Aid for Students in Jeopardy U.S. Department of Agriculture Announces Details of Support Package for Farmers U.S. State Department Releases U.S.-Caribbean 2020 Report U.S. Department of Transportation Announces 85 Million Dollars in Grants for Projects Nationwide to Expand Advanced Bus Technologies U.S. Department of State says the White House Announces Actions to Combat Violence in Mali U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos Calls for Review of Income Verification for Income-Driven Repayment Plans U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Achieves Critical Milestone in its Electronic Health Record Modernization Program U.S. Department of Labor Announces Rule to Strengthen Retirement Security for Millions of American Workers U.S. Internal Revenue Service has begun Sending Letters to Virtual Currency Owners Advising Them to Pay Back Taxes, File Amended Returns Federal Communications Commission to hold Open Commission Meeting Thursday, August 1, 2019 U.S. Department of Agriculture Proposes to Close SNAP Automatic Eligibility Loophole U.S. Office of Personnel Management Issues Guidance on Performance Management Process U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Receives 51 Requests Totaling Over 6 Billion Dollars for Third Round of WIFIA Funding On Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act, U.S. Endorses Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities Jet Fuel Contamination Subject of National Transportation Safety Board Safety Alert U.S. Department of Agriculture has More Than 400 Million Dollars still Available for Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Loan Guarantees Agencies Complete Resolution Plan Evaluations and Extend Deadline for Certain Firms Federal Election Commission Approves Two Advisory Opinions, Audit Recommendation Memorandum, and Notification of Availability, Discusses Rulemaking U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Obtains Asset Freeze in alleged Microcap Pump and Dump Scheme Targeting Elderly Retail Investors U.S. Department of Labor Issues New Opinion Letter Regarding Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs’ Pay Groups U.S. Department of State Hosts Tenth Annual EducationUSA Forum U.S. Veterans Affairs' VetSuccess on Campus Program marks 10th Anniversary Five New Companies Pledge to Increase Employment and Job Training Opportunities for American Workers Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Board Finalizes Changes to Recordkeeping Requirements for Deposit Insurance Determinations Andrew M. Saul Sworn In As Commissioner of Social Security Administration IRS, Security Summit Partners remind Practitioners that all ‘Professional Tax Preparers’ must Create a Written Data Security Plan to Protect Clients U.S. Department of Energy Announces 121 Million Dollars for Small Business Research and Development Grants U.S. Department of Transportation Permanently Bans Commercial Drivers Convicted of Human Trafficking U.S. to host Summit of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders U.S. Small Business Administration Adjusts Size Standards to Expand Lending and Contracting Opportunities U.S. Department of the Interior Announces Region-Wide Oil and Gas Lease Sale for Gulf of Mexico Federal Bank Regulatory Agencies and FinCEN Improve Transparency of Risk-focused Bank Secrecy Act - Anti-Money Laundering Supervision Remarks by Federal Communications Commission Chief of Staff Matthew Berry at CANTO 2019 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Investigation Updates: Salmonella Outbreaks Linked to Backyard Poultry; Pig Ear Dog Treats Georgia and North Carolina Become Latest States to Test New Ways to Assess Student Achievement The United States to Impose Sanctions on Chinese Firm Zhuhai Zhenrong Company Limited for Purchasing Oil from Iran U.S. General Services Administration Announces New Deputy Chief of Staff Federal Election Commission Approves Three Advisory Opinions U.S. Agriculture Secretary Perdue Statement on the Department of Labor’s Proposed H2A Modernized Rule U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Azar Statement on 2018 Provisional Drug Overdose Death Data U.S. Special Representative Ambassador James Jeffrey Travels to Turkey U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Staff Publishes Statement Highlighting Risks for Market Participants to Consider As They Transition Away from LIBOR U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Awards 4.8 Million Dollars to Help Low-income Veterans Rehabilitate their Homes Federal Reserve Board releases Minutes of the Board's Discount Rate Meeting on June 19, 2019 FCC Chairman Pai Speaks at U.S. State Department's Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom IRS says Time is Running Out for some Combat-injured Veterans to Claim Tax Refunds of up to 3,200 Dollars Remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo And Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Food Safety Alert: E. coli. Outbreak Linked to Ground Bison U.S. State Department announces Designation of Persons Linked to Iranian Weapons of Mass Destruction Procurement Network U.S. Education Secretary DeVos Congratulates Bob King on Senate Confirmation as Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education U.S. Veterans Affairs extends Agent Orange Presumption to ‘Blue Water Navy’ Veterans U.S. Agriculture Secretary Perdue Visits Sysco for Signing of the Pledge to America’s Workers Fatal Train Collision in South Carolina Subject of National Transportation Safety Board Meeting Federal Trade Commission Chairman Supports Common Understanding of G7 Competition Authorities on Competition and the Digital Economy Agencies propose Rule on the Capital Treatment of Land Development Loans U.S. State Department Deputy Secretary Sullivan’s Participation in Strategic Security Dialogue With Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Final Investigation Notice: E. coli O26 Outbreak linked to Flour U.S. State Department provides Update on the Condition of the CITGO 6 U.S. Department of Education says New Data Show Secretary DeVos' Reforms to the Office for Civil Rights are Driving Better Results for Students U.S. Department of Homeland Security Statement on Safety and Enforcement During Tropical Storm Barry The FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau publishes Public Notice announcing the activation of the Disaster Information Reporting System in Response to Tropical Storm Barry Have a Sunnier Tax Season with these Summertime IRS Tax Tips The United States Takes Action Against Venezuela’s Counterintelligence Agency Federal Reserve System White Paper examines the Effects of Synthetic Identity Payments Fraud U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Wheeler Highlights America's Environmental Progress Federal Government Achieves Small Business Contracting Goal for Sixth Consecutive Year with Record-Breaking 120 Billion Dollars to Small Businesses U.S. Department of State addresses Turkish Drilling in Cypriot Claimed Waters Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Urges Doctors to Rapidly Recognize and Report AFM Cases Complaints about Government Imposter Scams Reach Record High, According to New FTC Data U.S. General Services Administration Issues Draft Solicitation to Support Section 846 Commercial e-Commerce Portals Implementation U.S. State Department expresses Concerns for Wrongfully Detained U.S. Persons in Venezuela Federal Reserve Board Announces it is Seeking Individuals to serve on its Insurance Policy Advisory Committee IRS Nationwide Tax Forum in Chicago - - - Tax Pros can get up-to-date Info on Cybersecurity, Ethics, plus Hear from IRS Commissioner U.S. Department of Education hosts a State Education Leadership Conference for key North Carolina Education Officials U.S. Department of Energy's Public-Private Collaboration Stimulates Innovation to Bolster U.S. Competitiveness, Security U.S. Agriculture Department says USDA Research is Driving Technological Innovation U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo Remarks to the Press July 8, 2019 Final Report on DuPont, Washington, Amtrak Train Derailment Published U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Overhauls Religious and Spiritual Symbol Policies to Protect Religious Liberty Federal Communications Commission to hold Open Commission Meeting Wednesday, July 10, 2019 CDC Update for am Outbreak of Salmonella Infections Linked to Papayas Imported from Mexico Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Papayas Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings Designated as the 24th U.S. World Heritage Site Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao Joins American Airlines as they Pledge to Invest in America’s Workers President Donald J. Trump and President Moon Jae-in Reaffirm the United States’ and Republic of Korea’s Ironclad Alliance U.S. Department of Education says Today Marks the Beginning of a New Era in Career and Technical Education U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo makes Remarks to Press U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao Emphasizes Importance of Safety at USDOT Summit What to Expect at This Year's Annual Fourth of July Celebration U.S. Homeland Security Acting Secretary McAleenan to Travel to El Salvador and Honduras U.S. Participation in the 49th Organization of American States General Assembly U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary says One-Sided Hearing Puts HVAC Bipartisanship at Risk Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee issues 2019 Annual Report; Recommendations target Identity Theft, Refund Fraud U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Bill Implementation Progress Update U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson to Chair White House Council on Affordable Housing U.S. State Department addresses Mobile Data Shutdown in Burma’s Rakhine and Chin States U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo Remarks to Press June 23, 2019 U.S. Department of Interior’s BLM analyzes 11,000 miles of Fuel Breaks in the Great Basin to Combat Wildfires FCC Commissioner Starks announces Workshop on Security Vulnerabilities within our Communication Networks U.S. Education Secretary DeVos - - Final "Supplement, not Supplant" Guidance Helps Promote Effective Spending, Flexibility U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo’s Travel to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, India, Japan, and the Republic of Korea National Transportation Safety Board issues 10 Safety Recommendations following Investigation of Oakland, Iowa, School Bus Crash U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Takes Important Step to Further Protect Children from Exposure to Lead-Contaminated Dust USDA World Agricultural Outlook Board Chair Dr. Seth Meyer to Depart U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo makes Statement on Iranian Disinformation U.S. Agriculture Secretary Perdue Announces Kansas City Region as coming new Location for Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Awards 63 Million Dollars to Support Affordable Housing and Community Development in 85 Tribal Communities U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Launches ‘Green Interns Program’ For Fall 2019 Federal Reserve Board Publishes Summary of Feedback from Roundtable Discussions on the Current State of, and Potential Revisions to, the Community Reinvestment Act U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo’s Meeting With EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and European Commission Vice President Federica Mogherini U.S. Small Business Administration Appoints Two New Senior Executives U.S. General Services Administration Seeks Feedback from Industry on Consolidating Multiple Award Schedules and Proposed Terms and Conditions Federal Emergency Management Agency Releases PrepTalk on Effective Emergency Communication National Institutes of Health says Sleeping with Artificial Light at Night Associated with Weight Gain in Women U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Exceeds Hiring Goal of Mental Health Providers by the Thousands U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, at United States Central Command, makes Remarks to the Press Acting Secretary McAleenan Statement on the ‘United States Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security Federal Trade Commission Takes Action against Companies Falsely Claiming Compliance with the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, Other International Privacy Agreements Secretary Pompeo’s Meeting with Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Matteo Salvini Agencies Issue Final Rule to Streamline Regulatory Reporting Requirements and Commit to further Review of Reporting Burdens for Small Institutions U.S. Department of the Treasury Releases Report on Financial Education for Students U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao Honored as American Maritime Hero U.S. Department of Energy Announces 75 Million Dollars for High Energy Physics Research U.S. Education Secretary DeVos Releases Statement on Treasury Department Regulations on Charitable Contributions and State and Local Tax Credits Remarks by Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Seema Verma at the American Medical Association Annual Meeting of the House of Delegates Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says More than Half of People who Misuse Prescription Opioids also Binge Drink U.S. Department of the Treasury Issues Final Regulations on Charitable Contributions and State and Local Tax Credits U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo's June 10, 2019 Remarks to the Press National Transportation Safety Board Issues Safety Recommendations to Improve Barge Fleeting Area Safety U.S. Education Secretary DeVos Advances Higher Education Reform Forged by Historic Consensus Federal Trade Commission Announces Two Actions Enforcing the Consumer Review Fairness Act Joint Statement on the Inaugural U.S.-Iceland Economic Dialogue U.S. Internal Revenue Service Warns of Higher Penalty for some Tax Returns Filed After June 14 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Launches New Health Care Options under MISSION Act IRS, Treasury unveil Proposed W-4 Design for 2020 U.S.-Mexico Joint Declaration Conclusion of Negotiations with Mexico National Effort to Transform Public Housing into Book-rich Environments reaches One Million Books Federal Communications Commission Concludes first High-band 5G Airwaves Auctions U.S. Department of Commerce Releases Report on Critical Minerals U.S. Department of the Interior Finalizes First Ever Categorical Exclusion as Part of Improved Title Transfer Process U.S. Department of State Debars 23 Persons for Violating or Conspiring To Violate the Arms Export Control Act U.S. General Services Administration records Sale of Multi-million Dollar Property in the District of Columbia National Transportation Safety Board Publishes Preliminary Report for Investigation of Mid-Air Collision, Calls for Greater Safety Measures for For-Hire Flights U.S. Securities and Exchange Commisssion Adopts Rules and Interpretations to Enhance Protections and Preserve Choice for Retail Investors in Their Relationships With Financial Professionals United States and United Kingdom Establish the Financial Innovation Partnership Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Infections Linked to Hedgehogs U.S. Department of Transportation Announces Selection of Two New University Transportation Centers U.S. Expression of Condolences on the Passing of Israel’s First Lady Nechama Rivlin U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Azar Statement on Personnel Promotion and Departure U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announces Final Community Care Regulations under MISSION Act U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offers 43 Million Dollars to Support Housing Counseling U.S. Department of Agriculture Celebrates National Homeownership Month Agencies issue Final Rule regarding the Treatment of certain Municipal Obligations as High-quality Liquid Assets United States Restricts Travel and Vessels to Cuba Federal Reserve Board issues Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households U.S. Department of the Treasury Sanctions Argentina-based Goldpharma Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services Statement - - - Delay in Final Chimeric Antigen Receptor --CAR-- T-cell therapy National Coverage Determination Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea L. Thompson Travel to Singapore Department of Veterans Affairs Partners with Microsoft to Improve how Rural Veterans Access VA’s Online Services and Benefits Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai Receives Major Public Safety Award U.S. Office of Personnel Management Releases Temporary Pay and Leave Guidance for Upcoming WMATA Project Secretary Pompeo’s Travel to Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Investigation Notice: CDC Foodborne Outbreak Investigations Updates: Raw Oysters and Raw Tuna Statement of FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr - - On Senate Passage of the TRACED Act Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump and Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga To Lead Closing Session at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit Federal Election Commission Approves Advisory Opinion, Discusses AO Request and Draft Interpretive Rule EPA says 2019 Marks 25 Years of the UV Index, Yet Skin Cancer Remains the Most Common Cancer in the United States U.S. Education Secretary DeVos Builds on "Rethink Higher Education" Agenda, Expands Opportunities for Students Through Innovative Experimental Sites U.S. Department of Energy Further Advances Nuclear Energy Technology through Awards of 10.6 Million Dollars U.S. Department of Agriculture Announces Support for Farmers Impacted by Unjustified Retaliation and Trade Disruption Federal Reserve to Offer Seven-day Term Deposits on May 30 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says it is now Transplanting Kidneys that are Positive for Hepatitis C National Transportation Safety Board says Inadequate Planning, Insufficient Training Led to Fatal Amtrak Train Derailment Morgan Ortagus, Department Spokesperson, U.S. State Department, holds Special Briefing, May 23, 2019 SEC, NASAA, and FINRA Issue Senior Safe Act Fact Sheet to Help promote Greater Reporting of Suspected Senior Financial Exploitation Briefing by U.S. State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus, May 22, 2019 Fulbright Program Unveils Updated Brand Identity U.S. Interior Secretary Bernhardt Applauds President Trump for Historic Meeting with Presidents of Palau, Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia Library of Congress announces that News Dispatches from The Associated Press from 1915 to 1930 Now Online U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo’s Meeting With the Republic of Palau President Tommy Remengesau, Republic of the Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine, and Federated States of Micronesia President David Panuelo Homeland Security Acting Secretary McAleenan Swears in Two New HSAC Members, Announces New Council Tasking Focused on the Security and Resiliency of Houses of Worship and Faith-Based Organizations U.S. Department of Commerce Issues Limited Exemptions on Huawei Products FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel Releases New Podcast Episode Featuring San Jose CIO Shireen Santosham U.S. Department of Agriculture issues Statement on Support for Farmers Federal Reserve releases Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, April 30-May 1, 2019 Federal Election Commission Names Tony Baptiste Acting Inspector General Remarks by Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State and Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan U.S. Department of Transportation Seeks Input on Testing Vehicles with Automated Driving Systems Technologies United Nations Official says Libya on Verge of Civil War U.S. Statement on the Alleged Use of Chemical Weapons by the Assad Regime in Northwest Syria http://download.windowsupdate.com/d/csa/csa/secu/2017/02/windowsserver2003-kb4012598-x64-custom-enu_f24d8723f246145524b9030e4752c96430981211.exe http://download.windowsupdate.com/d/csa/csa/secu/2017/02/windowsxp-kb4012598-x86-custom-enu_eceb7d5023bbb23c0dc633e46b9c2f14fa6ee9dd.exe http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/csa/csa/secu/2017/02/windowsxp-kb4012598-x86-embedded-custom-enu_8f2c266f83a7e1b100ddb9acd4a6a3ab5ecd4059.exe https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/security/ms17-010.aspx http://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB4012598 http://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB4012598 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Announces Policy to Enhance Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Partnerships with States \| site \| (July 11, 2019) - - Today (July 11, 2019), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the following information: WASHINGTON (July 11, 2019) — EPA announced today a final policy to enhance effective partnerships with states in civil enforcement and compliance assurance work. Articulated in a memorandum from EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Susan Bodine, the final policy describes procedures and practices for effective coordination between EPA and states when carrying out shared responsibilities under environmental laws. “The policy reflects the dialogue we have had with our state partners on enhancing our work together,” said Susan Bodine, EPA's Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “The final policy clarifies roles and provides a clear roadmap that EPA and our state partners can use to more effectively achieve our shared goal of increasing compliance with environmental regulations.” “The Environmental Council of the States committed to this partnership with USEPA to drive improvements in effective and efficient enforcement and compliance assurance outcomes. We look forward to better realization of shared goals for future environmental progress.” said Becky W. Keogh, ECOS President and Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment Secretary. "We look forward to better realization of shared goals for future environmental progress." The final policy memorandum is divided into three sections. The first section details requirements for joint planning and regular communication between EPA and states to promote enhanced, shared accountability. The second section of the policy provides greater detail on EPA and state roles and responsibilities in implementing authorized programs. The third and last section of the policy provides a process for the elevation and resolution of issues. The issuance of today’s final policy replaces the interim guidance memorandum on enhanced planning and communication between EPA regional offices and states issued by Susan Bodine on January 22, 2018. EPA indicated that it would update and finalize that guidance based on input from EPA regional offices, states, and a workgroup on compliance assurance that EPA and the Environmental Council of States convened in September of 2017. On May 13, 2019, EPA published a federal register notice soliciting public comment on a draft final policy. Today, EPA is releasing the final policy on Enhancing Effective Partnerships Between the EPA and the States in Civil Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Work. To read EPA’s policy on Enhancing Effective Partnerships Between the EPA and the States in Civil Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Work: https://www.epa.gov/compliance/enhan...and-compliance Tags: agency, announces, Assurance, compliance, enforcement, enhance, environmental, partnerships, policy, protection, states, u.s. Environment 2019 My Area's Radiation and Radioactivity Facilities Regulated by EPA Reported Hazardous Waste Activities in My Area Lead-Safe Certification	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line674
__label__wiki	0.710617	0.710617	Bike Reports MotorcycleDaily.com – Motorcycle News, Editorials, Product Reviews and Bike Reviews Motorcycle News, Editorials, Product Reviews and Bike Reviews Dirck Edge Harley-Davidson Picks Up X-Games Win Despite taking a season-long thrashing from Indian Motorcycles in the American Flat Track Pro Twins series, where Indian factory riders have the top three spots and 9 of the 10 race victories, Harley-Davidson took the win last night in the X-Games Flat Track competition. Riding the relatively ancient XR750, Sammy Halbert (sponsored by Estenson Racing) held off Indian factory riders Jared Mees and Brad Baker, who finished second and third, respectively. The Indian riders inherited their podium positions when Harley-mounted Jeffrey Carver, Jr. got a flat front tire with a lap remaining. You can watch the entire race on the X-Games web site here. See more of MD’s great photography: Numerous Reports Indicate Jack Miller Moving to Pramac Ducati Next Year Indian Introduces Scout Bobber My XS650 smoked a 1400cc Hardley by uncountable bike lengths at 75mph. That’s all I need to know. Looking forward to my 2017 “Buell” SV650. Chrisgo says: that is very insightful, thanks Half-mile dirt track is gonna be in Calistoga in a few weeks. Can’t wait. For my money it’s the most entertaining racing there is. rider33 says: ‘pretty impressive given that they are racing a nearly 50 year old design. Don’t get me wrong, ‘great bike but hardly a fair match for the new Indian. ‘Sort of makes you wonder just how much turf they want to cede to the new kids in town. EZ Mark says: The coolest thing is 3 years of X-Games and 3 different winners. Artem says: That is cool. In fact in Russia ice riding is more popular. Cold. It is not pure russian name Rhinestone Kawboy says: Well give Sammy and the Harley crew their due credit. But they just won one battle and not the war. Indian has thoroughly embarrassed Harley this year, maybe Harley shouldn’t have gotten rid of Buell so quick. 🙂 🙂 🙂 Pacer says: They didn’t get rid of Buell quick. Eric was the red headed stepchild for more then a decade. It is a shame they didn’t just give him the freedom he needed/deserved. They would have made money and reached a wider demographic. Board room decisions. Whatcha gonna do? I meant they should have kept Buell, and they would have won before now. Buell did start winning road races after Eric dumped using the overweight Harley engine, and used one from I believe it was Rotax (1125). You are correct, and I agree. Do some googling, you will find he wanted to turbo (150ish hp) the gas in frame bikes… in 04. Think of what Buell could have evolved to. Shame on the Harley board room. Re: “It is a shame they didn’t just give him the freedom he needed/deserved.” That freedom probably had less to do with what Buell made and more to do with where it was sold. Even the air cooled HD engine bikes would have likely sold better at dealerships where salespeople were more capable & comfortable selling to sport bike customers. Tommy See says: Are there any flat track races that have right hand turning ? JohnII says: TT Races have at least one right hand turn and a jump. TT Races are part of the Flat Track Series. TT bikes also have a front brake. Fivespeed302 says: I wish TT races were more popular. I wouldn’t even know where to watch one in person. I’d go every weekend if it was local. Supermoto can be cool as well. Supermoto is great because it allows race promoters to “insert” race events whenever they want (or can get permission). The bikes are light and capable and can be ridden very aggressively in small places. Gotta pull in the pits. dt 175 says: who’d buy ol’ number 69 w/ lights, mirror and a horn? 100 hp, 368 pounds, hydro lifters and a chromed exhaust… Bud says: Me, thats who Tommy D says: I tried flat track racing for the first time on a CRF150F. It was a blast. A bunch of road racers rented bikes from a local dirt track club and we tore it up. What I found out? It ain’t the bike! It’s 80% the rider. Cool sport and I hope to see it grow. That Street 750 project better start producing some results soon. austin zzr 1200 says: Even a broken clock is right twice a day. How’s that Ducati deal comin’ HD? Interestingly NONE of the factory Harley’s made the main. That was my first thought. fast2win says: Poor choice for a headline. Should read Sammy Halbert wins X Games, on whatever bike. Not Harley Davidson wins X-Games. Motorcycle Daily ©1999-2020 Enhance Partners, LLC Motorcycle Daily Privacy Policy Comment RSS Feed Vinales Victorious after Malaysian Masterclass Espargaro takes 11th position at Sepang as Binder wins Moto2 again Podium at Sepang for Andrea Dovizioso, third in the Shell Malaysia Grand Prix. Danilo Petrucci finishes in ninth place and the Ducati Team holds on to first place in the Teams’ standings Monthly Archives Select Month January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002 January 2002 December 2001 November 2001 October 2001 September 2001 August 2001 July 2001 June 2001 May 2001 April 2001 March 2001 February 2001 January 2001 December 2000 November 2000 October 2000 September 2000 August 2000 July 2000 June 2000 May 2000 April 2000 March 2000 February 2000 January 2000 December 1999 November 1999 October 1999 September 1999 August 1999 July 1999 June 1999	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line675
__label__wiki	0.892885	0.892885	#OSCARS: “THE SHAPE OF WATER” WINS TOP HONOURS AT 90TH ACADEMY AWARDS The 90th Academy Awards took place at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles tonight. Sweeping top honours after gaining the most nominations (13) was Guillermo del Toro‘s Toronto-filmed Fantasy The Shape of Water winning four awards including Best Picture, Directing, Production Design and Original Score. The Film’s Toronto Crew celebrating tonight at Palais Royale, were credited for being a part of the Film’ success. del Toro, who has been vocal about his love for Toronto using the City regularly to base his productions, encouraged other Genre Filmmakers to continue breaking ground with the door he helped open. See del Toro’s speech: #ShapeOfWater‘s Guillermo Del Toro wins for Best Director at the 90th #Oscars! Don’t miss this amazing speech! pic.twitter.com/g0T9ICGtSn — ABC Network (@ABCNetwork) March 5, 2018 While many saw Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri as the favourite to win Best Picture, it still took acting honours for Leading Actress with Frances McDormand and Supporting Actor with Sam Rockwell. McDormand gave a memorable speech which had her laughing nervously, devoting her time on-stage getting all her fellow female nominees to stand together in a call for inclusion and equality. Both The Shape of Water and this premiered at TIFF ’17 with the latter winning the coveted People’s Choice Award and the two are released by Fox Searchlight. See McDormand’s speech: Best Actress winner Frances McDormand rallies the crowd. Presented by @ATT. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/6loAtYheKZ — The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 5, 2018 Dunkirk‘s win tally would come in at three with scores for Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Film Editing. Blade Runner 2049 by Canadian Director Denis Villeneuve, would win for Cinematography and Visual Effects. Disney’s Coco was awarded Animated Feature and also for Original Song with Remember Me, performed on the broadcast by Gael García Bernal, Miguel and Natalie Lafourcade. Call Me By Your Name earned one win for Adapted Screenplay. Allison Janney nabbed Supporting Actress for her work in I, Tonya, which presenter Jodie Foster who appeared on-stage in crutches, would joke that Meryl Streep was responsible for her injury, having “I, Tonya-ed” her. The Evening was hosted by Funnyman Jimmy Kimmel who tackled head-on several issues of now including #MeToo and #TimesUp using case in point, the substantial pay gap between Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams on re-shoots for nominated All the Money in the World. Despite both being represented by William Morris Endeavor, Wahlberg was paid eight-times Williams‘ salary, although the former made right by donating his earnings to #TimesUp. Kimmel joked that the Oscar statue is the ideal man in that he “keeps his hands to himself, never says a rude word and doesn’t have a penis. He is a statue of limitations”. A running joke for the evening was that the winner with the shortest speech would win a jet ski in the same vein as The Price is Right, which Leading Actor winner Gary Oldman was clear he wouldn’t be winning as he took his time thanking those responsible for his success. Oldman‘s Film Darkest Hour would win also for Makeup. See Kimmel‘s running joke with the help of Helen Mirren: Following an outcry that the Oscars lacked diversity, that certainly was addressed full force this year and repeatedly the theme of inclusion was brought-up throughout the night. We would see female nominees in categories like Directing (Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird) and Cinematography (Rachel Morrison, Mudbound) and first-time Nominee Jordan Peele winning Original Screenplay for Get Out. A Fantastic Woman starring Chilean transgender Actress Daniela Vega, would win Foreign Language Film. Basketball icon Kobe Bryant also would win his first Oscar for Animated Short Film, Dear Basketball. Complete list of winners here. (Photo/video credit: The Academy/Getty Images/ABC) Allison Janney Call Me By Your Name coco Darkest Hour Dunkirk frances mcdormand gary oldman Get Out greta gerwig I Tonya jimmy kimmel Jodi Foster Jordan Peele lady bird sam rockwell The Shape of Water THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI #GIVEAWAY: ENTER TO WIN ADVANCE PASSES TO SEE “BOMBSHELL” #GIVEAWAY: ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN ADVANCE PASSES TO SEE “THE ADDAMS FAMILY” #TIFF19: “BAD EDUCATION” #TIFF19: “THE LAUNDROMAT” #FIRSTLOOK: SEASON SIX OF “HOUSE OF CARDS” #GIVEAWAY: ENTER TO WIN ADVANCE PASSES TO SEE “BLOCKERS”	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line678
__label__cc	0.605195	0.394805	Blessings & Maledictions The personal [blog] of Martin Kozicki, writer. Patricia Wiles has a big heart Credit: PatriciaWiles.com Every once in a while, someone does something amazing and deserves to be recognized. Today, that someone is Patricia Wiles, children's book author and Assistant Regional Advisor Chair for SCBWI. A few weeks ago I had the privilege of meeting Patricia at the SCBWI Midsouth Regional Conference. Prior to the event, she had sent a few friendly emails asking attendees for kid-lit book donations with the idea of passing them on to a few deserving schools after the conference. What started off as a donation basket quickly became a donation table, and then a donation room. The table was overflowing by Sunday morning, with bags, boxes, and stacks of books! Everything from picture books to middle grade, young adult, and even some age-appropriate textbooks. Fiction. Non-fiction. Historical. Poetry. Practically every genre was represented. Even the faculty at the conference joined in, donating many of their newly released titles, some of them autographed by the author or illustrator. The SCBWI Midsouth Regional Conference faculty poses with the donation "basket." Credit: J. Michael Smith That was two weeks ago. On Friday, October 8th, Patricia sent out an email to the SCBWI Midsouth mailing list. In it, she detailed the quantity of books donated, and briefly chronicled their delivery. Exactly 147 board and picture books were donated to a special ed class at the West Broadway Elementary School in Madisonville, Kentucky. The kids haven't had a chance to see the bounty of books that just arrived, but the teachers were ecstatic! Patricia mentioned that they are already planning lessons around many of the new picture books, and expressed their gratitude again and again. In Patricia's words, "it gets better." Over 400 middle grade and young adult books were then delivered to Alternate Day Treatment, a school for students who, for a variety of reasons, must be removed from traditional classroom settings. It was also a school with absolutely no library. These kids are stigmatized and abandoned. Their school is at the bottom of the list for funding. When Patricia started soliciting for donations from outside the SCBWI community, she was met with terrible replies like, "Those kids probably don't know how to read anyway," and, "They have computers. They don't need books." In Patricia's email, she exposed the ignorance of those comments as she recounted the book delivery at Alternate Day Treatment: "The principal and counselor asked me to give a brief talk to the kids about where the books came from and the importance of reading. [...] When I finished, the principal invited the kids to come up and look through the books. "This was a wonderful moment. The kids swarmed the boxes! They picked up books and asked me about them. Some asked me if there were books by specific authors, [...] or if there were books in particular genres. "The principal made the comment that they were going to have to figure out how to get more bookshelves. They didn't have enough to hold all the books." Further demonstrating her resourcefulness, Patricia contacted the city, who was preparing for a surplus auction. Moved by Patricia's efforts, the mayor pledged that Alternate Day Treatment could have any of the bookshelves in the auction that they wanted. This is an example of people who, without any thought of personal gain, saw a need in the community and took action. It wasn't a PR stunt. Nobody's secretly getting rich. And there's no reality TV show waiting for the participants. Simply put, this was a genuine act of kindness. Giving credit where credit's due, dozens of compassionate souls had a hand in this extravaganza of literary charity. But I'm singling Patricia out for two reasons: First, she organized this drive; it was her effort and her open-heartedness that made it possible. Secondly, she chose the worthy organizations that benefited from these donations, and, in my opinion, she chose wisely. Not everyone can donate a truckload of books to a group of deserving kids. But you can do your part. Support people like Patricia. Buy one of her books! Better yet, buy two--one to keep, the other to donate to a local school or charity. Be a hero, and brighten a child's life. Posted by Martin Kozicki at 11:14 AM Labels: Alternate Day Treatment, Charity, Heroes, KidLit, Library, Literacy, Madisonville KY, Not-So-Random Acts of Kindness, Patricia Wiles, SCBWI, West Broadway Elementary School Martin Kozicki Husband. Father. Writer. I have been known to keep bees. NaBloWriMo - A month in reflection That's when I do my best work Stepping through the wardrobe You are now free to move about the country Blinkin and the Busted Lip Two pedants walk into a bar... It's a Controversy I'm just mad about saffron 5 Small Steps \| Part 3: Write When You Want In defense of Mondays BleMals: Special Sunday Headache Edition We are experiending technical difficulties Do the voices, Daddy! Grammar Nazis. They're everywhere. It's always Happy Hour at the Chaise Lounge It was a dark and stormy night... What are you reading this October? Yes, well, that sums it up nicely Has the ugly duckling had its swan song? 5 Small Steps \| Part 2: Create Leverage I less-than-three NYC! Everyone's a critic 5 Small Steps \| Part 1: Avoid Multitasking With so many irons in the fire, be careful you don... Hello, my name is Martin, and I'm a wordaholic The ego has landed © Martin Kozicki. All images are © their respective owners. Travel theme. 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__label__wiki	0.687675	0.687675	Ya. S. Pidstryhach Institute for Applied Problems of Mechanics and Mathematics, NAS Ukraine, L'vov, Ukraine Address: Ukraine, 79060, L'vov, Naukova st., 3 b Phone: +38 (0322) 63 83 77 Fax: +38 (0322) 63 62 70 Website: http://www.iapmm.lviv.ua Number of persons: 52 Number of authors: 77 Number of publications: 99 Personnel: B D G H I K L M O P R S V Z Mahola, Mariya Petrovna Malachivskyy, Petro Stefanovych Matsyuk, Roman Ya Matsyuk, Roman Yakovlevich Mel'nichuk, Yurii Vsevolodovich Mitrofanov, Mikhail Arkadjevich Mykytyuk, Igor' Vladimirovich [Mikityuk, Igor' Vladimirovich] The L?viv Branch for Mathematical Physics at the Institute of Mathematics, National Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, was founded in 1973 on the basis of mathematical and physical department of Physico-Mechanical Institute, NASU. The research body of the Institution was formed by Ya. S. Pidstryhach, Academician of NASU. The researches of priority in the Institute are: operator methods of functional analysis and linear algebra and their application for the problems of mathematical physics; non-classical problems (conditionally correct, with degeneracy, on manifolds) for equations with partial derivatives and dynamic systems; numerical and analytical-numerical methods for calculating the applied problems (non-correct, nonlinear, inverse); thermodynamic fundamentals and methods for constructing the mathematical models of mechanics of multicomponent manifolds with an edge in the extended phase space of parameters of interconnected different nature processes; mathematical and theoretical-experimental methods for calculation, optimization and prediction of deformability, durability and mechanical behaviour of discrete-continuous structure systems under complex outer action; mathematical fundamentals of fracture mechanics and contact phenomena; mathematical modelling and study of surface phenomena mechanics, bodies with coatings and layer composite structures. For the time being 276 employes work at the Institute, including 215 researchers and engineers (25 of them are Doctors and more than 100 are Cand. Sc.). The Centre of Mathematical Modelling joins 70 employees, including 56 researchers and engineers (3 of them are Doctors and 17 are Cand.Sc.). The researchers of the Institute (in close contact with collegues from the research institutes of Ukraine and some foreign countries) are developing their started earlier investigations on the problems of optimal control, design and optimization of thermodynamic systems, hydroacoustic and hydroelasticity, mathematical foundations of strength of mechanical structures, mechanics of inhomogeneous media, surface phenomena and bodies with coatings. Other institution names: Institute for Applied Problems of Mechanics and Mathematics, NAS Ukraine	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line687
__label__cc	0.551038	0.448962	The Official Bastion Review On July 20, 2011, Bastion was released on the XBox Live Arcade by SuperGiant Games as part of the Summer of Arcade promotion. Selling for 1200 Microsoft Points, or $15, this game, nay, work of art is worth every penny. At first glance, Bastion seems to be a fairly standard action-RPG; the main character, “the Kid,” wakes up one morning to find his entire world destroyed by “the calamity,” an ambiguous apocalyptic event. He rushes to a safe-haven, the Bastion, and meets the only other survivor, “the Stranger,” an old man who instructs him to help repair the Bastion. To do so, the Kid must travel to different parts of the world to slash through enemies and collect pieces of “the Core” that will eventually allow the Bastion to fix everything that went wrong. Bastion manages to put an interesting twist on most classic RPG elements by allowing the player to change their chosen upgrades at any point throughout the game. For instance, when the Kid levels up, instead of spending points in a class system, he unlocks one more open spot in the Distillery where the player selects drinks that act as passive power ups for the Kid. These drinks can be changed at a Distillery at any point in the game, which makes it easy to change play-style depending on either necessity or the player’s mood. Similarly, all upgrades to the 11 different weapons can be modified at any time through the Forge. Each weapon has a unique feel of its own, but by making use of the different upgrades, the player can entirely change the way a weapon handles. For instance, when the Kid first finds the Army Carbine, it is extremely powerful and slow to aim. However, by upgrading its speed, it becomes a relatively quick long-range weapon with high firepower. Or, by upgrading critical hit chance and maximum damage, the gun maintains its low fire rate but becomes massively more powerful. Bastion gives the player the power to experiment with the two, or to land somewhere in the middle, at all times throughout the game. Control in Bastion is tight and accurate, all of the weapons are fun to use, the enemies are varied and challenging, and there are many, many levels and challenges throughout the game. However, these qualities only make for a fun game, not a work of art. Bastion qualifies as a work of art because it moves beyond the typical confines of a video game. The most important detail of Bastion’s gameplay is the storytelling. See, throughout the game, the Stranger narrates everything that happens as it happens. At first this concept sounds irritating, but the narrator’s smooth voice is endearing and his narration is interesting to listen to. If anything, the narrator acts as a companion for the player rather than as an irritating sound effect. The narrator makes Bastion feel alive and vibrant; it makes the player feel like they are bringing a story to life as they play. Like a good book, this game is best enjoyed alone where every last detail can be soaked in and the imagination can run wild. Posted by Max Bleich at 4:12 PM Tiff January 2, 2012 at 4:51 PM Thanks, this is wonderful stuff! Google Chrome OS Review: Almost There, Ultrabook o... Confirmed: Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary Will Ha... Happy 20th Birthday Linux Editorial: Apple Without Steve Jobs Meet Tim Cook, Apple's new CEO Steve Jobs Officially Resigns as CEO of Apple, Tim... Editorial: Where HP Went Wrong, Right, and How to ... Game Console Price Cuts: PS3, Wii, PSP Ocarina of Time: The Best Game of All Time? Minecraft: Pocket Addition Now Available on Androi... City of Cupertino Releases Detailed Apple Spaceshi... Editorial: The Death of Borders Doesn't Spell the ... Playstation Vita Missing From Holiday Launch in UK... Tweets by @bleichadelic Tell me how you really feel Max Bleich TheTechTile © Copyright 2013 Max Bleich. Awesome Inc. theme. Powered by Blogger.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line689
__label__wiki	0.623661	0.623661	Episode CH4.3.3 From The Max Headroom Chronicles Revision as of 11:34, 14 November 2015 by Max Headroom (Talk \| contribs) ← Episode CH4.3.2 Episode CH4.3.4 → Title The Max Headroom Show US Air Date 29 Aug 1986 UK Air Date 20 Jan 1987 Guests Oliver Reed Max & Max's duet. Crew Talk Show Crew Matt Frewer Max Headroom The third episode of the second Channel Four season of the Max Headroom talk show featured actor Oliver Reed. The MaxRchives contain complete recordings of both the US and UK broadcasts of this episode. Videos & Segments Max in his green-and-purple plaid rips off a long parodic riff as a VJ calling down the top 30 world hits. Max dedicates the show to... you, the viewer, because he loves you and we're growing closer. Even if you're Belgian. Video: Bolshoi, "Away" Max interrupts for a Dragnet/detective bit. Bolshoi, "Away" continues. Max greets the audience with a trip down TV "mammary lane" (of weird black and white clips). Video: Sir Mixalot, "Square Dance Rap" (using old Disney-era animation). In the UK version only, Max interrupts with the exciting moment of the weekly Choose-Your-Favorite-Adverts contest, and the winners are those chosen by Her Highness the Queen Mother. UK only: Max Headroom Show placeholder card, and commercial break. And this week, we're in... China! Rather offensively... Sir Mixalot, "Square Dance Rap" continues. Guest Oliver Reed interrupts the ending. Max and his guest Oliver Reed talk about: His tough guy image (but he's really a pussycat). His films: "The Devils" (1971) and "Women in Love" (1969) and censorship. Getting naked in films as a better option to violence and gore, especially for children. Nudity in films as a risk for major actors in earlier eras, and how the controversial male wrestling scene in "Women in Love" was filmed. Video: Luis Cardenas, "Runaway" (using dinosaur puppets). Max asks Reed about being a sportsman... and Reed is snoring, eyes open. Luis Cardenas, "Runaway" continues. Max tries to provoke Reed over drinking, and adds that he knows he has a short temper. ("No, Max... I'm a very cool dude. A mean whoop-whoop, but I'm a cool dude.") Max asks if Reed, as a country boy, likes any blood sports. ("No.") Max asks Reed about his new film, "Castaway" - and Reed responds at great length in his slow manner, which the show producers handle by speeding up most of Reed's reply to Daffy Duck levels. Max calls the segment "an honorable draw" with Reed. Luis Cardenas, "Runaway" concludes. (The title card that passes has his name misspelled "Cardinas.") And it's time once again for... "Quiz!" Cue munchkin chorus of the theme song... Tonight's prize is a trip for two to Las Vegas to see the Boomtown Rats in concert, and meet them. The question is... "Who is the lead singer of the Boomtown Rats?" (Bob Geldof...) There is no answer from the audience, so the prize is saved for another night. And it's "Goodnight!" Max does a riff on colognes for men over the closing credits. Max (in the white suit) and Max (in the black suit) sing a crooner duet of "We're Just Good Pals" on two facing TVs, amid chummy banter. Max gives a short closing riff that appears to be partly in German or Dutch purely to allow him to bark out the word "cunt!" - which sends him into hysterics. Max says they're coming up on the moment he's been waiting for for... minutes. (screen goes black) Notes & Commentary Shockingly, there is no mention of golf in this episode, not even in the interview. Oliver Reed is perhaps not well-remembered today, especially to U.S. audiences, but he was one of the most popular actors in the UK during the peak of his career in the 1960s-1990s. He was known for his portrayals of very tough, brutal characters, which may not have been too far from his real persona. In any case, he was even more widely known as a three-fisted drinker whose alcoholism and prodigious intake led to many stories, many of them involving violence or implied violence from Reed. It is not clear who Max might be referring to as "the little bird" who told him about Reed having a short temper, especially over his drinking, but it probably refers to some recent incident of the time. In 1975 Shelly Winters dumped a glass over Reed's head on The Tonight Show because of his drunken comments about women. About a year after this appearance on Max's show, David Letterman had to backpedal at high speed when it seemed that he had enraged Reed to the point of physical violence with questions about his drinking. (If anyone knows of a specific incident ca. early 1986 in which Reed may have put "a little birdie in a sling" - please let me know.) YouTube is full of "drunken Oliver Reed being obnoxious and threatening" clips, for those interested. All of which makes Reed's very gentle, soft-spoken repetitions of "No, Max" take on a Hannibal Lecter-like vibe... The closing duet is long (about 3:30) and may be the first instance of Max singing a full tune. I can find no record of the song and it is hard to tell if it's an obscure standard or show tune (with some muddled lyrics) or something original composed for the show. Quotes & Caps Oliver Reed and glass of wine, looking uncommonly like a grown-up thug version of Ralphie Parker. Max in a duet with his best pal, Max. (Max's speech in this season finally stops using the extreme stuttering and repetition, probably as much for technical, audience and production reasons as because it was getting tiresome. I am still trimming such repetitions to minimum indicators here in the transcriptions.) Max: "Hi, there, yes, from around the world, across the nation and up your street- it's your fave-rave relayed VJ jive talking live, walking you through this week's world charts! That's right, it's time to strobe the globe, scan the lands, delve on the shelves and slit the hits that are twistin' the listeners right across the world tonight. So let's start with a rundown of the top-top thirty, and right in there at number thirty is South Africa, with a double-sider with those two great crowd songs, 'Hit Me with Your Policeman's Stick' and 'Get Me to the Hospital On Time.' And straight in at number twenty-nine, another double-whammer and a first-time entry from Russia, 'We Oughta Frost Old-Style' once again with 'We're Young, Hip & Crazy- Isn't It Fab!' And still at number twenty-eight, it's Poland with 'Gdansk Gdansk' - so good they named it oh good they named it twice. And straight into number fifteen, it's Iceland following their recent eleven-inch that was a mammoth hit in Iceland: 'Fish Soup, Glorious Fish Soup!' And what a day for fish soup, they're now out there again with 'You Say Herring, I Think Cod, Let's Call the Whole Thing Bouillabaisse'! (Those Icelanders ride the mules.) Still riding high at fourteen is Yakloslovakia with that Chuck Berry sound, 'Cruisin' Along In My Trac-Tractor'! And at number thirteen it's the contest big sell from Japan, 'I've Got a Brand New Pair of Horn-Rim Specs'! And-and-and, the big one storming up five places to number one on top of the world this week, the South African version of a Paul McCartney song, a beautiful anthem, to beautiful South Africa, 'Ivory and Ivory'!" Max: (sirens in background throughout) "It was six o'clock. I hadn't had a drink since seven. Either I was drying out or my watch had stopped. My hands started shaking but my watch still wouldn't start. I know what I need: a shot - a shot. A shot in the ear. Acupuncture. At three a.m. I arrived at the surgery. I use the term loosely - was actually more like... three-thirty. A tiny oriental scrap of humanity motioned me to sit on a bit of squalid rush matting. When I sat on his leg by mistake, I knew I was in trouble. He asked if anything was disturbing me. I said noth-noth-nothing. When he rammed a needle in my ear, I said I was disturbed. After two needles, I lost the use of both legs. After four, I lost the use of my car, swimming pool and tennis courts. Aft-aft-after six, [on Intersat(?)] the yellow devil picked up Chinese satellite TV on his DEF-8. It was time to go. I hated Chinese TV, and my book-books were due back at the library. But that's another story. And another accent." Max: (Most of this is in a truly offensive faux-Chinese accent... ah, the 80s.) "Unmistakable, isn't it? Who could fail to recognize the sweet and gentle gaboing-gaboing of Chinese music. Yesh. I am in China, one of most remarkable country in world. A nation rich in ancient monument, tweasure, and bicycle love worship. And how Chinese ruv dere bikes! Wing-a-ding on dere bicycle bells and Dinga Winga Winga Ring on their birth certificate! And they don't just use them for work-work, no! On weekends you'll see them skillfully racing their bikes across wet paddy fields, falling off, laughing and saying 'bruddy irriot!' like only the Chinese can. And that's because the Chinese love a challenge. And isn't that why they all wore dull-dull-dull uniforms, because that dribbly soy sauce was always running down their chin and ruining their best clothes? That's a clever race!" Oliver Reed: "Alan and I got very frightened about taking our clothes off [for a scene in 'Women in Love'], but that was cured by a bottle of vodka each. And the room was very cold, and the firelight was made with what is called a 'dingleberry' with the assistance of a lot of people from the film crew." Max: "A dingleberry?" Oliver Reed: "A dingleberry. Which is a..." Max: "Sounds like a buffalo chip-chip-chip?" Oliver Reed: "No, it sounds like something that you have in your head. I know the buffalo chip - what chips do you use in your head?" Max: "Ah, nothing, just your standard computer chips. I like 'em with everything." Max: "Well, let's get back to rugby a bit. You now, with the lads and the ba-ba-bath and fifteen pints and the quick chorus of 'If I Were the Marrying Kind' and 'The Hairs On My Dickie-Do'... is it the game, or being with the lads, like Alan Bates, that you like so much?" Oliver Reed: "No, no, Alan Bates has one like a pigeon's egg." Max: "He has one like a pigeon's egg?" Oliver Reed: "Yeah." Max: "On what?" Oliver Reed: "One hell of an ego." Max: "And this ones for the... guys. "Okay? Listen: don't try to tell lies with your aftershave. If your f-f-f-fragrance is 'BullHorn' or 'Rhino Stab' or 'Whiff of Mating' or-or-or 'Rutting Season,' and you're trying to say 'Hey, baby, this is a real man!'... I'm not surprised you're getting nowhere. You see, those aren't fragrances, they are oh-dors. They are riot control weapons. They are the stuff they fire at charging rhinos... and it doesn't work on them, either. And women are not that easily fooled. They know it's just a cover-up... they know it's just a cover-up. They know that if you wear 'Rutting Weapon' that says you'd rather be home stir-frying alfalfa. Or feeding the fish or reading 'The Inner Self.' They know if you were really the knuckle-dragging primate type, you wouldn't admit it. You'd be trying to look sensitive, wearing 'Rodin' or 'Caravaggio' or (?). So listen, stud-stud-throb, women know that when you're at a party smelling like a grizzly's goat bandage that you are not the all-male hairy-chested bristle-chinned stud they're looking for. And how do they know? Because he's over there, smelling like a daffodil. Or you could do what I do, and just wear 'Boink-Boink-Boink-Boink'! Retrieved from "http://www.maxheadroom.com/index.php?title=Episode_CH4.3.3&oldid=2750" VISITOR PORTAL INFOBANK INDEX MAIN INFOBANKS Max: The Shows! Max: Advertising Max: The Guests Max: Interviews SECONDARY INFOBANKS Max: Char/Actors Max: Parodies Max: Products Max: Timeline Max: Crew Explore Mode About The Max Headroom Chronicles	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line690
__label__cc	0.509809	0.490191	Why Collect Special Offers Recent Additions Sold Archive Top » Catalog » Miniature Medals » Great Britain-miniatures » GB1768 My Account \| Cart Contents \| Checkout Australia-miniatures Austria-miniatures Belgium-miniatures Bulgaria-miniatures Canada-miniatures Chile-miniatures Colombia-miniatures Cuba-miniatures Finland-miniatures France-miniatures Germany-miniatures Great Britain-miniatures Guyana-miniatures Haiti-miniatures Hungary-miniatures India-miniatures International-miniatures Italy-miniatures Jamaica-miniatures Kenya-miniatures Kuwait-miniatures Malawi-miniatures Morocco-miniatures Namibia-miniatures NATO-miniatures New Zealand-miniatures Oman-miniatures Peru-miniatures Portugal-miniatures Red Cross-miniatures Sierra Leone-miniatures South Africa-miniatures Spain-miniatures Sudan-miniatures Swaziland-miniatures Tunisia-miniatures U.S.A.-miniatures United Nations-miniatures Vatican-miniatures Venezuela-miniatures Victory Medals-miniatures Vietnam-miniatures Yugoslavia-miniatures Zambia-miniatures Zimbabwe (Rhodesia)-miniatures Rhodesia Medal, 1980, miniature [GB1768] Quantity Available: 1 £55 Miniature circular cupro-nickel medal with scroll and fixed ribbon bar suspension; the face with the head of Queen Elizabeth II wearing the St. Edward Crown and facing right, circumscribed ‘ELIZABETH II DEI GRATA REGINA FID. DEF.’ (Elizabeth II by the Grace of God Queen, Defender of the Faith); the reverse with a sable antelope (hippotragus niger) side-on, facing left, dated ‘1980’ and circumscribed above ‘THE RHODESIA MEDAL’; diameter 19.16mm (0.75 inch); on original ribbon. The Medal was instituted in 1980 to be awarded to British, Australian, New Zealand, Fijian and Kenyan forces for service of at least 14 days between 1 December 1979 and 20 March 1980 in the Commonwealth Multinational Force that oversaw the implementation of the Lancaster House Agreement between the Southern Rhodesian government and the forces of the Patriotic Front. The first phase saw the gathering of more than twenty thousand guerrillas of Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe National Liberation Army (ZANLA) and Joshua Nkomo’s Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) and soldiers of the Rhodesian Security Forces at sixteen assembly areas throughout the country. The second phase saw an election and independence as the Republic of Zimbabwe. The numbers involved in the C.M.F. were small - 152 Australians and 74 New Zealanders, for example, and only approximately two thousand five hundred full-size medals were issued.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line691
__label__cc	0.634388	0.365612	Heads Continue to Roll Over Moscow Airport Bombing Feb 8, 2011 — The Russian government continues to place blame for poor security that President Medvedev says allowed a suicide bomber to kill dozens of people at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport last month. First Medvedev fired the country's Federal Transportation Security Chief Andrei Alekseyev shortly after the terror attack. Then on Tuesday (2/8), the Federal Security Service announced that two senior Russian anti-terrorism officials have been relieved of duty over the attack, reports RIA Novosti. Source: Planet Data	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line695
__label__wiki	0.57419	0.57419	PharmaTimes Magazine Free to enter, the prestigious PharmaTimes Marketer of the Year competition is open to marketers in the pharmaceutical industry who are currently promoting, or who are from a company which currently promotes Prescription Only Medicine (POM). Please note: the competition is based around the UK market, so all entrants should have a comprehensive knowledge of the NHS. March - September Where nominations have been made, the PharmaTimes Team will contact the individuals and teams concerned to confirm they would like to enter. Entries are screened by the executive steering group and finalists are announced. The finalists attend the Finals, where they take part in category-specific case-study challenges developed by an independent expert panel. The Singles Finals Day and the Team Finals Day will both take place around October time. Venue TBC. The judging panel, formed of senior marketing and industry leaders, assesses the core capabilities of finalists. All finalists will be invited to the high-profile awards ceremony, where their success will be celebrated alongside other industry leaders. The ceremony, to be held in November in central London, coincides with the presentation of the PharmaTimes Communications Team of the Year and the Sales Awards. All finalists receive qualitative and quantitative judges’ feedback after the awards ceremony, including a competency score-sheet benchmarking their performance against their peers. About Marketer of the Year About PharmaTimes	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line696
__label__cc	0.674112	0.325888	Dinodontosaurus Name: Dinodontosaurus (Terrible toothed lizard). Phonetic: Dy-noe-dont--oh-sore-us. Named By: Jaci Antonio Louzada Tupi Caldas - 1936. Synonyms: Dinodontosaurus oliveirai. Classification: Chordata, Synapsida, Therapsida, Anomodontia, Dicynodontia, Kannemeyeriidae. Species: D. pedroanum (type), D. tener, D. turpior. Diet: Herbivore. Size: Up to 2.4 meters long. Known locations: Argentina, Brazil and Germany. Time period: Mid Triassic. Fossil representation: Many individuals, including remains of juveniles. With a length approaching two hundred and forty centimetres long, Dinodontosaurus was certainly large for a dicynodont, though relative genera such as Placerias and Kannemeyeria were even larger still. Dinodontosaurus are quite common, especially in South America where the majority of known fossils come from. The name Dinodontosaurus means ‘terrible toothed lizard’, and this is a reference to the large downward pointing tusks that grew from the top jaw. Like other dicynodonts, it is widely believed that htese tusks would have primarily been used for digging up plants so that access could be gained to the roots. Once exposed the powerful mouth which formed into the shape of a beak would then easily slice up the root stock that it could be more easily swallowed and digested. Dinodontosaurus fossils have also yielded a glimpse into the parenting behaviour of dicynodonts, with the remains of ten Dinodontosaurus juveniles being found togther. These remains suggest that juveniles would have formed creches that may then have been watched over by larger adults so that they could be kept safe from the larger predators of the time rausuchians. Random favourites Content copyright www.prehistoric-wildlife.com. The information here is completely free for your own study and research purposes, but please dont copy the articles word for word and claim them as your own work. The world of prehistory is constantly changing with the advent of new discoveries, as such its best if you use this information as a jumping off point for your own research.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line699
__label__wiki	0.850292	0.850292	Home / Professional Wrestler Profiles / Profiles – S / Sable Last updated by Chris George on September 25, 2015 [Sable GALLERY] [Marc Mero Profile] [Brock Lesnar Profile] Check out Sable’s WWE Alumni profile here! Sable Career Highlights In The Beginning: Rena Mero was married to wrestler Marc Mero (aka Johnny B. Badd).. Rena Mero was a model for Guess Jeans before getting into Wrestling.. World Wrestling Federation: Sable debuted in the WWF with several appearances as Hunter Heurst Helmsley’s beautiful valet.. ~~~Hunter abused and mistreated her until she was rescued by the “Wildman” Marc Mero (her real life husband).. Sable managed Marc Mero for quite some time, until he was injured and took time off from the WWE.. Sable’s popularity began to rise and everybody soon forgot about her association with Marc Mero! When Marc Mero returned, he became a jealous heel and began to mistreat her and order her to dress less provocatively.. March 29, 1998 – Wrestlemania XIV: Sable & Marc Mero put aside their issues and defeat Luna & Goldust after Sable pins Luna.. RAW: The following night, Marc Mero forces Sable to go to the back signifying the unofficial end of their onscreen relationship.. May 2, 1998 – Over the Edge: Marc Mero pins Sable after telling her he would let her pin him, but rolls her up for the 3-count.. ~~~Due to a per-arranged stipulation, she was then forced to leave the WWF.. Sable took a short leave on absence, while Marc Mero introduced his new valet, Jacqueline! July 26, 1998 – Fully Loaded: Jacqueline defeated Sable in a bikini contest due to Sable wearing painted hands on her chest.. August 30, 1998 – Summerslam: Sable & Edge (Mystery Partner) defeated Marc Mero & Jacqueline.. November 15, 1998 – Survivor Series: Sable defeated Jacqueline for the WWF Women’s title! December 6, 1998 – Capital Carnage: Sable & Christian defeat Mero & Jacqueline.. January 1999 – Royal Rumble: Sable defeated Luna in a strap match after a Sable fan (Tori) interfered.. March 28, 1999 – Wrestlemania XV: Sable defeated Tori after interference from Nicole Bass.. Sable later dropped the Women’s title to Debra in an evening gown match and left the WWF right after.. In the Meantime: June 7, 1999: Rena Mero filed a $110 million lawsuit against the WWF.. September 2002: Rena Mero testified in the ongoing Nicole Bass lawsuit against WWE saying that Vince McMahon broke his promise to her to play the role of a classy and intellectual woman. She said she quit the company when they asked her to expose her breast on TV, and do a lesbian storyline.. Rena Mero appeared on a Country Music video by Cletus T. Judd which is a parody of Faith Hill’s song “Breathe.” Rena Mero popped up in Jimmy Hart’s Xtreme Wrestling Federationin the roll of C.E.O.. World Wrestling Entertainment: April 3, 2003 – Smackdown!: Torrie Wilson‘s Playboy “Coming Out” party is interrupted by the SHOCKING appearance of SABLE!! April 10, 2003 – Smackdown!: Brian Kendrick & Torrie Wilson defeat Jamie Noble & Nidia with Sable sitting at ringside.. April 17, 2003 – Smackdown!: Torrie Wilson defeats Nidia with help from Sable, who was acting as referee for the match.. April 24, 2003 – Smackdown!: Hosted the Sable Invitational Bikini Contest which ends with Sable, Nidia & Dawn attacking Torrie! May 1, 2003 – Smackdown!: Dawn Marie & Nidia defeats Torrie Wilson & Sable after Sable walks out on Torrie.. May 18, 2003 – Judgment Day: Torrie Wilson defeats Sable in a bikini contest when Tazz declares Torrie the winner! May 22, 2003 – Smackdown!: Sable comes out and teases Tazz, then dumps a bottle of water over his head!! June 5, 2003 – Smackdown!: Sable is appointed (by Vince McMahon) as assistance to General Manager Stephanie McMahon.. June 2003: Marc & Reno Mero officially separate possibly due to Rena’s return to the WWE as “Sable”.. June 12, 2003 – Smackdown!: Flashes Mr. America to distract him and allow Vince McMahon to win an arm-wrestling match.. June 19, 2003 – Smackdown!: Zack Gowen falls victim to her seduction, until Sable turns on him and laughs with Vince McMahon! July 3, 2003 – Smackdown!: Sable reveals that she’s trying to eliminate Stephanie McMahon and take over as GM of Smackdown! July 10, 2003 – Smackdown!: Sable & Stephanie get into a series of cat fights to set up a match at Vengeance 2003.. July 24, 2003 – Smackdown!: Sable gets her top ripped off by Stephanie McMahon July 27, 2003 – Vengeance: Sable defeated Stephanie McMahon with help from A-Train, who gave Stephanie a brutal clothesline.. August 24, 2003 – Summerslam: Stephanie McMahon gets a measure of revenge on Sable, slapping her across the face!! December 11, 2003 – Smackdown!: Sable (gimmick less) refuses to dance for Ernest Miller, saying she only dances for Vince McMahon.. December 25, 2003 – Smackdown! in Iraq: Torrie defeated Sable & Dawn Marie in a “Santas Little Helper” contest.. February 5, 2004 – Smackdown!: Rue DeBonna announces that Sable & Torrie Wilson will appear in Playboy together soon.. February 27-28, 2004 – Live Event: Sable and Torrie Wilson defeated Miss Jackie and Stacy Keibler. March 14, 2004 – Wrestlemania XX: Torrie Wilson & Sable defeated Miss Jackie & Stacy Keibler in a “Playboy Evening Gown” match.. June 24, 2004 – Smackdown!: Torrie & Sable (who were best friends until now) got into a meaningless catf ight backstage.. June 27, 2004 – Great American Bash: Sable pinned Torrie Wilson, but the referee didn’t see Sables shoulders off the mat! July 1, 2004 – Smackdown: Torrie Wilson defeated Sable in a rematch (ref Charles Robinson did a better job this time).. July 22, 2004 – Smackdown!: Torrie, Sable, Jackie & Dawn Marie were all FIRED by Kurt Angle (who was later fired by V.McMahon!) July 29, 2004 – Smackdown!: The NEW General Manager Theodore Long rehires all the divas and promises to push them on the show.. August 10, 2004: WWE.com announces that Sable (Rene Mero) has been released from the company.. The Lesnar Family: January 6, 2005: Brock Lesnar announced that he and Rena Mero would be getting married in the spring in Palao Island.. ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ The Palao Island is a tropical island known in Japan as “Inoki Island”.. January 4, 2005–New Japan Pro Wrestling: Brock Lesnar, Rena Mero & Brad Rheingans were introduced as guests by Antonio Inoki.. 5'7" 120 lbs Triple H's Valet Sable bomb Double Leg Takedown Kick to the head Marc Mero Torrie Wilson Miss Jackie Sable - OWW	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line707
__label__cc	0.671024	0.328976	Episode 17 – TOS 1×17: “The Squire of Gothos” , episodes, newepisodes, tos No Comment So this is one of those episodes where the Enterprise is more or less minding her own business, zipping along through space, when suddenly she’s dragged into a highly inconvenient adventure by an interfering, super-powered alien. This particular alien likes to kidnap samples of random species to put them on display, like museum pieces, and sometimes force them into elaborate games for his amusement. Sound familiar? Yeah, it’s a little like the unaired, unlamented pilot, The Cage, but if you’re a Next Gen fan you might recognize an awful lot of other themes and actual subject matter in our villain of the week. Meet Trelane, General, Retired. He’s omnipotent, omniscient, immortal, and Super Into Ancient Earth History. Unfortunately he’s got a few trivial details wrong – like the little matter of the passage of about four hundred years; he still thinks Earth is somewhere around the era of the Napoleonic Wars – making him the all-powerful alien version of a Fake Geek Boy. This episode is both entertaining and frustrating, the former because Trelane is played by such a charismatic actor and the latter because he’s just so utterly irrational and intractable you want our brave crew to beat him just so that reason can prevail. We also get a lot of “we’re better than our past” protestation in this episode, which later on becomes a pretty solid basis for what makes Trek Trek. If you love the Q, you’ll probably at least like this episode. It’s definitely the direct inspiration for the Q as we know them later, and as mentioned above, the episode itself has a lot in common with the Star Trek: The Next Generation pilot, up to and including humanity, or at least humanity’s representative, being put on trial for general savageness and barbarism. There’s some genuinely interesting discussion about relative “civilization,” and how progress might be measured up against a universe full of intelligent species whose lifespans dwarf those of puny human beings. You might find yourself getting sincerely upset on behalf of Planet Earth, which is something we all definitely remembered from Encounter at Farpoint, and something that Star Trek has always been good at making us feel: that no matter how badly we fuck up as a species, there’s good in us that’s worth fighting for. BTW: Yes, the Enterprise can go up and down. Witness: from Memory Alpha: the D using her ventral thrusters http://media.blubrry.com/notsomuchtheneutralzone/p/podcast.notsomuchtheneutralzone.com/nsmtnz_episode017.mp3 Subscribe: iTunes \| Android \| Email \| Google Play \| RSS Tagged In:episodes\|newepisodes\|tos Episode 16 – TOS 1×16: “The Galileo Seven” Episode 18 – TOS 1×18: “Arena” Episode 85 – “Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country” Episode 84 – “Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier” admin bonus material discovery episodes movies newepisodes tos Copyright © 2015 NSMTNZ Podcast	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line710
__label__cc	0.727681	0.272319	Puma Fenty Creepers Pink Apply this mixture to dry, clean skin and leave for about 20 minutes. Good looking effect. Tape on the flaps. Ms B. On the contrary, prepare yourself to Puma Fenty Creepers Pink live things that exceed anything you could have imagined. Thus you will extend your own limits and allow yourself Puma Fenty Creepers Pink to experience new experiences. Two months ago, 50 prisoners escaped. The situation is particularly critical for security during weekends when volunteers provide service. While football France will focus on the match against Switzerland Sunday night in Lille, will compete in Lyon another match of importance for the future of this group. A match that could designate the second of this pool in case of Romania's victory against Albania combined with a reverse of the Swiss at the same time .. He liked it enormously. I'd have to check, but I'm pretty sure I photographed Giscard d'Estaing. If during the 20 years prior to the date of submission of the application for a patent, the invention had already been publicly used in Kuwait, or its description or design had been advertised in publications in Kuwait, By experts; If within the 20 years prior to the date of submission of the application for patent, a patent of the invention or a part thereof has been granted to any person other than the inventor or his assignee, For the same invention or part thereof,. 'We believe that the ECB will make, as pr making purchases of assets this year of the ECB is made particularly difficult by the still contrast between the 19 countries of the euro zone. Prices industrial production in the area also announced Thursday, for example, rose by 0.7% in January compared with 3.5% year-on-year. But last month's rise was 2.1% in Belgium, compared with 0.1% in Cyprus. Another example is the Puma Fenty Creepers Pink ch, which remained stable in January, 9.6%, its lowest rate since May 2009. Call polysaccharides or sugar alcohols, polyols are made of semi synth synth poss a sweetening power similar to that of sugar while bringing fewer calories than it. The main polyols used as sugar substitutes are lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol and xylitol. Ours is also a very keen little boy, but last year we went to Cambodia and had the chance to travel with a company where there was an individual TV screen for all and 'Mulan.' Has passed in loop, For his great pleasure and for ours !! Puma Platform Outfit Puma Shoes For Men Amazon Puma Creepers Cream Puma Shoes Boys Puma Creepers Velvet On Feet Puma Beige Shoes Puma Basket Heart Girl Puma Basket Latest Puma Platform Gold Puma Purple Sneakers Home / Puma Fenty Creepers Pink	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line711
__label__cc	0.589853	0.410147	Northern Rocky Mountain Educational Research Association NRMERA Author & Submission Guidelines Educational Research: Theory & Practice, Volume 30, Issue 1, 2019 Educational Research: Theory & Practice, Volume 29, Issue 2 2018 Educational Research: Theory and Practice, Volume 29, Issue 1, 2018 The Researcher, Volume 27, Issue 2, 2015 The Researcher, Volume 18, 2004 Editor: Shanon S. Taylor, University of Nevada-Reno ‘#@FBTweet’ Using Social Media in Your Classroom: A Practical Guide for “Newbs” Authors: Jeremy A. Houska & Aaron S. Richmond Institutions: Centenary College & Metropolitan State University of Denver Abstract: If the world of our students is dominated by social media applications such as Facebook and Twitter, as instructors we must then ask: What role may social media play for educational purposes? Recent research has demonstrated the practical and effective use of social media in higher education (e.g., Blessing, Blessing, & Fleck, 2012; Junco, 2012: Kassens-Noor, 2012). There are also thorough sources on the merits and pitfalls of using social media in higher education (see Keengwe, 2012). However, we strive to provide a condensed, simple primer that discusses why and how social media should be used in your classroom, and offer practical considerations for those instructors contemplating implementation. Reference: Houska, J. A., & Richmond, A. S. (2014). ‘#@FBTweet’ Using Social Media in Your Classroom: A Practical Guide for “Newbs”. The Researcher, 26(2), 1-5. Navigating the Job Search Process: A Timeline for Doctoral Candidates in Education Authors: Leah Wood and Julie Thompson Institutions: California Polytechnic State University & Michigan State University Abstract: Procuring a job in higher education requires endurance, determination, and a great deal of preparation. The following article suggests a timeline for doctoral candidates in education who are seeking a post-doctoral or tenure-track position in higher education. Recommendations are organized by job- search benchmarks, including preparing in the summer, applying in the fall, interviewing by phone, the Internet, or in person in winter, and negotiating contracts in late winter or early spring. Reference: Wood, L., & Thompson, J. (2014). Navigating the job search process: A timeline for doctoral candidates in education. The Researcher, 26(2), 6-12. Trust and Maintaining Academic Optimism Authors: David Henderson, Lori Ann Clyatt, Barbara Frank, Susan Dickey Hedalen, Justin Helvik, & Natalie Miller Institutions: Montana State University Abstract: This phenomenological study examines the teaching pilgrimage of eleven elementary teachers with varying experience levels from across Montana as they discuss how they have maintained trust despite betrayals by students, colleagues, parents and administrators. Themes emerge from their stories and discussion which have significant impact on how school leaders might better foster collective trust, a key element in Hoy’s Academic Optimism, which has proven to significantly improve student achievement even when controlling for SES. From these themes various implications surface for leadership development and further research. Reference: Henderson, D., Clyatt, L. A., Frank, B., Dickey Hedalen, S., Helvik, J. & Miller, N. (2014). Trust and maintaining academic optimism. The Researcher, 26(2), 13-19. Elementary Principals’ Views about Struggling Students: Insights about Perceived Interventions Including Grade Retention Authors: Suzanne Young & Bret Range Institutions: University of Wyoming & Springfield Public Schools Abstract: This descriptive study sought to understand elementary principals’ beliefs about interventions for struggling students, including grade retention. An online survey was sent to 420 elementary administrators in two Rocky Mountain states. Results indicated that principals believed they struggled most in providing support to students who had poor attendance, had poor family support, and displayed poor behavior. They also indicated that neither policy nor general concern about future failure should drive grade retention. Additionally, they believed that teachers’ work with struggling students is the most powerful way to prevent retention and that parent involvement is the most important way to support grade promotion and prevent retention. Finally, the principals reported considering multiple data measures in making decisions to retain students, and some principals described a systematic process in making the decision to retain students. Reference: Young. S., & Range, B. (2014). Elementary Principals’ views about struggling students: Insights about perceived interventions including grade retention. The Researcher, 26(2), 20-34. © Copyright 2015 nrmera.org Copyright ©2020 Northern Rocky Mountain Educational Research Association. Education Zone \| Developed By Rara Theme. Powered by WordPress.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line712
__label__cc	0.679869	0.320131	NERGG, Inc. New England Regional Genetics Group 2019 Annual Educational Conference Registration What is NERGG? AMH Scholarship Sign up for NERGG Communications Geneticists, genetic counselors, public health officials and consumers working together to promote awareness, understanding, and access to genetic services. “The New England Regional Genetics Group was formed in order to serve as a consortium of genetics service providers, public health planners, consumer groups, and general and state maternal and child health personnel in New England. “Its primary activities are to serve as a forum for the discussion of region-wide concerns regarding the provision of optimal services in clinical genetics and genetics education, and to undertake specific programs for the enhancement of genetics services in New “The organization encourages the broad review of genetics issues, the formation of special study groups, holding relevant conferences and the creation of continuing projects which assist in education and service delivery.” — from our Articles of Incorporation The group was originally formed in 1977 under a grant from Maternal and Child Health. When that grant program ended, we incorporated as a charity under the name “NERGG, Incorporated” in 1993. NERGG Inc. continues to help fill the gaps in service in the six New England States, working in concert with the many fine universities and medical institutions and with other related programs in the region. © 2020 NERRG, Inc. - All rights reserved \| Disclaimers\| South Burlington, VT 05406 \| Message Phone: 617-963-0900 \| email: [javascript protected email address]	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line715
__label__cc	0.741166	0.258834	Home » Brunswick Beaches » Bald Head Island Bald Head Island, NC Newest Bald Head Island Listings » The Silver Peddler & Gift Accessories » Seabreeze Rentals & Sales » Tiffany's Beach Rentals » Maritime Passage » Island Passage » Eb & Flo's Restaurant » Bald Head Island Conservancy » Bald Head Island Chapel » The Bald Head Island Lighthouse & Smith Island Museum » Mary Munroe Realty - Bald Head Vacations & Sales » Bald Head Island Rentals » Bald Head Island Marina » River Pilot Cafe » The Maritime Market & Cafe » Bald Head Island Club » Marsh Harbour Inn Bed & Breakfast Bald Head Island provides the perfect getaway for a peaceful vacation. Remotely located across the Cape Fear River, this 12,000 acre island has coastal charm with a laid back atmosphere. Accessible by a private ferry or boat, Bald Head Island is a true picture of an unspoiled beach. Visitors and residents leave their cars in a secured lot and board the 25-minute ferry ride to the island. Travel on the island consists of driving with a golf cart or bicycle. Enjoy the 14 miles of white sandy coastline with nothing in the air except the smell of the salty ocean and an occasional grill. Bald Head Island's history like much of the surrounding area is filled with stories of the hundreds of notorious pirates, including Blackbeard, who roamed these waters and made the island their hideaway. However, many years before the pirates came to Bald Head Island, native Indians used the island as a recurrent camp and canoed over to the Island to hunt wild boar and fish. Bald Head Island was named such because the southwest tip headland of the island was used as a reference point for navigating the rough waters of the mouth of the Cape Fear River, which was barren, but looking from the Ocean you could see the dense maritime forest behind the empty headland hence this reference point for sailors appeared a bald "headland." "Old Baldy," Bald Head Island's eight-sided brick lighthouse and the second of three lighthouses constructed on the island is perhaps one of the Island's biggest attractions. The lighthouse, built in 1818, is open to the public. When the Cape Fear Light was erected in 1903, Old Baldy was decommissioned; however you can still take a tour of the lighthouse itself and don't miss walking up the 108 wooden steps to see one of the most beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Fear River you will ever be privy to. The stunning views are only part of the allure of "Old Baldy." Take a fun and educational day trip to see some of the most amazing sites the area has to offer. Keeping with the non-commercialism on the island, you will find no neon lights or high rises, (aside from the lighthouse!) - just charming homes with a southern appeal. A maritime forest with live oaks, palm trees and cedars adds to the beautiful nature of the area. You will find everything you want for a tranquil vacation on this stunning island. Terms: Bald Head Island, Bald Head Island NC Welcome to Bald Head Island, part of the Brunswick Beaches of North Carolina! Discover information on lodging, dining, shopping, real estate and more. LT: 0.04s \| Q: \| L: 10 \| C: False \| EST: 1/22/2020 7:11:24 PM \| Last: Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:27:54 GMT	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line726
__label__cc	0.588436	0.411564	Board index ‹ Godzilla: The Films ‹ Shin Godzilla and Beyond! Toho Launches Gojikon (Godzilla Strategy Council) Discussion on Shin Godzilla and rumors, news, and speculation on other possible future Godzilla projects, including the Godzilla Anime project! Discuss them here! Re: Toho Launches Gojikon (Godzilla Strategy Council) by lhb412 » Thu Jun 27, 2019 12:21 am ^ Neat! It'll be cool for Godzilla fan attendees to see the real suit! If only Toho (and Tsuburaya and Kadokawa) could get on board to do a US tour of a kind of tokusatsu museum exhibitions that have become commonplace in Japan. by Dai » Thu Jun 27, 2019 6:36 pm How has the Godzilla 2000 suit survived so long? Did they pickle it? by XvGojira » Thu Jul 18, 2019 12:43 am https://twitter.com/resurrectiongoj/sta ... 9814990850 https://www.instagram.com/p/B0Cr1uIgWIu ... gnkaa5m7gl And Toho endorses the "Reiwa Era", lumping Shin and the Anime Trilogy into it. XvGojira by Benjamin Haines » Sat Jul 20, 2019 10:26 am SyFy Wire, 07/19/2019: Toho's Godzilla hits Comic-Con with its first booth, part of the Japanese studio's master plan Jordan Zakarin wrote: Five years ago, Toho selected around 20 employees from different divisions of the company to participate in the Godzilla Strategic Conference, a group devoted to plotting the public future of the studio's crown jewel. At the time, Toho hadn't released a Godzilla movie of its own since 2004's monster royal rumble pic Godzilla: Final Wars, which meant that the public impression of the kaiju was largely limited the new licensed American movie released that year. As Legendary Pictures and Gareth Edwards's Hollywoodized Godzilla movie was raking in half a billion dollars at the box office, GSC was planning to also reassert Toho's version of its monster into the international public consciousness. Akito Takahashi, a Toho employee who serves as the GSC's Project Manager, gave an overview of the studio's plans in a conversation with SYFY WIRE, via a translator, at the company's booth on Thursday. The initial question they needed to answer, he says, was how to better tap into the devotion of the existing fan base. Benjamin Haines by Gentleman » Sat Jul 20, 2019 10:15 pm Benjamin Haines wrote: SyFy Wire, 07/19/2019: "We love the Hollywood Godzilla, we think it's really an honor that they wanted to sort of remake their Hollywood version," Takahashi says. "It's so different. We're going to continue that branding and that type of Godzilla universe to expand even more. However, the Japanese Godzilla has 29 movies that have already come out. It's a very specific type of Godzilla universe, so we're probably going to see both of them sort of evolving as we go. We just love that there's two sides of Godzilla." Sounds like they haven't officially pulled the plug on Legendary's license. Maybe they're hedging until they see what kind of numbers GvK brings in. I'm not a hero. I'm not a savior. Forget what you know. I'm just a man whose circumstances went beyond his control. Godzilla Jr. by lhb412 » Sun Jul 21, 2019 4:53 pm Lot of cool stuff at the Godzilla booth: live drawing from Shinji Nishikawa, signing by TJ Storm, costumes and props on display, in addition to selling merch. by XvGojira » Sun Jul 21, 2019 5:08 pm Gentleman wrote: Sounds like they haven't officially pulled the plug on Legendary's license. Maybe they're hedging until they see what kind of numbers GvK brings in. I see so many people going "MONSTERVERS CONTINUING CONFIRMED!" but all the answers are fluff. There's no concrete confirmation. It's just standard banal positives about their partnership with Legendary and the products they are making. Did Toho say anything bad about G'98 while they still held the license (so pre-2003 or 2005)? They might have said they were disappointed about how it was received but I doubt they'd say anything bad with an entity that has the license to their property. A question posed to the Toho representative at the Godzilla booth seems to indicate we can expect more Godzilla anime projects: https://mobile.twitter.com/OMEGAGORMARU ... 3769492480 Honestly, whatever you thought of the Netflix trilogy, this is such a no-brainer that they should have been doing it for the last 20 years. Anime is so internationally popular and Godzilla is such a known franchise it just makes sense for a Godzilla anime to come out every couple years, right? by Joseph Goodman » Sun Jul 28, 2019 5:31 pm https://www.pasonacareer.jp/hatalabo/entry/2019/07/24 Interesting interview with two members of Gojikon. Joseph Goodman Location: Annandale, VA by Henry88 » Sun Jul 28, 2019 11:14 pm if they are doing more godzilla then go 2d next time and for the love of bob hope don't make it boring. ROBOT CO-OP IS GAMING COMEDY https://robotco-op.com/ Location: Heflin,AL by XvGojira » Fri Oct 18, 2019 1:29 am Toho announce Godzilla: Genesis campaign. https://twitter.com/OMEGAGORMARU/status ... 1285348352 In 1954 Japanese studio TOHO CO., LTD. introduced the world to Godzilla, and except for a few Hollywood collaborations they've kept the King of the Monsters to themselves. But as Godzilla celebrates its 65. anniversary this fall Toho is celebrating by spreading the gospel of Godzilla to the rest of the world. "We're very excited to revitalize the original series of 29 feature films, says Takaaki Nakazawa, head of global licensing for Toho during an interview at the company, Tokyo headquarters. "Audiences have always appreciated the franchise, and now we feel the time is right to launch our new exciting GODZILLA: GENESIS campaign." Toho is excited to be able to offer all 29 films, either as a package or separately, to international broadcasters, cable stations and video platforms for the very first time. "Because MIPCOM is a market for media content we're looking forward to discussing deals for the series," says Nakazawa, "but we also want to strengthen the brand value of the franchise." In preparation for GODZILLA: GENESIS, Toho conducted a survey to gauge public awareness of Godzilla in other countries around the world, and found that the majority of the respond.ts were familiar and had a relatively strong engagement with the monster, but as Nakazawa points out there is still a great deal of potential for the character. "The key driving content will be different in each territory, he says. "For instance, in China the Hollywood versions contributed greatly to Godzilla, popularity, while in the U.S. and Europe the original Toho films are mainly responsible." Godzilla is such an iconic film presence that the brand encompasses more than just the films, so merchandising will also figure heavily in the campaign. Toho plans to showcase Godzilla brand sake at its MIPCOM Launch of GODZILLA: GENESIS and at their booth. In the future it will also license other titans of the Godzilla Universe such as Mothra and Rodan individually. For the first time they'll also increase localization by providing production entities with music and effects soundtracks so that individual films can be dubbed into other languages. Despite the fact that Americans first encountered Godzilla through a hybrid version of the original in 1956, The Godzilla films produced by Toho have so far not been dubbed, with very few exceptions Much of the series' appeal is its never-ending cycle of destruction and rebirth, a theme that may seem particularly Japanese given the island nation, history, but which Nakazawa believes is universal. "People all over the world suffer disasters that they must overcome to rebuild their lives and move on," he says. "It, something everybody understands and is a universal experience." At the panel Toho revealed that there will be a Godzilla toyline inbound for January 2020, as well as announced the new partnership with a major clothing brand. I'm interested in what the toyline and clothing brand might be. The talk of new dubs seems like it's more geared towards other markets than the US, especially since I take it that the US dubs are the "very few exceptions" when they say none of the movies have been dubbed. by lhb412 » Fri Oct 18, 2019 8:55 am ^ Yeah, it all sounds extraordinarily ambitious, but I wonder just what it all means and if it'll affect me as a fan in the United States at all? Still, I like that they're taking this initiative to market and maintain the brand internationally. Basically, it feels like 'Godzilla's here to stay,' you know? Re: (Godzilla Fest 2019 Executive Committee) by mr.negativity » Mon Oct 28, 2019 1:31 pm Tokyo International Film Festival: The 65th Anniversary of the Birth of Godzilla: Godzilla Fest 2019 Godzilla Fest will be back in Hibiya! A variety of events will be held to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the birth of Godzilla! 11.3 Sun 10:00～19:00 Hosted by: Godzilla Fest 2019 Executive Committee / UNIJAPAN (Tokyo International Film Festival Executive Committee) Co-hosted by Tokyo Metropolitan Government Sponsored by: Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. / Hibiya Area Management Association Links: Official Site (Japnese Site) mr.negativity Location: The Negative Zone by mr.negativity » Thu Oct 31, 2019 4:57 pm Screen Rant: Life-Size Godzilla Attraction Coming To Terrorize Japan Theme Park DANIEL ALVAREZ wrote: Godzilla will once again arrive in Japan, but this time as a theme park attraction. The King of the kaiju has been enjoying a surge in worldwide popularity as of late. The monster's next film, Godzilla vs. Kong, stomps into theaters in March 2020. Godzilla has always been well known, but it's only recently that he's gained special prominence outside Japan. Recently, Turner Classic Movies aired most of the older Japanese Godzilla movies. Criterion, the prestigious home video company, recently released a Blu-ray set for all the Godzilla films released between 1954-1975. Of course, this year saw the release of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which reintroduced King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan. Though the film received lukewarm reviews from critics, many fans greatly enjoyed it. Godzilla is everywhere, and soon a full-scale attraction will be built for fans to visit. Nijigen no Mori, the anime theme park on Awaji Island, is getting a full-scale Godzilla attraction (via Kyodo News) next summer. Called the "Godzilla Interception Operation Awaji," the attraction is based on the title character from Shin Godzilla. According to Chief Godzilla Officer Keiji Ota, the attraction "will have huge presence and tremendous impact." Visitors will role-play as researchers, using pulleys to enter Godzilla through his mouth. While inside the beast, visitors will attempt missions, including a shooting game trying to destroy Godzilla's cells. The Godzilla attraction will be massive, about 20 meters high. As one can see in the image, it will be as if Godzilla's head is truly emerging from the ground. According to Ota, the attraction will be the first "permanent" full-scale replica of the creature, so it sounds like fans can look forward to this for years to come. This also isn't the first Shin Godzilla-themed attraction in Japan. There was also the 4D ride at Universal Studios Japan, which featured Godzilla and a new version of King Ghidorah. It should come as no surprise that Shin Godzilla is still being heavily marketed in Japan as the quintessential Godzilla. Shin Godzilla won numerous Japanese Academy awards in 2016, including Picture of the Year. It is also the highest-grossing Japanese Godzilla film. Interestingly, TOHO plans to build a new Godzilla cinematic universe instead of following up on Shin Godzilla. This isn't shocking, because Shin Godzilla works as a standalone feature. One of the directors of Shin Godzilla, Hideaki Anno, will be the producer on Shin Ultraman, releasing in 2021. It is certainly a good time to be a fan of Godzilla and Japanese giants. Source: Kyodo News by Mexigojira » Wed Nov 06, 2019 10:49 pm Godzilla Mixes It Up with Symphogear Anime in Smartphone Game Collab It’s been a whopping 65 years since the original Godzilla made its massive mark upon Japan and the world with Ishiro Honda’s 1954 film Gojira. One of the many celebrations has the Big G stomping his way toward the girls of Symphogear for a collaboration with the Symphogear XD UNLIMITED smartphone game. Appropriately titled Godzilla vs. Symphogear, the collaboration was revealed during this past weekend’s Godzilla Fest 2019 event in Tokyo. There’s currently just a teaser, so we’ll have to wait to find out how Godzilla will fully integrate into Bushiroad and Pokelabo’s “symphonic battle” game. Source: https://www.otakuusamagazine.com/godzilla-mixes-symphogear-anime-smartphone-game-collab/ "There are 4 things that I've learned to dont discuss, because they end with people killing each other: Religion, politics, sports, and logic on anime and kaiju movies" Mexigojira Location: Monterrey, Nuevo LÃ©on Mexico by Rody » Thu Nov 07, 2019 3:43 pm I'm not familiar with Symphogear (although I think there's an anime adaptation pretty popular right now?), but I would think a collab with a similar franchise like Kancolle (navy ships) or Girls und Panzer (tanks) would be a no-brainer. by tbeasley » Mon Nov 11, 2019 4:09 pm ^ I don't know, Godzilla and magical girls seems like a obvious combination! That life size Shin Godzilla attraction was featured on the local news here (South Mississippi by the Gulf Coast), taking me off-guard. They seemed perplexed by it. ~ Tyler Exterminate all rational thought. tbeasley Location: the tbunker by XvGojira » Mon Nov 11, 2019 8:13 pm So it looks like that clothing line that was talked about for the Godzilla Genesis project is with Mondo. https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/201 ... collection by Mexigojira » Wed Nov 27, 2019 9:16 pm New clip of Godzlla vs Symphogear- by lhb412 » Wed Nov 27, 2019 9:23 pm XvGojira wrote: So it looks like that clothing line that was talked about for the Godzilla Genesis project is with Mondo. The Gigan shirt is maybe the coolest looking article of clothing merchandising tie-in this franchise has ever produced. It looks awesome. Also, the Mothra shirt is pretty great, too. I think I need both of those. by klen7 » Thu Nov 28, 2019 9:32 pm ^Mrs Claus is supposed to be leaving that under the tree, fingers crossed klen7 Location: beyond your peripheral vision by lhb412 » Thu Nov 28, 2019 10:18 pm ^ Shoot. Should order that right now - hope they ship in time! by Baltan II » Mon Dec 02, 2019 7:15 pm lhb412 wrote: The Gigan shirt is maybe the coolest looking article of clothing merchandising tie-in this franchise has ever produced. It looks awesome. That Gigan shirt makes me feel... things. Baltan II by mr.negativity » Sat Dec 14, 2019 7:20 pm THR, 12/14/2019: Grand Seiko Releases Limited-Edition Godzilla-Inspired Timepiece Danielle Directo-Meston wrote: To celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Spring Drive movement and Godzilla's 65th birthday, Grand Seiko has channeled the king of monsters into a commemorative sport timepiece. Priced at a cool $12,500, the limited-edition SBGA405's blood-red dial and face channels Godzilla's destructive ray beam, while the textured shark straps are inspired by the monstrous lizard's skin. No design touches were spared for the back of the watch, which is stamped with the iconic scene where the mythical monster destroys the clock tower in Ginza's main intersection. The timepiece is a tribute to Grand Seiko, too: the watchmaker was born in the Tokyo shopping district and was carried at legendary high-end department store Wako, which is located beneath the tower. Available at the brand's boutiques in Beverly Hills and New York, as well as online. by Mexigojira » Wed Dec 25, 2019 3:07 pm Return to Shin Godzilla and Beyond! Users browsing this forum: tbeasley and 0 guests	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line732
__label__cc	0.500892	0.499108	Norm Needleman Representing Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Deep River, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Lyme, Old Saybrook, Portland and Westbrook Follow Senator Needleman: Press Aide: Joe O'Leary, 860-240-8820 Senator Needleman Backs Senate Democrats’ “A Smart And Responsible Connecticut” Agenda Bill proposals aim to strengthen our economy, economic competitiveness, and education system. HARTFORD, CT—Today, State Senator Norm Needleman (D-Essex) backed the Senate Democrats’ announcement of “A Smart & Responsible Connecticut,” the second of four legislative agendas for the 2019 legislative session. The series of bills outline the policy proposals from Senate Democrats to strengthen our economy, economic competitiveness, and education system. The legislative proposals in the “A Smart & Responsible Connecticut” agenda introduced by Sen. Needleman include: ECONOMIC COMPETITION & FAIRNESS Senate Bill 598: An Act Concerning The Growing, Cultivation, Production and Processing of Hemp “Legalizing hemp production would be a direct boon to the farmers and businesses of Connecticut, giving them access to a resource that for too long has been unfairly been blocked away despite its numerous known uses,” said Sen. Needleman. “We can easily support the more than 100 farmers interested in growing hemp while providing our industries with new and better materials to work with.” Senate Bill 665: An Act Concerning Establishing Competitive Sports Wagering at Casinos and Off-Track Betting Sites on Certain Sporting “Sports gambling provides a new opportunity for Connecticut to gain access to additional tax revenues while taking the practice away from the black market,” said Sen. Needleman. “It would benefit and bolster our casinos and give our state an influx of tax dollars.” Senate Bill 423: An Act Concerning Establishing the Connecticut Transportation Authority “A Connecticut Transportation Authority would be a way for Connecticut to ensure its most pressing transportation needs are directly addressed,” said Sen. Needleman. “The authority could provide direct and improved oversight toward our roads, our trains and our buses, helping push Connecticut’s transit needs to the forefront of important discussions.” Senate Bill 440: An Act Concerning Captive Audience Meetings “Prohibiting these required meetings from employers, which all too often employ unfair and aggressive tactics toward employees, would assist Connecticut’s workforce greatly,” said Sen. Needleman. “I know that employees who no longer face retaliation for speaking out against these practices will be more confident in their rights and more comfortable in their jobs.” Senate Bill 637: An Act Concerning Reimbursement for Special Education Costs “This is an easy way for us to protect our schools and our municipalities without losing sight of what’s most important—our future generations,” said Sen. Needleman. “This legislation would give us an opportunity to provide schools with additional funding they can use to support modern education with even more strength than before.” Senate Bill 435: An Act Concerning Student Loan Forgiveness “Businesses and workers alike would benefit from student loan forgiveness programs, keeping our skilled young workers in the state and providing our companies with a new way to attract the young workers they need,” said Sen. Cassano. “This bill would benefit our economy, not just by providing new opportunities for business growth but by giving those who are struggling with student loan debt a way to escape it.” Senate Bill 526: An Act Concerning Allowing Municipalities to Amend their Fiscal Years Senate Bill 696: An Act Concerning Unemployment Insurance Reform “These bills will provide important protections to our municipalities and our financial systems, giving our cities and towns more freedom and flexibility while ensuring our unemployment insurance fund remains solvent so it can continue supporting our workforce.”	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line733
__label__cc	0.527516	0.472484	SACRED HEART CATHOLIC "Courage and Confidence" Madeleine Sophie Barat, Foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart SCITT ASPIRING FUTURES & CAREERS Sacred Heart Schools were founded to educate girls so that by educating the mothers of the future we improve the families of the future. While the initial aspiration of the Society in the founding of schools was to educate wives to influence society as “a force for good”, we fully embrace the role our students will play as independent adults forming, moulding and leading society in their own right. Sacred Heart Catholic High School seeks to ensure that our students will access high quality careers that will improve the experiences of their lives and ensure they are able to successfully and morally influence their own society. We expect our students to become beacons of social mobility; with school facilitating the highest expectations and ambitions - accessing better paid, better quality work than their peers and increased engagement with top universities and selective courses. Sacred Heart Catholic High School is committed to providing our students with a programme of careers education, information, advice and guidance (CIAG) for all students in years 7 –13. Sacred Heart Catholic High School endeavours to implement the Gatsby Benchmarks, alongside other guidance from The Department of Education, other providers and Ofsted as it appears. Sacred Heart Catholic High School’s Careers Education and Guidance policy has the following aims:- to contribute to strategies for raising achievement, especially by increasing motivation to support inclusion, challenge stereotyping and promote equality of opportunity to encourage participation in continued learning including higher education and further education to develop enterprise and employment skills to meet the needs of all our students through appropriate differentiation to involve parents and carers This area will be populated with further links as they become available. Types of North East Business and other Labour Market Data (https://www.northeastdatahub.co.uk/our-data/economy/employment-and-skills/) SACU and the Spartan Test (https://sacu-student.com/) Start careers site (https://www.startprofile.com/) The Skills Exchange for work experience, placements and internships (http://skills.exchange.thecentralexchange.co.uk/) POLAR young people participation rates (https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-and-analysis/polar-participation-of-local-areas/) University Applications (www.ucas.com) Learn more about becoming an apprentice, the types of apprenticeships, and whether it would be suitable for you (www.apprenticeships.org.uk) Government website providing information on employment and finding a job (www.direct.gov.uk) Connexions Adviser: Ms Sue Burney www.connexions-tw.co.uk www.connexionslive.com Gives up to date careers information: help on your future choices; finding a job; completing CV’s; and many more issues. Contact Connexions – Newcastle: 0191 277 1944 Associated Documents CIAG Policy PSHCE CIAG Overview 2018-19 Provider Access Policy © 2015 - by Sacred Heart Catholic High School, Fenham, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 9YH Designed & Constructed by michael.ashton@shhs.org.uk	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line738
__label__cc	0.518017	0.481983	Events · Les frères Zanni sont de retour à la Comédie de Montpellier We've found them but they've lost everything again! Yes, the Zanni brothers are back, that bunch of hopeless, theatrical losers. They've lost their costumes and sets, the female vocal cast and the orchestra have all missed the train... (perhaps there wasn't one?) but everything will be fine and the show will go on. Yet hidden behind this pitiful brotherly assembly is the Ensemble Clément Janequin, as colourful as ever and on grand form in the roles of Pantalone, Captain Cardon, Dr Graziano and Isabella in Orazio Vecchi's hilaroious madrigal comedy Amfiparnaso, a burlesque fusion of Commedia dell'Arte and the music of its day, and a ludicrously amusing show! "Zanni !" Opéra comédie de Montpellier 8 pm Also 4 shorter, school performances on 12th & 13th April at 10.30 am (yikes!) & 2.30 pm for those who can't make the evening show on the 11th.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line739
__label__cc	0.678738	0.321262	Social Artist \| Richard Middleton Subscribe now and get my eBook Free Please check your email to confirm Hi All! I was Inspired by the wonderful Tim Fer... How to Complain, To Get What You Want Ok I admit it, Sometimes the world isn̵... How To Read Minds, What Your Eyes Say About You More than just an organ for a sense our eyes can g... WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT SOCIAL ARTIST “Every town has a naughty boy like Richard: a gentleman who supplies a line of astonishing whispers that brings tutting crowds together and causes some to boast about how well they know him. Richard is an unconquerable hero who can create a party even when the room is full of strangers. However, his most incredible super power is the ability to take a client, no matter how rough or new… and give them practical and clear guidance that’ll change their lives.” Marcus Oakey www.yourcharismacoach.com “I’ve had the pleasure of coaching alongside Rich and even as a trainer, I’ve learnt so much from him. He carries himself like a true professional and has a wealth of knowledge you can learn from. Rich cares deeply about his students; he’s always looking at how he can help them overcome their obstacles and maximise their potential. If you have the opportunity to work with Rich, do it. You won’t regret it.” Sam Thomas Davies www.samuelthomasdavies.com © SOCIAL ARTIST 2014 Graphics, logos, scripts and terms are all trademarks and copyright SOCIAL ARTIST	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line742
__label__wiki	0.644812	0.644812	FUS Boards → The Media World (Games, Movies, TV) → Animation Station #1 Wulfsbane Wulfsbane One of the Scribes Location:Probably at a hockey rink somewhere. “The Powerpuff Girls” will return to Cartoon Network in 2016, the cabler announced Monday. The reboot will include a new television series and a full licensing program that will roll out across all regions. The show first premiered in 1998 and was created by Craig McCracken. “The original ‘Powerpuff Girls’ was a franchise phenomenon for Cartoon Network, paving the way for a new generation of innovative storytellers and enthusiastic fans worldwide,” said Rob Sorcher, chief content officer, Cartoon Network. “We are calling these girls back into action based upon an overwhelming demand for sugar, spice and Chemical X.” The series earned two Emmy awards during its 78-episode run, and spawned a 2003 feature film, a tenth anniversary special, and a re-imagined CG special, “The Powerpuff Girls: Dance Pantsed,” which aired on Cartoon Network in January and featured the voice of Ringo Starr. “As the original ambassador of ‘girl power,’ The Powerpuff Girls brand continues to resonate with people of all ages and there is tremendous excitement around introducing Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup to a new generation,” said Pete Yoder, vice president of consumer products for North America, Cartoon Network Enterprises. “With proven success and great content plans in place, there’s so much potential that we’re looking forward to explore with our licensing partners in the coming weeks.” http://variety.com/2...016-1201221202/ The Scribes, if anyone wants to join a growing community. Ask me if you want to know more. “Some say that he is the only man in history to buy a DFS sofa when there wasn’t a sale on, and that his favourite boxing venue is Munich airport. All we know is he’s called the Stig.” “Some say that if you hold him in the wrong way he doesn’t work properly, and that just very recently he developed an irrational hatred of Rubens Barrichello. All we know is he’s called the Stig.” Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. -Colossians 3:13 #2 Captain Sorzo Captain Sorzo Scribes of Mobius Location:Richardson, Texas Not that surprising. I figured the new special was a means of testing the waters. That said, I never cared for PPG. It always felt very mean-spirited, which is something I can't stand in storytelling. Story updates and more now available at Free Scribes of Mobius! #3 RedAuthar RedAuthar The Spambot Killer. Location:Knothole I'm with Sorzo, I liked a few episodes, but for the most part I didn't like the heroes or the major storylines...which were mostly non existent anyways. #4 ILOVEVHS ILOVEVHS The Urban Ranger Fellow FUSer Location:The Land of the Livid Dead Seeing as how Powerpuff Girls is one of my favorite TV shows/movies (seriously, the movie is better than most Marvel films) My excitment is understandable. Especially since the news came that Cartoon Netwrok may ALSO revive Courage the Cowardly Dog. The RETURN of COURAGE the Cowardly Dog? Make it happen! Contact Cartoon Network and tell them you demand more Courage! Like. Share. Tweet. Repeat. 300 N 3rd St, Burbank, CA 91502 http://www.cartoonne...k.com/feedback/ While I will NOT agree with the character dislike, the storylines are completely understandable since...it's a children's show, and not one on the scale of other shows storywise. I will admit than many epsiodes did KINDA feel mean-spirited, like the one where they travel into the future. (Shudders) That one was creepy. Lemme remind you when I watched it I was a kid. I was a kid too. So? Well you were defending the show's storyline. As a kid I found it unenterteining... So it being a kid show is no excuse. Just saying. I wasn't saying it was an excuse. Kid shows are sometimes better than normal shows in this regard. And Opinions can change. Try watching some Season 2 episodes, or better yet, watch the movie. Ed Edd n Eddy needs to come back #10 ILOVEVHS #11 RedAuthar I dunno where the episodes switch seasons but I did watch more than the first couple episodes. Also I didn't like the movie VHS's cookies have raisins The movie was pretty mean-spirited.... Just check Wikipedia. And avoid the PPG anime. Ugh. And Ben deserves any cookie he wants for that claim. #13 Wulfsbane Eww raisins Better idea. (VHS give Ben a DOUBLE GLAZED donut of his flavor choice) THEY REPLACED THE VOICE ACTORS #16 HeavensChampion HeavensChampion Dun, dun, dun, dun! Dun, dun, dun, dun!!! #17 Tennyo Tennyo Location:Minnesota Maybe the original VA's are retired? idk Or I know the VA for Bubbles is currently busy with ponies so maybe it just didn't work out schedule wise? idk I actually never watched this show as a kid. I didn't have cable/satellite TV. Back to Animation Station Board Rules · Licensed to: FUS	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line744
__label__wiki	0.795115	0.795115	Toyota GB BTCC History Ingram tames Britain's fastest circuit for another points-scoring hat-trick Tom Ingram kept himself firmly in contention for the biggest prize in UK motorsport with a strong performance at Thruxton last weekend (18/19 May), as he piloted his Team Toyota GB with Ginsters Corolla to a third consecutive points-scoring hat-trick in the fiercely-disputed British Touring Car Championship. Not only is Thruxton ‘home’ turf for Cornwall-based Ginsters, it is also the fastest circuit in the country, with top speeds peaking at around 160mph. Ingram arrived there with his tail up having clinched the first outright victory for a Toyota Corolla in Britain’s premier motor racing series in more than three decades at Donington Park last month – albeit acknowledging that repeating the feat in Hampshire would be a far taller order. The reigning two-time BTCC Independent Champion’s task was not assisted by damp conditions that all-but wrote off the first free practice session. With 24kg of success ballast on-board – the first time this season that the Corolla had carried any significant weight into qualifying – he went on to line up 15th on the grid amongst the 30 high-calibre protagonists, just over three tenths-of-a-second adrift of the top six after falling foul of track limits transgressions. In front of the live ITV4 television cameras and a large trackside crowd the following day, Ingram pulled off a number of bold overtaking manoeuvres in the opener to flash past the chequered flag in 12th place for a clutch of valuable championship points. The Bucks-born ace maintained that forward momentum in race two as he fought through to finish eighth, posting a best lap time comparable with that of the winner, but from fourth on the reversed grid for the finale, he found himself delayed by a first lap incident. As spots of rain made for a greasy track surface, Rob Collard spun across the Toyota’s bows entering the Complex, obliging Ingram to jink swiftly out of his slipstream in avoidance and sending him bouncing across the grass and down to seventh. Following a short safety car intervention, the 25-year-old immediately went back on the attack, revelling in the low-grip scenario and swiftly dispatching defending champion Colin Turkington by artfully squeezing his Speedworks Motorsport-run Corolla up the inside into Segrave. Gaining another spot when Sam Tordoff suddenly slowed, Ingram thereafter applied pressure on three-time title-winner Matt Neal all the way to the flag to cap his weekend with a fine fifth-place finish. That maintained his record of having scored in every race so far this season – one of only two drivers to do so – while consolidating sixth position in the overall Drivers’ standings, just 21 points shy of the summit heading next to Croft in North Yorkshire on 15/16 June. Team Toyota GB with Ginsters sits seventh out of 19 contenders in the Teams’ table. Christian Dick, Team Principal, Team Toyota GB with Ginsters, said: “We made steady improvements throughout the weekend and came away with another good, solid points haul. It wasn’t a show-stopper in terms of results, but it was never going to be. Thruxton is so unique as a circuit and comes with very specific demands, and being such a new car, we’re still getting to grips with the Corolla. That meant it was always going to be a challenge first time round, but we learnt a lot and when we return in August, I’m confident we will have a much better handle on everything and will consequently be a lot stronger. “As the track never fully dried out in the first practice session, we opted to take care of some housekeeping and get the tyres and everything else properly prepped for qualifying and the races. Given that Tom’s fastest two laps in qualifying were taken away from him, we felt we were a little out-of-position on the grid – and that inevitably impacts upon your race day chances. “With the quality of the field in the BTCC this year, it’s difficult to make a lot of progress, but we gained ground every time and once he was able to settle into a rhythm in race three, Tom’s pace was really encouraging – as quick as anybody else out there over the race distance. That gives us plenty to build upon moving forward.” Tom Ingram, Driver, Team Toyota GB with Ginsters, said: “Overall, I’d classify that as a very solid weekend. Thruxton is such a niche circuit – there’s nowhere else like it in the UK – so we didn’t really know how things would play out, and the weather in free practice didn’t help in terms of gathering information. There was very little point in going out in those conditions, so we just scrubbed some tyres in and prepared for qualifying. Our grid slot wasn’t truly representative of our speed, but we knew we could make up ground on race day. “In races one and two, I just tried to stay out of trouble and pick up places where I could, but in race three, Collard’s spin cost me a lot of momentum and positions. On the plus side, the Corolla felt the best it had all weekend, which enabled us to fight back to finish a strong fifth and we were competitive against all the other front-runners. The chassis was superb – we were just lacking a little bit through the final sector, so that’s something we’ll need to work on before we return later in the year. “The main aim of the weekend was to put some more solid points on the board and come away with ideas of where to improve for August, and we successfully ticked both of those boxes. We made up positions in every race and continued to score consistently, and we’re still there-or-thereabouts in the championship. It’s all about playing the long game in the BTCC, and now that we’re moving on to some circuits that will hopefully suit us a little bit better, we’re fully focussed on closing that gap.” Ingram signs off season with crowd-pleasing charge at Brands Hatch 14-Oct-2019 Lady Luck was not on Tom Ingram’s side in the British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch last weekend (12/13 October), but the Team Toyota GB with Ginsters star.. © Speedworks Tweets by @SpeedworksMS HomeAbout UsNewsGallerySite Map	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line745
__label__cc	0.518319	0.481681	Rocking Your Role - The Book By Jenny Garrett Life & navigation for trailblazing women About Jenny Contact Jenny Jenny Garrett is an Award Winning Coach with over 11 years experience of running a Global Business. She is a Freeman of the Guild of Entrepreneurs – City of London and was listed in Brummell Magazines Top 30 City Innovators 2016. Her mission is to transform the world for everyone, one empowered woman at a time. She uses her years of experience in coaching and leadership to inspire and motivate people, working with them to deliver career and life changing results beyond expectation. Jenny has written an Amazon Bestselling Book ‘Rocking Your Role’, on the taboo subject of female breadwinners. She has reached an audience of over 30,000 through her speaking engagements, including two TEDx Talks, and coached individuals all over the globe from Australia, to Botswana, the US, Mexico, Spain and the UK, with over 3,000 coaching hours under her belt. Jenny gives back through her social enterprise Rocking Ur Teens Her most recent clients include MasterCard, EY and Mace Macro. Jenny is a regular commentator on Sky News and LBC radio, and has been featured on BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour, The Telegraph, and Glamour magazine amongst many others. A client recently described Jenny as a ‘yoga stretch for the career!’ Jenny’s work is characterised by having, depth, personalisation and meaning, or some would say ‘soul’. Jenny’s clients are: Trailblazing women who want to navigate their work & life to realise their true potential Organisations that want to make the most of their leaders, to maximise performance and productivity See her video ‘Would you follow you?’ And the trailer for her book ‘Rocking Your Role’ “Reading this book lifted the clouds of expectations, guilt, imaginary limitations …. it liberated me to pursue my own personal dreams while still providing for my family.” Nadine Juignet “A series of interactive transformative exercises drawing from the world of coaching and psychology will support personal and professional development for all individuals. Jenny has a great writing voice and has bought a human touch to a taboo subject with great sensitivity and creativity.” Philip Whiteley Business author “A rare and powerful book covering an immensely important subject in a personal, practical and very moving way. I was inspired by reading it and left breathless by the achievements of the author and the women whose stories she tells.” Dr Ann Limb OBE DL South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership “This is a well researched book, that I think will meet a real need, the practical exercises are welcomed, much better than just a pile of theory. Perfect for those women struggling with being breadwinner.” Heather McGregor Careers Advice for Ambitious Women “Jenny Garrett charts the rise of the female main earner (ME) in her highly engaging exploration of female breadwinners. That a fifth of women in the UK now earn more than their partners is significant, yet we hear little about this. Garrett’s book illustrates why this is something we should celebrate, and yet we are resistant to do so.This book is an invaluable and inspiring source for those who will, either through choice or by chance, embark on this exciting route. She offers advice and space to reflect and challenges one of the modern day taboos.” Mary Honeyball London MEP “From the moment I started reading Rocking Your Role I was totally absorbed, recognising so many of the issues that Jenny refers to within this clearly written and practical book. She takes the reader on a journey which makes you question so many things about yourself but in a way that energises you to step back and think about your work life balance, and the importance of being honest with yourself and those around you. It will resonate with successful women, especially those who are the female breadwinners, in all areas of life.” Pim Baxter Get in touch with Jenny today Call: + 44 (0)844 776 4744 \| Email: info@rockingyourrole.com Jenny Garrett - 2020 - Web Design by Conceptstore.co.uk	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line750
__label__cc	0.646742	0.353258	Folklore In Egypt Wood Turnery Traditional Glasswork Al-Moulid’s Doll Traditional Jewellery Mawaled Thursday، 19 May 2016 12:00 AM Wood turnery is a well-known craft that was practiced by the ancient Egyptian; this craft reached a very high degree of perfection and sound taste during old times. Egypt had a deeply rooted fame in the art of turnery, Ancient Egyptian remnants contain large quantities of turned wood and the tools used in this craft are found in temple wall inscriptions explaining their use. These tools included hammers, axes, chisels and saws, all of which had wooden handles. Surprisingly, all rings found on the wooden stands of seats are hand-made and resemble those turned by lathe. One of the seats found in the tomb of Tut Ankh Amon has stands ornamented with rings similar to modern turned ones, but it has not been demonstrated whether these were turned or filed. The Copts inherited from their forefather’s skills and crafts, especially the art of carpentry in which they show remarkable supremacy as well as experience in various types of wood. They did not only use local types of wood, but they imported the best types such as ebony from Somalia, Ethiopia and South Sudan, and walnut, nut and oak from Europe and West Asia. In the thirteenth century some Coptic houses which were full of handmade turned woodwork were found. These included wooden doors, and mashrabiyaat (projecting oriental window with wooden latticework enclosure). Those mashrabiyaat were made from pine or Turkish walnut and beech wood. They have been used since the Roman age until the present time. Many Coptic pieces of wood turnery were found in the nunneries of the city of Habo, Koum Ishkaw, Asiut and Sakkara. The Coptic museum keeps a collection of Coptic woodwork that shows the various phases of carpentry and its ornamentation since the Christian age where the Byzantine-Greek influence is obvious. Types of wood: Egyptian craftsmen have shown significant supremacy and experience in examining different types of wood. Since wood is a commonly used substance. It is important to shed light on some types of wood, how to maintain them and ways of processing them. 1- Wood should be protected by good dehydration, which gives it resistance against parasites. 2- Wood is processed by sawing up the tree into logs of various thick nesses, widths and lengths. Most widely used types of wood should have the following specifications: color, weight, fabric, measurements and use. Types of wood used in making furniture, engraving and turnery are numerous and depend on their distinctive qualities. Local Wood: Sant wood is tough, rigid and has a reddish color, which changes by time. It is similar to ebony and used in making furniture. Mulberry wood has a yellowish color and contains red circles. It is tough and has condensed fibers. It can be used in making furniture and turnery as its surface can be polished. Tamarind wood has a white yellowish color and is used in making furniture. Nut wood is a good type of wood that can be used in making furniture. Nabk wood is a good type of wood and may replace beech in making furniture. Guava, lemon, sycamore, olive, date, willow wood are used in turnery as they have different ornamental color. Imported Timber: Imported timber includes mild workable and tough rigid types. A- Workable wood includes red pine and yellow pine known as (Mosky or Swedish). These are used in carpentry, turnery and furniture. B- Tough Rigid timber includes beech and ebony. Beech timber is basically white yellowish in color, but turns to reddish yellow after dehydration. it is flexible and is preferred in making seats and heavy furniture. Ebony has various types with different colors: Red, brown, green and black. It is tough and used in turnery. Types of wood turnery: 1- Large turnery: This type of turnery includes turnery of seat and table legs and furniture. An old example of this type of turnery is the wooden fence around the Mardany Mosque in Tibbana. There is also another type called cistern turnery that is used in windows overlooking internal corridors in order to allow air and light inside the place. 2- Fine Turnery (Known as Mashrablya Turnery): Mashrabiya turnery has different names and measures. Turned heads may have various geometrical shapes. Maymouny type of turnery refers to oval or hexagonal units. There are also turned units used for ornamentation and joining other units. It should be noted that both large and fine turnery may exist side by side in one unit. Thus, we can find a large frame containing fine turnery representing Arabic orthography a pending lamp, an animal or a bird. Two different colors of two different types of timber can be used to give an exquisite woodwork. Turnery craft and carpentry in general were among the crafts that used to have a chief master, as every craft had a master. Every crafts man or woodworker who wanted to join the turnery craft, for example, has to submit woodwork of his own creation to be examined as regards geometric and artistic shape. Woodworks and turned shapes used in ancient houses have added innovations in external and internal designs. Such exquisite and beautiful designs have contributed a lot to Egypt’s civilization role in the field of folk crafts. Among the houses which were designed and modeled after the Memeluke design during the Ottoman reign (1517-1805 A.D.) are the old Memeluke houses in Rossetta. Mashrabiya in Rossetta houses project from the sidewall and it is decorated with some ornaments. The front of the Mashrabiya is divided into many turned woodwork units. The craftsman has also added some ornamental designs, which exhibit an Islamic character, such as Islamic arches. Turned woodwork used in Rosietta houses include both wide (spacious) and fine turnery. Wood used to be turned manually (by lathes operated manually), but nowadays-manual lathes have been replaced by electrical ones to cope with the spirit of modern age and mass production. Wood turners have creatively made efforts to introduce various turned units into walking sticks made from ebony; kohl containers made of wood ivory or animal bone or even plastic; lampshade pedestals, wood draught screens; mirror and photograph frames; jewelry boxes; rosary beads; and ornamentation of musical instruments. Creative turnery is an outcome of long and painstaking effort in training craftsmen as weld as of awareness and development of creative abilities in some schools for teaching traditional crafts. The Ministry of culture has recently established a craft’s c enter in Al -Ghoury District which started in 1960 and still plays an essential role in developing the turnery craft and teaching the young generation to be future craftsmen.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line752
__label__cc	0.635679	0.364321	Slasher Movie Posters: April Fool’s Day Edition April 1, 2015 May 17, 2016 Slasher Studios*Horror Today at Slasher Studios we are celebrating three slasher films all revolving around April Fools Day. As Hollywood tends to work in pairs and sometimes more, all three of these slashers were released in 1986. Paramount won the title use of April Fools Day and the other two films had to settle with the “lesser” titles Killer Party and Slaughter High. Either way, enjoy the following artwork from the films and let us know which one is your favorite. Slasher Studios Horror Podcast: April Fool’s Day Horror Limited Quantities Remain For “Dismembering Christmas” T-Shirts	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line753
__label__wiki	0.721262	0.721262	Home / Reviews / The Cure turns Pasadena Daydream into ‘the best day of the summer’ with scorching set Reviews, Setlist The Cure play Pasadena Daydream on Saturday. (Courtesy Pasadena Daydream & Goldenvoice) Robert Smith waited until The Cure’s last song to render his own verdict on Pasadena Daydream, his hand-picked 10-band festival that took over the sprawling golf course next to the Rose Bowl under a scorching Southern California sun on Saturday. “It’s been the best day of the summer,” Smith said, declaring the whole experience “fucking excellent.” He wasn’t wrong, judging by the rapturous response from the more than 25,000 fans who took in the 9-hour festival, which also featured performances by Pixies, Throwing Muses, Deftones, Mogwai, The Joy Formidable and more. By the time The Cure played, the crowd stretched far enough back that the video screens on each side of the stage, let alone the band itself, were hard to see. The Cure capped the festival with a scorching 2-hour-and-15-minute, 27-song headlining set that spanned much of its 40-year career. While it didn’t stray from the sets the band has been playing at European festivals this summer — there were no surprises — it did offer a cross-section of the band’s contrasting styles, from churning darkness to effervescent pop. Highlights included a yearning “Last Dance,” the one-two Seventeen Seconds punch of “Play for Today” into “A Forest,” and incendiary rockers “Burn” and “Never Enough.” Plus, attendees were treated to the first-ever U.S. performance of “Let’s Go to Bed” B-side “Just One Kiss.” In fact, The Cure’s only misstep came toward the end of the main set, with a momentum-stalling airing of Bloodflowers’ sludgy “39.” But it’s hard to overstate how tight the band’s current lineup is, with Reeves Gabrels — who came on board in 2012 — bringing both fireworks and a jack-of-all-trades versatility to his role as guitarist, playing alongside Smith himself and long-running bassist Simon Gallup, the band’s sonic anchor on so many of its best songs. Add to that Roger O’Donnell’s majestic keyboards — give that man a proper showcase, like “Homesick” — and powerhouse drummer Jason Cooper. Belying his popular image, Smith appeared ebullient throughout the set, doing little dances, trading smiles with his bandmates and very clearly having a great time — something that wasn’t lost on the crowd. The Cure was preceded on the main stage by the Pixies, which famously shared the bill with the headliners and Love and Rockets at select stadium dates on 1989’s Prayer Tour. (It’s worth noting, there were a lot of tattered Prayer Tour T-shirts in attendance Saturday.) Black Francis and Co. put on a roaring, crowd-pleasing set of vintage favorites (“Debaser,” “Where is My Mind?,” “Bone Machine,” “Gouge Away”) and newer songs, including tracks from the band’s upcoming seventh album Beneath the Eyrie. (Smith would later pay tribute to the Pixies, quoting “Where is My Mind?” to begin “Friday I’m in Love.”) Between the Pixies’ and Cure’s sets, Throwing Muses headlined the smaller second stage, one of only a handful of performances by the college-rock mainstays this summer — the band’s first shows in five years. Kristin Hersh and her bandmates dazzled with a set both loose and fierce that drew heavily on the band’s University era, but included music newer and older. The Muses deserved a bigger crowd, though. It was one of the few drawbacks, outside of the massively long entry lines outside the Rose Bowl, of the festival: there was no time buffer between the performances on the two stages, which were quite far apart. That meant — for example — fans needed to leave the Pixies’ set early to catch the beginning of Throwing Muses’ performance, and then had to leave that early, too, if they had any hope of hearing the opening chimes of “Plainsong.” All told, though, Pasadena Daydream was, as Smith put it, “fucking excellent,” including outstanding early sets by Mogwai and The Joy Formidable, and a crowd-favorite appearance by Deftones, who, judging solely by the T-shirts dotting the crowd, drew the second-largest fanbase to the Rose Bowl’s golf course. Below, check out more photos, the Cure’s setlist and full fan-shot video of the Cure’s performance. WATCH: The Cure’s full Pasadena Daydream set Setlist: The Cure, Pasadena Daydream Festival, Pasadena, CA, 8/31/19 1. “Plainsong” 2. “Pictures of You” 4. “A Night Like This” 5. “Just One Kiss” 6. “Lovesong” 7. “Last Dance” 8. “Burn” 9. “Fascination Street” 10. “Never Enough” 11. “Push” 12. “In Between Days” 13. “Just Like Heaven” 14. “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea” 15. “Play For Today” 16. “A Forest” 17. “Primary” 18. “Shake Dog Shake” 20. “Disintegration” 22. “The Caterpillar” 23. “The Walk” 24. “Friday I’m in Love” 26. “Why Can’t I Be You?” 27. “Boys Don’t Cry” Throwing Muses play Pasadena Daydream on Saturday. (Courtesy Pasadena Daydream & Goldenvoice) Pixies play Pasadena Daydream on Saturday. (Courtesy Pasadena Daydream & Goldenvoice) The Cure @ Pasadena Daydream pic.twitter.com/5gvgzVsORG — Slicing Up Eyeballs (@slicingeyeballs) September 1, 2019 Nice shirt. pic.twitter.com/iYPIxnI5wX The legendary Throwing Muses at Pasadena Daydream pic.twitter.com/UrDGZbVjmO PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS The Cure to release 6-disc ‘40 Live: Curaetion-25 + Anniversary’ audio/video box set The Cure plays Japan’s Fuji Rock Festival with Simon Gallup’s son Eden on bass Watch: The Cure plays an epic ‘Disintegration’ in full, plus rarities, via Sydney webcast The Cure to play 2-weekend Austin City Limits Music Festival in Texas this October Listen: The Cure’s Robert Smith re-records ‘Pictures of You’ for ‘Dead Good’ documentary The Cure at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Watch the induction, see the performances The absolute best of The Cure: All 225 songs ranked by Slicing Up Eyeballs’ readers Tags: Black Francis, Deftones, Jason Cooper, Kristin Hersh, Mogwai, Pasadena Daydream Festival, Pixies, Reeves Gabrels, Robert Smith, Roger O'Donnell, Simon Gallup, The Cure, The Joy Formidable, Throwing Muses Sumisu AGREED! Great set by The Cure, but the Muses deserved a bigger crowd. I get it: they’re not as well know and that festival ran a tight ship so folks had to pick which stage they wanted to be at. See the Muses or not be as close for The Cure. PIXIES were excellent as always, but The Cure is truly a formidable live act that you must see outdoors & at night. Glad I went, but I only cared about those 3 bands Wonderful evening! When absolutely everyone around me sang along word for word to FridayImInLove, it really was obvious how deep the love and loyalty this community felt for this band. And then double clapping the end of AForest: I was so moved. Many more years, much more music! I was people would stop pooping on “39”. That may be a fairly lacklustre album, but that and the title track are still great songs, and I’m happy to hear them actually play something interesting from the 1996-2012 era that they’ve basically abandoned live. UE405 actually you could make a case that Bloodflowers was the last truly great Cure album, certainly from a “life milestones” perspective. Robert’s anxiety at turning 30 gave us Disintegration – Robert’s anxiety at turning 40 gave us Bloodflowers – Robert’s anxiety at turning 50 gave us …. an album with a couple of good songs anyway – judging by his stage demeanor these days he doesn’t seem quite so anxious about 60, but hope for the new album springs eternal – 39 is a great song shut yer mouth. I agree. Bloodflowers is the only solid album for the post 1993 group. I would have been happy to hear 39 (or any other songs from that record) in the setlist. Totally agree… Even for me 39 (+ Watching Me Fall) are the weakest songs on the album (still high level though). But as always, the usual pop hit galore + media is happy. The whole festival series they have played this year has just been a massive cash grabbing event for the band with little innovation. Their setlists haven’t bee this stale in years. Not that anyone can blame them for it. 39 was a misstep and a momentum killer? They couldn’t be more wrong. It sounded amazing live and certainly didn’t bring the show down in any way. Kudos to Robert and the gang for putting together such a great festival. All the bands killed it. I was honored to be there. lemon_sugar The decider on whether I’d cross the country from Ontario Canada was Throwing Muses. The zero time between sets and distance between stages caused me to have to walk away from the Pixies to get to the Muses and in turn missed the opening of the Cure so I could take in every second of Kristin. Def worth it but something to consider for the future. Though in my eyes she should’ve been on the big stage. That would’ve been a win, win. Fabulous line up and a great time. sabrina r hahnlein Hearing the Cure is always great.. the whole set up sucked .. what was sold as VIP turned out to be nothing more than a roped off area on the side. Definitely nothing VIP the except the cost of the tickets Black Sunshine The lack of organization in dealing with the long lines and the event staff’s lackadaisical attitude, especially at peak heat hours, almost ruined the evening. Many disappointed fans missed out on Mogwai, Chelsea Wolfe and Emma Rundle as a result. Seeing the Cure made it all worth it but the experience was very disorganized overall. They had ONE metal detector for all VIP guests, from what I gather this was over 10,000 people. And then they didn’t even put bags through the metal detectors, they opened them to the side and looked in. My friend and I inadvertently brought water and vodka in and they didn’t even notice them. Unfortunately the long lines continued throughout the event. I am sure they would have sold much more merch had the lines not been half a mile long. Vendors were selling out of food at 4 pm. It was as if the entire production seriously underestimated how many people were attending. Unfortunately none of our feedback matters, Goldenvoice will just wait the for the next event to suck music fans dry with minimal staffing and resources. Robert if you are listening, please have a nice indoor arena tour next year!!!! So many things went wrong at this venue. They did not have enough staff at the entrance, so they sent groups of people (including myself) who had been there since early morning to the back of other lines. In addition, when a physical fight broke out during one of the acts, security did not break up the fight. Moreover, a very aggressive group of people started a mosh pit (Deftones fans) and did not care about the fact that there were young children present. My group was forced to leave the area because it was very unsafe to stay. Fortunately, once The Cure came out all the chaos had died out and we got to enjoy the show. I just hope that next time there is a festival, this venue is better prepared for it. Safety of the attendees should always be a priority especially when the event is all ages. The front of the stage is for music fans, not children. The Deftones are known for having a hardcore, passionate, excited fan base. There were plenty of spaces that kids could enjoy. J Bergstrom Jason Cooper is not and has never been a “powerhouse drummer”. He plays with more finesse if anything, and he is definitely has been the weakest link in the band since he joined.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line754
__label__cc	0.734182	0.265818	University of Cambridge > Talks.cam > jjn1's list > The End of Safe Harbour: Implications of the Schrems Judgement The End of Safe Harbour: Implications of the Schrems Judgement John Naughton, Technology and Democracy Project, CRASSH Room B16, Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge. A lunchtime workshop of the ‘Technology and Democracy’ project In a landmark judgment on October 7 the European Court of Justice has ruled that the Safe Harbour framework governing the transfer of EU citizens’ personal data to the US does not comply with the requirements of EU Data Protection law in light of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and is therefore invalid under EU law. The Safe Harbour framework stemmed from a decision of the European Commission in 2000 (2000/520/EC) that the US afforded an adequate level of protection of personal data transferred to the US from the EU. This decision was made long before the EU Charter became part of EU law and more than a decade prior to the Edward Snowden revelations. The ECJ ’s judgment thus invalidates arrangements that for 15 years have allowed Internet companies to transfer the personal data of European users to server farms in the US and elsewhere. It has very wide-ranging implications — not just for data-protection law, but also for the economics of Internet companies and for international relations. This workshop will discuss some of those implications. Panel: David Runciman (chair), John Naughton, Ross Anderson, Nora Ni Loideain A sandwich lunch will be provided at 12:30 pm Room B16, Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge CSaP Professional Development Policy Seminars Cambridge University User Experience CCC talks for website The Intimate Relation between Mechanics and Geometry Constraint Analysis and Optimization in Medicine Development and Supply What constitutes 'discrimination' in everyday talk? Argumentative lines and the social representations of discrimination	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line761
__label__wiki	0.983561	0.983561	Root reveals freak Anderson injury 6th August 2019, 03:14 by Michael Holland James Anderson passed all fitness tests ahead of the opening Ashes Test and it was a freak scenario that ruled him out, Joe Root says. Anderson hurt his calf playing for Lancashire in the lead up to the Ashes series, but was named in the side for the opening Test after being declared fit to play. England's leading wicket taker lasted just four overs before suffering a recurrence, leading to him missing the rest of the Test as Australia won with ease. "He went through every medical check and it was a unanimous decision from all parties," Root said. "We went about it how you normally would. It's one of those freak things, he pulled up in the middle of a game. "It's easy in hindsight. Sometimes things go against you and you have to find a way of getting through the game. It was a fantastic effort considering we were a bowler down and we have to not dwell on it." The 37-year-old is not expected to be fit for the next Test at Lord's, which begins on 14 August, but Root says they can still take wickets without him. "We are still very capable of taking wickets and being more competitive than we were here in the rest of the series," he added. Cricket - Div 1 1 Essex 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 2 Hants 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 3 Lancs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 4 Notts 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 5 Som 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 6 Surrey 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 7 Worc 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 8 Yorks 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 1 Der 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 2 Durham 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 3 Glam 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 4 Glo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 5 Kent 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 6 Lei 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 7 Middsx 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 8 Northants 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 9 Sussex 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 10 Warks 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 More Cricket Thorpe hopeful over Archer and Wood Jofra Archer looks ready to play in the fourth Test against South Africa in Johannesburg, but Mark Wood may miss out for England. Du Plessis rested rather than dropped Cricket South Africa's independent selector Linda Zondi is adamant Faf du Plessis has not been dropped from the one-day team. Stewart targeting further success with Kent Grant Stewart is targeting further success with Kent after putting pen to paper on a new two-year contract. Skipper's praise for young duo Ollie Pope and Dominic Bess have been praised by skipper Joe Root for their efforts in England's third Test victory over South Africa. Suspension came as a surprise to Rabada South Africa's Kagiso Rabada says he was surprised to be handed a ban for his action when celebrating the dismissal of Joe Root. Du Plessis dismisses talk of retirement South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has confirmed he has no plans to retire until after this year's T20 World Cup in Australia.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line770
__label__wiki	0.574435	0.574435	search check file-pdf Core Capabilities Overview Forming Expertise Advanced Engineering Services ETG Solutions Op Ex Spincraft UK £1M Investment Expands Aviation and Space Capabilities Newcastle-upon-Tyne GB: May-2017: Spincraft ETG, based in the heart of northeast England, recently received £1M funding from their parent company Standex. As a provider of metal-forming solutions, this funding will allow the manufacturing plant to further expand its capacity and breadth of services, especially within the Aviation and Space markets. What makes the Newcastle-based Spincraft plant unique is their metal forming capabilities including CNC Spin Forming, Sheer forming and Pressing (using cold and hot forming). The substantial investment will permit the creation of a brand new aeronautics manufacturing cell, allowing the Newcastle plant to offer its customers full turn-key solutions in-house. Mike Hutchinson, Spincraft’s Operation Director said: “Matching our investment with our customer’s long term needs is crucial for the future of the Newcastle plant. Our highly committed and experienced teams are anxiously awaiting the new cell” The initial stage of the investment includes the following processes within the vertically integrated cell: Vertical Turning 5-Axis milling CMM and Control Room FPI Inspection Laser Faro Scanners Shadow Graph & Part Marking Cell construction is well underway, and initial segments are expected online as early as summer 2017. Catherine McKinnel, currently standing as candidate for Labour Member of Parliament for Newcastle North, recently visited Spincraft to learn more about the plant’s capabilities and future plans. McKinnel toured the Newburn facility and had the opportunity to meet with management and factory employees. Catherine reported: “It’s really exciting to know that world-leading technology developed and manufactured here in Newcastle is winging its way into space – but even more so to learn that we could be playing a leading role in this growing international industry in the years to come. I am looking forward to supporting Spincraft’s plans for the future.” McKinnells full review of her Spincraft ETG visit can be found at www.catherinemckinnellmp.co.uk About Spincraft, Standex Engineering Technologies Group SPINCRAFT and ENGINETICS form Standex’s Engineering Technologies Group (ETG). Six facilities across the US and UK provide global manufacturing solutions via collaborative engineering efforts. Precision metal forming technologies are supported by vertically integrated manufacturing processes. ETG solutions support Aviation, Defence and Space-System markets. For more information about Spincraft and Enginetics, visit www.standexetg.com About Standex Standex International Corporation is a multi-industry manufacturer in five broad business segments: Food Service Equipment, Engineering Technologies, Engraving, Electronics, and Hydraulics with operations in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey, South Africa, India and China. For additional information, visit the Company's website at www.standex.com/ © 2016 Standex Engineering Technologies Group. A Standex Company. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - CA Residents VISIT STANDEX INTERNATIONAL CORP.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line773
__label__cc	0.635041	0.364959	KOL 038 \| Debate with Robert Wenzel on Intellectual Property by Stephan Kinsella on April 1, 2013 Podcast (kinsella-on-liberty): Play in new window \| Download (Duration: 2:23:17 — 131.2MB) Kinsella on Liberty Podcast, Episode 038. [update: I have just updated the mp3: I forgot to record it at my end until about 1:07, but my audio quality was better. So I spliced in the better second half from my recording. So starting at 1:07 or so you can hear better audio quality at my end, and no worse at Wenzel’s.] Blogger Robert Wenzel and I had a “debate” earlier today about IP, to be jointly put up on my podcast and his Economic Policy Journal “podcast” (it’s on his site at Kinsella Crushed!! and Initial Report on Debate, and mentioned ahead of time several times as linked below). Bob is an Austrian libertarian (I think) blogger but has been criticizing me and Jeff Tucker’s anti-IP views for a few years now (see links below), so we decided to discuss it. The discussion went on for over 2 hours. It went about as I expected: he tried to dwell on side points, he refused to—was unable to—even attempt to define IP much less provide a coherent justification for it. He repeatedly engaged in question-begging: calling using information you learn from others “stealing,” which presupposes that there is some owned thing that is stolen. He started out with several bizarre, off-point attacks: for example challenging my claim in my 2001 piece Against Intellectual Property that Rothbard was one of the original libertarian opponents of IP. The entire criticism by Wenzel is bizarre because whether or not I am right in listing Rothbard as an opponent of patent and copyright has nothing to do with whether IP is justified. Further, later in the paper I have an extensive section dealing with Rothbard’s attempt to come up with some kind of contractual scheme that emulated some aspects of IP, which he confusingly calls “copyright.” Some libertarians, like Wenzel, apparently think Rothbard did support copyright (though Wenzel repeatedly equivocates on whether he is talking about state copyright or Rothbard’s private “copyright” scheme), or patent, or something in between, and others say he didn’t. For example David Gordon writing on LewRockwell.com, in Sam Konkin and Libertarian Theory, observes: … anti-IP views were very much in the air thirty years ago: Wendy McElroy stands out especially in my mind as a forceful and effective critic of IP. Even earlier, Rothbard had in Man, Economy, and State (1962) favored the replacement of the state system of patents and copyrights with contractual arrangements, freely negotiated. (If one moves outside modern libertarianism, Benjamin Tucker rejected IP well over a century ago as Wendy McElroy has documented in an outstanding article. Rothbard did not take this “contractual copyright” idea very far and indeed I believe it contradicts other aspects of his thought such as his contract theory (ch. 19 of Ethics of Liberty), his opposition to reputation rights/defamation law (ch. 16), and his explicit opposition to patents (ch. 16, also Man, Economy, and State and Power and Market, Scholars Edition, pp. liv, 745-54, 1133-38, 1181-86). But anyway, what does it matter? It’s a bizarre appeal to authority. I am quite sure that Rothbard would have agreed with us anti-IP libertarians if he had had more time to sort it out; as I noted, it’s implied in all the structure of his political theory. This is why Hoppe easily saw this by integrating Rothbardian and Misesian political economic ideas (Hoppe on Intellectual Property). But so what if he would not have? Then he would have been wrong. And so what if I had been wrong in listing Rothbard as an early libertarian opponent of IP (though he arguably was; although as the paper explained later on, his position was not fully fleshed out and/or had ambiguities). How does this prove IP is legitimate? It does not, but Wenzel has no good argument for IP which is why he for over two hours refuses my repeated requests that he provide one—after all, it’s supposed to be a debate about IP. In fact in my opening statement I explained that the burden of proof is on the pro-IP libertarian: to provide a coherent definition of and justification for IP, especially given its statist origins and statist usage today (Where does IP Rank Among the Worst State Laws?). At another point Wenzel, going back and forth on whether Rothbard did, or did not, support IP, or patent, or copyright—yes he did, wait, no he didn’t, well not copyright like today, but copyright like in 1962, but private copyright, not legislated copyright, and copyright that somehow includes patents, though he mounted a great case against patents…. duuuuuhhh who knows what Wenzel thinks Rothbard thought about patents (and why is this relevant in a discussion of whether IP is legitimate?)—Wenzel says Rothbard believed in perpetual copyright, something I found amusing since this is what the absurd Galambos and Spooner believed in, and whatever Rothbard thought about IP, he was an opponent of the traditional concept of IP and patent and state-legislated copyright. Wenzel finds a quote from Rothbard about perpetual copyright, but of course Rothbard was talking about his contractual “copyright” which is not the same as the IP protected by modern systems (I tried in vain to explain the difference between in rem property rights and in personam contract rights, since the latter are only private agreements between a small group of people and do not affect third parties, unlike in rem or real property rights, which is what real IP advocates want IP to be; meaning you cannot create property rights like IP rights, out of contract rights; but Wenzel was uninterested in serious dialogue). Wenzel basically is arguing here: “ha ha, look at Kinsella, he does not have the Boldrin and Levine paper memorized, or every word of Rothbard, so he is a shoddy thinker! Therefore, IP is legitimate!” And this, ladies and gents, is what passes for an attempt to argue for IP: bluster, bravado, circular reasoning. I have yet to see a good argument for it and Wenzel did not offer one. (Intellectual Nonsense: Fallacious Arguments for IP (Libertopia 2012); There are No Good Arguments for Intellectual Property.) I asked him a dozen time to give me his view on IP and he kept promising to do it later; 1.5 hours in it became obvious he would continue to stonewall, and to try to read boring quotes from my footnotes (snore), so I tried to state his position for him, which he basically agreed with. His argument is what he imagine’s some version of Rothard’s to be: that you can sell ideas, they are “scarce,” so you can own them. Wow! No one has ever grappled with this brilliant insight before, Wenzel! Another bizarre attack was his reading of a Hoppe quote on epistemology and demanding to know if I still agree with the Misesian approach to epistemology; yes, I said. Aha! he pounced—but if you are not a utilitarian WHY DO YOU POSITIVELY CITE BOLDRIN AND LEVINE!! It is positively bizarre. As if showing that utilitarian arguments for IP fail even on their own term is somehow becoming a utilitarian. It’s an incredibly stupid argument. Ultimately the “debate” was pointless because Wenzel does not know how to engage in subtle discussion, he engages in question-begging repeatedly, he engages in bizarre ad hominem and tangential arguments, he refuses to define terms and seems unable to engage in clear, analytical reasoning. Honestly, he seems to have no clear position at all on IP, so it’s kind of a mystery why he is so invested in it at all, so passionate about it, so hostile to my views. Other than his thinking he has some magical formula for getting Drudge Report links that he wants to be able to sell in his Drudge-Report dominated libertarian paradise. Apparently he is for some reason upset that anyone would dare, DARE, to ever challenge or disagree with Rothard (though there is no way Wenzel could agree with Rothbard’s own contract theory or views on defamation law, and maintain his pro-IP stance), or that the anti-IP position is becoming the default position among modern libertarians (The Origins of Libertarian IP Abolitionism; The Death Throes of Pro-IP Libertarianism). Listen if you dare; I cannot promise it will be enjoyable; and I apologize in advance for at times being unable to take Wenzel’s unfounded bluster and bravado and sputtering attempt at arguments seriously, and sometimes myself resorting to sarcasm, mockery, condescension, and coarse language (all accurate and well-deserved). In short: Wenzel embarrassed himself but as expected is saying he “crushed” me—all the while seemingly oblivious to the fact that he did not even attempt to argue for IP must less define it or establish that it is justified or compatible with libertarian property principles. Update: Stephen Davis sent me debate summary, appended below: Wenzel-Kinsella IP Debate Summary 1) Kinsella makes opening remarks stating that (a) he assumes Wenzel agrees that there should be a free market and a system of private property rights in scarce resources, (b) all he has to show is that the idea of IP sets up some kind of right that is incompatible with the rights Wenzel already supports, (c) to establish the case for IP, Wenzel needs to make a positive case explaining his theory, including putting forth a clear and coherent definition of IP, explaining why it’s justified, and explaining how it’s compatible with regular property rights, and (d) if Wenzel can’t present a positive case, then he should at least present one clear example that shows a case for IP of some type, in a free market, that doesn’t depend upon the state and explain how it’s compatible with regular property rights. 2) Wenzel explains that Kinsella has really pissed him off and asks if Kinsella thinks he’s a worm, a weasel, or a clown. Kinsella says that he doesn’t think he’s a worm, that he thought he might weasel out of the debate, and that he makes some clownish arguments and sometimes treats his guests in a clownish way. 3) Wenzel describes Kinsella’s book as terrible, misleading, containing poorly framed arguments, and illogical at points, then says it’s bizarre that it’s gotten any attention.4) Wenzel claims that Kinsella wrongly included Rothbard among a group of thinkers belonging to a long tradition of opposition to patent and copyright. In support of his case Wenzel quotes Rothbard using the word “copyright” and saying that it’s a logical device of property right on the free market. Kinsella says that although Rothbard used the word “copyright,” he advocated contractual arrangements and nothing else.5) Kinsella points out that even if he misdescribed Rothbard’s view, which he believes he didn’t, that this has no bearing on whether IP is legitimate. Wenzel says that people who don’t have time to research Rothbard’s views are going to be misled by Kinsella’s book and that Kinsella is a sloppy writer and thinker.6) Kinsella asks Wenzel to give his definition of IP and explain why it’s justified. Wenzel says that he’s building his base towards it and that he’s getting there. 7) Wenzel says he will show that Kinsella is a sloppy writer and thinker and that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He says that he wants to destroy Kinsella because he (along with Jeff Tucker) has a following in the libertarian movement and his thinking is so off, so bad, and so sloppy that it needs to be destroyed. 8) Wenzel points out that Kinsella has an online post called “Boldrin and Levine: The Case Against Patents” and that Boldrin and Levine are utilitarians. Kinsella states that he is not a utilitarian. Wenzel points out that Kinsella says that people who favor patents on utilitarian grounds must be either ignorant or dishonest, and Wenzel asks how he can make such a claim. Kinsella points out that the empirical data do not support the utilitarian case for patents, so sincere utilitarians would have to oppose patents if they were aware of the studies. He points out that if utilitarians are aware that the empirical data do not support their case yet still support patents, they are dishonest, and if they aren’t aware of the studies, they are ignorant. 9) Wenzel grills Kinsella about what’s in the Boldrin and Levine paper and Kinsella describes their general thesis. Wenzel claims that Kinsella didn’t read the paper. 10) Wenzel asks Kinsella why he cites utilitarians in support of his argument when he claims not to be one. Kinsella points out that he is a principled libertarian and therefore opposes patents on propertarian grounds, but that there’s nothing wrong with pointing out that utilitarian arguments fail on their own terms. 11) Kinsella asks Wenzel to present an argument. 12) Wenzel quotes Kinsella discussing why authored works are not scarce in the way that a piece of land or a car are scarce. He asks Kinsella what he means by “scarce.” Kinsella explains that he means “scarce” in the way that every economist means it: rivalrous. 13) Wenzel says that he has a formula to drive traffic to his site from Drudge Report. He asks Kinsella if his formula is scarce, or whether every blogger in the world knows his formula. Kinsella says that Wenzel is assuming that if everyone doesn’t have it that it’s scarce, and says that patterns of information are not scarce. Kinsella cites Mises and says that knowledge guides action but is not a scarce means of action. 14) Wenzel asks Kinsella if his Drudge formula is superabundant and asks why it is not scarce. Kinsella says that it is not scarce because it is not rivalrous. Kinsella says that a rivalrous good is one that can only be exclusively controlled by one person at a time. Wenzel asks why that is the definition and claims that there is rivalry between him and someone selling the same formula as him (and driving the price down). 15) Kinsella says that Wenzel is engaging in equivocation because rivalry in the sense of competition is not what economists mean by the term “rivalrous.” He says that people might metaphorically speak about fighting over religion, but that what they’re really fighting over is rivalrous resources such as bodies or land, and that religion is simply the justification given. 16) Kinsella says that in Wenzel’s example, someone selling the same formula as him is simply competing with him and that doesn’t make his formula rivalrous. Wenzel continues using the term “rivalry” synonymously with “competition” and claims that Kinsella doesn’t know what he’s talking about. 17) Kinsella says that competitors might “take” sales from each other, but that they have no property right in the money of customers. 18) Wenzel claims that any reasonable person is going to know that his Drudge formula is scarce and that if someone else learns about it, that person is in rivalry with him. He says this is common sense and that he doesn’t have to defend it any further. 19) Kinsella poses a scenario: If Wenzel owns a drug store and a competing drug store opens up across the street, would that be rivalry? Wenzel says of course. Kinsella then asks if the competing drug store takes away some of Wenzel’s business, are they taking away something that Wenzel has a property right in? Wenzel says that rivalry is competition and that if the competing drug store stole his products and sold his products, that would be stealing. Kinsella says that Wenzel is engaging in question begging by analogizing physical things to his Drudge formula. 20) Kinsella asks Wenzel to agree with him that you can’t establish something by engaging in question begging. Wenzel agrees. 21) Wenzel asks Kinsella what is superabundant about his formula. Kinsella says that his formula is not superabundant, but that it can be infinitely copied. 22) Kinsella explains Hoppe’s discussion of why scarcity is a necessary condition for the emergence of property. Kinsella says that we live in a world in which there are scarce resources (what Mises called the means of action) and that libertarians believe in property rights to assign an exclusive owner to each scarce resource. Kinsella says that knowledge is not a scarce resource. 23) Kinsella asks Wenzel what his alternative theory is. Wenzel says his theory is that ideas are scarce. 24) Kinsella explains the implications of assigning property rights in ideas. He says that there would have to be property rights in recipes for fashion, newspaper headlines, pizza, and bar drinks; that we’d all have to get permission to use any information; that all ideas are built upon other ideas. Kinsella explains the harm that granting new rights does by creating obligations on other people. Wenzel says that he doesn’t want to hear that stuff and that it’s a simple fact that ideas are scarce. 25) Wenzel asks Kinsella to demonstrate to him how he uses his Drudge formula. Kinsella asks Wenzel if he can tell him what’s in his left pocket. Wenzel says that he can’t and that’s the exact point. Wenzel says that knowledge is scarce. 26) Kinsella asks if Wenzel’s argument is that if something is not superabundant that there should be property rights in it. Wenzel says that ideas and information are not superabundant like air. 27) Kinsella asks Wenzel if he learns about his Drudge formula, why can’t he act on it? Wenzel says it depends how he learns about it. Kinsella agrees. Kinsella says that if he contracted with Wenzel not to reveal the information, that is perfectly legitimate, is simply a contract, and has nothing to do with IP. Wenzel says that at this point, with only A and B involved, his Drudge formula is scarce. 28) Kinsella says that scarcity explains why we have property rights and what their function is. He says that when people come into conflict over something that only one of them can use at a time, libertarians believe that the one who homesteaded it first or that contracted for it is the one who gets to control it. He says that the case against IP is recognizing that the only way to grant IP rights is to undercut earlier homesteading rights. 29) Kinsella states his agreement with Wenzel that if B has a contract with A to keep information secret, that B is bound by the terms of the contract. Kinsella asks Wenzel if B violates the contract and the information becomes known to C, who is not a party to the contract, how C is violating A’s property rights? Wenzel starts analogizing information to cars, and Kinsella says that he is question begging because they both already agree that there are property rights in cars. 30) Wenzel asks why he can’t ask person C, who got his information from B, to take the information off his website, just as Hertz could ask for a rental car back from person C. Wenzel says that it’s the same whether you are talking about information or talking about a car. Kinsella says it’s not the same because the car is a rivalrous resource and the information is not. 31) Wenzel asks why his formula isn’t a rivalrous resource when only three people know it and a competitor using it drives down the price. Kinsella asks what driving down the price has to do with its nature as a rivalrous good. Wenzel starts talking about stealing goods, and Kinsella asks how someone learning information is committing theft. 32) Kinsella says that Wenzel’s theory seems to be that if he can sell something for a price, then he should have some sort of anti-competitive right to keep the price high, which makes it scarce in a sense, so it can be owned. Wenzel says that if something has a price, it is scarce. 33) Wenzel says that he is for private property and he thinks that intellectual property is property. 34) Wenzel starts saying that if someone obtains something illegally… then Kinsella says that he is question begging because he can’t say that it’s illegal in the argument for why it should be illegal. 35) Kinsella gives examples involving making a chocolate cake and a bloody mary. He points out that he and Wenzel agree that there should be property rights in the scarce physical means that go into making each. Kinsella asks Wenzel to agree that while multiple people couldn’t use the exact same scarce physical means to make a cake or a bloody mary, multiple people could use the same knowledge at the same time. Wenzel agrees, but says that not everyone is going to know the information, so the information is scarce. 36) Kinsella asks Wenzel whether person B learning how to make a bloody mary from person A and later making a bloody mary somehow prevents person A from making a bloody mary. Wenzel says that the information is still not superabundant and that not everyone in the world knows how to make a bloody mary. Wenzel says that if a person is stealing that from him, that proves his point. 37) Kinsella asks Wenzel if B observing A and learning from A’s behavior is stealing from A. Wenzel says yes. Kinsella asks again. Wenzel says that it’s taking. Kinsella points out that A still has it, so it’s not taking. Kinsella says that it’s learning. Wenzel says he’ll go along with calling it B learning from A. 38) Wenzel says that if someone has to learn knowledge, that knowledge is not superabundant. He says it’s a scarce good. Wenzel says that he’s had economists steal his critiques of Krugman, and Kinsella says that’s question begging because he has not agreed that IP is a type of property. Wenzel says that Kinsella can interpret it that way in his own world, but that he considers it theft. 39) Wenzel poses a scenario in which he has a formula for getting on Drudge and he agrees to sell that formula to B on condition that B can use it, but can’t reveal it someone else. Kinsella asks if someone else observing B over time and figuring out the formula counts as revealing the information. Wenzel says no, that is someone else independently gaining knowledge of the formula. Kinsella says that Wenzel has given up the entire case for IP. 40) Wenzel says that Kinsella doesn’t understand Rothbard and that Rothbard would favor perpetual copyright. 41) Wenzel tells Kinsella to talk about some other thing (while he apparently researches Rothbard’s perpetual copyright quote). 42) Kinsella asks Wenzel for his defense of IP. Wenzel says that ideas are not generally superabundant, they are scarce. If A has an idea, it’s his, and it’s scarce. If A makes a contract with B, it’s still scarce because it’s between A and B. If B reveals it to C, and B violates the contract, in the same way that if someone rents a car from Hertz and sells it to C… Kinsella says that this is question begging. Wenzel says it’s not question begging. 43) Wenzel quotes Rothbard using the word “copyright” in support of his argument that Rothbard is not against IP. Kinsella says that Rothbard thought contract could be used to replicate some features of the modern copyright system and that he was wrong. Wenzel says that he wasn’t wrong, and that this is more sloppy stuff from Kinsella. 44) Wenzel goes back to the Hertz example, and Kinsella says he’s begging the question. Kinsella points out that they both agree that there are property rights in cars. Kinsella says that when someone rents a car from Hertz, they sign a contract agreeing to use it for certain purposes, and that if they violate the contract… 45) Wenzel stops Kinsella because he finds the Rothbard perpetual copyright quote. He quotes Rothbard talking about “copyright” that is “perpetual.” Kinsella says that Rothbard was talking about contracts. Wenzel says that he has Kinsella by the balls. 46) Kinsella explains the difference between contractual rights and rights good against the world and says that contractual rights involving information can not be built up to support a theory of rights in information good against the world. 47) Wenzel says that Kinsella’s framework is based on broken contract and that his theory doesn’t even start until a contract his broken. 48) Wenzel poses a scenario in which he creates a house design with certain exterior features and certain interior features that he wants to protect. He draws an analogy to the Mises Institute’s sign saying “private property” and says that there are costs involved with protecting property and it’s a matter of deciding how far you want to go to protect that property. Kinsella says that he is question begging by calling his house design property. 49) Kinsella poses a scenario in which Wenzel reveals his house-building technique to a dozen people by contract and one of them leaks it online. He asks whether the technique can now be used by everyone. Wenzel says that Kinsella’s framework is based on broken contract and that he has no theory without a broken contract. 50) Wenzel asks why Kinsella keeps bringing up situations in which contracts are broken. Kinsella says that he is doing it because Wenzel is basing his theory on contract and he is demonstrating why that won’t work, since third parties can’t be bound by the contract. 51) Kinsella says that he doesn’t think that people will agree to contracts that subject them to massive penalties for doing such things as buying a book. Wenzel agrees. 52) Wenzel says that people can design whatever kind of contracts they want and asks Kinsella whether he has a problem with the way the free market works. 53) Kinsella makes closing remarks stating that we are already living partly in the nightmare world that Wenzel wants, in which hundreds of billions of dollars are wasted on patent lawsuits; IP is used to intimidate and extort people; oligopolies are created; competition is reduced; innovation is distorted and reduced; the government uses copyright to censor, threaten, ratchet up the police state, and control the internet; and people are going to jail for downloading copies of movies. He says that IP carried to its full extent would lead to a fascist, anti-property world, and he hopes that it won’t be extended any further. He says that thankfully most Austrians and libertarians recognize the horrible, fascist, police-state, anti-competitive, anti-human-life thing that IP is and are arguing against it. Update: I do think Wenzel is in part sincere; he is just confused, and at this point too proud or invested in his status as a “thinker” to debate this with the proper inquiry and humility. Sad for him. The comments on youtube, facebook, reddit, even on his site are overwhelmingly devastating to him; I feel bad actually. Also, early on he asked me if I believed in free market copyright; I thought he said property right so said yes; that confused him for a while. Mutual mistake. On his questions to me about what was in the Boldrin Levine piece—since his question was out of the blue I at first thought he was talking about their Against Intellectual Monopoly book. I finally realized he was not talking about my earlier writing but about a recent blogpost where I mentioned their recent paper (Boldrin and Levine: The Case Against Patents). He was apoplectic that I said, in that post: We can only conclude, at this point, that people who favor patents on “utilitarian” grounds are either ignorant or dishonest. He was upset that I could not cite the federal labor statistics they used in their paper, for some weird reason. Good “gotcha”, Wenzel! He also thought it was odd I would use this to counter pro-IP utilitarian arguments, as if this means I am contradicting my anti-utilitarian views. Of course, this is ridiculous. But he also thought I was saying the 2012 paper itself shows pro-IP utilitarians must be ignorant or dishonest; well it’s the fact that after 220 years, there has not been clear empirical evidence buttressing the pro-IP utilitarian case; studies like this are just summaries of or evidence of this. (See The Overwhelming Empirical Case Against Patent and Copyright.) Yet another bizarre “argument” by El Wenzellio. The “nickels” comment (2:18:05) was from his post The Irresponsible Jeff Tucker, where he criticizes Tucker for merely stating his opinion about bitcoin, in the same post where he crows about his recommendation that people “buy nickels” (yes, shoeboxes of nickels, squirreled away in your closets). In addition to the comments below, almost every forum I see (email, Youtube comments, Mises community, Reddit, Facebook (here, here, here, Michael Barnett’s post (suggesting Wenzel be put on suicide watch; others wondering if it’s an April Fool’s joke, Wenzel was so bad), here, here, Justin Longo‘s post, here, here, Dan Cotter’s epic thread, and Mises South Africa’s post The Wenzel IP Embarrassment, Murray D. Lewis’s post The Not-So-Great Libertarian IP Debate.)) are almost 98% anti-Wenzel. Even on his own varied blogposts, from which he is apparently blocking many critical comments (as many have reported elsewhere), he is being largely attacked, even by his own following. Truly, he has jumped his own Fonzi shark. The Mises community thread has a few great comments: By John James: Oh this was so much fun. Maybe it was my anticipation of it, but I don’t know how you guys could stop listening. It was as entertaining as a good movie. I even had my popcorn. (Well, it was tortillas, but still.) I’m going to address specific points from the debate, so if you want to listen first, go ahead and do that before reading further 🙂 Pre and early debate My pre-debate guess was correct…despite all his “getting into Kinsella’s head” posts on his blog, it was Wenzel who was getting people in his own head. He all but admits it when early on he proclaims several times how Kinsella “pissed him off”. And he was clearly emotionally affected for the vast majority of the podcast. What’s also telling is how Kinsella laid it out quite clearly (in his intro, no less) that the burden on Wenzel (and any pro-IP advocate) is to actually provide a positive case for IP…that simply picking at Kinsella’s argument or anyone else’s is not sufficient. But notice that’s exactly what Wenzel starts off doing. And it’s not even a good pick…he picks on Kinsella’s opening statements inAgainst Intellectual Property, where he lists Rothbard as an example of people showing anti-IP sentiments? I guess it should have been expected, given Wenzel’s obsession with Rothbard (that goes even beyond his fixation with Jeff Tucker). Wenzel is probably more “If Rothbard said it, it’s Gospel” than even Lew Rockwell. So I suppose it’s fitting that his first instinct is to make sure to try and make the point that Rothbard was in favor of IP…because of course that’s the side he himself has taken, so of course the most important thing is that that’s the side Rothbard was on…and if that means he can show Kinsella was wrong in a statement about Rothbard, so much the better. Wenzel’s lack of a positive argument The trouble Kinsella has right from the start in getting Wenzel to even give a definition of “intellectual property” illustrates quite plainly what has been said in the comments of Wenzel’s blog for some time now: Wenzel has basically avoided stating any real concrete explanations of anything he’s had to say on IP…so no one has really had any way of actually dismantling his pro-IP position…because he essentially won’t give one. Every time he’s ever been challenged on it he just claimed it would be dealt with in his “upcoming book”. For FOUR F-ING YEARS he’s been saying that. No joke. Here’s the earliest mention (earliest I happened to know of, anyway) of this mysterious book …in2009. (To put that in perspective, George W. Bush was still President, just 5 days prior.) There may be others even earlier, but I’m not sure. I think this comment from a few months ago was quite apt: I am creating a new fallacy called “Argumentum ad Pseudo Librum”, it’s the “Argument by referring to an unpublished book” fallacy. Bob always drags it out when you start questioning his pro-“libertarian IP” views. He says “Just wait for my book” instead of responding to your argument. Then he never publishes the book. Where is it? HBR? Wiley? Oxford? MIT Press? Who optioned the IP on this one? I think this debate all but proves we’ll never see an IP book from Wenzel. At least, not one that provides any sort of positive case for it, anyway. I fully accept he may put out all sorts of crap attacking Kinsella’s work and that of any others…but I can pretty much guarantee we’ll never see anything of his explicating any of his own actual positions…something that everyone else can pick apart the way he insists on doing with Kinsella. In fact someone even brought it up back in 2010 on his own blog… “It will be nice when you finally publish your IP book so we can all start taking swings at your IP views because right now it’s unclear what they are and why and everytime people try to critique them you insist we wait to read your book!” …Again that was almost 3 years ago. Wenzel has no positive position because he can’t. Kinsella is simply right, there is no way to justify IP within a true libertarian framework. It’s simply unlibertarian. This is why Wenzel insists on trying to find fallacies in Kinsella’s writing, and simply quoting other people, instead of even defining what “intellectual property” is. He won’t even define his terms….probably because he’s got at least a few brain cells left in his senility to know that the minute he actually states a concrete position on IP, he’ll be taken to the woodshed, not just by Kinsella, but by the entire libertarian population that understands the unlibertarian reality of IP…which is quickly becoming not only the vast majority of the libertarian population, but large numbers of the population even outside libertarian spheres… (Falkvinge.net; Torrentfreak.com; Legal Scholars: Thumbs Down on Patent and Copyright; The Origins of Libertarian IP Abolitionism; The Death Throes of Pro-IP Libertarianism) Wenzel’s lack of understanding You’ll notice this tactic of nitpicking is basically his whole “argument” for at least the first third of the podcast. When he moves on to his Drudge Report formula, he simply fixates on the the fact that he’s (allegedly) the only person who knows the formula (even though there’s no possible way he could be sure that he’s the only one who has come to know it. He fully concedes the concept of “independent discovery,” yet he apparently knows for sure he’s the only person to figure out this formula). He claims that the fact that no one else knows it, means it’s scarce. When Kinsella says it’s not scarce, Wenzel insists Kinsella recite the formula back to him. As if a single person not knowing something means it’s scarce. Even on Wenzel’s own terms…hypothetically saying ideas can be owned, I fail to see how one single man not knowing the formula demonstrates its “scarcity.” I’m sure Kinsella could have easily asked Wenzel what the 100th digit in π is…does Wenzel’s ignorance of that prove it’s a “scarce” bit of knowledge? And just how many people have to know something before it’s not scarce, anyway? 25? 250? 1 million? Where do we arbitrarily draw this arbitrary line? When Kinsella tries to point out that scarcity in the economic/property rights context implies rivalrousness, Wenzel equates “rivalry” with competition, using an example of himself being pissed off at party C who came to know his secret through breach of contract by party B…that means that him and C now have a “rivalry”. The moron doesn’t even know the economic definition of the word…but then again I suppose that’s not surprising, considering he won’t define ANY of his terms. This is further illustrated with his fixation with Hoppe’s words “super abundant”. He basically takes those words as the litmus test for whether something is “scarce” or not. (As if that were any less ambiguous than his “does a particular man know it” test from earlier.) His problem is that he is evidently not familiar with the economic definition of “rivalrous”, so Kinsella has no way to explain what truly determines if something is scarce. Wenzel thinks that if he can make a case that something isn’t “super abundant” — apparently because Hoppe is the ultimate authority on this, and his words are gospel, (where Hoppe ranks relative to Rothbard on this scale of supreme edicts from on high, I’m not quite sure) — then that specific something is not scarce. Kinsella tries to explain multiple times that “abundance” has nothing to do with scarcity in this context. When talking about scarcity in these terms, as Kinsella points out, the issue is whether they are rivalrous or not…that is, whether one person making use of the thing in question prevents or otherwise hinders someone else from using it. Of course Wenzel never seems to get this point. What’s funny is that a couple of commenters on his blog in his defense say thingslike “Yea….keep trying to convince everyone that “scarce” is something other than scarce,” but Wenzel’s opponents clearly state that ‘scarcity’ does not have to refer to ‘rarity’. You’ll notice Wenzel’s entire argument — if you can even call it that — almost entirely centers around the fallacies of begging the question and a combination of argument by name (i.e. argument by definition, without stating a definition), equivocation, andappeal to authority… (And that’s of course if you ignore what seems to be his overall argument, the ad hominem that Kinsella is “sloppy” and “doesn’t know Rothbard”.) Throughout the whole podcast his overarching theme is that Kinsella’s writing is sloppy and Kinsella doesn’t know Rothbard very well. What this does to prove or even support a pro case for IP, I have no idea. When he’s not spouting ad hominem, he constantly seems to essentially make variations of the argument that ideas are property because they can be “stolen”, or that because it’s “theft of someone’s property” if you rent a car from Hertz and sell it to a third party, that means it’s also “theft of someone’s property” when you pay someone to share some information with you and then you reveal it to someone else…because “it applies to all sorts of property…intellectual property!” (1:51:40) And when he’s not doing that, he’s either equivocating on the terms “scarce” and “rivalrous” or quoting Rothbard as saying “copyright is a logical device of property right on the free market”, and essentially implying that because Rothbard said that, that makes copyright valid…even though (a) Rothbard is not God, and (b) he wasn’t even talking about the same concept we are referring to by the term “copyright”. Wenzel is so focused on Rothbard simply stating that “copyright” is valid, that he doesn’t even recognize Kinsella’s point that Rothbard may have said the word “copyright” but was in fact talking about something else. Obviously if I take a bite of cereal and say “I sure do love eating cake”…that is not proof (or even strong evidence) that I actually like the dessert. The closest Wenzel gets to making a point I think the part at which Wenzel gets closest to making any sort of coherent point is the part about the Mises sign, where he’s referring to a blog post he made in which he embedded a picture of a “private property” sign on the parking lot of the LvMI. It sounds like he’s making the point that everyone chooses to what extent they are willing to protect their property…meaning that the LvMI just put up a sign, but they could instead have a moat and sharpshooters. Applying that to his “Rothbardian” world of IP, it seems like he’s trying to say that you get to choose to what lengths you’ll go to to enforce your “intellectual property rights”…meaning if you are using information that someone else owns the copyright in, they can choose to simply send you a cease and desist letter, or they can actually go tie you to a chair. I think. I can’t really be sure. He never really makes it clear, but either way it’s irrelevant because he’s still begging the question. He hasn’t established that anything that is currently protected by IP laws is actually property. So it makes no difference how such things would get “protected” in a “free society”…he hasn’t proven that they should be allowed to be “protected” (i.e. that you should be able to use force to prevent others from using them.) I also understand what he’s saying when he tries to say that Kinsella’s theory doesn’t begin until a contract is broken, but he only says that because in that moment he’s limiting his view of what constitutes “intellectual property”, or at least, what is currently protected by IP law (again, we never got a definition of IP from Wenzel). He thinks that the only way things can become super abundant (when the “secret-knower” doesn’t want his secret out) is if someone breaks a trade secret-type contract with someone else. But he’s neglecting virtually all forms of copyright. If my house is near a pavilion, and an outdoor concert is being held there, and a band plays a song and I happen to hear it, under current copyright law I can’t just go play that music on my own piano, record the sounds my piano makes, and sell copies of the recordings. (Not without paying someone a royalty, anyway.) But there was no contract between me and the person playing the song. So how can he justifiably prevent me from selling my recordings of my piano playing? Kinsella addresses this very clearly in his monograph when he discusses how Rothbard was wrong: sure you can set it up so that everyone who buys a book agrees to a contract to not share the information contained within it…but suppose a third party comes across the book left on a park bench? Or sees words on the page over your shoulder as you’re reading it. Can they now not go write a new story about those same characters? According to current copyright law they can’t. But what contract have they broken? What contract has anyone broken? Kinsella actually starts to get to this point when he actually poses that same book scenario, but he elects to take it in a different direction and point out how no one would even agree to such a contract. Personally I would have just hypothetically agreed with Wenzel’s suggestion of such a contract and gone straight to the third party learning the information without B breaching the contract, because as we saw, Wenzel just used the wiggle room, leading to spit-on-the-keyboard moment starting at 2:16:17. [described below] Funniez and other timestamps One of my favorite parts comes at 0:24:33 when Wenzel claims Rothbard supports copyright, and Kinsella says that’s false. Then Wenzel quotes Rothbard saying “copyright is a logical device of property right on the free market”…right after Kinsella initially brought up that very section of Rothbard’s work himself to show that Rothbard was confusing the term “copyright”, as his example was a mousetrap…an invention…which is not covered by copyright, but patent. So when Wenzel introduces this quote, Kinsella responds “Bob, he’s talking about a mousetrap. Do you understand the definition of…” Then Wenzel cuts him off with: “THE MOUSETRAP…DON’T YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COPYRIGHT AND PATENT? THE MOUSTRAP IS PATENT, IT’S NOT A COPYRIGHT!” I swear this guy was senile over 2 years ago when I initially said it. He’s so far gone now it’s comical. 1:18:28 was another one of the multiple parts I almost laughed my way into needing a new keyboard. Kinsella references Rothbard’s “half-hearted” argument for contractual copyright. The minute he said that I was like: “Uh oh. NOW he’s gone and done it.” And Wenzel so totally delivered: “HALF HEARTED?! ROTHBARD?!??” Watch out Kinsella. I’m sure there’s now a nice little spot for a doll of you in Wenzel’s Rothbard closet shrine. 2:16:17: Kinsella asks “well how is [the contract] going to be designed then?” And Wenzel doesn’t have an answer: “Who knows? Let the free market decide.” And then Kinsella sums up Wenzel’s argument: “So in other words, you think maybe you could have a contract that could act something like IP, but what would the contract look like? ‘Who knows?!’ What would IP look like? ‘Who knows?!’ But I’m still in favor of it!” (Another nearly new-keyboard moment.) 1:42:19 is probably the best Cliff’s Notes boil-down to the basis of Wenzel’s amateur position. I love how he’s so forceful with it, but yet still doesn’t seem to be able to state it smoothly…all the meanwhile Kinsella is mockingly playing along with “uh huh”s as if he hasn’t heard this crap a thousand and one times. 1:50:58 Wenzel gives his own summary of his major points: Kinsella doesn’t know Rothbard, Kinsella quoted a paper in a blog post but didn’t read the paper, and Kinsella thinks Wenzel’s formula to get on Drudge is super abundant. ..I assume, “therefore, IP is valid”? 1:10:01 I was literally at the edge of my seat when I heard Wenzel begin “my alternative theory is…” And then it finally comes out: “…ideas are scarce.” There it is folks. That’s Wenzel’s basis for IP. Of course now that Wenzel actually stated a position pertaining to IP, Kinsella just as a reflex jumped right into his refutation of that particular flawed justification for IP (the same one he and so many others have fleshed out so many times he could do it in his sleep). I just wish he would have slowed down to make Wenzel agree with him in a step by step Socratic way, so Wenzel couldn’t worm his way around later. 1:41:28 The second admission we finally get from Wenzel of something concrete is that Rothbard would be in favor of copyright into perpetuity (which I think it goes without saying that that means that’s what Wenzel is for too.) Can I just say, “holy shit?” Of course Kinsella laughs and Wenzel starts looking for a quote, and when he immediately discovers he can’t search and talk at the same time, he tells Kinsella to “talk about some…uh…some other thing” (obviously so he can ignore whatever point Kinsella makes and use the time to track down his next Rothbard quote.) Basically this interview exposes that Wenzel has absolutely no new theory of IP or even property rights. I recall in one blog post a while back when he was defending his delayed book release, he claimed that his research into IP led to him going even deeper, into analyzing the concept of property and property rights. Exactly a year ago he mentioned his “soon-to-be-released” booklet Why I Am A Libertarian Even Though There Are No Natural Rights. And more recently in his post on the Ron Paul vs. RonPaul.com fiasco, he states that all rights are “designed.” I forget exactly which post, but I seem to recall him implying his work was at least to some degree a development of a theory of rights or something to that effect…that essentially his defense of IP was going to be some kind of new understanding of even more basic concepts. But of course this podcast unequivocally shows Wenzel’s position is nothing even remotely new (surprise, surprise). With all the dancing around and ad hominem, I’m actually a little surprised Kinsella didn’t just eventually say “Okay Bob, I’m a total idiot. I’m the sloppiest writer in the world. Can we hear your case for IP now?” Overall I find this to be a huge plus for the anti-IP side. Despite Wenzel’s self-promotion and false blog post title, Kinsella clearly destroys him in every relevant way. (And yes, I realize it usually happens that people say that for the side they support, no matter what happens, because obviously the whole thing is subjective)…but in this case I think it gets as close to empirical as you can… Kinsella offers clear arguments and expositions of his points, and actually offers such arguments on the topic of IP (the subject of the debate). Wenzel does no such thing, he simply picks specific quotes from various authors and reads them out loud, and then fixates on tangential irrelevant details, asking the same question over and over, even after Kinsella gives the answer. He must have asked the “is the formula scarce” question close to a dozen times, with Kinsella answering directly at least three times, and offering a full explanation twice. And of course when Kinsella ventures to ask him a simple question, or even to simply define his terms, Wenzel is all “well we’re gonna get there.” I will grant that Kinsella initially was on the losing in terms of vulgarity, electing to use swear words on multiple occasions, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say he got more angry than Wenzel…as Wenzel made it quite clear he was “pissed”. It was evident to me Kinsella was just getting fed up, and being of a younger ilk, curse words seemed to be a much more colloquial, conversational part of his lexicon. (Notice his use of words like “dude” as well.) But of course, later the tables turned and Wenzel let his tongue fly as well (1:25:14, 1:46:38, 2:04:39) LOL (Speaking of which, is Wenzel really a Scientologist?) But as I said, in the areas that matter, I think anyone listening will find Kinsella to have had the superior showing. I’d like to say he had the superior argument, but Wenzel never really presented one…which I think is the most damning part of all for him. I’ve determined that Wenzel really is well on his senility journey. I had my suspicions a couple years ago…but this was just scary. He honestly just doesn’t seem to have the capacity to actually understand the anti-IP position. He makes it quite clear especially starting at 2:07:10 that he honestly doesn’t understand not only the basis of the concept of property, but he doesn’t even understand Kinsella’s point about the nature of information. He literally says that Kinsella’s argument is that if A tells B something, and C finds out, that makes the information “super abundant”, and therefore not scarce, and therefore not property. It’s insane. also by John James: My favorite comment so far: I thought the debate was funny. Stephan begins with his opening comment regarding IP. Wenzel’s opening statement was used to explore the question, “Am I a worm?” Stephan defined his terms and explained his position on IP. Wenzel stated his position on IP was based on destroying Stephan, but refused to give up a positive theory. By the end of the “debate,” Wenzel’s theory of IP had been boiled down to one word: “Rothbard.” I can’t wait for his long-promised book. “The General Theory of IP” by Bob Wenzel copyright 2017 Bob Wenzel Chapter 1. General Theory “Rothbard.” Rothbard, Murray 1 Second favorite: I know the Drudge formula, and I will share it now. But first, I must point out that by sharing the Drudge formula, that Wenzel will be crushed and will have to admit the formula is no longer scarce, since I know it. Sharing this knowledge will crush Wenzel. Now, on to the formula, but first, allow me to gloat in advance over the imminent crushing Wenzel is soon to face! Oh, how sweet it will be to crush Wenzel! Prepare yourself, as you are about to witness a crushing, the likes of which you’ve never seen, the likes of which you will never see again, so thorough will be this crushing! I shall crush Wenzel like a bug! Like a whining, sniveling bug, I will crush him. I shall crush him now! Now, I crush him, but only after I mention one last time how total this crushing will be! And now, on to the crushing. The formula is simple: you add “HOT” to a blog title full of otherwise generally known information, throw in a few ad hominum attacks to your libertarian-themed tabloid, and delete comments you find disagreeable. BOOM! Thus ends the most complete crushing of a man in the short but glorious history of the internet. And thus ends the notion that ideas are scarce. Jagger out. by Conza88: The discussion starts off well with intellectual points briefly eluded to by Kinsella… provision of context, defining terms, and indicating assumptions being made…great. Solid intro. Things look promising. Then it’s Bob’s turn… and the debate gets derailed before it’s even begun – with an attempt to address the red herring of how the debate came about… sorry, but who cares? Answer: no-one but Wenzel. Thus commences the side-show. I had hoped it wasn’t going to end up this way. I must say props to Tucker for being way too classy to respond & get dragged in. Props to Kinsella for ‘going there’, and coming out on top despite all attempts at being dragged down in the face of such incivility. I must say, talk about shooting yourself in the foot. It’d actually have been more beneficial for Wenzel to have remained silent (and be thought a coward / buffoon) than to have spoken up and removed all doubt. I’ve actually enjoyed Wenzel’s blog for quite some time – until lately where the commentary has become more and more rancorous. I also wonder why there appears to be some kind of emotional attachment to the issue? On a bit of a personal note though, I appreciated when Bob started posting all the Rothbard video snippets I had edited down from the full lectures (an idea to make them more accessible). He then began copying them and hosting them on his own channel. Obviously I could careless (it’s nothing special), and in fact support their proliferation … but what I am interested in though is how he would justify these actions with his IP “stance”? It seems rather contradictory. Again though this is hard to validate given his actual ‘stance’ is so obscure. As a quip I’d suggest Wenzel has fallen for one of Rothbard’s sociological laws: “Everybody specializes at what they are worst at (e.g. Friedman, and money).” Except that Wenzel doesn’t even reach that level – there isn’t any indication of specialization at all. Furthermore it’s a shame that in all his zealotry Bob inadvertently drags down the names of the people he appeals to. Hoppe is clear as day regarding intellectual property: Daily Bell: Where do you stand on copyright? Do you believe that intellectual property doesn’t exist as Kinsella has proposed? Dr. Hans-Hermann Hoppe: I agree with my friend Kinsella, that the idea of intellectual property rights is not just wrong and confused but dangerous. And I have already touched upon why this is so. Ideas – recipes, formulas, statements, arguments, algorithms, theorems, melodies, patterns, rhythms, images, etc. – are certainly goods (insofar as they are good, not bad, recipes, etc.), but they are not scarce goods. Once thought and expressed, they are free, inexhaustible goods. I whistle a melody or write down a poem, you hear the melody or read the poem and reproduce or copy it. In doing so you have not taken anything away from me. I can whistle and write as before. In fact, the entire world can copy me and yet nothing is taken from me. (If I didn’t want anyone to copy my ideas I only have to keep them to myself and never express them.) Now imagine I had been granted a property right in my melody or poem such that I could prohibit you from copying it or demanding a royalty from you if you do. First: Doesn’t that imply, absurdly, that I, in turn, must pay royalties to the person (or his heirs) who invented whistling and writing, and further on to those, who invented sound-making and language, and so on? Second: In preventing you from or making you pay for whistling my melody or reciting my poem, I am actually made a (partial) owner of you: of your physical body, your vocal chords, your paper, your pencil, etc. because you did not use anything but your own property when you copied me. If you can no longer copy me, then, this means that I, the intellectual property owner, have expropriated you and your “real” property. Which shows: intellectual property rights and real property rights are incompatible, and the promotion of intellectual property must be seen as a most dangerous attack on the idea of “real” property (in scarce goods). As for Rothbard – we can look back with hindsight regarding his position and adequately criticize… but it pays to remember the times. Given the below I have no doubt Rothbard would have been taken by Kinsella’s & Tucker’s cleaning up of the whole issue… just like when he admitted he was wrong after Hoppe advanced his ‘a priori of argumentation’: “…Over 30 years I have been preaching to the economics profession that this cannot be done: that economists cannot arrive at any policy conclusions (e.g., that government should do X or should not do Y) strictly from value-free economics. […] And yet, remarkably and extraordinarily, Hans Hoppe has proven me wrong. He has done it: he has deduced an anarcho-Lockean rights ethic from self-evident axioms. Not only that: he has demonstrated that, just like the action axiom itself, it is impossible to deny or disagree with the anarcho-Lockean rights ethic without falling immediately into self-contradiction and self-refutation….” As usual Rothbard was ahead of the game back then. The article starts off a tad rough but ends well… “…Finally, there is the almost incredible harassment of VCR owners. If I buy a VCR and a blank tape, I should be able to tape a movie or other program off my own TV set. If the TV or movie people don’t like it, they should jolly well have to lump it. It is grotesque that movie producers might get the Supreme Court to agree to outlaw use of the VCR. Worse yet is that the movie producers are harassing poor SONY, who only manufactures and doesn’t use VCRs. Obviously, SONY has the deep pockets to enjoin and sue, which most home owners do not. Obviously, too, the government would have a great deal of difficulty mobilizing an enormous Gestapo, armed to the teeth, to break in on and confiscate or destroy the VCRs in many million American homes. Defend your VCRs to the death, fellow Americans! In practice, then, the movie people are not going to outlaw VCRs. They will just force SONY and the other manufacturers to pay a tax to the movie people, a tax which will be passed on to every VCR buyer. But the unfortunate principle—and the higher cost—might well be enshrined in the books. The problem in all these cases is not whether “property rights” should or should not be upheld. The problem in each of these cases is: Who should have the property right? The computer hacker to do what he wants with his own computer and his access to the telephone lines, or the other computer owner? The signal sender or the signal receiver in the latter’s own equipment? The VCR owner or movie producers? In all of these cases I believe that the concept of copyright has been illegitimately extended to become invasive, and that the fact that the common law cannot combat these “crimes” is already an indication that they are not crimes at all. But I am in an odd position here. Of all the people in the libertarian movement, I probably know the least about computer technology. There are few movement people lower tech than myself. And yet among all the computer mavens in the movement, I have seen no discussion of these thorny issues. But it is important to apply libertarian property rights theory, i.e. judgments in various areas on who is a criminal and who is a victim, to advancing technology. So on these matters I still have a relatively open mind. Before the Iron Door closes, I cheerfully invite libertarian theorists and high-tech mavens to submit papers, on any or all sides of this problem, for possible publication in the Libertarian Forum. Is there computer crime? Are VCR and satellite dish owners criminals? Please send in your discussions, and help advance libertarian theory.” — Murray N. Rothbard, High Tech ‘Crime’: A Call for Papers, The Libertarian Forum, Vol. 17, No. 7-8, July-August, 1983. Kinsella and Tucker have done just that. Advance libertarian theory. I don’t think it takes any kind of stretch to come to the conclusion that Rothbard would have been persuaded by the new arguments and clarifications of old ones. Especially given sentiment against the Draconian measures suggested / adopted by statist policy makers in trying to clamp down on “intellectual property”. The VCR example is also rather analogous to the music industry and mp3 files re: ripping from radio, online streaming and torrents. “I should be able to tape a movie or other program off my own TV set [computer]. If the TV or movie people [music industry] don’t like it, they should jolly well have to lump it.” Wenzel’s appeals to authority aren’t even good. I do wonder though how he would respond to the above. Maybe that is the only way he’ll change his tune? In any case: where’s the intellectual honesty at Bob? Hopefully you will bounce back from this with some new found humility and a different take on the issue. In yet another post, Understanding Scarcity with a Little Help from Ludwig von Mises, Wenzel haplessly attempts to salvage his botched understanding of the scarcity issue. Here is a comment I added, and append here as well (in part, in case the comment does not get approved): Bob, your analysis is deeply flawed. Consider your comments about cash flow: this shows that you think a company has a property right in the money owned by potential customers; that is what the dispute is about. But they own their money. As the quote I provided above from Mises shows, knowledge, information, etc. is not a scarce good, not a scarce means of action. To repeat: from p. 128 of Human Action: “A thing rendering such unlimited services is, for instance, the knowledge of the causal relation implied. The formula, the recipe that teaches us to prepare coffee, provided it is known, renders unlimited services. It does not lose anything from its capacity to produce, however often it is used; its productive power is inexhaustible; it is therefore not an economic good. Acting man is never faced with a situation in which he must choose between the use-value of a known formula and any other useful thing.” Recipes, knowledge, information, ideas, Bob, are not economic goods, that is, not scarce means of action. Mises is explicit here, and dead on. Rather: information, knowledge, recipes play a different role in human action than scarce means do. The latter are rivalrous, scarce resources that can be employed by an actor to causally affect future outcomes so as to achieve some goal of the actor; the knowledge—of possible ends, of how to employ means, etc.—guides the actor’s choice of ends, and means, but is not itself a scarce means. Mises of course recognizes this, that information is a guide to action and plays a different role than scarce means do in the praxeological structure of human action itself. As he puts it (in my favorite of his books, The Ultimate Foundation of Economic Science: “Action is purposive conduct. It is not simply behavior, but behavior begot by judgments of value, aiming at a definite end and guided by ideas concerning the suitability or unsuitability of definite means.” (I discuss this in Intellectual Property and the Structure of Human Action.) This is uncontroversial among Austrians. See, e.g., Guido Hülsmann’s “Knowledge, Judgment, and the Use of Property,” p. 43-44, stating: “However, there is still a more fundamental condition of action. This is the fact that knowledge as such is never scarce…. In any case, as conditions do not cease to change, we constantly have to acquire new knowledge if only to conserve our present standard of living. However, economic science does not have to deal with the factors conditioning the acquisition of knowledge. … For the moment we are entirely unconcerned with the creation of knowledge, that is, of judgments that prove to be successful in action. We do not bother about the way we reduce our sheer ignorance. … “The quantities of means we can dispose of—our property—are always limited. Thus, choice implies that some of our ends must remain unfulfilled. We steadily run the danger of pursuing ends that are less important than the ends that could have been pursued. We have to choose the supposedly most important action, though what we choose is how we use our property. Action means to employ our property in the pursuit of what appears to be the most important ends. “In choosing the most important action we implicitly select some parts of our technological knowledge for application. In other terms, our choices imply a judgment upon the importance of our technological knowledge under the expected conditions of our action. This economic judgment is our only concern. Technological knowledge as such is immaterial for economics.” See also Rothbard, in Man, Economy and State, ch. 1, sec. 8: It might be asserted that another way of increasing his production is to improve his technical knowledge of how to produce the desired goods—to improve his recipes. A recipe, however, can only set outer limits on his increases in production; the actual increases can be accomplished solely by an increase in the supply of productive factors. Thus, suppose that Robinson Crusoe lands, without equipment, on a desert island. He may be a competent engineer and have full knowledge of the necessary processes involved in constructing a mansion for himself. But without the necessary supply of factors available, this knowledge could not suffice to construct the mansion. Notice how it is uncontroversial to these Austrians that knowledge plays a different role in human action than do scarce means. They all recognize that all action employs means; and all action is guided by knowledge and information (technological knowledge, knowledge of causal laws, recipes, etc.). Jeff Tucker and I discuss this at some length in Goods, Scarce and Nonscarce. Some of the following is adapted from that: Austrians have always, if sometimes only implicitly, recognized the existence of the nonscarce good, which is precisely the good in question with regard to intellectual property. Menger’s 1871 book, Principles of Economics, begins with the definition of a good that excludes the concern over scarcity. Something is a good, in Menger’s view, when it is causally capable of satisfying a human need. This is a very broad definition. For something to be a good, said Menger, there must be human knowledge of this cause-and-effect connection, along with command over the thing (the scarce means, the economic good) so that the relationship between cause and effect can be realized. Mises recognized the subclass of goods called “free goods” — something that is “available in superfluous abundance which man does not need to economize.” (Human Action, p. 93.) Mises says that though they are “not the object of any action” they are useful and even essential for production. (p. 128) Giving the example of a recipe, he writes that these free goods, or nonscarce goods, render “unlimited services.” A free good “does not lose anything from its capacity to produce however often it is used; its productive power is inexhaustible; it is therefore not an economic good.” This does not mean knowledge, recipes, nonscarce goods are unimportant: “These designs — the recipes, the formulas, the ideologies — are the primary thing; they transform the original factors — both human and nonhuman — into means.” (p. 142) Ideas and information are nonscarce goods but they serve as guides to action in the use of scarce means, to transform scarce things in the world to achieve the actor’s desired end. As I noted above, this is why Mises wrote, “Action is purposive conduct. It is not simply behavior, but behavior begot by judgments of value, aiming at a definite end and guided by ideas concerning the suitability or unsuitability of definite means.” [Ultimate Foundation of Economic Science, p. 34 (emphasis added)] Rothbard elaborated: “There is another unique type of factor of production that is indispensable in every stage of every production process. This is the ‘technological idea’.” [Man, Economy and State, p. 75] Rothbard points out that once the idea comes about, it no longer has to be produced. It is an “unlimited factor of production that never wears out or needs to be economized by human action.” This is precisely what a nonfinite, nonscarce good, like an idea or knowledge or recipe, is: an unlimited factor of production. Fetter also glimpses that ideas themselves are nonscarce goods: The gain to the general welfare, however, can result only when the new inventions are actually embodied in machines. An invention is only an immaterial idea, and the machines in which inventions are incorporated are wealth which has a capital value. Further, a gain can result only when the usance of the machines is not so high as to absorb the larger part of the gain in efficiency. Not all labor-saving inventions call for more elaborate or more costly machines. Some are merely better methods, and require no more equipment — or even less. Some of them are simpler and less costly than the forms they displace. These (unless patented) are free goods, uplifting the efficiency of production “without money and without price.”[22] I.e. he recognizes that methods — which are merely recipes, a type of information — are nonscarce goods (he calls them “free goods”) that are freely available and increase efficiency and productivity — that is, unless they are patented, thus making them artificially scarce. The upshot of all this is that causally efficacious means are real things in the world that help to change what would have been, to achieve the ends sought by the actor. Means are scarce resources. As Mises writes in Human Action, “Means are necessarily always limited, i.e., scarce with regard to the services for which man wants to use them.” To have successful action, then, one must have knowledge about causal laws to know which means to employ, and one must have the ability to employ the means causally suitable to help achieve the goal sought. The scarce resources employed as means need to be owned by the actor, because by their nature as scarce resources only one person may use them. Notice, however, that this is not true of the ideas, knowledge and information that guides the choice of means. The actor need not “own” such information, since he can use this information even if thousands of other people also use this information to guide their own actions. As Professor Hoppe has observed, ” in order to have a thought you must have property rights over your body. That doesn’t imply that you own your thoughts. The thoughts can be used by anybody who is capable of understanding them.” In other words, if some other person is using a given means, I am unable to use that means to accomplish my desired goal. But if some other person is also informed by the same ideas that I have, I am not hindered in acting. This is the reason why it makes no sense for there to be property rights in information. Material progress is made over time in human society because information is not scarce and can be infinitely multiplied, learned, taught, and built on. The more patterns, recipes, causal laws that are known add to the stock of knowledge available to actors, and acts as a greater and greater wealth multiplier by allowing actors to engage in ever more efficient and productive action. (It is a good thing that ideas are infinitely reproducible, not a bad thing; there is no need to impose artificial scarcity on these things to make them more like scarce resources; see IP and Artificial Scarcity.) As I wrote in “Intellectual Property and Libertarianism“: This is not to deny the importance of knowledge, or creation and innovation. Action, in addition to employing scarce owned means, may also be informed by technical knowledge of causal laws or other practical information. To be sure, creation is an important means of increasing wealth. As Hoppe has observed, “One can acquire and increase wealth either through homesteading, production and contractual exchange, or by expropriating and exploiting homesteaders, producers, or contractual exchangers. There are no other ways.” While production or creation may be a means of gaining “wealth,” it is not an independent source of ownership or rights. Production is not the creation of new matter; it is the transformation of things from one form to another — the transformation of things someone already owns, either the producer or someone else. Granting property rights in scarce resources, but not in ideas, is precisely what is needed to permit successful action as well as societal progress and prosperity. For more on some of these ideas, see the following articles and posts: Intellectual Freedom and Learning Versus Patent and Copyright, Ideas are Free, Knowledge is Power, Goods, Scarce and Nonscarce. One more note. Wenzel repeats a common fallacy. This is the idea that if you can sell something, that implies you own it (a converse fallacy is the idea that if own something, you can sell it—Walter Block relies on this in his defense of body-alienability, as discussed in KOL004 \| Interview with Walter Block on Voluntary Slavery). Wenzel relies on the first fallacy in his argument that when you sell information (like the Drudge formula he allegedy has) and receive money for it, this shows that the “thing” you “sold”—the information—has “value” and is an “ownable thing”. After all, how can you trade, or sell, something unless you own it? This a mistake repeatedly made by libertarians who use imprecise and overly metaphorical language and who have an insufficiently clear understanding of the basics of libertarian property rights and, most importantly, contract theory. They should review Rothbard’s and Evers’s title-transfer theory of contract, which I elaborate on in A Libertarian Theory of Contract: Title Transfer, Binding Promises, and Inalienability. I discuss this fallacy in that article, where I point out that some contracts are exchanges of title to owned things (an apple for a pear, a dollar for a steak), but some are only one-way title transfers, as when you give someone a gift, or when you bet and thus conditionally transfer money to someone based on some uncertain future condition that serves as the trigger to the title transfer—or when you pay money to someone to induce them to perform some desired action (labor, service, employment, disclosing information). In these latter cases there is only one title transfer: from the owner of the money to the person who performs the desired action the performance of which triggers the transfer of the money. People speak of this as a “sale” of labor or of information, but only by analogy to the traditional bilateral title exchange situation. What they are saying is that the action performed by the “seller” is the desired end of the “buyer”. But the “seller” of “labor” does not literally own his labor or his actions or the information he divulges. Rather, he owns his body and is thus able to decide to engage in or refrain from certain actions, including disclosing private knowledge, and thus he can use this to induce the guy who desires access to the information to conditionally transfer title to some sum of money—conditioned on the performance of some action by the other guy. This is not complicated; in fact it’s very simple. But calling it a “sale” of a service, or information (which is just another way of explaining the object or end the payer desires) makes people think of a standard “sale” where title to money is exchange for title to some owned good, and thus confuses them and muddies the water. I discuss this in detail in this speech, KOL 037 \| Locke’s Big Mistake: How the Labor Theory of Property Ruined Political Theory, and also Lecture 6 of my “Libertarian Legal Theory” Mises Academy Course, at slide 16; and Lecture 5 of my “Libertarian Controversies” Mises Academy Course, at slide 15. In addition to my 6-week Mises Academy course, Rethinking Intellectual Property, I also provide a pretty exhaustive refutation of just about every major pro-IP argument in Intellectual Nonsense: Fallacious Arguments for IP. See Mathew Alexander’s excellent post-mortem in Intellectual Property and the Great “Debate” From my post in a FaceBook discussion: Some of my friends have admonished me for the Larouchie comments Wenzel is pretending to go crazy about. I do not disagree that it is possible it was a tactical error to even debate him, or take my approach in continuing to engage him. But I have not been persuaded that any of my comments to or about him were wrong (though I am open to this). Let me give some context. Wenzel appeared out of nowhere in 2008–2009 or so. He starts attacking Jeff Tucker and my IP comments—implying we are “communists” etc. Implying he has a “book” on IP coming out (and even a book on libertarian theory). He does this while cozying up to Mises Institute people and people interested in Austrian economics. He sets himself up as a big economic prognosticator, though no one had ever heard of the guy before. Is this even his original name? Where did he come from? No one knows. So this no-name non-scholar, a kind of loud-mouth crude braggart self-promoting showboat type, more akin to Bill O’Reilly or Morton Downey Jr., starts loudly braying and attacking me and Tucker. It was obvious to me then, and remains obvious now—in fact it’s more obvious now, after our “debate”—that he has no coherent theory of libertarianism or of IP. He could not even present one in our debate, for which he needed 2–3 months to “prepare.” I half-suspect he did it all as a ruse to sell his ridiculous Drudge formula, which is odd in itself that he would want to hawk $100 or $500 sales of a formula that he can only sell a small amount of, all the while claiming to be rich (offering to pay $500k if people can prove he is not a Larouchie) and while claiming to charge $750 per 10 minutes for a phone consultation (that amounts to $4500 per hour. yeahhhh…. right). The guys is an obvious blowhard, oddball, and loose cannon. A sensationalist, and not an intellectual or scholar. A few years ago at Mises Institute in Auburn I was sitting alone in the bar, on my iPad. Wenzel walks up to me and the first thing he says is a snarky, snide remark about me using an Apple product—after all I must be a hypocrite if I use a product from a company that uses copyright, right? So I smiled, changed the subject and bought him a drink. We had a long conversation, some nice, some of which he revealed utterly bizarre things that made me question his … perspectives on life, let’s just say (and which I did not mention in our debate, as they are irrelevant). Then his attacks continue on me and Tucker. He invited Tucker to debate him and Jeff (probalby wisely) declined. Wenzel then makes some rude, smartass comment that Tucker was a dumbass follower of mine but that at least I had a real theory to be contended with. This is a bizarre slight on Tucker, from whom I have learned a lot, but in any case I offered to “discuss” with him this issue. Within an hour he was trumpeting and promoting it though we had not worked out ground rules yet, and he was asking for a month or two. I guess, to prepare. So the guy is some outsider, a nobody, spoiling for a fight, looking for traffic. A blustering clown, really. In response to some queries abou this on FB I said what I think (I never mince words): that he would weasel out of the debate like a worm, and that he was a clown. If you listen to his interviews you’ll see what I mean. He is untalented, rude, and a hack. He is a clown. And as for the weasel comment—partly I did that so he could not back down. In any case, in the end he did as I predicted—he weaseled out of presenting a real case for IP or having a real debate about it by wasting time asking why he is a clown; in our “debate” he never did present a coherent view of IP and even today is still grasping for some coherent theory. Honestly it’s curious why he would even want a “debate.” Why would he debate me if he had no theory? Why would he even care? Why would he be certain that I am wrong? To get attention, obviously. Which he almost admits in subsequent posts bragging about how the debate increased his traffic. This guy is an unscholarly, crude oaf. He has the temerity to cozy up to the Mises Institute and then start attackin me and Jeff Tucker (and implicitly all the senior scholars and other Austro-libertarians who have learned what a horrible thing IP is) and now even the Institute’s leading intellectual and Rothbard’s closest intellectual associate, Hans-Hermann Hoppe—and in the name of Rothbard, to make it worse. In our debate Wenzel violated our pre-agreed upon rules; he was incivil; he did not give me equal time; he talked over me repeatedly; he evaded the issues and failed to answer questions and present a coherent case for IP. I gave this guys a long leash. I was polite to him. I ignored his earlier slights. I bought him a drink, and talked with him in person. I agreed to a discussion about IP with him, on the terms that we have a civil discussion as equals—not his normal clownish, amateur, embarrassingly oafish “interview” style (read: interrogation). He promoted it to high heaven, then was rude and blustery and loud and ridiculous. He covered up his intellectual and scholarly deficiencies with ridiculous bluster and outrageous rudeness. In response I sometimes laughed in bemusement, in utter amazement that a specimen like him even exists in the real world. And I sometimes mocked him, and toyed with him, since every time I tried to make a serious point I was met with his bizarre bluster and intellectual incompetence. Was it a tactical mistake to engage this mental troll? I don’t know. Was it immoral to mock him and not treat him with respect? I don’t think so. Does he deserve respect? This guy attacked me, Tucker, now Hoppe, and libertarianism itself (by promoting IP). It is rich that he plays the poor victim after engaging in this outrageous stuff. In any case: he has not (and cannot) demonstrated that IP in any form can be justified. I am actually surprised any Austro-libertarians take this guy seriously. I never have. No one I know that I respect ever has. For background information on the views I expressed in the podcast, see: C4SIF resources; Intellectual Property Rights as Negative Servitudes, KOL 037 \| Locke’s Big Mistake: How the Labor Theory of Property Ruined Political Theory; Hume on Intellectual Property and the Problematic “Labor” Metaphor; Locke on IP; Mises, Rothbard, and Rand on Creation, Production, and “Rearranging” Locke, Smith, Marx and the Labor Theory of Value The Overwhelming Empirical Case Against Patent and Copyright KOL 037 \| Locke’s Big Mistake: How the Labor Theory of Property Ruined Political Theory my 6-week Mises Academy course, Rethinking Intellectual Property Intellectual Nonsense: Fallacious Arguments for IP. For posts related to/leading up to this debate, see: Kinsella, Kinsella vs. Wenzel on IP Kinsella, IP Debate with Wenzel Looms Kinsella, “Oh yeah? How would like it if I copy and publish your book under my name?!”: On IP Hypocrisy and Calling the Smartasses’ Bluffs Wenzel, A “Bullshit” Response from Jeffrey Tucker Wenzel, Mises Institute: Do As They Say, Not As They Do? Kinsella, Wenzel on Copyright and Patent Wenzel, Stephan Kinsella Taking the High Road Wenzel, The Economic Recovery: Washington’s Big Lie (Part 2) Wenzel, Examining Jeff Tucker Intellectual Property Theory Wenzel, Jeff Tucker Declines to be Interviewed on the Robert Wenzel Show Wenzel, Naked Trademark Battle Wenzel, Stephan Kinsella versus Barack Obama On Copyright Protection Scott R April 6, 2013, 6:39 am Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems to me that this subject is being ignored by other renowned anarcho-capitalist. Lew Rockwell, Tom Woods, etc.: No mention of this subject in the last week. I suppose I can appreciate the desire not to air the dirty laundry of fellow libertarians engaging in an ugly debate, but I’m dismayed by the lack of other anarcho-capitalist coming out strongly against IP. I want to be careful not to make any direct accusations against any particular individuals, but my hunch is that any learned anarcho-capitalist who still “struggles” with this or is pro-IP is likely in that camp because of their own self-interests. These people write books, run blogs, and give speeches. They believe that their thoughts/ideas are of value. And they are right. But these thoughts/ideas are not property. They would not miss a beat in telling the owner of the chicken shop on Jones Road (who is upset about the new guy who opens up a chicken shop on the same road), that that’s just competition, and he needs to adapt and offer a compelling reason for potential customers to buy his chicken. The first guy with the chicken shop holds no right to his customer’s money, he must provide those customer’s with a compelling reason why they should buy his chicken. He should not use force, or employ other actors (the local government) to forcibly shut down the new chicken shop. Similarly, they will not miss a beat in telling an IT developer (who had been working at the same company for 10 years and making $90K/year plus great benefits, but now is being let go and will be replaced by an non-US citizen with an H1-B visa willing to work for $25/hour and no benefits) that, hey, that’s just competition. You don’t have a right to that job. You need to learn to adapt. I’ll be honest, having come from the latter category (specific details of salary, etc. were pulled from the sky), I found those types of comments to come across as quite smug. The people making those comments were well respected Austro-anarchists, but they did not live that experience. They were viewing it from the outside, from their high thrones, acting as the pure interpreters of all things related to Austrian Anarcho-Capitalism. I think a bit more compassion in how they expressed their views would have served them well. But, the thing is, their point, lacking in empathy as it may have been, was nevertheless correct. The guy with the chicken shop doesn’t have a right to be free from competition or a right to the money of the hungry people in town. The IT developer doesn’t have a right to continue to be employed by that company. Conversely, the competing chicken shop owner does have a right to try to make a living for himself, even if he may lack originality (and who’s to say he isn’t original – sure, it’s another chicken shop, but his chicken may really be a whole hell of a lot better – don’t the people in town have a right to choose better chicken?). And the non-US citizen IT developer has a right to try and put food on his table, too, does he not? Or is he to be forever cursed to live in poverty because he was unlucky enough to have been born in a poor country? But the same holds true for ideas. These great thinkers in the Austrian Anarcho-Capitalist movement can’t own their ideas, as much as they might like to. They can absolutely sell their ideas to willing buyers, but for them to advocate force against a 3rd party who chooses to put those ideas to use on their own, with their own body, energy, and physical property, is a violation of the NAP, and is plain hypocrisy as far as I’m concerned. It’s easy to be a purist anarcho-capitalist when things are going well for you and you’re not worried about how you’re going to put food on the table. When things hit home and affect your own wallet, then the rubber hits the road. Are you going to be principled and hold to those truths which you claimed to believe in, or are you going to lack that integrity and look for excuses and loopholes and reasons why those truths don’t really apply to your particular type of “property.” Why isn’t it clear where Lew Rockwell, Tom Woods, and others stand on this issue? Jared April 9, 2013, 12:39 am You know why. You said it above, “because of their own self interests.” That’s it. Period. I hasten to add that Lew Rockwell doesn’t really need IP, seeing as he just begs his readers to donate money to him like the damn bum off the street. That just shows what a shit blog he runs anyway. He’s just as bad as one of those crooked preachers that I’m always seeing on the news ripping off their congregations. Ugh, I wish there was a way to edit comments here. I always like to re-read and edit/revise things after I write them, but here my typos are left in place. I also meant to give a nod to Jonas for the chicken shop example, in case it wasn’t already obvious that I was using his example. Scott R April 6, 2013, 12:46 pm More thinking out loud… Say someone rents a car from Hertz for a week and then proceeds to take it apart, piece by piece, studying, photographing, etc. every part, and then reassembles it perfectly (such that no harm whatsoever was done to the car). They then return the car to Hertz on the date agreed to. Then, over the course of the next few months they completely assemble their own exact functioning repllca of that car using parts they have purchased or manufactured themselves. Have they stolen the car from Hertz? Jonas April 6, 2013, 12:59 pm EPJ is one of the more popular austro/libertarians blogs in terms of traffic. For LRC and Woods to come out against Wenzel could cause a split in the movement and they probably just want to stay out of it. I have always thought Wenzel was a dishonest debater before this Kinsella IP business, but still liked his website and news posting ability. But I now think Mises.org should cut him off and I will probably delete his websites bookmark. I never do this for any website, but its like he has gone insane with his personal attacks on Tucker and Kinsella. His lack of rationality and logic reminds me of the Randians, who in order to follow everything written by their ‘leader’ as the absolute truth, are stuck in self contradictions and thus get more and more irrational and crazy trying to hold this position. Wenzel is in this same position by trying to accept everything that Mises and Rothbard wrote as literally true (and they were true 98% of the time, just not with this issue). Jonas April 6, 2013, 1:13 pm In your Hertz example, no nothing has been stolen from Hertz. Stephan Kinsella made a great example of brand names like a Louis Vuitton handbag being cloned. Is you buy a fake Louis Vuitton handbag (you know its fake), you are agreeing to transfer money in exchange for a handbag. Nothing more. But if a seller misrepresents a fake Louis Vuitton as being genuine, then they have defrauded you of your money and you have a right to claim damages/restitution. But the point of this example is…. at no point does Louis Vuitton have any say or claim over the exchange. The exchange occured between two external parties voluntarily exchanging their own property. Louis Vuitton, Rolex, Hertz e.t.c do not have any rights to their brand name, just like we have no rights to our reputation, ‘value’ in items, thoughts and ideas. If you clone the Hertz car you can sell it, they have no claims against you, because its your property. But if you misrepresent the Hertz car as being the genuine item, and then exchange it for money, under the Rothbard-Evers title theory of tranfer you have stolen someones real property. SK am I getting this right? PH April 6, 2013, 11:14 pm Louis Vuitton can sue the person making a fake in the tort of interference with prospective business advantage. Stephan Kinsella April 8, 2013, 7:16 am Yes, and this is why trademark law should also be abolished. Crosbie Fitch April 8, 2013, 2:32 pm The draconian enforcement of copyright against the plebs is inspiring such measures for other monopolies, such as trademark: http://the1709blog.blogspot.fr/2013/04/new-york-clamps-down-on-fake-handbags.html Don’t just jail the honest vendors of imitations, jail the delinquent purchasers too! Why stop there? Why not jail anyone caught importing a Chinese imitation iPhone for patent infringement? It’s going to get a lot worse, before these monopolies are abolished. The question is: will that be as a result of government enlightenment, or as a result of a revolt because of a lack of the former? Scott R April 6, 2013, 1:32 pm Jonas, my example about the Hertz car rental was a variation on the example that Wenzel brought up in his debate with Kinsella. It was also my intent to expose another aspect of this. If you were to somehow contend that the person who has replicated this car has somehow stolen the car, the other question is, who is really the person whom the car was stolen from? In Wenzel’s example, the single physical car had been stolen from Hertz (no one argues otherwise). But in my example, a pro-IPer would probably argue that this car (the replica, that is) was actually stolen from Toyota (or whomever originally designed the car). So, going back to Wenzel’s version of the example, if if ideas and physical things should be treated identically as “property”, if someone steals the Hertz rental car, haven’t they really stolen it from Toyota? It’s all silly of course. But to look at this from another angle: they want us to accept the idea that ideas are “property” exactly like real tangible items are property. But they also want to treat this intellectual “property” as being special in that they can “sell” it to me but still retain possession of it (and, in fact, more rights to it) than the copy that they have sold me. But I can’t sell my car and still retain possession of (and rights to) that car. Examples where property is sold but the seller still retains rights: timeshare, franchises. Do the anti-IPers refuse to sign Non Disclosure Agreements at work? Matthew Swaringen April 7, 2013, 1:41 pm How is this relevant? Yet more thinking out loud… 1) If I possess a certain piece of “scarce” (by Wenzel’s terminology) knowledge/skill (the ability to mow/manicure a lawn really, really well) and you pay me $30 to mow your lawn, I mix my knowledge, skill, and labor with your lawn to produce a newly fresh-cut lawn. Am I now a partial-owner of your lawn? 2) Trivia: An Austro-Anarcho-Capitalist sells a daily email newsletter for a price of $138/year. Because this is in simple email form, it can be reproduced a million-fold for little to no cost. This person’s is: a) Pro-IP b) Anti-IP 3) Inventor A sells his idea/invention buyer’s X, Y, and Z for $1000 a pop. Inventor B releases a very similar invention to the public domain (for free) 3 months later. Within one week 5 million people now know the details of this invention. Inventor A suspects Inventor B from having learned it from one of his buyers and wants to sue not only him, but also prevent those other 5 million people from making use of this knowledge. As outside observers, we don’t know if Inventor B really did gain this knowledge through nefarious means or if he independently discovered it. How can this be resolved fairly? 1) In the absence of a contract, no. 2) I am pro the protection of IP in a contract and have no income from IP. 3) Probably either side will call a) expert witnesses to opine on whether B came across it through independent discovery based on the research B has done in the past, B’s reputation for probity, how similar one invention is to the other etc b) private detectives to report on who communicated with who. As with all matters of fact in a civil case, a jury will decide. The outcome might be a guilty party is ordered to compensate A for his loss of an income stream. OK, my follow-up responses… 1) Good point. No one would sign a contract with their lawn guy giving him partial ownership of his lawn. Absent a world where IP rights are “assumed”, why should we expect that the norm for acceptable contracts involving the selling of ideas would include ridiculous terms that prevented the buyer from making use of the idea/item however they saw fit, having to go out of their way to make sure that no one else could ever see their purchased invention in use (for fear that person C might make note of it and attempt to replicate it, resulting in buyer B being sued by seller A for a ridiculous sum of money)? 2) Good to hear. But you’re not the target audience that my question was aimed at. What is the position of people who do have a personal financial interest in this issue? 3) Even if there was a worldwide patent registry that established who filed/invented first, how could one prove that I didn’t come up with my idea independently? And I still am unconvinced why I should even have to be bothered (time, lawyer fees, etc.) to have to prove that I came up with an idea independently when I was using my own resources (mind, body, tangible property) and I don’t acknowledge ideas as being something that can be owned in the first place. Lastly, if I did agree to the concept of ideas being ownable (which I don’t), there is no way in my example that inventor A could be justly compensated. 5 million people now have the idea (and more by the day). There’s no way to put that genie back in the bottle, the 5 million+ cannot un-know the idea, nor can they be considered liable in any way to inventor A, and neither inventor B nor whichever buyer (X, Y, or Z) leaked it to B could possibly afford to pay A $1,000 x 5 mil+. I’m feeling lonely here. Why is all of the fun conversation occurring in Wenzel’s comments section? Someone there attempted to claim that if person B stole an apple from person A and then sold it to person C that the apple would have to be returned to person A (no disagreement there) and that stealing ideas was just like that (BZZT). Here was my reply (I reference someone else who also replied to that post): As Unknown (Richard) stated, ManOfBliss’ example is flawed because it pre-supposes that ideas are just like apples in the sense of being property, but that is what the entire argument is about (whether or not ideas are property). Tangible things can be property, intangible things (like ideas) cannot be property. And as Richard stated, how can you resolve this conflict of C having “stolen” ideas? I think we all agree that it can’t be “returned” to A (first, A doesn’t need the idea returned to them because they never lost it, and second, C can’t un-learn the idea). Hopefully we would also all agree that if C didn’t know that A had some claim of “ownership” of it and innocently learned the idea, thinking it to be in the public domain (e.g., they simply closely observed B making use of it), then it wouldn’t be just to ask C to compensate A financially for their use of the idea. So, where does that leave us? I believe that the pro-IPers would claim that the just resolution would be that for C to be bound never to make use of that idea going forward. But what if C would have otherwise been capable of learning that idea on their own within the next year? Now C is banned for life from ever using their brain to learn/use that idea. To compare it to your apple example, this would be like returning the apple to A but also restricting C from ever growing an apple tree in their yard. its more fun at EPJ…. because Wenzels hangers-on are the only ones confused about this issue 😉 It was instructive how Bob tried to claim anti-IP people are communistic and against private property rights. Its psychological projection of course. Dave in Ann Arbor April 9, 2013, 10:56 am It’s cringeworthy. Nick Badalamenti, Dave Narby, and “Ed Ucation” keep posting things that boil down to “I do not even understand the argument or what question-begging is.” That “Pete Petepete” guy must have explained about 1,000 times what the term “scarcity” means in the way economists use it, but Wenzel and co. still keep pretending the only use of the term is “numerically rare.” Or maybe they aren’t pretending and really are that stupid. I just don’t know. Crosbie Fitch April 9, 2013, 11:58 am It is possible, Dave in Ann Arbor, that it is you who has bought in to the illusion of the Emperor’s new clothes. If the only things that are non-scarce are imaginary/non-existent/abstract objects, such as angels, then you are the one who should reassess the compatibility of your belief system with the real world in which we live. You need neither the shaman’s nor layman’s understanding of scarcity to recognise the unjust and counter-productive nature of state granted monopolies. So stop flogging a spectral horse. Stephen April 9, 2013, 12:41 pm Crosbie, Is your claim that there’s no point in distinguishing a rivalrous good, i.e., a good whose use by any one person for any one purpose would not in any way exclude (or interfere with or restrict) its use by any other person or for any other purpose? If so, how do you justify property rights? To say something is rivalrous or non-scarce is vacuous, because all you are doing is saying that it is something that exists. Thus it is vacuous/tautologous to say the equivalent of “We justify property rights in things that exist because such things exist”. Rights arise from the physical power that an individual possesses by nature – in equilibrium/harmony, in equal measure. Because an individual has the power to exclude others from the physical spaces/objects they inhabit/occupy/possess, this is why, in equilibrium with our fellows, we have a right to do. Property is that (space/object) which we have the natural power to exclude others from, i.e. natural objects – things that exist, things that we can put in boxes and exclude others from. Just because you can imagine something that doesn’t exist, that can’t be put in a box, that is superabundant, doesn’t add anything to a justification for property. Similarly, observing that things that exist are rivalrous doesn’t add anything either. Nor does the observation that things that exist are ‘economically scarce’. To say that something is “rivalrous” is much more precise than saying that it “exists.” Does a right triangle “exist?” Does a novel “exist?” Does a “formula” exist? The word “exist” can be and is tortured by those attempting to justify IP. The claim is not “we justify property rights in things that exist because such things exist.” Air in general exists, and Austro-anarchist libertarians don’t argue that because it exists there should be property rights in it. When you say that “rights arise form the physical power that an individual possesses by nature,” do you mean that because you are physically able to control something that you have a right to control it? Crosbie Fitch April 10, 2013, 3:20 am That which exists is rivalrous. That which does not exist is non-rivalrous. So what? As with seawater, air is also something you can put in a bottle and exclude others from (ask a scuba diver). Just because there’s a lot of it, it doesn’t mean it’s non-scarce (in the economic meaning, if not the layman’s meaning) or non-rivalrous. The point is not whether the rivalrous nature of things that exist is interesting or useful to observe, but that it doesn’t actually justify or explain anything concerning property. No other animal has ever been interested in excluding others from things that don’t exist. It takes extreme intelligence and stupidity/superstition to start believing that one can – a peculiarly human talent. It is also rather crazy to develop esoteric terms/jargon to discriminate between things that exist and things that don’t, and to claim, tautologously, that because things that exist don’t have the nature of those that don’t, ipso facto we have property rights. One could also use other terms such as ‘physically manifest’ or ‘enclosable’ instead of ‘exist’, but the good thing about ‘exist’ is that it helps people recognise the absurdity of claiming property in things that don’t exist. And yes, people then have to be reminded that although we may recognise that things that exist may be in the shape of a triangle, this does not mean that the triangle exists. Moreover, just because we can conceive of abstract objects such as triangles, this also doesn’t mean those abstract objects exist – nor does it mean that the abstract thing we call a concept (of a triangle) exists either, though again, we may recognise this concept in arrangements of ink on paper (the arrangement exists – the concept doesn’t). So, yes, because human beings (as most animals) have a physical and vital ability to exclude others from things that exist, a power to exclude, they have a have a natural and equal right to do so. ‘Rights’ granted by gods, kings, or states, are obviously not natural. Hence the power to prohibit copies granted by Queen Anne in 1709, was only obtained by annulling the people’s natural liberty and right to make copies, such that this right, by exclusion, could be left in the hands of a few – so called ‘copyright’ holders. A paper manuscript containing ink arranged into a description of a formula or novel can be kept in a box, and others can be excluded from both the material and the intellectual work therein. Others cannot be excluded from that which does not exist, e.g. the abstract pattern of that work that permeates the abstract plane – which is a rather perverse thought to have in the first place. In other words, drawing a triangle does not give one any natural power over the abstraction or others’ use of it. Conversely, simply because one has no power over the abstraction or its use doesn’t mean one has no natural power to exclude others from one’s drawing. The drawing of the triangle exists. The geometric concept of a triangle does not. That which exists may be property, but it isn’t property because it exists, but because we have the natural power and right to exclude others from those alienable objects that exist in our possession. Stephen April 10, 2013, 9:47 am As I explained, it is wrong to say that “that which exists is rivalrous” and “that which does not exist in non-rivalrous.” What do you mean by “exists?” This is an imprecise term. This is where a precise understanding of Austrian economics is useful. “Air in general” is different from “air I’ve put into a bottle.” You still have not answered the question of whether your ability to physically control something justifies you having a property right in it. If I’m bigger and stronger than you and I wrest control of something from you, is that something now my just property? Dave in Ann Arbor April 9, 2013, 2:04 pm OK, I’ve read your response several times and still can’t for the life of me figure out what you just said. I am arguing for state-granted monopolies? Where? Was pretty sure I’m against them, but… maybe I’m lying to myself? Am I characterizing the Wenzelian position wrong? They really do seem to be struggling with the idea that two bits of matter cannot occupy the same point in space at the same point in time. It’s good to see that Crosbie is back and providing more details as to his disagreement with Kinsella’s approach. I am in agreement with Crosbie’s perspective, but I can appreciate your response Stephen. I’m not as well-versed on these matters as Kinsella or Crosbie, but I personally like the term “tangible.” One of the things I think about with this issue is how best to sell it to the layman. I think that Wenzel is command the layman’s use of language in trying to appeal to the layman’s use of terms like “scarce” and “rivalry”. I don’t care to just convince academics, I want to convince the average person. There’s a lot more of them than there are academics, and we will have influence on this subject if we can get a significant minority to buy into it and ignore those who rule over us as they go about their daily business. Scott, why are you in agreement with Crosbie’s perspective? He seems to have no principled approach whatsoever. Kinsella’s approach (Hoppe’s) is extremely precise. “Tangible” intuitively seems okay, but not everything that can be subject to property rights is perceptible to touch. Examples: noise, pollution. “Physical” is a better word. I agree that it is worthwhile to think about how to present these things to the layman. To my mind, using the definition of “rivalrous” without focusing on the term itself is the most effective. People can grasp the concept that two people can’t simultaneously use the same thing for whatever purpose they wish. That’s all that’s necessary to get the idea across, without getting caught up in semantics. I think Stephan’s example about everyone being able to use the same recipe at the same time, but not the same physical things is very effective to make the case as to why there can’t be property rights in patterns of information. Stephen A April 9, 2013, 5:58 pm It is not the case that the only non-scarce things are imaginary. Air is the classic example. It exists, but it does not factor into economic calculation, because it is not scarce. As to calling the very tool of imaginary constructs vacuous, I don’t know what to tell you other than, “okay.” While it may be the case that the layman gets confused if you use certain argumentation devices and thought experiments, that should hardly be the standard aimed for when attempting to find truth. While we may both agree that Wenzel is a layman, and while it’s true that he seems incapable of understanding the concept of non-scarcity, this does not prove either that thought experiments are pointless or that non-scarcity is even an example of this sort of thought experiment. Again, there are real world examples of things such as air and sunlight that are valuable but do not carry a price (in 99% of life). These are non-scarce, and this can be a helpful analogy to understand the proper category ideas belong in. Of course you might be right that this is an argument that will never change Wenzel’s mind, and that some other tack will need to be followed in order to get through to him. But the same could be said for a 6 year old. It doesn’t change the validity of the argument itself. But to your point about thought experiments, do you also find the Misesian/Rothbardian concept of the “Evenly-Rotating Economy” to be vacuous? It has never nor will it ever exist, yet it helps us to understand certain elements of the real world, especially the role interest plays in the economy. Whether Wenzel or any other layman finds the ERE useful is irrelevant to its value as a concept. Stephen, let me be clear…I do not disagree with you or Kinsella in regards to any part of your logic. This is an area where Crosbie and I may disagree. My disagreement is entirely focused on the practicality of getting the argument across to the average person. I completely appreciate the value in the academics fine-tuning words like “scarcity” and “rivalrousness”, and in putting all of these concepts into a science using narrowly-defined words. Different people are passionate about different subjects. Kinsella has spent a lot of time considering the IP issue. But different people also have a different knack for communicating their ideas to different groups. Kinsella takes a very scientific approach, but this is a topic that I’m also very interested in, and I think there’s practical value in trying to convince as many average people as possible. If we have to first educate them on the economic meanings of words like “scarce” and “rivalrous’ we’ll lose their attention before we even get to the meat of the subject. So my disagreements are really about approach, rather than disagreeing with the arguments themselves. Maybe I’m too pessimistic, but I don’t really envision a world in my lifetime where the state goes away and people are free of these IP rules. But what I can imagine, is a world where a good number of my friends, family, and business associates are all in agreement that the IP concept is immoral. The more average people that see these immoral statist rules as they are, the more enjoyable my life will be as I interact with these regular people. Ed Ucation April 10, 2013, 1:12 am Here is NSK admitting that time is scarce (from http://archive.mises.org/5490/the-scarcity-of-time/): “Notice the similarity to the indestructible robot idea above. In this case, I think Hoppe is correct that our lives are finite and “The time used up in pursuing goal A reduces the time left to pursue other goals”, which means that time is, indeed, scarce. This is one factor that enters into our decisions as real, live acting humans in the real world of time scarcity.” Here is NSK arguing that time is not scarce (from http://archive.mises.org/007614/): “Time is a scarce resource, that people own? Really? So if you are using one segment (?) of time, then others can’t? This is ludicrous and confused. With friends like you, IP advocates need no enemies.” So, is time scarce? Is time rivalrous? Does scarcity depend on rivalrousness? Joseph Fetz April 16, 2013, 3:45 pm Dave, I tried to condense the entire anti-IP argument down to a very simple to understand two-part comment, which also included the error that people are making with their ABC arguments involving property of tangible goods. Nobody responded to it … so I’m guessing that either the pro-IP crowd ignored it, or otherwise didn’t read it. Here is is: http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/04/why-norman-stephan-kinsella-wont-yield.html As for Mr. Badalamenti, he has simply swiped what he read about Bastiat from this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Property He basically keeps repeating it as if it is an argument. Eric April 7, 2013, 10:32 pm Mr. Kinsella, I like your work about IP. I didn’t like the way Wenzel treated you. Here the comment I posted on Wenzel’s blog. Mr. Wenzel, I have listened to the debate. I think you confuse secrecy with scarcity. If you have a Drudge formula in your mind and you didn’t share anything about it, how can you know if the rest of the 7 billion people on this planet doesn’t have the same formula? If everybody has the same formula in his mind but doesn’t share it, it is not a question of scarcity but a question of secrecy. Beside that, I have serious doubts about your debate skills. I couldn’t remember any of your points and you didn’t educate me on the IP subject. I understood a lot more Kinsella and his points.I don’t understand why you were so aggressive. You turned me off. You were not listening to Kinsella. The only thing you wanted is to make your point about the formula. Is this all you have? A formula? You didn’t write any books about IP. Kinsella did. You said you wanted to be ready before to do it right. Kinsella by publishing, expose himself to critics. You don’t. Your personality shows that you want to be “right”. Kinsella’s personality shows that he tries to find the truth about this subject. You complained about the way he treated you with disrespect by using names. You do the same. Many times you use the word stupid. The fact you had 14 points (or so) you wanted to go through shows that you are a poor listener. If a debate is like a tango, you were dancing alone. You didn’t go with the flow. If you are a poor listener, I have serious doubts that you are a deep thinker. The consequences of your position are disastrous. If knowledge is what you say, I mean we will need permission for everything. It doesn’t make any sense. What about Pythagoras’theorem? The alphabet? If as you say, knowledge is a scarce resource, you can keep your ideas for yourself, I am not interested to buy it from you. Maybe your product (ideas about IP) are the best products in the world but I didn’t like the sale speech from your aggressive representative of your company. Maybe Kinsella’s product are less perfect but I like the guy and I bought from him. You lost a sale. We are in a free market. The way you sell, you will be out of business. Kinsella’s business crushed Wenzel’s business. Misesian April 8, 2013, 10:41 am “On his blog, he now says he’ll respond to a two paragraph quote from Hoppe, from a few years ago, explaining his anti-IP position. “Later this week” he says. Seriously? He sounds like a student cramming for a final he’s thoroughly unprepared for.” Apparently a glutton for punishment, I checked Wenzel’s blog to see if he addressed this. At this stage, one would expect an inchoate, off topic, but insult free (except when bringing in Stephan at the end) response. Wenzel won’t insult Hoppe it seems (I wonder why?). But no … no response. Instead, even further intellectual depravity from Wenzel. Belligerent insults, no evidence of engagement with the literature etc. Sure … he’s writing a book … Good grief. I’ve no further curiosity about a response to Hoppe or anyone else. Wenzel has revealed himself. No response from him is actually better on the evidence of this infamous “debate” and his subsequent behaviour. Final nail in the Wenzel curiosity coffin. Finished. Thanks for exposing an unfortunate mistake I made – expecting a minimum level of intellectual integrity from Wenzel. He’s just not someone to follow up with intellectually. On to more fruitful endeavors. Thanks for what you’ve done on this issue, for the meticulous above response and compiling of relevant links to the literature, and for your work in general. Especially Libertarian Papers – great stuff. I’ll check out your podcast now that I’m aware of it. knoxharrington April 8, 2013, 1:50 pm I got redirected here after I searched for “NORMAN Stephan Kinsella.” Will somebody close to Wenzel get him his meds? Please. When I think of Wenzel I think of the bound up Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs with a high-pitched New York accent screaming “I’ve got you by the balls, Stephan.” Creep stuff. This is getting really bizarre. Wenzel may be the worst loser in the history of the planet. Face it, Wenzel, you got pwned. It’s ok. You were out of your depth. Now your just freaking people out. http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/04/announcing-new-series-230-am-with-steve.html Announcing a New Series: “2:30 AM with Steve Kinsella” Finished watching all the late night talk shows, but still need a good belly laugh? Don’t miss the new EPJ series: “2:30 AM with Steve Kinsella” The first post will be up on Thursday at 2:30 AM ET, with a new post, early morning, every weekday. The series will include clips from Steve’s writing, video and audio presentations. Examined will be Steve’s odd definitions of words, sly debating techniques, and other nuances of Steve’s scholarly style. Should be fun. knoxharrington April 10, 2013, 8:55 am It looks like he took this post down – maybe he realized how creepy it made him look. Instead, he (or his lover Chris Rossini) put this page together. As usual, chock full of “truth.” http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/04/anti-ip-crushed-epjs-steve-kinsella-ip.html Dave in Ann Arbor April 10, 2013, 11:26 am This is a real shame, too. I thought Rossini’s posts were always pretty good, but here he’s taking the Wenzel party line, which apparently is all about childish insults and willful ignorance. knoxharrington April 10, 2013, 11:31 am I absolutely agree. This whole episode is just bizarre. Wenzel – and now by extension Rossini – has become unhinged. I still look at EPJ – but not in the same way I used too. They are several notches down the ladder now. Kinsella, looks like someone’s got a crush on you. I guess he really enjoyed all that talk about gettin you by the balls. Jonas April 10, 2013, 1:25 am We are not too far away from Wenzel doing a ‘morning coffee with Kinsella’ segment every day, but as a negative attacking segment. I’ll repost this…… “Crosbie, please address this: A and B agree to a contract: A agrees to share information with B on condition that B not reveal it. The contract specifies monetary damages if B shares the information. The information could be anything. Now, let’s assume that B breaks the contract and reveals the information to C. B is liable for the monetary damages specified in the contract. But C is not a party to the contract. Now A, B, and C know the information. If C uses the information to guide his action, is he violating anyone’s property rights? How can A prevent C from using the information without violating C’s property rights?” This is a very clear question and IMO a litmus test to see where you stand on IP. ‘A’ either has / or does not have, a claim on C and his property. there is no middle ground, no grey and no dancing around this question. Jonas, I could repost my replies too. However, it’s best if you simply re-read them. Jonas April 10, 2013, 9:26 pm Replies yes, and answer to the question, no. You spent a dozen paragraphs not answering the question. Put simply, if C is not party to the contract between A & B, do you now think A has a claim against C and his property for using his ideas and information? Jonas, my responses here: http://www.stephankinsella.com/paf-podcast/kol-038-debate-with-robert-wenzel-on-intellectual-property/comment-page-1/#comment-1137812 are ample for you to be able to form valid questions and answer them yourself. A contract concerns the exchange of property between two people. A contract can affect no-one’s natural rights. So if you asked: “Can Egbert sell/forfeit/surrender/lose their liberty to disclose information confided to them by Dorian?” So, we never get to the question: “If Egbert discloses that information to Fred, can Dorian consequently abrogate Fred’s liberty to disclose it?” Similar questions & answers: “Can Egbert sell/forfeit/surrender/lose their liberty to manufacture a copy of a mousetrap loaned to them by Dorian?” “Can Egbert sell/forfeit/surrender/lose their liberty to manufacture a copy of a manuscript loaned to them by Dorian?” “Does Dorian have a natural right to exclude Egbert from his manuscript, both the materials and the writing?” “If Egbert burgles Dorian, and makes a photocopy of Dorian’s manuscript, has Egbert stolen anything?” In other words, authors have the exclusive right to their writings, and Congress should have power to secure this right. However, Congress has no power to abridge its citizens’ liberty to make copies of, or otherwise communicate, the writings the author may give to them (no longer excludes them from). Inquiring Mind April 21, 2013, 3:09 am Crosbie.. On what philosophical grounds can natural rights not be contracted? Are you a libertarian? They’re my natural rights. Why can’t I do whatever the fuck I want to do with them? They aren’t yours. Nor are they the state’s. Inquiring Mind, have you ever considered selling your shadow to the devil? It may be your shadow, but are you sure you can do what you want with it? If all human beings are equal, equipotent, then none can gain nor lose any power they possess by nature – however much they think it might suit them. We have natural powers, natural rights as a consequence of being human beings. Being inherent, as shadows, these rights are inalienable. They aren’t handed to us by our parents in a bag for us to keep safely and sell only in the direst of circumstances. You may be thinking of state granted powers, ‘legal rights’, such as copyright and patent, that are transferable. In contracting away one’s liberty, as much fraud is committed in contracting away one’s shadow. Beware of any state or devil that has it otherwise. Inquiring Mind April 22, 2013, 1:23 pm Crosbie.. that’s a very poor analogy. A shadow isn’t something you can do anything with. Acknowledged. You’re only proving the point I am making. My right to reproduce an item I obtained from A IS something I can do something with. I can sell it away. I literally can do that. Your argument that such an instance is a state granted monopoly as opposed to a natural right is irrelevant. I can’t do anything with my shadow regardless of the state. So what are you comparing that to? Correct me if I am wrong, but your argument goes something like this: P1: You cannot contract your natural rights P2: IP and copyright are state granted monopolies, not natural rights P3: IP and copyright as natural rights would require another to contract his/her natural right C: IP and copyright are not valid I’m still confused as to how P1 makes any sense. You say that if all human beings are equal, none can gain/lose power they possess by nature. Why not? Let’s say I contract away my right to reproduce the iPhone. I lose my power to reproduce the technology, but I gain the power to use the technology. Apple gains my money, retains their IP, and loses the part. It seems as though there is an offer, an acceptance, and consideration.. how is that not a valid contract? I SUBMITTED TO IT. Why are you telling me I cannot do that? And sorry.. i meant “patent and copyright”, not IP and copyright knoxharrington March 12, 2015, 2:50 pm As we approach the two-year mark on this debate I think it is instructive that Wenzel’s magnum opus on IP is still forthcoming. How long have we been waiting for this thing – a decade? I listened to this again a couple of nights ago – it is rare when you see someone so utterly clueless and out of his depth as Wenzel – it’s like a slow-motion trainwreck. Leave a Reply to Matthew Swaringen Cancel reply Next post: KOL 039 \| Renegade Variety Hour (Intellectual Property) Previous post: KOL 037 \| Locke’s Big Mistake: How the Labor Theory of Property Ruined Political Theory	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line774
__label__wiki	0.618323	0.618323	Retail News / 0&1 Berlin Designers Wants to Build a 100% Eco-Friendly Jewelry Collection Updated 4:00 AM CDT, Thu, June 20,2019 Now seeking Community Support via Kickstarter, this inspiring Team wants to create eco-friendly Jewelry at an accessible and fair price. Berlin, Germany -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/20/2019 -- An inspiring team of jewelry designers has recently launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to seek help to build the first open workshop in Berlin for jewelry design. With an aim to create 100 percent eco-friendly jewelry, this team is taking an environmentally friendly approach and creative talent to the next level. Moreover, this emerging studio is also going to be available to everyone willing to work and improve their own jewelry collections, creating a new working space in Berlin. "We have produced only 20 percent of our designs and with your help, we aim to achieve a 100 percent of self-manufacturing and original jewelry pieces." Said Oriol Simon Carre, while introducing this upcoming workshop to the Kickstarter community. "With your help, we can buy our own production machines and rent a proper working studio to design and create our own jewelry pieces, and we will also be able to make personalized designs in less than 24 hours." He added. In addition, the goal of this recently launched Kickstarter campaign is to raise a sum of EUR 200,000 and this talented team is welcoming contributors from around the world for their generous backing and support. The Kickstarter Campaign is located on the web at: www.kickstarter.com/projects/openworkshopberlin/eco-jewelry-for-everyone-open-workshop-berlin and backers from around the world can become a part of this project by making generous pledges and donations. All funds raised through this Kickstarter campaign will play a major role in making this open workshop a reality. Furthermore, the campaign offers a wide range of jewelry items as a reward for the backing community and each reward comes with worldwide shipping. More details are available on the Kickstarter campaign page of the project. About Open workshop in Berlin for jewelry design This one of a kind Kickstarter campaign has been launched to promote affordable, creative and eco-friendly jewelry by creating an inspiring open workshop for jewelry designers. The project is currently raising funds and it will reshape the way modern jewelry is manufactured. Contact Person: Oriol Simon Company: 0&1 City: Berlin Email: orioloto@gmail.com Website: http://kck.st/2wpdJXT http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/berlin-designers-wants-to-build-a-100-eco-friendly-jewelry-collection-1234438.htm Oriol Simon Email: Click to Email Oriol Simon Web: http://kck.st/2wpdJXT	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line776
__label__wiki	0.780269	0.780269	St Catherine's PS hosts first 'Guest Tea' event Friday 21 June 2019 15:11 by Ciara Maguire ST Catherine’s Primary School has hosted a hugely successful and first ever ‘Guest Tea’ event. It was hosted by the school’s PTFA and held in St Patrick’s Hall on Friday, June 8. School principal, Bridget Wilders, has offered a “sincere thanks” to everyone who supported the event and to those who hosted a table to help raise funds for the school. The school has now revealed that a grand total of £1,755 was raised at the event. “The night was such a success due to the hard work of our PTFA and also due to the talents of our children ably directed by our staff,” Mrs Wilders said. “Special mention to Mrs D Doherty, music leader and FS choir leader, Mrs S Vaughan, KS1 choir leader, Mrs Deery, KS2 choir leader, Ms Edel Strawbridge, EA strings tutor, Mr Derek McGillian, EA brass tutor, Miss C Hutton, Year 1 teacher, non-teaching staff, who hosted a table and also helped with children, Mrs Bernie Allen, chair of the Board of Governors, who all represented our school so well on the night, giving of their time! Very much appreciated. “Thanks also to our community guests; Euphoria Cheerleading Group and to the pupils of Holy Cross College and Class Act. Their contribution to our night’s entertainment was invaluable. “Special thanks also to Friends of Knockavoe for hosting their table. Parents, pupils, staff, governors and community were all working together – the spirit of family and community. What St Catherine’s is all about!”	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line777
__label__wiki	0.831399	0.831399	Press release: Humanitarian Partners Appeal for $106 Million to Respond to the Deteriorating Drought Situation in Kenya Tirus Wainaina2017-09-08T14:09:47+00:00 Humanitarian partners in Kenya today (07 September 2017) appealed for US$106 million to scale-up their response to the most urgent and lifesaving needs resulting from the egregious effects of the drought in northern Kenya. “We as the UN family and the humanitarian community stand with the Government and people of Kenya to address the devastating effects of the drought on some of the country’s most vulnerable communities,” said Mr. Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya. “Today, we are appealing to the international community to step up its support to Kenya by pledging additional resources to bolster our relief efforts in the critical months ahead. The previous Flash Appeal for Kenya launched in March 2017 has been only 43% funded. There are now an estimated 5.6 million people affected as a result of the drought, including 3.4 million people food insecure. Of particular concern are the 2.6 million people now facing severe food insecurity, including 500,000 experiencing ‘emergency’ levels of food insecurity according to the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) system. A total of 369,277 children in the arid and semi-arid counties of Kenya now require urgent treatment for acute malnutrition and, in the worst-affected counties, Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates are more than twice the emergency threshold of 15 per cent. In Turkana South, for example, the GAM rate is an alarming 37 per cent. “Since we launched the original Kenya Flash Appeal in March 2017, the food insecurity and malnutrition crisis has escalated due to recurrent drought,” said Chatterjee. “Water shortages and disease outbreaks have exacerbated the impact on those already facing hunger and malnutrition, and livelihoods have been further compromised by an infestation of Fall Army Worm. We urgently need funding to step-up the response and prevent a further deterioration in the situation.” The Revised Flash Appeal, which covers September to December 2017, complements the Government of Kenya’s 13 month extended response plan. Through the Flash Appeal, humanitarian partners aim to respond to the most life-threatening needs of 1.9 million people, prioritizing response in the 11 counties facing the highest levels of malnutrition and food insecurity. Since November 2016, the Government of Kenya has allocated $124.3 million through phases one and two of its response plan. However, the third phase of the Government’s response is likely to be delayed due to political developments, making the response planned by humanitarian partners through the Flash Appeal all the more critical. “The Government of Kenya is doing its part with its resources stretched to breaking point. So should we” said Chatterjee. For further information, please call: Yolanda Cowan, OCHA-ROSEA, Nairobi, +254 20 761 5317 5126, mobile +254 +254 74 004 6073, cowan@un.org; Victor Oluoch, UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, Nairobi, +254 721571873, victor.oluoch@one.un.org; Duke Mwancha, United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), Nairobi, +254 20 762 23677, mobile +254 798474776, nairobi.unic@unon.org, duke.mwancha@un.org OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int. Raising awareness on climate change step by step In an effort to drum up support leading the 22 April Paris Agreement signing event in New York, UNIC… Press release: New United Nations chief in Nairobi takes oath of office The new Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) Ms. Hanna S. Tetteh has been officially sworn… African Youth Meet to Shape the “Africa They Want’ More than 300 African Youth from East and West Africa met today (11 November) at the United Nations Office… Kenya Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Stamps Launched UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson joined by the Kenya Foreign Affairs Cabinet secretary and other UN Senior officials… Tegla Loroupe Wins the 2016 UN Person of the Year Award in Kenya Ambassador Tegla Chepkite Loroupe is the winner of the 2016 UN Person of the Year award. This recognition is… 35th Session of the East Africa Model UN at UNON More than 1000 students from 17 schools across 15 countries converged at UN for the 35th session of the… Countries back ‘ambitious and comprehensive’ reform of UN development system The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday gave the green light to a bold new plan to make sustainable… Companies ‘failing’ to address offline harm incited by online hate: UN expert States and companies are “failing” when it comes to combating online hate, the UN independent rights expert, or Special… General Assembly opens 72nd session with focus on the world’s people The United Nations General Assembly opened its 72nd session on 12 September 2017, with an emphasis on striving for… UN Days and Observances International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust World Radio Day Commemoration of the Genocide in Rwanda International Day of UN Peacekeepers Nelson Mandela International Day World Humanitarian Day International Day of Girl Child United Nations Day Older eventsNext events Start {fc-start} End {fc-end} Venue {venue} Organizer {organizer} [DATE] [TIME]	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line782
__label__wiki	0.537911	0.537911	Home » Business & Finance » Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance (VCBF) Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance (VCBF) Jonathan C Watts Jon Watts has served as vice chancellor for business and finance since 2016. He joined UNK in 2010, holding the positions of director and assistant director of business services prior to his current appointment. Before joining UNK, he was manager of marketing, key accounts and public relations at Intralot Inc. In his current position, Watts manages the university’s financial operations to support and promote academic excellence, fiscal responsibility and public accountability. Within the division are the offices of Business Services, Budget, Facilities Management and Planning, Finance, Human Resources, Emergency Management, Police and Parking and contracted providers that include Dining Services and the Antelope Bookstore. The vice chancellor advises the chancellor, oversees operations of the division and works with the university’s central administration to plan and carry out financial operations, set rates and fees and plan for construction and facilities maintenance. A Certified Auxiliary Services Professional, Watts earned a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and master’s degree in management from Bellevue University. He’s a member of the Kearney Public Schools Board of Education and Foundation Board, Museum of Nebraska Art Board of Directors, G.W. Frank Museum of History and Culture Advisory Board, University Village Facility Development Corporation and Yanney Heritage Park Foundation Board. His civic and professional recognitions include the National Residence Hall Honorary Faculty/Staff Award, UNK Employee Achievement Award, Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce Young Professional of the Year, Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership Kearney Distinguished Alumni, Leadership Kearney, Leadership UNK, Leadership Nebraska and campaign co-chair for Buffalo County Community Partners. wattsjc@unk.edu Associate Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance (AVCBF) Flashpoints Archive LoperNites Pepsi Staff Development Pepsi Sponsorship Application Student Talent Development Program RSO Catering Application UNK’s Annual Budget Package Campus Fee Information UNK Policies and Procedures	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line783
__label__wiki	0.766869	0.766869	Fact & Fiction Food /Health People & Politics Guidelines for guest authors Top 10 Richest Female Singers as of 2012 15 August, 2012 by William There is a long list of Richest Female Singers as of magical, beautiful, sweet and amazing female singers in the world that rule the hearts of millions of fans worldwide. Singing is a kind of talent that can make you rich overnight. You just need to be perfect in your talent and you voice should be magical. Initially, singing was associated to male singers only but women earned big names (with the passage of time) in this domain, just like they did in many other domains of the life. Below list is about top 10 richest female singers, as per the stats noted in 2012. Janet Jackson ($100 million) [caption id="attachment_2648" align="aligncenter" width="668"] Janet Jackson List of Richest Female Singers[/caption] Initially, when Michael Jackson was on his peak in the music world, Janet Jackson was not very much famous in this industry. But later on, her outstanding performances in the contemporary music category, she managed selling more than 100 million records worldwide. Janet Jackson earned an honor of eleventh best-selling female singer in the country as she has sold more than 26 certified albums in her country so far. Tina Turner ($350 million) [caption id="attachment_2647" align="aligncenter" width="591"] Tina Turner List of Richest Female Singers[/caption] Tina Turner is at No. 10 in terms of richest female singer as of 2012. She is also famous for an awesome actress in United States whose career consists on more than five decades. This top-rated female entertainer in the world has sold more than 180 million copies so far in her career and has earned around $350 million. Rolling Stone magazine has listed Tina Turner in “Greatest Artists of all time” list. Beyonce ($390 million) [caption id="attachment_2649" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Beyonce Richest Female Singers[/caption] Beyonce is among those few lucky female singers that managed listed in the top 3 positions of the top 100 sexiest female singers in the world. This talented, attractive, gorgeous and young female American singer is famous worldwide. Beyonce has an ability to produce great lyrics for her tracks. Besides, she earned fame as an outstanding actress and producer in the country. Beyonce has sold 75 million records so far and has earned around $390 million. Ayumi Haasakmi ($400 millions) [caption id="attachment_2650" align="aligncenter" width="592"] Ayumi Hamasaki Richest Female Singers[/caption] Ayumi Hamasaki is the only Asian female singer in this list. She is from Japan. This 33-year-old gorgeous Japanese singer started her musical career in 1998 and has produced number of worth-listening tracks in this list career of around 15 years. Her magical voice has made millions of fans for Ayumi across the globe. Ayumi is the only Japanese female singer who has sold more than 50 million records in a single country (Japan) only. She has earned more than USD $400 millions as of 2012. Cher Lloyd ($450 million) [caption id="attachment_2651" align="aligncenter" width="616"] Cher Lloyd Richest Female Singers[/caption] None of the worldwide famous female singers could be gorgeous like Cher Lloyd at the age of 65. She is still a stunning beauty and a magical voice regardless of her age. Therefore, she managed reaching 6th in this list in terms of her overall earning so far. This American record producer, director, actress, television personality, philanthropist and recording artist has earned more than USD $450 million in her career. [smartads] Britney Spears ($500 million) [caption id="attachment_2652" align="aligncenter" width="614"] Britney Spears Richest Female Singers[/caption] Britney Spears is a name which is probably the most famous name in English music industry, as long as we discuss about female singers. She remains in limelight most of the time in a year for different reasons; sometimes for a super hit track and sometimes for any controversy. Spears has sold more than 33 millions albums (which itself is a record) and has earned around USD $500 million. Celine Dion ($600 million) [caption id="attachment_2653" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Celine Dion Richest Female Singers[/caption] “My Heart Will Go On” is the track that brought Celine Dion in the list of richest female singers as of 2012. It was the most notable track of the love-story “Titanic”, a super hit movie which was released in 1997. The popularity of this love-story movie also brought worldwide fame for Celine Dion and she successfully managed earning more than USD $600 million so far. She has the honor of selling more than 140 million albums throughout in her career. Barbra Streisand ($625 million) [caption id="attachment_2654" align="aligncenter" width="614"] Barbra Streisand Richest Female Singers[/caption] Barbra Streisand is a worldwide famous American female singer who has won more than 15 major awards so far throughout in her long musical career. This 70-year-old 3rd richest female singer in this list has also won Oscar Award. The net worth of Barbra Streisand is around USD $625 million. Barbra has earned the fame of notable female director, producer and singer in the world. Her exceptional singing lists her in top 10 famous female voices even at this age. Maria Carey ($750 million) [caption id="attachment_2655" align="aligncenter" width="613"] Maria Carey Richest Female Singers[/caption] Maria Carey successfully manages grabbing second position in this list being a riches female singer at the moment. Carey has sold more than 200 million tracks so far which tells us the story of her popularity among music lovers. The net worth of this 42-year-old American singer is more or less USD $750 million as of 2012. It speaks about how popular is this American actress, record producer, songwriter and singer in the world. Madonna ($1.1 billion) Richest Female Singers [caption id="attachment_2658" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Madonna Richest Female Singers[/caption] It won’t be shocking to many if this gorgeous American female singer gets first position in this list. Madonna is a billionaire singer who has been ruling tens of millions of worldwide fans for her magical voice, some bold performances as well as for some outstanding albums. “Like a Virgin” was her most famous single performance that probably earned her money more than any other performance. She has earned more than USD $1 billion (approx. $1.1 billion) so far as of 2012. If you like this post you may also like Popular Female singers. AboutWilliam Hey! I’m Junaid and this is my blog on top famous lists. It covers all things including entertainment, Music, movies, people, places, concepts, travel, you name it, you will find it on TTF. I love writing about entertainment because there is just so many exciting things to write on this topic. View all posts by William → Top 10 Famous African Female Singers of All Time Top 10 Embarrassing Moments of Celebrities Falling Down 23 December, 2013 by William 10 Songs That Will Make You Cry Photo credits: West Point – The U.S…. Okay, brace yourselves for some strange feelings of sadness. Cue up the tears, ready, set, go! 1 Nothing… Below list is about ten best and very popular African female singers and majority of the list members is the winner of several Top 100… Top 10 Most Famous British Female Singers British history is full of female singers or I must say best, well popular and gorgeous British Female Singers that ruled the world with their heart-touching… 25 July, 2012 by junni Top 10 Hottest Female Singers in United States American showbiz industry has produced several beautiful and Hottest Female Singers voices in the past some decades and some of these vocalists earned fame among people… 29 August, 2012 at 7:14 pm - Reply I think you have mistaken the name and photo for cher. The woman in the photo is cher LLOYD. NOT CHER. and her name is just called cher.. 19 October, 2012 at 10:38 am - Reply You people have got it wrong. Number six is not Cher pictured, it is Cher Lloyd, a UK artist that is popular at the moment. No 65 year old can look that good! 13 November, 2012 at 3:39 pm - Reply Amazing, but not shocking that Madonna is number 1. tho people claim she is a washed up has been…all these years later she still has us talking. Kind of like the Michael Jackson incident. Everyone called him a perv before he died and once died…Greatest thing in the world again. People are too wishy washy. Americans want to pretend we are conservative and against cussing on tv, nudity, or what have you…but in secret when nobody is watching…we are all nasty in the head! 28 November, 2012 at 1:24 am - Reply This is a lied. This is all wrong JUAN JOSE CORREIA 31 January, 2013 at 12:11 am - Reply STUPID, ITS CHER NOT CHER LLOYD. 20 February, 2013 at 7:20 pm - Reply hey guys l am a teenages girl that wants to enjoy to be a singer l have a nice and beautiful voice and l am thinking to sing with mariah carey because she is my favorite singer love her voice is perfect . 1 April, 2013 at 8:49 pm - Reply Cher Llyod is 19 not 66. Cher is 66. 17 April, 2014 at 6:20 am - Reply I wouldn’t know the way I found themselves in this article, on the other hand assumed this specific placed once were fantastic. I wouldn’t realize that you may very well be but certainly you will definitely a popular blogger if you usually are not witout a doubt. Regards! Leave a Reply to adam Cancel reply 10 Biggest Winners In Poker History Top 10 Travel Photographers 10 Most Popular Tourist Attractions Of England The Flavors we Love Top Ten Travel Insurance Mistakes Top 5 Reasons to Visit San Diego, CA Veggies that cure cancer Five of the Most Popular Tourist Attractions in Dublin 4 Countries That Get an Undeservingly Bad Rep From Tourists Five Good Reasons to Have a Holiday in Sligo Food & Health(30) 7 August, 2019 by William Site News(4) Common Pests That Can Take Over Your Home 25 June, 2019 by Awais Tariq Energy(3)Food & Health(30) Proven Methods for Getting and Staying Healthy for Beginners Popular(53)Site News(4) Best ways to choose your phone chargers 18 March, 2018 by William Leisure & Travel(44) 9 March, 2018 by William Fresh Tech \| Latest Gadget, Mobile, App Reviews and Tech News	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line797
__label__cc	0.598005	0.401995	With An Accent Marvel Developing First Asian Superhero Movie: Shang-Chi Richard Fink on December 3, 2018Posted in: Featured, Film, News Move over Iron Fist, the real master of kung fu is here. Meet Shang-Chi, the next big Marvel superhero you’ve never heard of. On the day Marvel Studios was getting ready to drop a new trailer for Captain Marvel, it is reported that Marvel is in development on a film adaptation of the character Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu. Shang-Chi will not only be Marvel Studios’ first Asian superhero, but the first time an Asian superhero has been the lead in a major superhero film. Marvel has hired Asian-American David Callaham to write the screenplay and is looking for an Asian director to helm the project, similar to how with Black Panther they got a black director with a black screenwriter and a predominantly black cast. Black Panther seems to be a major influence on Marvel Studios moving forward with Shang-Chi. Taking a character from a certain nationality and allowing filmmakers of that nationality to come aboard to give said property its own unique perspective. Allowing Asian filmmakers to make Shang-Chi a very Asian story makes for a great story, but also from a business perspective it gives Disney some good PR credibility and opens the film up in more international markets. Screenwriter David Callaham already has some superhero credibility, being one of the co-writers for the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984. He contributed to the story for the 2014 Godzilla and co-wrote the screenplay to 2010’s The Expendables. Shang-Chi was introduced in the pages of Special Marvel Edition #15 in December 1973, created by Jim Starlin and Steve Englehart. He is titled ‘The Master of Kung Fu’ and was created alongside Iron Fist to cash in on the boost of Kung-Fu films popular in the late ’60s and early ’70s. When he was created, Marvel owned the rights to Fu Manchu and made Shang-Chi his son. Disney and Marvel don’t own the rights to Fu Manchu anymore so that aspect of his origin will change (along with the fact that the Fu Manchu character is an uncomfortable stereotype). Shang-Chi was raised and trained in the martial arts by his father and his instructors. After leaving his home on a mission to see the outside world he met one of his father’s archenemies. Shang-Chi learned that his father was evil and rebelled against his father. He tends to typically team up with many characters in the Marvel Universe so hopefully, this aspect can be carried over into the film. Chi’s origin story fits the mold of many heroes in the Marvel Universe for an origin story. An arrogant/bad person starts out thinking one way but has life changed for them by seeing the bigger picture and learns to become a selfless/hero (Iron Man, Thor, Doctor Strange). It is fitting that Shang-Chi is getting a film (and low-key humorous that this news comes after Iron Fist was canceled on Netflix), as Shang-Chi was one of the ten original Marvel properties that were in consideration for development when the MCU was taking shape. When Marvel Studios launched in 2005, they put up ten properties as collateral and were given an initial $525 million to adapt those characters into movies. Shang-Chi was one of those names. Eight of those properties have been made the leap to live action (Ant-Man, the Avengers, Black Panther, Captain America, Cloak and Dagger, Doctor Strange, Hawkeye, Nick Fury) with the only remaining name left being the Power Pack. Phase 3 of the MCU introduced audiences to characters like Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, and the Wasp as potential replacements for the old guard like Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor. Now it appears Phase 4 will introduce even more new faces. Shang-Chi and the recently announced Eternals movie (directed by Chloe Zhao) continue Marvel’s pattern that originated with Iron Man back in 2008. Take a low-level character from the comics that general audiences may have never heard of but craft a compelling narrative with a hook and make that hero an A-lister. It is a strategy that has been their driving force since they began. We are also getting a good idea of what Phase 4 of Marvel will look like. Spider-Man: Far From Home is the only confirmed film, but Black Widow and The Eternals have directors, Shang-Chi is just announced, and Ryan Coogler’s returning for Black Panther 2. It appears the next phase of the MCU will be a more diverse place than when it began. Many have wondered how Marvel can keep audiences excited after Avengers 4? New characters and more diverse hirings seem like a great place to start. Tags: marvel, marvel studios, The Eternals Have your say by posting a comment on this article! 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The Land of Stories Map By Bianca on 29 December 2019 3:31 PM Elementary, S1E02 – While You Were Sleeping By Jeff Chance on 28 December 2019 5:56 AM REVIEW: The Mandalorian – Chapter 1 and 2 By Miranda on 05 December 2019 7:37 AM Frozen Retrospective By Angela on 23 November 2019 9:03 AM REVIEW: The Flash, S6E4 – There Will Be Blood By Adora721 on 01 November 2019 2:45 PM We Need to Talk About #ElseworldsSoWhite By Ivy King on 13 October 2019 9:12 AM By Adora on 30 September 2019 12:50 PM REVIEW: Downton Abbey Film By Kathryn on 14 September 2019 9:34 AM The Founders of Hogwarts is the Harry Potter Movie that Must Happen Next By Nathaniel Ledoux on 29 August 2019 2:02 PM REVIEW: Legends of Tomorrow, S4E16 – Hey, World! By Lauren on 18 July 2019 1:07 PM Copyright With An Accent®. All Rights Reserved. With An Accent® is a registered Trademark.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line807
__label__wiki	0.511712	0.511712	Home >> Yunnan >> Kunming >> Cuihu Park tour guide Cuihu Park (Green Lake Park) The Cuihu Park (Green Lake Park), situated at the western foot of Wuhua Hill, is a scenically beautiful park inside the city. By the end of the Yuan Dynasty, it was still a swampy field for growing vegetables, lotuses and rice, hence the name "Vegetable Lake". The water-level of Dianchi Lake was then so high that it was connected with the Green Lake. That is why we have the couplet: "Dianchi Lake spreads five hundred li; the Vegetable Lake merges with it." As there were nine mouths of springs beyond the Bamboo Island in the northeast, the lake was also called "The Nine-Dragon Pond". It now covers fifteen hectares of land. Since 1985, the red-pecked seagulls from Siberia have been spending the winter months on Green Lake. There used to be a scenically beautiful island at the centre of the lake. In the year 1382, Mu Ying, the Garrison Commander, started building the capital of Yunnan Province in Kunming, and the Green Lake was enclosed within the brick walls of the city. A military structure, called "the Liu (Willows) Barracks", was built, which was later changed into a villa for the Mu family. In 1692, Wang Jiwen, the provincial governor, built the Biyiting (literally Green Ripples Pavilion), commonly called Haixinting (a Pavilion in the Centre of the Lake). Two long banks divide the Lake into four parts. Embraced by willow trees along the banks dotted with a variety of lotuses, with the delightful contrast between the weeping willows and the lotuses, the lake offers a scene of freshness, serenity, and beauty, hence the graceful name "The Green Lake". The main attractions include lotuses, fish, willow trees and pavilions. Ling Shiyi, a Cantonese in the Qing Dynasty, wrote in a couplet: Fishes teem in the ten-mu lotus pond; over half the city poplars and willows are caressing pavilions." It is a superb description of the scenery. The Haixinting Pavilion is at the centre of the Lake. On the north and south stand imposingly two octagonal pavilions with craved beams and painted rafters and beautiful glazed tiles and elegant eaves. Inside the Haixinting there are two courtyards, where all kinds of shows are held throughout the four seasons: flower shows, lantern shows, fish shows and picture shows. Flowers and trees are growing luxuriantly in the yards. On the west of the pavilion are buildings for fish-watching. There is a two-storey pavilion on which hangs a horizontal board inscribed with four characters meaning "Drunk in spring in the abode of immortals" and facing north is a fish-watching pavilion. The lake, its banks and the pavilions are wonderfully arranged, and the painted corridor alongside the lake and the zigzag bridge are well connected. All the buildings have yellow and green glazed tile roofs, with corners seeming to fly and beams and rafters colourfully painted, typifying Chinese classical park designs. On the Fish-Watching Pavilion there is a couplet written by Huang Kuiguang, a scholar from Fujian in the Qing Dynasty: "There stands a pavilion that flanks the lake, taking upon one tenth of its area; at leisure I'll come to drink alone under the moon and immediately become one of the three." The other two refer to the moon and his own reflection in the pond. This couplet has been chosen many times as one of the most famous couplets depicting landscapes in China. East of the pavilion there is a big tree-surrounded garden consisting of three tiny peninsulas which form a garden within the garden. In the garden Chinese flowering crabapple trees bloom like red clouds, camellias and azalea give off sweet scent and weeping willows bow gently. On the lake float small boats presenting a scene of bursting life. On the Gourd Island in the southwest, there are rows of palm trees dotted with groves of banana herbs, under which is a carpet of green grass. The Nine-Bend Bridge zigzags in the lake. Here is an eye-catching sub-tropical scene for the tourists. On the northeastern corner is the Bamboo-Groves Island. Along the banks are bamboos and azaleas intertwined with vines. Around the Nine-Dragon Pond is a big garden, where people enjoy the potted landscape and celebrate the Spring Festival. On the Children's Playground, located on the southwestern side of the lake, the dragon rollicking in the water, the flying merry-go-round rotating in the air, and the miniature train rushing round and round give children fun and make them laugh. Every winter, thousands of red-beaked sea gulls from the north migrate to the scenically beautiful Green Lake Park. These sea gulls swooping over the water and scrambling with one another for crumbs of food, make the park even more glamorous. Early in the morning, hundreds of people, men and women, young and old, come to the banks of the lake to practise boxing, jogging, singing, and sword-dancing. It is full of life everywhere. In the evening, people come to have a stroll, to enjoy the scenery, or to chant antiphonal singing, amidst willows on the lake banks, feeling carefree and contented. China Great Travel offers tailor made packaged private Yunnan & Kunming tours to Green Lake Cuihu Park, if you are interested in visiting the park, please contact us. 1 Day Kunming Tour To Yuantong Temple, Green Lake Park And Yunnan Museum Kunming Travel Attractions Jiuxiang Scenic Resort Western Hills And Dragon Gate Daguan (Grand View) Park Jiaozi Snow Mountain Dianchi Lake Ancient Alu Cave Bamboo Monastery Dongchuan Red Soil Yuantong Temple Cuihu Lake World Horti-expo Garden Black Dragon Pool Puzehei Scenic Region Yunnan Museum Tanhua Temple Anning Hot Spring Yunnan Nationalities Villages Kunming Spring City Golf Kunming Country Golf Kunming Sunshine Golf Kunming Travel Map	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line810
__label__cc	0.683442	0.316558	Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 9/27 The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays will finish off their four-game set this afternoon with the finale of the series inside The Trop. In the game this afternoon the Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound to face off with Jamie Schultz of the Rays. One more game, hopefully one more win, and one more step towards hosting a Wild Card Game in the Bronx. Let’s get to it. Sabathia won his first start in his last six tries last time out against the Baltimore Orioles allowing just two runs in six innings of work. The victory against Baltimore was Sabathia’s 245th of his career. Sabathia has not been sharp this month pitching to a 1-3 record with a 7.02 ERA in four September starts. Schultz will start another presumable bullpen game this afternoon for the Rays. Schultz pitched a perfect ninth inning against the Yankees on Monday that included strike outs of Adeiny Hechavarria and Aaron Judge. Where's Tyler Glasnow? The game will be played at 1:10 pm ET inside Tropicana Field down in Tampa/St. Pete and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and on Twitter! You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV, with the MLB At-Bat app and by tuning into the Yankees radio broadcast on WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Enjoy the game, follow @GreedyStripes on Twitter, and go Yankees!! Labels: @GreedyStripes, Daniel Burch, Game Preview, Game Thread, MLB, MLB Network, New York Yankees, Playoffs, Postseason, Tampa Bay Rays, The Greedy Pinstripes, Tropicana Field, Twitter, YES Network Bold Predictions for the 2015 Yankees If you guys know anything about me by now it's that I absolutely suck at making predictions that are not in the moment of a game or w... Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 9/2... Predicting the Wild Card Game Starter Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 9/... Hello… Respecting Jacob deGrom’s 2018 Season This Day In New York Yankees History 9/27: 4 Milli...	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line816
__label__cc	0.719309	0.280691	Excerpt From "The Cave" The Cave is one of six short stories in my book "The Illusion Exotic." Here is a small sample, I hope you enjoy it. “It’s there, in the cliff face on the east side of the river.” Townsend pointed down to a sharp bend in the river about half a mile north of their vantage point on the cliff. Knight lowered his hat against the naked sun and followed Townsend’s finger to an overhang in the opposite cliff. There, the river had carved out a hollow in the soft yellow clay. In the stark midday shadows, he couldn’t be sure how far it penetrated the cliff. With monsoon season nearly over and the Brazos Mountains snow pack almost gone, the Chama shriveled to a trickle. The challenge would be finding a way down the cliff to the streambed. “I see it. How do we get down there?” “The cliff descends in another mile north.” “Something is moving down there, just south of the cave,” Knight pointed to a dark speck trotting out from the cave’s shadow. Townsend shielded his eyes from the sun and sat higher in the saddle, wiping sweat from his brow every few minutes. “That there’s a cay-yote-aye, maybe a mangy wolf. Hard to tell from here, I didn’t see any sign of a...” Townsend jumped in his saddle as Knight’s Colt thundered inches from his ear. “SON OF A BITCH! I’m gonna be deaf in that ear for a week, you...” Ignoring Townsend, Knight calmly replaced the revolver in his holster, and rode through the blue smoke. Townsend rubbed his ringing ear and looked where Knight shot. Far below, the animal lay motionless on the riverbank. “It had something in its mouth. I want to see it.” “Jesus Christ,” he mumbled and spurred his horse after Knight. As Townsend promised, the cliff soon descended to the sandy streambed. Knight stopped just short of the river and trotted back and forth, looking intently at the ground as Townsend caught up. “Hell of a shot back there. Musta been three hundred yards. Never saw a revolver shot like...” “What’s east of here?” Knight interrupted, pointing to a wisp of black smoke on the horizon. “That’s Foreman McGhee’s railhead camp, maybe four miles. The line stays north of the river until it enters the mountains.” Townsend took off his hat and wiped his head with a rag. “Looks like ole’ McGhee’s making good progress all things considered.” “Answer me this, and answer carefully.” Knight turned and directed his gaze squarely on Townsend. “Have you told anyone what Amado spoke of last night? Does anyone in town, other than you and Amado know of this place?” Townsend shook his head. “Only the kid from the pueblo and Father Garza.” “I ain’t worried about the boy. If what Amado told me is true, there isn’t a red skin alive who’ll come near this place.” Knight galloped about fifty yards downstream and halted, studying the sandy bank. Warily, Townsend trailed a few yards behind. Knight suddenly wheeled about, pulled his gun and pointed it squarely at Townsend. “The boy, did he accompany you and Amado back to the cave?” Townsend slowly raised his hands. “Hey, I ain’t done nothing to you or any of those poor souls!” Knight cocked the hammer. “Answer my question.” “No, he was too afraid. Stayed upstream ‘til we came back fer him.” “Father Garza...when did he leave you and Amado and head back to the Espanola?” Knight asked. Townsend looked confused. “I don’t understand.” “It’s important you answer my question, Mr. Townsend. Otherwise, it’s going to go bad for you.” “Last night, neither of you told me what happened after you found the cave. Tell me what happened to Father Garza after you left the cave.” Sweat poured down Townsend’s face. “He took the boy north, to the pueblo. Don’t rightly know what became of them since. I suspect Garza made his way back to San Marcos.” “And Wellsby?” “He went back with us, I know Amado told you as much.” “We’ll see. Turn around and ride north ahead of me.” “Are you gunna tell me what the hell’s going on? I ain’t done wrong by you or anyone.” “Maybe,” Knight replied casually from behind. “There’s what you tell me and what the tracks tell me. I’ll find out soon enough who’s telling the truth.” They rode several hundred yards north toward the distant railhead, until the terrain flattened and sand gave way to scrub and thistle. He commanded Townsend to stop, but stay on the horse. “Keep your hands were I can see them.” Knight dismounted and walked through the scrub, once again studying the ground, Colt always pointed in Townsend’s general direction. He bent down and examined the dirt. “Wellsby vanished, just like that?” Knight inquired. “It ain’t no damn different than like we told you,” frustration rising in the sheriff’s tone. “We got back just before dark. Wellsby told us to keep quiet and he was gunna wire back to Colorado Springs what we found. He never met us the next morning, like he said he would. Ain’t seen him since. Amado said we should keep quiet until you showed up. That’s the truth, I swear. Hey, if we were lying, why would I bring you up here?” Knight remounted his horse. “Because this would be a good place to dump the body of an agent of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. Now, turn your horse around and ride back to the river.” Townsend spit. “You planning on killing me?” “Should I?” They returned to where the cliffs enclosed both sides of the river. The horses splashed up to their hooves in the muddy water as they rounded the bend and the cave came into view. “Dismount,” Knight ordered. The railroad agent dismounted and cut an “X” in the sand with his boot heel next to the stream. “Stand here. Don’t move until I see if what you and Amado told me is true. Most of what you said lines up with the tracks going in and out of this canyon. If I see tracks newer than two weeks old coming from the south, I’ll know someone lied. And if I don’t find what you described in the cave, I’ll still know someone lied.” “We weren’t lying, Knight.” “We’ll see. If you move off that ‘X’ I’ll kill you before you mount your horse, understand? Even if my back is turned, I’ll still hear you. And if I can’t hear you, I’ll smell you. If I find what I should in there, then me and you, we’re okay.” Townsend remained silent as he tied his horse to a piece of scrub and stood on the X. “Ain’t you gunna take my gun?” “If I thought you knew how to use it, I would.” Townsend’s cheeks turned red. He jerked his hat low and crossed his arms with a huff. Knight tied off his horse and crossed the sluggish current, barely getting his boots wet in the process. As he walked down the canyon the cliffs rose higher and the breeze abandoned him to the New Mexico sun. Overhead, buzzards dragged their shadows over the creature lying next to the stream bed. It turned out to be a mangy coyote with a mottled coat and sore-covered skin. Jutting ribs and bulging eyes spoke of a creature already dying of hunger. A human femur, partially covered with dried flesh, lay beside its head. He nudged it with his boot, revealing blood-soaked sand under its chest. Lung shot. Knight stepped over the coyote, not bothering to look back at Townsend, knowing he hadn’t moved. The cave waited. If you enjoyed that sample, you can read the rest of The Cave and other short stories in The Illusion Exotic. Is Faith In Fiction Taboo? " [T]his is biased since I'm a vociferous Atheist...If it had been properly ADVERTISED as a religious book, I would have avoided it at all costs." - 3/5 stars When I wrote Black Sea Gods, I thought my biggest detractors would be people of faith. I took clear artistic license with elements from the Bible. Though I tried to do so respectfully, it could be argued my novel has heretical elements. I was prepared for the backlash, but it never materialized. I haven't heard a peep out of Christians, Muslims or Jews about my novel’s subject matter. Most "voracious" critics seem to be young, self-avowed atheists. I just received yet another review where someone comes to the “big reveal" and gets downright angry. One minute their digging the book, they next they recoil like they’ve been shocked by a cattle prod. In several cases, these readers made it known or inferred they were atheist. I assumed atheists would be the last people in the world upset by the big plot twist in Black Sea Gods. Logic dictates they would view the novel as a unique take on blended mythology and, perhaps history. I mean, if its myth, why get so angry? Why would an atheist view it any differently that an ancient Greek worshipping Zeus? Some call my novel "religious." It has a well-known religious character, one who holds deep faith. All the other characters, the main characters, are pagan. But that doesn’t make it a religious book in any way. If a reporter interviews a religious leader, does that make the broadcast a sermon? Can faith and religion be an element in fiction without the novel being religious? I thought it could. A religious book seeks to covert, or evangelize. It may also aim to bring about some moral outcome or spiritual revelation to the reader. My novel doesn't do that. It simple seeks to tell a story in a setting where characters have religious beliefs that are natural and appropriate to their period in history. If I wanted to write a religious novel, I would have followed the template of Tolkien or Lewis. Both authors openly admitted their novels were thin veneers for their deeply held religious beliefs. As for Narnia, the veneer isn’t just thin, its nonexistent. Even Harry Potter has deep Christian themes running through it. I think my real sin was that I make these kind of readers uncomfortable. I take them places they aren’t ready to go by invading their intellectual safe space. Maybe I should just write something safe, non-offensive, and accepted by mainstream society...like hardcore erotica. Find out what all the controversy is about. Buy your copy of BLACK SEA GODS on Amazon.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line817
__label__wiki	0.631322	0.631322	Review – Taron Egerton shines as the glitter fades in ‘Rocketman’ Review – Guy Ritchie’s magical ‘Aladdin’ challenges for the Disney remake crown The Popcorn Muncher Podcast – “Incels have invaded Simpsons meme accounts” Review Round-up – Dumbo, Lords of Chaos, Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story The Popcorn Muncher Podcast – “Chicken Kiev Schreiber” The Popcorn Muncher Wading through the multiplex maze to bring movie reviews, news and opinions Articles Featured Multimedia Podcast The Popcorn Muncher Podcast – “Alexander Skarsgård in knitwear or dad bod Matthew McConaughey” 12/03/2019 Tom Beasley 0 Comment Alexander Skarsgård, Anne Hathaway, Ari Aster, Brightburn, Idris Elba, James Gunn, James Kent, Jason Clarke, Keira Knightley, Leaving Neverland, Lee Cronin, Matthew McConaughey, Midsommar, Podcast, Serenity, Steven Knight, Suicide Squad, The Aftermath, The Hole in the Ground, The Popcorn Muncher Podcast, The Suicide Squad On the latest Popcorn Muncher Podcast, we review weirdo thriller Serenity and controversial Michael Jackson doc Leaving Neverland. 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__label__cc	0.525823	0.474177	Seguimi Via Mail! Sotto alla Corona Se avete voglia di parlare o se sentite che qualcosa che scrivo vi tocca da vicino, non siate timidi e mandatemi due righe... Scrivete a thequeenfather@me.com Mi fa sempre piacere! Jun 03(1) Jul 22(1) May 21(1) Apr 08(1) Jan 28(1) Nov 26(1) Oct 13(1) Sep 17(1) Aug 10(1) Mar 25(1) Feb 12(1) Dec 07(1) Torta alla Banana Vergognosamente Facile Shamefully Easy Banana Cake Archivio Reale Archivio Reale Jun 03 (1) Jul 22 (1) Jul 06 (1) Jun 24 (1) May 21 (1) Apr 08 (1) Apr 07 (1) Jan 28 (1) Nov 26 (1) Nov 18 (1) Oct 13 (1) Sep 17 (1) Aug 10 (1) Aug 07 (1) Aug 03 (1) Jul 22 (1) Jun 30 (1) Jun 17 (1) Jun 05 (1) Apr 24 (1) Mar 25 (1) Mar 05 (1) Feb 12 (1) Jan 27 (1) Jan 14 (1) Jan 10 (1) Dec 07 (1) Dec 03 (1) Dec 01 (1) Nov 23 (1) Nov 08 (1) Oct 12 (1) Sep 15 (1) Sep 01 (1) Aug 25 (1) Aug 02 (1) Jul 29 (1) Jun 11 (1) Jun 03 (1) May 21 (1) May 02 (1) Apr 04 (1) Mar 27 (1) Mar 24 (1) Mar 12 (1) Feb 18 (1) Feb 17 (1) Feb 09 (1) Feb 02 (1) Jan 27 (1) Jan 07 (1) Dec 30 (1) Dec 05 (1) Nov 25 (1) Nov 18 (1) Nov 09 (1) Nov 04 (1) Oct 30 (1) Oct 16 (1) Oct 10 (1) Sep 27 (1) Sep 24 (1) Sep 17 (1) Sep 11 (1) Sep 05 (1) Aug 25 (1) Aug 12 (1) Aug 09 (1) Jul 28 (1) Jul 27 (1) Jul 19 (1) Jul 11 (1) Jul 02 (1) Jun 19 (1) Jun 05 (1) May 29 (1) May 22 (1) May 14 (1) May 07 (1) Apr 29 (1) Apr 24 (1) Apr 11 (1) Apr 02 (1) Mar 28 (1) Mar 26 (1) Mar 21 (1) Mar 14 (1) Mar 11 (1) Mar 04 (1) Mar 01 (1) Feb 12 (1) Feb 06 (1) Feb 01 (1) Jan 24 (1) Jan 22 (1) Jan 08 (1) Dec 20 (1) Dec 16 (1) Dec 04 (1) Dec 01 (1) Nov 26 (1) Nov 23 (1) Nov 14 (1) Nov 05 (1) Oct 26 (1) Oct 18 (1) Oct 06 (1) Sep 25 (1) Sep 19 (1) Sep 07 (1) Aug 28 (1) Aug 17 (1) Aug 06 (1) Aug 01 (1) Jul 24 (1) Jul 16 (1) Jul 12 (1) Jul 05 (1) Jun 28 (1) Jun 20 (1) Jun 11 (1) Jun 08 (1) Jun 01 (1) May 26 (1) May 19 (1) May 11 (1) May 04 (1) Apr 27 (1) Apr 20 (1) Apr 15 (1) Apr 11 (1) Apr 02 (1) Mar 30 (1) Mar 26 (1) Mar 21 (1) Mar 16 (1) Mar 14 (1) Mar 09 (1) Mar 07 (2) Feb 28 (2) Feb 22 (1) Feb 17 (1) Feb 14 (1) Feb 09 (1) Feb 02 (1) Jan 25 (1) Jan 20 (1) Jan 10 (1) Jan 04 (1) Dec 31 (1) Dec 24 (1) Dec 20 (1) Dec 16 (1) Dec 15 (1) Dec 14 (1) Dec 13 (1) Dec 07 (1) Nov 28 (1) Nov 26 (1) Nov 18 (1) Nov 16 (1) Nov 09 (1) Nov 07 (1) Nov 01 (1) Oct 24 (1) Oct 19 (1) Oct 17 (1) Oct 12 (1) Oct 11 (1) Oct 06 (1) Sep 28 (1) Sep 23 (2) Sep 19 (1) Sep 16 (2) Sep 09 (2) Sep 02 (1) Aug 30 (1) Aug 19 (1) Aug 12 (1) Aug 05 (2) Aug 03 (1) Aug 01 (1) Jul 29 (2) Jul 22 (2) Jul 19 (1) Jul 15 (2) Jul 11 (1) Jul 08 (2) Jul 01 (2) Jun 28 (1) Jun 24 (2) Jun 22 (1) Jun 16 (2) Jun 10 (2) Jun 07 (2) Jun 02 (1) May 27 (1) May 23 (1) May 15 (1) May 08 (1) May 04 (1) May 02 (1) Apr 23 (1) Apr 21 (1) Apr 19 (1) Apr 18 (1) Apr 13 (1) Apr 02 (1) Mar 22 (1) Mar 14 (1) Mar 13 (1) Mar 09 (1) Mar 04 (1) Mar 03 (1) Mar 01 (1) Feb 14 (1) Feb 10 (2) Feb 03 (1) Feb 01 (1) Jan 27 (1) Jan 25 (1) Jan 18 (1) Jan 17 (1) Jan 14 (1) Jan 13 (1) Jan 12 (1) Jan 11 (1) Jan 10 (1) Jan 07 (2) Jan 06 (1) Jan 05 (1) Jan 03 (1) Jan 01 (1) Dec 26 (1) Dec 24 (1) Dec 19 (1) Dec 10 (1) Dec 07 (2) Dec 02 (2) Nov 30 (2) Nov 17 (1) Nov 16 (1) Nov 15 (2) Nov 11 (2) Nov 08 (1) Nov 03 (2) Oct 30 (1) Oct 19 (1) Oct 14 (1) Oct 12 (1) Oct 10 (1) Sep 29 (1) Jul 14 (1) Jul 07 (1) Jun 29 (1) Jun 23 (1) Jun 22 (1) Jun 15 (1) Jun 04 (2) May 18 (1) May 06 (1) Apr 30 (1) Apr 26 (1) Apr 02 (1) Mar 27 (1) Mar 26 (1) Mar 22 (1) Mar 18 (1) Mar 17 (1) Mar 16 (1) Mar 11 (4) Monday, November 15, 2010 \| Posted by The Queen Father \| \| Edit Post This is one of my favourite cake recipes of all times! My little one loves it, cause it's spongy and sweet, but you know there is no crap inside cause you've made it.... Try it out! Plus, for us daddies on the go, there is no measuring, no fuss and virtually no mess... Just toss all the ingredients together in about 5 minutes, cook for about 45 minutes and eat! Any easier than that and It would be baking itself! 1 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 Cups of Plain Flower 1 Teaspoon of Bicarbonate of Soda 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract (facultative) 1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon 4 Ripe Mashed Bananas Pre-Heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade (gas mark 5) Separate the eggs Mix all the wet ingredients with the sugar and the egg yolkes Mix in the dry ingredients Add the mashed bananas Beat up the egg whites till they form soft peaks and add to the mixture by "folding them in" rather than mix them in (the whole point is to keep the whites frothy, to add air to the mixture and give it fluffiness, so don't be rough...) Pour the mixture in a buttered and floured cake tin and bake for about 45 minutes. I usually bake it for longer, it depends on how heavy the mixture is, and that can change with the size of the bananas you use.... So, after 45 minutes, quickly test the cake by pearcing it in the centre with a knife blade. If the blade comes out clean, then it's ready! Labels: banana cake, recipes, recipes for daddies in a hurry Copyright © 'The Queen Father' 2009/2016. All images and texts are sole propriety of the author, except where indicated.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line820
__label__cc	0.656195	0.343805	‘Bill & Ted Face the Music’ Shooting Begins in New Orleans Are strange things afoot in NOLA? Nah, it’s just the beginning of shooting for the highly anticipated third installment of the Bill & Ted series, titled Bill & Ted Face the Music. Just shy of 28 years since Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey was released, filming has begun on the most excellent sequel, which catches up with the Wyld Stallyns duo all these years later. Stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter revealed that a third movie was going to be shot back in early May, posing in front of Los Angeles’ famous Hollywood Bowl while delivering the news. According to the synopsis, the new film finds the lifelong pals now middle aged, caught up with family responsibilities and still nowhere near achieving the lofty, society-changing goals prophesized in the original film. But as the fabric of time and space continues to tear around them, a visitor from the future warns them that only their song can save life as we know it. With the help of their daughters, these garage rock dads set off through time for inspiration in hopes of realizing their task. Filming on the movie started this morning, with a few of the key players serving up some visual teases. Alex Winter, aka Bill S. Preston Esquire, can be seen sporting some Wyld Stallyns band merch, while screenwriter Ed Solomon and actor William Sadler, aka Death, both tweeted photos of the hallway corridor leading to their set. Filming is taking place in New Orleans, at least for the start of production. In addition to Reeves, Winter and Sadler, the film has also cast Brigette Lundy-Paine as Ted’s daughter Billie and Samara Weaving as Bill’s daughter Thea. Producer Scott Kroopf stated upon the initial casting news, “When we saw Samara and Brigette together, it was like deja vu. It was exactly the way we felt when we first saw Keanu and Alex. We are so thrilled to have this funny and unique pair join the Bill and Ted team!” Dean Parisot is set to direct, with Anthony Carrigan, Jayma Mays, Errin Hayes and Kid Cudi also cast in supporting roles. Bill and Ted Face the Music is expected in theaters Aug. 21, 2020. Gallery — The Best Comedy Movie Posters of All Time: Source: ‘Bill & Ted Face the Music’ Shooting Begins in New Orleans Filed Under: Bill and Ted 3	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line822
__label__cc	0.529529	0.470471	Genetics and Molecular Biology Impact of rpoS Deletion onEscherichia coli Biofilms Jennifer L. Adams, Robert J. C. McLean Jennifer L. Adams Department of Biology, Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas 78666-4616 Robert J. C. McLean Slow growth has been hypothesized to be an essential aspect of bacterial physiology within biofilms. In order to test this hypothesis, we employed two strains of Escherichia coli, ZK126 (ΔlacZ rpoS +) and its isogenic ΔrpoS derivative, ZK1000. These strains were grown at two rates (0.033 and 0.0083 h−1) in a glucose-limited chemostat which was coupled either to a modified Robbins device containing plugs of silicone rubber urinary catheter material or to a glass flow cell. The presence or absence of rpoS did not significantly affect planktonic growth of E. coli. In contrast, biofilm cell density in the rpoS mutant strain (ZK1000), as measured by determining the number of CFU per square centimeter, was reduced by 50% (P < 0.05). Deletion of rpoS caused differences in biofilm cell arrangement, as seen by scanning confocal laser microscopy. In reporter gene experiments, similar levels of rpoS expression were seen in chemostat-grown planktonic and biofilm populations at a growth rate of 0.033 h−1. Overall, these studies suggest thatrpoS is important for biofilm physiology. In their natural environments, bacteria often adhere to surfaces on which they form biofilm communities that may be several millimeters thick. Within biofilms, individual bacteria are encased in a polysaccharide matrix, which functions to bind cells together and facilitates adhesion to the underlying surface. Bacteria are not distributed uniformly throughout a biofilm but rather aggregate into microcolonies, which are typically a few micrometers in diameter (6). Studies employing scanning confocal laser microscopy (SCLM) have shown a wide range of bacterial growth rates throughout a biofilm. The fastest growth was observed at the biofilm-liquid interface. Bacteria in the biofilm interior, particularly those inside microcolonies, grew much more slowly, presumably due to limited access to nutrients (10, 13). These and other studies have led to the hypothesis that slow growth is a major aspect of bacterial biofilm physiology (4). In order to test this hypothesis, we investigated whether the absence of a slow-growth-activated gene, rpoS (7), could affect the biofilm formation of Escherichia coli under defined growth conditions (15). Here we report that deletion of rpoS greatly reduces the ability of E. coli to grow in biofilms yet has little effect on the growth of planktonic (i.e., unattached) bacteria. (This research was conducted by J. L. Adams in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an M.S. from Southwest Texas State University.) Strains and culturing conditions.The strains of E. coli used in this study are ZK126 (ΔlacZ), ZK1000 (ZK126 ΔrpoS) (1), and DS526 (ZK126 λRZ5rpoS742::lacZ) (13a). Cultures were stored frozen at −80°C in Luria-Bertani (LB) broth containing 15% (vol/vol) glycerol as described elsewhere (14). Prior to each experiment, the appropriate E. coli strain was streaked from a frozen stock culture onto LB agar, checked for purity, and grown overnight in 5 ml of glucose-limited, defined medium (GDM) (15) containing 0.25 g of glucose per liter. Biofilm chemostat experiments.Chemostats were coupled to a modified Robbins device (MRD; Tyler Research, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) as described by Whiteley et al. (15). Briefly, this consisted of filling a chemostat with sterile GDM and inoculating it with 1 ml of an overnight E. coli culture in GDM. This culture was allowed to grow overnight under batch conditions, after which continuous culture was commenced at a dilution rate (DR) of either 0.033 or 0.0083 h−1. The chemostat cultures were allowed to equilibrate for 1 generation time (121 h at a DR of 0.0083 h−1 and 30 h at a DR of 0.033 h−1), after which time the chemostat was connected to an MRD containing 7-mm-diameter silicone rubber plugs. A peristaltic pump was used to circulate the chemostat culture through the MRD at a flow rate of 100 ml min−1. After 48 h, the experiment was stopped and nine plugs were removed from the MRD, sonicated, serially diluted in phosphate-buffered saline, and plated onto LB agar (Difco Laboratories, Detroit, Mich.) as previously described (8, 15). Each chemostat-MRD culture experiment was replicated a minimum of three times. Within each chemostat-MRD replicate, a minimum of five measurements were taken. When biofilm cultures were to be examined by SCLM, the chemostat was established as described previously and attached by capillary tubing to a flow cell (2) (Water Technologies, Bozeman, Mont.) to which was attached a glass microscope slide. A Pharmacia peristaltic pump (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, Inc., Piscataway, N.J.) was used to circulate the chemostat culture through the flow cell at a rate of 8.3 ml min−1. For SCLM examination, the glass slide was removed and stained with BacLite Live/Dead viability stain (Molecular Probes, Eugene, Oreg.) in order to estimate the viability of individual cells. Biofilm formation in flow cells was examined by SCLM with an Olympus IX-70 inverted microscope (Olympus America Inc., Melville, N.Y.) coupled with a Bio-Rad 1024 SCLM System (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, Calif.). The slides were placed with the biofilm side facing the 60× Uplan Apo (Olympus) oil immersion objective lens. rpoS expression assay.In order to compare the levels of rpoS expression in biofilm cells and planktonic cells, reporter strain DS526, containing anrpoS::lacZ fusion on a λ phage, was constructed by D.A. Siegele, Texas A&M University, as previously described (5). This strain was cultured in the chemostat-MRD apparatus at a DR of 0.033 h−1 as described above. After 48 h of biofilm growth, biofilm and planktonic samples were removed and frozen at −80°C for 2 weeks until analyzed. We permeabilized E. coli cells with chloroform and sodium dodecyl sulfate and quantified the β-galactosidase activity witho-nitrophenyl-β-d-galactopyranoside (ONPG) as described by Miller (9). The cell number was determined on the basis of direct cell counts of 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)-stained biofilm and planktonic cell suspensions. β-Galactosidase activity was expressed as nanomoles of ONPG cleaved per cell per minute. Data analysis.Biofilm cell densities, expressed as log10 CFU per square centimeter, and planktonic cell densities, expressed as log10 CFU per milliliter, were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance. The influences of rpoS deletion and growth rate on E. coli biofilms and planktonic cultures are shown in Fig.1. As can be seen, deletion ofrpoS had a major impact on biofilm populations and less of an impact on planktonic populations. SCLM examinations (Fig.2) showed differences in E. coli biofilm structures in the presence (Fig. 2A) and absence (Fig. 2B) of rpoS. When bacteria were grown at a DR of 0.033 h−1, similar levels of β-galactosidase activity were seen in biofilm (3.04 × 10−6 nmol of ONPG min−1 cell−1) and planktonic (3.08 × 10−6 nmol of ONPG min−1 cell−1) populations of E. coli DS526 containing anrpoS::lacZ fusion. Graph showing effects of rpoS deletion and growth rate on planktonic (expressed as log10 CFU per milliliter) and biofilm (expressed as log10 CFU per square centimeter) cultures. Error bars represent standard deviations. Values with the same letter are not significantly different (P = 0.05). SCLM micrographs of E. coli biofilms stained with Live/Dead viability stain in the presence (A) and absence (B) ofrpoS. The viable (brightly stained) cells are indicated by an arrow. Bars, 2 μm in panel A and 3 μm in panel B. Several lines of evidence support the role of slow growth in biofilm physiology. Due to their enhanced access to nutrients, bacteria on the periphery of biofilm microcolonies grow much more quickly than do the nutrient-limited organisms in the interior (10). One striking feature of biofilm growth is that bacteria are significantly more resistant to antimicrobial agents than they are during planktonic growth (11). To investigate this finding, Evans et al. (3) compared the antibiotic resistance of planktonic chemostat cultures at various growth rates. They found antibiotic susceptibility to be correlated with growth rate and thus attributed biofilm antimicrobial resistance to a reduced growth rate. The study of Evans et al. (3) provides additional impetus for studying biofilms at reduced growth rates. Several notable effects of rpoS deletion were observed in the present study. These include significant differences in biofilm cell density (Fig. 1) and differences in biofilm structure (Fig. 2). The influence of rpoS deletion on planktonic cells was minimal at either DR (Fig. 1). One possible explanation for this phenomenon was that rpoS was expressed only during biofilm growth. We measured patterns of rpoS expression in E. coli DS526, which contains an rpoS-lacZ fusion, at a DR of 0.033 h−1. In this experiment, rpoSexpression, as indicated by the amount of β-galactosidase activity per cell, was equivalent in both planktonic (3.08 × 10−6 nmol of ONPG min−1 cell−1) and biofilm (3.04 × 10−6 nmol of ONPG min−1 cell−1) populations. Our observations are consistent with those of Notley and Ferenci (12), who observed rpoS expression in chemostat cultures of E. coli at a DR of ≤0.2 h−1. Deletion ofrpoS had an impact on biofilm cell density (Fig. 1) and cell arrangement (Fig. 2), so it is likely that rpoS expression is more important to biofilm populations than to planktonic populations. This project was supported in part by a grant from the Advanced Research Program of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and by the Biology Department at Southwest Texas State University. The scanning confocal microscope used in this study was purchased with funds from an NSF-ILI grant. We thank Debby Siegele, Texas A&M University, and Grant Balzer, Joe Koke, and Jim Ott, Southwest Texas State University, for their help and suggestions. Bohannon D. E., Connell N., Keener J., Tormo A., Espinosa-Urgel M., Zambrano M. M., Kolter R. (1991) Stationary-phase-inducible “gearbox” promoters: differential effects of katF mutations and role of ς70. J. Bacteriol. 173:4482–4492. Davies D. G., Parsek M. R., Pearson J. P., Iglewski B. H., Costerton J. W., Greenberg E. P. (1998) The involvement of cell-to-cell signals in the development of a bacterial biofilm. Science 280:295–298. Evans D. J., Brown M. R. W., Allison D. G., Gilbert P. (1990) Susceptibility of bacterial biofilms to tobramycin: role of specific growth rate and phase in the division cycle. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 25:585–591. Gilbert P., Das J., Foley I. (1997) Biofilm susceptibility to antimicrobials. Adv. Dent. Res. 11:160–167. Lange R., Hengge-Aronis R. (1994) The cellular concentration of the sigma-S subunit of RNA polymerase in Escherichia coli is controlled at the levels of transcription, translation and protein stability. Genes Dev. 8:1600–1612. Lawrence J. R., Korber D. R., Hoyle B. D., Caldwell D. E. (1991) Optical sectioning of microbial biofilms. J. Bacteriol. 173:6558–6567. Loewen P. C., Hu B., Strutinsky J., Sparling R. (1998) Regulation in the rpoS regulon of Escherichia coli. Can. J. Microbiol. 44:707–717. McLean, R. J. C., M. Whiteley, B. C. Hoskins, P. D. Majors, and M. M. Sharma. Laboratory techniques for studying biofilm growth, physiology, and gene expression in flowing systems and porous media. Methods Enzymol., in press. Miller J. H. (1972) Experiments in molecular genetics (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y), pp 352–355. Møller S., Pedersen A. R., Poulsen L. K., Arvin E., Molin S. (1996) Activity and three-dimensional distribution of toluene-degrading Pseudomonas putida in a multispecies biofilm assessed by quantitative in situ hybridization and scanning confocal laser microscopy. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 62:4632–4640. Nickel J. C., Ruseska I., Wright J. B., Costerton J. W. (1985) Tobramycin resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells growing as a biofilm on urinary catheter material. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 27:619–624. Notley L., Ferenci T. (1996) Induction of RpoS-dependent functions in glucose-limited continuous culture: what level of nutrient limitation induces the stationary phase of Escherichia coli? J. Bacteriol. 178:1465–1468. Ballard G., Stahl D. A. (1993) Use of rRNA fluorescence in situ hybridization for measuring the activity of single cells in young and established biofilms. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59:1354–1360. 13a.↵ Siegele, D. A. Unpublished data. Siegele D. A., Hu J. C. (1997) Gene expression from ParaBAD plasmids at subsaturating inducer concentrations represents mixed populations. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94:8168–8172. Whiteley M., Brown E., McLean R. J. C. (1997) An inexpensive chemostat apparatus for the study of microbial biofilms. J. Microbiol. Methods 30:125–132. Applied and Environmental Microbiology Sep 1999, 65 (9) 4285-4287; DOI: You are going to email the following Impact of rpoS Deletion onEscherichia coli Biofilms	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line839
__label__wiki	0.622715	0.622715	Validation of Internal Controls for Extraction and Amplification of Nucleic Acids from Enteric Viruses in Water Samples Akihiko Hata, Hiroyuki Katayama, Masaaki Kitajima, Chettiyappan Visvanathan, Chea Nol, Hiroaki Furumai Akihiko Hata Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan For correspondence: hata@env.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp Hiroyuki Katayama Masaaki Kitajima Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, The University of Arizona, 1117 E. Lowell, St., Tucson, Arizona Chettiyappan Visvanathan Environmental Engineering and Management Program, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, P.O. Box 4, Klongluang, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand Chea Nol Joint Support Team for Angkor Preservation and Community Development, Group 4, Phum Tropeang Ses, Khum Kokchork, Srok Siem Reap, Cambodia Hiroaki Furumai Inhibitors that reduce viral nucleic acid extraction efficiency and interfere with cDNA synthesis and/or polymerase activity affect the molecular detection of viruses in aquatic environments. To overcome these significant problems, we developed a methodology for assessing nucleic acid yields and DNA amplification efficiencies for environmental water samples. This involved adding particles of adenovirus type 5 and murine norovirus and newly developed primer-sharing controls, which are amplified with the same primer pairs and result in the same amplicon sizes as the targets, to these samples. We found that nucleic acid loss during the extraction process, rather than reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) inhibition, more significantly attributed to underestimation of the presence of viral genomes in the environmental water samples tested in this study. Our success rate for satisfactorily amplifying viral RNAs and DNAs by RT-PCR was higher than that for obtaining adequate nucleic acid preparations. We found that inhibitory properties were greatest when we used larger sample volumes. A magnetic silica bead-based RNA extraction method effectively removed inhibitors that interfere with viral nucleic acid extraction and RT-PCR. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the inhibitory properties of environmental water samples by using both control virus particles and primer-sharing controls. Enteric viruses are one of the most important causative agents of waterborne gastroenteritis because of their high infectivity (13, 43), persistence in water (1, 2), and tolerance to wastewater treatment (9, 33) and chlorination (44). Therefore, monitoring viruses in the environment is important for protecting public health (48). However, the inhibitory effects caused by some substances present in virus concentrates can hinder these tests, as in the case of analysis involving reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), by causing underestimation of virus genomes. Such inhibitory effects also occur in the detection of bacterial genome (7, 45). Humic acid, fulvic acid, a humic acid-like component in beef extract, which can be used as an eluent for virus concentration, and cations such as Ca2+ and Fe3+ are known to inhibit RT-PCR (1, 15, 26, 34, 49). Microfiltration (MF) membrane-based methods using acid rinse procedures followed by alkaline elution were developed to avoid the use of beef extract (16, 21). However, RT-PCR inhibition has been reported to be observed even under these conditions (11, 15), probably because of coconcentration of humic acid, which precipitates in the presence of cations (6) or acid conditions and becomes soluble at alkaline pH (23). Moreover, a silica membrane-based nucleic acid extraction/purification method, which is a commonly used method for molecular detection of viruses in aquatic environments (3, 15, 41), cannot always effectively remove humic acid from samples (3, 34). The principle of this method is based on attachment and detachment of nucleic acids to silica by altering pH and ionic strength (29). Nucleic acids tend to bind silica at acidic pH in the presence of chaotropic salts but do not bind tightly at neutral or mild pH. This accounts for the presence of humic acid in concentrated virus preparations. Factors that interfere with nucleic acid extraction and isolation have not been identified (8, 10). There have been several techniques reported to reduce inhibitory effects. Addition of T4 gene 32 protein (26), bovine serum albumin (26), or polyvinylpyrrolidone (31) to samples are known to reduce inhibitory effects. Removal of inhibitors by using an antigen-antibody reaction (38), cation exchange resin (1), or gel chromatography (1, 5) has also been reported. However, these techniques cannot reduce the inhibitory effects entirely or may cause loss of viruses during the process (1, 26, 31, 38). Therefore, developing methods to evaluate the magnitude of inhibition is essential (14, 42). Exogenously added control nucleic acids have been used for this purpose (14, 27, 30, 32, 37, 42). Although the inhibition of polymerase activity depends on the target nucleotide sequences (22, 40), most previous studies have not employed sequence-matched controls (27, 30, 32, 37, 42). Gregory et al. (14) used a control that had matched sequences at primer annealing sites with the target and therefore was amplified by the same primer pair as the target, and they successfully predicted the magnitude of RT-PCR inhibition. However, amplicon size must also be considered, because inhibition becomes more pronounced with longer templates (22, 49). Nevertheless, use of a control that considers both primer sequence and amplicon size has not been reported. To improve these techniques, we developed novel primer-sharing controls (PSCs) to evaluate the magnitude of RT-PCR inhibition. These PSCs were then applied to assess inhibitory effects on viral genome detection in samples acquired from rivers, lakes, and groundwater. Prior to nucleic acid extraction, murine norovirus (MNV) and human adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) were also added to samples as control virus particles in order to evaluate nucleic acid extraction efficiencies. In addition, we compared nucleic acid extraction and purification methods by using PSCs and the virus particles. Viruses.Human Ad5 and MNV (S7-PP3 strain) were kindly provided by M. Ito (Kyoto City Institute of Health and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto, Japan) and Y. Tohya (Nihon University, Kanagawa, Japan) and propagated in HEp-2 (ATCC CCL-23) and RAW 264.7 (ATCC TIB-71) cell lines (American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, VA). Ad40 and a human norovirus (NoV; GII-4; Lordsdale-like strain) were kindly provided by Y. Yoshida (Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health, Tokyo, Japan) and E. Utagawa (National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan), respectively, as supernatants derived from patients' fecal specimens. Construction of PSC RNA and DNA.PSC has the same sequence as the amplicon of the target viral nucleic acid except for the TaqMan probe recognition sequence (Fig. 1). Hence, PSC is expected to be reverse transcribed and amplified with the same efficiency as the target nucleic acid even in cases in which RT-PCR inhibition occurs. Therefore, by using PSC as the internal control, the occurrence and magnitude of RT-PCR can be estimated. Schematic diagram of PSC DNA amplified by the same primer set as target genome DNA, which was of the same amplicon size but was recognized by a different TaqMan probe. Enteric AdV (EAdV) PSC DNA (118 bp) was chemically synthesized to have a sequence stretch identical to an AdV41 strain (GenBank accession number X16583) except for the target sequence of the EAdV-specific TaqMan probe (JTVFP) (Table 1), which was replaced with the sequence of the MNV-specific TaqMan probe (MKMNV-TP [Table 1]). Similarly, GII NoV PSC DNA (98 bp) was chemically synthesized to have a sequence stretch identical to Camberwell virus (GenBank accession number AF145896) except for the target sequence of the GII NoV-specific TaqMan probe (RING2-TP [Table 1]), which was replaced with the sequence of MNV-specific TaqMan probe (MKMNV-TP [Table 1]). GII NoV PSC RNA was synthesized by in vitro transcription using GII NoV PSC DNA. Briefly, GII NoV PSC DNA was cloned into a Zero Blunt TOPO pCR2.1 vector (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA), which contains T7 promoter sequence recognized by T7 RNA polymerase. The construct was used to transform One Shot TOP10 chemically competent Escherichia coli (Invitrogen). Transformants were incubated at 37°C on a Luria broth agar plate containing kanamycin (50 μg/ml). Colonies were picked and incubated at 37°C on Luria broth agar. Plasmid DNA was extracted using a QIAprep spin miniprep kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Plasmid DNA containing the GII NoV PSC DNA sequence was transcribed using T7 RNA polymerase (Toyobo, Osaka, Japan) according to the manufacturer's instructions. The reaction mixture (10 μl) was then treated with 1 U of RQ1 DNase (Promega, Madison, WI) in DNase I buffer (150 mM Tris-HCl [pH 8.3], 225 mM KCl, and 9 mM MgCl2) at 37°C for 30 min to digest plasmid DNA and then at 75°C for 5 min to inactivate DNase. Constructed PSC DNA and RNA were stored at −80°C until the analysis. Primers and probes used for RT-qPCR Humic acid solution and enrichment.Thirty-six milligrams of humic acid (Sigma-Aldrich, Tokyo, Japan) was added to 1.0 liter of distilled water and dissolved under alkaline conditions (pH 13) in the presence of NaOH. The humic acid solution was subjected to a virus concentration procedure (21) to obtain humic acid solution that was coconcentrated with viruses and caused inhibition. The humic acid concentration in the eluate was determined as a reference by measuring total dissolved solids in 3 ml of the eluate after evaporation (0.49 mg/ml). Humic acid absorbance at 260 nm (E260) was determined using a Hitachi U-2010 spectrophotometer (Hitachi, Tokyo, Japan). Environmental water samples. (i) Water sample collection.Twenty-four environmental water samples were collected from September to October 2009. Thirteen river water samples were collected at seven sites along the Siem Reap River in Cambodia (SR-1 to SR-7) and at six sites along the Chao Phraya River in Thailand (BR-1, BR-2, BC-1, BC-2, BM-1, and BM-2). Five lake water samples were collected from the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia (SL-1 to SL-5). Four groundwater samples were also collected from Cambodia (SG-1 to SG-4). Samples were concentrated on-site immediately after collections in polyethylene containers (1.8-liter or 20-liter volume) presterilized by gamma radiation. The concentrated samples were kept cool and transported to the laboratory at The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, within 7 days according to methods described in a previous study (17). The samples were stored at −80°C immediately after transportation until further concentration. (ii) Virus concentration.Small volumes of environmental water samples (50 to 2,000 ml) were concentrated as previously described (21), with minor modifications. Briefly, 2.5 M MgCl2 was added to the samples to obtain a final concentration of 25 mM and was filtered through an electro-negative filter (45-mm diameter, 0.45-μm pore size; Millipore). Next, 200 ml H2SO4 (pH 3.0) was passed through the filter, and virus was eluted with 5 ml NaOH (pH 10.8). The eluate was recovered in a tube containing 25 μl H2SO4 (pH 1.0) and 50 μl 100× Tris-EDTA buffer. Samples were further concentrated using a Centriprep YM-50 apparatus (Millipore) to approximately 650 μl after the transportation. Large volumes of environmental water samples (8 to 200 liters) were concentrated using a cartridge with a Durapore polyvinylidene difluoride filter (Opticap XL2 disposable capsule filters; 0.45-μm pore size, 0.1-m2 filtration area; Millipore). Briefly, water samples were suction filtered using a sterilized tube and an aspirator (AS-01; AS ONE, Osaka, Japan). The sample was then mixed with 2.5 M MgCl2 by injecting 1 meter upstream of the filter to obtain a final concentration of 25 mM. Next, the filter was rinsed with 4 liters of H2SO4 (pH 3) and 2 liters of distilled water. Viruses were eluted with 200 ml NaOH (pH 10.8) and collected in a tube containing 1 ml H2SO4 (pH 1.0) and 2 ml 100× Tris-EDTA buffer. Sample (60 ml) from the 200-ml concentrate was reduced to approximately 250 μl by using a Centricon plus-70 filter (Millipore) after the transportation. The further-concentrated samples were stored at −80°C until purification or nucleic acid extraction. (iii) Gel chromatography.Gel chromatography was performed using a MicroSpin S-300 HR apparatus (Amersham Biosciences, Tokyo, Japan) to remove inhibitors. Briefly, 350 μl distilled water was added to the column and centrifuged seven times for 1 min at 735 × g. Two hundred microliters of concentrated sample was then applied to the column and centrifuged for 2 min at 735 × g before DNA extraction. (iv) Nucleic acid extraction.Silica membrane-based nucleic acid extraction was performed using a QIAamp DNA minikit (Qiagen) and a QIAamp viral RNA minikit (Qiagen) to extract DNA and RNA, respectively, according to the manufacturer's instructions. Briefly, 200 μl of a sample was subjected to DNA extraction to obtain a final volume of 200 μl, while 140 μl of the sample was subjected to RNA extraction, to obtain a final volume of 60 μl. Magnetic silica bead-based RNA extraction was performed using a Mag Extractor viral RNA apparatus (Toyobo) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Briefly, 60 μl of the sample was subjected to RNA extraction and purification to obtain a final volume of 60 μl. The extracted nucleic acid was stored at −80°C until analysis. (v) Water sample processing.To examine the effects of the presence of inhibitory substances on extraction of EAdV DNA and GII NoV RNA from concentrated environmental water samples, Ad5 and MNV were added to the respective samples. Nucleic acid yields of the added Ad5 and MNV were evaluated by RT-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). If the yields of the added Ad5 or MNV were lower than the positive controls by <10%, the extracted DNA or RNA was diluted 100 or 20 times to overcome RT-PCR inhibition. The genomes were then reamplified and requantified. If these yields were still lower than the positive control by <10% after dilution, we concluded that the sample caused loss of nucleic acid during extractions. On the contrary, if the yields were satisfactorily improved after the dilution, we concluded that the original sample did not cause loss of nucleic acid during extraction but caused RT-PCR inhibition. Furthermore, samples exhibiting lower-than-expected Ad5 DNA values were subjected to gel chromatography before DNA extraction, and those exhibiting lower-than-expected MNV RNA values were subjected to magnetic silica bead-based RNA extraction (see Fig. S1 in the supplemental material). RT-qPCR. (i) RT.RT was performed using a high-capacity cDNA reverse transcription kit (Applied Biosystems, Tokyo, Japan). Five microliters of RNA was added to the 5 μl of reaction mixture containing 1 μl of 10× reverse transcription buffer, 25 units of MultiScribe reverse transcriptase, 0.4 μl of 25× deoxynucleoside triphosphates, 10 units of RNase inhibitor, and 0.5 μl each of 10 μM antisense primers. Reverse primer COG2R was used for indigenous GII NoV RNA and GII NoV PSC RNA, and MKMNVR was used for MNV RNA (Table 1). The RT reaction mixture was sequentially incubated for 10 min at 25°C, 120 min at 37°C, and 5 min at 85°C in a GeneAmp PCR system 9600 (Applied Biosystems) to synthesize cDNA. (ii) qPCR.Twenty-five microliters of reaction mixture contained 5 μl sample, 12.5 μl TaqMan gene expression master mix (Applied Biosystems), 2 μl each of 100 μM primers, and 0.5 μl each of 5 μM TaqMan probes. Primer and TaqMan probe sequences, product sizes, and thermal cycling conditions for each target are summarized in Table 1. PCR mixtures were amplified using an ABI sequence detection system 7500 (Applied Biosystems). Amplification data were collected and analyzed using Sequence Detector software version 1.3 (Applied Biosystems). Tenfold serial dilutions of the DNA standard whose concentrations ranged from 1.0 × 104 to 1.0 × 101 copies per tube were amplified to quantify viral genomes. The copy numbers of each undiluted DNA standard was determined by using a NanoDrop ND 1000 spectrophotometer (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Quantification of viral DNA and PSC DNA by monoplex qPCR.Standard curves for each genome were generated by monoplex qPCR of serial 10-fold-diluted Ad40 DNA, EAdV PSC DNA, GII NoV cDNA, and GII NoV PSC DNA. DNA concentrations ranged from 1.0 × 101 to 1.0 × 104 copies per tube in triplicate. In each qPCR assay, 1.0 × 101 copies per tube of DNA were sufficient to generate positive signals that reproducibly gave standard deviations of cycle threshold values that were lower than 0.40 (see Fig. S2 in the supplemental material). The standard curves obtained from Ad40 DNA and EAdV PSC DNA had similar PCR efficiencies, i.e., 98% and 96%, which were equivalent to slope values of −3.40 and −3.45 (see Fig. S2A), respectively. Similarly, PCR efficiencies for GII NoV cDNA and GII NoV PSC DNA were 100% and 103%, which were equivalent to slope values of −3.31 and −3.23, respectively (see Fig. S2B). Cross-reactions between target DNA and TaqMan probe for PSC (MKMNV-TP) or between PSC DNA and TaqMan probe for target DNA (JTVFP or NV-G2P) were not observed in the case of each DNA concentration at ranges from 0.0 to 1.0 × 104 copies per tube. Quantification of viral DNA and PSC DNA by duplex qPCR.To determine whether PSC might be affected by primer competition, we performed duplex qPCR targeting Ad40 DNA and EAdV PSC DNA. Serial 10-fold-diluted Ad40 DNA and 1.0 × 102 copies each of EAdV PSC DNA in distilled water were quantified by duplex qPCR (Fig. 2). Primer competition was not evident at Ad40 DNA levels below or equal to 1.0 × 103 copies per reaction mixture. However, EAdV PSC DNA was underestimated to be 1.6 × 101 copies in the presence of Ad40 DNA at 1.0 × 104 copies per reaction mixture. Input levels and detection of serially diluted Ad40 DNA and the indicated amount (1.0 × 102 copies per reaction) of EAdV PSC DNA by duplex qPCR. Horizontal and vertical axes indicate the added and observed concentrations of Ad40 DNA and EAdV PSC DNA, respectively. The dotted line indicates the added concentration of EAdV PSC DNA. Error bars indicate the standard deviations (n = 3). Effects of humic acid.To assess the ability of PSCs to indicate inhibition of target genome amplification, Ad40 DNA or GII NoV RNA was simultaneously quantified by duplex RT-qPCR in the presence of control nucleic acids and humic acid (Fig. 3). Ad40 DNA was inoculated to between 1.0 × 102 and 1.0 × 103 copies per tube, and EAdV PSC DNA or MNV cDNA was inoculated to 1.0 × 102 copies per tube. Humic acid was included in the reaction mixtures at concentrations between 0.049 and 0.12 mg/ml. The relationship between the log-transformed underestimation rates of Ad40 DNA and EAdV PSC DNA were linearly approximated using the equation y = 1.10x − 0.37 (R2 = 0.94), whereas that between log-transformed underestimation rates of Ad40 DNA and MNV cDNA was linearly approximated using the equation y = 0.18x − 0.48 (R2 = 0.52) (Fig. 3A). Comparing EAdV PSC DNA to MNV cDNA as an internal control, the slopes of the plots for EAdV PSC DNA approximated y = x, which indicated that the magnitude of inhibitions was the same between target and control nucleic acids and more closely than those for MNV cDNA. This result indicates inhibition of only EAdV PSC DNA can closely approximate that of Ad40 DNA. Inhibition of target viral genome and control amplification in the presence of humic acid. (A) Underestimation of Ad40 DNA and EAdV PSC DNA and the underestimation of Ad40 DNA and MNV cDNA. The vertical axis indicates the observed recovery of EAdV PSC DNA or MNV cDNA. The horizontal axis indicates the observed recovery of Ad40 DNA. (B) Underestimation of GII NoV RNA and GII NoV PSC RNA. A plot bracket on (x, y) of (−2.1, −3.3) indicates the possible outlier. The underestimation of GII NoVRNA and MNV-RNA is indicated. The vertical axis indicates the observed recoveries of GII NoV PSC RNA or MNV RNA. The horizontal axis indicates the observed recovery of GII NoV RNA. In both panels, ND on the vertical and horizontal axes indicates not detected. Open circles and triangles indicate the lower limits of detection. Concentrations of inoculated GII NoV RNA were quantified together with GII NoV PSC RNA or MNV RNA by duplex RT-qPCR. GII NoV RNA ranged between 1.0 × 102 and 1.0 × 103 copies per reaction mixture, and GII NoV PSC RNA or MNV RNA was inoculated to be 1.0 × 102 copies per reaction mixture. Humic acid solutions with E260 values between 0.25 and 0.98 (which were equivalent, with values of 0.012 and 0.049 mg/ml of humic acid solutions before extraction) were inoculated into the samples. Figure 3B shows the relationship between the log-transformed underestimation rates of GII NoV RNA and GII NoV PSC RNA. One plot located on (x, y) of (−2.1, −3.3) was likely to be an outlier. If the plot was included in the analysis, the relationship between the log-transformed underestimation rates of GII NoV RNA and GII NoV PSC RNA were linearly approximated using the following equation: y = 1.18x + 0.20 (R2 = 0.63). If the plot was not included, the relationship was linearly approximated using the following equation: y = 0.79x + 0.03 (R2 = 0.41). On the other hand, the relationship between the log-transformed underestimation rates of GII NoV RNA and MNV RNA were approximated by the equation y = 0.54x − 0.95 (R2 = 0.62) (Fig. 3B). Comparing GII NoV PSC RNA to MNV RNA as an internal control, the slopes of the plots for GII NoV PSC RNA approximated y = x more closely than those for MNV RNA, even if the possible outlier was considered or not. This indicates that inhibition only of GII NoV PSC RNA can approximate that of GII NoV RNA. Loss of viral genomes concentrated from environmental samples during extractions.Table 2 displays the results showing that the Ad5 and MNV genomes were underestimated. Of the 16 samples obtained from large volumes of environmental water samples, the Ad5 DNA yields from five samples were lower than expected by <10%. Of the nine samples obtained from small-volume water samples, the Ad5 DNA yield of only one sample was lower than expected by <10% (Table 2). Observed recovery of exogenously added Ad5 and MNV in concentrated environmental samples Hundredfold dilution of DNA improved Ad5 DNA yields in two samples (SR-1 and BR-1) by >10% (38% and 45%, respectively), but the yields from rest of the four samples were lower (Table 2). Samples with yields of inoculated Ad5 DNA and/or EAdV PSC DNA lower than the positive controls by <10% were gel purified. Gel chromatography recovered 55% of stock Ad5, suggesting that it caused no significant loss of virions. Ad5 levels increased in four samples (SR-1, BR-1, SL-3, and SG-4) after two purifications. Hundredfold dilutions of DNA after gel chromatography and DNA extraction improved the Ad5 DNA yield (SR-1) from 0.032% to 60%, but yields from the other five samples were not significantly changed (Table 2). The MNV RNA yields from 7 out of 16 samples were lower than expected (Table 2). Three of seven samples (BR-1, BR-2, and SL-3) showed acceptable yields (32%, 48%, and 16%, respectively) after 20-fold dilution of extracted RNA. Although the yield was still not acceptable, 20-fold dilution of SR-1 also improved its yield (Table 2). MNV RNA yields extracted by the magnetic silica bead-based method were 2.6 times higher than those extracted by the silica membrane-based method. For all samples, the MNV RNA yields of the magnetic silica bead-based method were 2.3 to 4,000 times higher than those of the silica membrane-based method. Despite the 16 times improvement in MNV RNA yields, 20-fold dilution of SG-1 did not result in an acceptable value. Inhibition of RT-qPCR by concentrated environmental water samples.EAdV PSC DNA, inoculated into environmental samples to estimate the magnitude of PCR inhibition occurring during quantifications of EAdV DNA, showed that the yields of EAdV PSC DNA (SR-1 and BR-1) were lower than expected by <10% (Table 3). Even after gel chromatography, the inoculated EAdV PSC DNA was not detected in SR-1. The underestimation of control EAdV PSC DNA in BR-1 improved from 0.29% to 130% following gel chromatography (Table 3). In only one sample (SR-1), the yield of inoculated GII NoV PSC RNA was not detected by the silica membrane-based method. However, magnetic silica bead-based extraction resulted in an acceptable yield of GII NoV PSC RNA in SR-1 (77%) and the other samples (Table 3). Observed recovery of EAdV PSC DNA and GII NoV PSC RNA in concentrated environmental water samples Detection of indigenous enteric viruses in environmental water samples.Twenty-five samples were tested for indigenous EAdVs and GII NoVs together with EAdV PSC DNA and GII NoV PSC RNA, respectively, by duplex RT-qPCR. Indigenous EAdV DNA was not detected in any tested sample even after gel chromatography. In contrast, indigenous GII NoV RNA was detected in 3 of 24 samples (13%) (Table 4). These samples were collected from different sites along the same river. BR-1 concentrated from small volumes of water was positive for GII NoV-RNA, whereas the same sample from large volumes of water was negative. Using the magnetic silica bead method, which showed higher yields of exogenously added MNV and GII NoV PSC RNA, higher yields of GII NoV RNA were observed in both BR-2 and BC-2. Detection of indigenous GII NoVs and inhibition of quantification of controls based on two different RNA extraction and purification methods In this study, we examined the inhibitory effects of concentrated water samples on nucleic acid extraction and RT-PCR by using virus particles and PSCs as controls. We also took advantage of these controls to determine the abilities of different purification methods to remove inhibitory factors. Although the mechanism of RT-PCR inhibition has not been elucidated, inhibition of annealing and/or extension by polymerase may be involved in this mechanism (49). To estimate the magnitude of RT-PCR inhibition, we constructed PSC DNA and RNA molecules that could be amplified using the same primer set and could produce the same amplicon size as that of the target viral genome. RT-qPCR assays for EAdV and GII NoV utilized in this study were developed to detect each target gene specifically in previous studies (20, 25). Our assays for EAdV PSC DNA and GII NoV PSC DNA, which need the same primer pairs as the targets, did not cause cross-reactions with EAdV DNA or GII NoV cDNA, respectively, ensuring the assays' specificities. When added together, 1.0 × 102 and ≤1.0 × 103 copies of EAdV PSC DNA and Ad40 DNA, respectively, did not affect each other's amplification in the absence of inhibitors (Fig. 2). However, the presence of >1.0 × 103 copies of Ad40 DNA led to the underestimation of PSC DNA, which was possibly due to primer competition between target and PSC DNA as described previously (14). If the yield of target virus nucleic acid is greater than 1.0 × 103 copies per tube, dilution of the sample is recommended to reduce primer competition with PSCs as well as RT-PCR inhibition. In the duplex RT-qPCR test with humic acid, the extent of underestimation of target and PSC nucleic acids was almost the same (Fig. 3), demonstrating that PSC reliably predicts inhibition of target amplification at least for the assays shown in this study. However, tests using MNV nucleic acid, which needs other primer sets producing different amplicon sizes from EAdV DNA and GII NoV RNA, could not predict RT-qPCR inhibition accurately. Hence, to evaluate the magnitude of RT-PCR inhibition, the primer set and the amplicon size of the control nucleic acid may need to be considered. The range of inhibition for GII NoV RNA and GII NoV PSC RNA was 2 log10, which is considerably narrower than that for EAdV (Fig. 3B). This difference seemed to be the result of RT. Under the experimental conditions used in this study, which adopted a two-step RT-qPCR, the RT reaction mixture contained higher concentrations of humic acid than the subsequent PCR mixture. Hence, the inhibitory effect may be more pronounced during RT than during PCR. Furthermore, RT inhibition, which underestimates the product yield by <1%, reduces template availability for PCR. In contrast, an observed yield of <1 copy per tube can readily occur during qPCR for EAdV DNA without RT because the inhibition appears as a delay in amplification. Costafreda et al. (8) showed that morphologically similar viruses have similar sensitivities in terms of nucleic acid extraction inhibition. In this study, Ad5 and MNV were used as internal controls to evaluate the inhibitory effects of samples on DNA extraction of EAdVs and RNA extraction of GII NoVs, respectively. Because both Ad5 and MNV do not seem to be abundant in aquatic environments (11), the presence of indigenous Ad5 and MNV may be negligible, and the detected DNA and cDNA very possibly belong to the control viruses. Such effects on viral nucleic acid extraction have been reported using internal controls (8, 10). However, in these studies, RNA extraction inhibition was not distinguished from RT-PCR inhibition, and the reason for the underestimation of the internal control could not be determined. In this study, we diluted the extracted samples to minimize RT-PCR inhibition, thereby allowing successful differentiation of RT-PCR inhibition from nucleic acid extraction inhibition. If the reaction yields from the added virus improve after dilution, we can conclude that RT-PCR inhibition has occurred. In contrast, if dilution has no effect, or dilution has an effect but still underestimation occurs, which was not observed in this study, we can conclude that nucleic acid extraction inhibition has occurred. In our evaluation of inhibitory effects of samples on the detection of EAdVs and GII NoVs, six samples showed nucleic acid extraction inhibition during the silica membrane-based extractions and two showed RT-PCR inhibition. Samples processed from large volumes tended to cause inhibitory effects more frequently than those from small volumes. This result indicates that substances coconcentrated with viruses caused inhibition. Samples that adversely affected nucleic acid extraction stained the silica membranes with a brownish color and clogged them (data not shown). Humic acids may contribute to these phenomena because of their color and presence in virus samples. Furthermore, membrane clogging resulted in poor nucleic acid yields. Magnetic silica beads may provide a suitable alternative to silica membranes because they are free from clogging. Several previous reports utilized the magnetic or nonmagnetic silica bead-based method (12, 19, 36), and some of those studies showed that RNA recovery using the magnetic silica bead-based method was lower than that when using the silica membrane-based method (12, 36). In this study, the use of magnetic silica beads resulted in higher RNA yields, less-inhibitory RNA preparations, and enhanced PCR amplification. It is known that ionic strength influences nucleic acid binding to silica (28). Hence, the ionic conditions in the virus concentrate might be suitable for the Mag Extractor viral RNA magnetic silica bead-based RNA extraction kit used in this study. The structures of magnetic silica beads, which do not result in clogging and are less likely to trap organic inhibitors than silica membrane, can explain the less-inhibitory RNA preparations and enhanced RT-PCR results. Gel chromatography has been reported to be effective for reducing RT-PCR inhibition (1, 5, 39, 45). In this study, gel chromatography provided mixed results wherein one sample (BR-1) showed improved amplification of EAdV PSC DNA but it was not effective for the other samples, which were false negative for EAdV PSC DNA. Samples that inhibited both nucleic acid extraction and RT-PCR were not encountered. Furthermore, gel chromatography, which made some beneficial contributions to overcome PCR inhibition, was not effective in reducing nucleic acid extraction inhibition. These results indicate that different substances are associated with inhibition of nucleic acid extraction and RT-PCR. Humic acid may be responsible for both of these problems because of its ubiquity, diversity in molecular structure, and presence in water samples. Enteric adenoviruses have been frequently detected in aquatic samples (4, 46, 50). In this study, we did not detect EAdV DNA in any sample, even after gel chromatography, which was shown to improve sample quality. Thus, our methods should help in djudging environmental samples to be truly negative for EAdVs. GII NoVs are the leading cause of viral gastroenteritis and are frequently detected in environmental samples (35, 47). We successfully detected GII NoV RNA in three river water samples collected from the same site. Higher yields were observed using magnetic silica beads, which improved RNA preparation quality and enhanced RT-PCR, than using silica membranes. Thus, we conclude that use of silica membranes may contribute to the underestimation of the presence of viruses in environmental samples. Magnetic silica beads similarly improved the ratio of RNA extraction efficiency of exogenously added MNV and indigenous GII NoV RNA (2.5 and 2.3 times, respectively), thereby demonstrating that loss of GII NoV RNA can be evaluated using MNV as a control. 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Short- and long-term variations of norovirus concentrations in the Meuse river during a 2-year study period. Water Res. 40:2613–2620. WHO. 2008. Microbial aspects, p. 121–144. Guidelines for drinking water quality, 3rd ed. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. Wilson I. G . 1997. Inhibition and facilitation of nucleic acid amplification. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63:3741–3751. Wong M., . 2009. Evaluation of public health risks at recreational beaches in Lake Michigan via detection of enteric viruses and a human-specific bacteriological marker. Water Res. 43:1137–1149. Applied and Environmental Microbiology Jun 2011, 77 (13) 4336-4343; DOI: 10.1128/AEM.00077-11 You are going to email the following Validation of Internal Controls for Extraction and Amplification of Nucleic Acids from Enteric Viruses in Water Samples	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line840
__label__cc	0.615121	0.384879	Latest Poll Shows Momentum With Yes In North East Articles, Information 19 Responses » Yes campaigners in the North-east of Scotland have welcomed a new poll indicating that a majority of North-east voters will cast their ballots in favour of independence on September 18. Ross Cassie The Survation Poll for the Mail on Sunday, published on August 3 indicates that voters are increasingly moving towards Yes in the North-east with 48.6% of respondents backing independence, 39.8% for no, and 11.6% undecided.[1] The poll follows steady increases for the Yes vote country-wide, with the overall figures for Scotland indicating 40.2% Yes and 45.9% for no – putting the Yes campaign within four points of victory. Yes Banffshire and Buchan Coast organiser Ross Cassie said: “This latest poll illustrates that momentum is very much with the Yes campaign in the North-east of Scotland. The good people of the North-east are being persuaded by a positive, ambitious and aspirational vision for our future in an independent Scotland; and are fed up of the negative scaremongering of the no campaign which offers no change at all.” “We will not be resting on our laurels and will continue to take our positive message to the streets and doors of the North-east in the weeks ahead. A Yes vote and a better future is within our reach and that is something that will enthuse and inspire many across the country.” [1] Survation poll for the Scottish Mail on Sunday, August 3, 2014: http://survation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Scottish-Poll-Aug-3rd-MOS-Without-Demographics.pdf Comments enabled – see comments box below. Note, all comments will be moderated. Posted by Suzanne at Aberdeen Voice at 23:30 Tagged with: Mail, Poll, Referendum, Ross Cassie, Scotland Weemin Votin’ No Creative Writing, Opinion 6 Responses » In the independence referendum Maist weemin micht vote no They think SNP directives Are nae the wye ti go A poll it wis cairry’t oot Independence 64% dinna like Is es a wye o sayin SNP jist tak a hike Es o coorse begs the question Fit wye micht they vote no? Div some see Alex Salmond As a smarmy so an so? Maist weemin it wid seem Are listenin ti their heid An refuse ti lit their hairt Cause their soul ti bleed Es maan be a problem For Alex an his cohorts Are thochts o independence Noo a wee bit oot o sorts? A fyow months later on Votes wull be aa revealin Bit dis es latest poll Sen independence chunces reelin? Fitivver its oor luck ti be In the UK or maybe nae The vote o Scotland’s weemin fowk Micht haud a wee bit sway © Bob Smith “The Poetry Mannie” 2014 Image: http://pixabay.com/en/woman-girl-female Thumbnail: http://pixabay.com/en/girl-woman Posted by Fred at Aberdeen Voice at 02:01 Tagged with: Doric, First, Minister, Poetry, Politics, Poll, Salmond, Scotland, Women Ten Reasons To Vote Retain Union Terrace Gardens By Mike Shepherd. The polling cards are out for the Union Terrace Gardens referendum and you have until March 1 to vote. The hype means you’ll have been bombarded with leaflets, pamphlets, news items and radio adverts. If ‘connectivity’, a ‘21st century contemporary garden’, or ‘street-level access’ are key factors in deciding your vote, look no further; vote for the City Garden Project. If you are undecided or swithering then read these very good reasons for voting to retain Union Terrace Gardens. 1. Your vote will preserve the look and feel of the Granite City. Union Terrace Gardens are an integral part of the heritage of Aberdeen. Planned by the same architects who designed the Art Gallery and the frontage of Marischal College, they show an architectural harmony in the city centre which would be destroyed by a modernistic City Garden. 2. Your vote will not result in a ghastly modern structure replacing our park. Although described as the City Garden, it is in fact a mixture of buildings, flyovers, underpasses and parkland. The design has a passing resemblance to 1960s-style new town architecture. At one public meeting, someone said that the underpasses in particular were likely to end up as urban no-go areas. I have even heard a supporter of the scheme conceding that it will look dated after about five to ten years. 3. Your vote will stop a multitude of new glass box office blocks being built in the city centre. Council documents show that consideration has been given to plans to build a central business district in the city centre and encourage office block construction. The building of the City Garden Project, “will encourage development in the city centre sooner, and on a bigger scale, than might otherwise be the case without public investment in enabling infrastructure.” 4. Your vote will improve our much-loved park. Jimmy Milne, oilman and MD of Balmoral Group, has said: “I and many of my business contemporaries, are committed to establishing a fund which will help bring the gardens back to their former glory. Without destroying our heritage, and without putting Aberdeen City further into debt, it would not be difficult to breathe fresh life into the park. Improved access, new planting, cleaning and restoration, park wardens and live events could all be relatively easily and cost effectively achieved.” 5. Your vote will ensure that the mature trees in Union Terrace Gardens will be saved. All 77 trees will be kept, including the twelve elms, some of which are at least 200 years old. 6. Your vote will stop our Council borrowing £70m they can’t afford. Aberdeen City Council, £562m in debt, is being asked to borrow £70m through a risky tax scheme to help fund the City Garden Project. If there is insufficient money to pay back the loan, Council funds will be required to service it. 7. Your vote will avoid significant disruption and pollution in the city centre for the near three years it will take to build the scheme. The technical feasibility study for the project estimates that the equivalent of 3,947 dump trucks of earth and 4,605 dump trucks of granite will be excavated from the Gardens causing ‘large environmental impacts from noise, transport, dust and energy use.’ 8. Your vote will avoid the major traffic problems caused by the movement of heavy lifting equipment, dumper trucks and lorries in and out of the city centre. It is estimated that the City Garden will take almost three years to build. It is likely that there will be major traffic problems in the city for much of this time. City centre business will be impacted by this and may never recover. 9. Your vote will avoid much, if not all, of the Council’s cultural activities being displaced to the underground building in the City Garden. The council funds institutions occupying cosy, intimate venues such as the Music Hall, Lemon Tree and Belmont Cinema. A review of council-funded cultural activities will be made with a view to possible relocation to the underground concourse. 10. Your vote will avoid any consideration that the future of the HM Theatre could be in doubt. Two major performance venues will be built in the City Garden only yards from HM Theatre. Councillors have asked if this will have an impact on the future of HM Theatre. No specific assurances have been given. Aberdeen could change forever if the City Garden is built, and probably not for the better. We have the chance to keep the leafy, green heart of the Granite City. VOTE: RETAIN UNION TERRACE GARDENS Posted by Fred at Aberdeen Voice at 00:08 Tagged with: Aberdeen, ACSEF, Ballot, Block, Building, Business, Central, City, College, Competition, Concrete, Connectivity, Council, Design, District, Elm, Energy, EU, Excavation, Exhibition, Financing, Friends, Garden, Gardens, Government, Granite, Hall, Health, Human, Ian, Incremental, Jimmy Milne, Lemon, Marischal, Mature, Mike Shepherd, Music, Office, Opinion, Poll, Pollution, Project, Public, Referendum, Retain, Road, Scottish, Sir Ian Wood, St Nicholas, Street, Tax, Terrace, TIF, Traffic, Transport, Tree, Trees, Union, UTG, Victorian, Visit Scotland, Vote Aberdeen City Youth Council Hits Out At CGP Aberdeen City, Articles, Breaking, Community, Environment, Featured, Information, News No Responses » Aberdeen Youth Council’s former head Sean Press resigned because of ‘a conflict of interest’, citing his involvement with ACSEF the ‘pro-business and development body [which] is fully supportive of the City Garden Project’ per the Press & Journal. Now Aberdeen City Youth Council, the official voice of young people in the city, has spoken out against the proposed development of Union Terrace Gardens, describing the plans as “unwanted” and “potentially devastating to young people”. 17 year-old office-bearer, Kenneth Watt, comments on the decision: “It’s not normal for the Youth Council to speak out against the Council like we are doing. However, the decisions made have the potential to be devastating to our generation, and generations to come and we are genuinely worried about the prospect of the City Gardens Project going ahead.” As a result, the group has registered to submit 300 words in the voter registration pack. The group also criticised the City Council in its involvement of young people in the decision-making process, after they discovered that only 113 young people from just two schools were consulted with. In the Youth Council’s own consultation 98% of 14-25 year-olds were in favour of retaining the Gardens. The financial security of the City Gardens Project (CGP) concerns the Youth Council. The Aberdeen City Youth Council (ACYC) are worried by the lack of a plan to cover the possible failure of the risky Tax Increment Funding scheme. After multiple requests for detailed financial information from councillors on the monitoring board were ignored, the group became very apprehensive over the CGP’s feasibility. Kenneth Watt, an office-bearer in the ACYC says that: “Young People have been hit hard by spending cuts to key services already; the prospect of facing more in the future is a risk the Council can’t afford to take.” “Young people need to be listened to and have their questions answered. We’re the ones that will have to foot the bill when the £96million loan can’t be repaid.” One of the main sufferers of cuts to public services is Aberdeen’s youth. Northfield has the highest rate of child poverty in the north-east of Scotland and the Council cannot commit to such a financially unstable project when they are closing key services to the youth in many areas. “It is ridiculous for the Council to commit to a £96million loan when vital community services – such as the Mastrick Young People’s Project – are being cut left, right and centre.” It was claimed that the CGP would reduce crime rates in the city, which young people are frequently blamed for. Both final designs for the CGP have direct access from Belmont Street and Union Street, home to many pubs and clubs. A £170million project of this nature will not cure the violence and crime that Aberdeen faces. “Voters need to think seriously about the long-term aspect of the City Gardens Project and the financial burden it could easily leave for generations of Aberdonians to come.” “Union Terrace Gardens is a space that is unique to our city. Our parents have loved the Gardens, we love the Gardens, and – if retained – our children will love the Gardens too.” Posted by Suzanne at Aberdeen Voice at 06:00 Tagged with: Aberdeen, ACC, ACGT, ACSEF, AGCC, Architect, Barcelona, Board, Chamber, City, Cllr, Commerce, Consultation, Costs, Council, Councillor, Design, Dynamic, Economic, FOI, Freedom, Friends, Future, Garden, Gardens, Glass, Grampian, Granite, Green, Greenhouse, Group, Information, John Glenday, Kenneth Watt, Land, Legal, Management, Mike Shepherd, Minute, Monitoring, NIMBY, Panel, Park, Poll, Private, Project, Public, Referendum, Retain, Scotsman, Scottish, Sector, Services, Shire, Sir, Sir Ian Wood, SIW, Skate, Terrace, Trust, Union, UTG, Vote, Walkway, Web, Wood Not The First Choice – Webs, Worms And The CGP. Aberdeen City, Articles, Community, Environment, Information, News, Opinion No Responses » The final design for the City Garden Project was picked this week. The proposed plan is to replace Union Terrace Gardens with a futuristic design of curving walkways and grass called the “Granite Web”. The announcement stoked up even more controversy as it appears that the design was not the first choice amongst those that voted in the exhibition in October last year. Favoured was the “Winter Garden”, the design with the big greenhouse resembling a giant glass worm. A letter in the Scotsman gave a typical response to this ‘consultation’: “Pointless poll. Of the six designs submitted for the development of Aberdeen’s Union Terrace Gardens, one emerged as the clear favourite during a protracted public consultation in which the Aberdeen electorate took part. Yet a panel of judges has selected one of the other designs, and the Aberdeen public is apparently to be given the choice between this one or nothing. What is the point of holding a public consultation and treating the result as if it didn’t exist? Derrick McClure, Aberdeen” http://www.scotsman.com/news/letters/letter_pointless_poll_1_2061360 It is not the first time that a consultation on the fate of Union Terrace Gardens has been ignored. A public consultation run in 2010 saw a majority of the public rejecting the scheme. The design itself is also controversial. John Glenday, the editor of the magazine for Scottish architects the Urban Realm, commented: “Diller Scofidio & Renfro’s ‘granite web’ of interconnected walkways has been sold as a vision of the future for Aberdeen. However the seductive sixties sci-fi vision presented may be out of date before the journey from concept to reality has even begun. In their submission the architects have spun a tale of making Aberdeen “throb” again but the history of elevated walkways and underpasses, as anyone who has ever traversed any concrete New Town will attest, is often dystopian. “Health and Safety officials are also likely to have a field day with the walkways and platforms as presented, inevitably leading to a compromised design with fencing, signage and other clutter once the demands of building regulations are met.” http://www.scotsman.com/news/cartoon/analysisagrandschemebutitmayjustbealittletoolate Others have been more sceptical. It has been variously likened to a Teletubbies TV set, a skatepark and even ‘Mounthooly Roundabout on steroids’. The City Garden Project have however reached for their dictionaries to praise the ‘vision’, with press releases abounding with words such as ‘transformative’, ‘vibrant’ and ‘dazzling’. Despite the hype there are very few facts being presented. We still do not know how much it will cost or how long it will take to build. In another development, Aberdeen City Council are to hold a special council meeting next Wednesday to discuss the City Garden Project. The report for the meeting asks councillors to approve the final City Garden Project design , expects the private sector to commit at least £70 million towards the project and discusses some of the land ownership issues. There is no discussion in the report as to what happens if the City Garden Project goes into massive cost over-run. In 2009 the then Chief Executive, Sue Bruce, decreed the private sector would be responsible for any cost over-run. Since then, no procedure has been discussed on ensuring agreement about this. In my opinion, Aberdeen City council are being grossly negligent here. Councillors are effectively being asked to approve the final City Garden Project design ahead of February’s public referendum. Yet the report mentions that: “ACGT has produced initial draft proposals in respect of the likely uses of any internal and external space to be created by the proposed development and are currently redrafting these proposals to reflect the space provision within the design recently selected by the Design Competition Jury.” It is difficult to see how councillors can approve a project when there is no clear statement as to what the scheme is going to be used for. The requests to councillors to spend up to £300,000 on legal costs from Council funds will be very controversial. We have been repeatedly told that the City Garden Project will have no impact on Council budgets, yet this is clearly not the case here. Some will ask how such costs can be justified when services and amenities are being drastically cut elsewhere. Polling cards for the referendum are to be issued to Aberdeen residents on or around the 16th February. We will be asked for a third time – what do we want our city centre to look like? The public are being treated with disrespect on this issue. Nevertheless, Aberdonians should ensure that they vote in the referendum. This one counts. Posted by Fred at Aberdeen Voice at 23:40 Tagged with: Aberdeen, ACC, ACGT, ACSEF, AGCC, Architect, Barcelona, Board, Chamber, City, Cllr, Commerce, Consultation, Costs, Council, Councillor, Design, Dynamic, Economic, FOI, Freedom, Friends, Future, Garden, Gardens, Glass, Grampian, Granite, Green, Greenhouse, Group, Information, John Glenday, Land, Legal, Management, Mike Shepherd, Minute, Monitoring, NIMBY, Panel, Park, Poll, Private, Project, Public, Referendum, Retain, Scotsman, Scottish, Sector, Services, Shire, Sir, Sir Ian Wood, SIW, Skate, Teletubby, Telletubbies, Terrace, Trust, Union, UTG, Vibrant, Vision, Vote, Walkway, Web, Winter, Wood Build It And They Might Come – Tourism And The Fate Of UTG Aberdeen City, Articles, Environment, Featured, Information, News, Opinion No Responses » Over three years ago, Sir Ian Wood announced the City Square Project with the intention of replacing Union Terrace Gardens with “a cross between the Grand Italian Piazza and a mini Central Park.” It has since been renamed the City Garden Project. The cost of building the project is nominally £140 million, of which it has been proposed that £70M of this would be borrowed by Aberdeen City Council involving a tax scheme. Mike Shepherd offers some analysis of current local government trends, the recession, and what it may mean for Aberdeen. So what is the justification being put forward for this expensive project, a project that has caused so much controversy since it was announced? The project’s supporters allege the City Garden Project is needed to ensure that Aberdeen is attractive enough to retain energy professionals long term and to ensure Aberdeen’s economy is based on tourism post-oil. For instance, an advert by ACSEF in the Press and Journal (January 2010) stated that:- “Creating a new heart for Aberdeen presents a unique opportunity to put the city on the ‘must visit’ list.” Aberdeen City Council is £562 million in debt (2010 figure). See: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/02/21143624/4 Last November, Perth and Kinross Council approved demolishing the listed Perth Town Hall to build a Civic Square in its place, a move that has raised much controversy. The BBC reported: “The council said many local businesses supported the civic square proposal. And council officers have argued that full demolition and reuse of the site as a public space would provide the most additional value to the local economy. The cost of scheme is estimated at £4.4m, but the report said an additional 15,000 people per year would extend their stay in the city, with an extra 60,000 coming for events. “This would result in a combined additional spend per person per visit of £23 generating a total gross expenditure of £1.65m per annum,” it added. See:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-15742937 Perth and Kinross Council is £222 Million in debt (2010 figure). A similar controversy has been raging in Cork, Ireland, where the struggling Cork Council has been involved in a plan to install the Sky Garden Project. Celebrity TV gardener Diarmuid Gavin’s Irish Sky Garden won the gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show (It looks like a giant hanging flower basket). There is a pattern here. Local governments the world over are in serious debt The Council agreed to put the garden on permanent display in the city’s Fitzgerald Park at a cost of at least €300,000, with more than €1.7 million given to the project by Fáilte Ireland, the Irish tourism body. In tones, redolent of the Aberdeen controversy, the Irish Independent wrote: “THE taxpayer could be hit with a further bill of over €100,000 in costs connected to Diarmuid Gavin’s award-winning garden. “Workers’ Party councillor Ted Tynan said the council needed to clarify precisely how much the garden cost, and what the council would pay in transport, insurance and operating costs. He also expressed disbelief that the garden — including its 30-metre high floating ‘pod’ and crane — may only open for three months each year. “I love gardens and flowers and parks, but this is absolutely ridiculous. You’d put a hell of a lot of flower beds around the city for this kind of money. We should keep our feet on the ground not in the clouds with a sky garden’,” Mr Tynan said “There are 500 boarded-up council houses in Cork and 120 people with various disabilities waiting on home adaptations. But the funding to go to all this has been cut by central government,” he added. “Last night, the council said support for the “iconic garden” was in line with the policy that led to the creation of successful visitor attractions in the city.” “This is part of a long-term policy to create a necklace of top tourist attractions that will bring people to Cork, get them to stay longer here and spend more money here,” a council spokesman said. “Fáilte Ireland insisted that the garden would generate significant tourism earnings.” See: http://www.independent.ie/national-news/diarmuid-gavinrsquos-euro2m-lsquosky-gardenrsquo-growing-in-cost-2661548.html There is a pattern here. Local governments the world over are in serious debt. Services and amenities are being cut, yet it doesn’t stop them from spending money on expensive big-ticket items that might bring visitors in. There is a feedback loop between local government, chambers of commerce and national government that serves to create the syndrome, “if we build it, they will come”. While a worthy cause, this has caused controversy as the annual budget will be part-funded by the city’s Common Good Fund Where local economies have failed as in Cork for example, tourism may be the last throw of the dice to engender outside income. There will be much competition for the dwindling number of international tourists as the recession bites. Recent reports suggest that countries such as Greece and Spain will focus relentlessly on promoting tourism as the last glimmer of light in their busted economies. Aberdeen has caught up on the trend of pushing long-term tourism. The local chamber of commerce have been promoting a new destination marketing organisation for the city called ‘Visit Aberdeen’. While a worthy cause, this has caused controversy as the annual budget will be part-funded by the city’s Common Good Fund; £107,000 for 2011 / 2012 and potentially for the next six years also. Arguably this is more ‘commerce good’ than ‘common good’. The draft business plan recognises the future of the City Garden Project / Union Terrace Gardens as a primary issue. It is to be hoped that an organisation part-funded by Common Good money will not be promoting the controversial development of a public park that lies on Common Good land. See: http://committees.aberdeencity.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=15678 Are the citizens of Aberdeen willing to support the allocation of scarce resources to “a build it and they might come” vision for the city, allowing a public park to be developed for the sake of possible future tourists? Or is this all pie in the sky stuff that will use up money desperately needed elsewhere and will result in the appearance of the Granite City changing forever? You have the chance to decide yourself. The referendum on the fate of Union Terrace Gardens will be held in February. Posted by Suzanne at Aberdeen Voice at 01:12 Tagged with: Aberdeen, ACSEF, Ballot, Bon Accord, Carbon, Centre, Church, City, Competition, Concrete, Council, Design, Elm, Energy, EU, Excavation, Exhibition, Financing, Friends, Garden, Gardens, Government, Granite, Health, Human, Ian, Incremental, Ireland, Irish, Journal, Kinross, Lottery, Market, Mature, Mike Shepherd, Millenium, Opinion, P&J, Perth, Pier, Poll, Pollution, Press, Project, Public, Referendum, Road, Scottish, Sir Ian Wood, St Nicholas, Street, Tax, Television, Terrace, TIF, Trees, Union, Victorian, Visit Scotland, Vote Union Treeless Gardens The jury for the City Garden Project will announce the final scheme for the proposed development of Union Terrace Gardens sometime in January. The choice will be between two designs, one with a web-based motif and the other with a big glass building in the middle which looks like a giant worm. It is clear from both designs that most of the existing trees will be removed to build the new ‘garden’, whichever is built. New trees could of course be planted, but it would be decades before these grew to a comparable size, and this may not even be possible in those areas with a shallow concrete substrate. There will be claims that some of the smaller trees could be replanted, although the practicalities of this are obvious. The big trees are particularly important as they absorb carbon and filter more pollution from the air compared to smaller trees. One study concluded that for this purpose: “Big trees, the ones the Victorians planted for us, are what we need to maintain, but they are few and far between.” See: http://www.theecologist.org This week saw the shocking news that people living in Scottish cities are being exposed to dangerously high levels of pollutants. A WWF Scotland report identified three pollution hotspots in Aberdeen; Union Street, Market Street, and Wellington Road. These show levels that are in breach of EU targets intended to protect human health. The main problem is the high levels of nitrogen dioxide caused by traffic fumes. See: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk Aberdeen has a highly-polluted city centre. The solution to the problem would be to reduce the level of traffic in the city centre; pedestrianising Union Street has been suggested as an option. It is also clear that we need to maintain the tree population of the city centre to help absorb the pollution. The key areas are Bon Accord Gardens, St. Nicholas churchyard and Union Terrace Gardens itself. Otherwise, Aberdeen city centre can hardly be described as awash with trees. Yet, the proposed City Garden Project will remove a population of mature trees from the city centre. The problem is acknowledged in the Technical Feasibility Study for the project. “Removal of mature trees and existing ecological habitat; 78 mature trees would be lost including 17 number mature Elm trees. The ecological value of these trees would take decades to replace as many of the trees are up to 200 years old.” The City Garden Project will itself be a major source of pollution while it is being built (for the duration of almost two and a half years according to the same study). “Excavation of rock/earth; It is anticipated that 30,000m3 of earth and 35,000m3 of granite will need to be removed from site. This which will cause large environmental impacts from noise, dust, transport and energy use. The removal of this volume of material is equivalent to approximately 3,947 dump trucks of earth and 4,605 dump trucks or more of granite to be removed from site or re-used where possible on site. This would have large environmental and social impacts on the local area and community surrounding the gardens.” See: http://www.acsef.co.uk It is clear from this, that the ecological downside of building the City Garden Project is substantial. The construction phase will see a protracted period of dirt and pollution in the city centre. By contrast, it is no exaggeration to describe Union Terrace Gardens as the green, living heart of the Granite City; its big trees acting as a natural washing machine, helping to keep us healthy by removing noxious pollution. Those living in Aberdeen City will receive a postal ballot in mid February allowing them to decide between retaining Union Terrace Gardens or sanctioning the construction of the City Garden Project. I will vote to retain Union Terrace Gardens. Posted by Fred at Aberdeen Voice at 23:18 Tagged with: Aberdeen, ACSEF, Ballot, Bon Accord, Carbon, Centre, Church, City, Competition, Concrete, Council, Design, Elm, Energy, EU, Excavation, Exhibition, Financing, Friends, Garden, Gardens, Government, Granite, Health, Human, Ian, Incremental, Journal, Lottery, Market, Mature, Mike Shepherd, Millenium, Opinion, P&J, Pier, Poll, Pollution, Press, Project, Public, Referendum, Road, Scottish, Sir Ian Wood, St Nicholas, Street, Tax, Television, Terrace, TIF, Trees, Union, Victorian, Vote, Wellington, Wood, Worm Union Terrace Gardens Referendum Going Ahead Aberdeen City, Articles, Community, Featured, Information No Responses » On Wednesday, Councillors approved to proceed with a referendum on the fate of Union Terrace Gardens. After the heated negotiations over the referendum question, as reported in last week’s Aberdeen Voice, the question suggested by the Friends of UTG was eventually considered as appropriate. The poll is to be completed by March 1st 2012, and the result is expected on March 2nd. The question to be asked is as follows: “You are being asked to choose between retaining Union Terrace Gardens or replacing them with the proposed City Garden Project design. (Please read the voter information pack before you vote to make sure that you understand what is meant by “retaining Union Terrace Gardens” and “the proposed City Garden Project design”.) Which option do you support? (Please mark a cross in the box beside your choice.) Retaining Union Terrace Gardens. The City Garden Project design.” The referendum will involve a postal ballot, although the possibility of internet voting is being looked at. Voting packs will be issued around Thursday 16th February 2012 and ballot papers must be returned not later than 5.00 pm on Thursday 1st March 2012. Those entitled to vote at this referendum will be those listed in the Electoral Register as local government electors at a qualifying address within the Aberdeen area, and who will have attained the age of 18 on or before 30th November 2012. This means that those currently under the age of 18 but who are entitled to be included in the register in force until November 2012 with a qualifying date against their names will be entitled to vote in the referendum. Qualified voters who are not yet on the register and who wish to vote in the referendum must apply to the Electoral Registration Officer at Woodhill House, Westburn Road,Aberdeen AB16 5GE. Applications must arrive not later than 5.00 pm on Tuesday 10th January 2012. The poll will be organised by an independent administrator, Crawford Langley. Crawford comes highly recommended by those who have worked with him before. He will be responsible for the content of the voting packs to be sent to the electors, including the ballot paper, the counting officer’s statement relating to the referendum, the voter identifier, and statements from any campaigning organisations. Councillors discussed whether the referendum should be binding or not. There are legal issues that mean the referendum strictly can’t be binding. However, in practice it will be effectively binding, as Sir Ian Wood has stated that he will withdraw funding for the project if the public reject it. The Scottish Government have also stated that they will not lend money to the Council if the public do not support it. On March 2nd 2012 the fate of Union Terrace Gardens will be known. The people will at last be allowed to decide what they want their city centre to look like. Posted by at 23:43 Tagged with: Aberdeen, Ballot, Campaign, City, Councillor, Crawford Langley, Electoral, Friends, Garden, Government, Organisation, Paper, Poll, Project, Referendum, Register, Scottish, Sir, Sir Ian Wood, Terrace, Union, UTG, Vote Problems Are Stacking Up For The City Garden Project On Tuesday a Council committee voted to defer a decision on a referendum for the City Garden Project to the full Council meeting on the 14th December. Although an amendment was introduced to propose an opinion poll as an alternative, a vote for a referendum looks more likely. If such a referendum was to happen it would be held either two months before or two months after the local council elections on May 3rd. This is one of many setbacks to have affected the City Garden Project (CGP). Here is a summary of the problems facing the scheme: The City Garden Project is way behind schedule: It is almost exactly three years since Sir Ian Wood announced his Civic Square proposal at His Majesty’s Theatre on the 11th November 2008. Although we are close to seeing a final design, the project is nowhere near planning submission and funding is very uncertain. The vote on Tuesday looks to introduce further delays. It also probably shunts the planning decision well into the next Council, when at least one of the proponents of the scheme, John Stewart, will not be on the Council any more, having announced that he will stand down. The City Garden Project is unpopular: This statement gets vigorously challenged by supporters of the CGP, yet it is clearly the case. The consultation held two years ago saw a ‘no’ vote for the CGP, and various online polls have shown a consistent numerical advantage to those wanting to keep the existing Gardens. The probability is that a referendum would reject the CGP. The Design Exhibition failed to create any buzz in the city: The Friends of Union Terrace Gardens canvassed opinion outside the exhibition while it lasted. About half of those we talked to were unhappy about the designs. Many spoiled their votes.( by attempting to vote for the non-existent ‘option 7’.) Of those that voted, a common vote was for a design that appeared to preserve the Gardens (it doesn’t), although they reported they did this without much enthusiasm. The land issue is a headache for the Council lawyers: Union Terrace Gardens lies on Common Good land and any land transaction, i.e. assigning a long term lease to a limited company or trust, would probably require an application to a court of session to apply for a change in status of the property. The Council lawyers are well aware of the legal pitfalls that could ensue over the details of a property transaction (as witness the pending court case between Aberdeen Council and the Stewart Milne Group). it involves the allocation of scarce public money using non-economic criteria Currently,Union Terrace Gardens has negligible value as it is zoned as public open green space in the local plan. However, should this status change at a later date and the property is re-zoned as commercial space, the land value will be in the tens of millions as prime down-town real estate. The lawyers will have to be especially careful on this issue, particularly where a long term free-hold lease could potentially be assigned to a limited company. Funding the City Garden Project is a big problem: To date only £55M of private money has been pledged for a project nominally costing £140M. The CGP are pushing the Council to underwrite a loan of £70M through Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) to help part fund the scheme. Aberdeen Council’s business case was so feeble it didn’t even rank in the top six schemes assessed for recommendation by the Scottish Futures Trust. Even so, the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment, Alex Neil, has told Aberdeen Council that their TIF application may still be considered. However, the TIF would be awarded on a ‘geographical’ basis rather than an ostensibly ‘economic’ basis. This can be criticised as very poor Government practice; it involves the allocation of scarce public money using non-economic criteria. It also begs the question that if the business case doesn’t stack up, why is the debt-ridden Aberdeen Council under consideration to be allowed to borrow money for it? Questions are being asked in Holyrood about Aberdeen’s TIF funding. This is from an article by Steven Vass in last weekend’s Sunday Herald: “First Minister Alex Salmond’s decision to permit Aberdeen’s £70M borrowing plan for redesigning the city centre will come under renewed fire when he is forced to answer questions in the Scottish Parliament this week. “Lewis MacDonald, the Aberdeen MSP and long-time opponent of the scheme, said there was a “scandal lurking under the surface” around the permission. He has tabled a series of parliamentary questions demanding answers to speculation the Government’s approval overruled the economic advice of specialists at the Scottish Futures Trust, who were supposed to decide which projects would go ahead.” Another potential show-stopper is that last year the Council decreed that borrowing money through a TIF scheme must present ‘zero risk’ to the Councils finances. The only realistic way this could happen is if an organisation or individual was prepared to underwrite the Council loan. This would be a major commitment to say the least, as it would involve underwriting £70M for a 25 to 30 year period. Perhaps Sir Ian Wood is willing to do this, but even for him or his family trust, it would involve a significant allocation of capital resources over a long term period. Add to this the question of cost over-run. One architect told me this week that with the massive rock excavation operation involved and the difficulties of building over the railway line, there was no way of this project coming in on budget. Yet, very little has been said about what would happen if the costs do over-run massively. The problems are stacking up for the City Garden Project and even three years later they are not much closer to being resolved. The patient is looking sickly and the prognosis is not good. Posted by Fred at Aberdeen Voice at 20:58 Tagged with: Aberdeen, ACC, Alex Neil, Alex Salmond, Cabinet, Capital, CGP, City, Cllr, Commercial, Committee, Common, Competition, Consultation, Council, Councillor, Design, Economic, Estate, Exhibition, FoUTG, Friends, Funding, Futures, Gardens, Good, Government, Group, Herald, Holyrood, Incremental, Investment, John Stewart, Land, Lewis MacDonald, Loan, Mike Shepherd, MSP, Opinion, Parliament, Poll, Private, Project, Public, Referendum, Scottish, Secretary, SFT, Sir, Sir Ian Wood, SIW, SMG, Square, Stewart Milne, Sunday, Tax, Terrace, TIF, Trust, Union, UTG Union Terrace Gardens Update Aberdeen City, Articles, Community, Environment, Featured, Information No Responses » The design competition for the City Garden Project has just finished at the Pier in Belmont Street and the organisers say that about 15,000 have visited to see the six designs on display. The Friends of Union Terrace Gardens canvassed outside the exhibition for the entire three weeks it lasted. We managed to speak to many of the public as they came out and we asked them their opinion. Probably between 10 and 20% liked the designs and at least a half felt uncomfortable with them. Many had spoiled the ballots, particularly as the option to keep the existing gardens had not been included. Of those that voted, option two (the one with the worm-like greenhouse over the middle of the railway) was preferred as it was seen as the least damaging. A couple of architects told us that this was probably the Norman Foster design. Our general impression is that the Aberdeen public were underwhelmed by the designs, more the woe factor than the wow factor. I’m not sure it was made plain to those taking part that their vote was merely serving to give an indication to a jury who would actually make the final choice, not them. The jury includes Sir Ian Wood. The jury will come to a decision sometime later in the month. Option two “the worm” is likely to be a forerunner. The bumph describes it as “Protecting the gardens, transforming the setting”. For some, it has a close resemblance to the Millennium option, which largely preserved the gardens but decked over the road and railway. The Millennium option was proposed for a lottery funded project in the late 1990s but was passed over. However, option two does change the gardens despite appearances to the contrary. The balustrades are removed on the theatre side with a wide series of steps leading down to a circular amphitheatre below. The famous crest disappears. On the Union Bridge side, the gardens ramp up to street level. It is clear that many of the trees will be removed. There are early signs that the Friends of Union Terrace Gardens could be asked to compromise on this option given that it appears to be the least destructive. This will be an attempt to muddy the issue with the public. However, our constitution is clear. A key aim is to “to campaign for the conservation and improvement of Union Terrace Gardens”. Option two does not conserve Union Terrace Gardens and we cannot support it. Aberdeen City Council’s plan to use TIF for Union Terrace Gardens project will be progressed if public support for the project can be demonstrated. The Scottish Government issued a press release on Tuesday about TIF funding. They have proposed six pilot projects whereby Scottish Councils will be allowed to borrow money for regeneration projects and capture the business rates generated to pay off the loan (Tax Incremental Financing). Two have been approved and another in Glasgow is to be approved pending a local council vote. Aberdeen was hoping to gain one of the three remaining slots but was unsuccessful. However, the Government did announce that “Aberdeen City Council’s plan to use TIF for Union Terrace Gardens project will be progressed if public support for the project can be demonstrated”. So the Aberdeen submission did not appear to meet acceptance for one of the six cases on business merits, yet is being given preferential treatment if the public like it. Behind the scenes, Aberdeen Council have been lobbying hard to get an award. Given that £70M of public money is involved here, it is alarming that the money appears to have been promised on grounds other than objective business criteria. This decision has overtones of what Americans call pork barrel politics: “Pork barrel is a derogatory term referring to appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative’s district.” (Wikipedia). The instance on demonstrating public support would appear to make a public referendum more likely. This is not supported by the City Garden Project team. One of their members told us: “I don’t think we should have a referendum because the public is not sufficiently informed to make a sensible decision.” An opinion poll would be their preferred option. The leader of the Council Callum McCaig disagrees. He told me in an email on Wednesday that: “I’m quite clear that we need to have a referendum on the issue. Even the best opinion poll will come with a margin of error and if the result was close there would always be an element of doubt over the validity of the poll. “Yes a referendum will not be cheap, but given the scale of the proposed investment, and the indication from the government that a clear demonstration of public support being required before they approve a TIF scheme, it is a price worth paying to have a definitive answer as to whether the public want this project to go ahead.“ The Council are currently investigating the options for running a referendum and a vote on this is due to take place later this month. What would be the result in a referendum? Scottish Television gave an early indication when they ran a straw poll with over 1,100 taking part. Preserving Union Terrace Gardens was an option along with the six other city square designs. 74% voted to keep the Gardens. Posted by at 02:15 Tagged with: Aberdeen, ACSEF, Ballot, City, Competition, Council, Design, Exhibition, Financing, Friends, Garden, Gardens, Government, Ian, Incremental, Lottery, Mike Shepherd, Millenium, Opinion, Pier, Poll, Project, Public, Referendum, Scottish, Sir Ian Wood, Tax, Television, Terrace, TIF, Union, Wood, Worm	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line841
__label__wiki	0.791217	0.791217	APAC News Literacy Working Group Reconvenes to Support Asia’s News Community This week we partnered with University of Technology Sydney to host our second Asia Pacific News Working Group. A part of the Facebook Journalism Project, the group brings together 40 experts from Asia Pacific’s newsrooms, publishers, education institutions and third-party fact checking organizations to discuss and identify initiatives that will help people be more discerning consumers, creators and sharers of media. Discussion highlights included third-party fact checking, community partnerships to encourage consumer literacy, ensuring editorial independence and the online safety of journalists. The group identified the challenges of building the skills and capacity of the region’s emerging and established newsrooms and the need to support trusted news sources in the region. The group also heard from our inaugural APAC News Literacy Grant recipients, including: The University of Melbourne’s The Future Newsroom Report by University of Melbourne, which identified key challenges to the news industry and discussed changes in professional journalism and new business models. The Splice Newsroom, which shared how it has built a sustainable media business that captures Asia Pacific’s best practices in newsrooms, case studies, talent profiles, training and media entrepreneurship in the evolution of media. Taiwan Media Watch, a dedicated non-profit media monitoring organization that has developed a ranking system – based on two years of research – that evaluates stories on informativeness and accuracy. The University of Technology Sydney’s School of Communication research into ‘Falling in love again – what will it take for audiences to trust newsmakers again?’ which includes the development of a research resource focused on false news The APAC News Literacy Working Group will continue to work to ensure we are able to support the region, and remain focused on building news literacy programs that ensure people gain the necessary skills and knowledge to consume, create and share media responsibly. APAC News Literacy Report 2017 New Report Shows Impact of Facebook Apps on the European Economy We surveyed over 7,700 businesses in 15 countries to understand the true extent of Facebook’s impact on the European economy.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line843
__label__cc	0.738058	0.261942	Projects Inspected Professional Fees Request for Inspection To be the most progressive and trusted building inspection company in Singapore and Malaysia. To protect property owners’ interests against workmanship defects by providing high quality of inspection, as well as objective and sound technical judgement on problems encountered in the properties. ABOUT ABSOLUTE INSPECTION ABSOLUTE INSPECTION PTE LTD is a Singapore-based building inspection company specialising in defects inspection for new homes. At Absolute Inspection, we know that the purchase of a home is probably the largest and most exciting investment you will ever make. It is therefore important that you learn as much as you can about the property you have bought or are considering to buy, so that you know where things could go wrong in your house. To date, we have conducted more than 15,000 inspections for new / resale / rental / renovated properties. We are active in all 28 districts in Singapore and also in Johor, especially Iskandar Malaysia. WE SERVE BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS TOO! Absolute Inspection’s services have been highly sought after by professionals in the building & construction industry. These include government officers from the authorities, property developers, construction firms, architects, professional engineers, and interior designers, etc. Some of our corporate clients are: Request for Home Inspection Service Now ABOUT OUR FOUNDER, TAN WEE KWANG Wee Kwang was formerly a scholar with the Building and Construction Authority, graduating with a 1st class honours in Mechanical Engineering at NUS. A former Deputy Director in BCA at a young age of 29, he was trained in BCA CONQUAS, which is Singapore’s yardstick for construction quality. He also played an active role in promoting the adoption of the CONQUAS to other countries. Wee Kwang has performed more than 4,000 home inspections since 2015, making him the most highly sought-after defects inspector in Singapore. He was featured in Mediacorp Channel 8 Frontline, The New Paper, Asiaone and Shin Min Daily News for his expertise in defects inspection. He was also invited to speak at various platforms, including SMART EXPO 2016/17, Asia Pacific Furniture Fair 2016, EXPO Big Furniture Fair 2016, Renotalk events, OrangeTee & Propnex networking sessions and private property clubs, such as Property Club Singapore. ABOUT OUR TECHNICAL ADVISOR, ALAN LAW Alan Law is a registered Project Management Professional with more than 20 years of project management experience. Formerly the Head of Quality and Safety Audit team in HDB, Alan has in-depth knowledge in project management, safety management system, building quality, health and environment technology, estate maintenance, building materials, building services and landscaping works. Alan is also the founder of QA Inspection & Audit Pte. Ltd. which provides engineering services to both public and private sector clients in the commercial and residential sectors. QA Inspection has also been directly appointed by HDB for the provision of consultancy services, where they have completed 14 Projects to date. ABOUT OUR CHARTERED BUILDING SURVEYOR, JAKE YEOH Jake holds a BSc (Hons) in Building from NUS. He has over 12 years of experience in the building and construction industry, including 5 years with JTC Corporation. Jake is also an adjunct lecturer at BCA Academy, a WSQ ACTA trainer and a qualified (UD) Assessor. Jake is also a member of the acclaimed RICS – Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the global professional body promoting and enforcing the highest international standards in the valuation, management and development of land, real estate, construction and infrastructure. His specialisation is in interior fitting out, project management and quality defects inspections for residential property ABOUT OUR INSPECTION TEAM To give homeowners the peace of mind, we have a dedicated team of inspectors who will inspect each home with the utmost care, as if it is their own. Since 2015, the Absolute Inspection team has collectively conducted more than 15,000 home inspections in Singapore and Malaysia. Every inspector has at least 3 years of inspection experience covering more than 1,800 properties each. In fact, each of them has more inspection experience than all other inspectors plying their trade in Singapore The team combines a mix of expertise ranging from site construction to waterproofing, plumbing and renovations, and is personally trained and led by our founder, Mr Tan Wee Kwang who has more than 15 years of experience in the construction industry. The team also adopt a strict calibration approach (similar to the BCA CONQUAS team) to ensure the consistency and high quality of inspection standards amongst individual inspectors. The Straits Time Scholar’s Choice III “Checking For Home Defects” – Interview with Tan Wee Kwang by Frontline 2015 (Episode 11) “More Home Owners Hiring Experts To Check For Defects In Their New Homes” – Interview with Tan Wee Kwang by Shin Min “New Condominiums Defect Inspection” – An Expert Interview with Tan Wee Kwang by Property Soul “A Quick Guide For Prospective Home Buyers” – Search Guide (Jul & Oct 2018) Conversations with Home Defect Inspector, Mr. Tan Wee Kwang by Redbrick. “Building The Future” – Article by Tan Wee Kwang (Jobscentral) “How To Deal With Renovation Defects” – Interview with Tan Wee Kwang by Hometrust “House Detectives” – Interview with Tan Wee Kwang by The New Paper “Demand up for home defects inspectors” – Straits Times Article	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line848
__label__wiki	0.568021	0.568021	Ashen – Dark Soul’s Cousin Ashen ha proven to be a a hit with many great endorsements and reviews. I might be a little biased but any game with a Dark Soul's like game play is worth trying out. It has a fallen-world feel, epic boss battles, and some interesting cooperative play. Unfortunately AButtonGames has yet to make a play through but this is on our list. Article September 5, 2018 August – Top 5 Games! August passed by in a flash, but that doesn't mean we aren't still playing the big titles that released. If you weren't hiding under a rock you will probably already know about Dead Cells and Guacamelee but lets take a look at which games made the top for each category! Upcoming August 21, 2018 Total War: The Three Kingdoms – Delayed Release date: Spring 2019 Developer: Creative Assembly Genre: Strategy, Action, War, RTS Platforms: Microsoft Windows AButtonGames Take Total War: The Three Kingdoms has announced they will be going a different direction than previous games. It seems they will be focusing more on developing characters, alliances, and relationships. This is a different approach and we will have to see how it works coming next spring… uhg that seems so long. But hopefully this will be well polished and ready to hit the charts by then. “If the original Total War: Three Kingdoms release date had stuck then the game would be nearly upon us. Three Kingdoms was first scheduled for autumn this year – though with May’s Thrones of Britannia to tide us over, it wasn’t too painful when Three Kingdoms was delayed. Now it’s set to arrive in spring 2019.” -pcgamer “Total War: THREE KINGDOMS is the next major historical Total War game and is the first game in the award-winning series to take place in China. The Three Kingdoms period is one of the most turbulent times in Chinese history. The Han Dynasty is crumbling; the stage is set for a great new epoch, forged by the fires of conquest – the time to establish your legacy is now. But with many warlords eyeing the throne, each with a large army to back up their claim, it’s clear that the future of China will be shaped by its champions.” –totalwar.com 11 Games of August – Hot or Not Hey there fans, welcome back to AButtonGames to check out the latest and greatest games! This list goes from August 1st to August 20th. Once again we have included indie games and AAA Games. Keep in mind a lot of the ranks are tentative and can change in the coming days. Click on the game title to go right to the site we based the ranks off of. Enjoy! Release: TBA Engine: Amazon Lumberyard Developer: Cloud Imperium Games Designer: Chris Roberts Genre: Space-flight Simulation, FPS, Open World, MMORPG Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Linux Composers: Pedro Camacho, Geoff Zanelli Releasing? “Star Citizen was originally due for a commercial release in 2016, which was then pushed back to 2017 but, as we know, it didn’t appear in 2017 either. The original delay was said to be due to the team working on getting one of the game’s 28 chapters to release quality so it could showcase it, but that would suggest there is still a long way to go if there are another 27 chapters to finish afterwards. Following the delays, Star Citizen’s creator Chris Roberts went on record to state that the game won’t have a ‘normal commercial release’ which suggests to us that the game will become available in big chunks over time. There’s still no real timeline though – fan sites suggest a 2018 launch could be possible, but honestly, given the scale of the project and how badly the current alpha performs, we wouldn’t be surprised if it’s still at least a year away from launch, if not two.” — https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/feature/game/star-citizen-news-3598102/ “Star Citizen is an upcoming massively multiplayer, space trading and combat game developed and published by Chris Roberts’ company Cloud Imperium Games for Microsoft Windows” — Wikipedia Release date: TBD Engine: REDengine Designer: Mike Pondsmith Developer: CD Projekt RED Genre: Role-playing video game Composer: Marcin Przybyłowicz Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows Website: https://www.cyberpunk.net/en/ “In Cyberpunk 2077, the player will be thrown into a dark future. The metropolis of Night City is a stage set to tell the tale of one individual, raised on the streets, who tries to lift himself up from the gutter and find a way to survive amongst boostergangs and megacorporations in a city of filth and sin. Drugs, violence, poverty and exclusion haven’t disappeared by 2077, as people stayed they were for centuries – greedy, closed-minded and weak. But not only ghosts of the past trouble mankind, but new issues have appeared. Psychos go on rampages and the streets are filled with junkies addicted to a new form of entertainment – the braindance, a cheap way to experience the emotions and stimuli of someone else, someone living a more exciting life.” –siliconera.com Ori And The Will Of The Wisps – 2019 Release Release: TBA 2019 Developer: Moon Studios Series: Ori Publisher: Microsoft Studios Genre: Metroidvania, Platform, Adventure Mode: Single-player video game Platforms: Xbox One, Microsoft Windows Website: https://www.orithegame.com/ “Acting as a direct sequel to Ori and the Blind Forest, Will of the Wisps once again has you playing as Ori, a white guardian spirit responsible for watching over the forest alongside Sein, the light and eyes of the sacred Spirit Tree.” –trustedreviews.com Article August 6, 2018 July Top 10 – That Blue Erinaceidae Rockets to the Top Hey there gamers, July has come and gone and it sure went by fast. If you missed all the new game releases, don't worry because AButtonGames has your back. We have taken the liberty of compiling a list of the top 10 games for each console! Article June 5, 2018 May & June Game Releases – 21 Days of Games! Hey there gamers! Over the past month or so there have been quite a few game releases included a good host of games released today (6/5/2018). Some of them are hot and some are... not so much. Bigger titles can be found on meta reviews but we want to cover some smaller titles or games we just otherwise missed! Little Witch Academia: Chamber of (Don’t Waste Your Time) – Meta Review So if you are a fan of the Little Witch Academia anime then you will appreciate this game. If not, do not even waste your time. The game brings the characters to life with lots of colors and peppy conversations but the RPG elements lag behind and border on annoying. Dark Souls Remastered – Meta Review – Simply Beautiful Hey there souls fans, if you aren't out there buying this remaster right now... then I'm sure you are contemplating whether buying this classic remaster is worth it (like I am right now). From the looks of things, it just might be. There is a massive improvement in texture quality and performance with almost everything else staying the same. With this new release massive amounts of people will be playing online (the lack thereof is what made me stop playing), so get in while it's hot. Watch out for LokiAdvanced though or you might just end up with a dagger in your back. Raging Justice Meta-Review – So Retro and So Much Justice! Have you been craving a good Beat-Em Up game? Well Raging Justice might just be the game for you! Sure it's an older genre but that doesn't mean it's bad. The animation and graphics do look a little rough though. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire – Meta-Review – Open Sea Sequel! Hey RPG fans, if you still own your PS2 just to play Baldur's Gate or Champions of Norrath, then come back to 2018 because Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is what you have been looking for. Although you might want to start with the prequel if you haven't played that yet (you don't have to... but it will probably make the game experience better). Not only it have the best RPG elements that give us that nostalgic feeling but you are also the captain of a ship and can sail the ocean! Sounds like a great mix, and other critics agree. Destiny 2: Warmind – Meta-Review – More of the Same Destiny 2: Warmind takes the game to a whole new level! But that 'new' level just happens to be more of the same stuff and actually not new at all. You will get a slough of new gear but if you are playing by yourself then this expansion is a bit daunting. Seems like they made a big PvP improvement though A Way Out – Best Co-Op Game In A While – Meta-Review If you are looking for an awesome game to play through with a buddy then A Way Out is the way to go. It's short and sweet and looks like a ton of fun (especially if you've ever seen prison break). You get lots of choices, options, and dynamic gameplay with alternate endings! Of course it's not without some short comings but no game is perfect right? Well take a look at some reviews below and find out a bit more!	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0122.json.gz/line849

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